Heavenly Atmosphere from the Family

Meaning: According the line of Athervaved 7/36/1 — let us husband and wife, look at each other with the gaze of love, always speak sweet words and reside in each other's heart. Let us be two bodies but with one mind only.

Message: What is the aim and ideal of marriage? Right from the beginning of civilization, why is this institution of marriage still continuing? If satisfying only the sexual desire is the reason for marriage, then this deal is very costly and troublesome. In this deal both sides seem to be heavy losers. Like the oil-miller's bullock tied to the grinder's beam and moving round and round throughout 8 to 10 hours, man also is crushed under the drudgery of earning for the family and the woman ruins not only her health and personality but also her life in the vicious circle of producing children. The aim of marriage is never like this. If that was the aim, the organization of the human society would have been completely destroyed and had been at a level lower than that of animals.

Marriage is a spiritual endeavor. This is a union of love which is nourished on the high ideals of self-denial and generosity. This is for men of goodwill and men who are brave. For a happy home-life, the life of the would-be groom and the bride-to-be should be of a high level, and both should be persons with quality and virtue. The groom should know the Vedas, properly educated, cultured and tolerant. The bride-to-be should be pure and impressive. With internal cleanliness of the body, the mind and intellect become pure. If the mind is clean, then the intellect and the mental tendencies too would be pure. With the body's inner and outer cleanliness comes the purity of conduct, good qualities develop and the light of knowledge and determination spreads around. The test of man's life is based on knowledge and character. Bright men and learned women, proven true on the above test, can achieve spiritual progress by joining in marriage and by living a 'yagyiya-life'. If the bond of marriage is making on the basis of capacity, learning and worthiness, then the life of husband and wife becomes happy.

The situation in the present times is indeed very strange. Maximum importance is given to pomp and wealth, but inner beauty (i.e. virtues) and personality in the form of qualities are ignored. As a result generally dissatisfaction and distrust are seen. In the absence of real sympathy, warmth and unity, despite living together, they live like lifeless strangers. They remain deprived of the inner joy and enthusiasm of the happiness, naturalness and tolerance of married life. A woman attuned to modality turns the peace of home into restlessness.

Husband and wife are complementary to each other. The objective of a successful family-life will be achieved if both consider each other venerable and work diligently for the success of marriage with mutual faithfulness, closeness, service, honor, cooperation, goodwill and generosity. For this holy objective, the husband and wife must be completely loyal to each other, and not think of any other woman or man.

By doing this, a heavenly atmosphere will be created in the family.

Glory of the Lady-of-the-house

Meaning: According to the line of Rigved 10/85/46 — O daughter-in-law! Lead you, life in such a way that your mother-in-law all respect and honor you.

Message: After the marriage, the wife leaves behind everything in her father's home and comes to her husband's home. Everything is left behind including her mother, father, brothers, sisters, family home- everything. She leaves behind the entire milieu of love where she was born, spent her childhood, studies and entered her youth and after becoming related to an unknown stranger, goes to his home. Is she at a loss by this renunciation of her previous family? No. In return for her renunciation, her total surrender to her husband's family, she becomes a very important member of her new family. Now that family becomes her own family, where she gets the status of the lady-of-the-house. She becomes the owner of the family and the entire responsibility of the family comes on her head.

In this new family she becomes the Empress over her mother-inn-law, father-in-law, and sister-in-law. Just as an Emperor looking after the happiness, comfort, and maintaining cordial relations among all pays attention to the progress of the kings and their populace under his ruler ship, similarly by becoming the chief member of the family, the new bride has to carry a very big burden of properly organizing the comforts, meals and the family paraphernalia for all the members of the family. It becomes her duty to think of the interests of all the family members, big or small. Because of maintaining all these duties, she is aptly called the owner or the Empress of the family.

The meaning of becoming th4e Empress or owner of the family does not imply that she establish her supremacy over the others. The implied meaning of the above title is that she should fulfill her important responsibilities, deal courteously with all and administer the house with the guidance of the elders by benefiting from their experience. By coming to the new milieu, she should not consider herself as a servant and feel inferior in any way that is why she has been given the glorious status of an Empress. All the members of the family should conduct themselves with love and warmth towards her by giving her proper respect.

But today most men ignore this loving, healthy viewpoint and do not accord the proper status to the new bride. By considering her as a servant, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and others keep on ordering her every moment. They find fault in her proper work. She is ignored,, neglected, beaten and sometimes even killed. Why does this come to pass? It is a matter of great sorrow, grief and worry. There is smoothness in dealings when the parents-in-law consider the daughter-in-law as their own daughter and she also considers them as much more than father and mother. The question is, 'who should make a beginning" Parents-in-law or the daughter-in-law? Being the elders, the parents-in-law should give her the love and warmth which they would accord to their own daughter, so that the void she feels in her heart because of separation from her own parents, is filled up. After that her enthusiasm for looking after the needs and comforts of her empire will automatically double up.

In this only lies the glory of the Lay of the house.

Fame Spread in the World

Meaning: According to the line of Athervaved 6/39/3 — may my fame spread in the world, in the same way as the fame of Sun, Moon and Fire. May I be more famous than all persons?

