God's Creation!!!

It always amazes me a great deal to see all the splendour and beauty around.There is so much beauty all around us, the blue sky,the flowing rivers,the green trees, the birds chirping,the morning sun,the changing seasons,and I could go on and on, the list is endless.I am at this point reminded of a verse from a very beautiful poetry 'The Daffodils' by Wiiliam Wordsworth which is very dear to me,

For oft, when on my couch I lie,

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils'.

Beautuful isn't it!!!!!!!

Nature surrounds our lives in so many forms,it is just that we probabaly do not take time out to observe and enjoy all the beauty around us.I have always wondered at the different animals,their shapes and sizes.It is many times unbelievable to me that our creator takes such great care in all his creations.We get to see such a huge variety of flowers,in such varied colours,fragrances,shapes and sizes.There is a particular flower which is truly a marvel,the Brahma Kamal which flowers only in the nights and spreads such a delicate fragrance around.It is awesome to see it bloom indeed. It is also known as King of Himalayan flower.

Peacocks with such lovely long feathers,and aren't they such a treat to the eyes when they spread their feathers and walk around elegantly!!!The colour combination is indeed such a wonder.There is also the white peacock which looks simply stunning.

It is amazing isn't it that one finds camels only in the desert and they have humps where they can store water and survive days on end in the desert conditions.Their legs too are structured for long tough walks in the desert.the date palms that grow in the desert are amazing too.

Even the sands in the desert are of different colours and I must say I am thankful to our Lord for giving me an opportunity to admire and enjoy it all.
The other day I went to Al Ain which is also known as the garden city of the UAE.Some truly amazing and lovely sights there.The sand dunes,the hills and rocks,the hotsprings at the foot of the hill and the view of the city from the top was all so wonderful.All the greenary around was unbelievable.

I have always wondered at the sea and the waves that come and go tirelessly.The sound of waves lashing is something I love and never feel enough.

Well,well I can go on and on ,but more some other time..................

Jai Guru Dev!!!!

GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES!!!

A truly wonderful piece by Durga Prasad Dash,which I read and wanted to post it here right away.
Everybody wants to have a good time, and wants the good time to last for ever. In reality everybody experiences a mix of good times and bad times. According to the Bhagavat Gita these are based on one’s Karma.However the incarnations of Lord Vishnu and most of the prophets of various religions had more bad times than good times in their lives. Of course as per the scriptures the Enlightened do not have any past Karma. They come to the earth only to set examples and guide people into spiritual life.Historically bad times have been breeding grounds for inculcation and increase of spirituality in a society’s or individual’s life, the only exception being the life and time of Lord Budha. The message of Bhagavat Gita was delivered in a war field. Lord Rama and Lord Krishna took birth at a time when the society was oppressed by demonical forces. They themselves went through a lot of hardships. Same was the case with Lord Jesus who was ultimately crucified.And the good times, that were mostly utilised for indulging in unbridled sensual pleasures or promotion of in-human values, ultimately resulted in the decline and destruction of many cultures and empires, like the Greek, Roman and Moghul empires.In Mahabharata, Kunti – the mother of the Pandavas – has a strange prayer. She prays that her life be filled with difficulties. Otherwise, she was afraid, she might loose the depth of longing for Lord Krishna.Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says that when the astrologer says your stars are not favorable, it is a great opportunity for spiritual practices. So Shani is actually not your enemy, but a friend whose main aim is to propel you into spiritual path.Of course it is possible to remain spiritual even in good time and there is a way to have good times last for ever. Sant Kabir knew the basic human tendency that most people turn to spirituality only when miserable. Hence he sang the couplet to wake people up :
Dukh mein sumiran sab karein,
sukh mein karen na koi
Jo sukh mein sumiran jab karen,
to dukh kahen hoi.
(Every one prays/does spiritual practices when miserable, nobody turns to spirituality when happy; where as if one prays/ does spiritual practices even when one is happy, why will there be misery in one’s life?)
Jai Guru Dev!!!!

Misplaced Values!!!

Isn't it simply amazing that all that is essential and important for our well being is available in plenty and is free of cost.Air and water are two very important ingredients for our survival,and for sure as of now there is no dearth of either in the universe.Yet, what is surprising is that we fail to understand and recognise the importance and value of both water and air.It is so true isn't it, that anything that is available in plenty and free of cost carries very little value along with it.

