Sat302

Humility

Whenever possible in life try to respond to circumstances with humility. Even when others are speaking badly about you or are harboring negative emotions with interest in harming your good name, still react in a humble manner. It will always disarm even the mightiest enemy, ultimately. That is not the reason to be humble. You react with humility because it is the only way to be. If you can imagine yourself in the presence of the Divine, at the feet of your Master in all situations in life, you will see that there is nothing to fear, nothing to feel negative toward, no reason to hide. You will come to realize that no adversary is worth becoming angry toward. No enemy so great that he or she cannot be silently faced. Let the word of the Divine be your shield and armor and there is never need for sword.

In life, we have faced opposition. It is part of life, whether or not we like it or even understand it. Much opposition stems from wrong ideas, wayward thinking or rumor--in other words, from misunderstanding. Therefore, be clear in your intent, follow through with plans, deliver your work in a forthright, honest manner. If still you are found fault with, so be it. You have done your best. Try to improve upon the mistakes that are made, in course of time. If you have erred, take responsibility for those errors. Do not seek to find fault in or blame others for mistakes that you have made.

By the same token, if you are accused of a mistake which you did not make, certainly do all you can to make that clear but never with the added ammunition of blame or naming the guilty party. Unless it will serve the cause of justice and aid in apprehending a criminal dangerous to society, better to keep silent and allow that person the opportunity to admit his/her mistakes. If you blame them and call attention to their fault, they will be robbed of the chance to confess their own errors in a show of sincerity and honour. Do you see how it works? If they do not confess and they are aware you know who erred, they will be more likely humbled by your silence.

Always know that how you react is being observed by others, but ultimately by the Divine. So naturally, strive to be on your best behavior when serving HIM.

In our life, We have experienced the mistakes of others that have caused pain for many. We have seen these same mistakes blown out of proportion in order to build up another person’s name. Still, we have said nothing, spoken not one word against that person. We shall go to our grave without speech rather than blame another individual. It is like taking the Name of God in vain. Therefore, guard against speech which even insinuates blame. You can speak to others individually and express how you feel without blaming them. That is different. It is better to try and clear up matters, but with intent to clarify and reach understanding.

Fires in Antarctica

Juan Ojeda, Chile

Antarctic group

Nelson Ibañez, Luis Jalife, Cesar Garces & Juan Ojeda

In 1991, exactly at 12:00 P.M. on Christmas eve, Vedic mantras and healing fires were performed for the first time on a small island of Chile called Port Williams. This is at the most southern end of South America, where people live under extreme climatic conditions.

In 1995, Shree Vasant Paranjpe arrived at the southernmost city in the world, Punta Arenas, Chile, to carry out a Rudra Yajnya
with who those had begun practicing the Agnihotra and other healing fires.

Later on, in 1997 and 1998, many volunteers traveled for four days to Punta Arenas, a city located next to the Strait of Magellan, to perform healing fires with 70 copper pyramids. That gave an impulse to the work of
restoration of the ozone layer. According to the old Vedic science, this effect is possible if certain mantras and healing fires are performed. The people who participated in performing these fires came from different parts of Chile, Uruguay, Spain, Ecuador and Colombia. In June of 1987, Shree Vasant had stated the need for performing this type of work in the Magellan zone. Even before, in an article published in Satsang in 1976, Shree Vasant had stated that if the Yajnyas were performed at those distant latitudes, restoration of the ozone layer would take place.
March 26th, 2002 will be remembered by the future generations because of a fire and mantras uttered in the Antarctic. It will be remembered not because of the one who the performed the fires but because of the manifestation of Grace Divine which allowed it to be carried out. Shree Vasant has been telling us about a special energy that, if activated in the Antarctic, will have an effect on the ozone layer and will begin to regenerate it.

It will be possible through a Pranic impulse. Many fires will have to be lit in Arenas to have that effect.

To reach the continent of Antarctica, a trip of high risk, depends upon a series of variables such as climate, military permits, the flight of
specific military airplanes, authorizations to circulate freely in the Antartic, and many other permits that have to be issued by
different officers. All this has to be coordinated.

