Guest guest Posted August 22, 2009 Report Share Posted August 22, 2009 Namasthe. When we were living abroad, I used be reluctant to offer to ambaa certain fruits not native to India like Mangostein ( not sure of spelling ), straw berries,black berries, cherries,snake fruit,Avacados,a fruit looking just like tomatoes (native of pakistan )which sometimes used to be brought by friends. Can these fruits be offered or are there any restrictions. Also I would like to know the sanskrit name for Cashew,pista, badam etc (dry fruits ) and are there any restrictions for offering certain dry friuts which are not native to India. With Warm Regards Ganapathy -- Vijyalakshmy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 22, 2009 Report Share Posted August 22, 2009 There are no restrictions on using dry fruits.You can use raisins, badam dates etc All fruits can be offered .On this I am not very vertain PBK --- On Sat, 8/22/09, ganapathy = = vijaya <srividya101 wrote: ganapathy = = vijaya <srividya101 Offering of fruits and dry fruits " ambaaal " Saturday, August 22, 2009, 12:35 PM Namasthe. When we were living abroad, I used be reluctant to offer to ambaa certain fruits not native to India like Mangostein ( not sure of spelling ), straw berries,black berries, cherries,snake fruit,Avacados, a fruit looking just like tomatoes (native of pakistan )which sometimes used to be brought by friends. Can these fruits be offered or are there any restrictions. Also I would like to know the sanskrit name for Cashew,pista, badam etc (dry fruits ) and are there any restrictions for offering certain dry friuts which are not native to India. With Warm Regards Ganapathy -- Vijyalakshmy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 Nityotsava says: jambU dADimajambhIrachinchiNIbIjapUrakAh rambhA dhAtri cha badarI rasAlah panasO(a)pi cha // eShAm phalaih......// ie., jambu, dadima, jambhIra, chinchiNI, bIjapUra, rambhA, dhAtrI, badarI, rasAla & panasa can be used for worship & naivedya of Mother. Kindly refer the Bhaskararaya Bhashya of Tripuropanishad where His Holiness clearly mentions that Sakaahaara (Vegetarian dishes) is Adhama, Madhura Phala (Fruits) is Madhyama; Milk and Honey are the Uttama Naivedyas and these are the only naivedyas to be taken as prasada by upasaka. (Vide reference " Parisrutam Jhusham Aaja palam…..). Shri Bhaskararaya in his great work *Setubandha* which is a commentary on Nityashodashikarnava of Vamakeshwara Tantra gives approval of the statement of *Viprah kshonibhujo visastaditare ksheraajya madhvasavaiah…….. " . The meaning of this sloka goes like this: 4 types of naivedyas as mentioned as per the varna ashrama dharma. A brahmin should offer Milk; kshatriya should offer Ghee; Vaishya should offer Honey and Shudra should offer the *Asava* which is a sort of intoxicant prepared with Sugarcane Juice. Similar naivedya was also approved by Shri Dipakanatha Siddha Yogi in his magnum opus Tripurasundari Dandaka. Now, Shri Bhaskararaya while commenting on the above sloka gives some relaxation saying that *Milk* may also mean delicacies prepared with Milk like Payasanna / Dood Peda (a sweet made with milk product which we get in sweet shops) etc. *Ghee* may also mean delicacies prepared with Cow Ghee. *Honey* means delicacies that involve honey as an ingredient. Instead of the *Asava*, the Sugarcane Juice can also be used as a valid substitute. My gurunatha used to tell me that the Jaggery which is more than 2 years old can also be used as a substitute for Asava / Sugarcane Juice (for Shudras). Now, when MILK IS AVAILABLE IN PLENTY AROUND THE GLOBE (24 x 7 days), why not go for this simple, healthy naivedya which is also ordained by Shastra. Infact, why should we complicate the things and land in confusion. On the lighter note: This sort of shaucha niyamas & achara dharma of whether to offer *foreign* fruits to Mother did not arise when we are earning *foreign* currencies in dollars; breathing *foreign* oxygen; enjoying *foreign* luxuries etc. Suddenly we are reminded of our achara dharma when it comes to offer seasonal fruits to Mother Divine which i would say a sheer hypocricy and a show off of our *pseudo-brahminism*. Please excuse me for my harsh tone here. Nityotsava prescribes the *disposable* twiks. One should brush the teeth with *Vanaspati Sukta* and go to the river, perform sankalpa by chanting *Aghamarshana Sukta* by offering the Arghya and perform a ritualistic bath with Mula Vidya. I am sorry to say that our day of Srividya Upasana starts with Colgate Paste / Tooth Brush is whose usage is Ucchista. Then a cup of coffee (*kalau coffee prANah says my gurunatha.....). Ritual of bath with municipal stale water that too in a couple