Good things come in twos. At least this
Tuesday it did.
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Good things come in twos. At least this
Tuesday it did.
The date is February 22, 2022. When you
write it, 2/22/22, it’s a palindrome, meaning it reads the same forward and
backward. It also falls on a Tuesday, which is now referred to as Twosday.
It’s the most exceptional date in over a
decade, according to palindrome enthusiast Aziz Inan. He’s a professor of
electrical engineering at the University of Portland in Oregon, and he has been
studying palindrome dates for over 14 years.
It’s a ubiquitous palindrome date because
it’s a palindrome when it’s written in the United States format of month, day,
year, and the format most other countries follow of day, month, year, Inan
said.
“I feel that these dates have magical power
in terms of getting people’s attention, no matter what age,” he said.
The last time there was a ubiquitous
six-digit palindrome date was November 11, 2011, Inan noted. It’s written
11/11/11.
Earlier this month on another palindrome
date, February 2, Inan had the idea of writing 2/2/22 and 2/22/22 on a paper
bag and wearing it on his head that
day.
Throughout the day, people came up to him
and inquired about his makeshift hat, he said.
“I enjoy when I get somebody’s attention to
this, especially some kid or college student, and it makes me feel happy that I
did something good in the long term to tap into their curiosity,” Inan said.
Head on down to the chapel
With as special a date as Tuesday’s, it’s no
surprise people were flocking to their nearest chapel to get married. Many
headed straight to Las Vegas, the marriage capital of the world.
Clark County,
where Las Vegas is located, celebrated its 5 millionth marriage license over
the weekend and had a great turnout this Tuesday, said Clark County Clerk Lynn
Marie Goya.
For a limited time, couples obtained a
marriage license at Harry Reid International Airport, the main airport in Las
Vegas. The service ran through February 22.
Palindrome dates have always been busy for
Sin City. On November 11, 2011, over 3,500 couples tied the knot, according to
Goya, making it the city’s second busiest date for wedding ceremonies of all
time.
Even more celebrations
Las Vegas isn’t the only city participated
in the Twosday festivities. In Sacramento, California, 222 couples participated in a wedding at the State Capitol. The ceremony started at 2 p.m. PT and will
concluded at precisely 2:22 p.m PT.
Couples in Singapore are also eager to get
married on Tuesday. As of January 24, 483 couples had registered with the
Registry of Marriages to get married on the February 22, according to the South China Morning Post.
If all this talk about marriage is making
you want to say “I do” on Tuesday, there is no wait for marriage licenses in
Clark County, Goya said.
Who could forget that along with all the
fanfare of weddings comes a day full of delicious tacos?
Taco Twosday
also falls on National Margarita Day – coincidence? (We think not.) Many restaurants around the United
States are offering deals on the tart drink.
And for those who haven’t booked their
summer vacations yet, different resorts are
offering limited-time deals for Twosday.
Even Google didn’t want to miss celebrating
this auspicious day. Users who type “2/22/2022” into the Google search bar and
press enter will be greeted with a flurry of confetti and a sign reading “Happy
Twosday 2 You!”
Don’t feel sad once the day is done.
February 23 through February 28 are also palindrome dates – though not
ubiquitous ones.
IMPORTANCE
OF TUESDAY
God
Hanuman crossed the vast ocean taking a long great leap and met Sri Sita Ji and
gave her the message of Sri Ram at Ashoka vanam on a TUESDAY. From then onwards
every Tuesday Sita Ji performed Puja for Hanuman {Avathar of Lord Shiva)
after his dharshan at Ashokavanam.
Hanumanji
after burning Lanka and killing one of the sons of Ravan, Akshaya Kumar,
returned to Ram, crossing over the sea again and gave the message of Sita to Sri
Ram on a TUESDAY. After killing Ravana, and giving the throne of Lanka, to
Vibhishana, Ram returned to Ayodhya on a TUESDAY.
As
is blessed by the Gods, Hanumanji is to remain alive till this universe will
remain. Such was the boon of Sri Sitaji also, when Hanumanji met her on TUESDAY,
in Ashok vatika, where Ravan kept her out
of his palace.
--Friday 25, 2022
THE STATE OF AUYRVEDA IN THE
WORLD
Health, USA is
that Ayurveda has insufficient scientific evidence, as regards
its efficacy and safety as per current day scientific standards. Yet, more and
more people are turning towards Alternative, and Complementary modes of
healthcare and wellness. The emergence of Integrative Medicine also enables the
combination of current methods of medical practice with traditional modes of
holistic health management.
In this webinar tomorrow, two
scholars and practitioners will discuss the state of Ayurveda in the world, how
it differs from modern methods of medicine, and its prospects for the future.
They will also introduce a course that is being offered by HUA in the upcoming
Spring Quarter.
Speakers: Luvena Krishnamurthy and Dr.
Mahadevan Seetharaman
For spiritual initiation, divine remedies to problems, and
fruitful living meditate on Dhanvantari. Even Western doctors think mind is
more powerful than body and recommend meditation.
Dhanvantari is the God of healing. He is also considered as the
divine physician, the doctor of the Gods. He is regarded as an incarnation of
Lord Vishnu, the God of protection and sustenance. He is also believed to be
the one, who created Ayurveda, the ancient system of medicine and gave that for
the benefit of the humanity. Hence, he is gratefully remembered as the God of
Ayurveda.
Dhanvantri’s Depiction
Dhanvantari is shown as strong in physique, handsome in
appearance, somewhat dark in complexion and wearing yellow clothes. He is
four-armed, in one of which he holds a pot containing the precious Amrita, the
liquid of immortality. In another hand, he holds a leech, the blood-sucking
insect, which is believed to have played a crucial role in the ancient systems
of medical treatment. The depictions also show him as a form of Lord Vishnu
himself with his usual conch and discus, while he is also seen holding the
scriptures, in some other places. I have installed an idol of Dhanvantari in my
assembly of idols in Pooja room at home and chant Gayatri Mantra.
Legend of Dhanvantri
Dhanvantari was born from the ocean of milk when the same was
churned by the celestial beings and the demons for getting Amrita, the nectar
of immortality. After many precious things came out, Lord Dhanvantari emerged out at last in all his
glory, holding in his hand a pot containing the valuable and much sought-after
elixir of life. The Amrita was supposed to be shared by both the Devas and the
Asuras, but Lord Vishnu had the last laugh, when he took the form of the
bewitching Mohini, denied the liquid to the demons and shared it entirely with
the celestials, for the good of the universe.
The great churning of the ocean and Dhanvantari coming out of it,
have their spiritual connotation too, as these are said to denote the
overcoming of the vices plaguing a life on earth and the soul rising above them
all, towards self-realization.
Dhanvantari is said to have emerged on the day of Dhanteras which falls a few
days before Diwali, the festival of lights and people worship him, primarily,
on that day for their excellent health and longevity. It is to be noted that it
was at the same time that Goddess Lakshmi too appeared from the ocean.
Dhanvantri Mantra — Meaning and Benefits
‘Om Shree Dhanvantre Namaha’
Meaning: ‘Oh Lord Shri Dhanvantari, I bow
humbly to you with prayers’ is the meaning of the mantra.
This is a simple hymn of prayer addressed to Dhanvantari.
This is a mantra for healing and chanting this daily can provide a
strong cover of protection against all illnesses. It can prevent diseases,
clear all forms of mental and physical disorders, and relieve one of fears and
apprehensions. Its power of divine healing can increase energy level, improve
vitality and provide robust health.
While this mantra can be recited any number of times and at any
time of the day, it is believed that the daily chanting of this for 108 times,
early in the morning before sunrise, can be highly effective in getting the
blessings of the Lord. However, more the chanting better would be the benefits.
Also, if someone is too ill to chant or is unable to do so for whatever reason,
anyone else can do the recitation for the sake of the sick person and offer
prayers on his or her behalf, and this too can have the same positive effect. My grand-father
and I continuously meditated for a month in Anjaneya temple in Shozhangipuram,
near Madras when I was at the age of 12 taking my grand-mother and mother who
were mentally ill. They were wrongly believed as ill-possessed while doctors
advised us to admit them to mental hospital. All thought my grand-mother was
god-possessed and my mother devil-haunted. To our surprise both were
permanently cured.
‘Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaaya Dhanvantaraye Amrita- Kalasha
Hastaaya Sarva-amaya Vinaashaaya Trailokya Naathaay Dhanvantari Maha-vishnave
Namaha’
This is another mantra dedicated to Lord Dhanvantari, which
describes his form, hails his greatness, offers salutations to him and seeks
his grace for destroying diseases.
‘Om tat purushaayavidmahae
Amrithakalasahastaayadheemahi
Tanno Dhanvantriprachodayaat’
This is the Gayatri mantra for Lord Dhanvantari, the recitation of which can earn for
the devotees, the divine blessings of the Lord.
The strongest “muscle” in our entire body is
not located in our legs, chest, arms, or back. The human mind is definitely the most powerful
“muscle” and a strong mind can push you through any reasonable obstacle.
To create a
sense of awareness in today’s generation and promote Ayurvedic principles of
healing in society Experts are giving lecture to the audience tomorrow.
The National Ayurveda Day is celebrated every
year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras) since 2016. Ayurveda is
perceived as one of the most ancient and well documented system of medicine
equally relevant and Dhanvantari, God of Ayurveda in modern times.
--February 25, 2022
Hindu philosophy commands us to visualize the entire society as
one living embodiment - Virat Purusha
Suppose a gardener
wants to grow mango fruits. Does he place the seed in a pot of honey scented
with perfume in order that it may give rise to more delicious fruits? Will he
not, on the other hand, plant it in the soil mixed with manure? It is a matter
of experience that in the process of imparting 'Samskars' of strength a rugged
exterior is a must...
The basic tenet of
Hindu philosophy commands us to visualize the entire society as one living
embodiment - Virat Purusha. Every individual, wherever he is placed, is a
living limb of that corporate body. Just as the body looks after the needs of
every little organ, so also the society should view the interests and needs and
aspirations of every individual. In a living body, can there be any part which
can be untouchable, neglected or downtrodden? Can there be any sense of high
and low between one and the other? It is because this unifying consciousness
has been lost, that these various evils have cropped up in our society..
- From the book
"Shri Guruji Thoughts Excelsior"
February 18, is the
birth anniversary day of Shri #Guruji #Golwalkar (1906-1973), the second Sarsanghchalak of #RSS, a towering leader and a great force of
inspiration for Hindu Sangathan and Hindu nationalism.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata
Purāṇa) » Canto 2: The Cosmic
Manifestation--Vedanta based
CHAPTER SIX
Puruṣa-sūkta Confirmed
Lord Brahmā said: The mouth of the virāṭ-puruṣa [the universal form of
the Lord] is the generating center of the voice, and the controlling deity is
Fire. His skin and six other layers are the generating centers of the Vedic
hymns, and His tongue is the productive center of different foodstuffs and
delicacies for offering to the demigods, the forefathers and the general mass
of people.
His two nostrils are the generating centers of our breathing and
of all other airs, His smelling powers generate the Aśvinī-kumāra demigods and
all kinds of medicinal herbs, and His breathing energies produce different
kinds of fragrance.
His eyes are the generating centers of all kinds of forms, and
they glitter and illuminate. His eyeballs are like the sun and the heavenly
planets. His ears hear from all sides and are receptacles for all the Vedas,
and His sense of hearing is the generating center of the sky and of all kinds
of sound.
His bodily surface is the breeding ground for the active
principles of everything and for all kinds of auspicious opportunities. His
skin, like the moving air, is the generating center for all kinds of sense of
touch and is the place for performing all kinds of sacrifice.
The hairs on His body are the cause of all vegetation,
particularly of those trees which are required as ingredients for sacrifice.
The hairs on His head and face are reservoirs for the clouds, and His nails are
the breeding ground of electricity, stones and iron ores.
The Lord’s arms are the productive fields for the great demigods
and other leaders of the living entities who protect the general mass.
Thus the forward steps of the Lord are the shelter for the
upper, lower and heavenly planets, as well as for all that we need. His lotus
feet serve as protection from all kinds of fear.
From the Lord’s genitals originate water, semen, generatives,
rains and the procreators. His genitals are the cause of a pleasure that
counteracts the distress of begetting.
O Nārada, the evacuating outlet of the universal form of the
Lord is the abode of the controlling deity of death, Mitra, and the evacuating
hole and the rectum of the Lord is the place of envy, misfortune, death, hell,
etc.
The back of the Lord is the place for all kinds of frustration
and ignorance, as well as for immorality. From His veins flow the great rivers
and rivulets, and on His bones are stacked the great mountains.
The impersonal feature of the Lord is the abode of great
oceans, and His belly is the resting place for the materially annihilated
living entities. His heart is the abode of the subtle material bodies of living
beings. Thus it is known by the intelligent class of men.
Also, the consciousness of that great personality is the abode
of religious principles — mine, yours, and those of the four bachelors Sanaka,
Sanātana, Sanat-kumāra and Sanandana. That consciousness is also the abode of
truth and transcendental knowledge.
Beginning from me [Brahmā] down to you and Bhava [Śiva], all the
great sages who were born before you, the demigods, the demons, the Nāgas, the
human beings, the birds, the beasts, as well as the reptiles, etc., and all
phenomenal manifestations of the universes, namely the planets, stars,
asteroids, luminaries, lightning, thunder, and the inhabitants of the different
planetary systems, namely the Gandharvas, Apsarās, Yakṣas, Rakṣas, Bhūtagaṇas, Uragas, Paśus, Pitās, Siddhas, Vidyādharas, Cāraṇas, and all other
different varieties of living entities, including the birds, beasts, trees and
everything that be, are all covered by the universal form of the Lord at all
times, namely past, present and future, although He is transcendental to all of
them, eternally existing in a form not exceeding nine inches.
The sun illuminates both internally and externally by expanding
its radiation; similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by expanding His
universal form, maintains everything in the creation both internally and
externally.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the controller of
immortality and fearlessness, and He is transcendental to death and the
fruitive actions of the material world. O Nārada, O brāhmaṇa, it is therefore difficult to measure the glories of the
Supreme Person.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be known as the supreme
reservoir of all material opulences by the one fourth of His energy in which
all the living entities exist. Deathlessness, fearlessness and freedom from the
anxieties of old age and disease exist in the kingdom of God, which is beyond
the three higher planetary systems and beyond the material coverings.
The spiritual world, which consists of three fourths of the
Lord’s energy, is situated beyond this material world, and it is especially
meant for those who will never be reborn. Others, who are attached to family
life and who do not strictly follow celibacy vows, must live within the three
material worlds.
By His energies, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead is
thus comprehensively the master in the activities of controlling and in
devotional service. He is the ultimate master of both nescience and factual
knowledge of all situations.
From that Personality of Godhead, all the universal globes and
the universal form with all material elements, qualities and senses are
generated. Yet He is aloof from such material manifestations, like the sun,
which is separate from its rays and heat.
When I was born from the abdominal lotus flower of the Lord
[Mahā-Viṣṇu], the great person, I
had no ingredients for sacrificial performances except the bodily limbs of the
great Personality of Godhead.
For performing sacrificial ceremonies, one requires sacrificial
ingredients, such as flowers, leaves and straw, along with the sacrificial
altar and a suitable time [spring].
Other requirements are utensils, grains, clarified butter,
honey, gold, earth, water, the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda and Sāma Veda
and four priests to perform the sacrifice.
Other necessities include invoking the different names of the
demigods by specific hymns and vows of recompense, in accordance with the
particular scripture, for specific purposes and by specific processes.
Thus I had to arrange all these necessary ingredients and
paraphernalia of sacrifice from the personal bodily parts of the Personality of
Godhead. By invocation of the demigods’ names, the ultimate goal, Viṣṇu, was gradually attained, and thus compensation and ultimate
offering were complete.
Thus I created the ingredients and paraphernalia for offering
sacrifice out of the parts of the body of the Supreme Lord, the enjoyer of the
sacrifice, and I performed the sacrifice to satisfy the Lord.
My dear son, thereafter your nine brothers, who are the masters
of living creatures, performed the sacrifice with proper rituals to satisfy
both the manifested and non-manifested personalities.
Thereafter, the Manus, the fathers of mankind, the great
sages, the forefathers, the learned scholars, the Daityas and mankind performed
sacrifices meant to please the Supreme Lord.
All the material manifestations of the universes are therefore
situated in His powerful material energies, which He accepts self-sufficiently,
although He is eternally without affinity for the material modes.
By His will, I create, Lord Śiva destroys, and He Himself, in
His eternal form as the Personality of Godhead, maintains everything. He is the
powerful controller of these three energies.
My dear son, whatever you inquired from me I have thus explained
unto you, and you must know for certain that whatever there is (either as cause
or as effect, both in the material and spiritual worlds) is dependent on the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
O Nārada, because I have caught hold of the lotus feet of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, with great zeal, whatever I say has never
proved to have been false. Nor is the progress of my mind ever deterred. Nor
are my senses ever degraded by temporary attachment to matter.
Although I am known as the great Brahmā, perfect in the
disciplic succession of Vedic wisdom, and although I have undergone all
austerities and am an expert in mystic powers and self-realization, and
although I am recognized as such by the great forefathers of the living
entities, who offer me respectful obeisances, still I cannot understand Him,
the Lord, the very source of my birth.
Therefore it is best for me to surrender unto His feet, which
alone can deliver one from the miseries of repeated birth and death. Such
surrender is all-auspicious and allows one to perceive all happiness. Even the
sky cannot estimate the limits of its own expansion. So what can others do when
the Lord Himself is unable to estimate His own limits?
Since neither Lord Śiva nor you nor I could ascertain the limits
of spiritual happiness, how can other demigods know it? And because all of us
are bewildered by the illusory, external energy of the Supreme Lord, we can see
only this manifested cosmos according to our individual ability.
Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto that Supreme
Personality of Godhead, whose incarnations and activities are chanted by us for
glorification, though He can hardly be fully known as He is.
That supreme original Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, expanding His plenary portion as Mahā-Vishnu,
the first incarnation, creates this manifested cosmos, but He is unborn. The
creation, however, takes place in Him, and the material substance and
manifestations are all Himself. He maintains them for some time and absorbs
them into Himself again.
The Personality of Godhead is pure, being free from all
contaminations of material tinges. He is the Absolute Truth and the embodiment
of full and perfect knowledge. He is all-pervading, without beginning or end,
and without rival. O Nārada, O great sage, the great thinkers can know Him when
completely freed from all material hankerings and when sheltered under
undisturbed conditions of the senses. Otherwise, by untenable arguments, all is
distorted, and the Lord disappears from our sight.
Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu is the first
incarnation of the Supreme Lord, and He is the master of eternal time, space,
cause and effects, mind, the elements, the material ego, the modes of nature,
the senses, the universal form of the Lord, Garbhodakaśāyī Vishnuu, and the sum total of all living beings, both moving and
nonmoving.
I myself [Brahmā], Lord Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu, great generators of living beings like Dakṣa and Prajāpati, yourselves [Nārada and the Kumāras],
heavenly demigods like Indra and Candra, the leaders of the Bhūrloka
planets, the leaders of the earthly planets, the leaders of the lower planets,
the leaders of the Gandharva planets, the leaders of the Vidyādhara planets,
the leaders of the Cāraṇaloka planets, the
leaders of the Yakṣas, Rakṣas and Uragas, the great sages, the great demons, the great
atheists and the great spacemen, as well as the dead bodies, evil spirits,
satans, jinn, kūṣmāṇḍas, great aquatics, great beasts and great birds, etc. — in
other words, anything and everything which is exceptionally possessed of power,
opulence, mental and perceptual dexterity, strength, forgiveness, beauty,
modesty, opulence, and breeding, whether in form or formless — may appear to be
the specific truth and the form of the Lord, but actually they are not so. They
are only a fragment of the transcendental potency of the Lord.
O Nārada, now I shall state, one after another, the transcendental
incarnations of the Lord known as līlā-avatāras. Hearing of their activities
counteracts all foul matters accumulated in the ear. These pastimes are
pleasing to hear and are to be relished. Therefore they are in my heart.
Teaching
Religions through World-view Inspired by Vedanta
Combat Culture
We teach through a Biblical
Worldview. Seeing the world through a biblical lens is foundational to
Christian education. We aspire to see God in all things from
science and math to reading and writing by using Godly wisdom and biblical understanding as tools
to define truth in a fallen world, inspired by American Hindus teaching
Vedanta started by Swami Vivekananda in his Chicago speech.
Academic Excellence
We teach Tennessee State
Standards. By using proven curriculum and teaching strategies, students can
become reflective learners, owning their academic process and learning by their
mistakes. This can inspire them to develop the ability to become critical
thinkers and have a life-long love of learning.
Discipleship
We follow Jesus’ example of
discipleship. By establishing safe and nurturing relationships, we walk
alongside and guide students throughout their faith journey. We understand that
Christian character is not about what we do, but about who we are. We believe
it is essential to both spiritual and academic development to intentionally
model and communicate to students to identify the eternal value of life’s
struggles and successes.
Swami Vivekananda in his speech
very emphatically envisioned Vedanta to
be the religion of the World in the future. While dogma-based religions
which acted as emotional support for mankind once upon a time, ceased to
function again and again from the World Wars to the Cold War to the pitiful
state of nature and animals it can be seen now from every aspect how the
spiritual teachings of Vedanta make it well equipped to fill the void in the
modern world and meet the challenges of science. While some delusional minds
today have been clouded by sheer arrogance and perceive the Hindu Philosophy as
a backward and primitive one and see the one’s following it as targets for
conversion to either Abrahamic faiths or newly erupted spiritual ideologies, it
is important to establish that the Vedanta which is one of the six schools of
Hinduism is the most rational and logical way forward. When more and more human
beings across the globe decide to start putting reason over irrationality, and
science and logic over blind belief they will silently but surely be followers
of nothing else but the Vedanta philosophy.
Vedanta is the founding
philosophy of Hinduism based on the Vedic Shastra broadly referred to as Vedas.
Vedic Shastra include the Upanishads, Vedangas, Itihasas, Puranas, and Smritis.
Often the Sanskrit word Shastra is wrongly translated to scriptures however it
is important to understand that it is one of the many non-translatable Sanskrit
words. Scriptures are books belonging to Abrahamic religions which were
revealed, realized, or dictated by God to a chosen one at some point in
history. While scriptures are history, Shastra on the other hand are
ahistorical and eternal and are perceived through supra normal means by the
Rishis. Hence it would be wrong to refer to Hindu Shastra as Scriptures and
Abrahamic scriptures as Shastra as at some point in time in history mankind was
bereft from these scriptures.
The word Vedanta roots from a
combination of two words, “Veda”( knowledge) and “Anta”(goal of). While
Hinduism also includes the Hindu culture, Vedanta has a universal application
irrespective of religion, culture, and country. Vedanta affirms strongly the
oneness of existence, the divinity of one’s soul, and peace and harmony amongst
religions. It isn’t a proselytizing faith trying to impose the belief of one
God or a Spiritual ideology that erupted a few decades ago it is rather the
oldest and most comprehensive spiritual philosophy of the world. It’s not
something you read and believe or understand but rather it goes a step further
to something you experience, a way to explore nature and reality and hence is
correctly referred to as the science of spirituality. The teachings of Vedanta
cannot be uprooted by science unlike dogma-based religions for Vedanta is based
on the scientific aspect of internal and external knowledge it covers the
spiritual and material knowledge. A lot of modern scientific discoveries are
like echoes to those who’ve studied the Vedic Shastra from the atomic theory to
Newton’s law to military science in the Dhanur Veda and architecture knowledge
in the Sthapatya-Veda the list goes on science and logic has undeniably been an
inseparable part.
Vedas not only have an immense
impact on science but also on the mental makeup of how we grow to understand
our life, goals, and divine nature. Going by the teachings of Vedanta there are
four paths to do so;
- Bhakti Yoga the path of devotion and
love.
- Jnana Yoga the path of knowledge where
the seeker castes off all the unrealistic illusions with the help of
reason to discover the divine within.
- Karma Yoga the path of selfless service
and work.
