By Prema Pandurangan There is a deep-seated desire for wealth in every individual and sastras accept wealth as a legitimate aspiration. It is included in the four main goals of life (Purusharthas) — righteousness (Dharma), wealth (Artha), desire (Kama) and liberation (Moksha). Scriptures teach us to evaluate wealth in philosophical and secular terms. Though renunciation is the ideal to be practised in one’s lifetime for the attainment of salvation, wealth is shown as necessary for worldly upkeep. Scriptures teach us that wealth has to be earned by rightful means and warn us of its dangers. An excess of wealth can make one inebriate, become a constant worry and, if put to wrong uses, can destroy one’s peace of mind. When Bali began an Asvamedha Yaga to gain mastery over the worlds, the Lord incarnated as Vamana and approached Him for alms. Bali was impressed by the handsome youth and was willing to give him whatever he wanted. The boy wanted only that much of land he could cover with three paces. Sukracharya warned Bali not to give all in haste. His insightful advice at this juncture is practical and teaches us how to use wealth in a wise manner. Charity should not endanger one’s life and livelihood. Wealth has to be used for the practice of one’s religion. A part of our earnings has to be set aside for selfless acts that will bring us fame even after we die — such as protection of the scriptures, cows, etc. Acts of charity for the purpose of people’s welfare, for the family and for the needy are also encouraged. This paves the way for the growth of a welfare society. There are long-term benefits as well for those who engage in such deeds — for their generous acts take care of their well-being in this world and hereafter. Such is the power of righteous deeds. But Bali had already committed himself to the youth and found himself shorn of the immense wealth that had been his just a minute ago. He had to offer his head in all humility to fulfil his promise. This shows that wealth is slippery especially when one lacks humility.
A News Item In The Hindu ISKCON temple is all set to usher in Krishna Janmashtmi If there is a god for all seasons, it is Krishna. His teachings, his personality and his aura transcends generations. As we celebrate one more birth anniversary of the loveable god, temples are decked up for Krishna Janmashtmi. One of the biggest centres of activity is ISKCON temple in East of Kailash. Formed by a group of Hare Rama Hare Krishna followers in 1998, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness propagates Krishna’s beliefs and path to attain enlightenment. According to Vrajendra Nandan Prabhu, ISKCON India Communications, for the first time there will be a Radha Krishna swing pastime (jhulan yatra jhaanki). “It is one of the top most attractions with life size forms of Radha and Krishna seated on a swing under a kadamba tree. Thousands are expected to rock the swing and receive transcendental mercy of their lordships.” In the mini amphitheatre of the temple there is all encompassing Krishna dancing on the multiple hoods of the serpent Kaliya crushing his false ego. The transparent blue waters add to the mystique of this timeless tale. During the celebrations, a play on ‘Krishna Leela’ was staged by Bhakta Prahlad School. Science and spirituality In an interesting mix of science and spirituality, a committed team of IIT and DTU students have set up a multimedia presentation stall with a question and answer booth where principles of Vedic wisdom are scientifically answered. For the inquisitive, ISKCON’s Youth Forum wing has designed presentations on various themes like God, peace, Vedic culture, etc to give the celebrations an intellectual tone. At midnight, there will be maha-abhisheka of the lord in the midst of sankirtan, dance and prasadam. The lord’s attire has come from Vrindavan. The altar of Krishna has been decorated with flowers and fruits from India and abroad. “Last year, we witnessed four lakh devotees and this year we expect half a million devotees. One of the biggest challenges that we face is people getting carried away. They start dancing in a trance. Security and traffic issues become a problem, but this year security will be extra-tight,” assures Prabhu.
Gurumaa speaks with youngsters in Youth Meditation Retreat about yoga, yoga poses, benefits of yoga and right way of doing yoga. Visit www.gurumaa.com for more videos…
Our scriptures clearly point out that the primary goal of human life is spiritual fulfillment which is known as by different names: ‘moksha’, ‘Iswara prapthi’, etc. The other goals that we pursue, i.e. material goals like procuring food for ourselves and our family are only subsidiary or secondary. Even animals strive to accomplish this. They procure food and even train their young ones to do so. Therefore procuring food, finding shelter, raising a family and earning more money is not the goal of human existence. No doubt we can pursue these goals but keeping in mind that they are only secondary. Spiritual accomplishment is the top priority. But since we do not know this, we have to be told by the scriptures. Not only do the scriptures have to tell us, they have to repeat it because even if we are aware of the spiritual goal, we do not have the time and keep postponing the spiritual pursuit. In a well known verse in Bhaja Govindam, Sankara says the child is lost in play, the youth is consumed by passion, the old man is immersed in his sorrows, alas, there is none who yearns to realise the spiritual truth. When we are young, we think it is too early to start spirituality. By the time we are old, our mind is full of worries and our faculties are very weak. Throughout our life, we are preoccupied with something or the other that we forget the spiritual goal. It is for this reason that scriptures prescribe so many festivals and ‘vratams’, to constantly remind us that spirituality is our primary goal. Festivals are of two types: those that are primarily for enjoyment such as Deepavali where we buy new clothes and ornaments, visit friends, etc. and those that do not engender enjoyment (vratams) but remind us of the spiritual goal. Sivarathri is not for enjoyment but withdrawing and asking the question ‘What am I doing?’