Ramanujacharya Jayanti!

Dear Friends,

We had Ramanujacharaya Jayanti on 7^th or 9^th May (different info given in different sites ), he explained to us the concept of 'Vishishtadwaitvaad'. A Great Seer!!

Here are some links on Ramanujacharya:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramanuja

http://www.saranagathi.org/acharyas/ramanuja/

http://www.sanskrit.org/www/Ramanuja/Ramanuja&vaishna.html

About Ramanujacharya Jayanati:

http://www.hindu-blog.com/2009/04/sri-ramanuja-jayanti-2009.html

Recently, 'The Times of India' had a special article on Ramanujacharya. An excerpt from that:

(To read the full article please visit:- http://ujalaa.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/trob/ )

The Revival Of Bhakti

By Sangeeta Venkatesh

A guru wondered whether his student was worthy of receiving the 'ashtakshara mantra' that would release him from earthly ills. After much deliberation, he finally disclosed it, but only after wresting a promise from him that it would not be revealed to others. The student pondered over the mantra and the next day, went atop the village temple and announced the mantra to a large gathering that had collected there. The guru, furious, said that the worst hell awaited him. To which the student replied, 'If this act of mine delivers thousands to heaven, i do not mind going to hell.' Thrilled, the guru hugged his disciple. The guru was Saint Tirukkottiyur Nambi and Ramanujacharya, his disciple, lived for 102 years.

Ramanuja was born in a Vaishnava family at Sriperambudur, near Kanchipuram. His own teacher, Yadavaprakash, felt threatened by the clarity and extent of his knowledge and so decided to kill him. However, due to divine grace Ramanujacharya survived. Ramanujacharya was against the caste system. He took an illiterate but knowledgeable saint, Kanchipurna as his teacher. One night Ramanuja invited Kanchipurna to his house. After serving him food, Ramanuja offered to wash his feet. Kanchipurna was embarrassed as Ramanuja was a Brahmin. An upset Ramanuja declared that one who was devoted to God was beyond any social order. Soon after, Ramanujacharya gave up the life of a householder and proceeded towards Srirangam.

Best Wishes for all of you on this occasion.

Shankaracharya Jayanti

Dear Friends,

8^th May is Shankaracharya Jayanti, the Great Seer who explained the concept of 'Adwaitvaad', and also wrote about all the ancient scriptures!

"The 'Knot of Ignorance' in the heart is finally removed, when one comes to see one's own 'True Non-dual Nature', by means of imageless Samadhi" - Shankara.

Here are some links about Shakaracharya:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara

http://www.sankaracharya.org/

And here is a link about Shankaracharya Jayanti:

http://www.hindudevotionalblog.com/2009/04/adi-shankaracharya-jayanti-in-april.html

Now here is a film, made on the life of Shankaracharya in Sanskrit (this particular upload has English Subtitiles). It is the Most Most Important Spiritual Film ever watched by me!! It has awesome Knowledge and Devotion in it!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ePzneq-Wnk

Lots of Best Wishes to you all!

Jai Shri Krishna!

Bhagwan Parashuram Jayanti

Dear Friends, 5th May was Bhagwan Parashuram Jayanti, who was the sixth avataar of Shri Hari.

Here are some links on Bhagwan Parashuram:

http://www.forumforhinduawakening.org/articles/id/understanding/glory-hindu-dharma/parshuram-jayanti

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parshuram

http://sitagita.com/mind-body-and-soul/grandma-stories/parashuram-avtaar.html

Lots of Best Wishes to all of you on this Pious Occasion! May Lord Parashuram Bless you with Power, Courage and Achievements!

Hari Om!

Navadha Bhakti: The Nine ways of Devotion

This is an excellent topic I was thinking to write about for a long time. Recently one of my Dear Sister Vedo from IF posted the Lyrics with English Translation. So thought to share it with all of you.

Shabri Ma wanted to learn more from Sri Ram about the path of Bhakti (Devotion). Thus Sri Ram explained:

1) Pratham Bhagati Santan kar sangaa

The first step to devotion (Bhakti) is to keep company of the Saintly

2) Doosri rati mam kathaa prasangaa

The second step is to enjoy listening to discourses pertaining to the Lord.

