(Excerpts from Rishi Prasad – Issue 194 Feb, 2009 )

Mahashivaratri: The Festival of Reposing in the Self

(Mahashivaratri: 23rd February)
(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
The fourteenth dark fortnight in the month of Falgun (Magha in Gujarat and
Maharashtra) is celebrated as Mahashivaratri. This is a day for exerting ourselves more in the
field of penance, self-restraint and sÍdhanÍ, for practicing simplicity, observing silence and
remaining contented in the Self.
Mahashivaratri is the festival of reposing in the Real Self, the Truth Absolute Shivatattva
which is beyond the physical body. This is not a day for emptying the brain by drinking
bhang or hemp-juice but for purifying the heart by drinking the nectar of Gods name. Practise
self-restraint to tread the path of reposing in your Self. This verily is the meaning of
Mahashivaratri.
Mahashivaratri is the night meant for keeping awake, practicing sÍdhanÍ and devotion.
Shiva means ‘auspicious’ i.e. this night is an auspicious one. The practice of keeping awake,
observing fasts and vows, sÍdhanÍ, worship, chanting the name of God quietly while
contemplating its meaning, meditation during this night is considered to be highly
meritorious. It is said in the Brahmottar khanda of the Skanda Purana, “The fast of
Shavaratri is very precious. Still more significant for men is the night vigil on this day. Lord
Brahma and the gods, Vasishtha and the sages sing praises of this fourteenth lunar day. A fast
on this day bestows on one the merits of performing more than a hundred yajnas”
‘Jagaran’ implies keeping awake. Keeping awake means not to be influenced by
favourable or adverse circumstances, to awaken into the immutable Self even while living in
the body and world which are subject to change. If you observe night vigil while being
cautious not to allow human life to be wasted in sense-enjoyments and taking care to dedicate
it towards God-realization, then that vigil is called ‘Jagaran’ of Shivaratri.
One worshipping and contemplating Lord Shiva on this day becomes a worthy aspirant
for reposing in the Shivatattva or the Shiva consciousness. Lord Shiva is worshipped with
three leaves of Bilva joined together, which give the message, ‘O Sadhaka! O Man! You too
are related to this body by virtue of the three gunas. Offer these three gunas or qualities of
nature to Lord Shiva. Surrender the Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic tendercies and thoughts to
the indweller Lord Shiva.’
The fragrance of Bilva leaves help your body get rid of ailments caused due to
imbalances in vata and kapha. While Lord Shiva is worshipped, your body too is benefited.
While offering Bilva leaves to God offer your three gunas as well. While offering
panchamrita, surrender your ego to the consciousness Absolute Shiva, who is the substratum
of the cosmic play of the five great elements and you will attain communion with God. The
Shiva Consciousness is your own Self, which verily is the Supreme Soul.
 Lord Shiva is worshipped with panchamrita or mentally on the day of Shivaratri. One
can also worship Lord Shiva by meditating on Him and awakening love for Shiva
Consciousness in the heart.
It is childish to insist upon beholding a form in meditation. Meditate on the formless
Shiva consciousness, which is more vast than the sky! ‘. … namaÏ… shivaya…’ lose
yourself in meditation while chanting like this in a protracted tone.
The festival of Shivaratri brings the message that just as Lord Shiva lives on the peak of
the snowy Himalayas, implying that He is established in the serenity of equanimity, so also in
order to bring elevation in life, one should establish himself at the height of sÍdhanÍ and not
be influenced by pleasures and pains. Do not be entangled in pleasures, rather utilize them by
distributing them. Utilize sorrow by remaining uninfluenced by it. Get rid of diseases through
fasting and self-control. When a friend causes pain, it is to help you get rid of attachment.
Whatever pain the world offers, it is for getting rid of attachment, utilize it.
When you go to Lord Shiva’s temple, you meet Nandi the bull. Those who are
intellectually dull, are called bulls and are insulted, but the bull in Shiva’s temple is revered.
Even a person who is dull like a bull, if he serves with a selfless spirit and undertakes the
divine work of spreading the message of Shiva Consciousness, he is revered. Divine work
implies work, which is carried out for the good of the many as well as for the happiness of
the many "~hþOZ{hVm`, ~hþOZgwIm`' One who serves Lord Shiva, or in other words, serves others
with the spirit of serving the Lord dwelling in his heart, then even though he may be
considered stupid in the society, he will be revered sooner or later. The worship of Nandi
denotes this fact.
Lord Shiva has serpents around His neck. The enlightened ones know the art of
reforming even those evil people who are venomous like serpents, to make them useful for
the society.
Lord Shiva is called Bholenath. i.e. he always protects the innocent. Those who want to
cross the world of transmigration, but are tormented by the arrows of lust are protected by
Lord Shiva when they remember Him.
Lord Shiva adorns the moon of the second lunar fortnight on His head. The enlightened
ones acknowledge even the smallest virtue in others. The Ganga flows from Lord Shiva’s
head. Waves of knowledge flow from the head of those who have reached the heights of
equanimity.
That explains why a halo is always shown behind the head in the picture of a god of
Sanatan dharma.
By reducing Cupid, the god of love to ashes, by opening His third eye, Lord Shiva gives
the message, ‘O Man! The Shiva Consciousness is hidden in you too. Open your third eye of
discrimination to reduce your desires, passions and bondages to ashes.’………(Read full
article in Rishi Prasad magazine).
For Students
May the Mother, Father and Teacher be Thy God
(Parents’ worship day: 14th February)
At a small age, Bayazid left home and took to a life of asceticism to attain the
Truth. Left alone in the house, his aged mother was spending her time in praying to the
Lord for her son’s well-being.
Through strenuous efforts and severe austerities, Bayazid attained certain spiritual
powers. Self-mortification, solitude, Mauna (silence), japa and Pranayama purify the
mind and do endow it with some psychic powers.
 One day, Bayazid wearing an ascetic appearance in worn out clothes, stood at the
door of his own house. Standing at the door, he heard his mother praying to God for his
well-being.
Bayazid said, “Mother! I have come”
“Who is there?”
“Your poor son.”
“O my son! You have come in my old age!”
“Mother! I have realised after so much trouble that what I had regarded as petty
and insignificant was a great thing. After practicing all austerities, I have realised that
the blessings of parents and elders is a great thing. Service to them uplifts one instantly.
Mother! Now I will serve you.”
One night his mother said, “My son! I am very thirsty; please give me water.”
The broken pot that was used in the house for storing drinking water was empty.
He went to the river that was quite far away, and brought the water.
When Bayazid came back, he found that mother was fast asleep. He stood there
holding the pot in his hand thinking what to do. He didn’t want to put the pot down lest
mother’s sleep should be disturbed by the sound. He didn’t want to sleep lest mother should
wake up after some time and hesitate to wake him from his sleep. He kept standing in the
same position.
After a few hours, mother woke up and then he gave water to her.
Mother asked, “Why didn’t you give me water earlier?”
Bayazid said, “I didn’t want to disturb your sleep. So I was standing holding the pot of
water in my hand.”
To keep standing with a pot of water in hand is not a big thing. Not doing so is not a
crime either; but to remain uninfluenced by the pairs of opposites like happiness and sorrow
while rendering service is a great thing. It was a cold night; he could have caught cold. He
had low grade fever; but a goal was fixed in his mind- to serve the mother. He did not care
for the pairs of opposites. Blessings came from the core of his mother’s heart and he became
a great saint.
Pujya Bapuji too served His parents from childhood itself and they blessed Him heartily,
which helped Him attain a Self-realized Satguru, who transformed Him into a Jivanmukta
and a world revered saint.
Bahut rat tak pair dabate, bhare kanth pitu asis pate.
Putra tumhara jagat me sada rahega nam.
Logo ke tumse sada, puran honge kam.
Had Bapuji not ignored the pleas of His mother and family members, who didn’t want Him
to go to the Guru’s abode and surrender Himself at the Guru’s feet for God-realization, and
had He stayed at home yielding to their attachment or had He not stuck to the Guru’s feet, He
would not have become so great either.

