Akram Youth. Enjoy. what you have. Do not worry about what you do not have. April 2017 English Dada Bhagwan Parivar 12

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1 Akram Youth April 2017 English Dada Bhagwan Parivar 12 Enjoy what you have Do not worry about what you do not have

2 Contents Happy Person? Sad Person? Poll Akrampedia istar Gnani With Youth Dada s Book Excerpt Physically Present, Mentally Absent Exam Festival Happiness Art of Appreciation 20 Question & Answer Publisher & Editor: Dimple Mehta Pg April Year: 4. Issue: 12. Cont. Issue: 48. Contact : Gnani Ni Chhayama (GNC), Trimandir Sankul, Simandhar City, Ahmedabad-Kalol Highway, Adalaj, Dist. Gandhinagar, Gujarat Phone: (079) akramyouth@dadabhagwan.org website: youth.dadabhagwan.org store.dadabhagwan.org/akram-youth Printed & Published by Dimple Mehta on behalf of Mahavideh Foundation Simandhar City, Adalaj Dist- Gandhinagar Owned by Mahavideh Foundation Simandhar City, Adalaj Dist- Gandhinagar Printed at Amba Offset Basement, Parshvanath Chambers, Nr. RBI, Usmanpura, Ahmedabad-14. Published at Mahavideh Foundation Simandhar City, Adalaj Dist- Gandhinagar Total 24 Pages with Cover page Subscription Yearly Subscription India :125 Rupees USA: 15 Dollars UK: 10 Pounds 5 Years Subscription India : 500 Rupees USA: 60 Dollars UK: 40 Pounds In India, D.D. / M.O. should be drawn in favour of "Mahavideh Foundation payable at Ahmedabad. You need to download QR Code Scanner App from Play store or itunes Store Visit Download free ebook / PDF versions of all Akram Youth issues by scanning this QR code 02 April 2017

3 Editorial A day has 24 hours, 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds. Can you tell me how many minutes, or even seconds, you have remained in the 'present' today? Okay, can you even give me a guarantee that you 'lived in' most of the moments of your day today? The answer 'NO' is perhaps the beginning, or the first step, for you to start living in the present. This is because you've now at least aware of not being in the present, and it is this awareness that is required for staying in the present. Enjoying what you have is a very important aspect of living life in today's world, especially for youngsters. Taking things for granted is a very common mistake that unnecessarily ruins lives, depriving them of the joy derived from the smallest things. We have never given a thought to what we take for granted. Why are we not able to enjoy what we have? What are the benefits of living in the present? In this issue, let's learn to change our attitude and enjoy what we have now, to the fullest... - Dimple Mehta Akram Youth 03

4 Happy Person? or Sad Person? Tick the thought processes that relate to you in the following situations. CLOTHES Happy person: Wow! I have a wardrobe full of clothes! Sad person: I have only one wardrobe full of clothes, and they are not even branded! WHEN COUSINS CALL YOU OFTEN Happy person: It's great that my cousins care about me! Sad person: Oh God! My cousins keep bothering me with questions about my life! YOU HAVE A MALL IN FRONT OF YOUR HOME Happy person: I have a big mall right in front of my house, now I can go there anytime I want to meet my friends. Sad person: I have a big mall right in front of my house, and now I have to meet and greet people I don't care about! GETTING LESS HOURS TO VOLUNTEER Happy person: This time, other volunteers will get a chance to perform. Sad person: They didn't give me an important role, they don't consider me of much value. WHEN MOM ASKS YOU TO HELP HER Happy person: Oh she's so wonderful, always trying to teach me how to do the chores. Sad person: Ugh! She's constantly nagging me and asking me to run errands for her. 04 April 2017

5 CONSTRUCTON OF NEW ROADS Happy person: Oh great! New roads will facilitate better travelling. Sad person: This is so annoying, it just adds to existing traffic problems! FEEDBACK FROM SUBORDINATES Happy person: Oh! This is a great suggestion! I will definitely work on it. Sad person: How dare my subordinate complain about how I run things around here! NOT HAVING A DRIVER Happy person: At least I can drive myself to wherever I want to go. Sad person: What is the use of a car without a driver! Everyone has a driver! ALLERGIC TO MILK PRODUCTS Happy person: Well, by avoiding milk products I can take care of my body, be fit, and healthy. Sad person: This is so bad, now I can never eat cheese or cottage cheese. AN OLDER MODEL OF A CAR Happy person: Well, I still have a car to travel in! I can always work hard and earn enough and buy a better car in the future. Sad person: Ugh! I am stuck with such an old car! I have to use it and don't like it at all! SO? Are You Happy Or Sad? Akram Youth 05

