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Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Eight flowers offered to God - Ashta Pushpam
"Eight types of flowers can be offered to God, viz, (1) Ahimsa (Non-violence), (2) Indhriya Nigraha (Control of senses), (3) Sarvabhootha Dhaya (Compassion towards all beings), (4) Sathyam (Truth), (5) Dhyaanam (Meditation), (6) Shaanhti (Peace), (7) Vinaya (Humility), (8) Bhakthi (Devotion)."
For the full article, click, Eight flowers offered to God - Ashta Pushpam (Sri Sathya Sai Baba Articles)
For the full article, click, Eight flowers offered to God - Ashta Pushpam (Sri Sathya Sai Baba Articles)
Gems from the Bhagavata-1 :
"That ear into which words dealing with the Lord's excellence have not entered, is a mere cavity and nothing more. He whose perverse tongue has never uttered the Lord's names and praises, is verily as despicable as the tongue of a frog."
(Srimad Bhagavata (II.3.20)
(Courtesy: 'Gita Darshanam' : Published by Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence, Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad-500 029)
Grateful thanks to the Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence, Hyderabad.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Gems from Jainism-4: What is Knowledge?
Knowledge is that which helps to understand reality; controls the mind and which enlightens the soul.
(Courtesy: "Springs of Jaina Wisdom" by Dulichand Jain)
Gems from the Bhagavad Gita-5: Work and its results
To work alone you have the right, but never claim its results. Let not the results of actions be your motive, nor be attached to inaction. (Bhagwan Shri Krishna to Arjuna: Chapter II:47 )
(Courtesy: "Srimad Bhagavad Gita" - Translated into English with commentary by Srimat Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj)
An Inspiring Devotional
Most people wish to serve God - but only in an advisory capacity.
An old poem tells the story of a woman who was walking through a meadow one day. As she strolled along meditating on nature, she came upon a field of golden pumpkins. In the corner of the field stood a majestic oak tree.
The woman sat under the oak tree and began musing about the strange twists in nature. Tiny acorns hung on huge branches and huge pumpkins sat on tiny vines. She thought, God blundered with Creation! He should have put the small acorns on the tiny vines and the large pumpkins on the huge branches.
Before long, the warmth of the autumn sunshine lulled the woman to sleep. She was soon awakened, however, by a tiny acorn bouncing off her nose. Chuckling to herself, she amended her previous thinking, Maybe God was right after all!
In every situation, God knows far more about the people and circumstances involved than we can ever know. He alone sees the beginning from the ending. He alone knows how to create a Master Plan that provides for the good of all those who serve Him. Today, trust in Him and His plan - it may seem backwards, but He always does what is best.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time - I Peter 5:6
(Courtesy: "God's Little Devotional Book" - Pub. by Honor Books, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74155, USA. This is a wonderful and charming book, which one should keep by the bedside and read as often as possible. It is my good fortune that I came across this book in the Sunday Platform Market of Pondicherry and bought it at an unbelievably cheap price.)
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Gems from Jainism-3: Knowledge, Faith, Conduct and Austerity
By knowledge, one understands the nature of substances; by faith, one believes in them; by conduct, one puts an end to the flow of karmas; and by austerity, one attains purity. (Courtesy: "Springs of Jaina Wisdom" by Dulichand Chain)
Gems from the Bhagavad Gita-4: Birth and Death Cycle
To one who is born, death is certain, and to one who dies, rebirth is certain. Therefore over this inevitable fact one ought not to grieve.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Useful Instructions for Spiritual Aspirants
