programs for may 2010 - my cmsyogashram.in/magazines/may2010.pdfprograms for may 2010 ... selled...

2SRI SHAKTIDARSHAN MAY- 2010

Programs are liable to change. Readers are advised to contact the officeand ascertain exact dates before coming.

Programs for May 2010

Programs for June 2010

Shri Shakti Prerana CampMay 9th to 14th 2010

Ages 14 to 17May 12th to 14th 2010

Ages 10 to 13

1 Mrutyunjaya Homa and whole night dhyana session with

Sadguruji2 Satchintana3 to 8 Dhyana in Silence (Last 3 days

after 2pm, discussion withSadguruji)

8 & 23 Kriya Yoga Punaschethana16 Kundalini Beejamantra Dhyana Punaschethana17 & 24 Public Meet20 to 23 Kundalini Beejamantra Camp with information about

Premadhara 201227 On the occassion of Buddha Poornima, whole night

dhyana session with Sadguruji

Our office staff will be in meditation from 10am to 12pm in thepresence of Poojya Guruji. Your call may not be answered during

these 2 hours. Kindly co-operate.

5 Mrutyunjaya Homa and whole night dhyana session with Sadguruji6 Satchintana7 to 12 Dhyana in Silence (Last 3 days after 2pm, discussion with Sadguruji)12 & 23 Kriya Yoga Punaschethana14 & 21 Public Meet17 to 20 Kundalini Beejamantra Camp with information about

Premadhara 201220 Kundalini Beejamantra Dhyana Punaschethana26 On the occassion of full moon (Poornima), whole night

dhyana session with Sadguruji

3 MAY- 2010SRI SHAKTIDARSHAN

Subscription Rates:Domestic

Single Copy : Rs. 10Yearly : Rs. 120Poshak : Rs. 1000( 10 Years)

InternationalYearly : US $ 30

Vol. : IX Issue:VIII MAY-2010

A Magazine dedicated to Yoga and Meditation

Printed by K. Bhavanishankar Shetty and Published by Smt. Vyjayanthi Raoon behalf of Shri Shaktidarshan Yogashram (R), Yelathur Temple Road,Talipadi, Kinnigoli - 574 150 D.K. District and Printed at Guruprasad Printers,Urwa Store, Mangalore - 575 006 and Published at Shri ShaktidarshanYogashram (R), Yelathur Temple Road, Talipadi, Kinnigoli - 574 150 D.K.District. Editor : Smt. Vyjayanthi Rao

The Ashram / Editorial Board does not accept any responsibilityfor the views expressed in the articles / contributions publishedin this Magazine.

SHRI SHAKTIDARSHAN

INDEXPage

5 MOTHER KUNDALINI - IV

8 MUMBAI SATSANG9 ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG

OR A COFFEE BEAN?11 SEASONS OF LIFE

12 THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER

13 WE HAVE FORGOTTEN

SABBATH14 WE ARE LIKE PENCILS

15 MY MAHAN AJJI20 WOMEN IN SPIRITUALITY - IV21 GOWSAMRAKSHAN

22 RAINBOW CORNER24 GURUJI ANSWERS...

27 SATSANG DARSHAN - MAR ‘10

Honorary Editor

Sri B. Devadas Rao Yogacharya

Editor Smt. Vyjayanti Rao

Editorial Advisory Board Dr. Meera R. Kamath

Kum. Lavanya Rao

Smt. Shashikala Nayak

Sri J.Mohandas Bhat

Smt. Anitha Kishore

Sri B.Satish Bhat

Sri Angelo Dias

Sri Jayarama

Shri ShaktiDarshanYogashram

Magazine Section, Elathur-Post, Kinnigoli, D.K. Karnataka

Phone : 0824 -2295100E-mail :

[email protected]@gmail.com

WEBSITE:www.yogashram.in


|| Aum Aum Aum ||Dear Dhyanabandhus,

|| Sharanagataha ||

FROM

EDITOR’S

DESK

Thoughts and actions emerge from our will. It’s a big myth that we have only one type of will.Control of actions begins with the control of the mind. “GOOD” is the sweet pill of lastinghappiness coated over, with a momentarily bitter difficulty of discipline. Each person must beable to judge for oneself and make the wiser choice.One’s Intellect, emotion and body centres have separate wills. This is one of the reasons why,intellect decides one thing and emotions does the other. We not only have separate wills but itcan be both negative and positive.Our thoughts create our personality and our personality determines our destiny, therefore ourdestiny depends upon our thought generation since ages and yugas collected in sanchit karmasthrough past experiences, information we gain and the belief systems we carry.“LOVING is a wonderful gesture that helps me grow and purifies the environment too”. This isa positive will. “Oh! That’s alright, I can do it tomorrow”, is procrastination. One should notallow this pattern to follow in life. This creates a negative will. “If I want to love somebody I willdo it right now”. “If I want to forgive somebody I will do it right now”. This is the will of god thatmerges into us. With love one must negate the negative will, and give oneself the love energy soas to remove all the blockages and have a free flow of cosmic energy.Yoganidra is a process in the spiritual path which has been followed in our ashram ever since theinception of the ashram; in-fact, even before that. Guruji has given us this boon, to practiceYoganidra and climb the steps towards divinity. It is par excellence, has been acclaimed world-wide, and has helped million’s of people in their spiritual path. We are grateful to you Guruji forspreading this kind of love and giving us this important education in life.Poojya Guruji always emphasizes the saying from the Rig Veda “Yetha Drishti Tatha Shrishti”,imbibed by our heavenly Rishis. One should become aware of ‘clinging to misery’ which is pastand remember God’s painting which is so bright and beautiful. Every morning, God passes onan effective message through his vast creation.Past, Present, Future! Past is the memory of love, Present is love and only love everywhere,Future is painting love in our creation. When the three dimensions are full of love, then the fourthdimension is easy to receive. Let us all have a home of love peace and harmony at the root ofour minds and spread bliss through our smiles.


