Bhakti Yoga's topics - tribe.net

endeavor to become gopis mayavada, ahankara

2008-08-14T19:15:21Z

SP lecture, SB 1.7.41-42 October 2, 1976

So when we come to that stage, as Caitanya mahaprabhu's teaching, the gopi bhartuh pada kamalayoh, Krishna is completely under gopis. Don't try to become gopis. Just like Uddhava. Uddhava wanted to become one grass in Vrndavana because the gopis will trample over it. This is the highest perfection.

So we must always remember that if we want to be recognized by Krsna, if we want to become inhabitants of Vrindavan then we must take this lesson given by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Gopi bhartuh pada kamalayor dasa dasa dasanudasah. So to endeavor to become gopis, that is also Mayavada. That "I shall become gopis." No. You have to become the servant of the servant of the servant of gopis. That is...otherwiswe the same ahankara. Then again we'll be misled. This is material disease.

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If You Could Only Have One Yoga Book

2008-08-03T18:30:21Z

If one could only have one book on yoga, the new book, Classical Hatha Yoga by Swami Rajarshi Muni would likely be it. This is the only book on yoga the practitioner or teacher would ever need. It is probably the most comprehensive book ever written on the subject of yoga and, most important, it is written by a highly advanced Yogi, based on his personal Kundalini sadhana. Check it out on Amazon's Inside the Book Program, where you can actually see its contents as well as its summary. It can also be purchased at the Kripalu Book Store.

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 5 replies

Check out Devotional dance fusion..awsome

2008-07-23T13:17:04Z

Just discovered some cool new chanting group, who fuse dance music, english lyrics and sanskrit chants.

Anyone heard them play live ?

www.maha-ra.com

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The limits of human love

2008-07-19T19:29:51Z

Ive often thought that no human could posibly contain one persons love, let alone several members of a family and a few friends .All the self help books tell us of the dissatisfaction of Women from Venus, Men from Mars. Children brought up in unloving homes not having enough love , are we deluded, thinking we can ever love, even one person enough. to satisfy .

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 11 replies

Ganga Dashami – Ganga Dashahara Festival

2008-06-14T02:44:28Z

JAI MA

Ganga Dashami, also referred as Ganga-Dashahara, celebrates the birthday of River Ganga – her descent on earth. The festival begins on the Amavasi day in the Hindu month of Jyestha and ends on the Dashami tithi. The festival lasts for 10 days. In 2008, Ganga Dashahara begins on June 3 and Ganga Dashami date is June 13.

Goddess Ganga Devi is an important deity in Hinduism and bathing in the divine river is the believed to cleanse the sins committed. The ritual of bathing in Ganga is also a way to achieve moksha – the escape from the endless cycles of birth and death.

The festival of great importance in those places through which the Ganges flows especially at Haridwar and Prayag (Allahabad). Ganga is worshipped in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal during this period.

Apart from bathing in the river on the day, people mediate on the banks and recite the prayer dedicated to Ganga:

Devi suresvari bhagavati gange
Tribhuvana tarini tarala tarange
Sankara mauli viharini vimale
Mama matirastam tava pada kamala

Bhagirathi sukhadayini matas
Tava jala mahima nigame khyatah
Naham jane tava mahimanam
Pahi krpamayi mama ajnanam

The global warming phenomenon has started affecting Ganga and the glaciers that provide water to this perennial river is fast depleting. Environmentalists have been warning about the serious consequences that are in store, if we humans are not ready to change and live in harmony with nature. Many scientists have even predicated the death of River Ganga.

Ganga Dashami is an ideal opportunity to contemplate and usher in change and save Mother Ganga.

In Love and Light

Pritam

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Mantras for the Departed Soul

2008-05-24T17:13:45Z

Namah Sivaya

I was wondering if anyone knows of specific prayers to chant for someone who has trancended their body?

I am aware of the Matyuijaya Mantra, which is a Siva mantra to attain victory over death, to restore the health of someone who is suffering from physical pain or illness and for a dying person to be granted a peaceful death. Though this mantra from my understanding is to be chanted before someone transcends.

Is there any mantra to be chanted for beings after they transcend ?

My grandpa is about to transcend from his body, and I just want to offer everything I can for him during his passing and after he passes.

Blessings..
Bala

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 13 replies

Unshakable Bhakti

2008-03-26T06:17:24Z

NAMASTE

Unshakable Bhakti , one person comes to mind that i grew up hearing stories of was Mira Bai .
I was reading about her today and came across this by Sri Swami Sivananda .

Mira Bai

Mira is regarded as an incarnation of Radha. She was born in Samvat 1557 or 1499 A.D. in the village Kurkhi, near Merta, a small state in Marwar, Rajasthan. Mira was the daughter of Ratan Singh Ranthor and the grand-daughter of Dudaji of Merta. The Ranthors of Merta were great devotees of Vishnu. Mira Bai was brought up amidst Vaishnava influence, which moulded her life in the path of devotion towards Lord Krishna. She learnt to worship Sri Krishna from her childhood. When she was four years of age, she manifested religious tendencies. Once there was a marriage procession in front of her residence. The bridegroom was nicely dressed. Mira, who was only a child, saw the bridegroom and said to her mother innocently, "Dear mother, who is my bridegroom?". Mira’s mother smiled, and half in jest and half in earnest, pointed towards the image of Sri Krishna and said, "My dear Mira, Lord Krishna—this beautiful image—is your bridegroom".

Child Mira began to love the idol of Krishna very much. She spent much of her time in bathing and dressing the image. She worshipped the image. She slept with the image. She danced about the image in ecstasy. She sang beautiful songs in front of the image. She used to talk to the idol.

Mira’s father arranged for her marriage with Rana Kumbha of Chitore, in Mewar. Mira was a very dutiful wife. She obeyed her husband’s commands implicitly. After her household duties were over, she would go to the temple of Lord Krishna, worship, sing and dance before the image daily. The little image would get up, embrace Mira, play on the flute and talk to her. Rana’s mother and other ladies of the house did not like the ways of Mira, as they were worldly-minded and jealous. They were all annoyed with her. Mira’s mother-in-law forced her to worship Durga and admonished her often. But Mira stood adamant. She said, "I have already given up my life to my beloved Lord Krishna". Mira’s sister-in-law Udabai formed a conspiracy and began to defame the innocent Mira. She informed Rana Kumbha that Mira was in secret love with others, that she with her own eyes had witnessed Mira in the temple with her lovers, and that she would show him the persons if he would accompany her one night. She further added that Mira, by her conduct, had brought a great slur on the reputation of the Rana family of Chitore. Rana Kumbha was very much enraged. He straightaway ran with sword in hand towards the inner apartments of Mira. Fortunately, Mira was not in her room. A kind relative of the Rana checked him and said, "Look here Rana! Do not be in haste. You will repent later on. Consider well. Enquire into the matter very carefully. Find out the truth. Mira is a great devotional lady. What you have heard now may be a wild rumour only. Out of sheer jealousy some ladies might have concocted a cock-and-bull story against Mira to ruin her. Be cool now". Rana Kumbha agreed to the wise counsel of his relative. The Rana’s sister took him to the temple at dead of night. Rana Kumbha broke open the door, rushed inside and found Mira alone in her ecstatic mood talking to the idol.

The Rana said to Mira, "Mira, with whom are you talking now? Show me this lover of yours". Mira replied, "There sits He—my Lord—the Nanichora who has stolen my heart". She fainted. There was a wild rumour that Mira was mixing very freely with Sadhus. She, no doubt, had great regard for Sadhus and mixed freely with them. Mira never cared a bit for the meaningless scandals. She stood unruffled.

Mira was persecuted in various ways by the Rana and his relatives. She got the same treatment which Prahlad got from his father Hiranyakasipu. Hari shielded Prahlad. Here, Sri Krishna always stood by the side of Mira. Once the Rana sent a cobra in a basket to Mira with the message that it contained a garland of flowers. Mira took her bath and sat for worship. After finishing her meditation, she opened the basket and found inside a lovely idol of Sri Krishna and a garland of flowers. Then the Rana sent her a cup of poison with the message that it was nectar. Mira offered it to Lord Krishna and took it as His Prasad. It was real nectar to her. Then the Rana sent a bed of nails for Mira to sleep on. Mira finished her worship and slept on the bed of nails. Lo! The bed of nails was transformed into a bed of roses.

When Mira was thus tortured by her husband’s relatives, she sent a letter to Tulsidasji and asked the advice of the saint. She wrote thus: "All my relatives trouble me, because I move amongst Sadhus. I cannot carry on my devotional practices in the house. I have made Giridhar Gopal my friend from my very childhood. I am strongly attached to Him. I cannot break that attachment now".

Tulsidasji sent a reply: "Abandon those who do not worship Rama and Sita as if they are your enemies, even though they are your dearest relatives. Prahlad abandoned his father; Vibhishana left his brother Ravana; Bharata deserted his mother; Bali forsook even his Guru; the Gopis, the women of Vraja, disowned their husbands in order to attain the Lord. Their lives were all the happier for having done so. The opinion of holy saints is that the relation with God and love of God alone is true and eternal; all other relationships are unreal and temporary".

