Guest guest Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 Dear All, Recently our beloved Swamiji was discussing the Sundar Kanda which is one of the chapters of the Ramayana. He told this story about the Ramayana which inspired us all to think more deeply: One day a sadhu was going to town and he passed an old widow on his way. He told her,"I am going to town. Do you need anything?" The old lady said," I need a mirror." So the sadhu continued on to town and returned several hours later with a book. He gave the lady a copy of the Ramayana and said to her," Here is your mirror." Then Swamiji said the Ramayana was like a mirror into the soul and he asked us, "Which character(s) are you?" This is a good question we can all contemplate. There is also a glossary of names of characters in the back of the Sundarkanda pages 194-195. Exampale: Bhaarata: Who Shines with the Light of Wisdom Amgada: He Who Subordinates Himself Sugriiva: Excellent Friend Laksmana: Brother Determination If anybody likes to share their ideas on this topic please do so. Jai Maa! Jai Shri Ram! ------------------------ Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click./lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/XUWolB/TM --~-> <*> / <*> <*> Your Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 Jai MAA! Dear Parvati and all Family, Thanks for reminding us of the Sundarkand again, Parvati!! I hope everybody had a chance to listen to it on the web....it is sooo beautiful!! I wanted to add my little understanding of the "mirror" analogy. In the Ramayana, there are so many characters - and as we read it, we can see what type of character traits we are now having in our life -- for example, are we sometimes scheming like Kaikeyi? Are we ideal leaders like Rama? And alongside, we can think of our "ideal". How can we move away from what we do not want to be -- to the ideal we wish to manifest in our lives. So everytime we recite the Sundarkand - it becomes an opportunity to think again of our own practical day-to-day life -- where are we and where do we want to be? How can we get there and become that ideal. Now we are so lucky that we can chant the Sundarkand from Swamiji's book and listen to it being sung so magically at the same time! :-) I am still amazed at how these stories and scriptures written by Rishis transform our lives - right now! Jai MAA! ramya <*> / <*> <*> Your Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 maybe at different times we are different characters, just like sometimes we like what we see in the mirror, & sometimes we do not. steve , "parv108" <parv108 wrote: > > Dear All, > > Recently our beloved Swamiji was discussing the Sundar > Kanda which is one of the chapters of the Ramayana. > > He told this story about the Ramayana which inspired us all to > think more deeply: > > One day a sadhu was going to town and he passed an old > widow on his way. He told her,"I am going to town. Do you need > anything?" > The old lady said," I need a mirror." > So the sadhu continued on to town and returned several hours > later with a book. He gave the lady a copy of the Ramayana and > said to her," Here is your mirror." > > Then Swamiji said the Ramayana was like a mirror into the soul > and he asked us, "Which character(s) are you?" > > This is a good question we can all contemplate. There is also a glossary of names of characters in the back of the Sundarkanda pages 194-195. > > Exampale: Bhaarata: Who Shines with the Light of Wisdom > Amgada: He Who Subordinates Himself > Sugriiva: Excellent Friend > Laksmana: Brother Determination > > If anybody likes to share their ideas on this topic please do so. > > Jai Maa! > Jai Shri Ram! > ------------------------ Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click./lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/XUWolB/TM --~-> <*> / <*> <*> Your Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 Hi.. I have just recently had this insight pertaining to the mirroring aspects of the Scriptures and the power of chanting them... especially Sundar Kandar, Bhagavad Gita and Chandi Path.... It has been occuring to me that chanting the texts serves as a powerful means by which we can acheive the virtues of the characters as well as the Grace by which we can overcome and rise above our own negativities and acheive the higher way of being... If I read the texts only ...especially the Bhagavad Gita ...it seems almot impossible to reach the high states Lord Krishna describes by effort alone and that by chanting the text we not only gain intellectual understanding but plug into the grace that we can "clean our mirror" perfectly in order to achieve the Divine.. Sorry to go a tad off topic, but had just been thinking about this prior to reading this post and the two seemed to be related.. Was wondering what you all have experienced... Love, Kanti , "Steve Connor" <sconnor wrote: > > maybe at different times we are different characters, just like > sometimes we like what we see in the mirror, & sometimes we do not. > > steve > > > , "parv108" <parv108@> wrote: > > > > Dear All, > > > > Recently our beloved Swamiji was discussing the Sundar > > Kanda which is one of the chapters of the Ramayana. > > > > He told this story