GURUJI SPEAKS...

The wonder of theInfinite power!

Mother KundaliniPart IV

So far we have read and known that, theword ‘Om’ thundered into the Universe.The primary power that emerged amongthe overflowing vibrations was shakti(shive). This power merged with Prana(life) and gave birth to Maya (illusion). Thesource of maya is the mind.Now read on...

Maya does not take birth withinParamashiva, which means that there is nomaya in the antharang (inner consciousness)of Paramashiva. On observing, we find thatmaya is involved in all other creation. Shive,in the form of Mother Kundalini joins alongwith illusion and is the reason for all creation.This is the same expression mentioned in theSri Devi Sukta of Rig Veda (10 / 125). In thisSukta, the Devi expresses her greatness -“The God’s of various worlds are my follow-ers. I nourish the Controllers of the sun, moon,rain and fire, the ashwini gods, and the con-troller of life. I give a position of Brahma, Rishi

or a genius to whomsoever i wish. I first cre-ated Brahma who is the father of the Uni-verse.

How does the mystery of creationunfold! Shive, residing as the inner conscious-ness of Paramashiva, emerged as ‘Omkaar’,due to the ‘Big Bang’ (explosion of the point).She then merged with Prana (life) and gavebirth to illusion and the Trinity - Brahma,Vishnu, Maheshwara. (See picture below).

Crores of vibrations then took birth. Creationprogressed through the process of division.It is this holy mother, who provides food, vi-sion and breath for all the activities of her cre-ation. She is the only one who is worshippedin the form of various devi’s (female deities).Similarly, in the Taitriyaaranya Upanishad ofthe Yajurveda, Uma Haimavati (shive), coun-selled Lord Indra with this knowledge. WhenDharmaraja began living in secret, he invokedthe Devi. In the 10th Chapter of the SrimadBhagavat, one can find the role of the devi in

BRAHMAVISHNUMAHESHWARASHIVE

MINDPRANASHIVE

PRANA


the instance of Sri Krishna’s incarnation. APurana (Sppiritual Text) by the name DeviBhagavat (Mahatme) is a great literary worktotally devoted to the greatness of the devi.This explains the fact, that India’s Kings andSages were devotees of the Devi. The‘Shaakta Sect’ has attained Siddhi’s by wor-shipping the Devi and thus they always men-tion that we Indians are ‘Shaakta’s’ (worship-pers of shakti / devi). God has no form. ButDevi (shakti) is worshipped in different forms.In Sri Shankaracharya’s literary works -Soundarya Leheri and Prapanchasaara;Shankara has praised Sri Devi, and conclu-sively written a verse asking for forgiveness,which just melts away the mind.“Prithivyaam puthraaste janani bhavahasantisathalaha........ Kuputhro jaayethtvachadapi kumaathana bhavati”Meaning: O Mother! You have so many chil-dren in this world. Among them, I am yourunique child. Do not leave my hand. Once in away, an evil son may be born, but never everan evil mother. Drowned in trouble, I am think-ing of you. Please do not neglect this sincererequest, thinking it to be temporary.

It is ideal to say this mantra daily andthen chant the kundalini beejamantra. We wor-ship the kundalini shakti in thousands of femaleidol forms. One must not forget that all of thesehave a deep truthful significance.

Our ancient yogi’s have established

temples according to vaastu, taking into con-sideration the flow of prakruthi shakti (Nature’spower). Yogi’s have locked their ‘yoga power’in the main deity of such temples, thus offeringthe fruit of their austerities towards the pur-pose of a better world. Kamakshi of Kaanchi,Vishalakshi of Kashi, Meenakshi of Madurai,Ksheerabhavaani of Kashmir, Vindyavaasini ofVindyachal, Hingulaja Devi of Baluchisthan,Khamakhya devi of Assam, Kali of Kolkata,Navadurga of Vijaywada, Tulajabhavani ofMaharashtra, Mahalakshmi of Kolhapur,Kanyakumari devi of India’s southern most tip.All these varied forms portray one unified cul-ture of India. We are one nation, one culture.No power can divide this unified principle. InKarnataka itself we have Banashankari ofBijapur, Chamundi of Mysore, Sharade ofSringeri, Annapoorneshwari of Hornad,Mookambike of Kollur, Durgaparameshwariof Kateel, Jaladurge of Mulky, Rajarajeshwariof Polali, Marikambe of Shirsi, Bhuvaneshwariof Hampe and the count goes on... It has beenfound that among these, 52 Shakti Peetha’s(Centres of Nature power) have been estab-lished by great yogi’s and sages.

The surprising factor here, is that allthese forms of shakti are representatives of one‘Mother Kundalini’. In the earlier days, sinceit was impossible to make the common manunderstand this truth, many temples with vari-ous forms were established. But the Shakti


Peetha’s have been established for the progressof higher spiritual aspirants. We need to un-derstand that all these Shakti Peetha’s are withinus as Kundalini. When she awakens, an ex-traordinary power will emerge within you, justas if the whole of India stands up togetheragainst all odds. Lalitha Sahasranama is an in-vocation of this very Kundalini power. As youchant the beejamantra regularly, you will traveldeeper within yourself and automatically reachthe state of dhyana. Gradually you will reachthe Samadhi state of dhyana too. You will thenplace your first step in reaching the goal / pur-pose of human life.

