ContentsViolence
18 Prana Mudra Asanas
Spirit Quartz
Healing from Within
Agastiar
Sahasrara Chakra
Awakening the Buddha Within
Spiritual significance of Pooja
Inspiration
Reportback
Selected Articles
From the desk of Swami Shankarananda
When the dust settles on the current situation in our country, a very interesting picture will present itself. It will be a picture which I know, in every respect, will run contrary to the general understanding and apprehensions of righteous living. It is very interesting to note that there are many dangerous tensions and divisions which need insight and care to resolve. There exists many aspects and problems which erode man’s wisdom and these are very difficult to overcome. Because of these problems and the diversity of culture in our country, these challenges need an entirely different approach which, so far, has been lacking.If you take the time to look around you, you will notice that, despite all the problems, there are just as many signs of progress and new ideas, despite which, man’s wisdom is still immature and he is still unable tackle the major difficulties and uncertainties around him. It is important to observe and understand the true happenings of life. This can only be done through connecting with Divinity.
The journey of life is not a panoramatically flat one. It is not single-dimensional. It a changing ground of stratified events, moving simultaneously and in many directions.
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Message from the Master
In an interview, the producer of The Passion of the Christ was asked why such a religious film depicted violence of such painful magnitude. His answer was even more disturbing:”Because violence is the language of our time!” This statement seems ridiculous but is definitely, and painfully, true.
Many of you devotees, watch televison programmes, especially the evening news. What do you see? Surely you must be overwhelmed by the amount of pain, brutality and unceasing suffering, all a result of violence in one of its many forms. I am sure that many of you go one step further by watching ‘V’ rated movies. It is true that in this time and age, violence is news which the media exploits to its own advantage, but did the media invent this darkness? No. This darkness descended upon the world, for example, the ongoing war of the Middle East.
Another type of violence that exists is the mass raping of women. Women are generally raped as a result of a violence or other aggressive social addictions. There are still other types of violence: millions of people are being forcefully removed from their homes and villages by armed forces daily.
Think about all the unseen domestic violence. The numbers of deaths caused by such violence is enormous - and that includes only those cases that are actually reported. The real volume of violence is almost impossible to measure, but its urgency can be heard. Because of this, I urge you, do not support violence any longer. For your own growth and sanity, AVOID VIOLENCE OF ANY NATURE.
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Story of Agasthyar - Cauvery
By Mahavishnu
For countless aeons, this leader of Siddhas has been toiling for our spiritual welfare. Through his lineage of divine teachers, Sri Agasthiar is eternally involved in spreading the Divine message in all corners of the universe. Sri Agasthiar is the glorious sun in the world of Siddhas. He is the Siddha master who is revered and adored by all Siddhas. The entire Siddha community bows in reverence to the immortal (chiranjeevi), Sri Agasthiar. He is the personification of everything that is pure and pristine. He is the indweller of the human heart and he is the purifier of the mind. He is the grantor of salvation and the ideal of every spiritual aspirant. Just saying the name of Sri Agasthiar will win you great spiritual blessings. If a spiritual aspirant requests Sri Agasthiar for spiritual upliftment with utmost sincerity, he or she will get it without fail. With Sri Agasthiar’s help on the spiritual path, progress is guaranteed. May Sri Agasthiar, the great Lord of Siddhas bless us all with spiritual regeneration.
During the wedding of Siva with Parvathi in Mount Kailas, the entire population, Devas and Rishis had gathered and hence the Northern land dipped down, unable to bear the weight. Lord Siva asked Sage Agasthiar to go to the Podhigai ranges in the Southern land in order to balance the weight. (Agasthiar was very short in stature but his might was immense). Agasthiar was sad that he could not stay and witness the Lord’s wedding. Siva granted that he would still be able to see the wedding from the South. From within his matted locks, he took the river Cauvery and filled it in Agasthiar's kamandalam, bidding Cauvery to flow wherever Agasthiar pointed. Agasthiar reached the south and travelled to various Siva Sthalams.
