Sage Vasishta's Advice to Ramachandra

     Ramachandra, son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya, completed his education in Gurukula and went for a visit to different parts of his kingdom and see the prevailing conditions. The living conditions were deplorable. He was so sad that he gave up food and sleep and remained in isolation after his return. King was anxious about Rama's health and requested Sage Vasishtha to enquire into Rama's condition and advice him. It is this advice to Rama by the Sage that has become the famous Gita, Yogavasishta, and other names. What exactly is the advice? This was originally a voluminous 'Yogavashishtha' of over 20,000 verse and was abridged to about 6000 verses by Pundit Abhinanda Gaur of Kashmir in 9th century A.D. to about 6000 verse. Now a number of abridged versions (of selected verses) areavailable. The topics covered are very important for us.

    Everyone interested in living a happy, peaceful life should study this carefully.It has gems of advice from a great sage and is a guide to us.It deals with: the illusory nature of the world, cessation of desires, contemplation on the inner self, 'Realizationof the Atman', 'Renunciation', etc.The Samskruta shloka are very impressive!

   At the outset, the Learned Sage says, the true nature ofthe world is such that one need not unncessarily bother about it.  Further, the central theme of this beautiful scripture is self-relization (Atma sakshatara) and renunciation (vairagya). The sage is very clear about the need for purification and ultimate liberation (mukti). Self inquiry as to "Who am I" and  "Whose is this worldly bondage" are very important. At times, the Sage is curt and says, "It is better to go around with a begging bowl than live foolishly without the spiritual knowledge" (Ch. I, Verse 26).  

    It is absolutely necessary to seek proper guidnce, seek an attained person, illumined Guru, to get proper guidance in these spiritual matters. But, it is important to note that "Without god's grace (divya anugraha) it is not possible for one to get the help of a proper teacher (sadguru) or to have the correct understanding of the right scripture, Vedanta. 

  We will try to give a brief summary of the Sage wisdom on the various topics in the following blogs. The very first advice of the Sage is to develop a sense of discrimination, disinterestedness, vairagya, the very nirasakti yoga imparted by Bhagavan Shree Krishna to Arjuna in the Gita. This does not mean total neglect of one's duties. It is a very difficult proposition. It may be a sort of resistance to over-indulgences. Show interest only to limited extent? A yogi who is not interested in worldly acquisition is inwardly satisfied, contented and happy. tasmad yogirbhavaarjuna |  

The True Nature of this World

The World is a mirage! It appears, as if, real, but not so. This is the Vedic doctrine. The Veda explicitly states, "It is , it is not"! If the world is real it cannot be unreal; so also, the other way. A real one cannot become unreal overnight. However, this is true in the case of the world that appears real, but not true. The machine made of parts give way when parts are removed. So also everything made of parts disappears when the parts are removed. The world made of space filled with air, water, fire and earth disappears when these parts are removed. The space is a non-entity and cannot be seen or touched! Still this space holds the gross objects like air, earth, water and fire. In fact, water exists in the form of clouds, that are nothing but water vapor. Clouds appear and disappear. Water appears as gross liquid and ice, but disappears as vapor? The gross elemental materials disappear into subtler invisible elements like water into oxygen and hydrogen? So also, the human body made of water and soil (food) disappears into soil or ash when it becomes dead or inert. Thus, whatever that appear and disappear in course of time is not real, true. Only that which is always existing in the same form is true. Whatever that comes within the grasp of time, space and cause and effect are not true. Anything that depends on an other for its existence is not true, real. Hence, Shankaracharya termed it 'maya', 'mithya prapancha'. Maya is that which is measurable, ma and ya stand for limitations, niyati, upadhi. 

   Further, the objective phenomenal world  is mysterious that it appears different to different persons. Each jiva perceive the world in its own way. 'yad bhavam tad bhavati' is the doctrine that governs the world. The world appears as we want or feel, bhavana. In fact the world disappears in a minute if we close our eyes, or go unconscious, or even in deep sleep! Such a vulnerable thing is not real. Another interesting thing about the world is that 'it has no beginning or end' The world always exists! It existed before we were born and continues even after we depart in physical form! Hence, there is nothing real about either the world (made of space, time and causation) or ourselves, made of different parts (organs that are susceptible to breakdown, failure!). The world begins with our opening of the eyes and application of our mind and senses to it, and disappears as soon as we withdraw our mind and senses to it! 

    Hence, nothing is certain about our world of changing objects. Nothing is real, including ourselves who go on changing year after years! Everything is a mystery. A jnyani who knows this always happy and blissful since he /she knows the truth.

