Scriptures, Prayers, Saints & Great Teachers related posts -worth sharing

ReStories to Carve the Mind Into a Beautiful Picture.

Stories to Carve the Mind Into a Beautiful Picture.

The world is beautiful for you, if you think positive and acquire virtues. Work hard to keep good health & mind. Work is joy, happiness, confidence, experiment, worship, nobility in action and lastly Discovery of Truth.

Knowledge without practice and experience is empty words. If you love to talk, enlighten people. Make your talks useful and informative. Guru is a Volume of knowledge. Words are Files of the Past for the Benefit of The Present. Past is the Roots to grant Fruits.

The Great Guru, Vyaas-The Guru of all Mortal Gurus, was a great enlightened person born out of Chance. As his birth was difficult, so was His life too. When did he ever enjoy life? Easy is for the lazies. Difficult path is chosen by the Bright to Brighten the Life, Improve the Society and To leave the Foot Prints on the Sands of TIME.

The purpose of Life is to manifest yourself. God is Born in Your Heart. God lives in your body seeking your permission to manifest. As you provide a body to Him, So shall you provide a Better Mind too. Without having good tools how can you manifest your talents? Is not mind a Tool of the Consciousness? God needs Improved Body and Mind to make His world a better place to envision Himself through Millions Billions of Bodies.

Vyaas was agreat Sage born under unnatural, unplanned situation. All new ideas flash into the mind in a very unexpected moments. To me, when I chant my scriptures and mind wanders arout, I get a flash of new thoughts which suddenly enlightens the mind, as if some other agency has spoken to you. It does not come by one sitting. It happens when you are sole dedicated to the cause of your life.

Vyaas was named as Krishna Dwaiypaayan. Do you know the meaning of Vyaas? It means Circumference - the enclosure of truth. As a circle encloses space, the Truth was summed up in his writings - Editing all Vedic Wisdom and Writing Puranas for the common good. Vedas are for the scholars, philosophers and thinkers. Puranas are for common members of the society who are puzzled to see the enormousness of the world and find it hard to decide what to do in life. All spiritual Wisdom in East & West originated from these writings. People travelled far and wide and adapted the wisdom to suit the climate, and to meet the need of the society and climate. New things were introduced and many teachings were dropped.

It is human nature to think a new and bring originality in life. No one can be a ditto in nature. All are different and yet all are members of One Great Human Society incorporated in Heaven. Though people rejoice feeling different all the time and yet basically all are one, as different limbs and organs in the body, make body one entity.

The word Krishna has two meanings: black and attraction. Vyaas was born black. He was the centre of attention because of great achievements on a spiritual level. He was born on an island - called dweep in Sanskrit. So he was named as Vyaas, the Krishna Dwyaipaayan. Before this Vyaas, 27 more Vyaasas were born in different times. The presently known Vyaas lived on this earth in the Times of Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu and one who is famous for the wisdom of Gita, a world renouned book of spiritual wisdom.

The name Vyaas, is a title used to address a great Guru of great learning, a realised person who has access to the vicinities of three stages of time; past, present and future.

The lineage of Guru or Teachers started with the first Guru known as Vyaas. In the month of July, the full moon day is dedicated to the Guru Vyaas and is celebrated all over India as Guru Poornimaa- a day of teachers and disciples, dedicated to teaching and learning. Knowledge makes the quality of life. One chooses a way of living according to his-her understanding of life. That is why it is common spiritual knowledge quoted in almost all scriptures that Knowledge grants Liberation.

So, if you want to be wise, devote time to learning. The first 25 years of life should be devoted to learning as the main mission of life. Avoid all distractions. Focus on building your character, integrity, learning a useful trade and in building good relationship with the society. Youth is golden. With due amusement, donot lose sight of your bright future whose architect is You and You alone. Wish a Merry Christmas, Deewaalee, Ramaazan, Sabbath, Paryusan, etc.,etc.,…. All year round.

Your very own Soul, Ma Yoga Shakti

 

Managing Anger

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​

​

Anger is ubiquitous. We meet anger at home, in
the streets, and at our working place. It often
causes more harm to ourselves than to others.
It is a natural and forceful emotion, with great destructive
potential. Anger is also contagious. When people
suffer from tension or are going through some conflict,
they communicate it to others. They are all the time
unhappy and agitated. This produces an atmosphere
of unrest and tension around them. They are avoided
by people. But if people lead a balanced and calm life,
they convey a sense of happiness to all who come in
contact with them.​

Legends​

• Durvasa​

​

: Born of the anger of Shiva, he is quick to take offence and reacts
with vicious curses. He is also arrogant and thinks little of making Krishna
and Rukmini labour for him.​

• Parashurama​

​

: Parashurama’s father was killed by King Kartaviryarjuna’s
men after a dispute over the fabled wish-fulfilling cow, Sushila. To avenge
the wrong, Parashurama, though a brahmana, did twenty-one rounds of
Bharata, exterminating every single kshatriya he came across. Finally, he
had to undertake equally rigorous penance to expiate his wrongs.​

• Hanuman​

​

: He is known as the best among the wise, jnaninam agraganyam.
But while setting fire to Lanka he forgot that the fire could also burn
down the grove where Sita was confined.​

Lessons​

• Durvasa is the image of the ‘constitutionally angry’ individual.
• Parashurama exemplifies the havoc that ‘righteous anger’ can wreak.
• Hanuman’s action shows how even apparently controlled anger could
expose one to grave personal risks.​

MANAGING​

ANGER​

Swami Atmavikasananda​

The Pathology of Anger​

According to the Bhagavadgita, anger is derived
from ​

​

rajas, the restlessness in human nature that
drives all activity. It is also the result of ‘thwarted
desire’. It is closely linked to the other baser
(demoniac) aspects of human nature: lust, greed,
conceit, ostentation, arrogance, jealousy, rudeness,
and ignorance. It sequentially leads to delusion,
failure of memory, loss of discrimination,
and ruinous action.​

