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Spiritual Relatives

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:43:00 +0000

Please visit the following you tube site and listen to Sri TT.Rangarajan on spiritual relatives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-3CQmT0EHk Don’t look in to what you don’t have. Look how much you can do with what we have & out of that what can be done. In a platform with Kapil Dev before sharing he expressed that he will not be able to share more than 5 minutes, but that 5 minutes what he shared was the content discussed over all. Sachin Tendulkar & Bradman never felt that they are short, instead they made the world to talk every thing bigger about them by their achievements in life. To do business if you require 2 crores & you don’t have today, think with what the Rs.2 lakhs what you have today how to make that in to 10 lakhs, then 1 crore then 2 crores eventually you will get your own ways to achieve what you want. So just need to focus with what we have & out of that how much we can achieve. Once we start focusing with what we have automatically things will unfold to reach where we have to, You will ask ok, how to know how much I have & how to find out this. Simple Count your blessings not your curses. Always ask yourself Why Me God for all these blessings & not Why me God for all the sufferings. My Blessings in my life so far, What I feel is Spouse = I got the BEST one. Today I am what ever I am because of her without her sacrifice & understanding me I could have not made. Children = Beautiful Kids, Very understanding, upcoming Legendry people. Father = In his 45 years of life he has created a name for himself in the world. Today we are recognised in the social community all because of his efforts. My r Grandma will always say it is easy to make money with money. Your dad has made money without money in hand. The way you people are doing business today even a lady sitting will earn that use to be her quote whenever we come late for the lunch or dinner or we come home late from the office. That kind of hard work my father worked & not only created wealth for us but even he created good name for him in the social so that for us it was easy to walk his path. Mother = Very Loving, If there is any difference of opinion(or arguments) with in our 3 brothers her heart will cry still we become normalcy. She will always tell I don’t want any thing other than you people or together and live a long Happy life. In todays world more than this what we want from our mother such a lovely person from the heart. Brothers = When I matured enough my 2 brothers are in the roll of my father and today I am what I am all because of their love, they never said no to me for any thing. 10 years when I was striving to get back in to the automobile industry I have applied each & every company and had spent money in lakhs only for application, Presentations all these things. But for not even a single time they have stopped me what ever I was doing. They where so co-operative & the BEST they gave me in my life. Friends, Relatives = WOW, I can say I have got the best of all as without their love & wishes we could have not been any where. Business = Today I am running SKODA dealership in bangalore but for me 10 years of striving I got in to a business where my heart was, but that 10 years of in explainable experience I got out of it now I am feeling that is required for me to work on my vision & mission today. Yes I have got the BEST business opportunity and today with this platform I am going to create a new world in near future. Teachers & Mentors = Till today I have come acrossed only with the BEST teachers, I am in the best of best in hands and be sharpened by every one. I am really proud that all my achievements in my life is their hard work on me to make my self what I am today. GURU = Yes without HIS blessings even I cannot move my fingure. He is the one who plays his role through me. I am just a instrument of HIM & I know very well HE will take me HIGHER, give me DEEPER & Lead me Beyond. Through me he will make that the surroundings of me to TAKE them HIGHER, Give them Deeper & Lead them Beyond. All this will not happen if HIS blessings are not their. After today’s 52 Thoughts program it took more than 45 minutes to come out of the impact from the program. Yes. I am sure that I know how much blessings I have in my life & with what I have and I will make the BEST of it. To conclude if I don’t express my gratitude to all of my blessings I feel I will be incomplete. Thank you so Much. Loving you so much, Thanks & Regards, Suresh Bafna.

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Spiritual Relatives

Christmas at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas

admin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 21:14:34 +0000

Just a quick look at our Christmas preparation and celebration here at the Yoga Retreat. Enjoy the video and join us for next season’s Christmas & New Year Celebration

Tatva Bodh of Adi Shankaracharya

admin — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:29:00 +0000

Lectures by Swami Nikhilanandaji, Tatva Bodh was written by Adi Shankaracharya. Shankaracharyaji salutes his guru Shri Krishna before he starts the text. This is important because before we undertake any study of the scriptures, we have to surrender our ego and identify with the Supreme Reality. Tatva Bodh is not a text for those who are curious or for those who want worldly knowledge. It is not merely a book of theories to be read. It is meant for people who desire Moksha. We all have desires that we try to fulfill in our past time because we think we get happiness when they are fulfilled. The degree of happiness is proportionate to the intensity of the desire. But there are always more unfulfilled desires than fulfilled desires. These desires always give rise to restlessness. Where there is restlessness, there is no peace. Example: “I want water. I am thirsty.” Once this desire has entered your mind, you can not sit peacefully. You go to where this water and drink it or if there is none, you think about where to go and get some. It is natural that we have desires and they propel us. It is even written in the scriptures. (Kaama cheshta – everything is propelled by desire) The rishis analyzed these desires and wondered if one can fulfill all his desires, will he be happy. They classified the desires into four types. 1. Desire to be secure (Survival instinct): This is the first and foremost desire among all living beings. We want to survive. This desire arises from deep within us. Eons ago, the caveman lived in caves and killed animals to survive. Today, we desire to own a house, car, and credit cards to feel secure. (Arthapurushaartha – desire for security) We think money will provide security and so we desire to earn more, own a house with security alarms and smoke detectors. Or we may be physically, socially and financially secure but we feel psychological insecurities. “Why won’t he smile at me? Why doesn’t she like me? Let me make cookies for her.” We may also feel intellectual insecurities. We then use philosophy to feel more secure. “I am an Advaiti. I am a Hindu. I am a Muslim.” We may join a movement or a mission to feel intellectually secure. We must take care to not just calm our insecurities but try to learn and move towards the goal. We also feel secure doing what a lot of people do. We feel more secure with a crowd. We do not want to be alone. Even if God is there and everyone is going towards Him, we prefer to go with everyone rather than go alone to God. These insecurities will remain with us until we have “atma gnana”. Therefore, in Bhagavad Gita, Bhagwan says “Have faith in me. I will make you secure. I will take care of all your needs.” “Yogakshemaam vahaamyaham” – whatever needs to be protected, I shall protect.” Till we understand the greatness of God and till we understand that the greatest security is God within us, we will be insecure and desire for security. 2. Desire to gain pleasure: This is a very strong desire. Almost everything is propelled by these two desires – security and pleasure. We are propelled by fear or pleasure and so many religions use this – “Do this and go to heaven. Don’t do this, you will go to hell.” They create fear or give pleasure to make people do things. There are pleasures at all levels: physically, senses etc. The drawback is pleasure is always followed by pain. There is insecurity in the pleasure – “Will we feel it tomorrow?” Also, a person who always seeks pleasure becomes dull. His thinking capacity is diminished because he becomes totally focussed on acquiring pleasures. It is said in the scriptures: If you want to gain knowledge, forget about pleasure. If you want to gain pleasure, forget about knowledge. Even after trying to gain security and pleasure, we are not happy. So, we desire to gain a superior type of security and happiness – that which is more lasting. This is the third ty pe of desire. 3. Desire to be good: This is the desire to become a better and more righteous person. There is pleasure in eating but there is more pleasure in feeding others. There is pleasure in being protected but there is greater pleasure in protecting others. This indicates rise of Dharma and goodness and giving up of selfishness. We should try to gain security without making the other person insecure. We should try to be happy without making others miserable. Dharma says – “Live and let live.” If you want to gain something, do so by adhering to certain rules (“niyams”) so that you do not harm others. Even the worst person has this desire to be good in him. He has the potential that is deep within him and that is inborn in him to be a saint. The Gita says the moment an evil person desires to be good, he becomes a saadhu. (Example: Valmiki) When a person follows Dharma, he feels more secure and happier in this world. This seems very strange but is true. A dharmic person feels very secure (Example: Sitaji, Ramji). An adharmic person feels very insecure. (Raavan, despite all his strength and wealth he felt insecure all the time.) Dharmorakshathi rakshathaha One, who follows Dharma, is protected by Dharma. He feels God, Goodness, Righteousness is on his side and so he gains unshakeable strength. Nothing can affect him. Mahatma Gandhi was small, frail, without money, without even the full complement of garment to cover his body, not owning even as much earth as might be held on the point of a needle, yet he was so much stronger than the mightiest of empires. The British feared him. One who follows truth: His words gain power, even the Gods must obey him. Example: Anasuya. When someone approached her for help, her husband was cursed to die at sunrise the next day, Anasuya had the power to stop the Sun from rising because she followed dharma. When a person follows dharma, he feels more secure and happier, he feels joy in just being and existing (Example: Mahatmas). They work not because of sense of duty and not because of aspiration but because of inspiration. But a Dharmic person still feels a sense of bondage, a sense of limitation by rules. He will have to be born in this body, eat, sleep and drink with this body. Living in this world becomes bondage. Mumukshatwam (desire to be free from bondage) arises in him. 4. Desire to gain Moksha: This is the desire to free from bondage of desires, body etc. It is subtlest of all desires. Example: No matter how much pleasure we gain from being awake, we do not want to turn away from sleep. We always want rest and sleep. A mumukshu is one who has intense desire for freedom, liberation and Moksha. The Tatva Bodh is written for such a mumukshu. This liberation that he seeks can be gained from knowing the Self. There is no need to go elsewhere or outwards. The liberation lies within. Knowing the true self is freedom. Transcribed by Neena Venugopalan

