Food for thought

YOU

YOU CAN BE BEAUTIFUL;

BUT ARE YOU DUTIFUL?

YOU CAN HAVE PLENTIFUL;

BUT ARE YOU MERCIFUL?

YOU CAN BE A SCHOLAR

AND AN ABLE SOLDIER:

BUT ARE YOU A HELPER…

TO THE NEEDY BROTHER?

You command growing wealth;

But have you blooming health?

You attain name and fame;

But are your passions tame

You have the worldly tact,

but what are you in fact?

Have you clear conscience

Do you think in silence?

Have you learnt inner science?

Ingathered crystal mind

Helps you, yourself to find.

-KAVIYOGI SUDDHANANDA BHARATHI

 

 

 

Meditation

Meditation on the Sacred word OM

The Sacred word OM  is the primordial sound from which all other sounds emerge.  It underlies all phonetic creations.  The sounds of different languages and dialects are the various modifications and diversifications of the primordial sound Om.  The utterance of OM consisting of the three letters A, U and M, covers the whole process of articulation.  It is like the sound of a gong that gradually tapers to a point and merges in silence.

The sound Om embraces all levels of existence from the grossest to the finest.  It signifies the correlation between the microcosm and the macrocosm in all aspects.   The three letters A, U, M represent respectively the gross, the subtle and the causal aspects of the Cosmic Being.  The silence in which the sound merges represents the Pure Being underlying the three aspects.  No other word conveys the significance of the Ultimate Reality so profoundly as the word OM.  It is thus the most all-inclusive and most potent name of GOD.  Any other name of God preceded by Om attains these qualities.

— to be continued….

Worship

Why Worship is compulsory?
Important and inspiring incident from Swami Vivekananda’s life:
Once Swami Vivekananda visited Rajasthan and was the guest of Kings of Jaipur and Alwar. While at Alwar, Swamiji had an interesting conversation with Raja Mangal Singh who had been influenced by western notions and concepts particularly about worship and religion.
In his Court, the King asked Swamiji; Swamiji Maharaj, I have no faith in idol worship. What is going to be my fate?
He smiled as he spoke. Swamiji seemed slightly annoyed and exclaimed, “surely you are joking”
“No Swamiji not at all. You see, I really cannot worship wood, earth, stone or metal, like other people. Does this mean that I shall fare worse in the life hereafter?”
Swamiji answered, “Well, I suppose every man should follow the religious ideal according to his own faith.”
The devotees of the Swami were perplexed at this reply, for they knew that Swamiji sanctioned image worship. But the Swami had not finished; his eyes lighted on a picture of the Maharaja which was hanging on the wall. At his desire it was passed to him.
Holding it in his hand he asked, “whose picture is this?”

The Dewan answered, “It is the likeness of our Maharaja”
A moment later they trembled with fear when they heard Swamiji commanding the Dewan: “Spit on it”.
He continued; “Any one of you may spit on it. What is it but a piece of paper? What objection can you have against doing so?”
The Dewan was thunderstruck, and all eyes glanced in fear and awe from Prince to monk, from monk to Prince.

But our Swamiji continued to insist, “Spit on it, I say “
The Dewan cried out, “What Swamiji, What are you asking me to do? This is the likeness of our Maharaja. How can I do such a thing?”
Be it so said the Swamiji; but the Maharaja is not bodily present in this photograph. This is only a piece of paper. It does not contain his bones and flesh and blood. It does not speak or behave or move in any way as the Maharaja does; yet all of you refuse to spit on it, because you see in this photo the shadow of the Maharaja. Indeed, in spitting on the photo, you feel that you insult your master, the Prince himself”

Turning to Maharaja, Swamiji Maharaj continued, “see your Highness, though this is not you in one sense, in another sense it is you. That was why your devoted servants were so perplexed when I asked them to spit on it. It is a shadow of you; it brings you into their minds. One glance at it makes them see you in it; therefore they look at it with as much respect as they would have in looking at your own person. Thus it also is with the devotees who worship stone and metal images of gods and goddesses. It is because an image brings to their minds their Ishta or some special form and attributes of the Divinity and helps them to concentrate that the devotes worship God in an image. They do not worship the stone or the metal as such. I have travelled in many places, but nowhere have I found a single Hindu worshipping an image saying, “ O stone, I worship Thee. O metal be merciful to me”. Everyone, Maharaja, is worshipping the same one God who is the Supreme Spirit, the Soul of Pure Knowledge. And God appears to all according to their understanding and their representation of Him. Prince, I speak for myself. Of course, I cannot speak for you”.

