Sunday 2 December 2012





      

                                  Difference between Sivananda Lahari and Soundarya Lahari


Sankara Bhagavatpadal wrote both the above Laharis, one dedicated to Lord Siva and another to Mother Sivani.

Soundarya Lahari consists of Mantras in the first 41 slokas and the rest are dedicated to the beauty of Mother.

Sivananda Lahari is purely emphasizing the Bhakti, and its beauty is mainly stemming from the pangs of separation of the bhakta from Lord. Many slokas are devoted to the description of bhakti. There are slokas which compare Lord Siva to a lion, a peacock and cloud etc.

The Bhakta virtually is like a Nayika who pines for reunion her Nayaka. The alankaras of the slokas simply take the breath away. Lord Siva as a remover of all fears is well explained in RODHAS THOYA HRIDA
slokam.

But Soundarya Lahari is basically different in construction. It extols the powers that can be obtained by the devotee, who sincerely recites the slookas.

Tuesday 20 November 2012


The benefits from reciting Lalitha Sahasranama are many and are mentioned below:




Lalitha Sahasranama Phala Sruthi
[The effect of reciting the thousand names of  this mantra ]
Courtesy & Translation by P. R. Ramachander
[Unlike Vishnu sahasranama, where phala sruthi is the part of the stotra, in the case of Laitha Sahasranama, phala sruthi is the next chapter and separate from it. So it is not recited along with the thousand names of Lalitha. ]
Nama sahasram khaditham they ghatothbhava,
Rahasyaanam rahasyam cha Lalitha preethi dayakam,
Aanena sadrusam stotram na bhootham na bhavishyathi. 1
These 1000 names which were told, Oh Agasthya,
Are secret of the secrets and are very dear to Lalitha.
This type of prayer has never existed in the past or will never exist in future.
Sarva roga prasamanam sarva sampath pravardhanam,
Sarvaapath mruthyu shamanam akala mruthyu nivaranam. 2
This cures all diseases and gives rise to all types of wealth,
It cures all accidental deaths and is an antidote to untimely death.
Sarva jwararthi hananam deergayushya pradhayakam,
Puthra pradhama puthraanaam purushartha pradhayakam. 3
It is a cure for all types of fever, and gives rise to long life,
It will bless you with  son (that too first son) and gives three types of wealth.
Yidham visesharidevya sthothram preethi vidhatakam,
Japen nityam prayathnena lalithopasthi thath para. 4
This special prayer of goddess which pleases Lalitha Devi very much ,
Should be chanted daily after worshipping of Lalitha.
Pratha snathwa vidhathena sandhya karma samapya cha,
Pooja gruhe thatho gathwa chakra rajam samarchayeth 5

Take bath in the morning, finish the oblations of the dawn,
Go to the prayer room and first worship the Sree Chakra.
Vidhyam japeth sahasram vaa trishtatha shathameva cha,
Rahasya naama saahasra midham paschad paden nara. 6
Chant the Sri Vidya mantra either 100 times or 400 times,
And then these secret thousand names should be read.
Janama madhye sakruchapi ya yevam padathe sudhee,
Thasya punya phalam vakshye srunu thwam Kumbha Sambhava. 7

Oh, Sage born out of the pot, please hear the results,
Of reading these in the middle of life by devotees.
Gangadhi sarva theertheshu ya snayath koti janmasu,
Koti linga prathishtam thu ya kuryadh vimukthake. 8
Kurukshethre thu yo dadyath koti vaaram ravi gruhe,
Koti sournabharanam srothreeyeshu dwijanmasu 9
Ya kotim hayamedhanaa maharedh gaangarodhasee,
Achareth koopa kotiyom nirjare maru bhoothale. 10
Durbhikshe ya prathi dhinam koti brahmana bhojanam,
Sradhaya parayaa kuryath sahasra parivathsaraan. 11
The devotee would get the effect of taking bath in sacred rivers like Ganga,
Or One crore times and also the same effect as consecrating one crore lingas.
Or One crore times giving in Kurukshetra on Sundays giving,
One crore gold ornaments to the twice born who has learned Vedas,
Or doing one crore Aswa medha yagas in the shores of the Ganges
Or digging one crore wells with water in the deserts,
Or feeding one crore Brahmins daily during the famine,
Or doing with great attention training/teaching one thousand children.

Thath punyam koti gunitham labhyeth punyamanuthamam,
Rahasya nama saahasre namno apyekasya keerthanaath, 12
One crore times the good effect of doing all these matchless blessings,
Would be got even by chanting one name out of the one thousand secret names.
Rahasya nama saahasre namaikaapi ya padeth,
Thasya paapani nasyanthi mahanthyaapi na samsaya. 13

Even if one name among the thousand secret names is read,
All the sins committed by him would be destroyed without doubt.

Nithya karmanushtaana nishidhakaranadhapi,
Yath paapam jayathe pumsam thath sarva nasyathi drutham. 14
Even the sin caused by very bad act of not doing the daily sacred routines,
Would go away and all the sins would be destroyed speedily.

