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1. DAMA

The first of the three Beejaksharas, DA,DA,DA, refers to DAMA. Let us first understand what DAMA means. It means control or restraint. We have heard about the story of Bharata, the son of King Dushyanta. When Bharata was very young, he used to catch hold of lions, bend their heads and count the teeth in the mouth. That is why he is known as ‘Simha Damana,’ one who brought lions under his control.

But here in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad the term DAMA is not used in the sense of ‘bringing someone under control,’ be that a tiger or a lion or an enemy. But it is used in the sense of self-control or, to be precise, bringing under control the senses and the mind which are more dangerous than the wild animals or the external enemies.

In what way are the sense organs and the mind our enemies when they gratify and give us pleasure? How are they dangerous? Anybody can ask questions like these. They are not our enemies as long as we use them moderately for our benefit. But by nature the mind and the sense organs do not get gratified easily.

When we pour ghee into fire, instead of quenching it, the ghee adds to the blazing of fire. In the same way, as we gratify the senses by meeting their desires, instead of feeling satisfied, the senses demand more and more of their gratification. They do not feel satisfied at all. For example, when we start eating some sweets, we are overtaken by the urge to eat more and more. By overeating sweets, many people fall sick. It is the same with those who have developed the habit of betting on horses.  When they lose everything, they do not stop betting. On the other hand, they borrow money from others and go on betting. The obsession never leaves them. They are unable to free themselves from the urge.

A majority of those who have suffered heavy losses in life happen to be those who are under the grip of their sense organs. If the enemy is outside, we can be vigilant. The senses, being the enemy within, are more dangerous. It is indeed very difficult to bring them under control.

The happiness we experience through the senses is not permanent. Everyone wants to enjoy the objects of the senses. Being limited in scope and number, there is a lot of competition among people to appropriate them. They go to the extent of fighting for them. The objects too are impermanent. When one is seized of the passion to obtain them, one may go to any extent and adopt any bad means to obtain them. The sorrow that ensues is difficult to bear. In the beginning, these sense objects seem to give great pleasure, but ultimately they bring untold sorrow and suffering, beyond one’s ability to bear. On other hand, self-control or DAMA looks difficult to acquire  in the beginning but when once it is gained, it brings immense joy that is permanent. The joy the self-control brings is not dependent on any external objects. There is an ocean of joy within us. Without understanding it, we desperately go after a few drops of joy from outside. Moreover, one who has gained control over his senses gains the friendship of one and all.

                                                                                                                      (to be continued)

    3

        (continued from the previous issue)

At the end of the previous section, it was stated that we need to understand in detail the concept of General Dharma for human practice as it is embedded in the three short utterances DA, DA, DA. But before doing so, we should ascertain the intention behind the teachings of Dharma which has a wide conceptual application conveyed by the three short syllables.

That the external world is the manifestation in different forms and names of the same energy is well established by modern science. But the scientists have not been able to understand how the energy manifested in the phenomenal world is related to the prANa, manas, and Atma. Prana, mind, etc. are also modifications of some energy, the result of exercising some Will Power. There cannot be any effect without cause. It can therefore be surmised that the modifications noticed in the external world as well as in the inner being are the outcome of the same energy emanating from the exercise of Will Power. This Will Power is called CHIT or CONSCIOUSNESS. For example, the energy that is latent in the all-pervasive water gets expressed in different ways.

It is seen manifested in the form of waves that take different forms and designs. We also observe the thrust of energy in the water spreading from one place to all other places. Similarly, the CHIT consists of innumerable modifications, like creation, sustenance and dissolution, following a cause-and-effect relationship. In the external world, certain laws keep Nature in a state of balance and orderly functioning. So also, in the internal world, the CHIT modifications conform to the operation of certain laws or conditions. One such law or condition is that a thought or an idea can remain in a very subtle microcosmic form and when required it can expand into a macrocosmic dimension and vice versa.

This concept that an idea can expand or contract is described in a beautifully poetic form by a great Telugu poet Tikkana Somayaji in an invocatory stanza. He says that Lord Hariharanatha assumes a form that is both macrocosmic and microcosmic. The contracted form is that of Shiva and the expanded form is that of Vishnu.

The same concept is expressed by the Upanishadic statement: “aNoranIyAn  mahatomahIyAn,” which means “smaller that the smallest and larger than the largest.” It is scientifically verified that the structure of an atom is similar to the structure of the Solar System.

