Sunday, December 28, 2014

Pray Pray and Continue to Pray

Pray Pray and Continue to Pray 

Believe in God! Trust in Him completely. Know that He will always do the very best for you. Therefore co-operate with His Will. Become a willing instrument in the Hands of God. 

Greet difficulties with a smile and meet dangers with love. And never forget that the Mother Divine is ever with you, protecting you, guiding you, guarding you. In the time of crisis feel the thrill of protection. Whisper to yourself, "The Mother is holding me by the hand; and I feel safe and secure!" The Mother never fails. See that you do not fail Her. Trust in Her till the breaking point, and the breaking point will never come! 

Let prayer become a habit with you. Pray, pray and continue to pray. So many of our prayers remain unanswered because we soon grow tired of praying. We become impatient and lose faith. We feel that as God is not going to act for us, we must act for ourselves. Alas! We forget that God always acts at the right time; and if He does not act, it only means that the right time is not yet. This applies not only to material requirements but also to mental and spiritual needs. 

Pray for more and more faith. He who has faith has everything. For verily, "faith moves mountains." Pray for faith as a famished person would pray for food, as a thirty person would pray for water. And what is it to have faith? T0 have faith is feel sure that whatever God does is always for the best. 

The cure of all ills, physical, mental, spiritual, is contact with God. From time to time, detach yourself from your surroundings and enter within yourself, and in silence wait upon God, conscious of His presence. From time to time, engage yourself in loving converse with God. Offer all your work to Him for help before beginning any work; and give gratitude to Him when it is over. 

Accept whatever comes to you. Do not seek the 'pleasant', do not shun the 'unpleasant.' But rejoice in everything that happens. All that has happened, all that is happening and is yet  to happen, all, all is for the best ! Turn out all thoughts of fear and doubt and anxiety. Close the windows and doors of your minds against them as you would against plague germs. Face each trial and tribulation with love and laughter. Meet every situation in life with the favourite prayer. 

He who lives thus knows what it is to feel the thrill of protection and safety, now and forever. No storm can upset him; no news can shock him. In the midst of the most furious gale he is calm and composed as a safely anchored boat. 

Such a one has controlled his passions. He has eliminated his 'self' and entered into a life of holiness and happiness and harmony, the life of true freedom which is the privilege of every son of God. He owns nothing yet all the wealth of all the world belongs to him. He is attached to no one yet all creatures, men and birds and animals, are his friends. He thinks of no one as an alien. All, all are his, his very own. And he breathes out benedictions to all, to the 'good' and the 'bad', to the rich and the poor, to saints and sinners, to thieves and profligates, to the forsaken and fallen ones. And to all he gives the service of love, beholding in them broken images of the Beloved. 

Of one such man, the man of God was a true bhakta of the Lord. He was rich in the wealth, the only wealth that counts, the wealth of love. He loved God with all the intensity of his being. And in acts of daily life, he taught that to love God is to do the Will of God. And if there is one thing which God wills for us, it is this that we love our fellowmen as He Himself loves them. To love our fellowmen is to live for them and, if need be, to die for them! Such a life, as it unfolds from day to day, becomes an unending love-story, indeed, stranger than fiction and richer than a romance!

 

 

 

Aarati (Offering of light to God)

Aarati

Offering of light to God

 

Om jaya jagdeesha hare,

Swaami jaya deenaanaatha hare;

Bhakta jano ke sankat, Daas janon ke avaguna

Bansariwaalaa doora kare, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

Hail to You, 0 Lord of the universe, Remover of sorrow and Master of all. Salutations and prostrations to You, 0 instant Remover of troubles of Your devotees.

 

Jo dhyaave phala paave, Dukha vinase mana kaa,

Swaami dukha vinase mana kaa;

Sukha sampati ghara aave, Sukha sampati ghara aave

Kashta mite tana kaa, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

You reward those who sing Your glories, and remove their sorrow. With Your name happiness and prosperity dawn and pain disappears.

 

Maataa pitaa tuma mere,Sharana paru mai kiski,

Swaami sharana paru mai kiski;

Tuma bina ur na dooja,

Prabhu bina our na dooja Aasa karun mai jiski, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

You are my mother and father and the only refuge. There is none like You, that I can depend on.

 

Tuma purana paramaatamaa, Tuma antarayaami,

Swaami tuma antarayaami;

Paara brahma parameshwara, Paar brahma parasmeshwara

Tuma sabke swaami, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

O Indweller of all beings, You are perfect, absolute, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient.

 

Tuma karunaa ke saagara, Tuma paalana karataa,

Swaami tuma paalana karataa;

Main murakha khala kaami, Main sewaka tuma swaami Kripaa karo bharataa, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

O Ocean of compassion, 0 Protector of all. I am ignorant and lustful. I am a servant, You the master - be merciful.

 

Tuma ho eka agochara, Sabake praana pati, Swaami saba ke praana pati;

Kisa vidhi miloon dayaamay, Kisa vidhi miloon gosaai

Tumko main kumati, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

O Life of all life, You are one and invisible.Guide ignorant beings like me to Your Divine knowledge.

 

Deena bandhu dukha hartaa, Thaakura tuma mere, Swaami rakshaka tuma mere;

Apane hatha uthaao, Apane sharana lagaao

Dwaara parun mai tere, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

You are the Supporter of the weak, the Remover of sorrow and pain. Take me under Your protection I stand at Your threshold.

 

Vishay vikaara mitaao, Paapa haro devaa, Swaami kashta haro devaa;

Shraddhaa bhakti badhaao, Shraddhaa prema badhaao

Santana ki sevaa, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

Take away my passion and suffering, take away my sins and pains. Bless me with ever increasing faith, Divine love and the spirit of service.

 

Tana mana dhanaSaba kuchha hai teraa, Swaami saba kuchha hai teraa;

Teraa tujha ko arapana, Teraa tujha ko arapana

Kyaa laage meraa, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

My body, mind and wealth all are Yours. I am offering You that which is already Yours (for they are not mine).

 

Shyaamasundara ji ki aarati, Jo koi naara gaave,

Swaami jo koi nita gaave; Kahata shivaananda swaami, Bhajata harihara swaami,

Mana vaancchita phala paave, Om jaya jagdeesha hare.

 

This prayer, if it is performed daily, says Shivaanand (the poet), will get the devotee their heart's desire.

 

Jaya jagadeesha hare, Swaami jaya deenaanaatha hare

Bhakta jano ke sankata, Daasa janon ke avaguna, bansariwaala door kare om jay jagadeesha, hare.

