TRULY AMAZING 3 = 1000

A guru was teaching Vishnu Sahasra naamam to a group of young boys. Guru chanted the slokam :
Sri Raama Raama Raamethi Rame Raame Manorame |
Sahasra naama Tathulyam Raama Naama Varaanane ||
Then he told the boys: "if you chant Raama naamam 3 times, it is equivalent to chanting the whole Vishnu Sahasranaamam or chanting Lord's Naamam 1000 times.
One of the boys could not agree with the teacher. He questioned the teacher "Guro, how can 3 times=1000 times? I do not get the logic. How 3 naamams =1000 naamams? The smart Guru, a great devotee of Lord Raama spontaneously explained: Lord Shiva says that the name of Lord Rama is the sweetest of all the words & chanting this name would be equivalent to chanting the whole Vishnu Sahasranama or thousand names of Vishnu.
Here is the interesting calculation to prove that 3 times chanting of Rama naamam = 1000 times chanting or chanting the whole Vishnu Sahasranaamam.
Take the name Rama. It has two Sanskrit letters RA& MA
RA (2nd consonant in Sanskrit : ya, RA, la, va, sa and sha)
MA(5th consonant in Pa, Pha, Ba, Bha, MA).
Substitute the value of RA & MA as 2 & 5 to make RAMA : 2 X 5= 10. So Rama Rama Rama = in nos: 2x5 x 2x5 x 2x5 = 10x10x10 = 1000. Three times chanting Rama naamam is equivalent to chanting it 1000 times.
The boy was happy with the answer and started learning Vishun Sahasra naamam with full concentration and devotion. Let us thank the naughty boy and spread this to many friends
for their information and chanting Rama Namam at least (1000) times both morning and evening atleast.

Jai Shri Ram!
Sree Seetha Lakshmana Bharatha Shathrugna Hanumath Sametha Sree Ramchandra swamine Namaha.

Give Everything You Have

"You’ll either win or make others win!" says Art of Living founder SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR in a ‘Google Hangout’ event streamed live recently at speakingtree.in on the theme, ‘For a violence-free, stress-free society’

When the media talks about injustice, especially crimes against women, it reflects the anger in society, but the media is often accused of provoking negative sentiments. Do you think so too?
—Arnab Goswami, TV anchor

Sri Sri: We need to look at life holistically; it’s not one thing that could cure the ills of society. Spirituality also has its components; it needs to be combined with social work, creating public awareness and a proactive attitude towards justice and peace. All this and the injustice being perpetrated, need media exposure. But sometimes, when we overdo anything, it can cause nausea among people. There is a limit that you have to find for yourself; nobody else can find that limit for you. There is a limit to our exposing the negative tendencies that are there in society, and at the same time, give positive solutions as well. It’s easy to be part of a problem, but to be part of a solution, it needs some effort, and that effort needs to be put together. And if every individual takes the responsibility to turn negative sentiments or events into a more positive happening, then we will be able to build a better society.

Sports and games are supposed to be stress busters, but they have become so big and competitive that they themselves have become stressful. What can be done about that?
—Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan cricketer

Sri Sri: Sports is meant to be enjoyed, whether you win or lose. It’s how you play the game. When you give your 100 per cent, there is only one option left with you — either you win or make others win, there is no losing at all. And making others win should also be considered a great thing. Today, war has become a game, and game has become war; we have to reverse this. Games should bring joy from beginning to end. In the same way, the attitude of both spectators and players needs to be free of stress. For sportspersons, I would recommend a bit of meditation and some breathing (exercises) everyday; that would help you keep your enthusiasm alive, energise you and bring a smile to your face.