Celebrate ‘Parents’ Worship Day’ and Not Valentine’s Day

The children and youths of a nation, which belongs to the farsighted rishis, should
shun ‘Valentine’s Day’, which ruins their vitality and energy. Celebrate ‘Parents’
Worship Day’ instead of it. On this day, children should pay respect to their parents
and worship them by placing flowers on their heads and bowing before them. Parents in
turn should shower their affection and blessings on their children. Parents and children
should love each other in the name of God and awaken the divinity in their heart. Let
the mother and daughter apply tilak to each other. Let the father and son do the same.
Parents should bless the children saying, “{Ìbmo{ÌbmoMZ ^d & Along with your external eyes, let
your inner eye, the auspicious eye of discrimination and knowledge be opened as well.”
_mV¥Xodmo ^dŸ& {nV¥Xodmo ^d &
~m{bH$mXodmo ^d &
H$Ý`mXodmo ^dŸ& nwÌXodmo ^d &
‘May the Mother be thy God, May the father be thy God, May the daughter be thy God,
May the son be thy God.’

Auspicious Days
The Real Holi
(Holi: 10th March)
(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
Holi is the national, social and spiritual festival of India. This festival shows us how
Prahlad, who was firm in his noble conviction, became successful and Holika, who though
being blessed with boons, was doomed due to her evil conduct. This is considered a social
festival in that, people throw colours at each other to give the message of Natural unity
eradicating external differences.
As a spring festival, Holi is a sign of seasonal change. Grams and wheat become ready to
be harvested in the days of Holi. In some parts of India, people in the villages dig pits and
keep pots filled with grains in them. They then cover the pits and burn Holi over them. The
half-roasted grains are then distributed as prasad the next day. Half-roasted grains are helpful
in alleviating the doshas caused due to imbalances in vata and kapha. Half-roasted grains are
called Hola’. That people may become immune to the doshas of vata by consuming natural
food like ‘Hola’ shows the lofty outlook in the Rishi tradition. Roasted grams are also
helpful in alleviating the afflictions caused due to the doshas of kapha. Holi is the last day for
consuming heavy foods like dates, Nariyal pak, methipak, etc. the practise of flinging mud at
each other during Holi, throwing dust, putting shoes around others, making them sit on a
donkey, dirty mimicry-all these deprave our minds leading to social and mental degradation.
Throwing all kinds of chemical colours at each other is harmful to the eyes, face and the
mind. At many places, a licentious environment is created under the pretext of this festival,
where people play vulgar pranks and nurture lustful thoughts thereby harming the society.
From Ekadashi of the bright fortnight of Falguna till the full moon day, a procession should
be taken out with the idol of God placed on a chariot. Taking out morning processions, japa,
meditation, holding discourses on God, chanting God’s name, availing oneself of the holy
company of saints should go on everyday till the full moon day to eradicate external
differences and realize the non-dual Truth at the root. This in fact is the real purpose of this
festival.
On the day of Holi, one should invoke the virtues of unwavering devotion, divine love,
forbearance and equanimity like those of Prahlada and should develop in oneself the divine
virtues of divine love, goodwill, sympathy, faith in one’s tutelary deity, faith in japa, in
recollection of God’s name and in satsang; compassion, etc.
……..(Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).
Divine Tales
Ma Parvati’s Trial
(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
Parvati practiced penance in order to wed Lord Shiva, who appeared before her and
blessed her with His darshan. Lord Shiva agreed to marry Parvati and then disappeared. Just
then, she heard the scream of a child who was caught by a crocodile in a lake at some
distance. As she listened to with attention, she could make out that the child was crying
pathetically, “Help me… I have no one… Help me…!” Parvati was deeply moved by the
wailing of the child. She went there and found that a crocodile had caught hold of a child by
its leg and was dragging it into the river.
The child was saying, “There is no one for me in this world. I have neither mother nor
father, nor friend, nor anybody else. Help me!”
Parvati said, “O crocodile! Leave the child.”
The crocodile replied, “It is pre-ordained for me by destiny, to accept as food, whatever I
get in the sixth part of the day, and Lord Brahma has sent this child to me in the sixth part of
the day. So, why should I let it go?”
Parvati said, “O crocodile! Free the child in exchange of anything you want.”
The crocodile said, “I will leave this child only if you give me the fruits of your penance
which you have carried out to please Lord Shiva, and not otherwise.”
Parvati, said, “Is that all you are asking for? I am ready to give you the fruits of penance
carried out not only in this life but of those carried out in many other lives as well, but let go
of this child.”
The crocodile said, “Think again, do not be so emotional.”
Parvati said, “I have thought about it.”
The crocodile made Parvati resolve to donate the fruits of her penance. No sooner was
the crocodile blessed with the fruits of her penance, than its body shone with splendour.
Leaving the child, the crocodile said, “Parvati! Look how beautiful my body has become by
the power of your penance! I have become a mass of radiance. Why did you sacrifice the
merits of your whole life for the sake of a small child?”
Parvati said, “O crocodile! I can practice penance again, but how could have such an
innocent child come again, if you had devoured it?”
The child vanished even as Parvati looked on. The crocodile too disappeared. Parvati
thought that she would have to practice penance again as she had donated all her merits. She
had hardly sat down in meditation when Lord Shiva appeared again and said, “Parvati! Why
are you practicing penance now?” Parvati said, “Lord! I have donated the fruits of my
penance.”
Lord Shiva said, “Parvati! It was me in the form of the crocodile and the child. I played this
lila to test whether you are empathetic or not. I am the one existence who appears in many
forms. Even while abiding in many bodies, I am the incorporeal Atman who is distinct from
all bodies. Blessed is your spirit of empathy to all living beings.

Learn to Value Yourself

-Pujya Bapuji
Along with the belief that the Shivalinga is God, we should understand through satsang
that God abides in it but it is the deep slumber state of consciousness. If one wants to
disbelieve through reasoning, then even if God Himself appears before a person like
Duryodhan - a non-believer, he will proclaim God as a sorcerer, a magician. When
Duryodhan orders his soldiers to arrest Sri Krishna, the Lord levitates in the sky in the four-
armed form, but the unfortunate Duryodhan calls Him a magician Duryodhan and Shakuni
mumble rubbish about God but Arjun gets benefited by Sri Krishna’s presence. Gita was
instructed to him and we are benefiting from it. Faithless people won’t be rid of their mean
mentality even after having darshan of Sri Krishna or the four armed Lord Narayana. There is
no dearth of such Duryodhans in the society. However, the noble ones endowed with faith
and understanding, do make the consciousness manifest in their intellects and lives by
nurturing faith and beholding divinity in a shalagrama, Shivalinga or an idol. A person who
has good sense, who respects his or her own life, will respect great souls, scriptures and the
Vedas. The intellect of drunkards and meat-eaters becomes unfit for God-realization. Such
people degrade themselves. It is said in ‘Gurubaani’, ‘When a cloth stained by blood
becomes impure, how can the mind of one who drinks blood remain pure?’ It is said in Sri
Ramacharit Manas’,
‘Liquor and meat deprave a pure mind.’ (5.43.3)
How shameful that man, who has the ability to realize his Self, eats and drinks such
things and entertains such thoughts as would deprive him of this ability, and imagines God to
be in some foreign land or in heaven, forgetting his Self-god! What a wretched thinking!
How base a mentality!
How can a person who does not respect his or her own life, respect great men and our
scriptures? Such a person will fritter away his or her own life. If you respect your own life,
your Creator, your scriptures, your parents who have worked so hard to educate and rear you,
then perform such actions by which seven generations in your clan would obtain salvation.
If we become sad in adverse circumstances and happy in favorable circumstance, what is the
difference between us and a dog? Know happiness to be a dream and sorrow to be evanescent
like a bubble. Both are guests…. why do you become subservient to them? You get a
promotion and you become elated; you get a transfer and you shrink! Why do you lead such a
helpless life? Seek refuge in a Guru. Someone rebukes you and your happiness disappears!
Someone flatters you and you become elated! Then you are like a German toy, what else?
You get a notice from the income tax department and your tension increases. An income tax
raid takes place somewhere and you trouble yourself. You establish contact with a high-
ranking official and you feel proud of that. Why are you getting entangled in the world by
mistaking these toys for real? At least try and make some progress on the path of knowing
your own Self. Contemplate Him, with love and reverence, who is your Supreme Friend and
well-wisher. Remain blissful, tranquil and reposed in Him.