Bansariwaalaa doora kare, Hari om jaya jagadeesha hare.

 

 Hail to You, 0 Lord of the universe, Remover of sorrow and Master of all. Salutations and prostrations to You, 0 instant Remover of troubles of Your devotees.

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, December 27, 2014

God, Save Me From Doing Any Evil!

God, Save Me From Doing Any Evil!

He sent a message to Baba: "I am weary of bearing this pain. How many abscesses do I have on my body! I do not have the strength to bear this. Throughout my life I have acted correctly. Why should I have to undergo this painful condition? I have never deviated from the path of righteousness. Why should I be punished and for what sin? - Shri Sai Samartha Satcharita, Ch. 34, Ovi 54-55 

Relating the same message in the following narration. Few days ago, I visited a sick woman; she is not learned in the lore of books. She had severe backache, excruciating pain at the base of the spine. She could neither sit nor stand, neither bent nor walk. Despite it all, there was a smile on her face as she said to me, "I must have done something during one of my earlier births to deserve this condition. Perhaps, I have beaten someone on the back with a stick. God save me from doing any evil in this birth." This is the prayer of everyone who believes in the Law of Karma, "God, save me from doing any evil!" And if this becomes the prayer of every man woman in India, this ancient, unhappy land will become new and India will shine, once again, in the splendour of the new morning sun. The root of exploitation, social injustice and mal-administration is in the thought; I will get away with it! Once I know that in this open universe I cannot get away with anything, I shall be careful to see that there is no evil in my thoughts and actions. 

I do an evil deed in the dark of the night, I say to myself, "No one saw it, I shall get away with it!" The Law of Karma tells me, it is true, no one saw it. But the seed has entered the field of life. The field of life has registered it. And one day or the other, today, tomorrow or in a distant future, out of the seed will grow a tree whose fruit will have to be eaten by you! Therefore, beware and do your daily work in the ever living presence of God! 

This was the teaching that was given to every student in ancient India. There is an aft-repeated story of a guru and two disciples who came to him seeking admission to the ashram. The guru gives them a simple test. He passes on a coconut to each one of them and instructs them to break the coconut where no one may see them, and return with the broken pieces. One of the students enters a dark and solitary cave and finding no one watching, breaks the coconut and within no time returns with the pieces to the guru. The other student returns only after sunset and that, with coconut intact. His friend says to him, "Why did you not accompany me? There were so many caves. I entered one of them. You could have entered another and broken the coconut. Nobody would have seen you." At this, the other friend replied, "I entered cave after cave, but wherever I went, just as I was about to break the coconut, I found that He was watching me. God was watching me! There was not a nook or a corner where God was not!" 

How many of us line this consciousness? This is an ancient interpretation of ancient, eternal law. But how many of us live up to it? 

If only we lived in the thought of God is watching us, exploitation, social injustice and mal-administration would be completely eradicated from the country.





Shaanti Paathh (Prayers for peace)

Shaanti Paathh

Prayers for peace

 

There are three kinds of suffering in the world: Suffering by natural calamities (fire, floods earthquake etc), Physical suffering (pain and illness of the body) and Spiritual suffering (of the mind and soul - worry, hatred, jealousy, addictions etc.) We are praying to God to relieve us of all the three kinds of sufferings.

 

Om dhauh shaantiranta rikshagung (May there be peace in Heaven)

 

Shaantihi prithiwee (May there be peace on earth)

 

Shaanti raapaah (May there be peace in the waters)

 

Shaantir oshadhayaah (May there be peace to the medicinal herbs)

 

Shaantihi vanaspatayaah (May there be peace to all the plants)

 

Shaantir vishvedevaah (May there be peace unto all the Gods.)

 

Shaantir brahmaa (May there be peace Unto Brahmaa)

 

Shaantihi sarvam (May there be peace unto all)

 

Shaantihi shaanti revaa (Peace pervades everywhere)

 

Shaantihi saa maa, Shaanti redhi (May that peace come to me)

 

Hari om shaanti, shaanti, shaanti (Unto all these be Peace, Peace, Peace.)

 

 

Friday, December 26, 2014

SOME RULES TO HELP YOU BE GOOD

SOME RULES TO HELP YOU BE GOOD

1. Always be truthful. Truth is always victorious.

2. Always be happy.

3. Be patient in your bad times. Always face your troubles with courage and tolerance.

4. Do all your work diligently, carefully and enthusiastically. A diligent person can overcome any problems and never lose his cool. A careful person always produces good work and an enthusiastic person derives enjoyment from his work.

5. Be humble. Never boast.

6. Be just. Never ne unfair to others.

7. Be generous in your appreciation of others. If others do good work, show your appreciation by sincere praise.

8. Don't lose temper. Do not become excited and angry. Try to control your anger.

9. Obey all the rules regarding your family, school, elders, officers, village, city, country and Nation. Never neglect or break rules.

10. Accept success or failure in your work. Do not become vain with your success or depressed with your failure. If you succeed, there is always room for improvement. If you fail, there is always scope to work hard and succeed.

11. Be polite. Always show good manners and conduct yourself with dignity wherever you are. Never be abrupt or rude to anybody.

12. Never waste words. Always speak politely, briefly and with understanding. Always speak to the point.

13. Always be compassionate. Don't do any good if you cannot, but never never hurt anyone. Always stand by a person who is facing tough times and help him/her.

14. Everyone can accomplish easy tasks. Always aspire to do difficult tasks and attain higher goals in life.

15. Instead of doing work for enjoyment, try to learn to get enjoyment from any kind of work.

16. Think of the result before doing any deed. If it is a good deed, don't delay.

17. When taking your meals, always pray and thank God for giving you food to eat. Take your meals as 'prasad' as a gift of God.

18. Always take nutritious and simple food so that you have a healthy body with which to do good deeds and service to others.

19. Always do good deed during day so you can sleep without any guilt at night. When you sleep, say your prayers and think of your day, think of what you have done, think of your mistakes and learn from your mistakes.

20. When you get up in the morning, bow to your parents and elders, say your prayers and begin your day.

21. God is omnipresent. You can't do anything without His knowledge. So whatever you do, keep Him with you, let Him be a witness to all your deeds. He will help you to keep on the path of righteousness.





Let us discover that special purpose

Let us discover that special purpose 

When we realize that we must live according to our own truth and light shown to us, and according to our highest values and convictions, our own inner being becomes 0ur sole guiding light. In other words, we call this our personal Sadguru seated in the hearts of one and all. 

Then we don't need to look to anyone else for credit, approval or acceptance, for we are not defined by anyone else's standings nor do we choose to define others by us. 

