Keeping Peace & Happiness In the Home..........is = to keeping the sanadhana Dharma vibrant and alive.
A very Good one to read for the entire family members.
Happiness is the goal; righteousness, good conduct, remains the directing factors of how you should act and respond to fulfil your Duties. This goal is attainable by following the ten Vedic restraints:-
1. Not harming others by thought, word or deed,
2. Refraining from lying,
3. Not entering into debt,
4. Being tolerant with people and circumstance,
5. Overcoming changeableness and indecision,
6. Not being callous, cruel or insensitive to other people's feelings.
7. Above all, never practice deception.
8. Don't eat too much.
9. Maintain a vegetarian diet for purity and clarity of mind and thoughts.
10. Watch carefully what you think and how you express it through words.
All of these restraints must be captured and practiced within the lifestyle before the natural contentment, the happiness, the pure, serene nature, of the soul can shine forth. Therefore, the practice to attain happiness is to fulfil the rules. Proceed with confidence; failure is an impossibility.
The home is a sanctuary of the entire family. It should have an even higher standard of propriety. When we start being too casual at home and letting off steam, we say things that perhaps we shouldn't. We may think the rest of the family understands, but they don't. Feelings get hurt. We break up the vibration of the home. Young people also let off steam in school, thus inhibiting their own education. They behave in a way in the classroom that they would not in a corporate office, and who is hurt but themselves? It's amazing how quickly people shape up their behaviour when they sign a contract, when they get a job in a corporate office. They read the manual, they obey it and they are nice to everyone. This is the way it should be within the home. The home should be maintained at a higher standard than the corporate office.
The wonderful thing about Hinduism is that we don't let off steam at home; we let our emotions pour out within the Hindu temple. The Hindu temple is the place where we can relate to the Gods and the Goddesses and express ourselves within ourselves. It's just between ourselves and the Deity. In a Hindu temple there may be, all at the same time, a woman worshipper crying in a corner, not far away a young couple laughing among themselves with their children, and nearby someone else arguing with the Gods. The Hindu temple allows the individual to let off steam but it is a controlled situation, controlled by the pujas, the ceremony, the priesthood.
So as to not make more karma in this life by saying things we don't mean, having inflections in our voice that are hurtful to others, we must control the home, control ourselves in the workplace, keep the home at a higher vibration of culture and protocol than the workplace, and include the temple in our lives as a place to release our emotions and regain our composure.
It is making a lot of really bad karma that will come back in its stronger reaction later on in life for someone, the husband or wife or teenager, to upset the vibration of the home because of stress at school or in the workplace. It is counterproductive to work all day in a nice office, control the emotions and be productive, and then go home and upset the vibration within the home.
After all, why is someone working? It's to create the home. Why is someone going to school? It's to eventually create a home. It is counterproductive to destroy that which one works all day to create. That's why It is advisable, the professional mother, the professional father, the professional son and the professional daughter to use in the home the same good manners that are learned in the workplace, and build the vibration of the home even stronger than the vibration of the workplace, so that there is something inviting to come home to.
We have seen so many times, professionals, men and women, behave exquisitely in the workplace, but not so exquisitely at home, upset the home vibration, eventually destroying the home, breaking up the home. And we have seen, through the years, a very unhappy person in retirement, a very bitter person in retirement. No one wants him around, no one wants to have him in their home. Therefore, he winds up in some nursing home, and he dies forgotten.
The Sanadhana Dharma must be alive in the home, must be alive in the office, must be alive in the temple, for us to have a full life. Where, then, do we vent our emotions, where do we let off steam, if not in our own home? The answer is, within the temple....................................
AND
" Life is beautiful; Living is a gift and make best use of the beauty and the gift every Moment of your life."
Yours in Divine Friendship.
J.K
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Real Beauty............Like Father Like son.
Real Beauty......................Like father Like son........
When a first-time father cuddled his newborn son, he immediately noticed the baby's ears conspicuously standing out from his head. He expressed his concern to the nurse that some children might taunt his child, calling him names like 'Dumbo.' A doctor examined the baby and reassured the new dad that his son was healthy - the ears presented only a minor cosmetic problem.
But the nervous father persisted. He wondered if the child might suffer psychological effects of ridicule, or if they should consider plastic surgery.
The nurse assured him that it was really no problem, and he should just wait to see if the boy grows into his ears.The father finally felt more optimistic about his child, but now he worried about his wife's reaction to those large, protruding ears. She had delivered by caesarean section, and had not yet seen the child.
'She doesn't take things as easily as I do,' he said to the nurse.
By this time, the new mother was settled in the recovery room and ready to meet her new baby. The nurse went along with the dad to lend some support in case this inexperienced mother became upset about her baby's large ears.
The infant was swaddled in a receiving blanket with his head covered for the short trip through the chilly air-conditioned corridor. The baby was placed in his mother's arms, who eased the blanket back so that she could gaze upon her child for the first time.
She took one look at her baby's face and looked to her husband and gasped, 'Oh, Honey! Look! He has your ears!'No problem with mum. She married those ears . . . and she loves the man to whom they are attached.
The poet Khalil Gibran said - 'Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart." It's hard to see the ears when you're looking into the light.
Written by Steve Goodier
When a first-time father cuddled his newborn son, he immediately noticed the baby's ears conspicuously standing out from his head. He expressed his concern to the nurse that some children might taunt his child, calling him names like 'Dumbo.' A doctor examined the baby and reassured the new dad that his son was healthy - the ears presented only a minor cosmetic problem.
But the nervous father persisted. He wondered if the child might suffer psychological effects of ridicule, or if they should consider plastic surgery.
The nurse assured him that it was really no problem, and he should just wait to see if the boy grows into his ears.The father finally felt more optimistic about his child, but now he worried about his wife's reaction to those large, protruding ears. She had delivered by caesarean section, and had not yet seen the child.
'She doesn't take things as easily as I do,' he said to the nurse.
By this time, the new mother was settled in the recovery room and ready to meet her new baby. The nurse went along with the dad to lend some support in case this inexperienced mother became upset about her baby's large ears.
The infant was swaddled in a receiving blanket with his head covered for the short trip through the chilly air-conditioned corridor. The baby was placed in his mother's arms, who eased the blanket back so that she could gaze upon her child for the first time.
She took one look at her baby's face and looked to her husband and gasped, 'Oh, Honey! Look! He has your ears!'No problem with mum. She married those ears . . . and she loves the man to whom they are attached.
The poet Khalil Gibran said - 'Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart." It's hard to see the ears when you're looking into the light.
Written by Steve Goodier
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Procrastination..............................................
Procrastination........A must read for Effective Time Management leading to Life Management.
There's an old saying.................................
"If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day!"
Brian Tracy says that your "frog" should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one you're most likely to procrastinate on; because, if you eat that first, it'll give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day. But, if you don't...and let him sit there on the plate and stare at you while you do a hundred unimportant things, it can drain your energy and you won't even know it.
In Eat That Frog!, Brian cuts to the core of what is vital to effective time management: decision, discipline and determination. In 21 practical steps, he will help you stop procrastinating and get more of the important tasks done...today!
Brian is one of America's leading authorities on development of human potential. He speaks to over 250,000 people a year and has written over 25 books. Eat That Frog! is an international best seller, with over 500,000 copies sold.
We're pleased to say, however, that Simple Truths has taken a great book, and well...made it better! How? We've made it a little shorter; a little more engaging with great graphics; a little more "giftable" with an embossed hard cover, and of course, packaging that can create a "wow" effect! In short, we've turned a great book into a great gift for employees, customers, friends and family.
Here's a small sampling in Brian's chapter titled: Apply the 80/20 Rule to Everything. Enjoy!
An excerpt from...........Eat That Frog!.......... By Brian Tracy.
The 80/20 Rule is one of the most helpful of all concepts of time and life management. It is also called the "Pareto Principle" after its founder, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who first wrote about it in 1895. Pareto noticed that people in his society seemed to divide naturally into what he called the "vital few", the top 20 percent in terms of money and influence, and the "trivial many", the bottom 80 percent.
He later discovered that virtually all economic activity was subject to this principle as well. For example, this principle says that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results, 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your sales, 20 percent of your products or services will account for 80 percent of your profits, 20 percent of your tasks will account for 80 percent of the value of what you do, and so on. This means that if you have a list of ten items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth five or ten times or more than the other eight items put together.
Number of Tasks versus Importance of Tasks......................
Here is an interesting discovery. Each of the ten tasks may take the same amount of time to accomplish. But one or two of those tasks will contribute five or ten times the value of any of the others.
Often, one item on a list of ten tasks that you have to do can be worth more than all the other nine items put together. This task is invariably the frog that you should eat first.
Focus on Activities, Not Accomplishments......................
The most valuable tasks you can do each day are often the hardest and most complex. But the payoff and rewards for completing these tasks efficiently can be tremendous. For this reason, you must adamantly refuse to work on tasks in the bottom 80 percent while you still have tasks in the top 20 percent left to be done.
Before you begin work, always ask yourself, "Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?"
The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you will be naturally motivated to continue. A part of your mind loves to be busy working on significant tasks that can really make a difference. Your job is to feed this part of your mind continually.
Motivate Yourself.................................
Just thinking about starting and finishing an important task motivates you and helps you to overcome procrastination. Time management is really life management, personal management. It is really taking control of the sequence of events. Time management is having control over what you do next. And you are always free to choose the task that you will do next. Your ability to choose between the important and the unimportant is the key determinant of your success in life and work.
Effective, productive people discipline themselves to start on the most important task that is before them. They force themselves to eat that frog, whatever it is. As a result, they accomplish vastly more than the average person and are much happier as a result. This should be your way of working as well.
There's an old saying.................................
"If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day!"
Brian Tracy says that your "frog" should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one you're most likely to procrastinate on; because, if you eat that first, it'll give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day. But, if you don't...and let him sit there on the plate and stare at you while you do a hundred unimportant things, it can drain your energy and you won't even know it.
In Eat That Frog!, Brian cuts to the core of what is vital to effective time management: decision, discipline and determination. In 21 practical steps, he will help you stop procrastinating and get more of the important tasks done...today!
Brian is one of America's leading authorities on development of human potential. He speaks to over 250,000 people a year and has written over 25 books. Eat That Frog! is an international best seller, with over 500,000 copies sold.
We're pleased to say, however, that Simple Truths has taken a great book, and well...made it better! How? We've made it a little shorter; a little more engaging with great graphics; a little more "giftable" with an embossed hard cover, and of course, packaging that can create a "wow" effect! In short, we've turned a great book into a great gift for employees, customers, friends and family.
Here's a small sampling in Brian's chapter titled: Apply the 80/20 Rule to Everything. Enjoy!
An excerpt from...........Eat That Frog!.......... By Brian Tracy.
The 80/20 Rule is one of the most helpful of all concepts of time and life management. It is also called the "Pareto Principle" after its founder, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who first wrote about it in 1895. Pareto noticed that people in his society seemed to divide naturally into what he called the "vital few", the top 20 percent in terms of money and influence, and the "trivial many", the bottom 80 percent.
He later discovered that virtually all economic activity was subject to this principle as well. For example, this principle says that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results, 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your sales, 20 percent of your products or services will account for 80 percent of your profits, 20 percent of your tasks will account for 80 percent of the value of what you do, and so on. This means that if you have a list of ten items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth five or ten times or more than the other eight items put together.
Number of Tasks versus Importance of Tasks......................
Here is an interesting discovery. Each of the ten tasks may take the same amount of time to accomplish. But one or two of those tasks will contribute five or ten times the value of any of the others.
Often, one item on a list of ten tasks that you have to do can be worth more than all the other nine items put together. This task is invariably the frog that you should eat first.
Focus on Activities, Not Accomplishments......................
The most valuable tasks you can do each day are often the hardest and most complex. But the payoff and rewards for completing these tasks efficiently can be tremendous. For this reason, you must adamantly refuse to work on tasks in the bottom 80 percent while you still have tasks in the top 20 percent left to be done.
Before you begin work, always ask yourself, "Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?"
The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you will be naturally motivated to continue. A part of your mind loves to be busy working on significant tasks that can really make a difference. Your job is to feed this part of your mind continually.
Motivate Yourself.................................
Just thinking about starting and finishing an important task motivates you and helps you to overcome procrastination. Time management is really life management, personal management. It is really taking control of the sequence of events. Time management is having control over what you do next. And you are always free to choose the task that you will do next. Your ability to choose between the important and the unimportant is the key determinant of your success in life and work.
Effective, productive people discipline themselves to start on the most important task that is before them. They force themselves to eat that frog, whatever it is. As a result, they accomplish vastly more than the average person and are much happier as a result. This should be your way of working as well.
Six Essentials of Life.............................
Six Essentials for Life
Our body was created to survive. How we survive depends on our conscious choices in the 6 Essentials for Life. If our choices are good we can lead a healthy life or else if made a bad choice the responses lead to pain, disease and death. It is your choice!
Evaluate..................................
1. What you eat :-
There are two kinds of foods Acid and Alkaline. Our body is designed to function in an alkaline state, which requires alkaline foods mostly fruits and vegetables. Eating too much of the acid foods makes your body acid, causing acute physical stress.
2. What you drink:-
Our body is majorly water and needs lots of liquids. Since our body regulates itself internally, drinking external stimulants puts added stress on your body and interferes with the regulation of blood sugar.
3. How you exercise:-
Our body needs exercise that increases heart rate, promotes muscle activity and aids neurological integration. Excellent exercises that achieve all three are swimming or walking correctly.
4.How you rest:-
Adequate, uninterrupted sleep each night is essential for cell repair. Do not consume large meals too close to bedtime or drink the wrong liquids throughout the day, which over stimulates our body. This makes uninterrupted, restful, repairing sleep difficult.
5. How and what you breathe:-
Correct breathing is important because it activates the diaphragm in a manner in which it was designed, which augments heart action. Correct breathing helps re balance the autonomic nervous system. Breathing is stressful. While the toxins in our food and liquids are cleaned by the liver before entering the bloodstream, the toxins we breathe from smoking or living/working in a smoke/smog filled environment, go directly into your bloodstream.
6. What you think about:-
Thinking about lemons fills our mouth with saliva. In anger or fear our body is as uptight as if we are fighting a ferocious animal. In worry our nervous system triggers more acid into our stomach producing indigestion and ulcers. And most of these physically harmful feelings come from replaying the past
Make your life & living Great with Right Choices.
Our body was created to survive. How we survive depends on our conscious choices in the 6 Essentials for Life. If our choices are good we can lead a healthy life or else if made a bad choice the responses lead to pain, disease and death. It is your choice!
Evaluate..................................
1. What you eat :-
There are two kinds of foods Acid and Alkaline. Our body is designed to function in an alkaline state, which requires alkaline foods mostly fruits and vegetables. Eating too much of the acid foods makes your body acid, causing acute physical stress.
2. What you drink:-
Our body is majorly water and needs lots of liquids. Since our body regulates itself internally, drinking external stimulants puts added stress on your body and interferes with the regulation of blood sugar.
3. How you exercise:-
Our body needs exercise that increases heart rate, promotes muscle activity and aids neurological integration. Excellent exercises that achieve all three are swimming or walking correctly.
4.How you rest:-
Adequate, uninterrupted sleep each night is essential for cell repair. Do not consume large meals too close to bedtime or drink the wrong liquids throughout the day, which over stimulates our body. This makes uninterrupted, restful, repairing sleep difficult.
5. How and what you breathe:-
Correct breathing is important because it activates the diaphragm in a manner in which it was designed, which augments heart action. Correct breathing helps re balance the autonomic nervous system. Breathing is stressful. While the toxins in our food and liquids are cleaned by the liver before entering the bloodstream, the toxins we breathe from smoking or living/working in a smoke/smog filled environment, go directly into your bloodstream.
6. What you think about:-
Thinking about lemons fills our mouth with saliva. In anger or fear our body is as uptight as if we are fighting a ferocious animal. In worry our nervous system triggers more acid into our stomach producing indigestion and ulcers. And most of these physically harmful feelings come from replaying the past
Make your life & living Great with Right Choices.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
About "Achamana"- Its significance.......
About Achamana......................Its significance.
Achamana precedes all rituals or ceremonial sipping of water and touching the various parts of the body like eyes, ears, nose, chest head etc., with wet hand in the prescribed order. This process invokes the life-energy to protect the performer.
There are three types of Achamana-
PURAANAACH AMAN,
SHROUTHAACHAMANA
AND
SMARTHAACHAMANA.
The first three names of Keshava, Naraayana and Madhava are remembered and water is taken as BRAHMATHEERTHA. The next 21 names are taken to touch different parts of the body and it invokes the deity who protects that part. With this it is expected that the FIVE GNYAANENDRIYAS, FIVE KARMENDRIAS, FIVE MUKHYA PRANAS, FIVE SUBSIDIARY PRANAS AND THE MIND are purified. It is expected that with this, the mind also becomes calm.
There is a system where instead of Keshavaayaswaaha, RUGVEDAYASWAAHA, YAJURVEDAAYASWAAHA, SAAMAVEDAAYASWAAHA are repeated. The method normally adopted is the Puraanaachamana with the names Keshava, Naarayana and Maadhava.
It is believed that while touching the different parts of the body with wet fingures and invoking the names of the ADHIDEVATHE of that part, the body and mind becomes pure so that further rituals are successful. It is also believed that at the tips of thumb, the forefinger, and the small finger there is BRAHMA THEERTHA, DEVATHEERTHA ANDPRAJAAPATHITHEERTHA.
Achamana precedes all rituals or ceremonial sipping of water and touching the various parts of the body like eyes, ears, nose, chest head etc., with wet hand in the prescribed order. This process invokes the life-energy to protect the performer.
There are three types of Achamana-
PURAANAACH AMAN,
SHROUTHAACHAMANA
AND
SMARTHAACHAMANA.
The first three names of Keshava, Naraayana and Madhava are remembered and water is taken as BRAHMATHEERTHA. The next 21 names are taken to touch different parts of the body and it invokes the deity who protects that part. With this it is expected that the FIVE GNYAANENDRIYAS, FIVE KARMENDRIAS, FIVE MUKHYA PRANAS, FIVE SUBSIDIARY PRANAS AND THE MIND are purified. It is expected that with this, the mind also becomes calm.
There is a system where instead of Keshavaayaswaaha, RUGVEDAYASWAAHA, YAJURVEDAAYASWAAHA, SAAMAVEDAAYASWAAHA are repeated. The method normally adopted is the Puraanaachamana with the names Keshava, Naarayana and Maadhava.
It is believed that while touching the different parts of the body with wet fingures and invoking the names of the ADHIDEVATHE of that part, the body and mind becomes pure so that further rituals are successful. It is also believed that at the tips of thumb, the forefinger, and the small finger there is BRAHMA THEERTHA, DEVATHEERTHA ANDPRAJAAPATHITHEERTHA.
Clever Anagrams.................
Clever Anagrams.....................A Good one to Read...nd enjoy.
The last one tops the list!!!!!!!! !
This has got to be one of the cleverest E-mails I've received in a while.
Someone out there either has too much spare time or is deadly at Scrabble.
(Wait till you see the last one)!
PRINCESS DIANA.
When you rearrange the letters:
END IS A CAR SPIN
MONICA LEWINSKY
When you rearrange the letters:
NICE SILKY WOMAN
DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM
ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER
THE EYES :
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE
SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME
ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT
SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S
A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE
THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE
AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:........................................
MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:.............................
WOMAN HITLER.............................................RRRRRR.
The last one tops the list!!!!!!!! !
This has got to be one of the cleverest E-mails I've received in a while.
Someone out there either has too much spare time or is deadly at Scrabble.
(Wait till you see the last one)!
PRINCESS DIANA.
When you rearrange the letters:
END IS A CAR SPIN
MONICA LEWINSKY
When you rearrange the letters:
NICE SILKY WOMAN
DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM
ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER
THE EYES :
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE
SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME
ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT
SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S
A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE
THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE
AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:........................................
MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:.............................
WOMAN HITLER.............................................RRRRRR.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Pl read it as a Loving topic and not as...................
Please read this as a loving topic and not as scaring one as it has to and will happen to every one living inevitably without any exception. whatsoever.....................As
"No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow."
How Should one View Death and Dying? & How does one best prepare for it.............It is as simple as righteously living.........for the departure.
Our soul never dies; only the physical body dies. We neither fear death nor look forward to it, but revere it as a most exalted experience. Life, death and the afterlife are all part of our path to perfect oneness with God.
For Hindus, death is nobly referred to as mahaprasthana, "the great journey." When the lessons of this life have been learned and karmas reach a point of intensity, the soul leaves the physical body, which then returns its elements to the earth. The awareness, will, memory and intelligence which we think of as ourselves continue to exist in the soul body.
Death is a most natural experience, not to be feared. It is a quick transition from the physical world to the astral plane, like walking through a door, leaving one room and entering another. Knowing this, we approach death as a sadhana, as a spiritual opportunity, bringing a level of detachment which is difficult to achieve in the tumult of life and an urgency to strive more than ever in our search for the Divine Self. To be near a realised soul at the time he or she gives up the body yields blessings surpassing those of a thousand and eight visits to holy persons at other times. The Vedas explain:-
"As a caterpillar coming to the end of a blade of grass draws itself together in taking the next step, so does the soul in the process of transition strike down this body and dispel its ignorance."
Blessed with the knowledge of impending transition, we settle affairs and take refuge in japa, worship, scripture and yoga-seeking the highest realisations as we consciously, joyously release the world.
Before dying, Hindus diligently fulfil obligations, make amends and resolve differences by forgiving themselves and others, lest unresolved karmas bear fruit in future births. That done, we turn to God through meditation, surrender and scriptural study. As a conscious death is our ideal, we avoid drugs, artificial life-extension and suicide. Suicide only postpones and intensifies the karma one seeks escape from, requiring several lives to return to the evolutionary point that existed at the moment of suicide. In cases of terminal illness, under strict community regulation, tradition does allow prayopavesha, self-willed religious death by fasting. When nearing transition, if hospitalised, we return home to be among loved ones. In the final hours of life, we seek the Self God within and focus on our mantra as kindred keep prayerful vigil. At death, we leave the body through the crown chakra, entering the clear white light and beyond in quest of
videhamukti. The Vedas affirm, "When a person comes to weakness, be it through old age or disease, he frees himself from these limbs just as a mango, a fig or a berry releases itself from its stalk."
"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."
And Remember..............
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and for the world remains and is immortal."
PS: Please pass it on to as many friends as possible as this is "Knowledge".
J.K
"No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow."
How Should one View Death and Dying? & How does one best prepare for it.............It is as simple as righteously living.........for the departure.
Our soul never dies; only the physical body dies. We neither fear death nor look forward to it, but revere it as a most exalted experience. Life, death and the afterlife are all part of our path to perfect oneness with God.
For Hindus, death is nobly referred to as mahaprasthana, "the great journey." When the lessons of this life have been learned and karmas reach a point of intensity, the soul leaves the physical body, which then returns its elements to the earth. The awareness, will, memory and intelligence which we think of as ourselves continue to exist in the soul body.
Death is a most natural experience, not to be feared. It is a quick transition from the physical world to the astral plane, like walking through a door, leaving one room and entering another. Knowing this, we approach death as a sadhana, as a spiritual opportunity, bringing a level of detachment which is difficult to achieve in the tumult of life and an urgency to strive more than ever in our search for the Divine Self. To be near a realised soul at the time he or she gives up the body yields blessings surpassing those of a thousand and eight visits to holy persons at other times. The Vedas explain:-
"As a caterpillar coming to the end of a blade of grass draws itself together in taking the next step, so does the soul in the process of transition strike down this body and dispel its ignorance."
Blessed with the knowledge of impending transition, we settle affairs and take refuge in japa, worship, scripture and yoga-seeking the highest realisations as we consciously, joyously release the world.
Before dying, Hindus diligently fulfil obligations, make amends and resolve differences by forgiving themselves and others, lest unresolved karmas bear fruit in future births. That done, we turn to God through meditation, surrender and scriptural study. As a conscious death is our ideal, we avoid drugs, artificial life-extension and suicide. Suicide only postpones and intensifies the karma one seeks escape from, requiring several lives to return to the evolutionary point that existed at the moment of suicide. In cases of terminal illness, under strict community regulation, tradition does allow prayopavesha, self-willed religious death by fasting. When nearing transition, if hospitalised, we return home to be among loved ones. In the final hours of life, we seek the Self God within and focus on our mantra as kindred keep prayerful vigil. At death, we leave the body through the crown chakra, entering the clear white light and beyond in quest of
videhamukti. The Vedas affirm, "When a person comes to weakness, be it through old age or disease, he frees himself from these limbs just as a mango, a fig or a berry releases itself from its stalk."
"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."
And Remember..............
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and for the world remains and is immortal."
PS: Please pass it on to as many friends as possible as this is "Knowledge".
J.K
Why I am a Hindu ?........................
I got this as a forward and sending it as it is like that.
I don't know who wrote it. But, it is a very interesting conversation and explains "Hindutva" in very simple terms to a layman.
Read it in leisure, but don't postpone and forget.
You may or may not accept all his statements - but, look at the way it is presented!!!!!!!
With Love & regards,
Yours in Divine Friendship.
J.K
WHY I AM A HINDU........................................................
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a meeting at Monterey , CA An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk.I told her that I am from India
Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't understand the question.
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'
'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'.
Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' 'I am a Hindu', I said.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' I replied.
'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.
'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.'
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganised, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?'
What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: 'I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes..'
'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'
'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'
'Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. . I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organised controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority..
'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.
'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe..'
'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'
'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.
'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'
'Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'
'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.'
'Hmm ..very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'
'How does anybody convert to Hinduism?'
'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organisation either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.'
I told her - if you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one guru to the next.
For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organised religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.
A man/ woman who change 's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism was the first religion originated. Be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are.
Aum Shanti , Shaanti, Shanthi.
Send it to all who you think will find it interesting! !!!!!!!!! !
I don't know who wrote it. But, it is a very interesting conversation and explains "Hindutva" in very simple terms to a layman.
Read it in leisure, but don't postpone and forget.
You may or may not accept all his statements - but, look at the way it is presented!!!!!!!
With Love & regards,
Yours in Divine Friendship.
J.K
WHY I AM A HINDU........................................................
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a meeting at Monterey , CA An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk.I told her that I am from India
Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't understand the question.
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'
'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'.
Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' 'I am a Hindu', I said.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' I replied.
'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.
'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.'
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganised, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?'
What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: 'I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes..'
'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'
'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'
'Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. . I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organised controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority..
'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.
'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe..'
'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'
'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.
'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'
'Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'
'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.'
'Hmm ..very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'
'How does anybody convert to Hinduism?'
'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organisation either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.'
I told her - if you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one guru to the next.
For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organised religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.
A man/ woman who change 's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism was the first religion originated. Be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are.
Aum Shanti , Shaanti, Shanthi.
Send it to all who you think will find it interesting! !!!!!!!!! !
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Diet & Exercise for busy people........................
Diet and exercise tips for busy people ...........................simple ones.
No excuse for busy people!!
Use the following tips to incorporate exercise into your busy day, weather you are at home ,on the commute or at work.
Many of us have little or no time for a traditional workout. Given the demands of family, work and school, the thought of spending time at the gym or outside jogging can seem like a fantasy. But even the busiest people can find ways to stay fit by changing their daily routine. Fitness experts recommended a minimum of 20-30 minutes if exercise three times a week. Even the minimum recommended amount of exercise can drastically improve your health, give you more energy and reduce stress.
At home.............................
Prepare your own meal instead of ordering take-out. Not only will you burn calories ,cooking, you can also make sure you use healthy ingredients and limit portion sizes. Put away your television remote so that you have to get up to change channels. You can also try stretching or doing aerobics while watching TV. Clean the old-fashioned way. Vigorous mopping, scrubbing and dusting can burn calories and develop muscles the same way as "real" exercise.
If you have yard, use a hand-mower or other hand tools when gardening.
You will both benefit from the added exercise, fresh air and time together.
Play with your children outside instead of watching movies or play video games. No kid is going to turn down a chance to play tag or shoot hopes with Father & Mother, you get exercise to boot.Walk to corner store instead of driving, and walk as much as possible when running errands.
On the commute....................................
If you live close enough, walk to work. Even it is only a mile away, a brisk walk each way can count as your daily exercise. If you live a little farther away, consider riding your bike to work. Cycling is one of the most beneficial, rewarding and fun exercise activities. If you make it a part of your daily commute, you will get to work energised and will be able to burn off steam on the way home. If walking or cycling isn't option, use public transport. You will get some exercise walking to and from the stops. You will also save money, reduce mileage on your car and promote a cleaner environment. If you must drive, park a few blocks away or at least at the far end of the lot to force yourself to walk more.
At work...........................................
Take the stairs to your floor. If you work on a higher floor, walk part of the way and then take the elevator. Bring your lunch. This allows you to pack healthy ingredients and control portions, as well as save money.
It is OK to go out to lunch with the gang occasionally, just not everyday. Get out of the office on your lunch break. Even if you brought your own lunch, don't eat at your desk. Walk some where else to build in some easy exercise.
Drink water or diet soda. You can remove hundreds of empty calories from your diet per day if you avoid regular soda.Turn a coffee break into a walk around the office. Take a few minutes every two hours to do some light stretching at your desk.
No excuse for busy people!!
Use the following tips to incorporate exercise into your busy day, weather you are at home ,on the commute or at work.
Many of us have little or no time for a traditional workout. Given the demands of family, work and school, the thought of spending time at the gym or outside jogging can seem like a fantasy. But even the busiest people can find ways to stay fit by changing their daily routine. Fitness experts recommended a minimum of 20-30 minutes if exercise three times a week. Even the minimum recommended amount of exercise can drastically improve your health, give you more energy and reduce stress.
At home.............................