I remember reading somewhere earlier on, "man spends half his life running after money,ignoring his health and he spends the rest of his life spending all the money he saved in regaining his lost health",so very true isn't it??
We are so enamoured by gold, pearls,diamonds, rubies and all the other precious things when they are of hardly any use to us in any way other than may be some status symbol or a temporary feeling of pride at owning them.At the same time I am sure we never acknowledge the importance and need of iron for our body.There is no hesitation to spend a whole lot of money on diamonds and jewellery to satisfy our pleasurestemporarily,which is not at all a requirement for our living actually.It is indeed amusing to observe the importance we attach to things that are of least use to use and actually don't bother about things that are indeed very useful and necessary for us.
If we just are aware or give a thought to the fact that what would be the situation if we had to pay for every breath we take...........,I suppose we would for sure give more importance to the air we breathe in all through our existence.
Not to say that we should stop buying gold or other jewellery but it is always wise to not give in to our small mind and run after material that is not of use to us.Let us remove the curtain of Maya hanging in front of us and be aware and educate ourselves the right way........!!!
JAI GURU DEV!!!

TERA MAI---13th May,Guruji's birthday!!

Tera Mai, 13th May,is Guruji, Sri Sri Ravishankar ji's birthday.'

'Today is the day, the wave remembers the ocean where it was born! And today is the day, we all remember the world is our very own! Happy Birthday to you! We belong to you! Happy Birthday dear GURUJI',we all are your very own!'

Our very dear &loving Guruji came into this world on Tera Mai, and conveys it so very beautifully in this video which is a must watch I think.The song by Sachin Limaye has such excellent lyrics.

Here goes another lovely song dedicated to Dear Guruji from(Pankaj Tripathi)which I chanced upon while surfing:

You fill up my senses,

Like a night in a forest,

Like a mountain in springtime,

Like a walk in the rain,

Like a storm in the desert,

Like a sleepy blue ocean,

You fill up my senses,

Come fill me again,

Come let me love you,

Let me give my life to you,

Let me drown in your laughter,

Let me die in your arms,

Let lay down beside you,

Let me always be with you,

Come let me love you,

Come love me again!!!

Art Of Living Abudhabi Chapter celebrated Dear Guruji's Birthday at the Indian Social Centre Abudhabi.I had the good fortune of being a part of the joyous occasion.It was a real treat to the ears to hear Siddarth Mohan sing some excellent bajhans and wonderful songs like 'Tune Kya Kar dala..............,Mast kalandar,Teri Diwaanee......!!!'to mention a few.Indeed it was wonderful. Had a mesmerising time watching everyone dance and jump in joy and totally out of this world,wished all the time I could dance too, but my knee and shoulder kept constantly reminding me,so had to be happy watching.
Then, we had all the teachers participating in the cake cutting,amidst the song "Sagar me ek Lehar uthe .................,and then concluded with Jai, Jai, Radha Ramana Hari Bol................,

Spent two hours of joy and bliss I must say,not to forget the delicious prasadam and a piece of the birthday cake as well.

Had a great time for sure!!!

Feel truly blessed to be a part of this wonderful family!!!

Jai Guru Dev!!!

LSG Mussafah !!!

Have been here in Mussafah for about a year and a half now,and I must of course admit it has been a joy ride so far.I was initially missing Pune and the activities I was involved in there,but thanks to a dear friend of mine here who introduced me(in November 08) to the Lalitha sahasranama group at Mussafah.I was indeed so happy to hear that there is a group here and right away decided to go ahead and join.At LSG Mussafah, every Tuesday mornings we have a shloka session by rotation.Joining this group led me to another satsangh group too. The Sai Shubham (Sai group mussafah chapter),where satsanghs are held ever thursday evening by rotation.I would consider myself lucky that I joined the group just before the 83rd birthday celebrations of BABA and so could prticipate in the week long celebrations.

My week days are now so full of activity and makes me look forward to each day with a lot of love and happiness.Have group satsangh ,sundays, tuesdays,wednesdays and thursdays....isn't that wonderful???????????
I have made some wonderful friends here, I must say I am indeed thankful to GOD for giving me such good friends.

March 24th saw the group celebrating the 5th anniversary,and it was done with total devotion and joy and the feeling of belonging was so very visible and it was for sure awesome.In this part of the world where we do not have easy access to flowers,it was unbelievable to see flowers of all colour and fragrance.All the ladies dressed in their best sarees(saree was the dress code for the occasion) and finery,colourful and bright.There were many children too having their fair share of fun.The food spread was awesome .There was such an amazing variety of dishes spread out there.It was a total festive atmosphere,may be a small family function to say the least.

