Beautiful Arati fire ceremony at Sivananda Yoga Ashram

path2yoga.blogspot.com Devi Puja and Arati at the Sivananda Ashram in Madurai, India

Sai Sat Charita Parayan Friday

Om Sri Sai Ram Friday’s Parayan The people of Shirdi while doing their daily chores used to sing Baba’s praise. They were blessed. They considered Sai to be God. One day Baba lost in the wrestling game of khushti against Thamboli and as per the rules of the game he had to leave Shirdi and live in another place for a few days. During this period Baba would wander in the jungles and Baijabai, an elderly lady, would go searching for him with homemade food. Sai Baba remembered Baijabai’s devotion and took care of her son Tatya all his life. On his return to Shirdi, Baba started go around Shridi begging for food. Baba would visit about two or three and from the food received he would eat a little and the rest he used to distribute to the poor. He used to say that he was the servant of the devotees. Once a devotee by the name Nanavali ordered Baba to get down from his throne and he went and sat on the same and after a while got up and went away. Baba did not mind Nanavali’s behaviour at all and without any hesitation his Bhakta’s desire to sit on the throne to be fulfilled. Baba never expected anything from anybody and was always sympathetic to everyone. One day while Mrs Tharakad, another devotee of Baba, was having lunch a dog came to her door. Mrs.Tharakad gave him some of her food and appeased the hunger of the dog. Afterwards when Mrs. Tharakad met Baba at the Masjid, Baba said “ you appeased my hunger and you fed me well.” By this Baba wanted to convey to her that the hunger of the dog and his hunger were not different and whoever feeds the hungry and then eats himself will achieve salvation. Who ever sees me in every living being is my true devotee, Baba told Mrs. Tharakad. Once Govind Balaram Bhaskar who was on his way Shirdi met Mrs.Tharakad. Mrs Tharakad gave him a Peda and requested him to give it to Baba. On reaching Shirdi, Govind Balaram Bhaskar forgot about the Peda and remembered only when Baba asked him for the peda. Baba eagerly ate the peda like he was waiting for it for a long time. Sai Baba used to sleep in the Dwarkamai on a small wooden plank presented by a devotee by the name of Dengle. The plank was hung from the roof with the help of strings made of rags and people who saw it wondered how Baba managed to sleep on the plank and they would often gather at night to watch Baba sleep. One day a crowd gathered to watch Baba sleep, Baba pulled the plank and broke it into pieces and threw it into the burning dhuni. Sai Baba knew the past, present and future of his Bhaktas. Kaka Mahajani who had come to Shirdi to stay for a week was asked by Baba to leave for his home town immediately. On his return Kaka Mahajani found that he was urgently needed by his employer as the manager of the firm had fallen sick. Dhumal, a pleader in the village, came to see Baba on his way to the court and was asked by Baba to stay and not leave Shirdi for a week. When Dhumal went to the court a week later he came to know that the case had been postponed for a week. Once Tatya Patil ignoring Baba’s advice left for the mandi and he met with an accident when his horse cart toppled over and his horse suffered a sprain. Tatya also received minor injuries and had to call of his trip to the mandi. Once a foreigner came for Baba’s darshan and he was asked to sit on the floor. The foreigner felt insulted and wanted to leave Shridi immediately. Baba read his mind and asked him to stay back for one more day. But the foreigner ignored Baba’s advice and left Shirdi. He met with an accident and had stay in hospital for some time. One day Baba informed his devotees that he would wear the orange robe that day. The people there did not get the meaning of what Baba meant by orange robes. In the evening a Nasik Brahmin by the name Mule Shastri offered flowers to Baba and as he was prostrating before Baba he saw his Guru Dholup Swamy where Baba was standing. When Mule Shastri got up he saw Baba again standing in front of him. Similarly, to a doctor who was a Ramabhakta Baba appeared as his guru Sri Ramachandra Murti. Baba would always advise the people in Shirdi to stay united and live in harmony irrespective of the religion they followed. God will always save you, try to achieve salvation, without achieving the salvation life is meaningless, Baba would say. He would ask his devotees to forgive those who hurt them and to help each other. Once during summer holidays Mrs.Tharakad came to Shirdi. One day when Mrs Tharakad came to the Masjid for Baba’s darshan, Baba told her that he had been to her house in Bandra that day but there was nothing there for him to eat. Everyday Mrs. Tharakad would offer Naivedya to the photo of Sai Baba at her shrine in the house in Bandra. However, while she was away at Shirdi, Mr. Tharakad had forgotten to offer Naivediya. Thus, Baba informed his devotees that the puja to the picture is doing puja to him in person. Baba was omniscient and he experienced the love of his devotees and tasted the food offered by them even when they were far away from him. Sai Baba never allowed anyone to put sandal paste on his forehead, but one day one Dr.Pandit applied sandal paste on Baba’s forehead and Baba did not object. Seeing this people asked Baba why did not object to Dr.Pandit’s action. To this Baba replied that Dr. Pandit saw him as his own guru Raghunath maharaj thus he did not object. Dr. Pandit later confirmed this by saying he saw his guru Raghunath maharaj in Baba. Sai Baba used to chant God’s name and used to distribute the sacred ash – vibhuti to people. The vibhuti cured even those diseases that were thought to be incurable. Bimaji Patil once contracted tuberculosis and it became so severe that he began to vomit blood. He came to Baba seeking help. Baba asked him not to worry and said that all his difficulties will be over soon. Baba said that whoever steps into Dwarkamai with true devotion will see an end to all pain and suffering. The fakir at this place is very compassionate and he takes care of everyone who has true devotion, Baba said to Bimaji Patil. That night Baba appeared in his dream and blessed him and the next day when Bimaji woke up he found himself cured and free of all the symptoms of tuberculosis. In order to express his gratitude Bimaji Patil started a vrata called Sai Vrata similar to the Satynarayana vrata. Sriman Baba Saheb Buti once suffered from Diahorrea and Baba saw him going to the toilet very often. On seeing this Baba pointed a finger towards Mr Buti and said he was cured of diahorrea at that very instant. Within seconds Mr Buti felt cured. Baba was known to cure many devotees by making them eat things that were known to aggravate to those conditions, like almond and pistachio paste for people suffering from an upset stomach. Once Baba cured a Sanyasi who came to Baba complaining of severe earache simply by saying “Allah will take care of you.” One Dutta Pant got cured of the stomach pain he was suffering from for nearly fourteen years by eating the Udi given by Baba. Shama, another devotee of Baba, who was suffering from piles was cured with the essence of Sonamukhi seeds. After sometime Shama again got piles and he decided to cure himself by taking the sonamukhi seeds. And to his surprise the stomach ache became severe and he had to seek Baba’s help. Pandit Gangadhar was cured of his stomach pain when Baba placed his hand on his stomach and said “God will take away your pain. Hardik Sidique Phalke who had been to Mecca for pilgrimage was not allowed to enter the Masjid for nine months. He was allowed to enter only when his ego and pride were gone. Baba embraced him. Once Das Ganu wore a fancy robe and jewellery for a Harikatha recital. Baba called him and asked him to be simple and do the Harikatha like Narad rish. Das Ganu understood the significance of what Baba said and immediately changed into the simple everyday attire of dhoti and angavastra. Sri Sai Baba never offered any mantra to chant or ask his devotees to do yoga. He only asked them to chant God’s name with a pure heart and to remember God always. Baba had control over the natural elements. Once heavy thunder and storm raged over the Shirdi. Baba pointed his finger towards the sky and asked the thunder and storm to be calm. The storm immediately subsided. Once the fire in the dhuni flared up and the flames leapt up to the ceiling. Baba hit his satka on the ground and asked the fire to calm down. Within seconds the fire stopped raging and the flames subsided and the people around were relieved. Whenever devotees felt jealous or had bad thoughts, Baba would read their mind and in a subtle way teach them how to be rid of their unpleasant thoughts and feelings. In order to instil in his devotees the feeling of compassion he would take dakshina from them and by evening he would distribute the money collected as daskshina amongst his bhaktas. The two rupees Baba used to take from him devotees signified patience and devotion, Baba said. Once he asked Sri Narke for fifteen rupee. Mr Narke told Baba that he did not have money, to which Baba said that he did not want the money, he only wanted Sri Narke to practice the yog nishta he was studying. Sometimes Baba used to refuse to take dakshina from devotees and when they brought expensive presents he would scold them. One Sri Jholkar came to Shirdi for Baba’s darshan and for the trip he had saved money by not consuming sugar. On seeing Sri Jholkar, Baba immediately ordered that Sri Jholkar be given tea with a lot of sugar. Sri Jholkar was moved to tears and he realised that God took care of those who worshipped him with pure devotion. Om Sri Samarth Sadguru Sai Nath Maharaj Ki Jai. Baba, I bow before you. Please bless my family and friends with good health and happiness. With your grace and blessings I was able to complete the parayan for Friday. Please bless me with your remembrance, today and always. Om Satguru Sainathay Namah. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Sai Sat Charita Parayan Thursday