Prepare your own meal instead of ordering take-out. Not only will you burn calories ,cooking, you can also make sure you use healthy ingredients and limit portion sizes. Put away your television remote so that you have to get up to change channels. You can also try stretching or doing aerobics while watching TV. Clean the old-fashioned way. Vigorous mopping, scrubbing and dusting can burn calories and develop muscles the same way as "real" exercise.
If you have yard, use a hand-mower or other hand tools when gardening.
You will both benefit from the added exercise, fresh air and time together.
Play with your children outside instead of watching movies or play video games. No kid is going to turn down a chance to play tag or shoot hopes with Father & Mother, you get exercise to boot.Walk to corner store instead of driving, and walk as much as possible when running errands.
On the commute....................................
If you live close enough, walk to work. Even it is only a mile away, a brisk walk each way can count as your daily exercise. If you live a little farther away, consider riding your bike to work. Cycling is one of the most beneficial, rewarding and fun exercise activities. If you make it a part of your daily commute, you will get to work energised and will be able to burn off steam on the way home. If walking or cycling isn't option, use public transport. You will get some exercise walking to and from the stops. You will also save money, reduce mileage on your car and promote a cleaner environment. If you must drive, park a few blocks away or at least at the far end of the lot to force yourself to walk more.
At work...........................................
Take the stairs to your floor. If you work on a higher floor, walk part of the way and then take the elevator. Bring your lunch. This allows you to pack healthy ingredients and control portions, as well as save money.
It is OK to go out to lunch with the gang occasionally, just not everyday. Get out of the office on your lunch break. Even if you brought your own lunch, don't eat at your desk. Walk some where else to build in some easy exercise.
Drink water or diet soda. You can remove hundreds of empty calories from your diet per day if you avoid regular soda.Turn a coffee break into a walk around the office. Take a few minutes every two hours to do some light stretching at your desk.
The process of re-incarnation........................
The Process of Reincarnation?.................................
Reincarnation, punarjanma, is the natural process of birth, death and rebirth. At death we drop off the physical body and continue evolving in the inner worlds in our subtle bodies, until we again enter into birth.
Through the ages, reincarnation has been the great consoling element within Hinduism, eliminating the fear of death, explaining why one person is born a genius and another an idiot. We are not the body in which we live but the immortal soul which inhabits many bodies in its evolutionary journey through samsara. After death, we continue to exist in unseen worlds, enjoying or suffering the harvest of earthly deeds until it comes time for yet another physical birth.
Because certain karmas can be resolved only in the physical world, we must enter another physical body to continue our evolution. After soaring into the causal plane, we enter a new womb. Subsequently the old manomaya kosha is slowly sloughed off and a new one created. The actions set in motion in previous lives form the tendencies and conditions of the next.
Reincarnation ceases when karma is resolved, God is realised and liberation attained. The Vedas say:-
"After death, the soul goes to the next world bearing in mind the subtle impressions of its deeds, and after reaping their harvest returns again to this world of action. Thus, he who has desires continues subject to rebirth."...................................
&
Always bear in mind.....................
"Never take some one for granted. Hold every person close to your heart and in high esteem, because you might wake up one day and realise that you have lost a diamond while you were busy collecting stones."
Reincarnation, punarjanma, is the natural process of birth, death and rebirth. At death we drop off the physical body and continue evolving in the inner worlds in our subtle bodies, until we again enter into birth.
Through the ages, reincarnation has been the great consoling element within Hinduism, eliminating the fear of death, explaining why one person is born a genius and another an idiot. We are not the body in which we live but the immortal soul which inhabits many bodies in its evolutionary journey through samsara. After death, we continue to exist in unseen worlds, enjoying or suffering the harvest of earthly deeds until it comes time for yet another physical birth.
Because certain karmas can be resolved only in the physical world, we must enter another physical body to continue our evolution. After soaring into the causal plane, we enter a new womb. Subsequently the old manomaya kosha is slowly sloughed off and a new one created. The actions set in motion in previous lives form the tendencies and conditions of the next.
Reincarnation ceases when karma is resolved, God is realised and liberation attained. The Vedas say:-
"After death, the soul goes to the next world bearing in mind the subtle impressions of its deeds, and after reaping their harvest returns again to this world of action. Thus, he who has desires continues subject to rebirth."...................................
&
Always bear in mind.....................
"Never take some one for granted. Hold every person close to your heart and in high esteem, because you might wake up one day and realise that you have lost a diamond while you were busy collecting stones."
Good Karma & Bad Karma.......................
Good Karma and Bad Karma?..................................
In the highest sense, there is no good or bad karma. All experience offers opportunities for spiritual growth. Selfless acts yield positive, uplifting conditions. Selfish acts yield conditions of negativity and confusion.
Karma itself is neither good nor bad but a neutral principle that governs energy and motion of thought, word and deed. All experience helps us grow. Good, loving actions bring to us lovingness through others. Mean, selfish acts bring back to us pain and suffering. Kindness produces sweet fruits, called punya. Unkindness yields spoiled fruits, called papa. As we mature, life after life, we go through much pain and joy.
Actions that are in tune with righteousness help us along the path, while non-righteous actions impede our progress. The divine law is: whatever karma we are experiencing in our life is just what we need at the moment, and nothing can happen but that we have the strength to meet it. Even harsh karma, when faced in wisdom, can be the greatest catalyst for spiritual unfoldment. Performing daily sadhana, keeping good company, pilgrimage to holy places, seeing to others' needs-these evoke the higher energies, direct the mind to useful thoughts and avoid the creation of troublesome new karmas. The Vedas explain.................
"According as one acts, so does he become. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action."
&
Always Remember......................................................
"Life is always unsafe and unstable like a drop of water on the Lotus Leaf. The Company of Pujya Guruji even for a moment can save and redeem us."
In the highest sense, there is no good or bad karma. All experience offers opportunities for spiritual growth. Selfless acts yield positive, uplifting conditions. Selfish acts yield conditions of negativity and confusion.
Karma itself is neither good nor bad but a neutral principle that governs energy and motion of thought, word and deed. All experience helps us grow. Good, loving actions bring to us lovingness through others. Mean, selfish acts bring back to us pain and suffering. Kindness produces sweet fruits, called punya. Unkindness yields spoiled fruits, called papa. As we mature, life after life, we go through much pain and joy.
Actions that are in tune with righteousness help us along the path, while non-righteous actions impede our progress. The divine law is: whatever karma we are experiencing in our life is just what we need at the moment, and nothing can happen but that we have the strength to meet it. Even harsh karma, when faced in wisdom, can be the greatest catalyst for spiritual unfoldment. Performing daily sadhana, keeping good company, pilgrimage to holy places, seeing to others' needs-these evoke the higher energies, direct the mind to useful thoughts and avoid the creation of troublesome new karmas. The Vedas explain.................
"According as one acts, so does he become. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action."
&
Always Remember......................................................
"Life is always unsafe and unstable like a drop of water on the Lotus Leaf. The Company of Pujya Guruji even for a moment can save and redeem us."
Reasons for Vegetarianism...............................
Reasons for Vegetarianism.................to save planet Earth and maintain a good physical and mental health.
Vegetarianism has for thousands of years been a principle of health and environmental ethics throughout India. Though Muslim and Christian colonisation radically undermined and eroded this ideal, it remains to this day a cardinal ethic of Hindu thought and practice. A subtle sense of guilt persists among Hindus who eat meat, and there exists an ongoing controversy on this issue. The Sanskrit for vegetarianism is shakahara, and one following a vegetarian diet is a shakahari. The term for meat-eating is mansahara, and the meat-eater is called mansahari. Ahara means "food" or "diet," shaka means "vegetable," and mansa means "meat" or "flesh."
Amazingly, people define vegetarian as a diet which excludes the meat of animals but does permit fish and eggs. But what really is vegetarianism? It is living only on foods produced by plants, with the addition of dairy products. Vegetarian foods include grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, milk, yogurt, cheese and butter. The strictest vegetarians, known as vegans, exclude all dairy products. Natural, fresh foods, locally grown without insecticides or chemical fertilizers are preferred. A vegetarian diet does not include meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs.
For good health, even certain vegetarian foods are minimised: frozen and canned foods, highly processed foods, such as white rice, white sugar and white flour; and "junk" foods and beverages those with abundant chemical additives, such as artificial sweeteners, colourings, flavourings and preservatives.
In the past fifty years millions of meat-eaters have made the decision to stop eating the flesh of other creatures. There are five major motivations for such a decision:-
1) Many become vegetarian purely to uphold dharma, as the first duty to God and God's creation as defined by Vedic scripture.
2) Some abjure meat-eating because of the karmic consequences, knowing that by involving oneself, even indirectly, in the cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death by eating other creatures, one must in the future experience in equal measure the suffering caused.
3) Spiritual consciousness is another reason. Food is the source of the body's chemistry, and what we ingest affects our consciousness, emotions and experiential patterns. If one wants to live in higher consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all creatures, then he cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger, jealousy, fear, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death, all of which are locked into the flesh of butchered creatures.
4) Medical studies prove that a vegetarian diet is easier to digest, provides a wider range of nutrients and imposes fewer burdens and impurities on the body. Vegetarians are less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict contemporary humanity, and thus live longer, healthier, more productive lives. They have fewer physical complaints, less frequent visits to the doctor, fewer dental problems and smaller medical bills. Their immune system is stronger, their bodies purer and more refined, and their skin clearer, more supple and smooth.
5) Finally, there is the ecological reason. Planet Earth is suffering. In large measure, the escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient rain forests to create pasture lands for livestock, loss of topsoil and the consequent increase of water impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet. No single decision that we can make as individuals or as a race can have such a dramatic effect on the improvement of our planetary ecology as the decision to not eat meat. Many conscious of the need to save the planet for future generations have made this decision for this reason and this reason alone.
Vegetarianism has for thousands of years been a principle of health and environmental ethics throughout India. Though Muslim and Christian colonisation radically undermined and eroded this ideal, it remains to this day a cardinal ethic of Hindu thought and practice. A subtle sense of guilt persists among Hindus who eat meat, and there exists an ongoing controversy on this issue. The Sanskrit for vegetarianism is shakahara, and one following a vegetarian diet is a shakahari. The term for meat-eating is mansahara, and the meat-eater is called mansahari. Ahara means "food" or "diet," shaka means "vegetable," and mansa means "meat" or "flesh."
