Vedic Culture-I ; Pujya Gurudev

Fundamental Tenets of Vedic Culture

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

The paramount distinction of the Vedic culture is its spiritual attitude towards life and the world. Deciphering the sublime root-element of the material existence rather than analyzing just its gross structure and properties; realization of the higher and deeper realms of eternity, continuity and incessant purity of life far above its mortal, momentary, physical manifestation; experience of the cosmic, the collective, rather than the individual consciousness; have been the basis of this Vedic culture. 

It was only on this land that research on the Sublime Transcendent and Cosmic Force governing all the powers and activities of Nature was initiated and pursued to the ultimate depths. This Cosmic Force is regarded absolute, preeminent and supreme in our Darshan shastras (philosophical literature). Although there could be differences in its interpretations, explanations, and styles of expression, all our ancient literature, philosophies, science, arts and sadhana procedures, etc, revolve around this Eternal Truth. 

This is what has been the focus and ultimate aim of the genesis and expansion of the grand knowledge and unparalleled developments of the Vedic Age. Our talents of yore were not so well off materialistically because they had not given prime importance to it over the infinite wealth of the inner world. 

The penny-less sages and sadhu-sanyasis were given more importance and honour than the mighty kings. A rishi, an ascetic yogi is considered far more dignified and prestigious in our culture than the worldly resourceful, affluent dignitaries. This is why our country has gifted such a rich galaxy of great sages, seers, saints and savants to the world. It has produced great men and women, who saved the world from malice and division and sowed the seeds of love and integration for mankind; they taught and propagated the message of peace and co-existence against conflict, violence, cutthroat competition and savagery. 

Therefore, the world still regards India as the torchbearer of light of truth. The global prestige and respect of India is mainly because of its spiritual foundations and deeply insightful philosophy and science of spirituality. 

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Dreams -VIII ; Pujya Gurudev

Dreams - Linkage between the visible and the invisible worlds

=Pt.ShriRamSharma Acharya

As a mark of his inexplicable gratitude, he established a Church on the grounds where he saw the divine dream. He also founded a charitable trust for free education of poor and helpless children. The above examples show that if we maintain sincerity, piety and natural peace of mind, and thus, minimize the hindrances in the expression of its unconscious impulses, we too may sometime be bestowed with the miraculous knowledge and experience in dreams that we could have never imagined to attain in our wildest dreams! 

The source of all knowledge, all activities and manifestations of the visible world  as we experience it, lie in the subtle, unseen world, which is beyond the reach of our perception. The gross body of a tree is seen but its roots lie beneath the surface of earth. The strength, greenery and fructification of the tree depend upon how strong and deep are its roots. The same may be true of the trees of our lives, too. Usually our mind remains engrossed within the peripheries of selfish interests and passions. It therefore experiences only the dreams driven by the tamoguna. That is why our dreams are most often vague and abrupt or haphazard expressions of suppressed desires. 

When the condition of our body and mind is dominated by the rajoguna, one would experience active dreams and the things and persons encountered in the awakened state would appear in the dreams with slightly rhetoric transformations. The subconscious reflections of the bodily conditions  including those caused by internal disorders (disease)  are also experienced in such dreams. The divine or supernormal dreams reflecting the transcendental realities are experienced in the turiyavastha, when the aroused influence of satoguna overcomes the raja and tama. In this state the human mind gets an opportunity of direct linkage with the soul-spirit. Precognitive dreams, the dreams offering extrasensory knowledge and clairvoyance fall in this category of higher-level dreams. A distinct class of such dreams is the tejas swapna (enlightened dreams), which, as described in the Paramhansa Parivrajak Upanishad, are perfect reflections of truth. 

These are exactly materialized in the future. The gross or the visible world we live in acquires its energy and life from the subliminal world. Understanding this fact helps towards orientation of our mental and bodily activities in harmony with Nature and the Omnipresent Consciousness. 
This helps arousing the deeper potentials of our mind and heralds the possibility of attaining vibrant health and supernormal talents. 

The refinement and spiritual enlightenment of the inner self with the help of sincere endeavors of yoga sadhanas can establish a harmonious linkage between the subliminal and the gross worlds of life. Gnostic dreams serve this purpose, to some extent, from time to time.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Dreams - VII ; Pujya Gurudev

Dreams - Linkage between the visible and the invisible worlds

=Pt.ShriRamSharma Acharya

There he was given a newspaper to read, He could hardly read the first letter "U" in it when many newspapers began to fall in his hands. Suddenly he was awake. The dream was broken. Somehow it had left a deep mark in his memory.Charles was a deeply religious man and he used to teach people the need for and benefits of prayer, meditation and ascetic disciplines. Because of his simplicity and piety of conduct, even the nonbelievers respected his words. He also inspired many rich and socially active people. Some of them requested him one day to form an organization to spread the noble message of righteous faith and human values. In 1890 the "Society of Silent Unity" was formed. Surprisingly, the members proposed the city of Kansas as the headquarters of the society. 

