Man who has not eaten for several decades - lives without food or water

Prahlad Jani grew in Charod village in Mehsana district in India. He claims to have been blessed by a goddess at the age of 8. He says he has survived several decades without food or water because of a hole in his palate. Drops of water filter through this hole, he says, sustaining him. He wears a red garment, nose ring, and gold bracelets. He also sports a ‘tikka’ on his forehead. His followers call him ‘mataji’or goddess.

Prahlad Jani, who has not eaten food or drunk water for 74 years of his 82-year-old life, will be kept under observation by the a wing of the defence ministry for 15 days. The members of Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Science (DIPAS) want to understand if this process can be replicated in others’ bodies. The observation is being undertaken at the Sterling hospital.

Jani says he was blessed by the mother goddess when he was eight and began living in a cave in Gabbar hills at Ambaji, to be called 'Mataji'. He has willingly accepted to be a subject of this exhaustive project where he will undergo a battery of advance tests, including MRIs, scans and blood studies. Jani, dressed in a red sari, nose ring and sindoor, spends his time in hospital meditating, offering prayers, keeping silence and giving blessings.

Mention of such ‘miracle men/women’ are there in the "Autobiography Of A Yogi” by Sri Paramahansa Yogananda in which he describes about such persons who have not eaten for years together. It is all possible for persons who are blessed by God. In their case they get divine energy from subtle space in their spine. Read More................Man who lives on air undergoes defence tests

Don't be Angry

We all know that getting angry is not good in life but all of us get angry at some point of time in life. Why at times our mind gets violent & anger is expressed in our nature? In a state of anger we hurt our near & dear one's by speaking angry words. When anger gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems for oneself, as well as, for others also. In the state of anger we are at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion which if not controlled by us does harm only to our life. If anger is not controlled, it can lead to physiological , as well as, psychological problems in our life.

Now how can we control this anger? Basically, to control anger is to first control & calm your mind. If your mind remains in a state of calm then no negative emotions can arouse in it. To be peaceful at mind, the easiest way is that we let our mind delve inside our own inner nature rather than hankering after outside the worldly objects i.e. we should daily do some meditation, as in meditation mind becomes peaceful. If mind continuously runs after worldly things outside then it gets disturbed when the thing of desire is not attained. When the mind gets disturbed in this way then anger arouses in the mind & it leads to negative consequences only. When you close your eyes in meditation, you start delving inside your inner nature. What is your inner nature? It's nothing but your Soul inside, where you delve in times of meditation & attain peace. In Soul, there is peace only. Now your Soul is nothing but part & parcel of Universal Soul only. Universal Soul is nothing but God only, who is ultimate peace.

Here below is a beautiful story about Anger Management:

"There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.

He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there." A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one."
Below are few verses from Bhagwat Gita which explain why we should avoid anger:

"tri-vidham narakasyedam
dvaram nasanam atmanah
kamah krodhas tatha lobhas
tasmad etat trayam tyajet" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Sixteen verse 21)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, There are three gates leading to the hell — Lust, Anger and Greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the Soul."

"dhyayato visayan pumsah
sangas tesupajayate
sangat sanjayate kamah
kamat krodho ’bhijayate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 62)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, One develops attachment for the sense objects by thinking about the sense objects. Desire for sense objects comes from attachment to them, and anger comes from unfulfilled desires."

"krodhad bhavati sammohah
sammohat smriti-vibhramah
smriti-bhramsad buddhi-naso
buddhi-nasat pranasyati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 63)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Delusion or wild idea arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down from the right path when reasoning is destroyed."

"kama-krodha-vimuktanam
yatinam yata-cetasam
abhito brahma-nirvanam
vartate viditatmanam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Five verse 26)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Those who are free from anger and all material desires, who are self-realized, self-disciplined and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the God in the very near future."

"dambho darpo ’bhimanas cha
krodhah parusyam eva cha
ajnanam chabhijatasya
partha sampadam asurim" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Sixteen verse 4)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance—these qualities belong to those people who are of demoniac nature."

So. let's not be angry in our nature & let's not hurt our near & dear one's by our angry nature.

Read also: Why we Shout when we are angry?

