Born to be freed

Shri Ramakrishna Sharanam

 

Aum Namo Narayanaya

 

 

For many Tongaat or North Coast residents who read the blog last week, some sort of curiosity reared its head with regards to the festivities that I named that occur over the Easter weekend. Many asked the question as to why I did not make mention of the Brake Village Kavady which is the biggest Panguni Uthiram Kavady in the Southern Hemisphere. With well over 20 000 well wishers, spectators and devotees as well as approximately 1000 kavadies bringing Tongaat to a virtual standstill - I figured that being the patriot I am, especially for my town of birth, it deserved an entire blog for itself. For those who have not experienced it as yet, it is worth your consideration during next year’s holiday plans to KwaZulu-Natal.

 

For as long as I can remember, residents of Tongaat dare not venture out during Easter... lest they miss this mela or mass gathering in the name of prayer, culture and festivity. The streets were jammed with devotees clad in yellow and orange -all adorning a sense of faith and devotion- sublime and focused on pleasing the eternally beautiful and valiant Lord Muruga as He leads the procession on His majestic chariot exotically decorated with handpicked marigolds drawn by hundreds of bhaktas chanting at the top of their voices (as if it were their last life breath) "Harooooo Haraaaaa" along the 1,5km route to the Temple. There is no place for the casual pedestrian as every inch of space en-route is swallowed by the tens of thousands of onlookers along the way. This spectacular parade of kavadies adorned with lush marigolds and new cloth looks like a sea of yellow water... with the dancing vels and mayils (peacock feathers) giving the effect of choppy waves... will tease the emotions of even of the most resilient heart.

 

This, dear brothers and sisters, is the beauty of Hindu dharma and all its associated practices. The realised sages who initiated these festivities and rituals etc, made it relevant to all. Even the ignorant onlookers can benefit from the ritual. As Swami Vivekananda said: "Our duty is to encourage everyone in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the truth". That is, at which ever level a man may be, we much encourage him, not dissuade him from that level to reach as high as he can to the truth.

 

 

What is the idea that we derive by being an onlooker at this festival? From where I was standing, I was able to catch a panoramic view of the procession which was in the following order. At the front was the few hundred devotees pulling the main deity in the chariot. This was followed by the huge sea of kavadies.

 

 

The sea of kavadies represents the ocean of samsara. We are born in the world due to our past actions or karmas. When we acquire a body, with it comes bondages which brings pain - physical and emotional. To remove these, many devotees undertake vows and carry the kavady to ask God to help them remove their ailments and sufferings. Caught up in this net of maya, we fail to recognise that the human birth is also a life-line to break away from the cycle of bondage. Yet in ignorance, and caught up with attachment to this life, we cannot see further to the freedom that lies ahead.

 

 

The chariot with the Lord enshrined - is the highest truth or ideal of God realisation. A hundred or so devotees compared to a thousand at the rear only emphasises how the mass prefer to indulge the senses and remain in the ocean of samsara while only a few make the concerted effort to swim in the ocean of eternal bliss.

 

Upon analysis... if we look closer... we would find that those devotees who are pulling the chariot essentially only place their hand on the rope - little or no effort is needed in moving the chariot. They enjoy their time immersed in the glory of God’s name. Yet if you look at the rear, we find devotees yoked with a kavady, bearing needles and pins, and restricted with movement within the framework of the kavadies. But these conditions are the incubator to develop and ripen your devotion to God. As Master Shri Ramakrishna said: "The cover of the mango is purely there to ensure that the delicious inside of the mango ripens, thereafter it is discarded".

 

In the same manner, taking this birth, all the trials and tribulations are the skin of the mango - it helps you to cultivate devotion and love for God. Once that is achieved, we are ready to leave the ocean of samsara and join the ocean of ananda.

 

 

Therein in lays the secret dear friends: the application of the viveka or discriminative faculty. Do we want to continue to perpetuate the cycle of bondage? If not we must translate the bhakti that we derive from these various rituals into a motion for freedom. Utilise the bhakti to churn the mind and heart to reveal the divinity that we are.

 

Let us make the migration from the rear to the front, to the highest position with the Lord - free of obstacles, pain and suffering. If whatever we have done in our past results in our present, it only makes sense then that what we do now will determine our future. Hence, we can boldly say that our destiny is in our hands.

