begum

What did you say, Woody ? You look innocent. Here's something to cheer you up.

This is the right way to Meditate

Bhai Joginder Singh's lectures now on Youtube

Best Singers from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria http://youtube.com/watch?v=7v5lCfwtwE8 Arabian modern music http://youtube.com/watch?v=grA0hCQaCk4 Iraqi Song Egyptian song http://youtube.com/watch?v=KsTuU3MfyL8

Iranian women look so Indian. Both in features and in attire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTUhmcPv75Y...ted&search= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIbyHgUKfQk...ted&search=

Now for some original Persian music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqhNPY882kE...ted&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL97ej3z28E...ted&search= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k1CL1CmhrI

Good you realized that.

Kabir Sahib has beautifully described the value of Naam: Naam may appear but a monosyllable compared with the countless sins that abound; But a little dose of the Naam when taken, reduces the entire garbage to a heap of ashes; And the practice of the Naam rubs clean all the mental impurities; For the Naam acts as a spark of fire in a powder magazine; By communion with the Naam, one transcends the limitations of the flesh, And reaches far beyond the realm of the pairs of opposites. All the supernal powers serve but Naam; Blessed with Naam, one becomes the abode of all powers. The glory of God's Naam has attuned my body and soul, The parched and thirsty get honeyed nectar from it. We generally sing the glory of God with man-made names, But His Great Name-Sat Naam-is eternally the same. Maru M5 GURU ARJAN Remember Naam, O my brethren-in-faith, This grants peace, O keep the mind ever fixed in Naam. Asa M4 By hearing Naam, the mind gets stilled, The greatness of Naam is known through the Master. Commune with Naam till the last breath of life, This brings proximity to God and He saves in the end. Sri Rag M4 Those who contact not the Naam, why do they come into the world? Arid is the field of life for them and they die a miserable death. Jaitsri M4 The devotees of the Lord are His representatives and unto them we pray, We, the filthy worms, are at their feet, let the Divine light fill us through. Gujri M4 A contact with the Sound Current gives self realization which is the summum bonum of life. By it one is washed of all impurities of the mind and easily merges into Life Divine. O Nanak! this contact is established by a rare gurmukh. Sarang War M4 A contact with Naam makes one self-luminous, with luminosity vying with myriads of suns. Jaitsri M5 By Thy grace manifest the Divine light of Naam. Gujri M4 Naam is not the subject of the eyes. It is something wonderful and indescribable Maru M1 Whether awake or asleep and in whatever condition, O Nanak! while doing everything they remain contacted within. Gauri M5 Word is at once the Creator and the Sustainer of the Universe. Word transcends all forms and all names, They who worship the Word, alone live. Word sustains the entire creation, He is the Kernel in every shell. Gauri M5 Naam is the life-principle in all that lives, Naam is the foundation-stone of the Cosmos with its divisions. Naam is the Creator of Heavens and nether lands, Naam is the Manifester of all forms. Naam is the sub-strata of all regions, Naam is the liberator from all bondage. Gauri M5 O thou rise early, and worship the Word day and night, and then, O Nanak, thou shalt have no grief and escape from all troubles.Gauri M4 The earth and the sky were made by Shabd, Shabd has been the source of all light. The whole creation sprang from Shabd, O Nanak! Shabd is the very life of life. Janam Sakhi M1 With the True Word, one knows the Truth, With the True Sound, one sings the glory of the Lord. Parbhati M1 It can be seen without eyes, It can be heard without ears. Majh War M1 It (Shabd) has been the saving lifeline in all the ages, Prehlad, the son of the demon-king, knew neither Gayatri nor any rituals, He became one with God through contact with the Shabd. Bhairon M3 Amrit is the True Naam (or Word), But It cannot be described in words. He who tastes of it by attuning with the Word is accepted at His Court. Sri Rag M3 The Limitless Song (Anhad Bani) has an ambrosial effect, It lulls both the body and the mind to a quiet repose. Majh M5 The Word of the Master is extremely sweet, Such an elixir one finds within, Whosoever tastes of It, gets perfected, O Nanak! such a one remains in perpetual bliss. Parbhati MI The fountain of Amrit is bubbling over, One can have a taste of It through the Word of God. Wadhans M3 The True Word bursts asunder the three-fold egg, O Nanak! It is the Saviour that saves all. Ramkali M1 Take mercy on me and accept me as Thy bondsman, And snap all my bonds and take me out of the net, Let me live always in the sweet remembrance of Thy Word (Naam) or Thy Sound Principle (Bani), Nanak Thy slave would gladly offer himself as a sacrifice unto Thee. Dev Gandhari M5

According to the Nyaya philosophy, all existing things possess 24 gunas or characteristic qualities: rupa (shape or form); rasa (savor); gandha (odor); sparsa (tangibility); sankhya (number); parimana (dimension); prithaktva (severalty); samyoga (conjunction); vibhaga (disjunction); paratva (remoteness); aparatva (proximity); gurutva (weight); dravatva (fluidity); sneha (viscidity); sabda (sound); buddhi or jnana (understanding or knowledge); sukha (happiness); duhkha (pain); ichchha (desire); dvesha (aversion); prayatna (effort); dharma (merit or virtue); adharma (demerit); and samskara (the self-reproductive quality).

Like the unique Vedanta philosophy, the ancient yet vibrant Sanskrit language, the all-encompassing system of Yoga, Indian music is yet another exercise of the Indian mind in its path of exploration into the mysteries of Nature and of Ultimate Truth. The word Bharata (India) – which is condensed out of the musical expression Bhava, Raga and Tala, rightly emphasises the inalienable relationship between the thoughts, words and actions of human life, and music in India. On one side, it can be said that it is the music within, the Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Knowledge- Bliss Absolute) that finds manifold expressions outside in man’s life. Viewed from the other side, it is the sublimation of actions, words and thoughts that lead one to hear the same music within. Sound as the Source of Creation In India, music is considered as a subtle divine thread capable of linking the Jeevatman (individual soul) with the Parmatman (Supreme Soul), a concept originating in the Tantric idea of Sabdabrahman, the primeval source of creation. This idea finds expression in the eloquent words of the renowned violinist Yehudi Menuhin, ‘Indian music reflects Indian life having no predetermined beginning or end but flowing without interruption through the fingers of the composer-performer.’ To fully understand the beauty, depth and elevating qualities of Indian music, one must therefore understand, if not experience, these concepts at least to some extent. It is believed that the Supreme Being is of the nature of Sabdabrahman or Nadabrahman. This Ultimate Sound Principle gets manifested as its vibrations. Through the Samyoga and Viyoga i.e. the union and separation of these vibrations, Sabdabrahman creates the world of ‘forms’, from the sub-atomic to the biggest and the mightiest! The entire cosmos is the manifestation of Sabdabrahman. That being so, in uniting the entire creation, lies ‘Naada’. As the Naada evolves, differentiates and expands from the subtle to the gross, it gives rise to articulate sounds- ‘Varnas’, ‘Srutis’ and ‘Swaras’ – and moves on to create ‘Ragas’, capturing the ‘Bhavas’ (moods) of the mind. From Varnas arise by permutations and combinations, the world of ‘forms’. Today scientific substantiation of these concepts has been forthcoming through the experimental demonstration that different geometrical figures can be produced by manipulating sound! That means it is possible to reduce all ‘physical forms’ to ‘sound forms’ and vice-versa. In other words, form is sound made manifest. According to the Tantras there are 50 basic sounds out of which the world of forms has come into being. Classification of Sabda or Sound Nowhere in the world has the science of Sound and Music been studied so deeply and exhaustively as in ancient India. Panini, Patanjali, Bhartruhari, Nandikeswara, Anjaneya and Bharata are outstanding among those who have contributed to the unravelling of the mystery of sound, music and creation. The ‘Sabda’ itself is classified into Para, Pashyanti, Madhyama and Vaikhari. 1.The grossest of these four is Vaikhari, the dense audible sound. 2. Madhyama is the stage where thought takes the form of sound or word. 3. Pashyanti is the preceding stage where ‘thought’ assumes a ‘form’ where sound vibration becomes ‘visible’ in the mind. At that stage, there is no impress of language on the form. That is, here the barrier of language has no meaning. 4. Beyond it lies the subtlest, highest and most transcendental stage of Para where neither thought, nor names nor forms find a place, as there are neither waves nor wavelengths there. It is the ultimate unifying substratum – the undifferentiated, yet potential sound of Sabdabrahman. This is the stage of Godhead – sans thought, sound or form, the goal of deep meditation. No wonder that such a concept and understanding of music developed into a form of worship (Nadopasana) and has carried many on its wings to self-unfoldment and merger with the Ultimate Truth or Parabrahman. From the unmanifest to the manifest, from the manifest to the unmanifest, thus goes the cycle of Naada (sound), stretching from Eternity to Eternity – linking everything without any distinction of desa-kala-nama-roopa (place, time, name, form). Only in the land of Nataraja (cosmic dancer; Shiva), Saraswati (goddess of learning), the Veena (stringed musical instrument), Murali (flute), could such a sublime concept have been conceived, creating a vibrant life, science and tradition in music. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa had beautiful visions bearing on this principle. He used to see a long white thread proceeding out of himself. ‘This mass would open and within it he would see the Mother with a Veena. Then, she would begin to play and as she played he would see the music turning into birds and animals and worlds and arrange themselves. Then she would stop playing and they would all disappear. The light would grow less and less distinct till it was just a luminous mass, the string would grow shorter and shorter and the whole world would be absorbed into himself again.’ What an incomparable vision! A condensed drop of the entire philosophy of sound and music. From where and how did Indian music originate? Our ancient seers living in communion with Nature must have ‘seen’ and heard the music in myriad ways and forms. In the rising sun, in the light of the stars, in the heights of the snow-clad Himalayas, in the thick forests, in the thundering clouds, in the gurgling Ganges – in the cries of birds and animals, in the blooming of flowers, dropping of petals, ripening and sweetening of fruit, in birth, growth and decay of created beings, anywhere and everywhere, they would have felt the resonance of the one Naada. Capturing this music in Nature, they must have felt their souls ringing in harmony with them and instinctively realised the same Naada vibrating within them. With joy and thrill, they must have picked up the basic notes and built around them their grand repertoire: SA -from the cry of the peacock with its two sounds of lower and higher pitches RE -from the cry of the bull GA-from that of a goat MA-from the cry of the Krauncha bird PA-from the voice of the Koel in spring DHA- from the neighing of the horse, and NE-from the cry of the elephant. It is said that Lord Shiva in his cosmic dance produced from his Damaru various types of sounds and the great saint, Patanjali, grasped them in his Maheshwara Sutras and explained the formation of the universe. According to this view, the origin of the 7 basic notes can be traced back to Shiva. According to some others, the 7 keynotes, which form the units of music all over the world, personify 7 levels of human consciousness. Out of this consciousness springs forth the stream of life, essentially consisting of one’s aspirations to reach that sanctum of happiness, bliss and fulfilment within. In a particular direction, it is called music, in another, dance, in a third, painting, in a fourth, poetry. But among all the fine arts, the finest is indeed music. One, who has understood Naada as the very basis of music, realises it as the subtlest of vibrations, which forms the life-current in each and every cell in his body. It is this omnipresent Naada, which, following particular rhythms, curves and waves, flows through our life, enriching us with experiences. If one tries to discover it within and manifest it without, it becomes the fittest musical instrument in the hands of the Supreme and his life itself turns into a music with a rare melody of tune and rhythm. Sound used in Spiritual Practice or Upasana The study of Indian music has its own practical lessons to impart to our every day life. To learn music is a discipline in itself, controlling one’s body, breath, voice, one’s very nature itself. In childhood, learning music helps one to develop a rhythm and order in his daily activities. Through Upasana of naada, he catches glimpses of the unity in diversity. In the second stage, by enriching the Bhavana (feeling) in the music, one can control and sublimate the emotions of the mind. As the evening of life approaches, music turns into a source of peace and joy. Equanimity and tranquillity of mind come as by-products of an advanced musical mind. If one is a true Upasaka (earnest student), before long, from the outer music he will turn towards the inner and start enjoying the subtlest of music – the Anahata Naada, the soundless sound – in the innermost chamber of one’s heart. Thus, music can truly form the vehicle to take man from the gross to the subtle, from the finite to the infinite. As his life’s vibrations become attuned to the divine, his soul’s music reveals to him the music in the creation and of the creation. He finds the entire universe resounding with the Eternal notes – Soham Soham. The chords of life can be tuned properly as in a musical instrument with self-effort. If one masters this art of tuning, and brings out the best of Swaras without any Apaswaras, then his life becomes attuned to the Supreme Music and he would sing the soul-stirring music of love, compassion and understanding. Veenaavaadana tatwajnaha; swarajnaana vishaaradah; Talajnachaaprayatnena; param brahmaadhigacchati “One who plays the Veena with full knowledge of the basic principles of sound, the science of tune evolution and the beat of music could attain Parabrahman without much effort.†There is no aspect of life where music cannot play its role. The soothing of the nerves and the calming of the mind that music brings about are marvellous. Just as a mother can sing her child to sleep through her lullabies, at every context in life, whether in the farms or factories, in games or studies, music can bring in a sense of unity and harmony. In India, we have established long long back, that through proper combinations of Swaras we can create Ragas, which have the capacity to call forth forces of Nature such as the rain, fire, etc. Stones can be melted, glass can be broken, and lamps can be lighted. Trees and plants can respond to the music of one who has attuned himself to the Eternal vibrations. The Glory of Indian Music Today, Indian music has caught the attention of musicologists, scientists and other learned men. With more and more research in the field of Indian musicology, more and more hidden treasures are surfacing. In spite of all the ups and downs it has gone through the several centuries of its growth, Indian music has retained its highly aesthetic and elevating spirit and its unique individuality. Rightly has Shakespeare said of music: “The man that has no music in himself, nor is moved with sweet concord of sweet sound, is fit for treason, stratagems and spoils.†Nearer home, we have the Lord Himself proclaiming: Naaham vasaami Vaikunthe, Na yogi hriday gaavati Madbhakta yatra gaayanti Tatra tishthami Naarada “I dwell not in Vaikunth (heaven), nor in the hearts of Yogins, nor in the sun; but where my devotees sing, there, O Narada, do I reside.†That is the uniqueness of Indian music. May that all-pervading Nadbrahman, remove all the Apaswaras (discordant tunes) from our lives and fill it with pleasing, unifying and harmonising Swaras so that the music of our lives may flow melodiously, taking us from untruth to Truth, from darkness to Light, from death to Immortality. ___________________________________ Top <To top of this page Index Alphabetical [index to Pages] Sounds-Seven Original (Musical) Notes From the Mahabharata Santi Parva, Section CLXXXIV Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Gaguli I shall now tell thee the different kinds of sound. They are the seven original notes called Shadja, Rishabha, Gandhara, Mahdhyama, Panchama, Dhaivata and Nishada. these are the seven kinds of the property that appertains to space. Sound inheres like the Supreme Being in all space though attached especially to drums and other instruments. Whatever sound is heard from drums small and large, and conchs, and clouds, and cars, and animate and inanimate creatures, are all included in these seven kinds of sound already enumerated. Thus, sound, which is the property of space, is of various kinds. The learned have said sound to be born of space. When raised by the different kinds of touch, which is the property of the wind, it may be heard. It cannot, however, be heard, when the different kinds of touch are inceptive. The elements, mingling with their counterparts in the body, increase and grow. Water, fire, wind are always awake in the bodies of living creatures. They are the roots of the body. Pervading the five life-breaths (already mentioned) they reside in the body. ____________________________________ The Destructive Effects of Rock Music From The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird Mrs. Rattallack ran a series of trials with sweet corn, squash, petunias, zinnias and marigolds. Under controlled experiments, playing of rock music caused some of the plants at first to grow either abnormally tall and put out excessively small leaves, or remain stunted. Within a fortnight all the marigolds had died, but only six feet away identical marigolds, enjoying the classical strains by Hayden, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert etc., were flowering. More interestingly, Mrs Rattallack found that, even during the first week, the rock music-stimulated plants were using much more water than classically entertained vegetation. Despite this an examination of the roots on the eighteenth day revealed that soil growth was sparse in the well watered group, averaging only about an inch, whereas in the second, it was thick, tangled and about four times as long. Acid Rock Music Further experiments in which Mrs. Rattallack submitted her plants to Acid Rock Music, a particularly raucous and percussive type of music that subordinates harmony to volume and tempo, revealed that all the plants leaned away from this cacophony. When she rotated all the pots 180 degrees, the plants leaned decidedly in the opposite direction. The plants were definitely reacting to the sounds of rock music. Mrs.Retallack guessed that it might be the percussive component in the music that so jarred her plants and she therefore started yet another experiment. Selecting the familiar Spanish tune, ‘La Paloma’ she played one version of it played on steel drums to one chamber of plants and another version played on strings to a second. The percussion caused a lean of ten degrees away from the vertical, which was very little in comparison with the rock; but the plants listening to the fiddles leaned fifteen degrees towards the source of the music. At eighteen day repeat of the same experiment using twenty five plants per chamber including squash from seed, and flowering and leafy type plants from green houses, produced largely similar results.

