PRENATAL CARE

Actions are the seeds of fate, deeds grow into destiny.

When a seed is sown into ground, you cannot immediately see the plant. With time and intentional efforts, it grows into a large tree. Then the flowers bloom and only then the fruits can be plucked.

The best outcome is ensured by proper seed and noble intentions for nurture in right direction.

The pre-conception efforts if followed by right parenting endeavor in prenatal and early years of the child, it would be useful for the youngster for developing balanced personality.

For the purpose of family, nation as well as total humanity welfare in mind, we are trying to understand measures we can take to create well-mannered young generation. In last article we discussed the formula for procreative conception. The period from conception to the birth of baby is also important. Can we use this period for the development of a child? This article tries to discuss this.

Classic Examples of Prenatal Education

We all are aware of story of Abhimanyu in the world famous epic Mahabharata. While Shri Krishna explains Chakravyuva (certain battle field arrangement) to his sister Subhadra, with fetus in her womb i.e. Abhimanyu, listens to same of its part. Later, he used this knowledge at the time of Mahabharata war. Examples of prenatal education are also found in the biographies of Bhagwan Buddha, Bhakta Pralhada, Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Phule & Vir Sawarkar. The recent example is Tabla Maestro Zakir Hussain. Except these occasional examples, we do not see easy availability of prenatal education method to common people. On the other hand, many years modern medicine had declined that a child can understand and learn during prenatal stage.

Prenatal Education – Opinions of Experts and Scientists

Earlier scientists thought that a fetus has no awareness of the environment in a womb of a mother. Recent experiments in this field has Proven it wrong. A fetus has perception of many kinds. This Knowledge plays very important role in his growth and development. This is the opinion of French expert prof. Jean Pierre Relier. According to American expert Fredrick Wirth, fetus has deep impact of your emotions, thoughts & action during prenatal stage to post birth stage.

Canadian Expert Thomas Verney says, the experience from the moment of conception is important in the development of brain. Child’s personality, nature and high thinking ability develop on the basis of it. Worldwide research has now proved that prenatal education is necessary for nurturing the future generation not only in the interest of an individual or family but also for world peace and security. For last several years, number of research papers are being published by scientists explain the importance of prenatal efforts. Summaries of some  research papers are given.

Some latest research references.

Pregnant women respond to music with stronger physiological changes in blood pressure 
Date: May 20, 2014. Source: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Summary: Pregnant women, compared to their non-pregnant counterparts, rate music as more intensely pleasant and unpleasant, associated with greater changes in blood pressure, a study has demonstrated. Music appears to have an especially strong influence on pregnant women, a fact that may relate to a prenatal conditioning of the fetus to music.

Fear of Childbirth Predicts Postpartum Depression

Jan. 3, 2014 — Expectant women with prenatally diagnosed fear of childbirth are at an increased risk of postpartum depression, according to a study of over 500,000 mothers in Finland. Women with a history of depression are at the highest risk of postpartum depression. The fact that fear of childbirth puts women without a history of depression at an approximately three times higher risk of postpartum depression is a new observation which may help health care professionals in recognizing postpartum depression. The results were published recently in BMJ Open.

Exercise during Pregnancy Gives Newborn Brain Development Head Start

Nov. 10, 2013 — As little as 20 minutes of moderate exercise three times per week during pregnancy enhances the newborn child's brain development, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine children's hospital. This head-start could have an impact on the child's entire life.

Babies Can Learn Their First Lullabies in the Womb

Oct. 30, 2013 — Infant can recognize a lullaby heard in the womb for several months after birth, potentially supporting later speech development. This is indicated in a new study at the University of Helsinki.

Capacity of Fetus to Acquire Knowledge

A person gains various experiences during his life time. Brain is sensitive to the experience of every moment. But brain is most sensitive during prenatal and post birth stage few early years when brain’s development takes place at maximum speed. Emotions of mother affect fetus in her womb. If mother is stressed, a hormone called catecholamine is produced in her body. It reaches to the fetus. Fetus experiences much more stress than a mother. On the other hand, if mother has soft & tender emotions of love then hormones called Endorphin, Oxytocin are produced in the body of mother. These hormones reach to fetus and affect positively.

