QUESTIONS AND NAMASMARAN :DR SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

The animals don�t seem to think about what, why, how, where, when where etc. A new born baby also does not seem to think that way.
But for some reason or the other; many of us are drowned in such questions for their life time! In fact; these questions are considered to be the backbone of learning. Even the fine arts, which otherwise seem to require no questions; on keener observation; are found to be enriched through these questions.
In short; human civilization and its development would not have been what it is today; in absence of these questions.
But interestingly, in the process of getting answers to many questions; we get entangled in newer questions; in the field of technology, science, art, ethics, philosophy and son!
The when the universe originated, why it originated, till where it extends, how it functions, what its purpose is; are all unknown. Naturally there are some efforts to provide answers, but they are obviously unsatisfactory.
All questions and answers; born from our instincts, feelings and thoughts even though unavoidable; are incomplete and do not yield ultimate fulfillment.
The past, present and future of �me�, every living being and the infinite universe are not known. There is a frightening and unending dark vacuum. But NAMASMARAN takes us to a realm of questionless completeness and fulfillment viz. NAMA, our Guru. He encompasses our past, present and future and is our final destination; contingent in whom is the creation and destruction of �me� and everything else.

NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (LAST PART 28): DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR

Student: Now I can somewhat understand your peaceful dynamism!

Teacher: It is a great solace to be ever aware of the fact that Guru takes care of us like our mother! In fact Guru is our eternal mother! Just as our mother nurtures us in her womb for nine months; our Guru nurtures us through all our lives; through all the circumstances! Like our mother He delivers us at appropriate time; to the realm of immortality; His abode! This is the ultimate victory called GURU-BHET (being one with true self) and GURU KRUPA (the awareness of His most fulfilling benevolence and bounties)!

Student: Sir! Even though I understand what you say and would not like to refute it; isn�t it difficult; at least initially; to believe that Guru does everything; including whatever we can or cannot witness?

Teacher: This question does arise initially! It is because; we have not yet experienced the total control of Guru! Even if we repeatedly reiterate that our Guru is none other than the Almighty Himself; we are always influenced by and involved in; His personal life, His nature, His charisma, His feelings, His articulate preaching and His supernatural and superhuman feats; all embodied in His human form! This is our view about other mystics, prophets and incarnations as well! All of them; while extraordinary, superhuman and supernatural; still have limited capacity; as individuals. Since in their human form; they don�t govern; the complex scientific inventions, rapidly developing intriguing technology, world wars, earth quakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and several cosmic phenomena, we find it difficult to believe in �Guru does everything�!

Student: In other words; we find it difficult to believe in supreme control of Guru; because; we identify Guru or prophets with their human forms!

Teacher: Yes! They appear to be the contingents in the cosmos; to us. The events in the universe appear to be either the products of the concerned individuals or teams; or impersonal, unplanned and automatic. They do not appear to be under the control of our Guru or any other prophet!
Actually; the Guru, mystics, prophets and incarnations of God in human form �do not do� (and do not say; �they do�). They know that their human forms actually �do not� do anything! Their human forms are merely the peripheral instruments through which the activities are executed not caused, designed or controlled! They are aware of the fact that the essence or root of all them as individuals; is the invisible supreme controller; the Mahakaran, the NAMA!

Student: I remember many saints saying that God does everything!

Teacher: Moreover; when it is said that Guru �does�; it does not imply an action such as driving a car, delivering a speech or cooking. Here doing implies ultimate control. An inexact analogy is that of superliving space-time! In absence of such superliving space-time; nothing would exist; nothing would work!

Student: This is rather difficult to comprehend! I will just restate and confirm! Firstly; the human forms are not doers; and secondly the expression �Guru does everything� actually implies a supreme and inevitable control! Am I right?