Jai Shri Krishna

Hidden God

Let's see few things which are not present directly in Nature but can be produced by little effort & logic. Butter & Clarified butter (Ghee) are not directly present in Nature but can be made by churning the milk. So butter is already present in milk in the hidden form which can be produced by little effort. Similarly Mustard oil is not directly present in Nature but can be made by crushing the Mustard oil seeds. So Mustard oil is already present in it's seeds in the hidden form. Similarly, the Divine God is present in subtle omnipresent form in this universe & is hiding here in everything, just like Butter is hidden in milk & Mustard oil is hidden in it's seeds. Only thing is that we need to churn our mind & should have faith in God, then we shall be able to know Him, just the way we are able to dig & discover the water under dry riverbeds.

Now let's see few things in our day to day life, which though are hidden or invisible from our eyes but are still present there. All of you might be using the mobile phone, getting internet through Wi-Fi technology, listening to radio, seeing the television through dish technology etc. All these are using a wireless technology in which subtle, radio or micro waves are transmitted by the Transmitter (broadcaster) through the INVISIBLE space & we receive these waves in our Mobile phone, Laptop, Radio, Television etc. Have anyone of you seen these waves travelling through the space with your eyes, but it is a reality that these invisible rays travel always through an invisible medium called Space & do wonders.

Isn't it amazing? Yes, it's amazing & proves the existence of invisible space & invisible rays. If this invisible medium called SPACE is doing wonders practically in our lives then can't you think of another Invisible medium called GOD which is also creating wonders in our lives. Yes, its true that "Invisible GOD" which is present within this invisible space, is always looking at our lives & controlling our lives but we don't see & realize that. Here below is a Verse from Bhagwat Gita which exemplify this very loudly.

Yathakasa-sthito nityam
vayuh sarvatra-go mahan
tatha sarvani bhutani
mat-sthanity upadharaya (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 6)
"Sri Krishna says in Gita: Just like the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, rests always in the sky, so do all created beings rest in Me i.e. in God, who in its unmanifest aspect always rests within this all pervasive space."

From the above verse it is very clear that God gets seated himself always within this all pervasive Space & sees all our activities & controls this whole universe. So Let's start wondering about this Space & the God who is seated within this space in the invisible form. Once we realize this, then it shall be very easy to see GOD all around us & shall be able to feel the omnipresent nature of God. That Supreme God is only called Brahmn.

Here below is a "Hymn to that Universal, Omnipresent Lord". It is from "Svetasvatara Upanishad":

"O Lord, You are the Ancient One & the Lord of Shining Light,
O Lord, You dwell beyond all darkness and the night;
O Lord, knowing You alone can a man cross over death,
O Lord, There is no other path for him to take."

"O Lord, All heads are Your heads, all faces Your faces,
O Lord, You dwell inside the heart & also in all hidden places.
O Lord, Through the whole universe, You have extended Yourself.
O Lord, You are Shiva, the auspicious, the ever-present Lord."

"O Lord, With hands and feet everywhere, eyes and ears
Everywhere, heads and mouths everywhere,
O Lord, You have filled up every corner of the space.
O Lord, Smaller than smallest and larger than largest."

"O Lord, Present are You in the depths of our heart.
O Lord, When free of desires and unshaken by sorrow, we
Seek for You only, then by Your grace,
O Lord, Your Form and Your glory stand clearly before us.

"O Lord, You are the woman and You are the man,
O Lord, You are the youth and the maiden, too;
O Lord, The old one tottering there with his cane
Is You, who are born here again and again.

"O Lord, You are the bird of dark-blue hue and the parrot green
With bright red eyes; You are the thunder-cloud's black sheen,
O Lord, You are the seasons and the seas. Beginning less and
Endless, You are He from whom all worlds are born.

"O Lord, Can men ever roll up space like a skin?
Then, unless they have known You without and within,
O Lord, How can they cross over sorrow and death?
O Lord, whose light needs no other light.

"O Lord, Creator of even Brahma, the creator,
Revealer to him of the knowledge called Veda,
O Lord, To You, I come in my longing for freedom;
O Lord, To You, for refuge, with reverence, I come!"

Cosmic Mother

Generally God is referred to as the Father, creator of the universe. In Christianity, Father aspect of God is prime but in Hinduism Mother aspect of God is also equally prevalent & God as Mother is worshipped very frequently. Mothers create too, don't they? -- even more than fathers, because we draw our very life and nourishment from them. In India, Goddess Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Sarasvati etc. are many Goddesses who are worshipped as God Mother. During the Durga festival in India, people celebrate it by gathering around the images of "the Mother" -- which are beautifully painted and decorated forms depicting the Divine Mother, looking just as they have imagined (or perhaps seen) Her, for centuries. They praise Her and sing hymns and dance in honor of Her who has given them everything. In short, everything has come from the hand of the Mother, who is Creator, Sustainer and Dissolver of it all.