Every single thing that happened on this trip can only be described as abnormal, because the permits were authorized without any objection for a civilian who had no military or scientific purpose to visit that continent. The people in charge of the bases in the Antarctica have the right to decide whether a person enters or not, according to the work they do and the characteristics of the place. Actually, nobody can arrive there without being assigned by the military or as a scientist in residence. Tourists pay a sum of US $ 70,000 just to spend some hours in the South Pole in an airplane that takes them from New York and lands on the ice.

We must point out one single detail for the readers that will illustrate the existing conditions when we arrived there. An airplane usually should have 800 feet of visibility to land in the Antarctic, plus favorable
conditions. Without those conditions, any airplane should return to Punta Arenas, a four hour flight over the Drake Sea. We landed with only 200 feet of visibility, which is considered a maneuver of high risk for any airplane and its crew.

The trip was executed from Punta Arenas aboard a “Hercules” plane of the Uruguayan Air Force. The plane flew for more than three hours over the dangerous oceans.

It is important to mention that, unknown to the author of this article, many authorities collaborated for the realization of this trip and helped in obtaining the corresponding authorizations to make this trip possible. We had the help of authorities like the chief of the Regional Air Force of the Magallanes Region (who authorized the ascending of the Uruguayan airplane). Also, the chief of the airport of Punta Arenas arranged various permits in order to help us. The person in charge of the crew and expedition facilitated another part of this process, and at least three other people in these types of flights authorized little by little, all without knowing exactly what our objective was, as it is not easy to explain to others in logical terms. The commanders of Antarctic bases are the ones who decide who is qualified to authorize the flights.

The chief of the airport in Punta Arenas got in contact with the flight commander to tell him that “some healing fire” was going to be done at the base and he himself was going to come with us. In the beginning this was not well received.

When we arrived at the base, the Air Force chief was waiting for us and put at our disposal a jeep for our personal use. Also, immediately he introduced us to the commander of the base. The commander invited us to a place where military officials are received on arrival. With an open attitude he listened to us and then offered us the jeep again.

The healing fire was done in a copper pyramid with the chanting of mantras loudly to purify the atmosphere. It was suggested to do this healing fire in an are called “La Cruz.” The chief of the Air Force was with us.
In the copper pyramid we burned dried cow dung and clarified butter from cow’s milk. The healing fires help remove disease, give nutrition to the plant kingdom and help plant growth. This type of farming is now practiced by thousands of farmers in the Amazon region of Peru with wonderful results. For more information on the internet, please see: www.homatherapy.com

The pyramid was left in the “La Cruz” area and before we saw it for the last time, the chief of the Air Force at the Antarctic Base put some stones in the snow around the pyramid while it was still burning; it resembled an altar.

After we completed our work, we were graciously received with hot beverages.

If we could sum up this great experience and service in just one sentence, we would repeat the words of a lady in charge of expeditions to Antarctica, whom we met in Punta Arenas: “ Only God authorizes whom HE wants to enter Antarctica,” and apparently it is true. There are people who wait for months and years for a chance and then it doesn’t arrive. Some wait for weeks for the conditions of the climate to be good enough and they have to return to their places of origin without being able to go. Sometimes flights arrive there but have to return without being able to land. It is important to point out that from
April to October, only very few flights are authorized, perhaps only twelve flights.

Most definitively, we must observe with astonishment how conditions are given and will be given for this work to be done, all because of the Grace of SHREE.

( Juan was asked to do a healing fire at that particular point because certain points on the planet have to be enlivened now. Mantras and healings fires have to be done to heal the environment.--Ed.)

Letters to Satsang

For us the Homa Therapy Project was like a dream come true. It arrived faster than we ever thought. At the present we have crops that come from creole seeds, Ficus and peach trees, corn, green onions, parsley and
cilantro, in which we apply Homa ash. Then we also have other crops such as peppers, wild leeks and carrots that come from chemically treated seeds, which we have had to wash and add Agnihotra ash. Then we put
them in the Agnihotra hut for a few days. We want to plant moras (mulberries) and coffee. We are looking for those seeds.

