Rishi Prasad - RP198June09

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The Guru-Purnima message(Guru Purnima: 7thJuly)(Excerpts from Pujya Bapujis satsang)Guru-Purnima infuses the Jiva, who has been wandering for countless lives, with the blessedness ofknowledge, Bhakti and Yoga. Through the teachings of the preceptors, God and the scriptures andthrough the jivas own experience and makes him capable of saving himself from the agony he has

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been suffering in mothers wombs and entitles him to attain to the Supreme State. Guru-Purnima isthe day of making ones mind holy by recalling the memory of God-realized Gurus like MaharshiVeda Vyasji who make one capable of attaining to the Supreme State. This is the day of practisingpenance and taking pious vows. It is the day when one should undertake some new resolve accordingto the guidance of the preceptor. These are the shortcomings in my mind; these are theshortcomings in my conduct; these are the shortcomings in my life After such introspection, oneshould take a resolve to undertake some observance, japa or anushthana which one is capable of soas to weed out the shortcomings and then one should resolve to move ahead in ones spiritual

journey. It is the day when one should take stock of the spiritual endeavours made by him in the pastyear and the spiritual experiences had thereby and should look to the Guru for tips for makingfurther progress. After the Vyas Purnima, schools of spirituality open and new lessons are taught.In summer the land becomes parched; the rain comes around Vyas Purnima and the earth is infusedwith a new life as are the trees. Similarly, Vyas Purnima brings new spiritual awakening, newradiance, new joy and new vigour in the sadhakas life and inspires him to move forward to a newlife. Inspired by this pious festival, the Jiva can endeavour to realize God. Maharshi Veda Vyasjicommenced writing the worlds first ever spiritual treatise, Brahman-Sutra on this day. TheMahabharata was completed on the Guru-Purnima day and gods blessed this day saying, Thesadhaka, who worships his Guru on this day, who propitiates his Guru and determines his spiritualpath with his Gurus guidance, will earn the religious merit of doing all virtuous deeds throughout

the year. Since then man has been celebrating the pious festival of Guru-Purnima with great zealand enthusiasm. Not only Indians but demigods and the yogis living in the heavens too celebrateGuru-Purnima with great zeal and enthusiasm.This is not the occasion for longish tales; it is the occasion for sitting near the lotus feet of Satguru. Itis not the occasion for discourses; it is the occasion for coming back to and reposing in theTranscendent True Self, the Bliss Absolute where all discourses emanate from and roll back to. It isan utsava. Utsava is made form the syllables ut (near) and sava (yajna or sacrifice). The yajna ofrealizing by the True Self, the Bliss Absolute, the nearest of the near, is the utsava of Vyas Purnima.Other utsavas we celebrate but the utsava of Vyas Purnima like a mother cajoles us. A mothercajoles her child saying, Come here my child! You have been playing in the dirt for quiet some time

and have thereby become dirty. Now take a bath and clean yourself. I will give you butter and sugarcandy. Similarly Vyas Purnima says, O Jiva! You have been wandering for several lives. Now comeback to your real nature of Pure Consciousness, to Selfknowledge, to the Lord, the Giver of life.A mother cajoles the child and thereby cleans and nourishes him. Vyas Purnima cajoles us andthereby purifies our mind, imbues it with virtues like humility, modesty etc. and very kindly endowsus with the capability to assimilate Satgurus experience of omnipresence through worshipping Him.

Our minds are invaded by violent winds of all kinds. Now we are plagued by doubt and now by fearor other such feeling. If the mind gets restive or gets derailed from the path ofsadhana and Bhaktibecause of bad company, the sadhakas make new resolutions and resume their journey with renewedvigour.

After the Vyas Purnima, the wandering, Self-realized saints stay at one place. There, they studyBrahma-Sutra and other scriptures and commence writing new spiritual books.

At times people in a society slide down towards degeneration. Demonic nature, dualistic thoughts,casteism and feelings of mine and thine spread through the society. Divorced from the non-dualreality, people are plagued by dualistic feelings which make them unquiet. The result isnarrowmindedness, strife and unrest in the society. But when Self-realized Gurus disseminate theirKnowledge in the society, peoples minds are imbued with virtues like oneness, peace, love,magnanimity, forgiveness, rectitude and purity etc. and sadhaka is filled with the prasad of theSupreme Consciousness.


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Man either makes progress or slides downwards. It is good to make progress but to save himselffrom sliding down, the sadhaka should submit to some Sattvik vows. Take some pious vows for dailyobservance in your life. Write the vows on a piece of paper. To make the mind serious in observanceof the vows, touch the paper to the Barhdada (sacred banyan tree in the Ashram infused with divinepotency by Pujya Bapuji) or to the rostrum (from where Pujya Bapuji delivers satsang) and keep itwith you. You can touch the paper to the place where you offer prayers or meditate at your house.Take some vow like, I will do japa for so many counts of the rosary; I will do so many Pranayamas;I will observe silence for so many hours in the week, I will reserve one, two, or five days in a month

for intensive spiritual practice; I will live in complete solitude for so many days in the year; I willspend so many days in the year for spreading the messages of dharma; I will employ my time andresources in Gurudevs divine endeavours in order to propitiate Him and to attain to the SupremeState If the sadhaka takes some pious vow of this nature on the Vyas Purnima day desiring to seeMaharshi Veda Vyasji in the form of a God-realized saint adorn the throne in his heart, his effortswill be aided by the good wishes of gods and the grace of Gurus and his goal will be accomplishedsooner rather than later.

There is improvement at times and deterioration at others in ones spiritual orientation; one happensto be in good company at times and in bad company at others. The animate beings other than manare subjected to bearing the fruits of their past actions but God has given some freedom to man. Man

can go up also and he can slide down as well. He should try to make progress but should definitelystrive not to slide down and to that end should observe some pious vows in life.The true and worthy disciples apply themselves whole-heartedly in body and mind to worshippingthe Guru. If the disciple maintains the attributes required of a disciple, the gift of assimilatingGurus spiritual experiences is bestowed upon him.

If the Guru is a true Guru and maintains the attributes of a Guru, he can bless his disciples with thegift of realization. Those who deserve to be granted the gift of Godrealization are sadhakas ordisciples and those who are capable of granting such gift are Gurus. The congregation of such truedisciples and Satgurus is the festival of Vyas Purnima. On this day, the sadhaka takes moderate andlight food like milk and fruits and with the help of activities like meditation, devotional activities,selfless service, remembrance of God, observing silence etc. makes a firm resolve to awaken his latent

potencies. By and by as he is blessed with the gift of realization within, he becomes sinless. This is afestival of becoming sinless, of being blessed with the gift of realization within and in due course oftime of bridging the gap between Guru and disciple, God and the devotee, breaking the cycle ofbirth and death and realizing the Supreme Consciousness, the Ultimate Truth beyond the power ofnature._

Only the Gurus Compassion can Shower AuspiciousnessGuru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu, Guru is Shiva, Though Guru appears to be a human being,Actually He is God. He, who is blessed with the Gurus grace, Needs nothing else to get. One who getsGurus grace serves his parents like Ganesh, who served Shiva and Uma. Theyre relieved ofinferiority complex, have no trace of anxiety Though Guru appears to be a human being, Actually Heis God. All events become auspicious and the milieu is changed completely. The vicious cycle of birthand death gets over Attachment and aversion no longer overpower. Whose devotion to Guruborders on obsession Keeps the God not at a distance Miracles take place with special grace Hemakes people chant with clapping Dance the people of India and abroad His living is worthwhileWho has received the blessings of Guru. Though Guru appears to be a human being Actually He isGod.

K.P.SinghAdditional District and Session Magistrate Gwalior (M.P.)