There is also a similarity between the functioning of CHIT and the functioning of Sanskrit language that is used for thinking and giving expression to thoughts. Therefore, it is possible to reach the ultimate CHIT state through the use of vak or sounds. The CHIT state is described as PARA and the state of VAK is described as VAIKHARI.

{The ancient rishis and the grammarians have asserted that Reality is made up of primordial vibrations. The vibrations are the heartbeat of the cosmos. According to them, the reverberations from the cosmic ‘pulsing’ constitute the alphabet of Sanskrit language. First it was the ‘omkara’ which emanated from the Self-originating Brahman. Then all the sounds emanated from the ‘omkara’ that consists of three sounds A,U and M. it is said in SrimadBhagavatam (12.6.43) that the mighty unborn Lord Brahma created from the ‘omkara’ the different sounds of the total collection of vowels, sibilants, semivowels, and consonants as they are known by their short and long measures. According to the ‘Sphota’ theory, ‘dhwani’(sound) and ‘artha’ (meaning) are two aspects of the same reality. It is said that there are four levels of Vak from the grossest to the subtlest. “VAIKHARI is what we conventionally experience externally. Here things are separate and as independent entities they relate to one another.

The audible sound of a manthra when it is verbalized is at the VAIKHARI level. MADHYAMA is the subtle level of cognition where the manthra is in the mind as a thought but not verbalized aloud. The next more subtle level is PASHYANTI, which is in the subconscious mind where these entities are inter-contained and inter-defined and not really separable at all. This is when the manthra disappears, leaving only a very mild presence but without form. PARA is the ultimate reality, where there are no separate entities and only an ocean of possibilities from which the aforementioned levels arise to manifest difference. The manthra is absent but there is silent but heightened awareness.”  (RajivMalhotra,2011, P.419.)  traslator’s note}

-When we start learning motor driving, we fix our attention on several aspects. In course of time and with regular practice, it becomes a habit. After gaining full confidence, when we drive, though the mind is otherwise preoccupied, driving goes on smoothly, because the practices made earlier and the skills acquired thereof, having gone into a subtle state, pop up and assist in making driving effortless. This is another instance of contraction into a subtle state and expansion of certain practices.

Adi Shankara in his commentary on Prasnopanishad expresses the view that it is due to the benevolence of Goddess Earth that all of us exist in the present manner. Otherwise, we would have been, if light in weight, floating or if heavy, unable to get up and move about. It can be inferred that the earth’s gravitational force is one of the modifications of the Supreme Will Power of CHIT. Though it is possible for one, through the practice of yoga to float.

Thoughts pertaining to Dharma get reduced to subtle forms when they are Beejaksharas. In the subtle state they take on the forms of Devatas.

From the above illustrations, it is possible to infer that thoughts get reduced to short individual sounds which are known as Beejaksharas and they take on a divine aspect. In the context of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the sounds DA,DA,DA heard as thunder from the clouds are the Beejaksharas through which God reminded to the people the importance of Dharma.

Later in the same Upanishad there is the description of the image of a heart. It is to be assumed that the sounds of the Beeejaksharas are also heard from the heartbeats.

                                                                                                      (to be continued)

by K.V.Anjaneyulu

What is Stress?

Normally human beings will have  DREAMS. Our former President Sri A.P.J.Abdul Kalam used to advise people by saying,-

“Don’t dream about beauty,it spoils your duty.

Dream about your duty, it takes your life to beauty”

To achieve your dream, you must be successful.  To be successful you should not have any failure. Even if you had failed, you can find out the reason for failure. To be successful you may have to do hard work.

“Men do not die from over work.

They die from dissipation and worry”.

Mr.Charles Hugher, Former Chief Justice of

Supreme Court of USA
The worry experienced by a person in particular circumstances is known as STRESS.

   Stress is a state of physical and mental tension caused by certain external or internal factors in a person’s life. Nowadays Stress is common among people.

