The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 3)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/)

They might be manifested externally, but the basic elements of life lie deep within.

Where is our life force?

It is not outside; it is inside.

And what about the intellect through which we earn wealth and gain respect?

That also is not external, but, an internal potential. We don't see introvertly, and often keep wondering why God has befuddled mankind by giving us instruments of perception of the external things and events, but no fine-tuned instrument of knowledge of the inner world. We never notice the immense treasure of talents, virtues and divinity, hidden inside our own self. What is easily seen by us is my child, my material property, my this, my that, and what not! But we can't see our future.
 

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 2)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/)  

This is why I stress on you to practice meditation along with the japa of the Gayatri Mantra. Mental concentration on some gross object,  e.g. an idol, or a picture of a deity, is most convenient for the majority of people, because, the human mind, in general, is not so developed that it could be focused, for a long stretch of time, without any visible or perceptible symbol. However, with sincere practice, one begins to realize the presence of God in his inner self, and learns to meditate upon it, without any external symbol.

What is the meaning of dhyan yoga?

Well, let us try to understand it. As you all might know, our life has two facets. One is the external, which is most familiar to us. The holes in our ears open externally; our eyes also open up externally and keep watching what is happening in the outside world. We can see the things outside but we don't even get a glimpse of what is there inside us.

Is there nothing? No my friends! The real substance, the essence is all inside us.

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The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 1)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/) 

Let us all begin with the collective chanting of the Gayatri Mantra,
"Om Bhur Buvah Swah, Tatsaviturvarenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo Yonah Prachodayat ||"

Brothers and Sisters, I am giving you a special training of dhyan (meditation) together with Gayatri upasana. There are two modes of upasana (worship) -  those of the name and the form (of God). There can be no devotional practice without God's name and form.

These two are supposed to be the universal modes of worship. Look at any religion, you will find the use of God's name and/or form in their modes of worship. Mohammedans recite the name of Allah on tasabiha; Christian Priests chant God's name with the help of a rosary; the Arya Samajis meditate upon divine form as sunlight; the yogis of Nada Yoga concentrate upon the sublime sounds of the Omnipresent. In any case, the support of meditation (with Divine name or form) is essential for true worship.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 19)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra) 


You empty your accumulated vices and weaknesses here, and make place to take in something worthy from here, which will make you a better, a stronger person. I am giving you a warm farewell with something of that kind, with a wish that you learn to live for divine values also. Don't live only for bodily comforts and selfish joys, learn to lift yourself above this ordinary level of life. Your awakening, your nobility will make me happy. It will also please God.

Go with full confidence and courage. May God bless you in your efforts towards self-improvement and support the progress of your sadhana.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 18)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra) 

Guru means the source of light. There can be no darkness once the light is switched on. You know how Virjanand had elevated his deserving disciple Dayanand, Samarth Guru Ramdas had empowered Shivaji, Ramkrishana had endowed Vivekanand with such remarkable siddhis. My guru had eliminated the darkness within me and enlightened me with the grace of Gayatri Mantra. What riddhis and siddhis I was blessed by its sadhana are all evident before you. I also want to annihilate all darkness from your lives, want to illuminate your inner selves by divine light.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 17)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra)

How can our personality sparkle unless we remove the mist of vices and smog of ignorance? The sadhana courses that you will undergo here from time to time are meant to help you in this essential process of self-refinement. You all know that no crop can grow on barren land; ploughing it is a sheer wastage of effort. The same is true about heartless practice of devotion. If your mind and heart are filled with ego, selfish attachments, jealousy, hatred, and similar filth, where and how will the serene sentiments of devotion find place? How would you attain the nectar of devotion of the Gayatri Mantra without paving the way for its descent? The Guru, the noble spiritual master, alone can diagnose the inner ailments, and help in the cleansing, curing and refinement of the disciple’s life.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 16)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra)

Spiritual development can’t begin without purifying the body, the mind, the sentiments, and adopting a moral conduct. The gamut of ascetic disciplines and yoga sadhanas, etc., were devised and practiced by the rishis for this noble purpose. They had accomplished absolute self-refinement and moral elevation through Gayatri Sadhana. They had conquered the ego and desires. They wanted to work for the welfare of all beings. A seed cannot germinate and grow into a fructifying tree without dissolving itself in the soil and water; it is only after breaking and softening that it can absorb the fertilizing substances. Blossoming of divine realization is also not possible without the immersion of the identity of the individual self in the cosmic self.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 15)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra)


The Puranas describe so many instances of global well being through such efforts.

