‘Knowledge is
of two kinds’, said Sage Angiras to Shaunaka who asked:
“Sir, what is
that, knowing which everything in the world becomes known?”[Mundakopanoshad].
Mundakopanishad
belongs to Atharva Veda wherein Brahma, the creator and the protector himself imparted
this science of the Spirit, the basis of all sciences to Atharvan, his eldest
son. From Atharvan to Angiras, and from Angiras to Bharadwaj, and to Satyavaha,
and he in turn to Angiras, this knowledge of the perishable and the
imperishable has been imparted since time immemorial.
All knowledge
including the Vedas and the Upanishads and the science belong to the lower or
‘Apara Vidya’ leads to the attainment of the worldly success (the perishable)
and, the higher knowledge or the ‘Para Vidya’ leads to the attainment of the
‘imperishable’. The latter lies beyond the ability of the senses and the Mind
to grasp and remains outside the grasp of the humans. It is the knowledge of
the ‘Absolute’, the knowledge of the Self, the knowledge of the Finite and it
is the Subject. As such, it lies outside the purview of the ordinary senses
that always look outward, towards the objective world. The subjective world
cannot be perceived by theMind and the senses, the objects; and, all humans are
the objects of the Creator. It is only an inward journey, a journey to the
world of Spirit, by the earnest and the sincere seeker that can delve into the
secrets of the Unknown. Still the Unknown remains knowable but never becomes
known!
Thus, it is all about the ‘endless quest’.
It is about the mysteries about the universe, the mysteries of life, of death
and after death; about the mysteries of man; his problems of life. It is about
emancipation. It is about freedom, liberation, and eternal bliss and happiness.
It is about the goal of life. It is about the meaning of life. It is about the
proper understanding of the problems of life as also to equip oneself to face
life as it comes. It is about experience of life in its full. It is about
salvation, or ‘mukti’, i.e., the purification of the mind. ‘Moksha’ is burning
of all desires of impure mind and to ‘dwell in Him’, attaining the’ Supreme
Bliss’. This does not mean abandoning the great opportunity given to man to
live and enjoy on this earth; even the Devas are jealous of this great
opportunity of living as humans.
In a way, it
is about the Vedantic views and ways of life, not of abandonment, but of fulflllment!
This book will shed light on the evolution of mankind, and the goal and purpose
of life. The Vedas make it explicitly clear that one can take to asceticism
(the Aranyakas) or to the Grihastashram
(householders), as explicitly given in the Brahmanas. Both have
different roles to play and well-defined rules have been laid down. But,
ultimately, it is the Realisation of the Brahman, the Absolute, Self that is
the goal. This is the Para Vidya, knowledge of the immortal. All other
knowledge is of no conesquence in attaining the Self.
There is no
doubt that this life is for enjoyment. Enjoy life and enjoy it so well that you
will not hanker after it any more, taking repeated births. Enjoy your life so
well that you feel happy and contented. Enjoy your life so well that it leaves
no desires for further fulfillment in the next birth. There is a Vedic prayer
for the Grace of the Lord to enjoy good health and good life. But, the most
important thing is to realize ones’ own Self by a deeper understanding of the
Self, the Soul, and the Spirit within. A
number of techniques derived from Indian ancient scriptures are given in this
book that will help to understand the meaning of life and lead a happy and
successful life.
There is need
for a clear understanding of the Ancient Indian or the Hindu way of life, the
Sanatana Dharma, the Vedantic way, the spiritual way. It is a life of peace,
prosperity, and universal brotherhood. It is several millennia-old. All the
ancient Sages have experienced the trauma of life and have found out the way of
getting out of the misery of this life, i.e., emancipation. This book explains
the meaning of Vedic hymns, dhyana, contemplation, meditation and the mantras
that help us to realize the Self in us. It helps us to understand our ‘Manas’,
the Mind and ways and means of controlling the mind. A number of seminal
thoughts are given at the end for purpose of contemplation. This will be very
useful in controlling the mind through ‘awareness’.