 

Although extremely difficult due to the strong influences of maya... muster the strength to steer clear of adharmic activity. Live a life that projects honesty, love, selflessness, compassion, integrity and peace. This is your VIP pass to an existence of total peace and eternal bliss.

 

May Lord Muruga help us reach the highest truth, is my sincere prayer.

 

With love and prayers always

Yogan

www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com

Meenakshi - eyes to absolute bliss

||Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

 

Aum Namo Narayanaya

Mother Meenakshi

Yesterday (Saturday), there was a little deviation from my normal routine. Normally, I would sit on a Sunday to pen my thoughts for the blog, but yesterday I awoke with a flurry of emotions and thoughts of Meenakshi - the Mother who resides in Madurai, yet presides over the universe. With the intention of capitalising on the stream of thoughts and heightened emotions, I cleared a few hours to pay homage to the Mother who had colonised my being at that time.

 

Mythology presents the scene where after having being insulted by Her father Daksha, the Mother flung Herself into the sacrificial fire. Not able to bear this, Lord Shiva placed the Mother on His shoulder and in His rage of Rudra began to dance the Tandava -the result of which is the dissolution of creation-. This premature dissolution was stopped by Narayana who used His sudarshana chakra and sliced her body into 52 pieces which fell upon the earth in strategic places as shakti peethas (places concentrated with the Mother's shakti). Indeed, we always proclaim that God is omnipresent but as Master said: "Although the milk of the cow is present everywhere in its body, it can only be tapped off the udders". She, through Her mercy, has installed Herself at these centres so man of his limited understanding can access Her grace.

 

Mother at Madurai is invoked resplendently as Meenakshi - because her beautiful fish-like-eyes fell upon that region. It is a sight for tired eyes... majestically enshrined within four towering raja gopurams, She stands bedecked exquisitely with the finest jewels of the land. The Maharani of the universe draped with a hand woven ruby red silk sari, studded nose ring and emerald earrings sporting a glowing green parrot on Her right hand. But of all these attractions, that which really enthrals and enchants the devotees are Her grace-filled fish-like-eyes which have the ability to lift one to the highest levels of joy and fearlessness. That is Her quality as a Mother - to make Her child instantly feel loved, cared for, and protected.

 

Being the Mother-Universal, She has not marginalised Her children out of India. Here in South Africa, Her shakti is prevalent in peethas as well. Over the Easter weekend, over half a million devotees will congregate at Isipingo and Mount Edgecombe Amman Temples to worship and seek the motherly affection from Her. The irony of life is that although we are circled by people, family and relatives, we very lonely in this world. There seems to be a void that gnaws at us from the depths of our beings. The loneliness that I speak of emanates beyond the physical body to the depths of our hearts.

 

The symbolism of thinking of Mother Meenakshi today is to look beyond this physical creation. That’s where we will be able to fill the void of our loneliness. The Easter weekend celebrated the South African 'rainbow' way cannot but be admired for giving a wonderfully profound message to humanity. Durban definitely comes alive with pageantry and prayer on Good Friday - when concurrently the Festival of Chariots and prayers to Mother and Lord Jesus Christ create a whirlwind of spiritual energy.

 

Each of these festivals provide a sublime message to humanity on how to fill the void in our life. The Festival of Chariots which is dedicated to Lord Krishna takes the Durban beachfront into a paradigm shift with its use of festive arrangements that will blow your mind. Carrying the Lord within a chariot through the streets of Durban reminds us that our own body is the chariot of the Lord in the form of the atman in the body. Man must identify this Lord that resides within and undertake life like a daily ratha yatra festival with auspiciouness, joy and festivity. There is no time to be sad, gloomy or despondent when you are the vehicle of the Lord.

 

The Amman prayer reminds us to be simple to the exterior world. Place less emphasis on the body and material possessions. This is represented by the simple offerings of porridge to Her. It also reminds us that the elaborateness should extend to our inner being. Her glorious decorations and jewels represent the finery and beauty of the atman that presides over the body. As we are attracted to Her in the temple, we must be attracted to the divinity within.