6 Poll ince childhood, we have been taught not to take things for granted. But Swhat does it actually mean, 'taking things for granted'? It means to underestimate the value of a person or a thing, because we think that we are deserving of, and even entitled to, the person we are with, or objects that we posses - now and always. We are so used to our needs being constantly met in this modern world that we take them for granted, and do not appreciate them as we ought to. When one day something goes wrong, or we lose something, then we realize their value. Then we realize the meaning of the quote by Avinash Wandre, When you take things for granted, the things you are granted get taken. To get a detailed and deeper understanding of the above concept, we asked approximately youngsters if they took things for granted. Everyone's response was a spontaneous 'YES'! Next, they were asked to name some of the things they took for granted. The result of the survey is as follows: 06 April 2017

7 27.4% 1. House 2. Food 3. Clothes 4. Water 5. Senses 6. Money 23.5% 1. Parents & Family 2. Siblings 3. Friends 4. Domestic help 5. Teachers 19.5% 1. Phone 2. Electronic items like TV & Computer/ Laptop 3. Internet 4. Public Transport 5. Electricity 16.5% 1. Time 2. Intellect 3. Freedom 4. Education 5. Talent 6. Rights 7. Parent's values 8. Dada's Gyan 13.1% 1. Oxygen 2. Health 3. Sleep Basic Requirements Relations and People Technology &Facilities Immaterial Possessions Requirements of the body Akram Youth 07

8 Author : Ayush Maheta Age : 16 The Knowledge Encyclopedia Friday, I went to shop for cell phones with my parents. We spent a lot of time at Best Buy (an electronic store in the USA) looking at phones. Every phone basically looked alike. It was a tough choice, so I ended up buying a Moto G4 Plus. Friends, it's a classy phone, with lots of features and dashing looks. For a week, I was totally engrossed in the bliss of my new phone and, let me tell you, it was pretty engaging! Until I met a friend of mine who had an iphone. The moment he took the iphone out of his pocket to send a message, something inside me shifted. Little did I know that I would so quickly become paralyzed with an inferiority complex. My friend, unknowingly caused this feeling in me! Trust me, I was totally unaware that I had beliefs about branded phones, and that I had thought it makes one cool to have an iphone. I was actually obsessed with brand names! Friends, need I say more? We humans love to compare ourselves to the people around us, even when we are reasonably happy with what we have. We tend to compare ourselves to someone who has something better, thus inviting jealousy and dissatisfaction into our lives. In fact, I'm aware that this tendency is prevalent within all of us. I knew I had to dig into the science to resolve this melancholy, and I came upon a passage from Dada's vani. It immediately soothed my grief. I would like to share it with you as well. Here it is: Dadashri : Enjoy what you already have. Whatever you get, be happy, eat, drink and be merry! Never mind, if you don't get certain things! Instead, you cast aside what you already have, and the happiness that goes with it, thinking, 'How nice it would be if I had 'that' as well!' Just remain in the Self! Enjoy what comes to you naturally! But these unconscious and dissatisfied people lose their present happiness and wish for the unobtainable! For example, when one thinks, 'When will I get married and live with my in-laws?!' When that event has to happen, it will happen, buddy! If it does not, don't worry, you still have your own home! 08 April 2017

9 international Spiritual Teenager Akram Retreat From 2nd to 15th August The event gives the opportunity to study in-depth the Spiritual Science unveiled by Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan. It is a 15-day program specially designed for youth living outside India. istar gives them the opportunity to make healthy international friendships, study, grasp & understand the Spiritual Science unveiled by Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan, and explore the rich heritage of Indian culture. The Retreat includes interactive activities, day-trips, Jatra (spiritual tour), group discussions, self development programs & games, videos, and Satsang sessions with Pujyashree Deepakbhai, Aptputra bhaio & Aptputri behno. Pavan Gudka Kenya Khusboo Makwana U.K. I had so much fun. I have come here and I got peace and I have got most of my questions answered. And then the activities were pretty good. We learned to sing pads, it was pretty good. It s not just about learning Dada's Gnan and stuff. It's like you have fun as well when you meet new people. I think everyone should come at least once to istar and experience it. For More Info Visit : istar.dadabhagwan.org Akram Youth 09