Amazingly, people define vegetarian as a diet which excludes the meat of animals but does permit fish and eggs. But what really is vegetarianism? It is living only on foods produced by plants, with the addition of dairy products. Vegetarian foods include grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, milk, yogurt, cheese and butter. The strictest vegetarians, known as vegans, exclude all dairy products. Natural, fresh foods, locally grown without insecticides or chemical fertilizers are preferred. A vegetarian diet does not include meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs.
For good health, even certain vegetarian foods are minimised: frozen and canned foods, highly processed foods, such as white rice, white sugar and white flour; and "junk" foods and beverages those with abundant chemical additives, such as artificial sweeteners, colourings, flavourings and preservatives.
In the past fifty years millions of meat-eaters have made the decision to stop eating the flesh of other creatures. There are five major motivations for such a decision:-
1) Many become vegetarian purely to uphold dharma, as the first duty to God and God's creation as defined by Vedic scripture.
2) Some abjure meat-eating because of the karmic consequences, knowing that by involving oneself, even indirectly, in the cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death by eating other creatures, one must in the future experience in equal measure the suffering caused.
3) Spiritual consciousness is another reason. Food is the source of the body's chemistry, and what we ingest affects our consciousness, emotions and experiential patterns. If one wants to live in higher consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all creatures, then he cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger, jealousy, fear, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death, all of which are locked into the flesh of butchered creatures.
4) Medical studies prove that a vegetarian diet is easier to digest, provides a wider range of nutrients and imposes fewer burdens and impurities on the body. Vegetarians are less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict contemporary humanity, and thus live longer, healthier, more productive lives. They have fewer physical complaints, less frequent visits to the doctor, fewer dental problems and smaller medical bills. Their immune system is stronger, their bodies purer and more refined, and their skin clearer, more supple and smooth.
5) Finally, there is the ecological reason. Planet Earth is suffering. In large measure, the escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient rain forests to create pasture lands for livestock, loss of topsoil and the consequent increase of water impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet. No single decision that we can make as individuals or as a race can have such a dramatic effect on the improvement of our planetary ecology as the decision to not eat meat. Many conscious of the need to save the planet for future generations have made this decision for this reason and this reason alone.
Keep pur surroundings by keepimg your Home Clean........
Keeping Pure Surroundings................by keeping your Home clean. A very Good one to read.
Cleaning the house is an act of purifying one's immediate environment. Each piece of furniture, as well as the doorways and the walls, catches and holds the emanations of the human aura of each individual in the home, as well as each of its visitors. This residue must be wiped away through dusting and cleaning. This regular attentiveness keeps each room sparkling clean and actinic. Unless this is done, the rooms of the home become overpowering to the consciousness of the individuals who live within them as their auras pick up the old accumulated feelings of days gone by. Small wonder that a dirty room can depress you, and one freshly cleaned can invigorate.
In these years, when both mother and father work in the outside world, the house is often simply where they sleep and eat. But if a home receives all of the daily attentions of cleaning it sparkly bright, both astrally and physically, it becomes a welcoming place and not an empty shell. The Deva's can live within a home that is clean and well regulated, where the routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner is upheld, where early morning devotionals are performed and respected, a home which the family lives together within, eats together within, talks together within, worships together within. Such a home is the abode of the Deva's. Other kinds of homes are the abodes of asuric forces and dis incarnate entities bound to Earth by lower desires.
It is very important that the samskaras are performed properly and perfectly , particularly the funeral, ceremonies so as to restore purity in the home after a death. Birth and death require the family to observe a moratorium of at least thirty-one days during which they do not enter the temple or the shrine room. Such obligatory ritual customs are important to follow for those wishing to restrain their desires and perfect cleanliness in body, mind and speech, keeping good company, keeping the mind pure and avoiding impure thoughts.
Purity and impurity can be discerned in the human aura. We see purity in the brilliancy of the aura of one who is restraining and disciplining the lower instinctive nature. His aura is bright with white rays from his soul lightening up the various hues and colours of his moods and emotions.
Impure people have black shading in the colours of their aura as they go through their moods and emotions. Black in the aura is from the lower worlds, the worlds of darkness.
Cleaning the house is an act of purifying one's immediate environment. Each piece of furniture, as well as the doorways and the walls, catches and holds the emanations of the human aura of each individual in the home, as well as each of its visitors. This residue must be wiped away through dusting and cleaning. This regular attentiveness keeps each room sparkling clean and actinic. Unless this is done, the rooms of the home become overpowering to the consciousness of the individuals who live within them as their auras pick up the old accumulated feelings of days gone by. Small wonder that a dirty room can depress you, and one freshly cleaned can invigorate.
In these years, when both mother and father work in the outside world, the house is often simply where they sleep and eat. But if a home receives all of the daily attentions of cleaning it sparkly bright, both astrally and physically, it becomes a welcoming place and not an empty shell. The Deva's can live within a home that is clean and well regulated, where the routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner is upheld, where early morning devotionals are performed and respected, a home which the family lives together within, eats together within, talks together within, worships together within. Such a home is the abode of the Deva's. Other kinds of homes are the abodes of asuric forces and dis incarnate entities bound to Earth by lower desires.
It is very important that the samskaras are performed properly and perfectly , particularly the funeral, ceremonies so as to restore purity in the home after a death. Birth and death require the family to observe a moratorium of at least thirty-one days during which they do not enter the temple or the shrine room. Such obligatory ritual customs are important to follow for those wishing to restrain their desires and perfect cleanliness in body, mind and speech, keeping good company, keeping the mind pure and avoiding impure thoughts.
Purity and impurity can be discerned in the human aura. We see purity in the brilliancy of the aura of one who is restraining and disciplining the lower instinctive nature. His aura is bright with white rays from his soul lightening up the various hues and colours of his moods and emotions.
Impure people have black shading in the colours of their aura as they go through their moods and emotions. Black in the aura is from the lower worlds, the worlds of darkness.
Claim the Being of Yourself...............................
Claim the Being Of Yourself..................................
We say, "I am sick," and in the English language that means my body is sick, or I am aware of this body not being in a perfect state of health. The mystic knows he is not this body. He can even remember dropping off the body many, many different times, getting new bodies through the process of reincarnation. We are not what we are aware of. We are separate from that which we are aware of. We are only flowing through these areas of the mind. If we live in Chennai, we're not Chennai. If we live in unhappiness, we're not unhappiness. That's only one of the cities and state of the mind. This is a great meditation. We can grasp this awakening in thirty seconds. We can grasp this awakening in thirty hours, or thirty minutes. We can grasp this awakening and have it come to us vibrantly in thirty weeks, thirty months, or thirty years or thirty lifetimes. It just depends upon our willpower.
As soon as we can understand awareness detached from that which it is aware of, we have a vibrant energy, a tremendous drive; a tremendous willpower is released from within us. And we live with the feeling that we can do anything that we want to do, almost as quickly as we want to do it. We want things to happen now, for we vividly see the area where they already exist within the force fields of the mind itself.
How do we live our life from this point? We begin to apply this philosophy in every department of our life. There are some habit patterns in our subconscious mind that have not caught up with this new perspective as yet. And we will be running up against them. As soon as we find awareness totally identified with a subconscious area that has become conscious, immediately turn inward, detach awareness from that which it is aware of and just be pure energy.
We can expect a beautiful life, a beautiful relationship with the being of our self. Claim the being of our self as we. WE have enough knowledge now. We don't have to discover the being of our self and keep looking for it. Just be the being of our self and travel through the mind as the traveller travels around the globe.
The wonderful story of awareness, could go on and on talking about it, because it is so very basic and so very, very important. This then makes an infinite intelligence and everyone the same. Only, they are living in different areas of the mind, or different houses.
We say, "I am sick," and in the English language that means my body is sick, or I am aware of this body not being in a perfect state of health. The mystic knows he is not this body. He can even remember dropping off the body many, many different times, getting new bodies through the process of reincarnation. We are not what we are aware of. We are separate from that which we are aware of. We are only flowing through these areas of the mind. If we live in Chennai, we're not Chennai. If we live in unhappiness, we're not unhappiness. That's only one of the cities and state of the mind. This is a great meditation. We can grasp this awakening in thirty seconds. We can grasp this awakening in thirty hours, or thirty minutes. We can grasp this awakening and have it come to us vibrantly in thirty weeks, thirty months, or thirty years or thirty lifetimes. It just depends upon our willpower.
As soon as we can understand awareness detached from that which it is aware of, we have a vibrant energy, a tremendous drive; a tremendous willpower is released from within us. And we live with the feeling that we can do anything that we want to do, almost as quickly as we want to do it. We want things to happen now, for we vividly see the area where they already exist within the force fields of the mind itself.
How do we live our life from this point? We begin to apply this philosophy in every department of our life. There are some habit patterns in our subconscious mind that have not caught up with this new perspective as yet. And we will be running up against them. As soon as we find awareness totally identified with a subconscious area that has become conscious, immediately turn inward, detach awareness from that which it is aware of and just be pure energy.
We can expect a beautiful life, a beautiful relationship with the being of our self. Claim the being of our self as we. WE have enough knowledge now. We don't have to discover the being of our self and keep looking for it. Just be the being of our self and travel through the mind as the traveller travels around the globe.
The wonderful story of awareness, could go on and on talking about it, because it is so very basic and so very, very important. This then makes an infinite intelligence and everyone the same. Only, they are living in different areas of the mind, or different houses.
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Philosophy of Life...................................
Philosophy of Life................For transformation of our lives.
"If you are born poor it's not your mistake, but if you die poor it's your
mistake".........................BILL GATES-
"In a day when you don't come across any problems you can be sure that you are travelling in a wrong path.................SWAMI VIVEKANANDA-
"Three sentences for attaining "success":-
1.Know more than other.
2.Work more than other.
