BE BLESSED YE ALL!

To be or not to be in a blessed state has never been the question before an average human being except the likes of Shakespeare’s creation called Hamlet. To be in a blessed state is to be more than happy. Indeed, happiness is a state of mind whereas being in a blessed state encompasses both body and soul. The Vedic word for the state of blessedness is ``ANAND’’.

No wonder the social and religious reformer of the 19th century India, Swami Dayanand Saraswati always addressed his disciples and friends in letters using the words ``Anandit Raho’’ or be in a state of blessedness. This was his way of writing to the high and mighty as well as the commoners. Shriyut Mulraj, Jiwandas, Saindas etc of Lahore, Pandit Shyamji Krishna Varma of Mumbai, His Highness Maharana Sajjan Singh ji, king of Mewar,Udaipur were equally blessed by the Maharshi in his correspondence with them. About himself too he would mention in the letters ``main anand mein hoon.’’ (I am in a state of blessedness) . Of course, it is ``Anand’’ that the soul or the Jeevatma longs for.
With a view to achieving the state of blessedness, one has to strike the happy balance of ``Prarthna (prayer)and purushartha (action). The twain shall meet, if one strives for it. In the Vedic sandhya, right at the end, the devout soul with a sense of `Samarpan’, which is more than a willful surrender to the wishes of the Almighty, prays for realization of the ultimate goal – Moksha – and affirms his will to work for it through the prescribed path of Karma (action). While doing one’s duty one is fortified by devotion to Ishwar (God) through recitation of and meditation on the meaning of the mantras.

``Charaiveti Charaiveti’’ – move on and on – that is the Vedic command to all humans wherever they are. If one halts for good, one is as good as dead. An individual whose body has not been abandoned by the soul should pulsate with energy for lively action. It should be right action for the right cause. The right goal is achieved through the right means.
All our actions will be well intentioned if we are guided by a feeling of friendliness towards one and all without any discrimination in thought and action. ``Mitrasya Chakshusha Sarvani Bhutani Samikshantam’’ – look at and behave with all living beings as FRIENDS. If you befriend one and all you rise above avarice, anger, animosity and similar negative feelings. One will not do to a friend what one will not do to one’s self. Thus the state of blessedness will descend on the door of the good. It is the ideal condition when all human beings will be free from strife. Agony will yield to Ecstasy.
With a view to achieving that state of blessedness one should strive to have an enlightened mind in a healthy body and play the role of an active member of a vibrant social order. The totality of this happy combination will result in social efficiency. For a healthy body adequate and regular exercise coupled with a balanced diet is recommended. PRANAYAM or conscious control of inhaling, holding on and exhaling process contributes a lot in restoring respiratory system and consequent blood circulation to a state of perfect health. One should seek and be blessed by a good guru and get going with the pranayam practices. Regular morning walks and allied aerobic exercises may supplement the PRANAYAMIC ones in one’s quest of state of blessedness.

``Are you fond of good food?’’ Who isn’t, that is a counter question. The well fed men and women should never lose sight of the age old saying: ``eat to live and don’t live to eat.’’ An observance of this time tested observation will go more than half way in solving the chronic over weight related problems, preventing achievement of the state of blessedness. Dhanwantri, the celebrated Vaidyaraj of yore had opined ``hit bhook, mit bhook, rit bhook’’ that is eat what promotes health, eat that much that your body needs and eat what you earn by the sweat of your brow. Indeed propitiating the palate has no place in our quest of blessed state. Food for thought of course is of prime importance in this context. Healthy literature promotes a healthy mind. ``Porno’’ has no place in our quest, notwithstanding the Freudian emphasis on sex as a dynamo producing energy for all types of human actions. Those who subscribe to CHARVAK’S theory of heavy borrowing to fund a luxurious living come to grief. A grieving man is by no chance a Blessed Man.

Let us develop a healthy mind in a healthy body and live in a state of perpetual fearlessness – ABHAYAM. Let us enlist the support of the family and the common man in the society to achieve the blessed state. We may, therefore, enjoy its fruits with the blessings of God – SACCHIDANAND.

Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant