Spiritual Discourses– Food for Soul

To play any musical instrument, an essential aspect is to tune it. In the absence of tuning, it is impossible to produce melodious notes from it. Likewise, this life is an instrument. And, to play soothing notes of peace and wisdom from it, it is essential to tune it. In the spiritual parlance, 'Satsangs (Spiritual discourses)' play the role of a tuner, which tune us on to the path of spirituality.

In this hi-tech world, we are either fully immersed in articulating machines (Smart phones, Computers, Tablets, PCs, etc.) or are caught up in our professional lives most of the times. In such a scenario, where we are constantly in touch with maya (materialism), it becomes difficult for us to stay connected with the Lord Almighty. And, thus it becomes vital for a disciple to devote some time in the company of saintly people. Such enlightened people are like spiritual dynamos. Their strong, positive, powerful words serve as the wonderful fitness mantras not just for the body and mind but also for the soul. In the context of spiritual discourses, one of the modest sources of inspirational and spiritual literature of India known as Atharva Veda (10/8/16) also advises: 'O sons of the nation! Man is uplifted only by the company of scholars, the wise and men of character. Satsang is the gym for spiritual exercise.'

To gain more insight into the subject and its importance, here is a narration from an Indian scripture:

Once a sage named Narad went to the Lord and asked– “O Lord, please tell me the greatness of satsang?” God did not answer the query directly and pointing towards a worm said, “Ask that worm and it will answer your question.”

Obeying the commandment from the Lord, sage Narad went near the worm and asked his question– “O species of the Lord, can you tell me the importance of satsang?” He had hardly completed his question and was eager to listen to the reply, when he found that the worm died.

On getting such an unexpected response, the sage went to the Lord again and narrated the entire incident to Him. But, before he could comment any further, the Lord said to him to ask the same question to a parrot which had just taken birth in the nearby house.

The sage went to the parrot and placed his question before it as per the instruction of the Lord. Alas! This time again, in reply to his query, the parrot died! The same thing happened in the case of the calf as well to which the Lord had asked to ask the question, after the parrot had died.

After witnessing all this, sage Narad requested the Lord to answer the question Himself. At his request, the Lord replied, “Narad, do not lose patience. Just now, a prince is born to the king of the same town. Go and ask the same question to the prince and this time you will get the answer for sure.”

Narad was afraid. He thought, what if the same thing happens with that little child as well. The king would not pardon him. But, it was an instruction from the Lord, and so he had to abide by it. He went to the king's palace. With a fearful heart, he asked the newborn prince the same question once again, “O little one! Can you tell me the importance of Satsang?”

To his utter surprise, the small boy did not die. Instead, he smiled and said, “O Sage Narad! Your words made me free from the trap of three births in which I was forced to face the consequences of my previous deeds. And, by the grace of this satsang, I could get this precious human birth again in which I can attain liberation. Many, many thanks; I am indebted to you. I will always remain grateful to you.”

Such indeed is the importance of spiritual discourses. Satsang offers the means to bring reformation in life. Those who attend satsang, they get to know the way by which one can live in the world without getting drowned in the pool of attachments. It is through satsang that one gets to know the real aim of life. He learns about the importance of human birth. The greatest of all, it is by the means of satsang only that one comes to know about the identity of a True Guru, whereupon he seeks his tutelage who makes him see God.

Satsang proves to be a great means for helping a disciple to nurture the characteristics of patience, understanding, prudence and wisdom. He is able to comprehend the fact thatwhile sitting in the ship of the Perfect Master, the jerks that he gets are not meant to drown him. Rather, they are to protect him from getting drowned in the ocean of maya. He gains the understanding that whatever challenges and troubles he has to face in his life, they will add to his growth and development only.

Also, when people assemble in spiritual discourses, they gain positive spiritual vibes, which cast an impact on every individual, apparently and otherwise. One gains new energy to tread the path of self-transformation. And, when each individual starts working upon himself, a bigger change automatically takes shape. Physicist David Bohm says in his book 'On Dialogue' that the microcosm of the group is a reflection of the macrocosm. Bohm states, “The group is the microcosm of society; so if the group– or anyone– is cured, it is the beginning of a larger cure.”

Therefore, dear disciples of the Lord! We, who are the microcosm of society and who have realised our True Self by the grace of our Perfect Master, His Holiness Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, need to come together to trigger a bigger change. These microcosms of society are only going to bring peace in the world– and lead to the making of a divine world!