3.Expect less than other........................WILLIAM SHAKESPHERE-
"If you win you need not explain, but if you lose, you should not be there to explain."....................ADOLPH HITLER-
"Don't compare yourself with any one in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself."..................ALEN STRIKE-
"Winning doe not always mean being first, winning means you are doing better than you have done before."....................BENNIE BLAIR-
"I will not say I failed 1000 times, I will say that I discovered there are 1000 ways that can cause failure."..................THOMAS EDISON-
"Every one thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."............................LEO TOLSTOY-
"Believing everybody is dangerous, Believing nobody is very dangerous."....................... ABRAHAM LINCOLN-
"If some one feels that they had never made any mistake in their life, then it means they had never tried a new thing in their life."..........................EINSTEIN-
"Never break four things in your life- TRUST, PROMISE, RELATION & HEART because when they break they don't make noise, but pains a lot"......................CHARLES-
"If you start judging people you will have no time to LOVE them."....................MOTHER TERESA
"If you are born poor it's not your mistake, but if you die poor it's your
mistake".........................BILL GATES-
"In a day when you don't come across any problems you can be sure that you are travelling in a wrong path.................SWAMI VIVEKANANDA-
"Three sentences for attaining "success":-
1.Know more than other.
2.Work more than other.
3.Expect less than other........................WILLIAM SHAKESPHERE-
"If you win you need not explain, but if you lose, you should not be there to explain."....................ADOLPH HITLER-
"Don't compare yourself with any one in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself."..................ALEN STRIKE-
"Winning doe not always mean being first, winning means you are doing better than you have done before."....................BENNIE BLAIR-
"I will not say I failed 1000 times, I will say that I discovered there are 1000 ways that can cause failure."..................THOMAS EDISON-
"Every one thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."............................LEO TOLSTOY-
"Believing everybody is dangerous, Believing nobody is very dangerous."....................... ABRAHAM LINCOLN-
"If some one feels that they had never made any mistake in their life, then it means they had never tried a new thing in their life."..........................EINSTEIN-
"Never break four things in your life- TRUST, PROMISE, RELATION & HEART because when they break they don't make noise, but pains a lot"......................CHARLES-
"If you start judging people you will have no time to LOVE them."....................MOTHER TERESA
The jury is still out..........................
The jury is still out
Meaning
Judgement has not yet been finalised on a particular subject;
especially due to information being incomplete.
Origin
'The Jury Is Still Out' has been a staple headline in US newspapers
for at least 150 years. For example, this from The New York
Daily-Times, May 1850:
"The [Gardiner Trial] Jury are still out, with no prospect of
immediate agreement."
The phrase has continued to be used in this literal sense. The
emergence of the figurative use of 'the jury is still out', i.e. as a
reference to a non-legal decision where no actual jury is involved,
began in the USA in the 1940s and has now become somewhat hackneyed.
For example, the expression was used in a report of a baseball game,
published in the Indiana newspaper The Terre Haute Star in July 1949:
The jury is still out on his [Orestes Minoso] batting ability.
There are a few examples of the phrase's use, mostly in a sporting
context, throughout the 1940s and 50s, but it was a specific event
that brought it fully into the language - the infamous Finch-Tregoff
murder trials in 1959/61. Dr. Bernard Finch was a middle-aged Los
Angeles surgeon and Carole Tregoff was described in newspapers at the
time as 'his shapely young receptionist'. The murder of Finch's wife
and the subsequent trials were a cause célèbre. At each of the the
couple's three trials the jury took their time in coming to a
judgement and hacks must have got tired of typing 'Jury Still Out'
each day. This newspaper cutting was typical of the hundreds of
stories that ran during 1959 to 1961:
At the third trial, during March and April 1961, the pair were finally
convicted of murder.
Had Dr. Finch kept his mind on surgery, we would probably not now have
the cliché 'the jury is still out' at our disposal. I'll leave it to
you to decide whether that's to the good or not.
Meaning
Judgement has not yet been finalised on a particular subject;
especially due to information being incomplete.
Origin
'The Jury Is Still Out' has been a staple headline in US newspapers
for at least 150 years. For example, this from The New York
Daily-Times, May 1850:
"The [Gardiner Trial] Jury are still out, with no prospect of
immediate agreement."
The phrase has continued to be used in this literal sense. The
emergence of the figurative use of 'the jury is still out', i.e. as a
reference to a non-legal decision where no actual jury is involved,
began in the USA in the 1940s and has now become somewhat hackneyed.
For example, the expression was used in a report of a baseball game,
published in the Indiana newspaper The Terre Haute Star in July 1949:
The jury is still out on his [Orestes Minoso] batting ability.
There are a few examples of the phrase's use, mostly in a sporting
context, throughout the 1940s and 50s, but it was a specific event
that brought it fully into the language - the infamous Finch-Tregoff
murder trials in 1959/61. Dr. Bernard Finch was a middle-aged Los
Angeles surgeon and Carole Tregoff was described in newspapers at the
time as 'his shapely young receptionist'. The murder of Finch's wife
and the subsequent trials were a cause célèbre. At each of the the
couple's three trials the jury took their time in coming to a
judgement and hacks must have got tired of typing 'Jury Still Out'
each day. This newspaper cutting was typical of the hundreds of
stories that ran during 1959 to 1961:
At the third trial, during March and April 1961, the pair were finally
convicted of murder.
Had Dr. Finch kept his mind on surgery, we would probably not now have
the cliché 'the jury is still out' at our disposal. I'll leave it to
you to decide whether that's to the good or not.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Take Charge of your Body..................................
Take Charge Of Your Body...............................Study your body & Diet to find what suits you the best.
There is a wonderful breathing exercise you can perform to aid the digestion and elimination of food by stimulating the internal fire. Breathe in through your nose a normal breath, and out through your nose very fast while pulling the stomach in. Then relax your stomach and again breathe in naturally and then out quickly by pulling the stomach in to force the air out of the lungs. Do this for one minute, then rest for one minute, then do it again. Then rest for a minute and do it again. About three repetitions is generally enough to conquer indigestion or constipation. This pranayama amplifies the heat of the body and stimulates the fire that digests food and eliminates waste. It is especially good for those who are rather sedentary and do a lot of intellectual work, whose energies are in the intellect and may not be addressing their digestive needs adequately.
Take charge of your own body and see that it is working right, is healthy and you are eating right. If you do overindulge, then compensate by fasting occasionally and performing physical disciplines. Most people have certain cravings and desires which they permit themselves to indulge in, whether it be sweets or rich, exotic foods or overly spiced foods. Discovering and moderating such personal preferences and desires is part of the spiritual path. If you find you overindulge in jelly beans, cashew nuts, licorice, chocolate, varieties of soft drinks or exotic imported coffee, moderate those appetites. Then you are controlling the entire desire nature of the instinctive mind in the process. That is a central process of spiritual unfoldment to control and moderate such desires.
The rishis of yore taught us to restrain desire. They used the words restrain and moderate rather than suppress or eliminate. We must remember that to restrain and moderate desire allows the energy which is restrained and moderated to enliven higher chakras, giving rise to creativity and intuition that will actually better mankind, one's own household and the surrounding community.
The rishis have given us great knowledge to help us know what to do. Study your body and your diet and find out what works for you. Find out what foods give you indigestion and stop eating those things. But remember that eating right, in itself, is not spiritual life. In the early stages seekers often become obsessed with finding the perfect diet. That is a stage they have to go through in learning. They have to find out what is right for them. But it should balance out to a simple routine of eating to live, not living to eat.
There is a wonderful breathing exercise you can perform to aid the digestion and elimination of food by stimulating the internal fire. Breathe in through your nose a normal breath, and out through your nose very fast while pulling the stomach in. Then relax your stomach and again breathe in naturally and then out quickly by pulling the stomach in to force the air out of the lungs. Do this for one minute, then rest for one minute, then do it again. Then rest for a minute and do it again. About three repetitions is generally enough to conquer indigestion or constipation. This pranayama amplifies the heat of the body and stimulates the fire that digests food and eliminates waste. It is especially good for those who are rather sedentary and do a lot of intellectual work, whose energies are in the intellect and may not be addressing their digestive needs adequately.
Take charge of your own body and see that it is working right, is healthy and you are eating right. If you do overindulge, then compensate by fasting occasionally and performing physical disciplines. Most people have certain cravings and desires which they permit themselves to indulge in, whether it be sweets or rich, exotic foods or overly spiced foods. Discovering and moderating such personal preferences and desires is part of the spiritual path. If you find you overindulge in jelly beans, cashew nuts, licorice, chocolate, varieties of soft drinks or exotic imported coffee, moderate those appetites. Then you are controlling the entire desire nature of the instinctive mind in the process. That is a central process of spiritual unfoldment to control and moderate such desires.
The rishis of yore taught us to restrain desire. They used the words restrain and moderate rather than suppress or eliminate. We must remember that to restrain and moderate desire allows the energy which is restrained and moderated to enliven higher chakras, giving rise to creativity and intuition that will actually better mankind, one's own household and the surrounding community.
The rishis have given us great knowledge to help us know what to do. Study your body and your diet and find out what works for you. Find out what foods give you indigestion and stop eating those things. But remember that eating right, in itself, is not spiritual life. In the early stages seekers often become obsessed with finding the perfect diet. That is a stage they have to go through in learning. They have to find out what is right for them. But it should balance out to a simple routine of eating to live, not living to eat.
Lord Ganesha Depicted in the form of "AUM"...........
"Aum Sri Mahaganapathaye Namaha"
This Year "Lorrd Ganesh Chathurthi Puja on 23 Aug 2009
Why Lord Ganesha is depicted in the form of Symbol AUM ?
Before the creation of the present Universe there was a great deluge, pralaya. It had destroyed the Universe as it existed then. According to Hinduism, creation has no beginning or end – the endless cycle continues. After a great deluge there is Shanti or peace. This peace is broken the sound AUM – the sound which emanates from the Supreme Soul.
The Ganapatya Cult, or the followers of Ganesha, believes that AUM or Pranava Mantra the symbol of Brahman is embodied in the form of Ganesha. It is believed that Ganesh is the first word or the first cause.
