Sri Guru Gita- A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva -4

Suuta Said:
Kailaasa-shikhare Ramye Bhakti-saadhana Hetave
Pranamya Paarvatii Bhaktyaa Sankaram Paripruchhati

(At the beautiful mount of Kailas, Paarvati, bowing in devotion submits a question to Sankara (Siva), for the sake of nurturing devotion).

Now a misguided campaign is going on in Kerala against the entry of women in Sabarimala temple. It is a rare occasion in history when both men and women join a self-defeating campaign blinded by superstitions and the crafty policies of a priest-class, which had for long denied women the rights for spiritual performances including the right to cover their nakedness. One gets both pained and surprised by seeing this foolery. Sri Guru Gita shows how the gods and sages of India helped women in their spiritual growth and gave them freedom to ask questions. In fact, no spiritual performance is complete without the participation of women because man and woman are the inseparable creation of God.

For a woman, the husband is her guide, her Guru and therefore a divine being. The husband is even equated to God in Sanatana Dharma. This is the ideal situation according to the wise rishis, but we know it is quite difficult if not impossible to find such a noble soul as husband in this age. A husband should be a spiritually elevated soul with the knowledge of dharma, karma and transcendental knowledge.
In the ancient Rishi tradition, a child is sent to an ashram to get trained and educated in dharma (spiritual knowledge), artha (wealth), kama (desire fulfillment) and moksha (liberation) under an enlightened guru.

The ashram education package includes practical knowledge related to God realization as well as exposure to the riddles of Creation, Life and Death. Only the right spiritual knowledge leads the soul to lasting freedom and joy. It is an exercise to find the meaning of life itself. Dharma-Artha-Kama-Moksha scheme works out our cravings in life while fulfilling the duties as householders towards the family, society and the world at large. In this process, one is supposed to develop the soul with virtues like truthfulness, purity, compassion, love, self-sacrifice, etc. which leads to personal fulfillment and moksha. But sadly, the western education has wiped out this Indian system of gurukul education, which has made Indians (Hindus) spiritual illiterates and a culturally devastated lot.

The Ashram-centric life or Guru-Sishya relationship is to learn about life. Only in the presence of the sun, darkness gets dispelled. Similarly, the divine presence of Guru in life illumines our minds and cleanses the impurities or karmic entanglements. After the education in dharma and other worldly subjects living in the Ashram of Guru, the student is directed to lead the life of a householder. Only such a man becomes qualified to become a successful householder, an ideal husband, who can help his wife grow spiritually as equal partners in the path of the Divine.

The conjugal bliss and prosperity fundamentally rest on this spiritual harmony between a husband and wife. When there is no such spiritual harmony, very unpleasant experiences await such couples. A girl or boy, therefore, should marry only under the spiritual guidance of an all-knowing Guru. There is a lot to be said about marriage and how to beget a fortunate child without any type of physical and mental debilities. This subject also comes under the spiritual guidance of a realized Guru. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru has given utmost importance to the institution of marriage and family by bringing to fore this long lost Rishi tradition in the Ashram. The help and guidance mothers get from the Ashram prior to and during pregnancy and after childbirth is beyond words.

A husband has the sacred responsibility of elevating his wife too to the pedestal of his attainments- both spiritual and temporal. How glad we would be to come across such blessed couples in our times! Here we find the epitome of that principle in Siva and Parvati. The example of Siva and Parvati has always been extolled in the sacred literature. Kalidasa described the union of Siva and Parvati as inseparable as the 'word' is with its 'meaning'. Parvati herself is well known for her practices of spiritual austerities. She worships Siva as the greatest ascetic and the knower of dharma. In her devotion to Siva, she finds latent in him the sacred Guru-hood, which inspired her to ask questions about the mystery behind the Guru-Sishya relationship.

Sri Guru Gita- A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva - 3

Rishaya Uvacha:
Guhyaat Guhyatamam Saaram Gurugiita Visheshatah
Twat Prasaadaaccha Shrotavyaa Tat Sarvam Bhruuhi Suuta Naha

(The Rishis said: O Suuta! Guru Gita is very unique, and its contents holding greatest hidden meaning. Therefore, may it please you to render all of that, which would be suitable for our ears).

Here, Guru Gita has been described as a text that contains the greatest spiritual secrets to be known by seekers since it dwells upon Guru Tatva in depth. Maharshi Suuta was a disciple of Vyasa and the son of sage Loma. He was approached by a group of rishis who were eager to know about the mystery of Guru. Suuta, then, through his visionary faculty narrates to the eager rishis the conversation that took place between Siva and Parvati on the mystery of GURU.