1. Get up at 4.00 a.m. daily. Do Japa(repetition of the divine name) and Meditation.
2. Take Sattwic Ahara (congenial food). Do not overload the stomach.
3. Sit on Padma or Siddha Asana (Lotus posture or Accomplished posture) for Japa and Dhyana(Meditation).
4. Have a separate meditation room under lock and key.
5. Give in charity one-tenth of income.
6. Study systematically one chapter of Bhagavad Gita.
7. Preserve Veerya (the vital force). Sleep separately.
8. Give up smoking, intoxicating drinks and Rajasic food (food that will make one restless).
9. Fast on Ekadasi days(11th day of the New Moon and Full Moon) or live on milk on fruits only.
10. Observe Mouna (Silence) for two hours daily and during meals also.
11. Speak Truth at any cost. Speak little and sweetly.
12. Reduce your wants. Lead a happy contented life.
13. Never hurt the feelings of others. Be kind to all.
14. Think of the mistakes you have committed (Self-analysis) and resolve never to repeat them again.
15. Do not depend upon servants.
16. Think of God as soon as you get up and when you go to bed.
17. Have always a Japa Mala (Holy Beads) around your neck or in your pocket.
18. Have the motto: "Simple Living and High Thinking"
19. Serve the Sadhus, Sannyasins and poor and sick persons.
20. Keep a daily spiritual diary. Stick to your routine.
(From a Free Pamphlet published by Sivananda Satsang Bhavan, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India)
Prayer of the Day-5:
O! Adorable Lord of mercy and love
Salutations and Prostrations unto Thee
Thou art Satchidananda
Thou art Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient
Thou art the indweller of all beings.
Grant us an Understanding Heart,
Equal Vision, Balanced Mind,
Faith, Devotion and Wisdom.
Grant us Inner Spiritual Strength
To resist temptations and to control the mind
Free us from egoism, lust, greed, anger,
hatred, and jealousy.
Fill our hearts with divine virtues.
Let us behold Thee in all these names and forms
Let us serve Thee in all these names and forms
Let us ever remember Thee
Let us ever sing Thy glories
Let Thy name be ever on our lips
Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever.
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India
Salutations and Prostrations unto Thee
Thou art Satchidananda
Thou art Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient
Thou art the indweller of all beings.
Grant us an Understanding Heart,
Equal Vision, Balanced Mind,
Faith, Devotion and Wisdom.
Grant us Inner Spiritual Strength
To resist temptations and to control the mind
Free us from egoism, lust, greed, anger,
hatred, and jealousy.
Fill our hearts with divine virtues.
Let us behold Thee in all these names and forms
Let us serve Thee in all these names and forms
Let us ever remember Thee
Let us ever sing Thy glories
Let Thy name be ever on our lips
Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever.
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India
The Secret of a Fruitful Life by Swami Chidananda
The secret of a progressive and fruitful life is to be inwardly ever linked with God, linked with the Cosmic Being.
When there is no connection, when you cut yourself off from the source of your being, then your life will be full of pain and suffering, misery and fear, and negativity will prevail.
If you want to put an end to this, the only way is to link yourself with God, who is your source, your origin. Keep that connection either through enquiry and discrimination, or through constant unbroken remembrance of God and devotion, or through meditation and continuously thinking about Brahman, or through worshipfully dedicating all activities to Him. Then, day by day, your spirit will begin to unfold. It will grow, develop, progress, expand and you will attain divine experience.
So remember that separation from God is the root cause of all human miseries. Put an end to this; seriously strive after that supreme state of being constantly in a state of oneness, attunement with the Supreme and overcome the sorrows of Samskara. May God bless you
- Swami Chidananada, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India
Thursday, August 2, 2007
God Delights in Diversity! by Vernon C.Grounds
God, whose creative imagination is inexhaustible, delights in diversity. Billions upon billions of snowflakes fall every year, yet no two are exactly alike.
Wilson Bentley was so fascinated by this infinite variety that with the help of a photomicrograph he devoted himself to taking pictures of these exquisite crystals. They show that each snowflake is usually a hexagon with six tips or dendrites forming a perfectly symmetrical design. Yet there are no duplicates! What awe-inspiring evidence that God delights in diversity!
