The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

There are many aspects to success; material wealth is only one component. Moreover, success is a journey, not a destination. Material abundance, in all its expressions, happens to be one of those things that makes the journey more enjoyable. But success also includes good health, energy and enthusiasm for life, fulfilling relationships, creative freedom, emotional and psychological stability, a sense of well-being and peace of mind. Even with the experience of all these things, we will remain unfulfilled unless we nurture the seeds of divinity inside us. In reality, we are divinity in disguise, and the gods and goddesses in embryo that are contained within us seek to be fully materialized. Although I call the laws I'm about to discuss The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, they could easily be called The Seven Spiritual Laws of Life. This is because they are the same principles that nature uses to create everything in material existence--everything we can see, hear, smell, taste or touch.

Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals. Success is the ability to fulfill your desires with effortless ease. And yet success, including the creation of wealth, has always been considered a process that requires hard work, and it is often considered to be at the expense of others. We need a more spiritual approach to success and to affluence, which is the abundant flow of all good things to you. With the knowledge and practice of spiritual law, we put ourselves in harmony with nature and create with carefreeness, joy and love. True success is the experience of the miraculous. It is the unfolding of the divinity within us. It is the perception of divinity wherever we go, in whatever we perceive--in the eyes of a child, in the beauty of a flower, in the flight of a bird. When we begin to experience our life as the miraculous expression of divinity--not occasionally, but all the time--then we will know the true meaning of success.

Now let's go over The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and see how we can apply them in our lives.
1) The Law of Pure Potentiality
This law is based on the fact that we are, in our essential state, pure consciousness. Pure consciousness is pure potentiality; it is the field of all possibilities and infinite creativity. When you discover your essential nature and know who you really are, in that knowing itself is the ability to fulfill any dream you have, because you are the eternal possibility, the immeasurable potential of all that was, is and will be. This law could also be called the Law of Unity, because underlying the infinite diversity of life is the unity of one all-pervasive spirit. There is no separation between you and this field of energy. One way to access the field is through the daily practice of silence, meditation and non-judgment. Spending time in nature will also give you access to the qualities inherent in the field: infinite creativity, freedom and bliss.

2) The Law of Giving
This law could also be called the Law of Giving and Receiving, because the universe operates through dynamic exchange. The flow of life is nothing other than the harmonious interaction of all the elements and forces that structure the field of existence. Because your body and your mind and the universe are in constant and dynamic change, stopping the circulation of energy is like stopping the flow of blood. Whenever blood stops flowing, it begins to clot, to stagnate. That is why you must give and receive in order to keep wealth and affluence--or anything you want--circulating in your life. If our only intention is to hold on to our money and hoard it--since it's life energy, we will stop its circulation back into our lives as well. In order to keep that energy coming to us, we have to keep the energy circulating. Thus, the more you give, the more you will receive. The best way to put The Law of Giving into operation is to make a decision that any time you come into contact with anyone, you will give them something. It doesn't have to be in the form of material things; it could be a flower, a compliment or a prayer. In fact, the most powerful forms of giving are non-material. The gifts of caring, attention, affection, appreciation and love are some of the most precious gifts you can give, and they don't cost you anything.

3) The Law of Karma (or Cause and Effect)
"Karma" is both action and the consequence of that action; it is cause and effect simultaneously, because every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in kind. There is nothing unfamiliar about the Law of Karma. Everyone had heard the expression, "What you sow is what you reap." Obviously, if we want to create happiness in our lives, we must learn to sow the seeds of happiness. Therefore, karma implies the action of conscious choice-making. Whether you like it or not, everything that is happening at this moment is a result of the choices you've made in the past. Unfortunately, a lot of us make choices unconsciously, and therefore we don't think they are choices--and yet, they are. If you step back for a moment and witness the choices you are making as you make those choices, then in just this act of witnessing, you take the whole process from the unconscious realm into the conscious realm. This procedure of conscious choice-making and witnessing is very empowering.You can use the Law of Karma to create money and affluence, and the flow of all good things to you, any time you want. But first, you must become consciously aware that your future is generated by the choices you are making in every moment of your life. If you do this on a regular basis, then you are making full use of this law. The more you bring your choices into the level of your conscious awareness, the more you will make those choices which are spontaneously correct--both for you and those around you.

4) The Law of Least Effort
This law is based on the fact that nature's intelligence functions with effortless ease and abandoned carefreeness. This is the principle of least action, of no resistance. This is, therefore, the principle of harmony and love. When we learn this lesson from nature, we easily fulfill our desires. In Vedic Science, the age-old philosophy of India, this principle is known as the principle of economy of effort, or "do less and accomplish more." Ultimately, you come to the state where you do nothing and accomplish everything. This means that there is just a faint idea, and then the manifestation of the idea comes about effortlessly. What is commonly called a "miracle" is actually an expression of the Law of Least Effort. Least effort is expended when your actions are motivated by love, because nature is held together by the energy of love. When you seek power and control over other people, you waste energy. When you seek money or power for the sake of the ego, you spend energy chasing the illusion of happiness instead of enjoying happiness in the moment. When your actions are motivated by love, your energy multiplies and accumulates--and the surplus energy you gather and enjoy can be channeled to create anything that you want, including unlimited wealth. There are three components to the Law of Least Effort--three things you can do to put this principle of "do less and accomplish more" into action. The first component is acceptance. Acceptance simply means that you make a commitment: "Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances and events as they occur." This means I will know that this moment is as it should be, because the whole universe is as it should be. The second component is responsibility. This means not blaming anyone or anything for your situation, including yourself. This allows you the ability to have a creative response to the situation as it is now. All problems contain the seeds of opportunity, and this awareness allows you to take the moment and transform it to a better situation or thing. The third component to the Law of Least Effort is defenselessness. This means that you have relinquished the need to convince or persuade others of your point of view. If you relinquish this need you will in that relinquishment gain access to enormous amounts of energy that have been previously wasted.5) The Law of Intention and Desire

This law is based on the fact that energy and information exist everywhere in nature. A flower, a rainbow, a tree, a human body, when broken down to their essential components are energy and information. The whole universe, in its essential nature, is the movement of energy and information. The only difference between you and a tree is the informational and energy content of your respective bodies. You can consciously change the energy and informational content of your own quantum mechanical body, and therefore influence the energy and informational content of your extended body--your environment, your world--and cause things to manifest in it. The quality of intention on the object of attention will orchestrate an infinity of space-time events to bring about the outcome intended, provided one follows the other spiritual laws of success. Intention lays the groundwork for the effortless, spontaneous, frictionless flow of pure potentiality. The only caution is that you use your intent for the benefit of mankind.

6) The Law of Detachment
This law says that in order to acquire anything in the physical universe, you have to relinquish your attachment to it. This doesn't mean you give up the intention to create your desire. You give up your attachment to the result. This is a very powerful thing to do. The moment you relinquish your attachment to the result, combining one-pointed intention with detachment at the same time, you will have that which you desire. Anything you want can be acquired through detachment, because detachment is based on the unquestioning belief in the power of your true Self. Attachment comes from poverty consciousness, because attachment is always to symbols. Detachment is synonymous with wealth consciousness, because with detachment there is freedom to create. True wealth consciousness is the ability to have anything you want, anytime you want, and with least effort. To be grounded in this experience you have to be grounded in the wisdom of uncertainty. In this uncertainty you will find the freedom to create anything you want.

7) The Law of "Dharma" or Purpose in Life
The seventh spiritual law of success is the Law of Dharma. (Dharma is a Sanskrit word that means "purpose in life.") This law says that we have taken manifestation in physical form to fulfill a purpose. You have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it. There is something that you can do better than anyone else in the whole world--and for every unique talent and unique expression of that talent, there are also unique needs. When these needs are matched with the creative expression of your talent, that is the spark that creates affluence. Expressing your talents to fulfill needs creates unlimited wealth and abundance. There are three components to the Law of Dharma. The first says that each of us is here to discover our true Self. The second component is to express our unique talents; the expression of that talent takes you into timeless awareness. The third component is service to humanity. When you combine the ability to express your unique talent with service to humanity, then you make full use of the Law of Dharma. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success are powerful principles that will enable you to attain self-mastery. If you put your attention on these laws and practice the steps outlined above, you will see that you can manifest anything you want--all the affluence, money and success you desire. You will also see that your life becomes more joyful and abundant in every way, for these laws are also the spiritual laws of life that make living worthwhile.

Adapted with permission from The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, copyright 1994 by Deepak Chopra, co-published by Amber-Allen Publishing and New World Library. Available at bookstores or visit www.amberallen.com or www.nwlib.com.
The Chopra Center for Well-Being offers workshops on the Seven Spiritual Laws for the Workplace. For information visit www.chopra.com.

Balance the Spiritual And the Material

Balance the Spiritual And the Material

Dr. Pranav Pandya

There are two aspects to human life: One that relates to the physical body, the material, and the other that relates to the inner self or the soul, the spiritual. Materialism is a tendency to lead a life of worldly pleasures.
Spirituality means to keep in mind the awakening of the soul even while remaining active. Material characteristics in-clude greed, attachment towards worldly objects and people, and egoism.
We generally engage our time and effort in satisfying our material requirements. The mind is different from the rest of the senses in that it is always dissatisfied. New hopes and ambitions arise once the old ones are fulfilled.
The worth and importance of a well-mannered, disciplined person is obviously more than that of an egoistic person. No circumstances or individuals can challenge a person who is dominated by ego, whereas examples of egoistic people suffering and coming to ruin can be seen all around us.
The ego-less person is respected while an egoistic person is not. The inner self or the soul is called antaratma. Looking after the soul results in eternal peace, satisfaction, bliss and the acquisition of both material and spiritual benefits.
Here, priority is given to the soul compared to the body. Bodily requirements are kept to a minimum and the principle of "simple living and high thinking" is adopted.
This means a person who takes care of his soul has to practise restraint over the senses and remain satisfied with minimum resources. If, for example, food intake is kept low, it has the double benefit of enabling longevity and protection from diseases.
The consumption of too much sugar, salt and fat can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis respectively. An excess usage of other senses also causes problems.
For example, watching too much television or too much exposure to computers damages eyesight. Listening to loud music affects hearing. Overindulgence in sexual activities is unhealthy.
People who practise res-traint never experience financial crisis. nor do they remain in debt. They maintain a healthy body and healthy mind. They are called people of character; they are respected.

