Yours from me, this namaska’r.
Cognance of who we really are.
A shape to hold when souls seem far.
One light, my comet and your star.

“When the aesthetic sense, based on subtle aesthetic science, comes to touch a certain standard, it is what is called mysticism. And when this mysticism reaches the pinnacle of human glory, or the excellence of human glory, it is called spirituality.

What is mysticism? Mysticism is the never-ending endeavour to find out the link between the finite and the infinite. It is a never-ending endeavour to find out a link between the self and the Super-Self. This is mysticism.”

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, in Yoga Psychology

“The Cosmic Entity alone is infinite and eternal. It alone is limitless. And the eternal longing of human beings for happiness can only be satiated by realisation of the Infinite.

The ephemeral nature of worldly possessions, power and position can only lead one to the conclusion that none of the things of the finite and limited world can set at rest the everlasting urge for happiness. Their acquisition merely gives rise to further longing. Only realisation of the Infinite can do it.

The Infinite can be only one, and that is the Cosmic Entity. Hence it is only the Cosmic Entity that can provide everlasting happiness — the quest for which is the characteristic of every human being.

In reality, behind this human urge is hidden the desire, the longing, for attainment of the Cosmic Entity. It is the very nature of every living being. This alone is the dharma [the fundamental nature] of every person.”

- Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, in ‘Ananda Marga: Elementary Philosophy‘

“So many scriptures say so many things, and they are sometimes contradictory to one another. Now what to do? What is an ordinary man to do? Whom to follow and whom not to follow?

There are so many social codes in the world. And amongst intellectuals there are so many diversities of opinion. One intellectual doesn’t express, doesn’t recommend, doesn’t support, the views of others. And it is the greatest weakness of intellectuals that they always encourage disunity. They always support heterogeneity.

Then where lies the secret of Dharma [the innate nature of humanity]? ‘Dharma’ means ‘spirituality’ – not ‘spiritualism’, but spirituality’.

Now the Supreme Entity [the One Infinite Consciousness], the Controlling Entity, the final stance of Dharma, lies covert within one’s own ‘I’ feeling. That is, you are to search internally and not externally.

Everything is within you, because the Supreme always remains with you, within the very core of your heart. So search within, O spiritual aspirant, not without, but within – within your very existence.

Your only object of ideation is the Supreme, and not any dogma, not any scripture.”

- Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, 13 May 1979, Fiesch, Switzerland

“The darkness of evolutionary night began to fade centuries ago when the first ape-like creature deserted his tree-branch kingdom and shambled out into the light of the plain. He was guided by something he could not understand: something un-apelike and impossible for his comrades. Somehow, somewhere in his seething body chemistry, something had changed. In his brain lay the seed of humanity; in his strangely bright eyes, the dark shadow of a hidden dream.

Time passed slowly. The new creatures developed and multiplied. The wonderful changes in their bodies and minds continued; their brains, nerves and glandular systems grew in complexity and specialisation. New behaviour patterns evolved and after some time, emotions and feelings unknown and denied to all previous forms of life found their means of expression. The Dawn of Man was reached at that auspicious hour.

The waves of thought generated by that first human expression vibrate even to this day in the unconscious mind of every human being. Everyone of us carries within him the hidden memory of that first sunrise, and even beyond it into the darkness of antiquity. We are, by means of this primordial memory, which is part of our human heritage, intimately connected to all forms of life.”

‘Supreme Expression 1′ p.328, by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar

It’s election time in south India and the propaganda is overspilling onto the streets.

Is it just coincidence that so many members of the Gandhi/Nehru family have been in power in this country?

Or that George Bush Junior followed in the footsteps of his father?
Could there be another reason?

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar commented that democracy – so often deified as the one true path – amounts to nothing more than mob rule. Since politicians are required to win as many votes as possible, their policies are naturally watered down and thoroughly conservative.

What percentage of the average electorate can be considered to be politically educated or, dare I say, wise? When the population of a country votes according to the views of mass media and political broadcasting, what hope is there of truly progressive leadership? In our society, we find the lowest common denominator being the guiding principle…

Could we imagine our nations being governed by the wise? And what if these sages had absolute power… Would their benevolent dictatorship improve on our flawed democracy?

Would the moralist revolutionaries please step forward! You time is coming now…

“I was on the train and there was a sudden jolt forward … There was a really hard banging from the carriage next door to us after the explosion – that’s where it happened. There was a fire beside me. I saw flames outside on the window of my carriage … I saw bodies. I think some people may have died.”
- Sarah Reid, the tube at Liverpool Street

Many stories have emerged from London of people coming out of themselves to help each other, amidst the panic of the bombs. I’ve felt a real sense of camaraderie, where normally we would expect just anonymous faces in the crowd.

It is this collective spirit that gives me hope. In times of adversity, we see how people can empathise and care for each other. Let us hold onto this spirit in the coming days, as the nine-to-five slog struggles to re-establish itself as the norm.

The determination of Londoners to join together and get on with their lives has been widely noted and praised. A perfect demonstration of the British “stiff upper-lip” that kept us level-headed during the turmoil of the Blitz and a long history of invasion.

But amidst our resolve to resume life as normal, let us not lose the opportunity to understand why this has happened. Let us not blindly absolve our responsibilities to the powers-that-be. They have played their part in creating this. Their greedy and divisive aims must be exposed and challenged – and at the same time, the selfish lie of the terorrists’ dogma must be laid bare and crushed.

We have fanatics on both sides. May we hold dear to our heart-felt, human values and fight the vested interests on all sides until the true spirit of humanity is established.

“However dense the cimmerian darkness may be, the crimson dawn must follow. The fiends of hell may burst out in loud laughter, but all must fade in the void with the sunrise…

Those who love humanity and those who desire the welfare of living beings should be vigorously active from this very moment, after shaking off all lethargy and sloth, so that the most auspicious hour arrives at the earliest.”
- Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, New Year’s Day, 1971

Today is the first full moon in May, a traditionally auspicious day known as “Ananda Purnima” (the blissful full-moon). On this day in 1921, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar was born in Jamalpur, India.

His early work as a railway clerk betrayed little of the storm that was soon to occur around him…

Sarkar started teaching yogic meditation to a growing band of followers, later forming the socio-spiritual organisation Ananda Marga. He became known by his spiritual name Shrii Shrii Anandamurti.

In 1959, he propounded a humanistic socio-economic theory, Prout, to challenge both Capitalism and Communism. I remember hearing his comment that society had been unable to fully accept humanism until it had witnessed the horrors of World War Two.

He formed a relief organisation, AMURT, which was the first global NGO founded in the Third World. AMURT has recently been working in the Tsunami region.

Sarkar went on to form a global cultural organisation, RAWA, for the realignment of the arts with the spirit of service and mysticism. And just to show how it was done, he composed a staggering 5018 songs in the last eight years of his life, before passing away in 1990. His collection of songs is called Prabhata Samgiita.

He went on to propound a new concept in science and psychology, called Microvita, and a holistic system of education based on his principles of Neo-Humanism.

Sarkar was a fountain of wisdom on ecology, womens’ issues, linguistics, history, farming and just about everything else that I can think of!

A strict moralist, and a tireless exposer of corruption, he fell on the wrong side of Indira Gandhi’s increasingly authoritarian government. Refusing to keep quiet about social exploitation and his Prout theory, he spent seven years as a political prisoner and survived a poisoning attempt while in jail.

By the time he re-emerged, his ideas had spread throughout the world, and continue to do so today.

So much in one lifetime…

I’ll be thinking of you today. Happy Birthday!