The Magic of Creativity

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Volume: 1
Issue :17
N a c h i k e t a n j a l i 10th September, 2009
Thursday

Esa brahmaisa indra esa prajapatirete

sarve devemani ca panca mahabhutani prithvi vayurakasa
apo-jyotim-shityetanimani ca ksudramisraniva bijani
itaranmi cetarani ca andajani ca jarujani
GANGA GURUBRAHMAYYA ca svedajanicodbhijjani ca asva gavah pusu
3rd Grade 3rd Grade sa hastino yadkincedam prani jangamanca patatrica
yaccha sthavaram sarvam tat prajnanetram prajnane
pratisthitam prajnanetro lokah
prajna pratistha prajnanam brahma
-Aitareya Upanishad 3.1. 3
He is the Brahman, He is Indra, He is Prajapati; He is all these gods; He is the
For Private Circulation only five great elements-earth,air, akasa, water, light; He is all these creatures and
the others which are mixed (with them); He is the origin(of the moving and the
BOOK-POST unmoving)- those born of an egg, of a womb, of sweat, and of sprout; He is
TO, horses, cows, human beings, elephants-whatever moving in the air or
unmoving. All this is guided by Consciousness (Prajnanam), is supported by
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Consciousness. The basis (of the universe) is Consciousness.
Consciousness is Brahman.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
NACHIKETA TAPOVAN ASHRAM
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Gairan Tanda, Kodgal Village, Jadcherla Mandal, Mahaboobnagar Dist-509301
Ph: +91-40-23113887 • Mobile: 98491 68937• www.nachiketatapovan.org
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– E-mail: admin@nachiketatapovan.org • n_tapovan@rediffmail.com

16 Self is the master of body-mind complex. Knowledge is the aim of life and not pleasure. 1
 EDITORIAL SWAMIJI'S MESSAGE the form of a boat and boatman, the
When Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan swimmer and finally in the form of a
became the President in 1962, some of pilot with a helicopter. You did not pay
his students approached him heed to my words and denied my help.’’
and requested to allow them to This story aptly conveys that God is
celebrate 5th September, his birthday. constantly helping his devotees, but in
In reply,he said, ‘’Instead of celebrating what form and in which way is not
my birthday it would be my proud Different people have different known to anyone. Developing greater
privilege if September 5th is observed as samskaras. They attract good or bad awareness might help in solving the
Teachers Day.’’ Since then our nation has energies according to their package. mystery of why only some people
honoured teachers on this day. The There is a beautiful story- Once an experience miracles and enjoy his
legacy left by him in his teaching, vision ardent devotee was crossing a river by grace while the others do not.
and the advocacies he made should be boat. There was heavy rain followed by In God’s kingdom there is not a single
put into practice and floods. The boat in which he was mistake. If there is any mistake then it
materialisation. Traditionally Indians travelling sank and people cried in fear is not his creation. Everything is so well
have given tremendous respect and of death. They prayed to different Gods balanced and programmed in such a
honor to teachers and hold them in high and Goddesses. Another boat came to way that there is no room for even a
EDITORIAL BOARD esteem. their rescue. Everyone was relieved with single mistake. Our very existence is
Editor ‘’Guru Govind Dono Khade the help but this devotee refused all help the greatest miracle. This Universe and
Subhadra K. Kake Lagun Paya, saying God will come and save him. A the perfect harmony between every
Editorial Consultants: Balihari Guru Aapne good swimmer offered help and later a star and planet, every growing tree and
Annapurna R. Govind Diyon Batay’’ pilot with a helicopter but this devotee blossoming flower is valid proof for the
Sowja A. Meaning,’’I am in a fix whom to salute refused all help and eventually drowned beauty of God’s creation.
first, the teacher or the God. I shall in the river which resulted in his death.
CONTENTS Page No. choose the teacher as he is the one who
In the course of time he was taken to
Message by Swamiji 3 is instrumental in me knowing the GOD.’’
Yamaloka and he questioned God as to
Mataji's Message 4 This Kabir doha is a fitting tribute to the
why he was not rescued. God replied,
Spiritual Quest 6 Guru or Teacher.
"I came thrice to help you but you
Self Effort 7 There is a difference between spiritual
rejected me.’’ The devotee was
Ganesh Chaturthi 8 teacher and material teacher.They are
puzzled and demanded to know the
Aitareya Upanishad 10 not at the same level. A spiritual teacher
truth. God explained to him, "I came in SWAMI NACHIKETANANDA
Publications 12 removes all illusions from the mind of his
Suryanamaskar Event 13 disciple and makes him feel the presence
Sponsor Options 14 of God.
An Appeal 15 Glory to the Gurus, who have gifted
us the treasure of Vedas and the
Quotes from Upanishads and who lead us from the
THE MESSAGE OF self-centered ‘ I ‘ to the universal ‘ THAT
VIVEKACHUDAMANI ‘. Subhadra K.