Teacher: Yes! Exactly! Even; all this �writing� and �I� are contingent amidst the eternal kingdom and supreme reign of my Guru i.e. NAMA. �SHRIRAM SAMARTH� also implies the same as �Guru or NAMA does everything�! To put in other way; what we perceive, feel and respond to; constitutes; changing, dependent, deceptive and limited �effects� and NOT the self controlled, independent causal reality. We are merely the instruments, the puppets! Whether great or small, wise or stupid and good or bad; we are puppets! Puppets may blame or adore other puppets just as a sword may blame or adore another sword; for some heinous or noble act respectively.
The controller of all this; is NAMA or Guru; the truly independent causal reality. It is eternal and super controlling cause of all this! It is the �field�, in which everything else is a �function� or �contingent�. It is the ultimate controlling reality beyond time, space and human consciousness. It is also termed SHRI RAM. The supremacy of this; in every respect is implied in �SAMARTH�! SHRI RAM SAMARTH is simply; the reiteration of this fact and reminder or reorientation to NAMASMARAN and NAMA!

Student: Now I am also experiencing; at least to some extent; the vibrant quietude that has filled you! RAMA KARTA also must be implying the same; isn�t it?

Teacher: Yes! It also implies the same. Looking at it little differently; we are some specific �engines�, with some specific energies, specific powers, specific capacity and differing versatilities. This probably holds true for all living, nonliving and other possible entities inside and outside. During our primitive states of evolution and during embryonic life, childhood and even latter; we are not aware of this! That is phase of ignorance.
At some later time; appropriate for us; we become aware of ourselves as �we�! We get charged with our instincts, emotions, thinking, perspective; and some pursuit or another. We begin to be flooded with and enthralled by urges! The urges when in the unconscious realm simply keep manifesting; resulting into temporary pleasures or pains. When we are in conscious realm; the urges prompt us that; �we have to do it, we cannot do without it, we are doing it, we will do it; or we cannot do it�; and give us the associated pains and pleasures; and agonies and ecstasies! Thus our life gets unfolded in the form of all varieties of actions inside and outside.
At some time appropriate for us we realize that everything in our life and the universe is the supreme orchestra of our Guru, who is beyond time and consciousness. RAMA (Guru) and KARTA (the ultimate supreme master implies that)! He is the supreme controller every entity and every event in universe! We also realize that the increasing emergence of NAMASMARAN i.e. reorientation to NAMA i.e. Guru in our life; is His bounty, His Krupa!
We become increasingly grateful as we begin to get an increasing and pleasant assurance from Him that He is always; literally always; with us; nurturing and blossoming; us in as much as the whole universe!
By now; it must have been clear to you; that this is a matter of study, practice and experience; and not of casual or cursory belief or disbelief.

Student: Sir, I have begun to experience the victorious revitalization! I thank our Guru immensely and whole heartedly; for initiating, enlivening, empowering and enlightening me; to be involved in His greatest ever bounty viz. universal mega process of NAMASMARAN and Total Stress Management; through you!
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SARVETRA: SUKHIN: SANTU
SARVE SANTU NIRAMAYA:
SARVE BHADRANI PASHYANTU
MA KASHCHIT DU: KHAMAPNUYAT

(ESSENCE IN ENGLISH)

LET ALL OF US BE HAPPY THROUGH EMPOWERMENT FOR UNIVERSAL PERSPECTIVE, VISION, THINKING, FEELING AND WORKING FOR SIMULTAENOUS INDIVIDUAL AND UNIVERSAL BLOSSOMING THROUGH FREEDOM FROM SUFFOCATING SUPERFICIALITY AND PETRIFYING PETTINESS

NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 26) DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR

Student: What do you think about the future?

Teacher: As regards the future of NAMASMARAN; the inner prompting suggests that the practice of NAMASMARAN would spread in all the continents, nations, provinces, cities, villages, homes, institutions, industries, hospitals, farms and every nook and corner. Further; this practice would not be aimed at petty gains! It would be selfless and would blossom into holistic perspective, policies, plans and programs and their implementation! The spiritualism and materialism, theism and atheism would be culminated in holistic renaissance! Individualism and socialism would be culminated in; Self realization and SAMSHTI YOGA; respectively!� By SAMSHTI YOGA, I mean reorientation and reconnection of at least a vast majority with cosmic consciousness i.e. NAMA!

Student: How would this happen?

