tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18944718031298566982024-03-13T10:05:40.737-07:00Grace FlowsLiving every moment in faith.......Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-55101326955777535202019-06-27T06:03:00.004-07:002019-06-27T06:38:24.687-07:00Miracles : Are you a Witness or a Doer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Being on the path, w</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hen miracles touch our everyday lives, it is easy to fall into the trap that something special is happening to me, around me... What does one with awareness realize then.. Is there any pitfall around the whole happening?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>When miracles happen to you : Are you the Doer or the Witness :)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Is the goal a Siddhi or something more... </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stories are perhaps a great way to bring about the essence of a teaching in a somewhat light, sometimes serious, sometimes humorous undertone.. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sharing a Zen story by Osho. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6j1w1tWO_6D2Ew5hbgNrvYljsf74StHYWClGYiQMP478nXqyCOw8hoG8OIEoukGuGPRB33e1Qz7CFPPdEuqF9Mm53ld37FAOqMp6WAM0OEQMd-iRzTDMYfqKb3KcCHjwgC3hospvdd0/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6j1w1tWO_6D2Ew5hbgNrvYljsf74StHYWClGYiQMP478nXqyCOw8hoG8OIEoukGuGPRB33e1Qz7CFPPdEuqF9Mm53ld37FAOqMp6WAM0OEQMd-iRzTDMYfqKb3KcCHjwgC3hospvdd0/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"<i>When powers start happening in your spiritual growth, the greatest courage is needed not to show them.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>It is said of a disciple of Rinzai, a Zen Master, that some other religious Master’s </i></span><i style="background-color: transparent; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">disciple was talking to him and the other Master’s disciple said,</i></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>‘Our Master is a man of miracles. He can do anything he wants. I have seen many miracles he has been doing, I have witnessed them myself.<br />What is the great thing about your Master? What miracles can he do?’<br />And the disciple of Rinzai said, ‘The greatest miracle that my Master can do is not to do miracles.’</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Meditate on it. ‘The greatest miracle my Master can do is not to do miracles.’ When miraculous powers start happening, only the weaklings will do them. The stronger one will not do them — because he knows that now this is another trap. Again the world is trying to pull him back.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>This is the last trap. If you can avoid psychic energies, silently, witnessing, if you can pass them by without being entangled by them, without being imprisoned by them, only then do you arrive home. It is a great ensnarement.</i>"</span></div>
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Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-24718803247228750992015-07-21T09:35:00.003-07:002015-07-21T09:36:51.578-07:00Each Experience Completes <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Life and its Experiences... We label experiences as Good or Bad.. Nevertheless they are just Karmic events unfolding themselves with someone as the Nimitta. The Essence is to take the Lesson perhaps and Move On... </div>
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Even the slightest awareness about what happens around us gives us a glimpse of this reality... The most beautiful or the seemingly worst experiences in life lead us to a state of nothingness... A Vaccum !! </div>
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As Gurudev has put so beautifully : </div>
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"Each experience completes. Completion means leading to void or nothing. In the progression of life, you will leave behind every experience saying, "This is nothing." Anything that is completed loses its importance. That is to say it leads you to void - this is nothing. </div>
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A sign of intelligence is how soon you arrive at this understanding. Examine everything in life and say "This is nothing" and what remains after all that, is Love, and that is everything. When "This is nothing" does not come out of knowledge, it comes out of misery.</div>
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Either through knowledge or through misery, you come to the point of "This is nothing, this is nothing". The choice is yours. If you got this, it is really NOTHING, If you didn't get this, never mind - this is nothing. (laughter)</div>
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-Sri Sri</div>
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Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-50003952186996131942015-03-01T06:27:00.001-08:002015-03-14T03:26:18.544-07:00Want Blessings? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I remember : I was new to Art of Living and had gone to the Ashram.. perhaps the second visit..<br />
And by chance (we all know there are no chances) caught myself face to face with Gurudev on VishalakshiMantap steps with almost noone around....<br />
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Completely zapped : The only words that stumbled frm my lips were "Guruji Blessings"<br />
Gurudev replied.. "Blessings Blessings..."<br />
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An instant regret of having opened my mouth followed... Coz it seemed meaningless.. :) I have never asked him for Blessings after that... We all know they just flow...<br />
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Sharing a Talk by Sri Sri on Blessings..<br />
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<br />
"Everybody asks for blessings. Usually people say,
“Guruji, please give me blessings”. Even if someone doesn’t want
anything, they need blessings! Wh<span class="text_exposed_show">ichever
Guru you go to, the only words which come out are, “Give me blessings”.
And these are mere words tumbling out of your mouth. But how do we
obtain blessings? We have not learnt this.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkJhFVtNO3rZg7EngdPx7B3stTQk98VBh72LsuVCRjw42m4pbh7HPIYwyGOC701eJRGxpAryV49suQdzOlcYLEJ3zHH92qq-4An48GHF86MEDY-paWjaP-TFD2VWOuoPggorVtLQ0ezk/s1600/blesssss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkJhFVtNO3rZg7EngdPx7B3stTQk98VBh72LsuVCRjw42m4pbh7HPIYwyGOC701eJRGxpAryV49suQdzOlcYLEJ3zHH92qq-4An48GHF86MEDY-paWjaP-TFD2VWOuoPggorVtLQ0ezk/s1600/blesssss.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show">There is no dearth of blessings. You get more blessings than necessary. There is sunlight, a burning blaze of bright light all 12
hours of the day, but your doors and windows are tightly shut. Then,how
is it possible for light to enter? If the sun’s light has to reach you,
you cannot sit in a dark room and keep chanting on a microphone, “I want
sunlight, I want sunlight!” This will not bring the sunlight in. You
have to open the doors and windows, so that light may enter on its own.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br />
When you ask for blessings, you should have an honest and clean mind.
When you have a truthful mind, that mind becomes capable of receiving
and absorbing blessings. When does the mind become truthful? When there
is nothing to hide, no dirt in the mind and the mind is open. Blessings
should only be asked with an open mind.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> If somebody asks, “How are
you?”, you answer saying “I am fine”. You,in reality, will not be fine
at that point in time. In spite of that, you say, “I am fine, doing very
well and on top of the world” and you are boiling inside! When you
communicate without hiding anything inside you, with an open and
innocent mind, only from this level will you acquire the capability of
receiving blessings.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Now, why are we not honest in this way? That is
because we are not communicating with ourselves. We are not living with
the real truth in us. We are under the illusion that we may get
something in this world of objects. The most common comment that people
make often is that politicians are not honest. Why are not many
politicians honest? That is because their mind is only outward bound.
They are always calculating and keeping watch of how much and what they
can loot. If they want to loot people then it is not possible to be
honest. Why? This is because they are dependent on somebody else. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show">If you
have to depend on somebody, then depend only on the divine power. The powerful God is the strength of the powerless.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br />
It is not that we always obtain whatever we wish. Many a times, our
desires will not be fulfilled. There are many times when we regret our
desires and wonder why we ever wished for them. Isn’t it? You desire
something and then you regret as to why you desired it. We live under
the illusion that we will live happily when we obtain all objects of our
desire. You should keep observing your desires. Only then you will know
whether you will really derive happiness from your desire or if<br /> you will land in more trouble because of the desires.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> It is said that, “Daivadheenam Jagat Sarvam, Mantradheenam tu<br />
daivatam” which means that the whole creation is under the control of
Gods and the Gods are under the spell of mantras. All that you are
seeing in this gross world is just a reflection arising from the subtle
world. The one who works in the subtle world is known as Devatha or God.
Surrender to the Gods in the subtle plane. This is known as “Ishwara
Pranidhaana”. God does not mean that you simply visit a temple and break the coconut and come back after offering a prayer.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> <b>There is one honest corner in our consciousness. Just go and sit there.</b> The moment you sit in that silent, honest corner of your consciousness, that very moment, you are tapping divine energy. “All
the forms in the world reside in my consciousness,” this experience will
gradually begin to happen to you. You will realise that you are not
only the body. You are that consciousness which is very vast and spread
everywhere, on all sides. It is necessary to realise that you are not
just the body. “</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show">Who am I? This body is only a small window, that is all.
I am really the Sun. When the Sun enters the window, does the window
itself become the Sun? No. Sun only enters through the window. Moonlight
is entering in, but the Moon is very far away. In the same way, I am
far away from the body. In spite of being far away, I am still in the
body”. This feeling should arise in you again and again. For that you
need honesty. This requires practice.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Then, even if you don’t need, blessings will always be showered on you!"</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show">- Sri Sri </span> </span></div>
Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-20551352235998195572015-03-01T05:51:00.000-08:002015-03-01T05:54:54.272-08:00Salad Bar - Corn Crunch in the Munch !! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">I love corn and this is a simple salad recipe I have
made very often and usually when we have guests over. Simple, Filling, Tasty
and Crunchy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">Corn and Veggie Salad</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">Ingredients</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">2 cups boiled sweet corn
kernels (makai ke dane)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">1/4 cup chopped capsicum </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">1/4 cup chopped <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>onions/spring onions</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">1/4 cup chopped beetroot</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">1/2 cup tomato cubes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">To Be Mixed Into A Dressing</span></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">1 tbsp lime juice</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">2 tbsp olive oil</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">1 tbsp sugar</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">Salt and freshly ground
black pepper (kalimirch) to taste</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">Method </span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">Combine the sweet
corn, onions, capsicum, beetroot and tomatoes in a deep bowl and mix well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">Pour the
dressing over the salad, toss well and refrigerate for at least an hour.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">Serve chilled.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG;">Looking forward to sharing some more of my experiments with food and would like to hear from you all on simple and different Salad/Soup and other healthy recipes !! Do Share in Comments ..</span></div>
</div>
Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-84601612135462697382014-12-02T00:35:00.000-08:002014-12-02T00:37:06.829-08:00Sri Sri on the Bhagavad Gita<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="title" id="page-title">
</h1>
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
Terrorists
are cowards. Whenever terror has struck in any part of the world, we
have heard people say it is an act of cowardice. A coward runs away from
action but harbours all negative feelings and does it surreptitiously.<br />
This is exactly what happened to Arjuna. Arjuna was angry, upset, sad and wanted to run away. In the <a href="http://www.artofliving.org/bhagavad-gita">Bhagavad Gita</a>,
Lord Krishna said not to be a coward. So, it is an antidote to
terrorism. Lord Krishna said bravery is the way - face the war when it
is inevitable and do your duty.<br />
A terrorist is stuck in his identity - he hides it, has no rationale
and inflicts pain. Whereas Bhagavad Gita helps one to transcend one’s
identity, encourages reason and infuses wisdom. In this sense, it could
be called the antidote to terrorism.<br />
<br />
The duty of a policeman, a soldier or a king is to be impartial for
the sake of the nation, whether it is their mentors or relatives.
Terrorists are never impartial.<br />
A soldier is brave and a terrorist is
a coward. A soldier is protecting and preventing violence and a
terrorist is inflicting pain and suffering. The Bhagavad Gita is the
scripture of bravery in both realms of physical and metaphysical.<br />
<br />
Terrorism is deeply steeped in hatred. An act without hatred is what
Bhagavad Gita propounds. The Bhagavad Gita epitomizes the correct action
- of righteousness, of upliftment of spirit and an action or duty that
ought to be performed even in the most compelling situation.<br />
In the last 5149 years of the existence of the Bhagavad Gita, there
is no evidence of someone becoming a terrorist after reading it. In
fact, Mahatma Gandhi wrote commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita and it was
an inspiration for his non-violent movement. The Bhagavad Gita is a
unique scripture which caters to the entire range of human evolution,
comprising every level of this vast existence.<br />
<br />
Bhagavad Gita stands for poise and equanimity and for performing
one’s designated duty. Lord Krishna does not encourage everyone to take
the weapons and fight but a soldier cannot sell bananas in the market.
He has to take his weapon to bring security to his people.<br />
If
Bhagavad Gita is a terrorist scripture then all military academies in
the world are nothing but terrorist organizations. Doesn’t this sound
strange? Would the courts ban Lenin, Marx and Mao Tso-Tung, who to stay
in power inflicted terror on millions?<br />
A terrorist or a coward hides and inflicts pain on others whereas a
soldier sacrifices his own life to bring security and peace to people.