Types of Stress :

• Family Stress: (Parents / Children)
• Social Stress (Speech in a Meeting)
• Change Stress (Change in Office, Change in Department, Leaving a house.)
• Chemical Stress (Smoking, Alcohol, Sweet)
• Decision Stress (Office,  Family  –  marriage of children)
• Physical Stress (Failing to get sleep, injury, etc.)
• Disease Stress (Headache, Asthma, Ulcer, etc.)
• Workplace Stress (Mental Tension – If they are not achieving the task, they will experience mental tension)
• Environment Stress (Noisy type writer, glare of the sun, smoke filled rooms.)

Stress is of two types: positive and negative.

Positive Stress (Eustress)      Positive Stress  enables concentration and increases performance.

Negative Stress (Distress)  Negative Stress reduces effectiveness.  Due to Negative Stress people will have Physical, mental and behavioural problems

Health – related Problems :

Stress causes increase in breathing rate, headache, back pain, chest pain, heart rate increases, high blood pressure, muscle tightness, hand shake, etc.  Long term physical stress may lead to sleeplessness.

What is Health?

Health is the state of being “well”.

What is Managing?

Managing is ‘to be able to cope with, despite difficulties.”

What is illness?

Absence of wellbeing in any manner is defined as illness.

Change your I-LLNESS  to WE-LLNESS

(Instead of being ‘I’ (selfish), better to be with ‘WE” (with people))

If you are not Healthy, you may not really by Happy.

If you are not Happy, you may not really be Successful.

If you are not successful, you may not Develop.

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So you must take care of your Health, especially to cope with negative stress.

The Great Wheel of our Life is –

Family, Career and Finance is Outer acknowledgement.

For example:  If any family member gets bad name, entire family will get bad name and the  family  may not be acknowledged by others. 

If an individual person  has taken an average career, people may not acknowledge such person in certain things.

 Similarly, acknowledgement depends on finance position of the individual / family.  People must try to improve their income step by step.   To get good acknowledgement, the individual / family members must be active. Even though they are active, they may not achieve their goals.   

    Physical, Mental and Spiritual action is inner fitness.  This dream can be achieved by any body by regular practice.

Physical, Mental and Spiritual aspects ensure Inner fitness.

Practice of Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation help us to regain our Inner fitness.

Y O G A

• Yoga is a perfect practical system of self-culture.
• Yoga is an exact science.  It aims at the harmonious development of the body, the mind and the soul.
• Yoga is the turning away of the senses from the objective universe and the concentration of the mind within.
• Yoga is eternal life in the soul of spirit.
• Yoga aims at controlling the mind and its modifications.
• Yoga is the discipline of the mind, senses and physical body.
• Yoga can help you in your business and in your daily life.
• Yoga can have calmness of mind at all times by the practice of yoga.  You can have restful sleep.  You can have increased energy, vigor, longevity and a high standard of health.

Types of Yoga :

1. Bhakti Yoga
2. Karma Yoga
3. Raja Yoga,
4. Jnana Yoga
5. Hatha Yoga, etc.

HATHA YOGA

• ‘Ha” and ‘tha’ means the union of the Sun and the Moon and Prana and Apana Vayus.  ‘Hatha’ means any tenacious practice till the object or end is achieved.
• Attain good health. Without health how can you live?  Without health, how can you earn?  Without health how can you get success in Yoga or any undertaking?  Possess wonderful health through the practice of Hatha Yoga.

YOGA ASANAS

• Health is Wealth.  Health is indeed a covetable possession.  Good health is a valuable asset to one and all.  It can be achieved by the regular practice of Yoga Asanas.  The practice of Asanas cures many diseases.
• Practice a few Asanas daily at least for a period of 15 minutes.  You will possess wonderful health.  Be regular in your practice.  Asanas should be done on empty stomach in the morning or at least 3 hours after food. Do not wear spectacles when you do Asanas.  Be moderate in your diet.  Start with minimum time for each Asana and then gradually increase the period.  Boys and girls over 10 years of age as well as women can practice Asanas.

• There are 84 Asanas.  Let us use the most important Asanas for newly participating people.

 PADMASANA

Sit on the ground. Place the right foot on the left thigh and similarly the left one on the right high. Place the hands on the thighs near the knee joint keeping the palms open and turned upwards. Close the eyes and concentrate on Trikuti. This is Padmasana. TRIKUTI means “the confluence of the three”.   So in Padmasana, the interval between the eye-brows and the junction of the forehead and the nose is Trikuti.

