Six hundred and thirty thousand, seven hundred and twenty!!!
Today, this number marks the number of times that I have chanted the Maha Mantra in the last year!
One year ago, on 1 June 2010, I made a firm commitment to myself, that I would chant 16 rounds of the Maha Mantra, every single day from then on.
I have kept my promise to myself, and come rain or shine, joy or sorrow, work deadlines or days relaxing at home, I have chanted!!
The chanting of a mantra is called Japa. For this practice, we use a Japa Mahler, which is made up of 109 beads. 108 beads are used for counting the number of times the mantra is chanted. And the last, 109th bead, represents the Divine and hold the energy of all the chanting. We do not chant on that bead.
And so, chanting 16 rounds per day, as per my undertaking, translates to the repitition of the mantra 16 x 108 = 1728 times per day which further translates to 630,720 times per year!
This is significant, and even more so in devotees, such as my self who endeavour to gain control over the mind. What better way to transcend our daily lives, than by repeating the name of God.
Of course, this daily practice (sadhana) was inspired by my Guru, Sri Sri Swami Vishwananda. He teaches regularly about the benefit of Mantra, the word itself meaning to merge (with the Divine). He taught us that every time we repeat the mantra, it becomes 1/4 more powerful.
Another significant role model and spiritual companion, has always taught me that when something goes wrong or out of balance, instead of focusing on the negativity of it, “GIVE IT THE OPPOSITE!” I hear her beautiful, calm and reassuring voice in my head at this very moment. This teaching ties in perfectly with Mantra! When the mind is out of control, a beneficial way to transcend any drama, which is often so all consuming, is to chant a mantra:
By taking this approach, we give the situation the opposite, which allows healing to flow automatically! We distract the mind too for a few precious moments, which allows it to calm itself. And we also raise the vibration of the situation and ourselves by calling on and repeating the name of God.
These are a few of the immediate benefits that are my own personal experience. Of course the benefits are incalculable and will vary from person to person.
Doctor Masaru Emoto has recently performed scientific experiments in which he has demonstrated the relationship between our thoughts and water. At night before bedtime, he wrote different messages on separate bottles of water. Those messages affected the structure of the water, which could be viewed under a microscope. (for more information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaru_Emoto). Interestingly, the messages of LOVE, yielded healthy, beautifully shaped water.
In the very same way, mantra has a similar effect on our minds and bodies. By calling upon the Divine by chanting, our minds and bodies are transformed and retain healthy and beautiful shape. The mantra is the message and the bottle is our mind and body. The water is that which lies inside and all around! Knowing this, gives us the opportunity to create a beautiful life for ourselves. All it takes is a little effort and commitment!
Tuesday 31 May 2011
Friday 20 May 2011
Narasimha and Prahlada: Reflection
Indeed the story of Narasimha and Prahlada is a captivating one. Often the picture of this story, which I posted in the story’s Introduction blog, is interpreted as scary as the picture depicts a man-eating lion, dripping in blood.
Over the years when looking at this picture, friends have all asked me the same question,” How can such a frightening picture such as this, be religious?” Agreed, it is “out there”, and so far from the harmonious religious pictures we are accustomed to, where for example Hanuman is holding up a mountain to save the life of Sita or Jesus is holding His crook surrounded by his peaceful flock of sheep.
To gain further insight into this picture, an icon rich with symbolism, we need to make a small jump in our thinking of spirituality. Those who have travelled the spiritual path will know that spirituality is not always about the peaceful flock of sheep. Rather it is about the advancement of the soul toward the Divine.
In order to attain the Divine, we must be pure in mind, heart and soul. In order to become as pure as a lamb, first purification of our ego’s and senses must first take place. This picture is about just that.
In my understanding, the evil Hiranyakashipur represents untrained, over egotistical mind gone mad, trying to control the entire universe. And the mind, by its limited understanding, often falls short and the result is the the limited behaviour as displayed in the story: “I am above God for I rule the universe and you must bow down to me”.
In my understanding, the boy, Prahlada represents devotion to the Lord. This devotion will overcome any obstacles. When a person sincerely calls upon the Divine, He will come to that person. All that is needed is devotion and faith.
It is my understanding that this story is about how, through devotion (Prahlada), we are able to find God in whatever form we believe in Him (Narashima). It is also about how God will purify the ego by the death of the over-egotistical mind (the death of Hiranyakashipur) so that we may find him through a pure mind, which is supported and guided by faith and devotion (Prahlada).
The ego is a tool given by us by God to help us to find God. It is what separates us from other forms of life on our planet. It must remain pure, so that our hearts remain open. And similarly, our hearts remain open through faith and devotion.
By understanding and applying these simple principles, we will be able to find the Divine, anywhere, at any time, even at dusk, inside that unassuming pillar right in front of us.
