The significance of the eternally burning Akhand Deepak at Shantikunj - as explained by Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya

Enlightened Gurus like Shriram Sharma Acharya, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, and Swami Vivekanada have packed into a single life the work that would have ordinarily taken 500-600 man years to accomplish. 

To generate this great energy that is an enabler for works of extraordinary magnitude- they have have in their lifetimes undertaken intense Tap and Sadhna, begining in their early youth. Nearly all such intense sadhna is accompanied by extraordinary austerity, where they each individually cease to identify themselves with their bodies and their only identification lies with their eternal self. 

Vedmurti Shriram Sharma Acharya, started his Tap Sadhna in front of the Akhand Deepak. This Deepak has been  burning incessantly for close to eighty years and still continues to burn at Shantikunj, Hardwar.
Acharya ji's Life can be symbolised by this  Deepak - Just as a Deepak burns itself to give light and direction to the lives of others , so was the purpose of Acharya ji's life. Seated in front of the Akhand Deepak, he performed intense Sadhna of the Gayatri Mantra. This Sadhna helped  generate tremendous spiritual energy through a process of self sacrifice and self transformation , thereby  enabling  the writing  of a Quantum of Literature that will inspire and guide generations to come. It also enabled the establishment of Shantikunj, The Brahmavarchasya Research Institute  and a follower base of Gayatri Sadhaks that is in the millions and spread worldwide today.
At the time of his Samadhi, Acharya Shriram Sharma   merged a part of his eternal spirit in this Akhand  Deepak .Even today his divine presence can be experienced  at Shantikunj .

Shantikunj : is  the 'Gayatri Tapobhoomi Ashram' established by Shriram Sharma Acharya for the spread of Vedic Literature in times to come. The ashram rests on the same location where the Sapt Rishis did their intense Sadhna in the past. 
The atmosphere at Shantikunj is therefore charged with intense spiritual energy and vibrations. Today the ashram is housed with  fully equipped and advanced laboratories conducting research on the sound effects of Mantras, the healing effects of Yagna on the body and the environment, a fully equipped centre for the study of astronomy, Avyurveda, and much more.

To read further about how a young Shriram Sharma Acharya was instructed by his own Guru, to light the  Akhand Deepak and and dedicate the early years of his life to intense Sadhna , read the below mentioned text. ( Minor language edits have been made to the below mentioned text for ease of reading).

Quoted Text ( Excerpt from Akhand Jyoti magazine):
"The two major phases of my spiritual life have been completed in the  24 years of my Life, between the ages of 15 and 40. Deviations from the precepts of "Matrivat Paradareu" and "Louhavat Paradravyeu" normally occur during this phase of life. Meaning, that this is the period when normally the pull of bodily cravings, lust, greed and ambitions usually proves  irresistible. In my case, this portion of my life  was spent in studying, thinking, introspecting, exercising self-restraint, and in intense and austere meditation and Sadhana. 

Generally speaking, only persons who are past  adulthood are selected for intense spiritual Sadhana. People of young age can, and should, shoulder the responsibilities ranging from financial management to military service. There is enough scope in these fields for fulfilling ambitions of the youth of the country. These youth can also contributions and service in other fields. Therefore ,  generally speaking the time of "youth" for most people is not the appropriate phase of life for spiritual leadership. Few exceptions exist,  like that of Adi-Shankaracharya, Swami Dayanand, Vivekanand, Guru Ramdas, Meera, Nivedita etc. These exceptional people  successfully shouldered the responsibility of spiritual leadership while they were in their early youth.

In most cases  raw youth is devoid of mature wisdom. Those who enter the public field while still gripped by greed for power and fame, are prone to temptations and sensual attractions, thus they create problems for themselves and  society. Downfall of even the best institutions is caused by such people. Though evil is not restricted to any particular age, the normal perception is that the youth phase is for pursuing individual personal  ambitions. With receding age, a person grows physically weak and so do his material desires. With the lurking fear of death entering the mind, an interest in inner life, and religious activities develops. Hence scholarly seers have considered the post-adulthood phase of life appropriate for Vanaprastha (transition from material pursuits to spiritual aspirations) and for Sanyas (renunciation of all worldly pursuits). 

I do not know as to why my master engaged me in my tapascharya (life of devout austerity) at a very young age, and ensured  its total accomplishment by the age of 40. Maybe, he apprehended that I may  be influenced by selfish desire  and may get carried away  by temptations of name, fame,  and power. He must have visualized that without inner strength and maturity, accomplishment of a great missionary task would not be possible; and that it was essential to inculcate in me the qualities of firmness, patience, courage and equanimity as pre-requisites for success, before entrusting me with the great task. Thus for me, my youth and adulthood were spent in austere Sadhana. Everything went on as always during that period. The only uncommon feature was the "Akhand Deepak" burning day and night with ghee(clarified butter) of cow's milk.