This book
deals with the Vedic expositions regarding the origin of the universe,
evolution of life and evolution of mankind, the need for living in peace with
the other life-forms; it helps to solve the problems of modern day hectic life
and identifies the root-cause of our misery, unhappiness, failures, physical
and mental stress, tension, sickness, ailments, and disappointments and
frustrations. In fact, it is this ageing, sickness and death that prompted
Gautama Buddha to seek for an answer that finally ended in his enlightenment.
Need for the
Scriptures
When in doubt, consult the scriptures.
There is a wealth of information about everything found in this world in
Rig Veda. The Upanishads constitute the sum and substance of all the four
Vedas, viz Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veada and the Atharva Veda. Besides, there
are the Puranas, the Bhagavatha, the Bhagavad-Gita that enshrine the guidelines
for a happy and succesful life. One can know about the proper way of life, the
sensible way of living from these ancient Indian scriptures and avoid the
miseries and disappointments in life.
But, we have
come a long way from the Vedic Age and it may seem impossible to live that sort
of ascetic life in the modern scientific and technological age. But as Paul
Deussen states, if we remember where we came from and that naturally reminds us
of where we have to go back. The tension and pressure of modern life further
makes it imperative to think of going back to nature. Life is becoming more
frustrating and meaningless today.
We have
heard of many a young and promising boys and girls, even the successful
professional men and women, committing suicide under frustration, anxiety and
tension. Many film stars and scientists of repute have commited suicide. We
read these instances in newspapers. But, there is no need to get frightened and
run away from life. In fact, this life is not for the cowards; only a ‘dhira’
can live a successful life as advocated in ‘Bhagavad-
Gita’. Success or failure in life is a very serious matter. Most of us do
not know what is success or failure. Failing to make grade may be a great disppointment
for a young boy or girl and losing money in business may be a great
disappointment for a yong businessman. Loss of reputation may be a matter of
shame to some. Some fail in love and some in getting a job. Some cannot adjust
in marriage and get frustrated and end life. But all these are not the real
problems!
Some persons
think that renunciation would solve all the problems of life. They feel that
only ‘sanyas’ will help to attain spiritual salvation. It is true that anybody
with a determination can take to sanyas and realize his Self. But that is not
the only way! There are sixty thousand ways to salvation and each can find his
own way by intuition, divine will, and Grace of the Lord. Some take to Bhakti
marg and some to Karma marg; some persons take to Jnyana marg and others to
Kriya marg. It is easy for one to take to ascetic life under the initiation of
a ‘guru’. But, it is very difficult to get a true ‘guru’; under these
circumstances, there is a fear that one may take to spiritual practices reading
books, and it is very dangerous.
There are
warnings not to plunge into the unknown ‘Spiritual’ world without a
proper preparation. May be it is marriage leading to householder’s life, or
‘sanyas’, leading to spiritual life, both are full of dangers. None can assure
instant happiness and success in life. It is the proper understanding of the
meaning and purpose of life alone that can help. ‘Jnyana’ and ‘bhakti’ are
essential requirements to cross the ocean of life. What is the golden mean? One
must learn the art, science and technique of living.
The question
often asked is ‘whether any body is happy in this world? If the answer is in
the negative, why is this world created? The answer to these two questions
seems like a riddle of the Spinx. Everyone wants to be happy, and the world has
been created for him to be happy. If any person is not happy with this world,
it is because he does not know what is happiness and how to live happily in
this world; and, may be, he is seeking his illusory happiness where it is not
available. After all, happiness comes from within, from contentment, one’s own
satisfaction; it is a state of mind and the feeling of happiness come from
within oneself. Try to remember an occasion on which you felt immensely happy
and joyful.
