We often engage in lofty discussions about yoga and spiritual discipline (sadhana), but we rarely pause to reflect upon its primary objective. The conventional answer is the attainment of the Divine (Bhagavat-prapti). While this is indeed the ultimate destination, the spiritual journey itself consists of numerous milestones that indicate whether we are progressing in the right direction. These milestones are recognized by the Guru, who has traversed the very path we now walk.

The path of sadhana is inherently simple; however, seekers initially perceive it as arduous because they remain trapped within their own mental conditioning. Without faith and conviction, the path inevitably appears insurmountable. Moving toward divine realization requires a degree of intense passion—a departure from ordinary social conditioning—because one must reduce their mental attachment to the material world.

To live in the world, acquiring wealth (Artha) and fulfilling legitimate desires (Kama) within righteous boundaries (Dharma) is necessary. Deprivation creates unnecessary obstacles to practice. Therefore, a householder must use their capabilities to pursue these goals before working toward ultimate liberation (Moksha).

Just as eyelids naturally protect the eyes, the senses require a protective boundary. When we close the doors of sense perception to external distractions, the outer world ceases to agitate our internal state. A seeker initiates yoga specifically to attain this self-mastery: first, sense control (Indriya-vashitva), which restrains the outward pull of the senses; and second, mind control (Mana-vashitva), which stabilizes the mind through practices like breath control (Pranayama).

Gaining mastery over the senses is a subtle art and the true test of a practitioner. Once the senses are controlled, a seeker naturally transitions into a state of purity, moving from the physical to the spiritual realm.

True enjoyment requires a calm, centered mind. Many people continuously pursue sensory gratification expecting it to deliver lasting happiness, unaware that pleasure and pain are experienced solely by the mind. When the mind is restless, even sensory pleasure fails to yield joy.

The mind becomes agitated when we fixate on what we lack rather than utilizing our current circumstances wisely. This pattern builds a deep internal dependency that persists even during rest and sleep, filling our dreams with unwanted thoughts and depriving us of peace.

When we envy the wealth of others, we assume they are happy, missing the fact that our own discontent colors our perception. Contentment (Santosh) is not a function of accumulated wealth; it is a mental state achieved through inner discipline. Contentment does not mean abandoning progress; it means recognizing that physical accumulation alone has never brought ultimate fulfillment to anyone.

Contemporary education focuses almost exclusively on material achievement, training individuals to seek immediate financial gain. In doing so, society neglects the profound law of action (Karma) articulated by ancient sages—a cosmic principle intended for all humanity. Ignoring these universal truths turns human focus away from divine contemplation and toward division and conflict.

Life is a mystery, and few stop to ponder how the cosmos operates or how our actions shape our trajectory. The underlying soul (Atman) is unified, yet it manifests uniquely in each individual due to the diversity of past actions (Karma). Differences in

The Kalpaka                                                                        4

thoughts, material conditions, experiences of joy and sorrow, and degrees of faith all stem from these accumulated impressions.

The body merely executes the commands of the mind and senses. As long as the senses rule the mind, material attachments trap the individual. Unaware of the true purpose of human life, people are naturally drawn to physical comforts, finding spiritual practices dry or unappealing. Abandoning spiritual wisdom for sensory attachment is like choosing poison over nectar; it inevitably leads to regret, disease, and sorrow.

The mind driven by unchecked desire is like a wild, unbridled horse—it inevitably throws its rider, leaving them in regret. Rather than becoming a slave to desires, a person must establish ownership over them using the reins of discipline. By limiting unnecessary desires, one masters the mind, uncovers the essence of existence, and realizes the divine unity (Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma).

Spirituality is not an optional pursuit; it is the essential framework for a meaningful life. Without it, human existence degrades to a purely animalistic state. By taking refuge in the ancient wisdom of Yoga as taught by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, one restrains the wild inclinations of the mind, transcends material bondage, and experiences the ultimate fulfillment of self-realization. ***

Even after gaining vast knowledge and experiencing all that the world has to offer, a person will remain trapped in suffering if they fail to recognize themselves as an immortal spark of the Divine (Ishvara Ansha).But merely believing it changes nothing. Intellectual acceptance is not enough until that belief transforms into a living, direct experience. We are indeed divine in essence, but we have simply forgotten our true nature under the influence of worldly distractions.

