the challenges on the way boldly, unravel the mystery of life and attain a state of higher consciousness. They make their life a source of perennial joy, teach others the art of living the good life and radiate positive energy. Acharya Mahapragya is a traveler with a difference. He belongs to the second category. When he saw the flames of violence spreading into different parts of the world, he realized that the forces of nonviolence had become weaker and were in a state of disarray. They could do nothing to stem the tide of violence closing in on humanity. He decided to give a new turn to his routine journey on foot from one village to another as an obligatory ritual of his ascetic life. He shifted the focus of his journey from its being a mere instrument of self-purification to a strategy for awakening the consciousness of ahimsa among the people. He widened the scope of his routine Yatra (journey on foot) and made it an instrument of mass campaign to generate a powerful wave of ahimsa to wean the people off the cult of hatred.
With this objective in mind Acharya Mahapragya launched Ahimsa Yatra on December 5, 2001 from Sujangarh (Rajasthan). I would like to recall his first message to the people assembled on this occasion. He said:
“When we think over ahimsa we have two alternatives before us – individual and society. Individuals are many and they are governed by their emotions while society is governed by a system. It is the individual who creates a system and also follows it. Hence it is difficult to draw a line of distinction between an individual and society. Negative emotions cause violence and positive emotions give rise to ahimsa. Anger, pride, greed, hatred, fear, communal animosity and caste prejudice are negative emotions. Tolerance, Politeness, non-attachment, love, fearlessness, communal harmony and human solidarity are positive emotions. The objective of Ahimsa Yatra (a journey on foot to advance the cause of ahimsa) is to impart training in the strategies to transform negative emotions into positive ones. It is quite possible to change a person’s negative emotions into positive emotions by training him in ahimsa.
The spiritual aspect of training in ahimsa (nonviolence) is to awaken the mass consciousness of nonviolence and creating an environment of its formative influence on children. The practical aspect of training in nonviolence is - imparting vocational training to individuals to enable them to earn their living according to their needs. The problems of poverty, exploitation, criminal injustice and environmental pollution cannot be solved merely by spiritual training, nor can they be solved by bringing about a change in a system. The way to solve them is to awaken the individual consciousness of nonviolence and combine it with one or another vocational training to enable him to earn his livelihood.
The concept of Ahimsa Yatra and its programme are not based on any impractical and impossible assumption. Something practical and plausible capable of determining the direction of a change in accordance with a long-term policy can play an active role in stopping the march of violence. They project of Ahimsa Yatra has been formulated on the basis of this practical goal. We believe that all those who are deeply concerned about the noble cause of ahimsa and about the cultivation of ethical values in society and all those who think about making the social system healthy will join in. Ahimsa is the elixir which keeps individual, society and nation alive.”
This message which Acharya Mahapragya delivered on December 5, 2001 at the onset of Ahimsa Yatra has remained a beacon to all those who joined the ahimsa walk.
A yatra or a journey is an inborn human attribute. Everyone is on the move. Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March, Acharya Vinoba Bhave’s March across the country seeking the donation of the excess of land for the landless and Acharya Tulsi’s Anuvrat March to distant parts of the country with the purpose of creating a healthy and nonviolent society conveyed a moral message to the society. As the caravan of non-violent marchers led by Acharya Mahapragya, accompanied by hundreds of his white-clad monks and nuns, passed through village after village and town after town, the impact it created on the minds of the people was electrifying. The villages which a few days ago had been the scene of orgy, religious frenzy and killing, suddenly turned into shrines overflowing with love and compassion. Some scenes were reminiscent of the scene created by Lord Buddha when he was accosted by the dreaded Angulimar who was proud of having killed one thousand humans. This very sight of Buddha disarmed him. Many who participated in the communal bloodbath fell at the feet of Acharya Mahapragya and took a vow never to revert to the path of violence.
Originally the Yatra was planned only for three years, but when Mahapragya saw Gujrat aflame with communal violence he extended it to five years so that he could go to other areas vulnerable to violence and heal the wounds of those who suffered and thus prevent the recurrence of such events. Acharya Shri took his Yatra from Gujarat to Maharashtra, Daman, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, some parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Chandigarh. I was a witness to this divine spectacle and some place and I am convinced of the immense power of ahimsa which can transform not only an individual and a society but even the entire nation. So far Ahimsa Yatra has passed through 65 districts of the country, has covered more than 2500 villages, towns and cities and an area of about 9000 km. And if we count the days spent in Ahimsa Yatra they come to 2000. At the age of 89 this Jain Saint exudes the energy that surpasses even that of a youth.
