Welcome to the 2017 Sri Panchami issue of e-Sanai

by Sri Sandip Dasgupta

Welcome to the Saraswati Puja issue of e-Sanai. This is the special day on which our Sadguru Sri Sri Babathakur had come to our Jagat to bless us all with His own unique realization – The Science of Oneness.  Just like we pray to Ma Saraswati for wisdom on this day, let us pray that we strive to learn at least a little bit of the “Science of Oneness” provided to us by our Master.
 

Sri Sri Babathakur always started with one very universal statement – ‘There can be only One Absolute’. The world started with that Absolute, and the various forms of life, the objects, were created out of that Absolute one – and the creations were also created because of the Divine will of that Absolute One. Everything else (our body, mind, intellect, brain …) which we think are Real, are mere reflections of that Absolute One.

Why were these creations created?  Sri Sri Babathakur has called it the “Sportful Dramatic game of Self-Consciousness”.  In this game (of the Absolute), the players emanated from the Absolute and they are playing the script written by the Absolute for the Absolute.  After the game or drama is over, the Jiva and/or Jagat dissolve with the Absolute.  This is in essence the “Science of Oneness” that Sri Sri Babathakur taught us.  Using this light of Oneness, let’s try to analyze one common situation in life.

When we fall sick (just because I have personally witnessed this over the last few weeks):

a.      The virus or bacteria that attacks us, is also His creation.

b.      The fever that we get is an immune reaction to that bacteria. That immune reaction is also His, to protect us from the ill-effects of that virus/bacteria.

c.      Our desire to go see a doctor (or even not to see the doctor) is also His will.

d.      It is His desire that we go see a good doctor (or even if we see a bad doctor, its His will, because we learn a lesson to choose our doctor carefully!)

e.      The Jiva who is playing the role of the doctor has also got trained to be a doctor because of His will.

f.       Through His desire or plan, the doctor orders appropriate tests for diagnosis

g.      It is His will that allows the doctor to diagnose the problem and prescribe a treatment

h.      If we are praying to God for recovery, that prayer also happens out of His will!

i.        Even after we are prescribed a course of treatment, its possible that we as patients may not follow the prescribed treatment. So, if we are consuming medicines to get cured – it is also happening because of His will. If we neglect to follow the treatment, it is also because of His will – because he wants us to suffer even more, by not following the treatment.

j.        When we get cured, that also happens because of His will and we also get cured because it’s His desire that we go on with life.  If we don’t get cured, that also happens because of His will.

So, as you can see – we have to realize the presence of that Absolute One in every object that we see, every person we meet, every thought that comes to us, every action we do etc.  Therefore, according to this Science of Oneness – every action and result belongs to the Absolute and we should not get attached to the action or result.  According to Sri Sri Babathakur, we will then be free of any fruits of action (Karmaphal) – good or bad.

Reflecting on daily events in life, with the light of Oneness (or the Science of Oneness) allows us to take a rational and balanced view of life events. I t minimizes frustrations and allows us to proceed with life.  I therefore urge each and every one of you to reflect on the Master’s teachings and apply them to your daily life.  We are truly blessed to have come across a Sadguru – it is now upto us to enrich our life by reflecting on His teachings.

Joy Babathakur! Joy Babathakur! Joy Babathakur!

Last Words

by Sri P.C. Lahiri

“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to.

“At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.

“In the darkness, I look at the green lights from the life supporting machines and hear the humming mechanical sounds; I can feel the breath of the God of death drawing closer…

“Now I know, when we have accumulated sufficient wealth to last our lifetime, we should pursue other matters that are unrelated to wealth. Should be something that is more important— perhaps relationships, perhaps art, perhaps a dream from younger days?

“Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me.

“God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. The wealth I have won in life I cannot bring with me. What I can bring is only the memories precipitated by love. That’s the true riches which will follow you, accompany you, give you the strength and light to go on. Love can travel a thousand miles.

“Life has no limit. Go where you want to go. Reach the height you want to reach. It is all in your heart and in your hands.

“What is the most expensive bed in the world? The sick bed…

“You can hire someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear the sickness for you.

“Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost― Life.

“When a person goes into the operating room, he will realize that there is one book that he has yet to finish reading— Book of Healthy Life. Whichever stage in life we are right now, with time, we will face the day when the curtain comes down.

“Treasure love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.”

It is said that a few moments after saying these “last words”, written down by someone else near his bed, Steve Jobs, aged 56, passed away.

I got to know about all this while sitting in a general gathering consisting of people of almost all age groups. During that discussion, I saw the existence of a lot of controversy on whether the above words were really spoken by him or not.  We, the common people, generally have this tendency of taking a side whenever the first speaker tries to give a color of his choice to the topic of discussion.  That leads to a lot of arguments for and against the point of view presented by the first speaker.  In the process we lose the bigger picture which may indicate its depth and uncontroversial nature.  So, without getting into any of that, this article is about the true meaning of the “last words”, based on my understanding of what Master (Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur) has revealed.   