A child is
very happy and its needs are very few and simple. As the child grows it absorbs
everything that is seen and heard and develops an insatiable hunger and thirst
for all sorts of things, needed or not needed, and finally gets them only to
discard them; not only that, it cries for more! A grown-up man is like a
grown-up child, and he goes on struggling throughout life to acquire things,
whether these things really give him happiness or not, and finally he feels
disappointed. He goes on blaming this world for his mistakes and for his
inability to understand the meaning of life. Some are over-confident and try to
bulldoze everything that comes their way; and some are afraid of facing life
and take recourse to cut it short. Fear is one of the inherent weaknesses of
man.
Ignorance
brings fear and knowledge gives power. When one knows the reality of nature, he
becomes one with it and there is no fear of ‘the other’. When one knows the
realities of life there is no expectations from the other, and hence, not any
disappointment. A number of Mantras
are given for contemplation and ‘dhyan’. Repetition of these Mantras will give
immense strength and power. Concentration will produce extra-ordinary success
in life. It is important that each and every word is potent and pregnant with
meaning and, contemplation on that serves as an unfailing support to life.
Since mind always wants some support it clings even to fear or some obsession
of some imaginary memory. Hence, it is absolutely essential to give some
support to this mind. People take to games that ultimately end up in gambling;
some take to drugs for fun that turns him into an intractable addict. Some
indulge in sex promiscuously, in a state of inebriation. Some fall in love with
every girl he meets and some commit the folly of indulging in all sorts of
undesirable means to acquire power, wealth, social status and even resort to
crime. Some revel in a state of ego and look down with contempt everybody including
the Lord Almighty. They have no respect or value for anybody or anything.
Ultimately, for a wise man this world appears like a lunatic asylum where all
are busy searching for something that does not exist there. It is like
‘searching for a black cat in a dark room which is not there’.
Life is a journey to be accomplished with
single-minded devotion, dedication, steadfastness, and un-wavering mind; it is,
as if, an offering to the Lord Almighty who created us with a purpose. Finally,
it is a total merger with ‘That’. It is all contemplation, mind tuned towards sublime
bliss; the mind turned away from the gross, mundane, sensate world. There is no
more hankering after the sensual desires once the ‘Reality’ is felt ‘within’. The mind is under the supervision
of the consciousness,
‘Sakshi’ the inner eye that perceives the
fickle and irrational behavior. ‘Buddhi’ keeps the mind under control; the mind
that puts the senses under its command to irrational errands will thus be
checked.
Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh says
that, “a knowledge of the ways and habits of the mind, and its operations, the
laws of the mind and the method of mental control and mental discipline, is
very necessary if you want to enjoy real happiness and peace of an unruffled
and abiding nature. You cannot expect everlasting happiness and perennial joy
in the world of sense around us. The mischievous monkey- mind plays havoc in a
variety of ways and causes and cares, worries and anxieties. Money, property,
women and children do not give permanent satisfaction. This is the experience of all people”.
The sooner one gets a glimpse of the
truth behind the human mind’s mischievous play offering false notions of
happiness, promising escape routes to drudgery of life and thus getting
trapped, better it is. Realize the nature of mind; watch its behavior in a
sense of ‘choice-less awareness’.
Rest-less mind stops to rest for a while; continue to remain in that
state as long as possible; by continuous practice one can continue to be in
this state of blessedness. This is the true path from wretchedness of the
mundane sensate world to blessedness of the heavenly world.
After all, it is Manas, the ‘mind’ that matters. If one is fully
aware of his mind and moods, one can easily cross the hurdles of life. Life is
what one makes out of it. It is wisely said, that it is in the ‘becoming’ that
is more important from what is ‘being’. Not only the ancient wisdom but modern
science too is explored here in order to understand the mysteries of modern
man. In spite all the progress made in science, the life of man still remains
vain, unfulfilled, wanting, and keeps one in constant search of the real meaning
and purpose of life. Thus, a number of questions are raised and answered in
this book.
