811 – An ode to Mothers

 

Mothers are a special category of human beings. They are filled with unconditional love and they are forgiving. One does not have to be a mother to have Matri bhava (maternal love). One can have love for people and other God’s creatures, which is also considered Matri bhava. Matri Devo Bhava means one for whom Mother is God. Continue reading

760 – Cradled in the arms of the Mother

Prostrations to you, O Narayani! O Narayani! You who bestow auspiciousness on all things auspicious. You bestow fulfilment in all fields of pursuits of all beings, and the following of Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. You are merciful to those who take refuge in You, O three-eyed Goddess.

It is a wonderful emotion to visualize the Goddess as the Mother of the universe. It again emphasizes how powerful our love is for her and how she reciprocates it. All our negativity disappears when we pray to Narayani. With our birth mother, we feel safe and with the presence of the Divines Mother, we are protected. Continue reading

748 – Invoke Medha

Who is Medha? She is the Vedic goddess presiding over the power of memory and understanding.

How does memory influence us? I read that one should build on the old memories and then one forgets the unpleasant memories. It is possible if it relates to war or other disasters. How can one reduce a traumatic event and build on it? Dear ones, it is possible to accept a traumatic event and not allow it to interfere with the process of daily events. However, one has to work on it, and sometimes it can be life-long. Continue reading

738 – Govardhan Puja

Govardhan Puja is celebrated a day after Diwali. What is special about it? A Govardhan Parvat is made from Cow dung and people worship cows. The story behind it is that great festivities were going on in Braj. Braj is a region on both sides of the Yamuna with its center at Mathura. Continue reading

715 – Rely only on your heart

A poem.

Do not grieve over past joys,
be sure they will reappear in another form.
A child’s joy is in milk and nursing,
but once weaned, it finds new joy in bread and honey.
Joy appears in many different forms
It moves from place to place.
It may suddenly show in the falling rain.
Or in the rose bed; it comes now as water,
Now as beauty, or as nourishing bread.
But suddenly it may show its face
From behind the veil and destroy all idols
That prevent you from seeking the divine.
In sleep when the soul leaves the body
You may dream of yourself as a tall cypress
Or as a beautiful rose, but be
Warned my friend,
All these phantoms dissolve into thin air
Once the soul returns to the body.
Do not rely on anything but your heart.

Jalaluddin Rumi: Rumi’s Little Book of Life Continue reading

714 – Be thankful

Dear ones, be thankful for what we are, what we have and what we can give. I came home after my surgery on Sunday, which was the beginning of Navratri. It is a joyous time as before that we had been observing Pitrapaksh. Seeking forgiveness for our ancestors. Before leaving the hospital, I was able to play my chants in my room. Continue reading

638 – Early morning meditation on the Goddess Kundalini

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.

Continue reading

597 – On the way to salvation

All followers of God, seek salvation.

Salvation has many meanings. We want preservation from harm, ruin and loss. We want freedom from our sins and karma. We desire liberation of our spirit. We want redemption, and restoration for ourselves and earth. We want to salvage our environment and restore it to its pristine form. Continue reading

590 – Who is a Hindu?

Hinduism is the world’s oldest faith in the world. Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continues cycle of life, death and reincarnation) and karma (the universal law of cause and effect). In Hinduism, the soul or Atman is the crux of it. Continue reading

583 – Accept and respect your body and soul

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