about the Ramayana which inspired us all to > > think more deeply: > > > > One day a sadhu was going to town and he passed an old > > widow on his way. He told her,"I am going to town. Do you need > > anything?" > > The old lady said," I need a mirror." > > So the sadhu continued on to town and returned several hours > > later with a book. He gave the lady a copy of the Ramayana and > > said to her," Here is your mirror." > > > > Then Swamiji said the Ramayana was like a mirror into the soul > > and he asked us, "Which character(s) are you?" > > > > This is a good question we can all contemplate. There is also a > glossary of names of characters in the back of the Sundarkanda pages > 194-195. > > > > Exampale: Bhaarata: Who Shines with the Light of Wisdom > > Amgada: He Who Subordinates Himself > > Sugriiva: Excellent Friend > > Laksmana: Brother Determination > > > > If anybody likes to share their ideas on this topic please do so. > > > > Jai Maa! > > Jai Shri Ram! > > > ------------------------ Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click./lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/XUWolB/TM --~-> <*> / <*> <*> Your Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 This is what I see in this wonderful Mirror.. RAMA - 'RA' is the SELF or PURUSHA which witnesses MA the MIND or MAYA, so RAMA is the SELF witnessing His Play. Through the Grace of Guru we give Birth to the awareness of the Self in us. Then with the help of the GURU we master ourselves and with his help we have our first experience of Mother Sita waking in us as Kundalini and we merge with Her. But since its due to grace of the GURU we still have to make her our own with our own effort. We give up the world and hold on to our SELF(RAMA) and set on the journey with the newly awakened kundalini in us. On this journey, our newly awakened energies are tempted by lust and greed - we fall for a moment and we lose Her. Then with the help of Devotion(Hanuman) we continue on this journey of discovery to get Her back. We help of Devotion and a Sattvic life we defeat the forces of Rajas and Tamas like lust, greed, sloth ect. till we completely sublimate and overcome kill the ego(Ravana). We finally become one with SITA and experience complete flowering of our conciousness. But after letting us rest in this state of Oneness Mother pulls us back making us concious of the plight of our fellow beings. We give up our internal meditation to meditate on Her in the form of our fellow beings. We start work for our fellow beings forsaking our personal happiness. As we work for the welfare of others a constant inner aching for Her is born(Lava and Kush). This aching grows till oneday its overwhelms us. When it is does overwhelms us She shows us Her true nature - She is verily the form of Prakriti(SITA disappearing into Mother Earth), whom we have been serving all this time. Now who is Rama? who is Sita? Illusions disappear.. There is nothing more seek or serve.. Just BE! Jai Sri Ramakrishna! <*> / <*> <*> Your Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 26, 2006 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 Jai MAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , "n_mallan" <n_mallan wrote: > > This is what I see in this wonderful Mirror.. > > RAMA - 'RA' is the SELF or PURUSHA which witnesses MA the MIND or > MAYA, so RAMA is the SELF witnessing His Play. > > Through the Grace of Guru we give Birth to the awareness of the Self > in us. > > Then with the help of the GURU we master ourselves and with his help > we have our first experience of Mother Sita waking in us as Kundalini > and we merge with Her. > > But since its due to grace of the GURU we still have to make her our > own with our own effort. > > We give up the world and hold on to our SELF(RAMA) and set on the > journey with the newly awakened kundalini in us. > > On this journey, our newly awakened energies are tempted by lust and > greed - we fall for a moment and we lose Her. > > Then with the help of Devotion(Hanuman) we continue on this journey of > discovery to get Her back. > > We help of Devotion and a Sattvic life we defeat the forces of Rajas > and Tamas like lust, greed, sloth ect. till we completely sublimate > and overcome kill the ego(Ravana). > > We finally become one with SITA and experience complete flowering of > our conciousness. > > But after letting us rest in this state of Oneness Mother pulls us > back making us concious of the plight of our fellow beings. > We give up our internal meditation to meditate on Her in the form of > our fellow beings. > > We start work for our fellow beings forsaking our personal happiness. > As we work for the welfare of others a constant inner aching for > Her is born(Lava and Kush). This aching grows till oneday its > overwhelms us. > > When it is does overwhelms us She shows us Her true nature - She is > verily the form of Prakriti(SITA disappearing into Mother Earth), whom > we have been serving all this time. > > Now who is Rama? who is Sita? > > Illusions disappear.. > > There is nothing more seek or serve.. > > Just BE! > > Jai Sri Ramakrishna! > <*> / <*> <*> Your Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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