They both may take the gun but their intentions are poles apart.<br />
Bhagavad Gita encourages reasoning and dialogue while terrorists are
blind to any reasoning and are closed to any form of dialogue.<br />
Interestingly, in any military training all over the world, the
soldiers are asked to see the enemies as dangerous objects which need to
be eliminated. The psychology behind indoctrination of such an idea is
that when they think the enemy is a human being the soldiers are unable
to raise their arms. There are many such survival tactics where the army
men are desensitized.<br />
A similar situation happened to Arjuna.<br />
Lord Krishna went step by
step to deal with Arjuna’s emotions, ego, mindsets and concepts. He
finally touched on the nature of his spiritual being; revealing him the
highest knowledge and making him realize his eternal nature. This
brought him enormous strength and then propelled him to perform his
worldly duties. A doctor cannot be taken as a dacoit just because he
opens up the stomach of the patient.<br />
Lord Krishna says, ‘no sin begets him whose intellect is unattached
and free from cravings and aversions, even if he kills the whole world.’<br />
Now,
the condition of an intellect free from cravings and aversions itself
counters terrorism. Terrorism is done when the intellect is deeply
attached and is hateful. The metaphors and the high standards of
humanism exhibited in the Bhagavad Gita are unparalleled.<br />
Jesus had said, ‘I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I
came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies
will be the members of his household.’<br />
In the Quran, there are many
verses which talk about striking terror in the hearts of the infidels
and cutting off their fingers. By these standards if you still call
Bhagavad Gita a terrorist scripture then you have to precede such
statements by Bible and Quran.<br />
The fact is that it is not the scriptures that inflict terrorism; it
is the mis-interpretation of an ignorant and stressed mind which
justifies their actions quoting scriptures.<br />
<br />
<i>This article is to cater to the common man. This piece was
written in December 2011, in the midst of a Russian court case against
the Bhagavad Gita. The case ended with the Russian court rejecting the
ban.</i></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
Source<br />
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-bhagavad-gita_b_1178149.html</div>
Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-1723520814903297652014-12-02T00:26:00.000-08:002014-12-02T00:30:52.687-08:00Just Relax....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/gitajayanti?source=feed_text&story_id=10205048411072985"><span class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">GitaJayanti</span></a><br />
<span class="_58cm"> </span> <br />
Just believe in God, know that He is there and He will take care of
everything for you. He will protect you at all times. In the Bhagavad
Gita, Lord Krishna says:<br />
<br />
Ananyas chintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate |<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Tesham nityabhiyuktanam yoga-kshemam vahamy-aham || (9.22)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Lord Krishna says that once you are surrendered to God, once you take
His refuge, then He takes on the responsibility to provide you with all
that you need, and also protect that which you already have. <br />
This is why Lord Krishna says:‘Yogakshemam Vahamyaham’. Here Yog- means
to give you what you have yet to receive and kshema- means to take care
of and protect what you have already received. Both are His
responsibility. Lord Krishna says this very clearly.<br />
<br />
So just know this
and relax.<br />
<br />
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar </div>
</div>
Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-84720891648236451702013-10-22T10:14:00.005-07:002013-10-22T10:15:22.530-07:00Stop That ....!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>15 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I was recently inspired to put together a list of tendencies that I have found in both the observation of myself and those around me. These tendencies, in my opinion, can make life a lot more complicated and difficult to go through than it needs to be. Read through the list, see how many apply to you and feel free to add any others that you may want to share through the comment section of the article.<br />
<b><br />1. Stop Running From Your Problems</b> - You cannot run from something forever, and believe it or not the longer you run from something the more difficult it becomes to face. Challenges arise for a reason, and as difficult as many of them can be to both face and overcome they always give you the opportunity to become a stronger and more capable version of yourself. There are also fewer things more liberating than the feeling of finally facing something that you had put off or had been afraid of for so long.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Stop Lying To Yourself & Others </b>– Lying is in my opinion the most naturally cumulative process. What starts as a simple and small lie (possibly even with the intention of not hurting someone) quickly spirals into an entirely false reality where the biggest factor preventing you from sharing the truth is the unwanted reputation of being known as a liar. We lie to one another, but even more so we lie to ourselves most often to protect our oh so fragile ego. We might even be inclined to lie to ourselves when reading this list, not wanting to admit how many of these tendencies we actually do. Remember that in the end the past has helped to make you who you are but does not define you, you therefore always have the ability to make the transition to full honesty & you will probably be pleasantly surprised by how much lighter an honest existence can be.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Stop Letting The Fear Of Making A Mistake Stop You From Doing Something </b>– Mistakes certainly can be a frustrating experience but never are they worth holding yourself back from doing something you feel pulled to do. We all know we learn from our mistakes but we need to also remember that we learn even more from stepping outside of our comfort zone and doing something different or new.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>4. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others </b>– Whether it’s an iconic figure or even a friend or co-worker many of us have a natural tendency to compare ourselves or our circumstance to that of another. Think of how many times you may have said, either vocally or under your breath, “must be nice” when looking at a facet of another person’s life. Just as the famous saying goes: the grass will always seem greener on the other side. Whether or not the grass actually is greener has no true bearing on the only grass we should be focused on, the one right below our feet. The moment we stop comparing and instead focus on our own experience the more likely we are to both find peace in things being the way that they are and motivation to change them should we feel pulled to.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Stop Living For Something In The Future </b>– Whether it’s something as temporary as an upcoming vacation or as permanent as retirement, living for something in the future is great for one key thing: preventing us from living right now. One thing is for certain, in this life we are never going to be any younger than we are right now, so what time is better than right now? I’m not suggesting that we stop making all future plans, since they certainly can be useful, but that we instead focus on the present and allow the future to be what it will when the time for it comes.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Stop Trying To Get People To Feel Sorry For You</b> – Nobody likes a negative Nancy or a pessimistic Peter, yet so many of us regularly make a habit of sharing nothing but the unpleasant or unfavorable. As nice as it can feel at one level to receive sympathy from another person we all know it does absolutely nothing to change the situation that we are complaining about. In fact it actually makes it a bigger part of your reality since now you aren’t the only one to identify with it. Accept whatever it is that seems to be plaguing you and choose to move on from it rather than bask in the stories or emotions that could be made from it.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Stop Trying To Re-live/ Make Up For Your Past </b>– As I previously mentioned your past does not define you, and that applies whether you look upon it favorably or as something you wish you could forget. As fun or torturous as reminiscing can be at times in the end nothing truly matters outside of this moment. Rather than preoccupy yourself with a comparison to another point in time why not try giving all of your energy and attention to the one that is right in front of you.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Stop Putting Things Off For The Eternal Tomorrow </b>– This one could alternatively be called ‘stop being lazy,’ and it more than likely is the one that plagues the largest percentage of us that read this. Laziness is a lethal pandemic that has been stood up to before, but still manages to hold its ground a lot more often than we all probably would like. Remembering that there is no time like the present, opt to show laziness who is boss a little more often and you might be surprised at how contagious present action can be. You will undoubtedly be more productive and might just find yourself motivated to do a lot more than you ever thought imaginable.<br />
<br />
<b>9. Stop Blaming Things Outside Of You </b>- Even though we all do genuinely find ourselves as the ‘victim’ to a person or circumstance on occasion, we usually inaccurately point the blame elsewhere far more often. As much as this can be an effective tool in dodging difficulty with another person it never works in dodging difficulty within yourself. You will always know the true cause behind even the grandest lie and not living up to it will never be the easier path to travel. Own up for what you have caused or what is really holding you back and you might just find yourself a lot more in control of your own reality and even comfortable in your own shoes.<br />
<br />
<b>10. Stop Letting The Past Define How You Think Of Others</b> – Your friend may have unnecessarily called you a jackass three years ago but that doesn’t mean that you need to see them as a jackass today. You should always use your own guidance to determine whether or not you want to surround yourself with certain people but you shouldn’t let the past taint that guidance. As difficult or as emotionally charged as a lot of it may be, the past is simply baggage that should have no bearing on the present moment. Think of how much you have changed and grown throughout your life, be open to the same level of change existing in another rather than automatically clouding your perspective of them.<br />
<br />
<b>11. Stop Setting Expectations For Things Before They Happen</b> – Let’s face it, the imagination loves to wander, and in most cases it wanders to create expectations far grander than even humanly possible. As fun as getting lost in la-la land can be at times it also manages to do a pretty good job of making the present reality seem a lot worse than it actually is. I’ve heard countless people tell me how the best things in life have always seemed to happen when they least expected it, so what better way to help create that then to simply stop expecting. Be in the moment and things will always seem that much more exciting, mostly because they don’t have so much craziness to try and live up to.<br />
<br />
<b>12. Stop Looking For Someone Perfect –</b> Not only is our idea of perfect most likely heavily shaped by entertainment and popular media but it is also ever changing and therefore pretty well impossible to ever be met. Rather than focusing on your search for that perfect someone to complete you, focus on what you need to do to feel complete within yourself. We are all capable of being and feeling complete love on our own, relationships are simply the extension of that love with another person. The shedding of the need for “perfection” will also make you a lot more open to connecting and sharing experiences with anyone that comes into your life, remembering that love can often be found in the oddest places.<br />
<br />
<b>13. Stop Trying To Be Someone That You Are Not </b>- Whether it’s the impact of popular opinion once again or simply the preference of someone you are trying to impress, we are never doing ourselves a favor when we try to become someone else. Even if the charade manages to work in getting you what you were going for, it only does so for a false version of yourself. Focusing on understanding and fully owning with comfort who you truly are will take you a lot further in life than anything artificially created.<br />
<br />
<b>14. Stop Beating Yourself Up – </b>As insulting as another person can be, there is nothing capable of being more vicious to ourselves than ourselves. Whether you let your high school crush get away, you dropped the game winning touchdown or anything else along those same lines, nothing from the past has to have any bearing on the present. Choosing to create this moment anew rather than weigh it down by things that are completely irrelevant to everything but your mind can be a really freeing process.<br />
<br />
<b>15. Stop Just Reading & Start Doing </b>– As amazing as books, quotes and even articles such as this one can be to help remind us of what we already know it’s time that we all regularly put these things into action. Allow these resources to become a starting point rather than a regularly needed reminder.<br />
<br />
by Mark DeNicola<br />
Source: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/10/16/15-things-we-need-to-stop-doing/</div>
Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-5394042663550936542013-10-21T04:26:00.003-07:002013-10-21T04:26:57.925-07:00On the Path... So Fortunate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">My
students come home to study Japanese..One of them has stress dripping
from his face.. Everytime I see him, I tell him to take up the course
and do Kriya.. He says there is no time..Handling work, travelling,
family responsibilities.. there is no time to release the pressure
cooker steam from oneself...<br /> <br /> Just in wonder to see how fortunate we are to be able to Be on the Path...in the midst of re<span class="text_exposed_show">sponsibilities.. So many of our AOL teachers juggle, seva, sadhna with career and family responsibilities.. Hats off...!!<br /> and yet for some it is so very very easy to take more seva responsibilities as family challenges are less...<br /> <br />
Just a thought that has been on my mind for long now..Some people have
it easy.. some a little tough.. Yet lets be grateful we have Master's
presence..and so much Grace to pull us through whatever life brings us
through..<br /> To know we are so well taken Care of..<br /> ...<br /> Jai Gurudev</span></span></div>
Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-86166242560264000122012-09-09T08:11:00.000-07:002012-09-09T08:11:00.556-07:00We Are Really Fortunate :)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span></span><br />
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<br />
<br />
A Beautiful article by Sri Swami Satchidananda<br />
<br />
"The scriptures say that it is very, very difficult to get a
human birth. We see millions of various species of life, but to be born
as a human being is very rare. It is still more difficult to have a sane
mind in a sound body. We must understand that well. It's not just an
accident that we are in this beautiful, human frame. Certainly we have
done millions and millions of meritorious deeds to qualify ourselves for
this. A human birth is the only birth in which we can get liberated
from the ocean of samsara or the constant ups and downs of life. This is
our chance. This is the earning and learning place. That is why<b> a human
birth is a rare, rare privilege given to us.</b> But that is only one of
the three greatest blessings.<br />
<br />
Even though you may have
these things, the scriptures say to have a thirst to know the truth is
even more rare. We see millions of people with a sound body and sane
mind who have a thirst to accumulate a little money, name, fame. Name
comes and goes. Money comes and goes. Even beauty comes and goes. A few
wrinkles make us look old. So what is permanent? Only those things that
are permanent are truth. <b>The quest for the permanent, for the truth, is
very rare.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Even if you have a human birth and the thirst
to know the truth, there is something that is still more rare. To have
someone to tell you where the truth is. A spiritual guide. </b>There are
many teachers who can help you to earn a little money, who can help you
to beautify yourself or to get a little knowledge, but the ultimate
truth is to be shown only by someone who has experienced the truth with
the help of another person who got the truth. This truth passes from
person to person. Spiritual teachers are very rare; and if you are lucky
enough to find one you should realize how fortunate you are. That's how
I felt when I met my Master. We are really fortunate to have such
guidance and to remember his teachings and his greatness, how he shed
light to millions of people without even leaving the Himalayas."<br />
</div>
Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-51641037722263496302012-06-17T22:56:00.002-07:002012-06-17T22:56:36.447-07:00It Is Better To Learn Soon ..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<br />
"Even if you achieve the whole world by your selfishness, you are not
going to be happy. You cannot be. Selfishness can never make you happy.
