Where is love?

I am not blind, I am the eye behind

All eyes that see, I am true love.

Search not in vain, I am in you

I am in all and all in me.

Try to know me, I am the source

Near yet far, I am true love.

I am the cause of all the forms

Eternal, everywhere, I am true love.

-Arasu Ramanujam

Six rules

Six rules of life ……………..

1.   Never mind who it is, smile and show your delight.

2.   Never give up, keep trying until you succeed.

3.   Never say yes, when you want to say no.

4.   Never feel shy to express your joy, laugh when you  feel   like.

5.   Never hesitate to seek help when you need it.

6.   Never procrastinate, be on time every time.

……………..to learn from your six months old child

And these six rules……………….

1.       Always respect parents, teachers and elders.

2.       Always be kind to others and help the weak and poor.

3.       Always respect food and thank the one who gives food.

4.       Always be frank in speech, never hide truth.

5.       Always be brave, fear not and hurt not

6.       Always help yourself, your effort alone is your wealth

…………………to teach your child before she/he is six years old

(When you leave a nine months old child with a load of toys in a room, the child ignores all toys, cruises to a corner and picks up some tiny particle and puts it into its mouth. The child is attracted by external objects, starts liking anything new and gets bored with objects already known. This is the tendency of all children when they start interacting with the external world. Inputs through the five sense organs are so exciting and the organs of action start executing.  Ego starts here. A simple person is getting developed into a personality. You may also notice the child getting angry when she cannot reach something she wants. She gets frustrated when she is not fed in time. She starts crying when someone snatches her toys. The feeling of possession starts here. All good and bad habits start when the child starts interacting with external objects and people. The role of parents in guiding and regulating the desires of children up to six years is very important in shaping their future. If the opportunity is missed at this age, it will be extremely difficult to make up for the loss in future. Therefore it makes sense to learn these six values from the innocent child at six months and teach at least the six values as the child grows and reaches six)

-Arasu Ramanujam

Ten qualities of leadership

There are many theories about leadership and management. Generally it is believed that a leader sets a new direction for a group of people whereas a manager directs and controls with the established principles. A leader takes a longer-term perspective and seeks to initiate change for the better to interest and inspire people to commit to a vision. Mostly the two functions support and complement one another. Many outstanding leaders are also very competent managers-but that is not necessarily the case for all the leaders. There are many types of leaders such as democratic, autocratic, charismatic, accommodative, altruistic etc. There are different types of leaders even among monarchs (like Alexander, Asoka, and Akbar) and political heads (like Kennedy, Indira Gandhi and Gorbachev). It does not matter what kind of personality you are. Real life lessons make it clear that without certain basic qualities a de jure leader will be thrown out by a de facto leader. Whether it is autocracy or democracy, just because you have access to leadership due to circumstances, you cannot become a leader and sustain it without the basic qualities to lead. Irrespective of your personality, you need to have the basic qualities to be a true leader. What are these qualities?

1. Realize your inner urge

A leader has an inner urge to lead. If you have this urge, you will be a leader some day. But you need to realize this urge and also your unique value that differentiates you from the rest. This is the basis of a confident leader. All other factors like training and learning can help to polish and shape this urge to bring out the leader in you.

2. Believe in your goal

A leader always has an intense desire to achieve the goal which he believes as important. Without firm belief in a goal no one can lead. Educating the poor was dear to Kamaraj, feeding the poor was important to MGR; freedom of India was the goal of Mahatma Gandhi. Think of a goal for which you live and believe that your life is incomplete without achieving it. This gives you the power to lead.

3. Show the way

Always be ready to walk in a way that nobody has walked before. A leader can be a leader only when he has people to follow him. A leader should have something in him for people to follow him.  People follow you only when they trust you. Every one trusts the brave and honest that can show the way.

4. Communicate in your style

All leaders have effective communication skills. It need not be verbal always. For example, to express love a look is better than words. You may have your unique technique. But what is in your mind must reach your followers exactly the way you thought about it. This cements you with your team.

5. Love to give

A leader finds happiness in giving; contributes more and consumes less. You are celebrated and admired by your followers because you put your goal and your team above your personal needs. Nobody in human history has become a leader without some sacrifice. If you are a leader you will love to sacrifice some of your personal needs for the common goal.

6. Innovate to grow

Whether you are in corporate, politics or trade, you need to grow. A leader has the urge to grow and always innovates new ways to keep growing. You can lead as long as you grow yourself and the organization.

7. Influence as role model

Have you ever seen a leader without the power of influence? A leader influences his team with his own behavior. Nobody will follow a leader with just empty words. Influencing power comes from the capability of setting an example. Show your team that you can stitch your shirt, wash your plate and clean your toilet when required. This is possible only with self esteem, hard work and continuous practice.