From Srimad Bhagavat Mahapurana The evils of Kaliyuga Book twelve, Discourse 2 Rendered into English by C.L.Goswami M.A., Shastri Sri Suka said: (Discourse 1) (As Kaliyuga advances) the Brahmanas of Saurastra, Avanti, the Abhira territory (the principalities of Sura, Arbuda and Malawa) will become Vratyas or fallen men (because of their giving up the Samskaras or purificatory rites, especially the ceremony of investiture with the sacred thread), and the rulers will be mostly of the Sudra class. Sudras, fallen Brahmanas and members of the higher castes who have given up the Vedic courses of conduct and Mlecchas will rule over the banks of the Indus and Chandrabhaga rivers, the city of Kaunti and the territory of Kashmira. These kings, O Parikshit, who will all be contemporaries, will be no better than Mlecchas (in their course of conduct) and will be given over to unrighteousness and mendacity, illiberal and furious ways. They will kill women, children, Brahmins and cows. They will covet other people’s wives and other people’s wealth. They will experience vicissitudes of fortune in quick succession and will be poor of strength and courage and will be short lived (too). They will cease to perform purificatory rites, will be devoid of righteous actions. Being dominated by Rajas and Tamas and being Mlecchas in the garb of Kshatriyas, they will suck the blood of their own people. The people ruled over by them too will acquire their habits, ways of life and mode of speech and, oppressed by one another as well as by their rulers, will go to ruin. Sri Suka continued : (Discourse 2) Thenceforth, day after day, by force of the all-powerful Time, O king, righteousness, veracity, purity (of mind and body), forgiveness, compassion, length of life, bodily strength and keenness of memory will decline. In the Kali age wealth alone will be the criterion of pedigree, morality and merit. Again, might will be the only factor determining righteousness and fairness. Personal liking will be the deciding factor in making the choice of a partner in life, and trickery alone will be the motive force in business dealings. Capability of affording sexual delight will be the (only) criterion of masculine or feminine excellence and the sacred thread will be the only mark of Brahmanhood. External marks will be the only means of knowing the Ashramas or the stages in life (of an individual) and the only guide in determining the mode of greeting which people should adopt when meeting one another. Justice will have every chance of being vitiated because of one’s inability to gratify those administering it, and voluble speech will be the (only) criterion of scholarship. Want of riches will be the sole test of impiety and hypocrisy will be the only touchstone of goodness. (Mutual) consent will be the sole determining factor in marriage and it will become acceptable practice to have toilet and bath (combined) in one place. A distant water reservoir or pond will be the only holy resort for bath etc., and wearing (long) hair will be regarded as the sign of beauty. Filling one’s belly will be the (only) end of human pursuit and audacity of speech will be the only criterion of veracity. Skill will consist in supporting one’s family; virtuous deeds will be performed (only) with the object of gaining fame; and when in this way the terrestrial globe will be overrun by wicked people, the person who would prove to be the most powerful amongst the Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras will become the ruler. Robbed of their wealth and of their women by greedy and merciless Kshatriyas, behaving like robbers, people will resort to mountains and forests and subsist on leaves, roots, meat, honey, fruits, flowers and seeds. (Already) oppressed by famine and (heavy) taxation, people will perish through drought, (excessive) cold, storms, (scorching) heat of the sun, (heavy) rains, snowfalls and mutual conflict. In the age of Kali men will be tormented by hunger and thirst, ailments and worry and their maximum age will be only twenty to thirty years. When through the evil effect of Kali age the bodies of men get reduced in size and become emaciated, the righteous course laid out by the Vedas for men following the system of Varnas (caste system or grades of society) and the Ashramas (stages in life) gets lost, when religion is replaced by heresy to a large extent and rulers mostly turn out to be thieves. When men take to various pursuits like theft, mendacity, wanton destruction of life and so on; when members of the three higher castes are mostly converted into Sudras and cows are reduced to the size of she-goats and begin to yield as little milk. When people belonging to the four Ashramas mostly become householders and the connotation of relationship will extend only to the relatives of one’s wife. Annual plants get stunted in growth and trees are mostly reduced to the size of a Sami (a small tree). Clouds will mostly end in flashes of lightning (rather than pour rain) and dwellings will mostly look desolate (for want of hospitality to strangers). In this way, when the Kali age, whose influence is so severe on the people, is well-nigh past, the Lord will appear in His divine form (consisting of Sattwa alone) for the protection of virtue. Lord Vishnu, adored by the whole animate and inanimate creation and the Soul of the universe, appears (in this world of matter) for protecting the virtue of the righteous and wiping out (the entire stock of) their Karma (and thereby liberating them). The Lord will appear under the name of Kalki in the house of the high-souled Vishnuyasa –the foremost Brahmana of the village of Sambhala. Riding a fleet footed horse named Devadatta (because it will be presented to Him by the gods) and capable of subduing the wicked, Lord of the universe, wielding the well-known eight divine powers (Anima and so on) and possessed of endless virtues and matchless splendour, wearing the insignia of royalty, will traverse the globe on that swift horse and exterminate with his sword (weapon) tens of millions of robbers. Now when all the robbers are (thus) exterminated, the minds of the people of the cities and of the countryside will become pure indeed because of their enjoying the breeze wafting the most sacred fragrance from on the person of Lord Vasudeva. With Lord Vasudeva, the embodiment of strength in their heart, their progeny will grow exceedingly strong (as before). When Sri Hari, the Protector of Dharma, appears as Kalki, Satyayuga will prevail (once more) at that time and the progeny of the people will be of a Sattvika (virtuous) disposition. When the moon, the sun and Jupiter rise together in one zodiacal house and the Pusya constellation is in the ascendant, then it will be known as Satyayuga. The all effulgent personality (consisting of pure Sattva) of Lord Vishnu (Himself) appeared under the name of Sri Krishna. The moment He ascended to (His divine abode) in heaven the Kali age entered the world, in which age people take delight in sin. So long as the aforesaid Lord of Lakshmi touched the earth, Kali could not prevail over it. When the seven stars constituting the Great Bear enter the constellation of Magha, then Kaliyuga embarks on its career of twelve hundred celestial years (432 000 human years). When from the Maghas the stars of the Great Bear pass on to the constellation of Purvasadha, then from the time of king (Mahapadma) Nanda onwards Kali will gain ascendancy. Persons learned in ancient history maintain that the age of Kali set in on that very day, (nay) the very moment Sri Krishna ascended to His abode in heaven. O,Parikshit, at the end of one thousand celestial years and of the fourth Yuga (Kaliyuga) Krtayuga will prevail (once again), when the mind of men will reveal (to them the true nature of) the Self. ____________________________________