Once Akbar and his court musician Tansen came in disguise to Chitore to hear Mira’s devotional and inspiring songs. Both entered the temple and listened to Mira’s soul-stirring songs to their heart’s content. Akbar was really moved. Before he departed, he touched the holy feet of Mira and placed a necklace of emeralds in front of the idol as a present. Somehow the news reached the Rana that Akbar had entered the temple in disguise, touched the feet of Mira and even presented her a necklace. The Rana became furious. He told Mira, "Drown yourself in the river and never show your face to the world in future. You have brought great disgrace on my family".

Mira obeyed the words of her husband. She proceeded to the river to drown herself. The names of the Lord "Govind, Giridhari, Gopal" were always on her lips. She sang and danced in ecstasy on her way to the river. When she raised her feet from the ground, a hand from behind grasped her. She turned behind and saw her beloved Krishna. She fainted. After a few minutes she opened her eyes. Lord Krishna smiled and spoke to her these words: "My dear Mira, your life with this mortal husband is over now. You are absolutely free. Be cheerful. You are Mine. Immediately proceed to the bowers of Vraja and the avenues of Brindavan. Seek Me there, my child. Be quick". He then disappeared.

Mira obeyed the divine call immediately. She walked barefoot on the hot sandy beds of Rajasthan. On her way, she was received by many ladies, children and devotees with great hospitality. She reached Brindavan. She found out her Flute-bearer there. She went about Brindavan begging for her food and worshipped in the Govinda Mandir which has since become famous and is now a place of pilgrimage. Her devotees of Chitore came to Brindavan to see Mira. Rana Kumbha came to Mira in the disguise of a mendicant, revealed himself and repented for his previous wrongs and cruel deeds. Mira at once prostrated before her husband.

Jiva Gosain was the head of the Vaishnavites in Brindavan. Mira wanted to have Darshan of Jiva Gosain. He declined to see her. He sent word to Mira that he would not allow any woman in his presence. Mira Bai retorted: "Everybody in Brindavan is a woman. Only Giridhar Gopal is Purusha. Today only I have come to know that there is another Purusha besides Krishna in Brindavan". Jiva Gosain was put to shame. He thought that Mira was a great devotional lady. He at once went to see Mira and paid her due respects.

Mira’s fame spread far and wide. So many princesses and queens have come and gone. So many Ranis, Kumaris and Maharanis have appeared on the stage of this world and vanished. How is it that the queen of Chitore alone is still remembered? Is this on account of her beauty? Is this on account of her poetic skill? No. It is on account of her renunciation, one-pointed devotion to Lord Krishna and God-realisation. She came face to face with Krishna. She conversed with Krishna. She ate with Krishna—her Beloved. She drank the Krishna-prema-rasa. She has sung from the core of her heart the music of her soul, the music of her Beloved, her unique spiritual experiences. And she has sung songs of surrender and Prem.

Mira had the beautiful cosmic vision. She saw Krishna in the tree, in the stone, in the creeper, in the flower, in the bird, in all beings—in everything. As long as there is the name of Krishna, there will be the name of Mira also.

It is extremely difficult to find a parallel to this wonderful personality—Mira—a saint, a philosopher, a poet and a sage. She was a versatile genius and a magnanimous soul. Her life has a singular charm, with extraordinary beauty and marvel. She was a princess, but she abandoned the pleasures and luxuries incident to her high station, and chose instead, a life of poverty, austerity, Tyaga, Titiksha and Vairagya. Though she was a delicate young lady, she entered the perilous journey on the spiritual path amidst various difficulties. She underwent various ordeals with undaunted courage and intrepidity. She stood adamant in her resolve. She had a gigantic will.

Mira’s songs infuse faith, courage, devotion and love of God in the minds of the readers. They inspire the aspirants to take to the path of devotion and they produce in them a marvellous thrill and a melting of the heart.

Mira’s earthly life was full of troubles and difficulties. She was persecuted. She was tormented and yet she kept up an undaunted spirit and a balanced mind all through, by the strength of her devotion and the grace of her beloved Krishna. Though she was a princess, she begged alms and lived sometimes on water alone. She led a life of perfect renunciation and self-surrender.

Mira had Raganuga or Ragatmika Bhakti. She never cared for public criticism and the injunctions of the Shastras. She danced in the streets. She did no ritualistic worship. She had spontaneous love for Lord Krishna. She did not practise Sadhana-bhakti. From her very childhood she poured forth her love on Lord Krishna. Krishna was her husband, father, mother, friend, relative and Guru. Krishna was her Prananath. Mira had finished the preliminary modes of worship in her previous birth.

Mira was fearless in her nature, simple in her habits, joyous in her disposition, amiable in her deportment, graceful in her behaviour and elegant in her demeanour. She immersed herself in the love of Giridhar Gopal. The name of Giridhar Gopal was always on her lips. Even in her dreams, she lived and had her being in Sri Krishna.

In her divine intoxication, Mira danced in public places. She had no sex-idea. Her exalted state could not be adequately described in words. She was sunk in the ocean of Prem. She had no consciousness of her body and surroundings. Who could gauge the depth of her devotion? Who could understand her internal Premamaya state of Maha-bhava? Who could measure the capacity of her large heart?

Mira wafted the fragrance of devotion far and wide. Those who came in contact with her were affected by her strong current of Prem. Mira was like Lord Gauranga. She was an embodiment of love and innocence. Her heart was the temple of devotion. Her face was the lotus-flower of Prem. There was kindness in her look, love in her talk, joy in her discourses, power in her speech and fervour in her songs. What a marvellous lady! What a wonderful personality! What a charming figure!

Mira’s mystic songs act as a soothing balm to the wounded hearts and tired nerves of those who toil in this world with the heavy burden of life. The sweet music of her songs exerts a benign influence on the hearers, removes discord and disharmony, and lulls them to sleep. Mira’s language of love is so powerful that even a downright atheist will be moved by her devotional songs.

Mira acted her part well on the stage of the world. She taught the world the way to love God. She rowed her boat dexterously in a stormy sea of family troubles and difficulties and reached the other shore of supreme peace and absolute fearlessness—the kingdom of supreme love. She belonged to the gentle fair sex and yet how undaunted in spirit and how courageous she was! Though she was young, she bore the persecutions silently. She endured the piercing taunts and sarcastic criticisms of the world bravely. She has left an indelible impression on the world and her name will be handed down to posterity.

From Brindavan, Mira proceeded to Dwaraka. There she was absorbed in the image of Lord Krishna at the temple of Ranchod.

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 2 replies

Manas Chora Radha Krishna

2008-03-22T04:04:15Z

manas chora radha krishna muralimohana saure
he yadunayaka jai giridhari
jasumatinandan pyare
nandakumara mathuranatha bhajan kare ham tere

"Stealer of Mind, beautiful flute player, son of Yashoda, hail,
the one who lifts mountains, son of Nanda, Lord of Mathura,
Radha's Krishna, I sing your glory"

tere paun pade ham kanha
tu hai hrdayavikari
ho syam to aja

"I bow to your feet you reside in my heart"

radha ke priya mira ke priya sab ka priyatam he tu
gopi vallabha kamsanisudana
karunasagara he tu
syamal tere rup nihare aja krsna murare
kesava madhava bansi vadaka natavara mere pyare
ho syam to aja
ho syam tu aja

"Dearest of Radha, Mira, Gopis and everyone,
destroyer of Kamsa, You are the ocean of compassion.
Dark is your complexion, O Keshava, player of the flute,
dancer my beloved"

bangke bihari bhayabhavari bhakto ke hitakari
prem piyase nayan tihare darsan ko lalchaye
sundar mangal syam kalebar nandan yadukula raja
bansi lal bajake jaldi aja mohan aja
ho syam tu aja
ho syam tu aja

"You roam the forests, remove our worldly fears,
Protector of the devotees, beautiful, auspicious,
dark hued king of Yadavas,
Play your flute and hurry here."

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 1 reply

WATER WOMAN GATHERING

2008-03-15T01:11:38Z

please check out WATER WOMAN GATHERING TRIBE for sharing visions and co-creation of the potential gathering called WATER WOMAN~ or click www.waterwomangathering.blogspot.com

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to the network of love and light...

2008-01-30T18:29:58Z

i have recently applied for a volunteer/student position at the Ratna Ling retreat center in Sonoma County
California. If accepted, and they're reviewing my application this week, i'll be helping out with the Tibetan Aid
Project binding sacred books whilst taking classes and getting that much for a long time needed healing retreat
on 110 acres of wooded landscape... I have been recently praying for an opportunity like this to enter my life but
also know that i can't really achieve it without an infinite amount of grace... sooo, i thought that i would reach out
to the network of Devas and Lightworkers out here in dream land and ask that they keep me in they're prayers,
i really need as much of a karmic boost as i can get... thank you sooo very much...
namaste and many blessings...
matthew

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

Love

2008-01-19T19:55:02Z

Anything will give up it's secrets,
if you love it enough.

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 5 replies

Experience An India Yoga Odyssey

2008-01-11T02:06:40Z

Experience a Transforming India YOGA Odyssey
(February 21 to March 6, 2008)

Just imagine your airplane touching down at the India airport of your choice – Mumbai or Ahmadabad – on Thursday, February 21, 2008. Awaiting you at the airport is your guide, who will escort you by rail or taxi to your hotel accommodations in Surat City, Gujarat State. You will have arrived just in time to take in the World Yoga Championships, either as a participant or as a spectator. If anyone wishes to participate in the Championships the necessary registration forms can be downloaded at www.lifemission.org. The Championships run from February 22 though February 24. (The Championships were primarily founded as a means for encouraging youth worldwide to engage themselves in the ageless science of yoga for the betterment of body, mind and spiritual development in similar fashion that society worldwide encourages youth to participate in common sporting events.)

