THE NECTAR FROM SANATANA DHARMA

1. Life & Death are a small part of a long journey undertaken by the soul, something like changing clothes everyday. Another example is the roleplay by a particular character  in a movie. 

2. The Soul is immortal and eternal, has no form, cannot be destroyed by any force or fire. The sum total of all Soul may be a small part of the Supreme. 

3. Law of Karma is unquestionable and cannot be bypassed by anyone. 

4. In order to fulfil the purpose of Karma discharge, the Soul,called as the Atman comes to dwell in the body which acquires a form. This is akin to an individual taking a house on rent. The body is a perishable matter. So then Sanatana Dharma raises a pertinent question-why the attachment to something which in any way one shall lose at some time?  

5. The best way to live one's life is to accept things as they come and tune your response to your happenings. This way of life is called as Yog and the righteous response is called Dharma. 

6. Happiness is derived from enduring ones Karma and doing Dharma. Do one's duty with responsibility is the mantra. 

7. One must live in the ecosystem as an integral part of it and must fulfil all obligations. Ecosystem consists of biotic and abiotic components. So respect all. 

8. All amenities required for any being on  earth are provided by the Supreme Being in accordance with all considerations. Even human inventions are not really individual achievements but awarded to humanity to achieve a purpose.

9. Everything living as well as non-living has a lifecycle. But the span of life differs. Therein is the significance of Time. Typical lifecycle follows the same pattern of creation (birth), endurance and decay & death. 

10. The earth itself, which consists of all beings, are clothed in an environment called as Maya. Something like a mirage or illusion. The goal of a soul is to escape from this illusion. There are four ways (techniques) prescribed where a willing individual can escape from this Maya to achieve immorality and experience complete bliss. 

11. Human being is the highest form of the Soul.  A human soul is endowed with four components viz, mind, emotions, memory and intelligence. The vibrations are created in the mind which takes inputs from all the other components before a response. Control of the mind in a tight lease is prescribed to ensure appropriate.response. Intellect is the discerning authority. 

12. The vibrations created by the mind travel through a vehicle called as the Ego. Control of the mind is the degree to which this Ego is restricted. So dynamism is not desired. Calmer mind is preferred over an agitated mind. Limiting this vehicle called Ego is given a lot of importance in Sanatana Dharma. 

YOU CAN BE HAPPY NOW!!!

Many western authors have researched ( in the lab).about how to experience happiness. They are all based on sampling of a few Individuals and situations. But, in the world the people's traits and situations are so varied as the population itself.  

However the theory of Vedas on happiness is different. It goes like this. According to the Vedas, human form is an embodiment of happiness. It is best depicted by Maha Vishnu who is relaxing in a reclining position with a satisfied smile on his face. But due to Maya in the world, we are not easily able to perceive this state and get dissolved in mundane matters. It is like gold which inherently shines is put into a muddy slush. It's tendency remains the same but it vets blackened by surroundings. If it is able to clear this covering, then it's true quality is revealed. For human understanding we can say that happiness can be experienced by an individual if they conform to the following three behaviors.

1. Contentment - contentment means accepting what one has, in everything, be it finance, status, position or situation. If ones eyes are blind, accept. If one is poor, accept the situation as a fallout of one's Karma. That is, in this life, he/she deserves it. What others have is what they deserve. But contentment is very difficult to achieve in the material world. Whatever one perceives through the mind through the five senses get tempted and therefore want to possess. One has to consciously avoid this tendency by constant practice. 
2. Responsibility - The minute one is born the meter of responsibility starts. This is because one is born into a society filled with people. As one grows the responsibilities increase. There can be no escape from this. Responsibility gives rise to a whole lot of traits. Ego is one. Expectation is another. Bonding is another important trait. Then there are ambition, desires, moods, emotions, likes, dislikes what not. The nature of the world is such that these are very difficult to avoid.  They constitute an unavoidable burden because of which an individual is forced into action. The secret to overcome this, as advised by Vedas, is 'nishkama karma'. In simple terms, it means, involve in action, use discrimination to ensure Dharma in all actions, but dedicate the results to God. Just like a wagon which is loaded with goods, is attached to Engine (God) and travel the path of life. Lighten your mind, set aside your anxieties and worries and live through life in the present. The Engine knows the destination, the wagon does not. 
3. Energy field. -  An individual is covered by an energy field which exists in the form of halo around his body. Ideally this energy field is positive, by default  There is constant exchange of energy among people during daily activities. By getting involved in day-to-day activities and coming in touch with people, this energy field gets depleted as well gets converted to negative energy.  If energy is depleted, it causes depression & disease. As negative energy fills this field, one tends to show negative traits and behaviors  Positive energy can be perceived as a glow in the appearance whereas negative energy gives a drained appearance. While negative energy can be converted to positive energy by tools such as meditation, it can be blocked by traits such as forgiveness, patience and compassion. Sometimes it has the power to convert the incoming negative energy into positive. 