The place selected for housing the societys office was indeed what Charles had seen in his dream. The society also launched a magazine from this office, which was named "Unity". Now Charles Fillmore knew the secret of the letter "U" read by him in that divine dream. Later, along with his wife Myrtle Fillmore he founded world-renowned Unity School of Christianity. At present Unity school has an unequalled global outreach through its prayer ministry (Silent Unity), its books, magazines, audio and video material, conveying the message of human unity, love, peace and understanding. And all this started with a dream! The Red Rock gold mines are second largest in the world. Mr. Winfield S. Stratton, the founder and owner of this estate has described in his memoirs  how a miraculous dream made his fortunes. It happened when Stratton was facing bankruptcy in his business and used to rove around in search of solace and hope. 

During this phase of misery, he slept under the sky on an open ground in Colorado on 4th July 1811. An angel appeared in his dream and showed him the path to climb the mountains of Betil. The angel marked a particular spot there and uttered  "here lies a great source of gold, which will enrich your fortunes for ages". Stratton was awake the next moment with a feeling of hope and surprise. As he did not have money to invest in the new venture, Stratton narrated his dream to some friends with a request for help. 

They laughed and ridiculed his dream as mere delusion of his desperate mind. 
Their conclusions were logical because the geological survey of that region of Colorado, conducted about eighteen years back, had shown no possibility of any valuable mineral ore there. 
All doors were closed for poor Stratton but his hopes and enthusiasm remained alive. A few days passed. Finally he climbed the hills as per the directions shown in the dream and also identified the right spot. He dug out some portion and found a stone of gold at a depth of few feet. Then he borrowed some money against the surety of his remaining property and purchased that golden land of Colorado. Soon he became a billionaire. Stratton considered the dream as a blessing of the Almighty as a reward for his pious deeds in a past life. 

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Dreams - VI ; Pujya Gurudev

Dreams - Linkage between the visible and the invisible worlds

=Pt.ShriRamSharma Acharya

What he had seen in that dream! He analyzed the dream and attributed this to be a reflection of the memory of a past life. Supernatural experiences of clairvoyance, vision of the invisible, premonition and intuition are also associated with the dreams of divine (or spiritual) category. Deciphering the realities and mechanisms of such dreams elucidates the possibility that individual consciousness can be connected to the vibrations of the subtle world via the medium of dreams. 

The dormant state of the conscious mind and the active intellect during deep sleep coupled with the charged state of the subconscious and unconscious layers of mind may be likened with the state of mind during deep meditation (dhyana  dharna), yoga nidra and trance. It is in this state that the inspirations of the inner self can be received by our mind without any obstruction and fluctuation. 
The spiritual realizations experienced by the yogis in the higher states of trance may be described the most real and vivid kinds of dreams. Mr.

Tom Feature of Sidney had aroused his inner powers and trained his mind for understanding the implications of the rarely occurring transcendental dreams. He had also undergone spiritual practices (sadhanas) to elevate his intuition and willpower to find clues via dreams to meet the needs of the time. He had successfully used this supernormal ability to solve many intractable problems and mysteries posed before him. Sir Oliver Lodge accepts such possibilities in his book "Survival of Man" (pg. 112). He affirms the existence of a subtle linkage, which offers the glimpse of transcendental knowledge to the human mind. He also cites (on pp. 106-7 of this book) an interesting incident in this regard  "Priest E. K. Eliot was on a voyage across the Atlantic. On the night of 14th January 1887, he received his uncles letter in dream informing the sad demise of his younger brother. 

The priest had narrated this dream in his diary the next day, stating that he cant believe this dream because his brother had no problem except mild fever when he had left home (in Switzerland). No one could imagine that he would die. But he got confirmed news of his brothers death when he reached England. What else the above dream would be designated other than premonition or an experience of clairvoyance?" Roman emperor Caesar was once requested by his wife Cornelia not to visit the senate because she had seen a horrifying dream the previous night. She had seen herself with untied hair, holding the bloodstained body of her husband in this dream. 

However, the king saw no reason to believe her dream or suspect any possibility of a scandal that time: what an ill fate! His friend Brutus assassinated him the same day in a narrow passage of the senate hall moments after he reached there. Charles Fillmore of America was an ordinary citizen, living a dutiful, austere married life. He often used to see sacred scenes in his dreams. One night he dreamt that a stranger had taken him to a strange city. He read the name of the city as Kansas. Following the stranger, he arrived at a new place, which also was new to him because he had not visited this city before. 

Thanks GOD, Thankds Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Dreams -V ; Pujya Gurudev

Dreams - Linkage between the visible and the invisible worlds

=Pt.ShriRamSharma Acharya

The unconscious mind can receive subliminal impulses of ever-new experiences via the cosmic signals of omnipresent consciousness. Some of the Modern psychologists like Dr. Haffner M. Roberts describe dreams as nothing more than the shadows and responses of the worldly horizons of life. Several other contemporary scholars of psychology have, however, contradicted such views. Prof. Fitz attributes dreams to be  "the means of transmission of the inner expressions of mind in an esoteric language" which can also indicate the internal condition of the body and mind of the dreamer. 

Dr. Strumpel deciphers subtler roles of the dreams and states that  dreams depict the subliminal domains of life beyond the barriers of the conscious or the visible world. Prof. Berdek warns that the study of dreams should not be neglected by treating them as mere reflections or shadows of the day-to-day activities and hidden ambitions. Many a times dreams prove to be rich sources of immense information of unique importance. Dreams are like layers of water on the surface of an ocean that might bring valuable substances along with the deeper currents and convey what lies beneath in the core. 

The pearls of inner power and knowledge can be fetched with the help of these clues. Sometimes dreams help resolve a mystery or difficult problems, which were intractable by the logical thinking, reasoning and trenchancy of the conscious mind. This becomes possible because the conscious mind is overtaken by the unconscious mind during the moments of deep sleep. 

The extrasensory potentials of the latter thus get a chance to transmit transcendental knowledge. Gaston Ugdiyani of Florence (Italy) had seen a distinct dream when he was seven years old. He saw himself as a priest in a temple in India. 

The dream was so clear and impressive that the image of the temple building remained alive in his memory for many years. It also educed an attraction in his mind. He visited India as a young man and was stunned to find, after a long search, that one of the temples in Mahabalipuram was exactly

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Dreams - IV; Pujya Gurudev

Dreams - Linkage between the visible and the invisible worlds

=Pt.ShriRamSharma Acharya

The modern trends of psychology were largely inspired by the theory of Freud. 
Sigmund Freud neglected the role of dreams as possible linkages between the subliminal and the gross domains of consciousness. He rather affirmed dreams as reactions of suppressed and unfulfilled desires. In his view unsatisfied concupiscence or sexual instincts are predominant in stimulating disturbance of mind and generating psychological tides, which are expressed via dreams. Despite receiving significant support for a long time, Freuds hypothesis was criticized and proven to be incomplete by the eminent thinkers and psychologists like Carl Gustav Jung. 

Jung opined that, although the aspirations, emotions and the reactions of the ups and downs of daily life bear substantial impact on dreams, the latter couldnt be confined to such reflections alone. 
He defines dreams as expressions of the "communications" of the individual consciousness with one or more of the infinitely many impulses of the cosmic consciousness. In his view, decipheration of dreams may give us some, though indirect, idea of the linkage of the individual consciousness with the omnipresent para-consciousness. 

It should be noted here that the nature of dreams of an individual would depend upon his intrinsic character and tendencies. Dreams cannot generally depict those activities or aspects which are altogether different from his inclinations or which do not intersect with the domains of his interactions or are contrary to his habitual tendencies. 

For example, it would be rare that a blacksmith dreams something associated with painting unless fine arts or painting happens to be of relevance or interest to him in some respect. 
However, this may be true only for the dreams seen by most people in general. 
The dreams of divine or spiritual category do not depend upon the worldly activities or occupation of a person. The piety of ones character, serenity of his mind and spiritual elevation of inner self happen to be the principal factors in experiences of such dreams. 

Carl Jung has elucidated the power of the subconscious (and unconscious) mind in his highly recognized book "Memories, Dreams and Reflections". He writes that the resources of knowledge available to the subconscious mind are enormous and stronger as compared to those of the conscious (external) mind. The latter relies on perceptions by the sense organs or acquisition of information and knowledge. But the subconscious mind, being a component of the unconscious or subtle (inner) mind, may acquire infinite ways of continuous enlightenment through the linkage of the latter with the eternal cosmic consciousness. 