This is the reason why occasionally Ganesha is depicted in the form of symbol ‘AUM.’
Each deity in Hinduism has its own favourite flowers and leaves and they are used by Hindus during worship and while performing pukes on festivals. All festivals and rituals in Hindu religion begin with Ganesh Pooja. Red coloured flowers are the favourite of Lord Ganesha.Flowers and leaves used for Ganesh Puja.
Here is a list of flowers and leaves that are offered while praying to Lord Ganesha:
Red Flowers:
Any usual red colour flower used in Hindu rituals.
Durva Grass is an important offering to Ganesh. Especially in South India, you will find vendors selling garlands of Durva outside Ganesh Temples. It is known as arugam pul in Tamil, Dhub, Durva and Haritali in Hindi (North India). Bermuda or Bahama Grass is the English name.
Another important flower offered is the Milkweed flower. It is known as Arka in Hindi and Eruku or Erukkum Poo in South India. Jilledi is the name used in Eastern India.
How to perform Ganesh Chathurthi puja at home............................
Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the most colourful and widely celebrated festivals in India. Large number of people observe Ganesha Chaturthi poojas at home. Here is an explanation on how to perform Ganesha puja at home as mentioned in Hindu scriptures.
Ganesha puja on the Chaturthi day is usually performed at noon but nowadays people perform it when all the family members are present.
Requirements for Ganesh Puja:-
• A Clay image of Lord Ganesha.
• Red flowers
• Druva Grass blades
• Modak (jaggery filled sweet)
• Coconut
• Red chandan (Sandalwood paste)
• Incense and agarbathis
• First clean the house and take a bath.
• A Clay image of Lord Ganesha is installed in a raised platform.
• Pray to Lord Ganesh and you can recite mantras or bhajans dedicated
to Lord Ganesha.
• Next step is to invoke Ganesha into the image. This is known as pran-prathishta. The Pran Prathista mantra in Sanskrit to be invoked is found in the Rig Veda and is part of Ganesh Suktha.
"ganananh tva ganapatim havamahe kavim kavinam - upamashravastamam |
jyeshhtharajam brahmanan.h brahmanaspata A nah shrivnvannutibhih sida sadanam || (Rig Veda 2.23.1)"
"ni shhu sida ganapate ganeshhu tvamahurvipratamam kavinam |
na rite tvat.h kriyate kinchanare mahamarkam maghavan.h chitramarcha || (Rig Veda 10.112.9)"
We invoke You, O Ganapati of the ganas (Lord Shiva attendants), Who are Brahmana-spati of the brahmas (prayers), the wisest among the wise, Who abound in treasure beyond all measure, the most brilliant one. Do listen to our prayers, come with Your blessings and assurances of protection into our home, and be seated. (Rig Veda 2.23.1)
Sit down among the worshippers, O Ganapati, the best sage among the sages. Without You nothing can be done here or far. Accept with honor, O wealthy One, our great and variegated hymns of praise. (Rig Veda 10.112.9)
•Now Ganesha is installed in the idol and one can perform arati and light the lamps and perform the shhodashopachara, which are 16 forms of paying tribute to Ganesha. (This ritual is usually performed by the priests.)
• Offer 21 blades of Druva Grass.
• Offer 21 modakas
• Offer red flowers
• Apply a tilak using red Sandalwood paste.
• Break the coconut or just keep it along with the idol. You can also
keep fried grains. (The food of the rat – the vehicle of Ganesha).
• You can also recite the 108 salutations dedicated to Lord Ganesha or
read the Ganesha Upanishad or just simply pray.
The number 21 signifies - the five organs of perception, five organs of action, five vital airs (pranas), five elements, and the mind.
While performing Ganesha Puja at home, you can always be flexible. The strict rituals are meant for Vedic priests. All you need be careful is to perform the pujas clean body and clean mind.
Pomegranate leaves and flowers are also offered in many places.
Another important flower and leaf offered is the Sanku Pushpam or Conch flower.
Leaves and flowers of Screw Pine are also offered. It is known as Ketaki or Kedgi in Hindi and Kaita in South India.
There are also other local flowers and leaves that are used like the Naga leaves.
Tulsi leaves and flowers are not generally used in Ganesh Puja. But it is used during Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Puja.
Its also extremely good to chant the Ganapathi Seersha Upanishad verses during Ganesh Chathurthi puja and reproduced below for the benefit of the beloved readers......................
[Ganapathi Atharva Seersha is a part of Atharvana Veda. It is classified as an Upanishad and not as a chant. But this is considered universally as the greatest and most effective prayer addressed to Lord Sri. Ganesha.
This is also called Gana Upanishad or Ganapthi Seersha Upanishad,]
OM Namasthe Ganapathaye Thwameva prathyaksham thathwamasi
Thwameva kevalam karthasi.
Thwameva kevalam Dharthasi
Thwameva Kevalam Harthasi
Thwameva sarvam khalvidam brahmasi,
Thwam sakshath athmasi nithyam
Hritham Vachmi. Sathyam Vachmi
Sathyam Vachmi. . Ava vaktharam.
Ava srotharam. Ava datharam.
Ava dhatharam, Ava noochana mava sishyam.
Ava paschathath Ava purasthath
Ava utharotharath . Ava dakshinathath.
Ava chordhwathath. Ava adharathath.
SArvatho maam pahi, pahi samanthath.
Sarva Jagad idham thwatho jaayathe.
Sarva Jagad idham thwatha sthishtathi.
Sarva Jagad idham thwayee laya meshyathi.
Sarva jagad idham thwayee prathyethi,
Thwam bhoomir aapo analo anilo nabha.
Thwam chathwari vak padhani
Thwam gunathrayatheetha,
Thwam avastha thrayatheetha,
Thwam deha thrayatheetha,
Thwam kala thrayatheetha,
Thwam moola dhara sthitho aasi nithyam,
Thwam shakthi thrayathmaka,
Thwam yogino dhyayathi nithyam,
Thwam brahma thwam vishnu
thwam, Rudhra thwam, indra
thwam, agnis- thwam, Vayu
thwam soorya thwam chandrama
thwam, Brahma bhoorbhuva swarom
Aum Aum Aum
This Year "Lorrd Ganesh Chathurthi Puja on 23 Aug 2009
Why Lord Ganesha is depicted in the form of Symbol AUM ?
Before the creation of the present Universe there was a great deluge, pralaya. It had destroyed the Universe as it existed then. According to Hinduism, creation has no beginning or end – the endless cycle continues. After a great deluge there is Shanti or peace. This peace is broken the sound AUM – the sound which emanates from the Supreme Soul.
The Ganapatya Cult, or the followers of Ganesha, believes that AUM or Pranava Mantra the symbol of Brahman is embodied in the form of Ganesha. It is believed that Ganesh is the first word or the first cause.
This is the reason why occasionally Ganesha is depicted in the form of symbol ‘AUM.’
Each deity in Hinduism has its own favourite flowers and leaves and they are used by Hindus during worship and while performing pukes on festivals. All festivals and rituals in Hindu religion begin with Ganesh Pooja. Red coloured flowers are the favourite of Lord Ganesha.Flowers and leaves used for Ganesh Puja.
Here is a list of flowers and leaves that are offered while praying to Lord Ganesha:
Red Flowers:
Any usual red colour flower used in Hindu rituals.
Durva Grass is an important offering to Ganesh. Especially in South India, you will find vendors selling garlands of Durva outside Ganesh Temples. It is known as arugam pul in Tamil, Dhub, Durva and Haritali in Hindi (North India). Bermuda or Bahama Grass is the English name.
Another important flower offered is the Milkweed flower. It is known as Arka in Hindi and Eruku or Erukkum Poo in South India. Jilledi is the name used in Eastern India.
How to perform Ganesh Chathurthi puja at home............................
Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the most colourful and widely celebrated festivals in India. Large number of people observe Ganesha Chaturthi poojas at home. Here is an explanation on how to perform Ganesha puja at home as mentioned in Hindu scriptures.
Ganesha puja on the Chaturthi day is usually performed at noon but nowadays people perform it when all the family members are present.
Requirements for Ganesh Puja:-
• A Clay image of Lord Ganesha.
• Red flowers
• Druva Grass blades
• Modak (jaggery filled sweet)
• Coconut
• Red chandan (Sandalwood paste)
• Incense and agarbathis
• First clean the house and take a bath.
• A Clay image of Lord Ganesha is installed in a raised platform.
• Pray to Lord Ganesh and you can recite mantras or bhajans dedicated
to Lord Ganesha.
• Next step is to invoke Ganesha into the image. This is known as pran-prathishta. The Pran Prathista mantra in Sanskrit to be invoked is found in the Rig Veda and is part of Ganesh Suktha.
"ganananh tva ganapatim havamahe kavim kavinam - upamashravastamam |
jyeshhtharajam brahmanan.h brahmanaspata A nah shrivnvannutibhih sida sadanam || (Rig Veda 2.23.1)"
"ni shhu sida ganapate ganeshhu tvamahurvipratamam kavinam |
na rite tvat.h kriyate kinchanare mahamarkam maghavan.h chitramarcha || (Rig Veda 10.112.9)"
We invoke You, O Ganapati of the ganas (Lord Shiva attendants), Who are Brahmana-spati of the brahmas (prayers), the wisest among the wise, Who abound in treasure beyond all measure, the most brilliant one. Do listen to our prayers, come with Your blessings and assurances of protection into our home, and be seated. (Rig Veda 2.23.1)
Sit down among the worshippers, O Ganapati, the best sage among the sages. Without You nothing can be done here or far. Accept with honor, O wealthy One, our great and variegated hymns of praise. (Rig Veda 10.112.9)
•Now Ganesha is installed in the idol and one can perform arati and light the lamps and perform the shhodashopachara, which are 16 forms of paying tribute to Ganesha. (This ritual is usually performed by the priests.)
• Offer 21 blades of Druva Grass.
• Offer 21 modakas
• Offer red flowers
• Apply a tilak using red Sandalwood paste.
• Break the coconut or just keep it along with the idol. You can also
keep fried grains. (The food of the rat – the vehicle of Ganesha).
