International Day of Yoga

International Day of Yoga

- By Purnima Ramakrishnan: Sahaj Marg Abhyasi and SRCM Prefect

During the declaration of June 21^st as International Day of Yoga at UN General Assembly, Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, mentioned,

"Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. This tradition is 5000 years old. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day."

The world is realizing today that the great tradition of Yoga would help create individuals and societies with a deep sense of oneness with the Higher Self or Innermost Self or Source and with each other, and with Nature. It helps to create that sacred harmony within oneself, and with ones higher consciousness. Yoga awakens the deeper sense of unity and oneness with the whole Universe. 

In the words of Honourable Secretary General of the United Nations,

"By proclaiming 21 June as the International Day of Yoga, the General Assembly has recognized the holistic benefits of this timeless practice and its inherent compatibility with the principles and values of the United Nations."

-      Ban-Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General

Even important actionable like Climate Change are battled better by following a holistic and balanced life. How?

Indian Prime Minister Mr. Modi says, “Respect for nature is an integral part of spiritualism. We treat nature’s bounties as sacred. Yoga is an invaluable gift of our ancient tradition. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change.” A balanced life can helps deal with anything in a holistic way.

Climate change too starts within the human heart, which is purified and divested of all fear, hate, laziness, doubts and desires; this manifests in a simpler and more harmonious lifestyle, creating a world of peace and love.

World renowned teacher of Heartfulness Meditation, talks about yoga as follows.

Yogah – one that joins. Yahudi yogah – one that joins. The word in Sanskrit and the word in English both convey the same meaning, the same understanding that I have to unite myself with my Maker. My atma must merge with paramatma.”

Please view the entire talk in the below youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuaZ1Ba8eZ8

[Kamlesh D Patel, President of the Heartfulness Institute, elaborates on the need to experience meditation on the light emanating from the ultimate Source from one’s own heart. He invites you to experiment to feel the 'presence' of this light or love or life, emanating from your heart, facilitated greatly by the help of Transmisssion of Life Force or Prana-Ahuthi from the Teacher or trainer).

Meditation is continuously thinking on a particular thing, undivided attention on a single object. All the yogic postures and breathing exercises are meant to enable the body to sit in meditation effectively for hours together. The yogis meditated for centuries together, in the jungles, or  in the mountains like Himalayas.

However today, we have less time and energy than the ancient yogis, yet the need for yoga is even greater than their days.  Nature has offered us today a way to meditate effectively, to connect with our hearts, for a brief period in morning. This practise enables us do it again for short moments during the day whenever we feel need, (resulting in a permanent connectivity to the innermost Source and enjoy the nourishment from the ultimate Source, during all our work. The spiritual experiences mature into a direct perception of the inner ‘Reality’ beyond experiences, resulting in a permanent secure Inner contentment, joy and peace.

This Yogic transmission of Pranahuti helps the spiritual practitioner to go deeper into meditation, helping in creating that unity with his own consciousness, with his own inner self. Delving deeper into these subconscious states as often as one can, help in maintaining the same state of serenity all through the day. Meditation with Yogic transmission helps in feeling that inner joy.

On June 21, 2016, the International Day of Yoga, different schools of Yoga and meditation around the world are organizing Yoga and meditation sessions. The importance of this Yoga Day is best understood with a deep meditation session along with Yogic transmission called pranahuti.

Please join us, for a session of Heartfulness Meditation Session. Write to info@heartfulness.org to find your nearest Heartfulness centre.

Sahaj Marg Prayer: What should we pray for?

By Sanskrit Kannan (SRCM Preceptor)

         This is very important because Rev. Babuji Maharaj has said, “Whenever a man enters into that state, even for a moment, his prayer is granted”.  Therefore, having established our link with the Supreme Master through Prayer, is it not foolish to pray for petty worldly things?  Rev. Babuji Himself says, “It is folly to pray to God for petty worldly ends except in most exceptional cases when peace of mind is greatly disturbed for want of bare necessities”.  Rev. Chariji Maharaj also has said, “We should pray only for noble things and we should pray without any selfish notions.  Very often, when our prayers are answered we are in trouble”!  He has also said that we should not pray for the relief from head-ache, for getting money or even for knowledge.  Therefore, we have to be very careful even when He asks us, “What do you want?”  We should say, “Nothing except you, Master”, for everything other than Him is only transitory.

