T.S.SRIDHAR - His Views

SPRITUAL SCIENCE ABOUT CONSCIOUSNESS AND ENERGY

2020-07-13T05:48:00.000+05:30

HARE KRISHNA

Albert Einstein had discovered that matter is energy. Today most of the scientists also say that –

Matter only appears; otherwise there is no such thing as matter and that nothing is solid. Even the solid rock is a pulsating energy. The solid rock is as much energy as the roaring ocean. The waves that are arising in the solid rock cannot be seen because they are very subtle, but the rock is waving, pulsating, breathing; it is alive. Modern day scientists say that Body, Mind and Consciousness are also energies. Scientists are involved in experiments to harness Consciousness the way they have done with energy. In fact they treat Consciousness as an invisible commodity like they are doing to electric energy. Their argument is that if we can create, store and use electric energy, the same can be done for Body, Mind and Consciousness also.

Let us see what Indian spiritual practitioners or Yogis have to say about Consciousness and Energy. After all they also were responsible and persevered. But many Yogis also tend to use the two words synonymously.

The tendency to treat energy and Consciousness as one and the same is generally seen among spiritual Yogis who follow the Hatha Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, or Raja Yoga. In this category we can even include those doing pranayama or other breath control exercises. These Yogis experienced the Kundalini Shakti being aroused in their Body. In the course of Yoga the Consciousness in the Body stored in the Muladhara Chakra (located at the base of the spine) rises up and moves towards the Ajna Chakra (located in between the eye brows). They refer to this as Kundalini energy and not Consciousness. That was so because they felt the immense force of the rising Consciousness as it moved from Chakra to Chakra more than the Consciousness that was moving up. Thus under Kundalini Yoga or Chakra meditation, the energy was felt brilliantly, but not the Consciousness.

Now let us see what Yogis on the Bhakti Yoga path have to say. They would always refer to their experiences as Krishna Consciousness and not Kundalini awakening, Shakti or Energy. They called Consciousness as absolute bliss or nectar because the flow of energy was very delicate and soothing. They could feel the delicate flow of Consciousness down their Body but couldn’t feel its energy.

Even when the Divine Krishna Consciousness reversed and rose from the feet to the head, they never felt the energy. Not even when the Divine Krishna Consciousness pushed the energy stored in the Muladhar Chakra above the Spine towards his head. Here again they described it as a flow of Consciousness. Once again they never felt the immense energy of Consciousness.

The difference is so obvious. Under Bhakti Yoga, Yogis could feel the nectar like Consciousness, but not its powerful energy. Under Hatha Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, or Raja Yoga they could feel the powerful energy of Consciousness, but not the Consciousness.

When Consciousness stored in a capsule or a seed (called Muladhar Chakra) gets activated through Yogic techniques, the Consciousness stored there gushes upwards ferociously. In the process it can damage certain parts of our Body organs or the cause mental disturbances.

When Consciousness from an open source enters our Body or into any part of a Body or particle, it is relatively calm and serene.

The same principle is seen when consecrating an idol in a temple as per the Vedic science. A consecrated idol in a temple is a bundle of energy. As per Vedic science, deities are capable of releasing Consciousness in small or in huge volumes. Forcefully or delicately.

Deities have powerful Consciousness stored in them. Consciousness can be very benevolent if appropriated properly and can be devastating if ignored, or misused. Deities are consecrated bodies.

If anyone tries to create, change, alter, amend, manipulate, destroy the Consciousness it will be a disaster. If the spiritual energy of Consciousness is unleashed improperly it can lead to lifelong sufferings for generations of the individual, place or country involved in such wanton destruction.

Similarly if the Consciousness in the atmosphere tends to accumulate, either under water, earth or in the atmosphere and if it is disturbed for any reason it could lead to cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, plagues, etc.

Stored Consciousness will generate and spread powerful energy. But free Krishna Consciousness is controlled, Divine, Blissful and a very pleasant energy.

Modern day scientists say that Body, Mind and Consciousness are all energies. Bhagavan Krishna doesn’t say that Mind, Body and Consciousness are energies.

Bhagavan says in the Bhagavad Gita that everything in the Universe is Consciousness. This is Spiritual Science.

HARE KRISHNA

IS BHAKTI YOGA ONLY ABOUT EMOTIONS?

2020-07-10T05:43:00.000+05:30

Hare Krishna. We find many reputed Yoga and Spiritual Gurus saying that Bhakti Yoga is only about emotions. So one can easily become spiritual through the process of emoting.

The point I am going to make here is that Bhakti Yoga is not so simple to identify it with mere emotions. In fact Bhakti Yoga is very different from other Yoga techniques. It involves not merely emotions. It includes the mind, senses and our physical body. Unlike other Yogas that involve only a part or area of our body, Bhakti Yoga is all inclusive. In other types of Yoga the involvement of emotions is for all purposes nil or negligible.

The other point to be noted is that emotions come naturally to women. Therefore most people in Bhakti Yoga path are women. In men, their intellect overrules their emotions. Men avoid emotions and treat emotions as an avoidable act. Their intellect also considers emoting as below dignity or shameful. Men are therefore also known to suppress emotions and suffer frequent depressions. If at all they get emotional it happens with great difficulty. Male Gurus, unlike female Gurus, naturally find it convenient to ignore Bhakti Yoga as merely emotion driven.

As a substitute many Yogis recommend laughing instead of following Bhakti Yoga. This happens in centers called laughing clubs. In most Yoga centers, laughing loudly in a group forms a part of the daily session. Therefore we find several laughing clubs or assemblies mushrooming all over the world. Here people assemble and laugh aloud without any rhyme or reason. Naturally we can ask - Are the people really emoting or are they imagining a laughable situation? Is laughing loudly a substitute for doing joint kirtans or bhajans? In fact they force themselves into laughing artificially.

There is a difference between reel and real life. We cannot emote any one of the following naturally and unknowingly unless we are putting up an act:

Happiness. One of the first core emotions we all experience naturally is happiness.
Sadness.
Anger.
Anticipation.
Fear.
Loneliness.
Jealousy.
Disgust.
Surprise.
Trust.
Suffering.
Shame, etc.

An emotion should come genuinely from the heart. Some of the above emotions come naturally from the heart, while some come from the mind and also the heart. Therefore the members of the laughing club are merely acting without the involvement of the heart. It is artificial and imaginary.

In Bhakti Yoga there is a cause to become automatically happy without any inhibitions imposed by our intellect or our body. In the process one may even shed tears of happiness. Happiness happens in real and not in reel life. In Bhakti Yoga, happy emotions become a constant and a continuous process arising out of the activities we indulge in regularly. It also happens without our knowledge. It doesn’t come in fits and starts and does not involve our mind or the intellect. Happiness in us is never visible to an outsider. It happens within us and only we know the meaning and level of happiness. There is also no need for us to be outwardly expressive and shout, laugh, dance, sing, etc.

Bhakti Yoga talks only about happiness and not the other emotions that are stated above. It says that happiness will follow if you do a series of certain specified acts. These actions are related to the Supreme Bhagavan or the Supreme Lord which are:

1. Chant the glorious name of Bhagavan as often as you can.

2. Sing in praise of Bhagavan.

3. Narrate the glorious deeds of Bhagavan and spread his teachings to all.

4. Hear the glorious deeds of Bhagavan and songs in praise of Bhagavan.

5. Serve the devotees of Bhagavan as much as you can.

6. Do all the above in a selfless manner without expecting anything in return. This is known as seva. And

7. This seva involves our body, mind, senses and our soul. It is not merely about emotions.

When we do all the above, a sense of continuous happiness arises in us. It can be felt by us because it happens due to our own deeds and not because of others. It happens because of our personal, continuous, one to one and intimate relationship with Bhagavan. There is no exhibitionism involved in Bhakti Yoga. Our happiness can also spread to others around us like a benevolent virus.

In the process the Supreme Bhagavan blesses us by pouring His Divine Consciousness on us. These days this is popularly called KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS. These are extremely happy moments which will arise as and when we continue our actions for and on behalf of the Supreme Bhagavan.

There can be moments when we suffer mentally and/or physically. But these are essentially Karma cleansing of our past and present lives. We will learn to live with Karma cleansing consequences without difficulty. Additionally our permanent state of happiness will easily overwhelm our sufferings. Our capacity and ability to overcome the sufferings will also be very high.

Of all the above listed emotions, happiness is one emotion that can and will come without any specific reason when we follow the Bhakti Yoga path. Even when facing death, there will be a particular happiness, contention, serenity and acceptance of death. Because happiness is overwhelming, there will be no occasion or reason to feel sad, anger, anticipation, suffering, anxiety, fear, loneliness, jealousy, disgust, surprise, trust, distrust, shame, rejection, dejection, etc.

The blessings, happiness or Krishna Consciousness that pours upon us does not and will not happen by emoting artificially or by adopting any other form of Yoga like Hatha Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Kriya Yoga or Raja Yoga. It is a unique experience restricted to Bhakti Yoga.

Therefore service to Bhagavan and his devotees alone is Bhakti Yoga. In Bhakti Yoga you surrender your body, senses, soul and intellect to Bhagawan. There is no time, space and scope to imagine or to sense our physical body, mind, body posture, intellect, etc.

Surrender to the Supreme is the key. Once we surrender, Bhakti follows. The greatest comfort and benefit in this life is having a close relationship with God by surrendering to Bhagavan.

Lastly Bhakti Yoga is not merely about emotions.

HARE KRISHNA

KARMIC LEVELS OF A SPIRITUAL PERSON

2020-07-08T09:50:00.001+05:30

Hare Krishna.

The concept of Karma is one of the central beliefs of Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita and all Hindu scriptures say that our actions will have consequences when they are performed with selfish desires and expectations. Actions could be good or bad. But actions performed and accumulated for the cause of Dharma and the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna are the best Karmas. Action performed for Dharma and the Supreme Lord is also called Bhakti Yoga.

The main purpose of this post is to describe how a spiritual person directs his action in his present life so that he can avoid bad Karmas and start accumulating good karmas. That he has to suffer in this or the future life for the bad Karmas is a well known fact. For him also there is no escape from bad Karmas. Undoubtedly a spiritual person undergoes intense pains and sufferings to discharge the bad Karmas.

As per the Bhagavad Gita, it is advisable to exhaust all the bad Karmas in this life itself because any bad Karma left undischarged in this life gets carried over to our next life.

As per our scriptures, human beings alone have the capacity to discharge all their past and present life Karmas while they are still alive. That is possible if and only if a person becomes spiritual and adopts the path of Bhakti Yoga.

It is true that once a person enters the spiritual path he is gradually able to reduce or discharge his past life and present life Karmas. That being so, by the end of his present life, a spiritual person would have been a free and liberated soul. But this generally does not happen in most or almost all the cases, unless he is on the Bhakti Yoga path. There are certain reasons to explain this situation.

It is seen that even if a person is able to discharge all his Karmas, his very presence and activities in the material world makes him act, feel and think about material activities and material things. This happens even to a person on the Bhakti Yoga path. These actions adds to his positive or negative Karma though he is also spiritual.

Then there are other issues also. Karma not only attaches to us by our own thoughts, feelings and actions, but it also attaches to us due to people around us. A spiritual person is very sensitive to the Karmas of others and people around him. A spiritual person generally does the following to avoid such Karmas:

1. He would never come in public or meet people. He would rather avoid connection with even the worldly news.

2. He would never attend any functions like marriages or deaths. But the shastras say that he should respect his mother as an avathar of the Lord. Therefore the only function he attends is his mother’s funeral.

3. He would never sit on an asana or seat that his not his.

4. He would generally cook his own food and wash his clothes by himself.

5. He would never touch others, allow others to touch or feel him. He will maintain arm’s length at all times.

All the above and many other things are done because thoughts, feelings and actions of others do effect a spiritual person. In the process he himself suffers the bad Karmas of others. Even his close disciples’ Karmas act on him. This leads to actions or reactions within him. Giving an audience to other people easily triggers his feelings and causes reactions.

In such situations you will find a spiritual person spending most of his waking time by himself, shutting his mouth, ears, tongue, touch, eyes and thoughts and meditating on the Supreme Lord.

Most of the times a spiritual person is very calm as long as he is by himself. But if someone tries to take him on or irritate him, he can become very hostile and lethal. Indian scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita are full of incidents when Maharishis have lost their tempers and burnt their adversaries to ashes by a mere look. Lord Shiva, though very benevolent, was very nasty if and when provoked. In order to avoid such severe situations , a spiritual person prefers to lead an isolated life, away from the human civilisation, so that he does not lose his self control and commit a wrong. Many spiritual persons are therefore known to give up family and friends and have lived in forests or mountains.

A spiritual person is as prone to add to his Karma as much as any one is. The only difference being, he will try to discharge the Karmas, in this life itself, unlike a non-spiritual person who is unable to discharge his Karmas. In the end, a bit of Karma of a spiritual person invariably gets carried over to the next life, in case he has to be reborn. A spiritual person’s capacity to absorb other people’s Karma may be high, but he has to suffer a lot in the process.

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that by resorting to Bhakti Yoga alone a person would have erased his past and present life Karma. This is possible by devoting full time to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. The way a person can prevent further additions to his Karma is:

1. To surround himself by those who are similarly placed in devotion and bhakti. And

2. To constantly utter the Holy name of the Supreme Lord Krishna in his wakeful state.

When he utters the name of the Lord in his wakeful state, the name percolates deep into his body, mind, senses and the soul. And the Lord’s name echoes even when he is asleep.

It is therefore better to start uttering His name at all times, irrespective of our age and state of health. Always be in Krishna Consciousness and accumulate the best Karma.

HARE KRISHNA

HOW A BELIEVER IN GOD BECOMES AN ATHEIST OR AN AGNOSTIC

2020-07-06T18:40:00.000+05:30

HARE KRISHNA

Friends. Spiritual journey of any person in this material world always takes turns, including U-turns. Unless a person is a sworn atheist or a sworn believer, a person on the Spiritual path can be misguided by his intellect. Because of confusion or wrong guidance, the following changes can happen to a person even if he is a sincere sadhak:

1. being a believer he can become an atheist,

2. being an atheist, he can become an agnostic,

3. being an agnostic, he can become a believer or an atheist, and/or

4. being a believer, he can once again become an atheist or an agnostic.

We will begin with the definition of three important words used here. This will enable us to understand this particular post better.

Believer:

1. After doing Kundalini Yoga he believes in his Soul and does not believe in God. He may also think that he is God. Or

2. After taking to Bhakti Yoga, he starts believing in God and may not know much about his soul. Therefore he may not believe in his Soul.

Agnostic:

1. A person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (such as God) is unknown and probably unknowable. Broadly, one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God.

2. A person who is unwilling to commit to an opinion about something.

Atheist: A person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God and/or his Soul.

I, as an Indian, will share some of my own experiences to show how opinions or beliefs can change over one’s Spiritual life time. The cycle is endless, particularly if the person uses his intellect improperly instead of understanding the true Spiritual goals. In the end a person can land up in a situation when Spiritual progress can stop abruptly.

As a Hindu child in India, I was denied education about Hinduism in my school. At home I didn’t find the time because here I spent most of the time reading my school books or playing. Being a city bred Hindu, there were no temples or institutions to teach Hindu scriptures near my residence also. So I never learnt anything about God or my scriptures. My mother would perform her prayers regularly. But I couldn’t understand much of what she did. For me what she did was a mere ritual. Like me there were many students in my school who never understood the meaning of religion or God.