Modern life is full of stress. At every
step, man is not sure of himself and anxiety kills him. Mind management is, in
fact, very useful in combating illness and diseases emanating from stress. Now
it is found that the much- dreaded cancer and heart attack are due to stress
and these can be prevented by the technique of mind control. Unknowingly
tension and stress accumulates leading to illness. One has to be cautious of
his pursuits in life if he wants to enjoy it in peace. It is observed that
psychosomatic problems are better solved by ‘placebo effect’ through mind
management!
It is in the ‘Bhagavad-Gita’, that the word ‘Maya’
is used in the sense almost of ‘magical’ power; and God, the Great Magician, is
declared to ‘cause the spirit host to resolve as by the power of His divine
magic’. (Bhagavad Gita Ch. XVIII:
Verse 61). ‘The living beings in the world are declared to be resorting to the
demoniacal sort of life when God robs them of their wisdom by His power’
(Ch.VII.Verse 15). Upanishads also refer to this world as ‘illusion’ or dream;
and as such, the problems of such a world should have magical solutions. And,
each ‘Mantra’ in the Vedas and Upanishads is a formula. Hence, the techniques
of mind control, ‘manoniyantran’ are called the ‘magic formulae’ here.
Manas
(Mind) makes the 'manav', the man; and his Manas makes his world. Manas (Mind)
is the world. Manas (Sansk.) i.e., the mind, is an amazing
thing! Mind works always with the past
as memories, or the future as hope. With
this powerful tool we can change the memories of the past or create the future.
Positive thinking, creative visualization, neuro-linguistic programming, and emotional
intelligence all use some form of mental programming and restructuring to
achieve amazing results. This will help us to release ourselves from the
shackles of fatalistic and self-defeating concepts of fate and luck. We can
control our destinies by programming our mind to achieve our goals. The power
of the human mind is enormous and limitless. We can overcome defeatist
tendencies and remove the stumbling blocks that are coming in the way of
realizing our dreams. Although we cannot change our past, at least, we can
re-program our mind and thereby change our experiences, and our memories of the
past. By this way, we can erase all our painful traumatic experiences, sad
memories, disappointments and negative feelings that are stored in our subconscious
mind.
It is amazing
that our subconscious mind is literal and trusting. It believes whatever the
conscious mind tells it. It cannot differentiate the real and imagined
situations. This is the secret of the mind and we can use it to change our
lives and need not curse our destiny and fate anymore. Even under extreme situations
that drives one to commit suicide such as failure in love, or inability to cope
with a situation, the state of mind or the attitude can be changed to one’s
advantage and life can be made more lively. ‘Failure is the stepping stone of
success’, they say. This is the Mind management technique.
Vedanta shows
the way as to how to understand the mind. It provides the technique of gaining
not only spiritual wealth but also material wealth that the ‘Vasundhara’ or
‘Dharitri’–the Earth offers. This technique of gaining material prosperity
through Vedanta is by practising particular methods of action. It explains
scientifically how we could exercise our optimum capacity for efficient and
productive action. Personality development experts are suggesting the use of
both sides of the brain in order to harness the full potential of the human
brain. But it is certain that, due to lack of mental concentration we are not
able to use our capacity to optimum, let alone harness our potentialities. Our
ramblings into the past and dabbling anxiously about our future kill our
present. Brooding over memories of past
actions and expectations of fruits of work swing back and forth not allowing
the mind to dwell on the present. This is a fundamental quality of the mind.
‘Vendanta’
provides ways and means of controlling the mind. It helps us to live in the
present and concentrate on the work on hand. It helps us to channelise all our
energy, ‘chitta ekagrata’ (concentration of mind) into present activity. It
helps us to save the dissipating energy thereby making us more efficient, our
efforts more fruitful and productive. Vedanta provides many more avenues to
peace and prosperity. Vedanta provides a blue print for efficiency,
productivity and prosperity. Vedanta expounds various methods of successful and
practical living. It provides a very positive approach to life and presents the
highest knowledge of life and practical living. If we get this knowledge, we
will have power- both spiritual and material. We will gain peace and dynamism
in one stretch. We will not have worry or anxiety, stress or strain, and life
becomes an experience without which we are lost in wilderness.