That same sense of wonder fills our hearts as we think about the diversity of human beings with all their ethnic and cultural differences. Yet men and women everywhere, whether dark-skinned pygmies or tall blond Scandinavians are basically the same. All have the same anatomical structure, the same emotions, the same needs and the same sin-stained nature.
We are also the same in our need of salvation. And there is just one way. Anyone, anywhere, anytime, who calls on God in faith experiences the destiny-changing wonder of God's redemptive love. (Courtesy: "Our Daily Bread" : )
Jesus - a Bible in Modern English by Charles Templeton
This book is a blending and paraphrase of the 4 Gospels, Everything Jesus said and did by Charles Templeton. His son, Brad Templeton, has written a foreword to the online edition of this book.
The world-renowned Rev.Billy Graham has endorsed this book:
"The idea of someone synthesizing the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John into a single biography of the life of Christ and entitling it Jesus is an excellent one. It helps to accommodate both the outsider to Christianity looking in and the devout believer in Christ in their respective attempts to get the total picture of the life of Jesus as a whole.
I would also like to commend Charles Templeton, who claims to be an agnostic, for overall honesty in not letting interpretive biases creep into this presentation. Rather he has let the Gospel record speak for itself. Of course there are arbitrary decisions which had to be made with regard to the chronology of events in the life of our Lord and the actual sequence of His teaching, a few of which I would have perhaps placed in slightly different order, but none of these affect the cardinal doctrines of historic Christianity.
All in all it is my hope that this publication will have a deep and abiding impact on its readers equally in the areas of evangelism, edification and education."
Other commentaries on the book:
An excellent book that should be read by every evangelical Christian. It is thoroughly evangelical, conservative and fundamental. Every basic doctrine of the Christian church is to be heard loud and clear. I think it is a great piece of work. -- Dr. Paul Smith, The People's Church, Toronto
I like to think that the conversations reworded in the text are what we might have heard if we had walked the streets of Jerusalem two thousand years ago. -- Winnipeg Tribune
Here at last is a harmony of the Gospels that makes the old, old story live. I was prepared for a work that would soar, and it does! Wherever I have dipped into this anagram of the Gospels I have struck sound scholarship and forceful prose. The story of Jesus is rendered in a linguistic style that is neither breezy nor pedantic but freshly up to date." - Dr. Ernest T. Campbell, The Riverside Church, New York. For those who want to know more, further info is available at: http://www.templetons.com/charles/jesus/
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Prayer of the Day-4:
The word 'Arjuna ' means one who is honest and straightforward in nature. Arjuna opened out his heart before Krishna, laid bare before Him all that he felt and thought. He hid nothing from Him and ultimately surrendered to Him totally. When he made Krishna his charioteer and entrusted to Him the reins of the horses, he had got ready to give into His hands the reins of his mind also. Let us do likewise. Let us not think that, unlike Arjuna, we do not have Krishna to guide us. Let us not get caught in the fallacy that Krishna was an historical person. Everybody has Krishna residing in his heart as the indwelling Self. He is nearer to us than the nearest. Let us bare our heart, with all its impurities and weaknesses, before Him and pray:
"O Lord! I take refuge in you. You are my sole guide, my master. Show me the right path and I shall follow it."
(Based on "Talks on the Gita" by Sri Sri Vinoba Bhave - Pub. by Paramdham Prakashan, Paunar)
Q & A-7: What is "swadharma" (one's natural duty)?
It is the disposition of one's mind that decides one's dharma (swadharma). 'Swadharma' is neither great nor lowly; it is equal to one's measure. It is that which fits one the best. Every individual, in fact, has his own distinct dharma. Two hundred individuals sitting in front of me here, have two hundred different dharmas. Even my own dharma today is not what it was ten years ago, and my dharma ten years hence would again be different from what it is today. As one's mind grows and develops through reflection and experience, the old dharma gets shed and one acquires new dharma. One should not do anything in this matter obstinately.
(Based on Sri Vinoba Bhave's, "Talks on the Gita" - Pub. by Paramdham Prakashan, Paunar).
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