Rama Rajya

Lord Rama
image-google images

||Aum Shree Ramakrishna Sharanam||

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

 

In the South African context, Diwali has come and gone like the morning dew. The play-out of traditions and rituals brought much jubilation and inspiration to many homes. The festivities had unleashed much love and compassion in the community with sharing and charitable drives ensuring that the Diwali cheer is spread magnanimously within all corners of society. If one was to step aside from all the revelry for a moment and take a bird’s-eye-view, we will see that we are finding great difficulty in internalising the central messages and themes of these external expressions of divinity. Swami Vimokshananda pointed out so succinctly and eruditely in His blog that amidst all the good that is going on, side by side there is also an increase in unrighteousness. Therefore these festivals help us to bring some sanity to the mind and guide us to develop a just community.

If I were to venture into the arena of real estate development especially during these highly competitive times, it would prudent to outlay an invincible strategy and concept. Consider an estate where the trees were bearing flowers and fruits regularly without injury from pests and insects... the clouds were raining in time and the winds were delightful to the touch… the community will consist of various classes of society all performing their own duties in peace and bereft of greed and all endowed with excellent character… a place free from illness and misery and grief, no widows to lament or  danger from wild animals. There will be huge lakes teeming with fish and fauna housing exotic singing birds and the estate completely devoid of thieves and robberies… no one feeling worthless and where everyone felt safe. Can you believe that such an estate can exist in this world, an ideal society without crime and war, full of auspiciousness, peace, justice and equality to all? I am certain beyond any doubt that my estate will be sold out within minutes of being launched. But as you reign in your horses of imagination, don’t dismiss the above as a fairy tale. The description above was taken from the Ramayana describing the period of Lord Rama’s rule of Ayodhya.

I never for once believed that Deepavali was about an event but was about an ideal that would help shape and guide humanity. Hindu Dharma is about creating conducive environments and mind-sets to derive joy and peace in all that we do. In the midst of searching for this message, my thoughts reflected upon a service delivery protest that swept through the town of Tongaat last week. It was about 5am when the tranquillity of dawn was disrupted by loud chanting and singing by hundreds of protestors that took the streets to demand better living conditions and safe electricity. This mass action was sparked by the death of 3 young dwellers from an informal settlement. They were electrocuted when one of them stepped upon the naked wires used to bring illegal electricity to the settlement. The other two were subsequently electrocuted when they went to save their friend. The aftermath of the deluge was an eyesore with the destruction and mayhem to private and municipal property leaving much of the town stranded without power and access due to blocked roads.

A strike in contrast to the burning tree trunks and tyres at various junctions was the beautifully organised and decorated altar of the Chatsworth sub-centre of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa where rows of neatly arranged lamps had a halcyon effect on the troubled mind. By the grace of Sri Ramakrishna… on the eve of Diwali I was invited to address the congregation and recipients of grocery hampers about the significance of Diwali. My heart welled with joy to see the unselfish and silent manner with which the devotees of the Centre served those who were in need of assistance. Deepavali is derived from two words: deepa and avali. Deepa means light and avali means row. This artful arrangement of lights signifies an equal, just and prosperous society to me. I draw this conclusion from the penetrating insight of Swami Vivekananda when He said that “there is no liberation for the self until every soul is liberated”. Many people work tirelessly and make many sacrifices to live comfortably and enjoy many of the luxuries that life has to offer. The problem is that the structure of a society does not allow one to sit back and enjoy his rewards alone. The case presented above clearly indicated how an entire town suffered the consequences of a group who felt marginalised and neglected.

Therefore it stands to reason that the wise counsel of our dharma to engage in activities of seva or karma yoga, inevitably benefits those who undertake this great work. The brilliance of a row of lamps is the collective illumination of all lamps burning with radiance and vigour. Therefore when one invests his time and resources in uplifting another person in the society, he is investing in creating a model and noble society. Rama Rajya is possible when we can reflect and internalise this message of sharing and caring. Using our lamp to ignite the lamp of others will eventually lead to an array of lamps. This will develop a prosperous and just society that is underpinned on great values and free from the darkness of ignorance.

Diwali should not be an annual event in our lives but must become that instrument to guide us to social cohesion and nation building to ensure that our liberation is not post mortem but can be experienced and enjoyed right here in the now. Today many of our Murugan devotees have also begun their Skanda Shasti observance. May this also be internalised to help your spiritual evolution.

