Maharashtra State in India; is famous for many meritorious characteristics. The most outstanding of which, is the galaxy of truth realized individuals, who imparted their enlightenment to the mankind.

The truth realized individuals are not the same as; those who merely preach some philosophy and/or perform so called miracles, are mere philanthropist, or are mere erudite orators.

I call Truth realized and not just self realized; because self in English does not convey the content of the word “atman” in Sanskrit.

The most important quality of an individual who has realized truth is to impart truth realization and uplift the individuals from their subjective realm into objective global consciousness.

Thus; in Maharashtra, there have been truth realized individuals such as Dnyaneshvar, Ramadas, Tukaram, Eknath, Muktai and in 19th and 20th century Akkalkot Swami, Saibaba, Gajanan Maharaj and many others.

One of these truth realized individuals was Shri Brahmachaitanya Gondavlekar Maharaj.

Gondavlekar Maharaj (1845-1913); had come in contact with Saibaba, Akkalkot Swami, Vasudev Balavant Phadke, Lokamanya Tilak and also Nanasaheb Peshave (Biography of Gondavlekar Maharaj, by Prof. K.V. Belsare) and extensively toured India three times; and rest of the time lived in Gondavle.

His life exemplifies how a truth realized individual’s consciousness is one with the cosmic consciousness and becomes benevolent to rest of the universe. His consciousness is experienced by many individuals in his samadhi mandir located in Gondavle, which is full of daily activities conducive to individual and global blossoming; called NITYOPASANA.

We all can visit Gondavle and participate in these satisfying activities and undergo conscious evolutionary transformation and get set for the ultimate fulfillment in life in time to come! This is found to be one of the crucial activities in Total Stress Management! The food (PRASAD) and stay are free of cost!

Address & Phone: Shri Sadguru Brahmachaitanya Maharaj Gondavlekar Chaitanyopasana (Sansthan); At & P.O. Gondavle (Budruk), Taluka: Man, District: Satara; Pin code: 415 540; Phone: 02165- 258292

Gondavle is located on Satara Pandharpur i.e. Miraj Pandharpur road. The nearby places are; Nidhal, Dahivadi, Koregaon, Mhasvad, Vaduj, Satara, Pune, Sangli, Miraj etc. From Mumbai we can drive to Gondavle in 6 to 7 hours by express highway.


DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

STRESS can cause the triggering of introspection and introspection can uncover the hidden STRESS. If we introspect; then STRESS appears to increase with aging. This may be also because aging is associated with retirement and hence scarcity of resources and abundance of time creating mental vacuum.

The guides in print and electronic media; on fitness, home remedies, diet, exercise, yogasanas, entertainment, hobbies and charitable activities are in plenty. The guidance in all these is valuable and helps many of us in overcoming STRESS.

Thus many of us try to improve health, avoid disease, preserve independence, develop fitness, enhance performance, stamina, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, physical form, looks etc. and also engage in philanthropy and conquer the stress.

They take regular bath, eat green leafy vegetables and sprouted beans and other nutritionally rich foods, drink cow milk with halad [turmeric] and sunth [dried ginger], practice pranayama and some exercises and yogasanas, joyously entertain themselves and others through their hobbies, do lot of philanthropic work and also practice NAMASMARAN, i.e. remembering the name of God and try to defeat stress!

But having said this in appreciation; we have to introspect; why the efforts required urgently; for a holistic perspective, policies and their implementation; for conquest of stress are still inadequate!

Is it because the holistic perspective, policy making and its implementation have not become the convictions of a huge majority of us?

Why do majority of us tend to think in a sectarian and fragmented manner, especially when they are not criminals, vicious or bad as such?

Is it because the holistic perspective is not being studied, understood, assimilated, promoted and propagated adequately?

Why is this so?

Do most of us think and feel that holistic perspective, policies, programs, plans and their implementation; appears to be unrelated to the basic needs of life?

What is the reason for such unawareness about even the need of understanding, practice and propagation of holistic perspective, policies, plans, programs and their implementation?

Why is there such a dearth of motivation amongst apparently intelligent, kind hearted and well meaning people amongst us?

Is the reason hidden in our ego, our passionate involvement in our subjective self identity, our strong and selective sentiments about our own bodily, emotional, intellectual and other considerations?

Does our ego prevent us from zealously acquiring and sharing the objective wisdom?

Do we tend to remain content or unhappy in our egoistic subjective “achievements” or “failures” respectively?

