The great epic Mahabharat depicts the history of Pandavas and  Kauravas, the descendents of King Bharat; it  includes the Kurukshetra war and most importantly Bhagwad Gita. Bhagwad Gita is a part of Mahabharat and the holy scripture originated 5000 years ago which was compiled by Maharishi Ved Vyasa, the great rishi. He was the son of rishi Parashar and has to his credit of compiling the longest epic titled Mahabharat. This epic was compiled keeping in mind that basic spiritual knowledge should reach every segment of the society be it the uneducated, women or the deprived ones, hence it is so vast and lengthy. And in addition to Mahabharat, Maharishi Ved Vyasa also composed 18 puranas (legendary stories), Brahma sutra and most notably Shrimad Bhagwad Gita.  Shrimad Bhagwad Gita is a song divine, the nectar of God and has endowed in it the eternal knowledge or shashwat gyan of immortality of our Spirit.

The Pandavas and Kauravas were cousin brothers and Kurukshetra became the battle ground of wicked Kauravas and the pious Pandavas over inheritance.  They were the warring clans because of Duryodhana the eldest Kaurava, who vehemently declined to transfer the legitimate kingdom to scion Yudhisthir, the eldest of all the Pandava brothers.  It was this fierce war that Arjuna refused to fight against his own kith and kin and instead accepted living as an ascetic. However, Lord Krishna motivated him during that time and advocated not be averse to face the formidable situation as this was his duty, his dharma. And afterwards, being pleased with his obedience and devotion, Lord Krishna also revealed to him his divine form. Surprisingly, Bhagwad Gita is the only holy scripture that was born during the time of a war while all other great scriptures have originated in times of peace.

The teacher and  guru in Shrimad Bhagwad Gita is Lord Krishna who is considered to be a holy avatar and the recipient or disciple is his foremost believer Arjuna, who in great distress and  grief turns to Krishna his savior, friend, philosopher and personal guide in all times. Lord Krishna explains Arjuna about his duties as a warrior, prince and individual self and preaches him that never should we ignore or fear any life situation that we encounter, as that is our karma and dharma both. Yet the fruit of our karmas should be surrendered to the Almighty without any expectations or desire of any kind.

Shrimad Bhagwad Gita is the ultimate statement of spiritual knowledge comprising of 700 verses of Sanskrit verses which reveal the essence of ancient Vedantic philosophy. It is a holy science of Vedantic knowledge comprising of Hindu philosophy of indestructible Atman. It is an Upanishad in its own right and is a concise guide to Hindu theology. It has an universal appeal because it confers upon us the answers to our self enquiry on our quest and journey to self realizatioin.

It is also called ‘Geetopanishad’, song of Upanishad. What’s more, some even  call it ‘Mokshashastra,’ the scripture of liberation, since it contains exact knowledge of Atma, Parmatma, yoga, karma, reincarnation, duties of a seeker in times of personal crises and a lot more.

 During later times, a Bhakti sect saint, poet and social reformer named Gyaneshwar was born in Maharashtra in the 13^th century in India. As the language Sanskrit was inaccessible for the masses, he expanded and translated those 700 verses into 9999 verses in local language, Marathi in order to reach out to maximum people and thus gave them access to this ancient knowledge which is endowed in Bhagwad Gita. Until before this, Sanskrit was a Brahmin’s language. The sacred book is ‘Gyaneshwari’ and it has detailed knowledge about metaphysics, kundalini and astrology as well.

 With god’s grace, I was fortunate to have made a visit to the pilgrimage city Alandi, in Maharashtra in April 2006. It is the samadhi  place of saint Gyaneshwar who has authored the Marathi commentary on the Bhagwad Gita. However, I have read just some part of it which pertained to why and how should one be in control of one’s senses and mind in order to attain calmness and enduring peace. Controlling the restless mind and eager senses is the duty of the sadhak, it said. The verses are metrical and beautiful and has profound richness endowed in it.

Dear friends, now we will move on to the lesson of our day. But before that let me request you to kindly read the two parts of this post together to get a better understanding on the discussion that is going on since quite some time. This blog is a worldwide forum and as people from all over are getting interested slowly in the ancient knowledge of self realization, it is suggested that you read both these posts a few times more. And if possible also run through a few pages of Bhagwad Gita to get to the depth of Vedantic philosophy, and chapter 2 in particular.

And here I need to quote and go back to the last article-‘Why is peace so essential for a seeker?-I.

 “How should one read the holy book Bhagwad Gita?

First and foremost we must invoke the spirit of Lord Krishna and his chief disciple Arjuna, both.

Why?

Lord Krishna will impart the eternal knowledge of Self while the all pervading Spirit of Arjuna will teach us how to be an ideal disciple of the Spiritual Master and mentor. And how to balance one’s inner spiritual life with the outer physical and material world consisting of our family, relatives, society, profession and others areas; that is to say that the inner world and the outer world must meet and converge on a positive note. We need to learn to balance both for our happiness, emotional security and sustained peace of mind.”

 In the Bhagwad Gita, seeing the divine form of Lord Krishna, the consciousness of Arjuna expands by breaking the narrow limits of his old self. The temporary clouds of ignorance float away and he sees the infinite form of Cosmic Consciousness. He saw the light of thousand suns in Lord Krishna and they both merged as one in each other into that Cosmic Light.

 Once the consciousness of Arjuna incorporates with that of Lord Krishna and becomes one, they both have one thought or sankalpa and there is no demarcation and difference between the disciple and the Master, the individuality of Arjuna disappears.  After this, there is resonance in their intention and thought as they are in unison with the all pervading God and they both can impart spiritual knowledge to their respective disciples.