We have seen beneficial changes in the harvest and in the animals. We are all anxious to find wholesalers to buy our organic harvest from what we planted taking into account what technological farming means. We have not stopped selling our goods,
even though they are not being differentiated from foods that are not Homa, but little by little one goes far. Meanwhile we continue working with Homa on this beautiful property.

Esmeralda Prieto
Homa Farm “El Paujil”
Trujillo State
Venezuela

The following was written by Ms. Maria Jesus, a licensed social worker
and Mrs. Pili Agurto, a Homa volunteer from Piura:

Here are some of the observations made after three weeks of Homa Therapy with the children living in the “Center of Family Attention and Education” (CAEF), Trujillo, Peru. The children in this center have suffered severe abuses of all kinds. In Peru it takes authorities a long time to intervene;
violence and abuse are on a daily basis. The
children of this center were taken away from their parents or family or picked up from the street by law because of harsh mistreatment and abuse. If the child wants, he or she can spend from six months to two years in
this center. The center also treats the parents or family of the child on a regular basis.
This center is unique in Peru, founded by the
director, Judith Villalobos. They do not receive official help, but have only support from private people. Still Mrs. Villalobos says that through God’s grace the children never had to go hungry or without clothes.

The children are in a devastated condition when they arrive. They are more like little scared wild animals, defending themselves and trying to survive. The experiences these children had to go through will normally influence their whole lives.

With every day that passes I come to know the children better. The happiness is more, now that the children have begun to react favorably to Homa Therapy. They are more calm and peaceful. Their tendency is usually to be very hyperactive.

The screaming has lowered in intensity and they pay much more attention. During the practice of the Agnihotra fire a definitive silence has been achieved. The children make a big effort to sit and breathe correctly during the moments of meditation.

For the first three days, the director’s presence was necessary to keep the children under control, but now they already work alone. All have learned the mantras and
know the basic theory of Homa Therapy. Some of them practice Agnihotra already and everyone participates in the Tryambakam Homa, which we do daily for one
to two hours. All participate actively.

In the beginning the children misbehaved and did not obey Mrs. Pili but now they obey more and this shows that they take the fires more seriously.

With the Agnihotra ash we have cured small wounds. All children receive Agnihotra ash in the morning and in the evening.

A character improvement has been observed, especially at night. They are calmer. The nightmares become less.

Some children have had improvement regarding their bed-wetting problem and are no longer urinating every night in their beds.

For the older children the Agnihotra process serves as a time of reflection, where they ask for the best outcome of things.

In the case of Jaqueline and Luis, a change is noticed in their behavior. They have days now when their behavior is very good.

There are 27 children from 6 to 15 years of age and some already feel the difference and recognize their own changes and improvements. They are happy with this gift.

With the help of Paul (a 15 year old Homa volunteer from Piura) the garden project has advanced a lot. They have sowed seeds and await their progress.

Report from Moldova by Benedict Caraush

Benedict Caraush and his wife Valeria are sitting in the middle

In my life during the last eighteen years I have come in contact with different spiritual ways, and practice different techniques like meditation, pranayama, fasting, etc. In 1996 for the first time I came in contact with Agnihotra through my Ukranian friend Andrey Guzanov. I was not so deeply touched because I later understood that one important thing had been missing: correct timing.

After some time I felt that the Agnihotra is really a good thing and I continued my research in this field. I got Dr. Ulrich Berk’s address and contacted him. For two years or so we kept in contact and as result of this in June of 2000 Dr. Berk came to Moldova. We organized several meetings in Chisinau (the capital city) and there were many participants. As result many people started to practice Agnihotra.

During this time I had very deep experiences and visions about this process. After this, with great enthusiasm and the help of Dr. Berk I continued in this direction and soon Agnihotra was being practiced in five more places: Bender, Ungheni, Salcia, Botnaresti and Varnita. Also during that year the book, “Homa Therapy, Our Last Chance“ was translated and published in Russian.

In July, 2001 Dr. Ulrich Berk again visited us and also at that time we visited Romania to introduce Agnihotra there. It was a good start, but we have to do even more. And now I want to share other people’s experiences with Agnihotra:

The red rose bush for four years had been attacked by fungus and small insects which eat the leaves. Last year the rose did not have the strength to flower; the buds dried and fell down. As a result of practice of Agnihotra and Om Tryambakam, and using Agnihotra ash (for spraying), the insects disappeared, the roses bloomed and new healthy leaves appeared.

