DELIGHT OF UNITY: DR SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Many of us are convinced that NAMASMARAN takes us from subjectivity; to objectivity, to the root and seed of universe and to immortality�!
However many of us question about its uniqueness, supremacy; and its insistence and generalization.
Thus; some of us feel that there are many people who do not practice NAMASMARAN; yet serve the universe in different ways e.g. through; scientific and technological research and social service. Some of us feel that; consideration of the merit of other ways of self realization; is also important.
It is true that the creative geniuses in different fields contribute to the universal blossoming without practicing NAMASMARAN. But it is they; who have to express if they reach immortality; like Saint Dnyaneshvar. As far as the merit other ways of self realization is concerned; it is for those who have experienced or are convinced to reach immortality through those ways; can preach them.
For those of us who are convinced about NAMASMARAN and its scope and potential; it is fair to practice NAMASMARAN steadfastly and share the vision, conviction and/or experiences; with others. But this can be best done without being critical about the other ways, about which they have no experience. But suffice it to feel and express; that ultimately all ways converge to universal harmony and eternal reality.

STRESS AND CEREBRAL ORGASM: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

One of the major causes of universal STRESS; is the perennially disturbing conflict between the inevitable and insatiable sexual urge; and the unavoidable pressure of almost impossible task of inhibiting it!

How to overcome this stress; and culminate this conflict into globally benevolent sublime experience of cerebral orgasm?

The Greek word orgao means excitement or swelling with moisture. The Sanskrit word urja means nourishment sap or vigor. Another Sanskrit word suggestive of potency is OJA.

In sexual orgasm; cerebral cortical, autonomic nervous, visceral, endocrine and the whole body is involved. We can find he details of the physiological and psychological changes during sexual orgasm; in the books of sexology. But what we also find in these books is; even as most of the systems are involved in the phenomenon of orgasm; the focus is on genital and perigenital sensations! Thus apart from the various parts of body such as breasts, areola, nipple etc, are involved in foreplay; the orgasm is restricted to genital and perigenital areas.

It is only with the advent of the development of brain structures such as cerebral cortex and limbic system; that the orgasm per se; has acquired more emotional and poetic dimension. Further; the development of intelligence has given us the ability to understand the importance of sexual intercourse and its importance in heart to heart selfless bond, parental care, continuation of the specie and the fulfillment associated with it.

Our focus of contentment has shifted even in personal and social behavior; in terms of involving emotional fulfillment; through various relationships such as those involved in father-son, mother-son, husband-wife, employee-employer, and teacher-student; rather than mere sexual intercourse!

This has freed us at least to some extent; from ephemeral pleasures; but only intellectually and emotionally; not instinctually and physically! In other words, we are freed psychologically, but not physiologically! This is why there is conflict between sexual abstinence and indulgence!

But we should realize that even as we are not freed from our physical needs and instincts; it should be clear that pleasures arising from sexual orgasm and other instinctual gratifications are important and can lead to cerebral stimulation or excitement; although incompletely and inadequately! This is why; we are partly individualistic and partly generous!

We are left with only one option in such a situation when our consciusness is tardily, incompletely and hence painfully shifting; from genitals to cerebral cortex and limbic system! This option is that of expediting the evolution that is generating perennial conflicts! Is this possible? Yes!
We have simply to open the gates of our soul; through NAMASMARAN; so that all kinds of experiences in life hitherto blocked below subcortical levels; are �sucked�; into cerebral cortex! All the relationships and interactions of life; are thereby quickly evolved and culminated into, sublime and eternal experience of CEREBRAL ORGASM; that is the dawn of individual and global blossoming!

SIN, STRESS AND SHRADDHA: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Any thing against religious decrees or ethical norms; is referred to as sin (called paap is Sanskrit) and anything illegal is usually called crime. But this is only broad understanding.

The deeper meaning of sin or paap is actually �being oblivious, ignorant, and unaware and disconnected and separated from God or true self (the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and eternally unifying superlife)�.

As we get entwined and entrapped in; and become proud or ashamed of our external or superficial identities; e get separated from our own core and also; from one another. Then we fail to experience the unity and harmony with ourselves; and others. This alienation from ourselves; and from others; leads to increasing individualistic, mean and discordant behavior; that ranges from mere arguments to brutal and indiscriminate violence; and from personal disturbance to global bloodshed.

