Devoted to God~!'s topics - tribe.net

Seeds of Love

Naveen108 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:31:31 GMT

OM AMRITESHWARYAI NAMAHA

Seeds of Love

Children, we must first plant the seeds of love, peace and patience within ourselves. The key to world peace is within every individual residing on this planet. Peace is not just the absence of war and conflict; it goes well beyond that. Simply transferring the world’s nuclear weapons to a museum will not in itself bring about world peace. The nuclear weapons of the mind must first be eliminated.
Mata Amritanandamayi Ma

In Love and Light

Naveen

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silence

Naveen108 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:18:25 GMT

NAMASTE

Many people are afraid of silence. They have to be doing something all the time. Many people also are afraid of being alone. But actually no one ever is alone. He’s always with his great divine Self. Every person has a great, divine Self within him an absolutely perfect, shining, sublime being of light. The voice of this being is a loud silence. The voice of your soul is a loud silence. Many people have said that the voice of God is a deep, profound silence.
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001)

In Love and Light

Naveen

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Sri Devi Khadga Mala Stotram

Naveen108 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:30:56 GMT

OM AMRITESHWARYAI NAMAHA

Sri Devi Khadga Mala Stotram

Om Asya Sri Suddha Sakti málá mahá mantrasya

Upasthendriya adhisthayi Varunaditya Rishih

Daivi Gayatri Chandah

Satvika Kakára bhattaraka pithasthita

Sri mat Kámesveranka nilaiaya

Sri mat Kámesvari devatá

Aim Bijam, Klim Saktihi, Souh kilakam

Sri Devi prityarthe Khadga siddthyarthe jape viniyogah

Of this, Devi's sword, the Seer is the Sun rising from the ocean; the ocean being the Divine Mother; Gayatri is the meter; passionate Kameshwari, sitting on the lap of joyous Kameswara is the deity; Aim is the seed; Klim is the power; Souh is the pivot; it is purpose is for worship of the Divine Mother. This worship of the Divine Mother (of Kameshwari ) which is the ocean's embrace with the Sun, gives the devotee a Sword, a power supreme, that Heavens of the remotest galaxies. When the devotee thinks of such a sword, he or her become the protector and enjoyer of eighteen lands of jewels ( Sakti peetams ), and five continents.

Dhyanam

Tadrisam Khadgam apnoti

Yena hasta sthitena vai

Astadasa Mahadvipa

Samrad bhokta bhavisyati

Hrimkrasana Garbhitanala Sikham

Souh Klim kalam bibhratim dhautam trinetrojvalam

I meditate on Sri Devi glowing with red, yellow, and blue flames of passion fanning the erotic sentiment of Kameshwara, in the meddle of a triangle called Hrim, whose three points are the light of Hari, Hara Virinchi, the three gurus; Sri Devi is wearing the full moon on her crown ( Souh ), Her body is full of desire for union ( Klim ) with Kameshwara, the controller of lust;

Vande pustaka pasam ankusadharam

Sragbhusitam ujvalam

Tvam Gourim Tripuram Paratparakalam

Sri Cakra Sancarinim

She is wearing a sari made of golden threads; She is fair as nectarine milk and the moonlight; She has three eyes; in Her four hands she is wearing a book of knowledge, a noose, a goad, and a garland of letters; She is a personification of all that is beautiful, aesthetic, harmonius, joyful, vibrant; she moves in Sri Chakra, a mandala consisting of all the deities worshipping their consorts named here after.

Om Aim Hrim Srim Aim Klim Souh

om (in the name of God), may you grant us benediction of knowledge, power and grace; and the power over creation, nourishment and destruction.

Om Namah Tripura Sundari

Hridayadevi - Compassionate heart

Sirodevi - princely diadem

Sikhadevi - flowing hair

Kavaca Devi - protective hands

Netra Devi - graceful look

Astra Devi - protective weapons

Om, we bow to you, the most beautiful in all the waking, dreaming, or sleeping worlds. Oh Tripura Sundari. We bow to the compassionate heart of your highness princely diadem, flowing hair, protective hands, graceful look, protective weapons.

( Keep offering kumkum at Her feet with every name below )

Kamesvari - Controller of lust

Bhagamalini, - Garland of Suns

Nityaklinne, - Oozing wet

Bherunde, - Terrific

Vahnivasini, - Residing in fire

Mahavajresvari, - Jewel in lotus

Sivaduti, - Llarbinger of joy

Tvarite, - Speed

Kulasundari, - beautiful lotus on a lake

Nitya, - Eternal

Nilapatake, - Blue flag with red tip

Vijaye, - Dominat

Sarvamangale, - All auspicious

Jvalamalini, - Flames

Citre, - Kaleidoscope

Mahanitye, - Truth eternal

Paramesvara - Goddess of God

Paramesvari - Friendly

Mitresamayi, - Sexy

Sasthisamayi, - Erect

Uddisamayi, - Stroking

Caryanathamayi - Happiness

( Follow the names of the saints who have worshipped the Deviine Mother and attained liberation thereby;)

Lopamudramayi, - Lopamudra - She offered herself for worship

Agastyamayi, - Agastya - he drank the water of the oceans, drying them up

Kalatapanamayi, - Kalatana - he set time on fire

Dharmacharyamayi, - Dharmacharya - he preached the nature of good and evil

Muktakesisvaramayi, - Muktakaleisvara - not worrying about his appearace he let the hair flow loose

Dipakalanathamayi, - Depakalanada - he gazed on eternal light

Visnudevamayi, - Vishnudeva - he expanded himself, took up the whole of space

Prabhakara devamayi, - Prabhaharadeva - he became a star called the sun

Tejodevamayi, - Tejodeva - he became the light witch was speeding over all space creating space itself

Manojadevamayi, - Manojadeva - he was desire

Kalyanadevamayi, - Kalyanadeva - he was ever auspicious

Vasudevamayi, - Vasudeva - the world grew out of his memory

Ratnadevamayi, - Ratnadeva - concentrated like jewels

Sri Ramanandamayi - Sri Ramananda - he enjoyed the Goddess Sri Rama Blissfully

( Follow the Gods of the nine enclosures of Sri Chakra / the first enclosure)

Anima Siddhe, Laghima Siddhe, Garima Siddhe, Mahima Siddhe, Isitva Siddhe, Vasitva Siddhe, Prakamya

Siddhe, Bhukti Siddhe, Iccha Siddhe, Prapti Siddhe, Sarvakama Siddhe, Brahmi, Mahesvari, Koumari,

Vaisnavi, Varahi, Mahendri, Camunde, Mahalaksmi, Sarva Samksobhini, Sarva Vidravini, Sarva karsini, Sarva

Vasamkari, Sarvonmadini, Sarva Mahankuse, Sarva Khecari, Sarva Bije, Sarva Yone, Sarva Trikhande

( The passions called : lust, anger, possessiveness, obsession, pride, jealousy, good, and evil. The procedure to control these passions and obtain the powers of: agiting all, liquifying all(orgasmically), attracting all controlling all, maddening all, directing all, moving in all space, be the information of all, be the source of all ( womb), be tri-fold division of all ( the knower, the knowing, and the know)

Trilokya mohana cakra swamini Prakata yogini

The wheel of the three worlds of waking, dreaming, and sleeping, expressing Herself openly without inhibitions.

( Follow the sixteen attractive powers identified with the sixteen days of the lunar calender; according to the Hindu art of love, the erotic zone moves up from feet to head in the bright half of the lunar month and comes down to the dark half of the lunar month; the expression of the eros os through the various power of the mind described bellow: - the Gods of the second enclosure )

Kamakarsini, - Attractive powers of lust

Buddhyakarsini, - Attractive powers of discrimination

Ahamkarakarsini, - Attractive powers of ego

Sabdhakarsini, - Attractive powers of sound

Sparsakarsini, - Attractive powers of touch

Rupakarsini, - Attractive powers of form

Rasakarsini, - Attractive powers of taste

Gandhakarsini, - Attractive powers of odor

Cittakarsini, - Attractive powers of mind

Dharyakarsini, - Attractive powers of valour

Smrityikarsini, - Attractive powers of memory

Namakarsini, - Attractive powers of name

Bijakarsini, - Attractive powers of semen

Atmakarsini - Attractive powers of self

Amrtakarsini, - Attractive powers of immortality

Sarirakarsini, - Attractive powers of morality

Sarvasa paripuraka cakra svamini Gupta yogini

The wheel which fulfills all directions and all desires, the secret yogini - female yogini

( Follow the eight erotic sentiments: - the third encloure: )

Ananga Kusume, - The sentiment of flowering

Ananga Mekhale, - The sentiment of girdling

Ananga Madane, - The sentiment of love

Ananga Madananture, - The sentiment of lust

Ananga Redhe, - The sentiment of outlining

Ananga Vegini - The sentiment of the disire of sex

Ananga Kusume, - The sentiment of the insistence on sex

Ananga Malini, - The sentiment of orgy

Sarva sanksoghana sadhak a cakra swamini Gupta tara yogini

The wheel that agitates everyone, the esoteric yogini

( Follow the descriptions of the fourteen worlds of the fourth encloure: )

Sarva Samksobhini, - Agitating all

Sarva Vidravini, - Liquifying all

Sarva Karsini, - Attracting all

Sarva Hladini, - Pleaseing all

Sarva Sammohini, - Deluding all

Sarva Stambini- Obstructing all

Sarva Jrumbhini, - Expanding all

Sarva Vasamkari, - Controlling all

Sarva Ranjani, - Enjoying all

Sarvonmadini, - Maddening all

Sarvarthasadhini, - all properous

Sarva Sampattipurani - All fullfilling riches

Sarva Mantra Mayi, - All mantras

Sarva Dvandva Ksayamkari, - Eliminating all dualiities

Sarva Soubhagya Dayaka Cakra Swamini

Sampradaya yogini

The wheel of all kinds of union, traditional yogini:

( Follow the Gods of the fifth Chakra: )

Sarva Siddhiprade, - Giver of all achievments

Sarva Sampatprade, - Giver of all wealth

Sarva Priyamkari, - Giver of all that one like to have

Sarva Mangalakarini, - Harbinger of all auspiciousness

Sarva Kamaprade - Fulfiller of all desires

Sarva Duhkha Vimocani, - Eliminator of all misery

Sarva Mrityu Prasamani, - Eliminator of all accidental deaths

Sarva Vigna Nivarani, - Eliminator of all obstracles

Sarvanga Sundari, - Beautful in every part of Her body

Sarva Soubhagya Dayini Sarvartha Sadhaka Cakra Swamini Kulottirna yogini

The wheel which propets you on the righteous path, gives you all wealth, fullfills all your desirers, and makes liberation possible, the yogini that has graduated out if all classifications.

( Follow the Gods of the sixth Encloure: )

Sarva Jne, - Omniscienl

Sarva Sakte, - Omnipotent

Sarvaisvarya pradayini, - Omniexpressive

Sarva Jnanamayi, - Providing the bliss of omniscience

Sarva Vyadhivinasini, - Eliminating all maladies

Sarvadharasvarupe - The support of all

Sarva Papa Hare, - The elimintor of notions of sin

Sarva Ananda Mayi, - All happiness

Sarva Raksa Svarupini, - All protecting

Sarvepsita Phala Prade, - Provider of all desired fruits

Sarva Raksakara Cakra Svamini, Nigarbha yogini

The wheel of all prodection, the yoini protecting the child in the womb.

( Following the eight forms os Sarasvati, knowledge, which are originally the group of letters describing the explosion of the cosmos from a point: - the seventh enclosuer: )

Vasini, - Contorl

Kamesvari, - Express

Modini, - Pleasure

Vimale, - Purity

Arune, - Passion

Jayini, - Victory

Sarvesvari, - Controlling all

Kaulini, - Enjoying all

Sarvarogahara Cakra Swamini Rahasya yogini

The wheel which eliminates disease, the secret yogini.

( Follow the weapons of the Divine Mother: )

Banini, - The five flowery arrows of Manmatha called the senses of sound ( music ), touch ( eros ), form (beauty ), taste (sweetness), smell (fragrance )

Capini, - The suger cane bow ( the mind which likes sweet things of life )

Pasini, - The attractive power of love

Ankusini - The repulsive power to control evil

( Follow the Goddesses of the eighth enclosure of the Sri Chakra: )

Maha Kamesvari, - The thrust of God expressing the desire to see Himself in many forms

Maha Vajresvari, - The ability to obtain the cosmos in seed form

Maha Bhagamalini, The ability to express the cosmos out of the seed

Sarva Siddhiprada Cakra Swamini

Ati Rahasya yogini

The wheel of realizations, the most secrect yogini.

( Follow the central hub of the wheel of Sri Devi, the Supreme Goddess: - in ninth enclosure: )

Sri Sri Maha Bhattarike,

Sarvananda Maya Cakra Swamini

Parapara Rahasya Yogini

The Godes Sri Devi present in all the cosmos. The wheel of all bliss, the trancendental secret yogini.

( Follow the nine Goddesses controlling the nine wheels above: )

Tripure - Waking , Dreaming and Sleeping states

Tripuresi - The controller of these three states

Tripurasundari - The beautiful one among all these three states

Tripura Vasini - The one who lives in all these three states

Tripura Srih - The riches of all these three states

Tripuramalini - The sequences of all these states experienced by all people

Tripura Siddhe - The achievements possible in all these three states

Tripurambe - The experience of the cosmos in Her three states unifying all the experiences of all life

Maha Mahesvari - The great cosmic controller

Maha Maha Rajni - The great cosmic empress

Maha Maha Sakte - The great cosmic power

Maha Maha Gupte - The great cosmic secret

Maha Maha Jnapte - The great cosmic memory

Maha Mahannande - The great cosmic bliss

Maha Maha Skandhe - The great cosmic support

Maha Mahasaye - The great cosmic expression

Maha Maha Sri Cakra Nagara Samrajni - The great transcendental conscious empress of the wheel of Sri Cakra

Namaste Nameste Nameste Namah

We bow to You, we bow to You, We bow to You in the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping states O Divine Mother!

Sri Gurupyom namha:

In Love and Light

Naveen

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Navaratri: The 9 Divine Nights

Naveen108 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:57:13 GMT

Om Amriteswaryai Namah

Navaratri: The 9 Divine Nights

"Nava-ratri" literally means "nine nights." This festival is observed twice a year, once in the beginning of summer and again at the onset of winter.

What's the Significance of Navratri?
During Navaratri, we invoke the energy aspect of God in the form of the universal mother, commonly referred to as "Durga," which literally means the remover of miseries of life. She is also referred to as "Devi" (goddess) or "Shakti" (energy or power). It is this energy, which helps God to proceed with the work of creation, preservation and destruction. In other words, you can say that God is motionless, absolutely changeless, and the Divine Mother Durga, does everything. Truly speaking, our worship of Shakti re-confirms the scientific theory that energy is imperishable. It cannot be created or destroyed. It is always there.