Arjuna is an epitome of an ideal disciple in Indian history who had complete control over his senses and mind. He was an ideal yogi, disciple, son, husband, father, archer, marksman and a compassionate and just human being. He was equally skilled in yogic practices as he was in worldly affairs. He struck a balance between both his worlds and delivered more than satisfactory results as the situation at that time demanded of him. Like him, we too need to have knowledge of Self and the world alike.

One can’t realize God until the environment that one lives in is calm and peaceful steadily. If there are tiffs and tensions in relationships or if there are financial problems at home, the mind cannot be in a peaceful state obviously. So invoke the spirit of Arjuna to bring about a change in attitude by not neglecting the assigned duties for personal growth and development, financial security, family’s progress, cordial relations with society and family. They all are important.

In the last post it was mentioned that peace is a prequalification to know God. It is true that we must shed egoism, frustration, earthly desires etc. so that the mind is in tranquil state and we do not create wrongful thought patterns in our consciousness. The frittered mind breaks the unity with God hence the mind’s attention and focus should be extended as much as one can. After practicing controlling the wavering mind like Arjuna, the seeker faces yet another major problem- that of offensive attacks from other people without one’s own fault or mistaken action and that too quite often!

There will always be enough people who will be malicious and wicked and will target you even though you will wish good for them always. You may be too preoccupied with your routine tasks and spiritual practices yet their snipes and verbal attacks may shrink your joyous temperament. What should one do in such a case?? How can we try to return to equilibrium?

First of all remember this -Do not lose your peace…. And

• Have minimum contact and talk as less as possible with such troubling people.
• Do not do anything that will provoke them and in return they might harm or play a mischief with you more than ever before.
• When you meditate, pray for them that their nature should be more kind, sweet and caring.
• Listen more and talk less with such nasty people.
• When they harm you, tell God about it during the time of your prayers. God will send help to you in some form and will also give you solutions and answers to your problems in that relationship.
• When you will meditate, their face will re -appear in front of you. Ignore it and bring back your mind to your point of concentration.

 How to seek and maintain peace while living here, in this world?

At this juncture I recall a very interesting incident between Arjuna and his wife Draupadi.

When in exile after Varnavata mishap, the mother of the Pandavas had taught them to share  everything that they got as alms equally amongst themselves. Upon returning home with Draupadi whom Arjun won in swayamvar, he addresses his mother by saying, “Look mother what we have got in alms today.” Unmindful of what Arjuna was referring to, she unassumingly asked the brothers to share whatever they got. And in order to obey the order of their mother all five Pandavas accepted Draupadi as their wives. Later Draupadi told Arjun, “You won me as your wife in the contest held at my father’s palace. Although now I am to be shared equally with all your brothers, my mind will always be with you, although physically I may be with other brothers.” Such should be one’s mind- always focused on God though physically we may live anywhere in this world.

Like Draupadi, who was in soul and heart of Arjun but outwardly she belonged to all other Pandavas, in the same way we should be of God although we may live in this world and we may have to live with all sorts of people and face many kinds of tough situations. The mind should be stabilized, steady and ever fixed on omnipresent God to retain peace and equanimity. How?

• Always remember to recall God and your gurus for help in times of distress and difficulties. Peace shall return. You will find solutions to your spiritual as well as worldly problems; seek their guidance and supervision to find your way out of darkness and difficulties. Meditate more often.
• While doing normal daily activities cut off for a while from the existing scenario and gather peaceful vibes by recalling some tranquil moments of your meditations or peaceful places that you have visited.
• Practice composure every day, even till the last day of your life as there is no substitute for peace in our life.
• Listen well and attentively to others. Give a gap between the words that stream in your ears and the words that fall out. Increase that gap. Although this might sound easy but the mind is forceful and often gets out of control. One needs long practice in controlling the flow of words and the choice of words also that one may use while speaking.
• Learn and practice the art of speaking.  Talk less; speak a small number of words which may meet your requirements.
• Save mental energy. Practice silence and peace; speak still fewer words and live in peace. It is essential!!!

 Narayan Narayan Hari Hari Prabhu Narayan Narayan Hari Hari

              Hari Om! Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Om!

In Alandi, in Apr 2006

 As one can see these days there are quite a few new readers from all over the globe who have made their presence felt on this weblog by giving their regular feedback recently and are showing keen interest in self awakening. One of you has even requested me that I attach more pictures to drive home a point. Sure, I will do that as long as I have an appropriate photo for that purpose.

 I thank all of you heartily before we begin to discuss the central point today. Your overwhelming positive response and expectations make me raise my bar of excellence in every arena- be it making regular entries of useful content, better explanation of spiritual phenomenon and its underlying spiritual principles along with bridging the gap by cementing a bond between us for mutual growth and spiritual excellence. 

 And this blog initiated by none other than His Holiness Shri Mahavatar Babaji  is also fulfilling the purpose of laying the foundation for future generations for road mapping. Therefore this post is once again an offering at his sacred feet and is a ‘prasad’ or blessing for all his disciples and devotees alike all over the world, wherever they may be. 

 May we all cherish divine love and friendship and may we all be a helping hand to each other on our voyage towards knowing God within ourselves. May the flame of illumination always glow in our sacred hearts and may we for all time offer blossoms at the holy feet of our Divine Lord and all the sacred gurus.

The aim to write this chain of eight posts is to in some way answer your budding questions and also furnish further details on topics with which many of you are already familiar with in this field.