 

On Easter Sunday, as Jesus rose after being crucified to the cross on Good Friday, the cross for us is a symbol of removing the ego (the "I" that has been crossed out). In the life of Sri Ramakrishna, as expounded by M (the author) in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, we find that He never refers to His body as 'me' or 'mine', but always as 'this'. By giving up the body on the cross and subsequently rising, Jesus teaches humanity that only by ridding yourself of the body-consciousness and ego and indentifying yourself with the spirit, that we all can raise ourselves from the bondage of misery and suffering.

 

When we analyse our activities and prayers from a bird's-eye-view, we cannot but marvel at the singular thread that weaves its way across our ways. Inflamed with pride and ego, we rather contest with each other creating differences rather than embracing the oneness and unity that exists. Last week I pointed out that Master underwent severe penance and austerities to prove to the world that just as various rivers flow to the same sea, all religions lead to the same goal.

 

Hence, as I admired Mother's eyes today (Meenakshi), let us all “see” that beyond the flesh we are all one. Keeping your religious beliefs personal and close to your heart, let us embrace creation as a family and help one another achieve our personal freedom.

 

May Mother show us the way, is my sincere prayer.

 

With love and prayers always

Yogan

The Advent of a Paramahamsa

||Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

 

Aum Namo Narayanaya

 

Master - Bhagwan Ramakrishna

As I walked down from the main shrine towards the Swami Nischalananda Hall (at the Ramakrishna Centre of SA headquarters in Glen Anil), where the Birth Anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna were being held - my eye caught sight of two swans (hamsa) that graced the verandah entrance. They stood bright and exuberant, like the full moon. I am accustomed to be greeted by the two large golden lions that welcome you at the temple entrance, which is frequented more often due to satsangh, but was sent into a divine bhav as I saw the swans which are compared to great spiritual beings (Paramahamsas) in Hindu Dharma.

 

 

As much as stories or puranas are used to express profound spiritual truths in Sanathan Dharma, it is not unique, as many children’s fables also convey inspiring moral and ethical messages. My divine bhav was immediately augmented when I entered the hall which adorned a shrine atmosphere, where devotees silently sat facing the colourfully decorated stage ,drawing attention to the illumined images of Master, Mother and Swamiji.

 

 

With at least ten minutes to spare before the commencement of the programme, I became infected with a little nostalgia and frantically scourged my memory for the wonderful story of the 'Ugly Duckling' which is the only one I could remember from my school days that centred on the swan... and indeed I recall how it brought much delight to us all.

 

 

It spoke of how a cygnet -which grew up with some ducklings felt so out of place and was treated differently because of its appearance- became so uninspired about life until after

some time when it grew into a beautiful swan. Noticing its reflection in the water, the swan welled with self respect and courage to move freely in the wild. It's beauty was adored by all thereafter.

 

 

This little recollection formed the backdrop and introduction to the life of our beloved Master ,that was so picturesquely portrayed by Swami Vimokshananda in His keynote address and also aided by the vibrant and descriptive dance items on Lord Rama and Lord Krishna which verily underpin the character of Bhagwan Sri Ramakrishna.

 

 

Like the 'Ugly Duckling', Master stood out conspicuously from the rest of society due to His intense longing and love for God. He would frequently fall into deep states of divine ecstasy on any thought or resemblance of God. To shed some light on His intoxication for God, here are some words by Sri Ramakrishna Himself: "I practiced austerities for a long time. I cared very little for the body. My longing for the Divine Mother was so great that I would not eat or sleep. I would lie on the bare ground, placing my head on a lump of earth, and cry out loudly: Mother, Mother, why dost Thou not come to me? I did not know how the days and nights passed away. I used to have ecstasy all the time.”

 

Many have failed to cognitively understand Master or even explain some of the incidents in His life. Therefore, we grasp onto the expositions of His disciples who lived with Him for many years. Swami Vimokshananda aptly chose the words of Swami Abedananda who described the mission of Sri Ramakrishna -in the embodied form- as to distribute knowledge, devotion and peace to a humanity who, at that time, were living unaided in a storm of ignorance, confusion, turmoil, anger and other adharmic qualities that failed to invoke deep devotion to God and hold peace and tranquillity. Like Lord Rama, Master's entire life was a practical scripture that if one closely analysed it and followed it, they would immediately feel a huge difference in their life.