Here is a small attempt to give the Sai Satcharita in a summarised form so that every one can read the same daily from Thrusday to Wednesday,the same is ably edited by Bhuvenewari, hope this will help in achieving the spiritual goal for all of us. OM SRI SAIRAM Thursday’s Parayan Param Guru Sainath ! I salute you a thousand times and bow before you. I depend on you completely and have full faith in you. I seek your blessings. Your grace protects my life. Parameswar, please keep me with you, and let not any evil spirit distract me from your guidance and please give me strength to be with you always. Let me understand all your teachings and let me acquire the good qualities of a good human being. Sainath I prostrate before you a thousand times. In the district of Kopergaon in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, there is a small village called Shirdi and in that village under a neem tree Sai baba appeared as sixteen year old boy. Baba lived there for many years and his kindness and miracles made Shirdi a holy place. No one knows the place of Sai Baba birth and no one knows about his parents. Baba never spoke to anyone about his past, his family or early years. He was affected by neither rain nor scorching heat nor the cold weather in winter. He would sit under a neem unaffected by the changes in the weather. He would often be seen in padmasan mudra doing the tapas. Once the people of Khandoba dug up a portion near the neem tree where they found a cave with four lamps burning. Baba informed the people that the cave was his Guru’s and asked the people around to protect it. Soon after this Sai Baba left Shirdi. He came back after three years with a marriage party and thereafter stayed in Shirdi till his samadhi. Once Chand Patil, a rich man, from the village called Dhoop was searching for his mare and then he saw a fakir wearing a turban and kafni sitting under a mango tree. The fakir told Chand Patil that his mare was near the nullah. To Chand Patil’s surprise and joy the mare was near the nullah. When he returned near the mango tree to thank the fakir, he saw the fakir strike the ground with his satka and out came a burning ember with the fakir let chillum and with a wet piece of cloth he held the hukkah pipe. The fakir offered Chand Patil the hukkah. Chand Patil realised that the fakir was not an ordinary human being. He requested the fakir to accompany his family to Shirdi for the wedding of his brother in law. When the marriage party reached the entrance to the village the priest of the khandoba temple welcomed the fakir by saying O SAI please come and from that day he was called SAI and in due course he became SAI BABA. In Shirdi, Baba stayed in a masjid made of mud. He wore a turban and kafani and his only possessions were a tin pot, a satka and chillum. Sai dressed like a Muslim, followed Hindu rituals and practices, like Hindu his ears were pierced and he resided in a in a masjid which he called Dwarakamai. He always kept a dhuni burning in the masjid like an ever burning agnihotra. He used to grind wheat in the two stone handmill. The devotees used to ring the bell before entering the masjid and would offer things in the dhuni to keep it burning. Brahmins used to visit the masjid and bow there heads before SAI BABA. Sai Baba would always chant Narayan Narayan and Allah Malik – Allah is the sole owner of this world. The Hindus celebrated Ramanvami festival at Shridi and the Muslims celebrated the sandal procession at the same time in Shirdi. Some times Baba would wear the bells on his ankle and dance as if in a trance all through the day and night and people would stand watching him mesmerised. Many people returned to good health on seeing SAI BABA and many had their desires fulfilled. Baba’s touch helped blind people regain their vision and the lame were able to start walking. His grace ensured that there was no dearth of food or clothing at the house of Baba’s devotees. Sai Baba used to say that whoever chanted his name or remembered him, he would always take care of their needs. He always blessed his devotees. Baba talked to everyone very affectionately and never discriminated between the rich and the poor. Even though he lived in Shirdi he knew about events happening in distant places. He used to remove evil thoughts from the minds of his devotees and would urge them to nourish good thoughts. He directed them to the spiritual path. Baba’s fame spread far and wide drawing devotees from different parts of the world. His presence gave immense solace to people who came to see him. At Dwarkamai Baba used to light earthen lamps with oil borrowed from the shop keepers at Shirdi. One day the shopkeepers refused to give Baba oil to light the lamps, saying that there was no oil in their stores. This behaviour of the shopkeepers did not upset Baba, instead he went about calmly pouring water in the lamps and to the utter bewilderment of the shopkeepers, Baba managed to light the lamps filled with water. The shopkeepers were ashamed of their behaviour towards Baba and they requested him to forgive them. Baba said that they were free to give or refuse but they should never lie. An old man called Gouli Bua was a devotee of Lord Vittal and when he saw Baba at Shirdi he knew in his heart that Sai Baba was the incarnation of Vittal He knew that Baba was not an ordinary person. During his early days in Shirdi Baba created a beautiful garden in the courtyard of the masjid and everyday he would water the plants with water in earthen pots. Baba would fetch water from a well that was far away from the masjid and after watering the plants he would break the earthen pots at the foot of the neem tree. Baba was given a fresh earthen pot everyday by Tatya Patil. In due course of time a lovely garden developed near the masjid. Gangadhari, a sadhu, on seeing Baba water the plants in the garden predicted that the boy would one day be a precious jewel of Shirdi. Shri Anand Rao Maharaj, a devotee of Akalkot Maharaj said the boy was a gem and the people would realise this one day in the near future. Once Shri Krishnaji, a devotee of Akalkot maharaj wanted to do the puja of the padukas of the Swami in Akalkot. In his dream he sawBaba who asked him to Shirdi and