Tracing My Soul's Journey through the Three Worlds

The story was retold a little more than two hundred years ago and we modern day humans became familiar with the scientific concept of evolution of life on the earth through Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution; in a prequel many millennia – 10 approx. – earlier the illumined masters of India had unearthed the secrets of Creation. The difference between the two theories lied in the fact that while the former talked about creation sans creator, the latter gave sole credit for creation to the Creator.

Interestingly, in spite of tremendous advancements in the field of science, Charles Darwin and all other evolutionists have not been able to answer many fundamental questions so far, the most pertinent being: Why did the cycle of evolution stop after humans?

Intriguing as it may seem to an unaware mind, the answers lie in the Holy Scriptures accessible to all the willing and believing souls on the earth. There are billions who know the truth though most may not fully comprehend the truths.

As our God-realized saints have told us, God – the ever-present Creator – got the idea of creation and It initiated the Creation. In the initial moments everything was in form of idea – thoughts as vibrations. And came the first Cosmic Sound of Creation from the Creator as Aum (Om). Then the God decided to accord a solid characteristic to Its creations and came the universe into existence; billions of years later a few super intelligent species of humans explained it as ‘Big Bang’. God wanted to experiment further so It let souls emanate from Itself, again, initially in form of ideas only. The beauty of Its creation was that the Creator was a part of every single element created and simultaneously was beyond them as well: Omniscient!

However, when It carved out souls from Its own self It immediately realized that It had given away parts of Its own Being and thus wanted them to come back to It! That would have meant the end of the creation story but It decided to play a bit of drama so It gave three distinct characteristics to Its universe: the grossest plane was the physical / material part of the universe, earth included; the next higher plane consisted of everything made up of slightly condensed form of vibrations i.e. light; and the highest plane It kept closer to Itself – resembling the initial stage of creation i.e. in ideational state. God then structured the journey of a soul to pass through all the three planes of existence before it could come back and merge in It.

Thus started the journey of a soul; all souls. Initially the God gave primitive physical forms to the emanated souls; they had to live the life of respective creatures and get the higher form of life in subsequent births. The next form of living body depended upon the actions – Karmas – of the soul in its previous births. This is how the evolution process progressed karmically. Satisfied with the advancement of souls through multiple life forms, It decided to bestow Its own Image to Its best and the highest creation and thus was created the human. A human being is the Supreme Master’s Masterpiece!

Now, as the God created the human in Its image itself, It also blessed it with Its Intelligence! The Divine Intelligence was imparted to the human albeit God kept them latent in the human mind and the body. God did not want to interfere – as It had not done so far – in Its Cosmic Life Drama, so it gave Free Will to the human along with. The human was supposed to exercise the free will and awaken the latent powers and embark on the path towards reunion with the Source. Human was the microcosm of the Macrocosm - a miniature God!  

The human life’s journey would have been simple and unidirectional, and one birth only, had the God thought so. However, the Divine Design was altogether different! It created the Illusions – Maya! Illusions, the Cosmic Veil was thrown over the human mind by the opposing and the evil forces in the Nature, again created by the God itself, enslaving the human being – body, mind & soul - disguised as temptations and sense pleasures; the Satan/Devil trying to tempt the divine soul by giving it a limited false identity perception of being apart from the Supreme Soul and therefore establishing the human Ego - the pseudo soul - as a diversionary tactic to deflect the soul from its salvation course.        

Because the human body encases the soul divine in nature, its own characteristics at the core mirrors the God’s: Sat-Chit-Anand i.e. Absolute Being i.e. Truth, Consciousness and Bliss respectively. This is the prime reason why a person is really happy – blissful – when he manifests these divine qualities in his daily living. Nothing else can make a person truly joyful. Rest are all delusions and temporary. A person knows that he is in contact with the God dwelling within when he experiences boundless bliss all the time without any influence of external factors – of fellow humans or material things or so-called events and experiences. This blissful person’s soul is in communion with the God.

The state of Divine Communion is achieved by the advanced souls – yogis – with their consciousness expanded universally and rooted in the Spirit, with ever-new joy permeating every cell of their body. Simultaneously the person is beyond the limiting perception of Self as different from the Source; he is simply there – I am – as a witness to the Cosmic Drama being played out; he plays his role with utmost sincerity and morality but is absolutely non-attached to anything in his life; no sorrow or even happiness can disturb his inner peace and joy – equanimity of mind and body. This person is one with the God. By realizing one’s Self, he realizes the God. But the soul is not yet the God.

God realized souls through Self-realization are the Gurus and saints. At this stage of existence, the soul is prepared to enter the higher realm of creation i.e. the Astral World.

However, for a soul in human body to attain sainthood and be astral-ready may take several hundred human births. Only when a person works out all his Karmas – in multiple births - through moral and spiritual deeds guided by profound wisdom with absolutely no attachment to body, mind or matter or has no desire whatsoever when his soul gets liberated from the cycles of births and deaths on the grosser physical world i.e. earth. This free soul gains entry into the finer plane of astral world where everything exists in its sublime state, i.e. in form of higher vibrations - light.

Astral plane is also the abode of all souls after death, whether liberated or otherwise. A non-liberated soul is sent back to the earth into a human body – or any other form of creature - based on its past Karmas – to live the life of that person in a particular chosen family, place and environment - termed generally as that person’s destiny.  At the same time, the liberated souls in the astral world are assigned duties to guide other souls on path of liberation. So we see that the soul’s journey is always directed towards the God in whichever world it may inhabit!

The divine incarnations like Jesus Christ, Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, and Lord Buddha are those astral inhabitants who were sent on the earth to show the way of salvation to humans. These personalities are completely heavenly in their characters and powers.  They perform their prearranged divine duties and advance into the causal world which is the finest sphere of existence in the universe in which everything – including souls – is in ideational form; no embodiment, as abstracts, the ideas which the God had thought of in the initial moments of the creation. Here the soul is closest to its Source. Passing a pre-allotted period ironing out the last of creases, the soul finally attains the perfect state of being as a celestial essence, enters the Heaven and dissolves permanently into the Spirit. This is the Nirvana - Moksha, liberation - of the soul.

