THOUGHT OF THE DAY IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER
Welcome Happy New Year 2022 paying tribute to noble souls of Nashville
Mind-boggling as it may be, 2022 really is just around the corner and we're super excited about it.
Another year went by with a mix of fear, anxiety, loss and scatted lights of hope. As people all around the world are still living the scars of the deadly pandemic, we are all set to step into amazing and unique New Year 2022 of three 2s till after centuries of all 2s till 2222 that we will not see. Despite everything we happen to go through, at present, the begging of a new year is always something special as it comes with the excitement for a fresh start.
Be it cherishing the achievements of the past year or setting fresh resolutions for the next year, all we wish is to make it a moment of acknowledgement on a positive note.
New Year 2022: All that we can do on New Year's Eve
The start of each New Year is a time to reflect on the year just past, and make plans for the future. It holds a special magic, with a promise of new opportunities and the possibility to change our lives for the better. So, let us welcome this New Year by sending inspiring messages to our loved ones to mark this special time of year. And given how challenging 2021 has been for us all with COVID-19, it feels especially important to express our hopes and dreams for better days ahead in 2022 after seeking blessings of the Supreme at the altar!
New Year 2022: I have curated a few ideas on how you can spend our New Year's Eve at home, with our loved ones by our side and a smile on our face inspired by the message sent by Tapatrisha Das, Delhi.
"Eko Na Bhuto Dwitiyo Nasti, Vadanti Viprah” --This is the only time, there is no other like this, neither in the past nor will there be another in the future” say the Wisdom focused thinkers.
As a reminder of the good times spent engrossed in Hindu Reflections with equally engrossed participants like you, I think “I am the only one, there is no other like me, neither in the past nor will there be another in the future” in flashback mode, spent hours in deep, animated conversations with Dr. Narayan Bhat and Dr. Hiranya Gowda who left this world and continued their journey reach Pitrus’ (charati prana sapta lokeshu) world to enjoy Punya, noble deeds, earned here. I have also dwelt upon American thoughts perturbed continuing Corona pandemic.
Sri Ganesha Temple was built to provide a place for cultural, educational, and spiritual activities related to Hinduism, to promote inter religious, social, and cultural understanding, and to support humanitarian causes.
As some of the new immigrants to Nashville realized that they were not returning to mother India, they began to think about the need for a strong religious and cultural center that would promote our rich heritage, and expose our children to Hindu Culture. These immigrants had several informal meetings between 1978 and 1979, and ultimately formed a committee in 1980.“Hindu Cultural Center of Tennessee” was chosen by the majority, and it was incorporated in October 1980 in the state of Tennessee. The committee felt that the Hindu Cultural Center of Tennessee (HCCT) would provide a solid structural foundation for a temple and cultural organization. In the beginning, major religious functions and festivals were celebrated in individual devotee homes. As the number of participants increased between 1982 and 1985, the First Unitarian Universalist Church at 1808 Woodmont Blvd provided a place for worship, enabling devotees to hold biweekly prayer meetings every other Sunday afternoon.
Thirteen acres of land with a gentle sloping hill and a magnificent view were purchased in Bellevue in July 1982. Bhoomi Pooja was performed on Ganesha Chaturthi day, August 22, 1982. Several hundred people attended the ground-breaking ceremony on this momentous and auspicious day. Again, on a Ganesha Chaturthi day in 1984, the construction for the first phase of the temple began. Sri Ganesha Temple was officially opened on April 14, 1985 with Sri Muthukrishnan Gurukkal as our first priest. As the number of devotees gradually increased, the need for a bigger temple was planned. We were fortunate to have the eminent temple architect Sri Muthiah Sthapathi visit Nashville, and have our plans to build Sri Ganesha temple discussed with him. The majority of the committee members at that time recommended Sri Ganesha as the main Deity along with Shiva and Venkateshwara. I have given deep thoughts on these 3 deities as well others, as you know.
Venkatadri Samam Sthaanam Brahmande Naasti Kinchanaa / Venkatesa Samo Devo Na Bhootho Na Bhavishyati //
Neither in the past nor in the future would there be a sacred place in this universe that can equal the sanctity of the Venkatadri hills nor would there be a God who can equal the Holy Lord Sri Venkateswara.
"It is that time of the year again when we bid adieu to the present year and welcome the upcoming year with outstretched arms, hope, the zeal to work towards our goals and new dreams. Last two years have been difficult on us with the spread of the coronavirus. The pandemic made us stay away from our loved ones, live in the constant fear of a virus taking our near and dear ones away. The celebrations have also been rather dull because we kept living in the scare of a virus that grappled the world.
However, it's now time to say goodbye to another year which showed us that when we are together, we can beat the virus, when we have hope in our hearts and precautionary measures up our sleeves, we can always emerge victorious. This New Year's Eve is special, especially after last year when we had to stay away, in isolation and in fear. This year, we look forward to meeting our family, friends, have a hearty meal, share a joke or two and celebrate togetherness. We have curated a few ideas on how we can spend our New Year's Eve at home, with our loved ones by our side and a smile on our face.
New Year eve special meal – This is the time of the year when we see homecoming of our loved ones. People staying in different states or countries for their jobs or studies come back home to celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of next year together. Let us prepare a hearty meal with our family, have a laughter round the dinner table and feel blessed we have our near and dear ones close to us!
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow" —Albert Einstein"
*******************
Hanuman
Jayanti in Tamil Month Margazhi - Anjaneyar Jayanthi in Tamil Nadu - Margazhi
Moolam
In
Tamil Nadu, Anjaneyar Jayanthi is observed on Moolam Nakshatram in the Margazhi month or Margali Masam, which is one of the most
auspicious months in Tamil Calendar. In 2022, Hanuman Jayanti in Tamil Month
Margazhi is on January 2. Hanuman Jayanthi is observed during various time of
year by different Hindu communities. Majority of the people observe it on the
Purnima or full moon day in the Chaitra month (March - April).
It
is widely believed that Lord Hanuman is present where the story of Lord Ram is
recited. Therefore people read the Ramayana on the day or recite prayers
dedicated to Rama. The Sundara Kandam chapter of Ramayana is read by most
people.
Special
prayers are held on the day in Hanuman Temples and are visited by large number
of devotees.
At
home, idols or pictures of Hanuman are thoroughly cleaned at dawn. Idols and
pictures are smeared with Sindoor. Sweets and bananas are offered to Hanuman.
Some of the popular Anjaneya Temples in Tamilnadu organize various rituals.
Special prayers and pujas are held on the day. Food donation, feeding of
animals and special prasadam are distributed on the day.
Anjaneya
Stotram is chanted on the day:
Yatra
Yatra Raghunaatha-Kiirtanam Tatra Tatra Krta-Mastaka-Anjalim |
bashpavaari-Paripuurnnaa-Lochanam Maarutim Namata Raakssasa-Antakam
Wherever the Glories of Raghunatha are Sung, there,
with Hands held over His Bowed Head in Salutation, and Eyes
Filled with Tears, Maruti (Bhakta Hanuman) is Present;
I Salute Maruti Who puts an End to the Rakshasas.
Hanuman
Jayanti in USA is celebrated on 27th April except in Tamil Nadu and is
also celebrated widely across in April. Hanuman Jayanti, falls
on the Full Moon day or Purnima Tithi in the month of Chaitra,
according to the Hindu calendar. Hanuman Jayanti, considered to be the birthday
of Lord Hanuman is also celebrated in Nepal. Many devotees refer to
Lord Hanuman as the Vanar Devta or Ram Bhakt Hanuman
in North India as he is the greatest devotee of Lord Ram who was
always by his side. On Hanuman Jayanti, many devotees observe a
day-long fast. The famous Hanuman Chalisa is read by most
people. According to mythology, Lord Hanuman is the 11th incarnation
of Lord Shiva.
Significance
of Hanuman Jayanti
The
festival of Hanuman Jayanti is of great significance for the
all who worship Lord Hanuman. The Vanar god is the son of Mata Anjana and
Kesari. According to legends, he is also believed to be the son of Vayu Deva or
the wind god. Lord Hanuman, the most committed devotee of Lord Rama, is one of
the key figures in the epic Ramayana. Lord Hanuman is believed to be an epitome
of Shakti and Bhakti or the combination of
strength, compassion, love for his master and devotion.
Devotees
believe that all who pray to Lord Hanuman are able to overcome the toughest
adversaries. Lord Hanuman is described as someone who always successfully
tackled odds and difficult circumstances.
Wishing all a Happy Hanuman
Jayanti 0n January 2 looking forward to April 27 also to join other to chant
Hanuman Chalisa 40 times! Please go through my discourse on
Hanuman:
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/03/hanumaan.html
*****
MERRY CHRISTMAS, THE DAY THE
WISEMAN OF NASHVILLE JOINS THE ANGELS OF THE SKY
On this holy
Christmas Eve of 2021, Dr. Hiranya Gowda, this Nashville of Messiah has decided
to guide us with his GYM philosophy, joining the Angels of the Sky. Enjoy
this beautiful hymn of angels whom another wiseman has joined, composed by Dr. Ramprasad.
Merry Christmas! May the season's
reverence! Bring Joy Peace and
Happiness! In essence and quintessence!
Merry Christmas
PRINCE OF PEACE
Watching flocks were the Shepherds/
Mystified they were when they heard/
Angle’s voice from beyond the sky/
Unaware whether it was truth or lie/
Born is the baby in the Manger/
Follow the star to see the savior/
Peacefully lying in the lap of Mary/
Prince of Peace with all his glory/
Walls of the Manger were all gleaming/
Mary and Joseph were blithely beaming/
Seeing the baby everyone were rejoicing/
Prince of peace was peacefully sleeping/
Silent was the night teeming with veneration/
Faith was everywhere with loving adoration/
Street were overflowing with faithful singing/
Praying they were Holy Spirit for the blessing/
And the Wiseman came with gifts to the savior/
Overcome with utter joy they shed happy tears/
Blessed was the world of messiah the redeemer/
Sparkling were the stars in silence with /
Comment:
Can you please provide an example where Christians (Muslims or
Jews) wish Happy Diwali to their Christian (Muslim or Jewish) friends? Yes, I
wish merry Christmas to my Christian friends but NOT to my Hindu friends like
your enclosed greeting card conveys. This is based on my assumption that
over 90% of the recipients of this e-mail are non-Christians and in fact
Hindus.
I understand that today's
Christmas is more cultural than religious.
Happy Holiday. May New Year
bring Good Health, Peace and Prosperity to you and your loved ones
--Sant Gupta
My reply:
There is a festival like Onam in Kerala where all participate from all religions that is a Hindu festival that has strict religious discipline that prohibits women while ascending Sabarimalai. Let us conflate and not conflict as all religions have their origin in Sanatana Dharma guided by philosophers like Kabir and Omar who are not born in Hindu religion. Let us be guided by philosophers like Phil Goldberg, David Frawley. Let us turn positive. Diwali has gone to White House where all Americans participate in Diwali Celebration that include Americans of Islam origin.
*****
THE 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.
--December 23, 2021
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.
**********
– Thiruvathirai in Dhanur Masam in Kerala
Thiruvathirai festival is observed on the Thiruvathira Nakshatra day in the Malayalam month of Dhanu Masam (December – January). Thiruvathirai Festival 2021 date is December 19. Thiruvathirai is also the name of a famous dance form of Kerala and it is performed on the day. The festival is mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva and there are two popular beliefs – one is that on the day Kamadeva was burned to ashes by Lord Shiva. Another legend is Lord Shiva’s return to the world after ending harsh austerities and tapas that he was performing after the death of Goddess Sati.
The festival is dedicated exclusively to the women folk and reminds one of the enviable positions that women enjoyed in Kerala society during the medieval period. The government of India cultural departments writes about the festival
From prehistoric times, Malayalee woman enjoyed an enviable position in the society, and she was practically the mistress of her house. The elevated position she occupied at home and in the society had distinguished her from and in the society had distinguished her from her neighbors and influenced to a considerable extent the social structure, customs and religious practices of the people. The culmination of this phenomenon is clearly visible in setting apart one of the three great festivals of Kerala viz. Thiruvathira, exclusively for womenfolk, for which a parallel can hardly be found in any section of the Indian Society.
All the rituals and pujas are dedicated to Lord Shiva.
On the Thiruvathira day women fast and avoid rice meal and eat only preparations of wheat. Other food items include plantain fruits, tender coconuts, etc. They also chew betel and redden their lips.
The first Thiruvathira coming after the marriage of a girl is known as Puthen Thiruvathira or Poothiruvathira. This was celebrated on a grand scale earlier but today most people skip the functions.
Oonjal Attam, swinging on an oonjal (swing) is an item of amusement on the day.
On Thiruvathira night, women keep vigil for Shiva and perform Thiruvathira kali or Kaikottikali. They stand in a circle around lighted brass lamp, and dance each step at the rhythm of the songs they sing, clapping their hands.
Another popular custom on the day is known as the Pathirappoochoodal, meaning wearing of flowers at midnight. At the midnight of Thiruvathira, an image of Lord Shiva is placed at the central courtyard and flowers, plantains and jaggery are offered to the deity. They then perform Kaikottikali around the deity. Flowers are taken from the offering and worn by them.
Several dishes from tubers are prepared on the day and one of the most famous dishes is the Thiruvathira Puzhukku made from elephant yam and other locally available tubers.
The neighboring state of Tamil Nadu celebrates the Ardhra Darshan on the day – it is the festival dedicated to the Nataraja dance of Shiva.
Please go through my discourse: Aardra Darisinam Night--Dance in Devotion to Lord Siva (Jan 2012)
Sanat Kumara Son of Supreme
Spirit is Jesus & Star of Bethlehem is Venus dancing with Jupiter.
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. Sanat kumara
consented. When Bhasmasura had sought the boon to turn anyone to ashes, and
wanted to try it on Siva. Siva disappeared. Hearing this Parvati became
aggrieved and turned into a forest of reeds, Dharba. 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 Saravana or the
one born out of reeds.
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)
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 showed 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 pointed out that this string of
Venus-Jupiter conjunctions closely resembled 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 listened to 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
thought all nine characteristics of the Star of Bethlehem are found in events
that took place in the skies of 3-2 BC. Highlights included a triple
conjunction of Jupiter called
the king planet, with the fixed star Regales,
called the king star, starting in September 3 BC. Larson believed
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 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 described 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 explained.
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. Theosophists say Jesus is one of the Holy Kumaras sent
by the governing council of Venus to earth to guide us! In this context how do
we explain the birth of Jesus from Virgin Mary and the Star of Bethlehem that
announced His descent on Earth!
One candidate for the origin of
the name Caspar appears in the Acts of Thomas as Gondophares (21 – c. AD 47), i.e., Gudapharasa (from which
"Caspar" might derive as corruption of "Gaspar"). This
Gondophares declared independence from the Arsacid to become the first Indo-Parthian king, and he was allegedly visited by Thomas the Apostle. According to Ernst Herzfeld, his name is perpetuated in
the name of the Afghan city Kandahar, which he is said to have
founded under the name Gundopharron. India had trade relations with
Palestine; much of the commerce between the Orient and Mediterranean
civilization including Egypt, Greece and Rome, passed through Jerusalem. It is
very likely that wise men could have been great sages of India as Paramhams
Yogananda wrote in The Second Coming of Christ—The resurrection of Christ within
you.
There is a cosmic metaphysical
symbolism in the wondrous conception and birth of Jesus. His incarnate
Christ Consciousness came immaculately through the Virgin Mary. Likewise,
the universal Christ Intelligence was born or reflected in the cosmic body of
pure vibratory creation (Cosmic “Virgin Mary”) through the instrumentality of
God the Father”
--Paramahamsa
Yoganannda on Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Birth of
Karna by Virgin Kunti is another example. Birth of
Saravana in the Reeds (bush of Dharba grass) as Parvati
incarnate is another incidence, birth not out of womb.
Parvati took something of
herself, the sandal paste that was on her body, mixed it with
the local soil, made it in the form of a baby and breathed life into it who is
worshiped as Naramukha Vinayaka in Tamil Nadu.
An ivory carving of Virgin Mary
by the ivory Art Gallery of Trivandrum India displays the following prayer in
Sanskrit:
“Devi Priye namoe Mariee,
praseedataam varshine”—Salutation to Goddess Marie! May your blessings be
showered on us!
maharshayaha sapta poorve
chatvaaro manavastathaa | madbhaavaa maanasaa jaataa yeshaam loka imaahaa
prajaahaa--Gita 10-6.
The seven
great sages and the four before them, and the Manus were contemplating me. They
were born out of my mind, (they) of whom are the creatures in this world.
Arjuna uvacha: param brahma
param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan purusham shashvatam divyam adi-devam ajam
vibhum | ahus tvam rishayah sarve devarshir naradas tathaasito devalo vyasah
svayam chaiva bravishi mae||
Arjun said: You are the Supreme
Divine Personality, the Supreme Abode, the Supreme Purifier, the Eternal God,
and the Primal Being and the greatest. The great sages, like Narad, Asit,
Deval, and Vyas, proclaimed this, and now you are declaring it to me
yourself--Gita 12-13 of Chapter 10.
The Lord is giving a
genealogical synopsis of the universal population. Brahmā is the original
creature born out of the energy of the Supreme Lord, who is known as Hiraṇyagarbha. And from Brahmā all the seven great sages, and
before them four other great sages, named Sanaka, Sananda, Sanātana and Sanat-kumāra,
and the fourteen Manus, are manifested. All these twenty-five great sages are
known as the patriarchs of the living entities all over the universe. There are
innumerable universes and innumerable planets within each universe, and each
planet is full of population of different varieties. All of them are born of
these twenty-five patriarchs. Brahmā underwent penance for one thousand years
of the demigods before he realized by the grace of Supreme, how to create.
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2016/12/eternal-youth-sanatkumara-or-skanda-is.html
--December 19, 2021
Rishis Who Discovered Vedic
Mantras in Hinduism
||The Sage of Kanchi, explains
the greatness and importance of the Rishis who discovered the Vedic mantras in
Hinduism. They are perceived as one. Great men
there who have reached such a state and are capable of transforming what is
subtle in the one into what is gross in the other. I am speaking here to those
who believe in such a possibility. When we look at this universe and their
complex manner in which it functions, we realize that there must be a Great
Wisdom that has created it and sustains it.
The Great Wisdom, that is the Paramatman,
that all that we see are born and it is from It that all the sounds that we hear have emanated. First came the
universe of sound and then the universe that we observe. Most of the former
still exists in space. The space that exists outside us exists also in our
heart. The yogins have experience of
this hridayaakasha, this heart-sky or
this heart-space, when they are in samaadhi
(absorbed in the Infinite). In this state of theirs all differences between the
outward and the inward vanish and the two become one. The yogins can now grasp
the sounds of space and bestow the same on mankind. These successions of sounds
that bring benefits to the world are indeed the mantras of the
Vedas.
These mantras are not the creation of anyone. Though each of them
is in the name of a rishi or seer, in reality it is not his creation. When we
say that a certain mantra has a certain sage associated with it, all that we
mean is that it was he who first "saw" it existing without a
beginning in space and revealed it to the world. The very word
"rishi" means "mantra-drasta" (one who saw- discovered- the
mantra), not "mantra-karta" (one who created the mantra). Our life is
dependent on how our breathing functions. In the same way the cosmos functions
in accordance with the vibrations of the Vedic sounds- so the Vedic mantras are
the very breath of the Supreme Being. We must thus conclude that, without the
Vedas, there is no Brahman: To put it differently, the Vedas are self-existent
like the Paramatman.
--December 17, 2021
*******************************************************************
What Is the Main Trait of the
Wise?
Lord
Krishna in Chapter XIII of the Bhagavad-Gita declares amaanitva, humility,
as the first trait when listing out the twenty qualities of a jnani,
person of true knowledge.
Most
of us think position, power and knowledge are highly correlated to arrogance
and high-handedness. We seem to think that if we have money, power or
knowledge, we have a right to be arrogant. Has anyone of us ever asked
ourselves why? This false sense of superiority comes because we identify
ourselves with the material components in us. If we identify with the body, we
may think we are better off than people who may not look as good as us. If we
identify with the mind, we may think what we feel is always right. If we
identify with the intellect, we may think we know more than others. Though we
may look better than some people, have finer emotions than others and be more
intelligent than a few, why should it be any reason to feel superior or
arrogant? Have we ever thought what might happen if some permanent damages were
to be done to our face due to an accident? Have we ever thought what might
happen if we suddenly lose our memory due to disease, as it happened to me in
the recent Seizure Disorder?
What
we are trying to get at is where do we derive our sense of identity from? Is it
from the temporary, changing material components in us or from the permanent,
unchanging substratum of our personality, the Atman within? When we identify
with the material components and compare ourselves with others based on these,
there are bound to be differences. This is what leads to superiority and
inferiority complexes. There will always be people who will look more beautiful
or be less intelligent than us. There will always be some people who may seem
more gifted in a particular area than we are, but why should it mean that they
are ‘better’ than us. At the end of the day, we are all human beings who have
been gifted with certain talents and abilities. Some are born to color the
world with their magical strokes of art and there are others who will be able
to make money in almost every business transaction. But to think that one
person is better or worse than another is a great injustice to both. Each one
of us has our gift and a wise person understands this.
Complexes
and arrogance make us miss out on the best in others. We become so full of
ourselves that we are unable to see goodness in others. The wise have the
ability to learn lessons from every person they interact with and observe. They
understand the uniqueness of each person and are able to draw out the best in
people. This is why the great poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said ‘Every man I meet
is in some way my superior’. Each one of us adds to this beautiful diversity
that is the world.
Amaanitva (humility),
is a trait that comes when we have a correct understanding of the world and people
around us. Because the body becomes feeble, the mind degenerates and the
intellect slow down sooner or later. To base our personalities on such fleeting
and changing material aspects is unwise. It is best to identify with that
unchanging, permanent Life-Principle in each one of us, Atman.
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.
We
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 we.
Body, mind and intellect make the mask. The word ‘personality’ comes from the
Latin ‘persona’ which means mask.
Ignorant
of our real nature we wrongly attribute the distortions and limitations of the
body, mind and intellect to ourselves and suffer. Being matter, body, mind and
intellect, we are susceptible to the influences of the world. But we are the
Spirit. Nothing in the world has the power to affect us. We command the world.
Yet today we are victimized by the world and are weak, powerless, totally at
the mercy of the environment.
The
Gita exhorts us to awaken to our own glory. The mask of body, mind and
intellect is provided us 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
we have to do is understand the distinction between the mask and the WE. Then
the distortions inherent in the body, mind and intellect will only entertain us
and we will not agonize over them. Our interface with the world will be
perfect, evoking accolades and laurels and by ourselves we 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 THAT
which is to be known?” We labor in the field of matter, oblivious of our true
nature as Knower of the field. Once we know the distinction between the two, we
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.
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 Prakriti, 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 Purusha 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 is 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 Jnanachakshu, eye-of-wisdom, and you will perceive clearly the
difference between Spirit and matter and go to the supreme Self.
na hi jñānena sadṛiśhaṁ pavitramiha
vidyatetatsvayaṁ yogasansiddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati
In this world, 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 Knowledge 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
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" Clear knowledge
obtained by Vedanta is called Vijnana in Upanishads that
Krishna refers as Jnana in Bhagavat Gita. The Sanskrit word Prajna means
consciousness. The consciousness is Brahman. This is the meaning of
Prajnanam Brahma.
We find that jnana, vijnana and prajnana play
a great role for the seekers in understanding the physical world, the ultimate
reality who is beyond name and form, who is beyond space-time continuum and who
is an Omnient reality. A seeker should get rid of his nescience (avidya) and
ignorance (ajnanam) for experiencing the bliss of Brahman which is only
experiential phenomena and not theoretical phenomena.