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Dreams -III ; Pujya Gurudev

Dreams - Linkage between the visible and the invisible worlds

=Pt.ShriRamSharma Acharya

Dreams of spiritually enlightened minds carry premonition, afflatus, or messages of great importance. Some people are born with spiritually charged mind because of their dedicated spiritual endeavors in the past lives. Some develop these by disciplined control and purification of their mind and character. The dreams seen by such people in yoga-nidra, trance or deep sleeps are of significant importance. Spiritual dreams are expressions of afflatus and the subliminal voice of the inner self.

Ample examples are available in the annals of history where great discoveries, divine illumination of the intellect, emergence of intuitive ideas, resolution of mysteries, realization of latent powers, etc amazingly became possible because of dreams. Sometimes, the divine inspirations educed by such dreams lead to sublime transformation of ordinary mortal beings into saints, mahatmas or great personalities of supernatural talents. Young prince Siddharth once dreamt that a divine soul had taken him to a graveyard. Pointing to a dead body the latter warned  "Look this is your body. Realize the perishable nature of the body and the transient nature of life and hence make the best use of the moments of life available to you now" Siddharth was truly awakened after this dream. He renounced all luxuries and attachments and attained ultimate knowledge thereafter through ascetic disciplines and sadhana of the highest order. 

Thus, a dream sparked the transmutation of Siddharth into The Buddha. 
Joan of Arc  the crowning glory of the French Revolution was born in an ordinary farmers family. In her dream one night, an angel reminded her to  remember the great purpose of life, listen to the call of the times and kindle the torch of liberation". 

This message became the source of light and courage in her life and triggered her immortal participation in the French freedom movement with superhuman bravery. Some of the dreams of Tipu Sultan, the intrepid king of Mysore also have significant place in history. He often used to be amazed by the intimations of future events given by his dreams. It became his habit to note down his experiences in a diary. 

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Dreams - II; Pujya Gurudev

Dreams - Linkage between the visible and the invisible worlds

=Pt.ShriRamSharma Acharya

When the same experiment was repeated with a coward clerk, he dreamt as if some unknown enemy is coming towards him with a thick stick and a lamp to beat him in the darkness of night. 
Napoleon Klettman and Eugene Aserensky of the Chicago University had attempted to investigate and identify the part or state of the body or brain responsible for experience of dreams. Despite long-term dedicated research they could not find any clue to proceed further. Their unperturbed motivation however brought fruits one day when they saw rapid movement of the eyeballs and variation in the face expressions of a sleeping child. 

This observation gave rise to rather focused hypothesis that the rapid movement of the eyeballs makes watching a dream possible. This had set the direction of modern research on dreams, which has come a long way since then. Dreams appear to be the mode of transmitting subtle messages of the mind through a rhetorically coded language. 

 Whatever one sees in the dreams is a reflection of the subconscious or unconscious mind. The active dreams of the kind illustrated above are expressions of the thoughts, sentimental currents and bodily functions in general. The implicit nature of these reflections mingled with multiple flashes of memory makes it almost impossible to decode the meanings of dreams in general. Most often there may not be anything substantial in a dream. 

The extrovert ambitions and agile mind of people frequently present them with abrupt dreams that are no better than a childs play or conjugation of delusions and arbitrary imaginations. 
Stationary dreams and dreams with intuitive messages are rare and are experienced by people whose mind is pure, serene, and stable. 

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Dreams -I; Pujya Gurudev

Dreams - Linkage between the visible and the invisible worlds

=Pt.ShriRamSharma Acharya

As most of us might have experienced, dreams appear to be arbitrary reflections of memory and abrupt creations of the agility of mind. We can hardly find any truth and logical basis or purpose in the broken sequence of what we usually dream in sleep. Interestingly though, when we are watching a dream, every scene appears real! We experience every bit of it as if we are living in it. Many a time dreams appear to be quite amusing and entertaining. Quite often they are frightening nightmares too. 
The imaginary world of dreams may sometimes be supernatural and soothing fairylike "dream land". Some dreams are scary and they stress our mind with unprecedented fear and worries Usually, these diversified experiences occur because of the influence of the semi-conscious state of mind.

Desires, apprehensions and inquisitions of the conscious (external) mind, and the perceptions and conditioning of the sense organs induce corresponding influences in the subconscious state of sleep. For example, concupiscence at the time of sleep would generally result in vulgar scenes of sexual indulgence in the dreams. Active dreams of this kind might even stimulate the genitals and cause night-discharge. The heaviness of stomach, indigestion, headache, anger, mental stress tension etc, also bear associated negative effects on dreams. 