 Spiritual Discourses– Food for Soul

Shrimad Bhagwat Katha

It is said that one who listens to discourse on Bhagwat Katha has fructified all results of past good karmas. This Katha is extra- ordinary as it can be received neither by heaven dwellers nor the powerful demons. This Katha can only be bestowed to residents on earth and hence those who attend it consider themselves as immensely fortunate.

Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan (DJJS) organized a 7 days Shrimad Bhagwat Katha program from 19th June to 25th June, 2016 at Samana, Punjab. It was attended by a huge gathering including a list of distinguished guests and eminent personalities. Beauty of this Katha lies in the fact that it is a great summation of devotion and knowledge. It is composed by Maharishi Veda Vyas in the highest state of yoga, which is Samadhi. Sadhvi Vaishnavi Bharti Ji, orator of the Katha said, “Shrimad Bhagwat Katha is a bejewelled epic which is pronounced by God Himself and which has the power to make one realize its higher goal in life.” She explained that all issues of society are entangled with each other and cannot be solved only through the usage of our intellect. There needs to be a spiritual reform to bring about transformation in the society today.

DJJS has been making many such endeavours towards this societal uplift. An ongoing program named Antarkranti- working for prisoners' reformation is one such step. As a part of Antarkranti, jail inmates are imparted with Brahma Gyan by which they connect with true way of meditation. On regular practice of meditation, an inner change in conduct and behaviour is observed among the jail inmates. They don't want revenge any more rather they want to volunteer for social causes and live a pure life henceforth.

Sadhvi Ji is the preacher disciple of Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji (founder and mentor of DJJS). She elaborated that Brahm Gyan (Divine knowledge) is the direct perception of divine light within us. The power to bestow Brahm Gyan is with a perfect master only, which Ashutosh Maharaj Ji is doing in current era. A meditating person can see this light in one's forehead at centre of eyebrows. At the time of receiving Brahm Gyan, individual in meditation experiences numerous other divine visions, like the sweet taste of nectar, the limitless music- anhad, clear primordial vibration etc. By the constant practice of Brahm Gyan, one lives a balanced, happy and peaceful life. All ifs and buts are removed. If an individual becomes peaceful, then a society can become peaceful.

There was huge appreciation amongst the audience on Sadhvi Ji's wide knowledge and eloquent speech. All guests were seen listening very attentively to the preacher and most of them sat through the entire session in spite of their busy schedule. The guests said that they came to know about all social and spiritual programs in progress and they are all very commendable. They mentioned that this dialogue based epic Shrimad Bhagwat Katha was presented in a unique style which is praise worthy. As need for such spiritual programs was highlighted in the discourse, its relevance should be understood by all age groups of society. Guests expressed their pleasant surprise when being invited to volunteer for such spiritual programs with great zeal and enthusiasm irrespective of the cast, categories and age groups.

Visit @ Shrimad Bhagwat Katha

Monthly Spiritual Congregation Soaked in Divinity

We all recognize the importance of well-being. It’s really essential to be physically healthy. But it’s like nurturing only the outer layer of fruit. If the seed is not healthy, then that nourishment goes in vain. Likewise, living with just a physically fit body without spiritual fitness won’t make us lead a life of a complete well-being.

Denninger, the Director of Research at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of Harvard Medical School’s teaching hospitals says, “There is a true biological effect when one meditates. The kinds of things that happen when you meditate do have effects throughout the body, not just in the brain.”

When there is a lack of spirituality in the society, mental impurity begins to build up in the environment. This is known as Psychological Pollution. And this depletes the ‘spiritual energy’. Meditation is a spiritual union that allows the higher consciousness of ours to bond with the collective energy of the universe.

Hence, in order to reveal the secret of spiritually fit body, mind and soul and to make people feel the magic of spiritual nourishment in their life, Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan (DJJS) - a non-profit, non-government and a leading spiritual organization, head and founded by His Holiness Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, organized a program of Monthly Spiritual Congregation on Sunday, June 12th, 2016 at Nurmahal Ashram, Punjab.

The program was commenced with holy prayer at the lotus feet of Lord. Devotional bhajans and songs sung with utmost dedication mesmerized the audience. The profound sense of devoting the life for a supreme cause filled the surrounding with divinity. Thousands of people sitting in meditation generated multitudes of positivity in the environment.

The spiritual discoursers from the dais shared the necessity of spirituality by making people realize the loss by not making it a part of our life. Today when the universe is full of negative energies, it becomes our prime duty to meditate and purify it as much as we can. Don’t let even a single minute of your life go waste. If you wile away this time and do not meditate, its value will be gone as your soul will miss out the most divine experiences of the Lord. On the other hand, if you meditate hard during this time, then you will become the brightest gems.