 

Dear Lord kindly lead us from untruth to truth

From Darkness to light

From death to immortality

 

 

With love always

Yogan

www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com

Language of the Gods!!!!!!

||Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

 

Mother Padmavati and Lord Balaji

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

 

There is an expectation that the first week of Purtassi will bring with it a sense of auspiciousness and life-giving rains that is very much needed after the protracted winter dry spells. The chill and the blanket of clouds on themorning of Saturday, 20th September seemed to form the precursor to a text-book-style-unfolding of a typical Purtassi Saturday. However by noon itself, anxiety set in as the clouds gave way under the intensity of the ever faithful sun.

 

It was not unusual then to hear upon every tongue the predicament we are placed in, with regards to an impending drought. Our town which is encompassed by many farmers felt their pain through the scarcity of fresh vegetables at the stalls that normally burst with lusciousness, vibrancy and wonderful aromas. People’s minds which are normally fixated on the pleasures of the world now started to make a shy calculated approach to the divine in search of His grace upon the earth.

 

The second Saturday was nail biting as the heavy winds collected the laden rain clouds towards the sea. But alas during the prime time of the Lord’s prayer it was like He Himself mounted upon Garuda His celestial vehicle and reigned in the clouds... and using His chakra graciously sliced open the clouds to pour upon the parched Booma Devi (Mother Earth) the ambrosia of life.

 

We have come to learn that faith in the Lord has been the support platform of civilisation since time immemorial and wonderfully put by Swami Saradaprabhanandaji Maharaj of the Phoenix Sub-Centre of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa at a special gathering at the Ashram on Sunday that religion and faith in God provides mankind with coping mechanisms in life... else at the sight of the smallest challenge man will be ready to end his life.

 

On Sunday evening, I was also indeed blessed to be in satsang with Swami Vimokshanandaji Maharaj at the Chinna Tirupathi Venketeshwara Devastanam in Tongaat receiving the bountiful blessings of Lord Balaji where Revered Maharaj dotingly described the parameters of divine love for God. Maharaj kept the audience spellbound as He narrated through parables the components essential for bhakti and love for God.

 

It was evident and quite clear through the expansion of Swamiji's ideas that our worship was at a preliminary level in our failure to see Narayana manifesting in humanity and in our trade-exchange method of worship with the divine... meaning that we come to God in times of trouble and then strike deals in order to mitigate the challenges. On a certain level, it is acceptable as children have a certain liberty with parents. As the level of our maturity increases we tend to understand that when we offer unconditional love for our parents without any expectation then un-asked we receive what is needed.

 

To help facilitate this connection of love our dear seers and saints envisioned the supreme consciousness, the unmanifest in the form of the Divine Mother. It is common knowledge that generally our affection and love for our Mothers is of a higher degree than our Fathers possibly due to the umbilical contact with her during foetal development. It is the most unique and fascinating aspects of Hindu Dharma where the Divine Mother is supremely worshipped as the Brahman in the patriarchal orientated world. The results of which provide a springboard to catapult our love for God from the rudimentary existence to the peripheries of absolute unconditional love.

 

In the modern age, we need not look further than the life of the Great Master Sri Ramakrishna who assimilated this absolute unconditional love to the Divine Mother Kali. His love was so intense that He literally served Her in the image as the real living Kali. The limitations of the physical world were surpassed when His yearning to have darshan of the Mother led Him to the extreme point of ending His life with Her knife should She not reveal Herself. The most compassionate Mother didn’t hesitate to accede to the cry and call of Her beloved son.

 

In the world today we may not understand the philosophies of the great scriptures and we may not be able to recite the mantras but we are able to love. The ability to love is inherent within each of us. If an unlettered man was able to become the Paramahamsa by merely expressing and cultivating intense, unalloyed, unconditional love to God then the credibility of our argument is lifted out from the doldrums of doubt into the realms of high insight.

 

The path to God is hijacked by priestcraft who having learnt a certain language and skilled in the art of rituals and chanting have ingeniously positioned themselves as central figures to our spiritual progress. Notwithstanding this point we must not denounce the fact that they are needed as guide-rails to inspire our own devotion.

 

The simple story of the life of Sri  Prahalad washes all uncertainty that pure, unalloyed devotion and complete surrender is the only language and skill one needs to know in order to commune and achieve the grace of God. By completely absorbing himself in the name of God -Aum Namo Narayanaya- with one-pointed faith, he was able to attain all the protection and grace of Bhagawan to the point of the Lord manifesting Himself in a form that voided the invincibility of his evil father. Mother Shabri is another example of how the Lord bends on account of the ecstatic love of the devotee. The list goes on and will at some stage include even yourself should you constitute your mind, body and intellect in such a manner to express this divine love.

 

During this auspicious month of Purtassi and the period of Navarathri, may our Father and Mother inspire our unconditional love. There is only one religion and that is the religion of love. May all that we do in the name of spirituality ooze with love. Our task is to simply surrender... the rest the Lord will do. If this unshakable faith is instituted in you then fear and all other negatives will leave you immediately.

 

In surrender at the feet of Govinda.

 

Yours faithfully

Yogan 

www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com

 

State of the World Address - 1893

||Aum  Sri  Ramakrishna Sharanam||

 

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

 

 

The title for this blog didn’t arbitrarily come to mind but was evinced through some contemplation on 11 September 2014. My thoughts travelled to Chicago 121 years ago where an unknown monk, spiritually awakened by an unlettered Sage of West Bengal, delivered an epoch-making speech to the world at the gathering of the World Parliament of Religions. The ‘cyclonic monk’-as He was subsequently branded by the American society- set in motion a wave of spiritual awakening that is to date beaching upon every enquiring mind like an uncontrolled tsunami.

 

 

Swami Vivekananda - Image: Google Images

 This preordained moment was prophesised by His great Master Sri Ramakrishna when He said Naren will teach the world. The road to the defining moment was never bereft of challenges, but inspired by Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother, Swami Vivekananda who lay seized by the instructions given by His Master, delivered unto the world the glorious heritage of Hindu Dharma like an illustrious son showing gratitude to his parents at his graduation. Speaking from the heart with no written speech it was Mother Saraswati Herself sitting on His tongue and composing the melody from the reservoir of His eternal and vast experiences.   The spark of Vedanta that emanated from the fiery mind, character and personality of Swamiji during His visit to the West is today a raging inferno that is slowly burning to ashes the ignorance overgrowth suffocating our being.

 

 

There are a few important observations that come out of Swamiji’s address which at this point in time can be identified as the problem statement. The word religion which finds its root in Latin means to reconnect, bind or go back. It is quite evident from Swamiji’s tone that He was not impressed with the resultant of other religious practices up to that time. That which was supposed to make humanity more pious, humble, peaceful and happy was in fact the precipitous of sectarianism, bigotry and fanaticism which filled the earth with violence… and claimed the lives of thousands of human beings.  That which was supposed to cajole and couch us in love has made us demons catalysing the destruction of families, societies and nations.

 

 

Anybody can speak about problems… it seems that we are all aware of the problems in the world but are grappling with finding sustainable solutions for these problems. Humankind has become masters in creating wealth. We find throughout the ages that through accessing better education people are becoming more creative in generating wealth. With advancement in technology more and more places are being developed that bring happiness… places that one can visit day and night to enjoy some happiness. The irony however is that with such creativity and advancement - why has man failed to eradicate poverty and find eternal peace and joy in his heart?

 

 

Standing regally in front of the world with the force of a million Rishis behind Him… His countenance beaming with the effulgence of a million suns, Swamiji with full realisation from the depths of His being in a few sentences identified, explained and provided a solution to that nemesis that from time immemorial has started to dismantle the joy and peace that is our birth right. Swamiji eloquently assembled the premise of His solution by unpacking His rich Hindu heritage that has shaped His consciousness and defined His character…the generations of realisation, that He is privileged to inherit, which undoubtedly provide a sustainable solution to the rut that we find the world in today.

 

 

“I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: ‘As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee’.”

 

 

The idea of dualism has contributed immensely to advancing the cause of prejudices, discrimination, racism, fanaticism, xenophobia and hatred. Even in South Africa, 20 years into our democracy… racism still rears its ugly head. The social cohesion and non-racial project of our government will continue to fail and will be held to ransom by the differences we create in society. The greatest message that Swamiji has given the world not only on September 11^th, but throughout His life and in every breadth of his work is advaita (oneness). Although advaita -a stream of Vedanta- has always been in existence and propagated by various other Saints, none have given it prominence and none have practically showed its ability to salvage mankind from sinking into the abyss of hell than Swami Vivekananda.  This idea is stunningly couched in this profound quote by Swami Vivekananda when He said” “Get rid, in the first place, of all these limited ideas and see God in every person – working through all hands, walking through all feet, and eating through every mouth. In every being He lives, through all minds He thinks. He is self-evident, nearer unto us than ourselves. To know this is religion is faith, and may it please the Lord to give us this faith! When we shall feel that oneness, we shall be immortal. We are physically immortal even, one with the universe. So long as there is one that breathes throughout the universe, I live in that one. I am not this limited little being, I am the universal.”