This is where the practice of Yoga becomes essential. Yoga is not merely a set of physical exercises; it is a systematic methodology to remove the fog of ignorance and restore the memory of who we truly are.

When this truth is recalled through deep spiritual practice (sadhana):

• Natural Attraction: Your life begins to align continuously along a path of higher evolution, drawing your mind naturally toward the Divine.
• Profound Metamorphosis: As this internal shift takes root, an undeniable transformation occurs within your character, perception, and daily life.
• Enduring Joy: You begin to taste a deep, unshakeable bliss (Paramanand) that far exceeds temporary sensory pleasures.

Human life is often defined by a persistent sense of lack—whether of wealth, health, peace, or purpose. We spend our lives trying to fill these voids with external objects, only to find new deficiencies taking their place.

True liberation from this cycle comes when we achieve Divine Consciousness (Bhagavat Chetana). Experiencing your unity with God root-causes the eradication of all worldly deficiencies. By elevating your awareness from the material plane to the realm of higher consciousness, external shortcomings lose their power to cause suffering. If you truly desire to erase every form of lack from your life forever, the path is clear: employ every spiritual method at your disposal to draw near to the Divine, dissolve the illusion of separation, and establish ultimate oneness with the Supreme..***

The world cannot subsist without a religion. True Worship comes out of religion. It is deeply ingrained in human nature. The churches and temples we have all over the world are not the places of true worship. Our actions there are prearranged and programmed. True worship does not come out of any programme. It is the spontaneous outburst of every human soul and the fruit of true meditation.

The spirit in us is under evolution, having transgressed the stages of mineral, vegetable and animal. It does not stop at the inspiration of respect, regard and admiration or reverence that come out of holiness of life, purity of motives, sublimity of thoughts or mobility of character, but aspires to merge with the just, the true, the Infinite and the divine from which it sprang.

Owing to the teachings of many irresponsible men, the world has begun to worship many a false deity. Gods of imagination have sprung up and the true God of Nature is worshipped by none. The adorable being, to the study of whom we devote our life and whom all scriptures refer to is OM, the Eternal Omnipresent Being.

Now let us consider what this OM is and what constitutes the contemplation of OM. It cannot be more clearly explained than in the beautiful words of an adorable sage: “Om indicates the Ruler of the Universe. Is it by mere arbitrary convention, or by some natural process, just as light indicates the lamp or the source of light? Surely, the relation between the symbol Om and that of which it is a symbol, is not conventional but actual, and the symbol but expresses the actual relation. To take a parallel example, the relation between the father and the son is real. The relation really exists, even before we can express it in such terms as these. ‘He is his father, and he is his son.’ Even in the cycles of creation to come, since words signify things not arbitrarily but by a fixed natural standard, the same symbol, Om, is made to express the same idea, because it is an established fact, with those who know Revelation, or those Yogis who have realised what the relation between the signifying symbol and the thing signified is, that the words, their corresponding ideas, and the relation between them is eternal, or exists in nature, and not by human convention.”

And now as to the way of worship to Him, it is said: “The recitation of Om, and the constant presentation before the mind of its signification, these are the two means of His Upasana or worship. The Yogi who constantly does both, develops concentration, or, as has been elsewhere remarked, the aforesaid recitation and realization, develop concentration, and concentration facilitates realization, till, by the continual action and re-action of both, the light of the Supreme Divinity begins to fully shine in the Yogi.”

Om is the true essence of the Vedas. There is nothing more sacred, more inspiring to the Hindu than this word of deep significance and full of bliss. No Hindu ceremony or ritual is commenced without first uttering this mystic word Om. No Mantra in the Veda is read without a previous recitation of this holy syllable, Om. No Hindu dare utter this mystic emblem of the Deity-Om-when he is not pure in heart and body. There is no word in the whole list of earthly languages more melodious, soft and smoothly flowing than this most comprehensive and far-reaching epithet-Om. No education or training is required to utter this word of bliss. Even a new-born babe will follow repetition without the least difficulty. It is not because of these the word is selected, but because of its deeper, dearer and diviner significance.