Raja Yoga the most important one, the path of mediation as it
allows the seeker to connect with the higher state of consciousness. While
talking about this Swami Vivekananda had emphatically explained the mantra
based meditation. While the scientific aspects linked to the Vedas have
gained attention worldwide, there is still a section of the comatose population
in India that continues to mock and dismiss the Hindu philosophy due to either
the colonial hangover or lack of proper knowledge and insight into its true
essence. The Vedas, belonging to the core of Vedanta philosophy, has been
misinterpreted, mocked, and denounced time and again in attempts to uproot the
Hindu Civilization. The mark of a civilization is set when the young people
take it upon themselves to wear their identity on their sleeves and hold pride
in their heart for belonging to a country as great as ours. And through
whichever means when young people will spread the importance of logic over blind
belief across the world will set a rolling stone to make Swami Vivekananda’s
vision of Vedanta as the religion of the future a reality, where blood will not
be shed because of differences in ideology and children won’t be living in the
trauma of war as an enlightened world will live by the concept of Vasudhiva
Kutumbakam.
--February 21, 2022
"Ramakrishna: A Documentary"-- Video on YouTube
Wish you a Blessed Sri
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Jayanti
Wonders of Charity: From history we find charity generates wonders. Rani Rashmoni
inherited vast wealth from his deceased husband, Babu Rajachandra who was a
rich zamindar. She had a vision of Goddess Kali to make a temple. Accordingly a
Kali Temple was constructed at Dakshineswar, Kolkata near banks of the Hooghly
River, a distributary of the Ganges River. Sri Ram Kumar, the elder
brother of Sri Ramakrishna was appointed the chief priest of the Kali Temple.
After Sri Ram Kumar's death, Sri Ramakrishna was appointed the chief priest of
the temple. The vision of Rani Rashmoni led to Ramakrishna Mission which
has branches in India and abroad including the USA (here known by the name Vedanta
Society). Rani Rashmoni did many works of charity including a road to the holy
city of Puri, the Imperial Library (now the National Library of India) and the
Hindu College (now the Presidency University).
Andrew Carnegie (835-1919) was once the richest man in the
world. He strongly believed in charity. He donated 90 percent of his
wealth to charity (reverse tithe). His many works of charity include
construction of more than 2000 libraries free for the public. Carnegie Mellon
University (founders Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon) is another great
example which produced number of Nobel Laureates. Alfred Nobel donated money
for Nobel Prizes to individuals contributing to "the greatest benefit of
mankind". Rani Rashmoni and Andrew Carnegie both laid emphasis on
knowledge, the cornerstone of human development.
Note: This video was produced by Vedanta Society of St. Louis,
Missouri.
Comment:
Enjoyed watching the ‘Ramakrishna: A documentary’. Thanks for
sending the link.
--Brni. Vibha Chaitanya
RAMAKRISHNA ESTABLISHED EVERY RELIGION IS THE SAME AND ONENESS
OF GOD
Ramakrishna, with his elder bother Ramkumar, was employed as a
priest of Dakshineswar temple which was built by Rani Rasmani, a rich woman of
untouchable kaivarta community of Calcutta. Ramakrishna and his nephew Hriday
was employed as the assistants to Ramkumar to serve the Goddess at the temple.
Being a soul of spiritual consciousness, Ramakrishna was often tormented by the
question of the existence of the Goddess Kali. His soul was in want of the
sight of goddess Kali and was getting impatient to quench the thirst by her
revelation. Finally, one day, when he was in a mood to end his life for not
having the sight of mother Kali, he saw a ray of wave was coming out of the
deity and seeing that Ramakrishna lost his consciousness. From then onwards the
sight of Mother Kali became a normal experience to Ramakrishna. These incidents
of Ramakrishna spread near and far, which resulted in visiting a huge crowd
every day to Ramakrishna and listen to his experience of "Matri
Darshan". The room where Ramakrishna lived became a place of gathering of
his disciples and people of all religions, communities and different
educational background.
For Ramakrishna, Dakshineswar was the place where his spiritual
sadhana got intensity and consistency. He devoted his soul to the meditation
and after his priestly duties he would spend meditating in the Panchavati
groove in Dakshineswar. He would fill with great ecstasy and tears rolled down
from his eyes, he would get unaware of the materialistic world and reached the
realm of divinity.
Performing as a priest of Dakshineswar temple, Ramakrishna felt
identicalness with goddess Kali. The way Ramakrishna worshipped goddess Kali
was beyond the rituals according to some other priests and inhabitants of the
vicinity. They became inquisitive about the intention of Ramakrishna and some
blamed him as an unorthodox worshipper of God and the off-track person of Brahmin
community.
Ramakrishna, through his preaching to the gathering always
emphasized on the realization of soul and the complete devotion to God.
Ramakrishna's religious preaching would get its effectiveness because of his
simple explanation through parables and stories in rustic Bengali. At the time
of his spiritual transformation, Ramakrishna was often accused of acting
eccentric and some of the people close to him considered it as a state of
lunacy. This lunatic behavior of Ramakrishna was described as "spiritual
madness" by an elderly holy woman. A group of spiritual practitioners
examined the symptoms of Ramakrishna and finally opined that his madness
resembled the similar to the state of Chaitanya (a fifteenth century Bengali
saint). People started treating Ramakrishna with respect thereafter. The holy
woman, Bhairavi Brahmani who discovered the "spiritual madness" in
Ramakrishna remained a teacher of Ramakrishna for some time and taught him the
techniques of yogic and tantric meditation.
In Kamarpukur, people started believing in the rumor that
Ramakrishna had reached to a state of insanity due to his excessive involvement
in spiritual practices. Thinking marriage as the best remedy for Ramakrishna,
his mother and elder brother Rameshwara decided to get Ramakrishna marriage.
They thought that the mundane responsibilities could bring him to the normal
state and deviate his soul from the obsession of spiritual practices.
Ramakrishna at his early twenties was knotted with Sarada Devi who was five years
old, residing in Jayrambati. After marriage, Sarada Devi happened to be the
first disciple of Ramakrishna. Sarada Devi was attracted towards the spiritual
devotion of Ramakrishna and dedicated herself in learning all the religious
secrets what Ramakrishna had to teach. Ramakrishna, finding the devotional soul
which thrived for spirituality and mastered the ways to achieve God, started
considering her as the Universal Mother and performed a puja considering Sarada
Devi as veritable Tripura Sundari Devi had a vision of a "radiant
figure" of the founder of Islam Mohammed, which coagulated his spiritual
practice. Ramakrishna said to her, "I look upon you as my own mother and
the Mother who is in the temple".
At the age of twentyeight, Ramakrishna started studying various
traditional religious scriptures and gained knowledge about different religions
and their sayings. Ultimately, he established that every religion is the same,
they say the oneness of the God. He said, "Creeds and Sects matter
nothing. Let everyone perform with faith the devotions and practices of his
creed. Faith is the only clue to get to God".--Ramakrishna
--NRS
Vedanta in Daily Life
“The
Upanishads form the basis of Vedanta. Vedanta is the basic culture of India. It
is the national philosophy of India. It is the Moksha Sastra or the Science of
Emancipation. Absolutism is the pivot of Vedanta philosophy.
Vedanta upholds the reality of the
indivisible, immanent and transcendent Spirit. It does not exclude matter. It
does not exclude anything. The oneness of all existence is the message which
Vedanta teaches. It has kept Hindu society alive for the past several thousand
years.
Vedanta is the only bold philosophy
which dares call man God, not merely the son of God, or His servant. It
proclaims with emphasis that you are the immortal, all-pervading Atman, the
Universal Soul or Supreme Brahman in essence, in reality. Boldness is the
key-note of Vedanta. The message of Vedanta is fearlessness, soul-force and
unity of consciousness.
Vedanta does not ask for converts or
proselytes, but a deeper reassessment of the divine-human equation, a return to
the fundamental question of every being: "What am I really? What is my
real Self?" Vedanta proclaims: "Man, in essence, is identical with
the Supreme Being."
Vedanta denotes one's identity with the
rest of humanity. According to Vedanta, there is no stranger in this world.
Everyone is related to one another in the kinship of the Spirit. In Vedanta,
there is no 'mine' and 'for me'; but 'ours' and 'for us'; and ultimately, 'His'
and 'for Him'. If the Vedanta philosophy is rightly understood and acted up to,
then it will obliterate all evils that emanate from factional and racial
prejudices. Vedanta is no creed, no ceremony or form of worship. It is the
science of right living. It is not the sole monopoly of the Hindus or the
recluses. It is for all.
Vedanta has no quarrel with any
religion whatsoever. It preaches universal principles. Vedanta is the only
universal, eternal religion. It is a great leveler. It unites all. It gives
room to all.
Vedanta encloses within its sphere all
the religions of the world and is strong enough to make them all useful and
enduring. Vedanta never interferes with forms. It concerns itself solely with
the life of religions. The Christian need not renounce his Christianity, the
Buddhist may stick to his Noble Eightfold path, the Muslim may stick to his
Quran, and yet all these may follow the Vedanta and realize in practice all its
high ideals and truths. Their love to their respective prophets and Bibles will
become more sober, more enlightened, and more enduring. Religious animosity
will vanish and the world will move on to its great end without any friction,
with greater dignity and more goodwill among its denizens.
Vedanta means no slavery. It gives
freedom to all. It never condemns any man as beyond hope, never looks upon
anyone as accused, but takes all mankind within its fold. Vedanta is extremely
catholic and liberal in its outlook. Vedanta can offer to the modern society a
common faith, a common body of principles, and a common moral discipline. It is
highly scientific in outlook and has a real appeal to men and women of today.
There is no philosophy as bold and
sublime as the philosophy of the Vedanta. It is Vedanta alone that can
eradicate totally human sufferings and can bring everlasting peace and
happiness. Even a little understanding and a little practice of Vedanta can
raise a man to magnanimous heights of Brahman-hood or God-consciousness and
remove all sorts of fears, worries and anxieties of this mundane life.
Some ignorant people only say that
Vedanta preaches immorality, hatred and pessimism. This is a very sad mistake.
Vedanta does not preach either immorality or even indifference to morality.
Vedanta wants you to destroy Moha or selfish love and passion for the body, and
develop pure, disinterested cosmic love or the magnanimous divine Love. Vedanta
never preaches pessimism, but it preaches the pinnacle of optimism.
Licentiousness is mistaken for a life of expansion. If a man can eat anything
in any hotel in any part of the world, if he can move socially with any man or
woman, that does not mean he is a Vedantin. There is much tall talk of Vedanta
nowadays. People talk of unity, oneness and equality, but fight out for little,
useless things. They are full of jealousy and hatred. I cannot imagine this. I
am simply stunned.
I believe in practical Vedanta. I
believe in solid spiritual practices. I believe in thorough overhauling of
worldly nature, worldliness of various sorts.
You must be a practical Vedantin. You
should live in the spirit of Vedanta. Mere theorizing and lecturing is only intellectual
gymnastics and lingual warfare. This will not suffice. What is the use of
reading too many books on Vedanta like Chit-Sukhi, Khandana Khanda Khadyam,
etc.? You must radiate love to one and all. The spirit of Vedanta must be
ingrained in your cells, tissues, veins, nerves and bones. It must become part
and parcel of your nature. You must think of unity, speak of unity and act in
unity.
The sun, the Ganga, the flowers, the
sandal trees, the fruit-bearing trees, the cows - all teach practical Vedanta
to the world. They live for serving the humanity in a disinterested spirit. The
sun radiates its light alike over a cottage of a peasant and a palace of a
king. The cool refreshing waters of the Ganga are drunk by all. The flowers
waft their fragrance to all without expecting anything. The sandal tree wafts
its aroma even to the man who cuts it with an axe. All fruit-bearing trees
behave in the same manner. O selfish, ignorant man! Learn lessons from these practical Vedanta Gurus and become
wise.
Vedanta does not preach a doctrine of
negation of human effort. It wants you to have a changed mental attitude. It
demands a changed angle of vision. Till now, the world was everything.
Hereafter, the Reality alone is everything.
Once there lived two friends, Ram and
Gopal. They were both philosophers. By analysis and self-enquiry, Ram learned
to see the Glory of the Supreme Self reflected in and through all the universe.
But Gopal continued to remain a theoretical philosopher, condemning the
universe as an illusion and dream containing nothing but evil and vice.
One day, after a long time, Ram called
on his friend. Gopal discussed, for a long time, as usual, the evil in this
universe, and in the end asked Ram what present he had brought for his friend.
Ram, after thinking a while, produced a broken piece of mirror from his pocket
and handing it over to Gopal, said, "This is my little and humble present.
It will help you to understand your own beauty and charm, which you cannot
otherwise see." Gopal learnt a lesson, and from that moment began to
visualize and understand the Glory of the Supreme Self reflected in all the
universe. Nothing is useless in this world. The non-self exists to reflect and
glorify the Self. Otherwise how can you know the existence of the Self? Verily,
the non-self is the mirror that truly reflects the Self for us to cognize.
So, too, evil is the mirror for good.
The presence of sages and saints is easily cognized amidst an assembly of
ignorant men. Learn to see the good reflected by the evil, and say, ‘Evil
exists to remind me of good, the perishable exists to remind me of .God. Truly, this universe is a mirror
that reminds us of God. Learn not to condemn it as an illusion and dream, but
to utilize it to feel the presence of God, the Imperishable,’ and so on.”--Swami Sivananda
UNITY OF RELIGIONS OR UNITY OF CONSCIOUSNESS?
“It is not a question
of all religions being true. Religions are as diverse and contradictory as any
other aspect of human life in this realm of ignorance and duality.
The ultimate truth is
the unity of Consciousness beyond the distortions of the mind, that there is
only one Self in all beings and in the entire universe. That universal
Consciousness (Paramatman) is the very ground of Being, the core of who we are
and the essence of existence (Brahman).
We can take up or
discard one belief or ideology or another in the course of time, but the
Consciousness within us is immutable and should be the real goal of our search.
When we discover that we can see the eternal and infinite truth directly as our
true nature, beyond speech and mind, time or space.
In your quest for any universal truth do not forget your inner
Self”--David Frawley, Practical Vedanta Guru.
--February 20, 2022
WEBINAR-217, EMOTIONAL BANK BALANCE
The Shloka 26 in Chapter
3 Bhagavad Gita advises us to act diligently, and let others act to the best of
their ability, and not to unsettle them in anyway:
na buddhibhedam
janayedajnyaanaam karmasanginaam |
joshayetsarvakarmaani vidvaanyuktaha samacharan || 26 ||
No wise individual should create confusion in the minds of
ignorant people who are attached to action. He should engage them in all
actions, himself performing them diligently.
Let us practice “live and
let live” approach towards other people in this world who have not yet realized
the extent of their attachments. In this shloka, Shri Krishna provides the
reason behind that statement. We shall first look at an example in this regard.
Consider a car going at a
fast speed on a major highway. Other cars on the highway are going equally as
fast. The car contains a driver and one passenger who have divided the
responsibilities equally: the driver is in charge of driving, and the passenger
is in charge of navigation and directions. The passenger keeps the driver
informed of where to turn, how much time is left before the next food break and
so on.
Now in the middle of the
journey, the passenger realizes that they are on the wrong highway. What is the
best course of action for the passenger? If he says to the driver “Stop! We
have to turn back!” it could unsettle the driver and potentially cause a major
accident on the highway. Instead he chooses to gently inform the driver to take
the next exit, stop for a few minutes in a safe area, and then figure out how
to get back on the proper highway.
Similarly, when working
with other people, the practitioner of Karmayoga should continue to perform
actions diligently instead of preaching to others about Karmayoga, in other
words, change their way of doing action. There will always be a tendency to
misinterpret the message of Karmayoga if we begin preaching it to others. As
evidence, note that even Arjuna had incorrectly assumed that one should give up
actions altogether.
“The Emotional Bank Account (EBA) is a very good
metaphor for the scenarios of our relationships where we gain or lose others’
confidence, win or lose their trust, are able to approach them with ease or
find it hard to get near them etc. It is just like how our bank balance rises
or falls with deposits or withdrawals. It is especially important for us to
know how we may make ‘deposits’ in the EBA that we have in a particular
relationship. Understanding that other individual, keeping commitments, showing
personal integrity and apologizing sincerely when we make a ‘withdrawal’ etc.
are powerful ways of building and boosting our EBA balance.
Webinar -- will look at Indian Ethos,
especially spiritual perspectives, in relation to this matter of Emotional Bank Account.
Do not unsettle people when they operate on a different level of
conscious-ness; join them and work with them, cheering them up while keeping
your own higher vision clear and bright.--na buddhi-bhedam janayet ..
joshayet --Geetā”-- Chidananda Swamiji invites us to join
the WEBINAR-217, EMOTIONAL BANK BALANCE, Reflections in the Light of
Geetā on February 20, as usual.
--February 19, 2022
WHAT IS HIGHER EDUCATION?
“The
essence of higher education is not imposing our beliefs or ideas upon others,
but learning to question all preconceived notions that exist within our own
minds. Until we learn this, our minds are simply conditioned mechanisms but not
truly aware.
Yoga
and Vedanta teach us first of all to question the operation of our own minds,
and our sense of separate self and bodily identity. They teach us the value of
negating the thoughts of the mind and resting in a silent and detached state of
awareness, in which we can see things as they are, not as our mind want them to
be.
While
this process of questioning the mind is difficult, particularly in an
information based education, it can easily arise over time through regular
meditation and receptive contemplation of nature.
True
higher education is taking us beyond the known and merely personal to the
unknown and cosmic, beyond words and concepts to a boundless light.”
--David Frawley
The system of higher education
Higher Education, any of various types of education given in postsecondary
institutions of learning and usually affording, at the end of a course of
study, a named degree, diploma, or certificate of
higher studies. Higher-educational institutions include not only universities
and colleges but also various professional schools that provide preparation in
such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art.
Higher education also includes teacher-training schools, junior colleges, and
institutes of technology. The basic entrance requirement for most
higher-educational institutions is the completion of secondary education, and the usual entrance age is about 18 years.
The system of higher education
had its origin in Europe in the middle ages, when the first universities were
established. In modern times the nature of higher education around the world
has been largely determined by the models established in influential countries
such as France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States.
The system of higher education
in Great Britain
The autonomy of
higher-educational institutions is strikingly pronounced in Great Britain. Its
universities enjoy almost complete autonomy from national or local government
in their administration and the determination of their curricula, despite the
fact that the schools receive nearly all of their funding from the state. Entry
requirements for British universities are rather complicated. A student must
secure a General Certificate of Education (corresponding to the French baccalauréat)
by taking examinations in various subjects and receiving passing marks in them.
The greater the number of “advanced level” passes, rather than General
Certificate of Secondary Education (formerly “ordinary level”) passes, that a
student acquires, the better his chances are of entering the University of his
Choice. (Britain and India have a centralized admissions bureau to which
candidates for admission are able to give their choice of universities in an
order of preference.) This selective admission to universities, combined with
the close supervision of students through a tutorial system, makes it possible
for most British undergraduates to complete a degree course in three years
rather than the standard four years. Great Britain’s academic programs are more highly specialized than their
European continental counterparts. Most undergraduates follow an “honors”
course (leading to an honors degree) in one or, at the most, two subjects,
while the remaining minority of students take “pass” courses that cover a
variety of subjects. Great Britain’s model of higher education has been
enforced in India to varying degrees after their colonization, moving away from
Gurukula System of Education taught in divine Sanskrit language.
The
system of higher education in the United States
The system of higher education in the United States
differs from its counterparts in Europe in certain ways. In the
United States, there is a nationwide assumption that students who have
completed secondary school should have at least two years of university education. Hence, a great
number of “junior colleges” and “community colleges” have sprung up to provide two years
of undergraduate study, in contrast to the traditional universities and
colleges, where a majority of students complete four years of study for a degree and where substantial
numbers go on for one to three years of postgraduate study in a “graduate
school.” Universities that provide four-year study courses are either privately
funded foundations or are state or city foundations that depend heavily on the
government for financial support. Private universities and colleges depend
largely on tuition charges levied on students. The individual state governments
fund the nation’s highly developed system of state universities, which ensure
the provision of higher education for the vast majority of those willing and
academically qualified to receive such education.
In the American system, the
four-year, or “bachelor’s,” degree is ordinarily obtained not by passing a
“finals” examination but rather by the accumulation of course “credits,” or
hours of classroom study. The quality of work done in these courses is assessed
by means of a continuous record of marks and grades in a course transcript. The
completion of a certain number (and variety) of courses with passing grades
leads to the “bachelor’s” degree. The first two years of a student’s studies
are generally taken up with prescribed courses in a broad range of subject
areas, along with some “elective” courses selected by the student. In the third
and fourth years of study, the student specializes in one or perhaps two
subject fields. Postgraduate students can pursue either advanced studies or
research in one of the many graduate schools, which are usually specialized
institutions. At these schools students work toward either a “master’s” degree
(which involves one to two years of postgraduate study) or a doctoral degree
(which involves two to four years of study and other requirements).
A marked feature of American
education that derives from the German model is the de-emphasis on lecture and
examination. In both of these countries, students are evaluated according to
their performance in individual courses where discussion and written essays
figure importantly. The American model of higher learning was adopted wholesale
by the Philippines and influenced the educational systems of Japan and Taiwan after World War II.
Contemporary issues
Educational systems outside of
the Western Hemisphere have long followed the lead of the most influential
countries, although not always to their advantage. The major problem is that
many developing countries have a much greater need for technical institutes
rather than for academic universities, so that they can produce professionals
and scientists able to address their particular problems. In these countries, language is often a problem because
much of the technology developed in the West requires a vocabulary that many
languages do not have. Reading skills in English are widely cultivated for these purposes.
Modern trends in higher
education indicate a willingness worldwide to learn from the strengths of the
various systems. Schools in North America frequently
suffer from a lack of the uniformity of educational standards that European
systems provide through centralized bureaucratic control. Coordinated national accrediting organizations
solve much of this problem. European universities have moved toward
greater autonomy in curriculum development, and steps have been taken so
that broader segments of the population can benefit from higher education.
Caste and CSU
Featuring Suhag Shukla Esq. and
Nikhil Joshi Esq. on February 19, 2022
The California State University
(CSU) announced its intention to add “caste” to the system’s
anti-discrimination policy as part of a collective bargaining agreement with
CSU faculty in January 2022. This policy change is premised on claims made by
the group Equality Labs, that there is
large-scale prevalence of caste discrimination in the United States as per
a survey the group reportedly carried out.
Is this just a storm in a
tea-cup that bears no real consequence? Or are there adverse implications and
consequences for the Hindu community that will unfold in the coming years? This
webinar will look at the issue frankly and honestly, and look at the way
forward for the Hindu community.
There is large scale
discrimination still prevalent in USA and caste system still legal! Please go
through this and claim your seat in CSU.
Why is Caste Inequality Still
Legal in America?
By Paula Chakravartty and Ajantha Subramanian
Dr. Chakravartty is a professor of media and communication at New
York University who has written extensively about race, migration and labor in
the United States and India. Dr. Subramanian is a professor of anthropology and
South Asian studies at Harvard University and has written extensively about
caste and democracy in India.
Caste is not well understood in the United States, even though it
plays a significant role in the lives of Americans of South Asian descent. Two
recent lawsuits make caste among the South Asian diaspora much more visible.
They show that oppressed castes in the United States are doubly disadvantaged —
by caste and race. Making caste a protected category under federal law will
allow for the recognition of this double disadvantage.
Caste is a descent-based structure of inequality. In South Asia,
caste privilege has worked through the control of land, labor, education,
media, white-collar professions and political institutions. While power and
status are more fluid in the intermediate rungs of the caste hierarchy, Dalits,
the group once known as “untouchables” who occupy its lowest rung, have
experienced far less social and economic mobility. To this day, they are
stigmatized as inferior and polluting, and typically segregated into hazardous,
low-status forms of labor.
The Indian government has many laws to combat caste prejudice and
inequality. But attempts to provide oppressed castes with protection and
redress — through affirmative action, for example — are met with fierce
opposition from privileged castes. The past 20 years have also witnessed the
rise of Dalit political movements and the emergence of a nascent middle class
that has benefited from affirmative action. However, oppressed castes’ claims
to dignity, well-being and rights are still routinely met with social
ostracism, economic boycotts or physical violence.