We should consider the whole world as family, by adopting the principle of vasudhaiva kutumbakam. Why spend valuable time and effort for the sake of a few family members only? When the feeling of vasu-dhaiva kutumbakam develops, a person exhibits love and compassion towards everyone and offers his services for the welfare of humanity. On the other hand, if one person or a group of persons is showered with excessive love and caring, it becomes a cause of suffering for every-one concerned. Thinking about the welfare of the soul prevents wastage. Those who remain satisfied achieve peace. Everyone around them become their friends, admirers or supporters. They always remain blissful. Nothing remains to be achieved by a person who follows the path of the welfare of the soul.

(The writer is chancellor, Devasans-kriti Vishwa Vidyalaya, Hardwar.)

An analogy of Hinduism for Kids

An analogy of Hinduism for Kids

This is a fairly old story, but I thought kids who have not read this, would probably enjoy this:
"Hinduism and Video Games" by Namdev Nirakar

Hinduism is so complex. I do not understand it most of the time", said Eesha, a young girl to Uncle Ashok. Ashok had come over half an hour ago and Eesha was so engrossed in her video game then that she mechanically said "Hi" to Ashok, and continued with her game.Ashok watched Eesha play Super Mario Brothers (*). He watched her move Mario to the right, hit and get hidden mushrooms and get bigger, or get a fire flower or a cape, collect coins, punch his way thru obstacles, climb ladders and occasionally get chomped by turtles.

After the end of a life Mario would start his next life, from where he left off. Now that Eesha had finished one level she noticed that uncle Ashok, whom she met every week when her parents took her to the temple, was still there.

"Eesha, you are really good at this video game!” said Ashok. She nodded and added "Yep! and I can even beat my brother at it".
"You know you can learn many ideas of Hinduism from the video games", said Ashok."How ? uncle Ashok", Eesha asked.
Let us say if you got a video game and it gave you only one chance to beat it, will that be fair ?", Ashok asked.
"No, that is why they give you multiple lives. Actually, with a new game it is very difficult to advance much further. It takes practice. When we had just bought this game, I used to 'die' in just ten seconds, every time", said Eesha.
"Hinduism is similar too. Most people do not lead a perfect life. So according to Hinduism, you get many chances to improve your self. You get many lives. This is called reincarnation". He continued," and just as in a video game, if one life ends, you start over in the next life where you left off".
"Now what will happen if you do not go towards the right in your video game?” asked uncle Ashok.
"You will not move to the next level. You will not make any progress and time will run out", Eesha said
"Exactly! If you do not move in the 'right' direction, you will not make progress. Thus YOU determine the right direction and how far progress you can make. 'What you do, determines the result' this is called the law of Karma. Your actions bear fruit accordingly. Now what happens in a video game if you keep making same mistakes?” Ashok asked."You go back to the start of that level" Eesha replied.
"Law of Karma similarly tells you that if you keep making same mistakes over and over again, you will move backwards. Now in a video game you get rewards and receive set backs. In this video game a mushroom will make you grow bigger or an attack of a turtle will make you smaller, in real life too you may become rich or poor, but that depends where you start at and what actions you take. Yet getting big or small in itself does not mean progress. Does it ?", asked Uncle Ashok.
"You are right, being big or small does not necessarily mean you will move forward in the game or even to the next level", Eesha replied.
"Now tell me what happens when you go to the next level?" Ashok asked.
"It gets tougher at the next level" Eesha said.
"Same is true in spiritual practice as per Hinduism", Ashok added. "Now tell me what happens if you get stuck at a level, what do you do? And why?” he asked.
"I ask my cousin Ojas. He knows what I should do. He knows where to the keys are hidden, where secret passages are. He has beaten the game already, Some times he even takes the controller to help me", Eesha said.
"In Hinduism, similarly a Guru helps you move to next level. A Guru or a master has already 'beaten the game'. She or He knows where the key is hidden that will unlock the door. She or He knows what where the secret passages are. She or He can even show you a 'warp' zone, to go to the next level. But unlike a video game, in real life a Guru cannotplay for you. You have to play it yourself", said Ashok."You keep referring to Guru as She or He, why?” Eesha asked.

"Good question! Hinduism considers man and woman as having equal potential to become a master, a Guru. Just as you are better than your brother at video games, a woman can reach the highest state also. In fact there were many women who contributed to the Vedas, the Hindu holy books. There were many women Hindu saints in the past, and there are many women saints even now" said uncle Ashok. He continued, " alsothere are many ways you can go to next level, so some Guru will show an easier way and some a harder way, all depending on your capability.
Buddhists have Buddha as a Guru; Jains have twenty four Tirthankars as Gurus while Sikhs have ten Gurus whose guidance they follow".

"Now tell me what happens when you beat the last level?” Ashok asked.
"I have not beaten the game yet, but my cousin Ojas says that you see fire works, music plays for long time, and then you see the name of the programmer", Eesha said.
"Interestingly, that is what Hinduism says also, when you go beyond the last hurdle you hear the music and you see THE PROGRAMMER – that is God and then you do not need to play the game again, except to help others" Ashok said.
"Let me ask you one more question. You get so absorbed playing a video game that you feel that you are being Mario or Luigi on the screen. But are you really Mario or Luigi ? Who are You?", He asked
"I am Eesha, of course. But while playing the game I forget that I am Eesha and am only concerned about Mario or Luigi on the screen", she replied.
"Exactly, Hinduism believes that we go thru different lives believing we are the body or the name in that life. But we are not that body nor its name. We are the Atman or soul, which plays as a character of Mario or Luigi (or whatever). That is something we must never forget. We are not this body, but we are the Soul, or Atman". Ashok continued."Eesha have you noticed, that from video games you just learnt Hindu concepts of reincarnation, Karma, Guru and Atman." He asked, "Was that complex ? ".
"Not complex at all!" Eesha smiled, Her face was glowing by the realization of Hindu concepts, a knowledge she already had in the form of video games.

Vegitarianism - a scientific approach

VEGETARIANISM AND ITS BENEFITS
By Stayapal Khera, Rockville, MD

”Ahinsa Parmo Dharma", says a saint when he was asked "What is religion?" Hippocrates, the philosopher, said”Soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.” "You shall love each other. Thou shall not kill”, says one of the Ten Commandments that Christians believe in. Mahatma Gandhi said, "To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body." He also said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Albert Einstein, the well known physicist, had the view that nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. He opined that the vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind. Sri Aurobindo, poet laureate and a philosopher, said,”Life is life whether in a cat, dog or man. There is no difference between a cat and a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man’s own ad-vantage...” George Bernard Shaw, a playwright, declared, "Animals are my friends...and I don’t eat friends." What are all these people saying?

Food has great impact on your mental health. The proverb "Thoughts arend in its original condition is the best for your mental health. Dr. Gabe Mirkin of Silver Spring, Maryland, a specialist in allergy and sports medicine, says that a diet of fruits, vegetables, grains and beans is the best diet for any body and every body. "If you do want to take dairy products”, says he,”limit your self to the ones with the least amount of fat". He advises that we should not eat products made from refined wheat, like pasta, and white rice. Instead eat the wild or brown rice and products made from wheat berries. Both have large amounts of fiber. ”Fiber and photochemical are needed for cancer prevention”, he adds,”and they are available only in fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, not in meat or poultry." Be a vegetarian.

The question is "Who is vegetarian or what is vegetarianism"? Vegetarian foods include fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and dairy products. Those who eat only plant-foods and dairy products are called lacto-vegetarians. Some vegetarians don’t consume even the dairy products and are called vegans, while others also consume eggs and are called ova-lacto-vegetarians. But do we need eggs? Advertising by the egg producers have labeled the eggs as a vegetarian food containing protein but lentils have more protein than eggs and have no cholesterol which is present in the egg yokes. In addition the legumes contain carbohydrates which the eggs are devoid of. If you read about the way hens are raised and treated in the chicken coupes and what happens to them once they stop laying eggs, you will never eat eggs again.

Scientific research has shown that ova-lacto-vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters, lacto-vegetarians are healthier than ova-lacto-vegetarians and vegans are healthier than lacto-vegetarians. Numerous studies have shown that vegetarian diets help prevent cancer. Vegetarians are nearly fifty per-cents less likely to die from cancer than non-vegetarians. Similarly breast cancers are much lower in nations that follow plant based diets. A recent study showed that Japanese women who followed western style meat based diet were eight times more likely to develop breast cancer than the women who followed a more traditional plant-based diet.

Animal products are usually high in fat and are always devoid of fiber. Colon cancer has been directly linked to meat consumption. Vegetarians avoid animal fat that is linked to cancer and get abundant fiber and vitamins that help to prevent cancer. The blood analysis of vegetarians reveals that they have higher level of specialized white cells that attack and kill the cancer cells. Vegetarian diet also helps prevent heart disease. Animal products are the only source of cholesterol and the chief source of saturated fat which are the main causes of heart diseases. Our liver produces enough cholesterol for the need of our body. The fiber in the vegetarian diets not only removes the unneeded cholesterol and other cancer causing agents from our body but also helps in reversing the atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries. Thus mortality from coronary artery disease is lower in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians. A 1990 study demonstrated reversal of even severe coronary artery disease without the use of lipid lowering drugs by using a combination of vegetarian diet deriving less than 10% of its energy from fat, stress management, moderate exercise and cessation of smoking.