2 Man alone can have knowledge along with pleasure and pain. Guru is the one who confers emancipation from bondage. 3
 VIGHNAHARTHA
The old adage goes that we should not
see the moon on the Chavithi day of
Bhadrapada and there are some stories
to illustrate the bad consequences faced
if we did. The actual reason is that the
moon represents our mind that is
constantly changing. The message is to
listen to your heart whose essence is
true love and not to pay heed to the
fickle mind. This ensures that you will
not face any Vighnas (hurdles)!
Hurdles that we face everyday can be
classified into three kinds.
1.Hurdles created by Self
2.Hurdles created by Others
3.Hurdles created by the Prarabdha
Self created Hurdles-In the name of
love, attachment and family bonds, we
create our own obstacles. For instance
there is a couple where the wife is
devoted but the husband is cheating on
her and keeps dwindling the family’s
earnings for unjustified expenses. The
wife is aware of his weakness but
continues to suffer and supply her hard
earned income to him. Her love for her
husband has become her weakness.
Here she is inflicting the suffering upon
herself by not resolving the hurdle
between herself and her husband. A
4 A little change in attitude brings about great
changes in life.
Pativrata’s Dharma is to put the
husband in the right path when he is
deviating from it. Self-created hurdles
can be overcome by constant watch on
one’s actions and knowing one’s
dharma. You should understand your
responsibilities and also help others
understand their dharma. By
understanding and defining your and
your dear one’s role and responsibilities
clearly and following them one can
minimize these hurdles.
Hurdles created by others are those
that are posed by the people with whom
you interact. For example, in a work
place scenario your boss expects you
to complete a project within a highly
impossible deadline and expresses his
By overcoming the first two kinds of hurdles you would have automatically
displeasure at you when you did not
overcome third kind of hurdles to a great extent. The sages and enlightened
meet the deadline. Then you tend to
Mahatmas are very well aware of their past karmas and have the ability to make
pass on that anger to your subordinate!
changes accordingly; whereas the common man can overcome his prarabdha by
Instead, to break this hurdle you need
purifying his present actions. We all have chosen to be what we are in this life to
to pause here, use your heart instead
nullify the balance of our karmas. Hence we should not forget to work on the
of mind to think. You will realize that
mission and Sadhana is a great means to do this. By pursuing sadhana we can
you wouldn’t want to make another
successfully reduce all three kinds of hurdles. And when one experiences Samadhi
person feel the way you felt when you
all the past and present karmas will be burnt.
faced your boss’s wrath. Continue to
apply this approach of pouring your
heart into your actions and interactions
and you will see good results very soon.
Hurdles created by Prarabdha- These
are the hurdles that are caused by the
fruit of our thoughts and from our past
lives. Jaya and Vijaya the devoted and
beloved guards of the Lord Vishnu chose
to be born as Vishnu haters and won
themselves the prarabdha of detesting
Vishnu with their heart and soul.
Every sinner has a future and every saint has a past. 5
 SELF EFFORT
SPIRITUAL QUEST When we emerge thwarted by ‘fate’ it
Swamiji answers questions from the seekers. Questions are successfully from a only means that the
welcome from everyone. They can be task we give credit to effort is weak. So
e-mailed to us at nachiketanjali.newsletter@gmail.com our decision, our work harder but do
diligence, and our not blame the
Q. What is the difference between Moksha, Mukti, Liberation and Self- persistence. But when Divine will.
realization? we fail at it, we tend Sometimes without
Ans: Though we say there are different layers of consciousness, truly speaking to blame our luck, our substantial effort
there is only one layer and that is consciousness. As far as realization is concerned fate, one’s spouse and one gains greatly,
there are no steps or layers. Realization is just realization. When everything other factors outside this is neither an
ceases and the Self springs forth from deep down, that state is called Realization. us. In this world accident nor the
In fact, experiencing ‘Self’ is true realization. That realization is called by many whatever we Divine will. It is the
names by many great souls. Moksha and Mukti are Sanskrit words and Liberation accomplish is due to fruit of Self effort of
and Self-realization are English words. But in different shastras they have given Self-effort and last birth. And
different meanings. whatever we fail at is sometimes there is
Q. We all know that criminals are punished according to law. Why is it that due to lack of self- no proportionate
good people who obey the law are also punished? effort. We don’t need examples to result in spite of great Self effort,
illustrate that with Self effort man can when one should examine to see if the
Ans: There are different types of people in the society. Good Active, Good
attain Godliness! Fate can not replace effort is motivated by delusion and
Passive, Bad Active and Bad Passive. And there are Individual Karmas and
Self effort but can provide consolation. correct oneself.
Collective Karmas. One needs to first find out to which category she/he belongs
The ‘Fate’, ‘Daivam’, ‘Niyati’ or ‘Divine One’s goal should be to free oneself
to. Passive good people are bound to suffer due to their passivity which is
will’ can only ensure that the Self effort from likes and dislikes lest they might
sometimes more deadlier than the bad action done by others. Active good people
is blessed with appropriate fruition. become the latent tendencies
are aware of consequences and ready to take up challenges. They generally will
not budge even one inch from their action. They are firm and confident. Whereas, Self effort should be based on: (vasanas) of future incarnations!
the passive good people will not take initiative and will try to run away from the 1) Knowledge of scriptures Though we tend to act according to
situation. Therefore such people suffer more than others. Clarity of mind and our vasanas, we can exercise our
2) Instructions of preceptor freedom to work on strengthening the
openness of heart are what we need today in this world to live happily and joyfully.
That quality is found only in active good people. Hence good people who obey the 3) one’s own effort. pure ones by encouraging them and
law are also punished because of their unclear mind and closed heart. They are Self effort which is not in agreement with weakening the impure ones by
more selfish and selfish people are bound to be punished. They might appear to scriptures is motivated by delusion. The gradually disusing them. After
be good but they are not in the true sense. self-effort is of two kinds- self effort of achieving this replacement of impure
the past incarnations and the self effort ones by pure ones, we have to free
of present life. What we call fate and ourselves from even the good ones.
destiny is the self effort of the past Thus one should engage in righteous
incarnation. Just as one can overcome self effort and advance towards
evil by good, fate can be overcome by realizing the truth.
present effort. If present self effort is R. ANNAPURNA
The path of renunciation is a march In whom all difference ceases. Thou are that!
6 7
towards fulfillment.
 GANESH CHATURTHI