The Insight
Why is Man Miserable?
(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
One should not let one’s mind suffer in any circumstance or happening. If the mind does
suffer in spite of one’s efforts to prevent it from suffering, one should pray to God, ‘Lord!
Save me from this world full of sorrow and lead me to the Light of Self-Knowledge. Deliver
me from attachment and delusion and lead me to my Eternal Self.’ Praying thus your heart
out to God or the Guru, you should give vent to your sorrow rather than suppressing it.
What is the real cause of man’s misery? The reason is that he doesn’t appreciate what he
has nor does he feel the joy of having it; he just complains comparing himself with others. It
reminds me of a parable:
A baby peacock was crying. Mother peahen enquired, “What makes you cry my son?”
The baby peacock said, “See how beautiful the parrot baby is!”
“Well, I will take you to him.”
And the peahen took her baby to baby parrot only to find the latter crying.
The mother parrot was asking, “What makes you cry?”
 The baby parrot said, “See how beautiful the peacock baby looks!”
The peacock baby thinks the parrot baby is more beautiful and the parrot baby thinks
that the peacock baby is more beautiful. The Seth thinks the Babu is enjoying life and the
Babu thinks the Seth is having everything in life. Men think women are better off and the
women think men are all joy.
In the Sri Yogvasishtha Maharamayana, Kakbhushundiji says to Maharshi Vashishthaji,
“O great sage! All the beautiful objects, all the marks of luxury are unreal. Emperors on the
earth and Gandharvas, Vidyadharas, Kinneras, gods and their consorts and gods’ army etc.
are all subject to death. Men, demons, gods, mountains, ponds, rivers and all other objects
including the biggest ones will get destroyed sooner or later. All the sense-enjoyments on
earth or in heavens or in the netherworlds are transient and inauspicious. Nothing in the
universe is desirable or felicitous – neither sovereignty over the earth nor the form of gods
nor the worlds of serpents etc. It is profitable neither to live long nor to die foolishly; neither
to fall in hells nor anything else in all the three worlds. Only the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss
Absolute, Where the saint’s mind reposes is most desirable and propitious.”
As you get up in the morning, settle your mind in God, the Bliss Absolute and say, “My
Beloved Lord is Eternal Existence, Pure Consciousness, Bliss Absolute and Knowledge
Absolute. O Lord!
……..(Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).
Inspiring Anecdotes
Karma Yoga – the yoga of selfless action
Once Shri Rangachari, a known Telugu scholar of ‘Woories College Vellore’ expressed
to Raman Maharishi his desire to know about Karma Yoga. Maharshi gave no answer. After
some time, Raman Maharishi went to a hill for a walk. He was accompanied by Shri
Rangachari and a few others. A thorny branch of a tree was lying on the way. Maharshi
picked it up, sat on the ground and started smoothing it.
The thorns were cut away; the knots were scraped and the entire stick was made smooth
by rubbing with a rough leaf. The whole operation took around six hours. Everybody was
surprised to see a beautiful stick come out of a thorny branch. As they moved ahead, they met
a shepherd boy who was troubled because he had lost his stick. Maharshi gave the stick to the
boy and moved on.
The Telugu scholar said, “This is the correct and appropriate answer to my question.”
Let the readers guess how the Telugu scholar got his answer. To help those whom we
are attached to is selfishness. To help those, for whom we have no attachment, is called
Nishkama Karmyoga or action without desire for fruits. It is neither action without a purpose
nor action with a selfish motive; nor is it escaping from action or remaining totally engaged
in action or seeking any return for the action!
Contemplate Lord Narayana, Who is free from attachment, and start reposing in Him.
Start contemplating again and then repose. Incantation of ‘. ’ in a protracted tone too is a
supreme act of righteousness. Meditation, reading scriptures and inspiring others to propagate
culture is direct Karma yoga. Blessed are those who are engaged in the service of ‘Rishi
Prasad’! Blessed are the ones who spread noble thoughts and goodwill and distribute spiritual
literature in the society! Just as the cowherd boy got the support of the stick, so also in the
world, one gets the support of noble thoughts. This selfless action, the stick of knowledge,
stands one in good stead in this world and in the other. › lr na_mË_Zo Z_… & › em§{V…... ‘. ’
Salutations to the Supreme Soul ‘. ’ Peace! O Selfishness! O Deceit, fraud, falsehood,
trickery! To hell with you. Where is the need for desires in the guileless Lord Narayana, the
Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute, the Witness Absolute? Where is the need for
deceit, fraud and trickery? ‘. ’… ‘. ’… ‘. ’…
 Lord Rama says:
‘Only a man of pure soul can find me; I have an aversion to duplicity, wiles and
censoriousness.’
Ramacharita Manasa (5.43.3)
Selfishness alone is the breeding ground for deceit, fraud and trickery. Where there is a lofty
aim in life there is no place for double standard and desires! Let your lofty Self, your
Brahmic nature be revealed. Make no delay.

Fragrance of Satsang
Thy Will be Done!
(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
Self is immutable and so is the Supreme Self. Be one with the immutable. Why do you
allow yourself to be swept hither and thither like a straw? You become peaceless in the face
of petty troubles – not being able to have your way in some big or small matter, not being
able to gratify your senses, a slight to your ego, a servant not saluting, not getting approval or
recognition in some big or small matter… how small you become!
As you think so does your mind become. Therefore, please think over God. As you get
up in the morning, remember, ‘God abides in my heart. I shall move outside by His power. I
shall come to Him again and again.’ Practise Ajapa Japa, means spontaneous Japa when the
Mantra repeats itself without conscious effort, along with breathing. Practise the hints that
were given to you at the time of Mantra-Diksha. Practise reposing in the Self for 4-5 minutes
at each hour of the day.
The Lord said in the Gita:
Aä`mg`moJ`wŠVoZ MoVgm ZmÝ`Jm{_Zm &
na_§ nwéf§ {Xì`§ `m{V nmWm©Zw{MÝV`Z² &&
‘With the mind not moving towards any other thing, made steadfast by the method of
habitual meditation, and constantly meditating, one goes to the Supreme Person, the
Resplendent, O Arjuna!’
(The Gita: 8.8)
Let the practice be converted to yoga. Don’t let your mind go towards any person or
thing other than God. Your mind will go towards different people and things but keep your
attention fixed on the Lord alone, the non-dual reality manifest in the forms of different
people and things.
Take an example. The bulb; the tube light; the fan, the motor, the pump and the
refrigerator are different equipments; but all of them are powered by the same electricity.
Similarly, my beloved Lord is there in everybody and everything. It is He in the form of
father, mother and a friend. You come up with a doubt, ‘It is the Lord in the form of father
and that Lord tells me not to go to satsang. Should I then go to satsang or I shouldn’t? Should
that wish of the Lord be fulfilled?’
A woman put the same question to Swami Ramsukhdas, ‘It is the Lord in the form of my
father-in-law as you say. Father-in-law says I shouldn’t come to satsang. Should I then come
to satsang or I shouldn’t? If I don’t come to satsang, I am deprived of good teachings and
knowledge which in turn makes my mind impure and turned to samsara. And if I come to
satsang, I disobey the instructions of God in the form of my father-in-law.’
It is not the Lord in the form of father-in-law that tells her not to go to satsang; it is
delusion or ego or both in the form of father-in-law that forbids her. It is not the Lord in the
father that forbids you; it is ignorance and arrogance in the form of father that forbids you.
God never forbids you from going to satsang; it is the ego ruling the father’s mind that is
doing so. The instructions of mother-in-law, father-in-law, father or mother thus are inspired
by delusion.
You are told in the satsang that Lord is in everybody and everything and that the Lord’s
will be done. Your wife may interpret it that you should fulfil her wish of going to cinema for
there is God in her. A drunkard in the name of being God will want you to have a drink with
him and a gambler will like you to play a game of dice with him.
No! Lord is in everybody and everything means that the Lord abides in you. Thousands
of gamblers are playing dice; let them play. You think of playing with the Indweller Lord and
thus turn your mind inwards. You shouldn’t mar your sadhana yielding to Guruless persons.
You shouldn’t exhaust yourself capitulating to kinsmen labouring under delusion. God’s will
be done means accepting whatever is happening whether or not it is to your liking. You don’t
want to be insulted but somebody insults you; yield to the situation taking it to be God’s will
and you will not feel hurt by the insulting behaviour. You want to eat something or get
something but are not able to. Take it as Lord’s will and remain calm and composed. Taking
what comes your way as God’s will, you should remain contented in yourself and should
thereby attain Self-Bliss. Not that you should capitulate to gamblers, drug-addicts or demands
of your near and dear ones to cooperate in the matter of sense-gratification.
God’s will be done not that of our lust. ‘May not the will of my desires be done; may not
the will of my ego be done, may not the desires of my friends engaged in sense-gratification
be done; instead may the will of the all-pervading Lord be done!’ That is all that is to be
done! This looks to be small but if you do this, everything is done. Contemplate the name of
God with every ingoing breath while counting every outgoing breath. You will start
experiencing the bliss of inner Self. Repose in the Self… ‘. ’ Bliss…
Some people, when they meditate, expect some type or depth of meditation. No, do not
predetermine any type of meditation nor have any preconceived notion of the results it should
produce. That is not the way. As you sit for meditation, tell Him, ‘O Lord! Hails to you! Thy
will be done!’ This is meditation and reflection too! Empty your mind of all resolutions.
Keep eradicating one thought after another as you go on reading ‘Sri Narayanstuti’ (a book
published by the ashram). Read this book and then immerse yourself in its meaning. You will
start experiencing divine bliss immediately by doing so.
Whatever you do with your body, do it for the pleasure of Indweller Lord. Don’t work
for sense-gratification or for ego trip. Work with a view to propitiate the Lord. This is real
service. If people seek your help or service by flattering you, be careful and examine yourself
whether you are being motivated by adulation or you are rendering service for the pleasure of
the Guru or the Indweller Lord. If you exercise this care, your service will become much
rewarding.
Those who serve for appreciation and fame, become supercilious. They quarrel and fight
amongst themselves like dogs. They, on the other hand, develop a very sweet nature, who
render service for the Guru’s or the Lord’s pleasure.
…(Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).

