A New Spiritual Initiative

A Global Vision

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru, the Founder of Santhigiri Ashram at Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala in South India, envisions a global spiritual renaissance, going beyond the barriers of religion, class, caste, race and gender differences. Santhigiri Ashram also conducts research in holistic health sciences integrating universal spiritual values and a contemplative life style. Daily, thousands visit the abode of the great Master to have a glimpse of the Parnasala, the lotus shaped mausoleum of the Guru, which is acclaimed as the most magnificent of its kind. The Ashram is home to a large number of householders, who live as a voluntary community with the Ashram as the nucleus.  People from different regions irrespective of caste, class, gender and religious differences live together engaged in a variety of enterprises and services such as healthcare, farming, weaving, education, spiritual guidance, etc. cherishing the vision of a global family. Guru’s vision was to enable all people reach the Absolute truth of God.

Spirituality beyond Religion

Spirituality transcends life, death, beliefs, customs, cultures etc. The awakened soul discovers prakriti or nature and the various dimensions in the physical nature where existence continues after death. With such realization, the jnanis (sages) of yore discovered and expounded the meaning of life in its full depth. There is a soul, a software that is coming and going in life and death. This software is an accumulation of the karmagati, i.e. the karmic propensity of the soul from countless births and deaths. The sense about the soul, its existence in the various dimensions, the inherent, unalterable laws by which it earns good and bad and evolves are the Soul Knowledge. In the present age (kali yuga) man has the possibilities of full awakening.  For this he needs the guidance of the Guru in his life. This alone helps not religious rituals and theories. Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru has discovered this reality and has expounded a way of life suited to this age, based on His realization and teaching. The contrast between spirituality and religion is clearly distinguished. While religious traditions present human beings as separate identities, the spiritual view brings out the universality in us.

The Age Specific Spiritual Guidance

The Manu tradition of Indian spirituality has provided humanity a time scale of Yugas (cosmic seasons). The basis of this Manu calendar is the Divine Will that governs the movement of nature and cosmos. The great gurus in each epoch who received the knowledge of this cosmic design relevant to that yuga led people in dharma, karma and worship of God, which defines Yuga Dharma. Spirituality ultimately relates to this spiritual administration or Yuga Dharma. The plethora of religious complexities today springs from a lack of relation with this cosmic design.  It was revealed to the disciples of Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru that it was a great spiritual error that led to a deviation in Yuga Dharma. Despite the sacrifice of great souls humanity could not be guided to the path of Truth. Thereafter, it was revealed that the restoration of Yuga Dharma is the mission of Guru, by correcting the wrong courses of human life and their ill effects consequent upon that deviation. In the dharma of Kali Yuga, everything must be oriented to the Supreme. The Guru must be Parabrahma Guru (the Supreme Divinely Commissioned Guru). The mantra, initiation, prayer, meditation and all else must be in relation to the Supreme. In the scriptures, the Jnana portion (knowledge portion) becomes relevant. Only darshanam (visions), asareeri (clairvoyance) emanating from the Supreme must be accepted.

Revelatory Visions

In the long duration of a Manu age, partitioned by time zones such as Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali, a spiritual authority manifests age after age for the spiritual evolution of human race. Such a spiritual authority imparts to humanity the dharma to be followed in each age. But in course of time this path of knowledge (Jnana Margam) was lost, which had negative repercussions on the material and spiritual planes. This lost path has been rediscovered by Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru. Guru has not only restored this process of knowledge but also perfected it and gifted it to humanity for its true progress. While correcting spiritual visions of the disciples, Guru taught them at the experiential level that the sources of visions differ. Visions may originate from powers residing in various astral planes, such as – bhootas (demonic spirits), pitrus (ancestral souls), devi-devas (deities), rishis or sanyasis etc. The ultimate vision or the ultimate plane of knowledge is Parabrahmam (The Supreme Light). So a Guru who has attained the Supreme Parabrahmam alone should be relied as the source of Darshanam.  Knowledge of the entire creation, dharma, karma, mistakes and their correction etc. are received through such visions. Science, technology, astral knowledge, disease and medicines, even awareness of the past, present and future can be known in this manner. Our life must be lived with such knowledge and under the guidance of such a Guru. Such a Guru tradition is ordained to be the path of the Kali Age.

