Meditation is not a time specific thing. If you feel hungry, you need not be told which the best time for eating is. You need not be told what the best time for lunch is. If someone asks you all these questions you will dismiss it as rubbish. At the appropriate time around nine in the night a bell rings in your stomach and you know it’s dinner time. For meditation if I say five o clock in the morning, you’ll squirm and ask : “Can I do it at six in the morning ?” If I say seven, you will come up with similar plea to put it off. This haranguing will go on. You’ll say night – because it suits you perfectly. I would say okay. Then you will ask me, “Can I meditate lying down because I feel tired after hard days work at office” ? You see you are trying to circumvent the divine process of meditation. This question is a pointer in that direction.

To put it more clearly, I’ll give you an example. Suppose a person is extremely fond of eating. He will always carry some snacks with him so that he can have a bite whenever he feels hungry. This snacking in no way disturbs his regular lunch or dinner. Whenever it’s meal time, that person will have a sumptuous meal. Snacks are a sort of supplement to his regular diet. In the same way you can have a regular mediation of say one-and-half hour duration interspersed with light bouts of the same in between. Meditation is your life force energy. The more you consume it, the more progress you will make. Vice Versa the lesser you consume it, you would feel emasculated. As far as the best time for meditation is concerned, according to holy the scriptures, the best time to meditate is at dawn in the morning and at dusk in the evening.

Everyone has come to this world with a divine mission. You must introspect yourself and find whether you are living a purposeful life or not. Or you are leading a life similar to that of animals. Ultimate goal or mission of every human being is first to know himself. Secondly you have to find “Who am I”? In simple terms this is Self Realization. This is precisely why you take frequent births and come to this world time and again. Invariably you are given a chance to unravel this puzzle so that you are able to liberate yourself from the cycle of life and death. The primary duty of every individual is to attain Moksha. You attain Moksha on the merit of your karmas. That being the case, it becomes imperative for you to ask yourself whether you are doing that or not. That is your mission.

That is absolutely correct. The power of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, Siddha kundalini Yoga has succeeded where modern medicine has failed. Leave apart healing, there have been instances where someone had died, his soul had departed and that person was brought back to life. But then it is a very ticklish issue. Cynics may demand a practical demonstration of these powers to believe them. Above all, these powers are amenable to only persons with a devout faith in them not to those who subscribe to atheistic beliefs. World is full of God fearing and agnostic people. For that matter both these traits are present in people albeit with some difference. Some are more devout and less atheist. Others are more atheist and less devout. For some reason some people don the mask of religion to hide their agnostic part. This is primarily for their own selfish interests. When circumstances demand, these pseudo-god fearing tribes discard their put on act and show their true colors.

Yes you do need a Guru. To put it more clearly, there are two types of tatvas; Paramtatva and Gurutatva. To attain the state of Paramtatva, Gurutatva is very essential. Fortunately, if the Gurutatva is in animate form, i.e., he is present before you, then he is bound to lead you to Paramtatva. If your Guru happened to be Sadguru, he will continue to lead you and guide you. Sadgurus are famed for their ability to guide their disciples well after they discard their physical bodies and attain Moksha. In this context, he will usher in a new Sadguru in your life, capable enough to guide you to the right path. And then, you don’t select your Guru; rather it is Guru himself who chooses you. Guru is omnipotent individual endowed with complete knowledge. You never attract the attention of the Guru; it is Guru who draws you towards him. It is only a matter of time. At the appropriate time you find your Guru right before you. Besides a lot depends upon your spiritual level. Your Guru will reflect your spiritual level. In simple terms, you will get your Guru according to your spiritual level. Remember! You are nobody to pick up and change the Guru according to your whims. He is the ultimate entity. He will seek you out and instill a feeling of reverence in yourself in a manner that will influence you to surrender yourself before him. Bless You!

You see spirituality is has no fixed yardstick to determine the spiritual progress of an individual. It is an entirely self-explanatory phenomenon. Whenever you take tea or any other beverage, you first taste it to ascertain its taste according to your choice. Similarly in spirituality you ascertain your own progress and then if need be, just like you add more sugar to suit your taste in your cup of tea, you devote yourself with renewed dedication in your spiritual quest. In spirituality you are your own judge. If you feel you want to progress more, you add more of yourself via your Guru Mantra and dedication, to attain the desired progression in spirituality.

First thing, one never dies. Let me put it this way. In fact, you or the real self that is you, can never die. Because the your real self was never born in first place. You are birthless and ageless entity and hence you are immortal. It is all a matter of your body or the physical body. The entire issue can be understood by the example of clothes that you wear. You discard your clothes and cast them away once they are become worn out. In the same manner physical body is the attire of soul. The soul therefore discards the body after it becomes dysfunctional and feeble. Soul subsequently dons another attire. It is all a matter of soul, which comes to earth and takes frequent births. It is your prerogative to ensure smooth passage of this soul to the Shivalok and its ultimate merger with Shiva. This is the only path to Moksha. You can contribute in this noble endevour through your virtuous deeds. You do not have any knowledge of your previous birth and it is not certain that you will inherit the same soul in the next birth. Meanwhile your soul may attain Moksha by the merit of its actions. Your only time is your present. Hence it becomes imperative that you try and attain the Moksha in your present birth through your deeds and Sadhna. Your final objective should be Shivlok. Once you reach there and don’t find your soul there, you will have the powers to summon it right there. Otherwise if you remain content with present status of your soul and yourself, you may not make any progress in this direction. Both of you stand to gain nothing from it. Or you are not going to help each other’s cause in this case. To avoid such eventuality, try and rise to the occasion.

Not only can you foresee your future but you can shape it also. There are some factors present deep inside your inner being. These factors are called clairvoyant faculties. Sometimes these clairvoyant faculties are awakened wittingly or inadvertently and you are able to witness some incidents from your future life. However, I would suggest that you do not attach much importance to these faculties as they were awakened by sheer coincidence. You see, some of the incidences that you see are illusory but some incidences actualize very quickly in your life. As a result, you develop strong faith towards foreseeing future events inculcates so much faith in them that the illusory appearing incidents that you visualize are converted into reality by your sheer persistent belief in them. Therefore it is always better to build your future than to ruin it by such indiscriminate beliefs.

