Dusherra

October 13, 2013

Today is Dusherra in India - a day that symbolises the Victory of Good Over Evil.

This was the day when Lord Rama, God Incarnate of the Hindus, vanquished the greatest evil in the world, personified in the form of Ravana, the Powerful and Evil King.

The battle which was said to have occurred some thousands of years ago used weapons of destruction which could well have been compared with the Nuclear Missiles of today!

When all weapons failed on the Evil King, Ravana, Lord Rama invoked the Brahmastra, which literally means the Weapon of God, and thereafter vanquished his foe.

On the day of Dushhera, an effigy of Ravana is burnt in all parts of India, About one billion people celebrate this festival and even the Prime Minister and President of India go to watch the burning of Ravana, symbolising the burning of Evil within man.

But is Ravana really dead? I think not. Judging from the killings, wars and inhumanity of man to man these days, I would say Ravana is pretty much alive in the hearts of many. Or shall we say Satan still lives!

Anyway, on the festival of Dusshera it is common practice to see the grand play of Lord Rama and The Evil King Ravana enacted on stage by ordinary folk dressed up like Lord Rama and Ravana.

They put on a tinsel crown -- and voila! there is Lord Rama on the stage, and another tinsel crown for Ravana, and viola! - there is Ravana on the stage.

In the attached picture, I am wearing a tinsel crown, dressed in my jacket and tie, but maybe enacting Lord Rama at home in celebration of Dussehra!!

Fortunately there is no Ravana around, except for the bad weather!!

But I have to be careful. Like they say "Speak of the Devil and the Devil is there!"

Maybe the real Lord Rama will be there to take care of him when he comes, till then let us hope my tinsel crown will ward him off!

Happy Diwali

November 2, 2013
Here is a little Clay "Deepak" of light with oil and a wick. Millions of such Deepaks are lit all over India on Diwali the festival of Lights as a symbol of the Victory of Light over Darkness, i.e. Victory of Good over Evil.

May this little deepak light three other deepaks in the heart of everyone --- the lights of Love, Faith, and Service, lights that may never go out and burn till eternity! I share this beautiful picture of a Deepak sent to me by my Dear Friend, Marlon Kempmann!

DIVINE BLISS IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING

October 26, 2013
Memoirs of my Father HH Shri Bhola Nathji, (1902-1992), the Founder of the World Prayer Day for Peace.

It was only Shri Bhola Nathji who was capable of great poise and peace and bliss in the midst of acute and unbearable physical pain and suffering. This was not an ordinary occurrence but one which revealed his Divine Power and the Divinity of His Soul.

The year was 1943. Shri Nathji was in acute physical pain after an abortive operation on his right arm by an egoistic FRCS Surgeon at the King George Medical Hospital, Lucknow. Infection had set in after the operation and Shri Nathji was having septic fevers. The pain in the wound at the elbow was excruciating which no human being could have endured.

At this time there was an unearthly glow on Shri Nathji's face and a look of absolute peace and calm, nay, a look of divine bliss which filled the beholder with infinite peace which went deep down into his soul.

Not only was his face exuding divine bliss but he was speaking to all and sundry visitors who came to see him. And his words carried such power that the people would sit before him, tears streaming from their eyes, lost in another world, where the cares and worries of this world ceased to exist and there was only peace and bliss and God. People experienced God in HH Shri Nathji, it was a feeling that came from within their hearts and souls.

Even in such acute pain and physical suffering Shri Nathji was giving peace and happiness to others.

He would say: "I am like a candle that burns in fire but gives light to others!"

Doctors had told him that the sepsis, the infection, and the poison of the wound in the arm was spreading through his entire body and that even if the arm were amputated, there were few chances that they could save his life.

At this he said:

"A flame that must die out with time will consider its burning to be fortunate if even its last rays can give light to a single man about to stumble and fall in the dark!"

