Should be free from desire

The only way to be desirableness is to be wakeful, . , Watchfulness creates a light in you, and in that light the darkness of desire can not enter. OSHO

There is a pleasure when a shore is scratched. But to be without sores is more pleasurable sitll. Just so, there are pleasures in worldly desires is more pleasurable still. Nagarjuna

Free From Desire

The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free form enxiety about results; all his selfish desire have been consumed in the fire of knowledge.

Bhagvada Gita 4:19:21
Only the man without desire sees without seeing. Speaks without speaking, knows without knowing,. All sorrow comes from fear and from nothing else. When you know this, you become free of it, and desire melts away. You become happy and still. Astabatra Gita

Formula for Good Health

Appropriate physical Activity

If a machine is kept idle for a long time, its parts get rusted and the dirt is deposited on it, and if it is run excessively, its parts wear our fast and become useless. The same rule applies to the human body. Lying idle in laziness, shrinking physical work in the grab of dignity drains out the life force of the body. In order to retain the power and flexibility of muscles, it is essential to give appropriate physical work to all parts of the body. Thus in order to maintain health it is absolutely necessary to undertake daily some physical activity/exercise that involves nearly all body parts. However, this physical labor should not be so much that it exhausts all the vital energy. If a person works more than one's capacity, it increases heat within his body which, in turn, destroys vital elements. Such people do not live longer. If a person spends more than his income, he is bound to become bankrupt. Therefore, one should surely work enthusiastically, do physical labor and give work to all the body parts, but should work within the limits of his capacity. This is appropriate physical activity and only this is beneficial.

Many people earn money by mental endeavor. Such people think why they should take the trouble of doing manual work when it can be done by the servant. This is their mistake. Servant's stomach cannot digest the food consumed by the master. If a person feels thirsty, hungry or getting relieved (of excrement or urine), he cannot get such tasks done by the servant. Even eminent persons, who are extremely busy, take up some or the other physical activity to keep themselves fit. Tasks like gardening, carpentry, laundry work, cleaning of home, etc, should form part of the daily routine. Games like tennis, football, volleyball, cricket, etc can be chosen. To enrich our respiratory system with fresh air, it is essential to go for a morning walk of at least 3-4 miles. Practice of yoga (Aasan/pranayam) daily is also good. Every part of the body should get appropriate physical work, without which fat starts accumulating and the body is attacked by diseases like constipation, piles, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Physical activity is a must for every human being whether he is rich or poor, educated or uneducated eminent or a lay person.

Proper Management of Daily Routine

Apart from proper food and physical activity, in order to maintain good health, discipline and orderliness must form part of the daily routine. There should be timeslot for each and every task, e.g. getting up, taking bath, exercise, sleeping, eating, office/social work, entertainment, etc. Married people should observe self-restraint as far as sex is concerned. Frequency of sex must not exceed once in a month or so. A wrong notion has been spread amongst the younger male generation that more sex is required to keep wife satisfied. The truth is that most women do not desire sex like sensual men. They need a spouse who is hard working honest, jovial, loving, faithful and upright in character. There are many couples where husbands are invalid, but their married life is full of pleasure and peace. Excessive sex lowers the attraction between husband and wife. It also gives rise to venereal disease. Therefore, in this matter the couples must make healthy norms and follow it rigidly. Unrestrained sex drains the energy of both the partners and eventually leads to ill health.

All the day's tasks should be properly scheduled. Regular and disciplined life saves a person from the clutches of disease. Simplicity and neutrality should always be kept in mind. Plenty of clothes are not required to cover the body; in the Nepalese context dhoti kurta and chappal are enough. Of course in order to protect oneself from excessive cold or heat some arrangement can be done. But loading oneself with heavy clothes prevents the sun rays and fresh air from reaching the skin. Its ill-effect is akin to keeping the plants away from sunlight and air. One should not always try to protect oneself from the effect of seasons. The summer, winter and rainy seasons energize the body and make it strong. They also improve the immune system of the body. People who use coolers or air conditioners during summer and heaters during winter and who never allow even a drop of rain to fall on the body, normally are seen to get affected easily by the change of weather. Their bodies become weak and they easily fall prey to viral infections and disease. Therefore, while protecting oneself from the severity of seasons, normally one should bear the effects of seasons.

Married Life

Every Grahastha yogi should adopt these mantras whole heartedly. He must chant them several times during the day. He may write these on a small card and carry it along and he should read them whenever he gets time, contemplating upon each written word. If possible, he should frame it in a poster and hand it upon a wall in his room. Early in the morning while getting up from sleep he must read these mantras a few times before getting busy in the daily chores, and take a vow that he would try his best throughout the day to deep sentiments hidden in these words and that he would sincerely try to match his conduct with these thoughts. For one who leaves his bed contemplating upon these mantras, this effect would stay with him throughout the day. The instructions given to the inner unconscious mind early in the morning go very deep; they do not fade in the memory easily and recur in the conscious mind at the right time.