It is very much possible. Human body is a very sophisticated and delicate machine. Mankind has made remarkable progress in relation to the development and refinement of external objects. In this development endeavor we paid scant regard for the development and refinement of our inner knowledge and our latent energies. In India our Siddhas made diligent efforts to develop our inner strength. They made a pathbreaking progress in this regard. The powers present within you have their own dynamics and processes. These powers have established that God has allocated a life span of hundred years to every individual. But the same individual, through this thoughts and actions, curtails his life span well below hundred years. Say, seventy, sixty or fifty years out of the stipulated life span of hundred years. By the same process, if he reverses the methodology that he applied in reducing his age substantially, he will increase his life span well past hundred year to possibly two hundred years. This is very much possible. There are numerous Siddhas, who have demonstrated phenomenal longevity of about one thousand years. Amazingly, some Siddhas have reversed the process of ageing. For example if they were fifty-year-old, they reversed the sequence in inverse order so that instead of progressing in ascending order they regressed in descending order and from fifty they turned forty-five and then thirty-five. In the same manner as you reverse a cassette in music system. Following the same order when they reached the age of zero, they acquired the ability to travel in and out of this body. Mahavtaar Baba Gorakhnath and many others like him demonstrated this divine trait. These legendary Siddhas perfected this process of reverse ageing. Going by these revelations it is obvious that you can stop the process of aging and even delay the eventuality of death. God has created you, as his own incarnate. Alongside He made you completely bereft of any knowledge of Maya or illusory world. The realization that everyone is Shivswaroop (Shiva incarnate) would have created an imbalance in the nature. We on our part, wish that more and more people acquired this knowledge or Siddha Knowledge.

Healing is a part of spiritual powers. Universe is fountainhead of all these energies. Basically healing touch is possible for only those who can access the divine energies of the universe and harness them for healing purposes. A lot depends upon the meditative prowess, willpower and spiritual excellence of the healer. These factors enable the healer to remove the illness from the body of the afflicted person and fill it with divine energy. Thus his health is restored.

As far as energizing water and oil is concerned, we garner the healing powers of Mahamrityunjaya and Lord Shiva, and then we install them in water and oil. The substances thus energized are portent enough to smoother the greatest of pain within twenty seconds of their application. In some cases people with chronic history of arthritis were cured of their ailments within no time after applying the energized oil. Similarly people with chronic heart problems were relieved of their illness by the aid of energized substances. They felt relief after few seconds of applying the energized oil.

Aforementioned healing powers work on five bodies. Every disease originates from the highest etheric body and then permeates the lower body. Modern day medicines, however, operate only on the physical body level. That’s the reason why diseases treated by modern day medicines reappear after some time. However, Ayurveda and other divine healing powers through their unique manner of treatment root out diseases completely from the body. In the process they heal and cure all five bodies of an individual including the Chakras.

You see, it’s like this. Siddhagurus always prayed on the behalf of other people, because they knew more than an ordinary person. For, one who is ignorant is committing the sin. Jesus knew that these people were committing the sin because they were ignorant. So he prayed to God, “O Lord, forgive these people!”. Someone has to pray on the behalf of the masses. Otherwise, if the prayer is not there, this planet earth will be so much full of sins that the whole human race would be in jeopardy. That is why, from time to time, God always sent a messaiah—Someone who comes to heal humanity, to heal the universe. This is how Jesus also came. He prayed for everybody. He requested God to forgive everyone. He believed people were committing sins because they were ignorant. He is so nice, so positive. He is not saying that they are committing the sins because they are ignorant. So Please forgive them. He is pleading on your behalf. Hence he is so great. Try to become like him. Spread that unconditional love. Your Heart Chakra should be always ready to give. Baba (Siddhguru) says the same. “Your heart is eternally meant for giving”. The unconditional love should always flow from your heart, like it flowed from the heart of Jesus.

For your answer I would cite an example from the sacred epic of Mahabharat. Many princes and kings participated in Draupadi swayamwar. One such aspirant was Arjun, the Pandav prince and an accomplished warrior. While he was aiming his arrow to pierce the eye of the fish suspended above his head, his concentration was solely directed at his target. This was not the ease with other contestants.

In the same manner, a Sadhak in Siddha Marg should concentrate only on taking Bhagwati to his Crown Chakra. But lots of Kriyas precede this final act, therefore total surrender before a Guru is a must. Of all the people, Guru knows everything that a Sadhak has to do and in the same manner Guru also knows what a Sadhak is not supposed to do. Besides, it is not necessary that every person may experience similar type of Kriyas. That’s why we cannot regard experiences or accounts of Kundalini awakening mentioned in books, as yardsticks. Just as lines on the palm are not identical in every individual, the sameway experiences of heightened state of consciousness like Kundalini Jagran can never be the same for people.

As for the remaining part of your question, first and foremost you should be clear what you want. Whether you want Moksha or silent meditation. If your ultimate goal is salvation, you, then cannot choose your way. Because you don’t know the way. For this journey the reigns will have to be entrusted to Guru’s hands. Thereafter it all depends upon him, how to take you to your destination. As for the rest, Kriyas, essentially do not occur all the time. They (Kriyas) occur for sometime and after they disappear and are replaced by other Kriyas. Every Kriya has its own experience.

Kundalini exerts appropriate force to clear the blockages that occur in Sushumna, due to the prevailing conditions. The serpent power is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable. It induces the body to perform only those Yogic Kriyas, Pranayams, Mudras and Bhakthi Bhavas, which are necessary. That’s precisely why all the Yogas namely – Hathyoga, Kriyayog, Layayog, Rajyog, Dhyanyog, Premyog –are an integral part of Siddha Kundalini Yoga. Another interesting fact is that you do not have to learn any of these Yogas. Once Shaktipat is imparted and Kundalini begins to rise, these natural processes begin to work on their own inside the body. Moreover, everything that happens during and after Kundalini awakening should be taken for its face value. One should not try and read too much into them. Never venture into the reasons for all that you experience. Or the next day if you experience something different, do not contemplate ‘why did it happen like this ?’ Such a mindset will slow down the progress of your spiritual quest. Whatever comes your way regard that as Guruprasad and get as much as you can.