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Tatva Bodh of Adi Shankaracharya

Where Is God

adam — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:07:00 +0000

Ardhanariswara Temple Tiruchengode God lives in the hearts of those who think of all human beings as equal. This world has many who treat fellow human beings cruelly and contemptuously. And yet such is the Lord’s love for us that He resides in this world in temples. Those in this world are here due to their karma. But they can be freed from the effects of their karma, if they worship Lord Siva, who is seen in the form of linga in temples, said K. Sambandan. Although this earth is a place where there is sorrow, even Brahma wanted to be born on this earth, because Siva is seen in many temples. The devas are sorry not to have been born on this earth. God does not discriminate against anyone. What we see as His partiality is not in fact so. He only assigns experiences to us, on the basis of our karma. To Him the have and the have-not are alike. The Lord wants us to share our God-love with others. This is not easy. If we plan to go to a religious lecture and meet a friend on the way, it is our duty to inform him of where we are going and invite him to come along with us. But the friend might say he is busy and might just slip away. So while a person must take others along with him, when he goes to worship, those invited must also realise the importance of listening to Vedic truths being explained and must attend discourses. Those who seek the mercy of Lord Siva must seek the mercy of Goddess Parvati too. Goddess Parvati is even more merciful than He is. Whenever Siva goes to slay someone, He goes alone. When he offers refuge, He is with Parvati, for Parvati forgives more easily, and therefore might pardon an asura, who needs to be destroyed by Siva. So He leaves Her behind, when He has to destroy anyone. Lord Siva has given one half of His body to Parvati and bears the name Ardhanariswara. Therefore, He will not be pleased if a person worships Him, without worshipping Parvati. In most temples, there is a separate shrine for Goddess Parvati too. When we visit temples, we must not just worship Lord Siva and come away. We must worship the Goddess too.

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Where Is God

Vedantic Cricket

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:49:00 +0000

Vedantic cricket Lets all have some Vedantic Cricket Now Kapila enunciates the 25 tattvas of the Sankhya Yoga. These 25 tattvas can be understood in terms of the game of cricket, said Srivatsa Jayarama Sarma. Cricket has been defined as a game of glorious uncertainty. Life too is a game of glorious uncertainty. Life therefore can be analysed using cricketing terminology. The prapancham, that is the world, is the ground in the game of Vedantic cricket. The running between two sets of stumps is akin to the constant preoccupation of a samsarin, with the day-to-day aspects of life. The three stumps signify the qualities of sattva, rajo, tamas. The 10 fielders just waiting to get the batsman out, may be compared to the five gnanendriyas and the five karmendriyas. The bowler is the Kala Purushan — Time. He keeps track of our karmas in previous births. But in cricket there are two batsmen. While one bats, the other is idle at the other end. How can there be an equivalent to this in real life, when we are talking of a samsarin? The answer is that, when a person is born and lives in this world, he constantly has an impact or an influence on another person’s life. This is inevitable. When a child is born, for example, it gives a woman the status of mother. Just as the bowler tries in various ways to get us out, so do the many factors that tempt us and cause us to stray from the right path in life too. But the batsman, however careful he is, does get out one way or the other. He may be clean bowled — die a natural death. He may be run out — have an accident. He may get out if he himself accidentally knocks down the stumps — suicide. He may be declared lbw — he puts his bodily concerns above his spiritual concerns. He may be caught out — trapped by one of his indriyams. The scorer is like Chitragupta, keeping a tally of our score. There are three umpires in life too. Lord Krishna Himself says, “We are three. I, together with the Vedas and those who know the Vedas, hand out retribution or reward.” If the batsman scores four runs in one shot, he is applauded. If a man lives in accordance with the four Purusharthas of dharma, artha, kama and moksha, he deserves to be applauded too.

