Needs utmost attention and concentration while
reading,keeping in mind the topic.

Source: "Life after Death by Swami Vivekananda

IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL?
In the famous and great Sanskrit epic “MAHABHARATA”,
the story goes like this, Dharma asked Yudishthira to
tell what was the wonderful thing in the world? The
reply came that it was the persistent belief of
mankind in their own deathlessness in spite of their
witnessing death everywhere around them almost every,
moment of their lives. This is the most stupendous
wonder in human life. In spite of all the arguments to
the contrary urged in different times by different
schools of thought, in spite of the inability of
reason to penetrate the veil of mystery which will
ever hang between the sensuous and the super sensuous
world, man is thoroughly persuaded that he cannot die.

We may study all our lives and in the end fail to
bring the problem of life and death to the plane of
rational demonstration, affirmative or negative. We
may talk, write, preach or teach for or against the
permanency or impermanency of human existence as much
as we may like, may become violent or partisans of
this side or that, may lull ourselves into a momentary
rest under the delusion of having solved the problem
once for all, may cling ourselves with all our powers
to curious religious superstitions –but in the end we
find ourselves playing an eternal game in the bowling
alley of reason and rising intellectual pin after pin
only to be knocked over again and again. Behind all
these mental strain and stress, not infrequently
productive of more dangerous results than mere games,
stands a fact unchallenged or unchallengeable, the
fact, the wonder, which the epic points out as the
inability of our mind to conceive our own
annihilation.

Now before trying to understand what this curious
phenomenon means, it is better to note that upon this
one fact the whole world stands. The permanence of the
external world is inevitably joined to the permanence
of the internal and however plausible any theory of
the universe may seem which asserts the permanence of
the one and denies that of the other, the theorist
himself will find that in his own mechanism not one
conscious action is possible, without the permanence
of both internal and external worlds being one of the
factors in the motive cause. Although it is true that
when the human mind transcends its own limitations, it
finds duality reduced to an indivisible unity, on this
side of the unconditioned, the whole objective
world-that is to say, the world we know, is and can be
alone known to us as existing for the object and
therefore we would be able to conceive the
annihilation of the subject we are bound to conceive
the annihilation of the object so far it is plain
enough. But now comes the difficulty. I cannot think
of myself ordinarily as anything else but a physical
body. My idea of my own permanence includes my idea of
myself as a body, but the body is obviously
impermanent, as is the whole of nature a constantly
vanishing one. Where, then, is this permanence ?

There is one more wonderful phenomenon connected with
our lives, without which who will be able to live? Who
will be able to enjoy life a moment?-the idea of
freedom. This is the idea that guides each footstep of
ours and makes our movement possible, determines our
relations to each other-nay, is the very warp and woof
in the fabric of human life.

Intellectual knowledge tries to drive it inch by
inch from its territory, post after post is snatched
away from its domain and each step is made fast and
iron bound with the rail-readings of CAUSE AND
EFFECT.But it laughs at all our attempts and keep
itself above all these massive pile of law and
causation with which we tried to smother it to death!
How can it be otherwise?.The limited always requires
a higher generalisation of the unlimited to explain
itself. The bound can only explained by the free, the
caused by the uncaused. But again the same
uncaused,again the same difficulty exist. What is
free?The body or the mind ?It is apparent to all that
they are as much bound by law as any thing else in
the universe.The problem resolves itself into this
dilemma:- i.e either the whole universe is a mass of
never ceasing change and nothing more, irrevocably
bound by the law of causation, not one particle having
a unity of itself, yet is curiously producing an
ineradicable delusion of permanence and freedom or,
there is in us and in the universe something which
is permanent and free, showing that the basal
constitutional belief of the human mind is not a
delusion.

Now it is the duty of the science to explain facts by
bringing them to a higher generalisation.Any
explanation , that first want to destroy a part of the
fact given to be explained in order to fit itself to
the remainder , is not scientific, whatever else it
may be. Therefore , any explanation that wants to over
look the fact of this persistent and all necessary
idea of freedom, commits the above mentioned mistake
of denying a portion of the fact , in order to
explain the rest is therefore wrong.

The only other alternative possible then is to
acknowledge, in harmony with our nature , that there
is something in us which is free and permanent. But
it is not the Body or the mind, as the body is dying
every minute and the mind is constantly changing .The
body is a combination and so is the mind and as such
can never reach to a state beyond all change. But
beyond this momentary sheathing of gross matter ,
beyond even the finer covering of the mind is the
"Atman", the true self of man, the permanent and ever
free.

It is this freedom that his freedom percolating
through layers of thought and matter, is ever
asserting its unshackled existence, it is His
deathlessness, His bliss, His peace, His divinity that
shines out and makes itself felt in spite of the
thickest layers of ignorance. He is the real man, the
fearless one, the deathless one and he is free.

Therefore freedom is possible only when no external
power can exert any influence and produce any change.
Freedom is only possible to the being who is beyond
all conditions, all laws, all bondages of cause and
effect. In other words the unchangeable alone can be
free and immortal. This being the truth, this "Atman",
this real self of man, the free, the unchangeable, is
beyond all conditions and as such it has "neither
birth nor death". Without birth or death, eternal ever
existing is the "SOUL OF MAN"

The answer to the ? Is soul immortal? has now been
explained.