Viv ekananda Illam, Chennai​

Shades of Anger​

Mental Flux​

In his commentary on Patanjali’s ​

​

Yoga Sutra,
Vyasa speaks of five states of mind: kshipta,​

mudha​

​

, vikshipta, ekagra,
and niruddha.​

Kshipta ​

​

is the extremely restless state of
mind; it is prone to tension, worry, anger, and
conflict.
The mind can also be mudha, that is, dull or
inert. This is due to a predominance of tamas;
and such people are also prone to violent bursts
of anger.
The vikshipta or distracted mind has the capacity
to attain concentration off and on, unlike
the kshipta mind. A mind that is at times
calm and at other times disturbed is termed​

vikshipta​

​

. Most spiritual seekers have this type
of mind. One needs to be especially alert at
this stage because of the possibility of concentrating
the mind on undesirable objects. Our
meditation should transform our life. It is not
uncommon to find that after having practised
meditation for long hours, anger, restlessness,
egotism, suspicion, and such other negative
traits become prominent in some people, rather
than qualities like calmness of mind, forgiveness,
and compassion. These are signs of improper
meditation.
The ekagra or one-pointed mind is characteristic
of people deeply absorbed in their
work. It is a result of sustained discipline, and
when this state is coupled with detachment it
turns virtually resistant to negative emotions
like anger.
The last and final state is niruddha—devoid
of all mental modification (vrittis). It is a superconscious
state, a type of samadhi, and very
few people can attain to it.
Most of us swing between stages one and
three. Whenever there is anger, tension, or conflict
we should know that we have lost the balance
of our vrittis.​

Swami Vivekananda Compared our Mind to a Lake​

So whenever there is a problem, we should know that somebody has thrown a stone into the lake
and the ripples have started surfacing.​

nirha
ea
kshipta
mudha
Mind-states according to Patanjali​

The bottom of the lake is our true self.
These ripples (​

​

vrittis) are our universe.​

Vritti​

​

s commonly come in the form
of thought, emotion, or desire. Anger
is also a vritti, and it can manifest in
gross and subtle forms.​

​

​

​

But somebody may argue that
anger has some bright sides
too!​

Anger can discipline children.
Anger can discipline work.
True, but to use anger deliberately for any
creative purpose is very difficult unless one
knows how to overcome it.
When we use anger deliberately as a tool,
we should ask questions ourselves the following
questions:
1. Are we using anger or is anger using us?
2. Is anger an efficient instrument in our
hands or are we a mere tool in the hands
of our anger?
Using anger is like playing with fire.​

Evil Effects of Anger​

The angry man or woman​

​

:​

1. Forgets the lessons in wisdom learnt in life.
2. Loses the ability to discriminate between right and wrong.
3. Loses control over thought and emotions.
4. Becomes overactive, with a highly-charged ego as his or her
sole guide.
5. Becomes aggressive in manner.
6. Suffers loss of health—both physical and mental.
7. Destroys friendships and family associations.​

1. Your anger at somebody.
2. Somebody’s anger at you.
3. Anger without a focus.​

When you tend to get angry with others​

​

:​

1. Knowing that anger is bad, you should get
angry with anger itself.
2. Know that by getting angry, you are forming
a habit too.
3. The greatest remedy for anger is delay. Just
try counting from one to twenty (or fifty or one
hundred!) the next time you are angry.
4. Try deep breathing. This is known to induce
relaxation.
5. Try to find out the reason why you are angry.
Often, when things have cooled down, the
reason appears trivial. The real reason for our
anger may not be immediately evident, but may
be lurking below in our subconscious minds.
6. Think a loving thought. Love is the opposite
of anger. (A mother is very angry with
somebody. Just then her child comes running
into her lap and hugs her. Her anger is replaced
by love, in spite of herself!)​

When somebody is angry with you​

​

:​

1. Introspect before acting. Why is he angry
with me? ‘Maybe he is just unwell and so is
irritable.’
‘There is another class of ​

​

vrittis called vikalpa​

[verbal delusion]. A word is uttered and we do
not wait to consider its meaning; we jump to
conclusions immediately’ (Swami Vivekananda).
If we can consciously reduce such verbal delusions
in our communications, misunderstandings
and unpleasantness will be considerably
reduced. Next time someone calls you a ‘nut’,
just think over what he means—why he used
this term, and if it really says something about
you—before you lash out.
2. If you are wrong, accept it. That will solve
the problem and may even win you a friend.​

Three Ways of Looking at Anger​

​

​

​

When you tend to get angry with others,
you should address your mind
and say, ‘Mind, if you must be angry
with those who cause you harm, why
don’t you then get angry with anger
itself?’ For it does you the greatest
harm; it prevent you from attaining
the cherished values of life, righteousness,
wealth, pleasure, and liberation.
While angry you live through
hell, even before your death. So, you
have no enemy worse than anger.​

—Swami Vidyaranaya​

3. Be optimistic; ‘It may be for my good.’
4. Remember: ‘When the shoe bites, one
does not bite the shoe.’
5. Be thankful. By getting angry with us, people
often reveal our faults to us. And for rendering
this service they even sacrifice their own
peace of mind!​

Angry for no good reason?​

Some people tend to get angry more easily than
others for no apparent reason. The reason
could lie in:
1. Low frustration tolerance.
2. Being part of a dysfunctional family.
3. Physical factors: illness, heat, or overcrowding.
4. Unidentified psychological problems
like lack of assertiveness, bereavement, or
depression.
5. Frequent ill luck or perceived injustice.​

We cannot avoid anger completely, so to minimize
its impact, we can use some practical
measures:
1. Cultivate the practice of meditation, breath
awareness, deep breathing, and yoga.
2. Make it a habit to sit quietly at home,
alone, at the beginning of your day. Think about
the work at hand and the situations you are
likely to face. This will prepare you for anticipating
and facing even explosive situations with
friendliness and calm.
3. Surround yourself with watchfulness so
that anger does not catch you unawares.
4. ‘Humility works as an antidote to anger
for all, everywhere, and at all times.’
5. Develop a sense of humour and try to see
the lighter side of things.
6. Hear more; speak less and to the point.
7. Do not add fuel to your anger. Neutralize
resentment by diverting your mind from such
thoughts as ‘I will teach him a lesson’.
8. Give up fault-finding.
9. Develop consideration for others. Try to
understand why people think, speak, and behave
the way they do.
10. Don’t jump to conclusions.
11. In times of peace, consciously fill your
inner being with sweetness, tranquillity, and
mildness. Pray regularly for peace and the good
of humanity. Think some good and pleasing
thoughts before starting work.​

Developing a Calm Personality​

Universal Prayers​

Om. May there be peace in heaven. May there be
peace in the sky. May there be peace on earth. May
there be peace in water. May there be peace in the
plants. May there be peace in the trees. May there be
peace in the gods. May there be peace in Brahman.
May there be peace in all. May that peace, real peace,
be mine.
May all be freed from dangers. May all realize what
is good. May all be actuated by noble thoughts. May
all rejoice everywhere.
Om shantih, shantih, shantih!​

Peace, peace, peace!