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Vedantic Cricket

Swami Vivekananda Universal Teachings

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:21:00 +0000

UNIVERSAL TEACHINGS OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA SEE GOD IN ALL This is the gist of all worship – to be pure and to do good to others. He who sees Siva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worships Siva, and if he sees Siva only in the image, his worship is but preliminary. He who has served and helped one poor man seeing Siva in him, without thinking of his cast, creed, or race, or anything, with him Siva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples. GOD IS WITHIN YOU It is impossible to find God outside of ourselves. Our own souls contribute all of the divinity that is outside of us. We are the greatest temple. The objectification is only a faint imitation of what we see within ourselves. PERSEVERE IN YOUR SEARCH FOR GOD To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. “I will drink the ocean,” says the persevering soul, “at my will mountains will crumble up.” Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, work hard, and you will reach the goal. TRUST COMPLETELY IN GOD Stand up for God; let the world go. LOVE OF GOD IS ESSENTIAL Giving up all other thoughts, with the whole mind day and night worship God. Thus being worshipped day and night, He reveals himself and makes His worshippers feel His presence. SWAMI VIVEKANANDA’s QUOTES When I Asked God for Strength He Gave Me Difficult Situations to Face When I Asked God for Brain & Brown He Gave Me Puzzles in Life to Solve When I Asked God for Happiness He Showed Me Some Unhappy People When I Asked God for Wealth He Showed Me How to Work Hard When I Asked God for Favors He Showed Me Opportunities to Work Hard When I Asked God for Peace He Showed Me How to Help Others God Gave Me Nothing I Wanted He Gave Me Everything I Needed Swami Vivekananda THE 15 Laws of Life By Swami Vivekananda 1. Love is the Law of Life All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore, love for love”s sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live. 2. It is Your Outlook That Matters It is our own mental attitude, which makes the world what it is for us. Our thoughts make things beautiful, our thoughts make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light. 3. Life is Beautiful First, believe in this world – that there is meaning behind everything. Everything in the world is good, is holy and beautiful. If you see something evil, think that you do not understand it in the right light. Throw the burden on yourselves! 4. It is The Way You Feel Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ; feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality, without which no amount of intellectual activity can reach God. 5. Set Yourself Free The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him – that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free. 6. Don”t Play the Blame Game Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way. 7. Help Others If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better. 8. Uphold Your Ideals Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth. 9. Listen to Your Soul You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul. 10. Be Yourself The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves! 11. Nothing Is Impossible Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin – to say that you are weak, or others are weak. 12. You Have The Power All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark. 13. Learn Everyday The goal of mankind is knowledge… now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man “knows”, should, in strict psychological language, be what he “discovers” or “unveils”; what man “learns” is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge. 14. Be Truthful Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything. 15. Think Differently All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything. So! just go through them and live with it. May God Bless All with Good Health and Happiness & Ignite Divine Love in you.

Significance Of Christmas

adam — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:26:00 +0000

Significance Of Christmas The Significance of Christmas is known to men, all over the world. Though it is true that Christmas is celebrated as the day of the Birth of Christ into this world, yet it also symbolizes a very deeply significant truth of the spiritual life. Jesus Christ is the very personification of Divinity. He was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed upon the land. Purity was forgotten and morality was neglected. In the midst of these conditions, Christ was born and He worked a transformation in the lives of people. He gave a new and a spiritual turn to the lives of man. There came a change upon the land. People started upon a new way of life. Thus a new era dawned for the world. In that period the seeker has no thought of God or higher spiritual life. He lives a life of lust, anger, greed, deluded attachment, pride and jealousy. If the seeker must enter into a new life of spiritual aspiration, purity and devotion, then the Christ-spirit must take its birth within his heart. That is the real Christmas when the Divine element begins to express itself in the heart of the man. From then onward, light begins to shine where darkness was before. A very small, but very beautiful, point of deep significance is attached to Christmas. It is the time and the manner of the birth of the Lord upon the holy Christmas day. Jesus Christ was not born in a grand palace. He was not born to very wealthy or learned parents. Jesus Christ was born in a simple lowly place, a corner of a stable. He was born to humble and poor parents, who had nothing to boast about, except their own spotless character and holiness. The above point of deep significance tells that the spiritual awakening comes to the seeker, who is perfectly humble and “meek” and “poor in spirit.” The quality of true humility is one of the indispensable fundamentals. Then we find simplicity, holiness and the renunciation of all desire for worldly wealth and pride of learning. Thirdly, even as Christ was born unknown to the world and in the obscurity of darkness, even so, the advent of the Christ-spirit takes place in the inwardness of man when there is total self-effacement self-abnegation.