Indian culture believes in the concept of Mataji gave a vivid description of the
pantheism. Indian mythology speaks puranic and spiritual aspect of Lord
volumes to testify this fact. Among the Ganesha.
Indian Gods and Goddesses, Lord Vinayaka A bouquet of bhajans and stotras sung by
is given the prime place and is worshipped Swamiji, followed by a scintillating diya
as the prime deity- ‘’ Prathama Vandana dance by children were the highlights of
Gauri Nandana’’- believed to be the the morning session. Everyone present got
remover of all obstacles. drenched in the satvik mood created by
The auspicious Sunday, August 23rd marked the festivities. Evening session started at
the celebration of Ganesh chaturthi, one of 4pm with Swamiji performing pooja to the
the most important festival in the Hindu big Ganesha idol in the pandal set up by the
almanac. This festival was celebrated with children. Their enthusiasm and efforts in
religious fervour at Nachiketa Tapovan. having their own Ganesh pandal was highly
Children of Vidyamandir and volunteers appreciable. After nine days of successful
assembled in the Dhyanamandir to witness worship the week that followed witnessed
the pooja performed by Swamiji and Mataji. Ganesha being taken for the most popular
After the pooja ,Swamiji explained to the immersion. With the immersion Ganesha’s
children the significance of the festival and divine qualities spread far and wide.

