Meditation

 

                                          Meditation


           The famous philosopher Shankaracharya in his ' Vivekachudamani ' says:

      ' Without taking the medicine, by just repeating the name of the medicine, no malady can be cured. Likewise, without practical perception and experience, by merely repeating wordd, no one can attain salvation.'

Spiritual journey is an inward journey:
As one advances in spiritual practices, the little ' I ' confined to the body, mind and intellect expands to objects and beings in one's surrounding. Shutting all wordly thoughts, closing the eyes, a person becomes introvert and looks for identification of Supreme reality as a source of peace and bliss in one's own self by seeking isolation and calming down the mind. Yoga, repeating the name of God in the heart, practice of Pranayama, simple healthy diet all aid meditation. In meditation, when one merges in one's being completely, there is unique joy and peace.

Work, Meditation and Knowledge:

All these have significance in the evolutionary process leading to self-realization.

SuryaGita, an ancient philosophical treatise declares, ' Without knowledge one will not succeed in perfecting meditation, without glorifying one's inner life through meditation, one cannot achieve right knowledge. These three - knowledge, meditation and work, help one another and together lead man to peace, perfection and freedom. If one neglets one of these disciplines obeying the advice of wrong teachers he cannot achieve liberation.'

The act of meditation can take one to a brief pilgrimage to tranquil places within. It is said,

' Here in this body are sacred rivers; here are the sun and moon as well as all the pilgrimage places. I have not encountered another temple as blissful as my own body. '

Actually it is not necessary to go to any holy place or even sit at one place for meditation.
The first stepin meditation is being mindful of what we are doing. We should do our actions with a sense of service and an awareness of being an instrument in the hands of a hogher power. Any action giving a feeling of joy and a sense of performing duty is meditation. The next step in meditation is to experience and express love and respect for the Supreme Power and for His creatures and that makes our thought, word and action as acts of meditation.

Meditation is feeling compassion, friendship, humility and love for the One Principle pervading all beings and objects of this world.
The highest state of meditation is at the level of just being. In this state we identify ourselves with the core or divinity in us - the Principle of Consciousness and Bliss. When our mind is full of love and peace, we get absorbed in every action of ours and we find every action whether cooking, washing, stitching or driving in a taffic jam enjoyable. Then our life itself becomes a joy and celebration.

Essence of worship and meditation :
A sincere worker need not believe in God or  Liberation ; yet he finds the ultimate truth by unselfish work. A mother loves and does her duties to her children selflessly and cheerfully. When one can give to the world like a mother, only then one can realize divinity through work. Any action or duty done with love and devotion in the spirit of service itself is worship amd meditation. When such supreme goal which is the highest goal of a human life is achieved, the external props also get channelized and sublimated. In the words of Shankara, in his hymn 'Para Puja ' ( the highest worship ), it is beautifully expressed thus,


1. What place is there in which to invoke the infinite, or what can serve as a seat for him who contains within himself all existence ? Howcan we offer Padya ( water for washing the feet ), or Arghya ( oblation of Durva grass,rice etc. ), to one who is pure spirit, or Achamana ( water to wash the mouth ) to one who is eternally pure ?

2  If what use is the offering of ablution to one who is ever clean, or clothing to one in whose womb the universe is ? What is necessity of putting the holy thread on one who is beyond all support, or the offering of flowers to one whom perfume cannot affect ?

3.  How can the offering of perfume be made to one who is ever untouched ? Of what use are ornaments to one who is beauty itself ? What is the purpose of presenting eatables and betel to the All-pervader, who is eternally satisfied in himself ?

4 . How is making of Pradakshina ( circumambulating ) possible to the limitless and obeisance to the one whole, indeed without a second ? What hymn can be sung in praise of one whom even the Vedas cannot describe ?

5 . Of what use is waving of lights before the all- pervading and self- effulgent one ? And how can the valedictory ceremony be performed to one who fills the whole universe, in and out ?

