Gratitude

In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.   
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer.


Have you ever felt gratitude to someone or something? Have anyone ever expressed gratitude to you for something you did?.............Think about it. Isn't it a quality that is getting extinct? Look at the e-world we belong. Connectivity is at our finger tips. To make things easier emoticons are provided. But our take- it -for -granted attitude stands between us and our sense of gratitude/appreciation. 

There are a very few who stand apart, who never forget to appreciate things, however small it might be. Here is a primary school classmate, Madhu N R who fits the bill. In those days he was an introverted kid who answered in monosyllables when talked to. 

Three decades later when i met him, he had already authored a few books and was running a daily cartoon-strip on his Facebook page. But then, he still felt that something was amiss. 

One day after this meeting, i got a call from a Publishing house asking me to Self Publish. Honestly speaking, i had nothing at hand. So i called my friend and passed the information. It caught his interest and a few months later his book was published: Glimpses of Life through Cobweb. 

In the Acknowledgement page he mentioned me. I was very touched. In this world, where sincere efforts go unappreciated,this guy has immortalized me for a bit of information i passed on to him.

Gayathri Mantra

Om bhoor bhuvah swah 
tat savitur varenyam 
bhargo devasya dheemahi 
dhiyo yo nah prachodayaat. 

Gayathri mantra is found in Rigveda. Like all the other mantras the  author of this mantra is unknown. 

Om bhoor bhuvah swah
The first line is not a part of the original mantra. It is an invocation. Every manthra is preceded by an invocation. It is an invocation to the infinite, omnipotent, all pervading Supreme Consciousness that eliminates suffering and manifests happiness. 

tat savitur varenyam 
That Divinely brilliant, the Best and the most Virtuous Creator, worthy of our unconditional love. 

bhargo devasya dheemahi 
Meditate or bear in mind that Absolute being, who is able to cleanse and absolve us. 

dhiyo yo nah prachodayaat 
We pray to that Supreme Parabrahman to guide us out of the worldly illusion and lead us to the  spiritual path and open our eyes upon true Bliss, which is the Supreme Parabrahman  himself.  

Good Friday

"Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."

Jesus Christ embraced suffering to liberate humanity from evil ways and instill in them the supreme  qualities of peace, forgiveness, and restoration of good relations, not only between  man and man, but also between man and nature. "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing" his words from the cross is the ultimate message of  Good Friday. 

The inhuman suffering at the hands of Romans couldn't break his spirit and his good intentions. His words from the cross stands testimony to this, "Love your enemies. Do good to those who hurt you. "

His resurrection on the third day (Resurrection Sunday) symbolizes the victory of  good over evil and proves that good will always prevail.  

Can we manifest?

Miracles do not break the laws of nature, they are actually based on them.  - GMCKS
            
                                                                                                     
Can we manifest things? If we ask this question, 90%  will answer in the negative. Another 8 - 9 %  might oscillate between yes and no. Only 1 - 2% has faith in manifestation. 

One day after a group meditation, i had a vision. I saw a house. At that time we were living in a government accommodation . (My husband being a government employee) He had no plans of buying a house in the city. But i was fed up of living in temporary accommodations. I always loved to have a house of my own. Most of my free time was focused on this. On the other hand, my husband had many reasons against owning a home in the city. I was undeterred, and went on dreaming of a place of my own. 

Coming back to my vision; following night my husband called me , he wanted to show me something on the PC. He was on a popular Realtor's site. He pointed out to a housing project in the neighborhood. As i was going through it, he picked up the phone and dialed the contact number. No one answered. I thought that was it. But to my great surprise he sent an email to the builder. Next day the manager contacted us. After wards it was a whirlwind of  actions. With a little help from our kin we were able to finalize the deal. 

Faith is so simple. It is the ego that casts doubts.  