8. Dedicate yourself

Dedication to the cause is a natural quality of a true leader. This dedication should be in your mind all the time irrespective of your different activities. Leadership is never a ‘nine to five’ job. Relieving the pain of your followers makes   the most lovable experience of this dedication. Everyone loves you as long as you are meaningful to them. This is possible only when you dedicate yourself for the cause, a common cause of your team.

9. Inspire as fire

People need inspiration. A leader, inspired by his own cherished principles, in turn inspires people. Inspiration is like fire. It is always hot and bright, anything comes near it catches fire. A leader is always full of energy with cheerful face-glows like fire and inspires.

10. Excel in difficult times

Every person performs well in good times. A leader excels in difficult times. People look for a leader in tough times. In fact, a difficult time is the best time for an emerging leader. No doubt a leader performs well in good times but in tough times when everyone else succumbs, the leader excels and guides others.

-Arasu Ramanujam

Cricket, life and God

India, a nation of 1.21 billion people, is celebrating the win of the Cricket world cup 2011. The victorious captain M.S Dhoni has said that the team has been preparing for the past two years to achieve this great victory. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has described this as the proudest moment of his life. The tears in the eyes of these great cricketers speak volumes of what it means to them and the country. For a cricket loving nation like India, it is not just cricket; it is a lot more including diplomacy. Though the entire competition was an interesting event, the final was thrilling and many a prediction was proved wrong. It is human nature to predict before the results. Whether it is individual effort like preparing for an exam or a team effort like sports, the results are finally given by God based on the efforts and universal laws. Therefore God is called karma phala dhata (One who gives the result of actions). Any incident that had happened so happened with the blessings of God. Sometimes things happen as we expect and sometimes not, and as humans we cannot comprehend these at all times. 2011 Cricket world cup final is a classic example of twists and turns of events before the final verdict. Imagine a conversation with God as an attempt to know how His unfailing laws work-

·         Why did Sachin not get his hundredth hundred in this match?

Sachin has to achieve a lot more in the coming years. In this final match it was a chance given to youngsters like Gautam, Virat and Yuvraj to show their ability. They wanted to dedicate this cup to Sachin, isn’t it?

·         The Newspapers talked a lot about a battle between the bat and ball of two veterans, Sachin and Murali in the final. Why did such a thing never happen?

They’ve had enough of that earlier. They will have more in IPL. Sachin or Murali never spoke about it. It was just the media, again.

·         Why Gautam missed his hundred in this match?

He has done a wonderful job. This is just the beginning. He needs to learn more before he can get a century in a big match, and Yuvraj had a role to play in the end with Dhoni.

·         Dhoni did not do well with his bat in this tournament. How did he do that magic 91 when needed?

You guys see only what happened on that day. You do not know how he prepared himself for this event. He calls it ‘the process’. Captain cool deserves this and more. (Don’t ask me more about more)

·         Srilanka were 183 for 5 and then stormed to reach 274 for 6. How did this happen?

Listened to Sangakkara? He said, “India are favorites, but we are not underdogs.” World cup has its weight.

·         After the exit of Sehwag and Sachin many thought India lost it. Why couldn’t Srilanka take advantage and tighten the screws?   

Winning the toss is not winning match. It is a long way to go. The Indians gave away runs in the end and wickets in the beginning - for a change. That was not the end; a different game was to come in to test the tenacity, skill, knowledge, experience, presence of mind and patience.

·         Every analyst said ‘bat first and win’, centurions don’t end in the losing side, and host nation cannot win. How did India win against all odds?

This is game......and everything is game…..my game.

·         Everyone said before the finals that the victory depends on the batting of openers. It was the middle order who did it. How?

Oh….That is the lesson of life. Don’t lose heart. Do your best and leave the rest to Me. Keep going. The result will come to you.

The laws of God are difficult to understand but never fail. This is true to cricket and life.

-Arau Ramanujam

Food habits and personality

In a shrinking world we are able to get all kinds of food in any part of the world. In metropolitans, apart from local cuisine, restaurants serve every other type of food including French, Italian and Chinese. In malls, theaters and airports we have food courts with foods from any corner of the world. Even at home, we have started cooking food as per our choice which is different from tradition. However, even now, majority of the people, as a daily routine prepare and consume food that is prevalent in a given geography- for example, seafood in coastal areas, vegetables in fertile lands, meat in cold climatic locations. As more and more people travel and migrate, their food habits also keep changing. Therefore it has become important to be aware of the type of food that is suitable to one’s body and also character. Either you go for a type of food as per your natural character or you willfully choose a food to build a desired personality even though your tongue may not accept it in the beginning.