Vegetarian diet helps in reducing the blood pressure and control or even eliminates the non-insulin dependent diabetes when such diets are combined with regular exercise and reduced fat in-take. Diets that are high in proteins, especially animal proteins tend to cause the body to excrete more calcium, oxalate and uric acids which form kidney and gallbladder stones. Vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce chances of forming these stones. Because the vegetarian diets do not force calcium out of the body like the meat does, the vegetarians are at a lower risk for osteoporosis, the weakening of the bones. A one year long study conducted in Sweden in 1985 demonstrated that asthma sufferers who practiced vegetarian diet for one full year decreased their need for medications and also de-creased the frequency and severity of the asthma attacks.

Some people tartan diet can provide all the nutrients needed by the body. It is very easy to have a well-balanced diet with vegetarian foods. It used to be believed that various plant foods had to be eaten together to get their full protein value. Now many nutrition authorities and American Dietetic Association have determined that intentional combination of foods is not necessary. Our body builds the proteins for its needs from amino acids, which come from the proteins we eat. Any normal variety of plant foods such as grain, beans, and vegetables, provides enough amino ac-ids. It was thought that athletes needed much more protein than other people, but the truth is that they need only slightly more protein which is easily obtained in larger servings athletes require for their higher caloric intake. Dark green leafy vegetables and beans are loaded with calcium. Iron is plentiful in whole grains, beans and fruits. There is some concern about non availability of vitamin B12 for vegans. Although cases of B12 deficiency are not very common, this vitamin can be provided by taking multiple vitamins or cereals fortified with vitamins. Dairy products and exposure to sun light provide enough vita-min D. But those, who cannot have either one, should supplement their diet with this vitamin.

The high nutritional needs of children can easily be met within vegetarian diet which is "life-extending". Vegetarian children may grow more gradually, reach puberty somewhat later but they live substantially longer and healthier than do meat-eaters.

There is no wonder why so many people, perceiving plant foods as beneficial because they are high in dietary fiber and, generally, lower in saturated fats than animal foods, are turning to vegetarian diets. Certain people, such as Asian Indians and Seventh-day Adventists, choose a vegetarian diet be-cause of religious beliefs. Others give up meat because they feel that eating animals is unkind. Best of all it is the most healthful diet, less expensive than the animal foods and promotes peace through non violence. A Sanskrit prayer says "Serve bhavantu sukhinah ...” meaning May all living beings be happy, in comfort, in good health, and blissfully free from anxiety, want and suffering.

VEGETARIANISM

VEGETARIANISM
By Master Sivananda

Sage Uddalka instructs his son Svetaketu: "Food when consumed becomes threefold. The gross particles become that excrement, the middling ones flesh, and the fine ones the mind. My child, when curd is churned, its fine particles which rise upwards form butter. Thus, my child, when food is consumed the fine particles which rise upwards form the mind. Hence, verily, the mind is food."
The mind is formed of the subtlest portion of food. If the food is impure, the mind also becomes impure in its workings. This is the dictum, of both the ancient of India and of the modern psychologists.
That food does wield a tremendous influence on the mind can be seen in everyday life around us. After a heavy sumptuous, indigestible meal, it is very difficult to control the mind; it runs, wanders, and jumps like an ape, all the time. Alcohol, similarly, causes great excitement in the mind.

THREE KINDS OF DIET
Diet is of three kinds, viz., Sattvic diet, Rajasic diet and Tamasic diet. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna says to Arjuna: "The food which is dear to each is threefold. The foods which increase vitality, energy, vigor, health, and joy and which are delicious, bland, substantial, and agreeable are dear to the pure. The passionate persons desire foods that are bitter, sour, saline, excessively hot, pungent, dry and burning, and which produce pain, grief and disease. The food which is stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten and impure, is dear to the Tamasic."
Milk, barley, wheat, cereals, butter, cheese, tomatoes, honey, dates, fruits, almonds, and sugar candy are all Sattvic food-stuffs. They render the mind pure and calm and play a very important part in the practices of spiritual aspirants, in the mental development of the student, and in the personality-power of the leaders of mankind. Fish, eggs, meat, salt, chilies and asafetida are Rajasic food-stuffs; they excite passion and make the mind restless, unsteady and uncontrollable. Beef, wine, garlic, onions and tobacco are Tamasic food-stuffs. They exercise a very unwholesome influence on the human mind and fill it with emotions of anger, darkness and inertia.

STRESS ON MORAL AND SPIRITUAL VALUES
No doubt, animal diet may produce a strong Sandow, or a dauntless soldier, or a keen, brainy scientist. But, in the Hindu view of life, the real value is placed upon the moral and spiritual worth of the man. Man is more than just body and mind; he is essentially an ever-perfect, ever-pure, and ever-free spirit in his true inner nature. Human birth is given as an opportunity and a means to attain this sublime knowledge of his inner spiritual nature and to regain his divinity. In this process, all grossness and animalistic tendencies have to be totally eliminated from the human personality. Non-vegetarian diet, which is gross and animal by its very nature, is a great hindrance to this process. Whereas, pure Sattvic diet is a great help to the refinement of the human nature.

The chemical components of different foods vibrate at varying rates. Each particle of food is a mass of energy. The intake of certain food-stuffs sets up discordant vibrations in the physical body which throw the mind into a state of oscillation and disequilibrium. Concentration of mind is rendered difficult and high thinking is disturbed; elevating thoughts lack because of missing fine vibrations.

MEAT DIET GENERATES DISEASE
Meat generates diseases, excites passions, and produces restlessness of mind. Scientists we coming to the conclusion that in meat there are certain things which are absolutely poisonous. A very large number of medical professionals who have studied the subject of diet in relation to health are forbidding their patients to eat animal flesh, not only as a means Of cure for such diseases as gout, rheumatism etc., but also as a preventive measure against uric-acid ailments, cancer and appendicitis.

Meat is not at all necessary for the keeping up of perfect health, vigor and vitality. On the contrary, it is highly deleterious to health; it brings in its train a host of ailments such as tapeworm, albuminuria, and other diseases of the kidneys. In large meat-eating countries, cancer mortality is admittedly very high.

FLESH EATING INVOLVES CRUELTY
Moreover, flesh-eating involves the exercise of cruelty which is not an elevating virtue. It is a bestial quality which degrades us all. Cruelty has been condemned by all, for example, Pythagoras condemned meat diet as sinful food The cruel slaughter of animals and the taking of innocent lives, which flesh- eating, makes it an abhorrent act.

Butchery and bloodshed is a great disgrace to civilization and culture. Killing of animals for food is a great blunder. And the mentality it engenders is fraught with potential danger for the life of humanity, a recognition which made George Bernard Shaw say, "As long as men torture and slay animals and eat their flesh, we shall have war."

GIVE UP ANIMAL FLESH AS FOOD
If you want to stop taking mutton, five, etc., just see with your own eyes the pitiable, struggling condition of the animals at the time of killing. Now mercy and sympathy will arise in your heart. You will determine to give up flesh things. If you fail in this attempt, just change your environment and live in a vegetarian hotel where you cannot get mutton and fish, and move in that society where there is only vegetable diet. Always think of the evils of flesh-eating and the benefits of a vegetable diet. If this also cannot give you sufficient strength to stop eating meat, go to the slaughter house and the butcher's shop and personally see the disgusting, rotten muscles, intestines, kidneys and other nasty parts of the animals which emit bad smell. This will induce Vairagya (detachment) in you and a strong disgust and hatred for meat-eating. The use of animal flesh as food should be absolutely given up. Flesh-eating is unnecessary, unnatural, and unwholesome. The countless instances of reputed philosophers, authors, scholars, athletes, saints, yogis and rishis who have lived on vegetable diet conclusively prove that vegetarian diet produces supreme powers both of the mind and the body.

VEDAS for all

VEDAS FOR ALL

Vedas are for one and all. At the beginning of the creation, God transmitted divine knowledge to mankind for a style of life generating health and happiness. God revealed VEDAS or Divine Knowledge to the Rishis or the sages and they passed it on without in any way discriminating between man and woman or between man and man on grounds of caste, creed or color, The entire human race is entitled to read the Ved mantras, meditate on them and improve the quality of life.

One has just to make an effort to read and meditate on the mantra and the happy results would not be far to find. One may read the original mantra compilation called samhita or go to the translation of the text and explanation or exposition in English or Hindi language. Treatises explaining meaning of the Ved mantras may be available in other languages too. Meditation on mantras leads to bliss.

``Vedo Akhilo Dharm Moolam'' - Vedas are the roots of righteousness. When one walks on the path of righteousness one is doing
One’s Dharma as a good man ought to. Who is a good man? One who is socially efficient is a good man or a woman. He or she is an
Achiever of right goals through right means. This Mister Right cares as much for the society as for himself. Should there be a conflict of interests between the self and the society; self must be made subservient to the society. This is what the Vedic way of life is all about. This path of social efficiency is paved with and illuminated by the Ved Mantras. The Ved Mantras always show light at the end of the tunnel and bring in optimism and become a source of inspiration to lift a man or a woman when he or she is d own in the dumps. It may also be understood that the Vedas, being divine knowledge, are considered to be infallible. Other branches of knowledge originate from this pristine source. Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of the Arya Samaj, has opined that the non-Vedic works conforming to the Vedic Dharm are acceptable but the ones in conflict with the Vedic precepts are not acceptable. Ved mantras are the touchstone to decide either way. Ved mantras are cornerstones of the edifice of the Vedic Dharma.

The Vedas are four in number: Rig-Veda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda. At the beginning of the creation, the Rishis in whose hearts the four Vedas, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva were revealed are Agni, Vayu, Aditya and Angira respectively. Now let us take a close look at them and meditate on Ved mantras relevant to the human scenario today.

The Rig-Veda is the Ved of Sciences. There are ten thousand five hundred eighty nine mantras spread over ten mandals or ten major cantos. With a view to understanding the spiritual import of Ved Mantras, quite a few Vedic scholars of yore like Sayan and Mahidhar wrote Ved Bhashya or Vedic commentaries in simple Sanskrit. In the 19th century India a Vedic renaissance took place. Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati had the distinction of being the first Rishi to write commentaries on the divine Vedas both in Sanskrit and Hindi. The Vedic wisdom was unlocked and the biggest beneficiary was the common man on the street. It was a religious revolution. Unlocking the Vedic knowledge and letting the deprived segments of society reap the harvest definitely enriched quality of life of an average man.