On the professional plane, let us do our work honestly and faithfully, paying no need to see where the credit went. And we shall have lived life as God meant it to be lived. Work done in the right spirit purifies us. Someone has said, "It is amazing how much people can do, if they do not worry about who gets the credit."  Work – but do not expect anything in return – not even a simple word of thanks. Such work cleanses us from within. 

Each one of us is unique. And God has a specific role for us to play in the ever unfolding cosmic drama of life. 

Let us discover that special purpose and fulfill it.

 

A Prayer for Immortality

A Prayer for Immortality

 

Om asato maam sad gamaya

Lead us from untruth to truth

 

Tamaso maam jyotir gamaya

Lead us from darkness to light

 

Mrityormaam amritam gamaya

Lead us from death to immortality

 

Hon asatya se doora bhagawan, Satya kaa vardaana do.

Lord take us far away from untruth - give us the blessing of truth.

 

Door hon dushttimra saare, Jyoti vihaan do.

Take us away from the dense darkness into enlightenment

 

Mrityu bandhan ko hataa, Amaratva he bhagvaana do.

Take us away from the binding of death, and give us immortality.

 

Prakriti paashon se chhudhhaa, Amrit madhu kaa paana do.

Lord, we are stuck in nature's falsehoods, give us the nectar of immortality.

 

 

 

Thursday, December 25, 2014

DISTANT HEALING

Distant Healing

Published in Noetic Sciences Review ¹

Can one person's thoughts influence the experience or the health of another -- far away? While there are many complex and meaningful aspects to the practice of prayer or hands-on healing, a sixty-four million-dollar question remains: Is there an effect at a distance?

 

In December 1998, forty scientists from universities and research laboratories around the United States gathered at the Swedenborg Chapel at Harvard University for a three-day conference jointly sponsored by the Institute of Noetic Sciences and the Harvard University School of Medicine. Their focus: to examine and evaluate data on a remarkable phenomenon baffling to modern medical science. The attendance list was confidential, and the proceedings closed. Preliminary data presented at this conference suggested that we are on the verge of an explosion of evidence to support the efficacy of distant healing.

 

The term "distant healing" and the more precise but cumbersome "distant mental influence on biologic systems" (now adopted by the National Institutes of Health) -- is an attempt to find a way to objectively describe the outcome of what others call psychic healing, energy healing, or prayer.

 

While distant healing has historically received little attention from mainstream medical institutions and laboratories, a substantial body of published data supports the possibility of a significant effect. Over the last forty years, more than 150 formal, controlled studies of distant healing have been published more -- than two-thirds of them showing significant effects (a less than one-in-twenty likelihood of the effect having occurred by chance; in scientific terminology, p <.05)².

 

The most exciting and the most controversial studies in the area of distant healing have involved human beings as subjects. These studies are challenging to design because of uncontrollable factors such as hope, expectation, and the role of the relationship between the healer and the patient.

 

A seminal paper presented at the 1998 conference was "A Study of Distant Healing as an Adjunctive Intervention for People with Advanced AIDS," initiated by IONS member Fred Sicher. This project, recently published in the Western Journal of Medicine, represents five years work by a research team at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC). While many studies of distant healing have focused on more benign conditions -- such as headache, high blood pressure, or recovery from minor surgery -- after interviewing numerous healers, Sicher had observed that many healers feel they do their best work when the need is greatest.

 

The healers suggested that if we want to see a significant effect on someone's health, there has to be a significant motivation -- the patient should be in extremis. Continuing his survey, Sicher also found that, unlike in many healing studies, distant healing is not usually performed as a one-time effort. Most of his interviewees stated that they tend to work with patients over a period of time, often many weeks. In an effort to bring the scientific approach in line with this "community standard," Sicher then proposed that a study of distant healing should involve people with an incurable disease such as AIDS, that the treatment should occur over at least two months, and that many healers be involved.

 

THE CPMC RESEARCH TRIALS OF DISTANT HEALING FOR AIDS

 

In 1994 Sicher joined our team at the California Pacific Medical Center to design a methodologically airtight collaborative research project. The CPMC trial of distant healing for people with AIDS was a "proof of principle" trial. It made no effort to investigate any mechanisms. The sole purpose of the study was to determine whether or not there is an effect of healing intentions over distance. Because of the controversial nature of this area of investigation, the research protocol was discussed and reviewed by numerous scientists, by AIDS specialists, and by self-identified healers before the first patient was enrolled.

 

Two studies were eventually completed, a pilot of twenty patients, followed by a confirmatory study of another forty patients. The pilot, considered exploratory, produced the surprising finding of 40 percent mortality in the control group, but no deaths in the treatment group. This striking result occurred despite the fact that patients and researchers did not know who was in the treatment group, and that the two groups were balanced for CD4 count. Both of these studies are reported in the December 1998 issue of the Western Journal of Medicine.

 

THE PATIENTS

 

In each study, patients were recruited from around the San Francisco Bay Area, using flyers, physician contacts, and newspaper advertisements. In the first study only men were included; the second study included women. Because of the variable course of HIV at different stages it was important to choose a group of patients at a similar stage of illness. The study inclusion criteria required all patients to have T-cell counts less than 200 and a history of at least one AIDS-defining illness (such as pneumocystis pneumonia, Kaposi's sarcoma, or cytomegalovirus).

 

The patients were randomly divided into two groups using a formula that equalized both groups on factors relevant to disease course (CD4 count, age, number of previous AIDS-defining diseases). Patients in the study had an average age of forty-three years, and had been HIV-positive for an average of eight years. Baseline illness severity was calculated by summing severity scores for previous and current AIDS-defining illnesses. No significant differences were found on any of twenty-seven baseline variables. The study was triple blind: None of the patients, physicians, or researchers knew which patients were in the treatment group and which were in the control group.

 

THE HEALERS

 

Healers for the study were recruited by word of mouth and from schools and professional organizations all over the country. Because the study itself was a test of the efficacy of distant healing, there was no objective test that could be used to determine which healer might be "the best." Healers were therefore selected using the same type of criteria that might be used in selecting any healthcare practitioner. Researchers collected names based on healer reputation among colleagues and patients. Healers were required to have had at least five years of experience as professional healers, to have performed at least ten healing attempts at a distance, and to have worked with at least two people with AIDS. The healers selected significantly surpassed these criteria, averaging more than seventeen years of experience performing healing-at-a-distance on an average of 106 people. In addition, just as one would select only a physician who believed one could get better from an illness, for the study, we selected only healers who believed the study would succeed.