Shiv Panchakshari Mantra is drawn from the five elements of nature namely, Earth, Sky, Water, Air and Fire. This Mantra is capable of cleansing up all these elements. See of this Bija Mantra has all the characteristics of its parent body. In a way it is a miniscule of its parent form, complete with everything. A Seed of a gigantic banyan tree is a comparatively tiny object but it has everything in it, right from trunk, leaves and other attributes. Shiv Panchakshari Mantra is evolved from the five seeds of aforesaid natural elements, Namah Shivaya. Na Consecrates Prithvi Tatva, Ma does the same with Jal Tatva (Water factor) Shi energizes Agni Tatva (Fire element) Va energizes Vayu Tatva (Air factor) and finally Ya energizes Akash Tatva (Sky element). Om purifies Bramhatatva and Crown Chakra.

Whevever a Sadhak invokes this Mantra during meditation or Tandav, he does so giving the impression as if he is applying percussion beats on every Chakra, using the skillful strokes of a Tabla Player. On the note of Na he starts from Muladhara, with Ma he reaches Swadisthar, as he says Shi he enters Manipur and at Anahata he produces the sound Vaya. In a subtle manner if you look at the whole pattern it seems like a sequence of percussion notes of Mridang (musical instrument). Shiv Panchakshari Mantra has terrific vibrations which cleanse all five elements present inside the body.

The unrest and confusion is bound to be there because we have moved away from the center of our living. The entire burden of a man’s existence is dependent on his brain. His life-right from earning his bread to even his happiness and unhappiness-nowadays is dependent on his brain. We all know that only four percent of the conscious brain is functioning. Everybody has lot of expectations from each other. He draws attention for his existence, from meager four percent of his cerebral power. Thus his mind functions under extreme duress and as a result there is tension, hypertension and frustration. Peace comes from within. A peaceful person will never make anyone restless. In present atmosphere of conflict and turmoil, every human being regards the other as his enemy. These delusional fear creats imaginary monsters outside. Little does he realize, he will be very peaceful if he can sort himself out and get attached to the center of his being once again. The world would become extremely peaceful place, if that happens.

These days chronic cough among children is quite rampant. What surprises me more is the attitude of the people. On the first symptom of cough, they scurry to the doctor and come back with some steroid. “Wheezing” is the term the petrified mothers use to describe this cough. In fact this is nothing but a notion.

I will tell you a very simple way to putting such cough related ailments to rest once for all. Take an onion and extricate its juice. Mix this juice with honey. For proportion use your own discretion. Recite, “Om Namah Bhagwatey Rudraye” and give this concoction to the child. He may vomit because it tastes absolutely bitter. But if you give this to the child five to six times, he will never have any cough.

Treat children with love ad affection.Never scare them with anything. Problem is, if parents bring up the child with love; the teachers in school frighten the kid into submission. Bickering and squabbling among the parents is extremely harmful for child’s psyche. Child develops fear and other aberrations after witnessing frequent quarrels between his parents constantly at loggerheads with each other is more prone to illnesses. Constant quarrelling among the parents terribly affects the open aura of the child. Therefore, never quibble before your child. Life is too short to waste on trivialities like bickering and all. Spend your life in love and happiness.

Sadhana, Dhyan and Nature are portent enough to cure chest pain and back pain. Go to a tree and pray, “Oh ! You are so wonderful and I love you. I shower my unconditional love on you, I pray to Shiva to make you extremely healthy. Please help me in regaining good health.” Stand with your back leaning against the tree. Now feel its warmth and pray “You are very wonderful and divine.” Now bless the mother Earth saying “Mother Earth I bless you. You are wonderful and very divine. Please grant me good health.”

As you are in total communion with the tree and mother earth, you will feel soothing vibrations in your back, as if someone is gently healing you with tender hands. That would be the tree doctor working on your back. Now turn around, hug the tree and say, “I bless you. You are wonderful. Thank you very much for healing me. Please keep on healing me.” That is the natural method for natural cure.

Go to your nearest park and adopt a tree. Shower your love on the tree. The tree, as you will find, will bless you in reciprocation. It will take out all pain and strain from your body. You must also interact with all the five basic elements of nature. Try to breathe in from the tree and then exhale. Draw the breath from the earth right upto your head and then release the breath. Repeat the exercise with sun, and sky also. In the end you will emerge much healthier and free of nagging ailments.

You see, medicines are designed to rectify the occurrence of a particular disorder for the time being. Disorder is an indication that we are not moving in the right direction. Something is wrong. Our corrective measures are transitional-meaning we take the aid of medicines uptil the time we change our habits. The outcome is that we recuperate only to the extent of time we are taking medicines. Not any further.

For everlasting cure, as I said earlier, you have to embrace three basic elements of the nature. As you gradually increase the ratio of Sadhana, Yoga, and Nature in your life, you establish a harmony. Henceforth, you don’t need medicines anymore. Another very disturbing factor in this context is total dependency on medicine. Medicines should always be taken in moderate quantity. In other words, medicines should always be taken in moderate quantity. In order words, medicine should be taken as medicine and not as food. Nowadays we are taking an overdose of medicine. The trouble is, we are not ready to change ourselves. We are not ready to restore harmony to our disharmonious behavior. Nonetheless, we have to correct ourselves. Or else there is no point blaming the doctors or the medicines for our woes. Poor doctor cannot prescribe anything but medicine as a remedy. On your part, you have to exercise your choice for better health. You’d be better served if you include the three elements of nature as a therapeutic measure along with optimum usage of medicines.