It was rare in the ancient times that the Indian land suffered a calamitous famine. It happened once due to a near total drought across the country. All the ponds and wells dried up. Cattle, birds and even humans began to die of starvation. Panicked savants went to Rishi Gautam for support and relief. Rishi Gautam was a great, accomplished sadhaka of Gayatri those days. He was moved after hearing the agony of the masses; he gave them the akshaya patra (a celestial pot that offers food and water without any limit and is never emptied), which was a boon the divine force of Gayatri had blessed him with.

Yes, the siddhas of Gayatri Mantra do have such miraculous powers, but they use them judiciously, and only for deserving cases.

Don’t be under the delusive impression that doing japa, aushthana, havan, etc. under my guidance, during your stay here, will magically endow you with extraordinary powers. Nothing can be achieved without developing the necessary abilities and eligibility. It is all the more essential for the invaluable attainment of divine blessings.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 14)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra)

Cleansing of your inner core is essential so that the new, virtuous tendencies can be cultivated there. You should adopt the japa - sadhana of Gayatri Mantra as an integral part of your daily life. It is the mantra for the welfare of every being. You should also inspire your friends, acquaintances and family members to perform the japa of this universal mantra, and spread this light to the people in your neighborhood, colony, city, and so on. Its collective sadhana can arouse collective consciousness, and bestow all-round happiness and progress in the world, together with the spiritual upliftment of mankind.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 13)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra)

The sublime force generated by its japa sadhana can vibrate in the subtle as well as the external world. Nothing remains unattained or unaccomplished after receiving the blessings of its divine powers. Its immediate benefits of purification and enlightenment of the intellect is the key to spiritual refinement and evolution of personality. Its sadhana can transform an ordinary man or woman into a great saint, yogi or rishi, having angelic potentials. I invite you here and guide you to perform the Anushthana (sadhana) of the Gayatri Mantra, so that the untoward tendencies and vices accumulated during your past lives can be erased, and you begin to rise towards the sunlit path.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 12)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra)

The effects of the Gayatri sadhana are indeed miraculous. Once the Indian emperor Akbar called his prime minister Mansingh, and told him to look for some extraordinary means to protect the construction of his fort in Prayag, which, despite the best of efforts and all precautionary measures, had mysteriously collapsed eighteen times in the initial stages of construction. Mansingh also was puzzled about this mishap. He went to Prayag and stayed there with a bleak hope of getting some clue from somewhere. One day, when he was strolling in the forests by the banks of the holy Ganga, he saw a saintly yogi engrossed in meditation.

Suddenly he noticed a boa around the yogi, which was trying to entrap the latter into its fold and gulp him. Amazingly, neither the boa was able to tighten its grip around the yogi, nor its poisonous breath able to have any effect. He stood stunned for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the yogi opened his eyes, and effortlessly threw off the python by the power of his yoga. Mansingh could not believe his own eyes; he had vividly and concretely witnessed the supernatural strength of spirituality. His head was on the feet of the seer. This saint was known as Devmurari Baba. Mansingh narrated the mysterious riddle of the fort before the Baba. He said - "We don't know what kind of a curse it is that the construction of the fort has been ruined eighteen times". The yogi went into deep meditation for some time and then kept a dry flower of basil (manjari) on Mansingh's hand. He said - "Put this beneath the foundation of the fort, then there will be no problem". Devmurari Baba was a siddha sadhaka of Gayatri, and was renowned and revered for his extraordinary powers. He used to give a manjari, empowered by his spiritual energy, to everyone who would come to him seeking some help. That used to have miraculous effects. The manjari given to Mansingh also proved the invisible, indefinable, omnipotence of the Gayatri Mantra by providing stout foundation and support to the mighty fort.