Western scientists who considered thekundalini as non-existant, today with advancedcomputer technology, are able to view the ex-istence of kundalini, her movement and theexistence of the six chakras (spiritual centresin the subtle body). Thus they have realizedthat Indians are not fools; rather Indians are anadvanced genre. Today, many foreigners arecoming to India seeking the knowledge ofkundalini. A lot of books on kundalini are be-ing published in the west. It was Sir JohnWoodrof of England who first collated infor-mation about the ‘Kundalini Yoga of India’ andpublished a book on the same. He was theChief Judge of Mumbai High Court in the year1908. With a keen interest to gain more wis-dom on Kundalini, he quit his job and went toKashi. He sought initiation into the Hindu way

of life through the scholars of Kashi and bus-ied himself in the understanding of the Vedas.Later he researched widely and in-depth aboutKundalini Yoga. After 2 decades of intenseresearch his book ‘Kundalini’ took shape andwas published in England with the help of theOxford University. Though it’s been a hun-dred years since the book has been released,it surpasses all other books on the subject, asa great literary work.

All those who consider themselves aseducated, scholarly, and knowledgeable, needto give a thought to this. If you want a life ofpeace and contentment, then practice medi-tation for 20 min at least through chanting ofthe beejamantra on a daily basis. Your mentalpeace will increase multifold and you will livea happy healthy life.

Dear Dhyanabandhus,We have begun with the con-

struction of a new AnnapoornaHall (kitchen),

for the convenience of all whovisit the Ashram. We sincerely

request your whole-hearteddonations in cash, building

material and service.Looking forward to your

willing co-operation...


MUMBAI SATSANG!.....--- Sumeet Shet

It seems so strange but true that whatsoeverwe do or don’t do leads us to our destiny, leadsus to situations or things which we were meantto experience in our life. When we think overour life or analyze it, we will observe that most

of the important events had happened without our trying for it, without our knowledge. Whenwe make plans when we try to change things to our likes we are creating misery for ourselves,because this is where we are trying to go against the true course of nature and existence. It islike applying force in the opposite direction rather than going with the flow or surrendering togod.

When I recall the instance from when I first met our beloved Guruji and today where hehas almost influenced everyone related to me; it explains only one thing, that we all were to-gether only for a reason beyond our explanation. The Mumbai Satsang began around 9 yearsback with Mrs Jayalaxmi, Mrs Vidya P. Rao, Welma, Radhika and late Mr Krishnan. TheSatsangs in Mumbai were mostly conducted at Mrs Vidya’s house in Ghatkopar. In a place likeMumbai where stress is at its best, the presence of Guruji was much needed.

Lots of people would gather at the venue whenever Guruji visited Mumbai; some witha desire to learn meditation and some with a hope of getting freedom from misery. Gurujialways used to hear out each and every aspirant patiently like a parent to a child, in whatevertime was left after meditation session. All those people who had come to Guruji for one reasonor another had gained something much more than that. The reasons were mere circumstances,needed for us, to unite with our beloved guruji. Each and every meditator in our ashram has aunique experience with Guruji. My own life is one such experience. Meditation was taught in aunique way to each and every disciple. For youngsters there was a different approach, forelders it was different. We were one of the many fortunate people who could spend quality timewith our beloved guruji.

In his short stay in Mumbai the days usually began with early morning sessions ofmeditation with visitors joining in one by one, and as the day progressed into evening, the housewould always be filled with lots of people eagerly waiting for their turn to meet him in person.Guruji would always try to meet as many people as possible with hardly anytime to rest, evenafter a long day of endless questions and addressing people, Guruji would always be left with


enough energy to conduct a nightmeditation session for advancingin meditation. That energy fieldcould easily be felt around uswhen Guruji was around.

In the meditation sessionit was a common sight to seemeditators going into a state oftrance where they had no con-nection to the outer world.People could sit hours togetherin meditation along with Gurujiwith hardly any knowledge oftime. For people who were newto our Satsang it was a very as-tonishing sight. There are endlessstories to be told from Mumbaisatsang, a few of which are reallyhard to believe.

Today our dear Gurujidedicates most of his time to thewelfare of the ashram and mak-ing it a better place for medita-tors with each passing day. Wethe people of mumbai really missthose days when Guruji used totravel different places, one ofwhich was ours. We were fortu-nate that Guruji used to come tous, which should be the other wayaround.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about herlife and how things were so hard for her. She did not knowhow she was going to make it and wanted to give up. Shewas tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as if as soonas one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. The motherfilled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots.In the second she placed eggs. And the last she placedground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without say-ing a word. About twenty minutes later, she turned off theburners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in abowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she said, "Tell me what you see.""Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots.She did, and noted that they felt soft. She then asked herto take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, sheobserved the hard-boiled egg inside. Finally, she asked herto sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its richaroma. The daughter then asked, "So, what's the point,mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objectshad faced the same adversity - boiling water - but eachreacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and

ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG OR ACOFFEE BEAN?

--- Beena Puthalat’s Collection


unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. Theegg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid center. But, after sitting throughthe boiling water, its insides had become hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique,however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water."Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do yourespond? Are you a carrot , an egg, or a coffee bean?"Which am I?Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft andlose my strength?Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluidspirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship, or some other trial, have I becomehardened and stiff? Does my outer shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and toughwith a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water - the very circumstancesthat bring the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor of the bean. Ifyou are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situationaround you instead of letting it change you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate toanother level?

How do you handle Adversity?ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?


