Category Archives: Knowledge

Mantras

31 Tuesday May 2022

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Mantras have a special place in the scriptures. Mantras have been graded based on their effects. Below are the mantras in orders of their strengths from least to most powerful.

  • Chalisas
  • Shlokas
  • Stotras
  • Sahasranaamas
  • Mantras from Vedas including Beeja mantras
  • Kavach mantras

Chalisas are most popular among people. It is in many of the regional languages in India. 40 verses in praise of the divine power which are chanted on a daily basis. These are some of the most accessible to people. Ex. Hanuman Chalisa.

Shlokas are verses in Sanskrit language and are from the puranas and many old scriptures. Many shlokas are also accessible by people which are used in pujas and for daily routine like before taking bath, before eating, before sleeping, etc.

Stotras are sacred Sanskrit verses describing and honoring a particular divine power. They take multiple forms like 5 verses 0r 8 verses and so on. They have come from epics, Puranas and Itihaasas. Many of them are also available to the common people and many are chanted on a daily basis as part of a puja to a deity. A famous one is the Adiyta Hrdaya Stotra that Lord Rama chanted to kill Raavana.

Sahasranamas /Ashtotaranamas are names of the divine describing particular characteristics of a deity. These names of the divine are also in verse forms. Each name is a mantra on its own and has a particular energy/way to connect with the divine. 2 of the most famous Sahasranamamas that are chanted in many homes are Vishnu Sahasranama and Lalitha Sahasranama.

Mantras: These are more complex and have a structure in them. These are energized words or phrases which carry a lot of power when chanted with correct pronunciation and rhythm. All of them carry details like the Rishi who is the seer of the mantra, who is the deity for this mantra, what is the meter/Chandas the mantra has to be chanted. Almost all of the mantras are from the vedas and are not man made. This is some of the para vidya which was downloaded by the Rishis and preserved for the betterment of humanity. Many of them have their own initiation process by a teacher. These include Beeja mantras which have the concentrated power of the deity. Ganesha Atharva Sheersham, Suktams fall in these category.

Kavach mantras – Some of most powerful and concentrated mantras fall in this category. They are used for protection mainly but also for many other purposes. They are collection of mantras in particular order invoking the highest powers of the divine and are not for common people. A lot of Sadhana is required in order to master the Kavach mantras and to use them effectively.

I have always been drawn towards mantras and love chanting them. During the COVID times, we started getting together to learn the mantras and how to chant them on a daily basis. We have had few batches who have completed the classes and have requested to start a new batch. So on popular demand, I am starting a new class this end of June 2022. We will learning few mantras from vedas.

Classes are on donations basis. We will meet every Sunday from 8am CDT – 9:30 am CDT from June 30, 2022 onwards.

If you are interested, please RSVP here – http://tiny.cc/vedicchanting

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7 Energy chakras of India & our Earth!

05 Friday Feb 2016

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Yathaa Pinde tathaa Brahmaande. Yathaa Brahmaande tathaa Pinde

The microcosm and the macrocosm are interlinked. Planet earth, home to many organisms, is itself a large organism. It is not just a place for living beings; it is a living organism as a whole. This is what the Gaia theory says. Now scientists have found that the our brain looks just like the universe.

Materialism considers everything as objects. Spirituality on the other hand discovers life in everything!

Ancient rishis or saints always portrayed a country as a person. A person with feelings and energy centers just like a human being. I recently read that INDIA also has her own spiritual energy centers, in form of particular cities, just like human beings. I started looking this up and this is what I found. There are 7 cities in India which correspond to the seven centers or chakras in a human body. It is given in the following sanskrit shlokha(a prayer).

Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kashi, Kanchi, Avanthika, Puri drawaravati chaiva, saptaide moksha dayika.

Maya(Haridwar) corresponds to the Muladhara(Root) chakra situated at the base of the spine. When the lethargy in you goes and enthusiasm begins, you commence your journey. Hari-dwar, the starting point, is “the door to the house of the Divine”.

Kanchi corresponds to the Swadhisthana(Sacral) chakra situated behind the genitals, as the presiding deity here is Kamakshi, the goddess of kama or desire.

Ayodhya corresponds to the third chakra, the Manipura(Solar plexus), situated in the navel region, where joy, generosity, greed and jealousy manifest. All these emotions are connected to Ayodhya.

Mathura is Anahata(Heart chakra)chakra. The heart is associated with three emotions: Love, fear and hatred. Mathura symbolises the love and devotion of the gopis for Krishna, as well as of the fear and hatred of Kansa, all matters of the heart.

