VOL X

VYAKTI VIKAS
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OCTOBER 2014

Dear Readers, Jaigurudev,

With a deep sense of gratitude and with our Pranaams to the lotus feet of
Poojya Gurudev, we are entering the 10th year of publication of this monthly
magazine. The magazine was conceived and designed by Shri. Durga Prasadji
who encompassed all of us in his stride and together as a team we saw the
magazine reach thousands of Art of Living families around the World.
Compiling vast information on Art of Living seva and news that were
happening around the world and getting it accommodated in 13 pages was
not an easy task but with grace of Guruji and by all your acceptance of our
imperfections here and there we have completed 108 issues.
We gratefully acknowledge the motivation and support received during our
initial days of starting this Magazine from
Dr. Arun Madhavanji,
Shri.Uthamraj, Smt. Akila Srinivasan, Shri. Sankaranarayanan, Sri.Kovaipudur
Sundararajan and all the Art of Living teachers and volunteers of Coimbatore.
Today with the continued encouragement and support by all our readers, we
are happy that we were able to reach almost every nook and corner of the
World with this E- Magazine. We convey our thanks to all our readers and
look forward your continued support and encouragement.
Wishing you a Happy Deepavali.
Web Seva Team Coimbatore.
M.Gopalakrishnan, Durga Prasad Dash, Thilagarajan & Suryanarayanan
Krishnamoorthy.

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OCTOBER 2014

KNOWLEDGE FROM POOJYA GURUDEV

KRIYA YOGA / THREE TYPES OF TAPAS. ( PATHANJALI YOGA SUTRAS)

See, when someone is anxious, he is very aware of time, every moment passing,
isnt it? But the whole focus is in the event, is on the happening rather than just
the time. Suppose someone is waiting for a bus to come or train to come or boat
to come he will go on seeing, is the bus coming? The whole focus is on the object
rather than just that time. Just a little shift is done, a tilt, whether waiting for a
doctor, waiting for or bus, or train, or something just wait for the moment, this
moment. Are you getting what I am saying? That is uniting with the time. That is
Yoga. Mind is in the moment waiting for nothing but it is waiting. Are you
getting? It adds a different quality to the consciousness. This aspect sharpens the
intellect, softens the mind, the heart. This is called the Yoga of action i.e. "kriya"
yoga.
Tapaswadhyayaishwarapranidhana kriyayoga
"Sadhanapath" means on practices, on the path. What is it? Kriya yoga is yoga of
action. Action is part and parcel of this creation. There is activity in everything in creation. Right from an atom, to the
Sun, Moon and stars, there is activity. The entire creation is activity. There is nothing that is stable in this creation or
immobile, everything is very active. The Brahman, the infinity is filled with infinite activity. There is absolutely no silence
at all. Even in sleep there is activity. You think you are sleeping but in the sleep it appears to be no activity or silence but
tremendous activity goes on. Your body grows more in sleep than being awake. Do you know that? Thats why a
growing child sleeps longer. The youth sleeps more than an aged person because there is lot of activity, metabolic
activity going on in a youth. Body is getting built up. In a child every cell is multiplying. In sleep the cells multiply more.
If you deprive somebody of sleep, you will see their growth also gets, shunted. Lot of activity happens in sleep. Even in
silence there is activity. At the same time in every activity there is a corner that is very silent.
Krishna tells Arjuna, "Arjuna, you know, who is really intelligent and clever?" Arjuna says no. One who sees silence in
activity and activity in silence, he is the intelligent person. How do you see silence in activity and activity in silence? If
needs sharpness of awareness, alertness, keenness and the keenness can come when there is skill in your activity. And
the skill in activity is Yoga, Kriya yoga Yoga of action. What is it? It comprises of 3 parts.
Tapas:
Tapas is endurance, acceptance - see, you are coming in the flight, its a long distance, you are sitting and
legs are getting numb, you know you feel tired but you keep sitting, you feel heavy, still you keep sitting. You dont say,
no I cant sit now; I am going to get out of the plane. No way. If the plane is delayed, if it is held up in the air, you have to
be there, there is no choice for it. Now if you had had a choice, you wouldnt sit for 8 hours like that in one place. No
way. But in the plane you sit willingly- without grumbling. This is tapas. Tapa is willingly experiencing the opposite
values without grumbling. Do you get what I am saying? There could be a better example. Ok, you are driving
somewhere but you are feeling sleepy, its sleep time. But you never mind, doesnt matter another 2-3 hours I will drive
and reach my home. You dont say Oh, it is already 10 O clock, it is my sleep time, I am going to sleep now. You dont
park the car somewhere and just go to sleep unless it is absolutely unbearable, right? In the same way, you are hungry
and you say, no, I am fasting, I want to have a cleansing diet or I want to cleanse my body. One day you say, today I am
just going to fast on juice or water. You decide on your own to do some action which is not usual, that is Tapas. Are you
getting with I am saying? You know its benefits, the result of this action is very good, will be beneficial for me so I want
to do it, like doing exercises. People go to gymnasium, weight lifting, its not a joke, it's not giving any big pleasure to do
that, lifting the weight, it's not a pleasurable job or bicycling but one does it, why? They know that it is good for your
system.
This endurance is called tapas. Swadhyaya, being alert, self-study, observing the breath, observing the emotions,
thoughts, what all happens inside you observing, studying yourself i.e. swadhaya.
Ishwarapranidhana: devotion to the Divine, love to the Divine- these three things together makes kirya yoga. What do
they do? What do they all do to you? Kleshatanukarana . They reduce the sufferings; they reduce the misery in life.
Samadhibhavanatha - gives rise to samadhi, equanimity. There are certain people who walk in a very hot whether
without wearing shoes. It looks sometimes like a self-torture. Why this person is self-torturing oneself? But actually if
you talk to them, they are so used to that and their body is much stronger, it can bear that heat, bear that whether but
for someone else it is so unbearable. So Tapas makes you strong somewhere.