Spirituality, Religion and Philosophy

     There is a thin hairline difference between 'Spirituality' and 'Religion'. Philosophy is altogether different. The practice of cultural traditions of various religions have now come under scrutiny and people are discarding religious practices altogether. The rationale behind the practice of religious cults is under question. These religious practices have also come into conflict with open society and easy inter-mix of races! Now, nobody bothers about religion and everybody says 'keep it for yourself'! What is the real problem? It is fundamentalism, clash of interests, and selfish motive of people. People are basically ignorant, uneducated and dishonest. Fundamentalism is bad. Theoretical postulations discussed in philosophy rarely come in practical situations. The Hindu culture and tradition speaks a lot about these. In fact, 'Hinduism' is so broad and all-inclusive that it is strong enough to survive as 'sanatana dharma'. It is now the most beautiful religion without any cult, rituals, customs and traditions, but includes all customs, traditions, and traits! We worship snakes, Banyan and Peepul tree, Birds (Falcon, Gold colored Crow), Rats (Ganesha) and Dogs (Dattatreya). Offer sugar to ants, and even the sandals worn by our great saints (paduka). What more do we need to say all-inclusiveness. 

   A comprehensive study of Indian Philosophy is written by Surendranath Dasgupta, MLBD (in 5 Vols.). It is worth keeping these and make a study. It gives detailed account of Agama Shastra, details about different religions and lots and lots of scripts translated from originals. The Inetrnational Conference on World Religions 9/11 organized by Mc Gill University in Canada under Prof. Arvind Sharma has brought out the Papers presented in four volumes, pub. Praegers. USA. Now, the conclusion is simple. Religion?No. Spirituality? Yes. My Paper published in Vol. IV is "Future of Manking-the Bhagavad-Gita Doctrine". It is on 'Spirituality' and gives the fundamentals. Bhagavan Shree Krishna imparts Brahmavidya and Yoga shastra, the secret of all secrets! Practice Yoga, connect the body, mind, and the soul, make it work in unison and attain to 'brahmn'!   

    The greatest one can do these days is not to hate others, question what others are doing unless it interferes with your, and live a happy, peaceful life of co-existence. The Earth is not a place of joy and happiness only since it is of dualities, like day followed by night, joy followed by misery, health and sickness! get out of dualities?" tasmad yogirbhavaarjuna", says Bhagavan Shree Krishna..

Astronomy and Astrology

    The science of the Universe is Cosmology. The cosmic entity consists of everything that exists! It is a science in the sense that it can be studied, experimented with and universal conclusion can be arrived at, albeit, changes may occur time and again, interpretations may differ. But the science remains! Now, Astronomy is the science of the Stars. We can observe the twinkling stars through powerful radio telescopes and even hear the sounds!? However, these are not something that can be easily understood. and our ancient Rishi, sages have realized, experienced the 'truth' within, not with the aid of instruments. There is a beautiful Samhita of astronomy by Aryabhata in his Aryabhatiyam, and Surya siddhanta by Vishvakarma, Atomic Theory by Kanada, Astrology by Varahamihira, and accurate calculations of the movements of stars and planets in Drighganita and lots of mathematical calculations in the works of Bhaskara. Accurate Calendars, panchanga (Almanac) have been in vogue since time immemorial. It is our foolishness that we do not pay any attention or regard for these and follow the foolish works of Galileo, Copernicus, and others who did not even know that the earth is a planet and it is within the gravitational push and pull of the Sun. They presented the Geo-centric theory (Earth as the Centre of the Universe) and, there is a Fools' Society in England that still believe that the earth is flat! The English system of education ruined us, in a way! Now is the time to correct ourselves.

   The science of Stars is Astronomy. Astrology is the study of the effects of movement of Stars and Planets on the life on earth. Astronomy is said to be an exact science although very few astronomers are there and very few study these! Astrology is considered an inexact science although it is studied by all sorts of people! The reality is that neither the astronomers know about stars, nor the astrologers know about the planets. It is strange that the Sun, the Moon, Rahu and Ketu are all considered as almost equivalent, although values are given to them. The twelve houses are allotted to them and their positive and negative aspects in different houses of the native (person born) is well defined. Thus one can calculate these and arrive at certain conclusions. Each house (gruha0 of the star, planet, or the satellite occupied at the time of the birth of a person is significant! The pace (lat. and Long.) and the time of birth are very important. Unfortunately, these data are not known to many and there few who approach the astrologers to get their horoscopes written!
  The ignorance sprouts from lack of knowledge. In fact, astronomy is taught in very few universities. Prof. S. Chandrashekar is a renown scientist who teaches astronomy in US Space Studies in NASA is a different thing. The physics and chemistry of Satrs are still not known well! The constituent material, the chemistry of the elements that constitute distant stars are yet to be studied! However, the rays emitted by them are studied through spectroscopes and these definitely affect us.

