In some states in India, flooding has occurred due to heavy rainfall. Seekers have been caught in the floods. Seekers from other centers can pray consistently for these seekers. The seekers who are caught in the floods should keep faith in God and increase their prayers and chanting and not get disheartened.

Those who are caught in floods, should pray as follows

“O Sri Krishna, only You can take care of us in this difficult situation. Let our chanting and prayers go on consistently. Let our faith in You not waiver in any situation.”

Prayer to be done by seekers of other centers for seekers caught in floods

“O Sri Krishna, some of Sanatan’s seekers are caught in the floods. In this difficult situation You only take care of everyone. Let our chanting and prayers go on continuously. Let our faith in You not waiver in any situation.”

If possible, give psychological support to the people affected by floods!

    Many people caught in the floods become disheartened. In this situation, it is important to give them mental support. If possible, seekers should tell people to say the above prayer and ask them to chant. At the same time, tell them to face the situation with faith in God.

    Whenever there is a calamity, one should face it with spiritual means too, as above.

    The recent torrential rains in Maharashtra (India) caused huge losses to the Sanatan organization’s Devad Ashram, and also to the houses of seekers at various places. Well-wishers and readers who wish to lend a helping hand by way of cash or kind may contact Shri Ramesh Shinde on 9322652711 or 9322652679.

    In early July 2005, a message was published that if a seeker or his family member is seriously ill or dies, chant the ‘Mrutyunjaya Mantra’. The mantra (as per ‘Vedokta’ way) is as follows:

Mrutyunjaya-mantra –

“Om Tryambakam Yajaamahe SugandhinPushtivardhanam
Urvaarukamiva BandhanaanMrutyormuksheeya Maa- mrutaat”

(the alphabets – tryam, dhin, rdha, mi, dha, mru, taa and
the alphabets- su, shti, u, rvaa, ru, va, nmru, ya)

    Since the mantra is ‘Vedokta’, the alphabets mentioned above are to be chanted with a particular resonance. While chanting this mantra in ‘Vedokta’ way, these alphabets need to be pronounced properly. If the pronunciation of the mantra is wrong, it will not have the desired effect. Therefore, seekers unable to chant the mantra in the tune, should chant it in the following way –

“Mrutyunjayaay Rudraay Neelakanthaay Shambhave
Amruteshaay Sharvaay Mahaadevaay Te Namah”

    As this mantra is according to the ‘Purana’ (poetical holy text), it need not be chanted in a tune.

    We are doing a minimum of three auto-suggestion sessions for removal of personality defects during the day. Since it is easier for distressing energies to trouble us through our personality defects, they try to create obstacles in auto-suggestion sessions. Therefore, as a remedial measure, if we do some auto-suggestion sessions during the chanting slots and soon after ‘aarti’, owing to the divine consciousness generated during chanting and ‘aarti’, it will be easier to do the auto-suggestion sessions and the sessions will also be more effective.

    During the Gurupurnima function in one of the districts, the two short plays titled ‘Stop conversion to other religions’ and ‘Stop mockery of deities’ were performed. After the plays, the audience started clapping. At that time, the seeker compeering the function instructed the audience not to clap during the program.

    In the spiritual programs, the ‘sattva (purity)’ component in the atmosphere increases, the audience tends to become introspective and the ‘sattva’ element increases even among the audience. Due to clapping, there is an increase in the ‘raja’ component and the tendency to become introspective decreases. As such, the audience does not get the desired benefit by attending the program. That is the reason for not clapping in spiritual programs.

    At this place, the subject matter of the plays appealed to the audience and they clapped spontaneously. In this case, due to clapping, the tendency to introspect did not reduce. So there was no need to give the instruction for not clapping. Seekers must use their discrimination while giving instructions in the programs.

    Seekers doing the satseva of giving lectures must remember that they are just seekers doing the satseva of delivering a lecture and not ‘the Guru’. They should not behave as if they are different from other seekers, and the organizers of the function and concerned seekers should also not treat such seekers differently.

    Seekers, due to their spiritual emotion, treat the seekers delivering lecture in a different way; but these actions can increase the ego in that seeker (lecturer). In such cases, rather than helping the seeker in his spiritual practice, it will hamper his spiritual progress due to increase in ego.

    Seekers should pay a visit to the temples of ‘Gramdevata (village deity, the protector of residents of that village)’ and ‘Sthandevata (deity of the premises/site)’ once a week, on the days devoted to those deities. The grace of these deities will help to remove the obstacles in our spiritual practice at the gross and subtle levels, and we shall be able to face the difficult times ahead. In the temple, pray that ‘let the obstacles in our individual and collective spiritual practice be removed’.

    Seekers have to face difficult times while doing spiritual practice, for example, bear financial loss, death of a family member or face natural calamities. At such times, family members or other people from society react by telling that seeker ‘what is the use of doing spiritual practice? Even you have to face such tragic incidents’. At such times, seekers should have the following viewpoint:

    The griefs we go through in this life are the result of our own acts in our past lives and are our destiny. The results of our acts done in many lives in the past cannot be changed with one or two years of spiritual practice in this lifetime. There are very few seekers doing rigorous and sincere spiritual practice. Others are not so sincere in their spiritual practice. Under the circumstances, whatever little spiritual practice that is done, results in increasing our strength to go through our destiny, or reduce the severity of our destiny; for example, if a person is destined to bear a financial loss in millions then he will bear such loss in thousands, etc. We do not realize the ‘cause and effect’ principle behind such instances. There are natural calamities when there is a steep rise in the collective transgressions. At such times, God does not help us if our spiritual practice is not much. As the saying goes that ‘When dry grass is set on fire the wet grass also gets burnt’. We need to do intense spiritual practice, only then will we be saved from natural calamities.

    Therefore, we can explain to people trying to create doubts in our mind about the above viewpoint and increase our spiritual practice.

    The distressing energy trouble is more severe on the full and new moon days. The trouble also starts two days prior to such days and exists even two days after. Seekers should therefore do maximum chanting and prayers on these five days. (August 4 and 5, 2005 were new moon days.)

*If one is not currently doing any spiritual practice, or to complement one's current spiritual practice, one can begin with the simple, but powerful spiritual practice of chanting or constantly remembering God's Name according to one's religion. Chanting also acts as a useful complement to any spiritual path one may be already following. It is a practice recommended for the current times by Holy texts and Saints of all religions.

• Seekers in the initial stages of spiritual practice (less than one year) can repeat The Name of the Lord as per their religion (refer to Issue 3 Clarification of Doubts section for details).

• Seekers who have been doing regular spiritual practice for over a year or so can determine the appropriate chant for them from the experiment given in Issue 124, Message to Seekers section.