Spiritual Rehabilitation 

One of the basic tenets of Sanatana Dharma has been that the future course of an individual’s life depends on the cumulative effects of the residual vices and virtues in one’s jeeva or soul. Unless the inherited impurities or bad effects of misdeeds in past births are removed from one’s jeeva or genetic order, the future life will be influenced and guided by those negative instincts. It means a genetic cleansing is essential for getting more evolved progeny. Though different means have been devised and prescribed by religions and spiritual doctrines, no proper solution has been found to remove impurities and cleanse the evil effects in one’s jeeva and thus make possible a noble human life. After His spiritual completion, Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru became the divinely commissioned Guru to perform the cleansing or rehabilitation of the manes (ancestral souls), deities, etc. This cleansing ensures the birth of children free from the bad effects of past lives. This is an astral task of spiritual intercession performed by the spiritually designated disciple following Guru’s instruction and has no parallel that we know of. In Santhigiri Guru Parampara child birth is planned after this spiritual purification known as Gurupooja. Guru envisions the emergence of a new human race and a world order through such wisdom-filled children. 

A New Spiritual Initiative

The Spiritual Abode of Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

 

In the year 1926, Sri Aravinda Maharshi, the great Indian sage had seen in a vision the descent of the Supramental Light to the earth accompanied by Sri Krishna. Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru was born on 1 September 1927 at Chandrioor in Alleppy district of Kerala, after ten months of this vision. Guru experienced the radiant presence of Sri Krishna in Him until the age of nine. This experience had remained a mystery to the Guru for long.  He had an intense desire to lead a monastic life. In His search for an Ashram, Guru found out the Advaita Ashram of Sri Narayana Guru at Aluva, in Kerala. He was just thirteen years old then. The next seventeen years, He lived in the Sivagiri Mutt and its branch ashrams. Guru was trying to find a spiritual guide to clarify His doubts about the childhood spiritual experiences and lead Him further. For long He could not find a right spiritual guide. 

While He was living at the branch of Sivagiri Mutt at Aruvipuram in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, Guru decided to observe a spiritual vow for forty one days atop the Koditooki hills nearby.  On the forty first day of this spiritual observance, the Saibaba of Sirdi appeared before Him in vision. The Guru took it as a good omen. Within a day or two after this, a well-wisher arrived at Aruvipuram and guided Guru to a Sufi saint by the name Qureshia Fakir, who was popularly known as Pattani Swami. The Fakir lived in the vicinity of Beema Masjid, near Thiruvananthapuram.  Pattani Swami initiated Guru into mystical experiences and clarified His doubts. After years of struggle, self-sacrifices and spiritual wanderings, Guru established Santhigiri Ashram at Pothencode, near Thiruvananthapuram, in the year 1965. On the day of Guru’s spiritual fulfilment, a word was received from the Divine Light: What I wished for ages has been fulfilled now, signifying the re-establishment of the lost jnana path related to the spiritual order of Manvantara. Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru left the earthly plane on 6th May, 1999 inaugurating a new spiritual era. It was revealed that this day is to be celebrated as Nava Oli Jyotir Dinam - Sarvamangala Sudinam, i.e. the All-Auspicious Day of the New Light.

Mukundan P.R.

The Spiritual Basis of Indian Systems of Medicine

The growing importance of Integrated Medicines and Complementary Medicines gives us two messages. One is that no single medical system today is able to effectively address all health problems of man. Modern medicine is indeed helpful in emergency medical situations. However, when it comes to curing simple health problems such as fever or stress and strain it cannot do so without administering medicines that have side effects. Similar is the case with the treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes etc. that involve drugs having side effects. The concept of Integrated Medicine attains more and more importance in this scenario.