 , The stars are so far off that the nearest one Sirius is 1.4 Light Years (186 000 X 60 X 60 X 24 X 365). The next one is 4 LY! So whatever we know about the Constellations (Rashi) and Stars (nakshatra) under which we are born is so complex and difficult to understand! This particle of 'Light' a quantum of the wave (wavicle) that becomes a source life, jivanu, is so powerful that it has buddhi (Intelligence), Knowledge (jnayan), Creative power (kriya shakti), Creative skill and efficiency (kriyasheelata), and technology, etc. We have Sri Ramachandra said to be born under the Punarvasu nakshatra. It means the rays of that Star was directly reaching here that took the physical form! So also, Shree Krishna born under Rohini Nakshatra and the influence of the star is there on the life and work of Krishna! In this sense of the terms, we all are born under the Stars mentioned in our horoscopes. The planetary positions at the time of birth are also shown in the horoscope. These planets obstruct the passage of the light waves and affect the physical, mental, and other development of the persons! So one should study the horoscope carefully to understand the star the constellation, the position of the planets in astrology. Fortunately, we have very solid proof of all these. The astrological studies are aplenty. We have got a voluminous scripture of thousands of horoscopes studied. If the astrologer knows his subject well accurate forecasts can be made and there is no doubt about this.

     The Brihad-jataka is the painstaking work of a sage called Bhrugu. He was so well versed that he could fix the date of death and also had the power to ward off the impending disaster. It so happened that a person was bitten by a serpent and was sure to die. However, he took his head on his lap and saw that death will not come near him. This angered the God of Death. The God cursed him that his power of accurate forecast be lost and whatever says turn out to be false! Since then, the astrologers know that the forecast is not wrong, but will be ineffective if spelt out! Most of the astrologers do not tell you the truth, even though they know that! 

    But, the most beautiful aspect of these is the 'human life'. It is so designed that it can attain whatever it desires. The life of a person is pre-programed! Every step in the life of the jiva is determined by this spark of light, the jivanu. 

The Solar Eclipse- Will it affect us anyways?

   We are the earthlings although our Atman, soul, has arrived here on earth due to radiation from distant stars. The Sun governs the solar system. In a way, the Sun, 'sooryaah' is the Divine Mother of whom all the nine Planets, including the Earth, are borne (out of condensation and cooling of the solar flares!). The earth has no independent existence of its own! All the living beings are also governed by the cosmic laws. We are known as the 'soorayaah' in the Vedic terms. As such, everything is affected by the happenings in the solar system., particularly, the movement of the earth and the moon around the Sun.
     Today, Sunday, the 21st June 2020 is a day when the solar eclipse takes place between 10 am and 1 pm. The Moon comes between the earth and the sun and parts of our earth is blocked from sunlight. Will this affect us in anyways. Yes The sunrays are giving us light, heat and the energy. There are many rays that supply vitamin D and keep our shin healthy. The seven colors- VIBGYOR, and the UV and Infra-Red rays, the X- rays, alpha, beta, gamma and other innumerable subtle rays affect us innumerable ways! We do not know all of them. We are asked to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of the direct UV rays and Ray ban goggles are advised to protect the delicate membranes of the eyes! Now the eclipse is going to affect us in many ways. Most of the rays are blocked and very sharp corona will directly hit us. These are the rays of the solar flares. Hence the heat and magnetism will definitely affect us. One should never see the Sun directly. The Sun, Aditya as our Deity also protect us when we inadvertently look at the Sun. The Sun develops a black shadow and blacken itself to protect us! There are many things revealed in the Rk Veda. In fact, the Veda eulogizes the Sun. The seven horses draw the single wheeled chariot. It is the shadow of the sun that reaches us here! The seven horses create a shadow so that the direct rays do not harm us! Moreover, the sun is getting all the power from the supreme Lord Narayana. The Sun is Surynarayana, He is also called Aditya, Bhaskara, Vibhakara, and a thousand other names. We pay our daily adorations with surya namaskara.

The surya mantra are 

    Adytyaya vidmahe, sahasra dyutikiranaya dhee mahi, dhee yo yo nah prachodayaat |

    Bhaskaraya vidmahe, vibhakaraya dhee mahi, tanno surya prachodayaat |

   Om ghrunee suryah adityaaya nmah, Om | apojyoti raso'mrutam brahma bhur bhuvah svar Om| tat savitruvarenyam  bhargo devasya dhee mahi dhee yo yo nah prachodayaat |

   There twelve Vedic Deities of Gayatri mantra shakti and twelve kriya shakti (Tantriki shakti) devata that give us all that we need in the last mantra above. These are the most powerful mantra to be chanted daily.

