Trip inwards truth (Sudarshan Kriya)

There is only two mistake one can make along the road of truth; not going all the way, and not starting___Mahatma Buddha

The reason I mention this quotation here is because almost all of the us do one of the mistakes. Despite the fact that we belong to a country which is the birth place of truth. Then comes the famous world famous argument that "In this realistic world its highly impossible to keep with the idealistic character". I am writing this article to break the very foundation of this saying.

Numerous examples from past clearly depict the quality of being such kind. We know them all very well from Gautam Buddha to Mahatma Gandhi. But to our surprise such example still exist today as well, according to the story of Elayaraja Marthanda Varma, the surviving scion of the Travancore royal family.

The Elayaraja had suffered the growth of big corn on his left foot. Walking was painful even with painkillers. Before the wound had healed, he faced a temple festival, where traditionally the Raja had to walk barefooted in a procession for two km to receive the deity. The doctors said no, he simply shouldn't walk. The over-70 former ruler insisted that keeping up the tradition would come above personal health. Finally King suggested "Why don't you cut the corn? Give me local anesthesia and painkillers. Do that now, so that I do my duty to God and people” and he did it.

This small example shows nothing but commitment of a person for his duty. An advantage of this is that we achieve a divine efficiency to our duties.

It is hard to reach such stage in life but at least one should try to move "towards the path of truth". And first step towards this is to search truth inside ourselves. This require a break from our routine and looking inwards which further require meditation.

The whole point of this discussion is to make us understand that how much value mediation (Yogam) have in our life. Yoga is one thing which lead to great discoveries by out ancient scientist (Rishi's). Do you know that theory of relativity which shake the very foundation of classical physics was first proposed by Nagarjuna a courtier in Kanishk's royal court.

There are three type of meditation (Following abstract by Dr Ramesh Manocha who get many awards in Yoga research field) :-

Transcendental meditation

Transcendental meditation is the commonest form of mantra meditation. It aims to prevent distracting thoughts by use of a mantra. Transcendental meditation is said to be associated with clinical outcomes such as blood pressure reduction. There are however, a number of case reports in the mainstream medical literature describing occasional adverse psychological and physical effects, range from mild to severe, that appear to be causally related to the technique.

Mindfulness and Vipassana meditation

Vipassana meditation aims to use focused attention (often by using a physical sensation such as the breath) to cultivate mental calmness. Regular practice enables one to objectively observe one’s thoughts and therefore enhance one’s self-understanding. Mindfulness approaches have been shown to be effective in certain clinical applications such as chronic pain. Adverse events associated with Vipassana have been described although it is unclear as to which form these reports refer.

Sahaja yoga meditation

Sahaja yoga meditation aims to promote the experience of ‘thoughtless awareness’ based on the original meditative tradition. Feedback from management teams and anecdotal reports from patients are favorable. As yet no adverse effects have been reported in MRP’s trials, clinics or in the literature.

My personal experience is with Sudarshan Kriya which is a Yogam Process developed by Shri Shri Ravi Shankar. Sudarshan kriya is a part of course offered by Art of Living  foundation called Yes!+. This course is for personal with age group till 35 (for age above this there is separate course called basic course). This process makes you realize the energy hidden inside.

The positive effects of this course can be assessed by its spread round the globe. Shri Shri Ravi Shankar ji is a regular visitor of middle east countries where Art of Living is spreading fast. Today courses of art of living are being conducted all over world unlike in India. Prominent personal like Sanya Nehwal and Lal Krishna Advani are regular follower of Art of Living. Numerous naxalites have left their dreadful movement after going through the process.

With much of benefits attached in my opinion meditation (Yogam) especially Sudarshan Kriya worth a try.