A few peculiarities of Kali Yuga Selected texts from Sri Ramacharitamanasa of Sant Tulasidas, Uttar-kanda, verses 96-103 The Tulasi Ramayana Kakbhushundi said: In the Kali-Yuga, the hot-bed of sin, men and women are all steeped in unrighteousness and act contrary to the Vedas. In the age of Kali, every virtue had been engulfed by the sins of Kali-Yuga; all good books had disappeared; impostors had promulgated a number of creeds which they had invented out of their own wit. The people had all fallen prey to delusion and all pious acts had been swallowed by greed. Now listen, while I describe a few peculiarities of Kali-Yuga. No one follows the duties of one's own caste, and the four Ashrams or stages of life also disappear. Every man and woman takes delight in revolting against the Vedas. The Brahmans sell the Vedas; the kings bleed their subjects; no one respects the injunctions of the Vedas. The right course for every individual is that which one takes a fancy to; a man of erudition is he who plays the braggart. Whoever launches spurious undertakings and is given over to hypocrisy, him does everyone call a saint. He alone is clever who robs another of his wealth; he who puts up false appearances is an ardent follower of established usage. He who is given to lying and is clever at joking is spoken of as a man of parts in the Kali age. He alone who is a reprobate and has abandoned the path of the Vedas is a man of wisdom and dispassion in the Kali age. He alone who has grown big nails and long locks of matted hair is a renowned ascetic in the Kali age. They alone who put on an unsightly garb and ornaments and eat anything and everything, no matter whether it is worth eating or not, are ascetics; they alone are perfect men and they are worth adoring in the Kali age. They who are of maleficent conduct are held in great esteem and they alone are worthy of honour. Even so they alone who are babblers in thought, word and deed are orators in the Kali age. Dominated by women, all men dance to their tune like a monkey controlled by its trainer. Sudras instruct the twice-born (Brahman, Kshatriya and Vaishya) in spiritual wisdom and wearing the sacred thread, accept the worst type of gifts. All men are given over to sensuality and greed and they are irascible and hostile to the gods, to the Brahmans, to the Vedas as well as to the saints. Unfortunate wives desert their accomplished and handsome husbands and bestow their hearts on a paramour. Wives having their husbands alive have no ornaments on their person, while widows adorn themselves in the latest style. The disciple and the preceptor severally resemble a deaf man and a blind man: the one would not listen, while the other cannot see. A spiritual guide who robs his disciple of money but fails to rid him of his sorrow is cast into a terrible hell. Parents call their children and teach them such religion as may fill their belly. Men and women talk of nothing else than the knowledge of God (Brahma-Gyana); while in their greed they would kill a Brahman, or for that matter, kill even their own spiritual guide for the sake of a single shell. Sudras argue with the twice-born : "Are we in any way inferior to you? A good Brahman is he who knows the truth of God!" and defiantly glower at them. They alone who are covetous of another's wife and are clever at wiles and steeped in delusion, malice and worldly attachment are enlightened men swearing by the identity of the individual soul with God. Such is the practice I have seen in every Kali age. Doomed themselves, such people bring ruin even to those rare souls who tread the path of virtue. They who find fault with the Vedas by dint of logic are condemned to each hell for a whole Kalpa (cycle of time). People of the lowest grade in society get their heads shaved and enter the order of Sannyasa (renunciation) when their wives are no more in this world and they have lost their household properties. They allow themselves to be worshipped by the Brahmanas and bring ruin to themselves here as well as hereafter. As for the Brahmanas, they are unlettered, grasping, lascivious, reprobate and stupid and marry low-caste women of lewd character. Sudras on the other hand practice Japa (the muttering of prayers) and austere penance, undertake sacred vows of various kinds and expound the Puranas from an exalted seat. All men follow a course of conduct of their own imagination; the endless variety of wrong-doing cannot be described in words. In the Kali age there ensues a confusion of castes (due to promiscuous intermarriages) and every one infringes the sacred laws. Men perpetrate sins and reap suffering, terror, disease, sorrow and desolation. Overcome by delusion they walk not in the path of devotion to Sri Hari, conjoined with dispassion and wisdom - a path which has the approval of the Vedas, - and invent diverse creeds of their own. The so-called recluses build themselves houses and furnish them at considerable expense. Dispassion is no more to be seen in them, the same having been wiped out by their sensuality. The so-called ascetics grow wealthy and householders go penniless; the freaks of the Kali age are beyond all telling. Men drive out a well-born and virtuous wife and bring home some servant-girl, casting to the winds all good usage. Sons respect their fathers and mothers only so long as they have not seen the face of their wives. From the time they take a fancy to their wives kinsfolk they begin to look upon their own people as their enemies. Kings get addicted to sin and cease to have anything to do with piety. They ever persecute their subjects by inflicting unmerited punishment on them. The meanest churl, if he is rich, is accounted noble. A Brahman is known only by his sacred thread, and an ascetic by his naked body. He who refuses to recognise the Vedas and Puranas is counted as a true saint and a servant of Sri Hari in the Kali age. In the Kali age, those who find fault with others' virtues can be had in any number, but no one possessing virtues. In the Kali age famine are of frequent occurrence and for want of food grains people perish en masse. In the age of Kali duplicity, perversity, hypocrisy, malice, heresy, pride, infatuation, concupiscence and arrogance etc. pervade the whole universe. Men practice Japa, austere penance and charity, perform sacrifices and undertake sacred vows with some unholy motive. The gods rain not upon the earth and food grains sown in the soil do not germinate. In the age of Kali there is no contentment, nor discernment, nor composure. People of all classes, whether high or low, have taken to begging. Envy, harsh words and covetousness are rampant; while evenness of mind is absent. The duties and rules of conduct prescribed for the four orders of society and stages in life are neglected. Self-control, charity, compassion and wisdom disappear while stupidity and fraud multiply to a large extent. Men and women all pamper their body; while slanderers are diffused all over the world. The age of Kali is a store house of impurities and vices but it has many virtues too. Final emancipation is possible in the Kali age without any exertion. Moreover, the same goal which is reached through worship of God, performance of sacrifices or the practice of Yoga in the Satyayuga and in the Treta and Dwapara yuga, men are able to attain through the name of Sri Hari in the Kali age. No other age can compare with the Kali age provided a man has faith (in its virtue); for in this age one can easily cross the ocean of transmigration simply by singing Sri Ram's holy praises. ____________________________________ When the daughter-in-law will set the aged mother-in-law to work From The Mahabharata Santi Parva, section CCXXVII Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli Time that is strong, assailing the universe, cooks it within itself and sweeps away everything without consideration of seniority of years or the reverse. For all that, one that is being dragged by Time is unconscious of the noose thrown round one's neck;. when the daughter-in-law will set the aged mother-in-law to work, when the son, through delusion, will command the father to work for him, when Sudras will have their feet washed by Brahmanas and have sexual congress fearlessly with women of regenerate families, when men will discharge the vital seed into forbidden wombs, when the refuse of houses will begin to be carried upon plates and vessels made of white brass, and when sacrificial offerings intended for the deities will begin to be borne upon forbidden vessels, when all the four orders will transgress all restraints. ____________________________________

I asked the same questions once. But since we are "sikhs" - meaning students of the Guru, these details are part of vichaar. They may become necessary for some and not necessary for others.