perform the paduka pooja. As instructed Krihnaji did the prathishta of the padukas under the neem tree and he took Baba’s blessings before doing the prathishta of the padukas. Sri Upasini Baba wrote a prayer and the same was engraved near the padukas under the neem tree. During Baba’s stay in Shirdi he used to act like a doctor and used to treat the people for their ailments. People with no vision were given back their vision with the help of Baba’s medication of biba seed paste which was applied over the eyes and bandaged. When the bandage was removed the patient found his/her sight restored. Sometimes Baba would take the sufferings of his devotees upon himself and would suffer along with them. Mr Kharpade’s son once got bubonic plague and Mr Kharpade came to Baba seeking his help in curing his son. Baba told Mr Kharpade that he was aware that his son was ill and had already started the process of treating the boy. Baba showed Mr and Mrs Kharpade showed the Bubos of Plague on his body and said that he had taken the same on himself to cure the boy. Baba used to treat devotees who were ill even when they were far away from him. One day Baba thrust his hand into the dhuni severely burning his whole arm. When questioned why he had done that Baba said that in a far away place a blacksmith’s wife who was working the near fire suddenly got up without remembering that she was holding her little baby in her lap. The baby was falling into the fire when, as the mother later recounted, an invisible hand stopped her son from falling into the fire and was thus saved. People in Shirdi realised that Baba was omniscient and knew if his devotees were in trouble and would rush to help them no matter where they be. Bhagoji Shinde, who was afflicted by leprosy, used to apply ghee to Baba’s wound caused by the fire and gently massaged his hand after it started to heal. Bhagoji Shinde continued with this practice till the Samadhi of Sai Baba. Bhagoji Shinde’s devotion towards Baba and Baba’s affection for him showed that Baba treated all his devotees alike and never discriminated on grounds of caste, creed or physical affliction. Sai Baba’s devotee, Das Ganu Maharaj, once wished to go to Prayag for a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam. Baba asked Das Ganu Maharaj to have faith in him and that he would soon be able to visit Prayag. Baba said that as Das Ganu was prostrating at his feet when water began to flow from Baba’s feet. Das Ganu beheld the holy rivers of the Sangam sitting at Baba’s feet. For some time a bachelor called Rohilla used to stay at the masjid with Baba and he used to do the aajan every day shouting Allah O Akbar and used to read loudly verses from Koran. This disturbed the peace and tranquillity of the place and many devotees complained to Baba about this and asked him to stop Rohilla from shouting. Baba asked his devotees to be patient with Rohilla saying that the bachelor was being troubled by his wife (bad thoughts) causing him to wail out the Lord’s name loud. As assured by Baba Rohilla recovered and stopped screaming. A devotee of Baba, Sheerasagar worshipped Lord Vittal till his death but his son discontinued the puja thereafter and never offered Naivedya. Baba passed on a message to Sheerasagar’s son saying that his father was a great friend of his and scolded the son for ignoring the puja and Naivedya of Vittal Bhagwan. Sheerasagar’s son realised his mistake and in earnest started the puja of Lord Vittal observing all the practices his father had followed including the offering of naivedya everyday. Anna Saheb Dabolkar once came to Shirdi, offered his pranam to be Baba by prostrating at his feet. Anna Saheb witnessed several changes in his life thereafter. While he was at Shirdi Anna Saheb once saw Baba grinding wheat at the masjid. Some ladies who were also witness to this sat down with Baba and began to help him grind the wheat. And while they did this they began to sing beautiful songs in praise of the miracles Baba had shown. When all the wheat was ground they began to gather the flour to take home with them. Seeing this Baba got angry and directed the ladies to take the flour and spread it in four directions across of the village. This, devotees later realised, was done to prevent cholera epidemic from spreading into the village. Seeing this and the other miracles of Baba Anna Saheb Dhabolkar wanted to write a book on them and he sought Baba’s permission through Shama, the great devotee of Baba. Baba granted Anna Saheb permission by applying udi on his forehead. Baba told Anna that he was would be a tool for writing the book while he would write his own biography as a living example. “Once my devotees listen to my leelas and preaching they will take the spiritual path and even an atheist will learn to respect me and begin to have faith in me,” Baba told Anna Saheb. He also said that no one who believes in him will ever go hungry. Baba used to lovingly address Anna Saheb as Hemandpant. Both Gopal Rao and Damu Anna Kesar who were childless for a long time were blessed with children by Baba’s grace. And in order to express their gratitude, Gopal Rao and Anna Kesar decided to start celebration of the Ramanavami festival and flag hoisting in the Masjid. Damu Anna Kesar and Nana Saheb together donated two flags which were taken out in a procession around Shirdi and thereafter they placed at the masjid. During this time a Muslim gentleman decided to start the Sandal paste procession. At Shirdi Ram katha, the cradle festival celebrating the birth of Lord Rama, and Sandal procession were held in a spirit of harmony between members of the Hindu and Muslim communities. A weekly reading of the Nam Saptah was also held and on the concluding day the poor were fed a sumptuous meal. Om Sri Sathguru Sainath Mahara Ji Ki Jai. O Sri Sainath, I prostrate at your feet and seek your blessings. Today I have completed the first day’s reading of your Satcharita. Please bestow your blessings on me to complete the weekly reading of your Satcharita. Please bless me and those around me with peace, tranquillity, and devotion towards you. I pray for your Grace all through my life. Sat Guru Sainathaya Namah Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