Hence ignorance, alienation, forgetfulness, obliviousness, disbelief and separation from God is the common sin at the root of all other sins, which cause stress in personal and global life!

All sins including those generated through superstitions are the activities motivated by pettiness (separation from true SELF or God). Thus when we get blinded by our petty need, greed, bias, prejudice, fanaticism, hatred, passion, pettiness, fear, anger, sorrow, shock and so on! They can make us a blind exploiter or a helpless victim, an arrogant criminal or a meek beggar and a fanatic ruler or a slavish follower.

Thus, actions of a petty person whether fuelled by information and technology or superstition; are against the welfare of any common individual and society; because they are motivated by petty selfishness; and lead to many different crimes and stress in individual and global life.

We tend to highlight crimes of illiterates and superstitious people; and ignore or neglect the heinous barbarism and malevolent activities; of people held in high esteem as �well read�, �well informed�, �scientific�, �rational�, �intelligent� and �progressive�; but cut off from the unifying SELF and hence essentially petty and inhuman individuals.

Why is this so?

The cause is separation from God; because of dominance of right cerebral cortex or left; and not full development of both. Hence we see the world erroneously with either preponderance of right cerebral hemisphere (unintelligent sentimentality) or lopsidedly developed left cerebral cortex (dry callous logic).

Shraddha (which is enlightenment associated with full blossoming and complementary functioning of right and left cerebral cortexes); builds up through NAMASMARAN. Shraddha enables us to vividly see and experience the intrinsic unity and harmony in the inmates of the world and empowers us to express holistic policies, plans and programs (solutions) conducive to the individual and universal blossoming; whole heartedly and bravely.

STRESS, CHARITY AND SWADHARMA: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Like the deprivation other instincts; deprivation of the basic emotion of love and affection; also being one of the causes of STRESS; charity (dearness and affection) is logically one of the important measures of STRESS management also!

The word �charity� has its root in the old French and Latin; and literally means dearness and affection. Thus the acts of charity give us gratification of fulfilling our need to express our affection; in as much as it benefits many people around us. This is why most of the religions and ideologies; have upheld charity as adorable value and virtue.

Being uncharitable, callous, crude and indifferent to the needs of other people; is actually being blind to our own heart; and suffer from STRESS; and infect and inflict others! Being uncharitable; is being violent to ourselves and also to others.

Having said this; is being charitable enough to manage stress totally?

This is an important question; because we live in a period; when our charity is usually adulterated knowingly or unknowingly with our petty motivations and/or gullibility. Thus while being charitable; we tend to extract political, social and other varieties of advantages; or get cheated!

But; even if charity is unadulterated; it cannot evolve us; from being fraudulent, corrupt, exploitative, cheating, swindling and so on! We do no really blossom from within; by practicing mere charity!

Charity in itself; being a palliative; though egalitarian and commendable action (response, measure, solution); does not reach and act on the roots of the social and political stressors (evils) viz. sectarian perspectives, policies, plans, programs, administrative machinery, laws, rules, conventions etc, which continue to produce STRESS; at individual and global levels and harm us.

This is why; practice of charity even if it is sincere; can not give emotional gratification to the discerning individuals, who are often suffocated in absence of charity; but feel cheated by the practice of charity!

Different kind of charity is involved in subsidy, free health care, free education, reservations on the basis of caste. It is generated and nurtured and proliferated by consensus born out of motivations, temptations, meekness, lassitude, indolence, parasitism, irresponsibility and vengeance; to the government.

In turn; we get addicted to �live as liability on the others; by exploiting �the dearness and affection and Herculean efforts; i.e. others� charity�! We begin to despise work; sincerity, accountability, service, dedication, merit etc. and keep on taking pride in asking for or begging for more at the cost of others; as if it is our right! We go on growing as beggars and seekers. In the course of time we begin indulging in poisonous propaganda; unleashing indiscriminate violence and creating STRESS for everyone. This is worst mismanagement of STRESS and harmful to others.

The government, which adopts such populist policies; harms the society in terms of throttling holistic blossoming of one and all!