Jagrat Avastha is waking consciousness. You perceive, feel, think, know and you are conscious of the external sense-universe. The organs of hearing and sight are very vigilant. The organ of sight is more active than the ear. It rushes headlong over forms (Rupa), various types of beauty, through force of habit. The Abhimani (person thinking upon) of Jagrat state is termed as Visva. He identifies himself with the physical body. Visva is Vyasthi (individual) Abhimani. The Samasthi Abhimani (cosmic) is Virat. Visva is microcosm (Kshudra Brahmanda). Virat is macrocosm (Brahmanda). Vyasthi is single. Samashti is sum-total. A single matchstick is Vyasthi. A matchbox is Samasthi. A single house is Vyashti. A village is Samasthi. A single mango tree is Vyasthi. A grove of mango-trees is Samasthi. Ear and eye are the avenues of sense-knowledge in the Jagrat State. The mind creates the dream-world out of the experience and Samskaras of the waking consciousness. Dream is a reproduction of the experiences of the physical consciousness with some modifications. The mind weaves out the dream creatures out of the material supplied from waking consciousness. In dream the subject and object are one. The perceiver and the perceived are one in this state. The Abhimani of Svapna Avastha is Taijasa. Taijasa is a Vyasthi Abhimani. The Samasthi Abhimani is Hiranyagarbha, the first-born. In the Jagrat state there are two kinds of knowledge, viz., Abijna or Abijna Jnana and Pratibijna or Pratibijna Jnana. Abijna is knowledge through perception. You see a tree. You know: ?This is a tree?. This is Abijna. Pratibijna is recognition. Here something previously observed is recognised in some other thing or place, as when, for instance, the generic character of a cow which was previously observed in the black cow again presents itself to consciousness in the grey cow or Mr. Radhakrishnan whom I first saw in Benares in 1922 again appears before me in Calcutta in 1932. There are cases of recognition where the object previously observed again presents itself to our senses. There is a Samskara in the mind of object, time and place. When I recognised Mr. Radhakrishnan in Calcutta, I omitted the previous place Benares where I saw him for the first time and the time also 1922 and I took into consideration the present place Calcutta and the present time 1932. This is knowledge through Pratibijna. In Abijna, there is no Antahkarana Samskaras. There is knowledge through mere sense-contact with the object. When you take a retrospective view of your life in college when you are 60 years of age, it is all a dream to you. Is it not so, my friends? The future also will turn out to be so. There is only the present, which on account of the force of strong Samskaras through repetition of actions and Dhrida (strong) Vasanas appears to be real for an Aviveki (a man of non-discrimination) only. The past is a dream. The future is a dream. The solid present is also a dream. When you are alone at Allahabad for a month, you have entirely forgotten all about Chennai, your affairs, family, children etc. You have only Allahabad Samskaras. For the time being Chennai is out of your mind. There is only Allahabad in your mind. When you return again to Chennai, Allahabad affairs entirely disappear from the mind after some time. When you are in Allahabad, Chennai is a dream to you, and when you are in Chennai, Allahabad is a dream. World is a mere Samskara in the mind. For a worldly man with a gross mind full of passions this world is a solid reality. According to Gaudapada, Dada-Guru of Sri Sankaracharya, the Jagrat Avastha is exactly a dream without any difference. Some saints say that the waking state is a long dream (Deerga Svapna). An objector says: ?In Jagrat state we see the same objects in the same place as soon as we wake up (Desa Kala), whereas in dreams, we do not see again the same objects. We see different things daily. How do you account for this?? Even in dreams sometimes we see same objects repeatedly on different occasions. Every moment the whole world is changing. You do not see the same world every day. Young people become old. The molecules of the body are changing every second. Mind also changes every moment. Trees and all objects are continually changing. The water that you see in the Ganga at 6 a.m. is not the same when you see at 6.05 a.m. When a wick in the hurricane lamp is burning, you see the light but the wick is ever changing. There are continual changes in sun, moon, stars etc. The world is stationary for people of gross minds (Sthula Buddhi). A man of Sukshma (subtle) intellect does not see the same world every day. He witnesses changes?changes in every second and sees daily a new world. Therefore the waking consciousness also is a dream. Just as the dream becomes false as soon as you wake up, the Jagrat consciousness becomes a dream when you get Viveka and Jnana. Science tells you that the world is a mass of electrons that are in constant rotation and change. An objector again says: ?We remember the events, the persons, the places etc., in Jagrat Avastha. In dream we do not remember. How do you explain this?? In Svapna or dream state there is Rajo Guna Pradhana. Rajo Guna predominates. In Jagrat state, Sattva Guna predominates. That is the reason why you have no remembrance in dream. As soon as you wake up, the dreams turn out to be false. So long as you are dreaming, every thing is real to you. This world, the waking consciousness, becomes a dream when you get Jnana. Therefore Jagrat is termed as a dream. This appears to be paradoxical but it is not so. Think well. In prophetic dreams the materials come from the Karana Sarira or seed body (causal body), the storehouse of Samskaras. Readers are earnestly requested to go through very carefully Mandukya Upanishad with Gaudapada?s Karika either in Sanskrit or English translation. The dream problem is very elaborately dealt with cogent argument. ?When I consider the matter carefully, I do not find a single characteristic by means of which I can certainly determine whether I am awake or whether I dream. The visions of a dream and the experiences of my waking state are so much alike that I am completely puzzled and I do not really know that I am not dreaming at this moment.? (Descartes: Meditations P. I.) Pascal is right when he asserts that if the same dream comes to us every night we should be just as much occupied by it as by the things which we see every day. To quote his words, ?If an artisan were certain that he would dream every night for fully 12 hours that he was a king, I believe that he would be just as happy as a king who dreams every night for 12 hours that he is an artisan?. In dream the seer and the seen are one. The mind creates the bee, flower, mountain, horses, rivers, etc., in the dream. The dream objects are not independent of the mind. They have no separate existence apart from the mind. So long as the dream lasts, the dream creatures will remain just as the milkman remains so long as the milking goes on. (The dream is quite real when the man is dreaming). Whereas in the Jagarat state the object exists independent of the mind. The objects of the waking experiences are common to us all, while those of dreams are the property of the dreamer. Jacob puts Gaudapada?s arguments in the following syllogistic form: ?Things seen in the waking state are not true: this is proposition (Pratijna); because they are seen, this is reason (Hetu); just like things seen in a dream, this is the instance (Drishtanta); as things seen in the dream are not true, so the property of the being seen belongs in like manner to things seen in the waking state; this is the application of the reason (Hetupanyaya); therefore things seen in the waking state are also untrue; this is the conclusion. Gaudapada establishes the unreal Character of the world of experience: 1. By its similarity to dream state; 2. By its presented or objective character; 3. By the unintelligibility of the relations which organise it; and 4. By its non-persistence for all time.