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Re: Managing Anger

Hi Kalpana,

Thank you very much for this very informative posting. I have always had great faith in Swami Vivekananda's sayings. The examples of anger playing out through famous figures of Indian mythology are so well explained.

The anger management tips are also great, I liked the point that those who concentrate on their immediate tasks are less prone to anger.

Hope to see more posts like this one,

Best Regards,

Sowmya

 

Re: Managing Anger

Kalpana,
Nice one at the time I need the most.

will definitely follow the instructions and be aware of the dangers of getting angry.
follow it by step by step.

sriniketan

 

Ramana Maharishi's Explanation Of Dakshinamoorthy Stotram

Dear Members,



The following incident took place at Sri Ramanashram, Tiruvannamalai some
decades ago.

It was a Mahasivaratri day. The devotees dined along with the Bhagawan.
Then they all assembled in the main hall and the Maharishi was reclining on
the bed in his usual pose and poise. It was 8 in the night.

A devotee got up, paid obeisance to the Bhagawan and requested him :
" Bhagawan , today is an auspicious day, MahaSivaratri. We all will be
grateful if Bhagawan could explain to us the meaning of Dakshinamurthy
sthothram."



Bhagawan replied " yes, I shall. Please sit down. "

All sat down. Bhagawan did not speak anything. He was silent. All those
assembled there were looking at Bhagawan. Bhagawan was looking at
them, Grace oozing out of his eyes.



(Ramana Maharshi)

There was total silence. No one moved; nothing moved except time.

The clock struck nine... Still Bhagawan was silent. Stillness everywhere.

Time moved forward. The clock struck ten, eleven, twelve., one, two,
three.

It was all silence, total and complete. All the assembled devotees and the
Bhagawan were looking at each other.

No one even whispered.They were all transported to a Divine world of bliss. Many felt something moving up their spines! It was Bliss all over.

And the clock struck four. Maharishi got up. It took them a minute to
realize this small movement and they too got up.

Maharishi said : " Now, you all know the meaning of Dakshinamurthy
sthothram " and he walked away.


Ramana Maharshi as a youngkid portrayed as Shankaracharya- Dakshinamurthi Rupa

This incident was narrated by sri T.K.Sundaresa Iyer, an ardent devotee
of Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi.

Indeed, silence is eloquent.

 