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OCTOBER 2014

If you have come from California to Switzerland, you need one sweater above the
other one, and then big coat, and you have a lot of things to put on, but it you are
coming from north west province, cubic and above that, then this cold is nothing, you
can walk around just without a sweater because your body is used to greater harsh
weather. Do you see what I am saying? Willingly going though that which is not very
easy is Tapas and this strengthens you. People can stretch it to that extent. They can
become masochists, they torture themselves.
Three types of Tapas.
1)
Tapas for the body.
2)
Tapas for the words for speech and
3)
Tapas in the mind.
Fire sustains life. There are five types of Fire.
1) One is bhootagni. It is the fire with which you heat your home, put the warmth in
your Self, it sustains life, the physical fire. This is very obvious, it may not be so obvious
in tropical countries where they dont give much value to fire but you know, in cold
countries how important it is. With all the physical fires, life extinguishes, and this
physical fire is to some extent in present in the body.
2) And then there is a second type of fire that is called Kamagni: the fire of Desire.
When the desire, the fire of desire comes, it gulps you. The fire of desire or lust, passion is kama-agni. It is because of
this fire of passion that life continues on this planet. Fire of passion is present in all the species of creation.
3) Third type of fire is called Jataragni - Fire of Hunger and digestion: - This is one of the important principles in ayurveda
Jataragani. Says if the fire of digestion is less or more, it affects your health, it affects your balance. You know when
you get fever, why you get fever? We simply treat the symptoms; we do not understand the principle. When a foreign
body enters your body, your whole body turns up the heat, fever comes. In fever your body is developing a defense
mechanism; its burning all that foreign particles, enemies that has entered your body. As soon as these foreign
bacterias/virus goes out of the body, your fever comes down. Fever purifies the system. Purpose of fever is to purity
your body, get rid of the viruses, foreign particles, whatever, isnt it? Fire of digestion.
4) Fire of Criticism: -When people criticize you, what happens? Fire awakes up. Fire awakens in your system. When we
stand in front of big crowd what happens? Something happens, you feel hot, and you feel shivery. The fear of criticism,
opinions of people. This is the fire.
5) Fire of knowledge or Love: When life moves from all these fires, it comes out as Gold. Unfortunately we have not
understood this principle. We do not allow the fire to come up. The moment fever comes we take Paracetamol and put
the fever down, put the symptoms down, our immune system goes down. Its not that you shouldnt take medicines; you
take it in a natural way. Attend to the root cause of the problem; eliminate the bacteria rather than just eliminating the
symptoms or the fire in the system. Naturopathy and Ayurveda, they all deal on this principle, keeping alive the
Bhoothagni. Your body develops its own Air conditioner. Putting AC all the times, then we are destroying the selfmodulating system of the body especially in hot and tropical countries; we keep the air condition all the time, day and
night. No prana, no freshness comes in you, have you noticed it? Our body brings out sweat and cools and when the
breeze comes, then the body becomes cool. It has its own air-condition system. But this we need to get used from
young age. But unfortunately we have been used to Air condition from a child hood, so suddenly making a shift makes a
little difficult. But nevertheless, you can look into this aspect, Hmm. I have nothing against using air conditioners. But
making sure that the fresh prana comes and your body temperature agrees with the environment will make a difference.
Then you gain the ability to walk in cold place without having to wear too much or to be in a hot place without feeling
suffocated.
Then comes Kamagni the fire of passion. We do not even allow the fire of passion to come up, rise up in us. The
moment the desire comes, immediately we fulfill it, then it doesnt stay in you, it doesnt burn you up. People who are
very promiscuous, they have zero kamagni. Because they do not even allow the fire to come up and burn them a little,
bake them a little bit. The moment desire for sex comes, finish it there.