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Curious Context

Bhai Manjhs Steadfast Devotion to the GuruOne, who remains engaged in the Gurus service unruffled by the obstacles, hurdles and enticements

in life, becomes a deserving disciple of the Guru. One who has assimilated the grace of a perfectedGuru, assimilates the knowledge of the absolute Truth as well. He alone leads a blessed life, whoremains steadfast in his devotion to the Guru even in the face of various adverse circumstances. Alandlord called Manjh came to Guru Arjan Dev and said, Please make me your disciple.

Who do you follow at present? asked Guru Arjan.

Sakhi Sarwar. We also have a temple in its name at home.

Go, pay obeisance to it for the last time and come back after razing the temple to the ground.

Yes Sir, as you command.Breaking the temple was not so easy but the landlord had faith in the Guru and didnt care for

anything so long as he was carrying out the Gurus orders. So, he destroyed the temple. The peopleostracized him for desecrating the temple and criticized him severely. The landlord went to the feetof Guru Arjan Dev. Seeing a deserving disciple in the landlord, Arjan Dev bestowed initiation on himand taught him the method ofsadhana.Now the landlord would remain engaged in meditation and in doing japa of the Guru-mantrawithout wasting his time in rites and rituals. His whole life-style was changed. He would give less timeto farming. He was put to one test after another. Soon his horse died, then some of his bullocks, nextthieves came and took some of his possessions. He now started facing more opposition from thepeople and all of his creditors demanded immediate repayment. The landlord mortgaged his land,cleared all his debts and himself started working on a farm. At that time the level of interest was suchthat it was almost impossible for anyone who mortgaged his land to rise again. Once a landlord,

Manjh was now working as a labourer himself, but his love for the Gurus feet never decreased.After some time Manjh had to move to another village along with his wife and children. He began tomake his livelihood by cutting and selling grass. Arjan Dev inquired about him and found out that hewas living as an outcast, the whole society had ostracized him, but his faith was intact. Arjan Devwas pleased to know this. Ostracized by the society, Manjh had won a place for himself in theGurus heart. After some time the Guru again inquired about him and found out that he was leadinga hand-to-mouth life. Guru Arjan sent one of his disciple to deliver a letter to Manjh.Be sure to demand twenty rupees as an offering before you give him the letter, the Guru told thedisciple.

Why would the Guru need money?However, He tries the disciple to test his faith and enhance his ability. And it is true that gold has to

pass the test of fire several times to become pure. Manjh asked twenty rupees from his wife for theGurus letter. Twenty rupees in those days would be equal to around five to seven thousand rupeestoday. The wife replied, Lord! I have two wedding bangles and other ornaments. Sell these and sendthe money to Gurudev. The bangles were sold and rupees twenty sent to the Guru. Gurudev sawthat his faith was still intact! After some time the Guru sent Manjh a second letter, for which he wasto make an offering of twentyfive rupees.From where was he to bring the money? There was not a single pie at home. He remembered thatthe headman of the village had once asked if his son could marry Bhai Manjhs daughter. The castesystem was prevalent in those days and the headman belonged to a lower caste. Manjh proposed to

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the headman, I will marry my daughter to your son but I want only twentyfive rupees as marriagesettlement and nothing else.

Manjh did not mind marrying his daughter to a boy of a lower caste, sending his daughter into afamily of people with mean mentality.

Great is his faith in the Guru! The Guru saw that his faith had not wavered yet. He sent a message,Come here and look after the ashrams kitchen. Work in the kitchen and serve food to the people.

Manjh carried out the Gurus command implicitly and started working in the kitchen.

Manjh looks after the kitchen, but where does he take his food? the Guru asked one of his disciplesafter a few days. He gets his food from the free community kitchen after serving food to everybody, the disciple said.

Bhai Manjh is not doing real service, said the Guru, He is taking a wage in the form of food. Thisis not selfless service. Manjh took the Gurus gesture as a command. From the next day on, Manjhserved in the kitchen during the day and went to the forest to cut wood. He then sold the wood in thebazaar and used the proceeds to buy food for his family. This went on for a few days. One evening,Manjh went to the forest to cut wood, which was needed for the Gurus kitchen. A great storm blewup after he had finished cutting the wood. He tried to seek refuge under a tree with his bundle ofwood on his head but the wind was so fierce that it blew him into a well.

Suddenly Guru Arjan Dev called some of his disciples and set out towards the forest with a long ropeand a wooden board. The disciples were surprised. Manjh is at the bottom of this well, said theGuru when they reached the well. Shout down to him and tell him that we will lower a board tied toa rope. Tell him to cling to the board and we will pull him out.

He then spoke something into a persons ears and told him to say that to Manjh. The person toldManjh, Brother, see the wretched condition you are in. Why do you follow such a cruel Guru? Whydont you abandon and forget him?..(Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).

Guru Bhakti Yoga

-Swami Sivananda

_As every event, in order to take place, requires an external agency, the aspirant is in need of aGuru to enable the manifestation of the knowledge within him. The disciple and the Guru are twocomplementary entities or bits of universal process acting on each other in a reciprocal manner.The factors that bring about the rise of knowledge in the disciple are the receptive capacity of thedisciple and the consciousness-force of the Guru. There cannot be such a knowledge-interaction ifthe psychic condition of the disciple is not well-prepared and made ready to fit in with the nature of

the entry of the consciousness of the Guru into it. This condition has to be fulfilled when any eventin this universe takes place. No interaction of any kind can take place anywhere unless twocomplementary phases of universal process came together.

That knowledge can rise of its own accord from within by self-analysis and that an external Guru isnot necessary at all is not a universally acceptable tenet. History has shown that the educationalprocess is in great need of the intense activity of teachers in any branch of learning. If knowledge cannaturally rise in everyone without any aid whatsoever there would be no need for schools, collegesand universities in the world. Even those who try to propound this misleading theory of the self-competency of the individual who can act independent of teachers are persons who have been trainedby teachers. Yes; the effort on the part of the disciple or student is not, in any way, a small factor in

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the revelation of knowledge; it is as important as the need for instruction by a teacher. In thisuniverse the subject and the object stand on the same level of reality, which fact is proved by thepossibility of a mutual interaction of the two. There is no reaction between forces of different planesof consciousness, though in the case of the action of the Guru it is possible that he may focus hishigher consciousness through the medium of a lesser plane in which the disciple is placed, in order tobring about the required transformation in the mind of the latter. This process of the action of theGurus consciousness is called Shakti-Sanchara or the descent of movement of the power of the Guruin the disciple. There are cases where Gurus have even done Sadhana for the evolution of the

disciples by bringing about the purification of the mind of the disciples through direct intervention ofa higher consciousness.There are people who carp and say: We can find out good and evil, right and wrong, truth andfalsehood, by consulting our conscience. There is no need for an external Guru. It should beremembered that the conscience will not help a person in attaining to correct understanding unlesshe has reached the height of purity and desirelessness. The impure conscience cannot give rightsuggestion. (Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).

Without the accumulation of virtuous deeds, the proximity of Saintsis inconceivable

A beings virtuous deeds become accrued as he performs japa, meditation, adoration, devotion; takesa holy dip in the sacred waters, gives charity etc. As a result, he gains the vicinity of great beings, hismind starts attaining fondness for the company of saints & sages. Without amassing meritoriousdeeds, one cannot sit in the company of saints. One cannot even attend or reach the divine discourseof a Self-realized saint without merits.

Revered saint Tulsidasji rightly espouses: Without the accumulation of virtuous deeds, Proximity ofSaints is virtually inconceivable.

Such great beings are inaccessible without the accumulation of virtuous deeds. If per chance, ithappens, one fails to establish faith in them.