Holi - The Spring Festival of colors

Holi is a Spring festival celebrated in India , Nepal and all over the world, wherever there are Indians. It is a festival to celebrate good harvest. It is a time of forgiving and forgetting all debts and bad blood. It is a festival of fun and frolic, drums and music, It is a festival of love and color. It is a celebration of the victory of good over evil. It is the beginning of a New year. 

The word Holi originated from Holika, who was the sister of Hiranyakashipu, a king in a province in Punjab. By doing severe penance he got the boon of being indestructible, by humans or Gods or any other existing beings, things or weapons. He became so arrogant that he ordered his subjects to worship him instead of  God. The main dissenter was Prahlad, his own son who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu did everything, from cajoling to punishments, to convert his son. All in vain. So he took the help of his sister Holika to eliminate Prahlad. Holika convinced Prahlad to sit with her on a pyre. Unknown to Prahlad, she had covered herself with a fire-resistant cloak. When the pyre was lit, a strong breeze blew which picked up Holika's fire-resistant cloak and settled it on Prahlad. Thus the wicked aunt Holika was burnt to ashes. To commemorate this victory of good over evil, a bon-fire is lit on the eve of Holi known as Holika Dahan*, the symbolic burning of Holika. In olden days people used to apply the ashes from the bon-fire on their foreheads. Later the ashes gave way to colored powder (gulal). Hiranyakashipu was later killed by Lord Vishnu's Narasimha avatar (half-man, half-lion). 

The festival of Holi is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Falgun (Februay, March). It starts with a bon-fire on the eve of Holi. Following day is a day of celebration. People apply color on each other, Youngsters use color sprays (pichkaris) to spray color on one another. No one is spared, not even strangers. A day of complete freedom, in the open air, accompanied by frolic, colors, drums and music. An intoxicating drink known as Bhang,made with leaves of hemp, is served. In the evening people wash up, wear new clothes and visit their friends and relatives and exchange traditional delicacies. There is no pooja (religious rituals) associated with holi. 

Holi is celebrated with mild variations in different parts of India. In Brindavan, Lath Mar Holi is celebrated, where men go around with shields and women strike on the shields with sticks, maybe a day of gender equality. In this place holi is a 16 day celebration. Kumaoni Holi and Khari Holi has more classical and ethnic music in it respectively. 

* burn to ashes 

The Symbolism

I have always wondered why Krishna loved butter. Was it  because he was brought up in Brindavan among cowherds? Usually one acquires the taste of what is fed to one as a child. But Krishna's love for butter was unique. Even after being fed adequately, he tried to consume butter by hook or crook. Why? 

Then something struck my mind. Wasn't that a symbolism. Wasn't he trying to get the attention of the people to something profound, through this act. This is what i think of it.

Imagine the churning pot to be planet earth and milk /curd to be the life on earth. Churning represents the karmic cycle. And as the churning  goes on butter surfaces and this butter symbolically represents the evolved souls that got detached from the karmic cycle. When one gets out of the karmic cycle one gets moksha. And what happens to such souls.They become one with the Supreme Parabrahman. Krishna here represents the Supreme Parabrahman. The Supreme Parabrahman is eagerly waiting for the evolved souls. Krishna's love for butter is a symbolic represention of the Supreme Parabrahman's unquenched love of the evolved souls.  

Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra

"Om Triayambakam Yajaamahe, Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam 
Urvarukamiva Bandhanaan, MrityorMukshiya Maamritaat."


This is Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra. Mrityu in Sanskrit means death and Jaya means victory. So the name itself suggests that it is a mantra to conquer death/ fear of death. It is addressed to Triambaka, the three-eyed one (Lord Shiva). This verse is taken from Rigveda. . It is to be chanted 108 times. 

Meaning of the verse made simple:

Om Triambakam Yajaamahe = Salutations to the three-eyed one (Lord Shiva), 

Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam = One who exudes Spiritual fragrance  and nourishes all beings 

Urvarukamiva Bandhanaan = Like a cucumber cut off from the vine, which is holding the cucumber in bondage, may Lord Shiva cut off our attachment/ bondage to worldly life.