Prenatal Progress of A Fetus

Fetus starts experiencing and learning from the first moment of existence. Therefore condition of a mother and her surroundings are important at this stage. Growth of a fetus is known to take place as follows:

15 days: First cell of a brain is created.

3^rd week: First heartbeat.

3^rd month: All organs, which a developed person has, are created.    

4^th month: Starts listening.

5-6^thmonth: Fetus can listen very well. Remembers stories/songs heard. 

7^th month: Fetus can listen & see. Understands smell, taste and touch.

8^th month: Memory and decision making activities start. Fetus dreams, prepares himself to take birth.

9^th month: Fetus weighs approximately 3 kg. Heart circulates around 300 gallon blood. When growth is complete fetus sends message to the mother through brain. Labor pain begins and child is born.

Thus as the life and organs develop in pre-birth stage, the learning or nurturing of the fetus takes place. This process can be used for the better future of the child by intentional and planned efforts by the parents.

Important Information for Parents

If you want to impart prenatal education/sanskars on child, the main responsibility of it lies on mother and father. “I/We will behave as we like, as we wish, but my child must be good behaved and well-mannered”. Such attitude on parts of mother and father cannot be considered logical and scientific. It is important to cherish the feeling that parents desire this child from the bottom of their heart and they are eager to welcome and receive him/her in this world.

It is important to eat nutritious (Satvik) diet*, be happy, having tension free behavior, avoid all kinds of addictions and bad habits.(*Refer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sattvic_diet)

Mother should stay among the people who care for her. She can lovingly care more for the fetus, if she gets security, care and love from her family. If conception takes place with resolution of a couple and later, they lovingly take care for fetus till its birth, it will benefit the child throughout his life. Temporary psychological tensions and troubles do not have particular effect on fetus. But long term, severe tensions of a mother creates possibility of adverse effect on fetus.

Prospective parents should deliberately try to remain calm, balanced and maintain satvik (pious) nature during prenatal stage of a child. Hormones created in mother’s body during this stage plays important role in developing brain cells and later personality of a child.

In prenatal stage, if you nurture child with love, affection and unwavering faith, then a child can learn behavioral skills in his life at a proper time.

A role of father is also as important as that of mother.

It is important to communicate with love and affection in every possible way with the child in prenatal stage. During prenatal stage, do not try to teach child anything. Just convey that you love him and eagerly wait to welcome him in this world. This is enough for effective communication.

Do all this while doing your day to day activity, job and business.

Prenatal Help from Manashakti Research Centre

At Manashakti, the work of prenatal sanskar is going on for last over fifty years. A 3 day study camp is organized at Lonavala and one day seminars are organized for sizable groups of child expecting couples at different towns all over India as per demand. Every year more than thousand couples are benefited from this training. A thesis is published based on information collected from the 2000 children with prenatal sanskars. It is now proven that these efforts are beneficial to child in his future life.

Garbh Sanskar (Prenatal Education)
(http://www.manashakti.org/content/garbh-sanskar-prenatal-education-experiments)

Every parent wishes to have a talented and virtuous child. All virtues can be acquired through the Sanskar (i.e. purification) process. Today, science proves that the fetus can learn and memorize; and hence, good values can be imparted to it. Manashakti is experimenting with and propogating the concept of Garbh-Sanskar since 1961 and has received international acclaim too! Thus, to procreate a bright, healthy & cultured baby,  literature and products are available.

To maintain good health, it essential to practice Yogic postures (Yogasane) consistently, and during pregnancy, this becomes even more important. Doing yoga would go a long way in reducing transient problems/disorders during pregnancy, and for an easy and natural delivery. 

Contents:-

1. Prayer

2. Preliminary Yoga for warming-up

3. Yogic postures to be done specifically in each pregnancy trimester

4. Shanti Mantra

5. A booklet showing various yogasanas.

This Garbhasangeet has been specially created to develop courage and peace in the baby-in-the-womb, as also, as a service to the society.

This is an unsurpassed music for the baby in the womb. It is an excellent way to infuse good values in the baby, and strengthen the bonding, with the fetus.

Contents:-

1. Gayatri Mantra ( Rag Yaman and Rag Bhairav)

2. Rag Yaman, Bageshri, Bilawal, and Todi ( Vocal)

3. Rag Lalat, Rag Kedar ( Violin)

4. Parade Song
5. Garbhopanishad, and a

6. Western composition.

The would-be parents are expected to listen to this music every day, soon after the conception is confirmed. This would go a long way in reducing their stress, and also impart good values to the baby through the medium of music!

Books / Publications:
 (http://www.manashakti.org/events-schedule/books)

Detailed guidance about how one can impart best prenatal sanskars with help of prayers, music, story, reading, games, diet, Yogasanas and meditation is available from Manashakti prenatal education project. This project aims at creating new well-mannered generations to build nations to serve the humanity at large.

Post Birth..

First seven years in the life of child after birth are important for the development of the emotional part of the personality. These are very relevant and useful years for the proper parenting efforts. This would be the topic of our next article.

Vijay R. Joshi.

DISEASE - CURE (Cure Your Self - 7)

 Is Prayer Scientific? 

(Excerpts from book “Cure Yourself”, author Swami Vijnananand, S.V.)

Recipropathy neither encourages nor discourages the institution of prayer. Because, in one sense Recipropathy believes in the power of silence. From the view-point of truth, in meditation there is a lesser risk of positive untruth being uttered. The question can be viewed from two angles:

(A)                     An option can be exercised in favor of leading life of as much "reactions" as possible. Live detached life to your capacity.

(B)                    Try to make mind vacant, call it prayer or use any word of your choice. This option is open only if it is feasible for one to take mind in a state really devoid of emotion. There is nothing unscientific if the pursuer of prayers can visualize the true tenet of prayer. Abusing prayer is as much a dogma as abuse of prayer itself, yet a real prayer leaves no room for abuses of either description. Scientists who stamp action-less state as a mystic affair have more to learn from the fact that at the speed of light, length contracts to zero and clocks stand still. Strictly speaking, an action-less state in its truest sense is equivalent to the maximum speed of any mass conceivable; whether such possibility is feasible or not, is no issue at this point. This observation leads to contradiction; nevertheless, the contradiction is born out of scientific investigation. Till the contradiction is un-riddled by science, we have hardly any privilege to play the fool of prayer-believers. On the background of this premise a Recipropath can suggest the following points for the consideration of a seeker elevating his mind to a comparatively blank, vacant, detached state.

1.   As you set in for concentration, take a pen, note book and a mirror. Spend the first few moments in setting yourself and then look into the mirror. Stare straight in your own eyes.

2.   Speak to yourself. Be conscious of an energy penetrating through. Imagine that you now propose to explain to the origin of that energy, your actions in last 24 hours, as if you are submitting a report of yesterday to yourself. Begin with an interrogation: Can all actions of yours be defended? No white-washing now.

3.   It is a discourse between you and yourself. Promise yourself not to repeat what ills you should have refrained from. If it cannot be set right immediately, ask for time.

4.   Continue the check-up each day.

5.   If not on the first day, after a lapse of a few days following the daily check-up, try to spare a few minutes to close your eyes during the prayer.

6.   Try to visualize energy in yourself beyond your eyes, ears, and every tissue of yourself.

7.   Put up an attempt to forget every entanglement which may try to disturb you at the moment.

8.   If a thought is irresistible, open your eyes and record the gist of though disturbing you in the note book.

9.   Close your eyes again. If another thought disturbs you, repeat the same process. Register it in your note book.

10.                     On pursuing the process for a month, go through the entire record.  Subsequently every day before closing the eyes for the meditation, ask yourself if you cannot live without these thoughts even for a few seconds? You will be ashamed to find that causes interrupting your prayer were too trifling to imagine. The revelation will give your mind more tranquility as you resume the prayer.

11.                     Now, the success awaits you. At least for a few seconds, keeping your mind cool, undisturbed, collected may be achieved.

12.                     Repeat the process day after day. Use the note book as friend, philosopher and guide. It remains a good tutor. Day by day self-recognition will instruct you that each thought disturbing your prayer on previous days can be attributed to one emotion or the other. The record should serve you to understand that the so called engrossing thoughts are too petty to brood over. This finding strengthens your mind and assists you to do away with them during the prayer.

13.                     Another way. At times, at the resumption of prayer overpowering sentiment paralyses you - say embittering anger about one-time comrade.  Try to recollect a good point in the old mate. A note of music, instead of an old friend, may disturb the concentration. Imagine the tune's finest wave identifies with your "mind". The ultimate object of concentration is to realize that incredible speed resembles inertness and resort to a state of "active inactivity".

