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Sthita Prajna

Guru Vandana

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Hridambuje karnikamadhyasamstheSimhasane samsthitadivyamurtim

Dhyayedgurum chandrkalaprakashamSaccitsukhabhishtavaram dadhanam

One should meditate on the divine form of the guru, seated onthe throne in the center of the lotus of the heart, emanating lightlike the full moon that is capable of bestowing the bliss of eternity,consciousness, and desired boons.

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4

Sub Page No.

• GURU VANDANA 3• EDITORIAL 5• MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER 6• DATES TO REMEMBER 7• PRAJNANAVANI 8• A SPECIAL YEAR - MESSAGE 13• TEACHINGS OF THE MASTERS 15• BIRTHDAY OF PARAMAHAMSA PRAJNANANANDA 16• PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY 17

• THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN• MYTHS AND METAPHORS – RAMA KATHA 19• PARIPRASHNA 22• VALUABLE VOLUMES 24

• THE SEVEN CHAKRAS 24• THE HOUSE IN WHICH WE LIVE 26• SIGNIFICANCE OF TREES 28

• STORIES TO LIVE BY – THE STATE OF REAL BALANCE 30• MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES 32• ATMA-VIDYA – PURSUING SELF-KNOWLEDGE 33• KRIYA PILGRIMAGE 36• AROUND THE WORLD 38• BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS 42

Printed and Published by Swami Samarpanananda Giri on behalf ofPrajnana Mission, Printed at Graphic Art Offset Press,

at Nuapatna, Manglabag, Dist : Cuttack (Orissa) and published atPrajnana Mission at Nimpur, P.O. Jagatpur, Cuttack-754021, Orissa.

Editor : Swami Samarpanananda Giri

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FROM THE EDITORS :

“Human life is a gift from God. We the children of God havegreat potential divinity. Through selfless service our heartswill open, the bud of life will blossom, and we will be worthychildren of God.” Paramahasa Prajnanananda

In this issue “Message of the Master” reminds us thatwe are the children of God and how without divine love,meditation is not really meditation.

In “Prajnanavani”, Paramahamsa Prajnananandajitalks of the power of speech and of communicating in silence.

Rama Katha takes us to the introduction of Ravana’slineage as the story proceeds to introduce his character.

Pariprashna answers questions on the concept ofavatar or incarnations.

Kaiivalya Upanishad, our series on Self Knowledgeemphasizes on concentration, purity of mind and completetrust in God, as the key factors for gaining Self Knowledge.

Relevant excerpts from some of ParamahamsaPrajnananandaji’s seminal works, The Universe Within andthe Changing Nature of Relationships, continue elaboratingon chakras, and the body that we live in.

Practical Spirituality features reflections on the needfor laying a proper foundation and remaining still in orderto truly move forward.

Baba Prajnananandaji has been travelling tirelesslywith programs and retreats around the world. The ever growingworldwide community of Kriya Yoga followers has resultedin programs and retreats held in new countries. We havedetails of a first retreat in Dubai and the first programs inHong Kong, China, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and a fundraising campaign for an ashram in Sao Paulo City, Brazil.

As a part of celebrating the 150th year of the initiationof Lahiri Mahashaya, we bring you the news of the pilgrimagein India that follows the sacred path of the Kriya Yoga masterson their way to spreading Kriya Yoga worldwide.

Hope you enjoy this issue and those to come.

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MESSAGE FROM THE MASTERGod’s Love

In Genesis it is said thatGod made man and woman inhis own image. God thoughtabout how he would create ahuman being. If you studyUpanishads thoroughly youwould know more aboutcreation. The Creator createdus so perfectly and rationally –He even provided us eyelids toprotect our eyes and countlessnumber of hairs in the nose sowe would not be inhalingharmful dust.

Remember God’s love.Without love everything isuseless. Without love yourmeditation is not reallymeditation. Love Him and honorhis love since he is kind to you.This Opportunity is not to bepassed by. The more spiritual

treasure you can earn, the moreyou will gain. Do not wasteyour precious time. The moreyou spend time in goodcompany, the better it will befor your spiritual growth. Takedivine power from me. You arethe living power of God. I feelthe love of God in you, as wellas from you, and receive thatpure love. Saint Paul, who didnot know that he had themarvelous power of God withinhim, changed himself in just amoment’s time. Look at thelives of Peter, Bilvamangala,Girish Ghosh, and Ratnakara.In a moment’s time Ratnakarachanged from being a murdererto being sage Valmiki, the authorof Ramayana. The power ofGod is always there, but it is

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covered and insulated. Yourtask is to remove the insulation.When you feel that you aredead, then your body will bereborn and you will be mergedin holiness.

It is not enough to justchant, “Rama, Rama, Rama.”You are to feel that you andHe are one. Watch theatmarama, the Soul as Rama

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in your whole body. That iswhat you have to perceive,conceive and realize. Praysincerely.

Try again and again. Themore you practice the more itwill make you perfect. You areto watch and see that what youthink comes from you, does notcome from you, but it comesfrom God.

DATES TO REMEMBER

July 3 : RathaYatra of Lord Jagannath

July 15 : Guru Purnima

August 10 : Birthday ofParamahamsa Prajnananandaji Maharaj

August 21 : Janmastami, Birthday of Lord Sri Krishna

September 1 : Ganesh Chatruthi, Birthday of Lord Ganesh

September 27 : Navaratri begins

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PRAJNANAVANI - THE VOICE OF WISDOMTALKING IN SILENCE

We talk about manythings day and night and we talkusing our tongue. With the helpof the tongue sound is createdand this sound is a means ofcommunication. Talk is thesecretion of words through theletters. Every talk comes fromthe mouth because of the souli.e. the presence of God in thebody temple. But ordinarily,people do not realize the innersignificance and the power ofspeech.

The Power of Speech

Due to wrongexpressions, relationships areaffected. To establish properunderstanding the talk should befull of love, purity andtruthfulness. Even whilespeaking the truth, one should becareful not to hurt others. Thatwhich is pleasant may not betruth and that which is truth maynot be pleasant all the time. Thesuccessful person is one who

citram vatatarormule vriddha sishya guror yuvagurostu maunam vyakhyanam sishyastu chinna samshayaha

Sitting at the base of a banyan tree a young Guru issurrounded by old disciples. The Guru is teaching through silenceand the doubts of the disciples are dispelled.

Dakshinamurty Stotra

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can use the tongue carefully. Thetongue regularly slips. The slipof the tongue can causeconflicts, quarrels andunhappiness. Avoid the slip ofthe tongue. It is important to beaware of to whom, what, where,when and how you speak. Beconscious of each word thatproceeds from the tongue.

In India, the power ofspeech is considered as thegoddess Saraswati. A prayer toSaraswati says,

sa me vasatu jihvagreveena pustaka dharini

murarivallabha devi sarvashukla Saraswati.“O Mother Saraswati,

Please reside on the tip of mytongue. You are holding a veena(a string musical instrument)which produces sweetmelodious music and a pustaka(a scripture). Let my talk be likethe sweet music of veena,inspiring and soul elevating likethe pustaka representing truth.”