The letters which have the fortune of forming this, ‘Om’ mark the successive stages of meditation which leads to the realization of Divinity. The process of this realization is quite contrary to that of the one which the mind works in this external world. This latter is called evolution and the other involution. In involution you draw your senses from the contemplation of the external objects and pass within and meditate Divinity, and this leads you gradually to the more interior and perfect realization of the Spirit—Divine Spirit.

Now we shall try to present to you a brief survey of the four planes on which the mind acts. Let us take the case of a typewriter maker. He has made the typewriter and the principles embodied therein are doing their work. Every piece of mechanism of the typewriter shows the skill of the maker and it is impressed therein; the forces and mechanical principles that were at the disposal of the inventor are living in the machine and manifested by the regular work they do. This is the outward and first manifestation of the maker’s skill. Thus the impress of the spirit is outwardly shown and this is called the “WAKEFUL PHASE.”

Now again the inventor of the machine must have made a design at first and must have drawn the necessary bits of information from his store of knowledge. Again he should have contemplated freely before he put his idea into a working basis, and this is termed the “CONTEMPLATIVE PHASE.”

This is not the only thing. There must have been a time in his life when he had not the least idea of the machine itself. His brain must have been full with stores of knowledge unarranged and unapplied. The principles embodied by him in the working of the machine were not the only ones he knew. He could have known a great deal about various subjects too numerous to mention. The idea that took shape and proved could have been only a fragment, and he has been in possession of a store of knowledge. Could he have been cognisant of the massive information he had at his disposal? Decidedly not! Only in moments of deep contemplation and bright recollections a fractional portion of his stored-up experiences has been called forth before his mind and the most proportioned of his cognitions have been latent. And all of them have been at his disposal and he could easily bring forth into play many things that were latent in him only if he had put forth the proper effort to do so. This latent state is termed the “SLUMBERING PHASE.”

Beyond and behind these WAKEFUL, CONTMEPLATIVE and SLUMBERING PHASES resides the TRUE REALITY, SUBSTANCE, THE SPIRIT; the TYPE WRITER MAKER, IN ESSENCE. You come across and pass daily these four stages. In broad daylight your mind is fully awake; you see, hear, smell, taste and feel, and this is the Waking Stage; then at the night-fall, fatigued from the day’s work, you retire to bed, and unconsciously sleep steals over you and you begin to dream; and this is the Contemplative Stage ; a little later the dream passes away and you fall into a deep slumber: now all the activities of the mind and the brain cease, not entirely, but to commence work at the next opportunity, and this is the Slumbering Stage. Now, I believe, my reader! I have given you a clear idea of the four stages in which the mind acts. Thus your life counts day after day, night after night, of wakeful – activity, disturbed of sound slumber; – and amidst such an oft-recurring change and manifestation a sort of independence is maintained and preserved by you because you are the essential existence and these all are nothing but passing scenes of accidents to you. Know, my friend! that the Spirit exists in all these stages.

The Wakeful, Contemplative and the Slumbering stages form, respectively, the Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced ones leading to the realisation of the essential spirit. The materialist scientists of the day work in the Wakeful Phase, the Elementary Stage. When they come well acquainted and the mind familiarises with this initial stage, then only the philosophical perception of the interior design of nature will dawn upon them. Then by degrees contemplating on this philosophical stage, they will rise to the ‘Fountain of all principles, the Essential Divinity embodying all in ONE.’ The syllable Om which is composed of the three letters A, U and M, respectively, represents the three stages referred to, the recitation and contemplation of which necessarily leads you through the right way to merge into the one and become one with the One.