Bahunathra kimukthena srunu thwam kalasi sutha,
Aathraika namne yaa shakthi pathakaanaam nivarthathe,
Thannivarthya magham karthum naalam loka schadurdasa. 15
Oh sage Agasthya, please hear from me how most people would get free,
By chanting according to their capability for getting rid of sins,
For these, without any doubt would remove sins committed in the fourteen lokas,
Yasthyakthwa nama sahasaram papa hani mabhhepsathi,
Sa hi seethe nivrthyartha hima shailam nishevathe. 16
Those who are desirous of getting rid of their sins,
If they hate to chant the thousand names,
It is like going to Himalayas to get rid of cold.
Bhaktho ya keerthyen nithya midham nama sahasrakam,
Thasmai sri lalitha devi preethabheeshtam prayachathi. 17
Devotees who daily sing these thousand names,
Would be blessed by Lalitha Devi by fulfilling their wishes.
Akeerthayennidham sthothram kadham bhaktho bhavishyathi. 18
How can he who does not sing them be a devotee?
Nithyam keerthanashaktha keerthayeth punya vasare,
Samkrathou vishuve chaiva swajanma thrithayeyane.
 19
People who cannot sing it daily should chant it on special occasions,
Viz first of every month, first of the new year and the three birthdays.*
* Self, wife and son
Navamyaam vaa chathurdasyam sithaayaam shukravasare,
Keerthyen nama sahasram pournamasyaam viseshatha. 20
On Navami or on Chathurdasi or Fridays of the waxing moon,
And on the full moon day singing this is very special.
Pournamasyam chandra Bhimbhe dhyathwa sri lalithaambikaam,
Panchopacharai sampoojya paden nama sahasrakam. 21
Sarva roga pranasyanthi deergamayuscha vindhathi,
Ayam aayushkaro nama prayoga kalpanoditha, 22
On the full moon day facing the full moon and meditating on Lalitha,
Offer the five oblations and by reading the thousand names,
All diseases will vanish, long life would be given,
And accompany this with the Aayushkara prayoga*
* rite to get long life
Jwarartha shiirasimsprushtwa paden nama sahasrakam,
Thath kshnaath yaathi shiraamsthadho jwaropi cha. 23
He who has fever, if he touches his head and chants the thousand names,
At that moment the fever would descend away from the head and vanish.
Sarva vyadhi nivruthyartha sprushtwa bhasma japedhidham,
Thad bhasma dharanadeva nasyanthi vyadhaya kshanaath. 24
For getting rid of diseases touch holy ash and chant the thousand names,
And by wearing that ash all diseases would immediately be cured.
Jalam samanthrasya kumbhastham nama sahasratho mune,
Aabhishichedha graham grasthaan graham nasyanthi thath kshanaath. 25
Storing the water in a pot, and chanting the thousand names, oh sage,
And anointing oneself with that water would remove all problems created by planets*.
* Graha Doshas , Sade Sathi , Shani Dosha , Kala Sarpa dosha etc.
Sudha sagara madhyastham dhyathwa Sri Lalithambikaam,
Ya paden nama sahasram visham thasya vinasyathi. 26
Meditating on Goddess Lakshmi and goddess Lalithambika,
If the thousand names are read, effect of poison will vanish.
Vandhyaanaam puthralabhaaya, nama saahasra manthridham,
Navaneetham pradadyathu, puthralabho bhaved druvam. 27
For blessing with a son,for the lady who does not conceive,
Chant the thousand names and offer butter to the God,
By this she will be blessed with a son soon.
Rajakarshana kaamasche drajavasadha ding mukha, 28
Trirathram cha padeth ethad, sridevi dhyana thathpara,
Sa raja paravasyena thurangam vaa matham gajam. 29
Aarohya yathi nikatam dasavath prani pathya cha,
Thasmai rajyam cha kosam dadhya deva vasangatha. 30
For attracting the king (people with authority/Rulers) , face the palace of the king,And read the thousand names meditating on the Goddess,
And then the king would be under your control, would ride a horse or elephant,Come to your side, would salute and serve you,
And offer you his country or a state of his country*.
*Your words/requests will not be turned down by any one – even by people of influence or those who are in powerful positions in society.
Rahasya nama sahasram ya keerthyathi nithyasa,
Than mukhaloka mathrena muhye loka thrayam mune. 31
As soon as they see the face of one who chants,
The thousand secret names daily, the saints salute him.
Yasthvidham nama sahasram sakruth padathi bhakthiman,
Thasya yea sasthravasthesham nihantha Sharabheswara. 32
The enemies of the devotee who reads these thousand names.
Would be killed by arrows by Sharabheswara *.
*Your dis-tractors/enemies will not succeed against you.
Yo vabhicharam kuruthe nama sahasra padake,
Nivarthya thath kriyaam hanyatham vai prathyangira swayam. 33
