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Dharmacakra (Group ) & Discourses of Shrii Shrii Anandamurtii on the Shlokas of Dharmacakra

Every week, usually on Sunday evenings, Ananda Marga groups in different locations hold group meditation, called 'Dharma Cakra', the 'Circle of Dharma'. Group meditation is very important for maintaining inspiration for spiritual practices. It also creates deep unity among participants and raises the spiritual vibration.

Dharma begins with some spiritual or devotional songs followed by kiirtan (spiritual and dance), then silent meditation. Before meditating the following is repeated collectively:

SAM'GACCHADVAM' SAM'VADADHVAM' SAM'VOMANAM' SI JANATAM DEVABHAGAM' YATHA' PURVE SAM'JANA'NA' UPA'SATE SAM'ANI VA' AKUTI SAMA'NA HRDAYANI VAH SAMA'NAMA'STU VOMANO YATHA VAH SUSAHA'SATI

The meaning is:

LET US MOVE TOGETHER LET US SING TOGETHER LET US COME TO KNOW OUR TOGETHER LET US SHARE, LIKE SAGES OF THE PAST THAT ALL PEOPLE TOGETHER MAY ENJOY THE UNITE OUR INTENTIONS LET OUR HEARTS BE INSEPARABLE OUR IS AS ONE MIND AS WE, TO TRULY KNOW ONE ANOTHER, BECOME ONE.

This shloka (verse) is sung three times before beginning the actual meditation. It is from the Rk Veda, composed 15,000 years ago. At the end of meditation the following mantra is repeated:

NITYAM' SHUDHAM' NIRABHASAM' NIRAKARAM' NIRANJANAM NITYABODHAM' CIDANANDAM' GURUR NAMAMYAHAM

This means:

ETERNAL, PURE, INDESCRIBABLE ENTITY FORMLESS, WITHOUT BLEMISH OMNISCIENT, BLISSFUL CONSCIOUSNESS TO -BRAHMA, SUPREME CONSCIOUSNESS, I PAY MY SALUTATIONS.

This can be followed by what is called Guru Puja, a process of mental surrender of the colours, or attachments, of the mind. A special mantra is repeated while each person offers mental "flowers" that symbolize their attachments, notionally laying them at the 'feet' of - the Supreme Entity.

Guru Puja

1 Akhand-Mandalakaram Vyaptam yena characharam. Tatpadam darshitam yena Tasmai Gurave Namah.

Akhand – unfragmented Mandalakaram – one infinite whole vyaptam – pervades yena – by which characharam – movable & immovable Tadpadam – That state darshitam – has shown yena – by whom tasmai – to that Shri – glorious; Guruve – guru, teacher Namah – my salutations.

My Salutations to that Guru who revealed to me that Truth, which is unfragmented, infinite, timeless divinity, and which pervades the entire universe – movable or unmovable.

2 Agyan timir-andhasya Gyananjan Shalakaya. Chakhur-oonmeelitam yena Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah.

Agyan – Ignorance timir – cataract andhasya – blinded Gyananjan – medicinal collyrium Shalakaya – collyrium stick Chakshur – my eyes oonmilitam – opened yena – by whom tasmai – to that Shri – glorious Guruve – Guru Namah – my salutations.

My Salutations to that reverential teacher, who opened my eyes, by applying the divine collyrium of - in my eyes, which had got blinded by the cataract of ignorance.

3 Gurur-Brahma Gurur-Vishnu Gurur-Devo Maheshwarah Guru Eva Para-Brahma Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah.

Gurur Brahma – Guru the Creato Gurur Vishnu– Guru the Sustainer Devo – the divine Maheshwarah – the Destroyer Eva - certainly Para-Brahma – the transcendental divinity (which is the very basis of all the three) tasmai – to that Shri – glorious Guruve – Guru Namah – my salutations

Guru himself is the creator, sustainer and the destroyer. He is verily the very transcendental divinity, (the timeless life-, which is the very of the creator etc.) My reverential salutations to that glorious teacher.

Saḿgacchadhvaḿ Shrii Shrii Anandamurtii 12 October 1978, Patna

Now there will be an interpretation of another common Vaedika shloka. It is,

Saḿgacchadhvaḿ saḿvadadhvaḿ saḿ vo manáḿsi jánatám, Devábhágaḿ yathápúrve saḿjánáná upásate. Samánii va ákútih samáná hrdayánivah, Samánamastu vo mano yathá vah susahásati.

