Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

🌷 Katho Upanishad 🌷        Chapter 1        At the door of death             🌻 Day 2 🌻 Long long ago , there lived a very pious man called Vajashravas. He got his name because of his passion for feeding people. He would feed anybody who comes to his house anytime. He would feed the entire town. So , he became very famous and known by the name Vajashravas. His son was very proud of his father. Whenever father does anything big , children want to excel them. If father has become a good businessman then their children want to excel them. Vajashravas’ son too , wanted to excel his father. The father was giving away food , but when the son grew up, he wanted to give away everything. There is joy, immense joy in giving. So , this thought of giving away everything lodged in his head. There is yagna called Vishwajit yagya, which means the yagna performed to win the universe. Alexander wanted to win the world and possess e...

During the silver jubilee celebrations, I was the only one from the 20 participants of my Part-1 Course, who could attend the celebrations in Bangalore! At one point in life, I was so shy and now I was going all alone from Mumbai to Bangalore, an unknown place, unknown people and with no company since my group went a day before me by train.   But I know Gurudev was with me throughout my trip. He made all the arrangements through someone or the other to make my journey comfortable and memorable and mainly, to make me strong. Whether it was flight booking, vehicle arrangement or accommodation. He took care of everything. The most important and miraculous thing was that in the crowd of about 25-30 lakhs people at the event, i was separated from my group of about 10-12 people for the whole day even though we were on the same grounds. Secondly, I did not have the location of the place where my group and I were staying. When the Satsang was about to end, I was worried about what was g...

The connection with Guruji has been there ever since eternity. The realization and coming in touch with the Master physically has made this lifetime as well as the coming ones – all so celebrative. HE has been there as a protective shield all throughout – whether this myopic mind can perceive it or not.   I had gone to attend a satsang organised at a YES!+ workshop and was hanging out with the Satsangis on the last day – it was almost 8.45pm. I realized the ride back home would take over an hour. To add to it, soon my phone battery drained and I could not inform at home that I would be late. It was winter and the weather in Delhi was really chilly being last week of December. I dropped off at Rohini East Metro station at around 10pm and looked here and there for an autorickshaw, still in the blissful state of Bhajans and Hymns. Amidst the scarce chances of finding one, I sat comfortably on one to ride across another 5-6 kms to reach home. There was dense fog and silence on the r...

I did my first Art of Living course in 1995 at Model Town in Delhi with teacher Rajesh Sharma. I was not a spiritually inclined person back then.   As a humble policeman, I was focused on earning money for my family rather than doing any spiritual practices. My mind was not calm at all. All I could think about back then was ways to earn more money and it was the top priority of my life. I could not even dream of owning a home, accommodating my parents and children in it, having a small family car, and a convent education in a reputed school for my children. Even though all this seemed impossible to me at the time, all of my efforts were directed towards achieving it. The experience of Sudarshan Kriya was so powerful for me that it brought about a complete change in my life. For the first time, I realized that there were things which were beyond my boundaries of understanding. I was spellbound, amazed, and stunned with such a wonderful experience. A few days later after the cour...

I’m a first year B.Tech (Biotech) student. I stay in the college hostel itself. It’s the first time I’m staying away from home and everything seems so new! The students here are all from different-different states. I miss my home a lot. I did my Yes Plus course in the Ashram, just 2 months before my college started. And all I prayed to Guruji was to give me the courage to stay in the hostel, and I also prayed to Him to be with me, always!   Just a week after college started, things started getting out of control. I could not handle the pressure and stress. The thought of staying away from home for such a long while was killing me. So I went back home in the first week itself. I cried a lot. I even asked my mom to get me admission in an Arts college, in my city, so that I would not have to be away from my family. All that I wanted was to stay in my home! But that was not the right thing to do, so everyone convinced me and sent me to the hostel again. It was during this time that ...

