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Contents
- 1. Importance of spiritual practice
- 2. Main principles of spiritual practice
- 3. Spiritual practice according to the class
- 4. Spiritual practice according to time
- 5. What is the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers (kshatradharma sadhana)?
1. Importance of spiritual practice
Every living being struggles to attain supreme ultimate happiness continually. This happiness is also referred to as Bliss (Anand). Bliss cannot be acquired through education or the recreational gadgets of today. To achieve that one has to undertake spiritual practice. The spiritual practice that should be adopted by one who is not blessed by a Guru is given in ‘Science of Spirituality : Vol. 21 - Introduction to Spirituality and Individual Spiritual Practice and Vol. 2 - Practice of Spirituality and the Seeker’.
2. Main principles of spiritual practice
Since most people are unaware of the principles behind spiritual practice they waste a lifetime by undertaking wrong spiritual practice. To avoid this it is essential to understand the following six principles and undertake spiritual practice accordingly -
1. Going from many to one
2. From the gross to the subtle
3. Spiritual practice according to the spiritual level
4. Spiritual practice according to the class (varna)
5. Spiritual practice according to the stage of life (ashram) and
6. Spiritual practice according to time (kal).
Information on these is given in the two volumes mentioned above and in ‘Science of Spirituality : Vol. 1 C - System of Classes and Stages of Life (ashrams) [Varnashramvyavastha]’ as well. Here information only about spiritual practice according to the class and time with reference to spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers is given in brief.
3. Spiritual practice according to the class
Lord Shrikrushna has said, ‘चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्ट्यं गुणकर्म विभागश: ।’ (Shrimadbhagvadgita 4.13). This means - ‘I have created the four classes based on qualities (guns) and actions (karma)’. Each one is born in a particular class depending on one’s capacity and need for spiritual practice. Ultimately one has to surrender everything - body, mind, wealth and even one’s life unto God. Each one can make rapid spiritual progress sacrificing everything belonging to oneself to God by undertaking spiritual practice according to the class. Spiritual practice according to the class is undertaken as follows.
1. The Shudra (labourer): If one has neither sharp intellect nor wealth then he can serve God, that is the Absolute Truth with his body. This results in sacrifice of the body.
2. The Vaishya (businessman): One who has the capacity to amass wealth through righteous means or the one who is wealthy should offer it for a spiritual cause. This becomes sacrifice of wealth.
3. The Kshatriya (warrior):
असतां प्रतिषेधश्च सतां च परिपालनम् ।
एष राज्ञां परो धर्म: समरे चापलायनम् ।। - महाभारत १२.१४.१६Meaning: A king’s greatest duty is to punish evildoers, protect holy men and never retreat from the battlefield. - Mahabharat 12.14.16
Spiritual practice of a Kshatriya, that is the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers is explained in detail in this article.
4. The Brahman (priest): Studying Spirituality (adhyayan) and imparting the knowledge to others (adhyapan) as service unto the Absolute Truth results in sacrifice of the mind and intellect.
4. Spiritual practice according to time
4.1 Types
Time being infinite can be measured only in terms of yugs (eras). The Satya, Treta, Dvapar and Kali constitute one cycle of four yugs. Such cycles have been going on since times immemorial and will continue to do so. More information on time is given in ‘Science of Spirituality : Vol. 14 - Path of Knowledge (Dnyanyoga)’.
Everything changes with time. The sattvik (sattva predominant) nature of society was very high in the Satyayug. Consequently intellect of the people was highly developed. Since they could comprehend the implied meaning of the Vedas and Upanishads they could undertake spiritual practice from the Path of Knowledge (Dnyanyoga). In due course of time as the sattvik nature and intellectual prowess deteriorated, in the Tretayug spiritual practice from the Satyayug became difficult and spiritual practice from the Path of Meditation (Dhyanyoga) was advocated. One had to meditate continuously for a number of years to evolve spiritually by following this path. Later in the Dvaparyug as the sattvik nature deteriorated further even this became impossible. Besides the lifespan was also reduced. Consequently fire sacrifices (yadnyas) and other forms of ritualistic worship (karmakand) were propagated. In the present part of the Kaliyug even this is not feasible as sattvik priests who can officiate such fire sacrifices are rarely found. Besides it is extremely difficult to procure all the ingredients essential to perform a sacrificial fire. Thus The Lord has said in the Shrimadbhagvadgita (10.25), ‘Among the sacrificial fires I am the sacrificial fire of chanting The Lord’s Name (japayadnya) [यज्ञानां जपयज्ञोऽस्मि]’.