The Akhand Deepak  was required to be kept  burning incessantly  in the prayer room. Its spiritual or scientific secret was not exactly known to me. To me my Guru was everything; his instructions were gospel truth for me; discipline was everything; my submission to his will was total. To a soldier discipline is dearer than life. Call it blind faith, or love for discipline, whatever duty was assigned to me or whatever life routine I was asked to follow, has been carried out with utmost devotion and dedication. The installation of Akhand Deepak in the prayer room is part of this process. After relying on the Guide and fully submitting to him, there was no question of doubt or debate. On being told that Akhand Deepak had a role in the Sadhana prescribed to me, I simply complied with it and kept it burning throughout the duration of 24 Purascharanas.

Later on, it became dearer than life. It could be put out after 24 years, but such a thought was tantamount to extinguishing my own lamp of life. Hence it was decided to keep it lighted. When I was away in unknown parts of Himalayas, my dedicated soulmate (my wife) would take care to keep it burning always. Had I been alone without a soulmate, I would not have been able to go away to the Himalayas and do my austere  Sadhana's and yet maintain the continued burning of the Akhand Deepak. It was very difficult to keep the Akhand Deepak always lit. House help , or disciples or people of weak spiritual conviction would not have been able to maintain its incessant burning. This is also because it would not have been possible by mere external alertness alone ; it needed total inner dedication, which only a true soulmate could provide.

Maybe, this Akhand Deepak is symbolic of an Akhand Yagya. The joss sticks may be playing the role of material for oblation, japa playing the part of recitation of mantras, and the Deepak (Lamp) playing the part of offering of ghee in the sacrificial fire. In this way an automatic process of sacrificial offering may have been  getting accomplished. The pitcher of water and the lamp kept together could be instrumental in producing vaporization in a subtle way and therefore could be generating some subtle power, like steam in an engine. Or it may be that this external light is helpful in kindling the light within. Whatever it may be, I have been getting spiritual light and inner bliss from this Akhand Deepak in ample measure.

This lamp placed on the pedestal was burning externally in the beginning. Later I experienced that the lamp was burning within me in the same form and was illuminating my entire inner being, in the same way as  the outer  lamp  illuminated the room. The illumination I was feeling within my body, mind and soul - in the gross, astral and causal bodies - might have been its repercussion. Throughout the duration of its burning, this light was glowing in the senses, just like the room was illuminated by the ever–alight lamp. Everything about me became illuminated, the veil of darkness was removed, desires and cravings vanished. My mind and body were radiating illumined feelings, thoughts and actions.

The ocean of light was undulating everywhere and I was merrily swimming in it, like a fish in the lake. The role played by these sensations in the development of the power of the self, my divine outlook, and divine joy is beyond description. Maybe it is my imagination, but had not the Akhand Deepak been kindled my insides too would have perhaps remained as dimly lit as the prayer room. Now my insides  seem as  glittering like the festive lights of Diwali. It is in this emotional flow that the magazine I started years back in 1937 was christened "Akhand Jyoti ", the name that I liked the most in the world. Maybe it is because of  this devotional start that the small sapling has now grown so large that its present circulation is estimated to be over 10 lakh copies  and the magazine is spreading its enlightened message all over the world.

On entering the third phase of Sadhana, the rays of "Âtmavat Sarvabhuteu" began to illuminate my soul. The first two phases i.e. "Matrivat Paradareu" and "Louhavat Paradravyeu" were concerned with my own body only. Whenever  thoughts of  sin entered the senses , the third eye of discernment made it beat a hasty retreat. The body was subjected to austere discipline and snapped the roots out of which the sinful thoughts may have  originated. So the evil tendencies had no soil to take roots.

The "Sadhana of Matrivat Paradareu" was mastered without any difficulty. The mind created a little trouble in the beginning, but the body was always at my command and control. The mind ultimately accepted defeat and began to cooperate like a good friend. By voluntary adopting a life  of poverty and minimization of needs to the barest, along with  giving up and conquering the tendency to hoard, there was no question of coveting "paradravya" (others wealth). When ones own earning was adequate to feed the stomach and cover the body, why to covet others things? Whatever could be saved after meeting the minimal needs was distributed among the needy.

Those who are by nature prone to giving and distributing and deriving joy out of giving  can never hoard. A life style based on minimum needs, simplicity and a non-hoarding Brahmana (One who is devoted to spiritual pursuits and leads a simple altruistic life) has filled my inner-self with unexplainable happiness and contentment. Had this happiness and contentment been the way of life of masses, there would have been hardly anyone wanting to earn sin, by coveting others wealth. Merely boasting to be an Aparigrahi (non-coveter) would not do. How many can feel in themselves the unique joy that comes out of giving? In my case, I got the treasure of these divine gifts effortlessly."

Credits and references:
An excerpt from Akhand Jyoti Magazine published by Shantikunj, Hardwar.