One day I left the Ashram. Another devotee accompanied me. I think it was Kashi bhaiyaa. So I just left. And nobody came to know where I went. We went to a faraway village. And then I asked the driver to stop the car outside a house. When I went inside the house, there was a man sitting inside the house. The man was a simple farmer, who had just a small farm to himself. But he had a television on which he had watched my programme. And after watching that programme, he had such an intense desire to meet me. He would think, ‘How do I meet Guruji? I can’t afford to travel to Bangalore. I have to meet Guruji in some way or the other.’ And I went and stood at the door of his very house! He got such a shock. He fell on his knees and started crying. He was a simple farmer who only grew tomatoes in his farm. His farm was less than half an acre in area. He had a small family.   Similarly, once I went to a certain school one day. I took classes for both the teachers and students ...

I was looking for job opportunities in Bangalore and went home for a few days as I was feeling home sick. I was happy to see and meet my parents and friends but from inside I felt tensed, was thinking if I would get a job or not, and was constantly praying to Gurudev.  As I was at home, I was relaxed and had left my preparation for the interviews. All of a sudden, I got a call from an MNC saying that I had to attend their written exam the next day. I had to rush to Bangalore and didn’t have the time to prepare well, and couldn't go through my study notes even once as I was informed only the previous night.  Next morning when I reached at my room, I cried and asked Gurudev to be on my side. I completed my 1st round of exam which went on very well and the topics that I had revised long were asked. Finally I was happy. After a week I got a call from the company asking me to attend the second round of the interview. I prepared well and went, but couldn't perform well. ...

''If that unseen Force had not pushed us out of the flood waters, we would have surely drowned. This was nothing but a miraculous escape from death, thanks to the Master.'' says MAKRAND JADHAV, one of the leading trainers for the Art of Living's Youth Leadership Training Programme.  It was a late night in August 2011 and my friend and I were driving home from Katepur Village in Latur. It was raining heavily and there was water-logging all along the route. We were driving through an incessant heavy downpour and we could barely see the road ahead of us.  Suddenly, we realised that we were on a slope and the car started slipping off the road. We frantically applied the brakes and to our utter dismay, the car spiralled and did a 90 degree turn. The car started sinking as it entered a gushing water stream. For a moment it looked like a huge monster waiting to swallow us up. We lowered the windows, so that we could jump off. Suddenly, our car hit a t...

Penning down your experience is just like a drop in this vast ocean of Divine love and grace. What we feel for our Master is so tough to express in words. His Grace is like the ocean, never ending, and if you have faith in Him, everything happening to you seems to be the work of the Divine. I am trying to share one story out of the hundreds that I have experienced. This miracle happened a couple of years ago, when the ‘Sudarshan Kriya’ was a mere exercise for me and ‘DSN’ was a personality development course. At that time, I did not know the real power of the course.   But after the DSN, my life changed. We had been asked by our DSN teacher, Anandji, to make a small wish, which we wanted to materialize in the next 45 days. Our teacher assured us that this would happen. I thought, ‘This is my turn to test Guruji’ and wished for a personal meeting with him in the next 45 days. My head would say it’s not possible, but my heart said it could be possible. So when Guruji was in Mumbai...

When Gurudev was in Denver, I took a last-minute trip to meet him. I loved the entire event and I was extremely grateful that I got this opportunity to be with Him. The key event of America Meditates – the meditation led by Gurudev himself, ended at 8 pm and I had a flight to board by 9.50 pm. Like any other Art of Living super devotee, I had no doubt that I was going to take that flight home that night. My caring roommate dropped me to a suitable place to take Uber, at a convenient place away from the venue.   However, Murphy’s law was super strong that day. It all started with the Uber pool ride I took which made the driver go back to the venue increasing the ETA by a huge margin. After dropping the fellow passengers (who were an amazing company) we finally reached the freeway. To our dismay, the freeway was showing a detour. My kind driver said he will end his ride for the day so that Uber does not add more passengers en route. At this point, I was getting tiny panic attacks....