14.                     The process is languid. It is an uphill task to do away with petty emotions and angularities. Convince yourself that these angularities so dear to you, eat you up.

15.                     Analysis of anger may turn over a new leaf in life. Guess Mr. X and yourself at a cross purpose. You quiver with rage. In the situation, multifarious probabilities are conceivable.

(A)                    Mr. X may be your family member, friend or a well-intentioned relative, who in your eyes has committed a blunder. Obviously, you should ignore the unintentional slip.

(B)                    Mr. X may be, alternatively, your adversary. He wants you to get irritated. Your fury serves his purpose. Your resentment has to be curbed so that you would not assist your own foe.

(C)                    One more salient point. When Mr. X fans your anger, either he is unfair or you are in the wrong. If Mr. X has misbehaved, there is no propriety in yourself heating up and hitting at your own body. On the other hand, in the instance of your being inequitable, thank Mr. X that he struggles to put you on the right path.

16.                     Most often, adherents of Recipropathy experience sudden recovery from ailment. Yet, it is advisable to attribute it to "coincidental cure". Set aside part of your prayer in inflicting pain on yourself under such circumstances in acceptance of your unpunished sins. It is a gallant gesture in right direction. It gives you no license to commit sins during the rest of the day. It merely keeps the conscious awake and alert.

17.                     Wrath is not a solitary example. Every emotion can be dispensed with on proper analysis. An analysis offers a breathing space, infuses confidence and makes your mind vacant or steady. Slowly increase this period of vacuum and state of equilibrium. Infallibly and automatically, ability to work for the whole day in serene, unruffled way multiplies. It is the surprise gift of the prayer.

18.                     The process of inactivating the mind should be slow and natural. To convince ourselves is the most irksome adventure. We hesitate and eschew conceding Truth as a single factor that can redeem us in our worldly life; however, in theory truth is known to us having a supreme second-to-none strength. No purpose is served by declaring a war against ourselves, in a superficial sense. No doubt mind is to be ultimately won. Yet an undue haste bears no fruit. It impairs rather than repairs.

(To be continued)

Vijay R. Joshi.

DISEASE - CURE (Cure without Medicine - 8)

What is not “Medicine”? 

(Excerpts from book “Cure without Medicine”)

1. If we want to 'define' what medicine is and what not, then we will have to define the word 'Medicine', which is a rather tricky and difficult task.

When someone does not consume butter as a food, butter becomes medicine. When iodine is applied to a finger that bleeds, iodine is a medicine. Apply that same iodine to a normal finger, it ceases to be a medicine. By itself, a mixture or solution, or any substance can have no medical properties definable as a medicine, the use there of alone determines, whether it is a medicine or not.

It follows then that, if you use anything without the motive of cure of some disease then that substance is a normal one and not medicine. They are not medicine in the true sense of the term.

2.  One can boldly, assertively welcome medical treatment rendered as a 'first aid' measure by a doctor. One can consume medicine during the transition period that will eventually lead and is meant to lead a fuller understanding of the concept (given in this book). Such realized seeker can take medicine after some determined period of suffering. In that case, the patients over-belief (total reliance) in medicine as a lasting solution is absent and to that extent he is relieved of further addition to his already existing agony.

Both doctors and patients, knowing the limitations of medicine may certainly use medicine, since the new realization will render medicine less harmful and more useful. It is adding 'peace' to 'prescription'.

3.  A rough list of 'what is not medicine' was once prepared (By S.V.) It is reproduced in the book with all its drawbacks and then follows an analysis.

          (Refer the details on pages 113 to 115 of the Book)

4.   Basis of Analysis

The fundamentals behind the above list and analysis is as follows:

In disease foreign aid is not invited. What can be done is – (i) to take action to resort to the mobilization of one's internal strength; (ii) true understanding (realization) of the cause of disease; (iii) Internal adjustment of one's choice from the options available following the concept of recipropathy.

History teaches us that if any nation that takes military aid for resisting internal troubles, then that nation is destined to be doomed. Similarly, an individual should not 'import' a foreign body in an unnatural way to eradicate the internal troubles (of his body). Such foreign bodies may give temporary relief, but then they will permanently rule your body. The best way is to depend (to the extent possible) on internal individual strength and try to further strengthen it. Alternatively add (i) prescription (of medicine) + (ii) peace of mind, and (iii) vow for benevolence as reaction.