To Hell Do They Go
-Param Pujya Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
Be humane. Learn to cultivate humanistic qualities. One who is humane listens to the
good of all and does good to all. Sant Meera has said:
Those who defame us, to Hell do they go.
To Hell they go, cleansing our sins.
The man not knowing himself, gets engaged in knowing others: “This is like that…he is
like that…” Knowing oneself means knowing the Atman. One who knows the Atman is rare.
Every body says, “I am right.” You would ask: “Swamiji! Is this (knowing oneself) so
important?” Yes, sure! One, who has not known his own Self, how can he know others? He is
a mere animal.
Having obtained the human form, if you have not awakened your real nature, not kindled
the Light of Knowledge in your heart, not known your real Self, then what have you achieved
by coming into this world? The real good of man lies in knowing his true Self.
By indulging in calumny, hatred, deceit and trickery you are harming yourself and the
society. And God knows how many wombs you will enter to reap the fruits of calumny and
deceit.
It is said:
One, who has no deceit in the mind, who is sincere and honest, such a saintly soul can
transcend the ocean of samsara, so says the poet Narayana.
Calumny and praise bind the jiva. Therefore, living in the company of the God-loving saints
and listening to their satsang, know thyself. This will relieve you from the miseries of birth
and death forever.

Conscience Kindlers
The Right Conduct
(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
Understand three things in order to be successful in devotion in practical life.
(1) Treat yourself masculinely. Just as a man’s heart is disciplined and stern, so also treat
yourself sternly. Restrain your mind if any mistake is committed.
(2) Treat others motherly. Just as a mother is lenient and forgiving towards her child, be
lenient towards others. There may be a bad son (or daughter), but never a bad mother.
Similarly, you should treat others motherly.
(3) Be childlike in your devotion to God. If there is artlessness, spontaneity and
innocence in your life, God-realization will be easy; and the more there is deceit, fraud, guile,
complexity and duplicity in life the more distant will God be from us. Lord Rama says,
‘I have an aversion to duplicity, wiles and censoriousness.’
Therefore, stay clear of these. Just as an innocent child remains carefree in the lap of its
mother, you too at times, lie peacefully in the lap of the Mother Lord Narayana while
meditating on Her and contemplating, ‘I am reposing in that Supreme Self, the Divine
Bliss… I do not worry… God will take care of everything.’
Rishi Patanjali has enunciated four principles for a successful life:
(1) Maitri (friendliness and fellowship): Cultivate an attitude of friendliness and
fellowship towards the noble ones, towards those who avail themselves of satsang, tread and
make others tread the path divine. Work shoulder to shoulder with them in their divine
endeavors.
(2) Karuna (compassion and kindness): Be compassionate and kind towards your
inferiors, children, servants and those who are ignorant.
(3) Mudita (approbation): Approbate and encourage those who are engaged in good
works, in divine endeavors.
(4) Upeksha (indifference): Be indifferent towards incorrigible persons. If you try to reform
them you will only waste your time. Consider such people as non-existent for you. Neglect
them.

Steps to a Happy Life

 Fix Your Mind and Intellect on Me Only
(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
When you fathom God through the heart, the heart will be filled with emotions of
love and blessedness but the intellect creates doubts. And if you want to understand
God on the strength of your intellect, the heart doesn’t agree and the job remains
undone.
Lord Krishna says,
_æ`od _Z AmYËñd _{` ~wqÕ {Zdoe` &
‘Fix your mind on Me only, your intellect in Me’. (The Gita: 12.08)
From the non-dualistic point of view, it is wrong to say that the mind and the heart
are not fixed on God. When everything, the whole universe is God, when God is
everywhere, how can the mind and the intellect be fixed to anything else? But this is
true only for those who have opened the eye of Knowledge. For example, can you go
away from the space? You may go to America, England, France, Germany, Japan, or
even to heaven, hell, Paataal, Talatal, Rasatal, Bhuvarloka, Janaloka, Tapaloka or
Maharloka, but you cannot leave the space because it is all-pervading. As the space is
all-pervading, so is God; nay God is subtler than even the space. So your mind and
intellect can never go away from the omnipresent God, not even if you want them to. As
your physical body cannot go out of the physical space, your mind and intellect cannot
go out of the chidakasha, field of Consciousness. But you fail to understand this truth
and so long as you don’t understand the truth, you have to get engaged in sÍdhanÍ and
laborious efforts of all kinds.
Lord Krishna says, ‘Arjuna! You are very dear to me; therefore, I impart the most secret
teaching to you.’
We people have some qualification, some sense of renunciation, some merits; that is
why we are able to come to satsang and listen to it. When we have such qualification and
merits to our credit in this life, why shouldn’t we make further efforts? We should not fear.
The eyes see everything else but not themselves. Our own Self is too near to be seen and so is
God. Our senses, our mind, our intellect are extroverted and that is why God appears to be far
away. Actually speaking, God is not a wee bit far from us.
The Lord says,
‘Fix your mind on Me only, your intellect in Me’
Swami Akhandananda, a disciple of Uria Baba went to Darkatia Baba. The Baba said,
‘You meet God at all hours of the day. Find out the places other than God, where your mind
goes. In other words, think of the places where your mind goes to and find out where God is
absent.’
Swami Akhandananda started thinking and in the process, became calm. In that silence,
it was revealed to him that the intellect rises from God and then subsides in God. God is
within, God is without. Wherever you see, there is God alone if you remove divisions of
names and forms. He realized it, we have yet to realize.
Somebody asked Raman Maharshi, “Sir! How can we have Darshan of the Lord?”
Maharshi said, “Think ‘Who am I?’ Ask yourself ‘Who am I?’ If you search for your ‘I’,
you will have Darshan of the Lord.”
The qualified aspirant after liberation was given this teaching.
In those days, Christian Missionaries were active in India. They noticed the great deal of
influence Ramana Maharshi had on Hindu community. They thought of converting Ramana
Maharshi to Christianity and hoped to bring a great number of Hindus to Christian fold. Two
prominent Christian pastors came to Ramana Maharshi and said, “Have you seen God?”
Maharshi said, “Yes.”
 “Then make us see God.”
“Come tomorrow morning and you will see God.”
Ramana Maharshi went out for a walk on mount Arunachal and the clerics followed him.
They met a leper. Ramana Maharshi cleaned his wounds and dressed them. The clerics kept
on looking and then said, “You promised to make us see God today.”
Maharshi said, “Have not you seen Him? I was serving none but God.”
The fathers were greatly impressed finding another Christ in Ramana Maharshi, who
saw God in everybody. They wanted to become the Guru of Ramana Maharshi but instead
became his disciples.
This teaching is for those who are dedicated to philanthropy (sewa), who are taught that
service to the poor and miserable is service to God. But one should see God not only in the
distressed and downtrodden but in everything including oneself. So wherever your mind and
your intellect go, negate the names and forms which are the creations of Maya and you will
find God and only God everywhere. If you remove the mirror and the reflection what remains
except the seer?
Therefore the Lord says:
_æ`od _Z AmYËñd _{` ~wqÕ {Zdoe` &
{Zd{gî`{g _æ`od AV D$Üdª Z g§e`… &&
‘Fix your mind on Me only, your intellect in Me, (then) you shall no doubt live in Me alone
hereafter.’