The Yajurveda comprises one thousand nine hundred seventy five mantras. Its basic emphasis is on Karmakand, correlating mantras and Yajna. The mantras inspired men and women to realize God in their inner self. Mantras motivated men and women to banish the evil and imbibe the noble. Making donations for charities is one of the ways to attain nobility on the path to attain Moksha that is liberation of soul from the bondage of repeated cycles of births and deaths.

The Samaveda comprises one thousand eight hundred seventy five mantras. This is known as Upasanakand or the prayer sung for realization of the Supreme Being in one's inner self. The word SA-AM, inter-alia, means a communion of soul with God. SA means the Almighty and AM is soul or Jeeva and SAAM is a synthesis of the two.

The Atharvaveda comprises five thousand nine hundred and seventy seven mantras. It is known as the Jynankand. The mantras of Atharvaved enlighten men and women in their quest of God and help them seek Him in ``Matter or objects of this mundane world''. The Vedas propound the philosophy of Trinity, i.e. existence of God, soul and matter before the Creation, during the Creation and after the Creation is over. The
Three exist as independent entities with myriad opportunities to interact. God, of course, is Supreme Being always and every time.

Correlating the Vedic knowledge with the mundane matters of today, one may like to take a look at the scenario of terrorism and what the Vedas have to say on the subject. Does a Vedic sanction exist against wanton?
Killings of human beings and destruction of
Property with a view to terrorizing human beings? Of course it does.

The Rig-Veda gives a definite direction to punish the killers and eulogize the warrior who wields Vajra. Punishment of the criminal killer is a must. The Rig-Veda defines a warrior as one who wields the invincible weapon of war, Vajra, for the common good of the society. He fights the battle with self-confidence, high morale and valor against terrorists.

A Vedic warrior against terrorist has to keep himself cool, calm and collected. Let the like-minded men and women consolidate the forces of good people against the evil terrorists and eliminate them once for all. It is high time the saints wielded the Vedic Vajra and killed the sinner-killers.

According to the Vedic philosophy God is one. He is without a form or shape. He is never born in this world and, therefore, the question of His death or disappearance does not arise. In other words, Vedas do not subscribe to the theory of AVATAR or God coming to this world in a human form to help man. God is omnipresent, omniscient and all powerful to run this universe as per the divine laws which He too does not break
Or infringe.

The Vedic Dharm does not subscribe to the theory of God deputing prophets to run His errands. There is a direct communication between God and man and there is no place for a middleman. That is why the treasure of Vedic knowledge made available to man through mantras does not envisage a god man who is different from a common man. It is indeed the divine right of men and women to delve deep into the Vedic realm and live a life of righteousness.

Vedas lay an emphasis on the Truth. "Satyam Vad, Dharmam Char" is the epitome of the path of righteousness. It means: tell the truth and go by the principles of Dharma or the code of conduct aiming at purity in life. One may wonder if that is a pragmatic philosophy of life. Of course, it is. A path strewn with untruth and dishonesty may pay seemingly rich dividends but in actual fact these dividends are ephemeral.

A short -term gain may eventually lead one into a dark abyss where one is condemned to live in pain and misery for ever. The Vedic way of life takes care of life after death which is followed by a rebirth. What Samskar a soul acquires when it is embodied has its effects in the birth after death too. Vedas prescribe a clean life which pays dividends many times over.

The Vedas prescribe a four-fold path to Moksha or liberation of soul from the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. .It is DHARMA, ARTHA, KAMA and MOKSHA. As we proceed further in subsequent chapters, we shall dwell on the salient aspects of this four-fold path. For the time being one may understand that Dharma takes one on the right course of life, Artha enables one to earn wealth by the sweat of
brow, kama enables one to have a high ideal to be achieved through hard work’s Should a man or a woman follow this Vedic path, Moksha or liberation from birth, death and rebirth will not be far to seek.

Meditation

Meditation:
“Dhyaanam Nirvishayam Manah” (Sankhya Darshan: 6/25) means “The state of mind when remains objectivitated i.e. without any thought (when the mind is away from worldly objects, but remains connected with the self), is called the ‘Dhyaan’ or Meditation”. It is clear with this Sankhya-Sutra that meditation is the state of continuous non-objectiveness of mind, which means when mind is away from all wordily things i.e. objectless.

· “Tatra Pratyayaikataanataa Dhyaanam” (Yoga-Sutra: 3/2) which mean, “Sustained concentration (Dhaarnaa*) is meditation (Dhyaan).
[*Concentration is the fixing of the Chitta (mind stuff) upon a particular object. This is ‘Dhaarnaa’. (Yoga-Sutra: 3/1)]
Meditation is of two types: First is “Samprajnaata” i.e. where the meditator is conscious of self and the act of meditation and second is “Asamparajnaata” when even this consciousness is lost and meditator Experiences only the bliss of Omnipresent God.

Meditation is a journey within, to meet our own consciousness. But to achieve higher state of consciousness, of deep silence of ‘Samaadhi’ and Meditation, one has to transcend all words and all thoughts. No language can lead us there. Therefore, talking of that state, declare Upanishads:

· “Yato Vacho Nivartante, Apaapya Manasaa Saha” means that state, where words cease to be, cannot be achieved through mind”.

Although everybody seems to be talking of Meditation these days, but few really practice it regularly and know the meaning of “Meditation”.

Beginners often start meditation with too many expectations, waiting for something to happen. When nothing happens they are disappointed and give up the practice of meditation. They imagine that by simply sitting in a straight-backed position with their eyes closed, they will reach in the state of ‘Samaadhi’. But this is not possible because most adults have a sharp sense of ego problem, which keeps them confined and restricted.
It is recommended to all new practitioners that they should start with very short sessions, not more than five or ten minutes at a time. These periods may be repeated several times and each time the attitude should be of relaxed stillness, expecting nothing, but ready for anything.
The human mind is full of thoughts – random and never ceasing. It is impossible for the average person to stop these thoughts and the only way to get some control over them is to adopt a steady watching attitude. Without this, each thought will hook itself on to another thought and another.
It helps if you realise that thoughts generally fall into three categories -- remembering, planning and dreaming. If you are remembering, then you are lingering uselessly in the past, which can be both repetitive and obsessive. Just let it go. Don’t get involved. If your mind is busy with planning, you are thinking of the future, your aims, desires and hopes. Dreaming is self-explanatory. Do not get involved. Let the thoughts come and go without clinging to them. Five minutes is all you are allowing yourself, so there is no expectation, no strain. The quality of meditation and not the duration is what you are interested in for the present. Meditation has been described as a mind suspended in space – a pure and complete awareness without clinging.

There are many aids to meditation. There is a Mantra, which repeated in your mind will eventually stop random thoughts. There is a candle flame or a statue or picture on which you can concentrate. Or you can simply concentrate on your breathing. All these methods are effective, but only if you take it lightly, giving only 25 per cent of your attention to them, with the remaining 75 per cent of your mind relaxed and floating in space.

The sitting posture is important since a straight spine and all the different ‘Chakras’, so that energy flows smoothly and the mind calms down and is at ease. But even here it is not necessary to go to extreme. You can sit cross-legged on a cushion. The legs can be folded easily and not rigidly in the lotus pose. You may even sit on a chair with feet flat on the ground. Whichever way you sit you should be comfortable so that you can sit for as long as necessary.

Scientific truths about Meditation:
A person sitting quite and contemplating, with no purpose or aims except that of experiencing himself and his oneness with the world, is meditating. Studies by Herbert Benson, a Harvard cardiologist, show that meditation produces psychological changes which include reduced heart rate and blood pressure, as well as reduced oxygen consumption, reduced blood lactate level (associated with anxiety) and reduced respiratory rate. The body is deeply relaxed while the mind remains alert. Benson calls this ‘the relaxation response’, which counteracts state of fear, anger and anxiety.

At the psychological level, with regular meditation there is deceased anxiety, a higher level of relaxation at all levels, and progress to wards self-actualization. The meditator begins to experience in a more positive way, and a more peaceful and secure self-concept is developed. Physical dysfunctions such as lack of sleep, fatigue, headaches lesson or disappear altogether.
Regular meditation increases empathy, concern and interest in the well being of others. Today all doctors agree that stress and anxiety play a role in the development of many diseases.
In meditation alpha waves increase the state of reflecting an extremely restful, non-anxious and non-problem solving mental state. After successful meditation the person is relaxed, with a greater capacity for creativity, love and compassion.

When someone talks about ‘meditation’ it’s understood that this term is related to something that is spiritual (inner) world. It’s one hundred per cent right. Meditation means to realise/find/feel of some super-conscious thing to get peace of mind, which is always there, but because of ones ignorance and laziness one is unable to seek/search it. That is why man is always unhappy and unsatisfied in his life, even after getting all kinds of comforts in this materialistic world. Something is missing! Of course! Something is missing! But, what is that something, which is missing? In the Vedic philosophy this something is nothing but—the Bliss (Anand) of God. The term “Anand” can be defined, as the spiritual happiness of the self.

[The soul is in search of the real spiritual happiness but after coming to this beautiful and amazing wonderful materialistic world, he* forgets everything because of his limited knowledge. He (the soul) wanders after illuminated and colourful material things in this world made of Tri-attributed Prakriti. *The soul has no gender but being a sensate or Chetan thing, it can be pronounced in masculine/feminine manner.]