One cannot have faith, O King, without a sufficient stock of meritorious deeds. -Pujya Bapuji_

Awaken the Memory of Guru Tattva Pujya BapujiGuru-Purnima is the pious festival that reminds you of your innate all-pervasiveness howsoeversmall you may be in physical and material status. If a wave believes itself to be an individual entityseparate from the sea, it proceeds towards death. However, if it considers itself to be the ocean, itcomes to know of its vastness. Similarly, if the Jiva, sees himself as Supreme Brahman, as PureConsciousness, he will experience his allpervasiveness. Even though you have a small body, areoccupied in a small vocation and are engaged in small endeavours, you are an eternal part of the all-pervading Brahman. The Purnima that reminds you of this fact; develops in you the virtues ofshama(the attainment of calmness), dama (self-control) titiksha (forbearance; tolerance; the ability towithstand opposites like pleasure and pain, heat and cold, etc., with equal fortitude) samadhan(removal of doubts) and Ishwarapranidhana (offering of ones life to God) and initiates you into ahealthy, happy and honourable life is known as Guru-Purnimaa. It is called Jnana-Purnima as well.It falls in the month ofshadha. Therefore, it is called shadhi purnim as well. In honour ofMaharshi Veda Vyasji, who compiled and edited the Knowledge of Vedas systematically in four

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volumes and wrote the first philosophical treatise of the world, this Purnima is called Vyas Purnimaalso. On this pious day, the Jiva worships his Brahmanishtha Satguru the livingembodiment of Maharshi Veda Vyasji and by merging his little self into the all-pervading SupremeSelf, experiences all-pervasiveness. One, who worships his Gurudev on this pious day, in effectworships all that is to be worshipped. No deity remains to be worshipped after that. Even if youworship all the deities known to you, some deity or other entity worthy of worship may remain yet tobe worshipped but if one has assimilated the Knowledge of Brahman in his life by the grace of a

Brahmajnni Satguru, no entity remains to be worshipped by him. One, who worships the Satguru,who imbibes the Knowledge imparted by Satguru, need not worship any other entity. Vyas-Purnimateaches us that one who venerates the Satguru becomes venerable. I venerated my Satguru; I cannotcount the number of people who venerate me. Had I been devoted to wealth or luxuries, my lifewould have fallen into the pit of absurdity but I devoted my life to the Guru and it was imbued withdivinity. Crores of men are making themselves holy by partaking of that prasad of divinity. You seethis with your own eyes. When you worship Shaligram, you are not worshipping a piece of stone, youare worshipping Lord Vishnu; when you are worshipping the Shiva-Lingam, you are worshippingLord Shiva. In the same way, venerating the Guru is venerating Knowledge; it is revering theConsciousness, Supreme Self for revealing That in ones heart. So long as man thirsts for Knowledge,for real life, the pious festival of Guru-Purnima will continue to be celebrated. The message that

Guru-Purnima gives is that you should cut off the intricate knots of individuality and awaken thememory of the Guru Tattva, the all pervading Consciousness hidden in you. Lord Krishnas messageis memory of the True Self and self-control. Maharshi Veda Vyasjis message is memory of theTrue Self, self-control and realization of ones all-pervading Being.

The Lord is in you; the Lord is in me; the Lord is in all the beings.

Love one and all; nobody is an outsider to you.

The Nectar of Love for Gurudev Makes All PoisonsIneffective!(Excerpts from Pujya Bapujis satsang)

Vasishthji says in the Sri Yogavasishtha Maharamayana, O Ramji! Who in the three worlds can remainhappy by disobeying the saint?

Saints are supremely benevolent. We should be determined to do what they say. In this lies oursupreme good. We should not fail to act on their orders.

Lord Shankara says: One should never ignore the orders of the Guru, be it just or unjust. Carryingout His behests, one should live, day and night like a servant with the Guru.

The disciple should not doubt the Gurus words even if they appear false to him. He should carry outHis orders in right earnest.

The story dates back to the time when Delhi was ruled by Akbar. Akbar had made his son Jehangirthe ruler of Lahore. Jehangir was very fond of hunting and also of the flesh of wild ducks. Once heplanned a hunting expedition for seven days along with his bodyguards, soldiers and hunters in thedense forest of Gurdaspur near Lahore. He had also taken his cooks along with him. Everyday theywould kill and eat the flesh of wild ducks.

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Once in the course of their expedition, they lost their way in the jungle. Some of them went towardsthe north while the others proceeded towards the southern direction. The battalion which had took


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off towards the north reached the ashram of a saint named Bhagawandas. The saint, along with hisdisciples lived in the natural, pure environment of that place called Pindori. Taking recourse tospiritual discussions and silence, they would remain reposed in the Brahman.

Bhagawandasji Maharaj had a disciple named Narayandas. One day the Guru said to him, Son!Strength is depleted through speech. Be silent and do japa of or SOHAM with the incoming andoutgoing breaths. You will experience natural joy by this. Stay here till I come.

Only the saint knows what obedience and service to the Guru is. The ignorant knows not what it is.

Having listened to the Gurus command, Narayandas bowed in reverence and became silent. NowJehangirs soldiers came to Narayandas and asked him, We have lost our way. Where does thisroad lead to? Narayandas was silent, he didnt say anything. The soldiers shook him telling him tospeak. They also threatened him but when they saw it having no effect upon him, they thought, Letus take him to Jehangirs camp. He will speak when he is punished and beaten. They tookNarayandas, the true and worthy disciple, along with them and hurled all kinds of abuses on him,scolded and threatened him but Narayandas had made a firm resolve, The Guru has ordered me toremain silent till he comes. I will carry out his orders even at the cost of my life. He bore the beatingsand abuses but did not say anything.

Be it the material world or the spiritual world, without faithful adherence to a particular rule,

without self-effort or without going through tests and trials, one is not blessed with any greatendowment and even if he is, it does not last. I too had to face many trials and difficulties at theGurus place. Hurdles, obstacles and difficulties make us capable of receiving divine endowments.Therefore, we should not fear or lose heart.

The soldiers presented Narayandas before Jehangir, who as he was tired, said, We will see himtomorrow. The soldiers were Muslims and Narayandas was the disciple of a Hindu Sadhu. They hadlost their way and he was silent. Angered at this, they said, He is a hypocrite and causing trouble tous. He is our enemy and an infidel!

Now the soldiers were many and Narayandas was alone. Yet he bore their beatings and abuses.How great was his determination! In the morning, the offender was presented before Jehangir. He

had not committed any offence, he was just obeying his Gurus order to remain silent. Jehangirscolded and threatened him. Carrying out his orders, the soldiers beat him up but he didnt speaka word. Jehangir was more furious, We are inquiring him and he doesnt speak! What does hethink he is! Take him to Lahore. There he will be made to speak through severe punishment.When Narayandas refused to speak even after being severely tortured in Lahore, Jehangir wasmad with anger. He ordered, Make him drink poison. The poison was prepared and brought, in abowl.

Narayandas looked one-pointedly at the bowl, remembered his Guru and contemplated, AumAum this poison can do no harm to me. I will not be affected by the poison.

He gulped down the poison while mentally repeating Aum. When he has obeyed the Guru, how canthe poison disobey him? Jehangir stood shocked with his eyes wide open. He waited for Narayandas

to stagger and collapse but there was the same peace and fearlessness on his face. Fuming with anger,Jehangir said, There is no effect on you yet! Give him a second bowl.

Narayandas drunk the second as well. When the third was given and there was again no effect onhim, Jehangir thought that the poison must be artificial. It was given to a cat which diedimmediately. Jehangir stood dumbfound. He exclaimed, The poison is strong. How come he is notaffected then? Give him a fourth bowl. He drank the fourth as well. Then the fifth and the sixth.Jehangir in his anger continued with his atrocity just like a defeated gambler who bets double theamount he had staked in the previous game.


