Guest guest Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 OM NAMAH SIVAYA Karen, to quote The Sri Sarada Vynanagita, "Is the mind the cause of troubles only? Even when you try to attain to Brahman, you shall have to carry with you the mind too. At the present stage the assistance of the mind is very necessary. It is the pure mind that shows man the path." the paths are many, the truth is one. once caught in a loop of self doubt, dying to move from my head to my heart, questioning whether my sadhana was "right" or if i should be doing more or different, i emailed Shree Maa to ask her what to do. she answered me, "Do whatever is in your heart, love God, you cannot fail, and keep going! god bless you." such simple advice. your post on silence said you do the spiritual practices past masters have done. and have faith and trust that a practice is "good." it seems judging ones spiritual progress or evolution in a linear fashion seems unproductive. there is an old yogic saying, AS YOU THINK SO YOU BECOME. i guess then, remember God and become. JAI MA PS. all of us householders know that "mood making" can go along way towards our "thoughts" becoming reality. they can go "all the way", if you know what i mean. , "Karen Borak" <karenborak@e...> wrote: > Jai Maa! > > Ekta, Verse 1, talking about Maha Maya exerting a powerful force, even on people who are very wise...how far can reason and intellect take us in understanding duality? Can those who have not realized the Supreme Self perceive the oneness of all beings? Is perception the same as realization or is perception the intellectual attempt to understand? Is "trying" to act upon the reasoned comprehension that all is one "mood making?" > > Namaste, > Karen > > Many thanks for sharing your knowledge on the Durga Saptasloki. > > > - > Eleathea Barraclough > > Thursday, September 09, 2004 1:16 PM > Durga Saptasloki > > > Jai Maa! > > Recently I mentioned the Durga Saptasloki, and I thought it might be nice to > post some discussion on these seven verses. What I have heard is that these > seven verses contain the essence of the sound energy of the Chandi, as well as > the essential spiritual significance of Chandi as a scripture. I believe 5 out > of 7 of these verses occur in the Narayani Stuti (which forms most of chapter > 11 of the Chandi). I found Swamiji's translation of the Saptasloki posted on > the Internet somewhere, but I can't verify the accuracy because I don't have > the Chandi book on hand right now. I've added commentary in terms of teachings > I've received on the verses as well as any thoughts that come to my mind. The > commentary is a mixture of teachings and personal thoughts, so it should be > taken with several grains of salt! I have included the Sanskrit verses in a > rough form, although it's not accurate for pronunciation because I can't use > diacritics in the emails. > > Verse 1 > jnaninamapi cetamsi devi bhagavati hi sa > baladakrushya mohaya mahamaya prayacchati > > Swamiji's Translation: She, this Supreme Goddess, the Great Measurement of > Consciousness, attracts the perceiving capacity of all sensible beings with > such force as to thrust them into egoistic attachment. > > Commentary: Divine Mother, in Her form as Maha Maya, exerts an overwhelmingly > powerful force even on people who are very wise, such that they perform > egoistic actions out of the delusion that duality exists. Maya cannot be > equated with the external world itself; rather, it is a force that expresses > itself as a mental tendency to think in terms of "I" and "other". Out of this > sense of duality, which creates the sense of a separate ego, all the inner > negativities arise. > > Only if we feel that we are separate from others, will we hate someone else, or > be attached to someone else, or be jealous of someone else, or be angry at > someone who has thwarted our own personal desires. We will overcome this force > of maya only when we perceive that all beings are part and parcel of the same > Supreme Self. When we have realized the Supreme Self, we will feel nothing but > love for the entire universe, and all of our actions will be rooted in that > love, and not out of any egoistic motivations. > > Verse 2 > durge smruta harasi bhitima seshajantoh > svasthaih smruta matimativa subham dadasi > daridrya duhkha bhayaharini ka tvadanya > sarvopakara karanaya sadardrachitta > > Swamiji's Translation: Oh, reliever of difficulties, remembering you the fear > of all living beings is dispelled. When remembered by those individuals in the > harmony of spiritual growth you increase their welfare and intelligence. Who is > like you, Oh dispeller of Poverty, Pain and Fear, whose sympathetic demeanor > always extends compassionate assistance to everyone? Exposer of consciousness, > we bow to you. > > Commentary: For any being who is fortunate enough to remember the most > compassionate Universal Mother, fear is completely destroyed. Not only will the > fear be destroyed, but Mother will replace the fear with all auspicious