Caste continues to operate in America, among the South Asian
diaspora, but in a very different legal and economic context. Immigrants from
India and other South Asian countries began arriving in large numbers after
restrictive immigration policies based on rigid racial hierarchies were changed
starting in the second half of the 20th century. These reforms provided
opportunities mostly for privileged castes, like our own families, who have
used their historical advantages to become an affluent and professionally
successful racial minority in the United States.
Oppressed castes are a minority within this minority, and they
continue to be subject to forms of caste discrimination and exploitation, as
the two lawsuits make clear. Together, these cases show how caste operates
within America’s racially stratified work force to create largely hidden, yet
pernicious patterns of discrimination and exploitation. In both, the litigants
are members of the oppressed caste Dalits.
One case is a discrimination suit filed in June 2020 against the technology conglomerate Cisco
Systems Inc. and two supervisors by the California Department of Fair Employment
and Housing on behalf of a Dalit engineer. According to the lawsuit, Cisco
failed to adequately address caste discrimination by two privileged-caste
supervisors. The Dalit engineer alleges that one of the supervisors “outed” him
as a beneficiary of Indian affirmative action. The lawsuit says that when he
complained to the human resources department, both supervisors retaliated by
denying him opportunities for advancement.
The plaintiff and one of the supervisors are graduates of the
Indian Institutes of Technology, a set of elite public technical universities.
When the Indian government extended caste-based affirmative action to these
colleges in 1973 and 2006, students admitted through the quotas were met with
fierce opposition and stigmatized as unworthy of an elite education. The fear
of exposure has forced many Dalit students in India to pass as non-Dalits.
The Cisco case appears to shed light on the same patterns of caste
discrimination in the U.S. tech sector. By allegedly “outing” the Dalit
engineer, the supervisor marked his caste and, in effect, deemed him unworthy
of his position at Cisco. The company has denied the allegations and said that
its investigation found no grounds to support claims of caste discrimination or
retaliation.
The other case shows how stark differences of caste power and
status may be carried over from South Asia to America, a situation that can
lead to labor exploitation. In May 2021, lawyers representing a group of Dalit
workers filed a lawsuit against the Hindu sect known as BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar
Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) and related parties. The workers allege that
they were brought to the United States on visas designated for religious
workers to help build a temple in New Jersey. They claim that they were forced
to work for more than 87 hours a week for $450 a month, or less than $2 an
hour. Furthermore, they said they were not allowed to leave the temple property
unaccompanied, were constantly monitored and were threatened with pay cuts,
arrest and expulsion to India if they spoke to outsiders. BAPS has denied the
allegations.
--February 15, 2022
Comment:
You have
presented a side that is not real. These days caste is not at all practiced.
This is the view of people who are anti Brahmins. We thought all this was left
behind. Now they have brought it to even USA. This is being actively spread by
Equality Labs run by a Brahmin hater Ms. Themozhi. Not good for Hindus. I
will try to join the seminar.
--Shanti
Raghvan
Here is an important
comment from my learned participant. Hinduism that sprang from universal Vedic
Religion that has moved away from it over long time that is also constantly
changing and British rulers conveniently encouraged to divide and rule. So is
also Hinduism practiced in USA is far from Hinduism practiced in India.
I would be glad to hear from you about your opinion.
‑-Message sent by me
to HRF
VALENTINE’S DAY 2022
The real history of Valentine's Day is not comprised of roses,
chocolates and pretty cards. Instead, crime, imprisonment and execution are at
the genesis of our modern day love fest, dating back to the man whose martyrdom
may have inspired the holiday. There were reportedly three early Christian
saints named Valentine, but the one the holiday likely comes from was a Roman priest during the 3rd
century A.D. under Emperor Claudius II.
The Roman Empire was experiencing massive turmoil at the time.
Dubbed the 'Crisis of the Third Century' by scholars, this period saw the empire divide into three
competing states, with the threat of invasion all around.
Claudius made the unpopular decision to ban marriage among young people, believing that unmarried soldiers fought better than married
soldiers. With the Roman Empire hanging by a thread, Claudius needed all the
brazen war power he could get.
This is where Valentine comes in; the pesky priest who believed
marriage to be a God-given sacrament. Valentine began officiating marriages in
secret but was eventually found out and imprisoned. Author Greg Tobin noted
that the advent of the Valentine's Day love note may have come about from young children passing Valentine
notes through the prison bars, but this may be embellishment to an otherwise
tragic story.
Tobin describes Valentine's fate:
The priest was eventually beheaded
and then named a martyr by the Church because he gave up his life to perform
the sacrament of marriage: for love of love and love of God.
At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 to be St. Valentine's Day, and centuries
later romantic authors like Geoffrey Chaucer and Shakespeare helped seal the deal
with references to the day in their works.
“Place
me like a seal over you heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong
as death, its jealousy as unyielding as the grave. It burns like the blazing
fire, like a mighty flame” (Solomon 8:6, The Bible)
Please recall my discourse on
Valentine’s Day:
Humans are Born, Some Days Live
and Die
Humans are born, some days live
and die, animals and trees are also destroyed after some time.
All the creatures born in this
world die, whether it is your loved one, relative, enemy, everyone has to go.
Today, whom you lovely call
'mine mine' no one is yours as soon as you close your eyes. Nobody belongs to
anyone in this world, still how much fascination?
The moment it is realized that
the entire things of the world, creatures are destroyed one day. Thus, the
world is unjust and untruthful, then man cannot love the world, wealth,
relations, body happiness. After that man can become lust less by abandoning
all these easily.
In the same
way, when you have the ability to make complete sacrifice, you get the
blessings of God.
जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च |तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि || 27||
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛityur dhruvaṁ janma mṛitasya cha / tasmadaparihaarrye arthe na tvam sochitumarhaci
//
Death is certain for one who has been born, and rebirth is
inevitable for one who has died. Therefore, you should not lament over the
inevitable.
In English language, there is a popular idiom, “as sure as death.”
Benjamin Franklin said: “The only things certain in life are death and taxes.”
The most certain thing in life is that we will meet with death one day.
Psychologists categorize the fear of death as the biggest fear in life. In
Patanjali’s Yog Darśhan too, abhiniveśh, or the instinctive urge to
survive at all costs, is mentioned as a trait of the material intellect. But
for one who has taken birth, death is inevitable. So when something is
inevitable, why lament over it?
The Mahabharata relates an incident regarding this. During the
period of their exile in the forest, one day while wandering the five Pandavas
were thirsty and came across a well. Yudhishthir asked Bheem to go and fetch
water for all of them. When Bheem reached the well, a yakṣha (semi-celestial being) began speaking from inside the well,
“I will only let you take the water if you first answer my questions.” Bheem
paid no heed and proceeded to draw water. The yakṣha pulled him in. After some time when Bheem did not return, a
concerned Yudhishthir sent Arjun to see what was happening and fetch water.
When Arjun reached the well, the yakṣha asked him too, “I have already seized your brother. Do not
attempt to draw the water unless you can answer all my questions correctly.”
Arjun also paid no heed, and the yakṣha pulled him into the well. The other brothers, Nakul and
Sahadev, followed him, but met with the same fate. Finally, Yudhishthir himself
came to the well. Once again, the yakṣha said, “Answer my questions if you want to drink water from
the well, or I will pull you in, just as I have done to your four brothers.”
Yudhisthir agreed to answer the questions. The yakṣha was actually the celestial God of death, Yamraj, in
disguise. He asked sixty questions, each of which was answered perfectly by
Yudhishthir. One of these questions was: kim āśhcharyaṁ? “What is the most surprising thing in this world?”
Yudhisthir replied:
ahany ahani bhūtāni gachchhantīha yamālayamśheṣhāḥ sthiratvam ichchhanti
kimāśhcharyamataḥ param (Mahabharat) [v30]
“At every moment people are dying. Those who are alive are
witnessing this phenomenon, and yet they do not think that one day they will
also have to die. What can be more astonishing than this?” Shree Krishna
explains in this verse that life is inescapably a dead end, and so a wise
person does not lament over the inevitable.
These wisdom advice from Ramakrishna and thoughts from
scriptures encourages me to continue with my spiritual work in spite of medical
advice to take rest.
-February 12, 2022
Comments:
To You:
Punarapi jananam Punarapi
maranam Punarapi jananee Jathare shatanam
Iha samsaare Bahu dustaar
Krupaya pare Paahi Muraare 🌹🙏
--APKoil N Sapthagireesan
UNFOLDING VEDANTA VISION
“The Veda is a body of 'revealed' knowledge (Apaurusheya) that
functions like a gravitational force, around which the various Sampradayas,
Agamas and traditions revolve and evolve over time. An understanding of this
Vedic Vision is critical to living as a knowledgeable, spiritually aware Hindu.
For most Hindus today, the foundations of this Vedic Vision is not easily
accessible, especially in a culture of scientific materialism in which we live
today. Focus your thoughts on insights
into that Vedic Vision, around which Hindu thought revolves”-HUA.
In this context, please go through my discourse for quick and
better understanding HUA's focus on Vedanta Vision for the wrong history
promoted by the British Rulers of India that tried hard drawing away Indian
mind from Vedic culture as if promoted by invading Aryans to Indian Dravidians:
nrsrini.blogspot.com/2021/03/vedanta-vision-of-gita-messages.html
In all my recent E-mails on Bhagavad Gita, I have been
concentrating on the following message of Gita inspired by the
practical-guide-to-life spiritual discourses of Swami Chidananda of FOWAI Forum
and not the past history:
Do your duty to the best of your ability without worrying about the results.
Perceive that GOD is present equally in all beings and treat all beings
equally. The four goals of human life are: Doing one’s duty, earning wealth,
material and sensual enjoyment (with senses under control) and attaining
salvation. The aim of the Gita doctrine is to lead one to tranquility,
happiness and equanimity. Gita prescribes no rituals and says that the world
needs different religions, cults and deities to meet the vastly different needs
of individuals.” “Don’t worry, be happy’ may well be the goal of our lives, but
the secret of achieving this lies in Gita. The Gita Doctrine is beyond
Religious and National boundaries.
Gita’s last sermon is: 1) Do your duty, to the best of your ability, dedicated
to the Supreme without worrying about the outcome. Remember the Supreme all the
times; 2) Perceive that GOD is within every living being. Mentally bow down to all
beings and treat all beings equally; 3) Perceive through the activities of
mind, senses, breathing, and emotions that the power of GOD is within you at
all times, and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere
instrument.
Gita has been fundamental text of ancient Indian culture and not the Indian
History. The sheer brilliance of the text can be gauged from the fact that even
after thousands of years, the text continues to shape Indian mind; wrong
history and time has certainly changed
the context, but it has not weathered the essence and vitality of the Gita.
--February 12, 2022
AUPA, the e-newsletter, Feb 2022
We have begun a new column, “Introducing an Upanishad,” where we
will give an outline of one Upanishad in every issue. There has been a demand
for such introductions, which will help many students in deciding what they
would like to study next. We have begun with the Ishavasya Upanishad.
We are once more attempting, in this issue, to cover global voices
in the matter of human values. Alek sander Solzhenitsyn’s words on the
importance of truth and that of keeping away from lies, we are sure, will have
an impact on all our readers.
Writing under the column ‘AUPA Yuva’, Sukriti Dugal touches upon
wisdom of gratitude towards all who came in our life – heroes, villains and the
ones that were neutral. Such a message can sow the seeds of
broadmindedness in any youngster that reads it, leading to precious
purification of her / his heart.
Shikha Puri Arora is back with us in this issue, raising questions
on whether we have a clear purpose to life, if our life is meaningful in our
own eyes and whether our ikigai (purpose
of life as the Japanese put it) has been adding to our happiness. Shikha’s
words truly enrich our column ‘Happiness is You’.
We trust you find all our regular features interesting. Please do
not hesitate to give us your feedback.
LINK: AUPA No 80, Feb 2022, Vol
7, issue 8.pdf
--Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
***************************************************************
World-renowned
singer Lata Mangeshkar
World-renowned singer
Lata Mangeshkar died on 6 February 2022, at the age of 92 from multiple organ
failure after contracting COVID-19 and undergoing 28 days of treatment at the
Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. In her career spanning seven decades,
Mangeshkar recorded thousands of songs in over 36 Indian languages and a few
foreign languages, though primarily in Hindi and Marathi. She received several
accolades and honors throughout her career including the Bharat Ratna, the
highest Indian civilian award, in 2001. Remembering the nightingale of India,
Lata Mangeshkar, we must share five books that we must read to know more about
the legendary singer
“I consider it my honor that I have always
received immense affection from Lata Didi. My interactions with her will remain
unforgettable. I grieve with my fellow Indians on the passing away of Lata
Didi. Spoke to her family and expressed condolences. Om Shanti!
--Narendra Modi”
Pray to Dhanvantari
for Health, Happiness and Prosperity
Dhanvantari
is worshipped as the god of medicine. He is said to be the physician even for
the gods. The supreme place is given to him in Ayurveda system of traditional
Indian medicine. Regarded as the Lord and source head of Medical science, Dhanvantari
is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who emerged from the milky ocean with the pot
of nectar (Amrut) when it was churned by the gods and demons.
Dhanvantri
being the incarnation of Vishnu is depicted in dark complexion with a jug
carrying the nectar of immortality (Amruta). He is shown in yellow clothes and
wonderfully decorated with ornaments and flower garlands. He has four hands. The
right hand holds the discus (Sudarshan Chakra) and the left hand the conch
(Panchajanya). The other two hands hold the pot of nectar and leech.
People pray
to Dhanvantari for health, happiness and prosperity. There are a few mantras
that can win the blessings of Lord Dhanvantari in abundance. Devotees can chant
the following mantra to pray the Lord. Wake up early in the morning, take bath
and set up the puja altar. Chant the following mantra concentrating on the
meaning.
Om namo bhagavate vaasudevaaya dhanvantaraye amrutakalasha
hastaaya
sarvaamaya vinaashaaya trailokya naathaaya
shrI mahaavishnaave namahaa ||
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय धन्वन्तरे अमृत कलश हस्ताय
सर्वामय विनाशाय त्रैलोक्य नाथाय श्री महाविष्णवे नमः॥
Meaning
Salutations to Lord
Dhanvantari (A form of Lord Maha Vishnu), who is holding in his four arms a
conch, a wheel or disk of energy, a leech and a pot of celestial ambrosia. His
grace in the form of a very subtle, gentle, clear and beautiful blaze of light
destroys all illnesses just like forest fire burns the trees in its path. He is
the lord of the three worlds whose light shines all around his head and lotus
eyes.
There is no denying that healthcare is one of the
most pivotal industries in the world. Jobs in this field are also getting more
and more advanced and complicated. Progressions are being made in medicine all
of the time, with doctors having more information and tools at their fingertips
than ever before. It can be an overwhelming job, to say the least. They have to
diagnose different conditions and treat a wide range of people on a daily
basis. The outcome is not always good, and this can be difficult to deal with.
It is hard to imagine what doctors go through on a day-to-day basis. Plus,
they’re always available for us. Unfortunately, illnesses and injuries don’t
wait for a convenient time to stick; they can happen at any time and on any
day, and that’s why it is so important that we always have doctors to rely on
when we’re not feeling like our usual selves.
It’s easy to forget just how important, valuable and
necessary good doctors are – that is until you get ill or sustain an injury.
Doctors Day puts hard-working doctors in the spotlight, and encourages us to be
considerate of the long hours they work, their compassion, and the effort they
put into practicing medicine.
All around the world, Doctors’
Day is celebrated on March 30, as we all recognize the contributions that
physicians make in the community and to individual lives. Some countries will
celebrate Doctors’ Day on a different date, yet all nations make sure that
those in the healthcare sector are appreciated. We think that it is only right
that these people are celebrated! After all, just imagine how life would be if
there weren’t any doctors in the world!
World ayurveda day is observed every year on the day of Dhanwantri Jayanti. The aim of the day is to create a sense of
awareness in today’s generation and promote Ayurvedic principles of healing in
society. Last year Ayurveda Day is was observed on November 13, 2010.
Ayurveda is perceived as one of the
most ancient and well-documented systems of medicine equally relevant in modern
times. Its holistic approach whether for healthy individuals or for diseased
ones remains unparalleled. Prevention of disease and promotion of health is the
main aim of Ayurveda.
The practice to observe the Ayurveda
Day, which falls on Dhanwantri Jayanti, was started by the Union Ministry of
Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Sidda, and Homoeopathy) in 2016. 7th World Ayurveda Day will be
celebrated on October 23, 2022.
Dhanvantari Jayanti was preferred for
the celebration of Ayurveda Day to nationalize this system of medicine and to
make it global. Dhanwantari Jayanti, the birthday of Lord Dhanwantari is
celebrated on the 13th lunar day in Aswini Month. It is believed that on this
day, Lord Dhanwantari emerged with Amurutha Kalasam. Lord Dhanvantari is an
Avatar of Lord Vishnu. He appears in the Vedas and Puranas as the physician of
the gods and the god of Ayurvedic medicine. Lord Dhanvantari is considered a
divine propagator of Ayurveda. He is conferred with the virtues of granting
health and wealth. Therefore, Dhanvantari Jayanti was preferred for the
celebration of Ayurveda Day to nationalize this system of medicine.
--February 5, 2022
The Season of Vasant: The Queen of Seasons
Poets have written many poems on the innate beauty of nature and
women – the symbol of power. Nature also appears very beautiful during
springtime – the queen of seasons. Lord Shri Krishna has described himself as
spring season in the Shrimad Bhagwat Gita. He has also mentioned that
springtime is a symbol of prosperity. Vasant Panchami is the celebration of
this festival.
The spring season begins on the 5th day of the Magha month. Thus,
Vasant Panchami is described as highly significant by Sages in our scriptures.
According to the scriptures, Mother Saraswati incarnated on Vasant Panchami day
from Lord Brahma’s mind. Hence, it is considered the best day for students to
worship Mata Saraswati – the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, arts and music.
Vasant Panchami is an excellent day for auspicious activities and marriages.
This festival is also celebrated as Shri Panchmani and Saraswati
Panchami.
The most popular story associated with the festival is that of the
legendary poet Kalidasa. According to the story, Kalidasa was a simpleton and
was tricked into marrying a princess who didn’t respect him. A crestfallen
Kalidasa wanted to end his life but just before he could commit suicide,
Goddess Saraswati appeared before him and asked him to take a dive in the
river.
Kalidasa did as he was told, and emerged from the water an
intelligent, knowledgeable and cultured person, who would eventually become a
renowned poet. That is why on this day, the goddess is worshipped so that she
may bestow the gift of knowledge to her devotees.
To achieve writing excellence
in studies and to overcome any obstacles or failures, you can chant “Om Shree
Saraswatyai Namah” or “Om Aim Klim Sauh Shri Mahasaraswatyai
Namah”. Natives who are suffering from a lack of concentration
should regularly chant “Om Hrim Aim Hrim Om Saraswatyai Namah”. You can
gain knowledge by worshipping mother Saraswati and also by chanting the “Om Aim
Saraswatyai Namah” mantra of mother Saraswati every Thursday and Sunday 51 or
108 times.
Mother Saraswati originated from Sattva Guna and she is very much
fond of white things. Hence, mother Saraswati’s blessings can be obtained by
donating or offering white items like milk, curd, butter, white clothes, sugar,
white sesame seeds and rice grains. Apart from this, mother Saraswati is
adorned with yellow flowers, and yellow colored dresses are also worn while
worshipping her.
Traditionally, this is also considered the best day to get
married. Every year, thousands of people get married on the auspicious day of
Vasant Panchami. As the season changes during this period, we experience rapid
changes in our health. Thus, worshipping Lord Dhanvantari on this day leads to
good health. This is also regarded as an auspicious day for buying new things
and making investments. According to astrology, this is also a good day for
starting new activities.
May we pray to Goddess Sarasvati with this beautiful
hymn sent by courtesy by Sri Krishnan Muralidharan from Singapore!
śrīsarasvatī stotraṁ - śrīvarāha purāṇaṁ
The following is a rare hymn on Goddess Sarasvati by Lord Brahma
as told by Lord Varaha taken from Sri Varaha Mahapuranam, and Chapter 9:
Varāha uvāca -
śṛṇu cā'nyaṁ varārohe tasyā devyā mahāvidhim | yā sā triśaktir uddiṣṭā śivena parameṣṭhinā || 1 ||
tatra sṛṣṭiḥ purā proktā śvetavarṇā surūpiṇī | ekākṣareti vikhyātā sarvākṣaramayī śubhā || 2 ||
vāgīśeti samākhyātā kvacid devī sarasvatī | saiva vidyeśvarī devī
saiva kvāpyamitākṣarā | saiva
jñānanidhiḥ kvāpi saiva devī vibhāvarī || 3 ||
yāni saumyāni nāmāni jñānodbhavakarāṇi ca | tāni tasyā viśālākṣī draṣṭavyāni varānane || 4 ||
yā vaiṣṇavī viśālākṣī raktavarṇā surūpiṇī | aparā sā samākhyātā raudrī caiva parāyaṇā || 5 ||
etās trayo'pi sidhyanti yo rudraṁ vetti tattvataḥ | sarvā seyaṁ varārohe ekaiva trividhā
smṛtā | 6 |
eṣā sṛṣṭir varārohe kathitā te purātanī | tayā sarvaṁ idaṁ vyāptaṁ jagat sthāvara jaṅgamam || 7 ||
yā sā'dau vardhitā sṛṣṭir brahmaṇo 'vyakta-janmanaḥ | tayā tulyāṁ stutiṁ cakra tasyā devyāḥ pitāmahaḥ || 8 ||
Brahmovāca -
jayasva satya-saṁbhūte dhruve devī vare kṣame | sarvage sarva-jananī sarva-bhūta-maheśvarī || 9
sarvajñā tvaṁ varārohe sarva-siddhi-pradāyinī | siddhi-buddhi-kare devī
prasūtiḥ parameśvarī || 10
tvaṁ-svāhā tvaṁ-svadhā devī tvaṁ-utpattir varānane | tvaṁ-omkāra-sthitā devī vedotpattir-tvameva
cha || 11 ||
devānāṁ dānavānāñca yakṣa gandharva rakṣasām | paśūnāṁ vīrudhāñ cāpi tvaṁ-utpattir varānane || 12 ||
vidyā vidyeśvarī siddhā prasiddhāhaṁ sureśvarī | sarvajñā tvaṁ varārohe
sarva-siddhi-pradāyinī |13|
sarvagā gatasandehā sarva-śatru-nivarhiṇī | sarva-vidyeśvarī devī
namaste svasti-kāriṇī || 14 ||
ṛtu-snātāṁ striyaṁ gacched yastvāṁ smṛtvā varānane | tasyā'vaśyaṁ bhavet sṛṣṭis tvat-prasādāt-prajeśvarī |
svarūpā vijayā bhadre sarva-śatru-vināśinī || 15 ||
|| nāmāvaliḥ ||
Om śveta-varṇāyai namaḥ | surūpiṇyai | ekākṣaryai | sarvākṣaramayyai | śubhāyai | vāgīśyai | sarasvatyai | vidyeśvaryai |
amitākṣarāyai | jñānanidhyai |
vibhāvaryai | viśālākṣyai | vaiṣṇavyai | rakta-varṇāyai | aparāyai | raudryai | parāyaṇāyai | purātanyai | satya-saṁbhūtāyai | dhruvāyai om devyai
namaḥ | varāyai | kṣamāyai | sarvagāyai |
sarvajananyai | sarva-bhūta-maheśvaryai | sarvajñāyai | varārohāyai |
sarva-siddhi-pradāyinyai | siddhi-buddhi-karyai | prasūtyai | parameśvaryai |
svāhāyai | svadhāyai | oṁkāra-sthitāyai | vedotpattyai | vidyāyai | vidyeśvaryai |
siddhāyai | sureśvaryai || 40 || om gata-sandehāyai namaḥ | sarva-śatru-nivarhiṇyai | sarvavidyeśvaryai |
svasti-kāriṇyai | prajeśvaryai | svarūpāyai | vijayāyai | bhadrāyai || 48 ||
|| iti śrīvārāha-mahāpurāṇe śrībrahma-kṛtaṁ sṛṣṭi-stutiḥ sampūrṇam ||
Please also go through my discourse:
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/01/vasanta-panchami.html
Comment:
Excellent write up on Mother Sarasvati. Thank you.