Sometimes you may get what you want, but your own selfishness will spoil
it. In a way, that is what we learn from all these disappointments in
life. Every time you approach a thing or a person or an action with a
selfish motive, it literally hits you on the head. Unfortunately many
people don't learn from a single hit or even a hundred hits. On the
other hand, sensible people will learn the lesson just by seeing others
getting hit.<br />
<br />
Don't ever think that you will escape. You
are going to learn the lesson. Until you learn the lesson this will
happen again and again and again. Mother Nature is there with a big
stick to whack you, "Come on, learn this, learn this." Finally you will
say, "Ohh, I am learning, I am learning."<br />
<br />
You should
remember it is Mother Nature's hand behind all these disappointments. So
it is better to learn soon - the sooner, the better - so that you can
enjoy the rest of your life with all joy and peace."<br />
<br />
Swami Satchidananda<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>My Take on it ... </u></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Reading this piece ... I realized how sometimes when mother nature is whacking us... we find ourselves saying.. I am accepting.. this time will pass away... etc etc without learning the lesson.. and so often find the same issue comes back to bother us again n again...<br />
<br />
<br />
Reason being maybe we have just tried to shove the real issue under the carpet not having learnt what the situation is teaching us...<br />
<br />
There could be problems with the boss and at work or relationships or
money...And we look for the reason in stars... Sade Sati (Rings a bell!!)
:)<br />
<br />
Shani Rahu Ketu.....all are here to whack us to learn the lessons... to realize that life has a meaning.. that every disappointment has a meaning... How soon we discover it... :) is upto us...<br />
<br />
</div>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-80563666528789832642012-04-14T00:11:00.000-07:002012-04-14T00:11:03.081-07:00Dreams of Mother Trishala and birth of Mahavira<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><br />
Tirthankar Mahavir’s soul was an angel in the tenth heaven before
being born as Prince Vardhaman. At midnight on the sixth day of the
bright half of Ashadh, his Ayushya Karma ended, and so did his life as
an angel. His soul came to earth and was conceived in the womb of a
Brahmin lady named Devananda. That night, Devananda had 14 unusual and
great dreams. She woke up and told her husband about the dreams. He told
her that their son would be a great one and gifted with many virtues.
After 82 days, on the thirteenth day of the month of Aaso, Saudharma
Indra, the King of Angels was in his court. His throne started shaking,
so he used his Avadhijnan, a special mental power through which one can
see distant things, to see what was going on. He learned that Lord
Mahavir’s soul was conceived in Devananda’s womb. For a moment, he was
puzzled, but then he realized that this was the result of Lord Mahavir’s
gotra karmas from his previous life. He said to himself, "No,
Tirthankar Bhagwan is never born in a low status family. This should not
happen to Mahavir. I will move his soul to a high status family."
Saudharma summoned Angel Hari-naigamesin to his court and commanded him
to transplant the fetus from the womb of Devananda to the womb of Queen
Trishala, the wife of King Siddharth, and to put Queen Trishala’s fetus
in Devananda’s womb.<br /> <br /> Angel Hari-naigamesin left the court of
King Saudharma Indra to go to Devananda’s home. With his divine speed,
he soon arrived at the bed side of Devananda and paid his reverence to
the soul of Lord Mahavir. With his divine power, he put Devananda into a
deep sleep, removed the fetus and then left to go to Queen Trishala’s
palace.<br /> <br /> Again with his divine speed, he reached Queen
Trishala’s palace within a very short time. He used his divine power to
put Queen Trishala into a deep sleep and then he performed the exchange
of the fetuses. Once again, he paid reverence to Lord Mahavir’s soul.
Then he left with the fetus of Queen Trishala and went to Devananda’s
home to replace the fetus in her womb. (Digambars do not believe in the
fetus transfer part.) That night, Queen Trishala had those fourteen
great dreams. The dreams filled her with wonder and joy. She woke up her
husband, King Sidharth and told him what she saw in the fourteen
dreams. He told her that those dreams seemed very auspicious. The next
day, King Siddharth summoned the scholars to his court and asked them
about the meaning of these dreams.<br /> <br /> (Digambar sect does not believe prince Vardhaman being conceived by Devananda.)<br /> <br />
<b>The first dream</b> Queen Trishala had was of an Elephant. It was a big,
tall, and an impetuous with four tusks. It was an auspicious elephant,
and was endowed with all the desirable marks of excellence.<br /> <br />
This dream indicated that she would give birth to a child with
exceptionally high character. The four tusks signified that he would
guide the spiritual chariot with its four components: monks, nuns,
laymen, and laywomen.<br /> <br /> <b>The second dream</b> Queen Trishala had was
of a Bull. The bull was noble, grand, and had a majestic hump. It had
the fine, bright, and soft hairs on its body. Its horns were superb and
sharply-pointed.<br /> <br /> This dream indicated
that her son would be highly religious and a great spiritual teacher. He
would help cultivate the religion.<br /> <br /> <b>The third dream </b>Queen
Trishala had was of a Magnificent Lion. His claws were beautiful and
well poised. The lion had a large well-rounded head and sharp teeth. His
lips were perfect and his eyes were sharp and glowing. His tail was
impressively long and well shaped. Queen saw this lion descending
towards her and entering her mouth.<br /> <br /> This dream
indicated that her son would be as powerful and strong as the lion. He
would be fearless, almighty, and capable of ruling the world.<br /> <br />
<b>The fourth dream</b> Queen Trishala had was of the Goddess Laxmi, the
goddess of wealth, prosperity, and power. She was seated on a lotus and
wore many rows of pearls interlaced with emeralds and a garland of gold.
A pair of earrings hung over her shoulders with dazzling beauty.<br /> <br />
This dream indicated that her son would enjoy great wealth and
splendor. He would be a Tirthankar, the supreme benefactor of all.<br /> <br />
<b>The fifth dream</b> Queen Trishala had was of a Beautiful Garland
descending from the sky. It smelled mixed fragrances of different
flowers. The flowers bloomed during the different seasons. The whole
universe was filled with their fragrance.<br /> <br />
This dream indicated that the fragrance of her son's teaching will
spread throughout the universe, and he would be respected by all.<br /> <br />
<b>The sixth dream</b> Queen Trishala had was of a Full Moon. It was a very
auspicious sight. The moon was at its full glory. It was as bright as a
star. It awoke the lilies to full bloom.<br /> <br />
This dream indicated that the child would help lessen the suffering of
the all living beings. He would bring the peace to the world. He would
help the spiritual progress of entire humanity at large.<br /> <br /> <b>The
seventh dream </b>Queen Trishala had was of the Bright Sun. The sun was
shining to destroy the darkness. It was as bright as the flames of the
forest fire. The sun rose and ended the evil activities of the creatures
who thrive at night.<br /> <br /> <br /> This dream indicated that her son would have the supreme knowledge and would dispel the darkness of the delusions.<br /> <br />
<b>The eighth dream</b> Queen Trishala had was of a Large Flag flying on a
golden stick. The flag fluttered softly and auspiciously in the gentle
breeze. It attracted the eyes of the all. A radiant lion was pictured on
it.<br /> <br /> <br /> This dream indicated that her son
would carry the banner of the religion. He would reinstate the religious
order throughout the universe.<br /> <br /> <b>The ninth dream </b>Queen Trishala
had was of a Golden Vase filled with the clear water. It was a
magnificent, beautiful, and bright vase. It was decorated with a
garland.<br /> <br /> This dream indicated that her
son would be perfect in all virtues and would be full of compassion for
all living beings. He would be a supreme religious personality.<br /> <br />
<b>The tenth dream </b>Queen Trishala had was of a Lake full of Lotuses.
Thousands of lotuses were floating in the lake, and they all bloomed and
opened at the touch of the sun's rays. The lotuses had a very sweet
fragrance.<br /> <br /> This dream indicated that her
son would be beyond worldly attachment. He would help liberate human
beings who were tangled in the cycles of birth, death, and misery.<br /> <br />
<b>The eleventh dream</b> Queen Trishala had was of an Ocean. Its water rose
in all the directions to great heights. The wind blew gently and created
the waves.<br /> <br /> This dream indicated that her
son would have a serene and pleasant personality. He would achieve the
infinite perception and knowledge and would escape from worldly life
which is the ocean of birth and death and the misery. This would lead
his soul to the Moksha (liberation).<br /> <b><br /> The twelfth dream</b> Queen
Trishala had was of a Celestial plane. The plane resounded with
celestial music. It was saturated with the pleasant and spiritual aroma
of the incense.<br /> <br /> This dream indicated that all of the Angels in the heaven would respect, honor, and salute her son's spiritual teachings.<br /> <br /> <b>The thirteenth dream </b>Queen Trishala had was of a Big Heap of Jewels.
It was a mixture of all types of gems and precious stones.<br /> <br /> This dream indicated that her son would have infinite virtues and wisdom and he would attain the supreme spirit.<br /> <br /> <b>The fourteenth dream</b> Queen Trishala had was of a Smokeless Fire. The fire burned with great intensity, but there was no smoke.<br /> <br />
This dream indicated that her son would reform and restore the
religious order. He would remove blind faith and orthodox rituals.
Furthermore, he would burn or destroy his karmas and attain salvation.<br /> <br /><u> <b>Some scriptures say that Queen Trishala had sixteen dreams.</b></u><br /> <br /> <b>The fifteenth dream </b>was of a Pair of Fish which indicated that her son would be extremely handsome.<br /> <br /> <b>The sixteenth dream</b> was of a Lofty Throne which indicated that person would have a very high spiritual status.<br /> <br />
To summarize the indication of all these dreams is that the child to be
born would be very strong, courageous, and filled with virtues. He
would be very religious and would become a great king or a spiritual
leader. He would reform and restore the religious order and guide all
the creatures of the universe to attain salvation. He would also be
liberated.<br /> <br /> Lord Mahavira was born on the thirteenth day of the
bright half of the month Chaitra, five hundred and forty-three years
before the Vikram Era, that is in 599 B. C.</span></span></h6>
</div>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-79522393272982479552012-03-30T22:03:00.000-07:002012-03-30T22:06:00.741-07:00Magnetism...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<span class="index_author">by Paramhansa Yogananda </span><br />
<br />
Each human being is a medium through which God’s magnetism flows, but
humans allow many things to obstruct that magnetism, and very few
people are truly magnetic. However, the right kind of magnetic power can
be developed.<br />
We may hear someone say, “Oh, I met a friend who is so magnetic; he
inspired me and expanded my consciousness.” This is the kind of magnetic
power that we all want – attracting, uplifting and expanding. This type
of magnetic power is a quality of Spirit. It expands the consciousness
but does not stupefy it, as does hypnosis or animal magnetism.<br />
<br />
<b>Magnetic power comes from within</b><br />
Our magnetism is determined by our habitual attitudes and actions. To
become magnetic to others, you must make yourself attractive from
within. <i>Sattwic</i> actions, including meditative activities, are those that help you realize the pure image of the Self within. Someone with a <i>sattwic</i>
personality is sincere, kind, accepting, and possessed of great
self-control – qualities that are highly magnetic and produce a good
effect on oneself and others. Positive behavior, control of speech, and
kind words are qualities which clothe the soul in spiritual magnetism.<br />
Ego-inspired attitudes and actions obstruct the free flow of one’s
energy and are demagnetizing. The mental habit of criticizing others,
regardless of whether the criticism is gentle or severe, has a darkening
effect on the consciousness and drags a person down into greater
delusion. When you occupy your mind with an unholy interest in the
failings of others, you also rouse and stimulate your own pre-natal bad
habits.<br />
Try not to give in to moods. The darkness of moods will invariably be
reflected in your facial expressions. The best cure for a bad mood is
to try to do something that will raise your energy level and put you in a
good mood. Always stay away from people in ugly moods, to prevent them
from spreading to you their epidemic of inharmony.<br />
<br />
<b>“Learn to behave”</b><br />
I can never thank my guru enough for constantly saying to me, “Learn to
behave.” Like many people, I thought I was a winged angel and that
nobody could say anything to improve me. However, as wisdom grew, I
found that I could see myself better in the mirrors of calm minds,
especially in my Master’s unprejudiced mind, than in the little mirror
of my own hazy understanding. And I discovered there was a difference
between how I assumed others viewed me and how they<i> actually</i> viewed me.<br />
It is easy to see the faults of others but very difficult to see your
own faults and to conduct yourself properly. If you can find your own
faults without developing an inferiority complex, and can keep busy
correcting yourself, then you will be using your time much more
profitably than wishing<i> others</i> to be better. Your good example will do more to change others than your words or wishful thinking.<br />
Like attracts like. Whatever you want others to be, first be that
yourself, then you will find others responding in like manner to you. If
you want to be loved, start loving others who need your love. If you
expect others to be honest with you, then start being honest yourself.
If you want others to sympathize with you, start showing sympathy to
those around you. If you want to be respected, you must learn to be
respectful to everyone, both young and old. If you want a display of
peace from others, you must be peaceful yourself.<br />
<br />
<b>The glow of sincerity</b><br />
Sincerity is a quality of all highly magnetic souls. All the great ones –
Jesus, Buddha, Babaji – possess this quality. Many people, to gain fame
or outward success in the world, sacrifice their sincerity and
self-respect, but they never derive real satisfaction from the
achievement of their longed-for goals. Man’s nature is many-sided and
demands all-around development, which includes being sincere and
truthful at all times.<br />
Be sincere with all and above all, be sincere with yourself. Watch
your thoughts to be sure they are right. When your thoughts are right,
sincere and helpful words, and good deeds, will naturally follow. Carry
the vibration of sincerity with you wherever you go. People will feel
this vibration. Sincere, sweet words are nectar to thirsty souls.They
contribute to the happiness of people in the home, in social outings, in
churches, and in business offices.<br />
Above all, never forget to smile, not the mask-like smile without
truth and sincerity behind it, but the sincere, radiant smile that comes
from a light, joyful heart, which belongs only to the “good” and cannot
be worn by the wicked. Learn to emanate sincere smiles and to wear the
glow of sincerity on your face.<br />
<br />
<b>Consideration for others</b><br />
Consideration for others is a wonderful quality and gives you the
greatest attractiveness. Practice it! Consideration for others means
being aware of them, listening to them, and being attentive to their
needs. Try to develop an intuitive awareness of the needs of others.<br />
Let your supreme goal be to make others happy in order to gain
happiness for yourself. Take a genuine interest in the problems of
others. Every time you meet a receptive human being, make him feel your
interest in his physical, mental, and spiritual welfare. Never neglect
to do whatever you can for yourself in the forms of others. Live by the
principle, “Each for all and all for each.” In getting for yourself, you
must get for others too.<br />
Remember that whatever you do attracts those same actions to
yourself. If you set the example of selfishness, people will practice
selfishness on you, but whatever you freely give to others with love,
yields an ever-increasing harvest of happiness. Find happiness in
helping whoever crosses your path.<br />
Once a certain well-known teacher in India was invited to participate
in a religious congress in Chicago. He and fifteen of his followers
were coming through Los Angeles on their way to Chicago. I invited him
to Mount Washington, where we prepared a great banquet for them. At the
last moment, there came a telegram from him in Hawaii. He had felt the
inspiration, suddenly, to return to India. No master would have behaved
in such a way!<br />
People would do well to understand that the masters do not behave
erratically, even though they are guided by the flow of inspiration. In
dealing with this world, they honor its ways. And they are ever true to
their word. Moreover, if they are obliged to mix socially with others,
they are considerate of people’s feelings.<br />
<br />
<b>Self-control and peace-loving behavior</b><br />
Exercise extreme vigilance in maintaining your self-control at all
times.You must be able to put on at will the apparel of your best
disposition whenever you come across people with combative mentalities.
Above all, be so peaceful that nobody can get your goat.<br />
It is human weakness to get angry and scold, but it shows divine
strength to be able to hold the reins over the wild steeds of your
temper and speech. No matter what the provocation may be, behave
yourself and by calm silence or genuinely kind words, show that your
kindness is more powerful than the other person’s ugliness.<br />
Civility, heartfelt courtesy, and continuous good will are the
panacea for all bad behavior. You can teach your quick-tempered friends
and dear ones to mend their faults through the example of your own
magnetic, peace-loving behavior a million times better than by harsh
words. If you remain even-minded by holding a calm disposition and, at
the same time, are both forgiving and firm in your own principles, then
you will inspire the wrong-doers to reform themselves.<br />
<br />
<b>Dissolve all inharmonious vibrations</b><br />
Divine magnetism is the power of all powers. By meditating regularly,
you become increasingly charged with the pure magnetism of God. Think of
God so constantly that He is with you wherever you go. When you
meditate and live in the consciousness that you are God’s child, you
gradually dissolve all inharmonious emotions and vibrations.<br />
Always keep in tune with the Divine Magnetic Power. When your prayer
bursts from your heart and God gives up His vow of silence and speaks to
you — you will have gained divine magnetism.<br />
<br /></div>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-37843716622343393692012-03-26T23:47:00.003-07:002012-03-26T23:47:46.008-07:00When your Earth Visa expires<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSO1pSHHQdR0DxHXQAd1xoCMJVS2GRVCcrovcM_mzfrJiobhPPBjEg3Wvx0S9PdqO2NRMkz4D33O-3IMCgYUKa2zp_o-F502TmCLRZh38s28ai7jaYUwoBr0_-cIQNehwDOKUcQhik28/s1600/astral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSO1pSHHQdR0DxHXQAd1xoCMJVS2GRVCcrovcM_mzfrJiobhPPBjEg3Wvx0S9PdqO2NRMkz4D33O-3IMCgYUKa2zp_o-F502TmCLRZh38s28ai7jaYUwoBr0_-cIQNehwDOKUcQhik28/s1600/astral.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
From Today's Times Of India "Speaking Tree" by <span class="byline">Prashant Solomon</span><br />
<br />
<br />
" Where do we go when our Earth visa expires? Most religions suggest that our souls live on and travel into another realm. While this is the common belief, it is not as simple as it sounds. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity talk about multiple levels, dimensions or frequencies of existence after the soul leaves Earth. The Quran and Bible have instances where the term "Seventh heaven" is used. Hinduism talks of various astral planets and even higher spiritual planets or 'loks' where souls travel to after physical life comes to an end.<br /><br />There have also been accounts on record of near-death experiences (NDEs) where those declared clinically dead have subsequently returned to life. In 'Life after Life' Raymond Moody recounts NDE cases in which patients described seeing their own body after being pronounced dead, then travelling through a tunnel into a room full of light where their dead relatives and friends came to receive them. Then a life review happens, in which they see instances that occurred in the incarnation just passed. Then many see a 'Being of Light', emitting a powerful feeling of love. They are told their time has not yet come and they return to their bodies.<br /><br />In 'Journey of Souls' Michael Newton talks about the period between incarnations. Newton uses past life regression techniques to take people back to the time after their death in their last life and before the time of their current birth. An account of the spirit realm describes split incarnations where one soul occupies two or more bodies at the same time, soul families, groups, colours are seen based on levels of spiritual development, spirit guides, council of elders, healing areas, library and temple. Finally, the place where the soul decides the type of experiences it needs in the next incarnation and actually chooses parents and circumstances needed for the new incarnation to meet its karmic requirements.<br /><br />Do our souls actually 'travel' somewhere? It's like asking if you are actually travelling somewhere when you dream. There is obviously something happening to your awareness. The field of awareness shifts from one plane to another. First you are awake and then you enter dreamland. But when you transition from this world to the next, are you actually travelling in the spatial sense or just shifting the frequency of your awareness?<br /><br />When TV channels are changed, it is only awareness that is shifting from one channel to another. The old channel doesn't cease to exist because the new channel is being viewed. It is just that the screen is now displaying a different frequency. This is the same principle that happens when we die. Our awareness is tuned into a different frequency of creation. The Earth plane does not cease to exist, but for the person who has passed on, the frequency of awareness has shifted. The reality they perceive is now different.Similarly, for those on Earth, the person seems to have gone, but in reality the soul has just moved onto another frequency of awareness. It leaves behind the empty human body, a kind of virtual reality device, through which the soul experienced life on the Earth.The opposite of life is not death.<br /><br />The opposite of birth is death. Life is eternal. Birth and death are just entry and exit points of incarnations. "<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-10112851786489186062012-03-21T22:21:00.001-07:002012-03-21T22:21:24.980-07:00Rudram !!...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgTu-M1XU17WQ6vMs_L_6RvC5SAVgWap_veyX7HorwB2t20XLvYivcRWK8Vvf6WHeS_HXE4PRLki4ncU0dX1KAxKpYniApHnH2fmh9tEf1BwoqhEGzhZO5p_D1XQ4shSnXH2hfFOCqdk/s1600/gw8gx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgTu-M1XU17WQ6vMs_L_6RvC5SAVgWap_veyX7HorwB2t20XLvYivcRWK8Vvf6WHeS_HXE4PRLki4ncU0dX1KAxKpYniApHnH2fmh9tEf1BwoqhEGzhZO5p_D1XQ4shSnXH2hfFOCqdk/s320/gw8gx.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
What is Rudra Puja?</h2>
Rudra Pooja is an ancient practice followed in India since time
immemorial. ‘Rudra’ means ‘Shiva - the Benevolent', ' the Destroyer of
Evil'. 'Pooja' means that which is born out of fullness. Through this
Pooja one can aim for inner peace and fulfillment. In this Pooja, Lord
Shiva is worshipped in his Rudra form.<br />
It is hailed by all Vedic scriptures as one of the greatest Poojas to
remove all evils, to attain all desires and for all-round prosperity.
Scriptures on Astrology prescribe this emphatically as a remedy for
several planetary doshas.<br />
<h2>
Why do <em>Rudra Pooja</em>?</h2>
The world is a play of energy: negative and positive. When we pray to
Shiva – the Lord of transformation - the entire negative energy around
us in form of disease, depression, and unhappiness gets transformed
into peace, prosperity and joy. Then peace surrounds us in body, mind
and soul.<br />
<h2>
How is the <em>Pooja</em> Performed?</h2>
This Pooja is performed with a crystal 'linga'. Each ancient mantra
that is chanted gets absorbed in materials like curd, milk, ghee, honey
etc. which are used as offerings in the Pooja. It is then offered to
Lord Shiva with reverence, love and gratitude. Specially trained
Pandits and Veda students from the Veda Agama (Vedic school) perform
this special Pooja. The chanting of the mantras is so pure and
meditative that it takes one to a different plane.<br />
<br />
Source: http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/shivratri-rudra-puja</div>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-6581259519808786692012-01-29T22:34:00.000-08:002012-02-23T00:52:19.482-08:00Important or Unimportant... Choiceless<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNNOW6mFm3nYhOAJRjMbMchaBPK1oD9bUeY9jRqRO9-rY_kkrcZebgVoaAP4vL4IEp94707iaRoTVRhpoHxJUqs4zndBIxWLGLNH_Q4BQO1qHwL1-_JcWJUkiPJtkfZWyUgVc9SX_HPc/s1600/431624_10150485777226339_723571338_9071962_1086225416_n.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703309973547266194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNNOW6mFm3nYhOAJRjMbMchaBPK1oD9bUeY9jRqRO9-rY_kkrcZebgVoaAP4vL4IEp94707iaRoTVRhpoHxJUqs4zndBIxWLGLNH_Q4BQO1qHwL1-_JcWJUkiPJtkfZWyUgVc9SX_HPc/s200/431624_10150485777226339_723571338_9071962_1086225416_n.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 136px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><br />
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":1}" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" ft="{"type":3}">"So many people are stuck with what is "important".</span></span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":1}" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" ft="{"type":3}"><br />Why do you always have to do only that which is important? For something to be important, there need to be many things that are unimportant. So you cannot eliminate unimportant things. It is important to have unimportant things to make something else important. (Laughter.) Things are either themselves important or they make other things importa<span class="text_exposed_show">nt.<br /><br />So, that means everything is important, and everything is unimportant.<br /><br />When you realize this fact you become choiceless."<br /><br />When something is inevitable you don't categorize it as important or unimportant. It is beyond choice.<br /><br />"Everything is important" is karma yoga. "Nothing is important" is deep meditation.<br /><br />Sri Sri</span></span></span></h6>
</div>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-45731230063390903222012-01-15T21:12:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:16:15.648-08:00Astrology and the Spiritual Path...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvngYpGdvTQhnCkXuBN2mL0r1NwujOaKNT13wufgbpblUnPqutcUIhdywEtJZypAbavJWtvfJyn8DrtL4IUEZaJJhONlDdFMb8Fw0sJ1M30RX6X2RfEOH-Q4BSnEfkE030EWmUyHRTthM/s1600/VedicAstrology.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvngYpGdvTQhnCkXuBN2mL0r1NwujOaKNT13wufgbpblUnPqutcUIhdywEtJZypAbavJWtvfJyn8DrtL4IUEZaJJhONlDdFMb8Fw0sJ1M30RX6X2RfEOH-Q4BSnEfkE030EWmUyHRTthM/s200/VedicAstrology.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698094275482216578" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Below is a Vedic astrologer's perspective to Yogananda ji's take on astrology..<br />Later more excerpts abt astrology from the book,,,The Autobiography of a Yogi..<br /><br /><br /><br />"Paramahansa Yogananda's classic book, The Autobiography of a Yogi, has a chapter entitled, "Outwitting the Stars," that is a must read for any student of astrology in my opinion. In it he describes his own beliefs about astrology, and the attitude he recommends that spiritual aspirants should adopt towards it. Specifically, that we should never see planetary forces as more powerful than our own will power. For instance, see this quote:<br /><br />“Occasionally I told astrologers to select my worse periods, according to planetary indications, and I would still accomplish whatever task I set myself. It is true that my success at such time has been accompanied by extraordinary difficulties. But my conviction has always been justified; faith in the divine protection, and the right use of man’s God-given will, are forces formidable beyond any the 'inverted bowl' (sky) can muster. The starry inscription at one's birth, I came to understand, is not that man is a puppet of his past. Its message is rather a prod to pride; the very heavens seek to arouse man's determination to be free of every limitaton.”<br /><br />Yogananda offers here quite a bold shift in perspective. Most of the time people see the planetary influences, especially the dashas and transits, as forces beyond their power of will to effect. However, Yogananda's point is to recognize that our will power is God given for a reason - to change potentially unfavorable outcomes in our lives into favorable ones."<br /><br /><br />A Further excerpt from the Book..<br /><br />“Mukunda, why don’t you get an astrological armlet?”<br /><br />“Should I, Master? I don’t believe in astrology.”<br /><br />“It is never a question of belief; the only scientific attitude one can take on any subject is whether it is true. The law of gravitation worked as efficiently before Newton as after him. The cosmos would be fairly chaotic if its laws could not operate without the sanction of human belief.<br /><br />“Charlatans have brought the stellar science to its present state of disrepute. Astrology is too vast, both mathematically 1 and philosophically, to be rightly grasped except by men of profound understanding. If ignoramuses misread the heavens, and see there a scrawl instead of a script, that is to be expected in this imperfect world. One should not dismiss the wisdom with the ‘wise.’<br /><br />“All parts of creation are linked together and interchange their influences. The balanced rhythm of the universe is rooted in reciprocity,” my guru continued. “Man, in his human aspect, has to combat two sets of forces—first, the tumults within his being, caused by the admixture of earth, water, fire, air, and ethereal elements; second, the outer disintegrating powers of nature. So long as man struggles with his mortality, he is affected by the myriad mutations of heaven and earth.<br /><br />“Astrology is the study of man’s response to planetary stimuli. The stars have no conscious benevolence or animosity; they merely send forth positive and negative radiations. Of themselves, these do not help or harm humanity, but offer a lawful channel for the outward operation of cause-effect equilibriums which each man has set into motion in the past.<br /><br />“A child is born on that day and at that hour when the celestial rays are in mathematical harmony with his individual karma. His horoscope is a challenging portrait, revealing his unalterable past and its probable future results. But the natal chart can be rightly interpreted only by men of intuitive wisdom: these are few.<br /><br />“The message boldly blazoned across the heavens at the moment of birth is not meant to emphasize fate—the result of past good and evil—but to arouse man’s will to escape from his universal thralldom. What he has done, he can undo. None other than himself was the instigator of the causes of whatever effects are now prevalent in his life. He can overcome any limitation, because he created it by his own actions in the first place, and because he has spiritual resources which are not subject to planetary pressure.<br /><br />“Superstitious awe of astrology makes one an automaton, slavishly dependent on mechanical guidance. The wise man defeats his planets—which is to say, his past—by transferring his allegiance from the creation to the Creator. The more he realizes his unity with Spirit, the less he can be dominated by matter. The soul is ever-free; it is deathless because birthless. It cannot be regimented by stars.<br /><br />“Man is a soul, and has a body. When he properly places his sense of identity, he leaves behind all compulsive patterns. So long as he remains confused in his ordinary state of spiritual amnesia, he will know the subtle fetters of environmental law.<br /><br />“God is harmony; the devotee who attunes himself will never perform any action amiss. His activities will be correctly and naturally timed to accord with astrological law. After deep prayer and meditation he is in touch with his divine consciousness; there is no greater power than that inward protection.”<br /><br />“Then, dear Master, why do you want me to wear an astrological bangle?” I ventured this question after a long silence, during which I had tried to assimilate Sri Yukteswar’s noble exposition.<br /><br />“It is only when a traveler has reached his goal that he is justified in discarding his maps. During the journey, he takes advantage of any convenient short cut. The ancient rishis discovered many ways to curtail the period of man’s exile in delusion. There are certain mechanical features in the law of karma which can be skillfully adjusted by the fingers of wisdom."Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-33526211364695344762011-09-17T08:17:00.000-07:002011-09-17T08:18:46.563-07:00Now....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIEvHMjjzbhdvYxII_tkrNln_Qr2Elcv7hHjMAiIQe9LbJ_f2g93fLu2R2awag5zRVqYB_AHnw7UvLmV44bz4ik5Og9bovW6sTLE9GmpZEruhAK0CjiPP5jYbBueBP2lpqAFXE-YI0yY/s1600/road_ahead.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIEvHMjjzbhdvYxII_tkrNln_Qr2Elcv7hHjMAiIQe9LbJ_f2g93fLu2R2awag5zRVqYB_AHnw7UvLmV44bz4ik5Og9bovW6sTLE9GmpZEruhAK0CjiPP5jYbBueBP2lpqAFXE-YI0yY/s200/road_ahead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653348239014079570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />How long can we drive looking in the rear view mirror..<br /><br />Life is all about letting go and moving on...<br /><br />The hurts and resentments we hold, hurt ourselves more than others<br /><br />Pain is washed away by time...<br /><br />and Forgiving is living the moment, moments of gratitude...<br /><br />Its all about the Now.... :)Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-72094085156571317812011-04-30T04:53:00.000-07:002011-04-30T05:05:31.673-07:00Praising is Divine....<p>Adulation shows the magnanimity of the one who adores, rather than the one who is adored! Adulation indicates that the ego has become transparent; the best antidote for ego is adulation. Adulation works in three ways: If it is for someone else, it is ...not palatable to an egoistic person. If it is for you, it boosts your ego. If you adore somebody, it dissolves your ego and makes you magnanimous. </p><p>Unanimous chorus : When Guruji is adulated, E V E R Y O N E adores it! (laughter) Adulation indicates the magnanimity of the person who is adoring. And the one who is great, does not get swayed by adulation. So the test of the greatness of a person is that he is not shaken by any amount of adulation. </p><p>A desire for adulation is a sign of immaturity. Aversion to adulation is small-mindedness. Lack of adulation in life is dryness and boredom. A healthy mind would always like to adulate, to elevate others. An unhealthy mind would like to pull down everything. Adulation indicates the trust, enthusiasm and richness in a culture. Lack of adulation is a self-centred, small-minded, fearful and culturally-impoverished society. Being indifferent to adulation when it comes to you and being magnanimous when it is to be given, is the way of the wise! </p><p>Sri Sri..</p>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-73652365027175619462011-04-19T22:57:00.000-07:002011-04-20T07:53:36.526-07:0011 Expressions of Love :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQ2JKlKSzQ2-wwGVTD2KTY9FDcgZpvkRCAzw_yP9zA1zQPIXD6Igj_i0rUhQmlZddM1g1oPYYH3o-wmWQUGiB4igPd3iLXR2T1tZMtZ1QRADLwgCidSNbjlW1NkWET8mujdgHK-7xl88/s1600/gj+super+dude.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQ2JKlKSzQ2-wwGVTD2KTY9FDcgZpvkRCAzw_yP9zA1zQPIXD6Igj_i0rUhQmlZddM1g1oPYYH3o-wmWQUGiB4igPd3iLXR2T1tZMtZ1QRADLwgCidSNbjlW1NkWET8mujdgHK-7xl88/s200/gj+super+dude.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597541243656011298" border="0" /></a><br /><p>"Love is incomplete. And it will have to remain incomplete. If something is complete, it means that you have marked the boundaries; found its limitations. For love to be infinite, it has to be incomplete. Love is infinite and it finds expression in infinite ways. They can be categorised as eleven ways of expressing love, or eleven ways in which love finds its expression.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. <strong>The first one is Gunamahatmyasakti, imbibing the qualities of the Divine,</strong></p><p>appreciating the qualities of the Divine. When you love somebody, what is that in him or her that you love? You'll find some qualities. So‐and‐so is kind, so‐and‐so is caring... Qualities do not have form. Loving God in this sense means imbibing all the qualities that God represents. Normally one picks all the negative qualities in a person. Even in God, you will pick some negativity! The moment your mind is not in love, it behaves thus. When you are living Divine love, you will enhance and rejoice in Divine qualities wherever you find them.</p><p><br /></p><p>2.<strong> The second is Rupasakti.</strong> Some may not be able to appreciate the qualities, because they don't see the qualities as qualities. And qualities cannot be seen without a form. When you're unable to appreciate the subtle qualities, you can definitely appreciate the form that is in the form of you. And forms are everywhere! When you appreciate a flower, you appreciate the form. When you see truth in the form as a quality and glorify it, it takes you beyond the qualities. In the same way, if you love a flower, and deeply appreciate it, you will see that it dissolves into the formless. You will see the space which is hiding deep inside that flower.</p><p><br /></p><p>3.<strong> The third is Pujasakti,</strong> the interest in worshipping, honouring. Love can find its expression in the form of puja, form of honouring. And one who has done this will know the taste of it. As the state of your wholeness, your mind says, ''I want nothing. I just want to be worshipping like this all my life.'' Pujasakti is a sign of love. If you love someone, something, and whenever there is love you'll see that you start worshipping that which you love.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. <strong>The fourth is Smaranasakti,</strong> which means remembering. That something which stays constantly on your mind. Have you noticed that when you love something, and have a desire, that desire lingers on in your mind? Sometimes, as soon as you get up, the same thing rolls on in your mind. When there is strong desire for something, that thought pours in all the time. In the same way, when you hate something, it runs through your mind all the time. This is called smarana. How wonderful it will be if the Divine just rolls in your mind like that?</p><p><br /></p><p>5. <strong>Dasyasakti is the fifth. </strong>It means being a servant of God. It means saying, ''I am just the servant of the Divine; He's taking care of me. I do whatever I have been asked to do. My life is here not to get something out of here — I have come to this world to serve Him. Service is expecting nothing in return. Whatever service He wants from me, I'll do it. Whomsoever He will send in front of me, I will be useful to them, I'll help them.'' This is dasyasakti.</p><p><br /></p><p>6<strong>. The sixth is Sakhyasakti, </strong>companion of God. A feeling of companionship with the Divine. Many may not like being a servant. Sakhyasakti is a feeling that I am the beloved of my Lord. He is my beloved. I'll do whatever I can to please Him. It is wherein you are able to share fearlessly with the Divine. And this will have to come from you. It's not that one is superior to the other. Gita was taught to Arjuna, and Arjuna made Krishna his friend, sakha, companion. That's why Krishna was called Jagad‐guru, the teacher of the whole universe. He was both a master and a companion.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. <strong>The seventh is Vatsalyasakti</strong>. Vastsalya means affection, being affectionate. Can we treat the Divine as a child, as a naughty person? In vatsalyasakti, devotion can take the form of the care you have for a child, or mothering the Divine. The devotee then orders God. There's such a sweet feeling behind it. The devotee tells God, ''See, if You do like that, I'll be angry with you. If You don't make Your presence felt today, I'm not going to talk to You tomorrow.'' So just like a mother deals with a child, a devotee deals with God. Feeling that closeness is vatsalyasakti.</p><p><br /></p><p>8<strong>. Kantasakti is the eighth form.</strong> It is the beloved husband‐wife, relationship. Feeling that the Divine is part of you, and, ''He cares for me so much that He cannot exist without me! How can He exist without me?''</p><p><br /></p><p>9. <strong>The ninth form is Atmanivedanasakti,</strong> offering one's very self. That is a great form of love that, ''my very breath, my very existence is Yours. Every particle of my existence is offered to You. Every breath I breathe in is Yours. I am Yours.''. That total surrender, letting go. ''You do whatever You want with this life! It is Yours!''. This flavour, of not even keeping any bit of ''me, I'' inside, is atmanivedanasakti.</p><p><br /></p><p>10.<strong> Tanmayatasakti is the tenth form</strong>. This is seeing everything as You. That everything belongs to You. The totality of prana, the flow of prana, finding itself everywhere is tanmayatasakti. Being soaked in the Divine love is called tanmaya, tanmayatasakti. Anyway, everything is already soaked in Him! It only has to be recognised!</p><p><br /></p><p>11. <strong>Paramavirahasakti is the eleventh form</strong>. Viraha means extreme agony and the pain of longing, of separation. This also a sign of Divine love. Love can never be complete because there is longing. It's the longing that makes love incomplete and infinite! So the pain of longing itself is Divine love. In that painful longing, prayer dawns. Blessed are those who go through that pain.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Usually, when people love something and there is a longing for it, they try to get rid of it because it's painful. The more you try to run away from it, you are destroying not only the longing but also the love. But if you can accept the pain of longing, that brings you the recognition of infinity." </strong></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Sri Sri<br /></strong></p>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-36908537507502535402011-04-18T11:24:00.000-07:002011-04-18T11:26:01.869-07:00Slow down...... ;)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UKSJB6tFaJ4aHkexMTaCfTVNEEMYMOSLnrvuzyUon3nZbkhsW05DhqCxisTY-j_ZTCRAaufAs7HYjPytjBqwUQRi4tySdtQTAM9ZQj0MUHD7mHj-6hcXPt3U0-NMS-31c2NhWJ8zgo8/s1600/osho.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UKSJB6tFaJ4aHkexMTaCfTVNEEMYMOSLnrvuzyUon3nZbkhsW05DhqCxisTY-j_ZTCRAaufAs7HYjPytjBqwUQRi4tySdtQTAM9ZQj0MUHD7mHj-6hcXPt3U0-NMS-31c2NhWJ8zgo8/s200/osho.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596991598890775474" border="0" /></a><br />"If you run very fast, the very speed gives you an intoxication. That’s why there is so much addiction to speed. If you drive a car, the mind wants to go faster and faster. It makes you intoxicated. Speed releases certain chemicals in the body and in the blood; that’s why you would like to go on pressing the accelerator. Just run fast one day and watch what happens. A moment comes when the speed takes over: that is the acceleration of speed.<br /><br /><br />Just the opposite happens if you slow down. What is a Buddha doing under the tree? — slowing down the speed, nothing else. What am I continuously teaching you? — slow down the speed. Come to a point where there is no speed within you, nobody running. In that moment awareness happens — you become enlightened.<br /><br /><br />There are two poles: one is speed; then you are intoxicated, you become unconscious. The other is no speed — slowed down completely, totally, an absolute stop. Suddenly you become enlightened."<br /><br /><br />The method :<br /><br />Slow down your speed. Eat slowly, walk slowly, talk slowly, move very, very slowly, and by and by you will come to know the beauty of inactivity, the beauty of passivity. Then you are not intoxicated — you are completely aware and conscious.Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-37159655790902062572011-04-11T03:39:00.000-07:002011-04-11T03:42:53.850-07:00Keep the Faith.... :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdqaTK1XIHN4X68IiCCbbbWDN09EPYU2MBZX91Td3rVAOhQI1Lnzg4pUZgEUNTJNNiSc9drYfciUuRwAoWqNsGUlRZbkw8lbH_TZg64qyZHdoGAJIgXZ71C_qEm7axsbhWlgdLKZXkD4/s1600/Faith.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdqaTK1XIHN4X68IiCCbbbWDN09EPYU2MBZX91Td3rVAOhQI1Lnzg4pUZgEUNTJNNiSc9drYfciUuRwAoWqNsGUlRZbkw8lbH_TZg64qyZHdoGAJIgXZ71C_qEm7axsbhWlgdLKZXkD4/s200/Faith.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594274554878443874" border="0" /></a><br /><p>"Even your spiritual practices are based on faith. If you didn't have faith you wouldn't even be practicing. Everything requires faith. That is why the scriptures say that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.</p><p>Strong conviction is faith. If you have conviction, it is easy to accomplish what you set out to do. But before you even begin, you must be convinced. Otherwise you will just think, "Oh, okay, I'll <em>try</em> to do it. " Don't think that way. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Your thought should be, "This is what I want, no matter what happens. All the rest is nothing. I won't stop until I get it! This is the most important thing in my life."</span></p><p>Tests will come to see if you are really strong in your faith. Do you know how to install a flag post or a telephone post in the ground? You dig a hole and put the post in; but you don't just leave it at that. You put stones all around and hammer it to make it strong. You hammer the ground all around, and then you try to shake the post. If it shakes, you hammer again. As long as it keeps shaking, you keep on hammering. When do you stop hammering? When it stops shaking.</p><p style="font-weight: bold;">Life is like that. As long as you are shaking, you'll be hammered. It's true. God is trying to make you steady, and unless that hammering occurs you cannot be strong and steady. So don't be afraid to face the hammering."</p><p>Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi</p><h1><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="profileName fn ginormousProfileName fwb">Sri Swami Satchidananda</span></span></h1>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-7021161857152593162011-01-28T16:16:00.000-08:002011-01-28T16:23:04.209-08:00Karma Talk... :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jAekH7lKbjKcIUjiBfioJ4AN2Wf5h6UwH5w4Rs0WLOTIIGF2aMaxN7f6dlqaksi08cg1lWwT_XT-qYCXbv2NsjLaE1_Tk8kzO6cmOt9iWjAXEZWZ4Dy-6LCK13F3LWk62vVqXCxEkc0/s1600/blss.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jAekH7lKbjKcIUjiBfioJ4AN2Wf5h6UwH5w4Rs0WLOTIIGF2aMaxN7f6dlqaksi08cg1lWwT_XT-qYCXbv2NsjLaE1_Tk8kzO6cmOt9iWjAXEZWZ4Dy-6LCK13F3LWk62vVqXCxEkc0/s200/blss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567395818321062274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">And the Master spoke on Karma --- Throughout the talk, I felt that all he wanted was to take the focus on what we can do "NOW" rather than digging out the Past and worrying about it!!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Meditation, Seva and Guru Grace (kripa)</span> :)<br /><br />A compilation of knowledge bytes on Karma by Guruji on Januray 29th, 2011.... :) Enjoy!!<br /><br /><br />What is Karma: "Karma simply means the strongest impression in the mind, the action it has propelled...<br />Every particle in the universe is filled with action and dynamism. The universe is filled with karma..getting rid of karma means -- getting rid of the impressions .. Negative impressions cause pain..Good karma means positive impressions, bad karma means negative impressions..<br />Breathing techniques, Meditation and Pranayama erase negative impressions ...not the positive ones :)<br />Attachment to positive impressions is also karma..Nirvana is freeing(not attached) yourself from postive impressions and negative impressions... "<br /><br />"Latent impressions propel you into action again.. The skill is not to be affected by these..In every action there is some stillness.. recognizing this stillness, which is a witness to all the action'Seeing the inaction in action is seeing ...the consciousness.. freedom is not stopping action.. its doing the action but being a witness to it.. :)We have to keep acting yet not get attached to the actions.. everyday you do daily chores, but they don't become a big impression.."<br /><br />"All habits are nothing but karma.. Induced karma...Erase those karmas from your consciousness..When you meditate, you clear the impressions.. mind becomes clear -- hollow and empty.. then you are in touch with your intuition..."<br /><br />"Guruji says --Three types of karma<br />1)Prarabdha -- Impressions stored and which have started yielding results..Have to Experience!!!<br />2)Sanchit -- Accumulated from past.. can be erased<br />3)Agami -- Future.. can be erased<br />Prarabdha -- everyone has to experience...<br />...Gahana karmanogati -- Unfathomable are the ways of Karma..Which would sprout when, you don't know!!<br />Final-- Don't worrry !!! :)) Just do what you have to do.. Do your duty.. The most learned are also confused when it comes to karma..<br />Family Karma -- DNA.. our genes are part of Karma!!<br />By practice of meditation and pranayama -- certain genetic structure changes.. "<br /><br />"Along with Karma is also remedy... Remedies are available..<br />Habits can be changed..One can come out of their impressions....with support, little help, with little suffering..."<br /><br />What are the ways to come out of Karma except Meditation??<br />Guruji said: What are the ways to get out of hunger except eating ;) :D<br />"What are the ways to quench your thirst excpet thru drinking !!!"<br /><br />"The grace (Kripa) Love and devotion..... can get you our of Karma..<br />Meditation is not an action.. its a state of pure love and devotion :)<br />If you are in love meditation happens..."<br /><br />Can one person's karma be changed by another's blessing??<br />A : To some extent.. definitely :)<br /><br />"Love fear and hatred are made of same energy.. If you have fear, there is love lacking..Fear is love upside down... Meditation, Seva can help Love stand on its feet rather than on head" ;) :))<br />"You have to do only that which you can do... God doesn't want you to do what you cannot do..:) But what you can do and are not doing -- means irresponsibilty...<br />Karma is that which we can do!! Swabhav main jo hai, wohi karma hai..What is in your nature is what we are expected to do" :)<br /><br />Answering somone's query on being able to remember the Past!! Guruji said --<br />"If you remember all your past karma, you may not smile at all" ;) :))Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-79978619877814408832011-01-08T08:50:00.000-08:002011-01-10T00:01:51.759-08:00Meditation.... :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUc2uFJ0v5i_rwvqUclsLE6McHt5g2fHXiDDCHLpy6Vfe42IucpRfOM41zLqnt-dF2UPso9M3_WiC6vGb4PVLcZj4soqbHtJu7GoLC-u9_8nv3O5UdhSMtwSSai17X-Qq_kiUVMF790aY/s1600/ggg576.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUc2uFJ0v5i_rwvqUclsLE6McHt5g2fHXiDDCHLpy6Vfe42IucpRfOM41zLqnt-dF2UPso9M3_WiC6vGb4PVLcZj4soqbHtJu7GoLC-u9_8nv3O5UdhSMtwSSai17X-Qq_kiUVMF790aY/s200/ggg576.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559858804648558930" border="0" /></a><br />Gurudev's quotes on Meditation:<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">"The Art of Living is about enhancing that inner space of love in our life, and life around us; and that is meditation."</span><br /><br />"Everyday you should meditate. You brush your teeth, you have a bath to keep your body clean. Similarly, you should listen to a little bit of knowledge and meditate. Cleansing of the intellect happens through knowledge - that knowledge which tells you that everything is impermanent. Music and harmony cleanses the emotions and enriches the heart. By giving, the heart becomes pure. With knowledge and meditation, everything becomes pure."<br /><br />"When you’re meditating, we’re doing so much good to society, to the world around. It generates and releases positive ions in the environment and it is the positive ions that effect thinking, mind, spirit and body, the environment in the universe. It is very important, very precious - not only for us, but also for the world around."<br /><br />"The busier you are, the lesser time you have, the more desires and ambitions you have - the more is the need to meditate. Meditation not only relieves you of stress and strain, it also enhances your abilities,strengthens your nervous system and mind. It also makes you more capable. What else do you want?<br />I would say if...... you want to be happy and healthy, you’ve got to meditate."<br />Meditation helps to change your perspective. It improves the way you perceive things. It brings clarity in the mind. It improves your interaction with people around –what you say, how you react and act in different situations, you become ...more aware. In general, from a stress-free society to peace and health in individuals and from a violence-free society to a sorrow-free soul – all are side effects of meditation."<br /><br /><br />"The knowledge which is born out of meditation is authentic knowledge. Even astrologers and astronomers experience good meditation. They think about stars, galaxies and about quantum physics and they go into deep meditation. From knowledge, meditation is born. Both – knowledge and meditation - give birth to bhakti (devotion). If you do meditation, a fountain of devotion flows in your heart. Bhakti also rises in the heart of the knowledgeable person. They all are one. They seem to be different only from the surface."<br /><br /><br />"Many believe meditation is concentration or a lot of effort. Meditation is not concentration. It is the opposite of concentration. If you want to drive anywhere, you need concentration. If you have to simply relax at home though, there needn’t be an effort. You don't need concentration. Meditation is deep relaxation and not concentration. So if thoughts come during meditation, we don't try to chase them. The more we chase them the more they come. If you want to get rid of a thought it won’t go easily. It will come back stronger. So we take another strategy. If bad thoughts come we give them a hug. We shake hands with them. Then they disappear. If good thoughts come we give them a hug, then they become quiet. Whatever thoughts are coming, we don't try to stop them. It's an effortless process."<br /><br />"There are three golden rules for meditation. The first is you say “I want nothing.” If you say “I need to drink water or change my position,” then meditation cannot happen. When you want nothing, then you also do nothing. The second golden rule is “I do nothing.” You only breathe. Do not make an effort to think “I want nothing” and “I do nothing” - Just an effortless attention. Then the last one is even more important, “I am nothing.” While meditating we drop all notions about ourselves of being rich, poor, intelligent, stupid or any other. So what are you? Nothing. Just a little attention to - “I am nothing. I want nothing. I do nothing.” After meditation you can again be something. It is your choice, but during meditation if you think you are somebody great or somebody hopeless, there is no way you can settle down to that deepest core of the being. To settle into that consciousness of which all of us are made up of, this must be our initial step for meditation. It is the journey from sound to silence."<br /><br /><br />"We want to achieve success in professional life. Isn't it? That's why we take up an enterprise or profession. That provides you means to have comforts for the body. Yoga, meditation and spirituality are about giving comfort to your soul. When the room is very hot, you switch on the air conditioner to give some comfort to the body. AC (Air conditioner) for the mind is meditation – Absolute Comfort to your mind."<br /><br /><br />"The more sattva/purity rises in your life, the more easily your tasks get accomplished. The amount of sattva/ purity in us decides the productivity of our input. If you put in a lot of effort and the result turns out to be less or below your expectations, it means that there is a lack of sattva/ purity in life. When we meditate, then our work happens easily. How many of you have noticed this? (Audience raises their hands). People are unaware of this secret. They think why to spend 20 – 30 minutes meditating, when that time can be spent to earn them money. It is very important to meditate whenever we get time, so that you accomplish your tasks more efficiently and with ease."<br /><br /><br />"Prayer is asking, meditation is listening. In prayer, you ask, ‘Give me this, give me that’, giving instructions, demanding. In meditation, you say, ‘I am here to listen, what is it that you want to tell? Tell me, whenever you are free, I am here. Culmination of prayer is meditation. Prayer goes to the peak and that is meditation."<br /><br /><br />Q: I see some images during meditation. Is that ok?<br />Sri Sri: There is no need to pay attention to that. It is just an experience. In Kriya or meditation you may hear something, see some images or visions but all these come and go. It is a form of stress release.<br /><br />Q. During meditation, the mind wanders to so many places. Once you said, “Let the mind go wherever it wants to”. Does that mean me and my mind are two different entities? If yes, then what is the mind and who am I?<br />Sri Sri: When you try to keep hold of your mind, it runs here and there. When you become aware of the wandering mind, then you realize you are bigger than the mind. When you find you are not this mind, not this body, not anything else, whatever remains is the Self. Knowing your Self, recognize the Supreme Self. Then you find you are everything. You are the mind, the thoughts, you are the whole world. But that happens at the second level. When you know your Self, you know the Divine. Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma – Everything is One Divinity. Knowing this, become established in this knowledge.Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-15250096584842646692010-12-27T04:30:00.000-08:002010-12-27T04:34:16.256-08:00Qualifications for Ashtavakra Gita: Discipline in Speech<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELtGufmOCfoHsoJw3GALyiaNL-s_l2ZYMP17rgMdCaTX_Ubu2BbVW8PvR5bb4gcTms0b_jddsUvrBtaDJxJcqxnFs7t4qTokSMB7lFLNL85IoEtnQh34Y4n5BXVZeKCQ_a7IXdmEb5BY/s1600/gc11.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELtGufmOCfoHsoJw3GALyiaNL-s_l2ZYMP17rgMdCaTX_Ubu2BbVW8PvR5bb4gcTms0b_jddsUvrBtaDJxJcqxnFs7t4qTokSMB7lFLNL85IoEtnQh34Y4n5BXVZeKCQ_a7IXdmEb5BY/s200/gc11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555339188586998146" border="0" /></a><br 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mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >Guruji speaks in the Introduction to Ashtavakra Gita -<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >"Discipline is required in words and speech. Do not say anything that creates turbulence and turmoil in the minds of others. Some people get agitated even if you don’t speak. You are not responsible for that. Do not hurt anyone with your speech, for the divine dwells in every heart.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >A person, whose words and speech are cultured, is eligible for Ashtavakra Gita – a person, who does not or cannot utter unpleasant words even when he is very angry – words which will be like arrows. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >This is the second discipline – discipline in speech. You will see that when you start with this in your life, you will not get a chance to speak harsh words. Just a little change in your tme will be sufficient when matters are not moving quickly. You don’t have to yell at people! We feel we must display some anger. Even in the display of anger there is no need to use any harsh words.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >They say the tongue does not have a bone. That is true. This is how it goes in all directions – up and down, left and right. We slap people, left and right with our tongues. This is abusing the power of our speech. We have been endowed with the power of speech not to create turbulence, but to create silence. But our words go like stones, hitting the silent mind and creating turbulence all over. We have got to bear this in mind – cultured speech. The main purpose or one of the main objectives of silence is to make one aware of what he or she says.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >Don’t think speech has less power; it has lot of power. The more and more we soak in the Being, the more any harsh words from us will become a curse. Our words are to bless people and bring peace to the world." </span></p>Kalyanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16430207004541901945noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1894471803129856698.post-55730686267338465992010-12-10T04:22:00.001-08:002013-08-06T09:00:09.579-07:00Karma....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I read this article loooong back.. and came across it again today.....Interesting concepts of Runanubandhana, karma and astrology.. :)</h3>
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KARMA- A HINDU PHILOSOPHY </h3>
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'Karma literally means "deed" or "act" and more broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction which governs all life. Karma is a natural law of the mind, just as gravity is a law of matter'<br />
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This is beautiful article By Dr Satya Prakash Chowdhary<br />