Human personality is developed due to various factors of which the type of food we consume plays an important role. Chandogya Upanishad says, “Begin with clean food for a clean character and spiritual growth”. Though food is essential for sustenance and growth of the body, the nature of food we consume describes our nature too.  The seventeenth chapter of Bagavad Gita describes the three-fold nature of food liked by the three types of people-sattvik(contemplative), rajasik(active) and tamasik(dull). Sattvik people love succulent, fortifying and pleasing foods, which increase longevity, mental clarity, strength, health, pleasure in taste and aesthetic pleasure. Sattvik character is pure, illuminating, free from affliction and connected to subtle form of pleasure and knowledge. Foods that are bitter, sour, salty, excessively hot, pungent, astringent, and burning, that gives pain, sorrow and ill health are liked by rajasik people. Rajasik character is dominated by greed, physical restlessness, undertaking activities, mental restlessness and longing. Food which is stale or inadequately cooked, from which the essence is gone, left over night, and also unfit as an offering is liked by tamasik people. Tamasik character is of dullness, absence of activity, indifference and delusion. From sattva is born knowledge, from rajas is greed and from tamas apathy and delusion.

There is no doubt that a person who wants to follow a life style suitable for spiritual growth and inner strength will prefer to have food suitable for sattvik life. In order to achieve the spiritual goal of self knowledge and freedom form bondage, the starting point is self discipline by regulating the body and mind. Body control starts from the intake of food. Taitteeyopanishad quotes a Rig mantra, which says, “All beings on earth are born indeed of food. They all exist, grow by food alone, and finally resolve in to this food alone. Food is eaten by beings and food eats the beings. One should take a vow not to disrespect food. If the food is prepared and served in the best manner, the food is served back to that person in the best manner”. As per the guidance of scriptures and also considering the present day conditions, let us now see some healthy food habits that will help in building a personality suitable for inner growth.

Sattvik food - Light vegetarian food, fresh and easy to digest is the best for a sattvik personality. Food should be freshly prepared (leftovers are tamisik). Fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, milk and milk derivatives are included in sattvik food. Apart from nourishment to body, subtle nourishment to mind is taken care by sattvik food. Pungent veggies like hot peppers, garlic and onion are excluded.

Offering to God (nivedanam) - It is a good habit to offer the food to God before eating. Anything that we get is offered to God and taken with reverence as a gracious gift (prasadam) from God. This habit helps to do all our actions like offering to God. When we dedicate our actions to God, we have a mature mind to accept the results given by Him as gracious gift.

Prayer - A simple prayer before every food is a great habit to show our gratitude to God, who in fact is the food giver and the material cause of food that we get. Usually fifteenth chapter of Bagavad Gita is chanted, if this not possible, at least the fourteenth verse of this chapter, ‘Aham vaishvanaro bhutva…’ can be chanted. The meaning goes like this-“Having become the digestive fire obtaining in the bodies of living beings, endowed with prana and apana, ‘I’ digest the four-fold food”. The twenty fourth verse in the fourth chapter of Gita, ’Brhamarpanam…’ and Adi Sankara’s, ‘Anna purne sadapurne….’ are popular prayers. The choice of prayer can be different but attitude is important.  

Ambience - Always wash hands before eating and sit in a proper place and eat (not on the sofa in front of a TV). The environment must be neat, calm and help enjoy the food while eating. The atmosphere and the people with whom you eat also contribute to the subtle development of your personality.

Enjoying food- Food should be enjoyed for its inherent taste and quality, rather than spices and seasonings. Eating in haste without chewing is not good for health. While eating, avoid doing anything else like reading, watching TV, chatting etc. Respect the food you eat and the people who have prepared it.

Moderation - Moderate eating is good for a contemplative mind and healthy body. Thiruvalluvar, the Tamil sage says, “No medicine is needed for the one who eats only when hungry, after fully digesting the food eaten before”.

Fasting (Upavasam) - Upavasam in Sanskrit means ‘living with’. So fasting is for living closely with God, not just skipping food. This is to think of only God, keeping the stomach empty. Traditionally there are several days in a year considered as best for Upavasam. Ekadasi (11th lunar day) is generally observed as Upavasam day. However, considering the present day conditions, regular fasting of one time (one meal) in a week is good for purifying the mind and body. Skipping either lunch or dinner is a good spiritual practice, if necessary fruits or juice can be taken. This practice helps one focus on superior goal of Atma(Self),leaving the body notion and pampering it. However, extreme practices of emaciation and torturing the body should never be done. Hurting oneself in the name of discipline is condemned by Lord Krishna in Bagavad Gita.

Self cooking- Sage Chandrasekarendra Saraswati has advised self cooking where ever possible, considering various factors in present day conditions. It is better to teach cooking to the boys and girls so that they are self supporting when grown up. It is easy to make simple food that can be cooked in a few minutes. As a result one can get clean, healthy, fresh food at a very economic cost.

With love- In Kamba Ramayana, Rama, on seeing the food offered by Guha tells him, “The food offered with love is sweeter than nectar”. There is nothing sweeter than the food cooked and served with love. Cook and serve the needy with love and feel happy.