The function started with Lalitha sahasranamam, then lakshmi ashtotram, namavali,a few more devi shlokas and was concluded with Hanuman Chalisa and Jai Jagadeesa Hare........ and then ofcourse not to forget the food and all the ladies sitting and chatting in groups and having agreat time..................
Yesterday (May 11th)a pot luck party was organised to celebrate and wish all the first time mother's to be,and it was indeed wonderful and truly a happy occasion.

Which ever part of the world we live in,if the minds and hearts are united,life becomes a celebration.Everyday is a new and wonderful day.
My sincere prayers and wishes that as a group we grow from strength to strength and have many many more years of joyous celebrations and togetherness.

Thanks, dear friends for making me member of your family.

"SAMASTHA LOKA SUKHINO BAHAVNTHU"

JAI GURU DEV!!!!

Feel Fortunate About Everything!!!

I came across this wonderful write up and just could'nt stop myself from posting it here.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said:'I am blind, please help'.'There were only a few coinsin the hat. A man was walking by.. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.'What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.'Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing. Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life thatyou have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness…. In the journeyof life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.'
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it!!

Jai Guru Dev!!!

Why Women Cry !!!!

I happened to read this simply beautiful article,and as I was reading the thought going in my mind was an incident that happened a few years before.One of my friends invited me to a workshop which was focusing on art as medium of expressing our feelings and emotions.The subject quite caught my attention so I decided to go ahead and attend the workshop.
It was indeed very interesting and sometimes left me amazed at myself,in the sense I had no clue that I could actually do whatever I actually did.
There was one particular activity which is relevant to what I am trying to convey here.We were all asked to draw our version of Mother, in about ten minutes.After we were finished with the drawing we each had our turn to explain why we drew what we did.The drawings and the explanations that I got to hear that were simply fascinating and I must say each one was so unique.Everyone had an absolutely different drawing and expression.Well, let me come to my drawing right away without going into more details.I had drawn a picture of a little girl and another lady holding her hand and a long road ahead.So, now coming to the most important part of what happened when my turn to explain my drawing came. "I take the drawing lift it up,show it to all around the table and try to make a start,I find tears rolling down my cheeks,and am unable to say anything.My teacher and all the other colleagues around console me, my teacher says OK, Revathy we'll come back to you in a while, then go on with the next person.By this time I compose myself and tell myself this is not done, and make another bold attempt to start explaining my drawing, when lo,here go the tears again and this time I'm actually sobbing.To cut it short this happened three to four times, then the tea break came to my great relief.I rushed to have a chat with the teacher,I wanted to know why I did what I did,considering that my mother is a very outgoing cheerful and happy lady and I have never known myself to react like this earlier.By nature I too come across as a cool and casual person".The teacher tried to give me some explanation which did of course convince me at that point of time.But this has been lingering in my mind all the time, in fact I even narrated this to my mother and she too just smiled it off.
Until today I have not been able to find the reason as to why I reacted the way I did on that day.I do realise after reading this article (which I share below)that there need not be a reason actually when sometimes tears just roll down,it could be gratitude, it could be love,it could be joy..........!!!

Our love---capacity to love---everybody has, but they have not utilized it. We have not thrown ourselves open. We have closed into our small, "my, my, me, me, mine."
"Why are you crying?" he asked his mom.
"Because I'm a mother," she told him.
"I don't understand," he said. His mom just hugged him and said, "You never will!" Later the little boy asked his father why Mother seemed to cry for no reason.
"All mothers cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why mothers cry. So he finally put in a call to God and when God got on the phone the man said, "God, why do mothers cry so easily."
God said, "You see son, when I made mothers they had to be special. I made their shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave them an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times come from their children.
"I gave them a hardiness that allows them to keep going when everyone else gives up, and to take care of their families through sickness and fatigue without complaining.
"I gave them the sensitivity to love their children under all circumstances, even when their child has hurt them very badly. This same sensitivity helps them to make a child's boo-boo feel better and helps them share a teenager's anxieties and fears.
"I gave them a tear to shed. It's theirs exclusively to use whenever it's needed. It's their only weakness. It's a tear for mankind."
Beautiful isn't it???????????
Jai Guru Dev!!!

Mother's Day 10th May 2009

For a child I believe every day should be a 'Mother's Day',simply because she is the one who brings you forth to enjoy Life in this earth.A mother is always there for you protecting you, supporting you,feeling for , praying for you all the while,and sering you always with a smile always.She is filled with pride as she watches you grow,at the same time her shoulders are always there for you to cry on whenever you need.A mother is every child's best friend.

Having said this I would also wish to say that you need to first understand the person in your life called mother to truly appreciate Mother's Day.

We need to express our gratitude firstly to God for being so kind and generous to us and blessing us with an angel called mother.

