The ITIES of Swami Sivananda

What are ITIES? ITIES are words which end in ity. Each one of these words can change our life and lead to becoming a Jiwan Mukta. They are interconnected and they are all virtues.

Swami Sivananda summed the ITIES in a song. When one sings it, they end in rhyme. Continue reading

Follow a Eudaimonic life

Be a Stoic. Follow the four cardinal virtues. The four pillars of Stoicism known as the cardinal virtues are Wisdom, Justice, Courage and Temperance. These pillars serve as a practical framework for living a virtuous, happy (eudaimonic) life by focusing on what is within our control—our thoughts and actions while managing emotions and acting ethically for the common good. Lucius Seneca was a stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome. I am sharing some of his quotes with you. Continue reading

Marital Chutney

I had a very funny interaction with AI-Artificial intelligence. I was ordering Nariyal chutney and it wrote Marital chutney. Dear ones, I was just placing an order and AI stepped in. I have no complaints about AI and I consider it to be a good friend. I laughed as it was so amusing. Continue reading

The Maha Shivaratri Story

Maha Shivaratri is considered one of the holiest festivals. It commemorates several cosmic events.

  1. It honors Shiva and Parvati’s marriage. Shiva married Parvati, his divine consort, for a second time on this night. It is in celebration of their divine re-union that the day is observed as the “Night of Shiva,’ Shiva signifies Purusha (mindfulness), and Parvati (Prakriti). This is a union of mindfulness and nature. It promotes creation.
  2. Lord Shiva was incarnated as Rudra during the midnight of Maha Shivaratri, with Brahma’s blessings.
  3. It is also believed that Shiva performed his cosmic dance of creation, preservation and destruction (Rudra Tandava), when he heard that his consort Sati (Parvati in her earlier incarnation) had leapt into the Yagna fire.
  4. During the churning of the ocean, Shiva drank the poison which came out of the sea. This poison could have destroyed the universe. This is the reason why Shiva has a blue neck and he is called Nilkanth (Savior of the Universe). Shivaratri is observed to honor the day for preserving the universe.
  5. When Brahma and Vishnu fought for supremacy, Shiva manifested as an unending pillar of light (Linga) to stop them, and establishing himself as the supreme, all-encompassing force. He is also known as Lingobhava (Divine Light).

Continue reading

Be courageous and humble like Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine is one of the most important figures in Western Christianity. His philosophy was that it is all about the will and providence of God; and believers are to devote themselves to studying, discerning, praising, and submitting to the eternal design of God. He was never ashamed to admit his failures and spiritual doubts. Continue reading

Think deeply, dear ones

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves, we find in them. – Thomas Merton

How true, love means to let the other person be free and to love them for themselves. Do we do that? Continue reading

How can I remain unattached and happy?

Bhogi, Yogi, Sannyasi, Jnani.

  1. Caught in the net of maya. Being deluded by desires and constant ambition. This is the description of a Bhogi, a person, who enjoys this state. They are entrapped in hedonism.
  2. Some make effort to come out of this net. They recognize the state one is in and seriously attempts to become a Yogi.
  3. Then there is the Sannyasi. An individual, who lives a life of simplicity and is dedicated to the pursuit of the ultimate truth.
  4. The last category is one, who lives in this world untouched by it. Such an individual is called a Jnani and he is a Nitya Mukta.

Continue reading