of seconds; Sandhya vandana thrown to winds with a maximum gayatri japa of 10. Then all the mula mantras of dasa mahavidyas alongwith purva / uttaranga (a min. of 10). Mahapaduka / Guru Traya / Maha Shodasi / Nirvana Sundari blah blah ......... (a min. of 10). Navavarana Archana .....20 minutes... By 9:00 AM entire Srividya Upasana is over, and off to Office. Once we land in office, we lay our heads at the feet of our boss who could be a drunkard / chain smoker / a corrupt official. THIS IS NOT SRIVIDYA UPASANA, I AM SORRY. C'mon, let us shrug off pseudo-brahminism and be bold enough to confess that we are *nothing* before the Divine Sport of Mother. Let us enjoy the divine lilas of Mother thank Her for giving this wonderful human life filled with the *least traces* of bhakti at her Feet. shrI gurupAdukA me gatih.... iti shrI chanDI bhakta pAda rENu.... sriram , ganapathy = = vijaya <srividya101 wrote: > > Namasthe. > > When we were living abroad, I used be reluctant to offer to ambaa certain fruits not native to India like Mangostein ( not sure of spelling ), straw berries,black berries, cherries,snake fruit,Avacados,a fruit looking just like tomatoes (native of pakistan )which sometimes used to be brought by friends. Can these fruits be offered or are there any restrictions. > > Also I would like to know the sanskrit name for Cashew,pista, badam etc (dry fruits ) and are there any restrictions for offering certain dry friuts which are not native to India. > > With Warm Regards > > Ganapathy -- Vijyalakshmy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 Namasthe, I do not know answer to any of your questions. The Sravana masa somawara Chandramoulishwara puja at Hyderabad Sankara Mutt were conducted by HH of Sringeri and at least one puja was telecast on TTD. HH of Sringeri made abhishekham of dry fruits to Chandramoulishwara. This video is available on you tube (10 episodes of 8 minutes each) and you may get the link from advaita-l. I hope this information is useful to you in someway. With regards, narayan , ganapathy = = vijaya <srividya101 wrote: > > Namasthe. > > > Also I would like to know the sanskrit name for Cashew,pista, badam etc (dry fruits ) and are there any restrictions for offering certain dry friuts which are not native to India. > > With Warm Regards > > Ganapathy -- Vijyalakshmy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 First question that comes to mind is what is ours to offer. When I was discussing with this to my daughter this is what I told her and truly believe this. " Mother everything is yours, what I can I offer to you that is not yours. Only thing I can call mine (mamakaara) is my ignorance. That is not worthy of offering, but I request you to destroy it. " Once you have this set in your mind, when you go through the motions of puuja, you wont be perplexed too much. Krishna says give me a drop of water or a leaf with dedication - that is more than enough for me. I think constantly thinking about God and longing for the union is one of the good things we can offer. This question brings forth to my mind gabhiire kaasaare verse in shivaanandalahari. Not that we should play down on the rules stated in dharma. To me it shows that how incapable I am in following that. That humility brings forth the spirit of sharaNagati. I think iishvara praNidhAna is the best and only way out for many of us. I have a feeling that smriti-karta-s made up all these rules just to make us understand how small we are and how desperate we should be in seeking refuge in God. (Thanks to Sriram for his valuable contribution about Milk+Honey. As always I amazed at the wealth of knowledge he has) Personally I do not worry about US or India or Pakistan. I was following adharma when i was in India and pretty much do the same now here. I would say every place is quite conducive for following adharma :-). I think it is more than India or USA, it is the attitude that counts more. One can think about God in the background all the time, no matter what one is doing. When you do that, you will not seek a new heaven that is heaven. You see this sentiment amplified in many works like shivaanandalahari. Mind is a monkey, it can do a lot of things. One can sit inside temple and at the sight of a beautiful woman - start off track thoughts. On the other hand, one may be having a forced business dinner in a hotel be thinking/praying to God in the back of one's mind. I have done both of the above. It is not where you are that matters (guhaayam gehe vaa ...) but what goes on in your mind does. Hence, do not loose you peace or feel dejected when some tells you that you have abandoned dharma for dollars. It is best as Sriram says that one should first