 

 

In concluding His most illustrious narrative on the state of the world, the glorious Saint throws us a challenge saying: “I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.”

 

 

 

We have split the atom; we have travelled to the moon and even genetically modified the DNA thus claiming the title of great scientists. When the bell of dawn strikes every morning and we arise… let us try to resolve a simple challenge put forward by Swamiji… using our resources, lets remove poverty from the world… using our superior intellect let us find everlasting joy and happiness in our hearts, not because we are helping others, but because we understand we are all one and that our efforts really help ourselves.

 

 

A project that was very close to His heart was a sanctuary that propagated this concept of advaita, and before He left the earth, He ensured the successful completion of the Mayavati  Ashram in the Himalayas.  I am very excited to inform you that a similar spiritual retreat is on the brink of being actualised on South African soil that will contribute towards social cohesion and the nation building project in our country. Keep a close eye for this unique, universal centre that will paint the KZN skyline soon

 

 

May Swamiji bless us all with the vision and feeling of oneness is my heartfelt prayer. To all our South Indian brothers and sisters who will be commencing the month long observance of Purutassi, may the grace of Sriman Narayana be with you always.

 

 

Jai Swamiji!

 

Yogan Naidoo

www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com

The Tadpole's Tail!!!!!

|| Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Lord Vinayaga
Pic - Googles

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

A humbling sight awaited me on a visit to India a few years back. It was a late night of travelling that privileged a little extension of my resting hours. But that was soon disrupted by the melodious singing of "Moeshika Vaghana Modaka Hasta" accompanied by the rhythmic ringing of the bell. The sudden interjection of a thud encouraged me to alight from the snug comforts of my bed to catch a little glimpse of the morning life of the Temple- City of Madurai. As soon as I drew the curtain, the enchanting mellifluous stream of delight swelled once more from the tongue of an extremely gifted Priest adorned with big white streaks (the symbol of Shiva) all over his body. He was facilitating an offering of coconut to Lord Pillayar by a middle-aged devotee making his way to the office.  Taking a little prasad from the Priest and smearing it upon his forehead, his expression took on a more confident outlook for the day. It seemed that he was not alone in his endeavour as the queue rapidly grew with more people exiting the street vendors with handful lots of flowers, sweets and the most significant coconut to appease the Lord of obstacles    -Vinayagar- to remove the obstacles in their path for the day.


It is not uncommon for any prayer or venture to begin with the name of Ganesha... as the goal of any undertaking must end with success. I recall when I was a co-ordinator of prayer festivals at our Temple, I could rest assured that I need not lose sleep over marketing  as this particular prayer snatched people out of their comfort zones and they even overlooked the weather to come get the grace of Lord Ganesha.
In order for our understanding of why Lord Ganapathi was awarded this special place in spirituality... I am reminded of an inspiring statement made by Sri Ramakrishna whilst in conversation about Keshab. Master said when he first met Keshab at Jaygopal's house, he said he is the only one who has dropped his tail. At this, the people laughed. Keshab said to them don’t laugh, there must be reasoning to his words. Thereupon Master said, the tadpole, so long as it has not dropped its tail lives only in the water. It cannot move about on dry land. But as soon as it drops its tail, it hops out onto the bank then it can live both in water and on land. Likewise... as long as man holds onto his tail of ignorance, he can live only in the water of the world. But when he drops his tail, that is to say when he attains the knowledge of God, then he can roam about as a free soul or householder in the world.