Somewhere it is said abullet kills only once but a wordcan cause pain repeatedly. Geta good control over yourtongue.

In the Gita the entirefirst chapter and ten verses ofthe second chapter is mostly the

talk of Arjuna. Arjuna spoke inemotion and depression. Afterexpressing himself he becamevery silent. When Arjunabecame silent then Krishnastarted teaching. For the restof the book it is mostly theteaching of the Lord with anoccasional question fromArjuna.

What is Silence?

We talk not only throughthe external sound but alsothrough the silence. We talkwith the mind. Mind can speaka lot. This talk with the mind isalso equally dangerous. Manytypes of thoughts come to ourbrain. People commit mistakesthrough the body and thesenses. The mistakescommitted through the mind aremore powerful than those donewith the body. For a crime thatis committed through the bodythere is the law of the land,which punishes such activities.So people are careful about it.But be careful of the thought.Thoughts are very powerful. Athought can change ortransform a life.

External talk is forcommunication. The talk of themind is for your owntransformation. Only whenArjuna could stop talking with

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the mouth as well as the mindhe could listen to the talk of theDivine. In the silence of themind divinity manifests. In thesilence of the life, realizationcomes. In the temple of silence,God talks. ParamahamsaYoganandaji was always singing“In the temple of silence, in thetemple of peace; I will searchThee, I will love Thee……..”Even when we are in a templepraying, we do not stop talkingthrough our mouth.

The Voice of God

In prayer, we talk withGod. In meditation, God talksto us. What is God’s talk?When one enters into realmeditation, in the inner templeof silence, one hears acontinuous divine sound. Thatis the voice of God. That is thewhisper from eternity.

In Sanskrit silence ismauna and mind is mana.Mauna and mana are verysimilar sounding words. In theBhagavad Gita while talkingabout manifestation of Divinityin the 10th chapter the Lordsaid :

maunam chaivasmi guhyanam(Gita X-38)

“Among all the secretknowledge, I am the Silence.”

What does it mean? To find thehidden treasure in you, Lord saidyou have to enter the state ofsilence. Be silent externally andinternally. Practice it. Every dayallot some time for silence.Spiritual masters gave thesedisciplines for self-control.Through understanding andanalysis accept some disciplinesand follow them. Withoutdiscipline spiritual progress is adream.

To get control overmana i.e. mind the easiest wayis mauna, which is silence. Youmay ask, “We live in societyand family. Can we practicesilence?” Why not? I can givea personal example from myown life. When I was 12 yearsold I was reading the books ofMahatma Gandhi, his completeworks. Inspired by his exampleI decided that every Sunday Iwould observe silence. I did noteat or drink anything exceptwater and did not talk. Icontinued this practice for along time, for fifteen years, andonce my family members knewthat I was firm in my resolve,they respected my resolve. Inthe beginning my brothers triedto tempt me with food but theywere not successful. Laterwhen I was working I kept a

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few hours a day to be silent.On many holidays I did not talk.

There is a beautifulprayer called DakshinamurtiStotra, which describes how aGuru is teaching in silence.

citram vatatarormulevriddha sishya guror yuva

gurostu maunamvyakhyanam sishyastu china

samsayahaSitting at the base of a

banyan tree a young Guru issurrounded by old disciples. TheGuru is teaching through silenceand the doubts of the disciplesare dispelled.

Our body is a tree. It iscompared to a banyan tree. Thebanyan tree lives very long andis a very large tree sometimesspreading over several acres ofland. But it has a very tiny seed.Each human body similarly hasimmense potential to grow. Theheart can be made so big as toencase God within it. We canexpand to be one with theformless infinite God. The seedis tiny. The breath that supportsthe human life is very small.

The Gita says,

urdhvamulam

adhashakham...........

(Gita XV-1)

In the body tree the rootsare above. Near the root of thetree the Guru and the disciplesare sitting. Who is the teacher?The teacher is within you. Youare the teacher of your ownself.

The Vedic Sages teach:

atmaivagururekam

This means, you are yourown teacher. Why is theteacher described as young?The soul is always young. Bodycan be old. The body has abeginning and an end. Whenyou identify yourself with thesoul you are always young. Thedisciples are the mind, intellectand the ego. Mind collectsexperiences. Mind ages.

Through the silence theGuru is teaching. His hands areshowing the jnana mudra i.e.the index finger is touching thethumb keeping the other threefingers apart. The jnanamudra represents five aspects.The three fingers represent thethree qualities of sattva, rajasand tamas and the index fingerrepresents the ego and thethumb represents the soul orGod. With ego you cannot reachGod. So the index finger is bentlow so it can reach the thumb.This is expressed silently

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through the jnana mudra andthe disciples understood.

Silence is a goldenprinciple. External silence leadsto the silence of the mind. Mindmeans many thoughts.Concentration is one thought andmeditation means no thought.

The Gita avers,

sa shantimapnoti na kamakami

(Gita II-70)

This means restless mindburdened with desires cannot bethe source of happiness.

If you want peace andjoy, you should have control overthe mind. The Bhagavad Gita

is yoga shastra, the scriptureof Yoga and meditation. It is apractical guidebook ofspirituality. Practice silenceexternally and internally. Letthere be peace in every breath,look and thought. Once SwamiShriyukteshwarji said,“Dumbness is not spirituality.Proper expression of truththrough your talk will helpothers to be elevated in theirown spiritual life.”

In society we have totalk. Talk cautiously andcarefully. Do not abuse wordsor talk. Talk with love andunderstanding.

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Program at Brazilia with Swami Atmavidyanandaji

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A SPECIAL YEAR IN THEHISTORY OF KRIYA YOGA

A MESSAGE FROM BABAPRAJNANANANDAJI

Loving and Divine Ones,

God Bless you all. I ampraying for all of you.

This is a special year inthe history of the Kriya Yogamovement in modern times. In1861, one hundred and fiftyyears ago, Shri Babaji Maharaj,a great yogi and deathlessmaster, initiated his chosendisciple Shri ShyamacharanLahiri Mahasaya into the sacredpath of Kriya Yoga in the caveof the Himalayas near Dunagiri,Ranikhet. This year brought aturning point in the path ofspiritual evolution of humankind.

Shri Lahiri Mahasaya, ahouse holder yogi, through theinfinite grace of the great GuruShri Babaji Maharaj, shaped hislife not only for his own spiritualenlightenment, but he alsoassumed the role of a gurupreceptor and guide forcountless people. He became arole model for people of thismodern time. He was a lovingfather of five, worked hard tomaintain his family, and the door

of his home was always opento seekers. He was in favor ofeducation for women at a timewhen there was no scope forthem. He personally taught hiswife to read and write. He wasalways charitable, helpingpeople in whatever way hecould.

His life teaches us thatspiritual life is not the monopolyof monks and renunciates, butis possible for each and everyhuman being. His teachings, hiswritings and practicalinstructions on Kriya Yoga havebeen a guiding force in lookingat life from a new perspectiveand to understand the scripturesin a practical way.