There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons tolearn not to Judge things too quickly. So he sent them eachon a quest, in turn,to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and theyoungest son in the fall. When they had all gone and returned, he called them together todescribe what they had seen.The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise.The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and lookedso beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life andfulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seenonly one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, byonly one season. That the essence of who they are, and the pleasure, joy, and love that comefrom that life, can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty ofyour summer, And the fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy ofall the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches, andbetter times are sure to come in time.

Aspire to Inspire....Before You ExpireLive Simply. Love Generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. And leave the rest to God.

Happiness keeps you Sweet, Trials keep you Strong, Sorrows keep you Human, Failureskeep you Humble, Success keeps you Growing, but only God keeps you Going...

God Bless you and keep you in his care through all the seasons of your life!

SEASONS OF LIFE--- Meenakshi Balachandar’s Collection


God won't ask what kind of car you drove......but He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

God won't ask the square footage of your house......but He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet......but He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

God won't ask about your social status......He will ask what kind of class you displayed.

God won't ask how many material possessions you had......but He'll ask if they dictated your life.

God won't ask what your highest salary was......but He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

God won't ask how much overtime you worked......but He'll ask if your overtime work was for yourself or for your family.

God won't ask how many promotions you received......but He'll ask how you promoted others.

God won't ask how many friends you had......but He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

God won't ask what you did to protect your rights......but He'll ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

God won't ask what your job title was......but He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

God won't ask what you did to help yourself......but He'll ask what you did to help others.

God won't ask in what neighbourhood you lived......but He'll ask how you treated your neighbours.

God won't ask about the color of your skin......but He'll ask about the content of your character.

God won't ask what Church you went to, or even if you went to church at all......but He’ll ask if you loved others and treated them with kindness.

THINGS

THAT

REALLY

MATTER

Contd... on Page 21--- Meenakshi Balachandar’s Collection


A "successful" life has becomea violent enterprise. We makewar on our own bodies, push-ing them beyond their limits;war on our children, becausewe cannot find enough time tobe with them when they are hurt and afraid, and need our company; war on our spirit, becausewe are too preoccupied to listen to the quiet voices that seek to nourish and refresh us; war onour communities, because we are fearfully protecting what we have, and do not feel safe enoughto be kind and generous; war on the earth, because we cannot take the time to place our feet onthe ground and allow it to feed us, to taste its blessings and give thanks.

As the founder of a public charity, I visit the large offices of wealthy donors, the crowdedrooms of social service agencies, and the small houses of the poorest families. Remarkably,within this mosaic there is a universal refrain: I am so busy. It does not seem to matter if thepeople I speak with are doctor or daycare workers, shopkeepers or social workers, parents orteachers, nurses or lawyers, students or therapists, community activists or cooks. Whether theyare Hispanic or Native American, Caucasian or Black, the more their lives speed up, the morethey feel hurt, frightened and isolated.

Despite their good hearts and equally good intentions, their work in the world rarelyfeels light, pleasant, or healing. Instead, as it all piles endlessly upon itself, the whole experienceof being alive begins to melt into one enormous obligation. It becomes the standard greetingeverywhere: I am so busy. We say this to one another with no small degree of pride, as if ourexhaustion were a trophy, our ability to withstand stress a mark of real character. The busier weare, the more important we seem to ourselves and we imagine, to others. To be unavailable toour friends and family, to be unable to find time for the sunset (or even to know that the sun hasset at all), to whiz through our obligations without time for a single, mindful breath, this hasbecome the model of a successful life. How have we allowed this to happen? This was not ourintention, this is not the world we dreamed when we were young and our whole life was full ofpossibility and promise. How did we get so terribly lost in a world saturated with striving andgrasping, yet somehow bereft of joy and delight.I suggest that it is this: we have forgotten the Sabbath!

WE HAVE FORGOTTEN SABBATHby Wayne Muller

--- Beena Puthalat’s Collection


In the beginning, the Pencil Maker spoke to the pencilsaying, "There are five things you need to know before Isend you out into the world. Always remember themand you will become the best pencil that you can ever be."

1st: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to beheld in Someone's hand.2nd: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but this is re-quired if you want to become a better pencil.3rd: You have the ability to correct any mistakes you might make.4th: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.5th: No matter what the condition, you must continue to write. You must alwaysleave a clear, legible mark no matter how difficult the situation.The pencil understood, promising to remember, and went into the box fully un-derstanding its Maker's purpose.

Now replacing the pencil with yourself; always remember these rules and neverforget them, in this way you will become the person you want to be.1st: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to beheld in God's hand, and allow other human beings to access you for the manygifts you possess.2nd: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going throughvarious problems, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.3rd: You will be able to correct mistakes you might make or grow through them.4th: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside .5th: On every surface you walk, you must leave your mark. No matter what thesituation, you must continue to serve God in everything.

Everyone is like a pencil, created by the Maker for a unique and specialpurpose. By understanding and remembering this, let us proceed with our life onthis earth, by having a meaningful purpose in our heart and a relationship withGod daily. You were made to do great things!

WE ARE LIKE

--- Meenakshi Balachandar’s Collection

PENCILS


Ajji, the word means, Grandmother. Be iteastern or western culture, grandmother isthe most loved in every family. She plays asignificant role in a child's upbringing. I amvery happy that I too had, not just an ordi-

nary but an extraordinary grandmother. Though I did not grow up playing on her lap, I suregrew up totally under her shade. She was a very loving 'Mangluru Ajji' for me and many manymore children like me. Most Loving and well respected 'Pailooramma ' for all those who soughtrefuge at Her Feet.