MrityorMukshiya Maamritat =  May Lord Shiva liberate us from the fear of death by making us realize our immortal nature.

Adolescent Love

Adolescent love/ Puppy love is part of growing up. Some indulge in it for the sake of it. Some get serious and for some it is just a game - they flit from one love to another like a butterfly. Some walk into it unknowingly, like me. Being a very uncommunicative person or at best a misunderstood person, I can't imagine how it happened. But it happened. And like most puppy loves it ended too. And the best thing is we are still great friends. 

A word of caution to parents, do not get wound up when you come to know about your kid's Puppy love. See it as a part of growing up. 99.9% of the population had passed through this phase and the world has not come to a standstill. So be calm and composed. Just talk to the kid. Be a friend. Just remind them to be responsible. 

The most celebrated Puppy love is that of Radha and Krishna.

A Low Cholesterol Friend

I had a very good friend during college days, with whom i lost contact when college was over. Almost after 2 decades we reconnected and while talking he told me that he had survived a massive heart attack. As far as i know him, and still, he was a teetotaller, who did regular exercise and was cautious of his food intake. He was a good family man, a regular church goer, a charitable person and most of all a very humble guy. 

When i enquired, how this happened to him after following such a systematic life, he said that his *cholesterol levels were very low and the doctors too suggested that might be a reason that contributed to the heart attack. The good cholesterol HDL was 18 at that time, which was very low. We didn't go much into the technicalities, both being non-medical guys. 

I read somewhere, that studies show depression, violence and suicidal tendencies are related to low cholesterol. But if you come across this person, you will sham all those studies. 


* Low cholesterol and low potassium levels could be life threatening.

Path to Enlightenment

Does the knowledge of Scriptures lead one to Enlightenment?  If that is so, half of the people would have become Buddhas by now. People are amassing knowledge, without enlightenment. Why?  

For the realization of Supreme Truth, knowledge alone is not enough. Scriptures can be learned by anyone who puts in an effort. But how many are aware of the deep meaning or essence of the teachings. To understand the essence of the scriptures, tremendous effort is needed. For that effort you may not receive accolades from the world. You have to toil for your own satisfaction. Once you achieve it and can live it, then you are truly blessed. 

The path to inner wisdom is through meditation. In the profound stillness and silence things are revealed to you. There the union/yoga of the individual consciousness and cosmic consciousness take place. Only a true Yogi has the power / perception to differentiate the real from the unreal.

The Bigger Picture

We are like the blind men who have gone to see the elephant. Each examines/feels a different part of the elephant and thinks, this is it, this is the real elephant. Similar is the case with most humans. Our perception of life on this planet is just like the perception of the blind men. We are not aware of the bigger / whole picture. 

Each one knows something, but not everything. Each one develops their own perception depending on what he / she has encountered and sticks to it. 

We are borne into this world for a reason. That reason being the development of consciousness. And this planet provides the best environment for it. So everything that happens to a person, a group, a place, a nation, happens for a reason. The ultimate aim behind every happenings, whether good or bad, is the development of consciousness. It might be for the development of the individual or the  collective consciousness. 

Most of the time, due to the blind men's approach to life, instead of learning a lesson from  bad / evil situations, we respond /react absurdly, due to our limited knowledge.Without understanding the whole picture, we blame and complain, we agitate against it or evade it. The limited self is unable to see the challenge placed before it. Thus lose the opportunity to learn a lesson and expand the consciousness. 

There is nothing called an 'accident' or coincidence. Everything that happens is according to the Divine Plan. So learn to trust the life and try to enjoy the journey, even though you may not understand it wholly.

My Father

Other than myself the next best friend i had was my father. I loved to be near him whenever he was at home. And he, in turn, was very patient. Like every children, i too was curious. I had so many doubts and questions. He listened to me and cleared my doubts as simply as he could. If, still he was unable to convince me, his stock answer would be:" once you grow up you will understand it." That was acceptable to me. 