It is true every allopathic medicine has a side effect. Sometimes side effects are the main reasons for prescription of a particular medicine. Above all, medicines are chemicals. If you ask me, the best way to steer clear of medicines is to remain healthy. For that to happen, it is essential to lead a disciplined life. That way everything will stay in control and the situation of resorting to medicines will not arise at all. At the same time one should be flexible on the issue of medicines. You should never display stubbornness towards the use of medicines. Like ‘I will never take medicine’ type of mindset. But by staying in tune with nature, you can avert illness.

Now let us take a look at alternative therapies. Generally Ayurveda is good. But going by the instances of adulteration, one never knows whether the Ayurvedic medicine is truly an Ayurvedic medicine. Honestly speaking, I would use the term “Ayurveda” only for the medicine which is prepared either by me in person or right before my eyes. If, for instance, Gelatin capsules are proclaimed as having Ayurvedic elemens, then, certainly it defies logic. Because on one side you have nature, one the flip side you have chemicals. It is absolutely puzzling.

Homeopath is efficacious. It is, in fact, a theory of vaccination. Ayurveda, on its part, is an excellent form of treatment, provided it is Ayurveda in reality. Anyway, the trio of Dhyan, Sadhana, and Nature is the best protection against diseases. This is what we inculcate in our Ashrams. Rather, we are working solely on the principals of these three elements. In future, we plan to keep animals, we believe, is always fruitful. Because they exchange energy from you. Animals give you some of their energy and take some of your energy. Overall, such exchanges lead to better health.

Meditation is something that everyone has heard about, many have talked and written about but there are very few people who have really experienced it.

Many people think meditation to be only relaxation; it is much more than that. Meditation is a state in which we are one with our true self. There is no external thought, emotion or activity going in our mind. We experience our true nature in meditation i.e. divine bliss and unconditional love. This state energizes all our faculties and expands our consciousness and mind power as a result when we come out of meditation our perception becomes more clear and sharp. It balances our reasoning and creative mind enabling us to take correct and quick decisions. The concentration is greatly enhanced giving a boost to efficiency. Now the same outside world also appears beautiful because one who experiences the divine bliss and love inside also sees the reflection of it outside. This makes relationships more loving, meaningful and fulfilling.

It is very difficult to experience this state with only our efforts alone, but when one receives Guru's Grace one spontaneously enters this state of meditation. It is just like a small piece of iron getting magnetized in the strong magnetic field of a large magnet.

It is through sincere efforts only one becomes worthy of receiving The Divine Grace.

The 'Sarpa Kriyas' taught in 'Shiv Yog^TM Level I - The Physical Body' helps one to achieve a disease free healthy body. These kriyas work on a very subtle level any remove any disharmony present in the physical body. Also the 'Sanjeevani Healing' empowerment received during the session enables one to pull out from the root any disease present in his body or anybody else's body. This healing is so powerful that one can literally feel the disease being pulled from the system and a warm soothing energy entering the system.

'Shiv Yog^TM' says that running from ones responsibilities is not spirituality. When you are living with your family and doing Sadhna, the family is there to take care of all your needs. Two hours of Sadhna everyday is sufficient for a householder and this Sadhna energizes him and makes him more efficient in fulfilling ones responsibility at the same time giving him spiritual upliftment. Also forcefully giving up ones family or anything else brings only misery while one who concentrates on his Sadhna instead up on giving up things automatically develops a detached attitude towards everything. He lives a complete life and without getting attached to anything becomes worthy of receiving 'Moksha'

Food can be categorized into three types – Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic.
Sattvic : Sattvic food is full of life force energy, when eaten makes one calm and energetic at the same time and purifies the senses and the mind. Example of such food is fresh fruits and vegetables and cows milk.

Rajasic : Rajasic food is one that makes one aggressive and makes the senses restless. Spicy food comes under this category.

Tamasic : Tamasic food is one that makes one lethargic and dulls the senses and the mind. Stale and non vegetarian food comes under this category.

The food that we eat should be full of Life Force Energy (Tejas) as dull food would only dissipate our energy in digesting it. Fresh fruits and vegetables even when kept out of the refrigerator last for a few days but meat cannot even last for few hours without refrigeration. This indicates that fruits contain life force energy while meat has no life force energy and it is already in the process of decay. Tinned and processed food full of chemicals and preservatives should also be avoided.

When a person starts doing 'Shiv Yog^TM' Sadhna he automatically develops a liking for Sattvic food and aversion for Rajasic and Tamasic food

Amma, what is it that you want your son to listen? You all love your children but you attach so many conditions to it that the child starts thinking he is not lovable may be he is so bad that he does not deserve anybody’s love and Amma I am talking about small children. May be when your son six or seven years old you might be thinking at that time that you were correcting him but to a child it seems like rejection. Love is only love; it is not correcting anybody. If it is pure unconditional love then the change that you want in the other person will happen automatically. Your love will not let him go in wrong direction. Your love will act as an anchor for him. It will be his support and strength. So next time when you want to correct your child make sure you are not crippling him emotionally. Be his strength and you will see that he will listen to everything that you will say.

Why do you analyze someone’s behavior? I am sure that person for whom you are doing something must be appreciating you as well. But you are comparing his or her behavior with other people. Comparison is a foolish thing. Each one of you is Shiva divine and peerless. There has never been anyone like you in the past, nor there do anyone like you in the future ever again. Remember you do not have to be like anyone. You are accepted the way you are. So discard the emotion of jealousy. It is worthless. God loves you the way you are. Sadguru accepts you the way you are but at times he may seem harsh or indifferent but that is for your own good. Like a father Sadguru is only interested in your development and he wants the very best for you.

Paramatma has constituted the body of every living being according to specific requirements of that particular creature. Human body was composed in such a way that made it a vegetarian species. There is a distinct difference between herbivorous and carnivorous creatures. The difference is in the form of length of their entails or intestines. It is believed that intestines of carnivorous creatures are short in comparison to herbivorous beings. The approximate dimensions of human intestines measures up to that of other carnivorous animals. But not with those of carnivorous entities like lion etc.