Message: We feel the brightness of some person by the light in his heart. Some person's face shines with the brightness of knowledge and good deeds, whereas the speech of someone is so profound and exciting that it goes straight to the heart of the listener. Some people's walk is such that with their every step, the earth shakes, and some people have such a sharp graze that just by a mere look from them the arrogant enemy's pride is shattered. Only such bright men automatically receive honor, trust, respect, fame and supremacy in this world. Does Sun ever have to give a lecture about his own excellence? Does Moon ever have to declare his cooling pleasantness? Does deity of fire ever have to plead not to be crushed? Does lion, the king of the jungle, ever have to beg for votes to be elected as the undisputed leader of the jungle? They are all famous only because of their qualities. The Sun and the Moon are constantly working for the benefit of the whole world. With brightness, heat and energy, the Sun vitalizes the living beings. Along with it, the Sun also dries up the filth and thereby destroys it. Their only aim is nurturing of good qualities and eradication of bad tendencies and they achieve fame because they are constantly busy in trying to achieve this objective. The same is the objective of human life. Real spirituality lies in working for the welfare of the world till one's last breath.

A spiritual life is extremely necessary and important from the view-point of human glory, bright future, societal organization, spiritual bliss and inner satisfaction. Those who become inspired for and aspire for such a life should be called lucky and far-sighted in real sense. For leading such a divine life, nobody has to wear monk's robes or leave the home, nor beg for food like a monk, nor is it necessary to be involved throughout the day in recitation (of God's name or mantra), austerity, observing vrat (a combination of fasting and worship), ritual baths, visiting temples for bowing down before the icon of God and in singing psalms and hymns. It is enough to do spiritual thinking or self study and worship. But the main point is to implement in our thinking, faith and work-system, the spiritual principles and ideals. Man's life becomes successful only with that.

The meaningfulness of spiritual life lies in putting into conduct the principle of 'simple living and high thinking' and simultaneously observing in the life the principle of every woman is my mother, the wealth of others is for me like dust and that every living being has the soul similar to mine. It is both necessary as well as natural for men of excellence to look with purity of heart upon all women. With the necessity for procreation, there is bound to be sexual desire between husband and wife, but during the ordinary times there is no such thinking for each other, and it helps in maintaining this attitude of purity (i.e. men looking upon other women as their mothers or sisters, women looking upon other men as their brothers). The basis of a healthy society will be created only when men and women maintain this purity of outlook and all citizens have the strength of character. Every woman must be looked upon as mother, sister or daughter depending upon the age.

A Life Free of Burden

Why are we not able to progress quickly?

The reason why people do not progress quickly is that they are loaded with a pile of external opinions and thoughts.

If you go for a walk in the morning and someone asks you where you are going, you reply cheerfully that you are taking a walk. How cheerful your face looks!

At 10 or 11 am, if you are going the same route and someone asks you the same question, you answer dispiritedly: "I am going to office/" You no longer exude cheer. Why? Because your mind is full of all kinds of ideas - " I have to do this, I have to do that ……." - you are burdened with the sense of doer-ship. This is not the way. Go to the office or your shop, but plan your day in such a way as if you were a prince at play. You should take all your duties as if they are acts of amusement.

You may think, "If I take my work like pastime, my business will suffer."You're wrong. If you free yourself from anxiety and stress, you will work better. Why should you worry? You have seen the events of the past, you are seeing the present and you will also see what will come to pass in the future. At the most, you will die, and die you must some day or the other. Don't be afraid of death; don't try to save yourself from death, and don't try to escape it either: Invite and welcome troubles with a challenging and playful curiosity. Then they will lose their severity.

Many people are in perpetual fear of being insulted. Insult is far better than the fear of death. Death is preferable to the fear of death. Criticism is better than the fear of criticism. Fear fans the fire of distressing thoughts; it diminishes your energy. So live life free of fear, worry and stress.

Poet Melton's wife would chide him when he set out to walk with the aid of a walking stick. "Every day you go for a walk, but what do you seek to gain from this? You can't even see properly now"

Milton would reply, "Birds sing, winds play about and cress me. In that fresh morning air, when the dawn comes tearing the nocturnal darkness apart, it brings an untold beauty. I go to see that beauty."

His wife would say, "But you don't have vision. How can you see beauty?" Milton would reply: "Beauty is not seen with external eyes. The eyes that see beauty are within us"

Similarly, to analyze our life there is no need of the external eye; we need the internal eye. To see how calm or happy we are, or what is the state of our mind in adverse circumstances, we don't need external vision. We don't require external eyes to see if we behave with equanimity in the face of troubles and insults.

We require the internal eye to respect or we remain untouched by them. This insight to make life joyful and free is available only from satsang and company of saints who have awakened to their real Self; and is perfected through the practice of developing the 'witness' attitude. Therefore, instead of carrying the burden of the sense of doer or enjoyer, one should seek refuge in the enlightened ones and comprehend their witness absolute, eternal, pure, knowledge personified real self free from all bondage.

The Powerful Time

Meaning: The line of Athervaved 19/53/1 has defined that - the time that lapses today will never come back. The Time is very powerful - knowing this fact, the knowledgeable ones put is to good use

Message: Time is the most valuable wealth in human life. Every type of success can be achieved in the world by the good use of time, and all comforts and luxuries can be purchased. Day, nights, months, and years are passing and time is running on and on. Howsoever much you run after it, the time that has elapsed, can never return.