Japji Sahib Veechar: http://www.gurmatveechar.org/audio/katha/k...9%2FJapJi_Sahib

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/ I Created You One day, as usually, an orphan, a little girl, stood at the street corner begging for food, money or whatever she could get. Now, this girl was wearing very tattered clothes, was dirty and quite dishevelled. A well-to-do you man passed that corner without giving the girl a second look. But, when he returned to his expensive home, his happy and comfortable family, and his well-laden dinner table, his thoughts returned to the young orphan. He became very angry with God for allowing such conditions to exist. He reproached God, saying, ?How can you let this happen? Why don?t you do something to help this girl???? Then he heard God in the depths of his being responding by saying ?I did. I created You.?

Three worlds namely the physical universe, astral universe and universal mind - also known as trilok. They are in the realm of Maya, subject to duality.

Philosophy of Dreams XII: Waking Experience Has Relative Reality By Sri Swami Sivananda I Waking experience is like dream experience When judged from the absolute standpoint. But it has Vyavaharika-Satta Or relative reality. Dream is Pratibhasika-Satta Or apparent reality. Turiya or Brahman is Paramarthika-Satta Or Absolute Reality. Waking is reality more real than dreaming. Turiya is more real than waking. From the point of view of Turiya, Both waking and dreaming are unreal. But waking, taken by itself, In relation to dream experience, Has greater reality than dream. To a certain extent, As Turiya is to waking, Waking is to dream. Waking is the reality behind dream; Turiya is the reality behind waking. Dream is not dream to the dreamer. Only by one who is awake Dream is known to be a dream. Similarly, waking appears to be real To one who is still in the waking state. Only to one who is in Turiya Waking is devoid of reality. Waking is Deergha-Svapna, A long dream, as contrasted with The ordinary dream which is short. II Waking is a part of Virat-Consciousness, Though, in waking, due to ignorance, The Virat is not directly realised. Waking is the connecting link Between Visva and Virat. Man reflects over the world and the Reality When he is awake And when his consciousness is active. In dream, the intellect and the will Are incapacitated due to Avidya And deliberate contemplation becomes impossible. The Visva or the Jiva in the waking state Is possessed of intelligence and free will. The Taijasa or the Jiva in the dreaming state Is destitute of such powers of free thinking. Dream experience is the result of Impressions of waking experience; Whereas, waking experience is independent of Dream experience and its effects. There is a kind of order or system In the waking experiences, At least, more than in dream. Every day the same persons and things Become the objects of waking experience. There is a definite remembrance of Previous days? experiences and of Survival and continuity of personality In waking experience. The consciousness of this continuity, Regularity and unity Is absent in dream, Dream is not well ordered, While waking is comparatively systematic. III There are degrees of reality In the experiences of the individual. The three main degrees are Subjective, Objective and Absolute. Dream experience is subjective. Waking experience is objective. The realisation of Atman or Brahman Is experience of the absolute Reality. The individual is the subjective being In comparison with the objective world. The subject and the object have equal reality, Though both these are negated in the Absolute. The objective world is the field of waking experience And, therefore, waking is relatively real. But, dream is less real than waking In as much as the direct contact With the external world of waking experience Is absent in dream. Though there is an external world in dream also, Its value is less than that of the world in waking. Though the form of the dream world agrees with That of the waking world, In quality the dream world Is lower than the waking world. Space, time, motion and objects, With the distinction of subject and object, Are common to both waking and dreaming. Even the reality they present At the time of their being experienced Is of a similar nature. But, the difference lies in The degree of reality manifested by them. The Jiva feels that it is in a higher order of truth In waking than in dreaming. IV The argument that is advanced To prove the unreality of waking Is that waking also is merely mind?s play Even as dream is mind?s imagination. But, the objects seen in dream Are not imaginations of the dream subject Which itself is one of the imaginary forms That are projected in dream, The dream subject is not in any way More real than the dream objects. They both have equal reality And are equally unreal. The dream subject and the dream object Are both imaginations of the mind of Visva Which synthesises the subject and objects in dream. In like manner, the waking individual Is not the cause of the objects seen by it, For both these belong to the same order of reality. Neither of them is more real than the other. The virtues and the defects that characterise things Are present in all subjects and objects That are experienced in the waking state. The subject and the objects in waking Are both effects of the Cosmic Mind Which integrates all the contents of the universe. The Cosmic Mind has greater reality Than the individual mind. Thus the waking state is relatively More real than the dreaming state. V It cannot be said that Taijasa is related to Hiranyagarbha In the same way as Visva is related to Virat. Taijasa has a negative experience Characterised by fickleness, absence of clearness, Lack of will power and cloudedness of intelligence. To express with certain reservations, The relation of Taijasa to Hiranyagarbha Is something like that of minus two to plus two: Whereas, Visva is to Virat As minus one is to plus one. As minus one has greater positive value Than minus two, And the distance between minus two and plus two Is greater than that between Minus one and plus one, Visva has greater relative value than Taijasa, And is more intimately connected with Virat Than Taijasa with Hiranyagarbha. Taijasa and Prajna are respectively The parts of Hiranyagarbha and Isvara Only as limited reflections with negative values And not positively and qualitatively. Otherwise Isvara would have been only A huge mass of ignorance, As he is depicted as the collective totality Of all Prajnas whose native experience is a state of sleep Where ignorance covers the existing consciousness. Prajna and Isvara are like minus three and plus three, And their relation is quite obvious. As when a man stands on a river bank And looks at his own reflection below, That which is highest appears as lowest? The original head is farthest from the reflected head,? That which is lowest appears as highest? The original feet are nearest to the reflected feet,? In the same manner, Isvara, Who is the highest among the manifestations of reality And is omniscient and omnipotent Is the positive counterpart Of the negative sleeping experience Of complete ignorance and absence of power. Virat corresponds to the foot of the man Standing on the bank of the river And Visva to the reflected foot. Visva is more consciously related to Virat Than Taijasa to Hiranyagarbha Or Prajna to Isvara, As the foot is nearer to the reflected foot Than the waist to the reflected waist Or the head to the reflected head. These illustrations show that Waking is relatively more real Than dream which has only a negative value. The illustrations used here Are to be taken in their spirit and not literally, For, Visva, Taijasa and Prajna Are not merely reflections Of Virat, Hiranyagarbha and Isvara respectively, But also their limitations With qualities distorted And experiences wrested from truth. VI As far as the manner of Subjective experience is concerned, It is true that what is within the mind Is experienced as present in external objects. But the objects themselves are not Creations of the subjective mind. There is a great difference between Isvara-Srishti and Jiva-Srishti. The existence of the objects Belongs to Isvara-Srishti. But the relation that exists between The objects and the experiencing subject Is Jiva-Srishti. The Jiva is one of the contents of the Jagat Which is Isvara-Srishti. Hence, the Jiva cannot claim to be The creator of the world, Though it is the creator of Its own subjective modes of Psychological experience. Waking experience is a perception. Dream experience is a memory. As perception precedes memory, Waking precedes dream; That is, dream is a remembrance Of waking experiences In the form of impressions. To Brahman, the waking world is unreal. But, to the individual or the Jiva It is a relative fact Lasting as long as Individuality or Jivahood lasts. VII That the waking world has relative reality Or Vyavaharika-Satta Does not prove that it is real In the absolute sense. Comparatively waking is on a higher order Than dream experiences, For reasons already mentioned. But, from the standpoint of the highest Reality, Waking experience also is unreal. As dream is transcended in the state of waking, The world of waking too is transcended In the state of Self-Realisation

