Everywhere around us, people lead similar lives, sharing four - TopicsExpress

Everywhere around us, people lead similar lives, sharing four problems—health, money, relationships and emotions. This spells a man in Kaliyug. His deepest concerns do not go beyond an out-of-shape body, chronic illness, business losses, an unsatisfactory vocation, marital discord, parental problems, or an emotional void. These are symptoms of a deeper problem of defying the basic laws that govern creation and going against its principles. The present level of existense called Kaliyug is witnessing the same chaos at a macro level as well as in an individual’s life as wars, natural calamities, diseases, unhappiness, pain and a fear of death. Everyone visits religious places for sustenance but no one prays for his neighbour. Everyone wants things only for themselves. We are defying a simple law governing creation—the law of karma or the law of cause and effect. In all religions, it is a common denominator; yet no one gives it any consideration. Rather than believing in saints like St. Francis of Assissi who had said that it’s in giving that we receive, we believe in first receiving before giving! Ganesha, as per the Vedic texts, is not an elephant god as is normally believed and elephant worship will take you nowhere. Vedic philosophy takes entire creation as an energy and the various aspects like the sun, moon, wind and fire as its sub-energies. Practices exist to access these energies and use them for your own benefit as well as creation’s, but the underlying principle is being charitable and kind to all. Only when you practice these can you do them successfully. In the hierarchy of various forces in the Universe, Ganesha is the doorway to the higher worlds. Ganesha is the Lord of physical creation; the gatekeeper to the subtler dimensions. In this heyday of negativity, he is entrusted with the task of letting in only a true seeker and keeping out selfish people by engaging them in material pursuits. So the only way to access the energy of Ganesha is by following the law of karma and believing and practicing the law that will remove your problems on their own and practicing his mantras to acquire material benefits and spiritual powers called riddhi and siddhi. When I ask people to turn from selfishness to selflessness, few understand my purpose. Their senses stand in the way. No matter how much you tell a little girl to leave her doll, and that there are far greater pleasures in the world, she will refuse to part with it, until she grows up and understands the world better. Similarly all of us have to grow from following life’s basic pursuits and look for higher pleasures. Lord Ganesha helps us do precisely this. Creation is not run on selfishness. The sun gives heat and light, rivers distribute water, winds blow and the earth sustains plants and animals. Nothing is stagnant, stationary, and meant for the individual self. Everything exists to aid Creation. Any individual who goes against it, leading his or her life centred in selfishness, is bound to face the four problems earlier mentioned in a major way. The only way out is yoga in the presence of guru. Dancing on your head, twisting and turning is not yoga. Yoga is the natural change from selfishness to selflessness. When you go searching for a guru, you must assess first the purpose of your quest. If it is to cure you of an illness, then consult a doctor. If it is to resolve financial troubles, visit a financial consultant. If you are looking to mend relationships, go to a counselor. If you are emotionally disturbed, approach a psychologist. To look for a yoga guru to resolve these four problems is like trying to generate nuclear energy, merely to light an electric bulb. You are wasting your time. Look for a guru only if you intend to aid the positive forces in Creation. Ganesh Chaturthi is the day when the energy of Ganesha is most easily accessible to human beings. It falls on the fourth day of the waning moon (Krishna Paksha) of Bhadrapad. It is a powerful day and must be devoted to the higher practices of yoga and Sanatan Kriya. A havan done on this day under the guidance of a guru to aid Creation and for the general good, enables one to access the energy of Ganesha, opening the doors to the subtler dimensions to realizing your hidden potential.