SIDDHASANA

Place one heel at the anus. Keep the other heel at the root of the generative organ. Close the yes. Concentrate and do Japa and meditation on this Asana. Padmasana and Siddhasana are most suitable for meditation.Start practicing for half an hour and gradually increase the period to three hours. When you sit on the Asana, there must not be the least shake in the body. You must become a live marble statue. In the beginning, the body feels heavy. Later on when Asana Siddhi is obtained, you will feel a real pleasure and the body becomes very light. The body becomes your willing servant to obey your commands

SUKHASANA

Any comfortable Asana in which you can sit for a long time is Sukhasana. You must be careful to keep the head, neck and the trunk in one straight line. The above three Asanas are intended for Japa and Meditation.There are several other Asanas that are intended for keeping up Brahmacharya and good health and for awakening Kundalini

SIRSHASANA

Sirshasana is the king of all Asanas. Spread a four-fold blanket. Rest the head inside the locked fingers and slowly raise the legs up. Stay in this position for some time. Then slowly bring down the legs without jerks. Take the help of a wall or any of your friends. Do it for a minute and increase the period to 5 to 10 minutes. It removes diseases of the eyes, nerves, blood, stomach, intestines, gonorrhea, spermatorrhoea, dyspepsia, constipation. It augments the digestive fire, and improves appetite. It helps as blood and nervine tonic. Intellectual faculties develop. It helps Brahmacharya and makes you an Oordhvareta yogi.

SARVANGASANA

Lie down flat on the back. Slowly raise the legs to vertical position. Support the trunk with the palms of your hands. The whole body rests upon two shoulders. Press the chin against the chest. Concentrate on the thyroid-gland that is situated at the root of the neck. Do it from 3 to 10 minutes. Slowly bring down the legs. All the benefits of Sirshasana are derived from this Asana also.

MATSYASANA

Do Padmasana. Lie on the back. Hold the head by the two elbows. This is one variety. Stretch the head back so that the centre of the head rests on the ground and catch hold of the toes. Form an arch of the trunk. This is a contrary Asana to Sarvangasana. This must be done after Sarvangasana to realize the maximum benefits.

MAYURASANA

Place the palm of the two hands on the ground. Place the navel on the two elbows. Stand upon the hands, the legs being raised in the air plain or crossed with Padmasana. This destroys the effect of unwholesome food. Take the help of the end of a table. Practise ( here) like this in the beginning.

PASCHIMOTTANA SANA

Sit. Stretch the legs on the ground stiff like a stick. Exhale and then catch the toes with the hands. Bend slowly and place the forehead on the knees. Keep the lungs empty when you bend. This will drive out all diseases of the stomach. Do this five or six times in the morning and again in the evening. Do Asanas (with) on an empty stomach.

PRANAYAMA

• Pranayama is an exact science.  It is the regularation of breath or control of Prana.
• Pranayama steadies the mind, augments the gastric fire, energises digestion, invigorates the nerves, destroys all diseases, removes all laziness,and makes the body light and healthy.
• Pranayama should be practiced when the stomach is empty. Be regular in your practice. Do not take bath immediately after the practice.  Do not have retention of breath in the beginning. Have only slow and mild inhalation (Puraka) and exhalation (Rechaka). Do not strain the breath beyond your capacity.
• Sit on Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana.  Keep the head, neck and trunk in a straight line.  Inhale slowly through the left nostril and retain the breath according to the ratio, then exhale slowly through the right nostril.  This is half process of Pranayama.  Then inhale through the right nostril, retain and exhale through the left nostril.  Do not retain the breath for more than one or two minutes.

Increase the number gradually.  You can go up to 16 : 64 : 32.  This is Sukhapurvaka or easy comfortable Pranayama.

• Prana and Mind are intimately related to each other.  If you control Prana, the mind will also be controlled.  If you control the mind, the Prana will be automatically controlled. Prana is related to mind, and through it to the individual soul and through individual soul to the Supreme soul.
• Start the practice this very second in right earnest.  Control the breath and calm the mind.  Steady the breath.  Restrain the breath and lengthen the life. Subdue the breath and become a Yogi, a dynamo of power, peace, bliss and happiness.