Now, whether this God-realized soul will be made to re-enter the cycle of creation as a primitive being and will be required to live the lives of millions of creatures before getting born as a human being to work out its hundreds of karmically linked births and deaths before becoming enlightened and God-realized through self-realization and enter the astral world and sent back again as a divine incarnation to guide the mortals and return back to the Omniscient through the causal existence and merge finally and fully into the God is something i have no idea absolutely! ... God save all souls from this cosmic curse!  

God Bless all souls and may every human being be guided by God-realized Gurus towards spiritual upliftment and realization of self and progress faster on its salvation journey and gets blessed with communion with the God. Aum :) 

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When i became aware of the profound - mind blowing - wisdom about a soul’s journey my initial reaction was purely transcendental! Gradually i internalized the eternal truth deep within and gained a new perspective on my life and the life per se. I could have also acted naive and remained ignorant and dismissed the entire knowledge as purely tangential for me the mere mortal, thinking them to be mainly for the exalted souls only, and would have continued to pass my ordinary earthly existence with my ‘destined’ share of happiness and sorrows in this birth, not bothering about what happens in my next births as i don’t remember anything from my previous births. Well, even if the present life’s few decades are almost insignificant in the millions of years of my soul’s journey, nevertheless, these few earthly years and my karmas are extremely consequential in determining my destiny in the future births. In addition, quality of my life in my current incarnation is strongly coupled with my consciousness about self which will put me on a faster path towards bliss and liberation: Sat-Chit-Anand.   

God Bless me and every soul :)

India: Boosting Secularism through Spirituality

• The Oxford Advanced Learners’ dictionary defines Secularism as ‘the belief that religion should not be involved in the organization of society, education, etc.
• The Oxford Advanced Learners’ dictionary defines Religion as ‘the belief in the existence of a god or gods, and the activities that are connected with the worship of them.’
•  The Oxford Advanced Learners’ dictionary defines Spirituality as ‘the quality of being concerned with religion or the human spirit.’

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When India got its Independence from the British Rule our founding fathers decided to go secular and secularism became one of the cornerstones of our country’s characteristics. Secularism and the ‘Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship’ were not the newly added affirmations in the Indian Constitution’s Preamble, but they were purely reemphasizing India’s secular credentials.

Imagine: India of 1947-48, just free from the 6 centuries of colonial rules of Muslims, Mughals and Britishers in succession, with over 80 percentage of its population practicing Hinduism, had recently suffered a bloody religion-inspired partition into Pakistan (and Bangladesh), was still reeling under the shocks of brutal assassination of the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi, and simultaneously had all world religions thriving with freedom and dignity.

In the post Independence India the prevailing political and social scenario must have posed two choices in front of the founding members: whether to retain India’s ancient identity as a Hindu nation or to declare it as a secular country. The newly born India proudly chose to be the latter – a Secular Democratic Republic. 

Now, take a look at India of 2014: a securely sovereign nation with its national characteristics intact in terms of secularism and democracy. The demographics have largely remained the same in religious practices with over 80% of its population following Hinduism, and all world religions flourishing with freedom and dignity – giving India its distinction of being the only country in the world to have this respectful environment - strengthened by laws - towards all religions. India is home to the second largest Muslim population in the world, larger than even Pakistan. Well, a few blemishes are there but not serious enough to sully its image.

Success of secularism has been possible because of the inherent qualities of tolerance and respect in Hindu Philosophy towards all religions. Hinduism’s - the oldest and the most evolved religion of the world with an extremely rich and unmatched treasure of sacred scriptures - fundamentals are centred on that one God around which is centred the entire existence and life in the universe; all religions are the various paths propagated by respective messengers - Sons of God - to reach the same one God. Hinduism in its primary form is a philosophy and not a religion; an individual’s personal experience of the Spirit and in essence is Spirituality - the communion of the soul with the Supreme Soul, the Spirit, the God. And, that every soul has emanated from that same Soul and thus each soul is same as all other souls.  The purpose of human lives of a soul is to work out its Karma and attain its natural state of existence i.e., bliss, before merging with its Source. Religion in actuality is a moral ‘way-of-life’ so as to guide a soul on its path to Moksha – Nirvana – liberation from the cycles of births & deaths.     

Though modern Hinduism has acquired a strong religious hue over centuries of practice, it has retained its spiritual core, nevertheless. As the Hinduism have its Chief Gods – The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh/Shiv for creating, sustaining and destroying/completing the life cycle respectively, and the combined powers of the Trinity in form of Shakti (Power) as Goddess Durga, and their incarnations, a large pantheon of Gods - 330 million! - with varied faces and names could be a reality in the Indian society due to freedom of choice granted under the Hindu Philosophy of worshiping the God either as a formless Being or as a Being with a form. Since its beginning the heart of the Hinduism has kept throbbing around its foundational elements of Vedic Philosophy and has never let the religion become the centre stage of governance per se. Therefore, the success of India as a secular democratic republic could become a possibility.

So we applaud ourselves for keeping the flag of secularism high and flying! But let us also look at the other side of this success.

Indians, like people in rest of the world, are deeply religious. But because the country has vowed to observe secularism, India has forsaken all valuable teachings and learnings which our rich cultural heritage had to offer. Because the definition of secularism is ‘the belief that religion should not be involved in the organization of society, education, etc.’, we have literally followed it to the t, without reflecting about the implications it could have on our society’s evolution on the humanity index. Almost all countries in the world officially recognize the God’s existence and pray to It for blessings - God Bless America!, the most commonly heard political statement – but we in India refrain from even uttering the word God in public, lest we get branded as a non-secular! And in businesses, just speaking of and about God gets a person termed as an unprofessional!