One of the qualities of a seeker is the eagerness for spiritual knowledge. Where there is no desire for knowledge, it would be futile to discourse on spiritual knowledge. There was a time (in 1970s) when thousands of young people especially from the West along with some Indians crowded the ghats and gallies of Varanasi, Rishikesh and other holy places seeking transcendental wisdom. I don’t know where all they have disappeared. It was not an unrelated occurrence without any sufficient cause. That was the time when God’s Light descended on India. Then, in the far south, a unique spiritual event was taking place - revelations from the Light of God through a less known Soul who lived secluded in a thatched hut away from all publicity - Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru. First of all, it is difficult to have ‘mumukshutvam’ the desire for salvation. Even if one has ‘mumukshutvam’, only through the virtues of many lives it is possible to reach at the feet of the appointed One. So the spiritual wave of 1970s dissipated.

Presently, we are concentrated only on the fulfilment of desires. So, there is the increase of rituals. ‘Pongala Hinduism’ is more popular than salvation. Once the disciples of Buddha asked the Noble One that why he was not able to give salvation to the people who are suffering from worldly sorrows through his Noble Dharma! Upon this Buddha asked his disciples to go and bring any person desiring enlightenment. The disciples went down to the village. Door to door they went. Some were suffering from poverty and they wanted money, some others wanted a progeny or a bridegroom for their daughters or the healing of a disease, and so on. The disciples returned to Buddha unable to find a single soul desiring salvation.

Most of us are unable to look beyond and search for durable peace. We are enslaved by our physical wants, mental desires and intellectual thirsts. We are trapped in our vicious karma and vasanas, so unable to step into that world of tranquility, purity and eternal bliss for which the soul thirsts. But the rishis are noble souls who ever want to dwell in the world of transcendental wisdom. Their minds constantly debate on the question of life here and hereafter, on the question of God and Self or how to wriggle out of this horrible karmic pool. The Guru concept is an inseparable part of this enquiry, hence their eagerness to hear about it from a great soul - Maharshi Suuta.

Sri Guru Gita - A Discourse between Siva and Parvati- 2

Achintyaavyakta Ruupaaya, Nirgunaaya Gunaatmane
Samasta-Jagadaadhaara, Muurthaye Brahmane Namah

(Salutations to Brahman, the Supreme Being, who is incomprehensible and of indefinite form, who is with and without attributes and the support of the whole universe!)

Sant Kabir once said that if God and Guru were to appear before him, he would first bow at the feet of the Guru for it was Guru who made him experience God! Although Nirguna Brahman (God without attributes) is the changeless Reality, it can be experienced only through the binary of Jeevatma and Paramatma. Paramatma here is Saguna Brahman, God with attributes. Jeevatma or individual soul comes into existence from the projection or sankalpa of Paramatma. Jeevatma has no independent or permanent existence of its own as it is bound to Paramatma like the wave is to the ocean, like the smell is to a flower or like the child is to its father. In short the universe comprising of all animate and inanimate beings is the projection of Paramatma, the Comic Soul.

Paramatama or Saguna Brahman is with attributes, i.e. with name, a definite form along with qualities and the power to imagine and act (Sankalpa Shakti and Kriya Shakti). Different sects in Hinduism address him Siva, Vishnu, Goddess, Surya, Ganapati, Krishna and so on according to their vision and experience, although they too accept Nirguna Brahman as the ultimate truth. Buddhists and Jains advise the followers to concentrate only on deeds or karma, rather than debating about a God that is beyond human intelligence. However, they believe in the concept of Mahatmas or Arahats whom mankind has to follow for attaining Nirvana or enlightenment.

In Christianity, Paramatma is called the Father in Heaven. In Islam, they say Allah, which is supposed to be Nirguna Brahman, God without attributes. Islam does not accept the concept of Saguna Brahman. They suppose that Nirguna Brahman has all the power to create, judge and punish. However, this idea is not acceptable because the God which creates, judges and punishes, that God requires a mind to imagine and intelligence to order the universal function. He should also have a physical form. In the scriptures it is said that God, desiring to create the world, first projected himself in the form of a man (Purusha). This Purusha was split into two, a man and woman by his own will for the purpose of procreation. We can assume that Purusha, the first projection of formless God (Nirguna Brahman) is Manu, the Adi Guru or the primordial ancestor of human universe. It is said that the solar system was born out of the sankalpam of Manu. That is why the age of our solar system is calculated in terms of the time cycle of Manu or Manvantara.

