August 2019
Vol. 38 No.11 Pages 12
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Truly Independent India (Page 5)
Monthly Journal of the Brahma Kumaris, Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India
New Learning from Bhagavad Gita
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elhi/Gurgaon: The yoga mentioned in the Gita refers to establishing a mental connection with God and not doing physical exercises — the war described in the Gita was non-violent and symbolic of our internal struggle between the good and evil; God is the imperishable, incorporeal being of spiritual light, not a physical being. He is omnipotent, not omnipresent – these are some of the key conclusions that were arrived at the two-day National Convention on New Learning from the Bhagavad Gita organised in Delhi-NCR last month by the Brahma Kumaris. Saints and scholars from different parts of the country brainstormed to demystify the truths as stated in the Gita. The aim of the programme was to explore the core knowledge of the Gita and present it in its right context in order to make it accessible and useful to everyone. The panelists were of the opinion that unless people embody the knowledge of the Gita; merely learning or to recite it, will not translate to the high aim of personal transformation. At the public programme organised at Siri Fort Auditorium on the second day of the convention, it was said that describing physical exercises as yoga misleads people away from the ancient yoga as taught in the Gita. Professor Prafulla Kumar Mishra, former Head of Sanskrit Department at Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, said: Keeping the body fit is not yoga, it is far from it.” The Bhagavad Gita is a yoga shastra and many of its shlokas talk about stabilising the mind through meditation, he said, adding that the Gita nowhere asks us to perform physical asanas, and they do not result in the personal upliftment everyone is looking for. Dr. Pushpa Pandey, Gita research scholar from Jabalpur, said that yoga was not possible without remembrance of God: “The biggest problem in the world today is depression, and though exercise does bring relief through the release of endorphins, it is only when we concentrate our mind in meditation and remember God can we truly improve our mental health.” She said that we receive the qualities of what we concentrate on. God is the ocean of peace, love, happiness and power, and we get all we want by remembering Him. Professor Alekh Chandra Sarangi, former Vice-Chancellor, Shri Jagannath Sanskrit University, Puri, said: “The Gita is called yoga shastra. Rajyoga is the means to transform our negative tendencies and connect with God.” Calling Rajyoga a remedy for mental stress, BK Veena, Gita research scholar, Sirsi, Karnataka, said: “Many shlokas in the Gita say that the burden of sins can be cleansed only when we connect to God through His accurate introduction.” She said that hatha yoga does not lead to purification of the soul. Bringing clarity to the subject of who God is, she said that the Gita supports the fact that both the soul and the Supreme Soul are a form of spiritual light, and one could know God only through the knowledge given by Him. Swami Gopala Krishnananda, Peetadhipathi, Sri Dwarkamai Sai Baba Peetham, Hyderabad, said: “God is the Supreme Light, but we can connect with Him only when we first connect with ourselves as souls.” He said that one could achieve peace of mind and spread peaceful vibrations through Rajyoga meditation, not by performing physical kriyas. Once the soul is set on the path of purification, it can overcome mental illness, he said. BK Trinath Inala, Gita scholar from Hyderbad, said that God is ever pure and does not go through the cycle of sato, rajo and tamo. He, the Supreme, is
Mahamandaleshwar Swami Dharamdev Maharaj being greeted by Rajyogi BK Brij Mohan, Convenor, Bhagavad Gita Convention. neither a deity nor a human being, he said. The panelists asked the audience to be discerning and to understand the deeper meaning of the metaphors used in the Gita. Interpreting the text literally could lead one to make faulty, bizarre and contradictory conclusions, and to miss out on the profound knowledge. In the same light, it was asked if it was at all possible for the God of the Gita to advocate war and violence when ahimsa parmodharma is its key tenet. Rajyogi BK Basavaraj Rajrushi, Gita research scholar from Hubli, said, “The war described in the Gita is a symbolic representation of the war between negative and positive tendencies that goes on in everyone’s mind.” Dr. Surendra Mohan Mishra, Associate Professor, Department of Sanskrit, Kurukshetra University, said that truth and violence were inseparable, and that the revival of our nation was unimaginable without truth. He added, “The war described in the Gita is a depiction of our mental conflict... The Gita inspires us to gain victory over our mind.” Brahmrishi Gaurishankaracharya of Shri Amritanubhav Sangh Trust, Nepal, said, “On the one hand we say that inflicting violence brings us negative karmic returns, on the other hand, Krishna has been depicted as a destroyer.” He said Dhritrashtra represents a person who is so blinded by attachment to the idea of ‘me and mine’ that he is unable to discern the right from the obvious wrong. “When the vices, represented by the Kauravas, influence a person, his intellect, represented by the Pandavas, becomes dysfunctional.” Mahabharata is the journey between ‘where we are’ to ‘where we want to go’, and we should try to destroy all obstacles that keep us off our goal, he added. Dr. Yogendra Nath Sharma ‘Arun’, member of HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, said: “When we act under the influence of vices, we become Duryodhana, otherwise we are ready to walk the right path.” Kansa is a symbol of violence and so non-violence could not be established (Contd. on page 2)
NGO OF UNITED NATIONS IN CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECOSOC & UNICEF. OVER 4500 ASSOCIATE CENTRES IN 137 COUNTRIES.