Hence, as His Holiness Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, says, “ Wake Up!! Meditate and stop not until your Lord comes and embraces you!!! ”

visit to : DJJS

Shri Ram Katha Paving the Inner Path for Outer Transformation

Shri Ram Katha

To have Ram Rajya (Righteous Kingdom of Lord Ram) once again in today’s world and to transform the current kalyuga into the golden Satyuga, a peaceful serene era, is the aim of His Holiness Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji. He has founded and established the organization, Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, for the sole purpose of bringing peace into today’s world. His tool is Brahm Gyan, the ancient method of self-realization, for a self-realized individual is able to bring the desperately needed revolution mother earth is longing for. The organization is working day and night to accomplish this very goal set by the Master. Out of the numerous efforts progressing towards this goal was another 7-day Shri Ram Kathamrit event held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, from May 28th – June 5th, 2016.

Sadhvi Shreya Bharti Ji, the katha vyas, a world-renowned expert on the katha laid out the entire Ramayana and Ram charit manas along with various other religious references in front of the audience that attended the mega event. She particularly explained the sole purpose of Lord Rama to incarnate in the Treta Yuga. He took birth in order to rid the evils of the society and establish peace and tranquility the earth longed. He also promised to incarnate during each era when evil prevails the goodness of the world.

Sadhvi Ji stated that today’s man needs inner-reformation to be able to bring transformation outside. His Holiness has reformed countless disciples, via Brahm Gyan, who are the transforming hands working selflessly. She explained that only a Satguru holds the ability to uphold the frail society with His noble causes and visions. Just as the inhabitants of Treta Yugahad the sustenance of Lord Rama, those who have realized within know that the earth is sustaining only due to the efforts of saints and sages such as His Holiness Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji.

The audience gained insightful in-depth explanations of Lord Rama’s each play with the contemporary world. The musical performances grabbed each heart, mesmerized it with devotion and Godly love. In addition, the katha was broadcasted on the Aastha Channel enabling viewers from all over the world to tune into Lord’s praises sung by those who have realized the Lord and invite all to dive into this pool of divinity that awaits its beloveds.

Visit to : https://www.djjs.org/news/peacebangalore

       Medicinal Music

We often listen to music to feel good. But, do you know, listening to the right kind of music and in a proper way is medicinal, too. How? Let's explore...

MEDICINAL MUSIC FACT #1

Music can lower the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone)

The number one enemy of man in today's competitive world is the stress hormone, cortisol. This enemy is known to interfere with our memory, weight, cholesterol and immunity. However, one of the best and free medicinal treatments for lowering the effect of attack of this enemy is to listen to soft music. Music embedded with inspirational lyrics is more effective for this treatment. Prof. Daniel J. Levitin (Professor of psychology and behavioural neuroscience) of McGill University has found through experiments that listening to music impacts our body chemistry directly because it increases immunoglobulin A and killer cell counts, which help in lowering the level of cortisol.

In a study by Miluk et al. (Dept. of Surgery, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine, Warsaw, Poland), they examined on a group of patients the importance of listening to music in reducing stress. The study dealt with measuring the cortisol levels in patients when they were informed that they would undergo a surgery the next day. The patients were divided into two groups. One group of patients heard music immediately after the news, while the other group listened to no music. In the experiment, it was found that the news about surgery  produced a 50% increase in cortisol within 15 minutes in both the surgical groups. However, the group that listened to music showed reduction in the cortisol level. On the other hand, the patients who did not listen to music displayed a higher level of cortisol. 

For this reason, R&D is being done on the fact that music can potentially be used in clinical settings, in which negative emotions such as pain and anxiety often reduce an individual's subjective well-being. Such situations otherwise demand the application of anxiolytic, analgesic, and anesthetic drugs as an anti-stress medium.

MEDICINAL MUSIC FACT #2

Enhances blood vessels' functioning

Music not only lowers the level of cortisol, but also improves the heart's capacity for exercise by 19 percent– a European Society of Cardiology explored this fact. Further, Deljanin Ilic (professor, Institute of Cardiology at the University of Nis in Serbia) carried out a research to find the attributes that can lead to improvements in endorphins released by the body when listening to music. In the experiment, she was interested to discover if music had any effect not only on the heart but also on the deepest regions of the heart. The inside surface of blood vessels is layered by a substance called endothelium, which has a strong impact on the blood vessel tone besides regulating the blood flow. It also plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease. Ilic conducted a test on a group of people about how the endothelium (the lining of blood vessels) answers to a wide range of stimuli, from exercise to emotions to music as medications. For this, she conducted some test after which each volunteer was exposed to music for 30 minutes. Additional dilation measurements were employed throughout each phase to find changes from the test. It was found that the average upper arm blood vessel diameter increased 26 percent after the joyful music phase; whereas, listening to the music that caused anxiety narrowed blood vessels by six percent. This experiment not only showed the impact of music on the heart, but also highlighted the importance of listening to the right type of music. You can also perform this simple experiment to study the impact of music and its type on the heart beat rate–

Step 1: Play melodious music on your music set.