Turiya Consciousness: Hindu Sanskrit Dictionary on Turiya Turiya: The state of pure consciousness. A Ramakrishna-Vedanta Wordbook defines it as: "The superconscious; lit., 'the Fourth,' in relation to the three ordinary states of consciousness-waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep-which it transcends." .......................................................................... There are seven stages of Jnana or Knowledge: viz.; Aspiration for the Right (Subhechha), Philosophical enquiry (Vicharana), Subtlety of mind (Tanumanasi), Attainment of Light (Sattvapatti), Inner Detachment (Asamsakti), Spiritual Vision (Padarthabhavana) and Supreme Freedom (Turiya). ................................................................................................... Many riddles of life are solved through hints from dreams. Dreams indicate which way the spiritual life of a man is flowing. One may receive proper advice for self-correction through dreams. One may know how to act in a particular situation through dreams. The dreams point out a path unknown to the waking consciousness. Saints and sages appear in dreams during times of difficulty and point out the way. ? The Vedantins study very deeply and carefully the states of dreams and deep sleep and logically prove that the waking state is as unreal as the dream state. They declare that the only difference between the two states is that the waking state is a long dream, Deergha Svapna. ? So long as the dreamer dreams, dream-objects are real. When he wakes up the dream world becomes false. When one attains illumination or knowledge of Brahman, this wakeful world becomes as unreal as the dream world. ? The real truth is that nobody sleeps, dreams or wakes up, because there is no reality in these states. ? Transcend the three states and rest in the fourth state of Turiya, the eternal bliss of Brahman, Satchidananda Svaroopa.

The Atman is self-evident (Svatah-siddha). It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Atman, because It is the very essence of the one who denies It. The Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions and proofs. Self is within, Self is without; Self is before, Self is behind; Self is on the right, Self is on the left; Self is above and Self is below. Brahman is not an object, as It is Adrisya, beyond the reach of the eyes. Hence the Upanishads declare: - Neti Neti - not this, not this, not that. - This does not mean that Brahman is a negative concept, or a metaphysical abstraction, or a nonentity, or a void. It is not another. It is all-full, infinite, changeless, self-existent, self-delight, self-knowledge and self-bliss. It is Svarupa, essence. It is the essence of the knower. It is the Seer (Drashta), Transcendent (Turiya) and Silent Witness (Sakshi).

The roots of Yoga can be traced back roughly 5,000 years to the Indus Valley civilization, where seals depicting people performing asanas (yoga postures) were used in trade along the river. The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" meaning to yoke, join or unite. It is the union of all aspects of an individual: body, mind and soul. Hence, Yoga reunites all opposites - mind and body, stillness and movement, masculine and feminine, sun and moon - in order to bring reconciliation between them. Yoga is one of the six branches in Indian philosophy and is referred to throughout the Vedas ? the ancient scriptures of India. There is a legend that says that the knowledge of Yoga was first offered by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati and from there passed on to the world. According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the ultimate aim of Yoga is to reach "Kaivalya" (freedom). This is the experience of one's innermost being or "soul" (the Purusa). When this level of awareness is achieved, one becomes free of the chains of cause and effect (Karma) which bound us to continual reincarnation. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is a 2200 year old classical piece of Yoga Philosophy. Hear, Patanjali describe 8 disciplines of yoga which must be practiced and refined in order to perceive the true self- the ultimate goal of Yoga: Yama - Universal ethics: Non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing.p> Niyama - Principles of self conduct: purity, contentment, study of self, surrender. Asana - practice of the postures. Pranayama - Breath control. Pratyahara - withdrawal and control of the senses. Dharana - concentration. Dhyana - meditation. Samadhi - higher consciousness. Yoga And Soul Physical reality is only a fraction of all that is! In your search for happiness, you have been running away from the `Self', which is the real source of joy. Many a time, you find yourself stressed and ailing because you don't know your inner being, the Self. This inner being , the Self, is our awareness. It is energy. It is the energy of Divine Love. All evolution and the manifestation of material energy are guided by the supreme energy of Divine Love. Normally, you do not know how powerful and thoughtful this unknown energy is. The silent working of awareness is so automatic, minute, dynamic, and precious that we take it for granted. After Self-realisation, this energy appears to us as silent throbbing vibrations flowing through our being, and you automatically come to know all there is to know and thus be ?Self Aware?! But we have been unable to achieve Self-realisation because we cannot fix our attention on something that lacks form (abstract being). Instead, our attention wanders outside on forms. Spiritual yogic practices and systems deal with regulations and exercises, which help you (i.e. the sleeping soul) to wake up, discriminate between the real and the unreal, gradually leading your mind to firmly stabilise and merge in the soul?thus "internalising the soul?s attention"?on itself?in lieu of expending energy on outer forms. Once fully awakened, the Energy (soul) realises Itself, and is freed automatically from the pangs of birth and death. Yoga: The Beginning Stage of Yoga When you first begin to practice yoga, the mind, like a child runs in different directions. For a while you may be able to stabilise your mind but the thoughts invariably get scattered. It is at this stage that you have to exercise conscious control and practice the art of 'pratyahaar'. There are some practitioners who can control and bring the mind quickly to focus without much effort due to an inner state of calmness. Once the mind is stabilised, it helps to fix one's attention and brings much peace. Even if the attention span is short, it at least helps control the mind and arrest its restlessness and constant thought-flux. Yoga: The Advanced Stage of Yoga "True happiness can be achieved only through a state of nothingness." The supreme aim of all yogic exercises is to elevate the soul to higher levels of consciousness by strengthening the mental faculties. Once the mind is strengthened and concentrated, it is easy to make it delve on itself and dissociate from ephemeral and perishable objects of the world and the senses. At this stage, external objects and sensory inputs do not make any impressions or leave any residues in the lake of the mind. The waters of this lake become calm and placid. The mind, thus, is totally focused on itself, one-pointed and impervious to external sensations. This stage can be easily understood by imagining the case of salt water in a tumbler. The salt is fully dissolved in water and there are no undissolved particles left. But the solution is not uniform in its composition. Still, there is no proper mixing as one homogenous solution, as the water has not been stirred.