--Nashville Nagarajan
Talk on Śivānandalahari by Sri Swami Chidananda ji
Sanātana Dharma Pratiṣṭhāna, Tampa, USA, is pleased to announce a new class on Śivānandalahari by Sri Swami Chidananda ji. The class will meet on every
Wednesday, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm Eastern, EST starting on Wednesday, February 2,
2022, and in Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 7:30 am
IST Zoom SDP Personal Room:
Meeting ID: 830 3447 7770; Passcode: 185655
Waves of Siva’s Bliss in Sivanandalahari
Sri Ramana Maharshi
selected ten verses from, Sivanandalahari, the famous composition of Adi
Sankaracharya in Sanskrit consisting of one hundred verses in praise of Lord
Siva and arranged them in a specific order.
These verses are
very potent in invoking the Grace of Lord Siva. They also contain spiritual
ideas which are revealing, inspiring and insightful. One of the verses asks
“Kim Durlabham” meaning what is impossible for one who worships Lord Shiva. The
verses also cautions readers against fruitless worship of superficial gods.
As the auspicious Maha Sivaratri
approaches we give below each verse selected by Sri Ramana Maharshi, their
concise meaning (from Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi), original verse in Sanskrit,
English transliteration and complete meaning of the verses,
(1) What
is Bhakti (Verse 61)
Just
as the ankola fruit falling from the tree rejoins it or a piece of iron is
drawn to magnet, so also thoughts, after rising up, lose themselves in their original
source. This is bhakti. The original source of thoughts is the feet of the
Lord, Isvara. Love of His Feet forms bhakti.
aìkolaà nijabéjasantatirayaskäntopalaà
sücikä sädhvé naijavibhuà latä kñitiruhaà sindhuù saridvallabham |präpnotéha
yathä tathä paçupateù pädäravindadvayaà cetovåttirupetya tiñöhati sadä sä
bhaktirityucyate || 61||
Like
the real seed progeny reaches for the mother ankola tree, Like the iron needle
reaches for the load stone, Like the chaste woman reaches for her lord, Like
the tender creeper reaches for near by trees, Like the river reaches for the
sea, If the spirit of the mind, Reaches for the lotus feet of Pasupathi, And
stays there always, Then that state is called devotion.
Fruit of bhakti (Verse 76)
The
thick cloud of bhakti, formed in the transcendental sky of the Lord’s Feet,
pours down a rain of Bliss (ananda) and fills the lake of mind to overflowing.
Only then the jiva, always transmigrating to no useful end, has his real
purpose fulfilled.
bhaktirmaheçapadapuñkaramävasanté kädambinéva
kurute paritoñavarñam/
sampürito bhavati yasya
manasttaöäkastajjanmasasyamakhilaà saphalaà cha nä’nyat || 76||
The
devotion to the great lord, Lives in the sky of the Lord’s feet, And like
clusters of clouds gives out the sweet rain, And those whose lake of the mind,
Gets filled up by this rain, The crop of his whole life.
(2) Where to place bhakti? (Verse 83)
Devotion to gods, who have themselves their
origin and end, can similarly result in fruits with origin and end. In order to
be in Bliss everlasting, our devotion must be directed to its source, namely
the Feet of the ever blissful Lord. (Verse 83)
jananamåtiyutänäà sevayä devatänäà na
bhavati sukhaleçaù saàçayo nästi tatra | ajanimamåtarüpaà sämbaméçaà bhajante
ya iha paramasaukhyaà te hi dhanyä labhante || 83||
There is no doubt that worship of mortal gods,
Subject to birth and death, will even give little happiness, Worship of
birthless Lord with Amba, who has deathless body, Leads to supreme pleasure and
those who do are blessed.
(4) Bhakti is a matter for experience
and not for words(Verse 6)
How
can Logic or other polemics be of real use? Can the ghatapatas (favorite
examples of the logicians, meaning the pot and the cloth) save you in a crisis?
Why then waste yourself thinking of them and on discussion? Stop exercising the
vocal organs and giving them pain. Think of the Feet of the Lord and drink the
nectar!
ghaöo vä måtpiëòo’pyaëurapi ca
dhümo’gniracalaù paöo vä tanturvä pariharati kià ghoraçamanam | våthä
kaëöhakñobhaà vahasi tarasä tarkavacasä padämbhojaà çambhorbhaja paramasaukhyaà
vraja sudhéù || 6||
This
is the pot, no, this is only mud, This is the earth, no , it is only atom, This
is the smoke, no, it is only fire, This is the cloth, no , it is only the
thread, Can all this debate ever cure the cruel God of death? Vainly you give
pain to your throat; by these torrent of words; instead worship the lotus like
feet of Shambu, OhI intelligent one, and attain supreme happiness.
(5) Immortality is the fruit of
Devotion: (Verse 65)
At
the sight of him who in his heart has fixed the Lord’s Feet, Death is reminded
of his bygone disastrous encounter with Markandeya and flees away. All other
gods worship only Siva, placing their crowned heads at His feet. Such
involuntary worship is only natural to Siva. Goddess Liberation, His consort,
always remains part of Him.
vakñastäòanaçaìkayä vicalito vaivasvato
nirjaräù koöérojjvalaratna-dépakalikänéräjanaà kurvate | dåñövä
muktivadhüstanoti nibhåtäçleñaà bhavänépate yaccetastava pädapadmabhajanaà
tasyeha kià durlabham || 65||
Nothing
impossible is there to attain, For him who sings about your holy feet, Oh
consort of Bhavani, For the god of death runs away, Afraid of the kick from the
Lord’s feet, The lights shining in those jeweled tiara, Of all the devas, shows
the offering of the camphor light, And the pretty bride called liberation, Folds
him in tight embrace, As soon as she sees him.
(6) When Bliss Overflows? Verse 10
If
only Devotion be there - the conditions of the jiva cannot affect him. However
different the bodies, the mind alone is lost in the Lord’s Feet. Bliss
overflows!
naratvaà devatvaà nagavanamågatvaà
maçakatä paçutvaà kéöatvaà bhavatu vihagatvädi jananam | sadä tvatpädäbja-smaraëa
paramänanda laharé vihäräsaktaà ceddhådayamiha kià tena vapuñä || 10||
Be
it in a human form, Be it in the form of Gods, Be it in the form of animal,
That wanders the forests and hills, Be it in the form of mosquito, 5 Be it in
the form of a domestic animal, Be it in the form of a worm, Be it in the form
of flying birds, Or be it in any form whatsoever, If always the mind is engaged
in play, Of meditation in thine lotus-like feet, Which are the waves of supreme
bliss, Then what does it matter, Whatever body we have.
(7) Devotion always unimpaired: (Verse
12)
Wherever
or however it be, only let the mind lose itself in the Supreme. It is Yoga! It
is Bliss! Or the Yogi or the Bliss incarnate!
guhäyäà gehe vä bahirapi vane vä’driçikhare
jale vä vahnau vä vasatu vasateù kià vada phalam | sadä yasyaiväntaùkaraëamapi
çambho tava pade sthitaà cedyogo’sau sa ca paramayogé sa ca sukhé || 12||
Be
it in a cave, Be it in house, Be it outside, Be it in a forest, Be it in the
top of a mountain, Be it in water, Be it in fire, Please tell, What does it
matter, Where he lives? Always, if his inner mind, Rests on the feet of
Shambhu, It is Yoga and He is the greatest Yogi And he will be happy forever.
(8) Karma Yoga also is Bhakti: (Verse 9)
To
worship God with flowers and other external objects is troublesome. Only lay the
single flower, the heart, at the feet of Siva and remain at Peace. Not to know
this simple thing and to wander about! How foolish! What misery!
gabhére käsäre viçati vijane ghoravipine
viçäle çaile ca bhramati kusumärthaà jaòamatiù | samarpyaikaà cetaù
sarasijamumänätha bhavate sukhenävasthätuà jana iha na jänäti kimaho || 9||
Searches
and hunts, the dim witted one, In the deep dark lake, In the lonely dangerous
forest, And in the broad high mountains For a flower to worship thee. It is a
wonder; That these people do not know, To offer to you the single lotus, From
the lake of one’s own mind, Oh God who is the consort of Uma, And be happy at
one’s own place. (9) This Karma Yoga puts an end to one’s samsara: Whatever the
order of life (asrama) of the devotee, only once thought of, Siva relieves the
devotee of his load of samsara and takes it on Himself.
9. This Karma Yoga puts an end to one’s Samsara: (Verse 11)
vaöurvä gehé vä yatirapi jaöé vä
taditaro naro vä yaù kaçcidbhavatu bhava kià tena bhavati | yadéyaà håtpadmaà
yadi bhavadadhénaà paçupate tadéyastvaà çambho bhavasi bhavabhäraà ca vahasi ||
11||
Be
it a celibate seeker of truth, Be it a man of the family, Be it a shaven-headed
seeker of truth, Be it the matted haired householder in the forest, Or be it
one who is none of these, Hey, Lord of all beings, If his lotus heart is in
your custody, Shambho, You would wholly become his, And help him to lift, This
heavy burden of life.
(10) Devotion is Jnana: (Verse 91)
The
mind losing itself in Siva’s Feet is Devotion. Ignorance lost! Knowledge!
Liberation.
ädyä’vidyä hådgatä nirgatäsédvidyä hådyä
hådgatä tvatprasädät | seve nityaà çrékaraà tvatpadäbjaà bhäve mukterbhäjanaà
räjamaule || 91||
He
who shines with the moon in his crown, the primeval ignorance that used to live
in my heart, from the beginning of time has disappeared by your grace. And that
knowledge which solves problems is living there. And so I meditate on your
lotus feet, which gives only well and grants salvation. Becomes greatly
profitable. How else could it be?
--February 2, 2022
Introduction to Spiritual Care
Course by Madhu Sharma
Introduction
The primary objective of the two courses is to provide an
introduction to Hindu Chaplaincy in preparation or enhancement of serving as a
Chaplain or Spiritual Care Provider, in India or abroad.
On conclusion of the courses, students will receive a “Certificate
of Completion” for each course, itemizing the course content, faculty, and
grade received. These courses can be taken by letter grade, pass/fail, or
audit.
Course Timings and Duration
The Introduction to Spiritual Care course will begin on Wednesday,
January 26, and be conducted online live on Wednesdays at 4:00-7:00 pm EST
[2:30-5:30 am IST]. The semester will have a one-week break and conclude on
June 15, 2022. The course will be taught by Dr. Madhu Sharma and Shama Mehta,
BCC.
Programme Objectives
· The primary objective of the courses is to train students in
Hindu Chaplaincy, otherwise called Hindu Spiritual Care
· To introduce the discipline of Spiritual Care Provision
· To introduce various concepts of philosophy and psychology
ingrained in Hindu classical literature to help individuals facing distress or
loss of any nature.
Courses Offered
There are two courses which will provide an introduction to
Spiritual Care and some prominent concepts in Hinduism, which are the necessary
requirements for Hindu Chaplaincy.
1. Introduction to Spiritual Care
This course offers students an opportunity to explore Spiritual
Care Provision (Chaplaincy) as either a volunteer or as a professional and gain
familiarity with its core competencies: formation, professional competence, and
reflection.
2. Hindu Spiritual Care
This course will complement the previous course by focusing on
Hindu teachings that inform chaplaincy. The learners of this course will get an
opportunity to understand the concepts of and related aspects, as well as their
applications in the chaplaincy relationship.
Medium of Teaching: English
Date of Commencement: 26th January, 2022
Courses Facilitated by Visiting Scholars at CIF
Madhu V. Sharma
Dr. Madhu Vedak Sharma is a retired Hindu Chaplain from Duke University
in Durham, North Carolina, USA, after serving the students and faculty there
for ten years.
--February 1, 2022
Dharma and
Justice Presented by Hindu and Jewish Scholars
“Popular debate about social justice often
reduces and polarizes the idea of "social justice" as being either
extremely positive or extremely negative. What often gets silenced or ignored
in the process are the range of constructive critiques about social justice, as
well as frameworks of duty, right action, and justice embodied by the mature
Dharma traditions. In this Webinar, you will hear thoughtful insights about
social justice from Jewish American and Hindu American scholars of teacher
education” --HUA
Dharma is here praised as the support of all
and comes close to justice being presented by HUA on
February 6th, at 9 AM PST / 12 Noon EST / 10:30 PM IST
Dharma is here praised as the support of all
and comes close to justice being presented by HUA.
Dharma and Karma are
philosophical principles that are readily applicable to our system of justice.
Unlike the retributivist and utilitarian theories, Dharma focuses both on the
individual's relation to society and society's relation to the individual in
order to achieve a harmonious balance. The law of Karma recognizes
that, for each effect, the underlying cause must be determined in order to
maintain societal harmony. By understanding the disharmonies
in their respective societies, Gandhi and King acted to change the collective
consciousness to achieve harmony and rectify the detrimental effects of
colonialism, segregation, and injustice. In his struggle for India's
independence, Gandhi realized the causal effects in the use of himsa (violence)
and the lasting consequences it could inflict on global harmony; thus, he opted
for ahimsa (nonviolence) in his pursuit of justice for civil
rights. His efforts solidified the movement for racial harmony into
King would later apply similar principles in his nonviolent campaign the
collective consciousness, one that continues to resonate in our system of
justice. Both Gandhi and King presented society with the opportunity to
scrutinize discord while instituting approaches for correcting the fundamental
issues in a manner that promoted harmony. And through their actions, neither
Gandhi nor King sought to punish or seek retribution against anyone, even if
they were brutally mistreated by their oppressors. They understood
that punishment against the offender alone cannot remedy the disharmony in
societal balance. When Gandhi landed in Natal
after a visit to India, a mob "pelted [him] with stones, brickbats and
rotten eggs," believing that while he was in India, he made malicious and
exaggerated statements about whites. Whether applied during the enactment of
laws, enforcement of justice, or delineation of punishment, the justice system
can benefit from the philosophical underpinnings and practical applications of
Dharma and Karma in the maintenance of a state of harmony in accordance with
the Eternal Law.
dharma iti dharmeṇa sarvamidaṁ
parigṛhīta /dharmānnātiduśchar tasmād dharme ramante
Some consider that scriptural duty is the means of liberation. By
the performance of scriptural duties all the world is held together. There is
nothing more difficult to practice than the duties ordained by the scriptures.
Therefore seekers of the highest good find delight in the scriptural duty.
Dharma now gets the honor of being mentioned as the most
excellent means of liberation. Duties ordained by ancient scriptures, customary
practice, exemplary deeds of respected elders, pronouncements of sages,
behavior approved by good people,— all these helps to eliminate selfish
feelings and passions from the mind of man and confirm him to a life in harmony
with his fellow beings and incline him to discharge his duties towards
God.
All these come under the term Dharma. Certainly it is
difficult for the natural man to practice it. Let us go through what Upanishad says on it:
dharmo viśvasya jagataḥ pratiṣṭhā loke dharmiṣṭha prajā
upasarpanti dharmeṇa pāpamapanudati dharme sarvaṁ pratiṣṭhitaṁ
tasmāddharmaṁ paramaṁ vadanti
Dharma, religious
righteousness, is the support of the whole universe. All people draw near a
person who is fully devoted to dharma. Through dharma a person chases away sin.
All are supported by dharma. Therefore they say that dharma is the supreme
means of liberation.
The
word Dharma translated as religious righteousness or religious law is
extolled here as the foundation of humanity—nay of all living beings.
When the stronger oppress the
weak, for the latter the only protection is an appeal to Dharma. In a society
such an appeal becomes successful only when the dharma of that society is
guarded by a sovereign who is himself dharmiṣṭha.
Again dharma, in the form of Prāyaśchitta or expiation, cleanses the
transgressor of the moral law, and in the shape of daṇḍa or punishment it purifies the guilty who violate the social
law.
--January 31, 2022
Webinar-216 THE GATEWAY TO LIBERATION by Pūjya Swāmi Chidānandaji
Sankara Bhashyas vs. Prakarana
Granthas – A View
The most cherished and important one is Gaudapada Karika on
Mandukya Upanishad (with Sankara’s commentary) wherein Ajativada and Asparsa
yoga are discussed by revered Gaudapada. Let us thank, Ramesam, for this
most interesting view. Here
is a list (in no particular order of significance) of some of the popular
Prakarana Granthas:Aparokshanubhuti, Atma-Bodha, Dasha-Shloki, Drik-drisya
viveka, Panca dasi, Panchikarana Sadhana panchakam, Shata-Shloki,
Tattva bodha, Upadesha-Sahasri, Vedanta Sara and Vivekachudamani.
“My studies of Advaita, the ancient wisdom of Oneness without a
second, began with the small precise Monographs that teach its core
philosophical essence without making us feel Advaita to be a remote
inaccessible concept. The Monographs (called Prakarana Granthas) are
usually written in simple Sanskrit words without complex or compound sentences
pointing the seeker directly to the Ultimate Reality. Some of them contain excellent
metaphors “for easy comprehension” of the abstruse and abstract teachings, some
others provide tools for one’s own analysis of one’s experience and yet others
provide a step-by-step guidance on the path of Knowledge holding the hand of
the seeker gently and with compassion.
These Monographs, though excellent to instill the knowledge, are
looked down upon by orthodox traditionalists of Advaita Vedanta. The
traditionalists hold that the bulky commentaries with intricate jargon and
technical arguments contain the true Advaita.
As I later graduated to read the commentaries (called Bhashyas), I found them
to be written in a combative style more to win an argument in a debate but less
directed to educate a novice on Non-duality. The discussions many times end
with the blunt assertion, “because the sruti says so.” Thusi
the commentaries appear to be structured at disproving a real or hypothetical
opposing view rather than clearly spelling out in affirmative sentences the
Advaitic view. Moreover, we find occasionally variation between the monographs
and the commentaries on some specific issues of Advaita teaching.
The Vedantic Pundits consider the commentaries to be more
authentic because their authorship is indisputably attributed to Adi Sankara
whereas it is not for sure known who wrote the Monographs – the original
Sankara himself or one of the descendants from the Monasteries established by
him. But then tradition also says that Adi Sankara wrote the Bhashyas more to
support his viewpoint in the innumerable philosophical contests of his day and
the Monographs were written for teaching the Non-dual philosophy to his
students. They admit that the nub of Adviata can more easily be trekked and
assimilated from a study of the Monographs than the commentaries.
If that is truly the case, why do some of the Acharyas insist on
teaching the Bhashyas in their hermitages? I posed this question to a scholar
of Vedanta.
I get the impression that, though it will not be readily obvious
or openly admitted, the reason lies in the background of the Acharyas
themselves. They are most usually brought up in a strictly orthodox or
traditional family observing diligently all rituals, worship of deities and
holding on piously to the societal value systems before they became renunciates
(sanyasis). Their mental conditioning makes it hard for the mind to be able to
give up suddenly the long-acquired habits. So, the practices and stipulations
advised in the commentaries are more in tune with that sort of mind than the
total denial of any mandatory practices and the prime requirement of observance
of complete egoless relinquishment with absolute oneness of everything taught
in the monographs.
Further, one has to bear in mind the primary reason why Sankara
wrote the commentaries. He had taken it upon himself the revival of the Vedic
wisdom in the face of degrading society lost either in elaborate rituals
involving animal sacrifice or misguided atheism and materialism. He was too
young a boy – hardly in his teens in order to be able to command the respect
and attention of the then stalwarts and entrenched oldies in the society. So,
he armed himself with enough documentation to substantiate and support his
point of view analyzing the three important texts (called Prasthana traya) – Brahma
sutras, a selected set of Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita. He never found it
required to develop his commentaries on Ramayana or Ashtavakra Samihita and
many other valid and valuable texts and other Upanishads already prevalent in
his times. He selected only such of those books which will aid his discussions
to face the opposing Pundits of the day. So, the commentaries have a different
purpose than teaching Advaita.
Hence it looks to me that the Monographs are far simpler and
easier to arrive at an unambiguous understanding of Advaita. When once the
Advaita teaching is fully absorbed, then one can take up the commentaries to
know the subtle differences of approach in other systems and how Advaita
counters those viewpoints, if one desires so.”
The Gate Way to Liberation view
is revealed in sacred Upanishads
that is the source of this message of caution. Adishankara going through
them has expressed his view in Vivekachudamani that again is appealing to
scholars for a scholarly discussion. Our Pujya Acharya Swami Chidanandaji
will it make simpler appealing also to educated people focused on Vedanta
like me, that you should not miss going through this gist of the topic’s
presentation.
Gist of the Presentation
The Vedānta masters point out all the practical difficulties that
seekers always face on their way to abidance in the Self. The vast majority
of sādhakas unknowingly get trapped in the net of words.
Millions of words rise in their minds; the mental chatter finds a way into
their unnecessarily talking about a lot of topics, mundane and spiritual. This
has a heavy price to pay. Agitations, reactions, conflicts and distractions are
the sure outcome of unnecessary talk. Viveka-chudāmani therefore warns us to
restrain our speech, saying that such control of the tongue is the gateway to
liberation. We will see, in this webinar, how the sacred Upanishads are the
source of this message of caution, which finds its expression in one of the
most popular ‘prakarana-granthas’ of the Veda: “yogasya prathamam dvāram
vāk-nirodhah, aparigrahah “ Viveka-Chudāmani, verse 367:
yogasya prathamadvāraṃ vāknirodho'parigrahaḥ |
nirāśā cha nirīhā cha nityamekāntaśīlatā || 367
||
“The
first steps to Yoga are restrain of speech, non-receiving of gifts,
entertaining of no expectations, freedom from activity, and always living in a
retired place.”
--January
28, 2022
Comments:
This is the first time I heard anybody realize the cut and dry
Adwaitha described and insisted by Shankara should be seen in the context of
the young scholar proving himself to pundits.
I have learnt a while ago that anything written should be
understood in the context and the author.
--Dr. Vedavyas
The above comment raises the
question in our mind “Should Advaita Alone Remain Strong and Formidable
Forever?” In the context of this comment please go through the following that
only few know and is not being propagated by protagonist Advaita
followers and others. Sankara traveled from Kanyakumari to Himalayas, establishing
four centers and raising several followers to make Advaita strong but his sins
were kept secret by his disciples to make Advaita strong and formidable!
To err is human that too while young. The problem is some of
these philosophers are raised to the level of semi-deities and so can't be
criticized. Even Rama as human committed sins by killing Vali hiding and
doubting her chastity living at Ravana's place in Asokavana and abandoning Sita
over a false rumor of washer-man.
Once, Adi Sankara went to Benaras and prayed to Lord Viswanath
there and asked specifically for three
of his sins to be excused. The disciples who followed Sankaracharya were
surprised and were wondering what those three sins for which he was seeking
pardon were.
SANKARA
SEEKING PARDON FOR HIS THREE SINS FROM LORD VSIWANATHA
After taking
bath in the Ganga, he headed straight to the temple. At the temple in front of
Lord Vishwanatha, Sankara began to seek pardon for the three sins that
he had committed. His disciples wondered what those sins could be!! ...for, Adi
shankara was flawless in his ways! What could the Acharya be doing Prayaschitta
(Atonement) for??
They waited
for answers! ....as we are curiously waiting too!
Sankaracharya
then explained:
“Though I
believe that the Absolute is Sarva-vyapta (Omnipresent) and
have also expressed so in many of my works, I have come all the way to
Kashinagara for Lord Vishwanath's darshana as if He is present only in Kasi. I have committed the sin of saying one thing and doing the
other. This is
my first sin.
The second
sin-
After
recognizing the Lord as ONE, whose glory cannot be described or as one whose infinite nature cannot be described in MERE WORDS [
which are limited], Shankara had attempted to describe HIM in a stringof
words , in his stotras & other writings.