SELF KNOWLEDGE
Goal and Refuge
(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
Know the world to be transient and changing, and God to be Eternal and permanent. The
samsara is the abode of sufferings. It torments through an enemy and inflicts pain through a
friend. If a friend falls sick, we get distressed and if he is annoyed we get disappointed. We
will be sad if he meets with an accident. Any problem or calamity befalling him would mean
pain and sorrow for us. We will be troubled if a friend turns into an enemy or dies. Even
after his death, his memory will grieve us.
The samsara grieves us through friendship and worldly things make us toil when we
think them our own. One remains busy looking after ornaments, cars, bank balance, this and
that only to die leaving everything behind. We have to leave them even after doing
everything to secure them but if we secure it to meet our own selfish ends, it leads to bondage
and if we do so for the sake of devotional love and altruism, it leads to liberation because
both, the goal and refuge in this case is God. I too am looking after ashrams and so many
things, but I am not bound by anything. It is only when you do anything out of selfishness
that your action brings you disturbance, worry, sin and bondage and pushes you into the
cycle of birth and death. If you utilize your capabilities for the good of all beholding the one
Lord Vasudeva in all, and take refuge in God by surrendering the fruits of your actions to
Him, your heart will be blessed with magnanimity and your intellect with divine inspiration.
Then there will be no need for you to pass big examinations cramming big volumes in order
to practice management or parrot huge scriptures before giving satsang.
If you seek refuge not in your ego, but in God before speaking, if you speak for the sake
of Lord Hari, Who is the Real Self of all beings, your eloquence will become satsang, your
actions noble and life divine.
People do practice devotion for God’s love and support but in their hearts, they give
importance to (cherish the goal of) familial matters, money and fame, rather than to God. So
they do not seek refuge in God but in transient things enhancing their entanglement. If you
give importance to God in your heart while working, shopping with your wife or travelling,
then you have taken refuge in God. If your main aim is God and if you give importance to
God in life, if translating your actions into Karmayoga and carrying out righteous actions is
your motto, then your goal and refuge is God.
If your aim is to get pleasure by taking recourse to theft, then your goal and refuge are
mean. If the aim is big, then even seeking support of lower person will do. For example there
was a rich couple who had a devout young daughter. Her aim was to have darshan of God.
Once upon a time three or four thugs came to her house in the disguise of sadhus. In the
absence of her parents, they told the girl, “Come with us wearing all the ornaments, we will
let you behold the Lord.” She accompanied the thugs who disrobed her of all the ornaments
and said, “Look into this well, you will behold God.” No sooner did she bend down to look
into the well than the thugs pushed her into it and ran away. God appeared there and saved
the girl! Though her refuge was mean, her goal was God, and hence she was saved. A
detailed description of this incident appears in the ‘Bhaktamal’.
In the case of some, both the goal and refuge are higher. For example, when Hanumana
went to Lanka, his aim was to serve Lord Rama and his refuge was Rama nama, Karmayoga.
Hanumana tried to make Ravana see reason in the name of Lord Rama but Ravana was far
from surrendering his ego. Hanumana then burnt down Lanka. His aim was to make Ravana
estimate the power of Lord Rama through the demonstration of the power of an ordinary
messenger of His. So Hanumanji’s motto was to glorify Lord Rama. He was not hostile to
Ravana, nor had he any intention to show his greatness by burning down Lanka. His aim was
to bring good to Ravana by making him realize the greatness of Lord Rama.
God too while sending His messenger, says, “Go, see to it that while our purpose of
bringing Sita is fulfilled, it should bring good to Ravana.”
‘Just frame your speech to the enemy in such a way as to advance my cause and
benefit him too.’
So, if your sole refuge and motive behind your action, speech and transaction is God, you
will attain communion with the Truth-Consciousness and Bliss Absolute Supreme Self.

Glory of the Self-realized Guru

Lord Krishna says to Sudama “Dear Friend! He from whom one is born and thus
invested with the body, is the first guru. He from whom one becomes twice-born by
performance of the upnayana or investiture of the sacred thread and becomes eligible for
study of Vedas and performance of religious duties is the second preceptor. He is worthy of
reverence as myself. And the Guru who imparts spiritual knowledge and makes one realize
the Supreme Soul, is veritably identical to Me.
“Dear friend! Those varnashramis who, in this mundane existence, obtain oral
instructions in spiritual matters from their preceptor, easily cross the ocean of samsara, as
they know the real essence of Svartha and Parmartha.
“Dear friend! I abide in all beings as their Real Self, the Inner Controller. I am not
pleased by performance of sacrifices or the duties of a householder’s life, by the performance
of the investiture of the sacred thread of upanayana implying the observance of duties of a
brahmacharin or a celibate person nor am I pleased so much with penance in the
vanaprastha stage of life or by the path of renunciation followed by sannyasins as much as I
would be pleased by rendering services to the Guru.
[Srimad Bhagawata: 10.80.32-34]
JwamoaZwJ«hoU¡d nw_mZ² nyU…© àemÝV`o &
 Dear friend! It is by the grace of the Guru that a man becomes perfect and
eligible for supreme peace.
[Srimad Bhagawata: 10-80-43]
Lord Krishna’s Guru Sandipani says:
EVXod {h g{ÀN>î`¡… H$V©ì`§ Jwé{ZîH¥$V_² &
`X² d¡ {dewÕ^mdoZ gdm©Wm©Ë_mn©U§ Jwam¡ &&
It is in this manner that a good disciple should repay his debt of gratitude to his
preceptor, namely that he should offer with a sincere heart, whatever he has with him
including his very life.
-[Srimad Bhagawata: 10-80.41]

Erase your ego and be modest

-Pujya Bapuji
There are two tendencies of mind – one is egoistic and the other is modest. Egoism
comes from foolishness and modesty is the result of good sense. Out of foolishness, people
become proud of their wealth, learning, power or good looks. ‘Nobody has the power,
beauty, learning, wealth or the family like I have,’ they think. Billions like you have come
and gone. If you look at the beauty, power or the family (the universe) of God, from Whom
you and all others got theirs, where is the room for pride? When we are ignorant, when we
are unable to see the splendour, the Knowledge, the potency, the opulence of the Supreme
Lord, we become proud of this body which started from a drop of vital fluid and collecting
some information by reading books and hearing others we boast of our learning, power,
status or wealth. And we blow our own trumpet making our finite individuality separated
from That Indivisible Whole.
A son may get separated from his father and have another house or factory for himself.
But can a jiva build any factory separated from the indivisible Pure Consciousness? Can we
have peace imagining ourselves to be separated from the Supreme Being and taking pride in
our assumed individual existence? We have egoistic feelings only because we do not have
Knowledge of the Infinite, the Cosmic Person. It is not that only the educated or the
uneducated or the wealthy feel proud. People feel proud also of not having wealth. Many
people are proud of renunciation, being an ascetic. They take pride in things like, ‘I am no
run-of-the-mill sadhu; I have not taken salt for the last twelve years.’ ‘I walk barefooted.’ ‘I
have not shaved my beard for six years.’ Our ego assumes various forms and turns the mind
outwards. And without turning the mind inwards one cannot attain absolute peace, absolute
Knowledge and Indivisible existence.
The most learned of men, if takes recourse to enquiry (in to the nature of reality), his
pride of learning cannot persist. The most powerful men, if takes recourse to enquiry, his
pride of power cannot persist. The most beautiful person, if takes recourse to enquiry, his/her
pride of beauty can not persist. Non-enquiry is the only cause of pride. Enquiry brings
modesty.
{dÚm XXm{V {dZ`_² &
‘Learning brings modesty.’
Suppose your enemy comes to your house. Finding the enemy at your house, you get up,
offer him a seat, give him a glass of water and show respect towards him; you bow your head
before him. Your treating him with respect doesn’t make your enemy great; it shows your
greatness. One who makes another great (by showing respect to him) is greater than the great
for he is the maker of the ‘great’. Modesty does not make one meek. Rather modesty coupled
with discriminative insight delivers the mind from the ego and fills it with Self-Bliss.
Allegations were levelled against Kabirji and Kabirji received them with all humility.
The king of Kashi says, ‘Kabirji! There is still time to mend your ways and if you do so, I can
forgive you. Hitherto I have been dismissing what the priests said about you as rubbish but
when I with my own eyes see you holding the hand of a whore in your one hand and a bottle
of liquor in the other, I am constrained to ask you what has brought this degradation in you. It
is the question of your honour. When you have disciples like me, the king of Kashi why is
it that you are seen in this state – holding the hand of a whore in your one hand and a
bottle of liquor in the other?
…..(Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).