Following the Championships, you will be escorted to Malav Ashram for a five night stay, which includes three days of “hands on” yogic training under the expert guidance of Acharya Yogendradev, who has taught in North America, Taiwan, and India

And now – the Tours – you will tour the historic spiritual pilgrimage site of Kayavarohan and visit the Brahmeshwar Temple of Lord Lakulish (the 28th incarnation of Lord Shiva). You will spend 5 nights at a beautiful oceanside resort near the city of Div, overlooking the Indian Ocean with its miles of sandy beaches, and visit surrounding points of interest including the renowned Somnath Temple; a lion wildlife reserve, an ayurvedic clinic of a renowned ayurvedic physician where you will be able to observe the natural preparation of ayurvedic medicines and receive a free medical check-up. You will also have the opportunity to visit the temple complex at Rajrajeshwardham, where Lord Lakulish materialized in his divine body on January 29, 2007. Then – another great grace awaits you – you will have the rare opportunity of having darshan with the highly advanced yogi, Swami Rajarshi Muni.*

Now your yoga trip is reaching its end – on March 6, you will be escorted by your guide to your departure airport for your trip home – to reflect on and absorb your many yoga experiences of the past 2 weeks; the multitudes of wondrous Indian sites you've seen; the unmatched hospitality of its people and the many lasting new friendships you've made.

The cost per participant is $ 695.00 USD. This price does not include your transportation costs to and from India, which is entirely your responsibility, as are any required passports, visas etc. This price does include designated tour accommodations and meals in India, and all ground transportation to the Championships and touring sites in India, as well as ground transportation to and from airports at Mumbai or Ahmedabad. Any profits after all costs have been met will be directed to projects for the poor, including schools and hospitals. For further information, go to www.lifemission.org, or email: Acharya Yogendradev, ggvaghela@yahoo.com; or Dennis Konchak, lifema@telus.net; or Hans Splinter, Hsplinter@cogeco.ca.

* Swami Rajarshi Muni is the author of a vast library of nearly 100 titles in four different languages, including ten books in English. Some of the English titles are: Classical Hatha Yoga, Divine Body Through Yoga; Tenets for the Spiritual Life; Infinite Grace (The Story of My Spiritual Lineage), Awakening the Life Force, and Light from Guru to Disciple. For more information, check the Life Mission website www.lifemission.org and www.amazon.com under Rajarshi Muni

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MORE THAN A RESOLUTION

2007-12-31T22:51:37Z

More Than A Resolution

Must we resolve what we are already doing? To resolve means we haven't reached our intention, or, that we are creating a new intention; it means we are striving to meet and reach an ideal.

The ideal we hold is why we resolve to change our actions, thoughts, and hence current situation; this is accomplished through an accumulated force of will meant to propel us in a new direction. Today propel onto a new path and internalize the resolution; doing so means it fuses with your every waking and sleeping moment.

Resolve only until it becomes a part of your nature then drop the resolution.

More than a resolution,
the intention must be to change the very nature of our being, therefore, making us congruent with whom we strive to be.

Be.

Resolve to accept yourself for who you are. Remember: no one is ever perfect. Accept the dynamism of change. Experience a growth which cannot be calculated. Situations do not remain the same and as the environment around us shifts, we must open to transform the resolutions once needed… for even they shall one day become obsolete or counter-productive.

Resolve to not be disappointed, overly critical or difficult upon what you do and have done.
If we fix upon a goal and don't reach it we lead ourselves to disappointment.

Dynamic resolutions assist in preventing this occurrence.
Static resolutions do not.

Accept all the good and the bad... accept that which you cherish and that which you despise. Move into a space of acceptance; release from self-judgment. Guilt is not healthy, instead embrace change and create alternatives. Move past the limiting idea of failure. Move into a constant state of embracing every moment... and then become open... to all experiences... open to all that arises and passes.

Look at yourself. Discover your fears. Understand your faults. Reach for the zenith and don't be afraid to fall. Fall down. Stand back up. Embrace falling, it is necessary to learn walking.

Challenge even your resolutions, hence reaching awareness of self.

Avoid causing the self pain by sticking to a resolution that may no longer be relevant. As the conscious intention penetrates into your being, resolve to not blindly cling to resolutions without understanding their meaning; instead, embrace your true nature through awareness of who you are... the change sought is dependent on self-realization.

The change is dependent upon acceptance,
internalizing it so that it becomes more than just a resolution.

-----------------------------------

:HAWAH:
www.everlutionary.net
www.myspace.com/everlutionary

http://www.graphicmail.com/rwcode/subscribe.asp?SiteID=11598

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Happy Holiday

2007-12-28T17:33:23Z

For a whole new year is coming again. And it brings new opportunities, new dreams, fun-filled new days may each of you have the best new year .

In Love and Light

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 1 reply

Shaiva Bhakti: The 63 Nayanmars

2007-12-17T00:49:04Z

Stories of the 63 Nayanmar saints, legendary Shaiva Bhaktas:

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 12 replies

Lakulish Yogasan Championships 2008: Feb. 22; 23; & 24th, - City of Surat, Gujarat State, India

2007-12-10T11:11:36Z

For details and application forms, please refer to: http://www.lifemission.org/ and under "New" go to item #4 and click on "World Open Yogasan Championships".

Please note, to optimize your India trip and your experience of Lakulish Yoga you could attend or participate in the Yogasan Championships and also take in the 3 week Certificate Yoga Training Course being offered at Swami Rajarshi Muni's Malav Ashram from January 30 -February 20th. For details on the training go to http://www.lifemission.org/ and under "New" click on item # 5 " "Overseas Students Annual Yoga Certificate Training Program"

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

Yoginis, Masseurs, Bodyworkers, Energy Workers, Light Workers...an unparalleled opportunity to come gather with us in Mexico

2007-12-09T18:20:05Z

Even as you read this folks from world round are gathering in Mexico for a two month free international gathering. Here is the website to learn all details:

www.cenotes.com/save/rainbow/ire1.html

We are in process and in progress, creating a Bodyworkers Camp, a collective where volunteer instructors can have maximum creative freedom to present workshops in the fields of their choice. Come down to do your practice, and to share with others in a beautiful, simple, natural, free tropical setting. The gathering is hosted by the Rainbow Family of Living Light, a tribe of volunteers guided by Spirit to share a vision of living in harmony with Nature, of healing ourselves and healing this planet. Vegetarian food Prasad circle is twice daily. All work is volunteered. All costs are by voluntary donation...

We are an experiment in free, non-commercial living from the heart. Join us!

Namaste,...nice day,....Love yall.
b!

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

Sankara a Demon, according to Vaishnavas!

2007-12-05T17:56:05Z

Friends,

As a lot of discussion is going on about Sankara and his place in the 'hindu' world, I thought it fit to post a new topic, and find out how Vaishnavas view this saint. That should clear things up, perhaps stop the "fist fight" between certain members of this forum.

Mind you, these are NOT my words or views, I am simply presenting the views of certain acharyas in Vaishnava schools. So don't shoot the messenger!

According to the Vaishnava saint who wrote "Mani Manjari" as well as Madhvacharya's bio, aka Sumadhva Vijaya, Adi Sankara was the incarnation of an asura named Manimantha. For details on why Manimantha took borth as Sankara, visit http://www.dvaita.org/list/list_46/msg00032.html

According to Garuda Purana:

maNimAnnAma daityastu shaN^karAkhyo bhaviShyati |
sarveShAM saN^karaM yastu kariShyati na saMshayaH ||
tena shaN^karanAmA.asau bhaviShyati khageshvara |
dharmAn.h bhAgavatAn.h sarvAn.h vinashyati sarvathA ||

A Demon by name maNimAn will come into being as Shankara, who will,
no doubt, pollute everything. This is why, O King of birds (Garuda), his
name will be Shankara; he will pollute and destroy all BhAgavata Dharmas.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Again, these are NOT my views, just letting people know that most Vaishnavas have a negative view of Sankara.

Regards,
Suresh

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 25 replies

bhakti yoga practice for beginner

2007-11-28T03:11:39Z

Blessings to All!
I have been a yoga practitioner for several years now and would like to incorporate some bhakti yoga into my practice. I have a heavy emphasis on hatha and ashtanga yoga with a recent departure into kundalini yoga. Are there any recommended practices which I could worn into my sadhana?

Namaste, Sat Nam.
Sky

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 7 replies

Ashwathama Alive ??????

2007-11-21T08:04:59Z

If you belive on hinduisam and krishna you must belive on Mahabharat.. according mahabharat ashwatham could not die..
so what do you think about Ashwathama is he alive...
some where i read long before.. in desert of Rajasthan Army saw many times.. the old old person walking far in Desert according mahabharat krishna took off his mani from head so as he will always alive on earth and bleeding on his head..... it was his punishment of using Bhramastra ... so is he alive on earth and some where in desert of Rajasthan...what do you think

Ajay

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 8 replies

Certificate Yoga Training - Malav, Gujarat State, India - Ashram of Swami Rajarshi Muni

2007-11-21T05:41:41Z

An International tuition free Certificate 3 week Yoga Training Program is being offered at Malav Ashram, Gujarat State, India
from January 31 - February 20, 2008. The only Charge is Board & Room for the 3 week event of $1200. See www.lifemission.org
or e-mail Dennis (Sandip Kumar) for further details: denlor2@telus.net

Malav Ashram is where Swami Kripalvanandji (Bapuji) did his sadhana before moving to Kayvarohan on Dadaji's (Lord Lakulish's) instructions.