CONTROL OF MIND

• Mind is Atma Sakti.
• Mind is nothing but a collection of impressions. It is nothing but a bundle of habits.  The true nature of the Mind consists in the subtle desires. The idea of ‘I’ or egoism is the seed of the tree of mind. The sprout which spings up from this seed egoism is intellect.  From this sprout the ramifying branches called Sankalpas take their origin.
• Mind is of two kinds  –  (1) Asuddha  (impure mind) and (2) Suddha (pure mind).
• Have no longing for objects.  Reduce your wants.  Cultivate dispassion.
• Do not mix with others much.  Do not talk much.  Do not walk much.  Do not eat much.  Do not sleep much.
• Control your emotion.  Abandon desires.  Control irritability and lust.  Slay the impure mind through the pure mind and transcend the pure mind through Meditation.
• Never wrest with the mind.  Do not make (you) any violent effort in concentration.  When the mind is jumping and wandering much, make no violent effort to control it but rather allow it to run along for a while and exhaust its efforts.  It will take advantage of the opportunity and will jump around like an unchained monkey at first.  Then it will gradually become quiet and look to you for orders.
• ‘If evil thoughts enter your mind, do not use your will-force in driving them.  You will lose energy.  You will tax your will.  You will fatigue yourself.  The greater the efforts you make, the more the evil thoughts will return with redoubled force.  They will return more quickly also.  The thoughts will become more powerful.  Be indifferent.  Keep quiet.  Become a silent witness of those thoughts.  Do not identify yourself with them. They will vanish soon.  Substitute good thoughts.  Pray and sing the Lord’s name.
• Never miss for a day your meditation.  Regularity is of paramount importance.  When the mind is tired, it does not concentrate.  Give a little rest.  Do not take heavy food at night.  This will interfere with your morning meditation.
• Pranayama and Meditation will help you to control the mind and attain eternal bliss and immortality.

MEDITATION

• To everyone striving for success in life, the invariable stumbling block proves to be the turbulent state of the mind. The mind is to be brought to its source. Unfortunately, we cannot know where the mind is unless it starts working, like the thief whose presence is known from his activities.
• As long as the mind is restlessly wandering about amidst objects, ever fluctuating, excited, agitated and uncontrolled, (this) true joy cannot be realized and enjoyed.  To control the restless mind and perfectly still all thoughts and craving is the greatest problem of man.  If he has subjugated the mind, he is the Emperor of emperorers.

• “When the Mind becomes Nirvishaya of Sense (free from thinking of objects and their enjoyments), it is Meditation”.
• You can meditate only when the mind is beyond all anxieties.  Retire to a quiet room or place where you do not feel interruption so that your mind may feel secure and at rest.
• Sit in a comfortable posture and be, so far as possible, free from external disturbing influence.  Drive off negative thoughts.  Become positive always.  The Positive overpowers the Negative.  You can do nice meditation when you are positive.

How to Meditate:

• Sit in a lonely place on Padmasana, Siddhasana or Sukhasana.
• Keep the head, neck and trunk in one straight line.  Relax the muscles, nerves and brain.  Calm the  mind.  Close the eyes.
• Even if the mind runs outside during your practice in Meditation, do not bother.  Allow it to run.  Slowly try to bring it to your centre.
• If there is some strain in meditation, reduce the number of hours  of practice for a few days.  Do light meditation only. When you have regained the normal tone, again increase the period.  Use your common-sense all through the Sadhana.
• Withdraw the mind from objects.
• Do not think of anything else.  Do not allow any worldly thought to enter the mind.  Do not allow the mind to think of any physical or mental enjoyment.
• During Meditation, note how long you can shut out all worldly thoughts. Watch the mind carefully. If it is for 20 minutes, try to increase the period to 30 or 40 minutes and so on.
• Fill the mind with the thoughts of God again and again.
• Do not strain the eyes.  Do not strain the brain. Do not struggle or wrestle with the mind.  It is a serious mistake.
• Many neophytes commit this grave error. That is the reason why they get easily tired soon. They get headache and they have to get up very often to pass urine during the course of meditation owing to the irritation set up in the micturition centre in the spinal cord.

Benefits of Meditation

• Meditation acts as a powerful tonic.  It is a mental and nervine tonic.  The holy vibrations penetrate all the cells of the body and cure the diseases of the body.  Those who meditate save doctor’s bills. Certainly!

Meditation calms your mind and relaxes your body.

Meditation gives you inner strength, peace of mind,

relaxation and a sense of bliss,

which will help your mind.