Bites of mosquitoes, bedbugs, lice, etc may be depicted in the dreams as the incidents involving experiences of injuries, pains, irritation, etc. Unfulfilled desires, suppressed emotions and psychosomatic complexes, are also reflected in the variegated experiences of dreams, which would normally be beyond the imaginations of the conscious mind. Most of the above kinds of the active (subconscious) dreams are hazy, haphazard, and difficult to be remembered. Often the dreams of this category do not bear any meaning or purpose. Such dreams cannot be analyzed or interpreted scientifically and these hardly have any connection with the hidden messages of the unconscious mind. However, frequent occurrence of the dreams of similar kinds may have roots in some psychosomatic disorder or disease. 

Analysis of whatever is remembered from repeated experiences of same sort of dream during sleep might be useful in diagnosis and cure in such cases. Correlation of mental tendencies and response of active dreams sometimes becomes apparent from the specific reactions of the semi-conscious (subconscious) mind during active sleep. For instance, look at the following experiments conducted in the Dream Research division of the California University. As part of the studies of the effects of surrounding environment on dreams, a candle was lit and kept for some time in front of the closed eyes of a sleeping person, who happened to be a sportsman. The latter felt in his dream at that moment that a white bat and a golden shining ball are kept in front of him which he is about to pick up for a play. 

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Human Alchemy-1I; Pujya Gurudev

The Real Art of Human Alchemy-1I

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

The word "Upasana" in Sanskrit means  to sit near. If you sit near a fireplace, you would feel the heat; you would shiver with cold if you were in an ice factory or on a snow-covered mountain. Sitting near (being in the close company of) someone puts you under the influence of his qualities; this induction flows from higher (more intense) to the lower levels of the particular qualities which you lack or which you are not so strong at.

The trees and surroundings near a big sandalwood tree also smell of sandal. Your upasana (worship, devotion) of God should also be so dedicated that it envelopes your being in the divine aura of His grace, inspires your inner self and links your consciousness with the omnipresent supreme consciousness-force. It is said that the magic stone named "Paras" transforms everything that touches it, into gold. 

I do not know whether such a stone has been seen and tested in any laboratory. But it is certain that touching (getting associated with) the source of divine light enlightens everyone with its unalloyed radiance, which is brighter and more precious than gold. Have you heard of the drop of Swati (raindrop falling in swati nakshatra)? When a drop of Swati falls in the oyster, it is gradually transformed into a pearl. But what if they don't meet? The drop will disappear in the streams of rainwater or get absorbed in the soil if it falls elsewhere. 

The oyster would remain like any other shell on the seashore if it does not open its mouth to take the Swati drop. You will also have to surrender yourself to the beatifying grace of God, to purify yourself to adopt the divine virtues if you want to turn your otherwise negligible tiny drop of life into a shining pearl.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Human Alchemy-1; Pujya Gurudev

The Real Art of Human Alchemy-1

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

 Let us begin with the collective chanting ofthe Gayatri Mantra: 

| | Om BhurbuvahSwah, Tatsaviturvarenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo YonahPracodayat | |

          Sisters and Brothers, Your powers, your potentials are limited. May be, they would be sufficient for your sustenance and for raising your family as per the common trends. But this capability is gifted by Nature to every creature in some form or the other! You have also been gifted with hands, legs, eyes, etc and the wonderful system of the body, intellect and the ability to earn. Still what you could do on your own is rather restricted, confined to the average levels of natural capabilities of many others like you. You can't rise beyond a certain level by yourself. If you want to ascend beyond your best talents and endeavors, you need to take the support of the Supreme Self- God, the Preeminent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent source of infinite virtues and powers.

 What is God? Well, if you want a definition of the infinite, you may regard Him as a limitless source of cosmic consciousness force and supreme ensemble of virtuous qualities and powers. As you know, an electrical powerhouse in a city supplies power-currents to every household, roads and offices, etc. Varieties of machines, instruments, fans, bulbs, etc, all run with the help of this electricity. How will they run if their connection with the power generator is disrupted or insulated? Similar would be the case of instruments requiring other kinds of energies. So you see, connection with the power-generator is essential. You can't accomplish extraordinary tasks without having extraordinary abilities; linking of yourself with the Supernatural power-source is necessary for awakening and expanding your paranormal potentials. 

The process of connecting the individual, limited self with the Supreme, Unlimited Self is called - Upasana. 