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As I grew up I started wondering about the purpose of life. Life brought with its myriad experiences, the inevitable experience of suffering too. Why do we suffer? Why are we born? Such questions plagued my mind for a long time. The sacred books and the wise men gave me a glimpse of the theory of karma and transmigration of the soul. It seemed very logical, yet I doubted it especially during the dark nights of the soul, that are common to most spiritual aspirants in the early phases. Then I started studying Jyotish or Hindu Astrology. But it took me years of hard work, some experience and sincere thinking to be convinced. When I started seeing the patterns in the horoscope manifesting in actual life, I had to accept the theory of Karma. Slowly it was no more a belief, but a fact.<br />
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Karma means not only action, but also the result of an action. Whatever we are going through at the moment is the result of previous actions, not just of this life, but many lives. In short Karma is the sum total of our actions both in this life and in the preceding ones. Nothing happens by accident or chance actions. Everything happens in regular order, the past, present and the future being interconnected and interdependent. Cause is Effect concealed, and Effect is Cause revealed!<br />
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Now that brings us to the question of rebirth. Books written by Ian Stevenson, Hiroshi Motoyama, Moody and many other interesting cases strongly suggest that there is proof of rebirth. Every good astrologer himself is proof of Karma and rebirth! Let us examine the theory of Karma and rebirth. You will not cease to exist after death. It is the physical body that dies. The astral body (sukshma or linga sarira) and causal body (karana sarira) continue forth. The causal body has all your Karmas stored in it as seeds, seeds that result in rebirth. As long as man has not exhausted all his Karmas, he has to be born again. All our actions and thoughts become the seeds for our future lives. Karma is at the root of this cycle of births and deaths. Again and again Karma makes us take birth. Countless times have we been born and countless times have we died. Very many wombs have we passed through.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">RUNANUBANDHANA</span><br />
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In each life, we have mother, father, brothers, sisters, spouse, children and so on. We are born in a family as a result of undischarged debts of past lives. Constantly we are creating accounts, debiting and crediting. We are creating Karmic debts with all those with whom we interact. The Karmic debts (rna) lead to bondage or attachment (bandhana). These Karmic attachments pull us into the wheel of existence again and again. runanubandhana (the bond that results from Karma debts) is at the root of repeated lives.<br />
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Karma leads to rna and rna leads to Karma. It works both ways. If you have given something to somebody in some life, the memory is stored in your casual body. That person will be your debtor in this birth. If you have taken in the past, it will be taken from you in some birth. The causal body stores the memory of all of one's runanubandhanas of countless births. Till all the karma stored in the causal body is burnt away or exhausted, there is no liberation from rebirth. Human life is nothing but a memory of runanubandhana, the story of the countless karmas that we make, and live through. Every relationship reflects some runanubandhana. The people with whom we have very strong Ruanubandhana become our parents, spouse, children and coborns in this life. The memory of Karmic debts may be sweet or bitter. Sweet memories of karmic debts lead to a `happy' relationship and bitter memories to an `unhappy' relationship. In reality most of the karmic debts are mixed, a mixture of sweet and bitter memories. That is why most relationships are of a mixed nature. I will try to explain briefly two kinds of relationships that are very important: parent/child and love/marriage relationships.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">PARENT/CHILD RELATIONSHIP</span><br />
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This relationship is the most important. This is the easiest way to discharge our karmic debts toward one another. Some possible ways in which it works:<br />
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i. A person whom you have helped in some life is born as a child, takes good care of you in the present life and discharges his/her debt.<br />
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ii. A person to whom you owe a lot in some life may be born as your son or daughter and take back what you owe. Such a child makes you spend heavily on her/him.<br />
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iii. A person whom you cheated ruthlessly in a previous life is born as your child and gives you a lot of suffering, takes your money and goes away.<br />
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iv. An enemy of some life is born as a son/daughter in this life, in which case, he/she behaves like an enemy, hates you and causes a lot of suffering to you. The spouse, the parents, siblings, friends, servants, all is born in a set up together as a result of runanubandhana.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Love and Marriage</span><br />
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Two people can be mutually attracted to one another only if there was some relationship between them in some previous life. When you meet a person to whom you were related in a previous life, the stored memories or the runanubandhana stir up your emotions and you may start “feeling” for the person. In fact sex itself has rnanubandhana at its roots. In countless lives, we would have had sex with many people. Every longstanding relationship leads to certain deep impressions. Any act when done repeatedly can become a habit. Every habit leaves an impression. These impressions are the samskaras, which drive us to act again. That is why we get sexually attracted many times. But if we have no more debt (rna) with the other person, it just remains as a fleeting thought, as an impulse only. But if the runanubandhana is still there, the attraction results in a relationship. Sometimes even if the karmic debt is discharged, still the samskaras (impressions of past acts) drive us to sex. We eventually end up creating a fresh account, a further karmic debt that is not advisable. Somebody who was your mate in a previous life could have come back as your mother, sibling or father. That is how incest occurs! The previous samskaras stir up an over whelming urge to have sex again in this life. But the nature of the relationship, the purpose being different in this life, it only leads to fresh unwanted karma, which is not safe. In the majority of the sexual attractions, it is only the samskaras and not the actual karmic debts (runa) that operate. But if there is any undischarged karmic debt, it results in a relationship of love. When the karmic accounts are settled, once there is no more debt, the relationship breaks suddenly. But if the runanubandhana is very strong, it results in a long-standing relationship like marriage.<br />
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This is the cause of every relationship, how it is born and how it ends. But nothing is permanent. No karmic debt can be everlasting. Eventually it has to end, when the debt is discharged, when the account is balanced. In this impermanent world change is the law of life. Countless wombs have we passed through. Innumerable mothers, fathers and wives have we been with. But when a karmic debt is over, the attachment might still be there. We still cling on. When rna (debt) is over, the relationship has to end. But anubandhana (bondage or attachment) might still make us cling to the person. Like the fan that turns for a while even after the power supply has been switched off, the attachment doesn't die for some time. Once the rna is over, nothing can sustain the relationship. Hence any further remnants of attachment (anubandhana) are bound to produce only suffering and misery. In some cases, one of the two people involved grows out of the relationship once the rna (debt) is discharged. But the other refuses to move on, due to the attachment (anubandhana). The second person suffers tremendously because any further attachment leads to misery and suffering only. Sometimes there is bitterness also after separation. This bitterness can sow the seeds for future karma! When the karmic debts are over, when a couple has to part ways, as far as possible, it should be done with the least negative feelings. They should part in an amicable way to avoid further seeds of new karma. Easier said than done. The karma that brings two people together into marriage can also be of many types. I will mention a few below:<br />
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i. Bitter enemies are born as husband and wife and always fight, criticize, deceive one another and make their lives miserable.<br />
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ii. Two people who have created negative karma between them come back as man and wife and lead a life of suffering together, fighting with one another.<br />
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iii. Two people who have created both positive and negative karma between them come back as man and wife and have a mixed life causing both happiness and unhappiness to one another.<br />
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iv. Two people who have created positive karma between them in previous lives come back as man and wife and lead a relatively happy life.<br />
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v. One who has taken a lot in some life has to give in the present life. In such a case, one of them will always be giving (money, love, care, etc.) and the other receiving.<br />
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vi. Two souls who are evolving spiritually come as husband and wife, help each other in their evolution and benefit one another. This is the purpose of marriage.<br />
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vii. A couple who has been husband and wife may come back as husband and wife again if their runanubandhana is very strong. If the runanubandhana is very strong and their destinies (lives) are so strongly interlinked, usually both die almost at the same time. If one dies first, generally the other also dies within a few hours or days or weeks. The souls are so strongly identified with one another that towards the end of a successful married life, they behave as if they are one.<br />
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viii. Sometimes (rarely) a very highly evolved being or soul, or spirit or even an avatar is born as two people to accomplish a mission. After the accomplishment of the mission, they merge back into one. Though very rare, such a divine couple also takes birth in all ages. Such a high soul may be born as two separate individuals as husband and wife, brothers, guru and disciple, etc.<br />
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The anubandha (bond) between husband and wife is thus of many types. The patterns of karma are myriad, exceedingly intricate and perplexing. It is very difficult to understand because karma is an eternal mystery that defies all description. Yet we should try to understand what little we could with the guiding `light' of Jyotish.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">KINDS OF KARMA</span><br />
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i. Sanchita Karma or Total Accumulated Karma<br />
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This is the vast store of accumulated Karmas of all past lives (as a human being only). It may be indirectly seen in a man in his character, his tendencies, aptitudes, inclinations and desires.<br />
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ii. Prarabdha or Fructifying Karma<br />
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That portion of our Karmas allocated to us in this life is called Prarabdha. It is the fruit of our past actions that are being reaped in this life. All of Sanchita karma will not be experienced at one time. Only that portion which has `become ripe' for experiencing in this life time is Prarabdha. The natal horoscope reveals Prarabdha only.<br />
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iii. Kriyaman or Current Karma<br />
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This is the fresh karma that we do in this life. This is the area that man has freedom to determine the course of action. This determines our future lives. This is where the concept of free will comes. The horary chart reflects both the prarabdha of past lives as well as the kriyaman of this life. In other words the prashna (horary) chart is the latest karmic bank statement with regard to the query!<br />
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iv. Agami Karma or Future Karma<br />
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The karma that is coming, in other words, new actions that you contemplate as a result of your thoughts, the way you envision the future, is Agami Karma. Today's plans when executed could become a reality one day. Planning is Agami while execution is Kriyaman. Thus Agami (planning) leads to Kriyaman (freshly executed actions of the present) which becomes Sanchita (accumulated) to later surface as Prarabdha (destiny). Sanchita karma manifests in two ways. Firstly, as Prarabdha or the so called destiny, and secondly, as the Samskaras or tendencies.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">JYOTISH OR ASTROLOGY</span><br />
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It sheds light on life by revealing our karmic patterns. When a soul is born into a family, it is because of the karmic debts with the others in that family. When everything is ideal, the situations and the persons fit into the karmic patterns and the soul takes birth. In other words the individual karmic pattern selected for this life has to fit in or correspond to the group (whole) karmic patterns of the family, society, etc. This happens not just by chance, but in accordance with the cosmic patterns.<br />
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What relation does the horoscope have to destiny? Do planets dictate our lives? These are often asked questions. The planets do not control our lives. They reflect the cosmic patterns. The universe works in certain natural cyclic patterns. Both the macrocosm and microcosm operate in a similar way. The planets revolve around the Sun. The electrons revolve around the nucleus in the atom. `As above so below'. This is the fundamental law. A man can be born only at a time when his individual karmic pattern (Prarabdha) matches that of the macrocosm, that is the planetary and stellar patterns. What is happening at a macrocosmic level is also happening at a microcosmic level. By this cosmic law, the karmic pattern matches with the planetary pattern. In other words the time of birth is Prarabdha (destiny)!<br />
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By studying the patterns created by the stellar bodies, we can infer the karmic patterns of the individual, because they both are co-extensive. The horoscope thus reveals the Prarabdha karma of an individual. An intelligent astrologer can analyse to a reasonable extent, the Prarabdha with which a person is born, and based on that, the situations in which the individual may be placed in life at different times. The character, the tendencies, the Prakriti (Constitution), mental make-up and the situations in life are all Prarabdha indicated by the horoscope through the patterns revealed. Hence study of Jyotish or Hindu astrology can shed a lot of light on the unknown aspects of life and is very illuminating. That is why it is called the best light (Jyoti:light; Ish:Lord). Astrology is the best light on life.<br />