He provided us with the best things in the world. He didn't want us to miss what he missed as a child. Both his parents died when he was very young. He was the youngest in the family and was ill-treated and subjugated by his siblings. At the age of 16 he ran away from home. When he could stand on his own he came back, the siblings who had squandered all the family wealth, unashamedly rallied around him. He forgave but never forgot. 

As a teenager too i used to confide things to him. He always listened and gave his opinion. In times of distress he was my knight in shining armor. 

For all this love, care, trust what could i give him back? Nothing. He was a self-made man. He had all what he wanted. Did he? From the time i could remember, he missed one thing. He missed his mother. Most days, in sleep he called out for his mother. He still missed the love and care of his mother. This yearning continued till the end of his life. 

At this point of life, the only thing i can wish for him is; If he has a rebirth, let him be blessed with the best mother and every best things in this world. 

Knowing oneself

A person who is ready to begin his spiritual journey has to be grounded. That is one should be stable mentally and emotionally. To be grounded, one should know oneself inside out. One should be able to look at one's own merits and demerits objectively. So that one is not carried away by undeserving praises showered upon one. 

One should develop a habit of retrospection - objective retrospection, which would foster spiritual development. It would help one to remain balanced in a society that is frivolous and partisan. 

'One should have the strength and stamina for constant self-appraisal and be ready to receive and withstand criticism.' One should be able to identify and sacrifice ones vices; to achieve something higher and to uplift one spiritually, while rooted in this world. 

Thus knowing oneself is the first step towards eternal happiness. 

Sacrifice

Moksha or Salvation depends on one's Karma. How is this possible? 

When one is liberated from the cycle of karma, one attains Salvation. 

Suppose everyone on this planet were rigid and egotists, what will happen? Nothing. The whole world will come to a stand still. Therefore at creation itself the Creator ingrained a particular quality in each of His creation. That is the capacity to do sacrifice. The very quality that would help us to grow and sustain ourselves.The very quality that will bring peace and prosperity to the practitioners. 

Sacrifice does not imply distancing from / denying yourself something you love. It implies the willingness to accommodate the interests of others too. That is, live and let live. So in a wider sense, it is the capacity to be selfless, which ennobles human nature. 

Unfortunately, most pass through life unaware of this inherent quality and are never liberated from the karmic cycle.

The Divine and the Demonic Nature / Bhagwad Gita - Chapter 16

In Chapter 16 of Bhagwad Gita Bhagwan Sri Krishna deliberates on the Divine and Demonic natures, especially the Demonic. 

Sri Krishna says that the ones with Divine nature are endowed with the following qualities: Fearlessness, purity of heart, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, control over senses, sacrifice, study of Vedas, austerity, virtue, non-violence, honesty, absence of anger, renunciation, tranquility, averse to criticize others, compassion, free from greed, gentleness, modesty, determination, courage, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness and no hatred. 

The Demonic nature is manifested as pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harsh words,ignorance. 

For the ones with Demonic nature this is a place for self- gratification. These lost souls are full of misconceptions and misunderstandings that they engage in non-beneficial and horrifying activities that are destructive to the world. Due to lack of discrimination these people are attached to insatiable lust and are full of pride and false prestige. Satisfying their sensory desires is of prime importance. The outcome of attachment to too many desires is anxiety, lust and greed. They tend to become more and more greedy - insatiable. In the long run they become egoists These people become so conceited, stubborn, proud and deluded by wealth, that they perform superficial and namesake sacrifices which are not according to Vedic injunctions. 

Due to egotism, power, arrogance, lust and anger, these demonic men become envious of the Supreme personality of Godhead, who is situated in their own bodies and the bodies of others. Such men are repeatedly cast into the ocean of material existence, that is, through repeated births they are kept away from the Supreme being. 