Let us read the “last words” as an insightful essay. What do we derive out of it?

Unparalleled achievement of recognition and wealth do not provide real joy in life. They become meaningless in the face of impending death. Relentless pursuit of wealth turns a person into a twisted being. So, after accumulating sufficient wealth to last a lifetime, pursue other matters that are unrelated to wealth. (What are those matters? That has been dealt with in the second part of the essay.) 

Senses are provided to feel the love in everyone’s heart. (This is a key statement. We normally use our senses for the accumulation of wealth, name, fame etc.). If you have love then you are truly rich with the strength and light to travel thousands of miles on the limitless vehicle of life.  With heart full of love, one can reach any height that one wants, go anywhere desired. (This is an Indication of the limitlessness of human capability, if only one has true love as his companion). At whatever age one may be reading this essay, please remember—  strive only for the treasure of love to lead a truly Healthy Life.

Let us look at Love, as revealed by the Master. Out of many definitions of Love given by the Master from different angles, the one which is short and relevant for the topic is— ‘Love is a divine principle which embraces all as one in reality but relative attributes of life in appearance.’{Ref: Daiva and Purushakara (Destiny and Self-Effort), page 107, paragraph 2, first two lines}. The definition has two parts. The first part is— Love in essence is an all-embracing Divine Principle. The second part is— in appearance, love is relative attributes of life. 

Love of the second part is further described by the Master as having two sub parts— ordinary love and spiritual love. Ordinary love (first sub part) has again two sub-secondary parts— bhalolaga (love in physical and sense planes) and bhalobasa (love in mental and intellectual planes).

Love of the second part as revealed by the Master— ‘In ordinary sense love means morbid attachment, liking, preference and absurd greed for physical/sensual enjoyment. In physical and sense planes, love is mere bhalolaga (first sub-secondary part)— meaning comfort, pleasing and liking of unstable and transitory nature, which results in displeasure and dislike without any reason. In mental and intellectual planes it is bhalobasa (second sub-secondary part) — meaning conditional love and liking, and sentimental and emotional feeling also with preference and favor. In spiritual sense (second sub part) — love is affection, affectionate regard, fondness, tenderness, compassion, kind and sympathetic feeling, lovingness etc. In both ordinary and spiritual senses it (love) is tainted and limited by desire for which it has a reactionary effect in mind and the senses. Hence, it is not all-perfect and divine. 

‘In divine sense (first part) Love is Pure Prema which is fullness, oneness, unity and identity, hence universal and beyond. ….It is free from all kinds of demerits such as liking and disliking, preference, hatred etc. ….Hence, Love is all-embracing and all-accepting, without any exception.’ {Ref: Daiva and Purushakara (Destiny and Self-Effort), from page 107 third paragraph to page 108 end of first paragraph}.

The first part being all-encompassing and all-embracing, out of exuberance of Supreme Bliss, reveals Itself alone as the ‘relative attributes of life’, i.e. the second part.  At the stage of the first part, there is no other level or part at all, as It is all-pervading and One without a second. Love of the first part only reveals in Perfect Souls and all other souls, traveling through the various levels of the second part in various lives, strive for such revelation. 

Love of the second part and all its sub and secondary parts narrate the experience of love of such striving souls. Master has elaborated on love of the second part (as quoted here in before). Lowest grade of ordinary love is in the physical and sense planes (bhalolaga). Next grade of ordinary love is in the mental and intellectual planes (bhalobasa). The highest grade of love of the second part is spiritual love but this too has an element of desire embedded in it which makes it reactionary and limited. Gradations can only exist in reflection of love which is not pure Love or limitless Love (Love with capital ‘L’).    

We must bear in mind that the above is the scientific analysis of the word ‘Love’ from the standpoint of Swanubhuti (Self-Conscious Awareness) of a Self-Realized Soul. It is not the theory, thesis or doctrine of a highly intellectual mind. Hence, it can only be accepted, not understood by mind-intellect-ego. Acceptance comes only from the ‘heart doctrine’ (an original coinage of the Master) and understanding comes from the ‘head doctrine’ (another original coinage of the Master). 

Finally, the essay talks about which love…I leave it to the judgment of the readers.    

Discrimination and Willpower

by Smt. Susmita Devi

I remember the saying - "If you don't like something, change it” and “If you can't change it, change the way you think about it." The fundamental essence between the two previous quotes is that we actually can change our mindset - throughout life as we mature in our understanding of the fact, mind is not a static phenomena. It can be adjusted to life’s circumstances.
 

