Science and Philosophy of various rituals of Marriage Ceremony

A Manual of Hindu Marriage
http://literature.awgp.org/book/a_manual_of_hindu_marriage/v1.1


विवाहित जीवन का अलौकिक आनन्द
http://literature.awgp.org/book/Vaivahik_Jeevan_Alaukik_Anand/v1.1

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.