It seems Acharya Mahapragya will continue his Yatra indefinitely till he is satisfied that the incidents of large scale violence and destruction have been reduced or have come to an end.
It is not merely a caravan of thousands of people moving together but the Anuvrat workers who walk with the Acharya organize youth meetings, dialogues and workshops on ahimsa. Acharya Mahapragya is of the view that unless the causes of violence are found out, it is impossible for us to meet the challenge of the forces of violence. Side by side volunteers spread into different directions and establish personal contact with the families afflicted with drug addictions, unemployment and stressful life. They stay behind and solve their problems. Verily the villages and towns trekked by the Acharya become centres of training in ahimsa.
Yuvacharya Shri Mahashraman, the successor to Acharya Mahapragya, who has been his constant companion throughout the march, realized that there ought to be a programme of individual commitments to a minimum number, but essential, ethical norms. At the end of Mahapragya’s discourse he asks the people to at least pledge themselves to observe the four vows. Many stand up and humbly accept the following vows of ethical norms:
1. I will believe in human unity.
2. I will not resort to quarrels and conflicts on the basis of caste and sectarian issues.
3. I will try to follow integrity in my personal life as far as I can.
4. I will try to remain free from drug addiction.
The tremendous impact being generated by the Ahimsa Yatra at national level is really amazing. It has enabled the volunteers to study the problems and identify their causes. The data being collected will prove extremely useful in the formulation of some projects aimed at abolishing poverty and hunger.
Acharya Shri believes that hunger is at the root of violence, so in order to address this challenge Mahapragya Seva Prakalpa (MSP), a Centre for Serving the Poor has been established. Anuvrat volunteers spread in all parts of India have taken up the cudgels. They will see that no one goes to bed hungry in their areas. They will also organize medical camps to help the poor to get free treatment.
It is an extension of Acharya Mahapragya’s Ahimsa Yatra, a new dimension to purpose of life for his followers. Thus we hope that Ahimsa Yatra will go on and will continue to wipe the tears of the afflicted and radiate love and compassion.

Acharya Tulsi on Preksha Meditation
“Observe the soul through the medium of the soul” – this saying of Lord Mahavir arouses in the mind an unquenchable thirst for self-knowledge. Even otherwise, the desire for self-knowledge is innate in man. Man wants to see himself as he is and he wants to know what other people think of him. Until he learns the technique of inner observation, man’s gaze is confined to the exterior organism. He wants to feel that his body is beautiful and he wants to display this beauty to others. For this he even resorts to the use of cosmetics. When, after a thorough make-up, he holds a mirror in his hand and looks into it, or sees his image reflected in a full-sized mirror, he stands fascinated by his own beauty. Man does not know that there is an element in his being which is naturally sublime, whose splendour never palls and remains unaffected by disease and old age. Physical beauty is transient, liable to be marred by the cruel stroke of time. Should we not then strive for a glimpse of that beauty which is beyond time and matter?
That inner beauty is the beauty of the soul. To witness that requires the opening of the inward eye. One with the eyes of the flesh alone can never approach it, because it is formless. Preksha is one of the ways in which that immortal beauty may be observed. The word ‘preksha’ is generally used in the sense of seeing; but here we mean by it a special technique, which takes us from the gross physical world to the subtle world of the soul; which makes the unknown manifest itself. In fact, it is a method of medication, the user of which experiences within himself a unique transformation.
Yoga-vidya or the technique of meditation is a prominent feature of our spiritual heritage. Many kinds of yoga-systems are prevalent in our country. Among these, the technique of preksha dhyana has newly emerged. Despite its recent emergence, however, this technique has proved its utility and has attracted the attention of the intelligentsia. A question may arise as to the reason behind the popularity of this new technique as compared to other techniques of meditation which have bee prevalent in the country for thousands of years.
In my opinion there are two reasons:
1. This method is not traditional or based upon hearsay, but upon direct experience; and
2. No method of meditation can be acceptable today unless it is scientific. Preksha is a scientific system. Many doctors have examined its working through the use of scientific instruments, and the results have been astounding indeed.
Most of the people who have practiced preksha meditation, are of the view that this method is in no way inferior to any other system of meditation prevailing in the country. If properly practices with deep faith, preksha dhyana can greatly help in the attainment of self-realization.
 

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