The second message is the increasing realization that human body is not just a mechanical system; it has a subjective aspect which is directly or indirectly related to health. A treatment system that neglects man’s subjective or spiritual makeup cannot be said as a wholesome curative system. Here comes, the role of Alternative Medical Systems such as Ayurveda and Siddha. The ancient Indian sages connected the health of man with his subjective status, i.e. his mind, thoughts and deeds and the consequences it has on health. So these seers developed a comprehensive and holistic medicine system. All types of chemicals, minerals, metals and enzymes are available in nature in natural form. They discovered that by using preparations out of medicinal herbs, roots and other natural substances in right measure and combination, the human body could be cured of all deficiencies and diseases without causing any harm to the internal systems.

The Indian systems of medicine are more synchronized with the subjective aspect of human body. A person can become physically and mentally sick because of the disturbed flow of prana, i.e. the flow of vital breath in the body. Vital breath in human body is like the air inside a football. If the air becomes too much or too less it would not be possible for the ball to remain in shape. Its proportion should be accurate. The vital breath or prana is centered in different parts of the body. There would be problems if its flow becomes less or more. The disturbed prana affects three parts in the body – namely the chest, stomach and head. How does the pranic flow gets disturbed in the body? It is here the subjective aspect of health and disease comes up.

The flow of prana gets disturbed when mind gets agitated owing to various reasons. Wrong life style, excessive desire, greed, anger and other emotions and the consequent sinful deeds disturb the equilibrium and tranquility of mind. When the mind gets disturbed, the vital breath also becomes erratic and causes imbalances in the body humors, which leads to sickness. So, we can understand how greatly our health is connected with our mind, thoughts and deeds.

‘Aadhi becomes vyadhi’, i.e. worries and tensions lead to disease, said the sages. The disturbances in the flow of prana affect the brain, the digestive system and the heart. The different treatments suggested in Ayurveda like internal lubrication (snehapanam), emissive (vamanam) and purgative (virejanam) treatments seek to lessen the stiffness of prana. The Indian systems of medicine had become nearly extinct in the face of modern medicine. A lot of errors had also crept into its practice and application. In the 1970s, on divine promptings, Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru initiated the spiritual revival of Ayurveda and Siddha. Guru restored these systems to their original purity and thus removed the gloom that had fallen on them. Guru prophesied that the Indian systems of medicine would flourish in the coming years just like modern medicine. One can notice the phenomenal popularity and growth of alternative medicines such as Ayurveda and Siddha since then.

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru recognized the karmic and spiritual distortions of an individual as the cause of incurable diseases and genetic problems. Guru propounded a new healthcare doctrine known as Nava Arogya Dharma Siddhantham, the New Dharma of Healthcare, which calls for the integration of spiritual and physical aspects of health incorporating treatment methods from all health sciences, both modern and traditional. This was how the concept of Integrated Treatment Method began to spread.

Mukundan P.R.

The History of Original Sin

The history of the ‘original sin’ is a very important topic because it has the potential to unite us spiritually. The story of original sin is related to the history of Manu or Adam, which is still shrouded in mystery. The Bible writers mention about the story of Adam and Ave and the sin they committed against the will of God. It is presented as a myth, which is both conceptually vague and lacking in historical details. The Adam myth relates to a long forgotten spiritual error in the history of human race, which is little different from the one mentioned in the Bible. First of all, Bible creates the impression that Adam and Eve were the first human beings who lived in the garden of God (it is not clear whether it was on the earth or in the heaven) and that their sexual union after eating the forbidden apple disobeying the word of God had caused their fall.

The Biblical myth related to Adam in the Genesis and his lineage up to Noah appears in one of the Hindu Puranas (Bhavishya Purana, 4^th Ch.). It has been mentioned here that Adaman and Haimavati (equivalent to Adam and Eve) were living in their heavenly abode. Adaman ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of sin and they were expelled from the heavens. The names of Adaman’s successors have close resemblance to the Biblical names, Adam for Adaman, Seth for Shwethanama, Enoch for Anoohan, Kenan for Keenashan, Mahallalel for Mahallalan, Methuselah for Manochillan, Lamech for Lomakan and Noah for Newhan.