This segment is now divided into two parts as you will see. Topics related to Consciousness and Super Consciousness are listed in section I while the last eight posts for the new as well as old readers are added in section II.  They are related to mixed topics usually pertaining to an upcoming and struggling aspirant and also for those who have their feet firm now on this path.

So let’s all now begin our next step on this lovely path full of fragrance of spiritual bouquet.

If you recall in my last post I had mentioned to you about my sublime experience of rendezvous with complete silence during meditation on one blessed day not long past . Since then, I tried a few times to relive those splendid moments when I could get in direct touch with the omni present. Even the flashes of those exclusive times left me recharged and have given me so many insights without which I cannot go on writing relentlessly. Once more, this post has emerged out of those potentially dynamic spiritual moments and we all shall now bathe  and baptasize ourselves in that glory and immortal beauty of God.

Just a night before the previous one, when I wrapped up my day accomplishing quite a bit, I was still hazy about the content of the upcoming post due today. But leaving that to God and being assured in myself that let the right time come, I will be given directive about the content of the subject, I was feeling at ease and serene. Thinking so, I put my head on the white pillow with placidity and began to say my prayer as an offering for the day’s blessings. My heart welled up with emotions when I closed my eyes and remembered the Lord residing within me as I did mental chanting of His holy name-

 Hey Prabho, Hey Eeshwar; Hey Prabho, Hey Eeshwar ; Hey Prabho, Hey Eeshwar ……. (synonyms of God)

No sooner did I repeat His name that I saw a drop of gleaming Light emerging from the higher space and then hitting me at the place between my eyebrows.

The Light was fairly square in shape and sparkling rays were emerging out of this drop of Light in outer direction as my eyes could see them distinctly. I promptly absorbed all the rays as I now understand every shred, every speck, every miniscule part of it is so forceful and is a gift from God and should be humbly accepted as a ‘prasad.’

I was sliding into absolute tranquility when God’s benevolent words began to trickle in like little drops of golden light over me…

“Why is peace so difficult for man to achieve?” In a continuous flow of words, quickly came in the answer too.

“Because he has never tried to find it, since man is ignorant about it.

And why is he ignorant?

Because he does not know that there exists something so benign, so propitious, so auspicious as peace. And that peace should be attained at all costs the way we know that material prosperity, success and fame should be sought after. We do not know peace because we have long forgotten it. We do not yet know where to look for that peace.

And how to attain that peace?

By purifying yourself of all the inner impurities, being grateful to God and others, being unselfish in all your goals and doing charitable and kind acts. Learn to meditate to calm the disturbed and troubled mind”

Regarding me He said, “You have all your life searched for love and peace and have gone for it undauntingly, so you are an appropriate person to tell others about it. Those who seek it, one day find it if they are centered and one pointed in their goal. Man has created a putrefied mind in today’s world and he is leading an inharmonious, immoral and senseless life. Ask them to alter their present life. Who can help you if you help yourself not! To get a few moment’s pleasures, they are ready to sacrifice their whole day, all energy and their age. Isn’t it ironical that even after dedicating all the years and all their physical and mental energies, one is not at peace with oneself? There is not a moment’s peace in them.

Why is it so?

Because these days  people don’t look within, their sight is reaching outwards. The more you seek inside, the more peaceful you shall become. Dive deep inside, stop the turbulence, stop the constant bickering of your mind.

Go further inside and your mind will come to a complete rest. Progressively, once the mind is quiet, you will find peace, absolute peace. The shadows of restless thoughts, the churning of worldly desires must end as peace awaits you. Go for it, run after everlasting peace of mind. Live for lasting peace and yearn for spreading peace wherever you go. You are the children of God. God is love, God is peace. You are love. You are peace. Live in peace now and forever.”

Like the rain drops falling on my windows these days, I admired those drops of golden words falling over me that night as I lay warm in my bed on a rainy night on 8^th July. Each drop of golden word was packed with life, unlimited energy and limitless joy and bliss. You too devour these words, introspect and get illumined with the shimmery drops of golden Light!!!!

Part-A

Many times for what reasons I don’t know; unexpectedly God’s kind grace is bestowed on me. Perhaps I may have done a kind act, or in moments of great reverence or devotion must have poured out loving feelings for the beloved God. Whatever it is, but God’s benevolence should be shared with others so that we, the seekers can apprehend what it is like when one perceives the ecstatic nature of God in some benevolent moments!

This article is a conclusion and an outcome of my meditation of 13^th June morning. On that day without trying hard or having any expectations, I once again dipped into profound ecstasy, then intense peace and eventually quietude. Out of that brief incumbency of silence emerged this enlightening exposition and piece of knowledge. But before I begin to tell you more, first let us recall this-

Mahavatar Babaji- “Once the Spirit unfolds in us and you know Atma, there are three levels of aspiration and heights to accomplish after that. In accordance, there are three types of gyan or wisdom – Teevra gyan, Prachand gyan and Prabhutva gyan.  When we translate that, it means wisdom that is intense, very intense and most intense respectively. In between these three stages there are other sub-stages of spiritual and God’s wisdom.”

From post Expand your consciousness-II

In connection and reference to the above, further knowledge was given to me on that auspicious day. Shri Mahavatar Babaji explained to me, “After enlightenment, there are three types of experiences that are experienced by the yogi- bliss peace and silence- Ananda, shanti and shunya respectively.

Ananda is in samadhi’s first stage.

Shanti is in second stage and

Shunya is the third.