"The
Taittriya Upanishad says, “Yatho Vacho Nivartante Aprapya Manasa Sah.” (The
written words and the mind fails to comprehend Him). Though I knew that He is
beyond the realm of thoughts and words, I have made an attempt to describe Him
in the “Kasi Vishwanatha Ashtakam.” Again I have committed the sin of knowing something but not practicing
IT. This is my second sin.
Now the third
sin-
In my “Nirvana
Shatakam” I write-Na Punyam Na Papam Na Saukhyam Na
Dukham
Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Veda Na
Yajnaha | Aham Bhojanam
Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhokta Chidananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham
I have neither
higher nor lower merits [punya and paapa], nor pleasure or pain, I do not need
sacred chants, nor I need to go on pilgrimages. I do not need scriptures,
rituals, or sacrifices (yajnas). I am neither the enjoyed nor the
enjoyer, nor enjoyment. I am the form of Consciousness-Bliss I am auspicious, I am auspicious. THEN, HOW can
I commit a sin if I am auspicious?” Adi Shankara realized that the almighty is residing in him as the Atman
and yet he undertook the long
journey to get the Darsan of the almighty in a place external to his body.
This was his third sin. The profound insight in this episode in the life
of Sankara reveals the importance of harmony in our thought, word, and deed. If one has the keenness to
attain the absolute he has to maintain harmony in his thoughts as well as words
and deeds.
"Manasi
Ekam ... vachasi Ekam, karmani Ekam ......Mahatmanam | Manasi Anyatha vachasi Anyatha, karmani Anyatha Duratmanam.
(Superior
people are those who have perfect harmony in their thoughts, words and deeds. Inferior are those who lack
harmony in these three).
--NRS
MANAM, VAAKKU, KAAYAM
--Prof.
Nagarajan
Sharing this Good News with
other Hindus
The Fairfax County School Board for the first time adopted an
academic calendar that includes closures on three days coinciding with widely
observed minority-faith holidays, Yom Kippur, Eid-al-Fitr and Diwali, as well
as a professional day on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. It also includes
scheduled professional days on Veteran’s Day and Orthodox Good Friday.
This brings Fairfax County into alignment with five neighboring schools
districts across Northern Virginia that had already adopted more equitable,
inclusive calendars. This is a landmark step and kudos to Hindu
community leaders for tirelessly advocating for it in collaborating
with Jewish and Muslim community leaders.
I am sharing the good news coming on this Republic Day of 2022. With freedom in the mind, strength in the words, pureness in our
blood, pride in our souls, zeal in our hearts, let us as Indian Americans,
salute India on its Republic Day. As
a migrant Indian American
besides this good news, I recall the sacrifice of the true heroes of India.
Freedom is indeed the most expensive as it came after the sacrifices of Indian
freedom fighters, so never take it for granted. “Everything that is really
great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom”— Albert
Einstein-- NRS
Comments:
Thanks
for sharing the good news in VA.
--Nashville Naga Rajan
*******************************************************************
INDIAN REPUBLIC DAY OF
2022
26th January is celebrated as a national
holiday in India and this day commemorates the historic sacrifices that led
India to be a sovereign, independent nation. Every year on 26th January, the
whole country comes together and annually celebrates Republic Day. This year,
India will be marking its 73rd Republic Day. Educational institutions,
organizations and businesses proudly host the Indian Flag to mark this day. A
grand celebration that includes military parades, and hoisting of the national
flag is held in Delhi, the national capital of India. The Prime Minister and
President are present at this celebration. Stunts are also performed by the
defense military forces and professionals who make it all a spectacular show.
To
become a prosperous nation, India went through various trials and hardships
before it reached a point where freedom was provided to the citizens. From
being ruled by Muslim Mughal emperors to being controlled by the British, India
has experienced it all. Since the country faced many struggles, it was a matter
of great pride when the Constitution was formed in 1950. This is the day that
is celebrated today as Republic Day.
It
all started in 1947 when India gained freedom from the British Empire. In
November 1947, a draft of the Constitution was developed and submitted to the
Constituent Assembly. However, it took the Assembly over two years of
discussions and modifications before the Constitution was finalized — the
sessions held were open to the public.
Furthermore,
the Assembly adopted the Constitution on November 26, 1949, but it did not come
into effect immediately. The documents that established the charter were signed
on January 24, 1950, and the Constitution officially came into effect for the
nation on January 26, 1950. This was also the day when India’s first-ever
president, Dr. Rajendra Prasad began his term. When the Constitution came into
effect, it also replaced the Government of India Act and established India as a
democratic republic. Republic Day is celebrated today to mark the day when
democracy and justice were chosen to run the nation. It is this rule of law
that is missing in many countries that are run by dictators.
பொண்ணு கிடைச்சாலும் புதன் கிடைக்காது’ meaning “Even if you
get a girl of choice, you won’t get a Wednesday” is a Tamil proverb. So,
Republic Day on Wednesday has a special significance to Americans of Indian
Origin.
With freedom in the mind, strength in the words,
pureness in our blood, pride in our souls, zeal in our hearts, let us as Indian
Americans, salute India on its Republic Day. As a migrant Indian American
I recall the sacrifice of the true heroes of India. Freedom is indeed the most
expensive as it came after the sacrifices of Indian freedom fighters, so never
take it for granted. “Everything that is really great and inspiring is created
by the individual who can labor in freedom”— Albert Einstein. Happy
Indian Republic Day 2022.
--January 26, 2022
CoMMENT:
PON (GOLD) KYDAICHAALUM BUDHAN KIDAIKKAADU.
(Even if you get gold you won’t get (a Republic) on Wednesday. The proverb in
Tamil is wrong.
SIR, I PRAY FOR YOUR SPEEDY RECOVERY.YOU ARE A REINCARNATION OF
SRI RAMANUJAM. RAMANUJUAM WAS HATED BY MANY INCLUDING A KING, BUT YOU ARE
RESPECTED AND LOVED BY EVERYBODY. YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE TREMENDOUS AND
MARVELOUS. PLEASE TAKE REST.
--Prof. Nagarajan
HISTORIC BACKGROUND OF MY NAME
IN USA
This is for your information
revealing the historic background of my surname Nadipuram which has
unfortunately has become first name in America that my son does not carry being
called Ravi Srinivasan. Srinivasan has become the surname of my grandson Vijay born
in USA called Vijay Srinivasan, thus making it my name in USA. Such twist might
also has happened in your name that you should examine while writing your
biography and leave behind for future generation as I advised to research and
leave behind.
You know
KADAMBIS who were invited my Maharaja of Mysore changed their surname to
Nadipuram and settled on the banks of Kaveri and called their settlement
Agraharam, Nadipuram. Some turned back to their surname to Kadambi. Kadambi is
an Indian surname. The other variants are Cadambi, Cidambi or Kidambi.
The most common of the variants is Kidambi – this is the
closest to Kilambi, the Tamil word. People holding this surname are Brahmins belonging to
“Atreya Gotra” and the Apastamba sutra, Taittariya Sakha of the Krishna Yajurveda, A major section of the Kidambis today represent the
Thenkalai sect of Srivaishnavism. A smaller group of people associated
with the Vadakalai sect are either swayamacharya purushas or
are closely associated with Ahobila Muth among other institutions. I belong to this sect of swayamacharya after
researching my historic background.
Vedanta Desika, a follower of Ramanuja's tradition, refers to Kidambi Aachaan in
Chapter 32 of his work 'Srimad Rahasya Traya Saram'.
There was a time when jealous
temple workers at Srirangam tried to poison Ramanuja. The attempt failed due to
the divine intervention of Lord Ranganatha. Periya Nambi and
Tirukkottiyur Nambi were alarmed when they heard about this incident and rushed
to Srirangam. On hearing that his preceptors were on their way to meet him.
Raman r, uja rushed to meet His Gurus and as they crossed the sands of Cauvery
River. Ramanuja fell at their feet in the mid-day heat and continued offering
his prostrations. Kidambi Aacchan was standing next to the prostrating Ramanuja
and could not stand the suffering undergone by his preceptor. He criticized
Periya Nambi and Tirukkoshtiyur Nambi for allowing Ramanuja to offer repeated
prostrations in the scalding heat and embraced Ramanuja in a bid to protect
him. Noticing this behavior of
Aacchan, Tirukkoshtiyur Nambi said then to Aacchan: "My dear Kidambi
Aacchan! We waited on Ramanuja a little longer to find out if there is anyone,
who is dear to him. Now we have found out that you are the one. We entrust you
with the responsibility to protect Ramanuja from any further danger.” Kidambi
Aacchan accepted the command of his pracharyas and continued to perform cooking
service (Madappalli Kaimkaryam) to Ramanuja since then. The followers in the
lineage of Kidambi Aacchan are thus known to belong to the "Madapalli
Vazhi Vantha Sampradhayam."
You now know how my name is
closely associated with the great philosophers Ramanuja and Vedanta Desika. My
ancestors were Kadambis who were invited by the then ruling Maharaja of Mysore
State and settled on the banks of Cauvery and named their place of residence as
Nadipuram Agraharam that no longer exists today. I still
recall that I slept in my tri-partitioned house one night when I was six years
old and slept with my aunt for one night that no longer exists. Such research
of your background will surprise you also and is worth to leave behind for your
generation!
--January 24, 2022
Comment:
All Non-Brahmins in Tamil Nadu, India do not
know the word or meaning of gotra.
--Prof.
Nagarajan
GET BACK TO YOUR NORMAL LIFE WITH GITA’S ADVICE
Here is a summary of Chapter 13, by Jaya Row. We are very
familiar with masks recently. Children enjoy playing with masks. The more
distorted and grotesque the mask, the greater the thrill. The secret of
their amusement is the fact that they know the masks are different from them.
They are immune to the aberrations of the masks.
You are an amalgam of matter and Spirit. Body, mind and intellect
are matter. That which breathes life into the inert matter is Spirit. The
Spirit is the real you. Body, mind and intellect make the mask. The word
‘personality’ comes from the Latin ‘persona’ which means mask.
Ignorant of your real nature you wrongly attribute the distortions
and limitations of the body, mind and intellect to yourself and suffer. Being
matter, body, mind and intellect are susceptible to the influences of the world.
But you are the Spirit. Nothing in the world has the power to affect you. You
command the world. Yet today you are victimized by the world and are weak,
powerless. Totally at the mercy of the environment.
The Gita exhorts you to awaken to your own glory. The mask of
body, mind and intellect is provided only for you to enjoy the playground of
the world. Instead, today it has become the source of stress and distress,
anguish and agony.
One who understands the difference between matter and Spirit is
empowered, happy and unaffected by the fluctuations in the world. Krishna
epitomizes this state. With the mask he was endearing, charming, charismatic.
Everyone adored him. Even the Gopis, exasperated by his mischief, forgot their
anger when they saw his captivating smile. Divested of the mask He was awesome,
worshipful. Like when He showed the Universal Form to Arjuna in chapter 11.
All you have to do is understand the distinction between the mask
and the real YOU. Then the distortions inherent in the body, mind and intellect
will only entertain you. You will not agonize over them. Your interface with
the world will be perfect, evoking accolades and laurels. By yourself you will
be a repository of grace, happiness and power.
Chapter 13 begins with Arjuna asking Krishna, “What is the
difference between matter and Spirit, field and Knower of the field, knowledge
and that which is to be known?” You labor in the field of matter, oblivious of
your true nature as Knower of the field. Once you know the distinction between
the two you become the Knower of the field.
Krishna’s brilliant exposition delineates the two so
systematically that this chapter stands out in its clarity and subtlety. He
gives the analogy of the field and says – The body is the Kshetra, field. Know
Me as the Kshetrajna, Knower-of-field in all fields. He divides the field,
matter, into thirty-one segments. The Spirit is different from them.
Verses 8 to 12 describe knowledge as the twenty qualities of a
jnani, person of knowledge. He says – This is knowledge. All else is ignorance.
That which is to be known, jneyam, is
Brahman, the supreme knowledge, the final Goal. Krishna gives a brilliant
description of Brahman, using paradoxical terms as Brahman is beyond the grasp
of the intellect.
Krishna gives the distinction between prakrti, matter, and Purusha,
Spirit. While Spirit is one, matter
undergoes changes and is born in good or bad homes according to the gunas
or qualities. Spirit expresses Itself differently in different types of people.
In the wrong-doer It is a mere witness. As one purifies oneself Spirit becomes
approver. Then It takes the role of protector and fulfils one’s endeavors when
one becomes more unselfish. Further It enables one to enjoy the world and wield
power. In the end when one removes all obstacles Spirit reveals Itself as the supreme Self. Krishna assures us all that one
who knows Puruha and prakrti as well as the qualities is not
born again, whatever be his lifestyle. He becomes Spirit.
One gains moksha liberation by divesting one’s desires
through action. Subtler desires are sublimated through knowledge and the last
traces overcome by meditation. The ignorant one's incapable of this path can
still evolve and go beyond death by surrender to the wise. One who sees the one
unifying Force in the variety of things and beings becomes Spirit.
The Spirit neither acts nor is tainted by actions. It remains
untouched like space and lights up all of creation just as the sun illumines
the world. Develop the Jnana Chakshu, eye-of-wisdom, and you will perceive
clearly the difference between Spirit and matter and go to the supreme Self.
Please go through her summary above, listen to her discourse on
January 29, rid of your spiritual mask that helps to get rid of your physical
mask too. Yesterday, I sent you a message that the Supreme descended as
Dhanvatari, who emerged from the milky ocean with the pot of nectar
(Amruta) when it was churned by the gods and demons, to get rid of all
diseases, physical and spiritual. In Krishna Avatar just reminds that you
should constantly pray to Dhanvantari, to keep away from being affected by
Corona Plague! Even doctors are advised to constantly pray Dhanvantari, God of
Medicine!
Om namo bhhagavate vasudevaya
dhanvantare amritakalasahastaya sarabheetivinasaya sri mahavishnave namah //
--January 23, 2022
DHANVANTARI, GOD OF MEDICINE
Dhanvantari is worshipped as the god of medicine. He is said to be
the physician even for the gods. The supreme place is given to him in Ayurveda
system of traditional Indian medicine. Regarded as the Lord and source head of
Medical science, Dhanvantari is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who emerged from
the milky ocean with the pot of nectar (Amrut) when it was churned by the gods
and demons.
Dhanvantri being the incarnation of Vishnu is depicted in
dark complexion with a jug carrying the nectar of immortality (Amrut). He is
shown in yellow clothes and wonderfully decorated with ornaments and flower
garlands. He has four hands. The right hand holds the discus (Sudarshan Chakra)
and the left hand the conch (Panchajanya). The other two hands hold the pot of
nectar.
People pray to Dhanvantari for health, happiness and
prosperity. There area few mantras that can win the blessings of Lord
Dhanvantari in abundance. Devotees can chant any one of the following mantras
to pray the Lord. Wake up early in the morning, take bath and set up the puja
altar. Choose any one of the following mantras and chant with full devotion and
sincerity concentrating on the meaning.
Dhanvantrari Mantra:
Om Namo Bhagavate Maha Sudharshana Vasudevaya Dhanvantaraye
Amrutha Kalasa Hasthaaya Sarva Bhaya Vinasaya Sarva Roga
Nivaranaya
Thrilokya Pathaye Thrilokya Nidhaye Sri Maha Vishnu Swarupa Sri
Dhanvantri Swarupa Sri Sri Sri Aoushata Chakra Narayana Swaha
Meaning: I bow down and pray to the Lord
Dhanvantari who is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and called as Sudarshana
Vasudev Dhanvantari. You hold in your hands, the Kalasha filled with the nectar
of immortality. Oh Lord, you can remove all fears and diseases. You protect all
the three worlds and you are the wellwisher of all created beings. You are the
Lord of Ayurveda and the manifestation of Lord Vishnu. You are the ultimate
healer of all the living beings. We worship you and pray you.
Dhanvantari Mantra for doctors:
Namani Dhanwanthary
Aadidevam
Surasura Vanditham Paada
Padmam
Loke Jara Rugbhay Mrityu
Nashakam
Daatharam Eesham
Vividhaushadhinam
Meaning: I bow down in front of you Lord
Dhanvantari. Your lotus feet is respectfully worshipped by the gods and demons.
You have infinite powers to save the people from the miseries of diseases,
ageing, fear of death and other sufferings. Oh Lord, please bless me with your
grace and medicines so that I can also help the people with cures from their
diseases.
Some other Dhanvantari Mantras:
Shankham chakramuparyadhashcha
karyordivyaushidham dakshine,Vamenanyakaren sambhratsudhakumbham
jalaukavalim
Achyuthananda Govinda Vishno Narayanamrith Roganme Nashay
Asheshanashu Dhanwantharaye Hare
Vishnoh Krishna Janardhana Achyutham Hare Narayana Shree
Pathe, Vaikunda Mrutham Kashavam Mukundananda Damodaram, Shaure Madhavam
Padmanabha Bhagavan Govinda Dhanwanthare, Roganme Nithyam Nivaryathu Te
Namamratham Sampradam.
Dhanwantari Gayatri Mantras
Om tat purushaaya vidmahae
Amritha kalasa hastaaya dheemahi
Tanno Dhanvantri
prasodayaat
Meaning: I worship the supreme person who holds the pot containing Amruta.
As meditate on him, let him kindle my intellect with wisdom.
Om aadivaidhyaaya vidmahae
Arogya anugrahaaya dheemahi
Tanno dhanvantri
prasodayaat
Meaning: I worship the first
doctor who bestows health. As I meditate on him, let Lord Dhanvantari kindle my
intellect with wisdom.
Here is a prayer for Healing Long Time Illness in Christianity to
Jesus too:
“Thank You for being with me through all the ups and downs of my life and for
the many blessings that You have given me for which I praise and thank
You!
You know the illness that I have been struggling with for a long
time now and that there is little that seems to be able to be done by the
medical profession - but I believe that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and
that You know every part of my body. You know exactly why I have been ill for
so long. I come to You now asking that You would work a full recovery in
my body - whatever is causing this persistent problem. I pray that You would,
in Your mercy, give me back the health and strength I need. Guide me along
the path that You have planned for me!”
I have a life experience too
though was not religious till retirement! Doctor gave up hope for my recovery
at my age of 14, from cerebral meningitis after long treatment and I am
still living through 92 turning to be UNIDO expert while in service,
and my mother and grandmother recovering from mental diseases praying for a
month at Hanuman temple of Shozhangipuram near Madras for a
month. Prayer is no longer a myth to me and I believe it strengthens the
hand of the doctor. I also wrote to you about doctors drawing support from
prayers in their task!
--January 22, 2022
DOES GOD ANNIHILATES THE WICKED AND PROTECTS THE RIGHTEOUS
ALWAYS?
God Annihilates the Wicked and Protects the
Righteous while having the same Atma, Why?
In the Bagavad Gita, Krishna says God is in
everyone and everything. But, if God exists in everyone why do people do
Adharma? Why are demons killed by gods when they have god inside them? God
annihilates the wicked and protects the righteous on earth too!
Brahman became four Varnas--Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra (that is what we worship
as 33 Vedic subordinate devatas. That is why the Vedavaakya, aatmavat
sarvabhooteshu--the same Self abides in all). Brahman created the
four Varnas to rule the universe at his own convenience and
pleasure in his divine kingdom to rule the world with 33 devatas, Brahman alone
being Devo Ekah. Lord Krishna meant in Bhagavad Gita “chaaturvarnyam
mayaa srishtham” and also said “Yaanti
devavrataah devaan pitrun yaanti pitruvrataah | bhootaani yaanti
bhootejyaa yaanti madyaajino api maam”--The worshipers of the gods go to
the gods, the worshipers of the manes go to manes, the worshipers of spirits go
to spirits and my worshipers too come to Me (GOD). The choice is yours
according to your time and goal. You may either reach Brahman and stay
permanently or have short time pleasure with your choice deity, manes or even
spirits you worship and go on adding deifying liberated souls!
This is my understanding - coming into a physical
dimension brings in layers of limitation (in perception, size and so on). This
leads to ignorance, which causes actions without Dharma. This results in karma
which adds more layers leading to cycles of birth/death and rebirth until the
experience leads one to seek a way out. When one does, he realizes the Divine
within that has always been there, allowing him to learn from the experience.
When all karma is cleaned out, only Dhrama prevails and the individual has
become one with the universe. Bhagavad Gita talks about principles
of Dharma and any violation of them are Adharma!
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् | धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय
सम्भवामि युगे युगे || 8|| paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitām | dharma
samsthapanaarthhaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge ||
To protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to
re-establish the principles of dharma I appear on this earth, age after age.
Bhagavan states the three
reasons 1) to annihilate the wicked; 2) to protect the pious;
3) to establish dharma. However, if we closely study these three points, none
of the three reasons seem very convincing:
To protect the righteous. God is seated in the
hearts of his devotees, and always protects them from within. There is no need
to take an Avatar for this purpose.
To annihilate the wicked. God is all-powerful, and
can kill the wicked merely by wishing it. Why should he have to take an Avatar
to accomplish this?
To establish dharma. Dharma is eternally described
in the Vedas. God can reestablish it through a Saint; he does not need to
descend himself, in his personal form, to accomplish this.
How then do we make sense of the reasons that have been stated in
this verse? Let’s delve a little deeper to grasp the import of what
Bhagavan is stating.
The biggest dharma that the soul can engage in is devotion to God.
That is what God strengthens by taking an Avatār. When God descends
in the world, he reveals his divine forms, names, virtues, pastimes, abodes,
and associates. This provides the souls with an easy basis for devotion. Since
the mind needs a form to focus upon and to connect with, the formless aspect of
God is very difficult to worship. On the other hand, devotion to the personal
form of God is easy for people to comprehend, simple to perform, and sweet to
engage in.
Thus, since the dissension of Lord Krishna 5,000 years ago,
billions of souls have made his divine leelas (pastimes) as
the basis of their devotion, and purified their minds with ease and joy.
Similarly, the Ramayan has provided the souls with a popular basis for devotion
for innumerable centuries. When the TV show, Ramayan, first began airing on
Indian national television on Sunday mornings, all the streets of India would
become empty. The pastimes of Lord Ram held such fascination for the people
that they would be glued to their television sets to see the leelas on
the screen. This reveals how Lord Ram’s dissension provided the basis for
devotion to billions of souls in history.
The Ramayan says: rām eka tāpasa tiya tārī, nāma koṭi khala kumati sudhārī; In his dissension period, Lord
Ram helped only one Ahalya (Sage Gautam’s wife, whom Lord Ram released from the
body of stone). However, since then, by chanting the divine name “Ram,”
billions of fallen souls have elevated themselves.” So, a deeper understanding
of this verse is:
To establish dharma: God descends to establish
the dharma of devotion by providing souls with his names, forms, pastimes,
virtues, abodes, and associates, with the help of which they may engage
in bhakti and purify their minds.
To kill the wicked: Along with God, to help
facilitate his divine pastimes, some liberated Saints descend and pretend to be
miscreants. For example, Ravana and Kumbhakarna were Jaya and Vijaya who
descended from the divine abode of God. They pretended to be demons and opposed
and fought with Rama. They could not have been killed by anyone else, since they
were divine personalities. So, God slayed such demons as a part of his leelas.
And having killed them, he sent them to his divine abode, since that was where
they came from in the first place.
To protect the righteous: Many souls had become
sufficiently elevated in their sādhanā (spiritual practice) to
qualify to meet God face-to-face. When Shree Krishna descended in the world,
these eligible souls got their first opportunity to participate in God’s divine
pastimes. For example, some gopīs (cowherd women of Vrindavan,
where Shree Krishna manifested his pastimes) were liberated souls who had
descended from the divine abode to assist in Shree Krishna’s leelas.
Other gopīs were materially bound souls who got their first
chance to meet and serve God, and participate in his leelas. So,
when Shree Krishna descended in the world, such qualified souls got the
opportunity to perfect their devotion by directly participating in the pastimes
of God.
This is the deeper meaning of the verse. However, it is not wrong
if someone wishes to cognize the verse more literally or metaphorically.