The words such as jnana, vijnana and prajnana have
wide and multifarious meanings in the Hindu thoughts and especially in the
Vedanta philosophy. They just do not mean any kind of knowledge but a
systematic methodology and encompass a plethora of disciplines, be it in the
realms of art, science or philosophy. In Vedanta Jnana stands
for knowledge, vijnana for the systematic study of a branch of
learning, science, intellectual awareness and consciousness. Prajnana stands
for profound knowledge, wisdom, ultimate reality or Brahman. These words are
inter-related and connote a higher meaning in the realm of spiritualism. Keywords: Consciousness,
ignorance, intelligence, knowledge, ultimate reality or Brahman
******************************************************************************
PSYCHIATRY, PHYSIOLOGY OR PSYCHOTHERAPY
I also been treated with Integrated Medicine while I became a
victim of life-threatening diseases that I continued even after recovery to
lead a healthy life, busy with Hindu Reflections influenced by temple founders
and that was also advised by an active psychiatrist founder of Sri Ganesha
Temple, after my retirement and settling in Nashville. I
believe in Five Pillars human health that I consider to be most
important and life changing--Relationship to Food/Nutrition; Exercise/Movement;
Sleep/Rest; Stress Reduction and Connectedness to Self and Others,
recommended by the Holistic Medical Center. There are some Holistic Medical
Centers in Nashville too, where I live:
They combine mainstream medicine and complementary/alternative
medicine in a primary care setting, striving for the best of both worlds.
They believe time spent with patients is the most important
element in helping create sustainable healing and change. ]
They also believe in Lifestyle Medicine (Ayurveda) and others as
alternate if suited and the Five Pillars human health that they consider to be
most important and life changing--Relationship to Food/Nutrition;
Exercise/Movement; Sleep/Rest; Stress Reduction and Connectedness to Self and
Others.
They treat most all basic primary care health issues, such as
gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine issues, respiratory disorders, fatigue,
anxiety, depression, hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, GYN hormonal
issues, etc.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation
Sciences (SHRS) is a nationally renowned leader in the field of health care
education, research and clinical practice preparation. SHRS shapes
future generations of health care professionals—therapists, counselors,
advocates, scientists, providers and practitioners—trained to serve the needs
of all people regardless of background, levels of health or mobility. They are
built on a legacy of academic excellence and innovation and fueled by passionate
educators and researchers, allowing them to meet the health care and
rehabilitation needs of today and drive meaningful change in the future.
Do you have more to add or delete some for I am not a psychiatrist
experienced in spirituality that are experts in blending together clinical cure
for quick physical health recovery and long mental health need after quick
recovery.
--December 12, 2021
******************************************************************
Dhyaneswari, Jnaneshwari or Bhavartha Deepika
Dhyaneswari as Jnaneshwari or Bhavartha
Deepika is a commentary on the Dnyaneshwar
(born 1275) lived a short life of 21 years, and this commentary is notable to
have been composed in his teens. The text is the oldest surviving literary work
in the Marathi language, one that inspired major Bhakti
movement saint-poets such as Eknath and Tukaram of the Varkari (Vithoba) tradition. The Dnyaneshwari interprets
the Bhagavad Gita in the Advaita
Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The
philosophical depth of the text has been praised for its aesthetic as well as
scholarly value.
The narrative of the Dnyaneshwari closely follows
the Bhagavad Gita, yet the commentary – called tika in
the local tradition – is written in the form of a "song-sermon" that
expands the explanation to include a discussion of the major Hindu philosophies
and beliefs in the 13th-century. While the Gita has
700 verses, the Dnyaneshwari has about 9,000 verses. It
includes references The Dnyaneshwari is a
rhythmic prose that can be recited alone or chanted as a
group.
The text reverentially includes the names of numerous Hindu gods
and goddesses from Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism traditions, as well as
Vedic ones such as Saraswati (Sharada). The last line of many of its verses
include the characteristic "Jnanadeva says" or "Says
Jnanesvara". This format was adopted by other later era Bhakti
movement poets, as well as in the Guru Granth of Sikhism.
Teachings on death in Dnyaneshwari from chapter 8
He who becomes one with Me (Brahman) from outside as well as
inside, sheds the layers of the five principles from his body automatically. He
who is not aware of his body even while living does not feel grief from death.
A vessel immersed in water has water inside as well as outside. Does water
break if the vessel breaks? Similarly, even if body gets destroyed, Brahman
continues to be everywhere and therefore how can the intellect which has become
one with it get destroyed? Therefore, those who remember me at the time of
death become one with me. (8:59-68)
The normal rule is that after death a person attains that state
which is in his mind at the time of death. He cannot avoid it. Just as one
dreams of things which are constantly in the mind while awake, whatever one
longs for in life comes to the mind at the time of death and he attains that
state. Therefore, make a habit of always remembering Me. Consider that whatever
you hear, think, see, speak is Me throughout, then I am always with you. I
assure you that if you offer your mind and intellect to Me then you will attain
only Me. If you any doubts about this then experience it by practicing it.
(8:69-80Purify your conscious mind by this practice and lead it to the
spiritual path. If the mind which takes one here and there gets engrossed in
who cares or remembers whether the body exists or not? The mind merges with
Consciousness which is solid bliss. (8:81-85)
With the knowledge that the faultless Brahman is formless and without
birth and death, that It witnesses all, is older than the sky and subtler than
the atom, that the affairs of the world go on by association with It, that It
gives birth to all the visible world, that the world lives by It, that It is
beyond logic and beyond imagination, that eyes cannot see It even in broad
daylight, that like a sunbeam It always appears lustrous to men of Knowledge,
that It never sets, he (a person of Self-realization) who concentrates on It
with steady mind at the time of death while outwardly, sitting in the lotus
position facing north, with the eternal bliss gained by practicing desire-free
actions (Karma Yoga), with the love of Self-realization and using the yogic
techniques mastered for attaining it quickly, he brings the life-force (Prana)
from the center (Chakra) of fire or energy (i.e. Manipura Chakra
near the navel) through the central nerve i.e. the Sushumna route
to the Brahmarandhra or aperture on the crown, where the
life-force merges with the sky-principle. The immobile mind and the life force
appear outwardly to have merged. But because the mind has become stable and
devotion steady, and with the strength of the yogic power, that life-force
eliminates the movable; and then the immovable enters the center of the
eyebrows and vanishes there. Just as the sound of a bell vanishes in the bell
itself the devotee leaves his body and merges into pure Brahman which is my
lustrous form. (8:86-99).
--December 5, 2021
Truth
Is What Remains After All Else Has Been Negated
The
way to prosperity and happiness is never through despair. Motivate, rise with
renewed energy and walk towards the goal.
Our
ignorance does not change reality. Ignorance only creates misconception and
misperception. You don’t have to make an effort to reach the Truth. It
cannot be caught. It is what remains after all else has been negated. Once
human beings did not believe in electricity but that did not mean electricity
did not exist. The power hidden in the Supreme Truth is unimaginable, so keep
an open mind. What is dream and fiction today, might become real in future. Mental
purity and overcoming weaknesses like anger and greed is necessary for
spiritual and worldly success.
Once
you realize that the Supreme Truth is within us, many good things will follow
on its own. The only real and lasting peace to be found is at the Source,
which to reach you must go against the current. You
cannot hold on to anything, for everything is bound to pass away and only you
(the Reality) remain. No concepts, no ideas remain.
You
cannot throw anger out it must dissolve into you. Simply don’t act on anger or
jealousy. How can you be angry or jealous when you are beyond
everything? You are like fertile land. Many things grow over you and out
of you, but you are not responsible for what springs out of you. You will still
be there like the land when the growth dies away.
Swami
Vivekananda said: “Stand upon truth and you have got God! Follow truth
wherever it may lead! Do not be cowardly and hypocritical!
Those
who think that a little sugar coating of untruth will help the spread of truth,
are mistaken, and will find in the long run that a single drop of poison
poisons the whole mass.”
"Satyameva
Jayate" --Truth alone triumphs, is a mantra from the ancient Indian scripture Mundaka
Upanishad. Upon independence of India, it was adopted as the
national motto of India. It is inscribed in script at the base of the national
emblem. It is inscribed on all currency notes and national documents.
Let us see what Mundaka
Upanishad says about realizing Supreme Truth:
satyameva
jayate nānṛtaṃ satyena panthā vitato devayānaḥ |yenā akramanty rishayo
hyāptakāmā yatra tat satyasya paramaṃ nidhānam
|| \
Truth
alone wins, not falsehood; by truth, the Devayanah (the path of
the Devas) is widened, that by which the seers travel on, having nothing
to wish for to where there is that—the highest treasure attained by
truth.
Truth
alone, i.e., he who speaks the truth alone, wins; not he who utters
falsehood, for there can be neither victory nor defeat between abstract truth
and falsehood where they do not cling to men. It is well known in the world
that he who utters falsehood is defeated by him who speaks the truth; not the
converse. Therefore, it is established that truth is a strong auxiliary; again,
the superiority of truth as an aid is also known from the sastras;
how? It is only by truth, i.e., by a determination to speak what
had occurred, the road named “Devayanah” (the way of the gods) is
widened; i.e., is kept up continually; by which road, seers free
from deceit, delusion, fraud, pride, vanity and falsehood and having no
desires, go about to where the absolute truth, the highest treasure covetable
by man and attainable by the important aid, truth, exists. The expression
“where the greatest, etc.,” is connected with the preceding clause “the road by
which they go is widened by truth.”
A person is
rendered fit for Sannyāsa by the destruction of his sins and blemishes. Worship
habitually performed by one who lives the religious pattern of life to bring
about such purity. Thus, a candidate who is to be ordained as a sannyāsin
becomes firm in the Supreme Truth.
The heart of Sannyāsa is tapas, which includes habits,
temperaments and traits of character specified in the scriptures. Each moral
quality that should necessarily be cultivated by a sannyāsin is also
called tapas.
Nyāsa is placed at the
head of all of them, for that transcends the rest—that is the unsurpassed means
of attaining Self-illumination.
That man, on the other hand, who
is always wedded to veracity does not fall from the blissful state at any time.
The word Satyam is derived thus: sati sādhuḥ, sate hitam—what is right for the good people, what conduces to the good. The
word Satyam is cognate to sat. This shows
that sages (Santaḥ) who tread the right path are
always truthful. Truthfulness, therefore, is the unsurpassed means of
liberation.
Those who have the summum
bonum of life in view, therefore, delight in truthfulness
always. The condition laid down here is that which gives
fitness--Sannyāsa is truthfulness. Truthfulness is
certainly high. Granting that one who violates this principle gets heaven
through the force of some other virtue, it is stated here that he can never be
there for long.
'Satyameva
Jayate' statement has now become an iconic slogan for social change
rather than for spiritual uplift and has attracted even Film World and
Television. This Upanishad mantras has thus journeyed from the esoteric realm
of the Guru to the social arena. The wisdom of India has always found new
avenues to manifest such 'Truth' affirming statements. Truth never dies.
"Truth alone wins (Satyameva Jayate) not
Falsehood (Na-anritam)".
‑-December 5, 2021
Comments
Thank
you! Very well written.
--Bala from Atlanta
INTEGRATIVE MEDICAL APPROACH ADVICE OF HH
CHINNA JEER
Life is
defined as any system that fulfills all four processes of the living state,
namely: dissipation, autocatalysis, homeostasis, and learning. Life is defined
as the instance of life that we are familiar with on Earth.
“A doctor does not find it in
his/her textbook that medicine should be inclusive, meaning that
practitioners must work with other streams of medicine in treating the
patient’s illness. It could be that the economic condition of other medical
streams such as Homeopathy, Ayurveda (Life Science), and Naturopathy does not
allow for extensive tests and studies to prove that something works. However,
one must not ASSUME that there is only one way to treat a patient.
Diagnose and Determine
Allow yourself to diagnose and
then determine--”what is the best way to treat the illness without affecting
any other system in the body”. If it is allopathy medicine, prescribe it. If it
is Ayurveda, prescribe it. If it is something else, prescribe that. If you are
unsure, have a mechanism to interact with other doctors of other medical
streams to share knowledge. Integrative medicine that demands inclusive
nature is the need of the hour. There could be a scenario where a
specific medicine is prescribed to treat the person, but it affects other
healthy organs of the person. Therefore, you must keep the doors open
for other streams of medicine because sastra defines a
medicine to have four characteristics, otherwise it should not be given.
You must be able to diagnose and see which medical technique or stream fits in
all the four characteristics and prescribe it.
The textbooks may speak about
many specifics of one medical stream. However, if you can spread its
wings to include and welcome all streams, medicine can then
succeed without any compromise. Don’t say, ‘It does not fit my
textbook’. Say, ‘If it fits the purpose of relieving one’s pain, I respect and
welcome any medicine’.”
– From the discourse of HH Sri
Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
HH Chinna Jeer, if I rightly
understand, recommends Integrated Medical Approach to pre- and post-treatment
as life science for leading a healthy life and overcome diseases, where modern
medicines fail, though takes long time and patience.
Holistic
medicine is a form of healing that considers the whole person -- body,
mind, spirit, and emotions -- in the quest for optimal health and
wellness. A holistic doctor may use all forms of health care, from conventional
medication to alternative therapies, to treat a patient. “No other personal steps I’ve taken to improve my
wellbeing have led to such dramatic healing. My only regret is that this didn’t
happen sooner.” – RLC, patient.
“Our medical approach to
achieving wellness and good health is holistic and integrated. We utilize both
mainstream medicine and appropriate alternative and complementary techniques.
We cultivate an atmosphere of active listening, safety for emotional
expression, and most importantly, time to fully explore the healing journey
with you. Our goal is to nurture you toward wholeness and to help you discover
the tools to a healthier life. With this understanding, we provide a
comprehensive approach to each patient, and we invite a patient’s own intuition
and guidance with respect to treatment. The wisdom of one’s own body,
mind, and spirit is central to the healing process”--J. David
Forbes, MD, ABIHM, Past president of American
Holistic Medical Association.
MANTRAS AND MENTAL HEALTH
Mantras can have a soothing
effect on the mind even among people who are not religious. The utterance of
mantras often focuses on calming the mind, controlling the breathing, and
eliminating unhealthy or unkind thoughts. Some mental health professionals
encourage their clients to meditate or do yoga as a way to control stress, and
some may encourage clients to utter mantras as mechanism to calm their minds.
The syllable “om” is probably the most well-known mantra, and
has made its way into some yoga classes. For example, some yoga instructors
encourage students to breathe deeply while saying “om” at the
beginning and end of class. In Hinduism, “om” is the most
important mantra, and begins and ends all prayers.
It is a strange coincidence
that founders of Nashville Sri Ganesha Temple are retired and active medical
practitioners of modern Western Medicine. They also promote GYM, Garudi,
physical exercise, Yoga of Body, Mind and Spirit and Mantra
Medicine and also teach and prepare young minds to prevent body from diseases
and lead a healthy life, for “Prevention is better than Cure”, in Bal Vihar
Classes.
I have also been treated with
Integrated Medicine while I became a victim of life-threatening diseases that I
continued even after recovery to lead a healthy life, busy with Hindu
Reflections influenced by temple founders and that was also advised by an
active psychiatrist founder of Sri Ganesha Temple, after my retirement and
settling in Nashville. I believe in Five Pillars human health that I
consider to be most important and life changing--Relationship to
Food/Nutrition; Exercise/Movement; Sleep/Rest; Stress Reduction and Connectedness
to Self and Others, recommended by the Holistic Medical Center.
There are some Holistic Medical
Centers in Nashville too, where I live:
- They combine mainstream
medicine and complementary/alternative medicine in a primary care setting,
striving for the best of both worlds.
- They believe time spent with patients is
the most important element in helping create sustainable healing and
change.
- They also believe in Lifestyle Medicine
(Ayurveda) and others as alternate if suited and the Five Pillars human
health that they consider to be most important and life
changing--Relationship to Food/Nutrition; Exercise/Movement; Sleep/Rest;
Stress Reduction and Connectedness to Self and Others.
- They treat most all basic
primary care health issues, such as gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine
issues, respiratory disorders, fatigue, anxiety, depression, hypertension,
diabetes, elevated cholesterol, GYN hormonal issues, etc.
Psychiatry Psychology Psycho-therapy
The University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation
Sciences (SHRS) is a nationally renowned leader in the field of health care education,
research and clinical practice preparation. SHRS shapes future
generations of health care professionals—therapists, counselors, advocates,
scientists, providers and practitioners—trained to serve the needs of all
people regardless of background, levels of health or mobility. They are built
on a legacy of academic excellence and innovation and fueled by passionate
educators and researchers, allowing them to meet the health care and
rehabilitation needs of today and drive meaningful change in the future.
Do you have more to add or delete some for I am not a psychiatrist
experienced in spirituality that are experts in blending together clinical cure
for quick physical health recovery and long mental health need after quick
recovery?
--December 4, 2021
SAKINI AND DAKINI IN HINDUISM
Seven deities called Dhātunāthās were
stationed in their respective places beneath the same step. They were Yakṣiṇī, Śaṅkhinī, Lākinī,
Hākinī, Śākinī, Ḍākinī and
(another) Hākinī who had the united (and combined) forms of all of them. All
these demonstrated the exploits of their mighty arms. They appeared ready to
drink (i.e. destroy) all living beings and the Earth. They drank and consumed
the seven Dhātus, essential ingredients, of the body (viz. the
blood), skin, flesh, fat, bones, marrow and the semen of .They had hideous
faces. With their harsh leonine roars, they filled ten quarters. They were
called Dhātunāthās and they were the bestowals of
eight Siddhis beginning with Aṇimā (minuteness).They were experts in deluding,
slaying, paralyzing (stupefying), striking, swallowing, and exterminating the
wicked Daityas. In regard to
those who are habitually devout, they were competent to annihilate all
adversities. They were called Dhātunāthās (since) they were
present in all Dhātus (essential secretions of the body).
Tantric texts such as the Rudrayāmala
Tantra identify Ḍākinī, Rākinī, Lākinī,
Kākinī, Śākinī and Hākinī with the six
chakras, the dhātus and the five elements plus the mind. This
work associates Ḍākinī with the mūlādhāra chakra, Rākinī with svādhiṣṭhāna,
Lākinī with maṇipūra, Kākinī with anāhata, Śākinī with viśuddhi, and Hākinī with ājñā.
Sakini means something in
Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit and Marathi. Sakini—Name of one of the six
female deities (yoginīs) springing forth from the body of Kulesvara, the
central male deity of the Yoginichakra (fourth of the five internal chakras),
according to the kubjikamata-tantra. She is also known as Kaki. In other
tantric sources, such as the Kularnava-tantra, she is identified as Sakini. Sakini is identified with the
kala-adhvan (one of the six paths, or adhvans) and relates to one thirty-eight
kalas. These kalas are usually five in number (Nivrtti, Pratistha, Vidya, Santi
and Santatita) which also form part of the Devichakra. The fearful character of
Sakini is represented by her fondness for breaking bones (asthibhangapriya).
She is situated in the Visuddhi-chakra which is symbolic for her relation with
one of the six-fold sites (satpura). She is also related to Netra, one of the
six angas.
In a philosophical sense,
anyone who can cut through the limitless illusory deception of Maya and
ignorance is a Dakini or Daka. It can be a spirit or a human yogini. The male
equivalent is Daka. For this reason, the main symbol of the Dakini is the
kartari, the hooked butcher’s knife. The hook is said to be for pulling beings
out of the ocean of suffering (none too comfortably at first), and the blade,
Wisdom, is for cutting through duality and self-deception into the Great Bliss.
Dakini spirits are said to be
intensely energetic and lively, utterly undomesticated and uninhibited, can fly
at fast speeds using subtle winds, become insubstantial or corporeal, manifest
in various forms or guises, and tend to be secretive, elusive, and erotically
sexual (note that this does not mean they are always physically beautiful in a
classic sense; some are monstrous-looking, or any number of varied appearances,
though they are often naked except for bone-carved jewelry gathered from
charnel grounds). They love to move, to fly, to play, to kick, to dance in
ecstasy, to express themselves through bodily movement and activity. All space
is open and free to them.
Dakinis are associated with
energy in all its functions and transformations. They tend to be of generally
fierce, volatile, or wrathful temperament. Some Dakinis and Dakas follow the
Goddess Kali and eat human flesh. Some dwell in darkness, or in cremation
grounds or cemeteries. Some are dangerous to humans, and Kavachas (spiritual
armors) are sometimes traditionally invoked against them as a type of demon.
Other Dakinis are protectors, or Gurus, occult masters of Tantra and Yoga. Some
are full-fledged deities, objects of meditation who dwell within the sacred
Mandala as fully enlightened Buddhas; others are more subtle messengers or
“inspirers” of spiritual practice and experience. There are many different
Dakinis with their own names and characteristics. A Dakini dwells within the
spinal locus of every human being, in the channel of the Kundalini
Shakti.
Dakinis and Dakas are (or were)
known throughout India, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, and Japan. In Japan,
some mistune spirits have become Dakini. Spiritual practices involving
Dakinis are usually taught by Gurus in personal instruction, and many such
practices are not safe to attempt without such guidance. Working with Dakini
energy is not for the unprepared or the faint of heart. If you feel drawn to Dakini-related
practices, you seek a qualified instructor of Shaiva or Shakta Tantra, Nath
Yoga, or Vajrayana Buddhism (especially of the Tibetan or Shingon
tradition). .There is a certain time each lunar cycle associated with the
Dakini, ten days after the full moon, when the waning moon appears as a
crescent at dawn. In the dark before the dawn on that morning, the crescent
moon in the sky represents the Dakini’s crescent-bladed butcher’s knife, held
high in her upraised hand, ready to chop through the practitioner’s mind and
into the Great Bliss beyond.
A Vetal is a revenant in Hindu
mythology, usually defined as a knowledgeable (fortune telling) paranormal
entity said to be dwelling at charnel grounds. The vetal is comparable to the
vampires of Western mythology. Reanimated corpses are used as vehicles by the
spirits for movement, the corpse no longer decays while it is inhabited by a
vetal. A vetal may possess and also leave a dead body at will.
A Dakini is a type of sacred
female spirit in Hinduism, while in Vajrayana Buddhism the term is often wisdom
Dakini. The term can also be applied to human women with a certain amount of
spiritual development. The Sanskrit term Dakini is related
to diyate - as uda to fly in Uddayanam.
--December 3, 2021
The Science
of Homa
When
one performs homa sincerely and accurately (samyak) with right mantra while
offering pure inputs such as ghee and wood, the resulting smoke (homa dhuma)
touches and empowers the rays of sun (adithya). Those sanctified sun rays
attract water from the Earth, forming clouds releasing pure energized rainwater
(vrushti). Such sanctified rainwater produces healthy food (annam). Such
sanctified healthy food makes the people (prajaha) immune to many illnesses.
Sastra
says…
Agnou
pra:stha a:huthi samyak a:dithyam upathishtathe:
a:ditya:th ja:yathe: vrushtihi vrushte:he annam
thathah praja:ha
It has
been over two years with COVID seeing many suffer and lose lives due to lack of
immune power in the bodies. Isn’t it time to take the path of the ancient
scientists, the sages who guided people of those days with
formulae for sustained lifestyle? Such homas help not
only yield a healthy crop but also purify the air.
We are in dire need of both the benefits today!
Does
that mean I perform homa at my home?
A homa
requires the doer to have sankalpa suddhi (righteous
intent), mantra suddhi (perfect intonation of
correct mantra), and dravya suddhi (pure
ingredients). The process needs to be accurate such as
- the homakunda, the sacrificial
fire spot must be set up in the right process
- it needs to have the right
protective set up
- offer ahuthi of
defined pure ingredients, a physical act
- chant mantra, a
divine act adding energy to the ahuthi
- And many more…
Homa –
an antidote to poisonous pollutants!
On
December 3rd, 1984 there was a tragic incident in Bhopal when
poisonous gas MIC leaked from Union Carbide factory. Hundreds of people died,
and thousands were hospitalized but there were two families who lived within
one mile from the gas plant but did not suffer anything from the leak. These
two families were regularly performing homa.
– From the discourse
of HH Sri ChinnaJeeyar Swamiji
Swamiji
is setting an example to the world on how one must secure the pure ghee using
only desi cow milk, firewood using desi cow dung sticks,
and guiding the entire procedure to conduct the homa.