-Arasu Ramanujam

Towards the ultimate goal

 

If you draw a line on a paper and ask whether it is short or long, there is no answer to this. You need another line to compare with. When a wheel from a car is removed, you say, ‘a part is missing’. When you look at the sky, there is no part or whole. It is just space. You can’t speak of distance without a second object and cannot even know the existence of space if there are no objects. Is there a way to describe God, the substratum of all that exists? The cause of everything here in this world is God but that God is not available for you to see and interact. Hence there are different versions of God. The moment you describe God, you have to give an attribute and hence it is something short of Nirguna Brahman (God without attributes). We need right means to understand God and the relationship of individual with God to know the reason for our existence and reach that goal. The Upanishads have special methods to reveal ‘Brahman’. This is further supported by the Upangas(subsidiary limbs of Veda)for clear understanding.

The intention of Upanishads

When Upanishads introduce the creation, it is called Adhyaropa. This is not just to teach the origination of creation. This is only to temporarily concur with what we ordinarily see. The intention of Upanishad is to gradually shift our attention from the creation to Brahman. In other words, the shift is from the effect to cause of creation. As the vision is shifted the effect gets dismissed since it does not exist separate from the cause. This dismissal through the shift is called Apavada. However the shift from the grossest level of effect to the subtlest level of cause cannot take place in a stroke. Hence the Upanishad takes us gradually through stages. This method is followed in Taittireeyopanishad and finally Brahman is revealed as the substratum of all. The Upanishad establishes that Brahman is the one, which converts itself to the world. It is self- creator and created. The Upanishad declares that the wise man that is established in Brahman is fearless and happy. His fearlessness does not come from worldly security; it is because he is established in Brahman. The very same Brahman appears as the dualistic world for the ignorant one, causing limitation and fear. This does not mean that the Upanishad thinks low of the common worldly life, which stops at the level of body-Annamaya. One must understand the highest truth even whilst pursuing worldly objectives. By leading a dharmic existence, this life should be treated as a means, as it were, to reach higher stages. That is why the Upanishad also states,”do not waste food; grow more food”. Kenopanishad which occurs in Sama Veda is in the form of dialogue between student and teacher. The dialogue method is to indicate that Upanishads must be learnt from a teacher. The Upanishad says,” Brahman is the very consciousness which one does not perceive with the eye and by which consciousness one perceives the eyes. One who says he knows Brahman, knows it not;  one who says of not knowing it, knows it; one who sees it sees it not; one who cannot see it can see it” Thus the Upanaishad reveals that Brahman is ever the subject and never become the object of knowledge. Even though the subject is not an object of knowledge, we cannot doubt its existence, because it is self evident as ‘I’.

Great contribution of Adi Sankara

Adi Sankara highlighted the non-dualist (Advaita) nature propounded in Vedanta by writing commentary on ten major Upanishads selected by him. He beautifully expresses this principle in his Nirvana Satkam, by saying,” I am not the mind, I am not the intelligence; I am neither air nor water; I know of no pleasure and pain; I am neither eater nor the object of eating; I have no death; I am eternal bliss and awareness.” Though Adi sankara’s advaita talks of giving up rituals and concentrating the mind in Atma in the ultimate stage, it does not recommend it in the initial stages. First one has to abide by the karmas (duties) and go ultimately to the stage of giving up the karmas after attaining mental purity. The greatness of Adi Sankara is that he has taken what is correct from various schools of thought and rejected those that are unacceptable. He thus established the basic Vedantic faith, which is the cause of these other theories as well. Adi Sankara considered that each doctrine of individuals stresses one aspect of Veda and make it the goal of human existence. In fact they have to be harmonized into a single entity, acceptable to reason and intellect. The Meemamsakas while accepting the Vedic rituals, did not accept Isvara(God) as the authority to award results of actions. They condemned Buddhism, which preached that there was no need for any ritualistic karma as prescribed in Vedas. Adi Sankara firmly established that there is Isvara(God) who is the creator of the phenomenal universe and He alone awards the fruits of one’s actions. Adi Sankara while accepting the tenets of Buddhism, Meemaamsa, Sankya and Nyaya to certain stage rejected their stands beyond that stage.

Logic as a step

Advaita of Adi Sankara accepts the 24 principles of Prakriti or Maya but rejects Sankya’s Nireeshwara vada(Godlessness).With regard to Buddhism, Adi sankara accepted the conclusion of Buddhism at the stage of pure consciousness. The Nyaya Sastra is considered as one of the four subsidiary limbs (upanga) of Vedas. This was composed by sage Gautama. Its main aim is to establish that Iswara is the creator of this universe by means of disputation. The Nyaya sastra discusses the fundamental truth through four devices. They are 1. Pratyacha(What is experienced by sense organs)2.Anumana(reasoned deduction or knowing the unknown through known)3.Upamana(simile or example)4.Sabda(sound, this includes the Vedic text and the sayings of great men like Rishis). In addition to these four, Advaitins have accepted two more devices (pramana) propounded by Kumarila Bhatta. They are 5. Arthapat (reconciliatory approach which eschews absurd conclusions) 6. Anupalabdhi(What comes to be known in the absence of an object).In order to dispel all kinds of doubts in understanding the Vedas, Nyaya Sastra or logic is used. This is an intermediary step to reach Advaitic conclusion of ekatma. But logic should be used as a means to arrive at the ultimate truth and not for indiscriminate arguments. Adi Sankara had mastered all these doctrines and his Advaita contains in itself various other faiths and due recognition and importance is given to all levels of development towards the goal.  