Mind is the most important thing and without mind’s involution one can not meditate. Meditation is nothing but to think of self-consciousness, but in philosophical point of view, Meditation is defined as a technique or an art of concentration. To control the mind is not an easy job, one needs a lot of practice, and practice makes a man perfect. One thing, here, is to be noted that mind is not a conscious thing like the soul, but it is an inert thing that cannot do anything by its own. The soul is its master and master should be alert. If/When any work is given to the mind; it will be busy and cannot wander of its own. This is one of the method by which the mind is can be controlled easily. “A will, will find a way”, so one has to practice.

Many people believe that the mind is the slave of the senses, on the contrary the mind is said to be their king (Boss), all senses are under mind’s control, and the mind is under intellect’s control. Soul is the master of our physical (inert) body and all organs are its instruments (means) to work.

The mind functions the way we want. For desired results in any sphere of activity, the mind needs to be focused. Thus, an individual must have control over it and its cravings. Striving to fulfil each desire leads to even more desires. All endeavours, all efforts and struggles must be directed towards strive to attain this goal—of keeping the mind in control—rather than seeking the fulfilment of every desire.

F.A.Q.: “How do we control the mind and how do we control our desires?"
It is a common complain that “My mind is not in my control, many thoughts protrude in mind and the more I try to restrain them, the more they protrude.” etc. But all these beliefs are false. The reality is that the mind is a sort of inanimate thing, which is manifested out of insentient Prakriti. Hence it is not conscious. Therefore thought cannot protrude in the mind itself nor can the mind itself raise any thought. It is the conscious soul, which is behind this insensate mind. When our conscious soul desires to raise any kind of virtuous or non-virtuous thoughts in the mind then and then only that thought protrudes related to that subject.
Just as a cassette or tape, records various types of sounds, similarly the mind is the storage of our thoughts in the form of rites. When a person with his desire and effort switches on the tape recorder then sounds are heard but sounds are not heard by themselves. In the same manner when the soul with its desires and efforts raises rites stored in the mind then and then only thoughts are produced. This is one of the methods of working of our mind.
Apart from this, working of the mind should be understood like working of camera equipment. Just as a photographer intends to take the picture of any particular object, he turns the camera switch, stretches the picture on roll through the medium of lens and does not take the photo of the object, which he does not desire. Exactly in the same manner the soul stores the knowledge of an object in the mind through the medium of all senses and body organs –the thing for which he wants to collect knowledge. Body is similar to a camera, conscious soul is to be the photographer, the mind is like a roll on which pictures are drawn and organs are like lens, in this example. In the same manner just as scooter, car, fan, machine etc. i.e. inert machines do not run, work or stop themselves without the effort of conscious human. Exactly in the same way, unconscious inert mind cannot run nor can it think to run towards any subject without the desire and inspiration of a conscious soul.
Only because of ignorance, human-conscious takes the mind only as the propagator of subjects and does not accept himself as the true driver of the mind. But when conscious-soul acknowledges his own consciousness and doer-ship and inertness and means-form of mind, then keeping the mind under his own control (authority), he drives it according to his own desires. A learned ascetic of proper and discrete knowledge, keeps his mind under control and drives it according to his will, as worldly person runs the vehicle, he drives it according it his own will.

Just as a fresh car driver (learner) says, “My car runs at very high speed and doesn’t stop even if I wish to stop it. When I want to drive it on the left side, it runs on the right side. If I want to drive it on the road it goes off the road”. In such circumstances we shall say, “This person doesn’t know how to drive a car and he doesn’t have enough experience”. Now here is a matter to think whether the car runs or stops by itself? Does it move right or left by itself? Certainly not! It is an ignorance or fault of the learner. Exactly in the same manner, it should be understood for the inanimate mind that it does not propagate towards any of its subjects, just, as a car cannot move by itself on the road.

Yoga perseveror or meditator should remember one thing that, soon after taking a posture during devotion period, he may make the following determinations

“My mind is inanimate. I am the conscious soul who drives it. This inanimate mind doesn’t raise any subject without my desire and effort. At this time, I will keep it under my possession (authority) and adjunct it in thinking of ‘Ishwar’ and will not allow it to run towards any other worldly subjects”.

Assistance is sought in controlling the mind with such determination. But even after making such resolution either due to un-cautiousness or ignorance, if the perseveror (meditator) conjuncts his mind with any other object, then he should remove it soon and conjunct again with Ishwar. In the beginning new perseveror has to make efforts to disconnect his mind engrossed in other subjects and has to frequently conjunct it with Ishwar (God). After a sufficient time when he attains requisite discreet knowledge and practice, in the matter of mind, he can easily and surely disconnect his mind from the subjects he wants to disconnect and conjunct with the subjects, which he wants to.

A lot of effort is made to keep the body healthy. Similarly, it is crucial to keep the mind healthy. Persons should aim to reach the Almighty and this can be achieved only when the battle of the mind is won.
The mind is fond of pleasures and thus it may love something or someone very much. However, the moment it comes across something better, it relinquishes the first and runs after the second. Winning over the mind, however, should not be confused with doing penance in a forest, or running away from the material world. That is more escapism. By renouncing the world, we do not gain control over the mind. The more we suppress a thing, the more it revolts. The mind cannot be subdued with forcible discipline. Rather, every individual should study its nature and habits first.

Unless the mind finds something superior to worldly love, it is not ready, under any circumstances, to give up the pleasures of the world. But once a person gets a taste of the knowledge leading to God, he or she never turns to the material world again.

· "Jyotishaam Jyotirekam Tanme Manah" (Yajurveda: 34.1) means, "the mind is that illuminating-light by which all the senses are illuminated and act."

Mind is one of the eleven* principals of senses called 'internal principle of attention' and also known as 'Ubhayendriya'.

[*There are ten external senses consist of five sense organs (Gyanendriyas) + five action organs (Karmendriyas) and one internal sense i.e. the mind (Mana)]

Mind is also called one of the four** 'reflecting medium' i.e. 'Antah-Karan'**.

[**'Antah-Karan' consists of four things, such as 1- Mana i.e. mind or principle of attention, 2- Budhi i.e. Intellect or thought, 3- Chitta i.e. consciousness or memory and 4- Ahankara i.e. egoism or individuality]

"Mind" is an organ of thought and it is said that the mind is the king of all senses because all senses are under its control. Philosophically speaking the mind is actually, the messenger of intellect. It helps the principle senses to activate. To influence the principal senses is its work. Hence the intellect is knowledge-dominated whereas the mind is work-dominated organ. Some time it seems that the mind decides of its own, but it is a wrong concept. The principle senses (Gyanendriyas and Karmendriyas) are always in direct contact with the outside world and whatever knowledge they acquire passes them to the mind, and the mind then carries them to the brain. The brain then decides further actions and those decisions are delivered (ordered) to the senses concerned by the mind. The senses then act according to the decision (received by the mind). This whole process is so fast that it seems that everything happens automatically. The mind is the fastest messenger, even faster than the speed of light. But as written earlier, the mind works as a messenger of the intellect. One thing is to be noted here that the mind cannot have more than one knowledge at one time ["Tadayougapadyaalangatwacch Na Manasah" (Nyaaya Shastra: 2.24)] hence it carries only one message from or to the brain and senses. It works under brain and cannot do two works at one time. That is the attribute or characteristic of mind.

The mind cannot stay at one place, it always flickers like the pendulum of a clock, and hence it is very difficult to control the mind. But the one, who knows its characteristic (that only single knowledge remains in it at one time or you can say that mind cannot do two things at the same time), can easily have control over it. All senses are under mind's control and the mind itself is under brain's control whereas the brain is under self's (soul's) control. (Kathopanishad) Now, it becomes easy to control the mind. One (the self) has to decide what he wants to do, and give order to the brain and the same is conveyed to the mind. The body including all these organs like brain, mind and senses &c. are insensate objects and hence cannot do anything by itself. With the influence of the soul all the means are seems to be live. The soul is the master of the body-like-chariot. One, who is wise, always keeps his mind busy in some or the other work. Do not keep the mind ideal. Keep it busy. When busy in some work it cannot think of other things. This is one of the ways (trick) to control the wandering/flickering mind.
[The soul is the master in the body because he is a free agent and can control his brain while performing any action, &c. "Know your body as a chariot and your soul as the master of that chariot. Know your intellect or reason as the charioteer (driver) and your mind as the reins." (Kathopanishad: 3.3)]

[Information goes from Karmendriyas à Gyanendriyas à Mind à Intellect. The Intellect decides on the information collected by the mind with consultation of the soul and decision is conveyed to Intellect à Mind à Gyanendriyas à Karmendriyas]

The mind flicker because of lack of Vairagya (renunciation) hence its concentration is essential. And with concentration mind is controlled and visualization of God is possible.
‘Pranas’ (nervauric forces of life) are the most valuable and important things in this human body. One can be alive without any sense organ but can never live for a moment without the vital forces i.e. nervauric forces i.e. '‘Prana s'.
'‘Pranayam' is one of the solution and very useful in controlling the mind. One who wants to control his mind has to exercise and practice '‘Pranayam'. Regulation of breath is the best solution. In this way one is controlling the mind as well as worshipping God.
Vibration and consciousness are inseparably one like the whiteness of snow, the oil in the sesame seed, the fragrance of the flower and the heat of fire. Their description as distinct categories is an error. Mind and movement of thought are inseparable; and the cessation of one is the cessation of both.
Sage Vashishta gives perceptions to Shri Rama --“O Rama! There are two ways in which this cessation (of vibration and consciousness) can be achieved. One is the way of Yoga, which involves the restraint of the movement of thought, and the other is the way of knowledge, which involves the right knowledge of truth.
In this body, that energy which circulates in the energy-channels is known as ‘‘Prana’ ’. In accordance with its diverse functions in the body, it is also known by the name ‘Apaana’. This ‘‘Prana’ ’ is indistinguishably united with the mind. In fact, the consciousness that tends towards thinking, on account of the movement of ‘Prana’ , is known as the mind.
Movement of thought in the mind arises from the movement of ‘Prana’ ; and movement of ‘‘Prana’ ’ arises because of the movement of thought in consciousness. They thus form a cycle of mutual dependence of currents in water.