 

The healers had an average age of forty-seven and represented a wide variety of educational backgrounds, including several medical doctors, nurses, and psychologists who also maintain a regular professional practice using nonlocal healing. Other healers included a Baptist minister, a cu-gong master, a Native American shaman, and a Philippine woman with no formal education who performed healing in the Christian tradition. Half of the healers in the study described their healing techniques as "energetic," 25 percent described their work as meditative or contemplative, 15 percent came from devotional or religious traditions, and 10 percent described their work as "shamanic." Many had received training or were now instructors at well-known schools of energetic or spiritual healing. A majority of healers reported working with chakra imagery for healings; other frequently reported modalities included prayer, visualization, and work with crystals.

 

THE HEALING INTERVENTION

 

The healing intervention consisted of each patient in the treatment group receiving healing efforts from one healer at a time, one hour per day, six days per week, for ten weeks. The healers worked on a rotating schedule so that each week, each patient was treated by a new healer. Thus, by the end of the study, each patient had received "healing effort" from a total often different healers. Each week, a head and shoulders photograph of one of the treatment patients was sent via overnight mail to a healer who was then instructed to "hold the intention for the health and well-being of the patient" for one hour a day during the time the patient was assigned to them. The healers were given the first name of the patient, the patients CD4 count, and two or three sentences describing active elements of their illness. Healing techniques were quite varied.

 

THE STUDY OUTCOME

 

Patients in the study were followed for six months. Three categories of outcome were assessed: progression of illness, medical utilization, and quality of life. Eleven specific outcome measures were used. Medical data were collected by blind chart review, and quality of life/psychosocial data were collected using standardized paper and pencil tests. At the end of six months, patients in the treatment group had acquired significantly fewer new AIDS-defining diseases than people in the control group, their overall illness severity scores were significantly lower, they had had significantly fewer hospitalizations, and those hospitalizations were significantly shorter. In addition, treatment patients showed significant improvement on psychological status, including decreased depression, decreased anxiety, decreased anger, and increased vigor, compared to controls. There were no significant differences between groups on CD4 counts, which went up slightly for both groups. The treatment group also showed more recoveries from AIDS-defining diseases (six versus two), but this result did not reach statistical significance.

 

Extensive statistical analyses were performed by the research team and were reviewed by several biostatisticians from outside institutions to determine whether some factor other than the distant healing intervention might have accounted for the differences between groups. Analysis did not reveal evidence that any baseline factor (such as medications, ethnicity, gender, age, religious orientation) could have accounted for any of the medical outcomes. By chance, the patients who were randomized to the treatment group were individuals who had initially higher scores on measures of psychological distress; this observation opens the possibility that their improvement on psychological outcomes may represent a regression to the mean. Interestingly, changes in psychological outcomes, for example becoming more depressed, did not correlate with medical outcomes, such as becoming more ill.

 

Historically, the usual scientific explanation for medical improvement in the context of distant healing or prayer is that the patients' hopes or expectations in the context of the treatment are what lead to any benefit. In the above studies, the main effect of hope or expectation is eliminated because the study was double blind. Neither group knew whether or not they were receiving the treatment, thus neither group should be differentially influenced by being in the study. This assertion relies on the assumption that the two groups had equal levels of expectation about the possibility of being treated.

 

The question arises: Did the group that received the treatment simply contain more patients who "guessed" or believed they were being treated? If that were the case, it would be possible that their increased level of expectation might have influenced the outcome. This question was addressed in two ways. First, the two groups were compared to see whether one group showed significantly greater likelihood of believing that they were in the treatment group. The answer to this question was -- no. Despite the fact that only one group was receiving the treatment, nearly half of the patients in the control group had (mistakenly) guessed they were in treatment. More important, despite the fact that they were doing significantly better than the control group, nearly half the patients in the treatment group guessed that they were not being treated.

 

The second approach to this issue was to ask whether those patients in either group who thought that they were being treated showed significantly better outcomes on any measure. It turned out that in the early stages of the study, patients who thought they were being treated were those whose T-cell counts had been rising (a fact that would have been known to them and may account for their guess). In the later part of the study, patients who were showing more recoveries from AIDS-defining illnesses were more likely to guess they were being treated. Significantly, believing one was being treated did not correlate with severity of illness, with development of new illness, with psychological outcomes, or with medical utilization. Thus it appears expectation does not account for the differential benefits seen in patients in the treatment group.

 

CONCLUSION

 

No single study can be decisive in demonstrating an effect. The two studies presented here represent only the latest work in a nearly forty-year process of developing, refining, and repeating studies to evaluate the effects of healing attempts at a distance. The two current studies, like the majority of other published studies, confirm such an effect. This work raises many more questions that will be the focus of future studies. What healing techniques or attitudes are the most helpful? Are certain individuals more likely to be able to develop healing abilities? Is distant healing more effective for some conditions than others? What is the role of the patient in the healing process? Is healing additive? Is it beneficial to have groups of people sending prayers or making healing efforts? Are there certain biological pathways that are specifically affected by healing efforts? And last, of course, how does it work?

 

The work described here is one piece in a puzzle that is bringing together medicine, philosophy, physics, and spiritual science to create a new picture of a highly connected and interactive universe. We look forward to seeing the results of the many other studies which are ongoing, and to exploring ways of introducing these interventions into mainstream medical settings.

 

¹Elizabeth Targ, MD, "Distant Healing," Noetic Sciences Review (August--November 1999 #49), p. 24

²D.J. Benor, Healing Research, Vol. 1. Deddington, England: Helix Editions., 1992

 

Elisabeth Targ, MD, is director of the Complementary Medicine Research Institute at California Pacific Medical Center, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and a fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. She was principal investigator of the studies of distant healing in AIDS described in this article.

 

Hotaa hai saare vishva (The benefits of Yagya)

Hotaa hai saare vishva

The benefits of Yagya

 

Hotaa hai saare vishva kaa, Kalyaana yagya se.

Through the performance of Yagya, the entire universe benefits.

 

Jaldee prasanna hoten hain, Bhagawaana yagya se.

God is easily pleased with the performance of Yagya.

 

Rishiyon se oonchaa maanaa hai, Yah sthaana yagya kaa.

Saints have always maintained the highest position for the performance of Yagya.

 

Karten hain duniyaa waale sab, Sanmaana yagya kaa.

All the people of this world respect the Yagya.

 

Darjaa hai teen lok se, Mahaana yagya kaa.

Yagya holds the highest position in the three worlds.

 

Bhagawaan kaa hai yagya aur, Bhagawaana yagya kaa.