In the above mantra many qualities of time have been depicted. Just as the sun is bright with the seven colors of light, similarly time also shines. Just as the authority of the sun is the main one in the world. Similarly, the importance of time is also accepted. Time with its hundreds of eyes is continuously observing everyone. In the cycle of days and nights and seasons and years and eras of time, the world is constantly on the move. Time remains uniform throughout and is extremely powerful.

All the works of activities in this world are bond within the boundaries of geography and time. Except for God and the souls, everything else is bound by the shackles of time. Only the knowledgeable, wise and intelligent man controls time, which mans that a person who has a high aim in life, he only can make good use of time and defeat time.

Time is more valuable than money. In everything in this world, the importance of time is supreme, above all. Those who understand the value of time, never waste it. Those who waste it are themselves destroyed by it. Time is a treasure for good life and prosperity. Only by the good use of time man's life becomes good and pure. Just because life is perishable, it does not mean that time should be wasted. On the contrary, from it we should get the inspiration that we should not allow this wealth to go waste and we should achieve the maximum benefit by the good use of time. This secret of success in the life is also that prescribed work should be carried out at the prescribed time. But today, whomsoever you see merely goes on wasting his time. Every work is carried out with the only aim of passing the time. People spend their time in laziness, sleeping and gossiping and claim that they re very busy. Even now if we keep our eyes closed to reality, then time will destroy us.

The Hindi proverb is 'kal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab' which means 'whatever is to be done tomorrow, do it today and whatever is to be done today, do it right now'. We must adopt this view point. Tomorrow, never dawns. It is available every moment in the present time. Therefore only that person, who takes advantage of the present, creates his own future and wins over the time.

The best quality of man's character means making good use of time.

Busy Social Life Holds key to Fighting Cancer

Socializing is good for health - in fact, it may even help fight cancer, says a new study.

An international team has carried out the study and found that socializing with others aid in fight against cancer as the stress of interaction causes tumors to shrink and even go into remission. Cancer patients who change their life style to keep company with more people could see substantial improvements in their condition, says the study.

According to researchers, the findings challenge accepted wisdom that stress is damaging to health, indicating that a manageable level of stress can help the body fight disease, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Matthew During of the Ohio State University, who led the experiments on mice, said that the results had substantial implications for how people with cancer should live after diagnosis. Doctors should pay more attention to living conditions of their patients, rather than relying on traditional clinical treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He was quoted as saying "The goal isn't to minimize stress, but to live a richer life, social and physically. You want to be challenged.

In their study, the researchers found that moving mice with cancer from their standard laboratory lodgings - where they live in groups of five - to more spacious accommodation shared with up to 20 other rodents had a significant positive effect on the progress of their condition. Their tumors shrunk in weight by an average of 77% while 5% of the mice showed no evidence of cancer after three weeks.

The mice's "enriched" environment also included more space them exercise and toys with which to play, but the researchers identified the stress of socializing as the key factor in suppressing the cancers.

You think You are

We re responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. You cannot believe in

God until you believe in yourself. (Swami Vivekananda)

It isn't true that everyone should follow one apth. Listen to your own truth. (Ram Dass)

Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acccquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.   (M K Gandhi)

Smile, don't frown. Look up, don't look down. Believe in your self don't let yourself go. Just be who you are and let your life flow. (Kirstie Alley)

Best Work

Meaning: As the stanza of the Rigved 1/90/7 the meaning can be given like this - "Do such work in the world whereby everyone will enjoy happiness, peace and cheer.

Message: The corner stone of man's stability and progress is his dedication. If we ignore our responsibilities and the prescribed duties, then such obstacles will be created, that life itself will become difficult, let alone progress and achievement. Every achievement in life depends on dedication to work. The stability and safety of every achievement depends only on dedicated faith in work. It is our own responsibility to keep this very valuable body healthy, nourished and long-lived so that we can perform maximum deeds for people's welfare and create an atmosphere of peace, happiness and cheer everywhere. It is our duty to save the mind from worry, sorrow, disappointment, fear, anger, impulsiveness etc, for maintaining mental capacity and excellence. With that only the qualities like joy, enthusiasm, patience, courage, satisfaction, balance, stability, concentration and trust can enter the heart. If the mind is allowed to grow like wild grass, it becomes our own enemy. It is every man's duty to bring his mind under control and make himself cultured.

The joy of family-life is incomparable. But it is possible only when every member of the family carries out his responsibility properly with full involvement, care and honesty for all the needs of every member regarding health, comforts, satisfaction and development. We must also fulfill the responsibility of giving our love, time and cooperation to make the children cultured and organized. Only responsible people are able to get the joy of family-life.

Every member of the society also is burdened with human responsibilities. Every citizen of a cultured society remains awake and alert towards his moral, societal and national responsibility and increases the reputation of the country. It is every man's duty to maintain the purity of thought, atmosphere and ecology in the society. The extent to which a man takes interest in the uplift of the society and personal abnegation for public-welfare, to that extent he is great.

It si necessary that all of us understand very properly our duties so that everywhere in the society, there is an atmosphere of peace and happiness and all can go easily on the path of progress. Let us listen to the voice of our soul and go on striving for making this human life meaningful by fulfilling the tasks decided by the God.