He who does black magic against one who reads the thousand names,
Would be killed by Prathyangira devi herself for protecting the devotee*.
* Prathyangira devi – Most fierce and powerful avatar of Devi
Yea Kroora drushtya veekshanthe nama sahasra padakam,
Thaan andhaan kuruthe ksipram swayam marthanda bhirava. 34
He who sees with cruelty the one who reads these thousand names,
Would be made blind,immediately by Marthanda Bhairava himself *.
*Those who plan ill deeds against the one who chants this will be distracted or blinded by other thoughts that he will not be able to execute his plans.
Dhanam yo harathe chorair nama sahasra japeen,
Yathra kuthra sthiram vaapi Kshethra palo nihanthi thaam. 35
He who steals the wealth of one who reads these thousand names,
Wherever he hides would be killed by The Kshethra pala.
Vidhyasu kuruthe vadham yo vidwan nama jaapeena,
Thasya vak sthambhanam sadhya karothi Nakuleshwari. 36
He who argues with the learned man, who reads the thousand names,
Would be made dumb immediately by Nakuleshwari *
* Nobody can win argument against the devotee who chants Lalitha      Sahasranamam
Yo raja kuruthe vairam nama sahasra japeen,
Chathuranga balam thasya Dandinee samhareth swayam. 37
The army of the king who attacks the one who reads thousand names,
As an enemy would be immediately destroyed by Dandinee herself.
Ya paden nama saahasram shan masam bhakthi samyutha,
Lakshmi chanchalya rahitha sada thishtathi thad gruhe. 38
He who reads these thousand names daily for six months with devotion.
Will have the fickle minded Goddess of wealth, live in his house permanently.
Masamekam prathi dhinam, thri vaaram ya paden nara,
Bharathi thasya jihvagre range nruthyathi nithyasa. 39
He who reads it daily for one month or at least three weeks,
Will have Saraswathi the goddess of intelligence dancing on the tip of his toungue.
Ya paden nama saaharam janma madhye sakrunnera,
Thad drushi gochara sarve muchyathi sarva kilbihai. 40
The one who reads these thousand names in the middle of his life,
Would be able to see everything and all his sins would be pardoned.
Yo vethi naama sahaasram thasmai dheyam dwijanmane,
Annam vasthram dhanam dhanyam nanyebhyasthu kada chana. 41
He who makes the thousand names as his,would be made the twice born,
Get food, cloths, wealth, cereals and all that he wishes.
Sri manthra rajam yo vethi sri chakram ya samarchathi,
Ya keerthayathi naamaani tham sath pathram vidhur budha, 42
He who learns the king of sri Manthras and offers it to Sri Chakram,
And sings these thousand names, would be considered as holy by the learned.
Thasmai dheyam prayathnena Sri Devi preethimichata,
Ya keerthayathi namaani manthra rajam na vethi ya. 43
To him the goddess would give with love, whatever he wants,
Who sings these names and learns the king of Manthras.
Pasu thulya sa vijneya thasmai datham nirarthakam,
Pareekshya vidhya vidhusha thasmai dadhya dwichakshana. 44
There is no point in giving this Mantra to animal like people,
And it should be given to those who are learned and wise.
Sri manthra raja sadruso yadha manthro na vidhyathe,
Devatha lalitha thulyaa yadhaa nasthi ghatodhbhava. 45
There are no chants which are equal to Sri Mantra Raja,
And there is no goddess equivalent to Lalitha, Oh Agasthya.
Rahasya nama saahasra thulyaa nasthi thadha sthuthi,
Likhithwa pusthake yasthu nama saahasram uthamam . 46
Samarchayed sada bhakthya thasya thushyathi Sundari,
Bahunathra kimukthena srunu thwam Kumbha sambhava. 47
There is no prayer as great as the secret thousand names,
And he who writes it in a book, these thousand names,
And submits to her, would make the pretty one happy,
And please hear much more about it, Oh sage Agasthya.
Naanena sadrusam stotram sarva thanthreshu vidhyathe,
Thasmad upasako nithyam keerthyedhida madarath, 48
There is no such prayer any where in literature of Thanthra,
And so those who practice Thanthra sing it with devotion daily.
Yebhir nama sahasthraishtu Sri Chakram yo aarchayedh sakruth,
Padmair va thulasee pushpai, kalhaarai vaa, kadambakai. 49
Champakair jathee mallika kara veerakai.
Uthpalai bilwa pathrer vaa, kunda kesara patalai. 50
Aanyai sugandhi kusumai kethaki madhavee mukhai,
Thasya punya phalm vakthum na saknothi Mahesvara. 51
Even Lord Shiva would not be able to tell adequately,
The effect of worshipping the Sri Chakra using the thousand names,
With lotus, leaves of Thulasi, Kalharraa, kadambha flowers,
Jasmine, Champak, Kara veera, Uthpala leaves of Bilwa.
Jasmine buds and Kesara flowers,
And other scented flowers like lots, Kethaki Madavee Mukha,