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

Bay Area Hindus Celebrate Vijaya Dasami with Community Service

2007-11-16T15:00:06Z

NAMASTE

Bay Area Hindus Celebrate Vijaya Dasami with Community Service

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, November 15, 2007: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh organized this year's Vijayadashami celebrations in the Bay Area at the Sunnyvale Hindu temple on October 27. All nine Bay Area chapters of HSS from San Ramon to Fremont and from San Jose to San Bruno enthusiastically participated. This year's event was attended by more than 500 people.

In keeping with the tradition of Hindu Dharma, in which it is said that serving humanity and especially those in need is the real service to God, HSS organized with American Red Cross a blood donation drive. The response from the community was so overwhelming, thanks to the weeks of hard work put in by HSS volunteers with ample support from Red Cross, that forty units of blood were collected during the five hours. Many eligible volunteers had to return home without donating as the Red Cross had reached their capacity. Sunnyvale mayor, Mr. Otto Lee, visited the site and was very happy to see such a turnout for blood drive, and commended the commitment of HSS to the society.

www.hssus.org

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 1 reply

Texas Students Celebrate Diwali

2007-11-15T14:42:19Z

NAMASTE

Texas Students Celebrate Diwali

The students in the University of Texas chapter of the Hindu Students Council celebrated Diwali this year with a bang. On November 9, students gathered at the base of the University of Texas tower to participate in a Lakshmi Pooja, sing bhajans and watch a fireworks show. Diwali is put on by the Hindu Students Council every year and is always a success, but organizers were impressed with the large turnout this year. Over 500 students of all faiths turned out to express support of the university Hindu community. The event started at 5:30 PM with a Rangoli contest and a Diya Decorating contest. At 6:30 PM, Acharyaji Soneraro from the Arya Samaj of Greater Houston began the Lakshmi Havan puja. The Acharya, at the request of the Hindu Students Council, explained the complex puja in English to the polyglot participants and included them in the havan rituals. Following the puja, participants listened to bhajans and then performed aarti to the images of the Ashta Lakshmi. All participants were given a chance to perform the Aarti and to partake in the Prasad. At 9:00 PM, a spectacular fireworks show commenced over the tower.

This event was completely organized by students in the Hindu Students Council, one of the largest Indian groups on campus. It serves as a forum for discussion and socializing between the approximately 1,500 Hindu students on campus.

studentorgs.utexas.edu

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

Trinidad Hindus Celebrate Kaatik-ke-Nahaan on November 18

2007-11-14T18:11:55Z

NAMASTE

Trinidad Hindus Celebrate Kaatik-ke-Nahaan on November 18

Paras Ramoutar

TRINIDAD, November 11, 2007: Hindus will finally complete two months of fasting and penance on Kaatik-ke-Nahaan November 18, as a signal that this auspicious and spiritually-charged period comes to an end. Thousands of Hindus, mainly women, will converge at several beaches and rivers to celebrate the annual festival of Kaatik-ke-Nahaan.

Main areas of focus will be Manzanilla and Mayaro beaches, which have become the Khumba Mela for this very auspicious Hindu religious observance over the years. Kaatik is a full month of celebration which falls in October/November and coincides with Divali, the Festival of Lights.

Several mandirs and other religious groups will perform Ganga Puja and make offerings to the ocean and recite special mantras in honour of Ganga Mata, the Mother of the Ocean.

Among the many mandirs and religious groups participating in the celebrations are: Edinburgh Hindu Temple led by Pundit Ramesh Tiwari; mandirs from Caparo, Felicity, Penal, Chaguanas, Cunupia, Sangre Grande, Longdenville, Princes Town, Debe, Tunapuna and Couva.

Boodram and Kamla Ramoutar will host the Edinburgh Hindu Temple's celebration at their beach resort, (entrance is the road opposite the Mayaro Composite School). There will be music, songs and dances, and the public is invited to attend. Pundit Tiwari will perform special puja at Mayaro Beach to mark the occasion.

According to Hindu astrology, the correct name is Kaartik Poornima Snaari. Hindus believe taking a bath in the Holy River of the Ganges is considered sacred since the Goddess Ganga is personified with this river, according to Pundit Tiwari.

"A dip in this river on the Kaatik fulll moon day is believed to be especially important as this cleanses the bather of all impurities and frees him from the three types of fear in the world:daihik or physical, daivic or natural, and bhautic or non-physical.

"Fasting as a religious vow and observance is the best form of austerity for the masses and householders as they help in developing the spiritual side of the aspirant. It has been a time-honoured religious practice since the hoary past," Pundit Munesh remarked.

"Kaatik observance is a medium for prayer and devotion, and it fosters charity and contemplation, and it is a natural vehicle for spiritual growth, purification and self-control," Pu ndit Vishnu Deonarine pointed out.

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

Jagannath Shrines in Orissa Renovated

2007-11-14T17:57:56Z

NAMASTE

Jagannath Shrines in Orissa Renovated

KENDRAPARA, ORISSA, INDIA, November 10, 2007: A number of shrines of Lord Jagannath in Orissa, languishing after surviving the onslaught of medieval Muslim invaders, are poised to get a facelift. The Puri Jagannath temple administration, as a part of its plan to preserve and enlarge the sphere of Jagannath spiritual lineage and its heritage, has embarked upon the project, deputy administrator of the temple Bhaskar Mishra said. As many as 35 Jagannath shrines including a 400-year-old temple in Kendrapara district's Indupur village are being covered under the plan to propagate the spiritual lineage, he said. The temples being taken up for maintenance owed historical linkage to Lord Jagannath at Puri. Moreover, these places of worship withstood the marauding 16th century Muslim invaders, he added.

"Some of these temples had turned protectors as the Deities of Lords in Puri temple were relocated to these places for safety," Bhaskar said adding a team of researchers have identified seven Jagannath temples across Khurda, Cuttack, Puri and Bolangir districts where Puri deities were safely ensconced during the invasion. Stone cut inscriptions and palm-leaf scripts retrieved from these places bear testimony to these facts, he said adding there are other temples like the one at Indupur where the stone citadel of Puri deities was relocated. The aim is to interlink the rest of Jagannath Peethas with Puri, while plan is afoot to maintain uniformity in puja rituals and religious practices adhered to in the Jagannath temples, he said.

www.hinduonnet.com

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

Ohio Hindus Celebrate Diwali

2007-11-14T17:48:07Z

NANASTE

Ohio Hindus Celebrate Diwali

BRUNSWICK, OHIO, November 12, 2007: Bowls of curry and heaps of rice. Gourds decorated like ducks and watermelon halves dressed up as boats. Mountains of cookies and stacks of flat bread and a gingerbread house with a flashing-light Deity inside. This is how the Swaminarayan Temple celebrates Diwali. "It's the Hindu New Year, the beginning of the year for Hindus throughout the world," said Ashok Patel, addressing hundreds of devotees gathered to celebrate the festival of light. "This is our way of saying thank you. . . . Thank you, thank you, thank you for keeping our plates full."

In India, the traditional holiday stretches more than a week and includes cleaning house, paying off debts, worshipping the Goddess of wealth and honoring brothers and sisters. There, they close school, spread colored powder in designs on the floor, exchange food with neighbors, give money to children, string bright lights and marvel at fireworks. Here, in their adopted country, the Hindu festival is gaining attention. But the celebration is more low-key, squeezed into a weekend at the temple.

"It's very important," said Usha Patel of Erie, Pa., who like many of the temple's unrelated members shares the common surname. "It's like your Thanksgiving and Christmas."

Inside the Swaminarayan Temple, women in brightly colored saris and men in shirts and slacks sit separately - cross-legged and barefoot, chanting and clapping and hailing God. About a dozen men and women hold silver plates with candles, circling them in the air, infusing God's divinity into the flame.

And before them, like some fantastic dream, beneath colored lights and a fuchsia backdrop, is the annukut -- the offering of food to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, the central figure of the Swaminarayan faith of Hinduism. Through an afternoon of prayer sessions, the food is sanctified. And at the end of the day, after a Sunday service, the devotees feast.

About 60 women cooked and baked the more than 500 delicacies, all vegetarian, all without eggs, to comply with the sect's dietary guidelines. There were time-honored treats of ladu and barfi, as well as chocolate-chip cookies, pizza and quesadillas.

"I cook what I like to eat because today's the day I get to cook for God," said Swati Patel, 43, of Strongsville, who brought eggplant, rice pudding, fried potato chips and a milkshake.

The array is sort of symbolic, agreed Sneha Patel, 25, of Strongsville. Indian and American. Traditional and new. "God eats what we eat," she said. "It's fun. This is our party."

www.cleveland.com

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

is love same as a never-ending experiment

2007-11-06T21:43:11Z

love: is what some may call devotion, bhakti

never-ending: becasue, it never started and is 'anadi' ....without a beggining or an end.

exprimental: because.... the act of experiencing love constantly evolves into some new, with every breath.

as i learn more, i understand that there is one more way of loving you.

n i love it:)

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

What is the best Bhakti/Vaisnava forum?