A dog had an eye inflammation. The dog became very irritated. For three days Agnihotra ash with ghee were given to the dog internally. By the next day the dog’s condition had improved. After three days the inflammation was completely healed.

A young woman was present during two Agnihotra sessions. (She didn’t know anything about it). She had a very stressful job and very often her feet would hurt. When the Mantras were sung, the aching in her feet became stronger and she had a feeling as if roots started to grow form the feet. After one hour the aches disappeared and during next week she felt very well.

My daughter, named Olga, is very restless. She started to take the Agnihotra ash, and all the family was shocked by the change in her. The child became quieter. It is very difficult to translate this into words, but all the family felt the changes.

A woman had anemia and she felt very tired. She started to take internally the Agnihotra ash. After a while the tiredness was completely healed and the blood tests were good.

Tapa
(Penance)

(From Ten Commandments of Parama Sadguru)

Purport: God realization is possible only through the practice of TAPA.

Commentary:

Pursuit of material objects will never culminate in finding worthwhile solutions to our problems. The problems multiply, giving rise to a built-in mechanism which defies all solutions. The problems are resolved only by practice of Tapa (self-discipline). Tapa leads to purification of bodily atoms and the bodily tabernacle is brought under the control of the will. The resistance that the body and the mind offer in the pursuit of the path of Self realization is broken down and the bodily vehicle becomes a more vibrant instrument of consciousness.

Tapa reduces the discrepancy between intellect and the emotions. Control over the sense organs brings about harmony between intellect and emotions. This is Tapa: the process of character building through discipline. It is purification through austerities. Tapa, in its aspect of penance, connotes exercises undertaken with a view to purifying the body, controlling the sense organs and strengthening the power of will. Tapa is an effort to exert control over Prana (life force). This establishes us in a state of fearlessness. Tapa begets utter humility which lands us into the heights of glory that is Self realization. Tapa grants us true understanding wherein love synthesizes with renunciation and duty takes the total coloration of bliss. Tapa grants us the ability to see through the vicissitudes of life. By practice of Tapa, we bear with fortitude unpleasant situations in life and experience without infatuation the pleasant ones. Tapa disciplines our actions and the attitudes of the mind are unburdened.

Tapa thins down ‘I am the body’ consciousness and makes the soulward journey facile. Tapa unlocks the latent powers within us and makes them patent. Creative powers and true knowledge dawn through Tapa. If we remain unattached to these creative powers and do not hanker after them we enter the higher stages of purification of CHITTA (consciousness). We have to practice penance of body, mind and speech.

Yajnya (atmospheric purification through the agency of fire) brings about harmony in the energy cycle of nature. This is the first aspect of the Fivefold Path. Daan (sharing assets in a spirit of humility) brings about harmony in the social structure. Daan is the second aspect of the Fivefold Path. Tapa (penance) leads to harmony in the manifestation of mind energy. This is the third aspect of the Fivefold Path. Tapa immediately grants us the experience that, for the spiritual aspirant, circumstances are never unfavorable. Tapa is like fire which finds its own way to spread itself. Proper practice of Tapa intensifies the journey towards Self realization. We come to realize the evanescent nature of material conditions and our attachment is reduced. Then the fountain of joy gushes forth and mental agony, anxiety and tension are relegated to the limbo of the past.

The supreme necessity of experiencing Almighty Power is stressed by Tapa and cognition of His omnipresence is felt in all life activity. By Tapa, all work becomes worship.

Practice trading small pleasures of life for bliss eternal. The deal is wonderfully cheap. You will soon realize that you have only to receive. You do not give up anything; you only give up your stinking ego.