Supreme Intelligence

We know all living and non-living entities are endowed with certain 'Intelligence'. The Butterflies are so intelligent that they spot the flowers and suck honey without harming the plant or the flowers. On the other hand, there are some humans, who have not developed the humanity in them yet, who kill animals to satisfy their hunger? hence the nature of 'intelligence' is also open to question.

   The firs manifest aspect of the Supreme Lord is 'Intelligence'. The Intelligence at this highest level is called 'narayana'. Here, 'nara' is canal, path, and 'ayana' is path, and flows is the 'chit-shakti', hence 'the eternal flow of Consciousness'. The term 'narayana' is a Rk Vedic term! It denotes the power vested in the supreme Lord. This 'chit-shakti' further manifests as 'jnyan' and 'kriya shakti', step by step! What ultimately appears as gross worldly intelligence is not even 1% of the eternal flow! This is called 'vishnu', (that permeates or pervades! Thus, all that exist here is permeated by an iota of intelligence as consciousness!

  Now, the Supreme Intelligence is that which is the eternal, undiminishing, and ever-flowing- achyuta, ananta, and govinda! Those who tap this source is a blessed soul! The humans, as we are, are endowed with some intelligence and this may be hardly sufficient for earning a livelihood, some food! Beyond the basic necessities, nothing can be attained with this! However, the Bhagavan goes on to impart the secrets to Arjuna regarding this. If you tap the eternal undiminishing and ever-increasing source there will be no dearth for achieving whatever one wants, including the 'divinity' (that is already inherent in the jiva!)! Bhagavan Shree Krishna also imparts the method of 'yoga' to tap this eternal source!

    How to tap the higher supreme intelligence? It is so easy, drop the lower ones? By dropping the mundane existence operative through mind, buddhi and ahamkara, the jiva can directly approach the prajnya. This prajnya is connected to its source like our household electrical appliances connected to the electric pole and the transformer outside, which in turn is connected to the power house and, ultimately, the source at the water fall site or wind mill, waves, or solar or geothermal generator sites! Once we get connected to Him, there is nothing left to achieve or attain here?.

Dreams (svapna)

    The Vedic doctrine of 'tribandhu' speaks of the three types of Fire, Agni. These are soma surya, and anala. Normally, These are not exactly the Moon, the Sun and the Fire, but the forces, shakti, Chaitanya behind them giving them their respective powers and functions. The Moon is a satellite and Soma is the elixir! So also, the Sun is a fire ball of Hydrogen-Helium but surya is the Lord of Light, heat and life-force.. Anala is the highly inflammable oil and natural gas, wood, stone, and all that intrinsically fire! Everything is fire. there is nothing without fire, Chaitanya that works as chiti, chitta, chaitya, chetasa, etc. The jiva is nothing but fire! The human body maintains a certain amount of heat and it is treated as dead if it becomes cold and inert. The fire that digests food is the vaishvanara, and there are the ahvaniya, garhapatya, taijasa, praajnya, and other types of fire. The Mind is the store house of Energy. It is so powerful that it keeps the jiva living throughout its life span. The three types of fire that operate in our daily life are limited consciousness (chit-shakti). These are jagrata, svapna and sushupti. These levels of consciousness  keeps changing all the time with a small gap in between. The 'dream (svapna) state is a stage that comes between jagrata and the sushupti. Thus, we have three types of consciousness- jagrata, svapna and sushupti. The Mind operates in the first two stages and takes rest in the third.

    Dreams are caused by the vibrant mind and its restless activity. Mind never takes rest unless a person is deep sleep, samadhi, or a state of unconscious. The Mind has tremendous capacity to create, recreate, destroy and reconstruct images and impressions. It never sleeps unless some sedative is given, or the person has mastered over it by manolaya or manonasha yoga. The simplest technique to stop it vibration is to consciously observe it, find out wherefrom the thoughts arise! Normally, dreams are caused by indigestion, over-indulgences, and excessive mental activity. But nothing is certain. Some people enjoy day-dreaming, creating images and observing them even when awake!
   The mind is a source of energy. It is also the chest of memory and impressions and images are stored here. These images and impressions may be of several previous lives! It runs the life of the jiva in jagrata and svapna satges and takes rest in sushupti. We understand how it works in jagrata avastha to some extent since we are actively involved with it, but do not understand how it works in the svapna avastha. The psychologists study the dream state and have come out with a number of explanations that are not satisfactory. Some of these experts like Sigmund Freud and Jung have dealt with these elaborately, linking it with sex. However, these are not the reality. The ways of the mind in svapna avastha (dream state) is not easily understood. At best, it may be stated to be juxtaposition of pictures, images and impressions! .