He taught :

Self realization is Godrealization. Look intoyourself and know yourself.

So long as you havenot reached your destination,keep practicing Kriya with anattitude of surrender, leavingall doubts, mistakes and fearsaside.

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He who practices thisimmortal kriya followed bymany saints and sages cannever be at a loss. This pranakarma is eternal.

The world is apropitious field for sadhana.You can get everything even

while leading a worldly lifeand God can be realizedthrough Kriya even whileleading a worldly life.

If you call outsincerely, He will come.

Let his blessings be on theentire humanity.

With Love

Prajnanananda.

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Swami Samarpananandaji at the Hyderabad Program

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“A true Guru is humble, always God consciousalways ready to forgive and guide with loveand compassion.” Paramahamsa Prajnanananda

“When your breath becomes very feeble, thenyou are really practising Kriya. You areestablished in truth.”

Paramahamsa Hariharananda

“Never accuse others of their mistakes. If aperson has only one good quality out of 100then try to see that good one not the 99 badones.” Swami Satyananda

“Behind the light in every little bulb is a greatdynamic current; behind the weaves, vastoceans, and behind the individual lies theSupreme Spirit.” Paramahamsa Yogananda

“Men of wisdom are neither deluded norhaunted by the spectre of birth and death. Oneshould, without being inordinately confussedby the words of wise men, follow strictly theirmethods of Kirya.” Swami Shriyukteshwar

“There is no work without desire. Work whch isduty bound is also born of some desire.”

Lahiri Mahasaya

“It is not proper to unnecessarily metnion thename of the Guru. By this, he is belittled.”

Mahavatara Babaji

“The purpose of breath-control is to keep thebody and mind free from negative vibrations.”

Sanyal Mahasaya

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BIRTHDAY OF PARAMAHAMSAPRAJNANANANDA

August 10th, marks thebirthday of our beloved BabaPrajnananandiji. Baba continuesto travel and teach tirelesslyaround the globe. Training ofthe increasing number ofashramites, the increasingnumber of ashrams around theworld and the increasingnumber of publications have alladded more responsibility andmore work. His vision anddetermination to carry on thework of Gurudev and the greatlineage of the Masters, hasresulted in this tremendousprogress and the smoothfunctioning of all the ashramsaround the world.

After years of teachingand training us Baba asks us tolook within and judge our ownprogress. His emphasis is onreal transformation. “Time ispassing away”, he reminds us,“both for me and for you.What is the real change in you,not just in the presence of theteacher when you come for aprogram but on an everydaybasis? The presence of thegurus is everywhere. Are youliving each day in the presenceof the gurus? Just coming tothe programs and listening totalks does not give real

transformation. The real changecomes through understandingthe teaching and putting it intopractice.”

On the auspicious day ofthe birthday of our great Master,let us introspect and see forourselves what ourtransformation is and try to bebetter and better. This is thereal tribute one can pay to theloving guru who has given useverything.

All ashrams and centersacross the world will celebratethe special day wishing Baba ahappy and healthy birthday andpraying to God and Gurus togive us the ability to follow inhis footsteps. ***

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PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY

THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Jyothi Bathina

We finally bought ahouse this year. It took us threeyears after moving toCalifornia’s sunny central valleybefore we felt sure enough andsettled enough to actually investin a home of our own. Foryears now, we have beenrenters, moving fromneighborhood to neighborhood,city to city, like travelingnomads, with no roots or realsense of permanence. We havemoved into apartments,unpacked, filled the cold emptyspaces with our things, and justa year later, have left those onceagain empty rooms behind.

But now, we havedecided to stand still for a while,to put down some roots, to gaina sense of stability. Admittedly,it took some getting used to.This idea that we should stopmoving on; that we couldactually thrive while remainingstatic is a difficult one to adjustto. After all, isn’t life aboutchange, about movement, aboutgrowth? Isn’t the flurry ofpacking, unpacking, new places,new faces, indicative ofprogress? To me, for many

years, it has been. Each newmove brought a new phase oflife with it, each new job a moveupward. At first, I wasfrightened by the sense ofcommitment and evenstagnation that I equated withbeing still. Did this mean that Iwas no longer growing as aperson, either personally orprofessionally? Did mywillingness to settle down meanI was slowing down, giving up,settling for less? These are thequestions I wrestled with beforefinally signing that contract andputting money down on a housethat didn’t yet exist.

I have to say, despite allthe misgivings, it is exciting tobuy a piece of property, to seethe model home and imaginewhat our own would look like.It is fun to pick out tile andcarpet and countertops, todecide what trees will go in thefront yard and what kind ofwood we want for our kitchencabinets.

But none of it was realto me until the day they calledand said the property had beenchalked and that digging would

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begin the next day. We rushedto the property, with flowersand fruit, coconut and incenseand sat as instructed on thenortheast corner, invoking theGods to bless this land and theconstruction that was about tobegin. We were careful tochoose a plan that followed allthe principles of vastu, a housewhich faced the right directionand had all the rooms in all theright places. We wanted a homethat was in harmony with theelements. We did all this in thequest for a home full of peaceand prosperity, a place thatwould be a sanctuary and acitadel, a sacred spot of ourown.

As the foundation hasbeen laid and the walls havebegun to climb day by day, Iam struck by how much thisprocess resembles the slowunfolding of a human soul’spotential. For a life to flourish,for a soul to grow, it too needscareful planning and foresight.We must remain in harmonywith the elemental forces andthe world around us. We mustface the right direction and haveall our faculties about us. Wemust seek the blessing of Godand our gurus to watch overand guide us. Without the strongfoundation of spiritual education

it is all too easy for our ownstructure to crumble, withoutthe guidance of the chiefarchitect, all too simple for theconstruction to go awry.

Occasionally, even thoughthe time seems ripe and the sunshines brightly, and I wonder infrustration why, the builderswait, giving time for thefoundation to cure, for the woodto dry, for the plaster to set. Ican see why sometimes, eventhough we are impatient, Godthe Master Builder will delaythe next step in our lives untilwe are truly ready for it.

Today as I see thestaircase leading optimisticallyto a yet unfinished second floor,ending in the sky, I realize howimportant it is for the soul tostand still, precisely so that itmay grow. While I have beenbusy flitting here and there,packing and unpacking, alwayswith one foot out the door, readyfor the next adventure, I havemissed out on the sustenancethat comes from the soil ofcontentment, the strength thatcomes from a properly laidfoundation, the stillness thatnourishes real growth and theendless possibilities for progressthat arise from a solid stairwayto heaven.

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MYTHS AND METAPHORSRAMA KATHA

Sri raghavam dasaradhatmajamaprameyamsitapatim raghukulanvaya ratna dipam.ajanu bahum aravindadalayataksham

ramam nishachara vinashakaram namami

Salutations to Sri Rama, the son of Dasaratha,the jewel of the Raghu lineage, of long armsand beautiful eyes like the lotus petals, thehusband of Sita, and the destroyer of therakshasas.