8 To whom there is no superior, the superior of all. Thou are that. Be free! Freedom is our birth right. 9
 AITAREYA UPANISHAD
Aitareya Upanishad was revealed to a
sage called Mahidasa Aitareya, hence
the name. It is in the end of the Aitareya
aranyaka of Rigveda. The Upanishad
has three sections. The first part
describes Supreme Lord’s desire to
create and the act of creation of the
world and the birth, the
metamorphosis, the death and rebirth
of the Jivatman, all from His thought
power. The second chapter tells the
story of Rishi Vamadeva who gets
liberated through spiritual knowledge
even while within his mother’s womb.
The last section gives a brief account of
direct experience of the supreme self,
the distinction between mind the pure
consciousness and concludes that pure
Consciousness is Brahman.
He created the worlds namely
Ambhah(water), Marichi(skies),
Mara(earth) and Aap(patala). Then He
created Virat- the totality of the Physical
bodies – gross form of the Cosmic person
and finally through his wondrous
powers instilled prana and then created
the food. Having thus created the body
and its parts Atman himself entered the
body through the crown called Vidriti
the place of bliss. And here in the body
the Supreme self lives and passes
through 3 states of waking, dream and
10 When we know the truth, the life becomes truth.
deep sleep oblivious of his true nature. DASOPANISHAD
Like different structures of a house viz.
“Upanishads are the full blossomed featured the invocation and the
pillars, roof, ceiling etc. are meant for
flowers on the tree of Vedas.” meaning of that fortnight’s Upanishad.
serving the occupant of that house,
Upanishads are called Vedanta which But when two or more Upanishads
similarly the sole purpose of the body
means that they are the goal of Veda. shared a common invocation, we
is to realize the true nature of Atman,
There are known featured the first
the master of the body through its
to be more than verse or the most
sense organs.
one thousand meaningful sloka.
The second part relates the story of Upanishads out of
Upanishads are
Rishi Vamadeva while still in his which 108 are
certain to guide
mother ’s womb acquires the listed. Ten of these
seekers of spiritual
knowledge of the endless suffering of Upanishads,
knowledge since
Jiva in the world, his endless births and commented upon
they transcend
deaths. By attaining this knowledge, by Adi
the limitations of
he attains liberation thus illustrating Sankaracharya
a religion and
the fact that destruction of ignorance came to be known
shatter the
is the only way to end the cycle of as the
misconceptions
mortal existence. ‘Dasopanishad’.
that we learn
The third part raises the question- Study of these ten
while gearing up
who is the Atman of the two- the Upanishads will
for the worldly
prana, or the Consciousness. Then unravel the
life. Though
goes on to explain how prana through knowledge of
chronologically
the instruments called sense organs, microcosm and the
ancient, they
experiences various objects and only macrocosm and
adopt the most
serves the purpose of someone else. thereby aid in Self-
revolutionary
Consciousness which witnesses these realization. The
methods of
actions and remembers the names of the ten Upanishads
learning through questioning,
impressions made by them is the real respectively are-
experimenting, contemplation,
Self or Atman or Brahman. This pure, “Isa Kena Katha Prasna debating etc. There is a lot for us to
attributeless Brahman is non-dual, absorb and adopt from Upanishads e.g.
Mundaka Mandukya thithiri
calm and self-content. When the concepts like equality of castes,
Aitareyancha Chandogyam
conditioned by upadhis Atman gender, methods of teaching, one-
Brihadaranyakam dasa.”
becomes Isvara, Antaryamin, pointed efficient way of thinking and
Hiranyagarbha, Virat, Devas which In the last ten issues of Nachiketanjali, much more. The best part is that unlike
are all but His different names and we tried to give a hint of fragrance of a few decades ago we have easy access
forms. The knowledge of oneness of each Upanishad, praying and hoping to to all this great literature in form of
Brahman and realization of oneness delve into individual work subsequently. English translations, commentaries
with Brahman leads one to On the cover page of each issue was and E-books of these divine treasures.
immortality.
The breaking of the knots of the heart caused by 11
avidya is liberation.
 INDEPENDENCE DAY WITH INTELLIGROUP
We convey our heartfelt were stimulated by the quiz and NACHIKETA TAPOVAN'S
appreciation to the ardent team painting competitions. The children
f r o m
Intelligroup
were cheered
by the gifts
SAMUHIK SURYA NAMASKAR
who visited us received from
on August Sri Ajit and his
15th 2009 and team of
brightened up amiable
the occasion. volunteers
We all had a fun time celebrating who gave them the best
India’s 63rd Independence Day at entertainment and made the day all
Nachiketa Tapovan. The children the more memorable.
We are elated to announce the major debut event of Yuvanjali
A request to the readers of Nachiketanjali The Samuhik Suryanamaskar
Dear Readers, The programme is planned to take place
Thank you all for supporting our Newsletter. on
nd
Your feed back will be highly valued. November 22 2009
Kindly let us know... at the Lal Bahadur Stadium and is expected to draw an attendance of
if you want to refer a friend for subscription of Nachiketanjali. 5000 students from the twin cities.
if you prefer an all color electronic copy of Nachiketanjali. Samuhik Suryanamaskar is an effort to create awareness of the power of
if you are receiving double copies of Newsletter. yoga in the youth, so that they enjoy a long, healthy, focused and
email: nachiketanjali.newsletter@gmail.com worthwhile life.
We request you to attend the event and make this a grand success.
OUR PUBLICATIONS We need your help in accomplishing this task. If interested please
Sahaja Dhyana is a simple
meditation technique which helps contact:Yuvanjali1@gmail.com
in experiencing and expressing nachiketananda@gmail.com, mataji19@gmail.com
Divinity apart from reducing tension n_tapovan@rediffmail.com, admin@nachiketatapovan.org
and anxiety. It also enhances
Ph: 9849168937, 9030059678, 04023113887
Creativity.
This CD forming a part of 8 yogic
CDs released on 1st April 2007 is
available at our Kavuri Hills
Cost of CD - Rs. 35/- premises and also in leading book
stores.
Just like the odour of sandalwood does away with all bad The mind is like a tiger. It prowls about in the forest
12 odours, with the desire for the real all other desires go away. of sensory objects. 13
 AN APPEAL
SPONSOR OPTIONS
Anna daanam maha daanam; vidya daanam mahattaram.

