the world renewal - may 2013 issue {english}

The World Renewal, May 201330

Often, people at once believe us when we tell themthe basis of our direct experience of God’s reality,relationship and presence. Indeed, some people ask

us: “If you have been able to experience God as vividly asone experiences the objects of the world, why can’t we? Asbodily beings, inhabiting a material environment around us,we cannot but receive the visual experiences when we openour eyes; likewise is with our other senses. But why are weunable to have such a vivid and distinct perception of God ifHe really exists? Why does He not demonstrate Himself, inHis overwhelming Majesty and Power, unto us, and for thatreason, unto all? Why does He not tear open the veil ofignorance of all and break upon the souls with a thrash to givethem a non-voluntary experiences?”

GOD DOES NOT REVEAL HIMSELF AS ATHUNDERBOLT

Such people, who put these questions, need to realise thatif, as they say, God revealed Himself to us in His full splendour,we, the weak souls, would be dwarfed to a non-entity by theirresistible Glory of His being and, moreover, man would,perhaps, be blinded by His Light as one would be if he,unshielded, saw, the blazing ball of light that bursts from anatom bomb, and he would be shaken through and through, inhis whole being, by His infinite energy. Thus the question ofHis revealing in the manner, as suggested, does not arise.

So, it should be known that God, by His very nature, treatsmen as responsible persons, respecting their relative freedomand autonomy. For the sake of creating a personal relationshipof love, regard and trust with the human creation, God doesnot force an awareness of Himself upon them. It should not,therefore, be difficult to understand that overriding humanmind, by demonstrating His presence, would be against Hisnature, will and intention. It would frustrate His very purpose.He does not force men to love and know Him by the ‘coercion’of His logic or His Glory, for His purpose is to win their

From the mighty pen of Sanjay

GOD – AN EXPERIENCEDREALITY

CONTENTS

(...Contd. on page no. 31)

Rates of Subscription for‘‘THE WORLD RENEWAL’’

INDIA FOREIGNAnnual Rs.90/- Rs. 1000/-Life Rs.2,000/- Rs. 10,000/-Subscriptions payable through MoneyOrder/Cash or Demand Draft (In thename of ‘The World Renewal’) maybe sent to:

Om Shanti Printing Press,Shantivan-307510,

Abu Road, Rajasthan, INDIA.For further information regardingsubscription, please contact:Mobile: 09414006904, 09414154383

God – An Experienced Reality ................................ 3

God's Wisdom For Self-Empowerment (Editorial) ............................ 4

Go Into the Depths of Purity .................................. 9

A Tribute to Revered Sis. Dr. Anila .................... 12

Vice of Virtue .................... 13

Prowess of His Pen ........... 15

A Tribute to Revered Bro. Jagdish Chander ......... 17

Destiny and Determination ................... 18

Inspiration ........................ 19

A Phone Call to God ......... 20

The Perfect Competition ... 22

The Perfect Relationship... 24

The Five Ws ...................... 26

God's Justice .................... 28

A Unique Personality – B.K.Jagdish Chander Hassija . 29

Small Acts of Kindness ..... 30

Inspiration Anywhere ........ 34


The atmosphere ofany place getscharged automa-

tically by the vibrations of itsinhabitants. The Head-quarters of the BrahmaKumaris has always been asource of inner power wheremany, many BK sisters andbrothers gather from time totime to participate in avariety of Programmes,Festivals, Celebrations andMeditation events.

One such important eventhappens to be the AnnualGodly Service Meeting,which is held yearly in thesecond week of April. Forthe year 2013-14, themeet ing was held a tShantivan Complex from12-19 Apri l wi thparticipation of about 1200Sisters and 500 Brothers,which included our mostrevered Dadi Janki j i(Administrative Head ofBrahma Kumaris), DadiHirday Mohini ji (AdditionalAdministrative Head), DadiRatan Mohini ji (Joint

Administrative Head), andsenior brothers and sisters,including Zone- and Sub-Zone In-Charges, and theChairpersons , Vice-Chairpersons, NationalCoordinators, MadhubanCoordinators of variousGodly Service Wings ofRajyoga Education &Research Foundation.

The entire programmewas planned very carefullyto mainta in highests tandards of posi t ivevibrations, for which ourrespected Dadiji and seniorsisters and brothers wereinvited to participate inpowerful deep meditationsessions, as well as sharingof Godly wisdom ondifferent subjects in thedaily morning as well asevening sessions. About25% of the meeting timewas earmarked for spiritualdiscussions, while theremaining 75% was spent inexploring newness in Godlyservice and reflecting on theprevious year’s achieve-

ments and experiences.Everyone enjoyed thiscombination of both aspectsof Brahmin life, whichcontributed towards eachone’s spiritual reju-venationand emerging of newinspirations for the serviceyear.

Different themes for theYear were posed in severalmeetings, where the successof last year’s project ‘OneGod, One World family’was also recalled andcomplemented. Thesuggestions promptedchurning on a fresh themewhich would empowerindividuals to face currentlife-challenges by receivingGod’s power, exploringone’s inner peace and thenusing the same for globalharmony. So accordingly,the theme: ‘God’s Wisdomfor Inner Peace and GlobalHarmony’ has beenselected as it is distinct, andclearly focused on the aimof transformation so muchneeded by individuals andsociety.

We wish to share ,through these columns,some of the reflections aswel l as Godly serviceplans for the benefit of ourreaders:

GOD’S WISDOMFOR SELF-

EMPOWERMENT

Editorial

5The World Renewal, May 2013

Platinum Jubilee Yearculminated in a beautifulfinale event in October 2012,at Shantivan, and wasattended by Vice Presidentof Nepal in particular.Several Media Channelscovered the events withinterest. The 3-day eventsincluded presentation ofYagya History and portfolioof the 18 Service Wings.

Youth Wing aims to host aFestival for 10-12,000 youthin Shantivan this year. ACyclothon will be organizedin all major states spanning10-30 days. Mahadev NagarCentre, Ahmedabad, hasconstructed a Youth TrainingCentre which wasinaugurated on 21 April atthe hands of Hon’ble ChiefMinister of Gujarat, Mr.Narendra Modi, andRajyogini Dadi Janki. TheCentre can host 50 trainees,and also houses a Libraryand space for CounsellingSessions.

Internet is a powerfulmedium for spiritual service

but needs to be understoodand used according tosystems; committees are setup to ensure the rightinformation and experiencesare shared with the BKfamily and public.

A number of ForeignCentres celebrated theirSilver Jubilee last year. The12-jyotirlingam exhibitionhas been well-received infew cities of USA. Russiaand CIS countries hostedChildren’s Competitionswhere 8000 childrenexpressed Values throughart and film.

A new ‘Learn Meditationsite’ has been started toexpose new aspirants tointroductory lessons, andfamiliarize themselves withRajyoga Meditation:

www.learnmeditationonline.org

Future of Power initiativethat was started by Br. NizarJuma of Kenya has reached19 cities of India, and aimsto reach 32 in the comingseason. It is a Dialogue thatis carried out amongst

prominent leaders andcitizens of the host city.Power had remained inBharat for 2500 years,where love ruled the land,but is now in the hands ofother countries that believepower to be measured byfinances, missiles etc. Whentrue spiritual power returnsto Bharat, will we be readyto claim right over it? TheInitiative aims to prepareinvolved leaders for thesame.

BK Urmil of Palam Viharhas helped create a DVDthat collates the servicesrendered by the 18Wings, which will be agood aide for Centres whenthey plan to hostprogrammes forprofessionals and contactsouls.

Jurist Wing is eager toorganize a conference on‘Crimeless Society’ for 5-10,000 Jurists to helpaddress and curb thegrowing rate of crimesagainst women in particular.

ABRIDGED REPORT OF SERVICE ACTIVITIES OF YEAR 2012-13& PLANS FOR 2013-14

(Detailed Information May Be Obtained From The BK Centres)


Godlywood Studio iscompletely set with allfacilities and is busy inservice. About 1100 hours ofmaterial have been recorded,175 hours of which havebeen aired up till now.

Peace of Mind Channel ispresently transforming 15crore homes all over Indiaand the world.

Radio Madhuban is servingthe nearby community (up to200km distance) greatly, aswell as over mobile andwebsite, 24 hours a day. Avariety of 25 programmesare presented by a team of35 servers. They arepleased to never air anynegative news.

Global Hospital &Research Centrecontinues to be a beacon ofcooperation, love and care.In 2012, 1 lakh outpatientstook benefit; 55 villageswere served by 45volunteers; 4000 eyeoperations were carried outapart from all other services.

Nursing Diploma Course iscontinually offered, and DegreeCourse is being readied. Theyhave received permission to

carry out Post-GraduateTraining Course for Doctors.

Trauma Centre, Talhetiattended to 40,000 eyepatients in the last year;patients from as far away as100 k.m. come for treatment.Many doctors refer heartpatients and paralysis casesto Trauma Centre, whichpresently is looking intoacquiring a CT Scanner andservice of a Neuro-Surgeon.

CAD (Coronary ArteryDisease) digressioncamps continue to trainpatients effectively inmanaging the heart. Doctorsin connection with the BKCentres can come for thetraining to help expand thesuccessful work of the CADproject.

Medical Wing is finalisinga project on ‘Addiction-FreeIndia’.

Education Wing sharedprolific work of the ValueEducation Course inobtaining MOUs withvarious Universities. About12,000 students havecompleted the P.G. Diplomaand M.Sc. Degree Course

till date. Gujarat Governmentis considering introducingValue Education in all itsUniversities.

Project Clean the Mind,Green the Earth has donewell over the past threeyears. World EnvironmentDay will be celebrated inHyderabad this year. 108locations have beenidentified in Schools,Colleges and Universitieswhere saplings will beplanted and oath to sustainthe same will be taken.

Seeing the popularity of3D films these days, a 20-minute 3D film onMeditation Experiencehas been developed that canbe shown on a 3D projectoror 3D TV.

Rural Service Wing sharedupdates on the servicethrough Perpetual YogicFarming: 500 farmers arepractising this aroundBharat. BK Farmers will beinvited for further training sothat they may implement thesame in their places. A 3-minute Cartoon Show hasbeen created to illustrate thebenefits of Perpetual YogicFarming. A Campaign to


Empower Rural Women willbe launched in October2013.

Solar Project nearShantivan: 250 workers areon site; 300 dishes are partof Phase 1, out of which 270are ready and frames for 300will be set before theMonsoon. This project ismaking people acknowledgethe Brahma Kumaris as ascience-oriented spiritualinstitution.

Sonepat Training Centreconstruction has begun on 8-acres land; 6 seminar halls,2 accommodation buildingsand one auditorium are partof Phase 1.