After Every Monsoon, There's a Flood of Bad News

In the great plains of India, there is nothing romantic about the monsoon; People's fate depends on the monsoon's mood swings. If it falls to keep its date with the country, there is drought. If it's over generous, the floods cause death and destruction. Even when it's "normal", some river somewhere exceeds the danger mark and kills a few hundred people. After the skies clear and the water recedes, armies of mosquitoes and bugs launch attacks. Millions fall prey with chills, cramps, fever. In this part of the world, drought, deluge and death are as much an annual phenomenon as the monsoon.

Bangladesh may be famous for its notorious floods, but India is not far behind. Every year, the monsoon floods leave a trial of destruction in India. Roughly 20% of deaths caused by flooding worldwide occur here; some 30 million people are evacuated every year. Every witness an "unprecedented flood". Every other year the "worst flood in living memory" leaves scores dead. Is India becoming ever more vulnerable to monsoon fury?

No, say Vinod K Sharma and AD Kaushik of the National Centre for Disaster Management in a recent paper on floods in India. They argue that states did not appear quite as vulnerable as before because there was less developmental activity and population pressure. "However; in the present time unabated population and high rate of developmental activities forced on the occupation of flood plains has made the society highly vulnerable to flood losses", they wrote.

In 2009, the monsoon was weak and deficient but it caused floods, deaths and displacement in Orissa, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and the north-eastern states. In 2008, the monsoon was normal, but Bihar faced the worst flood crisis ever as the Kosi brqched its embankment, changed course and deluged several districts, leaving hundreds dead and three million homeless.

Call of Duty

It is better to perform one's own duties imperfectly than to master the duties of another. By fulfilling the obligations he is born with, a person never comes to grief. No one should abandon duties because he sees defeats in them. (Bhagavad Gita 18:44:48)

Duty, the essence of which is truth, is said to be the root of all in this world; it is truth that is the support of duty; everything has truth as its basis; there is nothing greater than the truth.  (Ramayana 109)

If one does not perform duty to one whom the duty is due, one becomes a thief of the duty.      (Avesta, Videvdad 4)

Do daily and hourly your duty; do it patiently and thoroughly. Do it as it presents itself; do it at the moment, and let it be its own reward ……. Never mind whether it is known and acknowledged or not, but do not fall to do it.   (James H Aughey)

A Dualistic Interpretation

Implicit in bhakti or devotion is surrender to a personal deity. Herein lays the meta-physical doctrine of tattvavada, a uniquely dualistic interpretation of the nature of reality as advocated by Madhavacharya. Madhana's philosophy of making a distinction between the Absolute and individual soul also known as the dvaita school of Vedanta, proposes bhakti as an imperative, as the only means of merging with the self. This dualistic metaphysics is the basic of theistic Vaishavite school of thought.

Madhava's concept of Five Distinctions is his elaboration of the dualistic vision of reality. The Panch Bheda doctrine provides the logical and empirical basis for philosophy of realism, tattvavada,  by looking at the difference between one jiva or individual being soul and another, the difference between Ishwara the creator and jiva, the difference between jiva and jada or inanimate, between Ishwara and jada and between jada and jada. By formulating  an uncompromising dualism at all levels especially the rigid separation of creator and individual soul, Madhav not only lays down the pristine purity principle of God, but also goes on to emphasize bhakti as the only means to bridge the gulf between the Absolute and empirical world.

While Sankara's advaita sees the external world as Maya or illusion, vyavaharika or a sort of temporary reality, and Ramanuja's vishishtadvvaita views the outer phenomena and objects as a projection-spark of the Absolute, Madhava focuses on difference as the only genuine pramana or experience of every being - everything and everyone is different, our experiential life recognizes only that, as is borne out by pratyaksha or our sense perception. Madhav says other realities are also not created by the Creator, but exist simultaneously with the self. This kind of bipolar consciousness, where the knower and the object of knowledge remain distinct, lays the foundation for his theistic view of life as well.

Madhav asserts that jinana or knowledge is not capable of giving liberation, as the empirical world and its bondages are willed by Brahma, whom Madhav identifies with Vishnu. In contrast to the knowledge Principle of Sankara, Madhav says that moksha is possible only through grace, the grace of the creator, whose is the only independent tattva or reality in the dvaita system. All other beings are termed dependant realities, not created but coexisting with Vishnu the creator, and will continue to coexist in their distinction, even after realization.

Madhava contends that sublimation of the world is not only impossible, but not required since the time-space framework model is all there is; even God as Vishnu loves it the way it is. According to Madhava, knowledge of the self experienced intuitively by the sakshi or witness, the energy of atman, does not imply the illusory character of the physical world as sankara held. The realization of God as the Prime Mover, on the contrary, further establishes the yathrartha or faucal character of the world we live in.

The nation of bimba-pratibimbavada - sources as Vishnu and reflection as all dependant beings - puts Madhana's dvaita school of thought as the philosophical fountainhead of letter Vaishnavite bhakti traditions. For, bhakti, according to Madhavacharya, is one of the greatest spiritual values for the average person.