Jivanshakti ka vikas rp194

Laws of Life
Secret of Success
(Continued from the previous issue)
Somebody holds a high position and is engaged in corruption. That doesn’t mean that he
ascended to that position by means of such wrong doings. He would have put nondual
Vedanta in practice in previous life, which is the cause of his high position. If at present he
indulges in wrongdoing, he is sure to suffer degradation in future. Duplicity, deceit, malice,
and hatred etc. invariably lead to one’s downfall.
When does a student become successful? He becomes successful only if he applies
himself to studies with a carefree mind and writes the answers fearlessly. Success eludes one
studying under the influence of fear and anxiety. A warrior carries the day in the battle only
if, knowingly or unknowingly he has risen above the little ego (‘I am the body’ idea). An
orator becomes successful and an eloquent speech naturally flows from him if, knowingly or
unknowingly, he becomes oblivious to the limited ego-identity of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. One who is
anxious to make an impact and comes carrying a prepared text or having learned it by rote,
fails to deliver a good speech even when reading out from a prepared text. Those who have
risen above body-consciousness, they speak extempore and what they speak becomes
satsang, becomes the gospel.
The more true we are to Indweller Lord, the more forgetful we are of our body-
consciousness, the more natural, spontaneous, when no trace of personality is left in us, there
is no ‘I’, you’ and ‘that’ we are, the more deeply are we connected to our inner source of
infinite energy and blessed with glory. The more we become dependent on external
circumstances and disconnect ourselves from our inner source of infinite energy, the more are
the chances of our best of plans going haywire. Therefore, if you want to be successful in all
endeavours in all walks of life, make your endeavours after realising your inseparable
oneness with the Indweller Lord. It is only when you severe your link with the Indweller
Lord that your relations with the world are strained.
…(Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).

Blessings of Saints
 The Transient and the Eternal
(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
Saint Kabirji made a pithy observation:
‘Looking at the grinding stones, Kabir laments
In the duel of wheels, nothing stays intact.’
He further says, ‘Let the duel of wheels go on. Why do you lament?
If you stay close to the pivotal pin; you will escape all harm.’
Any grain – wheat, maize, millet… – you put in the mill-stone is ground but the grain
that clings to the pivotal pin, the immutable one, remains unharmed.
The world is ever changing and is constantly in motion but the motion is owing to the
motionless. There is the pivotal pin in the centre on which the mill-stone rotates. The wheel
of a cycle or a motorbike rotates being fixed to the hub. The hub rotates on the axle which
remains where it is. The wheel rotates but the axle on which it rotates doesn’t. The rotation is
on the strength of the non-rotating. Similarly, all motion is on the strength of the motionless;
all change is on the strength of the changeless. The childhood changed on the strength of the
changeless Atman. Happiness changes; sorrow changes; the mind and the intellect keep on
changing; the ego too changes – it becomes inflated now and modest then.
The changeless is the reality; the changing one is unreal, the Maya. Whenever sorrow
comes, know that it will go; whenever happiness or pleasure or worry comes, know that it is
transient. Whatever comes is bound to go.
The transient is experienced on the ground of the Eternal. The Eternal is changeless; the
transient keeps changing. So there are two things – the manifest world is transient and the
Atman, God is Eternal. The Eternal is the abode of bliss, Knowledge, potence and by virtue
of these the transient is functioning. What is experienced by the senses is transient; the
Eternal is beyond perception. The mind is perceived on the strength of the intellect; the
intellect too is perceived on the strength of reason; reason too is perceived on the strength of
the Eternal. One says, ‘my reasoning faculty is developed (or not developed).’
The transient is perceived by virtue of the Eternal. All the transient things combined
together cannot cognize the Eternal. The Eternal is called 1Am|H$ma g{VZm_w H$aVm nwaIw... ‘One
Universal Creator God… The Name Is Truth… Creative Being…’ The Eternal is the only
doer. He is AOyZr g¡^.§ .. ‘Beyond Birth, Self-Existent’ The transient alone is born, the Eternal is
Self-Existent. How to realize Him? Jwa àgm{X & ‘By Guru’s Grace’ He was there before the
transient came into being; He is there while the transient continues to exist and will exist
even after the transient comes to an end. Therefore He is called gMw OwJm{X... ‘True In The
Primal Beginning, True Throughout The Ages, True Here And Now, Forever And Ever
True’.
Lord Vishnu reposes in the Eternal Brahman in the four month period from Deva-
shayani (God sleeping) Ekadashi to Deva-uthi (God waking up) Ekadashi. Saints and ascetics
too spend a good part of these four months in solitude and meditation aimed at reposing in
the Eternal Brahman. Lord Krishna abided in the Eternal Brahman for as long as thirteen
years.
If you chant Hari O… m… in a protracted tone and become silent thereafter, your mind
abides in the Eternal for that much time. You experience freedom from tension and worry in
a short time. This is a method of meditation.
….(Read full article in Rishi Prasad).
Biography of Saints
A Saga of Ruins
 (Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
Dadu DeenDayal Maharaj was a renowned saint. His disciple, Swami Nishchaldas
Maharaj is the author of ‘Vichar Sagar.’ My Satguru Lord Leelashahji Maharaj was
greatly impressed by the works of Dadu Deen Dayal. In fact, we belong to the lineage or
disciplic succession of Dadu Deen Dayal.
Amer is situated near Jaipur (Raj). At the behest of King Akbar, King Mansinh
was enthroned at Amer. For the past fourteen to fifteen hundred years, the alien forces
have been trying only one strategy to divide the Hindus in order to bring them in their
own sect. The supporters of conversion made Hindu Brahmins their puppets and set
them work against Daduji. Actually the Hindu Brahmins were not against Daduji but
they were intentionally made opponents.
A Brahmin had two young daughters. They were Daduji’s disciples. The opponents
instigated the Brahmin and they all marched to King Mansinh with a complaint, “Your
Majesty, in your regime, a vicious act is being carried out. Dadu Maharaj has
unlawfully kept two young girls in his premises. Please free our daughters from his
clutches. He has forcibly snatched the daughters from his fathers and kept them in his
ashram.”
Damn! He had not snatched them from anyone. When the mind and intellect of
young children becomes pure, they choose the path to Absolute purity. Great souls like
Mahatma Buddha, Lord Mahavir Swami had not snatched any child from anyone.
Lord Leela Shahji Maharaj had never snatched Asumal from his family. I’d myself
gone to stay at ‘His Lotus feet’ and I’ve been benefited by ‘His Divine Grace.’ Not only
this, even today. Millions of beings are being blessed by His Divine Grace. ‘The Great
Soul’ has transformed Asumal into Asaram and presented him to the society. Hails to
Lord Leela Shahji Maharaj!
During those days, the opponents even went to the extent of instigating King
Mansinh. They said, “Dear King, at your coronation ceremony, every saint and sadhu
came to bless you but Saint Dadu did not come to shower his blessings upon you. Rather
he has unlawfully kept two damsels in his ashram.” They attributed great denigration
to the pious name of Daduji.
“Your Majesty! It is a great disgrace to you and you are not saying anything for
him. He does not believe in Hinduism or Islam. One of his disciples died in the ashram
and Daduji abandoned his deadbody in the woods. No last rites of the body were
performed. It was not cremated. Jal samskara or Agni saamskar was not performed. It
was not buried. Rather, in the woods, birds and animals like kites, jackals, foxes and
dogs etc. kept feeding themselves on the disciple’s dead body. How can such a man who
is cruel to his disciple be beneficent for the society, country or the king?”
After hearing the insidious account, the king investigated the case which confirmed
the facts about the disciple’s last rites. The king deliberated, “If I give any punishment
to the saint, maybe the deep sigh of agony expressed by the saint and his devotees cause
my ruin. On the other hand, if I fail to calm these rebels, the upsurging unrest among
the society might result into my dethronement by Emperor Akbar.
The king felt himself on the horns of dilemma. The prudent king reached Dadu’s
ashram and said, “Maharaj, I’ve come to have your pious darshan.”
 But, the skeptical looks can no longer be hidden. The saint said, “On the pretext of
having ‘darshan,’ actually you’ve come to enquire about something.”
“Yes, Maharaj, I heard that one of your disciples had died. So you instead of
performing his last rites, allowed the body to be left in the woods.”
“Yes King, I had performed his last rites. But the funeral ceremonies can be
performed in six different ways. 1.Agni Samskara, the body is consigned to flames.
2.Jala samskara, it is dropped in water. 3.Burial, buried in the earth. 4.Vayu samskara,
the body is offered to the wind god, the body is kept in a forest. Fifth way is when the
mortal body disappears owing to the pangs of separation from the beloved Lord, as it
happened in the case of Mirabai. And the last kind of rites is ‘Jnana Samadhi,’
In this case, I performed the fourth kind of funeral rites. After reciting the sacred
Mantras, I made a resolve and offered the body to ‘the wind god’ and to the god of
forest. That was my disciple’s wish and I carried out the same.
“Great Saint! I trust your words. I was told that you are cruel to your disciples’,
my ears were poisoned.
A few people had even instigated a Brahmin and brought him to me. He was crying
bitterly and saying, ‘Maharaj has kept my two beautiful daughters forcibly in his
ashram.’ Swamiji! Are the girls here?”
Swamiji replied, “Yes, they are here.”
“Are they beautiful?”
“Yes, they are very beautiful. Not only are they physically attractive, their inner
beauty and acumen is also exceptional. They’ve understood the evanescence of this
transient world and now they are enjoying the nectar of Eternity. They’ve transcended
the limits of ego and desires. At present, they are attaining the supreme wealth of the
Lord’s devotion.
“It’s good my Lord. If you don’t mind, may I see those girls for a while?”
….(Read full article in Rishi Prasad magazine).