Thus whether we do charity or get benefited by some one else�s charity; we have to realize that; MERE CHARITY is not sufficient and in fact proves to be counterproductive; in the long run. Many examples can be given to prove this point.

This scenario of failure of �charity� in every way; is evident in the increasing number and lengths of queues in front of many public hospitals, restaurants, temples, churches, mosques, shrines; for charity; in India.

In summary, charity in the long run; throttles us; in pride, arrogance, condescending attitude, bloated ego; or beggary, parasitism, meekness, and irresponsibility and antisocial indiscriminate violence!

In some situations; charity could be the only and essential solution; for individual gratification and social relief; e.g. accidents, natural calamities, droughts.

But today; in general; a holistic perspective, policies, plans and programs; for fulfilling our physiological needs such as procreation, hunger, thirst, locomotion, living in our habitat, living in our herd, parental care, working; love for the peers, respect for the elders, kind care for the weak and handicapped, and dispassionate, selfless and surgical violence against malignant indiscriminate coercion and violence (punishments and PRAYASHCHITTA). This is essence of SWADHARMA.

SWADHARMA is evolved and refined form of charity and appropriate solution in the form of proactively allocated (individually and globally blossoming) duty; to different individuals; at different stages of life; according different personal and social relationships, different seasons and different auspicious days! Through SWADHARMA; our subjective feelings, fancies, idiosyncrasies, whims and choices evolve into objective ones; and blossom in globally beneficial motivations and actions.

The importance of SWADHARMA is that it does not give rise to bloating of our condescending attitude and ego on the one hand (givers); and destruction and/or humiliation of our self esteem; on the other (seekers)!

In Hindu culture that I am aware of; the SWADHARMA has been in practice; in the form of various responsibilities or obligations; conceptualized as �paying off loans or debts�. Debt is called RUNA in Sanskrit; e.g. PITRU RUNA (debt of father), MATRU RUNA (debt of mother), and SAMAJ RUNA (debt of society). �Repaying these loans� is called SWADHARMA. Thus there are PUTRA DHARMA (the sacred obligations of a son), MATRU DHARMA (sacred obligations of a mother), PITRU DHARMA (sacred obligations of a father), RAJA DHARMA (sacred obligations or responsibilities of a king).

This DHARAMA prevalent in the different stages of life; is called ASHRAMA DHARMA. Thus the DHARMA in student stage is that of (BRAHMACHARYA ASHRAMA), married family person�s stage (GRUHASTHA ASHRAMA), retired stage (VANAPRASTHA ASHRAMA) and stage of transcendental renouncement or renunciation (SANYASA ASRHAMA).

Thus; a BRAHMACHARI student is expected to observe austerity and celibacy and study. This is obviously a wise thing if practiced intelligently and with insight; if one considers the individual and social loss e.g. menace of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, problems of unmarried mothers and most importantly thwarting of sublime aspirations and becoming corrupt slaves of our petty self; due to temptation, diversion, distraction and fixation of our mind on physical, sexual and material pleasures.

The GRUHASTHA or family person had the sacred duty of offering hospitality to a guest (ATITHI). The ATITHI could be any one and not necessarily a friend or a relative. ATITHI served a benevolent purpose for the society; as a pilgrim, a trader, an entertainer, a social scientist and in any case a uniting force amongst the people in different places.

The stage of retired life and the stage of renunciation (VANAPRASTHA and SANYASA) were characterized by consultative activities. The VANAPRASTHA and SANYASA; meant for being promoted to impartial judgments, instructing in day to day routine and providing guidance in spiritual quests. There is no escapist or self depriving connotation in any of these; and in any way.

The concept of SWADHARMA is akin to the role of a cell in maintenance of internal environment i.e. homeostasis. Thus just as a cell participates in homeostasis in subservience to the health of its own; and of the organism; similarly an individual participates in social homeostasis in subservience to the health of his or her own; and the health of the society.

Since the fabric of the Indian society has been unidentifiably damaged and mutilated repeatedly; the revival of the old SWADHARMA; does not seem plausible, possible and probable. But we can understand and practice the essence of SWADHARMA; through rectification of our cognition, affect and conation; through NAMASMARAN, which catalyzes the evolution of our subjectivity, into objective consciousness, global perspective, global thinking, global policies and globally beneficial administration and implementation in our own field.