Why Worship the Mother Goddess?
We think this energy is only a form of the Divine Mother, who is the mother of all, and all of us are her children. "Why mother; why not father?", you may ask. Let me just say that we believe that God's glory, his cosmic energy, his greatness and supremacy can best be depicted as the motherhood aspect of God. Just as a child finds all these qualities in his or her mother, similarly, all of us look upon God as mother. In fact, Hinduism is the only religion in the world, which gives so much importance to the mother aspect of God because we believe that mother is the creative aspect of the absolute.

Why Twice a Year?
Every year the beginning of summer and the beginning of winter are two very important junctures of climatic change and solar influence. These two junctions have been chosen as the sacred opportunities for the worship of the divine power because:
(1) We believe that it is the divine power that provides energy for the earth to move around the sun, causing the changes in the outer nature and that this divine power must be thanked for maintaining the correct balance of the universe.

(2) Due to the changes in the nature, the bodies and minds of people undergo a considerable change, and hence, we worship the divine power to bestow upon all of us enough potent powers to maintain our physical and mental balance.

Why Nine Nights & Days?
Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore different aspects of the supreme goddess. On the first three days, the Mother is invoked as powerful force called Durga in order to destroy all our impurities, vices and defects. The next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees the inexhaustible wealth. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the mother as the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects of the divine mother; hence, the worship for nine nights.

In Love and Light

Naveen

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Hymn to the Divine Mother

Naveen108 — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:28:57 GMT

Jai Ma

Hymn to the Divine Mother

O Mother! Let all my speech be your prayer; let all my crafts and technology be your worship and be the mystic gestures of my hand, adorning you. May all my movements become your devotional circumambulating. May everything I eat or drink be oblations to you. Let my lying down in rest and sleep be prostrations to you. Mother! Whatever I do, may all that become a sacramental service and worship for you.

Adi Sankara Hymn to the Divine Mother

In Love and Light

Naveen

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Peace Within

Naveen108 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:26:15 GMT

NAMASTE

The leaders of three religions A, B and C decided to convene a meeting to bring about peace. God was so pleased with their efforts that He sent an angel to them during the meeting. The angel asked the leaders what they wished. The leader of religion A said, Religion B is responsible for all the problems. So please wipe them off the face of the Earth! The leader of religion B said, Religion A is the cause of all our troubles. You have to reduce them to ashes! By now the angel was disappointed. The angel turned expectantly to the leader of religion C. With an expression of grave humility, C’s leader said, I wish nothing for myself. It will be enough if you merely grant the prayers of my two colleagues! Children, we must first plant the seeds of love, peace and patience within ourselves. The key to world peace is within every individual residing on this planet. Peace is not just the absence of war and conflict; it goes well beyond that. Simply transferring the world’s nuclear weapons to a museum will not in itself bring about world peace. The nuclear weapons of the mind must first be eliminated.
Mata Amritanandamayi Ma, India’s Kerala-based hugging saint

In Love and Light

Naveen

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Bhakti Yoga

Naveen108 — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:02:17 GMT

NAMASTE

Bhakti Yoga

God is love. Love is God. God is nectar. God is Prema.
Bhakti is supreme love towards God. It is love for love’s sake. The devotee wants God and God alone. There is no selfish expectation here.
Bhakti is the greatest power on this earth. It gushes from one’s pure heart. It redeems and saves. It purifies the heart.
Devotion is the seed. Faith is the root. Service of saints is the shower. Communion with the Lord is the fruit.
Bhakti is of two kinds, viz., Apara Bhakti (lower type of devotion) and Para Bhakti (highest Bhakti or Supreme Love). Ringing bells and waving lights is Apara Bhakti. In Para Bhakti, there is no ritualistic worship. The devotee is absorbed in God.
In Supreme Love, the devotee forgets his self entirely. He has only thoughts of God.
Para Bhakti and Jnana are one. Bhakti melts into wisdom in the end. Two have become one now.
Bhakti grows gradually just as you grow a flower or a tree in a garden. Cultivate Bhakti in the garden of your heart gradually.
Faith is necessary for attaining God-realisation. Faith can work wonders. Faith can move mountains. Faith can take you to the inner chambers of the Lord, where reason dares not enter.
Japa, Kirtan, prayer, service of saints, study of books on Bhakti are all aids to devotion.
Sattvic food is a help to devotion. Take milk, fruits, etc.
Evil company is an enemy of devotion. Give up evil company. Take recourse to Satsanga or company of the saints.
Pray to the Lord thus; “O Adorable Lord of Compassion and Love! Give me faith and devotion. Let my mind be ever fixed On Thy Lotus Feet. Let me have constant remembrance of Thee. Let me sing Thy glory always.”
The Name of the Lord is your sole refuge. It is your prop, shelter and abode. Name is divine nectar. Nama and Nami are inseparable.
Keep a picture of the Lord and concentrate on it—the face or feet or the whole picture. Then visualise the picture in your heart or the space between the two eyebrows.
Repeat your Ishta Mantra—Om Namah Sivaya, Om Namo Narayanaya, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya—mentally, sometimes verbally when the mind wanders.
The five kinds of Bhavas are: Santa Bhava, Dasya Bhava (master-servant relation), Vatsalya Bhava (father-son relation), Sakhya Bhava (friendship), Madhurya Bhava (the relationship of lover and beloved).
Bhishma had Santa Bhava; Hanuman had Dasya Bhava; Jayadeva and Gauranga had Madhurya Bhava; the Gopis had Sakhya-Bhava; Arjuna and Guha had Sakhya Bhava; Yasoda and Vishnuchitta had Vatsalya Bhava.
Have any kind of Bhava that suits your temperament. Develop it again and again.
Practise the nine modes of devotion or Nava-vidha Bhakti, viz., Sravana (hearing the Lilas of the Lord), Kirtan (singing His Name), Smarana (His remembrance), Padasevana (service of His Feet), Archana (offering flowers), Vandana (prostrations), Dasyam (servant-Bhava), Sakhya (His friendship), and Atmanivedana (self-surrender).
Say unto the Lord: ‘I am Thine, all is Thine, Thy Will be done’. Feel you are an instrument in the hands of the Lord, that the Lord works through your mind, body and senses. Offer all your actions and the fruits of the actions unto the Lord. This is the way to do self-surrender.
Do Anushtan frequently. Live on milk and fruits for a week. Observe Mouna or silence and do Japa and meditate in an intense manner.
Manasic Puja or mental worship is a great help for increasing devotion and attaining concentration. Offer flowers, incense, etc., mentally to the Lord.
Consider your house as a temple of the Lord, every action as service of Lord, the light that you burn as waving lights to the Lord, every word you speak as the Japa of the Lord’s Name, your daily walk as perambulation to the Lord. This is an easy way of worship of the Lord.
Shall I wash Thy Feet with holy water, O Lord? The very Ganga flows from Thy Feet. Shall I give You seat? Thou art all-pervading. Shall I wave lights for Thee? Sun and Moon are Thy Eyes! Shall I offer flowers to Thee? Thou art the essence of flowers—this is Para Puja.
Feel the presence of the Lord everywhere. He dwells in the chambers of your heart, too. He is in the breath in the nostrils; He glitters in your eyes. He is nearer to you than your jugular vein. Behold Him in every face.
Horripilation (Romanchana), tears from the eyes (Asrupat), Kampan or twitching of muscles, Svarabhanga (choking of the voice) are marks or Lingas of devotion.
A realised Bhakta is free from lust, egoism, mine-ness, hatred, jealousy, greed. He is full of humility, compassion and kindness. He sees God in all beings, in all objects. He has equal vision and a balanced mind.
Draupadi was an Arta-Bhaktini; Nachiketas was Jijnasu-Bhakta; Dhruva was an Artharthee-Bhakta; Suka Deva was a Jnani-Bhakta; Prahlada was an absolutely Nishkama Bhakta.
Bhakti is immortalising nectar. It transmutes a man into divinity. It makes him perfect. It bestows on him everlasting peace and bliss.

In Love and Light

Naveen

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Seva

Naveen108 — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:29:11 GMT

NAMASTE

Tirupati Temple to Give Copies of the Bhagavad Gita To Prisoners

HYDERABAD, INDIA, August 26, 2008: In an attempt to bring a change in the mindset of prisoners, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has decided to gift them copies of the Bhagavad Gita. The TTD, which manages the affairs of Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirupati, said it would distribute copies of the holy book among prisoners lodged in various jails in Andhra Pradesh.

The board also decided to gift prasadam, holy food offerings from the temple to prisoners at least once a year. TTD chairman Karunakar Reddy, who presided over the meeting at Tirupati, hoped that distribution would change the prisoners.

The governing body also decided to impose a complete ban on footwear in the area around the temple. In a move to maintain the sanctity of the place, it banned footwear in the complexes and lanes.

Source: http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=89908

I thought this shows such devotion to the Divine.

In Love and Light

Naveen

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The all-pervasive divine

Naveen108 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:19:17 GMT

NAMASTE

we conceptualize God as an all-pervasive divine and see the many myriad manifestations in everything around us. I see universe as an emanation of that divine. For me, the miracle of being a human being is the possibility to access that divine in our own conscience.

Naveen

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Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Naveen108 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:12:47 GMT

Namaste

There is no good and bad karma; there is self-created experience that presents opportunities for spiritual advancement. As long as we react to karma, we must repeat it. That is the law.
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001)

In Love and Light

Naveen

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Mataji Indra Devi

Naveen108 — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:19:08 GMT

JAI MA

It is very important to give light and love to everyone, because everyone needs affection. Let light, love and peace live today and always in our hearts. Let these words not just be words pouring out of our lips. Let light invade your whole being so that everyone may be able to love.
Mataji Indra Devi

In Love and Light

Pritam

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Ganga Dashami – Ganga Dashahara Festival

Naveen108 — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 02:46:18 GMT

JAI MA

Ganga Dashami, also referred as Ganga-Dashahara, celebrates the birthday of River Ganga – her descent on earth. The festival begins on the Amavasi day in the Hindu month of Jyestha and ends on the Dashami tithi. The festival lasts for 10 days. In 2008, Ganga Dashahara begins on June 3 and Ganga Dashami date is June 13.

Goddess Ganga Devi is an important deity in Hinduism and bathing in the divine river is the believed to cleanse the sins committed. The ritual of bathing in Ganga is also a way to achieve moksha – the escape from the endless cycles of birth and death.

The festival of great importance in those places through which the Ganges flows especially at Haridwar and Prayag (Allahabad). Ganga is worshipped in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal during this period.

Apart from bathing in the river on the day, people mediate on the banks and recite the prayer dedicated to Ganga:

Devi suresvari bhagavati gange
Tribhuvana tarini tarala tarange
Sankara mauli viharini vimale
Mama matirastam tava pada kamala

Bhagirathi sukhadayini matas
Tava jala mahima nigame khyatah
Naham jane tava mahimanam
Pahi krpamayi mama ajnanam

The global warming phenomenon has started affecting Ganga and the glaciers that provide water to this perennial river is fast depleting. Environmentalists have been warning about the serious consequences that are in store, if we humans are not ready to change and live in harmony with nature. Many scientists have even predicated the death of River Ganga.

Ganga Dashami is an ideal opportunity to contemplate and usher in change and save Mother Ganga.

In Love and Light

Pritam

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CHOOSING LOVE INSTEAD OF FEAR (the only reason we're here)

Wed, 21 May 2008 18:12:06 GMT

The only reason we incarnate is to learn how to choose love instead of fear. It does not matter what you do for a living, where you live, or who you marry, etc. The only purose you have is to extend love to everyone you come into contact with, including yourself. This is how you BECOME what you already ARE: LOVE. The only way to restore perfect inner peace that is stable and unwavering is to choose to be willing to extend love to everyone you come into contact with, including yourself.

By "love" I mean unconditional acceptance. And by "unconditional acceptance" I mean God. By "you" I mean me. And by "me" I mean you. We are all ONE and we are all LOVE. And by "we" I mean GOD. And by "God" I mean LOVE...You get the picture!

The most amazing miracle has transpired in my life over the last 24 hours as a result of my own sincere willingness to be a vessell for love, to be a vessell for that which I AM, which is God. I wanted to share...

I put a profile on My Space about a month ago. I saw a woman on there named Joni Ellen Jenkins. This is my name. I almost asked her to join my friend list but hesitated and then did nothing. I had a very stressful custody hearing scheduled with my son's father yesterday. When I got home from the courthouse yesterday there was an e-mail from Joni Ellen Jenkins who lives in Pennsylvania. Her e-mail address is jonijenks@gmail.com and mine is jonijenkins@gmail.com. She had suspected that her insurance company had sent e-mails meant for her to me. Sure enough I had the e-mails in my box that day. We started to breifly chat and make small talk through e-mails. She invited me to join her friend list on My Space. One thing led to another and she told me she had cancer and is only a 40 year old mom. I am a 39 year old mom. I started writing to her from a spiritual perspective, and then suddenly I realized what was going on!

Here is the last e-mail I sent to her; this is incredilbe!!

************************************

Dear Joni Ellen Jenkins,

Oh my God, I think that meeting you has been the greatest gift God has ever given me!

I have been trying to release all my own walls to self love, with perfect inner peace being the goal. I have made much progress but there was still a little bit of work left.

I went through a traumatizing custody trial with my son's father yesterday, but won. However the experience made me more aware of my own walls to love. When I came home from the courthouse I got your e-mails.

I know why I hesitated when I first saw the My Space profile. There was a timing issue. I was meant to make contact with you right after court when my own fears were so triggered and my walls to love were easy to see.

When you told me about the cancer my heart was flooded with so much love and compassion for you. It is always easier to see someone else's perfection and divinity than your own. It is always easier to see someone else's wall to self love than it is to see your own. As I was loving you and contemplating that we have the exact same name, Joni Ellen Jenkins, the reality that we (all of humanity) really are ONE permeated my consciousness. I had the profound realization that by deeply loving and forgiving you (Joni Ellen Jenkins) I was deeply loving and forgiving myself (Joni Ellen Jenkins).

The truth is that you are love, you are God, and you are soooooooooo powerful and perfect. All you need do is forgive yourself for forgetting the truth. That is always easier said than done. And all I need do is forgive myself for forgetting the truth. By loving you so deeply I have let down yet another wall to self-love and that is the greatest gift I have ever received. When I love you I love myself becasue we are, in truth, ONE. The fact that we have the same name is just a coincidence, but has aided me in dramatically shifting and healing my perception.

You truly are God--you knew exactly when the right time was to contact me so that the highest form of healing would take place for both of us.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MY DEAR SISTER OF LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Joni Ellen Jenkins

*********************************

I hope that Joni Ellen Jenkins inspired you as much as she has inspired Joni Ellen Jenkins. I hope that LOVE inspired you to remember that you are LOVE. I hope that God is willing to allow God to remind God that God cannot be anything but God.

I LOVE YOU.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

Devotion

Naveen108 — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:07:16 GMT

NAMASTE

Devotion must not be like the flood of the rainy season in which all get washed away. Devotion should be like the river that retains water even in the hottest season.
Saint Kabir (1440-1518)

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

silence

Naveen108 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:58:40 GMT

NAMATSE

In silence, we can know ourselves. In silence, we observe better. A reacting mind is noisy. In silence, we come upon right action. A noisy mind leads to distorted action. In silence, we understand others. Otherwise we are in our own world. When we are silent, we hear God.