PAGE- 4 4

OCTOBER 2014

Then the kama agni doesnt get awakened in them. Sex is one of the oldest
sanskaras other than eating. From all life times, you have two things for sure,
one is eating and another is sex as a cow, as a monkey, as a donkey, as a horse,
as an ox, whatever it was, passing through all these bodies, there two acts have
been there. When this passion arises, observe it and it is in every cell of your
body, it engulfs you totally, so fully, it burns and moves on, it shifts. There is
100% totality of alertness, awareness that gets developed through kama. But if
you do not allow that to come up and just immediately as a little desire comes,
immediately cool it down, then also your power or shakti in you, the potentiality
in you goes down and down and dormant and you become more inert. Less
sensitivity comes and more inertia develops and there is no vigor, valor or joy or
enthusiasm in any activity one does. Thats why people who are very
promiscuous, they do not have that force or will or strength to do any action,
have you noticed this? Yes or No. And then Jataragni same thing with Jatarajni.
You dont even allow hunger to come into you. Even before you feel hungry, you
keep stuffing things in. And stuffing and stuffing and stuffing, the food becomes
more toxic with more toxic effect in the body. Many people get disease or die
not out of hunger but out of overeating. Today in the world very few people die
out of hunger. But more and more people are out of overeating; because we
have not allowed that fire of hunger to come up, we have never kindled that.
This is the principle of fasting. When you fast also, every cell of your body
becomes alive; fasting is a very good therapy. It can cleanse your system, the
Jataragni can cleanse you of all toxins. When your head is clogged with worry,
tension and unpleasant thoughts, nightmares, fasting would be a very great help.
There is great deal of research on fasting. Just water fast or juice fast. Allow this fire to come up in you the Jatarajni. It
can purity your blood, it can remove toxins from the body. It can make your feelings better. In Christianity and in
Jainism, in Islam, almost all religion of the world. Fasting and Prayer are linked. Because fasting touches the deepest
sanskara, impressions in you from ages to eat and eat and eat and eat and eat. Now, Again, there are some people who
simply go on fasting without knowing, too much of fire can also burn you down. It should be done with an
understanding. There are people who go to extremes: - either they overeat or fast too much. That is not good either.
Fasting can cleanse your system, bring balance, again with moderation, with guidance and then
Fire of social criticism: - Man is a social animal. Since humans live in society, they have to follow certain rules, they
cannot go ahead as one wishes. They cannot say, I am free, can do whatever I want to do. You cannot do whatever you
want to do. The moment you get into the street, you have to drive on the right side and you have to walk where you
should walk, you have to stop where you should stop. You have to follow certain code and conduct. When you have to
follow certain code and conduct in the world, naturally the fear of criticism, fear of getting punished, all this comes up.
Abiding by certain law brings up certain concern for keeping those laws. Now, here again, if you are so much concerned
about the criticism of what people would think about you, would say about you, you are missing the boat. The fire of
criticism keeps the moral in you. But if it goes out of control or out of limit, the same fire of criticism can shut down your
freedom, your sense of openness, your sense of centeredness and freedom. Do you get what I am saying? The fire of
criticism if it is too much then you are tensed and worried over nothing, isnt it? Pass through the fear of criticism,
doesnt matter what people say, so what! Their opinions change and you know to your consciousness that you are not
doing any harm to anybody. You move on to the fire of love. Love creates such a fire in you. The fire of love that can
really take you up from the fear of criticism. You dont mind what people say, the fire of love is so strong. It takes you
totally. Fire of knowledge or fire of love is same, they are synonymous. Fire of love begins with a longing, an intense
longing, which was not known ever before, it feels so new, so it can feel so uncomfortable. Only in human life, human
births can this fire be experienced. Fire of love or fire of knowledge creates an unpleasant or sense of longing in the
beginning but moves on to the blossoming of bliss, blossoming of fullness. These are the 5 fires in life Panchagni. Tapas
means actually being fried, baked or fried. You would have seen in some magazines about kumbhamela, somebody is
standing on one leg with all over ashes on the body and having a pot of fire on the head and putting fire all around. This
is such a misinterpretation of panchagni. One who has gone through the five fires have been purified, have crossed to
the other side. This is what they said, but the scriptures have been wrongly understood. People thought put five fires
around, one who has passed through five fires, ok, then put five fires all around and put five above on the head, five
underneath fire walking. All this people do, torture their body. This is called Rakshashi tapas.

