A Human Birth.....

The birth of a human being is a miracle. It signifies the beginning of a story. A story of love, strength, flaws, wars, agony, joy and so many more things. It is also a sign that the soul inside the body of the new born had done something in it's past life to merit a chance to redeem itself of the vicious circle of birth and death. It is an opportunity to right the wrongs of all its previous births, for only a human has the ability to think for himself and hence has the power of choice, the power of decision. In this Kali-Yuga, the human is expected to lead a spiritual life in order to redeem himself and hence find salvation. For, the ultimate aim of every living being is to attain enlightenment and therefore realize the Parama-Sathya or Ultimate Truth - there is no body, only soul and that soul (Param- Atma) is one and the same as God, the Ultimate Being – Param – Atma. The day he realizes this, he will find liberation from all worldly problems and find himself at peace with, and one with the universe.

A spiritual life does not necessarily mean the life of an ascetic. Unlike in the previous yugas, as explained in the prelude to the Bhagawad Gita by Saint Narada, in the Kali Yuga, man need only be devoted to GOD to redeem himself. Devotion is more than enough to attain salvation and the highest form of devotion is chanting the name of the Almighty. The simplest and yet the highest form of devotion is indeed - JAPA. Chanting the name of the lord continuously with the deepest of concentration that one can muster is the best and easiest way to absolve oneself of all one’s sins and attain enlightenment.

There will, as always, be hurdles in the path that will lead one to the ultimate goal. But these goals are not to deter one rather to toughen oneself. The hurdles must be looked upon as learning experiences and strength must be drawn from the experiences that one obtains through ones travails. This and only this will serve to make one worthy of enlightenment. Clarity of thought, Serenity and Concentration alone can take one to the heights of self realization. For, without self realization there is no redemption.