--December 2, 2021
Brief review of HUA's journey
and roadmap going forward
Hindu religion calls for peace,
harmony and progressing together. Hindu University of America is a pioneering
online university teaching a Dharmic perspective through courses in Hindu
philosophies, traditions, culture, and civilization. Their faculty of dedicated,
brilliant scholars recognizes the need for a global university that truthfully,
steadfastly, and academically represents the Hindu paradigm. I have
been busy with the same over a decade serving the cause single handed though
not a brilliant scholar, with no charge. I have been sustaining the
Sanatana Dharma Momentum started by Swami Vivekananda and Paramahansa Yogananda
in USA, often sharing the thoughts of such brilliant scholars and Gurus with my
limited explanation! Now, I would like to share with you all, a beautiful
prayer from the Rigveda.
saṃgacchadhwaṃ saṃvadadhwaṃ saṃ vo manāṃsi jānatām devā bhāgaṃ yathā pūrvesañjānānā upāsate ||
May you move in harmony, speak
in one voice; let your minds be in agreement; just as the ancient gods shared their
portion of sacrifice.
samāno mantraḥ samitih samānī samānaṃ manaḥ sahacittameṣām samānaṃ mantram abhimantraye vaḥ samānena vo haviṣā juhomi ||
May our purpose be the same;
may we all be of one mind. In order for such unity to form I offer a common
prayer.
samanī va ākūtiḥ samānā hrdayāni vaḥ |samānamastu vo mano
yathā vaḥ susahāsati
May our intentions and
aspirations be alike, so that a common objective unifies us all!
Dharma (ethical conduct); karma
(the consequences of one’s actions in life for the future of one’s soul);
immortality of the soul (atman) through cycles of rebirth or reincarnation
(samsara) until the soul achieves liberation (moksha) from this cycle. Hindus
believe in a supreme, all-encompassing being called Brahman, as well as many
gods and goddesses, including Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Ganesh, Rama, and Krishna.
The Hindu holy books are called the Vedas. Hinduism is the oldest of the major
world religions, with its origins pre-dated recorded history; it has no human
founder and has many traditions and practices.
Unpopular opinion may be but
Hindu religion at its core has hardly ever been followed as a whole by society.
It is only a select few and their realization and effort that has kept it
alive, not the tag Hinduism in particular, but Sanatana dharma as a whole.
Sure, outwardly people are either atheistic or theistic, but it isn't that
superficial. It is not only the problem of this generation. People thinking
that only this particular generation has let Hinduism down are undergoing
anti-generational bias. From time immemorial, society has been corrupted by
some power or the other, either from outside or sometimes even from the people
practicing Hinduism itself and has maligned the core teachings and have added
to the confusion. The problem is not with the religion itself but with people.
People are selfish and manipulative, mentally afraid. That's just how it has
always been. Society is built around comfortable lies which promote echo
chambers of groups, dilute reality of the situation and make us lead personal
lives of comfort amidst the fear brewing underneath. So while I'm happy that it
has been added in the curriculum, I hope it may not be
taught as some subject, but as an inner transformative
philosophy which gives inner strength. It is supposed to cleanse the
individual, and society as a whole. It is not talking of mere
morality, but instead, self-realization.
With any religion or ideology,
it is always only a minority of adherents that truly understand and practice the
core. Thus, the concept of "culture" arises, for the rest of
adherents to practice. While not everyone will be able to see Narayana as
the Antaryami of all, they will at least be able to see Him in
the picture and offer flowers, offerings, pujas, and doing fasts
faithfully-- Vaidyo Narayano Harih; sarvadharman parityajya tvamekam
saranam vraja; Devo ekah; tat tvam aci………. Coming from a group of
brilliant scholars, please participate in HUA programs and activities!
--November
29, 2021
LECTURE BY DR. VEDAVYAS AT ICSSS HEALTH STATION
ICSSS has asked Dr.
Vedavyas to help us understand child abuse
and what we should know to protect our children, and know what to do when we
encounter situations that may require intervention. Dr. Vedavyas is both philosopher and
Psychiatrist. I believe he will focus on them both educating us to tackle on
such situations, as well as minimizing them in our life style. Prevention
is better than cure. Please recall my discourse.
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2021/02/psychic-health-care-of-humans-and.html
Human health is at stake. Many
killing diseases like cancer and AIDS are on the rise. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus in 2020 that
has taken many lives globally. Increased alcoholism, drug abuse and child
abuse by agitated and disturbed families are great challenges. I
have gone through such abuses in my early life. Human mind is under great
stress giving rise to more violence and many complex family and social
problems. The list is unending. Let us understand not only the healing power of
Vedic Science Therapy of Mantras, Classical Music, Yajna and Yoga in unison
with modern psychic therapies on humans but also the power of Mantras and
Music for abundant healthy growth in our plant life with which we begin,
passing through animal life and man-man life to focus on Superman
life.
India is known for its various
alternate therapies, one of the most impactful and clinically proven
alternatives is Raga Chikitsa or Raga Therapy. The unadulterated ragas in
Indian classical repertoire are a blend of symphonic compatibility between the
seven notes and seven primary chakras in our body. This is one of the reasons
of the impact it has on our mind, body and soul. Ragas have an innate quality
of affecting the emotions of the listener, and hence the overall well-being.
Mantras with intonation turned to music has maximum psychological effect.
Dr. Vedavyas may not agree with me being trained and an expert
practicing psychiatry, but do not miss to listen to him and shape your daily
life as well as get cured if affected. I am no specialist in either
of these--spiritual and medical approach.
--November 29, 2021
Four Aspects of Mind--Buddhi, Manas Ahankara (Ego)
and Chitta
Nobody cares for
spiritual matters. “You cannot live on bread alone, but you can live on OM, the symbol of Brahman. The mind wants mental food” says Divine Life Society. Sadhguru speaks about how we can tap into the true
possibility of the mind, by reaching the Chitta, a dimension where God becomes
your slave!
Progressive
walk through Buddhi, Manas, Ahankara and Chitta in our human life, takes us to
transcendental life of Ananda, Eternal Bliss!
“Biggest is H uman Birth Don’t Do It Harm”--Purandara Das. Born
with plant life, we go through animal life and man-man life that we should end
with Superman Life.
I
have talked to you about Body, Mind and Spirit. These are physical and mental
activities including turning inwards separated from the divine whom we seek.
Buddhi, Manas, Ahankara and Chitta are functions that is called Mind in Western culture often understood as Intelligence. In
English language, everything comes under one banner called “mind.” The idea
that intelligence is only in the brain has produced human beings whose
consciousness is seriously constipated. What
is in the brain is intellect, not intelligence.
Manas is
ordinary, indeterminate thinking – just being aware that something is
there. Manas is the
work of the mind. Buddhi determines,
decides and logically comes to a conclusion that something is such-and-such a
thing. That is another aspect of the operation of the psyche – Buddhi or intellect. The third
form of it is ahamkara –
ego, affirmation, assertion, 'I know'. "I know that there is some object
in front of me, and I also know that I know. I know that I am existing as this
so-and-so." This kind of affirmation attributed to one's own individuality
is the work of ahamkara,
known as egoism. The subconscious action, memory, etc., is caused by chitta. It is the fourth function.
So manas, buddhi, ahamkara,
chitta – these are the four basic functions of the internal
organ, the psychological organ.
CULTIVATING
THE BUDDHI, OUR HIGHER INTELLIGENCE
Yoga and Vedanta emphasize cultivating
the #Buddhi,
our higher intelligence. Yet what is the Buddhi and how do we cultivate it?
Buddhi means awakened perception. It is
related to the term Buddha or enlightened but has a long history of its own
usage in Sanskrit. Our ordinary mind looks outward to the external world as the
reality and our physical body as our true identity. This gets it caught in the
realm of impermanence, Maya, duality, birth, death and sorrow.
The outer mind is certainly helpful and
necessary in dealing with the practical affairs of life, which it organizes in
terms of name, form, number and measurement. It is the basis of technology.
Without it we would be very limited in our knowledge of the world. However, the
outer mind cannot perceive the inner reality, our true Self of Pure
Consciousness (#Atman)
beyond name and form, birth and death. Nor can it perceive that same reality
behind the world of nature, which is a manifestation of the Infinite and Eternal
(#Brahman).
Its outer orientation blinds it to the inner reality, unless we complement it
with an inner vision, such as the Buddhi provides.
Yet we all have a sense of the
infinite, eternal and immortal. We all sense something within us beyond the
body and the material world and don’t want to die. Religion and spirituality
reflects this, though often in a limited manner.
DEVELOPING
THE BUDDHI
Buddhi is developed by two prime
factors. These are #viveka
and #vairagya.
Viveka is the ability to discern the eternal essence behind the transient
factors of life. Vairagya is detachment from outer names and forms and no
longer seeking happiness in the eternal world. The Yoga Sutras emphasizes these
as the basis for Samadhi and Self-realization. Buddhi is developed by all the
practices of Yoga, notably Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi, the inner Yoga. It’s
development is the essence of Vedanta as introspection and Self-inquiry.
All #Sattv-increasing
practices, starting with the Yamas and Niyamas of Yoga develop it, as it is the
power of Sattva in our minds.
Unfortunately, today no schools,
including institutes of higher education, teach us how to develop the Buddhi.
They remain focused on in the outer mind. Because of the lack of the Buddhi’s
inner intelligence, we do not have the discernment and detachment to use our
new technology from a place of inner intelligence.
We
all need to cultivate our Buddhis today in order to develop this inner
understanding of reality. All Vedic and yogic disciplines help us to do this.
In your sadhana, studies or education, please make sure to cultivate the
Buddhi, not simply the outer mind or the ego. Buddhi is latent within all of us
but needs the proper practices to truly manifest.
‑-David Frawley
BUDDHI, MANAS, AHANKARA AND CHITTA
“In the yogic
understanding, there are 16
dimensions to the human mind. These 16 dimensions
fall into four categories. These four categories are known as buddhi, manas,
ahankara, and chitta. Buddhi is the intellect – the logical
dimension of thought. Unfortunately, the modern education systems and modern
sciences have largely limited themselves to buddhi. That is a buddhu (foolish)
way of existence.
Buddhi - The Intellect
Buddhi or the intellect
cannot function without a certain bank of memory or data. Depending on the data
you have, the intellect plays around. Suppose in your memory system, there are
10 gigabytes of memory. Depending on how sharp your buddhi is, one person can
produce, let’s say, a trillion thoughts with these 10 gigabytes. Someone else
can produce 10 trillion thoughts with the same 10 gigabytes of memory.
If you can think a
little better than someone else, it is considered as intelligence today. If
someone says one thing and you can say ten things to that, you may be socially
smart, but you are not any more intelligent. Unfortunately, in today’s systems
of education and academics, everything is determined by this. If you can make
more things out of it, you are considered intelligent, which is not true – you
only have a sharper buddhi. The buddhi will not take you beyond limits in any
way, because it can only function based on the data that is already there. It
is not capable of accessing anything beyond that.
Manas - A Huge Silo of
Memory
The next dimension is
called manas. Manas has many layers to it. But manas is not just the brain – it
is right across the body. Every cell in the body has a phenomenal memory – not
just of this life but of millions of years. Your body clearly remembers how
your forefathers were a million years ago. Top to bottom, there is manas – this
is called manomaya kosha. In
every cell in the body, there is memory and intelligence, but no intellect.
Intellect is only in the brain.
Intelligence and memory are right across your body. But people have never been trained how to use this
intelligence. Instead, they use their intellect for everything. No wonder they
are stressed out whatever job you give them. The whole weight is on only one
dimension of the mind out of sixteen. It is like loading a sixteen-wheeler
truck and trying to drive on only one wheel – you can imagine the stress! That
is what today’s world is going through.
People may be using
other dimensions of the mind marginally, unconsciously, but they are not
trained to use them. They have only been trained to use their buddhi, or
their intellect. They are very smart. They know everything about everything,
but they do not know how to figure their own life. They do not even know how to
sit here peacefully and at total ease within themselves. If there is true
intelligence, the first thing that you need to figure out is how to make life
happen. You know how to make the world happen, but you do not know how to make
your life happen. You do not know how to conduct your mind, your energies, your
emotions or your body.
If you ask people to
become fit, they become tight. If you ask them to live in a more natural way,
they become fat. Where is the intelligence? There is only intellect. Intellect
looks good only in comparison. Suppose you are the only person on the planet,
your intellect will not mean anything. Only because there are a few idiots
around you, you shine. By itself, intellect will not be of any consequence.
Ahankara - The Sense of
Identity
The intellect directly connects with the third dimension of your
mind, called ahankara. Ahankara is sometimes translated as ego, but it is much more
than that. Ahankara gives you a sense of identity. Once your ahankara takes on
an identity, your intellect functions only in that context. It is important to
function beyond the intellect, because the intellect is seriously enslaved to
your identity.
Our identities, such as
belonging to a certain nation, community, or whatever else, are necessary for
our survival in a particular society. But you cannot think beyond this because
you are functioning only from your intellect, and the intellect takes its
sustenance from ahankara. Only along
the axis of ahankara, the intellect
can function. The intellect cannot transcend this, because that is its nature.
But there are other ways to know life
beyond the identities we have taken on for our survival in the world.
Chitta - The Cosmic
Intelligence
The fourth category of
the mind is called chitta. Chitta is mind without memory – pure intelligence.
This intelligence is like the cosmic intelligence – simply there. Everything
happens because of that. It does not function out of memory – it simply
functions. In a way, what you call cosmos is a living mind, not in the sense of
intellect but in the sense of chitta.
Chitta is the last point of the mind.
It connects to the basis of creation within you. It connects you with your
consciousness.
Chitta is always on –
whether you are awake or asleep. Your intellect comes on and goes off. Many
times it fails, even when you are awake. If chitta
or the intelligence within you was not always on, you could not stay alive. Try to conduct your breath with
your intellect – you will go crazy. Chitta
is keeping you alive, keeping you going, making life happen. If you touch this
dimension of your mind, which is the linking point to one’s consciousness, you
do not even have to wish for anything, you do not have to dream of anything –
the best possible thing that can happen to you will anyway happen.
The Divine Enslaved
Chitta is the last point of the mind. It connects to the basis of
creation within you. It connects you with your consciousness.
Once you know how to
consciously keep your chitta on, at once the Divine is your servant. When
someone really efficient is working for you, you do not have to do anything.
Simply sit; the best things will happen – things that you could not imagine.
People always think if their dreams come true, their life will be great. I
think that is a very poor life, because you cannot dream about anything that is
not at all in your experience. My wish and my blessing for you is things that
you could not dream of, things that you never thought possible, must happen to
you. What you did not dream must happen to you – that is why you should not
dream. Instead of seeing how to delve deeper into yourself, you go on
projecting stupid ideas into the world. People think that is a great thing to
do.
Chit Shakti is about
touching the dimension of your mind that is pure intelligence – unsullied by
memory, unsullied by identification. It is beyond ahankara, beyond buddhi,
beyond judgment, beyond divisions – simply there, just like the intelligence of
existence that makes everything happen. If you access this, you do not have to
worry about what happens or what does not happen. It will happen in a way that
you never imagined possible.
Once you have access to your chitta, it is also a multi-pointed
telescope. It makes you see things that no one else can see – in every
direction. It is your crystal ball. It is a magnifying
glass that brings the very core of life close to you. For everyone else, it is
far way. Everyone thinks the Divine is somewhere up there. Where exactly, no
one knows. All they know is, it seems far away.
The moment you start
looking at life through your chitta, where there is no memory, there is no karmic substance and
no division. Suddenly, the Divine is right there, bang on, in your face all the
time. You cannot miss it.
The idea of Chit Shakti is not to keep asking for things.
The idea is that if the physical arrangements of life happen easily, you can
dedicate more time for your spiritual wellbeing. It would be stupid if just
because it happens easily, first you want to be a millionaire, then you want to
be a billionaire. The main intention is that your physical life happens more
easily, that it does not take your entire time to handle it, so that you will
have time to close your eyes and sit. Please make use of it for this purpose”--Sadhguru.
--December 4, 2021
HINDU
REFLECTIONS ON BODY, MIND & SPIRIT
A Collection of Hindu Religious
Teachings
The one God who exists in
subtle form in all beings pervades all and is the inner Self of all beings. He
dwells in all beings; he is the witness; he is the intelligent principle; he is
pure; and, he is bereft of all qualities. (Svetasvatara Upanishad, VI. 11)
If the water of the lake is full of waves and the water itself
muddy, the bottom of the lake is not visible. However, when the waves are
subsided and the water is clean, we can clearly see the bottom of the lake.
Similarly, when all thought waves are controlled and the mind becomes pure,
free from past impressions, Samskaras, then our real spiritual
nature is revealed. To control thought waves, one has to practice meditation
and to purify the mind one must practice detachment.
Just as a spider weaves its net from the materials of its own
body, so does Ishwara created this universe out of Himself.
The ego identifies himself with casual bodies undergoes various
sufferings and strives for liberation.
That intense love which the ignorant bear towards the objects of this world:
may I have that same intensity of love for Bhagavan!
One may be indifferent to the enjoyments of this world only in
expectation of better enjoyments in the next. This kind of indifference is
tainted with desires, which bar the door to knowledge. But the indifference
that results from a due deliberation on the evanescent nature of this world as
well as the world to come, is alone pure and productive of the highest
good.
In this ever-changing world there is one changeless being as
witness of these changes. This permanent ever-seeing being is Atman. Perfection
in any form is the manifestation of the Divine.
God in His mercy has withheld the knowledge of the past from
people. If they knew that they were virtuous, they will grow proud;
contrariwise, they will be depressed. Do you know the present life so well that
you wish to know the past? Why do you wish to burden yourself with more
knowledge and suffer more?
He who sees Himself as free from the body (idea) knows it not even
when the body is cut asunder, in just the same way as the sugar candy whether
dried in fire or cut remains sweet. Just as the wife carried on with the
house-hold chores though ever doting on her husband, so too the Jnani remains
ever in the Supreme State though engaged in activity.
Non-Attachment does not mean indifference; Love does not mean
attach-ment; Attachment is that which takes; Love is that which gives.
About your worldly troubles you must do as you think best
yourself, but it is good policy to keep out from other's plates however sweet
and inviting it looks. Both sugar and arsenic are white.
When a soul turns his mind towards the Divine the following two
things will happen — first he will get some joyful experience, which shows that
he is on the right path and that he is progressing. Second when the asuric
(demonic) forces see that he is progressing they will put every possible
obstacle before the Sadhaka in the form of worldly troubles, mental
botherations and sex urge.
In the course of sadhana — Maya comes to a sincere soul first in
the form of worldly troubles, second in the form of diseases and thirdly in the
form of dear friends to keep him away from the quest. Our mind is the greatest
cheater in this world, it will create thousands of different reasons to go its
own way. There are three ways to handle this cheater who is nothing but a
bundle of thoughts creeping up in the conscious mind. First to treat him as a
friend and give him full satisfaction. This is a very long and tiresome way
because he is never satisfied. Secondly to treat him as an enemy and with all
your force try to get rid of him. This is only possible by the grace of the
Divine because the mind has two very powerful weapons which are the
discriminating intellect and the second the imaginative faculty. These two
fellows can convince even God Himself that black is white. The third way is to
treat him as a patient or rather several patients coming and troubling him with
their different kinds of diseases.
The main thing with worship is not what we worship, but that we
worship and if we have got love we can easily surrender the feeling of
"I" which is the wall between ourselves and God.
The greatest service to humanity is Self-Enquiry and the greatest
remedy for this world is Self-Realization but that does not mean we should not
do anything for others. . . . As long as we have not got the power to withdraw
the mind from the objects of sense perception we should do and must do whatever
we can for others. Selfless activity will soon give the power of introversion
but when the mind once has become introverted, we should not spoil what we have
gained by outward activity.
If the ego is allowed to play with our emotions, it is capable of
causing havoc. Only by drawing the ego to its source even the saddest feeling
is converted into Ananda.
Please go through my discourse “What we call Hinduism Today
was Universal Religion in the Past”:
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2019/03/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.
Hinduism: Basic Beliefs
The fundamental teaching of
Hinduism, or Vedanta, is that a human being's basic nature is not confined to
the body or the mind. Beyond both of these is the spirit or the spark of God
within the soul.
What do Hindus believe and practice?
The fundamental teaching of
Hinduism, or Vedanta, is that a human being's basic nature is not confined to
the body or the mind. Beyond both of these is the spirit or the spark of God
within the soul. This spirit is within us and also within everything we see.
All beings and all things are really, in their deepest essence, this pure or
divine spirit, full of peace, full of joy and wisdom, ever united with God.
This is not just theory, but it can actually be experienced. Anyone who takes
the trouble to undergo the necessary training to purify and refine the mind and
senses can begin to feel the truth of this. This training can take various
forms and is known as yoga ("union"- union of the individual self
with this inner spirit).
There are four main types of yoga, meant for the four main types
of human temperaments:
Karma
Yoga or the discipline of right actions is
for those of active temperament, striving to eliminate selfishness, and to
cultivate universal sympathy by seeing the divine reality in all.
Bhakti
Yoga is the path of devotion to God whose
presence can be felt in all things. God can be worshipped as present in an
image in a Temple. God can be worshipped also as present in suffering humanity
by service.
Jnana
Yoga, preferred by those of analytical bent of
mind, is the discipline of trying to see the divine reality within all things
directly, by mentally brushing aside all the obstructing physical and mental
coverings that hide it.
Raja
Yoga is the process of mental control,
purity, and meditation. By working through the mind, the practice of Raja Yoga paves a way to
discipline, self-control, concentration, mental peace, and inner joy.
--November 28, 2021
Medical and Spiritual Science Approach to
Psychological Immunity
The
rapid and unprecedented worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus, also termed
as 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19),
has immensely strained the existing healthcare systems (HCSs) throughout the
world. The frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) (doctors, nurses, paramedics,
ambulance personnel) are occupied with the direct diagnosis, treatment, and
care of the COVID-19 infected patients and hold the significant responsibility
of flattening the pandemic growth curve and reducing the infection fatality
rate. Though HCWs would have their Behavioral Immune System continuously active
during this pandemic situation, excessive workload, the risk of nosocomial
transmission, lack of essential resources and specific medical treatment, and
frequent encounters with trauma and death have heightened their risk of
psychological distress and trauma; psychopathology, such as substance use; mood
disorders, such as insomnia, anxiety, and depression; delusional episodes;
suicidality; and even suicide. An eventual rise in the need of mental health
services by HCWs is probable as these mental health consequences may remain
even after the pandemic remits. As the medical professionals are the most
significant assets in countering the pandemic, safeguarding the physically and
emotionally exhausted HCWs' mental health becomes significant.
The
medical workers with higher mental health problems report poor self-perceived
physical health as well. Contrarily, the access to psychological aid (materials/
resources) is inversely related to the proportion of mental health problems.
With this in view, researchers indicate the need for regular screening and
timely addressable of psychological health concerns among HCWs, preferably
through psychotherapeutic means. As PI can be modified by psychotherapeutic
interventions, developing evidence-informed, tiered, and tailored PI-boosting
interventions will help protect the “protectors” from being victimized by the
pandemic.
A common perspective on
stress-related changes in the human immune system is that such changes are
potentially harmful, especially those occurring during chronic stress. In
contrast, an ecological perspective views the immune system as an energetically
costly system that may or may not have priority over other uses of that energy.
From this perspective, the immune system may have energy made available for it
via reduction of other activities, may change in energetically conservative
ways when the protection it confers needs to be balanced with the energetic
demands of other activities such as fight or flight, or may be suppressed when
other activities are more important than immunity for total well-being. This
last type of change can explain why aspects of psychosocial health such as
optimism relate to worse immunity under some circumstances and suggests that
both benefits and costs of immunosuppression during stress should be considered
in research on human stress and immunity.
The image of water is commonly used in meditation as a symbol of the infinite flow that
moves through blockages and unlocks inner peace and healing. What better
way to access this flow than by turning visualization into reality and
meditating in water, rejuvenating the mind, body and spirit in the process?
Water can enhance the power of a meditation—reverberating a mantra’s sound current inside a human body of water,
calming the overactive mind, and encouraging a feeling of nonattachment and
weightlessness.
sharIrE jarjarIbhUtE
vyAdhigrastE kalebarE | auShadham jaanhavI tOyam vaidyO nArAyaNO harih ||
When
the body is decrepit and ridden with disease, the medicine (given by the doctor)
is as remedial and sacred as the waters of Ganga (river), and the doctor is
(equal to) Lord Hari -Narayana himself.
Water makes up 71
percent of the Earth’s surface and 75 percent of the human brain.
That’s a lot of water! Our humble H2O is a powerful force for our health and
well-being in myriad ways. Meditation with a Mantra can help individuals sleep better, cope with some symptoms associated
with mental disorders like depression and anxiety, reduce some of the
psychological difficulties associated with chronic pain, and even improve some
cognitive and behavioral functions.
David Frawley provides a spiritual
approach for Psychological Immunity. For psychological immunity we need a meditative
mind, he says.