PAGE -5

OCTOBER 2014

In Tapas also there are three types: sattvic, Rajasic and

Tamsic; Tamsic is the demonic tapas wherein one tortures
oneself because you cannot torture others so torture
yourself. Nobody will ask you why you are torturing your
Self. Certain people punish themselves. This is Tamsic,
putting nails all over the body, walking on fire. And then
there are other types of people who do practices with
desire of achieving something, which have mixed effect,
always with some motive; I should be getting something.
This is Rajasic Tapas, the tapas one does to show off. One
does fasting- tells the whole world, everybody oh! I am
fasting for so many days. I am meditating, I am doing this, I
am being very good- none like me, I can sing better, I
dance, Ill do this, I do great service. So the tapas that is done with show and done with I-ness, I, I, I am doing is Rajasic
Tapas.
Sattvic tapa is that which you do not even feel you are doing. You are just part of the phenomenon. The world today is a
phenomenon. The world 1995 is a phenomenon and you are just a part of that phenomenon. You are just part of that
phenomenon. Where do you exist? In this lake sea, there as so many tiny waves but if each wave thinks I exist as a
wave, it is being foolish. One wind blows and so many waves arise and they all subside a little later. Let this time, in the
ocean of consciousness, a wave, there was a current of this time and so many waves have arisen and one wave call itself
Jyoti and another calls it shell, another called David and Lilly. All these different names have been given to those limited
waves and in a few days and in few years all these waves will subside and new waves arise, isnt it? Knowing this, with
this awareness one goes through this fire of life, that is sattvic tapas. Even in this there are 3 other sections.
a) The bodily tapas.
b) The tapas of the speech and
c) The tapas of the mind.
What are those? What are bodily tapas? Keeping physical hygiene, keeping lethargy out, having a say over all the five
senses? If you dont want to watch TV dont watch it, if you dont want to eat, just dont eat. Keeping personal hygiene
and remaining in self, having a control over the senses in the body. This is called physical Tapas.
The Tapas of speech is speaking such words which does not excite people, in a wrong sense. Speaking truth and speaking
pleasant truth Anudevagkarmavakyamsatyampriyamhitamjayak. Just notice when you sit with people and what you tell
them, what you talk to them? Do you excite their mind, do they go away from you feeling relieved, peaceful or go away
from you with anger, greed, jealousy, or frustration, or depression. Often, you know, when you keep your lips tight, you
are a better person, you are more charming, you are more wanted person, more palatable. The moment you open your
mouth, you dont know what comes out, you have no control over what you say. Words simply come shooting out of
your mouth and you dont even look into what are their effects. How it can be like a dragger for somebody elses mind.
Your words can become a flower or can become a knife - Vaanmayetapah anudevagkarmavakyam. Words that do not
create ruffle in the calm, quiet mind of the people. If you want to intentionally create, thats a different story but often
you speak and it is unintentional from your side and it creates disturbance in others minds. This is vaanmayitapas
anudaveg karma vakyam - Satyam Truth and there is a way to tell the truth. All those who speak very harsh, you ask
them; they say I am saying the truth, why to go around about it? Theres no need to go around, its truth all right but it
can be a pleasant expression of truth. Do you see what I am saying? Often in Sanskrit, an example is given if you meet
someone who is blind, you can tell them, Oh! Blind man come here, this is a way you can address them. A blind person,
it's not untruth that you are calling a blind man a blind man. But that saying someone, you are a blind can make them
hurt. Instead say Oh, pragyachakshu - means his eye is his consciousness. In Sanskrit often, an example of how to speak
rd
sweet, Oh! Man of consciousness, come on. He says just through his consciousness, he sees through his 3 eye or
consciousness, intuitive eyed one. This is vaanmayatapas, vaanmayatapas is important, why? Because as you grow on
this path of yoga, your words become more and more and more powerful and if you call someone a fool and even if they
are not fool they will become a fool. There is all possibility, you call someone stupid and even if they are not stupid,
there is 99% possibility, they become stupid.

PAGE -6

OCTOBER 2014
So your words have the power to bless and your words have the power to curse.
Vaanmayttapas purifies you. Otherwise those things rebound back to you, if you speak
harsh. I dont mean that you should always be wishy-washy, speak goody-goody, sweetysweety, that is also self-deception. You dont have to be so giggly, everything is nice oh!
Everything is nice, some People make a mood out of it. They speak everything is nice, nice,
inside they are so frustrated, frustrated. In the mind they are blaming, outside they are
smiling. You dont have to be like that a split person but at the same time, you dont need
to be harsh expresser of truth. This is vaanmayitapas and then manomayitapas -Tapas of the
Mind: manaprasadasaumyatvam maun atma vinigraha - Maintaining the pleasantness in
the mind is a big Tapas.