And, India is a country with 330 million Gods! What an irony!

It is ironical because in our daily life we depend so much on ‘our’ Gods! Everything, every occasion, practically every element of existence is dedicated to the Gods, but anything related to public has to be God-free in India!

The God-free philosophy would have continued to be welcome in a secular nation like ours had it worked well, but a look at the Indian society does not project a pleasant picture. India of today is in a downward spiral with fast erosion of moral and ethical values, mad spread of materialism, proliferation of religious bigotry and intolerance towards other religions coupled with fanaticism and fundamentalism, besides other prevalent serious social, economical and political problems. Quality of life of an average Indian, belonging to all the so-called classes and creed and castes, is severely clouded due to these deepening disturbances in internal culture of the country.

All things can be corrected but only through proper - real - education.

In modern India, definition of education is to acquire bookish knowledge so as to qualify to get an appropriate job. Overall literacy rate is improving and currently it stands at around 75%. There are good schools and institutions for higher education, both in non-technical and technical streams. Some of the indigenously educated professionals are doing well in various fields all across the globe. Back home, millions of people with access to good education have become the ever-thriving workforce in the country, earning and adding to the growing economy of the nation. However, in spite of all these happenings India doesn’t qualify to be a Happy Nation! All global surveys pointers indicate towards the fact that the value of a human life as well as quality of life in India are among the bottom of the comparator table.

To reiterate, the problems persist and pervade every sphere of the society because of lack of real education. India, the land of rich cultural, religious and spiritual heritage, is today left wanting in all aspects of learning and life.

First and foremost thing to be undertaken is to correct our education system. Besides making education accessible to all Indian citizens, structure and pattern of teaching has to be completely overhauled. We should not be producing only workers – both blue & white collar – but nurturing good human beings, people who are happily living their lives.

However, in order to live life one has to first understand the meaning of life! And where else to look for the guidelines but in our precious historical legacy! India’s Spirituality is not only for the practice of saints but equally relevant for commoners as well, irrespective of the religion they may follow. Teachings of Spirituality have to be a part of regular school curriculum in all schools, irrespective of the funding partners’/management members’/students’ practiced faith. Because, Indian Spirituality is not a religion but a way of life – the Art of Living!

Spirituality subjects and chapters have to be designed in such a fashion so as to keep all religious references out of it, to whichever religion those ‘good things’ may belong to. The concept, of course, is inspired from the ‘Moral Science’ subject being taught compulsorily in Christian missionary schools since decades. We simply need to make it comprehensive and ‘religion-free’. Clubbed with it Yoga and Meditation should be made mandatory in schools in order to develop students with a healthy mind and a healthy body.

I know very well that if any such ‘Spiritual’ attempt is initiated in a secular India, all the self-appointed custodians of various faiths will spring into action in vehemently opposing this noble and much needed move, citing numerous self-created so-called religious reasons to prove their protests. Of course, no hasty measures should be undertaken. As is the so-called norm in our democratic country, extensive public debates should be carried on involving influential personalities from all possible walks of life so as to arrive at the consensus, converging core: Spirituality will further boost Secularism in India.

This revolutionary change can be possible with a wise and a courageous political leader at the helm. That is, prime minister of India has to take such initiatives along with his able teams and colleagues and administration in order to correct the Indian education system and make it comprehensive and meaningful – so as to complement the quality of life of all Indians per se. With real education we will witness dramatic positive changes in our society with vanishing double standards and misconceptions and chaos and confusions and inequality and crimes and corruption and insecurities and fears and frustrations and daily-living stress; in effect, ensuring a life worth living for all! The desired changes may take shape fully in a couple of generations to come; never mind, happen they will! We simply need to make the start ...

India, the land of earliest human civilization and the erstwhile wealthiest nation in terms of knowledge & wisdom and material prosperity, cannot be left to wilt; it is high time adequate steps through proper – real – education were undertaken so as to facilitate that India blossoms again!     

Then only the Preamble of the Indian Constitution will become a reality: 

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a                SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

JUSTICE, social, economic and political;

LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;

and to promote among them all

FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation; ...

God Bless India and the world :) 

India's Divine Gifts: Spirituality & Gurus

Being an Indian I often get enquired about spirituality by foreigner friends. And it was in this context recently that i got to briefly put forth my basic understanding – acquired from Gurus’ teachings and preachings - in a discussion on the topic: India, Spirituality and Gurus.

Billions of years ago, the God - the ever-present being - got an “Idea”, wanted to experiment and thus decided to Create and created the Universe. Billions of years later, It’s latest and the best creation – Humans – realized the theory of ‘Big Bang’ and came a bit closer to the concept of Life.

Around five thousand years prior to the ‘discovery’ of the occurrence of the ‘Big-Bang’, on one of the millions of planets in the universe, a few advanced sages realized the real meaning of Life – body, mind & soul being the principle constituents. From the humans’ evolution-index chronology, the land mass was on the earth in the solar system and was called Bharat or later Hindustan - where germinated the thought of human civilization in the ancient era. India, as it is referred to in the modern times, is the place of the origin of the ‘idea of spirituality’ i.e., a soul’s communion with the Spirit, the God.

Human, though came last in the chain of earthly creations, had the most developed brain with an unprecedented power of thoughts and feelings. Inquisitiveness being its inherent nature, and not being satisfied easily with its external/outer discoveries, soon humans embarked on their inner journey to explore the realm of life beyond the mundane world of daily living – littered with sufferings - and occasional happiness. During their exploration the celestially blessed saints experienced the Creator Itself and passed on their understanding of creation to the rest of the human race. Few spiritually dedicated followers recorded the realized souls’ preachings and teachings in form of the Sacred Scriptures for the benefit of the humanity. As Bharat was the holy land of the oldest human civilization, The Vedas, The Puranas, The Upanishads, The Ramayana, The Mahabharata and The Gita - the holy compilations of Divine Intelligence captured by the highly advanced human intellect - became the moral compass for living in the big, bad world.