and > bright qualities. The entire life of one who constantly remembers Mother will > be very bright and full of the highest divine qualities, leading eventually to > liberation. There is never any question for Mother, "Does this child really > deserve my help?" She is so unfailingly compassionate, this question never > enters Her mind. Her very nature is to always help Her children, for She always > possesses the perfect awareness that all beings are part of the one Supreme > Self. All are part of the same universal family, and all deserve Her help. Even > the cruelest demons end up being liberated by Mother as She vanquishes them for > the benefit of Her peaceful children. The demons are also Her children, and > Devi doesn't have the heart to reject anyone, ever. > > Not only external poverty is destroyed by Her, but also the inner poverty. Lack > of sweetness, devotion, sincerity, enthusiasm, intelligence, all these "lacks" > are removed by the rays of grace that flow ceaselessly from Her eyes. > > Verse 3 > sarva mangala mangalye sive sarvartha sadhike > sharanye tryambake devi narayani namostu te > > Swamiji's Translation: To the Auspicious of all Auspiciousness, to the > Accomplisher of all Objectives, to the source of Refuge, to the Goddess who is > Rays of Light, Exposer of Consciousness, we bow to you. > > Commentary in form of prayer: "O Mother, You are the essence of everything that > is kind, sweet, and good. You radiate the most auspicious light and fulfill the > noble, heartfelt wishes of Your children. I wish to take refuge in the most > compassionate Divine Mother who watches over Her children with Her three > beautiful eyes, which have the power to protect, nourish and purify with a mere > glance. O Narayani, I salute You with joined palms out of the reverence and > love in my heart." > > If we want to always have Devi's auspicious presence in our lives, we should > take refuge in Her. Spiritually, taking refuge can mean that we make every > effort to act according to the divine virtues of love, compassion, > selflessness, truthfulness, and discrimination. Here, "taking refuge" means > that we acknowledge the ultimate power of dharmic behavior. We rely on dharmic > thoughts, speech, and actions for the well-being of ourselves and others. If we > want to take refuge and receive Her protection, then we must follow Her divine > rules, not the rules of the selfish ego. > > Verse 4 > saranagata dinarta paritrana parayane > sarvasyarti hare devi narayani namostu te > > Swamiji's Translation: For those who are devoted to you and take refuge in you, > even though helpless and perplexed, you save them from all discomfort and > unhappiness. All worry you take away, Oh Goddess, Exposer of Consciousness, we > bow to you. > > Commentary in form of prayer: "O Mother, You are the unfailing support and > refuge for all who call out to You in distress. You are the one who looks after > the most helpless of Your children. Those who surrender to You with 100 percent > faith are carried to the goal of Liberation without fail. O Mother, I am not > the only one who needs Your help, and my prayer is not for myself alone! Won't > You give Your love and compassion to all Your suffering children? I wish for > all beings to be elevated to the ultimate state of peace and bliss, because I > know that all beings belong to my Supreme Self, and I belong to all beings. O > Narayani, I am supplicating you with joined hands on behalf of all of Your > children." > > The divine power hidden in this sloka is capable of giving peace to the entire > universe. If we pray to Devi for universal peace using this powerful sloka, > peace will manifest. This is the essential sloka for the Chandi, and it is > placed in the very center of the Saptasloki. So the essence of Chandi is that > Divine Mother is always there for us, She is perfectly capable of removing > every last bit of negativity or limitation that threatens to keep us from our > true nature and destiny - Liberation or Enlightenment. In fact, this is what > She most wants to help us with. It doesn't matter what our situation is > externally, we just need to call out to Her from the bottoms of our hearts, and > She will come running to help us in the way that is best for us. > > Verse 5 > sarvasvarupe sarvese sarvasaktisamanvite > bhayebhyastrahi no devi durge devi namostu te > > The Intrinsic nature of All, the Supreme of All, and the Energy of All as well; > you remove all fear from us, Oh Goddess, Reliever of Afflictions, Oh Goddess, > we bow to you. > > Commentary in the form of prayer: "O Mother, You are the inner essence of every > manifested form in Your entire Creation. You alone rule this entire cosmos full > of beautiful planets, stars and galaxies. When it is only You playing all the > parts in Your divine drama, of whom can I be afraid? O supremely compassionate > Mother, I pray to You to remove my sense of ego, which makes me fear what I > perceive as "other". Let me perceive the truth that all are One in the