This work on
Manas (‘Mind’) blends the modern with the ancient, scientific and the
spiritual, old and the new, and the oriental and the occidental methods and
thus, paves way for a happy, successful, and contented life; and, this book is
the product of a long-sustained effort to understand this world, the meaning of
life, the goal and purpose of life, the secret behind the success and failure,
joy and sorrow, the future of mankind and such other problems. At first it may
seem very difficult for laymen to evince keen interest in this work; also, it
may be difficult to understand this work bordering science, philosophy,
religion, morals and ethics; gradually, he will find it very interesting
touching his personal life and create a hunger for the Divine.
There is
mention of many Hindu Gods here, and the names mentioned like Sri Krishna,
or Sri Vishnu, or Sri Hari Narayana, are all figurative. In a
sense, the moment you give a name to God Almighty, you become the father or
mother of the God for it is the Parents who give name to children. God
has no name and form. The prefix ‘Sri’ or ‘Shree’ stands for beauty and bounty;
similarly, God Vishnu stands for the ‘All-pervading’, ‘Vish’ meaning, ‘ to pervade’. Similarly, Hari
means the ‘flow’, the cosmic flow of energy, Prana, the ‘life- sustaining force’. It also means ‘the sword that
cuts ignorance’. Also ‘Narayana’ means a person who had ‘nara’, water as
his abode. It alo means ‘journey (yana) of man (nara) in space’. Similarly, ‘Achyuta’
and ‘Krishna’ mean one who has no death or decay. ‘Chuyti’ means
death and,‘Krish’ means, ‘to wear out’, decay. Hence, where is the
mention of names of Hindu Gods in all these? These are the Sanskrit words
conveying certain meaning. In Sanskrit, Sri Hari means ‘sweetness’. It is always
very sweet to utter Lord’s name; it is pleasant to hear (‘Karnamruta’).
Everybody wants to hear His name. One is not tired of hearing his name
repeatedly. It brings joy, happiness to repeat His name. God is the Lord
Almighty who has no name or form. We may imagine him in our own form since it
is ‘ He’ who has created us as a microcosm of Himself. Man is a microcosm, replica
of the macrocosm. His power and glory made us to give Him several hands and
heads and worship Him. This Veda!
It is the
beauty of the Sanskrit language that the words are pregnant with meaning. Take
for example, ‘Prapancha’ (world). Here,‘Pra’and ‘pancha’ mean that ‘objective
world that comes within the grip of of the five senses’, in other words, the
‘sensate world’. So also, the syllable ‘ka’ which stands for ‘kana’ (anu),
meaning the microcosm; the syllable ‘Kha’, on the other hand, stands for
‘Akhand’ meaning the macrocosm. The one-syllable word ‘Om’ includes the whole
of the cosmic entity, the Cosmogony. Unlike other languages that are written
and read from right to left, or from top to bottom, Sanskrit is directly
piercing the heart with out entering the mind; it is considered the language of
the Gods (Devanagari), the language of the soul, the spirit. The words and
images are formed with the very origin of the universe with the word ‘AUM’ or ‘Om’,
the sound that reverberated with the Big Bang. The word reaches, rather
pierces, the heart and the meaning of the word come out of the heart. AUM is
Atman=Unite=Manas, or the Absolute=Unite=Man. or AUM, the Akhand (the Whole)
Unites Micro (the Anu). These are some simple formulae to understand the
mysteries of this universe
In Veda,
each word has got inherent intrinsic power and a person with austerity and deep
meditation can use them as ‘mantra’ and gain enormous power. For example, the
letter ‘Ja’ in ‘Japa’ stands for annihilation of cycle of births and deaths
and, ‘Pa’ stands for eradication of sins (papa). Some words can cure diseases,
while others console and soothen the distressed mind. Some words energise and
others dampen the spirit. The syllable “Ka’ stands for joy whereas “Kha’ stands for supreme Bliss. A slight
change in the expression makes a world of difference; often the same word
contains both (opposite) meanings. A slight variation in the expression of the
word ‘Amruta’ can make a lot of difference in the meaning; ‘ Amruta’, what is
‘elixir’ that produces immortality, becomes ‘mruta’ the dead by just suppressing
“a’ in it. While Sanskrit language has
got this strength, other languages simply float the meaning and no words of
other languages come nearer to, or equivalent to, some Sanskrit words. Hence,
Sanskrit words are used in the text here along with their English equivalents.