Indian Government has madeit mandatory for all residingvisitors (Indian or Foreign)to Madhuban complexes toprovide personal details andfill in Entry Forms.

Non-Violence as theHighest Religion has beenchosen as the theme toclarify facts of the God ofthe Gita. A committee ofenthusiastic and learnedBKs/Contacts has been setup to discuss the variousevents to be organized under

this theme.

There is an overall interestand need for a Museum/Art Gallery/Laser Showon Yagya History to beconceptualized andcrystallized, near Shantivan.

The Meeting broughttogether senior instruments whoembody a valuable reservoir ofrich and refined experiences.We present a few gleanings oftheir wisdom:

“We ourselves benefit whenwe work in peace. Thesakash of subtle spirituallove is helping one anothermove forward. Servicethrough the face andbehaviour is possible whenthe mind is peaceful andintellect is pure.”

“The love we have receivedfrom Baba increases when weshare it. When words of lovedo not emerge from our lips,understand that there issomething wrong. Connectionsand relations should not spoil, soremain loving and detached.”

“The one who makes effortwill achieve. create a naturethat cares, shares and inspires.To remain tension-free is a

matter of honour. Sankars andour inner nature are also partof the five elements; when wedo not want to be subservientto the elements, how can we besubservient to our own nature?”

“Time is on one side, Baba ison the other, and I am inbetween. There is no questionabout how should we moveahead… the One to make memove is doing His task. I simplyhave to follow directions.”

“When there is love for theYagya and for honesty, I will useeverything in a worthwhile way,and inspire others to do thesame. The fruit of sowing seedsin Madhuban Yagya is unique.”– Dadi Janki ji

“Never consider yourself tobe alone. Baba has seatedus in His heart, so we cannever be alone. When youare alone, Maya attacks.Carry on in the combinedform. Call Baba sweetly andwith love and He will beappear.

“When you speak, let theface be cheerful and powerful.Let others feel that you haveaccumulated power, and theywill be interested to follow thepath.


“Every night, check whetheryou imbibed the points ofknowledge that Baba shared inthe morning Murli. See that theintellect is churning knowledgeeven while performing actionsor sitting in yoga.”

– Dadi Gulzarji

“See each other as part ofthe same family, andunderstand each one as theyare. Maintain pure feelingsfor all. Let us only rememberwhat Baba tells us andimplement the same in ourlives. Only then will ouractions become divine.

“Baba’s signal for us topractise the bodiless stagerepeatedly and naturally w i l lbe of good use in the finalmoments. This practice willincrease and elevate ourthought power, and allow us tomaintain pure feelings foreveryone.” – Dadi RatanMohini

“Our spiritual love is notartificial or for mere show.Baba sustained us with soul-conscious vision andattitude; He gave us spiritualbirth on the basis of love, andit is this love that is makingour Confluence-Aged life

elevated.”– Dadi Kamal Maniji

“Brahma’s thousand armsare highlighted in thescriptures, and so BrahmaBaba must be so happy tosee thousands of his armscome together in unity andlove. We all belong to Baba,we are helping carry outBaba’s task, and Baba is theOne giving us strength toaccomplish the same.”

“No matter what the personor situation may be, we shouldnot let go of contentment. Wehave to give to others and notexpect to take. When specialattention is given to Amrit Vela,obstacles cannot come beforeus. Centres can become freefrom obstacles when theyfollow Madhuban routine.There is benefit in moving insync with experiencedinstruments.

“We are able to satisfy twosides only when we listen towhat both have to say andthen make a decision.Remain unbiased and walkthe path of truth. Be readyto return Home.”

“It is good to have a ‘don’tcare’ attitude towards

insignificant issues and notmake them a big deal. Seethat every little matter doesnot enter your awarenessand wedge itself in yourthinking.”

It is not wise to assume whata person is like based on oneof their sanskars. Let us notcreate new accounts withanyone because we cannotreturn to Baba withoutclearing our karmicaccounts. Sustain others notonly physically but subtlety/spiritually as well. We posegreat expectations of othersbut spend less time fulfillingthe hopes that Baba has inus.”

The finale of the Meeting wasthe icing on the cake with aspecial get-together at TapovanFarm from 6-9 p.m. on 18thApril evening. After powerfulpractice of silence, B.K. Sis.Asha and B.K. Bro. Brij Mohaninterviewed our respectedDadijis, which was followed byBrahma Bhojan and SpiritualRaas. Everyone felt fullysatisfied, refreshed and happyto return to their service fieldsto continue with God’s task.

– B.K. Nirwair


Q: I think Dadi is here inLondon to help us increase theintensity in our transfor-mation and to bring changefaster as time is getting closer. Dadi mentioned this morningthat we have to have thedesire to change and only thenwill the change happen. Dadihas brought spiritual sunshineto us and this can allow thenegativities to be burnt andthe change to happen. We areall here so we have theintention to change but whatdo you mean by saying that wehave to have the desire tochange?

Let me ask you all…. Do youhave the intention to change andthe intention that it has to happennow and here? When we use thelanguage such as ‘ought to’ wewaste time. At whatever levelwe have arrived at so far, wehave had to work hard to getthere. In the world too, thosewho study very well, earnthousands and yet there or somewho do not earn even enough toeat. Some are so lost in the

intoxication of this study… ‘I,the soul, am deeply quiet andpeaceful inside’. There is adeep sense that whatever ishappening, Baba is getting itdone, He is bringing abouttransformation within me andthere is no feeling of effort. Become deeply quiet andpeaceful, if you wish totransform. Baba is so beautifuland has explained that whichno one else was able to do. Hehas given us the knowledge ofyoga to consider you to be asoul and keep freeing yourselffrom the awareness of thebody. Mahatma Gandhi had theprinciples of non-violence andtruth but was not able to inspireothers to be the embodiment ofthe same. Here we inspireothers and Baba gives us evenmore power! Power bringstransformation and there is thesensation that I want toaccumulate even more peacewithin me. Effort is about not wasting

time, effort and money.Defects make me weak and

so I need to take power to finishthem. Yoga brings that powerand also a deep sense of beingempowered.

‘Shakti’ power that wereceive from God bringshappiness and the weaknessesleave me. So let me alwaysstay happy and see my fortune. Things come to test us but if Iwork at it, I make myselfunshakeable and immovable. Don’t consume your time andenergy in unnecessary mundanematters. When we use theseand money in a worthwhileway, then energy isaccumulated. Baba has Hisown bank and however muchyou accumulate in it, you willreceive interest accordingly, sokeep accumulating and you willearn from it for 21 births and ithappens when there isdisinterest. When we go into thedepths of the point and tacklethe root of something, thenthings change.

There are three valuablethings…time, energy andmoney and at thisConfluence Age use all threein the best way possible.

Who agrees with this? Whatis energy and where does itcome from? When you haveenough energy you can alsogive it to others and then nomatter how far someone is fromyou physically, they will receive

GO INTO THE DEPTHSOF PURITY

(Q&A with Rajyogini Dadi Janki ji,Chief of Brahma Kumaris on 23.4.13 evening

at Global Co-operation House, London)


it. Through this you become adonor and a great bestower ofblessings. There is a song: Godremoves the sorrow of the onewho removes the sorrow ofothers. Baba then observes thatthis child has attainedimperishable happiness and is aworthy child and a worthy childbecomes worthy of receivingan inheritance.

Q: You have said Dadi,“God is a powerful mirrorand we can change ourselvesby simply looking at thismirror. Is it this simple?”

For me this is the experiencethat is helping me move forwardconstantly, each day. It isBaba’s wonder. He does somuch and yet says that He isn’tdoing anything. There is somuch experienced from the oneform of Baba’s where he istotally lost in that high stage,churning deeply and diving intothe Ocean of Knowledge. Heonce said to me in the earlyhours that he was busypreparing the food ofknowledge for the children andso from that day on between4am - 8am it has becomeimportant for me not to comeinto sound but to churn deeply.There is so much benefit inputting into practice what Babasays, and by doing so, weremain busy in our churning anddon’t have time to see what

others are doing. It is a privilege,an honour and a source ofhappiness. London is anexample. We started off with£40 and look where are wetoday! These are laws of God,not those concerning legal orfinancial matters and they bringmuch benefit. Those laws aremade and people don’t evenfollow them. Royalty demandsto speak less and only thatwhich is real and truthful so thenpeople can follow the things yousay. It is not by telling orteaching others that peoplelearn, but people learn when welearn, through watching Baba.

There are five things topay attention to, to bring intoour lives:

Just as the five vices are allinter connected …lust, anger,attachment etc, If there is theslightest lust, there is anger forsure and this dries up all truth. With greed, whether for positionor for money, all dignity isfinished. All these vices have animpact and my bhavna (goodwishes) for all of you is that ifyou have even a trace of those,you will not be able to takepower from God and the poweraccumulated from service untilnow, will be snatched awayfrom you too. Then thehappiness that comes frombeing in the gathering and thesespiritual relationships will not be

there. Within the Godly familywe have done such goodkarma and are yogis. We havehelped others to become this tooand so experience the fruit of itall. Baba is the one who hasmade the effort as TheGardener and all of us areeating the fruit. If Baba had notput that work in and sown theseeds, then where would thefruit have emerged from. Babawould say that it is the grace ofthe gardener who has fed usthis fruit of gyan (knowledge),yoga and service. To finish the 5 vices totally

we need PURITYGo into the depths right now

of what purity is…in thoughts,eyes and attitude let it drownyou. When we have puritythe connection with Baba isinstantly forged and powerstarts flowing. This is yoga.There is nothing else to it. When there is purity there isHONESTY. One with totalhonesty doesn’t quibble(complain) about anything. Purity helps us to have yoga andthis brings the power of truthand then we come intointeraction with everyone withPATIENCE. We often reactwith people because of our oldimpressions. We have aconnection with God who is TheTruth and He shows us thecontrast between truth and


falsehood and opens our eyes. Truth brings power and as weuse patience we become veryMATURE and wise. Thenthere is SWEETNESS. Withpatience and sweetness comesHUMILITY. Not thesweetness that charms peopleand makes people fall over you! Secret conversations are thebiggest sin and the urn that wasfull will not become less. TheFather says ‘children you arethe destroyers of obstacles’. Just as Baba is the Lord ofInnocence he is also the GreatDeath… all we need isrealisation. Why have somenot raced ahead and created astage free from obstacles? Onewho has a stage free ofobstacles, Baba would say ‘thisis my special child’ and willbeckon them with His warmthand say’ come, child come’. Wehave to make ourselves worthyand of this calibre. Let me dothis. Even if one child does thisHe can uplift multimillions. So- who will become this?

Q: How much do wedepend on Baba fortransformation and howmuch do we need to doourselves?