It is a very sensitive issue. People are generally curious to know about it. In our Siddha Marg we cannot castigate anyone saying you will commit sin if you eat meat or vice versa. We have scientific approach towards everything. Nevertheless, it is said that non-vegetarian food is beneficial. In the text books of schools it is explicitly mentioned if someone wants calcium he is recommended to consume milk, eggs, paneer, meat and fish. Calcium is present in all these foodstuffs. So it is widely believed that non-vegetarian food yields calcium.

We have our own way of looking at the issue. When a person consumes meat, it gets converted into different enzymes in his body. One such enzyme is uric acid. Uric acid is highly toxic capable of neutralizing our body if it is presents in large proportions. Calcium is the only antidote to counter the ill effects of uric acid. Now, isn’t it strange that calcium which itself accrues from non-vegetarian food is required to offset the harmful effects of non-vegetarian food? It is some what akin to the instance of capital money being required to tide over the repercussions of gross interest. In the same manner, people with non-vegetarian food habits have comparatively weaker bones as borne out by the high ratio of osteoporosis, an extremely fatal bone related disease. Percentage of this disease is higher in non-vegetarians as compared to vegetarians.

Now I have clearly explained the actual reality of the whole issue regarding consumption of meat. Now let us come to another point which pertains to vegetarian food. These days extensive chemicals are used in growing the vegetables. And insecticides are used in protecting the crops. These chemicals have toxic contents. When you wash the vegetables before cooking them, this poison is removed from the foodstuff. Similarly urea is mixed with poultry feed at many places. This is done in order to facilitate growth in their sizes. External additives such as these are fat-soluble. Meaning these chemicals are dissolved in the fat of animals who consume them. Sometimes in the proportion of sixty percent. You consume that much of chemicals when you eat such food. To the effect that a non-vegetarian person becomes highly vulnerable to diseases like cancer.

All the same, you should eat Tejyukt (bearing life force energy) which is imperishable. Law of nature states that fruits, leaves, vegetables, leafs etc have very high content of life force energy. That’s why fruits and vegetables are able to retain their freshness long after they are plucked out, while Tej in animals is confined only till the time they are active, the moment they are killed or slaughtered they become Nishtej (lifeless). If you keep meat and fruits side by side for the whole day, by the evening fruit will be fresh with its smell whereas meat will produce foul smell, because it has started to decay. The moment Tej becomes extinct decay sets in. Decay is degeneration. It is a continuation of death. Fruit will never exhibit these symptoms even if you keep it for one month. Difference between fruit and meat lies in their respective life span. Or you can say Tej. If you consume meat you unwittingly consume all its concomitant ingredients of decay. The decaying process takes roots in your own body. That’s why herbivorous beings have comparatively healthy and strong composition. With comparison carnivorous beings are small in size and also composition. Same goes for their longevity too.

All said and done, I will not venture into the holy or otherwise merits and demerits of the whole issue. I can only say that spiritually speaking it is unwise to advocate non-vegetarianism or vice versa. These days’ people are obsessed with net gains…. What you get in return….. Now it is for you to ponder over the consequences of being a non-vegetarian or a vegetarian. On my part I have laid the facts of the entire matter before you. The choice is yours. Use your discretion. Bless you!

It is essential for you to know what is Prarabdha. Prarabdha is destiny. Suppose you decide you have to reach the third floor of the third block from here. You then commence your journey. You Prarabdha right now is that in present you are moving towards third floor of third block. Future of your Prarandha is – you will reach third floor of the third block within five minutes. Your Prarabdha i.e. your future and present is taking shape due to your actions. Karmas that you undertook in gradual stages have a decisive impact here. Your first karma was the thought that came to your mind. Secondly, you decided to implement your thought into actions, that was your second karma. That you acted upon your decision and proceeded towards your destination was your third karma. Your present will indicate the direction in which you have to travel. If someone were to predict he would say ‘you will reach there’. In the same manner, man shapes his Prarabdha by his actions. When his entire act would be measured, everything would start from the hall where he thought he should go to the third floor of the third block. In exactly middle of his journey if he happens to meet some Gyani or learned person, the sort who can foretell his destination, that’s how it would be.

There is another side to it. If a person contemplates he has to go somewhere. He does not exactly know where. But he sets out accordingly, after sometime he decides to take some rest. He then proceeds towards his destination aimlessly. Prarabdha of this man suggests he would never reach his destination. By some miracle he can reach somewhere or else he will drift aimlessly. This is what his future says. According to his present he is wandering aimlessly. His thoughts had no definite shape and were completely lopsided. Needless to say, people run their lives on somewhat similar lines. They do not contemplate about their actions, neither they appear concerned about their destinations. All the same they await someone who can predict their final destination rather optimistically. If any knowledgeable person were to tell this aimless wanderer that he would reach nowhere, in that case the drifter would cease all his attempts towards finding a way. In utter disillusion he would slump on the spot. This is so, because as per his destiny or Prarabdha revealed to him, he would go nowhere. This is a common syndrome prevalent in society. Far from it, you script your own destiny or Prarabdha. More importantly since you are creating you own destiny therefore it is all the more easier for you to alter it, if you wish. Here I would like to add that Siddhas are Trikaldarshi. Meaning they can see where you are and also they can perceive the ultimate place where you would finally reach. The only thing is a Siddha would never reveal all these facts to you.

If a fly falls in your tea cup, what would you do? Definitely you would take that insect out. If I “say let it be there, as taking it out would be a bit painful”, would you agree to it? No; because it is too repulsive. Remember, negative thought is like a makkhi or fly in the cup. Therefore, don’t consume it. Rather, consume the positive thought. The day you make the first attempt in this direction your life will change for the better.

Do you have a family? Can you tell us whether they love you? (The participant replies in the affirmative). The mere thought that they love is positive thought. If someone says “aap ko budhhoo banaya jaa raha hai”(you are being fooled). You would sit and ponder over it. Now, if you persist with the thought that your family doesn’t loves you. Your actions would start reflecting the fact that your family is indifferent to you. After some time you start experiencing this indifference. You will start seeing the result that they don’t love you. Gradually, the people who love you will create an aversion for you.