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Energy-VI ; Pujya Gurudev

Energy and Environment

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

The Renewable Energy Development Agency, West Bengal (India) jointly with Bengal Development Consultants Ltd has made the dream of convertible solar power housing complex a reality in the Rabirashmi housing complex. Every bungalow here has its own ‘powerplant ’ on the rooftop consisting of a solar photovoltaic panel of 2KW capacity. All the domestic appliances, including inverters, work on this electricity during the day. It is the first major project in India where residents push power — generated in their rooftop photovoltaic panels — into the grid of power utilities ^[3] .

The solar generated power stored in the grid during the day is used in the night or on cloudy days when there is no sunlight. If there is surplus electricity in some house, it can also be directed to state’s power distribution grids. The latter option has attractive incentives. Apart from having the provision of warm water supply in their kitchen and bathrooms through the solar water heaters at rooftop, residents can also enjoy swimming in the lukewarm water of the pool heated by solar energy.

 This unique urban residential complex is not only a living example of self-reliant energy security by solar energy it is also a dream come true for the environmentalist.Other promising rewards of solar energy include distillation of heavy water, even the seawater, to get fresh drinkable water. Till date there is no other scientifically validated method that could offer this oasis to the thirsty world, which is fighting against depleting natural resources of drinking water.

God has gifted us with enormous boons like the solar energy using which we can achieve both - energy security and healthy environment. Observance of austerity in energy-consumptions and sensitivity towards environment protection are integral to prudent use of these precious resources. We must have the will and wisdom to follow it.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Energy-V ; Pujya Gurudev

Energy and Environment

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

Development of photovoltaic cells that directly convert sunlight into electricity was found somewhat expensive and infeasible in the protocol projects because of the high cost of production and lack of technology for preserving or transforming the excess storage, etc. However, the recent progress made in this regard has removed such doubts and made it clear that this is a viable alternative of electricity generation and that large-scale production and use of this source will lead to lower and lower costs and greater returns. Countries like India can benefit a lot from this, as on an average plenty of sunlight is available here for more than 300 days of the year.

Some scientific experiments have been successful in developing solar furnaces that could produce temperatures as high as 4000 to 5000 ° C. These furnaces are located on mountain top and work on the principles of focusing intense sunrays with the help of large concave, parabolic mirrors. While these offer cost-effective applications in large scale melting of heavy metals for industries, the principle of absorbing the heat of solar radiations has been successfully used in commercial and domestic applications for heating water and buildings. The rooftop solar water heaters (single or cascaded) are being widely used in hotels, hospitals, industrial plants, etc in many developed and developing countries ^[1,2] .

Solar heating plants are used in some parts of USA and Europe for warming the residential and official buildings. For this, heat of sunrays is absorbed by blackened Aluminium plates and then transmitted to air or water circulated in metal tubes (pipes) that are painted or shielded to prevent dissipation of heat. Interestingly the absorbed thermal energy provided by the Sun is also used in air-conditioning using auto-controlled puff insulation from sunlight. These puffs are placed in the cavities of walls and roofs and help keep the extreme temperatures at bay and thus maintain the building cooler in summer and warmer in winter. A municipal hospital at Kalwa (Thane, near Mumbai) is designed to have a solar powered 120 tonnes Air Conditioner. The solar powered housing complex named “ Rabirashmi ” is also equipped with this facility at a lower scale for individual houses.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Energy -IV ; Pujya Gurudev

Energy and Environment

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

Hydro and Wind Energies: Generation of electricity using the force of water currents is also dependent indirectly on the Sun. The water vaporized from the surface of the oceans (due to heat of the Sun) eventually forms clouds and pours rains that fill the ponds, lakes and rivers on the earth. The state-of-art technology for hydropower generation is still not able to produce large amounts of electricity. Even in the developed countries, on an average, only two to three percent of total requirement of electricity is fulfilled by this mode. Moreover it requires formation of dams, which disrupts water supply for other vital purposes and also disturbs natural environment in the surround regions.

Electrical power generation by wind energy requires setting up farms of grand fans at suitable open spaces. It requires movement of power turbines by wind supply. So, for large scale sustainable production of electricity by this source would be feasible if wind generators that operate on cost effective and efficient source are deployed.

Solar Energy — Achievements and Scope: Most promising among the eco-friendly renewable sources of energy is the Solar Energy, with golden prospects in countries like India, which have abundance of sunlight. Let us look at what it is offering us at present and what are the assured benefits in the near future and what is expected from us — the user community, to ensure environmental protection and viability and expansion of energy enrichment through these perennial resources.