The Good You Do Comes Back To You

THE EVIL YOU DO REMAINS WITH YOU, THE GOOD YOU DO, COMES BACK TO YOU. A woman baked chapati for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the extra chapati on the window sill, for whosoever would take it away. Everyday, a hunchback cums and took away the chapati. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way: “The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!” This went on, day after day. Everyday, the hunchback came, picked up the chapati and uttered the words: “The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!” The woman felt irritated. “Not a word of gratitude,” she said to herself… “Everyday this hunchback utters this jingle! What does he mean?” One day, exasperated, she decided to do away with him. “I shall get rid of this hunchback,” she said. And what did she do? She added poison to the chapatti as she prepared for him! As she was about to keep it on the window sill, her hands trembled. “What is this I am doing?” she said. Immediately, she threw the chapati into the fire, prepared another one and kept it on the window sill. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chapati and muttered the words: “The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!” The hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman. Everyday, as the woman placed the chapati on the window sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news of him….. She prayed for his safe return. That same evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, “Mom, it’s a miracle I’m here. While I was but a few miles away, I was so famished that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by. I begged of him for a morsel of food, and he was kind enough to give me a whole chapati. As he gave it to me, he said, “This is what I eat everyday: today, I shall give it to you, for your need is greater than mine!” ” As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale. She leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned chapati that she had made that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son, and he would have lost his life! It was then that she realized the significance of the words: “The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!” Do good and Don’t ever stop doing good, even if it?s not appreciated at that time Hope you remember a saying in urdu which says NEKI KAR DARYA MEIN DAL If you are expecting some favours in return of the good deed you have done, your deed ceases to be a deed then, it’s business then. Do you call a food merchant your ‘annadata’? No, because he doesn’t donate, he sells. So don’t sell your ‘neki’.

AARTI In The Dhuni Haidakhan VishwaMAHAdham BABAJI Ashram India

Shot at Sundown in the Maha Shakti Dhuni in Haidakhan. As you can see the light was fading fast so the video is a bit dark, hopefully you will still enJOY the sacred fire which was still glowing and the sound of the holy mantras. BHOLE BABA KI JAI!

Opening Speech Day 1 Navaratri Havan 2010 Haidakhan VishwaMAHAdham BABAJI Ashram India

The opening speech and thoughts before the FIRST havan. This was filmed over the Spring Navaratri 2010 in Haidakhan Vishwamahadham where in celebration to the Divine MOther a fire ceremony is done for 9 days in a row. This was the largest turnout to date in Haidakhan with more than 500 devotees from around the [...]