Anonymous

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

exhaling, breathing

amrta — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:25:30 GMT

expanding my breath to greater reaches beyond where i think i can go. breath is such a powerful tool to gain insight and clarity. i am grateful for such simple and accessible answers.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

Mantras for the Departed Soul

Bala — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:50:26 GMT

Namah Sivaya

I was wondering if anyone knows of specific prayers to chant for someone who has trancended their body?

I am aware of the Matyuijaya Mantra, which is a Siva mantra to attain victory over death, to restore the health of someone who is suffering from physical pain or illness and for a dying person to be granted a peaceful death. Though this mantra from my understanding is to be chanted before someone transcends.

Is there any mantra to be chanted for beings after they transcend ?

My grandpa is about to transcend from his body, and I just want to offer everything I can for him during his passing and after he passes.

Blessings..
Bala

posted in Devoted to God~! - 3 replies

Mira Bai

Naveen108 — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 10:29:41 GMT

NAMASTE

(( I went to the root of things, and found nothing but Him alone. ))

Mira Bai (1500-1550), princess of Rajasthan, Northwest India, a saint celebrated for her lyrical poetry dedicated to Krishna .

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

Ramakrishna

Naveen108 — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:54:33 GMT

NAMASTE

A poor devotee points to the sky and says, God is up there. An average devotee says, God dwells in the heart as the Inner Master. The best devotee says, God alone is and everything I perceive is a form of God.
Ramakrishna

In Love and Light

Pritam

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An Interview with the Lord

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:49:55 GMT

I dreamed I had an interview with God.
"Come in," God said. "So, you would like to interview Me?"

"If you have the time," I said.

God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything; what questions do you have in mind to ask me?"

I said "What surprises you most about mankind?"

God answered:
"That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again."

"That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health."

"That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present."

"That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived..."

God's hands took mine and we were silent for while and then I asked... "As a parent, what are some of life's lessons you want your children to learn?"

God replied with a smile:
"To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to let themselves be loved."

"To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives."

"To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least."

"To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them."

"To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings"

"To learn that money can buy everything but happiness."

"To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different."

"To learn that a true friend in someone who knows everything about them...and likes them anyway."

"To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves."

I sat there for awhile enjoying the moment. I thanked Him for his time and for all that He has done for me and my family, and He replied,

"Anytime. I'm here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I'll answer."

"People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."

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The Hand of God

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:08:13 GMT

Rick volunteers with prison ministries, and in his work has become friends with a pastor of a store front church. The pastor's church is called Almighty God Tabernacle. On a Saturday night several weeks ago, this pastor was working late, and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about 10:00 PM, but his wife didn't answer the phone. The pastor let it ring many times. He thought it was odd that she didn't answer, but decided to wrap up a few things and try again in a few minutes.

When he tried again she answered right away. He asked her why she hadn't answered before, and she said that it hadn't rung at their house. They brushed it off as a fluke and went on their merry ways.

The following Monday, the pastor received a call at the church office, which was the phone that he'd used that Saturday night. The man that he spoke with wanted to know why he'd called on Saturday night. The pastor couldn't figure out what the guy was talking about.

Then the guy said, "It rang and rang, but I didn't answer." The pastor remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that he'd intended to call his wife.

The man said, "That's OK. Let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did, I prayed, 'God if you're there, and you don't want me to do this, give me a sign now.' At that point my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID, and it said, 'Almighty God'. "I was afraid to answer!"

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2 Horses

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:56:45 GMT

Two Horses

There is a field, with two horses in it.

From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if
you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something
quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose
that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down,
but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing.

If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a
bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see
that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.

Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind
friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two horses, you'll see that the
horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and
that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly
walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be
led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn
each evening, it stops occasionally and looks b ack, making sure
that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away
just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or
challenges.

He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help
us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little
ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.

Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their
way....

Good friends are like that... you may not always see them, but
you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

And remember...be kinder than necessary- everyone you meet is
fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly....
Leave the rest to God

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

crying to God

Naveen108 — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:39:47 GMT

NAMASTE

Ammachi says:

"The state that we attain by calling and crying to God is equal to the bliss that the yogi experiences in samadhi."
Ammachi - Awaken Children, vol. 3

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

Ramakrishna

Naveen108 — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:02:12 GMT

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

Mahadeviyakkha

Naveen108 — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:42:14 GMT

NAMASTE

"The arrow that is shot should penetrate so deeply
that even the feathers do not show.
Hug the body of the Lord so tightly
that the bones must be crushed to crumble.
Weld to the divine until the very welding disappears. "

Mahadevi

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

Happy Holiday

Naveen108 — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:47:30 GMT

For a whole new year is coming again. And it brings new opportunities, new dreams, fun-filled new days may each of you have the best new year .

In Love and Light

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Oh Divine Mother.

Naveen108 — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 15:14:45 GMT

JAI MA

Oh Divine Mother.
Let my every action
Be a Worship of You
Let every sound falling from my lips
Be a chant of your great mantra

In Love and Light

Pritam

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Devotee

Naveen108 — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:01:54 GMT

NAMASTE

The heart of the devotee is the drawing-room of God.

In Love and Light

Pritam

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Amma on Devotion

Naveen108 — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:54:39 GMT

jai Ma

Amma on Devotion

“Crying to God for five minutes is equal to one hour of meditation. If tears are not coming by themselves, try to cry by thinking, ‘Why am I not able to cry?’ Try to develop devotion. That is the easiest way.”

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

Hermetics Lecture in New York City

Wizard-Of-Air — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:41:41 GMT

A week from today; Friday October 19, 2007 at 6:00pm, I will be giving an address at the New Life Expo. The topic I will be speaking on is "The Hermetic Principles; the Secret beyond The Secret." In this address I will explain the Hermetic Principles, discuss their origin, discuss how "The Secret" and "The Law of Attraction" are descended from them, and how to use the Principles to more than just manifest; to create your personal reality by intention.

My lecture will be brief, but will allow sufficient time for a Q & A period to follow. I will distribute an introductory guide to Hermeticism (gratis), and a regimen of exercises utilizing the Hermetic Principles to "morp" the individuals life (also gratis). In the short period of this lecture: LIVES WILL BE CHANGED!!!

I invite all of my old friends to come as well as those new friends and colleagues whom I have not yet had the pleasure of meetinging person. If you are outside of the New York City area and can't attend, please share this information with friends who can. The venue offers limited space so please come a little early for the best selection of seating. I will be offering consultations after the lecture at booth #509 on the third floor, for the balance of Friday evening and throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday.

The New Life Expo will be Friday October 19, 2007 through Sunday October 21, 2007 at the Hotel New Yorker; 481 8th. Ave. @ 34th. St in New York City. To view their website please visit the following link: http://newlifeexpo.com/index.php

I look forward to seeing you there. Namaste,

al anderson

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New Group: "Wrestling with God"

alex — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:15:36 GMT

Hi -- if anyone's interested, I'm starting a new group for discussing the challenges of leading a devotional lifestyle, check it out.

http://tribes.tribe.net/wrestlinggod

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Everyone In The World

Bala — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 14:14:20 GMT

Everyone in the world should sleep without fear,
at least for one night, sleep without fear.

Everyone in the world should eat to their fill,
at least for one day, eat to their fill.

There should be one day when there is no violence,
no one is injured, no one is harmed.

All people young and old should serve the poor
and needy, at least for one day serve selflessly.

This is my dream... this is my prayer.
Love is the answer, love is the way.
Love is the answer, love is the way.

~Mata Amritanandamayi

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A poem by Mahadevi Akka Yakka.

Naveen108 — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 13:40:05 GMT

JAI MA

Riding the blue sapphire mountains
wearing moonstone for slippers
blowing long horns
O Shiva
when shall I
crush you on my pitcher breasts

O Lord White as Jasmine
when do I join you
stripped of body’s shame
and heart’s modesty?

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

New Tribe MAHA DEVI

Naveen108 — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 03:28:59 GMT

JAI MA

I started a new tribe in honor of the Divine Mother in all her forms. I would be very blessed to see you all there .

http://tribes.tribe.net/mahadevi

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

A Month of Festivities Honoring Lord Krishna has Commenced

Naveen108 — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 20:14:10 GMT

NAMASTE

www.dailyindia.com

VRINDAVAN, INDIA, August 27, 2007: The month-long festival honoring Lord Krishna and Radha commenced during the month of Shravan in the City of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. On September 4th, Lord Krishna's birthday, festivities will reach new heights of devotion with many temples featuring decorated swings. The news release elaborates, "Visitors from different parts of the country and foreign tourists are also flocking to the city located 15 kilometers from Mathura. Small Deities of Krishna and Radha have been placed on swings heavily decorated with flowers and expensive jewelry. Devotees offer prayers and pull swings to display their affection Lord Krishna. Chants of Jai Radhe Jai Krishna' (Hail Radha, Hail Krishna) invoking devotion for the deity reverberate in all temples here. "

Ritesh, a devotee, says, "The swing gives the essence of different aspects of the Krishna's life. I see the swing every year but every year, I get a different feeling, it's really divine."

Jaish Khandelwal, a priest, adds, "We are trying to take out the tradition that has remained restricted within temples, to the people outside, by making them aware of our customs. We will take cue from old timers who have witnessed the festival celebrated in its original fervour. We want the new generation to be aware of it."

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

O Truth Eternal...

Bala — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 03:47:17 GMT

O Truth Eternal, mankind is searching for Thee since millions and millions of years....

The ancient sages, renouncing everything, performed endless years of austarities in order to make their self flow into Thy Divine Stream through meditation.

Inaccessible to all, Thy infinitesimal Flame, glowing like the effilgence of the sun, stands still without dancing even in the fiercely blowing cyclone.

Flowers, creepers, shrine rooms and temples with newly installed sacred pillars, all are waiting for Thee since aeons and aeons, but still Thou art inaccessibly distant...

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Were the Mother dwells

Naveen108 — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:56:31 GMT

NAMASTE

Na-ham tirthe na kailase vaikunthe va na karhicit
vasami kinyu majjnanihrdayambhojamadhyame

Neither do i reside in any sacred place of pilgrimage, nor in Kailasa ( the home of Lord Siva )
nor in vailkuntha ( the home of Lord Visnu ) , nor any such place . But i dwell in the middle of the lotus of the hearts of my Jnani.

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

Path to the Divine Mother from the Devi Gita

Naveen108 — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 03:37:33 GMT

JAI MA

Margastrayo me vikhyata mokasapraptau nagadhipa

karmayoga jnanayogo bhaktiyogasca sattama

The well know path to Me harmonizes three to attain to Self-Realization ( liberation ) , oh chief of Mountains. These
are in truth: Karma Yoga , Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

USA Kumbha Mela Set for September 9 in California

Naveen108 — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 03:06:14 GMT

NAMASTE

USA Kumbha Mela Set for September 9 in California
www.usakumbhamela.net

NORWALK, CALIFORNIA, August 17, 2007: The Kumbha Mela USA this year will be held on Sunday, September 9, in Norwalk, CA, followed by a peace prayer on September 11, continuing in the tradition of the first ever Kumbha Mela in the United States held in 2006. This festival is based on the rich Vedic tradition which heralds in collective positive thinking and celebration to bring about global peace.

The Virat Hindu Samaj welcomes all organizations to be a part of this grand celebration. With at least 100 Spiritual Masters and their organizations, ashrams and temples expected to participate in the festivities; the Mela will infuse tremendous positivity to the entire globe and contribute in no small measure to World Peace.

In Love and Light

Pritam

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May all beings be happy...

Bala — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:25:25 GMT

Kushiyom Ki Bahar

Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah
Sarve Santu Niramayah
Sarve Bhadrani Pasyantu
Ma Kaschid Duhka Bhavet

May all beings be happy and without sorrow. May all see only the good that is in everything.
May the season of joy manifest.
May the whole world be filled with peace.
May we become free of (all) desires, so we can come closer to You.

Let everyone be content.
Let divine light be seen in all.
Let love shine in all our hearts.
May we all live in harmony.

May the season of joy manifest.

Let everyone sing... this prayer of hope.... all together as one.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu~Om
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu...

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

Divine surrender

Naveen108 — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:58:23 GMT

NAMASTE

Honouring is a sign of divine love. This is called pooja. The ceremony of pooja imitates what nature is already doing for you. The Divine worships you in so many forms. In pooja, you offer everything back to the Divine.

Flowers are offered in pooja. The flower is a symbol of love. The Divine has come to you in love through so many forms: mother, father, wife, husband, children and friends.

The same love comes to you in the form of the Master to elevate you to the level of divine love, which is also your own nature. Recognising this flowering of love from all sides of life, we offer flowers.

Fruits are offered, because the Divine offers you fruits in due season. You offer grain, because nature provides you food. A candle light and a cool camphor light are offered; in the same way nature continually revolves the sun and moon around you.

Incense is offered for fragrance. All the five senses are used in pooja, and it is performed with deep feeling. Through pooja, we say to God, ‘Oh, whatever you give to me, I give back to you.’ Pooja is honour and gratitude.

Have you seen children? They have small little pots and dishes. They sometimes pretend that they make toast or tea. They come to the elders and say, ‘Now, please have some tea.’ They serve you. There will be nothing in the cup; it is all in their imagination.

They play with you. Whatever you do to them, they also do. They put the doll to sleep. They feed it and bathe it. In the same way, pooja is an expression of what the Divine is doing for you. pooja is a mixture of imitation, honour, playfulness and love.

When you are in deep love, you naturally want to offer something. Somebody from California sent a big parcel to me. It was filled with candies and candles. Now, the person who sent it knows that candies and candles can be got here, too. And the cost of the airmail is much more than the candles and candies. But in love, you want to offer something anyway.

Usually when you love something, you want to possess it. And in the process of possessing, you make the beautiful thing ugly. Pooja is contrary to that. Pooja means honour and worship, offering one’s self. You appreciate, you adore, you recognise beauty. Worship is just the opposite of wanting to possess. Usually our relationships do not flower to this extent. Instead we start demanding. Husband and wife, master and servant, there is a demand. ‘I have done so much for you. Now you must do this thing for me.’ Demanding is contrary to honouring. The way to preserve a relationship is to honour.

Honour the creation. Look at a tree with honour. Feel grateful for its being here. It purifies the poison that we breathe out. It makes the air fresh. Have you ever thought, ‘These trees are mine. The sun, the moon, the air, the water — everything belongs to me. All these stars are mine. The people are mine?’ When you honour the creation, you will feel this.

Honour your own body. Remember that when you eat, you are offering food to the Divine that resides inside this body. When people are agitated, they eat more. Take your food, not in a hurry, not with violence, but with a sense of offering. This also is pooja.

Have you ever looked at your breath with honour? Have you ever thought, ‘This breath is so beautiful, moving in and out; without it, my body would be thrown away.’ With honour, look into your breath. With this depth of worship, all your feverishness will be transformed into love.

Honouring leads to devotion that leads to surrender. Surrender to the Divine brings total rest from all anxieties, from all wants. Life has burned down with so many various wants. In every direction, life is found to be weary. Devotion brings that total rest — a healing touch to the life, which has been moving in so many directions.