“Saḿgacchadhvaḿ”. Here the prefix “sam” means “in the proper style”, “in the proper way”, “in the proper rhythm”. Now, everybody moves, everything as a whole moves, and each and every entity in its capacity also moves. And what is movement? Movement means changing place. Movement denotes velocity. The Saḿskrta root verb “gam” denotes velocity. It denotes life also. So each and every living creature will have to move. There is no alternative.

But not all movements are “saḿgacchadhvaḿ”. What is , what makes it up? What is samáj? “Samánam ejati iti samájah”.

“Ejati” means “gacchati”. For movement, for walking, there are several verbs in Saḿskrta – gacchati( 1), calati, carati, vrajati, ejati – so many verbs having different meanings and different imports. Now, here we have so many people moving together. Here “moving together” does not mean march or double march, here “moving together” means that all portions of society, all portions of the body, should have the spirit to move ahead. Suppose you have gathered sufficient money, and there is no dearth of food in your house, but the remaining portion of society, your neighbours, your friends, are suffering from a dearth of money, or food, or clothes. Then it means that you are not following the spirit of “saḿgacchadhvam”. “Saḿgacchadhvam” means to build a strong, well-knit society where there shall be no exploitation, no superiority complex or inferiority complex.

Just to represent the spirit of “saḿgacchadhvam”, I propounded the of PROUT. So the entire theory of PROUT stands upon this Vaedika sermon of “saḿgacchadhvam”.

Then “saḿvadadhvam”. In Saḿskrta the verb “va” means “to speak”. Everybody speaks, so what is the import of “saḿvadadhvam”? “Saḿvadadhvam” means that you are to be guided by that supreme Spirit that makes you speak in the same line, that is your language must not have any ambiguity. It should be free from all ambiguities. It should be clear, conclusive and decisive.

“Saḿvo manáḿsi jánatám”. “Vah” means “your” in the plural, “Vah” is old Saḿskrta, that is, Vaedika. In Laokika Saḿskrta, that is, later Saḿskrta, the term for “your” is “yusmákam” but in old Vaedika Saḿskrta it is “vah”. The root verb is “vah”. “As” becomes “ah”, that is, “as” and “ah” are the same thing, so it is “vah”. “Saḿvomanáḿsi jánatáḿ” means “vo manáḿsi sama jánatám”. You should know that the source of all creation, and also the source of all microcosm, is the Supreme Progenitor. You should know that from the Supreme Progenitor cometh all the microcosms. You should never forget this fundamental truth. The difference among the units is the difference in their microcosmic reactive momenta, but you should remember always that the source of all these microcosms is the Singular Entity, the Singular Macrocosm. Then the relationship among human beings will become closer and closer. “Saḿvo manáḿsi jánatám”. You should know this fact, you must not forget this fact.

“Devábhágaḿ yathápúrve saḿjánáná upásate”. Now, the word “deva” comes from the root word “div”. “Div” means “a divine ”. So “deva” means “a divine existence”.

Maharśi Yájiṋavalkya says,

Dyotate kriidate yasmádudyate dyotate divi, Tasmáddeva iti proktah stúyate sarva devataeh.

Those divine vibrations, those divine manifestations, the vibrating attributions of the Divine Father, are deva. “Devábhágaḿ yathápúrve” – that is “the divine vibrations of the past”. Why has the word past been used? Because from the very dawn of human civilization there have been these divine vibrations, and these divine vibrations know no differentiations. And in the actional sphere also, there have been no differentiations. Equality and parity have always been maintained.

Just see the case of air, light, water, respirations and everything. The need for these things is the same for all . There have been no differentiations. These differentiations that we see in society are creations of vested interests, creations of depraved persons, of degenerated, immoral people. So you should not support these actional defects of immoral persons. You should follow the divine vibrational system, that is, you must not try to find any differentiations among individuals. “Devábhágaḿ yathápúrve saḿjánáná upásate.” It is the wont of divine expressions that there be no differentiations, no class of exploiters and exploited. That is, this wont of not creating any differentiations was not only their duty, it was their upásaná, the desideratum of their existential march.

“Samáni va ákuti”. When everything cometh from the same source, from the same Progenitor, and when finally everything goeth back to the same desideratum, there must be the same aspirations, the same longing, in the heart of each and every individual. But due to the depraving actions of immoral people, those exploited, those downtrodden people are forced to forget their goal. They are drifted away from the desideratum of their life. This should not be done. Everybody should get the chance to develop their natural longings for Him.