[/font:795bbcd3f6] Vedic Yoga and the Three Gunas Vedic Deities The Vedas present a vast pantheon of deities (devatas) on many different levels, often said to be innumerable or infinite in number. For a specific number the Gods are said to be 3339 in total. This number is clearly a play on the number three. One of the main early efforts to classify the Vedic Gods (as in the Brihad Devata of Shaunaka) was to reduce them to the three prime deities for the three worlds. Agni or Fire on Earth (Prithivi) Vayu or Wind in the Atmosphere (Antariksha) Surya or the Sun in Heaven (Dyaus) The Rigveda is organized in this way with the hymns to Agni generally coming first in most of its ten books, then the hymns to Vayu and Indra, and finally the hymns to the Sun. These three deities meanwhile are three aspects of the One God or the Purusha, the supreme consciousness principle and higher Self that is pure light. The term Deva for deity itself means ԡ shining oneՠor form of light. It is related to the term Dyaus, meaning heaven and so refers to the heavenly or celestial lights. Vedic deities represent the main forms of light (Jyoti) in the universe. Relative to this principle of light, we can equate the three main Vedic deities of Agni with heat, Vayu with electrical force, and Surya with pure light. These forms of light, however, do not only represent the corresponding forces of nature. They also represent the inner light or the forms of consciousness. They are the three aspects of the Purusha or Cosmic Person. Each has its psychological significance, with Agni or fire as speech (Vak), Vayu or wind as breath (Prana) and Surya or the Sun as the perceptive aspect of the mind (Buddhi). Vedic deities and the Vedic Yoga follow the threefold law of manifestation in the universe. Naturally the question arises as to what extent this correlates with the three guna theory of classical Samkhya and Yoga. The Three Gunas Any student of classical Yoga is well aware of the importance of the three gunas in yogic thought and practice. Few, however, are aware of their Vedic background and the deeper understanding that a Vedic perspective brings to them. In the philosophy of Yoga, derived from the Samkhya system, all matter in the universe is reducible to one primary substance called Prakriti. Prakriti literally means the original power of action. It does not refer to substance in the physical sense but to the potential from which all forms of matter, energy and mind can arise. Prakriti is the original state of pure potential out of which all things become possible. Prakriti is the latent state of substance, like the seed that holds the potential for a great tree. It is the prima materia of the world of which matter, energy and mind are manifestations. Prakriti, we could say, is the causal or original form of all substances, from which their subtle and gross forms arise. It is extremely subtle, ethereal and transcendent, forming the basis for space that is its first material form. Prakriti itself is said to be a composite of three prime qualities as sattva, rajas and tamas. Sattva is the power of harmony, balance, light and intelligence - the higher or spiritual potential. Rajas is the power of energy, action, change and movement - the intermediate or life potential. Tamas is the power of darkness, inertia form and materiality - the lower or material potential. Perhaps the simplest way to understand the gunas for the modern mind is as matter (tamas), energy (rajas) and light (sattva), the main factors of our physical universe. The three gunas reflect the three worlds of Vedic thought. Earth is the realm of tamas or darkness, physical matter. The Atmosphere, also called rajas in Vedic thought, is the realm of action and change symbolized by the storm with its process of lightning, thunder and rain, but it indicates energy or subtle matter on all levels. Heaven is the realm of harmony and light, sattva. It indicates light as a universal principle which is the causal or original form behind the gross and subtle elements or forms of matter and energy. The entire universe consists of light that moves in the form of energy and gets densified in the form of matter. The three great lights of Agni, Vayu and Surya energize these three worlds as the spirit within them. The first is Agni or Fire on the Earth. Fire is hidden in our bodies, in plants, in the rocks, and in the very core of the Earth itself. The second is Vayu or Lightning in the Atmosphere. The power of the wind, which creates lightning, circulates through the atmosphere. The third is Surya or the Sun in Heaven. The Sun represents the cosmic light of the stars that pervades the great space beyond this world. These three lights are interrelated. We could say that lightning is the fire in the Atmosphere and the Sun is the fire in Heaven. Or fire is the Sun on Earth and lightning represents the solar force in the atmosphere. Or lightning on Earth creates fire and in Heaven it energizes the Sun. These three lights also reflect the three gunas. Agni is the tamasic form of light, the fire that is hidden in darkness. Vayu is the rajasic form of light, light in its active and energetic mode as lightning or electrical force. Surya is the sattvic form of light, light as pure illumination (prakasha). The movement from tamas to sattva is a movement from Earth to Heaven. It occurs through bringing the light out of the Earth (Agni) and raising it to Heaven (Surya). This requires crossing the Atmosphere through using its forces (Vayu). The Threefold Purusha In the Vedic view these three forms of light (Jyoti) are the three forms of the Purusha or the higher Self that is also defined in terms of light. In the Vedic view light is consciousness, not simply a material force. These three lights are also the three aspects of our being. These visible lights are manifestations of the invisible divine light of consciousness that illumines all things, including visible light and darkness. The three gunas and three worlds exist within us, as do their light forms as our powers of our own awareness. Agni - Earth - tamas - body - speech (vak) Vayu - Atmosphere - rajas - breath (prana) Surya - Heaven - sattva - mind (manas) In this sense sattva as light is also mind, rajas as energy is also the vital force and tamas as matter is also our bodily expression the foremost of which is speech. Sattva - light - mind Rajas - energy - prana Tamas - matter - body These three aspects of the Purusha or consciousness principle reflect the three aspects of Prakriti or the material principle. In the Vedic view, therefore, the science of the three gunas connects not only with Prakriti but also with the Purusha. The gunas are not simply the powers of Prakriti; they reflect the nature and presence of the Purusha as well. The Purusha is threefold in its human manifestation as speech (body), breath and mind, just as Prakriti or the world is threefold as earth, atmosphere and heaven or as matter, energy and light. Agni is light or the Purusha in the realm of matter or the earth. Vayu is light or the Purusha in the realm of energy of the atmosphere. Surya is light or the Purusha in the realm of light or heaven. In the Vedic view, the Purusha or consciousness principle is not limited to embodied creatures but pervades these great forces of nature as well. Understanding these light forms of the gunas helps us use the science of the gunas not only to understand Prakriti but also to understand the Purusha. The Vedic Yoga works with these three light forms or three forms of the Purusha in order to master and transform the three forms or aspects of Prakriti. Agni - physical body and internal organs - speech - mantra yoga - tamas - matter - five gross elements Vayu - vital body and motor organs - breath - prana yoga - rajas - energy - five pranas Surya - mental body and sense organs - mind - Dhyana yoga - sattva - light - five subtle elements Agni as the power of speech is the means of purifying and controlling both the physical body and physical matter and mastering the guna or quality of tamas. Through it we can control our internal organs and the gross elements. The Yoga of speech involves chanting, singing, internal repetition of mantras and meditation on mantras. Through it we gain control of the subconscious mind. Vayu as the power of the breath is the means of purifying and controlling the vital body and the realm of energy and mastering the guna of rajas. Through it we can control our motor organs and the five pranas (five motor actions). The Yoga of the breath involves pranayama. Through it we gain control of our emotions. Surya as the power of thought is the means of purifying and controlling the mental body and the realm of light and mastering the guna of sattva. Through it we can control our sense organs and the subtle elements. The Yoga of the mind is meditation. Through it we can control of the rational mind and direct it towards knowledge of the higher Self.

What is your purpose of so many questions? Mann Bechay Satgur Ke Paas, Tis Sewak Ke Karaj Raas.

In the Kali age, all the Vedas become so scarce that they may not be even seen by men. From the Mahabharata Santi Parva, section CCXXXII Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli In the Krita age the performance of sacrifices was not necessary. Such performance became necessary in the Treta age. In the dwapara age, sacrifices have begun to fall off. In the Kali age, the same is the case with them. In Krita age, men, worshipping only one Brahman, looked upon the Richs, the Samans, the Yajuses and the rites and sacrifices that are performed from motives of advantage, as all different from the object of their worship, and practised only Yoga, by means of penances. In the Treta age, many mighty men appeared that swayed all mobile and immobile objects. (Though the generality of men in that age were not naturally inclined to the practice of righteousness, yet those great leaders forced them to such practice.) Accordingly, in that age, the Vedas, and sacrifices and the distinctions between the several orders (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya & Sudra), and the four modes of life (Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanprastha and Sannyasa), existed in a compact state. In consequence, however, of the decrease in the period of life in Dwapara, all these, in that age, fall off from that compact condition. In the Kali age, all the Vedas become so scarce that they may not be even seen by men. Afflicted by iniquity, they suffer extermination along with the rites and sacrifices laid down in them. The righteousness which is seen in the Krita age is now visible in such Brahmanas (Brahmins) as are of cleansed souls and are devoted to penances and the study of the scriptures. As regards the other yugas (ages), it is seen that without at once giving up the duties and acts that are consistent with righteousness, men, observant of the practices of their respective orders, and conversant with the ordinances of the Vedas are led by the authority of the scriptures, to betake themselves from motives of advantage and interest to sacrifices and vows and pilgrimages to sacred waters and spots. As in the season of rains a large variety of new objects of the immobile order are caused to come forth into life by the showers that fall from the clouds, even so many new kinds of duty or religious observances are brought about in each yuga. As the same phenomena reappears with the reappearance of the seasons, even so, at each new Creation the same attributes appear in each new Brahman and Hara (Siva).