Sa vethi Lalitha devi saw chakrarchanajam phalam,
AAnye kadham vijaaneeyur Brahmadhyaa swalpa medhasa. 52
Only Goddess Lalitha can tell some thing about the result of worshipping her chakra,
And possibly Lord Brahma may be able to narrate it to certain extent.
Prathi masam pournamasya mabhir nama sahasrakai,
Rathrou yas chakra rajastha marchayeth para devathaam, 53
Sa yeva lalitha roopa sthad roopa lalitha swayam,
Na thayo vidhyathe bhedho bedha ckruth papakruth bhavedh. 54
In every month during the full moon day, if she is worshipped,
By the thousand names, in the night on the Sri Chakra,
He would himself have the form of The goddess Lalitha,
And he cannot be seen as another one, for it is a sin to see him as anything else.
Maha navamyam yo bhaktha Sri Devi chakra madhyagaam,
Archaye nnama saahasrai sthasya mukthi kare sthithaa. 55
That devotee who worships her on mahanavami day,
On the Sri Chakra using these thousand names,
Would certainly attain salvation.
Yasthu nama sahasrena Shukra vare samarchayeth,
Chakra rajo maha devim thasya punya phalam srunu. 56
If these thousand names are dedicated on Friday,
To the Sri Chakra of the goddess, please hear the benefits.
Sarvan kaamaan vpyeha, sarva soubhagya samyutha,
Puthra pouthradhi samyuktho bhukthwa bhogaan yadepsithaan. 57
All your desires would be fulfilled,
You would lead a life with all blessings,
You would be surrounded by sons and grand sons,
And enjoy all the pleasures of life.
AAnthe lalitha devya sayujyam adhi durlabham,
Prathaneeyam shivadhyaischa prapnothyeva na samsaya, 58
At the end you would get salvation under Lalitha, which is difficult to obtain,
And get all benefits of praying Gods like Shiva without any doubt.
Ya sahasram Brahmanaana mebhir nama sahasrakai,
Samarchaya bhojayedh bhakthya payasa poopa shad rasai. 59
Thadsmai preenaathi Lalitha swasamrajyam prayachathi.
Na thasya durlabham vasthu thrishulokeshu vidhyathe. 60
Dedicating these thousand names to thousand Brahmins,
Feeding them with sweet Payasam, Vada made out of black gram,
And a meal which is blessed with all six tastes,
Would make one dear to Goddess Lalitha,
And she would bless you with her kingdom,
And there would be nothing in the three worlds,
That would be difficult to get to this man.
Nishkama keerthayedhyasthu nama Sahasramuthamam,
Brahma jnana mavapnothi yena muchyathe bandanath. 61
He who chants these thousand names,
Without any desires or attachments,
Would get the knowledge of Brhamam,
And would be released from the bonds of life.
Dhanarthi dhanam aapnothi, Yasorthi prapnuyath yasa,
Vidhyarthi cha aapnuyath vidhya, nama sahasra keerthanaath. 62
One who wants money would get money,
One who wants fame would get fame,
And one who wants knowledge would get knowledge,
By singing these thousand names.
Naanena sadhrusham sthothram Bhoga moksha pradham mune,
Keethaneeyamidham thasmad bhoga mokshadhibhir narai, 63
There is no prayer similar to this one,
Which would give pleasures and salvation, Oh sage,
For men by singing these thousand names,
Would get both pleasures as well as salvation.
Chathurashrama nishtaicha keerthaneeyamidham sada,
Swadharma samanushtaana vaikalya paripoorthaye. 64
In all the four stages of life*,
Singing these thousand names,
And also following one’s own Dharma,
Would help reach his goal without any problem.
* 4 Stages – Baalyam , Youvanam , Grahasthashramam , Vanaprastham , Sanyasam
Kalou papaika bahule dharmanushtana varjathe,
Namanu keerthanam mukthwa nrunaam nanya paraayanam. 65
In the age of Kali*, when all Dharmas are forsaken,
Men would get salvation by singing these names and no other.
* This Yuga – Kali Yuga
Loukeekath vachanath mukhyam Vishnu nama keerthanam,
Vishnu nama saharaischa Shiva namaikamuthamam. 66
In the family life it is important to sing the names of Vishnu,
But better than singing names of Vishnu is singing names of Shiva.
Shiva nama sahasraischa devyaa namaikamuthamam,
Devi Nama sahasraani kotisa santhi Kumbhaja. 67
Better than the thousand names of Shiva are the names of the Devi,
And Oh Agasthya, the thousand names of Devi are one crore times better.
Theshu mukhyam dasa vidham nama sahasra muchyathe,
Rahasyanama saahasramidham sashtham dasaswapi. 68
There are ten important names *out of these thousand names,
And all these are praise worthy.
(* The names are : Ganga, Gayathri, Syamala, Lakshmi, Kali, Bala, Lalitha, Rajarajeswari, Saraswathi and Bhavani.)
Thasmad sankeethayennithyam kali dosha nivruthaye,
Mukhyam Sri mathu naamethi na janathi vimohithaa. 69
Singing them daily would cure the ill effects of Kali age,
