Amrit Vani: Perseverance to Usher in The New Era Amidst Crisis of The Present — II

(Translation of a discourse by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya on the topic "Vishama Paristhitiyon Mein Navyuga Kī Taiyyārī" — continued from the previous issue)

Friends,

We need to pray to God and invoke His divine grace to restore the balance of Nature, save the world from the draconian clutches of calamitous terrors, and give us strength and wisdom to live and work for a brighter tomorrow. The awakened souls, the spiritually elevated sādhaks, are trying their best but the immensity of the circumstances demands collective efforts of the entire world. I have therefore planned a grand spiritual experiment at grassroots level. More and more people — from all walks of life — should participate in this by conducting millions of yagyas. These will mostly be dīpayagyas, which do not require elaborate arrangements and expenses.

These yagyas can be organized on grand scale, or may also be completed with minimum resources — a few dīpakas (small lamps of ghee or oil in which a cotton wick is lighted) are used as fire-pits; no wood is required. In place of offering the herbal preparation (havan sāmagrī) in the fire pit, only agarbattis (fragrant sticks) of havan sāmagrī are kindled in the dīpakas with each chanting of the Gayatri Mantra.

These types of small-scale yagyas could be done in every home with small gatherings. You should also do them with your family members as often as possible. These will have excellent effect in creating healthy ambience at home and induce good impressions on children's minds. You may do the dīpayagya at home in the morning and sing at least one Pragya Geet (devotional songs that also convey inspiring messages) with the family members or neighbors in the evening.

Comparison with Vedic Yagyas (Fire Rituals)

Those of you who know about the importance of grand yagyas might wonder whether the dīpayagyas will also have similar effects. Not necessarily. The main purpose of dīpayagya is different. It is to awaken the masses, to make collective prayers, to prepare to usher in the new era against all challenges of the present adversities.

Let us view the discussion between sage Yagyavalkya and king Janak: Once King Janak asked the sage — "Suppose sometimes we don't have all the requisite things for performing a yagya or some things are not pure up to the mark, then how would we do a yagya?" Sage Yagyavalkya explained — "You must do yagya. Our divine culture has originated from the eternal light of Gayatri and Yagya. If necessary, you may reduce some things used in the procedure of yagya, but you must do yagya." "What things we may curtail?" the king asked. "If you don't have ghee, you may do yagya only with the havan sāmagrī. If, due to shortage of rainfall, there is shortage of plant-medicines/herbs required for havan sāmagrī, you may do yagya only with small dry pieces of wood."

Thus, though the dīpayagyas are miniature and simplified forms of conventional yagyas, if you do dīpayagya with deep devotion, faith and sincerity, the blessings bestowed upon you will in no way be lesser than those for doing a grand yagya with elaborate arrangements.

Deva-Dakshiñā — Offerings to the gods — is an integral part of all yagyas including the yugyagyas propagated under the auspices of our mission. The best means to please the divine beings is to adopt some of the virtues they represent. For this, you will have to leave one bad habit, vice or weakness of character and adopt one good quality and pledge and bring into action some good plans. This dakshiñā is more important than rituals of worship.

As part of imbibing a good quality, you must participate in the following collective meditation experiment: do mental chanting of the Gayatri Mantra with some meditation on the rising Sun for about 5 to 10 minutes every morning at sunrise. Do it regularly. The same work being done regularly and collectively by hundreds of people around the sunrise time results in hundredfold greater positive effects and benefits.

Follow-up Activities for Social Reformation

The dīpayagyas organized at grand scale would set up the necessary platform and ambience to mobilize mass cooperation; but you will also have to take up reformative and constructive projects as prayāja (follow-up) of these yagyas.

Illiteracy and ignorance are among major causes of backwardness and outmoded customs in our society. Via the medium of yugyagya, you should spread the importance of education among the masses. For example, literacy camps, special classes for elderly people, multipurpose educational programs for children, etc. should be integral parts of the grand yug-yagyas. Each one of you should pledge to teach reading and writing to at least five illiterates.

Another important thing is to collectively discourage, oppose and eliminate the blind customs in our society. Prominent among these are the pompous show-offs, extravagant arrangements and dowries in weddings. Wasting maximum possible money in marriages becomes a 'status symbol.' The expenses in family-functions like marriage ceremonies are the holes in the reservoir of the prosperity of our families. All of you should resolve that — you will not give or take any dowry in your children's wedding; will not spend money in lavish show-off, loud bands, crackers, and extravagant hospitality. As per the original Indian Culture, only a havan (yagya) and rituals that teach the bride and the groom the sacred duties and responsibilities of the marriage institution constitute an ideal wedding ceremony. Many disciples and visitors stay in the Ashram at Shantikunj every day; two more families can very well be accommodated there. Shantikunj is a tirthasthan (holy place of pilgrimage). Divine powers have graced it by their auspicious presence.

Use of intoxicating substances and other addictions are your nearest and cruelest enemies. Get rid of these, if you have any such habit or weakness. If in spite of your best attempts you find it difficult, come here and participate in the training and inner refinement courses offered here. Pray to the Almighty. Do (dīpa) yagya and meditation every day. Entertain good, illuminating thoughts.

Along with reformative activities, the yug-yagya demands your reconstructive actions too. For example, you may plant kitchen gardens. Green creepy and leafy vegetables and many other kinds of seasonal vegetables and medicinal plants can very well grow in pots. This activity will offer multiple benefits: good health as you would eat fresh, pesticide-free vegetables and would also do physical exercise; savings as you will not have to spend money on purchasing vegetables which are becoming costlier every day; and mental recreation. Gardening, like creative arts and music, is an effective antidote against addictions, lethargy, dullness and depression.

I hope you all would put forth your best endeavors and I wish you glorious success in your noble endeavors.

|| OM SHANTI ||

Additional Reading:

1. "Yug Yagya Paddhati" (Hindi book by Vedmurti Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya). Yug Nirman Yojna, Mathura.
2. Applied Science of Yagya for Health and Environment. (Ed. Dr. Pranav Pandya). Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Haridwar.