Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

CHAPTER - 4 ~ Who Is God ~   DAY - 29 ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ And then comes आलय or laziness.  You may be very active but when it comes to doing asanas, postures, exercises or pranayamas, you are lazy and do not do them.  And that laziness can spread to any aspect of your life.  You may intentionally not do something.  Then again, you may feel a heaviness or laziness come over you.  अवरत means being obsessed with sensual objects and not letting them go.  You may be hungry and eat some food.  But after your tummy is full, then there is no point in thinking about food the whole day.  It is the same if you want to see a beautiful place.  Once you see it, your want should subside.  You should not go on thinking about seeing a beautiful place all the time.  All the actions of the sense organs should be limited to some time.  It should be over after that. But thinking about something and being feverish about it all th...

CHAPTER - 4 ~ Who Is God ~   DAY - 28 ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ " ाधयानसंशयमादालयावरतातदशॅन अलध भुमकवानवथतवान चावपेातेऽतरायाः " Vyaadi styaana samshaya pramaada aalasya avirati bhrantidarshana aalabdha bhoomikatvaan avasthi tatvani chitta vikshepaaha aste antaraayaah  The first obstacle is ाध - means illness in the body.  Then comes यान - means illness of the mind - being retarded and having an inability to comprehend, to listen, to understand, to follow, and to practice.  Many of you will become ill when you do a course.  When you start doing some practice or meditation, you will have pains in various parts of your body.  It is an obstruction or obstacle in the path of yoga.  It you are watching television, nothing happens, but if you sit for meditation,your body becomes restless and there are pains here and there.  The next obstacle is संशय or doubt. The mind is bogged down by doubts.  There are three types of doubts. One is a doub...

CHAPTER - 4  ~ Who Is God ~   DAY - 27  ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ " तजपतदथ्भॅावनम्"  This is another important sutra. If you say Japa loudly, the very sound can remind you of that state of feeling during Japa.  For example, if you say mango, the word itself makes your mouth water.  Immediately there is a reaction and there is a feeling.  Saying " Christmas " immediately generates a feeling of celebration and giving and receiving gifts.  So, तजपतदथ्भॅावनम - means that when you say "OM", you remember that totality of your being - that being which is at the very core of this existence,  that life which is free from misery and which is all unconditional love.  The sound "OM" reminds you of the Lord of the Creation.  " ततः यचेतनाधगमोऽयतरायाभावच्" Tatah pratyak chetna adhigamo apyantaraayaabhaavascha. When you reach the core of your existence and when there is a feeling of elevation, consciousness dawns in you.  It is a di...

CHAPTER - 4  ~ Who Is God ~   DAY - 26  ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ " त नरतशयंसवॅवबीजम्"  This indicates that the seed of all-knowing is in that state of consciousness. This is very important.  त नरतशयंसवॅवबीजम्।  The seed of all- knowing is present in a very subtle manner. At this point people get confused.  They wonder that if Lord Krishna knew everything why did He try to pacify all concerned, and try to stop the war three times.  He knew that a war was going to take place. But, He never told Arjuna this, and also that he was going to win this war, he would rule the world. And, if he lost it he would go to heaven.  It did not seem as if He knew everything and, consequently, the result of the war. He did not give the right answers, the right knowledge or the right instructions.  He did not indicate the future results. So if Krishna was Lord and knew it, why did he not reveal it?  This is the second question that comes....

CHAPTER - 4   ~ Who Is God ~   DAY - 25 ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ " स पूवेॅषामप गुःकालेनानवछेदात्" This being, this consciousness is Guru. It is a guide to even the ones who were here before. This is because there is no break in time, as far as the consciousness is concerned. There is something similar in the Bible.  God had said that He was Abraham before and had taught people who were before Him. The same thing is touched upon by Krishna when he told Arjuna that He had taught Ikshvaku and Manu. And Arjuna wondered how could Krishna have taught them? They had been born long ago and Krishna was his contemporary. So Arjuna exclaimed that he was terribly confused already. And that he should not be told those things - that Krishna was a Guru to people who were living thousands of years before Him. How could it be possible? Then Krishna said that Arjuna did not really know Him. That He had come so many times to this world and Arjuna, too, had come many times. He had...

Samadhi ~  DAY - 21 ­  ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ " तीसंवेगानामासः । "  Often we give third, fourth or fifth preference to our practices.  First preference is always given to wordly things - our survival, and last preference to anything that is spiritual.  Then the spiritual growth will be slow. Patanjali said,  "ती संवेगानाम असः"  When you give first preference to your spiritual practices, then it is easier.  The focus of your life should be spiritual growth and peace.  Then, all the other things will be around it.  Your first and foremost commitment in life is to be with Truth, and to evolve in Truth.  This should be followed by your duties and responsibilities, social obligations, etc.  If this is followed it is very easy for you to become aware of your self. ती संवेगानाम असः ।  It is very easy for one who gives first preference; one whose mind really wants to be aware.  Even then, there are three levels of commitment....

CHAPTER - 3  ~ Samadhi ~  DAY - 19  ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Prakriti laya is a big practice. People sit in solitude for years till all thoughts disappear. And all that they are left with is emptiness. You can try doing this as experiment when you are very worried or tensed. Just sit by a flowing river or stream and keep looking at the water. Within a few moments, you feel as though there is a magnetic pull; that your mind is being pulled in the direction of the current. Then, sit on the other bank and do the same thing. Then you'll see that your eye is being pulled in the other direction.  That is why many people who want to jump into a river and commit suicide, cannot do so once they look at the flowing water. Something happens in them at the sight of flowing water. There is a shift, and they can no longer commit suicide. This happens because, by looking at the water, there is a change in the vibrations of their minds, the prana in the system. In a short while...

Chapter 3 Samadhi Day 18 " भवययो वदेहकृतलयानाम्"  This goes more into an esoteric line. Samadhi does not belong to just a particular level of existence. It surpasses that level, too. It goes into other world also. People who do not have a body can be affected by the meditation, too.  When you meditate you are not just bringing harmony within yourself but you are influencing the subtle levels of creation and the subtle bodies at all the different levels of existence in the creation. So, your meditation influences those people who lived hundreds of years ago - their consciousness and their minds.  It influences the minds and consciousness of people who would be living in the future, too. Though, life is there in every moment, it is also infinite. Your life has been here from centuries and will continue to be here for centuries more.  There are different types of yogis. One is called वदेह, means one who does not have a body. You can go on feeling as though y...