To put it more explicitly; a doctor would work for the advent of holistic medicine, a lawyer would work for holistic laws which would provide not merely punishment but PRAYASCHITTA (opportunity for one�s individual and social welfare), an educationist would evolve holistic education (which nurtures spiritual, cognitive, affective, psychomotor and productive domains of a child); in terms of policy making, planning and implementation.

This is the evolution from CHARITY to SWADHARMA through NAMASMARAN (which Lord Krishna and the other seers have intensely and earnestly advocated for millennia) and is the core of the Total Stress Management that can eradicate the evils such as; child labor, begging, slum dwelling, pavement dwelling, diseases, handicaps, pollution etc.

It has to be reiterated that NAMASMARAN; can work far more benevolently; than what has been conceived and articulated here.

STRESS AND SUPERJOY: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

In childhood; we get joy from simple observations; such as a chemical reaction, illumination of a bulb or fire resulting from striking of a match stick.

For us; joy means good food, good clothes, and toys and pampering with other things. It could as well be hugging, cuddling, patting on back or a kiss. Latter it may be associated with adolescent romance and latter still; with material possession, social prestige, accolade from society, political power, art in various forms, and creativity in different fields!

When we are deprived of these sources of joy; we get STRESS!

As we evolve further; (which is not exactly linear or sequential and may be simultaneous with above phenomena) a new experience begins to emerge. This experience is of joy without chemical reaction, without illumination of a bulb, and without striking a match stick! This is not a joy of mere fulfillment of some needs, wants and desires.

This is a joy of being in the core of everything including the chemical process, the electricity, the fire and also all our needs, wants and desires. We have now got freed (tyaga) from the realm of; and bondage of reactive happiness; that results from and depends on; the fulfillment of our needs, wants and desires! We have got rid (tyaga) of our felt needs, felt wants and felt desires.

This is very difficult to imagine in absence of its experience and often we consider this as negation of nature and/or escapism from the struggle of life!

But this tyaga; is actually �returning or withdrawing from our periphery and reestablishing or merging with our center or our core�! In this state we become one with the core of the universe and freed (tyaga) from the bondage and dragging; by the fleeting aspects of universe! This is sublimation of one�s personality into cosmic spirit, cosmic consciousness or absolute consciousness.

In the 12th chapter of Gita there is a verse, stating that through study; we get knowledge, through knowledge we achieve dhyana, through dhyana we practice karmafalatyaga and through tyaga, we attain shanti i.e. peace.

If we consider the life as a learning (abhyasa) process and our experience of life as knowledge, (jnana) then the culmination of such knowledge; is the everlasting unconditional joy in the very process of whatever we do (dhyana), and the state of freedom from every kind of subjectivity and disturbances(tyaga). This is a state of extraordinary ecstasy, which is not an idle or resting state; but a state of, �being transtemporal living space� or cosmic consciousness (shanti)!!

Persons freed from subjective considerations, judgments and interests, are called free souls; MUKTATMAs, yogis, seers, enlightened people, saints, sages, rishis and super humans. They provide universal solace and solution through their life.


The practical step or the process to realize this state; is NAMASMARAN; which has been illumining thousands of generations from time immemorial and will continue to illumine the thousands of generations to come; all over the world!

The apparent feature of tyaga is withering away of all the commercial or professional considerations! Transition from childhood to this state is NOT easy.

Careful observation suggests that we; the billions of people all over the world; perceive, feel and behave; �from our periphery�; in a rather unevolved and hence uncooperative, contradictory and opposing manner. This is why we are in disharmony, discord and at loggerheads with one another.

Moreover; physical pain; sorrows, conflicts, and the irritation or agony of absurdity or injustice and depression of everything ephemeral; bring inexplicable and insurmountable agony! These take over our consciousness and make us miserable, no matter how much moneyed, powerful, influential, popular or erudite we are! Those; who do not feel this way today are bound to feel so; some time latter!

It is essential to realize that; even though while practicing NAMASMARAN we can get the glimpses of SUPERJOY; the fuller appreciation would ensue; as and when people all over the world; practice NAMASMARAN; and tangible individual and global blossoming begins to prevail!