abandon the notion he or she is brahmaNa, especially when it is not even true. But that should not be a reason for dejection. You can take one small step towards HER, she will take giant leap towards you. If your mind is inclined to devotion, seek works like shivaanandalaharii. If you are too rational and logical, start with pataanjala yoga suutra. You will be surprised that even there you will see patanjali telling you that iishvara praNidhaana is a quickest way to attain yoga. SrimAtre namaH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 Dear ravi, I reciprocate your compliments with humility & sincere thanks but whatever i am today is just the grace of my gurunatha and nothing else. I have not studied any scriptures and whatever i tell is just a reflection of the satsanga with my gurunatha and his advices. And perhaps, that is the reason Acharya Sankara gave importance to Satsanga. BTW, the statement which you made is something very bold and i really admire for this. Very few people have the *guts* to present their weakness like this and my pranams to you. <<<<< Mind is a monkey, it can do a lot of things. One can sit inside temple and at the sight of a beautiful woman - start off track thoughts. On the other hand, one may be having a forced business dinner in a hotel be thinking/praying to God in the back of one's mind. I have done both of the above. It is not where you are that matters (guhaayam gehe vaa ...) but what goes on in your mind does. >>>>>>> I would like to tell that the first one which you mentioned is really a litmus test which is put by the Divine Mother. And if you pass that test, Mother embraces you with love & affection. There are certain real incidents which happened in the life of my gurunatha and Shri Tadepalli Raghavanarayana Shastry which are just mind boggling. My gurunatha has the habit of performing pranayama & kumbhaka during the midnight and used to be in communion with Divine Mother. During the initial stages of this practice of pranayama when he was young, some strange events used to happen and he used to have the vision of a extremely beautiful girl of 16 years of age who used to disturb my gurunatha during his antarmukhopasana. These visions continued to happen but gurunatha was unperturbed in his sadhana and vision of the beautiful 16 year old girl used to disappear in vain into the thin air. These incidents happened prior to his meeting with Kanchi Mahaperiyaval. When my gurunatha first met Mahaswamigal at Kalavai for the first time, the first remark & comment of Mahaswamigal stunned my gurunatha. The Mahaswamigal said " so you have passed MY LITMUS TEST " having said so glanced at gurunatha with tender smile. That gracious powerful glance of mahaswamigal changed the entire course of life of my gurunatha that opened up the treasure of Srividya and later on was given Gayatri Yantra & Sriyantra by Mahaswamigal himself personally. So, kamini & kanchana are the two stumbling blocks in sadhana, if crossed, the success in spiritual path is assured. // yA dEvi sarvabhUtEShu matru rUpENa samsthitAh namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah // iti shrI chanDI bhakta pAda rENu.. sriram , MSR <abhayambika wrote: > > > First question that comes to mind is what is ours to offer. When I was > discussing with this to my daughter this is what I told her and truly > believe this. " Mother everything is yours, what I can I offer to you > that is not yours. Only thing I can call mine (mamakaara) is my > ignorance. That is not worthy of offering, but I request you to destroy > it. " Once you have this set in your mind, when you go through the > motions of puuja, you wont be perplexed too much. Krishna says give me a > drop of water or a leaf with dedication - that is more than enough for > me. I think constantly thinking about God and longing for the union is > one of the good things we can offer. This question brings forth to my > mind gabhiire kaasaare verse in shivaanandalahari. > > Not that we should play down on the rules stated in dharma. To me it > shows that how incapable I am in following that. That humility brings > forth the spirit of sharaNagati. I think iishvara praNidhAna is the best > and only way out for many of us. I have a feeling that smriti-karta-s > made up all these rules just to make us understand how small we are and > how desperate we should be in seeking refuge in God. > > > (Thanks to Sriram for his valuable contribution about Milk+Honey. As > always I amazed at the wealth of knowledge he has) > > > Personally I do not worry about US or India or Pakistan. I was following > adharma when i was in India and pretty much do the same now here. I > would say every place is quite