         Unfortunately, in all our religious literature, including our sacred Vedas, we find the sages praising the powers of Nature or Gods and praying to them to bless them with wealth, health, progeny, strength etc.  Even the first Ṛg of the Ṛg Veda (considered to be the oldest literature) says,

“agnimīḻe purohitam yajñasya devaṁ ṛtvijam hotāraṁ ratnadhātamam”

(“I worship the Fire, who is the priest, the deity of the sacrifices, the knower of Vedas, the performer and one who gives the precious jewels”).

         Similarly, all throughout the Stotra literature, we find people glorifying the various gods and finally begging the gods to bestow upon them various benefits.

         In the Bhagavadgītā (VII.16), Lord Kṛṣṇa says,

         “caturvidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino'rjuna

 ārto jijñāsurarthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

(“O, Arjuna, four types of people worship Me.  They are those who are afflicted, those desirous of knowledge, those desirous of wealth and a Jñānī”).  But of these four, who is the best?  The Lord answers (VII.17) thus:

“teṣāṁ jñānī nityukta ekabhaktirviśiṣyate

 priyo hi jñānino'tyarthamahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ”

(Among these, the Jñānī, who is ever established in Me with single-minded devotion, is the best.  I am dearest to him and so is he to Me”)

         This also clearly shows what we should pray for.  Rev. Chariji Maharaj referred one incident during His speech on 30^th April 1986 (Rev. Babuji Maharaj’s 87^th birth anniversary celebrations) at the Congress Grounds in Chennai.  An abhyāsi was about to leave Shahjahanpur after staying with Rev. Babuji Maharaj for some day.  Rev. Babuji Maharaj asked him, “What do you want?”  The abhyāsi replied, “Babuji, I want 25 paise to go to my village”.  Later, Rev. Babuji Maharaj remarked, “This man had come all the way to Shahjahanpur and what he got was only 25 paise”.

         It is also important to note that most of us pray only with selfish notions, i.e., ‘I’ predominant.  I pray for my wealth, health, to get rid of diseases, for my spiritual progress.  Rev. Chariji Maharaj said once, “To Rev. Babuji Maharaj also we prayed like that, when He was in the physical frame.  When He was in the hospital, some abhyāsis prayed to Him for liberation, Central Region, Realisation etc. before He passed away.  Just imagine, what would have He thought at that time.  How much of agony and suffering He would have undergone at that time.  He would have felt, ‘Look, these people don’t want me.  They want only Central Region etc.  There will be someone who will come next to me.  He would give them all these.  Let me go away”.  This is a very, very great lesson for us that we should be aware of what we pray for”.

         Rev. Chariji Maharaj has also said, “Wrong prayer gives you wrong result”.  We have many stories in our mythologies to illustrate this.  Let us see one simple story.  One demon (Bhasmasura) did penance for a long time and when Lord Śiva appeared before him and granted him a boon, he prayed, “Lord, on whose head I lay my hand upon, his head should be burnt to ashes”.  This was granted.  He wanted to test this on Lord Śiva Himself and poor Śiva ran from him!  At last, Lord Viṣṇu had to come in the form of a beautiful damsel and made the demon touch his own head so that the demon was burnt to ashes.

         So, we should always pray for the noble cause, for the right cause.  We should always pray for the ‘highest’ that He can give us.  And what is that ‘highest’?  Nothing except Himself!  So, we should always pray to Him for Him alone and not for the things that He can give us, however great that may be.  In The Garden of Hearts, Rev. Chariji Maharaj has pointed out this great truth with the story of Arjuna and Duryodhana.  Before the Mahābhārata war started, both of them went to Lord Kṛṣṇa seeking His help.  Arjuna said, “My Lord, I want only You”, whereas Duryodhana was happy to take all the army of the Lord.  We know what happened in the end.

         This teaches us a great lesson that when the Master Himself is with you, what is the need for anything else at all?”  I we possess all the wealth in this world and yet do not possess Him, then it is absolutely useless.  On the other hand, even if we don’t possess anything materially and possess Him in us always, we are the monarchs.  As Rev. Babuji Maharaj said very clearly that not even all the riches of the greatest emperor of this world could be equal to the one what Rev. Lalaji Maharaj gave Him.  What was that?  Rev. Lalaji Maharaj gave Himself to His disciple Rev. Babuji Maharaj. 

