Detox your makeup

Imagine waking up in the morning, and slathering a bunch of poisonous and carcinogenic substances on your face, in the hope that the bouquet of icky chemicals will make your skin look amazing. Sounds crazy? Well, you’re doing it already!

Check the label of any of the cosmetics you typically use – you'll see this long list of 20-odd chemicals in each beauty-boosting formulation. Many commercially-available face washes, shampoos and creams have highly dubious compounds, many of which are the subject of rigourous debate in the scientific community....some experts say they're safe, others say they're lethal.

Organic cosmetics, however, have none of these controversial chemicals.

Which is why everybody who's anybody is going organic! The world has woken up to the need for gentle, natural products that nurture and nourish the skin.

Natural vs Organic

Natural cosmetics and organic cosmetics are not the same thing! Take the case of Swedish cosmetics giant Oriflame, which offers primarily natural, eco-friendly and plant-based products, but has a special line consisting only of 'organic' products in its repertoire.

Organic products are at the top of the chemical-free pyramid. Agricultural land needs a three-year chemical 'detox' to get an organic status. Only products grown on an organic farm, without chemical pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified plants or harmful toxins qualify as organic ingredients for organic products.

Cosmetics with labels that scream 'organic' may or may not be all they claim to be. Look for a logo of reputed certification bodies like the NPOP (National Programme for Organic Production), USDA-NOP (United States Department of Agriculture -National Organic Program) ISO (International Organization for Standardization) or ECO CERT to be sure that what you're buying really does have bonafide organic credentials.

Worth the Money?

Don't mind spending a little extra to get the very best? Organic cosmetics offer you the concentrated essence of miracle plants, leaves and flowers bottled up for your convenience!

Gram for gram, there's no doubt that you get more bounce for the ounce in organic cosmetics. Skin-care lines of good organic brands can cost nearly twice as much as your regular luxury brands, but they do have amazing benefits.

If you're hesitant to splurge on an unknown brand, start by trying something small, like organic handmade soap (almost all organic brands have 'em). If it works wonders, you can then move on to body butters, hand creams and face-creams.

The good news is that the price gap is not usually so gaping when it comes to make-up. An organic lipstick normally costs approximately as much as a top-of-the-range lipstick from a pricey international brand, so if you're maxing out your credit-card on new lip-colours for the season anyway, it's worthwhile to try out some organic options.

Gift yourself a glow

Kama Ayurveda https://www.kamaayurveda.com/ (mostly skincare), Vedanta Organics http://www.vedantaorganics.net/ (one of the few with organic lipsticks) and Rustic Art http://rusticart.in/ (lots of massage oils and soaps) are some of the brands that sell organic cosmetics in India. Give your skin the gift of organic cosmetics this festive season, and it won't be just those lamps that'll be glowing!

Organic cosmetics offer you the concentrated essence of miracle plants, leaves and flowers bottled up for your convenience

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/detox-your-makeup/article6156206.ece

திருப்பதி

The actual process is to first visit Kapila Thirtham. Before reaching Tirumala one should take the blessings of Padmavathi thayar at Tiruchanur. This holds good for any Perumal temple. Thayar does the purushakaram (mediation) to the Lord so that we get His anugraham when we reach Lord Venkateshwara's sanctum sanctorum.

Then proceed to Tirumala and take bath in the sacred pond called as PUSHKARINI or sprinkle water thrice on our head (which is equivalent to taking bath) (Sacred tank), Papavinasanam, Akasha Ganga. Then visit the Bhoo Varaha Swamy temple near the sacred lake, pray to him. Lord Venkateshwara, said that all his devotees should visit Varaha Swamy first and then only visit him or else the visit is not completed.

First of all visit Srivari PushkariniVaraha swamy temple and then Sri vari Temple (Lord Venkasteshwara Temple) in Tirumala


நடிமி படி காவிலி: இப்படி ஒரு வித்தியாசமான பெயருடன் கூடியதே இக்கோயிலின் உள்கோபுரம் ஆகும். கொடிமர மண்டபத்தை அடுத்து இந்த கோபுரவாசல் உள்ளது. கோபுர கதவுகள் வெள்ளி தகடுகளால் மூடப்பட்டுள் ளது. வெளி கோபுர கதவுகளைவிட இந்த கோபுர கதவுகள் சிறியது. இந்த கதவுகளின் அருகில் நின்று எந்த பிரார்த்தனை செய்தாலும் அது உடனடியாக நிறைவேறும் என்பது நம்பிக்கை. "வெண்டிவாகிலி என்று இந்த கதவுகளுக்கு பெயர்.

பங்காரு வகிலி:  தகடு களில் தசாவதார சிற்பங்கள் பொறிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதனுள் நுழையும்போது, சுப்ரபாதம் எந்நேரமும் காதில் ஒலிக்கும்.

கருவறை: வெங்கடாசலபதி கருவறைக்கு செல்லும் முன் ஒரு சதுரவடிவ அறை இருக்கும். இதை ஸ்நாபன மண்டபம் என்று அழைக்கிறார்கள். இதை அடுத்துள்ள செவ்வக அறையை "ராமர் மேடை என்கின்றனர். இதில் ராமர், சீதா, லட்சுமணர் ஆகியோரின் சிலைகளும், விஷ்வக்ஸேனர், கருடன் ஆகிய உற்சவ மூர்த்திகளின் சிலையும் வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. குலசேகர ஆழ்வார் படியை ஒட்டி போக சீனிவாசர் சயனிக்கும் சயன மண்டபம் அமைந்துள்ளது. இதை அர்த்த மண்டபம் என்றும் அழைப்பர்.இதையடுத்து கர்ப்பகிரகத்தில் வெங்கடாசலதி ஆறடி உயரத்தில் நின்ற கோலத்தில் இருக்கிறார். இவரை காணும் முன்பு நம்மை அறியாமலே ஒரு படியின் மீது காலை வைக்கிறோம். அந்த படிக்கு "குலசேகர படி என்று பெயர். In Tirupati, You can visit, Kapila Theerta, Padmavathi Temple at Tiruchanoor, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Agastyeshwara Temple and Govindaraja Temple


Near by , at a distance of abot 70 km you have KAANI PAAKAM where there is a FAMOUS VINAAYAKA SWAAMY TEMPLE. The idol here is growing year by year .you can see it.
Near kaanipaakam you have at 8 KM distance ARDAGIRI HANUMAAN TEMPLE .A famous one .