Health and Nature

Celibacy: The Third Pillar of the Body
Celibacy is the third pillar of the body. (The first is food and the second is sleep,
explained in the earlier issues). The body, mind, intellect and the senses get nutrition
from food, rest from sleep and strength from celibacy respectively.
~«÷M`ª na§ ~b_² &
‘Brahmacharya is supreme strength.’
The meaning of brahmacharya:
H$_©Um _Zgm dmMm gdm©dñWmgw gd©Xm &
gd©Ì _¡WwZË`mJmo ~«÷M`ª àMjVo &&
 ‘Abstaining from sexual indulgence in the physical, mental and verbal form, always
and in all circumstances and situations is brahmacharya.’ (Yajnavalkya Samhita)
Observance of celibacy helps in the conservation of semen and the seven vital
dhatus (shukra) that are the main supporting elements of the body. Persons rich in
shukra will have excellent health, strength, intelligence and longevity. They will have a
keen and pure intellect, strong memory, good discriminative and decision-making
ability, great power of resolve, firm determination, courage, pure and noble thoughts,
and a joyful temperament. All their sense organs, teeth, hair and eye-sight remain
strong till old age. They are not easily affected by diseases. Though very rarely, even if
they get affected, they get cured very quickly and with minimal treatment. Describing
the glory of brahmacharya, lord Dhanavantari has said:
_¥Ë`wì`m{YOamZm{e nr`yf§ na_m¡fY_² &
gm¡»`_yb§ ~«÷M`ª gË`_od dXmå`h_² &&
‘Observance of celibacy is the best of all solutions to destroy diseases, sorrows,
untimely or premature death and premature old age. I state this fact that like ambrosia,
it is the source of all happiness.”
Just as the butter content present in curds is separated by the process of churning, the
essence of the seven dhatus – ‘ojas’ present in every cell of the body is separated from the
body by the process of sex (copulation or masturbation etc.) The loss of this ‘ojas’ makes a
man charmless, weak, diseased, sorrowful, fearful, angry and worried.
Symptoms of Loss of Shukra (Charak Samhita):
The loss of shukra will lead to the appearance of certain symptoms in a person, which
are as follows:
Debility, dryness of the mouth, paleness, enervation of the body and the senses, getting
tired after only a little effort, and impotence.
Ailments Caused by Overindulgence in Sex:
Fever, difficulty in breathing, cough, tuberculosis, anaemia, debility, stomach pain and
convulsions.
Measures to Preserve Celibacy:
A firm and auspicious resolve to maintain celibacy, pure and simple living, intake of
sattvik, fresh and moderate quantity of food, breathing in fresh air, sun bathing, austerities
and fasting, yogasanas, pranayam, chanting of ‘. ’ in a long-drawn manner, repetition of the
mantra, ‘. aryamÍyai namaÏ’, reading the shastras, being continuously engaged in noble
work, keeping the company of well-behaved and self-controlled people, going to bed early
and rising in the brahma muhurta (two and a half hours before sun rise), bathing in cold water
in the morning, bathing of genitals with cold water both in the morning and evening, wearing
the loin cloth(langot/kaupeen), not having any vices, giving up bad company, giving up
seeing bad sights and hearing bad words, men considering allwomen other than wife as
mother and women considering all men other than husband as father or brother – these are
the measures that are helpful in observing Brahmacharya. Sitting in solitude with other men,
having a secret conversation, roaming around as one pleases, wearing gaudy and provocative
clothes, moving around with provocative make up – all these will cause obstacles to women
who want to observe celibacy. The more we lead a life full of sadhana, altruism, duty and
justice, the proportionately lesser will be our attachment to the body. When this happens, the
observance of celibacy becomes easy and natural to us. Absolute and dedicated celibacy is
absolutely necessary to attain Self-realization.
Brahmacharya in marrid life:
The great Manu has defined Brahmacharya for householders in the following:
F$Vw… ñdm^m{dH$… órUm§ amÌ`… fmoS>e ñ_¥Vm… &
MVw{^©[aVa¡… gmÕª Ahmo{^… g{ÛJ{h©Vo &&
‘Having sexual union with one’s wife only in the time permitted for sexual activity is
Brahmacharya in married life. From the first day of the menses to the sixteenth day is
considered as ritu kaal (appropriate period). During this period, the four nights of the
menstrual cycle and the eleventh and thirteenth nights are considered as inappropriate. Out of
the remaining ten days, the man who has sexual union with his wife on the two most
appropriate nights is a ‘Brahmachari in married life.’
Praising Brahmacharya in married life, Shri Sushrutacharya says:
Am`wî_ÝVmo _ÝXOam dnwd©U©~bm{ÝdVm… &
{ñWamon{MV_m§gmíM ^d{ÝV órfw g§`Vm… &&
“Men who are self-controlled in the matters of women (sex) are long-lived and they get
old very late. Their bodies will not only be handsome, lustrous and strong, but also have
stable and strong musculature.
(Sushruta Samhita, Chikitsaasthaan: 24.112)
Thus, wisdom in taking food, sleep and in observing celibacy can help a person in attaining a
healthy, happy and respectable life.