Rest of the curve of human progression, spread of human civilizations and advent of various religions are well known facts to the world. In the same period India too witnessed those inevitable and gradual changes in its societies. From having a spiritual foundation to its life, the way-of-life went on to rest on the fulcrum of a new concept of connecting with the God called religion; Hinduism evolved from the Vedic - Spiritual – base. From an absolute-yet-abstract being, the God went on to get myriad faces and forms and names. As a natural progression, Hinduism influenced and embraced everything in its vicinity and within its reach including various non-Indian religions. However, Hinduism too became besotted with dogmas and unfounded beliefs and illogical practices; the erosion of its spiritual core was unavoidable. Spirituality – in all its glory and description – remained in hearts and souls of a blessed few whom the Indians and the world went on to revere as Gurus.           

India, the land of the origin of ‘the idea of spirituality’, is today as far removed from this concept of life as a goat would be from a guitar! For a few quasi enthusiasts, religion, in its modern form, has become the method of acquiring some iota of so-called spirituality. For the rest, religion, with its contemporary interpretations and current practices, is the sole way to connect with God – for praying for granting wishes and taking away pains; God-realization and Self-realization are terms ‘not-applicable’ to most. Simultaneously, in the name of spirituality, India has witnessed the flourishing of a new breed of beings called the modern gurus – God-men & God-women, who have severely damaged the spiritual fabric of India.

Many a times it feels to me as if the nation is carrying the baggage of anciently acquired spirituality, now considered archaic from its practical purposes.    

However, the issue is not of rejection of spirituality by the modern masses; the case is of mass ignorance. If made to understand or even exposed to the concept of spirituality in the right manner, many would be willing to get deeper into the subject.

For walking on the spiritual path one needs the guidance from a Guru, and in India of today there are well known gurus with millions of followers to boast of. However, how many of them will qualify to be revered as a real Guru is a million dollar question.

Nevertheless, the current situation does not paint so faded a picture of India’s fast-fading spiritual treasure. Real gurus are there; one needs to search for them - in cities like Banaras and in the foothills of Himalayas; a few saints are present in down south as well. Because they are not ‘mass-gurus’ – commercial gurus – general public is generally not aware about their existence; they too remain aloof and are not easily accessible. However, every person knows about all the revered Gurus of India who were the founding fathers of Spirituality and whose work were carried further by the contemporary yogis; their teachings and preachings are well recorded and preserved and accessible to all; the requisite is an individual’s desire for wisdom.

India’s widespread prevalence of spiritual ignorance has become chronic. Actually as we have progressed as a society over the millennia, our spiritual interior has worn out and diminished to the extent that today we suffer from spiritual-amnesia! We have lost the vast knowledge base we had built about Life: with its God, Its Universe, and Life in it; the purpose of life, a soul’s journey through many physical incarnations including human form, and inclination of a soul to remain in its natural state of being i.e. in Bliss, and its return to its origin – by merging into the Supreme Soul, the Supreme Spirit – the God.

Compounding the problem, general public has a perception that being a ‘family’ person one cannot practice spirituality. Ignorance, again! In fact, being a family person – a person of the world – an individual is subjected to various types of stress in daily life, leading to ever-present unhappiness, lack of peace, frustration and insecurity. The genesis of these miserable feelings is rooted in human relationships and in events & incidents of life. Not that everything and everyone in a person’s life are bad. But because a person does not understand the meaning of Life, therefore, he/she senses life’s ‘happenings’ in an altogether a different manner than the real occurrence. Reason: Ignorance.

So, as it becomes clearer, human ignorance is about Life per se. That Life is about the Soul and its journey into the Ether through a pre-destined time spent on the Earth, interacting and living with all other souls in various situations and relationships, is a simple theory not many can comprehend.

“But it is not souls we interact with! We live with humans! Soul is released from body after death of a person!” ...  So, for most of us mortal beings, a human is a body which turns into a soul - ghost ! - after death. 

The biggest ignorance of Mankind!

Therefore, what is the solution for a soul’s salvation?

A Guru.

A Guru, the enlightened, God-realised soul, sent to the earth to take people from the darkness (ignorance) to the light (knowledge and wisdom) and thus guide them on the path of God-realization through self-realization, for attaining soul’s salvation and union with the Supreme Soul – the God. 

A Guru, to talk to the mankind that there is One Soul, the Supreme Soul, from whom all souls have originated. And because the Supreme Soul is ever-present and cannot be destroyed or killed, thus all souls emerging from It cannot be destroyed or killed either. However, once a soul gets originated, it is given a life-form – the physical form of a lowly creature, to begin with. The soul has to live the life of that creature and then pass through many more – millions! – births & deaths before it gets the opportunity to inhabit a human body.

A Guru, to teach the humankind that they are fortunate to be born in the physical body of a human being, the highest creation of God, and they should utilize this opportunity to tune with the God and return to the Source, and be free from the burden of rebirths and life-associated miseries.

A Guru, to enlighten we humans that the blessings to live in a human body is given to a soul based on its past lives’ Karmas i.e., actions. The purpose of a human life of a soul is to utilize the birth to work out its Karmas and pave its way towards returning to its Origin – the God.

A Guru, to tell us that though the human life is the highest form of life, however, the Creator has made the return journey of a soul to its Origin fraught with challenges; nevertheless, It has given adequate intelligence to a soul to overcome the challenges and carve a path for its joyous reunion with It.

A Guru, to give us the wisdom that human intelligence is actually the God’s Intelligence, and, with the Intelligence It has given us Free Will – to choose between good and evil. It depends upon an individual to utilize his/her free will and the given intelligence to his/her benefit, by either getting caught into the illusions of life ‘Maya’ or get conned by the Satan – the evil and the opposing force in the Nature – and get sucked into the vortex of life or get carried to the God by employing the Divine features of the given intelligence and the free will in living the life.