JK

DO IT "RIGHT" THE "FIRST TIME" ITSELF-THAT'S "SUCCESS."

INADEQUACY OF SKILLS IS THE BARRIER TO SUCCESS.

Business Leader view inadequacy of skills is the biggest barrier to success and its indeed true. With a glut of new career options being wide open by the economy as well exodus of locally available talents to greener pastures overseas, many industries are facing acute skills shortage . There are several factors contributing to this state of an affair.

Jobs are challenging and requires higher level of skill. The vast majority of jobs today needs some kind of specialised training that goes beyond mere school education and university degrees. The pervasive change in technology is also one of the major contributing factor to the deficiency of the skill,with the skill going obsolete in less than the time it takes to learn it. Another reason could be that our schools and colleges are still not fully equipped to churn out industry ready candidates . Even people with sufficient work experience are lacking in technical,management and leadership skills and competencies. To add to this they lack in skills like persistence,self discipline and self awareness.

Inadequacy of skill is not an isolated crisis, nor a short term hurdle that needs to be tackled with temporary solutions. In fact its a looming problem and if left unresolved, could result in far reaching consequences on future growth and development. With mounting attrition rates and traditional talent pool running dry, its a big ? mark how companies are going to to tackle the skills gap?

Determing the the right solution for eliminating the skills gap challenges begins with research,planning and development at basic level, identifying the skill gap in core business functions and preparing to fill the gap., this could encompass a risk assessment to determine the impact of skills gap.

Imparting training to upgrade the skills of the existing employees is a welcome option. Apart from helping employees update their technical skills. Seminars,workshops, demonstration, on the job training etc can assist the employees improve managerial skills needed in the areas like, supervision,planning, management,problem solving, decision making and team work.

Organisations and the environment in which employees operate are rapidly changing than they were a few decades ago and the chasm between the skills required and that are available too is widening rapidly and this can be expected to continue. However the key to overcome the gap is to be able to adapt and change with the times by planning ahead with future.

PLEASE ALWAYS REMEMBER "DO NOT FAIL TO PLAN ,UNLESS YOU HAVE PLANS TO FAIL."

Accept others as what they are-That's the quality,respect and enduring value of Humanity.


Accommodating others as "what they are" is a quality to be imbibed if one wishes to enjoy freedom. Among other things, accommodating others includes:-

Accepting people as they are, without attempting to forcefully demand a change in their attitudes or behavioural patterns.

PLEASE DO REMEMBER, THE BEST WAY TO CHEER UP YOURSELF IS TO CHEER UP SOMEBODY ELSE.

Doing good to, others ,notwithstanding the fact that their actions might have resulted in ours, undergoing moments of distress and sufferings.

Enduring pains that are inflicted upon us, may be by our own past actions, or the actions of others, without trying to take advantage/revenge. Please remember at this stage the famous saying "WHAT CANNOT BE CURED HAS TO BE ENDURED".

While there is dire need for all of us to accommodate others, it is more essential in the case of particularly those who HEAD ORGANISATIONS and are responsible for the outcome of the activities of the persons to be managed.

To gain such a mind one has to develop values and attitudes accommodating others is a real value.As a matter of fact our anger is only due to lack of accommodation. Do not expect others to follow our dictates and try to understand that the other person(s)behave in a given manner just because they can't behave differently and as you expect, and we have no rights to demand that they act as we want him to or according to our whims and fancies.

By accommodating others, as they are and allowing them to be what they are, we gain a relative freedom in our Day today life and when we analyse it, will observe that every one interferes in every one's life.
Neither we are free from any one's influence nor do we perform an action without affecting someone. Say for instance ,if you get disturbed by some one else's comments, we allow them to disturb us and enjoy limited freedom, they grant to us. On the contrary if you allow them to be what they are and think what they may think, then you are free in this world.

By developing the concept of accommodating others a person learns to be free and by being so, he lets others enjoy the freedom . The solution lies in expanding the self which is referred to as "spreading the self" in Indian Philosophy and speaking on this Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (VI 32):-

"One who is able to see happiness and sorrow everywhere(in every other being) with the same intensity as that is experienced by oneself is considered to be the foremost amongst the yogis."

In trying to develop this philosophical truth one necessarily imbibes accommodating others as what they are , without demanding change in them, and this of course is an ardent task, nevertheless possible to achieve with persistent practice.

All said and done, we may not be able to change the world, but can certainly try and change our view of the world and it is precisely in the context "accommodating other as they are without demanding changes ,comes handy and a person learns how to accept people and situations as they are without trying to bring about changes.Any individual who has imbibed this ,will be able to let the self free and thereby does not get carried away by events happenings around him. Such a person apart from enjoying absolute freedom for himself, by his presence also contributes to others to reach this state. Therefore accept others as you accept the stars. May be you can pray for a change if you think and feel they need a change or do what you can to help them change,before all these accept them first and create an environment in which one is able to be happy and make others too happy.

J.K

Temple entry and celebrations of Hindu Festivels abroad.
Dear all,

On 9th of this month, I have forwarded a mail to you all on the subject "Temple Entry by Non-Hindus", a subject under created controversy by malloos managing and administering Sri Krishna Temple at Guruvayoor.