Surapaduman was an asura, who had immense power. Indra had run away in fear from his Indralogam, reached Sirgazhi in the southern regions of India and prayed to Lord Siva. He created a beautiful garden and worship-ped Lord Siva with the flowers from his garden. But, Lord Varuna, in fear of Surapadu-man, did not shower rains and Indran’s garden, and the whole land suffered from lack of water. Sage Narada, told Indran of the river Cauvery that Lord Siva had once filled in Agasthiar’s kamandalam. Indran prayed to Lord Ganesha for his help. Ganesha took the form of a crow and sat on Agasthiar’s kamandalam, toppling. Agasthiar lifted his hands to chase away the crow. River Cauvery, took it as a signal for her and began to flow. The crow took the form of a small boy and Agasthiar started chasing the boy trying to strike him on his head with his knuckles. When Ganesha took his original form Agasthiar was saddened that he had tried to strike Lord Ganesha. He started striking his own forehead with his knuckles. Ganesha stopped him and granted that everybody who worshipped him in this manner would be blessed with wisdom.
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Prayer and Meditation: the Scientific Art of Being
by Suren Pillay
Living life from day to day, we often find it difficult to believe that we are not of this world and that one day this dream will come to an end. The unreality of life, it seems, can only really be understood once we perceive our real nature. The saints and sages of yore have continually emphasised that man move in this direction if he is to have any hope in finding true happiness in life. But how, exactly do we discover our true nature?
One of the easiest ways of self-discovery is prayer and meditation. But even if one does engage in prayer and meditation, there is no guarantee that his true nature will be experienced in this birth. The outer world assists us in achieving more restlessness than tranquility. This means that, as beings who naturally seek a state of inner bliss, the activities of the world do not provide a platform for attaining such a state. Indeed, the obstacles are great, numerous, to be exact. Yet even with the greatest obstacle in sight, a human will can never be suppressed. It was Jesus who said that the harvest is truly plentiful, but the labourers are few.
The Scientific Art of Meditation provides a systematic basis for man to uncover his divine nature. Divinity is not bias or prejudice, for it belongs to all men, creatures and plants of the world. It is bestowed by the creator and can only be taken back by the creator. To take life is simple, but to give life is beyond the comprehension of the human intellect. The mystery of life can thus only be solved by going beyond the physical into the metaphysical.
In the deep silence of meditation you feel rejuvenated and refreshed from all you activities of the day. This is because you are connecting with a deeper part of yourself - a part that cannot be explained in mathematical or physiological terms. Its only purpose is to simply BE - and whenever we are in the world and not being, who we really are, the pain of restlessness reminds us that we need to connect with our Divine origins. For the vast majority of people who do not pray or meditate, solace is only found in the form of sleep. Yet, for those who believe in the presence of God, I tell you that it is your duty to connect every day with that part of yourself that does not perish upon death. It has been there waiting for you ever since you were born, and will continue to remain even after death.
Do not place all your hopes in the world. A man is rich one day and a beggar the next; a woman may be beautiful one day but the next day an accident may leave her scarred for life. Never forget this. These incidents are here to remind us that nothing in life is certain, but one thing: God is waiting for you. In the alter of inner silence, He recharges your mind, body and soul with the elixir of immortality. We cannot avoid our duty to be ever-active in the world, but we should also not forget our duty to our creator. He made us in His image, with the know-ledge and will to come back to Him completely.
Dear brothers and sisters, my message to you this month is to contemplate life seriously. Disregard that which brings you restlessness and pain, and accept that which connects you to the Divine. To ignore your duty to commune with the greatest part of yourself is the greatest sin in living. As children of God, let us make fervent steps on the path to the Divine!
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The Eternal Constant
by Suren Pillay
In the caves of silence,
He charges you with calmness Divine;
In the halls of activity, he is ever present
As everyone and everything.
In the beatitude of sleep,
He reminds you of who you are;
And upon death, He rejoices
In you coming back home.
Never was He not.
Always He was, always He is,
Always He will be!