Supreme > Self, for then fear will no longer be able to touch me. Let me see only You > shining in all forms as the pure, eternal light of Truth!" > > In this sloka there are two ideas juxtaposed, one that Mother is the very > essence and energy pervading all beings, the other that She removes all of our > fear. The way that She removes our fear is to bless us with the understanding > that She is the all-pervading presence in every form of Nature. If we can > connect with Her presence in every form, we will have no need to fear any harm. > When we reach a level of Realization where we perceive Her clearly in all of > existence, we will lose all fear. We don't lose the fear because we are more > powerful or we have a powerful protrectress watching over us. We lose the fear > because we gain the awareness that Maa is dancing in every form throughout the > universe, and we have nothing to fear from Maa. > > The obstacle to perceiving Her everywhere is the ego-habit. Over multitudes of > lifetimes, we have quite naturally thought in terms of "I, me, my". This is our > heritage, and the only way to remove the sense of I-ness, me- ness, and my-ness > is through steady sadhana. Sadhana will purify our consciousness and lift us > out of the limited awareness of you versus me, us versus them. > > Verse 6 > roganaseshanapahamsi tusta > rusta tu kaman sakalanabhistan > tvamasritanam na vipannaranam > tvamasrita hyasrayatam prayanti > > Swamiji's Translation: When you are pleased you destroy all infirmities, and > when you are displeased you frustrate all desires. No calamity or disease > befalls those who take refuge in you, and those who take refuge in you > invariably become a refuge to others. > > Commentary: In the first line, we should not think that Divine Mother is > "pleased" or "displeased" with us by mere whim. If we have some problem or > disease, we dont' need to think that Mother is angry with us, and that She is > therefore causing us some problem. The source of the problem is our own karma, > which is the result of our own actions from previous lives. We should feel that > Mother is waiting anxiously for us to return to Her, to return to our own > natural state of blissful oneness with Atman. As we suffer, we can rejoice that > we are burning off all of our karma so as to return to our natural state of > perfection. If we suffer intensely, we will attain the goal that much more > quickly by accomplishing a lot of purification in a short amount of time. > Intense suffering in a sadhaka often indicates a strong ambition to make rapid > progress towards the goal, or to learn powerful lessons that can only come > through suffering. > > If She frustrates our desires, maybe it is to make us inquire as to whether we > are doing something wrong or acting with wrong motivation, so as to guide us > back to the right path. We need to constantly reflect on our motivation and our > methods. If we are acting with egoistic or selfish motivation, we will never > get good results, and our desires will be frustrated. But She is not angry with > us, She is looking on us with compassion for our limited state of mind. Her > thought is only to elevate Her children and bring them out of all limitations. > What is She most pleased by? Divine Mother is extremely pleased by > selflessness, including selfless prayer. Through cultivating selflessness in > all of our activities, we will always be able to please Mother, and She will > fulfill all of our noble wishes. > > The other key element in this sloka is that those who take refuge in Mother > will definitely become a refuge for others. The greatest gift that Devi gives > to us as we strive to attain Her is that She makes us more like Her. As we grow > and purify, She permits more of Her light to shine through us into the world. > We become capable of giving more and more peace and love to this world. The > pinnacle of dharma is to offer our lives in selfless service to the entire > cosmos, as so many divine rishis and saints have done and continue to do today. > This seems like a daunting task, especially when we all feel overwhelmed at > times with our own problems, but it becomes possible when we take refuge in > Mother. > > Taking refuge in Mother is the first step towards realizing our essential > oneness and identity with Her. The essence of the Vedas is that "I and my > Mother are One". The purpose of all the activities enjoined on us in the Vedas > is to realize this eternal Truth. When we realize our oneness with Her, we will > be a legitimate source of refuge for innumerable beings, who will benefit from > simply being in our presence. > > Verse 7 > sarvabadha prasamanam trailokyasya akhilesvari > evameva tvaya karyam asmadvairi vinasanam > > Swamiji's Translation: Oh Spirit of the Supreme Sovereign, terminate all > disturbance in the three worlds and in like manner remove from us all > hostility. > > Commentary: We must pray from the bottom of our hearts for the most loving > Supreme Divine Mother to vanquish all the