Glossory given at the end of the Text will be of some help.
It is the Lord
Almighty to whom we use the terms ‘He’ and ‘Him’, or the ‘Divine Force’
referred to as ‘That’. ‘He’ who resides in every creature as ‘soul’ is the real
God and He is common to all the six-and-odd billion people as well as the
plants and animals of this Planet Earth; and, ‘He’ has no name and form! If you
so desire, you can give a name and form to ‘Him’ and worship ‘Him’. All these
five or six Millennia, we have been doing only this.
Jesus Christ,
Sri Krishna, Sri Rama, Gautama Buddha and Mahavira are the avatars,
incarnations of the Lord. In a way, these are the persons who have purified
their mind and soul, raised their level of consciousness to unite with the
Supreme Consciousness and thereby developed their inner strength to become so
powerful that they ‘swayed the world’ and have ultimately become the hope and
faith of millions of people. Many spiritual leaders like Shri Ramana Maharishi,
Shri Ramakrishna, have developed their inner strength, attained purity of mind,
heart and soul, and they too have become the hope and aspirations of their
followers. That way, everybody can attain this spiritual height by mere
sadhana, practice of Sama, Dama, Dharana, Dhyan, Meditation and Samadhi.
‘Manoniyantrana Tantra’, techniques of mind control, deals with Yoga.
The panacea for all worldly disappointments and misery is Meditation, according
to Vedanta. Meditation a few minutes every day will restore the cool of the
mind and ensure all success in day-to-day life. A doctor who follows the guidelines
given in this book will achieve extraordinary success in his profession for he
will realize the play of the hidden hand in saving lives of patients and
reducing their pains. Similarly, an engineer will realize the extraordinary
meaning and depth of his profession and gains insight into the working of
machines. The yogic powers are such that one can identify the faults in a
machine by mere touch, sounds and vibrations, without even opening it up. All
sorts of professionals can gain success and happiness from the study of this
small book. The bloated ego of man makes him an imaginary giant, who can
destroy this world by his wickedness but cannot sustain it by his humility,
love, piety, compassion, and fellowship.
The Hindu philosophy of life believes
in Karma and Metempsychosis. Except for Charvaka, all other doctrines are
united on this. It is only Charvaka, who is a materialist and secular, who does
not offer any reason or theory to support his version of evolution of man and a
reasoned theory of man and the universe. Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya and Yoga
believe in the authenticity of the Vedas and accept dualism or Vishishta
Dvaitism. Purva mimamsa, and Uttara Mimansa advocate ‘Advaitism’.
Samkhya philosophy considers that
Prakruti and Purusha account for everything. Purusha is the individual soul, of
which there is an unlimited number. Primordial Prakruti is matter consisting of
the twenty-four principles ranging from the three gunas-the tamas, rajas and
sattvic, down to the gross earth. By the
joinder of Purusha and Prakruti, spirit and matter, samsara is the result.
Their divorce is the goal to be reached! Both are real entities that get on
without any controlling force or power.