The mythology states that Mother Parvathi was about to take a bath in the absence of Lord Shiva. In order to secure Her chamber so that none may enter, She created a son out of tumeric powder from Her body. She breathed life into him and was full of adoration for him. Her strict instruction was that none should enter whilst she had her bath. The little child dutifully carried out his task. Although a little boy, he was endowed with super strength and power by the Mother Herself. Lord Shiva came unannounced and had to face the wrath of the little boy. After a protracted battle, Lord Shiva became livid and so enraged that He used His trishul and removed the head of Ganesha. On hearing the commotion the divine Mother hurriedly finished Her bath and was welcomed by the gruesome scene of Her Lord standing over the dead body of their son. She was teeming with anger with intention to destroy all of creation but collected herself after Lord Shiva agreed to restore life to Ganesha.The head of the first creature facing north was brought and thus Lord Ganesha was restored to life with the head of an elephant and thus was blessed with the boon of Mudalvanne - that is one who is worshipped first.
The truth of life as proclaimed by Swami Vivekananda is that "we are all potentially divine beings". However, we create obstacles for ourselves when we polarise this divine identity by our own egos. Living in the world of sense fixation, we choose not to unveil the cloud of ignorance and create one obstacle after another in our lives. This creates a lot of unhappiness and misery. Lord Ganesha being given the task of guarding the doorway was so consumed by the status of the task that He failed to recognise Lord Shiva.  Thus the Lord using His trishul removed the head which is the seat of ignorance and ego. The weapon to remove this ego and ignorance is the trident of inner strength, intelligence and knowledge.


The removal of the head is beautifully captured by Sri Ramakrishna's analogy of dropping the tail... both resembling ignorance and ego. The replacement of the head is symbolic of the change... the metamorphosis from the self-centred and consumed being to the all-embracing  universal self that identifies itself with the cosmic self.


Lord Vinayaga’s acceptance of millions of coconuts on an annual basis is a reminder to us all that within each and every one of us is the pure spirit of God with the power to quench the parched mundane lives that we live... but in order to get a taste of this Ilaneer (coconut water in Tamil) one must first remove the tough fibre that surrounds the coconut. This is symbolic of the tough ego, pride and ignorance in the mind that covers the buddhi or intelligence.  Man- making decisions based on intelligence has greater success in life than man basing decisions on emotion and sense gratification.


May that great Lord of the intellect help us all remove our ego and ignorance and expose our divinity and intelligence, is my sincere prayer.

With absolute sincerity

Yogan Naidoo

www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com

Anbe Shivam!!!!(Love is God)

||Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

 

image -google images

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

 

In our hearts... Spring started today... when we all gathered at the Shree Veeraboga Cultural Centre to witness the blooming of the timeless wisdom of the Tirukurral by the gracious and loving touch of Swami Vimokshananda. The idea for today’s blog seemed pre-ordained by a higher power. Yesterday when I had posted the reminder to our devotees about the scheduled class, brother Kiru -an ardent student of the Tirukurral- expressed his delight as should it have taken place next week he would have missed it as he was going to be out of town. Relating to his absolute delight, I unconsciously replied to his post by merely saying Anbe Shivam. When Maharaj began the class today, I was stunned to learn that we were discussing that very subject matter of love and Maharaj made several inferences to Anbe Shivam (Love is God). With such subtle commands from the universe, it will definitely be unwise to detract from that train of thought.

 

Last week, we all engaged in the celebration of Gita Week and Krishna Janmashtami with some very powerful and elevating ideas emanating from discussions on the Gita. In the midst of this, I still became a little emotional as I browsed through the gallery of pictures posted by Maharaj of His tour of Northern Natal. The devotees’ countenance in those areas was a confluence of both delight and distress. In the company of Maharaj they expressed bliss similar to the Gopis in the company of Krishna but their minds felt the pain of their hearts that was impaled by the imminent departure of Maharaj. This would be their last Krishna Janmashtami with Maharaj. Suddenly the pangs of separation became infectious as today while I was waiting for Maharaj, I realised there were just two classes left before Maharaj departs South Africa for His new mission.

 

In today’s class,  we learnt that there is one common thread that binds this whole world... although it may be found in varying degrees... it nonetheless exists. This emotion or feeling is called “love” and since we understand through Vedanta that it is God alone that pervades everything, we can therefore easily allude to the statement Anbe Shivam – (Love is God).

 

Swami Vivekananda said: “relationships are more important than life, but it is important for those relationships to have life in them”. Tiruvalluvar eruditely points out that those who possess love in their beings truly live, the rest are merely skeletons clad in skin. Reading Swami Vivekananda, one is exposed to this idea continuously. Swamiji goes to the level of saying that making offerings or doing pooja at a shrine is but preliminary worship. Swamiji emphasised that real tangible worship comes out of serving Shiva in the hungry, in the poor and the sick.