Europe faces economic crisis. You can see aggression in a lot of countries; people are desperate; it’s growing, and the response of governments is very often hopeless and they’re helpless. What can be done at the global level?
—Jo Leinen, European Parliament member representing Germany

Sri Sri: We need to create peace ambassadors, peace healers in society, and counsellors. When we see people’s energies going down due to economic or social reasons, they can come and enthuse them, bring a sense of community living, bring back festivities; help people to reduce tension and depression. I know depression is a big issue in Europe, especially in economic crisis; but when people understand that they are not alone and there is a whole group there with a good heart, and they are going to support them, then there is strength. You need to create this awareness and one has to learn how to go deep inside so that anxiety and frustration disappear and intuitive awareness or abilities dawn. When we are more intuitive, we know what is going to happen and know to manage any crisis; confidence and strength come naturally. Spiritual practices would help.

How would you advise the people of the Caribbean to become stress-free and more peaceful?
—Shaggy, Grammy award winner from Jamaica

Sri Sri: You teach someone how to ride a bicycle once; it is not forgotten for life. Like you teach someone alphabets once — in the same way, we need to teach people how to manage their aggression, jealousies, anger — these negative emotions, which are natural, anyway, will come up. Like cell phones have reached every home; we also need to bring them this technique, that through their own breath, they can transform negative emotions into positive ones. Along with this, inspire them to do some social work together, (provide help) to the more needy and poor; because serving opens hearts, it helps us to come out of our little cocoons and see the world from a larger perspective.

How to make youth realise that they are the future of this world?
—Strings, Music group from Pakistan

Sri Sri: Youth love music and they listen to you. You can instil the dream in them to work for a better society, and to take responsibility. Youth are intelligent; they are open to words of wisdom. As musicians, you can inspire them to take responsibility, to create a violence-free, stress-free, better world. When youth take responsibility, there can be some ups and downs; they need constant reminder of their dream and encouragement to walk on the path despite obstacles that they may face.

Bastar, which was once famous for environmental beauty, peace and simplicity, is today grappling with violence, drugs and alcohol addictions. How to be free of this?
—Group from Bastar, Chhattisgarh

Sri Sri: Youngsters like you, who want freedom, can work towards this. Once we start taking the right step in the right direction, and work with the intention that we need peace and we need to get out of addictions, we will be able to do so.

Unconditional love is the key to creativity; but why do most scientists believe that spirituality plays an insignificant role in scientific discovery?
—Myron Scholes, winner, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences

Sri Sri: It’s all between the right and left brain. Many scientists are realising today that there is an emotional quotient and a spiritual quotient which definitely work, and can’t be ignored. Recent research indicates that meditation, singing and chanting have tremendous impact on the system and even at the DNA level. We need to avoid getting blocked by prejudice of any sort, because it is unscientific. Unfortunately, even some scientists today get clogged by or calcified by prejudice. They need to keep themselves young, always update themselves with the latest scientific data, and keep that window of possibility open where the spirit or spirituality plays a definite role.

Growing up, we never heard of ‘stress’. Now it’s such a common word. I wonder what has caused this in the last 20 years. How do we get rid of it? Is there a mantra?
—Rajkumar Hirani, Filmmaker

Sri Sri: Too much to do, too little time and no energy; this is the formula for stress. You can’t be in stress for too long; you need to get rid of it. So, usually people go, drink a bit, take some drugs to get rid of it. But it doesn’t really go away from the system; it stays within. That’s where meditation, breathing exercises, and all spiritual practices come in handy; they help you to release them. So, today, you can increase your energy level; then you find that your needs are fulfilled much more easily and effortlessly, so there’s no stress. When you make an effort to share what you already have, that doesn’t bring you stress because you are so happy and joyful when you give joy to others. You have done a great movie and you want to share that with everybody; day and night you work for it, it doesn’t bother you so much. From somewhere, you find that energy because you are doing something not for yourself, but for the sake of everyone else.

OM NAMO BHAGHWATE VASUDEVAYA

Obituary To Our Beloved Brother

Vasu
We lived in hope. We prayed in vain
That God would make you well again.
But God decided we must part,
We watched you depart with a broken heart.

God has taken you away from us,
And taken you to rest,
It's not for us to understand,
He only takes the best.

The family chain is broken now
And nothing seems the same,
But as God takes us one by one,
That chain will link again.

