Spiritual Bangalore

HINDU WAY OF TREATING PARENTS by Dr N Gopalakrishnan

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:13:44 +0000

Who is a Rishi? by Ramesh Bijlani

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:07:13 +0000

The mystic feels real and present, even ever present to his experience, intimate to his being, truths which to the ordinary reader are intellectual abstractions or metaphysical speculations.

– SRI AUROBINDO

Rishi literally means one who sees the Truth, or the Absolute Reality. For seeing the Truth, or rather experiencing it, eyes are neither necessary nor sufficient. It needs the divine vision (divya chakshu) of the type that Lord Krishna gave to Arjuna. With the grace of the Divine, the divine vision may be developed through appropriate physical and mental discipline. The seeker aspiring to become a rishi is so strongly motivated by the desire to ‘see’ God, or the Truth, that he ends up neglecting all his superfluous needs. His lifestyle thus becomes very simple, and all his time and energy are focused on his quest. However, although the seeker’s lifestyle is simple, he does not have to starve himself or neglect his body. On the contrary, he should take special care to keep his body healthy so that it can endure the long journey that he has embarked upon. While on the journey, the seeker may in fact stumble upon some of the secrets of good health and the strategies that aid mental concentration. That is possibly how the yogic postures and meditative techniques were discovered. Long before the journey is complete, the seeker also starts becoming more loving, caring and compassionate. The altered behaviour also aids his quest, and as he advances in his quest, his behaviour is further transformed in the same direction. His efforts, and Divine Grace, may eventually lead him to the experience of the Truth in its entirety, and the seeker now becomes a rishi. The rishi can now lead the rest of his life with constant awareness of two levels of reality. One is the superficial reality based on sensory perception. That is the reality seen by all. That is the reality which is perishable and inconstant. The other is the deeper Reality which most of us do not see most of the time. The deeper Reality is imperishable and constant. Thus the rishi has a sort of double awareness. He is aware of what is generally considered real; but behind, within, above and beyond this reality he is aware of a deeper Reality. Thus, the rishi’s consciousness is much wider, higher and deeper than the ordinary consciousness. In simple terms, what the rishi sees is the all-pervasive presence of the Creator in all its creation, animate and inanimate. The first casualty of this deeper vision is the ego that creates the ‘me-versus-the-rest divide’. Therefore, when the rishi organizes his life around this vision, his life becomes full of universal love and compassion. The rishi does not just know the Truth at the mental level, but has experienced it. That is why it is said that the rishi has attained realization; or in other words, the Truth has become real to him. Only what we have experienced becomes real to us. What we have just understood at the mental level does not come anywhere near what we have experienced. Realized souls in the Hindu tradition are called rishis, but realized souls are not confined to the Hindu tradition. Seekers across geographical and religious boundaries have realized the same Truth through similar methods. There have been several realized souls among the mystics of the Judaic and Christian traditions, and the Sufis of the Islamic tradition. That they have all experienced the same Truth is suggested by the remarkable similarity in the way they have described their experiences. Several comparable descriptions from different traditions have been brought together at one place by Aldous Huxley in his book, The Perennial Philosophy.

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Sri Aurobindo reached Pondicherry (now Puducherry) on 4 April 1910. Here are a few lines on the rishi’s consciousness from his epic, Savitri:

A Voice profound in the ecstasy and the hush

They heard, beheld an all-revealing Light.

All time-made difference they overcame;

The world was fibred with their own heart-strings;

Close-drawn to the heart that beats in every breast,

They reached the one self in all through boundless love.

Source : http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/masters/mysticism/who-is-a-rishi?track=1&uid=113066&date=20130408

Parable Of Two Businessmen by Swami Sivananda

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:35:39 +0000

Two businessmen once set out for a distant land for doing business. They were both rich. They had heard well about the returns that their business would bring them in the new place. The first one, Rama, thought, Let me invest my entire wealth. Even if the business be shaky in the beginning and there be initial losses, yet my foundation will be strong and I will gain in the long run. Accordingly, he invested his entire fortune and started the business in right earnest, on a well-established ground. With the usual losses in the beginning, he pulled on through the infant stages extraordinarily well and became a well-reputed businessman. As days passed by, he was getting from the establishment more profit than he ever dreamt of.
On the other hand, Govind, the second man, thought with a certain pessimistic attitude: If I invest all my money and lose it, then I will neither have the profit from the new establishment, nor the fortune to live happily with the old wealth. So let me invest a little at first. If it is profitable, I will invest more and more of the old wealth; for, then, the new profits will help my living and there will
not be any need for me to depend on the old wealth for my day-to-day living. At first, he invested a little. That was consumed by the initial loss account. Then he invested a little, again. It too, was found to compensate only the initial loss without leaving him any profit. As years rolled on, he found that he had lost all his wealth and had nothing to live upon.

