[ Home ] [ Up ]

A LIFE INTERWOVEN WITH GAYATRI

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN HINDI

BY

LATE YUGA RISHI SHRIRAM SHARMA ACHARYA

COMPILED AND PUBLISHED ON THE INTERNET

BY

MR. ASHOK N. RAWAL

C/O GAYATRI PRAGNA PITH

OFF VISNAGAR ROAD

OPP. G.E.B.

MEHSANA 384 001

TEL NO : +91-02762-251160

E-MAIL : ashokrawal@shriramsharma.com

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH

BY

Ms. HEENA A. KAPADIA, M.Sc., M.Phil.

E-MAIL : heenakapadia@shriramsharma.com
CONTENTS

PART 1

CHP. NO. TITLE

1. A LIFE INTERWOVEN WITH GAYATRI

2. OUR REVERED PRECEPTOR SHRIRAM SHARMA ACHARYAS

HOLY MESSAGE

3. BRAHMAVARCHAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE

4. ALL ROUND UTILITY OF GAYATRI WORSHIP

5. THE EXTRAORDINARY SOURCE OF SHAKTI

6. OVERCOMING THE 3-FOLD SORROW

7. THE MOST WIDELY ACCEPTED AND GREATEST SPIRITUAL

PRACTISE.

8. THE RIGHT TO CHANT THE GAYATRI MANTRA

9. DECISION BY MALVIYAJI

10. THE GOAL OF GAYATRI WORSHIP

11. AVAILING DIVINE BENEFITS VIA AUGMENTING SATTVA

GUNA THROUGH GAYATRI

12. A SPIRITUAL PRACTISE THAT DEFINITELY REAPS RICH

DIVIDENDS

13. THERE IS NO FEAR OF A DOWNFALL BECAUSE OF THESE

SPIRITUAL PRACTISES

14. THE LIMITS OF WORSHIP

15. THE 2 PRIME BASIS OF SOUL ADVANCEMENT

16. AN ALL-ROUND EASY METHOD TO WORSHIP GOD

17. DESCRIBING SHAT-KARMA (6-FOLD ACTIONS)

18. SANCTIFYING THE PSYCHE VIA MANTRA CHANTING

19. DHYAN-YOGA (MEDITATION) FOR SOUL AWAKENING

20. THE GIST OF YOGA OF SURRENDER

21. STOREHOUSE OF POWER ANUSHTHAN

22. SOME APPROPRIATE RULES FOR SPIRITUAL SEEKERS

23. THE RULES OF ANUSHTHAN

24. THE STRATEGY OF THINKING IN THE SPIRITUAL PRACTISE

OF LIFE

25. GAYATRI MANTRA

PART 2

CHP. NO. TITLE

1. THE RECENT MANIFESTATION OF YUGA (ERA) SHAKTI

GAYATRI

2. THE INTENSE ACTIVITY OF MAKING FAVOURABLE, THE

SUBTLE ATMOSPHERE

3. WE WILL HAVE TO CREATE A FAVOURABLE ENVIRONMENT

OF ERA TRANSFORMATION.

4. THE MANIFESTATION OF THE GREAT POWER OF GAYATRI IN

ERA TRANSFORMATION

5. THE DAWN OF GAYATRI CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE FORM OF

ERA POWER

6. MANIFESTATION OF DIVINITY VIA ERA SPIRITUAL

ENDEAVOUR GAYATRI

7. THE ALL ROUND ADVANCEMENT OF OUR CHARACTER VIA

GAYATRI WORSHIP

8. UTILISING GAYATRI WORSHIP FOR ADVANCEMENT OF ONES

PERSONALITY

9. GAYATRI MANTRA CHANTING AND ITS CONGREGATIONAL

POWER

10. THE MANIFESTATION OF ERA POWER AND ITS

PROLIFERATION

11. GAYATRI IS THE ONLY PRECEPTORIAL (GURU) MANTRA

12. NEOCREATION OF SOCIETY AND AN INDIVIDUAL VIA THE

GAYATRI MOVEMENT

13. THE ROLE OF GAYATRI YAJNAS IN ERA REVOLUTION

14. TRIPADA (3-LEGGED) GAYATRI THE TRIVENI OF SPIRITUAL

WISDOM

15. THE FIRST INSPIRATION OF GAYATRI HARD WORK, APT

MANAGEMENT ND SELF-CONTROL

16. GAYATRIS 2 ^ND INSPIRATION TRUE DISCRIMINATION, TRUE

ENTERPRISE AND SELF-DEPENDENCE

17. THE 3 ^RD INSPIRATION OF GAYATRI UNITY, EQUALITY AND

CO-OPERATION

PART 3

CHP. NO. TITLE

1. THE FIVE FACES OF GAYATRI

2. THE SPIRITUAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE 5 SHEATHS

3. PURIFICATION OF THE FOOD SHEATH AND ITS RESULTS

4. MODERN SCIENCES STANDPOINT WITH REFERENCE TO THE

BASIS OF ONES INNER PERSONALITY

5. THE SUBTLE PARTS OF THE FOOD SHEATH

6. THE PURIFICATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF THE MENTAL

SHEATH

7. INTENSE LIFE FORCE EMBEDDED IN THE VITAL FORCE

SHEATH

8. THE CENTRE OF SUBTLE DIVINE POWERS INTELLECTUAL

SHEATH

9. BLISS SHEATH SAMADHI (TRANCE), HEAVEN AND DOOR OF

SALVATION

10. THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICE OF THE FIVE SHEATHS

ATTAINMENT OF THE FIVE-FACED GAYATRI

11. THE TEN ARMS OF MOTHER GAYATRI

PART 4

CHP. NO. TITLE

1. THE DIVINE SERPENT SUPER POWER AND ATTAINING IT

2. THE TRUE NATURE AND BASIS OF SUPER POWER

KUNDALINI

3. THE MYTHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF KUNDALINI SUPER

POWER

4. THE CHAKRA CENTRES AND CAPACITY OF ACTIVATING

THEM

5. SAHASRAR CHAKRA AND BRAHMARANDHRA ARE THE

CENTRES OF DIVINE POWER

6. MOOLADHAR CHAKRA THE SOUTH POLE OF HUMA N

EXISTENCE

7. THE NATURE AND GOAL OF KUNDALINI BASED SPIRITUAL

PRACTICES

8. GAYATRI WORSHIP AND KUNDALINI ACTIVATION

PART 5

CHP. NO. TITLE

1. COMMENCEMENT OF BRAHMAVARCHAS SPIRITUAL

PRACTICES

2. THE NATURE OF HIGH-STATURED SPIRITUAL PRACTICES OF

THE FIVE-FACED GAYATRI

3. THE COMBINED SPIRITUAL PRACTICES OF GAYATRI AND

SAVITRI

4. VARIOUS STAGES OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICES OR SADHANA

5. HIGH LEVELLED GAYATRI MEDITATION

6. HIGH LEVELLED GAYATRI WORSHIP

7. THE BASIS OF CONCENTRATION / MEDITATION AND ITS

BENEFITS

8. THE SOLUTION AND NECESSARY PRACTICE OF DIVINE

VISION

9. ENTRY INTO THE FUNDAMENTAL STAGE OF MEDITATION

(A) DHYAN MUDRA

(B) DIVINE ATMOSPHERE

(C) CONFLUENCE OF THE RIVERS GANGA AND YAMUNA

(D) SENTIMENTAL TRANCE

(E,F,G) ONENESS AND DIVINE VISION

2(A) THE NATURE OF THE FIVE SHEATHS

2(B) FOOD SHEATH

2(C,D,E) MEDITATION ON THE MANIFESTATION OF SAVITA

2(F) THE VITAL FORCE SHEATH

2(G,H,I) MEDITATION ON SAVITA MANIFESTATION

2(J) THE MENTAL SHEATH

2(K,L,M) MEDITATING ON SAVITAS MANIFESTATION

2(N) THE INTELLECTUAL SHEATH

2(O,P,Q) MEDITATION ON SAVITA MANIFESTATION

2(R) THE BLISS SHEATH

2(S,T,U) MEDITATION ON SAVITA MANIFESTATION

3(A) THE 5 NAMES AND 5 LEVELS OF KUNDALINI

3(B) THE FIVE LEGS OF KUNDALINI MEDITATION /

CONCENTRATION

3(C) THE UPWARD RISE OF AN AWAKENED LIGHT OF LIFE

3(D) AWAKENING AND PIERCING THE CHAIN OF CHAKRAS

(PLEXUS)

3(E) THE WIDESPREAD NATURE OF ONENESS OF SOUL IS THE

BASIS OF SOUL PROGRESS

3(F) THE FINAL LEG TRANSFORMATION

4(A,B) WINDING UP THE SHANTI PAATH

10. BRAHMAVARCHAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF SHANTI KUNJ

(HARIDWAR, INDIA)

PART 6

CHP. NO. TITLE

1. GAYATRI CONNOTES SAVITRI AND SAVITA

2. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAVITRI AND SAVITA

3. MEDITATING ON SAVITA DEITY VIA GAYATRI

4. EVOLUTION OF VARIOUS FORCES VIA SAVITA MEDITATION

5. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES FOR MANIFESTATION OF DIVINE LIGHT

PART 7

CHP. NO. TITLE

1. THE 24 ENERGY STREAMS OF GAYATRI

2. PRIMORDIAL ENERGY GAYATRI

3. BRAHMI

4. VAISHNAVI

5. SHAMBHAVI

6. VEDMATA

7. DEVMATA

8. VISHWAMATA

9. RITAMBHARA

10. MANDAKINI

11. AJAPA

12&13. RIDHI AND SIDHI

14. SAVITRI

15. SARASWATI

16. LAKSHMI

17. DURGA

18. KUNDALINI

19. FIRE OF VITAL FORCE

20. BHAVANI

21. BHUVANESHWARI

22. ANNAPURNA

23. MAHAMAYA

24. PAYASWINI

25. TRIPURA

26. DESIGNING SPIRITUAL PRACTICES PERTAINING TO ENERGY

STREAMS

CHAPTER 1 - A LIFE INTERWOVEN WITH GAYATRI

PART 1

DEDICATION

I bow down to Goddess Bhagwati and Jagadguru Shriram

Again and again I bow down at your lotus feet.

Like a mother you rear us and like a father you show us the path.

I bow down to you O preceptor, with faith and divine wisdom.

Like God is the mother of the world and Shriram is the Preceptor of the world.

I bow down to the hallowed feet of both since they are full of faith and divine wisdom.

I bow down to you O preceptor, who is a representative of Gayatri.

His nectarine words destroy the poison of the material world.

Both of them can make the impossible possible, they have the power to ward off intense obstacles.

I bow down to you who is Mahakal manifest and who is the one who will transform this era.

Our revered preceptor Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya was himself Gayatri Manifest. Mother Gayatri i.e. energy of Savita pervades in every atom of the cosmos. For his entire life he helped innumerous spiritual aspirants to walk on the path of greatness. He was a master of Tantra Science. Yet he never encouraged exhibitionism of magical / occult powers. Because these sort of miracles happen on their own and whosoever experienced them, thought themselves to be extremely fortunate. Our revered preceptor has aided infinite devotees by manifesting his gross form simultaneously in many places via his divine subtle form. An individual is blessed by the protection of our revered preceptor based on his/her destiny. If his destiny was very grim, our revered preceptor would definitely lighten its heavy burden. Via faint hardships he would help his devotee to overcome his otherwise harsh destiny and bless him with spiritual liberation (Moksha). We have with us the experiences of infinite devotees of our revered preceptor wherein more than 1 lakh of them have challengingly declared that in those days when our revered preceptor would meet his devotees they too had the chance of talking with him for almost 2-3 hours at a stretch. Principally these experiences are true but if we try and search for proof in the gross world, one encounters failure only. He was available for the lay public but it definitely was his Lila (Divine Sport) that for the benefit of his beloved followers he always made himself available.

CHAPTER 2 - OUR REVERED PRECEPTOR SHRIRAM SHARMA ACHARYAS HOLY MESSAGE

In the profound silence of our psyche echoes the subtle voice of our revered preceptor. Oh, I am always with you says our preceptor. You may dwell anywhere in the cosmos, yet I am always with you. I remain alive only for your sake. I always give you the fruits of my divine experiences. You all are the wealth of my bosom. You are the stars of my eyes. We are one with God. I always experience a sense of oneness with you. I never fear putting you all in the blazing fire of harsh trials because I am fully aware of the measure of your power. I send you into one experience after another & yet my divine eye always pursues you. You always act in my subtle presence.

You must incessantly search for my wishes in my thoughts and in my writings. You must imbibe these teachings in your day to day routine which were given to me by my revered preceptor and which I am imparting to you all. You must experience that which is one (God). Only then will you experience greater oneness with me than that which you experience with thousands of bodies of mine. Your discipleship will taste spiritual success only if you are alert, steadfast and devoted to my wishes and thoughts. There is boundless love between all of you and myself. The bond of relationship between a preceptor and his disciple is tougher than a thunderbolt. It is infinitely more powerful than death itself.

O beloved child! While experiencing this truth always remember that your sense organs always oppose your soul (God). Hence it is imperative that you remain alert constantly. Never trust your sense organs. It always remains agitated due to experience of dualities like joy /sorrow etc. You must rise above the senses. You are the soul which is a part of my invincible form. The gross body can perish any moment. Tell me, who truly knows that moment? Hence always lay your sight on you divine goal. Your mind should overflow with my divine thoughts. Not at the time of death, but while you are leading your life, liberate and purify your mind. Thus even if death engulfs you, your innate nature will continue to exist externally. Thus while living remember that death can attack you any moment. Only then will you be able to lead a life of truth. Time is running relentlessly. If you submerge your mind in divine, eternal thoughts then you will succeed in rendering moving time to eternity.

Each one has to endure hardships for the sake of his ideals. You too must endure all trials and tribulations with serenity. Face all hardships with equanimity. Live a life of high ideals and remain fearless due to divine protection. All our fears can be destroyed if we take shelter of God. You all are my beloved children. Whether in life or death, whether in joy or sorrow, whether in good or bad situations, I will always be with you anywhere that you go. I protect all of you. I adore you because I am bound to you by the chain of divinity. Because of my love for God I become one with all of you. I am your very soul. O beloved child, my home is in your heart. Then why worry? Remove all worries and become fearless.

There are many methods and modes of worship of God. In that, the potency of Gayatri Mahashakti and its results are extraordinary. It has been given the highest berth by our revered Rishis. Majority of great spiritual aspirants have taken recourse to it and have thus reached the pinnacle of spiritual progress. Even the laymen and advanced spiritual aspirants have surrendered to it. Over here the nature and spiritual principle of the divine Science of Gayatri has been elucidated in a very concrete manner.

The role of Primordial Divine Energy Gayatri in imparting solutions to all problems of this era and creation of a radiant future will resemble that of incarnations (Avatars) of God in the past. All those tenets are present in the inspirations of Gayatri Mantra which will create a Golden Era by destroying all varieties of fears. The present book gives us a factual glimpse of how Gayatris spiritual philosophy and mode of worship will influence and hence purify world humanity in neo-creation of the world.

Amongst the 24 forms of Gayatri Mahashakti, one particular form has 5 faces. It is called Savitri. In the past times, its picture was well-known everywhere. These 5 faces symbolize the 5 sheaths (Koshas) in the inner personality of mankind. The area of worship of the 5-faced Gayatri revolves around these 5 sheaths viz. food, vital force, mental, intellectual, bliss sheaths. Activating these 5 sheaths is equivalent to attaining grace of the 5 well-known demi-gods. How is all this possible? Its details can be found in this present book. The Divine Serpent Power or what is called Kundalini Mahashakti pervades vital force electricity, our life force, vital force energy, fire of Yoga and soul light of our body. Ordinarily the Divine Serpent Power (Kundalini Shakti) is in a latent state and because of activities like sexual intercourse it moves downwards. But when it is awakened, the gates of the storehouse of the glories of the 6 Chakras (plexuses) open up and thus man will live like a realized saint since his psyche will overflow with divine potential. The nature of this Divine Serpent Power, its mode of awakening and other methods will be elucidated in this book. Brahmavarchas spiritual practices involve the unveiling of the 5 sheaths, awakening the Divine Serpent Power, unlocking the 6 Chakras (plexuses) and concentrating ones mind with pure resolves. This compact spiritual practice can be understood as the gist of austerities leading to Spiritual Sciences. This book elucidates those spiritual practices that helps in attaining material brilliance and soul radiance and as to what Yogic spiritual exercise should be undergone.

When the denizens of earth will aptly understand this Science (of Gayatri), they will never experience a lack as far as joy, peace and wealth is concerned. Those who in this junctional period between this era and the next, (that will lead to transformation) will try and understand its Spiritual Science so as to spread it in the entire world, will gain more name and fame in the entire world.

CHAPTER 3 - BRAHMAVARCHAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE

(IN SHANTI KUNJ HARIDWAR INDIA)

The research and experimentation departments of Brahmavarchas Research Institute at Shantikunj Haridwar (India) awaits help from all those individuals who fully understand the goal of Science of Spirituality and have enough inclination to imbibe it and spread it in the entire world.

For philosophical research one will have to study many books. For this Brahmavarchas own library cannot do full justice to this task. For that one will have to search for books in other well-stocked library that are related to our topic of interest. We think that libraries of well-known Universities will be of immense help to achieve our research target. In certain cases, even libraries of colleges have good philosophical literature. Many public libraries too can be of help to us. By gathering materials that are of great use for us from these institutions, it can be of immense help to us in conducting research in our institute.

For material goals, a lot of research is going on in govt. and non-govt. institutions. Its primary aim is to benefit materially. Yet sometimes this sort of research gives us such facts which are of great use in correlating Science and Spirituality. One can avail of this sort of material from such research institutes by maintaining contact with them on a regular basis. This activity will definitely help the research wing of Brahmavarchas Institute.

Apart from this certain regional publications print such material which is of great value as far as proclaiming spiritual truths is concerned. One can send cuttings from such publications to Brahmavarchas Institute that are based on rebirth, fruits of actions, proof of Extra Sensory Potential (ESP) and mysterious events related to Mother Nature. This sort of contribution too is looked upon as a major aspect of Brahmavarchas Research Institute.

There is a great need of exalted thinkers who have the necessary credentials to find such libraries and research institutes so as to gather necessary information from them and then sending it to Brahmavarchas Research Institute. For this end research members are being appointed wherever such research information is available. Those who are interested should write to Brahmavarchas Research Institute Shantikunj Haridwar India.

Web-site : www.awgp.org

CHAPTER 4 - ALL-ROUND UTILITY OF GAYATRIWORSHIP

THE INNATE NATURE OF VEDIC MOTHER GAYATRI

Vedas means divine wisdom. Divine wisdom is divided into 4 parts viz. Rig, Yaju, Saam and Atharva. Rig encompasses well-being, attaining God, performing ones duty, love, austerities, compassion, helping others, generosity, service, vision of God, divinity, soul peace, divine creativity, sense of righteousness etc. Yaju encompasses daring, hard work, valour, bravery, protection, attack, leadership, name/ fame, victory, status etc. Saam encompasses play, merriment, joy, art of music, literature, touch, the gross objects of the 5 senses & cogitation over them, imagination of what one adores, movement, attraction, contentment etc. Atharva encompasses wealth, glory, gathering of objects, scriptures, herbs, food, clothes, ores, house, vehicles etc.

Study any living being and seriously & scientifically analyze their gross / subtle and external / internal activities and imaginations. Only then will you realize that their total consciousness moves about in 4 areas only viz 1) Rig well being 2) Yaju valour 3) Saan sports 4) Atharva wealth. Apart from these 4 areas, the wisdom flow of all living beings is not to be seen anywhere else. Rig can be called righteousness (Dharma), Yaju can be called salvation (Moksha), Saam can be called desires (Kaam) and Atharva can also be called wealth (Arth). In fact these are the 4 faces of Brahma (Creator). Brahma is said to be 4 faced despite having one face only because 4 types of wisdom flow emanates from his person. The meaning of Veda is wisdom and hence is one only. Yet despite being one only, it is seen expressing 4 aspects in the psyche of human beings. Hence 1 Veda has been classified under 4 headings for our benefit. In fact these are also the 4 arms of Lord Vishnu. These 4 classifications have been further classified as 4 Ashrams (Brahmacharya, Grihasthashram, Vanaprasthashram and Sanyasashram) and 4 Varnas (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra ).

All these 4 types of wisdom are manifestations of that very conscious energy which was created by Brahmaji at the beginning of creation of this world and which was labeled as Gayatri by scriptural scholars. In this manner, Gayatri is the Mother of the 4 Vedas. Hence she is called Vedmata. Just as the element water has 4 forms viz. ice, steam (clouds, fog etc.), wind (hydrogen /oxygen) and flowing water (rivers etc.) and just as the element fire is experienced variedly like burning, heat, light and movement in the same way Wisdom Gayatri manifests in 4 forms of the 4 Vedas. If Gayatri is a Mother then the 4 Vedas are her sons.

So far we have elucidated the subtle nature of Gayatri as Vedmata. Now let us cogitate upon Gayatris gross form. Brahmaji via the 4 Vedas created the 24-lettered Gayatri Mantra. Every letter of this single Mantra has a subtle divine principle which when activated manifests the branches, sub-branches of the 4 Vedas. A tiny seed of a Banyan tree has a gigantic Banyan tree subtly embedded in it. When this seed is sown, it starts growing into a gigantic tree with many branches, sub-branches, leaves, fruits etc. It is gigantic when you compare it to the size of the tiny, miniscule seed from which it has grown. This holds true for the 24 letters of Gayatri because they can be compared to the abovementioned seed. When these seeds of Gayatri sprout forth, they manifest as the gigantic Vedas.

Indian philosophy believes that the beginningless God created all this via Brahmaji. As soon as the thought of creating this world appeared in the psyche of Brahma, there was a simultaneous manifestation of Shakti (Divine Energy). Via this Shakti, 2 types of worlds were created wherein one was inert and the other was conscious. That Shakti which is responsible for the propagation of the inert world is called Prakriti (Mother Nature) and that Shakti which is responsible for creation of a conscious world is called Savitri.

Two Shaktis are at work in creation of Brahmajis inert /conscious worlds viz. 1) Sankalp Shakti (power of resolve) 2) Parmanu Shakti (atomic energy). But at first it was Sankalp Shakti that was made use of because without that, a conscious world can never be created. And without consciousness, how can atomic energy be utilized? The inert world was by itself inert because neither can anyone know about it nor is it of any use. For the ease of manifesting consciousness, inert materials are used as its means of creation.

Gods wife is nothing but consciousness, desire, vibration. In this manner Brahmaji (God) became 2 from 1. Now God was called LakshmiNarayan, Seetaram, RadheyShyam, Uma-Mahesh, ShivaShakti, MayaBrahman, PrakritiParameshwara etc.

Via this Shakti (Energy) many materials and living beings were to be created. Hence it had to partition itself into 3 parts so that it could be mixed in various ways. Thus could various objects be created via various Gunas, actions, natures of both the inert and conscious varieties. The 3 parts of Gods Shakti are the 3 Gunas called 1) Satva 2) Rajas 3) Tamas. Sattva means the Divine Principle of God. Rajas means the admixture of inert objects and its opposite divine principles which lead to bliss oriented consciousness. Tamas means the existence of atoms in lifeless / inert objects. These 3 principles are the root cause of this gross, material world. Over and above these, the gross materials used to create this world are mind, water, wind, fire, space. The visible world works via the Tanmatras of the 5 elements mentioned above called sound, form, taste, smell and touch. Nature has 2 parts viz. subtle Prakriti (nature) which is an energy (Shakti) flow and the second is the flow of the vital force (or Prana). It encompasses Sattva, Rajas and Tamas (the 3 Gunas). The gross nature via which the visible world is created and made use of is essentially atomic in nature. It makes use of the 5 elements viz. earth, water, fire, wind and space.