However, I shall present a different version of the original sin and the spiritual status of Adam according to the original vision of Indian rishis (sages). The word Adam was derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Adi’ (the First or Origin) says Blavatsky, the Russian mystic, who was one of the founders of the Theosophical Society in her book The Secret Doctrine: ‘Even the name of the first man (Adam) in the Mosaic Bible had its origin in India… the words ‘Ad’ and ‘Adi’ mean in Sanskrit ‘the First’, in Armenian, ‘One’ (Ad-ad, the Only One); in Assyrian, ‘Father’, whence Ak-Ad or ‘Father Creator’. And once the statement is found correct it becomes rather difficult to confine Adam to the Mosaic Bible alone and to see therein simply a Jewish name’. (The Secret Doctrine, Adam Adami, Page 44).

The equivalent name for Adam and Eve in Indian spirituality is Manu and Satarupa. Manu is not an earthly creation (nor is he the author of Manusmriti with the same name). He is the First Born of God or the First Cosmic Person, the Father in Heaven, the nucleus of all karma, the functional activities in the manifested world. A solar system is born out of the conception of Manu. Because of this, the rishis calculated the age of the universe in terms of Manvantara, after the name of Manu. Fourteen such Manus or Adams appear in a single episode of creation called ‘Kalpa’ which is time-space continuum formed by billions of years (4,320,000,000 years). The time of one Manu cycle is equal to 306,720,000 years consisting of 71 age-quartets or chaturyugas. One chaturyuga consists of four cosmic ages (Yugas), viz. Satya (golden age), Treta, Dwapara and Kali. We are living in the Kali Yuga, the last leg of the 28^th age-quartet of the seventh Manu cycle. Kali Yuga has a duration of 4,32,000 years and it has begun only 5200 years ago after the time of Sri Krishna according to Manvantara time reckoning.

The first ray of life originated in the waters of the earth billions of years ago out of the copulation of cosmic rays from the sun and moon in rhythm with the planetary movements in the solar system and in alignment with twenty seven stars and twelve constellations (zodiacs). Life evolved and evolved and it became man, in the perfect image of God. The spiritual evolution of man happens through a brotherhood of Mahatmas or Preceptors, who appear at the turn of every age (as well as within the duration of a long age), according to the spiritual requirement of every age. This is the temporal spiritual architecture of God and this has been named as Sanatana Dharma, meaning the ‘Eternal Religion’. This is mentioned here as a preamble to explain when and how the original sin occurred.

Everything went on in accordance with the Will of God. Then a great preceptor in the Manu lineage committed an error by equating himself to God. His name was Satyatrana. In his spiritual ecstasy and supreme God realization, he uttered:  ‘I am God’. It went against the Will of God and he fell from the grace of God. An individual evolute may realize God but cannot equate himself to God. The mistake had egoistic origin. The above said error happened in the 3rd chaturyuga of the present Manu cycle. As a consequence, a curse came from God: ‘May the memory of Manu be erased from the human race’. Thus, the awareness about Manu, the Adam of human race was lost. A long age of darkness followed. Then, in the 7th chaturyuga, God initiated a correction through three spiritual entities – Siva, Vishnu and Brahma. Thereafter, the system of worshipping gods and goddesses in different names and manners originated all over the world – in India, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, etc.

The very error, which happened to Satyatrana gets repeated with the gods too as gods began to be equated with the Supreme. A preceptor in this tradition charts the cosmic time order of Manus as subservient to Brahma, the god of creation in Hinduism. Gods were erroneously equated with the supreme God through mythological treatises (puranas). The Will of God is violated…  Interpolations take place in the scriptures. The way of spiritual guidance through the sages in the Manu lineage is ignored. A system of worship based on the propitiation of gods and goddesses gains strength in which priests became the spiritual authority.