conducive for following adharma :-). I > think it is more than India or USA, it is the attitude that counts more. > One can think about God in the background all the time, no matter what > one is doing. When you do that, you will not seek a new heaven that is > heaven. You see this sentiment amplified in many works like > shivaanandalahari. Mind is a monkey, it can do a lot of things. One can > sit inside temple and at the sight of a beautiful woman - start off > track thoughts. On the other hand, one may be having a forced business > dinner in a hotel be thinking/praying to God in the back of one's mind. > I have done both of the above. It is not where you are that matters > (guhaayam gehe vaa ...) but what goes on in your mind does. > > Hence, do not loose you peace or feel dejected when some tells you that > you have abandoned dharma for dollars. It is best as Sriram says that > one should first abandon the notion he or she is brahmaNa, especially > when it is not even true. But that should not be a reason for dejection. > You can take one small step towards HER, she will take giant leap > towards you. If your mind is inclined to devotion, seek works like > shivaanandalaharii. If you are too rational and logical, start with > pataanjala yoga suutra. You will be surprised that even there you will > see patanjali telling you that iishvara praNidhaana is a quickest way to > attain yoga. > > > > SrimAtre namaH > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Respected Sri Sriram, i have been going thro' your responses and suggestions and dedicated Srividya all these 7months since i joined this group.I have been enshrining you in my heart which I now release .I am deeply attached to Kanchi Mahaswamigal and Sri Chandrasekara Bharathi Swamigal whose tejas from His small photograph itself went into me [i recall having printed " Kamalaja Dayite " stuthi composed by this Gnani and distributing to people in Karaikudi] when I was a BE student in the sixties and I loose myself when i talk to others about these jeevanmuktas .I am 62 yrs old and got initiated into Srividya 7 years back.[my guru has attained siddhi.]My upasana on Srividya is to the extent of physical allowance[ Un expected ] though i long/longed to do more as per prescriptions.Of course,may not be even a tiny % of your erudition and staunch upaasana. i sing ashtapathis and harinama sankeertanams in addition .Presently I am in US [for 5 months] . I write this to request you to pray for me and devotees like me to receive Her kataaksham to remove obstacles ,enable better concentration and antarmukha during our upaasana .Our family has experienced efficacy of prayer of other divine souls . Regards; ARNatarajan Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 9:41 AM, sriram_sapthasathi < sriram_sapthasathi wrote: > > > Dear ravi, > > I reciprocate your compliments with humility & sincere thanks but whatever > i am today is just the grace of my gurunatha and nothing else. I have not > studied any scriptures and whatever i tell is just a reflection of the > satsanga with my gurunatha and his advices. And perhaps, that is the reason > Acharya Sankara gave importance to Satsanga. > > BTW, the statement which you made is something very bold and i really > admire for this. Very few people have the *guts* to > present their weakness like this and my pranams to you. > > > <<<<< > > Mind is a monkey, it can do a lot of things. One can sit inside temple and > at the sight of a beautiful woman - start off > track thoughts. On the other hand, one may be having a forced business > dinner in a hotel be thinking/praying to God in the back of one's mind. I > have done both of the above. It is not where you are that matters (guhaayam > gehe vaa ...) but what goes on in your mind does. > > >>>>>>> > > I would like to tell that the first one which you mentioned is really a > litmus test which is put by the Divine Mother. And if you pass that test, > Mother embraces you with love & affection. There are certain real incidents > which happened in the life of my gurunatha and Shri Tadepalli > Raghavanarayana Shastry which are just mind boggling. > > My gurunatha has the habit of performing pranayama & kumbhaka during the > midnight and used to be in communion with Divine Mother. > During the initial stages of this practice of pranayama when he was young, > some strange events used to happen and he used to have > the vision of a extremely beautiful girl of 16 years of age who used to > disturb my gurunatha during his antarmukhopasana. > > These visions continued to happen but gurunatha was unperturbed in his > sadhana and vision of the beautiful 16 year old girl used to disappear in > vain into the thin