From the above sentences the readers must have clearly understood that initially there was one Brahman (God or all-pervading soul) and from that manifested Adi Shakti (Primordial Divine Energy). This Adi Shakti is called Gayatri. Brahman divided itself into 3 categories 1) Sattva which is Hreem or Saraswati 2) Rajas called Shreem or Lakshmi 3) Tamas called Kleem or Kali. In reality there were only 2 categories of Brahman in the form of Sattva and Tamas and an admixture of these 2 gave rise to Rajas. It is like the Indian Rivers Ganga and Jamuna uniting to form Saraswati river. In reality Saraswati is not a separate river. Just as the union of Ganga and Jamuna results in Saraswati, in the same way an admixture of Sattva and Tamas results in Rajas. This is thus the 3-fold Prakriti (nature) of God.

One hears of the quarrel regarding Advaitvad (Monism), Dvaitvad (Dualism), Traitvad etc. Yet on analysis of all these isms one realizes that it is only a difference in ones perception of it. Brahman (God), Jeeva (living being) and Prakriti (Mother Nature) all exist in this world. Initially there was one Brahman & hence Advaitvad is true. Then Brahman manifested Shakti (nature) and hence Dvaitvad too is correct. And then due to the union of Brahman and Shakti manifested Jeeva i.e. an admixture of Sattva (consciousness) and Tamas (inertness) lead to Rajas (Jeeva). Thus Traitvad too is correct. When one attains salvation (Mukti) the Jeeva (living being) no longer exist. From this it is clear that the existence of a living being which is dependent on the mind, intellect, psyche and ego is merely an admixture.

This is not the right time to seriously enter the subject of spiritual philosophy and throw light on the nature of the soul. In this section we wanted to depict the differences between gross and subtle nature (Prakriti) because it is from here that Science gets categorized into 2 parts. It is from here that the dual nature of mankind commences. All those individuals who conduct research on the gross nature made up of the 5 elements viz. earth, water, fire, wind and space are called material scientists. All of them via their intellectual prowess, understood the differences lying in these 5 elements and thus invented material comforts. These material comforts are chemicals, agriculture, electricity, steam, sculpting, music, language, literature, vehicles, home-making, medical cures, political power, astronomy, scriptures, weapons, philosophy, geological attainments etc. In this manner they invented useful (materially) machines for railways, cars, post, radio, television, photos, computers etc. Thus material comforts like wealth, relaxation etc. were created. Our scriptures label all the benefits from this path as Preya (liked by the senses) and Bhoga (sense pleasures). This Science is called material Science. This Science involves utilization of gross nature.

Subtle nature (Prakriti) is that which after manifesting from Adi Shakti Gayatrigets categorized into Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga. These all-pervading Shaktis are infinite fold more subtle than the 5 gross elements. Just as when wind contacts the water flow in a river which results in a gurgling sound, in the same way 3 types of sound vibrations emanate from the Shakti flow of subtle nature. From the Sattva flow emanates the sound Hreem, from Rajas Shreem and from Tamas Kleem. More subtle than these sound vibrations is the sound of Om in Brahman (God). Spiritual seekers who practise the path of sound vibration meditation called Naadyoga can actually hear the subtle sound vibrations. Thus they go beyond the shackles of subtle nature and ultimately merge in Brahman (God).

CHAPTER 5 - THE EXTRAORDINARY SOURCE OF SHAKTI

In the previous pages it has been mentioned that Gayatri is not some Goddess, ghost etc. but is Adi Shakti that has manifested from Brahman or God. Gayatri is the root cause or substratum of all material objects and because of its existence there is movement, energy, advancement, inspiration and conversion in the inert-conscious world. Just as the machine called radio in ones house contacts the all-pervasive ether vibrations in the cosmos which helps one to hear radio broadcasts not only of ones own country but of other countries too, similarly when the soul force of an individual comes in contact with the all-pervasive Gayatri of the cosmos, it understands clearly the movements of subtle nature. And when one learns how to aptly utilize this subtle Divine Energy as per ones will one can attain all wealth pertaining to the material world, psyche and the soul. The path that leads to this wealth is called Gayatri worship.

Many people opine that since our goal is attaining God, vision of the soul and liberation while yet living then why should we delve into the subtle nature of Gayatri? We should only worship God. Deep thinkers should understand that Brahman (God in his all-pervasive soul form) is taintless, untouched, pure, formless and beyond the 3 Gunas. Such a God neither loves anyone nor hates anyone. He is merely a witness and cause of his creation. One can never directly attain such a formless God because between God and the living being (Jeeva) there is the intense veil of subtle nature (energy). In order to go beyond this intense veil we will have to make apt use of materials of nature. The mind, intellect, psyche, ego, imagination, meditation, subtle body, 6 Chakras (plexuses), image of our beloved God, devotion, sacred sentiments, worship, vows, rituals, spiritual practices are all creations of Maya (Gods power of illusion). How can one attain the formless God without taking apt help of all these? Just as in order to fly in air we need an aeroplane, in the same way, in order to attain the formless God (Brahman) we will have to take help of radical spiritual practices. One can attain formless God only after going beyond this veil via Gayatri worship. The truth is this that the experience of realization takes place only in the womb of Gayatri. After raising oneself spiritually, ones subtle sense organs and its experiential power, too disappears. Hence those who wish to attain God and salvation, worship the admixture of Gayatriand formless God in the forms of Radhey-Shyam, Seeta-Ram, Lakshmi-Narayan etc. A spiritual aspirant can fully merge with the formless God when the formless God desires to become one from many and thus encompasses all individual souls into its single formless nature. Before this, all individual souls can only attain proximity, similar form and unity with a God who has a name and form i.e. Saguna Brahman. In this manner we are forced to worship the admixture of Gayatri with Brahman having a name and form. All those spiritual practices that help in attaining such a God will be via the subtle natured Gayatri. Hence it is not apt to think that in order to attain the formless Brahman, there is no need of Gayatri worship. In fact Gayatri worship is a must. If someone insists on ignoring or opposing a God with name and form, that is his own opinion. But it is impossible to ignore the Gayatri principle when one sets off to attain the formless God.

Many individuals say that we carry out spiritual practices measurelessly. We do not desire any fruits of our actions and hence why should we take help of subtle nature? Such people should realize that although they have no desire for material benefits, yet they do have the desire to attain God. One can never perform any action without thinking of its results. Even if one gets something, the result will be nothing but a waste of time and energy. The meaning of true desireless action is with reference to divine Sattva Guna and spiritual desires. Such pure desires come in the first leg Hreem of Gayatri i.e. in the Saraswati category. Hence the worship of desireless sentiments is not outside the limit of Gayatri worship.

Scientists who have substantial knowledge of the Science of Mantra chanting know that it is chanted via the various organs of throat, palate, lips, teeth, base of the tongue etc. When one chants a Mantra, the nerve fibres of all those organs that manifest its sound, spread out in all corners of the body. In this widespread area are present many glands which get influenced by the pure sound vibrations of Mantra chanting. When these subtle glands of an individual are diseased or have been destroyed, the Mantra chanting of such individuals is not smooth and this is called stammering. The body has many small/ big, visible/ invisible glands. Great Yogis fully understand that in those sheaths there are many special hidden storehouses of energy. The 6 Chakras (plexuses) pertaining to the Sushumna (subtle spinal region) are well-known and there are many glands too in the body. The chanting of various words (Mantras) influences these varied glands and thus the hidden storehouse of energy in these glands gets activated. It is on this basis that Mantras have been constructed. There are 24 letters in the Gayatri Mantra. It is related to those 24 glands in the body which when activated, radiates energies pertaining to light of pure thinking. By one-pointedly chanting the Gayatri Mantra, the guitar of the body starts giving off sound vibrations in 24 areas and such tunes emanate which influences the important elements of the subtle world. This very influence is the casual influence of the fruits of Gayatri worship.

When you sing the Deepak Raag (an Indian classical music tune), a douzed flamed lamp is re-lit; by singing the tune Megh-Malhaar we can get rain. With the sound of flute, snakes starting dancing, deers lose their consciousness due to ecstasy and cows give more milk. When one hears a cuckoo singing, our sexual passion is awakened. Americas Dr. Hutchinson gained fame when he succeeded in curing many incurable and painful diseases using music therapy. Indian Tantriks play on a Thaali (big steel plate) on a big pot with a special speed and this helps in curing patients who have been afflicted by ghosts or bitten by venomous creatures etc. The reason being that the vibrations of musical words take with it subtle nature alongwith atoms of its own kind so as to circumambulate ether and reach its substratum center. Over there one finds a special electrical force which tends to influence diseased parts under special circumstances. This is the very reason why Mantra chanting too gives amazing results. When one chants the Gayatri Mantra, a similar special energy manifests. While chanting the Gayatri Mantra 2 parts of the mouth are at work and it is over here that subtle nerve fibres activate some special glands. When vibrations are sent out from these areas, a cyclic Yogic music of Vedic metre flows in the ether principle and in a few moments, brings back the army of its similar nature which in turn have returned after having circumambulated the cosmos. This helps us attain desired goals. The 5 elemental (material) flow of the powerful vibrations of word-music and the sentiment, spiritual endeavour, relationship based on worship of the subtle nature of soul force makes Gayatri Energy so powerful that it is a great blessing for its devotees.

Mans body has untold extraordinary powers. This fact has now been accepted by modern day scientists too. These energies are under the control of certain glands / centers of the human body. Every letter of the Gayatri Mantra helps in influencing one or another important centers of energy. Just as when you place your finger on a key of a typewriter and a specific letter gets typed, in the same way certain words influence the energy centers of our body. Following is a table that enumerates the relationship of every letter of the Gayatri Mantra corresponding to a bodily gland and its energy.

Gayatri activates the abovementioned 24 energies in a spiritual aspirant. These qualities are so important that alongwith their activation, infinite number of prosperities, divine glories (Siddhis) and wealth is attained. Gayatri worship is not blind faith but is in fact a scientific mode of worship and one definitely benefits from it. Hence in Indian scriptures it is called the Kamadhenu (wish-fulfilling cow) of planet Earth.

In the Puranas (Indian Mythology) it is said that in heaven, the demi-gods possess the Kamadhenu cow. It gives nectarine milk and because the demi-gods drink it daily, they remain contented, happy and prosperous. This cow has a very special characteristic wherein if a person comes in its vicinity with some desire in his mind, those desires are immediately fulfilled like the proverbial Kalpvriksha (wish-fulfilling tree). Thus the Kamdhenu cow fulfills the desires of all who approach it.

This Kamadhenu cow is Gayatri. That man who worships the demi-god of this Gayatri Mahashakti of divine nature will definitely get the chance to drink the spiritual milk of Gayatri Matas (mothers) breast. Such a person will not face any hardships. The Soul is bliss manifest. Such a persons character is full of bliss. As soon as sorrow is overcome, a person experiences his true soul nature. He realizes that he is the cosmic soul and not the body, that has a limiting name and form. The demi-gods of heaven incessantly experience ecstasy. In the same way human beings too can experience soul bliss while dwelling on planet Earth if only all the causes of sorrow are destroyed. The Kamadhenu cow in the form of Gayatri worship helps mankind to overcome all hardships.

CHAPTER 6 - OVERCOMING THE 3-FOLD SORROW

Sorrow of any kind can be classified in 3 ways : 1) Spiritual ignorance 2) Weakness 3) Lack. To the extent one overcomes these 3 sorrows to that extent man experiences bliss.

Because of spiritual ignorance mans viewpoint gets tainted. Since he does not understand spiritual knowledge, he thinks wrongly and works incorrectly too. Thus the more he tries to unwind his sorrows the more sorrow he encounters. Man fails to execute his righteous duties when he is under the influence of selfish sense enjoyments, greed, ego, lack of generosity and desires. Thus he renounces far-sightedness and gets attached to lowly thinking and thus acts wrongly. As a result his very thinking and actions become sinful. Sins definitely result in sorrow and pain. On the other hand because of spiritual ignorance, he fails to understand the root causes of his own and others worldly actions. As a result he continues to delve deep into impossible hopes, desires and imaginations. Because of this wrong thinking, all ordinary happenings gives him sorrow only and he thus cries out in anguish. It is but natural that one encounters situations of death of ones beloved, different tastes of friends, varying circumstances but a spiritually ignorant person thinks that everything should happen as per his wishes and that nothing untoward should happen in his life. When these events of exact opposite nature occur, he starts raving and ranting in madness. Also due to spiritual ignorance one makes many mistakes. One has to make do without material comforts and therefore is a cause of anguish. In this manner man encounters various sorrows due to spiritual ignorance.

Lack of energy leads to weakness. Due to bodily, mental, social, intellectual, spiritual weakness man can no longer take on his shoulder the burden of his natural birthrights. Thus he has to go without them. It is futile to be surrounded by tasty food, beautiful females, sweet music, wonderful scenes etc. when one is not in good health and has to face dire illnesses. He does not get any joy despite having a lot of wealth. If he is intellectually weak, he gets no joy in perusing literature, poetry, philosophical thinking etc. If he is weak from the soul viewpoint, he gets no bliss from saintly association, devotion to God etc. Not only this but natures principle of protection of the great is at work so as to overcome all those who are weak. Many facts manifest in order to harass and destroy the weak. Even innocent, good-natured and straightforward elements oppose the weak. Cold weather that augments power in the mighty and gives excitement to jovial people becomes the cause of pneumonia, arthritis etc. in those are weak. Those elements that are responsible for the death of the weak, are known to help those who are strong. The poor weak goat is not only a prey of wild beasts but is also one of Mother Durga. And the jungles lion is not only attacked by other forest beasts but is killed by hunters so as to adorn the drawing room of rich people. The weak always experience agony and even elements of good-will are of no hope for them.

Sorrow due to lack occurs when you do not have enough material comforts. When there is lack of food, clothes, water, house, animals, land, helpers, friends, wealth, medicines, books, scriptures, teachers etc. one has to undergo various types of pain, hardships etc. One has to force ones mind not to ask for them and thus lifes precious moments have to be renounced. A capable and strong person who lacks enough material comforts too experiences anguish only.

Gayatri Mantra is a Kamdhenu (wish-fulfilling cow). Those who worship, meditate, devote oneself to Gayatri, get the experience of drinking the nectarine milk of Gayatri. And thus by overcoming all hardships pertaining to spiritual ignorance, weakness and lack, he gets all that he desires.

CHAPTER 7 - THE MOST WIDELY ACCEPTED AND GREATEST SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Great philosophers have always opined that Gayatri is the best mode of spiritual worship. At other places one finds variedness in the opinion of various thinkers. But as far as Gayatri is concerned everyone in unison accept the prime importance of Gayatri worship. Over here we present the gist of the opinions of some important thinkers.

Lord Manu says Brahmaji created the Gayatri Mantra of 3 legs which is the gist of the 3 Vedas. There is no other Mantra other than Gayatri that can purify us in totality. That individual who regularly chants the Gayatri Mantra for 3 years in a row shall definitely attain the lord. That Dvij (twice born) who chants the Gayatri at dawn and noon, attains the fruits of reading the Vedas. One attains the desired goal by just chanting the Gayatri Mantra and thus there is no need of any other spiritual practise. A man who regularly chants the Gayatri Mantra is absolved of all sins just as a snake easily discards its old skin. A Dvij (twice-born) who fails to chant the Gayatri Mantra is looked down upon by one and all.

Yogiraj Yajnavalkya says The Gayatri Mantra and all the Vedas were weighed in a weighing pan. In one pan was placed the Vedas alongwith its 6 parts and in the other was placed Gayatri Mantra. The result seen was that the pan of Gayatri Mantra was more heavy. The Upanishads are the gist of the Vedas and Gayatri Mantra is the gist of the Upanishads. Gayatri is the mother of the Vedas. She destroys our sins and there is no other Mantra apart from Gayatri in either heaven or earth that purifies one and all. There is no greater pilgrim spot other than the Ganges river, there is no greater God than Keshav and likewise there is no greater Mantra than Gayatri. Gayatri Mantra will outshine all Mantras of the past, present and future. A man who deeply understands the import of Gayatri Mantra becomes the knower, eminent scholar and pious philosopher of all Sciences. That Dvij who instead of chanting the Gayatri Mantra becomes a scholar of the Vedas will be looked down upon as a Shudra and all his other efforts will go in vain. He who does not know the deep import of the Gayatri Mantra can never be called a true Brahmin and will instead be labeled a sinner.

Rishi Parasher says Amongst all the Sooktas (hymns) and Vedic Mantras, Gayatri is the best. In comparison to the Vedas, Gayatri outshines them. A man who devotedly chants the Gayatri Mantra gets liberated and thus is purified on all fronts. Even if a man studies all the Vedas, Puranas, Itihaas etc. but does not chant the Gayatri Mantra, he will never be called a Brahmin.

Rishi Shankha says - Gayatri is like that hand which helps one lift a person who is drowning in the ocean of sins. Whether on earth or in heaven, there is nothing greater than the Gayatri Mantra. The knower of Gayatri definitely attains heaven.

Rishi Atri says Gayatri worship is the best way to purify ones soul. Due to its great power ones taints and lowly character gets purified. That person who truly understands the Gayatri principle, attains all joys of the world.

Maharshi Vyas says Just as the essence of a flower is honey, that of milk is clarified butter, in the same way the essence of all Vedas is Gayatri. When one worships Gayatri one-pointedly, it becomes Kamdhenu (wish fulfilling cow). The Ganges river purifies all the sins of the body and Gayatri in the form of divine Ganges purifies the soul. He who instead of worshipping Gayatri pursues other spiritual practices is definitely a fool because instead of eating delicious food of his home he is begging for food elsewhere. Nothing is greater than Gayatri if one wants to augment ones austerities and attain desired goals.

Rishi Bharadwaj says - Gods like Brahmaji etc. always chant the Gayatri Mantra which helps in realizing God. Because of Gayatri those who execute lowly actions are able to stop them totally. A man devoid of Gayatri worship is lower than a Shudra too.

Rishi Charak says He who chants the Gayatri Mantra while abstaining from sexual intercourse and partaking the fruit of myrobalan attains a longer life span.

Naradji says Gayatri is Bhakti (devotion) manifest. Wherever there is Gayatri - manifest devotion, there none should doubt the presence of Narayan (God).

Vasisthaji says Even those who are weak- minded, or live a degraded life or have an unsteady intellect, attain a high status due to Gayatri worship. Most definitely he will attain a high spiritual status after death. Those who worship Gayatri with a pure resolve and in a steadfast manner attain the wisdom of the soul.

Generally all other Rishis too have the same opinion about the importance of Gayatri worship as mentioned above. Great spiritual and philosophical Seers of this century have accepted the importance of Gayatri worship. This is very much similar to the opinion of the great Rishis / thinkers of the past. Amongst contemporary thinkers following are the names of those who have the same view regarding the importance of Gayatri.

Mahatma Gandhi says Chanting the Gayatri Mantra incessantly is very useful to cure diseases and attaining high spiritual growth. When Gayatri is chanted with a steady psyche and a serene heart, it helps in overcoming dire situations when facing trying times.

Lokmanya Tilak says Merely via political aggression we cannot overcome the shackles of bondage in various fields undergone by Indians. For that, the inner soul of each Indian needs to be lit up and thus he/ she will realize what is true and what is false. The Gayatri Mantra harbours a pious sentiment that every individual, after giving up the path of lowliness, gets inspired to follow the path of righteousness.

Mahatma Madanmohan Malviyaji had said Amongst the many jewels handed down to us by the Rishis, is the most valuable jewel called Gayatri. Gayatri worship purifies our intellect. The Lords divine light radiates in our soul. Due to this light, infinite individuals have crossed this ocean of bondage of the material world. Via Gayatri worship our devotion becomes more intense towards God. Alongwith this we gain material benefits too. Gayatri worship is most necessary for Brahmins. That Brahmin who fails to chant the Gayatri Mantra is committing the sin of not executing his righteous duty.

The great poet-thinker Rabindranath Tagore says That Mantra that has awakened India as a nation is so easy that one can chant it in one single breath. This Mantra is the Gayatri Mantra. There can be no opposition on the front of logic or no difference of opinion nor any obstruction as far as chanting this extremely pure Mantra is concerned.

At many places Yogi Aurobindo has directed people to chant the Gayatri Mantra. He maintains that Gayatri has such a power which helps us attain desired goals. He has advised so many of his followers to take up Gayatri Mantra chanting as part of their spiritual practices.

Swami Ramkrishna Paramhans message is I always tell people that there is no need for spiritual practices for longer periods of time. Instead try this short spiritual practice of Gayatri worship. By chanting the Gayatri Mantra, you attain great spiritual goals. No doubt that this Mantra is very small but its Divine Power is infinite.

Swami Vivekanand says One should ask for only great things from a King rather than ask for petty gains. In the same way one should ask for only a pure intellect from the almighty Lord instead of perishable material comforts. Whenever God is happy with his devotee, he gives this devotee a pure intellect. Via a pure intellect one walks on the path of righteousness and thus one attains all kinds of joys. When a man follows the path of truth, he automatically attains all joys. Gayatri is a Mantra of a pure intellect. Thus amongst all Mantras, Gayatri is a crest jewel.

Jagadguru Shankaracharya says Man is incapable of singing the greatness of Gayatri Mantra. The intellect is so important that nothing comes near it as far as its value is concerned. It is Gayatri worship that activates a pure intellect so as to attain God. Gayatri is the Primordial Mantra. This Gayatri Mantra has specifically manifested so as to destroy falsehood and establish truth.

Swami Ramtirth says The biggest task in the world is to attain God. Gayatri helps in converting a desire based intellect into a desireless divine intellect. Only a pure intellect can attain God. Gayatri proclaims that ones intellect should be so taintless that it gives more importance to God realization than material gains.

Maharshi Raman says Within Yogic Sciences, Mantra Science is of utmost value. Mantra power gives one immense success. Gayatri is such a Mantra which gives both material and spiritual gains.

Swami Shivanand says By chanting the Gayatri Mantra between 3.00 a.m. to 6.00 a.m. everyday (Brahma-Mahurat), ones psyche is purified and the heart becomes sacred. The body overcomes diseases, the character becomes pure, one attains far-sightedness because the intellect becomes subtle and ones memory sharpens. Under trying circumstances the power of Gayatri Mantra comes to your aid. As a result, one realizes that all-pervading soul (God).

The famous spiritualist of South India T. Subbarao says Gayatri is nothing but the divine nature of Savita Narayan (God). Because it is the primordial energy it is called Gayatri. In the Bhagwad Geeta it is described as Aditya Varna. Gayatri worship is the very first leg of Yoga.

Shri Karpatri says Those who have necessary spiritual capability should chant the Gayatri Mantra very regularly. It is the Dvijas (twice born) righteous duty to chant the Gayatri Mantra.

Swami Vidyanand who gave great discourses on the Geeta says Gayatri purifies our intellect. There is no greater benefit than purification of the intellect and hence Gayatri is the Mother of one of the greatest benefits.

Shri Radhakrishna says If we delve deep into this great prayer Gayatri, we will realize how greatly beneficial it is. Gayatri is a great prayer that helps in producing the very foundation of life.

The great Arya Samaji Mahatma Sarvadanand says The Aryans have always worshipped God via the Gayatri Mantra. Rishi Dayanand too by following this path of the Aryans had ordained his followers to deeply study the Vedas and chant the Gayatri daily at sunrise, noon and dusk. Because of this ones psyche and intellect gets purified and thus ones life and actions are beneficial not only for that individual but also society at large. To the extent, one has faith in this sacred action, to that extent ones spiritual ignorance, sorrows etc. are destroyed. Those spiritual seekers who devotedly chant the Gayatri Mantra, for them it becomes the boat which aids them in crossing this ocean of sorrow called this material world and thus is a path to attain God.

The founder of Arya Samaj, Maharshi Dayanand was an ardent follower of Gayatri. Swamiji while speaking to Rajasahib of Gwalior said Gayatri Purascharan (a type of congregational worship) is more important than a discourse of Bhagwat for 7 days. He had taught the correct mode of chanting Gayatri to Sacchidanand, Hiralal Rawal, Ghodalsinh etc. of Jaipur. While he was in Multan, Swamiji taught them all, the right manner in which to chant the Gayatri Mantra and proclaimed that this is the greatest of all Mantras. The root of all the 4 Vedas is this Guru Mantra. Right from primordial times all Rishis have taken recourse to chanting this Mantra. At many regions, Swamiji had conducted Gayatri worship programs in which about 40 scholarly Brahmins participated. This Gayatri Mantra chanting continued for 15 days.