When I took up meditation, I felt a very strong need to tell Guruji about Mangluru Ajji.Though I brushed aside the thought for more than 2 years, one fine morning I found myselfwriting an e-mail to Guruji, describing Ajji. As I eagerly waited,to my total surprise, soon camethe following reply from Guruji, 'Your Ajji is a realized lady. She is a Saint. She served andattained Salvation. She is a lady of real love. I had her glimpses....'

Further Guruji guided us very Lovingly and systematically to collect and write downevery possible detail about Ajji's life saying, 'By God's Will, Let us make Ajji's Life messageavailable to all the interested Sadhakas'

As a result of Guruji's graceful guidance, before us is this Spiritual asset titled, 'MyMahan Ajji'.......

CHAPTER 1Ajji's name is Parameshwari. She was born on Friday, 3rd September 1926 to very

Satvik parents, Sri Katta Govindayya and Smt. Gangamma, as their 3rd child. She grew upwith her 7 siblings in a remote village called Katta, in Sullia Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District.

Ajji studied till 8th standard in the Government school in a village called Guttigaru,walking 8miles everyday! She had to discontinue her further schooling because of lack of con-veyances.

Ajji's father was a very Satvik man, who spent a lot of time chanting Lord's name[NamaSmaran] and per forming Pooja. He was very righteous and extremely generous. Hishospitality was such that any person visiting the house was never sent out without being fed withdelicious food. Ajji's mother sincerely stood by him in his every activity.

Ajji was special even in her childhood. Even at the age of four, all she could think wasabout God. She often spent a lot of time doing NamaSmaran. During her childhood, it was

MY MAHAN AJJI--- Dr. Savithri S


customary for all the children in the house to sit along with father, for the daily Pooja. During thePooja, Ajji always sat with her chin lifted up, gazing upwards and soon entered a state oftrance. She always completely forgot herself and would sit like that for long.

Thus first 14 years of Ajji's life was spent in a loving and divine environment performingPooja and chanting Lord's name.

Ajji was married to Sri. Lakshmi Narayana Rao Pailoor on Friday, 7 February, 1941at Kukke Subrahmanya. She was 14 years old then and her husband 29 years.Ajji's 62 years of married life was not exactly a 'bed of roses'. It was a laboratory where Ajjiwas the subject of every test and experiments of the Creator himself. Unlike most, Ajji facedevery situation like a warrior, surrendered to the Will of the Lord alone and emerged as anembodiment of Peace, Love and Harmony.

Within months of their marriage, her husband [whom we call Ajja], who went for a co-operative training, joined military in Karachi. Naturally young Parameshwari was scared andsad. Seeing the beloved daughter's plight her father gave a photo of Lord MahaVishnu andgave 'Upadesha' of Astakshari Manthra, AUM NAMO NARAYANAYA. From that verymoment Ajji started chanting Astakshari Manthra with all the faith and perseverance. Soon sherealised that the Manthra was being chanted continuously without any effort. She became awarethat the same Manthra is being chanted continuously even in her sleep! Needless to say herhusband quit military and returned home soon.

Within few years of marriage Ajji gave birth to two daughters, Indira and Jayalakshmi.Of course, the society had to blame Ajji for not conceiving a male child. But Ajji did not feelhelpless. Instead she prayed to the Lord to bless her with baby boys. As an answer to herprayer, Ajji was blessed with two sons by name Krishna Kumara, Ramachandra and one moredaughter by name Sharada.

Like the prevailing customs of those days, Ajji too lived in a male dominant house hold.Her day of continuous work began at 4’oclock in the morning and would go on as though it hadno end. Since both Ajji and Ajja were extremely generous, their house was always filled withguests and relatives. Owing to their generosity and also since their house was in the heart ofMangalore city, many children of their relatives stayed in their house and completed the highereducation. At least 20 kids had lived under their shade and completed their studies.

Only one line can describe their hospitality, ’Athithi devo bhava’! Ajji rendered suchgreat service to guests, that if guests arrived after lunch time, she would cook again and serve


the food. Many times guests came home with Ajja even after Ajji went to sleep in the night. Andyet she would get up from sleep, prepare food and serve the guests!

Along with all these responsibilities, Ajji also had to take care of her 5 young children.There were no assistants or maids to help her either. And yet Ajji never complained aboutanything. She faced every situation with courage. Her body was working continuously but hermind was totally absorbed in chanting Lord’s name. Ajji was ever immersed in the ocean ofdevotion.

After many years Ajji spoke to me very sweetly about those days of hard work:”Child,in those days at least 20 kids would have stayed in our house and completed their education.Also our house was always filled with friends and relatives. Every morning I got up very earlyand I would grind 2-3 kgs of rice in the grinding stone and prepare dosas and coffee forbreakfast. Those days we did not have mixer grinders. After that I would get busy with thelunch preparation. Every day I would offer 3 coconuts to God and then grind them to prepareSambar for lunch.....There were no exceptions to the daily household work be it pregnancy orwith the small baby....”. There wasn’t even a hint of regret or unhappiness in her expression.

Ajji had also taken the financial responsibility of the family. Her family wasn’t doinggreat in terms of money. So to help out, Ajji was also taking care of many cows in her backyarditself, though their house was in the heart of Mangalore city. By selling cow’s milk and ghee, sheearned some money because of which the family could manage better. Ajji had taken the com-plete responsibility of those cows, such as feeding and milking the cows. She cared for thosecows till the age of 70 for nearly 30 years! Finally in 1992 it was decided that Ajji must stopworking in the cowshed by her loving family. But she loved those cows so much that she wasreluctant to sell them. She finally agreed when her elder son came forward to take some cowswith him. And some other cows were given to Ajji’s close disciples. But Ajji cared so much forthose cows that, she often remembered them and enquired about them.