   There are volumes and volumes of literature on dream interpretations. They may be mere conjectures, opinions, but rarely satisfactory explanations. Some say, the dreams come as premonitions and foretell what is forthcoming! But these are clouded with other trash images. For example, death is foreseen in the images of Rice balls and white cloth!  This may be true for those who conduct annual ceremonies for the departed souls! Some people see their loved ones- departed friends and relatives in dreams. This vision of the dead in dreams may foretell our own impending death! Who knows? So also, luck, money, success are indicated when there are scenes of women, elephants, cobra, shit and other refuges appear in dreams! Some of these may turn out to be true! Aspirations, anxiety and tension also may create dreams. sleeping postures do affect and dreams occur. Wild imaginations may create pictures in dreams. Thus, it is difficult to say anything certain about the dreams. But one thing is certain that the dreams are associated with not only past lives but the forthcoming ones, too!

The Ultimate Knowledge

    'To know' is the inherent nature of man. Man wants 'to know' and this curiosity is what leads a person to know more about the phenomenal objective world. In fact, human curiosity knows no end! Some people want to discover the far off lands, know more about people, objects, and show  much interest in all sorts of things. This has led to writing books, collection of rare objects, artifacts and we have storehouse of knowledge. However, all this worldly knowledge is of no use to use to get rid of the miseries of life, to live a happy peaceful life, and more than all these, to put a stop to the repeated births and deaths! Rebirth is an accepted phenomenon and we know our desires force us to resolve and act. this action begets the seeds of rebirth. Even a thought, a desire, is a cause even when there is no action on the part of the jiva! Hence, even 'to think', let alone act, is dangerous if one wants complete emancipation, liberation, mukti or moksha from repeated embodiment of the jiva! What is the solution? Bhagavan Shree Krishna gives a beautiful solution here.

   Bhagavan Shree Krishna says,

     Jnyanam te'ham savijnyanam idam vaktyamasheshataH | 

     yajnyatva nehabhuyo'nya jnyatam avashishyate || [Ch.VII Verse 2]

   Meaning, "I shall reveal knowledge that includes the scientific one having known which there will be nothing more to be known !

    What is that 'Knowledge Supreme', having known that, there will be nothing more to know? It is not very clear whether that 'knowledge' is of the material world, or of the spiritual nature! All that is scientific knowledge for us is worldly knowledge. We do not know anything about the spiritual knowledge since it is not imparted to us, so far. Moreover, it is considered of no use to eke out a living! Everybody wants some knowledge and training in some subject that will help to earn a decent livelihood. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to know what is this supreme knowledge that is enough for us! it is also surprising that Bhagavan Shree Krishna says that "very few are interested in this knowledge!" That knowledge He is speaking about is about 'Himself'! He says, "Out of a thousand seekers only one tries to attain Me, and among several such yogis, only a few will try to know Me as I am, in My true form! He adds, Not even the adepts, sincere Yogi or devata will ever know Me. It is not possible to know Me from the Vedic texts or spiritual writings. Why is it so? Why is it no one can ever know Him? The answer is given by the Lord. He says, "No one can know Me simply because, "I am not somebody or something 'other' to know!" If there are two, one can know about the other. If there is only one, and no other, the question of knowing does not arise at all!
   How to know Him is further explained through Sankhya and yoga in the Chapter II. The same doctrine is explained in the Upanishad by Sage Aruni Uddalaka to his deisciple Shvetaketu in a different way. Here, Shvetaketu is asked to realize the principle of 'tattvamasi'. Once a person realizes the fact that "all that are the adjuncts, such as, the body, mind and the senses, the intellect, the ego and all that are not the self, the true self is realized. The Lord says, "I am the Self of all." One has to discard the superficial worldly knowledge in order to know the true self. This 'Atma -sakshatkara' will redeem the jiva from eternal bondage.