Self-awareness is the foundation for Psychological
Immunity
Psychological Immunity and How to Measure it
We all know the
importance of physical immunity. This is our ability to resist disease, ward
off pathogens, endure the dualities of heat and cold and seasonal changes, have
physical strength and stamina, slow down the aging process and heal our bodies
from within relative to injuries or chronic diseases. It is indicated by
positive health and wellness.
But what is psychological immunity? It is similarly
the ability of the mind to resist disease, ward off emotional toxins, endure
the dualities of gain and loss, joy and sorrow, attraction and repulsion. It
means to have enduring mental strength and stamina, slowing down the aging process
for the mind and memory, steady concentration and balanced emotions, without
agitation and sorrow. It is indicated by a positive attitude in life,
fearlessness, contentment, Self-awareness and creativity.
Just as physical pathogens like
bacteria and viruses abound in the external world, so mental pathogens,
negative emotions like fear, anger, hatred, greed or desire can enter our minds
from the outside. We can become emotionally toxic and infect others as well.
Just as there are contagious and epidemic physical diseases, so there are mass
psychological disturbances, such as we see in mob violence, dangerous
ideologies, war propaganda, or even in disturbed or misleading news or
entertainment.
For physical immunity to be
strong, we must possess the resilience to face the vicissitudes of nature and
handle the stress of hard work or exercise. For psychological immunity to be
strong, we must be able to endure like and dislike, criticism, opposition and
conflict without losing our calm collected state of mind. We must have the
resilience to face the ups and downs in human behavior that can be
unpredictable and relentless.
How many of us today have strong
a psychological immunity? Probably less than those who have a strong physical
immunity! This is because we seldom properly nourish, exercise, train or
discipline the mind, like many of us try to do with the body. We let our minds
run unchecked and unguided, tied to transient external influences that are
seldom questioned as to their value or validity.
Determining Your Psychological
Immunity
There is a simple way to measure
your psychological immunity. It is equal to your power of attention. This you
can determine by how long you can sustain your attention at will on any
needed topic in an observant manner, letting it reveal to you what it is, not
reacting with your mind’s conditioning or personal opinions.
Your power of attention is your
field of psychological immunity. It creates a shield of consciousness that keeps
unconscious forces from coming in. It reflects your control of the mind and
ability to remain attentive in the face of negative thoughts, emotions or
sensations, the detachment necessary to keep them from entering into your mind and
affecting your subconscious that strives to be continually aware, not quick to
react, and remains centered within even while confronting external obstacles.
We need an independent awareness, not one that is dependent upon what others
think, feel or say, which is rooted in our own direct perception and the
experience of our own consciousness.
Today our power of attention is
measured in mere seconds or milliseconds as we are overstimulated, bombarded
with media images, computer games, numerous entertainment choices, disturbing
news and dramatic sensations, with our minds in a state of perpetual
distraction until we are exhausted and fall sleep. Such a distracted mind or vikshipta chitta is what Yoga teaches us
to calm and transcend.
Unfortunately, we are not
training our children in the cultivation of attention or memory, so many attention
related health problems are arising within them. We are continually wired into
cell phones, music, videos or news. We do not give our minds the space to
observe and be free. We rely upon our equipment to guide us and to store any
necessary information.
The Calm of the Yogi
True yogis can hold their power
of attention without diminution or disruption even when surrounded by
distraction or criticism, undisturbed by flattery or insult, praise or threats.
These are the marks of success or siddhi in Yoga practices, including
proficiency in pratyahara, dharana
and dhyana. While asana aids in physical immunity,
meditation is necessary for psychological immunity. Mantra is a key practice
for sustaining our power of attention and psychological immunity. Have a
special mantra to hold to at a deep level keeps our attention under our
control, so it does not wander or get dispersed, whether a seed mantra like OM,
Hreem or Aim or a Divine name mantra like Om
Namah Shivaya, or Om Namo Narayanaya.
Certainly we should try to
correct the many iniquities in the world, but we should do so from a place of
inner peace and determination, removing the agitation in our own minds as the
basis for trying to improve society. When we get caught up in fear or anger
while confronting difficulties, it indicates that external forces have
overwhelmed our mental immunity and we do not have sufficient sattva or inner
light to act with clarity and a long term vision. May we develop the attentive
awareness that leads us beyond conditioned and programed mental reactions. That
is the basis of Dharana in yoga
practice, concentration aiming at a one-pointed mind, not simply imposing one
point of view upon everyone else, which alone creates the foundation for deeper
meditation. Truth (satya) is not a
point of view but a state of awareness, an ability to see things as they are,
even if it may not be agreeable to ourselves or others.
Your own inner Self is greater
than the entire world and does not rely on any external approval to be content
in its own nature. Do not compare yourself with anyone. Do not seek anything
from the outside to fulfill yourself. Contact your inner Being that is one with
the entire universe, in which our human world and all of its turbulence is like
a passing wave on the sea! Remember your inner fearlessness and Ananda. The
entire universe dwells within you. Self-awareness is the foundation for
psychological immunity, which you can freely develop within yourself. Then no
outer disturbances can overwhelm you.
--November 27, 2021
Solution to Physical, Emotional –
Psychological Problems & Webinar-212 Understanding Our Own Mind
The Solution to Physical, Emotional – Psychological Problems is in
Bhagavad Gita
Emotional health is an important part of overall health. People
who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors. They’re able to cope with life’s challenges. They can keep problems
in perspective and bounce back from setbacks. They feel good about themselves
and have good relationships. I keep good relationship through HR Forum
Participation, caring and sharing.
Being emotionally healthy doesn’t mean we are happy all the time.
It means we are aware of our emotions. We can deal with them, whether they’re
positive or negative. Emotionally healthy people still feel stress, anger, and
sadness. But they know how to manage their negative feelings. They can tell
when a problem is more than they can handle on their own. They also know when
to seek help from their doctor. I did that when I became a victim to Seizure
Disorder.
My mental appropriate activity
focused on spirituality helped me for quick recovery from seizure disorder
reducing its after-effect, ably supported by medication advised by
psychiatrists. If we want to be free from physical, emotional and
psychological problems then we need to read the Bhagavad Gita. Today, we go to
psychologists and therapists for solving emotional and psychological
problems. Emotional health is an important part of overall health. People
who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors. They’re able to cope with life’s challenges. They can keep problems
in perspective and bounce back from setbacks. They feel good about themselves
and have good relationships. My recent message ‘’Let us not worry about Struggles in Life, but Learn How to
Deal with Them” also deals to solve Physical, Emotional –
Psychological Problems. Gita also deals with the same topic, and Bhagavan
Krishna is the greatest psychologist.
An excerpt from Gita:
When a man thinks of objects, "attachment" for them
arises; from attachment "desire" is born; from desire arises
"anger"--From anger comes "delusion"; from delusion
"loss of memory"; from loss of memory the "destruction of
discrimination "; from destruction of discrimination, he "perishes.
"
krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛiti-vibhramaḥ | smṛiti-bhranśhād buddhi-nāśho buddhi-nāśhāt praṇaśhyati
Anger leads to clouding of
judgment, which results in bewilderment of the memory. When the memory is
bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed,
one is ruined.
Anger impairs judgment, just as
the morning mist creates a hazy covering on the sunlight. In anger, people
commit mistakes that they later regret, because the intellect gets clouded by
the haze of emotions. People say, “He is twenty years elder to me. Why did I
speak in this manner to him? What happened to me?” What happened was that the
faculty of judgment was affected by anger, and hence the mistake of scolding an
elder was made.
When the intellect is clouded,
it leads to bewilderment of memory. The person then forgets what is right and
what is wrong, and flows along with the surge of emotions. The downward descent
continues from there, and bewilderment of memory results in destruction of the
intellect. And since the intellect is the internal guide, when it gets
destroyed, one is ruined. In this manner, the path of descent from divinity to
impiety has been described beginning with contemplation on the sense objects to
the destruction of the intellect.
rāga-dveṣha-viyuktais tu viṣhayān indriyaiśh charan | ātma-vaśhyair-vidheyātmā prasādam
adhigachchhati ||
But one who controls the mind,
and is free from attachment and aversion, even while using the objects of the
senses, attains the Grace of God.
The entire downward spiral
leading to ruin begins with contemplating happiness in sense objects. Now, the
urge for happiness is as natural to the soul as thirst is to the physical body.
It is impossible to think “I will not contemplate happiness anywhere,” because
it is unnatural for the soul. The simple solution then is to envision happiness
in the proper direction, i.e. in God. If we can repeatedly revise the thought
that happiness is in God, we will develop attachment toward him. This divine
attachment will not degrade the mind like material attachment; rather, it will
purify it. God is all-pure, and when we attach our mind to him, the mind will
also become pure.
Thus, whenever Shree Krishna
asks us to give up attachment and desire, he is referring only to material
attachment and desire. Spiritual attachment and desire are not to be given up;
in fact, they are most praiseworthy. They are to be cultivated and increased
for purification of the mind. The greater the burning desire we develop for
God, the purer our mind will become. The jñānīs who propound
the worship of the undifferentiated attribute-less Brahman do
not understand this point when they recommend giving up all attachments.
However, Shree Krishna states: “Those who attach their minds to me with
unadulterated devotion rise above the three modes of material nature and attain
the level of the supreme Brahman.”
Attachment and aversion are two
sides of the same coin. Aversion is nothing but negative attachment. Just as,
in attachment, the object of attachment repeatedly comes to one’s mind;
similarly, in aversion, the object of hatred keeps popping into the mind. So,
attachment and aversion to material objects both have the same effect on the
mind—they dirty it and pull it into the three modes of material nature. When
the mind is free from both attachment and aversion, and is absorbed in devotion
to God, one receives the grace of God and experiences his unlimited divine
bliss. On experiencing that higher taste, the mind no longer feels attracted to
the sense objects, even while using them. Thus, even while tasting, touching,
smelling, hearing, and seeing, like all of us, the sthita prajña is
free from both attachment and aversion training body, mind and spirit
practicing Yoga.
Krishna being a historic figure
was a yogi who sat up every morning for meditation, ‘merging himself with
transcendental self’. Bhagavad Gita is a text that understands the
core issue. It does not provide illogical solutions through magic or prayers.
Instead, it makes us understand what the real issue and tries to solve
it.
Sri Krishna did not solve the
problems faced by Arjuna through magic or by just lifting his hands. Instead,
he made Arjuna realize what is wrong in his thinking. He made Arjuna realize
the truth path. He made Arjuna realize his potential.
And for this reason, Bhagavad
Gita is immortal. Human beings may perish but the teachings of Gita will
continue to enamor and inspire a more evolved being that might appear after the
human beings.
Kurukshetra is this world and we all are Arjunas who are
constantly bogged down by numerous problems including physical, emotional and
psychological. Gita provides the solution to overcome these
problems.
However, you spend this weekend, I hope that you’re safe and warm, that you’re
able to relax a bit, and that you get to connect and catch up with people you
love. Thanks for making room for me at your table though not
physically but mentally.
Raja Yoga is the process of
mental control, purity, and meditation. By working through the mind, the practice
of Raja Yoga paves a
way to discipline, self-control, concentration, mental peace,
and inner joy.
Understanding
Our Ow Mind
Besides going through my above
Thought of the Day, go through the discourse of FOWAI Forum from Gopala
Krishna K.S.--Webinar-212 UNDERSTANDING OUR OWN MIND, tomorrow. Does K.S. mean Krishna's Spirituality?
Gist of the presentation:
Entire Raja
yoga practice is based on one simple instrument of our experience called mind.
Mind constantly changing, moving, thought to thought, and object to object.
Process of yoga helps in cessation of thoughts thereby one experiences
serenity, calmness, peace and joy. With thought controlled, one can divert mind
to any object and achieve mastery. Let us explore what mind is made of?
How to master our own mind…..and more.
--November
27, 2021
Out of the
Ordinary Happy Thanksgiving
This year’s holiday is more
normal than last year’s, before the COVID vaccines have arrived. But it is
still is unusual for many families involving some combination of antigen tests,
outdoor meals (where the weather allows) and underlying anxiety. With that mind, I put together a brief history of
Thanksgiving celebrations since the 1850’s, focusing on unusual years like this
one.
This year’s holiday is more
normal than last year’s, before the COVID vaccines had arrived. But it still is
unusual for many families, involving some combination of antigen tests, outdoor
meals (where the weather allows) and underlying anxiety. However you spend the day, we
hope it’s a good one. We want to say thanks specifically
to everybody who’s working today.
The first appearance of the
word “thanksgiving” did not refer to the holiday. It instead
was a reference on Oct. 4, 1851, to “an appropriate prayer and thanksgiving”
from a reverend at the opening of the Queens County’s annual agricultural
exhibition.
Thursday was quite a jubilee in
the pleasant village of Jamaica, Long Island. One unnamed
reporter for The New York Daily Times wrote: “The ruddy, manly appearance of the farmers, and the freshness,
delicacy, and real natural loveliness of their wives and daughters, (for which
the county is justly renowned,) were sights to cheer and amaze the citizen, and
many were there to witness and enjoy them.”
The first mention of the
holiday occurred less than a week later, in a brief news item reporting that the governor of Massachusetts had declared
Thursday, Nov. 27, 1851, as “a day of public thanksgiving and praise.” There
was no national Thanksgiving holiday at the time. Other states
announced they would also be observing the holiday that year
of questionable value — on Oct. 31, 1851.
The origin story of
Thanksgiving that’s often told in school — of a friendly meal between pilgrims
and Native Americans — is inaccurate. (As far back as 1974, The Times ran an article describing the holiday as a “national day of mourning” for
many Native people.)
The real origin of the national
holiday dates to Abraham Lincoln. On Oct. 3, 1863, he called for the country,
“in the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity,” to set aside
the last Thursday in November as “a day of Thanksgiving.”
While reciting the country’s
many blessings — a productive economy, bountiful harvests and a growing economy
— Lincoln also recommended that Americans give thanks “with humble
disobedience.” Lincoln’s proclamation was in part a response to Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor who had spent decades campaigning for a national day
of gratitude.
A pandemic, overlooked: Like this year’s version, Thanksgiving in 1918 occurred in the
midst of a global pandemic. But the atmosphere was surprisingly joyous. World
War I had ended on Nov. 11, and the country was celebrating, despite a horrific
number of influenza deaths in October, predominantly so-called Spanish
flu. Thanksgiving Day that year evoked a gratitude deeper, a spirit of
reverence more devout, than America has felt for many years. One factor may have been that
the pandemic briefly receded that November, before surging again at the end of the year.
As has happened over the past two years, a virus ebbed and flowed in mysterious ways.
Depression and recovery: By 1930, the country’s mood was much darker. A front-page headline
on Thanksgiving Day that year reported: “450 Tons of Food Given to Needy, But
Supply Fails.” The police turned away elderly men and women to reserve the food
for families with young children. The Times also reported that the Thanksgiving tradition of
ragamuffins — in which children would
dress up and go door to door asking for coins or treats — seemed to be fading
in Manhattan. “Things aren’t the way they used to be,” a police officer
said.
In 1939, President Franklin D.
Roosevelt tried to spark the economy by moving Thanksgiving one week earlier,
to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Critics mocked the policy
as “Franksgiving,” and it failed. Roosevelt announced in 1941 that he was
abandoning the experiment for the next year. Roosevelt ultimately
settled on the fourth Thursday of the month — a middle ground that made sure
the holiday would not occur later than Nov. 28 and that Christmas shopping
could always begin in November.
Thanksgiving in 1963 came only
six days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and most public
celebrations were canceled. The Macy’s parade was an exception. The organizers
felt its cancellation would be “a disappointment to millions of
children.” The Kennedys gathered at the family compound in Hyannis Port,
Mass., but they skipped their usual game of touch football. Like millions of
other Americans, they gave the day of the children and mourn together their
loss.
The isolation of 2020: The Covid-19 pandemic arguably caused a bigger break in
Thanksgiving traditions than anything that came before. Since Lincoln’s
proclamation, even during war, depression and tragedy, most Americans still
found ways to gather with family and friends for a holiday meal.
Today will be different. The
pandemic is not over, but the worst of it almost certainly is. Vaccines have
allowed most Americans to gather safely.
But the threat from a pandemic
— better understood in 2020 than it had been in 1918 — caused many people to
stay home last year.
The country is hardly in a
joyous mood. Even as people are happy to be together again, many are mourning
the losses of the past two years and deeply worried about the country’s future.
Yet mixed feelings are also part of the Thanksgiving tradition, all the way the
back to Lincoln’s proclamation.
However, you spend this
weekend, I hope that you’re safe and warm, that you’re able to relax a bit, and
that you get to connect and catch up with people you love. If
you’re traveling, I hope your trip is headache-free. Thanks for making room for
me at your table mentally if not physically!
--November 26, 2021
***************************************************************
THANKSGIVING
DAY LYRICS
Life is a journey for me, from not knowing to knowing, from not
understanding to understanding and from confusion to clarity. This is the Day
to thank the Supreme and pay obeisance. Thanksgiving time is to be thankful, a time to remember, rejoice and to embrace those who enrich
our lives. I’m thankful for a lot of things, but I’m most thankful for you for
caring and sharing the messages of HINDU REFLECTIONS and occasionally
appreciating with a glowing tribute!
I take pleasure in sharing this lyric mentally
joining you at the dinner table for this Thanksgiving Day of Mother Earth who
is Mother of Nature and Nourishment and Food, besides a wonderful lyric from
Dr. Prasad that opens our mind to spirituality and touches the heart
Come, ye thankful people, come!
Raise the song of
harvest home;
All is safely gathered in
ere the winter storms begin.
Goddess our Maker doth provide
for our wants to be supplied!
Come to Goddesses’ own temple, come!
Raise the song of harvest home.
For the beauty of the Earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth,
Over and around us lies:
Bhudevi our Goddess, to Thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise!
I take
pleasure in forwarding Asha Ram Prasad's lyrics for this Thanking day of Mother
Earth who is Mother of Nature and Nourishment and Food
Asha Ram
Prasad's Lyrics :
Trekking
along with gratitude on this earth/
I see sprinkled everywhere is God’s Grace/
Holding
in hands of divine is everlasting mirth/
Blessed for all living beings in myriad of ways
Affirming
every day in my heart God’s faith/
I see in my finite journey God’s smiling face/
Nestled
all around in Mother Nature’s wreath/
To share with everyone to enjoy in every place/
Kindling
light of gratitude in my heart and soul/
Graced with love compassion kindness to share
Singing
the praise of the Lord feeling cheerful/
In every breath in every heartbeat with flare /
Greeting
every morning with earnest gratitude/
For the blessing of another day in my passage/
Invoking
the essence of divine in my attitude/
To fulfill God’s expectation in my life’s voyage/
Voicing
my feelings in authenticity being humble/
To be the spark of divine in my everyday living/
Inscribing
words of appreciation to sing in jingle/
Thanking the life-force for the generous blessing/
Narrating
the greatness of God in words and deeds/
Being thankful for everything that I have on this earth/
Grateful
I am for blessed life weaved in holy beads/
Of friends and family’s love wrapped in wreath/
--Asha and Ram
******************************************************************
Let us not worry
about Struggles in Life, but Learn How to Deal with Them
I was invited
to the celebration ceremony of Narayan Bhat’s Life in Sri Ganesha Temple in
Nashville. I wrote back:
“Your dearest died because it
was his time to die. Circumstances can be an occasion but surely not a cause.
The cause is in the Divine's will and nothing can alter it. So, grieve not and
surrender your sorrow at the feet of the Divine. He will give you peace and
freedom--The Mother"
It is no wonder Sri Ganesha
Temple is celebrating "Life of Narayana Bhat" instead of customary
observing mourning day! Dr. Narayan Bhat's dealing with Karma and Conduct
in Life had been exemplary. I believe his mission on earth has been
completed after serving Sri Ganesha every day and active participation in
"Habitat for Humanity" with a smile ignoring his physical pain and
his loved partner. I bow to him wherever I am during this celebration and
ever!"
Narayan Bhat had all the wisdom
to lead wise life. That takes my thoughts to recall Mother’s Wisdom quotes and
a story in Reader’s Digest that I read long back. We cannot avoid accidents and
calamities in life based on our past Karma and conduct but must learn lessons
from them to lead a wise life. Our lives are based on divine judgement
and will, and not in our hands, but we can influence present life somewhat by
leading a wise life. Narayana Bhat knew all these and led a possible wise life,
more so after retirement. He was a philanthropist, founder member of temple and
rendering service at the temple after retirement as well as focused on public
social service.
I was somewhat influenced by
his life style and temple board members and enjoyed the short inspirational
stories about real life situations. I too shaped my life style
somewhat like Narayana Bhat’s after retirement moving to
Nashville. Sometimes, we learn the
greatest life lessons as kids, but we often discard them when we grow and
become more sophisticated. We need to remember St. Jerome’s rhyme as we grow
old: “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your
better is best.” Solet us not be comfortable with living a good life but
turn goodness into greatness by continually developing
ourselves, exercising our passions, setting bigger goals, making
meaningful impacts on society.
Here is one small snippet that I want to share with you all:
“The story is
about a granddaughter taking her grandfather out for the day once she had
received her driver's license. She had planned the day well, loaded with things
her Grandfather would enjoy, and was on time to pick him up for the day's
adventures.
They were
riding together, she driving, and came to an intersection. She stopped, looked
both ways and proceeded to go through the intersection, however an approaching
car did not. The driver of the oncoming car failed to slow down, proceeded
through the intersection without stopping and almost hit the young lady and her
Grandfather.
The
granddaughter was extremely shaken, pulled off the road and proceeded to rant
and rave about how close they had come to an accident and how dangerous and
irresponsible the other driver had been. She looked at her Grandfather and
exclaimed, "He has ruined our day".
The
Grandfather looked at her, knowing she was upset, and said, "No, he did
not ruin our day, all he did was run through a stop sign. It will be our
reaction to him running the stop sign that determines how our day goes."
The event was
caused by an unknown person, the reaction was what determined the following
events of the day.
Many people
try to comfort us when we come across a tragedy in life. One
true way to react to this tragedy is to take the event and make it positive. We
should take it the right way, not to mourn the dead, but to celebrate the
living."
Reader's
Digest article, taken to heart, helps to pave the way. It's not the event, it's
the reaction to it.
The latest
COVID surge is more frightening for older people, especially those in their 80s
and 90s. For the oldest age groups, it presents a real risk even after
vaccination. It appears to be more dangerous than a typical flu. If you’re
anxious about the risks of your Thanksgiving gathering to older
people, first insist that anybody in your house be fully vaccinated if
eligible. Two, encourage people to get tested — either at a testing center
or with an at-home rapid test — before coming. Three, once the day
arrives, try to put aside your COVID anxiety and enjoy the holiday.
Here are some
wise quotes for dealing wise life handling struggles in life:
1. When we are in a hurry, we are inviting trouble. 2. Focusing on
what we do not have only brings unhappiness. 3. We cannot control as
to what will happen the next moment but we can develop an attitude that will
withstand any storm. 4. Be our master do not let situations
overwhelm us. 5. The world wants too many things from us but the greatest
accomplishment is in focusing on what we really want. 7. Always
focus on the toughest job first. 8. Obsession is a mental disorder. It causes
only discomfort. 9. Instead of worrying over little things go out
and have fun. 10. It is true we failed a couple of times. Now try with a
happier and positive frame of mind. We will not fail. 11. The journey for peace
and happiness is often undertaken in the wrong direction. The right direction
for this journey is to the inside not outside. 12. Bliss is always with us but
unfortunately, we never realize it. 13. Success will elude us if we do not believe
in ourselves. 14. We have to start somewhere. We will fail in the beginning.
But then who does not fail? Do not stop? Each failure is a stepping-stone to
our goal. 15. No one can escape struggles. All people go through it.
Socialize and get to know about their struggles. Share yours. Inspire and get
inspired. 16. We are not ready to move out of our comfort zone. The
net result is that we miss golden opportunities. 17. Set small goals. Do not
try to achieve everything overnight. Do you have more to add or delete
some?
--November 25, 2021
Comments:
Read your whole article is Excellent. Very well written. The 15
life advices were very useful. Thank you very much Sir.
--Nashville Nagarajan
Thank you so
much for sharing these pearls of wisdom!
~ Dr. Santosh Venkatraman
We are Thankful for giving us lights to guide
us! Thanks Uncle!