Friends! The power of mantra is indeed real and immense. That of the Gayatri Mantra is indeed supreme, astonishing and infinite.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 11)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra) 

Madhavacharya was a saint living in Vrandavan. He performed the upasana of Gayatri for twelve years, but lost patience thereafter, as he did not get the desired divine benefits. He was quite distressed at that time. He left the sadhana of the Gayatri Mantra and began worshiping Bhairav on the advice of a tantrika. In less than a year’s time he succeeded in the sadhana of Bhairav. The celestial body of Bhairav appeared, but stood at his back, and asked him to demand what he wanted to be blessed with. Madhavacharya said - "If you are the real Bhairav, please appear before my eyes".

Bhairav said - "I can’t appear in front of you, because the brilliance of Gayatri-Shakti infused in you will burn me". The devotee was surprised and inquired that if Gayatri sadhana was so powerful, why couldn’t he get the desired benefits for such a long time? Then Bhairav explained to him how his Gayatri sadhana up till then had destroyed his sins, and burnt the evils accumulated during his past lives, and that it was only after this purification that he would have deserved realization and attainment of the divine boons of the mantra. Now there was no doubt left in Madhava's mind. He restarted the sadhana of the Gayatri Mantra and was soon blessed with divine boons. With the awakening of inner intelligence and acumen, he wrote the "Madhav Nidan", which remains till date, a crucial treatise for the education and expert practice of the Ayurvedic System of Medicine.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 10)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra)

Even today, everyone including those deprived of everything, living in the filth of immorality, those shrouded by ignorance, infirmity or the challenges of circumstances, rise gracefully out of the clutches of misery with the grace of the Gayatri Mantra. Indeed, many are doing so, and marching towards noble and righteous living.

Sure, there could be, and will be, a variation in the time and degree of manifestation of its marvelous effects, depending upon our present level of consciousness, but the elevation begins right from the first day.

Mantras can't instantly and magically grow trees on the palm of the hand. However, there is nothing illusive or unscientific about their effects; there should be no doubt about this. The spiritual evolution induced by the Gayatri Mantra progresses gradually and steadily - but certainly, with the progress in sadhana. Many live examples of the past and present illustrate this fact.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 09)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra)

My children! This is the grace of the divine force of the Gayatri Mantra that transforms an ordinary mortal being into a great, enlightened, angelic saint. The mantra enjoins us as to what should be our devotional sentiments, our prayers through the heart while performing the japa of this mantra.

It says - "Oh Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipresent God! May Thy supreme radiance be embodied in our souls. May it inspire our intellect towards the enlightened, righteous path". Since the time, this cosmic mantra, the boon of Lord Brahma, was manifested in the Vedic Age, it lead to the dawn of the divine culture on this earth. Those who practiced its devotional japa, and adopted its inspirations in life, received immense peace, blissful contentment, moral dignity, selfless love and amicable cooperation in every phase of life. Even today, everyone, including those deprived of everything, living in the filth of immorality, those shrouded by ignorance, infirmity or the challenges of circumstances, rise gracefully out of the clutches of misery with the grace of the Gayatri Mantra.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 08)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Jul_Aug/v1.SignificanceGayatriMantra)

Historic evidences show the greatness of the Gayatri Mantra. All the yogis and the rishis in India have taken the shelter of Gayatri Sadhana since the Vedic times. They were endowed with extraordinary powers and were the true winners of immortal glory on every front of life.

When Alexander the Great came to conquer India, he had a curiosity to meet the spiritual masters of this land. On his way towards the northwest, he found a Himalayan yogi lying on the ground, blocking the march of his army. Alexander was unable to push this avadhuta (one who has shaken off himself from the worldly attachments and obligations) off the path, and asked him to demand whatever he wanted. The avadhuta calmly asked whether Alexander could shift sunrise (from the East) to the West? If not, the avadhuta continued, "Then don't disturb me, let me enjoy the sunlight from the East". My children, this was the inner strength, the divine courage induced by the Gayatri Mantra by which a saint could so easily put to shame the conqueror of the world.