Spring Navaratri 2010 Havan [ Vedic Fire Ceremony] Haidakhan BABAJI Ashram India

Part of the vedic fire ceremony offerings celebrated here during The Spring navaratri in Haidakhan VishwaMAHAdham 2010 honouring the Divine Mother! JAI MATA DI! BHOLE BABA KI JAIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Rishi Patanjali

To the noblest of Sages, Patanjali, who gave Yoga for serenity of mind, grammar for purity of speech, and medicine for the health of the body, I prostrate with folded hands. To this white Patanjali, who has a human form, holding conch, disc and sword and having a thousand heads, I bow. Patanjali, undoubtedly the greatest expounder of Yoga, lived sometime between 500 and 200 B.C. The life of Patanjali is an enigma to modern historians, and almost nothing is known about this great Master who epitomizes Yoga. It is only with the help of legends that one can draw inferences about him. Undoubtedly he was a great Yoga adept and was perhaps the head of a school in which “Swadhyaya”, study of the Self, was regarded as an important aspect of spiritual practice. Indian history is presumptive of several individuals by the name of Patanjali. Three of them were well-known; the first one being the famous grammarian who wrote the commentary on Panini’s Ashtadhyayi (the Mahabhashya) and compiled the Yoga Sutras, the classical text on Raja Yoga. The Mahabhashya symbolises the perfection of the discipline in grammar. The object of grammar is to supply rules for control of current speech (laukika) for the preservation of the integrity of the Vedas and the comprehension of proper meaning. The second person named Patanjali wrote the Nidana-Sutras, considered indispensable for the study of the Vedic ritual literature; while the third was a well-known teacher of Samkhya Philosophy. The above three people, in the historian’s view, happen to come from different time periods and are considered to be different personalities. The Indian Tradition however, differs in opinion strongly and advocates that the above different treatises were done by a single person and even further, attributes various medical treatises to him. In the Indian tradition, Patanjali is said to be self-born, swayambhu. He was a highly-evolved soul who incarnated of his own will in a human form to help humanity. He is also considered an incarnation of Ananta, the source of all wisdom (Jnana) and of Shesha, the thousand-headed ruler of the serpent race, which is thought to guard the hidden treasures of the earth. Ananta depicts a couch on which God Vishnu reclines. He is the Lord of serpents and his many heads symbolize Infinity or Omnipresence. Many yogis bow to Ananta before they begin their daily yogic practice. In one of the legends, it is said that Lord Vishnu was seated on Adishesha, the Lord of serpents as His couch, watching the enchanting dance of Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu was so totally absorbed in the dance of Lord Shiva, that His body began to vibrate to its rhythm. This vibration made Him heavier and heavier, causing Adishesha to feel so uncomfortable that he was gasping for breath and was on the point of collapse. The moment the dance came to an end, Lord Vishnu’s body became light again. Adishesha was amazed and asked his master the cause of these stupendous changes. The Lord explained that the grace, beauty, majesty and grandeur of Lord Shiva’s dance had created corresponding vibrations in His own body, making it heavy. Marvelling at this, Adishesha professed a desire to learn dance so as to exalt his Lord. Vishnu then became thoughtful, and predicted that soon Lord Shiva would grace Adishesha to write a commentary on grammar, and that he would then also be able to devote himself to perfection in the art of dance. Adishesha was overjoyed by these words and looked forward to the descent of Lord Shiva’s grace. Adishesha then began to meditate to ascertain who would be his mother on earth. In meditation, he had the vision of a yogini by the name of Gonika who was praying for a worthy son to whom she could impart her knowledge and wisdom. He at once realized that she would be a worthy mother for him, and awaited an auspicious moment to become her son. Gonika, thinking that her earthly life was approaching its end, and that her desire of finding a worthy son would remain unfulfilled; now, as a last resort looked to the Sun God, the living witness of God on earth and prayed to Him to fulfil her desire. She took a handful of water as a final oblation to Him, closed her eyes and meditated on the Sun. As she was about to offer the water, she opened her eyes and looked at her palms. To her surprise, she saw a tiny snake moving in her palms, who soon took on a human form. This tiny male human being prostrated to Gonika and asked her to accept him as her son. This she did and named him Patanjali because her hands had been in the prayerful gesture (anjali) and he had fallen (pat) from heaven.* Another incidence is said to have happened in Chidambaram (also known as Thillai ) located about a hundred miles from Madras. Chidambaram is considered to be one of the holiest temples in India. In this temple, Lord Nataraja is present in his cosmic-dancing form. The story goes that once in Darukavanam, Shiva wished to teach a lesson to the Rishis who were proud of their learning. Shiva took the form of a mendicant with a begging bowl in hand, accompanied by Vishnu disguised as Mohini. The rishipatnis (wives of the Rishis) were attracted by the sight of this beautiful pair. The Rishis grew angry and tried to destroy the pair. They performed a sacrificial fire and raised a tiger from the fire, which sprang at Shiva. Shiva pealed off the skin of the tiger and wrapped it round his waist. Then again the Rishis sent a poisonous serpent and Shiva tied it round his neck. Then the Rishis sent against Shiva an Apasmara Purusha, Muyalaka, whom Lord Shiva crushed by pressing him to the ground with his foot. At this, the Rishis confessed defeat and Shiva started to dance before all the Gods and Rishis. Lord Adishesha heard the description of Shiva’s dance at Darukavanam from Vishnu and requested Vishnu to allow him