    Thus, it is very clear that the supreme knowledge revealed by Bhagavan Shree Krishna here is that "He only exists, and nothing beside Him". All that exists is also 'Him' only. It is like one Moon reflected in a hundred pots filled with water. This is the concept of Bimba and pratibimba. All that exist here are just reflections of Him. He said "Eko'ham. bahusyam | Meaning, "I am one, I shall become many!" He, the Lord, only exists and all else that exist are His reflections! This knowledge will bring redemption to the suffering embodied souls! This is the supreme knowledge revealed by the Lord Himself. It is only at the end of one's journey of life on this Planet that the jiva will get redemption. Only a lucky person will realize this truth, that too, after repeated births and deaths!
bahooni janmanaamantE jnyanavaan maam prapadatyE |
Vasudeva sarvamiti sa mahatma sudurlabhaH | 
  Meaning, "It is at the end of several births and deaths that a jnyani will ever know Me as "Everything is Vasudeva, that is Me and such a person is rare, indeed!" [Ch. VII, Verse 19].
  

  

Old-Age- Problems and Solutions

   Ageing process is a natural phenomenon. The human cells have been so designed and programed that there is only a forward growth and no reversal! One cannot go back to childhood days, however advanced the medical science and pharmaceutical technologies are! However, one can delay ageing and death, to some extent! Old age is not well defined these days due to improvement in health and hygienic conditions, better drugs, and easy way of life. Less pressure on the mind, more youthful a look! As young lads, we used to see a lot of people bent downand walking with a stick and we recognized them as old, but they were hardly sixty! Now a days, people look 45 or 50 although they crossed eighty! earlier, people used to struggle hard for basic needs, particularly during the second half of the last century. Now there are better roads, water and other facilities, and people need not walk day long in different weather conditions. Many of us in the eighties today, used to walk a mile or more to attend to primary classes, move longer distance for high schools, and colleges. Now facilities are there near at home, if not, vehicles are there. Thus, the life is much easier. Easy life wears out time not the physical body? 

    However, the problem of old age remains! Life is a struggle for many even today inspite of all conveniences and comforts. The problems are multifarious. There are some problems which cannot be explained. Why do people suffer? This is an eternal question. There are problems that money cannot solve. There are some strange ones that even God does not know! Why do people suffer like that? Some people are born orphans. They also somehow live. Some are physically challenged and some how manage. But the old age is the same that has to be lived if one does not die early! 

   The problems of old age are many and varied. These are loneliness, dependence, ill health, and physical debility. One should be lucky enough to live a healthy, happy, peaceful, joyful life in old age. This happy old age is a gift of God, anugraha. Besides, the purva punya and the elders' blessings! But for these, there is no answer how one can be happy and blissful. The other reason for the happiness in old age is the empty mind, mind bereft of tension, worries, and botherations. Who can help an emotional fool, too much attached, and unnecessarily worry about situations beyond one's control? One should think what can be done within one's limits and just leave at that? If the problems can be solved, solve it? Worrying is no solution and it only brings more wrinkles on the face!
   Old people can be happy, joyful and spend their time well if they have good friends or develop the habit of remaining aloof, spending time reading, writing, hearing and meditating on spiritual aspects. Meditation is the best. Bhagavad-Gita is a good friend. Joining some Ashram is the best solution. There are many good Old Age Homes where good facilities are there. But, it is always better to be independent! Some thing has to be given up to get something, for better or worse?   

   What is happiness? Happiness is the absence of worries, tension, distressed, or disturbed turbulent mind. A still mind brings happiness with it. Happiness is a state of mind. It comes not from external sources, but is already there, within! Most of the old people are restless, want recreation, entertain the fickle mind! They seek friends, family, and other sources for their happiness. They do not know that these external objects, people, and even worldly matters cannot bring a permanent happiness. At best, they may give some temporary relief from boredom, loneliness. Wise people, the jnyani, nd the yogi realize the transient nature of the world and keep themselves busy with contemplation on brahmn. The highest one can think of is the true nature of oneself! This Atmajnyan, atmasakshatkara is the main goal of life. This brings complete release from eternal bondage of the jiva from cycle of rebirths! But this needs a guru, guide and the Bhagavad-Gita is the best guide! It ultimately brings redemption! 

'Habits Die Hard'

  'Habits die hard' is an age-old adage. We are all habituated to certain ideas, attitudes, behaviors and act accordingly. We do not even know that! We just behave in a normal way, but people can easily make out how it has become our habit. The reason for this habit is just repetitive action. We are prone to go by memory, experiences and memories. The impressions of certain happenings, visuals, feelings are so strong that they etch out deep impressions on our mind. some people, certain situations, some happenings are so deep rooted that we will not forget them. They influence our thoughts, ideas, dreams, and aspirations. Thus, we are all products of past! We are all driven by memories, experiences, habits in our day-to-day activities. Is there a way out?

