In the Regeneration and Divinisation of Human Beings

"At the doors of large granaries are placed traps containing fried rice (Moori) to catch mice. The mice, attracted by the flavour of the fried rice, forgets the more solid pleasure of tasting the rice inside the granary, and fall into the trap. They are caught therein and killed. Just so is the case with the soul. It stands on the threshold of Divine bliss, which is like millions of the highest worldly pleasures solidified into one; but instead of striving for that bliss, it allows itself to be enticed by the petty pleasures of the world and falls into the trap of Maya, the great illusion, and dies therein". - Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa 1. INTRODUCTION Man wants happiness. He shuns pain. He moves heaven and earth to get the happiness he wants from sensual objects, and lo, gets himself entangled in the extricable meshes of Maya. Poor man! He does not know that these objects are perishable and evanescent, finite and conditioned in time, space, and causation. And...

6. THE IMPORTANCE OF RIGHT DIET  : Diet plays a prominent part in keeping up celibacy. There are different compartments in the brain and each food produces its own effect on each compartment and of the general system. A confection of sparrow produces aphrodisiac effect. It directly stimulates the reproductive organs. Garlic, onions, meat, fish, and eggs stimulate passion. Give proper attention to food. Have moderation in diet. Take Sattvic (pure) food such as milk, fruits, and wheat. Occasional fasting checks passion, calms the emotions, controls the Indriyas (senses), and helps in the practice of celibacy. 7. THEORY AND PRACTICE : People talk of celibacy; but practical men are rare, indeed. A life of continence is really beset with difficulties. It is easy to tame a tiger or a lion or an elephant. It is easy to play with a cobra. It is easy to walk over the fire. It is easy to uproot the Himalayas. It is easy to get victory in the battlefield. But, it is diff...

4. NEED FOR CELIBACY : What do we see these days? Boys and girls, men and women are drowned in the ocean of impure thoughts, lustful desires and little sensual pleasures. It is highly deplorable indeed. It is shocking to hear some of the stories of boys. Many college boys have come to me and personally narrated their pitiable lives. Their power of discrimination has been lost owing to sexual excitement and lustful intoxication. Why do you lose the energy that has taken many weeks and months to gain for the sake of a little, momentary sensual pleasure? In olden days, boys of the Gurukula (ancient educational system of India) were healthy and strong. Today there is no real ethical culture in modern schools and colleges. The present system of education needs a drastic and radical change. Modern civilization has enfeebled our boys and girls. They lead an artificial life. Children beget children. There is racial degeneration. It is impossible to be strong and healthy unless ...

3. SEXUAL EXCITEMENT AND ITS EVIL CONSEQUENCES : When a man is excited by passion, the Prana is set in motion. The vital air or Prana moves the internal sap or semen. The semen is put into motion. It falls downwards, just as the clouds burst into the rain water; just as the fruits, flowers, and leaves of the tree drop down by the force of the blowing winds. Note carefully the evil after-effects, once the Veerya is lost. Prana gets unsteady. It gets agitated.. The body and mind refuse to work energetically. There is physical and mental lethargy. Exhaustion and weakness are experienced. You have to take recourse to milk , fruits and other articles to make good the loss of energy. Remember, these articles can never, never repair loss. Bad memory, premature old age, impotence, various sorts of eye diseases and nervous diseases are attributable to the heavy loss of this vital fluid. Those who have lost much of their semen become easily irritated. They lose their balance of mi...

2.THE VITAL ENERGY : One of the students of Dhanvantari approached his teacher after finishing his full course of Ayurveda (the ancient Indian science of medicine) and asked: "O Bhagavan, kindly let me know the secret of health now." Dhanvantari replied: "This seminal energy is verily the Atman. The secret of health lies in preservation of this vital force. He who wastes this vital and precious energy cannot have physical, mental, moral and spiritual development." Veerya (seminal energy) is God in motion. Veerya is dynamic will. Veerya is soul-force. Veerya is the essence of life, thought, intelligence and consciousness. Always remember this. The vital energy, Veerya which supports your life, which is the Prana (life-force) of Pranas, which shines in your sparkling eyes, which beams in your shining cheeks, is a great treasure to you. It is the quintessence of blood. From food, chyle is manufactured; out of chyle comes blood; out of blood comes ...