to witness the dance himself. Vishnu agreed to this. Adishesha performed penance and prayed to Shiva to allow him to see the dance. Being pleased with his penance, Shiva appeared to him and promised that he would dance at Tillai (Chidambaram). Accordingly, Adishesha was born as a human being, as Patanjali, and went to the forest of Tillai. At this time a certain sage, Vyaghrapada, also lived in this forest. Vyaghrapada was the son of Madhyandina Rishi who lived on the banks of the Ganga. He came to the South under the directions of his father and started praying to the Swayambhulinga under a banyan tree near a tank in this Tillai forest. He used to collect flowers for puja and he prayed for the boon of getting tiger’s feet and claws, so that he could easily climb up the trees and pluck plenty of flowers. He also prayed for the eyes of bees, so that he could collect the flowers before any bee could taste the honey in them. His prayer for these two blessings was granted, and since he had the feet of a tiger, he was called Vyaghrapada. Each constructed his own hermitage, Patanjali at Ananteeswaram and Vyaghrapada at Tirupuleeswaram in Chidambaram. They started worshipping Shiva in the form of the Swayambhulinga in Tillai forest. Days passed and when the time came for Shiva to give them Darshan, the guardian Goddess of the place, Kalika Devi, interfered and did not allow Shiva to give His Darshan. Shortly afterwards, Shiva and Devi agreed that they should participate in a dance contest and that the winner should have undisputed possession of Tillai. So the dance started. At one moment during the dance, the Lord’s earrings fell down, but the Lord took them up from the floor in such a way that nobody could notice the loss and the recovery. This dance is called Urdhva Tandavam in which Shiva defeated Kalika Devi. Now Nataraja performed the Ananda Tandavam, i.e. the Dance of Bliss, in the presence of Shivakamasundari and all the Gods and Rishis, and at the same time fulfilled the wish of the two devotees, Patanjali and Vyaghrapada, by allowing them to witness it and thus satisfying them. Another story tells that once upon a time Nandi, Shiva’s carrier, would not allow Patanjali Muni to have Darshan of Lord Shiva (Nataraja of Chidambaram). In order to reach Lord Shiva, Patanjali, with his mastery over grammatical forms, spontaneously composed a prayer in praise of the Lord without using any extended (Dirgha) syllable, (without Charana and Shringa) i.e. leg and horn, to tease Nandi. Shiva was quickly pleased, gave Darshan to the devotee and danced to the lilting tune of this song. These three short legends throw some light upon Patanjali and his greatness. Today unfortunately even Patanjali’s lineage does not appear to exist anymore. Patanjali’s life is obscure, with precise details about his place of birth, life and personality missing; this uncertainty however does not detract the great merit of the Patanjali Yoga-Sutras. It is the most condensed traditional outline of the yogic path and should be studied in depth by all serious students of Yoga. Yogacharya B.K.S Iyengar, who is definitely one of the greatest exponents of Patanjali Yoga Sutras, is responsible for shedding much light on the greatness of Patanjali and his writings. It is his great vision that brought to the forefront, the science of Patanjali Yoga Sutras and its benefit to our daily lives. atanjali, undoubtedly the greatest expounder of Yoga, lived sometime between 500 and 200 B.C. The life of Patanjali is an enigma to modern historians, and almost nothing is known about this great Master who epitomizes Yoga. It is only with the help of legends that one can draw inferences about him. Undoubtedly he was a great Yoga adept and was perhaps the head of a school in which “Swadhyaya”, study of the Self, was regarded as an important aspect of spiritual practice. Indian history is presumptive of several individuals by the name of Patanjali. Three of them were well-known; the first one being the famous grammarian who wrote the commentary on Panini’s Ashtadhyayi (the Mahabhashya) and compiled the Yoga Sutras, the classical text on Raja Yoga. The Mahabhashya symbolises the perfection of the discipline in grammar. The object of grammar is to supply rules for control of current speech (laukika) for the preservation of the integrity of the Vedas and the comprehension of proper meaning. The second person named Patanjali wrote the Nidana-Sutras, considered indispensable for the study of the Vedic ritual literature; while the third was a well-known teacher of Samkhya Philosophy. The above three people, in the historian’s view, happen to come from different time periods and are considered to be different personalities. The Indian Tradition however, differs in opinion strongly and advocates that the above different treatises were done by a single person and even further, attributes various medical treatises to him. In the Indian tradition, Patanjali is said to be self-born, swayambhu. He was a highly-evolved soul who incarnated of his own will in a human form to help humanity. He is also considered an incarnation of Ananta, the source of all wisdom (Jnana) and of Shesha, the thousand-headed ruler of the serpent race, which is thought to guard the hidden treasures of the earth. Ananta depicts a couch on which God Vishnu reclines. He is the Lord of serpents and his many heads symbolize Infinity or Omnipresence. Many yogis bow to Ananta before they begin their daily yogic practice. In one of the legends, it is said that Lord Vishnu was seated on Adishesha, the Lord of serpents as His couch, watching the enchanting dance of Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu was so totally absorbed in the dance of Lord Shiva, that His body began to vibrate to its rhythm. This vibration made Him heavier and heavier, causing Adishesha to feel so uncomfortable that he was gasping for breath and was on the point of collapse. The moment the dance came to an end, Lord Vishnu’s body became light again. Adishesha was amazed and asked his master the cause of these stupendous changes. The Lord explained that the grace, beauty, majesty and grandeur of Lord