God without form, name and qualities is an unknowable abstract concept. God is said to be pure light, consciousness and bliss. (Sat Chit Ananda). In that state of God, there is no mind, no intelligence, no imagination or karma of any type including creation. It is said to be a state of pure bliss untouched by gunas or qualities. That is why the rishis called this state of God as Nirguna Brahman, which can think and act only when it transforms itself into an embodiment with Jnana Shakti, Kriya Shakti and Sankalpa Shakti (the power of knowledge, volition and action).

Realized Gurus are the mind-born embodiments of the Purusha in human form. A few great souls crossing many spiritual skies or lokas attain the abode of Paramatma through tapasya or austerities spanning many births. Such souls are sent by God for man’s spiritual guidance. That is the reason, Guru is realized and worshipped as Paramatma or Brahman itself. Guru Gita tries to project this truth throughout its discourse. This mantra is both the invocation and definition of God. It tries to define God in beautiful terms as the Unknowable and Indefinable Support of the Universe, the Eternal Truth, with and without Attributes.

Sri Guru Gita - A Discourse between Siva and Parvati

Gurucharanam Saranam

Today is an auspicious day to listen to Sri Guru Gita, the discourse between Siva and Parvati that is said to have taken place on the beautiful mountain of Kailas probably on a moonlit night of Pournami, the full moon day. Among others who listened attentively to this sacred discourse were great sages and rishis. Surely, Sri Guru Gita contains the secret of all secrets for spiritual enlightenment leading to God realisation.

First let us begin with a prayer to the Guru:

Paramaachaarya Padapraaptam, Paramaatma Swaruupakam
Karunaakara Gurum Vande, Bhavaroga Bhishagwaram

(My obeisance to Sri Karunakara Guru, who has attained the seat of Supreme Guru-hood and who is the embodiment of the Absolute Truth and is the healer of the affliction that is life on the earth plane!)

This mantra is an invocation to the Guru seeking his blessings. It is an ancient practice that when we commence a work, first we pray to Guru. All our actions and thoughts, both good and bad, are to be submitted at the divine feet of the Guru. Guru, while talking about daily routine of a devotee advised that we should try to recollect all our thoughts and actions of the day before going to bed so that we can analyse them in our mental screen and make subjective amendments. It is a subjective process that will help internal harmony or the mind-soul integration. The residues of conflicts in life work subjectively and create ripples of disharmony in the mind and body leading to ailments in the form of worry, tension and so on.

We must understand that GURU is a spiritual phenomenon that is one with the Universal Consciousness. Such a Guru will be a Trikala Jnani, i.e. the one who knows the past, present and future. Guru is the projection of the unknowable, immeasurable, nameless ocean of Light, i.e. God. Every phenomenon in the universe is nourished, harmonised and ultimately evolved in this universal consciousness called Guru. The afflictions arising out of the binaries of existence can be harmonised only on this plane of Absolute Truth.

The Spiritual Significance of Kumbha Mela

The Spiritual Significance of Kumbha Mela Being Celebrated tomorrow (20 September, 2018) in Santhigiri Ashram:

The human race is facing a great crisis today. Great preceptors like Sri Krishna, Sri Buddha, Mahavir, Moses, Zarathustra, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad and Guru Nanak appeared for the spiritual renewal of humanity during historic intervals. However, their mission remains incomplete necessitating another epoch of spiritual renewal by a world teacher.

The spiritual vision of the great Indian rishis reveals how a soul can achieve absolute freedom from all imperfections and attain perfect peace.

There is only one Almighty God, Parabrahman. His light pervades in everything and everyone.

From that indescribable light of God emerges Manu, the nucleus of creation. He is the first born of God, the Adam of human race.

A solar system is the creation of Manu in association with saptarshis, the seven planetary spirits.

The Indian rishis calculated the age of the universe in terms of Manvantaras after the name of Manu.

Through the concept of Manu and Manu cycles India gives the world a perfect idea about creation and evolution of souls through the guidance of great mahatmas.

This is the basic concept of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal spiritual culture. Sanatana dharma is the culture of great mahatmas.

In the present cycle of Vaivaswata Manu an error occurred in the Sanatana Dharma.

A preceptor mistook himself as Brahman at the summit of God realization.

He pronounced ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, i.e. I am God.

A curse fell upon the human race as a result of this utterance against God.