And the name Matha is important and should not be forgotten.
Vishnu nama paraa kechith Shiva nama paraa pare,
Na kaschid aapi lokeshu Lalitha nama thathpara. 70
Better than the names of Vishnu are the names of Shiva,
But in all the worlds there is nothing better than names of Lalitha.
Yenanya devathaa nama keerthitham Janama kotishu,
Thasyaiva bhavathi sradhaa Sri devi nama keerthane. 71
Even if the names of other Gods are sung in crores of births,
It is equal only to singing of the thousand names with devotion.
Charame janmani yadha Sri vidhyaupasako bhaveth,
Nama sahasra padascha thadha charama janmani. 72
If you become at your last birth an Upasaka of Sri Vidhya,
By reading the thousand names, this birth would become your last.
Yadhaiva virala loke sri vidyachara vedhina,
Thadaiva viralo guhya nama saahasthra pataka. 73
In this world it is rare to find Upasakas of Sri Vidhya,
And it is also rare to find those who read the secret thousand names.
Manthra raja japaschaiva chakra rajarchanam thadha,
Rahasya nama patascha naalpayasya thapas phalam. 74
Chanting the king of chants followed by worship of Sri Chakra,
And reading the thousand names gets the same result as doing Austerity (Thapas)
Apadannama saahasram preenayedhyaa Maheswareem,
Sa chakshushaa bina roopam pasyedheva vimoodadhi. 75
Without reading these thousand names and trying to please the Goddess,
Is like a fool trying to see a form without the eyes.
Rahasya nama saahasram thyakthwaa ya sidhi kaamuka,
Sa BHojanam vinaa noonam Kshunnivarthi mabheepsathi. 76
Forsaking the thousand names and trying to get occult powers,
Is like satiating hunger after forsaking all meals.
Yo Bhakthaa Lalitha devya sa nithyam Keertheyadhidham,
Nanyadhaa preeyathe Devi kalpa koti shathair api. 77
That devotee who sings these names of Lalitha Devi,
Need not sing any other for she will be pleased,
Only by singing of this even for hundreds of eons.
Thasmad rahasya naamani, Sri Mathu prayatha padeth,
Yithi they kaditham Stotram rahasyam, Kumbha sambhava. 78
These thousand names are to be read for making the mother happy,
But this prayer which I told is a secret, Oh sage Agasthya.
Na vidhyaavedhinebrooya nnama bhakthaya kadachana.,
Yadhaiva gopyaa Sri Vidhya thadha gopyamidham mune. 79
The learned in Vedas, if they do not recite these names at least once,
The Sri Vidhya would be kept secret from them, Oh sage.
Pasu thulyeshu na broyajjaneshu sthotramuthamam,
Yo dadhadhi vimoodathma Sri vidhya rahithaya thu. 80
People who do not tell this prayer are like animals,
If they give Sri Vidhya to the foolish without this prayer.
Thasmai kupyanthi yoginya, sonartha sumahaan smruth,
Rahasya nama saahasran thsmad sangopyedhidham. 81
The Yogis would be very angry with them,
For this would lead them to problems,
And that is why these secret thousand names,
Are kept as great secret from every one.
Swathanthrena mayaa noktham thavapi kalasee bhava,
Lalitha preranaa deva mayoktham stotramuthamam. 82
Of Sage Agasthya, I would not have told them to you independently.
But for the advice given to me by Goddess Lalitha to tell you these.
Keerthaneeya midham bhakthyaa Kumbhayone nirantharam,
Thena thushtaa Maha devi thavabheeshtam pradasyathi. 83
Please recite these with devotion, Oh sage Agasthya,
And the goddess will be pleased and fulfill your wishes.
Sootha Uvacha:
Sootha said:
Yithyukthwa Sri Hayagreevo dhyathwa Sri Lalithambikaam,
Aananda magna hrudaya sadhya pulakitho bhaved. 84
After telling thus, sage Hayagreeva meditated on Goddess Lalitha,
Was drowned in happiness and became enraptured.
Ithi Sri Brahmanda purane Uthara Kande,
Sri Hayagrrevagasthya samvade, Sri Lalitha sahasra nama stotra,
Phala srutheernama uthara Bhaga.
Thus ends the telling of effect of reciting Lalitha Sahasra Namam
Called The portion after,
Which is in Brahmanda Purana in the Uthara Kanda,
In the discussion between Sage Hayagreeva and Sage Agasthya.
————————————————————————————————————
Note : While drafting this post , one of my friend came running to the room and told that his wife delivered a baby (Their 1st child).When i asked baby boy or girl , he said he is waiting for the information from hospital. Since this happened while i was reading/editing  “Lalitha Sahasra Namam” Phalashurti post i was also eager to know.After 20 minutes he updated me that he is blessed with a baby boy.Coincidence is that the “Phalashurti” says that any one who chants “Lalitha Sahasra Namam” will be blessed with a son (as first baby in family) — Ohm Lalithambikaye Namaha!!!!!