Yagya is for God and God is for Yagya.

 

Jaataa hai deva loka men, Insaana yagya se.

Humans go to heaven through Yagya

 

Hotaa hai saare vishva kaa, Kalyaana yagya se.

Karnaa ho yagya prakat ho, Jaate hain agnee deva.

On performing Yagya, God becomes present

 

Daalo vihit padaartha shuddha, Khaate hain agnee deva.

Put special and pure substances in to the Yagya for Him to partake

 

Sabko prasaad yagya kaa, Pahunchaate agnee deva.

Then He takes the offerings to all the Holy Spirits.

 

Baadal banaa ke bhoomi par, Barsaate agnee deva.

He also blesses the earth with the rains.

 

Badle main ek ke anek de, Jaate hain agnee deva.

In exchange for a little he returns a lot

 

Paidaa anaaj hotaa hai, Bhagwaana yagya se.

Crops grow due to the God of the fire.

 

Hotaa hai saarthak ved kaa, Vigyaana yagya se.

The science of the Vedas is fulfilled through Yagya.

 

Hotaa hai saare vishva kaa, Kalyaana yagya se.

Shaktee our tej yasha bharaa is, Shuddha naama men.

In the pure name of Yagya is strength, brilliance and fame.

 

Saakshhee yahee hai vishva ke, Hara nek kaama men.

Yagya is witness to all the deeds in the world.

 

Poojaa hai isko shree krishna, Bhagawaana raama ne.

Even Lord Krishna and Lord Raam worshipped it.

 

Hotaa hai kanyaadaan bhee, Isee ke saamne.

Even the giving away of the bride is done in the presence of Yagya.

 

Miltaa hai raaj keertee, Santaana yagya se.

Through Yagya one begets kingdoms, fame and family.

 

Hotaa hai saare vishva kaa, Kalyaana yagya se.

Sukh shaanti daayak maante hai, Sab munee ise.

All saints believe that Yagya causes happiness and peace.

 

Vashishthha vishvaamitra aur, Naarad munee ise.

Including Vashishthha, Vishwamitra and Naarad.

 

Iskaa pujaaree koi paraajit, Naheen hotaa.

No worshipper of the Yagya is ever defeated.

 

Bhaya yagya kartaa ko kabhee, Kinchit naheen hotaa.

Those who worship Yagya never need be afraid.

 

Hoteen hain saaree mushkilen, Aasaaana yagya se.

Through Yagya all problems are solved.

 

Hotaa hai saare vishva kaa, Kalyaana yagya se.

Chaahe ameera hai koi, Chaahe gareeba hai.

Whether one is rich or poor

 

Jo nitya yagya kartaa hai, Vah khush naseeba hai.

If one does Yagya daily he will be fortunate.

 

Ham sab main aaye yagya ke, Arthon kee bhaavanaa.

May we all imbibe the meaning of Yagya.

 

Bhakton ke sachhe dil se hai yah, Shreshthha kaamnaa.

This is the noblest wish from the hearts of the devotees of the Yagya.

 

Hotee hai poorna kaamna, Mahaana yagya se.

All wishes are fulfilled through the performance of Yagya.

 

Hotaa hai saare vishva kaa, Kalyaana yagya se.

Through the performance of Yagya, the entire universe benefits.

Guruvaar Prarthna

Guruvaar Prarthna

 

Our Beloved Sadguru Sainath, please accept our humble prayers on this Holy day of Guruvaar. Being most auspicious day today, we pledge to watch our speech, watching every word. Speaking no word that is impure or vulgar, or that can affect the feelings of others. We never allow an unclean thought to enter our mind. If it does enter our mind, we drive it away at once. Baba, help us to strengthen our resolve, guide us to forgive those harm us, help us to give love for hatred, overcome evil by good. On this holy day of Guruvaar, we start our prayer by reading few ovi verses from Your Satcharita.

These are not my words. They are the profound words of Sai. Do not think that they are worthless. Do not try to evaluate them. 

Bad company is absolutely harmful. It is the abode of severe miseries. Unknowingly, it would take you to the by-lanes, bypassing the highway of happiness.

 

Without the one and only Sainath or without a Sadguru, who else can purify the ill-effects of bad company?

 

Words spoken by the Guru, out of compassion, oh devotees retain them in your heart! Your bad deeds will be washed away.

 

The beauty of nature satisfies our eyes. Our aesthetic sense is attracted to it and enjoys it. If we divert that very sense, it would delight in 'Satsang'.

 

Such is the greatness of 'Satsang' that it completely destroys bodily pride or ego. Therefore, there is no other means than 'Satsang'.

 

Always do 'Satsang'. All other means have some faults. Only 'Satsang' is flawless. It is pure in every way.

 

 'Satsang' destroys the bodily attachments. Such is the power of its strength. Once there is firm faith in it, there is truly liberation from the mundane world.

 

If one is fortunate in having 'Satsang' then one understands the preaching easily. At that very moment desire for bad company will melt away. The mind will be free to enjoy the 'Satsang'.

 

In order to attain final emancipation, the only remedy is to have detachment of the senses. Unless one has a keen desire for 'Satsang', one cannot realise one's true identity.

 

Happiness is followed by unhappiness; and unhappiness follows happiness. One welcomes happiness, while one turns away from unhappiness.

 

Whether you face happily or turn your back on your destiny, what will be, will be,. But to liberate oneself from both kinds of destined experiences, the company of the Saint is the only way.

 

Because of 'Satsang' bodily attachment is destroyed. It is 'Satsang' that breaks the cycle of birth and death. It is 'Satsang' that gains the treasure of supreme energy and separates one from the worldly ties immediately.

 

To attain the highest state, the company of a Saint is purifying. If one surrenders completely, our permanent peace is assured.

 

I bow down to Sree Ganesh

I bow down to Sree Saraswati

I bow down to the Guru

I bow down to the Family Deity

I bow down to Sree Sita-Ramachandra

I bow down to Sree Sadguru Sainath.