Maha Narayana Upanishad

Maha Narayana Upanishad

Hari Om ! May Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, Indra, Brihaspati
And all-pervading Vishnu be propitious to us
And grant us welfare and bliss.
I bow down to Brahman in reverence.
O Vayu, I bow down to Thee in adoration.
Thou verily art perceptible Brahman.
I shall declare: Thou art right.
Thou art the true and the good.
May that – the Supreme Being adored as Vayu – preserve me.
May He preserve the teacher.
Me, may He protect; My teacher, may He protect.
Om ! May He protect us both together; may He nourish us both together;
May we work conjointly with great energy,
May our study be vigorous and effective;
May we not mutually dispute (or may we not hate any).
Om ! Let there be Peace in me !
Let there be Peace in my environment !
Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me !
I-1: The Lord of creation, who is present in the shoreless waters, on the earth and above the heaven and who is greater than the great, having entered the shining intelligences of creatures in seed form, acts in the foetus (which grows into the living being that is born).
I-2: That in which all this universe exists together and into which it dissolves. That in which all the gods remain enjoying their respective powers – That certainly is whatever that has been in the past and whatever indeed is to come in the future. This cause of the universe, Prajapati, is supported by His own imperishable nature described as absolute ether.
I-3: He by whom the space between heaven and earth as well as the heaven and the earth are enveloped. He by whom the sun burns with heat and gives light, and He whom the sages bind in the ether of their hearts (with the string of meditation), in whom – The Imperishable One – all creatures abide.
I-4-5: From whom the creatrix of the world, Prakriti, was born, who created in the world creatures out of elements such as water, who entered beings consisting of herbs, quadrupeds and men as the inner controller, who is greater than the greatest, who is one without a second, who is imperishable, who is of unlimited forms, who is the universe, who is ancient, who remains beyond darkness or Prakriti and who is higher than the highest – nothing else exists other than, or subtler than, Him.
I-6: Sages declare: That alone is right and That alone is true: That alone is the venerable Brahman contemplated by the wise. Acts of worship and social utility also are that Reality. That alone being the navel of the universe, sustains manifoldly the universe which arose in the past and which springs to existence at present.
I-7: That alone is Fire: That is Air; That is Sun; That verily is Moon; That alone is shining Stars and Ambrosia. That is Food; That is Water and He is the Lord of creatures.
I-8-9: All nimesas, kalas, muhurtas, kasthas, days, half-months, months, and seasons, were born from the self-luminous Person. The year also was born from Him. He milked water and also these two, the firmament and the heaven.
I-10: No person ever grasped by his understanding the upward limit of this Paramatman, nor His limit across, nor His middle portion. His name is ‘great glory’ for no one limits His nature by definition.
I-11: His form is not to be beheld; none whosoever beholds Him with the eye. Those who meditate on Him with their minds undistracted and fixed in the heart know Him; they become immortal.
[Paramatma-sukta or Hiranyagarbha-sukta – from Yajur-Veda-Samhita:
1. The universe arose from Visvakarman through water, earth, fire and other elements. He excelled Aditya, Indra and other gods. The sun called Tvasta rises in the morning embodying His brilliance. In the beginning of creation the mortal world enveloped in gloom received its divine brilliance from the sun shining in the glory of Paramatman.
2. I know this Great Person who is beyond ignorance and darkness and whose splendour is comparable to that of the sun. Knowing Him thus in this life itself, one transcends death. There is no other path leading to the attainment of liberation.
3. The sun who is the Lord of creatures moves about in the space between heaven and earth causing day and night. Although He is unborn, being the Self of all, He manifests Himself as the manifold universe. Wise men realize the source of the universe, the all-pervading Paramatman. Prajapati, the first patriarchs, sought the position, which Marichi and other sages attained.
4. Salutation to the resplendent Sun-God who is the son of Para-Brahman, who shines for the benefit of gods, who is invoked as the beneficent leader of the gods, and who was born as the eldest among the gods.
5. When the gods instituted the Knowledge of Brahman they declared thus teaching about the Supreme reality. – That sage who knows the Supreme as described before will have sovereignty over gods, for he has become the Inmost Self of all.
6. O Sun, Hri and Lakshmi are Thy consorts, Thyself being Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. Day and night are Thy two sides. Asterisms in the sky are Thine own form. The Ashvins are Thy mouth. Being such, grant me whatever I desire, spiritual illumination, happiness here and other objects of desire.]
[Hymn to Hiranyagarbha – from Taittiriya-Samhita IV-1-8:
1. The resplendent Prajapati was born at the beginning of creation from the Supreme potent with the power of Maya. Having been born He became the one sustainer and nourisher of all beings. The same Paramatman, here designated as Hiranyagarbha, supports the earth as well as heaven. May we worship that shining One with offerings – who is of the nature of bliss or whose characteristic nature cannot be interrogated.
2. Who became the sovereign ruler of all beings living and existing on the earth; who controls as the indwelling Spirit all the bipeds and quadrupeds evident on the earth;
3. Who is the giver of Self (all Selves in reality being Himself); who is the bestower of strength (as nourisher through food); whose command even gods are eager to receive; whom immortality and death obey like shadow;
4. Whose glory the mountains, the Himalayas and the rest, declare; whose greatness the ocean along with rivers proclaim; to whose hands engaged in dispensing justice may be compared the eight directions;
5. Whom the dual deity, heaven and earth, shining by light and established for the protection of the world view in mind as the source of their greatness; supported by whom the sun moves gloriously after rising;
6. By whom the powerful sky and the terrestrial region were made firm; by whom the blissful heaven was awarded to the virtuous, by whom Release was appointed for the virtuous; who is the maker of Rajasa creation in the mid-region;
7. Through the power of whom the great Causal Waters holding within it the power of unfoldment and the capacity to produce fire transformed itself into the form of the world and from whom the one Breath of all gods came into existence;
8. Who – the Hiranyagarbha – viewed the waters which create fire and support the Vedic acts of worship (in order to endow it with such potency); who is the one God ruling over all the rest.]
I-12: This Self-luminous Lord renowned in the scriptures pervades all the quarters of heaven. Having been born as Hiranyagarbha in the beginning He indeed is inside the universe represented as the womb. He alone is the manifold world of creation now springing into existence and causing the birth of the world of creation yet to come. As one having face everywhere, He dwells also as the inner most Self leading all creatures.
I-13: The Self-luminous Reality is one without a second and is the creator of heaven and earth. (Having created the universe by Himself and out of Himself.) He became the possessor of the eyes, faces, hands and feet of all creatures in every part of the universe. He controls all of them by dharma and adharma (merit and demerit) represented as His two hands and the constituent elements of the universe which have supplied the Souls with the material embodiment represented as patatra or legs.
I-14-15: He in whom this universe originates and into whom it is absorbed; He who exists as the warp and woof in all created beings; He by whom the three states (of waking, dream and deep sleep) are appointed in the intellects hidden in creatures; He in whom the universe finds a single place of rest – having seen that Paramatman, the Gandharva named Vena became a true knower of all the worlds and proclaimed (to his disciples for the first time) that Reality as immortal. He who knows that all-pervasive One becomes worthy of receiving the honour due to a father even from his own natural father.
I-16: Through whose power the gods who have attained immortality in the third region of heaven got allotted their respective places, He is our friend, father and ordainer. He knows the proper places of each because He understands all created beings.
I-17: They (i.e. those who have realized their identity with the Highest Lord) immediately spread over heaven and earth. They pervade other worlds, the quarters of heaven and the heavenly region called Suvarloka. Whosoever among created beings sees that Brahman named Rita or ‘the True’, unintermittently pervading the creation like the thread of a cloth, by contemplation in mind, truly becomes That.
I-18: Having pervaded the worlds and the created beings and all the quarters and intermediate quarters, the first born of Brahman known as Prajapati or Hiranyagarbha became by His own nature as Paramatman, the ruler and protector of individual souls.
I-19: I pray I may attain to the marvellously excellent Lord of the unmanifest cause of the universe who is dear to Indra and my own Self, who is covetable, who is worthy of reverence and who is the bestower of intellectual powers.
I-20: O Jatavedas, shine brilliantly in order to destroy the sins connected with me. Confer on me enjoyments of various kinds including cattle. Give me sustenance and longevity and appoint a suitable dwelling for me in any direction.
I-21: O Jatavedas, through Thy grace may not the evil one slay our cows, horses, men and other belongings in the world. O Fire, come to succour us without holding weapons in Thy hand or thoughts of our offences in Thy mind. Unite me on all sides with wealth.
I-22: May we know the Supreme Person and for the attainment of His Knowledge may we meditate upon Him, the thousand-eyed Great God. May Rudra, the giver of Knowledge, impel us towards such meditation and keep us in it.
I-23: May we know or realize the Supreme Person. For that, may we meditate upon Mahadeva and to that meditation may Rudra impel us.
