Sthita Prajna Guru Vandana dhruvam devi mumuksunam nasti tattvam guroh param guroraradhanam kuryat svajivatvam nivedayet O Devi! It is the firm truth that the essential nature of the guru is supreme for the seeker of freedom – nothing is greater. One should worship one’s guru preceptor with complete dedication. – Guru Gita ***** 3 CONTENTS VOLUME 11 ISSUE 1 Sub Page No. • GURU VANDANA 3 • EDITORIAL 5 • MESSAGE FORM THE MASTER 6 • PRAJNANAVANI 8 • CHAKRAS IN THE LALITHA SAHASRANAMA 13 • PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY 16 • DATES TO REMEMBER 19 • TEACHINGS OF THE MASTER 20 • TENTH MAHASAMADHI DAY OF GURUDEV 21 • MYTHS AND METAPHORS 22 • THE YOGA SUTRA OF PATANJALI 25 • VALUABLE VOLUMES • VISHUDDHA CHAKRA 30 • THE CHANGING NATURE OF..... 34 • MYSTICISM OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS 37 • STORIES TO LIVE BY THE SINGING BIRD 40 • ATMA-VIDYA - PURSUING SELF KNOWLEDGE 42 • BALASHRAM HIGHLIGHTS 44 • 53RD BIRTHDAY OF BABA PRAJNANANANDAJI 47 • AROUND THE WORLD 49 • NEW BOOK RELEASES 2012 54 Printed and Published by Swami Achalananda Giri on behalf of Prajnana Mission, Printed at Graphic Art Offset Press, at Nuapatna, Manglabag, Dist : Cuttack (Orissa) and published at Prajnana Mission at Nimpur, P.O. Jagatpur, Cuttack-754021, Orissa. Editor : Swami Achalananda Giri 4 FROM THE EDITORS : “Life is a boat and love is the water. The boat of love can sail smoothly in the water of love.” Paramahamsa Prajnanananda In this issue “Message of the Master” talks of the Marvelous power of God and realizing it by meditation.In “Prajnanavani”, Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji elaborates on the question of faith. Practical spirituality discusses a tangible way to incorporate ahimsa or nonviolence into one’s daily life through diet. Rama Katha takes us to Sri Rama building the bridge on the ocean (Setubandhana) to cross over to Lanka and regain Sita. Paramahamsaji explains what real setubandhana is. Kaivalya Upanishad our series on Self Knowledge talks of the impermanence of the body and the permanence of the soul. Relevant excerpts from some of Paramahamsa Prajnanananda’s seminal works, “The Universe Within” and the “Changing Nature of Relationships”, continue elaborating on chakras, and multiple relationships. Yoga Sutra of Patanjali talks of the distinction between vritti nirodha and vritti laya. We bring you news of the Birthday celebrations of Guruji, the15th foundation day of the Mother Center USA and of the activities of Prajnana Mission worldwide. Hope you enjoy this issue and those to come. *** 5 MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER THE MARVELOUS POWER OF GOD Everywhere the open the coconut in a single marvelous power of god is motion, as they do in India. But, remaining. According to the you must know also that the Bible, in Genesis (1:27), “he coconut has three “eyes”: two made man and woman in his eyes in the front and one on own image.” this means that the top. The tree grows from you are the image of God—he the “third eye,” the one on top. has incarnated in the material If an iron rod is inserted at that world. In your whole body, god location, the rod will easily is remaining everywhere within penetrate in a moment’s time. you from the day you are born, Yet, if you push anywhere else, yet you do not feel that way the rod will not penetrate. Once because it was not taught. the rod has penetrated and is Imagine a coconut. If moved from side to side, the there was no shell to cover the entire coconut will open up. coconut, then there would be Your life is like the no coconut. The hard shell coconut, encased in its shell, protects the coconut, and, ready to be opened from the although you might not know it, top. Keep your attention there, there is a technique for breaking at the fontanel, all the time. open the coconut shell. Using Whatever you are doing, it is the technique, you can crack being done by him. 6 Since you do not feel that Rakshasim asurim cai ‘va the almighty father is hiding in prakritim mohinim shritah you, you must meditate. Moghasha means Meditation is so nice, so extreme desire, such as for beautiful, so divine, but you money. Moghakarmana means meditate very little. So, you forgetting god and doing work, should fix your attention in the and moghajnana refers to acting fontanel and remain there. according to one’s own mind Always make yourself with false knowledge. ready for god-realization. At every moment, you should ask So you should always your conscience where you are, watch. Watch the heaviness at whether you are there in the the top. Feel the pulsation