You feel pleasant and very soon you can just drop all the pleasantness in your mind,
maintaining the pleasantness manaprasada, pleasantness, contentment in the mind
saumyatva - calm, cool, composed. You can feel pleasant but excited. That is not tapas.
Some people feel very pleasant, but they need not feel calm. The pleasantness can make
them feel very crazy and excited but along with that, composed saumyatva. People who
are happy, they create trouble to others because they are not aware. In that happiness, excitement they say things, they
are not at all aware what they are saying, what they are doing and how it can affect others.
But if a person is calm and composed he is more aware. Awareness comes in composed, calm mind. You are sensitive to
others feelings, how it affect others, sensitive to your surroundings. So pleasant mind and composed mind
manapasaadasaumya maaun - silent mind and not a chattering mind. Silence is the Tapas of the mind. The mind which
is scattered, bringing it all together, tying all the loose ends of the mind together, that is silence maun and then
atmavinigraha - remaining in the Self, coming back to the Self. This is tapas of the mind. This mind again and again goes
out, goes out, goes out, again and again bring it back effortlessly, easily to remind to the Self and see the Self in every
body - that also my Self, this also my Self. Normally, we think our mind is in the body. But it is not so. Body is inside the
mind. Did we discuss this already?
Ten times bigger than your physical body is the body of prana, your energy, bio energy is ten times bigger that the
physical body and ten times bigger than the pranic body is your mind body, your thought body and ten times bigger than
that is the blissful body means infinite times, boundless is our blissful body. That is why when you feel happy, blissful,
you dont feel the boundary, you dont feel the limit to you, you feel expanded and when you feel sad or unhappy, you
feel crushed because then your prana is getting smaller than your real body. Thats exactly the mechanism of
unhappiness. You know, it's like you are trying to put your body through that ventilator. It cannot fit. Your body cannot
fit, thats why you feel suffocated, unhappy. Like that when your prana, which is so big, you try to crush it into small and
you feel unhappy, unpleasant. When you walk through the door, your body can go through it. Whenever you are
unhappy in life, know that you have put your love into small channel. Your love is so big, so great; it needs a Royal door
to walk through. But you have struck that big elephants body of your love into a small chimney or ventilator; it can
neither go out nor come in. This is entanglement. Thats why that love seems to bring problems to you. You do not
understand its magnitude. This is tapas manomayitapas atmavinigraha - coming back to the Self, gripping the
centeredness in you.

Guruji in Canada.
Devotees Rejoice Guruji's Presence
at Holy Door of Notre-Dame de
Quebec
Quebec hospitality while leaving
after "Louis Joliette" Excursion
When the mind becomes empty,
then any wish or desire that you
have at that time instantly
manifests. This is a great secret. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

PAGE -7

OCTOBER 2014

Art of Living News around the World.

Lighting Lives - by Art of Living Yuvacharyas at a
remote village Kadamban Kombai situated in the
Nilgiris.
Swami Gnantej conducted a Mega Sri Sri Yoga
Course with more than 1000 participants at
Hindustan College and Sarswathi Ramachandran
Higher Secondary School in Coimbatore
between 9th and 12th October 2014.

PALAR River Rejuvenation Project is christened "Namma Oor,

Namma Neer". Naganadi flows in the Palar basin & an important
aspect of the Palar River system. Click the link for updates.
https://www.facebook.com/nammaoornammaneer

PAGE 8

OCTOBER 2014
More than 1200 people from Kerala have joined
the Art of Living Pampa River Cleaning Project.
In February, 2014 an elephant was found dead in
the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The post-mortem
revealed huge piles of waste including
polythene bags, aluminum foil and wrappers in
her abdomen.

When you visit Sabarimala, it is hard to miss the

sights and smells of the garbage problem caused by people, especially during the 2-month long Sabarimala pilgrimage.
To add to this, local people throw clothes in the river, pollute it with factory waste, wash clothes, and use the river as a
toilet. This poses a serious threat to the wildlife and ecology of the Reserve. It is a health hazard to the lakhs of pilgrims
who visit, and the population downstream, dependent on the river for water. Love and respect for nature is one of the
main teachings of the Great Lord Ayappa. As part of the 'Clean Pampa' Campain of the Art of Living, 12 to 85 year olds
are serving that reminder to all.
Humanitarian and Founder of Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, voiced his concern about the pollution of the River
Pampa to Kerala Chief Minister, Umman Chandy, during His visit to Trivandrum in 2014. Hearing the spiritual leader's
message to save the river and wildlife sanctuary, The Art of Living volunteers swung into action. Vinod Nair, an Art of
Living faculty, coordinated the project. While most of us are left grappling with a problem of this proportion, Mr. Nair
and his team adopted a systematic approach to the clean-up. Click the link to read more. http://www.artofliving.org/inen/true-pilgrims
NGOs, students' groups work to push up turnout
PUNE: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and student groups in the city took up responsibilities like registering
students, facilitating interactions between candidates and voters, to ensure a good voter turnout.
Krithika Balaji from the Vote for India campaign of the Art of Living, along with other volunteers registered close to 100
college students to vote this time. "All of them were first time voters. We need a strong leader to address all our issues.
For that, we need each and every person to vote and help in forming a strong state government. We want to bring about
a change," she said. Click the link to read more.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/NGOs-students-groups-work-to-push-upturnout/articleshow/44831252.cms
Students wield sickles to clear 500-yr-old pond
The pond that had been dry for five years gained a
new lease of life. A 500-year-old defunct kalyani
(temple pond) in the Kumudavati basin, which had
plastic, garbage and weeds choking it from five
years, has now got 15 feet of water, thanks to the
efforts of 42 students and nine staff members of
Soundarya PU College from Bangalore.
The kalyani belongs to the Kashi Vishwanatha
temple of Thyamagondlu village, about 15 km from
Bangalore. The students, as part of their National
Service Scheme (NSS) camp in nearby Dasanapura,
worked tirelessly on the project. And within eight
hours, on October 8, they cleared garbage, silt and
weeds, to turn the kalyani into a live one.
Rejuvenation as part of leadership programme. The
students took up the initiative as part of the
college's Youth Leadership Training Programme
(YLTP). "It was Art of Living Foundation staffer
Gopala Krishna who informed us about the condition of the kalyani. Click the link to read more.
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/Students-wield-sickles-to-clear-500-yr-oldpond/articleshow/44818150.cms

