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November 22, 2012
November 13, 2012
Kali
Kali made an appearance at the 2012 Santa Barbara Solstice Parade |
can understand what
Mother Kali really is?
The six systems of philosophy
remain powerless to describe Her.
She is the inmost awareness
of the sage who realizes
that Consciousness alone exists.
She is the life blossoming within
the creatures of the universe.
Both macrocosm and microcosm
are lost within Mother's Womb.
Now can you sense
how indescribable She is?
The yogi meditates upon Her
in the six subtle nerve centers
as She sports with delight
through the lotus wilderness
of the pristine human body,
playing with Her Consort,
Shiva, the Great Swan.
When anyone attempts to know Her,
the singer of this song laughs.
Can you swim across
a shoreless ocean?
Yet the child in me still
reaches out to touch the moon.
October 20, 2012
Swami Swahananda
A Life Dedicated to God Realization
The real does not die, the unreal never lived.
Once you know that death happens to the body and not to you, you just watch your body falling off like a discarded garment. The real you is timeless and beyond birth and death. The body will survive as long as it is needed. It is not important that it should live long.
- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The real does not die, the unreal never lived.
Once you know that death happens to the body and not to you, you just watch your body falling off like a discarded garment. The real you is timeless and beyond birth and death. The body will survive as long as it is needed. It is not important that it should live long.
- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
October 18, 2012
October 4, 2012
Divine Mother
"On moon lit nights I would look at the moon and pray
May my mind be as pure as the rays of the moon.
Oh Lord there are stains even on the moon but let my mind be absolutely stainless."
Sarada Subodhaini
Awaken within my heart, Mother Sarada, bestower of all things auspicious. You, whom Sri Ramakrishna, the Godman of this age, worshipped, O Mother, giver of all good, awaken within. Savior of all those who have no other refuge, bestower of wisdom, incarnation of Sita and Radha, awaken within my heart, O Mother. You are born in every age for the protection of the good and establishment of dharma. O Mother, the supreme power of Brahman, protector of all life, shower Your grace and compassion upon me. I bow down at Your loving feet again and again. Awaken within my heart, Mother ever blissful.
September 13, 2012
Karma: Cause and Effect
Karma = activity and the results of activity.
It comes with the human birth package.
To do and experience Karma we need the body and mind.
What we do and think now will determine our future.
Therefore, I dedicate all the actions of my work as worship to God.
August 13, 2012
Cultivate Remembrance of Your Ishtam
July 13, 2012
The God Particle
Check out this video with Swami Atmapriyananda - Vice Chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University and Father Dominic Emmanuel - Spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, along with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev - Founder of Isha Foundation, as they discuss the recent discovery of The God Particle with scientists.
July 4, 2012
Mahasamadhi July 4, 1902
Swami Vivekananda
Entered Mahasamadhi on July 4, 1902
His memory will never die in our hearts for his loving
and unending service to the lives of his American and European friends.
Jai Swamiji Maharaj ji ki jai!
Jai Swamiji Maharaj ji ki jai!
I bow to Vivekananda, my spiritual guide, my object of worship, who is Lord Shiva incarnate, resplendent like the bright sun, adored alike by human beings and gods. The embodiment of the Vedas, who has completely overcome the bondage of much censured lust and greed. The lion among men, brilliant with the rays of a million suns, who wears nothing but the sannyasin's loincloth, who is dancing the energetic dance of Shiva, reverberating with the impassioned cry, "Fear not, fear not!" A mere glance of his eyes is enough to impart both enjoyment and liberation, who easily tramples the myriad hordes of vice. He is the veritable Shiva with the crescent moon on his forehead and is worshipped by Indu.
June 17, 2012
Discrimination
Meditation Basics: Dive Deep O My Mind Lecture
Just as the swan separates milk from the water with which it has been mixed and drinks only the milk, leaving the water behind, similarly, the Paramahamsa accepts only what is Real (i.e., Absolute) rejecting what is unreal (i.e., the phenomenal world).
Just as the swan separates milk from the water with which it has been mixed and drinks only the milk, leaving the water behind, similarly, the Paramahamsa accepts only what is Real (i.e., Absolute) rejecting what is unreal (i.e., the phenomenal world).
- Sri Ramakrishna -
June 6, 2012
Transit of Venus
Hindu holy men used cardboard glasses to watch from the banks of
the Ganges River in Varanasi, India on June, 6, 2012.
Next showing: December 2117 and 2125
Photos by: NASA/SDO & Rajesh Kumar Singh
"Each soul is a star, and all stars are set in that infinite azure, that eternal sky, the Lord. There is the root, the reality, the real individuality of each and all. Religion began with the search after some of these stars that had passed beyond our horizon, and ended in finding them all in God, and ourselves in the same place."
- Swami Vivekananda -
June 4, 2012
May 13, 2012
Sri Sarada Devi
Hymn to the Divine Mother
"Sarva Mangala Mangalye" Vespers
O Thou the Giver of all blessings,
O Thou the Doer of all good,
O Thou the Fulfiller of all desires,
O Thou the Giver of refuge,
Our salutations to Thee,
O Mother Divine.
O Thou Eternal Mother,
Thou hast the power to create,
To preserve, and to dissolve,
Thou the dwelling place and embodiment
of the three gunas,
of the three gunas,
Our salutations to Thee,
O Mother Divine.
O Thou the Savior of all who take
refuge in Thee, the lowly and the
distressed, O Mother Divine,
we salute Thee, who takest
away the suffering of all.
April 29, 2012
April 15, 2012
Great Minds Think Alike
Did you know... Swami Vivekananda had life changing
Read link from the Wall Street Journal MAGAZINE,
March 29, 2012 by A. L. Bardach
March 29, 2012 by A. L. Bardach
April 4, 2012
Good Friday
• "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
• "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
• "Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son".
Then he said disciple: "This is your mother."
• "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
• "I thirst"
• When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished";
and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit.
• Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"
March 24, 2012
Like Drops in the Ocean
The soul lives and forever expands
Worlds must come into the soul
Worlds must disappear into the soul like drops in the ocean.
March 11, 2012
Harmony of Religions
• row 1: Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism • row 2: Islam, Buddhism, Shinto
• row 3: Sikhism, Bahá'í Faith, Jainism
The oldest religious sentiment ever expressed on religious harmony found in the ancient Sanskrit Vedas is: "Ekam sat, vipra bahudha vadanti" Truth is one, sages call It by various names.
God is Real.
God can be Realized.
The Goal of Human Birth is to Realize God.
All Paths that lead to God Realization are True Religions.
March 3, 2012
Gandhi
All that we know is that one should do one's duty and leave the results in the hands of God. Man is supposed to be the master of his own destiny, but it is only partly true. He can make his own destiny only in so far as he is allowed by the Great Power which overrides all our intentions, all our plans and carries out His own plans. I call that Power not by the name of Allah, Khuda or God but Truth. The whole truth is embodied only within the heart of that Great Power — Truth.
- Mahatma Gandhi, 1947
http://www.gandhiashram.org.in/
- Mahatma Gandhi, 1947
http://www.gandhiashram.org.in/
February 26, 2012
Ramakrishna Puja
An essential part of puja for the Hindu devotee is making a spiritual connection with the divine. Most often that contact is facilitated through an object: an element of nature, a sculpture, a vessel, or a painting. This icon is not the deity itself; rather, it is believed to be filled with the deity's cosmic energy. The objects are created as receptacles for spiritual energy that allow the devotee to experience direct communication with his or her gods. Puja is the act of showing reverence to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals. Sat Chid Ananda Guru. Happy Birthday Ramakrishna!
February 20, 2012
Shiva Ratri
Shiva Ratri is a festival in honor of Lord Shiva and is one of the three sacred nights of the Tantric tradition. In Shiva Ratri one observes vows such as upavasa or “rigorous fast of atonement” jagarana or “to pass the night without sleeping” and sat katha sravanam or “to listen to holy scriptures.” During Shiva Ratri Lord Shiva is worshiped by singing hymns, chanting the Rudram, repeating the sacred mantra "Oṁ Nama Shivaya" and bathing the Shivalingam with milk, yogurt, ghee, sugar, and honey.