2007-11-05T15:53:52Z

Since I don't know so well the forums of Tribe and who's who actively within each one I just wanted to ask this.
Requesting that anyone who knows point me to the most active tribe especially consisting of members of Vaisnavism, Gaudia Vaisnavism & Prabhupadism.
I have a number of questions regarding spirituality, theism and especially these Vaisnava schools, but would like to get response and discussion from the most intelligent and authoritative active practitioners of these schools. So to put it simply, where do they hang out? And if not Tribe where is the best online open forum to get the ear of these devotees?
Otherwise perhaps I'll just post the same questions in a number of the most active looking tribes.
Thanks.

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 6 replies

Happy Diwali

2007-11-04T03:07:20Z

May divine blessings shine upon you and may you know peace and happiness in the new year. Shubh Diwali!
Om Shonti Om

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 1 reply

Bhakti beyond Vaishnavism

2007-11-02T09:47:48Z

Okay, instead of talking in circles with Machanchor and Manu I've decided to do something constructive, getting back to the original point, by demonstrating the rich Bhakti tradition that runs throughout Hinduism as an essential part of most schools (contrary to the statements made by Manu and Sacred River in the 'Do you believe in Eternal Damnation' topic'). Sorry that their shenanigans made me become an annoying ass!

I've already stared a thread about the Shavia Bhakta's called the Nayanmars http://bhaktiyoga.tribe.net/thread/f100e785-7e66-453f-959b-7d3beba233f2 which I'll add to periodically. I'll start here with a statement on Bhakti Yoga from the oldest and most respected Hindu group in the west, the Vedanta Society started by the great Saint Sri Ramakrishna's successor Swami Vivekananda (both of which are bhaktas of Kali Mata), taken from the excellent site of The Vedanta Society of Southern California http://www.vedanta.org/ :

The Path of Love: Bhakti Yoga

For those more emotional than intellectual, bhakti yoga is recommended. Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion, the method of attaining God through love and the loving recollection of God. Most religions emphasize this spiritual path because it is the most natural. As with other yogas, the goal of the bhakta, the devotee of God, is to attain God-realization—oneness with the Divine. The bhakta attains this through the force of love, that most powerful and irresistible of emotions.

Love is accessible to everyone: we all love someone or something, frequently with great intensity. Love makes us forget ourselves, our whole attention being devoted to the object of our adoration. The ego loosens its grip as we think of our beloved's welfare more than our own. Love gives us concentration: even against our will, we constantly remember the object of our love. In an easy and totally painless way, love creates the preconditions necessary for a fruitful spiritual life.

Vedanta therefore says, Don't squander the power of love. Use this powerful force for God-realization. We must remember that when we love another we are really responding—though unconsciously—to the divinity within him or her. As we read in the Upanishads, "It is not for the sake of the husband that the husband is dear, but for the sake of the Self. It is not for the sake of the wife that the wife is dear, but for the sake of the Self." Our love for others becomes unselfish and motiveless when we are able to encounter divinity in them.

Unfortunately, we usually misplace our love. We project our vision of what's true, perfect, and beautiful and superimpose it upon whomever or whatever we love. It is God alone, however, who is True, Perfect, and Beautiful. Vedanta therefore says: Put the emphasis back where it belongs—on the divine Self within each person that we encounter. That is the real object of our love.

Rather than obsessing on a limited human being, we should think of God with a longing heart. Many spiritual teachers have recommended adopting a particular devotional attitude towards God: thinking of God as our Master or Father or Mother or Friend or Child or Beloved. The determining factor here is, Which attitude feels the most natural to me and which attitude brings me closest to God?

Jesus looked upon God as his Father in Heaven. Ramakrishna worshipped God as Mother. Many great saints have attained perfection through worshipping God as the baby Jesus or the baby Krishna. Many have attained perfection through worshipping Christ as the bridegroom or Krishna as the beloved. Others have attained perfection through worshipping God as their master or friend.

The point to remember is that God is our own, the nearest of the nearest and dearest of the dearest. The more our minds are absorbed in thoughts of Him—or Her as the case may be—the closer we shall be to attaining the goal of human life, God-realization.

Aum! Shanti!

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 6 replies

Do you believe in Eternal Damnation?

2007-10-30T21:41:26Z

The concept of Eternal Damnation is very popular in Semitic religions, as well as in the Vaishnava schools within Hinduism. Madhva, the founder of the dvaita school of Vaishnavism, stated in no uncertain terms that certain souls will always be 'demonic' in nature, and will subsequently go to eternal hell, which he called Andha Tamas. There are references to this in many vedic texts, particularly Ishavasya Upanishad and Gita.

The 9th Shloka in Ishavasya....

andham tamah pravisanti ye'vidyamupasate
tato bhuya iva te tamo ya u vidyayam ratah

Those who worship [Visnu or others] with false understanding enter dense, unrelenting darkness; to a greater darkness than that go they, who are merely devoted to the correct understanding (but do not care to criticize incorrect understanding).

Bhagvat Gita 16.20

asurim yonim apanna
mudha janmani janmani
mam aprapyaiva kaunteya
tato yanty adhamam gatim

Attaining repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, such persons can never reach Me. Thereafter, they reach the lowest destination.

There are many more references, but you get the picture. Belief in eternal damnation is necessary to be a Vaishnava, but I see most modern Vaishnvas denying this, despite references to eternal hell in scriptures, especially the theistic scriptures they revere.

Suresh

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 116 replies

Great saints and gurus on bhakti

2007-10-26T07:47:48Z

"Of all the means to liberation,
devotion is the highest. To seek
earnestly to know one's real nature-
this is said to be devotion."

~Adi Shankaracharya, Viveka Chudamani sloka 31

"The major purpose of bhakti is to quell all desires and get attracted to that Infinite source of Bliss."

~Kanchi Mahaswamigal, discourse on Soundarya Lahiri slokas 5 & 6

"Unalloyed love of God is the essential thing. All else is unreal."

~Sri Ramakrishna

"GOD is to be worshipped as the one beloved, dearer than everything in this and next life."

~Swami Vivekananda

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 21 replies

Measuring, comparing and judging others.

2007-10-23T00:42:09Z

I'm gonna paste a short transcript of a section of a talk I like alot. He puts the thing very well I think. First, I want to know what you think in general, just loose free flowing response about the whole idea and second, in particular offer some solutions.

------------
You look at your relations with others, in just a very honest way. And you realize that they’re always spoiled by one of three things. Whenever you meet anybody or you spend any time with any of them. You measure and evaluate them instantly, just as a reflex. And you either locate them, as you’re inferior, in some way. You’re equal, which is hard, but in some way. Or, the worst, for a red blooded American (laughter), you’re superior, in some way.

And the minute you do, if you locate them as inferior, you condescend to them, immediately, you kind of little bit, despise them. It sounds harsh, but you do, you don’t account them much, as we say. If you perceive them as you’re superior, in any way, you’re immediately envious. “Well who do they think they are, they got a couple of bucks, or they have a pretty nose, or they have like a diamond earring, or they have a better car, or they live so and so, well I bet they’re not so great. Immediately, envy. And you see them some way equal, then it’s like, how can I elbow them ahead, how can I compete, rivalry and competition, immediately.
True? I’m sorry. We’re trained like that, we’re conditioned like that. The ego habit, not the ego necessarily, but the ego habit makes us do that.

-Robert Thurman

------------

Now the main point I'm looking at here are the 3 ways we habitually and immediately evaluate and categorize others.
I'm superior and you're inferior.
We're equal.
I'm inferior and you're superior.

At least for myself I can see I do exactly as he describes all the time. Often it's just very subtle and hard to notice. But as much as I don't like the habit it just seems to be automatic. And I can tell it really sucks and causes problems. And I really want freedom from this problem.

Here's my observations and thoughts.

These evaluations can be about our self as a whole. Like the way I believe myself to be as a whole is one of these things (superior, equal, inferior) compared to another.
Or it can be about specific qualities.
In the first case it's obviously completely absurd and couldn't possibly be true. (Really I'm not completely superior, equal or inferior to anyone else, but I still get roped into thinking I am)
In the second case it's obviously a fact for any individual quality.
My dad is quite superior at math than I am.
I am quite superior at computer hardware and software stuff than he is, for examples.

Now perhaps it may be dysfunctional to eliminate these quality specific evaluations altogether?
They are a certain component of functional interaction?

Maybe the problem is found in the way we do the first one. Considering a solid absolute 'me' as a whole and then rate and compare that to others?
Maybe the problem is found in this very idea of a 'me'?
'I' am so and so, these are 'my' qualities, and altogether this make 'me' better or worse than 'you'.

So we can have a relative and flexible self that is not a fixed static thing, and not to rate compare and judge it. But how to do this and overcome the habit of believing in a fixed self and comparing and judging it?

Maybe the problem is found in the second set of things he mentioned in the talk. Where we despise, envy or compete with the other person. We can functionally recognize ours and others strengths and weaknesses. The things we are especially skilled in and the things we are ordinary in and the things we are less then capable at. We don't necessarily have to get fancy ideas about these things. We can see the range of qualities and skills of others and our self. But we don't necessarily have to compare and judge, or despise, envy and compete because of it. How to do this?

Despise and Envy are like the opposites of Love & Hate. attraction & aversion, and so on. (not "spiritual" love, but the love we more frequently mean when we say love)

So these are just my thoughts so you can see where I'm coming from.
I'm really just interested in understanding better what it's all about and how can we solve the problems associated with these 3 habitual ways of seeing and dealing with others.