Ajji’s life went on thus for many years, it was time for a new twist in her life...to be contd...

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTOn behalf of Sri Shakthi Darshan Yogashram, we extend our sincere grati-tude towards Ajji's children and her entire family for their generous co-operation. Our special Thanks to Ajji's son Sri K.K. Pailoor and family fortheir support.


WOMEN IN SPIRITUALITY IV: PADMAVATHIPART I

--- Banumati, Chennai Satsang

Our Sanathana Dharma gives much importance to ‘human life’ amongall the creation, because the purpose of taking human birth is to realizethe God or self through various paths like Karma Yoga, Bhakthi Yoga, Dhyana Yoga and JnanaYoga. To practice these Yogas one should have complete faith in the path which they select.100% faith in God or Guru is necessary. It is not an easy task to practice these Yogas in dailylife, as one will have to meet some Saints or realized soul and follow their teachings. By beingwith them and observing, the same can be adopted in the daily walks of life. Reading andhearing the life history of realized persons will also help to get Vairagya (detachment), andshows some light in the darkness of worldly maya. Satsanghs too, help, to keep the mind clear.Elevating the mind from lower levels to higher consciousness will also help to attain the feet ofGod easily. Music in the form of songs (bhajan) and dance, help in such attainment. If one singsand dances with focusing the mind on God, they forget themselves and they will dance accord-ing the tune of the inner voice. We have witnessed this in our Ashram during the dance sessions,and during the visit of Babaji.

Padmavathi and Jayadevar are one such pair, spending time singing and dancing bypraising the Lord Krishna. Jayadevar, attained ecstasy by singing and dancing and created the“Geetha Govindham” or “Ashtapathi”. Let us come to the story of Padmavathi - How shehelped her husband Jayadevar in the creation of the (Divine Poem) Divya Kaavyam “GeethaGovindham” !Jayadevar was said to be living in the 12th century in the village ‘Kindu Bilwam’near Puri Jagannath in Orissa state. He was born to the Saatvik Brahmin couple known as SriBhojadevan and Smt.Radha devi. His parents wanted to perform his marriage. But he was notinterested in marriage, and he felt marriage was a burden, and that it leads to samsara. After fewyears his parents passed away. He came out of the village and built a small hut near the riverbank and continued his sadhana. He composed songs and sang them with music, in praise ofLord Krishna. But God’s wish was different.

Padmavathi was born to a devotee Brahmin Deva Sharma, who, during his prayers


longed for a child and promised to present the child after growth to the Lord Jagannath of Puri.When she came to the age of marraige, Sri Deva Sharma, in fulfillment of his promise, took herto Jagannath temple and prayed, “If I had a male child, I would have offered him to LordJagannath for temple service. But I am blessed with a female child. Now you show me the pathto fulfill his promise.” Then God appeared in his dream and said, “There is no difference be-tween me and my bhakta (devotee). So service to the bhaktha is service to Lord. He orderedhim to get Padmavathi and Jayadevar married.”

Deva Sharma takes his daughter to Jayadevar Ashram and showing Jayadevar to her,he tells his daughter, “He is your Lord and husband. Serve him as per the direction of LordJagannath”. He leaves her at the Ashram. She daily comes from home and attends all the dutiesof the Ashram like, cleaning, collecting flowers for pooja, washing the clothes and preparingfood etc... in the absence of Jayadevar and reaches the house in the evening. Jayadevar leavesthe ashram early in the morning and sits near the banks of the river or someplace withoutdisturbance from the public. There he composes songs in praise of God and he forgets himself.He used to return only before dusk. Most of the time, while returning to the Ashram, he will notnotice the changes at the ashram. After a few months he noticed that somebody is helping himin cleaning the Ashram etc. He wanted to find out who the person is so that he could thank andoffer something for their contribution in maintain ing the ashram. One day, he found Padmavathiwho was cleaning and attending to other works of the Ashram. He called her and asked, “Whoare you? Why are you doing this job? What do you want from me?” She replied, “I want toserve you, my entire life”. Then Jayadevar thought for a few minutes. and decided to get mar-ried to her since she knew him well and would not disturb his Sadhana. For the last few yearsshe never approached him. By getting married to her he may also get the Satsangh (the com-pany of the noble and saintly). Hence he agreed to her condition as per the wish of God and gotmarried.

Both of them offered their life towards God realization. He would go out and get littlerice by begging. She would prepare meals and offer it to the guests too. She lead her life,without disturbing her husband and by helping him in his Yoga Sadhana. She spent the rest ofthe time by reading and listening to the Bhagavatham. In the evenings, as they read the chaptersof the Bhagavatham, they forgot about themselves united with the Lord. In ecstasy, they used tosing and dance in praise of Lord Krishna. Sometimes, Jayadevar would sing and Padmavathiused to dance for the song. While reading the 10th Chapter which narrates the entire life history


of Lord Krishna; he got deeply involved in Krishna’s Rasaleela (Divine dance by Krishna andGopis – Each Gopi will have one Krishna with them and they will dance according to the divinetune of Krisha or self) and by merging himself with God, he made a lot of verses. These versesare called “Geetha Govindham” or ‘Ashtapadi’. They describe the celestial love between RaadhikaDevi and Krishna.

Ashtapadi has 12 sargams and 24 Ashtapadi songs. Each song is mostly of 8 stanzaas.The egoistic nature of Raadhika, her anger towards Krishna, her pangs of separation (Virahavedhana), her joy of reunion, and their conversation is described in the Astapadi. Nowadays,all the bhakthas sing Ashtapadi in ‘Raadha Kalyana Utsavam’.