PAGE 9

OCTOBER 2014

One life is not enough- Durga Prasad Dash

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Beginning from the vedic age through the biblical times, light has been the symbol of satwa, creativity,
positivity, wisdom and life. If the vedic sage prayed, Lead me from darkness to light (Tamaso mam
jyotirgamaya ) , the biblical saints declared, God said let there be light, and there was light.

The biblical saying resonates with the eastern concept of creation. It connotes as if darkness is the default
state. Then the Creator wills that there should be light and so light comes into existence. In life as well,
without effort there would be no progress. In our scriptures we talk of three attitudes satwik, rajasik and
tamasik. The word tamasik is derived from tamas meaning darkness. As opposed a satwik attitude, tamasic
attitude consists of dullness, laziness, lack of enthusiasm, ignorance and feverish attachment.

In Indian tradition we light a lamp to inaugurate meetings, exhibitions and other ventures. Many religious
traditions use light as a symbol of wisdom. Even the secular people hold candle light march to spread
awareness of their favourite issues.

Variation in amount of natural light brings in change in our moods. At dawn usually one feels more cheerful
and in evening many feel less enthusiastic. When the sun goes down, many feel depressed. Even the poet
sings When evening dawns, under the sky, how lonely I feel (Sanj dhale, gagan tale, hum kitne ekaki). The
Arati in our tradition effects the surrounding in a subtle way to uplift the spirit. In addition to lighting
camphour and ghee lamps, chanting or singing in chorus and particular musical instruments are used while
doing Arati. Overall, it has a positive effect in our body-mind complex. If you are feeling depressed in the
evening, just go and attend the Arati or Kirtan program and experience what happens.

Light is life. All forms of food are directly or indirectly dependent on plants and plants need light for
photosynthesis.

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OCTOBER 2014

Festivals of light, in different forms are celebrated throughout the world. In

India, the prominent festival is the Deepavali or Diwali. It is not a festival of
merely Lighting it up. During Diwali gratitude is expressed to departed
ancestors. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped to bring in material prosperity
and sweets are distributed to bring in sweetness to life and relationships.
One may feel ones negativity exploding with the explosion of crackers.

Here is wishing all readers, a very happy and prosperous Deepavali.

Footnote: Excerpts from the story of creation as narrated in the Vishnu
Purana
Whilst thus concentrated, the quality of darkness pervaded his body, and thence the demons (the asuras)
were first born, issuing from his thigh. Brahm then abandoned that form which was composed of the
rudiment of darkness, and which, being deserted by him, became night. Continuing to create, but assuming a
different shape, he experienced pleasure, and thence from his mouth proceeded the gods. The form
abandoned by him became day, in which the good quality predominates; and hence by day the gods are most
powerful, and by night the demons. He next adopted another person (form) in which the rudiment of good
men also prevailed; and thinking of himself as the father of the world, the progenitors (or Pitris) were born
from his side. The body, when he abandoned it, became the Sandhya, or evening twilight. Brahm then
assumed another person, pervaded by the quality of foulness; and from this, men in whom foulness (or
passion) predominates, were produced. Quickly abandoning that body, it became the dawn. At the
appearance of this light of day men feel most vigour; whilst the progenitors are most powerful in the evening.
PS:
By the way, with the current issue, LIGHTHOUSE is stepping into the tenth year of publication. What started as
a casual conversation with Sri Gopalkrishnaji, became a reality. Even though I did the initial design, edited and
provided content for the first few years, due to various reasons, my contribution towards publication of the
magazine has not been regular. Sri Gopalkrishnaji has been the sheet anchor. He has been keeping up with
the commitment of bringing it out every month for the last nine years, and by doing so has definitely brought
light into the life of many devotees. This occasion also brings pleasant memories of my association with the
Art of Living community in Coimbatore.
(Durga Prasad Dash - IAF veteran, Author and Art of Living Coach (Visit www.durgadash.net for more of his
articles on a variety of issues)
##################################################################