Kindness of Strangers

Let love of brethren continues. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13.1-2)

I try to treat whoever I meet as an old friend with dignity, with honor. (The Dalai Lama XIV)

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet on the erring. Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humanity. (Bha' I Prayer)

The Global Language

At the 1920 meeting of the newly founded League of Nations in Geneva, India - a member state represented by Maharaja Khengarji - joined China, Persia and eight other countries in urging the League to take Esperanto seriously. Teaching this easy to learn link language to school children might help shape a viable post war world they felt. The League's vice secretary general, Inazo Nitobe, submitted a positive report. In 1921 India, China, Persia, Japan and nine other countries sponsored a favorable resolution. France vetoed it. Setbacks like this veto - or the 1935 defeat of feminist legislation in the US - make the movements stronger and more articulate. When we look at the way Esperanto has been recontextualized over the decades, it turns out that at every stage there were a few Indians making significant individual contributions.

Maharaja Khengarji III Ketch didn't know Esperanto. That he supported it possibly had something to do with Irish Jehangir Sorabji Taraporewala (1884-1957), a highly visible linguist. As a translator of Tagore, Taraporewala was the first Indian to make it into print in Esperanto. There is an unbroken chain of distinguished Indians publishing in Esperanto, from Taraporewala to Ashwini Kumar and Badal Sircar. But the biggest achiever in this domain was Lakshmiswar Sinha (1905-1977) of Santineketan.

In 1928 Tagore sent Sinha off to Sweden to get some training in the handicraft based pedagogic system called ' sloyd'. Sinha proceeded to learn Esperanto from his new friends in Sweden and promptly became a legend. He published half a dozen books, lectured in 10 European countries, made friends everywhere - their children have fond memories of him to this day - and Esperanto and India on each other's map. His is a key name in the story of work for cultural equity across literary regions.

Sinha's translation of short stories by Tagore, published in 1961, was designated by Universal Esperanto Association (UEA) as the first book in its 'Oriento Okcidento' series. Launched in the context of UNECO's global program for educational and cultural transformation, this series is one place where UEA, on of UNESCO's formal partners, promotes the goal of providing everybody with the equitable diet of cross-cultural reading that they are entitled to.

"But people read each other anyway"! You exclaim. "An overwhelming number of books get translated into English; doesn't that count as global dialogue? It does; but I put it to you that ordinary people reading world literature through English do not run into Lord Tadeusz by Mickkkiewicz of Poland, or Seven Brothers by Kivi of Finland or The Tragedy of Man by Madach of Hungary. But adult readers in Esperanto count as illiterate if they are unfamiliar with these major nineteenth century classics, translated by iconic Esperanto authors like Grabowski, Setala and Kalocsay. This is not about a couple of token peaks; UESS's series is just official applause for a fraction of the work routinely done by Esperanto translators. Catalan author Abel Montegut has shown that the Esperanto translation basket is far more equitable in terms of cross regional representation than the baskets in other major translation vehicles.

Recent extensions of the enterprise are based on Esperanto translations of literacy works that have not been rendered into English. A 2007 Euro Indian project had a Croatian children's classic by Ivana Brlic Mazomanie translated into Bangla through an Esperanto translation. Esperanto's transparent word architecture makes these bridge versions hug their originals very closely. New partners form Italy and Slovenia and EU support have made possible a bigger 2008-10 project. - Publishing children's novels from Croatia,, Italy and Slovenia in Bangla and a Bangla children's novel in Slovenian etx. The public likes the books; if they didn't, we would know we weren't addressing a seriously felt need. Sinha, personally a life long anti-elitist, was part of the transition from our reaching for the elite sky in 1920 to our inter local work today.

Secret of Success in Life

Meaning: In the line of Rigved 10/12/2 and Yajurved 25/13 we can find the secret of success in life. Which states that — "O Lord of the soul, the mind and the body! We remain alive when we follow your laws and rules i.e. carry out god deeds. We are destroyed by bad deeds; therefore may we always walk on the good path".

Message: The Lord of this creation is God. After creating everything he has also fixed its limits. Every type of matter and animal fulfills God's aims by remaining within its fixed limits. It is only man who makes more bad use of his intelligence and nature and goes on the bad path. The entire structure of religion, its traditions, beliefs and faith are for the aim that man should spend his life within the limits prescribed for him.

The basis of religion is faith and trust in God. When man plans his deeds, under the rules of God by trust in God's omnipresence, (presence everywhere), then that belief is capable of preventing his bad activities. None of our conduct or emotion can be hidden from the eyes of the omnipresent God, and sooner or later that God, present in every particle, will punish us also for bad deeds. We can throw dust in the eyes of the society but one cannot hide anything from Him. This belief saves us from sinful deeds. Most of our bad activities go on because we are cleverly able to save ourselves form governmental or societal punishment. But such cleverness does not work before God. Only on that basis is man afraid of sins and forced to lead a gentlemanly life within the required limits, and his soul, mind and body, all three become clean and pure.

To-day perversities are a plenty in every direction. Faith has also been perverted. People falsely think that by a little sycophancy and by making presents of gifts, God can be bribed and taken on our side, big rewards can be obtained despite being unworthy and one can escape punishment for the sins also. Because of this wrong attitude only, people all around are busy in wrong deeds and destroying themselves. There is no solution except liberation from this false notion. Without following God's rules, it is not possible to achieve naturalness in life. God has given this human body to us for cooperation in the progressive of all in the society by doing good deeds. It is our pious duty to follow this directive of God.