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 2 replies

Is Bhakti necessary?

2007-10-07T17:31:43Z

Dear Devotees,

Don't mean to upset anyone, but I am sure most people agree that the highest state to be attained is that of oneness, non-dualism, or what we normally refer to as 'advaita.' Even people claiming to be devotees are of the view that the non-dual state is the highest there is, and that we are all that One Reality, Brahman. That said, bhakti is probably a means to an end, not an end in itself.

As to Advaitins like Sankara praising bhakti, the word has a totally different significance in the advaitic sense. In advaita, devotion simply means devotion to the Self, as this attitude motivates a seeker; that's all. It has nothing to do with the traditional idea of bhakti like singing, chanting, praying to krishna, whatever. This position is more logical than the sentimental bhakti advocated by traditional bhakti schools like Vaisnvas, Harekrishnas etc., because it's commonly observed that man loves himself more than he does anything else.

Vaisnava idea of bhakti isn't entirely logical, because do we normally love a person just because he's got all the good qualities? Probably not, we may feel jealous, perhaps even hate him! That being the case, how is it possible to love god, whether krishna or whoever, just because he's got wonderful qualities? Put simply, what does it matter if god has admirable qualities, how is it going to propel us to love him? So it's evident that love of oneself is the only love there is, and this is exactly what advaita advocates, doing which we'll strive to reach the ultimate state.

Bhakti, therefore, has to be understood in this sense, not as some kind of sentimental activity.

Hope I haven't offended anyone by writing this. Please do discuss this interesting subject matter, as it shakes the very foundation of traditional bhakti.

Suresh

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 24 replies

New Group / Keep the Channel Open

2007-10-03T06:04:45Z

Haribol! I wanted to invite everyone to check out a new tribe I just started, "Wrestling With God." I choose to focus on the dark side of spirituality with the understanding that once all those dark clouds are cleared the sky's natural radiance will shine forth in full effulgence. Check it out!

http://tribes.tribe.net/wrestlinggod

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 0 replies

~RADHARANI!

2007-09-18T18:18:57Z

Greetings~Please Celebrate Radharani's Appearance date tomorrow~!She is most Loving!!!

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 2 replies

O Truth Eternal...

2007-09-12T04:36:36Z

O Truth Eternal, mankind is searching for Thee since millions and millions of years....

The ancient sages, renouncing everything, performed endless years of austarities in order to make their self flow into Thy Divine Stream through meditation.

Inaccessible to all, Thy infinitesimal Flame, glowing like the effilgence of the sun, stands still without dancing even in the fiercely blowing cyclone.

Flowers, creepers, shrine rooms and temples with newly installed sacred pillars, all are waiting for Thee since aeons and aeons, but still Thou art inaccessibly distant...

posted in Bhakti Yoga - 1 reply

The Glories of Bhakti

2007-09-11T15:16:56Z

NAMASTE

The Glories of Bhakti

By Swami Satyadharma Saraswati

Just as different bhavanas, or relationships, are necessary in this world, so in the path of bhakti, we each have to form our own special relationship with the Lord. Without this divine relationship, there can be no bhakti, no devotion to or meditation on the Lord. Each one of us must look within and decide what our relationship with God may be. Although Paramahamsaji has spoken to us at length about the importance of a living relationship with God, this idea is often superseded by other philosophical concepts which appeal greatly to our intellect. However, the truth is that bhakti will only develop in our day-to-day life when we begin to relate with God at a personal level.

This is the dichotomy that we all experience: we would like to travel the path of bhakti, but we do not relate with God. We relate with everything but God. We relate with people, money, status, job, car, clothes, friends, lovers, events and situations, but we do not have the time or inclination to relate with God. Every relationship, whether important or unimportant, close or distant, takes effort and time to cultivate. If we want to develop a relationship with our husband, wife, child, relative, teacher or friend, we will have to spend time with that person. In order to develop a close and intimate relationship, quality time is required. When we are together, we must open ourselves to that person and communicate all of our innermost thoughts and feelings. We must tell what we have been doing, thinking and feeling. Isn't this what friendship means, what marriage means? So, in the same way we have to develop a relationship with the Divine.

Master-servant relationship
There are many different types of relationships, but Kaka Bhusundi has recommended this relationship: "I am the servant and Lord Rama is my Master." He has suggested this because in a sense it is the most realistic. If we think about God, about the Divine, or even about the Guru, the fact is that He is the Master. We are ignorant, under the influence of limitation, while God is unlimited and all knowing. So, the most practical and honest relationship is that of Master and servant. Again, if we look at our life in the ashram and our relationship with the Guru, we can see that this is how the actual relationship between Guru and disciple develops. This is a relationship between Master and servant. So, when We begin to develop this relationship with the Guru, or with the Divine, we have to learn to serve.

Sometimes developing this relationship can be a difficult process because when we are growing up, especially in modern life, we do not learn to serve. We learn to command or demand, but we do not learn to obey. The Master-servant relationship is a very particular relationship; it requires total obedience. The servant has to do one thing only: to obey the Master. He does not have to say what he likes or dislikes. He does not have to offer his grievances or criticisms; that is not necessary. The only thing he has to offer is service. And when the Master requires no further service from him, he is free to lie down and sleep. He has no worries in that sense, because nothing is his. Everything is the Master's responsibility. The servant simply hears and obeys; that is all.

Service is the lesson, the teaching, and also the path in relation to ashram life, sannyasa life and gurukul or student life. This is what we are really learning all the time that we are in the ashram. But for some of us this is the most tiresome part: listening to an order, being told to do something and just doing it without thinking how we might like to do it or how it could be done better, or that we don't like the person who is giving the order and so on. The Master-servant relationship is formed on these three principles: just doing the work, doing it to the best of our ability, and doing it with a feeling of devotion for the Master. This relationship, according to the teachings of Sage Bhusundi, is the best and easiest means to develop the path of bhakti.

Kaka Bhusundi says further in the same doha: "Blessed are the souls that worship Raghunath, who has the power to make the animate inanimate and the inanimate animate." God alone has the power to create, to give life, and again to destroy, to take life away. We do not have that power, and neither do we concern ourselves with that aspect of life. We worship things which limit us, which take away our power. We care for material prosperity, physical relationships, beautiful places and things. But we do not worship that which creates and destroys all these things. Those who worship the source of life, not just the manifest forms, are blessed because in the end they merge into the source and become the source.

The illumined heart
In the following chopai the sage crow goes on to say: "Now hear about the power of bhakti. Devotion to Rama is an effulgent chintamani." The chintamani is a wish-fulfilling gem which has the power to make whatever we think or wish come true. This quality of the chintamani is the quality of anahata chakra when it is fully awakened. In this sense, devotion to Rama brings about the full awakening of anahata chakra and all the divine qualities within the heart. So, he continues: "This chintamani sheds infinite radiance day and night, requiring neither lamp nor ghee nor wick (to light it). He in whose heart this jewel abides is not affected by the poverty of illusion, nor does the blast of desire ever extinguish this light." This is the glory of bhakti. We do not have to worry about the lamp going out.

Once anahata is awakened, once devotion to God arises within, the heart will be ever illumined. This inner illumination becomes so constant and bright that it can never be diminished or extinguished. The chopai continues, "The overpowering gloom of ignorance is dispelled by this jewel of bhakti, and the swarms of moths (of ego, pride and vanity) keep away, being utterly overcome. Negative propensities like lust, anger and greed dare not approach one in whose heart the gem of bhakti abides."

The bhakta, whose heart is suffused with divine love, is not affected by darkness, delusion or ignorance because wherever the light shines, darkness disappears. Darkness cannot abide in the light, nor can the blast of sensuality or negativity ever extinguish this light. When negative thoughts and feelings arise, they have no influence. So the chopai continues: "For him, poison is changed to nectar and enemies to friends. He is never affected by the terrible mental distress from which all people suffer."

For one who awakens devotion in the heart, the poison of darkness and negativity is changed to nectar and enemies become friends. Let us look at this for a moment. In yoga, when we are able to awaken a particular chakra or psychic centre, then the next centre also opens. So, when we are able to fully illumine anahata, then the energy moves upward of its own accord and opens the next centre, which is vishuddhi. The word vish means 'poison' and Shuddhi means 'to purify'. In vishuddhi the poison is changed to nectar and enemies become friends, because all the sattwic and divine qualities which awaken in anahata such as love, kindness and compassion are expressed through vishuddhi. As we begin to convey these qualities in our life, it will naturally happen that our enemies will leave aside their animosities and quickly become our friends.

This is what happens when the energy of anahata moves upward; vishuddhi awakens and the poison changes to nectar. This nectar is also a very powerful force. It rejuvenates the body and brain, and makes us long lived. It removes all our diseases and makes the whole world our friend. When everybody is our friend, life becomes a very happy affair. ,It is only when we go about making enemies that we feel unhappy. But when everywhere we look we see our friends smiling, life becomes a happy affair.

The jewel of bhakti
So, Kaka Bhusundi says: "Without this jewel of bhakti, no one can find happiness." We all suffer from mental distress because we focus on the negative qualities, aspects or limitations of our self. That negativity may reflect from outside, but the source of it is within. When bhakti awakens, the negativity is dispersed and mental distress is removed. The chopai continues: "He never suffers the least affliction, even in a dream, in whose heart abides the jewel of devotion to Rama. Therefore, they are the wisest of the wise in this world who spare no pains to secure the jewel of bhakti. Although this jewel is manifest in the world, no one can find it without the grace of Rama."