The two businessmen are like two spiritual aspirants. Their going to a far off land is like the aspirants going into seclusion for reaping a good spiritual harvest. Like the businessman investing all his wealth at one time, an aspirant renounces his all at once. Like that businessman, the aspirant too, has got his shaky beginning, but has established himself well in the spiritual path. There is no fall back or final loss. He progresses rapidly and soon attains the bliss of spiritual life, the summum bonum of human existence.

Akin to Govind is that aspirant who takes to seclusion foregoing a little comfort, but keeping intact his old fortune to save him in times of need. The aspirant doubts: If I give out all my wealth and also do not succeed in attaining the Goal, I may be forced afterwards to live like a beggar in this world. So let me keep something in store. On attaining that Bliss, I shall gladly give out this
wealth. If I do not attain that bliss, I shall and can utilise this wealth in this world. This aspirant like the second businessman, loses all his wealth when Time places its mighty hand upon him. Nor does he get the fruits of spiritual life, like Govind going without profit.
O man! Remember the words of the Lord: There is no initial loss here in spiritual effort, nor even reactions. Even a little
understanding of this Truth (Law) will save you from very great danger.

Renounce your all, without any reservation; the fruits of spiritual life are there in your hands.

New Beginning For 150-Year-Old Hindu Temple

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:14:53 +0000

Source

SINGAPORE, April 8, 2013 (Straits Times): About 10,000 worshippers thronged the Sri Vairavimada Kaliamman Temple on Sunday to bear witness to the consecration ceremony and receive blessings.

The temple with a 150-year-old history has undergone a $2.5 million refurbishment and is now equipped with a new glass panel roof to shelter devotees plus other improvements to the entrance and main sanctum.

The consecration ceremony is a Hindu religious rite that infuses divinity to a temple once every 12 years, or when it has been relocated or renovated. This is the culmination of a year of prayers by priests and the faithful, and follows a procedure laid out by age-old scriptures.

Tirumala Trust Gets Bigger Return Than Retail Customers For 1-Year Deposits

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:13:40 +0000

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INDIA, April 4, 2013 (Times of India): Tirupati’s Lord Balaji continues to command a premium. Even the banks oblige the Lord of Seven Hills, said to be among the richest in the world, with higher returns for deposits. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, the trust that manages the money of the Venkateswara Temple, secured 130 basis points more returns than ordinary citizens for funds it keeps with banks. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point

Banks have agreed to pay 9.8% to the temple trust for one year, said two people familiar with the recent bids. In return, they get Rs 3,000 crore (US$550 million) of deposits that remains stable, irrespective of the financial conditions. Bankers said several banks participated in the auction, but only a few were allotted funds. Banks pay 8.50% to 8.75% to retail customers for one-year deposits

Bankers said TTD received a good rate due to the timing of the auction. It called for bids from banks just before the close of the fiscal year, when banks fall over each other to mobilise deposits. The aggressive bidding was despite a directive from the government barring PSU banks from raising bulk deposits. Last year, the finance ministry limited bulk deposits at 15% of total deposits.

Hindu Temple Vandalized, Burned in Bangladesh

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:12:11 +0000

Source

BANGLADESH, April 3, 2013 (The Daily Star, Dhaka): Miscreants torched a Hindu temple after vandalism of its three idols of God and Goddess in Morelganj upazila of Bagerhat early Wednesday. Unidentified criminals broke into the Sarbojanin Durga Temple at Herma Bazar of Teligati union in the upazila anytime after midnight and wrecked the idols of Hindu God “Ganesh” and, Goddess “Lakshmi” and “Saraswati”, said Khandakar Rafikul Islam, superintendent of police (SP) in Bagerhat.

Then the miscreants left the scene after setting fire at straws in the temple, the SP said adding police trying to arrest the culprits. Gopal Gosh, president of Sarbojanin Durga Temple said he informed the law enforcers after a devotee saw the matter at the time of pray in the temple in the morning. Local parliamentary member Dr Mozammel Hossain, SP Khandakar Rafikul Islam visited the spot, he said.

