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

484 – Mother and Father

Swami Vivekananda said,

Mother is the first manifestation of power… With the name of mother comes the idea of shakti divine energy and omnipotence, just as the baby believes its mother to be all-powerful, able to do anything. The Divine Mother is the Kundalini sleeping in us; without worshipping her we can never know ourselves.

Who is the father? Continue reading

393 – Teaching children to cope with grief

My mother was my first Guru and teacher. She was a very special person. She was amongst the early women in India to study social work. She went on a scholarship to study in England, and she also was a Sanskrit scholar. She met my father on the ship. He was also going to study, and they fell in love. They were together in Europe for five years and then came back to India. Continue reading

321 – Skulls and severed heads

When some of us think of Hindu Goddesses, we associate some of them with being fierce and blood thirsty. That is not the case; it is our misunderstanding which has been reinforced by the distortion of facts. As a child, I never felt afraid of Kali, Tara, Chinnamasti, Matangi and Bhairavi. They all wear garlands of skulls or severed heads. Continue reading

264 – Anniversary Celebrations

I was in Varanasi with my husband to celebrate our fiftieth wedding anniversary. Varanasi is considered the holiest city on earth for Hindus. It is supposed to be 5000 years old. The place where the supreme light shines, it is believed to be the home of Lord Shiva. When Shiva got married to Uma, the daughter of the Himavat, of Himalaya Mountain, he had to move from his abode in Kailash. Kashi was the most splendid city at that time and Uma was a princess and a goddess. It is believed that the river Ganga pays its respect to Lord Shiva by the direction in which it flows. The ajna chakra is on the banks of the Ganga and the Kashi Visvanath temple is where it is. Annapurna Devi‘s temple is next door. Continue reading

261 – What is Tantra?

 

Tantra is a pure science of dedication to Mother Power. In Tantra we behold God as mother. God should be the Mother because only the mother can create. She is the ultimate dynamic power. She is the preserver and also the destroyer. It is by her command that the celestial beings, human beings and all of creation moves.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Aim Hrim Klim

254 – Me, why is everything about me

It has been in my mind the subject of me. I am observing that whatever I read is always about the subject’s feelings and emotions. Mother’s day has just come and gone. Our memories about our mums are related to how wonderful and kind she was. How much she did for us. How many of us have thought of all the difficulties, our mothers and fathers went through? Continue reading

233 – Devi in the hindu tradition

The Goddess has been worshipped in the vedic and tantric traditions in numerous forms. Thousands of goddesses exist in India, all manifestations and symbols of one energy and power. As Durga, she is the remover of obstacles, as Kali, the destroyer of time and annihilator of the ego. As Lakshmi, she is the granter of wisdom and knowledge. As Saraswati, she is the granter of wisdom and knowledge. As Tara, she is the guiding light. As Jagdamba, she is the mother of the universe. Continue reading