3) Guru pankaj seva, teesri bhakti amaan

The third step, is to believe, humbly in Guru/God.

4) Chouthi Bhagati mam gun gaan, karai kapat tajee gaan

The fourth step is earnestly (without hypocrisy) sing the praises of the Lord.

5) Mantra jaap mam dridh Visvaasaa, Pancham, bhajan jo Ved Prakaasaa

Chant the Vedic Mantras with immense faith.

6) Chattha dasa seela birati bahu karmaa, nirat nirantara sajjan dharma

The sixth step is not to react in adverse circumstances, yet act, perform ones karma, like the great ones do.

7) Saatvam sam mohi main jag dekhaa, motey sant adhik kar lekhaa

The seventh step is to perceive the world as God Himself. And believe the saintly to be greater than the Lord.

8) Aathvam jathaa laabh santoshaa, sapneu nahin, dekhai par doshaa

The eighth, is a state (which one arrives at when one travels the first seven steps) where there is no desire left, but the gift of perfect peace. (In this state) one does not see fault in others, even in a dream.

9) Navam saral sab san chhal heena, mam bharos heenya harash na deenaa

In this state one has full faith in the Lord, becomes (child-like) simple with no hypocrisy. In this state, he does not fly high or sink low (but becomes equanimous).

These lines are from Tulsidasji's RamcharitManas. Ramnanad Sagarji used a modified version of this part in his TV Serial Ramayan. Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKGbq6Y0PGI

And the Lyrics from the serial, posted by Shivang:

Navdha bhagati kahahun tohin paahi, Saavdhaan sunu, dhar man maahi.
Now I am telling you about 9 types of devotion to which you carefully pay attention and imbibe into heart.


Pratham bhagati santan kar sangaa, Dusari rati Prabhu kathaa prasangaa.
First type of devotion is 'To seek company of saint people', and the second type is 'To develop love for attending the events of story telling about Lord.'

Gurupad pankaj sevaa, teesari bhagati amaan,
Chauthi bhagati Prabhu gun-gan, karai kapat tyaji gaan.
Third is 'To serve the lotus feet of Guru without any pride/ego', and fourth is 'To sing the virtues of Lord leaving aside all the cunningness/decietfulness.'

Mantra-jaap Prabhu dradh biswaasaa, Pancham bhajan suved-prakaashaa.
Fifth well known in Vedas is 'To chant the mantras of Lord keeping faith on that Supreme power of Universe',

Chhath dam sheel virati bahu karmaa, Nirat nirantar sajjan dharmaa.
Sixth type is 'To regulate senses, to have pure character & nature, detachment from excessive works/ambitions and to follow continuously duties of noble man'.

Saatam sam Harimay jag dekhaa, Hari te sant adhik kari lekhaa.
Seventh is 'To see the entire universe equally staying in Lord and to treat devotee saints more than God'.

Aatham jathaa laabh santoshaa, Swapanehu nahi dekhahi pardoshaa.
Eighth is 'To feel contented with whatever available and not to look at anyone's faults to be one's faults even in dreams.'

Navam saral sab san chhal heenaa, Hari bharos hiy harash n deenaa.
Ninth is 'To follow simplicity and innocence in behaviour with all without cheating anyone ever and to keep faith in heart in all situations with neutrality of reactions in both joyful & sorrowful situations.

Navdha bhagati sabari kehe denhi, Saadar Sabari sis dhari linhi.
Thus, HE conveyed the knowledge of nine types of devotion to Shabari and Shabari also grasped the message like an order of Lord with total respect.

Jai Shri Ram!

A Motivational Story

My Dear Sister Lola shared this Beautiful story in India-Forums. Just thought to post it here, it has really a great message with it! We all need to have Patience and a Strong Faith in the ways of the Lord!

Once there was a sweeper in a well known temple who was very devout and pure of heart. Each day he saw thousands of devotees coming to worship the Lord, laying all their troubles at his feet for him to solve.

The naive sweeper was overcome with worry that God may be getting tired of this daily routine, and the people's prayers may suffer for it. So one morning very innocently he asked the Lord whether he can take his place for a day so that the Lord can have some relief and rest.

The deity situated in the Temple replied, "I do not mind taking a break. I will endow you with this statue form just like mine, but you must do one thing. You must just stand here like me, smile at everyone, and just give benedictions. Do not interfere with anything and do not say anything. Remember you are the deity representing me, and just have faith that I have a master plan for everything." The sweeper agreed to this.

The next day the sweeper took the position of the deity and a rich man came and prayed to the Lord. He offered a nice donation and prayed that his business should be prosperous. While going, the rich man inadvertently left his wallet full of money right there. Now the sweeper in the form of deity could not call him and so he decided to control himself and keep quiet. Just then a poor man came and he put one coin in the bowl as it was all he could afford, and he prayed to the Lord that he should continue to be engaged in the Lord's service. He also said that his family was in dire need of some basic necessities but he left it to the good hands of the Lord to provide a solution when the time is right. When he opened his eyes, he saw the wallet left by the rich man. The poor man thanked the Lord for His kindness and took the wallet very innocently. The sweeper in the form of the Deity could not say anything and he had to just keep smiling.

At that point a sailor walked in. He prayed for a safe journey as he was going to embark on a long trip. Just then the rich man came with the police and said that somebody has stolen his wallet, and seeing the sailor there, he asked the police to arrest him thinking that he might have taken it.

Now the sweeper in the form of Deity wanted to say that the sailor is not the thief but he could not say so and he became greatly frustrated. The sailor looked at the Lord and asked why he, an innocent person, is being punished.

The rich man looked at the Lord and thanked Him for finding the thief. The sweeper in the deity form could no longer tolerate it, and he thought that even if the real Lord had been here, he would have definitely interfered, and hence he started speaking and said that the sailor is not the thief but it was the poor man who took away the
wallet. The rich man was very thankful as was the sailor.

In the night, the real Lord came and He asked the sweeper how the day was. The sweeper said, "I thought it would be easy, but now I know that Your days are not easy, but I did one good thing." Then he explained the whole episode to the Lord.

The Lord became very upset on hearing this whereas the sweeper thought the Lord would appreciate him for the good deed done. The Lord asked, "Why did you not just stick to the plan? You had no faith in Me. Do you think that I do not understand the hearts of all those who come here? All the donations which the rich man gave were comprised of stolen money and it is only a fraction of what he really has and he wants Me to reciprocate with sincerity and without limits. The single coin offered by the poor man was the last coin he had and he gave it to Me out of faith. The sailor might not have done anything wrong, but if he would have embarked on his journey then, the raging storm that occurred that night would have killed him. Had he been arrested for that short while, he would have been saved from this great calamity and soon enough, justice would have prevailed.

The wallet should go to the poor man because he will use it in My service. I was going to reduce the rich man's burden of bad karma also by doing this and save the sailor also. But you canceled everything because you thought you know My plan and you made your own plans."

God has plans and justice for everyone....we just have to have patience!!!!!

Remembering the Lord:Good Friday/Easter Wishes...

Here is a post on the occasional of the belated Festivals-Good Friday and Easter. Hope you all had great time!

He showed us the way
He has long been gone
And yet in our hearts
His name shines on.

Dear Friends, like every year, Good Friday has come and we are remembering the Sacrifice, the Compassion and the Mercy of the Lord.

Good Friday

(Source:-

http://www.request.org.uk/main/festivals/friday/friday01.htm )

When is Good Friday?

Good Friday is the Friday of Holy Week, the Friday before Easter Sunday.

Why is it called Good Friday?

It is thought that the name Good Friday is an altered form of God's Friday. Some people say that Good Friday is the most appropriate name for the day as it shows God's goodness to sinful people as it opened up the way to God for mankind.

What does Good Friday remember?

Good Friday was the day when Jesus stood trial before the Priests and later a Roman Governor called Pilate. Although Pilate could not find any wrong in Jesus, He was still sentenced to death by crucifixion. Later that day after having been beaten and mocked Jesus was crucified. He died in the afternoon. His body was taken from the cross and put into a guarded tomb.

The story of Good Friday is found in The Bible, Matthew chapters 26 - 27, Mark chapters 14 - 15, Luke chapters 22 - 23 and John chapters 18 - 19.

(Source:-

http://www.request.org.uk/main/festivals/friday/friday02.htm )

Good Friday

What do Christians believe is special about Good Friday?

Good Friday is a day when Christians remember in a special way what Jesus did for them. It is the day that Christians remember God allowing Jesus, his perfect son, to take the world's sin onto Himself and take the punishment for it by being crucified. This meant that Jesus was then separated from God because God cannot keep company with sin. However, this is not the end of the story as on Easter Day Jesus rose from death proving that God had overcome sin and death

Christians believe that when Jesus died He took the punishment for all of their individual sins. This means that Christians are acceptable to God because they can be forgiven and so God can keep company with them. Christians believe that they will spend their time after their death in God's company, in Heaven..

How is Good Friday celebrated?

Good Friday is a time of sadness and thankfulness. Some Christians will fast on Good Friday. This could mean missing one or more meals or avoiding some kinds of foods. This helps them remember the sacrifice Jesus made for them on the day of crucifixion. It is a special time of asking for forgiveness.

Many churches will hold a special service on Good Friday. This may be a communion service in the evening or a time of prayer during the day, especially around 3 o'clock as that is about the time of day when Jesus died. Some people will join processions around towns where the story of Jesus' journey to the cross is acted out or read. In some churches pictures and statues are covered over and there will be no flowers or any other decoration. The Priest will wear black. It is seen as a time of mourning.

In many towns and cities there will be three crosses put on a high point on its outskirts as a reminder of Jesus' crucifixion between two criminals.

And after that we have Easter:

The spirit of Easter is all about Hope, Love and Joyful living.

(Source- Wikipedia:)

The New Testament accounts of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, state that the first day of the week after the crucifixion (typically interpreted as a Sunday), his followers encounter him risen from the dead, after his tomb is discovered to be empty. The resurrected Jesus appears to them that day and a number of times thereafter, delivers sermons and commissions them, before ascending to Heaven. Two of the Canonical gospels (Luke and Mark) include a brief mention of the Ascension, but the main references to it are elsewhere in the New Testament.

Just loved this comment on Jesus Christ made by a member under a video in YouTube and thought to share it with you all:

"Greatest man in history, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today."

On this auspicious day, wishing you all that:

May His light guide your path...

May his love grace your heart...

And may His scarifice strengthen

Your Soul on this Holy Day and Always.

And also wishing you all Happy Easter:

"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me shall never die"

As the season of Resurrection comes,

May the miracle of Easter fill you heart with joy!

Some related links:

7 Last Words of Jesus

http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/qt/sevenlastwords.htm

What is Good Friday?

http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/qt/whatisgoodfrida.htm

What is Good Friday?

http://www.gotquestions.org/Good-Friday.html

From Wikipedia:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday

Good Friday

http://www.indiaparenting.com/indianculture/festivals/fest010.shtml

About Easter:

From Wikipedia:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT EASTER (Detailed)

http://www.stpaulskingsville.org/easter.htm

Good Friday and Easter

http://www.festivalsofindia.in/easter/index.aspx

Now links of some movies on Jesus:

The Nativity Story 1/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsinfmAxAiA

Jesus of Nazareth - Pt 1/28 (Full Movie)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJi5o_AITMc

(another link of the same movie)

Jesus of Nazareth Movie (1977) part 1 of 41

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_B4MU4yuMI

The Life of Jesus, Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_9nRnbC3to

The Passion of the Christ Part 1 {English Subtitles}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QWgd7aywxc&feature=related

Navratri, Shri Ram Navmi and Hanumaan Jayanti Wishes

Belated Navratri, Shri Ram Navmi and Hanumaan Jayanti wishes to all of you. I am really late in this post and the following topics as well, which I am going to take up right after this one :).

Hope you all had great time during these festivals.

Here is a beautiful Thread on Navratri:

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1655220

Now this thread is about Shri Ram Navmi:

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1658607

And lastly, this one is celebrating Hanumaan Jayanti:

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1663651

All these threads are so Rich in their Content that I do not have anything more to add. Just go through any of them if you have time, you'll have a Blissful time! And we can Learn So Much from each of the informative posts!! Credit goes to the thread starters- Vedo and Lola- my Dear Sisters from India Forums :).

Jai Mata Rani!

Jai Shri Ram!

Jai Bajrangbali Hanumaan!