Therefore, we should pray to the Master that we need Him and Him alone and not for things that He can give us.  If we pray sincerely like this, even He won’t have any choice and He will yield Himself as He is always ready to give, Nay, He is always giving – giving Himself.  Once, Rev. Babuji Maharaj said, “Spirituality is a charitable work.  The Master always gives to whom-so-ever comes to Him because of His compassion and love towards all the beings.  He goes on giving.  We have to pray in such a way that He is always in us.  Now, we come to the most important and final question which will be addressed in the next article. 

Sahaj Marg Prayer: How should we pray?

By Sanskrit Kannan (SRCM Preceptor)

         After knowing why we should pray, we come to the next important question, how should be pray?  All of us, knowingly or unknowingly, when we go to temples or at home or when we go to saints or before the Supreme Master, offer our prayer.  At that time, we forget what we are; we do not have the feeling, “I am a Scholar”, “I am an Executive” or “I am a Scientist” etc.  Because before the Supreme Master, we are the same – His children.  He does not look at our beauty, our wealth, our health, our intelligence etc.  He looks at our heart.  So, the main attitude of our prayer should be humility.  This does not require any specific time or place.  Rev. Babuji Maharaj has said (Deva Vani p.285), “No particular time is fixed for the prayer.  One can do it when he feels inclined to it or else he should try to crete disposition for it when required”.

         Since in Prayer, we try to establish our link with God (or the Divine Master), it is necessary to offer our prayer in a supplicant mood with our heart full of love and devotion.  Rev. Babuji Maharaj has written in detail regarding this aspect.  I reproduce here the summary of His writing taken from Deva Vani (p.283-85):

         “In Prayer, we stand before Him as an humble supplicant presenting to Him our true state and completely resigning ourselves to His will.  This is the true form of prayer and as a true devotee, we must also feel satisfied with the will of the Master.

“Constant practice brings a man to a state in which he begins to feel himself in prayer all through.  This state is acquired when an abhyāsi practises in the way directed above and the divine grace sets into motion.  When the final stage is reached, he begins to dwell all through in a state of prayer even while discharging his worldly duties, and the same state prevails during all his worldly engagements without the least disturbance or interruption.

“When the world emerged into the present form, the central point was already rooted in all the beings.  This central point rooted in us being a part of the Supreme, turns our attention towards the source.  In prayer, we try to reach upto the same central point.  This is possible only when we create a similar state within.  This requires practice.  It can be attained by resigning ourselves to the Divine will, which is absolutely simple and tranquil.  Apparently, it seems to be very difficult but in fact, it is not so, though only for those who aspire for it.  When a man creates in him a strong craving for the Absolute, he is indeed in a state of prayer, and it is for everyone to strive for.  Whenever a man enters into that state even for a moment, his prayer is granted.  But it requires continued practice to accomplish it.  People should be exhorted to offer such a type of prayer.  If one achieves and settles down in it, what else remains for him to do except remembrance; and that too in a way that it never comes into consciousness even”.

Thus, when we read Rev. Babuji Maharaj’s advice, we can understand that the feeling ‘I’ should not exist when we offer prayer in a supplicant mood.  Then, there is a vacuum in the heart, which attracts the Divine grace of the Master.  Therefore, when we pray in this way, our Prayer is bound to reach Him.

I would also like to narrate to you what Rev. Chariji Maharaj told me during a discussion - “Rev. Babuji Maharaj said, “I know my associates love me.  But it is only skin-deep.  They also pray to me.  But it does not reach me”.

When Rev. Babuji Maharaj went on a foreign tour (in 1982), He gave special powers to two abhyāsis in India to pray for Him.  But, He told Rev. Chariji Maharaj that even their prayers do not reach Him.  Even when Babuji was in hospital in 1982, no prayer of the abhyāsis reached Him.  Rev. Chariji Maharaj also told us, “If there is fear, you cannot pray to Him.  Prayer comes only from Love”.  “All of us pray with selfish notion. “I” is predominant”.

Rev. Chariji Maharaj also told us once, “Many abhyasis say that they pray for Master’s welfare, but I don’t receive the prayer.  It is not deep.  It is only the wish of the abhyāsi that Master should live long and not Prayer.  In Prayer, ‘I’ should not be there at all.  As Rev. Babuji Maharaj has said, “You should be like a beggar with an empty bowl in your hand, without any consciousness of what you are begging for”.  I would like to add that I tried to pray as suggested by Rev. Chariji Maharaj.  After two days, I succeeded in it, but this condition for a few minutes only and I felt my ego came as a barrier to remain in that condition for a longer duration.  It was indeed a very great lesson for me and I thank my Master for the same.  Let us get to the next important question in the next article.