All World
Gayatri Pariwar

With the grace and blessings of our Gurudev, the seer-saint, Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, the first international edition of ’Akhand Jyoti’ is in your hands. With its publication we have further carried forward the more than six decades old tradition of the original Hindi magazine ’Akhand Jyoti’, which first went out in January 1940. Its cosmopolitan readership has already crossed the one million mark. Such is the rich tapestry of Gurudev’s scientific spirituality and divine knowledge that it has inspired millions of people all over the globe, irrespective of their caste, creed and calibre, to explore deeper and more purposeful meaning of their life and existence. It has also given them unfailing courage in the moments of adversity.

The account of how this widely read magazine was first published will be a befitting tribute to the single-mindedness and hard and tireless work of Pandit Shriram Sharma, who placed the good of humanity above personal desires and motives.

While in deep communion with divine energies in the vast stillness of the Himalayas, he was prophetically inspired to address the issues of global welfare through spirituality. Through his intuitive insight, he could foresee the struggle for political independence of India becoming a reality.

A mass movement for Indian independence, led by Mahatma Gandhi, was already in progress at that time. However, the spiritual heritage of India was in tatters. Someone was needed to lead the social, ethical and intellectual revolution in order to re-establish the glory of eternal soul of India. He braced himself for this mammoth task. In order to give a voice to this vision and awaken the spirit of the Indian citizens and of humanity at large, he decided to publish a monthly magazine of enduring value. Literature is one of the best means of spreading ideas, and writing for the greatest good of humanity has been one of the cornerstones of Gurudev’s mission.

He brought out the first issue of the magazine in January 1940. It was aptly called ’Akhand Jyoti’, literally meaning ’eternal flame of light’. It was the expression of a divine determination. In those days the birth of Gayatri Pariwar organisation had not taken place and modern facilities were not available.

There were no volunteers or supporters to help Gurudev in his work. Despite these apparent hurdles and modest monetary resources, he went ahead with his planned task. The first issue consisted of 35 pages and was published by the New Fine Art Printing Cottage, Daulat Market, Jauhari Bazaar, Agra. The owner of the company, Pandit Madhusudan Sharan Sharma, knew Gurudev as a spirited freedom fighter and was impressed by his personality and patriotism. He ensured the printing of the first issue at the right time and also its quality. Gurudev opened the ’Akhand Jyoti’ office in Freeganj Muhalla in Agra.......Gurudev had kept the subscription at the minimum, but the quality of the reading material excellent. He did not wish to make ’Akhand Jyoti’ a magazine readable only by intellectuals. His aim was to make the general public intellectually awakened through the medium of the magazine. The magazine became a centre of attraction due to its remarkable publication format. The articles in the first issue were also attractive. These were: (1) Why ’Akhand Jyoti’? (2) A Call of Duty; (3) The True Form of Religion; (4) Silence: A Divine Radio; (5) Science and Spirituality; (7) The Importance of Shirshasan; and (8) Where There is a Will There is a Way. The first article was the editorial written by Gurudev. Above the article were printed two lines, which clarified his work ethics. These lines were:

"sudha beej bone se pahale, kalakoot pina hoga pahin maut ka mukut, vishwahit manav ko jina hoga."

The overall meaning of the above lines is that to live for the sake of humanity is equivalent to wearing a crown of death on the head. It attests to the ideals and vision of Gurudev which he cherished throughout his life. He rated the service of humanity above everything else. With this expression of the mission of his life in the poetic form described above, he also expressed the spiritual truth of ’Akhand Jyoti’ in the following words:

 ’All the great personalities that have been born to date have said only one thing ’

The overall meaning is real joy, happiness and satisfaction lie in worshipping humanity. At the root of any problem faced by the world today is the lack of humanity. Political, social, religious, sectarian, economic, mental and family problems can be solved only if our conduct becomes pure and we become true citizens. Righteous conduct is the way to become a real yogi.

Spiritual knowledge and righteous conduct are two sides of the same coin. The moral and intellectual enlightenment of people through the science of yoga and spirituality is the aim of Akhand Jyoti.’1 In essence, Gurudev emphasised the purity of conduct and the realisation of spiritual enlightenment. In the issues that followed, Gurudev wrote articles which covered the entire spectrum of human life, with spirituality and refinement of thoughts as central themes. Every issue has been a rich blend of topicality and permanent value. ’Akhand Jyoti’, which started as a small stream, has now grown into a mighty perennial river from which one can drink the nectar of knowledge to quench his thirst of truth and bliss. We sincerely hope that this international edition of ’Cosmic Vision’ may reach millions of new readers worldwide and inspire them with the legacy of ’Akhand Jyoti’.

 Reference:

1. Akhand Jyoti, January 1940, page 3....Gurudev had kept the subscription at the minimum, but the quality of the reading material excellent. He did not wish to make ’Akhand Jyoti’ a magazine readable only by intellectuals. His aim was to make the general public intellectually awakened through the medium of the magazine. The magazine became a centre of attraction due to its remarkable publication format. The articles in the first issue were also attractive. These were:
(1) Why ’Akhand Jyoti’?
(2) A Call of Duty;
(3) The True Form of Religion;
(4) Silence: A Divine Radio;
(5) Science and Spirituality;
(6) The Importance of Shirshasan; and
(7) Where There is a Will There is a Way.

The first article was the editorial written by Gurudev. Above the article were printed two lines, which clarified his work ethics. These lines were:

"sudha beej bone se pahale, kalakoot pina hoga pahin maut ka mukut, vishwahit manav ko jina hoga."

The overall meaning of the above lines is that to live for the sake of humanity is equivalent to wearing a crown of death on the head. It attests to the ideals and vision of Gurudev which he cherished throughout his life. He rated the service of humanity above everything else. With this expression of the mission of his life in the poetic form described above, he also expressed the spiritual truth of ’Akhand Jyoti’ in the following words: ’All the great personalities that have been born to date have said only one thing ’ real joy, happiness and satisfaction lie in worshipping humanity.

At the root of any problem faced by the world today is the lack of humanity. Political, social, religious, sectarian, economic, mental and family problems can be solved only if our conduct becomes pure and we become true citizens. Righteous conduct is the way to become a real yogi. Spiritual knowledge and righteous conduct are two sides of the same coin. The moral and intellectual enlightenment of people through the science of yoga and spirituality is the aim of Akhand Jyoti.’1

 In essence, Gurudev emphasised the purity of conduct and the realisation of spiritual enlightenment. In the issues that followed, Gurudev wrote articles which covered the entire spectrum of human life, with spirituality and refinement of thoughts as central themes. Every issue has been a rich blend of topicality and permanent value. ’Akhand Jyoti’, which started as a small stream, has now grown into a mighty perennial river from which one can drink the nectar of knowledge to quench his thirst of truth and bliss. We sincerely hope that this international edition of ’Cosmic Vision’ may reach millions of new readers worldwide and inspire them with the legacy of ’Akhand Jyoti’.

 Reference:

1. Akhand Jyoti, January 1940, page 3.