||O® bh¿rbhuva¡ sva¡ tatsaviturvareñya® bhargo devasya dhºmahi dhiyo yo na¡ pracoday³t ||

(May Almighty illuminate our intellect and inspire us towards the righteous path)
- Rigveda 3/62/10; Samveda 1462, Yajurveda 3/35, 22/9, 30/2, 36/3
Yajurveda

Volume - 4 Annual Subscription

Issue - 3 India: Rs. 60.00
May-June, 2006 Abroad: Rs. 600.00
Date of Publication: 01.05. 2006

Possible in the mist of

Impossible
The life is filled so much with uncertainty, doubt and obstructions that it appears almost impossible
to overcome these roadblocks. Every moment, a person has to wage a Mahabharat-like war
within himself.

In Srimad Bhagwadgita, Kurukshetra (the battlefield of Mahabharat) has been called Dharmakshetra
(the field of righteousness), because it is here that the battle for the victory of the divine over
the devil, light over darkness and love over hate has to be accomplished. In the war of Mahabharat,
the army of Yadavas – Sri Krishna’s clan lost in sensual indulgence and hence instruments of evil
- was with the Kauravas (symbol of evil). Krishna (The Divine Incarnate) alone, that too weaponless,
was with Pandavas (chosen instruments of the Divine). Life too is like that. All the powers of the
physical world (rhetorically the mighty army of Yadavas) are allies of Adharma. A sadhak has to
choose between the Divine and his mighty army.

It is not that Krishna was the charioteer of Arjun alone; He is eternally sitting in the heart of
everyone of us and controlling our chariots of life. However, when we as sadhaks face the legions
of devilish tendencies of greed, selfishness, cunningness, etc in our surroundings and evil
traditions in the society, our nervousness is but natural. Arjun, too, was initially nervous and
unsure of victory but he did win, once he unconditionally offered himself to serve as an instrument
of the Divine Charioteer – in response to the Divine Teacher’s assurance – Ma ekam sharanam
vrij.– Similarly, when a sadhak puts aside all ego-based self-effort and surrenders to the Divine
alone and trusts His sole guidance with all his soul, mind and body, he is sure to overcome all
the obstacles of the path and reach the ultimate goal. It is such sadhaks who can make possible all
the impossible –looking tasks.

May-June 2006 3
 Contents
01 Amrit Cintan
Possible in the Mist of Impossible....................................................................... 03

02 From Chief Editor’s Desk:

Now is the Moment of ‘Pragyavatar’
Let Us Make Ourselves Worthy Channels of Its Flow..................................... 05

03 Vedic Solutions to Modern Problems:

Protection of the Ecosystem - I........................................................................... 07

04 Art of Living – 2
What should be the Ideal Attitude Towards Adversities?................................ 12

05 The Melodious Music of Life is Played on the Instrument of Sound Health.... 14

06 Youth Column
Creativity is Developed by Noble and Positive Thoughts................................. 16

07 My Village Home................................................................................................ 18

08 Health Tips
Some Remedial Tips against Dental and Oral Diseases - II.............................. 21

09 Science and Spirituality

Kama – The Hidden Source of Vital - Spiritual Energy..................................... 26

10 Companions in Solitude-7
Darshan (View) of Tapovan................................................................................. 31

11 My Life: Its Legacy and Message-18

Mind of a Br³hmaña – Actions of a —Ìi - II............................................................ 33

12 On the eve of RSA Ashwamedh Yagya

Yagya, Mahayagya and Ashwamedh Yagya........................................................... 37

13 Vedic Sanskars Influence Chromosomes................................................................. 42

14 Amrit V³ñº
The Grandeur and Glory of Guru-Tatva -I......................................................... 45

15 Gayatri is Kalpavriksha (Wish-Fulfilling Tree)............................................... 50

4 May-June 2006
 From Chief Editor's Desk
Now is the Moment of ‘Pragyavatar’
Let Us Make Ourselves Worthy Channels of Its Flow
Dr. Pranav Pandya
Gayatri Parijans around the globe will be
celebrating June 06, 2006 as Gayatri Jayanti
Parva – the holy day of descent of Gayatri
Mahashakti for the creation of this world. This
day is also celebrated as Ganga Dussehra – the
torrential descent of the holy Ganga on Earth.
In Gayatri Mahamantra is condensed the
Ritambhara Pragya – the Supreme Knowledge –
Wisdom of the Divine Spirit.
While celebrating this Parva, let each of us
understand and appreciate that we are living
at a time of unprecedented challenges and
opportunities; time of unique spiritual
significance when Ritambhara Pragya is covertly
emerging in human consciousness and will
transform our hatred and strife-torn world of
chaos, confusion and conflict into one of
harmony, peace, light and love. We will see
with wonder the descent and manifestation
of the Tenth Avatar – Pragyavatar – with
twenty-four attributes of Divinity. Of course
it will be an impersonal Avatar in the global
human consciousness, with personal
manifestations in rarely evolved human souls
here and there. Our Gurudev has been one such
soul – in fact the Prophet of the New Avatar.
Earlier in our Pauranic chain of Avatars, Sri Ram
(with twelve divine attributes) was the
seventh; Sri Krishna (with sixteen divine
attributes) the eighth; and Bhagwan Buddha
(with twenty divine attributes) the ninth.
May-June 2006
At this epoch-changing juncture, our Gurusatta
expects us to make ourselves fit instruments
for the work of the Pragyavatar through
intense and single – pointed Sadhana of self-
purification and self-transcendence; so that we
are able to contribute our mite towards the
fulfillment of the Avatar’s mission – creation
of Heaven on Earth. It is through the
synchronistic working of Divine Grace and
human effort that this momentous
transformation can take place. We as souls are
sparks of the Divine and not mere playthings
and puppets in the hands of soulless planetary
configurations. We have to BELIEVE and have
FAITH in our Divine Origin. To a large extent,
man is the maker of his own destiny. The
Divine Teacher of Gita stresses this fact as
follows:
Satwanuroopa sarvasya shraddha bhavati Bharat |
Shraddhamayoayam purusho yo yachraddhah sa eva
sah || (Gita 17/3)
Meaning: The faith in each man takes the shape
given to it by his staff of being. The soul in
man is made of faith; and whatever is that faith
in him, that is he.
The twenty four attributes of the new Avatar
are symbolized by twenty four alphabets of
Gayatri Mahamantra. Similarly, the three steps
5
of the Mahamantra signify the tree main paths
of sanatan spiritual sadhana – ‘Om bhoorbhuvah
swah’ signifies adoration of the Supreme Spirit
(Bhakti Yoga); ‘Tat saviturvarenyam bhargo devasya
dhimahi’ signifies the urge and seeking of
Effulgent Truth, Supreme Knowledge and
Wisdom (Gyan Yoga); and ‘Dhiyo yonah
prochodayat’ – exhortation for concentrated
sadhana of purification and sublimation of our
intellect and other instruments and yoking
them into selfless service (Karma yoga).
True, on the surface, the human scene is
depressing. Material science has obviously
become the new God. It has created seeming
miracles in the fields of medicine, architecture,
knowledge economy, instant communication,
supersonic and space travel, genetic
manipulation, etc. The feats are mind-boggling.
Science may have alleviated the miseries of
disease and drudgery and provided us with an
array of gadgetry for our ‘enervating’
entertainment and convenience, but it has
simultaneously destroyed our faith as spiritual
beings going through human experience; our
sense of wonder, hope, love courage and
compassion as immortal spiritual entities. It has
robbed us of our urge of search for ‘Meaning’
and ‘Purpose’. We feel utterly alone in an alien
world, inspite of the electronically provided
instant connectivity. From all sides we are
being continuously bombarded with horrifying
scenes of hatred, insensitivity to suffering and
betrayal. We are desperately crying out for
rescue from this man-created hell. This is the
time of utter crisis of faith and total devaluation
of life-nurturing values. Faith in the Creative
Supreme Spirit (The Divine) and adherence to
life-nurturing moral and ethical values alone can
rescue us from this self-created hell.
6 May-June 2006
Our cries have been heard and the impersonal
Pragyavatar of love, light, knowledge and
blissful life is unmistakably emerging from
behind the dark veil of the prevailing chaos.
It is calling upon awakening human souls to
become fit instruments for the flow of its
redeeming divine energies. Our Gurudev has
pronounced in unambiguous terms the advent
of the new Pragya Avavtar. It behooves us, his
spiritual progeny, to attentively listen to the
clarion call of the Yug Rishi and join the ranks of
the warriors of Light. Like Arjun let each one of
us respond “I WILL DO YOUR BIDDING.” We
must not allow ourselves to be drugged and
lulled into sleep of self-forgetfulness by
allurements of sensual comforts and
conveniences and illusory dreams.
Let us also not forget on this parva of Ganga
Dussehra, to do what best we can to restore
Mother Ganga to its pristine purity. Through
our follies of omissions and commissions, we
have converted its holy and sanctifying waters
into a stinking stream of effluents and
pollutants.
This is the time of the Great Battle (Mahabharat)
to be fought as soldiers of Light and
Righteousness inside ourselves against the
hordes of darkness and devilry. This is the
time of greatest growth, greatest opportunity
and utmost commitment to the Divine cause.
We are fortunate to have our Guide and
Teacher such a Yug Rishi. We only have to
contemplate seriously: Can we become the fit
instruments of Mahakal – The Time Spirit?
With Love-filled Greetings
-Pranav Pandya
 Vedic Solutions to Modern Problems:
Protection of Ecosystem -I
S ustenance of life on the Earth depends
upon harmonious maintenance of its
ecosystem. Conservation of the biodiversity
and richness of its flora and fauna is therefore
essential. Nature had gifted us with
abundance of both – enormous varieties of
creatures and thick zones of green forests. But
we the humans have chosen to dangerously
disturb the harmony of the ecosystem because
of our selfish race for materialistic growth and
greed for luxurious comforts.
According to ecological reports nearly one-
third of the forests in the world are coniferous
forests and are found in the temperate regions.
Tropical rain forests are valuable for their
genetic resources, timber and other products.
Rain forests are among the most diverse
ecosystems; they cover over 6% of the earth’s
surface but house over 50% of the life forms.
As per the ecological surveys of 2005, tropical
forests cover about 23 % of the earth’s land
surface, but are disappearing at the rate of
about 4 to 5 million hectares a year. Millions
of hectares of deciduous forests are destroyed
every year, most of them in the Caribbean
region and in South America. The situation is
no better in other parts of the globe.
Most of the world’s best agricultural land was
once forest area. As the human population
grew and there was need for more food and
space for habitat, deforestation began to take
place. Now even the agricultural land is being
May-June 2006
sold like hot cakes for expansion of concrete
jungles. Skyscrapers and plush malls are
replacing the open forests and mangroves. The
immediate consequences are being felt by
most of us in terms of all-pervasive pollution,
lesser rainfall etc. Unless we do something
radical to reverse this process, the long -term
consequences would prove to be disastrous.
Unlike the problem of air-pollution, the
menaces of diminishing forests and
mangroves and scarcity of drinking water are
created as much by common people,
individuals, as by the major industries. Cutting
the trees for domestic firewood, dirtying the
rivers by washing clothes in them and
throwing all kinds of waste (including the
‘sacred’ remains of religious functions etc) are
common among the masses in India. It is
ironical that insane customs and superstitions
are spread in the name of that very religion
which by its very nature and philosophy
regards and worships nature as Divine
Mother!
The ³rañyaks of the rishis (Indian sages of the
Vedic Age), that is the ashrams in forests, not
urban settlements, were the centers of highest
forms of spiritual and cultural evolution
providing society with both spiritual and
intellectual guidance and teachings of material
sustenance and progress in total harmony with
Nature. Thus, forests in India had remained
central to its cultural and civilizational
7
evolution. The ³rañyaks produced the best
scientific research and cultural writings. The
ancient Indian Culture is therefore also called
‘Ârañya Sansk—ati’.
In the words of Noble Laureate, poet
Robindra Nath Tagore, “Forests have nurtured
India’s mind and India’s civilization.
Intellectual growth in India did not take place
in enclosures made of brick, wood and mortar,
but was inspired by the life of the forests in
which nature’s living forces express
themselves in daily variation, creating a
diversity of life and sounds, providing the
context for the understanding of Nature and
man”. Human understanding in such a context
could not be restricted to perceiving Nature
as inert, as an accumulation of dead resources
waiting for exploitation.
In behavioral terms as well, the Indian culture
teaches an attitude of gratitude towards every
components of Nature which helps our
survival and growth in one way or the other.
Nature provides light, air, food, water and
enormous other resources. This awareness of
life in Nature as a precondition for man’s
survival led to the worship of light, air, food
and water and they are considered sacred.
Indian culture has been cradled by the culture
of the forest first in the Vedic period and later
during the times of Buddha and Mahavir.
Let us look at some of the mantras and shlokas
(hymns) extracted from the Vedic texts to
understand how the Vedas and other Indian
scriptures guide us to help protect our
ecosystem by conservation of the forests,
wildlife, and water and other natural
resources.
Girayaste Parvat³ Himavattoarañaya Te P—
athivºsyonamastu |
Babhru® K—aÌña® Rehiñº® Viïwar¿p³®
Dhruv³® P—athivºmindragupt³m |
Ajitoahato AkÌatoadhyaÌÚh³® P—athivºmaham ||
— Atharva Veda 12|1|11

Ideas and imaginations are the tools by which men of science are able to penetrate into
the distant future and fashion it. By dwelling in the realm of exalted imaginations man can make
his future bright and create for himself a veritable paradise, while through bad imaginations he
is also capable of creating hell within him and without.
In the second decade of the 20th century, Robert Goddard (1852-1945) had visualized of
rockets and expressed definite possibility of inter-planetary journeys in the future. At that time,
America’s leading newspaper “The New York Times” had ridiculed Goddard and commented:
“The proponent of this view appears less knowledgeable than even school kids. Whoever knows
anything about the earth’s gravitational pull would not put forth such a preposterous idea”.
Within fifty years of this editorial comment, the world saw the surreal spectacle of a spaceship
lifting off Cape Kennedy launching pad on its journey to the moon. The “New York Times” had
to eat its words and it published an apology to Goddard.
We should not make fun of any new dream or idea in a casual manner. Indeed, it is the
novel imaginations which, pursued tenaciously, have given shape and substance to the present
body of science.

