You are in safe custody

There was this little child. One day he was taken to the beach by his parents. There he built a sand house and made friends he loves. He was so engrossed and involved in making the house, it became his reality. He was living in that world he created totally oblivious of his surrounding. With great attention he collected shells, stones, and anything that caught his attention. He decorated his house. Around him there were other kids playing, there was noise, his parents and siblings were sun bathing and cheerfully sitting in the background. He was oblivious to all of that.He was unaware of the sound of the approaching tides. So immersed in his world was he, he could not even hear the voice of his parents calling out to him for coconut water. He did not even realize when he even took a few sips and returned back to his sand house. He could hear his sand friends. He spoke to them.

Finally it was getting dark and the tide was really close. His mother decided to pull him away before the castle got swept, but he started sobbing, crying and begging that he wants his castle. His friends need him. His mother tried to explain the approaching tides. Somehow as the mother gathered him in her arms and started walking away, the child kept crying louder and thrashing and then ... to his shock he saw a huge tide crash on his castle and as it withdrew, the castle and friends were gone. He became quiet at the sight. The mother saw him and shook him a little. He suddenly broke out of his reverie and looked at his mother as if he were seeing her for the first time. Slowly he came to.

Yet he was quiet for the rest of the evening. He stayed close to his mother. Remembering the castle and friends and mumbling to her. The mother washed him clean, freshened him, dried him up, put fragrant powder, changed his clothes into night clothes.

She then fed him lovingly as she heard his stories about his castle and friends. Then holding him very close to her bosom, she rocked him, The child remembered the wave crashing onto his castle and friends and became sad and there was small tear in his eyes and he started sobbing. The mother held him softly closer and said said shh.. and cooed into his his ear. That all will be fine. He will get back his castle, and his friends will be back. The child holds on closer to the mother wiping his tears in the hollow of her neck. Reassuring him all along and smiling, she talks of beautiful things and says nice things to him till he falls asleep. The mother puts him to bed, covers him, puts the light off, makes the room comfortable, whispers a final comforting goodnight.

Next morning the child gets up sweet and happy. He hobbles to his mother and holds around her legs and burrows his head into the comfort of her warmth. He can smell her, he can smell the yummy pancakes too. He smiles and the sunshine lights up his face.

This is how we all are....  finding it difficult to let go. The gift of surrendering to God's will is most valuable. The gift of surrendering to its love and healing touch is most precious. Greater gifts await us when we let go. We cry and hold on to the sand castles. The child's virtue is his faith in his mother and surrender to her care and love. This gives him, strength, courage and confidence.

The faith and belief in God needs to be firm and unshakable in the face of adversity. Know that, when he takes away a little, he is going to give you something of more value and better.... and more powerful. 

God prepares you for that gift. Without fail.

Ek baar commit kar diya to.... the Divine is committed to you.

Have faith in god, Belief in your self and let go.

18 "ITIES"

A kirtan on the qualities you should possess. Simply put by our Sadguru Swami Sivananda Saraswati in his usual fun style.

SERENITY, REGULARITY, ABSENCE OF VANITY,
SINCERITY, SIMPLICITY, VERACITY,
EQUANIMITY, FIXITY, NON-IRRITABILITY,
ADAPTABILTY, HUMILITY, TENACITY,
INTEGRITY, NOBILITY, MAGNANIMITY,
CHARITY, GENEROSITY, PURITY,
PRACTISE DAILY THESE EIGHTEEN 'ITIES',
YOU WILL SOON ATTAIN IMMORTALTY.

BRAHMAN IS THE ONLY REAL ENTITY.
LISTEN! GO AND SOW SOME GOOD NOW GENEROSITY,
YOU WILL ABIDE IN ETERNITY AND INFINITY.
YOU WILL BEHOLD UNITY IN DIVERSITY.
YOU CANNOT ATTAIN THIS IN THE UNIVERSITY,
MADRAS UNIVERSITY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY,
OR EVEN OXFORD UNIVERSITY,
BUT YOU CAN ATTAIN THIS IN THE YOGA VEDANTA FOREST ACADEMY.