For that every day man must take out some time and worship God. One should try to imagine Him within the soul by thinking of His qualities. One who remains under His beneficial shelter does not have any mental anguish in his life and for him even death is like sweet nectar. That 'Paramatma' or Supreme Soul within our soul makes us immortal on the basis of our excellent deeds.

This is the secret of a successful life.

Ya atmadaa baladaa yasya vishwa,

Oopaasate prashishum yasya devaahaa,

Yasya chhayaamrutum yasya mrutyuhu,

Kasmai devaaya havisha vidhem. (Rig 10/12/2 and Yaju 25/13)

Excellent Moral character from Religion

Meaning: The line of Athervaved 17/1/29 has described about our deeds, that can be expressed as — "Human life will be safe only with good deeds and religious conduct. Therefore let us be sinless and praise worthy and always go on acquiring higher knowledge".

Message: Religiousness means religious conduct. To respect religion in every field of life to follow the injunctions of religions, is itself called 'dharma-achaaran' (or religious conduct).'Dharma' not only means religion (as regards spiritual science and worship), but it has several other meaning including 'moral duty', but unfortunately politicians and the so-called intellectuals are twisting the interpretation of the word 'dharma' to suit their selfish ends.

In reality religion is beneficial to man in every field. The question of narrowness does not at all arise in religion. In fact religion contributes to a wide and vast viewpoint. Real religion does not talk of putting blindfolds on the eyes, but enjoins us to remove them. No religion produces jealousy, malice and such perversities. Religion in the real moral sense creates an atmosphere of good thinking and love. Religion and humanity are mutually complementary. Man can never remain without religion and religion cannot remain any where except in man.

Religion means a rule for carrying out one's responsibility, in other words, 'self-accepted imposition for achieving excellence'. Every field of activity has its own 'dharma' such as teacher's dharma, student's dharma, people's dharma, leader's dharma, soldier's dharma, servant's dharma, father's dharma, women's dharma etc. Religion does not mean mere worship or rituals. Dharma is a symbol of the entire life, because it pervades every aspect of life.

Dharma is good activities, good deeds and truthful conduct. A dharmik man is a man of good conduct, is satisfied, quiet (at peace), disciplined and restrained. Never does he get angry, has no malice, does not ridicule others, nor disrespect others. His main qualities are mental purity, truthfulness in conduct and excellent sentiments for public-welfare. A religious man does not show off his religion. He is busy in his duties with a quiet and unselfish attitude. He relies upon excellence in thinking and simplicity in life. He always utilizes his total capacity and insight for deeds of public-welfare and removes the obstacles in the path with patience and firmness. A life of simplicity propounded the ideal of high thinking. Prosperity lays in simplicity only and in that only lies one's reputation.

To disrespect religion is like discarding humanness and acknowledging animal-ness. For animals there is no religion except fulfilling the needs of their bodies. If an animal coming in the path creates an obstacle, then to drive it away with its horns, to frighten it or to kill it (i.e. selfish survival) is the only 'dharma' of animals. Animals do not have a sense of respect, sentiments, discretion, tradition, society and culture. These exist for man only and therefore at every step in life he has to conduct himself according to the rules laid down in religion. The essence of religion lies only in obliging or helping others, mutual cooperation, compassion, and living together.

Conduct according to the rules laid down in the religion is the only basis for excellent character.

Learn From Learned Person

Meaning:  According to the line of Rigved 1/90/3, — "Let us learn only from those who are learned and doing good deeds. One should always keep away from men of bad nature. Every man's salvation lies in this only."

Message: In our country, the public has a lot of faith in monks, saints and learned people; therefore, it is also the responsibility of these respected persons to contribute in return for the faith response in them. In the days past, the people of this class used to give the total benefit of their high character, great knowledge and generous spirit of service to the public and used to be so selfless as to leave the worry of food and clothing to God. This class of people used to utilize a part of their time in God's worship, reading scriptures, increasing knowledge and purification of the soul, and spend the greater part of their time in helping the public for progress in material and spiritual life. That itself was the 'rishidharma' or the tradition of the rishis (sages) in doing their duty for the societal uplift. Materially and spiritually. The learned souls and saints used to consider themselves duty-bound for this pious work. The increased willpower and increased power of knowledge was required not for self but for doing maximum important work for public-welfare. A vast army of social workers was available in the form of monks, saints and learned people. People used to venerate such reality useful and generous minded person.

Today the situation has become very hostile. If the ignorant public forget their duties, it may be pardonable, but if the symbol of Nepal's soul, the learned class, strays from the right path, it is indeed unfortunate. The rishis had not established this class to obtain anyhow money and benefits. Today these people are mostly busy in looting the public instead of making available the benefit of their knowledge to the people without any fee. Now they have become arrogant in thinking it as their birth right to rob ignorant people. To grab gratis is a sin greater than stealing.

Of course, we are fortunate that today also there are learned men whose thinking, enthusiasm, worthiness and sense of service are still alive. Only by their good efforts, the ancient glory will be maintained and the people's faith will also be strengthened further. The aim and objective of the life of these learned persons is only one, that is to employ all their worth and capacity for uplifting the thinking of the public and for increasing good activities in the society. This country worn-out, tattered by bad social-customs and immortal and wicked activities requires radical thinking at every step. For that, many efforts, educational, constructive and struggleful, will have to be made. On their basis, concrete and beneficial efforts can be possible for human-welfare.