Are we unable to see the benevolence of objective wisdom, because of undue judgmental attitude; about the personal “shortcomings or drawbacks” of the proponents of holistic perspective?

Are we unable to rise above our relationship/s and prejudices, centered on ego?

Do we; more often than not; ridicule and oppose; actively or passively and overtly or covertly; and knowingly or unknowingly; such efforts of sharing objective or holistic wisdom; and boost the ego centered sectarian and retrogressive forces?

Do we infect the others also; with our cynicism?

Is it true that frequently our ego is associated with; not merely our material success in terms of popularity, power or prosperity; but even our egalitarianism, righteousness, austerity and our practice of NAMASMARAN?

Are we unable to penetrate and rise above the “clouds of our ego” and enjoy the “sky of universal unity”?

Is it because we are unable “see” and/or even strive for; the beauty beyond the ego?

Is it because we do not try to realize; the role of holistic and objective wisdom born out of NAMASMARAN; in rejuvenating, revitalizing and reorienting us to our true self?

Can we not appreciate the role of realization of true self and its expression for individual and global blossoming; the part of which is conquest of stress?

The only answer to these questions; appears to be that; the quantum and the intensity of NAMASMARAN and being oriented to the true self; or the center of cosmic consciousness; or the center of universe; has yet to reach the optimal point; for successfully conquering stress; through holistic perspective, policies, programs, planning and implementation at individual and global levels; in everyday life!

There are many causes of STRESS. But in party politics, power games, entertainment, showbiz, performing arts, commercial art, writing, publishing, advertising, marketing and such businesses; the major cause of STRESS; is the insatiable and unending craze of propaganda (due to the dread of being ignored, neglected and dejected).

Even the “erudite, wise and spiritual” people amongst us; have fallen prey to propaganda and feel terribly handicapped, and at a major loss; in absence of propaganda!

Being cut off from our own selves and from the innate core of others; has made us caricatures of our selves. We have become unsatisfied and diffident about our convictions. Hence; if we get material success; then we become delirious and arrogant; and if we fail, then we become fragile and frustrated. But in both cases we are weak and starved of devoid of inner fulfillment. We are dependent on the crutches of propaganda for our survival!

Thus instead of capturing the excellence in our fields; we have become slaves and prisoners of bombastic banners, hollow hoardings, pitiable placards, preposterous posters, scandalous slogans and the deluge of cheap advertisements in print and electronic media and bloat with unfathomable pride and arrogance!

In short; the propaganda per se; is not bad. But the slavery of propaganda in preference to or at the cost of pursuit of excellence has definitely given rise to stress in all the walks of life.

In turn; the cancerous growth of this unproductive business of propaganda; that represents few elites in the society is flourishing at the cost of productive majority.

Such other businesses include commission agents, bureaucracy etc; and are pivotal in causing/precipitating the global growth of mercenary tendencies on the one hand; and dwindling buying capacity in the productive masses on the other; leading to global recession!

We have to understand that addiction of propaganda is as bad as any other addiction if not worse and not only does it handicap us; but it degenerates and perverts us! This addiction is like accepting the mastery of our own caricature or our shadow and meekly following it!

We still have a chance and a choice; to either become slaves of the propaganda; and spread our STRESS; or become free from such slavery and STRESS; through the pursuit of excellence in fields; by way of study and practice of holistic perspective, thinking, motivation and actions. This is Total Stress Management (the core of which is NAMASMARAN).

BUT WHAT IS NAMASMARAN?

Namasmaran usually embodies; remembering the name of God, Guru, great souls; such as prophets and whatever is considered as holy e.g. planets and stars. It is remembered silently, loudly, along with music, dance, along with breathing, in group or alone. Further, NAMASMARAN is either counted by some means such as fingers, rosary (called SMARANI or JAPAMALA), or electronic counter; or practiced without counting. The traditions vary from region to region and from religion to religion.

However the universal principle underlying
NAMASMARAN is to reorient our physiological and social being; with our true self and establish and strengthen the bond between; our physiological and social being; with our true self; and finally reunification or merger with our true self!

Since individual consciousness is the culmination of every activity in life; and NAMASMARAN the pinnacle of or culmination of individual consciousness; NAMASMARAN is actually opening the final common pathway to objective or cosmic consciousness; so that individual consciousness in every possible activity gets funneled into or unified with Him (our true self)!