Passion, Dispassion and Compassion

Be natural. Dont sit with too many concepts. Free the freedom. Dont burden yourself with too much
understanding. Too much analysis is as bad as no analysis at all. Take the middle path.
You need to breathe in, that is passion. You need to breathe out, that is dispassion. Both are essential. You
cant say I only want dispassion. What do you want dispassion for? There is something in you which is beyond
dispassion.
Dispassion is breathing out. Why should one breathe out? So that you can take a breath in again. Why are you
breathing in? So that you can breathe out again. So, in life, all three are needed: passion, dispassion and
compassion. - Sri Sri Ravishankar.

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OCTOBER 2014

Suntrack with Dr. Arun Madhavanji - Thaen Amudham Satsang

Deepavali (Extracted from the Book "Sampradaya")
The festivals of India are often associated with seasonal changes and popular
fables that more often than not describe the victory of good over evil. These
festivals inform us about the cultural and traditional riches that we've been
bestowed with. Every festival either welcomes a season, or harvest, rains and so
on or is celebrated with music, dance and colour. The birthdays of Saints are also
celebrated as festivals. Navarati refers to nine nights aka. Dussera. Shivratri and
Diwali are some festivals that are common to all over India. Most of the festivals
follow the lunar calendar and therefore seldom fall on the same date of English
calendar.
The word Deepam means lamp and Avali means 'row'. Translated literally,
Deepavali refers to the lighting of rows of lamps. A single lamp can light hundreds
of others without diminishing in its own brilliance. Likewise, when a person shares
righteous knowledge with others, it further increases his or her own clarity. In lighting a lamp, we bow down to
knowledge, the greatest of all forms of wealth. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolises our vasanas or negative
tendencies and the wick, our ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the "vasanas" are slowly but surely exhausted and
the ego too finally perishes. It signifies the triumph of good over evil, of righteousness over treachery, of truth over
falsehood, and of light over darkness. Indians all over the world rejoice during this festive celebration filled with the
promise of hope and love.
Legends of Glory: Triumph of Good over Evil :
Legends abound during Deepavali; each one is as delightful and interesting,
making the festival very meaningful and relevant even today. Deepavali is
celebrated on the 13th or 14th day in the dark half of Kartik (Oct.-Nov.); it is also
known as Krishna Chaturdashi. Its symbols and rituals, and the reasons for
celebration are innumerable. Deepavali commemorates Lord Ram's glorious and
long-awaited return to his Kingdom of Ayodhya from his 14-year-long exile in the
forests after vanquishing Ravana, the King of Lanka. His subjects were so
overjoyed at Lord Ram's return that they lit thousands of lamps all along his path
to his palace to guide his flying vimana (chariot) into their city (akin to the runway
lighting of modern times!). To them, what was the darkest night gave way to the
most beautiful morning when Lord Rama and his wife Sita and brother Lakshman
returned to their kingdom. On the eve of Deepavali, on Chaturdashi Narka, Lord
Krishna is said to have slain the demon king Narakaasur and rescued 16,000
women (the Gopikaas of Brindavan) from his imprisonment. Metaphorically, as
explained in the first chapter, they epitomize an equal number of nerves in the
human body. Some communities believe that before Narakasur was vanquished,
Lord Krishna granted him a final boon. Narakasura expressed his desire to make people enjoy the last day of his life with
splendid festivities. Thus Deepavali was celebrated. The practice, it is believed, has continued ever since.
Significant Customs and Rituals
When Lord Krishna returned home in the wee hours of the morning of Naraka chaturdashi day, scented oil was
massaged on his body and his devotees washed the grime away with water. This is believed to have led to the custom of
having a bath before sunrise, after anointing body and head with oil. Such a bath is believed to cleanse the body and
mind of all impurities. Deepavali is therefore celebrated as a festival that proclaims triumph and victory. On the morning
of Deepavali, the celebrations begin early. Waking up during the Brahmamuhurta (at 4 am) is a great blessing from the
standpoint of health, ethical discipline, efficiency in work and spiritual advancement. The sages who instituted this
custom must have cherished the hope
that their descendants would realise its benefits and make it a regular habit in their lives. After the oil bath, the family
members greet one another with the mandatory enquiry. "Have you had your Ganga snan?" The oil bath on Deepavali
day is believed to be a purifying ritual - just as a bath in the holy Ganges would purify one's body and soul.