Therefore when I entered college after schooling, I had no knowledge about God, religions or my scriptures. At this stage I was only a blind believer of God without any knowledge about the Soul or God. But I was neither an atheist nor an agnostic.

At college, because I was not a student of science, economics became a mandatory subject. I became fascinated by the Marxist or Communist ideas of economic models and also started reading books relating to Marxism or communism. As I read books on Marxism, I learnt at a stage that Communists did not believe in God. After all the founder of Marxism, Karl Marx had said that religion is the opium of the people. Because I liked the theory of Marxist economy, I too started believing that religion had to be shunned and that there is no God. From being an ordinary believer of God I became an atheist without knowing anything about religions, Hindu scriptures and God. The same belief was developed by my college friends also. This way the number of non-believers spread rapidly like wild fire among my college friends. Majority of students who were believers got converted to atheism or agnosticism. For me and my friends it was a quick and easy change of religion. We were literally brain washed without much effort into a new religion.

Yet I had a quest for Spiritual knowledge because I did not see Spiritualism to be the same as religion or linked to it in any way. But I did not know how religions like Christianity and Islam viewed Spiritualism. So after my college days, I took to meditation.

After doing pranayama regularly, I soon realised that the Spiritual power called Kundalini got aroused in me. But this Kundalini energy was confined to merely the spine region of my body, including my mind and feelings. With my limited cleansing experience, I concluded that there was a Soul or Consciousness in me. I concluded that I had God in me. This soon got converted to a belief that I was a God.

The journey didn’t stop here. As nothing more was achieved in the above journey, I decided to explore the other paths recommended in the Bhagavad Gita. So, I took recourse to Bhakti Yoga.

From Bhakti Yoga, I learnt that there was another Spiritual power called Krishna Consciousness that was pouring grace on me. This shattered my previous belief that I am God. I learnt that God is someone very different and far more powerful and lasting. Lord Krishna or HIS Consciousness was very loving and giving me immense joy and happiness. Hence I started believing that I am not God but a Soul, and that God is different from me. The transition was spontaneous and without any doubt.

Soon I realised that the flow of Krishna Consciousness stopped. This again led me to believe that there is no God or Soul. I had suddenly become an atheist. To confirm my atheist belief and conclusions, I read a Tibetan book on Yoga which said that there is nothing like a Soul or God. For some time I truly believed that there is no Soul or God.

I soon also realised that the confusion arose because we often forget the very elementary principle and power of Consciousness. Any Yoga that we do essentially cleanses our body, Soul and the mind. Once our body is Spiritually cleansed both by the Kundalini energy and Krishna Consciousness, the Consciousness in our body becomes qualitatively on par with the outside Consciousness. After the cleansing is over there is nothing more to be done unless our Body, Soul and Mind are once again corrupted and requires cleansing. Thus I realised that God and Soul are not imaginary but a reality. I am a Soul and not a God. God exists in our midst and within us in the form of our Soul. As per the Bhagavad Gita there is Krishna Consciousness inside, there is Krishna Consciousness outside also. The two are different in volume and potency though their quality is the same. As this revelation was already made by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu about 500 years back, I once again became a believer.

Such turmoils do happen to almost all those on any Spiritual paths. Suffice to say that Lord Krishna has given us the brains and the intellect to think properly and unless we do that properly we will never understand the reality of our Soul and Lord Krishna.

I started analysing the reasons as to why such confusions arose only in the Hindus and not in people of other religions like Christians or Muslims.

1. I soon learnt that the Indian Government had always given a right to teach and learn the Bible and Quran in all schools across India. But they had banned study of Hinduism by the Hindus in recognised schools and colleges. Consequently our generation grew up without knowledge about God, the Bhagavad Gita, etc. All the Christians and Muslims, from their childhood were grounded firmly in their belief of God and their scriptures. The ban on study of Hinduism in schools and colleges continues today also.

2. The other point I want to make is that the Indian Government and Universities thought it fit to promote a globally failed economic and political theory called Marxist economic theories. But they did not deem it fit to study a very ancient and proven Indian economic model called Arthashastras. Arthashastra forms part of our ancient Vedic literatures. No one knows why this step motherly treatment was meted out to the Hindus and their scriptures Arthashastras? In fact I have not come across a single student of Indian Arthashastra anywhere in the world.

3. If we couldn’t learn Hindu philosophy, we could have learnt at least economics of our Arthashastra along with the Marxist economics. Shouldn’t someone tell this to the Indian and state governments? We have to heed lessons from our failures. Most of our problems are because of two reasons:

i. We acted without thinking or

ii. We keep thinking without acting.

HARE KRISHNA

SPIRITUALISM MEANS UNDERSTANDING THE SELF AND GOD

2020-07-04T05:41:00.000+05:30

HARE KRISHNA Friends.

As per Tantra or Kundalini Chakra Yoga literatures, exploring the self or our soul is the most important. They do not refer to knowing God. These scriptures also say that:

1. There are seven basic energy centers in the body.

2. Besides the above, there are several other minor or secondary energy centers or chakras.

As per Tantra literatures, the basic or fundamental energy in our body lies stored in the Muladhara Chakra. From the Muladhara Chakra (lying coiled at the base of the spine) the energy rises and passes through the seven main chakras, namely Svadishtana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddi, Agya and finally the Sahasrara Chakra. It however does not touch all the other minor chakras located all over our body. Another point to note is that this energy rises upwards towards the top of the head.

Almost all present day Yogis and Tantriks say that the spiritual energy or Kundalini Shakti does not move from the Ajna or the sixth Chakra to the the Sahasrara or seventh Chakra. Yet they conclude that the Sahasrara Chakra is the last of the seven major chakras. Some even say that there is nothing like the Sahasrara chakra that exists in our body.

The question naturally arises - how and why did the scriptures identify the seventh main chakra and called it the Sahasrara Chakra? Why are the present day Yogis or Tantriks not able to identify the Sahasrara Chakra? As they are unable to understand this, they conclude that the Sahasrara Chakra exists only for namesake. Their spiritual possibilities therefore has not been explored entirely for whatever reasons.

Its not merely the Sahasrara Chakra that the modern Tantriks are not able to identify. In fact none of them suggest a way to cleanse the chakras or regions below the muladhara chakra i.e. our thighs, feet, hands, fingers, palms, face,ears, eyes and other parts of our body above the agna chakra. There are so many chakras in our body. They are also required to be cleansed in the spiritual path. As an experienced Yogi he is supposed to cleanse the entire body including his senses and his mind. But this has not happened though he swears by Tantra or Kundalini Yoga. They also avoid talking about the spiritual energy passing from the Muladhara chakra through the Sushumna Nadi. Sushumna Nadi is one of the three vital nadis (Ida and Pingala being the other two nadis) through which the Kundalini energy passes.

In order to ensure cleansing of our entire body, including our senses and mind are cleansed, the Vedic scriptures and the Bhagavad Gita prescribe Bhakti Yoga or devotion to Lord Krishna and his devotees. The scriptures say that by following Bhakti Yoga, one will able to pierce the Shahasrara Chakra from the above ( as against piecing from within our body that happens under Tantra or Kundalini Yoga) and spiritualise our whole body. This is done by the Supreme Krishna Consciousness or the Divine blessings. Not without reasons do we seek the Divine Blessings of the elderly and the Spiritual masters.

The relationship and pathway between the Ajna chakra and the Sahasara Chakra that could not be established through Tantra or Kundalini Yoga gets accomplished under Bhakti Yoga. Thus Bhakti Yoga establishes the existence of the Sahasrara Chakra at the top of our head. It also establishes that there is a Supreme God controlling the internal and external Consciousness and also their energies. This consciousness also does the spiritual cleansing of the entire body, senses, mind, our consciousness and the consciousness’ energy.

There is another very major chakra beyond the Sahasrara chakra that gets cleansed through Bhakti Yoga. This region is entirely ignored under Tantra Yoga. This is the region commonly covered with a tuft of hair by orthodox Hindu men called a shendi, chotti, kudumi or a shikha. This is also the region where women tie their hair knot. This region is believed to be highly sensitive and needs to be protected at all times. An injury to this spot can kill a person if the region does not have proper protection. So our elders always kept this region protected with their own hair. The chakra in this region also gets cleansed through Bhakti Yoga.

Because Tantriks or Kundalini practitioners don’t pursue Bhakti Yoga they are unable to explore the regions beyond the six major chakras. In all probability they would have also not explored the Sahasrara Chakra through the Sushumna Nadi or the other chakras in the body, their senses and their mind. There is much more beyond the Ida and the Pingala Nadi and the six chakras that they frequently write about. A person who does not believe in God will never follow Bhakti Yoga in its true spirit or experience the eternal happiness associated with Bhakti Yoga. The flow of God’s divine grace or Krishna Consciousness and energy is total in this path. In fact the whole body gets connected and charged.

Present day Tantriks just awaken the Kundalini through the six chakras and deny the existence of the Sahasrara Chakra. Are our scriptures wrong or is it just ignorance? With the limited experience and knowledge they also deny the existence of God or the Supreme Being or say that all living beings are God.

Friends. Not without reason is there is an entire Veda called Samaveda in our divine Vedic scriptures that is dedicated to devotion and prayers. Spiritualism is therefore not restricted to the main chakras of our body. It is all encompassing and total. Its much more than the self. Thorugh Bhakti Yoga alone we will understand what Lord Krishna meant by telling that the whole Universe is Consciousness or ME.

Under Kundalini or Chakra meditation we are able to identify the power of energy flowing in our body. Under Bhakti Yoga we are able to identify Universal Consciousness, inner consciousness, the energy within us and the energy outside. In the process we will be able to identify that we are not the same as God. God is real and much more potent, powerful, benevolent and also malevolent if HE chooses to be.

Hare Krishna

BHAKTI YOGA AND TANTRA YOGA – ARE THEY THE SAME?

2013-02-18T13:01:00.003+05:30

Do not read this post if you do not believe in the existence of the Soul, the Spirit, and God. All three are inter-connected. You cannot be a believer of one or two and disbelieve the other. This post is on the spiritual aspects of Yoga and is intended to give an insight into how and why certain things happen in the spiritual world. Which path takes us where? And what to expect on the spiritual journey? Only an ardent devotee of the God – Sri Krishna, the all attractive, with a firm determination and without fear can succeed in achieving the ultimate in the spiritual path provided he surrenders to God. He should of course live a true and sincere life as all true and good men are supposed to live. I do not want to get into philosophical or religious beliefs as spiritualism is beyond these. There are certain basics that a person however needs to know and understand before reading further. The basic principles of Soul Knowledge are laid down in the Holy Gita and the Holy Bhagavatham, both of which are meant for Sanathan Dharma. No other scripture existed or exists today that explains these details. The principles enunciated therein are applicable to the universal population. They are:

1. I (Lord Krishna) am the only Purusha (man). All else in the Universe are females, individual souls included.

2. We are not a body. We are an individual soul.

3. I (Lord) created this entire universe and all else. All individual souls are a part of ME (Lord) only. Individual souls can connect to ME through intense Bhakti and surrender. ( note: soul and not the physical body is the medium to connect to the Lord)

4. The soul or atma in us connects to every part of our body.

I have explained in my other posts the significance and relevance of points 1 to 3.

From point no. 4 we understand that the soul in us is not restricted to only certain parts of our body. It traverses and is itself entangled with our whole body. By implication, therefore any Yoga should encompass the whole body without excluding any part. Yoga by any name or kind should therefore enable us to know ourselves and our relationship with the Supreme God. That is the truth and the essence.

What is it that differentiates Tantra Yoga from Bhakti Yoga?

1. In tantra Yoga we attempt to control our breath and/or resort to Asanas, mudras, yantras, mantras, etc to impact the Kundalini or spiritual chakras of our body. There are several books written about the several methods of awakening and raising the Kundalini and cleansing the chakras. From the base of our spine, the spiritual energy lying dormant at the bottom of the spine (Mooladhara) is sought to be raised upwards towards the Sahasrara (top of the head) after passing through the other kundalini centers. Once the task is accomplished it enables us to understand the presence of the soul in us. The path has its limitations because there are three channels, namely Ida, Pingala and the Sushumna Nadis. Merely clearing one nadi or only some chakras are not enough. And not all the nadis and chakras are cleansed completely or even partially in this path. The joy in the form of bliss, visuals or colors or satchidanand in this path is temporary and short lived. There are other parts of the body that do not get cleansed. While many books are available on the subject of Chakras, the most notable among them are the series of books written by Pandit Gopi Krishna. People on the Tantra path do not know what the Bhakti path has to offer, though both are believers of the Soul, Spirit and God. Vice versa also holds true because a person on the Bhakti path says that Kundalini chakras do not come in their path. In other words it is said a Bhakta need not bother about the Kundalini lying dormant at the base of the spine. That both are at cross purposes is what will be realized after reading on. This has lead to constant fights in the form of differences of opinion between the two followers. It is time for all to understand and take a collective call.

2. There is another method which gives eternal, prolonged and abundant joy with realization to a devotee which is widely known as the Bhakti Path, and is called Bhakti Yoga in the Sanathana scriptures. It is Yoga with Bhakti, and therefore surrender to God and his divine grace is important. It does not require any of the above procedures of breath control, etc that are prescribed under Tantra path. In Bhakti, devotees sing and dance freely and listen only to divine talks in praise of God or His past times. The devotion could arise out of respect, subservience, fear, awe, reverence, love, etc, or a combination of two or more of the feelings. In addition the devotee does Japa of a Mantra on the Tulsi Mala (having 108 Beads) at a secluded spot. I have heard Srila Bhakti Swaroop Tirtha Maharaj repeatedly telling his devotees – `Japa meditation should be done in an isolated place and not in public. Find an ideal spot and complete the japa’. Tulsi, whether held in hand as beads or worn around the neck, is believed to attract Lord Krishna’s Divine Grace. The ideal mantra for invoking the blessing of the Divine is the Hare Krishna ………. or Om Narayana Vidhmahe ……. Mantra. Every mantra has its own effects as they emit different vibrations and take varying times for the effects to percolate. There is also a method to roll and count the beads. A proper Guru should be able to guide one on this path. Sri Aurobindo has explained adequately the effects that start showing up after a certain stage. Not that Sri Aurobindo followed the method enumerated above. He believed in silent meditation or lonely contemplation and long hours of walking as a substitute to make up for Japa and singing, dancing, etc. That was his way. But he emphasized that silent meditation would open the carapace on the top of the head and thus a new spiritual gateway on the top of the head i.e. the Sahasrara would be available. This opening brings down abundant and continuous outpouring of the Divine Energy. One feels the energy flowing from the top of the head to the feet and enables one to feel the presence of the Divine God around us. Once the spiritual gateway on the head top is opened, the joy of dancing or singing gets greatly enhanced which radiates and encompasses all those present within the range of a devotee. Apart from the above method of opening the Sahasrara gateway there are breath control techniques also that enables one to open the gateway. This may be a Tantric way. I read in a Newspaper article some years back wherein a monk or Guru said: one should lie in the Shavasana (corpse) position with the legs aligned straight, toes touching each other. Then concentrate on the air flowing in and out of the nose. Breathe in as much as you can hold on to for a fair amount of time. Then slowly release it and stay breathless for as long as you can. Do this as many times as you can in one session. This I presume should open the gateway on the top of the head.