On the contrary, if you start thinking that they love you repeatedly over and over again. In between, if you dispel all the negative thoughts creeping into your mind, I am sure you will have a wonderful family life. Spirituality or eternal bliss is possible only when you have a positive outlook. In the absence of positivity, you can never achieve bliss, no matter if the entire ocean-load of spiritually is poured into your inner self. Positive thinking is a vital prerequisite for happy life.

Precisely for these reasons in my Mantra Diksha, in addition to making you chant mantras in unison, I always ensure that you repeat: ‘Bhagwan tumse prem karta hai aur tum Bhagwan se prem karte ho ’(God loves you and you love God) after every mala. In the event of my not doing so, you may choose the thought that because you have not recited the rosary, hence God is about to get angry with you. You may then wonder if God is angry with you, what kind of punishment is he going to inflict on you? Ultimately you will create a punishment.

With the result, you will say, look now I got this punishment! Such acts will give rise to beliefs like “agar Shivji ki mala nahin japoge to aisa loss hoga ” (failure to chant the rosary in the glory of Lord Shiva would invoke suc loss). Such beliefs, later would transform into a philosophy. You may find some people saying “aisa kehte hain ke agar hum Shivji ki pooja karte hain aur ek din na Karen to nuksan hoga” (it is said that daily if you are worshiping Lord Shiva, subsequently if you fail to worship him for a day, then it would bring loss to you). Therefore, it is very essential for you to choose your thought in all your actions. Because these very thoughts make you what you are.

During one similar session at Shanmukhanand hall a thought occurred to one of the audience that everyone should come here. Steadily the same thought became more frequent. Finally the recurring thought went on to become a mantra. No sooner had it become a mantra, the like minded people began to converge on the said venue. Subsequently, every one’s mind became preoccupied with a recurring thought that Babaji should be here. As a sequel to that thought, we all have gathered here today. Therefore, always try to create positive thoughts, as they in turn would transform your lives for the better.

Someone was talking to me about terrorism. I said that the entire phenomenon is a culmination of collective thought process. Some years ago in America, a person was fascinated by the sight of huge skyscrapers dotting the skyline. He then wondered what would happen if one day an aeroplane crashed into one of these towering structures. Later the idea was adopted into a film. Millions of people watched the movie portraying the incident. As an obvious impact a multitude of people conjured the images of the whole incident in their minds as to how the planes are going to crash into the buildings. Ironically, the same mass thought gave shape to the actual incident.

Therefore, never watch or allow the children to see negative movies. Such movies generate negative thoughts bordering on the incidents that are portrayed in them. If the child comes under the influence of similar negative thoughts he might get disturbed. Even looking at himself in the mirror may scare him. His energy field may get polluted. So the gist of the matter is: use your discretion to distinguish positive thought from the negative one.

Yes, I will give you a very suitable example. A renowned gynecological surgeon from North India had a peculiar dilemma. Her hands used to tremble in the course of surgical operations. Ultimately a stage came when her husband, who is an accomplished surgeon himself, was forced to perform operations under her guise. Fed up with this predicament, she took Diksha from me. The lady confessed she had reconciled to her worst fear that she was not capable of performing operations anymore. She was certain that her hands would start trembling the moment she picked up surgical instruments. I advised her not to bother about her hands; rather she should start thinking that se is the best surgeon. I asked her to choose the same thought intermittently before and after the meditations.

One day the unthinkable happened. It so happened that during one operation, condition of the patient started sinking alarmingly. The moment she learnt this she felt a sudden surge of confidence inside her. Perhaps the gravity of the situation infused divinity and courage in her. The lady entered the operation theatre and took charge of the situation. She grabbed the surgical appliances from her husband’s hands and immediately created “pillar of life”, as we call it in our healing parlance. Much to her husband’s utter amazement, she successfully performed a marathon surgery. Condition of the patient reverted rose from ‘critical’ to ‘normal’. Her husband in complete disbelief asked, “how did you do it?” His surgeon wife replied, “Babaji taught me how to do it.” Thereafter, she started believing she was the best. Now she was absolutely confident that her patient would respond positively to her mere touch. The gynecologist attributed her startling recovery to Lord Shiva. Shiva is Bhagwan Mahamrityunjay, the infallible one who will definitely give Jeevandan or resurrection.

Insofar as your question is concerned, I don’t think you ever need to consult books. Just pray to Shiva, “O Lord! Bless me with healing powers and guide me to the appropriate steps required for my patient’s recovery”. You will find that automatically your thoughts and actions will restore the health of your patient. On the contrary, if you question your own ability to heal the patient. You might never be able to do so because positivity is very important.

The Saptarishis knew that he was very negative. They believed isko Ram bolen to yeh kahega nahin (if we ask him to chant Ram he will not do so). Hence they played a trick on him. They gave him a word Mara, which he perceived to be negative, but actually it was positive.

Ultimately he went on chanting that word Mara, Mara and it became Ram. This is what I am trying to illustrate. The thought that comes to the mind repeatedly becomes a mantra. If you go on chanting the same mantra, it becomes a reality. That’s how Baalu lootera (dacoit) went on to become Maharishi Valmiki purely on the strength of thoughts that he created. That is why I always say, be very particular, very selective in choosing your thoughts.

This question contains lot of questions. Someone works hard and begets nothing. At the same time the other one gets so much with so little effort. If you keep a piece of paper in sunlight. Allow it to remain in the sunlight for months altogether. You will not find any difference, the piece of paper will remain unaffected. Now you fold a magnifying glass the one that directs sunrays to a focal point above the piece of paper. In a few minutes the paper will catch fire.

This example illustrates the bottom line of above described cases. You work hard. Physically you put in a strenuous effort. But is your heart centric in all your endeavors? Mere physical effort is not enough. Physical effort should be accompanied by the involvement of heart. You must have confidence in yourself. Secondly, you must have clear-cut idea of what you want. To quote an example; in one our earlier meditation programs I asked a question. I will address the same question to you. Please tell me quickly what exactly you want out of your own lives? What do you want from the God? Although it took three days for people to figure out what exactly they expected from their lives and God. Most common refrain was Mukti. It is so easy to say Mukti because Mukti has become a fashionable word. But in reality do you know what Mukti is? Mukti is another definition of self-realization. Now how self realization does come about?