One may interact with negative people daily, be they friends, family members, a partner, or a colleague.  You love them, you care about them, you can't just cut them out of your life - but they are negative, and their negativity is eating away your peace of mind. What can you do?

The best way of dealing with life's challenges is to take a good look at oneself and take responsibility for what we think, feel and do. Carl Jung wrote: "Everything that annoys us in others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves."

Make sure you are taking responsibility for your feelings and mood. Don't go complaining that other people's negativity is affecting you, because it will only create more negativity. Take responsibility for your thoughts and feelings and see what you can do to make yourself feel better and change the existing situation.

The matter of taking responsibility for one’s thought pattern is also needed when one decides to step on a spiritual path.  Don’t forget, that the inherent ‘you’ is not a stagnant phenomenon. The thought pattern dominates according to one’s thought model. It is actually amazing how much it can be manipulated through practice of discrimination and will-power.

The rather limited knowledge of human nature one has at the outset, the harder the work to change from negative impressions to positive ones.  One may find that one radiates misery to the environment - and that part of the negative energy surrounding you in fact, partly impacts others perception of you.

There are a few rules which need attention in order to create transformation in one's mindset:

• Give up the need to complain (spread of negative vibrations)
• Realize that similarity attracts (by giving up complaints one sends out positive vibrations instead of negative ones)
• Don't believe everything you think (mind can be devious as it wants to  control our thought patterns
• Focus

"Whoever has limited knowledge of human nature and seeks happiness by changing everything but his own attitude, will waste his life in futile efforts." -  Samuel Johnson

Look closely at the negative people in your life. Are you conscious about how they impact your thought pattern?  Is what they are doing and saying really that bad or is your brain playing games with you? To discriminate between one’s own attitude and imported attitudes is a hard thing to learn and has to be consciously practiced.

The brain, per se, is configured to look for trouble and does so more easily than finding positive aspects. Ask yourself if you NEED to listen to, or feel negativity or if you WANT to. The difference is titanic indeed.

If the positive want is strong, then a transformation may take place over time...yield harmony in the mind and influence the behavior pattern in a positive direction. Sadguru Sri Sri Babathakur repeatedly reminded His followers of the same by saying, that if thought patterns are positive, the reciprocity will be the same, and in the end will result in harmony.  One may, in addition, develop one’s power of discrimination by reflecting on thoughts and behavior manifest in one’s life.

So, to sum up, one must accept - and learn - to be accountable for ones thoughts, expressions and conduct instead of feeling victimized and think ...they (anyone in one’s environment) ruin my energy and oomph.  None can do that once the realization dawns that one has an inherent capability (with a bit of practice) to direct thoughts and behavior in a lucid and positive direction which, by the way is contagious.  So, choose either contentment or misery.  Wayne W. Dyer emphasized that one should never underestimate one's power to change oneself and never overestimate the inherent power to change others. Another method is to become aware of one’s own darkness so as to better deal with the obscurity of others.

Music Unites the People of the World

by Sri Ajit Halder

Music, comprising vocal music with words, instrumental music without any words or a combination of both, is a source of entertainment for the millions of music-lovers hailing from different countries and speaking a variety of languages.  Music transcends all diverse tongues and bridges the language barrier with its own captivating sound, and thus succeeds in connecting people who speak different languages.

It is well known that Michael Jackson’s pop songs and Ravi Shankar’s sitar recital were listened to with great fervour and highly appreciated by music fans all over the world.  The performances of these two artists along with many other world renowned musicians, are very popular among connoisseurs of music as indicated by the sale of millions of their disks not only in the past, but even to this date.  It is therefore true to say that music unites the people of the world.

I wish to narrate here my own experience which supports the view that music carries with it a universal ardour that appeals to people of different lands.  Some years ago in a shopping centre near my home in Manchester, England, a gentleman of European origin, asked me if I were an Indian.  I replied: ‘Yes, I am’ to which he promptly queried: ‘Did you know of an Indian singer named Hemanta Mukherjee?’  I told him I had known and admired the named singer who sang many songs composed in my mother-tongue Bengali.  On hearing this comment of mine, he started humming one of Hemanta’s songs and spoke of the delight he felt while listening to the enchanting sound of Hemanta’s songs. He continued by telling me his name, Mr. Stefan Andreas; he was an Austrian living in the UK.  He even invited me to his home to show me his collection of disks of Hemanta’s music.  I was surprised and pleased to learn that Hemanta’s songs could create such a reverberation in the heart and mind of Mr. Andreas who lived five thousand miles away from the singer’s home in Kolkata.  Music indeed has an enchanting power to bring together song-loving people who live apart in different continents.