Step 2: Place your hand on your heart and feel the rate of your heart beat.

Step 3: Now, change the track to rock or some other music that causes anxiety.

Step 4: Place your hand on your heart and feel the rate of your heart beat.

What did you observe? Surely, the latter kind of music must have increased the rate of your heart beat. Such is the impact of music on the heart. Therefore, take care of your heart by making it listen to soft and happy tones of harmony and peace.

MEDICINAL MUSIC FACT #3

Improves sleep quality

Another major problem in this era of cut throat competition is the problem of sleep. Often people complain about the lack of proper sleep. Music-assisted relaxation may improve sleep quality, according to a report published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing in 2009. The report's authors analysed five clinical trials (with a total of 170 participants) and found that music impacted the quality of sleep of patients having sleep complaints.

Research reveals that listening to music helps to lengthen sleep duration, shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, reduce the number of night-time wake-ups, and enhance daytime functioning in people with sleep problems. Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing (2005) suggests that music has a cumulative effect on sleep, with improvements in sleep quality increasing over time.

OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS OF MUSIC

Music can also reduce the perceived intensity of pain, especially in geriatric care, intensive care, or palliative medicine. It increases workout endurance, elevates mood, and above all, it induces a meditative state.

Regarding the type of music, His Holiness Ashutosh Maharaj Ji puts forth a beautiful message. He once asked a spiritual aspirant from the music field, “Have you ever noticed how people react when they listen to devotional music versus when they listen to anxiety-driven music?” When the aspirant could not distinguish, the revered Master said, “You will always observe that while listening to spiritual music your head swings in ecstasy to its tone, while in the latter, it is prominently the feet which tap.” What a wonderful message! While the anxiety-driven music feeds our lower tendencies, devotional music nourishes our higher energies.

Well! That's the case with the outside music. There is yet another music, which excels the benefits and melody of the outside music in all respects. It is the 'Anhad-Naad'- the music that is being played on its own, relentlessly in our inner world. This music, which can be listened to through Divine Knowledge, brings our soul at peace. Undoubtedly, when the seed is nurtured, it leads the way for the whole fruit to be healthy. And, that's what happens, when we take care of our health at the level of the soul because, then, the physical and psychological dimensions are also nurtured. Therefore, don't miss out to fill some moments of your day with the melodies of divine music. Enjoy the ecstasy as well as good  health!

for more information visit to : DJJS

Shri Ram Katha in Kurukshetra

The Katha was organized by Krukshetra branch of DJJS at Shiv Mandir Dharamshala, Andheriya Bagh, Radhour (YNR) from 9th Sep’15 to 13 Sep’15. Around 1000-1500 people from adjoining areas gathered to witness this ultimate grandeur.

Sadhvi Sachi Bharti Ji, disciple of Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, Founder and Head of Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan (DJJS), flawlessly recited the Katha, and covered major portions of Ramcharitmanas. The chief guests of the Katha were Shyam Singh Rana, MLA-Radour (YNR); Dr Rishipal Saini, Owner -Hemnet Sewa Samiti; Gyan Chand Sharma-Chairman; Shanti Dev, Principal -B.Ed College (Radour); Lekh Raj, Secretary –Transportation, Radour (YNR); Shiv Om, Chairman -Shivam Institute; Satpal, Samaj Sewi-Radour.                              

The Katha Orator explained with innumerable examples of LORD Rama’s life, that his entire life was changed by one single event where HE fulfilled his Father’s promise. Such is the power of words given to someone. By doing so, Lord Rama sent a message to entire humankind, however if we look at the condition today; we are not what we say. Today’s materialistic people keep on boasting about themselves, but the truth is we have become selfish and self-centred. We are so materialistic that we don’t even hesitate to question/ignore our rich culture and rituals. Even we try to judge the Leela of Lord Ram and end up making a fun of it – this happens many-a-time because most of us have lost the wisdom and that divine guidance of Sadguru.

for more information visit us at: Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan