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

Karma Yoga - Kriya

Let me share with you my education at the most premiere institution of Life .. Guru Sharan!

Whenever we go to Ashram, we do Seva aka Karma Yoga. The way it works is pure magic. Scrubbing that our ego and minds. Evrytime something new comes up. The task maybe as menial as cleaning the garden of dry leaves. (I am sure those from the old school of RK Mission, Narendrapur, have gone through this experience also). Or cleaning lavatories. You are supposed to do just that, without any thought or question, giving it everything. It is such a habit, that today when i clean my house, i do it imagining my Guru will come home. I write something or devlop some program, i believe it will be seen by my guru. I cook thinking my Guru will eat. It has become a habit. Even when i was working for a MNC, i believed my work was meant the way my Guru wants me to do it.
who is Guru? The Ultimate, The Perfect. You want to give nothing but your all towards it. It may not be that we are always giving ourself totally, yet the daily effort slowly slowly becomes a habit for perfection dedicated towards perfection.

Krishna - God of Love

This has been taken from rikhiapeeth blog

http://www.rikhiapeeth.net/2012/08/krishna-god-of-love.html

Satsang by Swami Satyananda

Sri Krishna was the avatar of love, the incarnation of celestial love on earth, an element that is missing everywhere today. At present we have everything, but we lack love. Love is that aspect of emotion where you think about others, not about yourself. Love is giving, not taking. Love is not an act. Love does not expect anything. Love is just sacrifice. It is total consecration of your emotions. Sri Krishna was the symbol of that aspect of life.

When he walked, it was love that walked, when he smiled, it was love that smiled and when he laughed, it was love that laughed. Madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram - "O God! You are nothing but sweet love."

Krishna is the symbol of God with all His attributes. He lived as a man but he was a superman, a perfect man, a poorna purusha. He incarnated many thousands of years ago at the end of the cycle of Dwapara Yuga in order to destroy evil and restore righteousness. Before he was even conceived, he was on the hit list of Kamsa, who was his uncle and the king of Mathura. Although he was born into a royal family, his actual birth took place in a prison in Mathura. As a newborn he was smuggled to Gokul where he lived incognito for many years.

Prior to Krishna's birth, atrocities were being committed in the world. When the people prayed for relief from suffering, their prayers were heard. When prayers from the heart reach God, He manifests in a human form. Krishna destroyed the demons and lived in a playful way, sometimes stealing butter, sometimes duping people, sometimes teasing, sometimes dancing with the gopis and becoming their heartthrob.

Sri Krishna has brought life to philosophy and religion so that we can also smile. There is only one culture and civilization in this world where the gods dance, sing and play with the gopis, where they playfully steal and participate in wars and at the same time give enlightenment. Where will you find such a civilization, except in India! We still long to see such a man as Krishna descend to earth. Krishna was a great teacher. The love between Radha and Krishna was like that of the individual soul and the cosmic soul, like prakriti and purusha. He behaved like her disciple.

Sri Krishna was an incarnation of God, not an ordinary child. He took birth to teach the other children. Sri Krishna led a very natural life. He was a good child, a great child, a powerful child, a philosopher, a god, a friend and a warrior. At the same time he loved all the girls of his time. The gopis did not marry because Krishna loved them all.

The story is told in the Srimad Bhagavatam. It is also told in the Krishnavatar series, where Krishna is a child full of divinity. The story is told with sweetness, with melody, in a way that we can understand. It is one of the best stories about God. God must become the subject matter of stories, music, dance, discussion and dialogue. God is not beyond the mind. God is just here.

You should have a relationship with God in such a way that you can understand Him, just as you understand your son, your father, your brother or anyone else. If you start with the hypothesis that God is unknowable, it is a problem. God is knowable. Once you are told that God cannot be realized, you think that is final. Close your books and start from where you can feel Him. The love you express for your child is a glimpse of God.

Krishna has many followers throughout the world. He was a playboy, a philosopher, an orator, a yogi, a fighter and a saint. He is the epitome of beauty, grace, love and dynamism. He is also the indweller of all hearts, especially in this modern age.

Krishna Janmasthami 9^th August 2012

Bhadrapad Krishna Asthami, the birth of Sri Krishna, is celebrated as Janmashtami throughout India. This auspicious day will be celebrated in Rikhiapeeth with akhanda kirtan and by offering prayers to Bal Gopala.

Power of concentration

Once, in America, Swami Vivekananda was watching some boys. They were
standing on a bridge trying to shoot at egg-shells that were floating
on the river. The egg-shells bobbed up and down. The boys could not
hit any of them. They fired the gun many times, but always missed the
target!

They noticed that Swami Vivekananda was watching them. So they called
out to him: 'Well, you are watching us. Do you think you can do
better?'

Swami Vivekananda smiled and said: 'I will try.'

Then the boys said: 'It's not so easy as you think!'

Swami Vivekananda took the gun and aimed at the egg-shells. He stood
very still for a few minutes. Then he fired the gun. He fired twelve
times, and every time he hit an egg-shell! The boys were very
surprised. How could any man shoot egg-shells like that? They
thought. They said to Swami Vivekananda: 'Well, Mister, how did you
do it? You must be a practised hand.'

Swami Vivekananda laughed and assured them he had never handled a gun
before.

'Whatever you are doing,' he explained, 'the secret of success lies
in the power of concentration. Put your whole mind on it. If you are
shooting, your mind should be only on the target. Then you will never
miss. If you are learning your lessons, think only of the lesson. In
my country boys are taught to do this.'


The power of concentration is the only key to the treasure-house of
knowledge.

--Swami Vivekananda