At every corner of the road there is a new vista and a new road. Pause
for a while, take a view at the vista point, gaze at the horizon, look to your
inner voice for guidance and move on and take a fresh journey to success and
happiness. Never be disheartened by failures or stumbling blocks or hurdles; these
are the testing stones. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. If you
do not want to travel this way again, turn to God. Make an earnest prayer to
put an end to all this drama! Make your self fit to get His Divine Grace by
your pure thoughts, action and total submission. He will redeem you. Realise
your Self yourself. This is the Vedic view and way of life, redeeming oneself
from the grip of Maya!
The Vedic way of life is a thrilling one. It is no doubt difficult to
practise the spiritual way of life. But soon one can gain enormous mystic
powers and enjoy the bliss. Revelations come in dreams. Mystic powers appear
very early in sadhana to prove that one is on the right path. Those who have surrendered
to Him have enjoyed the Supreme Bliss. Faith is all that is required. ‘No
faith, no life’ is the rule of spiritual life!
Indian life, the Hindu ‘way of life’, i.e., the Vedic or Spiritual Life
is very important. The Hindu Philosophy and Hindu Religion are the oldest in
the world like the Chinese Philosophy and religion. It is almost four million
years old or may be more than that. During these millennia* (see Time in
Glossory), there has been a thorough degeneration, deterioration in the quality
of human life; values have changed and it is a bad sign! The quality of human
life has been declining since the Krita Yuga, called the Golden Age.
In the Krita Yuga, an age of
illumination and harmony, it was all a transparent life of ‘Ritam’ (Order) and
‘Satyam’ (Truth). People could see through and through others and could see and
understand the minds! In Treta Yuga, called the Silver Age, it was all
‘Virtues’, values of life; come what may, Sri Ram stood for values in life.
Values started declining. Sattva guna declined giving place to prepondering
Rajas. And, in the Dvapara Yuga, called the Copper Age, it was all ‘Dharma’ and
Shri Krishna stands for ‘Consciousness’. Values had declined further over the
ages and we see the behaviour of Duryodhana and Shakuni in Maha Bharat. Sri
Krishna took birth to kill Kamsa and restore Dharma. He has been striving for
establishment of ‘Dharma’, righteousness, values in life, as we can see it in
Maha Bharat. Sri Krishna says, “I will take repeated births to re-establish
Dharma, (Dharma Samsthapanarthaya … sambhavami yuge yuge”). In Kali Yuga,
called the Iron Age, it is total devastation of values and spirituality. It is
pre-ponderance of Tamas, loss of values of life-‘Ritam’,‘Satyam’ and ‘Dharma’.
Today, life has become senseless,
wayward, aimless, goal-less and nobody knows what he wants; it is all confusion
and complexes. Ego rules the roost. Everybody wants freedom, liberty, and
independence without knowing the meaning, without understanding what it means
to be free, independent. And, the result is that they are ‘neither here, nor
there’. They are a confused lot.
In these days of competition, there is
tension and children face lots of problems in their lives due to conflicting
values, languages, cultures, and life styles of their parents. It is here that
a sense of purpose, a sense of direction or goal is needed to make life more
meaningful, make it more fruitful. Having got the human life form, it is an
evolutionary process to make life more divine, spiritual, and thereby enable
one self to enjoy the ‘Bliss’, eternal happiness- “Sat (Truth), Chit
Knowledge), Anand (Bliss)”.
There is thus, no doubt that this
‘make-believe’ sensate world of glimmicks is the play (‘Leela’) of the Lord!
Children have a tendency to believe every thing they see or hear as true and as
such should not get lost in this maze of this make-believe world! They should
not lose sight of the ancient wisdom of the Saints and Sages. There are the
warnings given in the Vedas and Upanishads about the pitfalls. It is appropriate
that the Knowledge and wisdom of the age-old scriptures come handy to open our
eyes to Reality of life. This book strives to bring home the fact that what all
we see, hear, and know is not real. Lord’s Grace alone can guide us in these
days of strife and threats of war, intolerance and aggressive nature of people.