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Astrology can guide in our lives by giving hope, by correcting us and most importantly can be a Sadhana (spiritual practice) in itself when done unselfishly. To the spiritual person, it gives proof of karma, rebirth and the goal of life. Used wisely astrology can guide us and help us in our spiritual ascent. Areas like Medical astrology, Muhurta and even predictive astrology (only to some extent when used wisely) can be of immense help in our day to day lives. That is the purpose of astrology too.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">LIMITATIONS OF ASTROLOGY</span><br />
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Astrology has its limitations too. An astrologer cannot see every thing. He has access to limited information. First only the Prarabdha is revealed through a horoscope, that too in a veiled manner. A very good, honest astrologer has access only to the `Patterns'. He does not `see' the story written there. He has to analyse the patterns and infer what it could possibly mean. Often the astrologer (Jyotish) comes to crossroads, where two or more interpretations seem equally possible. Each could manifest in many ways. Only the general or specific trend may be understood. But never `exactly' as it would manifest. The actual event itself may manifest in a manner totally unanticipated by the astrologer. Often the astrologer may misjudge or even be working on wrong information (like wrong birth time)! Even if the astrologer is running a favourable planetary period (Dasha) himself and judges it correctly, he should remember that he has access to the Prarabdha only. He is in the dark where a vital area like Kriyaman Karma is concerned. This is the invisible area, where an individual can make or mar his destiny. Some of the effects of Kriyaman karma manifest in the future lives while some manifest in this life itself. An astrologer can never know exactly about the client's spiritual merit which may be rapidly declining or increasing. Though the predictions can often be uncannily accurate, no astrologer can be hundred percent correct always and therefore should be humble enough in his approach to the divine science. Nothing teaches more humility as the true practice of astrology does. With all these limitations, an honest astrologer can still guide us to a reasonable extent.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">LESSONS</span><br />
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There are a few ideas that emerge from a sincere study of the ancient texts.<br />
Prarabdha cannot be changed by any one. This is destined to happen. No one can avert it. The best way is to accept things as they are and surrender to the Almighty. Prarabdha can affect the body only, not the mind. If one can cultivate sufficient mind control, he can avoid unnecessary mental suffering. In other words disasters happen, but mentally one can remain unaffected by adopting a spiritual attitude.<br />
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Some people take a wrong message from all this. They feel that doing no work, inaction will help them. This is impossible. No human being can ever remain without karma. Bound by Prakriti (Nature), man is forced to do karma by the three gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas). Our Prakriti will make us do karma. Karma is three fold. First there arises a desire. Then you will think of how to get it. Then you exert to attain it. Desire, thought and action always go together. So thought itself is subtle karma, the seed of karma. Karma can be done through the mind (thought), speech (words/verbal) and the body (the actual act). These are three threads, which make the rope of karma that binds all men. Hence even if a man is inactive and refrains from action, he may still be doing karma at a thought level. As long as thoughts are there, karma is being done. A man may be acting, but mentally he may not have sense of agency, in which case karma cannot bind him. This is the essence of the Gita Sloka, `He who sees action in inaction, and inaction in action, is a `Yogi'. Seeing, hearing, talking, thinking, etc. are all Karmas. We are constantly performing karma through the mind, speech and body in all the three states of dreaming, sleeping and walking. There can be no state in which a man is not performing karma. Instead of running away from action, one should instead, give up all sense of agency, the identification with Karmas.<br />
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Can one go beyond karma? As Swami Sivananda said, one can go beyond the results of karma. `Attaining knowledge of Brahman or the Eternal destroys the whole lot of Sanchita karma. It can be greatly modified by entertaining lofty, divine thoughts, and doing virtuous actions. Agami karma can be destroyed by expiatory rites or Prayaschitta, and by removing the idea of agency through Nimitta Bhava (attitude that one is an instrument in the hands of God) and Sakshi Bhava (attitude that one is silent witness of the actions of the senses and the mind)”. If you write a cheque for a hundred thousand rupees and do not sign it, is it valid? No, because your signature is not there. Similarly if you do not put your signature on the actions, they cannot bind you. In other words, you can act, but do not be attached to the result. Do it without any sense of agency, with a Nimita Bhava. Surrendering oneself to God, if one acts without any attachment to the results, the Karmas do not bind him. The sense of `I', `mine' and self identification are your signature. When you do any karma without your signature, it is not going to bind you.<br />
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As Swami Sivananda said, `You have no Bhoga-svatantrya (freedom to determine the result of action) but you have Karma-Svatantrya (freedom to determine the course of action)'. In other words, the only area where we have a choice is the present. Irrespective of the results, one should carry on with his duties, surrendering to the Lord. At times we may not have freedom to determine the results, but we are totally free to determine the course of action. By moving in the right direction according to Dharma, one can alter the course of the future (especially future lives). The situations that we find ourselves in, are due to Prarabdha, over which we have no control. But we have freedom as far as our reaction to the situation is concerned.<br />
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`What you are now at present is the result of what you thought and did in the past. What you shall be in the future will be the result of what you think and do now'. Hence, destiny is your doing. You have built it. Only you can undo it. If your actions of hundred lives have resulted in an adverse condition, you can still undo it. But it requires a hundred times more effort to balance the actions of previous lives. Yet, if you want to change your life you always have the freedom to determine the course of action, if not the results.<br />
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How does karma actualize? The Karmas are stored in the causal body. When the cosmic planetary patterns change, when the time is ripe, the karmas ripen to fruition, the seeds of karma in the causal body sprout and project into the astral body where they influence the mind. The thoughts energize the physical body, thus, to act in a manner that is in accordance with the karmic patterns. Thus any undesirable seed of karma spotted in the horoscope can be prevented from actualizing itself at the mind level if one exercises enough control, since the body translates the thoughts into actions. But this is often very difficult. One who gains total control over emotions like anger, lust, greed etc is indeed a Yogi.<br />
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Intensity of karma<br />
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Here a very important point has to be kept in mind. Karma can be classified into three types based on intensity.<br />
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a. Dridha (Fixed or Strong) Karma<br />
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b. Adridha (Not Strong/Non Fixed) Karma<br />
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c. Dridha - Adridha (Strong/Not Strong or Not Too Strong) Karma<br />
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As the name suggests the Dridha Karmas are very difficult or almost impossible to be changed. Adridha karmas can be easily altered while Dridha - Adridha can be altered through concentrated efforts. Generally Upayes or Pariharas (spiritual remedies) are effective in the 2nd and 3rd types. But to change very strong (Dridha) karma, is very difficult, practically almost impossible. Either we encounter obstacles even in implementing the remedies or a life long attempting of the remedies is required! Change can only occur when the Agami and Kriyaman Karmas neutralise the Prarabdha. Hence, the quality and quantity of effort required to alter destiny (Prarabdha) depends on how strong our previous karmas were. But what we have done can be undone nevertheless.<br />
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When an astrologer sees a confluence of factors, he predicts confidently for he knows that he is looking at Dridha Karma or Fixed Karma. Apart from Purushartha (Self efforts) there is another very important concept that the scriptures offer - Kripa or Divine Grace. Divine intervention or Grace can always do what human efforts fail to achieve.<br />
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Thus there are three factors, which influence the outcome of Prarabdha.<br />
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Muhurtha: Choosing favourable time in accordance with the planetary patterns can augment or maximise the effectiveness of human efforts.<br />
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Agami & Kriyaman Karma: The thoughts and presents efforts can be initiated in the right direction sincerely. A strong current of favorable thoughts combined with sincere efforts can go a long way. Part of this, is seeking spiritual remedies (Upayes or Pariharas) that astrology can offer.<br />
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Kripa or Divine Grace: Divine Grace can intervene and change things. The spiritual remedies are partly aimed at drawing divine grace That is why of all remedies, the most effective, reliable and simple ones are Mantras and Prayers. Mantras , prayers and danam or charity (which is nothing but Selfless Karma) are prescribed by the great sage Parasara.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">WHERE TO PLACE ASTROLOGY</span><br />
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From the above points, it becomes clear how a wise person takes astrology. There are two ways:<br />
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Seek astrological guidance, but don't be totally dependent on it. The astrologer has many limitations. No astrologer has the final say in any matter. Plan intelligently remembering the astrologer's advice. Any pariharas (remedies) suggested by the astrologer can be adopted as long as they are spiritually oriented and do not involve unnecessary expenditure. Such remedies (as per Parashara, the father of Indian astrology) are prayers and chanting of Mantras. Other remedies which involve huge costs are not reliable and are mostly suggested by dishonest astrologers.<br />
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Accept your Prarabdha and do your duties cheerfully. Know that you cannot escape your Prarabdha. Even Yogis can help you only to postpone it, not avert it! But there is one area where you have total freedom. That is your current karma (Kriyaman). You can determine the course of action. You can bring in an anti-current of thoughts, a current of noble, spiritual thoughts, thoughts guided by Dharma. It is never too late to change the course of action. In the Kriyaman area, do good deeds. Let Dharma guide you. Some times there may be a conflict between free will (Kriyaman) and destiny (Prarbdha).<br />
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However powerful Prarabdha is, DO NOT DESPAIR. Do your duties cheerfully without any attachment to the fruits of your actions. Surrender yourself to God and do your duties with a Nimitta Bhava. Great Yogis like Bhisma and Vasishta have placed Purushartha or exertion (free will) above destiny. Do not underestimate the role of Kriyaman Karma, your free will to change the course of action.<br />
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The advanced people do not need astrology. They accept Prarabdha as God's Will. But the ignorant person develops pathological dependence on astrology, starts despairing, lapses into inaction or makes half-hearted attempts. It is for this reason that Vedantic thinkers and saints like Swami Vivekananda and Dayananda Saraswati were opposed to astrology. But saints like Sri Rama Krishna who was Swami Vivekananda's guru, spoke positively about astrology because every realised soul knows it. It all depends on how we take it. The devotee (Bhakta) sees only Prarabdha. The vedantic (Gnani) sees only Purushartha. Both are correct for these are two sides of the same coin. The Bhaktha (Devotee) feels it is all Prarabdha only. Yet there is no fatalism in this. Prarabdha is only Purusharta (efforts born of free will) of previous births. Purushartha combined with Prarabdha brings effects. A man who is sick has to take the medicine (Purushartha) and leave the results to Prarabdha. Through Purushartha, Markandeya conquered death. Vasishta advocates Purushartha to Sri Rama throughout the Yoga Vasishta. We are neither totally bound by destiny nor are we totally free. We have limited freedom like a cow that has been tied to a post in a field with a rope. It can move freely, but only within the limits of the field. We have limited freedom depending upon how much we can stretch our Karma.<br />
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Human life is a story of the alternating patterns of duality, of happiness and suffering, joy and misery, ups and downs. There is not a single life without this admixture, without this pair of opposites. This is the law of life. Though the Atman is identical to the Brahman who is ever-radiant and blissful, the Jiva (individual) suffers because he is entrapped by the limiting adjuncts (Upadhis) of body and mind. The infinite seems to be entrapped by the finite body and mind. Misery is not natural to the Jiva. It comes to experience a state of misery because of its association with a body.<br />
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a. So the cause of misery is a body<br />
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b. The body (birth) is due to karma (previous actions)<br />
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c. Karma arises from attachment and hate, by preference to certain objects and aversion to some.<br />
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d. Attachment and hate arise from Egoism (sense of `I' and `Mine')<br />
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e. This Egoism comes from indiscrimination.<br />
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f. Indiscrimination, from ignorance of your true nature, that you are one with the Brahman<br />
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Thus, the root cause of all suffering and Karma is ignorance. The only way to go beyond this, is to bring the light of knowledge. The first step in this direction is to change one's attitude, to retrace one's steps along the same path that we have come down. In other words, the only solution is to go back to our cosmic roots, to become one with the Cosmic Consciousness. That is liberation, that is moksha, salvation, whatever you call it. We are born so that we can exhaust our karmic debts, so that we may be free. This is the only answer, the only purpose of life. Jyotish is the light that reveals this great truth to us so that we may be free. A sincere study of Jyotish can be a great spiritual education; a Sadhana in itself, for it partly reveals the eternal mysteries of the cosmos to us. It leads us to the unknown through the known. It guides us out through the intricate labyrinth that life is, with its myriad pairs of duality. It shows us the way and ultimately sets us free, by taking us back to our cosmic roots.</div>
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