The mind always looks for charms, miracles, events, excitements. Yet once it goes there, the charm ceases to exist. The charm of the mind is a continuous mirage; it is always farther, it is always somewhere else. When the flame of devotion is lit, the craving mind melts away like wax. As the mind melts, the flame of devotion becomes more alive and intense.

Charm is always an outside influence. Devotion is an inner flowering. Devotion starts from where you are, whereas a charm is something that pulls you away from yourself. The charm never lasts for long. Unless you are lit in devotion to the Divine, your life will remain restless.

In devotion, in that process of burning, longing will arise in you. With love, there is bound to be longing. If there is longing, know that there is also love. They are two sides of the same coin; they cannot be separated. Usually when longing arises, we are in a hurry to finish it off. But this longing is fortunate and very beautiful. It will transform your mind totally.

Devotion is your nature. When you rest in your own nature, there is no conflict. But usually we feel a conflict. We feel bad about a negative quality we have or something that we did. A Master is one who lifts these burdens from you that you yourself cannot carry — and kindles in you devotional love.

Offer everything to the Master — your anger, your frustration, all your bad feelings and good feelings. Your negativity pulls you down. Your positive qualities bring pride and arrogance in you.

Your whole life becomes a big weight. When you offer it all, you become free. You become light like a flower. You can again smile and rejoice in the moment. What remains in you is pure love.

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

Happy Jyestha Purnima

amrta — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:01:58 GMT

This evening it will be a full moon. And it is the birthday of Lord Jagannath,

May we feel full like the Moon and bring the wealth of joyful living to all..

Aum Jagananthaya Namah

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Being filled with tears for the Divine

Naveen108 — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:30:52 GMT

NAMASTE

I made a reply to a post in another tribe and after posting this sloka would not leave my heart. Being so filled with the Love for the Divine one falls in complete surrender.

Seeing her, the hairs on Indra's body stood on ends with ecstasy. His eyes were filled with tears of love and deep devotion and he immediately fell prostrate at the feet of the goddess, singing hymns in her praise. (Devi Bhagavata Purana: 12.8.52-60)

In Love and Light

Pritam

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Just joined

Wendy — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 04:22:49 GMT

Blessings and thanks for this wonderful site. xx
Hope to meet you all soon.
blessings xxx

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Crying to the Divine in Love

Naveen108 — Sun, 14 May 2006 00:02:47 GMT

NAMASTE

I was thinking alot about how Ramakrishna would spend hours crying to Kali in true love for the Divine.How often we cry or shed tears for are loved ones be it family or friends but rarely do most if any shed not tears to the divine if any other than times of need.I write this for the last few months i have cried for no reason when meditating to the Divine or doing prayers or japa.When this has happened i have felt more than once a stronger conection to my path and the Divine that is in all.I wander how many here have you felt this happen in your sadhana and how has this effected you and your path???

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 11 replies

Mahasivaratri: Kashmir Style

Naveen108 — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 02:15:01 GMT

NAMASTE

"Mahasivaratri is one of the most important festivals associated with Siva worship. In different parts of the country, various myths are ascribed to the observance of the day. Kashmir has the most distinct celebration. According to one legend, Lord Siva performs the ritualistic dance of Creation, Preservation and Dissolution on this night and so devotees also spend the night fully awake while reciting praises of Siva. Saiva tradition of Kashmir has been very strong at both levels-the metaphysical and as ritualistic practice. The celebration of Sivaratri is unique in Kashmir. It is celebrated with the same zest and grandeur as Diwali is celebrated in North India. The earliest availabl e text (6th/7th Cen. A.D.) from Kashmir the Nilamatapurana, lists the festivals and rituals of Kashmir. It describes Sivaratri festival as: 'Sivalinga from which the blanket like plaster of purified butter has been removed is to be worshipped on the dark 14th of Phalguna.... Sivalinga is to be worshipped with perfumes, garlands, unguents and naivedya consisting of animals made of flour. The worshippers are enjoined to observe fast during the day and vigil at night listening to the Sivadharmas and the stories of Siva incarnations. On the 15th day, the worship of Siva is prescribed and worshippers have to take meals consisting of Kulmasa and sweetmeats.'

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

One Thousand Siva Lingams Worshipped Simultaneously to Mark Beginning of Maha Sivaratri in Mauritius

Naveen108 — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 02:10:59 GMT

NAMASTE

To mark the beginning of the festivities of Maha Sivaratri, 1,000 families simultaneously offered rituals to Lord Siva at the Swamy Srinivasacharya Badarika Ashramam. Several political personalities were present, including the Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, Lady Sarojini Jugnauth (wife of the President) and Minister Arvin Boolell. It was an unprecedented event in Mauritius to have 1,000 Siva Lingams, symbols representing the God Siva, simultaneously worshipped with water collected from 108 rivers in India by the assembled devotees. Swamy Srinivasacharya Badarika Ashramam is a sociocultural organization managing a temple dedicated to God Siva in Forest-Side. Unrecognizable to regular visitors, the Ashramam temple was completely sheltered under a huge canopy to accommodate the total of 6,000 guests. Traffic was held up in the area of Forest-Side as 350 police officers diverted cars along the only route which passes through Curepipe. The devotees followed instructions given in several languages over loudspeakers. Priests had come from India to assist.

www.lexpress.mu

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

~ dying into our Love ~

strawbelly — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 17:19:58 GMT

eyez vibrating high
as if morning shines all:ready
for this day to Rise
in ever light...

full belly mama luna
laughs as she peers
into my heart
and whispers:
'sister.daughter.lover.bee,
we are free,
heheheheeee!! hwoosh..."

the owl in the eve
sinks into the deep dark
and dresses the direxion
of his audible offerings
in fine silk
as if this is the now:meant
to act as true as ever...

and my bitty bee.ing
buzzes softly
as eye reach my cute nose straw
into yet another flower
sipping the delicious pollen,
noticing again and again and again
how sweet the nectar is
however our journeys breathe us into its(S)elf...

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

Enjoy.

lodha — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 12:52:47 GMT

blogs.ibibo.com/herald.
Enjoy this blog and recommend if you think its good enough to be shared.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

Zen for you.

lodha — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 11:38:14 GMT

Better than a thousand hollow words
Is one word that brings peace.
Better than a thousand hollow verses
Is one verse that brings peace.
It is better to conquer yourself
Than to win a thousand battles.
Then the victory is yours.

- Dhammapada

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

what is God?

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 23:35:35 GMT

what do you all think or feel God is

posted in Devoted to God~! - 13 replies

Loving Each day.

lodha — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 03:07:36 GMT

The whole spectrum of your life takes place within God, and
anyone who is residing in the power of love is never
destroyed, never separated, always free, always up, always
growing.

- John-Roger
(From: Living Love from the Spiritual Heart, p. 3-4)

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

LOVING EACH DAY

lodha — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 05:20:31 GMT

Material abundance may be more accessible if you are
internally balanced.

Part of this balance involves being at one with what is
going on in the present. This does not necessarily mean
liking it or even preferring it, but accepting it without
judgment.

- John-Roger
(From: Wealth & Higher Consciousness, p. 64)

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

aching...

amrta — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 23:03:39 GMT

How many ways are there to describe the infinite love of God?
How many adjectives and compound plays-on-words can fully expound the magnificence, the burning. The art made, the songs written and sung, the visions and meditations, glimpses of, glances from the beloved, aching to find the perfect expression but feeling like there are no fancy five-syllable words that can do justice, no poetic displays of intangible melting can name the un-nameable. Moving my finger along, wanting for an edge to trace. But how can light be contained or defined. Yet still, the tightrope I walk along, holding balance, focused. The moments of God overlap and find congruence in the recognition of themselves in one another. Time grows quiet. Developing awareness, I know the answers are contained inside the questions. Less searching, and more recognizing. For me, all there is to do is bring perfect gratitude, in the spontaneous light of love

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

Was Krsna Cheating?

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 08:03:25 GMT

Devaki has great mamata (sense of posessiveness) towards Lord Krsna, but she also has her own self-interest in mind. She thought to herself, "It doesn’t matter that the gopas, gopis and cows will die in Vrndavana if Krsna does not go there. We can give anything to the Vrajavasis, but we cannot give Krsna."

After hearing the promise of Devaki to give the Vrajavasis a donation, Padmavati, the mother of Kamsa, became afraid. She thought, "Now there will be a big problem. Devaki may give the whole kingdom to Nanda and Yasoda." Therefore, in a clever way, she began to give many arguments.

Padmavati asked, "Why are you talking so much about what to give to the Vrajavasis? It is a very simple matter. Krsna was only 10 years and 8 months old when He left Vrndavana, so there is nothing to be confused about. We just have to make an account of how much He ate and how much buttermilk He drank in those years. Subtract four years because for the first four years of His life He only drank breast milk from the breast of Yasoda, and there is no cost for that. We will calculate how much they owe Krsna for His cow-grazing, how much food He ate and how much chach (buttermilk) He drank, and whatever we owe we will give them double that amount. So there is nothing to be confused about. We can ask Garga Muni because He is an expert astrologer. His calculation will not be off by even one paisa.

"There are great quantities of buttermilk in Vrndavana – because no one drinks it. After taking the butter out of the milk, what is left is chach. It is so useless that the Vrajavasis throw it down the drain and it goes into one big buttermilk pond in Nandagaon; the price for it is nothing. So take away three or four years of only drinking breast milk, and that means about eight years of drinking buttermilk which costs nothing."

Some people say that Krsna is in the stage of kaisora (teenage years – youth) up to 10 years and 8 months, and some people say that His kaisora-lila goes up to 15 years. Srila Sanatana Gosvami has reconciled this. Krsna has three ages – balya, pauganda and kaisora, and the junction between the three ages is called vayasasandi. Each of these three ages also has three stages. When Akrura came to Vrndavana he saw Krsna as kisora, and when Krsna went to Mathura to fight with Carana and Mustika, the Mathura-ramanis saw Him as the personification of Kamadeva which is His kaisora age.

One specialty of Lord Krsna, and also of Bhagavan Lord Ramacandra, is that when they appear in this world they never look beyond the age of kaisora. When Krsna was in Kuruksetra, for example, He was 125 years old, but He did not have a mustache or beard, and this is one specialty of bhagavat-tattva.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam describes that Krsna's kaisora-lila is performed up to his eleventh year. We can reconcile this by thinking that when He was in Vrndavana and eating a lot of butter He appeared like a 15 year-old. Also, He was the son of Nanda Baba who was a king, so also because of that He appeared as a 15 year-old – older than He actually was.

When Krsna came to Mathura He offered pranama to Mother Devaki, and at that time He told her, "O Mother Devaki, We are your sons." As soon as she heard this, aisvarya-bhava manifested in her heart and she became fearful. Krsna continued, "Unfortunately, after our birth we were taken to Vrndavana, and therefore you could not see our pastimes in our balya, pauganda, and kaisora; ages. You were cheated because you could not see My pastimes." Immense opulence is displayed in Mathura. Jarasandha came seventeen times to fight with Krsna. Sometimes Krsna manifests His four armed form and carries His wheel, club, lotus and conch shell there.

The symptoms of His kaisora age are described in Sri Ujjvala-nilamani, but this is such a confidential subject that it is very rare to find someone who can and will explain it and someone who can understand it.

When Rohini devi and the Dvarakavasis heard the comments of Padmavati – that they should work out how much they owe Nanda Baba and pay him, they simply ignored her, thinking her ignorant.

Lord Krsna had a desire to go to Vrndavana, but at the same time He considered, "If I go to Vrndavana, what will happen to Vasudeva, Devaki and all the other Dvarakavasis if they know I want to leave? They will die if they know I want to leave." Uddhava previously went to Vrndavana for three months, and he somewhat knows the heart of Sri Krsna and the Vrajavasis. Krsna therefore cleverly asked him in front of all the others present, "You know what the Vrajavasis want. You know what I can do for them and what I can give them." Krsna considered. "If I myself say that I want to go to Vrndavana, everyone would blame Me, but if Uddhava says I should go there, then nobody will blame Me. They will all blame Uddhava." He therefore very cleverly asked Uddhava this question, and He also began to cry.

Hearing Krsna’s words Uddhava became astonished and said, "What is this? I went to Vrndavana and promised all the Vrajavasis that I would bring Krsna back by hook or by crook. He is Bhagavan and He is sarvajna (all-knowing), so why is He asking me what the Vrajavasis want? They do not want any type of opulence or payment, and they are not interested in anything material or spiritual in the three worlds. They only want that "my Krsna", "my son", "my beloved" should put His lotus feet here in Vrndavana."

Uddhava became disturbed thinking, "Krsna is very crooked, and clever. He knows everything but still he is asking me if He should go to Vrndavana .This means that He does not really want to go there. He is simply cheating everyone by asking me."

In whatever position Krsna is situated, whether He is in Vrndavana, Mathura, Dvaraka or anywhere else, He is always sarvajna – He knows everything. In Mathura He is fully situated with His aisvarya-sakti and He manifests His mood of knowing everything. In Vrndavana, however, He is simultaneously mugdha, like an ignorant child and not knowing anything, and He is sarvajna meaning He knows everything. Both exist at one and the same time. For example, when Krsna is performing rasa-lila with the gopis and playing on His flute, Draupadi is in Hastinapura calling out to Him, "Dusasana is trying to disrobe me. Oh Krsna, save me, save me!" Does Krsna know this? Yes, He knows even in His situation of being in rasa, because it was He who put Draupadi in Her situation of attempted disrobement.

Thinking in this way, Uddhava considered, "Krsna is very cruel-hearted. He is a cheater. His behavior is very poor, otherwise why would He ask me that question?"

When Akrura went to Vrndavana his heart did not melt, When Uddhava went there, however, his heart melted somewhat and he somewhat understood the moods of the Vrajavasis. By the mercy of the gopis he offered many prayers to their lotus feet, and by their mercy realization came in his heart.

All the Vrajavasis have no self-interest, and of all the Vrajavasis the gopis are the topmost. They are the unique examples of the complete definition of pure bhakti as stated in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.1.11):

anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama

["The cultivation of activities which are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Sri Krsna, or in other words the uninterrupted flow of service to Sri Krsna, performed through all endeavors of the body, mind and speech, and through the expressions of various spiritual sentiments (bhavas), which is not covered by jnana (knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation) and karma (reward-seeking activity), and which is devoid of all desires than the aspiration to bring happiness to Sri Krsna, is called uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service."

The Vrajavasis perform continuous service to Lord Krsna. They are not interested in any type of material opulence from Svarga (heaven) or from anywhere else. This is the difference between the Vrajavasis and the Dvarakavasis. For example, in the previous class we heard how Satyabhama wanted the parijata flower from heaven. So even the Dvarakavasis have some type of desire and want something from Svarga (the heavenly planets). On the other hand the Vrajavasis are not interested in anything material or spiritual. They are only interested in seeing the lotus feet of Krsna again and serving Him.