After this curse, four chaturyugas went in darkness.
For a long age, the human race lost track of the true path and fell into degrading practices like sorcery, spirit worship, atheism, and so on.

God sent 2444 mahatmas from the beginning of this kali yuga, to guide the human race towards the path of true dharma.

However, the fallen souls known as Yoga bhrashtas, Satan and Jinnis opposed these mahatmas and persecuted them defeating their mission.

Several mahatmas and sages prayed to God Almighty so that the human race, which has lost track, may be guided to the right path.

Many great souls and prophets like Moses, Sri Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed prophesied that the world will be guided to the true path through a great Soul.

Before the passing away of the Buddha, Ananda the principal disciple of the Buddha, asked the blessed one suppressing his tears,

“Who will teach us when you are gone?”

The blessed one replied,

“I am not the first Buddha who came upon the Earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time, another Buddha will arise in the World, a holy one, a supremely enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the Universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals.

“He will reveal to you the same Eternal Truth which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal in the spirit and in the letter.

“He will proclaim a religious life wholly perfect and pure, such as I now proclaim.” Then Ananda said “How shall we know him?” The blessed one said “He will be known as Mettayya (Maitreya), which means, he whose name is Karunakara, i.e. kindness. “

In the Bible’s book of John, Jesus promises to send a Comforter:

‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you forever; But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you’.

That great Soul in these prophecies is Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru.

It has been recorded by Maharshi Aurobindo Ghosh that he saw a Supramental Light, descending to the earth in the year 1926, accompanied by Sri Krishna.

Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru was born in the year 1927, after ten months of this incident.

Guru’s mother saw that several devi-devas, sages and prophets and their followers are offering obeisance to the divine child in her womb.

Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru was born on 1st Sept. 1927 in Chandiroor in Alapuzha district, as the son of Smt. Karthyani and Sri Govindan, who were ordinary peasants.

Guru’s life, full of sacrifices, began at the age of fourteen, from the ashram of Sri Narayana Guru, who fought against social inequalities and superstitions.

There was nobody to guide Guru in His quest for spiritual realization.

Guru felt that His spiritual path was blocked.

Once, Guru was living at the Aruvipuram branch ashram of Sivagiri Mutt as its in-charge.

One day, He decided to observe 41 days’ meditation climbing the top of Koditooki hill, nearby.

The meditation started and on the 40th day, a figure appeared before Him in an aura of light. It was Rishi Sai Baba.

This vision gave hope to Guru.

Within the next few days, Guru found his spiritual guide – a Sufi saint by the name Qureshia Fakir, who was popular as Pattani Swami.

The saint was living at Beema Masjid near the city of Thiruvananthapuram.

After the spiritual wanderings with Qureshia Fakir, Guru came to a deserted place at Pothencode in the year 1964 and set up Santhigiri Ashram.

Intimations from the Light of God began to be received about the great mission of Guru.

A revelation was received from the Divine Light, thus:

‘What I wished for ages has been fulfilled now’.

The Akhanta Na

ma or the Guru Mantra was received from the Supreme Light as the mantra of liberation, for this age.

The great Guru mantra led the devotees to peace and all types of goodness and welfare and a self-reliant community life.

A revelation followed after Guru’s spiritual fulfillment that Kumbhamela should be celebrated every year commemorating this occasion.

On this day, thousands of devotees with 11 days’ vritam (vows) take Kumbham (earthen pot filled with sacred concoctions) and circle the Ashram in a colorful procession with the accompaniment of percussion, panchavadyam, etc. chanting the Akhanta Nama.

It has been revealed that the Kumbha Mela of Santhigiri Guru Parampara will become a great festival in the world.

It has also been revealed that by taking Kumbhams for 12 years successively a devotee will be saved from all types of karma dosha and pitru dosha along with all related ailments both of the mind and body.

After laying down the foundation for a new spiritual order the great Guru left His physical body on 6th May, 1999.

His physical departure is referred as ‘Adi Sankalpam’.

Guru instilled spiritual wisdom and the knowledge of right karma and dharma and unified the people going beyond the barriers of race, religion, caste and class discrimination.

Guru had prophesied that at all times an enlightened spiritual master would lead the Guru Parampara.

This prophecy has been fulfilled through Her Holiness Sishya Poojita Amrita Jnana Tapaswini, the present spiritual Head of Santhigiri Guru Parampara.

Chronic diseases, unexpected calamities, problems of marriage, mental and physical deformities, suicide, drug addiction etc. are some of the problems that haunt man in the present.

Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru initiated two basic rituals for a solution to these problems. They are the Guru Pooja and the system of marriage in Santhigiri.

The families in the Guru Parampara are released from the karmic and ancestral curses through Guru Pooja or Pitru Suddhi.

A new generation of children with good fortune as well as the awareness of dharma is being born, through the marriages between the families that are thus freed from karma dosha and ancestral curses.

By participating in the prayers and rituals in the Ashram like kumbha mela, pournami vritam etc., the individuals and families are able to fulfill their wishes.

The spirituality of Santhigiri focuses on the family. Guru mentioned that a mother is the first teacher. The mother should be a spiritually knowledgeable soul. If a woman is thus spiritually enlightened, a family would become good. Only through such noble family life, the society can be transformed.

For this, the family life should be spiritually aligned with the Guru and the Ashram way of life.

Welcome to Santhigiri Ashram, the Abode of Peace!

Why Hindu Unity is a Difficult Task?

A World Hindu Congress was concluded just now in USA. Obviously the main agenda was to unite Hindus. Can Hindus be really united? Hindu unity seems to be a difficult one. The reason is that some deviations have occurred in Sanatana Dharma after the time of Sri Krishna. What we call Hinduism today, it consists of many sects, important among them being Saiva, Vaishnava and Sakteya. These sects cannot be united because they have come up differently. No people can be united without spiritual unity. And spiritual unity can be achieved only through a unifying concept of God under a strong spiritual leadership. Only Sanatana Dharma can unite not only Hindus but the whole of humanity. There are some basic tenets that make Sanatana Dharma distinct from the present form of Hinduism or any other religion.. I present that basic view of Sanatana Dharma in the light of the teachings of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru, whose 92nd birth anniversary is being celebrated on 13 Thursday, Sept. 2018.

We have only one religion – the Religion of Liberation’, said Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru (1927-1999), the founder of Santhigiri Guru Parampara about the path of Dharma he founded. Guru Dharma deals with principles related to the spiritual scheme of time cycles (Yuga Dharma), wisdom transmission (Guru Dharma) and the laws concerning soul’s transmigratory journey for the fulfilling experience of non-dual consciousness. Guru revealed the way for experiencing the pure vision of non-dual Truth living in the duality of phenomenal existence.

We might take time cycles i.e. Yugas, Manvantaras, and Kalpa as some obscure concepts from an unknown past. Just like time in the form of day and night as well as year and season is bound to human destiny, Yugas and Manvantaras are the measurements of infinite time, related to the origin and evolution of life and consciousness in the solar system. The solar system has come into being with such matchless perfection by the Will of Brahman, the Transcendental Light (Brahma Prakasham).

How can the Absolute Nondual Truth create a world of plurality is a question that continues to perplex man. Existence cannot come into being from non-existence, declare the Upanishads (Chandogya Upanishad, VI.II.1). Although the Divine Light is non-dual primordial consciousness and also the basis for phenomenal existence, it creates the world of plurality with names, forms, qualities and different potencies by launching itself through a primordial kinetic urge (Adi Sankalpam).

Adi Sankalpam means the first thought or the Word of God as reflected in the Upanishads as ‘May I Be Many’, ‘May I Create the World’. (Chandogya Upanishad, VI.II.3, Aitareya Upanishad, I, Taitiriya Upanishad, II.vi.i). This primordial urge, the spontaneous self-expression of the nondual Truth creates the boundaries of time and space as well as the whole phenomena of existence, the cosmic plan.

Some religions are against anthropomorphizing God, as they argue that the Absolute Truth is arupi, i.e. formless. Advaita Vedanta even deny that the creation is only a mirage, an illusion. However, the argument is only partially true.

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said:

‘Although God is arupi (formless), there is swarupam (form). When we say the love of God, we should imagine a ‘swarupam’ (an embodiment) for God in mind, because God indeed is a ‘swarupam’. Saying that God is omnipresent and interpret in some other way, we would never be able to understand God’.

The pure absolute consciousness has to first transform itself into an entity for the purpose of creation, the scriptures reveal. The Brihadaranya Upanishad mentions: ‘In the beginning, this was but the Self in a form similar to that of a Man’. (Rig Veda, 10.90.2, Yajurveda 31:18, Aiteraya Upanishad, 1:1:3).

This progenitor is known as Manu in Indian cosmology. He is the first born of God, the Purusha or the Hiranyagarbha of the Vedas and Upanishads and the Logos in western theology. The Indian rishis calculated the age of the universe in terms of Manvantara after the name of Manu, the archetypal Guru, the primordial Purusha, through whose volition (sankalpa) every solar system comes into existence. Man has lost the awareness about this archetypal heavenly father. Therefore, Indian rishis calculated the age of the universe in terms of Manvantara, the age of a Manu.