I-24: May we know the Supreme Person. For that, may we meditate upon Vakratunda. May Dantin impel us towards it.
I-25: May we know the Divine Person. For that, may we meditate upon Chakratunda. May Nandi impel us towards it.
I-26: May we know that Divine Person. For that, may we meditate upon Mahasena. May Shanmukha impel us towards it.
I-27: May we know that Divine Person. For that, may we meditate on Suvarnapaksha. May Garuda impel us towards it.
I-28: May we know the Veda, embodied as the four-faced Brahma. For that, may we meditate upon Hiranyagarbha. May Brahman impel us towards it.
I-29: May we know Narayana. For that, may we meditate upon Vasudeva. May Vishnu impel us towards it.
I-30: May we know Vajranakha. For that, may we meditate upon Tikshnadamstra. May Narasimha impel us towards it.
I-31: May we know Bhaskara. For that, may we meditate upon the great-light-producer. May Aditya impel us towards it.
I-32: May we know Vaishvanara. For that, may we meditate upon Lalila. May Agni impel us towards it.
I-33: May we know Katyayana. For that, may we meditate upon Kanyakumari. May Durgi impel us towards it.
I-34: May durva (the panic grass), who represents the divine Spirit, who is superior to a thousand purifying agencies, who has innumerable nodes and sprouts and who destroys the effects of evil dreams, remove all my impurities.
I-35: O durva, just as thou growest farther and farther multiplying at every node putting forth roots and fresh stalks, so also help us to grow in progeny by hundreds and thousands.
I-36: O Devi, worshipped by devotees, may we worship thee with oblations – thou who multipliest thyself by hundreds and growest in thousands.
I-37: O earth that is traversed by a horse, a chariot and Vishnu, I shall keep thee on my head; protect me at every step.
I-38: The earth is the giver of happiness like the milch cow, the sustainer of life and support for all living beings. (Represented as such the earth is addressed): Thou wert raised up by Krishna in His incarnation of the boar having hundred hands.
I-39: O excellent earth, destroy my evil deeds as well as sins connected with me. O excellent earth, thou art a gift from God to creatures. Thou art prayed over by Kashyapa. O excellent earth grant me prosperity, for everything depends on thee.
I-40: O excellent earth, on which all creatures are supported, cleanse all that (sin) from me. O excellent earth, my sins having been destroyed by thee, I attain to the highest goal.
I-41: O Indra, make us fearless of those (causes such as sin, enemies and hell) of which we are afraid. O Maghavan, destroy that, i.e. the cause of fear, that is in us (thy devotees). For our protection destroy our harassing enemies.
I-42: May Indra come to our succour – Indra who is the giver of welfare on earth and bliss in the next world, who is the lord of people, who is the slayer of Vritra, who is the subduer of enemies and giver of rain, who is peaceable and giver of safety.
I-43: May Indra who is profusely praised by the devotees through sacred hymns, or frequently worshipped with oblations, vouchsafe to us safety and well-being. May the all-knowing or all-possessing Pusan vouchsafe to us well-being. May Garuda, the son of Triksha, whose chariot is not injured by anyone, vouchsafe to us safety. May Brihaspati, the preceptor of gods, grant us well-being.
I-44: Soma who is of mild anger, who strikes with stones, who shakes enemies, who has many deeds, who wields weapons and who delights in soma juice kept over, causes the jungles of dried up trees and bushes (to grow by the downpour of rains). Counter-weights do not weigh down making Indra light.
I-45: Vena, the noon sun who was born at the beginning of creation as the first effect of the Supreme Reality, Brahman, and who is of excellent brilliance, spreads over the whole world up to its boundary. He illumines also the heavenly bodies. He remains manifoldly in his own limited forms which are like himself. He also spreads over and permeates the causal substance out of which the visible and the invisible universe emerges.
I-46: Being the producer of creatures including men and their settler in respective regions and also far-famed for forbearance, O earth, be to us an ender of sorrows and giver of bliss here and hereafter.
I-47: I invoke in this act of worship Sri, the support of all, who is known through smell, who is unassailable, perpetually prosperous, rich in cowdung and the mistress of all created beings.
I-48: May Sri favour me. May Alakshmi connected with me and mine be destroyed. The gods having Vishnu for their chief (who is the perpetual abode of Sri) by the help of (the means prescribed in) the Vedas won these worlds for themselves free from the fear of enemies. May Indra armed with thunderbolt and worshipful moon grant us happiness.
I-49: May Indra grant us welfare. May he destroy the evil one hostile to us.
I-50: O Lord of prayers, make me the presser of soma juice, well known among the gods like Kakshivan, the son of Usik. Make me physically capable of performing sacrifices. Let those who are hostile to us remain ‘there’ long, in the hell.
I-51: He who is rendered holy by the ancient, widespread, sanctifying feet (or by virtuous conduct) crosses over evil deeds and their effects. Having been rendered holy by that naturally pure and purifying feet of the Lord (or conduct) may we overcome our enemies, the sins.
I-52: O Indra, O slayer of Vritra, O valorous one and all-knowing one, accept with pleasure our soma oblation in the company of your retinue and troop of gods. Slay our enemies, give us victory in battle and grant us safety and fearlessness from every quarter.
I-53: For us may (the regents of) water and herbs be friendly and to those who dislike us and whom we dislike let them be unfriendly.
I-54: O waters, verily you are bliss-conferring. Being such, grant us food, and great and beautiful insight (of the Supreme Truth). Further make us in this very life participators of that joy of yours which is most auspicious, just like fond mothers (who nurse their darlings with nourishment). May we attain to that satisfactory abode of yours which you are pleased to grant us. Generate for us also the waters of life and pleasures on earth (during our sojourn here).
I-55: I take refuge in Varuna, who is of golden lustre or who has a golden diadem. O Varuna, being entreated by me, grant me the saving grace. For I have enjoyed what belongs to bad people and accepted gift from sinners.
I-56: May Indra, Varuna, Brihaspati and Savitur completely destroy that sin committed by me and my people in thought, word and act.
I-57: Salutation to fire hidden in water. Salutation to Indra. Salutation to Varuna. Salutation to Varuni, the consort of Varuna. Salutation to the deities of waters.
I-58: (Through the power of this mantra) let all that is injurious, impure and troublesome in water be destroyed.
I-59: May the King Varuna efface by his hand whatever sin I have incurred by unlawful eating, unlawful drinking and accepting gifts from an unlawful person.
I-60: Thus being sinless, stainless and unbound by evil and bondage, may I ascend to the happy heaven and enjoy equality of status with Brahman.
I-61: May the sin-effacing Varuna who dwells in other sources of water like rivers, tanks and wells also purify us.
I-62: O Ganga, O Yamuna, O Sarasvati, O Sutudri, O Marudvrudha, O Arjikiya, come together and listen to this hymn of mine along with Parushni, Asikni, Vitasta and Sushoma.
I-63: From the all-illuminating Supreme, by His resolve, the right and the true were generated. From Him night and day were generated. And from Him again was generated the sea with different waters.
I-64-65: Then, after the creation of the vast ocean the year was generated. Afterwards the ruler of the world of sentient and non-sentient beings who made day and night ordained sun and moon, sky and earth and the atmosphere and blissful heaven, just as they were in the previous cycles of creation.
I-66: May the sin-effacing Varuna, the deity presiding over the waters, purify the taint of sin that attaches to the beings dwelling on the earth, in the atmospheric region and in the space between the earth and heaven and also connected with us (the performers of religious work). May the Vasus purify us. May Varuna purify us. May Aghamarshana, the sage called by that name, purify us. He, Varuna, is the protector of the world that was and also the world that exists at present between the past and the future worlds. He grants to the doers of meritorious deeds the worlds which they deserve and to the sinful the world of death called Hiranmaya. Again Varuna who is the support of heaven and earth, having become the sun is wholesome and attractive. Being such, blissful in nature, thou O Varuna, grant us thy favours and purify us.
I-67: That Supreme Light which projected Itself as the universe like a soaked seed which sprouts (or that Supreme Light which shines as the substratum of the liquid element) – I am that Supreme Light. I am that supreme light of Brahman which shines as the inmost essence of all that exists. In reality I am the same infinite Brahman even when I am experiencing myself as a finite self owing to Ignorance. Now by the onset of knowledge I am really that Brahman which is my eternal nature. Therefore I realise this identity by making myself, the finite self, an oblation into the fire of the infinite Brahman which I am always. May this oblation be well made.
I-68: He who is a transgressor of the scriptural conduct, a recreant, a thief, a feticide or an outrager of his preceptor’s honour is released from his sins; for Varuna, the regent of waters and effacer of sins (absolves them from sins by the repetition of this mantra).
I-69: I am the ground of sins. Therefore you cause me to weep. Wise men say (don’t make me weep, but favour me by destroying my sins).
I-70: The Supreme represented as the ocean has overflown to the whole creation. He has created at first creatures according to the deserts of their various past deeds. He is the ruler of the universe and the munificent giver of gifts to the devotees. He dwells together with Uma (His power giving spiritual illumination) in the hearts of devotees which are holier than other parts of their body (the seat of the Divine) and therefore superior and elevated like a peak and affording protection. The Jiva who is his abode grows to be infinite. He is the Lord who delights the individual souls by guiding according to their deeds and conferring on them fruits of their actions.