Kindly re-collect and then proceed reading the three articles send herewith (courtesy HPI). What an amazing and alarming difference in thinking by both Hindus and Non-Hindus living outside our country.

I prefer,better Malloos read these articles and learn useful lessons in the interest and for the benefit of our Indian community and society. Shred your weight from the head and ego from the mind and be practical and righteous in thinking and doing, my dear Temple administrators in the God's own country(where you guys even don't care to give place to GOD but claiming to be God's own country.)

Wake up from your sleep and be active,actual and be yourself to be of use to society/community to build up amity and unity rather than creating fuss and fur.

See how magnanimous and great the Royal families of UK, the Head of the state of UK and people of USA encouraging Hinduism,Hindu rituals , rights , festivels and respect for Hindu Temples etc.Indeed great people with great hearts unlike Malloo Temple administrators and priests with shrunken heart with egoistic minded people(Truth is always bitter- more so when expressed fearlessly).

Take this in right spirit, my dear friends without any prejudice or spite and mend your ways of doing and thinking.

J.K



1.Hindu Temple in California, consecrated and opened- An amazing event.

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of Hinduism Today, attended these opening events.) In a ceremony steeped in symbolic ritual and centuries-old tradition, the first Hindu temple in the city's history opened Friday. Paramahamsa Nithyananda, a noted Hindu swami, led the ceremony at the 24,000-square-foot Nithyananda Vedic Temple and Vedic Sciences University at 9720 N. Central Ave. The site originally was a six-theater United Artists cinema before housing the Rock of Life Community Church, which sold the building last month to Duarte-based Life Bliss Foundation, a Hindu organization running the new temple.

With a hand bell, a flaming lamp and a vase filled with sacred water, Nithyananda consecrated a number of Deity statues made of marble and black granite that adorned a large, colourful meditation hall. One large statue, of the Hindu Deity Venkateshwara, stood 12 feet tall, while several others, including the multi-armed, dancing Hindu statue of Nataraja, towered over about 500 people who came to celebrate and worship at the grand opening. The Deity statues include 24 Tirthankaras, or enlightened masters of Jainism, and one of Buddha.

The music of Indian flutes and drums filled the hall as a smiling Nithyananda motioned the lamp around each statue and then toward devotees who raised their hands. "Everything in the universe is made up of the five elements of fire, water, air, ether and earth," said Ma Ananda Vibhooti, a Nithyananda devotee. "When we are worshipping, we are worshipping through these five elements. "

Umesh Hari of Houston travelled to the temple opening with his wife and two children. "We're very blissful because the cosmic energy here is omnipresent," Hari said. The temple will provide free vegetarian food to the public every day, free medical advice once a month, and courses such as yoga, meditation and traditional Indian architecture. Nithyananda's goal is to spread Indian religious culture - the Vedic tradition - throughout the world. Nithyananda has missions in 34 countries and counts 1.2 million initiated disciples worldwide, devotee Sevakananda Nithya said. The Montclair temple is Nithyananda's flagship mission in California.




2.Diwali Greetings by British PM Gordon Brown-Great words from a Great personality.


British Prime Minister Gordon Brown described Diwali as "a wonderful inclusive festival" as thousands of enthusiastic Hindus and Sikhs in Britain celebrated the Indian festival of light last night. In a message telecast on different channels on Friday night, Brown said "I am delighted to send my warmest greetings to everyone in our Hindu and Sikh communities on the auspicious occasion of Diwali." He said "Diwali is such a wonderful inclusive festival, which reaches beyond your communities to people of many backgrounds all over the world. The symbolic lighting of lamps, representing life, hope and new beginnings sends a powerful message of unity and peace to us all. "I know that Diwali is a special time for families, who come together to celebrate and reflect on the year gone by. " "And it also gives me an opportunity to recognize and reflect on the huge contribution made by British Hindu and Sikh communities to our country's prosperity and our culture. Your involvement in every sphere of our national life is something we can all immensely be proud of," he added. "Once again, my very best wishes for a joyous occasion. Happy Diwali."




3.Royal visit to Hindu temple by Royal family-Great and an amazing event.

Their Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London, on the afternoon of November 9, 2007, to participate in the celebrations of Diwali. After being welcomed in a traditional Indian manner, the Royal couple proceeded to the sanctum sanctorum where they offered flower petals at the central shrine and later also performed abhishek of the metallic murthi of Shri Nilkanth Varni (Bhagwan Swaminarayan). Upon entering the assembly hall, the Prince and the Duchess each lighted an oil lamp to commemorate their presence on this auspicious day, and then participated in a symbolic Lakshmi Puja while BAPS children chanted Vedic prayers.

In his address to the assembly, His Royal Highness began by speaking of his "great privilege" of visiting the temple on this "tremendously auspicious occasion of Diwali... the most wonderful festival of light." He specifically thanked BAPS volunteers for their "overwhelming warmth" on each of his previous visits to the Mandir - now totalling three - and felt especially touched for being allowed to participate in the sacred rituals, even joking about bringing his own account books to the temple so that they, too, could be "specially blessed."

