Science of Knowledge & Wisdom

Tilak is a mark of auspiciousness. It is put on the forehead with sandal paste, sacred ashes or kumkum (red tumeric). The devotees of Siva apply sacred ashes (Bhasma) on the forehead, the devotees of Vishnu apply sandal paste (Chandan), and the worshippers of Devi or Shakti apply Kumkum, a red tumeric powder. The scriptures say: "A forehead without a Tilak, a woman without a husband, a Mantra the meaning of which is not known while doing Japa (recitation), the head that does not bend before holy personages, a heart without mercy, a house without a well, a village without a temple, a country without a river, a society without a leader, wealth that is not given away in charity, a preceptor without a disciple, a country without justice, a king without an able minister, a woman not obedient to her husband, a well without water, a flower without smell, a soul devoid of holiness, a field without rains, an intellect without clearness, a disciple who does not consider his precep

The brain gets a continuous flow of stimulus from the sense, organs, through the nervous impulses to the specific region of the cerebral cortex, as well as the consciousness. Partly, the message is also conveyed to a unique system within the spinal cord and the brain. This is designed to interpret the stimulus as a danger signal or one of pleasure and enjoyment, by exciting the nervous system. The reticular formation develops to gather messages from the sense organs, and coordinates them to get a complete picture of the threat. This takes place on a continuous basis. The messages are exaggerated or suppressed depending upon the importance of the threat. The interpretation as to when a particular threat is important and needs to be exaggerated or when it is of less importance in comparison to another message and needs to be suppressed, is also the task performed by the brain. The ordering of priorities depends on a number of factors which the brain takes into consideration. The

By Swami Satyananda Saraswati Today stress is being considered as one of the prime causes of disease. A great deal of research has been done on this subject by scientists throughout the world and they have concluded that tensions, anxieties and disturbed mental conditions can cause serious physical ailments. There is a very long list of diseases, such as blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and asthma, which are known as stress-born diseases. If you study this list, you yourself can conclude that 89% of all the ailments today are stress-born. Science today is beginning to relate psychological behaviour to these stress conditions and therefore it is very necessary to study what stress is, and how it can affect the various aspects of human life. In order to do this we have to first of all understand the nature of stress and from where it originates. One of the most important factors that can be concluded from our studies, of both ancient yogic literature and modern scie

Tantra, is the science of knowing the infinite in and through the finite- the limited world of form. It teaches knowledge and experience of the macrocosm through the microcosm, of the unlimited by means of the limited, of supreme consciousness through individual consciousness. Through Tantra, which encompasses all aspects of life, we can use the world as a stepping stone to go 'beyond' and discover our divine nature. Thus the objective universe is utilised as a launching pad into the eternal. Tantra is a practical system - 'sadhana, shastra', a practice-orientated scripture, and its purposes is to impart spiritual illumination to each and every individual by any means suitable. The philosophical concepts of Tantra reach the loftiest heights in this effort to express the inexpressible, to make comprehensible that which cannot be grasped by the ordinary consciousness. Yet it has not lost touch with practical application. It comprises a vast number of practices to

Yayati was a rajarishi, an ancestor of the Yadu clan to which Sri Krishna belonged. His queen was Devayani, the daughter of Rishi Shukracharya. The only weakness the king had was desire, and desire was his undoing. Cursed by the rishi on one occasion, to become old before his time unless he could exchange his old-age with someone else, Yayati sought his eldest son Yadu and begged him to help him out of the predicament. Yadu, of all the king's sons, was interested in spiritual life. He pondered over the situation. Seeing his father obsessed with youth and desire, Yadu realised the impermanence of both. He was filled with vairagya. However, he did not want to grow old before his time, because he thought, 'When old-age comes gradually one exhausts his desires naturally and along with them the karma. Besides, youth is a time for spiritual, sadhana, a preparation period for the development of higher consciousness. Sad at having to disappoint his father, nevertheless Yadu