A senior member of Theosophical Society Prof. R. Srinivas says In Indian spiritual philosophy, Gayatri is said to be the most potent Mantra. Its meaning too is very widespread and deep. This Mantra has many meanings and its influence varies from person to person because of their varied psyche. It has the power to concentrate the visible / high / low via mysterious nerve fibres. When a man of apt spiritual credentials correctly chants the Gayatri Mantra knowing fully well its deep import and meaning and by concentrating his heart and mind, he establishes a bond with the great consciousness hidden in the visible sun. Such a person may chant the Gayatri Mantra anywhere, yet there is a cosmic spiritual influence on himself and his surroundings. This very influence is a great spiritual blessing. As a result our ancestors has eulogized the Gayatri Mantra for its extraordinary power.

In this manner we have with us the valuable opinion of innumerable great men of the present century. On delving deep into these opinions, we are forced to conclude that Gayatri worship is not some blind faith or tradition but behind it is the potent power of perceptible principles that advances our soul. All those who have endeavoured to imbibe this great Gayatri Power have benefited in the truest sense of the term. Gayatri worship never goes in vain.

CHAPTER 8 - THE RIGHT TO CHANT THE GAYATRIMANTRA

On the one hand, Gayatri worship is believed to give supreme benefits and is said to be the greatest of all Mantras. And yet on the other hand it is our misfortune that there are innumerable deluded opinions as far as the right to chant the Gayatri Mantra is concerned. Some believe that only Brahmins have the right to chant Gayatri Mantra. Some believe Dvij Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas have the right to chant the Gayatri Mantra. In reality this prohibition is symbolic. Gayatri Mantra is most beneficial for people with the psyche of a Brahmin or those who have taken the resolve to become Dvijas (twice born). A true Brahmin is he/ she who by reducing his needs to the minimum, utilizes all his energy for world welfare. Dvija means one who takes a second birth. Meaning after taking birth as a human being, he/ she takes a vow of activating good will for the entire world in his/ her psyche and this is a divine act. Thus to the extent an individual executes such divine actions, to that extent Gayatri worship will manifest more and more miracles in the truest sense of the term.

One finds innumerable proof of all this in the holy scriptures. Satyakam Jabal despite being born in an unknown clan, was considered capable enough to imbibe Spiritual Science. Aitereya the son of Itara became the Seer of Aitereya Upanishad. Maharshi Vedvyas, the son of a fisherwoman, attained the highest slot in the Rishi tradition. The Kshatriya King Vishwamitra, attained the Brahmarshi status only after pursuing Gayatri worship. Hence by giving up deluded concepts, one should imbibe Gayatri worship and encourage / allow everyone else to follow suit.

Such too are the wrong beliefs as far as a woman having the right to chant the Gayatri Mantra is concerned. Many opine that women do not have the right to study the Vedas and hence she has no right to chant the Gayatri Mantra that has emanated from the Vedas. This is a very deluded belief. Amongst those Rishis who are said to be responsible for the manifestation of Vedic Mantras, many have been female Rishis. Over here we give a few proofs to prove our point.

In the 24 ^th chapter of Brahma Devta of Rig Ved there is a mention of female Rishis as follows

Ghosha, Godha, Vishwaraa, Apala, Upanishad, Juhoo, Aditi, Indrani, Sarna, Romasha, Urvashi, Lopa, Mudra, Yami, Shashwati, Surya, Savitri etc. were Brahma vadinis (female knowers of Brahman or God). These female Rishis were Seers (Dhrishtas) of the (10-134), (10-39), (10-40), (8-91), (10-95), (10-107), (10-109), (10-154), (10-159), (10-189), (5-28), (8-91) etc. Suktas (hymns) of Rig Ved.

We find many such evidences from which it is clear that females too performed and helped others perform Yajnas like their male counterparts. They were Masters of the Science of Yajna and Brahman (spiritual). With reference to this many women directed either their husbands or fathers in these Spiritual Sciences.

While describing Manus daughter Ida, the Taitereya Upanishad (2/1/4) has labeled her as Yajnankashini. It means One who has the power to illumine the Yajna principle according to Sayaracharya.

Ida, while advising her father Manu regarding Yajna, says I will bless your Yajna fire in such a way that you will attain animals, material comforts and heaven.

In the ancient times, females ran their households too and were immersed in meditation on God too. Both kinds of women worked well in their respective areas. Those who ran their households were called Sadyovadhu and those women who were immersed in Vedic studies, meditation on God and other spiritual practices were called Brahmavadini. No doubt the work area of Brahmavadini and Sadyovadhu are different but there was no disparity as far as their basic spiritual rights was concerned (Hareet Dharmasutra 21/20/24)

Both Brahmavadinis and Sadyovadhus were women. Amongst them, the Brahmavadinis were adorned with the sacred thread or Yajnopaveet, they were initiated into Agnihotra (fire sacrifices), they studied the Vedas and begged for alms/ food. Sadyovadhus too were ordained with the Yajnopaveet (sacred thread). This sacred thread ceremony for women was conducted during their marriage ceremony.

In the Mahabharat Nirnaya Shri Acharya Aanandteerth (Madhavacharya), while describing the scholarly nature of Pandavas wife Draupadi, writes

Great women should study the Vedas like Krishnaa (Draupadi).

Maharshi Dayanand while commenting on Rig Ved (1/1/5) writes that women while maintaining sexual continence study the Vedas upto the age of 24 years and this glorifies human civilization.

There is evidence of women becoming Brahma and Upadhyay (classes of priests) during Yajnas. In the Rig Ved, women are ordained to attain the Brahma status via their pious character.

In the Rig Ved (8/ 33/ 19) it is said O Woman! You must walk while looking down. Do not waste the energy of your eyes by looking here and there, other people etc. You must remain cautious and cultured regarding your feet. You must wear clothes in such a way that you maintain dignity of your body. If you act thus, definitely you will be capable enough to attain the post of Brahma.

Now we should analyze how exalted is the post of Brahma and which credentials help man attain this post.

In the Shatpath (1/7/4/19) it is said Because Brahma has the power to ward off all errors of Ritvijas he is the best amongst all priests.

In the Gaupath Uttarardha (1/3) it is said Only that person should be made Brahma who is the knower of God and Vedas.

So it is clear that both men and women have equal rights over Vedic studies, conducting Yajnas and chanting the Gayatri Mantra.

CHAPTER 9 - DECISION GIVEN BY MALVIYAJI

Do women have the right to chant Vedic Mantras? With reference to this question, debates have taken place amongst Pandits (Scholars) of Varanasi(India). One girl student named Kumari Kalyani wanted admission in the Vedic classes of Hindu Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi (India). But based on prevalent beliefs, the University refused to admit her. The University officials declared that according to the scriptures, women do not have the right to study / chant Vedic Mantras.

A lot of arguments for and against this decision took place via letters, magazine/ newspaper articles etc. The newsletter Sarvadeshik printed many articles saying that women too had the right to study Vedas. Opposed to this the newsletter Sidhant printed many articles which were against women having the right to study Vedic Mantras. A deputation from Arya Samaj went and met the officials of the Hindu Vishwa Vidyalaya. In entire India, there was a lot of talk on this subject.

Finally, a committee under the leadership of Shri Malviyaji was appointed in the Vishwavidyalaya to answer this question and many religious scholars too participated. The committee while making a deep study of the scriptures came to a conclusion that women too like men have an equal right to study / chant Vedic Mantras. This decision was declared on 22 ^nd August 1946 by Mahamana Madanmohan Malviyaji who is looked upon as the very life force of Sanatan Dharma. As a result, Kumari Kalyani Devi was given admission in the Veda classes of the University and with scriptural injunctions as the basis, women were henceforth not debarred from studying the Vedas. Women too were henceforth allowed to study the Vedas on an equal footing with men.

None can cast aspersions on Mahamana Malviyaji and his associates that they were opponents of Sanatan Dharma. In fact their faith in Sanatan Dharma is well-known. What can one say about the intellect of those who rake up buried skeletons regarding the right of women to chant the Gayatri Mantra even after leading personalities of India have aptly answered this question? One truly fails to understand the psyche of such hard core opponents.

Pandit Madanmohan Malviyaji was the very life force of Sanatan Dharma. His knowledge of scriptures, his scholarly nature, far-sightedness and faith in righteousness was beyond doubt. Such a great scholar, after due consultation with other wise scholars, has accepted that women have the right to study the Vedas. Hence if others doggedly refuse to pay heed to their wise counsel, then it will be well nigh difficult even himself, for Brahmaji himself to combat such doggedness.

It is very sad that such people do not recognize changing times. They do not pay heed to the decreasing numbers of the Hindu society alongwith their waning power. Instead they keep quoting 10-15 verses which are imaginary or misleading and thus persist in demeaning our country and society at large. Even today there are innumerable names of great women scholars of the past who were well-known. In the Vedas one finds the name of many female Rishis who were Seers (Dhrishta) of Vedic Mantras. Yet dogged opponents instead of paying heed to the above information insist on quoting lines written by selfish people regarding Rishis of the Middle Age and thus they poke their noses in vain in the sacred task of social reformation. Now it is the duty of social reformers to ignore such dogged individuals and instead follow the decision of the Rishi of this age viz. Pandit Malviyaji.

On the basis of facts and research it has been proved beyond doubt that women have the right to chant / study Vedic Mantras on an equal footing with men. Merely due to wrong traditional beliefs, we should not continue to follow them. Those who are true thinkers should sit in a lonely spot and ask the following questions to his inner self 1) If women truly do not have the right to chant Vedic Mantras, why do we find instances in the Vedas wherein there were women Rishis who were Seers of Vedic Mantras? 2) If they have no right to study the Vedas, why are they allowed to join in Yajnas, religious rituals like Shodash Sanskars etc? 3) During the marriage ceremony why are women asked to chant Vedic Mantras? 4) Without chanting Ved Mantras how are women allowed to carry out rituals of Sandhya and Yajnas? 5) If women do not have right to study /chant Vedic Mantras, how were women like Anasuya, Ahilya, Arundhathi, Maitreyi, Madalasa etc. scholars of Vedas? 6) Isnt it a partisan and biased attitude to stop women from studying Vedas, acting righteously and meditating on God? 7) Can the son /daughter of a woman who is labeled incapable in the realms of Spiritual Sciences, be righteous & spiritual? 8) If a wife is the better half of her husband, how can 1 half have certain rights and the other half denied those very rights?

After delving deep into the above questions, an unbiased thinkers soul will definitely accept that one is unjust if one stops women from following the path of Vedas and hence spirituality. Women like their male counterparts, should have an equal right to study Vedic Mantras. I know many such women who have devotedly meditated on Gayatri and very much like men, have risen high spiritually. In fact many a times they have attained more and faster success while worshipping Gayatri in comparison to men. Girls in attaining husbands, wives in praying for their husbands /family well-being and widows in exercising self-control have succeeded immensely.

The soul is neither a male or a female. It is in fact a spark of a sacred light of Brahman (Cosmic Soul or God). Just as a male requires the wise teaching of a preceptor to attain this soul light, so too women require a torch bearer to show the way. The point to be made is that in the realm of spiritual practices there is no difference like male/ female. A spiritual aspirant is the soul (Atman). Hence he/ she should not look upon themselves as male/female. In the realm of spiritual practices all souls are equal. One cannot label any individual incapable just due to a difference based on sexual identity.

After intense research, thought and reflection I strongly believe that women have an equal right just like men, to worship Gayatri. Just like men, women too have the right to climb on to the lap of Mother Gayatri, catch hold of her breast and suckle nectar from it. They should meditate on Gayatri joyfully by renouncing all misgivings. Thus these women will cut asunder all painful bondages to the illusory material world. They will come out of the vicious cycle of birth/death and will attain Supreme heavenly peace. Alongwith this due to their pious activities they will augment health, good fate, prosperity and peace of their family members. All women who devotedly worship Gayatri become Devis (goddesses). Because their divine character gets illuminated, they attain that respect everywhere, which is their god given birthright.

On the worldwide scale infinite men & women of all walks of life, belonging to the Gayatri Parivar and Yuga Nirman Parivar, have aptly worhsipped Gayatri and have thus attained immense benefit. In fact this worship is a blessing for all mankind. Thus instead of falling prey to any deluded concepts one should follow the path of Gayatri worship& encourage others to do so too so as to gain all round benefit.

CHAPTER 10 - THE GOAL OF GAYATRI WORSHIP

Due to new thoughts the old ones change. If someone is understanding some aspect in a wrong manner, his error can be warded off by showing him right thinking via logic, proof and examples. If such a person is not extremely vile behaved, indolent, incited or arrogant, it is relatively easy to help him discard wrong thinking. Ordinarily when one realizes the truth, false beliefs disappear from ones thinking. Of course it is an entirely different story if someone persists in clinging to wrong beliefs due to selfish gains or maintaining ones false image. Yet in the arena of beliefs and faith, ones thoughts definitely get transformed. It is not very difficult to destroy ignorance with the aid of true wisdom.

On the other hand as far as nature, inclinations, desires, sentiments and character are concerned, they cannot be ordinarily changed. Wherever it sticks it does not move easily. Because man gets a human body, after straying in bodies of innumerable species like animals, birds, bacteria etc. his psyche has intense imprints that are animalistic in nature. His psyche overflows with various thought waves. No doubt changes do take place in these thoughts yet there is no major influence on it. When man hears sacred discourses, when he reads elevating literature and when he seriously studies the nature of the soul, he easily understands what is good or detrimental for him. He deeply realizes his errors, bad habits and weaknesses. On the intellectual front, he thinks and desires that these errors be destroyed. Many a times he criticizes himself. Yet he cannot separate himself from his vile activities gathered from past innumerable births alongwith his bad habits.

After reading the above lines one should not wrongly conclude that contemplation goes in vain and that it does not aid in overcoming vile psychic imprints. Instead we are trying to say that good wishes of an ordinary will power takes a relatively longer time to purify ones psyche. Its speed is very slow and many a times it encounters despair and hopelessness. And yet if good wishes are imbibed continuously, definitely after a certain length of time one overcomes vile psychic imprints. The teachers of Spiritual Science never wish that such a desirable activity is allowed to languish for a long time span. Here all of them via intense seriousness, subtle hindsight and mental focus have clearly analysed the animalistic imprints in mans psyche. These great teachers have concluded that deeper than the level of the surface of the mind, where there are thought vibrations, lies the sub-conscious mind where the psychic imprints are deeply embedded in an intense manner.

Just as when you start digging a well, layers of different varieties of mud emerge forth, in the same way the human psyche has many layers and their function, characteristic and area varies. The upper 2 layers are 1) mind and 2) intellect. The mind abounds in desires, aspirations, wishes etc. The function of the intellect is to contemplate, find solutions and come to an apt decision. Both these layers are in close contact with mankind and is demarcated as the gross mind. Based on understanding and change of circumstances, it is easy to change the gross mind.

Deeper than this gross mind is the layer of the subtle mind. Its 2 major areas are 1) psyche and 2) ego. The psyche is made up of imprints, habits, likes, character, qualities etc. Ego means the sense of limited I and hence also means opinion about oneself. If a person thinks himself to be rich/poor, Brahmin/ Shudra, pure hearted /sinner, good fortuned / ill fated, man/ woman, foolish /wise, lowly /great, living being/ God, bound/ free etc. then he has that type of an Ego. Means to limit the cosmic soul to ones limited body of name and form called I. There are many classes and sub-classes of the mind, intellect, psyche and ego. Its characteristic and area of activities too is varied and will not be described by us in this chapter. Over here a brief description had to be given because it will be useful for the readers of this book to overcome vile psychic imprints.

Just as the mind and intellect constitute a pair, so does the psyche and ego form a pair. Various hopes and desires dwell in the mind but it is the intellect that decides which desire should be pursued and which one should be suppressed. The intellect is well aware of this and hence keeping in mind culture, social ethics, social norms, righteousness, duty etc. it suppresses lowly desires. The intellect pursues only those desires that result in activities that are pure in nature. In this manner both the mind and intellect work in tandem in our brain.

In the subtle mind it is the pair of the ego and psyche that function in tandem. Depending on what class and level, a living being believes himself/ herself to be, accordingly that class and level of past imprints get activated and nourished in the psyche. When a person believes himself to be a drunkard, sinner, butcher, a member of the downtrodden class of society, his ego forces the psyche to abound with those very type of desires. All the qualities, actions, nature etc. of these type of people get rooted in their psyche. If their ego renounces the attitude of I am a drunkard or I am a sinner and instead works for world welfare with the characteristics of a true saint, very soon his past habits, desires, hopes get transformed and can become just what he hopes to become.

Apart from intense spiritual practices there is no other way to contact our limited/ illusory ego. The aim of spiritual practise is to contact the ego by rendering the mind and intellect in a state of quietitude, unconsciousness and sleep-like. It directly influences the ego. The belief I am the substratum of Brahman energy, Gayatri the manifestation of divinity is pervading every pore of my being, I am becoming Brahman (God) by imbibing it in the greatest measure, helps our limited ego go beyond animalistic tendencies and enter realms of divinity. Beliefs are not something ordinary. The Bhagwad Geeta says if one thinks (has faith) that he is some particular thing, he becomes that thing. Gayatri worship helps spiritual aspirants imbibe a divine ego. His thought vibrations are of the level of his self-belief. One will obviously see those very types of habits, desires, inclinations, activities etc. in him. Definitely one will perceive those very desires, habits and activities in a person who abounds with divinity. This spiritual practise transforms mans psyche. That spiritual discourse heard by an individual alongwith reading spiritual literature which did not give much success, can be easily be attained via spiritual practices. This is the prime secret of spiritual practices.

Most definitely it is the Super Mental area of our psyche which is apt for Divine Powers to manifest. An airplane lands only on an aerodrame. Hence Divine Powers of God manifest only in the Super-Mental area of the psyche of living beings. If via spiritual practices it is not sanctified, these very subtle Divine Powers cannot manifest over there. Hence spiritual practices, (Sadhana) converts the high Super Mental area into an apt aerodrome where Divine Powers manifest.

CHAPTER 11 - AVAILING DIVINE BENEFITS VIA AUGMENTING SATTVA GUNA THROUGH GAYATRI

Gayatri Mantra chanting helps one attain a divine intellect. It inspires the mind, psyche, brain and thinking to walk on the path of absolute truth. Its main goal is to augment the principle of absolute truth. When a spiritual aspirant cogitates upon the meaning of this great Mantra, he realizes that the greatest wealth of this material world and lifes supreme success lies in attaining a sacred intellect. When this belief becomes firm, the will-power of such a person is lured into attaining this principle. This heartfelt desire creates a kind of magnetic pull in his mind. Because of the pull of this magnetic effect all the Sattvic thought waves that move in the ether of inter-stellar space alongwith other Sattvic inspirations, converge in his mind. Everyone is well aware of the Science of Magnetic Force. A particular class of thoughts attracts thoughts of the same caliber that move in space. As a result the imperishable sacred resolves (Sankalpas) of great saints of the past and those that are yet in our midst gather with great force like divine blessings in the pure psyche of a Gayatri devotee and this later becomes a storehouse of divine wealth.

Because the divine principle augments in the body, a great change is noted in bodily behaviour. The sense organs stop straying towards their respective sense objects. Undesirable activities like attraction for tasty food, desire to eat food again and again, eating more food than necessary, not giving thought to what should be eaten and what should be avoided, dislike for Sattvic food, and desire for pungent, salty, extremely sweet/ sour food, come to a standstill. Instead now he is satiated with light, easily digestible and Sattvic food and never yearns for Rajasik and Tamasik food. Due to holy thinking (Sattvik) the passion of sexual organs is overcome. Now the mind rarely runs after base desires, vile activities, sexual misbehaviour etc. and it is more steadfast in maintaining sexual continence (Brahmacharya). As a result he follows the path of protection of sperm. Amongst all the 5 sense organs, those of taste and sexual passion are the leaders. If one masters these 2 leading sense organs, it leads to good health and a long life span. Alongwith this ones daily activities like hard work, bathing, sleeping, resting, waking up, cleanliness, simplicity etc. take a pure turn and it helps in maintaining good health for a long life span.

At the mental level due to a rise in Sattva (purity) mental taints like sexual passion, anger, avarice, delusion, attachment, arrogance, envy, selfishness, lethargy, addictions, sexual misbehaviour, shyness, falsehood, vanity, worry, fear, sorrow, ruthlessness etc. come to a grinding halt. This further leads to sense control, adhering to vows, renunciation, equanimity, egolessness, simplicity, innocence, faith in truth, fearlessness, carefree behaviour, hard work, valour, sense of right and wrong, daring, patience, compassion, sacred love, service, generosity, righteous dutifulness, faith and other sacred qualities. The result of the sacred transformation of the mind is that one encounters sorrow in ones life on a daily basis in a very natural, serene manner. Due to sense control and disciplined living, ones bodily diseases diminish drastically. As soon as discrimination manifests, anguish based on spiritual ignorance like worry, sorrow, fear, doubt, attachment, delusion etc. is warded off. Due to faith in God the intellect becomes equanimous and all ones future worries are overcome. Because of righteous activity sins, injustice and vile behaviour are warded off. As a result one never faces pain in the form of social, self and divine punishment. Because of sacred qualities like service to the world, politeness, generosity, honesty, world welfare etc. others in society benefit greatly and there is no cause of any destruction. As a result people become grateful, praiseworthy, cooperative, devotees and benefactors. Due to mutual good-will, one avails of true love and contentment that satiates the soul and thus our lives become blissful. In this manner because pure elements augment in our bodily and mental arena, the fountain of bliss overflows. Thus a Gayatri devotee by immersing himself/ herself in this bliss, attains self contentment and supreme joy.

Because our soul is a part and parcel of God, it hides all those characteristics within its fold in seed form which are found in God. These sacred powers are in a latent state and are suppressed because of the veil of mental agitation, desire for sense objects and vile characteristics. People believe that they are weak and demeaned but that spiritual aspirant who after destroying the veil of mental distortions gets the vision of the light of his soul, understands in turn that the omnipotent divine light of God is present in their soul and thus are true descendants of God. If the veil of ash is removed from a burning fire, flames blaze forth. That flame despite being small, has the potential to light up a blazing inferno. As soon as this veil is torn asunder a lowly human being becomes a great soul (Mahan + Atma = Mahatma). Because in our soul lies hidden all types of knowledge, intellect and ordinary, extraordinary, amazing, wondrous storehouses of power, they get opened and are seen as Siddha Yogis (realized saints). In order to attain Divine Powers (Sidhis) one does not have to get anything from outside. There is no requirement of the blessing of some demi-god or ghost. The only requirement is that the layers of veils of various taints on our psyche be removed. The Sun of the Sattvik worship of Gayatri, removes the veil of Tamasik darkness and thus the natural divine form of our soul manifests. This sacred form of the soul abounds in Ridhi-Sidhis (Divine Powers).

The rise in Sattva due to Gayatri worship is the mother of infinite types of material and spiritual wealth. The sacred nature of the body and mind makes our worldly life joyous/ peaceful from many viewpoints. Because discrimination and soul force augment in our soul, many trying situations which are like gigantic walls for the laymen become very light like a blade of grass, for a person who has realized his soul. None of his tasks remains unfulfilled. As per his wish, circumstances change or based on circumstances, he changes his desire. The cause of pain is the clash between desires and circumstances. A man of discrimination, after imbibing any one of them, overcomes agitation and thus lives a life of bliss. For him heavenly joys abound on planet Earth.

In reality the basis of joy and bliss is independent of external materials. In fact it has a direct relationship with the state of our mind. That person who previously remained dissatisfied even after eating tasty food and sleeping on silken beds will henceforth look upon the jungle land as an exquisite bed and forest roots/ fruits as delicious food, if he takes up the vow of renunciation and self-control, after listening to the holy discourse of great saints. All this transformation accrues due to the change in ones mental state and thought flow. Gayatri is the Goddess of the intellect and we always pray for a sacred intellect from her. Hence if as a result of Gayatri worship, our thought flow gets exalted and if after understanding the reality of human life, we experience bliss in our present circumstances itself, there is nothing that is impossible to attain.

