deeptha_e

Are dreams indicative of spiritual progress? It has been 4 days since I started meditating - I do it for 20 minutes everyday. Last night I had a strange dream - saw many dazzling colors, which I've never seen till date in reality - infact I dont even know the names of these colors, but all I know is, they were extremely beautiful. Also, I could listen to some strange music, cannot say it was Carnatic, nor any classical type, I could not even identify the instrument. It gave me goose bumps. I have been feeling extremely drowsy ever since I had this dream, all I want to do is go to sleep. I dont know what this means, but it was an exquisite experience, extremely beautiful. Is this because of the meditation that I recently started?

Thank you Sudharams, this was very valuable.

Dear Rajkmr02, The one and only mantra for all that you've asked for is Vishnu Sahasranamam. The only thing is, do not read any mantra to attain a specific purpose, what happens is, this purpose gets bound to you, and you will not have the true freedom. Read any mantra / pray to God, just for the love of God, to feel close to Him, and give Him the power to take over you. It is not wrong to desire or wish for things, but, let tht not become your ultimately goal in life. Base all your desires on the foundation of God's love and surrender your desires also to Him. He will take over, and give you what is correct and what you can handle. Thanks Deeptha Echampati

Dear Yogesh, Very true, a mother's love is unconditional, so unconditional that sometimes the love loses its sense for what is correct and what is wrong. Sometimes a mother's love could also damage other people's lives. It really depends on how good a person you are and how well you manifest your motherly love combined with goodness as a human being. In the name of motherly love, people sin and destory other's lives. I am expecting my 1st son in the month of April 2008, I am hoping I can give him the right type of motherly love which is pure and selfless, yet instilling good values in the boy. I need divine assistance and guidance for this. I agree with what you've said about Kali Yuga, in this yuga one is sid to attain the Lord's lotus feet just by chanting his name with love. I think conviction is key here. At Lord Sri Hari's feet Deeptha

The Srimad Bhagavatham says saint Narada in His previous birth was the son of a Dasi lady, who was always envolved in the service of great saints. His sort of a service was more labor oriented. Because of staying with saints he developed a love for Lord Narayana. His mother passed away after a few months , think when Narada was 8 years old. He paid his respects to his mother, but without getting distort by her death, took it as a fine opportunity to travel within his own self. He set out in the quest for truth, in the desire to see God. In his 'paada yatra', he came across fiercely dense forests, wild animals and all sorts of scary creatures, however he was never scared. He had only one aim in life - to see the Lord. However after a while he was overcome by thirst, and he stopped by a still lake to take some water. After drinking, he felt refreshed and he sat to meditate on the divine feel of Sri Hari. After deep meditation, he could see the Vishwa Roopa for a minute. It is said that, his hair stood up, had goose bumps, and he was so overcome with joy, He cried with pleasure and longing. The moment passed, never to happen again. He tried recreating the moment, but it went in vain. Later, Akashaganga (a voice from the skies) told him he will take the life of a Chiranjeevi , an immortal always engaged in propogating the divine past times of Lord Sri Hari.

Dear Beggar, If Dritharashtra could see, it is because Lord Sri Krishna could be physically there and give him the blessing required to see the Lord Himself with the divine eye. But in today's age, I believe the process is not so easy, it requires a lot of hardwork and Sadhana - a true unfairness thrown at the face of people belonging to the age of Kali, longing to see the Lord. If in Dwapara Yugam a person longs to hear from the Lord, he is granted the boon sooner or later, because purtiy was at its peak then, but now, most of the people have distorted way of thinking and are always bent on winning the wrong way. Dealing with these people, and surviving with them is a great art by itself and in the process of survival of the 'fittest' we forget the Lord, and yet crave for Him - He seems to elude all the time. I really wish God blesses us or atleast those who long for the divine vision with the divine eye, very soon ! I truly hope.

Dear Sopatel, I am certainly not waiting for anybody to heal me - healing is a process handled by one's own self with the help from the Divine. Healing when it comes from an external source is never permanent. Yes one certainly need not give up human emotions to become one with God, I believe every human being was sent into your life for a special purpose, once the purpose is over, he / she will move out. It is best to be detached to this ultimate meaning of a person's arrival / departure from our lives. I wish you all the best in your search for a person who will enhance the divine potential within you.