Lineage of Ravana

Brahma the creator hada few children and Pulastyawas one of them. He was alsoone of the saptarishis or theseven great sages. Pulastyacomes from the word vipula –profuse or to achieve or getmore and more. In human lifethis tendency is common. Thosewho are after materialprosperity want more and more,those who are after knowledgealso want to know more andmore and those who arespiritual aspirants also wantmore and more. So Pulastyameans wanting to achieve more.Pulastya’s son was Visrava. Hisactual name was Visva Srava.Srava means to hear. One whois listening to the good in thewhole universe is

Visvasrava.Visvasrava wasshortened to Visrava. He hadtwo wives. One wasDevavarnini and the other wasKikasi. From Devavarnini hehad a divine son Kubera, theLord of Prosperity and throughKikasi he had Ravana,Kumbhakrana and Vibhishana.Kubera was the god of wealth.Ku means earth and bera meansto dig. By digging the earth youget gold. Another name ofKubera is naravahana. In Hindumythology gods have vahanasor vehicles. The vahana ofDurga is the Lion, Shiva rideson the bull and the god ofprosperity uses a human beingas his vehicle. Out of the 10directions Kubera is the god ofthe North. The earth has twopoles the north and the south

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known as the sumeru andkumeru. In the body the northis the top and the south is thelower portion of the body. Inbetween the two poles is theaxis. The axis in the body isthe meru danda or the spine.Kubera remains in the NorthPole. Ordinary people think thatwealth is in the south.Sometimes I asked why do yousay down south- or down townmostly in the south part of thecity. South is the place ofmaterial prosperity and north isthe place of spiritual prosperity.Real prosperity is spirituality.Kubera is the eldest son ofVisrava. From the same fatherwere born sons with suchdifferent tendencies.

Visrava means one whowants to listen to good. vi –special or visesha and sravameans to hear. Visrava can alsomean vigata srava or one whois hard of hearing. Devavarninimeans one of beautifulcomplexion. Her color did notchange as our color changeswith every disposition andthought. So Visrava who hearswell with Devavarnini, thequality of equanimity hadchildren of divine disposition likethe Kubera the Lord of wealthof the Northern direction.

Kikasi come from Keekasa thatmeans strong and rough.Viagatasrava united with Kikasiand gave birth to the threechildren representing thequalities of satva, rajas andtamas.. Ravana was rajasic fullof desires and ambition,Kumbhakarna was tamasic orlethargic and Vibhishana wassattvic and calm.

Rava comes from rudhatu. Verb is ru – whichmeans to shout, scream orscold. Ravamaya pursha isRavana.

ravayati sarvajna yahasaharãvana.

Kumbhakarna meansthat which brings inertia. - Kumeans earth, bha is to fill andha means to feed.Kumbhakarna was known toeat for six months and sleepfor the rest of the six months.He had lot of strength butunutilized.

The name Vibhishanameans one without anger oraggressiveness. vi meanswithout or devoid of andbhishana means – fierceness,anger or aggressiveness.

Ravana was ruling thekingdom of Lanka. He wasvery ambitious and always

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wanting more. Desire isendless. So Ravana was full ofkama and always wanted topossess more.

Ravana is described ashaving ten heads. Sometimespeople ask why Ravana hasten heads? First of all Ravanais a very intelligent person. Hehas tremendous brainpower andcapacity of thinking. We haveseen that Ravana was the sonof a Rishi, a Brahmin wellversed in scriptures and he wasalso a priest. But if theintelligence is not directed andutilized in the proper way thatpower can be destructive.

The second meaning iswith one head we have so muchconfusion and restlessness,Ravana must have had tentimes more confusion andrestlessness. Ravana represents

the extroverted nature of ahuman being. We have tensense organs and all of themgo out into the world and lookoutside. It makes our lifemiserable. No one taught us tolook within. Another meaning ofthe ten heads is mind should goin one direction. The thoughtand the action should beintegrated. If you think in oneway and act in another it is adivided personality and thenthere is no peace. Ten headsrepresent the thought going inten different directions. Yetanother meaning is that eachindividual has both good and badqualities. Ravana wasintelligent, well versed inscriptures and rituals but at thesame time he had ego, pride,jealousy and greed. So, goodand bad qualities togetherrepresent the ten heads.

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Sports day at Balashram

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How do the teachings andlives of great mastersinspire us?

The saints and sageslived the life of sacrifice, thelife of prayer and meditation,and their lives inspire andmotivate us. When weremember how they lived, howthey planned their lives and themany difficulties and problemsthey went through, it gives usinner strength. That is why thelife and teachings of greatMasters, saints and sages, evengreat people, become a sourceof encouragement. They createhope that we can also achievethat state. First study the lifeand then study the teachings.

Why do we keep so manyphotos of masters of KriyaYoga in all kriya ashramsand centers?

Masters are our directguides, they teach us. Thespiritual wisdom of Kriya Yogais handed down from theMaster to the disciple. Thepictures are of the masters ofkriya lineage and we keep the

PARIPRASHNA

pictures to remember them, tolearn in their presence and topractice in their presence. It isa display of our love andrespect for our Masters.Keeping a picture does notmean we encourage idolworship. It is a token of loveand remembrance.

What is an avatara?

The English translation ofthe Sanskrit word avatara isincarnation. We are all differentavataras or incarnations. We areall children of God. We haveall incarnated on this earth toperceive indwelling divinity andto manifest divinity and divinelove in our thoughts andactivities. In the scriptures thereis description of divineincarnations. Divine incarnationscome with self knowledge, witha specific purpose, andespecially to help humanity togrow and rise in spiritual path.

In the Bhgavatam thereis the description of twenty twoavataras or incarnations of theLord. The Hindus believe in tenmajor avataras of Lord Vishnu.

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In Kriya Yoga we consider theMasters to be incarnations, likeBabaji , maha avatara, thegreat incarnation, LahiriMahasaya, yoga avatara, theincarnation of yoga,Shriyukteshwarji, jnanaavatara, the incarnation ofwisdom, ParamahamsaYoganandaji, prema avatara,the incarnation of love. Weconsider them to be differentavataras.

Is there a new avataracoming soon?The Hindus are waiting forKalki avatara. The Jews arewaiting for messiah. TheChristians are waiting for thesecond coming of the Christ.But to me new avatara is tobring divinity incarnate into yourlife. If you can do this your lifewill truly be an avatara.You willbe merged in divine love.

Baba Prajnananandaji at the Dubai Retreat

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There have beencountless books on themysteries of the chakras andhow they can be used forhealing. This is not one of thosebooks. The chakras aredepicted as lotuses with varyingnumber of petals with strangepowers. Others decry them asmystical nonsense with nophysical basis. Still others warnof the dangers involved inarousing the chakras,especially the kundalini energywhich is said to be stored inserpent form at the base of thespine. Rather than dwell on themetaphysical subtleties of thechakras, or even the intricatedescriptions of their forms, thenumber of petals in each lotusor other useless information, thisbook focuses on the varioushuman qualities associated witheach energy center and points

VALUABLE VOLUMES

IN THIS ISSUE WE HAVE EXCERPTS FROM

THE UNIVERSE WITHIN AND THE CHANGING

NATURE OF RELATIONSHIPS BY

PARAMAHAMSA PRAJNANANANDA

THE SEVEN CHAKRAS (From THE UNIVERSE WITHIN)

out ways in which those qualitiescan be first recognized and thencontrolled and directed towardthe goal of absolute happiness.