PURITY
August 2019
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Gita Convention in Photos
(Contd. from page 1)
without his destruction, he said — he clarified that many characters in the scriptures are meant to give a message and must not be confused with actual historical figures. BK Usha, Gita expert from Mount Abu, said, “The war described in the Gita is certainly not a violent one. This is clear from the fact that Arjuna is time and again asked to gain victory over his five sense organs and conquer his mind.” She said that the mind becomes restless under the influence of desires. “We must steer the mind, not suppress it – this is the message of the Gita.” The antidote for depression given in the Gita, she said, was to make our mind positive with Godly power and thereby experience happiness. BK Brij Mohan, Additional Secretary-General of the Brahma Kumaris, said, “When we say the mind is uncontrollable, it also means that the intellect is corrupted and thereby unable to restrain the mind. The intellect is corrupted by wrong actions, which are performed repeatedly under the influence of vices and evantually harden into sanskars. The Bhagavad Gita prescribes yoga as the only means to transform our sanskars and thereby gain victory over our mind.” Contradicting the concept of omnipresence of God, BK Veena said: “It is mentioned in the Gita that God descends on earth each time when unrighteousness reaches its peak. If He were everywhere, as is often believed, there would be no need for Him to come from somewhere else. Also, the Gita mentions that He resides in an abode that is highest on high.” Speaking on the role of women and why the Gita is silent on the subject, BK Asha, Director, Om Shanti Retreat Centre (ORC), Gurugram, said the dialogue between Arjuna and Sri Krishna represents a conversation between the soul and the Supreme Soul. As the soul is beyond gender, the characters are inclusive of both genders. Speaking further on the role of women, she said: “Women have a crucial role to play in the transformation of society because they are naturally blessed with the qualities of nurturing and non-violence ... It is impossible to change the world without the essential feminine qualities of patience, humility, compassion and kindness.” Bringing the convention to a close, Justice V. Eswaraiah, former chairperson, National Commission for Backward Classes, stated in essence the key conclusions of the discussions. He said that since the knowledge given by the God of the Gita is spiritual in nature, it could only be understood in a soul-conscious state. Earlier, on July 27, the two-day programme was inaugurated at ORC by Guest of Honour Mahamandaleshwar Swami Dharamdev Maharaj of
Harimandir Ashram, Pataudi, along with other esteemed scholars. He said though reading scriptures is a great practice, what truly matters is not how learned we are but how much knowledge we have churned and imbibed in our practical life. He urged the audience to practise the Gita as a way of life. Speaking at the inaugural session, BK Brij Mohan asked everyone to reflect on the question – who would renew the world when everyone and everything is bound by entropy. Since the Supreme Soul is ever pure, He alone could do it, he said. “He is called the Almighty Authority because He does what nobody else is capable of doing – transforming the world.” He said the symptoms of extreme decay is visible in all the ‘sattas’ (institutions) today. It tells us that we are living in that crucial phase in the cycle of time when the God of Gita is once again carrying out the work of world transformation, and changing it from its oldest to its newest form. Yogacharya Vipin Chander Joshi, Shri Mahant Mata Vaishnodevi Gufa Yoga Mandir, Tapkeswar Mahadev, Dehradun, said that the Gita teaches us to carry out our responsibilities obediently. “If we fulfil our duties, we earn our rights automatically,” he said. During the panel discussions held on the first day of the convention, it was unanimously agreed that ‘truth’ refers to what is eternal and indestructible. The soul and the Supreme Soul are the two ultimate truths, and if one lives in this awareness, it brings out one’s intrinsic divine qualities to the fore. This is how truth is linked with non-violence. Calling the Gita a source of universal knowledge, BK Rajiv Gupta, Gita scholar from Mumbai, said that attaching the Gita with a particular person or deity reduces its value. If its core knowledge is understood accurately and as the one given by the Supreme Himself, it would be rightly recognised as a text belonging to all humanity equally.n (Purity Report)
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August 2019
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Feature Article on Independence Day
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Truly Independent India