Miscreants also vandalized several idols of Gopalpur Sarbojanin Temple on February 28, Dumuria Sarbojanin temple on March 1 and North Gopalpur Temple on March 19 in the same upazila, reports our Bagerhat correspondent.

Barack Obama White House Embraces Yoga Amid Conservative Contortions

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:10:41 +0000

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WASHINGTON, U.S., April 1, 2013 (Economic Times): The White House has wholeheartedly embraced Yoga as a worthy physical activity at a time some schools in America are railing against the ancient Indian practice, saying it promotes Hinduism.

The White House announced last week that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will include a yoga garden for children and their parents who attend the traditional Easter Egg Roll festivities on Monday. “Come enjoy a session of yoga from professional instructors,” the White House exhorted thousands of workaday Americans parents and their kids from across the country who will troop into the Presidential lawns, reminding participants that the event’s theme is “Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You!”

It is not the first time that Obama’s residence has hosted a yoga garden for Easter, but this year’s event is significant because of an ongoing lawsuit in California challenging the teaching of yoga in schools. At the heart of the case is the argument by some parents that yoga is inherently religious, a contention most Americans, including the judge, seem to disagree with. Judge Meyer is reported to be a practitioner of Bikram Yoga, likening it to simple stretching exercises.

The White House meanwhile is stretching every muscle and sinew to get Americans, including children, to get more concerned about the decline in the nation’s overall well-being and its soaring healthcare bill. The drive is led by Michelle Obama, a health and fitness advocate, and herself a yoga enthusiast.

“Yoga has become a universal language of spiritual exercise in the United States, crossing many lines of religion and cultures,” the White House said without any reference to the ongoing controversies and lawsuit. “Every day, millions of people practice yoga to improve their health and overall well-being. That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to take part in PALA (Presidential Active Lifestyle Award), so show your support for yoga and answer the challenge.”

Thousands Of Colorful Revelers Partake In 21st Annual Phagwah Parade In Jersey City

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:09:51 +0000

Source

JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, March 30, 2013 (The Jersey Journal): Thousands of people descended on Lincoln Park in Jersey City this afternoon for the 21st Annual Phagwah Parade and Holi Hai Day festivities, a colorful Hindu spring harvest tradition that is celebrated by revelers who playfully shower each other with various colors of powder.

“The biggest significance of this is that everybody becomes a myriad of colors,” said Dayanand Mangru, an executive with the United Hindu Association, adding that on such a holy day there are no racial distinctions. “There is no brown, black, or white.”

The parade began around 11:30 a.m. at Audubon Park at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Stegman Parkway as ten decorated floats blaring traditional Indian dance music made their way down Kennedy Boulevard to the fountain in Lincoln Park where the festivities continued into the afternoon.

“The focus is to bring all together in unity,” said Gireeraj Beggs, president of The United Hindu Federation of New Jersey which led the organizing efforts for the parade. “As Hindus we believe in the unity of all people.”

HINDUISM – STUDY CLASSES PART 1 by Dr.N.Gopalakrishnan

admin — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 05:35:55 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjV7slP8jy8

Parable Of The Girl Who Stopped The Policeman And The Thief

admin — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 05:28:53 +0000

A notorious dacoit was almost caught red-handed by the policeman. With his booty on his hand, the dacoit started running away. The policeman gave him a very good chase. They had hardly run a couple of furlongs before both of them saw a beautiful girl walking alone along the road. The policeman was about to catch the dacoit. But as soon as he looked at the girl, he stood still like a statue. The dacoit too, was attracted by the girl; and he, too, stood still, a few yards away from the
policeman. The girl merely cast a glance at both of them, and walked away. As soon as she was out of sight, the policeman suddenly recollected that he was chasing the dacoit and the dacoit realised that the policeman was after him. They once again began to run, the policeman chasing the dacoit. But the vigour of the chase was lost; the dacoit escaped.
The vicious lower, impure mind is the dacoit. The higher, pure Sattvic mind is the policeman. The Sadhaka takes a pious resolve to root out the impure Vasanas lurking in him. The higher Sattvic mind begins to purge him of the sinful Vasanas. The chase begins. After some time, a sensual object tempts the Sadhaka. The inward struggle cease. The Sattvic mind is made inoperative. The higher mind forgets its duty; the lower mind ignores the danger. When this wave of excitement is over, then, once again, the struggle starts; but the vigour of the struggle is lost. The evil mind gets strengthened by the slackness of the Sattvic mind; and it becomes more and more difficult to subdue it.

Sadhaka! Be ever vigilant. Catch the thief of the lower mind and exterminate it.