Just learn to let go. It isessential to be dependent onBaba and He is always availableand present. It is my job to havecourage and He will help me. It

is a big mistake to getdisheartened and expect help. We have only reached this fardue to our courage and Baba’shelp. Experiment and see…the Lord is pleased with anhonest heart. If your intentionis clean and there is the thoughtthat ‘I want to do this’…thethought will definitely takeform. Then it doesn’t taketime. How many have thisexperience? If we let go ofcourage we become limp andcannot move forward fromwhere we are at. Remember,this wonder of God should bewitnessed. See the wonder ofthis – it is a game and if yourheart is honest, the Lord will bepleased. It is a Godly law andeven if there has been a severemistake no one can do anythingas the Lord will be on yourside. Keep up the courage andkeep going. Whatever mistakehappened, just don’t repeat it.

Q: When you want to assisttransformation do you uselove or law?

If I were to use the laweveryone would run away andno one would come in front ofme! Even when I have noteven said anything, many willnot come in front of me. Theones, who do come, do sobecause there is love.

Q: What is the differencebetween respect and regard?

If someone doesn’t have selfrespect and I correct such a one,they will run a mile!. If I givethem regard then they will comeclose and will be willing tolisten.

Q: At what point do youcorrect if you need to?

By giving them love, in frontof me at least there is nothingto correct! Didi Manmohini wasan expert on love andlaw…..and she would suddenlyappear in the kitchen, alert andaccurate and the atmospherewould become attentive. Theones who have love and lawinside them can give to others. If you do not follow laws thenno one will listen to you whenyou want to correct others, butwhen you follow the law you areable to give love and make thelaws attractive for others tofollow as well. If I keep mythoughts pure everything willwork in its own time. For thiswe need patience and truth andmove along with great humility. At the end of the day there isvictory for truth and truth willbe saluted and those with truthwill dance in happiness. Ialways say Destruction is infront of me and I never ask‘why hasn’t it comeyet?’….Now I ask Baba to putSatyug on hold as there is somuch good happening now atthe Confluence Age. In the


Golden Age we are descendingand now is the time of ascending,so let’s extend it - we are enjoyingit!

Q: Your Bhavana for peoplenever decreases in fact it alwaysincreases, and so how can wedo this too no matter what isgoing on…..how can wemaintain this high Bhavana forothers?

In every aspect we needbalance and then maintain thatbhavana in this Godly task. Someone can become cooperativeand someone can become yogi andthe task is just the means for thisto happen. Baba is sitting thereshowing us everything. I want tosay sincerely that whatever hasbeen wasted up until now that isdrama, but now do what you canwith what you have. What do youneed to sleep but a simple bed anda simple heart. My room hasnothing extra, clean tidy and neatand see the kitchen too. Baba’sroom has always been like this. Simple and clean. The power ofpurity, peace, love and knowledgemake us stand tall. When we havepurity there is peace. The lovethat comes from that type of peaceand purity is what gives‘knowledge’ to others. Do thistype of service…this is what Babahas asked us to do. I have thissincere hope that the divineexperiences that I have had, youwill also have.

A Tribute to Sis. Dr. Anila

Bapdada’s invaluableand serviceable jewel,B.K. Sis. Dr. Anila (elderSister of Senior B.K. Bro.Ramesh Shah) ofMumbai left her mortalcoil and went intoBapdada’s lap on 14thApril, 2013 at ApolloHospital, Ahmedabad.Though she was 85, shehad no major health problem. She had a suddenheart attack at 7 p.m. and breathed her last withinhalf an hour.

Dr. Anila was fortunate indeed as she had gotspiritual sustenance of Brahma Baba, JagdambaSaraswati (Mamma), Didi Manmohini and DadiPrakashmani. The family of Shanta Mata (Motherof Dr. Anila and Bro. Ramesh) was instrumentalfor starting Godly services in Mumbai and all ofthem remained surrendered from the verybeginning. Being a doctor and a caring, carefuland compassionate soul, Dr. Anila used to takegood care of the divine family, not only physically(by treating and giving medicines) but alsospiritually. Thus she got blessings from the wholeBrahmin family. She had come to BKsHeadquarters, Shantivan, Abu Road along withB.K. Bro. Ramesh, for attending Annual meetingof B.K. teachers.

Our heartiest tributes to such a noble soul!


Spirituality, the ultimatepath to self-improvement, has to be

one where we shift ourconsciousness from mortal toimmortal, from being entrappedin a physical consciousness tobeing in soul consciousness, andultimately from vice to virtue.Because the absolute transfor-mation has to be one in whichthere is not a single destructive,damaging or detrimental thought;the ideal being we aspire to be,one who has no negative words,feelings and attitudes. Theultimate choice always has to bevirtue over vice.Let’s try to understand thetransformation process:Desire is the root of all ourproblems! There is a differencebetween desire and ambition orpursuing a goal. Desire is anuncontrollable craving. It is whena desire becomes a need that itspirals out of control. Inevitablythis kind of obsession leads usto do anything in our power tosatiate that desire. In attemptingto fulfil this desire we mostlyturn to the old habits of anger,greed, attachment, ego and lust.

However, to become the idealbeing that we aspire to be, wehave to sublimate thesenegative traits into peace,happiness, love, truth andpurity.Turning anger into peace:We know quite a few thingsabout anger…Anger is asecondary emotion, which, insimple language, means thereis something else bugging youbelow the surface, whichmanifests as anger. It is a cryfor help – we see babies gettingangry when they want someattention or when they havesoiled their nappy, and as adultswe have continued this samebehaviour believing it will getus what we want. Anger is alsoa form of control – anger is amanipulative way of controllinga person or situation. Angerparalyses the person who is theobject of the anger and almostalways makes them give in tokeep the peace. In the presenceof an angry person, one alsotends to feel guilty forgenerating their anger, unlessone has high self-esteem andcan clearly see the difference

between one’s own behaviourand the angry party.

When we are at peace, weare in control of our inner worldwhich is reflected in our outerworld. We need not controlanything outside of ourselves –it will not/should not make adifference to our inner world.We are naturally content.Roaring exhausts, your partnerslurping soup, childrenconstantly bickering, theneighbour complaining, theweather being ‘tempera-mental’; most of these thingscan be tolerated with innerpeace. We don’t try to fixpeople or situations but we gowith the flow. We try to controlthe outer only when there is noinner control. A restless mindcreates a restless environment.Turning greed intohappiness: Greed is a kind offorgetfulness of our true self!True wisdom is when I realizethat I indeed am self-sufficient;I need nothing more fromoutside myself to complete me.Greed creates the illusion thatmore is better and is bound tomake me happier… but it is abottomless pit. Accumulatingfurther assets does not satiatethat hunger. Because that is notthe hunger of the soul – it wouldbe akin to feeding someone afive-course meal when whatthey really wanted was a glassof water.

VICE TO VIRTUE‘It’s Time©’ by Aruna Ladva,

B.K. Publications, London


Real happiness comes fromcultivating inner contentment.Knowing that I have all that Ineed right here inside of me.When we learn to be happy andcontent with whatever wehave, then with that energy alot more will automaticallycome.Attachment to love: In thename of love we are attached,clingy and get sensitive easily.True love needs to strengthenand support, not weaken. Andbecause it is not true love butfear-based, we feel the need tohold on, or to attach ourselvesto someone. Loving someonemeans to allow them to be, nottrying to carve out and perfectthem – this is attachment.Attachment to a particularimage or an image you havecreated of them inside yourhead – and now you are tryingto match the two. Free themfrom the clutches of yourexpectations. Where there islove, the person will return –where there is attachment, thesoul will feel suffocated andlook for freedom elsewhere.Ego to Truth: Ego is a falseimage of our self that crumblesvery easily because it has noreal foundation. We create it toreplace the shortage of real self-respect. We also embellish itwhen we feel we want to provesomething or have power over

someone.In various ways we have

given our power away and thushave little power left. We havemade so many mistakes that weare ashamed of now trying tolive the truth as self doubt keepscreeping in. It’s almost as if wehave to begin again – begin anew life; a life of complete truth.When we are living our truth,when we are honest, we neednot prove anything to anyone.We are perfectly steadfast inour beliefs.Lust to Purity: Lust is adilution of the soul. There is lustfor sexual gratification, lust forpower, and lust for food. Theimportant thing to understandabout lust is that it is an energythat is generated from outsidethe self and we rely on someoneor something external to get theneed met. The euphoria we getfrom achieving the object of ourdesire quickly dissipates.

We need to return to the

state which is pure,unadulterated, untainted,unmixed, authentic, and original.And I can only do this byutilizing my own inner reserveand God’s light; not someoneelse’s. As I “unpollute” the mindand heart, I clear out the oldmemory tracks and delete all theold files of pain and sorrow sothat only the goodness remains.It’s Time… to make a shift inconsciousness from mortal toimmortal. It’s time to sublimateour weaknesses and aspire tolive a life of peace, happiness,love, truth and purity. We haverelied on these weaknesses(anger, greed, attachment, egoand lust) for too long andreceived too much pain as aresult. It’s now time to exercisevirtue; it has a longer shelf lifeand is more rewarding. Clearout the old files, the old memorytrack, so in response to anygiven impulse, you will only havethe good to retrieve.

HAPPINESSIt is the art of living, the purpose of our existence. Happinessis the true index of quality of life. Without happiness, life is dryand meaningless. With happiness, life immediately becomesfulfilling and wonderful. Happiness is such a feeling thatimmediately lifts the sagging spirits of people. Happy peoplekeep themselves happy because they know the little ways toappreciate themselves and to see the humour and magic ineach moment.


Bro. Jagdish ChanderHassija was born in thesacred city of Multan,

famous for its Sufis and saints,on 10th September 1929. Hewas a bachelor and asurrendered Brahma Kumar.Before dedicating his life forspiritual services, he served asPrincipal in a Technical TrainingInstitute in Sonipat, for a briefperiod. Greatly inspired byPrajapita Brahma, founder ofthe Brahma Kumarisorganisation, he turned tospirituality and dedicated his lifefor this divine cause. He was agreat litterateur and had thedistinction of writing most of theliterature of the BrahmaKumaris organization. He wasalso its Chief Spokesperson andChief Editor of The WorldRenewal, Gyanamrit and Purity.

Bro. Jagdish Chander used totake keen interest in thedevelopment and progress ofB.K.brothers and sisters, andpaticularly kumars. Wheneverwe used to go to meet him, heasked not only about our physicalwell-being, but also spiritualendeavours and steps being

taken for development of theself and the novel ways ofspiritual service of mankind.His qualities of head and heartendeared him to many aspiritual seeker. On manyoccasions I met and discussedwith him about Godly servicesand ways and means of self-development.