Wordlessness

There is a proverb "The pen, is mightier than the sword"
Word has such power
Words are living entity so as we are. Words, those loose strands of life floating and attaching to our fabric and bringing into being a tapestry of thoughts.
A sound by a little flower, rippling into eternity would resonate in the stars far away.


Words make, words break hearts. Words soothe, words give wound.
Word has  body. It touches us. Remember when a word touched ur skin and gave you goose bumps, or it touched you ever so tenderly and made you blush. Words that stabbed into your heart and the pain made you cry in pain.
Words are companions. They stay with us as long as there is a language in our head in our hearts, as long as there is a need to connect.
 Word is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent

Then what is wordlessness?
The thought itself is like a magnet, a black hole. An unknown power that is at the same time mysterious and attractive. Have you evr been wordless. Even in sleep there are words.

Institutions of Love and Family Members...

Some of us want to create a legacy, a family, an institution, organisation etc. And all of us are already part of atleast one institution viz. family. An Institution needs members... and so partnership (marriage, contract etc) is formed. Members are born, attracted, hired etc.

Even an ashram, whether it is grihast or gurukul ashram has members. That is the domain of learning and evolving. It is in duality and exchange that growth & transformation occurs.

However after creating an establishment (family or ashram) and having members, one wants it to last. And definitely it has a purpose. How does one make the members stay (if that is the need). When an ashram/institution times out, members leave. It loses its power. An ashram / institution by its very own quality, fabric and basic structure and foundation does not need to make an effort, it is a manifestation of the need for evolution, a need of life itself. It has its own life force and sustains almost magically.

Lets look at an effort to retain an institution. One can retain members by instilling fear, threat, punishment, force, conditions, prohibitions... it is the easiest way to control. It works. But the members stay as long as they can draw benefit from it, and put up with regulations and threats against their will and happiness. Members usually are needed to feel lesser than their potential qualities, as it is itself based on fear of loss, insecurity and insufficiency. Environment is generally overpowering rather than empowering. Members go through the "suffering", sure that it will end some day, it wont last and... one fine day some member does end it some day and they cut off ties with that environment. For it no longer benefits them. Such an environment provides a material, temporary, emotional or social sanctuary. Such institutions do have their place and purpose in the bigger scheme of life.Members who stay are usually the one's who prefer such a place.

HOWEVER creating an environment which evolves with the passing time and individual members and generations are one in million. There are familieas and institutions with ancient thread continuously running. Most of us would love to have belonged or to be associated with such a family, ashram or institution. Because of its nature of continuity, sanatan quality, one finds a need to go back all the time. It is Home. The resting place where the skylark returns after a day of flight in the vast skies.

In my humble opinion and miniscule experience, an environment where one finds Home and family, could possibly exist by creating & inspiring  self-control and dedication takes consistency, tenacity, effort and patience. Not to say empathy and love. A deicated environment which nurtures with tender care, protects and grooms. Where one feels easy to share, care, love, serve and give. Being is spontaneous, efforts are effortless and seem a joy to perform. There is toughness and hard work to retain and maintain the sanctity and objective of the institution. Sometimes it may be a put off. Like the ashram time table and food (initially) :D)) yet as one settles in, one finds it energising and empowering. Family/Institution/Ashram members may sometime go for a reason, but the natal chord always keep the ties intact. Even distance makes the heart grow fonder and ever so connected, carrying and spreading the tradition, the fragrance and flavor around.

At the helm of such an institution there is usually a powerful personality who is firm, sets the standards by example and yet he is loving, reachable and nurturing. He is the one whose aura, icchha, vichar, sankalp and kriya shakti holds the institution together. Its impresses, energises and inspires the spirit of the members. Such a personality has qualities of mother, father, teacher in him. In a spiritual institution it has an aura of beauty, truth and auspiciousness. He is Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh and Sakshat Parabrahma. In an worldly sense they are upholders and custodians of a profound legacy and tradition which is evolving.