Avanthika, also called Ujjain, is related to the Vishuddha(Throat chakra) or the throat chakra. Ujjain is the city of art and literature. It is also the city of Vikramaditya, of grief and glory. We feel gratitude in the throat region — we get choked. Same with grief.

Kashi represents the Ajna(Third eye chakra) chakra situated between the eyebrows. Kashi has always been the seat of knowledge. That’s why the ajna chakra is also called gyana chakshu, the third eye. Kashi is the city of pundits and scholars.

Dwaraka represents the Sahasrara(Crown chakra), the chakra on top of the head. Dwar-ka literally means: “Where is the door?” The door is irrelevant if there are no walls. Infinity has no walls. Sahasrara also means thousand avenues. It means the pathless path.

The path to liberation begins at Haridwar(Mooladhaara chakra) and culminates at Dwarka(Sahasrara chakra).

The seven sacred cities with the 7 sacred rivers –  Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Godavari, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri – are linked to the sacred spots inside you. I am not sure what the rivers correspond to in the human body. Maybe Major Nadis in our system?

Positive emotions with knowledge are liberating. Positive emotions without knowledge create negative emotions which are stifling and creates bondage. When you observe the Prana, the subtle life force in one’s body associated with our breath, moving through different chakras associated with sensations, the negative feelings cease to exist and one is liberated from bondage. This why meditation is so important to one’s liberation.

Every city have a collective consciousness. A street where unethical people conduct their business is believed to emit heavy vibrations whereas an educational institution or a place of worship emits positive and light vibrations. That is why there are so many temples in India. To help people raise their consciousness in a collective manner by emitting positive vibrations. The ancient rishis, located these different energies being prominent at particular places and they built these temples accordingly for humans to come and energize particular chakras.

While I was at it, I researched more and found that our earth too has got 7 spiritual chakras! Now this is really interesting.

grid-ley

Muladhara chakra: Mt. Shasta, California, United States.

Swadisthana chakra: Lake Titicaca, on the border of Bolivia and Peru

Manipura Plexus chakra: Uluru-Katatjuta, Australia

Anahata chakra: Glastonbury and  Shaftsbury, England

Vishuddhi chakra: Great Pyramid of Giza and Mt Sinai, Egypt; Mt of Olives, Jerusalem.

Ajna chakra: Kuh-e Malek Siah, Triple border of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Sahasrara chakra: Mt. Kailas, Tibet.

You can read about the earth chakras and vortexes here – http://in5d.com/earth-chakras-and-vortices/

What’s on your mind?

21 Tuesday Jul 2015

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It has been a long hiatus this time but Hey, I am back! Hope all of you are doing good. Starting back with a bang – a blog post to know more about our mind!

We all have heard about this question before – “Whats on your mind?”. But have you really wondered what is on your mind. No I mean literally. We all know that our mind is always filled with thoughts and thoughts and thoughts. But what kind of thoughts? Is it thinking all the time? Nope! We also know when we sleep our mind is not thinking. Can you believe that there only 5 modes or activities that the mind is always in? Yup only 5 modes!

Patanjali in the Patanjali yoga sutras says that there are 5 modes or modulations to the mind. 5 vrittis in which the mind will always be in.

PramaanaViparyayaVikalpaNidra – Smrutayaha

Pramaana – always wanting proof of everything. Searching for proof in everything. We search for proof that can convince us of our assumptions. We always search for proof through our senses. Now this gets very tricky in situations between relationships – asking for poof if the other person really loves us.

Viparyaya – Wrong knowledge. This is the way we excuse our thinking by using the wrong knowledge. We know our thinking is wrong but we still use the wrong knowledge to support it. Sometimes we project your views on people and think that is how they are because that is how you feel inside you. We do this most the time. For example, when we don’t respect ourselves we think that others don’t respect us at all.

Vikalpa – Fantasies or Hallucinations. There are two types of fantasies – the one which gives pleasure and the other which are just baseless fears. Sexual fantasies or fantasy and dreaming about rich gives pleasure while hallucinations like “What will happen if I die tomorrow?” are the other type. A common examples is when having a conversation with someone; a person starts their sentence with a few words and straight away, before we let them finish we’re already imagining what they are talking about.

Smruti – Memories. Mind dwells in the memory of the past. In past experiences and memories. Memories triggers various emotions in us like guilt, shame, regret or happiness.

Nidra – Sleep. We all know about sleep!