The avatar as human being on earth started with Parasurama Avatar. In this Avatar
as well as Rama Avatar he too became a
victim of Adharma-- In Parasurama avatar for killing of ignorant
Renuka obeying his angry father, and for a Kshatriya killing his father
in penance, annihilating all Kshatriyas whether they are right or wrong in
their Kshatriya Dharma. In Rama avatar deserting his devoted
saha-dharmini Sita, killing Vali hiding and for killing Shambuka, a shudra ascetic, for attempting to perform tapas in violation of dharma stipulated for
Brahmins and yogis drawn from different origin in Puranas,
contradicting for all in humanity in Upanishads.
In
Krishna Avatar, Krishna subjected himself lying under a tree to be killed by a
hunter atoning for the wrong killing of Vali in Rama avatar, hiding. He also
assured that he will annihilate the wicked and protect the righteous now and in
the future avatars.
--January 18, 2022
Awareness of Conservation of Human-Nature
Relationship is not different from
Awareness Human Inter-relationship.
Mammals and
birds both evolved from vertebrate reptile-like ancestors that appeared more
than 500 million years ago. The first mammals appeared about 200 million years
ago and the earliest birds about 150 million years ago. They both lived in
harmony. Environment is our home and all of its members
is our family, so, it is clear that the key to conserving nature is devotion, love—giving
and serving. In our prayers, we invariably chant the following mantra but do
not realize their conservation:
Om
Dyauh Shaantir-Antarikssam Shaantih Prthivii Shaantir-Aapah Shaantir-Ossadhayah
Shaantih Vanaspatayah Shaantir-Vishve-Devaah Shaantir-Brahma Shaantih Sarvam
Shaantih Shaantireva Shaantih Saa Maa Shaantir-Edhi Om Shaantih Shaantih
Shaantih
Let
there be peace in the heavens, the Earth, the atmosphere, the water, the herbs,
and the vegetation, among the divine beings and in Brahman, the absolute
reality. Let everything be at peace and in peace. Only then will we find
peace.
The
Goal of Human Life
According
to Hindu philosophy, the goal of human life is the realization of the state of
peace. Dharma, loosely translated as religion, is the source by which peace can
be fully realized. This peace is not the stillness of death; it is a dynamic
harmony among all the diverse facets of life. Humanity, as part of the natural
world, can contribute through dharma to this natural harmony. The natural
harmony that should exist in the play of energies between humanity and the
natural world is now disrupted by the weakest player in the game: humanity. Although it
is the totality of this game that provides our nourishment, through ignorance
of our own natural limits we destroy this source of nourishment.
This awareness of ecological
play or playful ecology is inseparable from awareness of the need for
friendship and play as the real basis for human relationship. The family within
which these relationships are nourished is not limited to its human
members. Just as the human child has to be nourished by Mother
Nature, and the human spirit has to be embraced and loved by beautiful nature,
so the human being who has grown old or sick has to be supported by caring
nature. If humans distress the mother, rape the beauty, and beat the caring
nurse, what happens? The relationship collapses, and the family is
broken.
The Environment as Our
Home
The Sanskrit for family is
parivara, and environment is paryavarana. If we think of the environment as our
home and all of its members as our family it is clear that the key to
conserving nature is devotion, love—giving and serving. Nature, prakriti, as
the feminine can give and serve. But the role of humanity, purusha, is then to
protect. Nowadays purusha, humanity, is interested not in protecting but in
exploiting, so prakriti, nature, has to defend herself. This is why we see
nature in her furious manifestation—in drought, floods, or hurricanes. If we
rape the mother’s womb she has convulsions, and we blame her for devastating
earthquakes. If we denude her of her lush hair and beautiful skin, she punishes
us by withholding food and water. As it is through ignorance that we destroy
our relationships in the family and within the environment, that ignorance
becomes the root cause of our suffering.
The best way to get rid of this
ignorance is to unlearn what is wrong. This unlearning is shaped not only in
the school but in the family and community, and it has to begin with the very
young. Traditional Hindu education covers all facets of life—economic,
political, cultural, and above all religious. Whether we speak of Krishna, of
Chaitanya, or of Gandhi, we see that they drew no clear division between the
economic or political and the religious or cultural facets of life. The body
and mind are in the service of the heart. In the same way politics and
economics are rooted in and guided by religion and culture, and ultimately by
spiritual experience.
Please go through the fairy
tale "How Brinjal or Eggplant got its Crown" mentioning
that the fairies assume any bird, animal or human form and
they take their food according to the form they take. That is no longer a fairy tale
but scientific. Mammals and birds both evolved from reptile-like ancestors. The
first mammals appeared about 200 million years ago and the earliest birds about
150 million years ago.
Both mammals and birds
evolved endothermy. Endothermy means
regulating body temperature from the inside through metabolic or other physical
changes. On a cold day, for example, an endotherm may produce more heat by raising its metabolic rate. On a hot day, it may give off
more heat by increasing blood flow to the surface of the body.
Keeping body temperature stable allows cells to function at
peak efficiency at all times. The
metabolic rate and activity level can also remain high regardless of the
outside temperature. On the other hand, maintaining a stable body temperature
requires more energy—and more food.
Please go through my discourse:
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2013/02/can-hindu-scriptures-and-sciences-agree_6.html
--January 16, 2022
SIGNIFICANCE OF MAKARA
SANKRANTI
Makar Sankranti is famous for its sesame sweets and kite flying.
But there is much more to this festival that is a celebration of the Winter
Solstice. Sadhguru looks at the significance of this festival of movement, and
explains how it is based on a profound understanding of cosmic and human
geometry.
Makara Sankranti is celebrated as a very important festival in India. Sankranti
literally means "movement." Everything that we recognize as life is
movement. Fortunately, people who came before us have moved on, and people who
come after us are waiting for us to move on – don’t have any doubts about this.
The planet is moving and that is why it churns up life. If it were still, it
wouldn’t be capable of life. So there is something called movement in which
every creature is involved, but if there has to be movement, this movement has
to be housed – this movement can only happen in the lap of stillness. One who
does not touch the stillness of his life, one who does not touch the stillness
of his being, one who does not know or has not tasted the stillness within and
without, will invariably get lost in the movement.
The significance of the Makar Sankranti festival
is that it marks the day where there is a significant movement in the zodiac –
the arrangement of the earth’s dial around the sun – and this movement brings
about a new change in the way we experience the planet itself. There are many
Sankrantis through the year; the two significant ones being Makar Sankranti,
and right opposite, after summer solstice is Karka Sankranti. In between, there
are many Sankrantis – every time the zodiac sign changes, it is called a
Sankranti to suggest the movement of the planet, to understand that our life is
sustained and nourished by this movement. If this movement ceases, everything
about us will cease. On the 22nd of December, the solstice happened, that means in relation to the sun, the movement
or the tilt of the planet reaches its maximum. Now, from this day onwards, the
northern movement is strong. Things really start changing upon the earth. From
Makar Sankranti onwards, winter is being relieved step by step.
This movement is also a significant aspect in the way we reap from
this planet. There was a time when human beings could eat only what the earth
offered. Then we learned how to get what we wanted from the earth; this is
called agriculture. When we were hunting and gathering, we only picked up what
was there. It is like when you were an infant, you ate or swallowed whatever
your mother gave you. When you became a child, you asked for what you wanted.
So we grew up a bit and started demanding and getting what we wanted, but
still, you can only get what you want to a point that She is willing. If you
stretch it beyond that, you will not only not get it, you will get something
else. That is called industrialization. Agriculture is coaxing the Mother to
give what you want. Industrialization is ripping her apart. I am not speaking
against something. I want you to understand the way our minds are transiting,
the way human activity is transiting from one level to another.
So this is a day when we remind ourselves that everything that we
are is what we take from this planet. I see everywhere in the world, people are
talking about giving. I don’t know from where they give. You can only take –
either you take gently or you grab. Did you come with your own property from
somewhere? What is there to give? You can only take. Everything is
offered. Take sensibly,
that is all there is.
--Sadguru
In different regions of the
country, Makar Sankranti is celebrated by different names
Lohri: One day before Makar
Sankranti, Lohri is celebrated in India with enthusiasm mainly in Haryana
and Punjab. At night, people gather around the bonfire and throw til (sesame),
puffed rice & popcorns into the flames of the bonfire. Prayers are offered
to the bonfire seeking abundance & prosperity.
Festival of Donation "or" Khichdi ": In Uttar Pradesh, it is mainly the festival of
'Donation'. The Magh fair, which continues for one month on the confluence of
Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati in Allahabad, starts from the day of Makar
Sankranti only. On this auspicious day, people do fast in Uttar Pradesh eat and
offer khichdi. Also, Khichdi Mela is organized at Gorakhdham in
Gorakhpur.
In Bihar, the Makar Sankranti festival is known as
Khichdi. On this day, donating blackgram, rice, gold, woolen clothes, blankets,
etc. have their own importance.
In Maharashtra, all married women donate cotton, oil,
and salt to other suhagin or married
women on their first Sankrant. In Bengal, there is a tradition of
donating til after taking bath on Makar Sankrant. A huge fair is also organized
every year in Gangasagar.
Pongal: On the occasion of Makar
Sankranti in Tamil Nadu, this festival is celebrated as Pongal for four
days.
Kite Festival: In Gujarat, the kite
festival is organized on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
Therefore, in India, the Makar Sankranti festival has its own importance. It is
celebrated in various States by different names.
The beginning of the year in January marks the celebration of the
Sankranti or Pongal festival. What does this festival celebrate? A). It
celebrates the end of autumn B). It celebrates the New Year C). It is
a harvest festival D). It celebrates the beginning of
spring. Why can’t India celebrate it as New Year as it falls always
on January 14? Each country has one day as its New Year Day while India
does not?
Let your Pongal be the start of
a refreshing year filled with happiness and peace. Wish you and your family a
very happy Pongal. -- I hope this auspicious festival of Pongal brings good
luck for you, success, and happiness to your entire family.
--January 14, 2022
Comments:
I thoroughly
enjoyed reading your write-up on Makara Sankranti. When I was growing up in
Kerala, the significance of Sankranti was not explained to me well. You are
doing a great service to the community!
--B.C.
Nair
I am
very proud of all the spiritual writings you have been coming up with. I
enjoy reading them. I hope all your research and writing will come up as a book
someday. It will be a great treasure for us and the coming
generations.
I am glad you are recovering well and feeling better. There is no better
treatment than to be engaged in some spiritual work and I’m sure that your
active lifestyle even at this age will keep you in good spirits.
--DRL Anand
How Brinjal or Eggplant Got Its Crown?
On one full moon night, as
usual, all the fairies gathered in the forest. The king of the fairies and the
queen of the fairies had also arrived. As usual each fairy narrated its
experience during the past month. Do you know, fairies usually have snow-dew as
their food? But, very rarely, if they assume any bird, animal or
human form they shall take their food according to the form they take.
When the fairies were narrating
their experiences, one little fairy seemed to be very drowsy and sleepy. Even
after repeated warning from the fairies by its side, that if the queen fairy or
the king fairy sees it sleeping, they would think that the little fairy
disrespects the court and would immediately be punished, the little fairy could
not overcome its drowsiness. Although the little fairy tried its best, it could
not control the sleep. As feared by the other fairies, the king fairy rightly
noticed the little fairy sleeping. The king ordered the little fairy to get up
and asked angrily why the little fairy should not be punished for disrespecting
the court and be turned into a bird, animal, flower or a human being? The
little fairy pleaded pardon, and said that, just before coming to the meeting,
it was in human form, and happened to taste a vegetable, which tasted that much
delicious that it ate too much, and before it could take a nap it had to be
transformed into fairy again and that is why it still feels drowsy. The king
fairy and the queen fairy thought that the little fairy is bluffing. They
ordered the fairy to go and immediately bring the vegetable right then and to
cook it and to serve them immediately. If they found that the little fairy had
bluffed, immediately the fairy would be turned into a vegetable that can be
noticed by no one. The little fairy agreed. It brought the vegetable to the
court in no seconds. It asked the king, “Your majesty! This vegetable may be
cooked into fifteen different delicious dishes. In what form can I cook it
now?” The king fairy was surprised. The vegetable was violet in color, and was
like a big egg of birds! The king said, the little fairy should cook all the
fifteen forms of the vegetable. The little fairy cooked the vegetable in
fifteen different dishes and served the king and queen. Mmmmmmmm……………the dishes
were really very very superbly delicious. Every fairy assembled there tasted
the dish and were all surprised indeed. They have never ever tasted such a
delicious food. Everyone, including the king and queen were eating, eating, and
eating………At one stage, they could not eat any more. That is all. Everyone
started feeling drowsy due to over-eating! Everyone got to self only just
before dawn! Not only the king fairy excused the little fairy, but also had
announced that the vegetable be there-after called the king of vegetables. Not
only that, the king fairy also had offered a crown to that vegetable. Do you
want know what that vegetable is? It is brinjal or eggplant!
--January 12, 2022
I love this story
--Aparna Arcot
Can Modern Science Agree with
Ancient Hindu Scripture?
The essence meaning of the
Yajurveda 17.91 mantra or verse: The four levels of expansion,
in the three worlds--Yajurveda 17.91 mantra.
Chatvari shringa (4) trayo asya
pada (3) dve shirshe (2) sapta hastaso (7 zeros) asya tridha baddho
vrishabho roravIti maho devo martyan a vivesha.
Mahuli Murali Gopalacharya
interprets this as:“He has four horns, three feet,
two heads, seven hands; the bull, Sovereign GOD, showered of all bounties, has
settled Himself in human beings, where, being chained by the three. He bellows
(4) (3) (2)0000000=4.32 billion years. David Frawley, Vedic Scholar agrees!
In Hinduism, a
Kalpa is equal to 4.32 billion years, a "day of Brahma" or one thousand Maha
yugas, measuring the duration of the world. Each Kalpa is divided into 14 Manvantara
periods, each lasting 71 Yuga Cycles (306,720,000 years).
In the US a billion is a
thousand millions. In the US, 4.32 billion is 4320,000,000 years. Ancient Indians in general considered a unit of
time called the 'Mahayuga' which consists of 4,320,000 (4.32 million) years. A 'Mahayuga' is made up of the four
Yugas--Kreta, Treta, Dwapara and Kali. (1728000+1296000+86400+432000 years). Each Manu reigns over a period called a manvantara, each lasting for 71 chatur-yugas
(306.72 million years). A total of 14 Manus reign successively in one kalpa
(day of Brahma). We say in our sankalpa, shweta varaha kalpe
kaliyuge.
Although the universe is thought to be about
13.77 billion years old, planet Earth is much younger than that. Current
estimates put the age of Earth at around 4.54 billion years, give or take about
50 million years, and like all other bodies in the solar system, Earth formed
when a cloud of dust and gas collapsed due to gravity. This means our sun,
planets, asteroids and moons are also around the same age.
National Geographic Society
mentions: "Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years old, plus or
minus about 50 million years. Scientists have scoured the Earth searching for
the oldest rocks to radio metrically date."
Modern Scientific thought
View--Amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds evolved
after fish.
- The first amphibians evolved from a lobe-finned fish ancestor
about 365 million years ago. They were the first vertebrates to live on
land, but they had to return to water to reproduce. This meant they had to
live near bodies of water.
- The first reptiles evolved from an amphibian ancestor at
least 300 million years ago. They laid amniotic eggs and
had internal fertilization. They were the first vertebrates that
no longer had to return to water to reproduce. They could live just about
anywhere.
- Mammals and birds both evolved from reptile-like ancestors.
The first mammals appeared about 200 million years ago and the earliest
birds about 150 million years ago.
Evolution of Endotherm
Until mammals and birds
evolved, all vertebrates were ectothermic.
Ectotherm means regulating body temperature from the outside through behavioral changes. For example,
an ectotherm might stay under a rock in the shade in order to keep
cool on a hot, sunny day. Almost all living fish, amphibians, and reptiles are
ectothermic. Their metabolic rate and level of activity depend mainly on the
outside temperature. They can raise or lower their own temperature only
slightly through behavior alone.
Both mammals and birds
evolved endotherm. Endotherm means regulating body
temperature from the inside through metabolic or other physical changes. On a
cold day, for example, an endotherm may produce more heat by raising its metabolic
rate. On a hot day, it may give off more heat by
increasing blood flow to the surface of the body. Keeping body
temperature stable allows cells to function at peak efficiency at all times. The metabolic rate and activity level can also
remain high regardless of the outside temperature. On the other hand,
maintaining a stable body temperature requires more energy—and
more food.
Summary
- The earliest vertebrates resembled hagfish and lived more
than 500 million years ago.
- As other classes of fish appeared, they evolved traits such
as a complete vertebral column, jaws, and a bony endoskeleton.
- Amphibians were the first tetrapod vertebrates as well as the
first vertebrates to live on land.
- Reptiles were the first amniotic vertebrates.
- Mammals and birds, which both descended from reptile-like
ancestors, evolved endotherm, or the ability to regulate body temperature
from the inside.
Please also go through my
discourse:
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2013/02/can-hindu-scriptures-and-sciences-agree_6.html
--January 10, 2022
Importance of Makar Sankranti in Hinduism
Makar Sankranti is one of the highly auspicious days in a Hindu
calendar and the day is dedicated to the worship of Lord Surya (Sun God). Makar
Sankranti 2022 date is January 14. Punyakaal or time for puja and to take holy
bath is from 8:49 PM on Jan 14 to before sunrise on January 15, 2022. Makar
Sankranti is the day when the sun enters into the zodiac Capricorn or Makara.
It is also known as Uttarayana Punyakalam and heralds the arrival of spring
season. In Western India Punya Kaal time is from 2:28 PM to 6:19 PM on January
14.
What is Makar Sankranti?
Makar Sankranti is an auspicious day based on the movement of the
Sun (Surya). ‘Makar’ or ‘Makara’ refers to ‘Makara rashi’ – the zodiac
corresponding to Capricorn. ‘Sankranti’ in Sanskrit means ‘to cross into’ or
the day when sun enters from one zodiac sign to another. So, Makar Sankranti is
the day when the sun enters into the zodiac Capricorn. It is also known as
Uttarayana Punyakalam or the entry of sun into the Northern Hemisphere. The
six-month long Uttarayana begins on this day.
Makar Sankranti is usually observed on January 14 or January 15.
Usually, the day of Hindu celebrations vary from year to year in English
Calendar. Hindu calendar is based on the movement of the moon and therefore it
is a lunar calendar. Hence the change in the date of various celebrations with
corresponding English Calendar. But Makar Sankranti is based on solar movement
and therefore it has almost a fixed date.
But depending on the movement of the sun from south to north Makar
Sankranti date progresses i.e., a decade ago Makar Sankranti was observed on
January 12 and later on 13. Now it is on 14 or 15. In future it will be
observed on January 16.
Hindu God Worshipped on Makar
Sankranti
Lord Surya is worshipped on the Makar Sankranti day and is a form
of Nature Worship. Every living and non-living being merges with the Brahman
and Sun is the Pratyaksha-Brahman or the Brahman that can be seen.
How is Makar Sankranti Observed by
Hindus?
A major spiritual event on the day is the bathing ritual at Sangam
(confluence of Yamuna, Saraswati and Ganga) in Allahabad and also in the famous
bathing ghats on River Ganga. Taking a holy dip on the day is considered to
cleanse sins committed and this will lead to Moksha (Salvation).
Uttarayana Punyakalam, the day time of Devas, begins with the
Makar Sankranti and lasts for six months. This period is ideal for all kind of
auspicious activities. Makar Sankranti also heralds the arrival of spring.
Special food made from freshly harvested grains is consumed and shared on the
day.
Makar Sankranti in Hindu Scriptures - Stories
One of the most important myths is the death of Bhishma Pitamaha
in the Mahabharata. Bhishma chose the Uttarayan period. (Bhisma had got a boon
from his father that he will only die when he wishes.) It is believed that
people who die during Uttarayana merges with the Brahman, thus ending the cycle
of rebirth.
Legend also has it that Lord Vishnu buried Asuras on this day
beneath the Mandara Mountain. It signifies the end of evil and the dawn of
righteousness.
Another legend is that King Bhagiratha brought Ganga down into
Patala on Makar Sankranti day. This was to get salvation to his ancestors who
were cursed by Sage Kapila and turned into ashes. On this day millions of
people take bath in the Ganges. Makar Sankranti is also an important bathing
date during Kumbh Mela and Magh Mela.
Puranas state that on Makar Sankranti day, Surya visits Lord
Shani. In mythology Lord Shani, is the son of Surya.
Makar Sankranti in Various Parts of India
Makar Sankranti is observed throughout India by all communities
but with slight variations in the festivities:
• In Bengal, Makar Sankranti is noted for the Ganga Sagar Mela,
Tusu Puja and Pithe parbon.
• Bhogali Bihu and Tusu Puja are celebrated on the occasion in
Assam.
• Makar Mela is observed in Orissa.
• Ghughuti or Kale Kauwa in Uttarakhand.
• Shishur Sankranti in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Tila Sankranti in Mithila region.
• Maghi in Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
• In North India, it is the time of Lohri and Khichdi Parv.
• In Central India, it is Sankranti.
• In Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti is observed as Pongal. (four-day
festival)
• In Andhra Pradesh, it is known as Sankranthi. (four-day
festival)
• In Karnataka - Sankranti or Ellu Bella
• In Maharashtra it is known as Makar Sankranti and Tilgul -
famous for Bhogichi Bhaji
• In Kerala, the famous Sabarimala Pilgrimage comes to an end with
sighting of the Makaravilakku.
• In Gujarat and Rajasthan, it is known as Uttarayan and is noted
for the kite flying event.
• It is an important bathing date during the famous Magh Mela and
Kumbh Mela at Sangam (Prayag) in Allahabad.
Did You Know?
Sun rays directly falls on the Murti (idol) worshipped in certain
temples on Makar Sankranti day. The most famous among them is the Gavi
Gangadhareshwara Temple near Bangalore in Karnataka.
Dahi Chura - a food prepared from rice flakes and yoghurt - is
consumed on the day in many regions. Jaggery, rice, sugarcane, sesame seeds and
milk are the common food used on Sankranti in all regions. And Sesame
especially helps in maintaining body heat during winter.
Residents of 10 villages located on the outskirts of Manali in
Himachal Pradesh do not make any kind of noise for 42 days starting from Makar
Sankranti.
In the 17th century, Makar Sankranti was around January 9 and in
the 27th century, it will be around January 23.
Please also go through my discourse:
Modern retellings that give Ramayana a fresh new perspective
When Valmiki wrote the
Ramayana, he was speaking across time, to people of different ages and
value systems. Ramayana was not merely history, but an Itihaasa - a kind of archetypal history, that transcends and
subsumes the western categories of history and mythology.
In the Webinar, OPEN HOUSE: Lessons from Valmiki Ramayana on
January 9th, at 9 AM PST /12 Noon EST / 10:30 PM IST, Santanu Gupta, founder of the Ramayana School
will take a look at what lessons the Ramayana holds for us today, in our own
lives - How can we attune ourselves to its timeless call? How do we set about
searching for meaning and teachings for our own life in our times, from this
ancient epic?
One of the world's oldest
epics, Ramayana is not just the base of Hindu religion but also a treatise that
set social and societal norms and determined the course of behavior one should
adopt towards one's family and acquaintances. Ram was a perfect brother, son,
king and even an ideal husband till destiny turned awry. But was Ram the only
ideal character to be emulated? Was Sita's sacrifice the biggest one? Lakshman
who left his wife to follow his brother in exile, his wife Urmila who waited
patiently for him for 14 years and Bharat who could never rejoice in the crown
he got and even Ravana who was an epitome of learning, deserve to be examined
from a fresh perspective and not just as less significant characters in the
story of Ram and Sita. While there have been numerous retellings of Ramayana
in the past, some modern ones done recently are worth being mentioned.