Mangal Singh, who had been listening attentively all this time, said, with folded hands, “Swamiji, I must admit that looking at image worship in the light you have thrown on it, I have never yet met anyone who worshipped stone, or wood, or metal. Before this I did not understand its meaning. You have opened my eyes. But what will be my fate? Have mercy on me”.

Swamiji smiled and answered, “O Prince, none but God can be merciful to anyone; and He is ever merciful, Pray to Him. HE will show HIS mercy to you”.

— Life of Swami Vivekananda by His Eastern and Western Disciples,
Advaita Ashrama, Volume one page 268-270

……

Yoga day special

யுஜ் என்னும் சமஸ்கிருத சொல்லில் இருந்த வந்த யோகா என்னும் சொல்லுக்கு, தனிப்பட்டவரின் நனவுநிலை அல்லது ஆன்மா, பிரபஞ்ச சக்தியுடன் இணைதல் என்று அர்த்தம். யோகா என்பது இந்தியாவின் 5000 ஆண்டு பழைமை வாய்ந்த உடல் சார்ந்த அறிவு. யோகா என்பதைப் பலர், உடல் வளைதல், திரும்புதல், நீட்டுதல், மூச்சினை எடுத்து விடுதல் என சிக்கலான உடற்பயிற்சி என்று நினைக்கக்கூடும், இவையனைத்தும், உள்ளிருக்கும் மனித மனதின் ஆன்மாவின் எல்லையற்ற சக்தியைத் திறந்து திறனை அதிகரிக்கும் ஆழமான அறிவியலைப் பற்றிய மேலோட்டமான கருத்துகள்.

யோகா என்பதே, தன்னுள் எப்படி வாழ வேண்டுமெனும் வாழ்க்கையின் சாரத்தைப் பொதிந்து வைத்திருக்கும் அறிவியல் ஆகும் – ஞான யோகம் – ஞான தத்துவ மார்க்கம், பக்தி யோகம் – பக்தி வழியில் பேரின்பம், கர்ம யோகம் – செயல்களின் பாதை, ராஜ யோகம் – மனதைக் கட்டுக்குள் வைக்கும் மார்க்கம். ராஜ யோகம், எட்டு பாகங்களாகப் பிரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

ராஜ யோக அமைப்பின் மையப்பகுதி என்பது, இவை அனைத்தையும் பல வழிகளில் சமன் செய்து இணைக்கும் யோக ஆசனப் பயிற்சியாகும்

parvathi tapas for shiv க்கான பட முடிவு 

5000 ஆண்டுகள் பழமையான இக்கலையை ஆயிரக்கணக்கான சித்தர்கள், ஞானிகள், ரிஷிகள் குறிப்பாக மச்சேந்திரநாதர், கோரக்கநாதர், திருமூலர் போன்றோர் வாழ்நாள் முழுவதும் பயிற்சி பெற்று கண்டுபிடித்துள்ளனர்.
mahaperiyava க்கான பட முடிவு

 

யோகா பலன்கள்:

முறையாக யோகா ஆசனம் பயிற்சி செய்வதன் மூலம் பல நோய்களை குணப்படுத்த முடியும். நோய் வராமல் தடுக்க இயலும். வந்த நோய்களை கட்டுப்படுத்தவும் முடியும். நேரடியாக தகுதிபெற்ற யோகா நிபுணரின் கீழ்தான் பயிற்சி மேற்கொள்ள வேண்டும். ’டிவி’ பார்த்து செய்தால் பக்கவிளைவுகள் வர வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது. முறையாக செய்வதன் மூலம் பல அற்புத பலன்களை பெற இயலும்.

 

யோகப் பயிற்சியின் மூலம் உடற்தகுதியினை உடல் நலத்தை தக்க வைத்துக்கொள்ளலாம். உடலின் பலவீனமான பகுதிகளை வலுவடைய செய்கிறது. உடல் எடையை சீராக வைத்துக்கொள்ள உதவுகிறது. மரணத்தை தள்ளிப்போடுகிறது. சர்க்கரை நோய், ரத்தஅழுத்தத்தை கட்டுப்பாட்டிற்குள் வைக்க உதவும். ரத்தத்தில் உள்ள கொழுப்பை கரைக்க உதவுகிறது.

 

இளவயதிலேயே முறையாக பயிற்சி செய்தால் மாரடைப்பு, பக்கவாதம், சிறுநீரகம், கல்லீரல் நோய்களை வராமல் தவிர்க்கலாம். ரத்தஓட்டத்தை சீராக வைக்க உதவும். எலும்புகள், தசை நார்களை வலிமையாக, உறுதியாக வைக்க உதவும். முன்னால் குனியும் ஆசனங்கள் மூலம் மூளைக்கு முறையாக ரத்தஓட்டத்ததை செலுத்தி, பிராணவாயு அதிகமாக உட்செலுத்தி நீண்ட ஆயுளையும், ஞாபக சக்தியையும் பெருக்க முடியும்.

உளவியல் ரீதியாக மனஅழுத்தத்தை கட்டுப்படுத்த முடியும். தன்னம்பிக்கை, சுயக்கட்டுப்பாடு வளர்க்க முடியும். கவனச் சிதறலில் இருந்து விடுபட்டு, மனஒருமைப்பாட்டை வளர்க்க முடியும். மாணவர்கள் கற்கும் திறனை மேம்படுத்த முடியும். மனநோய்களான மனஇறுக்கம், அபரிமித உணர்வுகள், வன்முறை உணர்வுகள், பயம் போன்றவற்றை கட்டுப்பாட்டுக்குள் வைக்க முடியும்.

 

Food for thought – How to get help from GOD

I know there is a law by which God directly supports that devotee who depends solely on HIM.  If one lives the renuncient life sincerely, he will see how this law works.  The true renunciant knows that everything comes from GOD, and that HE is the sole support of life.

A man may have plenty of food, but if his heart fails, food has no value for him.  The power that supports our heartbeat, certainly knows our lesser needs.  If we live solely for GOD and have faith in HIS power, HE will give us direct help.

  • Paramahamsa Yogananda.

Food for thought

                               The Divine Mother – Gayathri

Gayathri is the epitome of the Vedas.  It is a Divine Elixir.  This sacred Mantra has been recited in the Cavern of the hearts by millions of people for over several centuries.  There is no prayer more comprehensive, more majestic, more effective and more blissful than Gayathri.

Gayathri Mantra is called Song Saviour as it protects him, who chants it.  Gayathri is the Mantra of the Mantras.  It is the unique Mantra of purity, unity and divinity.

gayathri mantra images க்கான பட முடிவு

Manu says, There is no higher Mantra than Gayathri, there is no higher deity than ones Mother.  It is out of Gayathri the Vedas have come and into Gayathri the Vedas have converged.  That is why this sacred verse adorns all the Vedas.

It occurs in Rigveda (III. 62.10) in Yajur Veda (III 35, XXII, 9, XXXVI, 3) and in Samaveda (1462).

— to be continued.

—Dr.V.Meenakshi Jayakumar.

Music – December season

December Season

Madras Music Season or December Music season is an event hosted every December & January in Madras.  Spanning some seven to eight weeks, many kutcheris are performed by great musicians.  The Music season encourages renowned and upcoming young artists to display their talent and skill.  Rakisas and Artists come not only from India but also from abroad.

The All India Music Conference was held in 1927 concurrently with the Annual Session of Indian National Congress in Madras. The Madras Music season was first started in the year 1927.  Concerts would be held at various venues at different places every year.  December is the favourable weather conditions and attracted more tourists during this period.

— to be continued.