6.  Thus, verily, through the idea of oneness alone, is the highest worship to be performed, without distinction of time and circumstances, by the highest knowers of Brahman .

Efficacy of prayer

                          Efficacy of prayer





    The main forms of mental worship are prayer and meditation

   The fickle nature of the mind is compared to a monkey which becomes drunk with the wine of desire, while jealousy stings it like a scorpion and the demon of pride takes it over. The mind, when uncontrolled becomes a source of pain and when controlled and properly directed to good path, is the solution to all our problems .

Prayer is an effective means to control the mind for attaining peace. Prayers, psalms, and hymns are common in all religions. We find them to be a fundamental part of the religious literature of the world. With the idea of a personal God come devotion and worship, and prayers and hymns are but the natural outcome of one's conception of that personal God and one's relation with him. Prayer gives hope. It protects one from the main enemies of man namely fear, grief, and depression. Hope heals and helps mobilize a person's defences and promotes optimism.

Among the more profound accomplishments of modern science has been discovering that mind and body are not separate and independent, but rather the same entity seen from different angles. With mind's healing pain, physical problems are also healed . Modern medical science also admits the healing power of prayers. Great experts of ancient times like Hippocrates, the legendary Greek father of medicine, Avicenna , Charaka all advocated the prayers along with medivation for quick healing. Charaka recommends the recitation of Vishnu Sahasranama for the cure of fevers.

Prayers are done by common men for personal gains like wealth, health, progeny etc. In scriptures generally prayers for universal welfare are mostly given as standard for praying. For instance, the vedic prayer -
' May everyone be happy,
May everyone be healthy ,
May everyone witness only auspicious things  ,
May no one suffer from sorrows .'

Another famous universal prayer is,

' God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.'

This prayer attributed to Karl Paul Reinhold Neibuhr dating back to the 1930s has had a tremendous impact on people all over the world.
This serenity prayer cuts across all religions in its universal appeal. It is like a magiv wand that soothes agitated minds by providing an unfailing anchor

The great philosopher Shankara also poured out sweet devotional songs on all deities to guide the common man setting a model for the correct method of worship. The hymns were inspired poetical outpourings of Shankara and are not mere literary versifications. Such devotional pieces have sprung from him while visiting hallowed places of worship and places where his God's presence could be felt strongly. To clothe his immortal feelings, he chose the apt immortal divine language Sanskrit. The underlying strand running in all the hymns is vedanta or monism

Many of his hymns are considered to be efficacious in securing secular benefits. They are expressed at the last stanza of each hymn. But to Shankara, prayer was no beggary. His hymns invariably consist of the prayer to gramt one the true ligjt of knowledge and discrimination and to save one from the wheel of birth and death, thus setting forth the ideal to be pursued by the devotee or aspirant. Ultimately worship in the form of prayers leads to absorption in meditation.

The essence of worship

       
                             The essence of worship

      In the external worship, five main things are used which ate symbolic of five elements of which our body and the entire cosmos is made

The sandal used in the worship represents Prithvi ( the earth ),flowers stand for Akasha ( the sky ), incense for Vayu ( air ), lamp for Tejas ( fire ), and offering ( Naivedya ) for nectar like water.
These outward symbols have profound philosophical and spiritual significance also.

Aromatherapists value sandle because of its ability to soothe the mind and boost the immune system, as well as relieve stress and ease depression. Used in sacred ceremonies in the temples for thousands of years . sandalwood is grown in India and Asia. The best grades are tapped from matured, forty to sixty year old trees.

Fresh flowers bring lightness and freshness to the surroudings. The beauty of flowers can still the mind . In Asian society, it is believed that flowers are a tangible link to the forces of the spiritual world .

Burning incense - Through its pungent aroma, burning in ense helps to create a peaceful mood and promotes a vibrational clearing in any space or environment. The smoke from the burning incense spreads all over the room. It acts as a disinfectant. It  also denotes that the Lord is all-pervading and fills the whole universe by His loving presence. The stick is completely burnt. Like that the vasanas ( desires) and samskaras ( impressions ) dormant in man vanish like the smoke of the stick and become ashes. Thus the mind also becomes stainless.