 

An Athiest in the woods...priceless

An Athiest in the Woods...Priceless

An atheist was walking through the woods.
"What majestic trees"!
"What powerful rivers"!
"What beautiful animals"!
He said to himself.
As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards him.

He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder & saw that the bear was closing in on him.
He looked over his shoulder again, & the bear was even closer. He tripped & fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw & raising his right paw to strike him.


At that instant the Atheist cried out, "Oh my God!"
Time Stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.
As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. "You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident." "Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer"?
The atheist looked directly into the light, "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian"?
"Very Well," said the voice.
The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke:
"Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen."_,_._,___












.

 

Rie of Passage

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian
youth's rite of passage?

His father takes him into the forest,
blindfolds him and leaves him alone.
He is required to sit on a stump the whole
night and not remove the blindfold until the
rays of the morning sun shine through it.
He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this
experience because each lad must come
into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear
all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely
be all around him. Maybe even some human
might do him harm. The wind blew the grass
and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat
stoically, never removing the blindfold.
It would be the only way he
could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night, the sun
appeared and he removed his blindfold.
It was then that he discovered his
father sitting on the stump next to him.
He had been at watch the entire night,
protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone.
Even when we don't know it,
our Heavenly Father is watching over us,
sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes, all we have
to do is reach out to Him.
If you liked this story, pass it on.
If not, perhaps you took off your
blindfold before dawn.

Moral of the Story:
Just because you can't see God,
doesn't mean He is not there.
'For we walk by faith, not by sight.'

 

Re: An Athiest in the woods...priceless

Hi Kalpana

Big Laughgood one .....

 

Six virtues & Mumukshuthwam - By Sai

Six virtues & Mumukshuthwam - By Sai baba
Six virtues & Mumukshuthwam - By Sai baba
(selected from Sutra Vahini)
There are six virtues - Sama, Dama, Uparathi, Thithiksha, Sraddha and Samaadhaana.
Six virtues & Mumukshuthwam - By Sai baba
Sama
Sama means mind-control. This is very hard to achieve. The mind can cause bondage; it can also confer liberation. It is an amalgam of Rajasic and Thamasic
modes, the passionate and dull attitudes. It is easily polluted. It relishes in hiding the real nature of things and casting on them the forms and values
which it desires. So, the activities of the mind have to be regulated.
The mind has two characteristics. The first is: it runs behind the senses; whatever sense the mind follows helplessly, it is inviting disaster. When a
pot of water becomes empty, we need not infer that it has leaked away through ten holes; one hole is enough to make it empty. So too, among the senses,
even if one is not under control, one will be thrown into bondage. Therefore, every sense has to be mastered.

The second characteristic of the mind is: The potency of the mind can be promoted by good practices like Dhyana, Japa, Bhajana and Puja. With the strength
and skill thus reinforced, the mind can help the world or harm it. So, the mental power gained by such Sadhana has to be turned away from wrong paths and
controlled by Sama. The senses have to be directed by the principle of intelligence, the Buddhi. They must be released from the hold the mind has on them.
Then spiritual progress can be attained.