air. These incidents happened prior to his meeting with > Kanchi Mahaperiyaval. > > When my gurunatha first met Mahaswamigal at Kalavai for the first time, the > first remark & comment of Mahaswamigal stunned my gurunatha. The > Mahaswamigal said " so you have passed MY LITMUS TEST " having said so glanced > at gurunatha with tender smile. That gracious powerful glance of > mahaswamigal changed the entire course of life of my gurunatha that opened > up the treasure of Srividya and later on was given Gayatri Yantra & > Sriyantra by Mahaswamigal himself personally. > > So, kamini & kanchana are the two stumbling blocks in sadhana, if crossed, > the success in spiritual path is assured. > > // yA dEvi sarvabhUtEShu matru rUpENa samsthitAh > namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah // > > iti shrI chanDI bhakta pAda rENu.. > > sriram > > > <%40>, MSR > <abhayambika wrote: > > > > > > First question that comes to mind is what is ours to offer. When I was > > discussing with this to my daughter this is what I told her and truly > > believe this. " Mother everything is yours, what I can I offer to you > > that is not yours. Only thing I can call mine (mamakaara) is my > > ignorance. That is not worthy of offering, but I request you to destroy > > it. " Once you have this set in your mind, when you go through the > > motions of puuja, you wont be perplexed too much. Krishna says give me a > > drop of water or a leaf with dedication - that is more than enough for > > me. I think constantly thinking about God and longing for the union is > > one of the good things we can offer. This question brings forth to my > > mind gabhiire kaasaare verse in shivaanandalahari. > > > > Not that we should play down on the rules stated in dharma. To me it > > shows that how incapable I am in following that. That humility brings > > forth the spirit of sharaNagati. I think iishvara praNidhAna is the best > > and only way out for many of us. I have a feeling that smriti-karta-s > > made up all these rules just to make us understand how small we are and > > how desperate we should be in seeking refuge in God. > > > > > > (Thanks to Sriram for his valuable contribution about Milk+Honey. As > > always I amazed at the wealth of knowledge he has) > > > > > > Personally I do not worry about US or India or Pakistan. I was following > > adharma when i was in India and pretty much do the same now here. I > > would say every place is quite conducive for following adharma :-). I > > think it is more than India or USA, it is the attitude that counts more. > > One can think about God in the background all the time, no matter what > > one is doing. When you do that, you will not seek a new heaven that is > > heaven. You see this sentiment amplified in many works like > > shivaanandalahari. Mind is a monkey, it can do a lot of things. One can > > sit inside temple and at the sight of a beautiful woman - start off > > track thoughts. On the other hand, one may be having a forced business > > dinner in a hotel be thinking/praying to God in the back of one's mind. > > I have done both of the above. It is not where you are that matters > > (guhaayam gehe vaa ...) but what goes on in your mind does. > > > > Hence, do not loose you peace or feel dejected when some tells you that > > you have abandoned dharma for dollars. It is best as Sriram says that > > one should first abandon the notion he or she is brahmaNa, especially > > when it is not even true. But that should not be a reason for dejection. > > You can take one small step towards HER, she will take giant leap > > towards you. If your mind is inclined to devotion, seek works like > > shivaanandalaharii. If you are too rational and logical, start with > > pataanjala yoga suutra. You will be surprised that even there you will > > see patanjali telling you that iishvara praNidhaana is a quickest way to > > attain yoga. > > > > > > > > SrimAtre namaH > > > > > -- regards; ARNatarajan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Namaste It's good for the Sishya to be modest, simple and down to earth because it makes him grasp Vidya efficiently. As far as my limited knowledge is concerned It's one of the essential qualification of the Sishya. Its also important to be balanced and composed (jägruti) in this approach because sometimes there is a danger of going over board. Danger may be a strong word. Please Observe that it's the greatest privilege for one to obtain a guru and guru upadesha . At the time of Upadesha the Poojya guru blesses one to the best of his might and gives him poonarjanma (reincarnation ) by which the sishya gets elevated to higher planes ( urthava stithi ) and from then the the sishya is