A Guru, to inform we human beings that the God has bestowed us with Its Intelligence because It has made us in Its Image. And that is the reason why a human is Its best and the ultimate creation! It is no coincidence but by Divine design that the world hasn’t seen any higher form of life being created after humans. And, because we are created in the image of the Supreme Soul whose nature is absolute Bliss, a human being also becomes happy when at absolute peace. 

A Guru, to educate us that though we are made in the image of God but we are yet not God! All God-features are latent in us; all powers stored but hidden in our body and mind. The God wants us to learn and become conscious of our Divine nature and work towards God-realization through Self-realization – and return to It!

A Guru, to divulge to us that we can realize both Self & God only through good Karmas by following the path of Spirituality – the quickest and the surest method for a soul’s union with its Source!

A Guru, to reveal to us that the fastest and the highest spiritual technique for Self & God realization is through the scientific method of Kriya Yoga – Yoga with Action, centred around deep and intensive meditation. Kriya Yoga is a practical approach by which a person leads his/her normal day-to-day life and simultaneously is spiritually active and gradually evolves towards attaining the highest goal of his/her soul – union with the Supreme Soul.    

A Guru, to give sermons on the Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga, the ancient and the most complete form of yoga, was taught by Lord Krishna to his dearest disciple Arjuna while giving him the Divine Wisdom through his discourses of the Gita. The Guru of all Gurus, Babaji, revived the Kriya Yoga by teaching it to his most advanced disciple Lahiri Mahasaya, who in turn carried it forward through his followers – especially Sri Yukteswar Giri. Babaji, the still living Guru in the Himalayas for over three millennia now, further bestowed the Divine responsibility on Sri Yukteswar-ji to train his pre-destined and blessed disciple Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Kriya Yoga who, as Paramahansa Yogananda, took the ancient yogic teaching treasures to the West. Jesus Christ had requested Babaji to send a suitable soul to America to teach Kriya Yoga for liberation of deserving and willing souls there.

A Guru, to make us realize the real meaning of Life – human life in particular; that Life is not the few years a soul spends on the earth but its origin dates back to its emanation from the Soul itself and its existence is till eternity. That a soul’s human life is not one life but many human lives – till it has worked out all its karmas and has no desire left absolutely, a state when the soul is ready to travel to the next and the higher sphere of existence.

A Guru, to impart the knowledge on the intriguing intricacies of a soul’s human-life journey, which passes through many incarnations on the Earth to the Astral world to the Causal space before it dissolves in the Supreme Spirit. Earthly life form is the grossest physical form; a soul gets to go to the astral world – in its finer form made up of ‘light’ elements – once it is fully realized. An Astral being is either kept there for further evolution of other astral beings or sent back to the earth – as a Guru – to liberate suffering souls. Once an astral being has finished its assigned duties, it is brought closer to the God – by the God itself – as a Causal being. In the causal space every soul is in its finest and its initial state of existence - an abstract appearance, without any physical form - in form of an idea! The soul is now closest to the God in its character and power. After spending pre-assigned time in the causal world, the soul finally merges with its Originator. The entire journey of a soul takes millions of years. A causal being could be sent back to the earth if need is felt by the God. Jesus Christ, Lord Rama and Lord Krishna are some of those souls!

A Guru, to highlight the fact that the Creator has ensured Its presence in every created particle – animate or inanimate – of the universe, which is in actuality a part of Its own body. It resides in the Heaven, a place beyond the universe and within the universe itself. There is absolutely nothing in this world without the manifestation of the Lord within it. And, at the fundamental level everything in the creation is made up of Its Idea - which is vibration and light in form. The entire cosmos and the life in it is Its’ show entirely; various creations have their allocated role to play and then exit into the next life, till the soul is able to overcome the births-deaths cycle and mingle with the Creator. Everything and everybody belongs to the God, and to nobody else.

A Guru, to put forth the essence of consciousness and its various stages: sub-consciousness, consciousness, super-consciousness and cosmic consciousness. Only a human being can comprehend the various stages of consciousness in one life – through the practice of Kriya Yoga. Sub-consciousness denotes the ‘sleeping’ stage; a human has consciousness when it is ‘aware’ and is ‘awake’ in the worldly sense; in super-consciousness a person is connected with the higher consciousness of the universe; and, a super advanced being - yogi - with a universally expanded consciousness can comprehend the cosmic consciousness - the God’s consciousness. Only a Guru qualifies to have the cosmic consciousness.    

A Guru, to explain to us that as all souls have come out of the same Supreme Being, thus, we all are one in every aspect. In numerous human births our individual souls have inhabited many places with various nationalities and races and religions and creeds and castes and colours, and have been in both genders and all possible relationships. Therefore, in effect, no single human life defines a human being. A human being is the sum total of all the human lives it has lived and will live.

A Guru, to reiterate that with the wisdom about Life per se, there is no need to obsess about anything in the world. A human being should do its worldly duties walking the path of morality and aspire towards its soul’s liberation. Rest all endeavours are foolish and cause only sufferings and miseries for all including the self, and make no sense at all. Universal unity, brotherhood, respect and love should be the fundamentals of our human existence. 

Finally, I pray to the Heavenly Father and the Divine Mother that It resends the Causal Souls as reincarnations - God’s Sons & Daughters & Gurus - to preach to each human being the practical paths of spirituality, following which every person will get uplifted into a higher being – transforming the Earth into the Heaven, with Love, Peace and Bliss pervading its every element and the ether!

Jai Gurudev :)    

P.S.: 'Hand of God' photograph courtesy NASA.