“Samánáhrdayánivah”. When everything comes from the same Progenitor and moves along the same path towards the supreme culminating point, then should there be any cordial difference between man and man? No, there must not be. Everybody should be given the scope, or circumstances should be created, such that nobody gets the scope to feel that their future is sealed forever, is blocked. So let everybody feel that everybody in this expressed universe belongs to the same big human family. “Ek caoká, ek culhá, ek hyay mánav samáj”.(2) “Samánamastu vo mano.” All microcosms come from the same Macrocosm, and finally, all microcosms will become one with the same Singular Macrocosm. So, while they are in society, while they are in the phenomenal world, they should remember this Supreme truth: that actually they are one, one Entity expressing itself through so many different corporeal structures. And when this is done – and it is not at all a difficult job to do it - then what will it be? It will be a society in the proper spirit of the term. And this is the loftiest, it is the highest mission of all human beings. Those who do not recognize this fact, or those who want to forget this fact, are actually enemies of human society. Those who support casteism, racialism, provincialism, parochialism, nationalism, even internationalism, are enemies of the big human society. Human society is, rather should be, based on only one ism, and that ism is .

Footnotes

(1) The third-person form of the root “gam”. –Eds.

(2) for “One kitchen, one fireplace, one human family.” –Eds.

12 October 1978, Patna Published in: Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 3 Prout in a Nutshell Volume 3 Part 11 [a compilation] Nityaḿ Shuddhaḿ

Shrii Shrii Anandamurtii, 15 October 1978, Patna

There is a shloka of ,

Nityaḿ shuddhaḿ nirábhásaḿ nirákáraḿ niraiṋjanam; Nityabodhaḿ cidánandaḿ Gurubrahma namámyaham.

Nityam means “unchangeable”, that which is permanent, which does not undergo any change. That which is nitya is also known as deva [divinity, god]. Deva is the expression of Paramátman [the Supreme ] which is “Sarvadyotanátmakah akhańd́a cidaekarasah”, that is, “which vibrates everything, living or non-living, in the entire creation”. (Akhańd́a means “that which cannot be divided into pieces”. Cidaekarasah means “one who is cognition personified and who has the same flow from anádi [beginninglessness] to ananta [endlessness]”.) This is the meaning of nityam.

“Shuddham”. An object as it should be, in a condition or form as it should be, and remaining in that form or condition, is called shuddha. This word Shuddha is a relative word. Suppose pure ghee is prepared with all the necessary precautions. But will that pure ghee remain pure after ten years? No. So one cannot call that ghee pure, because it does not remains as it was. Even if there is no adulteration, it does not remain as pure as it was when originally prepared. It undergoes changes due to changes in time. So we can say that no object of this physical world can be called shuddha, or pure. Paramátman does not undergo any change and cannot be touched by impurity, so He alone can be called pure, or shuddha. He is pure for all time, and nothing else can be like that.

“Nirábhásam”. Ábhása has two meanings. One meaning is that, due to reflection, or refraction, something appears to be bent or misshapen. So, according to this interpretation, nirábhása will mean “that which does not undergo any reflection or refraction”. The second meaning is that which does not have any ábhása, any semblance, in other things or in other objects; that which cannot be conceptualized. This second meaning becomes more pertinent. As Parama Puruśa has the characteristic of reflection, His reflections on unit beings are the unit , or jiivátmás. There may not appear to be reflection, but reflection is there.

Still another meaning is that one may have some kind of of Him, even a very faint or minute semblance of Him, yet no one can claim himself to be another, or smaller, or duplicate, Parama Puruśa. So the word nirábhásam has been used here in this sense also.

“Nirákáram”. An object is created by the effect of the three guńas, sentient, mutative and static. What we see or feel, that which is perceivable, is known as matter, dravya. “Tava dravyaḿ Jagatguro Tubhyameva samarpaye.” Suppose we talk of the Himalayas. Though they are very vast, they have a limit. In other words, that which comes under the bondage of limitation has a shape or size. It is dravya, or matter. Dravya is that which has taken form. But the entity which is under no bondage of limitation, either of time, person or space, cannot be under any bondage of shape or size, so He is called nirákáram. “Niraiṋjanam”. Aiṋjana means black spot. So that entity which is spotless, or which has no black spots, is Niraiṋjana.

“Nityabodham”. Bodha means supported by the . Suppose you saw something wonderful – that was an experience for you. However, no idea of yours is connected to that experience which you had. So this is not bodha, or knowing. For example, someone sees a rainbow. That is a case of perception. The person, however, has no concept about the seven colours – therefore it is not a case of bodha. If a technician sees a machine, he can have bodha of the machine, but a layman who is not an engineer cannot form any mental conception of the machine. Budh + ghaiṋ = bodha. The entity who knows fully about each and every object, each and every mind, each and every jiivátmá, about everything in this creation, is Nityabodham. Nothing can be done which is secret from Him.