In the mood of the most exalted gopi, Srimati Radhika, prays,

aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam
adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah

["Let Krsna tightly embrace this maidservant who has fallen at His lotus feet, or let Him trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. He is a debauchee, after all, and can do whatever He likes, but He is still no one other than the worshipable Lord of My heart." (Sri Siksastakam Verse, 8)]

The gopis' goal is Sri Krsna's happiness. They think "If Krsna is happy in Mathura and Dvaraka, we do not want to force Him to return to Vrndavana. Let Him happily stay there."

Srimati Radharani prayed, "I don't want My own happiness. Krsna can do anything He likes. He can make Me happy by embracing Me or He can crush My heart underneath His feet. Even though He is a debauchee and full of bad qualities, He is my only beloved."

When Uddhava was in Vrndavana and heard the prayers of the gopis and the Vrajavasis, he considered, "Maybe the gopis want to give a return message to Krsna." So he asked them three times, "Is there anything you want to say to Krsna?" Srimati Radhika said, "There is no need to give Him any message. In fact, you should not mention that we are suffering in separation from Him in any way. Tell Him that we are very happily residing here in Vrndavana. His heart is very soft, more so than butter. If He hears that we are suffering in His separation, then perhaps He will also experience great suffering – and He may die."

Uddhava now replied to Krsna, "I can give you advice, but I do not know if my advice is good or bad. You can decide for Yourself."

After Krsna killed Kamsa and Carana and Mustika and their friends, Nanda Baba was waiting on his bullock cart just outside Mathura. He waited throughout the night, but Krsna didn't return. The next day Krsna and Balarama somehow managed to meet with him. Krsna was thinking, "What should I do? Should I stay in Mathura or should I return to Vrndavana with Nanda Baba? He said, "O Nanda Baba. Vasudeva and Devaki are your friends. They have lost six sons. Devaki has no sons and no one to comfort her. What should we do?"

Baladeva is the son of Vasudeva, so Nanda Baba suggested, "Balarama can stay in Mathura for a few days."

Balarama said, "That is not possible. I cannot be separated from Krsna."

They finally agreed that Krsna and Balarama would stay in Mathura for a few days, and then they would both return to Vrndavana.

Krsna had become prince and Devaki had given Him many ornaments such as necklaces and armbands. As a token of His affection Krsna gave all this jewelry to Nanda Baba, and Nanda Baba went back to Vrndavana empty-handed – except for the jewelry.

Nanda Baba promised Mother Yasoda and all the Vrajavasis, "Don't fear. I promise to bring Krsna and Balarama back to Vrndavana." When Nanda Baba came back, however, all he had was one pile of jewelry. All the Vrajavasis became grief-stricken and began to accuse Nanda Baba. They said, "What have you done? Have you sold Krsna and Balarama for this jewelry? Nanda Baba was also overwhelmed with grief. He said, "No, my son Krsna is satyavaka – whatever He says must come true. This jewelry is simply His token of affection for you. When He returns to Vrndavana, as He said He would, and sees that you are not wearing these decorations and ornaments, He will be very unhappy. Therefore, in order to fulfill His desire, please wear these ornaments."

If one is a saranagata-bhakta, fully surrendered, Krsna hears his prayers.

sad-anga saranagati hoibe jahara
tahara prarthana sune sri nanda-kumara

["The prayers of one who submits unconditionally to this six-fold surrender are heard by Sri Nanda-kumara." (Sad-Anga Saranagati verse 5)]

If Lord Krsna is totally absorbed in Vrndavana in rasa-lila, day and night serving Srimati Radhika, and if someone like Draupadi, Gajendra or any saranagata bhakta prays to him from the core of his heart, who will hear him? After all, Krsna is totally absorbed there in Vrndavana. Someone may say that the manifestation of Krsna known as Paramatma will hear. But that devotee is not praying to Paramatma, Ksirodakasayi Visnu, or Lord Narayana. He is praying to Sri Krsna, to Nanda-Kumara; so Krsna is bound to hear. He is mugdha in Vrndavana, forgetful of everything except His loving relationships there, but at the same time He is sarvajna. Yogamaya serves Him there; she always searches for any occasion to serve. Although Krsna may not be aware of all the happenings outside His intimate surroundings, she is aware. This is all inconceivable

When Nanda Baba returned alone with the jewels that Krsna had given him, the gopis and all Vrajavasis were thinking," Fie on us. This is how little Krsna appreciates our love for Him. He is giving us these jewels as a payment – so we are the most unfortunate."

Suppose someone goes to a foreign country and sends money every month to his family – will the family be happy? No, because this is only one type of self-interest on the part of that family member. The gopis were lamenting, "This is how little Krsna values our love. We are the most unfortunate. Fie on us and fie on Nanda Baba."

The only reason the gopis and Vrajavasis did not die was because Krsna had promised that He would return the "day after tomorrow." The priya, lover, is very fortunate because she lives only for the happiness of the priyatam, beloved, and the priyatam is most fortunate because he lives only for the happiness of his priya. Both only live for the happiness of each other. This principle of lover and beloved is described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Cc Madhya-lila ch. 13), a most wonderful and astonishing book.

Srimati Radharani puts a flower in the hand of Lalita and, weeping, told her, "O Lalita, when I die you can give this flower to Krsna. I planted a creeper of malati flowers and I will not be able to nourish it after I die, so you can tell Krsna that I died thinking of Him – and give Him this flower."

When Yasoda devi was waiting for Nanda Baba to return to Vrndavana, she had some hope that Krsna would surely return. When she saw him coming with a bag of jewels, however, her last hope was destroyed. She gave up eating, sleeping and all other bodily activities, and simply wept day and night. This was the condition of Yasoda Maiya, so what to speak of the condition of the gopis.

Uddhava now considered, "What can I do? I cannot go there again, because I promised the gopis that I would return and definitely bring Krsna. Nanda Baba was weeping and crying for three days and his life airs had come up to his throat, but he did not die. Just before someone dies their life airs come up to their mouth. Nanda Baba was thinking, 'If Krsna comes back to Vrndavana and we have all died, He will experience great suffering and pain. So we should live – for Krsna's happiness. My son always tells the truth, so we must have faith in His words. When He says He will return, He will certainly return.' With this hope, therefore, the Vrajavasis are maintaining their lives."

Krsna had sent a message with Uddhava saying, "O Nanda Baba, don't worry. I stay here with the Yadus and all your friends like Vasudeva and Devaki – only because they are related to you. I stay with them to give them some happiness." When Nanda Baba saw this message he told all the Vrajavasis, "My son is truthful, He will surely return just as He said." Krsna had written, "Nanda Baba, you are the life of My life. I must come to see you again." Nanda Baba used many types of logic to help all the Vrajavasis understand that, "Krsna has a few duties there, like killing Jarasandha and a few other demons, but when He is finished He will return. This jewelry is not a sign of neglect; it is a sign of His prema for us. When He sees us wearing this jewelry He will become very happy because we fulfilled His desire. All the Vrajavasis complained about the words of Nanda Baba. Uddhava considered that the Vrajavasis were very simple but that Krsna was very crooked – because even after hearing this He did not return to Vrndavana.

Uddhava said, "I went to Vrndavana to try to pacify the Vrajavasis but their separation increased – more and more. O Krsna, don't you know that the Vrajavasis have unlimited love towards You? Their love is like an ocean, and still You neglect them. What is this?!" Uddhava remembered that Krsna had sent a message to the gopis which told them to meditate on Him: "Be in samadhi. Just as the earth is everywhere, so I am everywhere and nothing is separate from Me. This universe is made of earth, air, fire, water, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego – which all comes from Me. You, and everything in this world, are nothing but Me, the Supersoul; I am all-pervading. You can therefore meditate, and you can see Me in your meditation." This was all jnana (knowledge of God's opulence). The Vrajavasis put that jnana in a cloth, threw it in the Yamuna, and it flowed down to Varanasi (a place of studying jnana).

Krsna later gave the same message to the gopis at Kuruksetra, and hearing it they became angry. The gopis are always in a natural samadhi. They always think of Krsna in walking, eating and everything they do. They replied to Krsna's words, "Don't tell us to meditate. We don't want to think of You. We try to forget You and to think of our household affairs, but we cannot. Your instructions for us to perform bhakti, to take us out of the material world, is not very instructive to us.

Srimati Radharani continued, "My mind and Vrndavana are one. You tell Me to think of You in My mind, but My mind and Vrndavana are the same. So therefore, if You put Your lotus feet on the land of Vrndavana, this will be true meditation."

Gaura Premanande.
http://tribes.tribe.net/gurudeva/

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

new levels of devotion

amrta — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 05:57:58 GMT

i am seeing the need to reconnect myself to the divine.
to drink in the real nectar
and surrender myself to the unchanging. sometimes i forget, or make it hard on myself. sometimes i think the daily routines and activities are the most important, or at least that is how i act..and i am sitting in the spiral, remembering all that i have to be thankful for does not come from me, but through humility and devotion to the God that takes the best care of me, and always will.
all there is to do is bow down and give thanks.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

Daily Zen.

lodha — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 04:18:03 GMT

Wanting nothing with all your heart, stop the stream
When the world dissolves, everything becomes clear.
Go beyond this way or that way
To the farther shore where the world dissolves,
And everything becomes clear.
Beyond this shore and the farther shore,
Beyond the beyond,
Where there is no beginning, no end,
Without fear, go.

- Dhammapada

Note: No comment , a blank is good enough.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 5 replies

free Bhakti University

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 04:17:55 GMT

http://bhaktiuniversity.com/bhakti/

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

New Ram Das site up

Naveen108 — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 23:41:44 GMT

NAMASTE

here is the e-mail i got today from Krishna Das site telling of the great new site that is up for Ram Das.

New Ram Dass Website

We are proud to announce the release of the new Ram Dass web portal and interactive satsang, www.ramdass.com. This new web site will be a platform for all of Ram Dass' teachings - video, audio, text and photo archives; live talks and one on one conferences and a constant source of information and news for all of his activities from his home in Maui, Hawaii. Please go to ramdass.com where all of the details are available to join Ram Dass' interactive satsang.

"I have been traveling these many years to reach out to souls, but now I think the technology can serve us and I can stay put for a while in Maui, where I am healing."

Ram Dass

From the Center For Spiritual Studies - A non-profit foundation dedicated to the teachings of Ram Dass

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

na dhanam... give me devotion!

amritavidya — Sat, 20 May 2006 10:23:39 GMT

bhakt de shakti de prema de ma

Na Dhanam na janam na ca sundarim
kavitam va jagadisha kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare
bhavatad bhakti ahaituki twayi

O Lord! I do not desire wealth, fame, followers, a beautiful husband or wife, flowery words of praise or the comforts of this world. I do not even ask for liberation - all i ask is selfless devotion to you, birth after birth.

to truly love. for the sake of love. this is true love!

posted in Devoted to God~! - 5 replies

A drop of devotion

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 17:35:12 GMT

O Effulgent Being, the one without a second. The ruler of the universe.
I seek refuge in your radiance. I wish for nothing except your love and compassion.

Baba Hari Dass

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

Giving thanks to the Mother

Naveen108 — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 15:27:37 GMT

NAMASTE

every time i see a lake or the rain i think of what Caitanaya Mahaprabhu said many years ago::::

O Ganga-Devi , your waters are the ambrosia of love of Godhead. The mere utterance of your name invokes devotional service to the supreme Lord. By your mercy , the living entities aquire a tast for chanting lord Krishna"s name.

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

hari bol

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 15:49:50 GMT

hari bol, hari bol , hari bol

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

Buddha's wisdom.

lodha — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 14:48:07 GMT

On hearing the teaching ,the wise become perfectly purified ,like a lake deep ,clear and still.-Dhammapada.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

albuquerque family??

strawbelly — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 01:34:05 GMT

anyOne in albuquerque? i'm seekin devotional familee...

love n bless to highestness,

kay'a ma~~*

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

Daily Zen.

lodha — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 02:35:19 GMT

Know the essence of mind. Its intrinsic essence is pure clarity. It is essentially the same as a Buddha. Know the functions of the mind. Its functions produce the treasure of teachings. When its activity is always silent, myriad illusions become suchness. Constantly be aware, without stopping. When the aware mind is present, it senses the formlessness of things. Constantly see your body as empty and quiet, inside and outside communing sameness. Plunge the body into the realm of reality, where there has never been any obstruction. Keep to unity without shifting. With constant presence, whether active or still, the student can see the Buddha nature clearly.

- Tao-hsin (580-651)

Note:-Don't comment. A blank is enough.Plz co-operate.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

Daily Zen.

lodha — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:22:11 GMT

All those who suffer in the world do so
Because of their desire for their own happiness.
All those happy in the world are so
Because of their desire for the happiness of others.

- Santideva

Note:- Don't comment.If you agree live with it and if not, don't. If you think you do and you meet me on same level of mind I did love to be a friend of yours.Thanx. for co-operation.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

Daily Zen. [Lin-chi]

lodha — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 23:25:04 GMT

From the Record of Lin-chi

Someone asked: “What do you mean by the true Buddha, the true Dharma, and the true Way? Would you be good enough to explain to us?”

The Master said: “Buddha is the cleanness and purity of the mind. The Dharma is the shining brightness of the mind. The Way is the pure light that is never obstructed anywhere. The three are in fact one. All are empty names and have no true reality.”

“Suppose you yearn to be a sage. Sage is just a word, sage. There are some types of students who go off to Mt. Wu-t’ai looking for Manjushri. They’re wrong from the very start! Manjushri isn’t on Mt. Wu-t’ai. Would you like to get to know Manjushri? You here in front of my eyes, carrying out your activities, from first to last never changing, wherever you go never doubting; this is the living Manjushri.

“Your mind that each moment shines with the light of nondiscrimination, wherever it may be, this is the true Samantabhadra. Your mind that each moment is capable of freeing itself from its shackles, everywhere emancipated, this is the method of meditating on Kwan-yin. These three act as host and companion to one another, all three appearing at the same time when they appear, one in three, three in one. Only when you have understood all this will you be ready to read the scriptural teachings.”

“You can’t seem to stop your mind from racing around everywhere seeking something. That’s why the Ancestor said, ‘Hopeless fellows using their head to look for their heads!’ You must right now turn your light around and shine it on yourselves, not go seeking somewhere else. Then you will understand that in body and mind you are no different from the Ancestors and buddhas, and that there is nothing to do. Do that and you may speak of ‘getting the Dharma.’

“In my view, there are, in fact, no great number of principles to be grasped. If you want to use the thing, then use it. If you don’t want to use it, then let it be.

“People here and there talk about the six rules and the ten thousand practices, supposing that these constitute the Dharma of the buddhas. But I say that these are just adornments of the sect, the trappings of Buddhism. They are not the Dharma of the buddhas. You may observe the fasts and observe the precepts, or carry a dish of oil without spilling, but if your Dharma-eye is not wide open, then all you’re doing is running up a big debt.

“As for those who go off to live all alone on a solitary peak, eating only one meal a day at the hour of dawn, sitting in meditation for long periods without lying down, performing circumambulations six times a day; such persons are all just creating karma. Then there are those who cast away their head and eyes, marrow and brains, their domains and cities, family, horses, the seven precious things, throwing them all away. People who think in that way are all inflicting pain on their body and mind, and in consequence will invite some kind of painful retribution. Better to do nothing, to be simple, direct, with nothing mixed in.