The spiritual order of Manu was distorted. Great avatars like Krishna and Buddha and various other sages appeared to rectify this error. When their efforts failed, God sent messengers and prophets such as Moses, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed and others in other parts of the world. It has been revealed that 2444 Gurus have taken birth in India and in different parts of the world for this purpose since the beginning of this Kali age. The story does not end there. The prophets and messengers of God are persecuted by powerful super-evil spirits scuttling the mission of these messengers. The Will of God remains unfulfilled and humanity suffers again without true spiritual guidance. Then all great souls pray for a divine intervention. Several sages predict the birth of a Divine Soul in the 20^th century.

September 1st, 1927 – the Divine Soul in many prophesies is born in Kerala, known as Gods Own Country. His name is Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru. God initiates a long awaited correction through Him. In the year 1973, new revelations were made to the Guru from the Supreme Light about the aforesaid history of the original sin occurred in the spiritual order of Manu. These revelations are never available in any scriptures. It is a new beginning, a new spiritual dawn.

References:

1.  Rigveda

2.  Manu Smriti

3.  Old Testament

4.  The Secret Doctrine, Madam Blavatsky

5.  A Dialogue on Human Prospect, Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru, Santhigiri Publications

6. The Riddle of Manu, Manvantara Avatars and World Teacher Prophesies, Mukundan P.R., Santhigiri Publications

How God Created This World?

Although we might have disagreements on the idea of a God with attribute, some basic facts are common, which can take us forward to a unitive idea of God.  For example, let us examine the idea of Adam and Eve. The Bible has not been able to explain the myth of Adam and Eve in depth and therefore, rational minds cannot digest it and reject them as mere myths. The idea of God manifesting as a human archetype is much older than Bible as it comes from earlier civilizations. This idea is related to a cosmic system, which any person can perceive in the nature around us. Our family is an atomized version of this cosmic truth. What makes a family? A family is made up of a man and woman. From the union of husband and wife a third comes into being, the child.  This new life is born through the sweat of man and woman in the waters of the womb. 

The sages mention that a similar concept lies behind the creation of solar system. Our solar system is another family unit. In it, sun is the intelligence principle and the moon mind. The sun is the father and the moon mother. The earth is the child from their union because it is the sweat of the sun and moon in the form of sun rays and moon rays that sustains life on earth. In a macro level, these examples show the possible way how life is produced and sustained in the world. The same principle works in a micro level or astral level.  Echoing this cosmic truth of creation, the ancient Indian seers revealed thus in the Upanishads: 

‘God Himself took the form of an egg. He remained in it for a year and divided it into two. The lower part is the earth and the upper part was the sky. In the middle of it, God in the form of a Divine Person existed with thousand feet and thousand hands. This Divine Person brooded. Then from His forehead a ball of sweat fell down. That sweat became the waters and pervaded everywhere. In those waters, there arose a golden sphere, in the form of an egg. From that egg, the four faced Primal Father - the First Born of God was born. He then divided himself into a man and woman. All created beings have their origin from them...’ 

The name of that Divine Person in Indian spirituality is known as Manu, the human archetype, after whose name the cosmic time is calculated in terms of Manvantara, the age of a Manu. This Manu or Adam is not an earthly entity. It is an astral entity or spiritual authority governing our solar system. Life on earth began in a scientific way in line with the theory of evolution. A scientific view of creation is provided by the ancient Indian sages in the Sankhya philosophy as well as in the Vedas and Upanishads much before the birth of modern science by way of revelations or mystical experiences. The same creation myth is found adapted in many other ancient civilizations with minor differences. We cannot entirely negate all this as mere myth because it is the inherited spiritual wisdom of humanity. God has not created the world through a magic wand. He has adopted a perfectly scientific method to create and evolve life, which science would prove in the near future. God has not hidden any truth from Him. It is man who is ignorant. 

Mukundan P.R.

Spiritual Aspects behind Marriage and Childbirth

Spiritual Aspects behind Marriage and Childbirth

The painful conflicts in the families, the breakdown of marriages, incidents of physical as well as mental deformities and the delinquent behaviour of children are caused by the thoughtless marriages performed by ignorant parents, who have neither understood the path of spiritual guidance from a wise seer nor its positive effects in life. Sensual gratification rather than spiritual fulfillment is guiding the man-woman relationship. The increasing trend of abortions, the culture of contractual marriages and divorces reflect this moral degradation.