This Ashtapadi was slowly sung by others in the village too and it was popular every-where in Orissa. People used to admire it and it was liked by all. The news reached the king andhe was overcome by jealousy. He creates his own verses trying to equal the Geetha Govindham.He ordered that everybody should sing only those verses created by him. But scholars, minis-ters and others objected his order. They decided to put both the verses in front of Lord PuriJagannath who would select the best. Lord Jagannath placed ‘Geetha Govindham’ on his head.Thus it further became famous among the people. The king too accepted the Lord’s Decisionand he considered Jayadevar as his Guru. In the next issue, you will see the role that Padmavathiplayed and how she attained realization.

to be contd...

SLEEPSleep is so dear to everyone that no one, prince or beggar,

can do without it. And when one wants to sleep, nothing however highin the range of all worldly enjoyments can tempt him much desired sleep. A

king, when in deep sleep, brushes aside the disturbance by the queen and goesto sleep. This is an indication of the supreme happiness that is to be had inthat state where all thoughts cease. If one is not afraid of going to sleep, Idon’t see why one should be afraid of killing the mind or ego by Sadhana.

*****Ramana Maharshi


Name of the cow: MithunBreed: Raati

Adopted by: Sri Padmanabh N Rao

Sri Padmanabh N Rao, a Jeweller by profession, is the head of Mumbai Satsang and awell-wisher of our Ashram. He owns the “Ramdas & Brother’s Jewellers” store at Ghatkopar,Mumbai, which is very close to his house. Most of his customers are south indians. He gives ourAshram Magazine to all those who visit his shop. He also informs them about the Ashram andthe Cows.

Mithun - our extremely peaceful Ox, whose nature is like that of Bhagavan Buddha;was bought by Sri Padmanabh and donated it to the Ashram. Past 2 years, he has been takingcare of the expenses of this cow. By continuing this responsibility for the next year too, he is aliving example of large-heartedness. May God bless him and his family with good health, peaceand happiness always.

Contd... from Page 12

“At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, howmuch money we have made or how many great things we have done...

...We will be judged by “I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and youclothed me. I was homeless and you took me in - Mother Teresa”

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

GOWSAMRAKSHAN--- Yogacharya


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Answers : Previous Issue Music Zone (Orchestra)

O P S L V W E S T K

C H B S I T A R A V

R T A N P U R A B I

O Q D R Z F V B L O

P N E U M H L G A L

F L U T A O P U B I

C U K V E E N A T N

G T O N S Z X I Q E

J E G U R U J I U S

O R C H E S T R A M

Part 1: The Farmer planned the planting of the groveas follows, using coins: “Put two parallel rows of coinson a blank sheet of paper, like the top and bottom of anine-dot square. Mark their positions. Now use thecentres of these coins as the points of a six-pointedstar made by the opposite corners to each other andthe middle coin in each row to the opposite corners.Place the other three coins where the two lines joiningthe opposite corners meet, and at the two places where the lines from opposite middle coinsmeet. The six lines that make up the star form six of the required straight rows of three trees.The dashed lines show the other four straight rows of three trees.”Part 2: Since the baker replied to Mrs. Cook, it is clear that Mrs. Cook is not the Baker.Therefore the baker must be either Mr. Farmer or Miss Baker. Since no names match the job,the baker is Mr. Farmer. From this it is clear that Mrs. Cook must be either the cook or theFarmer. Since she cannot be the cook, she is the farmer. Miss Baker is the Cook.

Solution to the 2-in-1 puzzle


GURUJI ANSWERS...

Q1) What is Samskaar? What is the dif-ference between Samskaar and Swabhav(Innate nature / natural behaviour)?A) “Samskaroti Ithi Samskaaraha” is asanskrit saying which means purifying, cleans-ing. In centres of learning for children, theyare corrected, their nature undergoes alter-ation, their vision is oriented towards becom-ing a good human being and a worthy respon-sible citizen of India. Just like all animals, Mantoo, has an innate nature right from birth.Transforming this nature towards the path ofbetterment is Samskaar. Only when a plant isnourished with cowdung, water etc...; whenit is given the appropriate environment; whenit is protected from pests and insects; onlythen will it grow well and provide good fruit.It is the same with Man’s growth too, may itbe his knowledge orientation, physical andmental health. When one develops an all-en-compassing love towards every single cre-ation of God, and when one works towardsbeing a better social and spiritual being, then,that is Samskaar.

Q2) After coming to the Ashram, we dis-cover in our relationships, friend’s circleand in our lifestyle, certain habits oppos-

ing to Yoga. Without correcting these hab-its, we aspire to progress in the path ofYoga. Instead of climbing towards God,we are aspiring to bring him down to ourlevel. Why is it so?A) This is the best example to test the will-power of a sadhak (spiritual aspirant). Thereare 2 situations here. Firstly, the qualities whichone has inherited right from birth. It is verydifficult to change these qualities. Whenpeople at home sleep after 12 midnight andwake up after 8 in the morning; when there isnobody at home to encourage one, to wakeup before sunrise and perform daily activitiesduring Brahmimuhurat; then obviously it isdifficult to practice what one has learnt at theAshram. Further, one who is weak-mindedand neglects waking up up early by making amockery of it; such a person will losse thelittle will-power that he/she has. Secondly,when one understands the importance of thispath, he/she must get together with friends ofthe similar mentality; attend Satsangs from timeto time, participate in the Ashram’s Satsangs,with a determined effort to progress on thispath of truth. This trial will surely lead one tosuccess.With the wholesome grace of Guru and God,and the total surrender of the sadhak (spiri-tual aspirant), all other obstacles becomemere reasons. The spiritual aspirant has the


capacity to stand above everything, and suchis a true sadhak. The one who forgoes hissadhana (devoted practice) due to insignifi-cant reasons is not a sadhak. In such a per-son, the love of God hasn’t yet found estab-lishment.

