Goddess Durga is worshipped as one of the key aspects of the Cosmic Mother. She was created to defeat Mahishasura, a demon who could not be killed by any man. Continue reading
Why was Ma Durga created?
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Ma Durga and her Lion
The story is narrated in Devi Mahatyma of Skanda Purana. Durga was created with the combined energies of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and other Gods. After she was created, the Gods gave her a variety of weapons and other ornaments. And she was gifted a lion. Continue reading
Understanding the Divine Feminine
From woman man is born,
Within woman man is conceived,
To a woman he is engaged and married.
Woman becomes his friend,
Through woman future generations come, when his woman dies
He seeks another woman,
To a woman he is bound,
So why call her bad?
From her kings are born,
From woman, woman is born.
Without woman there would be no one at all. – Guru Nanak
We must honour the Divine Feminine, which is in all of us. Shakti symbolizes power—divine force that creates, sustains and evolves. Shakti is the essence of existence. Continue reading
Consciousness enables one to make the right decisions
God lives in every part and pore of one’s body. It is believed according to science that there are millions of cells in the body, and each one contains intelligence. So, the power of God is in every cell. However, it lies dormant. All the Gods and Goddesses lie asleep in the body. Continue reading
Overcoming Grief and having Hope
The Bible addresses grief and enables one to have hope and comfort. By reading and understanding the verses, one can apply them to oneself.
Psalm 34:18 states
The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
The Four Vedas
The four Vedas are an incomparable source of knowledge. There is clarity and purity in the language they have been written. Not only are the Vedas a spiritual text, they are a form of literature. Continue reading
Explanation of the Vedic tradition
Veda means revealed knowledge. It is derived from the ancient Sanskrit root Vid which means ‘to know.’ In the Vedic tradition, knowledge is not only intellectual; it also comes in the form of experience. Therefore, we always refer to knowledge as being of two types–either direct or indirect. Continue reading
Be careful what you wish for
Yesterday was our 53rd wedding anniversary and last night I said to my husband, how wonderful it would be if our feral cat family visited us tomorrow. I also added that it would be the best present. Well, this morning I heard a loud Miaow outside my bedroom window. It was 6am, I stepped into the balcony and lo behold they were waiting for me. Continue reading
Expression of Rama’s sorrow
Rama recalls the events starting from exile–describes Sita’s beauty, virtues and gentleness–drifts back to sorrow–Lakshman tells Ram to think of a way of finding Sita. – Aranyakand 3.63.1
Dear ones, can you sense the sorrow of Rama, when he finds out that Sita has been abducted. He is sunk in sorrow when he describes her qualities. Continue reading
Law of Opposites and Yoga Nidra
How are we affected by the law of opposites. Prince Ram in the Yog Vasistha said to Sage Vashisht that he did not long to live and he did not long to die. He remained neutral about life as well as about death. Duality exists around us and there is uncharted space which Krishna describes as being free from opposites.
The karma yogis, who neither desire nor hate anything, should be considered always renounced. Free from all dualities, they are easily liberated from the bonds of material energy. – Gita 5.3
To be a Sthithaprajna
A person steady wisdom.
Sthithaprajna means one whose intelligence is fixed on self-realization or one who is fixed in wisdom. It describes a state of inner calmness, equanimity and detachment from external influences. In the context of the Bhagwad Gita it means one is not affected by the ups and downs of life. One is detached from the fruit of action. One performs one’s duties, only focusing on the action itself.
What are the qualities of a Sthithaprajna?
The Cats’ Playbook
Most of us love them and in the English language there are so many idioms describing them. Continue reading
Open your hearts, dear ones
Because there is suffering in your heart, it is possible for you to enter my heart.
Thus spoke the Buddha.
Buddha repeatedly said that he only taught suffering and the transformation of suffering. When one recognized and accepted the suffering within one, then the Buddha in us will look at it and address it. He will find out the source, prescribe a course of action which will transform it into peace and liberation. Suffering is the means that the Buddha used to liberate himself and that is how we can become free. Continue reading
What would my visiting card say?
Dear ones, give it a thought. Should the card say my name, my designation and my address? Does it sound perfect? I may wish to express my personality in a way that people would remember me. Maybe I would like to express the status of my relationship. Then there is an opinion about pronouns and title. Continue reading
Restore Cosmic peace
Om Shanti Om is an ancient Vedic mantra. Om is the sound of the universe, the primordial sound. As one chants this mantra one is spreading peace for all human kinds, living and nonliving in the entire universe. My grand-daughter asked me, what she could do about the Indo-Pak conflict. I thought about it and my response was that chanting Om Shanti Om, on her mala would be her contribution. Continue reading