Teacher: Just as 75 trillion cells unite and live in unity, complementarity and harmony; by participating their own well being as well as homeostasis i.e. well being of all other cells in the individual; every person; from every nook and corner of the world; would participate simultaneously and inseparably; in his/her own well being as well as that of the others inhabiting the universe!

Student: This cannot be disputed; but appears to be very optimistic!

Teacher: It is optimistic and subjective too! Hence; having said all this; I have to add; that the real peace did not descend on me from this subjective vision; but it dawned over me from the more recent realization of the ultimate control of the uniting, underlying as well as controlling entity; investing the universe and the myriads of events and transactions in it viz. NAMA!

Student: What exactly do you mean?

Teacher: This is a realization of the universal control of the divine presence beyond human consciousness, beyond time and beyond space. It is the same; as Ishwar, Brahma, Purushottam, Paramatma, Guru, God, true self, cosmic consciousness, SACCHIDANANDA, the absolute truth; and the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent reality, Mahakaran, the supreme controller, supreme orchestrator NAMA! It produces and destroys billions of events and things; ranging from cosmic phenomena, earth quakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis! The space and time are contingent in it! It produces, evolves and destroys the mass consciousness and mass conscience! It generates and destroys the colossal creativity, noblest thoughts, genuine feelings, burning passions and human behavior! It brings about the rise and fall of empires! It flares up wars and cataclysms; and it brings end of them and ushers in the peace! This NAMA �produces� the global mega process of orienting billions of us to it; through the practice of NAMASMARAN!

Student: How does this realization bring peace sir?

Teacher: That is a good question! This realization has given me a greater awareness that the process of NAMASMARAN going on for millennia; produces; myriads of concepts, ideas, revelations and motivations; including the concept of Total Stress Management ! Thus whatever we discussed are mere effects, functions, contingents or products of the supreme viz. NAMA!
I see clearly that neither the development nor the fate of Total Stress Management belong to me! Since I have no control on its development and its fate; the worry about its future and anxiety of every kind begins to disappear; and peace begins to prevail!

NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 24) DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR

Student: Sir, I am convinced about NAMASMARAN. But do you think your prescription of NAMASMARAN is equally applicable to children? Should they also practice NAMASMARAN?

Teacher: It is better to start it as early in life as possible. As you must have thought; and correctly so; children would get bored initially. But why children; initially; all of us get bored by NAMASMARAN. This is because; we all have a natural tendency to be lethargic and lazy. We �enjoy� (although temporarily) being inert and �feel at ease in the entropy�; even as it separates us from our true self and creates painful bondage later! NAMASMARAN is a dynamic activity that opposes the entropy and hence we are not at �ease� in NAMASMARAN!
But life (and hence stress also); is like an unavoidable and frequently disturbed river full of whirlpools! NAMASMARAN is a process of reestablishing this river to its calm flow on one hand; and training, empowering and enabling us to swim; on the other! Hence like swimming, NAMASMARAN has to be started as early as possible in life. In fact; here it is a far bigger challenge! It is a challenge of swimming across the ocean of life; the BHAVASAGAR!
Coming to boredom; to avoid boredom; we can do it together; do it with music and start it in small but frequent doses.

Student: Would this act as a vaccination; a preventive measure!?

Teacher: Yes! NAMASMARAN not only acts as rectifying or curative measure; but also acts as a preventive measure!
Our consciousness is raised by NAMASMARAN! Our mind becomes sharp and alert! We are therefore not taken by surprise, not baffled, not shocked, not shattered, not destabilized, not collapsed; by any sudden or protracted stressor!
This is because; it boosts the process of negentropy; the process opposite of entropy!
Life, of which we are a part; is like an electric circuit, which gets disturbed from time to time! NAMASMARAN is like checking it regularly; as well as correcting and systematizing the electrical connections with the power house so that the bulbs of our life; emanate light according to our potentials! NAMASMARAN is like an antivirus program. It checks as well as removes the virus.
NAMASMARAN is the reversal of our forgetfulness and disorientation into reorientation with our ultimate powerhouse, our arsenal, our fire power, our knowhow, our radar, our captain, our Guru, true self! It is the process of reversal of the root cause of stress, before it is clinically evident!