A positive and giving environment, not only attracts, but one is drawn towards the environment of the ashram, seeking that environment. Waking early morning, doing seva whether one chooses it or not, keeping mauna, singing, eating and dancing, maybe working till late hours. A balanced and sometimes imbalanced life. A flexibility of spirit ready for any turn of event or instruction by maybe someone years younger than you or outdated and out of sync. Also rules are broken and mischiefs indulged in. The Little Krishna is an eternal presence in us, na? :)

And indeed there needs to be conditions and limitations to maintain the overall balance and sanctity of the institution. The limits are not rigid and thorny as on prison-walls to be shot dead if one escapes, but that of self restraint, of spontaneous offering and alignment into the environment. One experiences this when one enters a divine spot like a church, temple, meditation centres, presence of divinity etc. One just starts behaving in a particular way. One loves, serves and gives like it was the most natural and normal thing to do.

let us live in and create Institutions of Transformation and Evolution, Institutions of Love, not prisons of war !!!

Let us be family members not inmates.

SWAN Sadhana

In a Lifestyle which is constantly getting cluttered muddled and in tangles, I have found SWAN sadhana the most useful technique for defragmenting the mind.

Navaratri and Saundarya Lahari Upasana

The deities of Kali yuga are Devi and Ganesha. They are manifesting everywhere and have infiltrated  our very lives.  Ganesha represents good living, comfort, luxury, good food. good clothes, art, literature and music. Devi symbolizes immense wealth and unlimited power, coupled with beauty and glamour. Is that not what the whole world is mad about today? So this attraction for Shakti has filtered down through the ages to the present day, inspite of the overshadowing influence of other religions and cultures. India is the only land that addresses women as Devi. Whether a mother, sister, daughter or wife, she is regarded as Devi.

Ma Tripura Sundari

Devi is a combination of Lakshmi, Parvati, Durga and Saraswati. All of her roles are sacred and enacted in every home, such is her immense influence on this land. Twice a year Devi is worshipped throughout India for nine days during Navaratri. This worship is conducted in Christainity also and is known as Novena, nine days worship of Mother Mary. navaratri means the nine nights when the soul has to journey through immense darkness to experience light. The nine nights represent the eight apara prakriti, which are the five tattwas, mind, buddhi and ahamkara, the symbols of darkness, and the one para prakriti, the symbol of illumination.

Significantly, both periods of Navaratri occur at specific times of the year when nature is in transition. The first occurs in March, when nature transits from winter to spring, and the second in October, when it transits from autumn to winter. At these times nature is in motion and vibrant with prana to facilitate this transition. The Navaratra worship is very special, because at these times Shakti comes alive. this gives immediate and immense benefits to the worshipper, which can range from the mundane to the sublime. Like Rama, Arjuna and much later (Adi) Sankara(charya), we too are in dire need of help during times of distress. There are moments of crisis in our lives when we do need divine intervention, and in this lies the importance of Saundarya Lahari.

Saundarya Lahari can also alleviate mental conflicts such as fear, turmoil, insecurity, depression, disappointment, lack of self confidence, despair, worry and anxiety. It can be utilized for the cure of disease that are adhidaivika in nature, due to some unknown, mysterious causes that no medicines can heal. Most modern day ailments, which are not of an infectious nature, come under this category.

~ excerpt from Sri Saundarya Lahari, The Descent by Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati. Yoga Publication Trust, Munger, Bihar, India

Worshipping Shakti - Mother Nature

Image Credit: Vimanika Comics

Shakti has to be worshipped and revered if you are to experience her full benefits. Since she present in everything, you will have to inculcate an attitude of reverence for all that you are, all that you have, and all that you experience. A culture that regards Shakti as an energy to exploit, use and strip naked can never attain her full glory, which is of immense and unimaginable potential. From the day you were born, you have been surviving on her handouts. The air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the homes you live in are all the gifts she has bestowed upon this earth. The iron, steel, gold, silver, gems and wealth are all her creations. No creature has used nature for this sort of benefit, apart from man.

Shakti is abundant with prosperity which she reflects through her cosmic nature. She is always replenishing the creation which she has given birth to. So, if you wish to experience the full force of her benevolence, you will have to develop an attitude of reverence towards her, not arrogance. That is the secret key to release the great power of Shakti.

~ excerpt from Sri Saundarya Lahari, The Descent by Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati , Yoga Publication Trust, Munger, Bihar, India