When the divine force of the Gayatri Mantra fills the heart (the emotional core) of a person, it clears all shadows of darkness, and illuminates the inner self with divine light. It transforms the personality completely.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 07)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/May_Jun/v1.SupremeSignificanceGayatri)

The Sanskrit word "upasana" means  "sitting nearby". Upasana of God means sitting in contemplation of divine attributes.
If a calf will not cling to its mother cow, how will it get the milk?
How will an iron piece be converted into gold without touching the Philosopher's Stone?
How will the soul be strengthened without a conscious awareness of God?
Upasana and devotion enable this linkage. The sublime contact with God is as essential and important for the awakening of our souls, as the pranic energy is for the existence and sustenance of life in our gross bodies. A person whose soul is not spiritually awakened, lives like a corpse or an animal in human form.

When the inner self of the devotee comes in contact with God's inspirations (during Gayatri Upasana), he opens his heart before Him and lays all his worries and problems before him. God listens to him, pacifies his agitations and fulfills his deserving aspirations. The Almighty also loosens the grip of the ego centered cravings, and instead, bestows grace and blessing on the sincere devotee. Divine blessings bestowed upon a sadhaka (spiritual seeker who sincerely performs spiritual practices for self-refinement - sadhana) include virtues like courage, contentment, alleviation and eventual elimination of mental weaknesses, removal of adversities and complexities, happy family life, social esteem and benevolence.

Most importantly, the vibrations and inspirations of the Gayatri Mantra also refine the mental and emotional domains of the sadhaka, and inculcate divine sentiments like altruistic love and compassion, and endow him with virtuous tendencies. This spiritual elevation gradually results in divine transformation of the sadhaka's personality.

The Supreme Significance of the Gayatri Mantra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 06)

(Source: http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/May_Jun/v1.SupremeSignificanceGayatri)

The Gayatri Mantra is given paramount recognition in the Vedic science of spirituality. The sadhana (devout spiritual endeavor aimed at inner refinement and elevation) of this mantra illuminates and opens up the inner treasure of intelligence. It has the ability to inspire the human self towards great ideals, and eventually elevate and transmute it into divine self. Each syllable of the Gayatri Mantra enfolds tremendous energies of spiritual knowledge, enlightenment and wisdom.

The Vedas, Upanishads, Darshanas, Smritis, Gita, Ramayana, and other Vedic Scriptures are all derived from it, and are, so to say, detailed commentaries on this mantra.

Gayatri is said to be the Mother (origin) of the Vedas. The scriptures describe that the commentary of the four segments of the Gayatri Mantra through the four mouths of Lord Brahma has been compiled into four Vedas as indicated below:
The segment of Gayatri Mantra and the Veda generated from it:
Om Bhur Bhuvah Swaha - The Rig Veda
Tatsaviturvarenyam - The Yajur Veda
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi - The Sama Veda
Dhiyo Yonah Prachodayat - The Atharva Veda

Later on, the in-depth understanding, detailed explanation of and discussions on the Vedas by the Rishis gave rise to the six Darshanas, ten Aranyakas, hundred and eight Upanishads, eighteen Puranas, twenty Smritis, etc.

The microscopic sperm and ovum contain the complete genetic blueprint of a human being. A seed possesses the information (DNA) for the development of a tree. Similarly, each letter of the Gayatri Mantra comprises all the elements of knowledge, sciences and philosophies. Be that the knowledge of the visible or the invisible world, that of making gold, or that of the divine empowerment of life, all is subliminally present in this mantra.

Gayatri Mantra also provides the supreme method for the upasana (worship) of God, as its meaning is a universal prayer for the enlightenment of the human intellect towards the righteous path. The awakening of this pure intelligence brings boons for the spiritual as well as worldly progress of life.