 

Being born illiterate and poor, He taught realistically that attaining prashanti (highest peace), knowledge and devotion does not need wealth, many degrees, or being a famous person in society. One simply needs to have firm conviction of faith, sincere longing for God, and absolute love for the divine.

 

Pain, suffering and struggle is synonymous with life as explained by Swami Vivekananda in many of His lectures... and even Sri Ramakrishna was not immune to such, as it forms the basis of developing tenets of discrimination, detachment and devotion - which are essential for spiritual progress. Like Master said: "If you want a copper vessel to remain shiny, it has to be cleaned daily." These challenges in life come as the scourer... and with the detergent of the Guru’s divine instruction, we can transform from the 'Ugly Duckling' to the beautiful Swan.

 

 

Amidst all His hardships and criticism, Master never once waivered from His devotion to the Divine Mother. Everyday, He simply grew his faith and devotion exponentially, until one day He had the vision of the Mother. Thereafter, through various spiritual disciplines, He proved that varied paths lead to the same realisation... that the conflict between man over religion and other matters was futile... as the goal or result is the same.

 

So long as there is knowledge of variety, so long there is bondage, when perfect knowledge comes, man realises one Spirit in all. In that state, he also sees that the same One has become the individual soul, and the phenomenal world with its various states and elements. It is true that the Universal Spirit dwells everywhere, but His manifestation varies. In some places, there is greater manifestation and in others less. Wherever there is greater manifestation of the Spirit, there is also greater manifestation of divine power. First you will have to realise unity by discrimination: "Not this, not this." Then after reaching this state of realisation, when you come down to phenomena, you will discover that variety has come from unity and the same unity is the goal of variety.

 

Like the cygnet, we have all forgotten our swadharma (self nature). Engrossed with the body and world, we feel insecure, insignificant and hopeless. Success is based entirely on material exploits. Pursuing this path, we will always remain the 'Ugly Duckling'. If we study the lives of great spiritual beings like Sri Ramakrishna, we understand that our swadharma is divinity... and by living a disciplined life within the frameworks of dharma, we can enjoy the world as a swan.

 

 

May Master -our eternal Father and dear friend- eternally inspire us to live a divine life, is my sincere prayer.

 

 

With love and prayers always

Yogan

Keep the Company of Shiva (auspiciousness)

Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam

 

Aum Namo Narayanaya

 

Aum Nama Shivaya

 

 

It was the blaring sound of the alarm clock that ruffled the tidiness of night. With much annoyance I glanced at the time, which mockingly relayed a gloating 1:30 am which seemed to be a record breaking sprint from 21:00 when I last remember placing my head on the pillow. This sudden deviation from my routine sleep was to facilitate an early morning flight departure. Having checked out of the hotel briskly, I was at the gate with enough time to spare. In due time they announced the boarding of the plane and soon we were all seated and buckled up. The deferred sleep seemed make a welcomed visit but was rudely interrupted by the pilot who announced that there was a 45 minutes delay due to a passenger who did not arrive at the gate. The process was therefore to remove his bags from the plane.

 

We have many choices in life, like tonight there many people who would be sleeping, entertaining themselves in casinos, cinemas and malls, some maybe in nightclubs whilst a lot of people will be amongst holy company celebrating Mahashivarathri.  In our spiritual journey similar to the episode mentioned above, even if we comply with all the religious requirements, the company we keep may delay our spiritual progress. I recall fondly here the life of Girish Chandra Gosh, who was a notorious libertine and drunk, who by the mere company of the Master Sri Ramakrishna was able to transform his life.

 

 

Hindu Dharma is known for its use of festivals and rituals utilising different art forms and iconography to colourfully explain and present various spiritual truths that will assist humanity in attaining the highest goal of life, being God realisation. Amongst these is the observance of Maha Shivarathri - a prayer dedicated to Lord Shiva which is celebrated throughout the world. This year, Maha Shivarathri  will be observed tonight commencing at 6pm and will culminate the next morning at 6am. Within this 12-hour window (which is divided into 4 sessions of 3 hours each), devotees will engage in meditation, singing of bhajans (devotional hymns) and ritual worship. However you choose to occupy yourself - the idea is to concentrate your mind with pure divine thoughts with the intention of elevating it to higher planes of consciousness. This idea is taken from Lord Shiva Himself, as one would notice that He is always found to be seated in deep meditation and absorbed in eternal bliss.