Consenting rape victims

God created the stars and the moons and the planets and the solar systems and the galaxies and the black holes and the Universe and the birds and the animals and the insects and the microbes and the plants and the humans and the demons and the politicians and the Indian politicians… Beyond this the God lost the plot!

“Human Genome Project” could come to aid if we want to get insights into what all goes inside the mind of an Indian politician – well, most of them. We need to know how exactly the neurons “conceive” – to “perceive” is a human trait – a situation and transmit those signals to the world in form of bizarre statements! The intricate workings of this unique species’ weirdly wired existence have to be due to mutations in their DNA sequence. And I am sure that no CT Scan or MRI will be able to map this breed’s brain, howsoever advanced the equipment may be.

No evolution theory will be able to infer this kind of mutation in a creature!

A girl gets raped; there is a case of gang rape; a female toddler is sexually abused by neighbour and killed; a father-in-law exploits his son’s bride to satisfy his carnal desires; incestuous tendencies get reported; a teacher seduces his pupil; etc. etc. These are a few examples of heinous atrocities being perpetrated against the “better-half” of India’s population.

Take a slice from our honourable politicians responses: “girls wear small dresses inviting rape”; “girls should not be out of home after dark, else they will get raped”; “girls use mobile phone to be in touch with boys and thus get raped”; … but the blockbuster of the conclusion is when they say: “rape happens only when the girl is willing!”

Tell me, can your ordinary mind fathom the “meaning” behind this distinguished deduction?

In the examples enumerated above, I fail to see the ‘consent’ of the victim – here, a female in all the mentioned cases. Did the girl “invite” the boy to rape her? Did the female “seduce” the group of men to gang rape her? Did the baby child “motivate” the neighbour to molest and murder her? Did the woman make the “move” to have sex with her groom’s father? Did the daughter “throw” herself at her own father for “consensual” physical relationship? Did the girl student “inspire” her teacher to sexually abuse her? …

To apply the ‘rape-inviting’ reasoning of our illustrious politicians: was the rape committed due to the female protagonists in all these cases displaying any of the “taboo” characteristics - either wearing a short dress or staying out till late evening or using a mobile phone or because she was “willing”?

Has the world ever before heard of ‘consenting victim’ in any crime, including rape? Well, in India we have these theories doing the rounds, all because of the brilliant logic proffered by our equally brilliant politicians!

See, even you are left speechless and shell-shocked!

I try scratching my head to be able to comprehend the grand logic behind all what our politicians say about ‘consenting victims’ but fail comprehensively.

To add insult to injury of rape victims, yet another great argument is being offered by esteemed elders of some section of our society: “marry them off by 16 and prevent rape.”

Some even blamed the humble chowmein for all evils in the Indian society! (I am sure this story hasn’t yet reached the shores of China, else India could be fighting hard to deflect a diplomatic crisis and an international outrage in the UN!)

God save India.

Neither there is any sense nor any sensibility. I wonder when they rest their head on pillow at night and think about their day gone by, how do they get a sound sleep? And before that when they get back home to their grandmother-mother-sister-wife-daughter-granddaughter, how do they face them? If I had a father who was a politician and who made such atrocious announcements, I wouldn’t have been able to face the world out of shame; and, of course, I would be cursing God for making me inherit those obnoxious genes!

All these extraordinary things happen in a nation which is led by incredible women personalities in numerous social-economic-political fields; and a country which prides itself on having its divine pantheon dominated by female Goddesses!... In spite of the Indian society having ‘evolved’ to a significant extent, it is sad to see India still being considered the most dangerous place for females in the world.   

But what is the remedy to this widespread malaise in the Indian political - social spheres?

Public have to be active in raising voices and together in boycotting such public figures – or anybody for that matter – making such dangerous remarks; Media have to be vigilant in exposing and condemning such dodgy politicians – or anybody for that matter; and above all, laws should be put in place to nail such ‘mutated’ individuals, barring them and banning them from holding public offices – or any post for that matter – for life.

Hopefully, then the God will get the plot back!     

……………….

I realize that India is not alone in having such dubious distinctions; the US also is blessed. Recently one of its politicians drew an inference regarding rapes: “female body has a remarkable ability to shut out pregnancy in case of rape!” (To read the details and his exact statement, please google.)

                    

When God speaks

When God speaks, you don’t hear anything! You only see – magic!

And when God of Cricket speaks, well, you still see magic :)

It was pure magic to hear Sachin speak with Arnab, frankly! Every word an “inspiration”; every sentence a “quote”! It was incredibly enchanting to watch two of my favourites chat with each other, and, frankly :)

Watching Sachin answer to Arnab’s probing – sometimes provoking – questions, yet reverential and friendly, took me more than two decades back. I was in Bombay – yes, it was called Bombay then; not that i call it by any other name now; Sachin Tendulkar had become a big name by then; and it was in the grapevine that he had met his love of life, his future wife Anjali Mehta.

It was a Sunday afternoon and we were at the Dadar Club, enjoying snacks while enjoying a club level tennis match between Ashok Mankad’s son Harsh and his opponent (I don’t remember his name).Befitting a cricket crazy country, our talks veered towards cricket and soon it got concentrated on Sachin. Imagine: we were watching a tennis match and talking about cricket! A friend of ours, a born-&-brought up Mumbaikar, who happened to personally know various sportsmen including Sachin, seeing the group’s enthusiasm extended his “generosity” and promised to take us to meet him at his home; he only needed a couple of hours to fix up our meeting for the coming weekend.

Wow! We spent the seemingly never-ending week counting days! And came the day when we were to go and meet Sachin Tendulkar. Yes, the same Sachin Tendulkar, who today is referred to as the God of Cricket!

We gathered at the Dadar Club, got into our friend’s car and started towards Sachin’s home. Excitement was at its peak! Unbelievable! And indescribable! And then the disaster struck! A dear friend of ours who had suffered from heartbreak recently went into sudden depression and refused to go anywhere. In sympathy, we friends dropped the “idea” till next weekend, which, of course, never came.