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OCTOBER 2014

Other Mythological Origins - The fall of Bali:

Deepavali is also associated with the story of the fall of Bali - a demon king who was conquered by Lord Vishnu. On this
day, Lord Vishnu is believed to have appeared before the arrogant Bali in the form of a dwarf to request three steps of
land from his kingdom. The evil and egotistic Bali granted the dwarf's meager request with a scornful laugh. Much to his
chagrin, Lord Vishnu grew in size before his very eyes. With His new swollen, giant-like frame, Lord Vishnu placed one
foot over the Earth, another on the Heavens and His third on the head of Bali! Deepavali is therefore a constant
reminder to conquer one's ego before it is too late.
The Return of the Pandavas
On this day, according to the epic Mahabharata, the Pandavas returned to their kingdom after their exile of 12 years,
after being defeated by the Kauravas at a game of dice. Their subjects celebrated the return of the Pandava brothers by
lighting earthen lamps.
Coronation of Vikramaditya
On this day, one of the greatest of Hindu kings, Vikramaditya, was coroneted, thus imparting a historical significance to
the festivities as well.
Legend of Yamadeepam
The story goes that a 15-year-old son of King Hima was fated to die by snakebite on the fourth day of his marriage.
Knowing this, his wife laid out all her jewellery, gold and silver coils in a big heap at the entrance to her husband's room.
She also flooded the room with light of many lamps. To keep her husband from slipping into a perilous sleep, she sang
songs and told him stories. Finally, Yama, the Lord of Death arrived in the guise of a serpent. His intention was to kill the
young prince, but Yama was completely dazzled by the blinding glare of the lights and jewellery. So, he slithered on the
top of the ornaments and slept there all night, listening to her melodious singing. When morning came, He quietly
disappeared. In this way, the wife was able to save her husband from a premature death, and for this reason, two days
before Deepavali is celebrated as Dhanteras, also called Yamadeepam, and lamps are lit all through the night to worship
Lord Yama, the God of Death.
Deepavali - The Unifying Force
The Deepavali festival in South India is celebrated in the month of Aipasi (Thula month). The preparations begin the day
before, when the oven in traditional homes is cleaned and smeared with lime. Vermillion marks are applied, and then it
is filled with water that is ready to heat for the oil bath the following morning. The house is washed and decorated with
Kolam (rangoli) patterns with Kaavi (red oxide). In the prayer room, betel leaves, betel nuts, plantain fruits, flowers,
sandal paste, kumkum, gingely oil, turmeric power, and scented powder are offered to the Gods.. Crackers and new
dresses are placed in a plate after smearing a little kumkum or sandal paste. In North India, Deepavali is observed in
honour of Lord Rama to mark His victorious conquest over Ravana. There are several folklore and local traditions
connected with the festival, but applicable to all is the illumination of homes, streets, temples, with countless tiny
earthen lamps and candles. Ramlila or the dramatic rendering of the Ramayana continues for several evenings. On
Deepavali, the merchants in North open their new account books and pray for success and prosperity during the coming
year. Shops are kept open till the afternoon, in the belief that bountiful sales on Deepavali day could usher in prosperity
and good luck in the year that follows. Sweets and dry fruits are freely distributed on the occasion with silver coins.
Exclusive gifts also include costly silver dishes and expensive jewellery that are offered to people who are special. The
finest illumination can be viewed in Mumbai and Amritsar. The famous Golden Temple at Amritsar is lit in the evening
with thousands of lamps placed all over the steps of the big tank. Vaishnavites celebrate the Govardhan Puja and feed
the poor on a large scale.
The Spiritual Flavor
The festival also shows us the way on our journey through life, our
purpose being to glorify the light of the divine. It is He who bestows
the real light, the everlasting light upon the darkness of this
mundane world. A candle burns out; a firework is but a momentary
visual experience. The candle of a still mind and the fireworks of the
heart spell devotion that is divine and eternal. Merging oneself with
this ultimate light, one which dispels all darkness, is the true
meaning and joy of Deepavali. (Visit http://aolcbe.blogspot.in for
more interesting articles by Dr.Arun Madhavanji)

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OCTOBER 2014

Announcements

Appeal for Donation Hudhud Cyclone

As you all are aware that Vizag &
Surrounding areas are affected by Hudhud
Cyclone. In this connection Andhra Pradesh
Apex Body is raising funds.
Funds can be deposited in the below said
account.
Account Name: VVKI AP APEX BODY
Bank Name: AXIS BANK
Account no: 008010101661792
IFSC Code: UTIB0000008
After depositing / transferring the amount
please send the donor complete details to
aol.infocent.hyd@gmail.com for accounts
reconciliation.
Please feel free to contact any of the below
mentioned numbers/email ids for more
information or any suggestions or donations.
Venkatesh - +91 9885466623 venki.v@gmail.com,
Sudarshan + 91 9000966684 sudarshan.badireddi@gmail.com ,
Arya - +91
9700216213 - arya6211@gmail.com Specific
contacts: Food/Medical items donations: Vishal
Arya - +91 9700216213 Financial contributions:
Jaya - +91 8978886788 Solar lamp donations: +91
9000966684 General queries: +91 9885466623