Dear HerServant, Seeing the sufferings in today's world, I am convinced the Lord is going to make His appearance very soon. I am only hoping I'd be alive to see Him with my naked eyes. With regard to God sending people to instigate us to behave sinfully - I think the true test is when we can curb the sinful react and transcend to the plane of divinity inspite of hurt being hauled at our face. It is only then we truly wash off our karma and progress towards God. I am truly longing to soak myself up in the love of God every waking moment of my life, however, the process is certainly very difficult and testing. It feels like I am climbing a sliding board smeared with grease from ground level, each time I fall perhaps with greater force than the previous. It is frustrating, however I dont plan on giving up. In this context, the great Srimad Bhagavathm is a divine catalyst. This great book is equal to Lord Sri Krishna Himself. Life in the thought of God is a sweet pain, where you begin to feel the sweetness of God's love, yet not get enough of it. At His feet.

Is human love a myth? I'm yet to find that one perfect love in a human being, be it husband, parents, friend. I am convinced a love that is healing is found only within yourself, the latent divinity with you , that we refer to as God's love. This is the only love that is fulfilling emotionally, and karmically. This love is healing - there is no room for betrayal and hurt. We almost always mistake a habit formation to be 'love'. At the end of it all, the emotions we feel towards other people is a result of our karmic bonding with them from previous births. Some people walk in to give us a good time, some people give us heartaches - mere instruments who execute our payback plans that we owe to the Universe. I really wish we could all go back to the Dwapara Yugam and can see Lord Krishna with our naked eyes.

Vrajavasi, I am happy to know that you are so involved with the greatness of Srimad Bhagavatham. I've started reading the book myself. It is very time consuming to read in Sanskrit, however I end up spending atleast 1 hour reading 1 chapter in a Skanda. As I dont understand Sanskrit, my mind wanders while reading the Sanskrit verse, however I do read the English translation of the same too. I want to know if it is OK to stick my just the English translation without having to read the Sanskrit verses. This way there will be continuity and also my mind will not wander around. Please advise.

Is it ok for ladies to chant or play the Sri Suktham / Durga Suktham on a musical instrument? I've recently learned Durga Suktham but a few people were advising me against chanting it without proper initiation.

The best form of prayer is chanting and reading up Lord's stories. For spiritually-not so advanced-mortals like us the most effective method of feeling closeness to God is reading about Him. The great Srimad Bhagavatham, churns the soul and brings out pure love for Maha Vishnu. Each moment of the day then becomes blissful, in the thought of God. It is tough to attain purity in the mind without associating oneself with God. There is no greater form of prayer than total surrender to God - Kayena Vaacha Manase Indriyeya Bhudyaathmanaava Prakrithe Swabhavath karomi yagyath sakalam parasmai Sriman Narayanaayethi Samarpayami. Total Surrender of senses, desires, natural traits and results of those traits - be it good or bad deeds and everything about you, lay it on the Feet of god, and belong to Him manasa vaacha karmana. This way unburdens you and also takes you to the ultimate place of peace and harmony - something that exists within your own self. Wish I can soon get to this level for real! Deeptha Echampati

GokulKr, Very nice post indeed. The points you've mentioned there, if well followed would lead to a life of total peace and joy. 'Strive to lead a life in which you will never hurt a fellow living being for any reason.' - very true. Wish people could really follow this to the word. Deeptha Echampati <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P>

Very true - we can say the Waves belong to the Ocean, but does the Ocean belong to the waves? The converse is not true. Similarly, We belong to God, but God could never belong to us. We are but a part & parcel of the Almighty, but can never become Him. However, Advaita preaches otherwise, personally, I am comfortable with the thought that I owe my being to God, but can never equal Him. Guess what is most important is one's belief system. Though sometimes Advaita is sometimes misquoted among a lot of people, stating - We are equal to God, the Great Acharya, Adi Shankara Himself composed the Shatpadi Stotram on Maha Vishnu - This sloka contains the rasam of devotion and surrender. Deeptha

Hello, I am trying to pick a Vaishnava boy name for my baby son due on the 10th of April 2008. I did go though Vishnu Sahasranamam, and I found Visisht, could you please explain the meaning ? Some other names that caught my interest - 1. Sudarshan 2. Giridhar 3. Niyantha 4. Hayagreev 5. Srinidhi 6. Vishnu Srivats Please do explain the sukshma of Niyantha, Hayagreev & Giridhar. Also, is it a must to follow the Nakashatra naming protocol for Iyengars? Thanks, Deeptha Echampati