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said:

‘Manu Parampara (lineage) is to provide God’s dharma to the world. It is a long time now since we have reached to this helpless state of not knowing about Manvantara, Chaturyuga, how many chaturyugas constitute a Manvantara…’

Nine heavenly bodies revolve around the sun creating the conditions for the origin, sustenance, and evolution of human life. The Rishis revealed that a Manvantara has seventy-one age-quartets or Chaturyugas (306,720,000 human years) consisting of Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali, which cyclically evolve to a pre-determined goal of perfection. Then another solar system begins with the next Manu. Fourteen such archetypal Manus appear in an episode of creation called Kalpa.

‘When we talk about the origin of the universe, the yuga-cycles and dissolutions happen with such a long age. Manvantara comes at the transition to another yuga-cycle after dissolution’ (Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru).

This process of creation goes on infinitely, without a beginning and end, which explains the theory of an expanding universe with its billions of galaxies and the possible existence of countless solar systems. Therefore, the Indian name for God is Brahman, which means that which expands.

‘There is a measure of Brahma Prakasham (Divine Light) for the movement of the solar system’ said Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru. The universe moves on the wheel of time, therefore, the human race cannot move forward without the proper awareness of time. Time is the synonym for change. Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said about it as avastha bhedam (change of nature or stage).

‘Evolving through each age, developing through centuries, we are crossing stages. When we say ‘avastha bhedam’, the stage from a base entity to a Deva is a unique stage (avastha) of ours’ (Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru).

When Darvin’s theory of evolution is taken further to ethereal planes (mandalas), the soul of man further evolves into the status of greater luminous bodies of a deva, Rishi, sanyasi and other higher levels of manifestation. The soul goes through ten spiritual stages of transformation, according to the Guru. The worlds mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana and other texts relate to these stages of soul evolution.

After the age of Kali, the Chaturyuga cycle again begins with Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali. Satya Yuga is the age of perfection, when God realization is direct, according to the Rishis. While the perfected souls in Satya Yuga adorn the heavens as radiant entities and merge with Brahman (the absolute nondual state) at the end of a Kalpa, souls in the various states of evolution such as an animal, human, deva or a rishi also have to go through the long process of evolution through the cycle of ages. The soul might go down in the process of evolution when righteous dharma and karma are violated.

The present age is the Kali Yuga of 28th Chaturyuga, with 43 Chaturyugas to go, to complete this Manu cycle. Kali Yuga is a period of spiritual perfection. The spiritual order of Kali yuga requires that man attains necessary soul luminance to qualify for the all perfect Satya Yuga, rectifying the mistakes that might have happened in the karma and dharma of previous yuga cycles dwapara and treta. Sanatana Dharma is related to this eternal spiritual order.

However, the mediums of revelation, as well as the modes of application, change from time to time because of socio-environmental changes and human errors that trigger periodical civilizational changes. This change is continuous. Spiritual guides appear for various durations such as 1000, 2000, 3500 or 5000 in a yuga cycle.

‘When the Treta Yuga is completely traversed in the order of Yuga Dharma, an ideology cannot remain more than 5000 or 10000 years. With the passage of time, many failings come in those ideologies’ (Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru).

In view of the above, Yuga Dharma embodies the concept of age-specific renewal of the Dharmic order.

Karunakara Guru said: ‘Yuga Dharma is not only for any particular caste, religion or person. Yuga Dharma is for the whole world… we should know what is Yuga Dharma. There is no use taking up all the four without following what is to be followed in each Yuga. But, we have a tradition that has taken up all the four’.

The ways of worship and social laws of bygone ages (Treta and Dwapara) are practiced in Kali Yuga against the age-specific spiritual order of Sanatana Dharma. The regime of Mahatmas and their spiritual guidance pertaining to Kali Yuga according to the concept of yuga dharma are ignored. Sri Ram, the guru of Treta and Sri Krishna, the guru of Dwapara, whose spiritual incumbency belonged to their respective ages, as well as the rituals and the sacred chants of those yugas are followed in the Kali Yuga. The rights and wrongs of the past yugas are repeated arresting the age-related spiritual evolvement.

