New Year Message from Swami Mukundananda.

Divine Souls, 

It was at the same time last year that we looked upon the 365 days of 2015 in front of us with aspiration and resolve. The year 2015 has now moved down memory lane, and a new set of twelve months is at our doorstep, with fresh promise of opportunity and possibilities. 

Although there is no particular reason to differentiate between days—they are all alike—yet the new year day offers a natural cutoff for releasing the past and re-envisioning the future. From the past, we take invaluable lessons learnt. For the future, we hope and aspire. Then, equipped with wisdom and inspiration, we enrich the quality of life we lead in the present. That is the journey of life— from moment to moment, continuously learning, improving, and growing. As tiny parts of God, we naturally seek to be pure and perfect like him, and we can only rest contented when we reach the goal that God indelibly inked in the blueprint of our personality when he created us at the beginning of eternity. 

So let us utilize the opportunity afforded by the first day of the new year to once again rededicate ourselves at the lotus feet of God and Guru. Let us resolve to realize even more deeply the immense blessings we have received. Filled with gratitude to the Lord, may we soak our hearts in the sweet nectar of his devotion. Let us leave behind the darkness of ignorance as we walk towards the light of truth, divine love, and inner beauty. May we embrace sacrifice, austerity, service, prayer, and, surrender as the bedrocks of our life. May we have faith in the torrents of grace that await us when we learn the secret of selfless love. Let us hope, aspire, resolve, and strive for the highest goal, for that is our soul-nature. And may we “stop not till the goal is reached.”

Let us show our love for Jagadguru Shri Kripaluji Maharaj by sincerely implementing his every instruction and walking the path he compassionately revealed to us. 

Best wishes for the New Year 2016!!! 

Your ever well-wisher, 

Swami Mukundananda 

Winning the battle against the Mind!

At times when we sit to work on an important piece of our assignment, we realize that just when we are trying to focus our mind on a particular subject; it throws up all kinds of thoughts. Retaining our focus on an important subject turns into a battle with the mind. The untamed mind can cost us dearly in terms of lack of creativity, increased stress, loss of memory and a feeling of discontentment.  To win our battle against the restless mind requires us to firstly understand our mind. The mind is a subtle machine that constantly generates thoughts. These thoughts shape our personality and our physical appearance. We look at someone and say, "He seems to be very aggressive", or "She appears to be tensed" etc. The nature of thoughts in a person's mind reflects in the personality and physical appearance. No wonder, when we look at a Saint, we see a very calm and composed personality. At present our mind is scattered. Just as, if the channel button of television set is spoilt, the channels keep changing sporadically. Similarly our mind keeps flipping from topic to topic and hence we are unable to derive the maximum benefit out of its potential. If only we could channelize the thoughts in our mind and learn to concentrate it, we could increase the extent to which we are able to utilize its potential. This is where meditation has given us the power to harness the latent potential of our mind.  Meditation techniques have been described in the ancient scriptures and passed down numerous generations. Simply put, "Meditation is the practice to persistently direct our thoughts to one focal point". Some practitioners focus on the breath, others on the eyebrow centre, others on the psychic centres in the spinal cord, etc. In order to tame the mind through meditation, it requires repeated practice, akin to physical practice. Initially a person may find it difficult to focus the mind for even two minutes, but with repeated practice a person can go on to practice meditation for hours at a stretch. All that one needs to do is make a firm resolve to discipline the mind. Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says,               "man ko māno śhatru usaki, sunahu jani kachhu pyāre" "Declare war on your mind. Do the opposite of what it says, and soon it will stop bothering you." Instructions of doing Meditation:- Select a quiet and clean place to meditate, which is free from distractions. Sit in a comfortable meditative posture.  Ensure that your back is upright. Close your eyes and relax your body. Have a slight smile on your face. Keep your eyes closed till the end of this meditation exercise. As you listen to the meditation, create the same type of feeling in your mind. Slowly and steadily breadth in and breathe out. Concentrate on your breathing rhythm.