And this is not all. Those who are always in tune with God’s will over a very, very long period of time may  even cross the third stage swiftly as Brahma is beyond even shunya while those aspirants who are distracted will stop at one of these steps.

For the yogi, attainment of joy and peace are essential to detach from worldly obligations and karmic burden. His karmas produce only  ananda and shanti– joy and peace. He gives enlightenment to all those who come in their lives. Most sadhaks are not aware that that there is something more beyond ananda and shanti and that is shunya– silence, silence of mind.

Karmas originating from periods of intense silence are like dynamite. However, unlike dynamite they are not fatal or explosive. On the contrary they are resilent, constructive and effective. They bring about a significant change in someone’s life if they are directed towards the welfare or spiritual improvement of some person who deserves those dynamic thoughts.

Part-B

Karmas are of two types-gross and subtle called sthool and sukshma karma respectively. The thoughts and actions visible to others that are done by the senses are gross while the ones that are done invisibly by us with our mind are the subtle ones. Usually what our eyes see or what our ears hear are considered karmas or actions by a lay man. But know that our thoughts are also our karmas because they yield results someday.

Managing, controlling and riveting the subtle thoughts on one point or at a centre is a subtle act or sukshma karma which ultimately increases our working power- the Kriya Shakti .

Like karmas, thoughts are also of two types- gross and subtle type.

Thoughts that are born and harbored in the mind, that are bubbling and swirling during day and night inside a man are in fact his subtle thoughts. One day they produce either negative or positive results. Subtle thoughts of compassion, love, kindness, charity, empathy are positive karmas. The intemperate, prodigal and uncontrolled thoughts that are emanating in the background are our subtle negative thoughts. These are more harmful and troubling as there is nobody who can see them and their results are detrimental and unfavourable for us in future. They will be unbearable to endure. Such injurious acts propel and throw us on harmful and destructive path and should be therefore discontinued right away.

The after effects or fruits of the actions called karmafal borne by the doer is also in accordance- either gross or subtle which show up in future course of time. The result of our actions manifest only when the time is conducive in nature.

The mind is by nature fidgety, frivolous and impish. It likes to rush and surge downwards instead of upwards. When this feature is expressed by our mind, we are not even aware that this silent act of the mind is in fact creating a new karma though silently and one day we will have to bear the ill consequences in accordance to the laws set by the Providence.

That is why Lord Krishna repeatedly reiterates to Arjun that by virtue of vairagya detachment and abhyas practice, control your restless mind. Quoting 3 verses from chapter 6 of Bhagwad Geeta once again:-

 Arjunauvach:

Yoyam  yogastvaya  proktah  samyen  madhusudan  I

Atsyaaham  na  pashyami chanchaltwastithim  sthirim  II 33

Arjuna said- Krishna, owing to restlessness of mind, I do not perceive the stability of this Yoga in the form of equanimity which you have just spoken of.

Chanchalam  hi  manah  Krishna  pramathi  balvaddridham I

Tasyaham  nigraham  manye  vayoriv  sudushkaram  II 34

For Krishna, the mind is very unsteady, turbulent, tenacious and powerful; I consider it as difficult to control as the wind.

 SriBhagwanuvach:

Asanshaya  mahabhaho  mano durnigraham  chalam  I

Abhyasen  tu  Kaunteya  vairagyen  ch  grihute II 35

Sri Bhagwan said- The mind is restless no doubt, and difficult to curb, Arjuna; but it can be brought under control by repeated practice of meditation for mind control and by the exercise of act of dispassion, O son of Kunti.

 So this same mind when brought into control with right methods and practice and turned inwards from the delusion or maya of this world called sansara, gives us immense joy, happiness and relaxation and along with this, we escape the wrath of negative actions or karmas. We begin to perform only those actions which are beneficial according to the cardinal rules of the Universe.

If we begin now to spend maximum time to bring our uncontrolled mind and senses in our control, the same mind shall be our friend and not our foe.

When our mind is immersed in God and functions under the guidance of the Divine we experience the bliss of heaven in our current life. All our past sins are extinguished and our life becomes sacred and beautiful. The mind is saturated with peace, love and goodness. The seeker should therefore save his energy as much as possible and controls his senses to have a pure and peaceful life and also to enrich himself in many ways.

Those who follow the good advice of their spiritual Master their future is bright and the forthcoming lives are created which are also wonderful, superior and righteous.

 The grosser the matter, the lesser the consciousness in it. The subtler the matter, the higher the consciousness.

The subtler the thought, the more the energy in it. The more energy we possess in this way, the more power we have to do actions.  Or the subtler our thoughts, the more power we have to do the actions and we increase our Kriya Shakti manifold in this way.

A note- The subject Kriya Shakti has three parts I, II & III. If you must have noticed in part I there was a picture of just a bunch of yellow Amaltas flower dangling on a branch. In part II, there are a few branches with some flowers while in part III, I have uploaded a picture of a  huge Amaltas blooming tree as you can see here. In the beginning of this article, I have mentioned that knowledge that is attained by a seeker after self realization can be intense, very intense or blazing . The three pictures represent the three stages respectively.

Revised on 17.04.21

 (From – The state of Super Consciousness-I)

How do the yogis achieve the highest levels of Consciousness?

Each man possesses a mental body of his own. It is the energy of the kind of thoughts that dwell and are nurtured in the mind. His intellectual property, his process of thinking and the kind of thoughts nurtured are all included in the mental body. Each thought that we send out, each thought that we receive and the cumulative power of it all makes a man what he is and it this thought power to which we are attracted in some people or repelled depending on the quality of thought.