Doctors had put up this board outside his room:

"No visitors allowed"

However he had this board removed and had another board put in in its place:

"The giving of Thanks has absorbed me so,
That to complain of sufferings I have no time!"

In one of the greatest miracles of modern medical science he recovered miraculously and continued with his work for several years more in life till the age of 90 in 1992.

The fact was that he had taken upon his body the sufferings of a world at war with itself during the days of the Second World War when people were being wounded and killed daily. As soon as peace was declared in 1945, HH Shri Nathji's arm healed by itself.

In the picture attached we see him when he was very ill and in a state of acute physical suffering. The cape across his right shoulder covers his right arm which was in a sling.

The absolute peace and bliss on his face is incredible. His eyes reveal divinity, compassion and love for humanity and seem to see through your soul and to fill it with a divine bliss with a single glance.

He was neatly dressed as ever in a colorful maroon scarf and a dark coat.

He had tied his seven yard turban with perfection using only his left arm, which was a miracle in itself!

Shri Nathji dressed with perfection only to please others. Since his was an incredibly handsome personality with a divine glow on it and with perfect aquiline features, people always wished to see him in the best of clothes and so he dressed up for them with love.

Every action of his life was to give happiness to people in any way that he could.

He would say:

"I believe I have bargained well with my life in this world. I gave away this life, which was to go in any case, in the service of humanity!"

THOUGHTS OF HH SHRI BHOLA NATHJI(1902-1992) THE FOUNDER OF THE WORLD PRAYER DAY FOR PEACE.

October 22, 2013
WHAT IS LOVE?

What is love? Wouldst thou know? It is in thee, but it reveals not itself. The love of a father, the love of a son, the love of a relative, a friend, all exist in thy heart but thou canst not feel the love till the time the object of thy love comes before thee.

A wave of love surges in the breast of the father the moment he sets eyes upon his son. And so it is with friend and friend.

If thou wouldst love thy Eternal Beloved, if thou wouldst love the Eternal Beauty, then pray thou to Him to manifest Himself so that the love hidden in thee may recognize its object and thou mayest feel this love.

The moth is filled with love when it beholds the flame and the nightingale is filled with love when it beholds the flower emerging from the bud – how canst thou feel the love for thy Beloved unless the Beloved appear before thee? Love shall came to thee afterwards.

Meet thou the Beloved first. The moment He appears before thee, waves of love will surge in thy heart.

Thou do ask “How can a Beloved exist if there be no love?” This is true. But bear thou in thyself a love for love itself, in the beginning.

Pray to Him. Hear the tales of His beauty.

Meet His Lovers. Then only will thy humble invitation reach Him and He shall accept it. He shall come to thee and shall fill thee with His love. And then shalt thou understand the meaning of love. The love that was asleep in thee shall be awakened and thou shall merge into it forever.

THOUGHTS OF HH SHRI BHOLA NATHJI (1902-1992) FOUNDER OF THE WORLD PRAYER DAY FOR PEACE OF MIND

"ANGER"

Anger has been granted to you. Not needlessly. It is yours, and you must keep it with yourself. Why distribute it freely to others?

You are not possessed with an infinite share of anger that you may use it so callously.

Anger – for it is a weapon – has been given to you for your own good.

Use it to destroy your pride; use it to burn all that is evil in you; use it to still all desires that oppose goodness; use it to overcome diversity.

Laziness, ignorance and sin – all must be shorn by this sword, and buried forever.

Flourish this sword thus, and be victorious. Life is a struggle, which has been going on for ages on this battle-field, within the mind.

You must enter this field and then, having overcome these tentacles of desire, convert the struggle to an everlasting peace.

Look within yourself and hear what your soul has to say; hear what the aim of your life is and then follow that path fervently, utilizing this weapon of anger as a deterrent for all evil tendencies that oppose the voice of your soul.

SHRI NATHJI ATTACKED BY BULL IN AGRA

October 23, 2013

From the memoirs of my father, HH Shri Bhola Nathji (1902-1992) the Founder of the World Prayer Day for Peace.