-(from Shri Sai Samartha Satchrita, Chapter 10, Ovi 136 - 149)

 

Who is Shirdi Sai Baba? – His own statements - 1

Who is Shirdi Sai Baba? – His own statements - 1

      I am god (Allah)
      I am Mahalaxmi; I speak the truth-sitting as I do at the Mosque.
      (I am Vittoba of Pandari)- Go, I am at Pandhari
      (I am Ganapathi; Mother), all offerings you made to Ganapati have reached Me.
      (I am Dattatreya); Are you puffed up? Where was male progeny in your destiny? (in answer to the prayer you offered before Datta at Gangapur) I tore up this body and gave you a son.
      (I am Laxmi Narain); Why go for Ganga elsewhere. Hold your palm at my feet. Here flows Ganga.
       (I am Maruti); My father dedicated me to Maruti.
      I make gestures before his temple telling him I am his brother.
      All that (viz, other Gods) is Allah (to Rohilla)
      Q; Baba, who are you? whence?
      SB: (in the absolute mood): I am the attributeless, Absolute, Nirguna. I have no name, no residence.
(Again in the mood of Duality)I got embroiled by Karma, and came to a body. (So) I got a name and abode. Dehi, i.e., the embodied, is my name; and the world is my abode, brahman is my father and Maya, my mother. As they interlocked, I got this body. The world is evanescent, mutable.
      I am Parvardigar (God). I live at Shirdi and everywhere.
      My age is lakhs of years.
      My business is to give blessings.
      All things are mine.
      I give everything to everyone.
      I am in Gangapur, Pandharpur and in all places. I am in every bit of the globe.
      All the universe is in me.
      Stick to the one whom you worship or rever. God will protect you soon.


(From Baba's Charters and Saying – 58-63)

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Journey out of darkness into the Light

There is no shortcuts in spiritual life. We have to discover and tread on our own unique pathway which leads to God.

The Guru can indicate the way we have to tread, and guide us at every step. It is for us to move on the path and, under His grace, reach the goal.

Through the witness of his life, the Guru can give to his disciples, glimpses into the life which is life indeed, the life of self-effacement and self-realisation.

But it is our constant yearning and persistent efforts and, of course, by Divine Grace that the divine life can be ours.

The Guru is the gateway to God. We ardently pray to Gurudev Sainath to hold us by the hand and lead us on this journey out of darkness into the Light.

This can be done by none but Thee, O Gurudeva!


Have A Garbage-Free Life..!!!

Have A Garbage-Free Life..!!! 

Baba said,"If anyone harms you in any way, you should not retaliate. If possible try to oblige others ". This is the sum total of his teaching - Shri Sai Samartha Satcharita, Ch. 10, Ovi 54. 

One day, I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. 

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. 

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy could almost ruin your car and send us to hospital!" 

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck". 

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. 

Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. 

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. 

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. 

So, love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. 

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it! 

Have a garbage-free Life…!!!

Sarve bhavantu sukhinah

Sarve bhavantu sukhinah

May all be happy

 

Om sarve bhavantu sukhinah, Sarve santu niraamayaah

Sarve bhadraani pashyantu, Maa kashchid dukh bhaagbhaveet.

 

O Lord in Thee may all be happy. May all be free from misery. May all realise goodness and may no one suffer pain.

 

Saba kaa bhalaa karo bhagawaan, Saba para dayaa karo bhagawaan.

Saba par kripaa karo bhagawaan, Saba kaa saba vidhee ho kalyaan.

 

Lord, please look to the good of all, kindness to all and blessings for all, may good come to all of us in every form.

 

Sukhee base sansaara saba, Dukhiyaa rahe na koy,

Ye abilaashaa ham sab ki, Bhagawana poori hoy.

 

May all be happy in the world - let none be unhappy - this wish we all have and may it come true.

 

Vidyaa budhhi teja bal, Saba ke bheetara hoy,

Doodha poota dhana dhaanya se, Vanchit rahe no koy.

 

May all of us receive education, wisdom, brilliance and strength and no one be deprived of health, wealth nor family.

 

Aapkee bhakti prema se, Mana hoye bharapoor,

Raaga dwesha se chitta hamaaraa, Koson bhaage door.

 

May our minds be so full of love and devotion towards you, that anger and enemity have no place in it.

 

Mile bharosaa naama kaa, Hamen sadaa jagadeesha,

Aashaa tere dhaama ki, Banee rahe mama eesha.

 

May we have the faith of Your name at all times. May the hope of meeting with You always remain in our hearts.

 

Paapa se hamen bachaaiye, Karke dayaa dayaal,

Apnaa bhakta banaay ke, Sabko karo nihaal.

 

O Lord, through Your kindness protect us from sins. Make us Your devotees and please save all humanity.

 

Dila men dayaa udaarataa, Mana men prem pyaar,

Hridaya men dhairya veerataa, Saba ko do kartaar.

 

May You give all,in our hearts - generosity, in our minds - love, in our hearts - patience and courage.

 

Naaraayana tuma aap ho, Paapa ke mochanahaar,

Kshamaa karo aparaadha saba, Kar do bhava se paar.

 

Lord You are the Saviour from sins, forgive all our sins and get us through this untrue world.

 

Haatha joda vinatee karoon, Suniye kripaa nidhaan,Saadhu sangat sukh deejiye,

Dayaa namrataa daan.Saadhu sangat sukh deejiye, Dayaa namrataa daan.

 

With folded hands I request You to listen to me - please give me the gift of the company of saintly people, kindness and humility.

 

Sukhee base sansaara sab, Dukhiyaa rahe na koy,

Ye abhilaashaa ham sabki, Bhagwana pooree hoy.

 

May all be happy in the world - let none be unhappy - this wish we all have and may it come true.

 

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER?

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER?

 "Why do good people suffer?" The very fact, so many people have gathered here today, is sufficient proof of our interest in the subject. Almost at every place, where I go, in India or abroad, people put to me the question: "Why do good people suffer?"

The story is almost the same everywhere. The people say: "We have been honest and hard working: we have not hurt or exploited anyone: we have done as much good as we could: and yet we have had to suffer. What is the reason?"

I am reminded of a young man. He built up a flourishing business in Mumbai. Then he turned his attention to spiritual things. He, as it were, handed over his business to his assistants, whom he trusted implicitly. They proved to be dishonest. Very soon, this young man found himself in a difficult situation. He was on the verge of bankruptcy. Winding up hi9s business, he went to America, where he opened a shop. Misfortune dogged his footsteps. One afternoon, two black men entered his shop with pistol in their hands. One of them caught hold of him and said: "If you stir or utter a word, you will not be alive!" The other ransacked the shop and filled the booty in a waiting van and, before any action could be taken, the two quickly vanished.

In the course of a letter this young man wrote to me: "Why did this happen to me? I pray many times everyday. I seek God's help and protection. Every morning, as I get up, I offer a prayer: I spend some time in quiet meditation. Before I open the shop, I pray. Throughout the day I keep thinking of God and offer small prayers to Him. I pray again in night, before I go to sleep. I have hurt no one: I have cheated no one. I have never been dishonest. Why, of all people, did this happen to me?"