I too did not try to cheer up my friend or insist upon rest of us going ahead to meet Sachin as I too had recently suffered a personal loss – assassination of my most beloved personality, Rajiv Gandhi uncle, and I too was in not so cheerful mood. Then there was the hope that there would always be a ‘next time’ – next week – with our Mumbaikar friend being around. Today, I cannot believe it myself! Not even my family, who rightly think that I have been the biggest fool to have ever walked the planet Earth!    

Soon our days in Bombay came to an end and it was time to go back to our campus – without meeting Sachin, of course. And as the fate would have it, within months we got the tragic news of the death of our Mumbaikar friend and the link to Sachin Tendulkar was lost, forever. May his soul rest in peace. We miss you, Kamlesh :(

Since then I haven’t been able to understand God’s design in not letting that meeting happen with Sachin. I have regretted the lost opportunity every time I see Sachin; and will continue to mourn it even post my death. Once up there I am going to ask the God that why He not let us meet the then future God of Cricket! Was the God himself feeling threatened about this “imminent” competition?!

The regret regressed little bit when I got the God sent opportunity to watch Sachin play live.

The day was 7^th February and the year was 1999. The venue was Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi. The occasion was the second test between India and Pakistan. It was the 5^th day of the test match. Pakistan was batting in their 2^nd innings. The advantage was that India was fielding and thus all players were visible on the field! And, yes, it was then that I first saw Sachin Tendulkar live! In flesh and blood, from so near that I could touch him! Yes, the God of Cricket was in front of me, playing, and I simply could not believe my luck! That day too I rushed back to Bombay of 1991. The memories of that day are so vivid that I can narrate in all details even after 13 years!

It was indeed a special day in my life! Not only for the fact that it was my first meeting with Sachin Tendulkar in person but also for the fact that Anil Kumble single-handedly demolished Pakistan with his historical 10 wickets haul in an inning! What a match it was! And what a meeting it was with the God of Cricket! And, that day too, I regretted deeply for having missed out, yet again, on seeing Sachin for four more days during the first four days of the test match; believe it or not, i did not go for the first four days of the test match as i was so-called busy with routine office work whereas actually I was wasting my cricket passes and the God’ sent lifetime opportunity!

I wonder if Sachin would remember this fan of his in red pullover and blue jeans :)

Many years have passed since then. Cricket has evolved further in India. We are the world Champions for the second time! T20 is the most popular format today. IPL is a big brand globally. India has become the super power nation as far as this sport is concerned. We may not have remained the No.1 in various formats of the game for long but India surely dominates – and dictates - the world of cricket!

In today’s times of too much cricket, I do not watch matches always. Not even when my country and my favourite players – Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni – are playing. Watching cricket matches live has also reduced drastically for me. But watching Sachin speak about his “imminent” retirement and his doubts about his availability for the next world cup gave me goose bumps! Indian cricket without Sachin? NO! The thought itself is frightening! Watching Frankly Speaking I prayed to the God for letting the God of Cricket be a part of cricket as long as possible – always, actually. I am sure even the “cricket atheists” will join me in my prayers …

And, thanks Arnab, for your wonderful chat with Sachin! You could bring out so far unseen dimensions of his personality with your superb interviewing. I especially liked your introductory comments and your concluding remarks. I am sure even Sachin is going to remember this interview for ever, when he spoke Frankly :)     

  

THANK YOU, Captain MSD! We LOVE YOU :)

THANK YOU, Captain MSD! For making India the Cricket Champion, again! And, we LOVE YOU! ...

Mahi, you led from the front, as always! Indian Team is indeed immensely fortunate to have you as their Captain! And you kept your team absolutely determined throughout! Yuvraj Singh’s peaking during the crucial time of the World Cup tournament was one of the most extraordinary blessings! And, not to forget, Sachin Tendulkar’s trophies-chest will now have this prized and the most coveted of all silver wares, The Cricket World Cup, and his thrill is understandable! …

28 years later, after Kapil Dev’s team’s 1983 victory at the Lords, India finally brought back The Cup That Counts! 2^nd April 2011 will be a date which India and the world will remember forever! … Your keeping your Cool even after achieving this historic feat was incredible! … Great; keep it up!

Mahi, my belief – like billions Indians’ – was unshakeable from the beginning itself that we will win! And, my belief was based on you, Dhoni! … You will always remain India’s most beloved & respected Captain! We love you J …

And, I Thank God for being there with you & your team throughout! May God be with you, always J …

Indian School for Study of World Religions, Ayodhya

I vividly remember the morning of 7^th of December in 1992. I had just got down from the train and had felt a bit uneasy seeing the unusual quietness around. It was very unlike Bombay VT! Soon the mystery was dispelled as I stepped out of the station. There were numerous Muslim families, their members sitting on large luggage with extreme fear written on face. And suddenly it struck me that it was the first day after 6^th December, the day on which the BJP et al had planned to demolish the disputed Babri Masjid. “So they have succeeded in their unholy mission!” I said almost loudly. As in those days there was no means to keep oneself updated on news while on move, I had missed the happenings of the previous day.

It was clear that riots had broken across the country expectedly post the madness at Ayodhya. But what was shocking was to see it happening in Bombay! Because, the city of Bombay had historically been miles ahead in cosmopolitism when compared to other metropolis of India. Bombay’s fabric had always been so well knit that to see it being tattered in this cruel manner was absolutely appalling.

Now the problem was to get a taxi and reach the destination fast which was the IIT Bombay’s hostels where I and a few fellow Institute mates were to stay for a day before proceeding to Pune for attending an academic seminar.

Our ride through the unusually hushed roads of Bombay was hassle-free but then we did not know how to coordinate with other members of the group reaching Bombay from other parts of the country. Telephone lines had been shut – cut? – and we were left high and dry. We could not even contact our family who could have been going through extreme mental agony with us trapped in a riotous Bombay!