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Narayandas had such firm faith in his Guru that through the power of remembering his Guru andthrough his firm resolve, he rendered the poison ineffective till he was given six bowls to drink.However, Jehangir didnt want to stop. He said, You dont speak yet, nor do you die! Give him theseventh bowl. When the seventh bowl was given, Narayandas prayed to God, May Your Will becarried out. Amazing is the sport of the Supreme Lord, the Lord of the universe, Who dwells in allhearts! While it was Narayandas, the obedient, true and worthy disciple of Bhagawandas, who haddrunk the seventh bowl of poison, it was Jehangir who was affected by it!

Touba, Touba! Allah!! I am dying saying so, he staggered and collapsed to the ground.(Readfull article in Rishi Prasad magazine)

An Earthly God and a Heavenly God(Excerpts from Pujya Bapujis satsang)

There are two types of Godly beings.One lives on earth and the other in heaven. By performing penances and meritorious deeds, ahuman being becomes a heavenly god. There he indulges in pleasures associated with wealth,happiness, and the music and dance of celestial nymphs. Thus his balance of merit dwindles. On theother hand, the god of earth endures difficulties, practices austerities, does japa, follows a dailydiscipline ofsadhana, pleases his Satguru and endeavours to attain Selfrealization as exemplified byhis Satguru.In addition, he performs karma for the sake of it and not for the sake of enjoyment or for reachingheaven. He offers the fruits of his karma to God and to his Satguru. A heavenly god destroys hismerits by enjoying the company of celestial nymphs (apsaras) whereas an earthly god performspenances, destroys his sins and awakens into his Blissful Self.

Truth is not attained by using Logic(From the precepts of Samarth Swami Ramdasji)

Truth is attained through constant search (Self-enquiry). O mind! Knowledge dawns gradually. Oneattains wisdom about the Self but this is possible only by acquiring a Sri Satguru, the God endowedwith body and attributes, by living in his company and by receiving His compassion and love. Hence,derive benefit from Satgurus satsang and attain a firm stance in Brahman.One cannot attain fulfillment through the knowledge of the body and the cosmos. The essence ofTruth cannot be realized through intellectual reasoning, inference and intellectual knowledge.Neither is it known by being engaged in action, performing yajnas or renouncing sense enjoymentson the physical plane. Spiritual fulfillment, removal of doubts and peace can be attained onlythrough the gracious glance of Sri Satguru and His love. Tat-tvam-asi (You are That) mahavakya(great sayings) of the Upanishads, the essence of Vedanta, the principles ofPanchikarana describedin the Vedanta all these are hints given by Sri Satguru to indicate the Supreme Brahman whodefies description. The true disciple has to experience the revelation of Brahman in his heart with thehelp of the hints given by his Guru. To illustrate this point, consider this example. A man who has

seen the moon points to the crescent moon of the second day of the fortnight in relation to a branchof a tree as a hint. The other man follows this hint of the branch of the tree. He has to move beyondthe branch of the tree and look at the moon himself. And so long as he does not see the moon, hekeeps asking again and again the person who has seen it and eventually succeeds in seeing it himself.


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Diksha Elevates Life(Excerpts from Pujya Bapujis Satsang)

The life of a person who is not initiated by a Brahmanishtha Satguru is worthless. It is like the make-up and dressing of a widow. You may attain secular education but it is necessary to bridle it with therein of Vedic diksha. Not only is the life of an uninitiated person is ruined, but those who come intocontact with such a person are also ruined. To eat, drink, suffer pains and enjoy pleasures, and diewithout having Knowledge of immortal Self is the life of such people.

Without diksha one cannot attain freedom from the cycle of birth and death. A blind man can runwithout an assistant no doubt, but is sure to meet with an accident. Without a Guru one cannotrealize the hollowness of this material world, and without Knowledge the jiva cannot attain freedomjust like a boat in deep sea can never reach the shore without a navigator. One cannot attain dikshafrom the Guru by dint of wealth, honor and status. Only the calm, humble and modest disciplesendowed with faith can attain diksha. The vanity of wealth and power and vices like lust, anger,avarice, delusion, etc. get dissolved in the elixir of faith. The elixir of faith removes worry, fear and

makes one intoxicated with divine love. One forgets his inferiority related to the transient body andeven his egotism. After attaining diksha, the devotee endowed with faith, progresses towards hiseternal nature. Hence diksha, faith and satsang are essential in life. There are three types of Guruswho give mantradiksha.One is the commercial guru, who gives diksha for a business.You are my disciple, I am your Guru, give me dakshina. Whether you become free or die, I am least

concerned..

Such people are wayward. They are themselves addicted to tobacco and indulge in all kinds of evilacts and give mantradiksha to others at the same time! To give mantra-diksha is not a joke. Itinvolves a great deal of responsibility and the Guru has to transfer his spiritual power to the disciple.

Commercial Gurus are ignorant about this. Swami Vivekananda criticized such people severely.

The second type of guru is the sectarian guru who gives mantra of his sect. If someone belongs toRamanandas sect he will give the mantra Sitaram Sitaram. If he belongs to Vaishnav sect, themantra will be one of the names of Lord Vishnu and if he belongs to the Shaiva sect it will be OmNamah Shivaya. A mullah or maulvi will teach one to say, Allah-o-Akbar according to his sect andreligion. It is some rare ones, the saints of the people (lokasant), who give mantras according to theVedic tradition. They have no sect of their own. They give mantras keeping in mind the good of therecipients. (Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine)

Do not Doubt the Efficacy ofJapa(Excerpts from Pujya Bapujis satsang)

The practice ofJapa generates a divine aura, divine bliss and sattvic vibes in the environment whicheradicate the thoughtpollution prevalent in the atmosphere today. Japa of the divine name creates adivine armour which protects the japaka from negative elements and helps the person progress onthe path of spiritual and material development.

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Once you get a mantra from the Guru, half of your sadhana is completed by the power ofdiksha andif you do not repeat your past sins and bad habits, you are absolved of those sins and you become freefrom vices. As your japa increases, your sins will be gradually eradicated. However, moreanushthnas1 are required in the case of a great sin. There was a great scholar named VidyaranyaSwami in the order of Lord Adi Shankaracharya. He was initiated with the Guru mantra and wastold to perform an anushthana by his Guru.The Ishtamantra2 is perfected by doing 1,11,110 number ofjapas if it is a monosyllabilic mantra. Incase of mantras which have more than one syllable in them, the japa should be performed for asmany times as the number of syllables in the mantra multiplied by 1,11,110. By performing ananushthna , one gets protection from negativity and the inauspicious, and the presiding deity of themantra is revealed. Vidyaranya Swami performed many anushthanas but saw that his presidingdeity, divine Mother Bhagwati, had not yet revealed herself. No miracle of any sort had happened.All this is humbug. I should not have got entangled in this, he thought, and collected some wood atthe solitary place where he had built a hutment for himself. He lit a fire and offered all the religiousbooks, articles of worship, rosary, gomukhietc. to the fire-god.As everything was being engulfed by the fire, a divine lady with a magnetic aura around hermanifested herself and said to Vidyaranya Swami, What are you doing? He replied: Mother! Allthis japa is nothing but humbug. I have performed several anushthanas and found that mantra japais useless. Now I will spread the information among people that they should not waste their time bybecoming religious. Let them earn, eat, enjoy and make merry. I will spread atheism. There is noGod. All this talk about mantras is useless. The goddess said, Well! You may do whatever you likebut at least turn around and look.

Vidyaranya Swami saw that just like the fire which was burning before him, there was aconflagration behind him and huge boulders of the size of mountains were falling from above into itand were being blasted to pieces. One after another, several such boulders were being destroyed inthe fire with a deadly sound. Dumbfounded, he thought, What is this that I am seeing? The ladywho spoke to me must be aware of the mystery behind this. He turned around but the lady haddisappeared! Where did she go?