Only a very conscious, serious and ardent Bhakta can withstand and experience what follows next. Once the grace of God has descended to the feet, the energy reverses and rises powerfully upwards from the feet piercing the three nadis but one by one and the energy shoots towards the head via the main chakras. These nadis along with one of the chakras are located at the base of the spine. Thus the three nadis along with the major chakras would have been passed through and cleansed. The Sushumna Nadi requires immense force to be penetrated through and it is impossible to visualize other forms of Yoga enabling that as they start midway from the waist or other parts of the body. Further the rising energy through the Sushumna Nadi can drain one physically and mentally. Both during the descent and the ascent of the Grace one should be able to feel the soul in us. Thus in the Bhakti path, one realizes the presence of God all around us and also the little soul in us. Thus Bhakti Yoga would have automatically taken care of even Tantra path and that too, all by itself.

After a certain stage, there starts a dripping of the Divine Grace from the nose, ears, etc. The grace from the top of the head opens and cleanses all the nine spiritual gateways to our body which comprises the two ears, two nostrils, two eyes, mouth, and the two organs for excretion. There are minor chakras located all over our body and they also get cleansed. There are also several cells in the head that connects to the farthest and minutest parts of our body. They are also kindled and there is a sort of an atomic fusion of cells in our body. Please refer to Sri Aurobindo’s experiences shared by him in his several writings. Any attempt to open any one of the nine gateways artificially by applying either force or pressure is not Bhakti but Tantric in nature. Some are also known to inflict incisions to the skin and veins which is not the way to realize the ultimate results. Any wrong move can bleed a person to death.

The Brahma knot (spiritual Knot) at the center of the heart also gets untied in the process.

3. Adverse consequences are there in both the paths. Both paths could cause devastating physical and mental disturbances. A Bhakta should be brave and strong mentally as well as physically. Preservation of the life giving energy (abstinence from sex) is very essential in either of the Yogas. I have heard people say that physical sex will serve the purpose of realization and raise the Kundalini in the Tantra path. This is absolutely wrong, foolish and misleading. Each of the three nadis and chakras react differently to different life styles and they have their own properties along the lines of Satwic, Rajasic and Tamasic qualities. Physical sex will drain away every bit of spiritualism that existed in a person before the act. Constant drainage of this energy can lead to a kinked personality like insanity or lead one to murderous or suicidal tendencies. The children born due to a weakened life giving energy can have severe health or mental problems. Why animals or birds give birth to healthy off-springs, whereas many children born to humans exhibit defects right from birth. A person on the spiritual mission has to be very careful before spending the divine energy. The Divine Energy is meant for understanding `one self and God’. It should never be used as a tool of pleasure or for exhibiting artificial love. That is lust. Respect and preserve it to derive maximum knowledge and wisdom. Women fortunately have the instinct of loving without ulterior motives which is an inborn trait and are likely to succeed faster in the path.

4. The spiritual energies and its knowledge and paths have baffled Gurus and also those who claim to be God or Godlike. That there are differences between the individual soul and God has to be borne in mind before one gets to understand the path to God and HIS Grace. No short cuts are encouraged under both the paths in order to acquire, confer or exhibit quick, superior and Siddhi powers. Results can be bad and incurable. I have seen some extremely intelligent people, with their energy centers blocked in their body. Working on repetitive or routine jobs, or continuous reading or writing for prolonged hours is also a form of Yoga. And even that can lead to blockage of energy. Many have lost - their voices, hearing, sight, lung capacity, while some have paid with their life due to accumulation of the stifling energy either in the throat region or elsewhere in the body. Bhakti Yoga is a `feel free Yoga’ and there should be no restrictions in the movement of the energy. One should not try to block the energies so as to cut short its journey. The watch word and secret in Bhakti Yoga is surrender to the Divine Grace of God instead of resisting it or creating obstacles for more pleasure. Enjoy the spiritual feelings as long as you can because it is a Divine gift. Further when eating food one should fill the stomach only half-full instead of hogging and feeling suffocated. In some cases the blockages happen inadvertently without one’s knowledge or intention, and in others the individuals were active participants in one or the other forms of Yoga. A blocked energy could force one to lead a vegetable life and being labeled mad by society or their relatives. There are some who do not know what happened to them and continue to suffer, and some get feelings of strange images or getting physically attacked. Others feel high body temperatures (when thermometers reveal normal body temperature). Tendency to vomit, or feeling sick or lacking appetite or sleep are also very common. Medical fraternity tends to put such people on mood altering medicines. One can understand the anxiety that the individuals and their family members go through. It is very rare to find someone returning to normal life after being put on mood altering medicines for the rest of their life. The percentage and numbers of such cases with blocked energies are only increasing as we see more people chase material wealth or resorting to sex as a source of enjoyment and happiness. These approaches to get happiness only lead us up the garden path and end up in a vicious circle of life long suffering. Today people and science tend to believe that having sex regularly reveal a healthy state of mind and body. That is wrong for the spiritual human.

6. I believe that Surya Namaskar and other exercises if done regularly will help to release the blocked energy provided it is followed by Japa meditation. Further a Bhakta should be aware of the adverse consequences that one will encounter on the path, as enumerated above. Both pain and pleasure are part and parcel in the divine path and both have to be faced and endured as a Divine gift. If the adverse effects persist then it is virtuous to stop meditation altogether for some time.

7. May the Great God Bless us all with HIS Divine outpourings. All Glories to the Most High God who is named Krishna, Vishnu, Vasudeva, Narayana, etc.

P.S:

1 . I have concluded above that in a typical Bhakti Yoga, the divine energy envelopes the whole body from head to toe as it moves down. Then it rises up cleansing all the main and sub-chakra points, the nine gateways to our body, and even the skin pores. Even the Brahma knot at the center of the heart unfolds. In my opinion that should happen not once, but three times as per my understanding as there are three nadis involved in the whole scheme of our body’s spiritual energies. Sri Aurobindo had the carapace on the top of his head opened up. And that is how and why he experienced joy and pleasure. He started feeling the down pouring of the Divine Grace and started enjoying God and people, fine arts, dance, literature however drab they be. Name it and he was enjoying anything and everything. He was operating from a different plain.

On 5^th February, 2013 I chanced to receive a pocket book of “ Droplets of Nectar” written by Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Maharaj of the Chaitanya Gaudiya Math and founder of GOKUL (the Global Organisation of KrishnaChaitanya’s Universal Love). The year of its publication is not indicated. As I read on, I had to abruptly stop after reading a particular para midway under the heading :

“ Transcendental Reality can be known through the ears”. The author questions – How can you know about Krishna and Ramachandra? He himself answers thus – “You can know only through the ears but not through the eyes. You can see the real form of Krishna and Ram through the ears. But we have no time to listen. For transcendental knowledge there is no other way except this ear”. Our Param Gurudev, Srila Saraswati Thakur, used to say “ Tanscedental Reality can only be known through the ears. There is no other way”

If one reads the para in plain terms one is either likely to take it lightly or even ignore it. What is this knowing through the ears? If we look for its esoteric significance, the meaning is self revealing. What the author means to convey is something similar to the openly expressed feelings of the divine grace experienced by Sri Aurobindo from the head top to the toes. On the ear chakras getting pierced and cleansed, there is an outpouring of the divine grace from the ears and the energy reaches the Brahma knot at the centre of the heart and unties it.

The esoteric, which is always a secret in our scriptures, lies in the importance given to Shravan and loud chanting of the Divine Mahamantra – `Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.’ Through constantly and loudly uttering the Mahamantra and singing and hearing the loud songs sung in glory of the Lord , the ear chakra gets cleansed before opening the gateway to the ears. From there the energy travels to the center of the heart and the Brahma knot. It feels as though a knot is opened. I am grateful to the Great God for laying this book on my lap at about the most appropriate time. I have also heard Srila Bhakti Swaroop Tirtha Maharaj, the founder Acharya of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Association, Navi Mumbai, India personally and on CDs repeatedly saying - open the mouth widely and utter loudly the Mahamantras and the Divine songs. The loud chanting opens the ears and leads to God realisation and delight to the self. It is not a coincidence that God reveals himself to his devotees in several ways after all.

‘Knowing God through the ears’ is indeed ‘feeling God through the ears’.

References:

Experiences of Gopi Krishna on Kundalini, Kashmir, India.
Experiences of and teachings by Sri Aurobindo, Pondicherry, India.
Teachings by Srila Bhakti Swaroop Tirtha Maharaj, Navi Mumbai, India.
Droplets of Nectar by Srila Bhakti Ballabha Teertha Maharaj, Jullandar, India.

SPIRITUALISM – BHAGAVATHAM AND FREEMASONRY

2013-01-16T15:03:00.002+05:30

Date: 1^st November, 2012

¹SPIRITUALISM – BHAGAVATHAM AND FREEMASONRY

In this post I have to repeat certain things that were posted earlier. This is done with the aim of explaining this post in a refined manner. Additions/alterations/deletions subsequent to the above date are indicated as post script (ps) at the end.

²MEANING OF SPIRITUALITY

Spirituality or spiritualism is a concept or an alleged immaterial reality, an inner path enabling an individual to discover his or her inner being. Spiritual experiences can include being connected to a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self, joining with other individuals, or the human community, with nature or the cosmos, or with the divine realm. It can encompass belief in immaterial realities or experiences of the immanent transcendent nature of the world. In short the word denotes the experiences of the energetic Soul within the body.

Humans alone are endowed with the faculty of a mind and senses to discern minute changes or movements in the body. It does not require brilliance or extraordinary intelligence to do that as our elders have always maintained that the main purpose of human life is to discover the soul and God, feel its movements in the body and explore further. Freemasons are a part of the human race and are in no way different from other human beings. In some of us, the spiritual awareness is high and in others, limited. I have gone through the books written by W.Bro. Charles Webster Leadbeater, a leading Theosophical Brother and W.Bro W.L.Wilmhurst, a Free Mason. Both have made inspiring observations about Spirituality in Masonry. I have picked some relevant thoughts from the book `HIDDEN LIFE IN FREEMASONRY’ by Bro. Leadbeater. Bro. Wilmhurst’s book `THE MEANING OF MASONRY’ is also informative in general and broad terms. While some spiritual teachings in Freemasonry are explicit others are implicit. People have written a lot about the explicit matters in freemasonry as well as in our holy books, like good conduct, tolerance, temperance, helping the poor and needy etc, etc. However, It is my intention to explain only those that are implicit.

HOLY BOOKS AND TEMPLES

I have relied on the contents of the Holy Srimad Bhagavatham and Holy Bhagavat Gita to cite examples of spirituality in Freemasonry. These books are believed to be the teachings of Lord Krishna which were distributed among the humans by Veda Vyasa. It was the initial tradition to spread this knowledge by word of mouth from a Guru to a shishya. But over the years, due to the low absorption capacity of the shishyas, the teachings had to be documented in writing. These books are explicit on what spirituality is all about. Both the books were written almost 5,000 years ago and both are summaries of the voluminous and much more ancient Vedas. Upanishads, Ithihas and Puranas are also ancient. It is said that some of these books do not have a beginning or an end as they were always there. Followers of the teachings contained in the Bhagavatham are referred to as followers of Sanathana Dharma whose meaning is explained elsewhere in this essay. Reference to the Holy books hereafter means the above books. The Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas also have specified methods to achieve the goal i.e. spiritualism. Impact at the physical and the soul level are also described and a seeker wanting knowledge may refer them. Only a highly spiritualized person can deliver so much in one life time as was done by Veda Vyasa. HE was a SPIRIT in the true sense of the word as all human beings are supposed to be. But that spirit is today lost by us to the material world.

³Literatures on Freemasonry are about 500 years old and are therefore of recent origin only. There is therefore every reason to believe that Freemasonry could have picked up a lot from the holy books and practices of India.

Non-Masonic temples have existed from times immemorial in India. In India the Adi Jaganadha temple in Kumbakonam is believed to be about ⁴520,000 years old. I do not know how far this is true. People of that time must have definitely realised the importance of a temple for spiritual growth. In fact temples and the Holy Books existed in India long before religions came into being. A true seeker can look forward to India being an attractive pilgrimage center as it has a wide variety of methods and approaches. Spirituality in India is as old as the Holy Books and its temples.

The earliest report of a Masonic temple being built was in the year 1717 A.D i.e. about 500 years back in England.

I have given importance to temples at several places in this essay because it was in one such non-Masonic temple that I got a feel of spiritualism outside and inside me, which was later on confirmed by me in a Masonic temple.

SIMILARITIES IN PRACTISES OF SANATHANA DHARMA AND FREEMASONRY

Many brethren requested me not to discuss the lodge working in print as a candidate from the lower degrees or those unconnected with Masonry will get information about its workings. To my knowledge there is nothing contained in Freemasonry that is not contained in the Holy Books. There is nothing secretive about the contents of the Holy Books because they can be read by anyone. At times I get the feeling that Freemasonry is a replica of the Holy Books of Sanathan Dharma. Perhaps the only secret that Freemasonry possesses is the way of creating awe and respect to God through the symbolic penal signs. I will therefore avoid explicit reference to penal signs in this essay. The penal signs are themselves capable of being a subject of research and analysis for a person who is spiritually inclined.

In this essay I have deliberately restricted references about Freemasonry to the craft lodge and the chapter. The workings of these bodies convey a total view of spiritual teachings which is adequate for the essay.

1).The opening ode sung by Masons is a sufficient indicator of what we Freemasons believe in and what can be expected to follow at our meetings. It is touching when sung by the brethren in chorus to the accompaniment of an orchestra. This is what our prayer conveys briefly :

“OH GOD who is eternal. YOU aided in the creation of heaven and earth. YOUR design is vast and YOU are a divine architect. Hear us. We begin our labor in the name of YOUR glorious majesty, and we place our trust in YOU. We pray for an orderly conduct of our meeting so that when our labors cease, there is peace and harmony in us. Oh Architect Divine hear our prayers.”

The words are enough to stir up our souls before we commence our formal meeting. We express our intentions clearly, passionately and loudly.
In Sanathan Dharma practises the equivalent term used is ⁵Sankalpam. Sankalpam means declaring one’s firm desire to invoke God’s blessings in our endevours. We start with the Sankalpam if any activity associated with the divine is involved in any of our common functions and temples.

2).Coming to the terms Sanathan Dharma, the Holy Books define the word “Sanathan” as follows: “that without a beginning or an end and that which does not cease to be.” “Dharma” means “Way of living”, which is much wider than a religion. The Holy books are therefore meant for reading and assimilation by all human beings, irrespective of their religion.

Freemasonry makes it conditional that one should not talk about religion at the lodge meetings, implying that it is open to all who believe in the Supreme Being. In our opening prayer we refer to GOD as an eternal being which gives it a meaning similar to Sanathan.

3).The holy books call their worship places temples. Freemasons also call their prayer places temples.

4).The Holy books have prescribed methods of temple construction and there are several literatures with different schools of thought and approaches. Temples in India are built to those specifications, depending on the system one prefers for the deity. All the temple buildings are constructed by laying a foundation also called “Shilanyas” as described in the sacred texts. These temple buildings when complete have the capacity to attract towards them energies that can be manipulated or maneuvered in the worship places in several ways to consecrate a deity.

So are Masonic temples. Though there is no literature on this subject, there appears to be a skilful method in their construction. I also remember reading some literature about the importance of laying the foundation stone on the North Eastern corner of the plot which is done in all temples across India and also in Masonic buildings.

5).The Holy books recommend worship of consecrated deities called Vigrahas. Oil lit lamps are placed near the deity.

In Freemasonry, Holy and religious books are placed on the altar of the temple. In addition, square and compass or other implements are placed on these religious books which take the place of a deity. Electrically charged bulbs have now taken the place of the oil or candle lamps at our lodge meetings.

ABOUT THE SOUL AND THE SUPERSOUL

The world spiritualism has a connection to the soul within and the supersoul outside us. Therefore it will not be out of place to write something about them. The Holy books emphasise certain aspects about the soul and the super soul, which should be understood before we venture to discuss further. These are the pillars of the Holy Books and they are :
1. I am a soul and not a body. In other words I am spiritual. My soul is a minute part of the Supreme Soul, which is God.
2. A soul connects to the Supreme Soul through the medium of a soul.
3. Once a soul connects to the Supreme Soul, it begins to connect to other souls where after it becomes a source of additional esoteric knowledge, and joy.
4. The soul in us connects to every part of our body and is not restricted to any specific area of the body.

Nothing along the above lines are contained in any Masonic literature. But it will not be wrong to believe that the above holds good and true for masonry also.

While the Holy books are explicit about the ultimate goal i.e. realization, to my knowledge Freemasonry does not claim anywhere that it helps in spiritual arousal or provides spiritual knowledge. If only we understand the working in our lodges and see similarities with the Holy books and worshipping methods in our common temples, then we see clearly where Freemasonry can lead us to.

CONSECRETION OF A DEITY OR PRANA PRATISHTA - SPIRITUAL RELEVANCE

1.A temple deity or a Vigraha in India is consecrated by instilling spiritual energy or life or prana primarily by four methods or a combination of the methods. These are all contained in the ancient Holy books. The procedure is named Prana Pratishta. There may be other methods also that I may not be aware of. The commonly used methods are:

a. Mantra - It is a sound, syllable or group of words that creates spiritual transformation.

b. Yantra - Involves placing symbols, instruments before the deity and directing energies,

c. Bhakti (devotion) - Bhakti makes use of the devotees’ inherent and acquired spiritual energies to consecrate the presiding deity, and

d. Tantra – Involves using a network of energies. i.e. Mantra and Yantra combined.

After the pranapratishta ceremony, the deities in temples become a bundle of spiritual energy. This energy is capable of reaching out to an individual’s soul and giving or receiving energies to or from them. It depends on the level up to which an individual soul has evolved in order to feel that energy. Sanctification of the temple deity or Vigraha is done periodically, maybe once a week but not every time a temple opens and closes. And the deity is given a name like Sri Krishna or Sri Maha Vishnu, etc. There is consciousness everywhere and in every matter. We know that our soul connects to other souls even in our sleep state without our wishing. Therefore nothing stops the connection between souls and the deity after the sankalpam or prayers. People in India also worship a ⁶Saligram and it is not without reason. A Saligram, though only a stone, has inherently powerful energies. No wonder many people have saligrams as a deity at home. People also wear rings having a saligram or other precious stones on the rings.

Freemasonry uses a combination of the above methods and principles adopted in Indian temples to consecrate the deity and it is done by the brethren through sounds, symbols and devotion. That is the reason discipline and word perfection from brethren are insisted when opening a Lodge meeting. These procedures are adopted to a limited extent only as the consecrated deity and the temple are required for only a short duration until the meeting lasts. The deity in a Masonic temple is consecrated when the temple is tyled and masons in all sincerity pray for the grace of god to bless the congregation. The presiding deity in the center is also given names like The great Architect, The great Geometrician, etc. This deity oversees the proceedings of the meeting, which is the equivalent of GOD but in a miniature form. The candidate for initiation is told that Brethren are involved in a peculiar labour in a collective and solemn mood. ⁷This peculiar labour is to generate the energy from within and around us and to spiritualize the deity and the temple for the duration of the meeting. A consecrated deity at a Masonic meeting is no ordinary deity and the energy inherent in this deity is enough to be felt by brethren who have their souls aroused in a decent measure. The deity carries the spiritual energy that was passed over by the brethren to it. That is the reason we find varying energy levels at different Masonic meetings when a meeting is in progress. The more the number of spiritually elevated brethren attending the meeting, the greater is the intensity felt by those present.

2.In a normal temple, none other than the priests are allowed anywhere near the deity. Priests at the temples are attired in specific formal dresses and only such people are allowed inside the Sanctum Sanctorum.

The place Freemasons meet in the temple is indeed the Sanctum Sanctorum, where brethren move about solemnly and assume the role of a priest to consecrate the deity. A dress code is prescribed. None who is not a freemason is allowed near the deity. To that extent Freemasons enjoy a privileged status as they can move in close proximity to the deity.

3.For the consecration of the deity in the temple, certain minimum number of priests are invited to perform the rituals.

Not to be left behind, Freemasonry also has stipulated a minimum number of brethren for tyling the lodge prior to the deity’s consecration at every meeting and use the term `quorum’.

SPIRITUALITY - IMPORTANCE OF RITUALS AND SYMBOLISM

1).The Holy Books have references to God and the existence of God’s divine spark in us. It also has several rituals and diktats of dos and don’ts.

We have the same in freemasonry also. The rituals along with the degree workings impress upon our minds that our experiences through realisation, if and when they happen, will be for real. Rituals make the workings interesting and can enable one to find a relationship to the esoteric experiences of a realised person or to one on way to realisation. Rituals aid and make the path of realisation easier, smoother, enjoyable and less scary. After all, realisation is the ultimate aim of all religions. Realisation also enables one to appreciate better the richness of the hidden meanings in the rituals.

Similarly The Holy book says that GOD has no material form, but a transcendental form. That is the reason in the Mahabharata war, Lord Krishna had to confer divine vision to Arjuna to see God in Sri Krishna and take his help. Only to enable us to easily identify and realise the soul, a form is given to HIM. Freemasonry teaches spirituality in the presence of a formless spiritualized deity. It is in the presence of this deity that all the candidates take oath and promise to live a good life, and to excel in further studies.

2).A candidate in the first degree enters the temple blindfolded. Before the hoodwink around his eyes is removed the candidate is asked - “After remaining in darkness what do you desire most now?” And when he says light, the hoodwink is removed and the candidate’s eyes fall on the holy book placed on the altar. This implies three important points. Firstly, the candidate by asking for light, seeks that light which is the equivalent of self realization, a word that is repeatedly used in the Holy books. Secondly by asking him to focus his eyes on the religious book lying before him, he is not only assured that it was indeed his religious text on which he took his obligation but the same is recommended for further reading. It is left to the Individual candidate to pursue the religious and holy books. Before this day the candidate was in total darkness about the divine in him. The meaning of what we read or hear or enact in the Lodge, if followed by a study of the Holy Books, gets enhanced if they are matched by self experience. The application aspect is very crucial. In fact, in the first degree, the candidate’s quest for the spiritual knowledge is deemed to have been triggered. He is initiated to enable him to study further about spiritual matters.

3).The devotees in a common temple circumambulate clockwise around the deity after they are through with their prayers. This is done to enable the spiritual energy contained around the altar to reach out to the devotees’ soul.

Whenever brethren in the craft Lodge move in the lodge room, in Masonic terms, they take the perambulation route around the altar in a clockwise direction. As perambulation is a very general word, I prefer to use the word circumambulation because this is done at all our worship places. ⁷The reason for this is - The spiritual energy generated and circulating in a Masonic temple take a recognized rectangular path and any criss cross movement by brethren will disturb the free flow of this energy. Only in ⁷exceptional circumstances we are permitted to move across.

4).The Holy books ask us to look upon God with awe, respect and reverence and there are mantras, poems, and mahamantras glorifying GOD. And anyone having belief in God can utter these mantras for spiritual gains and knowledge.

The candidate in the Masonic lodge is asked to never utter the Holy Name of God except in awe and reverence.

5).Over and above treating GOD with awe, respect and reverence, the Holy books recommend other methods of viewing and praying HIM. Under the Bhakti path, which is supposed to be the master of all praying methods, one can pray God with awe, respect, reverence, happiness, joy, fear, love , etc. One may also treat the deity as a brother, a sister, a friend, a master, a father, a mother, a child, a lover or a combination or permutation of the above to invoke feelings from within us. The relevance of giving an artificial form to the Lord in Sanathan Dharma becomes clearer as it becomes easy for the devotee to narrate to God. It also depends upon the legend behind a particular deity and the Holy books contain several legends. The different moods enable a devotee to reach unexplored areas in the spiritual realm. There are any number of temples in India where the deity reveals different moods. These places of worship are waiting for people to visit and enable the soul reach unparelled and glorious heights. Apart from the architectural attractions these temples have for a visitor, the spiritual knowledge regarding the moods have to be felt to be believed.

Nothing of this method of praying God is contained in Freemasonry.

6).In the Holy books the devotee is constantly asked to remember God in waking and sleeping condition so that the ultimate aim of soul realization is accomplished in our human body.

We hear it being said that the object of Freemasonry is to make good men better. But how? The answer is - through realisation or by feeling the light within. In degree working after degree working we are told that we shall never divulge the secrets or mysteries hereafter unfolding before us. Secrets and Mysteries are all about the unfolding of Light to us which is never said in so many words but which lie buried deep within us and have to be dug out, understood and felt by oneself. Every feeling or experience is Divine and it is privileged knowledge.

7).A brother, not on amicable terms with another are both discouraged from attending a Lodge meeting. This is to ensure that the free flow of the cordial spiritual energy is not disturbed. Only after resolving their differences can they attend. Else both are asked to abstain from the meeting.

However there is no such stipulation when entering a common temple in India. This is because a consecrated deity in common temples has sufficient energy to last for a fairly longer time. The flow of the energy or the aura in a Masonic temple is meant to last the duration of a single meeting only.

8).The Holy books contain several examples about duality in the material as well as the Spiritual life.

The black and white chekered flooring in our lodges is a very valuable symbol indicating the duality in physical life as well as in the journey of the Soul. In both there is an encounter with good and evil forces as both forces exist simultaneously and cannot be separated from one another. If there is light here, there is darkness elsewhere but both are not ever lasting. The duality concept teaches us to have a balanced view in life and accept good and evil as they come. In fact they should be viewed and experienced as a union of sorts. The overcoming of an evil event is one way of preparing the Soul for greater endeavours and progress in its path of evolution.

9).In the Holy Books, Lord Shiva is depicted as having a snake around his neck. The snake around Lord Shiva’s neck is representative of the senses which crave for material and physical pleasures. The senses were subdued by Lord Shiva for spiritual progress and he gave us the Tantra path for spiritual gains.

Brethren in a Masonic temple wear an apron around their waist which is kept in place by a hook. The hook has the head with the shape of a snake’s head. The snake in our apron is representative of the inherent distractive senses within us waiting to hold us in its grip. By having a symbolic snake on our waist we are constantly reminding ourselves that we, freemasons, should keep in check unruly passions and desires.

10).In our body we have seven main centers of power or energy which are known as the Chakras through which the Kundalini Shakti (the spiritual energy or the ⁸Serpent power) makes its way from the base of the spine to the top of the head. The name Serpent is so given because this energy’s movement is snake like. The movement of this energy can be very swift and ferocious or very slow. At certain levels after getting spiritual experience one should be able to feel the energy move within oneself as well as in others. That is how a Guru feels and monitors the progress of his pupils on the spiritual path. Lord Shiva is said to be the founder of the meditation technique for awakening and cleansing the energy centers which is so essential to enable the upward movement of the mystic energy.

The Masonic temple also represents the human body with a soul. The soul of a Masonic temple is the religious book, including implements placed thereon. The various positions in the lodge meeting namely the Tyler, Inner Guard, the two Deacons, the two Wardens and the Worshipful Master constitute the energy or power centers in the temple. The seven main energy centers in our ⁹body are represented by the officers in the lodge as listed below:

a) Muladhara Chakra is located at the base of the spine of our body, which means foundation or root. This is passive in most of the humans and is the storehouse of the spiritual energy in our body. This position is taken by our Tyler. Some may be tempted to argue that if the Lodge is representative of the body then - How come the Tyler is situated outside the Lodge when the chakras contained in the body are within it? A person on the spiritual path will agree that the spiritual energy pertaining to this chakra in our body throws out sensations on the outside portion of our anus above which this chakra is located. Therefore though the Tyler is seated outside the lodge room, he still forms an extended part of the Lodge. He is an important and relevant officer in the Lodge.

b) The Swadishtana Chakra is located in the pelvic area of our body between the pubic and navel. This position is taken by our Inner Guard.

c) The Manipuraka Chakra is located some 2-3 inches below the navel. This position is taken by our Junior Deacon.

d) The Anahata Chakra is located at the heart. This position is taken by our Senior Deacon.

e) The Vissudha Chakra is located in the throat region. This position is taken by our Junior Warden.

f) The Ajnana Chakra is located in between the eyebrows in the inward center of the forehead. This position is taken by our Senior Warden.

g) The Sahasrara Chakra is located at the crown or top of the head. This position is taken by our Worshipful master.

These major centers have to be cleansed before the Divine Energy moves towards the head region. The opening of the lodge begins with the Worshipful Master symbolically enquiring whether all the officers are in place. He starts with the Tyler, Inner Guard and so on. It concludes with a Past Master or The Director of Ceremonies answering on behalf of the Ruling Master. Enquiries about the duties of the seven officers are made, thus implying that all the officers or centers are functional before we can begin our labour. With these crisp, criss cross, word perfect questions and perfect answers moving from different areas of the temple, the Worshipful Master accompanied by his officers start organising the collective energies prior to consecrating the deity. These instances teach how spiritual centers in our body have influenced official positions in Freemasonry.

11).Coming to the rising spiritual energy, the Holy Books describe the energy as being powerful and energetic and any hindrance to its upward path can prove detrimental. Therefore in the craft we symbolically pave the path, beginning at our neck and then gradually going down to the waist in the three degrees so that the energy can have a smooth passage if and when it rushes from the base towards the head.

12).The race for material progress has led humans to forget the inherent spiritual energy in us and its energy centers. Therefore the same remains a secret today. We now focus our attention on the Chapter which is an extension of the craft lodge. It gives further information and teaches us about the paths available and the pitfalls associated with the paths.

The dividing of the Word at the time of opening and closing the Chapter and also during the investiture of officers in a Chapter always involves three companions at a time.

The Holy Books say that there are three channels for the Divine energy to move up in our body. They are known as ¹⁰Nadis located around our spine. They are the Ida Nadi, Pingala Nadi and the Sushumna Nadi. The energy rises through them not necessarily in that order or together. I realised that the Chapter points out the path of the Nadis implying that the dormant energy would rise up through the three channels.

13).Inter Lodge visitations are not only encouraged but these are a must in Masonic tradition. It is not without reason that such visitations were encouraged. Today it continues as a tradition for socializing or for courtesy’s sake and are by invitation only.

“Athithi Devo Bhavah” says the Taittiriya Upanishad. Which means “Visitors or strangers are God”. Athithi is one who comes without intimation or invitation. The Holy books also encourage pilgrimages to various temples. As I said earlier, non-Masonic temples depict different unknown moods of the deity and there is a history behind the mood of the presiding deity. A temple, whether Masonic or not, radiates the mood of the deity. It conveys meanings that words cannot express, but which can be felt after the interaction of our soul with the deity and other individual souls. There is no need for two people to speak. The soul gives and takes all by itself without our wishing or asking. The only limiting factor is the extent to which our soul is evolved. In fact a devotee on a holy pilgrimage is encouraged to stay for at least three days at the pilgrimage place to understand and feel the deity and the temple. A pilgrim is welcome with open arms and is asked to stay for as long as his heart desires. A pilgrim shares his and others’ knowledge, and in this way experiences immense joy. That is how esoteric knowledge gets communicated and there is value addition to the pilgrim’s spiritual knowledge. The pilgrim thus also gets to know the level to which the individual souls in the temple town have evolved.