--Suma and
Naveen Srinivas
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments
and advise
-- Dr. Vedavyas
THANKSGIVING DAY (TGD) IS SPECIAL RELIGIOUS EVENT (SRE) DAY FOR
HINDU AMERICANS
Thanksgiving celebration
now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with
family and friends for Hindu Americans, after praying to Ishta-devata at the
dining table. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous, it has become all
but synonymous with the holiday, but that does not fit into Hindu worship. Many people think Butterball turkeys have
butter in them, but they don't. Basically the name came about because
of their plump size and golden color. Hindus celebrate TGD as a
special SRE Day. For Hindus TGD activity is not segregated from the divine and
calls for a religious-social gathering. American Hindus of South Indian origin
while joining others in celebrating Thanksgiving rush to the temple to worship
their favorite deity on this day, which is also kept open for longer hours,
offering dressed cauliflower to look like turkey butterball to the favorite
deity to be blessed first and then enjoy it on the dining table with family and
friends, joining the Nation. To them celebrating food is no strange tradition
coming from North Americans, as they have been celebrating Makara Sankranti as
Pongal as harvest and food festival thanking
Devi Mother Nature as fresh crop, in India, celebrated by all. Kerala
of multi-religions was the earliest that progressively turned Hindu religious
festival of Onam to a social festival celebrated by all religions. Why not then
TGD? Though Popular, Parvati can be Ishta-devata, Bhudevi is appropriate who is Mother of Nature and
Food. Perhaps you are aware of a popular food store in USA that glorifies
Mother Earth--“For those who want to life naturally, there is Mother Nature’s
Food, Inc.”--they proclaim. Parvati is celebrated in many temples in USA with
different names but there are no
temples for Bhudevi. Even in India I have come across a lone temple. The Bhoo Varahaswamy Temple
Kallahalli is dedicated to the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu,
Varahaswamy or the wild boar form.
The COVID rising situation is
more frightening for older people, especially those in their 80s and 90s. For
the oldest age groups COVID presents a real risk even after vaccination. The
situation is more frightening for older people, especially those in their 80s
and 90s. For the oldest age groups, COVID presents a real risk even after
vaccination. It appears to be more dangerous than a typical flu. As a result,
older Americans need protection during a surge. (The same is also true of a
small percentage of younger people with specific COVID, like organ-transplant
recipients.) The most effective way to protect vulnerable people is through
vaccination — not only of them but also of others who might infect them. This should be kept in mind for
this religious-social gathering.
Here are their popular
Ishta-devatas for TGD:
Madurai Meenakshi
The idol of Mother Goddess
Madurai Meenakshi worshipped in the world famous Meenakshi Amman Temple in
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, is carved from Marakatham or emerald (bluish green color
gemstone).
Madurai Meenakshi (Goddess Parvati) is depicted with a green body color. This
is because she represents moola prakriti or in simple terms primordial nature.
She is the personification of Mother Nature – everything is born, lives and
undergoes transformation in her. Life begins and ends in her. As Green is the
color of life, she is depicted having a green body color.
Without mother there is no
life. Without life there is nothing in this universe. It is because of her
blessing that there is life and there is food to nourish and sustain
life. Green color represents both life and food. Thus,
Madurai Meenakshi unites with Shiva (Purusha) and life begins. She sustains all
life forms until each life form transforms to another form (which we ignorantly
refer as death). There is no end in pure nature there is only transformation.
One becomes food for another and life continues. All this happens when Goddess
Madurai Meenakshi wishes.
Annapurna, Annapurneshwari or Annada
Annapūrṇa in Sanskrit means “one filled with or possessed of food”.
She is an aspect of Devi Adishakti and is known as the Hindu Goddess of food and nourishment. Worship and
offering of food (anna dana) are highly praised in Hinduism, and therefore, the
Goddess Annapurna is regarded as a popular deity. She is a manifestation of the
Goddess Parvati, the wife of Shiva, and is eulogized in the Ananda Mangal
lyrics in Bengali by Bharatchandra
Ray. The Annapurna Sahasranama is
dedicated to the Goddess and praises her 1008 names, while the Annapurna
Shatanama Stotram is dedicated to her 108 names.
A few temples exist that are
dedicated to her, the most prominent being the Annapurna Devi Mandir in Varanasi, like Bhudevi temple in
Mysore in Karnataka.
I talked out Annabhishekam of
Sivalinga in Hindu Temples. Abhishekam (Hydration Pooja) is the process of
bathing the deity. “Annam” means rice and Anna Abhishekam denotes
bathing the deity with cooked rice (symbolizing joining with Parvati
as in Ardhanareeswara). This divine ritual is performed on the Full Moon day in the Tamil month of
Aippasi (mid-Oct to mid-Nov). Although there are a variety of Abhishekams
performed in India, this particular ceremony is performed on Lord Shiva in the
form of Shiva Lingam, in all South Indian Shiva temples is most sacred,
pleasing Shiva. Performing this ritual once a year can help you get
rid of all the problems in your life. This ceremony is also known as Shiva
Abhishekam or Maha Anna
Abhishekam and is conducted in many
Shiva temples throughout South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. It is believed that one’s mind is a resemblance
of the food he consumes. To signify the significance and divine role of rice in
one’s life, Anna Abhishekam is performed annually.
Anna Abhishekam acts as a gesture
of gratitude to Lord Shiva, who is the sole protector of nature's five elements
and all life forms on earth. Besides, rice is an outcome of the union of the
five elements of nature. When the seed is sown in the land, it is nourished by
water from the sky, fire (energy) from the Sun and is transformed into paddy
with the help of wind. This is processed into rice and is fed to all living
entities. Such is the significance of Anna Abhishekam.
Annapurna, Ardhanareeswara, and Emerald Madurai Meenakshi remind
us of the aspects of Parvati and greatness of Earth, Nature’s green crop and
food. It is therefore appropriate to worship Parvati as presiding deity on
Thanksgiving Day and also perform Annabhishekam to Abhishekapriya Lord Shiva on
Thanksgiving Day which is His most favored Abhisheka. Parvati
is worshiped as green emerald idol in Madurai and Annapurni in Varanasi,
her aspects.
Anna Sthuti in Mahanarayana
Upanishad:
yābhirādityastapati
raśmibhistābhiḥ parjanyo varṣatiparjanyenauṣadhi vanaspatayaḥ prajāyanta oṣadhivanaspatibhirannaṁ bhavatyannena prāṇāḥ prāṇairbalaṁ balenatapastapasā śraddhā śraddhayā medhā medhayā manīṣā manīṣayā mano manasā śāntiḥ śāntyā chittaṁ chittena smṛtiḥ smṛtyā smāraɱ smāreṇa vijñānaṁ vijñānenātmānaṁ vedayati tasmād annaṁ dadansarvāṇyetāni daat yannāt-prāṇā bhavanti bhūtānāṁ prāṇair-mano manasaścha vijñānaṁ vijñānādānando brahma yoniḥ
Those rays by which the sun gives heat, the same rays transform
water into rain-cloud which showers the rain. By the rain-cloud herbs and trees
come into existence From-herbs and trees Food is produced. By the use of Food, the breaths and senses are nourished. When the
life- breath is nourished, one gets bodily strength. Bodily strength gives the
capacity to practice tapas (in the shape of self-control, religious fast, and
so forth). As the result of such tapas, faith in scriptural truths springs
into existence. By faith mental power comes. By mental power sense-control is
made possible. By sense-control reflection is engendered. From reflection
calmness of mind results. Conclusive experience of Truth
follows calmness. By conclusive experience of Truth remembrance of It is
engendered. Remembrance produces continuous remembrance. From continuous
remembrance results unbroken direct realization of Truth. By such realization a person knows the Ātman.
Annapurne sadapurne Sankara
pranavallabhe | jnana vairagya sidhyartham bhiksham dehicha Parvati
||
Replete with Food, perfect at all times, beloved charmer of Sankara’s life, O
Parvati, give me alms for fulfilment of knowledge and detachment!
Prithvi, the
Mother Earth, represents the feminine, creative and transformative energy of
the Universe. She makes our life possible and sustains it. And in worshipping
her we worship Shakti the Cosmic energy that pervades the Universe--Nithyapushta
kareeshinee; Iswaree sarvabhootanam.
The name
“Shailaputri” literally means the daughter (putri) of mountain (shaila).
Variously known as Sati Bhavani, Parvati or Hemavati, the daughter of Himavat - the
King of the Himalayas who himself sprung out of Mother Earth, who can be called
Bhuputra. In reality, Parvati whose sanctums are very popular with many names
is the grand-daughter of Bhudevi, for whom sanctums are very rare. Bhudevi is
invariably glorified as consort of Vishnu in all Vishnu processional
deities. Prithvee Linga may be Rudra. Rudra is one in Trinity form
of Brahman in Vedas. Shiva of puranas , may be an avatar of Rudra who married Parvati,
called Shaila Putri, popularly worshipped as Mother Earth, though granddaughter of Bhudevi. Bhudevi is appropriate to be worshipped as Mother
Earth. If Shiva is Rudra, then, did he start polygamy or polyandry
tradition, marrying celebrated Vishnupatni, Bhudevi that encouraged
Draupadi to marry Pacha Pandavas in Dvapara Yuga?
Please also go through my
discourse:
Thanksgiving Day 2021
Thanksgiving
Day, as an annual event, started in Western culture as a religious day that
turned these days to a social event and family get-together of fun and frolic
in USA. India of multi-culture had no hesitation in joining other countries in
celebrating this as an annual event. Today, many countries in the world
celebrate this annual event to make it an International event. USA is the
earliest to make this day as a National Day that inspired other countries and
turned it to social event of get-together and enjoy festival meal with family
and friends.
I believe,
even Western cultures are inspired by Hinduism including USA. For Hindus,
every day is Thanksgiving Day, paying obeisance the Supreme who brought us to
this world with five vital forces Prana, Apana, Udana, Vyana and Samana that
regulate the life. We pay obeisance to them with Swaha mantra
as deities.
The Harvest
Thanksgiving Festival of India is called Thai Pongal (or Ponkal). The four-day
January festival was traditionally held in praise of the Sun God, and
has a history that runs back more than ten centuries. There are other
similar festivals throughout India, including Makara Sankranti on the Hindu
calendar, and Puspuni, which hails from the Indian state of Odisha. Rice is
central to all the celebrations; a key event in Thai Pongal is the ceremonial
boiling of the first rice of the harvest season.
Upanishads
also include Annastuti mantra. It says, vital forces and
senses are from food that are Brahman’s (Supreme Being)
lieutenants. Hence, first five morsels of food are offered to Jatharagni,
an aspect of Brahman, with prayer before enjoying the meal. Hindus also worship
Annapoorna, the deity of food. Annapoorna is
an aspect of Devi Adishakti and is known as the Hindu Goddess of food and
nourishment.
On the fourth Thursday of
November, many Americans gather around the table with their families and fill
their plates with turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing—but why? In this
episode of On This Day, Encyclopedia Britannica's Kurt Heintz
explores the true history that lies beneath the myths and mysteries of this
American custom (with a few glances at what Canadians do too).
To know more about Thanksgiving
Please recall my discourses:
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2013/11/hindu-american-thoughts-on-thanksgiving.html
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-day-celebration-in-hindu_28.html
The New England colonists were accustomed
to regularly celebrating “Thanksgivings,” days of prayer thanking God for
blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought. The U.S. Continental Congress proclaimed a national Thanksgiving upon the enactment of the
Constitution. After 1798, the new U.S. Congress left Thanksgiving declarations to the states; some objected
to the national government’s involvement in a religious observance.
Southerners were slow to adopt a New England custom, and others took offense
over the day’s being used to hold partisan speeches and parades. A national
Thanksgiving Day seemed more like a lightning rod for controversy than a
unifying force.
Thanksgiving Day did not become
an official holiday until Northerners dominated the federal government. While sectional tensions prevailed in the mid-19th century, the
editor of the popular magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book, Sarah Josepha Hale, campaigned for a national Thanksgiving Day to promote unity. She
finally won the support of President Abraham Lincoln. On October 3, 1863, during the Civil War, Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be
celebrated on Thursday, November 26.
The holiday was annually proclaimed by every president thereafter, and the date
chosen, with few exceptions, was the last Thursday in November. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, however, attempted to extend the Christmas shopping season, which generally begins with the
Thanksgiving holiday, and to boost the economy by moving the date back a week,
to the third week in November. But not all states complied,
and, after a joint resolution of Congress in 1941, Roosevelt issued a proclamation in 1942 designating
the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.
As the country became more urban and family members began to live farther
apart, Thanksgiving became a time to gather together. The holiday moved away
from its religious roots to allow immigrants of every background to participate
in a common tradition. Thanksgiving Day football games, beginning
with Yale versus Princeton in 1876, enabled fans to
add some rowdiness to the holiday. In the late 1800s parades of costumed
revelers became common. In 1920 Gimbel’s department store in Philadelphia staged a parade of about 50 people
with Santa Claus at the rear of the procession. Since 1924 the
annual Macy’s parade in New York City has continued the tradition, with huge balloons since 1927. The holiday associated with Pilgrims and Native
Americans has come to symbolize intercultural peace, America’s opportunity for newcomers, and the sanctity of home
and family.
When the leaves start falling and the shops
are stocked with pumpkins, that’s when you know that Thanksgiving is right
around the corner! Unlike other holidays that are more gift-focused,
Thanksgiving is centered on giving thanks for what we have and the special
people in our lives. It’s a time to catch up with loved ones, sit around the
table and share one of the most delicious meals of the year. Whether
you are near or far from your loved ones this Thanksgiving, there are so many
ways to share just how much you care with these thoughtful Thanksgiving wishes
and messages for everyone in your life. We are sharing greetings that are
perfect for friends, coworkers and even for families that won’t be seeing each
other this year due to the pandemic. However, we spend
our Thanks- giving, we must be sure to show our gratitude to those
that we are most grateful for in our lives!
This year testing for virus
before your Thanksgiving dinner or before you go for, Thanksgiving could
have a huge impact if everyone actually did it,” Nichols says. “If it's accessible
and you can afford it and if you really want to reduce the risk of transmission
on Thanksgiving, it is essential.
Each
precautionary measure is a layer of protection that can be combined to make
Thanksgiving as safe as possible. No single layer is perfect, including
vaccines. Wen suggests looking at case rates every day like a weather report
and thinking of vaccines like raincoats.
“If
you are in a drizzle, it will protect you very well and chances are you're not
going to get wet,” she says. “But if you are in a thunderstorm, and if you are
in multiple thunderstorms all the time, at some point you're going to get
wet.”
Life is a journey for me, from
not knowing to knowing, from not understanding to understanding and from
confusion to clarity. This is the Day to thank the Supreme and pay
obeisance. November 2021 is the Diwali
month that ennobles and enlightens us for Thanksgiving time to be thankful, a time to remember, rejoice and to embrace those who enrich
our lives. I’m thankful for a lot of things, but I’m most thankful for you for
caring and sharing the messages of HINDU REFLECTIONS and occasionally
appreciating with a glowing tribute!
--November 21, 2021
KARMA AND
CONDUCT- PHYSICAL & MENTAL FUNCTIONS (KAAYA
VAACHA MANASA INDRIYA)
Karma Bhumi is a Sanskrit term that translates as “land of
action.” Bhumi means “earth,” “country” or “land,” while karma
is typically defined as “action” or “activity.” In Jainism and Hinduism, what
constitutes Karma Bhumi varies depending on the tradition, but always refers to
some sort of earthly plane.
The law of karma refers to the concept of one's actions -- both
good and bad -- affecting one's destiny or fate in the future and in subsequent
lives. Because karma is rooted in the belief systems of India, karma Bhumi is
sometimes used as a synonym for India or the Indian subcontinent.
In Indian philosophy, the universe is divided into realms or
regions, which vary in number but include some sort of heavenly world, earthly
world and underworld. The earthly world, called martya or Bhu-loka,
is sometimes referred to in its entirety as Karma Bhumi, or the
place where good and bad actions reap karma. The other worlds, or lokas,
are collectively referred to as Bhoga
Bhumi.
In Jainism, the world inhabited by humans is divided into zones,
three of which – bharat kshetra, mahavideh kshetra and airavat
kshetra – comprise Karma Bhumi. In Karma Bhumi, Jain doctrine is
preached and the faithful live an austere life in order to obtain liberation.
In the other zones, people live a life of pleasure with no sin and, therefore,
no need for religion.
The
living beings take birth again according to their Karma and conduct, they get a
certain kind of body that is most suitable for the type of consciousness they
have developed. Therefore, according to the Padma Purana, there are 8,400,000
species of life, each offering a particular class of body for whatever kind of
desires and consciousness the living being may have in this world. In this way,
the living entity is the son of his past and the father of his future. Thus, he
is presently affected by his previous life’s activities and creates his future
existence by the actions he performs in this life. A person will reincarnate
into various forms of bodies that are most suitable for the living entity’s
consciousness, desires, and for what he deserves. So the living being
inevitably continues in this cycle of birth and death and the consequences for
his various good or bad activities as long as he is materially motivated.
What
creates good or bad karma is also the nature of the intent behind the action.
If one uses things selfishly or out of anger, greed, hate, revenge, etc., then
the nature of the act is of darkness. One will incur bad karma from it that
will later manifest as reversals in life, painful events, disease or accidents.
While things that are done for the benefit of others, out of kindness and love,
with no thought of return, or for worshiping God, are all acts of goodness and
piety, which will bring benefit or good fortune to you. However, if you do
something bad that happens because of an accident or a mistake, without the
intent to do any harm to others, the karma is not so heavy. Maybe you were
meant to be an instrument in someone else’s karma, which is also yours. It will
take into consideration your motivation. Yet the greater the intent or
awareness of doing something wrong, the greater the degree of negative reaction
there will be. So it is all based on the intent behind the action.
We
should understand that, essentially, karma is for correcting a person, not for
mere retribution of past deeds. The universe is based on compassion. Everyone
has certain lessons and ways in which he must develop, and the law of karma
actually directs one in a manner to do that. Nonetheless, one is not condemned
to stay in this cycle of repeated birth and death forever. There is a way out.
In the human form one can acquire the knowledge of spiritual realization and
attain release from karma and further rounds of birth and death. This is
considered to be the most important achievement one can accomplish in life.
This is why every religious process in the world encourages people who want
freedom from earthly existence not to hanker for material attachments or
sensual enjoyments which bind them to this world, but to work towards what can
free them from further cycles of birth and death.
All
karma can be negated when one truly aspires to understand or realize the higher
purpose in life and spiritual truth. When one reaches that point, his life can
be truly spiritual, which gives eternal freedom from change. By striving for
the Absolute Truth, or for serving God in devotional service, especially in
Jnanayoga turned to Bhakti-yoga, a person can reach the stage in which he is
completely relieved of all karmic obstacles or responsibilities. Lord Krishna
says in Bhagavad Gita (18.66): “Abandon all varieties of religion and just
surrender unto me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.”
Without
being trained in this spiritual science, it is very difficult to understand how
the living being leaves his body or what kind of body he will get in the
future, or why there are various species of life which accommodate all the
living entities’ innumerable levels of consciousness. As related in the Bhagavad
Gita, those who are spiritually ignorant cannot understand how a living entity
can depart the body at the time of death, nor can they understand what kind of
body he or she will enjoy while under the influence of the modes of nature.
However, one who has been trained in knowledge can perceive this.
Please
let us see what ancient sage Karsajini
said about karma and conduct in Brahma Sutra and explains why souls return to
earth the land we are born and act to exhaust residual sin. Karsnajini is an ancient
sage cited in Brahma Sutra on karma and conduct. He is referred to in
Brahmasutra (III.1.9) of Badarayana and is represented there as holding the
view that the departed souls after residing in heaven come back to earth with
their residual acts (karma). This view accords with that of Shankara too.
The
question that is raised in this aphorism of Brahmasutra (III-1.9), whether the
departed souls, after experiencing in heaven the fruits of their actions during
their lives on earth, come back with any residual action or without any such
residue.
The
prima facie view is that they descend to the Earth without any residue, as the
scripture (Chandogya Upanishad, V-10.5; Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV-4-6)
declares that the souls reside in heaven till their karma is exhausted. The
same texts also states that souls when they return are born as human beings or
animals according to their good or bad conduct.
Some
ancient sages were of the view that even though all the karma is exhausted by
one’s stay in heaven, rebirth on earth is brought about by residual action.
They thus make a distinction between actions and conduct.
Sage
Karsnajini is quoted as rebutting this view. He says that the word akarana
(conduct) used in the text should be construed as implying only moral actions
(karma) and not conduct. Thus, akarana brings about only corresponding nuances
in one’s karma, which directly determines destiny. So karma is the main cause
of birth. Conduct is only a contributory factor. Sage Karsnajini concludes
that, therefore, souls return to the earth after their stay in heaven with
their residual karma, not after exhausting such residue.
--November 20,
2021
INTERNATIONAL
MEN’S DAY
International Men's Day (IMD) is a
global holiday celebrated annually on November 19, and is marked in 80
countries including India, to recognize and celebrate the cultural, political,
and socioeconomic achievements of men. The objectives of celebrating an
International Men's Day are set out in 'All the Six Pillars of International
Men's Day'. It is an occasion to celebrate boys' and men's achievements and
contributions, in particular for their contributions to nation, union, society,
community, family, marriage, and childcare. The broader and ultimate aim of the
event is to promote basic humanitarian values, as well as awareness towards
men's issues.
The six key pillars of International
Men’s Day are set out below:
(1) To promote positive male role
models; not just movie stars and sports men but every day, working-class men
who are living decent, honest lives.
(2) To celebrate men’s positive
contributions; to society, community, family, marriage, child care, and to the
environment
(3) To focus on men’s health and
wellbeing; social, emotional, physical and spiritual.
(4) To highlight discrimination against
males; in areas of social services, social attitudes and expectations, and law
(5) To improve gender relations and
promote gender equality.
(6) To create a safer, better world;
where people can be safe and grow to reach their full potential.
International Men's Day is an
opportunity for people to appreciate and celebrate the men in their lives.
International Men's Day was founded in 1999 by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, a
history lecturer at University of the West Indies in Trinidad Tobago. However,
the day is not only a celebration of the positive role of men in society but
also an attempt to promote gender equality. To that end, "Better relations
between men and women" is the theme for International Men's Day 2021.You
put your family above your own self. You work hard so we can live well. Thank
you for all that you do. Happy International Men's Day!
"A
great man is a torch in the darkness, a beacon in superstition's night, an
inspiration and a prophecy." - Robert Green Ingersoll.
--November 19, 2021
Comments:
Happy Men’s Day!
--A.S.
Narayana
Importance of Karthika Deepam
Karthigai Deepam 2021 date is November 19. The main event of
the day is the lighting of traditional oil lamps in the evening
after sunset. Karthigai is the name of one of the stars or Nakshatras and
deepam is the term for light or diya in Tamil. Tiruvannamalai Karthigai Maha
Deepam is held on the evening of
November 19, 2021.
On the day, temples, homes and streets are decorated with traditional oil
lamps. Special pujas and prayers are held in temples on the day. The
famous Tiruvannamalai Bharani Deepam is held during the period.
The lighting of lamp is an auspicious symbol and it is believed to
usher in peace and prosperity.
The day is also known a; Vaikhanasa Deepam;Pancharatra Deepam;Chokka Panai and Yanai Pandigai.
In Kerala, the festival is known as Thrikarthika or Karthika Vilakku and is held in the month of Vrischika
(November – December).
Importance of Karthigai Deepam
Karthigai Deepam is also observed as Bharani
Deepam and Vishnu Deepam in Tamil Nadu and is an auspicious day
for both Shaivites and Vaishnavites.
Talk about Karthigai Deepam and the picture that comes to mind is
that of rows and rows of lamps or ‘vilakku’. On this day, every Hindu home
lights the traditional Vilakku (diyas) in the evening. Locally, these lamps are
known as ‘agal vilakku.’
The day is also highly auspicious for Lord Muruga devotees as he
was taken care by the six Krittika stars and the celebrations on Karthigai
commemorate his divine birth. In popular Tamil belief, Karthigai Nakshatra is
the birthday of Murukan.
Karthigai Deepam is celebrated as Tirukarttikai in Tamil
Nadu, Kerala, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, South
Africa and in other parts of the world which has Tamil population. People
light lamps outside their home.
Especially in Tiruvannamalai, rows of lamps are lighted on the
hill and this is most popular Karthigai Deepam.
The lighted lamp is an auspicious symbol and it is believed to
usher in prosperity and joy.