   We have Jiddu Krishnamurthy who advocated a certain method that would make us live natural, happy and joyful, day-to-day. It is so simple, but extremely difficult to practice. Jiddu says, "Just live in the present". The present is a great gift of Almighty! Alas, we tend to ignore the present and always try to live in the past or the future. We never realize the fact that we are all beasts of burden carrying dead horse, nauseating, at that! We do not cats away, discard, these unwanted memories. Certain experiences are haunting and we become easy prey to that and repeat the same mistakes again and again. He asks, why not we forget it?  Why do we relish the past so much? Past is dead. There are some who always dream! They all forget the reality, They are dreamers who anticipate the impossible. Even if their dreams turn out to be real,they do not understand the reality! These two categories of people belong to two different ages. The youngsters dream while the old people relish their past memories and both forget the present.

   JK says, "Empty the Mind, the trash can. discard the dead horse. live in the present. For once, try to realize that the memories, experiences, impressions, are all obstacles to the enjoyment of the present, ever-new happenings at the present. But the mind is habituated! It is the Mind! "Mind is your friend, as also, your enemy" says the Bhagavan. Normally, the Mind is the Charioteer that drives the jiva, manava. The Mind has no intelligence of its own. The Mind is assisted by buddhi and ahankar. Ahankar (ego) behaves as the boss. Boss directs the buddhi and manas to use the Sense organs (indriya) to work in a certain way. It is this ahankar that ruins the life since it is blinded by selfish interests. If the mind seeks guidance from the prajnya (consciousness) it can work to the advantage of the jiva. The mind is the store hose of impressions, memories, and past experiences and, as such, has no proper guidance from the Soul!
    The Bhagavad-Gita gives a beautiful account of 'the Chariot driven by Bhagavan Shree Krishna where Arjuna sits confused'! The mind is blemished with a host of qualities and afflictions such as ego, attachment, selfish interests, anger, avarice, jealousy, etc. With these sorts of  forces, the mind is incapable of getting clarity. If the mind looks to the Atman, the store house of knowledge, it will be guided in a proper way to the betterment of the jiva. The 'Atman knows all' is the fundamental doctrine. Hence, one should take to yoga, get rid of the afflicted mind, perverted intelligence and the ego. The jiva should live in the present, with a clean consciousness, work selfless and enjoy the bliss!
  

The Mind and the Senses

    Some pundits said, "They are six. Some said, "They are eight, and some others said, these are nine, ten, eleven, and so on!" Thus, the arguments went on in order to establish the true nature of the jiva. First, the six major constituents other than the Five major elements and their tanmatras such as the space, air, fire, water and soil or food, and their qualities such as sound, touch, form, taste and smell, the Mind, and the Senses. The Senses are, again, five of knowledge (jnyan) and five of action (karma). The Mind and the five jnyan indriyas are six. These control our life and activities for most of our lifetime! Hence these are six. If buddhi and ahankar are added, these become eight. To these may be added the five karmaindriayas. Together, these thirteen are very important elements that play havoc in our life! Why should one think that they play havoc? The answer is here in the following;

   The five jnayn indria (senses)do not have their own independent existence unless they are driven by the Mind and its desires. Desires are created by the mind. The Mind is a thermodynamic reactor producing enormous energy and many pundits refer to mind (manas) as the soul (Atman)! The Mind (manas) is the driving force! The senses go on errandas per the desire of the mind. No desire, no mind and no action of the senses. Evn if one sees he/she does not see if there is no application of the mind! The eyes see only of the mind shows interest in the object focused on by the mind. So also, the other organs like the ear, nose, tongue, and the skin, Once the senses do their assigned job, the experience is stored as memory in the brain! This memory is the most dangerous thing that make or mar our lives! Even if the mind and the senses are not actively engaged, the memory plays the trick and induces the jiva to karma and thereby bring prarabhda in its wake!

   Now, the objects that interest the jive are not just of the desires, but also of the dreams, aspirations, ideas, images and what not? These kill the jiva while actually breathing and living! The phenomenal objective world is in fact created by the Mind and its buddhi and ahankar! Thus, there is no end to the struggling jiva! The jiva goes madly after worldly aspirations, attainments of sense objects that are millions! There is no end to dreams and desires. Nothing will bring satisfaction, joy and peace to the jiva. There are a hundred thousand attractions to each of the sense organs and these include the interests of the mind dwelling on people and objects, far and wide! The mind moves so swift that it can go beyond the universe in a fraction of  a sec. There is no limit to its interests and nothing satisfies its interests! Thus, the jiva running after the whims and fancies of the Mind is also doomed.

   The best solution by the Gita is to master the whimsical mind through chants of the name of the Lord, hari nama smarane!     