Thus NAMASMARAN is in fact the YOGA of YOGA in the sense that it is the culmination of consciousness associated with every possible procedure and technique in the yoga that we are familiar with. It is the
YOGA of YOGA because it is the culmination of consciousness associated with all the activities in the universe, which it encompasses as well! It is YOGA of YOGA because everybody in the world irrespective of his/her tradition and the beliefs; would eventually, ultimately and naturally reach it; in the process of liberation. Even so called non believers also would not “miss” the “benefit of NAMASMARAN as they may remember true self through one symbol or another”!

Just as NAMASMARAN is YOGA of YOGA it is meditation of meditation also! This is because the natural and ultimate climax of every form of meditation; is remembering true self or merging with cosmic consciousness effortlessly!

These facts however have to be realized with persistent practice of NAMSMARAN and not blindly believed or blindly disbelieved with casual approach!

In short NAMSMARAN is super-bounty of cosmic consciousness for every individual to realize it (cosmic consciousness)! This is truly a super-bounty because a person, who experiences it, rises above mercenary, commercial and even professional and charity planes and manifest super- transactions in his or her life!

These are just few observations to give rough idea about what is NAMASMARAN. NAMASMARAN is an ocean of bliss. Its true meaning is beyond description in words and has to b experienced, not by one or few persons sporadically; but most preferably, by billions!

The last point is; NAMASMARAN would certainly enlighten, empower and enable some people; out of those billions practicing NAMASMARAN; to evolve, guide and consolidate the global conscience and thereby manifest global unity and harmony and justice, through globally benevolent proper policies!

References:
Namasmaran: Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar
Sahasranetra: Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar
Holistic Medicine: Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar
Stress: Understanding and Management: Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar
Conceptual Stress: Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar


DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

STRESS OF CHILD LABOR: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Any sensitive and sensible individual would not like a child to undergo the coercion of daily labor for survival. Apparently; this conscientious feeling has been transformed into international consensus against child labor.

Sadly though, it is being defeated repeatedly, thereby producing enormous stress; amongst the children forced into labor; as well as most of us who are witnesses! This stress is often not perceived and not identified clearly; and sensed; only as a vague and inexplicable agitation and sickening agony in the heart!

The failure of the international consensus and conscience; is due to the lack of dealing with the root of child labor; and merely continuing with the philanthropic activities; and/or attempts towards arbitrary imposition of laws to ban child labor.

The root cause of child labor and consequent stress is; the educational without productive domain. The school and college students in the mainstream education (probably in most countries in the world); are cut off from skills and ethics involved in production and marketing and sales in real life in the world!

This education is unnecessarily and highly dependent on high tech gadgets and books, calculators, computers and other teaching and learning aids; probably to serve; the vested interests of the manufacturers and dealers of the educational aids. It revolves around the elitist demands; such as fashion industry, call centers, cosmetics, jewelry, neglecting the life needs; such as organic agriculture, horticulture, medicinal herbs; of vast majority. In short; it is parasitic to the majority.

In such highly alienated and expensive unproductive education system; majority of the children become suffocated child drop outs; and vulnerable and easily available helpless child labor. Those, who continue in the education and get graduated; are unable to get self-employed and either become frustrated and suicidal mental wrecks; or frustrated but arrogant criminals.

Child labor; can be minimized; if the education nurtures; the spiritual and productive domains; besides cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. This is reunification, reintegration, re-amalgamation of spiritualism and materialism (true yoga) and holistic perspectives, policies, plans and programs (holistic renaissance)!

But all this requires our motivation and mobilization of towards annihilation of child labor. This needs efforts (preached by most spiritual and religious leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi; and simple to practice e.g. NAMASMARAN) of blossoming to be universalized. Even as billions of people are practicing it; many more billions with far greater intensity need to practice it; if we are to get even optimal results.

SLAVERY TO FREEDOM: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

The preaching of prayers and worships can appear to be the advice of impotency; to young mind.

The decrees to worship imaginary and yet unimaginable God can appear absurd and slavish; to buoyant and bubbling youth.

The concept of “Be good and do good”; can appear gullible, baseless and irrational; to pragmatic rationality.

The condemnation of sensual pleasures can appear ridiculous, and sensual pleasures can seem last word in pleasure!

This is because; we live at different levels of consciousness. We are trapped in different degrees of pettiness and superficiality. Hence; irrespective of our level of consciousness; it is wiser and healthier to accept the others; with their levels of consciousness; and endeavor for common blossoming!

It is said that the practice of NAMASMARAN can gradually emancipate all of us; from the suffocating slavery of being petty self into the freedom of being universal self! But; since the slavery is global; the present practice by billions; is not still not adequate! It has to be truly global; and at least optimum in intensity and number; to be effective!