He wandered in the woods calling out to the goddess, O Mother! O goddess!! O Mother of theworld!!! Be gracious. You revealed yourself and have now disappeared. I dont know who you reallyare. Please guide me.A heavenly voice was heard, You have abandoned dharma, japa and the refuge of the Guruscommand. You are now an orphan. Go and wander according to the whims of your mind. There aremany such orphans who wander, and after death they flow into the drain when they dont get amothers womb to be reborn in. You too may go and do as you please. Will the sun become extinct byyour saying that it does not exist? Will God perish by your propagating atheism?

Mother! I saw huge boulders being destroyed in the fire. What does that mean? The goddessreplied, The great sins of your past lives have been destroyed one by one by anushthanas.Mother! Kindly guide me.

The goddess said, You have shown disregard to the mantra given by the Guru. Worship and prayto the Guru to forgive you. If you once again perform an anushthana, considering your Gurustouch, the mantra and the rosary given by Him as the supreme means for your good, you willexperience the efficacy of the japa and gain supernatural powers.Vidyaranya Swami fell at his Gurus feet, cried and narrated the whole incident to Him. Thecompassionate Guru again gave him a rosary and the required scriptures, etc. and said, You willnow become successful by performing a single anushthana. He did as he was told and became such a


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great siddha (enlightened master) that he composed a scripture, which helped me (Pujya Bapuji)attain Self-realization. Lord Krishnas Gita blessed Arjuna with a divine intellect capable ofcomprehending the Real Essence (Tattva).Similarly, the Gurus mantra destroyed the dangerous darkness caused by hismahapatakascommitted by Vidyaranya Swami in his past lives to bless him with a divine intellect capable ofrealizing the Ultimate Truth. He composed the famous scripture Panchdashi. The sadhaks ofVedanta and all the saints and devotees who follow the path of Wisdom are acquainted with this

scripture.So, it is not that if you do japa, you will get the result instantly. Japa first purifies the body, the mindand our past karma. Only after that past debt is cleared, will something be deposited in youraccount. (Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).

All That is Yours should Become Mine(From the spiritual discourses of Pujya Bapuji)

King Brihadashwa worshipped his Gurudev with devotional faith. Quite often, he would sit in frontof his Guruji. He would look at him with fixed gaze as if looking at God without even blinking hiseyes. So the grace of the Supreme Self manifest in the form of his Guru showered on him and hismerits went on increasing. In his kingdom, there was much yield of agricultural produce due toproper and timely rain. Nature becomes favorable & bestows its bounty upon a virtuous emperor.Seeing his affluence and prosperity grow manifold, the king thought: I should perform AshwamedhaYajna. One who completes 100 such yajnas becomes Indra, the king of gods. So the king startedthe endeavor. He went on performing the yajnas one after the other.At that time, Brihadashwas Gurudev was in samadhi in a secluded place. When he came out of hissamadhi, he thought, I wonder what my disciple Brihadashwa, who gazed one-pointedly at me withreverence and looked at me with a sense of oneness, is doing?

The Guru perceived that Brihdashwa was entangled in the vain desire of amassing merits throughthe performance of one hundred ashvamedha yajnas. Till date, he has already accomplished ninetytwo yajnas. He will certainly try to reach the set target of one hundred yajnas. After leaving thismortal sheath, he will attain the coveted seat of Indra and then for thousands or millions of years, hewill enjoy heavenly pleasures. While living in my company, he gained merits but his indulgence in thecelestial enjoyments will deplete his merits. Thereafter he will become a man once again. O my God!Where is he heading to? From the human birth, he can still descend towards lower births like that ofa deer, rabbit or even of an insect.

The Guru willingly cast off his body and entered another. Such jivanmukta great men never identifythemselves with the body. They always revel in the eternal transcendent Being I am Brahman. To

enter a body or to cast off the physical body is nothing but a mere sport for them. KingBrihadashwas Guru came in the guise of a nine year old celibate boy exactly in the same way as theLord Vaman had come in the form of a celibate boy before his devotee Bali. By this time,Brihadashwa had already completed ninety nine yajnas. The last yajna i.e. the hundredth one wasbeing performed. One cannot escape three things even after death. The first thing is ones actions.Till the karmas are not burnt by the fire of Knowledge imparted by a Self-realized Guru, one cannotescape them. One cannot part with the Supreme Consciousness, God, Who never abandons us. And atrue worthy disciple cannot escape the grace of Satguru.

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The Guru came to Brihadashwa in the guise of a nine year old dwarf Vamdev. The king stood up tohonor him. After worthy adoration of his lotus feet, the king offered him a venerable seat.Brihadashwa said,My Lord! I seek for your command! Any Brahmin, who happens to reach my doorstep, gets hiswishes fulfilled. It is ordained for the person who performs ashavamedha yajna that the beggingBrahmin should be provided anything he asks for. My Lord! There is nothing in this world which isimpossible for me to gift to you. So, I wait for your orders. Ill certainly give it to you. The Brahminyoung boy said, What if you so back on your word?

Maharaj! Ill never do that.Then make a donation pledge.Lord Satguru asked the king to swear exactly the same way as Lord Vaman had put Bali under anoath by giving water in his palm.The Brahmin: Make a pledge that you will provide me whatever I ask for. Brihadashwa:Maharaj! I promise to give you everything you ask for. You may demand one thousand gold coins,or maybe ten thousand gold coins. Even if you ask for my entire kingdom, Ill have to give, for theperformer ofAshvamedha yajna is ordained to keep his promise.The Brahmin said I do not ask for any thing else except that all that is yoursshould become mine.The compassionate Satguru asked for that which would make Brihadashwa a liberated man. Such aliberated soul would never become destitute, never would he have to bear the afflictions in motherswomb, never is he subjected to attacks of passion and never does he suffer the consequences ofvirtuous and sinful actions.Neither it is desirable to indulge in enjoyments, nor to bear sufferings;

If one is intelligent, it is desirable to attain the Supreme.

The disciple was performing yajnas for sense enjoyments. The Guru said,All that ll thatis yoursshould become mine.The king was oblivious of the fact that the Brahmin was his Guru. Thinking him to be a brilliantBrahmin, the king gave him all that he possessed. Thereafter Vamdev said, Youve given me thedana. Now give me the dakshina.At this the king started looking towards his son but Vamdev said, Brihadashwa! All yourpossessions are already given to me. Wherever his mind went, the Guru reminded him of the factthat now he owned everything the king possessed earlier. The king became discomposed. His mindwas agitated and he dozed off for a moment. Maybe it was his own reverie, the sacred resolve of hisGuru or the effect of divine Maya. The king saw his own death and was taken to the infernal worldwhere his account of karmas was being checked. The messengers of the god of death told him,Youve not accomplished the targeted one hundred yajnas. The count reached ninety nine only. Soyou are not eligible for the coveted celestial seat of Indra. Yes, you can be considered for the post ofUpendra. ( Indras younger brother) With the sense of doership you have performed virtuousactions, you will experience happiness as the consequences of your virtuous deeds. But the effect ofaberrations and miscalculations also falls into your account. For the performance of so many yajnas,you exploited your subjects by levying numerous taxes upon them. In the process of offering libationsto the fire-god, many insects were consigned to fire. All this will result into nothing else but miserywhich you are bound to suffer. So, whether you want to enjoy the pleasures of Upendra or bear thewages of your sins, the choice is purely yours.

Brihadashwa said, It is better to suffer the miseries first and then enjoy the pleasures.

The next moment he was thrown into a desert. (Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).


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Non-dual I-ness(Excerpts from Pujya Bapujis satsang)

Sanjay was relating the happenings on the battle-field to King Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra askedhim, Sanjay! Tell me who is going to win?

Sanjay parried the question for some time but finally said:

Oh King! Wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of Yoga and wherever there is Arjuna, the archer,there is prosperity, happiness, victory and firm policy; such is my conviction. (The Gita: 18.78)Dhritarashtra is stunned, What are you saying?If it doesnt come true, then dont consider me a disciple of Maharshi Veda Vyasji.