For want of time and space I have to bring this article to a speedy end and cannot better finish it than to end with the saying of a renowned sage: “He who contemplates (A), the 1st matra of Om, contemplates God in the wakeful phase, soon becomes wise, and even, after death, is re-born as man, the lord of creation, and, by virtue of his previous Upasana, leads a life of devotion to study, of control of passions and anger, and of search after truth, and, thus virtuously circumstanced, experiences the pleasures of noble nature. He who contemplates (U), the 2nd matra of Om, or God in the contemplative phase, obtains a glimpse of the interior world of causes, and is, by virtue of this Upasana, transported to the spiritual World, and, after experiencing exaltation there, is reborn as man. But he who contemplates (M), the 3rd matra of Om, views God as Himself, becomes illuminated and obtains Moksha. Just as a serpent relieved of its old skin, becomes new again, so the Yogi, who worships the third matra, relieved of his mortal coil, of his sins and earthly weaknesses, free with his spiritual body to roam about throughout God’s Universe, enjoys the glory of the All-pervading Omniscient Spirit, ever and evermore.
***

मानव-जीवन एक अनोखी जीवन-यात्रा है जिसकी तैयारी हमें स्वयं करनी होती है। तैयारी सब सुखद यात्रा की ही करते हैं परंतु इस बात से अनभिज्ञ रहते हैं कि सुखद मानव-जीवन की यात्रा के लिए क्या करना उचित होगा और क्या करना अनुचित होगा। आज का मानव धन-धान्य की बहुलता को ही सुखद जीवन मानता है, और जानता है, क्योंकि सब भेड़ चाल चल रहे हैं, एक दूसरे का अनुगमन करते हुए अधिकाधिक चीजों के संकलन में लगे हैं क्योंकि उनको दृश्य जगत् में सर्वत्र ऐसा ही देखने में आता है। पुरातन काल से लेकर अर्वाचीन काल तक ऐसा देखने में आता है कि धन द्वारा वर्चस्व प्राप्त करने की होड़ सदैव से रही है क्योंकि व्यक्ति देखता है कि जगत् में — ‘बिना बेड़ मुंह भेड़ समाना’ — बिना धन के व्यक्ति सदैव अनादर या हेय दृष्टि से देखा जाता है। सम्मान सबको अच्छा लगता है परंतु सम्मान प्राप्त करने में सामान्य व्यक्ति की मानसिक एवं शारीरिक रूप से कितनी दुर्गति होती है, कितने पाप कर्म करने पड़ते हैं, कितने अच्छे कर्मों का त्याग करना पड़ता है, अपनी परवाह छोड़कर अन्य सभी की परवाह करनी होती है। कृत कर्मों द्वारा प्रत्येक व्यक्ति की मानसिकता का निर्माण होता है।

जीवन के अनेक पहलू हैं, जिन पहलुओं में आदमी निवसित होता है उसको मानव जीवन उसी अर्थ में भासित होता है। धनी व्यक्ति समझता है कि धन ही जीवन है। निर्धन इसे दुःखों का जाल मानता है। एक मजदूर को अपना जीवन संघर्षों से भरा प्रतीत होता है। शराबी को संपूर्ण जीवन शराब की बोतल में ही संकुचित प्रतीत होता है। रोग से संतप्त व्यक्ति को जीवन रोगों की धर्मशाला प्रतीत होती है। सैनिक जीवन को युद्ध समझता है। सामान्य व्यक्ति शारीरिक आवश्यकताओं की पूर्ति को जीवन समझता है। लेकिन आध्यात्मिक व्यक्ति प्राप्त मानव जीवन को बिल्कुल पृथक नजरिए से देखता है, उसे ऐसा लगता है कि मानव देह प्राप्त होना पूर्व जन्मों में कृत अच्छे कर्मों का फल है और वर्तमान जीवन सुखद न हुआ, आनंददायक एवं उत्तरोत्तर उन्नत न हुआ तो भगवत् कृपा की अवहेलना हुई और प्राप्त जीवन व्यर्थ गया जिसका दुष्परिणाम आगे प्राप्त पुनर्जन्म में भोगना पड़ेगा। वर्तमान जीवन के कुंठित होने से आगे प्राप्त होने वाले अनेक जीवनों तक इसका प्रभाव प्रकट या अप्रकट रूप में भोगना ही पड़ेगा, कोई बच न सकेगा क्योंकि अज्ञात कर्म-सिद्धांत एक ही सत्य जानता है — जैसा करोगे, वैसा भरोगे या जैसा बोओगे, वैसा काटोगे। बबूल का पेड़ लगाकर उससे आम प्राप्त करने की इच्छा कोरी ही धरी रह जाएगी।