Q3) How should we begin our day? Kindlyexplain about the importance ofBrahmimuhurat to the younger genera-tion.A) “Early to bed, early to riseMakes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”This saying echoes the truth of yoga. In-nu-merous sages and saints have spoken thus -“Wake up at Brahmimuhurat. Dedicate thistime to wisdom, virtue and devoted practiceand gain longevity of life, good health, wealthand prosperity in food. Peace and content-ment will be yours. By not waking up atBrahmimuhurat, one is digging his own gravetowards bad health and a disturbed, discon-tented life.Basavanna has appropriately spoken thus:“Wake up early, bring firewood and leavesfor the Homa; Before sunrise, perform yourworship to the Linga. After sunrise, you knownot what will happen to you. Before sunset,before the light of your life dies out, performyour duties earnestly, koodalasangamadeva(pen name of basavanna)”Sri Guru Nanak says: “At Brahmimuhurat

which is the immortal morning, God’s trea-sure house is completely open. Fortunate arethose, who wake up and grab any number ofgems that they require. The fools and lazypeople are the unfortunate one’s who keepsleeping.”The following shloka (Verse) by Sage Valmikitells how Sage Vishwamitra used to wake upLord Rama at Brahmimuhurat.

“Kausalya Suprajaaraama PoorvaSandhya Pravartate

Uthishta Naashaardoola KarthavyamDaiva Manhikam”

Meaning: See Rama! See how blessedKausalya is, o have borne you as her child!The dawn is rising. Wake up O divine man!.It is time to invoke the grace of God.

Mother Nature is constantly show-ing us the way to a systematic dutiful day. Themusical chirping of the birds begins at 4am.At 5am they chirp louder, telling us to wakeup. Yogis, wise ones, contemplative beingsand truly devoted spiritual aspirants are show-ered with the abundant flow of God’s lovewhich conveys “This is the choicest hour foryour inspiration and consciousness to rise.Wake up!”. Ushakaal or Brahmimuhurat (theearly hour of the morning) occurs 5 units be-fore sunrise. Here 1 unit = 24 minutes. 5 ×24 = 120 minutes. Therefore, we need to beawake and ready for our daily Sadhana 120minutes prior to sunrise. That is 4am. Yogis


always wake up by 3.30 in the morning and begin their daily sadhana by 4am.As per the science of Yoga, it is preferable if one sleeps on his left side. It is better if one

wakes up from the right side. Generally when we sleep, we never maintain the same positionthroughout the night. Once you wake up, rub your palms together twice and place them on youreyes. Think of God and ask his grace for a wonderful day ahead. Now open your eyes, look atyour open palms and say the following shloka:

Karaagre Vasathe Lakshmi Karamadhye Saraswati |Karamoole Sthite Gauri Prabhaate Karadarshanam ||

“At the tip of our palms resides Lakshmi, in the centre is Saraswati and at the bottom isGauri”, is the meaning of this shloka. It has a deep and vast significance. The three of them arethe protective sheaths of Kundalini Shakti - Chitta (Consciousness), Prana (life), Shakti (en-ergy). When these are stimulated at Brahmimuhurat, the Ida, Pingala and Sushmna Naadis ofKundalini Shakti are activated. This enlightens the mind and intelligence. Life begins travelingenergetically. The path to the Supreme Consciousness within, opens. Both the hemispheres ofthe brain merge, resulting in the flowering and evolution of the Brahmarandra. Without ourknowing, the vibration of Omkaar emanates from the centre of the head (Brahmarandra) andconnects to the source. This moment is the ideal moment for worshipping the divine supremacy.One never gets this same moment again.

Past days will never return. Wake up dear children and youngsters! Fulfill this life fruit-fully for your own sake. Don’t live for the praise or insult of other people. Wake up early in themorning and obtain your share of peace and happiness. You will be transformed into a wonder-ful person. Make your family members proud of you. You must become the courageous andable child of our great India. More than anything else, you will live a truthful human life. All willseek love, peace and happiness from an inspiring Indian like you.

Dear Readers,Kindly contibute your articles for Gurupoornima Special

Issue. E-mail your articles to [email protected] byMay 30th 2010.


SATSANG DARSHAN FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2010

Silence Meditation Camp was conducted from the 1st to the 6th, in which 6 meditatorsparticipated.

On the 6th, Mruthyunjaya Homa was conducted from 3 to 7pm in the presence ofPoojya Guruji. The sponsors were Master Adheesh Hebbar and Sri Thimappa Alva. SanjeevaniPranayama followed. This was followed by a whole night meditation session from 9 pm to 5 amin the presence of Poojya Guruji.

On the 7th, Satchintanawas conducted by SurathkalSatsang. Poojya Gurujiinaugurated the programme at9.30 by lighting the lamp. About50 people participated.

On the 13th and the 28th, kriya yoga refresher campwas conducted, in which 16 and 12 meditators respectively,participated.

On the 21st, around 20 meditators participated inthe Kundalini Beejamantra refresher camp.

On occassion of Ramanavami, the 24th, Bhajanswere sung by dhyani’s. All were enraptured into meditationby the melodious voice of Veena Srinivas.

From the 25th to the 28th, Kundalini BeejamantraDhyana Camp was conducted in which 14 membersparticipated.

programs for may 2010 - my cmsyogashram.in/magazines/may2010.pdfprograms for may 2010 ... selled...

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