Greatness of Karthigai Deepam Explained by Kanchi Maha
Periyava
We light up a series of earthen lamps on the day of Karthigai or
Kruttika Nakshatram in the month of Karthigai. At that time, we have to sing
this sloka as given in the shastras:
Keetah patangah mashakah cha vrukshah | jale sthale ye nivasanti
jivah ||
drushtva pradeepam na cha janma bhajah | sukhinah
bhavantu svapachah hi viprah ||
"We pray that, whosoever sees this lamp that we are lighting,
they be worms, birds or mosquitoes or trees and such plants; all life forms
which live in water or on earth; or may be human beings of whatever caste or
creed; seeing this light may have the effect on them that all their sins are
washed away and they may transcend the cycle of life and death and reach
everlasting happiness!"
Ghanandkareshu deepadarshanam--in our
darkness of life he appeared as light to guide us on this day that we
celebrate. Upanishad mantra says:Tamaso maa jyotir gamaya--“Lead me to the enlightenment destroying darkness in life
(ignorance) created by our actions, thoughts and understanding” on this earth. The state of awareness about the omniscient, omnipresent
and omnipotent power (Atman) presented inside us is the enlightenment we seek
in this prayer on this day, by lighting the wick of the mud lamp.
Ramana Maharshi has also composed a Tamil verse to explain the
significance of the Karthigai Deepam that is lit on the Arunachala Hill every
year. Meaning of his Tamil stanza is as follows:
The true significance of seeing the flame (Karthigai Deepam) on
Annamalai, which is the Heart center of the world, is realizing the Light of
the Real Self that is one without a second, after discarding the notion ‘I am
this body’ and making the mind abide in the Heart by attending to the source of
the mind (through Self-enquiry and meditation).
This South Indian festival is similar to the Dev Diwali
celebrations in North India. As per the legend associated with Karthigai
Deepam, Lord Shiva appeared as an endless source of light on this day to
eliminate ignorance. On this day, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu apparently argued
over each other's supremacy. Therefore, to remind them that ignorance, pride,
and ego lead to one's downfall, Lord Shiva appeared as an infinite flame of
light. Therefore, people light lamps that symbolize miniature versions of this
form of Lord Shiva. It is also believed to be the day when Lord Murugan (also
known as Kartikeya) came into being. On this auspicious day, share the Happy
Karthigai Deepam wishes and greetings with your family and friends:
Aanai Pandige Kartikai is an important festival
of Iyengars. The festival is to honor the avatar of Gajalakshmi. On this day
she was born and the elephants performed Tirumanjanam (ceremonial bath). This
day is also celebrated as Kiru (small) Deepavali.
Sarvajne Sarva Varade Sarva Dushta Bhayankari | Sarva Duhkha Hare
Devi Mahaa Lakshmi Namostu Te.
O Devi Mahaalaksmi, who is the embodiment of knowledge, giver of
all boons, a terror to all the wicked, remover of all sorrows, obeisance to
Thee.
This Karthigai Deepam day, May Lord Shiva Murugan and Gajalakshmi
remove all the negativities from your life. May you be showered with happiness,
good health, wealth and good luck—a very happy Karthigai Deepam to you and your
family! May Lord Murugan shower you with his choicest blessings and may you get
rid of all your sorrows and agony this Karthigai Deepam day. May Gajalakshmi remove all our sorrows and shower us with
all-round material wealth to care and share and spiritual wealth enlighten!
- Please also go through my discourses on Kartik Purnima:
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2011/12/kartigai-deepamkaartik-poornima.html
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2013/11/elephant-festival-of-iyengars-of.html
--November 18, 2021
Comments:
Deepam Jyothi Parabrahmam | Deepam Sarva Thamobaham | Deepane Saathyatha
Sarvam | Santhyaa Deepa Nasmosthu Te ||
“Ulagile santi nilavavendum’’--D. K. Pattammal composed this famous song. It was played all over
Tamil Nadu.
Sir, Twam Sajeeva Sardassadam.
--Dr. Govinda Nagarajan
--November 19, 2021
Free Webinar - Autobiography of
a Yogi by Phil Goldberg
“Yogananda's iconic memoir,
Autobiography of a Yogi - a book that changed millions of lives, perhaps
including yours - was published almost exactly 75 years ago. I've written
articles and am doing interviews about its enormous impact, and sharing
information that's not in Yogananda's book.
This Sunday, 11/21, at 7pm ET / 4pm PT, I'll be doing a FREE WEBINAR sponsored
by Hindu American University. It's a preview of a 10-lesson course I'll be
starting in January, in which we'll dive deeply into every chapter of the
seminal Autobiography”--writes Phil Goldberg.
I was attracted to a letter to the editor of Tennessean titled
“Shirt sleeve to Shirt Sleeves” on Father's Day some years back. I
also remembered then one of our rich and affluent philanthropists and his book
Gym 3 presentation in which he touches on the background of his family history.
The letter in Tennessean read: "My parents are approaching their 80's, and
I'd like to recommend to seniors that a cherished gift to their children and
grandchildren would be a journal or family history book written by them
describing their child-hood memories and early married years. So many funny
stories and historical markers of an earlier time--before computers and fax
machines --will be lost if they are not shared..... ...The family history can
be passed from one generation to the next, and I cannot think of a more special
gift"--reads the letter. Spontaneous response by a reader says:
"That is a splendid idea. However, I would urge children and
grand-children not to wait for the family history, but to wait to interview
their parents and grandparents now, with a pencil in hand. Better yet, if
possible, use a video recorder".
I strongly advise you too should leave behind such a memoir for
future generation after reading this message of Phil Goldberg. My own
autobiography runs to beyond 700 pages though I have not become a celebrated
figure to share with you. Go through his
message and participate in the Webinar.
--November 18, 2021
Comments:
With my knowledge of computer almost next to nothing। When I retired (for second time in 2004 at age 66) decided to
attend a 3 months course in GNNIT for learning Computer in Thane !! With help from my eldest
daughter Aparna, my first project was to start my blog ---
apkoilns.blogspot.com--- My first page is Family genealogical tree-- and Next
is ---Our Family History-- I had taken help from my second eldest brother who
was 13 years older than me for factual editing. The job continues. Anecdotes
which relate to periods before my birth have been covered so far!! Happy
to say, one of the scions of the family, my second eldest brother's grandson,
found it interesting to go through. Incidentally he too is in USA!!
Just to say, your suggestion in your e-mail I have been
following through intuition, already!!
I Replied:
Wonderful! My memoirs cover
completely my family background as Kadambi. My children do not carry family
prename as they were christened when born in the house by my father-in-law who
did not like Nadipurams nor had any idea of Kadambis of great Ramanuja origin.
It looks as though I started the family-tree after migrating to USA as my grand
-children carry my name as suffixes instead Iyengar as my name had and no
family suffix in my name which is a sub-caste indicative. You see how
history changes! I shared my ten chapters of memoirs with my sisters and an
American close friend and boss as I retired. It is interesting for you to see
his reaction. Chapter 11 continues carrying present history and events
including Kamala as vice president!
"I scanned your memoir while in bed last
night. I had a hard time putting it down. I remembered many of the stories you
wrote about, as you had shared them with me during our times together.
Your life has been a challenging adventure guided by a purpose to
provide for your family. As I said to you years ago, you should never measure
your success in life by your bank account, but by the thriving success of your
children and now, grand-children. I could have been a richer man today,
but I chose to leave the money in the business. When the challenges of 9/11,
the Great Recession and now the Pandemic arose, the business was able to
survive or even thrive.
This financial discipline has allowed it to flourish under the new
style entrepreneurship and leadership of my children. I have my story of
teaching my children about leadership and commitment in the story of “From
potato farmer to potato farmer in three generations”. I will share this with
you one day and how we successfully transitioned from the second to third generation
in our family business. It was not so easy for our family business
transitioning from the first to second generation, and I learned the lesson to
prepare and plan for succession.
As I read your memoir, I note your reference to your faith and
gratitude for its blessings. I, too, have a strong faith and I am grateful for
God’s blessings upon me and my family and our family business. My faith has
gotten me through some tough times. My history has been filled with some very
difficult challenges; some you know. I am grateful you have walked with me
through some of the peaks and valleys of my life and I consider you a dear
friend. Stay well. God bless you and your family.”
Sapthagireesan replied:
Interesting to see the contents
of your mail, the reactions of your co-born in particular.
Since mine has been in public domain open to all who are
interested in perusing my blog, I could even embody such reactions at relevant
places as and when received. Nice diversion!
‑‑A N Sapthagireesan
REFLECTIONS ON BODY, MIND & SPIRIT IN HINDUISM
A Collection of Hindu Religious Teachings
The one
God who exists in subtle form in all beings pervades all and is the inner Self
of all beings. He dwells in all beings; he is the witness; he is the
intelligent principle; he is pure; and, he is bereft of all qualities.
(Svetasvatara Upanishad, VI. 11)
If the
water of the lake is full of waves and the water itself muddy, the bottom of
the lake is not visible. However, when the waves are subsided and the water is
clean, we can clearly see the bottom of the lake. Similarly, when all thought
waves are controlled and the mind becomes pure, free from past impressions, Samskaras, then our real spiritual
nature is revealed. To control thought waves one has to practice meditation and
to purify the mind one must practice detachment.
Just as a spider weaves
its net from the materials of its own body, so does Ishwara created this
universe out of Himself.
The ego identifies
himself with casual bodies undergoes various sufferings and strives for
liberation.
That
intense love which the ignorant bear towards the objects of this world: may I
have that same intensity of love for Bhagavan!
One may
be indifferent to the enjoyments of this world only in expectation of better
enjoyments in the next. This kind of indifference is tainted with desires,
which bar the door to knowledge. But the indifference that results from a due
deliberation on the evanescent nature of this world as well as the world to
come, is alone pure and productive of the highest good.
In this ever-changing
world there is one changeless being as witness of these changes. This permanent
ever-seeing being is Atman. Perfection in any form is the manifestation of the
Divine.
God in His mercy has
withheld the knowledge of the past from people. If they knew that they were
virtuous, they will grow proud; contrariwise, they will be depressed. Do you
know the present life so well that you wish to know the past? Why do you wish
to burden yourself with more knowledge and suffer more?
He who sees Himself as
free from the body (idea) knows it not even when the body is cut asunder, in
just the same way as the sugar candy whether dried in fire or cut remains
sweet. Just as the wife carried on with the house-hold chores though ever doting
on her husband, so too the Jnani remains ever in the Supreme State though
engaged in activity.
Non Attachment does not mean indifference; Love does not mean
attachment;
Attachment is that which takes; Love is that which gives.
About your worldly troubles
you must do as you think best yourself, but it is good policy to keep out from
other's plates however sweet and inviting it looks. Both sugar and arsenic are
white.
When a soul turns his
mind towards the Divine the following two things will happen — first he will
get some joyful experience, which shows that he is on the right path and that
he is progressing. Second when the asuric (demonic) forces see that he is
progressing they will put every possible obstacle before the sadhaka in the
form of worldly troubles, mental botherations and sex urge.
In the course of sadhana
— Maya comes to a sincere soul first in the form of worldly troubles, second in
the form of diseases and thirdly in the form of dear friends to keep him away
from the quest. Our mind is the greatest cheater in this world, it will create
thousands of different reasons to go its own way. There are three ways to
handle this cheater who is nothing but a bundle of thoughts creeping up in the
conscious mind. First to treat him as a friend and give him full satisfaction.
This is a very long and tiresome way because he is never satisfied. Secondly to
treat him as an enemy and with all your force try to get rid of him. This is
only possible by the grace of the Divine because the mind has two very powerful
weapons which are the discriminating intellect and the second the imaginative
faculty. These two fellows can convince even God Himself that black is white.
The third way is to treat him as a patient or rather several patients coming
and troubling him with their different kinds of diseases.
The main thing with
worship is not what we worship, but that we worship and if we have got love we
can easily surrender the feeling of "I" which is the wall between
ourselves and God.
The greatest service to
humanity is Self-Enquiry and the greatest remedy for this world is
Self-Realization but that does not mean we should not do anything for others. .
. . As long as we have not got the power to withdraw the mind from the objects
of sense perception we should do and must do whatever we can for others.
Selfless activity will soon give the power of introversion but when the mind
once has become introverted, we should not spoil what we have gained by outward
activity.
If the ego is allowed to
play with our emotions it is capable of causing havoc. Only by drawing the ego
to its source even the saddest feeling is converted into Ananda.
Please go through my discourse “What we call
Hinduism Today was Universal Religion
in the Past”:
http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2019/03/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html
Hinduism: Basic Beliefs
The fundamental teaching of Hinduism, or Vedanta, is that
a human being's basic nature is not confined to the body or the mind. Beyond
both of these is the spirit or the spark of God within the soul.
What do Hindus believe and practice?
The fundamental teaching of Hinduism, or Vedanta, is that
a human being's basic nature is not confined to the body or the mind. Beyond
both of these is the spirit or the spark of God within the soul. This spirit is
within us and also within everything we see. All beings and all things are
really, in their deepest essence, this pure or divine spirit, full of peace,
full of joy and wisdom, ever united with God. This is not just theory, but it
can actually be experienced. Anyone who takes the trouble to undergo the
necessary training to purify and refine the mind and senses can begin to feel
the truth of this. This training can take various forms and is known as yoga ("union"-
union of the individual self with this inner spirit).
There are four main types of yoga, meant
for the four main types of human temperaments:
Karma Yoga or the discipline of
right actions is for those of active temperament, striving to eliminate selfishness,
and to cultivate universal sympathy by seeing the divine reality in all.
Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion
to God whose presence can be felt in all things. God can be worshipped as
present in an image in a Temple. God can be worshipped also as present in
suffering humanity by service.
Jnana Yoga, preferred by those of
analytical bent of mind, is the discipline of trying to see the divine reality
within all things directly, by mentally brushing aside all the obstructing
physical and mental coverings that hide it.
Raja Yoga is the process of mental
control, purity, and meditation. By working through the mind, the practice of Raja Yoga paves a way to discipline, self-control,
concentration, mental peace, and inner joy.
ESSENCE OF
UPANISHADIC KNOWLEDGE, A LEGACY TO HUMANITY
In the ancient wisdom
texts called the Upanishads, illumined sages share flashes of insight, the
result of their investigation into consciousness itself. In extraordinary
visions, they experience directly a transcendent Reality which is the essence
called Self, of each created being. They teach us that each of us, each Self,
is eternal, deathless, one with the power that created the universe. Each sage,
each Upanishad, appeals in different ways to the reader’s head and heart. The Upanishads belong not just to Hinduism,
philosophy of the people of protracted ancient geographic region. They are
India’s precious legacy to humanity. Embodying the wisdom of ancient mystics,
the Upanishads form the core of India’s most sacred scriptures and constitute
the highest authority for all spiritualists, not confined to compartmentalized
religious followers, seeking path of Dharma.
The Vedas are the core
scriptures of Hinduism and the Upanishads are texts which form the
philosophical essence of the Vedas. The Upanishads are collectively called
the Vedanta. Literally, Vedanta means ‘end of the Vedas’ and indeed, many
of these texts are found at the end of each of the four Vedas.
The Upanishads are also the end or culmination of the Vedas in the sense
that they embody the highest philosophical knowledge of the Vedas.
‘The essence of the knowledge of the Vedas was called by
the name of Vedanta, which comprises the Upanishads
We hear of 108
Upanishads, ten of which are especially important because they were
selected for commentary by Adi Shankaracharya. There is a
traditional shloka which lists these major Upanishads –‘Isha-Kena-Katha-Prashna
Munda-Mandukya Tittirih Aitereyam ca Chhandogyam Brhadaryankam
tatha’
Often these Upanishads
are in the form of dialogues between sages and truth-seekers. For example
in the Mundaka Upanishad, the enquirer, Shaunaka asks the sage
Angirasa--‘Sir, what is that, which becoming known, everything
here becomes known?’ In the Katha Upanishad, a little boy, Nachiketa asks
about what, if anything, survives death – and he asks this to
none other than Yama, Lord of Death! Let us go
straight into the heart of the Upanishads. What is their
central message to us?
You are Pure Existence
In the sixth
chapter of the Chhandogya Upanishad, we find a dialogue between a sage
and his son, Shvetaketu. The enquiry here is, ‘What is that knowledge
by which everything becomes known?’ And to grasp the answer to this
bold question, we must appreciate the concept that by knowing
the cause one can know the effects. Thus if you know clay, you know
all pots made of clay (you know that all such pots are nothing
but clay), by knowing iron one understands all implements made of iron, by
knowing gold, all gold ornaments are understood as nothing but gold
and so on. In the same way, if we enquire deeply enough, the Upanishad claims
we shall see that all existent things are nothing but existence
itself or pure existence.
Sat is the term
used for pure existence. To explain further, take the traditional example
of a pot – the pot is nothing but its cause clay, clay is nothing
but its cause prithvi or the earth element, prithvi is nothing
but its cause ap or the water element and in this
way we trace everything back to the primal cause, pure existence
or Sat. It is Sat appearing
as this world through the mysterious agency of Maya. And ‘Thou,
O Shvetaketu,’ says the sage, ‘art That!’ By ‘That’ of course, he
means, Sat, pure existence. You, your mind and body, and indeed,
everything you see around you, are essentially nothing but pure existence,
appearing in multifarious forms, courtesy of Maya. Ignorance means
being unaware of your Sat nature, and consequently being identified
with the body-mind complex with all its attendant problems and
sufferings. Enlightenment is just the reverse – being aware of
yourself as Sat and being free of the body, mind and all samsara. You
are the immortal, unchanging Sat and the world is a mere shadow the
projection of Maya, passing over you. This does not actually destroy
the body or the world – rather you begin to see things as they really are.
Your true Self, Sat, is not a
thing, an object, among other objects of the universe. Rather It is the very existence of all
things and they are not apart from
It. To a Jnani, each object reveals Sat.
“The Upanishads set forth a path of
Self-inquiry to discover our true immortal nature. This begins by examining our
bodies and minds. The eye is for seeing. The ear is for hearing. The voice is
for speaking. The Prana is for breathing. The hands are for grasping. The feet
are for walking. The mind is for thinking, which includes memory, imagination,
right and wrong knowledge, emotion and volition.
The Upanishadic question is relative to
all these functions of body and mind, where is the Self located? The Self is
not any one of these functions, nor their totality. The Self is behind all
these functions of body and mind but not limited by them. It endures even in
deep sleep, before birth and after death.
Yet we miss this Self and get caught in
physical and mental functions as real in their own right, which occurs through
an outward orientation of the mind. To find the Self we must look within, which
is to discard our identification with body and mind and their functions.
We
must return to our inner Self that is beyond all organs and faculties of body
and mind, the Conscious which transcends all their changing conditions, which
is the clear light of awareness. This is the true path of Self-realization.”--David Frawley
ADBHUTA GURU AND ADI YOGI
DAKSHINAMURTHY
Sri Dakshinamurthy is the
depiction of Lord Shiva which illustrates Him because the splendid cosmic
trainer (Adi Guru) and is a facet of the Lord because the guru who enlightens
one with jnana (information) that elevates and enriches. The rich treasures of
understanding within the Shastras grow to be handy whilst He appears as Sri
Dakshinamurthy.
Sri Dakshinamurthy is
thought to train via para vak, which is a divine speech shape inaudible to
worldly ears and resides inside the recesses of silence. His disciples are
antique Rishis and sages. He imparts the best focus, knowledge, and
comprehension.
The meaning of
Dakshinamurthy also is 'the only who is going through the south course'. He
sits under the auspicious Vata vruksha facing the south route to offer
know-how. Sri Dakshinamurthy publications the cyclical courses of Srishti,
sthiti (protection), samsara (amalgamation), tirobhava (suppress on), and
anugraha (revealing true know-how). As we know, Indian subculture and lifestyle
revere the teacher or Guru just like God. Sri Dakshinamurthy is likewise
worshipped because the last Guru simply illuminates the sector with cosmic
knowledge that lighting the soul.
The iconographic descriptions
of the super trainer Lord are not regular; a rich treasure of creative
expressions underlines His depiction that still conveys meanings at various
levels. Every Shiva temple includes a stone photo of Dakshinamurthy facing
south. Apparently, Sri Dakshinamurthy is the only Hindu deity who faces the south
course. Major texts like Amsumadbheda, Karanagama, Kamikagama, Shilparatna and
others depict Sri Dakshinamurthy in a different way.
Sri Dakshinamurthy is usually
illustrated in a seated posture and once in a while in status function (even as
keeping His veena, the musical instrument He plays proficiently). When He is
proven seated, His proper leg is stretched down, resting upon a dwarfish demon
(apasmara who stands for lack of understanding and illumination). The vicinity
He sits on is covered with the aid of deer skin or tiger skin. His left foot is
bent on the knee and rests on his proper knee or thigh. He has an expression of
meditative serenity on His face because the Rishis look towards Him for the
light of expertise.
Sri Dakshinamurthy has a natural
disposition of sattva. His complexion is brilliant and glows brightly. He is
deeply immersed in self (bhava shuddha) with a mild smile on His divine
face.
When Sri Dakshinamurthy
is typically depicted as Jnana Dakshinamurti, His proper hand is in the Jnana
Mudra (symbolizing knowledge and wisdom). Several layers of complex symbolism
may be discovered and interpreted when He assumes the Jnana Mudra. A famous
interpretation of the Jnana Mudra is that His thumb represents God, the index
finger represents the person and the opposite 3 fingers stand for 3 inborn
impurities that afflict man viz. Egotism, fable, and awful deeds executed in
past births. Since the 3 hands are separate from the index finger (guy), we
research from the Teacher Lord that we can detach ourselves from impurities and
attain God.
Not many temples are committed
to Sri Dakshinamurthy, however He stays an important shape of Lord Shiva.
Invoking Him is similar to paying obeisance to know-how, and perceiving
the path of real enlightenment.
So powerful and
auspicious the Sri Dakshinamurthy stotram is that it is believed that the one
who is familiar with it and chants it devotedly is freed of bondages and
realizes reality.
The Sri Dakshinamurthy Gayatri
Mantra:
Om Dakshina Murthy Vidmahe
Dhyanasthaya Dheemahi Tanno Dhishaha Prachodayat
Please get ready to hear to the spiritual presentation of this stunning form of
Lord Siva by Pujya Swamiji, though you have heard his stunning form of Guru in
popular Dattatreya in the Trinity form of the Supreme from me. The only temple in the United States dedicated to Lord
Dakshinamurthy is located at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg,
Pennsylvania.
Gist of the presentation by FOWAI:
·
The Lord, sitting in the north,
facing the south, is Dakshināmurti. The south represents death and the north
liberation. We are in the jaws of death but we can conquer death by turning
towards God, who is looking at us anyway. Different parts of this grand and
unique manifestation represent the eight-fold nature of Supreme God – ashta-moorti-bhrid (the
five elements, the sun, the moon and the individual soul). Dakshināmurti holds
under one of his feet the demon called Apasmāra, who represents all the
obstacles to our sādhanās.
·
·
This webinar will be a contemplation
on the significance of this stunning form of Lord Shiva.
·
|| gurave sarva-lokānām
dakshināmurtaye namah ||
-
-November 12, 2011
Comments:
Thank you very much for this great write up. Apt timing as
always.
--Nashville
Naga Rajan
SHAKTIS OF THE NAKSHATRAS & 27 NAKSHATRA-TREES
Nakshatras of ancient Hindu
astronomy place very prominent role in supporting development of Hindu
mythology and associated deities. The 27 Nakshatras are the signs of a
lunar-based zodiac, in compliment to the twelve-sign solar-based zodiac. The
Moon travels approximately 27.3 days to complete its orbit around the Earth
relative to the “fixed” stars (the Moon’s sidereal period), about 13° 20' per
day, hence the 27 Nakshatras, also referred to as “Lunar Mansions. In Vedic astrology, these 27 daughters are the
Nakshatra(constellations). These are moon's wives. When Daksha made marriage to
his 27 daughters to Chandra Dev (Moon God),
then he made a promise from the Moon that he will treat his treat his 27 daughters with equality, love,
and care.
Each Nakshatra has its
particular power or Shakti. These are the powers of the Devatas or deities that
rule over and define them.
This is a special teaching that derives from an ancient Vedic text called
Taittiriya Brahmana I.5.1 and from the medieval commentary of Bhattabhaskara
Mishra. It has not been highlighted elsewhere.