Significant progress in solar technology-development since a decade or so has not only sizably reduced the cost of production but also increased the productivity of — (a) solar cookers of both heat box and reflector types (e.g. the recent parabolic designs for domestic use and dish solar cookers for large-scale cooking); (b) solar stills for roof-top heating and solar water heaters; and (c) photovoltaic cells for generation of electricity. Use of these helps saving almost 90 to 100% of the fuel or electrical energy that one would consume for corresponding applications using the common devices or tools like electric heater, LPG gas stove, etc.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Energy -III; Pujya Gurudev

Energy and Environment

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

Nuclear and Bio-product Energy: Since past half-a-century, the developed world has been giving emphasis to production of electricity in nuclear plants. However, this method of electrical power generation has several limitations: - 

(i) it relies on fission of uranium and plutonium; the stock of these nuclear fuels and substitutes like thorium available on the earth can last at the most for two thousand years; (ii) it is very costly hence the electrical power produced at this cost cannot be afforded by developing countries; 

(ii) there is always a danger of used nuclear fuel being processed for making atomic bombs; and 

(iii) most definite and immediate is the threat of radioactivity generated from the nuclear waste of such reactors. Larger the production of nuclear electricity, more severe would be this threat.

As the bio-species (entire animal and plant kingdom) exist on the earth because of the Sun, the energy obtained from bio-products would also be indirectly a gift of solar power. Production of energy from bio-products includes – biogas from cow-dung as a substitute of LPG (cooking gas) and fuel, production of electrical energy from bio-degradable waste, conversion of Bagasse(sugarcane waste) into diesel or extraction of (bio)fuel from oil bearing plants like “Jatropha” and its use for running automobiles. However, so far nothing promising has been reported on cost-effectiveness and long-term sustainability of this alternate source of energy. In the present scenario, the shrinking forestlands and cattle population coupled with growing migration of people from villages have further diminished the possibility of large-scale production using bio-products.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Energy -II; Pujya Gurudev

Energy and Environment

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

Fossil Fuel —Alarming Risk Today: It took about five million years for the formation of the coal and oil deposits. But we, the ‘fast progressing’, ‘intelligent beings’, have consumed and depleted them so rampantly in the 20 ^thCentury and have continued doing so in the new millennium that the entire oil reserves would be exhausted within the next hundred years only and the coal reserves would not last for more than a thousand years.

We keep hearing and reading this sort of information and keep confronting the rising prices of petroleum products, cooking gas, etc, but nothing changes our careless attitude and extravagant life-style. We continue rushing with our vehicles, even increasing their numbers and congesting the road traffic, wasting coal, oil, water and electricity as long as we can afford to pay for all this. We don’t want to suffer the deadly effects of toxic pollutants and ultraviolet radiations due to depletion of protective ozone layer, but we don’t mind generating pollutions, adding to the pool of plastic waste and enhancing global warming. We hardly realize the magnitude of the energy-crisis and environmental hazards in store because we are trapped in the lure of immediate gains, narrow domains of selfishness and shortsighted view of life.

Potential Solutions: Reforestation is necessary for saving our environment. It will also help reducing the global warming effects to some extent but can’t serve the purpose of fulfilling wood requirement for fuels or energy, as the process of producing coal from it is inefficient and slow. If one tries to do so in some factories, it would add to air-pollution and warming. Moreover, the area available for (re)forestation and agriculture itself has reduced significantly due to the expansion of urban land, infra-structure (including roads) development and industrialization. Therefore alternate sources of energy need to be explored.

The alternate sources of energy successfully tried and also brought in use to varied extents include the non-renewable ones, like the nuclear energy and bio-product energy, and the renewable ones, namely the hydro-energy, wind energy and solar energy.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Energy = Pujya Gurudev

Energy and Environment

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

Modern civilization has flourished on extensive consumption of energy. Thanks to the marvelous developments in science and technology, we have been able to produce energy by diverse means harnessing enormous resources of Nature. However, now our requirements are outgrowing drastically, putting a question mark on our energy-security itself. This is more because of excessive energy consumption in our comfort-driven life-style than in what is essential for development. Apart from the risk of energy scarcity, we have also invited environmental hazards. Excessive production and use of thermal and electrical energy and petroleum products has led to global warming which, if left unchecked, will result in unbearable rise in the temperature on earth’s surface, eventually melting the glaciers and submerging vast areas of the world in ‘overflowing’ oceans.