8 May-June 2006
Meaning: O Earth! Pleasant be thy hills, snow-
clad mountains and forests; O numerous
colored, firm and protected Earth! On this
earth I stand, undefeated, unslain, unhurt.
Yat te madhya® p—athivi yacca n³bhya® yasta
urja tanva¡ sambabh¿vu¡ |
T³su no tehyabhi na¡ pavasva m³t³ bh¿mi¡ putro
aha p—athivy³¡ |
Parjanya¡ pita¡ sa na¡ pipartu ||
— Atharva Veda 12|1|12
Meaning: The treasure of minerals and of
other elements that provide vigor indwells in
your naval part (central core). Offer these to
us. Your land and the cloud enshowering upon
it nurture us like a mother and father. May
the shelter of these purify and strengthen us.
Experts of Forest Management[1] underline the
following conservational principles in the above
hymns – (i) It must be ensured that earth
remains forested; (ii) It must be understood
that humans can survive only if the earth is
protected; (iii) To ensure that for humans to
remain ‘unslain’ and ‘unhurt’, the integrity of
ecosystem must be maintained; (iv) Even
though vaguely, it also makes reference to
ecology, economy and society.
Yat te bh¿e vikhan³bhi khÌipra® tadapi pohatu |
M³ te marma vim—agvari m³ te h—adayampinÌa® ||
— Atharva Veda 12|1|35
May-June 2006
Meaning: Whatever I dig out from you, O
Earth! May that have quick regeneration again;
may we not damage thy vital habitat and
heart.
These imply[1] the following utilization principles
— (i)Human beings can use the resources from
the earth for their sustenance; (ii) Resource use
pattern must also help in resource
regeneration; (iii) In the process of harvest no
damage should be done to the earth; (iv)
Humans are cautioned not against the use of
nature for survival, but against its overuse
and abuse.
The first line of the next hymn says –
Y³pa Surya® Vijam³n³ Vis—agvari
Yasy³m³sannagnyo Ye Aptwanta¡ |
Meaning: That Earth which revolves by the
vibrations of the ‘grand serpent’ (rhetoric
representation of the geomagnetic currents),
the fire (energy) which exists in water as (the
source of) electricity also resides in the Earth.
Also, sea is revered as the center of immense
energy in the Vedas (e.g. in Rig Veda 9|17|44).
Although not explicitly in modern
terminology, the above hymns seem to
simultaneously address to three segments of
sustainability – ecology, economy (by
conservation and precious use of natural
resources of energy) and society.
In the well known mantra, of Yajur Veda,
cited below which is chanted during almost
every Vedic ritual, it has been prayed to the
divine powers manifested in Nature as
9
Cosmic Forces, Sun, Space, Earth, Water,
Plants and Trees, etc that they should be in
their natural harmony, free of all
disturbances – there should be peace and
happiness in them and also in the entire
world nurtured by them.
Om dyau¡ ï³nti¡ antarikÌa gua® ï³nti¡, p—athvº
ï³ntir³pa¡ ï³ntirauÌadhaya¡ ï³nti¡ |
vanaspataya¡ï³nti¡ viïwedev³¡ ï³nti¡ Brah®
ï³nti¡ | Sarvagua® ï³nti¡, ï³nti¡ reva ï³nti¡ |
s³m³ ï³ntiredhi |
—Yaj.Veda 36|17
The following hymns convey that trees and
plants have showered many blessings on
mankind. They have immense importance, so
it has been prayed in the following mantras
that we should get (more and more of) water
and plants and it has been stressed that water
and air are closely related.
Nishpadhwarih aushadha¡ ³pa¡ |
— Rig Veda 8|59|2
Apaïca me virudhasca me |
— Yaj.Veda 18|14
We should establish harmony with water and
medicinal herbs:
S³m m³ s—aj³mi- adbhirauÌadhibhi¡ |
— Yaj. Veda 18|35
In another mantra it is said that water should
be kept pure and its healthy elements [2]
should be increased. The various medicinal
plants should be irrigated with water and
conserved.
10
Pr³ña® me p³hyap³na® me p³hi vy³na me p³hi
cachurmauvry³ vibh³hi ïrota® me ïlokaya | Âpa¡
piñvauÌadhirjºñva dip³dava catutp³da p³hi divo v—
aÌÚimeraya ||
— Yaj.Veda 14|8
Further, in Atharva Veda it is said that the
power of all the gods is present in the plants
and trees and they provide vital energy to
humans and also save them.
Prastranato Stambinorkeïuóg³ PravantiroÌadhºr³
Vad³mi| Anïumati¡ K³ñÃinºry³® Viïakh³ havy³mi
te virudhº vaiïva devi¡ ugr³¡ pur¿Ìa jºvanº¡ ||
— Atharv Veda 8-4|7|4
Agnergh³so apa® garbho y³ rohanti punarñav³¡
|
Dhruv³¡ sahastran³mni bhaÌaji¡ satvabh—at³¡
|| — Atharv Veda 8-4|7|8
Meaning: Whose water (juice) is warm
(energetic) and which can be processed in the
holy fire (yagya) and which always remain
fresh; hundreds of these kinds of medicinal
plants should be planted here.
In another mantra (Atharva Veda 8|7|10), it
is said that the medicinal herbs remove
pollution and so they are called ‘Vid¿Ìañº’.
Unmuncantivivar¿ñ³ ugr³ viduÌañº | Atho
Bal³san³ïanº¡ K—aty³d¿Ìañºïca y³st³ ih³
yantwoÌadhih || —Atharv Veda 8|7|10
Similar meaning is implied in the following
segment of a hymn (2|9|35) of the Yajur Veda
May-June 2006
that says – Vanaspati¡ Ïamit³ (Plants / trees
remove the pollution and purify the air).
In Rig Veda (6|47|27) it is mentioned that the
plants and trees are sources of energy to
mankind. It is also mentioned that they are a
boon to mankind, without which the existence
of mankind would have been in danger (Rig
Veda 10|65|11). The following hymn further
teaches that — it is in the interest of mankind
to plant more and more plants and trees as
these safeguard the water resources.
Vanaspatim van asthapayadhvam, Niïu dadidhvam
akhanant utsam |
– Rig Veda 10|101|11
Derived from the hidden and explicit
teachings specified in the mantras of the Vedas
the scriptures (smritis and other shastras) had
set up practical guidelines, consonant with the
psychology of the masses, for natural
implementation of the principles of
conservation, balanced utilization and
regeneration of the Nature’s precious
resources. We shall cite some of these in the
next article of this series and more importantly
discuss how these could add to and/or fill in
the lacunae in the efforts of rejuvenating and
maintaining the ecosystem today.
References:
1.Pandey DN (1999): Ethnoforestry – Local
Knowledge for Sustainable Forestry and Livelihood
Security. Online Edition, Asia Forest Network
& Forestry Development Project, Rajasthan.
(Printed Edition, Haminshu Publications,
Udaipur/New Delhi. 1998).
2.Saxena Mamta (2005): Air Quality Modelling
and Non-Conventional Solutions to Environmental
Problems With Reference to Vedic Science. Ph. D.
Thesis (submitted), Dev Sanskriti University,
Hardwar.
(series to be continued)

In the days when the sea was believed to stretch upto one thousand miles around
Asia and its expanse virtually endless, the imagination of eighteen-year-old Columbus
leaped across to America. He wanted to search out a sea-route to India, the country
which had been drawing the avaricious attention of many European nations. But he
actually landed on the eastern coast of America and the islands of West Indies. He
made this courageous voyage with the help of a few assistants and some maps. The
Portuguese cheated him of his maps under the ruse of telling him the route. But
undeterred by these crises and overcoming every hurdle wisely, Columbus was
ultimately able to reach his destination. He discovered a hitherto unknown continent
one country of which (USA), in due course of time, rose to be a superpower. Ambitions
backed by strong determination always meet with success. Revered Gurudev has
said in Prajó³pur³na: “Atyeti s³hasam sarv³n puruÌartha phalam mahat” (Chapter
6, part 2, p.253). Meaning: courage triumphs. Dedicated pursuit bears fruit. This
highway lies open to all.

May-June 2006 11
Art of Living – 2
What should be ideal attitude
towards adversities?
Ayutoahamayuto me ³tm³yuta® me cakïurayuta®
me ïrotramayuto me pr³noayuto meap³noayuto me
vy³noayutoaha® sarva¡.
- Atharvaveda 19/51/1
I am unconquerable. My spirit is
unconquerable. My eyes are unconquerable.
My pr³ña ïakti (subtle life current) is
unconquerable. My ap³na life current is
unconquerable. My vy³na life current is
unconquerable. I am fully unconquerable.
Do not get perturbed by adversities. Face
them boldly. Problems and adversities come
into everyone’s life. They spare none. Even
those who live in comforts or hold high
positions are confronted by such situations.
Life is, in fact, a composite of dualities –
pleasure and pain, riches and poverty, fortune
and misfortune, and so on. That the one facet
may exist but the other not is simply not
possible. Even if it were to happen for some
reason, life would become unidimensional,
monotonous and dry. For complete and all-
round development, times of trial are as much
necessary as moments of joy. Either situation
puts to test our subtle power of
discrimination.
If the time of adversity is utilized properly, it
leads to the cleansing of the karmic sediments
deposited on the soul over many previous
12
births as also to the purification of the inherent
urges and to increase in inner strength. Hence,
instead of running away from crises, one
should learn the technique of using them as
lessions. Blessed are they who make
themselves thoroughly proficient in this art.
In the history of mankind, the lives of all great
men and women are a testimony to the verity
of this statement. They all were sculpted and
shaped by Nature with the chisel of adversity
and misfortune. The lives of those who live
only in comforts and luxuries remain like
uncut gems which command no real value.
Whether difficulties are small or big, one
should try to develop a positive and
purposeful attitude towards them. There is,
of course, no need to invite troubles but a
dogged spirit of struggle and perseverance in
life does need to be inculcated. This quality
comes to those who are non-sparing towards
themselves but charitable towards others.
Those accustomed to an affluent life-style are
staggered and even devastated by one blow
of adversity while those who lead a hard and
austere life are mentally strong and capable
of weathering any storm with fortitude.
The other quality which needs to be developed
is the courage to accept challenges. All the
problems whether of health, money, an
examination or some other matter present
before us a challenge. Instead of getting
May-June 2006
perturbed or shaky we should confront and
grapple with them. True it is that this fight
will require us to make major changes in the
pattern of our lives, in policies, values and
habits. But what of that? What is right and
justified must be done. To this end, no effort
should be spared in marshalling all the inner
resources, energy and courage.
Let us take the example of a health problem.
This situation tests our patience and self-
control. The doctors invariably prescribe
alongwith medicines many dietary restrictions
and a particular regimen of life. These
instructions entail a life-pattern quite different
from the one we are habituated to.
Consequently, the majority of persons fail to
follow them, succumbing either to the charms
of the palate or other entrenched habits. To
break out of this mould requires strong
determination which comes from
discriminative knowledge and enlightened
thinking.
The same applies to other kinds of problems.
They all require courage, fortitude and
sagacity. He who has developed these
qualities in him is also able to quickly
formulate an effective plan of action, a plan
which not only manages the crisis effectively
but also bestows fresh gains. These gains
could be in the form of either new channels of
material progress, renewed courage, increased
mental strength or improved health status.
A rustic once approached the great philosopher Aristotle and wanted to be instructed
in Brahmajóana (knowledge of the Absolute). Aristotle gazed at him from top to bottom
and gave him this precept: “Start washing your clothes and combing the hair daily. It
is the process of continuously removing your shortcomings that is called sadhana and
that leads to self-realization”.
May-June 2006
Yugrishi Gurudev used to say that adversities
test our self-confidence and faith in God too;
and we must come out of this fire purified and
cleaned. Indeed, if adversities test the
devotee, they also test God. If it is a trial of
the devotee to see how firm his faith is in God
or in his sadguru (spiritual preceptor), the latter
also takes the test in how loving and caring
he is towards the devotee or disciple.
Experience tells us that God and guru never
let the devotees come to harm. By their
infinite grace, mountains of trouble turn into
anthills.
An incident in Gurudev’s life is a shining
example of the positive and constructive
attitude towards an ordeal. In the beginning
of 1984, a malefactor, instigated by some
demonic persons, made an attempt on the life
of Gurudev. Although he could not succeed
before the spiritual shield of Gurudev, yet he
was able to inflict many knife wounds on the
body. These injuries forced Gurudev to rest
and recuperate for some time. In later years,
while referring to this incident, he would
jovially remark how enjoyable it was during
those days. There was no work as such. So
with total concentration of his being he kept
communing with God. The sadhana for
s¿kïmºkaraña (lit-”subtilization”) could also be
completed. Such a positive attitude in the
midst of adversities is an inspiration for others
to channelize the moments of crises into
fruitful direction.
13
 The Melodious Music of Life is Played
on the Instrument of Sound Health
Ayurme p³hi pr³na® me p³hyap³na® me p³hi
vyana® me p³hi cakïurme p³hi ïrotra® me p³hi
v³ca® me pinva mano me jinvatmana® me p³hi
jyotirme yacca
- Yajurveda 14/17
O God! May you protect my life-span.
May you protect my pr³ña, ap³na and
vy³na life currents. May you protect my eyes
and ears. May you enrich my voice and make
my mind contented. May you protect my soul
and bestow light on me.
Good health is the pivot of jivana sadhana.
Any kind of progress - temporal or spiritual
– is conditional on vibrant health. Money,
fame, power, knowledge and even tapa – all
depend on it. But inspite of this being a
common knowledge, most of the people are
casual about it, albeit with varying excuses
and justifications. Some are too busy to care
for health, while some lay the blame on
circumstances. What is surprising is that
even the spiritual seekers are often found
negligent about their health in the name of
tapa.
In reality, the root cause of neglecting health
is the lack of a holistic vision of life. Most of
the people are in such a tearing hurry to
‘arrive’ or get more and more that they do
not have time to pause and think about their
14
bodily well-being. By the time they come to
their senses, it is too late and they are trapped
in the vicious cycle of diseases. Their vitality
has ebbed and they are reduced to the pitiable
plight of the lamp which is on the verge of
extinction for want of oil. Now nothing helps,
not even the things which they had been
acquiring so far at the cost of health. The very
continuance of life becomes a pain.
The modern age is witnessing an increasing
lack of self-control. People’s craving for
sense-indulgence, their madness for
pleasures of all sorts is increasing by the day
and this, in turn, is devastating their health.
The wise are aware of the truth that lack of
self-control is akin to playing holi with one’s
own blood. At first, the sport appears
enticing, the bright red spurs one on and on
to ever more rounds of carnal pleasures
until soon the situation becomes grave and
vicious. Incontinence of different kinds
gives birth to diseases of all sorts. These
diseases impose many restrictions and
prohibitions on the future life-pattern; but
to the habits long formed, no restriction is
either palatable or implementable. As a
result, life becomes a nightmare, being
slowly ground between the two wheels of
mental agony and physical pain.
Sometimes, in the name of tapa and sadhana,
the body and health are subjected to such
May-June 2006
severities that the very edifice begins to
crumble. The irony is that even the spiritual
powers which had been sought prove a
chimera. The only gain is a show of pretense
where the practitioner gets slowly ruined
and the audience, bored. Castigating these
cruelties to the body in the name of tapa
Yogeshwar Krishna says in the Bhagvadgita
Karïayanta¡ ïarºrasth³® bhutagr³mamchetasa¡ M³
chaiv³nta¡ ïarºrastha® t³nviddhy³suraniïchay³n.
-Bhagvadgita 17/6
Meaning: The ignoramuses who enfeeble both,
the elements existing in the corporeal form and
also Me, the cosmic spirit indwelling the inner-
self, consider them as of demonic disposition,
O Arjuna!
The true spiritual life is a s³twika (simple and
pious) life-style. It is the confluence of sanyam,
sadhana and sewa (self-control, self-awakening
and service), a grand experiment in
purification of thoughts and emotions.
Irregular eating and random fasting can not
be called tapa.
There is an instructive story in this connection
in Buddhist Jataka tales. Once prince
Prashravana came to Bhagwan Tathagat to
learn jivana sadhana. Bhagwan preached to the
visiting sadhakas at specific times only. This
time varied for each sadhaka, depending on his
inner state. Prince Prashravana had to wait
A beautiful woman once made an amorous entreaty to king Chhatrasal that she wanted to beget
a son like him. Chhatrasal touched her feet and said: “From today, I am your son”.
For his high esteem for women and sparkling character, Chhatrasal could earn glory and greatness
and get his name inscribed in golden letters in history.
May-June 2006
for some time. Meanwhile, he began fasting
of his own accord. Starvation, combined with
haphazard daily routine, took a heavy toll on
his health. He fell victim to many ailments,
too.
Now Tathagat called him and taught him the
precept of middle path: “Son Prashravana, you
are an accomplished veena player. Tell me,
when does the right music come out of veena”?
Prashravana replied: “Bhagwan! When the
strings of veena are in perfect tension. If the
strings are loose, or taut even slightly more
than required, the right note can not be
produced by the veena”. The Buddha smiled
at this reply and said affectionately: “Son! This
is true of jivana sadhana too. The sweet melody
of life resonates neither in excessive
indulgences nor in extreme rigors. Both these
conditions can generate inharmony and
disorder only. The music of life is produced
on the instrument of sanyama or self-control
which consists in avoiding the extremes and
adopting moderation”.
These words of the Buddha enlightened
Prashravana and he realized that neglect of
health is no recipe for jivana sadhana; it does
not produce melodious music in jivan-veena.
For sound health, one has to bring about
harmony between the body, mind and soul,
and use judgement and discrimination to make
life holistic and balanced. Regulating and
refining the daily routine is the first step in
this direction.
15
Youth Column
Creativity is Developed by
Noble and Positive Thoughts
A no bhadra¡ kratavo yantu viïvatoadabdh³so
aparºt³saa’ udbhida¡ Dev³ no yath³ sadmid v—dhe
asannapr³yuvo rakïit³ro dive-dive.
- Yajurveda 25/14
“Let benevolent, harmless, free and fruitful
ideas come to us from all sides, so that the
vigilant and protector gods continually make
us prosper.”
C reative thinking is always oriented
towards the good of all. Creative
thinking means developing such a cast of mind
which remains untouched by envy, anger,
greed and other such destructive dispositions.
Only a mind pulsating with positive emotions
of joy, good will, equality, peace and
forgiveness is the creative mind, because only
in such a mind the creative impulses are at
their peak. Not only this, even the physical
health does not remain unaffected by its
beneficial effects.
The mind casts a direct impact upon our
nervous system and the various organs of the
body. Even the surroundings are affected by
one’s mental state. The emanating thought
currents are potent enough to influence them.
If the mind is pure, refined and energic
creative thinking reaches such an exalted level
that its effect may endure for centuries. Great
personages have been able to inspire and
induce great changes in the world on the
strength of their powerful cast of mind.
16
Remember, thoughts are shot from the mind
like boomerangs. After piercing the target
they come back to the person generating those
thoughts. So, if we are sending out good,
positive and creative thought signals, they
travel through the world of ideas and reach
the intended persons. These thought signals
return to us carrying with them the blessings,
goodwill and greetings of the people and
make us feel inspired, elated and encouraged.
Conversely, when destructive and negative
thoughts fly towards the target, they bring
negative reactions. If the target happens to
be more powerful, the negative thoughts fail
to penetrate them and boomerang on us with
double speed. Even if they succeed in denting
the target, they still return and hit us with
negative vibes.
Projection of noble thoughts gradually elevates
the mind whereas negative thoughts put it on
a downward slide. Consequently, many
reactions ensue which ultimately give birth to
mental/psychological disorders. Experts of
Ayurveda see a direct link between the nadi
system and the mind. If our thoughts are pure,
the nadis (nerve channels) open up and there
is free flow of vital energy through them,
whereas their functioning becomes unbalanced
under the impact of impure thoughts. This
inharmony in the flow of vital airs disrupts
and destabilizes even normal physiological
functions and the body falls prey to many
diseases. In short, be it the body or mind, it
May-June 2006
is continually inspired and influenced by
thought currents. This is self-evident in literal
sense, too, and can be observed on people’s
faces. Whenever the feelings of joy and hope
arise in the mind, the face reciprocates by
radiating a perceptible glow. A malicious
thought, on the other hand, makes the face
dull and twisted. That is why, those whose
minds always carry the burden of negative
thoughts have their facial features giving a
permanently contorted and crooked look.
The experience of Kuldanand Brahmachari, a
disciple of Bengal’s renowned saint Vijay
Krishna Goswami, may be recounted here.
Kuldanand would remain very perturbed in
the initial stages of his sadhana by the
persistence of destructive thoughts in his
mind. The more he tried to get rid of them,
the more they would surround and haunt him
like ghosts. In deep despair, he even
entertained the idea of suicide, but then it
occurred to him to seek the guru’s help.
He went to Goswamiji and sobbed out his
agony to him: “Gurudev, resolved I indeed was
for sadhana, but my mental plight is proving
worse than that of animals. Base thoughts of
sensuous pleasures, envy, jealousy, ego, etc.
have infested my mind and refuse to go away.
The situation has now become intolerable.
Death is preferable to such a life. So I think I
better die now”.
Vijay Krishna Goswami caressed Kulanand’s
head and comforted him: “This is inverse
thinking, son! It is your mind which is the
culprit. Rather than reform it, you intend to
punish your body. If you have to reform,
reform your mind; if you have to punish,
May-June 2006
punish your mind”. “But how?” Kulanand
wanted to know. In reply, his gurudev instructed
him in the technique of creative thinking. He
said: “It is imperative that you stop regarding
yourself weak and helpless. You have to believe
that you are an a®ïa (spark) of the Effulgent
Divine. His cosmic consciousness is flowing
inside you. As this perception becomes strong,
you will feel a surge of inner strength and be
able to rein in the negative flight of your
thoughts. This is the first step in the direction
of creative thinking”.
To make this check on the mind effective and
enduring, you will have to forsake the
tendency to find justifications and pretexts
such as the hand of fate or destiny. Whenever
negative thoughts arise to tighten this grip
over the mind, brush them aside with firm
determination. The second step is
‘replacement’. After driving out negative
thoughts, they should be replaced by noble
and pious thoughts. This could be in the form
of remembrance of some personal deity or
guru. The third stage is ‘refinement’. When
the process of replacement is made continuous,
refinement begins automatically.
One more thing to be kept in mind is that we
should not remain immersed in the unpleasant
thoughts of the past. Everything negative -
negative events, negative deeds-must be
released out of the psyche. The sooner, the
better. Just contemplate on the real identity
of yourself with the intrinsic feeling focused
on becoming pure, enlightened and liberated.
Simultaneously, unconditionally offer yourself
to the Divine. This process imparts sharpness
to creative thinking. To accelerate the process
of this sublimation, do not forget to embrace
high ideals in your life.
17