Question - Gurudev, when love turns into bitterness, what to do? Gurudev Sri Sri - Just wait, don't react, the bitterness will turn back into love again. You often see that the people for whom you have done so much, they turn bitter. And you expect everyone to be in an enlightened state, that is not possible in the world. Everyone is not just going to be smiling and accepting you as you are, and unconditionally being in a giving and loving space. That is not possible. You will have to face reactions, and you should face it, that is all.

Question - Gurudev after acquiring power and authority - professionally and spiritually, some people feel they have been given the power to misbehave with their parents at home? Do you approve of such people? Gurudev Sri Sri - No, not at all. Both the parents and the children need to understand and be careful in this situation. For parents, I would advise them not to be overly strict with children. Remember what has been said in our scriptures. When your child becomes 16 years old, you should be like a friend to them. So give some freedom to your children, and do not try to overly control them in everything that they do. But do not give too much freedom also. If you give them too much freedom, then in the future they will only blame you for their own conditions. It is like this, if you hold the reins of a horse too tight, the horse will not be able to run. And if you keep it totally loose, then the horse will run wherever it wants to. So adopt the middle path here.

Question - Gurudev, even after meeting you why do people continue to behave rudely and in a jealous manner? What is the reason? Gurudev Sri Sri - I would advise you not to worry about others. Just imagine if they wouldn't have been on the path, how rude they would have been. I take them, accept them and give them enough time to improve. People do change with time. People improve. You should not get stuck in watching and observing other. You watch yourself. Just quietly reflect and observe how much have you changed after coming on to the path. You see your own progress. Some people are slow learners, some are quick learners. This happens in life.

Question - Gurudev, many parents believe that marriage is necessary for a suitable and secure life for their girl child. What do you think? To what extent is marriage necessary for a comfortable and secure life? Gurudev Sri Sri - No, marriage is not just for a girl's safety alone. It is a personal choice also. But I will say one thing to you. Even after being married, be happy. Some people are unhappy despite getting married, and some are unhappy being single as well.

Question - Gurudev, how do I do the right thing at the right time and not regret later? Gurudev Sri Sri - Don't think so much. If something wrong happens, then too it is okay. This does not mean that I am encouraging you to do wrong. At the same time, too much self analysis makes the mind get confused. So take the middle path. Don't be too casual and don't analyze yourself too much.

Question - Gurudev, how do we judge whether somebody loves us truly.  Gurudev Sri Sri - From whomever you receive love, just know that it from the Divine. You are getting love from the one supreme energy. Your affection is also is toward that one energy only, and you are simply receiving its love through this person or that person. Know this and relax. Whether that person is true or false, right or wrong, don't fall into these traps of the mind. If you get sunlight through the window, then you know that the light is coming from the sun. It is not the light of the window. So just understand this much and relax.

Question - Gurudev, what do I do when I have too many negative thoughts? Gurudev Sri Sri - There are several reasons to it. When vour bowel movements are not good, if vou are constipated, there you get too many negative thoughts. So purification of the body is a must.When your digestion is good, then mind is clear too. Second, you should do Pranayams. With Pranayama negative thoughts go away too. Third is, when you keep sitting all day doing nothing and there is not enough blood circulation is in the body, then also you get negative thoughts. To remove negative thoughts, do some exercises, or go for swimming, or for a long walk. Exercise has a very good effect on the body and the mind. It improves blood circulation and negative thoughts go away from mind. When the life force energy is low, do Pranayams and meditation. Satsang, good company, light food, all these affect our thoughts. After doing all these, if negative thoughts still come, then just be a witness to these thoughts.

Question - Gurudev, what is the cure for doubt? How to deal with a doubting person? Gurudev Sri Sri - There is no one solution for this. When you know that a person is very doubting by nature, then you will not trust everything he says. Doubt is also important in life, but only as much as salt in food. When it becomes too much, then it is a disease, it is called paranoia. When it just the right amount, a person stays alert and aware, and does not get into wrong company. So, just like salt in food, you cannot do away with it completely. But when it is more than required, then Pranayams and meditation helps.