बस जीवन में एक बात का ध्यान रहेगा तो रक्षा होती रहेगी वह यह कि Common sense का प्रयोग दूसरे को नीचा दिखाने के लिए कभी नहीं करना चाहिए। इसके द्वारा उच्च विचारों का आदान-प्रदान होना चाहिए। डॉक्टर संजीवी का कथन है कि ‘Common sense is the most uncommon thing.’ लोग Common sense को बिल्कुल Common या साधारण दृष्टि से देखते हैं, और समझते भी हैं। Sense के अनेक अर्थों में प्रमुख संवेद, अनुभूति, चेतना, बोध, विवेक, अभिप्राय, भाव, सार्थक अर्थ हैं। जब डॉक्टर संजीवी ‘Common sense को uncommon कहते हैं तो इससे इनका भाव यही होना चाहिए कि वह लौकिक क्रियाकलापों या चेष्टाओं में लिप्त अनर्गल प्रलाप करने वाले लोगों के Common sense की बात नहीं कर रहे हैं। डॉक्टर संजीवी ऐसे Common sense की बात कर रहे हैं जिसके प्रयोग द्वारा व्यक्ति अपने जीवन को उन्नत करने के लिए विवेक, चेतना, भाव आदि का सार्थक प्रयोग करने लायक बने। Common sense आधिकाधिक व्यक्तियों के पास होता है परंतु इसका प्रयोग अहंकार के कारण व्यक्ति ज्यादातर दूसरों को अपने से नीचा दिखाने के लिए प्रयोग में लाता है। हमारा आपसे अनुरोध है कि Common sense को uncommon बनाने की चेष्टा करें जिससे यह आपके समुचित उन्नत जीवन में अपना योगदान दे सके।

  मानव जीवन क्यों है, क्या है इसके द्वारा क्या प्राप्त करना है, क्यों प्राप्त करना है, प्राप्त वस्तुओं एवं धन का प्रयोग किस निमित्त करना है, अपना क्या है, पराया क्या है, इस प्रकार के अन्यान्य प्रश्नों का समाधान किए बिना मानव-जीवन जीना पशुवत् जीवन कहलाएगा।  मानव जीवन क्यों है इसके अनेक उत्तर उपलब्ध हैं मगर हमारा मानना है कि भगवान् ने मानव को अपना सरीखा बनाकर, अपने अनेक गुणों एवं शक्तियों से संपन्न कर, अपने को साक्षात् रूप में प्रकट करने के लिए बनाया है। मानव के अलावा अन्य कोई पृथ्वी पर ऐसा  प्राणी नहीं है जिसमें  मनोमय कोश का विकास है और जो अन्नमय कोश तक  उड़ान  भरने की क्षमता रखता है। मानव के अतिरिक्त कोई ऐसा प्राणी पृथ्वी पर नहीं है जो सुख-दु:ख, मान-अपमान, राग-द्वेष आदि, आदि विपरीत भावों के जोड़े को संजोकर रखता है। समस्त भाव भगवत् सत्ता से उद्भूत हैं, मानव को प्रदत्त हैं, सृष्टि के चलते रहने की व्यवस्था है। कल्पना करके देखिए, सारे भाव अदृश्य हैं, जैसे ईश्वर स्वयं अदृश्य रहकर दृश्य जगत् का संचालन करते हैं, इसके लिए अपनी माया को प्रेरक बनाते हैं। शरीर में भगवान् या उनकी शक्ति किसी न किसी रूप में स्थापित है, इसलिए जीवन चल रहा है। जिस दिन भगवान् विस्थापित हो जाते हैं, मनुष्य मृत कहा जाता है। इसका सीधा अर्थ है कि मनुष्य ईश्वर का अंश है। मनुष्य ईश्वर की क्रीड़ा हेतु पृथ्वी पर आया है, आनंद से उत्पत्ति है इसलिए आनंद प्राप्त करने के लिए पृथ्वी पर उतारा गया है और जो इस आनंद को अपने जीवन का अंग बना लेंगे वे ही इस आनंद मार्ग का अनुसरण करते हुए वापस भगवत् धाम का दर्शन करेंगे। ईश्वर तक पहुंचने का मार्ग ‘आनंद मार्ग’ है, अन्यथा कुछ नहीं। योग इसी तथ्य को प्रतिपादित एवं संवर्धित करता है।