10 Gnani With Youth What's the difference between Enjoying what you have and Remaining content? 10 April 2017

11 hose who are content with Twhatever they have are always happy. Those who pine for things that they don't have are a dissatisfied lot. T h e y a r e a l w a y s s a d. W h a t i s dissatisfaction? When someone is served one sweet, then he sees two sweets on another's plate. Although he already has one, he starts complaining, Why did I get less? The person that gets two sweets sees that someone has three, which, in turn, makes him boil in his own dissatisfaction. One may live in a nice 2 BHK flat but, when attending a house-warming ceremony of his relative's 3BHK flat, he may feel sad. If the owner of the 3 BHK flat sees those living in a 1 BHK flat, he may feel happy because he has a larger kitchen and more space. But, if he sees a 4 BHK flat, he may feel sad. So, who is the supplier of sadness? The Flats? Friends? One who causes sadness is at fault. I have a small flat compared to someone else! That is discontentment. Enjoy whatever you have. There are people who are not even fortunate enough to have a separate home. So we are betteroff! But that nagging feeling about others having more, brings sadness along with it. That is the pain of being dissatisfied. Even in matters regarding money, p e o p l e a r e d i s s a t i s fi e d o v e r t h e distribution of wealth. My mother-inlaw has given my younger sister-in-law more gold than me! She complains. But why don't you look at what you already have? You already have 200 grams of gold! But No! Why has she given her five rings, and only three to me? She makes herself unhappy in this way. In this situation, we can understand her discontent, but then she starts harassing her husband. She insists that he talk to his mother and ask her for two more rings. She applies pressure-tactics by not cooperating with him in their daily lifeuntil he fights for her cause with his mother. This way, she manages to distance the son from the mother and the rest of the family. Instead, why not enjoy whatever you have in hand? If the younger daughter-in-law's shoes size is 7, and the older one's size is 5, what do you think she will do? Will she start wearing size 7 shoes? One should not welcome such discomforts. Whatever she gets is in accordance to her acquired karmas. I am going to get things as per my karmic account. There is no point in boiling blood and becoming sad about what you don't have. Instead, enjoy whatever you have and remain content. That will make you happy. If ever you have to look at your shortcomings, compare yourself with those people who are unfortunate, living with less or no a m e n i t i e s. T h a t i s t h e ' r i g h t understanding' to remain happy and cheerful. If you must observe those better off, then watch the enlightened ones (Gnani Purush) and see how they r e m a i n i n e q u a n i m i t y i n b o t h comfortable and adverse conditions as they climb the ladder to salvation. You should follow them and achieve that stage! Akram Youth 11

12 Dada s Book Excerpt Living in the present is the right thing A man who has only one child, a threeyear-old daughter, thinks about the expense of getting her married when she grows up. These kinds of worries should not arise. When the time is right, all the evidences will come together for her. Until then, do not worry. All you have to do is feed and educate her. Do not worry about what lies ahead. Only attend to the present time. The past is gone, so why dig into it? Not even a fool will dig into it! The future is in the hands of Vyavasthit, so live in the present. If you are drinking a cup of tea, enjoy that tea, because the future belongs in the hands of Vyavasthit. Why worry? Live in the present - while having a meal, concentrate on the food that is in front of you. Know and taste the ingredients in the food that you are eating. To be in the present means that, when you are writing the accounts, your concentration is entirely in the same and, therefore, accuracy is maintained. It is when the mind drifts into the future that errors will occur in your accounting. Those who live in the present do not make even a single mistake and they have no worries. Download free ebook / PDF versions of this book by scanning this QR code Visit : 12 April 2017

13 Don't worry about that which is not in front of you I've met many factory owners of Ahmedabad, who, while dining with me, would be lost in the business of their factories. A wife of one such factory owner came to sit before us as we were having our meal and said, My husband never eats his food peacefully. When I asked him for the reason, he replied, My mind is consumed by the complex affairs of my business. So I told him, Don't do that. When your plate is present in front of you, enjoy what is there and do not worry about what is not present at this time. Enjoy whatever comes before you now. Live in the present. When you are in the kitchen, does your mind wander off to the bedroom? When you are supposed to attend to a matter at hand, does your mind wander elsewhere? Questioner: We are all over the place! Dadashri: Those are all departments. So you should not take the thoughts or worries of one department into another department. Complete all the work that needs to be done in one division first, wherever you are. But when you go into the next department to eat, you must enjoy your food, and leave behind your worries of the previous department. When you go to the bedroom, leave the worries of the kitchen or the office in their respective departments. Man suffers because he does not have such organization, and he does not compartmentalize his daily life. While he is having his meal, he worries about what he will do when his supervisor gets upset with him. Deal with it when it happens! For now, just enjoy your meal! God has said, Enjoy what is present in front of you. Do not worry about that which is not present. That means that you must stay in the present moment of time, and enjoy what you have. Akram Youth 13