“Followers of the Way, don’t take the Buddha to be some sort of ultimate goal. Bodhisattvas and arhats are like chains for fettering people.

Followers of the Way, there is no Buddha to be gained, and the Three Vehicles, the five natures, the teaching of the perfect and immediate enlightenment are all simply medicines to cure diseases of the moment. None have any true reality. Even if they had, they would still all be mere shams, placards proclaiming superficial matters, so many words lined up, pronouncments of such kind.

“Followers of the Way, even if you can understand a hundred sutras and treatises, you’re not as good as one plain monk who does nothing. As soon as you acquire a little of such understanding, you start treating others with scorn and contempt, vying and struggling with them like so many asuras, blinded by ignorance of self and others, forever creating karma.

When you get hungry, eat your rice;

When you get sleepy, close your eyes.

Fools may laugh at me,

But wise people will know what I mean.

Ming-tsan

“Followers of the Way, don’t search for anything in written words. The exertions of your mind will tire it out; you’ll gulp cold air and gain nothing. Better to realize that at every moment all is conditioned and without true birth, to go beyond the bodhisattvas of the Three Vehicle provisional doctrines.

“Don’t dawdle your days away! In the past, before I had come to see things right, there was nothing but blackness all around me. But I knew that I shouldn’t let the time slip by in vain, and so, belly all afire, mind in a rush, I raced all over in search of the Way. Later I was able to get help from others, so that finally I could do as I’m doing today, talking with you followers of the Way. As followers of the Way, let me urge you not to do what you are doing just for the sake of appearances. See how quickly the world goes by! A good friend and teacher is hard to find, as rarely met with as the udumbara f lower.

“If you want to be always in accord with the Dharma, never give in to doubt. ‘Spread it out and it fills the whole Dharma-realm; gather it up, and it’s tinier than a thread of hair.’ Its lone brightness gleaming forth, it has never lacked anything. ‘The eye doesn’t see it; the ear doesn’t hear it.’

“What shall we call this thing? A man of old said, ‘Say something about a thing, and you’re already off the mark.’ You’ll just have to see it for yourselves. What other way is there?”

Lin-chi

Excerpted from The Roaring Stream - A New Zen Reader

Edited by Nelson Foster and Jack Shoemaker 1996

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

devoted to self

amrta — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 21:59:11 GMT

have you ever considered that in your devotion to god, you are showing devotion to your self?
is this to your "higher" spiritual self or could it be to all the aspects of Self, big and small self?

it is much easier for me to be devoted to something external and a yearslong practice to recognize that which i feel such gratitude, such depth of compassion and longing is the same as me.

what is a tangible way to be devoted to oneself? is it through self-respect? self-care? honoring boundaries? Prioritizing feelings?

posted in Devoted to God~! - 5 replies

Deities Drinking Milk Offerings Again

Naveen108 — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 19:40:25 GMT

NAMASTE

Thought this was fitting to share here.

www.hindustantimes.comNEW DELHII, INDIA, August 24, 2006: Thousands of people tonight thronged temples across Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab to watch Deities of Goddess Durga and God Siva drinking milk offered to them by devotees. In a rerun of similar incidents claimed to have taken place across the country in 1995, a large number of people queued up outside temples in Mathura and nearby holy cities of Vrindavan and Govardhan in UP, Vadodara in Gujarat and Kurukshetra in Haryana and Ludhiana in Punjab following claims that the Deities are taking milk offered to them. "A cup of milk was offered to Durgaji in Rama Nand Ashram Goverdhan this evening and she was not only pleased but has drank all. It is a good omen and the future of the country is bright," noted Saint Mahamandaleshwar Krishna Das Kanchan Maharaj said in Mathura. (HPI note: The 1995 "Milk Miracle" in which Lord Ganesha consumed milk was witnessed by thousands of devotees in countries around the world, as well as video-taped.)

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 9 replies

First Kumbha Mela in the USA

Naveen108 — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 14:14:49 GMT

NAMASTE

I see this as being a great blessing from the Divine to have such a event being held in the US at this time in life. I seen this posting about it on the Hindu Press Internationals web site.

06: (HPI note: Following is a press release from the organizers.) The first Kumbha Mela in the USA is being organized on September 10, 2006 at Bren Center, University of California Irvine, to usher in peace by infusing collective positivity. In India for thousands of years, millions of yogis, masters and saints have come together every 12 years at auspicious planetary convergences, to bring healing energy to the planet, and share information about spiritual practices. The Kumbha Mela in India brings 70 million people together, and is the largest spiritual gathering in the world. Now for the first time, the Kumbha Mela will take place in the USA. The Kumbha Mela USA is organized under the auspices of Paramahamsa Nithyananda, Nithyananda Foundation; Swami Ishwarananda, Chinmaya Mission; Swami Sarvadevananda, Vedanta Society; Dr. Acharya Yogeesh, Yogeesh Ashram; and the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh.

On September 10, 2006, thousands of spiritual aspirants, yogis, masters and spiritual leaders will converge in California to usher in the cosmic energy to create more peace on planet Earth. The highlights of the celebration include a powerful Vishwa Shanti Yagna, a Vedic style fire ceremony to invoke peace energy through one of the purest elements of nature--fire, an abhishekam, or offering of water from 21 holy rivers of India to all the Deities present, and a grand procession with participation by various spiritual organizations from across the country. Homas and aratis will add to the festivities and mahaprasad, or energized food for offering to everyone, will be prepared from rice collected from thousands of homes. This day-long event starts at 2:00 p.m..

In LOVE and LIGHT

PRITAM

posted in Devoted to God~! - 5 replies

.........Jai Balaram!!...........

Sandra Ma — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 04:17:51 GMT

Namaste
wondering if anyone would like to share any ideas
for offerings on Balarams appearance day
I was thinking about maybe
bringing something with HONEY?
maybe some type of sweet ball?
Mata is making Dal, rice, subji.

Hare Krsna

Jai to the assembled devotee's

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

Man Of Tao

lodha — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 06:49:24 GMT

A student once asked, “What is the difference between a Man of Tao and a little man?” The Zen Master replied, “It is simple. When the little man becomes a student, he can hardly wait to run home and shout at the top of his voice to tell everyone. Upon hearing the words of the master, he will climb to the rooftops and shout to the people. Upon learning the ways of the master, he will parade through town telling one and all about his new knowledge”.
The Zen Master continues, “When the Man of Tao becomes a student, he will bow his head in gratitude. Upon hearing the words of the master, he will bow his head and his shoulders. Upon learning the ways of the master, he will bow to the waist and quietly walk alongside the wall so that people will not see him or notice him”.
f Tao

posted in Devoted to God~! - 7 replies

Chomolungma

bradleyalbus — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 19:04:58 GMT

Have been reading about the tallest mountain in the world, "Chomolungma", and how she is seen as the "mother goddess of the world" to Tibetans and local peoples.

Many people are upset that we westerners have tried to rename a mountain that already has an ancient named and is so highly revered.

Pretty interesting

Harmony & blessings,
Silly_Love

posted in Devoted to God~! - 14 replies

Guru Purnima Day

Naveen108 — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 13:05:47 GMT

NAMASTE

Practices done on this day will bring growth and auspiciousness in ones life.
By doing so we see all as one.

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

one of my favourite prayers

bhakta — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 03:10:11 GMT

The Universal Prayer
from Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh

O adorable Lord of mercy and Love!
Salutations and prostrations unto thee.
Thou art omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient.
Thou art Satchitananda.
Thou art the indweller of all beings.
Grant us an understanding heart,
equal vision,
balanced mind,
faith,
devotion,
and wisdom.
Grant us inner spiritual strength
to resist temptation and to control the mind.
Free us from egoism, lust, greed, hatred and jealousy.
Fill our hearts with divine virtues.

Let us behold thee in all these names and forms.
Let us serve thee in all these names and forms.
Let us ever remember thee.
Let us ever sing thy glories.
Let thy name be ever on our lips.
Let us abide in thee forever and ever.

Om om.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

every act can become devotion

Tue, 30 May 2006 04:26:59 GMT

I realized today afte I got a piano that even the music I will eb playing is devotional
everything comes from God
not just kirtan but
everything
and with that understanding
I feel that a human being can relate to everything as a relaitonship with the beloved

posted in Devoted to God~! - 27 replies

''Spirituality begins were intellingence ends"

Naveen108 — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 19:30:42 GMT

NAMASTE

In my linage Shri Dhayanyogi-ji would often remind devotees on the words of Swamii Vivekanada's words ((( Spirituality begins were intelingence ends".
This brings to mind of all that is going on in the world now and threw history were wars
and religions have fought over each others doctrines and do so today.Were i wander is were was Spirituality lost and the lack of intellingence brought in???In the vedas we find the answers to this.But still this maya of mind clouds the foundation for most jivas to be devoted to the Divine.Is this then the Divine showing all souls the true light????For myself true devotion to the Divine starts when all dogmas are surpassed and one follows there true Dharma and merges with the All.

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 4 replies

Bankei - Buddha Mind

lodha — Fri, 05 May 2006 02:03:06 GMT

When we look back on this life, we see that when people are born, no one has thoughts of joy, sadness, hatred, or bitterness. Are we not in the state of the buddha mind bequeathed by our parents? It is after birth that intelligence develops, and people learn bad habits from others in the course of seeing and hearing them. As they grow up, their personal mental habits emerge, and they turn the buddha mind into a monster because of biased self-importance.

People are born with nothing but the unconceived buddha mind, but because of self-importance they want to get their own way, arguing and losing their temper yet claiming it is the stubbornness of others that makes them mad. Getting fixated on what others say, they turn the all-important unique buddha mind into a monster, mulling over useless things, repeating the same thoughts over and over again. They are so foolish they will not give up on things even if getting their own way would in any case prove to be futile. Folly is the cause of animality, so they are inwardly changing the all-important unique buddha mind into a paragon of animality.

Everyone is intelligent, but through lack of under- standing they turn the buddha mind into all sorts of things — hungry ghost, monster, animal. Once you've become an animal, even if you hear truth you don't listen, or even if you do listen, being animal-like, you can't retain what you've heard.

Going from one hellish state to another, from one animalistic state to another, from one ghostly state to another, from darkness to darkness in an endless vicious cycle, you go on experiencing infinite misery for the bad things you have done, with never a break.

This can happen to anyone, once you've gone astray. Just understand the point of not turning the buddha mind into something else.

As soon as a single thought gets fixated on some- thing, you become ordinary mortals. All delusion is like this. You pick up on something confronting you, turn the buddha mind into a monster because of your own self-importance, and go astray on account of your own ego.

Whatever it is confronting you, let it be. As long as you do not pick up on it and react with bias, just remaining in the buddha mind and not transforming it into something else, then delusion cannot occur. This is constant abiding in the unconceived buddha mind.

Everyone makes the mistake of supposing that acquired delusions produced by selfish desire and mental habits are inborn, and so they are unable to avoid confusion....

As I listen to the people who come to me, all of them make the mistake of turning the buddha mind into thoughts, unable to stop, piling thoughts upon thoughts, resulting in the development of ingrained mental habits, which they then believe are inborn and unalterable.

Please understand; this is very important. Once you have unconsciously drifted into delusion, if your state of mind degenerates and you flow downward like a valley stream in a waterfall, there is no way back after you have fallen into vicious cycles.

Again, suppose that you have developed mental habits based on selfish desires. When people criticize things that suit your selfish mentality, you become angry and defensive — since they are, after all, bad things — and you rationalize them as good. When people praise things that do not suit your selfish mentality, you reject them — being, of course, good things — and you retort that they are bad.

Everything is like this. Delusion can make a defect seem like a virtue. Having fallen into ignorance, you go through all sorts of changes, degenerating further and further until you fall into hell, with precious little chance of regaining your humanity.

The most important thing is not to be self-centered; then you cannot fail to remain in the buddha mind spontaneously.

To want to be at least as good as others in every- thing is the worst thing there is. Wanting to be at least as good as others is called egotistic pride. As long as you don't wish to be superior to others, then you won't be inferior either.

Also, when people mistreat us, it is because we have pride. When we consider mistreatment from others to be due to our own defects and so we exam- ine ourselves, then no one in the world is bad.

When angry thoughts arise, they turn the buddha mind into a monster. But anger and delight both, being self-centered, obscure and confuse the lumi- nous buddha mind, so that it goes around in vicious circles. Without subjective bias the buddha mind remains unconceived, so it does not revolve in circles. Let everyone understand this.

From: "Teachings of Zen" Ed. Thomas Cleary

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

Anasuya

amrta — Thu, 04 May 2006 21:37:43 GMT

lately I have taken to meditating on Anasuya. She was the wife of one of the Sapta Rshis, Atri. It was said in the Ramayana that she coould cook beans from iron with no fire and that even Sita worhsipped her. She was the most devoted wife.

i am inspired.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

June 21 and the choice of Life or Death

Wizard-Of-Air — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 18:04:09 GMT

The following is posted in the Elders of the 7 New Tribes and I will be copying it and posting it all over tribe.net. I think that it is more important than anything else on Earth right now. It is about the survival of Humankind. This also represents a call to action on all our parts. I think that in addition to all the other things that we pray and meditate on we should all begin to seek Guidance on how we can connect on June 21 and begin to do the work to create a future that is about life rather than death. Please post any insights that you recieve after reading this and meditating on it. Thank you.

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM CHIEF ARVOL LOOKING HORSE, OF THE
LAKOTA, DAKOTA, & NAKOTA NATIONS

Mitakuye Oyasin (All My Relations),

I, Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota, Dakota and
Nakota Nations, would like to ask for this time for you to
understand an Indigenous perspective in reflection of what has
happened in America, what we call "Turtle Island."

For the past six years, my work has concentrated on an
effort on uniting the Global community, through a message from
our sacred ceremonies in recognizing a day of World Peace and
Prayer on June 21st as a time to unite spiritually, each in our
own ways of beliefs in the Creator.

We have been warned from the messages, passed down from
Ancient Prophecies of these times we live in today, but also a
very important message of a solution to turn these terrible
times around. To assist you in understanding the depth of this
message involves the recognition in the importance of Sacred
Sites.

It is important that you realize the whole
interconnectedness of what is happening today, in reflection of
the continued massacres that are occurring on other lands and
our own Americas.

I have been learning about these important issues of
Sacred Sites since the age of 12, upon receiving the Sacred
White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle and it's teachings.

Our people have strived to protect Sacred Sites from
the beginning of time. There needs to be an understanding in
the concern of the protection of Sacred Sites that goes deeper
than just the issue of Shrines built by humans.

Our people have built similar objects and Shrines to
identify and to remind the significance in the power of the
Sacred Site. We have also witnessed them being destroyed for
many decades, but we also realize it is what is underneath them
that is important.

These places have been violated for centuries and have
brought us to this predicament that we are in concerning the
unstable Global Level thus far. Look around you, our Mother
Earth is very ill from these violations and we are at a brink
of destroying a healthy and nurturing survival for generations
to come, our children's children.

Our ancestors have been trying to protect our Sacred
Site from the continued violations called the Sacred Black
Hills in SD, "Heart of Everything that is".