DIFFICULTIES ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH

1).The craft lodge gives us knowledge about the energy centers. The chapter illustrates how and through which paths the energy moves in our body. The Chapter also highlights the dangers in the path, by pointing out the duties of the guards at our chapter meetings. The guards symbolically ensure that none who are not qualified would attempt to enter the Council Chamber at the head. The Chapter also has five companions guarding the entry to the Chamber of the three Principal Officers. And there is one guarding from within the Council Chamber who leads the blind by a way they know not and to make straight crooked things. They are the Janitor, Captains of the Blue, Purple, and Scarlet Veils and the Royal Arch Captain all stationed and guarding outside the Council Chamber and the Superintendent of Tabernacle guarding from within. The outer guard or Tyler has been dispensed with as the soul is now deemed to be unexposed to the outside world once he has got the energy moving. Instead there are as many as six guards stationed before the council chamber. The three Principal Officers represent symbolically one energy center each after the energy has passed through the three paths (Nadis). That is the reason the three prinicipal officers are saluted together. Recently amendments have been made to salute only the Excellent King in the Chair. To get realization, the energy should flow through each of these three nadis or channels, either separately or collectively. Collectively all the three or even two of these nadis being pierced by the rising energy is not only dangerous, it is an impossibility. It is also doubtful if our frail body will be able to withstand the force and pressure if the energy were to pass simultaneously through the two or three nadis. The impact of the force when moving through each of these channels varies and the force also differs due to several factors. Many books are written about nadis and the reader may refer them for further knowledge.

This is an implicit teaching in Freemasonry about the Nadis. Suffice it to say that if a particular energy center is not cleansed properly, the energy’s path gets blocked which can lead to physical and mental problems. A candidate on the spiritual path should be well prepared mentally, have knowledge about his religious teachings on the subject, be bold and be happy to tread the path considering that it is divine knowledge. Preparations for these should be by way of shared knowledge and guidance from a self realized person. Pandit Gopi Krishna has written several books on his Kundalini experiences and they may be read to get detailed knowledge about this path. His several interviews also appear on YouTube.

2).Majority of the people understand spiritualism as being the equivalent of religion. Religions are only enablers to reach the ultimate destination which is self realization. But people get stuck at the religion or philosophical level and forget the ultimate goal. That is the reason Freemasonry and Sanathan Dharma do not talk about any religion or their philosophies. They both talk about universal knowledge, subject however to the condition that belief in God or the Supreme is important.

METHODS TO AWAKEN THE KUNDALINI ENERGY

There are several Yogic methods to awaken this dormant but an otherwise dynamic force. Pranayams, Mudras, and Sahaj Yoga are some of the methods that come to my mind. The Tantra method is the one taught by Lord Shiva in his capacity as the Super most Guru which is by controlled breathing and uttering Bij Mantras as we exhale. And there are also Gurus and books available in today’s times. Many of them teach how to raise the Kundalini energy.

When the energy rises through the Ida and the Pingala Nadis, people have given different names to the experienced state - Nirvana, Samadhi, Absolute Bliss, Sat Chit Ananda, etc. Many have described the phenomenon as being dazzling, colourful, silvery, golden, rainbow, and other hues. I do not want to go into their names or descriptions. I will explain later how the energy moves from the base through the Sushumna Nadi.

I have not come across any Masonic literature that states how to get the spiritual energy started and moving.

OTHER REFERENCES TO SPIRITUAL TEACHINGS IN FREEMASONRY

The basic principles of the hidden spiritualism in Masonic teachings have been explained. Obvious references to spirituality in Freemasonry are :

1. Prayer before installing the Worshipful Master: `Vouchsafe Thine aid, Almighty Father and Supreme Governor of the Universe, and consecrate this our mansion to the honour and glory of Thy Most Holy Name’.

2. Inner guard reporting that a candidate is waiting to be initiated: `One in darkness who wishes to approach ………….. as many good and true men have done before’.

3. A prayer for the benefit of a candidate for initiation:’ Vouchsafe thy needful aid, Almighty Architect of the Universe, to this our present convention; …………….. to display the beauties of Godliness to the honour of thy Holy Name’.

4.The new initiate is explained the use of the Common Gavel: `It has been adopted in Speculative Masonry as a symbol …………………, thereby fitting ourselves as living stones for that spiritual building, not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.’

5. Newly initiated candidate is invested with the Apron: `You will observe that this Apron is made from the Skin of a lamb ……………………………….. should always which is essential to your gaining admittance to that Grand Lodge above, where the blessed ever rest in peace.’

6. Closing Ode: Thanks are given to the Mighty Architect Divine for blessing the meeting. Humbly we bow before HIM, grateful as we are for HIS Divine aid.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LODGE WORKINGS – RELEVANCE

Several differences are seen in workings between the various constituitions. But the one that stands out is narrated here. A very senior brother pointed out that the Volume of the sacred Law in an Irish craft lodge is kept open before the meeting commences and it is not closed even after the conclusion of the meeting. Whereas in an English, Scottish or Indian craft lodge, the Volume of the Sacred Law is opened only when the lodge is opened and the book is closed as soon as the meeting is called off.

As I said earlier, the Lodge room is representative of our physical body and the Volume of the Sacred Law together with the implements thereon in the Lodge is the equivalent of the soul within us. There was a time when the soul in us was always connected to the supersoul. This was possible when our soul was not corrupted or covered by exposure to material objects. In by gone days our soul was always active, whether or not there was a meeting. Therefore the Volume of the Sacred Law is kept open, both before the opening and after closing in an Irish lodge. The Irish Lodge opening and closing is representative of those days.

Over time, due to disruptions caused to our senses by material objects, our soul got covered by material thoughts and feelings. Therefore in a Lodge our soul is deemed to connect to God only when the Lodge is opened. In allusion to this meaning, the Volume of the Sacred Law is also opened. As our soul is prone to material distractions outside the Lodge, the Volume of the Sacred Law is closed under the English, Scottish and Indian Constituitions after the meeting. The three constituitions represent the present era when our souls suffer distractions in the day to day life.

I am informed that the Kabbalistic theme also refers to the Journey of the Soul as being in exile which returns to the front as long as the Lodge remains open.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?

Once on the spiritual path, our quest does not stop here. The Sushumna Nadi is one path that is yet to be crossed over. And there is another ignored method of kindling the spiritual energy in us which is pure Bhakti Yoga and is not mentioned anywhere except the Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatham.

1).¹¹Sri Aurobindo has expressed in his books that after the spiritual energy in our body concludes its journey from the base of the spine to the top of our head it meets the Universal energy beyond the head. The energy now reverses and comes down into our body through the top of the head. Sri Aurobindo calls it the Descending Divine Grace as distinguished from the rising Kundalini. He calls this “INTEGRAL YOGA” and says that this Yoga begins only after the end of other Yogas i.e. after the ascending energy has completed its course from the bottom of the spine to the head as symbolised in the craft and chapter working. Sri Aurobindo never wrote much about the resultant feelings of a Kundalini awakening. I am sure he would have explained it in detail had he experienced it during his Sadhna or practice. He says that in Integral Yoga the descending grace would work simultaneously on the seven energy centers without our knowledge. Sri Aurobindo was born in 1872 and died in 1950.

2).Sri Aurobindo was an advocate of silent meditation and believed in keeping the mind void of any thoughts or feelings. His method is based on the principle that a silent or no mind situation is better than an active mind. He also recommended that the meditation process should commence with a prayer to Lord. He looked upon God with awe and reverence, i.e. Bhakti or devotion to God. He did not recommend Mantra or Yantra or Tantra or Mudra or any other method to enable the divine energy to descend. Sri Aurobindo has further detailed how it feels when the Divine Grace descends in his Yoga. When the Divine Grace descends it feels like a soft flow of energy coming from the top of the head and dropping to the face, then the neck, then the throat till it has traversed the whole body. Spiritual knowledge of a new and different dimension was brought out in the public domain for perhaps the first time. He says that the descent of energy is most controlled and pleasant and no harmful side effects are felt unless there is a resistance to the flow of the energy. Any resistance results in intense pain or feeling of a lump in the neck region. At later stages he says that this flow becomes continuous even when one is not meditating. If this stops, a bit of meditation is enough to restart the flow. Sri Aurobindo also explains that in this process of meditation, and at elevated levels, one can feel the impact of the intense heat or Agni that is working on our physical body. They seem to be like ants biting the skin surface which leaves one in a very elevated and ecstatic state. He describes this Agni to be representative of the Agni of the Sun. The Mother was Sri Aurobindo’s constant companion and partner in the spiritual exploration.

3).Another Masonic body made me see a similar feeling being expressed in the working of the Masonic rituals. The flow of the Divine Blessing is depicted in the Anthem of Secret Monitors in the ¹²Brotherhood of David and Jonathan in the following words:

"Behold how good and joyful a thing it is: brethren, to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down unto the beard: even unto Aaron’s beard, and went down to the skirts of his clothing. Like the dew of Hermon: which fell upon the hill of Zion. For there the Lord promised his blessing: and life for evermore.”

One of the brethren, who is of Christian faith and a preacher, said that the above are quotations from the Holy Bible, implying that there could be something more in the Holy Bible. Not much is revealed either in this Masonic body or in any other body by way of an explanation for the above phenomenon. There is however one basic difference between what Sri Aurobindo said and what the anthem or Holy Bible says. Sri Aurobindo referred to the flow of energy upon his body. Whereas the latter refers to the flow down the skirts of the clothing.

I will hereafter try to explain how the phenomenon happens after considering the history and background of certain sages from ancient India.

4).In Chaitanya Charitamritha , the author Sri Krishna Das Kaviraja describes the ecstatic moments that Sri Krishna Chaitanya experienced when there was an outpouring of the Divine Grace during the time of his dancing or singing in praise of Lord Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna Chaitanya is claimed to be an Avatar of Lord Sri Krishna who appeared in Bengal about 500 years back and re-discovered this lost technique to attract the grace of God. People call it Bhakti Yoga at its intense most and of an entirely different kind – Awe and reverence, yielded way to unqualified and intense love ( not to be misunderstood as lust) for God and also for his devotees. Sri Chaitanya’s technique of Bhakti was unique because he experienced and spread amongst the devotees electrifying joy that was literally of a very high intensity. But how this high voltage joy impacted or felt on the body is not known to the world at large and would only be felt if we understand and practice Bhakti Yoga. The end result of Sri Chaitanya’s Bhakti Yoga was vastly different in terms of intensity from the one of Sri Aurobindo though the process remained the same – Bhakti, but with variations. Sri Aurobindo was drawing the energy slowly and softly, whereas Sri Chaitanya was drawing energy of a huge intensity and he spread it wild, wide and afar. Many followed Sri Chaitanya blindly. Unfortunately none of his disciples or followers has left their joyful experiences in writing.

ESSENCE OF THE TOTAL BHAKTI PATH

1).While I find the influence of Tantra in Freemasonry, the total Bhakti path is reflected in Freemasonry in a limited way only. In bhakti path the effect starts happening in the opposite manner that people of Tantra are familiar with. Bhakti embraces the tantra method automatically and no special and additional efforts are needed. Everything concerning Bhakti Yoga is contained in the Srimad Bhagavatham, but the whole concept was suddenly forgotten until Sri Chaitanya appeared about 500 years back or until Sri Aurobindo had to make his disclosures in the 1900s.

To explain the essence of this spiritual path, I will once again resort to the Holy Books. I said earlier, the Bhakti path enables one to treat God as a brother, sister, father, mother, master, friend, lover, etc. Another aspect of the soul-supersoul relationship stated in the Holy Books is relevant at this stage -

“I (i.e. Lord Krishna) am the only Purusha (man). All else in the Universe are Prakritis (Females). ”

The meaning arising out of the above statement has to be taken at face value. Any departure from the interpretation will only confuse a reader on the path of understanding the soul within and many will also lose out on the spiritual journey.

The Lord’s spiritual past times are several and they are all described in the Holy books. In the same book, there is a description of the Raas Leela performed by the devotees with Lord Sri Krishna. SriRadhe is a name given to the soul of an individual devotee who is an intense and passionate devotee of the Lord and she plays the role of the God’s lover. Gopi is the name given to those souls (devotees of the Lord) who are SriRadhe’s friends. These Gopis experience joy because of their association with the Lord through SriRadhe. Therefore SriRadhe or the Gopis are all devotees. They can physically be a man or a woman as we understand in common parlance.

When narrating the Raas Leela, the Bhagavatham also describes explicitly the feelings of true devoted souls named SriRadhe and the Gopis. SriRadhe and the Gopis are deliberately portrayed as females (please refer to the soul-supersoul relationship defined above). Sri Chaitanya tried to understand this relationship with the Lord by stepping into SriRadhe’s place. In other words Sri Chaitanya truly believed that he was a female. An intensely devoted person, he found that only love of a very high caliber and intensity from SriRadhe can attract the Lord towards her and vice versa. In the process the Lord can be captured and arrested in one’s heart and a transformation of the entire mind, body and soul can happen. When Sri Chaitanya discovered the secret of the intense love relationship, he spread it to people with and around him. After all an enlightened person is capable of attracting and charging several people with spiritual energy that was of an unimaginable strength and intensity. Those with and around him went crazy with joy and felt liberated for life. No wonder he had rediscovered the lost secrets of the Vedas i.e. Bhakti Yoga in the form of unqualified and unadulterated love and devotion. His followers were so huge that it resulted in the formation of a new order called the Gaudiya Vaishnavas and they branched away from their parental Vaishnava body. This is the Bhakti way of breathing prana or life to a deity and also of spreading joy to a massive gathering.

2).Before Sri Chaitanya appeared, there were many individual saints from South India like the Alwars - all men, who wrote poems in the Nayaki Bhavam (female feeling) and Andal (a female). In the mode of loving God, they wrote poems in glory of Lord Sri Krishna (Supersoul) which resulted in the creation of the 4,000 Divya Prabhandams or Divine Verses. The Alwars and Andal appeared on earth between the 6 and 9^th century A.D. All were enlightened souls and expressed their joy in a poetic form. But none appear to have left on record the joy that was felt on their physical being or their soul. These being individual efforts, they did not impact and galvanize the masses in a great manner. The ideal method for the soul to connect to the supersoul existed until about the 9^th century and thereafter this method gradually started disappearing. Before and after these saints, there were some devotees who sang their hearts out in a devotional and loving mood and gave up their lives at the altar of God. There are verses or slokas by others which pointedly talk of a superior joy experienced by a soul when it connects to the supersoul .

3).Notable is the work by Sri Jayadeva in the 12^th century A.D. In one of the Sanskrit slokas composed by him, he reveals that he felt the energy moving on a private and sensitive part in his body. Noises were and are made by many in ignorance after translating the Sanskrit sloka literally and thereby overlooking the esoteric message in the sloka. All chakra points are high sensitive regions in our body. Our body has not got 7 chakras as made out by many. There are several chakra points in every part of the body and the soul permeates every part of our being. Unfortunately people for and against the verses have drawn wrong meanings from the Sanskrit wordings. The point to understand is how the experience impacts our physical body. There is no meditation, call it Pranayama or Kundalini or Japa or Bhakti that does not impact our mind, body and the soul. Impact varies from person to person depending on the intensity of the devotion by the person.

4).Maharashtra also had its share of great bhaktas in the late 1200s A.D . ¹³Sant Dhyaneshwar (born in 1275 A.D), ¹⁴Sant Namdev ( born in 1270 A.D) and ¹⁵Sant Tukaram in the early 1600s A.D., all of whom wrote heart rending poems called Abhangs and also wrote books in praise of Lord Krishna. But how Bhakti impacted their body, mind and soul again went undocumented.

