The Universal Arya Samaj
The Universal Arya Samaj (Vishwa Arya Samaj) is the universal community of good people. It is not limited to a particular time or place. It spans the entire universe and counts as its members all the noble souls who hail from the Solar Dynasty.
The Solar Dynasty is comprised of millions and millions of inhabited planetary systems that revolve around one or more Suns. The various planetary systems are grouped together into galaxies, which in turn are revolving around the center of the Cosmos, Hiranyagarbha. (Our planet Earth is just one small outpost in the Solar Dynasty.)
In any large and expansive community there are bound to be renegade members. Those individual souls who have lost their humanity (their essential characteristic of compassion-mercy-forgiveness), and have engaged themselves in selfish, ignoble activities and self-centered pursuits, become degenerates. They are known as un-Aryas. Even though they may be intellectually endowed or influentially powerful, they live in a darkened state of mind and are out of touch with Reality. The one who is caught up in ego is eventually undone by his own mind. Anyone who betrays his conscience eventually falls apart, because without the cohesive force of conciousness one cannot last for long.
A noble soul (Arya) is one who goes beyond himself. The Arya goes beyond the limitations imposed by mind and ego. A good human being listens to the advice of the Wise and takes it to heart. A foolish person hears the advice but does not listen to it, because he is always listening to his ego. The Arya knows the ego is an impostor, and is therefore never impressed by egotistic people, or motivated by his own ego. On the other hand, an ignorant person (one who has little or no training and experience in the knowledge of the Self, the soul—ATMAN), is easily influenced by outer appearances and is victimized by his own misconceptions and false perception.
An Arya stays away from bad habits like drinking alcohol, smoking, eating meat, and engaging in promiscuous behavior. But the one who is an un-Arya compromises with his principles and loses his character.
The constitution of the Vishwa Arya Samaj is written in the conscience of every soul. The articles of that constitution are the universal principles of good will. Those who harbor selfish motives violate their own true nature and feel insecure. To regain the sense of well-being, it is necessary to surrender our ego on the alter of consciousness. That is, we must give up our false identity to free ourselves from the sense of isolation and desperation.
Giving up our individuality does not mean we become nothing. It means that in order to experience our essence we have to stop holding on to our images, our arrogance, and our bias. Each and every soul is unique and universal, not individual. When we come in touch with that uniqueness we realize that we are not just a person—we are much more than that—each of us is a unique soul that is without beginning or end. We have always existed and will always exist—the soul is immortal. We can only experience this when we remove the mask of personality which is nothing but a temporary phenomenon of the mind.
The Arya is a man or woman of character and nobility. The Arya is not caught up in the shallow interplay of personality. The consciousness of the Arya is absorbed in the wisdom of the Absolute, in the Essence of Creation. The Arya does not pander for attention and recognition because he is living in the embrace of that Supreme Vibration. The mind of the Arya is filled with wisdom, the same wisdom with which this whole universe was created. The Ayra too is creative. The Arya creates good will in others by spreading the Light of Wisdom everywhere. The Arya is proactive, not reactive. The Arya is revolutionary, not reactionary. The Arya revolves around the Light of the Soul and remains in the orbit of the Wise. The Arya is never attracted to the selfish and never loses his discipline. The Arya remains balanced on the axis of consciousness and becomes a channel of the cosmic force of universal good will.
The Arya is called a Deva, which means he (or she) is a giver of Light, a dispeller of darkness, an inspirer of courage, and a healer. Devas that have fallen from the path become spiritually ill (dev-ill), and if they are not healed from their character sickness, they become demonic. A devil or demon is one who has become demented--whose mentality has become devoid of Light.
Selfish people come in many disguises. There are wicked people who pretend to be saints, gurus, swamis, priests, mothers, fathers, statesmen, doctors, engineers, etc., etc. Some wear orange robes, others black, or white, or yellow. Some are famous and have large followings, others are known only to a few. Some proclaim to revive the old systems, religions, cultures, etc., while others claim their own newfound ideas to be the true revelation. But, alas, the designs of the wicked always come to naught, and both they and their followers are ultimately destroyed.
The lineage of the Vishwa Arya Samaj, the universal family of noble souls, stretches back to eternity and forward to infinity. Its strength lies in the practices of its members, who have translated their good intentions into good actions. Victory is realized only through effort. Good will and good effort bring good results. To claim victory over the mind and ego we need to reclaim the Light of the Soul. Our souls have been lost in the world of samsara and we have forgotten our real nature, and that is why we feel defeated. The way out is not through ego or by building up our prestige through involvement with superficial institutions and organizations, or by forming artificial relationships with artificial people. By inflating our ego our mind becomes bloated and begins to float away--that is, we lose our presence of mind when we build castles in the air. If we become institutionalized, we become helpless and hapless. If we relate to others on the personality level, we fall from the high state of consciousness and lose our vision of eternity.
Pleasure and perfection do not go together. The one who seeks pleasure finds pain. The one who strives for perfection (excellence) attains ecstasy and liberation from all pain. We cannot be in two boats at the same time. It we want to cross the ocean of samsara we need to get on board a sturdy ship, commandeered by a worthy captain--one who knows the way across and is equipped with navigational skills. If we think this life is a pleasure cruise, then we are sorely mistaken. This life is hard work. The true vacation only comes when we have vacated our mind of all selfishness. When the ego is removed from the mind, life's challenges are no longer viewed as problems. This life becomes a sport, a LILA of Cosmic Consciousness, and we become the active participants in this divine drama.
We, the citizens of this Universe, are the eternal subjects of that Supreme Being Who has set all of this into motion. We owe our allegiance to that Indivisible, All-pervading, All-knowing, Ever-Real, Ever-Conscious, Ever Blissful, All-powerful Being Who resides in the hearts of all but is known only to those one who have completely surrendered their ego, who have broken all attachment to the mind and body by consecrating their life in the service of the Supreme Self. Those who spend their lives in wisdom, service, and devotion are liberated.
May we, one and all, unite our energies with that Super Force so that we may empower ourselves to overcome our own negativity, bad habits, bad memories, and harmful inclinations. Together, as one universal family may we move forward from here to Eternity.