The Prince then went on to recollect fond memories of when he received His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj at St James' Palace back in 1997, exactly ten years to the day. He recalled being "touched by [His Holiness'] humility and tremendous compassion for all living beings." Throughout his address, The Prince repeatedly commended the "peace-loving and values-based Hindu community" in the UK, adding: "It is a remarkable and precious fact that Hinduism as a faith still touches upon every aspect of day-to-day lives - professions, culture and, most crucially, value systems.... All I can say is, long may it last in this era of frenetic change and short-term thinking.

"This quiet and industrious approach to life is reflected in your remarkable achievements in education, in business, the professions, and so many other fields. Some of you may feel that your huge contribution to the fabric of Britain is not fully recognised, but it is my belief that today, more than ever, your community is one of the most positive forces which helps to bind the country together, and I can only thank you most sincerely for this. It really is a remarkable contribution."

His Royal Highness ended by wishing everyone a "Shubh Deepawali... and every possible success" in the year to come.

Temple entry for Non-Hindus:-

Is it that God chooses his devotees as per the wishes of Temple Administrators and Priests ?

Did Lord Guruvayoor Appan speak to these guys on this?

Is these guys capable of reading the mind and mood of the God ?

And are these guys capable of ascertaining and determine the right and ripe time for God worship by devotees?

Come on come out with explanations with evidence, guys.

God is common to ALL and its

Funny Guys in God's own country.

The Kerala government's move to open temple doors to all believers has run into a solid wall, this time in the form of the Lord of the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple. An ongoing Deva prasnam (divination ritual to know the mood of the Deity) at the temple has found that the presiding Deity is not in favour of allowing non-Hindus into the temple. The Ashtamangala Deva Prasnam, conducted after 17 years, has found that only devotees who believe in Deity worship and rituals of the temple should be allowed inside. But this will be debated and discussed by acharyas (religious leaders) before arriving at a final conclusion. The prasnam is on for at least another 10 days.

"Preliminary findings clearly show the time is not ripe for allowing non-Hindus into the temple. It seems the Lord is upset with some of the changes carried out at the temple," chief astrologer Irinjalakuda Padmanabha Sharma, who is heading the team of astrologers and religious leaders performing the ritual, said.

Apart from the entry issue, the prasnam revealed that the Deity is not too happy with some of the new construction inside the temple.

As the ritual was conducted with the permission of the tantri (supreme priest) and the devasom board, its findings are binding on all. Now, the acharyas will have to announce parihara kriyas (rectification rituals) to undo the damage. The supreme priest, Chenas Raman Namboodiripad, considered the final authority in temple customs, had earlier opposed the move to dilute exiting rituals and customs

KNOW THE FACTS.


1.Spiritual instruction:

Literally it means restoring an object nearest to its true and proper place. The mind of the aspirant having become separated from its real and primal state of pure being i.e the Self which is referred to in the scriptures as" Being-Consciousness-Bliss, wanders away from it and in the form of thought ever runs after objects of sense gratification.

2.Relative knowledge:

"Know yourself" first and then ask about others and the world. If only you know the present first, you will learn the past and the future.

3.Fate & Free will:

By cultivating free will one can overcome fate. Fate applies only tom the body and not to the Self. Let the body act as found suitable and one need not be least concerned about it.By the process of 'enquiry',you will find "To whom is the fate".

4.Master's grace and instructions:

The aspirants experience of the grace of the Master by which he derives spiritual awakening is just like that of an elephant waking up from sleep on seeing a lion in its dream.

5.Grief or Misery:

Turn your mind inward and cease thinking of yourself as the body, thereby you will come to know that the Self is ever happy and neither grief nor misery is experienced in this state.

6.Self in one, self in all:

God is none other than the Self and to see the Self, destroy the ego and see the God, all else is but a vision of the mind.

7.Mind:

When camphor is burnt no residue is left, similarly the mind must be burnt without any trace being left out. It should melt and get completely annihilated and in the absence of the mind pure consciousness (Suddha Chaitanya) shines and the aspirant has to experience this.

8.Ego: To destroy the ego and to be as the Self, is the supreme method of attainment.To know all else except the knower is but ignorance.

9.Unique state, beyond comprehension:

Just as a lamp spontaneously goes out if not fed with oil, so also the ego becomes extinct if one meditates regularly and becomes merged in the Self.

10. The Truth:

The Truth remains as Truth whether one is aware of it or not. Non-duality was in existence even before it was revealed. To say that duality is the Truth is ignorance.The Truth might be lost to the ignorant ones , but not lost altogether and to all.

11.Love:

Love is the source of understanding. You know intellectually that within you resides the potential, expressed or not, for all human emotion, thought and action. Yet, you no doubt meet or observe people occasionally whose life and actions are repellent or unacceptable to you. The absence of love has created a vacuum of understanding. For the meditating person, there should not be a single human being whose actions, habits, opinions or conduct lies beyond your ability to love and understand.

Samadhi- The state of Union with God.

Samadhi is the highest step on the path of yoga as explained by Sage Patanjali, attained through abstract meditation. Samadhi(The state of union with God) is attained when the meditator,in the process of mediation by which the the mind is withdrawn from the senses by interiorization and the object of meditation i.e God becomes one.

There may be imperfect comprehension in Samadhi and if proceeded beyond this will derive tranquillity and a feeling of contentment born out of desirelessness, a state of perfect comprehension.

