And the Grinch stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons… tags… boxes and bags… Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps means a little bit more. – Dr Seuss
Do we recall the gift God gave us in Jesus? What comes in our minds when we think of Christmas? We worry about our gifts exchange. We think that if our gift is not right, it will be misunderstood. Have we forgotten that we are loved, are never alone and can hope for the future? Continue reading
My dear ones, we are in a time frame which is heralding good tidings. Let us look back and see how our past year was spent. How would we like to change it? Have we been conscientious in our quest? What can we do? There are so many things which can be accomplished. We have to seek and the only then will we know the truth. The truth can be cruel but what is worse is when we become indifferent to each other. Our Antennae are out there, but they are only there for our friends. Continue reading
Welcome your thoughts of sharing, kindness, and love. Look around you and smile. Express your feelings. Use the word like, enjoy and believe. See the difference in your face with these expressions. Continue reading
Red, green, gold, purple, white, and blue have very potent associations. The attributes of the colors are very powerful. Red is associated with love, green with regeneration, gold with energy, purple with spirituality, blue with the heart, and white with purity. Continue reading
There are so many proverbs and sayings and they all say the same thing. However, are we paying attention to the wisdom and the ultimate truth. We are too involved with ourselves and our thoughts. Our thoughts are governing us, and they do not allow us to look beyond our nose. Continue reading
Christmas carols are sung because it is a way of telling the story of the nativity and the birth of Jesus Christ. It also enables one to express joy and hope. However, when we hear the carolers, we just listen to the carols without registering their actual meaning.
They are joyful hymns and the seven lessons that we can learn from them are: Continue reading
Do we need to be reminded that God is with us, in our midst? Do we need these adjectives to describe Christmas: colorful, sparkly, merry, bright, precious etc.? Lights, candles, trees which are evergreen, stars, bells, holly, peppermint canes etc. What are these symbols representing? Continue reading
Swami Satyananda Saraswati narrated a story. Once upon a time there was a thunderous sound in the firmament. The sound was Da repeated three times. The sages and seers who were assembled heard the uproar and asked what the sound indicated. They were told that it meant three things: be restrained: be compassionate and learn to give. Continue reading
Prasad, bhet, akshat and daan are different names for giving.
Daan means charity. Any giving by a householder is known as daan.
Prasad means an offering of goodwill. Any giving that happens in a temple, church or ashram is known as prasad. This offering or present carries good wishes for one’s health, happiness, prosperity and peace. Continue reading