Light denotes that the Lord is all-light. It is He who lights the entire universe by removing the darkness. It is symbolic of the devotee's prayer that darkness ( ignorance ) of the mind be removed and intellect be illuminated with knowledge of the Supreme.

Water and Prasad ( offering given to Lord and partaken by the devotee after that ) is a life-giving force. In the Upanishads, anna ( food ) is called Brahman. It is the pure and healthy food and water that sustain life. Similarly the Lord is the life-giver of all.

Fasts, Fairs and Festivals

                                      Fasts, Fairs and Festivals



    The entire structure of indian life is built on ever-enduring spiritual realities, on the eternal values, on truth and laws discerned and discovered by the ancient Indian sages. Fasts, Fairs and festivals were intended mainly for maintaining the body and mind health.

In ancient time, people had all the time and nothing too much to work for. So seers and thinkers deviced ways to keep their ( common people 's ) body and mind busy with good thoughts to prevent the idle man's mind from becoming devil's workshop. Infact, all the days of the week were dedicated to the worship of the various deities for the fulfilment of various desires like Monday dedicated to Lord Shiva, Tuesday to Hanuman, Kartikeya, Wednesday to Vishnu, Thursday to Dakshinamurthy ( Shiva in the form of preceptor ), Friday to Goddesses and Saturday to Venkateshvara ( Vishnu ), Hanuman and Saturn and Sunday to the god Sun. Apart from this, different periods of time of the day are allotted as auspicious for starting and doing different activities of men. The eleventh day of every fortnight was given for observing fasts. Modern medical science also admits the necessity of fast once a while for detoxification of the body. Feeding birds and animals, treating guests with honour and study of scriptures were a daily affair.

Fairs are also a sort of worship around pilgrimage centres. Fairs apart from being a religious worship, served as centres for trade of articles, cattle and other things and for recreation and fun rides on animals like camel, elephant and merry go round wheel and games. Festivals are held at regular intervals taking into account the planetary conjunction especially the position of moon. It is a well-known fact that mind is influenced by the moon. On full moon days festivals are organized at temples by group participation in dance and music, as a part of worsip of the god to sublimate the turbulent mind. And the new-moon day is devoted to the remembrance of the departed ancestors. Major festivals mark the change of seasons. Accordingly the new produces from the fields are offered as 'prasad ' ( offering) to the deities as a gesture of gratitude and partaken by all poor and rich. Different festivals are devoted to different deities. The striking factor is the variety in celebration and offerings giving delight to the palate with a solid logic and scientific basis.

Thus religius worship happily gives way to an upsurge of a celebration of life as it becomes aeriod of intense soul searching digging out age- old social customs, musical and fashion traditions and cultural roots and observing them to the tiniest detail.

Festivals form one of the most important components of this strong structure of life and each festival carves in itself a multifold purpose.
1 A deep spiritual import.
2 A many sided hygienic activity - Bath in the early morning personal hygiene, cleaning the house and premises outside to maintain the atmosphere pure, free from germs.
3   A high social significance -  Equal participation by all promotes brotherhood. Economy is also given a boost as small vendors put shops to sell the articles needed and get a chance to earn money.
4     Preserving and fostering family-bond-relationship.
5  an ample measure of individual mirth and joy thus driving away fatigue and stress and adding freshness and spice to life.

On these days of festivals  people engaged in various kinds of job and work find much needed relief and the necessary atmosphere for religius thought, reflection and activity. Every festival reminds them of the glory of God all around and the need for God -realization and thus temds their mind towards the things of enduring value. The stories of Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Durga and others have always been sources of great spiritual inspiration, encouragement and advancement in moulding of life, conduct and character of the Indians. Some festivals are celebrated enriching the relationship of sister-brother, wife-husband, student-teacher. So through these, the highest standard of conduct and ideal of life is inculcated into the minds of the masses. Annual festivals spread out throughout the year and the current of the spiritual thought and ideal is constantly kept up throughout the year. Thus they serve to purify the body and heart of the worshippers.