In the beginning state of God communion, known as "Sabikalpa Samadhi" ,the meditators consciousness merges in cosmic spirit, his life force is withdrawn from the body which may appear dead or motionless or rigid and the person is fully aware of the suspended animation.

During Samadhi only a taste of bliss is experienced whereas after Self-realisation the person becomes bliss itself which is beyond dualistic interpretation.

Intense meditation develops into Samadhi. wherein the meditator loses his identity in the object meditated upon and merges in the Self.

As a person progresses to higher spiritual state,known as"Nirbikalpa samadhi" he communes with God without bodily fixation and in his ordinary waking consciousness, even in the midst of exacting worldly duties. Both the states are characterised by oneness with the ever new bliss of spirit and the "Nirbhikalpa" state is experienced only by the most advanced spiritual Masters and in the advanced state, he is in rapport with the Self,this is a nataural state without efforts and there is nothing such as going in and out of Samadhi for him, as he is ever rooted in the Self.

What's Meditation?

Diverting the mind from idle and useless wanderings and concentrating on a single object i.e the "Supreme God" with sincere efforts for attainment of realisation is meditation.

In the beginning stages , one's efforts at meditation may not be generally so successful due to the wandering nature of of the mind in other words known as distraction of the mind. But with unrelenting effort, faith and regular practice at fixed times one can retain meditation for longer intervals with shorter frequencies and in the developed stage it Will become natural, easy and a routine affair in the day to day living.

The objective of the mediation is to dispense with all other thoughts and direct the mind to dwell on God or Self only and remember that when the mind is "buoyant" it will be difficult to practice meditation.

With devoted effort,unstinted faith and strong belief coupled with regular practice, meditation becomes a way of life.

Darshanas (Visions):-

The sixth and last set of scriptures are known as Darshanas, the school of Philosophy. These are meant for for the intellectuals and the scholars with six main school of philosophical thoughts to guide them. The names and its founders are as follows:-

Nyaya by.....................Gautahama Rishi
Viseshika by..................Kanada
Sankhya by....................Kapila Muni
Yoga by.......................Patanjali
Mimamsa by....................Jaimini
Vedanta by....................Badrayana(Vyasa)

The philosophy of Nyaya is guided by pure logic and reasoning. Although this system is not popular today, its emphasis on logic and debate , has influenced all thinking through the ages.

Viseshika is the is the earliest in the world to talk of the universe as consisting of countless atoms each with its own particular quality. The Nyaya and Vaiseshika doctrines merge with one another and are studied together.

The Sankhya system also emphasises on logic and inference , but its main belief is that the universe consists of two elements,purusha and prakriti(spirit and matter). It is the oldest of all and mention is made of it in Mahabaratha.

The yoga school accepts Sankhya philosophy but uses the system of mind control as the mean of attaining God.

Mimamsa places great emphasis on vedic rituals and sacrifices. Yajna the ritual of sacrifice is done by chanting of vedas, while ghee, grain and other offerings are poured into the sacred fire.

Vedanta, meaning the end of vedas bases its doctrine on the Upanishads.Of the six schools of philosophy, Vedanta is considered the most valid for the times we live in. It teaches that the Supreme God can be attained only by one's own individual spiritual experience and such a thought is more acceptable to the modern mind.

Vedanta insists on strict adherence to Truth and tireless investigation.Thousands of years ago our ancients taught what is today in conformity with the modern scientific approach.All thinking has been affected by Vedanta which even though we may not be aware of, is very root of our culture and beliefs.The Upanishads,,The Vedanta Sutras and the Bhagavad gita are called prasthana Traya(authoritative scriptures) of Hinduism and the three great commentators on the Vedanta Sutras were Adi Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhavcharya.

Vedanta has influenced many great thinkers as expounded by the ancient Rishis of the Upanishadic period. Vedanta appeals to the mind and to one's logical understanding . It gives answers to the spiritual doubts of wise men of all times in all ages. It is the school of philosophy that appeals equally to the mystical minds of the seers and the philosophers of the Western world who are conditioned by the pragmatic and scientific environment.


To be concluded.

The Hindu Scriptures..........Part V
Theological Discipline & Doctrines of worship (Agamas)


The fifth set of scriptures The Agamas,lays down the separate theological disciplines and doctrines for the worship of deities. From the Agamas have sprouted the three main sects amongst Hindus i.e the Shaiva,Vaishnava and Shakta.The Shaiva agama has led the school of philosophy called 'Shiva siddhantha' in the south and pratahyabhijna system of shivaism of Kashmir. In this Agama the supreme God is worshipped and adored under different names and forms of Shiva.

Similarly there are two main aspects in the Vaishnava Agama, the 'pancharatra' and 'vaikhanasa' both glorifies God Vishnu, and of these two, the former is more popular and it is believed , this Agama was revealed by the great God himself in the form of Vishnu.

The Shakta Agama glorifies Devi, the consort of Shiva as the World Mother as Shakthi,is the energy giving power behind all creation, creativity and destruction.

The Tantric cult owes its origin to the Tantra and not to the vedas, but in the later period of Hindu history, Tantric started to claim allegiance to the Shaktha Agama. Many occult and magical practices trace their origin to Tantric worship, however the Tantric cult was never fully accepted by Hinduism nor by the Hindu philosophers.