Though as Indians we never had until recently a special day for mother's,there have been some Truly Great Mother's(Divine absolutely)who saw a child in everyone and any one who came to them.Sarada Maa(Holy Mother as she was known) comes to my mind right now.

Sarada Devi, the spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna, was born on 22 December 1853 in a poor Brahmin family in Jayrambati, a village adjoining Kamarpukur in West Bengal. Her father, Ramachandra Mukhopadhyay, was a pious and kind-hearted person, and her mother, Shyama Sundari Devi, was a loving and hard-working woman.As a child Sarada was devoted to God, and spent most of her time helping her mother in various household chores like caring for younger children, looking after cattle and carrying food to her father and others engaged in work in the field. She had no formal schooling, but managed to learn the Bengali alphabet. When she was about six years old, she was married to Sri Ramakrishna, according to the custom prevalent in India in those days. At the age of eighteen she walked all the way to Dakshineshwar to meet her husband. Sri Ramakrishna, who had immersed himself in the intense practice of several spiritual disciplines for more than twelve years, had reached the highest state of realization in which he saw God in all beings. He received Sarada Devi with great affection, and allowed her to stay with him. He taught her how to lead a spiritual life while discharging her household duties. They led absolutely pure lives, and Sarada Devi served Sri Ramakrishna as his devoted wife and disciple, while remaining a virgin nun and following the spiritual path.

Sri Ramakrishna looked upon Sarada Devi as a special manifestation of Divine Mother of the universe. In 1872, on the night of the Phala-harini-Kali-puja, he ritualistically worshipped Sarada Devi as the Divine Mother, thereby awakening universal Motherhood latent in her. When disciples began to gather around Sri Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi learned to look upon them as her own children. The room in which she stayed at Dakshineshwar was too small to live in and had hardly any amenities; and on many days she did not get the opportunity of meeting Sri Ramakrishna. But she bore all difficulties silently and lived in contentment and peace, serving the increasing number of devotees who came to see Sri Ramakrishna.

After Sri Ramakrishna’s passing away in 1886, Sarada Devi spent some months in pilgrimage, and then went to Kamarpukur where she lived in great privation. Coming to know of this, the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna brought her to Kolkata. This marked a turning point in her life. She now began to accept spiritual seekers as her disciples, and became the open portal to immortality for hundreds of people. Her great universal mother-heart, endowed with boundless love and compassion, embraced all people without any distinction, including many who had lived sinful lives.Although she had grown up in a conservative rural society without any access to modern education, she held progressive views, and whole-heartedly supported Swami Vivekananda in his plans for rejuvenation of India and the uplift of the masses and women.Although she was highly venerated for her spiritual status, and literally worshipped as the Divine Mother, she continued to live like a simple village mother, washing clothes, sweeping the floor, bringing water from the pond, dressing vegetables, cooking and serving food. At Jayrambati she lived with her brothers and their families. They gave her endless troubles but, established as she was in the awareness of God and in Divine Motherhood, she always remained calm and self-possessed, showering love and blessings on all who came into contact with her. As Sister Nivedita stated, “Her life was one long stillness of prayer.”

In the history of humanity there has never been another woman who looked upon herself as the Mother of all beings, including animals and birds, and spent her whole life in serving them as her children, undergoing unending sacrifice and self-denial. About her role in the mission of Sri Ramakrishna on earth, she stated: “My son, you know the Master had a maternal attitude (matri-bhava) towards every one. He has left me behind to manifest that Divine Motherhood in the world.”On account of her immaculate purity, extraordinary forbearance, selfless service, unconditional love, wisdom and spiritual illumination, Swami Vivekananda regarded Sri Sarada Devi as the ideal for women in the modern age.

There are many more Great Mother's but as I sat to write this blog The Holy Mother came to my mind first.

Though all of us cannot be Divine Mother Sarada Devi,or Mother Teresa,we sure can remember all the selfless and unending service they did with a smile.

I do firmly believe and accept that mother's are selfless and always there for their children,irrespective of the age of their children.

As a flash the incident that comes to my mind is when I met with an accident a few years down the lane, my mother,(she was way past her 70's then)was there at my bedside (the very next day,she flew from Bangalore) in hospital and was there to take charge until I recovered fully well.

Well, well, I can go on and on, the list is endless here.Just would Love to say that I am full of gratitude and feel really blessed to have such a wonderful mother.
I do at the same time hope that I have done at least partial justice to my role as a mother until now,and been there for my children always,when they need me in future too.

Guys trust me, you can rely on me for whatever it is you wish to share.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOM'S AROUND!!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY AND GOD BLESS!!!
JAI GURU DEV!!!