Practical Benefits

The focus here is on thepractical benefits to be derivedfrom developing our chakras.How do we gain wealth, fame,emotional fulfillment, creativeinspiration and finally spiritualrealization throughunderstanding and energizingthe chakras? That is what Idiscuss in this book. Eachchakra is a storehouse ofimmense potential, which canfulfill our deepest desires orplunge us into the deepestdespair. Once we learn the artof controlling these chakrasthrough the process ofmeditation, there is no limit tothe infinite possibilities we have

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for physical, material, emotional,and spiritual success.

The truth is that there areseven main chakras along thehuman spine. The myriad nervechannels flowing down from thebrain get very close to eachother at certain points along thespine. When that happens newcircuits or magnetic fields arecreated. These are the energycenters or chakras. It is truethat these chakras cannot bepinpointed anatomically. Theyare subtle energy centers in thespine. There are seven majorenergy centers which are calledchakras or lotuses. In moderntimes these are also referred toas plexes. They are:

• Muladhara chakra ,coccygial or money centerin the coccyx (base of thespine)

• Swadishthana chakra ,sacral or second center inthe sacral region

• Manipura chakra, lumbaror naval center in the lumbarregion

• Anahata chakra, dorsal orheart center in the dorsalregion

• Visuddha chakra, neck orcervical center in the cervix

• Ajna chakra or soul centerclose to the pituitary gland

• Sahasrara chakra, crowncenter on the top of thehead.

The spinal canal or thebackbone is formed by a totalof 33 vertebrae out of whichfour bones are joined together.The one at the base of the spineor coccyx consists of fourbones fused and the sacrumwhere the Muladhara chakrais located. The 24 vertebraerepresent the 24 principles inthe body. One who can controlthe vertebrae with hisconcentration can control these24 principles. These consist ofthe five elements (earth, water,fire, air and sky), ten senses(five of perception - tongue,skin, nose, ears and eyes; fiveof action - mouth, legs, hands,genital organs and anus), fivevital breaths, and four innerinstruments (mind, intellect, egoand memory).

Rather than go into anelaborate technical discussion ofthe properties of each chakra,I will focus on the immediatebenefits we can derive from theknowledge of what eachchakra controls and how wecan maintain them, therebygaining immeasurable peaceand happiness.

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The body has come intobeing due to several factors. Ina subtle way, the body is derivedfrom our past karma. In aphysical sense the body is acombination of genes inheritedfrom our parents. The tinyfertilized egg grows for ninemonths in the mother’s womb.There is no doubt that theinvisible power of god has agreat role in shaping our bodyfrom a single cell. The soulenters the body after a fewweeks, while it is still in theembryonic stage.

From the start, we shouldestablish proper relationshipwith the body. We should lovethis body that has been lent tous for a life span, and we shouldtake good care of it, but thebody is no more than a housein which we live temporarily.We are not the body, we arethe soul. A universal soul thatlives in all creation.

If we are efficient housekeepers, we will keep our housetidy and clean, with everythingarranged and in order. Some

LIFE’S ESSENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS(From The Changing Nature of Relationships)

THE HOUSE IN WHICH WE LIVE

have bigger houses than theothers. But we all have a house.If the parents are rich,sometimes the children are richtoo, but not always.

When we sleep in thenight it is like going on a shortvacation, but in the morning wecome back to the body house.When we meditate it is likevisiting a friend’s house orspending some time at a newplace. We become free frombody-consciousness for a while,but again we return to our ownhouse.

We believe that eachhouse has seven floors,representing the seven chakras.If we live on the top floors therewill be a quiet stillness, but ifwe spend most of our time inthe lower floors, our life will beinundated with traffic anddisturbing sounds. Upstairsreigns an atmosphere of lullingpeace and calmness, in thedownstairs the dominant effectis restlessness, stress andtension.

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Each floor of our bodyrepresents an activity. The firstfloor is our working place, themoney center, where we do ourbank transaction, shopping, andtake care of all our essentialmaterial activities. The secondfloor is the bedroom, which wededicate to our family life,sexual activities andreproduction. The third floor isthe kitchen and dining room.Through the intake of food werefill our bodily energy. Thefourth floor is the living room,which represents our heartcenter, in this room we receiveour visitors and friends, and we

freely express our positive andnegative emotions to them. Thefifth floor is the library, in thisquiet room we develop ourintellectual activities. The sixthfloor is the prayer room, wherewe communicate inwardly withGod. The seventh floor is theTemple of God inside thecranium; in this secluded spotwe experience blissful peaceand complete union with God.This is by far the most beautifulroom in the house but we canonly turn the key to enter if weare immersed in deepmeditation.

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At the Tattendorf retreat on Easter Sunday

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What is the significanceof the trees? The treesymbolizes life, beauty andnature. The tree alsosymbolizes sustenance,transformation, sacrifice andshelter. The tree is also asource of breath for thecreation.

Trees have a specialsignificance in all religions. Inthe Bible, in Christianity orJudaism, there are descriptionsof olive and fig trees. WhenAdam and Eve were in theGarden of Eden they coveredtheir bodies with fig leaves. Theolive tree is discussed in TheOld Testament, in the storyabout Noah and the flood. Theolive tree symbolizes life andpeace.

The Buddhists adore thebhodhi tree, which is a specialpeepal tree under whichGautama meditated andbecame enlightened or attainedbodhi and became Buddha.

In the scriptures,especially in the Bhagavad Gitaand the Katha Upanishad thereis a description of a tree

MYSTICISM OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TREES

“urdhvamulam adha-shakham”- the tree with rootsabove and trunk below. Theentire creation and even thehuman body are compared withthe tree. Worshipping the treeis also remembering that thebody is an inverted tree withthe root above and branchesbelow. This body tree will notremain forever. It is asvattham-will not remain until tomorrow.So we should make the bestuse of this body tree.

The tree is a symbol oflife. A tree or plant transformssoil, water and sunlight tobeautiful, delicious fruits, woodand leaves. A person should tryto cultivate such a qualitythrough self transformation,change of attitude, living a lifeof sacrifice and love, bringing alot of harmony and love insociety.

The Hindus regard treesin many ways. They worshipholy basil known as tulsi whichis mostly used in the worshipof Lord Vishnu and also bilvaor the wood apple tree theleaves of which are used in the

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worship of Siva and Devi.Hindus also worship the neemtree, amalaki, banyan and someother trees. Worshipping thetree, is not practicing an emptyritual, but paying our respect tonature and also to find a wayto change our lives.Worshipping of trees speaks ofdeveloping tolerance anddeveloping the attitude ofsacrificing for others.