  ईश्वर को खेल-तमाशा पसंद है इसलिए मानव को भी खेल-तमाशा पसंद है। मानव जीवन की रचना एक भूल-भुलैया की रचना के सदृश है। पृथ्वी पर समस्त क्रियाकलाप भूल-भुलैया को ही दर्शाते हैं। आदमी पाता है, खोता है, फिर पाता है, फिर खोता है और इसी उधेड़बुन में जीवन का समय निकाल देता है। कुछ विशेष पाना या करना है इस ओर उसका मन जाता ही नहीं है क्योंकि जगत् में समस्त प्राणी इस जगत् को सत्य मान कर इसमें अनेकानेक असत्य कार्यों को सत्य मानकर करते हैं और इसीलिए कभी सुखी नहीं होते। सत्य सुख देता है, असत्य मनुष्य को धोखे में रखकर सत्य की झूठी अनुभूति कराता है। मनुष्य को इसीलिए कठपुतली की तरह नाचने वाला कहा है, नचाने वाला उसका मन या ईश्वर अंश है। नचाता इसलिए है क्योंकि उसे नाच पसंद है, वह स्वयं एक क्षण के लिए भी रुकता नहीं है। इसलिए जीवन, मानव में, भगवान् का अंश है।

  भगवान् ने पृथ्वी पर यथा संभव वह सब कुछ दिया है जिससे मानव अपने जीवन को सुचारु रूप से चला सके, सुख का पान करे। ईश्वर ने सुख-दु:ख आदि विपरीत भावों के अनेकानेक जोड़ों को संभवतः इसलिए मनुष्य में आरोपित किया है जिससे अनंत प्रकार के क्रिया-कलापों का पृथ्वी पर संगम प्राप्त हो और प्रकृति की प्रत्येक छटा का मनुष्य अवलोकन करते हुए अपनी सूझ-बूझ का प्रयोग करके अपने जीवन को उन्नत करे जिससे आनंद की प्राप्ति हो, और आनंद मार्ग के एकाकी मार्ग को प्राप्त कर, अपने मूल स्थान को वापस प्राप्त करे। अपना स्थाई पता तो भगवत् धाम है, अस्थाई पृथ्वी पर है। आम का पेड़ लगाने पर ही आम प्राप्त होगा, आनंद प्राप्त करने पर ही भगवत् प्राप्ति या ‘वास्तविक मैं’ की प्राप्ति होगी। इस पृथ्वी पर ‘मैं या आत्मा’ ही अपना है, अन्य कुछ भी अपना नहीं है। अवश्य ही अपना जीवन सुचारु रूप से चले इस निमित्त भगवान् ने मानव के अनगिनत भावों को ध्यान में रखते हुए अनगिनत भोग्य पदार्थों की रचना की है, इनमें कुछ भी अपना नहीं है, जीवन सार्थक बनाने के लिए इन्हें अपनाना है। संसार में इतना सार है, इतना आनंद है, हर ओर आनंद की छटा विद्यमान है। स्वयं को यदि अंतरंग आनंद प्राप्त हो जाए तो सब कुछ आनंदमय दिखाई देने लगेगा। रूखे-सूखे मनुष्य को कहीं आनंद की प्राप्ति नहीं होगी, यह अकाट्य सत्य है। आनंद चाहिए तो प्रथम अंतरंग आनंद को उत्पन्न करना होगा। आत्म जनित आनंद ही पृथ्वी पर अपना है, अन्य सब कुछ पराया है। ***