We constantly hear speech sounds made by humans and a cacophony of sounds made by singing birds, animals and other objects of Nature which we often ignore; but not the sound of music.  It prompts us to explore the characteristics of music that makes it so much nicer to listen to, mesmerizing a wide variety of listeners.

Music is a pleasant, audible sound event, being an amalgam of lyric, pitch, rhythm and  melody - all blended into an organized structure. The lyric conveys a message lovely to hear, and the pitch of a note means how high or low a note is.  Rhythm is the time element of music, and melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm.  

Of all the elements that make music so exciting, lyric is felt in the listener’s mind and heart and Tagore’s songs are rich in quality lyrics. In his song Gaanbhango implying the song’s end, poet Tagore brings the singer and the listener together thus: ‘gaahibe ekjan khuliya galaa, aarekjan gaabe mone' which quote translated into English reads: ‘as the vocalist starts singing to spread his rapturous voice to the outside, the listener joins in by miming the tune inside his mind’.     

Indian song recitals are usually accompanied by the playing of a range of musical instruments e.g. Tabla, Dholak or Mridangam as percussion instruments and a few others like Harmonium, Sitar or a Violin to add to the sweetness of the recital.

Sitar, Sarod and Veena are examples of stringed instruments. The strings of a sitar are all separately tuned to different pitches but when plucked, the differently generated sounds are combined to produce a music that is rich in quality.  Similar is the experience one gains when a pianist strikes the distinct keys of a piano and generates a sonorous, melodic sound.  So we note that the sound produced by musical instruments has the unique feature of blending different pitches just like Music unites the people of different lands. 

Our love for Music

Music also has other effects besides providing pure entertainment.   A poet wrote: “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts”, and I quote from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: ‘If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it.’ 

Music can uplift emotions such as hope, sadness and serenity. Soothing music, like soft instrumental music or nature sounds, can calm the body, relieve stress, and allows one to concentrate on him/herself alone.  In a concert, music players after many rehearsals develop the discipline of synchronizing with each other and that collaboration may lead to bonding with one other.

It may so happen that in a much publicized musical event you find yourself sitting next to a person who is a stranger to you and speaks in a language different from yours.  This means that socialization through conversation with that person is difficult.  Yet, when the music rises to a crescendo, it is quite likely that both of you will join in to applaud the music.  

No doubt, pop songs entertain millions of fans.  We do, however, enjoy another type of music like Bhajans to bring spiritual joy into the hearts and souls of devotees. Bhajans sung by D V Paluskar like ‘Chalo Man Ganga Jamunake Teer’ or ‘Paoji Maine Ramratan Dhan Payo’ and his other melodies, are often broadcast by the radio and heard by millions.  These and other religious songs pour the holy words of Hinduism into the listeners’ ears and uplift their hearts with a spiritual touch.  

Once I had the opportunity to listen to a devotional song sung by Sri Sri Babathakur at the Fern Road residence.  The tone, the melody and the lyric with a deep spiritual message still ring into my ear after so many years.

Noting the theme of this article, it will be quite in order to mention the names of famous artists who popularised music in the past as well as in modern times.  The legendary singer Mian Tansen was Emperor Akbar’s court singer and famous for creating the raags Deepak and Meghamallar. Composers through the centuries have been inspired by Tansen’s raags to create quality music that has entertained millions of Indian listeners.

Coming to the present era, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Sandhya Mukherji, Hemanta Mukherji and many others have delighted the music loving audiences for several decades.

Music not only unites peoples but also links musicians of different lands to compose music that pleases millions of listeners. Ravi Shankar’s sitar recital and Yehudi Menuhin’s violin accompaniment was recorded on a long-playing disk as their joint musical tribute to Poet Rabindranath Tagore on his birth centenary celebration held in 1961.

Often a singer becomes interested in songs composed in a foreign language and sings these lyrics to amuse and entertain appreciative listeners. Lata Mangeshkar has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian and several foreign languages, and her renditions have been well received.

George Harrison of Beatles’ fame sang several Indian devotional songs like ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Raam….’ which became very popular in the music world.

Famous musician A. R. Rahman directed the song “Jai Ho" (meaning "Let there be victory") which was included in the soundtrack of the 2008 film, Slumdog Millionaire. "Jai Ho” brought worldwide fame to Rahman and became so popular as to win an Oscar and truly unite people all over the world.  He also composed the official theme song: "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto" for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and in the summer of 2012, Rahman composed a Punjabi song for the London Olympics opening ceremony.  Both events were televised and the viewers of the world were laced together to enjoy Rahman’s music.  

We must also mention that the background music (mainly instrumental music) we hear while viewing TV programs, news bulletins, advertisements or serials, succeed in attracting millions of viewers to watch programs on TV.

It is hoped that the above discussion on the theme of this article put forward with several relevant illustrations will vindicate the proposition: Music unites the people of the world.