5. Yet, after all is said and done, foregoing analysis is not perfect. Absolutely anything that is consumed with the motive of curing of disease, without 'paying for' the real cause behind the disease amounts to resorting to medicine.

6. Again and again, we stress:- Do use your medicine (even) all your life, but add peace and understanding to your treatment.

7. Just by positive will power you can get cured. Just by repeatedly uttering 'Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and better' without doing anything is of no use at all.

Can 'will-power' compensate for past wrongs? 

The very conception is absurd. Will-power can 'suppress' the disease in its logical sequence. But no will-power in the world can prevent the delayed eruption of the disease.

8.   General phrases useful for daily repetition (like prayers)

The following sums up in convenient text form the significant teaching summary of this Book. There are general phrases useful for repetition purpose every day.

          "I am born out of my own evils and so are all my ailments. There exists no short-cut of relief from them. The only way lies in the full realization and full acceptance of this truth and through this realization slowly arriving at fuller truth. To the extent, I have genuinely understood this, I am being cured everyday".

In the above paragraph, the first sentence can be uttered as "for reasons, I do not know, Nature gave me a body that inherited these ailments".

9. Experience with a large number of patients has proved that the pain never recurred and certainly there was instantaneous stoppage of pain.

10. We have already said that all this is a theoretical discussion and in practice medicine just may be started under the doctor's advice right from the first stage, once principle is understood.

Summary – Concept of medicine is not totally barred. In fact, any medical treatment can be strengthened by adding the gist of our recommendations. At psychic level six phrases are given to meet the pain points.

Some Case Histories

Out of several cases treated personally by S.V., he has mentioned a few cases in this Chapter (starting from page 119 of book). In each case (which can be seen from the Book) S.V. has participated to some extent in bringing about the desired result, even by accepting self-pain.

He says – In none of the cases (mentioned in the Book), did we advise to discontinuation of the medicine or medical treatment (In support the recipropathy methods were used).

During my practice, I have utilized hundreds of variations in approach in conveying the new process to people. I have cured eighty percent of those who have approached to me. But my conviction always was and will continue to be that these intermediate variations were altogether UN-important. The genuine working was brought about by the real tenets of Recipropathy. In 20% cures, where patients were not relieved of organic pain, most of them could face their agony with a new understanding and a new boldness.

Case Studies 

Following cases are discussed (The details can be seen in Book, Chapter 15)

1.   A rich businessman – age 49 – Diverse complaints – major problem Insomnia – cured

2.   Upper middle class gentleman – Age 46, T.B. and Benign Tumor – Cured

3.   A rich family young girl – Age 19 – Hysteria, Irregular Menstruation – cured

4.   An administrator of India – Great renowned person – Acute Pain in stomach – cured

5.   A child of eighteen months – Headache – cured

6.   A businessman (middle age?) – Paralysis – cured.

Questions & Answers.

Question 1: You are propounding a correct theory. But I simply shudder at the idea of speaking all truth. Should I go even to my enemy and say the truth? What will a well-wisher of mine feel if I go and admit to him that I had committed a theft?

I had answered this question in some other context.  The question presupposes that your enemy does not know the truth. Search and you will find the same to be the cause of his being your enemy. Remove the cause and he remains no more your enemy. The other half of your question deals with your friend to whom you have to admit your theft.  This reveals the extent of faithlessness in your so-called friendship. Any way if you go and tell him the truth- you will no doubt have to suffer in the initial stage. But after the first pangs are over you will have full sympathy from others. However much your friend may abuse you openly, at the end he will always respect you for your courage. Because he should be convinced in his mind that he should not have been able to admit heroically his mistakes to others and in that respect he is inferior to you. The question is whether you want long suffering in your mind from within, or you aim to clear off the dirt around you at some initial disadvantage, followed by lots of satisfaction.

Question 2: Do you not think that instead of leading an emotionless life, it would be far preferable to have "small" emotions and get happiness?