Thursday 27 September 2012

Definition of Karma





                                               Kim Karma Kim Akarmethi Kavayopyatra Mohitah:

                                                                      BHAGAVATGITA


What Lord Krishna emphasizes in Gita about Karma is even highly intellectual people are confused at times as to what is proper Karma and what is improper as the future is hidden to human beings.

The best of action is to do one's karma and leave the result to GOD.

Saturday 1 September 2012

SOUNDARYA LAHARI - SLOKA 97




                                              Giramahur Devim Dhruhina Grihinim Aghama    vidho
                                              Hare: patnim Padmam  Harasahacharim   adritanayam|
                                              Turiya Kapi tvam duradi     gama    nisseema   mahima
                                              Mahamaya Vishwam brayamayasi Parabrahmamahishi||                            

Here in this Sloka, Sankaracharya's description of Shakthi as the ABSOLUTE is stunning: He says you are the partner of the PARABRAHMAM - You are the MAHAMAYA.

As the spouse of Brahma, you are called Saraswathi - the Supreme fountainhead of knowledge.

Being Lord Vishnu's better half, you are famous as Lakshmi - the abode of all wealth of all worlds.

You are Lord Shiva's ardhangini, Parvathi Devi, the destroyer of all evils and demons.

Over and above, you are the fourth one, who is present in all the above three forms plus also the Mahamaya.

This description of Shakti as Mahamaya is very famous. It was She, who came in Mahabharata, during Devaki's delivery. When Kamsa, tried to kill that child, the child escapes from his hands and shouts at him, you fool, the child who is born to kill you later has already escaped to Brindavan! Beware!

                

Friday 31 August 2012





When I checked, I found that after Feb I have not posted any messages in the blog - hence today I  am sharing my thoughts on Sivanandalahari Sloka with you all:



                                                                  SLOKA 27


                                Karasthe hemadrow GIRISHA nikitasthe Dhanapathow
                                Gruhahasthe swarbhujha mara surabhi chintha mani gane|
                                Shirasthe Sheethamshow chararana yugalasthe akhilashube
                                Khamartham dhasyeham bhavathu bhadhartham mama mana:||



Normally it is customary to offer something of value to our favorite deity, from that angle, I hear people offering diamonds, gold, cash, valuables etc at Tirupathi Hundi.

So when I think of offering such valuables to you, the uselessness of such an exercise comes to my mind.
Basically, your hand is golden mountain the Hemadri. Your close friend is Kubera - the Lord of Wealth. In your abode resides Kama Dhenu, the Cow which gives all the boons which the bhaktas crave for. Also Chintamani is in your possession, which is famous for giving intellectual boons.

In addition to the above, you are having the cool-rayed moon in your head, and your feet can grant any boon to your devotees.

When such is being the case, what is the thing that I can offer to thee my Lord.

I am not going to despair. I have my mind, which I shall offer all my waking moments to thee.

            



Saturday 25 February 2012

Ramana Maharishi and Silence







Ramana Maharshi on Silence

  

Ramana Maharshi Teachings through Silence

Question : Why does not Bhagavan go about and preach the truth to the people at large?
Ramana Maharshi 
: How do you know I am not doing it ? Does preaching consist in mounting a platform and haranguing the people around ? Preaching is simple communication of knowledge; it can really be done in silence only. What do you think of a man who listens to a sermon for an hour and goes away without having been impressed by it so as to change his life ? Compare him with another, who sits in a holy presence and goes away after some time with his outlook on life totally changed. Which is the better, to preach loudly without effect or to sit silently sending out inner force?

Again, how does speech arise? First there is abstract knowledge. Out of this arises the ego, which in turn gives rise to thought, and thought to the spoken word. So the word is the great-grandson of the original source. If the word can produce an effect, judge for yourself, how much more powerful must be the preaching through silence.

Question : How can silence be so powerful?
Ramana Maharshi 
:A realized one sends out waves of spiritual influence which draw many people towards him. Yet he may sit in a cave and maintain complete silence. We may listen to lectures upon truth and come away with hardly any grasp of the subject, but to come into contact with a realized one, though he speaks nothing, will give much more grasp of the subject. He never needs to go out among the public. If necessary he can use others as instruments.

The Guru is the bestower of silence who reveals the light of Self-knowledge which shines as the residual reality. Spoken words are of no use whatsoever if the eyes of the Guru meet the eyes of the disciple.

Question : Does Bhagavan give diksha [initiation]?
Ramana Maharshi : 
Mouna [silence] is the best and the most potent diksha. That was practised by Sri Dakshinamurti. Initiation by touch, look, etc., are all of a lower order. Silent initiation changes the hearts of all.

Dakshinamurti observed silence when the disciples approached him. That is the highest form of initiation. It includes the other forms. There must be subject-object relationship established in the other dikshas. First the subject must emanate and then the object. Unless these two are there how is the one to look at the other or touch him? Mouna diksha is the most perfect; it comprises looking, touching and teaching. It will purify the individual in every way and establish him in the reality. 

Bhagavatpadal's time




Did Adi Shankara Shake Hands With Buddha?