Amit
Majmudar's 2019 book 'Sitayana' shows Sita not as a victim, but as a hero—a
woman who chose to leave the luxuries of the palace and accompany her husband
in the forest, who chose to live a simple life in Lanka till she was freed, and
someone who chose to raise her children as a single mother. The story is told
through the perspectives of multiple characters, including Lakshman, Hanuman,
and Mandodari. It gives the readers a perspective of the Indian epic from both
sides of the war and perhaps even make them empathize with the characters who
are otherwise considered evil.
Bhanumathi Narasimhan released
in October 2021 her book 'Sita: A Tale of Ancient Love'. While Sita is one of
the most well-known women in Indian mythology, she is also the least understood
of them all. And so, in her book Bhanumathi Narasimhan shares Sita's point of
view in the story, thus making the readers understand her and the power of a
woman's strength a bit more.
In his book mythologist-author,
Devdutt Pattanaik emphasizes that Sita, who is generally shown as a submissive
character, was actually a woman of strength. From her childhood days and
upbringing to her relationship with her father King Janaka, to her forest stay,
to living alone in Lanka after being abducted, and being a single mother-- the
book portrays Sita in a magnanimous way, thus bringing out the
lesser-known side of hers to the readers.
Hindu
Reflections has also dwelt on Ramayana for a long time. Please recall my past
discourses:
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2019/12/sarvabhauma-rama-and-invincible-ayodhya.html
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2018/05/ramayana-is-itihasa-epic-based-on-vedas.html
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2019/11/seetalrama-champion-of-prajaa-dharma-and.html
nrsrini.blogspot.com/2013/10/is-simple-and-effective-for-meditation.html
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2013/10/revelation-of-ramaavatar-as-full.html
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2013/04/hare-raama-harekrishna-mantras-for.html
--January 6, 2022
Nature and Definition of God in
Vedanta
The term Hinduism was coined in Western
ethnography in the 18th century, and refers to the fusion or synthesis
of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no founder. Today, the term ‘Hinduism’ describes anything from religious
activities to Indian social and nationalistic events. However, not all these
events put the Vedic literature at the center stage as they may remain
non-Vedic in their content. Thus, not all the ‘Hindus’ necessarily follow the
Vedic path or be a part of Vedic culture. However, experts opine that until the
word ‘Sanatana Dharma’ becomes recognized at an international level, the name
‘Hindu’ is a much sensible substitute to the Vedic dharma, to fulfill various
political and legal purposes.
The God (ॐ) in Advaita is Brahman (ब्रह्म). Brahman is one single undivided Spirit that is equally present
in all beings. This cosmic Spirit creates the illusion (माया) of time and space in order to manifest itself in the cosmos.
Vedanta is a philosophical manifestation of ‘Sanatana Dharma’, the
philosophical foundation of Hinduism. Vedanta is a way of living and realizing.
Swami Vivekananda coined the term ‘Practical Vedanta’ to emphasize the practice
of Vedanta in every aspect of our daily lives. Vedanta comes from the Sanskrit
root word vid, which means knowledge. Vedanta calls the Ultimate
Reality as Brahman, which is invisible, indivisible, and infinite. Vedanta,
however, insists that the Truth about Brahman or Atman should not be accepted
just on faith, but must be and can be realized, experienced, and thus verified.
Realization of the Truth is a process of three stages --śravaṇam, mananam,
and nididhyāsanam. These stages are hearing, cogitating, and
meditating on Truth.
Fundamental Teachings
Until the mid-nineteenth century, only a few of America’s great
philosophers and poets like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Henry
Thoreau, knew about the Indian scriptures like the Upanishads and the
Bhagavad-Gita. It was Swami Vivekananda, the foremost disciple of Sri
Ramakrishna and the most authentic interpreter of his teachings, who introduced
Vedanta to the vast intelligentsia of this country. At the Parliament of
Religions held in 1893 in Chicago, the Swami eloquently set before the August
gathering of the world’s religious leaders the essence of the spiritual wisdom
of India based on Vedanta.
Vedanta comes from the Sanskrit root word vid, which means
knowledge. So Vedanta means knowledge. Vedanta also means the end portion of the
four Vedas (Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva), which contains the knowledge
section based on the Upanishads. The beginning portion of the Vedas—Samhitas,
Brahmanas, and Aranykas—contains mantras or hymns, rites and rituals and their
interpretation. There are many Upanishads, which are collectively called
Vedanta.
Vedanta calls the Ultimate Reality as Brahman, which is invisible,
indivisible, and infinite. It is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness, and
Bliss Absolute. The individual soul, called Atman, is identical with Brahman.
The central message of Vedanta is Oneness of God, the universe, and human
beings. This is pure non-dualism, or Advaita: not two, in Sanskrit.
Although Advaita is the crown jewel of the Hindu
religious/philosophical tradition, its exponents accept Dvaita and
Vvishistha-Advaita also. Under dualism, or Dvaita, the individual soul and the
universal soul, or Atman and Brahman (Parmatma), are two different entities.
The qualified non-dualism, or Vishishtha-Advaita, denies the oneness of God,
the universe, and human beings, but accepts the two latter as parts or the body
of God. These two systems also don’t accept Impersonal Brahman (God) of
non-dualism but believe in Personal God.
However, non-dualism, as fine-tuned by Sri Ramakrishna and Swami
Vivekananda, harmonizes the other two systems and accepts both Impersonal and
Personal God. From his own experience of Brahman, Sri Ramakrishna described the
different stages of perception of God:
The jnani, or the follower of the path of knowledge, analyzes the
universe of the senses, saying, “Brahman is not this, not that”, and gives up
worldliness. Thus, he attains the knowledge of Brahman. He is like the man who,
climbing a stairway, leaves each step behind, one after another, and so reaches
the roof. But the vijnani, who gains an intimate knowledge of Brahman, has his
consciousness further extended. He knows that roof and steps are all of the
same substance. First, he realizes, “All is not, God is.” Next, he realizes,
“All is God.” Few can stay long on the roof. Those who reach samadhi and
attain Brahman soon return to the normal plane of consciousness, and then they
realize that he has become everything. They then see God in the heart of
all.
Sri Ramakrishna also harmonized both the Personal and Impersonal
aspects of God. He said that Personal God is the power (Shakti) of Impersonal
God (Shiva). One is active, while the other is inactive. As heat or light is
the power of the sun, so also Personal is the power of Impersonal. Just as heat
cannot be thought of without sun and vice versa, the same way Sri Ramakrishna
concluded that Brahman (Impersonal God) and Shakti are one and the same; one is
a snake coiled and other is a snake in motion.
According to the Bhagavad-Gita, which, too, is the essence of the
Upanishads, Atman is the real nature of all beings, including the humankind,
and things. No weapon can cleave the Atman or the fire burn it, nor water can
wet it or wind dry it. Furthermore, the Atman, or the Self, in one is the same
Self of all. Beings and things differ in names and forms only, but the same
Reality is the ground of their existence. In short, Vedanta, or better
Advaita-Vedanta, proclaims the divinity of everything, unity in diversity,
universal brotherhood of humankind and nature, and harmony of religions.
Vedanta, however, insists that the Truth about Brahman or Atman
should not be accepted just on faith, but must be and can be realized,
experienced, and thus verified. Realization of the Truth is a three-stage
process: shravanam, mananam, and nidhyasanam. The first of
these Sanskrit terms means that one should hear about the Truth from a
competent teacher and read it from the scriptures. After having heard and
studied, an aspirant should reflect, reason and analyze what one has heard and
studied. But that is not enough, for reasoning can be faulty, and therefore,
the result would be in error also. Therefore, Vedanta says one should meditate
on what one has heard and studied, and get the direct perception of it in
meditation.
Vedanta is the foundation of all ethics and morality. Its ethical
precepts are based on the nature of our true Self and not by the command of
some outside authority. For example, all religions say, “Love your neighbor as
yourself.” However, it is only in Vedanta one gets the rationale of loving
one’s neighbor as oneself. Vedanta says that one should love one’s neighbor
because one is one’s neighbor; there is no ‘other’. Holy Mother Sri Sarada
Devi’s famous advice to one of her disciples not to treat anyone as a stranger
was based on
this Advaita vision.
If we sincerely recognize Oneness, we won’t fear anyone, nor
anyone has to fear us. If it is all Oneness, no one hates anyone or is
jealous of anyone; for there being no ‘other,’ whom to hate or be jealous of?
Our love for all beings then is spontaneous and natural. We are never selfish,
but become selfless. But to make this practical, one must be aware of one’s
true nature, which is not the body-mind complex, but Atman or the Self. Some
religions say ‘Fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.’ Vedanta says:
‘Self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom.’
Article titled - The Vedic Concept of God in All Its Aspects by Swami
Mukhyananda in Prabuddha Bharata magazine October 2002.
In Vedanta God should not be taken merely as an extra-cosmic
Creator of the universe, creating the universe out of nothing by an act of
will, as in Semitic religions. Neither is God a mere He. He is both personal
and impersonal. He is only a convenient description to show that God is a
conscious being (chaitanya) and not an inert existence (jada).
As such God can be equally described as She or It, and can be thought of in all
relationships such as father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, master,
lord, friend, and even as enemy (in the case of Ravana, for example), to
establish emotional communion with the Divine to suit one’s nature. From
different standpoints God in Vedanta is extra- cosmic, intra-cosmic and supra-cosmic
— as the pure non-dual absolute Reality, in relation to which no relativity or
any touch of duality can be posited. He is also transcendental and acosmic (nishprapancha).
God is also the infinite spiritual Reality (Brahman) from which
the universe emerges, in which it rests, and into which it merges back, leaving
no trace behind, like waves in the sea. The Taittiriya Upanishad defines
Brahman precisely in this manner. The universe is not something apart from God,
either in substance or in existence.
God is to be meditated upon as the tajjalan in
silence, says the Chandogya Upanishad. It is the same idea as in the Taittiriya
Upanishad, but put in an aphoristic formula, using the first syllables of the
words: Tasmin jayate liyate aniti (That in which the universe
is born, in which it merges, in which it vibrates/breathes/lives). The Vedanta
Sutras begin the enquiry into the nature of God or Brahman (athato
brahma-jijnasa) with this very definition: ‘Janmadi asya yatah, That from which the origin and so on of
this manifested universe.’
In Vedic thought there is no conception of ‘creation’ out of
nothing. It is srishti (projection) of subtle components into gross
manifestation, like the seed into a tree. In the very early Vedic stage, it was
like construction out of pre-existing materials. Later on the subtle prakriti/maya Power
became the material cause of the universe. Hence God is known as the srushti
karta, Projector of the universe, and not ‘creator’.
Hinduism as a religion, is now
centered on triple supreme divinities: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are in
charge of the creation, preservation, and destruction of the world. Brahma, for
the creation of all the creatures, cosmos, and the world itself. Vishnu is the
protector and Preserver of all the universe. And Shiva, the destroyer of the
world for it to become anew.
--January 4, 2022
Comment:
Many thanks for all the information on God and Vedanta. Now
it is up to us to meditate and realize.
--APN Koil Saptagireeshan
Four Kinds of Devotees in Hindu
Religion
There are four kinds of
devotees in Hindu religion: 1) Artha – Distressed; 2) Arthi – Desirous; 3)
Jignasu – Inquisitive and 4) Jnani – knowledgeable.
The Jnani is considered to be
the best, but the end result of jnana (knowledge) is moksha (liberation from
the cycle of birth and death), which too has its base in bhakti.
There is nothing as purifying
as divine knowledge. One who has attained purity of mind through prolonged
practice of Yoga, receives such knowledge within the heart, in due course of
time.
"na hi jnanena sadrisham pavitramiha
vidyate”--Gita. In
this world, “vedata vijnana sunischitarthah
paramuchyanti"--Upanishads. Jnana in Bhagavad Gita is Vijnana in Upanishads. In Vedanta, Jnanam is worldly knowledge, Vijnanam is Divine knowledge and Prajananam is Brahman that is beyond our conception, as I have explained elaborately.
Knowledge which is Vijnanamm in Vedanta has the power to purify,
elevate, liberate, and unite a person
with God. It is thus supremely sublime and pure. But a distinction needs to be made between two kinds of this divine
knowledge—theoretical information and practical realization.
There is one kind of knowledge that is acquired by reading the
scriptures and hearing from the Guru. This theoretical information is
insufficient by itself. It is just as if someone has memorized a cookbook but
has never entered the kitchen. Such theoretical knowledge of cooking does
not help in satiating one’s hunger.
Similarly, one may acquire
theoretical knowledge on the topics of the soul, God, Maya, karm, jñāna, and bhakti from
the Guru, but that by itself does not make a person God-realized. When
one practices sādhanā in accordance with the theory, it
results in purification of the mind. Then, from within one gets
realization of the nature of the self and its relationship with God.
The Sage Patañjali
states:
śhrutānumāna-prajñābhyām
anya-viṣhayā viśheṣhārthatvāt (Yog Darśhan 1.49)[v36]
“The knowledge attained by
realization from within through the practice of Yoga is far superior to
theoretical knowledge of the scriptures.” Such realized knowledge is being
extolled by Shree Krishna as the purest sublime thing.
"To believe that Jnana
(divine knowledge) and Bhakti, knowledge and devotion are different from
each other, is ignorance"--Rajaji in UNO introducing MS to sing Bhaja Govindam
of Sankara.
As water cannot exist without
earth, one can never has sustainable pleasure of moksha through jnana without bhakti.
In Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan says
that he loves his devotees. Ramacharita manasa and Srimad Bhagavad Purana also
enunciates the importance of
Bhakti.
All are dear to Bhagavan and all are his creation, but Bhagavan
tells one truth again and again that there is no one dearer to
me than my bhakta. A bhakta is totally immersed in
the ocean of love for God, and believes that God does everything through him;
ye he never boasts of this and remains humble.
--January 2, 2022
HAPPY NEW YEAR
The start of New Year can be a very
moving experience. It’s a time when we reflect with gratitude on the past
and set our hopes and intentions for the days ahead.
What's more, a New Year gives an opportunity to reinvigorate our
enthusiasm for chasing goals and dreams. With so much pressure on the
moment, it can be hard to come up with just the right words start of
a New Year can be a very moving experience. It’s a time when we
reflect with gratitude on the past and set our hopes and intentions for the
days ahead. What's more, a Neo express New Year wishes for friends, family
and cherished co-workers. Bu I am here to help with a meaningful
lyric wishes and thought starter for all in general and one extra in
particular for Kannadigas!
Home People Enjoy New Year at home by
decorating their homes and hosting a New Year Party at home while some
others will like to celebrate it in a public gathering. As we all know
very well last two years wasn’t good for everyone due to Covid. But we
all hope this year will spread happiness all over the world
and fill every face with a smile.
Learn
from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
~ Albert Einstein
WISHING YOU HAPPY NEW YEAR
Arriving
is New Year/
Welcome
with open heart/
With
a cup of cheer/
For a
cheerful start
Ring in the New Year at stroke of midnight/
Say
farewell to the past year with gratitude/
Look
into the future with intellect of insight/
Opening
the doors of heart with new attitude/
Ride
the waves of time reaching for the sky/
Bring
out the fortitude of everlasting hope/
Look
through the vision of optimistic eye/
While
climbing the knolls or sliding the slope/
Time
on hand is link between past and future/
Milestones
are chapters of unfinished story/
Ordained
is the time with destined juncture/
Live
the blessed time in shadows of divine glory/
-Asha and Ram
--January 1, 2022
Wisdom of Ancient Hindus
A collection of wisdom of
ancient Hindus.
He who conquers himself is a
great conqueror than one who conquers in battle a thousand times a thousand
men. Overcome anger by love, evil by good, greed by liberality, falsehood
by truth.
Desire is never satisfied by
the enjoyment of the objects of desire; it grows more and more as does the fire
to which fuel is added.
There cannot be fulfillment of
human personality without adequate attention to the spiritual dimension of
man.
The gates of hell will not
prevail if once you know what the truth of things is. The mind of an
ordinary person jumps around like a mad elephant.
The rays of the sun may fall on a stone and a mirror, but it is reflected only
in the mirror. When the sun is reflected in a mirror, it looks luminous, and
children can play with the reflected light. The mirror does not generate its
own light but instead reflects the light of the sun. Similarly, the human mind
functions by means of the consciousness of the Atman.
Desire, determination, doubt, faith, lack of faith, steadfastness, lack of
steadfastness, shame, intelligence, and fear — all this is truly the
mind.
A bright, transparent crystal
has no color. However, when one puts a red, blue, or yellow flower near it, one
sees that particular color in that crystal. There is no color in Brahman or the
Atman. All colors are in the realm of prakriti or maya, which
has three gunas, qualities. One becomes many when the colors
of the three gunas are superimposed on the Atman. Prakriti has
adorned herself with many colors and thus enchant human beings. God plays with
the power of maya, creating multiple colors and enacting the Dolyatra or
Holi, the festival of colors.
One who is aware of one’s
conscious self is a human being. This awareness is the awakened living
mind.
The mind functions in the
waking and dreaming states, but dissolves in ignorance during deep sleep, which
proves that the mind is not real because it does not exist in all three
states.
There is no end to human
desires. They come one after another. The desire for money replaces the desire
for lust, and again that desire is replaced by the desire for name and fame.
These three desires — name and fame, wealth, and procreation — have thoroughly
bound human beings.
Who has conquered the world? The person who has conquered the
mind.
One should meditate by becoming
free from all ties. From their very birth, human beings are tied with eight
fetters: hatred, shame, family status, good
conduct, fear, fame, pride of
caste, and ego.
Whatever
one should renounce or accept, one should do it with body, mind, and speech
equally. Only then will a spiritual aspirant be worthy of God-realization.
The
scriptures say that the goddess of fortune helps an active person. A man with a
lazy and unfocussed mind cannot complete a project after starting it. He blames
everyone, even the gods, for his failure.
The
scriptures say that the mind of a knower of Brahman is not affected by pleasant
and unpleasant, good and evil, happiness and misery, praise and blame. Such a
person’s mind is saturated with the Atman, so there is no feeling of happiness
and misery.
Let us listen
to what Bhagawan says in Bhagavad Gita:
na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ pavitram iha vidyate / tat svayaṁ yoga-saṁ siddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati
In this world, there is nothing
as sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature
fruit of all mysticism. And one who has become accomplished in the practice of
devotional service enjoys this knowledge within himself in due course of
time.
When we speak of transcendental
knowledge (wisdom), we do so in terms of spiritual understanding. As such,
there is nothing as sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Human
bad feelings (Passion, Love, Lust, Angry, Proud, Greed
etc.) are the cause of our bondage, and knowledge is the cause
of our liberation. This knowledge is the mature fruit of devotional service,
and when one is situated in transcendental knowledge, he need not search for
peace elsewhere, for he enjoys peace within himself. In other words, this knowledge
and peace culminate in consciousness of the Supreme. That is the last word in
the Bhagavad-gītā.
Comments:
Very good points of
wisdom. Thank you.
-
Nashville
Nagarajan
Thank you for sharing this well
written summary! Wishing you, Mami, and all others at home a wonderful happy
new year! With lots of Love.
~ Santosh
**************************************************************
|
|
Goddess Devi Worshipped As Energy in Hinduism
There are many concepts of
Shakti worship in Hinduism and one of the foremost among it is the worship of
Goddess Devi as energy. In every visible matter, invisible power energy is
embedded. The soul energy embedded within is delineated as Prana,
Bhuti, Dhwani, Teja and Prabha in philosophical
language. In some of the epics and books of tantrism, it is depicted as Radha,
Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga and Savitri respectively.
The philosophical concept "Ya Devi Sa Devata"
scientifically means "matter is force and conversely force is
matter." Both are inseparable as Moon and the moon-light or fire and the
heat. That is why in scriptures, we come across worship of Brahma and Brahmani,
Shiva and Shivani and Vishnu and Vaishnavi. Even Shiva is declared dead without
spirit or energy.
This mysterious inscrutable energy which governs the entire
universe is the
source of all knowledge and ignorance, truth and untruth and
pleasure and displeasure. This enormous energy or Shakti nourishes Indra,
Rudra, Mitra, Agni, Aswini Kumar and all others. Without Shakti the existence
of this universe is impossible.
"Ya Shakti Paramatma Sau." The worship of
Durga-Madhab, Shiva-Parvati, Radha-Krishna, Laxmi-Narayana and Brahma-Savitri
implies non-separation of Brahma and Shakti or matter and energy. That is why
from the time immemorial, the worship of Shakti is in plentitude, in all ages.
The Shakti Goddess: A Universal
Force
Shakti, one of the most important goddesses in the Hindu pantheon,
is really a divine cosmic energy that represents feminine energy and the
dynamic forces that move through the universe. Shakti, who is responsible for
creation and can also be an agent of change, is often manifested to destroy
demonic forces and restore balance.
As a vital cosmic force, Shakti takes many forms and names,
including mother goddess, fierce warrior, and the dark goddess of destruction.
In Hinduism, every god has a Shakti, or energy force. It’s one of the reasons
she is worshipped by millions of people throughout India.
Shakti is also known as Parvati, Durga, and Kali, She’s an
archetype who you might call upon for strength, fertility, and power. You might
identify with her as a powerful female figure or you might look to her as you
try to repair or sustain your marriage.
As Parvati, she is the wife and energy behind the Hindu god of
destruction and rejuvenation Shiva. With Shiva, she produced two sons: Kumara,
who conquered the demon Taraka; and Ganesha, who became the elephant-headed god
of wisdom and good fortune. Parvati symbolizes fertility, marital happiness,
devotion, power, and asceticism.
She is honored as the mother goddess, a universal source of
energy, power, and creativity.
Shakti is a Mahadevi, or Great goddess—which is essentially a sum
of all other goddesses. In the guise of Durga, Shakti is a fierce warrior who
kills the demon Mahishasur as well many other evil creatures. Kali is another
form of Shakti who’s worshipped throughout India. Kali, whose name is commonly
translated as “the black one,” is the dark goddess of destruction. In Hindu
tradition, she symbolizes the destructive and temporary nature of life.
However, her devoted adherents also believe that she protects them both on
Earth and in the afterlife.
The Story of Shakti
Shakti’s many names and forms have resulted in numerous origin and
adventure stories. A favorite story is as Kali, famous for fighting Raktavija,
the head of an army of demons.
According to legend, she couldn’t wound him with her weapons, so
she killed him by drinking all of his blood. Because of this story, Kali is
commonly portrayed as having a bright red tongue that protrudes down her chin.
She is usually depicted as having four arms: In her two left hands she holds a
sword and swings Raktavija’s head by his hair, while her two right hands are
outstretched in blessing. She also wears a necklace of human skulls.
The Vahana of Shakti
Deities, including the many forms of Shakti, are associated with
an animal or bird that acts as a vahana, or vehicle. This animal is
not only a means of transport and a way to identify the god or goddess; it also
is an extension of his or her powers.
The lion is the vahana for both Durga and
Parvati. Durga, who encompasses the power of all of the gods and takes on the
role of warrior goddess, uses her lion as a weapon and for transportation.
Inspiration from Shakti
Remember that Shakti is a universal energy force. And as such, she
can be called upon for numerous purposes, such as:
To fight your own personal demons or when seeking protection, call
upon Durga.
For fertility or if you identify with the mother goddess
archetype, turn to Parvati.
To destroy evil and restore
balance, look to Kali.
*************************************************************************
PATH
WAY TO SUCCESS
When
you act in a spirit of service without regard to the fruit, you gain the world.
Listen to the short narration by Jaya Row to discover the pathway to success
after reading to this narration by me on 23 December 2021:
The Gita sloka: Karmanyeva adhikariste na phaleshu
kadaachana and its tattva before listening to Jaya Row in Bhagavad Gita Verses 47 and 48 Chapter 2:
karmanyeva adhikaaraste maa
phaleshu kadaachana| maa karmaphalahetur bhoormaa te
sangostva karmani || 47 ||
This is a well-known verse and is often quoted by people. Action
is a must for all beings. You need to act just to be alive. Animals do not have
a choice of action. They are designed to perform yajna or sacrificial action. Humans
are gifted with choice. Hence it is necessary to know how to act.
In Verse Gita says Bhagawan teaches buddhi yoga or
the yoga of wisdom. He uses another term for Karma Yoga. In Verses
42 to 44 He tells us what is not buddhi yoga. In Verses 47 and 48
He defines Karma Yoga.