The Agamas guide the faithful who are moved by their devotion to the supreme God to worship one of his Manifestations.Each Agama has several sections. The first part consists of philosophy and spiritual knowledge of the worship of the deity. The second part consis of the yoga and the mental discipline required for each school of worship.

An important part of the third section of each Agama covers the rules governing the construction of Temples. That is why, whatever the style of outward architecture, the plan of the temples is the same in whatever the part of the country a Temple is located. Some are elaborate than others, with addition of Mandapas/Halls ,but the basic plan is same , as laid down in eacgh Agama for accommodating the rituals in that form of worship.

Equally important in the third section are the rules for sculpting or carving figures of deities and divinities. Even details such as the way Rama hold his bow, the length of his arm, the grateful stance of Seetha are written down so that,in which ever part of this vast comurty a Temple is built, these rules are followed . The only differences are in the facial features of the images which are usually patterned on the racial characteristic of the locals.

The fourth part of the Agama consists of the rules pertaining to the observations of the religious rites and rituals at home and in the community, and the observance of religious festivels. These are mentioned in greater details , which explains their being observed from one end of the country to the other with only local cultural variations.

The most beautiful aspect of the agamas is the tremendous amount of poetic compositions and devotional songs that have sprung up under the shade of these theological scriptures in all the languages of the country. They have in fact added greatly to the richness of the poetry and lieraery genius of our great country.

Way to Emancipation:-

Self realisation is the birth right of everyone.Bondage and Release are only modifications of the mind and for an ego-less person neither bondage nor release applies.

The main obstacle for a person is the very thoughts, "I have not realised',and 'am in bondage". Therefore, please do not entertain such thoughts. Any one can conquer the mischievous ego and attachment and rise to the lofty heights of realisation, be it a house holder or a person with enormous wordly activity. It is not an exclusive rights of recluses or ascetics. The wise person who transcends duality never gets confused as he would not be besmirched by any other desire. For instance ,a bird having come to know and see the tree on which it has built its nest, is going to be chopped off, it hastens to abandon the tree and looks for an alternative one. Similar is the case with man and he should understand that life in the world is short, he should give up his attachment to the temporal blessings and develop dispassion for leaving this world as a free man when the call comes.

One's own true nature is abiding in absolute consciousness in which is comprised the whole universe with all its diversities.By investigating the 'I', the self is reached as the investigator himself becomes the self reached, any further investigation discontinues and the mind is destroyed in the process. It is just like this, a thief posing himself to be a policeman, running to catch a thief and being caught as the thief himself ultimately.For intense practice solitude need not be the back ground , as whenever we remain by turning our mind inward we can feel solitude in the midst of noisy surroundings, and if the mind is properly tamed, we may even remain undistracted by the worst of agitations. The ego begins to flee away from its hold on the non-self and gets merged in the Absolute consciousness.The ego-self in the act of tracing its source ends in perceiving the Self.

Self is latent in us but not manifest due to our ignorance. In other words , it could be said that the self is present in all things and by enquiry into yourself, you are churning out the Truth.By reading and enquiring into the "Ancient Wisdom", handed down to men by the God who is the source of all wisdom, the mystery of the self is revealed to the aspirants. With faith,care and reverence one should learn the scriptures and it is better, concentrate more on the Master's instructions, as it will immensely help to attain the Self-Realisation which is the climax of human attainment.

The Hindu scriptures Part IV Sacred & legendary literature (Puranas).

Puranas are 18 in numbers and of these Bhagavatha,Vishnu and Markandeya are known to be popular. These are tales convey the truths of the vedas and Dharma sastras in the form of stories. These imaginative stories have formed the very basis of the religious education for people and helps to teach them simple but fundamental truths of religion and morality of what is right and wrong in behaviour.These stories are narrated to children at home by elderly people. The puranas have been conveyed to successive generations by word of mouth ,by grand mothers,grand fathers to their grand children, by the village priest and by the minstrel. The walls of temples are also engraved , painted with carvings of puranas, a visual method of education people.

The power of good woman over Gods and demon was an oft repeated theme of the puranas. The stories of puranas are so strongly intertwined in our daily lives and have been told as bed time stories to children from time immemorial.

The puranic stories brings about strong family ties, by way of support,help and assistance, the care they lavish on their elders are evidence of the influence of such stories which deify filial ties. There are numerous stories in puranas that conveys religious values, ethics, right behaviour, righteous conduct, Truth etc.

The Hindus do believe that at the end of Kali yuga (dark age) there will be a Holocaust of fire and the last incarnation of Vishnu in the form of Kalki will ride forth to save the mankind and to re-establish righteousness.

The Hindu scriptures Part III. The Epics:-

The third sets of books are'Epics'(Ithihasas).Since the Ordinary people do not have the erudition to read and understand the first and second sets the third sets known as 'Epics' which serves the purpose. The profound philosophy of the Upanishads is presented in the form of parables and stories in the 'Epics' for the guidance and understanding of the common people.