M y childhood was spent in the Konkan
region of Maharashtra. Gagode was a
small village of about eighty houses, in Colaba
district. It had no school and most of its
inhabitants were illiterate.
The women of every household used to get
up with the first light to begin their work.
The first job was to grind grain into flour for
the day’s needs, in circular stone hand-mill.
Then followed the sweeping of courtyard,
which were sprinkled with a mixture of cow-
dung and water to lay the dust and keep them
fresh and clean. While their hands were
occupied with these and other chores, the
women’s lips would be singing hymns in the
name of the Lord.
My grandfather was an Inamdar, a kind of
landlord. We lived in quite a big house, with
a spacious courtyard where there were a great
many frogs of different kinds, which all night
long kept up a regular Mandukya Upnishad. I
was quite scared of these innumerable frogs;
later I read the description given by the sage
Vashishtha in the Veda: ‘One frog looks rather
like a bullock, another like a goat, another is
spotted, and they all croak in chorus like
Brahmans chanting the Vedas. In the hot
weather they grow dry and withered like
Brahmans performing austerities, but in the
rains they grow fresh and vigorous and shout
with joy.’ What an imaginative way of looking
at frogs!
18
My
Village Home
But people tell me that nowadays the number
of frogs in our courtyard is not even the
quarter of what it was then. Frogs legs are
regarded as a delicacy in France, so frogs are
caught for export. Sometimes when I am asked
when I plan to go back to Gagode I answer:
‘When the courtyard is as full of frogs as it
used to be!’ Gagode had a lake – a very large
lake! There was a very tall tree beside it, and
a spacious temple. Many years later, when I
was forty years of age, I went back there and
found that lake, tree and temple had all
shrunk. One could easily throw a stone right
across the lake and easily climb the tree. It
was only in a child’s eye that they had seemed
so big.
I used to wander about the village watching
labourers at their work. One day I was
standing watching some men splitting a big
rock. One of them noticed me. ‘Would you
like to try your hand Vinya?’ he asked. ‘Oh
yes please!’ So when after a few more blows
the rock had reached breaking point they put
the hammer into my hand. I struck with all
my little might, and sure enough the rock fell
apart. To please me the good-natured
labourers stood and cheered: ‘Well done
Vinya! The Inamdar’s boy split the rock!’
Sometimes on special occasions a Brahmin
would come to our home at Gagode and give
a recital from the Vedas. I would sit and listen,
and soon had made up my own Veda in
May-June 2006
Marathi, which I chanted with all the sonorous
intonation of the Brahmin’s Sanskrit mantras.
All it said was that ‘horses are grazing on the
bank of the river’, but delivered in that style
it sounded magnificent!
A blind uncle lived with us in the Gagode
house. He was very hard working and gentle,
and everyone loved him. Later on when we
went to Baroda with father he remained in
Gagode, and one day a letter brought the news
of his death. Usually when any such news came
mother would give us all a bath and bathe
herself, but this time there were no such rites
and I asked her why not. ‘You see, Sonnie,’
she said, ‘blind uncle did not really belong to
our family. He was in great need and had no
one to care for him, so he lived with us.’ So it
was only after his death that I learned that
the uncle we had known for so many years
was not a blood relation.
The first nine years of my life were spent in
that village home. Then in 1905, we joined our
father at Baroda, where he was employed.
During our holidays we used to go and stay
with our grandparents at Gagode, but I had
no more close contact with my native village,
and a few years later I cut loose from my family
also. As I have said I went back to Gagode in
1935 at the age of forty, just for two or three
days. While I was there I had something to
write for Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) about
spinning wheel. By the time I had finished it
was midnight, and I was about to go to bed
when I heard the sound of singing from the
temple nearby. The villagers had assembled
there, and I went and sat quietly among them.
Hymns of devotion went on for about an hour.
My feeling for language would normally have
May-June 2006
been outraged by their crude pronunciation,
but before the depth of their devotion nothing
else mattered. I was completely carried away,
sunk in bliss. One of their hymns struck me as
specially sweet, and I remember it to this day:
Nowhere in this world is happiness, Crave it
not in vain.
The whole world is a snare of sorrow, Where
happiness is not to be found.
Here, I thought, are these villagers in this tiny
village, miserably poor, like walking skeletons,
with practically nothing to cover their
nakedness, and yet they can lose themselves
in music such as this! I was delighted. Where
had these people, in this village without a
school, where no one could read or write,
obtained this knowledge? It must surely be
because they sing with devotion so many
hymns of Tukaram and other saints, that they
keep to this day their understanding and
intelligence. It is here that our strength lies.
The saint Tukaram himself fell into such great
poverty that his wife died of hunger. Yet he
turned to the Lord and said: ‘Oh my God, if
there were no sorrow, there would be no
remembrance of Thee!’ and in the midst of his
grief he found joy:
Joys piled on joys have filled, My heart to the
brim;
Love is an everflowing stream resounding
with Thy Name.
It is because our country possesses this spirit
of devotion that even the very poorest show
19
the world smiling face. The people of poverty-
stricken Gagode, outwardly so dried-up and
withered-looking, were filled with this
inward wine of the spirit.
Once before, in 1920, I had spent a day in
Gagode. Some had died, others still survived
– some of the grain, as it were, was being
cooked on the stove; some was waiting its turn
in the basket, that was the difference! The
same stars that I had seen in Wardha shone
over Gagode also; I was the same too, except
that in Gagode the sight of the hills haunted
me. Perhaps I had once been a wild creature
of those hills, a deer or a tiger may be, the
companion of some hermit? Was it for my sins
that I had to be born as a man/ I am not wholly
tamed even now – I am still the same Vinoba,
even though I have been ‘fried in Gandhiji and
rolled in Jamnalalji’
During my 1935 visit I wrote, in a letter, that
the mountains and the mother, between them,
are the symbols of all creation and all
relationships. In the course of those three or
four days I must have recalled my mother
about forty times. Gita, Mother, Takli (the
spindle used for the hand-spinning of cotton),
that is my ‘Trinity’, and for me those three
include every one of the thousand Names of
the Lord.
-Acharya Vinoba Bhave

[Published with glad permission of Kalindi Behan, the original compiler in Hindi (and
translated into English by late Marjorie Sykes) of Vinobaji’s Memoirs titled ‘MOVED
BY LOVE’ of Brahmavidya Mandir, Pawnar (Wardha). – Editorial Team]

“Son! Take these two pieces of sweetmeat. Eat the bigger piece yourself
and give the smaller one to your friend”. “Okay mother”, said the boy and
went over to his friend. He gave the bigger piece, instead, to his friend and
himself started eating the smaller one. The mother was observing this through
the window. She called the boy back and chided him saying: “You naughty
boy! I had told you to keep the bigger piece for yourself and give the smaller one
to your friend. Why did you do the opposite”? The child replied innocently:
“Mother, I feel greater joy in giving more and more to others and keeping as
little as possible for myself.” The mother became somber. For a long time, she
was engrossed in deep thought, reflecting on the generous nature of the child.
The boy was later known as Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
If a person desires less for himself and tries to give more to the others, all kinds of
strife will end and the blissful atmosphere of amity and affection will prevail
everywhere.