eventy-two years ago, India won freedom from British colonial rule. Independence, it was hoped, would bring a new era of peace and prosperity. Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of India’s freedom movement, spoke of establishing Ram Rajya in India. He described Ram Rajya as “sovereignty of the people based on moral authority.” According to him, it would be “the land of dharma and a realm of peace, harmony and happiness for young and old, high and low, all creatures and the Earth itself, in recognition of a shared universal consciousness.” However, Gandhi’s dream remains a distant goal more than seven decades later. In fact, Gandhi himself foresaw this prospect when he wrote a few months before independence that “there can be no Ram Rajya in the present state of iniquitous inequalities in which a few roll in riches and the masses do not get even enough to eat.” The inequality Gandhi wrote about, not only persists, but has grown over the years. The latest Oxfam report on global inequality has reiterated, once again, that the rich are getting richer and the poor are lagging behind. According to the report, India’s wealthiest 1 per cent of the population now holds 73 per cent of the country’s wealth. The wealth of this elite group increased by over Rs 20.9 lakh crore during the period of the study, while 67 crore Indians, comprising the country’s poorest half, saw their wealth rise by just 1 per cent. This phenomenon is not just unique to India. According to the report, there are now 2,043 dollar billionaires worldwide. The wealth of this group increased by $762 billion in just 12 months, while the bottom half of the global population got less than 1 per cent of the total wealth in 2016-2017.
For India to become free from slavery to vices, each person in this country will have to become free first. Is that possible? Gandhi’s dream for India remains unfulfilled because while the country attained political independence in 1947, it did not really become free. Earlier, it was a colonial power that drained the country of its resources and curbed the freedoms of it people, but now the people are slaves to vices, which have corroded every aspect of life and are at the root of the ills plaguing India. Inequality is the result of greed and selfishness, which also give rise to corruption. India ranks a poor 78th among 180 countries in the global Corruption Perceptions Index. Crime and violence, including terrorism, also stem from vices, including lust, anger and hatred.
Freedoms that ought not to be enjoyed in ‘Free India’
These vices enslave not only the minds of people but also imprison many of them physically by landing them behind bars for crimes committed under the influence of evil tendencies. The condition of such ‘enslaved’ persons is similar to that of the Kaurava prince Duryodhana in the Mahabharat. When told by Lord Krishna that the way he was treating the Pandavas was morally wrong, Duryodhana replied, “I know what is right, but I am not able to practise it; I know what is wrong and I am not able to keep away from it.” This happens when the soul is weak and does not have the power to stop negative thoughts and refrain from acting on them. This is the condition, in varying degrees, of most people in the world today. The way to end this slavery is to know the self, the soul, and empower it so that it can choose good and positive thoughts over those which are negative and wasteful. Empowerment occurs when the soul connects mentally with the Supreme Soul. Remembrance of God brings His powers and virtues into the soul and removes the influence of vices. Regularly making this connection gradually enables the soul to become selfsovereign, when it becomes free of all external influence. For India to become free from slavery to vices, each person in this country will have to become free first. Is that possible? Things have come to the present pass because of the ravages of time. All souls are originally pure, and peace, love, truth, power and bliss are their natural qualities. But as souls take successive births in this world, playing various roles in the drama that we call life, they lose their power and are influenced by matter and other souls. This process of decline ultimately leaves them depleted, unable to resist negative influences. No community or country can hope to be rid of vices by itself. It is only when all souls attain salvation that the world is freed from this slavery. The Gita tells us that when unrighteousness reaches extreme proportions, God incarnates Himself to destroy evil, salvage humanity, and establish a righteous new world order. This is when the world is freed from the clutches of vices, and true independence dawns.n
Independence
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I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
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Every man for himself and God for us all.