All the steps are for understanding the ultimate knowledge given by Upanishads beyond any doubts-“Awareness, which is without second, is Atma. There is nothing else that can be known different from it”. Adi Sankara, the personification of wisdom of Vedas, travelled the length and breadth of India, teaching the oneness of existence. He also established monasteries in Sringeri, Dvaraka, Puri and Josi Math and had placed four of his disciples each well versed in one of the four Vedas. There are many seeming contradictions when studying scriptural texts. It is important to study the scriptures systematically under the guidance of a Guru.

-Arasu Ramanujam

Ten steps to enjoy every moment in life

1.Pay its price

There is a price for everything in this world. Either you pay before and enjoy or enjoy and pay later. Better pay before if you really want to enjoy. The inner feeling that you have earned it and deserve the enjoyment is the key to enjoyment.

2.Move on

Move on while it is still fun. Sounds strange? Imagine you have five holidays and two working days in a week. Any particular enjoyment has its borderline. If you don’t move on time, it becomes boring or problematic. When you are the master of your time and action, everything else will fall in line.

3.Keep it light

You might have seen this display if you have travelled on Indian Railways, ‘Less luggage, more comfort, make your travel pleasant’. This is true of life journey also. Do not gather junks and add to your burden. Before buying anything new, ask these two questions. Do I really need this? What can I dispose off before buying this? The same is applicable to all unwanted relationship and activities.

4.Free yourself

Mentally do not claim ownership for anything that you associate with. You are not the owner of even your body, what to say about other persons and objects. Everything comes and goes, including your body. Give due respect to persons, enjoy their presence, help them but do not try to control and own them. Earn wealth and use it, without claiming ownership mentally. If you have done this, you are free.

5.Give

 Develop the habit of giving. All great persons who lived on this earth have agreed on one thing-‘Real joy is in giving’. If you have any doubt, just do it and verify. You feel guilt internally when you take something you don’t deserve and you feel great whenever you give to the deserving.

6.Care for the people

A Grandma was crying during a telephone conversation. When asked for the reason for crying, she said, “The little girl on the phone asked about my health, she cared for me. I was moved. No one else has the time to enquire about me.”Say a few nice words to the people around you and care for them. You will in turn feel good always.

7.Learn to enjoy

When you know swimming, you enjoy it. You learn to enjoy when you enjoy learning. That which is tough in the beginning is going to be a pleasure later. Enjoy the work you do or change to the work you enjoy. Live in present tense to enjoy. It does not make sense to toil the whole month for one moment of joy at the end of the month.

8.Get lost

Recollect all moments of joy in your life-the moment you passed an exam, the moment you fell in love, the moment you had a baby…..Did you not forget yourself in all these moments? Choose to play with children, Choose to listen to music, choose to do something you love and forget yourself.

9.Laugh out

Main hurdle for joy is getting upset over criticism. Leave these remarks to rest for a while. You will laugh it over after a while. If the remark is right, you have to change; if it is not, you forget it. Let criticism play its role but not trespass your mind.

10.Look for the source

Internally be simple and plain, have nothing to hide. In other words, do not deceive yourself. You cannot sacrifice long term joy for short term pleasure. The power of simplicity and inner peace is the source of joy at any moment. Look for the joy internally. You have it in abundance. You are the source of joy.

-Arasu Ramanujam

Yoga and freedom

Purushartha (Human goals)

The countless goals that human beings want to accomplish are classified into four by Vedic scriptures, known as purushartha (human goals). They are artha, kama, dharma and moksha. Artha is generally known as material wealth. Anything that is needed for physical survival such as food, clothing, shelter, health is artha. Kama is pleasure, all kinds of comforts and entertainment can be included in kama. Dharma is righteous living. In the context of purushartha, it is invisible form of wealth in this life and hereafter. Dharma contributes to your well being. This is merit which can be acquired by appropriate means. Artha, kama and dharma put together is called preyas meaning anything that you acquire. The fourth goal is moksha, freedom otherwise called Shreyas. The first three goals are temporary as they enslave you. The ultimate goal of human being is moksha, freedom from slavery and inner mastery. Moksha is the ultimate goal because that alone gives total sense of fulfillment while living and at the time of death.

 Yoga (Course of discipline)

Vedic scriptures prescribe course of discipline for the accomplishment of the above goals, both material and spiritual. There are three levels of disciplinary courses; each level links the seeker and the sought properly. Each level is called yoga. The Sanskrit word yoga has the root yuj meaning unite. Yoga unites the seeker and the sought. Karma yoga, upasana yoga and gnana yoga are the three courses of discipline mentioned in the scriptures. They are not alternative or optional methods. All steps are important to achieve the ultimate goal of freedom. Bhakti is the common atmosphere in all the three.

Karma yoga (proper action)

Karma yoga is doing proper action with proper attitude. The moment one does an action, the universal laws take over and the Lord processes the action and gives the results. In karma yoga all actions are dedicated to the Lord and the results are received from the Lord with reverence as prasadam, gracious gift. There is no karma yoga without Eshwara arpanam(dedication) and Eshwara prasada budhih(acceptance). Bagavath Gita says, ‘samatvam yoga uchyate’, equanimity is yoga. Equanimity towards pleasure and pain, success and failure is the result of Karma yoga. In the third chapter of Gita, Krishna says,”For me there is nothing to be done. Yet, I remain engaged in action for people to follow my example. The wise perform action without attachment for the benefit of the people.” All human beings have to perform certain actions as duty, whether they like or not. These actions (nishkama karma) contribute to spiritual growth. The scriptures prescribe five proper actions that help inner growth of a person. They are, Deva yagna (prayer to Lord),Pitru yagna(thanks giving to ancestors),Brahma yagna(preservation and propagation of Veda),manushya yagna(helping humanity),bootha yagna(respect to all beings). These actions make great contribution to the universe in its totality. All actions helping other beings are considered as highest in level, actions to meet personal ends are considered medium level and harmful actions are least level. In karma yoga one has to avoid all harmful actions, minimize selfish actions and maximize good actions helping other beings and get a clear mind to pursue self knowledge.

Upasana yoga (Personality conditioning)

Upasana yoga is a program to condition our personality fit for the accomplishment of all four goals. Katopanishad compares the body to a vehicle. As a ship must be sea worthy, the human personality must be worthy of accomplishing the goals. Human personality can be analyzed in different ways. For the purpose of upasana yoga, it is taken as three layers and conditioned. They are kayikam(physical),vachikam(verbal) and manasam(Psychological)layers. Asana or physical posture is popularly known as yoga now days. Actually asana is one of the eight limbs of upasana yoga. Upasana yoga was collated and systematized by Patanjali in his work yoga sutras. Patanjali has enumerated upasana yoga as ashtanga yoga (yoga with eight limbs). They are,1.yama(universal moral commandments)2.Niyama(selfdiscipline)3.Asana(posture)4.Pranayama(breathcontrol)5.Pratyahara(withdrawal of mind from external objects)6.Dharana(concentration)7.Dhyana(meditation)8.Samadhi(A state of oneness with consciousness). Preservation of health is easier and less expensive than cure. By practice of asana one makes the body a fit vehicle. The physical body is given to us not only for personal experience but also for rendering service to others and realizing the self. Speech discipline is discussed in seventeenth chapter of Bagavad Gita,” Speak truth, without hurting, in a pleasing way and that which is good to the listener”. The sixth chapter of Gita discusses meditation elaborately. The mind of the meditator is compared to a lamp protected from wind to indicate contemplation of the self. There are basically four types of meditations.1. Relaxation meditation-You relax by breath control or repeating a mantra.2. Focus meditation-You concentrate in a particular field for a length of time.3. Expansion meditation- This is meditation on the creation itself; you see the totality of creation (Vishwaroopa Dharshanam) 4.Value meditation-You deliberately change the thought pattern. This meditation helps in weeding out the negative tendencies of the mind. The adverse consequences of unhealthy tendencies such as anger, fear, and hatred are eliminated by visualizing oneself free from such tendencies. Ramana Maharishi says,” your mind and breath are two paths, intimately connected. By controlling one you can control the other”. Between chants there is an interval which has no thought of form and shape. This is silence or rather peace. Thus upasana yoga makes human body fit and mind to focus on goal.

Gnana yoga (Self knowledge)

Gnana yoga is for self knowledge which gives freedom, moksha the highest human goal. This is freedom from all bondages. Adi Sankara says,”Self knowledge is the direct means for freedom just as fire is the direct cause for cooking”. Any object or person in creation can cause bondage by its absence as well as presence. Atma gnanam, self knowledge makes one free from the problems created by absence and presence of objects and persons. How do we get this knowledge? Any knowledge can be gained by using an appropriate instrument of knowledge, pramanam. For example only eyes can perceive color; you cannot use ears to confirm a color. There is no choice with regard to instrument of knowledge as it is decided by the object of knowledge. All your sense organs are used to study the external objects. Therefore you need an extra instrument to see yourself internally as you use a mirror to see your face. This extra instrument of knowledge is sastra pramana, Vedic scripture. Self knowledge is not information to be experienced as we do with external objects. It is knowledge of removing self ignorance. Therefore you need an expert; guru well versed in scriptures to unfold the truth in a systematic way for a length of time. This is done in three stages. In the first stage of sravanam, you expose yourself to scriptural teaching handled by an expert guide and get self knowledge by removing ignorance. In the second stage of mananam, you bring out all your questions and get cleared. Your knowledge is now firm and beyond any doubts. In the third stage of nidityasanam, you remove your habitual behavior caused of misconception and assimilate the teaching. This assimilated knowledge changes your self- image and behavior just like assimilated food nourishing your body. Sweet is not dangerous, weakness for sweet is harmful. If you know to handle the world, it is friendly and divine. Self knowledge makes this possible by revealing your higher nature of reality. In the seventh chapter of Gita Krishna says, “gnani (who has self knowledge) is always united to me, his devotion resolved in oneness, is distinguished.”

Bhakti (devotion to God)

Bhakti is devotion (reverential love) to God. It is the union of individual with God. Bhakti is the name for entire course of discipline-karma, upasana and gnana yoga. In karma yoga all actions are dedicated to God. In upasana yoga, we meditate upon God. In gnana yoga we discover our nature; self discovery is none other than God discovery. We start the study with prayer and end with prayer. The twelfth chapter of Gita deals with bhakti. Generally all our love is directed towards three things- love towards the end objects we want to accomplish, love towards the means and love of oneself. One loves the means to get the end and loves the end for oneself. Therefore the intensity of love for oneself is of the highest order. The seeker in the beginning knows God as creator of the world and visualizes God as a person. This is one form God, eka roopa, such as Rama. The next level is seeing God as the cause of universe. In this level God is seen in universal form, Vishwa roopa. God alone has become the universe. Any form one sees is the form of God. In the third level, God is understood as the substratum of universe without any form, aroopa. Here, the gnani looks upon God as non different from himself. The later level does not replace the previous levels but includes them.  God appears as the world in all forms not affected by the forms in which he appears. This is like the sun light reflecting in pond water not affected by the water. God transcends good and bad, but everything exists because of God.

Freedom

All the three disciplinary courses, with bhakti as common atmosphere, are important to reach the goal. Vedic scriptures guide human beings considering various levels and characters of individuals. As per individual level and character, each may follow a particular yoga dominantly at a particular period of life. However no discipline can be skipped to reach the ultimate goal of freedom. It is very important to study and practice yoga under the guidance of a qualified guru. Karma yoga makes the mind clear, upasana yoga conditions the mind to concentrate, gnana yoga removes ignorance, bhakti sets the atmosphere right through. The glory of this teaching is to make one free, unlimited and immortal while living in this world.

-Arasu Ramanujam

Form and content

The Japanese give a lot of importance to gift wrapping. It is an art to wrap the gift and present it. Sometimes the wrapper may cost as much or even more than the content. It is customary to remove the wrapper and see the gift and say a few words in appreciation of the gift received. The guest who presented the gift does not feel bad when the expensive wrapper is removed. Rather he feels good about it, as the host could see the gift and appreciate it. Now days, most of the goods are purchased on the internet and delivered at your door steps. The package is so important to protect the content. The form assumes so much importance though the usage is in the content. Bitter medicine has to be consumed in the form of capsule. If you want to drink coffee, you need a cup to hold it. You drink the coffee and leave the cup. But we would like to have attractive and expensive cups. The police force and military have uniforms that make them appear smart and respectable even though they are selected in the force by their qualification and physical fitness.

Any product needs branding to be sold. Not only the products, even individuals need branding to be recognized. A walking stick and a pair of glasses remind Mahatma Gandhi. The form indicates the content. The image of Mahatma Gandhi indicates simplicity and his support to the down trodden. Even saints who have renounced the world have their dress code like white, orange etc. One who gives has to be careful about the form and deliver the content. At the same time one who receives has to be careful about the content as the content is going to serve the purpose. In these days of globalization and cybernetics, form has a significant role than ever before. Even to convey your ideas, your form of expression has to be novel, otherwise who has the time to listen to you? You need to brand yourself, your ideas and products if you are serious about promoting yourself. Being honest and sincere are essential values, however the image you create is of no less value. Mere image without substance cannot sustain, content without image cannot be perceived.

In Bagavad Gita, Krishna describes His glory thus, “Among the luminaries, I am sun, among animals I am lion, among the seasons I am spring, among seers I am Vyasa…..There is no end to my glories, whatever existent thing there is, which has glory every one of that is born out of fraction of my glory.”The Lord Himself has talked about his forms and glories. The Lord who pervades this world is the real substance and all forms and names keep changing. But only through this changing objective world the invisible God is understood. Perishable world and body are required to understand the imperishable substance, God.