Over the years when looking at this picture, friends have all asked me the same question,” How can such a frightening picture such as this, be religious?” Agreed, it is “out there”, and so far from the harmonious religious pictures we are accustomed to, where for example Hanuman is holding up a mountain to save the life of Sita or Jesus is holding His crook surrounded by his peaceful flock of sheep.
To gain further insight into this picture, an icon rich with symbolism, we need to make a small jump in our thinking of spirituality. Those who have travelled the spiritual path will know that spirituality is not always about the peaceful flock of sheep. Rather it is about the advancement of the soul toward the Divine.
In order to attain the Divine, we must be pure in mind, heart and soul. In order to become as pure as a lamb, first purification of our ego’s and senses must first take place. This picture is about just that.
In my understanding, the evil Hiranyakashipur represents untrained, over egotistical mind gone mad, trying to control the entire universe. And the mind, by its limited understanding, often falls short and the result is the the limited behaviour as displayed in the story: “I am above God for I rule the universe and you must bow down to me”.
In my understanding, the boy, Prahlada represents devotion to the Lord. This devotion will overcome any obstacles. When a person sincerely calls upon the Divine, He will come to that person. All that is needed is devotion and faith.
It is my understanding that this story is about how, through devotion (Prahlada), we are able to find God in whatever form we believe in Him (Narashima). It is also about how God will purify the ego by the death of the over-egotistical mind (the death of Hiranyakashipur) so that we may find him through a pure mind, which is supported and guided by faith and devotion (Prahlada).
The ego is a tool given by us by God to help us to find God. It is what separates us from other forms of life on our planet. It must remain pure, so that our hearts remain open. And similarly, our hearts remain open through faith and devotion.
By understanding and applying these simple principles, we will be able to find the Divine, anywhere, at any time, even at dusk, inside that unassuming pillar right in front of us.
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Narasimha and Prahlada: Meditation
The Mantra of Lord Narasimha is:
Ugram Veeram Mahaa-Vishnum,
Jwalantham Sarvatho Mukham
Nrisimham Bheeshanam Bhadram
Mrityu-Mrityum Namaamyaham
Translated:
O' Angry and brave Maha-Vishnu, your heat and fire permeate everywhere.
O Lord Narasimha, you are everywhere.
You are the death of death itself and I surrender completely to You.
Ugram Veeram Mahaa-Vishnum,
Jwalantham Sarvatho Mukham
Nrisimham Bheeshanam Bhadram
Mrityu-Mrityum Namaamyaham
Translated:
O' Angry and brave Maha-Vishnu, your heat and fire permeate everywhere.
O Lord Narasimha, you are everywhere.
You are the death of death itself and I surrender completely to You.
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Narasimha and Prahlada: Introduction
With yesterday being the day of the Appearance of Lord Narashima, I thought it appropriate that I write about the story of Narasimha as described in the Bhagavata Purana.
In his previous avatara of Varaha, Vishnu killed a rakshasa known as Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha's brother Hiranyakashipu, greatly angered by this, started to abhor Vishnu and his followers. He decides to attempt to kill Vishnu by gaining mystical powers, which he believes Brahma, the chief among the devas, will award him if he undergoes many years of great austerity and penance. This initially seems to work as planned with Brahma becoming pleased by Hiranyakashipu's austerities. Brahma thus appears before Hiranyakashipu and offers him a boon that he will personally make true anything he wishes for. In reply, Hiranyakashipu requests the following:
“O my lord, O best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindly grant me the benediction I desire, please let me not meet death from any of the living entities created by you. Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought about by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal. Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving created by you. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time”
One day while Hiranyakashipu is performing austerities at Mandaracala Mountain, his home is attacked by Indra and the other devas. At this point the divine sage Narada intervenes to protect Kayadu, whom he describes as 'sinless'. Following this event, Narada takes Kayadu into his care and while under the guidance of Narada, her unborn child (Hiranyakashipu's son) Prahlada, becomes affected by the transcendental instructions of the sage even at such a young stage of development. Thus, Prahlada later begins to show symptoms of this earlier training by Narada, gradually becoming recognised as a devoted follower of Vishnu, much to his father's disappointment.
Hiranyakashipu eventually becomes so angry and upset at his son's devotion to Vishnu (whom he sees as his mortal enemy) that he decides he must kill him, but each time he attempts to kill the boy, Prahlada is protected by Vishnu's mystical power. When asked, Prahlada refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe and claims that Vishnu is all-pervading and omnipresent. Hiranyakashipu points to a nearby pillar and asks if 'his Vishnu' is in it:
"O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?”