Humankind has reached this ruinous state because our society has long ago deviated from the guidance of omniscient sages who can reveal the true secrets of life. Man has become more religious than spiritual. He has been unable to grasp the depth of important life-cycle ceremonies like marriage, birth and death, the spiritual aspect of man-woman relationship etc. These life-cycle ceremonies and relationships are divine in nature because they are related to one’s spiritual evolution and that of the family stock or gotra. The breakdown of the institution of family seen in the advanced Western countries is owing to this spiritual ignorance about the depth of family life. 

Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru said that if a woman could be led to spiritual enlightenment that family would become blessed and through such uplifted families, the society and the nation would evolve to a healthy future. A woman through her virtuousness can guide her family to a positive direction. However, she needs spiritual guidance for the nourishment of her family. We can receive spiritual guidance only from an elevated seer. Not knowing the true character of an elevated seer, a few women fall in the trap of fake swamis, fakirs, padiris, tantriks and jyotishis and are cheated, which brings a bad name to the brotherhood of elevated spiritual masters, authentic ashrams and spiritual institutions.

We should not confuse the tantriks, jyotishis, evangelists, priests and the like with the true guru concept. Because of such bogus and questionable spiritual practices and beliefs and because of their own ignorance about true spirituality, both the learned and the uneducated generally view ashrams and gurus with suspicion. It would be beneficial to go through the Sree Gurugita published by Santhigiri Ashram, which mentions about the different types of gurus and the characteristics of a true Guru. 

We must realize that without a true preceptor, we cannot improve spiritually and materially. Some rich communities in India such as Marwaris, Sindhis, Punjabis and Gujaratis became prosperous because they lived respecting and serving their gurus and accepting their guidance. Recently somebody reported that Kerala spends approx. Rs.10, 000 billion per annum on rituals in temples, which is a sign that people are getting more and more ritualistic than spiritual. Different from this crowd of favour seekers at the doors of temples and darghas, for the people in the sagely path, spirituality is a meritorious way of life that would transform them for the better both spiritually and materially.

A successful and enduring marriage is fundamental to the health of a family, which is possible only when the couples are united spiritually. Therefore, a Guru gives the nod for marriage only after looking into the spiritual, cultural and ancestral background of couples. A mismatch in any of these aspects would adversely affect their family life including the life of their children. However, this need not be on the basis of one’s birth, caste, community and religion. It is purely a spiritual alignment of couples under the All-knowing Guru. With this type of marriage a pristine gotra or Guru Parampara is born.

Guru cleanses the harmful astral and ancestral aspects of the marriageable couple for the birth of a pure lineage free from cultural and genetic drawbacks. After marriage, Guru gives the couple necessary guidance on how to live as husband and wife. He advises about the prayers, sankalpam and other sacred deeds including the auspicious time for the birth of a virtuous child. The followers of Guru perform certain rituals and prayers, especially during the seventh month, which helps the developing baby in the womb. Thus, the life of the couple becomes spiritually oriented. 

Bringing up a child too is as important as the regimen and rituals required for the birth of a fortunate child, free of genetic and cultural drawbacks. The habits of a child are moulded during its early years and adolescence. Good and bad children are born from a mother. The mother should pray and do sankalpam for getting rid of the bad traits in children. The mother should try to change the bad characteristics through loving and painful prayer. Like food, which is important for the body, prayer is as much important for the soul. 

The women in the path of Guru are weaned away from decadent and meritless religious beliefs and rituals and atheistic beliefs of some people who neglect spiritual aspects altogether. They are guided to a healthy spiritual vision based on eternal values and verities based on the sage tradition of India. In the final count, we can say that a true social transformation can take place only through spiritually sensitized women and families in the society. 

Spiritual masters and prophets were innumerable in human history, but their followers seem to have given only a cursory importance to the astral aspects behind marriage and childbirth including the spiritual mentoring of women. The guidance initiated by Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru is a correction in this regard.

Mukundan PR