The human body and mind are the means to realize the self. Yoga is to train the body and mind to make one fit to receive knowledge and assimilate it. Body is a necessary vehicle for the spirit. Therefore the right practice of yoga is not to underrate nor pamper the body but to conquer it. Any form is a vehicle to the content. Soul without body cannot be recognized, but body without soul perishes. Forms keep changing through ages, but useful to carry the content. The right understanding of form and content makes life meaningful and enjoyable.

-Arasu Ramanujam

Ten steps to face information explosion

Gone are the days of morning coffee with daily news paper. With internet browsing, face book, twitter, blogs and iPhone we have entered into a new world. The ‘web’ is rightly called so as it is woven around us and there is no way we can get out of it. Anything new brings with it advantages as well as hazards. Already we find a number of news items about increase in incidents of divorce, robbery, misappropriation etc. due to information sharing in public sites. When cinema was introduced, in some conservative societies, children were beaten for disobeying parents to watch movies in cinema houses. Now, families sit together in front of TV at home and watch movies. Things keep changing. In the recent past, great revolution has taken place in the way of communication. With BlackBerry and iPhone, information is at your palm anywhere any time. There are attempts to further increase the speed, quality and quantity of information that we can share. There is no end to this. Where are we heading to? What are the gains and losses in the process? How are we preparing ourselves and our children to face this speed in communication? No one can stop the scientific progress whether it is good or bad for the society. The best thing one can do is to know to live with the changes and take the best and leave the rest. Here are ten steps to face information explosion and make the best out of it.

Filter information

The most urgent problem of today is prevention of unnecessary information. On TV you have commercials, at your door steps you have leaflets, and on internet you have all kinds of ads. The first thing one need to learn is to employ filters at every inlet of information.

Measure the time spent on gadgets

Addiction to information and entertainment is dominating human life now. Measure the time you spend on TV, mobile phone, internet. Fix a time limit and try not to exceed the limit.  This should be applicable to all members of the family. It is better to maintain a written record to review oneself.

Allot time for human interaction

The time spent with family members is becoming lesser and lesser with every passing day. Every member of the family is spending more time with PC, TV, mobile phone etc. even while at home. Unless we deliberately allot time to interact with other human beings, our tendency to interact with gadgets will keep growing. This is most unfortunate as no gadget can ever replace human beings. Having dinner together and playing with children help us understand each other and make life more meaningful.

Help children to handle information

If you really want your children to be secured and safe, give them the right training to handle information. The next generation is going to have sharper, faster information invasion. Perhaps the most important education your children now need is to resist unnecessary and harmful information. Children may not obey you. But they will certainly imitate you, especially the wrong things that you do. The best contribution you can make to your children is not wealth but being a role model in handling information inlets like TV, mobile phone etc.

Don’t be a couch potato

There is a lot of talk about health hazards due to excessive use of TV, mobile phone, PC etc. There are arguments and counter arguments. But it is simple common sense that anything used excessively is bad for health. Sitting in a place and looking at PC or TV is certainly going to affect your blood circulation. Human body is meant for both thinking and action. It is good to spend time with nature-beach, mountain, riverside, lake anything that is possible. Spend time playing games, watching birds, admiring animals, walking in woods. This is good for health and keeps you away from gadgets.

Watch your budget

Keep an eye on your budget and check how much you spend on getting useless information in the name of communication or entertainment. Intelligent use of money and time on information and entertainment is helpful, but excessive use damages both mind and health. Irrespective of income levels, balancing the spending between basic needs, essential communication, information and entertainment is important for a healthy family.

Spend time with you alone

Ask yourself how much time you have spent alone without any gadgets around you. Even today there are people in some parts of the world live without electricity, TV, internet etc. Just imagine you are in a forest alone-simply nature and you. Still you can live and live peacefully. So take out time to be alone- Just you with you. This gives you inner strength. Realize your power as sentient and intelligent being. All materials around you are just dead without you. You need exclusive time with you to realize your power. You need to deliberately get away from the world of information to see your inner strength at least a few hours in a week.

Beware of information hazards

Always be alert on information hazards- For example, food and health information may be specific to a particular society and geography, may not be applicable to you. Tempting information may distract and eat away your time. Certain information may have deep psychological effects on you and spoil your day. It is important to have training to look for the correct information from standard sites and choose the required data to prevent distraction and wastage of time. It is useful to have open discussion with children and guide them.

Protect personal information

People in limelight are thrown out overnight due to leakage of personal information. Intruding in personal life has become a trend today. Taking care of personal information today is as important as health insurance. All your acts to become popular must always be with precaution on information that you share.

Keep the control with you

People in previous generations had to struggle to get information. Now our struggle is to restrict information. Today, the ability to prevent unnecessary information is a great value. Get information, but not get lost in it. Keep the control with you and make the best out of it.

-Arasu Ramanujam