When I joined Diploma inEnglish-Hindi, Hindi-Englishtranslation conducted by DelhiUniversity, Bro. Jagdish wasgreatly pleased to know aboutit and commented that it wouldbe of great use in Baba’sservice. During the course, wehad to translate one book fromEnglish into Hindi, for whichBro. Jagdish Chandersuggested me to select aspiritual book. I selectedRajyoga: New Beginnings byB.K. Ken O’Donnel, publishedby the Brahma Kumarisorganisation. By Baba’s grace,I topped Delhi University in theexamination and then met Bro.Jagdish for his guidance. Heshowed deep interest andenquired in detail about theprocess of translation.

Soon therafter, Thought forToday translated by me fromEnglish into Hindi waspublished by the Brahma-kumaris organisation under thetitle “Aaj Ka Vichar”. As Bro.Jagdish Chander had also seenthe manuscripts of “Rajyogaaur Gyan Ke Ratan” and“Bhagwan Ka Saathi”(Hinditranslation of Rajyogini DadiJanki’s book ‘’Companion ofGod”), both translated by me,he greatly appreciated theprofessional quality of thesecompositions. He asked me if Icould spare some time fortranslating one English bookwritten by him, into Hindi, buthe wanted it urgently. I humblyinformed him that I could notspare much time but would tryto translate as much as possible,in the available time. It was sobecause those days I wasworking as a senior executivein National Insurance CompanyLimited, New Delhi. Being ona senior position I had to devotea lot of time in discharging myduties effectively and

PROWESS OFHIS PEN

– B.K.Ranjit Fuliya, Associate EditorA Tribute

Bro. JagdishChander Hassija


efficiently. The book was about advent

of Incorporeal God Shiva in thephysical body of Dada Lekhraj,who was the founder of OmMandali and later becamerenowned as Prajapita Brahma.I translated some 25 pages ofthe book which I handed overto Bro. Jagdish ji, for hisperusal. He called me afterabout a week and told that hewas really impressed by thequality of the translated matter.Feeling a bit hesitant, he furthersaid,”Brother Ranjit, seeing thequality of your professionalwork, I would have liked to getthe whole book translated byyou. But, brother, I don’t havethat much time and cannot waitnow. So I will use whatevermatter has been translated byyou”. Perhaps he had plannedto get the book published on theauspicious occasion of aforthcoming festival. Thematter translated by me wasincluded in the final version ofthe book which was soonpublished.

He was open to new ideasand wanted that novel methodsof Godly service should beimplemented. Once we,particularly KUMARS of VikasPuri Centre, New Delhi, underthe guidance of B.K.BrotherRam Nath, planned that theBrahma Kumaris organisation

should take part in World BookFair which was held at PragatiMaidan, New Delhi once in twoyears. Brother B.K. Avinashand B.K.Pradeep enquiredabout the process ofparticipation, booking of stallsand charges etc. Since Bro.Jagdish Chander was head ofthe literature department andChief Spokesperson of theBrahma Kumaris organisation,he was approached forapproval to participate in theBook Fair. He informed us thatit was not possible for him toarrange the funds required forbooking the stall and othermiscellaneous expenses. Hesuggested that we should bearhalf of the expenses and thisproposal we happily agreed to.We participated in the fair withgreat zeal and enthusiasm andthe event proved to be aneffective means of spreadingGodly message to millions ofpeople in many countries of theworld. Thus started theparticipation of the BrahmaKumaris organisation in theWorld Book Fair, and it hasthereafter been almost a regularfeature. This idea was in factmy brainchild which I had beenfollowing rigorously for quitesome time, and by Baba’sgrace, got successful in itsproper implementation.

Bro. Jagdish Chander’s

conduct and behaviour left adeep imprint on the souls whohad a chance to meet him. MrRobin Ramsay, eminentAustralian actor whoparticipated with Bro. Jagdishin international spiritual serviceprogrammes, vividly remembershis contribution, particularly hisremarkable service during theCentenary of the WorldParliament of Religions, held inChicago, U.S.A., in 1993. MrRamsay was impressed byintellectual acumen, dignity andsense of humour of Bro.Jagdish. Mr Ramsay furthernoted that though Bro. Jagdishheld high position, he had greathumility and worked at thegrass-roots level witheverybody. He was particularthat things should be carried outin an appropriate and specificmanner. He was a creativeperson and was alwaysenthusiastic about newapproaches to Godly Service.

We are really indebted toreverend bro. B.K.JagdishChander for providing ustreasure of spiritual knowledge.I was particularly overwhelmedby the spiritual servicesrendered by him when Ireceived a message ofappreciation from a newlyintroduced soul named B.K.Brother TD Joseph fromBangalore. Brother Joseph


writes:William Arthur Ward said:

“The mediocre teacher tells. Thegood teacher explains. Thesuperior teacher demonstrates.The great teacher inspires.”According to this yard-stick, BKJagadish Chander is a greatteacher—I am the proof.

Attracted by BK Shivani’svideo program, when I took upthe seven-day Rajayoga coursewith the Brahma Kumaris, I soonrealised that I have touched thegold-mine of Godly Knowledge.But I had many obstaclesknowledge-wise as I was a hard-core Christian with a Jesuittraining, who had also workedwith a Bible-researchorganization for about twodecades. All these obstacles wereevaporated when I began to readBK Jagadish Chander’s booksone by one, and finally hisSPIRITUAL MISCELLANYtoo – a small Encyclopedia ofGodly Knowledge.

He is really a versatile writer–depth and clarity with which hepresents Godly Knowledgethrough various secular subjectsare simply amazing, and leave youcomplete. What inspired me themost was his deep love of Babathat lies at the root of his writing!He was like a lamp that kindledmany other lamps. The over-allmessage conveyed with his lifeis that Godly Knowledge and love

Reincarnating in this world–old and viciousBestowing His knowledge–newest and auspicious

God’s advent esoteric for world transformationThrough Brahma’s medium commences rejuvenation

Ongoing is the real Gita and Mahabharata episodePurifying the souls and guide them Supreme Abode

Holding mirror of Godly knowledge came a noble soulWell versed in scriptures, attaining God was his goal

Then God’s grace favoured this young scholarHe recognised God and became prime follower

Dedicated his life,completely to the cause divineThe drops of Godly knowledge brought sunshine

He churned, contemplated, applied Godly versionsGod reposed in him – removal of worldly diversion

Feel of super-sensuous joy through Godly communion Media-Literature used in socio-spiritual transformation

Showed the mirror of knowledge to blinds of ignoranceCalled ‘Sanjay’ of Mahabharata-fame for Godly revelation

Also named ‘Ganesh’ for being destroyer of obstaclesHis unique churnings breaking superstitious shackles

Like Dadhichi, donated in service, his each and every boneMany a soul he carved, sharpened skills on intellect’s hone

He was incarnation of unlimited service and economyHeartiest tributes for his efforts for world harmony!

A TRIBUTE TO REVEREDBRO. JAGDISH CHANDER

– B.K. Yogesh Kumar,B.K. Colony, Shantivan

of Baba are proportionate,meaning the more GodlyKnowledge one imbibes, themore love of Baba will begenerated. He was the man forhis time– a real gem that Babaused very mightily.”

– JosephbhaiIt was bro. Jagdish Chander

who performed the task of

conveying the Godly messageto millions of people through hisessenceful writings and he wasrightly given the title ‘’Sanjay’’by BapDada. Let us rededicateourselves to the divine causeand work sincerely forconveying the message ofGod’s descent , for creatingheaven on this very earth.


I have been an avid viewerof a highly popular T.V.serial in India, by the name

and story of an ancient Indianemperor, Chandragupta Maurya.From a very young age, he wasmotivated and mentored by aBrahmin named Chanakya.Chanakya was a person ofsteely determination, doggedtenacity and colossal wisdom.There is a famous story aboutChanakya. One day, when hewas only few years old, he heardhis mother crying. He asked herthe reason of crying. She saidthat, “It is written in yourhoroscope or the palms of yourhand that you are destined to bea king. So, you will then forgetyour mother”. On knowing thisreason, immediately Chanakyatook a knife and cut with it deeplines on his palm . Then he saidto his mother, “Look, I havechanged the lines of my palm; Ihave changed my destiny and soI will never become a king”. ThisChanakya was the kingpinbehind guiding and enthroningChandragupta Maurya.

He changed not only the linesof his own “fate” or “destiny”

but also made the fortune of hischosen disciple, ChandraguptaMaurya, by building the greatMauryan empire that sprouteda legendary period in the historyof India in terms of culture,architecture, politics andstrength—all becauseChanakya had the vision andthe determination.

Similarly, each one of us isborn with various dreams anddesires and has a lot toaccomplish. But the questionarises whether we wish toaccept whatever life offers usby taking it as unchangeabledestiny or whether we arewilling to create our owndestiny.

Even in recent times, thereare many examples of personswho wrote their own destiny.There is the example of SteveJobs, who had 700 patents tohis credit and is eminentlyknown as the creator of AppleComputers and iPhones. Hewas poor and not able to affordcollege education. But hetrusted himself and workedassiduously at what he lovedand we all know that his

company Apple Inc. is perhapsthe most valuable franchise inthe world.

There are also manyexamples of famouspersonalities. J.K. Rowling, theauthor of Harry Potter, whowas penniless and divorced,trying to raise a child on her ownbefore she wrote a novel,became one of the richestwomen in the world.

The above examples remindus of the fact that though manypeople in the world believe indestiny and despair, yet thereare a few people in the worldwho choose to be masters oftheir own destiny. On the otherhand, there is also a section ofpeople, mostly highly educatedin science, who do not believein destiny at all.

DESTINYDestiny means a

predetermined course of eventsor fate. The term destiny isnormally applied to a person’slife or human affairs in theworld. In India, it is believedthat on the sixth day after achild is born, “Vidhi” comes andwrites in black and white thedestiny of the child. Thus, mostpeople put the blame on God oron destiny when they faceextreme circumstances andchallenges in life. Most peopleeven say, “I am destiny’schild...”, when they feelvictimized in vicissitudes. Such

– B.K. Nalin Pithwa, Mumbai

– B.K. Nalin Pithwa, Mumbai

DESTINY ANDDETERMINATION


a belief can only help giveconsolation; but, the questionremains, if there is sorrow inpersonal or professional life, whatis the method to get rid of it? But,“Vidhi” means “method”. And, themeaning of God or “Bhagwan” is“Bhagya-Vidhata”, meaning theone who is the Maker of Fortune,or more appropriately, the One whoreveals the Vidhi or method ofcreating an elevated fortune. Thisis also what is said in the Gita. TheGita Sermonizer says “O’ Arjun! Iteach you Rajyoga, the method ofcommunion with Me, and throughpractising Rajyoga, you will becomeKing of Kings.” Rajyoga makes aperson the ‘King’ or the Master ofhis or her own destiny.