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- Thoreau
- Cervantes
Independence has to be experienced within the reality of interdependence. -BK Dr. Nirmala
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August 2019
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Raksha Bandhan – To Purify and Protect
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aksha Bandhan is celebrated in the month of Shravan (August) on a full moon day. The festival of Raksha Bandhan has acquired different expressions and connotations in the course of time. It has been celebrated as a promise by the brother to protect the sister. On this day sisters tie a decorative piece of thread around the wrist of brothers and apply a tilak on their forehead. The rakhi is considered a sacred vow taken by brothers to assist or protect their sister in difficult situations. In this age of women’s empowerment, it would seem a denigration of women to suggest that they need to be protected by their brothers. This could not be the original intent and purpose of the festival. Before the advent of the sister-brother ritual, the sacred thread of rakhi was tied by the family priest who visited his clients and tied the thread, which was considered auspicious for all members of the family. This custom still prevails in parts of India. It is also believed that soldiers and warriors were tied the rakhi by their sisters and wives before they went to the battlefield to wish them safety and good luck. The significance of rakhi here is not so well understood. Actually, it was a reminder that they should respect the honour of the womenfolk of the enemy in the same spirit as they would expect their own womenfolk to be treated by the enemy, if captured. The origin of Raksha Bandhan is, however, an altogether different story, now as revealed by the Supreme Rakshak (Protector) God Shiva, through the medium of Prajapita Brahma. It symbolises a very significant transformation that takes place in human history every 5,000 years. It relates to the purification of human souls during Sangamyuga (Confluence Age), when God descends to transform the completely vicious Iron-aged (Kalyugi) world into completely viceless Golden-aged (Satyugi) deity world of purity, peace and prosperity. God is surely a more loyal and mighty protector than any human being. And it is God alone who shares the wisdom behind tying the sacred rakhi or rather, taking a vow
Rakhi is the bondage of purity that truly frees us from all negativities, fear and sorrow. of protection. Rakhi is the bond of purity that truly liberates us from all negativities, fear and sorrow. God’s guidance (Shrimat) helps humans attain victory over the vices of lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. Supreme Soul Shiva creates a spiritual army of Shiva Shaktis (spiritually empowered women) who take a pledge to observe Brahmacharya (celibacy) and complete purity in thoughts, words and deeds. In return, they get God’s guidance and His protection from all evil. The tilak applied on Raksha Bandhan signifies the tilak of soul consciousness which inspires us to take the pledge to stay in our original nature of peace, love, purity, wisdom and joy. Every thought, word and action then becomes elevated and divine. As children of God, the Supreme Father, all human souls are brothers, so we need to imbibe a pure vision towards all, a soul-
Ambition
Ambition has but one reward for all: A little power, a little transient fame, A grave to rest in, and a fading name! nnn
I had ambition, by which sin the Angels fell; I climbed and, step by step, O Lord Ascended into Hell.
conscious vision. The more we purify our consciousness, the stronger is our connection with God. Bringing purity in one’s life requires the divine companionship of God, our Supreme Guide and Protector. God binds us in this sacred bond of love and purity. Making a firm promise to God of imbibing purity and goodwill ensures that we constantly receive strength to overcome the vices and sorrow that are plaguing humanity today. For all our sincere efforts, God in turn promises to gift us a place in the divine new world of Satyuga, where happiness, peace and prosperity will rule. Purity of the soul, purity of the heart is the greatest shield of protection, because a pure heart is the key to God’s blessings, and His blessings are the greatest protection. By purifying our consciousness, attitude and deeds we are able to protect ourselves and others from the influence of negative feelings. Such spiritually empowered humans also help other souls to enter this spiritual bond of love with God. Raksha Bandhan signifies this great event of human transformation.n
(Purity Bureau)
Wise Sayings
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• New Delhi: Inaugurating National Conference on New Education for New India are Mr Ramesh Pokhriyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of HRD, BK Mruthyunjaya, BK Sister Chakradhari, BK Sister Shukla, Sister Shivani and others. The programme was held at Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Auditorium, New Delhi.
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Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing. —Abraham Lincoln The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. —Eleanor Roosevelt A person starts to live when he can live outside himself. —Albert Einstein Diligence is the mother of good luck. —Benjamin Franklin Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration. —Thomas A. Edison I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. —Thomas Jefferson It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. —Seneca Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. —Leonardo da Vinci We must become the change we want to see. —Mahatma Gandhi Who dares, wins. —Anonymous Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. —Thomas A.Edison No chains can fetter the mind. — C.C.Colton What is mind? No matter. What is matter? Never mind. —T.H.Kay