CHAPTER 12 - A SPIRITUAL PRACTISE THAT DEFINITELY REAPS RICH DIVIDEND

Whether Gayatri is worshipped selflessly or with desires in our minds, we definitely get corresponding results. Whether you eat food desirelessly or with desires in your mind, our hunger is definitely appeased and blood circulation too augments. In scriptures like the Bhagwad Geeta, emphasis has been laid on selflessness/ desirelessness because despite executing pious actions it is not very definite that we will surely get the results that we desire. Many a times it is seen that despite acting very alertly and cautiously, we fail to achieve our goal. In order that a spiritual aspirant does not become angry and furious while facing failure, the scriptures have laid emphasis on desireless/ selfless actions.

This does not mean that the hard work of spiritual practices goes in vain or that the spiritual practise itself is surrounded with doubts. There is no basis due to which one should doubt its authenticity and trustworthiness. Not one moment utilized in this direction is futile. Till today whosoever has walked in this direction has definitely reaped rich fruits for his perseverance. There is only one problem and that is there is no guarantee that forever one attains only that which one strongly desires.

The reason being that it is difficult to wipe out that destiny which is the result of our past actions. Sometimes this destiny is ordinary and with effort it can be changed. Sometimes this destiny is so intense that it is difficult or virtually impossible to by-pass it. The greatest of great men have had to face bondage and hardships of such dire destiny.

Over here a doubt may arise that if destiny is so powerful, why make any effort? People with such doubts should realize that not all actions of our lives are destiny oriented. It is only certain dire destinies that cannot be wiped out. Major part of our life is such that encounters immediate fruits of our actions.

On the one hand where desire oriented Gayatri worship majority of the times gives success, over there sometimes one encounters failure too. Either our efforts go in vain or that results are opposed to our expectations. Hence in such rare cases one should realize that it was the result of a very dire destiny.

Even if our desires are not satisfied, Gayatri worship never goes waste because you get other types of benefits. It is like a young man who exercises daily and eats healthy food to toughen up his body so as to defeat another youth in a wrestling bout. Maybe after intense effort, he is unable to defeat this youth in wrestling, yet never wrongly surmise that his effort of body building has gone in vain. He definitely benefits in the form of a tough body, radiant face, flexibility of hands/ feet etc., strong lungs, increase in valour, good health, long life, hard work, strong children etc. No doubt he lost his wrestling bout yet he attained benefits of good bodily health etc. In the same way even if a Gayatri devotee fails in attaining the results of his desire, yet he gets such other benefits which cannot be attained without spiritual practices like Gayatri worship etc.

Over here keep one thing in mind that a mother might give sweets to one of her children and take another child to the hospital for a painful operation. One cannot conclude that the mother is partial, heartless etc. because if you study her actions deeply, you will understand that she has equal love for both her children. If one child thinks that its mother is unjust and partial, then according to the mother this is direct proof of her love for that child. Our failures, hardships and anguish are nothing but blessings in disguise. By giving us a little pain our mother is warding off other very harsh situations. Her vision is very wide, her heart is full of wisdom, because therein lies our well-being. By giving us sorrow, poverty, diseases, dangers, agitations, insults, pain, separation etc. she is blessing us immensely. By forcing us to drink this bitter medicine she is warding off our inner agitations and thus makes us healthy. Thus if a Gayatri devotee faces such bitter & painful situations, he/s he should never despair because that child who sleeps in his mothers lap never loses anything. A devotee who performs desireless spiritual practices attains much more than the one performing desire oriented penances. A mother is fully aware of our intentions and knows which child should be given what things. She will give only these things to her child if she thinks it will benefit him.

It is best that we perform desireless spiritual practices and silently watch how every moment of our life, this primordial Gayatri Energy is helping us. Whoever has taken Mother Gayatris shelter with deep faith, experiences the shade of divinity on his head and will never lack in all that he requires to lead a happy life. It is a known fact that a person who worships Gayatri, never experiences failure.

CHAPTER 13 - THERE IS NO FEAR OF A DOWNFALL BECAUSE OF THESE SPIRITUAL PRACTISES

There exists a special method as far as the spiritual practise of Mantras is concerned. The rituals, mode of worship and Purashcharan of Mantras should be conducted according to scriptural injunctions. Generally if rituals are not carried out according to scriptural injunctions, it induces dire circumstances in the spiritual aspirants life and instead of accruing benefits, one faces downfall.

Like other Vedic Mantras, Gayatri Mantra too should be chanted with proper Svaras (Tones). If spiritual practices are carried out by following scriptural injunctions, it gives quicker results of the best type. Despite all this, is a special quality of Mother Gayatri is that if some error takes place, it does not lead to ones downfall. Just as a compassionate, generous and wise mother always thinks of the well-being of her child, in the same way Gayatri worship always bestows grace on its devotees. A child may err towards its mother, sometimes it may show disrespect to its mother and at times misbehave seriously, yet the mother never gets angry with the child and never allows any downfall to occur in her beloved childs life. Thus if a lay mother can harbour so much compassion and love towards her child, one can expect much more from Vedmata Gayatri who is the Divine Mother of the cosmos. She is easily influenced by her childs (devotees) faith in her. Her heart overflows with divine love when the devotee devotedly worships her. The nectar of affection abounds in her bosom and hence our errors while worshipping Gayatri, are deleted.

Lord Shri Krishna in the Bhagwad Geeta has promised us that Sattvik spiritual worship like that of Gayatri never fails

A pious action never fails. If a person falls down he rises again and succeeds in his pious endeavor. The fruits are never opposite. It never happens that an action performed with a pious goal in mind becomes null and void and that one does not get good results. Even a little bit of righteous action, absolves us of great fear.

Gayatri worship is an example of such pious activity. If it is commenced even once, our mental thought gets attracted to it. Even if midway one skips it due to some unavoidable reason, a spiritual aspirant is inspired from within to continue with it in future. When you eat a tasty food item then your mind naturally runs after it. Similar is the case with the nectarine, tasty, spiritual meal. Our souls after tasting even one morsel of it, hankers for more and more. If there is an error in Gayatri worship, one does not get undesirable results. One never faces agitations, dire circumstances etc. The result of error could be that we get lesser fruits than what we had desired or the extreme result could be a failure. If Gayatri worship is carried out even infinitesimally, it gives great results. Because of these results those fears are overcome which would be difficult to ward off by other methods.

The 12 ^th CANTO of Shrimad Bhagwat has given clarification regarding this topic when Naradaji questioned Shri Krishna. Naradaji requested Lord Krishna to show him an easy path to worship the Divine Mother so as to attain Her blessings quickly. Because when one worships any demi-god, one has to observe rules of behaviour, mode of worship, vows of penance etc. and this is difficult to adhere to by the layman. The Lord while answering Naradji said, It is mans choice whether he wants to execute difficult worship rites but if he worships Gayatri devotedly, his life becomes exalted. O Naradji! If a person performs Sandhya (Gayatri) worship and chants the Gayatri Mantra 3,000 times daily, he is worshipped by demi-gods too. Before chanting a Mantra we perform Nyasa (pledge, vow) because according to scriptural scholars one should worship demi-gods, after attaining characteristics of demi-gods. But if due to some problem we cannot perform Nyasa and instead innocently meditate on Gayatri while chanting the Gayatri Mantra, this is very much apt. Even if one letter of the Gayatri Mantra is realized, a great Brahmin can compete with the likes of Vishnu, Shankar, Brahma, Surya, Chandra, Agni etc. That person who regularly chants the Gayatri Mantra attains all Divine Powers due to its grace and there is certainly no doubt about it. From this message it is clear that in this era, the sacred and desireless spiritual practise of Gayatri worship is supreme. Definitely our soul advances a great deal.

While cogitating over all this if a spiritual aspirant himself cannot perform Gayatri worship due to some unavoidable conditions, they can inspire other capable aspirants to do so on the basis of straightforward rules. This method too is very influential and beneficial. In order to search for such pious natured people and qualified performer of rituals, one can take help of Akhand Jyoti (Gayatri Parivar ---www.awpg.org) organisation.

CHAPTER 14 - THE LIMITS OF WORSHIP

There are certain specific tasks which are the righteous duties of all mankind. The aim of such daily duties are 1) imbibing required principles 2) renunciation of undesirable elements. The body regularly requires new materials. Every moveable object searches for energy to stabilize its movement. If it does not get this energy, it is the end of these materials. The train needs coal/ water, the car needs petrol, the telegram needs battery, engines need oil, and cinema needs light. The life span of plants is dependent on fertile soil, water etc. Animals, birds and all living beings manifest hunger. They prolong their life by taking food, water etc. If they fail to get food, they can no longer remain alive. A movable object may be live or inert, yet in order to continue to move about, food is a must.

In the same way, same sort of muck collects in the bodies of movable object and there is a need to clean it quickly. A lot of ash in trains and slipperiness of oil in machines gathers in big amounts. The body too gathers a lot of faeces and other dirt which comes out from the arms, nose, ears, eyes, skin etc. If this dirt is not cleansed, so much poison gets collected in the body that in a few days, our very life gets endangered. If the house is not cleared with a broom, if clothes are not washed, if vessels are not washed, if the body is not bathed, in one day itself a lot of dirt gathers in large amounts and thus distortions are noted.

In soul worship both the activities of food procurement and emission of dirt takes place simultaneously. Self sentiment which is the mode of making our thought flow more powerful, conscious, and active is called spiritual practise (Sadhana). This spiritual practise cleanses also our distortions, dirt and poison, which due to material objects and agitations, always collects in our psyche. It is a must that we bathe and pass stools twice a day on a daily basis. The soul too requires cleansing daily and this is called Sandhya (Gayatri worship). Because the soul is more important than the body, Trikal Sandhya (Gayatri) is described in our scriptures. If you cannot do Sandhya 3 times, do it at least twice a day. Those who do not care for this much should at least do Sandhya once after realizing that it is our righteous, religious duty. If you fail to do this, the dirt of sins gathers in our mind and thus the hungry soul becomes weak. Hence in order to overcome sins, one should give a prime spot to Gayatri Sandhya worship in ones daily routine.

A very important fact about worship is that it is not enough that we just execute rites/ rituals. Instead emphasis should be laid on divine sentiments. It is just not enough to dabble a bit in rites, rituals and a bit of dry Mantra chanting. Generally people do only this much and then mistakenly feel that their worship is over. No doubt rituals are important but mere rituals cannot lead you to your goal. One can advance spiritually, only if one associates deep divine sentiments with rituals.

There should be deep trust as far as faith (Shradha) is concerned. It is not enough to superficially execute worship rites, rituals etc. Alongwith bodily actions there should be sacred sentiments too in our heart. Only on this basis can worship instill vitality in us.

While chanting Mantras, worshipping God, prostrating, offering worship rites, eulogizing God, meditating etc. one should experience within, that our beloved God is our very own beloved relative, friend etc. Amongst all these the bond with ones mother is supreme, straightforward and deeply emotional. In Gayatri worship the Goddess is looked upon as a beloved these dualities because she is totally Mother. The love of a child towards its mother is very natural, innocent and taintless. Whether it is man, animals, birds, butterflies etc. all love their children. In fact a mother has more love than anyone else. In other species it is the mother who rears and nourishes her children. In other relationships the basis of love is good/bad qualities and gain/ loss but a mothers love is beyond selfless and full of sacrifice. If we look upon God as our Mother and in the same way if God looks upon us as His children, this sentimental give and take will take up a prime spot in our lives. After re-instating this Mother-image, since we look upon God as our mother, we will definitely progress on the path of worship. For this divine sentimental give and take, this sort of re-instating of a Mother image is very much required.

Over and above this the second re-instating in our experience should be that our divine icon pervades every action of the cosmos and that he is always just. He is in every name, form and particle of the world. It is Gods Power that pervades every pore of our skin and is present both within and without. There is not an iota of space where God is not present. It is Gods light that illumines every inert / conscious matter and the atmosphere which is both nearby and faraway. We can see him everywhere and God too can see us via His innumerable eyes. We can never hide even one action, one thought or any fear from the penetrative eyes of God.

If the above experience manifests in the psyche of a devotee, there is no difficulty in experiencing the bliss of the Lords close proximity. At such times only the sentiment of divine love abounds. The more this divine principle merges in our Mantra chanting/ meditation, the more our bliss will augment. The close proximity of God always gives us bliss. If we make God our Beloved One, if God is made our Mother, Preceptor etc. then definitely the experience of his close presence will give us bliss and our minds will merge into him. It is the nature of the mind that it yearns to remain close to its beloved one, its desired object and loving imagination. The mind runs towards all the abovementioned objects. If we make God our Beloved One, the mind will stop running away hither and thither and instead, whenever we sit down to meditate, the mind will immerse in divinity. The mind will now yearn that it gets more and more of divine bliss. Henceforth there is no question of the mind complaining that it cannot concentrate its thoughts on God. Now the problems of mastering the mind and concentrating it on God will be overcome. When we make God our Beloved One, we will experience that bliss which is very much like experiencing joy on seeing our beloved kith and kin. Apart from this there is no method to master and concentrate the mind.

CHAPTER 15 - THE 2 PRIME BASIS OF SOUL ADVANCEMENT

While commencing the Ramcharit Manas, Goswami Tuslidas has offered humble obeisances to Bhavani and Shankar. While clarifying who exactly are Bhavani/ Shankar he says Bhavani is faith and Shankar is trust. This is absolutely true. All the power of Bhavani and Shankar rests in faith and trust. The basis of Spiritual Science too is this. The 5 elements (earth, water, fire, wind, space) are the basis of the visible, material world. All the visible inert materials like mud, water etc. are creations of name and form. In the same way the substratum of the spiritual world is faith and trust. If the principle of this basis diminishes, we can never benefit in any manner.

Just as the 5 great elements are the definite substratum of the material world and just as a permutation combination of these 5 elements goes to create, propagate and then destroy the material world, in the same way divine sentiments abound with faith and trust as its substratum. It is these sentiments and beliefs that induce creativity in the world of consciousness. By themselves faith and trust are the important source of energy of this world. It is on this basis that we have the capacity to relate to energy and material objects. Hope and enthusiasm is dependent on it. Creative inspiration produces all these. It is on this basis that the future is created. If both the principles are taken away from the conscious arena, life will no longer remain as life.

The mental imagination of a ghost based on faith results in death-like bad circumstances. People deluded by fear and apprehension lose whatever little good health they possess. On the basis of self-faith and will-power miraculous results are attained. All this is a play of faith only. It is a big chain of good results of spiritual practices. Many spiritual aspirants attain innumerous types of good results on the basis of spiritual practices. But the root cause is their intense faith. The spiritual aspirant by experimenting in his own name and form, attains another shadow form similar to himself/ herself. This demi-god in the form of a human being executes many gigantic tasks.

This creation is a result of our faith. Innumerable demi-gods are created due to it. It is an altogether different question as to which Divine Power is present in our psyche, in what measure and where. Over here we are trying to say that our faith with its own power, creates an independent demi-god according to our belief, imagination of form, liking and reasoning. This demi-gods power is directly proportional to the amount of faith we harbour in our psyche. That demi-god who takes form due to weak faith is present only in appearance and cannot execute gigantic tasks. They cannot help us much. But the more the faith is potent, greater the enterprise of the demi-god which is its creation.

Only with the weapons of faith and trust should we enter the portals of spirituality. The more one has faith that, God definitely exists. He is all powerful can one come in close proximity with God and attain his sacred light. Thus we will succeed in our spiritual endeavour (Sadhana). Before answering the question How much of Gods grace can be attained with chanting of how many Mantras and in how many days? one should know how intense is the faith of that devotee. If we perform spiritual practices with a very weak faith in God and with a hopeless heart, the results too will be hopeless. One can attain very little benefit after many days of spiritual endeavour. Water heated in a candle flame takes a very long time to become hot. But if the fire is blazing, very quickly water starts boiling. By merely carrying out superficial rituals, one cannot get desired results. There is a dire need of intense faith alongwith the rituals. The more intense this faith manifests, greater and quicker are the results.

For regular worship there is a need to establish a special place for carrying out these rites. There should be a special place in the house which has solitude and is devoid of chaos. In such a place, one should place a framed photograph of God which is decorated with a bright yellow coloured cloth. Gayatri worship is considered to be the best of all worships. Hence its re-instation should be given prime importance. If someone is devoted to another demi-god too, he can place a framed photograph of that demi-god besides that of Gayatri. In our scriptures it is said that without Gayatri all other worship rites fail. Even if you yearn to worship other demi-gods, you must place the photograph of Gayatri by its side, if you wish to succeed in your endeavour.

Of course it would be ideal if you worship only the image of Gayatri. Thus you will easily focus your mind on it. But if you wish to place the photograph of other demi-gods then the latters number should be as less, as possible. If the number of demi-gods images is more, your mind too gets scattered because your faith in many demi-gods is divided. Hence if it is possible place only the image of Gayatri in your worship area and at the most, add the image of only one more demi-god.

Near your worship area, place articles of worship like incense sticks, Panch Patra, spoon, Dhoop, Arti, a plate to collect water while bathing the image, sandalwood, Rolee, rice, flame lamp, food for God, clarified butter, match sticks etc. Place a seat (Asan) of grass. Instead of this you can use a mat too. As per ones requirement the seat could be big and fluffy. The rosary should be of sandalwood or Tulsi. One should not use rosaries of conch, shells, Moonga which are made from dead creatures. In the same way the seat (Asan) should not be of dead animals like tiger, deer skin etc. In ancient times saints living in forests did make use of skins of animals who had died a natural death. But today people kill animals prematurely and sell their skins. And thus such animal skins diminish the sacred nature of our worship.

Regular worship should be performed at regular times, in definite measures and at a prescribed place. Due to this regularity that place imbibes sacred vibrations and thus the mind too becomes sacred. Just as at the appointed hour, certain people yearn to smoke a cigarette, similarly ones mind too should yearn to worship God. If at a particular place our minds are blissful, one gets good sleep too over there. Generally one cannot get good sleep in a new place. In the same way one can meditate well only in an appropriate place. Physical exercises give good results only if we regularly exercise for a fixed time period at a fixed time. One cannot get benefits if one exercises sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the evening, sometimes for 1 hour and at other times only for 5 minutes.

In the same way if we partake medicines without paying attention to the dose and dos and donts, one cannot regain good health. The same holds true for irregularity in worship of God. As far as possible one should be regular while worshipping God. Of course the story is very much different if we talk of devotees who are policemen, railway workers, who travel regularly. For there is no choice but to worship God as and when they get time. Something is better than nothing. But those who can maintain regularity should definitely do so. Only when there is a problem, can one worship as and when they get the time.

CHAPTER 16 - AN ALL-ROUND EASY METHOD TO WORSHIP GOD

One gets all-round benefit by latching on to the lap of Vedmata. Understanding thus every devotee should seek protection of Mother Gayatri. To say that you do not have time to meditate on Gayatri is akin to self-deceit. Every human being gets 24 hours in a day. Hence it is advisable to utilize these hours for fruitful endeavours. One can find enough time by laying emphasis on important tasks and ignoring unmeaningful endeavours. Even if you make use of the time that you generally pass in indolence /lethargy, you will get enough time to worship Gayatri.

In order to imbibe an all-round method of worship, a spiritual aspirant needs about 45 minutes to do so. Out of that, 30 minutes should be devoted to Mantra chanting and meditation and the remaining minutes to perform various rituals of Gayatri worship. Of course in the very initial stages, one can utilize totally 10 minutes in which 6 minutes can be utilized for Mantra chanting and the remaining 4 minutes for rituals.

It is the most required that before starting Gayatri Meditation one should bathe and wear clean clothes. This will augment mental purity. The psyche abounds with pious vibrations. Bang opposite to this, if one is lethargic and dirty, the mind will not get good concentration and thus one strays from true Gayatri worship. One becomes sleepy. One gets exhausted and does not like to meditate on Gayatri. If the worship dais and other peripherals are dirty, the mind does not feel like sitting for Mantra chanting and gets tired very easily. Thus importance should be given to keeping physical purity and sanctity of worship area. Just in case there is shortage of water or that there is some difficulty in bathing, only then can one sit for worship after at least cleaning the hands and face. But ordinarily cleanliness should be given prime importance. Only if one is traveling or there are some unavoidable obstacles can one relax the abovementioned rules.

On the worship dais, a yellow cloth should be spread out and on it you should place the framed photo of Mother Gayatri and the Gayatri Mantra. In one corner (on the front side) a covered tumbler (Kalash) of clean water should be placed and in the opposite corner, an incense stick should be lit. If clarified butter (pure Ghee) is available, use it to light a flame lamp, else make do with an incense stick.

The Asan (seat) should be of dried grass. Else a mat will do. You may use cotton or woolen mats only if you wash it regularly. Nowadays we get animal skins only after selfishly killing them and hence do not use tiger-deer-skins. In the worship area there should be clean flow of pure air. If there is an eating, sleeping room in which you choose your worship area, it will agitate your mind. As far as possible use only a place of solitude. It is good even if you choose an open balcony or the terrace.

In Indian religion one finds the mention of Trikal Sandhya rites. The Trikal Sandhya (3 times) correspond to dawn or sunrise, dusk or sunset and 12 noon. One can adjust this worship time a little bit if the need arises. Those who have the time should worship Gayatri 3 times daily. Else worship Gayatri at least twice daily i.e. in the morning and evening. Even very busy people should worship Gayatri at least once a day. One should try and worship Gayatri for 1/2 hour to 1 hour daily. There is no doubt that by doing so one will get immense benefits both materially and spiritually. Soul advancement manifests due to Gayatri worship, as a result there is all-round progress, which in turn gives all-round glories-this cycle is such that whatever time utilized in worship gives you only benefits of all kinds.

While worshipping God, one should constantly experience His presence in ones vicinity and a great deal of divine give and take should take place between God and his devotee. A devotee is surrendering his entire personality at the Lords feet and the Lord in turn blesses his devotee by making him divine.

If it is not possible to worship Gayatri due to bad health or because one is traveling, all tasks like soul purity, worship of God, chanting of Mantra, meditation etc. can be carried out mentally (Manasik Pooja). Thus instead of avoiding worship totally, it is best to mentally carry out all worship rites. Thus one should try and continuously execute all worship rites.

The daily worship schedule is as follows 1) Brahma Sandhya 2) Pooja 3) Japa and Dhyan 4) Prarthana 5) Suryarghyadan. After sitting down, in order to make the body and mind pure, in order to purify the 5 elements that constitute our body, one performs Brahma-Sandhya. In Sandhya one performs 6 rituals

1) Pavitreekaran 2) Aachman 3) Shikha Bandhan 4) Pranayam 5) Nyas and 6)Prithvi Poojan. Its method is very simple.

1) Pavitree Karan

By taking water in the left palm, one chants the Gayatri Mantra and then sprinkle this water on ones head and entire body.

2) Aachman

In your right palm, take water from the tumbler and sip it 3 times (This is called Aachman). Before every sip, chant the Gayatri Mantra 5 times. The palm should not touch your face. If by mistake this happens, wash your face.

3) Shikha Bandhan

After Aachman, make your pigtail (Shikha) wet and tie it into a knot in such a way that it does not re-open. This knot is called Aadhi Gaanth( half knot). While making the knot, keep chanting the Gayatri Mantra. Shikha Bandhan rite is performed so as to activate the subtle energy of the Sahasradal (1000-petalled) Chakra (plexus) on the scalp. Those women/ men who do not have hair in that area should just wet that area with water.

4) Pranayam

It should be carried out as follows.

a) With a serene mind, sit down with the spine absolutely straight, shut the mouth and either shut your eyes or keep them half-shut. Now start breathing in air slowly via the nostrils and mentally chant the Gayatri Mantra Om Bhur Bhuvasya. Mentally reflect that I am inhaling via many nostrils, the conscious vital force of Brahman (God) which is bliss manifest and destroys all our sorrow. With this sentiment alongwith mental chanting of the Gayatri Mantra slowly inhale twice and thus fill up as much air as possible within your body.

b) Now hold your breath and say Tat Savitu Varenyam. Mentally imagine that the breath held within is the best. Its brilliance akin to that of the sun is pervading every pore of my being. Now hold the breath for half the time span than you had held previously alongwith this sentiment.

c) Now via the nostrils exhale slowly the breath you had held within and chant Bhargo Devasya Dheemahee. Mentally reflect that this breath which has destroyed all my sins is departing from my body. The time taken to exhale should be approximately the same time taken to inhale.

d) When the internal air is exhaled, hold the breath externally for the same time as you had held it within. Meaning stop inhaling and exhaling and chant Dheeyo Yonah Prachodayat. Mentally reflect that Vedic Mother Goddess Gayatri is awakening my sacred intellect.