Shiva’s dance had created corresponding vibrations in His own body, making it heavy. Marvelling at this, Adishesha professed a desire to learn dance so as to exalt his Lord. Vishnu then became thoughtful, and predicted that soon Lord Shiva would grace Adishesha to write a commentary on grammar, and that he would then also be able to devote himself to perfection in the art of dance. Adishesha was overjoyed by these words and looked forward to the descent of Lord Shiva’s grace. Adishesha then began to meditate to ascertain who would be his mother on earth. In meditation, he had the vision of a yogini by the name of Gonika who was praying for a worthy son to whom she could impart her knowledge and wisdom. He at once realized that she would be a worthy mother for him, and awaited an auspicious moment to become her son. Gonika, thinking that her earthly life was approaching its end, and that her desire of finding a worthy son would remain unfulfilled; now, as a last resort looked to the Sun God, the living witness of God on earth and prayed to Him to fulfil her desire. She took a handful of water as a final oblation to Him, closed her eyes and meditated on the Sun. As she was about to offer the water, she opened her eyes and looked at her palms. To her surprise, she saw a tiny snake moving in her palms, who soon took on a human form. This tiny male human being prostrated to Gonika and asked her to accept him as her son. This she did and named him Patanjali because her hands had been in the prayerful gesture (anjali) and he had fallen (pat) from heaven.* Another incidence is said to have happened in Chidambaram (also known as Thillai ) located about a hundred miles from Madras. Chidambaram is considered to be one of the holiest temples in India. In this temple, Lord Nataraja is present in his cosmic-dancing form. The story goes that once in Darukavanam, Shiva wished to teach a lesson to the Rishis who were proud of their learning. Shiva took the form of a mendicant with a begging bowl in hand, accompanied by Vishnu disguised as Mohini. The rishipatnis (wives of the Rishis) were attracted by the sight of this beautiful pair. The Rishis grew angry and tried to destroy the pair. They performed a sacrificial fire and raised a tiger from the fire, which sprang at Shiva. Shiva pealed off the skin of the tiger and wrapped it round his waist. Then again the Rishis sent a poisonous serpent and Shiva tied it round his neck. Then the Rishis sent against Shiva an Apasmara Purusha, Muyalaka, whom Lord Shiva crushed by pressing him to the ground with his foot. At this, the Rishis confessed defeat and Shiva started to dance before all the Gods and Rishis. Lord Adishesha heard the description of Shiva’s dance at Darukavanam from Vishnu and requested Vishnu to allow him to witness the dance himself. Vishnu agreed to this. Adishesha performed penance and prayed to Shiva to allow him to see the dance. Being pleased with his penance, Shiva appeared to him and promised that he would dance at Tillai (Chidambaram). Accordingly, Adishesha was born as a human being, as Patanjali, and went to the forest of Tillai. At this time a certain sage, Vyaghrapada, also lived in this forest. Vyaghrapada was the son of Madhyandina Rishi who lived on the banks of the Ganga. He came to the South under the directions of his father and started praying to the Swayambhulinga under a banyan tree near a tank in this Tillai forest. He used to collect flowers for puja and he prayed for the boon of getting tiger’s feet and claws, so that he could easily climb up the trees and pluck plenty of flowers. He also prayed for the eyes of bees, so that he could collect the flowers before any bee could taste the honey in them. His prayer for these two blessings was granted, and since he had the feet of a tiger, he was called Vyaghrapada. Each constructed his own hermitage, Patanjali at Ananteeswaram and Vyaghrapada at Tirupuleeswaram in Chidambaram. They started worshipping Shiva in the form of the Swayambhulinga in Tillai forest. Days passed and when the time came for Shiva to give them Darshan, the guardian Goddess of the place, Kalika Devi, interfered and did not allow Shiva to give His Darshan. Shortly afterwards, Shiva and Devi agreed that they should participate in a dance contest and that the winner should have undisputed possession of Tillai. So the dance started. At one moment during the dance, the Lord’s earrings fell down, but the Lord took them up from the floor in such a way that nobody could notice the loss and the recovery. This dance is called Urdhva Tandavam in which Shiva defeated Kalika Devi. Now Nataraja performed the Ananda Tandavam, i.e. the Dance of Bliss, in the presence of Shivakamasundari and all the Gods and Rishis, and at the same time fulfilled the wish of the two devotees, Patanjali and Vyaghrapada, by allowing them to witness it and thus satisfying them. Another story tells that once upon a time Nandi, Shiva’s carrier, would not allow Patanjali Muni to have Darshan of Lord Shiva (Nataraja of Chidambaram). In order to reach Lord Shiva, Patanjali, with his mastery over grammatical forms, spontaneously composed a prayer in praise of the Lord without using any extended (Dirgha) syllable, (without Charana and Shringa) i.e. leg and horn, to tease Nandi. Shiva was quickly pleased, gave Darshan to the devotee and danced to the lilting tune of this song. These three short legends throw some light upon Patanjali and his greatness. Today unfortunately even Patanjali’s lineage does not appear to exist anymore. Patanjali’s life is obscure, with precise details about his place of birth, life and personality missing; this uncertainty however does not detract the great merit of the Patanjali Yoga-Sutras. It is the most condensed traditional outline of the yogic path and should be studied in depth by all serious students of Yoga. Yogacharya B.K.S Iyengar, who is definitely one of the greatest exponents of Patanjali Yoga Sutras, is responsible for shedding much light on the greatness of Patanjali and his writings. It is his great vision that brought to the forefront, the science of Patanjali Yoga Sutras and its benefit to our daily lives.