Shaktis of Nakshatras mainly refers to positions of the Moon but can be
extended to the Ascendant and other planets.
The first paragraph on each Nakshatra below relates to the Vedic textual
reference. The others consists his comments based upon it. Note that this is a
teaching that he first uncovered and translated around twenty years ago, though
many Vedic astrologers have since come to use it.
Each of these Nakshatra Shaktis has various effects described
metaphorically as “above” and “below” and a final effect. The symbols used are
those of common factors such as plants, healing, worship, marriage and death.
Surprisingly, this has been true to my life, Vishakha being my Birth
star, though I do not have much faith in astrology but coming from Upanishads.
Check the prediction for your birth star and convince yourself, to believe or
not to be astrology!
The Bhrigu Saṃhitā is a Sanskrit astrological (Jyotisha)
treatise attributed in its introduction to Maharishi Bhrigu, one of the
Saptarishis (seven sages) of the Vedic period. The Bhrigu Samhita claims
to contain predictions about current and future lives as well as
information about past lives.
Most experts say that
Bhrigu calculated 500,000 horoscope combinations using Vedic mathematics and
his yogic prowess and that these half a million permutations can be
extrapolated to tell the future for 45 million people.
But no one has ever seen
the complete manuscript. It is believed that marauding Mughal armies destroyed
most of the original work when they ransacked a library at the Nalanda
University 900 years ago. What remained was scattered among Brahmins across the
country and between five and 100 people in different parts of the country
possess some part of it. A printed version is rumored to contain at least 200
volumes, but no one confirms any statistic with certainty.Pandey
says that there is no original text left anymore because “there is no leaf that
will survive 5,000 years. In fact, writings on palm leaves do not survive more
than 500 years. It is suspected that what people are passing off today as the
original is actually one of the many copies made by Brahmins when the original
began to crumble. Please check your events in life based on your Birth star as
written in the Vedic literature: http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2021/11/shaktis-of-nakshatras-dr-david-frawley.html
Also go through the Appendix to learn about the
Divine Trees of 27 Nakshatras
Mr. S.
Unnikrishnan is an
astrologer and a former DFO. He has taken the initiative to reclaim ecological
parity by raising Nakshatra Vanam in schools, colleges, panchayath-owned
places, churches, mosques, and temples. Altogether, more than 1200 nakshatra
vanam have been established in 2010 to 2015 with his involvement.
--November 12, 2021
Comments:
Please
reconsider using the word "mythology" - it is used in the English
world against us. I am working on alternatives, but our Itihasa इतिहास is not easily translated.
How to Get Rid of
Pessimistic Attitude-- 7 Tips
I hope you enjoyed my previous E-mail to turn
optimistic in life. I present to you further wisdom thoughts on this
interesting topic “How to get rid of pessimistic attitude”
·
Life is full of choices and deciding to
be happy is one of them. You will not wake up one day and discover that your
world is awash in sunshine; you must make it happen. Create a happy life for
yourself by doing what brings joy. It takes considerable effort, but the
end result of seeing life on the sunny side is warming. Take small steps at the
beginning. Plan to do one thing that makes you happy each day. Choose an
activity from the previous topics: do a good deed for someone, decide to seek
counseling to overcome the negative experience of your past or make friends
with the new colleague who’s always smiling. Be who you want to be; it is never
too late to begin. There are times in life when having a pessimistic attitude
is good. For example: An overly optimistic person may assure everyone that she
is OK to drive after too many glasses of wine. This kind of optimistic thinking
is dangerous. Someone who thinks that a devastating natural disaster will never
occur because the sun always shines on them will not be prepared when it
happens. A small dose of pessimism is good when it helps protect you and
others, but a pessimistic attitude should not dominate your life. If you are
more in tune with negativity, it’s time to take these seven steps toward a more
joyful existence.
·
1. Overcome the Challenge
“Life’s
challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you
discover who you are.” —Bernice
Johnson.
2. Stop Negative Speaking
“You
must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt.
3.
Surround Yourself with Positive People
“Surround
yourself with people you can learn from. Don’t try to do it all on your own. I
don’t believe I could have possibly accomplished what I’ve done without the
help of everyone else.” Sigrid
Olsen
4.
Learn from Past Negative Experiences
“Freedom
is what you do with what’s been done to you.” Jean Paul Sartre
5. Picture the Positive
“Too
many people are thinking security, instead of opportunity.” James F. Byrnes
6.
Do for Others
“I
have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the
giver.” Maya Angelou
7.
Choose Happy
“Habits
of thinking need not be forever. One of the most significant findings in
psychology in the last twenty years is that individuals can choose the way they
think.” Martin Seligman PhD.
Overcoming Pessimism in Old Age:
People
who are pessimistic about what life is like during old age may be helping to
make their fears come true. A new study finds that older Americans with
negative beliefs about aging were significantly more likely to develop dementia
than their peers who embraced their senior years with zeal. Age beliefs tend to be
internalized early in life and then remain stable over the lifespan, without
interventions,” Levy and her colleagues wrote. “Our finding could provide a
rationale for a public-health
campaign to combat the societal sources of negative age beliefs.”- Karen,
science and Medicine Editor, Washington Post.
Let us
see what Vivekananda said about Old Age and Pessimism:
Difficulties
are tremendous and ninety percent of us become discouraged and lose heart, and
in our turn, often become pessimists and cease to believe in sincerity, love,
and all that is grand and noble. So, we find men who in the freshness of their
lives have been forgiving, kind, simple, and guileless, become in old age lying
masks of men. Their minds are a mass of intricacy. There may be a good deal of
external policy, possibly. They are not hot-headed, they do not speak, but it
would be better for them to do so; their hearts are dead and, therefore, they
do not speak. They do not curse, not become angry; but it would be better for
them to be able to be angry, a thousand times better, to be able to curse. They
cannot.
There
is death in the heart, for cold hands have seized upon it, and it can no more
act, even to utter a curse, even to use a harsh word. All this we have to avoid:
therefore I say, we require super divine power. Superhuman power is not strong
enough. Super divine strength is the only way, the one way out. By it alone we
can pass through all these intricacies, through these showers of miseries,
unscathed
We may
be cut to pieces, torn asunder, yet our hearts must grow nobler and nobler all
the time. It is very difficult, but we can overcome the difficulty by constant
practice. We must learn that nothing can happen to us, unless we make ourselves
susceptible to it. I have just said, no disease can come to me until the body
is ready; it does not depend alone on the germs, but upon a certain
predisposition which is already in the body.
We get
only that for which we are fitted. Let us give up our pride and understand this
that never is misery undeserved. There never has been a blow undeserved: there
never has been an evil for which I did not pave the way with my own hands. We
ought to know that. Analyze yourselves and you will find that every blow you
have received, came to you because you prepared yourselves for it. You did
half, and the external world did the other half: that is how the blow came.
That will sober us down.
Source –From the Complete Works
of Swami Vivekananda, (Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 2016), 2.6-7.
Is this
true to my life? It is for you to tell after going through my e-mails after
seizure disorder and quick recovery!
--November 8, 2021
HUMAN
LIFE IS IN DANGER, NOT THE PLANET
“The planet is not in trouble.
Barring an impact with a large asteroid, it will go on happily orbiting the sun
no matter what we do. Even if we detonate all the Bombs and reduce life on
earth to a few remnant cyanobacteria, they will calmly begin evolving new
species, just as they did a few billion years ago. The planet is not afraid of
us.
·
The creatures that
currently inhabit the earth are in trouble, of course. If we want to feel
important, we can glory in the fact that we are extinguishing tens or hundreds
of species of life a day. There has not been a spasm of extinction like this
one for 65 million years, and we are its cause. We are so busy proliferating
and polluting that we are even changing the atmosphere and climate. The
planet’s biodiversity and its biogeochemical cycles are threatened, without
doubt.
·
“Last Chance for Biodiversity!”
“Requiem for the Atmosphere.” “Can the Biogeochemical Cycles Be Saved?”--Those
would be more accurate headlines, but not likely to stimulate much adrenalin
flow. Few of us have an emotional commitment to biogeochemical cycles. Nor does
the planet. As far as it’s concerned one atmosphere is as good as another. The
current biosphere is no big deal. Whatever happens, some form of crabgrass,
cockroach, or green gunk will adapt. Life will persist.
·
We wildly overstate the
case because we would rather talk about Planetary Doom than about the real
threat, which is much closer to home and much more unthinkable — unthinkable,
because it is a threat to our very thoughts. What is in danger is not the
planet, not life on earth, not even human life, but some ideas that are dear to
us.
·
Our fantasy of eternal
economic growth, for instance, is gravely threatened. The throwaway lifestyle
is doomed. So is our illusion about solving our problems with technology alone.
Definitely at risk is our assumption that other creatures are here to be
exploited by us, as are all institutions that think their rules are more
important than planetary rules — institutions, for instance, like Exxon, the
World Bank, and every government of every nation.
·
Our whole world is
threatened, but only the world we have created in our minds. We are threatened,
but only “we” as we currently define ourselves, consummations of a successful
industrial revolution, consumers, producers, owners, controllers, people who
have built their world on cleverness rather than virtue.
·
Of course there are
plenty of other worlds and ways to define ourselves. We could see ourselves not
as dominators or dominated, accumulators of overabundance or sufferers of
scarcity, but as parts of a whole, content with sufficiency, stewards,
beneficiaries, and celebrants of a magnificent planet we have barely begun to
understand. We could choose to do not what is fast, powerful, labor-saving, and
cheap (according to our flawed economic reckoning), but what actually benefits
human welfare and the integrity of nature. We could base our world on the ideas
of solar energy and total recycling — every discarded material an input to
another productive process (the way the planet does it.)
·
Ideas like those point
the way out of our present troubles. We know that. We ordinary folks know it,
anyway. But our leaders, governmental and corporate, cling to the seductive
ideas of profit, control, growth and limitlessness, ideas that have led us
directly into the present environmental mess.
·
Several 200-year-old
economic and social experiments are up for question, not a 4-billion-year-old
planet. The question is not whether we can manage the biosphere — we can’t. The question is whether we can manage
ourselves, our numbers, greed, arrogance, and waste, and whether we can bring forth a new world of ideas that are compatible
with the planet, so the planet will
allow them to persist.”
"If humanity has to live for a
long time, you have to think like the earth, act like the earth and be the
earth, because that is what you are.”
How audacious that we can even think that we will allot a day for the earth!
Both day and night happen only because of the revolutions of the earth. Our
very body is an extract from this planet. Everything that we are is earth. For
the human beings who have forgotten that they have just temporarily come out of
the womb of this earth and that they will one day be sucked back into this
earth, for them, this day is a reminder that you are a part of this earth. If
humanity has to live for a long time, you have to think like the earth, act
like the earth and be the earth, because that is what you are....
I am always being asked by people, “Why is a spiritual leader, a yogi, planting
trees?” Unfortunately, in human minds, we have compartmentalized our life in
such a way that we are breaking up one and hoping that the other will live.
Trees are our closest relatives. What they exhale, we inhale; what we exhale,
they inhale and keep our lives going. It is just like the outer part of our
lung. You cannot ignore your body if you want to live. The planet is in no way
different from that. What you call as “my body” is just a piece of this planet.
The United Nations is projecting that by 2050, we will be 9.6 billion people on
this planet. In India particularly, right now, fifty-two percent of our land is
ploughed just to feed 1.2 billion people. It is a fabulous fact that our
farmers, with rudimentary, ramshackle infrastructure, are producing food for
over one billion people. But still, the man who produces the food is not eating
proper food. That is not something to be proud of. The people who produce food
for all of us, their own children don’t eat a full stomach. This is not a
commendable fact. This is essentially because we have not taken the responsibility
of deciding, “For this much land, how much population can we support?” It
definitely cannot support endless growth of human population. Either we control
our populations consciously or nature will do it in a very cruel and painful
manner. This is all the choice we have.
Without controlling human populations,
talking about ecology, and land and water conservation is just not going to
happen because the kind of impetus that is there in the form of science and
technology is making every human being hyperactive. You cannot cap human
activity because that will amount to capping human aspirations. And today, our
aspiration is that everybody should get educated, and have large dreams and
ambitions. That cannot be accommodated with the current levels of population,
unless we strive for a more conscious way of determining where we want to stop.
So, are we going to adjust our
population to the resource that we have? That is all we can do and that is the
easiest thing to do. That is something that every human being can do, if the
necessary education and awareness is brought into their lives. If that
investment is made, we don’t have to plant trees. If we stay away from the
land, trees will grow; you cannot stop it. People are going about projecting
that the planet is in danger.”--Sadguru
The planet is not in any kind of
danger. It is only human life which is in danger.
·
I hope we wake up to this fact and do
what is needed. "A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please
his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to
please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become
weary in doing good acts, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we
do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us be good to all
people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."-- Galatians 6: 7b -10
·
Today, we are reaping the harvest of what has been done before.
The challenges in our society did not just emerge, they were planted in the
past and have been allowed to grow, and sometimes thrive. Sometimes cultivated
and encouraged, but often organically. Sometimes they have been growing around
us, and we have been completely unaware of their presence. It has been this way
since the beginning of creation, and the fall of humanity.
·
Does the popular Biblical message “You reap what you sow go”
goes with Gita? Let us look at Gita
5-15:
naadatte kasyachitpaapam na
sukritam vibhoohu |
ajnyaanenaavritam jnyaanam tena
muhyanti jantavaha || 15 ||
Neither
does the eternal essence accept anyone’s sins, nor anyone’s merits. Ignorance
veils knowledge that is how creatures are deluded.
In this shloka, Gita
takes us to another step further in explaining the distinctness of eternal
essence from action. Gita says that even sin and merit also have nothing to do
with eternal essence. It also further says that action, result, doer-ship,
enjoyer-ship, sin, merit – the notion that these belong to the “I”, the eternal
essence, is termed as ignorance. This ignorance is caused due to our strong
identification with the body, mind and intellect.
Gita has used an
interesting word to refer to ignorant people in this shloka. It calls them
creatures. It is a subtle hint that as long as we operate with body
identification, we are similar to animals who also operate only at that level.
--November 14, 2021
Comments:
Evergreen eternal explanation of everyone’s existence/
Identification of individuals imbricated ignorance/
Stirring the supremacy of spiritual significance/
Egoism is everywhere in everlasting exuberance/
Thank you very much great novel narration🙏🙏🙏
--Dr. Ram Prasad
Overcoming
Pessimism in Old Age
People who are pessimistic
about what life is like during old age may be helping to make their fears come
true. A new study finds that older Americans with negative beliefs about aging
were significantly more likely to develop dementia than their peers who
embraced their senior years with zeal. Age beliefs tend to be
internalized early in life and then remain stable over the lifespan, without
interventions,” Levy and her colleagues wrote. “Our finding could provide a
rationale for a public-health campaign to combat the societal
sources of negative age beliefs.”- Karen,
science and Medicine Editor, Washington Post.
Let us see what Vivekananda
said about Old Age and Pessimism:
Difficulties are tremendous and
ninety percent of us become discouraged and lose heart, and in our turn, often
become pessimists and cease to believe in sincerity, love, and all that is
grand and noble. So, we find men who in the freshness of their lives have been
forgiving, kind, simple, and guileless, become in old age lying masks of men.
Their minds are a mass of intricacy. There may be a good deal of external
policy, possibly. They are not hot-headed, they do not speak, but it would be
better for them to do so; their hearts are dead and, therefore, they do not
speak. They do not curse, not become angry; but it would be better for them to
be able to be angry, a thousand times better, to be able to curse. They
cannot.
There is death in the heart,
for cold hands have seized upon it, and it can no more act, even to utter a
curse, even to use a harsh word. All this we have to avoid: therefore I say, we
require super divine power. Superhuman power is not strong enough. Super divine
strength is the only way, the one way out. By it alone we can pass through all
these intricacies, through these showers of miseries, unscathed.
We may be cut to pieces, torn
asunder, yet our hearts must grow nobler and nobler all the time. It is very
difficult, but we can overcome the difficulty by constant practice. We must
learn that nothing can happen to us, unless we make ourselves susceptible to
it. I have just said, no disease can come to me until the body is ready; it
does not depend alone on the germs, but upon a certain predisposition which is
already in the body.
We get only that for which we
are fitted. Let us give up our pride and understand this that never is misery
undeserved. There never has been a blow undeserved: there never has been an
evil for which I did not pave the way with my own hands. We ought to know that.
Analyze yourselves and you will find that every blow you have received, came to
you because you prepared yourselves for it. You did half, and the external
world did the other half: that is how the blow came. That will sober us
down.
Source –From the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, (Kolkata: Advaita
Ashrama, 2016), 2.6-7.
Is this true to my life? It is
for you to tell after going through my e-mails after seizure disorder and quick
recovery!
--November 13, 2021
WISDOM FOR SPIRITUAL
SUCCESS
Rajaji introduced Bhaja Govindam live-concert of M.S. Subbalakshmi
at UNO on October 23, 1966. In 1966. MS Subbalakshmi was invited by the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, U Thant to give a special concert at
the United Nations. This was the first performance by any Indian classical
musician at the UN.
“Adi Shankaracharya wrote a number of Vedantic works for imparting
knowledge of the Self and the Universal Spirit. He also composed a number
of hymns to foster Bhakti in the hearts of men. One of these hymns is the
famous Bhaja Govindam. The way of devotion, is not different from the way
of knowledge or Jnana. When intelligence matures and lodges securely in
the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life and
issues out in action, it becomes Bhakti. Knowledge, when it becomes fully
mature is Bhakti. If it does not get transformed into Bhakti, such
knowledge is useless tinsel. To believe that Jnana and Bhakti,
knowledge and devotion are different from each other, is ignorance. If Sri
Adi Shankara himself who drank the ocean of Jnana as easily as one
sip’s water from the palm of one’s hand, sang in his later years, hymns to
develop devotion, it is enough to show that Jnana and Bhakti are one and
the same. Sri Shankara has packed into the Bhaja Govindam song: the
substance of all Vedanta, and set the oneness of Jnana and Bhakti to
melodious music"--spoke Rajaji at UNO.
Knowledge without wisdom is like the
water in the sand--Guinean Proverb. Thomas Jefferson used the phrase “Knowledge is
Power” in his correspondence on at least four occasions, each time in
connection with the establishment of a state university in Virginia modelled
from the Motto of University of Mysore that has the Upanishadic phrase “Na
hi jnanena sadarisam”--Nothing equals Knowledge.
True Education will make you divine. Education is not mere knowledge of
words; it should broaden the mind. The mere acquisition of degrees is
valueless. Character is more important and it can be developed only by
taking to the spiritual path. Of what use is an education that does not
promote good qualities? Together with academic education you have to acquire wisdom
and a sense of right and wrong. Knowledge without wisdom, scholarship without
determination, music without melody, learning without humility, a society
without discipline, friendship without gratitude, and speech without truth –
all these are utterly useless. Hence everyone should seek to follow the correct
path. It is not greatness that matters but goodness. Make proper use of your
education for the good of society.
“Knowledge and Devotion Acting Together in Harmony are
Essential for Spiritual Success. The two, knowledge and devotion,
acting together in harmony are essential. We could say that knowledge is the
vehicle to take us forward and devotion is the fuel that drives our
quest.
It is relatively easy to acquire knowledge if one has a good memory.
With time and patience, we can acquire the ability to recall large chunks of
information. As we all know it is entirely another matter to understand and
apply what we may have learned. Intelligence and knowledge are not necessarily
the same thing.
The development of devotion to an ideal or person who appears to
be wise is also fairly easy if we have suffered and are looking for a sagacious
person who seems to know the solution to our problems. Nevertheless, devotion
without knowledge can easily lead us astray and we can vainly devote our time
and energy to a cause that is flawed. The stories of disillusioned disciples
whose masters have been found wanting are common.
The real purpose of the teachings of great Gurus is not just to
give us instructions but to show us how to put them into practice in order to
transcend our ignorance. True Gurus do not want us to memorize teachings and
parrot them. They want us to live in a dynamic and creative pursuit for the
truth.
As both blades of a pair of scissors are needed to cut a piece of
cloth, so both self-effort and grace are needed to realize God. The grace of
God is always blowing, like wind over the sea. A sailor who unfurls the boat’s
sail catches the wind and reaches the destination smoothly” --Swami Chetanananda
"Matters become pretty simple when we look at them from the
point of view of bhakti, devotion. Lord Shri Krishna does not mince
words when he says, “I gladly accept what you offer to me with devotion. It can
be a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even a spoonful of water!” (Geetā 9.26)--patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati | tad aham
bhakty-upahrtamasnami prayatatmanah ||
It is thus clear that God sees ‘how we offer’ and he does not make
an issue of ‘what we offer’. A pure heart that unconditionally loves him is
what matters. We hear of the inspiring story of Devi Rukmini who placed a
Tulasi leaf on one of the plates of the balance, on the other plate of which
Shri Krishna himself was seated. And that plate went down, proving to be
heavier than Shri Krishna. It was obviously not the Tulasi leaf but the
wholehearted devotion with which Rukmini placed it on the plate. In contrast, a
lot of gold ornaments that Devi Satyabhāmā had placed on the same plate had
failed to measure up to Shri
Krishna! This gives us a golden key to live a noble life. We must ensure
that we never harbor evil motives or selfish intentions in all our
transactions. Purity in thought, word and deed can take us to heights of
spiritual excellence, irrespective of our walk of life. We may be highly
educated or illiterate; in high position or in humble settings; living in
advanced cities or in poor villages. None of them matters.
Purity is the most important factor. As with God, so should be
with fellow human beings. Pomp and show have no place in right living. True
goodwill and readiness to help those that are suffering can take us to
divinity--Sraddhyaa deyam!
I wish every one of you, speedy progress in the inner journey of
the soul towards its spiritual perfection--Indira Gautam"
--November 11, 2021
Comment:
Nice sermon of the week!
Dr. Vedavyas
DO NOT FIND FAULT FIND A
REMEDY
Avoid Fault Finding – It Hamper
Spiritual Progress
Our relationship with people around us is an indicator, which
reveals if we are slipping down the spiritual path and hampering our spiritual
progress.
In her final message to the world, which is the gist of Vedanta,
Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi (wife of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa) tells us not
to see the faults of anyone, because the whole world is our own.
When we tend to see others’ faults more than our own, and also
remember to point them out more often than owning our own, we surely are
slipping down the path.
The nature and character of a person is known by what he/she
speaks about others. Truly, it is the ‘unripe ego’ which indulges in
fault-finding and slandering.
When asked how to know if we are progressing towards the Lord or
not, Swami Turiyananda answered, ‘One can know it oneself. Others also can know
it. All his passions, lust, anger, and greed will wane, his attachment for the
objects of the senses will diminish, and he will have peace at heart.’
– Vedanta Kesari September 2017
It’s very easy to criticize or
blame.
It’s very easy to see why someone’s idea might not work.
It’s very easy to say, after the event, “Ahah, what you
SHOULD have done was…!”
…but it’s often much harder to identify what steps could have been
taken to prevent it going wrong in the first place, without the benefit of
hindsight, harder to acknowledge the positive intention behind the idea,
instead of listing a thousand reasons why it was a ‘bad’ one.
Whilst it’s often valuable to have insight as to why a fault
exists, focusing solely on that does not contribute much to finding ways to
make a decent idea a worthwhile one.
So, here’s the challenge – resist the temptation to be nothing
more than the negative critic, or to offer little more than ‘what-about-ism’.
Both these approaches get in the way of finding the remedy, or, worse, can even
actively prevent you from getting there; instead of the focus being on the
solution, it can remain stuck on finding things wrong.
Instead, be the solver. Consider what positive contribution you
can make to a proposition or idea. If you know that ‘x’ won’t work, consider if
you can think of a ‘y’ alternative that might. Rather than undermine
their position by criticizing, be supportive of the efforts of others and offer
up ways that could improve a suggestion or could help them achieve their
aims.
What problems are you involved
with today? What challenges do you face, whether in a personal or professional
relationship, or with a friend who has made a mistake? Instead of sitting back
and only saying you could see the fault, what assistance can you bring towards
finding the remedy?
--Jim Sharman
"To err is human. One must
not take that into account. It is harmful for oneself. One gets into the habit
of finding fault..... Do not look for faults in others, or your own eyes will
become faulty."
-Holy Mother
--November
10, 2021
Comment:
Can we submit this to Aradhana?