It may be noticed that Spiritual seers have all these qualities. The environment is transformed to be conducive to the exercise of these traits while earlier the individual was a slave of the environment. These are brought about by following Yoga in it's true sense.

TECHNIQUES OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR

The mind of an Individual perceives through the five senses, viz the eyes that sees, the ears that hears, the nose that smells, the tongue that tastes and talks and the skin that feels. What is perceived this way gets stored in Memory attached to the mind. Thoughts arise in the mind like waves.. These thoughts are aided by the Memory, in so much, the memory feeds the thoughts with a precedent if any. Then the thoughts are complemented by the Emotions. The Intellect analyses these thoughts, sees the capability to act. Then the thoughts may get converted into actions. But the actions are guided by ones Karma.  So the actions may result  as success or failure. These then produce reactions in the Emotions and also the event get stored in Memory.

All these work in their independent capacity. There is, in human beings, one higher capability called as ATMAN. The Atman is a miniscule portion of that Supreme Being that controls the Universe. If this Atman is made to control the Mind, the Memory, the Emotions and the Intellect, then it may cause the action to be righteous at all times. Good cause produces good effects and therefore one gathers good Karma this way.

For egample, if an individual wants to become rich, the thought about getting rich arises in the mind. This is aided by the memory, which may indicate the correct status of the individual or whether once upon a time he was indeed rich. The thought is then complemented by Emotions such as a new found energy or a lackadaisical approach. The intellect then analysis and presents the choice available and ways to achieve richness. If the actions taken bear success, then the individual is happy, elated in emotions which may get stored as an event in his memory. If a failure, then it results in disappointment or depression which may get stored as a failed attempt in Memory.

In the whole thing, however, it is Karma which may decide the success or failure. It is therefore, in my opinion, the way in which the result is taken that may make or break the individual.

On the other hand,if the perceptions are strongly controlled, the thoughts arising from the mind are controlled, minimum input is given by the Memory, the Emotions kept balanced and restrained, the the controlled Intellect  is made to analyse properly, with the discriminating tendency applied, the actions is then minimum because the wants are minimum and probably only one, that is of achieving the Liberation of the Soul, the philosophy of living gets a totally new dimension. Worth the thought?.

Atman, Mind, Emotions, Intellect and Memory are all subtle. Atman is all pervasive, infinite, always in happiness, permanant and all knowing. It is this Atman while being born on Earth takes a material body. May be a samll part of Atman carries with it the other subtler elements with it  which then stores the Karma by erasing the events stored in the memory. Based on this the other subtler elements undergo certain changes which comes to the fore during the next birth.

For an individual if he can focus his mind on the Self, which is part of God himself, then his fixation changes from mind to Atman which is a far better controller. Then the mind shapes up, subjugates memory and emotions and even intellect and merges with the Atman. Ultimately the Atman becomes 100% which is liberation from the cycle of birth and death. 

NATURE’S LESSONS OF WISDOM

When the peak comes down

Water would rush to meet him.

Sun is born with a duty to light the world.

Does it expect anything in return?.

Moon is most beautiful when full

But it wanes and becomes naught one day.

Mountain peak said “nobody can touch me”

Sky said “remember I touch you as well as ground”

When everything in nature is available free

Why was money invented to rob man of peace?

When decay and bloom happen side by side

Can’t you see that sum total is a constant?.

Growth & Maturity have a definite time frame

Hastening them shall be at grave peril.