Religious worship and its significance

                          Religious worship and its significance



     It sounds strange but, it is a fact that man always searches for something new, it turns out to be an old only. Inspite of taking recourse to social media sites, cell-phones and other things for peace of mind, man finds himself isolated because these things do not connect him to the core. The root of the malaise lies in his abandoning creative and spiritual pursuits while devoting to materialistic pursuits only. Now , he is retirning to the time tested aveues, namely to Nature, meditation and religious worship. Nature is nothing, but a universal manifestation of the Supreme Power whose nature is eternal bliss and peace. In practical sense, Nature is nearer the truth, that is why it telaxes, gives joy, and peace. Meditation and worship are also intimate contact with that Power only. They can tame the restless mind.

Religion is nothing but a way of life guided by universal moral values and the ultimate goal of which is eternal joy and peace.
Socio-biologists claim that religion, and the concept of God not only helped our human ancestors understand the forces of nature, such as thunder and lightning, but also served an evolutioanr purpose. The cohesive factor of religion was in bonding a clan together, and making it better equipped to overcome competing claims in the struggle for survival. So different religions sprung in different parts of the world with their own rituals and symbols according to their geographical background but with the strong and solid basis of the same universal moral values.
The beauty and significance of religious worship lies in its varied forms.

Indian tradition is strongly cosmo-centric, where man lives as part of a system in which everything is related to everything else. The various forms such as steam, ice, dew are nothing but only water in essence. So plurality of gods is also seen to suit the different temperaments of people as the underlying basic principle and belief is that different forms are nothing but manifestations of one and the same Supreme Power. This variety is seen in the field of worship also. Worship is done in many ways such as observing physical and mental hygiene in keing fasts, festivals and fairs marked by dances, songs and games in groups catering to the gregarious nature of man and worship in temple and worship at home.

The flora and fauna, too, have permeated the natural religious life of the indians in a very intimate way. Birds and animals are vehicles of gods and goddesses. The elephant plays a very important role in religious processions, and the lotus is frequently used in artistic designs and religious symbolism. Various flowers like Jasmine, Roses, Hibiscus, Chrysanthemum, Lotus and others are important ingredient and considered sacred in worship . Leaves like Tulsi ( basil ), Bilva, Durba grass also get a promiment place in worship. Tulsi plant and Pipal tree are worshipped as gods . In fact, each god is associated with a tree making it sacred. Many of the leaves and trees have medicinal properties. Ancient seers realizing this fact, gave them a sacred status so that people can understand them in due course. There are numerous objects in the world, animate and inanimate . Natural objects like stone, wood , metal, minerals are used as such or converted, into particular shapes  modelled after the description of the deities in the Puranas , are used as objects of worship . Likewise picturesof deities are framed and used as objects of worship . It is not unusual to see pilgrims returning from holy places like Varanasi, Prayag, Haridwar fetching waters from the Ganges sealed in a copper vessel amd keeping it in worship . The medicinal properties of the pure water from the river Ganges is well- known and given a place of honor in worship. Agni ( Fire ) is considered as a deity and we make
offerings in Havans ( Sacrifices ). We pay obeisance to Sun god and perform Suryanamaskara . The indispensable part played by Fire and Sun in maintaining the vitality of our health are recognized and are given a sacred status in religious worship as a gesture of gratitude. It is also to be noted that most of the important festivals and religious practices are connected with different seasons and the harvest of grains. Thus  all these religious practices aim at the maintenance of good health and mind .

Our ancestors understood the nature and value of human mind. It is said in the Mahabharata, the great epic of India .

' Mind alone is the cause of bondage as well as freedom.'

Mind is a store house of tremendous energy. Mind works through its power of imagination. Imaginary fears resulting in grief and delusion involve a tremendous loss of energy and weakens man. He needs a support in the form of  Supreme Power who is more powerful and can give him solace. And the Supreme Power is not somewhere, It is within himself . By constantly  meditating upon the immortal, fearless and ever blissful Self within oneself , one can overcome the negative emotions and with positive emotions can achieve anything good he wants .

