An Interview with Dr. Archika Sudhanshu, a Religious Chief & Meditation Guru

An interview with Dr. Archika Sudhanshu, a famend religious chief, meditation guru, and humanitarian, recognized for her impactful teachings on the Gita and deep devotion to Lord Shiva

On this enlightening interview, we delve into the knowledge of Dr. Archika, a revered religious chief and meditation guru.

Identified for her profound teachings on the Gita and unwavering devotion to Lord Shiva, she shares insights that encourage numerous people on their religious journeys.

Are you able to share your religious journey and what led you to change into a meditation guru and a trainer of the Gita?

Archika Sudhanshu:  Since my start, I used to be surrounded by a deeply devotional environment, the place everybody round me was wholeheartedly engaged in religious practices.

My grandfather was a religious man with unwavering self-discipline, reminiscences of that are etched in my coronary heart to this present day.

My father, who can be my guru, His Holiness Sudhanshu Ji Maharaj, performed a pivotal position in shaping my religious values extra profoundly.

Below Gurudev’s steering, I grew up gaining a deeper understanding of holy scriptures and spirituality. Gurudev not solely taught me the essence of devotion but in addition woke up in me a deep craving to serve others.

My religious upbringing impressed me to pursue a PhD in Meditation and Yogic Science. I’ve all the time believed that spirituality and science are deeply linked, and collectively, they will create a profound impression on individuals’s lives. For me, it was a medium by way of which I used to be capable of serve individuals to the very best of my capability.

Nevertheless, over time, I realised that I may help and uplift others at a broader stage. This thought ignited a deeper want inside me to dedicate myself totally to the service of society by serving to numerous people discover peace, readability, and goal of their lives.

On this journey, Lord Shiva and Krishna have change into my anchors. With their blessings, I’ve progressed in my religious endeavours. As a seeker, I regularly make pilgrimages to the holy Kailash Manasarovar, the place the sadhakas accompanying me have felt the presence of Shiva throughout sadhana.

Equally, making the holy Bhagavad Gita the muse of my life has helped me to seek out options to the challenges I face. My goal is to encourage and information individuals to have readability, knowledge, and braveness, regardless of the hardships they arrive throughout of their lives, by way of my Gita discourses.

Furthermore, aiming to protect and promote India’s wealthy cultural heritage and everlasting values, Gurudev at a current occasion introduced the organising of 10 Gurukuls and 108 Bal Sanskar Kendras.

Because the convenor of those Bal Sanskar Kendras, I will probably be answerable for instilling cultural values, ethical character, and powerful foundational ideas in kids throughout India.

For women and girls, varied programmes are being run the place they obtain free high quality training, vocational coaching, and help for greater research. Nari Abhyudaya Abhiyan and Kanya Atmnirbhar Yojna are particular initiatives geared toward lady and girls empowerment.

I might say that I’m simply following the trail being proven by my guru and ishta. This provides me an important sense of fulfilment, and I hope so as to add new milestones to this stunning journey.

How do you strategy the idea of meditation, and what strategies do you suggest for learners?

Archika Sudhanshu: Meditation allows you to hearken to your internal voice even when surrounded by the noise of life.

It’s a easy act of connecting your self along with your true self. You now not really feel lonely, as your complete being is full of everlasting bliss, peace, and purity.

Meditation doesn’t ask you to silence or keep away from your ideas; as a substitute, it helps you perceive them and watch them move, with out getting misplaced in them.

This technique, often called Sakshi Bhav or the perspective of being a indifferent observer, is right for learners. By merely closing their eyes, they only want to take a seat in a relaxed posture and observe their breath. This alone could have a relaxing impact on them.

Pranayama is one other easy but highly effective approach to meditate. It’s a light respiration follow the place they inhale, maintain their breath for a number of moments, after which exhale slowly.

With each inhale, they need to really feel peace and pleasure coming into their being; with each exhale, they need to let go of tensions, sorrows, and worries.

This follow strengthens them from inside and opens the best way for the benevolent sacred energies of the universe to circulation into their lives. Common follow will make them really feel aligned and linked to those constructive energies.

Mantra meditation can be advisable for learners. They will chant any sacred mantra, for instance, Om, loudly or of their thoughts. On practising it repeatedly, they are going to expertise lowered stress ranges, higher focus, sleep high quality, and consciousness.

Mindfulness is one other type of meditation the place one carries out every activity or exercise with full consciousness. It’s the follow of immersing your self fully within the current, setting apart all ideas of what has already occurred or what lies forward. This technique doesn’t depart any room for distraction.

I might additionally wish to make clear that there isn’t any have to complicate issues within the title of meditation. You are able to do it anyplace, anytime. You simply want a relaxed place the place you’ll be able to spend a while in peace with your self.

As well as, doing meditation at a spiritually vital place provides extra worth to your follow, as such locations maintain excessive religious energies which have collected over time because of previous religious practices, ceremonies, or occasions.

As a humanitarian, what initiatives have you ever been concerned in, and the way do they align along with your religious teachings?

Archika Sudhanshu: At present, I’m main healthcare, training, girls’s empowerment, and environmental safety programmes because the Vice President of Vishwa Jagriti Mission (VJM).

Bal Kalyan Yojna is geared toward offering free, high quality training, mid-day meals, and healthcare to kids from marginalised households.

Over 2,000 kids, together with many women, are presently finding out in VJM-run colleges positioned in Faridabad, Delhi, Kanpur, Surat, Ranchi, Rukka, and Khunti.

Nari Abhyuday Abhiyan is a women-centric initiative meant for empowering women and girls socially, economically, educationally, and ideologically.

It additionally gives self-defence coaching and common workshops in yoga and meditation to help their holistic development and improvement.

Via Kanya Aatmnirbhar Abhiyan, round 1,600 ladies are receiving formal training. As well as, we offer them with vocational coaching below the Kaushal Vikas Yojna, the place over 150 ladies enrol in varied programs annually.

I’m happy to share that greater than 400 ladies at the moment are main self-reliant lives after finishing these programmes. We help them in accessing authorities mortgage schemes for greater training, launching self-employment ventures, and securing job placements.

VJM additionally ensures nutritious meals for over 1,000 senior residents dwelling in our old-age properties and in addition for college students of our gurukuls below Annapurna Yojna.

My NGO, Dr. Archika Basis, is working in direction of empowering deprived communities. The NGO undertakes transformative initiatives in inexpensive high quality healthcare, nutritious meals distribution, girls and youth welfare programmes, and environmental conservation efforts.

Karuna Sindhu Hospital is one other formidable initiative the place anybody can entry high quality healthcare at inexpensive costs.

In collaboration with VJM, the hospital repeatedly organises free eye check-ups and remedy camps in Delhi. Over 1,20,000 individuals have benefitted from these eye care companies thus far.

Nar Sewa is Narayan Sewa. Guided by this precept, all these humanitarian efforts show a deep religious dedication to serving others with kindness and selflessness.

I need each particular person to change into mentally and emotionally resilient to allow them to take care of any daunting scenario on their very own with out dropping their stability or cool. Spirituality is a basis that retains you grounded and centred throughout hardships.

We, at VJM, strongly consider in two beliefs – daya (compassion) and yaad (remembrance). After we reverse the Hindi phrase daya, it turns into yaad. It’s our organisational worth to have compassion for everybody, and whereas finishing up our each activity and obligation, we should proceed to recollect the Supreme Energy, for He’s the one whose grace sustains, guides, and fulfils each noble endeavour.

That is the muse of our mission. By lifting these in want, the values of affection, concord, and internal readability naturally unfold alongside the religious path.

What challenges do you see individuals going through of their religious journeys right now, and the way can they overcome these obstacles?

Archika Sudhanshu: I’ve come throughout many people who find themselves severe about their sadhana however, because of varied causes, discover it difficult to proceed.

A few of them surrender halfway, as there isn’t any one to information them. Furthermore, the strain of private {and professional} tasks typically breaks that continuity.

Of their religious journey, some discover it troublesome to vary their behaviour. Although the phrases of religious leaders or motivational audio system have a constructive impression on them, they don’t seem to be capable of apply their teachings for lengthy.

Their battle to find time for spirituality continues, indicating weak willpower. The shortage of a robust religious follow acts as a barrier to their development, particularly inside development.

One other problem is distraction. Amidst the noise of the fast-paced digital world, it appears troublesome to pause and really join with oneself. Impatience additionally obstructs an individual’s religious progress, as they count on fast outcomes.

They need to perceive that religious development is just not magic that can change every part within the blink of a watch. Furthermore, unresolved emotional ache, previous trauma, or internal conflicts can hinder progress and make the journey really feel overwhelming.

Stress and unfavorable feelings proceed to occupy their minds. Consequently, at any time when they attempt to meditate, the identical cycle of negativity begins to look of their thoughts and ideas.

This may be addressed with the assistance of constructive affirmations. Writing down constructive affirmations and repeating them within the morning as you get up and earlier than sleeping at evening step by step reprogrammes the thoughts in direction of peace and positivity.

Spirituality is a quiet journey inward – one which helps you join deeply along with your true self. You begin shifting ahead in your follow in addition to in your life by way of the common act of self-introspection.

On this strategy of transformation, meditation mixed with yoga serves as a strong help to spice up morale and willpower.

Anybody in search of development of their religious journey should create area for self-reflection, mindfulness practices, respiration workout routines, and journaling. The steering of a guru or religious grasp will present extra readability on this. Being affected person and dedicated will assist them obtain their aim of internal peace and consciousness.

What are your future aspirations to your teachings and humanitarian efforts? Are there any upcoming initiatives you might be notably enthusiastic about?

Archika Sudhanshu: I want to see everybody genuinely comfortable. It’s my heartfelt want to help others in therapeutic, rediscovering their internal self, and dwelling life with better compassion and readability.

All of the welfare programmes presently underway should attain everybody, as my aim is to the touch and enhance each life in each attainable approach.

From training and high quality healthcare to gender equality, girls’s and youth empowerment, and environmental conservation, there should be significant impression, equal entry, and lasting change at each stage of society.

The institution of 10 Gurukuls and 108 Bal Sanskar Kendras is VJM’s subsequent formidable undertaking. It’s Gurudev’s imaginative and prescient to introduce and join our youth and future generations with India’s wealthy cultural heritage and everlasting values.

I will probably be serving because the convener of the Bal Sanskar initiative. These Sanskar Kendras will operate in each on-line and offline modes and will probably be linked to native temples.

We may also present a curriculum specifically designed for fogeys in order that they will instil these values of their kids at dwelling. This may assist guarantee vast accessibility and energetic participation from kids and their mother and father throughout numerous areas.

As an organisation, we aspire to instil cultural values, ethical character, and powerful foundational ideas in kids. VJM envisions this as the start of a cultural renaissance that can nurture younger minds and usher in a spiritually woke up Bharat.

How can people domesticate a deeper reference to Lord Shiva and incorporate that devotion into their lives?

Archika Sudhanshu: Samarpan aur dhyan – give up and meditation. These two will information you in your journey to satisfy the Divine Shiva.

Fully surrendering your self to the Almighty Shiva, meditating upon Him will assist nurture a profound connection. Shiva’s life itself embodies the sacred concord between the thoughts, physique, and soul.

Shiva reveals how one can stay unaffected by inside and exterior elements. There could also be traumatic instances, difficult moments, or painful occasions, however now we have to keep up our calm and restraint.

We will be surrounded by individuals with whom we don’t get alongside. Nonetheless, we should maintain on to our internal goodness and use knowledge to take care of any scenario or individual. We will domesticate this sort of consciousness by awakening our kundalini power.

Shiva teaches us to stay indifferent even whereas dwelling on this materialistic world. For Him, everyone seems to be equal. He holds compassion for each dwelling being, whether or not they’re people, animals, birds, nature, deities, or unfavorable entities.

Devotion isn’t just in rituals however in dwelling life just like the Adiyogi Shiva. After we carry Him inside, the soul turns into pure, and our existence turns into worthy of serving humanity.

What recommendation do you might have for people in search of to deepen their religious follow or join extra profoundly with their internal selves?

Archika Sudhanshu: Consistency and dedication are the stipulations should you want to strengthen your religious follow. I need to emphasise that there are not any shortcuts on this path.

You need to give it your effort and time. The blessings and steering of a guru can do wonders on this pursuit. Nevertheless, should you would not have a guru, you’ll be able to take Lord Shiva as your information and start with prayer, yogic practices, and mindfulness.

Make self-introspection a daily behavior. You possibly can examine our nice scriptures just like the Vedas, the Puranas, and the Upanishads. Particularly, finding out the holy Bhagavad Gita brings readability on obligation, morality, and religious enlightenment.

By embracing its profound teachings, you can also make vital progress in your life. Aside from this, your effort also needs to go into realizing your self, your inherent qualities, and your nature.

Bear in mind, every day of follow contributes to your internal evolution. With unwavering dedication and persistence, you’ll transfer in direction of deeper religious and emotional development.

Is there the rest you want to share about your work, your imaginative and prescient for the way forward for spirituality, or the significance of compassion and repair?

Archika Sudhanshu: I see a world rooted in peace, unity, love, and mutual respect. Immediately, when the fixed risk of wars and violence looms on the earth, spirituality emerges as a robust ray of hope.

Meditation, yog, and different mindfulness strategies assist promote constructive feelings by addressing the basis causes of internal negativity or weaknesses.

The internal peace cultivated displays in an individual’s behaviour, impacting their thoughts, ideas, phrases, and actions, and in addition their relationship with others. The compassion, love, and understanding we construct inside can ripple outward to heal communities and encourage change.

My aim is to information individuals to assist themselves first earlier than they lend a serving to hand to others. As a result of solely from an area of internal power and readability can we really serve the world with coronary heart, goal, and lasting impression.

Dr. Archika’s teachings resonate deeply, providing steering and solace to these in search of religious development. Her dedication to the Gita and Lord Shiva illuminates paths of devotion and self-discovery, leaving a long-lasting impression on all who encounter her knowledge.

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