Every thought has its own vibration and wave length. The nearer it is to Super Consciousness, the higher its power. The lower the thought, the denser the wave. The higher the consciousness of the person, the subtler the thought. Our thought waves float in the ether like sound waves. One’s mind is able to catch the wavelength of a similar thought, they resonate. We should be careful in mixing with people, spiritual aspirants should try to mingle with strong, healthy and positive minds.

There are three types of power that a man possesses in his consciousness.

Ichcha Shakti or the power of one’s desires.

Sankalpa Shakti or thought power and

Kriya Shakti or the power to do actions.

Dear friends, we have already discussed 3 posts each on Ichcha Shakti titled ‘The role of power of will in a seeker’s life’, and 3 posts on ‘Sankalpa Shakti’ titled ‘Thought Power’ and now we are embarking on one more post titled ‘Kriya Shakti- the power to act’.

These days the word ‘Kriya’ is generally used for the ancient type of breathing technique or pranayam in Kriya Yoga system that is intended to accelerate spiritual development.

‘Kriya’ also means to do or actions performed.  From the word ‘Kriya’ here, we are going to deal with typically those actions which are performed in order to attain God in this life.

‘Kriya’ performed as an act of respiration and pranayam is to purify the body and the breath i.e ‘prana’  in order to achieve divine illumination.

Acts performed as  ‘dhyana’ or meditation are for purifying and stilling the mind. It is the act in which the mind or thought is disconnected from the outer world and is fixed on the waves of God vibrations.

But all actions or kriyas performed with sincerity in worshipping God purify the soul! They are termed ‘devik kriyas.’  

Christianity preaches mankind to give love and service.

Buddhism teaches us to remain calm, be non-violent and to live life with kindness. It however, does not teach us how to deal with recurring life challenges or difficulties of a human life.

Hinduism or Vedantic knowledge which is condensed in the eternal holy scripture Bhagwat Geeta, teaches us to face difficult life situations and unexpected challenges thrown at various stages of life apart from revealing us what Brahma is or the eternal, undying Spirit and guiding Light present in all of us. It teaches us to rise to the occasion and remain calm even in the face of difficulties. And also whatever actions we do, we must do with all our sincerity and honesty.

Those men who perform their present karmas or life situations with sincerity, calmness and honesty get connected to their Higher Self and receive inspiration and guidance in terms of answers and solutions to their problems.

Therefore, the seeker must know and remember that we have been bestowed with the power with which we either choose to act or not to act. We have also been given the power to choose what kind of actions we wish to to perform.

(To be continued)

(picture of rangoli-courtesy google image)

Today is 6^th of May, the Akshaya Tritiya festival in India being celebrated all over India. It is one of the most auspicious days for Hindus and celebrated in various ways in different parts of the country and has many legends and stories woven around it. As per the Hindu traditions and culture, this festival is considered as the most significant day to perform sacred deeds, punya karyas. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the giver of bounty, prosperity, bliss, peace and liberation. Worshipping of Lord Vishnu on this day eradicates and removes one’s sins and makes free from all sorrows and one attains salvation, moksha.

During this whole morning there was intense calmness inside me and in spite of doing many tasks, I just could not disconnect my mind from the unbroken serenity lingering since I woke up. After all the daily cares were performed, I sat down to meditate again. The irrepressible calmness held on to me firmly. I plunged deep inside and became one with my Soul. The intense calling of my Soul quickly took me back again to one of my previous visions which I had on January the 21^st, when I first saw Lord Vishnu in a white temple.

(You may find the complete narration of this occurrence in my earlier post titled Expand your consciousness-I.)

For some unknown reasons quite naturally, on every Akshaya Tritiya day, I in one way or another remember Shri Mahavatar Babaji more than other days.  The ancient Badri Narayan temple in the Himalayas reopen today for all the devotees after winter. Before the fall of winter and heavy snow, the idol of Lord Vishnu in Badri Narayan temple is taken down to Joshimath and brought back today every year with much fanfare and colourful procession. As Mahavatar Babaji lives close to the temple in the caves, my mind always remembers him as if Lord Vishnu and revered Babaji are one and the same. Spontaneously, Vishnu Sahastranaam is churning in the back of my mind today as though the chants are being sung there and I hear the rhythmic chanting travelling from the mountains of Himalayas here. Perhaps some of you may find it queer, but that is what is happening.

I have decided to spend this auspicious day in compiling and finishing a new post as a mark of respect and devotion to Mahavatar Babaji and I dedicate this post on ‘The role of power of will in a seeker’s life-II’ at his sacred Lotus feet.  I call upon Him to bless and help all seekers today so that they cultivate and increase their will and their minds get unclamped from the grip of worldly attachments. In addition to this, they may instill a desire in themselves to liberate their bonded souls from the gripping attachments of their smaller self.

His holiness Mahavatar Babaji who has unlimited compassion and mercy on all humans and every creature alike, responded to my prayers in no time during my meditation. Telepathically, he transmitted this liberating education or Moksha Vidya on this fortunate day. He thus began with a question and gave answers in the form of cryptic solutions to the crippling ignorance of humanity-

“How did Arjun get spiritual knowledge?”

“Because of detachment, vairagya.”

“When there is detachment or vairagya in life, there is a desire or will to know God. However, before those situations arise it is you who has to develop this will after which I shall help you. Kindle a yearning and will within you for liberating yourself. Detach, concede so that your future is laden with bliss, happiness and absolute peace.”