Penance involves battling with six deadly passions, the thieves that pervert the mind. They are:
KAMA (Lust)
KRODH (Anger)
LOBH (Greed)
MOHA (Attachment)
MADA (Pride)
MATSARA (Envy)
1. KAMA (Lust) — Sex, when permitted to run riot, becomes lust. When you control sex, it serves its legitimate purpose of procreation and perpetuation of the race. If sex becomes the instrument of self indulgence, we degenerate to the level of quadrupeds. Our energy is drained off and the will is enfeebled. The more we are trapped in sex, the cloudier our intellect becomes. We forge further chains around us that keep us away from the light of Spirit. KAMA haunts all humanity and keeps people in a tantalizing state. It dangles the carrot of pleasant sensations before us and makes us labor like the proverbial donkey. When the sap is squeezed, we are fit for the trash can. When the sexual desire is not channelized, it envelops the mind and all the sensory stimuli apparatus is enslaved toward this end. Sex then acts like a parasite on the whole organism. This leads to violent emotional disturbances. To restore the sexual instinct to its ordained function and to bring the emotions under the control of intelligence is Tapa.

KAMA encompasses all desires. Indulgence in alcohol and drugs is KAMA. Gluttony in food is KAMA. To eat to live is Tapa. KAMA is the primary target in any form of Tapa.

2. KRODH (Anger) — When a desire is fulfilled it leads to hunger for more desires. When a desire is thwarted it leads to anger. When you get angry the pupils of the eyes enlarge and the endocrine secretion is affected, leading to nervous strain. Consequently, this affects the mind. Looked at from this point of view, by getting angry we destroy ourselves. Anger alienates love and breeds hatred. It confuses the intellect and weakens the power of discrimination between right and wrong. To conquer anger, you have to practice the following:

Get rid of the habit of blaming others when things do not come about the way you wish them to be.

Never use abusive words. Truth can be told more bluntly by kind words if there is love within you.

Never think ill of others. You create evil thought forms which impinge upon you and weaken your mental fibre.

Do not get into ‘Holier than thou’ attitude.

Stop carrying tales about others behind their backs. Stop backbiting.

Do not lose your composure if someone offends you.

Do not quarrel or inflict physical injury to get things done to suit your idiosyncracy.
Physical wounds heal quickly; mental injury lingers. We fail to observe that we get into fits of anger quickly and, thus, always lay the blame on others. Anger immediately lowers us down to the animal plane. The vibrations of the mental body are affected and to that extent we are pushed away from the spiritual path. To conquer anger, practice forgiveness, the third commandment.

3. LOBHA (Greed) — Greed chains us down to the objects of phenomena, draining all our energy over trivial things. The same energy needs to be harnessed to higher achievements. Initially, a person starts piling up material things as a means for comfortable living. Later on he gets dragged into the habit of piling up things for their own sake. A miser derives great pleasure in looking at his possessions and goes on adding to them, irrespective of whether he really needs them. People try to adopt devious ways to acquire wealth not realizing that they have to reap as they sow. Just think for a moment, what is all this for? Where does it lead? It only hardens the chains of desires around us and chokes us further. To get rid of LOBHA, note the following:

Be in the habit of parting with some of your possessions.

Always count your blessings and not the deficiencies created by worked up desires.
Avoid misrepresenting matters.

Bear in mind that wealth is merely the means to an end and not an end in itself.

If robbery is sin, so is amassing material objects without the habit of
giving.

DAAN, the third commandment, is the antidote to LOBHA. Daan brings contentment and tranquility of mind.

4. MOHA (Attachment) — Self realization is the highest laurel that we have to wrest from human birth. MOHA negates all our attempts to get rid of coiled up desires. We get engrossed in trifling matters of daily routine. The more material possessions, the more time and energy we must spend to look after them. The daily chores have to be gone through. There is no time left for the search after Spirit. We say, ‘I will attend to it when I get more settled in life’. But we never get settled after all until we consciously begin the journey toward the Kingdom of Heaven. Fresh problems crop up that require our attention. Determination to intensify the journey on the spiritual path releases us from this vicious circle. Non-attachment to the fruit of our actions relieves us of a very heavy burden. The fruit is the result of various forces of which we are not aware and things do not happen exactly as we wish them to be. The best laid plans of mice and men go astray. Attachment thrives on itself and, hence, a firm resolve is required to change your attitude toward material possessions.

Do not become slaves to your house, pets, TV or auto. Love with detachment brings about the state of bliss.