20 May-June 2006
Health Tips
Some Remedial Tips Against
Dental And Oral Diseases - II
A s we discussed earlier pyorrhea is among
the most acute and dangerous ailments
of teeth. It begins with accumulation of the
layers or particles of substances chewed or
gulped via mouth, some of which are
deposited on the gums, some get stuck in
between the teeth (especially the jaws) or at
the root of the teeth near the gums. The
chemicals released in the saliva during night
also add to these. If not cleaned properly these
would rotten inside and become host to a
variety of bacteria and germs. Swelling,
reddishness or pain of the gums is an alarming
warning of this hazard. The layer of dirt
spreads on the teeth, they appear yellowish.
Mouth begins to stink. These are early
symptoms of pyrrheatic ailment. Successively
things go worse, the gums begin to bleed with
a little pressure or jerk of the toothbrush.
Unless one takes proper medicated care and
treatments, at early stage there won’t be any
hope; the gums would go septic with the pus
inside them rotting the teeth roots too. The
pus further grows and spreads with the
bleeding gums risking its entry into the
stomach and thus inviting other diseases.
After a certain stage there is no complete cure
of pyorrhea except taking huge amounts of
antibiotics and suffering the negative side
effects along with uprooting of the denture.
The Ayurvedic herbal therapies recommended
in the scriptures and practiced, though at a
limited scale, even today, provide effective
May-June 2006
cure of pyorrhea and several other dental and
oral diseases. The remedies including – doing
yagya with the herbal preparation consisting
of the dry powder of following plant
medicines in equal proportions:
Kachoor or kapurkachari (Zedoary), Sheetal Chini
(Cubebs, Tailed pepper), Akarkara (Spanish
Pollitory), Babool (Indian Gum Tree) bark-skin,
Khadir or Khair (Black Catechu) bark-skin,
Arimeda (Cassie Flower) bark-skin, Sirisha
bark-skin (East lndian walnut), Neem
(Margosa) bark-skin, Molashri (Surinam
Medlar), Patang (Caesalpinia Sappan),
Manjishtha, (Madder Root, India Madder),
Kareel (Capparis aphylla Roth), root of Chameli
(Common Jasmine), Ilayachi (Cardamom),
Ratan Jota (Belly ache bush), Sugandhabala
(Indian Valerian), Saarivan (Indian sarsaparilla),
Agar (Aquilaria Agallocha), Daruhaldi (Indian
Berberry), Padmakha (Mild Himalayan Cherry),
Lavang (Cloves), Chandan (sandalwood), Tagar
(Moonbeam), Jawasa (Persian Manna) Dalchini
(Cinnamom bark), Dhaya Pushpa (wood fordia
floribunda) Nagarmotha (Nutgrass), Mulahathi
(Liquoric Root), Khas (Cuscus grass), Jatamansi
(Spikenard), Aakmula (Mudar root), Lodhra
(Symplocos bark), Pippali (Long Pepper),
Rasaut (Extract of Indian Berberies), leafs of
yellow Katsariyya (Spiny yellow-Barleria),
Dhamasa (Fangonia arabica), Haldi (Turmeric),
Ajamoda or Ajavain (Carraway, Ajova or Ani
Seeds), Apamarg (Prickly-chaff Flower), Asan
(Spinous kinotree), Kateri (Solanum indicum),
21
Kayphala (Myrtalberry), Bada (Banyan) bark-
skin, Majuphala (Gallnut), leafs of Menhadi
(Henna), Supari (Beetal Nut), Kalimirch (Black
Pepper), Javitri (Mace), Bayavidang (Barbreng),
Punarnava (Hogweed Horse Purslene), Bacha
(Sweet flag), Sauntha (Dry Ginger), and Triphala
[mix of equal proportions of Anwala (Emblic
Myrobalan), Baheda (Beleric Myrobalans,
Beddanut) and Harad (Chabulic Myrobalans)].
Yagya-therapy is found to be quite suitable for
a variety of contagious diseases and the
diseases caused by bacterial, viral attack/
infection including those of oral and dental
system.
A special havan samagri is prepared by
grinding the above combination of dry
herbs/plant medicines as rough powder. In
case all the constituents are not available,
one should use as many of these as possible.
The homa (yagya) is performed by sacrificing
in the yagya-fire this havan samagri mixed, in
equal proportion, with the usual havan
samagri of Gayatri Yagya. The latter is
generally useful for vigorous health. It
consists of –– Somalata or Giloya (Tinospora,
Guduchi), Brahmi (Hydrocotyle Aisatica),
Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis
Choisy), Nagkesar (Cobra’s saffron,
Ironwood of Assam), Mulhati, Red Chandan,
Baheda, Sonth and Harad, Agar, Tagar,
Jatamansi, Guggal (Indian Bedellium), Devdar
(Himalayan Cedar) and Nagarmotha. Small
quantities of odorous, sweet and healthy
nutrients like saffron, musk, illaychi, jayphal,
javitri, camphor, jaggery, sugar, dried grapes
(resins), honey or chhuhara, clarified butter
(ghee), milk, dry-fruits, dry coconut, and one
or two of the cereals like wheat, rice, barley,
22
til (Seasamum), kangu, green gram, yellow
gram, black gram, red gram or peas etc are
also used in yagya.
The wood used in yagya-fire is also of
selected medicinal type; usually, Mango,
Shami, (Sponge tree), Peepal (Poplar leaved
Fig tree), Palash (Flame of the Forest) are
recommended for this purpose. Volatile
healthy substances and phytomedicines are
spread in the vapors, gases, colloidal output
of yagya, oral and nasal inhalation and skin
transport of which bring the desired effects
in most natural way. The mantra (Vedic
Hymn) prescribed for yagya-therapy of
dental and oral diseases like pyorrhea is the
“Surya Gayatri Mantra”. This should be
chanted loudly and the herbal preparation
should be sacrificed in the holy fire of yagya
at the end of each chant.
Doing yagya everyday may not be feasible for
some people. Gargling with a decoction of the
above listed special anti-pyorrheatic
preparation of fifty-three herbs/plant
medicines should be taken in that case.
Gargling with the dental decoction brings
fastest results and is recommended even if the
patient is doing the special yagya everyday.
Preparation of the decoction: Soak 15gm of
fine powder of the special herbal preparation
in about 250gm of water in the night. Boil it
on mild flame in the morning. Continue boiling
with proper stirring till the solution
concentrates to one-fourth of its original
amount. The decoction is now ready. Let it
cool down to tepid temperature then filter it
using a clean thin cloth. Minute quantities,
about 4 ratti (ratti = approximate weight of
eight grains of rice) each of very fine and
May-June 2006
filtered (through a clean thin cloth) powder
of alms and catechu are also mixed in this
decoction before using it for gargling. This
much amount of decoction is sufficient for one
patient for gargling in the morning and
evening. The decoction should be retained in
the mouth for few minutes during gargling.
This way the concentrated essence of the
herbal medicines extracted in the decoction
would thoroughly reach in between the teeth,
the teeth roots and gums and destroy the
infections there. In acute stages of the disease,
the patient is also advised to drink three-four
teaspoons of this decoction (but without the
alms) every day.
In any case, as we all know and are taught
since childhood, proper cleaning of the teeth,
tongue and mouth every morning and after
having meals is necessary. In fact this is the
most effective preventive cure. Ayurveda and
Naturopathy emphasize on preventive
measures for maintenance of good health.
Teeth in general are among strong components
of our body. They would accompany us till
the last rites, if a little care were taken to keep
them clean. It is a pity that many of us have
chosen to neglect the mouth system that
guards our health right at the entrance of our
vital food-water intakes. Instead of going by
the natural means of cleansing it and taking
care of our eating habits, we are charmed by
the advertisements of unhealthy foodstuffs,
harmful drinks, artificial toothpastes, mouth
cleansing solutions, mouth fresheners and
what not.
The chemically synthesized toothpastes
available in the market, some of which are also
suspected of making use of animal products,
May-June 2006
may not be free of negative side-effects.
However, the use of d³tunas of Neem is
generally good for every one as it is natural,
made up of pieces of tiny thin sticks of the
branches of Neem (Margosa) tree, which is
among the best known antibacterial,
antipyretic plants. It eliminates the dirt and
mucus in and around the teeth, gums and
mouth, works as a disinfectant and removes
stinking odors from the mouth. It is also
important to use a d³tuna properly. The teeth
should be brushed gently and the d³tuna
should be pressed beneath the teeth so that
its juice is extracted and spread around the
teeth and gums and fills the mouth.
In case people have problems in getting d³tuna
every day, they may make use of (herbal)
toothpaste or toothpowder. Use of powdered
rock salt, mustard oil, and powders of dry
ginger, sal ammoniac, dried green-leaf of
guava, dry bark-skin of Molashri (Surinam
Meddler), Kayphala (Myrtalberry), Triphala etc
is recommended in preparation of good
Ayurvedic toothpastes or tooth powders. The
Brahmvarchas Research Centre, Shantikunj,
Hardwar has brought out an effective formula
for herbal toothpowder prepared from natural
products after reinvestigation on the type and
properties of the herbal / plant medicines
referred in the Ayurvedic scriptures. A large
number of patients of dental cavities, oral
ulcers, spongy (swollen) gums, toothache,
stinking mouth, tooth decay and pyorrhea are
reported to have been cured by regular use of
this tooth powder. It is also of excellent use in
preventive care and strengthening of the gums
and teeth. It can be obtained from any of the
local centers of Gayatri Pariwar across the
globe. If the herbal / plant medicines are
23
available nearby and authenticity of their type
and freshness is guaranteed, this toothpowder
could also be prepared at home.
Ingredients: [1] Kapoor sat (Camphor Essence)
– 8gms; [2] Pipperment sat (Peppermint essence)
– 8gms; [3] Ajavain sat (essence/oil of Ajova
seeds or Aniseeds); [4] Neelgiri Tela (Eucalyptus
oil) – 10ml; [5] Lavang Tela (Clove Oil) – 10ml;
[6] Geru (Red Ochre) – 1Kg; [7] Vajradanti
(Barteria Prionitis) – 50gm; [8] Sendha Namaka
(Rock Salt) – 25gm; [9] Kalimirch (Black Pepper)
– 35gm; [10] Akarkara (Spanish Pollitory) –
10gm; [11] Triphala powder – 8gm; [12] Phitakari
Phoola (Puffed Alms) – 25gm; [13] Chhal-
Chhadila – 100gm; [14] Kayphala (Myrtalberry)
– 200gm; [15] Ilayachi (Cardamom) – 10gm; [16]
Majuphala (Gallnut) – 100gm; [17] Lavang
churna (Clove powder) – 10gm; [18] Khadiya
(rock used for writing on slate) powder –
100gm; [19] Tumburu or Nepali Dhaniya
(zanthoxylum alatum) – 100gm; [20] Saunth
(Dry Ginger) – 5gm; [21] Haldi churna
(Turmeric powder) – 10gm; [22] Harad
(Chabulic Myrobalans) – 10gm; [23] Anwala
(Emblic Myrobalan) – 8gm; [24] Neem Chhal
(Margos bark-skin) – 250gm; [25] Babool Chhal
(bark-skin of Indian Gum tree) – 25gm; [26]
Molashri Chhal (bark-skin of Surinam Medlar)
– 25gm; [27] Arimeda/Keekar Chhal (bark-skin
of Sponge tree) – 25gm; [28] Akharota Chhal
(Walnut bark-skin) – 25gm; [29] Nagarmotha
(Nutgrass) – 50gm; [30] Kuchla (Nux-vomica,
Poison nut) – 25gm; [31] Neela Thotha (Blue
Vitriol) – 10gm; [32] Kapurkachari (Zedoary) –
50gm; [33] Tejabala (zanthoxylum hostile) –
100gm; [34] Sirish Chhal (bark-skin of East
Indian walnut tree) – 100gm; [35] Vanshlochan
( Bamboo) – 100gm.
Method of Preparation: Grind each of the
fresh dry herbs listed at serial numbers (6) to
(35) above into a fine powder and filter it
through a clean diaphanous (thin) cloth-piece.
Combine all of them thoroughly. Mix the
quantities listed at Sr. Nos. (1) to (3) in a beaker
or stainless steel pot separately; this would
become a solution. Thoroughly mix it in the
fine powder of other herbs. Then pour the
prescribed amounts (sr. nos. (4) and (5)) of
Eucalyptus and clove oils in this preparation.
Again mix well. The toothpowder is now
ready for use. Keep it in an airtight container.
It may be noted that blue vitriol should be
first powdered and roasted on mild heat
before mixing it with other ingredients. This
purifies the natural compound. The same
process is required for alms. It is also heated
on a tava (iron plate for baking) or a kadhai
(stew pan) without using any oil or anything

A seeker once asked of a person of wisdom: “Which is the most

important work, who is the most important person, and what time is the
best time”?
The wise one replied: “The work in hand is the most important
work. One who works alongwith you is the most important person, and
the present moment is the most auspicious time; do not waste it”.