fontanel or below the eyebrows. moving from top to bottom. See You should watch very the divine light and concentrate carefully, because, if you remain on the inner sound. Your whole below, then you cannot get god- body is god. You should watch realization. You must stay on the it. Without that power, you are top—that is your life. Otherwise a dead body. So your everything you are fiends (rakshasa) and is like god. When you forget demons (asura), as written in your whole body and the entire the bhagavad gita (9:12): world, then your whole Moghasha moghakarmano meditation is complete. moghajnana vicetasah *** Watch him day and night in your every thought, word and action. Constant alertness is necessary; if you do this you will have a positive and quick result. Paramahamsa Hariharananda 7 PRAJNANAVANI - THE VOICE OF WISDOM A QUESTION OF FAITH Prayer is the key to For some seekers of truth establishing and building our other questions may arise such relationship with God. Yet the as, “Does God really exist? If question comes up: “How can God exists, how can I know that I establish a relationship and He exists? Where is He? Or is feel love for someone I don’t He a She? A few days ago even know? How can I pray to someone forwarded me a very God?” These are very interesting e-mail, which I legitimate questions. Truly, the passed along to several people. only thing holding you back It was a story from the life of from this relationship is your a man who was a former own skepticism. So, if you are president of India. He was a skeptical, you must keep very prominent scientist and a analyzing your own questions wonderful man. At the top of until you have put all your this e-mail was written “Please doubts to rest. Then you can read this word for word. If you strongly affirm, “Yes God, I miss one word, you will miss believe and trust in You.” It is something.” The content of this at this point that your e-mail consisted of a lovely relationship will begin to dialogue between a professor flourish. and a student, and this student 8 was none other than the scientist stable, demonstrable protocol, who later on became the science says that you have no president of India. The brain, Sir.” This went on until professor, who was an atheist, the professor’s head began to posted the question, “Does God reel. Finally the professor exist?” Before the student gave declared that one has to take his response, the professor had these on faith. This ended the systematically justified, step by student’s string of questions, and step, why God cannot possibly he simply stated, “That is it exist. He was stating that Sir… The link between man and according to empirical, testable, God is faith. That is all that demonstrable protocol, science keeps things moving and alive.” says God doesn’t exist as He He was basically saying to the cannot be seen, heard, felt, professor that if he wanted to smelled, or tested by the sense know whether there is a God, organs. all he could say is that it is a With rapt attention, the question of faith. It will always other students sat silently, remain a question of faith since listening to the professor as he there is no one who can prove stated his case, all the while or disprove the existence of they were eagerly waiting to God, hear their classmate’s rebuttal. There is another When the professor finished wonderful story that also makes presenting his position the this point. Perhaps you have student began his response with heard the story of the wise man a counter question. Then, who was invited to give a talk without offering any of his own one evening at a local hall. opinions, he continued to ask Because he was so renowned question after question about for his wisdom and intellect, concepts and things we believe people came to hear him speak exist. For example, he asked, from far and wide. The hall “Is there anyone here who has was soon packed, and when it ever heard the professor’s was time for his talk to begin, brain, felt it, touched or smelled he stood up and told the it? No one appears to have done audience, “I have a question so. So, according to the that I would like to ask all of established rules of empirical, you. Do you believe in God?” 9 Since they all wanted to they thought, after hearing that please their esteemed speaker answer he would have to talk a everyone in the audience little longer to justify God’s unanimously replied, “Yes!” existence. Then, with a gracious The gentleman agreed to smile, he folded his hands, come, and soon it was time for bowed and said, “Thank you. I the program to begin once thank all of you for your belief.