A Darling Brother Departed Early To protect people from Agony and Pain because he is a doctor.

When You Are Struck By Lightning

By: Kishor Kulkarni
A lightning ‘arrester’ is installed in a tall building to protect it from lightning strikes. The lightning arrester is a long rod made of a good conductor of electricity like copper, with its one end being buried under the earth and the other one jutting out of the top of the house. The lightning arrester provides a path of least resistance for the lightning if and when it strikes the house. So, the lightning safely passes through the arrester down into the earth without damaging the house.

There is a parallel to this concept in the spiritual realm. We keep receiving one or more of the five sensory inputs from the external world, through our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin, every waking moment. These sensory inputs cause transformations of our mind which are called as vikaaras. Essentially, they are the agitations of mind in the form of our six enemies – desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride and jealousy. Thus, our mind can be seen as a house and the sensory inputs from the external world as frequent lightning strikes.

However, we can install a lightning arrester in our mind in the form of a spiritual attitude whose bed rock consists of vairagya bhav or asceticism, lack of ego, non-doership and non-duality. When I have a spiritual attitude, I am convinced that everything happens for a reason as part of the big picture for the Divine. So, nothing can disturb the equanimity of my mind. I have no likes or dislikes and hence am able to take life as it comes. I do not see any duality between myself and the rest of the world. Thus the spiritual attitude tackles the external stimulus and makes it pass harmlessly without affecting the mind one bit.

For example, when I smell a spicy hot dosa at a roadside stall, I am able to pause and tell myself that I don’t quite need to go for it if I am not really hungry. The vairagya bhav in me has helped me overcome the desire. When my car is hit by another vehicle at the rear, I do not get angry because I do not see any duality between the driver of that other vehicle and myself. It is like my eye not getting angry when I accidentally put my finger in my eye because eye and finger are both parts of the same body.

I am no more greedy to earn more and more money because vairagya bhav is firmly established in me. I do not feel sad when my daughter or son gets married and leaves home to make a new home of their own because I have no feelings of “me and mine”. If I get praised for some good work done by me in my office, I do not feel any sense of pride because I know I am not the doer and it is the Divine that has acted through me. I do not feel jealous if I miss a promotion and a colleague of mine gets it because I have faith in the divine scheme of things and am disinterested in worldly things.

Many of us lack a spiritual attitude. Later, some of us realise that external stimuli are like lightning, damaging our peace of mind. Then we start exploring the various ways and means of protecting our mind against these lightning strikes. This effort, spiritual sadhana, when appropriately guided by a true guru appearing before us at the right time, becomes a lightning arrester for our mind.

The Power Of Youth And Vivekananda

By: Mithun Dey
The youth of India have great creative energy with the positive potential to take them to spiritual heights. If human creativity is a special quality, then the “Never say die!” spirit is its apex. Demographically, today’s India is at its youngest best and has the power to meet any challenge with the collective consciousness and effort of all people, especially young people.

This is the perfect time when youth is alert and aware and provoked by the environment and lack of values. India is a nation facing incredible challenges. This is evident from the utter lack of safety and security for the girl child and women anywhere in the country and the impunity with which monstrous elements like rapists heap violence on girl children and women.

On the one hand, people can see such huge wealth and on the other, more than one-third of the people go without a second meal every day. We have examples of the very affluent as well as the extremely poor. And millions of our children have no access to education, even at the primary level. And we are still grappling with the issue of child labour.

Swami Vivekananda delivered a lecture on the issue of difficulties in life. He made the plea for the need for nationwide renovation with the ideals of ‘tyaga’ or sacrifice and ‘seva,’ selfless service, the most imperative aspects of shaping the life of young people. The monk made the point that this way of life is what can be called ‘spiritual pursuit’. The brevity of human triumph and the impermanence of material wealth were of serious thought to this philosophy. What he challenged us to do was to give ourselves a noble reason to live, a lofty ideal to live for and a higher state to reach within the boundaries of human existence.

The only qualification that Swamiji looked for in youngsters was to cultivate and nurture the ability to ‘feel’. He offered his potential ‘mantra’ and desired to take solid action so that those who wanted to go beyond just feeling could do so. The most influential P’s are: Purity, Patience and Perseverance. The P’s are the great traits that the youth of today are rich in and this is evident from their keenness to be part of positive change that will have impact on entire society.

Purity is of thought and achievement. Patience is to understand the dynamic form and need to focus on the area for improvement. Today’s youth needs enormous perseverance to take part in the multifaceted challenges we face in today’s society. They need to place their efforts in the realities of livelihood, societal stages and political variety. And for these attempts to seriously address socio-political and ethical-moral issues, they need great perseverance. If not, one could easily get drained and unmotivated.

Swami Vivekananda believed that working for any social change required massive energy and spirit. Hence, he requested the youth to amplify both their mental energies and physical fitness. What Vivekananda wanted from the youth were ‘muscles of iron’ and ‘nerves of steel’. Today, the youth are exceptionally responsive and they just need to be encouraged in their quest for justice for common benefit. Swami Vivekananda was and is not only the medium; he is himself the message as well for the youth of India.
Jan 12, Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, is celebrated as National Youth Day. It is his 150th birth anniversary this year.

You Can Transform Failure Into Success

By: Dada J P Vaswani

The most successful people are those with the most interesting pictures in their minds. If you consciously paint a picture of yourself as a successful person, success will come to you. But if you are convinced that you are a failure, you will fail. If you think of scarcity, scarcity will befall you. If you imagine abundance, abundance will flow into you.
Consciousness is built of three layers – the conscious, the subconscious and the super conscious. Tap the powers of the super conscious and the subconscious and turn failure into success.
The conscious self that thinks feels and takes decisions is a very tiny part of our consciousness, like the tip of an iceberg floating above water. The subconscious is much vaster, like the larger portion of an iceberg immersed in the water. The subconscious cannot think for itself; it cannot decide what is right and what is wrong. If you believe that you cannot achieve something, the subconscious will take up your belief. Its job is to see that it proves your beliefs. Whatever you will believe in, your subconscious will create conditions, so that your beliefs are proved. Whatever you picture for yourself, the subconscious will prove that picture as true.
If a fat man believes that he cannot grow slim, he will never grow slim. He may go on a crash diet, but when he is off guard, something will happen; the subconscious will create circumstances so that he is caught in the trap unawares and gains weight.
Subconscious Is Good Servant, Bad Master
To achieve success you must believe in success, and paint a picture of yourself succeeding. The conscious and the subconscious must cooperate with each other to create success. Success is not produced only by the conscious self. It is done with the help of the subconscious. The subconscious is there to obey you; it is an obedient servant who takes orders from his master. You have to decide. Its beliefs are to be programmed by you.
The subconscious cannot think for itself; it cannot decide what is right and what is wrong. It can only obey. It is like the autopilot in an aircraft. If you set the autopilot to take the plane eastwards, the plane will keep on flying eastward. Only when you resume manual control you can change the direction of the plane. Therefore you have to be very careful of the thoughts you think, the affirmations you make, especially when you fall asleep. There are tremendous potentialities open to every one of us. If only we make use of the right affirmations at the right time, we can work wonders.
Speaking to your subconscious with magnetic determination is known as affirmation. Whatever you wish to affirm, affirm it over and over again. First, affirm to draw the attention of your own thoughts. Then, softly re-affirm to draw the interest of your thoughts. Finally, whisper the affirmation as though you are coaxing your subconscious to cooperate. First affirm loudly, then a little softly and lastly, in a whisper.
For greater effectiveness, your affirmations must be rhythmic. Repeat the affirmation as if you were singing. Secondly, it must be positive. For instance, if you wish to give up smoking, don't say, "I shall never smoke again". Rather, tell yourself, "I have given up smoking". Affirm this, as if you have done it already, as if you are free from this habit. Positive thoughts induce magnetism; negative thoughts weaken your magnetism.