 

But the question arrives... how is it that most of us cannot see Swamiji’s view on this matter. We can only conceptualise such high and noble ideals when our hearts reconfigure itself from self-centeredness to embrace the entire universe as one-and-the-same as yourself.

 

Today some people feel so insecure about visiting family and friends in State hospitals due to cleanliness issues. Yet we read how Florence Nightingale and Mother Theresa worked in such challenging conditions to nurse the sick to good health without care for caste, creed or status in society. So it is the absence of this love and empathy that essentially makes our lives unfulfilled?

Can we expect people in society to display and exhibit such love if they have not experienced same in the home? The starting point of developing this culture of empathy is the family. Former President of India, Abdul Kalam beautifully placed before the European Union Parliament that his culture based on the Tirukurral has taught him that when there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character, when there is beauty in the character there is harmony in the home, when there is harmony in the home there is order in the nation and when there is order in the nation then there is peace in the world.

 

There is the profound message that comes from the sloka: Vasudevam sutam devam, Kamsa Chanura mardanam, Deviki paramnandam, Krishnam vande jagat Guru. It states that we worship Krishna who is the son of Vasudeva, the slayer of Kamsa and Chanura, the absolute bliss of Deviki, the one who came as the world teacher.

 

I think that it is important that we understand how the Lord came to be the son of two human beings. It is because of their sincerity in their prayers for a child equal to the qualities of the Lord. The Lord proclaimed that none is equal to Him thus in their next birth, He Himself shall take birth as their son. In that way parents should also pray sincerely and devoutly to God for children of divine qualities. Children should never be born out of lust, but must be planned and be born out of sincere prayer. Then like Sri Krishna they will be the slayer of the greatest asuras of this world being lust and greed. They will be noble and firm in character. They will be the absolute bliss of their Mothers... like the sloka said Deviki Paramandam. In the previous Tirukkural class, we leant that Mothers experience great joy when they give birth to a child... however, greater than that joy is the joy they experience when their child becomes a leader in society. Therefore is must be impressed upon every parent how important the entire process of bringing children into the world is... as well as raising and nurturing children to be men and women of immaculate character. The home thus becomes an incubator of “man-making, character-building education” as espoused by Swami Vivekananda. However in society today, children are raised in crèches; by nannys, ipads and television - devoid of the love and affection of the Mother and also the fundamental value systems that constitute a noble being.

 

How then can we expect that child to exhibit the love and empathy that is needed to create and sustain a society that is just, peaceful and divine? It has become imperative now in the midst of the chaos in the world that we internalise and make practical the glorious values and ideas from the scriptures and teachings of the saints so that we don’t have to suffer against something that we can do something about, something that can be rectified. Our lives and futures lie in our very own hands. God can be experienced right here and now... not post mortem... by merely sharing something that costs nothing to give --- that is love. Through this little act of empathy, an entire revolution can take place.

 

Anbe Shivam, Shivane Anbu. (love is god , god is love)

 

May we all be touched by the divine love, is my sincere prayer

 

With sincere love and prayers

Yogan

www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com

Glorious Goddess

||Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

 

It was definitely encouraging and an unusual breath of fresh air to see the town painted red on Friday this week... in the literal sense of the word. It is not unusual whilst gazing through Facebook on a Sunday morning to see posts between friends declaring how they “painted the town red” whilst partying the previous night. However on Friday, culture and tradition took pole position when mothers, daughters, wives and sisters departed their homes adorned in inspiring hues of red to celebrate Varalutchmee Viratham. Even before Surya could usher in the day, families were up and about in a devoted exalted mood making preparations to glorify and offer worship to the Goddess of fortune and prosperity. Every human being wants success and prosperity in life, therefore even if somebody fails to obverse any other pooja, they make it a point to glorify Mother Luxmi with sincerity and devotion to seek Her blessings on the family.

8 Forms of Ma Luxmi    -Google Images

 

Swami Vimokshanada posted a link to His captivating blog which He composed a while back on the occasion of Luxmi Prayers. Maharaj so wonderfully constructed and crafted the concept of Mother being integrated into the evolution of our lives through her 8 qualities namely: creation, wealth, food, fame, fertility, strength, knowledge and success or victory. After reading this, I am sure that all doubts as to why people make every effort to observe this occasion is self explanatory. These qualities are what every human being strives to achieve... which brings us to the concept and meaning of Mother Luxmi.