“Cidánandam”. Parama Puruśa is chiefly known as Satyam or Aparińámii – unchangeable or undergoing no metamorphosis. Cit means “cognition” – is known as Citi and the other Shakti is known as the Creative Principle. So Cidánanda is also the Cognitive Faculty or He who is always in bliss. He need not go anywhere in search of happiness from some other source. His [very] existence is bliss. Ánanda is cognitive bliss.

This is the quality of Parama Puruśa, that He has created the jiivas [unit entities], and it is a sort of conspiracy or drama of His to keep the jiivas in bondage. A playwright gives a particular role to a particular person. In such a way this Great Director of the Great Drama has involved everyone in his or her own way. In doing so He finds happiness, so that is what He does. He also does this to make things more interesting.

Actually, Parama Puruśa never means any harm by involving someone in a particular role. Say He has involved everyone in one or other role, and has picked a special role for Himself. In the drama He withdraws the bondage from a particular jiivátmá and liberates him or her. To place one in bondage and again release him or her is His liilá [inexplicable divine play or sport]. And He is absorbed in this liilá.

So no one should feel disconcerted about anything. All should know that He is concerned about their welfare. Just as parents are concerned for their child, so is He even more concerned for each of His children. Therefore, do not be afraid or perplexed under any circumstances. I have told you that you are never alone in this world – the Entity that guides the guides you also. Guru Pújá Shrii Shrii Anandamurtii 4 October 1978, Patna

Yesterday I spoke regarding the seven secrets of success as were told to Párvatii by Shiva. One of the secrets was “Gurupújanam.” I said that “pújanam” means the endeavour to acquire the attributional stance of Guru. And, regarding the import of the term, Guru, I said that “gu” means “darkness”, the spiritual darkness, the micropsychic darkness, and “ru” means “dispelling personality”. So Guru means “the personality who dispels darkness from the minds of spiritual aspirants”.

What is the meaning of the incantation that is used in Guru Púja? In that incantation the first line is “Akhańd́a mańd́alákáraḿ vyáptaḿ yena carácaraḿ.” I told you in Ánanda Sútram, “Brahmaeva Gurureka náparah”. The secrets of Brahma, His macropsychic and cognitive secrets, are known only to Him, and unless and until He expresses Himself through some physical form, how can His secrets be known to others? And that is why it is said, “Brahmaeva Gurureka náparah”. That is, Brahma Himself is the Guru. There cannot be any second Guru. His secret is known to Him only, and He expresses Himself through a framework, a form. Now generally people say that the form is Guru, but the form is not Guru, Guru is expressing Himself through that form.

As I have already told you, the expressed universe, this quinquelemental expression of this universe, is very big, but it is not infinite. While creating this universe of ours static Prakrti, the static attribution of Prakrti, had to be used and will be used. Because of the static attributions it cannot be infinite. Certainly there will be bondage because bringing something under bondage is the wont of static Prakrti. Further, because of its shape being to some extent elliptical, it is called “Brahmáńd́a” in Saḿskrta. “Ańd́a” means “oval-shaped”. “Brahma” + “Ańd́a” = “Brahmańd́a”, that is, “the elliptical expression of the Cosmic Entity”. It is the partless expression of Parama Puruśa, which is “Mańd́alákáram”. Parama Puruśa has this type of quinquelemental expression, the universe, and is all-pervasive in nature. Parama Puruśa is all-pervading. For this the English is “pervasive”, the Saḿskrta root verb is “vis” and that is why this all- pervading Entity is also known as “Viśńu”. “Viśńu” means all-pervasive.

“Tadpadaḿ darshitaḿ yena tasmae Shrii Gurave namah.” You also know that this all-pervasive Entity, this Viśńu, remains untouched by the microcosm. Microcosms cannot come into contact with this Entity without the help of Guru, who is the link between jiiva and Shiva. This link is also a part of Shiva, that is to say, Shiva is Guru. “Tadpadaḿ darshitaḿ” – this link, actually or noumenally, is Parama Puruśa, is Táraka Brahma. It is He who is to be followed. “Tasmae Shrii Gurave namah” means, “I surrender myself at your altar”.