The great and important epics of Hinduism are the Ramayana,the Mahabharata,, the Yogavasishta and the Harivamsa, they are also known as friendly compositions ( Suhrit Samhitas), as they teach the greatest of the truths in easy and friendly way without taxing the the mind.. The language is simple and the contents easily understood.

Ramayana and Mahabaratha are known even to the illiterate Hindus as they have come down thorough ages by word of mouth. They teach the ideals of Hinduism in an understandable manner and it is because of these books the most illiterate our peasants are not ignorant..They carry the wisdom of Upanishads within them which has been conveyed to to them by these two main epics in story,ballad or dance forms,and the Ramayana is the most popular known as Adi Kavya(the first poetic composition), composed by the great sage, Valmiki,explaining the story of Sri Rama, believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu,born on the earth to show and guide the path of righteousness.

In Ramayana, you will find Lord Rama was banished to forest for 14 years at behest of his step mother Kaikeyi, and spent 14 years in the forest with his wife Seetha and brother Lakshmana. Seetha was abducted by the demon king Ravana and Rama with help of army of monkey and Hanauman fought and destroyed Raavana and brought back Seetha and later Rama was crowned as King of Ayodhya.Rama's period of ruling Ayodhya was a time of peace and joy and ideal era for all good people, teaching the people subtly and effectively, what ideal behaviour and conduct should be.

The Hindu scriptures Part II The Smritis:-

The second set of books are 'Smritis' means that which is remembered. Unlike Srutis, which are of divine origin, the smiritis are are human composition which regulate and guides people in their daily conduct, codes and rules governing the actions of people, community, society and the nation and are known as laws governing righteous conduct.

A day of Brahma(the creator) is known as a 'Kalpa' . Kalpa is divided into four yugas(ages).

1.Krita Yuga.
2.Trteta Yuga
3.Dwapara Yuga
4.Kali Yuga

The present yuga is Kali Yuga which is the yuga of degeneration of virtues. Each yuga has its own Law givers. In all there are 18 'smritis' and there have been many law givers- Manu,Yajnavalkya,Shankha,Likhita and Parashara.Manu is the earliest of them all and his laws have greatly influenced the life of people of our country.However, it is mainly on the Yajnavalkya Smriti, the Hindu law of today is based.

Hinduism is very unique that it accepts that the rules of society change with every age(yuga) , therefore the laws or righteous conduct changes from time to time.Since these laws are enunciated for the guidance of man,they are governed by the time and age he lives in.Hinduism is a living practical religion because it accepts that the laws governing the conduct of man and the society are man made laws which is flexible, dynamic and subject to change.It therefore does not give room for bigotry or intolerance and it does not say that a set of rules made hundreds or thousands of years ago should be valid today. This has made it possible for the laws relating to Hindu society to be further changed by legislation in modern times., for protecting the interests of women, of daughters and of wives.

The srutis and smritis are read and memorised by scholars and were utilised by Kings, priests,by their rulers and ministers, to implement Divine and Human laws.

The Hindu scriptures- Awareness of these scriptures are essential - Part I

Since the subject is very elaborate, I shall present it in parts and will try my best to condense to the shortest possible way.

Hinduism is not based on a single book nor the words of any single teacher,on the contrary it is based on Eternal Truth.There are literally numerous scriptures and books for guidance for the beginners as well scholars, verily a cornucopia of spiritual literature.Let's now understand some of them.

Sruits:-

The first set of books , which are the primary authority or very soul of Hinduism, are known as 'Srutis', means which has been heard or revealed. These srutis are in fact known as 'Vedas'.

The word Veda is derived from the word of 'vid' means, to know ,and the Vedas are holy or spiritual knowledge of the Eternal truth. The word 'Rishi' is derived from the word'dris' means to see, .The Rishis were the seers or sages to whom the Vedas were revealed by divine intervention and in whose hearts and minds they were heard. The Vedas are of divine origin and are unchangeable and Eternal.They teach the highest truths ever known to man , and are valid for all time and all ages. It exists in subtle form in God from where each time is created a new universe and at the end of the last age, there was a great deluge which destroyed the universe.

Bahama the creator, is believed to have meditated at the dawn of this age, called the 'swehtavaraha kalpa. When the God appeared in the form of the sound 'AUM' known as pranava,AUM being the symbol of the absolute is therefore the most sacred symbol of Hindus.

Brahama then prayed to Him for knowledge to create a new universe . From the vibrations of the sound 'AUM', the lord conceived the Rig Veda, The Yajur Veda,the Sama Veda and the Athervana Veda. The God then taught these four Vedas to Brahma who created our present and existing universe with this supreme knowledge received by him. In other words the Vedas existed even before the creation of universe.

Sage Veda Vyasa codified the four vedas and taught to his disciples and the disciples in turn to their pupils. This is how the Vedas have come to us thousands of years back. Therefore they are known as 'amnaya'-that which has come to us by tradition.

Rig Veda:-
consists mostly of hymns in praise of the divine.
Yajur Veda:
Mainly consists of hymns used in religious rituals and rites.
Sama Veda:-
Consists of the verses from Rig Veda, set to music.
Atharvana Veda:-
Guides man in his material and daily living.