Our ancestors never seen this site from a Satellite
view, but now that those pictures are available with modern
technology, we see that it is in the shape of a heart and when
fast forwarded it looks like a heart pumping. The Dine have
been protecting Big Mountain, calling it the liver and now that
the coal is depleting, we are suffering and going to suffer
more from the extraction of the coal and poison processes used
in doing so.

The Aborigines has warned of the contaminating effects
on the Corral Reefs from Global Warming, which they see as
Mother Earth's blood purifier, our sacred water is being
polluted.

The Indigenous people of the Rain Forest relay that the
Rain Forest are the lungs and need protection and now we see
the Brazilian Government approved the depletion of 50% of this
Sacred Site.

The Gwich'in Nation has an issue of oil drilling in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, also known to
the Gwich'in as 'Where the life begins!' The coastal plain is
also the birthplace of many other life forms of Animal Nations.
The death of these Animal Nations will destroy Indigenous
Nations in this territory.

As these destructive developments continue all over the
world, we will witness many more extinct Animal, Plant and
Human Nations, because of the misuse of power that mankind has
made and their lack of understanding the "balance of life".

The Indigenous people warn that these destructive
developments will cause havoc globally. There are many, many
more Indigenous awareness's and knowledge of Mother Earth's
Sacred Sites, connections (Mother Earth's Charkas) to our
spirit that will surely affect our future generations.

These people are still suffering from this
contamination and their livelihood is being destroyed as I
write this to you.

There needs to be a fast move toward other forms of
energy that are safe for all Nations upon Mother Earth. We need
to understand the whole picture in the type of minds that are
continuing to destroy the spirit of our whole Global Community.

Unless we do this, the powers of destruction will
overwhelm us.

Our Ancestors foretold that water would someday be for
sale. Back then this was hard to believe, since the water was
so plentiful, so pure, and so full of energy, nutrition and
spirit. Today we have to buy pure water, and even then the
nutritional minerals have been taken out; it's just empty
liquid.

Someday water will be like gold, too expensive to
afford. Not everyone will have the right to drink safe water.

We fail to appreciate and honor our Sacred Sites,
ripping out the minerals and gifts that lay underneath them, as
if Mother Earth were simply a resource, instead of the Source
of Life itself.

Attacking Nations and having to utilize more resources
to carry out the destruction in the name of Peace and
elimination is not the answer!

We need to understand how all these decisions affects
the Global Nation, we will not be immune to it's repercussions.

To allow continual contamination of our food and land,
is now affecting the way we think.

A "disease of the mind" has set in World Leaders and
many members of our Global Community, with their understanding
that a solution of retaliation and destruction of peoples will
bring Peace.

In our Prophecies it is told that we are now at the
Crossroads, either unite Spiritually as a Global Nation, or be
faced with chaos, disasters, diseases and tears from our
relatives eyes.

In times of disasters it is sad to say, that it is the
only time that we unite spiritually, but we must not taint it
with anger and retaliation. We are the only species that is
destroying the Source of life, meaning Mother Earth, in the
name of power, mineral resources and ownership of land, using
methods of chemicals and warfare that is becoming irreversible,
as Mother Earth is becoming tired and can not sustain any more
impacts of war.

I ask you to join me on this endeavor.

Our vision is for the Peoples of all continents,
regardless of their beliefs in the Creator, to come together as
one at their Sacred Sites at that sacred moment of what is
known as the Summer Solstice of June 21st, to pray and meditate
and commune with one another, thus promoting an energy shift to
heal our Mother Earth and achieve a universal consciousness
toward attaining Peace.

As each day passes bringing us to this day of
concentration together, I ask the Global Nations to begin a
Global effort, in knowing that each and every one of us are
making a daily effort in waking to a gratitude of another day,
that is gifted to us and begin to remember to give thanks for
the Sacred Food that has been also gifted to us by our Mother
Earth, so the nutritional energy of medicine can be guided to
heal our minds and spirits.

This new millennium will usher in an age of harmony or
it will bring the end of life as we know it. Starvation, war
and toxic waste have been the hallmark of the Great Myth of
Progress and Development that ruled the last millennium.

To us, as caretakers of the heart of Mother Earth,
falls the responsibility of turning back the powers of destruction.

We have come to a time and place of great urgency.

The fate of future generations rests in our hands.

We must understand the two ways we are free to follow,
as we choose the positive way or the negative way.. the
spiritual way or the material way.

It's our own choice--each of ours and all of ours.

You yourself are the one who must decide.

You alone-and only you--can make this crucial choice.
Whatever you decide is what you'll be, to walk in honor
or to dishonor your relatives.

You can't escape the consequences of your own decision.
On your decision depends the fate of the entire World.
You must decide. You can't avoid it.

Each of us is put here in this time and this place to
personally decide the future of humankind.

Did you think the Creator would create unnecessary
people in a time of such terrible danger?

Know that you yourself are essential to this World.

Believe that!

Understand both the blessing and the burden of that.
You yourself are desperately needed to save the soul of this
World.

Did you think you were put here for something less? In
a Sacred Hoop of Life, where there is no beginning and no
ending!

Mitakuye Oyasin,
Chief Arvol Looking Horse1
19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

posted in Devoted to God~! - 4 replies

Art of losing

lodha — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 15:10:36 GMT

Art of losing. friends only Sat, March 11, 2006 - 7:09 AM
The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

---Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
-Elizabeth Bishop
Note:- Borrowed from a friend on the tribe.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 4 replies

Emissaries of Divine Light

maryhall — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 05:13:04 GMT

I found this group a few years ago, and though i felt the vibration of "home" when i first visited their world headquarters community, it took me another two years to really get what they are doing here. I've had mystical experiences for years, and have given my life to God fully (starting about 3 years ago). I've found others who are more conscious than i am here at Sunrise, and are living the Christ Consciousness more fully than anywhere i've seen before. Tho not everyone here in the community is fully living it, the core of about 20 are.

So beyond the blissful connection to God, and listening to the inner voice, i'm learning more consciously how to truely serve God. I LOVE IT!

I'm telling you about it because this place is not well known of, there are maybe 500 Emissaries around the world, and maybe 10-20 communties. They are not dogmatic! And i've heard the leader say that the Truth is more important than even the Emissary beliefs. They (we?) are open and loving to people of all faiths, and acknowledge the good work other spiritual traditions are doing in the Body of God. And many people here are fully surrendered to God. Its the most grounded path i've seen, its all about God manifesting thru us on Earth, to create Heaven here and now.

I just moved here over a month ago, tho i've visited and taken classes for number of years. At first i really rebelled and was anoyed and critical of their teachings and what i saw, but some things shifted in me, and i stopped projecting my stuff on them. I get it now, and its beautiful.

Anyway, i'm having a love affair with this path, i never thought i'd find a path that suited me, and here it is! And teachers who are loving and true...and and and...

I love this tribe, i just found it and am so glad to "meet" others who are all about being devoted to God.

Much love, Mary

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

clean

bhakta — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 04:26:03 GMT

you know, things start to look a lot cleaner in my house when I'm genuinely doing moment-to-moment sadhana. I mean, if my desk, the kitchen counter, my closet, and my laundry pile are all altars, and my various tasks in those places are offerings to God... then of course I'd want to do everything thoroughly and carefully, with close attention to detail.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 4 replies

complete surrender is the answer

Somaadi — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:25:51 GMT

Namaste , for me the sacred path is complete surrender , in devotion and with total faith , to Divine Mother / Goddess / Spirit and honouring and praising the Divine Feminine , a bhakta shakta Goddess devotee , Jai MAA

posted in Devoted to God~! - 10 replies

Life

lodha — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 14:18:05 GMT

YOU have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.

Every day, God gives us the sun-- and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Ever day, we try to pretend that we haven't perceived that moment, that it doesn't exist-- that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if people really pay attention to their everyday lives, they will discover the magic moment. It may arrive in the instant when we are doing something mundane, like putting our front door key in the lock; it may lie hidden in the quiet that follows the lunch hour or in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us. But that moment exists-- a moment when all the power of the stars become a part of us and enables us to perform miracles.

Joy is sometimes a blessing, but it is often a conquest. Our magic moment helps us to change and sends us off in search of our dream. Yes, we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times, and we will experience many disappointments-- but all of this is transitory; it leaves no permanent mark. And one day we will look back with pride and faith at the journey we have taken.

Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won't suffer the way people do when they have a fream to follow. But when that person looks back-- and at some point everyonbe looks back-- she will hear her heart saying, "What have you done with the miracles that God planted in your days? What have you done with the talents God bestowed on you? You buried yourself in a cave because you were fearful of losing those talents. So this is your heritage: the certainty that you wasted you life."

Pitiful are the people who must realize this. Because when they are finally able to believe in miracles, their life's magic moments will have already passed them by.
-----------------------

SOMETIMES an uncontrollable feeling of sadness grips us. We recognize that the magic moment of the day has passed and we've done nothing about it. Life begins to conceal its magic and its art.

We have to listen to the child we once were, the child who still exists inside us. That child understands magic moments. We can stifle its cries, but we cannot silence its voice.

The child we once were is still there. Blessed are the children for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

If we are not reborn-- if we cannot learn to look at life with the innocence and the enthusiasm of childhood-- it makes no sense to go on living.

We have to pay attention to what the child in our heart tells us. We should not be embarrassed by this child. We must not allow this child to be scared because the chidl is alone and is almost never heard.

We must allow the child to take the reins of our lives. The child knows that each day is different from every other day.

We have to allow it to feel loved again. We must please the child-- even if it means that we act in ways we are not used to, in ways that may seem foolish to others.

Remember that human wisdom is madness in the eyes of God. But if we listen to the child who lives in our soul, our eyes will grow bright. If we do not lose contact with that child, we will not lose contact with life.

Quiero aprender y sentir como vivir, amor y sonreir de vez en cuando.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

An American native story

lodha — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 11:27:35 GMT

a friend sent it to me, asking if it would indeed be a native american story. i've seen it before...and it seems that it just might be cherokee (though other nations may have their version of the story too).

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed".

posted in Devoted to God~! - 2 replies

What enlightment is?

lodha — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 06:27:06 GMT

When you are hungry,eat
when you are tired,sleep
when you are thristy,drink
when you wish to cry,cry
when you wish to laugh,laugh
when you are angry,don't be
when you hate some one,love him/her more.then hate
when you do a good deed,forget about it
when you win/do something good don't be happy
when you loose a race or a dear one,don't be sad
when you are alive don't think of death
when death comes don't think of live
when you are in kitchen be in kitchen
when you are in today don't be in tommorow or theyafter tommorow.
when you feel you are enlighteded
you are not.
Enlighteded are those who give a damn about being it
but live it.
They use words,but that is silence.
We all are enlighteded for this moment.
Fortunately Enlightement is like fuel in car,once its over you get to refill the fuel
and gap must be least,infact no gaps, between 2 refills.

Note:-Don't reply to this post .please live it.You must be having your own version.but keep it yourselves and live by it and I hope tht can be no different from this one.

"Our life is too much of details,simplify,simplfy"

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

being in love with god

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 05:57:29 GMT

Today I was watching children and families in a community where i have been living, and thinking of how it woudl be nice to be a mother, perhaps a wife, but then everytime I think of these things somethign takes over me
something which I cannto expalin in words, a love , an obsession with the divine,, this energy which is always with me, it feels as I am binded twith it forever,
I feel like my only reaons for existing is is God,
I feel I am at peace that I will never have a family or a realtionship,
I feel that it is a good thing, it is the first time I have accepted it,

I never thought it would be this way when I was young, but the first profesion I wanted ot be was a nun.

I wrote this one called
Liberation

I will wear nothing but the beauty you have given me
I will kiss you in the silence where my mind no longer exists.

praise Ja

posted in Devoted to God~! - 12 replies

Zen poem

lodha — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 15:33:05 GMT

The Zen Masters teach that the pure mind is the eternal Buddha - nature. To attain enlightenment, to be aware of one's own Buddha - nature, it is necessary to go beyond our ordinary thoughts. When we are free from our own projections and ideas, we can be aware of the Buddha Reality which is all pervading.

" Confused by thoughts,
we experience duality in life.
Unencumbered by ideas,
the enlightened see the one Reality."

- Hui - Neng

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

Love for God

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 03:53:03 GMT

a poem

I have asked many astrologers about you
I aksed htem what is in my future
Will I be married
They said yes
I looked for the one for many years
I met many men but my heart always aiked for more
One day I lost hope
I cryed out your name Dear God
and I asked if you can hear me
months later you appeared
It was you I looked for all along
You are what my heart truly desired
I longed for you
as a wife longs for her husband
I want to serve you
as a servant serves a king
I want to always wallk with you
as a dog folows his master
You are the reason I take breaths

Sarasvati Devi

posted in Devoted to God~! - 14 replies

The meaning of Devotion

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 23:14:50 GMT

It doesnt matter if one is devoted to Krisna or Allah or Christ

Having a pure heart is in devotion , it becomes the magick agent in the union with the Divine

Some people are more karma yogis, or just more thinkers , which is gyani,

I have notice that someone has posted that pasison for God is a joke to them

i wish if a perosn cannot relate to this experince that they dont ridicule the path of devotion but rahter can ask quesitons about how it works for a bhakti, if one does not understand it.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 3 replies

Valentine day special

lodha — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 16:20:28 GMT

An Essay about
Love

by Ken Raggio 2/14/2001

After spending 35 years preaching, pastoring and counseling,
I would like to share my personal observations about LOVE.

Much has been said about love, but if you search the horizon, you will discover that most of the things written about love are either pithy or cynical.

Society in general can be cruel and heartless toward real virtue of any kind. In the most popular venues, love is seldom dealt with with any degree of sobriety. Modern humor mocks marriage, husbands and wives, then glorifies every conceivable breech of virtue, such as sexual immorality, profane and obscene values.

Real love is a mystery to most people. Most people never realize the true potential or value of love, nor do they learn to practice the art of love. It is usually very poorly defined. People think they are in love, but they can’t explain it. There is a great deal of confusion and cross-referencing of the terms LOVE, ROMANCE, INFATUATION, AFFECTION, TENDERNESS and so forth.

Love may include romance, infatuation, affection and tenderness. But even if those elements are not present, it could still be love.

A lot of people will tell you that they are in love, or that they have been in love, but there is a huge disparity between one person’s definition of love and another’s.

Two of my favorite statements on love are:

Love is a choice to do the highest good for someone.
Love is the bond of perfectness (Colossians 3:14):
It is the perfect glue.

Love is noble and idealistic. Love is the highest of all the virtues. God Himself is love. Paul classified faith, hope and love as the highest virtues, and concluded that love was the highest of the three.

Love is essential to all perfect relationships.

What most people never realize is that true love is not always romantic. Romance is different from love, even though ideally, they should occur together. Romance is the emotional component of love. Romance adds the sparkle in your eyes. Romance adds the perfume and the colors. Romance embellishes the scenery and swells the music. Romance is the gilding of love. Romance is gold leaf. It is ornamentation. Romance sometimes becomes a means unto itself. It even becomes a cheap substitute for love at times. Some people seem to desire the trappings and embellishments of romance in place of genuine relationships. By comparison, romance is superficial to love. Romance is skin deep. Love is heart deep. Romance requires things that love does not require. Romance requires gifs and surprises and lavish attention. Romance sometimes demands things that contradict love. Romance is offended when the gold leaf wears off. Romance condemns love that is not eye-pleasing. Romance often injures and denigrates true love because love doesn’t always appeal to romance’s selfishness.

Love is for givers, not getters. Those who demand to be loved before they will love shouldn’t be surprised if no one gives them love. Lovers live in a world of giving. The getters, the ones who are looking for love, is a different world. We have a duty to love, but we have no guarantees that we will be loved. We have it in our power to love, but we have no power to force others to love us. It is folly to spend life demanding love from others. If we are true lovers, our entire mindset is in a giving mode. There is no place for bemoaning the ways others neglect us.

Love is fascinating inasmuch that it draws a person into an expression of caring and concern for another. An entirely selfish person cannot love. Anyone whose desires are only for self-satisfaction cannot manifest love.

Love requires the giving of ones’ self to another. It involves an element of self-depletion, self-exhaustion. Love is empathic. It puts itself in someone else’s shoes. Love seeks to understand. Love cares. It does not pre-judge. It does not pass sentences. Love does not jump to conclusions. Love does not throw down ultimatums. Love does not declare war on its object. Love is tender, it is kind, it is forgiving.

Love is tuning into another’s sensitivities. Love sense’s another’s strengths and weaknesses. It uses the other person’s measuring stick. It suffers and rejoices on another’s terms. Love seeks rapport. It seeks to interface with another at their level. It seeks to relate emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually. Love compromises whenever possible. Love sacrifices personal whims if they are incompatible with the one who is loved. Love abandons pursuits that hurt the one who is loved. Love will do without. Love will dress in the color that another chooses. Love bends. Love stretches. Love must sometimes keep silent. Love is a desire that someone will fare better than yourself. It is the willingness to spend yourself for the well-being of another. Love will pay a debt the other cannot pay. It will bail them out for the sake of survival. Love wants the other to survive even if it means death to self. Love will die so someone else can live.

Infatuation is sometimes mistaken for romance or love. Infatuation is an extravagant passion or attraction to someone. Infatuation may or may not do the best it can for its object. (An example of the downside of infatuation occurs when someone begins to stalk or threaten the one they are infatuated with.) Infatuation might just be physical passion. Passion is what you see in animal magnetism. Passion is driven by physical attraction, by chemistry, by hormones, if you will. Passion causes animals to mate, to bear offspring. Passion will make a buck tear down a fence to get to a doe. Extreme passion is sometimes the force behind date-rape and other kinds of physical abuse. Every healthy human will experience some kind of passion. Our physiology guarantees it. Every man and every woman manufactures chemicals in their bodies that attract the attention of other human beings. The forces of testosterone and estrogen and other pheromones create irresistible magnetism between humans. It is possible to be attracted to anyone at anytime where these hormonal forces are at work. It is the nature of every living creature to be attracted to those of its own species. This physical passion, however, should never be confused with love.

It is possible to feel passion for someone you do not love, and it is possible to love someone you do not feel passion for. One of the biggest mistakes a person can make is to get involved with another person on the basis of passion alone. If the component of love is absent in a relationship, devastating things can happen. Just because someone is a great lover in bed doesn’t mean that they will be easy to live with at all. A very passionate person is still capable of unspeakable cruelties, thoughtless sayings or even hateful abandonment. Even though they may express wild passions for you on the spur of the moment, if there is no love there, you will surely be hurt by them. By the same measure, you will certainly hurt anyone else for whom you have passion, but no love. Stay away from passion that is not bounded by love.

Love is essential to the success of any relationship. It is the force that holds two people together while they sort out their differences. Love is the C-clamp and it is the glue. If you love, you will be forced to be patient while the glue dries. Love will not always hold things together, but if anything can, it will. Love is the last and best chance at sealing a relationship.

Love will expose you to rejection and hurts. Your attempts at loving someone will not always be appreciated or received kindly. Your motives may not be understood or believed. When you set forth to love someone, they may think you are acting out of ulterior motives. You may be accused of wrong doing or wrong motives. When you love you are your most vulnerable to hurt. Sharing your love is the most expensive thing you will ever do. It can either be the most rewarding effort or it can be the most devastating endeavor. Nobody is happier than a person in love. Nobody is sadder than one whose love has failed.

If you invest yourself in someone, and give them your very best, and they respond positively to your love, you will experience unspeakable gratification. If, however, you invest in someone, and give them your very best, and they do NOT respond positively, perhaps they do not respond at all, or they respond negatively, it is likely to be one of the most painful experiences of your life.

People who have failed at love often resist the notion of loving again. To the person who has been hurt, love is perceived as the source of their great pain. Rejection is a deadly monster that nobody wants to live with. Loving people sometimes become self-destructive when they feel their love is being spurned.

But if you will be a real lover, you must confront the risk of rejection with a belief that love will not always fail. Love may fail with one person, but it will succeed with another. If the rejection if coming from a spouse, then there must be a strong belief that love is still the answer and that persistent love will eventually conquer all. When one person devotedly gives unselfishly to another, if that effort is genuine and well-intended, it is virtually impossible that there will not be a positive result. If you persistently contribute to a person’s well-being, the likelihood is that they will eventually become accustomed, if not addicted, to your positive contribution to their lives. If the one who is loved finally recognizes that you are only good for him or her, you have accomplished the real purpose of love. Love is the prerequisite to endearment.

Love can build a bridge across great divides. Love is more powerful than any other force, because love stands for the best interest. Love will only do good. Love will do no evil. Love is the most irresistible force known to humanity. Loving an adversary is like pouring fiery coals on their resistance. They must eventually respond in some way. Love does only good and thereby creates a debt of gratitude. If a person refuses your love, it may be that the reasons are irreparable. It may be that they have chosen the love of another over your love. People who are in love develop a symbiotic relationship eventually. Each draws life force from the other. There is a mutual support system that emerges. If a person is substantially different from you in their values and lifestyles, they may resist your efforts to love them for the simple reason that they do not want to be engaged with you. They do not want your values or your lifestyles imposing upon their own. In such a case, it is best to abandon the pursuit. Be not unequally yoked with a person of radically different values or lifestyles.

What is the purpose of love? Love is the desire to enhance another. God is love. God is the desire to improve the universe. He blesses all of creation. He builds, he strengthens, he helps – all the while he is being resisted, rejected and ignored. God loves us. That means he wants to do us good. If we reject him, it is because we do not want his ways or his lifestyles. It is because we have deluded ourselves into believing that our way is better than his way. Unfortunately, there is no way to prosper outside the blessing of God. To reject God’s love is to reject life.

If we do not handle love rightly, then everything else will be out of kilter. If our lives are not motivated by love, we are certain to become corrupted, contaminated and diseased by lesser forces. If we do not love our spouses, our children, our families, our fellowman, then we have given ourselves to their demise. The failure to love is a form of abandonment. It says I don’t care how you turn out. It says your life is unimportant to me. It says I am selfish – I don’t want to be involved in your well-being. God requires us to love every man, because in doing so, we become partners with God in the saving and redeeming of the human race. When we love our neighbors, we are allied with God in salvaging the human race. When we love our children, we are allied with God in the saving of our children. When we love our spouses, we are allied with God in the saving of our spouse.

When we do NOT love others, we place ourselves at odds with God. We are neglecting or destroying what God is trying to build up. We are ignoring a cause that is uppermost in the mind of God. Husbands should love their wives. Wives should love their husbands. Parents should love their children and children should love their parents. People who neglect their own under the guise of becoming benevolent or humanitarian toward the general public are failing to recognize that love must begin within the innermost circles of our lives. It is illogical to think that we can help society at large while we are neglecting our most fundamental responsibilities toward our own family and friends. If the circle of love always began at home, the ripple effect would be enormous. Every loving couple is an inspiration to other couples within their circle of influence. Every dysfunctional couple is a detriment to their circle of influence – whether it be a detriment to the children of a divorce, or broken family ties, or the impact on the community at large. It is foolish to think that we can show love in the public venue while neglecting love at home without getting caught in our hypocrisy. Everybody on your job may love your smiley face and your cheery ways, but if you are a monster at home, be sure your sins will find you out.

Do you love someone? We should all love one another. We love our families, our friends, our brothers and sisters in the church. How do we best love?

Love begins to be expressed when it is formulated in the heart. Love begins with a thought. Love looks at a subject and creates an interest. Love looks at a person and says, “I like that person, and I want to be good to him or her.”

Love cannot function in an environment of prejudice. You cannot love someone for whom you feel antipathy or aversion or repugnance. You cannot help someone you refuse to understand. You cannot help someone you have judged unworthy. You cannot love someone whom you disdain for their appearance. You cannot love someone whom you dislike because of their upbringing. You cannot love someone you resist because of their lack of grooming. You cannot love someone you are jealous of, whether you are jealous of their looks, their financial status, their popularity with others, their education or social standing, or any other reason.

It is grossly unjust to limit your love to those with whom you get the best rapport. You must not limit yourself to loving only those who think like you, dress like you, act like you. You must love all people of all kinds in spite of whatever distastes you may experience.

What do you do when you love? When you love, you care. You show you care. You think caring thoughts. You commit yourself to caring. You refuse to stop caring even if they don’t care if you care.

Love dwells where dislike would never go. Love penetrates hostile environments. Love reaches out. Love does favors that will never be repaid. Love shows appreciation for things that go unnoticed. Love runs errands. Love expects nothing in return. Love’s reward is to see others prosper. Love seeks not its own, but the good of others. Love makes a man build up his wife. A loving man nourishes his wife, as a loving woman nourishes her husband.

Love doesn’t seek to destroy. Love doesn’t condemn or show harshness. Love is kind. Love is tender. Love accentuates the positive. Love is not hate. Love does not hate. Love doesn’t put a microscope on your faults, it puts a microscope on your potential. Love forgives faults. Love sometimes turns a blind eye. Love allows space for improvement. Love tolerates a lot of things that would otherwise be intolerable. Love bears with people that nobody else would bear with. Love gives second chances. Love gives third and fourth chances. Love leaves the door unlocked and the porch light on. Love will meet a prodigal half-way. Love will give up its own bed. Love will celebrate a victory, even if it is a small one. Love wants it all to work out, and will spend everything to make it happen.

Love rejoices when others prosper. Love doesn’t demand equal time. Love doesn’t require equal pay. Love works for free if it has to. Love never gives up. Love clings to the ideal. Love persists through all adversity. Love believes in and hopes in things. Love tries really hard. To love is to be like Christ. Not to love is contrary to Christ. There is no greater love than to lay down your life for someone else. In your dying, they live. In your forfeiture, they win. In your passing they are sustained. In your deprivation, their needs are met. In your hunger, they are fed. In your want, they are filled. Love will stay when self-preservation would leave the room. Others’ needs compel love to stay on the job, when otherwise you would quit.

Love compels a mother to cook dinner even though they complained about the last meal. Love compels a father to the job even though hostile forces are working against him. Love compels a preacher back to the pulpit even though his message has been rejected by 99 out of 100 people who have heard him preach.

You can be religious. You can go to church. You can sing in the choir. You can teach a Sunday School class. But if you don’t live by love, you are a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. You can drive a nice car and live in a nice house but if you don’t love others, your life is a selfish disaster just waiting to happen.

But if you are a master at love, you will be happy even if life dishes you one trial after another. If you are a loving person – yes, if you are a LOVER – you are what God made you to be. He that loveth not, knoweth not God.

If God were only hate, He would have no faithful followers. If God did not love us, we would not have pled His cause through the centuries and millennia. It is the love of God toward us that has endeared Him to us. If He had not loved us while we were unlovable, we would have ignored him has soundly as we have all our other enemies. But God’s love for us is the glue that holds us to Him.

Every one of us will eventually pass from this life. When we are gone, everything we have accumulated will be lost. We can’t take houses, land, cars, furniture, collections, art, money, or anything else. Most of the things we have stored in our attics and garages will probably be thrown away. Our clothes will be given away. Nobody will listen to our CDs or read our books.

It won’t take long until everything we ever were is gone and forgotten – with one exception. We will continue to live in the hearts of those we have loved. If we have loved God, we will find ourselves forever in His bosom. And if we have loved others, we will be remembered fondly forever by those we have loved.

If we have failed to love, we leave nothing behind.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 1 reply

i asked God

amrta — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 23:26:40 GMT

i asked God for strength that i might achieve,
i was made weak that i might learn humbly to obey;

i asked for health that i might do greater things,
i was given infirmity that i might do better things;

i asked for riches that i might be happy,
i was given poverty that i might be wise;

i asked for power that i might have the praise of men,
i was given weakness that i might feel the need of God;

i asked for all things that i might enjoy life,
i was given life that i might enjoy all things;

i got nothing that i asked for, but everything i hoped for.
almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
i am, among all men, most richly blessed.

**i read this poem the first time in a book written by one of Ammachi's swami's and there was no attribution and still i do not find one, but the humility of this poem speaks so loudly, yet softly.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 9 replies

what a beautiful site!

Carolina — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 11:10:15 GMT

I love this topic. I would love to remain in a God concious state and live and act from love and faith at all times. May we express God's love by the way in which we live, speak, and think.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 4 replies

it is easy

amrta — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 01:33:26 GMT

to recognize God in the smile of others. it is a fun exercise to smile at people and see their faces transform..people are beautiful when they smile..

i mean, a regular old joe can turn into the most handsome being you have ever seen when their face lights up with the joy a shared smile can bring.

this morning, walking to work, once again, i was struck by this realization.

:)

posted in Devoted to God~! - 3 replies

guru

amrta — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 23:51:21 GMT

namaste.

i am wondering who here has a spiritual master/a teacher that they have been initiated as a disciple with?

and secondly, i am wondering if and how much time is spent reading the works of other masters and spiritual teachers.

i have a guru. Mata Amritanandamayi (Ammachi) and I feel very compelled by Swami Sivananda. In the past I have read some Osho, and Gangaji, Swami Sivananda Rhada and lately Shri Ma. I am remembering one of Amma's swami's saying during satsang that we act like some of the guru's teachings are for us and some aren't. we only listen to the ones we want to hear and the others are for someone else.
i think this comes to mind because i sometimes find myself saying i want to read more vedanta, Sivananda speaks more about this, not so much Amma. and then i laugh because i realize that i am so ignorant and think i know what spirituality is about. but then i have also heard that in the beginning of getting on the spiritual path it is important to use discrimination and see what works and where you feel moved to go.
kind of rambly, but i am wondering about others' experiences.

love.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 11 replies

Devi Mandir link

Naveen108 — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 03:18:15 GMT

NAMASTE

I thought you all may like this link so i thought i would post it here.

http://www.devimandir.com/

In Love and Light

Pritam

posted in Devoted to God~! - 0 replies

You

amrta — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 00:16:30 GMT

are God.

posted in Devoted to God~! - 17 replies

God speak

amrta — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 22:21:17 GMT

How do you know when God is speaking?

posted in Devoted to God~! - 8 replies