The above actions from a) to d) should be performed 3 times so that the sins of the body, speech and mind are destroyed.

5) Nyasa

Nyasa means to imbibe. It involves imbibing, filling, establishing and pervading each pore of our body with the Sattvik (sacred) energy of Gayatri. Fill your left palm with water while simultaneously chanting the Gayatri Mantra. Every time with fingers joined together, dip them in the tumbler of water and touch all parts of the body. While doing so, mentally reflect that all these parts are being made potent and pure due to Gayatri Energy. According to what is written in the following lines, chant the Mantra. And alongwith this, first touch all the bodily parts on the left and then on the right side.

1. Om Bhur Bhuvaha Svaha (head)

2. Tatsavitur (eyes)

3. Varenyam (ears)

4. Bhargo (face)

5. Devasya (throat)

6. Dheemahee (heart)

7. Deehyo Yonah (navel)

8. Prachodayat (hands and legs)

9. The rest of the water should be sprinkled on the entire body while chanting the Gayatri Mantra.

6) Prithvi Poojan

a) Mother Earth should be revered as much as Mother Gayatri. Carry out the ritual of offering water, rice grains, flowers, sandalwood, to the earth directly or in a worship vessel (flat). The mental attitude at this time should be that one will sacrifice ones entire being for world welfare. With this sentiment alongwith mental chanting of the Gayatri Mantra slowly inhale twice and thus fill up as much air as possible within your body.

Now the ritual of self-purification has been completed. Now we must commence the rite of worshipping God.

WORSHIPPING GOD

On a small raised platform, re-instate the worship Peeth. On it spread out a yellow cloth. In the center place a framed photo of Gayatri Mahashakti. On the right hand corner, place a covered tumbler (Kalash) of clean water and on the left hand corner, either light incense sticks or preferably flame lamp of clarified butter (Pure Ghee). Place a flat vessel at the center for worship articles to be offered. In this way the yellow cloth will not become dirty.

The water Kalash(tumbler) is said to be the symbol of bestowing peace, establishment of righteousness and a creative God. The fire of the flame lamp or incense stick represents energy that roots out unrighteousness and instead reforms us. The Kalash (tumbler) is the male principle and fire is the female principle. Unwanted beliefs alongwith its uprooting and establishment of pious tasks, are considered to be the 2 inseparable parts of one compact action. The Lord in the Geeta proclaims that he incarnates on Earth for the destruction of evil and establishment of righteousness. A spiritual aspirant should execute these tasks at the individual, family and social level. In order to maintain this attitude all the time the earth and water gods are placed on the worship dais as witnesses.

In the beginning stages, while harbouring the sentiment that the demi-gods are manifesting, we should chant the Gayatri Mantra with hands joined and humbly bow down to God. After this one after another, offer one spoon of water, a few rice grains, food, sandalwood or Rolee, flowers etc. With every offering chant the Gayatri Mantra.

JAPA AND MEDITATION

Half of the total time of Gayatri worship should be devoted to Mantra chanting. One can note the time with the help of a watch or a rosary. Ones spiritual endeavour succeeds if one maintains a definite time span, definite place of worship and allotted numbers of Mantra chanting. While chanting the Mantra your throat, lips and tongue may move in tandem but your voice should be so soft that a person sitting right besides you is unable to hear it. If you use a rosary, do not use the finger next to the thumb. The beads of the rosary should be moved with the help of the thumb, middle big finger and the ring finger. When you chant the Mantra 108 times, turn the rosary upside down.

Alongwith Mantra chanting, one should meditate on Savita- God who is the brilliance of the light of the sun at dawn. From the east, the bright yellow sun is rising. Its divine rays are entering every pore of my being, just like X-rays. The 3 bodies (gross, subtle, causal) have 3 special focal points. The light of Savita God penetrates these 3 parts and thus enters the 3 bodies.

The center of the gross body is the navel and the Rudra Granthi is present over here. The divine light of Savita God, after penetrating the Rudra Granthi, enters every pore of the body made of blood and flesh. Thus it fills up our body with energy, enterprise and pious characteristics.

The center of the subtle body is our head. Its Vishnu Granthi is between the eyebrows. It is called the Ajna Chakra (plexus) too. After penetrating it, Savita God spreads its divine light in the entire thought process area. Savita God bestows discrimination, wisdom and creative sacred thoughts to the subtle body.

The center of the casual body is near the heart region. This spiritual heart is different from the physical heart that has auricles/ ventricles. It is either called Vishnu Granthi or Surya Chakra. From here, the divine light of Savita God, enters the causal body and bestows sacred sentiments like high ideals, soul wisdom, sense of oneness with the world, compassion, generosity etc.

Our entire body is becoming radiant like the bright sun. Our spiritual ignorance and gloom is being dispelled. Alongwith it all our mental distortions are being weeded out. Internally we abound in sacred thinking and externally we execute sacred tasks. The radiant soul is lighting us up, both within and without.

Alongwith Mantra chanting if you meditate too, the mind becomes focused and this is called a one-pointed thought flow. Thus such a concentrated mind takes you to the absolute soul (God) experience called the Turiya state. In the initial stages the mind should not become desperate to succeed spiritually. Because in the initial stages it is enough that the mind gets focused in a one-pointed thought flow. This thought flow encompasses playing like a child in the lap of Mother Gayatri, suckling divine nectar from her breasts, offering ones entire being in the Yajna fire represented by the blazing sun and like a moth surrendering ones life to the flame. Those who have such a one-pointed thought flow should continue imbibing it. Else one should meditate thinking that Savita Gods brilliant light, after first penetrating the navel, mid-eyebrow and subtle heart center, is pervading all the 3 bodies (gross, subtle, casual) and thus every pore of our being oozes with a sense of righteous duty, discrimination and idealism. While meditating shut your eyes. Even if your eyes are half shut you have to keep the pupils upward so that the external senses do not enter your mind via the eyes.

PRAYER

After chanting the Mantra and meditating on God, you must pray earnestly. One should be grateful to Mother Gayatri by either eulogizing her, singing the Gayatri Chalisa or any prayer in any language, to show ones love to our divine Mother.

SURYARGHYADAN

You should face the East. Then with raised hands hold the water tumbler (Kalash) that represents all Divine Powers and pour the water as though you are offering it to Sun-God. If the sun is visible, offer the water to it, else you can mentally visualize the sun in the sky and offer water. Note carefully that the water should not drop down on to a dirty place. It should not be stamped by our feet and try and see to it that it falls into a Tulsi (basil) or another plant. If there is no plant, use a big steel plate (Thali) for collecting the water. Then utilize this water to water the trees.

While offering this stream of water from the Kalash, harbour an attitude that our life-force is being offered to Sun-God or the soul of the cosmos. The Sun-God converts this offered water to steam and thus spreads it in the entire cosmos. Harbour the sentiment that my inner and outer material wealth is being converted to cosmic wealth. This steam is then converted to dew drops which waters all plants of the world. We must pray that our lifes wealth be converted to cosmic wealth which in turn helps all beings of the cosmos. This is called Suryarghyadan.

After duly completing all this, return to the worship dais and bow down to Gayatris image with folded hands. Then collect all the worship articles and keep them in its proper place. The rice grains used in worship should be offered to birds. Naivedya (food) should be eaten by us. Excess water should be offered to plants. If the incense stick is yet burning,s place it in a safe place.

CHAPTER 17 - DESCRIBING SHAT- KARMA (6 - FOLD ACTIONS)

It has already been said that vitality manifests in our rituals as per our faith in it. Never carry out rituals in a superficial, mechanical manner. Alongwith actions, there should be sacred sentiments in our psyche. In short over here we will detail all sentiments associated with its related action. By reaching it, by imbibing it, all sacred sentiments will abound alongwith our rites and rituals.

The Shatkarmas (6-fold actions) are very famous which help us in soul purification. Before commencing worship of God, these Shatkarmas should be performed. Before inviting and seating a great power, there is a need to create cleanliness / sanctity for it. If we invite our preceptor, great men, political leaders, it is necessary to clear your place and also gather clean materials. Since people believe that Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth) enters our homes in Divali, hence at that time they clear their homes very studiously. This they do so that Lakshmiji will be pleased and stay longer in their homes. It is a fact that no one likes to stay in a dirty place. Even ordinary people do not like to associate or visit or call dirty people. Hence how can we expect divinity to enter our homes / hearts that are dirty? When a man encounters falsehood and dirt, he will turn down very delicious food too. It is the purity and good character of a spiritual aspirant that attracts the grace of Divine Powers like a magnet towards it. Hence while keeping in mind these facts, knowers of Science of spiritual practices have ordained us to first purify our souls. With the help of the following Karmakands (rites/ rituals), one enthusiastically becomes alert towards purifying ones lives.

(1) PAVITREEKARAN

A spiritual aspirant generally clears his body before sitting for worship. Yet this rite is carried out so as to overcome any lack in purity with the help of divine cooperation. Thus God is not attained merely by superficial rites. Water that has imbibed vibrations of Mantra chanting (Abhimantrit) should be sprinkled on the entire body. Now harbour the sentiment that alongwith this Abhimantrit water, the all-pervading cosmic principle of purity, is raining on us. Thus by sitting underneath this sacred shower, we are enjoying the bliss of the rain of nectar, just as we enjoy a good bath. Purity by entering every pore of our body, is sanctifying our entire consciousness, emotional centers etc.

(2) AACHMAAN

Sipping holy water 3 times means to render the 3 centers of consciousness viz. body, thought and sentiments, calm, serene and pure. The first Aachman (sip) is to establish pious character, purity and well-being in our speech. The speech is purified so that our prayers and Mantra chanting reach God. The power of our speech is destroyed if we eat food bought from illegal income and a tongue that utters falsehood and hurts others. Such a vile speech can never allow our Mantra chanting to attain its goal. Hence this first Aachman (sip) is to remember this fact always.

The second Aachman is to establish a serene purity in our mental reflections. If due to an intellect that is impure, crime based and vile storms of discontent manifest in our brains, there will be no radiance and brilliance in it. Thus this priceless mental energy will get drained away to nought from undesirable openings and thus in such a hollow psyche, the Divine Power will not manifest. Mental purity is most required for success in spiritual practices. Hence the aim of the second Aachman is to make this belief more intense in our minds.

The third Aachman to purify our sacred sentiments. Steadfast sentiment is faith that has an intense resolve for the goal of life and inducing piousness in our thinking and activities. People who live a life of rank materialism, fleeting attractions etc. that leads to their downfall, can never manifest soul power in their psyche. Purity of sentiments means to keep the stature of desires high. In order that this truth is imbibed with fervour, we carry out the third Aachman.

Just as a child after drinking its mothers milk imbibes her power and character and thus gets aptly nourished, in the same way a Gayatri devotee via his Mantra chanting power, renders the water of Aachman as milk of Mother Gayatri and thus after partaking it he augments his soul force. Via this Aachman he gets the soul power of the 3-fold energies called Hreem, Shreem and Kleem. As a result he also gets that power that intensifies his soul purity and material wealth.

(3) SHIKHA BANDHAN

The Shikha (pig tail) is the religious flag of Indian culture. It is a symbol of Gayatri who is the Goddess of a pious intellect. Every individual who steadfastly adheres to Indian culture, re-instates it on a supreme level. It is a proclamation of the control of our intellect, thoughts, mental reflections, pious thinking and a pious intellect. This activity is carried out to remember the divine inspiration behind this holy symbol and showing respect to it.

At the point where the Shikha is also present, is the special center to contact those subtle Divine Powers. Via contact of water and influence of scared sentiments, it is made specially active at the time of worship. This he does so that a special give and take takes place and thus attains good benefits.

(4) PRANAYAM

The third sheath of Sandhya worship is Pranayam or Pranakoshan. While describing creation of Gayatri, it has been said in the previous pages that the world is of 2 types 1) inert or made of atoms 2) conscious or full of vital force. Just as in the entire world, many types of scenes are noted due to the association /disassociation of atoms, in the same way many events take place in the conscious world. Just as wind pervades the entire area where it is present, similarly the conscious vital force, which is infinite times more subtle than wind, pervades the entire cosmos. Based on the measure of the presence of this principle, our psyche becomes more powerful and pure. To the extent one attracts or imbibes this vital principle in ones psyche, to that extent ones inner being becomes more powerful. This vital force helps us imbibe characteristics like soul light, valour, steadfastness, enterprise, broadness, greatness, endurance, patience, steadiness etc. If there is less vital force in our body, even if the body is very bulky, our psyche will be full of cowardice, unsteadiness, narrowness, miserliness, selfishness, of criminal tendency and all other lowly thoughts. With so many vile characteristics, a man can never live a life exalted. Hence there is a need for every spiritual aspirant to imbibe more and more of this vital force in his psyche. Pranayam means ones psyche attracting the cosmic vital force within its folds as much as possible via breathing exercises.

Pranayam has 4 legs :

1) Poorak in which the air is inhaled.

2) Kumbhak in which inhaled air is held for sometime.

3) Rechak, in which the air held within, is exhaled.

4) External Kumbhak in which the exhaled air is put on hold outside the body.

When Pranayam is commenced, while exhaling one should envisage that alongwith air we are attracting within us, that conscious vital force which is mixed in the wind present in the cosmic space. While carrying out Kumbhak (internal) harbour the altitude that this Divine Power is pervading every atom of our organs, blood cells and energy centers and that it will be imbibed externally. While doing Rechak the attitude should be that the Mal(dirt), Avaran(veil), Vikshep (agitation) and other distortions of the gross, subtle and casual bodies are being ejected from the body. While performing external Kumbhak, the attitude should be that externally, we are closing the doors for all those distortions that we have previously ejected from the body and that never will fresh distortions enter our body. Thus 3 Pranayams are carried out.

(5) NYASA

Nyasa means to imbibe something. Nyasa is carried out so as to imbibe, establish, fill and pervade every pore of our being with the Sattvik sacred power of Gayatri. Every letter of Gayatri has a deep bond with all important vital centers of our body. Just as in a stringed musical instrument, like the Indian Sitar, we twang a particular string with our finger which results in the manifestation of a particular musical sound, in the same way the bodily Veena is twanged with a divine emotion with the help of fingers at dawn, noon and dusk or what is called Sandhyakal.

It is believed that the body, which is by nature impure, can never experience the close proximity of divinity. Hence establishing purity in its chief centers establishes that much measure of divine principles in them, which is good enough for that body to gain capability of carrying out spiritual practices.

Alongwith Nyasa, certain bodily parts are touched and also the entire body is meditated upon so that divine consciousness manifests in them. Due to this the body becomes sanctified, powerful and healthy. One should harbour the sentiment that this divine consciousness which is radiating in our body shall be used for sacred purposes only. The intellect will be used for pure thinking, eyes for seeing holy scenes, ears for hearing holy sound, mouth for eating pure food, throat for uttering sacred speech, heart for good-will, navel for pure vital energy and hands/ legs for pious activities.

(6) PRITHVI POOJAN

By looking upon Mother Earth as a Goddess, worship rites should be offered to her with gratefulness. The worship articles used are water, rice grains, flowers and sandalwood. The aim of Prithvi Poojan is to elicit sentiments of renunciation /sacrifice, as a result of attaining benefits from Mother Earth and the entire material and conscious world. It can also be called Aasan Pavitreekaran (sanctifying the seat of the worshipper). The meaning of Aaasan (seat) is substratum too. Thus one should keep in mind the purity of the mode of worship and also the goal of ones worship rites. By sitting in the lap of Mother Earth, a spiritual seeker will use his penance power only for auspicious purposes. When one sits in ones mothers lap, one can never ever dream of unholy activities. Worship of a God with form is of the first grade wherein one studies all spiritual practices that helps a spiritual seeker merge with God. Over here God is imagined with a name and form. Such a God with form is thought to be of great divine qualities, he is experienced as a close divine presence, one has great faith in him, very deep love for God abounds and thus a deep bond is experienced with him. Within these acts, all other rites coming under it are called devotional worship (Bhakti). This is the first step of Laya. This act is straightforward for the gross state of our mind since it is incapable of thinking about that which is beyond all thoughts. This helps in augmenting the level of our consciousness. We should understand that worship of an image is carried out for this reason.

In public temples or a worship room in ones home, many images of God are installed and God is welcomed, honoured just as you would honour great men/ preceptors. Hence there are the rites called Panchopchar (5-fold) and Shodashopchar (16-fold). As long as the image of God is in front of us, so long we experience the close proximity of God. We accept his greatness and with faith we honour him. Rites like Padya, Arghya, Aachman, Snan, Pushp, Chandan, Dhoop, Deep, Akshat, Naivedya, Arti, Namaskar etc. helps in advancing our experience of the presence of God, alongwith faith in him. In order to ripen our faith, we should harbour a mind that experiences the presence of God in his image.

Ahead of this there is a subtle image worship wherein either with eyes shut totally or half shut one meditates on Gods image. The sentiment of faith, close proximity and oneness is harboured just as you do for the worship of a gross image of God. The difference only is this that in idol worship there is a direct need of image peripherals whereas in meditation, all this is at the mental imaginary level. In meditation we imagine God answering us with a smile etc. based on our faith. This state makes us more enthusiastic and gives us the benefit of greater concentration. Hence this mental worship of God is a higher level of meditation for sensitive and imaginative spiritual seekers.

There are 2 classes of idol worship (1) image oriented spiritual practise and (2) meditation of God with a name and form. Idol worship can be called studying in school i.e. primary education and meditation of God as secondary education. Ahead of this is college education. It can also be called worship/ meditation on a formless God. In that God is not imagined as a human being and there is no need to welcome him as we would, a human being. In order to continue practicing worship always, it is necessary to perform all routine actions. As a result our faith is nurtured and nourished. Even a spiritual aspirant who has attained a high spiritual stature does not delete worship of Gods image from his daily chores. Instead in order to render his faith firm, he continues to worship Gods image as before.

At the time of entering a new arena of life, every individual is a child only. This is despite the fact that he maybe a master of another area. A good lawyer maybe a specialist of law but when he enters a new specialization field he has to enter as a student of its primary class. In the same way if one is not a specialist of spirituality and is a specialist in other fields, even then when he enters the class of spirituality he has to have the attitude of a new seeker. Meaning while entering the portals of spirituality for the very first time he will have to accept worship of Gods image in the initial stages. Only then will he attain his spiritual goal. Those who believe in a formless God may not worship God as a human being, yet they make do with other images like flame, sun, moon etc. Followers of Islam while reading the Quran, face the Kaba of Saudi Arabia. Kaba means an image that represents a special power of God. Others worship the light of sun as an image of God. Even in Yogic practices like Kundalini awakening, Chakra Vedhan etc. one looks upon certain centers (Chakras) as special centers of Divine Power and they thus concentrate their will-power on them. All these are various forms of meditation and thus one takes aid of an image that has a name and form.

In this world some sects are worshippers of formless God and the rest are worshippers of God with name and form. Instead of calling the arguments, for and against as formless or with name and form, one should call this problem as belief or non-belief of the manifested form of an image. One can never meditate on a total formless God even via Naad-Yoga or any other spiritual practise involving sensations. While practicing the art of concentration on sounds of a conch, watch, clouds etc. ones mind thinks of the image of its source. No doubt one will hear the conch sound but the question is whether one simultaneously meditates on the shape of the conch too which in future will take an all-pervasive acceptable form. Hence while analyzing meditation, both the above aspects are taken into account. The worshippers of a formless God via an introverted intellect visualize God as a divine light. Ordinarily this small/ big light is a point only. It is said to be a symbol of the sun. In reality this is the light of divine wisdom. Of course there is no brilliance and heat. In any spiritual practice, the fireball sun is said to be an image and that its root center is divine wisdom. The name and form of formless divine wisdom called Prajna is Savita. Savita meaning the divine light of God that helps us imbibe holy knowledge in our psyche. While meditating one must concentrate on God but alongwith it, one should remember that this divine sun is merely an image (symbol) of the light of holy knowledge.

While meditating on the sun, an experience is evolved that this sun is lighting up the body, mind, intellect or the gross, subtle and casual bodies of the spiritual aspirant with activity, sacred wisdom and good-will. By accepting that both these areas are being illumined, one can also experience that they are being activated, advanced and sanctified. In this manner one should not end this discussion by just believing the sun to be a divine act of exhibition of itself but that with its radiance, ones soul center is lit up and influenced in totality. In reality this meditation harbours a faith that our present state will become more advanced in future. The more this faith is deep, the more a spiritual aspirant will benefit from it.

While worshipping God with form, both the male and female genders are painted as an image of God. If one wants to visualize both as pure, soft-hearted, generous, service oriented, self-surrendered, loving, affectionate, a female image of God is best suited for us. The female is of a charitable disposition and a male is more obliged. Which image of God should be accepted? From this standpoint, ones discrimination is more inclined to a females image. No doubt a male too has his own special characteristics like endeavour, enterprise etc. These qualities help more in material endeavours and less in soul advancement, which is our goal. It is much better that one looks upon Gods image as that of a female.

The re-instating of God as Mother Gayatri is of great all-round use. As a result one experiences the affection that a child gets, while playing in his mothers lap and all the gross/ subtle benefits of suckling her breast. By labeling God as a female, we can also endeavour to replace the contemporary lowly image of a woman, with one full of motherly qualities that elicits divine faith in the psyche of a spiritual seeker. She can be visualized as an image of human emotions, sacred intellect and activities of good-will.

The vehicle of Mother Gayatri is said to be the swan (Hans). Swan means one who has a white body, who can differentiate between milk and water and one who will only eat pearls, else will vow to remain hungry. Of course this is not seen in the bird swan but is seen in the description of a spiritual swan. It tells us that in order to imbibe the Lords Divine Power, the spiritual seeker should enhance his greatness to the stature of a spiritual swan. In his day to day transactions, he should be righteous, self-reflecting and in his subtle life, should be full of discrimination and faith. His psyche should abound with good-will towards the cosmos. At present alongwith purity of ones character is conjoined, the possibility of manifestation of Divine Power.

The image of Adi Shakti Gayatri or that of any other God/ Goddess whom we have intense faith towards, should be placed in a small but well-decorated seat. Whenever you worship God, you must sit in front of this decorated seat of God. Whenever one carries out a particular task regularly at one place, it tends to inspire ones psyche to repeat those very tasks again and again. It is difficult to concentrate the mind by worshipping God at an irregular time and place. Hence instead if we sit on the worship site at regulated times and place, naturally our mind gets focused and thus one is naturally inclined to continue doing so in future too. Keeping in mind this precept, it is best to set aside a special place and time for worshipping God.

Meditation is an inseparable leg of worship of God. It is most recognized that chanting of a Mantra and meditation are carried out in tandem. Else the mind strays in unwanted directions. Meditation is impossible if we do not take aid of one of the 5 subtle elements viz. sound, form, taste, smell or touch. These correspond to the 5 gross elements viz. space, fire, water, earth and wind. Not only is it difficult to imbibe the formless God in our psyche without taking help of material objects but we cannot even understand it. Even those who oppose image worship, are seen to imagine divinity in certain objects. Sacrificial fire, cross, flag, sun, photographs etc. are definitely a type of image only. By harbouring an attitude of divinity in all these, it is definitely a type of image worship. Whether it is Gandhijis tomb or Lenins protected dead body, if you have faith in either of them, definitely it is idol worship.

When we first see great saints / preceptors we show our respect to them. During worship of God, over and above summoning Divine Power in the image, one should offer worship rites to them as a mark of respect. Thus we get a chance to ripen our faithful sentiments. In Panchopchar you require (5-fold rite) 1) water 2) rice- Naivedya 3) flowers 4) incense/flame 5) sandalwood Rolee. It should be placed in a Tashtari (flat plate like vessel) and should be, one by one, placed in another Tashtari kept close by with faith, honour etc. It is these 2 Divine Powers that are performing Leelas (divine sports). The symbol of nature is water and that of Purusha (God) is fire. This too is a type of re-installation of a picture.

Behind the peripherals of this rite, is the inspiration of divine creation. This cosmos should be looked upon as a gigantic form (Viraat) of God and via activities of world welfare, one should worship it regularly. The first leg involves making our psyche more sacred, self-controlled and full of ideals so as to advance further on this path. Which ideals should be imbibed for a spiritual practice that involves self-creation and cosmic creation? This answer lies in the materials used for Panchopchar rites.