The power of will is a gift to us from God with which we accomplish all our undertakings and tasks. First comes the will to do something; God comes to our rescue later, he sends us help to accomplish all that we wish to attain. Prior to all this, it is you who should have the initiative in your heart to do something grand, something new, something huge.

Similarly, only if and when the human being is ready to get rid of his dimness and unawareness only after such a will is awakened in him, only after he possesses a will to liberate himself that such an aim is accomplished at an appropriate time.”

Acquainting about himself, Shri Mahavatar Babaji disclosed,

“Before my present incarnation, I had a burning desire to help mankind, to salvage them from ignorance and do good to all in the world. So when I was born this time I was born with the same power. Therefore, the spot at which I was born still radiates powerful rays of my power of will. There is a yantra or geometrical figure at this spot which till this date radiates powerful rays of my power of will. You must benefit from it by focusing your mind on this spot in your meditations and the power of will shall be ignited in you and you will be gratified.”

And about me he revealed, “You were born with a burning desire to free yourself from the bondage of the fruit of your actions. Therefore when the right time arrived, I quickly sent you to Yogananda(YSS),  Nityananda and Shaligram (Ganeshpuri) and to The Mother (Pondicherry) for your spiritual education. They all are your gurus, Masters and I am your Param Guru, Highest Master. The will to cover up and complete your karmic obligations was so intense that you fulfilled it in the minimum time possible.

The time taken by any seeker or learner to accomplish and complete his spiritual duties and obligations is entirely dependent on the extent of will power possessed by him or the will generated, exerted by him.

It takes as much time as he decides to free himself. God is very merciful; God will not initiate or stop the help and cooperation that he sends through nature unless you want it. Therefore reduce that time and meditate on God and pray to Him right now.”

My prayer to You oh Lord!

Oh my Lord!  Please accept my prayers lovingly. Clear the darkness and gloom of my infinite incarnations, bring my darkness to an end. Free me from the binding forces of my actions. Please reveal thyself, give me your glimpse because of whose power my darkness will fly away. Show me Light, my Lord! Show me your divine nature not by miracles but by your spiritual light. Light the flame of your Light, Jyot inside me. Lead me from darkness to Light by holding my hand, my Lord, I am your ignorant child!

May love, peace and brotherhood be my attributes and may I always serve all your children untiringly. Expand my heart so much that I include all your sons. Appear before me, my Lord, show me your attributes, reveal thyself, my Lord, reveal thyself, please!

Oh God! From this day on my attention and mind will be always fixed on you. May I always bow at your pious  feet.

May your children live long at all times, may there be life on earth eternally, may there be greenery always everywhere and may your children spread the message of universal love, immortality and peace in all corners of the world. God, I shall also be a part of this sacred work and I wish for the well being, auspiciousness and goodness for all your children. I shall be your obedient child and serve you always. This is my wish, my will, please accept my wish on this auspicious day my Lord!!”

 Asatoma sadgamaya

Tamsoma jyotirgamaya

Mrityorma amritamgamaya

Om shanti, shanti, shanti, Om!

Oh Lord! Lead us from ignorance to Truth

From darkness to Light and

From death to immortality

Om Shanti, shanti, shanti Om!!

This is a Shanti Mantra, a hym of peace from ancient Rig Veda.

Foot note- For beginners: In Bhagwat Geeta, the holy scripture of Hindus, Lord Krishna imparts the knowledge of Self and immortality in the battle field to Arjun, one of the Pandava brothers. In a state of complete remorse and detachment, Arjun wishes to renounce everything for the sake of peace and brotherhood. So it is implied that even before such a drastic stage appears in our life, we must kindle a will to liberate ourselves from the bondage of karmic compulsions so that we know God.

You may avail a rendition of Asato Ma Sadgamaya, the Shanti Mantra.

“A very strong and positive mind will create a new shrishti, a new world for you. If more and more people do pious and generous actions, the collective thought power of the world will increase many times. The mission of all the saints and Sages is to increase the collective power of masses in all nations and it begins at individual level.

You initiate this act from today. As one’s sanchit karmas (accumulated karmas) are extinguished with the grace of God and the gurus, the power of thoughts increases manifold. All the shakti, power of the manas or mind should be oriented and focused in doing only selfless actions – nishkam karmas. The power of nishkami purush is so much higher and has more potential than others. The result of our actions are in God’s hands. When we decide and dedicate all our pious actions to God, God and all our Gurus are extremely pleased. They give us more shakti, their power to do nishkami karmas. Thus each good action is born with a good thought. Increase such good thoughts and also increase the power of each thought by meditation daily.

Meditation leads to contemplation. Contemplation leads to Self-Inquiry which in turn leads to Self Realization and Self Transformation.

Strike a balance between meditation and practical life. Meditation is self transformation and practical life is about actions. To increase your thought power you must do both, both are essential for your inner growth and progress.” Swami Nityananda.  (From Thought Power-III)

Dear readers, this is the concluding post on the topic of thought power; there were three parts on thought power and three parts on ways to improve that power. May we all try to gain insight into these six posts and may we all as spiritual seekers  attempt to move ahead by transforming our thoughts by our daily efforts.

In my own small effort, I am posting this new article and pray for all the aspirants who are striving. May God give them success in their efforts and peace in their hearts and minds. We begin with an explanation about how our subconscious mind should be purified of negative elements and how we must make it dynamic and powerful by doing unselfish and humble actions. Regular practice of meditating and compassionate praying for our loved ones and others too will cleanse the mind very quickly.