‑-Dr. Vedavyas
VEDANTA’S SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
TO CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT TOO FAR FROM CURRENT THOUGHTS OF NEUROSCIENCE
Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience or awareness of
internal and external existence. Despite millennia of analyses,
definitions, explanations and debates by philosophers and scientists,
consciousness remains puzzling and controversial, being "at once the most
familiar and [also the] most mysterious aspect of our lives". Vedanta represents the deepest approach to
consciousness there is. Here David Frawley tries to translate that into modern
scientific knowledge couched in neuroscience and quantum terminology.
Upanishadic sages thousands of
years ago understood the secrets of neuroscience, but going beyond the physical
body to higher levels of consciousness, ultimately transcending the manifest
universe.
“Vedic Deities (Devatas) can be
defined relative to mind, sensory, pranic, and motor functions that can easily
be correlated to the workings of the brain and the nervous system. For example,
Agni or fire is speech, Vayu or air is Prana, Surya or the Sun is perception,
space or the directions is hearing, and the Moon (Soma) is the mind in its
contemplative nature. These are also the priests and powers of the Vedic
sacrifice or Yajna, of which the inner sacrifice is the practice of Yoga.
Through working with these
Vedic Devatas, we can develop methods and practices to activate the different
aspects of the brain, the outer senses and pranas, and the inner senses and
pranas, for individual well-being. By connecting the Gods or Devas within, with
those on the outside, we can promote their manifestation in the outer
world.
Aitareya Upanishad –
Upanishadic View of Evolution
The Aitareya Upanishad, which
is the main Upanishad of the Rigveda, has profound teachings that can be
interpreted relative to the brain, neuroscience and natural evolution.
The Aitareya Upanishad (AU I.1)
describes the universe as a manifestation of the Self (Atman) through its power
of vision. This means that everything manifested is a form of the Self or
Self-awareness.
It then describes the creation
of the worlds (lokas) as five, the heavenly waters, heaven, atmosphere, earth,
and the waters beneath the earth. The waters symbolize the vibratory waves of
consciousness-space in which all the worlds are held.
It then describes the guardians
of the worlds starting with the Purusha, indicating that the entire universe
has the form of the human being or human body and exists in the brain. The
other world guardians (loka palas) consist of Agni, from the mouth and speech
of the Purusha; Vayu from the nose and the prana of the Purusha; the Sun from
the eyes and vision of the Purusha; the directions of space from the ears and
hearing of the Purusha; plants and trees from the skin and hairs of the
Purusha; the Moon from the mind and the heart of the Purusha,; death from the
navel and apana vayu of the Purusha; and the waters from the sex organ and the
seed of the Purusha.
The Devatas so created were
cast into the great ocean of the universe (AU I. 2), where they were stricken
with hunger and thirst. They asked the Purusha to create an abode or embodiment
for them where they could eat food and become satisfied (fully
manifested).
Here is where we have an
interesting correlate to the modern theory of evolution. First the Self brought
the Devas a cow (gam), but they found it insufficient for them to fully enter.
Second, He brought them a horse (ashva), but they also found it to be
insufficient. Last He brought them a human being (Purusha) and they found it to
be sufficient or well-made (sukrita). This implies that the human being has
been brought into evolution by the universal Purusha for its own manifestation.
Then each of the Devatas
entered into the human being as his respective faculties: Agni as speech and
the mouth; Vayu as Prana and the nostril; Surya as perception and the eyes; the
directions of space and hearing and the ears; plants and trees as the skin and
hair; the Moon as the heart and mind; death as the apana and the navel; and the
waters as the seed and sex organ.
The implication here is that
only the human being has a sufficiently evolved nervous system for the Divine
powers to fully enter. We can find a metaphor for natural evolution here, but
also a matter for evolving from the mammal brain (cow and horse), which the
Devas tried to enter and the human brain (Purusha) where they could fully
enter.
How
Consciousness enters into the body
“The Self thought (or
envisioned), how can this exist without me? He thought, By
what means can I enter into this creation myself?
If what is spoken is by speech, if what is breathed is by prana, if what is
seen is by the eye, if what is heart is by the ear, if what is touched is by
the skin, if what is thought is by the mind, if what is eliminated is by the
apana, and if what is procreated is by the sexual organ, then Who am I
(Ko’ham)?”
“The Atman then by the opening
the fontanelle (the point at the top of the head or brain, siman), by that door
entered into the body. That is called by name the support (Vidriti), that door
is called the blissful. His are three states and three dreams. This waking
state is one, this dream state is another, and this deep sleep state is
another. Being born he perceived these beings and said What
other could I say? He saw this Purusha as the
infinite Brahman, and said I have seen that.”
The Self entered into the human
body along with the faculties inherent in the cosmic mind. The Self entered
through the point at the top of the head (also adhipati marma, which is the
a-sound point). This Self here is called Indra, who is identified with the
Seer. Indra is the foremost of the Vedic deities as the power of perception.
The senses are called Indriyas or powers of Indra.
The sense organs exist in the
cosmic mind and evolution aids in their manifestation. It does not produce them
directly. Natural evolution is an unfoldment of the powers of the universal
Purusha at an individual level.
The cosmic being or Purusha
evolves the individual human being or Purusha so that he can become conscious
and self-aware within his own creation, bringing into the body the awareness he
has at a cosmic level. The universal awareness evolves the human being to
become fully Self-aware. This is the real goal of human evolution, which is an
evolution of consciousness. We as human beings are meant to facilitate the
universe becoming aware of itself, which requires the full development of the
brain.
An examination of the functions
of the mind
“Who is the Self that we
worship, which is the Self through which one sees, through which one hears,
through which one smells fragrances, through which one articulates speech,
through which one tastes what is sweet or not sweet.
He is that which is the heart,
the mind, awareness, guidance, intelligence, foresight, wisdom, perception,
firmness, thought, speed, memory, intention, will, spirit, love, and mastery.
All of these are names of intelligence (or insight, prajna).
He is Brahma, Indra, Prajapati,
all the Devas, the five great elements, earth, air, space, water, fire; he is
all these beings whether arising from seeds, eggs, wombs, sweat or moisture;
the horse, cow, human being, elephant, whatever moving, flying or still; all of
that is guided by intelligence, is supported by intelligence, the world has
intelligence as its guide, has the support of intelligence, Intelligence is
Brahman (Prajnanam Brahma).”
Intelligence is the guiding
force behind all life, but it is a natural intelligence that works through
nature, from within nature, not from the outside. It is the basis of both
cosmic evolution and the manifestation of the worlds or different lokas, and
also of individual evolution, or the evolution of creatures and their
respective bodies and brains.
In the Aitareya Aranyaka, a
related text, it said that the soul (jiva) exists in plants as their juice (rasa)
and in animals as the mind (chitta), but in human beings gains the power of
intelligence, prajna or buddhi. This intelligence in turn is correlated with
the spine and the letters of the alphabet and primal sound and Om.
The Aranyaka has several interesting
correlations, perhaps most notable of which is S and H sounds with Prana (and
the spine as a whole), consonants with the bones, vowels with the nerves, and
semivowels with the muscles. The connection of the vowels and the nervous
system and brain or ether element occurs in other contexts as well. S and H
sounds like Hamsa and So’ham and Prana are also common. Prana is not simply the
breath but the energy running through the brain and the nervous system.
Mahabharata states the soul
exists in plants but that in plants the sense organs function in a general way
and are not differentiated into specific organs.
Top of the Skull, Heart and
Soft Palate of the Mouth
The Taittiriya Upanishad
I.13-14 has an important teaching in this regard:
“He is that space within the
heart, in that is the Purusha whose nature is mind (Manomaya Purusha), who is
immortal and golden. Within the palate, which hangs down like the breast that
is the womb of Indra (Indra yoni). Where the end of the hair parts, having
opened the top of the skull, he dwells as Agni in the Earth, as Vayu in the
Atmosphere, as the Sun in Heaven, as the Vast in Brahman.
He attains Self-rule. He
attains lordship of the mind, lordship of speech, lordship of seeing, lordship
of hearing, lordship of intelligence. Space is the body of Brahman, its nature
is truth, its enjoyment is prana, and its bliss is the mind. It is abounding in
peace and immortal.”
The Self enters through the
point at the top of the head, but then is connected to the soft palate of the
mouth, where it can manifest through the brain, senses and prana. The soft
palate is an important control point for the mind and senses, opposite the
third eye and of similar power. Generally, the Self dwells in the right eye in
waking, in the throat in dream, and in the heart in deep sleep (the small space
within the heart, dahara akasha).
Note, Ganapati Muni, the chief
disciple of Ramana Maharshi, experienced the Kapala Bheda or breaking and
opening of the skull while he was alive. This suggests a new evolutionary
development possible for the brain, such as reflected in many yogic
experiences.
This is but an introduction to
Vedic view of consciousness.
--November 6, 2021
Why India
will be celebrating National Ayurveda Day on
Dhanteras?
On Sri Dhanvantari’s
birth anniversary (Jayanti), let us open ourselves to the universal power of
healing within us.
Ayurveda, India’s natural system
of Vedic healing, has spread worldwide over the past several decades as an
innovative and comprehensive system of mind-body and consciousness based
medicine and healing.
Wherever yoga has gone, Ayurveda
is now following as the essence of yogic healing for both physical and
psychological well-being. It takes the teachings of yoga and expands these into
a full medical system for disease treatment and health enhancement. We can now
find Ayurveda clinics and schools in North and South America, Europe, Asia
extending to Japan and Indonesia, Africa and parts of the Middle East.
This modern global Ayurveda is
rooted in traditional Ayurveda with its embracing of Vedic knowledge on all
levels from diet, herbs and massage to pranayama, mantra and meditation. It
seeks to extend the boundaries of medicine beyond chemical drugs and physical
concerns to a higher awareness within us connected to the universe as a whole.
It is ecologically harmonious and works with nature’s abundance, attuning us to
the transformative movement of life.
Ayurveda Day, Dhanteras and Dhanvantari
Ayurveda Day is based on
Dhanvantari Jayanti, the birth date of Sri Dhanvantari, which occurs at the
beginning of Diwali on Dhanteras. Ayurveda Day is honored nationally in India,
but is also spreading worldwide as International Ayurveda Day.
Dhanvantari is the form of
Vishnu, who sustains the universe and is the basis of all the avatars, who
arose from the Samudra Manthana, the original churning of the cosmic ocean, as
a gift of healing for all living beings.
Dhanvantari holds the nectar pot
of immortality that grants optimal health and wellbeing, extending to
rejuvenation of body and mind. He is the Adi Vaidya and ideal doctor, the
manifestation of compassion, representing the wisdom of Ayurveda in practical
application. His image and statue can be found at Ayurvedic schools and
clinics, where mantras to him are chanted daily.
By honoring Dhanvantari on this
day we can open ourselves to the power of healing from all of nature and from
our own deeper awareness. This is much more transformative than the outer
seeking of wealth and gold that usually marks the Dhanteras festival in India
(Lord Dhanvantari is included in the assembly of puja worshiping deities)
Vast Scope of Ayurveda
The Ayurvedic view of the human
being, based upon Yoga and Vedanta, is of body, mind, and universal
Consciousness (Atman) as a single continuum. We can contrast this with the
modern medical view of the human being as a mere physical body and complex of
chemical reactions.
Ayurveda helps us understand our
own unique constitution according to the three doshas of vata, pitta and kapha, reflecting nature’s elements and
forces within us. It is an individualized system of medicine that shows us the
right therapies for health and longevity – which differ person by person and
cannot be reduced a single formula or mass treatment for everyone. These also
must be adjusted on a daily basis relative to the influences within and around
us.
Ayurveda teaches us the inner
energetics of foods, spices and herbs, so that we can use them according to our
individual constitution. It provides the details of right living through proper
use of our senses and motor organs, and control of the mind through dharmic
values and meditation. These are part of an Ayurveda lifestyle to keep all that
we do in harmony with the energies within an around us.
Ayurveda is not just a system of
medicine that aims at treating diseases. It teaches daily and seasonal health
regimens that keep us in harmony with the movement of life, so that diseases do
not arise in the first place.
Health and well-being remains one
of the greatest challenges in this information technology era in which we are
losing our moorings in nature to an invasive technology and artificial way of
life. The current pandemic is a reflection of this.
It is time to acknowledge
Ayurveda as one of the most important traditions of natural healing in the
world, yet extending to the powers of mind and consciousness and the universal
Prana as yoga teaches us. Ayurveda is one of the greatest gifts of India’s
profound spiritual and yogic culture.
May
Dhanvantari as the universal healer bring well-being and lasting happiness to
all from the very core of our being!
--Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri)
Please go through my discourse:
nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/11/hindu-god-of-hope-health-and-healing.html
--November 2, 2021
Five Days
of Diwali and Yama Stuti - Matsya Puranam
Five
Days of Diwali - Diwali, the festival that spreads its
luminosity across the length and breadth of the country is celebrated with
crackling intensity. However, each of the five days of Diwali has its unique
significance, drawing from different legends and traditions of the Vedic
era.
The five
days of Diwali festival are accompanied by high-pitched fervor and
religiosity. Thus, all five days of Diwali enriches human bonds as people rise
over distinctions of caste and creed to embrace the divine light of oneness.
This year, the five-day Hindu festival will commence from November 2,
2021.
First
Day: Dhanteras - 2 November, 2021
The
first day of this five-day Hindu festival starts with 'Dhanteras'
or 'Dhantryaodashi' sets the mood for Diwali celebrations. The day pays homage
to Lord Dhanwantari who is associated with Ayurveda and various healing
practices for the good of mankind. On this day, there is a tradition of taking
a holy bath at sunset, lighting a diya lamp around 'Tulsi' plant and praying to
Lord Yama for their well-being. On this day, people participate in 'havan' and
also chant powerful mantras. I worship him daily installing his idol in my
puja assembly of deities.
Second
Day: Narak Chaturdasi - 4 November, 2021
Hindus
observe the second day as 'Narak Chaturdashi'. The significance of this day is
grounded in the story of Lord Krishna's overwhelming triumph over a ferocious
demon named 'Narakasur', who kidnapped the 'gopis'. On this day, people keep
their houses clean and use fragrant oils and flowers to keep vibrations
uplifted. Artistic patterns of 'rangolis' made from a mixture of rice flour and
water can be seen ubiquitously at the threshold of each house. A 'diya' is
placed in each room as well as in the backyard through the night.
Third
Day: Diwali - 4 November, 2021
Perhaps
the most festive of the five days of Diwali festival is
Diwali. The celebration of Diwali is based on the episode when Lord Rama
finally returned home from exile and was welcomed with a glittering row of
lights radiating from every household. It also coincides with the Pandavas'
return from the forest. The word 'Deepavali' means an array of lights. Diwali,
is, indisputably, among the most enlivening and significant festivals of
India.
Well-illuminated
houses, parks and public places make up the landscape on Diwali night, while
colorful fireworks dot the sky. In the market place, people are spoilt for
choices in their new purchases. Households are abuzz with hectic activity
around the preparation for Lakshmi puja to honor the Goddess of wealth. A
pandit performs the puja ceremoniously while family members participate in the
rituals and offerings. Distribution of sweets and 'prasad' follows. Businessmen
also perform 'Chopda Pujan' on this day by inaugurating their new books of
accounts for the ensuing year. Starting out on a good business proposition or
venture is seen as auspicious on this day. In West Bengal, the night is
dedicated to the worship of Goddess Kali.
Fourth
Day: Govardhan Puja - 5 November, 2021
On
the fourth day of this five-day Hindu festival, Govardhan Puja is performed.
The legend goes that Lord Indra was provoked and tried to submerge the town of
Gokul. Lord Krishna saved the people of Gokul from the wrath of Lord Indra by
lifting the Govardhan Mountain to provide succor. A blessing was bestowed on
the Govardhan Mountain that it will be honored through the ages. The tradition
has been followed ever since. Mathura and Nathadwara also witnesses huge
gathering of crowds in temples, where deities are bathed ritualistically and
adorned with ornaments.
This
day is also observed as 'Padwa' as Vikram-Samvat was started from this day.
Most households mark this day by wearing new clothes and jewelry, greeting
family members and also distributing sweets and gifts among friends and
neighbors.
Fifth
Day: Bhai Dhooj - 6 November, 2021
The
second day after Diwali is 'Bhai Dooj', marking the end of this five-day Hindu
festival. It is unique in nature as it is solely dedicated to the strong bond
of love between a brother and a sister. The festival is associated with the
legendary tale of brotherly love between Lord Yama and his sister Yami. After
several decades of separation, Lord Yama decided to visit his sister. When he
went to meet her, he was touched by the warmth and hospitality she showed. Yami
welcomed her brother with full fanfare and respect and put a tilak on his
forehead to mark the occasion. Yamraj blessed her and announced that henceforth
a brother who will greet his sister on this day will have a long life.
On
Bhai Dooj, a 'teeka' of rice and vermilion is applied on the brother's
forehead, followed by 'arti' and partaking of sweets. Usually, a meal
comprising special dishes and sweet delicacies follows. The brother promises to
protect his sister from untoward situations while the sister prays for her
brother's longevity. This day is eagerly awaited by all sisters and brothers,
given their enduring nature of relationship.
Muralidharan
Krishnan also tells us Lord Yama is worshipped on two days amidst Diwali
festivals and also Chitraguptas and sends a rare mantra though there are no
temples for us to worship yet can recite this rare Sloka found in my collection
of Rare Mantras and Slokas to please him and plead for long-life not affected
by pandemonium like COVID-19 that shortens our life due to abusing Nature and
shocks us.
His Message:
As Deepavali celebrations
starting today with Dhana Trayodashi span many days when
different deities are worshipped on those days. Lord Yama (also
known Lord Dharmaraja) is worshipped on two occasions in this span
by different traditions - Naraka Chaturdashi (i.e. 14th night
of dark fortnight and the night before Deepavali) and Yama Dwitiya (2nd
day of bright fortnight and 2 days after Deepavali). In South India, Lord
Chitragupta is also worshipped along with Lord Yama to request
annihilation of all sins committed deliberately or otherwise throughout the
year. Typically, Yama Tarpanam with the names of Lord
Yama is done along with Lighting of Lamps. In North India, Yama
Dwitiya is also known as Bhai Dooj, which marks the day
when Goddess Yamuna fed her brother Lord Yama at
her residence.
In
this connection, I am delighted to share one of the very few hymns on Lord
Yama by Savitri taken from Matsya Puranam and
Chapter 213. In the brief Phalashruti at the end of the
hymn, Lord Yama declares that one who chants this hymn in the
mornings will be bestowed with long life. [I had shared another hymn on Lord
Yama from Brahma Vaivarta Puranam several years ago].
--November
2, 2021
We hope this festival that signifies the victory
of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over
despair offers you beautiful sparkles of serenity, contentment, joy, and
happiness that will remain with you all year and into the future. Like the
colors of Rangoli, may this Diwali offer new smiles, uncharted paths, new
perspectives, and boundless bliss! Wishing you and your family a very happy and
cheerful Diwali!!
--India Association Nashville
Excellently
narrated; thanks sir
--Purushottama Rao Ravela
Excellent; Happy Dhanteras, Deepawali
--Sapthagireeshan
Thank you mama,
Happy Diwali to you all as well.
--Aparna Arcot
THE WISDOM OF RIGHT SEQUENCE
तस्मात्त्वमिन्द्रियाण्यादौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ |
पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम् || 41||
tasmāt
tvam indriyāṇyādau niyamya bharatarṣhabha
pāpmānaṁ prajahi hyenaṁ jñāna-vijñāna-nāśhanam
tasmāt—therefore; tvam—you; indriyāṇi—senses; ādau—in
the very beginning; niyamya—having
controlled; bharata-ṛiṣhabha—Arjun, the best of the
Bharatas; pāpmānam—the sinful; prajahi—slay; hi—certainly; enam—this; jñāna—knowledge; vijñāna—realization; nāśhanam—the
destroyer
Therefore, O best of the
Bharatas, in the very beginning bring the senses under control and slay this
enemy called desire, which is the embodiment of sin and destroys knowledge and
realization.
Now, Shree Krishna explains how
to overcome lust, the root of all evil, which is so pernicious to human
consciousness. Having identified the repositories of lust, Shree Krishna asks
Arjun, at the outset, to curb the desires of the senses. Permitting them to
arise is the cause of our miseries, while eliminating them is the way to peace.
Consider the following example.
Ramesh and Dinesh were two fellow students sharing the same room in the hostel.
At 10 pm at night, Ramesh developed the desire to smoke cigarettes. He said, “I
am getting the urge to smoke.” Dinesh replied, “It is so late at night. Forget
about cigarettes and go to sleep.” “No…no…I will not be able to sleep until I
puff the tobacco,” said Ramesh. Dinesh went to sleep, but Ramesh went out in
search of cigarettes. The shops nearby had closed. It took him two hours until
he finally returned to the hostel with the cigarette and had a smoke.
In the morning, Dinesh asked
him, “Ramesh, when did you sleep at night?” “At midnight.” “Really! That means
you remained agitated for cigarettes for two hours and when you had your puffs,
you returned to the same state that you were in at 10 pm.” “What do you mean by
that?” asked Ramesh. “Look, at 10 pm you did not have any desire for
cigarettes, and you were peaceful. Then you yourself created the desire for
them. From 10 pm to midnight, you remained agitated for cigarettes. Finally,
when you smoked them, the disease, which you had created, went away, and you
got to sleep. I, on the other hand, did not create any desire, and slept
peacefully at 10 pm itself.”
In this way, we create desires
for the objects of the senses of the body, and then become agitated by them.
When we get the cherished object, the disease of our own creation gets
eradicated, and we think of it as happiness.” However, if we think of ourselves
as the soul and our only purpose is happiness of the soul, then it becomes
easier to renounce such material desires. Shree Krishna tells Arjun to bring
the senses under control, thereby slaying the lust residing in them. To
accomplish this we must use the higher instruments given by God to us, as
stated in the next verse.
Gist
of the Presentation:
‘To
do or not to do’ is a question that often bothers us; then there is the
question, ‘how to do’. This webinar deals with a third question, ‘what to do
first’. Do all of A, B and C but in the right sequence.
If we become adepts in
identifying the right sequence, we will be able to do much more work with much
less stress or conflict. There are a number of kinds of ‘right sequence’ in the
fascinating domain of work, duty and responsibilities. ‘Duty before pleasure’
is an old example that highlights one of them. ‘Important pieces before
seemingly urgent pieces’ is a second example. ‘Putting others first, and the
self after them,’ is yet another shining example of this wisdom in the context
of human values. ‘Health before wealth’ can be cited as one more.
All this wisdom can bring to
our life a greater sense of order, leading to happiness on one hand and
enhanced fitness for spiritual advancement on the other.
Control your senses first, then go for mind
control, O Arjuna!
Rishis Who Discovered Vedic
Mantras In Hinduism
The Sage of
Kanchi, explains the greatness and importance of the Rishis who discovered
the Vedic mantras in Hinduism. They are perceived as one. Great men
there who have reached such a state and are capable of transforming what is
subtle in the one into what is gross in the other. I am speaking here to those
who believe in such a possibility. When we look at this universe and their
complex manner in which it functions, we realize that there must be a Great
Wisdom that has created it and sustains it.
The Great Wisdom, that is the
Paramatman, that all that we see are born and it is from It that all the sounds
that we hear have emanated. First came the universe of sound and then the
universe that we observe. Most of the former still exists in space. The space
that exists outside us exists also in our heart. The yogins have experience of
this hrdayakasa, this heart-sky or this heart-space, when they are in samadhi
(absorbed in the Infinite). In this state of theirs all differences between the
outward and the inward vanish and the two become one. The yogins can now grasp
the sounds of space and bestow the same on mankind. These successions of sounds
that bring benefits to the world are indeed the mantras of the
Vedas.
These mantras are not the
creation of anyone. Though each of them is in the name of a rishi or seer, in
reality it is not his creation. When we say that a certain mantra has a certain
sage associated with it, all that we mean is that it was he who first
"saw" it existing without a beginning in space and revealed it to the
world. The very word "rishi" means "mantra-drasta" (one who
saw- discovered- the mantra), not "mantra-karta" (one who created the
mantra). Our life is dependent on how our breathing functions. In the same way
the cosmos functions in accordance with the vibrations of the Vedic sounds- so
the Vedic mantras are the very breath of the Supreme Being. We must thus
conclude that, without the Vedas, there is no Brahman: To put it differently,
the Vedas are self-existent like the Paramatman.