 

There is a practical explanation as to why devotees gather at temples on a particular day to observe certain prayers as compared to merely observing these within the confines of your home. It stated in our scriptures that when devotees gather at a particular place with pure intent to worship then the vibrations created are phenomenal and overwhelming. The date or thithi is also important because we tend to prepare our minds in order to observe a certain date that is set aside as auspicious. Therefore, when we gather in our numbers at a sacred place on a special day like Maha Shivarathri, the collective positive intent creates an oasis of divine currents that assist the devotee to transcend the body consciousness.

 

Once, Sri Ramachandra asked Sri Hanumanji: "What is your relationship with me?" To this, Sri Hanuman said: "Oh Lord, while I identify myself with my body, I am Thy servant. When I consider myself an individual soul, I am Thy part. But when I look upon myself as the spirit, I am one with Thee. This is my firm conviction." How beautifully Sri Hanumanji understood Himself. When we speak of God realisation - it is this realisation that we speak off.

 

In the midst of this world, we have purely indentified ourselves with the body. All our activities centre on pleasuring and pleasing the body. Some of us don’t even consider ourselves as servants of the Lord. As a result of this, we are caught in a quagmire of problems. Focus on the body brings attachment which results in pain and suffering, so clearly defined by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Taking lead from the above conversation -  it then necessary to transcend the body and engage the mind and spirit if we want to enjoy the eternal nectar of bliss. Therefore Bhagawan Maheshwara smears His body with cremation ash as a reminder that the body is but a temporary vehicle and that we must shift our focus to the spirit.

 

The God that we all seek is right within our grasps seated in the lotus of our hearts. We must take the necessary steps to reach Him and bathe in His divine bliss. On the night of Shivarathri, devotees will notice that before the prayer starts, a special Abishegam (purification bathing) of the Lingam is performed. This is a reminder that we also need to purify our body and mind before our spiritual journey commences.  Taking regular baths, reading good spiritual literature, doing seva , singing of bhajans and keeping good and holy company helps purify the body and rids the mind of evil tendencies such as lust, greed, anger, ego, hatred and falsehood. Once we have mastered this initial stage we are ready to interrogate the mind to access the spirit within. The secret, dear brothers and sisters, is practice. Those athletes who train and exercise for a marathon regularly will achieve results. In spiritual life as well, we cannot expect to live a purely material life and appear annually on the night of Shivarathri to receive the rewards. Yes indeed, every attempt counts. In a quarry, if a rock is struck just once with a chisel (annually), it will definitely break after 100 years perhaps. Yet if the same rock is struck with the chisel with regular frequency (daily), it will surely break within a week. 

 

Regular prayer and sadhana will intensify our faith in God. This is the only way that we will be able live a life of peace and love in this turbulent world. We must gather with this intent regularly and work harmoniously with the thought of serving God in all; then alone  will we develop a spiritual society. With regular practice of divine virtues, we will slowly move away from seeing Shiva in the body consciousness to the realisation of Shivoham (Shiva and I are one).

 

May all our consciousness one day be elevated to Shivoham is my sincere prayer. May this Shivarathri bring joy, peace and love to all our hearts. Have a blessed and rewarding Shivarathri.

 

With Love and Prayers always

Yogan Naidoo

The Divine Touch

||Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

 

Aum Namo Narayanaya

 

A few weeks ago, in my post called 'Buffet Society', I said that the physical India is no different to our own country. I was not at all surprised then when my good friend who happens to regularly read the blog started to question the reasons for my pilgrimage to India, over a cappuccino. Earlier in the week, when Swami Vimokshananda addressed the congregation at the Shree Veeraboga Emperumal Temple annual festival, He explained that the Lord is all pervading and that there is no place where He cannot be found.

 

Relief found me in the words of Swami Shantatmanandaji Maharaj when He succinctly explained the concepts of Staan Mahatmyam and Thithi Mahatmyam. If God is present everywhere, what then is the need for us to visit temples and ashrams etc. when we can perhaps worship in our homes? Maharaj explained that in a place where devotees with intent of sincere prayer gather, the atmosphere and vibrations of that place is divinely charged... because, it is beyond the physical plane that waves or processes of the mind emanate. Apart from this, a place where great sages or holy men have done

intense tapasya or sacrifices is an enormous reservoir of spiritual vibrations.

 

Once when Sri Ramakrishna was travelling by boat in the middle of the Ganga, He felt a huge surge of divine energy and went into samadhi. Upon investigation, the devotees found out that it was at that exact spot where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu discarded His mortal remains. So this is the emphatic importance of visiting a particular place of pilgrimage, in the same way the thithi is important. On a particular date when an important event has occurred, for example, the birth of a saint or observance like Shivarathri - the mind dwells on that, concentrates on the thought and creates an upsurge of divine vibrations. When people gather on that day, a field of positive divine energy is created at that point.

Shiva Lingam

 

 

A divine coincidence that my next port of call from Thirupathi, being Chidambaram (Shiva Temple) conincides with the ensuing festival of Maha Shivarathri. At this ancient and glorious temple, Lord Shiva is worshipped as Nadaraja - the King of Dance. It is said in the Puranas that at the time of prahalaya, He performs the Thandava dance - the dance of dissolution. A visit to the temple bathes one with immense energy created by visiting saints like Thiru Gyana Samandar, who at the tender age of 3, after having gained wisdom from the Divine Mother was able to compose beautiful hymns in praise of the Lord. These hymns have contributed to the healing and peace of many devotees.

 

This incident brings to the fore the amazing concept of the Lord's grace and touch. This single moment in one's life can have a life altering effect. We see how an unlettered child of just three years old, by the mere touch of the Divine Mother, was transformed into a saint of extraordinary proportions. In the week that passed, we also celebrated the birth thithi of Swami Adbuthananda - affectionately known as Latu Maharaj - who himself was an unlettered orphan who worked as a servant doing menial labour in Ramachandra Datta's house. One day, upon visting Sri Ramakrishna - a mere touch by the Master caused an upsurge of dormant spiritual qualities in him. Latu Maharaj, although illiterate, was able to experience all the divine truths in the scriptures by simply engaging in sincere and unwavering sadhanas.

 

The incidents in the lives of these two spiritual giants teach us that without first seeking and accepting the grace of God in spiritual life, success becomes difficult. It is therefore imperative that one earnestly seeks the grace of God. The essence of spirituality is to transcend the body into the mind. The festival of Maha Shivarathri is essentially a valuable technique to access this. The prayer consists of singing bhajans and the offering pooja, meditation and japa on the Divine for a 12-hour period. Gathering at sacred places (Staan Mahatmyam) on an auspicious date (Thithi Mahatmyam) with the intent to raise the consciousness of the self, provides all the necessary components in assembling an spiritually elevated mind.

 

The glorious first song that was sung by the child saint Tiru Gyanan Sambandar: "THODUDAIYA CHEVIYAN VIDAIYERIYOR THOOVEN MATHICHOODIK KAADUDAIYA KADALAIP PODI POOSIYENNULLANGAVAR KALVAN" presents the attributes and qualities that will help us transcend the body consciousness, and enter the realm of the mind. The translation taken from the net explains as follows:

 

The Lord has an ear on which a ear-jewel is worn.
He rides on a bull.
having worn a spotlessly pure white crescent moon of a single phase.
He smeared himself with the ash in the cremation ground which has the nature of a forest.
the thief who has captivated my mind.

 

As we contemplate on Lord Shiva on Shivarathri, we must take cognisance of the following: As He sits in deep contemplation, He is oblivious to His ear ornament (material world) and the turbulence and tribulations of mundane life (represented by the crescent moon). The Lord who is smeared with ash of the cremation ground - the symbol of renunciation - (the Gita says work in the world without attachment)... it is then by following these simple methods that the Lord will take posession off and occupy your mind.

 

 

On this auspicious occasion of Maha Shivarathri, I pray that Shiva Peruman touches us with His divine grace, and through this may we be able to raise our consciousness to an elevated level, is my sincere prayer.

 

 

With Love and Prayers always

Yogan