The last portion is an offering of a beautiful mantra to the Lord of the Universe. I am sure you must have heard it many times. It can be sung often anytime during the day as it should penetrate inside the deepest levels of our minds.

“When the seeker purifies himself during his sadhana or spiritual practices, he must be aware and attentive regarding himself. At any cost, he must not allow negative thoughts to arise in himself for others. He should only think well of others and must have love and compassion for them even for those persons who behave imperfectly, spitefully or unkindly.

The whole purification process takes a long time to complete so he must be alert all the while. Divine bliss and ecstasy come much later in the meditations by the grace of God and hard penance.

Towards the peak of many incarnations, the human soul when ready for God realizations has to undergo many hard tests and personal trials for the victory of Spirit over matter. In that life time, all the left over karmas of uncountable lives are ready to fructify, all at once in frequent intervals. The sadhak must be aware of this and must not be overwhelmed by this natural phenomenon. When the harvesting of karmas occurs, there are incidences of loss of wealth and honour, depletion in health, mistrust, deceit from people and so on. The gyani or the accomplished seeker comprehends well that this is a temporary phenomenon and after the gloom and doom, there will be a change and relief received eventually. Knowing this, the sadhak turns his mind towards God, and only God. He makes sure that his mind is completely held fast with divine thoughts and spiritual practices. Along with this act, the sadhak carries out only selfless actions towards all relentlessly. While doing all this after some time, there comes a turning point where his life once again looks up and there is a marked alteration, well being  and positive transformation in every sense.

He attains peace in the mind and there is peace at home as well. Health improves gradually, there is sufficient prosperity and the heart and mind of the seeker is now all the more involved and absorbed in God day and night uncompromisingly. Therefore he must not stop or put a stop to his spiritual efforts and must believe in God’s mercy and caring love.

At last, finally there comes a time in the seeker’s life, when God is very pleased with him because in spite of such rough times he was doing only unselfish actions and was showering only affection and kindness to all God’s children. This is the turning point for which a true sadhak must hold on to and should wait for this glorious phase. He becomes unusually empowered in every sense since he cuts through his thorny destiny with blazing knowledge and wisdom and pious actions and creates a dazzling new sacred divine life full of joy, happiness, well being and permanent peace.

Solutions to all life problems, prosperity in all areas, love flowing easily for every soul, tranquility in all times and fearlessness in every situation – this is the kind of life that is created for the sadhak, by his own will.

And how does this happen?

The unpurified mind has negative tendencies in the subconscious level. After purification, the subconscious mind becomes completely positive and gains extraordinary spiritual powers which translates the mortal, ordinary consciousness and existence to divine consciousness and good living.

The thoughts thrown out from the purified subconscious mind attracts happiness, wealth, success, creativity, prosperity, peace, friendship and health.

The powerful thoughts lie in the subconscious mind. Whatever we think or act at the conscious level, gradually becomes permanent as it moves in the subconscious mind. Therefore the seeker must be vigilant all the time.

What should he be doing?

The seeker must make his subconscious mind powerful.

How?

By playing out the role assigned to him by God and destiny both. While carrying out his duties, at the back of his mind he must constantly remember God in any form. In free time, he should practice meditation, must contemplate, introspect and maintain a diary to record the important lessons and review them at regular intervals.

Those around you who are unwell, unhappy or sad, be of some assistance or support to them. Kindle love, sympathy and kindness and give solutions and remedies to people in their problem or distress. Inspire them to lead a sacred and spiritual life by your own actions and thoughts. Be good to all and think well for all. Speak well of others and encourage and motivate them in all their efforts. Comfort and support them when they are in need.

Mentally bless all the creatures and send out loving peaceful vibrations to God’s creation, pray for harmony and well being of Mother Earth.

By doing this, not only will the subconscious mind be purified, the inner recesses of the subconscious mind will become powerful by positive divine vibrations. The power of such a mind never gets depleted of energy and is never exhausted because the power of God’s will constantly flow in it. In return, he shall be able to care for all and do good actions for everyone.”

Vashistha Rishi

On this auspicious evening of 20^th April, at the time of dusk, I humbly offer a sacred chant of tranquility, peace and auspiciousness at the feet of the Supreme, the Lord of the Universe. May we all be blessed and in return give love, peace and tranquility to all.

Bhumi Mangalam, Udak Mangalam     

Agni Mangalam, Vayu Mangalam

Gagan Mangalam, Surya Mangalam

Chandra Mangalam, Jagat Mangalam

Jiva Mangalam, Deha Mangalam

Mano Mangalam, Atma Mangalam

Sarva Mangalam  Bhavatu Bhavatu Bhavatu

Sarva Mangalam Bhavatu Bhavatu Bhavatu

Sarva Mangalam Bhavatu Bhavatu Bhavatu

Om Shanti,  Shanti, Shanti   Om .

Translation :         

May there be auspiciousness and tranquility on Earth, in water, in fire, in the wind, in the sky, in the sun, on the moon, on our planet, in all living beings, in the body, in the mind and in the spirit.

May that tranquility be everywhere and in everyone.

Om shanti, shanti shanti Om!

Updated on 28-06-23 

This post has been supervised by Vashishtha Rishi. His forte is Sankalpa Shakti, the power of our mind. He advocates rebuild it by meditation, select your thoughts and insert chosen high frequency thoughts which will add positive energy in the world and into your sub conscious mind. Vashishtha Rishi has extra ordinary memory owing to his nature of keeping words minimum and remaining in the depths of his sub conscious mind where he has accumulated very bright thoughts of positive  energy of selflessness  given by God to him in his meditations in many lives.