METAPHYSICS

There are four components of Creation-Cosmos-Prvanjam. These four components are independent of each other, yet pervade the others. The four components are Time, Space, Matter and Energy. Each is a constant but infinite. All the four put together constitute the Paramatman.

Energy is Shakthi denoted in Vedas by Godess.

Matter is made up of five elements. Air, Water, Fire, earth and ether, the panchboothas.

Body is made up of matter consisting of the above five elements. These five elements are in constant interplay with each other. These elements of matter are subject to a fixed lifespan. i.e., they are born, spend a life span and then die out.

Knowledge is something like nerve impulses which is in touch with all the components. Therefore it is there available readily in the cosmos. Intellect is the antenna to receive the signals of knowledge. The capacity of each human being to receive the quantum of the signals vary.

Intellect and Mind are also subtle elements attached to each body. Each body has an atman which is very subtle. Unlike all the others, this atman is eternal. This Atman is sheathed in the body. In reality it is this Atman which propels the body and is responsible for life, movement, thoughts and everything, but these get expressed through the mind. The mind itself is made up of ego and emotions. It is like a membrane, a filter which is Maya. Therefore, when thoughts pass through the mind it tends to get distorted. It is because of this, Vedas say that we must control the mind and make it subservient to the Atman. But we allow our mind to rule and therefore is responsible for all the difficulties and unhappiness we experience. Subjugate the mind to Atman. When this is done the barrier called Maya will break and then, one can experience the bliss.

Space is an expty phenomenon which fills the gaps all over. In order to transcent matter one must travel in space. But there are special conditions which need to be cultivated to travel in space.

Time is a completely independent entity.

A ROAD VIEW ON LIFE

Life is like a journey on the road in the vehicle you are driving. Sometimes you get smooth roads to drive on. In advanced countries like USA,UK,Germany, France etc. the roads are smooth.Life is that much smoother there. People are disciplined enough to follow rules so that they are also safe and make the fellow human beings also safe.

Sometimes you get bad roads with a lot of potholes or even unlaid 'kuccha' ones. This is also akin to life in developing or under developed countries such as India. Here life is a struggle no matter which vehicle you are on. You often find people criss-crossing, obstructing, provocating and insulting you and you have no alternative but to bear them silently. You may have to anticipate peoples' reactions and act accordingly. There is always a fear if you are disciplied on the road, whereas rash driver does not worry, because he is selfish. For him, it is fine if he gets away no matter what happens to the other person. Simply you have to survive and make the best of what is available.

A LIGHT HOUSE TO ATTAIN NIRVANA

During Infancy and Teenages -After coming out of childhood, respect your parents & elders. -Learn and imbibe good values, behavior, traits and habits. ( Gunas ) -Realize that at that age, your education is the most important thing in your life -Widen your knowledge with an open mind. Learn skills -Develop humility and simplicity. -If possible, continue Celibacy ( Brahmacharayam ) 

 During Youth -Worship work and devotedly serve without expectations. -Follow rules of the society and practice discipline -Do not hurt other human beings, either physically or mentally or best, any living being. -Learn to control desires, lust and greed. Desires towards worldly comforts and material needs. (Smoking ,Drinking,Drug addiction, etc. come under this category) ;Lust towards women other than your wife, (includes even thoughts) ; Greed towards money and wealth. -Discharge your duties towards your wife and children. -Realize that your present is the result of your past Karma. There is no way one can escape this because it is Universal Justice. Learn to endure your bad karma and enjoy your good ones. This is your destiny. But you have a choice to decide your future destiny. -Success and failures are two sided of the same coin. -Take care of your parents and serve them as required. -Earn only enough to meet your needs. Rest should be given away. -Your responsibilities and duties become much less after your parents depart and children become on their own. Remember birds which feed their siblings only till the time they develop wings, but once grown encourage them to fly. 

 During the Last part of life -At this stage, devote your time to God. Internalize. Or serve humanity/other people. -Do not be afraid of death. Take it calmly when it comes. Realize that it is a cycle of nature. -Ultimate goal is soul’s liberation to merge with God and freedom from births and deaths and the pains of this material world. True for all times ; Remember God always and repeat His Name as much as possible