Without the grace of Guru or God, the path of bhakti is not easily discovered. This is why we need to have a relationship with the Guru and with the Divine. We need to have that connection through whom the grace can flow. Without a Guru, without a living connection, it is very difficult to connect with the subtle, with the supreme reality, and receive grace. But through the relationship with the Guru or with the Lord, the grace comes. Kaka Bhusundi says further: "There are easy ways to attain this grace, but luckless souls contemptuously reject them and search for more complex and difficult means." The easy ways to attain grace and to develop bhakti are given in the nine modes of bhakti, the nine ways to develop devotion.

According to the Ramacharitamanas, the nine ways to attain bhakti are as follows: (i) Satsang, (ii) listening to stories about the Divine, (iii) hearing about the qualities of God, (iv) developing vairagya, or non-attachment, for all the worldly roles and associations, (v) becoming attached to Guru, God or the Divine, (vi) becoming selfless, (vii) repeating God's name and remembering God at all times, (viii) imbibing spiritual qualities, (ix) feeling the presence of God everywhere and in everything. When we try to feel the presence of God within us, and to identify our self with those unconditional qualities which are not limited to our ego and individual roles in life, it is easier to find our own path or dharma, whatever that path may be. It becomes easier to see God in that path and to feel ourselves moving towards God through that path.

Then we begin to see the positive nature, the divinity and the essence of God in all beings and things, not just the negative or the limiting aspects. To see the Divine in everyone, to perceive the good and the positive in whatever anyone is trying to do, to be content with whatever we have, with whatever comes our way, without finding fault with it, and finally to surrender the self, the sense of individuality, to God - these are the different ways in which grace comes. With grace, the path of bhakti opens and the divine form, divine qualities and divine powers become one's own. In this way, the bhakta is transformed into the very object of his devotion; the Master and the servant become one. Therefore, Kaka Bhusundi said: "I have in my heart this conviction, that the servant of Rama is greater than Rama himself."

In Love and Light

Pritam

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A Month of Festivities Honoring Lord Krishna has Commenced

2007-09-09T18:00:10Z

NAMASTE

www.dailyindia.com

VRINDAVAN, INDIA, August 27, 2007: The month-long festival honoring Lord Krishna and Radha commenced during the month of Shravan in the City of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. On September 4th, Lord Krishna's birthday, festivities will reach new heights of devotion with many temples featuring decorated swings. The news release elaborates, "Visitors from different parts of the country and foreign tourists are also flocking to the city located 15 kilometers from Mathura. Small Deities of Krishna and Radha have been placed on swings heavily decorated with flowers and expensive jewelry. Devotees offer prayers and pull swings to display their affection Lord Krishna. Chants of Jai Radhe Jai Krishna' (Hail Radha, Hail Krishna) invoking devotion for the deity reverberate in all temples here. "

Ritesh, a devotee, says, "The swing gives the essence of different aspects of the Krishna's life. I see the swing every year but every year, I get a different feeling, it's really divine."

Jaish Khandelwal, a priest, adds, "We are trying to take out the tradition that has remained restricted within temples, to the people outside, by making them aware of our customs. We will take cue from old timers who have witnessed the festival celebrated in its original fervour. We want the new generation to be aware of it."

In Love and light

Pritam

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Everyone In The World

2007-09-08T14:13:30Z

Everyone in the world should sleep without fear,
at least for one night, sleep without fear.

Everyone in the world should eat to their fill,
at least for one day, eat to their fill.

There should be one day when there is no violence,
no one is injured, no one is harmed.

All people young and old should serve the poor
and needy, at least for one day serve selflessly.

This is my dream... this is my prayer.
Love is the answer, love is the way.
Love is the answer, love is the way.

~Mata Amritanandamayi

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Kirtan @ Yoga For Peace Day - Edgewood Park New Haven CT 9/8/07

2007-09-06T23:53:35Z

Kirtan @ Yoga For Peace Day - Edgewood Park New Haven CT 9/8/07

Dear Friends -

A reminder that this Saturday, September 8 is Yoga for Peace day at Edgewood Park in New Haven CT. People will gather to do yoga for 2 hours with the intention of increasing peace within and without. Registration is 11 to noon. Yoga is from noon to 2.

Kirtan chanting will be happening throughout the yoga practice. Please join me if you can to chant. Bhakti yoga masters say that when people chant together the power of the mantra is multipled by a hundred for each one chanting! So let's chant together for peace.

The gazebo at Edgewood Park is where this will be happening. The gazebo is near the intersection of West Rock Avenue and Whalley Avenue. I hope to see you there.

There is a small fee if you are doing the asanas. I don't believe there is a fee if you are there just to chant. For more information on Yoga for Peace Day visit their site at:

http://www.yoga-for-peace.org/

Please do not register for this event via the online registration through the site. Registration will be in person and start at 11am.

Blessings -

Jacq

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The New Krishna.com

2007-08-31T14:10:22Z

The New Krishna.com

After almost two years in the making, we bring to you the new Krishna.com upgrade.

We listened to many of your suggestions about how to make Krishna.com better, and we want to show you the result.

The website all about Krishna will be reborn on Janmastami, the auspicious day of Sri Krishna’s appearance, on September 4th, bringing you your favorite devotional service in action.

And you can get a sneak preview right here. http://208.122.24.198/

You’ll be seeing the BETA version, which means that it’s still under construction and subject to change, but it’ll be a glimpse of what’s to come. Here’s what to expect:

* Do you prefer reading, listening, or watching? Our new action-oriented menus let you decide what Krishna conscious activity you’d like to absorb yourself in next.
* Take the Krishna.com experience to the next level with Connect and Experience. Create profiles. Associate with like-minded people from a worldwide spiritual community. Find out where to further your Krishna conscious education and what holy places to visit. Your Krishna conscious life is waiting.
* Where’s my beloved old Krishna.com? Don’t worry! We’ve maintained all our original content, and everything will still look familiar. You’ll feel right at home. We have even begun a series of “How-to" videos” to help you make the most of the new Krishna.com
* The new Krishna.com is easier to navigate and find what you’re interested in. Want more videos, more music, more Krishna conscious association, and more fresh spiritual content? Drop by and visit us!

Please let us know what you think about the new Krishna.com, and if you find anything that’s not working as it should be, so that we can give you the very best Krishna experience possible. Email us at krishna.combeta@gmail.com.

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Madhvacharyas refutations of Mayavada advaita impersonalistic philophy

2007-08-31T03:05:51Z

common sence stuff

Text 6
The Mayavadi commentator on the Vedanta claimed that the words tat tvam asi are the maha-vakya, the most important statement in the Vedas. According to this explanation, tat means "the Supreme," tvam means "you," and asi means "are." He interpreted the phrase to mean "you are the Supreme" and he claimed that there is no difference between the Supreme and the individual spirit souls.
The Vaisnava commentator on Vedanta interpreted these words in a different way, saying that tat-tvam is a possessive compound word (sasthi-tatpurusa-samasa). According to his explanation, tat means "of the Supreme," and the entire phrase means "you are the servant of the Supreme." In this way the proper meaning of the scriptural statement is clearly shown.

Text 7
O friend, the Supreme is all-knowing and He sees everything. From Him, this entire astonishing and variegated material cosmos has emanated. He creates, maintains, and destroys the entire universe by slightly moving His eyebrow. O friend, you are not like Him. You are ignorant of so many things and your vision is limited, although you wish to see everything. The Supreme is full of all opulences, and He is the ultimate witness who observes everyone. O friend, the individual living entities are numerous, but the Supreme is one only. You are stunted and impure by material contact, but He remains always pure and free from the touch of matter. O friend, your nature is completely different from His in these ways.
Text 8
The objection may be raised: "The Vedas say brahmaham asmi ('I am Brahman'). The word brahman is certainly in the nominative case (prathama vibhakti). You cannot say it is possessive (sasthi) and thus change the meaning. How is it that you have foolishly interpreted tat tvam asi as a possessive compound (sasthi-tatpurusa-samasa)? How can you avoid interpreting the quote api ca so yam devadattah ('O Devadatta, you are that') in the nominative (prathama) and try to make it genitive (sasthi)?"
To this I reply: "When the scriptures explain that the individual spirit soul is Brahman, the proper understanding is that the individual souls are like tiny sparks that have emanated from the great fire of the Supreme Brahman. As far as the possessive compound (sasthi-tatpurusa) interpretation of tat tvam asi: you may not like it, but it is certainly grammatically sound. Why do you not accept it?"

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DEFINITION OF BHAKTI

2007-08-30T14:27:55Z

JAI MA

DEFINITION OF BHAKTI

BHAKTI-YOGA is a real, genuine search after the Lord, a search beginning, continuing, and ending in love. One single moment of the madness of extreme love of God brings us eternal freedom. "Bhakti is intense love of God," says Narada in his bhakti aphorisms. "When a man gets it he loves all, hates none; he becomes satisfied for ever." "This love cannot be reduced to any earthly benefit"-because so long as worldly desires last that kind of love does not arise. "Bhakti is greater than karma, greater than jnana, and greater than yoga," because these have in view the attainment' of an object, while bhakti is its own fruition, "its own means, and its own end."