24 May-June 2006
else till it puffs up. It should be powdered only
after this. Kuchala also needs to be purified. It
is roasted or fried and powdered in a hot state
only; once it cools down it becomes so hard
that it is difficult to grind it even in an electrical
grinder or mixer.
Brush your teeth with it every day in the
morning and before going to bed; also gently
massage your gums with it every time. This
would keep your gums tight and stout and
your teeth shining and strong. People of all
age groups can use it. About 2gm of this
toothpowder is sufficient for one time
cleansing of the mouth (teeth) by an adult
person.
People suffering from dental/gum ailments
should also do gargling using the herbal
decoction as described above along with using
this toothpaste. Gargling could be done few
hours after brushing the teeth, say after having
lunch.
The added advantage of Ayruvedic methods
of prevention and cure of the mouth
components is that some of the ingredients are
good remedies for several other infectious
diseases, fevers etc. While the antibiotics tend
to harm the vital system and body-resistance
and induce negative side effects (esp. on the
digestive system), the Ayurvedic preparations
do just the contrary by providing extra
benefits of vigorous health and immunity.
In the next article we shall discuss some simple
tips from Ayurveda for treatment and
preventive care of the eyes.
(Series to continue)
May-June 2006
Lord Brahma, the presiding
deity of creation, created all the living
species. He asked man, the highest of
the living beings on Earth: “What is
your future ambition”? Man replied:
“I am certainly very intelligent but I
want to progress more and more in
wisdom to the extent that no one could
equal me”. Brahmaji gave him two bags
and said: “Keep them suspended from
your neck. Be always on the lookout
for the virtues of others and collect
them in the bag in the front. Do not
notice your own plus points; deposit
them in the backside bag, out of your
sight. This way your wisdom will keep
on increasing”.
Man was pleased, but he
reversed the instructions of Brahmaji.
He hung the front bag on the back and
the back one in the front. Consequently,
he always brags about his own actual
and imagined merits and learns
nothing from the virtues of others. He
did become intelligent, but within the
narrow confines of his own perception.
Others considered him a braggart and
a fool. So many of us commit this folly,
and instead of augmenting the potency
and quality of our own intellect by
learning from others, we remain
engrossed in self-praise.
25
Science and Spirituality
K³ma –The Hidden Source
of Vital - Spiritual Energy
G ayatri – the Eternal Supreme Power of
God, is revered as the origin of the
infinite gamut of spiritual, conscious,
unconscious and super-conscious faculties,
cosmic energy and material existence. The
cosmic power of Gayatri used for the creation
and perceivable manifestation of the universe
is named as Savitri. The higher-level s³dhan³s
of Gayatri and Savitri include the endeavors
of awakening and activation of KuñÃalinº and
the unfolding and sublime transmutation of
the panca koïas1. Before going into this deeper
science, we may attempt understanding its
basic elements. K³ma – the subtle source of
sex-element, zealous vitality, sublime
creativity, joy and emotional exaltation, is the
seed of manifestation of KuñÃalinº – the hidden
energy of cosmic grandeur. The sagacious,
enlightened personalities are aware of this
precious source and therefore use it cautiously
for creative purposes. We too should know
the importance and deeper depths of the
spiritual science of k³ma and proceed along
the path of s³dhan³s as per our present mental
makeup.
The physical science regards atom as the basic
unit of matter. As per the hypotheses
prevalent until half a century ago, the origin
and properties of matter and hence all its
reactions and energy-variations were
attributed to specific arrangements,
distributions and motions of the subatomic
26
particles in the nuclei of its atoms. Further
research had discovered that the atom or
subatomic particles are not the most basic
entities, rather, these are consequences. After
the theories of (quantum) energy waves etc,
it is now believed that the root cause of the
manifestation of Nature is some kind of cosmic
vibration that could be regarded as generating
the physical as well as conscious energy waves;
the sparks of which motivate the motion of
subatomic and subtler particles and give rise
to the physical existence of the universe and
control its expansion and ultimate destruction.
The science of spirituality begins at much
deeper levels. It affirms the origin of Nature
and cosmic expansion through the
evolutionary impulse generated by the
commingling of prak—ati and pur¿Ìa2. These
(prak—ati and pur¿Ìa) are also referred as rayi
and pr³ña, ïakti and ïiva, or agni and soma in
the vedic literature. We may think of these as
sublime cosmic power currents of mutually
complementary nature. As the flow of
electricity is not possible without both the
positive and negative currents, no energy or
motion could be realized in Nature without
the vibrating linkage of prak—ati and pur¿Ìa.
The s³nkhya school of Vedic Philosophy
describes that the cosmic impulse induced by
the vibrating linkage – consistent cycle of
mutual commingling and separation, originate
May-June 2006
the evolving existence of the par³ and apar³3
forms of Nature. We get the first experience
of this effect in the motion of (sub) atomic
particles. A clock starts and continues
operating with the harmonic motion of its
pendulum. Similarly, the existence and
unlimited activities of Nature commence and
continue with the vibrating linkage of prak—ati
and pur¿Ìa.
In order to explain and illustrate the deeper
science and philosophy of this subliminal
process, the pur¿Ìa (Brahma) and prak—ati are
rhetorically described in the scriptures as
representing the eternal man and woman. The
trinity Gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva -
symbolize the powers of eternal creation,
maintenance and evolution. The Goddesses
referred as their respective consorts are
Savitri, Lakshmi and Parvati. Hidden behind
this rhetoric description of divine couples is
the fact that the eternal Being (pur¿Ìa) is
incomplete without prak—ati. No creation, no
life and no growth would be possible without
the conjunction of the two. There would be
nothing except the absolute void. From the
anthropological viewpoint, the conjugation of
the mutually supplementary powers of man
(male) and woman (female) is the root cause
of all the gross existence of the world. The
confluence or coupling of the two naturally
complementary streams of the sex-element
gives birth to new life. This reaction is like
generation of spark from friction, from
impulsive cycle of conjugation and separation.
The vibrating linkage in the sublime domains
of Nature is also reflected in every expression
of life, every process of the living body. For
example, the respiratory cycle, the consecutive
May-June 2006
compression and expansion of the muscles, the
beating of the heart, the pulsating flow of
blood, the cyclic growth and division of the
cells, the rhythmic cascade of molecular
interactions etc…. Any disruption in this
system invites the terror of death. This is true
not only for the gross body, but also in every
expression of Nature. Like the high and low
tides of the sea, every activity in the universe
is based on the cosmic impulse of the vibrating
linkage – cyclic conjunction and disjunction of
what is termed in the science of spirituality as
prak—ati and pur¿Ìa or rayi and pr³ña.
Human life entirely depends upon this eternal
cosmic process. What is transacted by the prak—
ati and pur¿Ìa in the subliminal realms of cosmic
creation is supposed to be performed by man
and woman together in the gross domains of
life on this earth. The alliance of the two is
therefore essential on the social fronts. Apart
from the exceptional cases of individuals living
singly because of some unavoidable
compulsion or because of some ascetic ideals
or noble aims, the life-partnership (as married
couples in general) or company of man and
woman is the most natural, common and
favorable mode of life in the human society.
No one would object to accept that the natural
growth and happiness of life is sustained on
the association of man and woman.
It should be noted that the intimate
companionship of man and woman is required
not only for reproduction or carnal pleasure.
The joy of sexual linkage and desire of having
offspring may trigger such relationships in a
couple. However, this is not all. In fact, the
intimate association between the two enables
creative channelization of k³ma4 in both and
27
thus helps arousal of their otherwise dormant
consciousness; this soothing exaltation is
required in every moment of life. The
attachment of a child with his mother and
eagerness of being in her lap or proximity are
also indicative of this natural requirement. The
sons deprived of motherly affections and the
daughters bereft of father’s love and
protection are often found to lack in healthy
psychological development. The presence of
boys and girls both among the children
augments the happy ambience of a family. The
boys who have no company of sisters and
similarly the girls without having brothers
remain deprived of overall development of
personality and risk some hindrance in mental
evolution. With the emergence of youth one
has to arrange for a married life. Healthy
association between husband and wife
together would offer natural boost to each
other’s progress in all dimensions of life. In
old age, affectionate interaction with the
(grand) sons and (grand) daughters also
provides extra sublime support to the hidden
consciousness of the (grand) mothers and
(grand) fathers respectively.
Renowned psychologists like Dr. Freud,
though in a narrowed sense of the word, have
advocated “k³ma” as the utmost need of human
life. It is affirmed to be fulfilled in intimate
interactions, amicable alliance between the
opposite genders. Somehow in our country,
the Sanskrit (or Hindi) word “k³ma” is mostly
used to imply sexual pleasure or related
desires. This is why it is often discarded as an
erotic or obscene terminology and the concept
of inevitability of k³ma appears debased and
unacceptable to many of us. But a sane
consideration of the overall meaning of the
28
word with scientific outlook and an open mind
would convey that k³ma is indeed an eternal
necessity reflected in origin and infinite
expansion –– right from the commingling of
prak—ati and pur¿Ìa and the gross generation
of life…, to the contributions of married life
in the society and sustenance of the world.
Finding flaws in this interpretation or
countering it by some linguistic analysis etc,
would only be a prejudiced and futile exercise
of arguments.
Unmindful and uncontrolled use of any
resource is risky. Extremities or exploitation
of every thing should be avoided.
Incontinence and greed of unwise,
shortsighted people often cross limits in
unchecked, insidious misuse of the faculties
of sense organs. Look at the state of our
tongue, for instance. Many of us have ruined
its vital power in abusive, bitter and false
speech and all kinds of unhealthy (though
lavish) foods and invited physical and mental
sufferings and economical and moral
decrepitude in several respects. This is not the
flaw of the natural faculties of taste and voice
endowed in the tongue. If restrained, refined
and used wisely, this tiny organ alone could
serve great purposes in enlightened progress
of our life. The same is the case of the genitals
(the sex-organs). If these are restrained
carefully together with adoption of brahmcarya5
and the nectar of k³ma hidden in the sex-
element is enjoyed with moral purity and
cautious control, the sexual indulgence too
would prove to be beneficial and fulfilling like
the elixir of life. After all, careful processing
and medicinal use of poison makes it a life-
saving drug too. However, at the same time
we must note that adulteration and ill usage
May-June 2006
of these are always detrimental and could
convert even the nectar into a deadly toxin.
Thus, it is not the k³ma, rather, its perversion
and eroticism that are debauching and should
be reproached and avoided.
When the relations between a daughter and
father, sister and brother, or mother and son
could be so sacred, happy and healthy, why
would those between other kinds of social
interactions between the two sexes be
pernicious? Take for instance the case of
husband and wife. This relationship could be
most enlightening and exceptionally
encouraging for unalloyed progress of both if
insulated from the aberrations of sensual lust.
Marriage in such cases would prove to be an
excellent means of nurturing fulfillment in the
lives of both the partners by healthy alliance
and mutual support…. Lord Krishna had
mobilized a welcome revolution in this regard.
The Indian society of those days of yore was
subjected to blind traditions – even the young
boys and girls were not allowed to play
together. People clung to a blind conviction
that meeting or interaction of men and
women, of whatever age groups would lead
to immoral, untoward consequences. This had
darkened people’s mentality and thus
captured the smiles of children too in the
barrier of social absurdity; little boys and girls
were not able to laugh or play together under
these baseless constraints.
Lord Krishna removed these suppressive
barriers and encouraged healthy alliance
between the two sexes by way of organizing
the blissful programmes of “r³slºl³” in which
the boys and girls, men and women all used
to play and dance together. He found it
May-June 2006
illogical to discriminate among humans on
gender basis; so what if one section of the
human society can grow moustaches and the
other doesn’t. How could the difference
between the anatomy of the genitals make one
sex inferior or harmful to the other in any way?
In fact, this difference in the physical and
psychological nature of the two sexes is a
remarkable symbol of Nature’s art that offers
soothing mutual complementarity among
them. The sick mentality that the two different
sexes would commit mistakes and indulge in
obscene, amoral acts whenever they associate
is an extreme of mistrust of humans towards
themselves.
Chastity of conduct, virtuous development of
character could be ensured only by refinement
from within. This demands inculcation of
ïraddh³6, prudence and farsightedness towards
noble ideals and human dignity. Social norms
should not prohibit healthy alliance,
interaction and collaboration between the two
sexes, else the society would be deprived of
the great benefits available from the joint
efforts, mutual support of its two major pillars.
Lord Krishna had propagated this message
effectively by his enchanting r³slºl³s.
The spiritual science of sublime power of the
sex-element accords sacred interactions
between man and woman. The intimacy of
their relationship as married couple could also
incorporate sensual connections and mutual
satisfaction of sex. There should be no
restriction on healthy association, joint efforts
and social unions of men and women in
general. As two or more men or women can
share the joy of friendship without any risk
or suspicion, the same way men and women
29
could also maintain unstained, respectful
alliance. This natural, serene, sober association
should not be prohibited.
The mutually supplementing powers of pr³ña
and rayi, soma and agni, and sw³h³ and swadh³
in man and woman are of unique biological,
psychological and spiritual importance. The
conjugation of these sublime elements holds
limitless potentials of genesis, creation and
blissful evolution at higher realms of Nature.
Reproduction or growth of population is a
very crude and negligible expression of this
astonishing effect. These two subliminal
streams of the source of consciousness and
manifestation of Nature should be recognized
and realized through the deeper science of
spirituality. Sagacity of human mind should
check the risk of tragic decline and extinction
of human species by preventing the perverted
dissipation of the immense energy of k³ma –
hidden in the sex-element – in erotic passions.
This sublime power should rather be
channelized wisely for the overall
augmentation of the physical, mental and
spiritual strength of mankind.
The activity of sex-element in copulation is a
subtle biological process. The sensual lust and
excitement associated with copulation could
be vulgar and shameful. Erotic description of
the same could be detrimental and should
therefore be avoided. However, knowing the
roots of this process in Nature, deciphering
the higher dimensions of the vital force and
the deeper science of k³ma, is neither untoward
nor vulgar. It is indeed a part of the Panc³gni
Vidya – the vedic science of genesis and
evolution of pr³ña, that has been lost in the
mist of ignorance and tides of time. Neglect
30
of this great knowledge has caused enough
harm to our own lives and potentials. The
deep knowledge of multiple aspects of the
bioelectrical force and pr³ña in the sex-elements
of man and woman is dealt in the spiritual
science of k³ma. It should be studied with
same sincerity and investigative attitude as
any other branch of science.
References
1
Panca Koïas: The five subliminal sheaths of
consciousness – the annamaya koïa, pr³ñamaya
koïa, manomaya koïa, vijó³namaya koïa and the
³nandamaya koïa.
2
Prak—ati and Pur¿Ìa: Prak—ati - the eternal
power of sublime creativity and consciousness
and Pur¿Ìa– the creator of the universe and
the anti-universe…
3
Par³ and apar³ (forms of Nature): Par³ implies
the subliminal domain of consciousness
immanent in the origin and realization of
thoughts, emotions and spiritual faculties.
Apar³ corresponds to the existence and
physical manifestation of energy and matter
in the universe.
4
K³ma: The perennial cause and sublime source
of sex-energy, zealous vitality, sublime
creativity, joy and emotional exaltation.
5
Brahmcarya – the discipline of physical and
mental chastity. It incorporates piety of
character, stability of mind and body for
natural avoidance of erotic thinking, carnal
desire and sexual indulgence.
6
Ïraddh³: Absolute intrinsic faith that inspires
divine sentiments, virtues and values.
May-June 2006
Companions in Solitude – 8
I felt blessed on having had the sacred sight
of the origin of goddess Ganga. In
appearance, Gomukh is a gap in a huge rock
through which a small fountain having the
purity of milk is gushing out. Due to the
tremendous force of flow the water strikes
against the stones lying on its way so hard
that the drops of water rise high. The sunrays
falling on this spray of water create a rainbow
whose beauty is simply to be seen and to be
enjoyed.
The soul gets purified by merely
remembering the message of redemption
and the great culture which mother Ganga,
starting from this sacred source, has been
spreading throughout the ages. I wish I were
able to captivate forever this sight in my
eyes.
My destination was still ahead. The area
surrounded by Ganga, Vamak, Nandanvan,
Bhagirathi peak and Shivlinga Mountain is
the heart of the Himalayas. Innumerable
unknown souls of very exalted spiritual
stature are dwelling here and are engaged
in acquiring the necessary power required
for the purpose of redeeming this world. It
is neither fair nor necessary to discuss it
here. It would be rather premature too.
Hence I desist from throwing light on this
matter.
May-June 2006
Darshan (VIEW) of
Tapovan
Here onwards my guide has been directing
me along the path. After negotiating miles of
hazardous ascents I got the glimpse of
Tapovan, an interior region situated beyond
Gomukh. The snow-clad mountain peaks were
spreading their supernatural beauty all
around. There was the sight of Shivlinga
Mountain in front looking exactly as if huge
serpents are poised with their raised hoods.
Those who are endowed with the vision of
imagination could see with their naked eyes
the sight of Lord Shiva with matted hair. On
the right side there is the purple snow
mountain of Sumeru. The other radiant bluish
mountain peaks are called Brahmapuri. A little
behind on the left side is Bhagirath Mountain.
It is said that this is the place where Bhagirath
performed tap (penance) whereon Ganga was
pleased to grant his request to come down to
earth.
There is a rock called Bhagirath Shila near
Gaurikund in Gangotri which is also said to
be associated with the tap of Bhagirath.
Anyway this snow-clad mountain is the real
Bhagirath Mountain. Geologists also consider
this mountain to be the origin of Ganga. Behind
Bhagirath Mountain there is Nilgiri Mountain
wherefrom Neel River with bluish water
flows. All these colorful mountains of heavenly
beauty can be viewed from a high spot. When
snow starts melting, the wide expanse of
31
Bhagirath plateau becomes inaccessible. When
ice breaks, huge gaps are formed. If anyone
ventures to get there, the chances of his
coming back are remote. When the melting is
over by August-September, it really appears
like Nandanvan, the garden of heaven. This
is not simply a lovely name of the place, but
here the atmosphere is truly heavenly. During
that period there sprouts soft grass all over
and the whole area is filled with the fragrance
of flowers and rare plants. The earth here is
decorated with flowers. There is no wonder
if gods dwell on such a ravishingly beautiful
part of the earth. If Pandavas had come here
on their way to heaven there appears to be no
exaggeration.
The beauty of Tapovan, which is the heart
of the Himalayas, is inexplicable. Reaching
here is equally difficult. Hardly anyone may
venture to stay here and enjoy the beautiful
sight at temperatures much below zero
degree Celsius. Badrinath and Kedarnath
come within the range of this holy Tapovan.
Going along the existing route, the distance
from Gomukh to Badrinath is about 250
miles. But if one goes along the route
crossing Mana pass the distance from
Tapovan to Badrinath is only about 20 miles
(32 Km). Likewise Kedarnath is only 12 miles
(20 Km) from here. But it is not possible for
everyone to tread the snow-clad track.
Tapovan is called a paradise. On reaching
here I felt that I was really standing on
heavenly grounds. All this is due to the
showering of grace of that Supreme Power