We have just described the cycle of four yugs. In each of these four yugs there is another short cycle of four yugs. Thus in the present Kaliyug there is a cycle of the satyayug, tretayug, dvaparyug and kaliyug. Each small cycle is further subdivided into four yugs. The present period is the kaliyug part of the kaliyug part of the kaliyug part of the kaliyug part of the kaliyug part of the Kaliyug. Now very soon the satyayug part of the kaliyug part of the kaliyug part of the kaliyug part of the kaliyug part of the kaliyug part of the Kaliyug will commence. This point will be better understood in the context of day-to-day life as a year comprises of months, a month of days, a day of hours, an hour of minutes and a minute of seconds.
Just as the spiritual practice in the four yugs is predetermined so also it is predetermined that the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers is beneficial for this part of the Kaliyug.
4.2 Importance
A. नादेशकाले किंचित्स्याद्देशकालौ प्रतीक्षताम् ।। - महाभारत ३.२८.२३
Meaning: Nothing will materialise if the time and place is not appropriate. Hence the place and time should be taken into consideration. - Mahabharat 3.28.23
B. प्राप्तं च प्रहरेत्काले न च संवर्तते पुन: ।
हन्तुकामस्य देवेन्द्र पुरुषस्य रिपून्प्रति ।।
यो हि कालो व्यतिक्रामेत्पुरुषं कालकाङि्क्षणम् ।
दुर्लभ: स पुनस्तेन काल: कर्मचिकीर्षुणा ।।
- महाभारत १२.१०३.२०-२१Meaning: [Bruhaspati (Guru of the deities) tells Indra (king of the deities)] O Devendra, one who wishes to slay an enemy should attack at an opportune moment. Time which has elapsed cannot be brought back. If the one who awaits the appropriate time to accomplish his mission lets go off an opportunity then it is difficult to get it back. - Mahabharat 12.103.20-21
Not just spiritual practice but anything done in accordance with the prevailing time is never wasted. This point will be illustrated by the examples of the pioneer revolutionary Vasudev Balvant Phadke, Lokmanya Tilak and Maharshi Aurobindo given below.
1. The pioneer revolutionary Vasudev Balvant Phadke:
‘Shri. Vasudev Balvant Phadke’s name stands foremost among the revolutionaries who fought for freedom from the British in India. He was born in 1845 and died in 1883. Shridatta was his deity of worship. He never ate a meal without performing ritualistic worship of Lord Datta and reading adhyays (chapters) from the holy book, the Gurucharitra. He had made a manuscript copy of the verses from the Gurucharitra so that he could recite them everyday. In addition to chanting the Name of Lord Datta off and on he would compulsorily chant it five thousand times everyday. Ritualistic worship and chanting was followed by a prolonged period of meditation. During meditation he would lose awareness of himself. He met several saints like Shri Akkalkot Swami, Shri Nrusinha Sarasvati, Shri Manikprabhu and Shri Kalbova, but none of them had supported his stance of revolting against the British because the opportune moment had yet to come. When he went to pay his respects to Shri Kalbova, the latter held his hand and said, “What you are contemplating is certainly good, but if you stubbornly strike a stone wall then you will unnecessarily die.”
Vasudev Balvant PhadkeVasudev Balvant Phadke who was ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of the downtrodden was overwhelmed on seeing the saint Shri (Gondavlekar) Maharaj. However dejection set in when he thought of the entire country which was in flames and wondered what he could achieve single-handedly. He utilised the next one to two years in preparing for a revolution. Though the preparations were now well fortified, he sincerely felt that his revolutionary struggle should have The Lord’s blessings; that is why before entering the battlefield once again he visited Shri Akkalkot Swami. He offered obeisance to Swamiji, placed his sword in front of Him and watched from a distance. He wished that the Swami would hand over the sword to him which would then make him invincible. However the Swami called out to a servitor and asked him to place the sword atop a nearby tree. The servitor obeyed the saint’s directives. Though Vasudev Balvant sat there for long the Swami did not speak to him. This saddened him and taking his sword he departed for Pune.
Even after returning home he was restless and so went to Gondavale to meet Shri Maharaj. It was evening when he reached Gondavale. Shri Maharaj was standing in the field. Since many people were accompanying Him, Shri Maharaj spoke to him casually and then took them home. After everyone was asleep Shri Maharaj tried to dissuade him from the revolutionary path but all efforts were in vain. Since both of them were of the same age Shri Maharaj treated him with love and affection and earnestly preached to him. The following day before his departure the following conversation ensued. Vasudev Balvant said, “I have made all preparations. You are Ramdas. I shall become Shivaji. Please help me.” Upon this Shri Maharaj laughed and replied, “Definitely not. Neither am I Ramdas nor can you become Shivaji. The time is not yet conducive for us. Do not waste your energy. Continue your spiritual practice so that your mission gains momentum. Ample time is left for the opportune moment”. Hearing this Vasudev was greatly enraged and said, “Huh, what a saint!” and waving his hand in front of Shri Maharaj’s face set off for Pune in a huff.