Om Shivaya, Om Shivaya,
Shambho Shankara, Om Shivaya
February 12, 2012
Vivekananda Express Museum on Wheels
Indian Railways is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's Birth by dedicating a train by the name of "Vivek Express" a mobile museum/exhibition, which depicts Swamiji’s life and message. This train runs through the country stopping at numerous places allowing the citizens of Indian villages to learn about Swami Vivekananda. Swamiji a great yogi, spiritual teacher, writer and orator was a selfless worker for all humanity and was the living example of the Vedanta philosophy in all its different branches. The Chicago Parliament of Religions (September 11, 1893) described Swami Vivekananda's speech and the beauty of his message to the Western world he was facing for the first time as a rare and perfect moment of supreme emotion. Swami Vivekananda touched upon a wide spectrum of human endeavors in his sayings and writings. Some of his words were not for the spiritual aspirant only but seem to be potentially helpful for the man or woman of the world. He was human eloquence at its highest pitch. In him the Western world found the ideal of Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga.
Read his ground breaking speech:
http://www.ramakrishna.org/chcgfull.htm
February 5, 2012
Japa
Draw the mind back from its external pursuits by means of discrimination and lock it up inside at the sacred feet of your Chosen Ideal. Perform japa regularly (repetition of a mantra) at the appointed hour every day while also meditating on your Ishta Devata. By constantly performing japa the mind can be made calm and steady finally losing itself in God. This combined practice brings quick success and the devotee soon feels the joy of spiritual union within the heart.
Photo: Rudraksha Malas, which translates as “the eyes” or “tears” of Shiva, are often called miracle beads and they are cherished in India as one of the holiest items that contain numerous mystical powers and provide tranquility and concentration. Rudraksha is a seed that comes from a fruit tree grown in India, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUv_YAgUf_M&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUv_YAgUf_M&feature=relmfu
January 22, 2012
Mt. Kailash Tibets Sacred Mountain
To see the grandeur of a mountain one must keep one's distance; to understand its form one must move around it; to experience its moods one must see it at sunrise and at sunset. But to truly know it, one must journey the mountain with a Master, an Enlightened Being. Regarded as the spiritual center of the universe, Mt. Kailash is revered by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bonpos alike. For Hindus it is on top of this wondrous peak that Lord Shiva resides in an eternal state of meditation, creating the sustaining force that holds the universe together. Tibetans have aptly named this mighty rock as "The Precious Jewel of The Snow". It is here that the great Tibetan mystic, saint, and poet Milerapa wrote a hundred thousand poems on Buddhism. For Jains, Mt. Kailash is the site where their first prophet achieved enlightenment. For the ancient religion of Bon, it is where their founder descended from the heavens.
January 15, 2012
Vivekananda Puja
VIVEKANANDA
Sri Ramakrishna's life-breath,
Sri Ramakrishna's supreme gift to mankind,
Sri Ramakrishna's victory-song all-where!
The victory-world's delight you were;
Lo, the cyclone-valour of the Absolute!
You awakened your slumbering India,
You awakened humanity's sleep.
In you blossomed the Form Universal.
O hero-warrior sannyasin,
In the core of the creation,
Sleeplessly shall burn
The incense of your self-offering.
January 8, 2012
Lead Us to the Real
Om Asato Ma Sadgamaya
Om asato ma sadgamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya
Om santih, santih, santih
Om. Lead us from the unreal to the real
Lead us from darkness to light
Lead us from death to immortality
Om peace, peace, peace
January 1, 2012
Peace Enter Me
Om. Peace is in the sky, peace is in space, on the earth, and in the waters.
The herbs and trees are full of peace. The Gods are peaceful.
Brahman is peace; all is peace, peace, peace alone.
May that peace enter me! Om. Peace, peace, peace.
Om Dyauh Santih (Shukla Yajur Veda)
Om dyauh santih antariksam santih prthivi santih
Apah santir osadhayah santih vanaspatayah santih
Visvedevah santih brahma santih sarvam santih
Santireva santih sa me santiredhi
Om santih, santih, santih
December 24, 2011
December 17, 2011
December 12, 2011
This Humble Offering
O Lord, be gracious to accept this humble offering of me.