I think of a young woman. She stays in Singapore. She is God fearing. She is an active member of a Yoga Society. Some months ago, she came to India, along with her family members. They visited a number of sacred shrines. They met holy men and sought their blessings. Then they returned to Singapore. A few days thereafter, their office premises were gutted by fire, and precious documents were destroyed. The girl, with tear filled eyes exclaimed: "Why is it that this happened to us? We visited India in a spirit of reverence, sought the blessings of a number of holy men and women. Why did this happen to us!"

I read concerning a woman. She went round the world collecting rare and precious antiques. After six laborious years, she returned to her country where she planned to start business in antiques. A week before the inaugural function, a fire broke out, and a number of shops including her own were destroyed. Her hard work of six long years proved futile. Her priceless collections, her irreplaceable curios, were reduced to ashes! No insurance claim could compensate her adequately. She put the same question: "Why did the All-Merciful God permit this to happen to me?"

Let me tell you of another woman. She devoted the best part of her life to social service. She was by nature affable, amiable, energetic, and vivacious. She went out of her way to bring joy and comfort into the lives of many. Suddenly, one day, she found herself losing balance as she walked. A few days later, as she returned home, one night, she stumbled and fell across the threshold of her house. The next day she was examined by a doctor, who, after a thorough check up, diagnosed the disease as multiple sclerosis. She was told that it was a degenerative nerve-disease which, with passage of time, would gather momentum and restrict her mobility. Ultimately, she would not be able to walk without support and she would be confined to a wheel-chair. She might even lose bowel and bladder control and be dependent on others for her routine chores. This lady too, could not understand why this had happened to her, when many of her friends lived normal, healthy lives. "Why did God permit this to happen to me?" she asked.

Some people believe that there are certain obligations they owe to God, and if they fail to fulfill them, they or their dear ones are punished. One such woman met me when I visited Ottawa, Canada. She told me that she recited the second, twelfth and eighteenth chapters of the Bhagavad Gita every day, before taking her lunch. She observed, also, the Satyanarayan fast, every month. But during a whole month, she missed out on the recitation and the fast. The day after Satyanarayan her husband, who was perfectly healthy and normal, suffered a stroke, and has remained paralysed since then. The woman put me the question that was uppermost in her mind: "Has this anything to do with my failure to read from the scriptures and observe the fast? Is there any cause and effect relationship between the two?"

I think of a young man. He was the only son of his parents, who are good and kind, and obliging by nature. With his pleasant manners, the young man easily won over the hearts of many who knew him. One night, the car in which he was returning home, collided against a truck, killing him and three of his other friends. When the news was conveyed to his parents, they cried: "Why did the Merciful Lord allow this happen to us? Why was our only son snatched away from us?"

A learned Rabbi has written a book titled, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. In this book the Rabbi narrates how his three year old son was afflicted with an incurable disease called Progeria. The effect of this disease, he was told, would be that the boy would not grow taller than three feet, would remain bald, and would age rapidly. Even as a child, he would have the appearance of an old man! Naturally, the father was grief-stricken. "Why has God permitted an innocent child to become the victim of such a disease? He asked. "He has hurt or harmed no one. Why has he been exposed to physical and psychological torture?" The author considers several similar cases and concludes that God is not omnipotent, as we believe Him to be. God has limited power. Within those limitations God can exercise His discretion. But there are forces over which He has no control. If those forces operate, God has no way of helping you out.

Dr. Anne Besant, the founder of the Theosophical Society gave birth to a child who, during his infancy, suffered from convulsions. Suddenly, the fever would shoot up and the infant would have a series of fits. The suffering of the infant was more than the mother could bear. She was at a total loss to understand how the All-Loving, All-Merciful, All-Compassionate God had inflicted so much suffering on a harmless, guileless and perfectly innocent baby. She turned an agnostic and said that she was not sure if there was a God.

She worked on the staff of "The New Review". One day, she was asked to review 'The Secret Doctrine' by Madame H.B. Blavatsky. As she went through this book, she came upon a chapter on Karma and Reincarnation. She read line after line of this chapter with deepening interest and a new awakening dawned on her. She began to understand that the present was not the only life that she or her child had lived; it was but one of the innumerable lives they had lived so far. The present life was but a fragment in the continuity of existence and, therefore what an individual suffered today could be the product of what he (or she) had done in an earlier incarnation. The mystery was unravelled. Her entire attitude towards life changed.

The answer to the opt-repeated question, "Why do good people suffer?" becomes clear when we understand the operation of the law of karma and re-incarnation. The law of karma is the law of cause and effect. Every effect must have a cause. The effect we see now must have a cause, recent or remote. Whatever happens to me today has a cause behind it.

Question: What is the concrete proof for this? 
Answer: You will get concrete proof when you practice silence and enter the depths within you. The meaning of the mystery of the endless adventure of existence is there within you. As you enter into the depths within, the mystery is unravelled.

Question: Can you give us some concrete example? 
Answer: An example has been given in the Mahabharata. It concerns the blind King Dhritarashtra. After the Mahabharata war was over, Sri Krishna said to Pandavas and Kauravas and all others: "It is time for me to return to Dwaraka. But before I leave, tell me if there is anything I can do for you?" The blind King Dhritarashtra said to him: "I have bee good to everyone: I have not been cruel or unjust to anyone. Why is it that I am blind and have lost all my hundred children?" And Sri Krishna said to him: "I would wish you to get the answer for yourself. Meditate, go deep within yourself until you touch the astral self, and you will know!"

Dhritarashtra entered into deep meditation and contacted his astral self. The astral self keeps a record of our earlier incarnations. Dhritarashtra discovered that in an earlier incarnation, he had been a tyrant king. One day as he walked by a lake side, he saw a swan-bird surrounded by a hundred signets. He asked his people to remove the eyes of the swan-bird and kill all the hundred signets just to please his passing fancy! He then understood why he was blind and had to suffer the loss of his hundred sons.

Question: But isn't that a very lengthy process of getting to know? 
Answer: It is well worth it. You do not acquire a post graduate degree overnight. You have to put in years of study. Just as there is the science of nature, so also there is the science of the spirit.

The rishis of ancient India called it Atmavidya. Vidya means science. As natural sciences have their laws, so does Atmavidya, - the science of the spirit, - have its laws. One of those laws is the law of karma; another is the law of re-incarnation.

