Lalitha Sahasranama is a thousand names of the Goddess Lalitha. It praises the virtues and the divine aspects of the Mother Divine in different names. Names are very significant and chanting the different names of the Goddess is likened to the smell of Sandalwood and the smell of jasmine. Continue reading
‘Ya Devi Sarva Bhuteshu’, represents that Devi is present everywhere and at all times.
Key words used to describe Devi. Continue reading
All is thy will.
Thy will be done
Whether you raise me
To the height of spiritual glory
Or you throw me down
Into the abyss of hell,
I accept it.
Readily, happily, with pleasure
Because that is thy will
I am the chariot,
You are the charioteer.
I am the horse,
You are the master.
Keep me as you like.
Use me, misuse me or abuse me
I have nothing to defend.
Poem written by a great bhakta. Continue reading
I am sharing a mantra with you, dedicated to Shiva, seeking atonement and blessings.
Om namaste astu bhagvana visrvesrvaraya mahadevaya
Trayambakaya tripurantakaya trikalagnikalaya
Kalagirudraya nilakanthaya mrityumjayaya
Sarvesrvaraya sadashivaya sriman mahadevaya Namah.
True liberation is freedom from attachments, desires and fears. It is the Yogic path which will lead us. The passage to Nirodha, to the state of Samadhi is not an easy voyage. It requires sadhana, self-discipline and wholehearted commitment. The change from tamo guna and rajo guna to sattva guna is a basic step. Continue reading
Who does not love pots and pans? Many of us collect them as treasures and do not use them. They shine with their copper bottoms, glowing, red mud pots. The blacksmith and potter have crafted them so that the food is delicious and eaten with love. Continue reading
We are all seekers of bliss. We imagine that bliss is when we our dreams are fulfilled. What are our dreams? Let us list them. Where do I start? Each one of us has our own bliss priority. I can generalize, dear ones but please do not be cross with me. Continue reading
Tantric Form of Goddess Worship, 11th book of the Devi Bhagvata.
The Kundalini resides on the ruddy lotus (the mooladhara).
She is blood red in color and has Hrim for her symbol.
She is like a lotus filament.
Her face is the sun, her breasts the moon.
If she dwells just once in one’s heart, one is liberated.
She is (all acts): sitting, coming, going, understanding, reflecting, lauding, singing. I am universal and divine; all (my acts and) praise are worship for you (the Devi).
I am the Goddess; you are not other (than I). I am Brahman, free of sorrow.
I am infinite being, consciousness and bliss. Thus, should one reflect on one’s Self.
She shines brilliantly in her ascent; she appears like nectar in her descent;
I take refuge in that woman who wanders along the middle channel in the form of bliss.
Hope is the thing with feathers
By Emily Dickenson (1861)
Hope is the thing with feathers–
That perches in the soul–
And sings the tune without the words–
And never stops-at-all–
And sweetest –in the Gale—is heard–
And sore must be the storm–
That could abash the little Bird.
That kept so many warm–
I’ve heard it in the chilliest land–
And on the strangest Sea–
Yet—never—in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of me.
Guna means virtue and each one of us is blessed with three gunas. They emerge from Prakriti creating the essential aspects of all nature—matter, energy and consciousness. These are tamas (darkness and chaos), rajas (activity and passion) and sattva (beingness and harmony). These gunas are constantly in flux and they are responsible for creating maya (illusion). As human beings we can consciously alter our levels of gunas in our body and mind. Continue reading
The individual sounds of So and Ham.
In the first stage, one synchronized Soham with the breath. In the second stage, one synchronized Hamso, with the breath. Now in the third stage the introspection is upon the individual sound of So with the ingoing breath and Ham with the outgoing breath. After So there is a pause again and after Ham. Be aware of the two individual sounds and do not unite them. Continue reading
During the first stage of Ajapa japa, one introspects upon So with ingoing breath and Ham with outgoing breath. Now in the second stage, the process is reversed. Continue reading
Ratri Sukta, ‘Hymn to the Night’ is a poem in praise for the Goddess of the night, in Devimahatmyam. It is a Hindu text, consisting of 700 verses and describes the vanquishment of the Mother Goddess over the evil forces, which exist within us. Continue reading
The power of the word lasts forever. It cannot fade away. I read that when we say something hurtful to someone intentionally, it never leaves the ether. Words are made of prana as we utter them by using our prana. They themselves have the energy and power which can heal, help, hurt, harm or hinder, humiliate and humble. Continue reading
What is consciousness? Consciousness is your individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensation and of the environment. The complete meaning of consciousness is your awareness of yourself and the world around you. Continue reading