There are two recourses to self-realization. One path is that of renouncement, adopted by Bhagwan Mahavir- a prince. Are you ready to embrace this path? It is not easy, as you perceive it to be. To make my point I will tell you a story. Once, to impart knowledge to Arjuna Krishna took the guise of a Brahman and took him along. Both of them went to the house of a very rich landlord. The duo said aloud, “Bhikshamdehi, Brahman has come please give us food.” Out of that palatial house came a very strident voice, “There is nothing to eat here. You two better move off.” The voice belonged to the owner of that house. Lord Krishna, unmindful of shoddy treatment meted out to them, blessed the owner, “May your wealth multiply ten times more,” he said. Both of them lift the place. Sometime later they came to the house of very poor farmer. The poor man had nothing to eat. He had a frail looking cow that yielded some milk.

A dilapidated hut, some torn clothes and a feeble cow were the only possessions the farmer had. Krishna and Arjuna went up to him and asked for food. Farmer washed their feet and wiped them clean. He then took the duo inside his hut and gave them cow’s milk. Both Krishna and Arjuna were moved by his hospitality. As they came out of the hut Lord Krishna said, “may your cow die this very moment.” Krishna’s words left Arjuna completely aghast. “I am not able to fathom your motives. On one hand you bless a capricious tyrant of a man with more prosperity. While on the other hand you are depriving a poor and virtuous man of his only source of sustenance his cow?” Krishna said Arjuna you are naïve. Then he went on to explain his rationale. “The landlord was already deeply entangled in the cobweb of Maya. The nature of his karmas will never enable him to attain Moksha. That’s why I ordained him to get deeper into the spell of Maya with blessings of more wealth. Increase in wealth is a source of consternation and not a source of pleasure or joy. Whereas the farmer had only one potential source of temptation i.e. his cow. Now in absence of any kind of temptation, he can cross the chasm of self realization.” This is first recourse of Self-Realization.

The second recourse is steeped in Bhog and Moksha. Before going any further we must understand what is Moksha. Moksha is attainment of Eternal Bliss….. Attainment of Self…. Self-Realization….. The real “I” is nothing but Eternal Bliss….An integral part of Shiva. Your quest for Eternal Bliss is to be pursued through meditation. As you progress in your quest you forsake your own wellbeing. In the face of Bliss your individual happiness is comprehensively inconsequential. Because Bliss is eternal whereas happiness is occasional or momentary. In this manner, as you advance deeply into the state of Bliss, a feeling of detachment takes over. The urge to abdicate or renounce becomes stronger. Mundane worldly pleasure lose their charm.

It would be wrong to say that Dhyan nahin lagta. You are a part of Shiva who is always meditating. Once you are a part of him, how come that you cannot meditate? Everyone is in constant state of meditation all the time. Now if you suddenly incur a loss of five lakh rupees, you would obviously be deeply disturbed. You will think about your loss so much that you will go in a state of trance. Or if there is a squabble in the family you would constantly think about it. If someone makes an uncharitable remark about you, it would definitely upset you and you will start meditating on that incident. Your focus or Dhyan will always center on such trivial matters. And naturally you would not be able to concentrate on whatever else you are supposed to be doing. So you are meditating, but on something that is negative.

So many people come to us especially the youngsters. Their problems are typical. Someone’s girlfriend has walked out on him. The chap is in a mess. Any question regarding his name personal details is met with a stony silence. His Dhyan is so intense that he has reached the cosmic state of consciousness or Turyavastha. But focus of his devotion is a girl. If similar intense focus was devoted on Shiva he would have attained self realization. Honestly speaking, we have to change the direction of meditation.

You can overcome all the adversities of life if you start meditating on higher energies instead of the lower one. When you are meditating on negative things you get connected with darker world. Once you are connected with the darker world lot of misery, pain and suffering come your way. But if you are meditating on Shiva, you are tuned on to happiness. When I say Shiva, I don’t mean a particular deity or form, it is positive energy-the creator. Once you are meditating on him, you are connected with the brighter world. As a result you experience lot of prosperity, joy and tranquility and peace. Here I would like to add that now-a-days there is a new and wide spread variant of Dhyan, which we call depression. In my view it is a very intense Dhyan. It is called depression because Dhyan is focused on the negative side. The person is thinking about wrong things bad incidents, focusing on his sorrow and miseries. Now when he is all the time thinking and focusing on these things, he would get precisely the same from universe. If he changes the direction of his meditation and concentrate on God. He will definitely get every thing positive that this universe has in store for him. Eventually such person attains self-realization.

To have destiny you should have a destination. First you have destination then God will give you destiny. So long as you yourself don’t know where you want to go, what can destiny do for you? Without you charting your path or destination, how can God show you the way? Once you set out for a particular place from you home, God helps you in reaching there. Same way, if you embark on the journey of your life without knowing your destination, there is no way God can help you locate it. What destiny will he bestow on you till the time you don’t know where is your destination? Once you decide okay, that’s where I want to reach, I am sure God will ensure that you reach your destination.

Meditation is rediscovering yourself. The world is full of so ma impurities, like impurity of thought and pollution of mind. Meditation allows you to retrospect yourself and then purify the polluted or affected part in you. In essence, meditation is seeking to explore your inner self, while in constant communion with positive energy that is God. You leave your physical being and analyze yourself from outside.

It is just like looking at yourself in a mirror. That mirror is meditation, which shows both the darker and brighter sides of your being. As you meditate your mind becomes purer and you head towards the eternal bliss. Meditation is your medium to communicate with God and stay connected to him. As you communicate the polluted part in you gets purified. It is your channel of communication with God. Mind you, there is no set ritual for meditation.

First and foremost do not allow Atmglani (guilt consciousness) to seep into your Mann (heart). If you commit any mistake inadvertently, ask for forgiveness. Shiva never wants you in distress. Instead he wants you to stay on the right path. The same message is contained in the first chapter of Shiv Mahapurana. Negative traits like hatred, anger and guilt are self-replicating.