We have only Sri Aurobindo’s writings on his Silent Bhakti Yoga, which he called Integral Yoga that are now available for understanding and enjoying. There are some writings about Sri Krishna Chaitanya who was a mass leader and was able to galvanise, electrify and inspire a massive crowd. He had such a profound impact on the community that he drew followers irrespective of religion, caste or creed.

¹⁶MY VIEWS

1).Pleasure and joy obtained by the energy rising to the head in the Kundalini path is described to be intense and colourful. But that is only momentary. It could last at the most for a few seconds or minutes as described by several authors on this subject. Of course it can have the effect of taking a person into a trance for several months or years. But they are not without risks. Besides the seven main chakras , there are several other chakra points in our body beginning with our finger and toe tips. Kundalini path does not clean up these centers. In fact the cleansing of the main centers itself is not complete in this path as it starts from the waist and ends at the head and it has three nadis to move through. There is much more left to happen in this path.

2).In the total Bhakti path, consecration of the deity in the temple is also done by the intense and collective energies of all the participants in the congregation. No mantra, yantra, tantra, mudra techniques are used. The path has the potential to give continuous and intense joy for a long time. The bigger the congregation, the larger and better the impact.

3).Bhakti Yoga can take slightly more time in these times, as it depends on our time, devotion and dedication, but it does the cleansing process differently but completely and with minimum adverse consequences. Bhakti path covers the entire body from head to the toe and the effects of Bhakti should last for a longer period if not for a life time. A bit of meditation, whether in silence or uttering a Mahamantra, is enough to bring back the joyous feelings.

4).I had earlier deferred the explanation about the energy moving from the base to the head through the Sushumna Nadi. That is because I felt that the force generated by Yogas other than Bhakti Yoga was inadequate to raise the energy through this nadi. In my view, after the Kundalini has risen through the Ida and the Pingala nadis, Bhakti Yoga in its intense form should take over the Sadhak or the student. Even the Ida and Pingala Nadis and the chakras would not have been cleansed totally in the Tantric path. The energy after the Kundalini is awakened, should revisit our body through the head as Sri Aurobindo said and should reach the feet, thus enveloping the entire body. Very softly, smoothly, lovingly and without any hindrance it happens. If a person is already on the Bhakti Path, he can continue with that and feel what Sri Aurobindo has written, but it is wrong to assume that enroute the Kundalini Chakras have been cleansed or bypassed. This is very important point for Sadhaks of Bhakti Yoga as well as of Integral Yoga to note.

Having reached the feet, the same energy gathers steam from around the feet, and moves up from the outside of the legs to the waist. It then pierces the two smaller nadis, one at a time, and cleanses the chakras as the energy moves to the top of the head. After the two smaller nadis are done with, the energy will again gather momentum and intensify and move up with adequate force from the base of our legs to the waist. Then it pierces the Sushumna Nadi and moves to the top of the head. Thus all the three nadis would have been covered. This is TOTAL BHAKTI YOGA without any side effects. To move through the Sushumna Nadi, all the energy centers have to be totally cleansed. This cleansing itself takes time and can cause plenty of physical discomfort with psychological disturbances. A devotee should be prepared with a very firm focus and resolve. This Nadi is the most important and the most intense path.

When the Sushumna path is resorted to, people may not have visions of colours, hues or shapes. It should be plain energy that melts and merges into our self and leaves a blissful and serene feeling. These mystical feelings should be felt by a young person with an energetic mind and body. The foundation for this should be laid early in life instead of at a time when the body and mind are past their prime. I have seen a number of staunch bhaktas on the Bhakti path behave strangely and have shown signs of anxiety when the Kundalini rises. This is because they do not know what is happening in view of the stand taken by the Bhaktas and their Gurus that Kundalini centres do not come on the Bhakti path. This approach and attitude need to change. Similarly those on the Kundalini path think that their quest gets fulfilled once the energy rises through any one of the smaller nadis. There is much more waiting to happen.

5).We have been disconnected from God for too long. True and unconditional love to God can bring a diabolical change in our relationships. People are divided at the level of religion or their philosophies and are unable to enjoy spiritual life which is beyond religion or caste. Lot of energy is wasted over what names to call God or applying identifying marks or asserting the superiority of one sect, or path or religion over the other. An average life span being short, it is recommended that the total Bhakti path should be resorted to right at the beginning itself. The Holy books recommend Bhakti Yoga for this Kali Yuga and call it the Supreme Yoga. Many Gurus recommend so. With conditioning of the mind and the body, the soul can reach glorious heights.

Other teachers recommend Tantra Yoga for the new age. Still others recommend Hatha or Karma or Raja Yoga, etc., depending on what one is proficient at. After all today’s religion and Yogic knowledge are treated as revenue centres.

6).There has to be a proper understanding of the two different paths to spread the new consciousness that can embrace souls on the earth. Unless there is unity, true spiritual joy cannot be experienced. It was Sri Aurobindo’s ultimate wish that he wanted the descent of a supramental consciousness on earth. The Mother said that supramental consciousness has already descended on the earth in the year 1956 and is waiting to embrace the living beings within its fold. In today’s troubled times, Intense love for God is the path which can embrace, enlighten and unite the human race. It is perhaps time to do away with the concept of religion and proclaim universality of religions as Freemasonry and Sanathan Dharma have already done.

7).High voltage joy can be experienced through high voltage bhakti and its effect is contagious, and far more intoxicating. In the words of Sri Krishna Chaitanya the superior consciousness will spread even to plants, trees, animals, mountains, sky, oceans, etc. Scientific studies have shown that productivity or output of plants, animals, humans and other living beings increase when there is a superior consciousness available around us.

8).In ancient India, spiritualism was given the status of a science and it flourished. Regular schools were teaching this science and they existed in every nook and corner. These have vanished today. These literatures in the form of Holy Books were written for Sanathan Dharma and they were the result of the collective wisdom of all the people who lived then and practised spiritualism in unison. The word Hindus and Hinduism are of recent origin and the division along religious lines also happened after these books were written. The knowledge in these literatures are the intellectual properties of the whole of Sanathan Dharma - past, present and future and everyone irrespective of religion, sect or caste should participate and enjoy the fruits. Divided as the people are today, it is time to unite and enjoy life by connecting to God. No matter what name, sign and colour one gives HIM or HIS religion.

9).Hope that after reading this post many will be tempted to resort to “Total Bhakti Yoga” as a path to spiritual progress. GOOD LUCK to one and all.

P.S:

I have concluded above that in a typical Bhakti Yoga, the divine energy envelopes the whole body from head to toe as it moves down. Then it rises up cleansing all the main and sub-chakra points, the nine gateways to our body, and even the skin pores. Even the Brahma knot at the center of the heart unfolds. In my opinion that should happen not once, but three times as per my understanding as there are three nadis involved in the whole scheme of our body’s spiritual energies. That it will open atleast twice is my understanding as on date. Sri Aurobindo had the carapace on the top of his head opened up. And that is how and why he experienced joy and pleasure. He started feeling the down pouring of the Divine Grace and started enjoying God and people, fine arts, dance, literature however drab they be. Name it and he was enjoying anything and everything. He was operating from a different plain.

“ Transcendental Reality can be known through the ears”. The author questions – How can you know about Krishna and Ramachandra? He himself answers thus – “You can know only through the ears but not through the eyes. You can see the real form of Krishna and Ram through the ears. But we have no time to listen. For transcendental knowledge there is no other way except this ear”. Our Param Gurudev, Srila Saraswati Thakur, used to say “ Tanscedental Reality can only be known through the ears. There is no other way”

‘Knowing God through the ears’ is indeed ‘feeling God through the ears’. 8^th February, 2013.

Bibliographies and links

1.All glories to the Great God. Salutations and obeisance to my Gurus, both known and unknown. Thanks to my relatives who have been patient and were of immense help on the subject of spirituality. Thanks are also due to Irish Freemasonry as I have drawn entirely from the Irish Constituition rituals for this essay. I have compelling reasons to write on the Divine subject such as this one. I have seen several people leading vegetable lives after having the energy path and centers blocked due to obstructions midway. It causes immense psychological and health problems. I had myself experienced severe adverse effects and did not want people to suffer due to want of knowledge. By the Grace of God I am fortunate to come out of the mess.

2.      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality
3.       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Freemasonry
4. http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080509022553AAbiuD0- Oldest temple in India.
5.       http://www.cskishore.com/pooja.pdf- Sankalpam.
6.       http://www.rudrakshanepal.com/page-36-About_Saligram
7.       “Hidden Life in Freemasonry” by W.Bro. C.W.Leadbeater.
8.       Arthur Avalon’s “The Serpent Power”.
9.       http://www.kundaliniyoga.org/chakramain.html
10.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadi_(yoga)
11.   Satprem’s “Advent of Consciousness”.
12. An article by Wy Bro. A Jayapalan ( for year started) may please be referred to at: http://www.masonicpaedia.org/showarticle.asp?id=163 .
13.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnyaneshwar
14. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdev
15. http://www.poemhunter.com/sant-tukaram/biography/
16.   I have drawn liberally from my own posted blogs at blogspot-google and Speaking Tree of the Times of India.

SARVA SRI BHAGAVTHAM, CHAITANYA PRABHU AND AUROBINDO INTEGRATED

2012-10-01T18:49:00.000+05:30

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYAH-OM NAMO NARAYANA – HARE KRISHNA, HARE RAMA

Srimad Bhagavatham has existed from time immemorial and is the oldest of all ancient texts. Bhagvatham is a contribution by the legendry Sri Vyasa who was a medium appointed to spread HIS teachings. Sri Chaitanya and Sri Aurobindo, in later years have contributed immensely to understanding the relationship between the individual soul and the Supersoul (GOD or Superconsciousness) as contained in the Bhagavatham. Incidentally both the latter two were born in Bengal. Sri Chaitanya appeared on this earth about 500 years back and Sri Aurobindo appeared about 60 years back. Sri Chaitanya was also called Sri Krishna Chaitanya by his followers as they believed that he was Lord Krishna himself who descended on the earth as foretold in the Bhagavatham. Both were well conversant with the contents of the Bhagavatham.

Sri Chaitanya wrote several poems and books in glory of Lord (Sri Krishna) and helped in discovering the lost secrets of the Vedas, namely Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti Yoga means devotional service to the Lord and his devotees. It is a method of Lord worship. Bhakti Yoga flourished for some time after him, which resulted in the establishment of a new order or Sampradaya called the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya. They believed in the Bhakti path propagated by Sri Chaitanya. They also staunchly believed in the Guru Shisya Parampara for learning and spreading the teachings of the Gita and the Bhagavatham and passing the esoteric knowledge from the Guru to the Shisya. Bhakti Yoga today is largely a marginalized method of worship. In particular Bhakti had ceased to be attractive after the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Industrial Revolution slowly took the people away from God to material living. Many succumbed to the attractions of the material aspects of life and took to demi-god worship to seek short term material favours.

Later In about the A.D. 1910s to A.D.1950s, Sri Aurobindo came out with a series of books explaining the essence of his Integral Yoga and how it will change humans to usher in super consciousness among humans. His books were however different and were mainly in the question and answer form. He narrated his actual experiences during and after meditation on a regular basis i.e when the soul meets the supersoul. This was done in his talks as well as his writings. His writings were the result of intense meditation over prolonged periods. He also laid emphasis on the devotional aspect as is recommended in the Gita and the Bhagvatham.

Sri Chaitanya’s and his successors’ writings describe the intense joy that arose out of bhakti, dos and donts, etc. People around Sri Chaitanya too went ecstatic with joy when he was around. There was a liberal approach to his Bhakti in the form of singing and dancing accompanied by the playing of mridangams and other musical instruments. However there is not a single book of his time or thereafter from the Gaudiya Vaishnava Dhara which narrates the physical feelings that Sri Chaitanya or his devotees or followers had when the soul met the supersoul. This is despite the fact that he had a huge following and several books had been written on several other matters. Or is it a case that the experiences have been stored in a secret vault and left hidden but unattended for all these years. If it is so, that is indeed a very sad loss for posterity.

The saving grace is that for the benefit of mankind, materials written by Sri Aurobindo which makes up for the above loss. He has written volumes on Integral Yoga. His Yoga had more of a regimental approach. Silent meditation which is in sharp contrast to the loud method of expression of devotion advocated by the Gaudiya Vaishnava Dhara. Sri Aurobindo made it a point to convey openly in his conversations with the people the physical feelings he had when his soul met the supersoul. The distinguishing feature of his books are that there are several references to physical feelings that he had when the Grace from above (Supersoul) descended and merged with his soul.

Sri Chaitanya’s technique of Bhakti was unique because he experienced and spread amongst the devotees joy that was literally of a very high voltage or intensity. But how this high voltage joy impacted or felt on the body is not known to the world at large and can only be felt if we understand and practice Bhakti Yoga or read and understand the Bhagavatham. The following are the basics to understand and to be remembered before reading it :

1. I (i.e Lord Krishna) is the only Purusha (man). All else in the Universe are females, individual souls included. Therefore by implication it means that in the Bhagavatham, Radha or Radhe is a name given to the soul of an individual devotee who is an intense devotee of the Lord. Gopi is the name given to those souls (devotees of the Lord) and who are Radha’s friend and they experience joy because of their association with the Lord through Radhe. Therefore Radha Rani or Radhe or Gopis are all devotees. They can physically be a man or a woman as we understand in common parlance.

2. We are not a body. We are a soul.

3. I (Lord) ) created all of this universe and the inhabitants. All individual souls are a part of ME (Lord) only. Individual souls can connect to ME through intense Bhakti ( note : soul and not the physical body is the medium to connect to the supersoul or Lord).

Any deviation from the above three interpretations will only confuse a reader of the Bhagavatham. Many will also loose out on the spiritual journey if they go adventurous with any of the interpretations.

When narrating the Raas Leela, the Bhagavatham also describes the feelings of a true devoted soul named Radha and the Gopis. Both Radha and the Gopis are deliberately portrayed as females ( please refer point no. 1 above). The feelings of Radha and Gopis are explicitly contained in the Bhagavatham which only a devotee of the Lord will be able to understand and appreciate. But basics described in point no. 1 to 3 should always be borne in mind. Further a person who does not know the meaning of soul should not even attempt to read or hear the Raas Leela. Such a person will misunderstand the divine soul – supersoul relationship.

Sri Chaitanya tried to understand his relationship with the Lord by stepping into Radha’s place. An intensely devoted person, he found that only love of a very high intensity from Radha can attract the Lord towards her and vice versa. When Sri Chaitanya discovered the intense love relationship, he spread it to people with and around him. Afterall an enlightened person is capable of attracting several people towards himself. Those with and around him went crazy with joy. No wonder he had rediscovered the lost secrets of the Vedas i.e Bhakti Yoga.

There were also the Alwars (who all wrote poems in the Nayaki or female bhavam) and Andal, all saints from South India who, in intense Bhakti, wrote poems in glory of Lord Krishna (Supersoul) which resulted in the creation of the 4,000 Divine Strotras or Divya Prabandams. The Alwars and Andal appeared on earth between the 6 and 9^th century A.D. All of them were enlightened souls and expressed their joy in a poetic form. But none appears to have expressed the impact of joy they felt on their physical being. Was it again vaulted and forgotten?

After the Alwars, there was a long gap before Sri Chaitanya appeared and rediscovered Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti movement suffered during the intervening period.