dark forces in the world, for She is > the one who is eternally watching over the three worlds with Her three eyes, > which see everything. If we pray like this, live according to dharma, and > practice sincerely, we will become channels for Her grace to flow into the > world. Every time we pray for peace, chant a mantra, meditate, sing bhajans, or > recite the Chandi with love and devotion, we project positive energy into the > Earth's atmosphere. That energy joins up with the energy of all the other > practitioners, saints, and subtle beings who are intent on the goal of > universal peace and happiness. This is how we invoke Mother's presence in the > world, for the sake of universal welfare (viswa kalyanam). Sanskrit is such a > powerful language that simply to ask for Her blessing in these powerful slokas > is to automatically invoke Her energy for the betterment of the world. Due to > the divine energy contained in Sanskrit sounds, the asking itself is the > receiving. > > The disturbances in the three worlds are intimately connected to the hostility > that dwells in our hearts and minds. If the world is to be in peace, all the > people must cultivate peaceful vibrations in their own minds, homes, cities, > and countries. Thus, we request Mother to remove all the hatred, hostility or > any other kind of negativity from our own minds. If we purify our minds through > meditation and other practices, we will radiate that purity to the rest of the > world. By living according to dharma and practicing sincerely, we provide a > unique service to the world, out of the love and compassion in our hearts. > Here, "living according to dharma" means cultivating positive virtues like > truthfulness, sincerity, helpfulness, cheeriness, contentment, humility, > compassion, and so on. > > Jai Maa! > Ekta > > > > > > Read only the mail you want - Mail SpamGuard. > > > > > > > Links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 jai ma jai ma jai maaaa! we pray for guru and he comes. they say do this or do that is to do and to get. so we do those things. what else can we do? om tat sat! love to you! , "ecjensen_us" <ecjensen_us> wrote: > OM NAMAH SIVAYA > > Karen, to quote The Sri Sarada Vynanagita, "Is the mind the cause of > troubles only? Even when you try to attain to Brahman, you shall > have to carry with you the mind too. At the present stage the > assistance of the mind is very necessary. It is the pure mind that > shows man the path." the paths are many, the truth is one. > > once caught in a loop of self doubt, dying to move from my head to > my heart, questioning whether my sadhana was "right" or if i should > be doing more or different, i emailed Shree Maa to ask her what to > do. she answered me, "Do whatever is in your heart, love God, you > cannot fail, and keep going! god bless you." such simple advice. > > your post on silence said you do the spiritual practices past > masters have done. and have faith and trust that a practice > is "good." it seems judging ones spiritual progress or evolution in > a linear fashion seems unproductive. there is an old yogic saying, > AS YOU THINK SO YOU BECOME. i guess then, remember God and become. > > JAI MA > > PS. all of us householders know that "mood making" can go along way > towards our "thoughts" becoming reality. they can go "all the way", > if you know what i mean. > > , "Karen Borak" <karenborak@e...> > wrote: > > Jai Maa! > > > > Ekta, Verse 1, talking about Maha Maya exerting a powerful force, > even on people who are very wise...how far can reason and intellect > take us in understanding duality? Can those who have not realized > the Supreme Self perceive the oneness of all beings? Is perception > the same as realization or is perception the intellectual attempt to > understand? Is "trying" to act upon the reasoned comprehension that > all is one "mood making?" > > > > Namaste, > > Karen > > > > Many thanks for sharing your knowledge on the Durga Saptasloki. > > > > > > - > > Eleathea Barraclough > > > > Thursday, September 09, 2004 1:16 PM > > Durga Saptasloki > > > > > > Jai Maa! > > > > Recently I mentioned the Durga Saptasloki, and I thought it > might be nice to > > post some discussion on these seven verses. What I have heard is > that these > > seven verses contain the essence of the sound energy of the > Chandi, as well as > > the essential spiritual significance of Chandi as a scripture. I > believe 5 out > > of 7 of these verses occur in the Narayani Stuti (which forms > most of chapter > > 11 of the Chandi). I found Swamiji's translation of the > Saptasloki posted on > > the Internet somewhere, but I can't verify the accuracy because > I don't have > > the Chandi book on hand right now. I've added commentary in > terms of teachings > > I've received on the verses as well as any thoughts that come to > my mind. The > > commentary is a mixture of teachings and personal thoughts, so > it should be > > taken with several grains of salt! I have included the Sanskrit > verses in a > > rough