Jul 24 2003  | Views 4644 |  Comments  (22 | Report Abuse
                                      Co-authored by Sankar Iyer
It must be admitted in all fairness that it was the British who first wrote the history of India. The Hindus probably are the only race who, despite having such intelligence, bravery and tremendous capacity for successive revivals, have showed such pathetic neglect of history.
“Why rewrite Indian History?” by V. S. Godbole
The neglect of history by the Hindus may be attributed to their sense or rather no-sense of the time as we understand today. This attitude has played havoc with the chronological order in Indian history. The dictum “Old is gold” has resulted in pushing historical personalities and facts way back in time. A classical example is the recent celebration of 2510 years of the birth of Adi Sankara by Kanchi Mutt at Kaladi on 6th May 2003. It is not our intention to challenge anyone. We are only eager to see the evidences to change the year of birth of Sankara by more than 1300 years backwards.
In his article on Sree Sankaracharya, K Kunjunni Raja, a noted historian and a Keralite has this to say:
“Debates have continued for over a century regarding Sree Sankaracharya's period, with no authentic conclusions as yet. Prof. Theele in his Outlines of the History of Ancient Religions(1877) had mentioned the period as 788-820 AD. He had surmised this from a statement inAarya Vidyaa Sudhaakaram of Yajneswara Saasthri, a work based on Sankara Mandaara Sourabham of Bhatta Neelakandhan, son of Thrivikraman and Parvathy Amba. Neelakandhan had another Kaavyam (poetic composition), Sankaraabhyudayam, in which it was mentioned that he was born in 788 AD and died on Vaisaakha Poornima day. His period is attributed with certainty to be after scholars such as Bharthruhari, Dingnaaga, Gaudapaada, Dharmakeerthi and Kumaarilabhatta. Thus 788-820 period is believable.”
This period has been accepted by Sringeri Sharada Peetham as can be seen from their web page (http://www.sringeri.org).
To our knowledge, no historian has ever claimed that Sankara was born five hundred years before Jesus. Such a claim would have to answer the following facts:
1. Prof. P. Sankaranarayanan in his article The life and work of Sri Sankara published in the web page of Kanchi Mutt writes: “Buddhism, the rebel child of the Vedic religion and philosophy, denied God and the soul, laid the axe at the very roots of Vedic thought and posed a great danger to its very survival. This onslaught was stemmed occasionally, compelling Buddhism to seek refuge in other lands. While the credit for this should go primarily to the Mimamsaka, Kumarila Bhatta, it was because of Sri Sankara's dialectical skill and irrefutable arguments that it ceased to have sway over the minds of the inheritors of Vedic religion.”
According to Pandit Nehru, the greater onslaught on Buddhism came from the Hindu Gupta kings and the religion was already weak when Sankara appeared on the scene. There are strong historical evidences to suggest that Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was born in the sixth century BC. If we accept Kanchi Mutt's view, these two historical figures (Buddha and Sankara) were contemporaries or a few decades apart. It took many centuries and Asoka, Kanishka and others to make Buddhism a powerful religion threatening Hinduism.
The hold of Buddhism on the masses of India could be seen from the writing of celebrated Chinese pilgrim Faxian (334-420 AD). He made a journey that marked the high point of the first wave of Chinese pilgrims in India. He left China in 399 AD and returned in 414 AD. We see that even two centuries later the religion was hardly weakened as may be gleaned from the detailed historic accounts of the reign of Harshavardhana (606-647AD). The sources for such accounts are: coins and inscriptions, the reports of pilgrims, official Chinese documents and writings by well-known personalities like the Chinese traveler Huien Tsang.
Though a Hindu, King Harshavardhana maintained an impartial tolerance towards the other religions, especially Buddhism that at that time was the religion of the common masses. To honor Huien Tsang, a devout student Buddhist theology and admirer of the holy land of Buddha, Harshavardhana organized the Kanauj Assembly in 643 AD. This was a grand assembly of many rajas including King Bhaskaravarman of Kamrupa (Assam) and the Vallabhi king, Dhuvabhatti. The Assembly at Kanauj included a large congregation of Brahmans, Buddhist monks ands Jains, who were involved in religious discourses. We should not forget to mention that Huien Tsang, along with thousands of students from many countries, studied in the well-known Buddhist university of Nalanda. If so, how could the religion that Sankara opposed and helped drive out of India flourish 1150 (500 + 650 = 1150) years after his “supposed” birth?
The learned professor (Sankaranarayanan) further says, “While modern historians fix his period as 780-820 AD, the tradition determined by the pontifical succession of various Maths fix him several centuries before Christ.”
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Here also there is contradiction. The present pontiff of Sringeri Mutt is 36th in the line. If Sankara established both Kanchi and Sringeri Mutts, how is it that the Kanchi Mutt's pontiff is 69th in succession?
Thus we are comfortable with the eighth century son of Aryamba and Sivaguru. We cannot imagine a Sankara who shook hands with Buddha and/or fought Buddhism in its infancy.
2. No one yet disputes about Sankara being a Namboothiri Brahmin from Kaladi in Kerala. Though it is claimed that Parasurama brought Nambuthiris to Kerala, historical evidences seem to imply that they probably migrated from Gujarat and Sindh in the 6th or 7th century AD. It was their influence which brought about Malayalam (a fairly new language) by amalgamating Tamil with Sanskrit. No scholar ever claims that Nambuthiris were in Kerala for 3000 years.
3. It was in 825 AD that the Malayalam Era called “Kollavarsham” was started by King Rajasekhara Varma of Kollam. One legend tells us that this new calendar was started to honour the great Sree Sankaracharya and refers to the popular Kali Dina Samkhya, Aachaarya Vaagabhedyaa, which translates to the number 1434160 according to “Katapayaadi.” This works out that this era started in 825 A.D. It is believed that Sankara and Rajasekhara Varma were contemporaries.
As Keralites (the senior author was born and brought up in Sankara's birthplace, Kaladi), we are proud of our fellow citizen and believe that Sankara born in any era will remain Sankara. We hope that there are strong arguments not to change Sankara's period from 788-820 AD to 407-374 BC