I have time and again insisted that it is wrong to assert that life without emotions is not enjoyable: that it becomes inert and insipid. The trouble in getting along with "small" emotions is a mirage. When it comes to putting this so-called principled attitude into practice the individual concerned is never satisfied with a "small" measure. As he goes ahead his measure of "small", "reasonable". etc., goes up either with a leap and a bound or by slow degrees. The net consequence of "small" indulgences is the increase in greed. Never to be forgotten is the principle: All actions must have reactions equal and opposite. The Laws of Nature are too true lo be untrue.

Question 3: What is the fun in leading a detached life at all?

Nobody obstructs you from leading an attached life. The trouble is that grief will follow you as long as you crave for happiness. Light and shade are inseparable Year after year, or if you like life after life, this will continue till you feel exhausted.

Alternatively, accept the principle. Practice 6.25% of it to start with. Continue your doctor's advice. Miraculous results will surely materialize ultimately.

(To be continued .. )

Vijay R. Joshi

GOD OF YOUR CHOICE.

  

O symbol of Light,

We tend to instill within ourselves the qualities of objects that we concentrate upon. Five branches of mind and brain science have found this to be the case. That is why I concentrate on your image and you.

O Light, I have ambitions. While fulfilling them, working for the welfare of others will bring prominence to me as well. Only you, O Light, embody a unique confluence of the qualities of equality and providing energy. Hence I seek to become one with you and ask for strength.

The Sun, our source of light, burns his internal energy and provides light to the entire world. O Light, as a symbol of the Sun, you bring this wisdom to me. [In Sanskrit – Gayatri Mantra: Aum tat-saviturvarenyam bhargo devasya dheemahi, dheeyo yo nah prachodayaat].

-          Manashakti Prayer of Light, initial portion.

Belief.  An opinion or conviction: a belief that the earth is flat. (On logic, reasons)

Faith.  Belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated   by fact. (Belief based on perception of … person, doctrine etc.)

Devotion. Profound dedication, Religious observance or worship; a form of prayer or worship for special use. (A belief on Guru, Deity, perceived highest value with attitude of surrendering)

If seen carefully the three synonymous words as above, it is felt the word ‘devotion’ is more apt to express the feelings of the theists towards their deity or their idol of belief. I am not aware how the word ‘devotion’ is explained in the scriptures of the western religions. But I know that the concepts such as ‘God’, ‘Devotion, i.e. Bhakti’ and ‘Devotee’ are vividly explained based on highest logic and intellectual consideration in Holy Gita, Holy Bhagwata and several other texts and books of Hindu saints and thinkers.  We shall briefly review the concept ‘God’.

In a book Manache Sloak (Marathi), author Swami Vijnananand, published by Manashakti, following verses give us useful information.

What is the Origin of Universe? जगाचा जन्म कोठून ? (१८९)

मही निर्मिली देव तो वोळखावा I 

जया पाहतां मोक्ष तत्काळ जीवा I

तया निर्गुणालागी गूणी पहावे I 

परी संग सोडूनि सुखें रहावे I I  १८९ I I

If we happen to see, a nice piece of art we would like to know, who created it. We are always eager to be in acquaintance with the major leader of the region we reside. But are we eager to be in touch with the God? To know the God is always a vital issue. Did we ever struggle to grasp the glimpse of the God, who is believed to be the creator of this universe? It would be always advisable to have curiosity of the creator of the universe, spread over in the endless area, containing several stars, planets and galaxies. When we search Him on a proper path, we shall meet Him and then we probably would get rid of all our problems and calamities.

The God is described as form-free, shape-free, infinite, all encompassing, all pervasive, omnipotent, beginning-less and endless. But it won't be possible for a layman to see or even think of a God in such a way. To overcome this limitation, we should imagine the God in a concept to which we are well versed in our day-to-day world. For self-convenience and to an extent required, we should convert the formless in some form. In spite all such efforts, one should endeavor to be content within, by own efforts.

What is the theory of science on the origin of the universe?

There are many theories and search is still on. The book from Manashakti ‘Science and Philosophy’, appendix point, 18A mentions of Professor Hyman Levy (Hyman Levy, 1889 – 1975. Was a Jewish-Scottish philosopher, professor, mathematician, political activist and fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh), who has put forward a theory which says that the world is produced from quantum of smallest wave length a smallest fraction of an atom.

