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24 SANATAN DHARMACHAKRA
Author Kedi Ganapati
✦ Table of Contents ✦
- Yajnopavit Is Not a Sanatan Ritual
- Janeu Is Not Meant for Everyone
- One Dharmachakra, Many Language
- Creation of Dharmachakra
- 4 Rights of Humans
- 8 Duties of Human
- Why worship Ganapati first?
- The Untold Story of Ganapati as Shiva’s Son
- Why Do We Worship Many Gods?
- Why Attain Moksha?
- Dirty Water, No Moksha?
- Discover Sources of Energy
- Love Animals, Eat Animals
- 12 rules of Human
- Eight Deities Manifest in Human Beings
- 108 Ganas Manifest in Human Beings
- Four Ashram
- Four Virtuous Varna, Two Non-Virtuous Varna
- Nakshatras in Action! Birth Death Prarabdha
- Progeny and Family
- Rebirth and Incarnation during the Kumbha Period
- Bad Boy, Good Boy
Yajnopavit Is Not a Sanatan Ritual
Kedi: “Why is the Yajnopavit sanskar performed?”
Ganesh: “Before performing any important task that gives a human being a new existence, a righteous ritual procedure is followed so that the true purpose of that important task is fulfilled and the seeker’s existence is transformed. The ritual performed to turn an ignorant seeker into a knowledgeable one by teaching him the lessons of Dharma is called Yajnopavit sanskar. It is the ritual performed to impart the education of knowledge to an ignorant person.”
Kedi: “I don’t understand bookish language; explain it to me like a friend.”
Ganesh: “When you were admitted to school for the first time, on the very first day of school, there should have been a ritual after which your studies were supposed to begin righteously—that ritual is called Yajnopavit sanskar. But because India no longer has the Sanatan education system, that first ritual of turning from ignorant to knowledgeable was never performed on your first day of school. Nowadays no school in India performs the Yajnopavit sanskar, so it is done at home or in temples.”
Kedi: “For hundreds of years no one starts studies in school by performing Yajnopavit sanskar. Millions of scholars have been born without Yajnopavit sanskar—then why is Yajnopavit sanskar necessary?”
Ganesh: “Knowledge contains both purity and impurity. Removing impurity from anything and making it pure is called 'sanskar' (refinement). The sanskar of knowledge is essential. For all seekers, acquiring knowledge of all subjects is equivalent to acquiring both purity and impurity.”
Kedi: “How can there be purity and impurity in knowledge? Explain like a friend.”
Ganesh: “Every child knows in childhood what he wants to become in life. Giving knowledge of all subjects to all children is the same as giving them both pure and impure knowledge. The child who wants to become a priest should be given the knowledge of a priest; the child who wants to become an engineer should be given engineering knowledge; the child who wants to become a physician should be given medical knowledge—that is the purity of knowledge. That is the main purpose of Yajnopavit sanskar and knowledge-sanskar. Giving a child who wants to become a physician the knowledge of priesthood, engineering, mathematics, etc., which he will never use—that is the impurity of knowledge.”
Kedi: “What is the harm in taking extra knowledge?”
Ganesh: “Those who take extra knowledge waste the precious time of their life—just as you did. Knowledge that has no use wastes time. So that no child wastes his life’s time by taking wrong knowledge, a ritual is performed to determine the right knowledge for him and to give him only that knowledge—that ritual is Yajnopavit sanskar, which is also called Dharma-dharan.”
Kedi: “Has my time also been wasted?”
Ganesh: “The foreign education system of enslaved India gave you 10 years of impure knowledge and wasted 10 years of your life. Otherwise, the knowledge you should have received in school at the age of 10–12, you started receiving only after finishing college, at the age of 26. From age 4 to 22 you kept taking impure knowledge. Even today, the knowledge you gained in 10 years of school has been of no use to you. Studying only up to class 5 in school would have been sufficient for you. The commerce knowledge you studied for 5 years in college was of no use to you; only the certificate helped you get a job of 12–15 thousand rupees—otherwise you could have earned more than that through business without studying. If your Yajnopavit sanskar had been performed in school itself, 10 years of your life would not have been wasted.”
Kedi: “Is Yajnopavit sanskar a school ritual?”
Ganesh: “Yes. When a student is admitted to any school, based on his interest and talent, subjects should be assigned to him and his Yajnopavit sanskar performed. For someone who is to become a priest, only a havan is part of his sanskar. For someone who is to become a physician, engineer, artist, etc., havan is not included in their Yajnopavit sanskar. Yajnopavit sanskar should be performed not only in Sanskrit but also in one’s mother tongue. Your mother tongue is Marathi, so your Yajnopavit sanskar should have been in Marathi. For someone whose language is English, it should be in English. That is the purity of Yajnopavit sanskar.”
Kedi: “My Yajnopavit sanskar was done in Sanskrit—was my sanskar impure?”
Ganesh: “Being impure and ‘not happening at all’ are two different things. Your Yajnopavit sanskar was nothing at all. You didn’t understand a single Sanskrit mantra; the whole time you kept rubbing your eyes, inwardly crying, not knowing what was happening, why it was happening, or what they wanted—you were just coloured by the crowd.”
Kedi: “Is the Yajnopavit ritual compulsory in Sanatan Dharma?”
Ganesh: “Yajnopavit is not a Sanatan ritual. It is a ritual of Indian, human-made culture. It is a practice that can be followed within Sanatan Dharma, but it is not an essential ritual of Sanatan Dharma itself.”
Kedi: “I don’t understand.”
Ganesh: “Yajnopavit is a type of ritual called Dharmadharana. Every nation and community has the full right to perform such rituals according to their own sources and interests. Not everyone needs to copy or follow Yajnopavit.”
Janeu Is Not Meant for Everyone
Kedi: “I want to give up the janeu (sacred thread). Is this wrong or a sin?”
Ganesh: “Why did you wear the janeu in the first place?”
Kedi: “After the Yajnopavit sanskar, everyone told me that it is compulsory to wear the janeu, so they gave it to me, and I wore it.”
Ganesh: “Why is it compulsory to wear the janeu?”
Kedi: “I asked 4–5 sadhus; everyone said it is proof that the Yajnopavit sanskar has been performed.”
Ganesh: “That means if anyone just puts on a janeu, it will be accepted as proof that he has undergone the Yajnopavit sanskar?”
Kedi: “I don’t know why people wear the janeu.”
Ganesh: “Amazing! You wore something without knowing why, yet it feels like a bondage to you, so you want to discard it. And the very thing that feels like bondage to you—giving it up feels wrong and sinful to you. Are you really mad?”
Kedi: “Did I do the right thing?”
Ganesh: “The most important thing is to first know the ‘why’. Without knowing the ‘why’, finding answers to what, when, how, where, and by whom is useless.”
Kedi: “Why do people wear the janeu?”
Ganesh: “For self-remembrance (atma-bodh) and support.”
Kedi: “I didn’t understand anything.”
Ganesh: “There is a seeker who is not in the habit of walking, who has no awareness of walking, who needs support to walk—so he is given a walking stick. The seeker walks with the help of that stick. When he stops walking, seeing the stick reminds him that he has to keep walking, and he starts walking again. That stick is the janeu. Until some seekers wear the janeu, they do not remain aware that they have to keep studying. For them the janeu works as self-remembrance and support. You can walk without support; you have the self-awareness to keep studying continuously; you do not need any external reminder or support—that is why the stick and the janeu feel like bondage to you. For someone who can walk without support, walking while holding a stick really is bondage. In such a case, giving up the stick is accepting the truth and the right path.”
Kedi: “Those seekers who wear the janeu without real desire—are they doing wrong?”
Ganesh: “Holding a stick in the hand for support is righteous, but tying the stick around the stomach shows ignorance. What people actually tie on the wrist as kalava—that is the real janeu. A thread hanging on the stomach and shoulder is not a janeu; it is a bondage of ignorance.”
Kedi: “Are janeu and kalava a bondage for everyone?”
Ganesh: “In this world nothing is a bondage for everyone; for some it is a necessity. What is bondage and a burden for you may be extremely necessary for someone else. Therefore, never think that something useless to you will be useless to others. Janeu and kalava have become traditional objects. When an object becomes traditional, it can also become a means of giving energy to a seeker.”
One Dharmachakra, Many Language
Kedi: “Why is the Yajnopavit sanskar performed?”
Ganesh: “Before performing any important task that gives a human being a new existence, a righteous ritual procedure is followed so that the true purpose of that important task is fulfilled and the seeker’s existence is transformed. The ritual performed to turn an ignorant seeker into a knowledgeable one by teaching him the lessons of Dharma is called Yajnopavit sanskar. It is the ritual performed to impart the education of knowledge to an ignorant person.”
Kedi: “I don’t understand bookish language; explain it to me like a friend.”
Ganesh: “When you were admitted to school for the first time, on the very first day of school, there should have been a ritual after which your studies were supposed to begin righteously—that ritual is called Yajnopavit sanskar. But because India no longer has the Sanatan education system, that first ritual of turning from ignorant to knowledgeable was never performed on your first day of school. Nowadays no school in India performs the Yajnopavit sanskar, so it is done at home or in temples.”
Kedi: “For hundreds of years no one starts studies in school by performing Yajnopavit sanskar. Millions of scholars have been born without Yajnopavit sanskar—then why is Yajnopavit sanskar necessary?”
Ganesh: “Knowledge contains both purity and impurity. Removing impurity from anything and making it pure is called 'sanskar' (refinement). The sanskar of knowledge is essential. For all seekers, acquiring knowledge of all subjects is equivalent to acquiring both purity and impurity.”
Kedi: “How can there be purity and impurity in knowledge? Explain like a friend.”
Ganesh: “Every child knows in childhood what he wants to become in life. Giving knowledge of all subjects to all children is the same as giving them both pure and impure knowledge. The child who wants to become a priest should be given the knowledge of a priest; the child who wants to become an engineer should be given engineering knowledge; the child who wants to become a physician should be given medical knowledge—that is the purity of knowledge. That is the main purpose of Yajnopavit sanskar and knowledge-sanskar. Giving a child who wants to become a physician the knowledge of priesthood, engineering, mathematics, etc., which he will never use—that is the impurity of knowledge.”
Kedi: “What is the harm in taking extra knowledge?”
Ganesh: “Those who take extra knowledge waste the precious time of their life—just as you did. Knowledge that has no use wastes time. So that no child wastes his life’s time by taking wrong knowledge, a ritual is performed to determine the right knowledge for him and to give him only that knowledge—that ritual is Yajnopavit sanskar, which is also called Dharma-dharan.”
Kedi: “Has my time also been wasted?”
Ganesh: “The foreign education system of enslaved India gave you 10 years of impure knowledge and wasted 10 years of your life. Otherwise, the knowledge you should have received in school at the age of 10–12, you started receiving only after finishing college, at the age of 26. From age 4 to 22 you kept taking impure knowledge. Even today, the knowledge you gained in 10 years of school has been of no use to you. Studying only up to class 5 in school would have been sufficient for you. The commerce knowledge you studied for 5 years in college was of no use to you; only the certificate helped you get a job of 12–15 thousand rupees—otherwise you could have earned more than that through business without studying. If your Yajnopavit sanskar had been performed in school itself, 10 years of your life would not have been wasted.”
Kedi: “Is Yajnopavit sanskar a school ritual?”
Ganesh: “Yes. When a student is admitted to any school, based on his interest and talent, subjects should be assigned to him and his Yajnopavit sanskar performed. For someone who is to become a priest, only a havan is part of his sanskar. For someone who is to become a physician, engineer, artist, etc., havan is not included in their Yajnopavit sanskar. Yajnopavit sanskar should be performed not only in Sanskrit but also in one’s mother tongue. Your mother tongue is Marathi, so your Yajnopavit sanskar should have been in Marathi. For someone whose language is English, it should be in English. That is the purity of Yajnopavit sanskar.”
Kedi: “My Yajnopavit sanskar was done in Sanskrit—was my sanskar impure?”
Ganesh: “Being impure and ‘not happening at all’ are two different things. Your Yajnopavit sanskar was nothing at all. You didn’t understand a single Sanskrit mantra; the whole time you kept rubbing your eyes, inwardly crying, not knowing what was happening, why it was happening, or what they wanted—you were just coloured by the crowd.”
Kedi: “Is the Yajnopavit ritual compulsory in Sanatan Dharma?”
Ganesh: “Yajnopavit is not a Sanatan ritual. It is a ritual of Indian, human-made culture. It is a practice that can be followed within Sanatan Dharma, but it is not an essential ritual of Sanatan Dharma itself.”
Kedi: “I don’t understand.”
Ganesh: “Yajnopavit is a type of ritual called Dharmadharana. Every nation and community has the full right to perform such rituals according to their own sources and interests. Not everyone needs to copy or follow Yajnopavit.”
Creation of Dharmachakra
Kedi: “How is it possible to create the religion of man before man himself was even born?”
Ganesh: “It is the law of creation: before creating any object or being, the rules of its existence are made first. Following this very law, the rules for the existence of man were framed even before man was created. To follow the rules of one’s own existence—that itself is the observance of Dharma.”
Kedi: “Why is the Dharma Chakra called the Sanatan (Eternal) Dharma Chakra?”
Ganesh: “The Dharma Chakra was created before the birth of man. Even during the transitional period (sandhi-kāla) between one kalpa and the next, when no human being exists on earth, the Dharma Chakra continues to exist. It existed before the origin of human and will continue to exist even after the destruction of human. This state is called ‘Sanatan’ (eternal). Because both the Dharma Chakra and human Dharma are eternal in nature, human Dharma is called Sanatan Dharma and the 24 rules of wheel is called Sanatan Dharma Chakra.”
4 Rights of Humans
Kedi: “What are the 24 points of the Dharma Chakra?”
Ganesh: “In the Dharma Chakra there are 4 Rights:
1. Sixty-four kinds of emotions will arise in the human mind, and man will be capable of controlling those emotions — expanding them, stopping them, hiding them, and even producing artificial emotions.
2. Man may eat and sleep whenever he wishes, against the rhythm of nature, and he may perform both righteous (dhārmic) and unrighteous (adhārmic) actions.
3. For the observance of Dharma and for social harmony, man may, according to his convenience, create culture, civilisation, and traditional customs and rituals.
4. Every human being — even the unrighteous and the atheist — will be able to attain moksha (liberation) and heaven.”
Kedi: “What is the meaning of the right over emotions?”
Ganesh: “The Supreme God Ganapati gave man the right to hide his emotions, to flow continuously in any emotion and stretch it, to change his state of mind and suppress any emotion, and to produce fake emotions and act. It is because of this right that man can gain mastery over his emotions.”
Kedi: “I don’t know how to produce fake emotions. Is something wrong with me?”
Ganesh: “You yourself are a glitch. Even though you have knowledge, you behave like an ignorant fool. You set out in search of knowledge, but the moment you see food, you forget everything. You don’t need extra fake emotions to act—you need to reduce the excess emotions you already have.”
Kedi: “What is the right to act against nature?”
Ganesh: “The Lord has fixed a natural timetable for eating and sleeping for all creatures, but no such fixed natural timetable was made for man. Man can eat and sleep whenever he wants, even against the laws of nature.”
Kedi: “Why can man act against nature?”
Ganesh: “So that when you are flying in an aeroplane, the pilot doesn’t say, ‘It’s my sleeping time,’ go to sleep, and put you also into the sleep of death. That is why man has been given the right to act against nature—he can sleep whenever he wants and eat whenever he wants.”
Kedi: “What is the right to perform both righteous and unrighteous actions?”
Ganesh: “Man has been given the right to perform both righteous and unrighteous actions. Whether a person does a righteous act or an unrighteous act, the Supreme Lord will not stop either.”
Kedi: “But isn’t that wrong? When someone does an unrighteous act, why doesn’t God stop him?”
Ganesh: “Because the unrighteous person is doing his righteous duty. The righteous duty of an unrighteous person is to commit unrighteous acts and create obstacles in righteous acts. Similarly, the righteous duty of a righteous person is to perform righteous acts and prevent the unrighteous from committing unrighteous acts.”
Kedi: “What is the right concerning culture and civilization?”
Ganesh: “The Supreme God Ganapati gave all human beings the intelligence and the right to create civilization and culture from the permanent resources available to them in order to follow Dharma. The sacred thread (janeu) that you recently discarded — no god ever told anyone to wear it; it was created by some saint who made that cultural tradition. Every human being has the right to create customs and sects using the resources and objects around them.”
Kedi: “In this world there are thousands of castes and sects—did human beings create all of them?”
Ganesh: “Every caste, sect, civilization, and culture that exists was created by human beings. The creators of all of them are human. Many civilizations arose and perished before your birth; some will arise and perish while you are alive; and after your death, new ones will arise and perish again.”
Kedi: “Then is Sanatan Dharma also man-made?”
Ganesh: “Your forgetfulness is troubling me. Just a little while ago I told you that before creating man, the Supreme God Ganapati created Sanatan Dharma for man. How then can man create Sanatana Dharma?”
Kedi: “Yes, I remember now. Forgive me. What is the right that even an atheist and an unrighteous person can attain heaven and liberation?”
Ganesh: “To attain heaven and moksha, no certificate of religion or caste is required, nor any proof of being a theist. What is required is only the complete fullness and sufficient expansion of the mind—that state is called the moksha state of the mind.”
Kedi: “So can even a criminal or an atheist attain moksha?”
Ganesh: “Any human being who sufficiently experiences all 8 states of the mind and the 8 powers of will receives moksha. Just as both a drunkard and a teetotaller will receive money for doing the same work — the employer will not say, ‘You are a drunkard, so I won’t pay you’ — he will pay both. In the same way, when even an atheist or unrighteous person sufficiently experiences the 8 states of mind and 8 powers of will, he too receives moksha. The Supreme Lord Ganapati does not say to an atheist or unrighteous person, ‘You don’t worship me, so I won’t give you moksha.’ The Lord has given everyone the right to attain moksha.”
Kedi: “Can people who drink alcohol and take drugs also go to heaven?”
Ganesh: “If a drunkard or drug addict also does the work of bringing his mind to fullness, he too can attain moksha and go to heaven. But you should not drink alcohol — the one time you drank, my head started spinning!”
I remembered that in 2007, when I drank alcohol at an office party, I lost myself. That day, I decided I would never drink alcohol again, but I thought I could try another form of intoxication for free, because I couldn’t afford any intoxication with my own money.
But in real life, when someone offers me free intoxication, I realize it is more costly than paid intoxication. In 2011, for a free drink and free chicken, I lent my ears and dignity for four hours; I didn't drink alcohol that day but ate all the chicken. I don’t know which body part I will have to lend next for free intoxication.”
8 Duties of Human
Kedi:“What are the 8 duties of the Dharma Chakra?”
Ganesh explained the 8 duties:
1. Every religious ritual must begin with the worship of the Supreme Lord Ādi Ganapati.
2. A human being may worship any symbol of God, Īśvara, or Bhagavān according to his own interest and faith; therefore, one must allow others also to worship whichever deity they like according to their own interest and faith.
3. Attaining moksha is the highest duty of every human being.
4. Keep natural water sources clean and bodies clean; do not throw any waste into them.
5. Keep discovering new sources of energy or keep inventing relevant objects or subjects.
6. All animals must be given love and care; especially domestic animals such as cows, bulls, buffaloes, cats, dogs, horses, camels, donkeys, etc., should be given extra love.
7. If any human being has more wealth and power than needed, it is his duty to provide food and care to those humans and animals who cannot arrange food and care for themselves. Some animals and some humans are carnivorous; man should not hesitate to provide carnivorous food to helpless carnivores. And for carnivorous humans, only edible animals (goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, fish, etc.) should be killed by jhatka (instant killing), and domestic or wild animals should not be killed for meat.
8. There are 8 sexual species in human beings; only heterosexual women, men, and hijras (third gender) should marry each other. Homosexuals (male-male, female-female, hijra-hijra, hijra-female, etc.) of the same-sex species may have sexual relations with each other, but people of the same-sex species should not marry each other.
Why worship Ganapati first?
Kedi: Why must every ritual begin only with the worship of Lord Ganapati?
Ganesh: When creation did not exist, when the 33 types gods and goddesses did not exist, when humans and other beings did not exist, when Dharma did not exist — only the Supreme Lord Ādi Ganapati existed alone. The creator of Dharma and of mankind is Lord Ganapati. The One who manifests Himself as the many 33 types gods and goddesses is the same Supreme Lord Ādi Ganapati. That is why every ritual must begin only with the worship of Lord Ganapati.
The Untold Story of Ganapati as Shiva’s Son
Kedi: How is that possible? I have heard that Ganapati is the son of Shiva and Parvati. How can Ganapati exist before Shiva?
Ganesh: This is a huge misunderstanding created by wrong pronunciation and interpretation. Some famous saints accepted it, and the entire society accepted this falsehood as truth. Only Bhagavān (incarnate gods) plan families after entering human bodies. Īśvara and Parameśvara are formless; they have no need for family planning. The Supreme Lord Ganapati Himself divided Himself into various forms.
Kedi: “Then what is the truth?”
Ganesh: There is a difference between Shiva and Śhankara. The One who is formless, who controls time, who cannot enter a human body because He is omnipresent — that is Shiva. The one who enters a human body, who is with form, who starts the tradition of marriage at the beginning of every kalpa — that is Śhankara.
Kedi: What is the relation between Shiva, Śhankara, and Ganapati?
Ganesh: When Shankara descends on earth, all temples and idols of gods have already been destroyed, and the process of renewal is going on. Humans have no idea what the image of God should look like. Lord Shankara incarnates in a human body and first creates the idol of Parmeswar. Lord Shankara and Goddess Satī make the idol of Lord Ganapati with their own hands, then perform the marriage ritual in front of that Ganapati idol. When some sages were reciting this story from the Shankara Purana, a few disciples misunderstood it and started believing that Ganapati is the son of Shankara and Pārvatī because Shankara and Parvati had made a clay Ganapati with their own hands. Later some other disciples added spice to the story and fabricated the false tale of Shiva cutting off Ganesh’s head—a lie that continues till today because no one wants to investigate the real truth of the story.
Why Do We Worship Many Gods?
Kedi: “What is the duty regarding worshipping different deities?”
Ganesh: Every person’s nature and character is different; therefore, each person can have love and devotion toward different forms of God. You feel devotion upon seeing Shiva, so you worship Shiva. Similarly, someone may feel devotion seeing Ganapati, Durga, Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Parashurama, Buddha, Datta, or any other deity. Therefore, it is man’s duty to allow others to practise devotion according to their own choice. No one should stop anyone from doing bhakti.
Kedi: “Even if someone starts worshipping a fake saint as God, should we still not stop them?”
Ganesh: In such a case we should not forcibly stop them, but we should show them the right path. If even then they do not want to walk on the right path, let them go their own way.
Why Attain Moksha?
Kedi: “Why is attaining moksha the highest duty of man?”
Ganesh: “Man’s original body exists in Hiranya-loka in Vaikuntha. To activate that body, sufficient development of the mind is necessary. Only after experiencing seven life cycles on the seven planetary realms can a human being obtain his original body. When a person attains moksha on earth, his first life cycle is completed and his second begins in heaven. The mind has descended to earth only to expand itself; therefore, attaining moksha is the supreme duty.”
Kedi: “I didn’t understand anything. Explain it to me like I'm a child.”
Ganesh: “Imagine your real body is asleep at home in a place called Vaikuntha. Right now, your mind is too weak to wake that body up. So, your parents—Gauri and Ganapati—ask the school principal, Vishnu, to enroll you in a school called Hiranyagarbha.”
Ganesh: “Earth is Class 1. You are given a 'Class 1 body' to use. To pass this grade, you must score at least 35 marks in your subjects. Passing the grade is what we call Moksha. If you fail, you repeat the grade. If you pass, Principal Vishnu moves your mind into a 'Class 2 body' in heaven.”
Ganesh: “Once you pass all seven classes, your mind finally becomes strong enough to return to your real body at home. You wake up and can roam freely in your original world. Passing from one class to the next is Moksha, but graduating school entirely to merge with Parmeshwar is Param Moksha. Understood now?”
Kedi: “But why bother passing? Why attain moksha at all?”
Ganesh: “To receive your second birth. This life on earth is just your first temporary body; it is not who you really are. You are here to grow—and that growth is moksha.”
Ganesh explained moksha and param-moksha so simply that I could never forget it even if I wanted to.
Dirty Water, No Moksha?
Kedi: “What is the duty regarding water purity?”
Ganesh: “It is the duty of a human never to throw garbage or waste into water sources. If you see waste in a water body, you must clean it. One who keeps the water pure is following true human Dharma. To pollute water is to commit an inhuman act.”
Kedi: “But Brahmin priests and devotees throw puja materials, fruits, and flowers into the river after worship—are they also committing an inhuman act?”
Ganesh: “Yes, they are doing wrong. This is exactly why an atheist can often attain moksha more easily than a religious theist. A theist often performs aDharma (unrighteousness) under the mask of faith, while an atheist does not carry that spiritual burden.”
Kedi: “Then where should they dispose of the puja materials, fruits, and flowers?”
Ganesh: “They should be offered to the Agnikund (sacred fire pit). The original purpose of the Agnikund is to transform religious and cultural waste into ash. Every temple must have one, so devotees can bring their religious offerings and return them to the fire rather than polluting the water.”
Discover Sources of Energy
Kedi: “What is the duty regarding energy sources?”
Ganesh: “Human needs change constantly, and as they do, our requirements for power evolve. Therefore, it is man’s duty to continuously search for new energy sources. Discovery is not just a choice; it is a human duty.”
Kedi: “Which energy sources are you talking about?”
Ganesh: “Think of your own needs. To cook food, you need fire and heat. Just as your body requires 'cooked, spicy fuel' in the stomach to function, machines also need fuel to run. Any source that provides this power is an energy source.”
Kedi: “Does everyone have to spend their time searching for energy?”
Ganesh: “No. Some people are like you—they know how to eat the meal but have no idea how to cook it! Similarly, some are meant to discover and produce energy, while others are meant to use it. Those who possess the intellect and capability to find new power have a sacred duty to do so for the rest of humanity.”
Love Animals, Eat Animals
Kedi: “Why is loving pet animals a duty?”
Ganesh: “God created pet creatures so that humans could learn the feeling of love and service toward the animal kingdom. Every human should love and serve at least one pet. Gau Seva (serving a cow) is considered the highest form of this duty.”
Kedi: “We have a cat at home. My mother loves it dearly and feeds it with her own hands. Keeping a cow in a city building is difficult—is a cat enough for now?”
Ganesh: “Your name is Kedi, a synonym for cat—and you are just a hungry tomcat yourself! Not everyone can afford a cow right away, just as not everyone can afford luxury. When your situation improves, adopt a cow. For now, a cat is perfectly fine for you.”
Kedi: “And what about eating meat? Is that a duty?”
Ganesh: “Humans were created with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian qualities. God created specific animals that are fit for consumption. It is man’s duty to eat only 'edible' animals and to protect 'pet' animals. No human has the right to eat a creature meant for companionship.”
Kedi: “I like eating chicken—is that allowed?”
Ganesh: “A chicken is an edible animal, not a pet, so you may eat it. However, you must ensure it is Jhatka meat.”
Kedi: “What is Jhatka meat?”
Ganesh: “It means the animal is killed in one single, swift blow. This ensures an easy death, sparing the creature the prolonged suffering and pain of dying. That is the humane way.”
Duties of the Wealthy
Kedi:“What is the duty of a wealthy person?”
Ganesh: “No person starts earning money right from birth, nor can one earn righteously in old age. Therefore, those who earn excessive wealth should financially help orphan children, elderly people, and the mentally ill, or provide them with food and shelter.”
Why Do People Get Married, Why Not Me?
Kedi: “What is the duty of marriage?”
Ganesh: “Every human is born incomplete. Marriage is a path to completeness through companionship, progeny, and fulfillment. It balances a person’s life.”
Kedi: “So those who do not marry—do they remain incomplete forever?”
Ganesh: “Not necessarily. A person who is connected to one eternal goal becomes complete within themselves. Such a person does not need marriage. But an ordinary person, who lacks a single driving purpose, needs marriage to find that sense of completion.”
Kedi: “What exactly is an eternal goal?”
Ganesh: “A goal that remains until your very last breath. Writing a book is a special goal, but you will finish it eventually. An eternal goal would be to propagate the wisdom of those scriptures to the entire world until the day you die—a task that is never truly 'finished.'”
Kedi: “Can I get married?”
Ganesh: “Looking at your behavior, I don’t think any girl would have you!”
Kedi: “Why not?”
Ganesh: “Girls look for stability. In just 13 years, you have changed jobs more than 24 times! Every few months, you want to try something new. You chase 'experience' instead of earning a living. You even left your job here in Sagekesh just to gain experience! Until you can stick to one job for at least a year, don’t even think about it. Besides, you have to think twice before buying two vada pavs for yourself—how would you feed a wife?”
As soon as Ganesh mentioned vada pav, my attention drifted toward the Gita Bhawan ashram. I had been in deep contemplation since 7 a.m., and at 11 a.m., my hunger was taking over. But I had a weakness: after eating, I often forgot the day’s lessons. I didn't want to leave with only half the knowledge of the Dharma Chakra, so I braced myself to learn all 12 rules before the meal.
12 rules of Human
Kedi: “What are the 12 rules of the Dharmachakra?”
Ganesh: “The 12 rules that govern the wheel of Dharma and human existence are as follows:”
1. Divine Intervention: Based on human emotions and destiny, 8 deities will descend into human bodies to guide people toward supreme success.
2. The 108 Ganas: 108 spirits will descend into human forms to provide divine or demonic energy, manifesting as happiness or sorrow.
3. The Four Ashramas: Depending on karma, every person must navigate the four stages of life: Brahmacharya (student), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (retired), and Sannyasa (renounced).
4. The Six Varnas: Based on past and present actions, a person is assigned one of six social classes, ranging from Brahmin to Chandala.
5. Celestial Influence: Energy from planets and constellations illuminates and influences specific events in a human’s life.
6. The Mystery of Death: A human cannot choose the time or manner of death. Upon rebirth, memory is wiped, but unfinished karma and skills are carried forward.
7. Flexible Mortality: To satisfy the laws of rebirth, a person’s death may occur earlier or later than the originally appointed time.
8. The 108 Rebirths: Within one Yuga, a human is reborn 108 times. If Moksha is not attained, they are sent to Patalaloka until the next Yuga. Those who succeed go to Swargaloka and never return to Earth.
9. Family Karma: Karma determines family dynamics—whether one can have children, whether parents and children accept each other, and the health of the offspring.
10. Social Circumstance: Past karma dictates whether a person is born into wealth or poverty, and whether their family environment is virtuous or difficult.
11. The First Descent: Humans first descend from Vaikuntha to Earth only during the Kumbha period. They are tied specifically to three realms: Earth, Heaven, and the Netherworld.
12. The Seven Cycles: The journey of the mind spans seven planetary realms—starting on Earth and ending in Prabhaloka. Only after attaining Moksha in all seven does a human finally activate their original body in Hiranyaloka.
Ganesh: “This is the blueprint of existence. Every action you take moves the spoke of this wheel.”
Eight Deities Manifest in Human Beings
Kedi: “Why do the 8 deities enter human bodies within the Dharmachakra?”
Ganesh: “The supreme god Ganapati desired to help humans fulfill their eight fundamental needs. To do this, He manifested Himself as eight specific deities who descend to provide aid.”
Kedi: “Which deities fulfill which desires?”
Ganesh: “Each governs a specific aspect of the human experience:”
Kamadeva: Lust and Desire
Suryadeva: Purity
Chandradeva: Love
Agnideva: Happiness
Vayudeva: Peace
Varunadeva: Knowledge
Indradeva: Joy and Bliss
Dhruvadeva: Liberation
Kedi: “If Kamadeva is busy helping one person, and another person needs him at the same time, how long must they wait?”
Ganesh: “They never wait. Among the 33 types of gods, these eight have the power to divide themselves into millions of parts. They can enter the bodies of millions of humans simultaneously without delay.”
Kedi: “Can these deities enter just anyone?”
Ganesh: “No. They only enter those whose Prarabdha (destiny) requires divine intervention. Furthermore, they do not stay forever. Once the specific help is rendered, they leave immediately. Only Bhagavan and the immortal Chiranjivis have the power to remain within a human body from birth until death.”
108 Ganas Manifest in Human Beings
Kedi: “Who are the 108 Ganas in the Dharmachakra, and why do they enter human bodies?”
Ganesh: “Ganas do not possess their own physical forms; they require a body to act in the physical world. Humans and Ganas are tethered by emotion. When a human’s emotional state aligns with that of a Gana, that Gana enters the body to perform either divine or demonic deeds.”
Kedi: “Which are the 108 Ganas?”
Ganesh: “The day you begin to experience truly demonic emotions, I will provide you with the full list.”
Kedi: “Do Ganas enter everyone?”
Ganesh: “No. Demonic Ganas seek those destined for demonic acts, and divine Ganas seek those destined for divinity. Your Prārabdha (destiny) is unique—not just one, but many Ganas can enter your body simultaneously.”
Four Ashram
Kedi: “What are the four Ashramas in the Dharmachakra?”
Ganesh: “They are the four stages of life: Brahmacharya (student), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (retired), and Sannyasa (renounced). Every person experiences these in different ways based on their karma.”
Kedi: “Different ways? How so?”
Ganesh: “Look at your own life. Despite having a family, you spent your first seven years of Brahmacharya in an orphanage. Others experience it in wealth, some in poverty, and some on the streets. A person cannot choose the manner of their Ashrama, but they can choose their attitude—whether to remain positive or turn negative during the experience.”
Kedi: “But I chose this! I chose to experience the life of a sannyasi for a few days.”
Ganesh: “You did not choose it; your destiny brought you here. You have been studying Dharma since 2007, yet you never felt the urge to wear sannyasi robes until last month. That desire only arose because your destiny was chasing you. A human only desires what is already written for them.”
Four Virtuous Varna, Two Non-Virtuous Varna
Kedi: “What is varna in the Dharmachakra?”
Ganesh: “Varna is the classification of human tendency. According to destiny, a person is assigned a varna: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, Untouchable, or Chandala.”
Kedi: “If varna comes from destiny, it sounds like it is birth-based. But many say it is based on karma—why the contradiction?”
Ganesh: “Varna is actually the tendency to perform specific actions to earn wealth. If karma from a previous life remains unfinished, a person may experience multiple varnas in one lifetime. Therefore, your birth family does not fix your varna.”
Ganesh: “Take yourself as an example: when you were an employee, you were Shudra; when you were boxing, you were Kshatriya; when you were freelancing, you were Vaishya. Now that you are studying astrology and writing religious texts, you are Brahmin.”
Kedi: “What is the 'Untouchable' varna? Does it literally mean we should not touch them?”
Ganesh: “It refers to those with the tendency to earn money through crime. You cannot easily associate with such people, nor should you. Because their lifestyle is criminal, and nobody can eaisly connected with them, they are called 'untouchable'.”
Kedi: “If the police deal with criminals, do they also become untouchable?”
Ganesh: “Meeting a criminal and eliminating them are different. However, the risk is real—dealing with criminals can often lead a policeman toward criminal tendencies himself.”
Kedi: “And what is the 'Chandala' varna?”
Ganesh: “A Chandala is one who lives off their family’s wealth. Even if someone is capable of working but chooses to remain dependent on their family's money instead of earning their own, they belong to the Chandala varna.”
Nakshatras in Action! Birth Death Prarabdha
Kedi: "What are the events of the nakshatras in the Dharmachakra?"
Ganesh: "Every event in human life affects the mind; all of it is a form of energy. The energy coming from planets and constellations illuminates the events of human life on Earth and gives power to those events."
Kedi: "What kind of events?"
Ganesh: "Everything, including birth and death. Birth occurs under a particular constellation because it is suitable for your prārabdha. Similarly, death occurs under a constellation suitable for your next life's prārabdha."
Kedi: "What are death and memory in the Dharmachakra?"
Ganesh: "A human cannot decide what kind of death they will have. After death, memory is destroyed because memory is stored in the brain, and when the brain is destroyed, memory is lost. But a person's skills and destined karma are stored in the mind. Therefore, when the mind enters a new body after death, it brings along the skills and destined karma from the previous birth. No one dies empty-handed; everyone dies carrying the skills and karma of that life."
Kedi: "What is the timing of birth and death in the Dharmachakra?"
Ganesh: "The karma of the present life decides the destiny of the next life. For a person to experience their next destiny, rebirth must occur when the planets and constellations are righteously aligned. When the planetary positions match the destiny of the next birth, death is given earlier than scheduled. If the right alignment is 1–2 years away, death is delayed by 1–2 years. Thus, to experience destiny, death can come early or late. The moment a person dies, rebirth happens at that very instant."
Kedi: "Die and delivery at the same moment?"
Ganesh: "No. After death, the mind immediately shifts into a 3-month-old fetus in a pregnant woman. Sometimes, unexpected deaths happen; in such cases, the mind may enter a 'wrong' body for a few seconds, a few minutes, or even a few years. Once a constellation suitable for their prārabdha occurs, they receive their full life. Miscarriage and child death are the reasons behind this."
Kedi: "What is Patalaloka in the Dharmachakra?"
Ganesh: "When a person does not attain moksha, they are reborn. If after 108 rebirths in one yuga a person still fails to attain moksha, their mind is sent to Patalaloka, where it is imprisoned in a subtle substance. There, without a body, it feels no emotion. When the next yuga arrives, the mind is released from that substance and again given a human body on Earth."
Progeny and Family
Kedi: "What is progeny / family growth in the Dharmachakra?"
Ganesh: "Depending on destiny, some people have children, some do not; some do not accept their children; some children are born disabled or sick; some children abandon their parents."
Kedi: "What is the relation between destiny and children?"
Ganesh: "Rearing children is also a karmic task. Children enter the lives only of those whose destiny includes tasks related to children."
Kedi: "What are rich and poor families in the Dharmachakra?"
Ganesh: "A person who dies leaving behind lakhs in wealth is reborn in a rich family—his wealth is returned to him. A person who dies leaving nothing is born into a poor family. Destiny decides whether one gets a rich or poor family."
Rebirth and Incarnation during the Kumbha Period
Kedi: "What are birth and the Kumbha period in the Dharmachakra?"
Ganesh: "The human mind is created in Vaikuntha. When Jupiter transits Mrigashira nakshatra, a connection is established between Earth and Vaikuntha, and the human mind descends to Earth for the first time. This period is called Kumbha-kaal. The very first human birth happens only during the Kumbha period. Subsequent rebirths can happen at any time. Once the mind has descended from Vaikuntha to Earth, it is connected only to the three worlds: Earth, Heaven, and Hell. It cannot incarnate in any other planetary realm."
Kedi: "What are the seven birth-death cycles in the Dharmachakra?"
Ganesh: "There is human life on a total of seven planetary realms. One must attain moksha in each realm and then move to the next. After attaining moksha on all seven planetary realms, the person receives a complete, true human body in Hiranyaloka within Vaikuntha. After completing the eighth and final life cycle there and attaining supreme liberation, the being steps out of Vaikuntha and Hiranyagarbha, becomes a part of the Supreme God Himself, and realises, 'I am that Supreme God.'"
Kedi: "So is a human actually God?"
Ganesh: "To create living beings and humans, the Supreme Lord extracted the divine essence from Himself. Therefore, no living being or human is God. Just as when all the juice is squeezed out of a fruit, the fruit is no longer juicy or complete, yet with time and growth it regains its original nature—so too the divine essence and sense of 'I' have been extracted from the human mind. To regain that essence, one must pass through the seven birth-death cycles and then live the final life in Vaikuntha. Only then will the divine juice fill the mind again, and finally, stepping out of Vaikuntha and Hiranyagarbha, the mind regains its original form."
Bad Boy, Good Boy
Kedi: "How do you know such profound knowledge of the 24 points of Dharma in the Dharmachakra?"
Ganesh: "You already knew this knowledge; you had simply forgotten. Today when you asked me, I merely reminded you. The only difference is that one day you learnt about rights, another day about duties, and another day about rules. Today, when you desired to know all 24 points of Dharma together, you were able to understand the complete Dharmachakra."
Kedi: "I am not a good boy. If I have only 1% goodness in me, then I have 99% badness. How can I make people better by giving them knowledge of dharma?"
Ganesh: "The knowledge of dharma is not meant to make people "good"; it is meant to guide them toward liberation. To attain liberation, it is not necessary to become conventionally "good." What is necessary is to live life fully and consciously. You should teach people how to live life completely, not merely how to appear good. Those who preach goodness alone are not necessarily good themselves."
Kedi: "How can being good be bad?"
Ganesh: "Goodness is always determined by time, place, and intention. If you try to be good at the wrong time, it can make you bad. If you try to be good in the wrong place, it can make you bad. If you try to be good with the wrong intention, it can make you bad. Most fake religious leaders preach that one should be good in all times, all places, and all circumstances, while they themselves are committing unrighteous acts and sins. The people who become trapped by such foolish teachers also share in the consequences, because by following them blindly, they lose their chance at liberation. Do not become such a foolish religious teacher."
Kedi: "I do not understand."
Ganesh: "In your view, what does it mean to be good?"
Kedi: "Speaking the truth, speaking sweetly, doing one's work honestly, helping others, not looking at another man's wife, not causing pain to anyone and Do not eat non-veg.. All these are good deeds."
Ganesh: "If someone comes to rob you and you tell the truth, he will rob you—and to destroy the evidence, he may even kill you. That truthfulness will not bring you liberation. If someone insults your country and you still speak sweetly to him, you will be called a traitor; and a traitor deserves punishment, not liberation. If you discover that the work you are doing is criminal, yet you continue doing it honestly, you too will become a criminal. A criminal deserves suffering, not liberation. If your friend wants to deceive someone and asks for your help, and you help him, then you too become deceitful. You are not even married yet—if you keep worrying about "another man's wife," you may never even get married yourself. If, right before your eyes, someone is oppressing an innocent person, and you think, "I do not want to cause pain to anyone," then you too become guilty by ignoring that oppression. If a person who is naturally non-vegetarian spends their entire life eating only vegetarian food, then they would be like a sacrificial goat rather than a true human being. God created human beings with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian tendencies. If a person with a non-vegetarian nature does not eat meat, they will not attain liberation either, because eating meat gives completeness to their existence."
Kedi: Are you talking about using positive and negative rules to define "good" and "bad"?
Ganesh: Yes, the same rules apply to being a "good boy" or a "bad boy."
Positive situation + Positive action = Good boy.
Positive situation + Negative action = Bad boy.
Negative situation + Positive action = Bad boy.
Negative situation + Negative action = Good boy.
Kedi: How can a negative situation plus a negative action make someone a "good boy"?
Ganesh: For example, someone coming to attack you is a negative situation. Preparing to fight back or kill them is a negative action. However, doing so makes you a "good boy" because you are acting to save your life.
Kedi: I don't agree. I don't want to kill anyone. Do you have any other examples?
Ganesh: Suppose your friend takes you to a birthday party, but it turns out to be a "nude party." Being in that environment is a negative situation, and being nude in front of others is normally a negative action. But if you strip down because that is the rule of the party, you are being a "good boy" in that context.
Kedi: Why are you giving such strange examples?
Ganesh: If you find these examples strange, then you shouldn't involve yourself in negative situations or negative actions. You can be "good" simply by taking positive actions in positive situations. You don't need to enter negative situations just to prove you are a good person.
Kedi: That means am I 99% good boy and 1% bad boy?
Ganesh: Now you are knowing yourself correctly. Doing a bad thing in a bad place makes you a good boy. If you do a good thing in a bad place, it can make you a bad boy.
Kedi: It is very confusing. My goodness and badness will continue to change. How to manage this? I am forgetful?
Ganesh: Why are you worried about goodness and badness?
Kedi: People are mad. They want to eat chicken, they want to go to pubs, having multiple relationships, but they don't want their teacher to eat chicken, their teacher to go to pubs, their teacher to have multiple relationships. They want 100% goodness in a teacher. I have a lot of badness—how can I be their teacher?
Ganesh: This mentality destroys Sanatan Dharma. Dharma teachers are also human and have equal rights to enjoy life. A Dharma teacher should have the same rights as others. Nobody needs to be 100% pure to teach Sanatan Dharma. Even a non-vegetarian atheist can do the job of teaching Sanatan Dharma. You do not need to be 100% pure to teach Sanatan Dharma. If someone demands you be 100% pure, make sure you throw them out of your life forever.
Note: This content represents one half of a chapter from Kedi Purana, a 64-chapter work authored by Kedi Ganapati. Kedi Purana is a modern Purana of the present and final Kaliyuga.