The threats of nuclear waste are more horrifying, as the nuclear radiations can cause abnormalities at the genetic and cellular levels, and thus deform, damage, and disrupt the structure and function of any part of the body including the brain. Protection and sustenance of healthy environment is therefore a natural concern associated with energy-security.

Depleting natural resources like oil and coal are signaling inevitability of energy-crisis in coming decades, if no drastic alternative measures are taken. Safe management of nuclear waste puts a question mark on use of nuclear energy as well. Hydropower plants too can’t be suitable substitute because of scarcity of water, environmental feasibility of its present technology and other issues of eco-system balancing, rehabilitation of people affected by dams etc. Scientists, developers, policy makers and alert citizens are well aware of these unprecedented challenges of synergistic management of energy and environment. Nature-friendly, alternative modes of harnessing renewable or non-renewable energy have shown a silver line of hope, which seems to be getting brighter with deeper research and dedicated efforts of implementation.

Public awareness, will and participation in maintaining energy-discipline would however be essential to reap the real fruits.Let us quickly review the facts as they are today and accordingly plan the best options and approaches for the future.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Vision= Pujya Gurudev

The Open Vision

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

         What is the direct, Open Vision?  One may ask. One thing about it is that it should appeal to reason - that is the foundation. If something is unreasonable the question of vision does not arise.  Do you feel as sure of God,  someone once asked me, "as you do of the lamp in front of you?" 

"I am sure, quite sure of God," I replied, "but as for the lamp, I am not nearly so sure whether it really exists or not ! This exchange, which is recorded in my Vichar-porthi, took place in 1928. On a number of occasions I have had what appears to me to be direct Vision of God. I own it partly perhaps to the attitudes I inherited in my family, and partly to my reverence for certain holy books. But my faith rests not so much on these things as on the fact of experience. Other living creatures in all their variety, and the human beings I see around me, are so many forms in which He wills to appear. What is the direct, Open Vision?  one may ask. 
             One thing about it is that it should appeal to reason - that is the foundation. If something is unreasonable the question of vision does not arise. First, the thing must be acceptable to reason; secondly, after that, comes the experience. Reason tests it -this is knowledge; the experience follows - that is vision through knowledge. We may take, for example, the personal experience of compassion. Reason must first recognize that the world is full of compassion, that compassion is essential to the world plan.

 If my mother had not had compassion on me, I could not have received what I needed for my growth. The intellect must understand the need for compassion and recognize that it is present in the creation. Only then comes the experience of compassion. To feel in oneself the compassion that a mother has for her child, that is direct knowledge of compassion.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma

Breath Control = Pujya Gurudev

Happiness through Breath Control

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

Adequate and harmonized (with respect to body functions and the bioelectrical flows) supply of oxygen through balanced and deep breathing helps nourishing secretion and circulation of several neuropeptides (neuro-transmitters) and healthy activation of the endocrine (hormonal )glands which lead to a state of psychosomatic calm and peace. 

Irrespective of what makes us happy, one thing is certain that we all want to be happy. Who is there who does not want to be happy? Is there any moment when anyone, in normal state of mind, would opt for or deliberately attempt to invite tragedy, sorrow, troubles or some other adversities? None. As noted philosopher and ancient mathematician Blaise Pascal puts it: "The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both (to be happy), attended with different views. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves." 

In fact every moment of life, with every breath, every being seeks happiness. There is no exception, because this is the original desire of the individual-self; its quest for unalloyed happiness is the driving force for its endless journey life after life. But have we ever thought what is happiness? And, is everyone ever happy? The answers to these could be as many as the impulses of mind. (Perhaps that is why some savants say, happiness is so soothing to feel but it is so dry to talk about!) If happiness is only an impulse or excitation of mind, then every thrill of mind should have made at least someone happy. 

But then, someone would have achieved and experienced it all the time with varied degrees! Which of these countless experiences would have then accounted for the "real" happiness? Also, why then happiness would have been such a "sought-after" goal of life? If the source of happiness lay in worldly possessions, glittering resources, lavish food, charming bodies, supportive circumstances, etc then all those owning these things would have been most happy. But in reality we often see the contrary. People dying for worldly pleasure miss happiness in their mad rush for success, name, fame, luxuries and what not. 

Whatever "joy" they feel in achieving such things is only a sting of excitation, an illusion of happiness which is never separated from the hidden shadows of fear (of losing what they have), passions (of gaining much more than what they have) and consequent stress with recurring pressures of fluctuating circumstances.

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma