UNITY BETWEEN RELIGIONS

Unity between different religions is essential for modern living. All religions accept that God/Creator is the same for the entire humanity. But each religion has given a specific name to their own religious God. Hindus called him as Vishnu, Christians as Jehovah, and Muslims as Allah. Their are people in every religion who worship their religious God and achieved their desires. What is common behind these different religious prayers is to be understood.
As a simple answer , it is the thought force behind every religious prayer. It is the thought power that reaches God/Creator (common to all religions) where from the response comes. If so why the religious clashes?
These religious clashes are mainly due to lack of understanding of their own religion . No religion encourages fights between religions. Since all religions lead to the same destiny (God/ Creator) there should be some common aspects between different religions. Several eminent men and saints of India tried their best to bring unity between different religions. One such effort is given below for the sake of better understanding.
The book Kaivalya Darsanam , THE HOLY SCIENCE by Jnanavatar Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri
is one such attempt to bring unity between Christianity and Hinduism and all other religions. I quote below a paragraph of the foreword of Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda on this book.
"Prophets of all lands and ages have succeeded in their God-quest. Entering a state of true illumination, NIRBIKALPA SAMADHI, these saints have realised the Supreme Reality behind all names and forms. Their wisdom and spiritual counsel have become the scriptures of the world. These, although outwardly differing by the reason of the variegated cloaks of words, all are expressions --- some open and clear, others hidden or symbolic --- of the same basic truths of Spirit."
This book brings out several aspects that are common between Christianity and Hinduism as in their religious books, and attempts to establish a fundamental harmony between the religions. It is worth reading for those who are interested in unity between religions.
We are endowed with some spiritual resources. Our life is the resultant action of application of these spritual resources and the planetary vibrations. The position of the planets at the time of birth are so adjusted that they represent the resultant action of our Karma in our past birth. Indirectly we are responsible for the planets position at birth. Any evils in the planets position at birth can be nullified by utilizing our spiritual resources,  by meditation and by doing good deeds that can nullify the evil of our past birth. Utilising correct Astrology we can calculate the good and evil timings. We can enhance good and nullify evil by our spiritual resouces. That is where the utility of astrology comes. The ultimate principle of operation behind every religion is thought force. It is behind every religious prayer. It is common to all religions. It is where all religions coincide.
It may be surprising to say that there are people who worship the idols of COCK and get their wishes fulfilled. Thought power is behind their worship. If this simple principle can be understood properly there can be unity between all religions. The creation is like that. THOUGHT POWER IS THE OPERATING SYSTEM OF HUMAN LIFE.
Behind every religious prayer by any person some thought power is generated. In case the same person criticises other religions, he is indirectly criticising the principle (thought power) common to all religious prayers. Thereby he is bound to loose the thought power generated by him. Most of the religious prayers are getting nullified as they have not understood the principle behind all religious prayers. If he wants to achieve something by his own religious prayers, he should not criticise other religions. There lies the correct utility of prayer.

IS SANKRANTI HEADING TOWARDS SUMMER?

The correct date of festival Sankranti is 21/22 of December of every year. The present fixation of date is not correct. By following the present procedure the date of Sankranti is being shited by one day in 72 years. Ultimately the festival is heading towards summer, where as it should be in winter.
Sankranti is a seasonal festival and seasons are dependent on the movable zodiac but not on the fixed zodiac which is being followed at present. Taking the date of entry of Sun into the Capricornus sign of the movable zodiac which falls on 21/22 of December of every year is more appropriate. This also tallys with the maximum southern declination of the Sun which is about 23.5 degrees, indicating that the Sun is farthet from the northern latitudes. India comes under northern latitudes.
The difference between the movable zodiac and the fixed zodiac known as ayanamsa is 23 degrees 59' 12" as on 01-01-2009, as taken from Lahiri's Indian Ephemeris for 2009, equivalent to 24 days as Sun moves by about one degree in one day. Accordingly the date of festival Sankranti is shifted by about 24 days from the correct date of Sankranti. The fixed zodaic and the movable zodiac coincided in the year 285 A.D. It will take about 26000 years to coincide again from that year. During this period the date of the festival Sankranti covers all the 365 dates (days) of the year. That means Sankranti falls in all seasons including summer, whereas it should fall in winter (on 21/22 of December). If we follow the date of Sankranti as the date on which the Sun enters the Capricornus sign of the movable zodiac, the date is always as 21/22 of December only for the entire circle of 26000 years, and gets repeated later on also.
Most of the Indian festivals are dependent on fixed stars. On a similar basis, Sankranti was also fixed on the date of entry of Sun into the sign (constellation) Capricornus of the fixed zodiac, where as the seasons are not dependant on the fixed zodiac, but are only dependant on the movable zodiac. That is where the fixation of date of Sankranti has gone wrong. Accordingly the date of festival Sankranti is heading towards Summer at the rate of one day in 72 years. It is high time to save the festival of cool season from heading towards summer.
The festival of Ayyappa Swamy falls on the date of Sankranti. It is only a chance coincidence. The date of entry of Sun into the fixed sign Capricornus of the fixed zodiac is the date of festival of Ayyappa Swamy. That date will remain the same as before even if the date of Sankranti is shifted to December 21/22 of every year. The date of the festival Ayyappa Swamy will be getting shifted by one day in 72 years as usual.
It is high time that the astronomers and scientists of India should make an attempt to get the date of Sankranti shifted to its correct date as on 21/22 of December of every year. To get this date corrected, they have to appraoch the eminent Pitadhipaties such as Shankaracharyas, with whose permission only, the date can be changed.

THOUGHT POWER

Thought force is the operating system of human life with the influence of planetary vibrations. Behind every religious prayer there is immence thought power. This thought power stimulates one great central force (called as God with different names in different religions). When our thought force stimulates this central force we get response in different forms ,depending on the way our thought is directed.
MEDITATION is an important aspect of thought power. There are several books on meditation.
Scientific meditation is preferable to religious meditation. In Scientific meditation it is enough to select a meaning full sentence like " DAY BY DAY IN EVERY WAY I AM GETTING BETTER AND BETTER" or any suitable sentence and repeat the same many times as fast as possible for few minutes, (say 15 to 20 minutes) two to or three times a day. Preferable timings are the early morning when we get up , and the evening and at the time of going to bed. Those who can't believe in scientific meditation but are religious can form a suitable and meaningful sentence based on their own belief on their religion and apply meditation as explained above. Long and lengthy prayers will not work. They take a lot of time to meterialise as the same cannot develope concentration sufficiant for materialisation of their thought force. Repetition of small meaningful sentences form channelisation through which our thoughts reach the central force of creation at the earliest to get response in a short period. It all depends on faith in meditation , concentration. There can be lot of improvement in the form of circumstances, health and it can even counter the evil influences of planets. Hence MEDITATION is a most important aspect of art of living.
In order to improve meditational powers there is need to improve concentration. This can be done by blackspot gazing, crystal gazing , star gazing in the night, etc.
Thought technology is a science.