Prahlada then answers, He was, He is and He will be. Hiranyakashipu, unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar with his mace, and following a tumultuous sound, Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appears from it and moves to attack his father in defence of Prahlada. In order to kill Hiranyakashipu and not upset the boon given by Brahma, the form of Narasimha is chosen. Hiranyakashipu can not be killed by human, deva or animal. Narasimha is neither one of these as he is a form of Vishnu incarnate as a part-human, part-animal. He comes upon Hiranyakashipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor out), and puts the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor space). Using his sharp fingernails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon.
The Bhagavata Purana further narrates: even after killing Hiranyakashipu, none of the present demigods are able to calm Narasimha's fury, not even Shiva. So all the gods and goddesses call his consort, Lakshmi, but she is also unable to do so. Then, at the request of Brahma, Prahlada is presented to Narasimha, and finally he is calmed by the prayers of his devotee. Before parting, Narasimha rewards the wise Prahlada by crowning him as the king.
It is believed by followers that Narasimha protects his sincere devotees when they are in extreme danger.
In his previous avatara of Varaha, Vishnu killed a rakshasa known as Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha's brother Hiranyakashipu, greatly angered by this, started to abhor Vishnu and his followers. He decides to attempt to kill Vishnu by gaining mystical powers, which he believes Brahma, the chief among the devas, will award him if he undergoes many years of great austerity and penance. This initially seems to work as planned with Brahma becoming pleased by Hiranyakashipu's austerities. Brahma thus appears before Hiranyakashipu and offers him a boon that he will personally make true anything he wishes for. In reply, Hiranyakashipu requests the following:
“O my lord, O best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindly grant me the benediction I desire, please let me not meet death from any of the living entities created by you. Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought about by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal. Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving created by you. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time”
One day while Hiranyakashipu is performing austerities at Mandaracala Mountain, his home is attacked by Indra and the other devas. At this point the divine sage Narada intervenes to protect Kayadu, whom he describes as 'sinless'. Following this event, Narada takes Kayadu into his care and while under the guidance of Narada, her unborn child (Hiranyakashipu's son) Prahlada, becomes affected by the transcendental instructions of the sage even at such a young stage of development. Thus, Prahlada later begins to show symptoms of this earlier training by Narada, gradually becoming recognised as a devoted follower of Vishnu, much to his father's disappointment.
Hiranyakashipu eventually becomes so angry and upset at his son's devotion to Vishnu (whom he sees as his mortal enemy) that he decides he must kill him, but each time he attempts to kill the boy, Prahlada is protected by Vishnu's mystical power. When asked, Prahlada refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe and claims that Vishnu is all-pervading and omnipresent. Hiranyakashipu points to a nearby pillar and asks if 'his Vishnu' is in it:
"O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?”
Prahlada then answers, He was, He is and He will be. Hiranyakashipu, unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar with his mace, and following a tumultuous sound, Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appears from it and moves to attack his father in defence of Prahlada. In order to kill Hiranyakashipu and not upset the boon given by Brahma, the form of Narasimha is chosen. Hiranyakashipu can not be killed by human, deva or animal. Narasimha is neither one of these as he is a form of Vishnu incarnate as a part-human, part-animal. He comes upon Hiranyakashipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor out), and puts the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor space). Using his sharp fingernails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon.
The Bhagavata Purana further narrates: even after killing Hiranyakashipu, none of the present demigods are able to calm Narasimha's fury, not even Shiva. So all the gods and goddesses call his consort, Lakshmi, but she is also unable to do so. Then, at the request of Brahma, Prahlada is presented to Narasimha, and finally he is calmed by the prayers of his devotee. Before parting, Narasimha rewards the wise Prahlada by crowning him as the king.
It is believed by followers that Narasimha protects his sincere devotees when they are in extreme danger.
Friday 13 May 2011
A new commandment: Reflection
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that" -- Martin Luther King, Jr
Wednesday 11 May 2011
A new commandment: Meditation
A new commandment, i give unto You
That you love one another,
As I have loved you
By this, shall all men know that you are my disciples
If you have loved, one to another
John 13:34
That you love one another,
As I have loved you
By this, shall all men know that you are my disciples
If you have loved, one to another
John 13:34
Friday 6 May 2011
A new commandment: Introduction
I watched the television last week as the Western World celebrated the murder of Osama Bin Laden.
This aroused a lot of emotion in me. A lot! At first, and automatically, I was sucked in by the power of the media and felt a sense of relief! "Shew, I am glad that they nabbed him!" Thereafter i felt really angry at how this operation has been executed and then, I felt really sad at the mess of it all.
From my first emotion response i see clearly the power and influence that the media have on me and on us. CNN showed some people dancing in the streets and having beer drinking contests in celebration. Something sure made those people happy, really happy! For a few moments i was a part of that feeling of "we won!"
My second response was, how can people have a party over the death of another human being. No matter how good or bad a person, who has the right to end that person's life? ## I am just saying? ##
And then the next morning, after a good night’s rest in my warm, comfortable and safe bed, i woke up feeling really sad at the entire situation.
It affected me and so I thought about it. And this is what i have concluded, for myself.
Perhaps the world has some way to go in its responses to the things it does not like. Being happy, angry and/or sad about anything just gives energy to that thing. It fuels it. So unless i can change that thing, it may be best not to feel happy, angry and /or sad about it.
I am thinking that perhaps the likes and dislikes which we attach to EVERYTHING perpetuates the illusion, as it moves us, our true selves, away from the truth. And the truth is that we are all one. We are all love.
Perhaps i should then only feel happy, angry and /or sad about the things which I can change and which are within my control. This would then require a small adjustment to the way I respond to the things which I cannot change.
And so, instead of feeling happy, angry and /or sad, perhaps I should just Love. Love everybody and Love everything. Love has the power to disarm anybody in ways which I cannot begin to imagine. And the best part of it, is that we are that Love and that very Love is all that there is!
Jesus loved everybody. He did not curse his perpetrators whilst on the cross. He responded to even them with Love. His new commandment to His disciples was: Love one another as I have loved you.
This does not mean that the Osama Bin Laden’s of this world should get away with their crimes and injustices nor does it mean that we should passively sit back in our spiritual bubbles and watch the world go by…
Instead it means that everybody is worthy of being loved. And It means that we should respond, actively and consciously by sending the vibration of LOVE to everybody and to every encounter. Imagine how the consciousness of our planet would be elevated if we responded this way, with Love and by Loving and blessing everybody, every encounter in our lives: be it something we once decided to “like” or to “dislike”.
To this end I say: Love especially those encounters which make us feel uncomfortable. Not only will we send healing to the encounter through the love vibration, but we will also heal that very part of ourselves for underlying this physical realm, we are all one.
"An eye for an eye" would leave half the world blind! And this blindness is a spiritual blindness which keeps the world from evolving into a warm, comfortable and safe place, for everybody, in everybody!
This aroused a lot of emotion in me. A lot! At first, and automatically, I was sucked in by the power of the media and felt a sense of relief! "Shew, I am glad that they nabbed him!" Thereafter i felt really angry at how this operation has been executed and then, I felt really sad at the mess of it all.
From my first emotion response i see clearly the power and influence that the media have on me and on us. CNN showed some people dancing in the streets and having beer drinking contests in celebration. Something sure made those people happy, really happy! For a few moments i was a part of that feeling of "we won!"
My second response was, how can people have a party over the death of another human being. No matter how good or bad a person, who has the right to end that person's life? ## I am just saying? ##
And then the next morning, after a good night’s rest in my warm, comfortable and safe bed, i woke up feeling really sad at the entire situation.
It affected me and so I thought about it. And this is what i have concluded, for myself.
Perhaps the world has some way to go in its responses to the things it does not like. Being happy, angry and/or sad about anything just gives energy to that thing. It fuels it. So unless i can change that thing, it may be best not to feel happy, angry and /or sad about it.
I am thinking that perhaps the likes and dislikes which we attach to EVERYTHING perpetuates the illusion, as it moves us, our true selves, away from the truth. And the truth is that we are all one. We are all love.
Perhaps i should then only feel happy, angry and /or sad about the things which I can change and which are within my control. This would then require a small adjustment to the way I respond to the things which I cannot change.
And so, instead of feeling happy, angry and /or sad, perhaps I should just Love. Love everybody and Love everything. Love has the power to disarm anybody in ways which I cannot begin to imagine. And the best part of it, is that we are that Love and that very Love is all that there is!
Jesus loved everybody. He did not curse his perpetrators whilst on the cross. He responded to even them with Love. His new commandment to His disciples was: Love one another as I have loved you.
This does not mean that the Osama Bin Laden’s of this world should get away with their crimes and injustices nor does it mean that we should passively sit back in our spiritual bubbles and watch the world go by…
Instead it means that everybody is worthy of being loved. And It means that we should respond, actively and consciously by sending the vibration of LOVE to everybody and to every encounter. Imagine how the consciousness of our planet would be elevated if we responded this way, with Love and by Loving and blessing everybody, every encounter in our lives: be it something we once decided to “like” or to “dislike”.
To this end I say: Love especially those encounters which make us feel uncomfortable. Not only will we send healing to the encounter through the love vibration, but we will also heal that very part of ourselves for underlying this physical realm, we are all one.
"An eye for an eye" would leave half the world blind! And this blindness is a spiritual blindness which keeps the world from evolving into a warm, comfortable and safe place, for everybody, in everybody!
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