The wise ones declare that the movement of ‘Prana’ causes the mind; and hence by the restraint of the ‘Prana’, the mind becomes quiescent. When the mind abandons the movement of thought, the appearance of the world-illusion ceases.

The movement of ‘Prana’ is arrested at the moment when all hopes and desires come to an end in one’s heart through the earnest practice of the precepts of the scriptures and sages, and by the cultivation of dispassion in previous life-span or through endeavouring to practice contemplation or meditation and reaching a stage of devotion to a single truth in a single-minded way.” (Yoga-Vashishta)

In Hindi the mind is known as ‘Mana’ i.e. 'Ma+na' and when you reverse it becomes 'Na+ma' i.e. to be polite. If one, who wants to control over his mind, just reverse it, means be polite in life, then the mind will be under your control.
· "Mana eva manushyaanami karanam bandh mokshayoh" (Upanishad) means one can attain salvation as well as bondage of birth and death because of the mind only.
· “The Brahma (God) is attainable by the mind (and not by physical senses). There is no plurality in Him, for He is one. He who considers God as many (and not as one) goes from birth to death and does not attain salvation.” (Kathopanishad: 4.11)

The mind can also be controlled by the worship of formless Omnipresent God, study of the Vedic literature, politeness, austerities, change of environments, company of the learned and poise people, listening religious-preaching, and trust in God and &c. The most important thing to be observed is "Self-confidence". Without self-confidence nothing can be achieved in life.

[It is a vast subject to understand the ‘Mind’ properly so fearing limitation of time and space hence it is difficult to express all the points here. One big book can be written on it. Only important information on this subject is expressed here.]

To fix the mind at one place and then continuous remembrance of God’s nature-attributes-characteristics, for attainment of God (i.e. to know and realise Him), through ‘Gayatri – Mantras’ (or any other Vedic-manta) or repeating His personal name “OM” and in that period not to think of anything except God, is called “Meditation”.

It is also called to be the act of listening to God. Where prayer is the act of talking to God, Meditation is not just for connecting to your soul, but is an excellent remedy for life's stress and confusion.
Goodness of Pure Mediation:
Reading the scriptures or listening to religious discourses does not make us better people. For improving our personality, health and perspective and also in the process attain self-realisation, we have to meditate. Meditation is purely a matter of experience. Reading about the method and procedure, meaning and scientific aspects and benefits of “Yoga and “Meditation” from various sources does not help in actual meditation. That is only information; not knowledge. The information culled will prove to be useless unless it is applied to the practice of meditation. So to be a meditator, one has to practice daily.

For the practice of yoga there is no need of giving up all worldly activity, family, friends, society, profession etc. All we have to do is to set apart some time every day as part of the daily routine. It is not correct to think that spirituality and activity are incompatible. The Bhagavad-Gita advises us to perform action from our transcendental consciousness. So meditation and action are not opposites; rather, they go hand to hand. In ancient times meditation was considered one of the essential components of life. People would practice meditation as a part of their daily routine. In today’s context meditation assumes even greater relevance. For lasting peace, order, happiness and harmony in life, meditation is the best tonic and medication of all evils.

We are the only life forms in the universe who violate natural laws with impurity. Nature does not know how to pardon a violator. As a consequence, punishment is inevitable. This could be in the form of sickness and suffering, tension, stress, conflict, crime, terrorism, drought, flood, fire etc. We also violate national and international laws.

Keep peace and live in accordance with the natural laws; we have to develop higher state of consciousness. What is consciousness? Consciousness is the essence of life. It is just like a sap for the tree. Every word that we speak and act that we perform is an impulse of consciousness. Since consciousness is the most basic element of every one’s life. Knowledge of consciousness is the basic necessity of every one to exist and enjoy to the full, life. Consciousness is within us. It is not outside of us. It is a permanent, un-manifested, un-bounded, infinite, self-referral state. It is the source and goal of all creation.

State of Meditation:
To experience qualities of consciousness, we have to practice “Yoga and Meditation”. Meditation and Yoga are mental techniques to find inner silence (Peace). By meditation, individual awareness blooms and experiences a unique state of restful alertness, in which the body becomes deeply relaxed and the mind transcends all mental activities and experiences absolute silence. In meditation, the mind and the intellect have no work. It is a state of no-mind, no-identification of oneself. It is a world of peace, bliss and happiness.
The great sage Mahar’shi Patanjali, the father of Yoga, has given a scientific basis to Yoga. According to him, Yoga, is not a therapy, it is a discipline. A discipline is needed even when you are in good health. Today, we are increasingly turning to alternative medicine. As a result, practice of Yoga has become limited to a few persons. Yoga can be practiced by anyone irrespective of age, caste, community, religion, faith or belief. Yoga is not a temporal practice; it is a life long process. The Yoga-Sutra has clearly stated that Yoga must be practiced consistently with complete devotion, perseverance and regularity.
To make Yoga accessible to everyone whether he or she is a homemaker, office goer, student, factory worker or an agriculturist, Yoga should be viewed as being independent of an ascetic lifestyle. One can enjoy the bliss and peace of meditation without having to adopt an ascetic way of life. In any case, spiritual life is not restricted to the confines of monasteries, hermitages of ashrams.

Today, we are always short of time. We talk of ‘sparing’ some time for important activities. As meditation is a valuable activity, proven by science, complaining about of lack of time is irrelevant. Yoga can help find the solution to every problem because it helps us to develop a higher state of consciousness.

Benefits from Meditation:
To meditate God’s name or to think of his name it shows that we want something from him. Man is of selfish nature and no one remembers anyone without a reason. There ought to be some cause. There is no use meditating if there is no gain from it. There are very important, interesting and inquisitive reasons to be understood by all our religious readers.
Firstly: If one is to meditate God i.e. to meditate on His name, he must have to know God’s personal/original name by which he is going to meditate.
Secondly: Some meditate on God either when he/she is in trouble and wants to get rid of them or when he/she wants some help and inspiration from him. There are very few people who love Him and want His bliss and to express their gratefulness, because He is the only One who listens to all.

· "Yasya Naama Mahadyashah" (Yajurveda: 32.3) which means "God is great because He does all good things for us. It is a duty of every human being to adopt His attributes-nature and characteristics.

We must understand one thing clearly that is the personal and original name of Omnipresent God. God is called by hundred different names (such as "Paramatma, Ishwara, Prabhu, Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, Ganapati, Shiva, Shankara, GOD, Khuda, Khoda, Allah" etc.,) by virtue of possessing manifold nature, attributes and characteristics. But His personal name according to the Vedas and Vedic literature is said to be “AUM”, pronounced as “OM”, because in the Veda God has declared His personal name as "OM". Here are some proofs: -

· “OM Kham Brahama” (Yajurveda: 40.17) i.e. God is above all whose name is “OM”.
· “OM Krato Smara” (Yajurveda: 40.15) means O man always remember God whose personal original name is “OM”.
· The Holy Quran says: "Asharaful Makhlooquat" means "Man is the best in this Universe." So it our duty to remember God to express our gratitude towards Him.

You must have observed that if one does a little favour for someone else, he thanks him many a times. God has given everything to us, then why not thank Him? Because of Him we exist. Because of Him we are lucky to see our father, mother, brothers, sisters etc. We should always thank Him by obeying His Commandments. One should perform prayer and worship Him with full faith and love, not with fear. By worshipping Him one acquires the attributes of God. God is blissful so with communion one becomes blissful. Whoever is in contact with Him gets His bliss. God is everywhere but because of his ignorance, man cannot experience His bliss. Surrender to Him and see what happens. Remember one thing that God loves those who love Him. God sees those who see to Him.
God does not become happy or feels sad when one does or does not remember Him. It is we who remain separated from His Bliss and Blessings. God is not affected if we remember Him or not.
"Let a man; therefore, try to acquire His virtues (i.e. to be like God in nature and attributes etc.).Thus let him be great by the performance of great works let him be powerful among the powerful, let him augment his power; let him never commit a sinful act. Let him be kind to all. Let him perfect his means of progress. Let him develop technical arts and with their help, make different kinds of things. Let him do unto others as he would be done by. Let him protect all. Let him be learned amongst the learned. Let him diligently punish the wicked and protect the good. In short moulding one's nature, attributes and character in accordance with those of God alone constitutes the true method of taking His name." [Light of Truth: XI]

· "Yasya Naama Mahadyashah" (Yajurveda: 32.3) i.e.
"Taking the name of the Great God consists in performing great works of righteousness."

Some important things:
One should meditate (Dhyana) early in the morning between 3.30 and 6 A.M. (these 2½ hours are called Brahma-Muhurt i.e. meditation time for God) and in the evening between 5.00 and 7.30 P.M.; because at these particular times (at sunrise and sunset) the environment remains calm, pure and pleasant. One should take a bath and wear loose clothing so that he can sit comfortably. One should sit in a straight position (posture) on the ground, which should be plain, so that it will not disturb him during meditation. Yog-Mudra is the best position. Face must be in the direction from which air comes freely. Close your eyes, do at least three or more "‘Pranayam" (breathing exercises to control mind) and chant God’s name (OM) with its meaning with a pleasant and fresh mind. In this way repeat "OM" slowly and at the same time try to feel happiness. God is formless, all-pervading and resides within you in your heart. God is the Lord of all. He is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. He is our Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, Teacher etc. He is Justice and merciful. God is within us. He listens everything what we repeat in our mind. Try to visualise Him according to His attributes, nature and characteristics and feel His presence outside and inside you. He knows you and your feelings. Always remember God’s Greatness and His attributes, in this way one becomes pure and his deeds become good.

"In short moulding one's nature, attributes and character in accordance with those of God alone constitutes the true method of taking His name." At the time of death only these righteous deeds i.e. "Dharma" (righteousness) go with the soul and that is only the achievement of human life.
The repetition of God’s name without its meaning with closed eyes does not make any sense or gain. This is only a waste of precious time. Once the time is gone it’ll not come back, so one should learn the correct method of meditation.