Does He exist? Yes. Yes. No. No.  आहे आहे , नाही नाही ! (१९०)

नव्हे कार्यकर्ता नव्हे सृष्टिभर्ता I 

परेहुन पर्ता न लिंपे विवर्ता I 

तया निर्विकल्पासि कल्पीत जावे I 

परी संग सोडूनि सुखे रहावे I I  १९० I I 

Now the next logical query is 'Who produced the initial quantum of smallest wave length which was a small fraction of the atom?' Science does not provide answer to this question. Philosophy makes effort to go through the detailed analysis to find the answer.

The originator of the whole process can't be termed as 'an activist'. That originator has neither created nor does it nourish the universe. That originator is greater than the greatest imaginable. It does not get entangled in the illusion i.e. Maya.    However one should never give-up the search and try to be contended with fully detached mind.

Self-Purification to reach up to God.  कार्य शुध्दीच्या उपायाचे स्वरूप. (१९३)

नव्हे जाणता नेणता देवराणा I 

न ये वर्णिता वेदशास्त्रा पुराणा I 

नव्हे दृश्य अदृश्य साक्षी तयाचा I 

श्रुती नेणती नेणती अंत त्याचा I I  १९३ I I 

The end-less greed of the mind result in unfair karmas and the resulting consequence we term as grief and calamities. To pacify the inherent restless urge if one desires to follow an ideal then Ramdas Swami suggest the worship of Ram.

To describe the deity Ram, Saint Ramdas says that he can be sensed or can be beyond sense. The scriptures (Vedas, Puranas) are also not capable to precisely describe the great God. God is neither visible nor invisible but fully knows both visible and invisible. Scriptures not know God’s beginning or end as He himself is the creator of the scriptures.

One more note is worth at this stage. We consider Ram to be the ideal for peace, but the biography of Ram reveals that he himself is often seen to be disturbed, sad, and unstable. This point is discussed in the next verse.

Body. Mind. Soul. - Three Puzzles. तीन कोडी - देह, मन, आत्मा, (१९४)

वसे हृदयी देव तो कोण कैसा I

पुसे आदरे साधकु प्रेष्ण ऐसा I 

देह टाकता देव कोठे रहातो I 

परी मागुता ठाव कोठे पहातो I I  १९४ I I 

The query in the last point is answered.

Even the God when in embodied form, has to undergo the grief and calamities, the unavoidable reality of the life. The uniqueness with the Ram is his integrated commitment to courage, peace and benevolence even in the testing time of grief and calamities. That is why he is an Ideal, worth following for a common man.

This verse in the first two lines asks “Tell me more about the God which rules the heart i.e. life. After the death where does He go? Where does he stay?”

The answer to these queries is provided in the verse to follow. But to appreciate the answer, one should be aware of the three basic constituents which form the human being. They are body, mind and soul. These three terms are aptly discussed in chapter three of another book by Manashakti viz.  “Geeta in terms of Latest in Science”. The book is authored by Swami Vijnananand, published in year 1965.

The next verse gives this discussion and its conclusion in nutshell.

Body, Mind, Soul. - Definitions.  “जड.  मन.  आत्मा " यांच्या व्याख्या. (१९५)

वसे हृदयी देव तो जाण ऐसा I

नभाचे परी व्यापकु जाण तैसा I

सदा संचला येत ना जात कांही I

तयावीण कोठें रिता ठाव नाही I I  १९५ I I

God, while He stays in the human heart also occupies whole space in the sky. He exists everywhere. He neither comes nor does He go. There is no space, where He does not stay. In this context, as mentioned in the last verse let us review the definitions of body, mind and soul.

Matter has relative inertia. It does not move by own wish. (The brain or the man-made robot will never have its own intelligence – mentions ‘Cybernetics within Us’). The mind, which has the attraction of the matter, always has a relative motion. This attraction restricts its otherwise limitless motion. Since Soul does not have any wish, it has no attachment to the matter. One way it possesses limitless energy to move while in other way it can also be at perfectly peace and a motion-free state.

An Illustration – A poor staying in the slums desires to own a palace. Riding on the horse of desire his mind jumps to the palace. His soul stays with mind both in slums also in palace. The soul has neither attraction for the palace nor aversion for the slums. Mind and Soul are no distinct entities. Once the mind shades away its morbid impulsive state then it turns into soul.

How the pure soul does stays with an impure mind?

Simile – The glass filled with muddy water when kept steady for some time, the dust settles down and the clear, pure water separates on the top.