There are three types of action –1. Tamas –
inaction, no motivation; 2. Rajas – desire-driven action for a
fruit and 3. Sattva – obligatory actions with no desire or
fruit.
Your right, adhikara, is just to act. You have no
authority over the fruit or result of action. In the absolute sense do not
think of the world. The fruit belongs to the world. Act in the world to go
beyond the world.
The fruit depends on the resultant of all your past actions which
is not known. You have no control over it. Only the present action is under
your command. Perform it to the best of your ability, with all your being. This
powerful action will alter the effect of your past actions and will yield
positive results. As long as you think of the fruit you will be tired and
stressed out. When you focus on the present you are happy and dynamic.
Work well done gives immense joy. If your happiness is pegged on a
future accomplishment, you will always be unhappy in life. Be content with what
you have and aspire for more. Fix a goal beyond your narrow, selfish concerns.
Act dedicatedly towards it. You will be successful and happy.
Action bereft of attachment for the past and hankering for the
future is worship. This is true renunciation. Renunciation is not giving up
action. It is giving up the retarding forces that come in the way of perfect
action.
Yogasthaha karmaan isangam tyaktvaa
dhananjaya / sidhyasidhyoh samo bhootva samatvam yoga uchyate // 48 //
O Dhananjaya (winner of wealth), be established in yoga. Perform
Equality is known as Yoga.
Be established in yoga. Having fixed the goal be
steadfast. Pursue the goal consistently. Do not give up midway because of
passing fancies. The word ‘yoga’ comes from the root ‘yuja’ which
means ‘to join’. Pursue the goal of Realization consistently.
Give up attachment which comes from the past. If you act on mere
whims and fancies, you get moody and unstable. Evenness comes when you stand
apart from the past and operate on intellectual wisdom.
Be equal to success and failure. Success belongs to the future.
While performing action do not dissipate your energies thinking of the future.
Concentrate on every action.
When you cut past worry and future anxiety the mind is calm. Apply
the calm mind to present action. Do not get attached to it. Do not get anxious
about the result of the action. Success will come effortlessly.
The mind gets agitated due to internal as well as external causes.
Sometimes you are plagued by doubts and indecisions. At other times people
discourage and dissuade you. Focus on your ideal without allowing these
disruptive forces to affect you.
-
--January 1, 2022
Virus weighs again on
Christmas festivities in Bethlehem
By
Jack Geffer
BETHLEHEM,
West Bank (AP) — Musicians banging drums and playing bagpipes marched through
the biblical town of Bethlehem on Friday to the delight of smaller than usual
crowds — a mix of conviviality and restraint reflected in celebrations around
the world on a Christmas Eve dampened once again by the coronavirus.
A
ban on nearly all incoming air traffic by Israel — the main entry point for
foreign visitors heading to the occupied West Bank, home to the traditional
birthplace of Jesus — kept international tourists away for a second year. The
ban is meant to slow the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant.
Instead, local authorities were counting on the Holy Land’s small Christian
community to lift spirits.
It
was a theme seen around the world as revelers, weary from nearly two years of
lockdowns and safety restrictions, searched for ways to return to rituals that
were called off last year, while still celebrating safely.
“We
can’t let the virus take our lives from us when when we’re healthy,” said Rosalia
Lopes, a retired Portuguese government worker who was doing some last-minute
shopping in the coastal town of Cascais.
She
said she and her family were fed up with the pandemic and determined to go
ahead with their celebrations with the help of safety measures like vaccines
and booster shots, rapid home tests and wearing masks in public. She planned a
traditional Portuguese Christmas Eve dinner of baked cod. “We have to take
precautions, of course, but we’re really looking forward to it,” she said.
In
Germany, church services were scaled back and one cathedral held a special
Christmas vaccination campaign. Spain ordered people to wear masks, even
outdoors, and in France, hospital workers decorated a Christmas tree in a
crowded intensive-care unit.
Pope
demands humility in new zinger-filled Christmas
By
Nicole Winfield
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis
urged Vatican cardinals, bishops and bureaucrats Thursday to embrace humility
this Christmas season, saying their pride, self-interest and the “glitter of our
armor” was perverting their spiritual lives and corrupting the church’s
mission.
As
he has in the past, Francis used his annual Christmas address to take Vatican
administrators to task for their perceived moral and personal failings,
denouncing in particular those pride-filled clerics who “rigidly” hide behind
Catholic Church traditions rather than seek out the neediest with humility.
As
they have in the past, cardinals and bishops sat stone-faced as they listened
to Francis lecture them in the Hall of Blessings, which was otherwise decked
out in jolly twinkling Christmas trees and poinsettias.
“The
humble are those who are concerned not simply with the past but also with the
future, since they know how to look ahead, to spread their branches, remembering
the past with gratitude,” Francis told them. “The proud, on the other hand,
simply repeat, grow rigid and enclose themselves in that repetition, feeling
certain about what they know and fearful of anything new because they cannot
control it.” The proud who are so inward-looking are consumed with their own
interests, the pontiff said. “As a consequence, they neither learn from their
sins nor are they genuinely open to forgiveness. This is a tremendous
corruption disguised as a good. We need to avoid it,” he added.
Since
becoming pope in 2013, Francis has used his Christmas address to rail against
the Curia, as the Holy See’s bureaucracy is known, denouncing the “spiritual
Alzheimer’s” that some members suffer and the resistance he had encountered to
his efforts to reform and revitalize the institution and the broader Catholic
Church.
Those
reforms kicked into high gear this year, and some of the top Catholic hierarchy
bore the brunt as Francis ordered a 10% pay cut for cardinals, imposed a
40-euro ($45) gift cap for Holy See personnel and passed a law allowing
cardinals and bishops to be criminally prosecuted by the Vatican’s own
tribunal.
On
top of that, Francis added his Christmas greetings in the form of another
public brow-beating of Vatican clerics, who normally are treated with the
utmost deference by their underling and the faithful at large.
Francis
told them to stop hiding behind the “armor” of their titles and to recognize
that they, like the Biblical figure of Naaman, a wealthy and decorated general,
were lepers in need of healing.
“The
story of Naaman reminds us that Christmas is the time when each of us needs to
find the courage to take off our armor, discard the trappings of our roles, our
social recognition and the glitter of this world and adopt the humility of
Naaman,” he said.
Francis
also repeated his call for tradition-minded clerics to stop living in the past,
saying their obsession with old doctrine and liturgy concealed a “spiritual
worldliness” that was corrupting.
“Seeking
those kinds of reassurance is the most perverse fruit of spiritual worldliness,
for it reveals a lack of faith, hope and love; it leads to an inability to
discern the truth of things,” he said.
Francis
this year took his biggest step yet to rein in the traditionalist wing of the
church, re-imposing restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass that Pope
Benedict XVI had relaxed in 2007.
He
intensified those restrictions last weekend with a new set of rules that
forbids even the publication of Tridentine Mass times in parish bulletins.
Francis
said the proud who remain stuck in the past, “enclosed in their little world,
have neither past nor future, roots or branches, and live with the bitter taste
of a melancholy that weighs on their hearts as the most precious of the devil’s
potions.”
“All of us are called to
humility, because all of us are called to remember and to give life. We are
called to find a right relationship with our roots and our branches. Without
those two things, we become sick, destined to disappear,” he warned.
To
me, Christmas is notional birth day of Jesus and not precisely recorded
historic day. It is the day of turning solstice day. It is the day speech of descent of Santana Kumara who is
Jesus for Jesus is Sanatana Kumara for Hindus.
-January
1, 2022
JESUS IS SANAT KUMARA FOR
HINDUS
Sage Sanatkumara was one of the
Four Kumaras, the four Manasputras (mind-born-sons) or spiritual sons of
Supreme Being as mentioned in Gita whose other sons were Sanaka, Sanatana, and
Sanandana. Sanatkumara in Sanskrit means "eternal
youth". The seven Manasa Putras
are: Sana, Sanatsujata, Sanaka, Sanandana,
Sanatkumara, Kapila, and Sanatana and further mentions that "Knowledge
comes to these seven rishis, of itself (without being dependent on study or
exertion)
Bhagavad Gita says:
Maharshayah saptah poorve
chatvaaroe maanavastathaa | madbhaavaa maanasaa jaataa eshaam loka imaah
praajaah // 10-6 //
The seven great sages and the
more ancient four Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandan
and Sanatkumara and the Manus are possessed of powers
like Me, and born of My mind; all these beings of the world are descended from
them.
Chhandogya Upanishad says Sanat
Kumara is Sknda. Venkateswara in Tirupai is
worshiped as Skanda and the holy tank near Tirupati is called Swami
Pushkarani that is named after Skanda. Venkateswara in
Tirupati is the incarnation of Vishnu in Kaliyuga. Sanat Kumara
is the Son of God and so is Jesus as there is only One God that is Supreme
Spirit or Brahman or Holy Spirit or Jehovah or Al Kadar. It is therefore
reasonable to conclude Venkateswara is the One and only God on Earth for all
Mankind.
Venkataadri samam
sthaanam brahmaande naasti kanchana | Venkatesa sama devo
na bhooto na bhavishyati ||
There is no place equal to Venkataadri
in the whole Universe! A God equal to Venkatesa has never been born nor will
be! GOD equal to Venkatesha has never been in the past, nor is at
present, and neither will be in the future”.
According to Church of The
Universal and Triumphant, the Sanat Kumara is the leader of mankind. It has
been said that he is the leader of the Illuminati, and it is he who will rule
the world in the future. According to certain esoteric, mystic and
gnostic traditions, Sanat Kumara (eternal youth in Sanskrit) and 144,000 souls
from planet Venus came to Earth in her darkest hour to hold the light of God.
Notable beings in the 144,000 include Jesus, Gautama Buddha, and Maitreya
Buddha. He is also a God of Jains and celebrated as Muni who ascended heaven
after great penance. Sanat Kumara is the great guru, savior of Earth. Believers
see him in all the major religions, as Skanda/Kartikeya in Hinduism,
Brahma-Sanam Kumara in Buddhism, Ancient of Days in Judeo-Christianity and
Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism. It is also considered that Sanat Kumara is Al
Khadir (green man) known to Sufi Muslims.
A shrine to Sanat Kumara which
attracts and unites people of all religions and faiths is situated in the town
of Kataragama, Sri Lanka. In the Alice Bailey and Theosophical literature he is
called Sanat Kumara or Raudra Chakri - the Buddhist ruler of
Shambhala"
Science and religion conflate
that Venus is the most advanced planet and far superior to all other
planets. Venus is the second brightest natural object in the sky.
Venus is sometimes referred to as the “morning star” and “evening
star”. One day on Venus is longer than one year. Venus is named
after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Venus is sometimes called Earth's
sister planet. According to the Vedic Astrology Venus have many roles, reaching
from being an adviser in guiding them towards making contact with their lost
souls and also a spiritual teacher of the highest order.
Sun as spindle pulls all the
planets. The planets also equally pull the Sun. If the
energy of the planets is less than the energy of the Sun, the planets will
collapse on the Sun. The planets with their energy are moving around
the huge Sun. Since the planets have different masses, they move
with different speeds from different distances from the Sun. Eight
of them are moving around the Sun in one direction, while the planet Venus is
moving in the opposite direction. The kinetic and rotational
energies of Venus is balanced by the energies of the other eight planets. In
this way equilibrium is maintained in space by the nine planets around the
Sun. Different masses, distances, and speeds are involved to
maintain the equilibrium in space which can be fully explained only by Sriman
Naarayana or the Supreme. That is why everyone loves Venus as
Goddess of Love. She is advanced spiritually and
scientifically, much superior than every other planet. If she does
not move in the opposite direction to other 8 planets, we will not have our
solar system. We will not have galaxies. We will not have
the universe. We are blessed by Sriman Naarayana to live in
His consort's planet.
Sukra means
"lucid, clear, bright" in Sanskrit. It also refers
to the ancient sage who counseled Rakshasas in Vedic mythology. In
medieval mythology and Hindu astrology, the term refers to the planet Venus one
of the Navagrahas. The day Sukravara of the
week in Hindu calendar, or Friday, has roots in Sukra
(Venus). Sukara Graha is driven by the planet Venus in Hindu
astrology. The word "Friday" in the Greco-Roman and other
Indo-European calendars is also based on planet Venus.
Ritam Sathyam
Parabrahma—Supreme Being is called Orderliness (Ritam), Sathyam (sat+thi+yam)
that which regulates (yam) both immortals (sat) and mortals (thi)
and Supreme Spirit (Parabrahma). Supreme Being is responsible for the
orderliness of the Universe and it is not different from the Universe--It is
Universe alone as it pervades all.
Sanat Kumara Son of Supreme
Spirit is Jesus & Star of Bethlehem is Venus dancing with Jupiter. The
virgin birth of Jesus is the belief that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his
mother Mary through the Holy Spirit without the agency of a human father need
elsewhere in the Christian scriptures, and "the modern scholarly consensus
is that the doctrine of the virgin birth rests on a very slim historical
foundation. Even Muslims accept the virgin birth of Jesus.
When his mother Mary had been
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child
from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man
and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her
quietly. But as he considered these
things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for
that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She
will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people
from their sins." When Joseph woke from sleep, he
did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his
wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And
he called his name Jesus (Mathew 1:18-25)
Parvati was denied to give
birth to any child of her own by Siva by Devas. She thus remained Virgin like
Virgin Mary though married. But Siva wanted Sanat Kumara to be His
son. Sanat Kumara agreed to be his exclusive son but not
Parvati. This was an intriguing situation. Parvati
immediately argued that since the wife was entitled to half of her husband's
fortunes and misfortunes, she also was entitled to being his mother.
Sanatkumara consented. When Bhasmasura had sought the boon to turn anyone to
ashes, and tried it on Siva, he had disappeared, hearing about which Parvati
had become aggrieved and turned into a forest of reeds. Sanat Kumara
incarnated into that body of hers; hence she was mother to Sanat Kumara. Siva
released his Rethus (semon) to forest reeds flooded by Ganga
where he was born and then nurtured by Karttikas. He was therefore called as
Sarvana or the one born out of reeds.
A dramatic event occurred on
June 30th, 2016 when Venus and Jupiter appeared so close together - just 1/3 of
a degree apart - that they looked like a tight, brilliant double star in the
evening sky. A small backyard telescope will show both planets in the same
field of view.
The two planets have a history
of dancing together - and will do so in the future.
In Hinduism Jupiter called
Brihaspati, the Guru of Divines is born from great light and he is the one who
drives away Darkness. Among Navagrahas he is considered to be auspicious and
benevolent. Planet Venus is called Sukra in Sanskrit. It means lucid, clear and
bright. When these two bright planets come together intensity of light will be
multiplied appearing as single star of much greater brightness.
Sky & Telescope
Contributing Editor Fred Sheaf points out that this current string of
Venus-Jupiter conjunctions closely resembles a similar series between the years
3 and 2 B.C. It has been suggested that their joint appearance might have been
what came to be known as the Star of Bethlehem.
The three wise men
witnessed a bright star and followed the same. The star led
them to Jesus' home in the town, where they worshiped him and gave him gifts.
The wise men were then given a divine warning not to return to Herod and they
returned home by a different route. They had the prophesy that the child was
King of Jews. Probably you all know what INRI Means written over the
statue of Jesus in churches: Iesus=Jesus; Nazarenus=Nazareth; Rex= king of the;
Iudaeorum= Jews.
Using astronomy software, and
an article written by astronomer Craig Chester based on the work of
Ernest Martin, Larson thinks all nine characteristics of the Star of
Bethlehem are found in events that took place in the skies of 3-2 BC.
Highlights include a triple conjunction of Jupiter called the king planet,
with the fixed star Regales, called the king star, starting in September 3
BC. Larson believes that may be the time of Jesus' conception.
By June of 2 BC, nine months
later, the human conception period Jupiter had continued moving in its orbit
around the sun and appeared in close conjunction with
Venus with Venus in June of 2 BC. In Hebrew Jupiter
is called "Sedef", meaning "righteousness", a term also
used for the Messiah, and suggested that because the planet Venus represents
love and fertility, so Chester had suggested astrologers would have viewed the
close conjunction of Jupiter and Venus as indicating a coming new king of
Israel, and Herod would have taken them seriously. Astronomer Dave
Ren eke independently found the June 2 BC planetary conjunction, and noted it
would have appeared as a "bright beacon of light".
Jupiter next continued to move
and then it stopped in its apparent retrograde motion on December 25 of 2 BC
over the town of Bethlehem. Since planets in their orbits have a
"stationary point" a planet moves eastward through the stars but
"After it passes the opposite point in the sky from the sun, it appears to
slow, come to a full stop, and move backward (westward) for some weeks. Again it
slows, stops, and resumes its eastward course," said
Chester. The date of December 25 that Jupiter appeared to stop while
in retrograde took place in the season of Hanukkah, and is the date later
chosen to celebrate Christmas.
Other more improbable but
entertaining theories have been proposed over the years, says
Hughes. One he describes as particularly far-fetched was suggested
in a 1979 academic paper by the Greek astronomer George Banos. He proposed that
the Christmas star was actually the planet Uranus. Banos suggested
that the Magi discovered the planet 1,800 years before the astronomer William
Herschel formally recorded the discovery in 1781. "His idea was
that the Magi discovered Uranus, that this was the star of Bethlehem and they
then tried to hush up the discovery," Hughes explains.
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
are Varuna, Indra and Prajaapati mentioned in
Rigveda. Prominence for these planets has not been given in Hindu
astrology (Jyotisha sastra) as their effects on human beings are believed to be
negligible. Probably this had a great significance on divine Incarnations like
that of Jesus and especially when both Venus and Jupiter two spiritually
significant planets came together. Varuna with Mitra was a very popular Vedic
God.
Theosophy school of Annie
Besant and others maintain that Venus, The 'Planet of Love', is the most
spiritually advanced planet of our solar system. The beings living on the
etheric plane of Venus are said to be hundreds of millions of years ahead of us
in their spiritual evolution. It is said that the governing council
of Venus – the Seven Holy Kumars – sent one of the sons, Sanat Kumara, here to
guide us. Sanat Kumara is worshiped as Skanda who is worshiped as
Venkateswara in Tirupati. Sanat Kumara is the Son of God and so is Jesus
as there is only One God that is Supreme Spirit or Brahman or Holy Spirit or
Jehovah or Al Kadar.
Sanat Kumara, the Son of Holy Spirit
Did Paru* came
as Mary that Night?
And delivered Kumara on
X’mas Night
She laid Sanat on the manger bed
This Eternal Youth of life and
light.
He sang the glory the Supreme
spirit;
He proclaimed He was Son of
Jaganntha
It made
jealous leaders plot His death,
But a sinless
Yogi can never be killed!
He came to give us wisdom and
peace
To lead us from
death to Immortality
He brings hope to young and
old
And ushers Dharma
everywhere.
What makes the Lamb love Paru
so
And all the world beside?
By grace alone He chose His
abode
And settled
in Kailash with Her!
Kailash no one has ever climbed.
We must love the Lamb you
know;
His Preaching will make us
wise;
Our words must show that we are
Its;
That
we live our lives for others.
One day that Lamb will come
again
More Lion than the Lamb Paru
brought
Defeat all foes and save
us again.
Let lights flood our homes
this Night !
Let’s Praise the Day He
made Bright!
(*Paru is the pet name for
Parvati, The consort of Siva)
Lord Subrahmanya, called
Murugan in Tamil Nadu is Skanda in the Vedas
Lord Subrahmanya
Skanda worship was popular
during the Vedic Times and Murugan in Tamil.
Murugan’s oldest Temple dating
to 300 BC has been found in Tamil Nadu and Murugan worship is spread throughout
the world including Malaysia.
Now there is evidence that
Murugan was worshipped in Iraq, then called Mesopotamia.
Tawsi Melek God of the Yezdi
people Iraq.
There is
tribe Yezdis, which scholars believe to have descended from the
Tribe of Murugan. The God is worshipped in the form of a Peacock, which is the
vehicle of Lord Murugan.
The Yezidis are a very ancient
people from Iraq with their calendar being 6764 years old. About 5000 years ago
Yezidis migrated from India to Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Middle East. At that
time they were called children of Melek Taus same as Murugan, a God found in
south of India. The religion of Yezidis share much in common with Vedic Hindus.
Yezidis believe in reincarnation. Peacock finds a special place, which is
worshiped as Melek taus/Murugan. No peacock is found in Iraq or the Middle East
but is native to India. The language in which the Yezidi holy books are written
is Avesta which is thought to be same language of Sanskrit. Lord Rama is also
one of the Yezidi Gods. The temple tops of the Yezidis look much like the Hindu
temples. The serpent is the totem of Melek Taus/Murugan and symbolizes the
Kundalini released.”
Since their founding many
thousands of years ago in India, these people have always been known as the
Yezidis or Yazidis. According to Eszter Spat in The Yezidis, the name is
derived from ez Xwede dam, meaning “I
was created by God.” Some Yezidis maintain that it translates as “Followers of
the true path.” The term Yezidi or Yazidi is also very close to the
Persian/Zoroastrian word Yazdan, meaning “God“, and Yazata, meaning “divine” or
“angelic being“.
For this reason scholars have
theorized a Persian origin for the Yezidis. Other scholars have associated the
name Yazidi with Yazid bin Muawiyah, a Moslem Caliph of the early Umayyad
Dynasty. According to the current Yezidi belief, however, the Caliph Yazid was
a Moslem ruler who eventually became disenchanted with his religion and
converted to Yezidism.
Even with all of their
ostensible connections to other faiths, the Yezidis have for hundreds of years
been under constant attack from Moslems who promulgate the idea that the
Yezidi’s principle diety, Tawsy Melek, the “Peacock Angel”, is Satan. Moslems
also contend that the Yezidis are not “People of the Book”, i.e., that they
don’t have a sacred revealed scripture like the Holy Bible or the Koran at the
center of their religion, so they claim justification in their massacre of
them.
Or even worse, some Moslems
have pronounced the Yezidis as heretics who were once orthodox Moslems – an
allegation that puts them in the lowest rung of humanity. Over the course of
700 years, nearly 23 million Yezidi people have been murdered, thus bringing
their civilization to the brink of extinction.
The Peacock God Tawsi
Melek.
Tawsi Melek, the “Peacock
Angel” and “Peacock King,” is the most import deity of the Yezidis. But he is
not just the possession of the Yezidis, he belongs to the entire world. The
Yezidis believe that they possess the oldest religion on Earth, the primeval
faith that features Tawsi Melek, and that all other traditions are related to
them through the Peacock Angel. They contend that Tawsi Melek is the true
creator and ruler of the universe, and therefore a part of all religious
traditions. He does not, however, always manifest within these diverse
traditions as a peacock. Tawsi Melek has taken on many other forms throughout
time.
The Yezidis do not believe that
the Peacock Angel is the Supreme God. The Supreme God created him as an
emanation at the beginning of time. He was brought into manifestation in order
to give the invisible, transcendental Supreme God a vehicle with which to
create and administer the universe. Tawsi Melek is thus a tangible, denser form
of the infinite Supreme God. In order to assist Tawsi Melek in this important
role, the Supreme Creator also created six other Great Angels, who were, like
the Peacock Angel, emanations of the Supreme God and not separate from him.
When recounting the creation of
all Seven Great Angels, the Yezidis often summarize the emanation process as
follows:
Tawsi Melek was the first to
emerge from the Light of God in the form of a seven-rayed rainbow, which is a
form he still today continues to manifest within to them (usually as a rainbow
around the Sun). But the Yezidis also claim that Tawsi Melek and the six Great
Angels are collectively the seven colors of the rainbow. Therefore, the six
Great Angels were originally part of Tawsi Melek, the primal rainbow emanation,
who bifurcated to become the rainbow’s seven colors, which are collectively the
Seven Great Angels. Of the seven colors produced from the primal rainbow, Tawsi
Melek became associated with the color blue, because this is the color of the
sky and the heavens, which is the source of all colors.
---Ramani’s Blog
--January 1, 2022
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