1) WATER

It is a symbol of coolness, peace, humility, respect and gentlemanliness. For good activities, we have to make good use of our time and surrender our hard work to it. From this emerge sacred actions. For Padya, Arghya, Aachman, Snaan, 4 spoonfuls water are offered so that by doing so, we resolve to offer a major portion of our hard work, mental powers, capability and wealth for divine tasks.

2) AKSHAT

These are rice grains which are a symbol of food, wealth, grandeur earned via hard work. Those who never donate any wealth which they have earned, are called selfish rogues by our scriptural scholars. Our hard earned money should not be utilized only for our small/ big family but that it should be donated partly for the benefit of the country, religion, society and culture. God means the gigantic cosmos, in his name and form aspect and as goodwill, pious aim in his formless aspect. Thus rice grain offering inspires us to regularly donate a good part of our earnings for cosmic well-being.

3) PUSHPA

Flowers are a symbol of blooming and making others bloom and laugh, a light-hearted life and pious activities are required. We must be as soft as a flower. We should look beautiful both within and without. We should lead a life that helps the garden of the cosmos bloom with ecstasy. We should aspire to become that flower whose neck is clasped tightly and pierced by a sharp needle, so as to become the garland offered to God.

Flowers are generally offered to God during worship. The Lords feet, neck, head and entire body is adorned with flowers. It is a fact that the Lord loves the laughing softness of flowers. Our flower of life too should bloom in such a manner that we come very close to God.

4) DEEPAK

The flame lamp is a symbol of love, whose sight is always upwards just like its flame. It first burns itself up so as to give light to others. As a result the flame lamp is given a prime spot on the worship dais. He is considered the flame light of life whose psyche overflows with infinite love, who is full of good-will, who renounces/ sacrifices his all for a spiritual cause, who endures a lot of hardships and whose sight is upward i.e. towards high ideals. By walking on this path we can come close to God and gain enough capability to earn his grace. Sometimes instead of a flame lamp you can make do with lit incense sticks and this is its inspiration too.

5) CHANDAN

The sandalwood tree oozes with fragrance and also lends it to nearby trees too. With its coolness, it gives serenity to poisonous beings like snakes, crabs etc. It is said that snakes, crabs etc. that latch on to sandalwood trees, imbibe a lot of serenity from it. In its cool shade, one can enjoy its fragrant peace. Even those who cut, sell or rub sandalwood on a stone, are forgiven by it. Even sandalwood trees that get destroyed, give us a rosary to chant Gods name and powder of sandalwood to perform Yajnas. Our energy and capability too should be utilized thus for world welfare.

In the same way water is a symbol of moistness, purity, sweet behaviour etc. When we see the ritual materials, we must have the attitude that the Lord accepts people of such caliber only. Thus we too must advance our pious qualities. While offering the worship materials, if the enthusiasm of surrendering our best spiritual endeavour, tasks and powers for the Lords mission manifests, definitely our worship too succeeds.

The faith of man alongwith his trust can create a powerful divine authority and its movements can only be as powerful as the depth of our faith. When the idols of many devotees have helped them in a miraculous manner, the credit does not go to the independent existence, power or various rituals offered to them but the credit goes to the pure character and deep faith of the spiritual aspirant towards his/ her icon. It is this very goal that has to be attained via idol worship.

CHAPTER 18 - SANCTIFYING THE PSYCHE VIA MANTRA CHANTING

There are many prevalent rites with reference to the worship of images. For e.g. they are pilgrimages, visiting temples, eulogy, regular reading of sacred texts, Shodashopchar, circumambulation, bathing God, religious processions, prayer meetings, keeping awake at night, singing Gods name etc. The next higher stage is where there is minimal use of worship articles and that the worship is more at the mental level akin to meditation. Of course at times it does utilize bodily activities, hard work and other modes of worship,

Under a high-levelled mode of spiritual practice, there are 2 aspects :

1) Mantra chanting or Japa

2) Meditation or Dhyan

Not only in Indian tradition but amongst all modes of worship in the entire world, one makes use of the above 2 aspects in one way or the other. The methods may vary but they are seen as a part and parcel of the above 2 aspects.

Via Mantra chanting it is spirituality that calls on God which in a certain way we all have forgotten. Just as a serpent without its jewel sits down weakly and tiredly, in the same way we all, after being separated from the Lord are full of fear like a orphaned child. We feel unprotected and experience a lot of hardships. It seems as though we have lost something that is most dear to us. Hence Mantra chanting helps us search for what we have lost.

No doubt Draupadi was rendered naked bodily, but today it is our soul that is losing purity and thus it is rendered shameful both externally and internally. Hence under such circumstances it is appropriate that the mind as the elephant and soul as Draupadi calls on God. One chants a Mantra so that God catches hold of our hand and pulls us out of the hole of spiritual ignorance. Remembrance of God is the chief leg of worship. It is on the basis of a name that we can come to know someones existence and thus remember him/her. In order to re-instate God in our psyche, we have to take the help of his name. After remembrance comes summons, from summons comes re-instation and from this comes attainment of God. All this is accepted by the Science of Psyche (Psychology).

In order to educate the soul, the Science of psyche gives us 4 levels and substratums. The first is education it is also called the learning process. It is at this level that school children are educated. They are given a lot of information. It is not enough just to gain informative knowledge. School children keep repeating it by rote. School education is dependent on this repetition and memorizing various subjects. They have to remember the names of all the mountains. Sanskrit language studies is in fact called the Science of Rote. This memorizing by rote method has to be accepted by all students. There is no other way except to repeat all that one has heard and establish the same in the mind.

There are some things which are easily remembered after listening only once but there are other topics, which if not pursued regularly, is forgotten easily. After completing school studies, if the topics studied are of no use later, they are easily forgotten. The soldiers of any army have to regularly participate in parades. Wrestlers go to their gymnasium on an empty stomach and regularly perform sit-ups. It is most required that musicians continuously practise all that they have learnt. If they fail to do so, their fingers falter and cannot maintain correct beats and musical notes.

The second layer of education is retention i.e. labeling all that one has studied in ones psyche. The third layer is recall i.e. to unearth forgotten events of the past and activate them. The fourth layer is recognition i.e. to accept things. That is it should be converted into steadfastness, faith and trust. In God worship, all these goals have to be attained. We have to go beyond all the above 4 layers. Image worship helps us experience the close proximity of God via retention. We stray in life because we have forgotten our souls ancient relationship with God. When the string of a kite slips from the hands of a kite flyer, the kite strays away here and there only to fall down ultimately. When the connecting string between a puppeteer and his puppets snaps then how can the puppet dolls dance to his tune? If the wire connection of an electrical item like a fan, fridge etc. snaps, the machines can no longer function. The relationship between a living being and God is eternal but because the living being is enmeshed in the material world, this relationship is as good as broken. Hence over here recall would mean to search for this broken cord and thus re-unite with God. Via Mantra chanting this goal can be achieved. When the living being reaches the fourth state called recognition, it realizes/ experiences that within him/ her is the divine light of God and as per the tenets of Vedant he/ she experiences that this is God, that I am, I am that, I am blissful consciousness and I am God. This is not merely superficial lip service but it is at the experential level. As a result of this the qualities, actions, nature, viewpoint and activity of man reaches a divine level. His/her state is equivalent to that of a saint, God etc.

For soul progress, the area of thought has to work hard and only then can we reap rich dividends. Only when a field is ploughed again and again, can it give a rich harvest. Chanting Mantras is akin to ploughing a field. The act of worship is akin to opening a school by the inner soul so as to educate the mind and ten senses. In this school one is asked to repeat the Lords name continuously so that its student can easily memorize alphabets, numbers etc. It is this primary education which is behind repeating the same thing again and again.

When you dip a cloth in coloured water for a long time, it takes up that colour. Those trees that grow in the vicinity of sandalwood trees, imbibe the fragrance of sandalwood. When rose petals fall on muddy ground, its mud too gets the fragrance of rose. The benefits of close proximity are well-known. One has to face the reactions of good/bad associates. The act of meditation is an example of getting close to God and hence its good results will definitely be experienced. The law of butterflies worm and buzzing bee is well-known.

For Mantra chanting the best and most well-known Mantra is Gayatri as per Indian scriptures. It is called the Guru-Mantra i.e. it is Supreme. Gayatri Mantra chanting is very helpful in purifying our psyche. It is called Vedmata (Vedic mother) because the entire seed of divine wisdom/ knowledge present in the Vedas, is found in this 24-lettered small Mantra.

The mouth is called a fireball. At the gross level it is correlated to the fire of our stomach. The description of slow fire and intense fire is made so as to give us an introduction to active/ non-active nature of the digestive glands which spread out from the mouth to the stomach area. When the mouth chews food, it is executing the first leg of the process of digestion. Later this food is further digested in various steps. The fireball of our mouth performs digestion at the gross level, uttering speech at the subtle level and at the causal level it creates a divine flow of consciousness. All these 3 functions excel one another. We all know the importance of digestion and talking. Only a few know what is this divine conscious flow. The total Science of Mantra Yoga revolves around this mysterious power.

When you utter various words, it not only gives us its meaning but that even many emotions, sensations, inspirations and energies are conjoined to it. If this was not the case, our speech would lack the power to harbour friendship or show enmity. It could never then be utilized for raising or demeaning people. When we hear bitter words, we get angry and we act and say things which should never be executed or uttered. When we get worrisome news, we do not eat anything and sleep runs miles away from us. When man hears about the demise of his near/ dear ones, he loses consciousness. A word flow of logic, enthusiasm and love can change the very thinking of the lay public and people, mesmerized by the utterances of the speaker, act exactly as he wishes. When we delve deep into these facts, it becomes clear that speech does not merely give us the meaning of the words uttered. Alongwith the word flow, the influential conscious principles too is conjoined to it. When they resound at a place after mixing with sound vibrations it induces consciousness oriented movements. When words are tested on the basis of material science, it can only be called a material wave vibration. Over here one cannot describe materially, its sensitive potential that influences consciousness. In its pristine purity it is spiritual.

In Mantra Yoga after understanding this very spiritual influence of word energy, it is made use of variedly. After squeezing a lemon, its dry skin is set aside. When we get clarified butter from milk, the remaining butter-milk has hardly any value. The same holds true for Mantra-Yoga. As a result of it such a conscious energy manifests, that it induces strange movements in the mind and body of the one chanting the Mantra. This further results in influencing of infinite space, meeting special individuals and encountering special circumstances.

Mantras are chosen on the basis of Sound Science. The meaning of words is of least importance. The power of the Gayatri Mantra is extraordinary. Yet its superficial meaning is ordinary. In it we request God to give us a sacred intellect. There are thousands of other such Mantra which ask for the same thing. Even in Hindi and other languages, there are thousands of poems that request the Lord to give us all a sacred intellect. Then why do we not give the same importance to these poems as we give to the Gayatri Mantra? Why does not poetry reading give us the same results as Gayatri Mantra chanting? In reality in the eyes of Mantra creators, the weaving of words us is of utmost importance. There are so many Beej (seed) Mantras which are given meanings by some people but in reality they have no meaning at all. What meaning can we give to Mantras like Hreem, Shreem, Kleem, Aim, Hoom, Yam, Phat etc. It is futile to rack ones brains over them. These Mantras are created while keeping in mind what level of Divine Energy can be generated from them. What is its influence on the Mantra chanter, external atmosphere and desired goal? Alongwith the letters of Vedic Mantras, it is chanted in the Udaat Anudaat cycle with a rise and fall of tones that are low, high and medium. The tradition is that these Mantras are chanted with specific tones. This method had to be created so that the Mantra repetition would help created an energy flow, which in turn would give us our desired goal. The sound flow of Mantra chanting creates movements that are as deep as the water that flows deep down in the ocean bed and are as high as the winds that in fly in space. In its casual body there is a special flow of energy in the Chakras (plexuses) and glands.

One must continuously chant the Mantra and in one round itself, one can clearly understand the results of this process in a scientific laboratory. If we hang an iron garter of 1 ton on a roof and keep banging a light cork (having a weight of 5 grams) on the garter, in a short time this garter will start trembling. This miracle is the result of continuous banging that manifests energy. If Mantras are chanted methodically, its results too are as above. The sound waves of Mantra chanting influences the Chakras and glands present in the subtle body and this movement, by warding off unconsciousness, later activates it. The Mantra chanter attains the benefits of activating Chakras (plexuses) and various glands. In turn these sacred activated centers, manifest soul force in the spiritual aspirant. Such a person experiences certain activation / manifestation in himself / herself which was absent previously. He/ she experiences its benefits too.

With the example of the typewriter we can understand the above fact very easily. The keys are tapped with fingers and the ink falls on the paper to print alphabets. The vocal cords that help us speak can be compared to the keys of a typewriter. Chanting of Mantras is akin to tapping the typewriter keys. From here the manifested energy flow reaches the subtle Chakras and divine glands with the help of fibres of the subtle nerves and it instigates /activates them. Printing of alphabets on a typewriter is akin to attaining these mysterious divine glories (Sidhis) via these activated Chakras(plexuses). This is a decisive fact that if Mantras are chanted in a methodic manner, it definitely yields sacred results.

Because a Mantra is repeated again and again, a cycle of energy is generated. Because of a cyclic movement, an energy flow is generated. The earth rotates on its axis. Because of this rotational movement a magnetic force and potentials of varied levels of earth are generated. If the earth stops rotating and revolving, there will be sheer gloominess and lifelessness on earth. Only the users of dynamo know how important movement is, to create an energy flow. As soon as movement stops, electricity generation too comes to a standstill. In order to create a special level of an electrical flow in the gross and subtle body, special words have to be chanted with a special speed and method. The ordinary Science of Mantra chanting too is this.

In Mantra chanting one set of words are repeated ceaselessly in one cycle and uniform speed. In ordinary speech many words are uttered with many manifestations, many sentiments, many emotions. Hence over here there is no uniformity, nor is there a uniform movement/ speed. Sometimes a pause, sometimes a flow, sometimes a rush of energy manifests. In traditional speech, one does not find one special center or level. As a result only a conversation ensues and a special energy flow is not perceived. But the state of Mantra chanting is something entirely different. It is only limited number of words that are made use of and they are repeated pauselessly. A new spiritual seeker has the make the speed of his Mantra chanting uniform with the help of a watch or Mantra calculator. If this much takes place, know for such that the cycle of sound (word) speed has been established and on its basis the special results of Tantra Science will be established. In special Purashcharanas, special spiritual seekers of Mantra Science are asked to participate so that their cyclical process gives correct results.

When the earth rotates, we can see its miracle in the day-to-day life of ours. Small children play with tops. When it is skillfully rotated, it keeps moving on its axis and does not fall down. But as soon as its speed starts decreasing, the top falls flat on the ground. It is definitely the miracle of movement that one mere push lasts for so long and the resultant movement (speed) continues on its own for a certain span of time. The speed that results due to ceaseless Mantra chanting, too works for a long time during our austerities. Thus it helps in steadying and activating the souls special characteristics of a spiritual seeker.

When there is a high speed rotational movement, it results in a centrifugal force. When slings filled with pebbles are rotated speedily the pebbles are let loose, what happens is that birds that would otherwise eat up crops are shooed away. Generally crops like jowar, bajra, corn etc. are eaten up by parrots, crows etc. Hence at such times, pebbles rotated in slings and then let loose help in scattering these birds away. It is this force which is a creation of rotational speed, that helps let loose pebbles, at a very high speed. These pebbles move so fast that if it actually strikes a bird, its falls flat on to the ground.

In a circus we can see the game of a motorcycle moving round and round a circular road make of wood and it can be called a well of death. The viewers are amazed to see that the motor cyclist as moving circularly at a slant and yet does not fall off.

If you fill up a steel jar with water, tie its neck with a rope and rotate the jar, it is noted that water does not come out of the jar.

Ordinarily one can actually see such amazing results of the power of circular / rotational movement. The same holds true for the result of the moving sound energy through the medium of Mantra chanting. Just as kids seated on a swing get the joy of not falling from it, despite the possibility of falling down, when it is swung on either sides in a large diameter, in the same way the circumference limit of the inner consciousness sees its expansion in a widespread area which is much larger than a short boundary. Further the apprehension of a downfall, due to vile thinking and activity can easily be warded off. Like the pebbles thrown from a sling, the spiritual seeker moves at a fast pace towards his desired goal and if the thrower is skillful, is aim too is bang on target. While revolving at a slant, the tumbler of water does not eject/ throw out any water from it. In the same way the danger of falling prey to the wiles of undesirable elements of the world and life principle decreases. It is a different story altogether if the tumbler is rotated very slowly but the water definitely does not spill out, if the speed is very fast. If the level of sensitivity and mode of Mantra chanting is correct, the hardships of facing inner vile activities and lack of success diminishes.

A motorcyclist who drives his motorcycle at a slant in the wooden well is saved from dangers because of the slanting position and lack of space to run. A spiritual seeker who faithfully chants his Mantra, gains victory over obstacles he encounters, on the path of spiritual advancement. Even while facing obstacles, he ultimately tastes success.

CHAPTER 19 - DHYAN YOGA (MEDITATION) FOR SOUL AWAKENING

A human life is a priceless gift of God. The Lord does not have a greater gift than this to give his beloved creatures. Its specialties and potentials are so extraordinary that its results can only amaze us. This gift has been given to us to fulfill divine goals. But it is our ill-fate that we have forgotten our divine nature, Gods gift and the goal/ importance of a human life. Neither do we know our divine potential, nor the Lords goal, wisdom or meditation. We are straying far away in this dark, gloomy world. This forgetfulness is strange. People generally forget objects and also what they have read, heard etc. A person whom we had known in the past is now a stranger for us, since we have forgotten him. But it is rare to find a person who forgets himself. We think ourselves to be a body with name and form. We desire what our mind desires, we look upon the bodys needs as our own need. The body and mind are the 2 wheels of the chariot of our life. But we have totally forgotten that we are the soul and not the body. No doubt we hear time and again that the body is different from the soul. But it is very rare that someone actually experiences this fact. And even if we experience it, it is in a very hazy manner. If we understand true reality and the difference between the life-force and peripherals that manifests in our consciousness, we will give prime importance to soul well-being. We would give only that much importance to material objects as is required. Today we are walking with feet devoid of shoes and decorate our cars with frills of gold. We are dying of hunger and give clarified butter to vehicles. We means the soul and vehicle means body or mind. The Lord is serving his servants. It is indeed strange that he has forgotten his responsibility.

ATTAINING THE SOULS GOAL

The goal of life is to attain self-fulfillment. This self-fulfilled state can only be at the level of divinity. In order to attain God, the mind should get concentrated on him. Before constructing important buildings, their maps, plans and models are designed. An engineer, architect etc. will build buildings based on these models. An image of God with his qualities, activities and nature is carried out for the purpose of meditation. As a result one experiences nearness, oneness and a sense of merging of God. This is the true nature of meditation.

The goal of true meditation is to regain our lost memory regarding our real nature. If someone happens to regain it, it is definitely akin to a man coming out of a very scary dream. It is only then that one experiences a condition akin to a child being lost in a massive crowd or like that of a man who has lost the memory of his identity. Those undergoing such anguish, experience a great loss and they hurt their near and dear ones. Since we have lost our memory (that we are the mighty soul and not the body), our condition is as demeaning as a baby lion being brought up in a family of goats. As a result we are giving pain to our true nature, which is divinity.

The goal of Yoga of meditation is to overcome loss of memory i.e. to awaken to the fact that we are the soul and not the body. In that one remembers God and one experiences ones soul nature. The memory of the union of a living being (Jiva) and God (Brahman) is re-activated and one experiences, that this very Divine Power contact was broken by us, is in reality our Divine Mother and Benefactor. Not only this but like the proverbial wish-fulfilling cow (Kamadhenu), it is so powerful that by drinking its nectarine milk, we attain divinity. By sitting in the shade of a wish-fulfilling tree (Kalpavriksha) one can attain anything. After contacting, coming close to that Divine Centre, one does not lack anything and thus we can overcome all types of poverty. Thus Yoga of Meditation helps us attain this goal.

CONCENTRATION

It is not something great to attain Divine Powers. It should be protected from any type of wastage and should never be misused. The benefits of attaining Divine Powers are encountered when they are gathered in a safe place and that they are utilized only for sacred tasks.

As a result of heat, a lot of water of the oceans gets converted to steam. So much steams rises into the atmosphere from cooking gas, fire etc. All this goes in waste. But in an engine, a little bit of water is converted to steam. This steam is not allowed to stray in the atmosphere and is in fact collected in a tank. Later its energy flow passes out of a small hole and reaches the piston. As a result of this small process, the engine of a train starts functioning. Not only does it move but it runs at a great speed. Its movement is so powerful that it tugs alongwith it many other compartments at a high speed.

If tons of gun powder are spread out on the ground and lit with a match-stick, it will show a little light for a flash of a moment and then get burnt to ashes. This is a total wastage and is of no use to us. But if it is enclosed in a small area of a gun and by pressing the trigger a little, sparks of fire touch the gunpowder, this infinitesimal gunpowder gives amazing results. The bullet runs at a mammoth speed to its target. Wherever it lands, it topples that object. One can thus clearly note the difference between just lighting up tons of gunpowder with a matchstick and on the other hand, lighting up a minute amount of gun powder in a gun.

The rays of sun light are scattered all over the earth. Daily the sun rises and then sets in the evening. This sunlight can give only a little heat and light to us. But if a few sunrays are concentrated on paper using a special lens, the paper starts burning. If it is thrown in a huge jungle, a forest fire ensues which destroys that entire area to ashes.

During Draupadis Swayamvar (choosing you own groom), the condition for getting married to her was that the prospective bridegroom should pierce the eye of a bird placed at a distance with an arrow. Dronacharya was helping his students to master this art. Before his students aimed an arrow, Dronacharya would ask them as to what they were seeing. On an average the students would say that are seeing a bird on the tree. As a result Dronacharya would declare that such students would never succeed. When it was Arjuns turn, he answered that I can only see the birds eye and nothing else. Thus Dronacharya declared that Arjun would definitely succeed. Truly at the Swayamvara ceremony of Draupadi, Arjun pierced the eye of the bird with one single arrow and thus got married to Draupadi.

It is said that a flying creature called a buzzing bee catches hold of a caterpillar and continues to buzz in front of it. As a result of continuously hearing the buzz of the bee and visualizing the bees form, the mental state of the caterpillar becomes that of a bee. The caterpillar starts thinking itself to be a buzzing bee. As a result the body of the caterpillar takes the shape of a buzzing bee instead of a grown up butterfly. Zoologists may doubt this but it is a definite fact that whenever man concentrates/ focuses his mind on a particular name and form, his mind too takes up the name, form and characteristics of that object. As a result of focusing her mind on beauty and youth, a prostitute regains her beauty to a great extent at an advanced age too. On the other hand, many young men and women look aged because their minds are all the time thinking of hardships and dire circumstances. All this is a result of focusing ones mind on a particular good/ bad thought. This could be intentional or unintentional.

Spiritual concentration means to stop the mind from straying away from its center and that after focusing ones Divine Powers at one central focal point, one should utilize the same for sacred endeavors only. This is called control of mind or focusing of the psyche in spiritual texts. A lot of discussion takes place regarding Yoga of Meditation. It should be surmised as an art of concentrating ones mind. When we hear about it, its success seems mediocre but in reality, it is a great achievement. When one masters this art, man by focusing his scattered conscious energy in one place, utilizes it for some sacred purpose and thus attains amazing success.

Water is filled in dams. But when it is ejected from a small opening, a stream of it flows at break neck speed because of water pressure generated by the dam. This flow has extraordinary energy. Its influence aids the movement of wheels of many machines and as a result these machines start moving. The construction of huge electric powerhouses takes place near gigantic dams. It is very expensive to generate electricity using engines and machines but hydroelectricity is cheaply operated near dams. Near smaller waterfalls, you have water mills. The resultant energy is not due to the stream of water but it is due to its concentration. By focusing a widespread area in a smaller area, you generate power.