The above mantra of Bhumi Mangalam, Udak Mangalam  is authored by Loma Maharishi. Both the Rishis were born a very long time ago and are abundantly wealthy in their mental domains uptil now.

Part-A

How do yogis achieve the highest levels of Consciousness?

Each man possesses a mental body of his own. It is the energy of the kind of thoughts that dwell and are nurtured in the mind. His intellectual property, his process of thinking and the kind of thoughts nurtured are all included in the mental body. Each thought that we send out, each thought that we receive and the cumulative power of it all makes a man what he is. It is this thought power to which we are attracted to in some people or repelled depending on the quality of thought.

Sankalpa Shakti – This word is also used for determination many  times. Sankalpa here means the rise of a thought, the power of thoughts. Every thought that is born is like a wave in an ocean, and has its magnetic power. It draws to itself positive or negative circumstances. The more positive our thoughts, the more power we possess and vice versa. Attention should be paid by us every time we think and to our quality of thoughts. We should discard the evil, bad and weak thoughts. In their place cultivate and nurture positive, constructive, creative and healthy thoughts.   

The state of Super Consciousness-I

Dear friends, cultivating and nurturing a powerful mind is a continuous process of a life time. In the last few posts, it was reiterated that we must maintain peace and calmness in all times and try to hold on to lasting peace as much as we can. But due to our karmic cycle, there will be bouts of unrest and instability with loss of durable peace. So should we get discouraged by sudden storms or tides of lashing waves that hit us unsuspectingly in our life? No, a true sadhak and a yogi will still try to be calm inside in spite of suffering as he knows that the tide will recede at the appropriate time with God’s grace. Many times, the devotees assume that life will be absolutely hassle free when he once comes in touch with God during meditation. Well, this is not correct. In fact, an advancing yogi creates new pious and positive karmas currently and side by side also extinguishes past karmas as and when they arrive. What should we do in such a situation?

We must meditate with a specific purpose so that the effect of the rough tide minimizes and we must hold on to our Guru who will help us wade through the rough weather. How?

People think that in meditation we must try to stop the wandering and onslaught of thoughts and apply force to stop them. For all the sincere seekers, this point should be clarified once for all. One requires a powerful mind to let go of the subtle past karmas and be an observer. So in your meditation to improve your thought power, bring to an end those disturbing thoughts which people are sending to you by not allowing them to enter first your aura and then your mind. More so if the thoughts are bothering you and are a hindrance in maintaining the tranquility of your composed mind. For this, you must be watchful of the thoughts and images that keep bombarding you during concentration or meditation.  Instead of entertaining, discard them. If they re-occur discard them again and again until they stop coming to you. In this manner, we make our mind empty of re-connecting to past karmas done with those people many lives ago. Practice this and after a few days, you will again be your normal self when harmony and tranquility prevails in normal life.

This method of meditation described is for subtle meditation and is prescribed for past life karma cleansing for advancing seekers.

For beginners, to improve your thought power, practice these suggestions-

When in turmoil, think of times when you were in peace. Re-live those peaceful moments.

Increase the depth and intensity of your meditation. When there is unrest inside you, re-live the depth and intensity of past meditations.

Repetition and chanting of one or two line mantras will soothe the mind and will make the mind stronger. Divine mantras add specific powers to the mind.

Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind. If they do re-surface, eliminate them repeatedly.

When in mental or physical distress, do not give up on daily physical exercise and remembrance of God, even if you cannot meditate during such times.

Part-B

Another meditation technique for empowering your mind-

After making the atmosphere conducive, sit in a meditative posture with your body completely relaxed.

Once you are composed and calm in mind, concentrate at the crown chakra.

For some yogis, there may be some discomfort in the beginning. Continue after some time again until you feel comfortable.

Once you get accustomed to concentrating at the crown chakra, visualize golden light over your head.

Stay in this position as long as you are comfortable.

After some time visualize the rays of golden rays falling on the crown chakra. Feel the soothing rays. And the peace in the soothing rays will touch the Brahma randra or crown chakra. Prolong this action or kriya.

Later visualize the golden rays entering your body through the crown chakra and penetrating the upper part of the brain, feel its sensation. The rays will then trickle down to the lower part of the brain. Imagine that your whole brain has been recharged with divine rays.

The Divine Light when invoked willingly energize us after it flows inside our body. If you focus on the crown chakra then the divine rays will energize your mind and give excess powers to recharge and revitalize your mental energies thus improving your thought power.

An anecdote –

As I am wrapping up this condensed post, I am recalling a memorable scene that I saw when we were travelling from Prayang to Saga during my Kailash Mansarovar yatra last year. Perhaps this is the most appropriate photogragh I have for this subject. Because a car was stopped at the Chinese check post for our verification of valid documents, we had to stop in the middle of our journey until that car could join our caravan. It was extremely cold at the place where we had halted; it was open, wild and completely barren. It suddenly became dark and cloudy and it was raining on far away mountains. There was not a single soul around and it was a no-man’s land. In spite of harsh climate, a few of us got tempted and got out of the cars to take a few pictures as the place was very beautiful scenically. My eyes fell on a unique spectacle when at the far end of this cold and barren land, I saw a solitary woman walking all alone in the cold. I really marveled at her mental strength. Here they are, take a look at the pictures! Hope you will revert on this forum with your responses, questions or just your spiritual experiences to share with everybody!!

Updated on 30-06-23

The first two posts Improving our Though Power were guided by Vishwamitra Maharishi.