While the Vedic tradition portrayed Kali Yuga as an age of ruin, Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said that Kali is the best age after Satya Yuga since it is an age of spiritual evolvement. The revelations of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru regarding the Dharmic order of Kali Yuga deserve serious attention:

*. We should make changes according to the time. Time will not step aside for us. Since this is the age of Kali, what is required is the propagation of Dharma suitable to Kali Yuga.

*. If the time of Deva in the Treta and Dwapara had been fulfilled through mantra and tantra, it has to be fulfilled through austerities and knowledge (tapas and jnana) in the age of Kali.

* Most jnanis have not been able to understand what the Dharmic order of Kali Yuga is.

* In order to implement Kali Yuga Dharma, a correction and a new path is required. The new path is to develop a good character among the people.

The effort for the transition to Kali Yuga Dharma had begun from Sri Krishna. After Sri Krishna, the Upanishad Rishis, Sri Buddha, Mahavir and other Mahatmas tried to rejuvenate the jnana tradition of India. However, their efforts remain unfulfilled because of spiritual distortions.

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru referred to it as ‘the error that denied Guru Dharma in the name of Vedic dharma’. Guru said that there would be a change only when we accept the path opened by the Mahatmas:

‘What is required first is the removal of ignorance. That only will lead to victory. What is required for that? We should understand the vision of Mahatmas; should think about it and then try to actualize it. Thus, if we strive step by step, we can reach the desired shore…. Our destined karma is to knock at the door and find out the self-sacrifice of every great soul, that they did for our sake…Mahatmas are the means to love truth and to know the karma with discrimination.’

But the Mahatmas did not get the desired status in India. The Rishi tradition gave way to the Vedic tradition which tried to cement the Trimurti tradition, the worship of trinity gods (Siva, Vishnu and Goddess) and their large family of gods, divinities and gurus under it. The Hindus of India are thus divided into many sects and caste groups leading to their spiritual disunity. Therefore, the efforts to unite Hindus have always failed.

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said:

‘An effort has taken place to unite us through Vaishnava, Shaiva and Sakteya traditions. But people would not be united in that way because these three had come in three different ways. What is required for unifying is some awareness.’

The mistake prevailing in the world now is that the dharma of the fourth epoch (Kali Yuga) has not been implemented here. Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said that the worship of One Almighty God has to be perfected in Kali Yuga. The doctrine of One Absolute God was put forward by India first. However, for the last few millenniums, Vedic tradition functioned without giving respect to the jnana tradition; therefore, Yuga dharma could not be established here.

The idea of One God worship was propagated by prophets such as Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad in West Asia, which has spread throughout the world. But in the prophetic religions, there is no clear concept about cosmic time order – about the Yugas and Manvantaras. They also do not accept the theory of spiritual evolution, reincarnation, etc.

Nature has an inherent character to evolve the soul to its Absolute status through a series of evolutionary incarnations. There exists, also a divine intervention that creates or directs this rhythmic evolution. The uniqueness of Indian spirituality is this idea of a divine intervention, in the form of a spiritual embodiment that exists as the ‘witnessing authority of all actions and knowledge (Karma-Dharma-Saakshi, i.e. Guru Incarnation). Indian spirituality considers the relationship between an enlightened Guru - who is the embodiment of absolute realization- and the souls who are struggling to attain freedom from the chains of imperfection as the fundamental dharma for the evolvement and fulfilment of all living beings.

The path of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru is the hope for the whole human race to unite spiritually. It is an opportunity for Hinduism and India to evolve with universal acceptance.

Mukundan P.R.

Hinduism Under Siege in Kerala

The planned and combined attack against Modi, BJP and RSS including Hindu sanyasis by fundamentalists from Muslim, Christian, Communist groups and the Media controlled by them give a clear message, i.e. Hindus as well as Hinduism can no longer feel safe in Kerala. Their beliefs, their leaders and their institutions are ridiculed and attacked more and more, which speaks a lot about the demographic changes and the socio-cultural consequences that bring in.

Hindus believe that the cow is a sacred animal. The Cow has an auspicious status in the ashrams of rishis and sages of India from very ancient time. The famous story of the heavenly cow Kamadhenu and Nandini, the cow of Rishi Vasisht is famous. A cow gives us nourishment in the form of milk, ghee, curds and other valuable milk products that are also used in the preparation of medicines. So a cow is called Gomata in India. Cows were dear to Sri Krishna also. Sri Krishna is called Gopala Krishna, the protector of cows. He is always seen along with cows. So the reverence for cows is an important element of faith in Hinduism. When a Hindu buys a cow and brings her home, she is ceremoniously welcomed with lighted lamp. How should we honour such a benefactor of mankind? Clearly it does not deserve cruelty if not any honour. But the people of Kerala openly attacked this faith of Hindus and cruelly cut calves in the open in defiance of Hindu beliefs and conducted beef festival in Kerala. Luckily, it did not lead to a communal flare up because Hindus are a minority in Kerala, their real population may be in the range of twenty percent. About eighty percent of Kerala is Christian and Muslim (50-55%), Communists and Atheists (25-30).