 

The puranas relate a picturesque account of how Mother Luxmi appeared. We must once again be mindful that puranic stories are mediums to convey great spiritual truths in simple ways to the mass of society and therefore they should never be taken literally but should be the subject of study and discussion to unveil the masked treasures of spiritual wisdom in their payload.

It is said in the mythology that a long time after creation, the Gods and were in search of rejuvenation and were directed to churn the ocean which would present an amrith (nectar) of immortality that would resolve their predicament. The Gods realised that this task was impossible without the collective efforts of the asuras and therefore convinced them that a 50% share was awaiting them if they collaborated. They all agreed and immediately set about using Mount Madura as the churning stick and the serpent Vasuki as the rope. Although 50% was agreed upon for the asuras, they were never to receive it as that would make them more powerful and invincible. Therefore on advice from Lord Vishnu, the Gods took the tail-end of the serpent while the asuras took the other end. The idea was that as the churning went on, the heat and venom from Vasuki would weaken the asuras and eventually make them collapse and allow the Gods to feast of the amrith.

 

In the course of the process, the mountain began to sink and Lord Vishnu assumed the form of a tortoise (Kurma) and raised the mount on His back... thus facilitating the activity to continue. The hard work and efforts started to pay dividends... as from the ocean emerged many things both positive and negative: Mother Luxmi, Sura the God of wine, the Moon, the jewel Kasturba, the white horse, white elephant, the wishing tree, the poison halahal and the amrith.

 

A glorious idea of life came to me when I read this episode from the purana. The ocean is symbolic of the ocean of samsara or our life. Madura in Sanskrit means bird. Our atman which is eternally free like a flying bird is bound by our past samskars (the serpent Vasuki) and is pulled in both directions by the divine and asuric qualities within us. As we live in the world, our life is churned by the various experiences we encounter. Lord Vishnu in the form of the tortoise supporting Madura has two connotations: one being that all our activities and this creation is supported and perpetuated by the divine Lord and the other is that our soul and the divine are essentially one. Luxmi is derived from the Sanskrit root Lakshaya meaning goal. The emergence of Mother Luxmi first tells us that we all have a primary goal in life. Our asuric qualities may tempt us to pursue the fleeting pleasures and quick gratification mechanisms forgetting our higher goal. These qualities also make us despondent, weak and lethargic by expending all our energies on the worldly activities (heat from Vasuki). Those who follow the instructions from the Guru and God through reading scriptures, practicing sadhanas and leading a life gain relief and guidance from the divine. Like how Lord Shiva consumed the halahal poison... the Lord and the strength you have derived through discipline and sadhana shall protect you from the poisons of the world.

 

Leading a noble life in pursuant of righteousness and divinity, you will reach the goal of life (amrith) which is the knowledge of the self. This knowledge after being known... nothing else need be known. Man’s intellect is constantly challenged as the frontiers of his knowledge and is edged further and further with new discoveries and theories about his greatest quest to find out the purpose of this creation, the nature of the universe and the source of life. Dwelling between the region of Adi Luxmi and Vidya Luxmi (8 Luxmis) all this time... after tasting the amrith (nectar) of immortality, man shall transcend the realm of body consciousness to Aishwarya Luxmi (absolute bliss and prosperity).

 

We are about to commence the auspicious Gita week on Monday and we will learn more from Sri Krishna Bhagawan on how we should live and interact with the world. The Gita is essentially a recipe for peace, progress and prosperity. Swami Vivekananda said that Mother Luxmi Herself dwells in the home of a noble man. When we say that Hinduism is a way of life, we refer to a path or process of helping you to achieve the best results and highest potential that you are in the short space of time that have been accorded to on this earth. Hindu Dharma has practically been proven as a fail-proof method of achieving this through the lives of great avathars, saints, sages and common men.

 

Hence we can safely conclude that liberation, peace , prosperity and joy is not for the Gods, high caste or famous... but is accessible to man at every level so long as he is sincere and has a strong thirst for it. May Mother Luxmi bless us all, is my sincere prayer.

With sincere love and affection

Yogan Naidoo
www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com

AUM SHAKTI!!!!