Usually these trees thatare worshipped by the Hindusare of high medicinal and health

values. For example every partof the tulsi plant is useful inmany varieties of ayurvedicmedicines and the bilva leavesand fruits and wood, all are ofgreat medicinal and healingvalues. Neem and amalaki arealso of great value.

When plants and naturesurvive, we survive. Let us takegood care of trees and let usinculcate the values of themessage of the trees that wedraw from nature.

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Balashram Drill

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This event took place in1892. Hari Kamini, the seconddaughter of Shri Lahiri Baba whowas married, came to Kashi tospend some time with herparents. While staying there shebecame ill with Asiatic cholera.Kashimoni Devi, the wife ofLahiri Baba sought the help ofher husband for the cure of herdaughter. Shri Lahiri Babaremained unmoved andunperturbed, as if nothinguntoward had happened.Kashimoni Devi kept on prayingto him for help. After some time,he gave her a medicine that hehimself had prepared instructingher to administer it to HariKamini. But as fate would haveit, Kashimoni Devi instead ofgiving that to her daughter,thought it might be better to usemodern medicine instead of thehome made medicine. She wasconcerned that in-laws of herdaughter might blame them forneglect, if something untowardhappened to her. So keepingaside the medicine given by ShriLahiri Baba, she administeredmedicine from modern doctors.

STORIES TO LIVE BYTHE STATE OF REAL BALANCE

(From the Life of Lahiri Baba)

The next day the daughterbreathed her last.

That day like on all otherdays, Shri Lahiri Baba wasdiscoursing on Gita with PunditPanchanan Baba reading outthe original verse and Babahigh-lighting its yogic hiddenmeaning. Many disciples werepresent. Suddenly loud cries ofmourning were heard perturbingall of them. Till that momentnobody knew of Hari Kamini’sdeath. When somebody askedthe reason for the wailing, ShriLahiri Baba replied, “Thesecond daughter died, so all arecrying there. Perhapsarrangements are being madeto take away her dead body.”

Panchanan Babasuggested, “Let us stopdiscussing the Gita”. SmilinglyShri Lahiri Baba said, “They willdo their work and you doyours.” All those who werepresent there became griefstricken, as they all knew HariKamini well. They all said thatthey did not have the mentalstability required to listen to theinterpretations on the Gita under

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those circumstances and theywanted to stop. Shri LahiriBaba who seemed leastdisturbed agreed to theirrequest. Next day his brother-in-law and disciple Shri RajChandra Sannyal Mahashayacame in a great haste hearingthe bad news and asked him,“Please tell me, do you neverfeel sorrow at the death of yourkith and kin?” Shri Lahiri Babareplied that “All will feelsorrow, but for the wise it islike a stone thrown at a hardsurface which it cannotpenetrate. In case of the weakit is like a stone thrown at awet and soft place which willimmediately pierce. Like this,

sorrows and woes come andgo but do not hurt the men ofwisdom, while the ignorant areeasily disturbed by them”.

Shri Lahiri Baba was theliving embodiment of theexplanation to ‘sthitaprajna’ inthe Gita, the state of being wellestablished in wisdom. In hisworldly journey, performing allhis daily activities, he remainedunperturbed and calm amidstthe waves of joy and hurricanesof sufferings and sorrows,practicing meditation constantlyand encouraging others into thisregal spiritual path.

One has to remain in thisworld like water on a lotus leaf.

***

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DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLEOF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS IN YOU, WHOM YOUHAVE RECEIVED FROM GOD? YOU ARE NOT OF YOUROWN; YOU WERE BOUGHT AT A PRICE. THEREFOREHONOR GOD WITH YOUR BODY.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20

TRULY EACH LIVING BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF GOD.IN THE LIVING BODY GOD SADASIVA IS PRESENT.WORSHIP THE DIVINE IN THE ATTITUDE OF SOHAM -I AM THAT, THEN ONE WILL ACHIEVE LIBERATION.

YOGIC SCRIPTURES

FOR WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD. ASGOD HAD SAID: “I WILL LIVE WITH THEM AND WALKAMONG THEM, AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD AND THEYWILL BE MY PEOPLE.”

2 CORINTHIANS 6:6-16

THE SOUL RESIDES IN THE BODY CHARIOT DRAWNBY THE HORSES OF SENSES WITH THE MIND AS THEREINS AND THE INTELLECT AS THE CHARIOTEER.

KATHA UPANISHAD

THE ONE GOD IS HIDDEN IN ALL BEINGS AS ALLPERVADING, THE INNER SELF OF ALL BEINGS, THEORDAINER OF ALL DEEDS, WHO DWELLS IN ALLBEINGS, THE WITNESS, THE KNOWER, THE ONLY ONEDEVOID OF QUALITIES

SHVETASHVETARA UPANISHAD 6:11

MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVESA TEMPLE OF GOD

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The Guru continued histeaching on self knowledgefurther to answer Asvalayana’squestion. This verse explains thesuitable conditions for meditationand the importance ofunderstanding the teaching ofthe guru.

Mantra 4Te brahmalokeshu

parantakale

paramritat parimucyantisarve

vivikta desecasukhasanasthah

suchia samagríva sirasaríra

SubstanceSuch people of discipline

who have understood theteaching of the guru about theknowledge of Vedanta, at theend of life attain supremefreedom and are liberatedtotally. Sitting in a secludedplace, in a comfortable posture,with purity and keeping theneck, head and body straight.

CommentaryThose who live the life

of purity and detachment in theregion of Brahma, para

ATMA-VIDYAPURSUING SELF KNOWLEDGE

KAIVALYOPANISHAD

antakale –means at the end ofcreation are liberated. There isa difference between antakala and parantakala.

In the Bhgavad Gita it is said,

antakale ca mamevesmaranmuktva kalevaram......– One who remembers me atthe end while leaving the bodywill attain me.

antakala is notnecessarily at the end of life.At the end of taking food whomdo you remember? At the endof the day when you go to bedwhom do you remember? Doyou remember God at the endof every activity? If youremember God at the beginning,and end of every act, then itwill be easy to remember Godat the end of life. Otherwise itis not possible. Remember Godand offer everything to God andsurrender it to God. Give updoer ship and accept whateverresult comes. Parantakala isat the end of completedissolution.

Liberation has manystages. There is krama muktiand jivan mukti. If a persondies just before attaining

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liberation it is believed he couldgo to brahmaloka-the region ofbrahma in his subtle body wherethe teaching is continued andhe attains liberation.Parantakale is when both thegross and the subtle bodies aregone. In the case of jivanmukta, though in the body, oneis totally free as he has no doership. What is mentioned here isimmortality that gives totalliberation.

desa and videsa – inthis body there are two partsone is desa meaning your ownland and the other is videsa orthe foreign land. From themidpoint of the eyebrows up isyour own land and from themidpoint of eyebrows down isthe foreign land. But when welook into our lives, where dowe spend most of our timethroughout the day? Do we notlive most of the time in theforeign land? There is abeautiful song of Vivekananda,which he sang, in his firstmeeting with Ramakrishna. Atthe time he was Naren, aschoolboy. One eveningRamakrishna Paramahamsawas visiting the house of hisdevotees who happened to beNaren’s neighbors andVivekananda was there. Whenthey wanted someone to sing adevotional song Vivekananda,

who was a good singer and alsoplayed a string instrument sangthe song –mano chalo nijaniketane- : “O my mind go toyour own place. Don’t roam inthis foreign land as a foreigner.Nobody knows you. You areroaming here and there as aforeigner –O my mind, go toyour own country.” Listening tothis song Ramakrishna was ina state of ecstasy. Afterlistening to this song, the storygoes on he touched the boy andNaren entered into a superconscious state.