A worthy disciple is proud of having acquired a Self-realized Guru and a Satguru too is proud of

having acquired worthy disciples. This is pride but this pride is not associated with the body. It is thepride associated with the Real Self. It is real Selfesteem. What worldly people call selfesteem is infact the ego based on individuality or the subtle body. But the pride between a Satguru and hisdisciples is the pride based on the Supreme Brahman. There are three types of ego. I am the body;my height is this much and weight this much - this is bodily ego. I am a devotee, a sadhu, a Yogi,a sadhakathis is subtle ego. However, I am You and You are me, That is me and This is me- this is the pride of Oneness, of non-duality, of Wisdom. This pride, is one which helps man crossobstacles, which delivers man from the material world. My Satguru, Sri Sri Lilashahji Bhagwan,once having judged the state of my mind, carried out an immensely generous act. Even today itcomes to my mind.

It was early morning about 4-5 A.M. A satsang was going on and two-three of us disciples weresitting near Gurudevs feet. Even after Gurudev had showered His grace, sometimes doubts wouldstill linger in my mind. Showering his compassionate glance, Gurudev presented an incident. He saidin the course of the satsang, Many people, many poor disciples, because of past samskras, presentefforts, the grace of God and the Satguru, do experience the Truth but before they get settled in thatexperience, they slide down from it. They have doubts, Where do I have the power like what myGurudev, Sai Lilashahji has? Many people have faith in Gurudev. Many come to listen to Him. Butnobody pays attention to me Such doubts like paying or not paying attention, having or nothaving power are states of the mind. Even those sadhakas, who attain to the experience beyond thesestates of mind, dont settle there. In fact, they are held back comparing their experience on themeasuring scale of worldly gains.

Then my Lord Gurudev looked at me. Lowering my head, I looked at His feet and at His face,overwhelmed with reverence.

Gurudev cast another compassionate glance at me. He said, If you agree to what Lilashah says, welland good, otherwise listen and He cast another glance at me.. Asaram! This is the Gita and this is the Upanishad. I place them on my head and swear by themthat what Lilashah is, you Asaram are also That. You are what I am and I am what you are.This is the experience of Self-pride. Satguru wants a disciple to reach such a stage in which he canmake the sadhaka experience: I am what you are. You are what Lord Krishna is. You are whatLord Rama is. You are what Lord Shiva is. You are what Ma Amba is. You are the entire universe

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and the universe is you. A great soul who is constantly on the lookout for leading a disciple to suchan experience of Selfrealization we call such a soul a Satguru.

Food and Devotional PracticeFood and devotional practice are both essential for us. Just as we cannot live without food, we are asgood as dead even without devotional practices. Devotional practice nourishes our subtle body in thesame way as food nourishes our physical body. We should understand the necessity of both for theoverall development of the body. It is common experience that without food, one cannot carry outdevotional practice properly. Similarly, if we all vow not to have food without carrying outdevotional practice, we can forge a relationship with God instantly.

Lord Krishna says:

Yoga becomes the destroyer of pain for him who is always moderate in eating and recreation (suchas walking, etc.), who is moderate in exertion during his actions, who is moderate in sleep and

wakefulness.(Gita: 6.17)

Diseases afflict the body only due to lack of moderation in eating, which then creates obstacles indevotional practice.

Devotion cannot be practiced on an empty stomach, O Gopala.

I return your necklace of beads and rosary to You.

It is only due to giving importance to food and forgetting devotional practice that today the countryis almost famine stricken at various places. The power of devotional practice is great. We shouldestablish a complimentary relationship between food and devotional practice in life. Those devoteeswho gave importance to devotional practice, have never had to face shortage of food.Swami Ramsukhdas Maharaj has said,Japa of the divine name and Kirtan changes ones destiny. One attains what is nonattainable,the impossible becomes possible -this is the experience of saints. If one cries out to and repeats thename of the One who has ordained the fruits ofkarma, what wonder if his destiny is changed! If thebeggars who do not get food to their fill, start doing japa of the divine name with a sincere heart,there will be no dearth of anything for them. However, japa should not be done for changing destinyor destroying sins. Just as it is not wise to exchange coal for precious stones, so also it is unwise to usethe priceless wealth of divine name for the fulfillment of petty desires. Pujya Bapuji too says,Those who practise Trikal Sandhya, never have to beg for food this has been declared by thescriptures.

The Need for a GuruThe treasure of Knowledge is hidden in each and every man. That is to say the Being of Guru ispresent in every man. The Guru is required so as to reveal it. To acquire knowledge of any subject,the Guru (master) of that subject is required. If one wants to become a doctor, a lawyer, a scholar ora thief, one has to go to an expert doctor, lawyer, scholar or thief respectively and seek the knowledge

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of that particular faculty. How then can one attain the Knowledge of the Supreme Being, theExistence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute, the treasure trove of real joy, without the help of a Guru?

Why does one need a perfected being in flesh and blood as a Guru for Selfrealization? One shouldfirst get convinced of the fact that perfected beings true saints or Satgurus are manifestations ofthe Lord Himself. There is no difference between the Lord and a true Satguru. The ego is the onlyveil separating man from God. True saints destroy this veil and become one with God as a riverbecomes one with an ocean. Because of his physical limitations, man is verily incapable of having avision of the non-physical Being of God. He can approach God only if God assumes a human formand meets him at the physical plane. The merciful Lord does exactly the same for the deliverance ofman. He assumes human form and comes to the world. This human form of God has been named theGuru. That is to say Guru is God in human form. God awakens the Jivas through His human formand through His grace makes them one with His own Self. Diksha is the means of liberation.We should find a Guru, who is endowed with Knowledge and dispassion. (Read full article in Rishi Prasadmagazine).

Who Constantly Worship Me Pujya BapujiLord Sri Krishna says : To them who constantly worship Me with love, I give the Yoga ofdiscrimination by which they come to Me.

(Bhagavad Gita: 10.10)Constantly does not mean that at all times you keep doing japa on your rosary or that you remain

seated in the temple. Yes, at the time of doing japa on your rosary, do so. At the time of going to thetemple, do so. Yet, being a witness to all this and observing the falsity of this world, keep plunginginto that Source who is the controller of all phenomena. Those who constantly repeat the Name getimmersed in and become one with the act of repetition. However, one should not remain confined tothe repetition, rather should progress further to understand, love and repose in the Real Self.Once, Sant Tulsidasji, after performing his daily ablutions, came to a well in a forest. He heard thesinging of verses from the well. Goswami Tulsidasji was surprised. He thought Who is singing myverses inside this well? Tulsidasji exclaimed

Whoever is singing these verses inside the well, be you human, yaksha, rakshasa,gandharva, kinnar, visible or invisible, whatever you are, I must definitely get a reply about youridentity.A voice replied O great sage, Tulsidasji! We were five friends. We used to chant Rama-Rama,but were ignorant of the eternal nature of Lord Rama. We also used to sing the verses and coupletscomposed by you. One day while wandering we arrived in this forest. One of our friends came to this

well to fetch water. Being a novice at drawing water from a well, the rope slipped from his hands.Having lost grip of the rope, he lost his balance and fell into this well. In a thoughtless effort to savehim, the second friend and then the third also fell into the well. In the rescue effort even the fourthone fell into the well. The last one thought, How can I show my face to the world? andintentionally jumped into the well. We have all regressed and died. Now we are not getting motherswombs to be reborn in. However, due to our having constantly repeated the verses in the past, we stillremember them, which we continue to repeat. Tulsidasji, we did not get to know the foundation onwhich our continuous chanting of the verses rested. Now, please bless us!(Read full article in Rishi Prasadmagazine).