Periyaval as Allah


Periyava as Allah

ShrIPeriyavAL was camping in the pumping station of the A.C.C.Cement Factory, on the banks of the KAgna river, in Hyderabad. That pradesham(region), belonged to the Old Hyderabad SamasthAnam. Now it is a part of the KarnATakA state.
At a kilometer distance from that place, is the garden of a man named BhImasEnappA KiTTappA. He was the one who opposed the atrocities on the Razaks during the rule of the Nawab and won the battle. Accepting his wishes that PeriyavAL should visit his place, the sage went there one day.
In the time of mAdhyAnikam(noon), a Muslim devotee came for darshan. When shrIPeriyavAL told him, “Your wife came in the morning with fruits and had darshan”, he was surprised and said: “I am working in a shop. When I walked this morning holding the rickshaw, BAbA–your holiness, had a look at me. I had a feeling of seeing Allah in person. Further it seemed to me that you said something in Urdu, my mother tongue. I could come only now, after my work is over. At home, my wife told me of her having darshan.”
The sage gave him fruits and did anugraham, when the devotee thus spoke to him and prostrated. It is not surprising that MahA-PeriyavAL who is ellAvum(everything), not giving darshan as Allah.
Source: Ms Lakshmi Natarajan

Wednesday 25 January 2012

SIMILARITY BETWEEN EKHART TALLE AND RAMANA TEACHINGS





Eckhart Tolle quotes (showing 1-50 of 142)

“The past has no power over the present moment.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“To love is to recognize yourself in another.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Give up defining yourself - to yourself or to others. You won't die. You will come to life. And don't be concerned with how others define you. When they define you, they are limiting themselves, so it's their problem. Whenever you interact with people, don't be there primarily as a function or a role, but as the field of conscious Presence. You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“Life isn't as serious as the mind makes it out to be.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”
― Eckhart TolleThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
“You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening To Your Life's Purpose
“Life is the dancer and you are the dance.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to "die before you die" --- and find that there is no death.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Being spiritual has nothing to do with what you believe and everything to do with your state of consciousness.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“A genuine relationship is one that is not dominated by the ego with its image-making and self-seeking. In a genuine relationship, there is an outward flow of open, alert attention toward the other person in which there is no wanting whatsoever.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“This, too, will pass.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Is there a difference between happiness and inner peace? Yes. Happiness depends on conditions being perceived as positive; inner peace does not.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Accept - then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.”
― Eckhart TolleThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
“You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge. But it can only emerge if something fundamental changes in your state of consciousness.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“All the things that truly matter, beauty, love, creativity, joy and inner peace arise from beyond the mind.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“When you don't cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life that was lost a long time ago when humanity, instead of using thought, became possessed by thought.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“Living up to an image that you have of yourself or that other people have of you is inauthentic living.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Being must be felt. It can't be thought.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Always say “yes” to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to what already is? what could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say “yes” to life — and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“If not now, when?”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Humanity is now faced with a stark choice: Evolve or die. … If the structures of the human mind remain unchanged, we will always end up re-creating the same world, the same evils, the same dysfunction.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Love is not selective, just as the light of the sun is not selective. It does not make one person special. It is not exclusive. Exclusivity is not the love of God but the "love" of
ego. However, the intensity with which true love is felt can vary. There may be one person who reflects your love back to you more clearly and more intensely than others, and if that person feels the same toward you, it can be said that you are in a love relationship with him or her. The bond that connects you with that person is the same bond that connects you with the person sitting next to you on a bus, or with a bird, a tree, a flower. Only the degree of intensity with which it is felt differs.”
― Eckhart TolleThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“What you react to in others, you strengthen in yourself.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Don't let a mad world tell you that success is anything other than a successful present moment.”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad. It seems almost paradoxical, yet when your inner dependency on form is gone, the general conditions of your life, the outer forms, tend to improve greatly. Things, people, or conditions that you thought you needed for your happiness now come to you with no struggle or effort on your part, and you are free to enjoy and appreciate them - while they last. All those things, of course, will still pass away, cycles will come and go, but with dependency gone there is no fear of loss anymore. Life flows with ease.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place. Primary reality is within; secondary reality without.”
― Eckhart TolleThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
“...the past gives you an identity and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whaterver form. Both are illusions.”
― Eckhart TolleThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
“Don't Seek Happiness. If you seek it, you won't find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you will ever have.”
― Eckhart Tolle
“Can you look without the voice in your head commenting, drawing conclusions, comparing, or trying to figure something out?”
― Eckhart TolleA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
“Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it's no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.”
― Eckhart TolleThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
“...whenever there is inspiration...and enthusiasm...there is a creative empowerment that goes far beyond what a mere person is capable of.”
― Eckhart Tolle