DETERMINATIONIt is said that determination can

turn impossible into possible.Determination means to have firmfaith in the self despite dauntingcircumstances. Determinationmeans firmness of purpose orresoluteness.

‘God helps those who helpthemselves’ is a popular saying thatemphasizes the need ofdetermination, courage and self-initiative. If one has faith in himselfand acts according to the divinelaws, then he will always have theblessings of God. Such a personwill be able to carve out a beautifuldestiny for himself, irrespective ofany adversity or obstacles in his life.

– B.K. Puja Budhani, Nainital

When road is rough and the walking is uneasy,When grasses are sharp and feet become red andgreasy;When you might stop and won’t cover even a bit,Then stop for a while, rest but never do quit.

When days seem to be thorns in flowers,And life becomes volley of icy showers;And you feel that happiness will never be in your pit,I suggest take a shelter, but never do quit.

You want to smile but only thing you do is cry,When you want to climb and target is too high;You may think it a failure and accept the destiny’s writ,Then think of the rewards and scale but never do quit.

Success is too far and failure is all you have,And instead of your tries, things remain grave;Thoughts might come, to stop and take a quick exit,But remember, success has a price, and never do quit.

When things are all downhill and shaken,And your strong will is low and broken;It might seem as final blow, the last hit,But I say, stick to the fight, you must not quit.

Life is not only smile, but mix of ups and downs,It always has not the happy ones but also has sadclowns;Failures and falls are only the true test of your grit,And it is when nothing is right that you must not quit.

Only then, yours will be the world and time,Only then your name will be sung in the hymn;Only then you will command your destiny, as its king,And be immortalized as the one who feared nothing.

INSPIRAINSPIRAINSPIRAINSPIRAINSPIRATIONTIONTIONTIONTION

Creative Online Poetry Competition(Held in November 2012)


Rita: Oh God! I amhappy to get your line.I thought your line

would be very busy as manypeople would be talking to you.

God: Oh’ Sweet Child! Myserver has the capacity to handleinfinite calls simultaneously.Scientists are still trying to inventsuch a server. But my phone isalways free.

Rita: Very nice to hear from you.I have called you to

tell you a veryi m p o r t a n tthing. Myneighbour hasr e c e n t l y

purchased an ultra-slim LCDTV, which is very attractive. But,my husband is very old-fashioned.’He says ordinaryTV will do. I am very muchconfused.

God: Oh my child! I am yourFather! First of all, you shouldrealize that I am an Ocean ofHappiness, Love and Peace.You, too, are the embodimentof same virtues. I am sure youare searching for happiness in

external things though it is yourown treasure.

Rita: Father, I am aware. Iwant happiness. I am ready tostop searching for happiness inexternal things. Please guideme further.

God: Remember, you are aneternal soul, full of happiness,love and powers. The only thingthat you need to do is to awakenyour inner treasure.

(Savitri is calling Rita onphone and finds the linebusy. Ritaobserves thei n c o m i n gcall anddecides tocall back)

Rita: My Father, I aminterested. But my prepaidbalance is running out. Shall Icall you back later, if you don’tmind?

God: Oh child! Don’t worry. Iwill call you from my sky line.

Rita: That’s great. I amdisconnecting my cell phone.(Disconnects the line)

Few seconds later……

Rita calls back Savitri .....

(God tries Rita’s number fromHis sky line but finds it busy.)

Rita: Savitri, I just had aconversation with God, it isamazing. You can also try to talkto Him. His number is……

Savitri: Don’t worry, I will takethe number from you later. Iwant to share a news, my sonhas scored 2nd rank in his finalexams.

Rita: Good! Congrats! Weshould celebrate.

Savitri: No, dear, my son isupset. His father scolded himfor not getting 1st Rank.

Rita: What a pity! Oh God!

God is trying Rita’s numberfrom His sky line 2nd time andfinds the number still busy.

Savitri: Rita, there issomeone at my door. I’ll call youlater. OK, bye!

Rita: Bye. (Disconnects theline)

(Rita suddenly remembers herhusband John. She calls him.)

Rita: Hello, I’m on line.

John: (without seeing the nameof the caller) Who is calling?

Rita: Hello, are you asking me‘who is calling’?

A PHONE CALL TO GOD– BK Ganesh, NOIDA, U.P.

Rita : A home-maker John: Rita’s husbandSavitri: Rita’s friend (Names are fictitious)


John: (realizing his mistake)Sorry, sorry. I’m very busy. Tellquickly why you called.

Rita: I called just like that.

John: Just like that?

Rita: Hope you have takenlunch by now. How was thenew vegetable dish?

John: Rita, our boss is dishingout everyone here. There is notime to talk about your dish.

Rita: Am I disturbing you?

John: (feels bad). No, no. I’llcall you later. ( disconnects theline)

God tries Rita’s number 3rd

time and gets her on line now.

God: Hello!

Rita: Hello! Who is on the line?

God: Oh child! Forgotten sosoon? I have been trying yournumber for the last 15 minutes.

Rita: Sorry Father, I was busyin some important calls.Please continue. Where did weleave our conversation?

God: My sweet child! I wastelling you that you are aneternal soul, full of innertreasures—love, happiness,peace etc.

Rita: Yes, yes, I can recollect.

God: Remember me. I am apoint of Light. You are also apoint of Light. Soul regains itsenergy by connecting to me. Itis like recharging the battery.

Rita: Nice to hear. Youmentioned battery; it remindedme of my search for a goodbattery for my cell phone. Canyou please suggest some goodbrand?

God: Don’t worry about that.You can enquire that from yourfriend Savitri, who has recentlypurchased new batteries. But,coming to the point, soul regainsenergy by connecting to me, theSupreme Soul. Do you get it?

Rita: Yes, Thanks for your tips.But I am a very busy person,probably you do not know.How can I connect to theSupreme?

God: At times, you are busy intrivial things. Time will never beavailable; it needs to be takenout for important things.Can’t you spend 10-15 minutesout of 24 hours to enjoy ever-lasting peace, love andhappiness?

Rita: Sure. Please guide mewhat I should do.

God: For your benefit, I havealready established BrahmaKumaris Centre in the streetnext to your home. Visit it asquickly as possible. Remember,Now or Never. Also, take Savitriwith you.

Rita: Very nice talking to you.I am disconnecting the linebecause I am afraid yourphone bill will shoot up.

God: All my incoming andoutgoing calls are free.Whenever you want to talk tome, just give a ‘missed call’. Andtake care.

Rita: Thank you God, Thankyou very much! I will surely visitthe ‘Centre’ in the evening,today.

Silence is the great teacher, and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it. Thereis no substitute for the creative inspiration, knowledge, and stability that come fromknowing how to contact your core of inner silence. The great Sufi poet Rumi wrote,“Only let the moving waters calm down, and the sun and moon will be reflected on thesurface of your being. — Deepak Chopra


Often we wonderwhether therules of success have

really changed in the world welive in today. Just a few yearsago it was believed that Truthalone prevails. But do we havethat faith in this statementanymore? Or is it just a sayingreserved for the purpose ofsaying and hearing but not to bepractised. When we look around,we see that, those makingprogress in life do not reallyseem to follow this policy anymore. And those who follow theprinciple of being honest, truthfuland being good to others getdefeated in many a field of life.

We all know the differencebetween right and wrong but aswe move along the journey oflife, the dividing line begins togrow blurred. The desire tosucceed makes us lose touchwith reality and we succumb tovarious pressures. Soon webegin to follow what we call thelaw of competition, i.e.,knowingly or unknowinglypulling others down, takingcredit for others’ work, doingthings which show us in better

light than others, becomegreedy and stop sharing God’sgifts with His less fortunatechildren. Soon we loseourselves and our innocence inthe race of acquiring materialpossessions. We feel pressuredand pulled from all sides. As westruggle to maintain our sanity,it is time to stop andcontemplate the meaning oftrue success. Why does lifeseem such a burden, devoid ofpeace and happiness?

When it’s essential to facethe competition in order tosucceed, and we aredoing what everyone is doing,then why are the things notgoing right? Even afteracquiring everything we everwished for, why don’t wefeel contented in the truesense? Why does money notgive us the happiness that wewant?

It is because every actionhas an equal and oppositereaction. What we sow, soshall we reap. When we sow aseed of hatred, be it on a verysubtle level, it grows into atree of hatred, and gives us the

same fruit. A seed of hatred andjealousy can never reap afruit of love and happiness. Thisis the eternal law of karma.Even when we don’t realize, thelaw of karma is at work everysecond. We keep building ourbalance sheet of karma withevery thought and every action.

What is success in the realsense? Is it measured interms of the materialpossessions we have or whatpeople think about our socialstatus? Can success be equatedto holding a position of power?Is success really an outwardthing or is it the inner stateof being? Let’s take a momentand look back at our lives. Whatare the moments that areclosest to our heart? Is it whenwe acquired a new materialpossession or is it when weshared true happiness withsomeone or when we helpedsome needy person? Whichmoments will matter the mostto us? If we think again, howwould we define true success?

May be we are running sofast in the race of life that wehave forgotten what we arerunning for. We keep running,trying to get ahead of others,collecting material possessionsand seeking pleasure in them tillwe hit an obstacle and fall. It isthen that the time forces us topause and think about what wehad been doing so far and what

THE PERFECTCOMPETITION

– B.K. Shikha, Pune


really matters in life. We take time to sit back andcomprehend only when the turn of time forces it upon us.But why wait for the time to give us that break?

The fact is that we truly live in a world of perfectcompetition. We always know when we are right and whenwe are not. There is an instant satisfaction or dissatisfactionthat we derive out of every action, and our actions alsoget accumulated in our balance sheet of karmas whichstays with us till we settle it down, be it positive or negative.Sometimes, certain things, whether good or bad, happento us and to others around us and when we cannot explainor understand them with our limited vision, we often put iton fate or destiny or start blaming God. But, karmicphilosophy tells us that nothing in life happens without areason. The law of karma is accurate to thelevel of thought, and no action can escape it. What weperform today creates our future. With the limitedperspective of present physical customs and circumstances,we can’t really comprehend the functioning of the law ofkarma.

Each and every action of the soul is getting recorded inthe infinite Drama being played out on this World Stage.The more we give happiness, the more we get it in return.Things turn in our favour when we expect it the least.Whatever good things we do, come to our rescue whenwe are truly in need and when no materialpossessions of the world can help us out. This is thepower of good wishes given by souls who receivedhappiness from us.

So, we can benefit ourselves and others around us byunderstanding and living our life according to the invisiblelaws of karma and upholding the universal laws of peace,love, happiness and truth. Truth has immense power whichmakes us fearless. We, then, don’t need anyone’s approvalfor our acts because we know we are on the right side.