Realization that you have erred itself tantamount to half job done towards cleansing. The remaining part ends when you sit before Him and pray “God please forgive me for my mistake. I send unconditional love and blessings to all those people who suffered on account of my wrong deeds. I seek your pardon, have mercy on me.” You then find wave of positivity surging within yourself. Bless you.

Family definitely is not an obstruction in one’s Dhyan Sadhna. Fulfilling one’s duties in life as a householder and staying connected with Shiva all the time is finest form of Sadhna. Spiritualism never advocates escapism and should never be used as an excuse for not doing work. Many of our sages were married and had families. Married life never militates against Sadhna. Spirituality and worldliness are two sides of the same coin operating on a parallel course.

With proper balance between them, they compliment each other. Your spirituality helps you in becoming a better husband, a better housewife, a better mother, a better son and a focused and dedicated employee or considerate and compassionate employer.
If you understand Dhyan Sadhna in its right perspective and practice it every day it will give you a beautiful insight that will change your outlook and make everything divine and wonderful around you. Bless you.

What is too much of love? Love can never be quantified. It is just love. And if it is unconditional it will bring lot of happiness and peace to the giver and the receiver. It can never impede Dhyan or Sadhna because when there is peace and tranquility around you, it is easier to meditate. If your too much of love has too many conditions attached to it, it will cause so much of ‘upadrav’ (upheavals) in your life that you will not be able to do anything properly, leave alone Dhyan and Sadhna. Unconditional love is divine. It is absolutely pure and has no obsessions. It flows like a clean water stream. It is given because it makes you happy and your happiness is your reward. It will improve your Sadhna and not cause any hindrance to it. Bless you.

Love can be categorized into two distinct forms. Conditional and Unconditional. Conditional love is reflected in the following instance. I have a son. I bring him up in the best possible manner pampering him with choicest of luxury available under my means. He has best of the education. When it comes to his marriage I expect him to marry someone of my choice. My daughter in law should be according to my wishes. Now I have attached condition to my love. Whereas in reality I loved him because it gave me immense bliss.

I was thrilled to see him grow up before my eyes, satisfied that I did my best for him. Speaking of unconditional love, if husband and wife share unconditional love, their domestic life would be utterly devoid of any squabbles. Presence of unconditional love between mother and son would eliminate all possibilities of any friction. Unconditional love transcends the barriers of Satva, Rajas and Tamas. Because there is no prefixed condition. Blessings devoid of any ulterior motive will augur well for you. Therefore make it a point to bless all the good things that you see around you. That would be the best example of unconditional blessings.

You can go about your Dhyan in the following manner. First of all choose a Mahamantra (Siddha Mantra). Let us begin with Siddhamantra “Om Shiva”. Either this or “Om Namah Shivai”. To illustrate the hypothesis comprehensively, the analogy of a person drawing water from the well is the best suitable example. The bottom of the well is equated with Muladhara Chakra. Top of the well is construed as Sahasrara Chakra. Om mantra is likened to the process of drawing bucket upwards to the mouth of the well. When you say Om you draw your breath upwards in the direction of your head just the same way as the bucket is pulled upwards. Namah indicates the pause, when you empty the bucket. As you exhale your breath chanting Shivai, you simulate the downward movement of the bucket. In this manner your breath will draw your Dhyan from Muladhara to Sahasrara. With Om you draw your breath upwards and with Shivai it would come down. You will experience your breath rising in tune with the mantra.

This is the time tested Mahamantra of Siddhas, capable enough to weed out all your inherent troubles. You commence your Dhyan facing northward direction. For Dhyan you can adopt any Asan (sitting posture) that is convenient for you. Kambal (blanket) is the ideal spread for the Asan. Keep your Guru’s photo in front of you and do not forget to light a Diya (lamp). The act of keeping Guru’s photo leads to Avahan (invoking him). Prior to going into Dhyan it is essential that you activate all your feelings. Similarly, prayers (prarthana) is equally important as well. Pray to Lord Shiva “Lord thank you for the Mantra Diksha that I received. Kindly come to me and bless me. Gurudev please grace my heart with your presence and blessings.” Initially you can start meditating for a period of half an hour, later you can gradually increase this time. Learn to offer thanksgiving for everything that you have. Muskurana jaroor seekho (Learn to Smile)……Learn to be happy…….Learn to bless….This is the correct method for Dhyan. Dhyan is the first step in succession of total number of eleven steps that one has to climb. You will never know at which particular step you will meet your Shiva.

You see Dhyan is like a Chakki (mill). When it moves it will smother everything in its way. You have knots (of pent up emotions) in your body. Dhyan unties them and irons them out. Once these knots are opened, a deluge of thoughts will emerge from them. With such a force, that you would be swept away in the strong currents of these thoughts. The moment it dawns upon you that you are being swept away in above described manner, do not attempt to struggle your way out of this. Rather try and go back to the original kriya (exercise) of Dhyan. Allow your thoughts to be released. After some time you will notice the complete exodus of your thoughts. Now you will reach shoonyata ki stithi (state of nothingness). In the initial period you will encounter this flooding of your thoughts therefore don’t flinch from them. Instead tackle them in above mentioned manner.

Meditation is all the more conducive for education. Meditation strikes a perfect balance between your left and right brains. This cerebral balance will increase your concentration power. Present day young generation bugbear namely- anxiety and fear will be released from your system. Meditation also enhances the memory power. I will cite a relevant example of heightened memory power. You may be aware of Swami Vivekananda. He was a person of great learning. Once on a foreign trip he went to library and picked up thirty odd books. The next day he returned the books and picked up the same number of books again. The baffled librarian enquired, “What exactly would you do with so many books?” “I will read them the same way as I read these” replied Swami Vivekananda pointing to the books that he had returned. The librarian further asked whether he had read them all? Swamiji told him to pick up any books from the lot that he had returned and open any page, when the aghast librarian did that, Swami Vivekananda read out the entire contents of that page from his memory. This was the wonder of Kundalini Shakti.