Aum Shakti
pic - google images

Aum Sri  Ramakrishna Sharanam||

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

The word Shakti in the Sanskrit language translates to power. Physical Science has thought us that energy can be classified into various categories namely: mechanical energy, kinetic energy, elastic energy, nuclear energy and so forth. Last night I was blessed to attend a dance drama production entitled 'Shakti'. The drama was held in honour of the Divine Mother during this auspicious period of Aadi. It is during this month that South Indians mainly the Tamil speaking community glorify and worship the Divine Mother. The drama was so emotively choreographed that it raised our consciousness and bhav to the point of tears of love and extolled admiration for the divine.



At this point, questions may be raised on the contradiction that presents itself... where on one hand we say that God has no gender, is formless and is omnipresent and on the other we say that God is a female and to be worshipped as Mother. Hinduism goes further to eulogise the Mother as the creator, sustainer and dissolver of the universe - a function which in some schools of thought is delegated to the patriarchal hierarchy. This in no way unearths any confusion or weakness in concept but brilliantly exposes the strength of Hinduism in its ability to embrace and reach out to humanity at their level of consciousness and understanding.  Religion is a belief system that is handed down through time. It is Hindu dharma alone that has the ability to resonate with the evolving mind. There is no strict theology but an allowance for humanity to raise their levels of divinity from the current to the highest level.



Hence man who has come into contact with his own Mother... having experienced and witnessed her strength, compassion, dedication and unconditional love at the physical level can but only think that God who possesses these qualities in infinite proportions to be the Mother of the Universe.  Scriptures refer to the supreme energy as Brahman (potential energy) from which this creation is born (kinetic energy) which is collectively called Shakti.  Our country's history speaks volumes of the gigantic role played by our Mothers in the dark and turbulent days of apartheid. They single-handedly  supported, raised and defended their families whilst their husbands where either exiled, jailed, killed during conflicts or sent  to far-off places for employment. Testament to their great efforts and sacrifices... we find many of their children today hold high ranking positions in society. Today Swami Vimokshananda in the Tirukurral class so beautifully dissected Sri Tiruvallavars message that a Mother's joy is beyond expression when her son shall be prominent in society.



So in the context of the global world that we live in today that is plagued by such grief, anguish, starvation , conflict and insecurities... nothing can be as comforting as the embrace of a Mother. We therefore in this auspicious month cry out to her with intensity... as Sri Ramamkrishna once said: "a mother will drop all that she is doing in an instant to attend to her crying child."



The festival of Aadi finds its origin in the South Indian town of Samayapurum which during this period was struck by an epidemic of measles and drought. After the impassionate pleas and worship from the community... relief came to the town.  A Mother clad in yellow mysteriously appeared in the town nursing the sick with a mixture of turmeric and syringa paste coupled with hot porridge. These simple natural remedies helped to eradicate the disease that debilitated the village. The Mother was now ready to leave and asked the community to pray sincerely and to offer porridge and distribute it to all during this month. After she left the village, torrential rains swept through the southern parts of India releasing them from the clasps of the severe drought.



This incident is a constant source of inspiration and faith to humanity that sincerity in prayer and faith in the divine shall be the panacea for all mans' problems. The story in itself is a beautiful allegory for the predicament that man always finds himself in.  The happiness and peace that we seek is polarised by the deviation and deflection of our thoughts away from divinity towards the world. Our pursuit of wealth and pleasures has become the sole purpose of our existence. Through this path... greed, lust, anger, hatred and jealousy have become the disease that is debilitating mankind and in the course of this, there is a severe drought of spirituality and morality in the world.

The use of simple ingredients by the mother to cure the measles is representative of the simple ways that we need to follow to rid the world of disease of unrighteousness. Speaking the truth; sincerity in word, thought and deed; acting in love, peace and in a non-violent manner are simple yet effective means to raise man to the heights of his divine nature. When he has achieved this state of divinity then the drought of spirituality and morality is removed by the torrential grace of God that flows through us all.



May we all sincerely take refuge in the Divine Mother seeking Her blessings and guidance in making the world peaceful and joyous for all. In prayer let us all strive and contemplate on the inner transformation and journey.  In this month of August when we celebrate the achievement of women and also bring to the spotlight the atrocious crimes against women, let us take inspiration from Sri Ramakrishna who lived by the principle that all womem are the manifestation of the Divine Mother. Swami Vivekananda gave prominence to this ideology when He declared that where women are respected and treated with dignity... that society will prosper.

May Mother Adi Parashakti bless us all with peace, love and prosperity is my sincere prayer.


With my palms together in surrender at mothers feet
Yogan Naidoo
www.sudarshanvidya.blogspot.com