Shortly thereafter he commenced his revolutionary activities which made him famous within a very short span of time. Eventually in July 1879 the government deceitfully arrested him and filed a suit against him. When Shri Maharaj heard that he was imprisoned by the government He remarked, “How sad! A sincere person from amongst us has been ruined. May The Lord not allow him further suffering.” Four years later in 1883 he died in the prison in Eden.’ (1)
2. Lokmanya Tilak:
‘Shri Gajanan Maharaj a resident of Shegaon and Lokmanya Tilak met at Akola on the day of Akshayya Trutiya (the third day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu lunar month of Vaishakh), Shake 1830, (1908 according to the English calendar) at a public meeting. As usual in his speech Lokmanya Tilak criticised the British government. During the discourse when Tilak requested Maharaj to bless them in their mission of acquiring independence the latter said, “This itself will bind you in shackles”.
Lokmanya TilakThat very year Maharaj’s prediction came true. The government arrested Lokmanya and imprisoned him in Mandale in Burma. Mr. Dadasaheb Khaparde, his friend and a renowned lawyer sent one of his friends Shri. Kolhatkar to pay his respects to Maharaj and seek a spiritual remedy to the problem. Maharaj was asleep for three days. However Kolhatkar steadfastly remained seated by His side. On the fourth day when Maharaj awoke he told Kolhatkar thus, “No matter how much effort you put in, you will not be successful. Observe all this with the idea that ‘everything occurs according to The Lord’s wish’. I will give you a bhakri (a type of Indian bread) as a holy sacrament (prasad). Let Tilak eat it. After eating it he will undertake a great spiritual mission and people will begin to honour him like a Jagadguru (Guru of the universe)”. And this is exactly what happened. In the Mandale prison Tilak wrote the book ‘Gitarahasya’ meaning secrets from the Gita. Hence Shri Dasganumaharaj says,
Independence is like a mould which appears and disappears superficially every now and then.
There is not much essence in it. It is a worldly transaction. - 106’
- an excerpt from the holy verse (pothi) of Shri Gajanan Maharaj, Adhyay 15.
If one analyses all this minutely then it is obvious that Lokmanya Tilak did not receive divine assistance for the cause of independence but did receive it for his spiritual mission.3. The modern revolutionary Aurobindo:
When this modern revolutionary was advised by a saint, Shri Vishnu Bhaskar Lele from Baroda that “India will acquire independence only in 1947. You need not do anything for that. Just undertake spiritual practice and follow The Lord’s orders”, he gave up the revolutionary path and began doing spiritual practice. Later he became Maharshi Aurobindo and established a huge ashram in Pondicherry.
Maharshi AurobindoNow we leave it to you to decide whose life was a success. The pioneer revolutionary Vasudev Balvant Phadke did not heed the advice of seers and tried to do things which were not conducive for that period. On the contrary Arvind followed the advice of saints and was successful. In short, it is easier to do anything in accordance with the time.
4. Sanatan Bharatiya Sanskruti Sanstha: From the time of inception of the Sanstha in 1990 with the blessings of our Guru H.H. Bhaktaraj Maharaj till 1996 we did not make even a passing remark about the concept of the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers (kshatradharma) at our satsangs (spiritual meetings) and in our publications. We began preaching this concept gradually since 1997. One of the reasons for this was spiritual practice as per need of the prevailing time. Before 1996 chanting, satsangs (spiritual meetings), service of the Absolute Truth, etc. were important. Besides it is not easy for everyone to accept the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers. For that it is first necessary to develop the potential of a seeker. The spiritual practice done earlier assisted in enhancing it. In the present times the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers is very important. That is why it is the main spiritual practice that we preach now.
4.3 Why should we believe in seers?
Who will tell us what will happen in the future, what should be done, etc.? Science cannot predict that. Very little of what a meteorological observatory predicts such as the daily forecast of rainfall by scientific analysis, comes true. Only now is science making efforts to vaguely predict what could happen after 5, 10, 100 or 1000 years. However there are people with foresight (seers) living in society, that is saints and ascetics, who can see beyond the curtain of time into the future. We Indians are extremely fortunate to have such Self-realised saints in almost every district. There are very few such seers in the rest of the world. Even in foreign countries there are people who can predict the future but they are media of entities from the subtle regions. Despite having so many saints we are indeed unfortunate as we do not even think of listening to Them.