Forgive my short comings and out of your infinite mercy,
Your limitless grace, grant me unswerving devotion to your holy feet.
May I always remember you in all my thoughts and actions.
Please give your darshan to me in this very life.
November 20, 2011
Love
Love is the struggle of a human Soul to find it's complement
It's stable equilibrium
It's infinite rest.
-Swami Vivekananda
November 11, 2011
Sanskrit Peace Chants
Purnamadah
(Brihadaranyaka & Ishavasya Upanishads)
(Brihadaranyaka & Ishavasya Upanishads)
Om purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnamudacyate
Purnasya purnamadaya purnamevavasisyate
Om santih santih santih
Purnasya purnamadaya purnamevavasisyate
Om santih santih santih
"Om That (Brahman) is infinite; this (universe) is infinite.
From the infinite the infinite has come.
Taking the infinite from the infinite, the infinite alone remains.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace"
................................................................................................
Saha Navavatu
(Taittiriya, Katha, Mandukya & Shvetashvatara Upanishads)
(Taittiriya, Katha, Mandukya & Shvetashvatara Upanishads)
Om Saha navavatu saha nau bhunaktu
Saha viryam karavavahai
Tejasvinavadhitamastu ma vidvisavahai
Om santih santih santih
"Om May He protect us both; may He nourish us both.
May we work together with great energy.
May our study be vigorous; may we live in harmony with each other.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace"
November 5, 2011
Life of my Life
Thou art my All in all, O Lord!―The Life of my life, the Essence of essence;
In the three worlds I have none else but Thee to call my own.
Thou art my peace, my joy, my hope; Thou my support, my wealth, my glory;
Thou my wisdom and my strength; Thou art my home, my place of rest;
My dearest friend, my next of kin; my present and my future,
Thou my heaven and my salvation; Thou art my scriptures my commandments;
Thou art my ever gracious Guru; Thou the Spring of my boundless bliss.
Thou art the Way and Thou the Goal; Thou the Adorable One, O Lord!
Thou art the Mother tender-hearted; Thou the chastising Father;
Thou the Creator and Protector; Thou the Helms man who dost steer
My craft across the sea of life.
October 20, 2011
October 8, 2011
Meditate on Sri Ramakrishna
We meditate on Sri Ramakrishna, the stainless One,
Shining in the lotus of the heart, who is the Truth,
Beyond all dualities, One without a second,
Beyond the changes of nature, eternal, bliss itself.
We meditate on Sri Ramakrishna, the stainless One,
Who is beyond comparison, extremely subtle,
Uncreated and without desire,
Formless like space, the Infinite dwelling within all beings,
Whose nature is Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss, the Lord of all.
We meditate on Sri Ramakrishna, the stainless One,
Who was born to bring knowledge, devotion, and peace to all beings,
Whose heart was melted at the sufferings of others,
For whom Samadhi was the natural state,
And whose beautiful form was made of consciousness itself.
Shining in the lotus of the heart, who is the Truth,
Beyond all dualities, One without a second,
Beyond the changes of nature, eternal, bliss itself.
We meditate on Sri Ramakrishna, the stainless One,
Who is beyond comparison, extremely subtle,
Uncreated and without desire,
Formless like space, the Infinite dwelling within all beings,
Whose nature is Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss, the Lord of all.
We meditate on Sri Ramakrishna, the stainless One,
Who was born to bring knowledge, devotion, and peace to all beings,
Whose heart was melted at the sufferings of others,
For whom Samadhi was the natural state,
And whose beautiful form was made of consciousness itself.
October 2, 2011
September 27, 2011
1,000 Jai Sri Durga
IT IS SAID THAT CHANTING JAI SRI DURGA 100,000 TIMES DURING THE
HOLY SEASON IS THE SAME AS PERFORMING ONE GRAND DURGA PUJA,
IN THE SILENT TEMPLE OF OUR UNITED HEART OF HEARTS.