14 Lord Krishna has said 14 April 2017 Enjoy what you have, do not worry about what you do not have

15 Dadashri : One day I was visiting a wealthy businessman in Ahmedabad. His wife had prepared a delicious meal. As the man and I sat down to eat, his wife said to him, At least eat well today. I asked her why she made such a comment, and she replied that whenever her husband sat down to eat, it was just his physical body sitting at the table. His mind was always at his factory. He never enjoyed his meals. Goodness, you foolish man! At the present moment you have a meal in front of you! Not your factory! Why not enjoy your meal in peace? People have become so foolish. They worry about their daughter's marriage when the daughter is just four. Some wretched soul will be on his deathbed, gasping his last breath, and all his relatives would have lit the lamps for the final farewell, and yet he sobs, worrying about his young daughter. His daughter tries to console him, telling him to be at peace and to not worry about her anymore. He tells her that she would not understand such matters and, in his mind, he believes that she is only saying things to console him because she is not as clever as he is. The foolish man! His intellect is such that no one would pay even a nickel for it! One of the properties of the Soul is that whatever a person contemplates, he will become that. A person can create bondage of a new lifetime in each situation! This is how it is! As Dada said just as the mill-owner is not physically present while having his lunch or dinner, thinking of the pending work in the mill, our minds are always in the future, or the past, or in other thoughts that do not allow us to enjoy the present. Has this happened to you? You are physically present in the situation, but mentally absent? Akram Youth 15

16 When we asked a few teenagers, they said... Once I lied to my mom, saying that I was going to college, and instead went to a movie with friends. I had a constant feeling of fear in my mind, 'What if Mummy comes to know the truth? What if someone I know sees me?' So I didn't enjoy the movie at all. - Sneha When my professor delivers a lecture, I tend to be absent-minded as I don't have any interest in the lecture. My mind entertains constant thoughts of food, friends, etc. - Chintan When my parents talk to me, I often ignore them. When my Mom talks to me, I am busy playing a game on my phone, or chatting with friends. - Yash When I study, my chit is never in my studies. It keeps roaming, showing me different photos of food, film stars, movies, etc. - Jinkle When I am in a temple in front of God, my chit is always in my shoes outside, or in my work, money, etc. instead of in my prayers. - Krishna While eating my food, I often watch TV, or a movie, or I am on the phone chatting with friends. I barely realize what I'm eating! - Nidhi You surely must have found yourself in at least one of these situations, so send us your experience of when you are physically present but mentally absent. Send us your experience at : 16 April akramyouth@dadabhagwan.org Facebook - Twitter

17 ow opposite are these two Hsituations? But what if we merged both of them? Sounds interesting, right?! Once in "Mann ki baat", I heard PM Modi talking about celebrating exams like festivals. We dress so nicely for Diwali and Navratri. Festivals bring with them excitement, festoons, and new clothes that bring us joy. In the same way, we can start preparing long before the exams, to mark the start of this 'festival'! On the day of exam, eat your favorite delicacy before going for your exam! My exams were starting in just two weeks, and I was anxiously waiting to welcome this festival. I would read with concentration and zest. Chanting "Asim jai jai kar" before studying added to the celebration. Now, I was experiencing the joy of studying because of concentration of Chit. As a result, I was able to remember everything with minimal effort. Finally, the day of the exam arrived. I asked Mom to order my favorite food, Pizza. She also fed me my mostloved dessert. Then I prayed to Dada, and left for my exam. I had no stress in the exam hall, and completed my exam in a relaxed state of mind. I enjoyed as much as I enjoy doing Garba! The results were out in two months. I scored 81 percent! My progress w a s c o m m e n d a b l e. E v e r y o n e appreciated it, but I enjoyed it the most. So what do you think friends? Will you also add 'exams' to the list of your favorite festivals? - Experience by Twinkle Pasad Akram Youth 17