at whose behest this body is merely dancing
like a puppet in the hands of the master
Puppeteer.
32
Once Sri Krishna, Yudhisthir and
a Brahmin were sitting together in
silence and with tearful eyes.
Meanwhile, Arjuna appeared on the
scene and asked the reason of their
weeping. Sri Krishna explained the
situation thus: “Today, Yudhisthir
had invited the Brahmin for meals.
This has put the latter on the horns
of a dilemma; he is finding himself
unable to refuse Dharmaraj’s
invitation, but at the same time is
distressed that his tapa would be
diluted by eating the ill-gotten
grains of the king. Yudhisthir, on
his part, is weeping to think how
joyous it would have been were he
able to feed the Brahmin with his
just earnings, obtained through self-
labour. The cause of my sorrow is
that the Brahmins still possesse the
fine sense of discrimination where
to eat, and where not. The yajamana
(host) too has the wisdom that punya
(spiritual merit) accrues only from
righteous earnings. In future, both
will lose this subtle sense of
discrimination; the Brahmin will
rush to devour even the prohibited
food, and the host will expect punya
even from immoral earnings. What
will be the situation then? I am
pained and sad to visualize that
gloomy scenario of the future.
May-June 2006
My Life: Its Legacy and Message – 19
[Autobiography of P¿
¿ jya Gurudev, continued from the previous issue]
aharÌi Vyas had written Pur³ñas with the
M help of Ganesh in Vyas Cave near
Vasodhara waterfall between the mountain
ranges known as Nar and Narayan in
Badrinath. Seclusion and peaceful and
faithfilled environment is needed for doing
any important work. In the present
circumstances, when there is great dearth of
good and inspiring literature, the founder of
Shantikunj had, about twenty-five years back,
written commentaries on four Vedas, eighteen
Pur³ñas, 108 UpniÌads, six Darïans, twenty-four
Gºt³s, Ârañyaks, Br³hmañas, etc. and had made
them easily available to all at modest prices.
Appropriate literature, with a view to
providing practical solutions to the forbidding
problems of the present day life, is also being
continuously written and it has influenced the
hearts and minds of millions of people. The
series of Prajó³ Pur³ñas are a novel creation in
which the philosophy of UpniÌads has been
explained in simple, easily understandable
style through the medium of tales and stories.
Patanjali had conducted several researches and
experiments on the science of yoga at Rudra
Prayag on the confluence of Alaknanda and
Mandakini. He proved that human body was
a storehouse of energy. If the centres of energy
within the body could be awakened a man can
May-June 2006
Mind of a Br³hmaña –
Actions of a —Ìi - II
be transformed into a divinized person and
he can acquire immense spiritual powers
(riddhis and siddhis). In Shantikunj, the s³dhaks
are imparted training in haÚhayoga, k³y³kalpa,
³sans and pr³ñ³y³m. They are examined
mentally and physically by a team of qualified
doctors and experts with the help of
sophisticated scientific instruments and are
advised and guided about the s³dhan³ which
they have to perform.
Yagyavalkya had undertaken research on yagya
at Triyugi Narayan, had verified its efficacy
in promoting the health of living beings and
vegetation, in purification of the environment,
inducing rainfall etc. There is a yagyakunÃ
(hearth) in an inaccessible place in the Him³layas
in which fire has been burning uninterruptedly
since times immemorial. It is said that it is
aglow since the marriage of Shiv-Parvati and
is a symbol of the ancient tradition of fire. The
Brahmavarchas Research Institute has
undertaken the responsibility of conducting
research on the ancient science of yagya which
has become almost extinct these days. A full-
fledged laboratory, duly equipped with
modern scientific equipments, is functioning
in the campus of this Institute for conducting
researches on yagyopathy and people are
wonder-struck to see its amazing positive
33
impact on environment, pollution and
treatment of physical and mental ailments,
growth of vitality, rainfall of vital parjanya, etc.
Vishvamitra is regarded as the Seer of G³yatrº
mantra, a creator of a new world. Sapta-RiÌis
including Vishvamitra had in the ancient times
performed tapaïcary³ on the sanctified land on
which at present Shantikunj campus stands and
had attained the grace of Âdya-ïakti G³yatrº. I
was inspired by Gurudev to build an ashram
at this very land. The subtle vibrations of
creative s³dhan³ of Vishvamitra are still
intensely active here. Mah³pragy³ has been
given the status of Yug-ïakti here and by
installing idols of its 24 primary emanations,
the message of Âdya-ïakti (Primordial Creative
Power) of vasudhaiva kuÚu®bakam and of
steadfast and pure wisdom and righteousness
was proclaimed from here. Several s³dhaks
have performed G³yatrº anuïÚh³ns and have
grown spiritually. The Vishvamitra tradition
is being revived here by conducting research
about the power of sound and the technique
of S³vitrº.
All-round training to v³nprasthºs was given in
the ancient times in Gurukul Ârañyak of
Jamdagni which was located at Uttarakshi.
Facilities were provided for training of wise,
mature and aspiring persons in the
performance of s³dhan³ and penance. In
Shantikunj arrangements have been made to
impart training to parivr³jak v³nprasthºs and
public service workers. Children are imparted
training in moral education in this Âïrams
Gurukul vidy³laya and all-round training is
being given to s³dhaks in Yug-ïilpº vidy³laya.
34
DevarÌi Narada had performed tapascary³ in
Guptkashi. He used to play Veena and was
constantly engaged in the work of public
awakening. He used to give righteous
guidance to the people by arousing their
positive emotions and tendencies. Yug-Nirm³ñ
music training school of Shantikunj has trained
thousands of parivr³jaks, who undertake tours
in their regions and move in a group in jeeps
in furtherance of Narad tradition.
Vashishtha had preached Yog-VaïiÌÚha to Ram
at Devprayag. He integrated religion with
statecraft. The founder of Shantikunj had
participated in the Independence Movement
from 1930 to 1947 and had undergone torture
in jails. Later, the society was guided by him
through the medium of books, literature; and
everything which could be possible was done
for the integration of spirituality and polity.
Adya Shankaracharya had performed
tapascary³ at Jyotirmath and had established
four dh³ms (spiritual centres) in four corners
of the country. His object was to integrate
different cultures and to awaken people
through religious institutions. This work of
spreading Yug-cetn³ is now being conducted
by Shantikunj through the network of G³yatrº
ïaktipºÚhas, Pragy³ sansthans, Sv³dhy³ya mandals,
etc. which have been established throughout
the country in the tradition of Adya
Shankaracharya.
RiÌi Pippalada had conducted research near
Rishikesh on the effect of food on mind. He
maintained himself on the fruits of pipal tree
and attained self-realization by exercising
restraint and self-control. I strictly restricted
myself to a diet of barley bread and buttermilk
May-June 2006
for twenty-four years, while performing
G³yatrº anuñÚhans. Even thereafter, I have been
living on boiled foodgrains and vegetables.
Amrit³ïan experiments are being conducted in
Shantikunj in this respect. Soot-Shounik RiÌis
used to hold sessions of discourses at
Rishikesh by narrating ancient tales relating
to the scriptures. The discourses of Pragy³
Pur³ña in the present times have become so
popular that people call it Yug-Pur³ña. Four
volumes of Pragy³ Pur³ña have already been
published and subsequent volumes are
planned to be published in due course.
Harshvardhan had donated all his wealth at
the time of Sarva-medh yagya which was
performed at Har-Ki-Pouri, Haridwar. The
founder of Shantikunj, too, had donated all
his property for the construction of Gâyatrî
Tapobhumi at Mathura and a high school in
the village of his birthplace and kept nothing
for himself or his family members. This
tradition is now being followed by other
workers who are permanently linked with
Shantikunj.
Kanada RiÌi had conducted research about
nuclear science and scientific aspect of
spirituality according to the research
traditions of Atharva Veda. The intelligentsia
today can be convinced not by words but by
logic, facts, figures and evidence. In
Brahmavarchas Research Institute, research is
being conducted for integration of science and
spirituality and the world is eagerly awaiting
its results.
The parivr³jaks of Buddha had undertaken
extensive tours to spread the message of
dharma (righteousness) throughout the world.
May-June 2006
In Shantikunj, parivr³jaks are being trained for
spreading the message of divine culture
throughout the world. In India itself about a
lakh Pragy³-putras are engaged in this work
of spreading Yug-cetn³ from house to house.
Aryabhatta was a great scientist who
conducted astronomical researches to examine
the influence of other planets of the solar
system on the earth, its atmosphere and living
beings. An observatory has been set up in
Gayatri Nagar, astronomical researches are
being conducted and an almanac based on
driÌya arithmetic is being published from here.
The spiritual teachings of the saints of the
middle ages, viz. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sant
Gyaneshwar, Samarth Guru Ramdas, Prannath
Mahaprabhu, Ramkrishna Paramhansa in
regard to the spread of righteousness are
being followed in Shantikunj.
It is most important to stress that the
atmosphere of this Âïram is so surcharged with
piety and righteousness that it automatically
attracts people towards spirituality. This is due
to the presence here of RiÌis in their astral
forms. They must definitely be quite happy to
see revival of their ancient traditions here. This
earth has been blessed by the tapascary³
performed here by the RiÌis. Lav-Kush were
brought up and trained in Valmiki Âïram and
Bharat in Kandav Âïram. Rukmini performed
tapascary³ in Badrinarayan and gave birth to
Pradyumna who, in valour and wisdom, was
equal to his father, Shri Krishna. Pavan and
Anjani gave birth to Bajarangabali in the Âïram
of Poosha. These are miraculous boons of
tapascary³, s³dhan³ performed in this holy
region of the Him³layas.
35
There are several instances of advantages
accruing to faith-filled persons from contacts
with saints and by visiting holy places. A drop
of water of sv³ti nakïatra falling in an oyster-
shell becomes a pearl. It becomes vanïalocan
when it falls on a bamboo tree and camphor
when it meets a plantain tree. A piece of iron
when it touches p³ras becomes gold. My guide,
Gurudev, has been living since several centuries
in his astral body at Nandanvan in the
Him³layas, which is known as heaven of the
earth, the gateway of which is Haridwar,
wherein Shantikunj is situated. He summoned
me to the Him³layas from time to time to
recharge my spiritual battery, whenever I was
to be entrusted with new responsibility. I
always experienced having returned from the
Him³layas with an immensely augmented store
of energy.
I often invite awakened souls, Pragy³-putras,
to Shantikunj to undergo training or perform
s³dhan³ to acquire competence to play the
role akin to the bears and monkeys of Tret³
Yug, of Gv³l-b³ls of Dv³par Yug in the tasks
of ushering in the new golden era. This place
has its own significance on account of divine
patronage. Persons residing here even for a
short time feel that they are being
rejuvenated. In fact it is a spiritual
sanatorium.
The ghrit lamp which has been alight for the
last sixty years (since 1926), performance of
yagya for two hours daily in the morning and
G³yatrº Mah³puraïcarans in both the navr³tris,
daily jap by s³dhaks in this s³dhan³ Ârañyak, all
combine to create a sanctified divine
environment here, as one finds in Malayagiri
Man is the maker of His Own Destiny.
36
by the sweet smell of sandal wood. Even
without doing s³dhan³ a person feels
unalloyed joy as if his entire time here has been
spent in tapaïcary³ and s³dhan³. Shantikunj
Gayatri Tirtha is a sacred SiddhapºÚha because
the RiÌis in their astral bodies are present here,
overseeing the various kinds of activities being
carried out here pertaining to their particular
traditions.
The most important work of my life has been
to make direct and indirect, visible and
invisible efforts to change the present milieu.
These days there is intense crisis of faith.
People are bent upon breaking all principles
of propriety, morality and conduct. This has
resulted in the growth of evil conduct and
licentiousness. Today, neither an individual is
happy nor is there any stability in the society.
Problems, calamities, horrors are increasing
day by day. The efforts to stem this
overwhelming tide of unrightousness are not
succeeding anywhere. The remedy lies only
in the refinement of the minds and emotions
of the masses and inspiring growth of
righteous tendencies. This has to be done
directly by constructive, reformative work
and indirectly by invisible spiritual influence.
This is being done and the entire energy is
being mobilized to attain this objective. The
results attained so far are encouraging and the
results visualized in future will be
unprecedented.
In short, RiÌi traditions have been adopted and
revived by a br³hmaña mind in all earnestness.
Persons who are engaged in such a work not
only do good to themselves but also promote
the welfare of others.
May-June 2006
 On the eve of RSA Aïvamedha Yajóa
Yajóa, Mah³yajóa, Aïvamedha Yajóa
I n ancient times, simple yajóas used to play
an important role in inner refinement and
self-purification. The mah³yajóas used to be
performed to purify the social life. But, when
the need for complete renovation of the nation
(R³Ìtra) and that of the environment was felt,
there was a tradition of Aïvamedha yajóas at
the universal level. Thus, the yajóas have been
classified into three categories; viz, yajóa,
mah³yajóa and Aïvamedha yajóa. The magnitude
of their results also increases in the same order.
The importance of yajóa has been described
in detail in Ïrºmad Bh³gwat Pur³ña. Several such
events have been described in this scripture,
which acquaint us fully with the enormous
power of yajóa. According to this Pur³ña, the
universe was created with the help of yajóa.
This phenomenon has been described as
follows.
In an answer to a query, Brahmaji describes
the form of yajóa as follows —
“Yad³sya n³bhy³m …………… caturhortram ca
sattam”
- Bh³gwat, Skandha 2, Addhy³ya 6, ïlokas
22,23,24.
Meaning — “When I was born from the navel
of the all-pervading Brahm, I did not see any
articles for oblation except the body of the
May-June 2006
PuruÌ (the male God). Therefore, I created the
animals, vegetables, Kuïa (a sacred grass), the
sacred land where gods can perform yajóa and
the time, which is full of virtues (meaning the
time in which the virtues are worshipped).
Then I created all the ingredients of yajóa,
herbs, milk fats, sweetmeats, metals like gold,
clay (earth), water, four Vedas (Rig, Yaju, S³ma
and Atharva), four Br³hmañs, and such
procedures too by which the yajóa may be
performed.”
There is description in the Brahma Pur³ña
(P¿rva Bh³g,Addhy³ya 1, ïloka 5,6,7) that in the
beginning of the Kalpa, a very sacred mah³yajóa
was performed for one thousand years. The
organizer of this mah³yajóa was Brahmaji
himself accompanied by His wife Ila. The role
of Shamitraka was performed by intelligent
and radiant Mrityudev himself.
The king Daksha felt very sorry when his yajóa
was spoiled by her daughter Sati by her self-
immolation. After begging pardon from Shiva,
he organized Viïad yajóa as atonement for his
sin. Its description is found in ïlokas 16 to 18
of seventh chapter in the fourth Skandha of
Bh³gwat; as follows —
Thus Daksha got his sin pardoned, and after
consulting Brahmaji, he expanded the work
of yajóa, beautifully, by taking into account all
the aspects, e.g. up³dhy³ya, —itvija, agni for yajóa,
37
etc. A Purod³ïa (an oblation made of ground
rice and offered in kap³las or vessels) of three
kap³las was offered to Lord Vishnu. In order
to complete the yajóa, offerings were given to
virtuous Br³hmañs to purify the chief stalwarts.
When the Adhwaryu took the Havi in his hand
and meditated on God after performing havan
with pure intelligence along with the Yajm³n,
he sighted the Vir³t PuruÌ (Lord Vishnu)”.
Rishabhdev is considered the incarnation of
God. This country has been named as
Bharatvarsha in the memory of his son Bharat.
The latter made this country a sacred land
through the performance of mah³yajóas.
Wherever the mah³yajóas were performed,
Tºrthas (holy places) were established. After
removing the suffix ‘pra’ from ‘Pray³g’ , what
remains is the word ‘y³g’, (which means yajóa).
This place has become T³rthar³j (the king of
Tºrthas) because a large number of yajóas have
been performed there. The Daï³ïvamedha Gh³t
(a bathing place on the bank of the river
Ganga) in Kashi (Varanasi) is a proof of the
fact that ten major yajóas had been performed
there. This is why so much holiness has been
attributed to this place. It is mentioned in part
4 of Skand Pur³ña that the king of Kashi,
Divodas performed yajan of the Lord
Mahayagyeshwar in Kashi city by ten Aïvamedha
yajóas. From that day, that place became
famous as Daï³ïvamedha Tºrtha. Previously, it
was known as Rudrasarovar.
The sages asked reverend Sootaji about the
place, time, type etc of the first mah³yajóa.
Whatever Sootaji said, in an answer to this
question, is described in the second chapter
in the first part of “V³yu Pur³ña”, as follows
38
“The creator in the primordial state (i.e. before
the actual creation of this universe), performed
the sacred yajóa for thousands of years with
an aim to create this world. In this mah³yajóa,
indeed Tapa (penance) was Yajm³n and
Brahmaji Himself was Brahma of the yajóa. In
this long and grand yajóa of great souls, the
‘Nemi’ (wheel) of Dharma revolved so much
that it shattered and hence that area which
was worshipped by the sages and saints, was
named as Naimi̳rañya.
The fourth ïloka in the first chapter in first
skandha of Bh³gwat says —
NaimiÌe niniÌikïetre —Ìaya¡ ïaunk³daya¡|
Satra swarg³ya lok³ya sahastra samam³sat||
Meaning — Once upon a time, 88000 sages
including Shaunak performed a 10,000 years
long mah³yajóa in the sacred area of
Naimi̳rañya, with a desire to achieve Heaven.
It is the sacred effect of these yajóas that this
area is supposed to be sacred even today.
A description is found about Ayodhya - that
this city was the capital of Suryavanshi
(descendants of Sun) king Vaivashwat Manu,
who established himself as a universal
monarch. He used to indulge himself always
in Mah³yajóas and D³na (donations). That is
why in his reign no one suffered from the
pangs of death, disease and old age, in the
city of Ayodhya.
The rewards of Aïvamedha yajóa are far more
purifying. In the medieval period, Aïvamedha
was thought to be the war for the expansion
of the empire, whereas it used to be a special
May-June 2006
mah³yajóa performed for the benefit of the
society and the nation, in the earlier ages.
The pages of Vedas, UpaniÌads, Darïans and
Pur³ñas are filled with the description of the
importance of these Aïvamedha yajóas. In
ancient times, they were performed to achieve
ecological balance, to seek the grace of God
and to unite the nation. The writer of a
scripture says that one gets the same sacred
reward by participating in Aïvamedha yajóa as
that achieved by visiting the holy place Gaya,
taking a holy dip in rivers Ganga and Yamuna
and performing one crore oblations (—Matsya
Pur³ña).
Im³ nu ka® bhuvan³ sºÌadh³mendraïca viïve ca
dev³¡|
Âdityairindra¡ sagaño marudbhirasmabhya®
bheÌaja karat|
Yajóa® ca nastanva® ca praj³® cadityairindra¡
- SahasiÌadh³ti||
-Yajurveda 25-46
Meaning — Certainly, the whole world gets
joy (by performing Aïvamedha yajóa). Indra and
all the Gods alongwith their Gañas
(attendants), accompanied by twelve Adityas
and forty nine Marutas make the herbs
beneficial. Majestic Indrayajóa (for ecological
balance) surcharges the bodies of the
performers and their children with superior
virtues.
- Mahºdhar Bh³Ìya
Sarv³n ha vai k³m³n ³pnoti|
May-June 2006
Yo Aïvamedhen yajate||
—Shatpatha13/4/1/1
Meaning-Those who perform Aïvamedha yajóa,
all their desires are fulfilled.
Yajóen³ïvamedhen³yu¡ kalpat³® ……….
One’s life span is increased by performing
Aïvamedha yajóa.
- Mahºdhar Bh³Ìya 22-23
Oh dear! The sacred reward of participating
in that Aïvamedha yajóa is matchless, in which
the body of Nakul (a mongoose) became
golden after it rolled its body in the water
left over after eating by —tvijas (priests) who
came to conduct the
Aïvamedha yajóa there.
-Mah³bh³rata
Mah³bh³rata
R³Ìtra® v³ Aïvamedha¡| Vºrya® v³ aïva¡|
- Ï atapatha Br³hmaña 13/1/6
- The aim of Aïvamedha is to increase the power
and strength of the habitants of the nation,
and the nations at large.
The king Vasu performed the Aïvamedha.
Vrahaspati Upadhyay was its Hot³. The three
sons of Prajapati, the superior sages Kapil,
Katha, Taittari, Kanva, etc were its —tvikas. This
sacred yajóa was completed without hurting
anyone. “Na tatra païu gh³toabh¿ta” - (meaning)
no animal was sacrificed therein.
39
- Mah³bh³rata ï³ntiparva (3/336)
The following description is found in chapter
14 of fourth Skandha of Bh³gwat Mah³pur³ña.
The king Vena had forbidden the performance
of yajóa etc in his kingdom. He said — “All
the gods reside in the king and hence the
people should praise and worship me only”.
In reply to this the sages tried to convince the
king Vena thus –
“Oh king! The entire universe and the gods
reside in the yajóa. The priests perform yajan
of the God who is full of Vedas (knowledge),
wealth and devotion, through unique yajóas
performed by different methods for your
benefit and the prosperity of the people. You
are in a position to help in such yajóas. Oh brave
man if the people in your kingdom perform
yajóa, all the gods, who are indeed the
different forms of Sri Narayana, will get
satisfied and will grant the desired result to
all. Therefore, you should not disregard these
yajóas”.
When he did not agree even after much
persuasion and still remained adamant in his
opposition to yajóa, the sages cursed him so
that king Vena died. After that, his arms were
churned which gave birth to king Prithu.
“Adh³dºkïat r³j³ tu hayamedha ïatena sa¡|
Brahm³vartta mana¡kïetre yatra pr³cº saraswatº”|