"Brahmacharya or spotless chastity is the best of all penances; a celibate of such spotless chastity is not a human being, but a god indeed... To the celibate who conserves the semen with great efforts, what is there unattainable in this world ? By the power of the composure of the semen, one will become just like Myself." - Sri Sankaracharya 1. INTRODUCTION Brahmacharya is a divine word. It is the sum and substance of Yoga. Brahmacharya is the Achara or conduct by which you attain or reach Brahman (God). It is life in the Absolute. It is movement towards God or the Atman (Self). Brahmacharya is absolute freedom from sexual thoughts and desires. It is the vow of celibacy. It is control of all the senses in thought, word and deed. Brahmacharya is not mere bachelorhood. There should be strict abstinence not merely from sexual intercourse but also from auto-erotic manifestations, from masturbation, from homosexual acts and from all perverse sexual practices...

In the regeneration and divinisation of man: CONCENTRATION-THE MASTER-KEY TO SUCCESS : : CONCENTRATION-THE MASTER-KEY TO SUCCESS : Those who practise concentration evolve quickly. They can do any work with scientif...

CONCENTRATION-THE MASTER-KEY TO SUCCESS : Those who practise concentration evolve quickly. They can do any work with scientific accuracy and great efficiency. What others do in six hours can be done, by one who has concentration, within half an hour. What others read in six hours can be read, by one who does concentration, within half an hour. Concentration purifies and calms the surging emotions, strengthens the current of thought, and clarifies the ideas. Concentration helps a man in his material progress also. He will have a very good out-turn of work in his office or business house. He who practises concentration will possess very clear mental vision. What was cloudy and hazy before becomes clear and definite now. What was difficult before becomes easy now. And what was complex, bewildering, and confusing before comes easily within the mental grasp. You can achieve anything through concentration. Nothing is impossible to a man who practises regular concen...

In the regeneration and divinisation of man: 7. CONCENTRATION AND PRANAYAMA & 8. IMPORTANCE OF ... : 7. CONCENTRATION AND PRANAYAMA The practice of concentration and the practice of Pranayama are interdependent. If you practi...

7. CONCENTRATION AND PRANAYAMA The practice of concentration and the practice of Pranayama are interdependent. If you practise Pranayama, you will get concentration. Natural Pranayama follows the practice of concentration. A Hatha Yogi practises Pranayama and then controls the mind. He rises upwards from below. A Raja Yogi practises concentration and thus controls his Prana. He comes downwards from above. They both meet on a common platform in the end. There are different practices according to the different capacities, tastes, and temperaments. To some, the practice of Pranayama will be easy to start with; to others, the practice of concentration will be easier. The latter had already practised Pranayama in their previous births. Therefore they take up, in this birth, the higher limb of Yoga, i.e., concentration. 8. IMPORTANCE OF AN ETHICAL BASIS Purify the mind first through the practice of right conduct and then take to the practice of concentr...

In the regeneration and divinisation of man: 6. HOW TO INCREASE YOUR POWER OF CONCENTRATION : : 6. HOW TO INCREASE YOUR POWER OF CONCENTRATION Concentration can be done only if you are free from all distractions. A man ...

6. HOW TO INCREASE YOUR POWER OF CONCENTRATION Concentration can be done only if you are free from all distractions. A man whose mind is filled with passion and all sorts of fantastic desires can hardly concentrate on any object even for a second. His mind will be jumping like an old monkey. Japa of any Mantra and Pranayama (breathing exercise) will steady the mind, remove tossing, and increase the power of concentration. Too much physical exertion, too much talking, too much eating, too much mixing with the opposite sex and undesirable persons, too much walking, will cause distraction of mind. Those who practise concentration must abandon these things. Whatever work you do, do with perfect concentration. Never leave the work without finishing it completely. When you sit for prayers and meditation, never think of your office work. When you work in the office, never think of the child who is sick or of any other household work. When you take bath, do no...

In the regeneration and divinisation of man: 4. AN UPHILL TASK FOR THE BEGINNER & 5. A MENTAL P... : 4. AN UPHILL TASK FOR THE BEGINNER For a neophyte, the practice of concentration is disgusting and tiring in the beginning. He ...