On October 22, 2013, this year it was Karvaachauth-- a day of fasting for married Indian women in India. Almost the entire country observes this day, when about half a billion women observe a fast for a whole day for the welfare and long life of their husbands. It is the way a married woman shows her love for her husband.

The women eat only after the moon comes out in the sky and they have observed it, at which time they perform a small ceremony and
then take the first meal of the day.

The year was 1947. Shri Bhola Nathji was in Agra where the Taj Mahal is located.

It was Karvaachauth, and Smt. Savitri Devi, the wife of HH Shri Bhola Nathji was observing a fast for the welfare and long life of her husband, HH Shri Bhola Nathji.

On that day, Shri Nathji had gone on a walk along a narrow path, which was blocked at the end by a wall and a row of houses on either side.

Quite suddenly a crazed bull rushed down the narrow lane towards Shri Nathji, its head down and its horns extended.

Shri Nathji found himself with his back to the wall.

It was a scene that would have unnerved even the bravest of men.

He waited patiently for the bull to come.

Just when the bull was within inches of Shri Nathji it suddenly stopped and fell down on its front knees and lay down in a docile manner.

It was a miracle witnessed by many onlookers who had been with Shri Nathji.

Those who believed in the divinity of HH Shri Bhola Nathji knew that it was his miracle that a crazed bull stopped dead in its tracks and lay quietly on the ground in front of him, as if in salute to the Divine Power.

But Shri Bhola Nathji said:

"It is all the miracle of my wife, Savitri Deviji, who was observing the fast of Karvaachauth for my welfare and long life!"

Shri Nathji said this to honor Indian women and their time honored fast of Karvaachauth.

If you have any Indian friends you may ask them whether their wives observed the fast of Karvaachauth and even the most modern amongst them will say "Yes!" without exception.

PARABLES OF HH SHRI BHOLA NATHJI (1902-1992) FOUNDER OF THE WORLD PRAYER DAY FOR PEACE

October 17, 2013

"PARABLE OF THE HOLY MAN AND THE KING"

There was a Holy Man who passed underneath the palace of a King. The King happened to be standing in the upper storey balcony of his palace.

The Holy Man called out to him:
"Is there a place in your tavern for me for the night?"

"Tavern?" said the King angrily : "Don't you see that this is my palace and I am the King of the city? Are you trying to insult me!"

The Holy man said: "No, Sire! I am not trying to insult you. But what I see before me is a Tavern!"

"Explain yourself!" said the King still angry and came downstairs to talk to the Holy Man face to face.

"O King!" said the Holy man, "tell me who is on the throne right now?"

"I am on the throne!" said the King.

"Will you remain on the throne always?"

"No!" said the King.

"Who will come on the throne after you are gone?"

"My son!" said the King.

"And will your son remain on the throne always?"

"No! Of course not!" said the King.

" And who will come on the throne after he is gone?" said the Holy man.

"My grandson and then my great grandson and my great great grandson, and so on!" said the Kind finding his temper rising at these questions.

"Who was on the throne before you? "said the Holy man,

"My father! And before him my grandfather and earlier my great grandfather and my great great grandfather and ancestors!" said the irate king.

And the Holy man said with a glow on his face:

"O KING! WHO SAYS THIS IS NOT A TAVERN WHERE SO MANY HAVE COME AND GONE, AND SO MANY MUST COME AND GO!"

This indeed is the picture of the world today. Little do we realise that this world is a place of temporary sojourn, like a tavern, where people come, stay for a while, and then go away.

When we acquire properties and wealth in life, we almost always say: "We know we cannot take it with us. It is meant for our children!"

But sad to say even the children and descendants are not going to stay there, no one is.

The sooner one realises this fact that this world is a place of temporary residence the more content and happy he will become in life and not labour senselessly after material possessions and wealth, all of which he and his descendants must leave behind one day.

This is a stark truth facing us in life and yet we choose to ignore it.