The Vedas have divisions like:-
mantra(hymns)
brahmana(explanatory treatises for using hymns in rituals),
Aranyaka(mystical interpretations of the hymns and rituals)
Upanishads, and of these Upanishads are the most important part of the Vedas, as it is believed that knowledge of Upanishads brings about the destruction of ignorance, one of the greatest failings of mankind.

There are 108 Upanishads and the following 12 are the most important.
1.Isa Upanishad.
2.Kena Upanishad.
3.Katha Upanishad.
4.Prasna Upanishad.
5.Mundaka Upanishad.
6.Mandukya Upanishad.
7.Aitreya Upanishad.
8.Taittreya Upanishad.
9.Chandogya Uopanishad.
10.Brihadranyka Upanishad.
11.Kaushitkai Upanishad.
12.Svetasvatara Upanishad.

Upanishads reveal some of the greatest truths ever known to mankind.They contain the essence of of the philosophy of the Vedas and profound spiritual truths contained in them guides man in his search for spiritual upliftment and enlightenment.

To be continued................

The Spiritual Master - Part II

Most of you be aware that the World's Teacher and spiritual Master Adi Sankara had made a disciple of his ,who was below average , a scholar in a flash, and that's the power of Spiritual Master, and the disciple in turn and spontaneously sang a song in praise of Adi Sankara, his Master known as "Thotakastakam". While some of the disciples of Adi Sankara had been mocking at this disciple for his dullness, The Master made him WISE IN TRICE.

Our nation (INDIA) is famous and reputed for sages and divine incarnations and these spiritual monarchs, who were born on this earth with the message for Love, Peace and Bliss and sowed the seeds of God-realisation for the sake of dissemination of spiritual knowledge to humanity immersed in misery and ignorance and move like men among men.

One should not be content with one's book knowledge, but rise above it and realise the spiritual Truth.To seek and abide in the reality that is ever attained is alone the attainment.

The acquisition of occult powers and demonstration of the same by yogis can never contribute to the perfection which culminates in Self-realisation.They can prove only to be stumbling blocks. Occult powers are wonders only to the ignorant. They do not indeed lead to the only and everlasting bliss of the Self.An aspirant of realisation should not get involved and trapped into such ignorance, instead regard them as worthless.

If a man is brought to a strange place blind-folded and left alone, he cannot return from there by himself to his original place, unless some one comes to his rescue to remove the bandage from the eyes and show him the way, to reach his place easily. Similarly the Master removes the blindness of ignorance and shows and guides in the correct way.

An aspirant who whole heatedly surrenders to his Master, will be encompassed by the Master's overpowering grace and he shall never be abandoned, as the Master is not confined to his physical form and his contact will continue with the aspirant even in the absence of the Master.

Therefore understand the importance,benevolence,love indispensability of a spiritual Master in life ,on your way to realisation of ultimate Truth and surrender to Him with total reverence and love, then see the divine progress and blissful growth.

Spiritual Discipline.

Spiritual discipline is totally different from religious life. Do not rest content with mere prayer,worship and other rituals, though these may bringpurity of mind other merits. There is something aboveall these which will take us to the ultimatereality.Being endowed with the power ofdiscrimination, we should be able to analyse the realand the unreal without mistaking the chaff forgrain.Wisdom lies in choosing the right way forobtaining the spiritual enlightenment which only willconfer eternal bliss.This will eliminate the cycle ofbirth and death. Virtuous acts done with a motive maybring heavenly pleasures like earthly ones. But whenmerits are exhausted , men are pushed down to theearth again to roll and whirl in the cycle of birthand death.Having enjoyed the vast realms of Heaven, they nearlyexhaust the stock of merit and will be obliged tocome down into the mortal world again.Those who hankerafter pleasures and follow the ritualistic path ofthe knowledge will obtain temporary results. They go up to Heaven and come down to earth and revolvelikewise as contained in Bhagvad Gita. (ref Ch.IX-21)

To contemplate in depth.
Deathlessness is not obtained through action of begetting offspring or wealth. Some attain that state through renunciation. The sages, who have conquered the senses attain that state which is more supreme than Heaven and shining all alone in the heart.
The adepts who by renunciation and one-pointedness are pure in the heart and have known the certainty of the Truth by the knowledge proclaimed by Vedas, get fully released to the ultimate Truth from the casual illusion at the dissolution of the body.
That alone which shine as the tiny sky, void of sorrow, in the lotus heart,the tiny seat of the spotless Supreme in the inner core of the body, is WORTHY OF WORSHIP.
He alone is the supreme Lord, who is beyond the primal word which is the beginning and end of Veda and in which merges the creative Cause.

sahaj Samadhi

Meditation is not necessary if you always keep theidea before you that it is not your work. At first,effort is needed to remind yourself of it, but lateron ,it becomes natural and continuous.The work will goon, of its own accord and your peace will remainundisturbed.THE NATURAL AND UNPERCEIVED ABIDANCE (SAY LIKERESPIRATION) is "SAHAJ SAMADHI". This experience isperennial and unaided by any efforts in the least.This is the highest state as the mind gets resolvedinto Self and lost.

Liberation

"It is quite possible for a House Holder who seeks liberation to discharge his duties , assigned to himin life , perfectly without attachments, all the whileholding the innermost idea that "HE IS ONLY AN INSTRUMENT IN THE HAN DS OF GOD."