There are three gates that lead to hell - Lust, Anger, Greed, If one has to escape these three gates of hell, one has to engage in acts of self-realization, understand and practice the regulations of the scriptures and gradually reach ones spiritual destination. 

The Divine nature leads to liberation and the Demonic nature leads to bondage. 

Dhyan - Arhatic Dhyan

After completing my Advance Pranic Healing and Pranic Psychotherapy course, i started my healing practice at home. After the Twin Hearts Meditation and the morning chores, i spent some time to practice healing. Practice makes one perfect. This became my routine for months. At this time i got a call from the Pranic Healing Foundation to join the Arhatic Prep. classes. These  are initiation classes to become an *Arhatic Yogi. 

In Arhatic Prep. classes the students are taught higher meditations along with other topics. Arhatic Dhyan is one such meditation. During my first Arhatic Dhyan, i was very composed and calm and was following the instructions. At some point of time, i found myself at a height, as if, i was looking down from a flight. The only difference was in the color, like wearing a shade over my eyes. Then the scene changed. I was at  a place, a place of profound silence, intuitively felt it was snow and ice all around. The only sense organ that was working was my Eye - my "shaded"vision. Suddenly i was terrified and the next instant i was back in my body, in the meditation hall.

*''Arhatic'' is derived from ''arhat'' describing a highly evolved being. This yoga system was given by MahaGuruji Mei Ling to Master Choa Kok Sui. It has its origin from China, India and Tibet. In addition to being an advanced technique practised by Spiritual initiates, it also synthesizes and integrates all yogas: Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Gnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Mantra Yoga, and simplified Hatha Yoga. - Excerpts from Master's Book. 

AUM - The Mantra

OM/ AUM is the Pranava Mantra. Pranava means associated with prana or the breath. Mantra means repetitive sound that uplifts one spiritually. OM or AUM is a combination of the sounds "aa", "au", "m". The sound OM is a prayer in itself. 

The sound OM encompasses the past, the present , the future and beyond. OM encompasses infinity. OM is a representation of the nirguna (unmanifested) and the saguna (manifested) aspects the Brahman. That is, the OM represents the abstract and the concrete. 

The recital of the OM should be in tandem with one's breath. Inhale, then exhale OM. The mantra OM should be exhaled. Be aware of the profound silence and stillness between two OMs. If done properly, this raises one's vibrations and in the long run will get attuned to the cosmic vibrations, which will enlighten the reciter. 

Recently i read an article in FB, which says that NASA has discovered that OM is the sound of the Sun. It is, actually, inaudible to human ears. But with the help of technology they made it audible and it sounded similar to OM.The amazing fact is how did the 'so-called Ancients' hear it? 

5. Detachment - Growing Up Spiritually

This is the fifth article in the series Growing Up Spiritually.

Link to the fourth article:  http://ashasnair.blogspot.com/2016/02/4-meditation-growing-up-spiritually.html

To a layman detachment is the sacrifice of all material aspects of life. This terrifies him. How can one sacrifice all that was accumulated with such diligence. So when one is faced with a choice between detachment and attachment (possessions). The latter is chosen without a second thought. 

To me detachment means not being overtly possessive. We all know that one day we have to leave everything that we posses. Then what happens? Someone else will inherit it. We have no idea for whom we have amassed all those. Each grain is engraved with the name of its consumer. Quote unquote

The possessive nature comes from ego, desire, attachment, fear and ignorance. If you have a granary full of grains, and you sit guard there,for fear of being looted, you will sit there and die of  hunger and starvation. Instead,if you keep what is needed for you and distribute the rest among the needy, you are detached. Charity is the best policy.

Similarly in every aspect of human life like beliefs, thoughts and words one has to be objective. Hold your belief and let others have their own. Have your thoughts, but don't be carried away. Hang on to good and positive ones that will enlighten you.Study and raise your consciousness. Let sweet words come out of you that pleases you as well as others. Live and let live.

For me Abraham Lincoln's words sums up detachment: With malice towards none and charity to all.