• You can also recite the 108 salutations dedicated to Lord Ganesha or
read the Ganesha Upanishad or just simply pray.
The number 21 signifies - the five organs of perception, five organs of action, five vital airs (pranas), five elements, and the mind.
While performing Ganesha Puja at home, you can always be flexible. The strict rituals are meant for Vedic priests. All you need be careful is to perform the pujas clean body and clean mind.
Pomegranate leaves and flowers are also offered in many places.
Another important flower and leaf offered is the Sanku Pushpam or Conch flower.
Leaves and flowers of Screw Pine are also offered. It is known as Ketaki or Kedgi in Hindi and Kaita in South India.
There are also other local flowers and leaves that are used like the Naga leaves.
Tulsi leaves and flowers are not generally used in Ganesh Puja. But it is used during Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Puja.
Its also extremely good to chant the Ganapathi Seersha Upanishad verses during Ganesh Chathurthi puja and reproduced below for the benefit of the beloved readers......................
[Ganapathi Atharva Seersha is a part of Atharvana Veda. It is classified as an Upanishad and not as a chant. But this is considered universally as the greatest and most effective prayer addressed to Lord Sri. Ganesha.
This is also called Gana Upanishad or Ganapthi Seersha Upanishad,]
OM Namasthe Ganapathaye Thwameva prathyaksham thathwamasi
Thwameva kevalam karthasi.
Thwameva kevalam Dharthasi
Thwameva Kevalam Harthasi
Thwameva sarvam khalvidam brahmasi,
Thwam sakshath athmasi nithyam
Hritham Vachmi. Sathyam Vachmi
Sathyam Vachmi. . Ava vaktharam.
Ava srotharam. Ava datharam.
Ava dhatharam, Ava noochana mava sishyam.
Ava paschathath Ava purasthath
Ava utharotharath . Ava dakshinathath.
Ava chordhwathath. Ava adharathath.
SArvatho maam pahi, pahi samanthath.
Sarva Jagad idham thwatho jaayathe.
Sarva Jagad idham thwatha sthishtathi.
Sarva Jagad idham thwayee laya meshyathi.
Sarva jagad idham thwayee prathyethi,
Thwam bhoomir aapo analo anilo nabha.
Thwam chathwari vak padhani
Thwam gunathrayatheetha,
Thwam avastha thrayatheetha,
Thwam deha thrayatheetha,
Thwam kala thrayatheetha,
Thwam moola dhara sthitho aasi nithyam,
Thwam shakthi thrayathmaka,
Thwam yogino dhyayathi nithyam,
Thwam brahma thwam vishnu
thwam, Rudhra thwam, indra
thwam, agnis- thwam, Vayu
thwam soorya thwam chandrama
thwam, Brahma bhoorbhuva swarom
Aum Aum Aum
The Power of Devotion....................................
The Power Of Devotion............Can be known and learned only from Guru.
It takes great dedication, devotion and bhakti to disentangle awareness from that which it is aware of, to flow into and become aware of expanded areas of mind. The rewards are great. We are able to look over and through our expanded vision the totality of the exterior area of our mind and intuitively know the answer to the experiences that we are going only through the divine Grace of Guru.
This may seem difficult to comprehend, but it is really the truth. When awareness is burdened in the exterior area of the mind, we simply release awareness from that area of the mind that it is aware of. Release the burden,but not by taking on more burdens or trying to find out the whys and wherefores of it all. In other words, we alleviate the pressures that awareness and our nerve system feel because of being involved in the exterior area of the mind and thus become devoted to our own super consciousness. The power of devotion, love, bhakti, melts the odic-magnetic force fields, releasing awareness to soar into super consciousness, the mind of light. And then we can focus, super consciously, from our intuitive state of mind and look at the exterior world from a new perspective,from right within the very core of life itself. It does not take long. It does take one quality though--devotion--found in the yoga called bhakti, showered on us by Guruji with
our efforts, respect and reverence to Guru.
What is devotion? Devotion involves going deep enough to understand the great principle of the fulfilment of one's duty. Who must be devoted to whom? Members of a family to their temple, a wife to her husband, a husband to his religion, children to their parents, the student to the teacher, the disciple/devotee to the guru. No matter what you are studying--mathematics, chemistry, philosophy, cybernetics, sociology, religion, a lifestyle,the professor should represent what you are going to be. That is why you are studying with Guruji. Only through devotion will you be totally aware, open, free, inspired. Only through devotion will you become what you aspire to unfold within yourself........with the guidance and Grace of Guruji.
It takes great dedication, devotion and bhakti to disentangle awareness from that which it is aware of, to flow into and become aware of expanded areas of mind. The rewards are great. We are able to look over and through our expanded vision the totality of the exterior area of our mind and intuitively know the answer to the experiences that we are going only through the divine Grace of Guru.
This may seem difficult to comprehend, but it is really the truth. When awareness is burdened in the exterior area of the mind, we simply release awareness from that area of the mind that it is aware of. Release the burden,but not by taking on more burdens or trying to find out the whys and wherefores of it all. In other words, we alleviate the pressures that awareness and our nerve system feel because of being involved in the exterior area of the mind and thus become devoted to our own super consciousness. The power of devotion, love, bhakti, melts the odic-magnetic force fields, releasing awareness to soar into super consciousness, the mind of light. And then we can focus, super consciously, from our intuitive state of mind and look at the exterior world from a new perspective,from right within the very core of life itself. It does not take long. It does take one quality though--devotion--found in the yoga called bhakti, showered on us by Guruji with
our efforts, respect and reverence to Guru.
What is devotion? Devotion involves going deep enough to understand the great principle of the fulfilment of one's duty. Who must be devoted to whom? Members of a family to their temple, a wife to her husband, a husband to his religion, children to their parents, the student to the teacher, the disciple/devotee to the guru. No matter what you are studying--mathematics, chemistry, philosophy, cybernetics, sociology, religion, a lifestyle,the professor should represent what you are going to be. That is why you are studying with Guruji. Only through devotion will you be totally aware, open, free, inspired. Only through devotion will you become what you aspire to unfold within yourself........with the guidance and Grace of Guruji.
Changing your circumstances.................................
Changing your circumstances..........By directing the thoughts towards right
direction.
You change your own circumstances all the time, whether you know it or not.
Even your mind is different today than it was a week ago. The various
experiences you have brought to yourself have made it that way. The point to
realize is that you can gain an intricate control of the various things that
change in and about you. Lean the thoughts and feelings of your creation in
the right direction, and discover how quickly your circumstances will change
their direction. This is the secret of self-control. This is the practice of
yoga. Try it, and lose the habit of concern, for concern is only a
by-product of a part of the mind being out of control.
What does the world offer us but an opportunity for action? It is the
reaction that we sometimes get surprised by. The circumstances of your life
are either pushing you toward greater understanding, if you are aspiring to
realize the real Self, or they are pushing you toward confusion, if you have
a tendency to react animalistically, making the personal self predominant.
When personal concerns become the most important things in life, you are
bound to suffer under the emotion of resentment, and resentment is just a
confused state of mind.
The unfortunate thing is, resentment tends to attract even more
circumstances worthy of even more resentment. So don't bother to resent,
because you are only making yourself inferior to the person or the
circumstance that you hold resentment for. That is right. Resentment, in all
its heaviness, places your consciousness beneath that of the person you feel
is imposing on you.
Be equal to whatever you meet! That is a better way to react to life. It is
accomplished simply by meeting everything in understanding, by demanding
understanding from within yourself. And if you feel that everything
happening to you is a play of universal love and you are able to maintain
that consciousness of universal love in yourself, then you are beyond the
happenings of the world. Lifted in consciousness, you can see through and
enjoy all the states of consciousness. The circumstances of your life will
reflect this change.
Watch for those small incidents that imperceptively get under your skin and
create an eruption a few days later. Little things that do not contribute
creatively to your life are an indication that there is some kind of
subconscious disturbance that you have not resolved. Look your nature right
in the face in meditation, without squirming, and you will discover what the
little disturbances are, some issue over which you are rationalizing, a
small resentment or worry that is keeping a part of your mind confused, and
thus necessarily, most of your circumstances confused.
direction.
You change your own circumstances all the time, whether you know it or not.
Even your mind is different today than it was a week ago. The various
experiences you have brought to yourself have made it that way. The point to
realize is that you can gain an intricate control of the various things that
change in and about you. Lean the thoughts and feelings of your creation in
the right direction, and discover how quickly your circumstances will change
their direction. This is the secret of self-control. This is the practice of
yoga. Try it, and lose the habit of concern, for concern is only a
by-product of a part of the mind being out of control.
What does the world offer us but an opportunity for action? It is the
reaction that we sometimes get surprised by. The circumstances of your life
are either pushing you toward greater understanding, if you are aspiring to
realize the real Self, or they are pushing you toward confusion, if you have
a tendency to react animalistically, making the personal self predominant.
When personal concerns become the most important things in life, you are
bound to suffer under the emotion of resentment, and resentment is just a
confused state of mind.
The unfortunate thing is, resentment tends to attract even more
circumstances worthy of even more resentment. So don't bother to resent,
because you are only making yourself inferior to the person or the
circumstance that you hold resentment for. That is right. Resentment, in all
its heaviness, places your consciousness beneath that of the person you feel
is imposing on you.
Be equal to whatever you meet! That is a better way to react to life. It is
accomplished simply by meeting everything in understanding, by demanding
understanding from within yourself. And if you feel that everything
happening to you is a play of universal love and you are able to maintain
that consciousness of universal love in yourself, then you are beyond the
happenings of the world. Lifted in consciousness, you can see through and
enjoy all the states of consciousness. The circumstances of your life will
reflect this change.
Watch for those small incidents that imperceptively get under your skin and
create an eruption a few days later. Little things that do not contribute
creatively to your life are an indication that there is some kind of
subconscious disturbance that you have not resolved. Look your nature right
in the face in meditation, without squirming, and you will discover what the
little disturbances are, some issue over which you are rationalizing, a
small resentment or worry that is keeping a part of your mind confused, and
thus necessarily, most of your circumstances confused.
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