By meditation i.e. repetition of God’s personal and original name "OM" man experiences the bliss of God that cannot be described or expressed in words. One cannot even know how time has passed; where he is sitting; how he is sitting etc. God’s bliss is the real the gain i.e. "Meditation”.
There should be a system or code of conduct to be followed by man to remember God’s name. It is good to have some time fixed for meditation. "Sandhya" is the best time for meditation. Sandhya is the time when day and night meet i.e. early in the morning and late in the evening; more commonly known as sunrise and sunset or dusk and dawn. At this time i.e. during morning before sunrise and before sunset in the evening, the air is richer with oxygen in the atmosphere that gives energy to our nervauric forces, called ‘Prana-Shakt’ which helps in meditation.

The time from 3.30 to 6 A.M. is called “Brahma Mururat”. At this time air contains the maximum quantity of Pure Oxygen, which is healthier for us to breathe. Moreover mind also remains fresh, calm, cool and pure; hence this is the best time for meditation. There is a scientific reason also to this theory. To understand better here we explain the scientific theory as follows: -

Scientific facts about Meditation:
We take in oxygen (O2) and give out carbon dioxide (CO2) when we breathe. The oxygen helps in metabolism of food and gives us energy for all the vital activities. This whole process is called as respiration. Carbon dioxide is formed during metabolism. It is given out, accumulation of CO2 in the body leads to fatigue and yawning.

Plants also respire at night. During the day plants perform the process of Photosynthesis i.e. they make their own food from CO2 and water in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll. During this process Oxygen is released.

Photosynthesis:
The following chart shows the natural process ‘how we obtain fruits & oxygen from plants’ at day time and the same process is reversed when there is no sunlight at night’:

CO2 + 6H2O Sunlight Ô C6H12O6 + 6O2 (Carbon-dioxide) + (Water Chlorophyll*) Ô (Food) + (Oxygen)

(*Chlorophyll =Pigment which gives green colour to the plants)

[The rate of photosynthesis is the maximum in mornings and evenings hours — when there is a red glow in the sky (Red Effect Õ Rate of photosynthesis is maximum in red light). During the stomata (process for gas exchange present in the leaves) close to prevent excessive loss of water by the process of transpiration) plants lose water in the form of water vapour from the stomata. This process is called transpiration.]

Thus, the air is richer with oxygen during morning and before sunset in the evening. This pure air is healthier for us to breathe, hence meditations at these times are recommended in the Vedic philosophy.

On the contrary, one should always take God’s name, whenever he gets time. Even when we are doing some work, in the office, while travelling by bus, train, or plane, anywhere when we are free we must remember God (His glory). With this practice (to remember God’s name) one is free from entangles of worldly problems and remains balanced in pain and pleasure. Death becomes easy and there will be no fear of death for those who always take God’s name.

Preparation for Dhyana or Meditation:
One must find a comfortable seating place (Aasana) where there is a flow of fresh air. It is important that your back (Spinal cord) be kept straight. Gently close your eyes. Start ‘Pranayam’ and begin to focus on your breathing. Watch inwardly as your chest expands and collapses with the flow of air. Now increase the intake of air to fill the belly. Keep breathing in until the belly is extended with air, and then continue to bring the air on up to the top of the throat if possible. Only push your comfort zone slightly. Now hold you breath for the count of 1---2---3---4---5 (you can increase the counts according to your capacity after some days), then exhale gently, slowly, sinking inward as you do so. Again, breathe deeply, extending the abdomen with air, extending the belly and then bringing the air on up as high as you can...Hold for the count of three.... Now exhale slowly, gently, feeling yourself relax, let go, and begin to find that quiet, peaceful place inside. Once more, take deep breath, extending the abdomen, bringing it up into the chest, hold it, and start counting from 1 to 10. Now exhale slowly, softly, feeling yourself become peaceful and relaxed. Repeat this procedure for atleast three to five times. Now focus on the energy you are experiencing. Notice how brilliant it appears! Now begin Take a moment to feel the warmth, the strength, and comfort that this. Allow yourself to float in this safe and peaceful place. Just experience the floating, relaxing, breathing, and Resting. Feel that you are fully safe here. Now bring your consciousness back to the present. Watch yourself in correct posture from inside (without opening your eyes) and feel fully comfortable by adjusting once again.

Now you are ready for ‘Dhyaan’ and your eyes are closed. Do feel that “I am away from all wordily things. My thoughts are free from everything (all evils) and I am trying to visualize Omnipotent God. I am sitting in the laps of Omnipresent God who is my Adorable Father, Mother, Brother, Friend. I am not alone. He is always with me. He is my guardian and I am not afraid of anything. I am pure soul and my supreme Father is the Purest. Today I am going to meet Him and talk to Him freely.

(My eyes are closed and it’s very dark here. I cannot see anything. It’s blank. But I’ll find my God anyhow! Yes! I know that God is Formless, Omniscient, Omnipotent and Just, then why not He adores me? I adore Him, He has to adore me. I am very much confident, today I’ll meet Him.)

In this way one must be ready to visualise God. One thing is to be borne in mind that God is not a thing to be visualised because

He is All-conscious entity. God is formless. He is visualised (felt) by the soul who is also a formless conscious entity.

Again and again one has to practice to meet God. The procedure of this technique is called “Dhyaan or Meditation”.

Once again the same practice but in a different method. Now we worship God by chanting His personal and most Adorable popular name which is nothing but “OM”. God is all-blissful and we want his bliss to become like Him.

Close your eyes and see the deep darkness (It is obvious that when eyes are fully closed and one can not see anything but very deep darkness) and repeat the following words in your clean mind with pure love & dedication: “OOO --- M Aanandah” and repeat the meaning “O God! You are all Blissful, Kindly make us blissful too”. Repeat these words again and again and feel that God is near you and of course! He listens what you say with your inner voice. Feel that He is supplying His bliss to you. And after practicing this technique (Yoga) you will really feel something soothing and energetic in you. You will feel peace of mind -- a real Divine Peace -- love in your heart and compassion in your eyes. Yes! This is Anand (Bliss of God). Now slowly wiggling your fingers and toes, rub your palms to get warmth and touch them on your eyes very slowly rub them. Now open your eyes slowly. Now you are fully back in the present and in relaxed.

This is not a hard and fast rule that one should or must say the same thing or utter same words, but it is must that his intention should be pure and devotional. Take any Vedic-Mantra for meditating God. The purpose of meditation is to create inner-peace and to experience bliss. The Gayatri Mantra is said to be the most beneficial and adorable mantra for meditation of God, because this mantra is said to be full in the sense that it contains ‘Stuti-Prarthana-Upasana’ i.e. Glorification-Prayer-Communion of God. One can chant the Gayatri mantra and its meaning very slowly in mind and enjoy God’s presence in his heart. Gayatri mantra is for everyone. Yes! For everyone! Take any mantra from the Veda, which you can understand and chant properly with correct pronunciation. It is true that chanting of the Vedic hymns in praise of God is a sure way of stabilising the mind. The Simran or remembrance of God’s name, which is already present in our inner-self, can be done neither with tongue nor with the lips. That holy name is inexpressible and hence beyond any language. The Simran of this holy name makes us pure, takes us on the path of true Bhakti and salvation. The words made by man cannot be called mantra.

Important note: The verses/hymns from the Holy Vedas are only called the Mantras. In other words – The hymns/verses/Shlokas/shabdas etc. taken from so-called Gurus, Babas, Bapus &sc. or from any other books except the Vedas cannot be called the mantra. Hence everyone should note that ‘Mantras’ are those verses/hymns that are taken from the Vedas only.

Now you are a different person. You feel a different personality in you. Even others will comment on you that you have changed a lot. This is Meditation!

Sage Kapil Muni - author of the Sankhya Darshan has defined the term "Dhyaan or Meditation" as “the state of mind when remains without any subjectivity / objectivity i.e. without any thought (when the mind is away from worldly objects), is called the "Dhyaan or Meditation”. If there are thoughts in the mind, meditation does not take place. When there is an idol, one is forced to think about its existence, colours, eyes, clothes etc., so the mind will be busy thinking every aspect of the idol and roam in its attributes.
"God being Formless and Omnipresent cannot have an image. If the sight of an idol puts God in one's mind, why cannot this wonderful creation which comprehends the earth, water, fire, air and vegetation and a hundred and one other things? Can one think of God when he looks at the earth and the mountains that are wonderfully constructed? It is altogether wrong to say that sight of an idol makes one think of God. This would mean that when the idol is out of sight, the devotee would not think of God and, consequently when all alone, may succumb to the temptation of committing theft, adultery and the like sins. Believing as he does that there is no one to witness his actions; he would not scruple to commit the most degrading sins. These are some of the evils that result from the worship of idols. Now mark the difference! He, who has no faith in idols and believes that God, is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Just. And God pervades the whole Universe then he cannot even harbour evil thoughts in his mind--leave alone committing sins, because he knows that God witnesses all actions--good or bad--and that he is never away from Him even for a moment. He is fully aware of the fact that if he committed a sin---in word, deed or thought---Just Providence cannot but punish him.

Merely talking of God is of no use; even as the repetition of the word sugar does not give a sweet taste to the mouth, nor does the repetition of the word Neem (Melia azadiracta plant) imparts a bitter taste to the palate. The sensations of sweetness and bitterness are produced only when sweet and bitter substances are brought in contact with the tongue.” [Light of Truth: XI)

"Concentration of mind on a material object is impossible, for it can grasp it at once and after mastering all the details wanders over fresh objects. On the other hand, in the case of Immaterial, Infinite God, do what it will; the mind will never be able to comprehend Him. God being Invisible the mind cannot wander it contemplates His nature, attributes, characteristics and being beatified is perfectly focussed. Had it been possible to concentrate the mind on a material object, all the people of the world would have been able to concentrate their minds, because it remains engrossed in worldly objects such as other minds, one's wife, children and friends and wealth, but no one can concentrate his mind except on an abstract being, because He is Invisible, Hence idol worship is a sin." (Light of Truth: XI)

To meditate on God, one has to keep in mind, some of the attributes of God and enjoy His bliss, so idol is not necessary for meditation. There is no picture of hunger, thirst, pain, pleasure, love etc and no one can shoot their photographs or draw their pictures on paper. These can be experienced by the mind and felt by the intellect, but cannot be described in words.
God is a conscious entity and subject of a conscious entity that is soul. God is all pervading, hence exists within the soul. God resides in the hearts of human soul hence one has to search His presence within him only. To go within, one is not hurdled by any outside objects.