4. AN UPHILL TASK FOR THE BEGINNER For a neophyte, the practice of concentration is disgusting and tiring in the beginning. He has to cut new grooves in the mind and brain. After some months, he will get great interest in concentration. He will enjoy a new kind of happiness, the concentration-Ananda (bliss). He will become restless if he fails to enjoy this new kind of happiness even for one day. The vital point in concentration is to bring the mind to the same point or object again by limiting its movements in a small circle in the beginning. That is the main aim. A time will come when the mind will stick to one point alone. This is the fruit of your constant and protracted Sadhana. The joy is indescribable now. Concentration will increase by lessening the number of thoughts. Certainly, it is an uphill work to reduce the number of thoughts. Just as you will have to take back with care your cloth that is fallen on a thorny plant by removing the thorns one by ...

In the regeneration and divinisation of man: 3. OBJECTS OF CONCENTRATION : Sit on any comfortable pose. Place a picture of your Ishta Devata in front of you. Look at the picture with a steady gaze. Then c...

Sit on any comfortable pose. Place a picture of your Ishta Devata in front of you. Look at the picture with a steady gaze. Then close your eyes and visualise the picture in the centre of your heart or in the space between the eyebrows. When the picture fades out in your mental vision, open the eyes and gaze at the picture again. Close your eyes after a few seconds and repeat the process. It is easy to concentrate the mind on external objects. The mind has a natural tendency to go outwards. In the beginning stage of practice, you can concentrate on a black dot. on the wall, a candle flame, a bright star, the moon, or any other object that is pleasing to the mind. The mind should be trained to concentrate on gross objects in the beginning; and later on, you can successfully concentrate on subtle objects and abstract ideas. There is no concentration without something to rest the mind upon. Concentrate on anything that appeals to you as good or anything which ...

In the regeneration and divinisation of man: 2. WHAT IS CONCENTRATION? : Once a Sanskrit scholar approached Kabir and asked him, “O Kabir, what are you doing now?". Kabir replied, "O Pundit, I...

Once a Sanskrit scholar approached Kabir and asked him, “O Kabir, what are you doing now?". Kabir replied, "O Pundit, I am detaching the mind from worldly objects and attaching it to the lotus-feet of the Lord". This is concentration. Concentration or Dharana is centering the mind on one single thought. Vedantins try to fix the mind on the Atman. This is their Dharana. Hatha Yogins and Raja Yogins concentrate their mind on the six Chakras (energy centres). Bhaktas concentrate on their Ishta Devata (tutelary diety). Concentration is a great necessity for all aspirants. During concentration, the various rays of the mind are collected and focussed on the object of concentration. There will be no tossing of the mind. One idea occupies the mind. The whole energy of the mind is concentrated on that one idea. The senses become still. They do not function. When there is deep concentration, there is no consciousness of the body and surroundings. When ...

In the regeneration and divinisation of man: Concentration :1. : 1.INTRODUCTION If you focus the rays of the sun through a lens, they can burn cotton or a piece of paper; but, the scatter...

1.INTRODUCTION If you focus the rays of the sun through a lens, they can burn cotton or a piece of paper; but, the scattered rays cannot do this act. If you want to talk to a man at a distance, you make a funnel of your hand and speak. The sound-waves are collected at one point and then directed towards the man. He can hear your speech very clearly. The water is converted into steam and the steam is concentrated at a point. The railway engine moves. All these are instances of concentrated waves. Even so, if you collect the dissipated rays of the mind and focus them at a point, you will have wonderful concentration. The concentrated mind will serve as a potent searchlight to find out the treasures of the soul and attain the supreme wealth of Atman (the Self), eternal bliss, immortality and perennial joy. Real Raja Yoga starts from concentration. Concentration merges in meditation. Concentration is a portion of meditation. Meditation follows concentration....

In the regeneration and divinisation of man: Peace : Last Part. : SUMMARY : 1.Many are working today for the promotion of world peace without having peace in themselves. Their loud propaganda, b...

SUMMARY : 1.Many are working today for the promotion of world peace without having peace in themselves. Their loud propaganda, big talk and lectures cause more confusion, conflict and discord.  2.A proper understanding of the essential unity of religions is the most effective and powerful factor in bringing about peace in this world. It will remove all superficial differences and conflicts, which create restlessness, discord and quarrels.  3.If everyone turns to the Supreme peace within, there will be peace everywhere. A glorious new era of peace, amity, love and prosperity can be ushered in, only if the youth of the day is educated in the methods of self-culture. Educate the moral conscience of the public. This will bring lasting world-peace.  4.You can elevate others only if you have elevated yourself. This world can be saved only by those who have already saved themselves. A prisoner cannot liberate other prisoners. One realized sage can do more fo...