All can attain the eternal truth, the nature of which is peace and bliss, through the taming of the mind. The Supreme Power is abstract and formless. Not all of us, ordinary human beings as we are, can at one stroke contemplate on the abstract and formless.

Therefore , ordinary men need rituals, but in varying degree and of various kinds to move one step forward . For the ignorant and simple, it should be easy to grasp. The simlest method envisaged by the ancient seers was the constructions of temples where people of all kinds and all walks of life could participate and enable themselves. Temple is a pocket of serenity. This place of worship evokes a sense of peace, and harmony, transcending religion and time boundaries.

Greek biographer and historian Plutarch almost two thousand years ago was struck by the fact. He observed, ' If we traverse the world, it is possible to find cities without walls, without walls, without letters, without wealth,without corn, without schools or theater but a city without a temple, or that practices not worship, prayer and like, no one have ever seen.'

Knowledge is formless but to learn and acquire knowledge we have to depend upon the form of books. Once learnt, we assimilate the knowledge in our mind and we do not require the books. Idol worship is easier to control the mind. It is easy to concentrate on a form otherwise the mind and senses will wander. The worship consists of prayers and meditation. Meditation at home can also aid to calm down the mind. When we sit in a temple or in our Puja room at home and concentrate on the idol, our sense of smell will be satiated by incense and flowers, chanting of mantras and prayers will engage our mouth and sound of mantras and prayers and sound of bells will engage our ears, sight of the idol will control our eyes and tongue will be satiated by the prasada( food or fruit offering which is offered first and partaken afterwards as a blessing ). Hence idol worship is a first step of concentration towards realization of God and knowledge that God is within oneself not as an experienced object but as the experiencing consciousness. This consciousness is nothing but all-pervading cosmos. All negative emotions like anger, jealousy, hatred, violence etc will vanish and positive emotions like love,compassion, discrimination will bloom.The mind will be elevated to the highest stage to such an extent that any place will be a place of worship and any work, an act of worship.

The main object of worship of God, in and through an image, either in temple or at home is for the concentration of mind. Millions of people visit temples, participate in ceremonies, but not many of them are aware of the philosophy , the need for it and its real purpose. Many follow the religious practices mechanically. Piety is in the doing, not in the understanding.

The ignorance coupled with exploitation of people in the name of religion by fake saints and selfish politicians, violence by the indoctrinated poor ignorant youth, and with criticism from the
so called rationalists who brand it as idolatory makes even the educated people shy away from it.

The fault lies not in the religion but with modern people who look for instant solution to heal their fractured psyche so they fall prey to fake godmen of today instead of looking for genuine masters and valid scriptures for solace.
Maintenance of the purity of the body and heart is the essence and goal of worship. Worship has two factors faith and hope. Faith in the Supreme Power as a security and the hope that everything happening in life has some good behind it are great healers of the mind and give immese strength to sail smoothly in and through this life.

Rediscovering Ancient Wisdom - Vision of the Earth from Space

                                        Vision of the Earth from Space





Regarding the view of Earth from Space it is said, " That beautiful, warm, living object looks so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apart."

The ancient texts delineate the majesty of the Earth as experienced from above.

Aerial view of the earth is described in many ancient classical works like Raghuvamsham, abhijnashakuntalam of Kalidasa. In Raghuvamsham, when Rama was returning to Ayodhya from Lanka in Pushpakavimana ( aerial vehicle like aeroplane ), he descibes to his wife Sita ,the path of milkyway and other natural scenes as to how they looked from above.
He also refers to the unique serenity and joy he experienced while passing through them.
In Abhijnanashakuntalam, a famous drama by Kalidasa, Dushyanta, the king and the hero being called by Indra, the Lord of Heaven went to assist him in his fight against the demons ( descendants of Kalanemi demon ) . After the victory over the enemies, Dushyanta was returning to his kingdom on the earth in the chariot driven by Matali, Indra's charioteer.
While going to Indra's place, Dushyanta did look into space as he was preoccupied with the thoughts of war and defeating the enemies. He now being relaxed, enjoyed the beauty of vast Nature around him. He asked the charioteer about the path ( zone of the space ) through which they were traversing. Matali replied that was the zone of the space where the wind by name ' Parvaha ' blows and there in the milky way, that special wind directs the stars on their path.
The king replied that he experienced a unique serenity inwards there.
He later observed the path of the clouds through which the chariot was moving and the wheels were wet with the drops of water and at the flash of lightning, the horses were jumping and chataka birds were flying through the space between the spokes of the wheels. The king looked down at the earth , the abode of human beings. He describes it beautifully,
" It looks as if the earth is going down the high mountains, the branches hidden among the leaves are clearly visible, thin rivers are becoming wider and this earth is coming towards me as if somebody is throwing the earth towards us ."

Varahamihita's Brhat Samhita also mentions the various types of winds blowing in different zones of Space .

The famous astronaut Edgar Mitchell said,
" My view of our planet was a glimpse of divinity ." He added : " We went to the Moon as technicians, we returned as humanitarians ."

The Bulgarian Cosmonaut Aleksandro  was similarly moved, stating " We are all Earth's children. We should treat her as our Mother."

Vastness of Space and richness of Nature always inspires and ennobles man. That is why pilgimage centres are at the mountain tops or shores of the ocean and rivers.
Spiritual traditions indicate a reverence for Nature . 

Ancient Indians were capable of space flight. It’s frequently mentioned in the Sanskrit literature that kings on the earth went to upper regions to help Indra, the lord of heaven fight against the demons. Similar descriptions are seen in other classics of the world.

It’s interesting to note in a quote by Socrates recorded ln Plato’s work ‘ Phaedo’, one source of such space flight.      

“ That by reason of feebleness and sluggishness, we are unable to attain to the upper surface of the air;, for if anyone should come to the top of the air, he could see the things in our world.If his nature is strong enough to bear the sight he would recognize that that is the real heaven and the real light and the real earth.”

Socrates addresses his disciples and friends  who came to bid their master a final farewell when the philosopher is incarcerated in an Athenian prison under the charge of corrupting the minds of youth and introducing new daemon ( demon ), or gods to the city.

“ Comrades, that when someone observes earth from above he will see that it has a spherical shape, just like the shape of those balls we make out of twelve layers of leather

Earth is infused with colors, colors such as exist here and we see all around us and painter employed in their art. From high up these colors appear as brighter and clearer than those we see here around us,and some parts of the earth have a porphyrin ( purple ) hue , some appear golden and others gleam white, whiter than plaster or snow.’

It is a most magnificent sight to behold !

It is interesting to note the compare of the Earth to a leather ball as early as 5th CBC. Even though Kalidasa and Socrates lived miles apart in different times, their vision of Earth have so much in common , eliminating preconceived East- West difference and cultural boundaries.

Similar strikings are seen in the sights today’s space age cosmonauts and astronauts enjoyed and experienced the feelings from above.

In the words of Alexey Leonov, the cosmonaut:-

" The Earth was small, light blue, and so touchingly alone, our home must be defended like a holy relic. The Earth was absolutely round. I believe I never knew what the word round meant until I saw the Earth from space."

Astronaut Ronald McNair:-

" Truly there is no more beautiful sight than to see the earth from space beyond ." McNair reflected on the experience , " This planet is an exquisite oasis. My wish is that we would allow this planet to be the beautiful oasis that she is, and allow ourselves to live more in the peace she generates.”

It is astonishing to see Kalidasa ‘s description of the Earth from above, Socrates’s account of the spherical Earth  related centuries before the age of spaceflight is reflected in the accounts of modern spacemen. This similarity is highly striking, erasing the notion that present is different from past. But here where past and present meet.