Benefits of meditation:
Believe or not, it does not affect God at all, on the contrary; it is man (the soul) who is to benefit by meditating on God.

Man is a selfish creature by nature, wherever he sees gain, he acts accordingly. (One can cheat his friends for small things, can cheat anyone for receiving a higher position in a society, can also kill his own-consciousness for his popularity in religious society, but mind you, God is Omnipresent and Omniscient. You cannot cheat Him. Meditation helps those who help themselves by doing virtuous things.) On the other hand, God is perfect and complete, so he wants to provide help to all living-beings. Man is the best creature, He is knowledgeable, can think, imagine and work, he knows what is good and bad according to his knowledge. He wants improvements, developments, so he has to obey; he has to believe who is more knowledgeable and intellectual than he is. (Then who is He? He is God--No one else).

In this world there are more pleasures than pains. Man wants only pleasures and tries to get rid of all kinds of pains. Worldly pleasures always result in pains, in other words pains are hidden in all worldly pleasures. Bliss is a natural attribute of God.

Those who are near to Him acquiring His attribute (bliss, of course!) and become like Him, become blissful. [The soul never dissolves in God, so how can the soul enjoy God’s Bliss?] As you all know that fire gives heat and ice gives coolness to one who is very near to them. That means one gets the attributes of the thing that is very near to him. If man wants the bliss of God (the inner happiness) he has to renounce the matter i.e. worldly imperishable, dead, inert, insensate objects. God is full of virtuous nature, attributes and characteristics, hence to acquire His Bliss and Blessings, one has to come nearer to Him, worship Him, communion with Him.

Now one has to decide --what he wants? Does he want to believe in God or no? If man wants to get rid of all pains and sorrows in the world and wants to free himself from the bondage of birth and death, he has to take shelter of the Al-mighty GOD. He has to practice Yoga--the act of communion with God.
Some Important and Useful Tips for prayer and meditation:
1. It is always better for a meditator to have his own ‘Aasan’ (seat) and a specified particular fixed place for his daily prayer and meditation.
2. The floor, ground or platform, where the devotee sits for prayer or meditation should be flat and even, otherwise, it would not be possible for him/her to sit in the right and correct posture.
3. The sitting posture should remain unchangeable throughout.
4. The eyes and mouth should also remain gently closed, when the devotee is having reflection, concentration, meditation and communion with God. Here the recitation of Mantras should be mental with the core of heart.
5. Sheer propensity to complete the prayer and meditation routine as quickly as possible or, exhibitive tendencies of showing and boasting of prayer and medication exercises should be completely avoided.
6. During the course of prayer and meditation, if it becomes unavoidable, for some reason or other, to have a break, or to change the posture; then, after irritant factor is over, the whole prayer process should be repeated again, right from the beginning.
7. In mass prayer, the chorus recitation of Mantras should be with proper accent and rhythm.

Dear viewers!
God Bless You!

HINDUISM

HINDUISM: IT IS AN OCEAN OF FAITHS THAT BLEND WITHOUT BORDERS
By Vijay Kapoor

The opening words of the LIFE World Library volume devoted to INDIA are “It is not easy for a Westerner - or even for many Easterners - to comprehend, much less appreciate, the sprawling elusive, exasperating, preposterous and wondrous country that is India. Few lands hold such a power to shock-and to enthrall.....Hinduism is the most confused, confusing and distinctive of all the world's religions... The Hindu tradition is baffling to most western
Theologians - attractive for its articulate philosophical theism and yet somehow repugnant for its astonishing, vivid, multi-armed and multi-headed gods.”
Hinduism is often confusing to Westerners because in the West religion implies a belief system revolving around a single figure identified as God or the Messenger of God. Invariably there are scriptures composed of statements or events in the life of such an anointed figure.
Hinduism is not a religion in the conventional sense since it is an ocean of faiths which blend without borders. There is no central ecclesiastical figure in Hinduism equivalent to a “Pope” or an “Ayatollah.” The Hindu scriptures, the Vedas (the wisdom scriptures of Hinduism-Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva,) are not the books that a lay person can read and understand.
However, all Hindus affirm the authority of Vedas as the source book of knowledge. To bring the spiritual contained in the four Vedas, the Vedic scholars have written hundreds of commentaries or sub-scriptures drawn out of the Vedas including the Bhagavad-Gita and the Upanishads. Due to the proliferation of sub-scriptures, Shankara (788-820 A.D.), one of the greatest exponents of Hinduism, stated categorically that any scriptural statement must stand the test of not being contradicted by reasoning or experience.

THE KEY HINDU TENET IS DIVERSITY:
Diversity is sanctified by the Vedic verses: “ekam sadvipraah bahudhaa vadanti"’ - (Rig-Veda 1.164.46) -“The sages call the ONE BEING [God] by different names.”
Again in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, verse 44 (Book II) reads "svaadhyaayaad istadevataa samprayogah,” meaning "By the study of spiritual books comes communion with one’s chosen deity.”
Diana Eck in her book Encountering God = a Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras says "Hindus have a notion of ‘chosen deity ' - ishtadevataa. The ‘chosen god' is that one a particular person has taken for special honor and devotion.... that in imagining and speaking of God, we human beings choose the idea of God that will ground our being. “The author writes in her book that she was startled to lean that Hindus ‘choose’ their ‘gods’ whereas in the Biblical traditions, it is God who chooses people! The ‘chosen’ deities to Hindus are used as functional mediums to perceive omnipotent, omniscient God just as icons are used by a computer user to access an invisible bard disk which empowers a computer. The colors and shapes of icons are dictated by a devotee’s own insight. However, many Hindus do not use any icon for worship as they do not feel a need for a figure to focus their minds on atman [the God within.] In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna says that devotees may worship either with or without an aid of a deity. Both ways are equally valid.
Under the matrix of multitude is the concept of ONENESS and UNITY. Consider the following Hindu prayer:
0 Lord, forgive three sins that are due to my human limitations:
Thou art everywhere, but I worship you here;
Thou art without form, but I worship you in these forms;
Thou neediest no praise, yet I offer you these prayers and salutations.
Lord, forgive these three sins that are due to my human limitations.
Other important Hindu tenets are:
1. Spiritual sensitivity of ecology, ie purity of natural elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. These five elements are foundational in Hindu philosophy and form the basis for the practice of Yoga, Ayurveda, Kundalini and meditation. Ayurveda is the science of longevity founded on purity of elements within the human body. Kundalini is the science of breathing which stimulates energy centers within human body leading to the highest level of meditation called Samadhi. All Hindu rituals are conducted honoring elements. With the infusion of consciousness (the attribute of God), a conglomeration of elements manifest to give life to diverse forms to create this beautiful world.
2. Aham Brahma, you are thou, and several variations of this concept. Implicit in this concept is that by the very fact of being alive, we are permeated with consciousness, the attribute of God. To quote Joseph Campbell, “Heaven and hell are within us, and all the gods are within us. This is the great realization of the Upanishads of India in the ninth century B.C.”
3. Maya - connoting that the entire universe is a quantum of energy, the inherent attribute of which is change.
4. Karma - nothing in the world happens without cause.
RECOGNITION OF DIVERSITY:
Hinduism recognizes that the ultimate goal of life is self-sustaining happiness - ananda.
However, since people have different propensities, they need different ways to attain this state of bliss (Samadhi) i.e. the communion of atman (soul) with God. It prescribes five different paths, each oriented to an individual’s own predilections.
The five schools of Yoga are:
Jnana Yoga is the yoga of self-inquir. It is suitable of people who have the capacity to analyze personal spiritual seeking. Bkakti Yoga is for people who are inclined to be devotional.
Earwu Yoga is for people who find solace perfecting their job skills and who perform actions as selfless service without attachment to the fruits of action.
Raju Yoga is for people who can balance various propensities. It is an eight step discipline
Leading from ethical pursuits to meditation and Samadhi (communion of soul with God.)
Hatka Yoga is for physically oriented people such as athletes. It includes postures, breathing techniques and self-cleansing practices (kriyas)

THE ACID TEST OF BEING A HINDU:
The “acid test” of being a Hindu is to believe and practice that “Truth [God] is one, but calls it by different names.” A person can be a Hindu by accepting or ignoring any other tenets of Hinduism but he/she cannot be a Hindu claiming that his or her “chosen” faith is the only sacred path for everyone else Thus by its very definition, Hindu fundamentalism is a
Contradiction in terms.

ILLUSTRATING DIFFERENT PATHS:
Nothing demonstrates better the Hindu ethos of applauding diversity and reforms than to observe that the Arya Samajis (the Hindu sect to which I belong), who shun idol worship and make up 5% of the “idol” worshiping Hindu society, play a leading role in Hinduism. It is the genius of Hinduism that it can admire and absorb an opposing view point for its merits. Gautama, the Buddha, rejected Hindu scriptures, the Vedas and various Hindu rituals, but Hindus; instead of opposing him, absorbed his reforms and elected Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu (one of the three aspects of God in Hindu mythology). There is hardly a Hindu home which does not enshrine Lord Buddha at the same level as other Hindu deities even though avowed Buddhists may be indifferent to Hindu icons.
It is due to this belief system of honoring others’ preferences in matters of spirituality that throughout the recorded history of human civilization, Hindus have never attacked any other civilization for its being different. Hinduism demonstrates that honoring others’ modes of spiritual seeking bring peace on earth.