This work can be carried out by sentimental and learned people only. their conduct must be excellent, they should carry out excellent deeds, and inspire every class of the society to adopt good qualities and trade the path of excellence.

The line of Sanskrit Sloke is —

Te asmabhayum sharma

yansannamrutaa martyebhayaha

baadhamaanaa apa dwishaha. (Rigved 1/90/3)

Pleasantness in Speech, dealing and Action

Meaning: According to Athervaved 1/34/3 — "All people love him whose speech, dealings and actions re pleasant. Only they do good deeds and oblige others in the world whose nature is pleasant."

Message: Pleasantness, gentleness and humility are the characteristics of excellent men. As against that, people of mean activities are always hard and of harsh speech. Generous people, with a tendency to help others, are also very polite. Just as the fruit-laden branches of a tree hang downwards, clouds filled with water come downwards, similarly those who are excellent and obliging they are not proud of their wealth or luxuries and are always polite. One in whose heart there is the feeling of divine spirituality for every life; his dealings are also polite and pleasant. He always makes an effort not to cause pain or unhappiness to anyone.

Many people have that false belief that harsh behavior or harsh is more impressive and gives an impression about their greatness. But if we give it a little thought, and experiment a little, then we find out that instead of harsh words, sweet and pleasant words influence more. There is very great capacity in pleasantness. Only because of the lack of capacity and self-confidence, people use harsh words and try to cover up their defects by falsely accusing others. People who are untruthful and who possess false beliefs get joy and fulfillment in obscene and harsh speech. Unfortunately today harshness and obscenity are getting into literature also. Harsh words influence somewhat temporarily, people may obey such words out of fear, but behind their back, speak ill of them. Although people get their work done with harsh words and egoistically move around in a vulgar manner, they are not able to understand that their respect has been undermined. No doubt, harsh words are occasionally necessary. Sometimes we have to resort to harshness to bring children, those working under us or bad men, on the good path, but the use of harsh words should be with discretion.

Gentleness does not mean weakness. To say 'yes' to whatever the other person says, sycophancy and cleverness cannot be termed pleasantness. It is worth observing the pleasantness and humility when people come to request for vote or for donations, but anyone can understand how much truth lies in it! A thug and hypocrite also use very sweet language, but can we really call it pleasantness?

Real pleasantness lies in conduct, not only in speech. We find the ideal of pleasantness in the character of Shri Krishna, the incarnation of God. Whether it is play as a child, or raasleela (dancing), recalling childhood lovingly with Sudama or battlefield, political negotiations or the use of 'sudarshan chakra' (the ultimate weapon), we find everywhere a harmonious blend of pleasantness and harshness. He is pleasant In all respects hence the Sanskrit couplet from Madhurashtaka:

Vachanam madhuram, charitam madhurum, vasanam madhuram, lalitam madhuram, chalitam madhuram, bhramitam madhuram, madhuradhipate rakhilam madhuram.

Faithful Deeds

Meaning: The line of Rigved 10/151/1 states that — "Only the deeds performed with faith have the capability of achieving the goal. Therefore a man should be full of faith".

Message: Faith is the basis of human life. There is great inspiring power hidden in it. Nothing is possible without solid support. If someone wants to take a jump, the ground from where he wants to jump, must be firm. If it is hollow, granular or muddy, the jumper will fall down, and cannot reach the goal. The support must be strong. The support for water, i.e. its container must not be cracked. The stand for the pot must not be wobbly, and the ground must not be slopping or slanting. Similarly if we want to hang something on the wall, the peg must be strong, otherwise the peg will break and the material will fall down. In the same way, faith also must be traditionally strong and by observing, identifying and testing it, its due (important) place must be fixed.

A person, who wants to learn swimming, is at first afraid of entering the water. The teacher gives him an assurance that he will not allow him to drown and asks him to jump, but the learner does not develop faith. He has more faith in the rope kept for practicing, so he gets done into the water while holding the rope. Gradually he gives up holding the rope and becomes bold to move his hands and legs. The teacher helps him and takes care to see that he does not drown. So after a few days his faith is transferred from the rope to the teacher. Then he becomes free from worry and jumps into the water with full faith in his teacher. Let any one call it blind-faith, but nobody can shake his faith in the teacher. Similarly those who have faith in the existence of God, they have this faith every moment that He will help their passage from this world and will not allow them to sink.

Faith, trust and love are the three steps of progress. Everything is possible with faith. Trust makes difficult things easy, and love makes them the easiest. Those who practice these three qualities, their path become free from difficulties and hardships. A person with faith finds that his every task gets performed with ease. When the faith becomes firm, it protects us like our own benevolent mother in every situation.

We too must keep the flame of faith burning. We cannot take even one step forward. Let our life be fully soaked in faith. Our prayers should be with faith, meals with faith, charity with faith and attending religious discourses should also be with faith. Whatever work we do we do with full faith. When there is faith in the work, there is concentration also. That develops a liking for the work. The possibility of smoothness in carrying out the work increases in whatever work is done with mental involvement. Just as the rays of the sun can be converged on a point with a lens and fire can be lights, similarly through the medium of faith, all the powers of the mind can be concentrated. The power obtained with faith makes every task easy

Make faith the basis of your character.