form, although it's not accurate for pronunciation because > I can't use > > diacritics in the emails. > > > > Verse 1 > > jnaninamapi cetamsi devi bhagavati hi sa > > baladakrushya mohaya mahamaya prayacchati > > > > Swamiji's Translation: She, this Supreme Goddess, the Great > Measurement of > > Consciousness, attracts the perceiving capacity of all sensible > beings with > > such force as to thrust them into egoistic attachment. > > > > Commentary: Divine Mother, in Her form as Maha Maya, exerts an > overwhelmingly > > powerful force even on people who are very wise, such that they > perform > > egoistic actions out of the delusion that duality exists. Maya > cannot be > > equated with the external world itself; rather, it is a force > that expresses > > itself as a mental tendency to think in terms of "I" > and "other". Out of this > > sense of duality, which creates the sense of a separate ego, all > the inner > > negativities arise. > > > > Only if we feel that we are separate from others, will we hate > someone else, or > > be attached to someone else, or be jealous of someone else, or > be angry at > > someone who has thwarted our own personal desires. We will > overcome this force > > of maya only when we perceive that all beings are part and > parcel of the same > > Supreme Self. When we have realized the Supreme Self, we will > feel nothing but > > love for the entire universe, and all of our actions will be > rooted in that > > love, and not out of any egoistic motivations. > > > > Verse 2 > > durge smruta harasi bhitima seshajantoh > > svasthaih smruta matimativa subham dadasi > > daridrya duhkha bhayaharini ka tvadanya > > sarvopakara karanaya sadardrachitta > > > > Swamiji's Translation: Oh, reliever of difficulties, remembering > you the fear > > of all living beings is dispelled. When remembered by those > individuals in the > > harmony of spiritual growth you increase their welfare and > intelligence. Who is > > like you, Oh dispeller of Poverty, Pain and Fear, whose > sympathetic demeanor > > always extends compassionate assistance to everyone? Exposer of > consciousness, > > we bow to you. > > > > Commentary: For any being who is fortunate enough to remember > the most > > compassionate Universal Mother, fear is completely destroyed. > Not only will the > > fear be destroyed, but Mother will replace the fear with all > auspicious and > > bright qualities. The entire life of one who constantly > remembers Mother will > > be very bright and full of the highest divine qualities, leading > eventually to > > liberation. There is never any question for Mother, "Does this > child really > > deserve my help?" She is so unfailingly compassionate, this > question never > > enters Her mind. Her very nature is to always help Her children, > for She always > > possesses the perfect awareness that all beings are part of the > one Supreme > > Self. All are part of the same universal family, and all deserve > Her help. Even > > the cruelest demons end up being liberated by Mother as She > vanquishes them for > > the benefit of Her peaceful children. The demons are also Her > children, and > > Devi doesn't have the heart to reject anyone, ever. > > > > Not only external poverty is destroyed by Her, but also the > inner poverty. Lack > > of sweetness, devotion, sincerity, enthusiasm, intelligence, all > these "lacks" > > are removed by the rays of grace that flow ceaselessly from Her > eyes. > > > > Verse 3 > > sarva mangala mangalye sive sarvartha sadhike > > sharanye tryambake devi narayani namostu te > > > > Swamiji's Translation: To the Auspicious of all Auspiciousness, > to the > > Accomplisher of all Objectives, to the source of Refuge, to the > Goddess who is > > Rays of Light, Exposer of Consciousness, we bow to you. > > > > Commentary in form of prayer: "O Mother, You are the essence of > everything that > > is kind, sweet, and good. You radiate the most auspicious light > and fulfill the > > noble, heartfelt wishes of Your children. I wish to take refuge > in the most > > compassionate Divine Mother who watches over Her children with > Her three > > beautiful eyes, which have the power to protect, nourish and > purify with a mere > > glance. O Narayani, I salute You with joined palms out of the > reverence and > > love in my heart." > > > > If we want to always have Devi's auspicious presence in our > lives, we should > > take refuge in Her. Spiritually, taking refuge can mean that we > make every > > effort to act according to the divine virtues of love, > compassion, > > selflessness, truthfulness, and discrimination. Here, "taking > refuge" means > > that we acknowledge the ultimate power of dharmic behavior. We > rely on dharmic > > thoughts, speech, and actions for the well-being of ourselves > and others. If we > > want to take refuge and receive Her protection, then we must > follow Her divine > > rules, not the rules of the selfish ego. > > > > Verse 4 > > saranagata dinarta paritrana parayane > > sarvasyarti hare devi narayani namostu te > > > > Swamiji's Translation: For those who are devoted to you and take > refuge in you, > > even though helpless and perplexed, you save them from all > discomfort and > > unhappiness. All worry you take away, Oh Goddess, Exposer of > Consciousness, we > > bow to you. > > > > Commentary in form of prayer: "O Mother, You are the unfailing > support and > > refuge for all who call out to You in distress. You are the one > who looks after > > the most helpless of Your children. Those who surrender to You > with 100 percent > > faith are carried to the goal of Liberation without fail. O > Mother, I am not > > the only one who needs Your help, and my prayer is not for > myself alone! Won't > > You give Your love and compassion to all Your suffering > children? I wish for > > all beings to be elevated to the ultimate state of peace and > bliss, because I > > know that all beings belong to my Supreme Self, and I belong to > all beings. O > > Narayani, I am supplicating you with joined hands on behalf of > all of Your > > children." > > > > The divine power hidden in this sloka is capable of giving peace > to the entire > > universe. If we pray to Devi for universal peace using this > powerful sloka, > > peace will manifest. This is the essential sloka for the Chandi, > and it is > > placed in the very center of the Saptasloki. So the essence of > Chandi is that > > Divine Mother is always there for us, She is perfectly capable > of removing > > every last bit of negativity or limitation that threatens to > keep us from our > > true nature and destiny - Liberation or Enlightenment. In fact, > this is what > > She most wants to help us with. It doesn't matter what our > situation is > > externally, we just need to call out to Her from the bottoms of > our hearts, and > > She will come running to help us in the way that is best for us. > > > > Verse 5 > > sarvasvarupe sarvese sarvasaktisamanvite > > bhayebhyastrahi no devi durge devi namostu te > > > > The Intrinsic nature of All, the Supreme of All, and the Energy > of All as well; > > you remove all fear from us, Oh Goddess, Reliever of > Afflictions, Oh Goddess, > > we bow to you. > > > > Commentary in the form of prayer: "O Mother, You are the inner > essence of every > > manifested form in Your entire Creation. You alone rule this > entire cosmos full > > of beautiful planets, stars and galaxies. When it is only You > playing all the > > parts in Your divine drama, of whom can I be afraid? O supremely > compassionate > > Mother, I pray to You to remove my sense of ego, which makes me > fear what I > > perceive as "other". Let me perceive the truth that all are One > in the Supreme > > Self, for then fear will no longer be able to touch me. Let me > see only You > > shining in all forms as the pure, eternal light of Truth!" > > > > In this sloka there are two ideas juxtaposed, one that Mother is > the very > > essence and energy pervading all beings, the other that She > removes all of our > > fear. The way that She removes our fear is to bless us with the > understanding > > that She is the all-pervading presence in every form of Nature. > If we can > > connect with Her presence in every form, we will have no need to > fear any harm. > > When we reach a level of Realization where we perceive Her > clearly in all of > > existence, we will lose all fear. We don't lose the fear because > we are more > > powerful or we have a powerful protrectress watching over us. We > lose the fear > > because we gain the awareness that Maa is dancing in every form > throughout the > > universe, and we have nothing to fear from Maa. > > > > The obstacle to perceiving Her everywhere is the ego-habit. Over > multitudes of > > lifetimes, we have quite naturally thought in terms of "I, me, > my". This is our > > heritage, and the only way to remove the sense of I-ness, me- > ness, and my-ness > > is through steady sadhana. Sadhana will purify our consciousness > and lift us > > out of the limited awareness of you versus me, us versus them. > > > > Verse 6 > > roganaseshanapahamsi tusta > > rusta tu kaman sakalanabhistan > > tvamasritanam na vipannaranam > > tvamasrita hyasrayatam prayanti > > > > Swamiji's Translation: When you are pleased you destroy all > infirmities, and > > when you are displeased you frustrate all desires. No calamity > or disease > > befalls those who take refuge in you, and those who take refuge > in you > > invariably become a refuge to others. > > > > Commentary: In the first line, we should not think that Divine > Mother is > > "pleased" or "displeased" with us by mere whim. If we have some > problem or > > disease, we dont' need to think that Mother is angry with us, > and that She is > > therefore causing us some problem. The source of the problem is > our own karma, > > which is the result of our own actions from previous lives. We > should feel that > > Mother is waiting anxiously for us to return to Her, to return > to our own > > natural state of blissful oneness with Atman. As we suffer, we > can