Ananda Marga Dharmacakra (Group Meditation) & 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 Chakra begins with some spiritual or devotional songs followed by kiirtan (spiritual chant and dance), then silent meditation. Before meditating the following mantra 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 MINDS TOGETHER LET US SHARE, LIKE SAGES OF THE PAST THAT ALL PEOPLE TOGETHER MAY ENJOY THE UNIVERSE UNITE OUR INTENTIONS LET OUR HEARTS BE INSEPARABLE OUR MIND 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 BRAHMA NAMAMYAHAM This means: ETERNAL, PURE, INDESCRIBABLE ENTITY FORMLESS, WITHOUT BLEMISH OMNISCIENT, BLISSFUL CONSCIOUSNESS TO GURU-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 Cosmic Consciousness - the Supreme Entity. Guru Puja 1 Akhand-Mandalakaram Vyaptam yena characharam. Tatpadam darshitam yena Tasmai Shri 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 self- knowledge 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-principle, which is the very essence 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 individual 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 society, 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 collective 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 theory 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 existence”. 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 individuals. 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