Ganga Sagar Mela

Legend has it that, before joining the sea, the Ganga watered the mortal remains of King Sagar’s 60000 sons liberating their souls once and forever. It was standing on the Sagar Island that the mythical Kapil Muni condoned th sins of the sons of King Sagar who had dared to stop the horse blessed at Lord Indra’s Aswamedha Yagna and tied it to a post near his temple. It is this legend that attracts people to this little island in a remote southern corner of West Bengal. The Ganga Sagar mela (fair) is the largest annual assemblage of devotees in India. The greatness of the mela can be assessed from the fact that over a million pilgrims come from far-flung corners of India and beyond, speaking different languages and belonging to diverse castes and creeds, for a sacred dip at this holy confluence. For this, no invitation is given. No propaganda is carried out and overall no authority exists for carrying out the mela. It is indeed a tough journey. A few days in packed buses and trains bring the pilgrims to Calcutta. From there, again a long bus journey to ferry ghats or jetty in Sunderbans area, followed by crossing the tidal river stretching for miles across. The last leg involves either walking or traveling by a local bus upto 30 kilometres depending on the location of embarkation point. The journey can be tiring but religious fervour of the pilgrims overcomes all hardships. Kapil Muni ki jai, Kapil Muni ki jai, (Hail Kapil Muni), the din rises above the grinding motors of the launches ferrying the pilgrims across the Ganga and the countless buses plying between Calcutta and Namkhana. The problem of traveling doesn’t deter even the weak and vulnerable. Old people in their eighties, and village women carrying babies and little children in tow are a common sight. The never ending stream of pilgrims keeps pouring in throughout the day and night before the auspicious day and occupies any available space on the sandy beach. They move about the place in groups, many displaying saffron and red flags, identifying the religious Akhara (group) they belong to as well as acting as beacon to the members who stray out of the group. People walks to the sound of the bells, blowing conch shells and chanting prayers. Strains of devotional songs can be heard from far and near. And, the ceaseless din of loudspeakers. An array of shops, stacked with heaps of vermilion, rudraksha, colourful beads, conch shells line the pathways. Many a visitor stands wide-eyed before the shops selling everything from food stuff, household utensils to remote controlled toys. People crowd around the naga sadhus (naked ascetics) without whom the Ganga Sagar mela is incomplete. Sitting naked in little huts near the temple and enjoying a chillum of ganja, (cannabis) they are also the target of tourists’ camera. While devotees jostle in front of numerous temporary shrines of Hindu deities to pay homage, Kapil Muni’s temple remains the chief attraction. The temple of Kapil Muni, as we see it today, is by no means the spot where the sage meditated. It went under the sea millennium ago followed by the many others built in its place, which subsequently was also swallowed, by the advancing sea. The present one was built only a few decades ago, quite a bit away from the sea. The tall dome of the temple is visible from a distance. In the temple, three images engraved in stone are displayed, the one in the middle is that of Kapil Muni. The sage is seen in a jogasana; his eyes wide open, looking towards the sea with millions of devotees before him. The idols of Ganga and King Sagar flank Kapil Muni and the horse of the sacrificial yagna stands at a distance. The typical Ganga Sagar pilgrim is a country rustic, generally elderly, hardy, remarkably disciplined and fervent in his devotion. His dhoti seldom going below his knees, a cloth bound packet, containing everything needed for survival, on his head. And, of course, his women – heavily tattooed and clad in colourful saris. As the night, pregnant with the auspicious moment, descends, all wait for the precise hour to take the dip. The sandy track to the water’s edge is crowded with people who sit around fires before proceeding for the bath, chanting devotional songs and prayers. The seaside presents a spectacle in the darkness before dawn with the large bonfire lit by the bathers to keep off the cold. At midnight, the high tide drives the pilgrims back. The biting cold wind of mid – January from across the sea lashes the bare body. But there is a confidence on their faces and a kind of fire in their eyes. The confidence in God and the fire of earnest faith makes them brave the chill. The stars in the sky have quite a long time to fade when the moment of truth comes. As soon as the priest announces, the auspicious pre-dawn hour, the crowds surge forward to meet the tide with a loud chorus Kapil Muni ki jai and plunge into the sea. Suddenly the place is charged with the extraordinary power of the believers. After taking their holy dips, the shivering devotees trudge the one kilometre expanse leading to the brightly lit temple of Kapil Muni, where prayers were performed. Coconuts, flowers, vermilion, sweets, and money are offered to the image of the ancient sage. The bustle of activity continues for quite sometime in the morning as the pilgrims perform a series of rituals including the symbolic godan to Brahmins. A calf is symbolically handed over to the Brahmin priest by the devotee. Many perform the symbolic crossing of the river of blood, baitarani to attain moksha or transcendation. It is interesting to observe the people, clutching the tail of a cow and wading through a puddle a few paces. Many people shave their heads and perform the last rites of departed relatives. A number of marriages are solemnized on the beach during the day. Also, many local girls get married to the sea. This will ensure that theoretically they never become widows, even if their menfolk, braving the rough sea and tiger infested jungle for a living, die. It is no wonder that for many tourists from abroad, like though French couple I met, Sagar mela is something more than a mammoth religious congregation. They have visited the mela twice and found “something which has disappeared from France and Europe at least half a century ago”. Naturally this large an affair leads to some confusion. People get lost. The public address system works overtime as relatives try to trace those they have lost. But the majority of the pilgrims take it easy. After the rituals are complete, they dry their clothes and hair, cook their food on open fires, eat and rest. Happy, contented and smiling, having made the pilgrimage. The Ganga Sagar mela continues to throb with life, with the energy of millions of pilgrims. The pilgrimage may be extremely tough, but the pilgrims know that the visit will purify their souls. The visit fulfils their lifelong desire and often one can see tears of joy rolling down their cheeks. That is the magic of religion. A solar month is divided into 30 or 31 days and each is known as gate. A solar year has two halves of six months each known as ayana. The Northern declination of the sun when it appears to move between the constellations Capricorn and Gemini is called Uttarayan. This corresponds to the movement of the sun from the Tropic of Capricorn northwards towards the Tropic of Cancer. Uttarayan starts on the day of Makar Sankrant (14 Jan). The Southern declination of the sun when it appears to move between the constellations Cancer and Sagittarus is called Dakshinayan. This corresponds to the movement of the sun from the Tropic of Cancer southwards towards the Tropic of Capricorn. Dakshinayan starts on the day of Kark Sankrant (16 July).

Navaratri Haven [Fire Ceremony] BABAJI Ashram Haidakhan Opening Speech India

The opening speech of the Haven celebrated here on the third day of Navaratri 2008 in Haidakhan VishwaMAHAdham India. … Navaratri Haven fire ceremony Babaji ashram India Haidakhan Muni Raji