The aim of Yoga of Meditation is to concentrate mental thought scattering in one small area of thought. The more an individual succeeds in concentrating his mind, the more his psyche will radiate with power. Like an arrow of word, it is easy for him to attain his goal. If spirituality is his aim, he will advance spiritually and his psyche will radiate with Ridhi-Sidhi or what are called Divine Powers. If the aim is material progress, we will attain this goal too. In whichever appropriate direction this energy is used, it will reap good dividends.

Concentration/ focusing means overcoming the wasteful scattering of the thought waves of our mind. By obstructing the water flow of a small stream, a dam is created and thus a small pond, lake is created. Then artificial streams are created from this lake which give water to far off arid regions. If this stream were not converted into a dam, it would have lashed at the shores and caused wasteful flooding in surrounding regions. This would lead to material destruction in that region. One should not look upon the thought flow in our mind as less important when compared to a hydroelectricity generator. The power of an electricity powerhouse is limited and can transmit electricity to a very limited region in its vicinity. But this cannot be said about the mind. Its potential of today can be augmented infinite fold in the future. Its area of influence which is today limited to the family and friends will in future encompass the entire world.

Generally people of great authority like scientists, philosophers, artists, scholars, sculptors, authors, managers, leaders etc are like ordinary laymen. Their body is very ordinary and their minds lack a magical wand. Whatever difference one perceives in them alongwith the miracle of their greatness, is a result of their inner special qualities which in turn are related to the focusing capacity of their mind and their steadfastness in reaching the desired goal. Everybody possesses infinite amount of intellectual energy. To the extent that weak brained individuals too have a lot of radiance. The difference only is this that some have activated this radiance and the rest have not done so. Even a very wise person is like a dead corpse when he is in deep sleep. But on waking up, he manifests his intellectual brilliance. This holds true for the brain too. Due to certain circumstances, the intellectual powers of some people remains latent and thus look weak intellectually. But if their intellect is activated with effort, not only will they be as brilliant as other wise people but sometimes they will march ahead of them too.

Everyone knows that many threads unite together to form a strong rope and many broomsticks join together to form a broom. Many drops of water constitute a jugful of water. This example is given to accept the fact that by obstructing the wayward scattering of the intellect, one can focus/ concentrate ones thought waves at a focal point. One can easily understand that wayward scattering of thoughts in various directions diminishes our mental prowess and that if these thoughts are concentrated at one single point, it will give us miraculous mental strength.

By advancing mental concentration, great scientists, Yogis, philosophers etc. enter the deep ocean called the mind and thus collect priceless jewels. Those who just float on the surface of the sea, attain nothing but those who dive deep into it, attain priceless materials. Superficial thinking is like a wayward blade of grass moving aimlessly here and there. On the other hand focusing ones thought waves at a single point in the psyche via meditation gives miraculous results.

CHAPTER 20 - THE GIST OF YOGA OF SURRENDER

At the end of worship prayers, Suryarghyadan (rites of Sun-God) play a very important role. Our ego is the biggest obstacle on the path of worship. Generally spiritual seekers do give up their worldly ego yet the ego that I am a great spiritual aspirant / devotee of God remains. The unripe mind cannot digest the divine experiences it encounters while chanting its Mantra, meditating etc. As a result distortions manifest in the mind. If these distortions are not destroyed, a spiritual aspirant will stray away from his goal. Although superficially everything looks alright, within there are a lot of discrepancies.

It is very difficult to ward of this ego via dry intellectual knowledge. Only discrimination conjoined to devotion can help destroy this ego. After concluding worship rites, one should humbly thank ones idol. Because all that you own or will be given in future is the result of the grace of your idol. Ones own specialty is this that we know the importance of grace and that we are not lagging behind while handing over all the powers, divine glories etc. to ones idol since he is the real owner of all the powers, divine glories etc. One may or may not have the capability of singing eulogies to God, yet if we are humbly grateful to him for all that we have /do not have, your prayer will definitely succeed.

In the same way after attaining divine wealth man tends to become bloated mentally. He desires to utilize them only for his own selfish needs.

Sometimes he selfishly thinks as above and at other times hesitates to use Divine Powers for world welfare. The results of both are one and thus selfishness binds us to the material world which is full of sorrow. He forgets that Divine Powers are infinite and that they make a pious person a mere medium for its outward flow into the world. Selfishness means there is a question mark on your credibility.

In the rite of Suryarghya, a spiritual aspirant offers water from a tumbler to Sun-God. Due to the influence of the gigantic Sun, the limited quantity of water from a small tumbler comes out of its limitations only to enter an infinite arena of inter-stellar space. One should thus apply this concept to Divine Powers that are at present in a limited area which is a small body. While peforming Arghyadan, we should pray to Sun-God that he helps us ward off our selfish nature and instead help us become cosmic in nature. One should experience that because of this soulful resolve of ours, the Lords love is pouring on us. In this manner one should radiate ones inner personality via humble prayers and Suryarghyadan and thus ward off ones selfish ego.

CHAPTER 21 - STOREHOUSE OF POWER-ANUSHTHAN

By itself it is best to regularly worship Gayatri. The scriptures ordain us to worship Gayatri at dawn, noon and dusk which is called Trikal Sandhya. The more one does Gayatri Mantra chanting, worshipping, meditating etc. the better it is for you both materially and spiritually.

But when Divine Energy has to be generated for a special cause, the mode of worship too is special. This mode of worship is called Anushthan. When we travel in an alien country, there is a need to carry money for food, shelter etc. If we fail to carry foreign currency with us, the journey will be very tiresome. Anushthan or special worship is akin to this foreign currency. By carrying out this worship we are collecting Divine Power which in turn helps us in our material and spiritual journey.

A child constantly calls his mother and the mother affectionately replies. This show of affection goes on for the entire day. But when a special need arises due to some hardship encountered, a child shouts out loudly to its mother. Hearing this loud cry, a mother leaves all the tasks she was concentrating on and runs to her childs aid. Similar is the cry of a spiritual seeker when he carries out an Anushthan or special worship. Over here there is a special attraction which prompts Gayatri energy to surround that spiritual aspirant.

Gayatri Anushthan (Special worship) gives only ordinary help to combat worldly and mental turbulence. No doubt it is a fact that Gayatri does not give you a potful of gold coins yet it is well known that due to Gayatris influence, spiritual changes take place in our minds and thus one overcomes hardships. Such an intellect, radiance, understanding, far-sightedness dawns in the psyche of a seeker that he can ward off hardships. In a deluded intellect there is so much of undesirable thinking that a person always experiences sorrow. But due to Gayatri worship, our minds are purified to such an extent that previous wrong notions of ours get corrected for the better. One turns away from deluded concepts. Thus this mental transformation is so blissful that even our deluded desires if satisfied would not give us even a small spark of that bliss. Via special worship (Anushthan) certain known and unknown changes take place as a result of which, a man who was previously experiencing sorrow, will henceforth taste untold bliss.

A small Anushthan means chanting 24,000 Gayatri Mantras and medium Anushthan involves chanting of 1 1/4 lakhs Mantras. Our austerities mature faster when we carry out an Anushthan. Plants, fruits give benefits only after they ripen. In the same way only ripe spiritual practices give true benefits.

THE MODE OF EXECUTING AN ANUSHTHAN

An Anushthan can be carried out in any month of the year. According to the Hindu calendar the 5 ^th , 11 ^th , full moon Tithis (dates) are ideally suited for it. On the 5 ^th Tithi Durga, 11 ^th Tithi Saraswati and full moon Lakshmi manifests predominantly. One can perform an Anushthan either in the Shukla (Waxing) or Krishna Paksha (waning) yet Shukla Paksha is more suitable than Krishna Paksha.

While commencing a Gayatri Anushthan, one should invoke Gayatri and while ending it one should bid adieu to it. Over here holy sentiments and prayer is very important. One should be grateful with faith that Mother Gayatri has been re-instated. Such a prayer should either be in Sanskrit or ones mother tongue. One should have faith that due to our prayer, Mother Gayatri has blessed us with her holy presence. At the time of bidding adieu (Visarjan) one should pray O Adi Shakti, One who wards off our fear, who gives us power, O Mother! Please blissfully leave this place. One should have faith that because of this prayer, Mother Gayatri has bid us adieu.

On a small stool / dais one should make a seat of flowers and one should imagine that Mother Gayatri is seated on it. Those who follow Saakar (name and form) devotion should place an image/ photo of Mother Gayatri on that seat of flowers. Those who are followers of Niraakar (formless) devotion should imagine that a flame representing Gayatris energy is present on that seat of flower. Some visualize the conscious fire of Gayatri in a flame lamp, incense sticks etc. and thus they place a flame lamp, incense sticks on that seat of flower so as to experience Mother Gayatris sacred presence over there. At the time of send off, the image should be removed and kept in a sleeping position. The flowers should be immersed in the river, sea etc. or in any other holy spot. The half-burnt incense stick and flame lamp (after douzing it) should also be immersed alongwith the flowers. Never re-use this incense stick or flame lamp the next day.

As per the mode of worship described in the previous paragraphs, one should sit on a dry grass seat in a sacred spot by purifying oneself first and facing the East. Keep a tumbler of water nearby. While chanting the Mantra, the incense sticks and flame lamp should be lit. If the flame lamp gets douzed, remove that wick, replace it with a new one and light it. There is no need to replace the clarified butter in the flame lamp if it gets douzed.

Start chanting your Mantra after installing and worshipping the Gayatri image on a seat of flowers. Daily this should be the routine. During the time of Anushthan image installation, worship should go on continuously. At the time of Mantra chanting, the mind should be steadfast with faith. In order that the mind does not become wayward, one should sit down facing the East and chant the Mantra while simultaneously meditating on Mother Gayatri. As a result of this, the mind will not run amuck. Even if the mind strays, you must obstruct it calmly and induce it to meditate on Gayatri again and again. This in turn will help you augment your concentration day in and day out.

For a small Anushthan, the days of Navaratri are ideal. Just as at dawn, noon and dusk ones meditation reaps rich dividends, so too Navaratri is best suited for small Anushthans. The Nav Durgas span from Pratipada (1 ^st Tithi) of Shuklapaksha to the 9 ^th Tithi (day) of both Ashwin and Chaitra Navratri. These times are best suited for Gayatriworship. During these days, one should fast and chant the Gayatri Mantra 24,000 times. Thus you will successfully complete a small Anushthan. Even this small penance will reap great results.

One should fast by either eating normal food only once in a day or eat fruits/ milk once a day or milk twice a day with fruits once only or fruits/ milk once a day or drink milk only. In the early morning hours i.e. at Brahmamuhurat (3-6 a.m.) one should be seated for worship while keeping in mind, the above mentioned disciplines. Before sitting for worship, one should finish bathing, going to the toilet etc. In 9 days one has chant 24,000 Mantras. If you chant 28 rosaries (of 108 beads) everyday, you can complete 24,000 Mantras. Very easily one can complete 28 rosaries daily in 3-4 hours. If for some reason you cannot complete 28 rosaries in the morning, see to it that you chant majority of the number of rosaries in early morning hours and the remaining at dusk.

It is best to complete this small 9-day Anushthan during Navratri or Nav Durga days both in Ashwin and Chaitra months. These 9 days are best suited for Gayatri worship. In order to ward off hardships, to fulfill ones desires and to augment ones will power, one should carry out this Anushthan which is known to give supreme benefits.

Apart from Nav Durga this small Anushthan can be carried out during other months too. A compact Anushthan involves chanting 1 1/4 lakhs Mantras for 40 days. One leg (Panchamansha) of 9 days is called Anushthan. As per ones needs and capability, it should be executed time and again. The more one gathers this wealth of austerities the more spiritual / material benefits we can attain.

CHAPTER 22 - SOME APPROPRIATE RULES FOR SPIRITUAL SEEKERS

Following are some important points to note by those who perform Gayatri worship.

1) One should be seated for worship after cleaning ones body. Ordinarily one must have a bath but due to some problems, seasonal changes, obstacles or lack of good health, one should at least wash ones hands, legs, mouth. Also you can make do with wiping the body with a wet towel.

2) While executing Gayatri worship one should wear minimum clothing. If there is intense cold, instead of wearing tight sweaters etc. one should cover ones body with a thick blanket.

3) For worship purpose choose an open area of solitude which induces peace in the mind. Thus a field, garden, shore of ponds/ lakes etc, temples are most suited for worship. But if you cannot find such places, at least choose a clean and peaceful area for worship.

4) One should sit cross-legged with the spine erect. If you sit in a posture that gives pain, you will be unable to meditate well. Thus sit in a comfortable posture so that the mind does not get distracted.

5) Always keep the spine erect. Otherwise your spine will tilt forward and thus obstruct the upward flow of vital force in the Sushumna (subtle spine).

6) Never sit on the bare ground for worship. Because otherwise the vital electricity generated by Gayatri worship will be absorbed by the ground. Hence sit on a seat made of dry grass or leaves. Seats of grass, mats made of ropes are best suited for worship. If you dont have these, a mat of cotton strings will do. In Tantrik rituals, deerskins etc. are used alongwith cotton mats.

7) The rosary beads should be made of Tulsi (basil) or sandalwood. In the Tantrik Gayatri rites, rosaries of Rudraksh, red sandalwood, tiny conch shells are used.

8) For Mantra chanting, the time span of dawn and dusk are ideal. Majority of Mantras should be chanted during dawn and dusk.

9) While executing Gayatri worship keep the following points in mind.

a) The psyche should be one-pointed and the mind should not stray away. If the psyche is very agitated, it should visualize mentally the beautiful image of Mother Gayatri.

b) One should have unswerving faith in Mother Gayatri. Those who have a weak faith will not benefit much.

c) One should steadfastly worship Mother Gayatri. Lack of enthusiasm, mind running hither/tither, experiencing sentimental dryness, not attaining immediate benefits, agitations and other worldly hardships are obstacles in Gayatri worship. One should calmly overcome all these obstacles.

d) Gayatri worship should be ceaseless. If for some unavoidable reason one cannot sit down for worship, at least meditate on Mother Gayatri while walking, talking, lying down etc. Never should one end or stop worship for even a single day. Do not change the time of worship daily. Irregularities like sometimes worshipping Gayatri at 5 a.m., sometimes at 10 a.m., sometimes in the evening etc. is most undesirable.

The above 4 disciplines if observed steadfastly will give wonderful results.

10) One should daily chant at least 1 rosary of Gayatri Mantra. The more one chants Mantras, the better are the results.

11) While worshipping Gayatri early before dawn, one should sit down facing the East and in the evening at dusk one should face the West. It is best to sit facing the suns rays.

12) If flowers are unavailable for worship, you can use either rice grains and a coconut. If in certain rites of worship there is a need of coloured flowers, instead of these one can colour rice-grains or coconut with saffron, turmeric powder, ochre colour, henna or other colours. Never use artificial colours made by Western countries.

13) It is generally difficult to sit cross-legged continuously. Hence if ones legs tire, one can change the posture slightly. There is no taint in doing this.

14) If due to unavoidable reasons like visiting the toilet etc. one has to get up mid-way, before sitting down again, one should wash ones face, hands / legs with clean water. Also because of this interruption, one should chant one extra rosary of Mantra.

15) If on a particular day one has to stop ones worship, as a punishment one should chant an extra rosary of Mantra the very next day.

16) If there is a Sootak of birth or death, do not chant the Mantra of the Gayatri Anushthan with a rosary. But of course one should continue to chant the Mantra mentally. Suppose such a situation arises during the Gayatri worshipof 1 1/4 lakh Mantra chanting, for those many days the worship should be stopped. As soon as the Sootak ends, one should continue chanting the Mantra from where one had stopped and thus complete the total number of Mantras. In order to atone for the fact that worship had stopped midway, one should chant 1,000 Mantras extra and thus purify ones psyche.

17) One cannot bathe and maintain total cleanliness while one is on a long journey, or is himself ill or serving a very ill person. Under such circumstances, ceaselessly chant your Mantra mentally i.e. either while lying down on the bed, while journeying or when in a relatively unclean state.

18) A spiritual aspirants daily routine like eating, resting etc. should be Sattvik (pure). Food should be pure, simple, easily digestible, fresh and made by a pious person. One should staunchly avoid excessively spicy food, sweet-meats, foul odoured food, non-vegetarian food, intoxicants, very hot food, food made from illegal resources, food made by vile people, food given insultingly and stale food.

19) Our behaviour should be natural, righteous, straight forward and holy. One should abstain from fashion, keeping awake till late nights, sleeping during daytime, seeing cinema, seeing a lot of dance/ dramas, picking others faults, quarrels, vile actions, jealousy, hard-heartedness, lethargy, indolence, arrogance, envy etc.

20) By itself permanent sexual continence is most advised but it is most required during Gayatri Anushthan.

21) While chanting your Mantra in solitude, your rosary should be outside the bag. Whenever you chant your Mantra amidst many people, cover the rosary with a cloth or put it in a Gomukhi (rosary bag).

22) While chanting Mantras with the rosary do not cross-over the Meru (the big first bead). After completing one rosary chanting, touch it to your head and eyes devotionally and then reverse it. Thus every time you complete chanting 1 rosary, reverse the rosary so as to chant the next one.

23) After the Anushthan is completed, one should not throw away the rice grains, incense stick, flame wick, food offering (Naivedya), flower, water, ash of sacrificial fire etc. in such a way that it is trampled by one and all. In fact they should be immersed in a pilgrim spot, river, pond, temple or in fields of cotton, jowar, rice etc. The rice grains should be offered to birds. The Naivedya (food offering) should be distributed amongst children. The water should be offered as Arghya to the sun.

24) There is a big difference between the Vedic Dakshin Marg of Yoga and the Vam Marga of Tantra. In this book we have described the straightforward rites of Yoga and there is no need of a special ritual. Because rituals like Shaap-Mochan Kavach, Keelak, Argal, Mudra, Anga Nyaas etc. are meant for Tantra mode of worship. Those executing worship on the basis of this book, do not require the above Tantra rituals.

25) Gayatri worshipis meant for the 3 Dvijas viz. Brahmins, Kshatriya and Shudra. These Varnas are based on ones birth and on ones qualities, activities and nature. Today a lot of chaos has taken place in communities based on birth. Due to change in times, previous high castes are now considered as low castes and vice-versa. Such people should keep in mind their present social status only.

26) It is best to chant Vedic Mantras alongwith Svaras (musical tones). But majority of individuals are unable to chant the Gayatri Mantra with apt Svaras. Thus Gayatri Mantra should be chanted in such a way that the throat emanates sound, the lips keep moving and that those seated next to you cannot hear the Mantra. This type of Mantra chanting does not require apt Svaras as mentioned above.

27) Gayatri worship is akin to prostrating at Mothers feet and that it never fails. One never faces bad results and no bad omen accrues even if one errs during worship. Hence one should worship Gayatri fearlessly and blissfully. If other Mantras are chanted without observing various scriptural injunctions, bad results have to be faced. But this does not hold true for Gayatri because it is meant for all and everyone attains their desired goal. Yes, as far as Tantrik worship is concerned, one has to follow exactly, all rules/ regulations else one faces dire results.

28) Just as eating sweets without sharing it with people nearby is not considered good behaviour, so too performing Gayatri worship without encouraging ones friends, relatives etc. too to follow the Gayatri path is not considered good. In order to ward off this undesirable attitude, every spiritual seeker should encourage as many people as possible to follow the path of Gayatri worship.

29) If you fail to understand a particular point in Gayatriworship, do send a self-addressed and stamped envelope to Shanti-Kunj (Haridwar-India) and get an apt answer. ( Visit website - www.awgp.org)

CHAPTER 23 - THE RULES OF ANUSHTHAN

1) Gayatri Anushthan (special worship) is of 3 types a) a small Anushthan of 24,000 Mantra chanting and Ahuti of 240 in number in a Yajna b) 1 1/4 lakh Mantra chanting and 1250 Ahutis in a Yajna c) 24 lakh Mantra chanting and 24,000 Ahutis in a Yajna. In a small Anushthan, instead of 24,000 Mantra chanting one can write 2400 Gayatri Mantras in a book or read the Gayatri Chalisa 240 times.

2) A small Anushthan involves chanting 27 rosaries daily of Gayatri Mantra chanting for 9 days. A medium Anushthan involves chanting 33 rosaries daily of Gayatri Mantra for 40 days. If you wish to chant 24 lakh Mantras per year, daily chant 66 rosaries of Gayatri Mantra. The other way is to chant 4000 Mantras in 100 Anushthans or 1 1/4 lakh Mantras in 20 Anushthans.

3) Any Anushthan should be commenced on an auspicious day. The best Tithis (dates of Hindu Calendar) are Sunday, Thursday, New Moon Day, Panchami, Ekadashi, Full Moon Day. Even if either the Tithi or Day are auspicious, it is good enough to commence the Anushthan. Chaitra and Ashwin Navratris are ideal to perform 24,000 small Anushthans. Else any other day, Tithi can be utilized to perform various Anushthans.

4) While performing an Anushthan, one must follow the following rules a) remaining sexually continent b) fasting c) sleeping on the floor or a carpet d) shaving beard, washing clothes should be carried out by the spiritual seeker himself. e) not wearing leather shoes, sandals etc.

5) Start chanting the Mantra during an Anushthan only after bathing and performing Sandhya rites. One can carry out the Havan (fire sacrifice) everyday or at the end of the Anushthan. A hundredth part of the Anushthan of n number of Mantraas should be offered as Ahutis in the Yajna. If this is not possible, chant a tenth part of extra Mantras.

6) After completing the Gayatri Anushthan, it is better to invite unmarried girls for lunch than Brahmins. As per ones capability, feed as many unmarried girls as possible. One can earn good merits by distributing scared books, Gayatri based literature etc. to one and all. Such literature can be procured in bulk amounts from Yuga Nirman Yojna at low prices.

7) One can contact Shantikunj-Haridwar-India to ward off doubts about problems of an Anushthan, how to atone for mistakes during an Anushthan, and to complete an Anushthan devoid of obstacles. If you send a self-addressed stamped envelope, you can easily get an appropriate answer. ( Visit website - www.awgp.org)

Within the basic method of worship, the methods of meditation on flame manifestation, regular worship and Mantra chanting too have been detailed. Further we have been advised to perform an Anushthan during Chaitra and Ashwin Navratri. This mode of worship should not be difficult for very busy people too. If a desire awakens in ones bosom, one can perform meditation for 1/2 hr early in the morning while lying in the bed. After morning ablutions etc. one can worship Gayatri for 1/2 hr. Hence we can understand that these worship rites cannot come in the way of our other activities. The question really is whether you are inclined within, to execute Gayatri worship. If the mind is activated, one can easily attain the goal of human life.

In Navaratri some extra time is always taken up and some obstacles too have to be faced. But we should realize that we face n-fold hardships while carrying out worldly tasks and hence it is relatively easier to face obstacles on the spiritual path. Those who are steadfast in their spiritual resolve, will definitely pursue Gayatri worship despite facing worldly problems. Because the arena of worship is very vast and widespread, those who have the necessary time, desire, faith, have many options of worship. They should seek guidance based on ones inner inclinations and external circumstances.

That importance given to worship should also be meted out to spiritual worship. Not only should we lay emphasis on worship but we should also emphasize on meditation. In order to purify, balance our life based on ideals, we should advance our character, activities and inner nature. Any effort in this direction is called spiritual practice. Worship rites end at a particular time but spiritual practices continue for all 24 hours. One has to constantly note ones every thought and action and see to it that no undesirable element enters it ever. As soon as you err, immediately rectify the error, as soon as a mental distortion arises overcome it. This itself is called spiritual practice. Just as soldiers at the border of their country are constantly guarding it, so too we should ceaselessly watch our minds and stop any undesirable element/ thought from entering its sacred precincts. This constant inner alertness, watchfulness is called penance.

It is not right to conclude that merely by worshipping God, all our sins will be destroyed and that God will be easily pleased. We have not attained true benefits of spirituality due to our deluded belief that since we worship God we do not have to purify our minds and that there is no need to stay away from the path of falsehood. This deluded belief must be destroyed immediately. Instead based on the philosophy of Indian spirituality and experiences of our great Rishis, we should accept the conclusion that both worship and meditation are 2 inseparable aspects of spiritual progress and that each one complements the other. One without the other is like a glass half-filled with water. Just as food and water, day and night, heat and cold, man and woman are dependent on one another, so too worship rites and meditation cannot give good results, if either one of them is ignored. One without the other is helpless like an orphan. Hence it is best to lay emphasis on both worship and meditation, so as to progress leaps and bounds on the path of spirituality.