Manas or Mind is but a bundle of thoughts, a complex of wants and wishes. As soon as a thought, a desire or a wish raises its head from the mind, Buddhi
must probe into its value and validity - is it good or bad, will it help or hinder, where will this lead or end. If the mind does not submit to this probe,
it will land itself in the path of ruin. If it does and obeys the intelligence, it can move along the right path.

Man has three chief instruments for uplifting himself: Intelligence, Mind and the Senses. When the mind gets enslaved by the senses, man gets entangled
and bound. The same mind, when it is regulated by the intellect, can make man aware of his Reality, the Atma. This is why the mind is reputed to cause
either bondage or liberation.

Dama
Now, for the second of the six virtues: Dama. Dama means keeping the body and the senses under control. This can be achieved only by Sadhana or spiritual
exercise and not by any other means. One has to avoid spending precious time in useless pursuits. One has to be ever vigilant. One has to engage the senses
of perception and of action and the body in congenial but noble tasks which would keep them busy. There should be no chance for thamas or sloth to creep
in. And, every act must also promote the good of others. While confining oneself to activities which reflect one's natural duties (Swadharma), it is possible
to sublimate them into Sadhana for the body and the senses.

Uparathi
The third qualification with which one has to be equipped is Uparathi. This implies a state of mind which is above and beyond all dualities such as joy
and grief, liking and disliking, good and bad, praise and blame, which agitate and affect the common man. But, these universal experiences can be overcome
or negated by means of spiritual exercises or intellectual inquiry. Man can escape from these opposites and dualities and attain balance and stability.
Uparathi can be achieved, if one is careful, while engaged in day-to-day living, to avoid entanglement with and bondage to differences and distinctions.
One should free oneself from identification with castes like Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra, or clans like Gotras, or conditions like boyhood, youth,
adult and old age, or genders like masculine and feminine. When he succeeds in discarding these and is firmly established in the Atmic Reality alone, he
has really achieved Uparathi.

Do not look at the world as the world with a worldly eye. Look upon it with the eye of Atma, as the projection of Paramatma. That can make one cross the
horizon of dualities into the region of the One. The One is experienced as many, because of the forms and names man has imposed on it. That is the result
of the mind playing its game. Uparathi promotes inner exploration, Nivrithi, not outer enquiry and activity, Pravrithi. Along Nivrithi lies the Path of
Jnana (Intellectual Inquiry); along Pravathi lies the Path of Karma (Dedicated Activity).
The sacred activities like rituals and sacrifices (Karma) laid down in the Vedas cannot confer liberation from bondage to birth and death, Moksha.

They help only to cleanse the Consciousness. It is said that they raise man to Heaven; but Heaven too is but a bond. It does not promise eternal freedom. The
freedom which makes one aware of the Truth, of his own Truth, can be gained only through Sravana (Listening to the Guru), Manana (Ruminating over what
has been so listened to) and Nididhyasana (Meditating on its validity and significance) . Only those who have detached their minds from desire can benefit
from the Guru. Others cannot profit from the guidance. Those who expect and look forward to the fruits of their actions can engage in them until their
consciousness is cleansed. After that, their actions are of no value. So, one must be ever conscious of the Atma, as pervading and penetrating everything,
so that attraction and repulsion, the duality complex, cannot affect him.
Six virtues & Mumukshuthwam - By Sai baba

Thithiksha
The fourth qualification is Thithiksha. This is the attitude of forbearance, which refuses to be affected or pained when afflicted with sorrow and loss,
and the ingratitude and wickedness of others. In fact, one is happy and calm, for one knows that these are the results of one's own actions now recoiling
on him, and one looks upon those who caused the misery as friends and well-wishers. One does not retaliate nor does he wish ill for them. One bears all
the blows patiently, and gladly.

The natural reactions of a person, whoever he may be, when someone injures him is to injure in return, when someone causes harm to do harm and when someone
insults him to insult back by some means or other. But, this is the characteristic of the Pravrithi path - the path of objective involvement. Those who
seek the inner path of sublimation and purification, the Nivrithi path have to avoid such reaction.
Returning injury for injury, harm for harm or insult
for insult only adds to the Karmic burden, which has to be endured and eliminated in future lives. This burden is termed Aagaami or lineal. One cannot
escape the task of undergoing the consequences of one's thought, word and deed in due course. Paying evil for evil can never lighten the weight of Karma;
it will only become heavier. It might confer immediate relief and contentment, but it cannot but make the person suffer later. Thithiksha, therefore, instructs
man to do good to the person who injures him.

Sraddha
The fifth among the virtues to be cultivated is Sraddha. Sraddha means unwavering faith in the sacred scriptures or sastras and in the moral codes they
contain as well as in the Atma and the Guru. Faith is the sign of Sraddha. Gurus are worth worshipping. They show us the path of fulfilment, the Sreyomarga.
The sastras are designed to ensure the peace and prosperity of the world and the spiritual perfection of mankind. They have before them this great aim.
They show the way to its realisation. So, one must place faith in such holy sastras, Gurus, and elders.

The Gurus, on their part, must instruct people
only in the knowledge of the One Atma that is immanent in all Beings, [Sarva jivaat-maikya Jnana]. He who has Sraddha will achieve this Jnana. They must
themselves have full faith in it and live according to that faith without the slightest deviation.

Samaadhaana

The sixth qualification is Samaadhaana. One has to be irrefutably convinced that what the sastras make known and what the Guru teaches are both one and
the same. One's intellect must rest upon and draw inspiration from the Atma, at all times and under all circumstances. The aspirant for spiritual progress
must be attached only to the unchanging universal Consciousness. All actions of his should have as their goal: the Joy of God. He must place implicit faith
in the Sastraic dictum: "All living beings are amsas [facets, fractions] of Iswara [God]." In order to confirm this faith and strengthen it, one must look
upon all beings as equal. The above sixth form, termed Sadhana Sampath, is the Treasure of Spiritual Struggle.