There are many other aspects of Hindu culture that are being openly attacked in Kerala. Indian culture respects chastity of women. And these groups conducted Kiss Contest in Kerala. Young unmarried men and women openly kissed to defy this noble culture in the name of freedom. Should freedom be to hurt others’ faith? Not only that there are the incidents of dishonour to the national anthem, national flag and other patriotic symbols which the people of India, especially the majority Hindus hold in high reverence. Hindus consider the mother and the mother land greater than heaven. (Janani Janma Bhumischa Swargatapi Gariyasi). There are people here who oppose and insult the patriotic spirit of Hindus in the name of religious faith, because Muslims worship only Allah, not the motherland. They even ridicule yogic exercises because it is somehow connected with Indian culture and Hinduism. So is it that the religious faith of a particular community is to be protected, while that of the other is to be opposed.

Another thing that confounds me is the allegation that Hindus are communal, persecute minorities and divide Indians on the basis of religion. What has happened during the Muslim rule of India is well known. Hindus were forced to convert and accept Islam or face death; their temples were razed to the ground and masjids built in their place. Hindus were forced to pay a special tax in order to remain a citizen of India. In contrast, compare what Hindus have done to the early Parsi, Jew, Christian and Muslim settlers. The Hindu rulers always assisted them to establish their prayer houses and gave freedom to practice their faith. Hindu civilisation is alien to any exclusive view of God; it gives freedom to have different views on God. Then how and when did Hindus become communal?

After independence the Muslims wanted an exclusive nation for them, so the country was cut into two with the cruel massacre of millions of people. What is happening now in Kashmir, which has remained an inalienable part of India for time immemorial? There Muslim fundamentalists are fighting for an Islamic state separate from India. They do not want to remain with a secular democratic India but want to join Pakistan or create another nation for themselves all in the name of Islam. Very recently another Muslim leader said that Muslims want another partition. Muslim leaders like Owaisi spit venom on Hindus and say the population of Muslims has become 25 crores and now they can take on Hindus. Political Islam cannot accept democratic and secular rule as its allegiance is only to Allah and Sharia. So once they have the number, the demand for a separation nation arises. No need to blame them, because it is the inherent nature of Islam. That is why the Muslim leaders in India oppose Indian constitution when it comes to the question of uniform civil code and other laws that affect Muslim customs and beliefs. So India even though it is a secular democratic country is unable to implement Uniform Civil Code or pass laws related to Triple Talaq etc.

So who is Communal? Hindus? No. It is making a goat a wolf. Hindus are not communal. Their religion teaches them only to be liberal and tolerant to other faiths. But does it mean that the faith of Hindus should be ridiculed and attacked in their motherland? Such a negative and intolerant attitude on the part of religious minorities and leftists group have given rise to Hindutva. Communalism of one leads to the communalism of the other. Intolerance generates intolerance. Hatred generates hatred. Hatred can be overcome only through love and accommodation. That is the culture the great rishis of India taught. And their teachings is the soul of India.

Now when a tragedy has struck Kerala, even this calamity is used to attack Prime Minister Modi and BJP. It shows the consequences of increasing population shift of Muslims and Christians who have an upper hand in Kerala politics. In addition, there is the Communists who are ever in conflict with Hindu groups. The Communists are mostly from backward Hindu communities who are aggrieved by the caste system of brahmins, although caste system has ended long ago constitutionally. The Communists have become a good tool in the hands of minority groups to resist Hinduism. Peace and progress can be achieved only when the faith of all people including Hindus are respected. Religious freedom and religious rights should not be tilted towards only the minorities, who are in majority in some states of India. Otherwise it can lead to a terrible communal holocaust unpleasant than the floods now. Also, it is time for a great reformation of Hinduism. Faith in the Only One God as well as the idea of One People is absolutely essential in this age.

Mukundan P.R.

Note: The above is my personal view. It has nothing to do with the tenets of Santhigiri Ashram, where I serve. Santhigiri Ashram is above all isms, caste and religious boundaries and teaches mankind a unifying path of spirituality.