So, let’s think again. What is success and what is it thatwe really seek? Are we not living in a world of perfectcompetition where we don’t need to ask for justice as itwill prevail? The only thing we can do is not to lose faithand keep moving on the right path.

THE ART OFTHE ART OFTHE ART OFTHE ART OFTHE ART OFFORGETTING INFORGETTING INFORGETTING INFORGETTING INFORGETTING INRELARELARELARELARELATIONSHIPSTIONSHIPSTIONSHIPSTIONSHIPSTIONSHIPS

Sometimes, someone sayssomething in two minutes thatmakes you feel really bad – they

said it in two minutes but it is still thereinside the register of your mind twomonths or even two years later. Howcould they! Who do they think they are!Something happened in two minutes andyou remember it; you repeat it again inyour mind and in your words duringinteractions with others. You keepreplaying the scene repeatedly in yourmind. Just like an action replay of acricket match, you see the replays fromdifferent angles and judge the scene inmany different and negative ways andcome to different conclusions, most ofwhich are negative in nature. With this,you strengthen that experience in yourmental register. Memories and theexperiences associated with thememories replayed continuously in theconscious mind enter your sub-conscious, so that even after a longperiod of time you remember what theysaid to you. The other personunburdened themselves and forgot itstraightaway.

It’s like your neighbour who takes outrubbish, throws it outside his house, intoyour compound and forgets about it andyou allow that rubbish to remain there,without thinking of getting it cleaned.Someone throws a few words at you andthey forget, but not only do you not forgetbut you repeat them in your mind tosuch a point that at times these actionreplays do not even let you sleep. Weneed to learn the art of forgettingmemories that generate shadows ofhurt or pain in our present. The pasthas already gone and what you have nowis the present moment.


Relationships are the mostbeautiful part of ourexistence, as actors in

this World Stage show. Thefragrance of love is sensedthrough relationships. Anindividual plays many roles in hislife; role of a son, a brother, afriend, a partner, a parent... asit enters into a variety of phasesin life. Nevertheless, theessence of every relationshipremains the same, to share love,respect and trust, sense ofsecurity and feeling oftogetherness. Harmony inrelationships leads to peace,happiness and contentment inour lives. Unfortunately, what’sconsidered “ideal” is rarely foundto be “practical” today? Thepractical aspects of today’srelationships are compromise,insecurity, bondage, resentment,blame games etc. Why this hashappened is a different part ofthe story, but the question ariseswhether even at such times, canwe expect a perfectrelationship?

A perfect relationshiprequires unconditional giving.And “giving” here does notrefer to things or material

objects. It refers to beingconsiderate, empathetic, caringwhole-heartedly andempowering others throughvibrant feelings and goodwishes. Today, we are in a raceof getting material things—demanding, acquiring andbegging from others. Also,today we care for things morethan for people. Nevertheless,we still need relationships. Andwe want all our relationships tobe perfect. For, after all, weare human beings, notmachines.

The nearest, deepest, andmost compassionaterelationship that a soul can haveis with the Supreme Soul.That’s why we often rememberHim as our parent, even thoughwe have physical parents.Even in the darkest and themost distressful times, when weare all alone, abandoned byevery being on the earth, He’sstill right there with us. In HisCompany, we feel secure, wecan confide in Him, and expectlove, peace, consolation, andstrength coming from His side.Uniqueness of God (lovinglyaddressed as Shiv Baba or

simply Baba, meaning “thebenevolent father”, in theBrahma Kumaris spiritualparlance) is that He can play allthe roles and that too perfectly.He can be a Father, a Mother,a Friend, a Sibling, a Partner, aChild and a Teacher. All weneed is to recognize and realizethis capability of Baba.

Baba is the Ocean of virtuesand is the perfect Giver. Anyoneestablishing a relationship withBaba feels His compassion andpure love. This good relationspreads goodness in all otherrelations. Connecting with the“Giver” makes us a “giver” too.Once we are able to spread thisaround us, our otherrelationships become strongertoo. Of course, this is just anadditional benefit of establishingrelationship with the Supreme.

In any relationship,communication is veryimportant and all the more itshould be in the same language.In meditation the language isthat of silence and innersolitude. We are able to listento Him only when we curb allour internal noises – noises ofWhy, What, How and differentcacophonies of anger and ego,and surrender ourselves to Him.The question now arises if sucha perfect companion is availablefor all, why can’t we feel theessence of this communion atall times? Or why does this

THE PERFECTRELATIONSHIP

– Sushant Rajan Mehta, Gurgaon


relationship fall weak? To havethis relationship fully strong, weneed to be in the right form ofconsciousness. Baba isimmortal, eternal, and so arewe. We are not these mortalbodies. These are just thecostumes that we are wearingto enact our roles in this worldof five elements. Originally, weall are souls. The soul can bevisualized as a point of light inthe centre of forehead. A driverdrives a car, but the driver andthe car are two separateentities, in the same way, thesoul drives the body, but isdifferent from the body. To bein this awareness, is called beingsoul-conscious. The soul is anon-physical entity whichcannot be sensed through anyphysical means; but it can berealized. The next step inestablishing a strong relationshipwith God is “to be aware of theidentity of God”. Just as we allare souls, He is a soul too. ButHe is the Supreme Soul. He issupreme in qualities andattributes. His acts are alsosupreme. He can be visualizedas a tiny point of scintillatinglight, living far above this

physical universe, in a world ofgolden-red light, often referredto as “Paramdham” (TheSupreme Abode) or“Shantidham” (A place ofabsolute silence). This is also theplace, from where we, the soulshave descended to play ourrespective roles in this WorldDrama.

We establish a subtlerelationship with Baba throughour peaceful thoughts.Consequently, we feel His pureand powerful vibes coming ourway. Start with a somewhatpeaceful place and focus yourattention in the centre offorehead between theeyebrows. See yourself as atiny point of Light beautifullyshining in the centre offorehead. This is “I”, the soul. Ithe soul gently move away fromthis physical body and fly highabove into the open sky, freefrom all bondages, radiating mybright light all around. As Imove into higher regions ofplanets and stars, I enter intoanother dimension – a home fullof soft golden red light, a homeuntouched by any impurity,unlimited-home, and the home

from where I have come. Thisis the place where Babaresides. As I meet Baba, I canfeel rays of peace and lovecoming from Him. He is like abeautiful sun shining brightly andspreading soothing rays ofpeace, love and joy. Open yourheart out in this silence andlisten to what Baba wants tosay. Baba welcomes us wholeheartedly as if He is saying“Sweet child, you are my long-lost child, I am your EternalFather, all my goodness andsweetness I want to shower onyou”. Communicate yourfeelings and let this beautifulrelationship prosper in thissilence. As the soul experiencesthe attributes of God, it beginsto fill itself with the unlimitedpeace and contentment, withthis meditation my thoughtsbecome more concentrated andfocused. As I think of the formof light and the qualities of God,I discover variety of relationshipwith God. I can see Baba as theFather and Mother, as theTeacher, the Supreme Satguru,the Guide, as Companion,beloved child.

Depth of Humility: Depth of Humility: Depth of Humility: Depth of Humility: Depth of Humility: Humility means to understand the self and through that tounderstand others as well. Humility is the attitude where a person is not attached to his or heropinion and feelings. Humility is the most natural expression of truth. It helps in better understandingof truth. Humility is the basis for maintaining self-respect. Humility does not mean bowing downand being subservient to others. It allows you to see benefit in everything. Developing humilitybrings a lot of comfort and ease into your life


Often, Maya comes in theform of questions likeWho, What, Why,

Where, When, and makes aneffort-maker to spin in circles ofuncertainty and doubt. If weobserve closely, these questionshave their roots in the soil ofbody-consciousness. Hence,whenever such questions springup in the mind, it means our feetare touching the harsh materialground. Now, the questionarises how to deal with thesequestions and regain our calmself.

WHOUsually this ‘Who’ baffles

one in the form of: “Who is heto tell me this”, “Who is he tojudge my capabilities”, “Who ishe to lecture me”, etc. All of ushave experienced that suchquestions do arise in our mindfrom time to time. We usuallyexpect others to act or behaveaccording to our expectations orwant others to be mouldedaccording to our own valuesystems. But we need to realizethat each one is unique anddifferent and a beautiful child ofthe Supreme, Shiv Baba. Weneed to respect and accept

others just as Baba accepts Hischildren unconditionally. Everyperson that we meet helps usto know more about ourselvesand help us in our personalgrowth. Rather than reactingnegatively to people and events,we can accept them and mouldwith them. We must see themas ‘teachers’ who are testingus according to drama, in orderto develop our strengths andremove our weaknesses.

WHATThis kind of doubt arises in

the form of: “What do theyknow about my conditions/parents/in-laws?”, “What is theuse of doing this/that?”, “Whathas one achieved even afterspending so many years inGyan”, etc. The reason suchquestions arise is that one is toomuch dependent or attached tothe situations. He forgets thatthey are his creation and that itis in his hands to create hisdestiny. Before becomingBaba’s child, one was unawareand powerless to conquer thesituations. But now, Babateaches His children not onlyhow to conquer them, but alsofills each child with His

immeasurable powers. So,continually asking suchquestions means that one hasnot realized what he hasachieved after belonging toBaba. Baba is ready to take allthe responsibility of His children.Many times Baba says , “OSweet child of mine, you onlyneed to take one step forward,and I’ll help you thousandtimes”; but it is the child who ishesitating to gather the courageto take that first little step.Hence, one needs to havecomplete faith and experienceas to how Baba helps himchange his destiny.

WHYSuch questions are quite

common and disturb one in theform of “Why Me?”, “Why hasthis happened to us?”, “Why didBaba not save us from this?” etc.The answer to such questions isthat Drama is fixed, accurate andis beneficial. ‘Nothing but onlygoodwill comes out of it’. Hence,recurrence of questions indicatesan effort-maker’s lack of faithin the Drama. Drama has shownone the most beautiful andfortunate scene of union withGod, the opportunity to be withHim and be free from all thewrong-doings of the past. Eventhen if one is unable toappreciate the beauty of theDrama, then it’s his lack of visionthat is barring him fromprogress.

THE FIVE Ws

– BK Chitralekha, Ashok Vihar, Delhi

The Five Ws ... subtle tools used by Maya to confuse anddistract effort-makers


WHENWe usually ask, “When will I achieve this?”, “When

will I be able to get out of this problem?”, “When will Ibecome complete?”, “When will the destruction happen?”etc. When such questions arise, it indicates that the effort-maker is tired, or stuck at some point in his spiritual journey.Also, it shows that one has not yet learnt to enjoy Baba’scompany, and this auspicious period of Confluence Age.Because those who do, they will never wish this period toend and they’ll be forever busy in gathering the preciouspearls and gems of knowledge and experiences. So, atsuch times one must understand that he lacks experience.Therefore, he must have patience and faith in himself, andshould start churning the points of knowledge. Any formof change or transformation is bound to happen at itsappointed time but one should be ever-ready and makeeffort in empowering his self, i.e., the soul, by constantlyhaving a loving union with Baba.