under the grace of the Poojya guru and care should be taken not to have a fall. Now the Danger part . Calling us a " Nobody " , " I know Nothing " attitude or " its just my guru grace " this ways may sound sweet and humble . But is the Poojya guru who unselfishly gives his spirit to the sishya trying to make a " nobody " Or with his Bodha telling " nothing " to the Sishya. Maa Saraswathi is one and the same both in Poojya Guru and Sishya and acknowledging it is also the responsibility of the vidyarthi as its done in Academic Education. Why cant A well wisher's whole hearted compliment taken as it is. Regards Diwakar , " sriram_sapthasathi " <sriram_sapthasathi wrote: > > Dear ravi, > > I reciprocate your compliments with humility & sincere thanks but whatever i am today is just the grace of my gurunatha and nothing else. I have not studied any scriptures and whatever i tell is just a reflection of the satsanga with my gurunatha and his advices. And perhaps, that is the reason Acharya Sankara gave importance to Satsanga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Dear Natarajan, My prostrations to you. If i remember your goodself well, are you the president of Ramana Kendram, Bangalore. If yes, then it is a delight to meet you in this forum. Please accept my sincere thanks for the yeoman service you have done to Bhagavan Ramana devotees at Bangalore. Professor K. Subramanian, Founder President, Ramana Kendram & Dr. Krittivasan of Hyderabad used to tell me about your goodself and your selfless service. Once again kindly accept my prostrations. Lastly, i rejoice going thru your book published on the Biographical Sketch of chandrasekhara Bharati swamigal with rare photographs!! regs, sriram , A R Natarajan <natcons18 wrote: > > Respected Sri Sriram, > i have been going thro' your responses and suggestions and dedicated > Srividya all these 7months since i joined this group.I have been enshrining > you in my heart which I now release .I am deeply attached to Kanchi > Mahaswamigal and Sri Chandrasekara Bharathi Swamigal whose tejas from His > small photograph itself went into me [i recall having printed " Kamalaja > Dayite " stuthi composed by this Gnani and distributing to people in > Karaikudi] when I was a BE student in the sixties and I loose myself when i > talk to others about these jeevanmuktas .I am 62 yrs old and got initiated > into Srividya 7 years back.[my guru has attained siddhi.]My upasana on > Srividya is to the extent of physical allowance[ Un expected ] though i > long/longed to do more as per prescriptions.Of course,may not be even a tiny > % of your erudition and staunch upaasana. > i sing ashtapathis and harinama sankeertanams in addition .Presently I am in > US [for 5 months] . > I write this to request you to pray for me and devotees like me to receive > Her kataaksham to remove obstacles ,enable better concentration and > antarmukha during our upaasana .Our family has experienced efficacy of > prayer of other divine souls . > > Regards; > > ARNatarajan > > > Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 9:41 AM, sriram_sapthasathi < > sriram_sapthasathi wrote: > > > > > > > Dear ravi, > > > > I reciprocate your compliments with humility & sincere thanks but whatever > > i am today is just the grace of my gurunatha and nothing else. I have not > > studied any scriptures and whatever i tell is just a reflection of the > > satsanga with my gurunatha and his advices. And perhaps, that is the reason > > Acharya Sankara gave importance to Satsanga. > > > > BTW, the statement which you made is something very bold and i really > > admire for this. Very few people have the *guts* to > > present their weakness like this and my pranams to you. > > > > > > <<<<< > > > > Mind is a monkey, it can do a lot of things. One can sit inside temple and > > at the sight of a beautiful woman - start off > > track thoughts. On the other hand, one may be having a forced business > > dinner in a hotel be thinking/praying to God in the back of one's mind. I > > have done both of the above. It is not where you are that matters (guhaayam > > gehe vaa ...) but what goes on in your mind does. > > > > >>>>>>> > > > > I would like to tell that the first one which you mentioned is really a > > litmus test which is put by the Divine Mother. And if you pass that test, > > Mother embraces you with love & affection. There are certain real incidents > > which happened in the life of my gurunatha and Shri Tadepalli > > Raghavanarayana Shastry which are just mind boggling. > > > > My gurunatha has the habit of performing pranayama & kumbhaka during the > > midnight and used to be in communion with Divine Mother. > > During the initial stages of this