She is One Mother, who is present everywhere. Divine Mother is also called the Cosmic Mother as she is present everywhere in this cosmos. She is maintaining & sustaining all this creation just like a mother takes care of her children. In general we call it Nature also. In our present day life, we are regularly facing Natural calamities of floods, storms, tsunamis, earthquakes etc. Then there is problem of global warming which is a great Natural problem of these days. Now all these calamities are a result of our ignorant acts due to which our Cosmic Mother is annoyed with us. We need to understand her true divine Cosmic Nature & pray to her so that natural calamities can be avoided.

Here below is a Puranic story, about how one little boy, son of the Divine Mother Durga, discovered Her true nature. His name is Ganesha. He is considered very wise, which is one reason he's shown in pictures with the head of an elephant!

"Ganesha went outdoors one day to play and found a stray cat. Too small to know better, he began to pull her ears and tail. He roughed up that poor cat and even began to beat her with a stick, making marks on her head till, yowling, she ran for her life. Some hours later Ganesha went into the house. His mother, to his astonishment and dismay, was looking terrible. Her hair was a mess, she had scratches on her face and she limped from the bruises on her body.

"Mother!" cried Ganesha. "Who beat you up?"

Sadly Sri Durga replied, "It was you, I'm afraid."

"No way! What do you mean? I never did it!"

"Do you remember, his mother asked, "a while ago, how you treated a certain cat?"

Now Ganesha thought that the cat's owner must have come and beat Mother Durga on account of him, and he burst into tears.

"Where is that man?" he sobbed.

"No, not that. You see, my boy, I am not just your physical mother. I have filled the Whole Universe with My Being. As a matter of fact, whatever you do to any least part of it, you do that to Me."
So from above story it is very clear that ,whatever, wrong we do to any creature in this world, we are doing it to the Cosmic Mother. With our bad & wrong actions towards other people & creatures of this world, Cosmic Mother becomes disturbed & gets annoyed with us. Due to Divine Cosmic Mother's annoyance only, Natural calamities occur & it's one way of Divine Mother to punish people for their wrongdoings.

In Bhagwat Gita also Lord Krishna says that He is there in this universe in many woman forms which are detailed below. This woman form of God is only called Cosmic Mother.

"mayadhyaksena prakritih
suyate sa-characharam
hetunanena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 10)
"Lord Sri Krishna said: This Material Nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O Arjuna, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again."

"kirtih srir vak cha narinam
smritir medha dhrtih ksama" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 34)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: Among women I am fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience."

Great Indian saint Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa used to worship the Divine Cosmic Mother at the temple of Dakshineshwar near Kolkata. It is said that stone statue of goddess in that temple used to take a live form & goddess in person used to talk to the great saint. So let's all pray to that Divine Cosmic Mother.

The Fear of GOD

Should we love God or should we fear God? As per me there is no need to have fear of God in our mind as God is not someone to be feared but loved. Loving God let's you come closer to Him. God is called the "Ocean of Love". If you love Him a little bit then He shall love you ten folds, as God is hungry of love & devotion only. In "Bhagwat Gita" also Lord Krishna says to Arjuna to adore Him as then He shall be pleased with him. I wonder many times, why sometimes fear of God is put in people's mind so that they can mend their ways. As per me there is no need to have fear of God in one's mind but should have love of God in our mind. Below is a funny story when a mother tried to mend the ways of her young children by putting the "Fear of God" in them. Enjoy the story:

"There were two brothers who were always up to some mischief. If somebody had been locked up in his house it was surely the mischief of the two brothers. If somebody's dog had been painted green, one always knew who the culprits were, similarly if someone's vehicle's tyres were found flat it was surely to be the mischief of two brothers.

One day the boys mother asked a priest to talk to her sons and put THE FEAR OF GOD in them so that they would mend their ways. The priest asked her to send her sons to him one at a time.