. Under the varnashrama system, as one progresses from grihasta to vanaprasta to sanyasa, the material pursuit should become lesser and lesser and the spiritual pursuit should become more and more. The time that we spend qualitatively and quantitatively must gradually change more for spirituality and less for material ends. Ultimately in the sanyasa ashrama, one hundred percent of the time is devoted for spirituality. So we must periodically ask the question ‘Is there a change in how I spend my time?’ Vratams emphasize two types of practices: ‘upavasa’ and ’sath katha shravanam’. Upavasa means fasting. We give up not only food but all types of enjoyment. Upavasa is also a prayaschitam. It purifies not only the body but also the mind. Sath katha shravanam means listening to the scriptures. We are expected to follow these two practices on every ‘ekadasi’. If our health does not permit us, instead of practising ’shuddha upavaasa’ (total fasting), we can confine ourselves to consuming a simple meal. Even if this is difficult, we can fast once a year, on ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’ or ‘Sivarathri’. Listening to the scriptures will remind us of the spiritual goal. Sankara says ‘You may have a lot of wealth, a kingdom, wife and children, a palatial house, many vehicles, friends. What is the use of all these? They are all perishable. Even if they are not, you are. Why are you spending your time on something that is ephemeral? Take only the minimum (material possessions) and focus on the higher. Worship Lord Siva for the sake of moksha and take the help of a sathguru. Then real happiness is possible without relying on material comforts’. Sankara emphasizes ‘Don’t postpone. Everyday you are growing older and older and you are assuming you are going to live a hundred years. Start today’. Sivarathri is a very important function that reminds us of the spiritual goal. On this occasion we think of Siva and chant ‘Rudram’ 11 or 121 times. Chanting Rudram is very auspicious. It will remove all our ‘papam’. Having removed all papam, we start the study of the scriptures, a very important part of ’sadhana’. And for this we must allot some time regularly, about half an hour or an hour every day. Today the study of scriptures is made easy by the availability of a wide range of books and cassettes. Also, many TV channels telecast ‘upanyasams’. If we find scriptures like the ‘Upanishads’ a little intimidating, we can take up a simpler text such as ‘Bhagavatam’, ‘Ramayanam’ or ‘Mahabharatam’. The study of scriptures will give us knowledge. On this auspicious occasion of Sivarathri, let us examine the meaning of the ‘dhyana slokas’ for ‘Rudram’ that are expressed in a few verses. All dhyana slokas contain certain peculiarities. The Lord is described in three different forms and this indirectly reveals Vedic teaching. First, God is described as a person. In the initial stages of the spiritual pursuit, a person can appreciate God only as a person because an abstract God is difficult to comprehend. Siva, Parvathi, Ganesha, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Saraswathi are examples of God with a particular form. This is called ‘ekaroopa Iswara’. Secondly, the Lord is not with one form but is all forms. This includes not only God-forms (Siva, Vishnu, etc.) but all other forms including humans, animals, plants and even inert objects. This is called ‘vishwaroopa Iswara’ or ‘anekaroopa Iswara’ and indirectly suggests that we should expand our mind to see the Lord in all forms. It is not uncommon to come across a staunch Saivite who will not go to Vishnu temples or a staunch Vaisnavite who will refuse to accept ‘vibhudi’. Not only must we strive to see the Lord in all Hindu God-forms but also in Islam God-form, Christian God-form, etc. Thirdly God is formless. God is the absolute, infinite reality and is called ‘aroopa Iswara’. The Lord is like pure crystal known for clarity and purity. The dhyana slokas describe Lord Siva as having three eyes. Two are regular eyes and the third is the ‘gnana chakshu’. Siva has five heads that represent shristi, sthiti, laya, nigraha and anugraha, the five-fold functions of the Lord. ‘Gangadevi’ flows out of His head that is adorned with a variety of ornaments. The digit of the moon and a snake also grace His head. Siva is the blue-necked one because He has taken poison. His dress is a tiger skin. He gives shelter to one and all. He holds a ‘kamandalam’ and a ‘mala’ in His hand for doing ‘japa’ and ’shoolam’ (spear). He has ‘jata’ (matted locks) and water within. Siva is described both as a ‘bhogaswami’ meaning the Lord of enjoyment (when He puts on all ornaments) and ‘yogaswami’ meaning the Lord of renunciation (when He renounces everything and is committed only to meditation). Siva plays both roles – ‘grihasta’ (when He is with Uma) and ’sanyasi’. We can worship Siva in either form. These two represent ‘pravrithi marga’ and ‘nivrithi marga’ respectively. Siva is soaked in ‘amritam’. This represents immortality. He sits on a throne and is surrounded by ‘digdevathas’. Siva is worshipped by both ‘devas’ and ‘asuras’ because He gives all boons. This is a description of Siva in the ‘ekaroopa’ form. In the ‘vishwaroopa’ form, Lord Siva is not a person sitting in ‘Kailasa’. He is in Kailasa also, He is in ‘bhoolaka’ also. The dhyana slokas describe formless Siva as ‘aksharam’ (imperishable), ‘nityam’ (eternal), ’suddham’ (absolute), ‘avyayam’ (changeless). All these words indicate Siva is ‘nirguna Brahma swaroopa’. Siva is free from all kinds of ‘gunas’ or properties (From the standpoint of Vedanta, guna is a dosha). So on Sivarathri, according to our temperament, we can worship Siva as a person, as ‘vishwaroopa’ or as ‘nirguna’ and we must continue this practice regularly.
A short film capturing the experiences of a few students from around the world during The Art of Living Yes+ Winter Break program at The Art of Living Ashram just outside of Bangalore, India. For more information, visit: www.yesplus.org or www.artofliving.org
Gurumaa speaks with youngsters in Youth Meditation Retreat about yoga, yoga poses, benefits of yoga and right way of doing yoga. Visit www.gurumaa.com for more videos… … yoga gurumaa youth meditation retreat ashram india