Shraddhayaagnihi samidhyate

shraddhaaya huyate havihi

shraddhaam bhagasya moordhani

vachasaa vedayaamasi (Rigved 10/151/1)

Duty of the Learned Man

Meaning: According to the Rigved 6/10/7 — "It is the duty of learned men that they should carry out excellent deeds and make others do the same. By such deeds, bad tendencies get eradicated and there is an increase in strength, intelligence, learning and longevity."

Message: Whom can we call a learned person? Those who have the knowledge of physical matter and creation, those who keep themselves in formed about the human society, those who understand the principles of life and are familiar with spiritual knowledge, they are called the learned ones. Knowledge means to know and understand anything in its proper form.

The learned person knows the difference between knowledge and ignorance. 'Avidya' or ignorance means to understand that the world and body and similar temporary matter as permanent, to understand meaningless, worthless talk, stealing etc as refinement, to understand the sorrowful activity such as indulging the desires as bringing joy and to understand the physical body and similar physical matter as live. The opposite of it i.e. the knowledge of reality and proper knowledge of the fundamentals means proper learning or 'vidya'.

Learning and knowledge is commonly expressed as social and scientific subjects and languages. Especially, it refers to spiritual knowledge, which includes the knowledge of God as well as the soul and regarding the physical matter (or jad) and chetan (which means the vitality or spark of life). Knowledge is also expressed in the axioms which salvage a fallen person or which awaken an ignorant soul. Only the wealth of learning is the best among all the wealth. Only a man completes with such learning and knowledge is called a learned person. Austerity destroys our sins and with learning we achieve nectarine bliss.

With the contact of such knowledgeable and learned persons, there is constant increase in the willingness to donate for charity and good causes, in the sentiment of non-violence, and in acquiring the knowledge. With 'satsang' (keeping the company of truth, i.e. truthful saintly persons and God) there is always salvation. With 'satsang' terribly depraved men also have realized themselves from the mire of a depraved life and attained heavenly bliss. The change of the lives of the killer-dacoit Angulimaal and the dancer Amrapali after meeting Lord Buddha are already a part of religious lore in Nepal. Maharshi Balmiki, who was the terrible dacoit was changed by a chance meeting with the sage Narad and became a Maharshi so much so that when Ram wanted a safe place for his wife Sita to stay in the jungle, he chose the hermitage of Maharshi Balmiki.

It is the duty of excellent and knowledgeable men that they should not use their acquired knowledge only for self, but give its benefit to everyone coming in their contact. By imparting knowledge, it never diminishes but increases. With the destruction of bad tendencies and increase in good qualities, people's discretionary powers are awakened, and men, doing 'satkarma' (good deeds) achieves longevity.

Those men, who are miserly in giving the benefit of their knowledge and experience to others, are like beasts. Their accumulated knowledge is not useful even to them and gradually their profundity is lost. It is man's duty to give the benefit of his knowledge to the entire society. They only are 'vidwan' (learned) in the true sense.

This is the only duty of knowledgeable men with character.

Secret of Success in Life

Meaning: In the line of Rigved 10/12/2 and Yajurved 25/13 we can find the secret of success in life. Which states that — "O Lord of the soul, the mind and the body! We remain alive when we follow your laws and rules i.e. carry out god deeds. We are destroyed by bad deeds; therefore may we always walk on the good path".

Message: The Lord of this creation is God. After creating everything he has also fixed its limits. Every type of matter and animal fulfills God's aims by remaining within its fixed limits. It is only man who makes more bad use of his intelligence and nature and goes on the bad path. The entire structure of religion, its traditions, beliefs and faith are for the aim that man should spend his life within the limits prescribed for him.

The basis of religion is faith and trust in God. When man plans his deeds, under the rules of God by trust in God's omnipresence, (presence everywhere), then that belief is capable of preventing his bad activities. None of our conduct or emotion can be hidden from the eyes of the omnipresent God, and sooner or later that God, present in every particle, will punish us also for bad deeds. We can throw dust in the eyes of the society but one cannot hide anything from Him. This belief saves us from sinful deeds. Most of our bad activities go on because we are cleverly able to save ourselves form governmental or societal punishment. But such cleverness does not work before God. Only on that basis is man afraid of sins and forced to lead a gentlemanly life within the required limits, and his soul, mind and body, all three become clean and pure.

To-day perversities are a plenty in every direction. Faith has also been perverted. People falsely think that by a little sycophancy and by making presents of gifts, God can be bribed and taken on our side, big rewards can be obtained despite being unworthy and one can escape punishment for the sins also. Because of this wrong attitude only, people all around are busy in wrong deeds and destroying themselves. There is no solution except liberation from this false notion. Without following God's rules, it is not possible to achieve naturalness in life. God has given this human body to us for cooperation in the progressive of all in the society by doing good deeds. It is our pious duty to follow this directive of God.

For that every day man must take out some time and worship God. One should try to imagine Him within the soul by thinking of His qualities. One who remains under His beneficial shelter does not have any mental anguish in his life and for him even death is like sweet nectar. That 'Paramatma' or Supreme Soul within our soul makes us immortal on the basis of our excellent deeds.

This is the secret of a successful life.

Ya atmadaa baladaa yasya vishwa,

Oopaasate prashishum yasya devaahaa,

Yasya chhayaamrutum yasya mrutyuhu,

Kasmai devaaya havisha vidhem. (Rig 10/12/2 and Yaju 25/13)