Vivikta desha externallymeans a solitary place, a cornerin your house where it issecluded even in the basementor in your bedroom. Inside thebody also there is a solitaryplace –find it. Vivikta deshaalso means when the mind isfree from thoughts. A youngman came to a monk wantingto stay and meditate. Themonk looking at him said,“Why did you come with somany relatives and friends if youwant to meditate?” Surprisedthe young man looked backand said, “I did not bringanyone”. The monk said “Mychild sit down and close youreyes for five minutes.” After fiveminutes the monk said, “How

35

many thoughts of friends andrelatives did you have in fiveminutes? Have they not comewith you?” As soon as we closeour eyes, many thoughts rushin and it is natural since we livea life in the world. Slowly thethoughts have to be eliminated.It will not happen in a few daysor few months. Many peoplecomplain after a few days ofmeditation that many thoughtsare coming. But one has to goon.

After finding a secludedplace, find a posture that iscomfortable to you. In the Yogasutras of Patanjali, he describedthe sthira sukha asana- theposture should be one that cankeep you steady andcomfortable. If there is pain inany part of the body it cannotbe comfortable. Nobody hastaught us to use the rightposture when young and soafter sitting in an asana forsome time we complain of painand we cannot concentrate.There is another meaning givenby Lahiri Mahasaya. ka meansakasha, su means close to.How can we be close to akasa?In the body we have the fiveelements in the five chakras-Earth in the muldhara, water

in the svadhishthana, fire inthe manipura, air in theanahata and sky or akasa inthe visuddha. The heart centeris the closest to the sky and inthe sky or ether there are fivelayers-parakasa, chidakasa,mahakasa, atmakasa anddaharakasa in the ether. Sosukhasana is to find acomfortable place within thebody closer to the sky –it couldbe the heart and to go abovethat in meditation. So in asecluded place, find acomfortable seat. It is advisedto keep the neck, body andhead in a straight or balancedposition.

The next condition isshuchi – means purity. Whenyou meditate, observe somepurity. The place you sit shouldbe clean and the body and theclothes. This is external purity.There is also internal purity.When you close your eyesmany thoughts will come.

In the Kathopanishad it is said,

yastu vijnana-vanbhavati sa manaskahasada shucih – One whoremains always in love for God,is pure. External purity is notenough we need inner purityand that comes through love forGod, prayer and meditation.

***

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THE KRIYA PILGRIMAGE

Celebrating the 150 years ofLahiri Mahasaya’s Initiation

The life history, deeds,teachings and achievements ofYogiraj Shri ShyamacharanLahiri are like a pricelesstreasure to the entire humanrace.

While leading anordinary life amidst every sortof adversity possible to theworldly man, he was able toreach the apogee of Godrealization, keeping it as hisultimate goal, solely through hissadhana and his love for hisGurudev. Through the practiceof the divine and immortalKriya Yoga, he not onlysanctified his life, but was ableunder the guidance of his Guru,Kalpa Yogi Shri Babaji, tospread the teaching and practiceof Kriya Yoga throughout Indiaand through his disciples,throughout the world.

Through Shri LahiriBaba’s company and blessings,many a worldly man was ableto transform the aimless voyageof his life into one of perfectcommunion with God. Thehistory and influence of hissixty-seven years on this earth

(1828- 1895), continue to inspireand rekindle divine impulseswithin disciples, even today.

Before his Mahasamadhi,when someone asked ShriBaba, “If you go away whatwill we do? We will behelpless. Do not make usorphans”. Shri Lahiri Babareplied, “Those who practice thisimmortal Kriya Yoga followedby saints and sages shall neverperish and become orphans.Kriya Yoga existed in the pastand will flow eternally into thefuture. It is indestructible. Themore a man will stick to thispath, the more he will beinclined to do this prana karma(Kriya). This sadhana is veryscientific”. He continued,“Obtaining this great andimmortal Kriya Yoga from ShriBabaji Maharaj I re-establishedit in this world. In future thiswill spread to every house andman will gradually move aheadin this path to the ultimateliberation. The path of salvationshall ever remain open tomankind.”

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This year marks the 150th

year of Shri Lahiri Mahasaya’sinitiation into Kriya Yoga byMahavatar Babaji. With thisinitiation Kriya Yoga wasbrought into the reach of theordinary people of the world.Through his dedicated life ofsadhana and teachings ShriLahiri Mahasaya was able tospread Kriya Yoga throughoutIndia and later through hisdisciples throughout the world.The streams of Kriya Yogacontinue to flow all over theworld. Many earnest seekers,

sadhakas and devotees desirousof liberation are relishing a dipin the perennial spring of thisGanga.

To celebrate this eventone of the events planned is apilgrimage that will follow thesacred path of the KriyaMasters on their way tospreading Kriya yogaworldwide, the places they livedand taught. For moreinformation, and for joining thissacred two week pilgrimage,visit the website atwww.kriyayoga-150years.com

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AROUND THE WORLD

INDIA

Prajnana Mission

Kriya Pilgrimage

Nov. 16-30

Lahiri Mahashaya’s life,teaching and message should beof great inspiration to all of us.“We are all indirectly the fruitsof that tree through the lineageof the gurus.”

A Pilgrimage is plannedwith ParamahamsaPrajnananandaji and SwamiAtmavidyanandaji and to honorand celebrate the 150th year ofShri Lahiri Mahashaya’sinitiation by Babaji Maharaj. Thepilgrimage covers significantlocations in the Kriya Yogahistory, including the holy cityof Benaras, mountain cave ofBabaji, Serampore, thebirthplace of Shriyukteshwar,Kolkata the boyhood home ofYoganandaji, Habibpur, thebirthplace of Gurudev, Kararashram in Puri, HariharanandaGurukulam in Balighai andmore.

Kriya Programs andRetreats

Kriya Yoga initiationprograms, and satsangs were

conducted in several cities ofdifferent states in Indiaincluding Nasik, Mumbai,Allahabad and Hyderabad bySwami Samarpananandaji, othermonks and brahmacharis.Several sadhana camps werealso conducted in the cities ofCuttack, Bhubaneshwar andKendrapara on a regular basisgiving the disciples a chance tointensify their sadhana on aregular basis.