18 Art of Appreciation Happiness 18 April 2017

19 A young man was asked, "What's the secret behind your uniquely happy disposition? He said, "When I was 11 years old, God gave me a gift of happiness. I was riding my bicycle when a strong gust of wind flung me onto the ground, into the path of an oncoming truck. The truck ran over me and cut off my leg. As I lay there bleeding, I realized that I might have to live the rest of my life without a leg. Nothing in the world could have been more depressing! But then I realized that being depressed won't bring my leg back. So I decided, right then and there, not to waste my life in despair. When my parents arrived at the hospital, they were shocked and grieving. I told them, 'I've already adapted to my situation. Now you also have to get used to this.' Since then, when I see my friends getting upset over little things (like their bus came late, they got a bad grade, or somebody insulted them), I just enjoy life and find contentment with everything that I own." At age 11, this young man attained the clarity that it is a waste of energy to focus on what you are missing, and the key to happiness is to take pleasure in what you have. Happiness is just a state of mind. It comes from mastering the art of appreciating what you already have. You can have everything in the world and still be miserable because, even after achieving what you already want, old wishes will be quickly replaced with new ones. Or you can have relatively little and feel unbounded joy. That's why our morning prayers should begin with gratitude for all the blessings that we have received, thanking God for the simple and obvious. Try this challenge: Spend one hour writing down all the things for which you are grateful. Most people fly through the first 15 minutes. The next 15 minutes the pen moves more slowly. The next 15 minutes get even tougher, but you can pull through if you include your eyebrows and socks...the last 15 minutes are excruciating. Once the list is compiled, add one new blessing each day. The power of this exercise is clear: you must be conscious of all your blessings in order to appreciate any new blessing that comes your way! Akram Youth 19

20 QUESTION & ANSWER Question : My demands lead to conflicts in my house. How can I remain happy in this situation? Aptaputri : Whatever causes conflict can never bring happiness. The law of happiness is that if you impart happiness, you will receive it in return. It is the same with pain. If our acts cause pain to others, it will result in our getting the same. So the best possible solution is to remain happy in such conditions. Generally, what happens is that we are not satisfied with what we have, and hanker for different things. This results in losing either way: first, not enjoying what we possess, and second, living in turmoil until our other wishes are fulfilled. Those who do not fall into this trap are an intelligent lot. We can surely put forth our demands for whatever we need but, at the same time, we should enjoy the pleasure of whatever is available to us in the present. Remember, our demands shouldn't in any way cause pain to others! 20 April 2017

21 Follow In the Footsteps of The Gnani We all want to live in the present. So, why do we think of other things? How is it possible to stay in the present? Let's learn about the practical solutions that we can apply to our daily life. The Aptkumaris (celibate Sisters) were asked, How can we stay in the present and enjoy what we have? They replied, By remaining in close proximity of the Gnani, we can remain in the present, because the Gnani lives in the present, and we learn to follow him. About 6-7 days per year, one should live with the Gnani. In close proximity to the Gnani, anger-pride-deceit-greed does not generate. This is because the Gnani doesn't function through his physical body. His chit is engrossed in Shuddhatma (the pure Soul) only. The Gnani is so pure that, in his presence, our chit also does not roam - our attention also comes into the present due to the Gnani's presence. Therefore, it is beneficial to remain with the Gnani as much as possible. Thereby, we do not worry about the future, nor do we become sad about our past. Furthermore, all obstacles in our path to moksh get shattered and we progress in both real and relative ways. So, now what are you thinking about? If you are still not convinced, I will give you an example which all of you must have experienced. When you have eye-to-eye darshan with Pujyashri, you forget the whole world, and surrender your chit entirely to him! Isn't that true? Akram Youth 21

22 Classic Kakuro Each puzzle consists of a blank grid with sum-clues in various places. The object is to fill all empty squares using numbers 1 to 9 so the sum of each horizontal block equals the clue on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. In addition, no number may be used in the same block more than once April 2017

23 For Answer visit : Akram Youth 23

24 April Year: 4. Issue: 12. Cont. Issue: 48. Akram Youth Date of Publication: 22nd of Every Month RNI No. GUJENG/2013/53112 Reg. No. G-GNR-311/ Valid up to Posted at Adalaj Post Office on 22th of every month The doctor to the patient: ''You are very sick.'' The patient to the doctor: ''Can I get a second opinion?'' The doctor again: 'Yes, you are very ugly too...'' A: When I stand on my head the blood rushes to my head, but when I stand on my feet the blood doesn't rush to my feet. Why is this? B: It's because your feet aren't empty. Send your suggestions and feedback at: akramyouth@dadabhagwan.org Printed and Published by Dimple Mehta on behalf of Mahavideh Foundation-Owner. Printed at : Amba Offset, B-99, K6 Road, Electronics GIDC, Sector 25, Gandhinagar , Gujarat, India 24 April 2017