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

The Evergreen Guru

||Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

The world sits enthralled to their televisions as the last four teams playoff for the lucrative and prestigious place in the finals of the world’s most loved and watched sport. The Football World Cup will come to a close on Sunday bringing down the curtains on a month of electrifying and jaw dropping action… taking one team to the heights of jubilation whilst dumping others to the trenches of disappointment. It can be a traumatic experience for the supporters as well, many who have sacrificed their normal life routine to follow their teams to the various matches in the tournament. The interesting fact about the game though, in victory and defeat one person takes the credit or the beating. Although the team consists of 11 players of admirable skill and talent, the accolades cherish the Coach. He is the maker or breaker of the game. The Coach has the distinct ability to read the players and understands their net worth in the collective of the game. His decisions are not always readily accepted but are in the interest of the game based on his understanding of the opponent and the capacity within his team.

Human beings have incredible potential and talent yet you find them being battered and tossed about on the stormy seas of life. The experiences and challenges can become too overwhelming and at times even end up being fatal when the individual succumbs under the severe pressure and prematurely ends his or her life. This non-preparedness and ignorance about the mechanics of life is what leaves one stupefied beyond reason. Like in the football team, whilst the players have all the talent and skill, they still need a coach who can alert them about the potential and weakness of the opposition and derive a game plan to steer them to victory. The imminent enquiry of the mind at this moment is where can we find a coach in life that fully understands this creation and its dynamics in its full context.

On the eve of this Football spectacular, a very special day is going to be celebrated. Spiritual aspirants and enlightened beings pay homage or venerate their Guru or teacher. The Guru can be regarded as a coach in life. The word Guru should not be used arbitrarily, as the title comes to one who has been initiated through an authentic parampara and has undergone strict discipline whilst undertaking austerities and practices that have unleashed the divinity within and illumined the mind to the truths of the universe. The adornment of ochre robes, rudraksh malas and ash on the forehead or body alone does not qualify one to be a Guru.

Sri Ramakrishna declares in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna that in order for someone to teach or to preach unto others… he/she must have the badge of authority from the divine. In the absence of such, there will be no impact made by such an individual. In the material world where strife and grief is the order of the day, masquerading as a God-man dispensing garble to the desperate and unwary devotees can be a thriving profession hence people should be cautious and approach a bona-fide Guru and organisation where the spiritual lineage can be traced back to the illumined spiritual masters and the Adi Guru Veda Vyasa. The full moon day (Purnima) in the month of Ashadh when Sri Vyasa Dev was born is commemorated as Guru Purnima. A once rudderless civilisation navigating life through a path of perpetual misery and anxiety found direction and an oasis of understanding through the nonpareil works of Sage Vyasa. His unique ability to distil the insoluble mystery of the cosmos into a categorised and palatable essence of the subject matter has earned His birthday the honour of being glorified as Guru Purnima. The foundations of Hindu Dharma viz. the Vedas, the Purnanas, Srimad Bhagavatam and Mahabharata have come to life and light through His enlightened mind and docile pen. These words on ancient paper have guided and enlightened humankind for millennia. The original script may be fit for the museum but the spirit of its message intrigues and inspires contemporary thinkers on a daily basis and will continue to eternity.

On the 26th of June, our country South Africa celebrated a very historic gathering that crystallised some very pertinent and ground-breaking clauses in our Constitution which is lauded globally as one of the most progressive and best Constitutions in the world. The gathering of Kliptown 59 years ago gave birth to the Freedom Charter which has been the terms of reference and pole star in our negotiated liberation. On the occasion of this Anniversary, I was held to attention by a rather captivating and thought provoking view point by our Minister in the Presidency when he said: In deciding the relevance of the Freedom Charter in our transformation discourse, some have dwelt much on the specificity of its "text" as opposed to the general thrust of its "spirit". For a document that was drafted 59 years ago, it goes without saying that the relevance of its text will gradually drift into oblivion… because new dynamics demand different ways to specific political, social and economic navigation of prevailing challenges. Over time, new obstacles have emerged whilst some have disappeared against the backdrop of new navigation techniques. All these changing conditions considered, we must answer the question as to why the ANC continues to consider the Freedom Charter adopted in 1955 at the Kliptown Congress of the People as its basic policy document. And as indicated, the answer lies in the duality often attributed to such important historic documents, that being their "letter" and "spirit".

The Freedom Charter in the context of this transient material world was adopted to annul the injustices of the time. Therefore as explained by the Minister under the new configuration of circumstances we find ourselves in; many things in the “letter” may not be relevant today.

The fact that the words and writings of the great Guru Vyasa speaks to the liberation of the spirit mending its way through the world seeking unbinding from the cycle of cause and effect its relevance shall never fade or change with the world. Great saints like Swami Vivekananda and others have alluded to the fact that have not theorised anything new but merely expounded on the timeless wisdom of the Vedas and Upanishads. The letter and the spirit have remained intact as they belong to the universal truth, but the way they are presented to the contemporary generations may have been tweaked to harmonise with their mood.

There is only one truth and that is God, and the truth can never be altered or dulled away. Any work that espouses the truth shall have the blessing of being evergreen. Therefore the Gurus who descend through the lineage of Sage Vyasa -the expounder of the supreme truth- shall carry the spirit and Shakti of the supreme consciousness and whoever takes refuge at their feet have at their disposal the key to the mystery of the universe and licence to sail the ocean of life with skill and dexterity unhindered.

On the occasion of this special commemoration I offer my sastanga pranaams to my most Revered Gurudev Srimath Swami Atmastanandaji Maharaj, my Chotaa Gurus Swami Vimokshanandaji Maharaj and Swami Saradaprabhanandaji Maharaj through whom I worship the Holy Trio and Jagatguru Sriman Narayana.

May all aspirants receive the bountiful grace of their revered Guru is my sincere prayer.

With  sincere love

Yogan
www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com