‘Rishi Prasad’ Correspondent

The satsang programme organized in Surat (Gujarat) from the 25th to the 28th of
December simply amazed the onlookers by the surging flood of devotees and sadhaks. The
devotees who were waiting for Pujyashree’s arrival, stood along both sides of the road in
long queues. When Bapuji arrived at the ashram amidst a shower of flowers, countless
devotees were waiting in the satsang pandal with a fervent desire to have a glimpse of their
adorable Gurudev. Speaking to the people suffering from sorrow and diseases, Pujyashree
made them aware of the secrets of happiness and health as follows: “In happiness resides
sorrow, in attachment resides hatred, in enjoyment of sense pleasures resides disease, but in
devotional love to the Lord resides his grace that destroys pain and sorrow. The darshan of
the holy men bestows joy and enthusiasm of the Lord’s love.”
Imparting wisdom regarding nutritious and healthy food, Bapuji said: “Don’t feed your
children on the stale flour sold in the market. The nutritious elements will go on decreasing
seven days after the grain is ground into flour. Mix 5kgs. of wheat, 1kg. maize, 1kg. jou and
if it is winter, mix 1kg. soya bean in it. The flour made from this mixture is very nutritious. I
have eaten the rotis made of this and also seen the results. Feed children with this flour and
let their parents also eat it. Be healthy, happy and virtuous.”
Satsang was organized in Dabhoi (Gujarat) on the 30th and 31st of December.
Introducing the great power of thoughts, Pujya Bapuji said: “Those who value satsang will be
blessed no doubt, but those who do not value satsang and hold on to bad thoughts instead of
noble ones will do great harm to themselves and to others as well. If so many people have
gathered here in Dabhoi for satsang, it is only because of the noble thought of organizing
satsang, which came to the minds of the samiti members! One noble thought of organizing
satsang brings peace and happiness to lakhs of people and the lowly thoughts of quarreling
and inciting quarrels will create disturbance, disorder and strikes.
One bad thought of a student named Abdul Latif led to the creation of Pakistan, crores of
people lost their homes, lakhs of people became victims of atrocities, and thousands died.
That one bad thought is causing a pain in the neck to the whole world even today. If one bad
thought can cause all this, then is it any wonder if just one noble thought leads to noble and
gentlemanly behaviour, satsang and the divine path of God?
In the divine presence of Pujya Bapuji in Dabhoi, a large scale bhandara (distribution of
meals and other useful articles) was organized on the 31st of Dec. in this bhandara, shirts,
sarees, children’s clothes, caps, date fruits, sweets and other such eatables were distributed to
the poor and the needy. After satisfying all of them with meals/Prasad, financial help was
also given in the form of cash. Pujyashree arrived at the Ahmedabad ashram on the 31st Dec.
itself. Sadguru who is our supreme well-wisher, doesn’t miss a single opportunity to awaken
us. Here, Pujyashree’s simple language aroused the flame of discriminative intellect and
dispassion in the hearts of the sadhaks. He said: “Think and try to see as to which article or
thing of this world will remain ours, other than God. Why and for what should one be
dishonest and wicked, why should one hate and why should one commit sinful acts? Why
find fault with others? All people live according to their predestined fate and natural
tendencies –the poor things! Everybody’s welfare…”
The people of Delhi were fortunate to have Bapuji’s poonam darshan on the 10th of
January. Fostering goodwill among the people towards sanatan culture, Pujya Bapuji said:
“Our religious and cultural life saves us from the depravity of sensual enjoyment and
establishes us in meditation, contentment and a natural life. The Sanskrit language and our
culture has got an arrangement to elevate us beyond all these things, take us beyond the
predestined fate and unite the human soul (jivatma) with the supreme soul(paramatma).”
Pujya Bapuji enlightened the audience about the uniqueness of the Sanskrit language and
said: “We get the good cultural impressions from the Vedic language Sanskrit. It has also
been called “the language of the Gods” and it uses the Devanagari script. It is very unique of
this language of the gods, that in it, there can be 180 forms of the ordinary/basic elements. In
other languages we find terms for the singular and plural number but in Sanskrit, we have
separate terms for the singular, two subjects, and for the plural. We also find three genders in
this language and it is called the richest language of the world.
As is done every year, the Uttarayan celebration was organized at the Ahmedabad
ashram from the 11th to the 14th of January. This time, though Bapuji’s programme was
organized in Delhi just before Uttarayan, the crowd of devotees did not decrease in
Ahmedabad. Innumerable people got knowledge from Bapuji’s satsang regarding the
spiritual and vedic significance of Uttarayan festival. In addition, they also got knowledge
about health-related matters and offered oblations to the Sun God. The devotees got guidance
regarding the ways in which different diseases can be prevented by harnessing the sun’s rays.
On Uttarayan day, innumerable people coming from within India and abroad took bath
according to the vedic rituals in the morning after applying the unguent paste prepared as per
vedic customs. They also drank Panchagavya. People from different countries of the world
benefited from Bapuji’s satsang and darshan by means of live telecast, website and video
conferencing.
On Uttarayan, which is a kite festival, the devotees experienced the soaring flight of
knowledge and meditation by the grace of Pujya Bapuji who is a self-realized saint.
Pujyashree stressed on the importance of a life, free from passionate desires: “you will be
blessed with the company of saints when you give up bad company. The fickleness of the
mind does not cause as much sorrow as do actions that are full of selfish desires, dishonesty
and wickedness. Concentration of the mind is a good thing but both Hiranyakashipu and
Ravana who had attained the heights of concentration had to finally give up everything and
die because they harboured selfish desires to enjoy the pleasures of the world. The old tribal
woman Shabari did not have any worldly wealth or splendour but because of her loyalty to
rishi Matanga, she was full of the glory and splendour of the soul. What do traitors know of
this glory!?”
Citizens of the town of Alwar (Rajasthan) which has been the birthplace of saint
Charandas and the place of sadhana of saint Sunderdas, got the golden opportunity to get
Bapuji’s satsang on the 17th and 18th of January. The devotees of Alwar and the surrounding
areas thronged in huge numbers to get the benefit of this opportunity which they got after a
long wait of 11 years. They were feeling blessed by Bapuji’s presence again. Inspiring these
devotees to come out of worldly attachments and tread the spiritual path leading to the
supreme goal Bapuji said: “It is only the greed for happiness that makes a person roam in this
worldly life that has no beginning and no end. However, by means of satsang a human moves
ahead in search of the most supreme and elevated state.”
The fortunate devotees of Vallabhgram (Rajasthan) situated near Khairthal got the
benefit if satsang sessions on the 18th and 19th of Jan. Pujya Bapuji’s arrival here refreshed
the memories of the pure and noble Guru (spiritual master) – shishya(disciple) tradition
because this was the sacred land that for a long period had the presence of Bapuji’s
Sadgurudev Shri Shri Leelashahji Maharaj.
Though Pujyashree had arrived at the Agra ashram (U.P.) with an intention of staying
in solitude, when he saw the huge number of devotees who thronged there, he announced a
satsang session in the afternoon of the 20th of January. Even in this suddenly announced
satsang, there was a sea of devotees that surged and therefore, by the request of the
organizers, Pujyashree granted them another satsang session on the 21st of January. Telling
the method of attaining robust health to the students of the Gurukul here, Bapuji said:
“soaking an almond in water at night and peeling it in the morning, to be finely ground or
eaten after chewing it well bestows unique strength.” Bapuji also gave instructions to arrange
for the purchase of almonds in wholesale and give it to the students for breakfast. Making
them aware of our culture, Bapuji said: “In a country where the native language, native
culture and the saints are not respected, the behaviour and the thoughts of the people become
demoniacal.”
On the 23rd of January the people of Iglas, Hathras and Aligadh (U.P.) were all blessed
with Bapuji’s satsang on the same day. People got the news of satsang being announced only
a few hours in advance, but the news of the programmes arranged at such a short notice
spread with the speed of the wind and huge crowds of devotees thronged to have darshan of
their beloved Bapuji.
Devotees from the region near Karsua ashram Aligadh (U.P.) got the opportunity of
satsang on the 24th of January. In the holy land where the son of Nand baba, Lord Shri
Krishna performed his divine play – Vrindavan (U.P.), satsang was organized. The city of
Vrindavan and Bapuji’s satsang! Not only the people of Uttar Pradesh, but also Delhi,
Rajasthan and other areas from North India turned up to benefit from this rare combination.
In Lord Krishna’s city the Vaishnav sadhus, saints and devotees of Mathura – Vrindavan
were swayed and enthralled in the shower of knowledge, devotion and love!
Explaining the meaning of love in the city of love Bapuji said: “If God is different from us,
then how can He be omnipresent? And if HE is outside of us, then how can He be all
pervading? God is present in all of us and He is our own. The stream of nectarine satsang
flowed in Eta (U.P.), the evening of the 26th of January (Somavati Amavasya). Explaining
the unique significance of Somavati amavasya, Ravivari saptami, Mangalvari chaturthi and
Budhvari ashtami, Bapuji said that the merits derived from the observance of silence, jap,
austerities and meditation on these auspicious days will be inexhaustible.
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