Question: Could you explain this law of karma? 
Answer: The law of karma, simply stated, is the law of cause and effect. My Beloved Master referred to the law of karma as the law of the seed. As you sow, so shall you reap. You cannot sow thrones and reap apples. The law of karma is universal in its application: it applies equally to all. We are sowing seeds everyday in the field of life. Every thought that I think, every word that I utter, every deed I perform, every emotion I arouse within me, every feeling, fancy, wish that awakens within me, are seeds I am sowing in the field of life. In due course, the seeds will germinate and grow into trees, and yield fruit, - bitter or sweet, - which I shall have to eat. No one else can do that for me. There are causes that produce their effect immediately. There are other causes that produce their effect after a long time. As an example, if you go to a party and overeat, it is a cause you have created. This cause produces an immediate effect, - acute indigestion. There are other causes which take very long to produce their effect. But every cause must produce its effect; every seed must yield its fruit. This in simple words is the law of karma.

We are told, all men are created equal. No one can be so blind or foolish as to imagine that there is actual equality of ability or environment or conditions of birth for all. Why, in the same family, all children do not have equality of ability or intelligence. There is a family of which the eldest son is an IAS officer and the younger is unable to pass the SSC examination. We have a proverb in Sindhi which says: "The mother gives birth to children, each brings with himself his destiny." In other words, each one brings his karma with himself. There is a family of which youngest son is a multi millionaire, while the eldest is so poor that he and his children are virtually starving, literally begging for food.

Two questions arise:
1.   Is this inequality the result of karma?
2.  And if so, is it fair?

The answer to both, - as the great teachers of India have taught us, - is in the affirmative. You are the architect of your own destiny. You are the builder of your own life. Every thought, emotion, wish, action creates karma: and we have been creating karma for thousands, perhaps millions of years. If our thoughts, emotions and actions are benevolent, so called good karma results. If they are malevolent, evil or difficult karma is created. The good or evil we generate attaches its effect to us and remains in our life current until we have satisfied it by balancing it out.

Question: Why is our past karma kept a secret from us? 
Answer: Don't you think it is a great mercy of God that our karmic links are not known t o us> Else, it may be difficult for us to live in the world. Thus, for instance, there may be a man whose wife, in the present incarnation, was his bitter enemy in an earlier incarnation and had now become his wife only to settle previous accounts. If all this were revealed to us, what would be our condition?

Question: How did bad karma originate? 
Answer: Man was given free will; he was given the right of choice. He can choose between what the Upanishads call preya and shreya. Preya is the pleasant: the path of preya is the path of pleasure that lures us but leads to our degradation. As a Danish proverb has it: "After pleasant scratching comes unpleasant smarting." Shreya is the good: the path of shreya may, at first, be difficult to tread but ultimately leads to our betterment and well-being and spiritual unfoldment. At every step man is given this choice. Many of us, alas, choose the easy path, -the path of pleasure, - and so keep on multiplying undesirable karma.

Question: If all that happens today is the result of our past karmas, does it mean that everything is pre-destined? 
Answer: No, certainly not! We are the architects of our own destiny. We are the builders of our future. Many of us blame fate, kismet for our misfortune. But let me tell you, dear friends, that you are the builders of your own fate. Therefore, be careful especially of your thoughts. We pay scant attention to our thoughts, believing that they are of no consequence. We say, after all, it was only a thought, what does it matter? Every thought is a seed you are sowing in the field of life, and what you sow today, you will have to reap tomorrow.

God has created a universe of beauty, fullness, happiness and harmony. Each one of us is a child of God. God wishes each one of us to be happy, healthy, prosperous, successful and to enjoy all the good things He has created. We keep ourselves away from all those bounties because of our karma. Change your karma and you will change the conditions in which you live. And you can change your karma by adopting a new pattern of thinking.

Question: Can karmas be wiped off by japa? 
Answer: It is believed that the effects of karma can be mitigated through nama japa. In any case, the suffering can be reduced, because nama japa acts as a sort of chloroform. It is like going through an operation. The surgeon puts you under anesthesia and you come out of the operation without feeling the acute pain. Else the pain is so excruciating, that a person could die of it. This is what Nama Japa does to you.

Question: Can saints take over the karma of their disciples? 
Answer: They can. However, normally, they do not wish to interfere with the law of karma. For they know that the law of karma is not punitive but reformative. The law of karma does not wish to punish us for what we may have done in the past. The law of karma wishes to reform us and so sends us experiences which may help on our spiritual advancement. It is true there have been cases when men of God have taken the karmas of their devotees upon themselves. It is like having birds released from their cages. A man may purchase the birds and set them free. Likewise, a man who is rich in the wealth of the Spirit may, if he so desires, pay for our karma and released us from the cage of maya.

Question: Tell us how to face suffering? 
Answer: If our attention is on suffering they get magnified beyond all proportions. In the midst of suffering let us count our blessings. Usually, we suffer only in one area of our life. There are so many other things for which we should be grateful. Take a piece of paper and make a list of all the blessings you still have. There was a man who started from scratch and build up a flourishing business and one day become bankrupt. The first thing he did was to take up a piece of paper and write down all the things he still possessed. He found, he still had a great deal to be thankful for. With gratitude in his heart, he started anew and built up a still larger business. If we count on our blessings, our suffering recedes in the background.

In all conditions of life, let us thank the Lord. Let us make it a habit, - to praise the Lord at every step, in every round of life. Even in the midst of fear and frustration, worry and anxiety, depression and disappointment, let these words come out of the very depths of our hearts: "Thank you, God! Thank you, God!" and we will be filled with a peace that will amaze us. When we thank the Lord all the time, we build for ourselves a ladder of consciousness on which we can climb and touch the very pinnacle of peace.

Let me tell you the story of a woman. Her husband fell seriously ill. The doctors dispaired of his condition and said he would not be able to last longer than six months. The woman had deep faith in God and started thanking the Lord a thousand times everyday. "Thank you, God! Thank you, God!" she prayed again and again. "Thank you, God, for having healed my husband and made him whole." She continued to offer his prayer even though there was no sign of healing in sight. Strange enough, a few months later, when the husband went for a check up, the doctors were amazed at his miraculous recovery. "A power above and beyond ours has been at work!" they exclaimed.

Whatever be the condition in which you find yourself, whatever be the suffering through which you pass, keep on thinking the Lord all the time. When you do so, your heart expands and you become receptive to the helpful and healing forces of God.

In every situation, do the very best you can and leave the result to the Lord. When Henry Ford was seventy-five years old, he was asked the secret of his success. He answered: "My life is built in these three rules. I do not eat too much, I do not worry too much and, if I do my best, I believe that what happens happens for the best."

(Author: Sri J. P. Vaswani)