CHAPTER 24 - THE STRATEGY OF THINKING IN THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICE OF LIFE

Just like worship one should shell out 1/2 hour or 15 minutes at least for meditation in the early morning hours between 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. This can be done immediately on waking up in the early morning by sitting on ones bed itself. Else after completing ablutions and early morning worship rites, one should immediately meditate for sometime. One should always allot some time to meditation in the early morning and it should definitely be a permanent part of our daily routine. It should be done either before or after you offer worship rites to Gayatri. The time and cycle is being left for the seeker to choose, so that in one or two days, they can decide for themselves.

By itself the spiritual practice of life continues for the entire day and all the time. Its commencement should take place via a mode of thinking. This mode has 3 legs 1) One should understand the nature of ones life, its goal and enjoyment. Based on this one should carry out ones daily tasks. 2) According to the aphorism A new birth each day, a new death each night, one should execute ones bodily and mental activities in such a way so as to make best use of them. 3) At night before sleeping, one should experience, that very dispassion which one encounters when a near-dear one dies. Thus amongst these 3 modes of reflection, 2 have to be carried out in the day time and the last one at night.

Whenever your birthday arrives, you must celebrate it with pomp and alongwith it experience the priceless value of attaining a human body. Thus one should resolve to use ones body only for higher sacred goals. We should rectify all errors that have creeped into our daily routine and include new, beneficial tasks on a daily basis. All this has been said for celebrating ones birthday once in a year with pomp and grandeur. But one should not limit ones thinking only for this D-day. Instead everyday when you wake up early in the morning, you should ask 3 questions to yourself in such a way that your inner being itself will provide the apt answers. This form of auto questioning should be carried out daily early in the morning, so that one fully imbibes the nature, goal and true utility of a human body. As a result of this one will be very cautious that no error creeps into ones daily routine, both within and without. Following are the 3 questions that one should ask oneself :-

1) The Lord loves all his creatures equally. Then why has the Lord blessed only human beings with speech thinking, writing and innumerable comforts? Why has the Lord taken special pains to make the life of a human being most supreme?

The answer is only one i.e. in order to make his garden called this world more beautiful and well-managed, God needed associates/helpers to realize his dream. Hence he created man and gave him all-round capabilities to realize his goal. God gave man extra comforts so that Gods holy desire gets fulfilled.

2) The second question that one should ask oneself is that is it right or wrong to gain benefits of all material wealth, comforts that we enjoy for oneself only? The answer is only one and that is, whatever wealth, glories, material comfort each one enjoys is really the sacred wealth of world humanity and that it should be used only for cosmic welfare. One can use a little bit of wealth for the sustenance of the body but the rest of it should be used only for world welfare.

3) The third question that we should ask ourself is that are we using this rare, priceless human body in an appropriate manner?

The answer is that we are not true human beings if we are not pious, self-controlled, hardworking, generous, gentlemanly, humourous, service oriented etc. Hence in order to augment these pious qualities, we should lead a life of glory, ideals, culture, gentlemanliness, hard work and intense enterprise.

It is only in the above questions and answers that one finds the true philosophy of spirituality. Suppose these questions are encountered by us in the form of great problems of life and in order to solve these problems, we make use of our discrimination (Vivek), we will come face to face with the well managed philosophy and program of living our lives in future. If this philosophy is imbibed aptly, our hopes and desires will get transformed. A change will take place in all our daily actions and will be of the high stature of divine realized saints.

2) Afterwards- The aphorism Each day a new birth, each night a new death should be mentally reflected upon daily. We should understand that today is a new day hence a new birth has been given to us by God. In reality deep sleep and waking states are samples of death and birth. Nothing is wrong in this thinking. Truly death is ones deep sleep state on a dark gloomy night. Superficially one may laugh on hearing that a new day means a new birth for us and yet deep down, it is nothing but the truth. Hence in this belief, there is no overstatement nor any baseless imagination.

Todays new birth is a priceless opportunity for ourselves. It is said that after incarnating in the bodies of 84 lakh species, one gets a human body. Hence our scriptural scholars opine that in aptly utilizing this human body, lies our true wisdom. Hence daily in the early morning hours while lying wakefully on ones bed, we should think deeply that this new day is a priceless gift of God and hence we must make best use of it. There should be no mistake, ignorance, vile behaviour and lowly thinking. One should imbibe high ideals, good-will towards all and gentlemanly behaviour. All this should be a part of ones daily routine.

Generally lethargy, indolence and tardiness destroys our life. That task if executed with alertness, zeal and hard work takes 1 hour, is generally completed by others in 2-4 hours. Many have imbibed bad habits like lethargy, lack of focus, indolence, wasting precious time etc. and thus their lifes precious moments go in vain. It is quite possible that these bad habits have entered our psyche and thus with great vigilance we should destroy them. Further we should vow that henceforth we shall complete all tasks with alertness and zeal of a soldier. Time itself is life. This is the only true wealth given to us by the almighty Lord. Only by appropriate use of ones time can one can succeed in attaining pious desires. Wastage of precious time is a kind of slow suicide. All great saintly people of the world have attained success in their related fields because of maximum and apt usage of time. Hence one must make good use of ones time without any wastage, lethargy, indolence etc. One should make a daily program so as to aptly utilize ones precious time. One should see to it that all those important tasks which we have ignored so far should be completed immediately. Ones daily schedule should be balanced and comfortable too. Out of excess zeal, one should not chart out a schedule which is impossible to follow.

One should have a program not only of ones bodily activities but of ones mental activities too. Ones intellect should chart out which action should be executed with what sentiments. Time and again ones mind manifests lowly, narrow, selfish thoughts. One should be vigilant at the mental level, as to what undesirable thought is about to arise in the mind. At such times you should have the weapons of pious thoughts, which will displace vile thinking.

In the beginning it is difficult to obstruct vile thoughts. Hence when vile thoughts arise, they should be displaced with pious thinking. Iron cuts iron and thus vile thoughts can be overcome with pious thoughts. If on seeing a woman, ones mind manifests sexual thoughts, one should overcome them by looking upon that woman as ones sister, mother, aunt etc. Another method is to understand at the mental level, that beneath the white skin of a dainty woman is faeces, urine, bad odour etc and thus you can ward off sexual thoughts. Many people are full of anger, incitement, wrath etc. At such times, displace these wrathful thoughts with those of seriousness, farsightedness, gentlemanliness, patience and such other pious thoughts.

The daily schedule should be charted out in such a manner, so that the body executes all its righteous duties and the mind abounds in good thoughts. For this task it is enough to utilize 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hour. One should note down ones daily program on a piece of paper and time and again, one should judge as to whether one is following the daily chart or not. Whenever one errs, one should rectify that error immediately. If one carries out ones daily program perfectly, if one overcomes lethargy at every step, ones morning and night program will go on without any hindrance.

In this manner the remaining half of the Mantra of birth every morning, will be completed at night when you go to sleep. Every moment one has to be alert, vigilant and cautious that no vile thoughts enter ones minds. One should strive very hard to live an exalted life of high values. As a result one will definitely lead a more contented and glorious life in comparison to ones past days. Thus your present day will be more ideal than your previous day and your life will take up the path of Yoga of action (Karma Yoga)

1) Now comes the moment of utilizing the second half of the Mantra. Thus at night imbibe the attitude Each night means a new death. After completing a grueling day, when you sleep in the lap of Goddess of Sleep, you must experience that A wonderful drama has come to an end. This world is a drama and I honestly tried to play my part well. I will remember my mistakes and see to it that the next day I will not repeat them.

I could experiment a lot in this acting. I had many friends. I experienced their close proximity and utility as much as I required. Now after leaving them, I am going to sleep in the lap of Mother Sleep (Death) with a great sense of contentment.

Such an attitude augments our dispassion (Vairagya). It is an experiment to experience greater detachment. No object of the world belongs to us and none of our relatives/ friends are our own. All of them are manifestations of our duty and God. Neither do we own anyone, nor can we become their masters. It is best just to behave righteously with every creature and object of the world. It is useless to get attached to the material world because the result is delusion only. Our body too is not our own. One day it is going to mix with dust. Hence at the time of death, how can you carry all your health, status etc. with you? There are countless living beings in this gigantic cosmos who contact other creatures in this world as per their destiny and then the time comes for them to bid adieu. Today we live with many gentlemanly individuals and it is best that we only perform our righteous duty towards them. Never should one get attached to them mentally, because if you fail to do so, you will be sowing seeds of sin in your psyche.

This discrimination should be activated by us while sleeping at night. One should experience that by renouncing the bondage of I and mine, my mind is getting focused. Thus I am about to enter the lap of Goddess of Sleep (Death) with peace and contentment.

When such an inner attitude evolves positively, one succeeds in many spheres of life and thus ones life as a human being is fulfilled. Due to these pious sentiments, one is freed of deluded attachment to the world and thus one attains the supreme spiritual goal. In this manner whoever imbibes this deep import of spirituality,never again undergoes the painful bondage to the material world.

Suppose such a person actually encounters death, then because of his ripened dispassion (Vairagya), he peacefully bids adieu to the world. This attitude cuts asunder the very root of avarice and attachment. By looking upon each night as a new death one wards off avarice and attachment and by looking upon each day as a new birth one imbibes high ideals and spiritual greatness. Such pious inspirations are the very foundation stones of Yoga of Action.

Everyone should thus cogitate daily over the Mantra Each day new birth, each night new death. Thus your gross body will imbibe the art of Yoga of Action and one will walk on the path of awakening divinity in our very being. In order to succeed in meditation never should one stop spiritual practices that purify our psyche.

The second leg of spiritual practise of life is to evolve greatness, capabilities, potentials in the very innermost core of our being. Destroying falsehood, violence, crime, taints, intoxications and other such lowly qualities is like warding off ants that attack a blooming plants. No doubt one problem has been solved but where is the path which helps this plant to bloom into tree? Hence it is most required that we give fertile soil to the young plant. Else how will the plant grow? In order to evolve human capabilities and pious qualities that divine energy should be made use of which helps us in overcoming our vile mental tendencies. Majority of our precious time gets wasted in futile activities. Its just not enough to stop this wastage but that this time be utilized for augmenting qualities of greatness in our psyche. In order to ward off a disease, one has to take recourse to medicinal cures and one should also keep in mind, that in order to ward off the weakness associated with that illness, one has to depend on an appropriate diet. To ward off distortions is akin to taking medical treatment and augmenting sacred qualities, is like depending on good diet measures.

Only such spiritual practices can give us all-round success while worshipping Gayatri. Under contemporary circumstances, there is no better or easy spiritual practice than Gayatri worship for our soul welfare.

Alongwith chanting of the Gayatri Mantra, many seekers tend to imbibe its meaning too. But it is not possible to delve on the meaning of the Mantra while chanting it. Either you are unable to perfectly delve into its meaning or that chanting one Mantra will take many minutes to do so. Of course the meaning and sentiment of the Gayatri Mantra is very beneficial. One gains all round benefits while meditating on its meaning. Thus in order to meditate on the meaning of the Gayatri Mantra, it is best to allot some extra time for it and be made a part of our daily spiritual practice.

CHAPTER 25 - GAYATRI MANTA

OM BHURBHUVAHA SVAHA TATSAVITURVARENYAM,

BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI DHIYO YONAHA PRACHODAYAAT.

Its meaning is as follows :

OM (GOD), BHUHA (VITAL FORCE MANIFEST), BHUVAHA (DESTROYER OF PAIN), SVAHA (JOY MANIFEST), TAT (THAT), SAVITUHU (RADIANT), VARENYAM (BEST), BHARGAHA (DESTROYER OF SINS), DEVASYA (DIVINE), DHEEMAHI (SHOULD IMBIBE), DHIYO (INTELLECT), YO (WHICH), NAHA (OUR), PRACHODAYAAT (INSPIRE).

Meaning that we are imbibing that God, who is omnipresent, vital force manifest, destroyer of sins, joy manifest, supreme, radiant, destroyer of our sins and divine presence in our souls. May he inspire our intellect to walk on the path of truth. When we meditate on its meaning, 3 precepts are noted 1) reflection on the omnipresent power of God alongwith his divine qualities. 2) imbibing God in our soul. 3) prayer to induce our intellect to walk on the path of truth. These 3 precepts are extraordinarily powerful.

1) The reason one meditates on Gods vital force manifest, painless, blissful, radiant, supreme, sinless, divine nature, is to imbibe all these divine qualities in our psyche. Our thinking and nature should be such that the above qualities start manifesting in our day to day transactions. Such thinking, scheme of action and experience helps all mankind to evolve and advance positively, their spiritual and material state.

2) In the second half of the Gayatri Mantra lies the resolve that we will imbibe God in our psyche. When man experiences the presence of Brahman or that Divine Lord, in every atom of the cosmos, he attains the bliss of Gods vision ceaselessly and thus experiences the close proximity of God every moment.

3) In the third leg of the Gayatri Mantra, man realizes the supreme importance of an intellect full of truth. One prays to God that he inspires our intellect to walk on the path of truth because these great blessings of God, helps us attain our spiritual and material goals.

The first leg of the Gayatri Mantra ordains us to attain the Lords divine qualities, the second leg ordains us to imbibe a divine viewpoint and the third leg inspires us to walk on the path of truth. Gayatri teaches us to purify our intellect, maintain high ideals, immerse our thoughts in divine thinking and renounce that vile intellect, which makes us dance painfully to the lowly tunes of desires. The more the taints of a lowly intellect are destroyed, the more divine qualities of the almighty Lord, will be imbibed by us and thus ones spiritual and material joys will augment.

Within the above 3 precepts of Gayatri Mantra lie wisdom, devotion, action and worship. Meditating on divine qualities is Yoga of Knowledge. Meditating on God is Yoga of Devotion and Yoga of Action involves purity of intellect and detachment from sense objects. The Vedas cover Knowledge, Action and Devotion. In the Gayatri Mantra too, all these 3 lie hidden in seed form.

In a place of solitude one should cogitate over all these and three. This sort of meditation is very useful for mental reflection. For mental reflection, 3 resolutions are being given below. With a calm mind, seated on a steady seat, with eyes closed, man should repeat them mentally and with the help of the power of imagination one should meditate deeply on these 3 resolves.

1) A sacred part of God himself I am the soul and an eternal prince. The Lord is vital soul and an eternal force manifest and I too shall make myself vital and soul force manifest. The Lord is sorrowless and hence I will not follow any path that gives sorrow. The Lord is bliss manifest and hence it is my duty to augment bliss and make it overflow in my psyche. The Lord is radiant and I too shall become fearless, daring, valiant, hardworking and radiant. The Lord is Supreme and thus by imbibing greatness, high ideals and ethics, I too shall become great. The Lord is sinless and I too shall ward off sins, bad thoughts and vile actions. The Lord is divine and hence I too shall imbibe divine qualities. I will imbibe the ethics of always giving something to the world. By walking on this path, I will reach the goal of a true human life.

2) I will imbibe such a Lord, who has the above mentioned qualities in my bosom. The Lord is present in every particle of the cosmos. He is present everywhere, both within and without and I will merge into him. I will laugh and play only with him. It is he who is my true friend. By safeguarding myself from a vile intellect that lures me into the cave of doom full of desires, avarice, delusion etc., I will surrender my mind at the Lords feet. I will seat only God in my bosom. Now he is mine and I am his only. Now my true goal is to follow Gods path only. Now my true goal is to follow Gods ideals and serve God who resides in the heart of world humanity.

3) There is no greater divine blessing than a scared intellect. In order to attain this divine wealth. I will perform intense austerities. Via self reflection, I will search minutely for a vile intellect that hides in mind, intellect, psyche and ego and will leave no stone unturned to banish it, hook, line and sinker. Whenever I find a vile intellect i.e. be it in my habits, beliefs, sentiments, thinking, I will ward it off. I will not fight shy of renouncing falsehood and imbibing truth, I will not fight shy of accepting my mistakes and imbibe correct thinking. Now my worship will involve purification of my nature/ thoughts/ actions and replacing vile thinking with truthful, sacred sentiments. Since the Lord will be pleased with this worship offering of mine, he will reside in my heart and thus with his grace I will attain my goal.

Based on ones mental inclinations, a few changes as far as words are concerned, can be made in the above 3 vows and yet the underlying sentiments should remain as they are. If in a calm mind on a daily basis, these 3 vows are devotionally meditated upon, one will experience the true meaning of the Gayatri Mantra. As a result man will attain the highest peak of spirituality.

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS DIVINE MATERIAL TO OTHERS TOO.

Alongwith pious activities distributing Prasad (sacred food offered to the Lord) is considered a most required righteous activity. At the end of the Yajna, Halva or any other sweet food item is distributed. At the end of singing eulogies to God (Sankeertan), Prasad is distributed amongst everybody. In order to please demigods, Peer-Mureeds (Muslim saints), semi-spherical cakes and Revadi (crisp sweet meats) are distributed as Prasad. In temples where the crowds are huge and which do not have a lot of wealth at their disposal, give Charanaamrit (basil leaf + water) as Prasad to the devotees. The gist of all this is that after every sacred act, some sort of Prasad must be distributed amongst all. The reason being that when a holy atmosphere is created then by associating sacred materials with it, is distributed amongst all devotees so that these devotees to imbibe these sacred elements in their psyche. Another important factor is that one manifests faith towards these sacred elements present in the Prasad and when one partakes this sweet offering, one experiences bliss. These days due to increase of these elements, the one imbibing Prasad, gets attracted to spirituality and this in turn helps him/her attain all-round well-being. Thus it is passed on from one to another and the cycle of augmentation of righteousness continues ceaselessly. While keeping in mind this benefit the preceptors of Spiritual Science have ordained us to distribute Prasad at the end of every sacred activity. There are many injunctions in the scriptures which say that if you do not distribute Prasad, your sacred task will remain unfulfilled. Thus its injunction is to give importance to distributing Prasad, after any holy task is concluded.

Gayatri worship too is a Yajna. It is extraordinary. Offering materials to the Yajna fire is a gross rite but a subtle Yajna means establishing God in our soul and is much more important than a gross Yajna. Alongwith such a great righteous act, the Prasad distribution should be such that its importance fits aptly with all sacred tasks. It is not as though by just distributing Revadi, sweet cakes, Laddus etc. you have finished

your duty of Prasad distribution. The Prasad of Gayatri should be such that those partaking it must experience heavenly bliss and that his /her soul attains self-fulfillment. Gayatri is Divine Energy and its Prasad too should be divine and only then can it be called a glorious task. Prasad could also mean distributing knowledge of divinity and inducing others to walk on the path of spirituality. To distribute Prasad means to induce one and all, to walk on the path of divinity.

It is well-known that the fountain of material and spiritual joy is present in the psyche of human beings. True wealth is not outside your body. Externally you may find stones that are labeled as diamonds, pearls etc. but true wealth lies within ones psyche which on attainment, gives mankind eternal satiation. This leads to eternal bliss. In order to open the lock of the storehouse of this infinite bliss, the key of spiritual practices has to be made use of and amongst all such practices Gayatri worship is supreme. Its greatness is incomparable, it is extraordinary and there is no limit to its miraculous divine glories. If you are able to live, encourage others to walk on this great path of spiritual practices, it is the greatest benefit that you are bestowing on others. The more pious thoughts will overflow in their psyche, the more their thinking and actions will become sacred and thus they in turn will influence more people to walk on the path of spirituality. The more this cycle will spread everywhere, greater will be world peace and he who encourages others to walk on this sacred path, will earn more good merits.

Anyone who performs Gayatri worship should take a vow that in order to please Mother Gayatri I will definitely share this spiritual Prasad with everybody. This sharing should be such that one should be on the lookout for those individuals, who have the seed of spirituality in their psyche and slowly, by encouraging them one can influence them to advance further spiritually via Gayatri worship. Those who fail to understand the importance of spiritual progress should be shown the advantages of Gayatri worship which gives material gain too and should be encouraged to read about Gayatri worship like that given in Akhand Jyoti magazines. Thus may be initially they will worship Gayatri for material gains but later, they will be lured to walk on the path of spirituality by surrendering to Vedmata Gayatri. Once a car is started on the road, it slowly but surely reaches its destination. It is extremely beneficial to encourage others to advance both socially and religiously.

To encourage friendship with a radiant person, is like opening up innumerable paths of advancement. It is a great sacred act to encourage others to build a strong bond with Mother Gayatri and thus help him walk in the right direction of life.

The act of building a bond with Mother Gayatri should be done with utmost discrimination. If a person wishes to become a wrestler, in the primary stage he is asked to perform light exercises. In the initial stages it is enough to re-instate Gayatri, the substratum goddess of a pious intellect, as an image or Mantra and thus augment ones faith in her divinity. Before starting ones activity, one should stand or sit in front of Gayatri while chanting 5-7 Mantras and pray to Mother to give us a greater experience of her presence. Pray to her fervently, to show us the right path. This 2-3 minute schedule too can be a pious beginning. Later such a person can be initiated into the main Gayatri worship program.

Those who find it difficult to chant the Gayatri Mantra can be asked to write it in a book. Keep a writing book at the place of worship. One should regularly write at least 24 Mantras daily. Perform other tasks as per your convenience. Instead of chanting the Gayatri Mantra, you can read aloud the Gayatri Chalisa with faith. This is a good way for women and children to augment their faith in Mother Gayatri.

In the Saptasarovar area of Haridwar, where the Ganges river flows is the radiant building of Brhamavarchas Shodh Santhan (Research Centre). It has 3 floors and about 90 rooms. In the floor below is the holy room of Gayatri Shakti Pith. The second floor accommodates rooms of philosophical research and spiritual practices. The third floor has scientific apparatus. The terrace is used for growing herbs used for Yajnas. In the enquiry office, one can obtain and give information regarding research activities. Regular Yajnas are carried out in Yajnashalas. There is a resident area for workers involved in research activities. There is a library and clinic too. There is a place for selling literature. This is the brief outline of the Brahmavarchas Research Institute for the benefit of visitors. One gets easily attracted to this place as soon as one sees it. (Visit website www.awgp.org)

When one meets the person whose gigantic efforts has led to the construction of the Brahmavarchas Research Institute, one can only be amazed. This person is none other than our revered Shriram Sharma Acharya. Intellectuals associated with spiritual practices, religion, philosophy, spirituality etc. are well aware of this name. Shriram Sharma Acharya is the editor and CEO, for the past 42 years of the magazine Akhand Jyoti, based on scientific spirituality. Because of its maturity, fame and innumerable readers, it is incomparable amongst all contemporary publications. Our revered Acharyaji has virtually translated all Arsha texts, like the 4 Vedas, 108 Upanishads, Smritis, Aranyak, Brahman, Sutra, 18 Puranas etc. These publications are being widely read in India as well as other nations. Apart from this he has also authored 600 books. He abounds in wisdom, listening others, enterprise, radiant philosophic thinking etc. One is amazed to note his creative endeavour in the fields of religion and education.

Our revered preceptors character is that of a generous Brahmin, full of intense austerities. It is indeed a gigantic penance to eat jowar bread (Roti) for 24 years continuously and completing 24 Gayatri Mahapurascharanas by chanting 24 lakh Gayatri Mantras. This is an incomparable spiritual feat in this era. A lot has been written about the deep import of Gayatri, yet literature like Gayatri Mahavijnana Parts 1,2,3 that covers experiential knowledge of Gayatri, is indeed rare to find. Uptil now 21 editions have been published.

As per Gayatri wisdom, lakhs of people have worshipped Gayatri and attained great benefits. There are others who take up Gayatri worship to ward off material hardships and they too have benefited immensely. Despite being a great scholar and sage, people are attracted to Shriram Sharma Acharya for his straightforward, simple and humble character. When one beholds a 17 year old energetic personality in a 71-year old body, one realizes that Shriram Sharma Acharya is not an ordinary person. The Brahmavarchas Research Institute is blooming under the guidance of such a great sage. No doubt the actual research is conducted by highly educated scientists/ doctors, yet they are inspired by the path shown by Shriram Sharma Acharya .

END OF PART - 1

Send mail to heenakapadia@shriramsharma.com with questions or comments about this web site. This website is not meant for commercial use.

Copyright (c) www.awgp.org All Rights reserved