Question - Gurudev, what is sacrifice? What should I sacrifice and how should I perform it? Gurudev Sri Sri - Let us understand what sacrifice means. You like something and you want to have it, but for something better to happen for everyone else, you give that up. That is called sacrifice. You wanted to go for a picnic or a movie, but then you were needed to do some work somewhere else, which would benefit others. So you give up your pleasure trip, and do what is good for the people. That is what sacrifice is. Where there is love, there is no sacrifice needed. You don't say, mother sacrificed going on a trip because the child was not well. The child's well being is of utmost importance for the mother, so she did not sacrifice anything. Do you see what I'm saying? It is when you strongly desire something and give it up because it can bring lot of good to others, then it is sacrifice.

*Chapter 10 - Shiva, The Fourth State Of Consciousness* *Day 52* The 18th chapters of Srimad Bhagavatam has thousands of verses, and there is not one mention of Radha. Radha is just Krishna's power, the longing. Krishna is the fullness, so Radha is longing for the fullness.  Radha was there to indicate that the devotee and the Lord both enjoy equal status. "Dhara" means flowing outward. "Radha" means the stream which is going back to the source - the mind that is moving outside is diving back to the source.  Radha met Krishna, that is the self, the soul, the spirit, is what "Radha Kalyanam" is. Today what you see in many temples is an entirely distorted concept. But children enjoy because they get all different types of sweets in the celebration.  People mainly get ready and go to eat. They think Radha and Krishna are getting married, so they make lots of stuff and eat. But there is no spiritual significance in it. You are wedded to the inf...

*Chapter 10 - Shiva, The Fourth State Of Consciousness* *Day 51* Studying all this and doing all this, you get established. And what is your only desire? To be in heaven, to be in the state of joy and happiness. That happiness is guaranteed to you.  Anything you do, you do it with only one motivation, that is happiness. You are gaining knowledge to gain happiness. Entertainment, comfort, wealth, sports are all for happiness.  Health, why you want health?  You want to be happy. If I am sick, I am not happy. You look at anything, your relationships, prayer, progeny, home, everything is for happiness. Why do you want to pray?  For happiness. So, everything is geared to be happy. And the teacher says that the happiness is guaranteed to you. This is Upanishad. That is why you come, sit and go inward.  Upanishad doesn't say "this" (is it). If someone is doing upasana, saying this (is it), that is not Upanisad. Then why we keep so many idols and pictures in...

*Chapter 10 - Shiva, The Fourth State Of Consciousness* *Day 50* It means the light is shining for you. You don't have to do anything. The Rishi says - this to the one who has tapas, little bit of forbearance, a say over senses and who is engaged in some good action in the world, not to the lazy one. You can realise you are not doing anything when you are doing something. Someone who doesn't do anything cannot say that everything is happening, but if you are doing then you know, "No, its not because I did something that it happened. Things are happening anyway." Vedah sarvangini, all the Vedas, the knowledge is the body, is the limbs. What you speak become knowledge. You don't understand too many scriptures. I haven't studied much at all.  This is the first time I am taking this Upanishad, and I have never studied this Upanishad before. I hear one or two shlokas and I go into meditation. So I'm not a good reader. I don't read books. If I do...

*Chapter 10 - Shiva, The Fourth State Of Consciousness* *Day 49* Now that you have heard the Upanishad, you have to dwell on it, 'manana' and make it your own. This is the home of Truth and you will realize that you are living in it. You need to lead your life with this awareness.  Tapas, forbearance, Dama, your ability to withdraw from senses and go inward. You are not carried away by the senses, but you are behind senses, you have your mastery over them, or it's virtues, it's glory.  This happens naturally, a glimpse of the infinity gives you enormous inner strength and a say over your senses. You dont say, "Oh, I am helpless," and go into a sort of helpless mood.  You wake up and see, "Oh ,this is the abode of truth." A glimpse of Brahman makes you a beautiful human being. It doesn't make you cunning, narrow minded, calculating person, but one who is confident.  Someone is cunning because they are not aware of their power. When the...

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