Annena kshanika trupthihi yaavajjeevanthu vidyaya.

Vidya Mandir at Nachiketa Tapovan is currently able to accommodate a family

of about 150 children who receive all-round nourishment from man-making
education to milk-n- meals and basic health- aid in an atmosphere of genuine Dear
love. Kind-hearted Well wishers have been the unseen force behind this offering Atman
to God. We thank you for your continued support. No man is an island. To fight the good classes ranging from LKG through 6th
fight we need help. This has been the grade.
Vidya Daanam (Education ) Rs. 3500/ year/student
basis for the Nachiketa Tapovan’s
It requires additional resources, both
inception and ensuing growth over the
Anna Daanam (Mid-day Meals) Rs. 2800/day monetary as well as human to fund this
last 10 years from a hut into a 3 storied-
progressive step. We hereby make a
Ksheera Daanam (Morning Milk) Rs. 600/day building onto a 40 acre spiritual
fervent appeal for generous donations.
complex. Imparting literacy to children
Please participate in this ‘Vidya Daana
Vastra Daanam (Uniforms) Rs. 600/ 2 pairs from impoverished families was the idea
Yaga’ being performed to benefit the
with which the divine project started
most deserving children and help pass
Dinnerware (Steel Plates & Glasses) Rs. 5000/ 50 sets before it grew into a multifarious
on the legacy of our Cultural heritage,
movement. All along Tapovan’s efforts
Social values and Religious traditions.
Stationery Supplies (Copier Paper) Rs. 5000/ term received great support from you all in
every way bringing fruition to the nobleIt may kindly be noted that donations
Festivals Celebration Rs. 1500/festival intent.. to Nachiketa Tapovan are exempted
from Income Tax U/S 80 G of IT Act,
The main focus has never shifted from
Oushadhi (Medical Supplies) Rs. 5000/month 1961 of Govt. of India. Donations in
Vidya Mandir. Nachiketa Tapovan has
the form of Cheques/Demand Drafts
become the haven for the
Celebrate your Special Days with the Children may please be drawn in favour of
underprivileged children who have
Nachiketa Tapovan. We acknowledge
at Nachiketa Tapovan! been nourished with not only milk and
the generous contributions made by
food but also good academics
donors.
supplemented by the traditional values
Yours in the service of Motherland
of India. Vidya Mandir will be taking a
big stride this June from offering
Primary Education extending onto
Secondary Education. That is, this
academic year, Vidya Mandir will offer Swami Nachiketananda
14 When the mind is pure, it becomes the cause of liberation. As long as there is ignorance bondage continues. 15