After the Bhagavatham, we therefore have on record only Sri Aurobindo’s writings. He wrote explicitly about his physical feelings when the soul connects to God (superior consciousness). This is indeed a divine contribution from this highly elevated soul. These revelations are made in several of his books, but in particular a book authored by Satprem titled “ Sri Aurobindo or The Adventure of Consiousness.” is worth any number of readings to get the essence.

There are works or slokas by others which pointedly talks of a superior joy experienced by a soul when it connects to the supersoul . Notable is the work by Jayadeva in the 12^th century A.D. In one of the Sanskrit slokas composed by him, he reveals that he felt the Supersoul moving on a private and sensitive part in his body. Noises are made by some after translating the Sanskrit sloka overlooking the hidden or esoteric meaning in the sloka. This is gross ignorance. All chakra points are high sensitive regions in our body. Our body has not got 6 chakras as made out by many. There are chakra points in every part of the body. The soul permeates every part of our being. Unfortunately people for and against have drawn wrong meanings from the Sanskrit wordings. The point to understand is how the experience impacts our physical body. There is no meditation, call it Pranayama or Kundalini or Chakra or Japa or Bhakti or by any other name that does not impact our mind, body and the soul. Impact varies from person to person depending on the devotion inputed by the person.

This blog is primarily posted to enable

1. Clear the misunderstandings that people have about Sri Radha Krishna relationship as contained in the Bhagavatham.

2. People know how Sri Chaitanya rediscovered the lost secrets of the Vedas,

3. People know what Sri Aurobindo wrote about the after effects on the body when the soul meets the supersoul. After the Bhagavatam, only Sri Aurobindo’s recorded experiences are available to posterity. And

4. People know that high voltage joy can be experienced through high voltage bhakti.

RADHA ASHTAMI CELEBRATION.

2012-09-23T14:16:00.000+05:30

Hare Krishna

23^rdof September, 2012 this year is celebrated all over the world by Lord Krishna devotees as Radhashtami. The date need not be the same in future years. On Radhasthami day devotees fast like they do on any Ekadashi in honour of Sri Radha or Radharani and visit Radha Krishna temples.

Radharani is always picturised with Lord Krishna as his extremely true and ardent lover. In other words, without Lord Krishna, Radharani has no identity of her own. Her importance gains only because of her association with Lord Krishna. Radharani is HIS eternal lover.

This relationship can be better explained by understanding Radha Rani as representative of an individual soul that craves the re-association and continued association of the Super Soul i.e Lord Krishna. No physical relationship in the material sense is intended here or elsewhere. We have to be clear that we are a soul and not a body. And therefore it is only a relationship between a minute soul and an unimaginably huge Super Soul. Individual souls are represented by the female form of Radharani. Lord Krishna is the Supreme Soul and assumes the male form.

Lord Krishna says that we (our souls) are a minute part of him. Having been separated from HIM, our soul needs to connect with HIM as often and as continuously and intensely as it can. However what we see in the material world is that our soul gets superceded and superimposed by our material body and senses. Our soul gets overwhelmed by the material desires and gradually we forget the soul within which leads to a wider disconnect with God.

On this day prayers are held across temples to fulfill the desire of the soul (Sri Radharani) to connect to its long lost owner and lover Lord Krishna. People sing bhajans in glory of Lord Krishna and dance to the beating of cymbals and mridangam. A joyous atmosphere prevails. If and when an individual soul connects to God there is infinite joy and ecstacy. The ecstacy grips every one in the congregation and these are electrifying moments. Once this desire of connecting to God gets fulfilled, there is a craving for the joy and connection to continue till eternity. Therefore this day is observed to signify the hidden Radharani in all of us. Our soul has no relevance in the absence of its connection to the Supreme Soul.

The festival underlines the statement that humans alone have the sense and ability to connect their soul to the Supreme Soul. This is the effect of only Bhakti or intense passion inherent in all of us and waiting to reveal itself. So says the Holy scriptures.

From this day onwards, reading of the Holy Srimad Bhagavatham by all devotees commences to be completed within seven days. People who have the Holy book, which is Lord Krishna himself, make it a point to complete reading and understanding it within seven days. Their prayer is to enable them to connect to Lord Krishna.

Wishing readers a happy Radhashtami and Happy Bhagavat Sapthah. And happy connection with the Lord.

Hare Krishna

TERRORISM AND RELIGION

2012-09-23T14:07:00.000+05:30

On the one side people are losing belief in religion and on the other side religious fanatism is gaining ground. Both of them are extreme behaviors. The poor and the illiterate have always looked upon religion and places of worship to cry their hearts out. This helps them take a softer view of their problems. The illliterates constitute a majority of those who regularly visit places of worship and listen to preachings regularly.

Some of the poor turn fanatics after they are brainwashed into taking weapons or resorting to subversive ways. The quality of such a crowd is more of brawn and less of brain.

It is generally seen that with increasing literacy, people acquire purchasing power and in the process many have become atheists. They condemn all religious practices or take a liberal view of all religions. They claim to be secular.

However there are some literate people who have shown a liking to religion. The religious propagandists or fanatics wait to grab them. These literate people are show cased by the religious fanatics to attract huge crowds to their congregation. It becomes easier to communicate, preach and convince if you have in your pack a speaker who is a scientist or a doctor, or an engineer or a Management graduate. If these people are brainwashed to resort to violent means , violence acquires a new meaning . Many computer wizards, doctors, engineers, etc., have fallen into the hands of the terrorists after being brainwashed. Terrorism and fanaticism takes a new meaning as these literates help by providing sophisticated and devastating techniques to attain goals.

The emerging scenario of educated people resorting to violent methods in the name of religion is acquiring new proportions and educated people should take care to ensure that their moderate views are not polluted by extreme views.

While parents have a duty to educate their children to lead a successful life, they also owe a duty by tracking their children’s movements and ensure their children are exposed to moderate and tolerant views on religion. These days many parents are weeping in disbelief after finding that their hard earned or borrowed money has gone down the drain. It hurts a parent to see their child getting educated and falling into the lap of a fanatic or a terrorist. “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE”.

HINDU GOD IS UNBELIEVABLE – SAY YOUNGSTERS

2012-09-23T14:02:00.000+05:30

The statement that Hindu God is unbelievable was and is made by many people, particularly youngsters. I also said the same once upon a time, until years of pondering made me realize otherwise. I often asked :

What made foreigners from all over the world come to India and seek spiritual knowledge? Whereas many Indians were slowly losing belief in God.

What made people like Swami Prabhupada attract so many foreigners (in the 1960s and 1970s) into the movement called the Krishna Consciousness movement (ISKCON)? And he could construct 108 temples all over the world in a little less than ten years. All for the global population interested in spirituality. And even today the movement continues unabated without a pause.

I chanced to meet a very learned person associated with ISKCON who said that in the West, unlike in India, people then and now do not know what it means to know GOD and connect to him. They are totally in the dark about religion and understood spirituality as something associated with the mind. When their eyes were opened, and convinced, they readily followed Krishna Conscious movement and the teachings with all good and serious intentions. It was easy for them as the foreigners were not obsessed with their religion in particular.

Then why are young Indians turning away from their beliefs and God when Indian knowledge is so well absorbed by the people from abroad.

India is the land of spirituality, which was and is looked at with awe by the people and visitors from abroad. They are amazed with so many paths to reach God. So many Yogas. So many practices – like Mantras, Tantras , Yantras, etc. So many Gods to worship. However this plentiful is largely misunderstood by its own people.

As a child, when I went out with my friends, I found all following their own path and as a community of students we all felt confused. Elders and teachers found it difficult to explain why this diversity existed when there is only ONE GOD. It was confusion confounded. Too many paths, with too many explanations would confuse the most intelligent. This plentiful of everything relating to knowledge about GOD has led to many Gurus also preaching their philosophy by running down and insulting other philosophies and groups. Everyone of them said and say that their teachings and path to God is the truth and all others are bogus. Too many philosophies , Gurus, etc has led to a confused younger generation to the point of their losing faith and belief in GOD. They therefore feel that Hindu God is unbelievable.

We say that Charity begins at home. Is it not the responsibility of parents and teachers to educate children about the reality. The religious teachers should be more tolerant and stop critisising other practices and paths. If this negative teaching is not substituted by positive teaching, the same religious teachers would be abandoned without students and followers in the near future.

CROWN OF ALL VIRTUES

2011-11-24T16:06:00.001+05:30

This is third in the series of articles written by the author on Spirituality, Freemasonry, etc.

The four cardinal virtues taught in the first degree in freemasonry are Fortitude, Temperance, Prudence and Justice, the reason being most morals depend on the above four virtues. The four virtues are intertwined and cannot be separated from one another. The above four virtues are the forerunners for the evolvement of the Soul which we will appreciate as we read on.

Temperance is generally considered the foremost of the four and hence the crown of all virtues.

The Holy Bible defines the word Temperance as “moderation, self control and self restraint in what one says or how one acts. In other words it amounts to having control over our emotions and tempers. For example, if we get up from dinner without a second helping, we are practicing temperance. The Bible goes on to add that If we hold our self back from responding with a sarcastic comment, even though someone may provoke us, we are practicing temperance.”

Temperance in some circles has come to mean complete abstinence from alcoholic drinks, but that is not its original meaning. There are some Masonic bodies who believe in total abstinence from alcohol which is not intended in freemasonry. Moderation is stressed.

Temperance arises out of reasonable compassion for the fellow beings, something similar to, but not necessarily equal to the one we have for our close relations. Not that uncontrolled compassion which leads to pampering and which overlooks the wrong of others. Reasonable compassion and therefore temperance also involves overlooking and forgiving the earlier wrongs of anyone so that our present decisions and acts are not prejudiced by the past. It is only when a situation is handled with prejudice and bias that temperance takes a hit. The underlying assumption when dealing with any brother is that all are children of God and every SOUL is pure and innocent. After all no one is above errors. The presupposition of the other person being cruel or bad needs to be curbed.

Compassion and therefore temperance is a quality that cannot be read from books and learnt. It is a feeling that comes from the heart and by constant practice and awarenes it becomes a habit and a way of living. It has a beginning at our homes when dealing with our parents, brothers, sisters, children. etc. If at home there is no temperance there will be no temperance in our day to day dealings with our fellow men and brethren in the lodge. As it has a connection with our souls it is therefore sacred.

An example or two at this stage will be in order.

Sanctions and refusals for Masonic grants or charity, if made after proper verification of details and application of mind can be termed as tempered decisions. If we can feel the agony of a brother in distress, it is very easy to have temperance. That is why we see that at certain Masonic meetings no sooner a deserving case for charity is brought out, spot collections are made which are sometimes very huge though the Lodge funds may not be adequate.

Very often an undeserving person can be the beneficiary of Masonic charity due to over compassion or other irrelevant considerations. I have known of a Brother who took yearly aids from a Grand Lodge for several years, though he did not need that after a few years. There was an abundance of compassion, but temperance was found wanting in the process. Therefore compassion with temperance is important.

Sometimes a charity is sanctioned to a Brother or his family by the Lodge and year after year we expect the beneficiary to present himself with the progress report and explain. Here again a certain level of skepticism creeps in, though sound temperance was exhibited initially. Many of us do not trust the beneficiary to say I have overcome my problems and I do not need the aid any more. This is conditional temperance and should be avoided unless the same is inevitable. After all no mason with dignity and self respect would like to be a recipient of aid for ever. Rather than calling the beneficiary to present himself before the Board, we can make inquiries and come to a conclusion. Little do we realise that this sort of a presentation has a devastating effect on the aid receiver’s psyche. The charity receiver, if offended by this approach, would not even speak to other masons or public in general about the charities offered by masonry, leave alone even an appreciation.

Handling difference of views in the Lodge is also a tricky matter and temperance plays a key role. Our Worshipful Master is supposed to be a paragon of good virtues and excellence with the sense of temperance in abundance. However we find sometimes that the Worshipful Master is not serious and handles differences in an intemperate and controversial manner. Some are even known to brush aside the Grand Lodge Laws which causes immense damage to the harmony in the Lodge. With temperance this issue can also be settled amicably.

Temperance in life and in Lodge matters begin at home as said earlier i.e. with an elderly person at Home and which quality follows the Worshipful Master in the Lodge. If they are seen to be operating in a temperate manner the rest of the members can be expected to follow suit. But if it so happens that when the head changes, particularly in the Lodge, new rules and lobbyists take charge and there is a change of overall attitude. Temperance is the biggest casuality in such cases.

Patience is another quality which leads to temperance in decision making. Unless we are in a hurry with an ulterior motive, we do not show impatience when taking a decision.

There are times, when we see promptings by brethren who claim to be Seniors or Grand Instructors. An element of arrogance is sometimes seen in their promptings and there are instances where differences of opinion have been openly aired. While some brethren have humbly swallowed the insults, others have openly protested and argued in the open Lodge leading to animosity. The arrogance and superiority complex if replaced by temperance and sincerity will lead to a healthy relationship in the Lodge.

Temperance in our thoughts, words and deeds is the sine qua non and the first of the four key virtues which is the cornerstone for brotherly relations to flourish.

In thoughts we should not be biased or have ulterior motives. Groupism and forming teams to achieve ulterior motives should be discouraged by every right thinking Mason. Forgiveness has to be cultivated and promoted as it is a quality which leads to temperance.

Our words should not be insulting to others no matter how truthful they are and how wrong the others are.

When we lack temperance, it adversely affects fortitude, prudence and justice.

Our deeds should reflect that the action taken has been a temperate one and on consideration of all that matters and all that mattered. Since temperance is a quality associated with feelings, it has a great bearing on our Souls.

The substance of this paper has very nicely been articulated in this blog of the State College Masonic Lodge No. 700 F & AM on the topic “The Three Great Principles and Four Cardinal Virtues of Masonry”. It makes a very powerful statement on the benefits accruing to the individual and our collective Souls as a result of following temperance in our day to day life and in particular Masonry.

“Temperance is more peculiarly the virtue of prosperity as it guards the Soul against those insidious allurements by which its nobler feelings are more often corrupted. But her influence is not confined to the hours of prosperity alone. She forms the mind to a general habit of restraint over its appetites, its passions, and even its virtues, any of which if allowed to acquire excessive influence over the Soul would concentrate the faculties in a single point, absorb its feelings, and confine its energies insensibly producing intolerance of sentiment, and degenerating into an excess scarcely less pernicious than vice itself. Temperance may, therefore, be styled the crown of all the virtues. Her influence, like the masters of the ancient lyre, can modulate the varied chords of lively sympathy, or generous feelings, till each acquires its due tone and vibration, and the whole become blended in one sweet accordant harmony.”

The above statement can be analysed and discussed at length and is a topic by itself which I shall leave for a future date. Lust, anger and greediness are qualities associated with sense gratification and are hinderances to spiritual progress. Temperance enables the evolution of the Soul to greater levels. Suffice it to say that temperance is a noble trait that Freemasonry lays emphasis on and lack of it is no worse than a vice.

Written by : T.S.Sridhar

Light of Freemasonry or Self Realization

2011-10-02T09:39:00.000+05:30

This is my second post on the topic of Freemasonry.

This paper was read at The Rustom Cama Study Circle,Mumbai-India on 28th September, 2011 and is written by : Brother T.S.Sridhar.