Bhakti has been the one constant theme of our sages. Apart from the special writers on bhakti such as Sandilya or Narada, the great commentators on the Vyasa Sutras, evident advocates of jnana, have also something very suggestive to say about love. Even when those commentators are anxious to explain many, if not all, of the texts so as to make them impart a sort of dry knowledge, the sutras, in the chapter on worship especially, do not lend themselves to be easily manipulated in that fashion.

There is not really so much difference between jnana and bhakti as people sometimes imagine. We shall see, as we go on, that in the end they converge and finally meet in the same point. So also is it with raja-yoga, which, when pursued as a means to attain liberation and not (as unfortunately it has frequently become in the hands of charlatans and mystery-mongers) as an instrument to hoodwink the unwary, leads us to the same goal.

The one great advantage of bhakti is that it is the easiest and the most natural way to reach the great divine end in view. Its great disadvantage is that in its lower forms it oftentimes degenerates into hideous fanaticism. The fanatical crew in Hinduism or Mohammedanism or Christianity have always been almost exclusively recruited from these worshippers on the lower planes of bhakti. That singleness of attachment (nishtha) to a loved object, without which no genuine love can grow, is very often also the cause of the denunciation of everything else. All the weak and undeveloped minds in every religion or country have only one way of loving their own ideal, and that is to hate every other ideal. Herein is the explanation of why the same man who is so lovingly attached to his own ideal of God, so devoted to his own ideal of religion, becomes a howling fanatic as soon as he sees or hears anything of any other ideal. This kind of love is somewhat like the canine instinct of guarding the master's property from intruders; only the instinct of the dog is better than the reason of man, for the dog never mistakes its master for an enemy, in whatever dress he may come before it. Again, the fanatic loses all power of judgement. Personal considerations are in his case of such absorbing interest that to him it is no question at all of what a man says-whether it is right or wrong; but the one thing he is always particularly careful to know is, who says it. The same man who is kind, good, honest, and loving to people of his own opinion will not hesitate to do the vilest deeds against persons beyond the pale of his own religious brotherhood.

But this danger exists only in that stage of bhakti which is called the gauni or preparatory stage. When bhakti has become ripe and has passed into that form which is called the para or supreme, no more is there any fear of these hideous manifestations of fanaticism. That soul which is overpowered by this higher form of bhakti is too near the God of Love to become an instrument for the diffusion of hatred.

It is not given to all of us to be harmonious in the building up of our characters in this life; yet we know that that character is of the noblest type in which all these three-knowledge and love and raja-yoga-are harmoniously fused. Three things are necessary for a bird to fly: the two wings, and the tail as a rudder for steering. jnana is the one wing, bhakti is the other, and raja-yoga is the tail that maintains the balance. For those who cannot pursue all these three forms of worship together in harmony, and take up, therefore, bhakti alone as their way, it is necessary always to remember that forms and ceremonials, though absolutely necessary for the progressing soul, have no other value than to lead us on to that state in which we feel the most intense love of God.

There is a little difference in opinion between the teachers of knowledge and those of love, though both admit the power of bhakti. The jnanis hold bhakti to be an instrument of liberation; the bhaktas look upon it as both the instrument and the thing to be attained. To my mind this is a distinction without much difference. In fact, bhakti, when used as an instrument really means a lower form of worship; and when this lower form is further cultivated it becomes inseparable from the higher form of bhakti. Each seems to lay great stress upon his own peculiar method of discipline, forgetting that with perfect love true knowledge is bound to come unsought, and that, at the end, true love is inseparable from perfect knowledge.

Bearing this in mind, let us try to understand what the great Vedantic commentators have to say on the subject. In explaining an aphorism of the Vedanta Sutras, Sankara says: "Thus people say, 'He is devoted to the king' or 'He is devoted to the guru.' They say this of him who follows his king or his guru, and does so, having that following as the one end in view. Similarly they say, 'The loving wife meditates on her loving husband away in a foreign land.' Here also a kind of eager and continuous remembrance is meant." This is devotion according to Sankara

Bhagavan Ramanuja, in his commentary on the first aphorism of the Vedanta Sutras, says:

"Meditation, again, is a constant remembrance [of the thing meditated upon], flowing like an unbroken stream of oil poured from one vessel to another. When this kind of remembering has been attained [in relation to God], all bondages break, Thus it is said in the scriptures regarding constant remembering as a means to liberation. This remembering, again, is of the same form as seeing, because it has the same meaning, as in the passage: 'When He who is far and near is seen, the bonds of the heart are broken, all doubts vanish, and all effects of work disappear. He who is near can be seen, but he who is far can only be remembered. Nevertheless the scriptures say that we have to see Him who is near as well as far, thereby indicating to us that the above kind of remembering is as good as seeing. This remembrance, when exalted, assumes the same form as seeing. . . . Worship is constant remembering, as may be seen from the principal texts of the scriptures. Knowing, which is the same as repeated worship, has been described as constant remembering. . . . Thus the memory which has attained to the height of what is as good as direct perception is spoken of in the Sruti as a means of liberation. 'This Atman is not to be reached through various sciences, nor by intellect, nor by much study of the Vedas. Whomsoever this Atman desires-by him is Atman attained; unto him Atman reveals Itself.' Here, after saying that mere hearing, thinking, and meditating are not the means of attaining this Atman, the Sruti says: 'Whomsoever this Atman desires-by him is Atman attained.' The extremely beloved is desired. He by whom this Atman is extremely beloved becomes the most beloved of the Atman. So that this beloved may attain the Atman, the Lord Himself helps. For it has been said by the Lord: 'Those who are constantly attached to Me and worship Me with love-I give that direction to their will by which they come to Me.' Therefore it is said that he to whom this remembering, which is of the same nature as direct perception, is very dear, because it is dear to the object of such memory perception-he is desired by the Supreme Atman and by him the Supreme Atman is attained. This constant remembrance is denoted by the word bhakti.

In commenting on the sutra of Patanjali, "Or by the worship of the Supreme Lord," Bhoja says: "Pranidhana ('worship') is that sort of bhakti in which, without one's seeking results, such as sense enjoyments and so forth, all works are dedicated to the Lord, who is the Teacher of teachers." Bhagavan Vyasa also, when commenting on the same sutra, defines pranidhana as "the form of bhakti by which the mercy of the Supreme Lord comes to the yogi and blesses him by granting him his desires." According to Sandilya "bhakti is intense love of God." The best idea of bhakti, however, is given by the king of bhaktas, Prahlada: "May that intense and deathless love which ignorant people have for the fleeting objects of the senses not slip away from my heart as I keep meditating on Thee!"

Love for whom? For the Supreme Lord Isvara. Love for any other being, however great, cannot be bhakti; for, as Ramanuja says in his Sri Bhashya, quoting an ancient acharya, or great teacher: "From Brahma to a clump of grass, all things that live in the world are slaves of birth and death caused by karma; therefore they cannot be helpful as objects of meditation, because they are all in ignorance and subject to change." In commenting on the word anurakti used by Sandilya, the commentator Svapnesvara says that it means anu, after, and rakti, attachment; that is to say, the attachment which comes after the knowledge of the nature and glory of God -else a blind attachment to anyone, such as wife or children, would be bhakti. We plainly see, therefore, that bhakti is a series or succession of mental efforts at religious realization, beginning with ordinary worship and ending in a supreme intensity of love for Isvara

Parts taken from talks on Bhakti by Swami Vivekananda
and from my studies in bhakti .

In Love and Light

Pritam

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USA Kumbha Mela Set for September 9 in California

2007-08-19T03:08:34Z

NAMASTE

USA Kumbha Mela Set for September 9 in California
www.usakumbhamela.net

NORWALK, CALIFORNIA, August 17, 2007: The Kumbha Mela USA this year will be held on Sunday, September 9, in Norwalk, CA, followed by a peace prayer on September 11, continuing in the tradition of the first ever Kumbha Mela in the United States held in 2006. This festival is based on the rich Vedic tradition which heralds in collective positive thinking and celebration to bring about global peace.

The Virat Hindu Samaj welcomes all organizations to be a part of this grand celebration. With at least 100 Spiritual Masters and their organizations, ashrams and temples expected to participate in the festivities; the Mela will infuse tremendous positivity to the entire globe and contribute in no small measure to World Peace.

In Love and Light

Pritam

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Huge Kitchen of Puri's Famed Jagannath Temple Can Prepare Food for 100,000 in an Hour

2007-08-13T07:04:00Z

NAMASTE

This holds what is the true spirit in my view what true Bhakti is.The famous Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa has become known for its large kitchen that has the capacity to accomodate the making of mega offerings. The news release explains, "Around 500 cooks and 300 helping hands prepare 56 different offerings known as Mahaprasad or Abhada for Lord Jagannath, which are served to the deity six times a day. The kitchen has 32 rooms, 752 stoves and nine earthen pots. The meals include seven different types of rice, four types of pulses, nine types of vegetables and different items of sweet dishes. Fine molasses, instead of sugar is used for preparing sweet dishes. But potatoes, tomatoes and cauliflower are not used in the temple." Balbhadra Mahapatra, a servitor at the kitchen says, "You will never see it in any part of India. In one hour, food for one hundred thousand devotees can be prepared in the kitchen." Sukadev Mohapatra, another servitor, adds, "It is not written in any book how much rice is to be cooked. Food is cooked for the devotees who come." Radhakrishna Mahasuar, a devotee, sums it up, "This Mahaprasad has great significance because only people who are fortunate can have it. All your work is done and wishes are fulfilled after having it.

In Love and Light

Pritam

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