Those who collect strings of attachment
With mother, father, relations, sons, wife,
Body, wealth, house, friends and family,
Make a rope out of them and tie it to my feet,
Those who are impartial, having no desires,
In whose heart there is no place
For happiness and sorrows, courage and fear.
Such bhaktas reside in my heart,
In the same manner as riches
Reside in the heart of a greedy man. – Ramacharitamanas
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give, whatever you practice as austerity, O Arjuna, do it as an offering unto Me! – Bhagavad Gita, 9:27
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land
So, the little minutes,
Humble they be
Make the mighty ages
Of Eternity. – Julia Fletcher Carney Continue reading
In the first of his ten incarnations, Vishnu took the form of Matsya (a fish) to save primeval man from the deluge that consumed the world. He is depicted as half fish and half God. When I saw the whale sharks I thought of Vishnu in his Matsya Avatar. Continue reading
Dear ones, we are in the Philippines. Three times our vacation was cancelled. First time, I had to have an emergency surgery. Second time there was a hurricane and so much rain that the places we wanted to visit were flooded with water and mud and Mount Mayon erupted. Third time the dates were too close to my application for a Schengen visa. Continue reading
Every child is pure; every child is untainted and innocent
You do not really remember your childhood,
But if you did, you would remember that at that time
You had the awareness of yourself. – ‘High on Waves’ by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Rage is an intense emotional state of displeasure with someone or something. Tranquility is a state of freedom from storm or disturbance. How does one keep a balance? There is only one way, which is being aware of one’s breath. What does this do for one? Does it banish one’s rage, one’s turmoil in one’s mind? It does. Continue reading
Look deep into nature, then you will understand everything better. – Albert Einstein
The earth has music for those who listen. – William Shakespeare Continue reading
Reflected Awareness Sadhana
We are what our thoughts have made us; so, take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. – Swami Vivekananda
It is Valentines’ Day and there are so many expectations about it. The excitement for young persons is about how many valentines and gifts one will get. As we get older, we still have an element of wishful thinking, maybe one’s ego comes into play. Continue reading
How often does one feel remorse?
What is the meaning of remorse?
Remorse is contrition, deep regret, repentance and penitence. Do we have these feelings and emotions. It is a feeling of sadness and being sorry for something one has done. Continue reading
Dear ones, I have a story to share with all of you. This happened in a forest sanctuary in India. A tigress was chasing a wild boar. The wild boar can run very fast, and the hungry tigress can run even faster because she has to feed her little ones. The chase was long until the boar fell into a well and the tigress fell after him. The boar and the tigress were shrieking. Can you imagine the roars of a hungry tigress? Continue reading
The Mandala of Taste is not considered a method of transcendence. However, khechari mudra, in which one folds one’s tongue against the upper palate. The actual mudra is complex, therefore for the rest of us, the concentration should be on the tip of one’s tongue and becoming aware of the lalan chakra, which is a tiny gland at the back of the throat. Continue reading
The two mandalas of form and sound are considered to be the backbone of Tantra, however there are other mandalas which are used. The Mandala of smell is one of these. One can imagine the fragrance of jasmine and smell it. Continue reading
In the practice of Tantra, mantras are used. The mandala of sound in the beginning, when one practices the mantra, one chants Om, Om, Om aloud and one can hear the sound. Later one does not utter the sound, but one can feel it. Continue reading
Yantras are geometrical formations such as the triangles seen in the chakras. There are many yantras like Kali Yantra and Tara Yantra, but the greatest is the Sri Yantra. The purpose of the yantra is to create a specific formation in the mind. Continue reading