By VIVEKA (discrimination) and VAIRAGYA (detachment) get rid of the monster of MOHA.

5. MADA (Pride) — From cradle to the grave vanity takes a heavy toll of our life. Due to vanity we are unable to see the other man’s point of view. The swollen ego struts about the stage of life and we become miserable at every point of friction. Self-righteousness is the manifestation of ego.

Vanity breeds smugness and intolerance. Our errors come disguised as righteousness due to vanity. Vanity is the breeding reactor where fanaticism, orthodoxy, dogma and cultism thrive. Bigotry never admits mistakes and invents long-winded defense for its misdeeds. Anger and vanity thrive upon each other. Therefore, practice the following:
Do not hanker after name and fame.

Do not make a vulgar show of your possessions or your academic accoutrements.

Avoid talking about yourself. Listen more, talk less. We have two ears but only one tongue.

Avoid dogmatic self-assertions in conversation.

Be humble. Humility is the sign of a holy person.

Do not try to pose as what you are not. Attempt to become as you wish others to see you.

6. MATSARA (Envy) — Envy is grudging desire or discontent at someone else’s success or advantage. Envy coexists with prejudiced hostility and animosity. Envy blinds us to our own blessings. Envy clouds the intellect and disfigures the mind. Envy leads us off the track of discrimination. The Law of Karma is inviolable and hence, there is no place for envy.

To overcome this passion learn to be happy at the success of others. It is strange but true that two persons on the spiritual path sometimes become envious of each other. The higher one goes, the better for you and the rest of the world. Let envy have no place in your emotional outfit.

Let us learn to get rid of these six passions. Pleasure and pain arise from the contact of senses with matter. They are evanescent. By Tapa, we learn to endure them. Enduring pain is just the beginning of Tapa. Enduring pleasure is the real test. When the body is enslaved to the wheel of the senses we try disciplining the mind; this is Tapa. Tapa disciplines the mind and we become efficient managers of our mind energy. Reality dawns only by practice of Tapa.

“Activity prompted by desire begets attachment; abstention from it, aversion. The wise man is free from this duality and, indeed, is like a child.

“He who is attached to the world wants to renounce it, thinking this would avoid sorrow. He who is without attachment is free from sorrow and never feels miserable while moving about in the world.”
(From the discourse given by child Yogi Ashtavakra to ancient Indian King Janaka)

The world is not the cause of misery. Misery is only the symptom. The disease is attachment. Free yourself from this attachment and you can live in the world happily. Therefore it is stated, let us do our duty without attachment to the fruit thereof. This is the process of merging your will with the Divine Will. “Not my will but Thy will be done.”

“The Supreme Spirit is not a concept that can be conceived by the mind. It is that by which mind conceives and thinks. It is that which enables the eye to see, the ear to hear and the breath to move.” —Kenopanishad I-5, 6, 7, 8

“Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.”
—1 John 2:7

It is not enough to know intellectually about the Word. We have to establish communion with the Word. The Fivefold Path leads you to it. This is KRIYA YOGA.

From Vasant’s Correspondence

If there is one person who disturbs you more than anyone else and you are fed up with him or her, then may we suggest a change in attitude? Look at the person in a new light. Every time you find yourself ready to make comment that comes from judgment,
stop--first step. Second step, do MANTRA until that impulse to judge completely disappears. For a while, as you are in a position where people come and ask your advice, do not offer any unsolicited opinions or
suggestions to this person. No matter whether these opinions and suggestions are helpful or even positive, make no comments at all. Then, do not avoid this person. Welcome their presence as an opportunity to
practice Tapa. Step three: As you become comfortable after practicing this “Judgment Tapa” you are ready for step three. Step three is that you find ways to serve that person. Whether it is to offer them a ride, to bring them some food, to help them in some way, do that. Then, still no commentary. That means the “service” cannot be a compliment, but an actual tangible good or service.

Begin with steps one and two. After practicing this TAPA for a few days, at least, then begin step three. The reason for that is that step three has to be taken with full heart. You will need to practice steps one and two in order to uncover the heart.

Begin at once and only with this person. Later, it can be applied to anyone. For many people, this is excellent practical advice.

SATSANG