Details on North American Murugan Temple

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http://www.murugantemple.org/newsletter/2003-11.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005

 

[Guest guest]

KANTHAN THIRUVADI SARANAM

 

On 11/4/05, skanda kumara <skandakumara wrote:

> http://www.murugantemple.org/newsletter/2003-11.pdf

>

The site had one article by one Sivathondan which was very informative

and helpful. It was on Karma (esp. anger and frustration related) and

how it works upon us. If we know the mechanism we can find a way to

get out of it and thanks to all those who for making the artcile reach

us.

 

Reg the worship of Lord Ganesha (Last para of teh article), it is very

nice to read and now I realise so far until now since the time I am

born I had been doing it so mechanically or with the only intention of

passing an exam or getting something or winning something.

 

May All Glories be to Skanda Purvaja.

The article follows below.

 

With Best Regards

Meyyappan S

=================================

Reflections on Lord Ganesha

 

http://www.murugantemple.org/newsletter/2003-11.pdf

 

Everything is Good

By Sivathondan

Let us start this article with an acknowledgment. Gurudeva

(Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Kauai's Hindu

Monastery, Hawaii, USA) had written many books on

Hinduism in English for those of us living in the West

(www.gurudeva.org). We use many of His books in the

Religion Classes for children at the Murugan Temple

every Sunday. Thank you Gurudeva.

A Hindu believes in karma and reincarnation. Accord- Accordingly,

ingly, we are the sum total of all of our previous lives.

There are young souls and there are old souls. For

example, you may have the great opportunity of growing up

with a relative of yours (or a neighbor) from childhood.

Now, try to recall that person's life up to the present. That

person may be old now with a feeble physical body, but he

may be as stubborn as, and as angry as when he was young

many years ago. This is a good example of a young soul

(now in an old body). Then, you may also have witnessed a

young kid showing love and patience with his fellow play- playmates

mates while they were all restless. This is an example of an

old soul (now in a young body). Old and young are not

gauged by the earthly age of a person's physical body;

rather it is judged by how a person has evolved spiritually

through many reincarnations.

Attachments and desire are the two shackles that hold a

soul in the physical body, but they are the necessary

catalysts to create and resolve karma, thereby assisting the

soul to gain experience and to evolve as a spiritual being.

As Gurudeva said, everyone teaches you a worthy lesson;

you learn what to do by observing some, and you also learn

what not to do by observing many others. If you were

blessed with looking at the face of an angry person, then

you know that you don't want to look like him. That tells

you to keep away from anger. Likewise, an impatience

person teaches you the virtues of patience. That is why

Siva Yogaswami said, " Everyone is doing Sivathondu, "

(everyone is serving Lord Siva). The young souls are in

the process of creating new karma for themselves by

delivering back the karma to the old souls, who are now in

the state of receiving and resolving their past karma.

Karma comes through other people, especially the ones

you are closely associated with daily (parents, children,

brothers and sisters, friends, teachers, spouse, in laws,

etc.). There is a difference between the way you feel hurt

when your mother says that you are stupid and a stranger

saying the same thing. So, if your karma is to get hurt

emotionally then you know who will bring it back to you

more effectively. If you want to resolve your karma,

Gurudeva advises not to react to it by accepting responsi- responsibility;

bility; otherwise it comes back to you again and again until

you do. Say it to yourself that this is all my past creation

now returning back to me; if it is not in my karma then it is

not going to happen to me, and pray to Lord Ganesha to

give you the means to resolve it. Try it, it will never repeat

again. You may have seen people avoiding situations, then in

a different place and at a different time meeting the same

situation in disguise, for one simply cannot dodge his karma.

Resolve and get rid of it now. For example, you wrote a nasty

letter to yourself and mailed it to yourself, and forgot

about it. A few weeks later the mailman brought it back to

you. You opened and read it and got angry with the mailman.

How come? That is why everything is perfect in Lord Siva's

universe, and everything is the will of Lord Siva. We are all

spiritual beings; the only purpose in life is to evolve our- ourselves

selves towards realizing the Self and to merge with Lord

Siva; that is why we are all here. A time will inevitably arrive

in everyone's life to make him realize this; so everyone must

be patient and show tolerance to everyone else. You cannot

teach calculus to a three year old; be patient until he grows

up. We are all growing up spiritually, but we can accelerate

the growth. How? That is why we need spiritual lessons. A

tall building requires a strong foundation. This is true when

it comes to raise good children. Here we share with you a few

lessons we teach to the children at the Religious Classes.

Respect and listen to your parents, for they are your first

gurus. If they ask you to do something, don't ask why.

Pray to Lord Ganesha always, especially in the morning and

before going to bed. Say " Aum Sri Ganesaya Namah " for

good education.

Don't get angry. If you do, then pray to Lord Ganesha, or

close your eyes and at least think of Him until your anger

disappears.

Karma comes through other people, particularly through

those of your family members and close friends. If it is not

in your karma, then it is not going to happen to you. So,

don't get angry with the person who delivers your karma back

to you.

You can create karma in three ways: physically (hitting

someone), emotionally (insulting someone by calling

names) or mentally (thinking hurtful things about some- someone).

one). So, watch out what you do, say and think.

Speak that is true, kind, helpful and necessary. Avoid

gossiping.

At the temple, pray to Lord Ganesha in the following way:

When approaching Lord Ganesha, think of Him as a real

being. Don't think anything else except Him. Give your love

to Him and feel His love for you. Cross your hands and

knock on your temples gently three times, then hold your

right ear with your left hand and your left ear with your

right, and bob up and down three times by bending your

knees. Next, go around His shrine three times clockwise

while chanting " Aum Namah Sivaya; " walk slowly. Finally,

prostrate in front of Him.

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