Foundation Day of CuttackAshram – May 17, 2011

The Cuttack ashramfounded by ParamahamsaPrajnananandaji, with the adviceof Gurudev, celebrated thecompletion of eighteen years ofexistence on the 17th of May.An evening satang was heldwith a large number of disciplesand many invited monks at theJagatpur ashram, the presenthead quarters of PrajnanaMission. This year, thefoundation day coincided withBuddha Purnima. Giving hismessage to the assembledgathering Baba Prajnananandajiwent over the initial strugglesof maintaining the ashram withno electricity during the hot

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summer, no telephone and noproper financing. Going forwardwith complete faith in God andgurus and strong determination,the ashram progressed to itspresent state. “To have somecomforts is okay,” Baba said inhis message “but if too muchimportance is given to comforts,sadhana becomes less.” Babacommended the hard work ofmany disciples during the lastseventeen years and advisedthem to work even harder ontheir own spiritual practice andtransformation. “Devotion toGod, personal sadhana andgroup satsangs”, he said areessential aids for progress.Quoting the “tivra samvega”of Maharshi Patanjali, Babasaid, without samvega,sadhana does not proceed andto use each moment of lifeusefully.

Hariharananda CharitableHealth Centers

Our Health Centers arerunning full capacity workinghard to meet the increasingnumber of patients. The HealthCenters of Balighai, Jagatpur,Bishindipur, Arua and otherplaces have treated more than19,000 patients just between themonths of September andDecember last year. Another

4000 patients were treated inremote villages during this sameperiod at our health camps. Atotal of 258 dental patients werealso treated.

Outpatient Dispensary isextended to 6 days a week atBalighai and to 3 days a weekat Jagatpur to accommodatemore patients. At Balashramthe Village Health Project isextended to two days a weekand there is also a DentalHealth Camp that takes placeonce a month.

Future plans includeinstallation of a dental chair forBalashram students and also forthe deprived people of nearbyvillages. A proposal for apermanent Health Center at thevillage of Arua is also underconsideration.

Asia Activities

Dubai Retreat

P a r a m a h a m s aPrajnananandaji conducted aretreat in Dubai in the monthof February, the first retreat tobe held by our new KriyaCenter in Dubai. The venuewas the beautiful GrandMercure Hotel on the top ofthe Jabel Hafeez Mountain inAl. The Kriyavans were happyto have the presence of

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Yogacharya Peter Baba also atthe retreat. The theme of theretreat was motherhood andBaba Prajnananandaji talked ofthe different aspects of motherhood beginning with the earthlymother and ending with theconcept of the Divine Mother.The talks were highly inspiringand the question and answersessions were enlightening.There was ample opportunityfor the participants to intensifytheir sadhana under theguidance of Yogacharyas –Peter Baba and Claudia Mafrom Europe.

Kriya Initiation Program atKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaMar 18-21

Swami Samarpananandajiand Swami Paripurnanandajiwere at the Kriya Program inMalaysia. There were 108initiations at this program, thefirst one to be held in Malaysia.

Kriya Program, Hong KongChina Mar 24-27

A Kriya Program washeld for the first time in HongKong with ParamahamsaPrajnananandaji presiding. Thisnew center is organizinginterfaith activities and lecturesto serve the world widecommunity of Kriya Yoga.

EUROPE

Vienna Ashram, Tattendorf

The Spring Retreat tookplace from 22-25 April, followedby the Higher Kriya Retreat27th April-01 May, where about150 disciples joined eachprogram to meditate and enjoyBaba’s guidance and blessings.

Swami Mangalanandaand our Yogacharyas ChristineJacobsen, Uschi Schmidtke,Peter Baba and Petra Ma werepresent during the programs.

The spring retreat ofApril coincided with Easter. Thedisciples were blessed to be inthe company of BabaPrajnananandaji, who during histalks, narrated the biblical storyof Jesus on the cross, with theinner meaning and significanceof Jesus’ last words before heleft his mortal frame. It was agreat delight to celebrate thetraditional Easter with Babadistributing the chocolate eggsand the bunnies as Prasad toall the disciples.

During the higher Kriyaretreat there were severalinitiations into higher kriya,guided mediations and questionand answer sessions.Prajnananandaji’s discoursescentered on ‘The obstacles in

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spiritual life and meditation’from the ancient yogic scripture,the Siva Samhita.

The participants wereextremely thankful for thebeautiful days in Baba’scompany and pray for more ofthese opportunities.

Sterskel, Holland

Our ashram in Hollandhad the annual retreat fromJune 3-12, with a goodparticipation. The retreat wasvery inspiring and enlighteningas usual .

AMERICAS

North America

Higher Kriya Retreat, April12 - 17

The higher kriya retreatat the Mother Center was wellattended form national andinternational participants whowere inspired with the talks ofGuruji and deepened theirpractice with Atmavidyanandaji,several Yogacharyas andBrahmacharis guiding themeditations

Kriya Vedanta Gurukulamand Midwest Retreat, Joliet

Kriya VedantaGurukulam our ashram at Jolietcontinues to grow into abeautiful place working on

creative projects. A monthlyIntensive Day program is heldeach month to meditate,contemplate and sing devotionalsongs.

The Sunday school thatwas inaugurated last fall ismaking great progress withmany children learning slokas,listening to stories of saints andlearning to work on creativeprojects based on Universalvalues of life.

Midwest Retreat washeld from May 5th through 8th

with ParamahamsaPrajnananandaji, SwamiAtmavidyanandaji, YogacharyasDurga ma and Bhadrayu Baba,assisted by the brahmacharis ofthe ashram. Over a hundredpeople attended the retreat. Thetheme of the retreat wasYaksha Prashna of the greatHindu epic of Mahabharat.Baba’s explanation of thedialogue between the Yakshaand Yudhishthira with all thephilosophical and metaphysicalaspects revealed many spiritualtruths and was highlyinformative and inspiring.

South America

Brazilia

Swami Atmavidyanandajialong with Yogacharya

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Bhadrayu Baba conducted theannual Kriya program and aretreat in Brazilia.

Sao Paulo

P a r a m a h a m s aPrajnananandaji visited SaoPaulo for a special programalong with SwamiAtmavidyanandaji andYogacharya Bhadrayu Baba.The disciples in Sao Paulo areactively involved in planning fora new ashram, the first to be inSouth America.

Gurudev’s Birthday Program

Our beloved Gurudev,

Baba Hariharanandaji’sbirthday was celebrated at theMiami ashram in the divinepresence of BabaPrajnananandaji and severalacharyas, brahmacharis andother ashramites. The five dayseminar was one of greatfestivity and a special featurewas a play enacted by theBrahmachris, potraying scenesfrom the life of the great saintShri Chitanya Mahaprabhu whowas from the same province ofNadia and whom Gurudevreally loved.

BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS

For available Books on Yoga, Philosophy, and Spirituality.Please visit our websites.

For India – www.prajnanamission.orgFor USA – www.kriya.org

For Europe – www.kriyayoga-europe.org

Visit our web site:

www. prajnanamission.orgFor current information.

E-mail : seva@prajnanamission.org / missionprajnana@gmail.com

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