Having finished his preliminary sadhana in self-realization, a disciple

said to his guru: “The joy of soul-contemplation in solitude is not to be found
anywhere else. Gurudev, I want peace and solitude of the mountains for
advanced sadhana. The guru replied: “Son, the benefit of high altitudes is of
uncertain value. You should go to remote areas where the darkness of ignorance
still prevails, where people are living in penury and misery”. The disciple
remonstrated: “Dev! I can not bear to see the agony and struggles of people
there, their heart-rending cries and wails. Please allow me to go to the Himalaya”.
Gurudev’s eyes became moist. He spoke: “Son, how sad that the
enlightened souls of a society whose countless children are lost in wilderness,
should think of only their personal self-enlightenment, their own interest. They
should raise their contemplation level to the still higher plane of altruism. To
spread the light of knowledge among those who are groping in darkness is the
true worship of God. Distribute widely the spiritual wealth you have earned”.
The disciple did accordingly. As one of the angelic pioneers, he devoted
himself completely to the noble task of reconstruction and recreation.

40 May-June 2006
Meaning: After that Prithu promised to
organize one hundred Aïvamedha yajóas. These
yajóas were performed where the river
Saraswati flows towards the west and which
is the area of Brahma and Manu, normally
called Brahmavarta.
It is a sad story that in the medieval period
confusion was created about animal sacrifice in
these yajóas; partly due to the foreign invasions
and partly due to the gradual decline of the true
vedic culture. In this context, Pandit Beniramji
in his hook “Yagya mimansa” and reverend
Satavalekarji have given the correct clarification.
The learned Satvalekarji, in his book, writes –
“The gods of upright thinking and the demon
animals of evil tendencies, both exist in the
human body. They are shapeless in the human
body, but when the evil tendencies, assume the
form they become the animals of the visible
world.
That is to say —”It is the evil motives that
condemn the human soul to slide back to sub-
human (animal) forms. The arrogance results
in the shape of hawk. The vulture is the
representative of greed. The cunningness
leads to birth as a dog. The ignorant souls have
to go in the form of owl or donkey. When the
animal-like tendencies become universal and
assume the powerful shape as that of a horse,
the Aïvamedha yajóas are organized. The mode
of sacrificing these animal- like tendencies is
called Aïvamedha”.
[An elaborate discussion on various aspects of Aïvamedha Yajóa may be found in the
special issue on Aïvamedha Yajóa (Vol. 3, issue 4, July- August 2005)]
May-June 2006
The references, about the purity of preparation
of Aïvamedha yajóa that are available in the
ancient scriptures also do not enjoin the killing
of any creature in these yajóas.
The Hindu Dharma Kosha States —
“Three IÌtis (worships) of Savit³ (the Sun)
used to be performed daily in the morning,
afternoon and evening from the day the
horse of Aïvamedha used to be sent for global
conquest. Savit³ used to be worshipped by
the name of Satya-prasava in the morning, by
the name of Prasavit³ in the afternoon and
by the name of Âsavit³ in the evening. This
fact has been described in Ashwalayan
shroutsutra (10/6/8), Latyayan shroutsutra
(9/9/10) and Katyayan shroutsutra (20/2/
6). “This means that Gayatri used to be
worshipped for the entire year, following
which Aïvamedha yajóa used to be performed
for three days.
Gandharvo asya raïan³m gribhañ³t S¿radaïwam
vasvo nirataÌÚa.
- Rigveda 1/163/2
- Vasus have created the horse of yajóa through
the Sun. (It is, therefore, necessary to worship
Sun (Gayatri) for the success of Aïvamedha).
It is in this form that one should participate in
the Aïvamedha yajóas and attain peace and
happiness in one’s life.
41