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Let such be your faith in the guruAll disciples do have love for their Guru but if the devotion of a Guru Bhakta reaches such a heightthat whatever the Guru says becomes proof for him, he will never find a single fault in his Guru. Apatient of jaundice sees everything yellow around him. Similarly, that disciple sees God in

everything.

One day Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa was trying to teach a particular subject to one of hisdisciples, who though being simple, had an arguing nature and hence was unable to accept hisviews. His logical arguments went on even after Paramhansji tried to make him understand threeto four times. Ramakrishna then told him in a slightly angry but sweet tone, What kind of aperson are you? Why arent you convinced when it is I who am saying that? The disciples lovefor the Guru was awakened and he said with a bit of shame, Your Holiness! Forgive me. Ishould have been convinced when you were saying so. I was arguing uselessly for so long by thepower of my intellectual strength. Ramakrishna laughed as he said, I will tell you how onesdevotion to the Guru should be. Whatever the guru says, the disciple should start seeing it

immediately in exactly the same way. Arjuna was accompanying Sri Krishna, when suddenly, theLord said pointing towards the sky, Arjuna! Look ,what a beautiful dove is flying over there!Arjuna immediately replied looking towards the sky, Yes sir! What a beautiful dove! But againSri Krishna said, No no Arjuna! That is not a dove. Arjuna again replied, True lord! It doesntlook like a dove. Now you should note that Arjuna was very truthful. He didnt say this just toflatter Srikrishna but he had so much faith and devotion for Krishna that he started seeingexactly what the Lord had told him. Every human being possesses this divine power to a greateror lesser degree. Therefore, a sadhaka engaged in devotion to the Guru, ultimately attains tosuch a state that the divine power itself gets revealed in him to dispel all the doubts of his mindand helps him realize the esoteric secrets of the spiritual truth. Thereafter, he doesnt have toseek any other place for clearing his doubts.(Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).

Somvati Amavasya & Amritsiddhiyog(22ndJune, 2009)

Somvati Amavasya or no moon day falling on Monday creates such an auspicious moment thatGanga, Pushkar & the divine cosmos along with all the revered pilgrimages on this earth showertheir exceptional spiritual benediction on the being who performs worship, japa, meditation on thisauspicious day. The significance of this day is considered equivalent to the auspiciousness of theSolar Eclipse. Taking a holy dip, performance of charitable acts and Shraddha (giving oblations inthe name of manes) on this day is considered to be perennial & everlasting. Observance of vow ofsilence followed by a holy dip in the sacred waters bestows the being with the meritorious effectequivalent to that of giving a thousand cows in donation. It is ordained to worship andcircumambulate Lord Vishnu & the sacred Pipal tree. Prior to the sacred ambulation, the followingprayer is done:

O Sacred Tree! From the root, youre the symbol of Lord Brahma, from the trunk, youre theepitome of Lord Vishnu and the forehead is veritable representation of Lord Siva. My salutations to

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you! I humbly pray for the acceptance of my reverential worship and eradication of my sins. Myoffer my deferential salutations to the pious tree whose mere gaze eradicates the beings physicalailments, a simple touch extirpates the sins and the blissful patronage provides long life to the doer!

Out of the said number of one hundred and eight, eight circumambulations are done by enwrappingthe Pipal tree with raw thread. One hundred and eight pieces of fruits are kept aside; later on theseare distributed to the Brahmins. Such a practice helps in the longevity of progeny. P.S. When theMriga Nakshtra falls on Monday, it is acclaimed as Amritsiddhiyog. Luckily, this time on SomvatiAmavasya, this auspicious confluence is occurring. On 22ndJune, from dawn till 11.45 P.M, it is thepious confluence of Amritsiddhiyog.

Gurupushyamrit Yog(On 25thJune, from dawn till 3.29P.M.)

Shiv Puran explains Pushya Nakshtra as the majestic personage of Lord Shiva. The effect ofPushya Nakshtra is so virtuous that even the most calamitous disorders become futile or reach neareradication. Rather these become conformable to the Pushya Nakshtra and favour us positively.The scriptures ordain the Pushya Nakshatra as favorable to All Accomplishments. The oblationsperformed in this auspicious period bestow utmost contentment on the manes. The doer too isendowed with progeny & prosperity.

The planet of Lord Brihaspati (Jupiter), who is the preceptor of gods, originated in PushyaNakshatra only.

So the Pushya as well as Lord Brihaspati enjoy an integral combination.

Pushya Nakshtra, the most nurturing one, when falls on Thursday which again is considered as thesupreme day; it is one of the rarest and unique combinations known as Gurupushyamrit Yoga.For the accomplishment of pious & auspicious tasks, Gurupushyamrit yog proves to be a greatbenediction.The performance ofJapa, meditation, and charitable deeds are benedictory in this unique union ofnakshtras, but all auspicious tasks relating to marriage are prohibited during this period. _Some other Fasts and Festivals*18thJune ( 3.05 P.M.onwards till 19thJune: Yogini Ekadashi.

*2ndJuly: Devshayani Ekadashi (smarth) commencement of Chaturmas vratas.

*3rdJuly: Devshayani Ekadashi(Bhagwat).*6thJuly : Poornima (12.23 onwards) *7thJuly : Guru Poornima (Till 2.51 P.M.)

*8th July: the Culmination of Poornima as well as the beginning of the month ofShravan.

Purification of the Body

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As much importance we give to the nourishment of the body that much importance we should give tothe purification of the body as well. If the excretory system does not work efficiently to remove theexcreta the functions of digestive system will get impaired and it may stop completely.


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There are mainly four organs responsible for excretion. Intestines, kidneys, lungs and the skin. Theseorgans excrete about 2.5 litres of water, 25 gms. Nitrogen, 250 gms. carbon and 2 kilos of otherelements from the body of a healthy person.

1. Intestines: Everyday, undigested and residual food matter, bacteria, carbon dioxide, hydrogenetc., wind, water and other elements are excreted in the form of fecal matter.The following bad habits destroy the efficiency of the intestines:

*Checking the urge to defecate

*Consuming food without chewing,eating hastily, over eating, eating at wrong times, consuming unwholesome foods *Lack of manualtasks and physical exercise *Keeping vigils, sleeping till late in the morning *Constant agitation,anxiety and grief.

The following practices keep the intestines clean and strong:*Fasting (once a week or once a fortnight remaining completely without food)

Drinking six measures (each measure is equivalent to that obtained by cupping both handstogether with palms facing upwards) of water that has been kept overnight in the morningbefore sunrise Going for a brisk walk in the morning and evening*Performing yogasanas, uddiyanbandha and mulbandha*Consumption of wholesome food2. Kidneys: The kidneys daily filter 170 to 200 litres of blood to produce 1.5 to 2 litres urine.

Excess water, nitrogen, salt, uric acid etc. is excreted with urine. The following conditionsreduce the efficiency of the kidneys and the urinary bladder : *Repeatedly checking theurge to pass urine *Drinking water, eating food or having sex while checking the urge topass urine.

*Consumption of heavy and very dry food, eating excessively hot and spicy foods, excess salt,eating non-vegetarian food

*Having intoxicants*Some allopathic medicines*Emaciation of the body

The following habits keep the kidneys and the bladder fit and healthy:*Consumption of adequate quantity of pure water.

*Drinking six measures (as mentioned earlier) of water that has been kept overnight in themorning before sunrise

*Passing urine before going to bed at night, on waking up in the morning, after physical exerciseand after taking food

*Performing katipindamardanasana and padapashchimottanasana3. Lungs: The respiratory system (lungs) excretes approximately 250 ml. water, 200 gms carbon,

heat and 50 gms of other elements every day.The following conditions cause pulmonary dysfunction:

*Checking the urge to defecate, to pass urine, to sneeze, to belch etc.*Taking exercise on empty stomach*Overexertion*Excessive consumption of dry andcold foods*Air pollution*Loss ofdhatus

The following make the lungs clean and active:

*Performing pranayama, (nadishodhan,bhastrika,kapalbhati, ujjayi pranayama etc.