WHEREThis question usually occurs in the form, “Where are

my efforts taking me?”, “Where am I wrong?”, “Wherewill I come in the Golden Age or Silver Age? Such questionsare in no way unnatural and indicate that the effort-makeris checking himself. Even Baba asks children to ponderover such questions. The answers to these questions lie inchecking the orientation of mind, the lifestyle, the companyone is keeping, and also in one’s intellectual focus. BecauseMaya’s occupation is to distract and disorient an effort-maker, so, the effort-maker must check where he is lacking,in terms of following Shrimat and what factors are makinghim divert from his goal. After having identified thedistracting factors, he must find yuktis (ways) to deal withthem and be free from the obstacles blocking his progress.

Hence, we realize that Baba has provided us withknowledge as a great weapon; we only need to learn theart of using it properly and accurately. It must beremembered that a great actor is one who is aware of allthe rules of the Drama and utilizes them in order to makethe Drama flow in the direction that He so desires.

TALKING TO THE SELF

When you talk to yourself in yourmind, which self do youaddress? And how? Usuallypeople do not talk to theirdivinity, but to the mostsuperficial aspects of theireveryday personality. And oftenit’s a stream of fears,complaints and mindlessrepetition of old things. If wetalked that way to anotherhuman being, we would haveto apologise. Learning to talkproperly to the self is a spiritualendeavour. Thoughts from thepast and worries about thefuture do not create goodconversation. Instead, learn totalk to your mind as if it were achild. Talk to it with love. If youjust force a child to sit down,he won’t. A good mother knowshow to prompt her child intodoing what she wants. Be agood mother to your mind,teach it good, positive thoughtsso that when you tell it to sitquietly, it will. Love your mind.Stay happy.


It’s rightly said that God’sjustice is absolute. In theworld today, most of the

justice, even by the highestjudges, may not always beimpeccable, but God’s justice isalways right as He knows usinside out. If we try to hidesomething from our fellowmen,it may stay hidden, but wecannot hide anything fromAlmighty God Shiva. If webelieve in this, we will never gowrong. We can be sure that thisis absolutely true and whateverwe do or say is alwaysrecorded–not in the physicalsense of the word but subtle, asour sanskars are the mosteffective carriers of our life-longactions.

Therefore, we should lead amoral, sincere andcompassionate life. We can fooleach other, as well as ourselves,but we can never fool GodAlmighty. So, let us try toimprove ourselves. We knowthat no man on this earth isperfect. We should, however,always make effort to becomeperfect, by inculcating good anddiscarding bad. Every soul’s

goal should be self-improvement so that one canreach God Almighty – thePerfect Being – and it takesaeons to reach Him. So in ourlife, we must make sincereefforts to do good, speak goodand never harm our fellow men.We should never be unkind andshould relegate any idea ofhypocrisy at the very outset asit will not take us anywhere.We can achieve this only if wehave a genuine desire.

God Shiva, lovingly calledShiv Baba, through His Godlyversions, advises us to follow,practise and spread Hismessage to each and everysoul of the world. He will takeonly those who understand Hismessage and inculcate Histeachings in their lives, toSukhdham or Vaikunthdhamvia Paramdham orShantidham for eternalhappiness, joy, ecstasy andexhilaration. This is His promiseto us children. On the otherhand, those who do not takeHis Shrimat seriously, cannotexperience development of theself and will have to repent for

not having utilised their life inthe best possible manner.

Even the souls influenced byvices–Anger, Greed, Lust, Egoand Attachment–can be helpedby the Supreme Being, if theyso desire. However, they musthave the inner urge to do so andsurrender themselves to GodShiva to change themcompletely. God will definitelyhelp them. It is entirely in thehands of each soul to be goodor bad. You decide and youbecome. One must have oftenheard, “Confess and God willforgive you.” Confession to anyhuman souls is futile for theyhave no power to pardon. If onerealises that one is bad, heshould seek God’s help. andthen it is 100% sure that he willbe helped. Shiv Baba often tellsus through His daily Murlis thatone must be absolutely sincere,honest, devoted, and frank, withpious and pure faith. Thus, onemust be sure that He’ll help onechange for the better, in no time.

Some go to places of worshipeveryday to ask God for moremoney, more happiness andmore success. This is nothingbut a visit to such holy placesfor selfish motive – not for God,but for oneself. Such a personshould ask himself, “Can aselfish motive lead me towardspeace, bliss or enlightenment?”

Let us understand this withan example. Suppose someone

– B.K. Ramesh Rao, Thane

GOD’S JUSTICE


is going to give a great deal incharity. He should ask himself,“Why am I going to do this?What is the motive behind doingthis charitable act?” It must beunderstood that it is the motivethat matters the most. If one’smotive is entirely selfless, i.e., itis only to help someone, then, itwill be fulfilled automatically.Then, of course, God will bepleased because He knows thevery motive of the child behindthe charity is not selfish , butnoble.

Finally, one should look calmly,compassionately, judiciously andwith an open mind, what is bestfor salvation and must therebykeep following the path of hisconscience. One must seekGodly advice for all his pains,sufferings and problems. Insteadof believing in what others say,one should follow Godly advice.Rajyoga meditation being taughtat various Rajyoga centres ofPrajapita Brahma KumarisIshwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya willgreatly help you achieve yourgoal. Salvation is surelyguaranteed and confirmed onlyif one has unshakable andimmovable faith in one God , whohas been performing the mostbenevolent duty ofTransformation of World throughtransformation of us souls, forthe last 76 years.

It is Now or Never.

Bro. Jagdish Chander Hassija was an embodiment ofthe qualities of Brahma Baba. I had just surrenderedfor godly services in the Brahma Kumaris headquartersat Shantivan. During inauguration of a conference inGyan Sarovar Complext, Mount Abu, I was sitting in the

audience, in the last row ofHarmony Hall. At that time, I wasunaware that the person whowas seated beside me wasnone other than Rev. Bro.Jagdish Chander, who was oneof the senior most brothers ofthis Brahma Kumaris, and had

written most of the spiritual literature for the institution.However, when I saw the banner of the conferencebehind the dais in which his picture was also there, Iwas amazed. My happiness knew no bounds when Icame to know that I was seated with such a greatpersonality, even though I didn’t know much about himat that time. As soon as his name was announced totake his seat at the dais, I said to him, “Bro., you arebeing called." But he was beyond the desire of nameand fame whatsoever. He said, “Don’t I look good seatedhere with you? See, how much happy we are, seatedhere together; so please keep quiet and watch theconference.” Such was our revered Brother JagdishChander who despite being the pillar of the BrahmaKumaris, was not touched by even a fraction of ego.He’ll always be a source of inspiration to me and manyothers who have met him. My multi-million tributes tosuch a divine soul.

A UNIQUE PERSONALITY– B.K. JAGDISH CHANDER HASSIJA

— B.K. Naresh, Shantivan


Everyone has their ownpriorities in life. While itis important to attend to

our needs and fulfill our duties,it is essential that we also taketime to observe human beingsand other animals around us. Itoften happens that souls aroundus are undergoing pain andsuffering, and it goes unnoticedby us, simply because we fail topay attention.

I cannot forget June 1, 2011.While taking bath for Amritvelaat about 3:30 a.m., I heardsomething fall into the bucket ofwater. Since it was dark, owingto power cut, I brought a torchand saw that a small rat hadfallen into the half filled bucket.Howsoever hard it tried, it couldnot come out. Certainly its lifewas in danger. I thought for awhile, took the rat into a mug,put it into a plastic sack andthrew it away out of home. Thewhole day I felt contended andhappy that I had saved a life.

A few days later I cameacross a similar situation whereI found a small animal, a puppy

this time, fighting for its life. Iwas going to the BK centre formy Murli class when on theway I saw a small dog, strickenby some vehicle, badlywounded, by the road side. Itcould not move but it was notdead. May be some help couldsave its life. But I was gettinglate for my Murli class.

However, I thought thatsaving a life should get priorityover attending a class. I parkedmy bike, took out a bottle ofwater and dropped a few dropson its mouth. The water had agood effect. I dropped morewater and when I felt that itmight regain consciousness, Ileft for my class.

On my way back, I againstopped but found that the doghad grown feebler. This timeeven the fresh water dropsseemed to have no impact. Inthe evening, while going for myevening class, I found the placeclean. Perhaps, the dog hadbeen taken to some doctor. Ikept guessing and felt thatsome good soul might have

successfully tried to save a life.I had built a deep water tank

in the backyard of my housewhich was a good shelter forfrogs in rainy season and winter.But in summer the water woulddry up. One summer a frog hadfallen into the tank and could notcome out. After some thought,I put a long bamboo stick andplaced it in the tank vertically.After about two hours I saw thefrog had escaped its almost-suredeath.

A few days later, I found asmall cat in the tank whichcould not come out even withthe bamboo stick. Determinedas I was, this time I thought ofa ladder, which was placed inthe tank. The cat proved to bequite intelligent to use the ladderand escape her doom. In thisway, I have found manyopportunities of helping smalland helpless animals in distressand saving them from theirimpending tragedy.

Good deeds are neverwasted in the eyes of God.Nothing can slip and escape Hisvigilant eyes. Deeds of such kinddo not go unnoticed andunrewarded. He, who comes tothe help of others, is helped inhis need. Has it not been rightlysaid; as you sow, so shall youreap?

SMALL ACTS OFKINDNESS

– B.K. Bhawani, Balangir (Odisha)

True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body,nourishment and refreshment. — William Penn


voluntary response and religiousreaction as free moral beings.Therefore, His entry into thehuman world is ‘incognito’ sothat it could be recognised byan unbiased mind and an eye ofenlightened faith only. Heapproaches man in ways thatleave enough room for anuncompelled response.Demonstrating His existence inHis full divine majesty would bea form of ‘spiritual coercion’, soto say, for then man will not beleft with the possibility of a freedecision to love Him openly. Heso reveals Himself and Hisknowledge that it gives clearlymarks of His presence to truelovers, who are not mere livingcomputers, but who,wholeheartedly, love to meetHim. There is enough light forthose who are ready to makesome sacrifices and who desireto see Him and there is enoughobscurity for those who have acontrary disposition.