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Significance Of Christmas

Hindu Temple Kampuchia (Cambodia)

adam — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:40:00 +0000

Angkorwat- Introduction Angkorwat is a wonder on earth showing the caliber of supremacy of Hindu knowledge in terms of architectural science combining together with cosmology ,astrology ,numerology and historical events of Indian religion. If there is any place in world to see-its angkorwat. Everyone must see this at least for once in life. An extremely spectacular and stunning showcase of ancient knowledge challenging the latest technology today to solve its mysteries. Located in Northwestern Cambodia , Angkor, the Capital of the Ancient Khmer Empire was possibly founded around the Ninth Century AD by King Jayavarman II. However, the city reached its peak glory in the 12th Century under Kings Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII . The most beautiful and most famous monument in the city, Angkor Wat, lies about one kilometer south of the Royal town of Angkor Thom which was founded by Jayavarman VII. The Temple of Angkor Wat was dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu by King Suryavarman II, who reigned between AD 1131 and 1150. The Temple was constructed over a period of 30 years, and illustrates some of the most beautiful examples of Khmer and Hindu art. Covering an area of about 81 hectares, the complex consists of five towers, which are presently shown on the Cambodian national flag. These towers are believed to represent the five peaks of Mount Meru, the Home of Gods and Center of the Hindu Universe. Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls, narrating stories from Hindu Mythology. With the decline of the Ancient Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat was turned into a Buddhist Temple and was continuously maintained, which helped its preservation. In 1992, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee declared the monument, and the whole city of Angkor, a World Heritage Site . See the enlarged image of the temple by clicking on the picture above.

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Hindu Temple Kampuchia (Cambodia)

Kartik Poornima

adam — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:28:00 +0000

KARTIK POORNIMA The full moon of today is a joyful occasion that takes us all to the days of our ancient rishis. Popularly known as “Kartik snan”, this day is observed as the day for beginning the life of a mendicant. During the rainy days, which normally extend up to 4 months, the monks of all orders do not move but settle down in one place and observe a special rite as “Chathurmas vrata”. Actually the previous Ekadashi day is known as “Prabodhini Ekadasi” which is believed to be the day on which the resting period comes to a close and all the ascetics start to move around to different places of pilgrimage. Since all the hermits start to move out, the householders also take bath in Ganges or in any other nearby river and feel a sense of purging of all their misdeeds done during the course of the year. In north India, especially in Bihar and U P people throng to the rivers for a dip on this day. Incidentally, it was on this day, the famous Ras Lila of Lord Krishna has also taken place. The sportive play of the individual soul with cosmic soul is depicted in this sport between Krishna and Radha. It is also the birth day of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Guru Nanak’s contribution to the world deserves a greater degree of appreciation and gratefulness from humanity. He rejected idolatry and propounded instead a simple monotheism. His spirituality was based on work ethics. Working hard, sharing with the others whatever we have and reciting the name of the Lord are some of his unique teachings. It was thus the “guru-ka-langar” has got its birth. The Langar is a community-kitchen, where all were welcomed with open arms. The event of “tera” in his life, is on eye-opener to every one. When he was working as a shopkeeper, while weighing the objects, on reaching the number 13( tera, a word that denotes the numerals as well as meaning ‘yours’). He would often slip into trance and repeatedly chant: “Teara, tera, tera- – -everything is yours, everything is yours, God. When he received invitation to stay with the rich mallick, Bhago, he would say,”The bread served by carpenter Lalo, though earned by the sweat of his brow, is like sweet milk but what you offer me is the blood of the poor.” Guru Nanak Jayanthi reassures the way to salvation to men in the world but mind given to the Almighty. Swami Nishthatmananda Muzaffarpur

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Kartik Poornima