JAI SRI DURGA CHANTING IS PERFORMED FOR WORLD PEACE AND UNITY
AND TO HELP ALL THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
MAY OUR CEASELESS UTTERANCE OF THY HOLY NAMES TRANSFORM US
TO THY LIKENESS; INSPIRED THAT OUR MATTER WORSHIP BE CHANGE
INTO ADORATION OF THEE, AND THROUGH OUR PURIFIED HEART,
MAY ALL NATIONS BE LIBERATED FROM MISERY;
AND THE SOUL FREEDOM WITHIN BE MANIFESTED OUTWARDLY,
TO THY LIKENESS; INSPIRED THAT OUR MATTER WORSHIP BE CHANGE
INTO ADORATION OF THEE, AND THROUGH OUR PURIFIED HEART,
MAY ALL NATIONS BE LIBERATED FROM MISERY;
AND THE SOUL FREEDOM WITHIN BE MANIFESTED OUTWARDLY,
AND FINALY BE ATUNED TO THY FAULTLESS WILL...
Jai Sri Durga, Jai Sri Durga, Jai Sri Durga, Jai Sri Durga, Jai Sri Durga
Jai Sri Durga, Jai Sri Durga, Jai Sri Durga, Jai Sri Durga, Jai Sri Durga
September 24, 2011
September 16, 2011
Chant the Name
Chant the name of the Lord and His glory unceasingly
That the mirror of the heart may be wiped clean
And quench that mighty forest fire,
Worldly lust, raging furiously within.
Oh name, stream down in moonlight on the lotus heart,
Opening its cup to knowledge of thyself.
Oh self, drown deep in the waves of His bliss,
Chanting His name continually,
Tasting His nectar at every step,
Bathing in His name, that bath for weary souls.
September 11, 2011
Breaker of This World's Chain
Breaker of this world's chain, we adore Thee, whom all men love.
Spotless, taking man's form, O Purifier, Thou art above the gunas three.
Knowledge divine, not flesh, Thou whom the cosmos wears, a diamond at its heart.
Let us look deep in Thine eyes; they are bright with the wisdom of God,
That can wake us from maya's spell.
Let us hold fast to Thy feet, treading the waves of the world to safety.
Oh, drunk with love, God-drunken Lover, in Thee all paths of all yogas meet.
September 4, 2011
Divine Mother Durga
Glory be to the Divine Mother Durga, remover of our distress and sorrow.
Glory be to Mother Kali, destroyer of all darkness and shame.
Glory be to the Goddess Uma, companion of Lord Brahma;
Glory be to the incarnations of purity and love Sri Radha, Sri Sita, and Sri Rukmini.
Glory be to my spiritually compassion Mother Sri Sarada Devi,
divine companion of Sri Ramakrishna, bestower of all knowledge and devotion.
I bow down, again and again, to the incarnations of Shiva and Shakti,
embodiments of all peace and blessedness.
August 29, 2011
Glory to Sri Ramakrishna

master of renunciation; glory to his spiritual companion
Sri Sarada Devi, embodiment of supreme power.
Glory be to Ramakrishna, who practiced loving worship
of the divine Mother Kali, who readily takes me
across the ocean of delusion.
Glory be to Ramakrishna, who received sannyasa
from the teacher of men Totapuri; and soon attained
that divine ecstasy in which he ever remained.
Glory be to Ramakrishna, the teacher of the entire world,
the dust of whose feet saves me from drowning in
the ocean of misery and sorrow.
Glory be to Sri Ramakrishna, the embodiment of religion,
foremost incarnation, establisher of righteousness.
Glory be to the Great Master; Glory be to the Divine Mother;
to all the devotees, and to all beings.
August 25, 2011
Heart's Lotus

In the heart's lotus.
Om is your very self,
Om, holiest word,
Seed and source of the scriptures.
Logic cannot discover you, Lord,
But the yogis know you
In meditation.
In you are all God's faces,
His forms and aspects,
In you also we find the guru.
In every heart you are
And if but once, only, a man
Will open his mind to receive you
Truly that man is free forever.
Logic cannot discover you, Lord,
But the yogis know you
In meditation.
In you are all God's faces,
His forms and aspects,
In you also we find the guru.
In every heart you are
And if but once, only, a man
Will open his mind to receive you
Truly that man is free forever.
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