A couple of us summoned our courage and decided to go to Bombay VT and meet the seniors as they could not be contacted otherwise. We boarded a Local at Kanjurmarg but couldn’t go beyond Kurla as the train was stopped by rioters. I distinctly remember the scene around me. We were in a ladies coupe and as soon as the firings started a male constable got into our compartment and shut the door. And then started the pandemonium! Ladies started wailing and suddenly the place resembled an assembly of mourners. The constable constantly pleaded with them to keep quiet. Standing in a corner taking support of the compartment wall, I calmly admired the cop’s dignified handling of the utter surrounding chaos. After about half an hour of being stationary, the train started to move backwards. And in a few minutes we were back in Kanjurmarg, having no other option but to retreat to our safe haven which was the IIT hostels.

With shops closed the hostels could hold on for two days in serving proper meals. But from day three, we had to survive on khichri 3 times a day! …

……………

1992 altered my view about Bombay. Though it still remains my most favourite Indian city, but the bond (seemed to have) snapped that day. The carnage engulfing the city fatally also seemed to swallow within itself rationale mind and heart of its dwellers. The damage was apparently irreversible. And it was sad.

I also lost a great deal of connection with my India. The era of Mandir-Masjid-Mandal was the major culprit. Suddenly the nation was scampering for restoring its God in its rightful abode! Secularism seemed to have vanished amongst lengthening shadows of religious fundamentalism. Bizarrely India’s 82% Hindus in majority had started to feel threatened by the so-called growing tentacles of Islam. And it was in retaliation to this insecurity that a handful of politically misguided citizens had decided to pull down the 4 centuries old mosque built by Babur, the first Mughal emperor, disrupting harmony and peace and harming India’s image globally. And Hinduism, the most advanced religion, looked so medieval and vulnerable! The demolition of the Babri Masjid remains one of the ugliest sights witnessed by our society.

What bothered me most was the madness exhibited by even the so-called educated class. Once a private matter, religion had become a topic of general discussion. Never before I had heard youth talk about religion in such damaging tones. As a child, in spite of occasionally attending church mass at school, I remember never having been taught anything about any God in particular (Jesus Christ could have been the preferred choice in a catholic set-up). The only teachings we received were on Moral Science. “Unity-in-Diversity” was a normal aspect of Life! At home, of course, it was a truly democratic and secular setting, reflecting the fundamentals of the Constitution of India!

This new disruptive trend was hugely discomforting and I was pretty vocal in making my displeasure clear against prejudiced religious talks. And it was precisely the reason that I was congratulated by family, friends and colleagues on BJP’s defeat in 2004 and again in 2009.

……………

After letting it languish in legal domain for 60 years, on 30^th September 2010 the Allahabad High Court delivered its landmark verdict in the Masjid-Mandir case. (And we thought the dispute had started in ’92?) In its balanced-yet-split ruling, the courts decided to divide the disputed land in three equal parts, one portion each for its three claimants. The country which was waiting with bated breath was enormously relieved to see the general public taking the judgement in its stride. India of today looked much more matured than 18 years ago.

In fact India’s ‘preparedness’ to deal with any (imminent?!) untoward incident post verdict was a bit absurd! Because if we believed the country had moved on then we should have known that citizens of today’s India would not react in the manic manner manifested previously (in ’92). The relevance of Mandir-Masjid apparently has got lost completely. (Will we respond in a similar manner to Mandal caste based rules getting revoked?)

Nevertheless, the ‘precautionary measure’ exercised by professional establishments and people alike to stay away from roads was quite amusing! (Actually I thanked each one of the absentees as I could reach home in time in spite of leaving office late!)

Here, however, I want to deliberate on one more point. In my opinion, the judgement could have been better if it had handed over the disputed landmass to the GOI with instructions to construct “Indian School for Study of World Religions” with a central common space dedicated for display of Gods(!), holy books, religious symbols, etc. representing all faiths. Because I firmly believe that in matters relating to religion, we – Indians and all fellow humans worldwide – are yet to graduate from prehistoric stage of beliefs.

Court’s ‘divisive’ decision could fail to ensure lasting reconciliation. With Mandir and Masjid built adjacent to each other having separate entry and exit will not serve the purpose of religious integration. Rather it could mean we live with Ayodhya becoming a flash point for ever.

Please think: Can we build a common shrine for both Ram and Rahim and both Hindus and Muslims (women included) coming to offer prayers together? …

Another thought to ponder: Can we incarcerate God in Mandir or Masjid? …

Humans have come far ahead from their cave-days but we are yet to get over our caveman’s mentality! In those pre-historic years we were not evolved enough to apply our brain to comprehend nuances of higher human behaviours. Seeing the world getting fragmented due to divisive thoughts in 21^st century is hugely disappointing.

We need proper understanding of religions and their importance in our life. We have to realize that ‘tolerance’ towards other religions is inadequate; we need to ‘respect’ each set of beliefs which in anyway mean the same. And we should appreciate that whatever may be the number of religions in this world, in actuality there is only One God!

“Gods” by term itself is beyond comprehension! How can there be more than one God? There is just one Super Power who is the chief architect and the administrator of the Universe!

Before signing off, I would like to mention the matured role of Media in Ayodhya Verdict coverage. The self-restraint and sensitivity shown by the Indian Media is appreciable. (Also commendable is the secular stance taken by communal political entities like the BJP.) The positivity espoused in their debates and reportage is especially remarkable! Times Now’s “India First” campaign needs a special referring. My compliments to Arnab Goswami!

……………

Gandhiji, I am sure you would have felt your mental peace being restored seeing social fabric of your nation remain intact post the Ayodhya Verdict! … Happy Birthday J

……………

By the way, Indian School for Study of World Religions could be abbreviated as ISSWR - phonetically similar to Ishwar which is God in Hindi!