Saints have predicted that times on the earth will be dreadful. The following illustration will explain why we should believe Them. Suppose one has not been to the United States and someone who has visited New York describes the statue of Liberty then one just listens to him. It is only when two or more people describe the statue in the same way that one believes it to be the truth. Similarly one should believe what different saints have predicted about the future. Whether a thousand or a hundred years ago all saints have predicted the same thing. Even today saints do not have conferences to decide what they should preach to society. Each one has foresight and preaches accordingly.
4.4 Unfavourable times according to saints
The struggle between Righteousness (Dharma) and unrighteousness (adharma) is on since times immemorial. Sometimes according to the influence of the prevailing time it gets intensified. The Bhavishya Puran (a scripture predicting the future) has described what the time to come will be like. More than 400 years ago Michel Nostredamus, a famous French seer had made several predictions which have been proved correct to the letter. His predictions about the first and the second world wars came absolutely true. He has stated that the third world war shall be fought from 1999 to 2006. He has termed it as Armageddon, that is the war between the truth and the untruth. According to Him the third world war shall be so terrifying that in comparison to it the other two wars will be child’s play. Human life will be lost in tremendous proportion. Several saints too have stated likewise. Gagangiri Maharaj, a famous Indian saint has said that the period will be so horrible that even saints will feel that it would be better if They did not live to witness this. A booklet published in Sangli in India states that on the banks of the river Krushna nine lakh women will be widowed. Need saints say any more?
According to saints the ensuing period will be extremely unfavourable. Large scale natural calamities like earthquakes and shortage of essential commodities like water, food, electricity, petrol, etc. will occur. Naturally this will affect all mankind. Several industries will have to be closed down and professions given up because of economic recession and widespread unemployment will become a major problem. To procure essential commodities for survival man will have to put up an intense struggle. Base tendencies in man will reach a nadir so much so that his behaviour will put even animals to shame. Evildoers will adopt all modes in an attempt to sustain themselves thus wiping out the sattva component still persisting in society.
4.5 Spiritual practice to protect oneself from the unfavourable period
We read an article on this issue and keep it aside. There are video films on this topic too. We just see the film and then switch over to another programme. Instead of doing this, as a remedy to save ourselves from the unfavourable period, we should undertake spiritual practice as recommended by saints. We certainly do not do that. Then our state becomes like that of the ostrich which buries its head in the sand when danger of a sandstorm lurks, with the hope that it will pass off. However this does not occur, instead it is killed. It is upto you to choose whether to get destroyed or to follow the advice of saints and make life a success.
4.6 Importance of spiritual practice in the twilight period
It is important to undertake spiritual practice during twilight periods such as sunrise, sunset, an eclipse, etc. This is because at that time all the three components sattva, raja and tama are in equal proportions and it becomes easier to undertake spiritual practice to advance towards the state beyond these three components (trigunatit). The present time span marks the end of the kaliyug part of the kaliyug part........ of the Kaliyug and the commencement of the satyayug part .... of the Kaliyug. So this is also a twilight period in terms of the yugs. Thus the spiritual practice undertaken from 1999 to 2022, a span of twenty-three years will be as fruitful as spiritual practice undertaken for a thousand years otherwise. This means that the spiritual practice done within these 23 years will be equivalent to that done for 50 years in 20 births (50 x 20 = 1000). That is why seekers should make the best of this opportunity.
5. What is the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers (kshatradharma sadhana)?
‘परित्राणाय साधूनाम् विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।’ (Shrimadbhagvadgita 4:8) meaning to protect seekers and destroy evildoers is the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers (kshatradharma sadhana).
5.1 According to the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers who should be protected?
A. Self-centred individuals in society good-for-nothing with respect to spiritual practice return from their workplace, take up the children’s lessons, watch television, go for an outing, a drama or visit friends or relatives on a weekend and visit the native place during vacation. If time permits they criticise the deteriorated state of society but do nothing to reform it! Seekers are not responsible for the protection of such people who are unconcerned about reforming society.
B. Seekers are also not concerned about the protection of honest people.
C. Even The Lord protects only devotees and seekers, not the honest ones. The Lord says in the Shrimadbhagvadgita 9:31 ‘न मे भक्त: प्रणश्यति ।’ meaning My devotees shall not perish.
Reference:
‘Spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers’, published by Sanatan Sanstha.
1. Shribrahmachaitanya Maharaj Gondavlekar Yanche Charitra va Vanhmay. Pages 57- 58. Author : K. V. Belsare. Tridal Publications, Girgaon, Mumbai 4.
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