practice of pranayama when he was young, > > some strange events used to happen and he used to have > > the vision of a extremely beautiful girl of 16 years of age who used to > > disturb my gurunatha during his antarmukhopasana. > > > > These visions continued to happen but gurunatha was unperturbed in his > > sadhana and vision of the beautiful 16 year old girl used to disappear in > > vain into the thin air. These incidents happened prior to his meeting with > > Kanchi Mahaperiyaval. > > > > When my gurunatha first met Mahaswamigal at Kalavai for the first time, the > > first remark & comment of Mahaswamigal stunned my gurunatha. The > > Mahaswamigal said " so you have passed MY LITMUS TEST " having said so glanced > > at gurunatha with tender smile. That gracious powerful glance of > > mahaswamigal changed the entire course of life of my gurunatha that opened > > up the treasure of Srividya and later on was given Gayatri Yantra & > > Sriyantra by Mahaswamigal himself personally. > > > > So, kamini & kanchana are the two stumbling blocks in sadhana, if crossed, > > the success in spiritual path is assured. > > > > // yA dEvi sarvabhUtEShu matru rUpENa samsthitAh > > namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah // > > > > iti shrI chanDI bhakta pAda rENu.. > > > > sriram > > > > > > <%40>, MSR > > <abhayambika@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > First question that comes to mind is what is ours to offer. When I was > > > discussing with this to my daughter this is what I told her and truly > > > believe this. " Mother everything is yours, what I can I offer to you > > > that is not yours. Only thing I can call mine (mamakaara) is my > > > ignorance. That is not worthy of offering, but I request you to destroy > > > it. " Once you have this set in your mind, when you go through the > > > motions of puuja, you wont be perplexed too much. Krishna says give me a > > > drop of water or a leaf with dedication - that is more than enough for > > > me. I think constantly thinking about God and longing for the union is > > > one of the good things we can offer. This question brings forth to my > > > mind gabhiire kaasaare verse in shivaanandalahari. > > > > > > Not that we should play down on the rules stated in dharma. To me it > > > shows that how incapable I am in following that. That humility brings > > > forth the spirit of sharaNagati. I think iishvara praNidhAna is the best > > > and only way out for many of us. I have a feeling that smriti-karta-s > > > made up all these rules just to make us understand how small we are and > > > how desperate we should be in seeking refuge in God. > > > > > > > > > (Thanks to Sriram for his valuable contribution about Milk+Honey. As > > > always I amazed at the wealth of knowledge he has) > > > > > > > > > Personally I do not worry about US or India or Pakistan. I was following > > > adharma when i was in India and pretty much do the same now here. I > > > would say every place is quite conducive for following adharma :-). I > > > think it is more than India or USA, it is the attitude that counts more. > > > One can think about God in the background all the time, no matter what > > > one is doing. When you do that, you will not seek a new heaven that is > > > heaven. You see this sentiment amplified in many works like > > > shivaanandalahari. Mind is a monkey, it can do a lot of things. One can > > > sit inside temple and at the sight of a beautiful woman - start off > > > track thoughts. On the other hand, one may be having a forced business > > > dinner in a hotel be thinking/praying to God in the back of one's mind. > > > I have done both of the above. It is not where you are that matters > > > (guhaayam gehe vaa ...) but what goes on in your mind does. > > > > > > Hence, do not loose you peace or feel dejected when some tells you that > > > you have abandoned dharma for dollars. It is best as Sriram says that > > > one should first abandon the notion he or she is brahmaNa, especially > > > when it is not even true. But that should not be a reason for dejection. > > > You can take one small step towards HER, she will take giant leap > > > towards you. If your mind is inclined to devotion, seek works like > > > shivaanandalaharii. If you are too rational and logical, start with > > > pataanjala yoga suutra. You will be surprised that even there you will > > > see patanjali telling you that iishvara praNidhaana is a quickest way to > > > attain yoga. > > > > > > > > > > > > SrimAtre namaH > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > regards; > > ARNatarajan > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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