Can we change ourselves?
Who are they? Asuras are the demons and the fight between good and evil is when the gods are at war with them. Daityas and danavas are also demons. They represent the chaos and adharma (betrayal, discord, wrongness, and vice, immorality) that threatens our cosmic stability. Continue reading
I love Bob Dylan and House and every time I say that in the presence of young people their eyebrows become like centipedes. They are shocked, because their perception is that one has to be stoned in order to enjoy this music. Notwithstanding Bob Dylan got the noble prize for poetry. Continue reading
An ancient tale describes an elephant calf chained from its childhood. The years of conditioning affect it and even when it became a bull, it could not lift a one-ton load. It had the strength, but it continued to feel that it was in shackles and it could not free itself from its chain. Continue reading
When we worship the goddess in her different avatars for nine days, we ourselves are going through a purification process. Also observe that none of the offerings are extravagant, they are simple foods, which most people can offer. The Goddess takes care of us as long we remain sincere in our devotion.
Aim Hrim Klim
Credits: hinduismnow.org
Navratri means nine nights of worship. Nine colors are worn on nine different days.
White is the first color and it stands for peace and serenity. The Goddess Brahmacharini represents peace and serenity. She is depicted with a rosary in her right hand and a water pot in her left hand. Jasmine and white lotus are offered to her. Continue reading
We all know that we breathe through both our nostrils and that sometimes one nostril is blocked. However, we do not attach too much importance to it. Our doctors say that it could be sinusitis or a deviated septum. Our body has a biorhythm. There is a dyad cycle of hot and cold and this also happens in our breathing. Continue reading
What is worship? Puja begins with external things. One gathers flowers, makes sandal paste, prepares prasad (offering of food to the Goddess) and collects the necessary items for the external puja. However while one is performing this activity, one is conscious that one is attempting to please the mother. All these external activities take one’s mind inwards and focus on the deity. Continue reading
There are two wars we all have to fight. One war is waged on the battlefield and the second war is within us. The first war is waged against external enemies and the second war is waged against our thoughts. Yoga enables us to fight the war within. Continue reading
Like a bird I flew, seeing the beauty of the Paradise created by you.
I looked to see if I could find you in the pollen of every flower
In the current of every river and in the waves of the oceans.
I listened to the words of sages saying “The one you seek is within you”, Continue reading
The cotton tree yields cotton. This cotton is transformed into thread and then again into a piece of cloth. Then one dyes the cloth, cuts it and stitches it into a shirt, dress or coat. The substance is still cotton, but it has undergone various stages of transformation. Continue reading
What is real worship? Reverence and adoration for a deity.
According to the Bible, worship is the giving of our entire self, our thoughts and our emotions to God’s use. All of life is an act of submission, an act of worship. Continue reading
The temple domes were modelled on the sky. If one sits under an open sky and repeats AUM, one’s voice will be lost, because the strength of an individual’s voice will be lost in the sky. One will not be able to hear the reverberation and the echo of the chanting. The sky absorbs it. Continue reading
Concentrate on the mooladhara chakra. Practice ujjayi pranayama. While inhaling visualize the breath rising from the mooladhara in the spinal passage and reaching ajna chakra, directly behind the eyebrow center. Contract throat, hold breath for five seconds. Exhaling, mentally chant a-u-u-m-m-m-m-m. Feel the vibrations going down your spine and piercing visshudhi, anahata, manipura, swadhisthana and mooladhara in the spinal passage. Concentrate on mooladhara for five seconds. Then inhale and ascend again with the breath. Practice for ten minutes daily.
Given by Swami Satyananda Saraswati in Satsang in 1979.
Aim Hrim Klim
Written by the first Buddhist nuns.
Punna – Spoken by the Buddha to her.
The name you are called by means full, Punna,
So be filled by the good things, like the moon when it is full,
Break through all that is dark with wisdom made full. Continue reading
What do we know about forgiveness? It is a word used freely and frankly. We say sorry at the drop of a hat. Do we really feel sorry or is it just a word? How does one feel, when one says it. For most of us it is like saying have a nice day. If one says sorry with real emotion, then one will feel a change within oneself. Sorry is used in sarcasm, and it is expressed as a sneer. Continue reading