A s per the research findings of the modern
sciences, the current civilized and
developed state of man is a result of a long
series of evolutionary changes. This has taken
about 400 to 500 thousand years for the ascent
of human race to the present state and women
have made significant contributions in
civilizing the primeval humans. This important
role played by women is getting clearer and
better established by the discoveries in the
field of human genomics.
It is a well-known scientific fact that
offsprings acquire good and bad qualities
of their ancestors through the chromosomes.
The language of genes written in the
chromosomes of the cells of the offspring
determines his/her form, color, body
structure and other attributes and
characteristics. The cells in human body
have 46 chromosomes. Among these, 23
chromosomes come from the mother and the
other 23 come from the father. On one side
these chromosomes display the specific
qualities and attributes of the offspring, and
on the other side they also determine
whether or not the offspring would be
afflicted by any of the 2000 diseases that
have been considered as genetic. These
include several kinds of cancers and other
fatal ailments.
42
Vedic Sanskars
Influence Chromosomes
The creator of this world has written specific
messages in the chemical language of
chromosomes. About 32.5 million letters of
these genetic codes have been read and the
human genome (compendium of genes) has
been made available on the Internet.
However, only about 40 thousand genes of
these have been identified till date. It is still
not known what kinds of roles most of these
genes play in the human body. Till date
about 95 percent of the genome is
uncharacterized and because of the
redundancy of its sequence across the human
population, many researchers consider that
they are not of any significant use in Nature’s
molecular machinery.
But thinkers and scientists who look at the
aspects of human consciousness with
equanimity do not agree with this view. The
wise men who have faith in synergy of science
and spirituality believe that extrasensory
capabilities and the secrets of spiritual powers
may be hidden within these 95 percent
unknown DNAs (Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid).
It is known that DNA is that super chemical
which forms a letter of the genomic language
by picking up any three of the four nucleotides
– Adenine (A), Thiamine (T), Guanine (G), and
Cytosine (C). Definite sequences of these
letters constitute a word in the form of 20
amino acids. A gene is that sentence which
May-June 2006
translates into some form of protein or the
other. For this reason after human genomics,
research is now being carried out on human
proteomics in which Indian scientists are also
participating.
Among the 23 pairs of chromosomes in human
body, X- and Y-chromosomes are included
which determine sex. If the foetus receives one
X and one Y chromosome, it takes the form
and shape of a boy and if both the
chromosomes are X then the foetus takes the
form of a girl. Woman always has X-X
chromosomes so she contributes X
chromosomes only and Y chromosome exists
in man’s body only. So man plays a decisive
role in determining whether the offspring
would be a boy or a girl.
It has now been established by scientific
research that the diversified quality of
creativity that exists in human race has its
origin in woman. According to this, the source
of creativity in human beings is the X
chromosome, which is the mother’s
contribution. How did it happen that
boundless human capabilities of art and science
got tied up in the X chromosome? This might
have something to do with the natural power
of creation gifted to the women and the
inference, drawn by evolutionary statisticians
that most of the bright and talented men and
women choose only compatible counterparts
so the genetic recombination in the mating
process would have led to compounded
accumulation of these qualities within the X
chromosome. In fact, all men and women have
X chromosomes. Women have two and men
have one X chromosome, meaning that within
each person infinite capabilities of creativity
May-June 2006
exist, but these blossom up only when they
are nurtured with good education, virtuous
sansk³ra (deep mental impressions) and
conducive environment.
In any case the hypothesis appears valid that
if women had not accumulated the genes of
creativity within their X chromosomes, human
beings would still be jumping around in
jungles like monkeys and the glorious flowers
of civilization and culture would never have
blossomed in human life. In view of the recent
finding of a direct relationship between
mental disorders and the X chromosome it
appears that most of the mental disorders are
also transmitted by the mother into her
offspring via her X chromosome. A research
hypothesis was proposed 30 years back by Dr.
Robert Lehrke at the Brainerd State Hospital
located in Brainerd, Minnesota, USA, that
several genes that are related to human
intellect are located within the X chromosome.
Noted geneticists Dr Horst Hameister and U.
Zechner from Germany have confirmed the
above hypothesis by their research work and
have published their results in the 17th edition
of ‘Trends in Genetics’. According to them,
for the developed state the human mind is in
today, humanity is indebted to those great X
chromosome bearing women who chose
intelligent, handsome and brave men not for
their outward appearance and strength but for
their virtues, knowledge and intelligence. If
they had kept on choosing stupid but
handsome men or unintelligent bodybuilders
then humans would not have been able to post
so many records in the areas of knowledge
and science which they continue to do now.
In their research conclusions they write that
43
those genes whose abnormal condition creates
mental disorders, their normal (homologous
to those in the healthy people) form would be
responsible for the normal state of human
mind too.
This group of researchers, after extensive
churning of the genomic database from the
Internet, has found 958 genes, which are
related to mental disorders, and 202 of these
were related to the X chromosome. Though
this amounts to just 4 percent of all the human
genome, the largest number of genes related
to mental disorders and physical
abnormalities were found on the X
chromosomes only. The genes responsible for
these abnormalities were found 2.5 times more
on the X chromosomes as compared to any
other chromosomes. At the same time all these
genes were not in their original form (as in
people with healthy minds) but in an altered
or mutated form. However if they were in
their original form they would have produced
a normal child. Even if these kinds of genes
are distributed over all 23 chromosomes, the
genes related to mental ailments are present
almost 31 times more on the X chromosome.
Thus the secrets of the future of a child are
largely hidden in the genes and womb of its
mother. To ensure that the state of the genes
on X chromosomes is fertile for the best
characteristics (traits) it is necessary that
desirable food and lifestyle, sansk³ra and
ambience be provided to the ‘would be
mothers’. Of the sixteen Vedic Sacraments
(Shodas Sanskars1) propounded by the rishis, the
“When death is certain, why do you take the pain of studying day and night?” a man asked
Emerson.
“Because it is dissolving oneself in search of knowledge that is immortality. It is knowledge that
gives true vision of life”, Emerson gave this cryptic reply, and immersed himself in the ocean of
inquisitive thoughts.
44
Punsavan and J³tkarma Sanskars for the expectant
mothers are meant for this very purpose.
These are devised with the sublime scientific
view of conditioning the genetic environment.
The Shodas Sanskaras are excellent
experiments on s³dhan³ and mantra- and yagya-
therapy; the rituals and teachings implied by
them are also aimed at creating appropriate
ambience and effectuate psychological
conditioning of the persons whose sanskara is
being performed. The Charu (an Ayurvedic
preparation with milk + special kinds of herbs)
cooked in yagya fire and ‘treated’ with mantras
during the Punsavan and J³tkarma Samskars is
also required to be drunk by the mother
afterwards. This is assumed to have soothing
effects on the growing brain and overall
health of the foetus. According to the experts
of the deep knowledge of Himalayan herbs/
plant medicines and yagya therapy, some
special charus, medicinal woods and plant
medicines also have potentials to rectify
genetic aberrations. Thoughtful men and
women who aspire for children who would
grow up into ideal citizens must understand
this fact and must not delay or procrastinate
in adopting the life styles propounded by the
ancient Indian sages.
1.
Reference (for detailed reading on
Samskaras):
Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya: Shodas
Sanskaras. Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya
Vangmaya Vol. 34. Publishers: Akhand Jyoti
Sansthan, Mathura. 1995.
May-June 2006
Amrit Vani
The Grandeur and Glory of
(Translation of a discourse on “Guru-tatva
Guru-tatva Kº Mahim³ Aur Garim³
Rev. Guruedev Shriram Sharma Acharya on Guru Purnima, 1981)
Let us begin with the collective chanting of
the Gayatri Mantra:
“Om Bhur Buva¡ Swa¡, Tatsaviturvareñya®
Bhargo Devasya Dhºmahi, Dhiyo Yona¡
Pracoday³t |”
Sisters and Brothers,
This auspicious festival of Guru Purnima is
meant for awakening, establishing and
nurturing the power of ïraddh³ in the inner
self and orienting it in chiseled transmutation
of personality with prudent determination.
But please do not confuse ïraddh³ with blind
faith or emotional tide of hallucination during
devotional practices. Ïraddh³ in the truest
sense is – unflinching, intrinsic faith in the
eternal, omnipresent order of the Almighty
and the inner urge for zealous endeavor and
dedication for achievement of noble aims.
Guru Purnima is an occasion of inculcation and
expansion of the ïraddh³ of the disciple for his
Guru. “Guru” means the inner voice of the
soul, which is a representative of God. Ïraddh³
is supreme among the three perennial powers
bestowed upon human life. Let us look at
May-June 2006
Guru-Tatva
Garim³”Delivered by
these powers that originate and govern the
evolution of consciousness.
There are only three siddhis (supernormal
potentials); only three preeminent powers in
this world. The gamut of activities of life, its
ascent and majestic expression and fulfillment
is driven by these three powers of
Consciousness Force. These are the powers
of – ïrama (vigorous physical and mental labor,
enterprising diligence), gy³na (knowledge,
enlightened thinking) and ïraddh³. Whatever
benefits and joy we attain are acquired by
means of these powers only. The edifice of a
fulfilled life rests upon these three
foundational pillars.
Gur¿tatva is the sublime element of spirituality
that inspires, illuminates and activates these
powers in a devout s³dhaka and devotee. A
true Guru is a spiritually enlightened master,
a noble guide whose being is a concrete and
visible manifestation of the gur¿tatva.
The power of ïrama is bestowed by the
Almighty in the vitality, vigor and enormous
potentials of our (physical) body. This is
essential for success and progress in all walks
of life. The Earth was there in Primordial Age
45
too. Even at that time, it possessed all the
treasure of Nature that it does today. It is only
the dedicated ïrama of mankind that
discovered and harvested the treasures of
crops, minerals, oils, jewels and a wide variety
of other natural resources and enabled the
dawn and multifaceted ascent of civilization
on this planet. This is the root, the essence of
history of evolution of life on this planet.
The earth, as created by Lord Brahma, must
have been in crude form and hard to survive
initially. Grand mountains, deep ditches,
unbounded roaring rivers, floods, intractable
forests, threats of wild ‘giants’… and what
not…! So many challenges must have been
there. But the zealous efforts and
industriousness of mankind could overcome
all. Just imagine! How our ancestors would
have survived? Forget about communication,
even after discovering and using fire, they had
no roads, not even by-lanes; no electricity, no
machines or tools; nothing! The threatening
floods used to literally keep them in ‘captivity’
during the monsoon season. It is the power of
intelligent ïrama that made the boats, the
bridges, the roads, etc, and enabled the human
race gradually to conquer so many challenges
of Nature. Look, it was the enterprising
diligence and labor of our ancestors that have
bequeathed to us so many comforts! And, we
the luxury-driven fellows tend to neglect and
even scorn hard work!
It is said that prosperity is generated through
the sweat of hard work. Wealth is not
showered from the heavens or acquired by
begging or praying. There is only one God of
prosperity – the power of ïrama. It is this
divine power that can endow you with a
46
prosperous, healthy and progressive life. You
should be ardent devotees of this God by
making assiduity, enterprising hard labor an
integral part of your life.
You might inherit lots of wealth from your
parents or ancestors; but be careful! You can
neither keep it safe, nor use it joyfully without
your own efforts. It is ïrama that produces,
safeguards and expands prosperity. We will
certainly enjoy numerous benefits, if we
realize the importance of ïrama and adopt it
constructively. Not only for gaining monetary
or material benefits, hard work also helps us
in attaining the wealth of health and vigor.
Assiduity is also necessary for brilliant success
in school education and efficiency in any talent
or artistic potential etc. Be that excellence of
social interactions or management, everything
requires sincere training and practice by self-
effort in one way or the other.
Someone might snatch wealth by unfair means,
cheating, etc, but he can’t earn anything
without ïrama. He cannot prosper without
putting in his ïrama. If you want to get the
crops flourishing in your fields, you will have
to take the trouble of ploughing the land,
sowing the seed, watering it, guarding it
carefully till it grows. You can’t get it simply
by snatching the seeds or eating them in bulk.
Honest efforts from your own side count for
every success. You should understand it and
also teach this to others in your contact. Those
desirous of progress must possess the virtue
of ïrama. This is what I call as one the three
boons bestowed by the Almighty upon us.
Each one of us can and should make best
possible use of this divine potential of hard
work.
May-June 2006
The second key to glorious accomplishments
is – gy³na, the power of thinking and
acquisition of knowledge. This also happens
to be one of the principal sources of happiness.
It is the balance and peace of mind, the righteous
flow of thoughts that enables us to be happy.
When our mind is calm, everything around
appears pleasant. It is the attitude, the quality
of our thinking that makes all the difference. In
the same circumstances one could be in a happy
mood whereas someone else might get furious,
anxious or depressed. For example, looking at
thick dark clouds, someone might begin to panic
of thunderstorm, whereas someone else sitting
besides him might grin, enjoying Nature’s
beauty.
Let me tell you my personal experience in this
regard. I was going to Gangotri for the first
time. I was climbing the Himalayas all alone;
there was horrifying solitude all around in the
dark, dense forests on the way. The creeping
sound of dry leaves used to scare me of a
snake’s crawling. The whistling sound of
wind blowing between the bushy trees was
threatening me of a scream of a ghost. Even a
stout wrestler would shiver of fear in that
dreadful wild atmosphere. But the moment I
shifted my flow of thoughts to positive side,
all the fear disappeared. I found a source of
inexplicable joy in the serene beauty of the
Himalayas. My mind seemed to have absorbed
itself in Nature’s magnificence. My journey
became heavenly blissful and easy thereafter.
Those of you who have read my book
“Sunsaan Ke Sahachar” (“Companions in
Solitude”) might have shared my delight in
those marvellous moments. Although I haven’t
been there since long, the pictures of natural
beauty of the Himalayan peaks, the springs
May-June 2006
and rivers, the blossoming green forests, etc
in my room make these memories alive. You
won’t find any other picture, not even of any
god in my room, but the divine splendor of
Nature is everywhere around. I always feel
the unity with Nature and enjoy the blissful
memory of my first visit to the holy mountains
upon my Guru’s instructions.
So, you see! The joy of life emerges from
within. If you have the positive attitude, even
the daily chores of life would be full with ever-
new joy for you; your wife, children, all the
members of your family would give you
soothing peace of mind, every activity around
your home would become enchanting. If you
just think how the movements on the road
outside your house offer you instant diversion
in the moments of tension or grief, those
routine scenes or ‘mechanical activities’ on the
road would also become enthusing for you.
If you learn to think righteously, the godly
heavens will be there for you; you won’t have
to die or go searching for them.
It is said that paradise lies in the eyes of
Beholder. You should inculcate the correct
attitude, the proper way of seeing things. The
Sanskrit and Hindi word for “Philosophy” is
“darïana”. Literally, the word darïana means
to see from a close distance. Seeing the truth,
the depth of every aspect is – (philosophical)
vision. If you learn to see things this way, you
will acquire the real knowledge. For example,
you will grasp the essence, the knowledge
contained in a book only if you look at (read)
that book with this kind of focused attention.
Once you cultivate the righteous outlook, you
will experience an inexplicable joy of
47
enlightenment. Philosopher prince Darah
Shikoh was immersed in this limitless ocean
of bliss once he grasped the glimpse of true
knowledge. His daughter Jebunnisah was
amazed, finding him in a state of
unprecedented joy without any apparent
reason. It appeared as though he was in some
different world, in the paradise of dreams; she
thought it to be some kind of intoxication. But
she could not help asking the secret from her
father, as she knew he would never drink
liquor or wine, or use any other mode of
intoxication. Darah told her that it was the
nectar of divine knowledge, which he found
in the Upanishads of the Hindus. He said he
feels as if he is flying in the sky; there is light
and unalloyed joy everywhere and that he had
found the real treasure of life, the key to
absolute fulfillment in the wisdom and vision
contained in the Upanishads.
This indeed is real knowledge, the real joy.
All that is hidden within us. Heaven or Hell
is nothing but reflections of our own (right or
wrong) thinking. As such a book is only a print
of ink on a paper. It gives you food for thought
only if you have the will and capacity to
assimilate its contents. Things or circumstances
encountered in life are not good or bad in
themselves. It is only how you look at them;
how you react to them that makes all the
difference. Everything is blissful in the
deepest depth of truth. You just have to have
the acumen to plumb that depth. It is our own
fallacious thinking, our wrong attitude and
ignorance that have entrapped us in the
thralldom of passions, worries and sufferings.
The moment you realize it and teach yourself
that –– you are the soul, the reflection of ‘Thy
Will’, so no sanksaras (accumulated tendencies
and mental inscriptions) and nothing else could
ever enslave you –– you will be free. You will
then experience a divine sense of salvation in
(physically) the same life.
It is said for certain species of deer (Kasturi
Mriga) that it runs desperately in search of the
heavenly fragrance which actually lies in the
saffron hidden in its own naval. Similar is the
case with us. The source of ultimate bliss is
within us but we remain outwardly driven by
our passions and madly run after external
means and worldly possessions with our
unfulfilled thirst for joy. We go to cinema,

The oil in the lamp had been exhausted. Now only the cotton wick was burning
itself to spread a dim and flickering light. Seeing its extinction very near, an onlooker
could not but ask: “You have been sacrificing yourself to illuminate the path of others
and guide them. But it rends my heart to see such a lonely end as reward for life-long
beneficence to the world”.
The dying out wick gave out the last burst of its luminescence and replied:
“Brother, whoever is born in this transitory world has to die one day. We cannot
escape this destiny, regardless of best of our efforts. But this much certainly lies in
our hands that we utilize every second, every breath towards altruistic deeds, and not
let these priceless moments of life pass in vain.

48 May-June 2006
entertainment clubs, arrange picnics, parties,
accumulate hoards of luxuries, grab worldly
powers, and what not in search of happiness.
But in that process, without the righteous
thinking we end up increasing the visible or
invisible burdens of life and somehow drag
the breathing corpse of our own life.
If you want to live happily, change your
attitude towards life accordingly; learn also
to make others happy. Distribute your joy
amongst your family, friends, everyone
around you. Daanvir Karna used to donate
gold everyday. You don’t have to do that. You
should be generous enough to share your joy,
expand and distribute it. This is an invaluable
alms. Today’s man is starving for happiness.
You can make others happy if you have learnt
the secret of being happy. This is what is the
true expression of knowledge – righteous
outlook, enlightened thinking and its adoption
in day-to-day interactions.
You don’t have to necessarily be a genius,
erudite scholar or intellectual to acquire –
gy³na (beatifying knowledge or
enlightenment). Higher studies and intellect
can help you in terms of extrovert knowledge
and talents but the real knowledge comes only
through inner enlightenment. Only those who
have the righteous outlook and vision of
(inner) mind might acquire a sense of
detachment towards their degrees or
intellectual training. This is why I emphasize
the need for refinement of attitude, righteous
orientation of thoughts and conduct; without
which you cannot experience the light of gy³na,
which is indeed the source of all happiness and
ultimate transmutation of life.
May-June 2006
The power of ïraddh³ pertains to the sublime
domain of consciousness; it is the architect of
your intrinsic character, your nature, and your
personality as a whole. This is what makes you
what you are as a person, as an individual
being.
The worth of one’s life lies in that of his
personality. Noble personalities can alter the
trends of time, divert the course of history;
they can even compel the gods to bestow their
grace on this planet. As forests attract the
clouds and invite rains, the ‘magnet’ of
virtuous personalities also attracts the grace
of sublime powers. If you want to be blessed
by divine grace, by your noble Guru, you will
have to transmute your personality to be
worthy.
Divine powers indwell subliminally in the
omnipresent cosmos of consciousness. The
siddhis (supernatural potentials) are also
pervading everywhere around. As per the
scriptural descriptions, once upon a time (in
the Vedic Age), there lived 330 million human-
gods in this land. What does that mean? That
means, all the inhabitants of this land had
divine personalities. It is the worth of
personality – the merit of character - that
attracts glorious honor and benevolent
cooperation from all directions. You must
realize that virtues of purity and character are
invaluable assets.
You may ask – what bestows or generates this
preeminence of character? Well, it is the
sublime power of ïraddh³! How…?
(To be concluded in the next issue)
49
 Gayatri is Kalpavriksha
1. Art of Living: A devotee of Gayatri realizes
the significance of life and hence utilizes this
opportunity for the refinement of self and
welfare of others. He remains free from the
fear of death and remains poised in pleasure
and pain. This art of living makes him
successful in every endeavor.
2. Conservation of energy: Dissipation of
vital energy causes disease in the body and
that of spiritual energy causes disorder in the
mind and unhealthy developments in the
society. Worship of Gayatri inspires a person
to conserve his energy, which automatically
rectifies these disorders.
3. Excellence: A man of principles and
idealistic values would surely be called
excellent even though he may be poor or
resourceless. The generosity of heart
developed through Gayatri sadhana gives inner
peace that cannot be achieved through any
other materialistic means.
4. Purity: External purity augments health
and beauty and internal purity awakens
divinity within. Gayatri bestows both which,
in turn, provide peace, satisfaction and fame.
5. Divine Vision: People with corrupted
vision see evil everywhere but a devotee of
Gayatri develops a divine vision with which
he sees happiness and beauty all around in
this garden of the Lord.
50
(Wish-Fulfilling Tree)
6. Virtues: Prayerful worship of Gayatri
augments virtues like humility, politeness,
sweet speech, service, cooperation, honesty,
regularity, habit of working hard,
conscientiousness, courage, valour,
hopefulness, patience, frugality, etc. A person
with such virtues will certainly lead a happy
and healthy life.
7. Discernment: It is a kind of spiritual light
with which it is possible to distinguish between
true and untrue, right and wrong, necessary
and unnecessary, etc. In majority of cases, the
cause of sin and suffering is ignorance,
confusion or foolishness. Gayatri bestows the
faculty of discernment, which saves the
devotee from all the pitfalls.
8. Self-control: Human body is a storehouse
of wonderful powers. If these powers are
utilized in a proper direction, one can achieve
great successes. Gayatri does bless a devotee
with the virtue of self-control and hence with
success.
9. Service: We should serve others in such a
way that helps them to become self-dependent,
enthusiastic and active. Helping others to
make them progressive, making this Earth
green and clean and environment pleasant is
a great service. Gayatri amply bestows this
prudence of selfless service on its devotees.
May-June 2006