In an interview to TOI (dated 12^th September, 2011), Bro. K.K.Gautam, Regional Grand Master of The Regional Grand Lodge of Northern India said:

“Freemasonry is said to be the pursuit of Light (self realisation) of the Absolute, which is the sub-stratum of the Universe, which alone is real. Hence the ultimate aim is to lead us to the Supreme Being, and to bring us out of ourselves into harmony with it. This is done through allegory and symbols. “

The word Light meaning Self Realisation caught my attention about which I will make a few statements. Self Realisation can ordinarily be understood as :

1. Knowing one’s self’.

2. After a bit of probing you can also understand it to mean ‘knowing one’s self by one self’.

It is the latter meaning which made sense to me.

Self Realisation has to do with understanding the subtle life within us which is esoteric or mystic and is beyond words. Therefore self-realisation means experiencing or feeling the divine spark that is present

within us. While most of us get lost in ritual workings and festive board functions, the underlying intention of Freemasonry (which is to ‘feel or experience light’) gradually gets lost and resurfaces again only when there is a first degree working. We can recall that we heard in the first degree for the first and only time -

“God said let there be light and there was light.”

This was before the candidate was freed off the hoodwink that blindfolded him. This is the most important statement in Freemasonry which is rarely understood. The statement though very innocent is very subtle and very mystic. It is pregnant with meaning and has a lot to reveal. If we understand closely it says let self-realisation or light dawn on the candidate. Before this day the candidate, whether educated or not in the material sense, and whether or not monetarily successful in life , was in total darkness about the divine spark in him.After initiation in the first degree it is left to the candidate to work for progress by exploring the divine spark in him.In the first degree the path for the Divine Spark in the candidate is supposed to have been triggered off. He is asked to reach further heights hereafter and be a master of the subjects described in the degree. It needs to be emphasized that earlier I have deliberately used the word ‘feel or experience light’ instead of ‘seeing light’ as we normally associate light with sight. Merely knowing the meaning of self realisation is not enough. This knowledge can be obtained by reading or listening to related matters repeatedly. And literatures galore on the topic. The joy comes in experiencing that Divine Light which is what Freemasonry seeks to impress. This can only be done by the self. The meaning of what we read or hear or enact in the Lodge gets enhanced if they are matched by self experience or realisation. For this we need to be aware of ourselves and to ponder over what is happening within us. That is the application aspect which is very crucial and quite often ignored. We have heard many people say that there is nothing like a divine spark in us or a connection to God. Some disbelieve the rituals and say that they believe only in God. While others believe only the rituals and treat it as the ultimate.Scientific explanations are advanced and discussions happen regularly to prove the non-existence of either the Divine Spark or of God. To them I would say please accept as a postulate my statement that there is a divine spark in all of us and which is ultimately and intimately connected to God. Have we not advanced in the material world by accepting zero, or the formula 0+1=1 as a postulate? So what is wrong in accepting the postulate suggested by me? By acceptance alone can we make progress in our journey of self realisation. After accepting the existence of the Divine Spark within us, then we should involve in self-introspection with an intense yearning for the divine thing to show up in us. In the absence of the above, no matter how many meetings we attend and how good we are at rituals, self realisation will be only a distant dream. The rituals are there to impress upon our minds that our experiences through self realisation, if and when they happen, are for real. Every ritual conveys a meaning about the movement of the divine in us which was explained in my earlier article “ Freemasonry and Spirituality” (or Why I joined Freemasonry ). Rituals in a way communicate or strike a chord to the mystic or esoteric experiences of a self realised person or to one on way to self realisation. Self realisation enables him to appreciate better the richness of the hidden meanings in the rituals. Similarly the Holy Bhagavat Geeta are full of references to God and the existence of God’s divine spark in us. It also has several diktats of dos and don’ts, and rituals. While there are masonic rituals as well as religious texts, there are also Gurus and Babas who impart knowledge about the Divine within us. But the wisdom resides only in us to feel that. If we as human beings have to conclude this life without experiencing the divine in us , the purpose of our birth will be defeated. Human beings alone are endowed with the capacity for self realisation. Rituals whether in religions or in Freemasonry are addressed only for the benefit of human beings and not to the lower order of life. Rituals therefore aid and make the path of self realisation easier, smoother, enjoyable and less scary. After all self realisation is the ultimate aim of all religions.

We hear it being said repeatedly that the object of Freemasonry is to make good men better. But how? The answer is through self realisation or feeling the light within. In degree working after degree working we are told that we shall never divulge the secrets or mysteries hereafter unfolding before us. Secrets and Mysteries are all about the unfolding of Light to us which is never said in so many words but which are buried deep within us and can only be felt. Every feeling or experience is a Divine revelation and it is indeed privileged knowledge. Bretheren therefore should remember this before the start of a meeting as well as when the meetings are in progress. The Light of Freemasonry contained in our ritual should be underlined and thoroughly elaborated to a first degree candidate. Further if there is no candidate for the first degree for prolonged periods , mock working of the first degree will do a lot of good to remind us about the forgotten Light . After all it is on the first degree that the foundation of freemasonry exists. The search for the Light though can be long and difficult. It is rightly said :

“Seek and ye shall find; ask and ye shall have; knock and it shall be opened unto you.”

The Light was and is always there in us and it is asking to be sought.

A couple of days back a Brother told me that he is a follower of Dhyana Yoga and he is terribly confused when people say that Bhakti Yoga is superior to all Yogas. I did not know how to reply though I did make a vain and unsuccessful attempt. Through this paper I will tell him and also others

“ Bhakti means devotion or dedication with intense passion and a quest for knowledge”. The Holy Bhagavat Geeta says that irrespective of what Yoga you follow, if it is not accompanied by Bhakti, no fruit shall be obtained.

Dated: 28^th September, 2011

Spiritualism

2011-04-27T09:36:00.000+05:30

Very early in life I was told by my family elders that my grand father was a Freemason and that he died very young leaving behind the widow and 5 children who were studying in school. The Lodge came to the timely help of the distressed family till the eldest son started earning. I was very impressed by what the Lodge had done. I took a liking for such an organisation and decided to join it when I grew up in order to help the needy.

Beyond this I knew nothing about Freemasonry. When the opporturnity came I joined Freemasonry.

Contrary to what I thought before joining Masonry, I saw that collecting and disbursing charity at the meetings were relegated to the bottom of the agenda and occupied no more than 2 minutes time. Discussions rarely took place on the issue. I had the preconceived notion that collections would be made and distributed to needy persons at meetings after meetings. Naturally I was led to believe that there must be something more to Freemasonry and I decided to find that out. Brethren made vague and unsatisfactory statements like Freemasonry makes good men better, which in my opinion was too simple and told nothing. There were placed on the Altar the Holy Books of various religions, the Three Lights, the Square, the Compass, etc., and we were told that we should live our lives with the Holy Books as our guide and conduct ourselves within the boundary of the square and the compass. Our meeting places were referred to as Temples, Brethren were said to be involved in a peculiar labor, and the name of the presiding deity varied from degree to degree. Yet we were told that Freemasonry was not a religion or a religious body. There was something beyond my reasoning and my curiosity was aroused.

Pranayams and Meditation had formed a part of my daily routine from a very young age and I had started feeling a faint energy on my finger tips whenever I visited a Lord Vishnu temple. Time and again I visited the temple just to experience this. Later on I learnt from elders that this energy is described in the Vedas and Upanishads as the energy generated by the spark of the Divine Life (Divine Agni or Divine Fire) present in every living being.

Five or six years after I had joined Freemasonry, I read a book by Bro. Leadbeater titled “The Hidden Side of Freemasonry”. I was surprised to read Bro. Leadbeater write about the generation and circulation of spiritual energy within a tyled lodge and called the Lodge a temple. He says that the peculiar labor engaged by Brethren in a Masonic Lodge refers to the collective duties performed by every brother in a disciplined and solemn manner to enable the generation and flow of the spiritual energy. After reading the book I decided to attend Lodge meetings and verify if I could feel such energy. To my disbelief I felt the energy in a Masonic temple as I would feel in a Lord Vishnu temple. I was convinced that our Lodge is indeed similar to a holy temple for self and group realisation which enables us to know about ourselves and our connection with God. I got the answers to elementary but important questions like - how freemasonry makes good people better, why our meeting places are called temples and what is the peculiar labor that brethren are engaged in.

Speculative Freemasonry as we can understand is indeed speculative in nature and therefore it has taken me 25 years to tell or write - what made me remain a Mason for all these years.

As I was already convinced that our meeting places generated a spiritual aura which is there in a Lord Vishnu Temple, my quest should have concluded .On the contrary it only intensified. In addition to the Craft Lodge, I had also joined other Masonic bodies like - Chapter, RAM, Conclave, etc., and as I was exposed to their workings my interest was further kindled as advancing in spiritual knowledge was very important to me.

I started taking a close look at the workings in the various bodies in Freemasonry and tried to understand their relation to the advances made by the spiritual energy in our body as described in several non-masonic books. To illustrate – By the symbolic penalties of the 3 degrees in the craft lodge I understood them to represent paving the path for the mystic spiritual energy in our body to advance from the bottom of the spine to the top of our head or the crown. This energy is described in the Vedas and Upanishads as the Mystic Kundalini Shakti or The Serpent Power which is dormant in most of the human beings.¹As the energy’s movements are snake like it is called the serpent power.

The hook used to keep together the apron that we wear at the meetings has the shape and the head of a serpent which is again representative of the serpent power resident in our physical body. If we talk about symbols in Freemasonry this is one of the greatest symbols that describes clearly the spirit in our body and its movements.

The Vedas and Upanishads have plenty of materials relating to the dualility of the Soul. The black and white chekered flooring in our lodge is another very valuable symbol indicating the duality in physical life as well as in the journey of the Soul as both have to encounter and overcome good and evil forces. Both forces exist simultaneously and cannot be separated from one another. Nor can the dual aspect be avoided. The duality concept teaches us to have a balanced view in life and accept both good and evil as they come and to realise both as a union of a sort¹

There are seven chakras or energy centres in our body through which the aforesaid Serpent Power travels and it is no coincidence that there are seven officers in the craft lodge viz. The Tyler, Inner Guard, Junior and Senior Deacons, Junior and Senior Wardens and The Worshipful Master. The seven officers make for a just and a perfect lodge. It also implies that the lodge is our body self or our body itself is a lodge housing the soul.

The rat race in today's material world has led humans to forget the spiritual energy and its centers and therefore it remains a secret today for majority of mankind. The task to recover the lost secrets rightfully occupys our attention in the Chapter. When we come to the Chapter, the search is said to begin to recover the lost secrets. I understood the Chapter as detailing and lessoning us about the precautions to be taken while the energy moves from the base of our spine to the crown (the Irish Chapter working nicely describes the duties of the veils) before one is allowed to advance to the Council Chamber. The Council Chamber is representative of the Crown Chakra (also called Sahasrara Chakra) in our body.

For the spiritual energy to smoothly move from one center to another, strict observance of moral and ethical codes are expected and we should have a strong belief in God. Any deviation therefrom will lead to disastrous consequences to our well being. In other words if even one of the seven centers or officers are not perfect or present in the lodge we say that the soul/meeting is not just and perfect. Hence in the Chapter there are Companions symbolically guarding the Veils to prevent undeserving forces from advancing towards the Council Chamber.

I have read several books which say that an attentive person should be able to feel the sensations as the energy advances from one center to another. As pains and pleasures form an essential and integral part in the path of spirituality, only a person who has firm faith in God can keep the Divine Fire or Agni burning to ultimately secure Self Realisation, God Realisation and the Realisation that every living being is a ‘Soul and not a Body’. No wonder that belief in God or the Supreme Being is a prerequisite before one is admitted into freemasonry.

¹The dividing of the Word at the time of opening the Chapter and at the time of closing the Chapter and moreover the investiture of officers in a Chapter always involve three Companions which reminds me of what the Vedas and Upanishads say about the channels for the Divine energy to rise up in our body. It is stated therein that there are three channels or Nadis named – The Ida Nadi, The Pingala Nadi and The Sushumna Nadi through which the serpent power rises up in our body, not necessarily in that order or together or alone. I realised that the Chapter nicely brings out the essence of the Nadis when asking three members to divide the word and when investing three officers at a time implying that the Serpent power rises up through the three nadis¹.

Sri Aurobindo has said in his writings that after the spiritual energy in our body rises from the base of the Spine to the top of our head and meets the Universal energy, the same Spiritual Energy reverses and comes down into our body through the top of the head. Sri Aurobindo calls it the Descending Divine Grace as distinguished from the rising Kundalini. He names this Integral Yoga and says that the Integral Yoga begins only after the end of other Yogas i.e. after the ascending energy has completed its course from the bottom of the spine to the head as symbolised in the craft and chapter working.

Attending other Masonic bodies also made me realise that their workings/rituals alluded to movements of the spiritual energy in our body. This time about how it feels when the Divine Energy travels from top of the head to the lower regions of the body. This wonderful feeling of the Divine Energy or Blessing is very nicely depicted in the Anthem of Secret Monitors in the Brotherhood of David and Jonathan in the following words :

“ Behold how good and joyful a thing it is : brethren, to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head , that ran down unto the beard: even unto Aaron’s beard, and went down to the skirts of his clothing. Like the dew of Hermon : which fell upon the hill of Zion. For there the Lord promised his blessing : and life for evermore.”

One of the bretheren who is of Christian faith told me that the above are quoted in the Holy Bible. I acknowledge his contribution.

Sri Aurobindo has also in his inimitable manner described how it feels when the Divine Grace or Blessing descends in the Integral Yoga. When the Divine Grace descends it feels as though snow flakes flow from the top of the head to the face, then the neck, then the throat till it has traversed the whole body.

In Chaitanya Charitamritha , the author describes the ecstatic and joyful moments that Sri Krishna Chaitanya experienced when there was an outpouring of the Divine Grace or Blessing at the time of his dancing in praise of Lord Krishna. Sri Krishna Chaitanya is claimed to be an Avatar of Lord Krishna who appeared in Bengal about 500 years back and he re-discovered the lost secrets of the Vedas as contained in Bhakti Yoga.

Though there is scope for citing similar examples from other Masonic bodies, suffice it to say that apart from the quest for knowledge, brotherhood at Lodge meetings is the key to spiritual progress. If Brotherhood was wanting at a particular Masonic meeting the spiritual energy was either not felt or absent as the thought processes and negative attitudes tended to disturb the free flowing spiritual aura. Hence the spiritual progress of brethren are negated. That explains why two brethren not on amicable terms are firmly asked to resolve their differences before they enter the temple. Such is the importance attached to brotherhood for our collective spiritual progress.

It is my opinion that if we make the Spiritual side of Freemasonry known loudly and widely, we can expect Brethren to take a more serious interest at the meetings and perhaps more people will join Freemasonry. The Spiritual side is indeed the Hidden Side of Freemasonry which is also the most important goal of all religions. There are any number of people visiting temples, churches, mosques and synagogues, atleast 25% of whom are in search of spiritual elevation. If only we had those numbers waiting at our doorsteps:-)

My interest in Spirituality brings me to the Lodge as I see in the Lodge Temple a place where we meet in a group to collectively elevate our souls to higher levels and in the process evolve a new quality of life on earth. Sri Aurobindo and The Mother toiled all their life for the descent of the Divine Grace in themselves and the Pondicherry Ashram inmates as they felt that the descent of the Divine Grace will ultimately culminate in the descent of Super Consciousness in the human body . My years in Freemasonry has given me rich knowledge.

I hope you enjoyed listening/reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

May the blessings of Heaven pour and rest upon us. All Glories to the Most High.

Amen.

¹Inserted on 24^th December 2011

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This paper was read at the Rustom Cama Masonic Study Circle meeting held in

April 2011 under the title of “Why am I a Freemason”.