Every Morning a Grahastha Yogi must chant ------

· I am a Grahastha Yogi

· My life is oriented towards Sadhana

· What do others do, how they do it, what they ssay and think - I do not care, for I am satisfied with myself.

· My true sadhana of performing my duties is so great, so satisfying, calming and fulfilling that it suffuses my soul with bliss.

· I shall continue my enriching, blissful sadhana uninterruptedly

· I shall always perform all my duties towards my home with selfless attitude.

This oath must get firmly ingrained in mind. Whenever the mind begins to waver and infirmities appear to set in, this oath must be reaffirmed with sincerity.

Before falling asleep in the night all the actions during the day should be thought over again:

· What activities did I do today that were related to my family?

· What were my errors in carrying these out?

· What inappropriate actions did I perform out of selfishness?

· What wrongs did I do unintentionally?

· Which actions were good, appropriate and in perfect accordance with the tenets of Grahastha Yoga?

All the activities done for the family must be divided into these categories and then means to correct the errors made must be found out. Adopting the process of --searching for mistakes and errors, accepting them, being ashamed of them and putting sincere, honest efforts to correct them, one can reduce one's mistakes day-by-day.

The Origin of Yagya

Gayatri and Yagya are described as the pillars of Nepalese philosophy and culture. The eternal source of universal knowledge, comprised in the Gayatri Mantra is deciphered and the cosmic energy of sound contained in Mantra is activated and expanded with the help of Yagya.

The four Vedas signify the philosophy of the eternity and absolute complementary role of Gayatri and Yagya in the divine creation. Atharvaveda also deals with sound therapy aspects of Mantras for the treatment of the ailing human system at the physical, psychological and spiritual levels. The Samaveda focuses on the musical chanting patterns of the Mantras and the subtle form of Yagya by defining the latter as the process of mental oblation on the surface of internal emotions through the cosmic radiation of the omnipresent subtle energy of sound. The Yajurveda contains the knowledge of principles and methods of performing Yagya as spiritual and scientific experiments for global welfare.

Literally speaking, Yagya means … selfless sacrifice for noble purposes. Sacrificing of the ego, selfishness and material attachments and adopting rational thinking, humane compassion and dedicated creativity for the welfare of all …. is indeed the best Yagya which should be performed by all human beings. The philosophy of Yagya teachers a way of living in the society in harmony, a living style to promote and protect higher humane values in the society, which is indeed the basis of the ideal human culture.

The Sewa Yagya... Altruist service of the society is a noble example of Yagya. The Gyan Yagya similarly implies the service of people by enlightening their lives in the glow of knowledge and education. The Prana Yagya implies the service of saving the lives of people from suffering and agonies and inspiring liveliness and respect for life in them. A variety of such Yagyas are descried in the Shastras. This article focuses on the Yagya performed for physical experimentation.

In physical terms, Yagya is a process aimed at the refinement of the subtle energy existing in matter with the help of thermal energy of the Mantras. The knowledge of philosophy and science of Yagya is as essential for understanding and experimenting the science of spirituality as the knowledge of elementary physics is for material based sciences. The experiments of Yagya, when performed at a small scale in day to day life and called Hawan or Agnihotra.

Vocal Cord Internal Chanting

Some religions and spiritual practices use verbal chanting, prayer, or reading sacred books aloud in an effort to divert the mind from its ordinary mundane preoccupations and channel it towards the divine. Although this has a definite beneficial effect, it cannot elevate the mind to the highest state, because by this method, the vocal cord is still in operation, and also the ear organ is hearing one's own voice; and thus the conscious mind is still active. Yoga meditation, however, uses a process for concentration which is completely internal by which the vocal cord is not used at all - a process which we will discuss later.

Thus, merely by sitting in the lotus posture, silently and motionlessly, and folding the hands, we have succeeded in inactivating all the five motor organs, hands, feet, vocal cord gentry and excretory organs.

Suspending the sense organs: Closing the Eyes

Then the eyes are closed. In some forms of concentration, a candle is used, and the concentrator starts fixedly at the candle flame. Indeed, by this process one develops some psychic powers, for intense concentration always creates mental force. This technique is often employs by hypnotists and those interested only in utilizing the lower powers of the mind. But it cannot lead to the subtlest state of awareness because the eye organ and thus the conscious mind are still in operation, making it more difficult to dive deep inside the mind. So in meditation we close the eyes.

Turning off the Nose and Ears: Visualization

What about the nose and ears? They are not so easy to close! When you are sitting by an open window above the roar of traffic in the street below, and the next door neighbor is frying some savory dish, how to prevent these sensations from disturbing your mind? For this there is a specific process of visualization to withdraw the mind from all external vibrations. Now psychologists are realizing the tremendous power of visualization in creating mental states, particularly altered states of consciousness. In meditation, we use a specific visualization to imagine that we are far away from the external disturbances - sounds and smells - that may agitate our minds. By this technique, we completely isolate ourselves mentally from the external world; one may be sitting in the busiest city on earth and yet feel the same internal peace, silence and solitude as if he or she were sitting on a Himalayan peak. This is one of the higher practices of meditation, so it can only be learned personally from a trained instructor of Ananda Marga.