How God is omnipresent? राम सर्वत्र कसा ?(१९६) 

नभी वावरे जो अणुरेणु कांही I 

रिता ठाव या राघवेवीण नाही I 

तया पाहता पाहतां तेंचि जाले I 

तेथे लक्ष आलक्ष सर्वै बुडाले I I  १९६ I I 

To a question ‘do you worship Lord Ram, the son of king Dasharath?’, Mahatma Gandhi answered ‘energy, which pervades all over the universe, personified in the word ‘Ram’, the name which king Dasharatha selected for his son, is my deity for worship’.

Science says that there is no vacuum in the universe. The ‘Field’ is entirely filled with the cosmic energy contained in several sub atomic particles. Saint Ramdas Swami has described Ram as all-encompassing, all-pervasive. It implies that Ram is a part of the Universe, even filled in all known, unknown sub atomic particles / micro particles. In space, in all direction whatever exists is Ram. If anybody can meditate and resonate with such a vast energy as Ram, he also shall experience the status of ‘being’, ‘non-being’ and ‘beyond’, ‘omnipotent’, ‘omnipresent’.

Form less (Nirguna) and In Form (Saguna), (http://www.chakras.net/yoga-principles/21-nirguna-and-saguna)

God in Nirguna form is in fact everywhere and in everything, but this is not easily comprehensible or “appealing” to our human intellect.

It is difficult or almost impossible for our intellect to grasp and understand the universal, eternal, all-conscious and omnipresent divine energy. It is much easier for us to have a divine incarnation as a figurehead, towards whom we are able to direct our feelings. In the Saguna aspect, God appears in a human form making it easier for us to come closer. There have been divine incarnations in every age to show people the path to Nirguna God. If we want to send a message in a bottle out into the ocean one sure way would be to throw it into a large river; in this way it will certainly reach the ocean sooner or later. In the same way if we follow the river of consciousness of a divine incarnation we will reach the ocean of Nirguna safely. When we trust in his guidance we will definitely reach the goal. In this way Saguna Bhakti, love and devotion to God in a form in which we are able to perceive and worship God, develops quite naturally from Nirguna Bhakti, the realization of the divine Will.

There is one question that constantly concerns people: Why there are a number of divine incarnations on earth?

There is only one God who has neither form nor name. It is the human mind that has created the many different images and forms of God. God is known as: Holy Father, Allah, Ishvara, Divine Will, Cosmic Principle, Universal Consciousness, Love, Supreme Self, etc. There are probably as many images and names for God as there are people on the planet. Each person has impression of God according to own level of spiritual development and forms own mental image of God. Everyone expresses worship for the Divine in very own way.

The situation in which Arjuna landed after the Vishva Rupa Darshana of God is described in Chapter 11 of Holy Gita as follows:-  

Arjuna saw that blaze of Krishna which resembled the clustering of a thousand Suns. He could see Krishna who was so scorching that even a number of Suns would appear like dwarfs, and the Suns would turn cool like shadows. He says “it is difficult to view the God from all sides. He is brilliant like the kindled fire. He alone has not only filled up the space between the sky and the earth, but even occupied all the directions. On seeing this miraculous fierce form of the God, all Universes are bewildered with fear. My courage and steadiness is totally exhausted. I have stopped experiencing any pleasure, whatsoever. Kings and warriors are briskly entering His mouth that is on fire. It is only today that I am actually seeing how people enter the mouth of death.’’ 

Arjuna’s head became extremely hot. The hearing by the ears stopped. The function of seeing by the eyes became scorching. Arjuna says “Oh, Krishna! Please hold back this fierce form of yours. I cannot bear this severe heat. I am unable to endure this extreme heat of Truth”.

It is not an easy job to meet such a mighty God in its true form. But to keep available the path to the average person for Devotion, Saguna Bhakti is recommended. Based on the Deity of choice, one has to decide the virtues to be acquired to match the ideals. On perpetual basis there should be critical self- introspection to review the self-achievement in terms of qualitative improvement in own behavior. To the extent this penance (Sadhana) shall progress, the blessings of the Deity shall be experienced and the Devotion will bear fruits. Whatever maybe the chosen Deity ultimately the path will lead to the greatest almighty.

This can be termed as “Knowledge based devotion”.

Vijay R. Joshi