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*Roaming in the open air in areas where there is an abundance of life force like in the hills, in forestsor on the banks of a river.4. Skin: The skin excretes about 600 ml. water, 5 gms carbon, 3-4 gms nitrogen, salts, ammonia andother elements every day through sweating.

The following conditions vitiate the skin:

*Consumption of incompatible foods (like milk with fruit, sour or salty foods)

*Eating sour, hot, fried foods.

The following means make the skin clean and firm:

*Massage

*Having a bath with ubtan (a mixture made of certain ingredients and water)*Sun bath: One should take sunbath everyday early in the morning covering head with a piece ofcloth. It cures various diseases and gives life sunbath improves the efficiency of all the excretoryorgans. Take5-7 basil leaves and10-15 neem leaves in the morning. It increases immunity and purifies the body.Accumulation of impurities in the body gives an open invitation to serious ailments and theircomplete elimination from the body brings freshness, alertness and complete health._

The Sacred Words of Guru are Vedic Hymns

My sixteen year old son Divyesh Kumar suffered from congenital deafness. Wetried allopathic treatment but he was not cured. I came to know from some sdhakasof the ashram that at the time of shaktipt on the Sacred Banyan tree at Onjalashram, revered Gurudev had said, The extract of the aerial roots of this tree willcure deafness.

Ive practically experienced the fact that if one trusts the words of saints with devotional faith,Nature serves him willingly. Mantramlam Gurorvkyam means the sacred words that begetfrom revered Gurudevjis holy mouth are equivalent to Vedic mantras. This verse of shastras isabsolutely true. The only requirement is that you should have staunch faith in the sayings of theGuru. I instilled the extract of aerial roots of Badh Bdshh (the sacred Banyan tree) in my sonDivyeshs ears. When my son, a congenitally deaf boy, heard the first sound; his joy knew no bounds.Our entire family is overwhelmed with gratitude at the lotus feet of revered Gurudevji. Myinnumerable salutations to Adorable Satgurudev, whose kind and selfless benevolence relieves thepeople of their miseries and vexations.

Dhanaji Bhai PatelBhinar, Distt. Navsari (Gujarat)

This Banyan tree is Kalpavriksha

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My three year old daughter suffered from congenital dumbness. She was treated at many places, weconsulted many quacks and exorcists as but to no avail. At last, I took recourse to revered Bapujislotus feet. In my family, everybody except me had been fortunate enough to seek initiation fromrevered Gurudev. I prayed to adorable Bapuji from the core of my heart and made a pledge at


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Badh- Dada (The wish fulfilling banyan tree of the ashram), saying Ill bring my daughter fordarshan at Ahmedabad Ashram if she starts speaking. In the due course of time, my prayers wereduly answered. About six months back, my daughter started speaking. I took her to the Ashram andmade her circum-ambulate the sacred Banyan tree. I find no words to describe the boundless graceof revered Gurudev. In this Kaliyuga, Pujya Bapuji is an avatar and the Banyan trees charged withhis spiritual power are no less than the Kalpavriksha (the wish fulfilling tree.)

Jitendra Pandya,Banswara (Rajasthan) _

Satsang NewsOn 23 April, Pujya Bapuji arrived at Solan ashram (H.P.). Though He had visited the place for thebliss of the solitude yet as an army of bees swarms to gather nectar from flowers, similarly the loversofsatsang had thronged the ashram in the far-fetched terrain of inaccessible mountains. Seeing theamount of endurance & penance the seekers had exercised, the Compassionate Guru gratified themwith his blissful Darshan & Discourse. On 26thApril, during the satsang discourse at Simla which isknown for its cool & pleasant climate, the seekers were blessed by the inner tranquility. Solving theperplexities of minds entangled in wealth, power and knowledge, Pujya Bapuji said, Attainingwealth or power etc. is not considered vicious but definitely its ego is a known evil. The avarice ofwealth, power or worldly knowledge makes the being miserable. These material pursuits areephemeral whereas the True Self is everlasting and perennial. So considering oneself either miserableor conceited on account of these is nothing else but sheer ignorance. On 27thApril, seeking thebenediction of ambrosial satsang, Bilaspur and its suburb considered itself blessed one. At last thedevotion of the aspirants could succeed in pleasing Pujya Bapuji who had come to seek the bliss ofsolitude at Nadaun ashram. Consequently the blissful evening of28thApril came to the lot of

Nandaunians. Not only the satsang venue remained packed to the brim throughout, the ground alsowore a majestic look.

30thApril & 1stMay, the ambrosial shower ofsatsang doused Hamirpur (H.P.).In Pujya Bapujis discourse, along with the elixir ofsatsang, the devotees attained the key tomultifarious developments & the scintillating splendor of true Self-knowledge also. Thousands ofdevotees received initiation from Bapuji & hailed the commencement of spiritual practice under thepatronage of the adorable Guru. Elucidating the significance of selfcontrol and noble thinking,Guruji said, The countries that are bereft of self-control, pious satsang, and noble thoughts wherethe blissful rays of Sat-Chit-Anand, the immortal soul do not penetrate; virtually such places are thehaunted ones that beget the coming generation with the traits of lewdness, greed, anger, exploitation

and terrorism. For the first time, experiencing inner peace& tranquility in the blessed vicinity ofaffable Gurudev, the natives ofHamirpur took a pious dive in the inner realm of meditation.

On 3rd May, Dehradun (Uttarakhand) was blessed with Bapujis sacred discourse.About nurturing culture & impressions on the young minds, Bapuji espoused,

The first university in a childs life is his mother. If the mother

inculcates good traits in the child, the childs mind remains inclined towards

goodness only. On the other hand, those who regularly visit theatres or

lavishly bedeck themselves to dance in the clubs can never beget a promising

progeny like Gandhiji. Such mothers can only give birth to children with the

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is readily available on VCD Kya Karoon? and MP3.

Narayana Narayana Narauan

traits of monkeys. So it is advisable for mothers to refrain from cheap

literature, films or useless chatters. Rather they should instill divinity in

their lives by seeking tutelage in the Lords pious name & discourse so that

the divine souls that are waiting to descend on this sacred land can get an

opportunity to do so.

From 8thto 10thMay, The sacred ocean of deep faith & devotion manifested itself during the Podarshan and the satsang programme that was organized on the holy land ofHaridwar. Themammoth gathering of devotees dwarfed the huge pavilion erected for the satsang. The infiniteocean of devotees surged its waves in gusto reminding the occasion of Mahakumbha. The presenceof millions of devotees from the far-ends of the country was perceived with an all pervasive reign ofunusual tranquility! It seemed as if the ever coquettish air had suddenly grown steady & imparsomber stillness to the Pacific Ocean. Bestowing the key for awakening the True Self, reveredGurudevji said, When we abide by the wishes of a drunkard, gambler or drug-addict, we retaintheir peculiar traits & habits respectively. Similarly by conforming ourselves to the sweet wSupreme Lord, well attain His supreme traits which are verily our inherent ones. Theauthenticated fact is that either praise or criticism, nothing is true. Your virtues or vices are alsountrue. But the supreme fact that the Indweller is in you and you dwell in His Supreme Self, is verymuch true and an authenticate one. After the culmination ofsatsang, adorable Gurudev enjoyed thbliss of solitude for in Haridwar some time. The seekers were blessed by the ambrosial satsang thatwas overflowing with divine bliss. This discourse is truly a benediction for the proclivity of spiritualaspirants on the eternal path. This discourseThe ardent aspirants must benefit from it.


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Rishi Prasad - RP198June09

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