Tongue Turned Back and Skin Un-stimulated

To remove the sensation of taste, the tongue is turned back in the mouth in a specific position which effectively stops the operation of the taste organ. And by another internal visualization (which must also be learned individually from the instructor), the mediator withdraws all awareness from the physical body, so all tactile disappear and the skin organ becomes inactive.

All ten Sense and Motor Organs Inactive

Thus, by sitting motionlessly in the proper posture with the hands folded, eye closed, tongue turned back in the mouth, and mind withdrawn from external physicality, all the ten sense and motor organs have been controlled and the conscious mind completely stilled (silence have found in their experiments on yogis that in deep meditation they are completely oblivious to external stimuli. When a loud noise sounds in their ears, or a bright light shines on their eyes, or a hot iron rod touches their hands, they do not respond to the stimuli at all).

This is the correct process of sensory withdrawal, and at the end of it, without using a tube of warm water or any painful, difficult or complicated techniques, the mediator has easily transcended the conscious mind and enters deep into the subconscious state. Thus, it is said that meditation actually begins with the subconscious mind.

The Wonder-World of Hormones

Dr. Ivo has emphasized the predominant role of hormonal glands on one's psychology development in his book entitled -"Glands of Distinctly". He cites the example of Napoleon Bonapart - stating that, Napoleon lost the battle of Waterloo because his pituitary gland and become defective; he was therefore unable to take any decision; in the mangled state of mind he lost the opportunity of turning the strategic planning into his favor. The inference of Dr. Ivies is based on the postmortem report of the little corporal in which the deformation of pituitary gland was a significant finding. In terms of occult anatomy, the visible or perceptible components of the body and their activities do not form the system of life. The conscious energy working in even the tiniest form of these elements is the real source of life. The subtle aspects of vital functioning in the living beings are still beyond the reach of the knowledge attained in the fields of physiology, anatomy and other and other biomedical sciences. In other words, our contemporary knowledge of our own body is yet incomplete.

Consider the endocrine glands for instance: Very minute, almost negligible as compared to the amount of blood in our body, large quantities of hormones are secreted by these glands. The secreted hormones get dissolved in the blood and produce tremendous effects that after the source of normal functioning of human body and mind in many respects. How these glands are developed - what is the source of their existence? Why and what types of transformations take place in their activities? Why do the bio-chemicals secreted by these glands vary so much in nature? What is the mechanism of their significant effects on body functions? These questions yet remain unanswered. So far, only the manifestations- in terms of normal and abnormal growth and functions of the body and behavioral aspects and chemistry of some of the hormones secreted by these glands have been elucidated. However, the research studies are silent on why, from where…., these effects?

Early research in neural chemistry had found the presence of some hormones which are secreted by the endocrine gland and which make temporary or permanent effects on specific organs or physicochemical functions of the body. Advanced results have found newer secrets in terms of the association of these hormones with the nature and inherent character of humans. In view of their tremendous effects on regulating the physical, mental and emotional states of a person, the hormone-secreting glands appear like the 'fingers' of a hidden juggler who makes the humans dance like puppets under the control of the hormonal 'threads'.

The internal hormonal and other neuro-chemical secreting system - the endocrine system - has long been a challenging puzzle for the anatomists and physiologists. Whatever hypotheses and inferences are drawn in one point of time, they are often required to be modified or changed after some time because of the newer or contradictory observations. The secrets of this system seem to be hidden behind such a curtain which gets more entangled into a mesh of unknown facets whenever opened up a bit.

As early as during the times of Luis XV in France, an anatomist named Dr. Thuffe had conjectured the presence of a somewhat supernormal (in terms of physical existence) system in the body which secrets special juices and chemicals that can significantly alter the functions of different components of the body. An Italian Anatomist, Dr. Eustachi had reported a well-structured hypothesis on hormonal glands in the upper poles of the kidney as early as 1563. Later on, some researchers of the Vodak Institute of Science had thrown light on the adrenal glands. Around 1850, Dr Karl Inge of Britain and Dr. Yeri of Paris had given experimental evidences to illustrate the remarkable effects of some hormonal secretions inside the body on the physiological and biochemical functions. Research in the fields of hormones/neurochemicals geared up gradually in the later years.

At present, the research on neurohormonal secretions and allied topics is one of the most active areas of advanced sciences. Dr. Luis Warman of Columbia university had recently published an article entitled "Glands Regulating Personality" to highlight the predominant role of hormonal glands in the psychological makeup of a person. The author states that there are some special glands in the body, which are tiny in size but colossal in effects…. Besides their apparent role in controlling the organ development, metabolism and other activities of the living body, they also have significant influence on the mental functions. Disharmony of some secretions may lead to the decline of one's personality in many respects; one can even go whimsical or insane because of such imbalances. An orderly controlled, refined state of such secretions, on the other hand, might endow one with a courageous, foresighted, cheerful, charming and talented personality.