'Lock Down' and 'Stay In'

   Once the authorities issued instructions to 'lock down' areas and advised people to 'stay in', the activities of the people were stop, come to a stand still, in all public places like the market, theatres, hotels, parks and the like. Schools and offices were closed. This created another serious problem. What to do during the idle times? How to 'stay indoors' and spend time. Children who are by nature playful and active cannot sit quiet, get sick locked within four walls! They cannot go out! The college youth, too, find the same, difficult to spend time. But, what to say, if the old people also behave like these children? In fact, the old people need not grudge staying in and welcome this? What better opportunity can be there than this to 'stay in', lock down their senses and turn their mind towards the higher spiritual life. In fact they should be glad. But they also grumble? They have proved to be the worst lot who rebelled, shown indifference and indiscipline an wandered everywhere despite severe warnings.   

   'Stay in' means 'mind control'. Stay within yourself, establish within the Self. Be an Atmatishtha, Atmasthita. Chapter II of the Bhagavad-Gita explicitly states how to control the Mind and the qualities of a person who is established in one's self. A stithaprajnya is one who is established in Him self and looks everything  with equanimity. there will be total peace within!
   But, this question of establishing oneself in one's 'Self' seems to be almost an impossibility. It is an eternal problem even for the adepts, yogi. It seems almost impossible for us to 'stay in', 'lock down' all our external wanderings and establish in our self. Even yoga may not help since one is to come back to the worldly state, sooner or later! Then, what is the solution? Bhagavan says, "always think of Me, always worship Me, always be established in Me, I shall redeem you! manmana,madbhava, madhyaaji namsakuru… | There are many other verses of easy solution to our redemption in the Gita. The Bhagavad-Gita is a panacea for all. It is the guide for a happy, peaceful life. It teaches us to maintain a tranquil mind.  

Do We Need God?

   In fact, this question does not arise, at all! Bhagavan Shree Krishna says, "I Only Exist, and Nothing Beside Me". Thus, what all exist is Him only, in different forms of His expression, vyakta- such as, vyakti, vastu, vichara and vishya ! He is the central theme of all these.
    However, in these modern days, the pertinent question is 'whether we need God' and, if the answer is  'yes', why? If the answer is 'no', the question does not arise at all. But, even before one asks this question, it is necessary to know who this God is and whether such a thing as God is there or not. These questions pertaining God falls within the domains of philosophy, mythology, religion and spirituality. Many are prone to believe that this question about 'God' does not arise in material science. However, it does not occur to many that the very power that exists behind matter is God, or some supreme force! Einstein and Stephen Hawking believed in God!

    There was a clear-cut distinction between Matter and Spirit, may be, about five or six hundred years ago. There were no Universities that taught science then, It was mostly philology, metaphysics, philosophy, logic and ethics and religion dominated! Gradually, the chairs of physics, mathematics, and chemistry followed by  biology were established. Today, we have innumerable branches of these science subjects. The question about God comes up here because of large sections of people who do not believe in God these days. Hence, the question about who is God comes first!

   The concept of God is there both in the West and the East. There is also what is called 'Saitan', as an opposite of 'God'? God normally goes with 'Good' and, the opposite of this is 'evil'! Thus, both good and evil exist side by side. God is invoked to get rid of evil! In any sense of the term, whether literally, philologically, or etymologically, GOD stands for "Go On Discovering'! When we go on deciphering God in what all that exists as Matter, Elements and Compounds, even Soil and Food, and all the living beings, including the humans, we arrive at the subtler-most invisible forces as 'GOD'! Hence, God exists as the basis, substratum, foundation of all that exist! It is in the form  of fire, air, space, water, food and everything we feel, see, touch, hear and smell. Hence, there is no question about the existence of God. God exists, and in fact, God only exists as the Unmanifest subtler forces such as desire, will, creative force, and we are all the manifest forms, expressions of God. The air we breathe is the 'Life-force', prana shakti, literally God for us! The very sound of breath 's' and 'h', the sounds of inhale and exhale, air we breath in and out, respectively, keep us living! This 'prana-shakti' is the God within us!    

    Now, this God is explained as the 'Force', 'Shakti' aspect of Shiva. Shiva is the God and His power is Shakti, Shive. Shiva is God and Shive is the Goddess.What more do we need to prove the existence of God within us? Then, God, as the will power, creative force, Intelligence,and the desire creates this world of phenomenal objects.  God exists in everything as its very core of existence! Since God is inseparable from all that exists, the question of the need for God does not arise, at all! In its subtler-most form, the soul has created the gross body as it desires. The Vedic doctrine is sarvamkhaluvidam brahmn |