When the younger boy, a lad of ten, came, he made him sit and asked him : " WHERE IS GOD ?" The boy did not answer. The priest asked again, in a louder voice: " WHERE IS GOD?" The boy remained silent. But when the priest asked the same question third time, the boy jumped up and ran away. He went straight to his brother. " We are in big trouble!" he gasped. "What's wrong? asked the older brother, warily,wondering which of their sins had caught up with them.

"GOD IS MISSING," said the youngster, " and they think we have something to do with it !!!!"

Change the Direction Of Your Mind

In India, sometimes you find that there are some Devotional songs (Bhazans) that are made while copying the tunes of popular Boolywood songs. To the people, when they listen to such Devotional songs, often the original Boolywood song comes in their mind. Some don't like these type of Devotional songs (Bhazans), while some enjoy these very much & in rural India, such type of Devotional songs made on Tunes of Boolywood songs are very popular.

Now, why it is so that such Bhazans or any other type of Devotional songs are enjoyed by many people, while not liked by other people at all. Simple answer to it is that our mind always wanders outside in this world & always goes about the objects of the senses. Our mind always loves things of this outside world, be it the beautiful scenery, music, scent etc . but does not normally find joy in things or songs related to God. Our mind always believes in visible things of this world & somehow believes with difficulty in someone, who is invisible, just like the God or Soul which is so subtle that it is invisible through our gross human eyes. The other thing is that your mind finds joy in your family, relations, sons, daughters etc. & not in God who is invisibly sitting in your heart in a subtle way. Your mind rarely goes inside yourself & tries to find joy over there but always hankers in the outside world for the joy.

Last weekend, while going out for the dinner in my car, my 6 year old niece asked me to stop the devotional songs (bhazans) which were playing in my car & instead asked me to play the popular bollywood songs. That little girl listens daily to the popular bollywood songs on TV etc. & understands those type of songs only. Bhazans playing in my car were not understandable & enjoyed by her. It's O.K. for a child but for the grown ups like us, our mind shall find joy in the things of the God only when we shall have some devotion towards the God. God is sitting in our heart & the pure soul joy is there within each of us. If our mind shall turn inwards & see the God sitting in our heart, then only we shall get the eternal pure joy & peace which is much better than the joy of the senses of the outside world.

Now human mind is so stubborn that it shall not turn easily inwards as it is accustomed to the things of the outer world. Our mind always hankers in our daily affairs, in our family & in the things of this world & has no place for the God in our day to day life. It is only due to the stubborn nature of the mind that it refuses to move towards the God, if it is finding joy in the outside world. In fact "Mind" is very powerful one & to control it, is just like keeping in control a raging bull. It just wanders like the wind, here & there & it takes enough of self discipline & practice of meditation to control it. In Bhagwat Gita, nature of mind is beautifully described which is there in below verses:

As per "Arjuna" to "Lord Sri Krishna" in Bhagwat Gita Chapter Six verse 34:

"chanchalam hi manah krishna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva su-duskaram" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 34)

"Arjuna said: For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, to control it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind."

"sri-bhagavan uvacha
asamsayam maha-baho
mano durnigraham chalam
abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena cha grhyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 35)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: O mighty-armed Arjuna, it is undoubtedly that mind is very difficult to curb & is restless, but it is possible by suitable practices of meditation and by detachment to control it."

So, if we want to have some devotion in God & want "Peace of Mind", then we need to change the direction of our "Mind", from this world to the God sitting in our heart. Unless our "Mind" stops wandering in this world, it shall not find peace. Our Soul is the centre in our heart & unless our "Mind" turns toward that centre, it shall not find peace. Our "Mind" shall not find peace & joy, if it moves away from the "Soul center" in our heart & moves in the outside world. So if you want to find the joy, bliss & peace in your life, just turn your mind inwards towards the God, who is sitting in your heart invisibly. It is the promise of the God in Bhagwat Gita that He shall welcome anyone who shall come to Him & He shall always protect that person. So let's change the direction of our mind from the outside world to the God. As per the below verse, if we shall do so, then we shall reach the God & shall enjoy the Bliss, Peace, Joy & Eternal Love with Him.

God, Lord Sri Krishna says to Arjuna in Bhagwat Gita:

"Be aware of me always, adore me, make every act an offering to me, and you shall come to me; this I (Krishna) promise to you, for you are dear to me.
(Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65)

"Whosoever, always & constantly remembers Me with undivided mind; by that person, I am easy to obtain, O Arjuna, because of his constant engagement in the devotional service to Me" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eight verse 14)