Six virtues & Mumukshuthwam - By Sai baba

Mumukshuthwam

Next, we shall consider Mumukshuthwam - the longing for Moksha or Liberation. This longing cannot arise from either riches or from the scholarship that
may be won at great expense of money. Nor can it emerge from wealth or progeny, or rites and rituals recommended in the scriptures or acts of charity,
for Moksha [liberation from grief and acquisition of bliss] can come only from the conquest of Ajnana [ignorance]. A person might master all the sastras
along with all the learned commentaries written on them by experts; he might propitiate all the gods by performing the prescribed modes of worship and
ceremonies; but these cannot grant the boon of Liberation. These are all motivated to earn benefits and boons, other than the supreme knowledge [Jnana].
Success in the path of knowledge alone can confer salvation. A person might have every article needed for cooking a meal but, if fire is not available,
how can the meal be prepared? So too, if Atma Jnana [Awareness of Atma as the only Reality] is not won,

Liberation if it is declared that one can attain
Mukti or Liberation if he bathes in the waters of sacred rivers, what shall we say of the fish and other aquatic species that spend all their lives in
the rivers! If it is believed that spending years in mountain caves will lead to Liberation, what do mice, what do wild beasts attain? If, by means of
ascetic practices like eating roots and tubers and chewing leaves for sustenance of the body, one can attain Liberation, must goats who feed on leaves
and pigs that dig out tubers also attain Liberation? When plastering the entire body with ash is hailed as asceticism, can dogs and donkeys which roll
on ash heaps claim Liberation? These beliefs and practices are signs of poor understanding. One must concentrate on achieving Atma Jnana, the Awareness
of the Eternal Universal Atmic Reality.

The word Atha, with which the very first Sutra begins, means "thereafter" and, after the inquiry into its implications, it has been found that it involves
the acquisition of these four attainments - Viveka, Vairagya, the Six Virtues and the Yearning for Liberation.

The next word too is Athah, the tha being soft, instead of being stressed as in the first word. Athah means "for this reason". The inquiry has therefore
to be made: for which reason? For the reason that neither the examination of the texts of the Sastras, nor the performance of rites and rituals, nor through
the study of material objects, nor by the process of learning from the example of other men, can the awareness of the Supreme, the Brahmam, be secured.
Because objects and individuals, rites and activities are transitory. They suffer from decay and destruction. They can at best help the cleansing of the
mind, that is all. Karma cannot liberate one from the basic ignorance, or award the awareness of the reality as Brahmam. One has to be conscious of this
limitation, in order to win the right of inquiry into the mystery of the Brahmam, the source and core of the Cosmos.

This, the very first Sutra stresses on one lesson: He who devotes his life to earn the knowledge of the Atma that is his self, must possess holy virtues,
and they must mould his conduct and contacts sacrosanct. For, no knowledge can be higher than virtuous character. Character is power, really speaking.
For the person who has dedicated his years to the acquisition of higher learning, ever-good character is an indispensable qualification. Every religion
emphasises the same need, not as a special credal condition, but as the basis of spiritual life and conduct itself. Those who lead lives on these lines
can never come to harm. They will be endowed with sacred merit.
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Virtues are the most effective means for purifying the inner consciousness of man, at all levels. For, they prompt the person to discover what to do and
how to do. Only those who have earned good destiny can claim their excellence in discrimination. And, adherence to this determination is the raft which
can take man across the ocean of flux and fear, the Bhava Sagara. The man of virtues has a place in the region of the liberated. Whatever the residual
activity a person has perforce to engage himself in, the impact of that activity will not impinge on him, provided he is a man of virtue. He can merge
in Brahmam, the embodiment of Supreme Bliss.

A person might have performed a variety of Vedic rites and sacrifices; he might even be expounding the contents of a variety of sacred scriptures he has
mastered; he might be a person endowed with prosperity, owning vast wealth and heaps of grain; he might teach the Vedas and their complementary disciplines
with due exposition of meanings; but, if such people have no moral character, they have no place where Brahmam is taught or learnt. This is the lesson
this Sutra conveys.

For, the stage of equanimity so essential for spiritual progress can be gained only when the intellect is cleansed of the blot of deluding attachments
and involvements. Devoid of that serenity, the intellect or Buddhi cannot proceed on the trail of Brahmam. Why? The term Virtue is only another name for
the 'intelligence' that follows the promptings of the Atma, the Self which is our Reality. Only he who has such virtue can win the awareness of the Atma,
the Truth. And, once that awareness is gained he can not more be caught in delusion or desire; they cannot touch him any longer.

Desire and
Sai Baba embodiment of Supreme Bliss
bondage to the objects desired and the plans to secure them are the attributes of the individualised selves, not of the Self or Atma resident in the body.
The sense of me and mine, and the emotions of lust and anger originate in the body-mind complex. Only when this complex is conquered and outgrown can true
virtue emanate and manifest.
The sense of 'doer' and 'enjoyer' of 'agentship' might appear to affect the Atma but they are not part of the genuine nature of the Atma. Things get mirrored
and produce images but the mirror is not tarnished or even affected thereby. It remains as clear as it was. So, too, the man of virtue might be subjected
to some contaminating activities due to back-log of acts in previous lives, but they cannot mar or obstruct his present nature or activities. The Jivi
or Individual has as his genuine basic attributes: purity, serenity and joy. He is ebullient with these qualities.
A bird in flight in the depths of the sky needs two wings; a person moving on the earth below needs two legs to carry him forward; an aspirant eager to
attain the Mansion of Moksha, the Abode of Freedom, needs Renunciation and Wisdom, renunciation of worldly desires and wisdom to become aware of the Atma.
When a bird has but one wing, it cannot rise up into the sky, can it? In the same manner, if man has only renunciation or wisdom, he cannot attain the
Supreme self, Brahmam. The sense of 'mine' is the bond of deluding attachment. How long can one cling to what he fondles as mine? Some day, he has to give
up all he has and leave, alone and empty handed. This is the inescapable destiny.
One has to give up such assumed relationships and artificial attachments through rigorous analysis of their nature and give them up as quickly as possible.
This is what the world teaches as the lesson of renunciation. Attachment breeds fear and egotism. Only the unwise would yield to such worldly fancies.
The wise can never bow to the blandishments of objective desire. All is momentary, momentary. All is transient, transient. So, they seek to identify the
everlasting Truth, and adhere to the immortal virtues that the Atma represents. These are the real men of virtue, the candidates worthy to attain Brahmam.
- Sathya Sai Baba - selected from Sutra Vahini