rejoice that > > we are burning off all of our karma so as to return to our > natural state of > > perfection. If we suffer intensely, we will attain the goal that > much more > > quickly by accomplishing a lot of purification in a short amount > of time. > > Intense suffering in a sadhaka often indicates a strong ambition > to make rapid > > progress towards the goal, or to learn powerful lessons that can > only come > > through suffering. > > > > If She frustrates our desires, maybe it is to make us inquire as > to whether we > > are doing something wrong or acting with wrong motivation, so as > to guide us > > back to the right path. We need to constantly reflect on our > motivation and our > > methods. If we are acting with egoistic or selfish motivation, > we will never > > get good results, and our desires will be frustrated. But She is > not angry with > > us, She is looking on us with compassion for our limited state > of mind. Her > > thought is only to elevate Her children and bring them out of > all limitations. > > What is She most pleased by? Divine Mother is extremely pleased > by > > selflessness, including selfless prayer. Through cultivating > selflessness in > > all of our activities, we will always be able to please Mother, > and She will > > fulfill all of our noble wishes. > > > > The other key element in this sloka is that those who take > refuge in Mother > > will definitely become a refuge for others. The greatest gift > that Devi gives > > to us as we strive to attain Her is that She makes us more like > Her. As we grow > > and purify, She permits more of Her light to shine through us > into the world. > > We become capable of giving more and more peace and love to this > world. The > > pinnacle of dharma is to offer our lives in selfless service to > the entire > > cosmos, as so many divine rishis and saints have done and > continue to do today. > > This seems like a daunting task, especially when we all feel > overwhelmed at > > times with our own problems, but it becomes possible when we > take refuge in > > Mother. > > > > Taking refuge in Mother is the first step towards realizing our > essential > > oneness and identity with Her. The essence of the Vedas is > that "I and my > > Mother are One". The purpose of all the activities enjoined on > us in the Vedas > > is to realize this eternal Truth. When we realize our oneness > with Her, we will > > be a legitimate source of refuge for innumerable beings, who > will benefit from > > simply being in our presence. > > > > Verse 7 > > sarvabadha prasamanam trailokyasya akhilesvari > > evameva tvaya karyam asmadvairi vinasanam > > > > Swamiji's Translation: Oh Spirit of the Supreme Sovereign, > terminate all > > disturbance in the three worlds and in like manner remove from > us all > > hostility. > > > > Commentary: We must pray from the bottom of our hearts for the > most loving > > Supreme Divine Mother to vanquish all the dark forces in the > world, for She is > > the one who is eternally watching over the three worlds with Her > three eyes, > > which see everything. If we pray like this, live according to > dharma, and > > practice sincerely, we will become channels for Her grace to > flow into the > > world. Every time we pray for peace, chant a mantra, meditate, > sing bhajans, or > > recite the Chandi with love and devotion, we project positive > energy into the > > Earth's atmosphere. That energy joins up with the energy of all > the other > > practitioners, saints, and subtle beings who are intent on the > goal of > > universal peace and happiness. This is how we invoke Mother's > presence in the > > world, for the sake of universal welfare (viswa kalyanam). > Sanskrit is such a > > powerful language that simply to ask for Her blessing in these > powerful slokas > > is to automatically invoke Her energy for the betterment of the > world. Due to > > the divine energy contained in Sanskrit sounds, the asking > itself is the > > receiving. > > > > The disturbances in the three worlds are intimately connected to > the hostility > > that dwells in our hearts and minds. If the world is to be in > peace, all the > > people must cultivate peaceful vibrations in their own minds, > homes, cities, > > and countries. Thus, we request Mother to remove all the hatred, > hostility or > > any other kind of negativity from our own minds. If we purify > our minds through > > meditation and other practices, we will radiate that purity to > the rest of the > > world. By living according to dharma and practicing sincerely, > we provide a > > unique service to the world, out of the love and compassion in > our hearts. > > Here, "living according to dharma" means cultivating positive > virtues like > > truthfulness, sincerity, helpfulness, cheeriness, contentment, > humility, > > compassion, and so on. > > > > Jai Maa! > > Ekta > > > > > > > > > > > > Read only the mail you want - Mail SpamGuard. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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