“Ajiṋánatimirándhasya jiṋánáiṋjana shalákayá.” You know that an eye ointment is applied with a stick (“Shaláká” means stick). Now, all the microcosms are parts of that Noumenal Entity, all are actually parts and particles of that Supreme Entity, but due to ignorance, due to the darkness of ignorance, they cannot see what is what and which is which. That is why they require the ointment of spiritual knowledge. Guru (with a stick) applies the ointment of spiritual knowledge to their eyes.

Cakśurunmilitaḿ yena tasmae Shrii Gurave namah.

After the ointment of spiritual knowledge has been applied the eyes are opened. Then, “tasmae Shrii Gurave namah”: I surrender myself at your altar. Namah means to “surrender”. Namah refers to the process called “Namo mudrá”. It means that all my expressions, all my dexterities, which are expressed through my ten fingers, have been brought to a point. That is, I surrender along with all my capabilities, all my dexterities.

Gurur Brahmá, Gurur Viśńu, Gurur Devo Maheshvara.

“Gurur Brahmá”. What is Brahmá? There are three main functional expressions of Parama Puruśa. He is the Supreme Progenitor, all are His progeny; as the Creator He creates everything; as the Guardian He retains and nourishes everything. Every thing is in the environment of His creation. When He withdraws everything within the Nucleus of His existence then everything becomes one with Him. As Generator, as Operator, as Destroyer, He is GOD. The word “God” is made by taking the first letters of three terms.

Now, you know that whenever anything is done, a vibration is created. Whenever any vibrational action is done there must be sound, there must be light, and there must be other differential expressions. During the phase of creation, when He creates, the sound “a” is created. When He retains and nourishes the sound “u” is created. When He takes back everything the sound “ma” is created. So, “Aum” represents all the expressions of the Supreme Entity.

Therefore it is said in the Tripáda Vibhuti Náráyańa Shruti, “Prańavátmakaḿ Brahmá”. Aum is called “Prańava”. Now, when He creates, the sound “a” is created, so “Brahma” + “a” is “Brahmá” – “Gurur Brahmá”, the creative faculty of Brahma.

“Gurur Viśńu”. Already I told you that Viśńu means the “all-pervading”. He pervades with the help of Viśńu Máyá (Special Operative Principle).

“Gurur Devo Maheshvara.” What is deva? “Dyotate kridate yasmád udyate dyotate divi. Tasmád deva iti prokta iti sarva devatah.” All those vibrations, all those expressions, all the actional manifestations which vibrate the entire creation, leading it in the direction of the goal from electronic imperfection to nuclear perfection, are called “deva”. All the actional manifestations of the Supreme Entity are “deva” – there are many devas. But amongst them the Supreme Deva is the Supreme Entity and the minor expressions of those actional manifestations are called “devatás”. That is, the devatás are being controlled and supervised by the devas. Among the Devas, the greatest is Mahádeva, the deva that controls all actional manifestations. Mahádeva controls all actional manifestations within and without the microcosm and Macrocosm. You may say that everything is within Macrocosm. But “without Macrocosm” means that portion of Macrocosm, that portion of the Supreme Entity, that remains unmetamorphosed, that has not undergone metamorphosis. He is called Maheshvara or Mahádeva.

Maheshvara is He who has the power, the right and stamina to control the expressions of devatás and devas; that is, the withdrawing power is His. Whenever He withdraws anything from this world, we cry aloud, saying and thinking that that particular entity has died. But He has simply withdrawn the actional manifestations of so many devas and devatás. That’s why He is Maheshvara. And regarding Him it has been said:

Tava tattvaḿ na jánámi kiidrsho’si Maheshvara, Yádrsho’si Mahádeva Tádrsháya namo namah.

“O Maheshvara, we do not know what You are like or how you withdraw all the actional manifestations of so many devas and devatás. You have the existential faculty, the faculty of existing. And for that existential faculty we offer our namaskara. Your existential faculty is of some type – what type we do not know – but to that type we offer our namaskara.”

“Gurureva Parama Brahma.” The expressed side of Brahma is called “apara”, and the witnessing side is called“para”. When “para” becomes the witnessed side, the witnessing side becomes “parápara” – para for the para. Now, the Supreme Para, the Para of all paras, is “Parama”. That Guru, that expression of Parama Brahma that dispels all your spiritual darkness is Parama Brahma. That is, Parama Brahma exhibits Himself in the form of Guru just to dispel your clouds of ignorance and spiritual slumber. “Tasmae Shrii Gurave namah” – “to that Guru I offer my Prańáma.”

4 October 1978, Patna