These are the 5 modulations that keep us from being in YOGA. The mind will mostly be  in either one of these 5 vrittis or in a mixture of these 5.

yoga chitta vritti nirodha

Yoga is the silencing of the Vrittis of the mind. Now how does one get out of these vrittis and get established in yoga. In another blog post coming soon 🙂

What is your choice?

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

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Have you wondered if you really had a choice in things? Have you been deluded by people saying you always have a choice? Do you feel that you never had a choice in things you did? Well this post is for you.

A saint was once asked to share a message to the people in front of him. He narrates a story with a beautiful message at the end.

There was a man in south india who wanted to pursuit spirituality. It is a age old habit to go to the forest to pursue it. Where they would look for a cave to sit and meditate. So the man went to the jungle positioning close to village. He sat there and started chanting. When he got hungry he would come back to the village. In the night, he noticed there was a fox with both front legs were severed. But the fox was still well fed and healthy. Now nature does not kind to any kind of incapability. If you loose your legs you loose your life. But this fox has lost its life but well fed and healthy.

The man was surprised but ignored it and continued with his meditation. In the night he heard a lion’s roar. He saw the lion bring in a big piece of flesh to the fox. The fox had its dinner. He couldn’t believe this. The lion feeding the fox. This is a miracle. He thought this is a message from the Divine. What is it? What is it? The next day the same thing happened. Now he thought the God was surely sending a message to him. Then he came to the conclusion that the message was – even a crippled fox is being fed by the Lion. You fool, what are you going to the village for food. Just sit here and the food will come and fall on your lap. So he simply sat down. one day, two day, Three days he sat. Nothing happened. By the seventh day, he was groaning nearing death.

Another yogi was passing by and he saw this man. The yogi asked him if the man was ok and the man told him -” You please tell me. A divine message came to me. I went by the message and I became like this.” The yogi asked what the message was and the man explained to him – “See there is a crippled fox. Everyday the lion comes and shares his food with the fox. Is this not a divine message to me?”. The yogi looked at him and said – “Definitely! This is a divine message to you. But why is it that you chose to be like the crippled fox rather than the generous Lion?”

Every situation, no matter what point of life you are in, the existence gives you the freedom to sit here joyfully. Even if you are going to die tomorrow this moment, you can sit down here and be joyful. This freedom is given to all of us. This is the greatest compassion by the existence given to us. Either you make use of it by making the right choices or chose to be frustrated, or miserable or depressed. You have the right to be joyful and not depressed. Nobody is stopping you. It is just a choice. Whether you suffer this life or experience it joyfully, it is absolutely up to your choice. Yes, there are situations where it looks like you are not in control of it. But at that given moment, it is your choice that determines which way the events will follow. Take a moment every time

Now how do we make the right choices? That is for a separate blog post 🙂

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on wisdom – A message to us on Guru Poornima!

14 Monday Jul 2014

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This Guru Poornima GuruDev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, changed everything I thought wisdom was and how wisdom is got through the Guru tattwa! It was eye opening and amazing. His message was clear and direct and here is a part of the message that he had for us.

Guru is present like space in life.

You just sang this song, ‘Ajo Ananthaya’. Ajo means Never Born, Ananthanya is Infinity, Nitya Shudha is Forever Pure, and Sat-chid-ananda isPure Bliss.Guru principle is like the space, and you cannot avoid space. Whether you recognize that there is space or not, is another question. You cannot escape from air. Whether you recognize there is air or not is another question. And today is the time for you recognize that there is air; there is space.It is a privilege, a good fortune to have access to knowledge.

Today is an occasion to remember, and to celebrate life with knowledge, life in knowledge, and life for knowledge.You know, air is there everywhere but when you sit near the fan, you feel it. In the same way, in the world, in the universe, the Guru principle is there. When you recognize it, you feel so great, and you feel bliss.Recognition of the existence of the Guru Principle, and the role it has played in life, is Guru Poornima.In our body, the throat chakra is for gratefulness. Above the throat chakra is the Ajna(Agya) Chakra, that is the seat of Guru. So gratefulness is a way to reach to the Guru Tattva. And then where does the Guru lead you to? Bliss(pointing to the top of the head), i.e, the Sahasrara Chakra. So, Guru is sandwiched between gratefulness and bliss.

This Guru Principle is that which removes darkness, it is that which removes all suffering.We chant, ‘Bhishaje bhava roginam’, which means, it is like the medicine for those who are stuck in small little worldly things; the disease of small mindedness. It is called a disease because the mind wants to get out of the suffering. Guru Tattva brings that absolute comfort.You know, there are some people who live without light; they don’t even know of electricity. Animals live without electricity, without light; they don’t need it. But human beings need light when it is dark. So human beings need the Guru Tattva, they need the knowledge. People living without knowledge are equivalent to animals. One without wisdom lives an animalistic life, it is not a human life. So, it is fashionable to be civilized and to have a Guru in life. If there is no Guru in life, it means life is uncivilized; like one who does not know anything of technology. It is a privilege, a good fortune to have access to knowledge. And this ancient tradition, from millenniums has preserved this beautiful knowledge, and today we feel very grateful! It is an occasion to remember and to celebrate life with knowledge, life in knowledge, and life for knowledge. It is wisdom that can eliminate misery in the world. If wisdom cannot bring happiness, nothing can bring happiness. So we have this privilege to spread happiness, wisdom, and knowledge

Guru Tattva brings that absolute comfort. Wisdom is not just information, it is a quality of consciousness; it is a quality of life. Wisdom does not come just by studying and attaining degrees, or by stuffing yourself with information. Something triggers inside and you become wise. Some Naadi (energy channel) inside, or some part of your consciousness flips over and you become wise. I think so! Wisdom is not attained just by reading a lot. You cannot just read a lot and be very wise in everything. Wisdom is a quality of consciousness, a quality of life, and this gets transferred by good company. That is what happens.

The Presence of the Guru does not bring you any information, it shifts the quality of consciousness, and that brings the wisdom to your mind. Now, should we go and sit in front of a Guru all the time to become wise? Not necessary. Wherever you are, simply can feel the presence of the Guru Tattva. Guru Tattva is in-between the eye brows. The Ajna Chakra, where the pituitary glands are situated, that is the seat of the Guru. In the science of Yoga, the Ajna Chakra or the space in-between the eyebrows is called the seat of the Guru. It is situated above the Vishuddhi Chakra(in throat region); the pure space. You enter the pure space, you enter into meditation, and you reach to the Guru. And it is the Guru who pulls you into meditation.You are stuck in the heart region where there is love, hatred and fear. If you have to get out of hatred and fear, you have to get into the inner space. And who pulls you into the inner space? The Guru Tattva. So the Guru pulls you into the inner space.When you come to the inner space, what happens to you? You become pure, i.e., Vishuddhiwhich means So Pure. The heart becomes pure, the mind becomes pure, and that connects you to bliss, which is the Sahasara Chakra. This is the science of Yoga. It’s so amazing if you go into the depth of it. Every moment it reveals even more.

Wisdom comes by that shift; that is why it is called Grace.Grace (or Good luck) means what? That which you cannot explain. If you could explain how you got something then it is not luck.When do you call something your luck? When you cannot explain the cause of it. Of course, same for bad luck also. If you have bad luck, you say you can’t explain it. So it’s the gratefulness which leads you to Guru Tattva and the bliss further on, and vice versa, because when you find that solace, then you feel more grateful.

So, what is wisdom? It is a quality of consciousness; like alertness.What is alertness? (Sri Sri snaps his fingers) Your presence in now! You know when you suddenly become alert, your mind shifts (sort of, opens), and suddenly you are all alive. Words cannot describe what alertness is! In the same way, words cannot describe what wisdom is.Everyone in their life, sometime or other, have experienced a little bit of wisdom. Whether one has maintained it or not is another question.It is wisdom that holds the key to happiness. No wisdom, no happiness. So people seeking happiness will have to go come to the Guru. People seeking knowledge will have to come to Guru. People seeking a better quality of life have to come to the Guru; they have to acknowledge the Guru principle in their life.One of the saints of the middle ages, a great yogi said, ‘Who drinks the nectar? One who has a Guru. One who doesn’t have a Guru in their life, he goes thirsty, he has no juice in his life; he does not know true joy. But one who has a Guru drinks the nectar; again and again he drinks the nectar’.There is plenty of nectar in the inner realm of our being. One who has a Guru drinks it in abundance. One without a Guru goes thirsty all his life.He is describing our own physiology, which means, in this (pointing to the head or Sahasara Chakra) there is bliss, there is nectar. When there is Guru in life, then you get access to it, otherwise life becomes meaningless.Wherever you are, simply can feel the presence of the Guru Tattva.

There are a lot of beautiful poems written on this. I’ve not read them all, only heard a little bit here and there. But the essence is how the quality of consciousness gets shifted, and the shift is a gift (wisdom is a gift).The company of the wise brings that shift in the consciousness, or its given to you as gift, and so you feel thankful. It is not something that you earned in your life. You cannot earn it but it is being bestowed on you, and that is the key. Many people think wisdom means reading a lot of books. Wisdom has nothing to do with books. Wisdom has nothing to do with gathering information. It is just the quality of consciousness that shifts in the mind, and that is bestowed by the Guru Principle, by acknowledging the Guru in life. One has to acknowledge from one’s side. The Guru does not accept or reject anyone. It is the student, the disciple, who accepts (a Guru) as his Guru.

3 levels of spiritual practice by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

10 Thursday Jul 2014

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I have this question time and again. Not only me but a lot of others too.

“There are so many spiritual practices. Some you have to do – pranayamas, breathing, kriya. Some you do not have to do anything – meditate, concentration. And some where the experience just comes to you. Are they all different?”

I came across this knowledge talk sheet given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar which talks exactly about this. The different levels of spiritual practices. He clearly says how we start with one level and it takes us to the other levels. Really good read!

There are three levels of spiritual practices.

The first one is called Anva Upaya. The second is Shakta Upaya, . and the third one is Shambava Upaya. Shiva, Shakti and Anva. All practices in the world can be categorized into these three categories. So, Anva is the lowest; means the very beginning. All the japa, mantras, poojas, yogasanas, breath control, everything comes under Anva Upaya. They are called Upayas, which means remedies. Above this is Shakta. Shakta is only mental, i.e., inside. There is no outer thing, no mantras in it. It is the effect of the meditative state, that is Shakta Upaya.

When you sing, meditate,  do pranayam and Sudarshan Kriya (Kriya begins with Anva Upaya but then), it leads to Shakta Upaya, when you are just energy. Here there is no effort, there is no doing. Just a little bit effortless effort is there.

Then the Shambava or Shiv Upaya is just pure awareness. Just a state of awareness. Shambava Upaya means that there is no means (way) to do it, it is just a happening, it will just happen. Even then it is still called an Upaya.

So the purpose of Anva and Shakta Upaya is to go to Shambava Upaya wherein you become one with Shiva (the fourth state of consciousness). There is no two, there is no doer, you are Shiva, and that is Shambava Upaya.

Usually people who have experienced some degree of Shambava Upaya, they simply discard the other levels. If you read, some people have said that there is no point in doing pranayama, or, there is no point in chanting mantras, or there is no point in doing Pooja. They are all talking from the level of Shambava Upaya, but all these practices have their own place too. See, for example, if you go to the Prime Minister of a country, the Mayor doesn’t matter much. But suppose the Mayor has a say as well, then even if you go to the Prime Minister the mayor of this town can put some hurdles, isn’t it? The beaurocrats can put some hurdles.

So the ancient system is attending to everybody and giving everyone their rightful place. And that is how all this, Anva Upaya, Shakta Upaya, everything is maintained because they have some purpose.

Devotion and GuruHood by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

13 Tuesday May 2014

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Q: Tell us about devotion to Guru.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There are three types of people who come to the Master, the student, the disciple and the devotee. A student goes to a teacher and learns something, gets some information and then he walks out of the School. There is no more information, just like looking at a guidebook, like a tourist guide. Then there is the disciple, the disciple follows the example of the Master. But a disciple is with the Master for the sake of learning wisdom, for the sake of improving his life, for the sake of attaining enlightenment. He has a purpose, a cause, so he is not just collecting information, but he goes a little deeper. He is trying to bring a transformation in his life. He wants to make sense out of his life. That is a disciple.And then there is devotee. A devotee is not there even for wisdom. He is simply rejoicing in love. He has fallen in deep love with the Master, with the Infinity, with the God. He doesn’t care as to whether he gets enlightened or not. He doesn’t care as to whether he acquires a lot of knowledge or wisdom or not. But that very moment, and every moment, he is immersed in divine love that is enough for him or her. A devotee is very rare to find.

Students are in abundance, disciples are a few, but the devotees are rare.

It is nothing great to become God or be God. Whether you want or not, all are already Gods. A stone is also a God. Where the devotion has flowered totally, the flower has blossomed, that is a devotee. Attraction is everywhere, love is somewhere, but devotion is again rare. Devotion is very beautiful. A student comes to a Master, Teacher, and Guru with tears in his eyes. There are so many problems, and when he leaves, he is carrying the same tears, but the quality of the tears is different, it is of gratitude. Still tears flow, but those are of gratitude, of love; it is so beautiful to cry in love.

One, who has cried even once in love, knows the taste of it, of surrender and of devotion and the entire creation rejoices it. The entire creation is longing for only one thing, the transformed tears, from salty tears to sweet tears.

One of Buddha’s disciples named Sariputra got enlightened. When he got enlightened, Buddha told him, “Now you go ahead, go into the world and preach, teach and do the same work I do, carry on my work.” Now Sariputra left Buddha, but he was crying and crying and people asked him, “Why are you crying when you are enlightened?” He said, “Who cares about this enlightenment, it could have waited, I would have waited. I didn’t even bother about it or asked for it because the joy of being at the feet of Buddha was so great. Being a devotee was so great, now I am missing this, I would have preferred that to this enlightenment.”

There once was a Zen Master who always thought that he was enlightened. He went around saying, “I am enlightened”. He happened to meet one of his Masters who gave him a puzzle, called ’koan’. The ‘koan’ was “the statue has eyes, the tears roll down silently”. Hearing this Zen Master was shaken and he said, “There is some depth in it”.

Like fatherhood and motherhood, there is Guru-hood. We all have to play Guru-hood at least to somebody. We do play! Consciously or unconsciously you are all Guru to somebody. You keep giving advices and guiding people, giving them loving care! You all do this, but do it 100%, without expecting anything in return: that is living the Guru principle. There is no difference between the divine, the Self and the Guru. They are all one. Meditation is relaxing and reposing. Think of all the things to be grateful for and ask what you want for the future and bless everyone. We receive so many blessings and we should also bless all those who are in need.

Sleeping in the right direction

18 Friday Apr 2014

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Do you know which direction you keep your head when you sleep? If you don’t know, then you must! Sleep is one of the most important part of your daily activities that you do. The direction where you place your head plays a big part in maintaining a good health and being successful overall. It also influences your character, mind and hence thinking process. Also your relationship with other people! This has been explained in detail in the Vaastu Shashtra. I read somewhere that approximately 90% of the people do sleep in wrong way or direction. We do work for all day and our muscles get tired and lot of energy is used for all day working. To recharge the body again or to give rest to the muscles we need to take rest in the form of sleep. Sleep deprivation causes many diseases in our body. We will deal with one of the main aspect of sleeping right – the right direction to keep your head!

Sleep right

There is a Tamil proverb going thus – “Vaaraatha vaazhvu vanthaalum vadakke thalai vekkakudaathu“. Which means – “Even if one gets good fortune, one should not sleep with head in the north direction“. There are many such proverbs in many cultures about what is the right direction to keep the head. Event the Mahabharataha says – “Men become wise sleeping in the eastern or southern directions“. There is a direction for everything in the Indian culture and good reasons too! The physicians, at least Ayurvedic ones, make their patients sit facing east before diagnosis and give them medicines. There is a direction for brides and grooms to be seated in the marriage. Corpses are placed with their head in the south direction. So there is a direction for everything!

Coming back to sleeping, the recommended direction is placing the head in the east or south direction. The reason for the southern direction is because of the magnetic property of the earth and human body. The earth we are in is subjected to all kinds of energies from the sun going from east to west. By this, earth is magnetized with the north pole becoming the north pole or a magnet and south pole being the south. Since our human body is also a magnet – our head is the north and feet being the south, when we place our head in the north direction, then we the opposite poles repel each other thus destroying the natural polarity of the body. This natural polarity of the human body is key to happiness and health. The body is hale and healthy if the natural polarity that we acquire during the day is preserved in the night. That is the reason our elders warned us from keeping our head in the north! On placing it in the south, there is attraction between the earth poles and our parts of the body. Thus the polarity of the body is still intact.

There are special instructions given to married couples, single person, head of the house hold ,etc. on which direction to sleep. Here is one interesting one – Married couples are better off keeping their heads in the southern direction because it increases the attraction between them :)! It helps one to have positive thinking and sincerity in behavior. Not only this, South direction enhances one’s self confidence and leadership qualities. You can read more on the source links i provided below.

As for the eastern direction, the current of electricity passes over the earth from east to west. When the current passes from one body to another body then it influences the body that it enters and leaves inflammation in the body which it leaves. When we place the head in the west and feet in east, then the current passing through feet and leaving the head leaves inflammation in the head. Which means we get up with a headache which affects how we function. Having the head in the east is more auspicious and conducive for better thinking.

Regarding the positions of sleeping, there are two positions that are recommended – The first position is sleep turning left side (baal aasana) and the second position is sleep straight (shava aasana).When wake up in the morning first turn right and then get up from the bed. In both the above positions our spine will remain straight and we will never have a health problem if we sleep in the above two positions.

 

So BOTTOM LINE is – Dont keep your head in north or west and get up in morning turning to the right side. 

[Courtesy : http://www.healthnaturaltips.com/2012/10/what-are-right-position-to-sleep-well.html, http://queenofsleep.wordpress.com/2010/10/23/feng-shui-is-your-bed-positioned-facing-the-right-direction%5D

The Mahabharata inside you – Part III

16 Wednesday Apr 2014

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Even though the Mahabharata symbolism series of posts has generated a lot of interest from the readers, I promise this is the last post in it :). I have surely enjoyed researching and writing this series of posts and I hope you readers have to. I would love to write on all the major events in the epic and how they are related to each one of us but it would take too long and most of them would be abstract. We saw the symbolism of Kauravas and Pandavas. Now that you guys have the picture, I wanted to bring a closure by taking your attention to some of the major events in the Mahabharata. With these

The Game of Dice – represents the Game of Delusion. In childhood, the senses, and the development of the body, are governed by the soul’s powers of discrimination. As youth approaches, the strong sense desires are awakened, by temptations in this life and Samskaras (habit tendencies) of past lives. The game is very charming, and the princely faculties of discrimination are enticed into a deceitful game with the sense desires, and man stakes his entire bodily kingdom. He is overpowered by them, and the pure discriminative intelligence of the soul is ousted from the throne, and sent into exile. The Pandavas are lured into the game by Duryodhana which is how the mind deludes its own energies into playing this whole game which we call life. Yudhisthira and the Pandavas lose the game and are banished from the kingdom and sent into exile for 12 years, with a further 1 year in total anonymity.

12 years of exile – A spiritual aspirant, who is armed with the grace of his Guru, and the knowledge of Kriya Yoga, and with all faculties intact, can with perseverance, evolve spiritually within twelve years, to the point where he can wage a battle with the senses to reclaim this body kingdom. This is a known fact to Spiritual aspirants. It is written in many yogic texts that a aspirant has intensely practice for 12 years before he can completely win over this senses which in turn control the mind. In the 12 years that the Pandavas are banished, they had to go through various events where they grow spiritually.

The One Year in Anonymity –  refers to the period when the aspirant, having attained a lofty height of spiritual evolution, i.e., he has attained Yudhistira’s calmness, Bhima’s Pranayama, Arjuna’s nonattachment, Nakula’s adherence, and Sahadeva’s power to resist evil, he is now ready to immerse himself in states of Samadhi. In the state of Samadhi, the Sadhaka is withdrawn from the world, and all that is worldly, immersing him in states of consciousness. In the State of Samadhi, one’s consciousness is not in the material world, but in the supreme consciousness, hence, why the Pandavas were incognito, to the people around them.

Kurukshetra – the Land (field) of the Kurus, is the symbolic representation of the body. Kurukshetra is formed from the Sanskrit roots, kri meaning work, material action, and ksetra means field. So this Field of Action is the body, on which all activities of life, take place.

Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad gita – In our  inner conflict when we lose peace, it is the aspect of  knowledge in us that is confused needs clarity. This aspect in us that seeks teaching represents Arjuna. As we already discussed Arjuna represents bondage it seeks freedom to attain the kingdom of Peace. It seeks Krishna the manifestation of pure Consciousness. We seek for clarity a teacher, a Guru. What we seek outside is already in us. The external teacher helps us to seek our internal teacher Krishna, the pure consciousness. The dialogue between the Krishna and Arjuna is Bhagavad Gita.

KRISHNA – Lastly, who is Krishna? Krishna the manifestation of pure Consciousness. Consciousness is the “being” of every form and formless in this universe. The reflection of that Consciousness  is awareness. Krishna is the cousin and brother -in-law of Arjuna and interestingly Krishna is the father-in-law of Duryodhan’s daughter, that is , Krishna’s son married Duryodhan’s daughter Lakshmana. So Krishna is related to both the positive and negative groups of  brothers. This is why Indian God’s are represented with three faces. The two faces on the sides represents the pair of opposites of the same body. Explains that both positive and negatives qualities resides in us. I can go on writing about Krishna.

So here are the symbolisms of the characters and events in Mahabharata. It is not just another long story that happened long time ago. It is happening right now right her within you. If you believe in these allegoric events, then read the Mahabharata again. Only this time see if you can relate to these characters for they lived and died(mortally) to relate to us.

The Mahabharat within you – Part II

14 Monday Apr 2014

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Here is the introduction and the Part I for those who missed it. The previous post talked about the Kauravas and their symbolism. Lets talk about the pandavas now. Before we go there here is a primer on energy centers or chakras in our body that hold the secret to human existence according to the tantric philosophy.

chakras

Chakras are the energy centers in the body which are storehouses of spiritual energy. They vitalize the physical body replenishing all the parts of the body. They are 7 major chakras along the spinal cord. Each of these chakras are associated with particular emotions and spiritual progress. You might be wondering why are we talking on the chakras when we are supposed to talk about the Pandavas. Right? They are related. The pandavas represent the first 5 chakras in our body. You will understand when we deal with each of the pandavas. Here we go!

Pandu – the younger brother of Dhritarashtra represents wisdom. Which was represented by his white color. This wisdom matures with experience and hence gives the ruling power to the blind mind, until the children of wisdom are ready. His wife Kunti represents the power of dispassion while his second wife Maadri represents the attachment to dispassion. Pandu has got 5 sons, 3 sons with Kunti and 2 sons with Maadri. The sons of Pandu represents the 5 elements which in turn represents the 5 energy chakras in our spinal column.

Yudhistira – Yudhi means in the battle, sthira means tranquil or undisturbed. Yudhi-stra is the symbol of peace and the  sky or ether element of Pancha Bhootas. Sky is the bridge of transcendence to the conscious state and  represented as throat chakra(Vishuddhi chakra). Ether remains unchanged, and undisturbed by the violent plays of nature’s forces.

Bheema – is Prana, the Power of Vitality, the Air Element in the Dorsal Center, or Anahata Chakra. He is the son of the Vayu deva, the God of Wind. The aspiring Sadhaka, practices his Pranayama that is controlled by this center, thereby calming the breath and controlling the mind and all of its sense objects. The breath has got such a strength that it can destroy all tendencies of the mind. That is why Bheema kills the 100 sons of Dhritarashtara. The breath also brings the awareness of “oneness”. The ignorance of duality dissolves in the purity of  “Love” and is represented as heart chakra(Anahata Chakra). Know more secrets of your breath in this article.

Arjuna – Arjuna the third represents fire element. Rajju means rope or bondage and na means no. This represents that we are really not bonded, but free. Arjuna represents the liberating thoughts in us and brings peace. Arjuna is the enquiring mind. The enquiring mind burns like fire and destroys the darkness of ignorance. This burning fire is what needs to be given direction and that is why out of the five brothers Arjuna was taught Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna represents the mastering the “Heat or Power” of senses symbolized as the navel chakra(Manipura Chakra). This center is for the purification of mind and body, making intense meditation possible.

Nakula, is Adherence, the Power to Obey Rules of Dharma, the Water Element in the Sacral Center, or Swadhishthana Chakra. Adherence to Dharmic principles, allows the Sadhaka to control mental tendencies.

Sahadeva, is Restraint, the Earth Element in the Coccyx Center, or Muladhara Chakra. He is the Power of Resistance by which restless outer sense organs can be controlled.

The structure of the spinal cord also shows a differentiation supporting the divisions of the three sons of Kunti, with the two sons of Madri. The spinal column extends to the level of the lumbar vertebrae, as one solid structure. From the lower lumbar to the coccyx, the spinal nerves with their ganglia, extend downwards like the tail of a horse, and has been named cauda equina (horses tail). It has the same origin, (as in having the same father) but are at the same time different. They are the location of the 2 sons of Madri. Also significant to the spiritual aspirant (Sadhaka), is the function of the first three chakras, versus the last two. The first three are important in the inner spiritual activities of the spiritual aspirant; the lower two, are important for the purification of his external activities.

Draupadi – You could have guessed the representation of Draupadi. She was the wife of all the five pandavas which means she stays with each of them for some time and moves on to the other. She represents the feminine kundalini energy which travels through the spinal column to all the chakras on her path. Kundalini , which is metamorphically represented as Draupadi , the five hooded (meaning the five elements ,energies ) Snake. She is the one who connects the individual soul to the universal soul.(the connecting cord between MAN and Paramathman)The fire that propels it is called KUNDALINI Shakthi. That is the reason she was born out of fire. Draupadi is thus wedded to the five elements which makes the MAN. Here is another titbit – It is said that Bheema(air) was the one who loved Draupadi the most. That is why breath is used to awake the rise the Kundalini inside you!

We can see that the Mahabharata is not just another grandeur story that happened long time ago. It is something that is happening right now. Inside us. Every moment we live, there is a mahabharata happening. In my next post, I will go over some of the incidents that happened in the mahabharata with their symbolism.