GOD REVEALSTHROUGH A MEDIUMIt should, therefore, be

known that God’s self-revealingactions are mediated. Godmanifests Himself through acorporeal medium, throughdivine visions and through theevents of our worldlyexperience so that men becomeaware of His divine presence

by interpreting these events ina manner which we call as‘spiritual response’. If He wereto appear unmediated, orwithout a medium, then our frailand finite selves would feel ashattering experience, so as tosay, and this would leave noground for man to be free tomake judgment. So, experienceof God’s own personalexistence is not clamped orforced on human mind by anymagisterial exercise of divineauthority and omnipotence butanyone, who has a divine eyeor a religious sensitivity or openreceptivity and willingness, canexperience His relationship.Moreover, as organs orinstruments of experience arederived from parents when oneis born to them, even so, theinstruments and means ofspiritual experience are derivedfrom God, the spiritual Parent,when one is spiritually reborn toHim. And, God gives ‘spiritualbirth’ to human souls when thenew world is about to berecreated.

IS THIS BELIEFRATIONAL?

Now, one may ask whetherwe are acting rationally whenwe trust our own religiousexperience and are proceedingto live on the basis of it.

Before we answer thisquestion, let us first investigate

what generally counts a rationalbelief. Take, for example, theexperience of a man who isconscious of his house, his carand his office and the physicalworld which existsindependently of him. On deepthinking, we would come to theconclusion that, in cases likethis, there are generally twofeatures, the presence of whichmakes us take the view that ourbelief is rational. These are:(1) The house, the car, office,etc. present themselves toman’s awareness whether hewants it or not. In other words,the form of cognitive experienceis involuntary. Things of thematerial world just impinge onour consciousness: ourexperience of their existencedoes not depend upon ourwillingness or unwillingness.When we open our eyes, wesee them; when we lend ourears, we hear them. We do notgenerally question ourselveswhether what we have seen istrue or not and yet we dobelieve it to be true.(2) Secondly, we can and do actsuccessfully, believing them asthey present themselves to ourexperience. That is to day, wecannot help initially believing aswe do and our belief is notcontradicted but is confirmed byour continuing experience.

These two characteristics

(Contd. from page no. 3)


jointly constitute a sufficientreason to trust our perceptualexperience and to lead our lifeon the basis of it unless we findany positive reason later todistrust. This is the principle onwhich we proceed and, bydefinition, we call this the‘rational way’. This habitualacceptance of our perceptualexperience is rationality. Thoughthe correct nature of thiscognitive experience cannotperhaps be demonstrated yet itis a belief which naturally andinevitably arises in the normalhuman mind in response tonormal human perceptualexperience. It is a belief on thebasis of which we live and, ifwe reject it considering it as‘not rational’, or ‘not true’, itwould not only disorient ourrelation with other persons butwe would be considered insane.

Now, let us see whether wecan apply this principle to ourexperience which is highlysubjective. Some of us do havea direct vision of the presenceof God, others have the super-conscious awareness of atranscendental divine Personwithin whose field ofconsciousness we exist and,with whom, therefore, we standin intimate relationship ofmutual awareness.

Thus, even though thisspiritual experience has some

differences with non-spiritualexperiences, our experience ofGod is as vivid and inevitable afactor in our life as ourexperience of God is ofcompelling quality. Also, wecannot doubt its real charactereven as we cannot doubt thereality of the experience of oursenses. As it is rational for usto take the experience of thesenses as real, so it is rationalto take the spiritual experienceof the reality of God also as realbecause (1) this experiencealso has a similar involuntary orcompelling quality at least forsome people and even forothers at some stage, and (2)this experience is sustained andconfirmed by our furtherexperiences.

In this context, it should benoted that though the spiritualenvironment does not force itsexperience on us as the materialenvironment does when we arein sane condition, and thoughGod leaves us free to know Himby an uncompelled religious anddevotional response, as we havesaid earlier, yet once we haveallowed ourselves freely tobecome conscious of God, ourexperience, at its peak level ofintensity, is, no doubt,compelling or ‘coercive’, so tosay. It is a state in which wehave so vivid awareness of Godand we are so much influenced

by His person, His Grace andHis qualities that not only canthere be no doubt left of theveracity of His experience asthere is no doubt left when weexperience the material thingsof the world, but we are also sodeeply impressed by His love,His bliss, His mercy, etc. thatwe souls burst out with a ‘ThankYou’ for Him with a messagefor fellow souls. The words ‘OBaba’, ‘O Beloved’, emanateinvoluntarily though silently fromour inner self when we feeloverwhelmed with His benignpresence. Our cognitivefreedom is not to be found atthis stage, but at the stage priorto this, when we had yet tobecome aware of Him. Ourindividual free responsivenessplayed an important role at thatprior stage, but now, when wehave become love-full andintimately conscious of Him,God’s consciousness descendson us in a ‘compelling’ andagreeably ‘coercive’ way, so tosay.

IS IT AUTO-SUGGESTION, OR EVEN

PARANOIC?Now since everyone

perceives and cannot helpperceiving the physical worldand, on the other hand, only fewcan experience vividly thePerson and qualities of God,many skeptics put us the


question “Since those who enjoya forceful and vivid spiritualexperience of God are only asmall minority of mankind, oughtwe not to suspect that, in truth,there is no God but, it is becauseof some auto-suggestion,mental projection, conditioning,hypnotic influence or delusion oreven paranoiac condition, thatone gets experience of Godwhich they call as ‘the spiritualexperiences?” They say: “Onegets certain paranormalexperiences even when one isunder the influence of LSD orany other such drugs. Aparanoiac hears threateningvoices from the wall and analcoholic sees images of beingswhich at that time, are in factnot there. Can’t then spiritualexperiences also be a similarphenomenon?”

On the contrary, one will findthat the devotion and dedication,sincere observance of the rulesof good conduct, therenunciation of age-old unsocialhabits and high moral quality oftheir behaviour would giveevidence that they lead a life offulfilment and high ideals andare creative and there is nomark of their having anydisorientation to reality as in thecase of a paranoid or a personwho has used LSD. It wouldalso be wrong to attribute suchexperiences to a hypnotic state,

for not only is such a person notout off from the realities and notonly is he in this state ofawareness of God in aparticular period of time but heis most of the time in self-willedstate of God-consciousness andecstasy.

WHY VARIEDEXPERIENCES OFSPIRITUALISTS?

But an important question,generally asked is: “In the worldwe inhabit, the perception ofone individual conforms to andalso confirms the perception ofanother. For example, when Isee a train approaching theplatform, another personwaiting at the railway stationalso sees it coming. But why isthere no such conformity inspiritual experiences? Why isthere an immense variety offorms of religious experiences,giving rise to almostincompatible belief? Forexample, a Christian says thathe experiences God as ‘TheFather of our Lord Jesus Christ’,a Muslim experiences Him as‘Allah and his providence’whereas a Buddhist says thatin the picture of the cosmoswhich he experiences, there is,perhaps, no God or if there isone, he has not met Him. Thus,no two religious experiences aresimilar.

We notice that People of one

religion apprehend the UltimateReality as non-personal and all-pervading, those of anotherreligion believe the Ultimate tobe like a pyramid of authorityand still others have the faiththat God is one and Supremeand there is none other like Himand He is a Person and has apersonality too. So we see thatwhat is called ‘Peakexperience’ is also bewilderinglyvaried. Nor are theseexperiences of such nature thatone may say that these arealternative reports of the samereality or different aspects ofone same Person, though this isa fact in certain cases.

So, the question arises:whether our statement that wehave experience of God asreality is correct or whether itis not being taken to prove toomuch? In other words, whetheror not is it possible to verify thecorrectness or falsity ofreligious experience?

Now clearly, all religiousbeliefs are not true. And thoughpeople of different religiousfaiths have or had some religiousexperiences yet the data or theknowledge with them is/was notcomplete or correct. So, whatthey believed on the basis oftheir experience in the pastmight then have beenconsidered correct, keeping inview the data available to them


then but, ultimately, it may beproved to be wrong. Forexample, it was correct andrational for the people, a fewcenturies ago, to believe that thesun moves round the earth. Theywere right to say that their beliefwas based on their perceptionand experience. At that time,correct and additional data,which we have today, was notavailable to them. But whenmore facts came to light andthose could be verified, the viewchanged. It is now believed, aswe all know, that the earthrevolves round the sun. It is, thusclear that a belief might be basedon an observation or experienceand might yet be false. Indeedmost beliefs – even what wereonce termed as ‘scientific’ or‘rational’ beliefs – were laterrevised, amended or retracted inthe light of new researches andnew facts that became available.This is, to a great extent, true of‘religious experiences’ also.

Edited and published by B.K. Atam Prakash for Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, Mount Abuand printed at:Om Shanti Printing Press, Gyanamrit Bhawan, Shantivan - 307 510, Abu Road (Rajasthan).Chief Editor: B.K. Nirwair, Pandav Bhawan, Mount Abu.Associate Editors: B.K. R.S. Bhatnagar, Shantivan, B.K. Ranjit Fuliya, Delhi and B.K. Ved Guliani, Hisar.Phone: (0091) 02974-228125 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

INFORMATION ABOUT IMPORTANT SURGICAL PROGRAMMES IN GLOBAL HOSPITALRegular Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery

Surgery is done in last week of every month regularlySurgery by: Dr. Narayan Khandelwal, an efficient and experienced surgeon of Mumbai (Trained in

U.K., Australia and Germany) For prior check-up & to know the dates of surgery interested patients foronly knee and hip operation, please contact – Dr. Murlidhar Sharma, Global Hospital, Mount Abu,Mobile No. 09413240131, Phone: 02974-238347/48/49, Fax: 02974-238570

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ghrc-abu.com

It is a feeling that comes onits ownThat will never let you downThe feeling to get inspired isThe best ever knownTo get inspired idoliseA feeling of appreciationLeads to inspirationInspiration is endless to takeEndless to give tooIt lights up your life foreverand you realise life’s purposeIt is like the ant that never tiresInspiration is like an opentreasure,which will give something forsureInspiration is the push start ofa machineIt is the gear of a carIt is the enter key of akeyboard

INSPIRAINSPIRAINSPIRAINSPIRAINSPIRATION TION TION TION TION ANYWHEREANYWHEREANYWHEREANYWHEREANYWHERE

Creative Online Poetry Competition(Held in November 2012)

– Shruthi Venkat, Hyderabad

And is the wing of a birdIt is the sound of a singerAnd the brush of a painterInspiration will help in lifeTo do more and get more outof lifeEvery action done,Is done after the inspirationtakenA little bit of inspirationAdds colour to lifeAnd garnish to dishI inspire othersAnd also get inspired myselfPeople around meAlso Inspire meTo do whatever I do,However I do.Even this poem is aResult of indestructibleinspiration.

the world renewal - may 2013 issue {english}

Documents