Student: I see! Should everybody practice NAMASMARAN? Are you not satisfied with the NAMAJAP performed in huge numbers in different cities?

Teacher: I do not have the right, authority or intention to preach! I can only give my opinion. Whether everybody should practice or not; that is what everybody has to decide!
But in my opinion; NAMASMARAN is not a �bulb� or a �candle�; useful merely for an individual or a family. It is not a glass of water, useful for a person or persons. Like Sun rays and Sun light; or like rain, it is inevitably benevolent to billions! It is a mega process of individual and universal blossoming!
As regards the NAMAJAP weeks, or days celebrated enthusiastically by millions; I congratulate and thank their organizers earnestly; as they have preserved this vitally essential aspect of life viz. NAMASMARAN in the form of a tradition of NAMAJAP weeks and days! It is because of them, who practiced, promoted, propagated and enjoyed NAMASMARAN in several ways; that many of us become aware of NAMASMARAN; in spite of the fact; that it is not a part of any curricular study and practice; in the mainstream education system.

NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 22) DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR

Student: I think you are hinting at ego; which is also called AHANKAR and is due to what is called DEHABUDDHI! But I am not clear about these!

Teacher: Yes! AHANKAR is erroneous consideration of true self to be everything we consider as �me� and �mine�! Thoughts, feelings, beliefs, passions and everything which, if and when negated we feel hurt! AHANKAR is a product of; the association of true self with body metabolism, hormones, neuro-hormones, neurotransmitters, neurons and their electrochemical interactions, which is called DEHABUDDHI.
Hence when we refer to ourselves as �I� or �we�; we do not really know what we are referring to. Our �I� or �we� actually refers to a combination or mixture of phenomena such as our physical needs, passions, emotions, concepts, convictions, ideas, and perspectives and so on. This mixture incorporates the pleasant and unpleasant memories of our past experiences and future dreams, which may be emotional, economic, social, cultural, religious, and racial. In addition; the components of this mixture are variable in terms of their proportions, intensities and influence at different times, age, maturity and situations. The chaos within; �I� and the chaos in the society; complement each other. This creates a vicious cycle. The clarity about the same; in �I� and the society; generates a wellness cycle!

Student: No wonder; I am in stress! Sir, I really did not know about these unseen and imperceptible shackles!

Teacher: Most of us are unable to manage stress inside and outside because our �I� is torn apart between our passions, emotions, concepts, likes, dislikes, dreams, aspirations, missions; and our priorities. Often we think very nobly but act meanly in personal and social life because we are constrained, restrained and helpless!
Even as psychology textbooks, counselors, spiritual leaders, moralists, social thinkers and egalitarian leaders; preach a variety of norms for total revolution; let us realize that NO arbitrary formula, appeal or commandments can bring about individual and universal blossoming. This is because; it is often impossible to voluntarily rise above the �I� on our own!
NAMASMARAN is associated with; ever increasing involvement; by thoughts, feelings and later on; even by instincts; in the upward process of freeing ourselves step by step; from the grip of �I� (our thoughts, feelings, and passions and so on). This makes us increasingly selfless and frees us from the tight control of our �I� embodying bodily pains, pleasures, wants, interests, infatuations, ambitions (which are often at loggerheads with the interests of the others).
In short; NAMASMARAN i.e. SMARAN or remembrance of NAMA i.e. remembrance of Guru in his NIRGUNA (beyond every possible attribute) SWAROOPA (essence of His Self) is same as remembrance of God or true Self i.e. immortal eternal cosmic consciousness. NAMASMARAN is associated with upward (URDHVAGAMI) force and slow and steady but definite nullification of the downward force (born out of entropy and �I�)! It thus involves; moving towards; with increasing acceleration; to the true self. It is thus a process of being unprejudiced, objective, accurate and globally benevolent. It is a process of overcoming subjectivity. It is a process of learning; to think, feel, desire and work beyond one�s own petty identity. That is why NAMASMARAN frees us from our individualistic and petty perspective, thoughts, feelings and even instincts. This is exactly how NAMASMARAN gives birth to Total Stress Management or blossoming in individual and universe!