Tiruchanur – Padmavati Temple

Srinivasa Mangapuram, 12 Kms from Tirupati
Govindaraja Perumal Temple
Sila Thoranam Gardens in Tirumala
Chakra Teertham about 2Km from the temple
Srivari paadam about 5 Km from the main temple 

Puskarini tank. It is strongly believed that the people who bathes in the tank becomes pure, all the sins is been exterminated by the divineness of the water. The Akashganga Waterfall The spiritual waterfall is believed to be falling directly from heaven. It is approx. 3 kms away from the main temple. Akash ganga’s water is utilized for Shree Balaji’s Bathing, that is the prime usage of water. It is also used for the abhishekham of Shree Balaji. The Papa Vinashanam (Sin Slayer) It is in the north 5 kms away from tirumala temple, it is another must visit place in tirupati to clean your sins. It is surrounded by beautiful hills, many tributaries from the hills meets the reservoir (Papa Vinashanam). Shreevari Padalu As per the ancient Hindu mythology, it is believed that ‘shreevari padalu’ is a place where “Shree Balaji” placed his feets for the first time. The foot prints acknowledging the same can be seen at the top of Narayanagiri hill. Charismatic Tirumala temple is visible from the hill.

After the Lords visit one should mandately see the VIMANA VENKATESHWARA SWAMY on the GOPURAM  of the lord .Finally visit ALLIVELU MANGAMMA at Allivelumagapuram, which is very nearby to Tirupati.
Then only the piligramage of TIRUMALA is complete.

buy property safely

Thanks
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/do-you-know-how-to-buy-property-safely/article6140744.ece

Navaratri - Day 4

Gist of Pujya Guruji's Discourse on 11th October 2010

We have gathered again this night to adore the Divine Mother in all Her splendour. Yesterday, She revealed many vital secrets and truths to us.Click here to read the previous discourse of Pujya Guruji. We learnt how important it is to maintain a constant relationship with 'Sat' or the truth of our soul and how this cushions us from the pinpricks of life. We understood that what we listen to and how we listen to it can break or make our life. We realised the wonderful significance of blowing a conch in our houses and how it transforms our energy field, removes our karma and protects us from all kinds of negativity in life. Devi also revealed that as Goddess Rakini in our Swadishthana Chakra, She would begin to vanquish demon Mahishasura, the embodiment of our ego. By prodding it with the prongs of Her trident denoting devotedness, humility and humbleness, She annihilates our arrogance. We understood that through Devi's prodding and by attending satsangs, our ego based personality would be transformed into a soul based personality.

Let us now turn to the Divine Mother once more and listen to the wonderful wisdom that She is waiting to impart to us today :

1. The scripture, Devi Mahatmyam, says that there is a definite relationship between us and God. The Divine Mother says that most of us are not aware of this relationship because we make two mistakes - (i) We think - "God is different from me." (ii) We feel - "How can a divine Shakti or power abide or grow in me?" We don't understand how God is seated inside us. Moreover, all of us know that we need God, but we never ever think that God also needs us. Since we do not realise this truth, we worship God in a transactional way. This is the first truth.
2. Then how can we feel the Presence of God in us? Just as we need a scanning machine to see our own spine or brain, we need the light of the Shastras, Vedas and Upanishads and most importantly the Grace and Guidance of a Jnani or Enlightened Master to show us that God's Shakti is hidden in us. This is the second truth.
3. One of the main ways through which a Jnani imparts wisdom to us is Shravana. So, as we learnt yesterday, shravana or the art of listening is very important. However, manana is even more important. The more deeply we contemplate upon the wisdom we hear, the better we are able to assimilate and implement it. This is the third truth.
4. However, manana is a double edged sword. If we allow our mind to dwell on wrong things in life, they percolate deep into our being and erode our faith, belief and trust in our own inner power which flows from the presence of God in us. That is why we are so prone to insecurity and fear. For instance, if we hear about a theft in our neighbourhood, we rush to get an extra bolt fixed to our door. If it is God's Will that a theft should take place in our house, extra bolts can do nothing to prevent it. At the same time, we should not go to the other extreme and sleep with our door wide open. Avoiding all extremes, we should chart the middle course by using our common sense and discrimination. We should not react impulsively and excessively to anything that happens around us. This is the fourth truth.
5. Though animals react instinctively and instantaneously to whatever they see, smell and hear, they remain quiet and relaxed when nothing is happening. We are not like that. We cannot sit quiet. We want to make things happen. We want to feed our brain constantly with information. We switch on the TV, browse the net or begin to read. We ring up somebody and ask - "What's new? What's happening?" or "What's up?" We indiscriminately feed the mind with all kinds of information without asking ourselves whether it is really necessary. When we tune in to our divine core, we too will be able to remain calm and quiet, when no action is required from us. This is the fifth truth.
6. How do we achieve this state? The hours of dawn in the morning and dusk in the evening are full of tranquil and serene vibrations which are naturally conducive to inner solitude and quietness. Our forefathers knew this. In the morning, the effulgence of the rising Sun gives us the light and energy that we need for the day, and in the evening the radiance of Devi fills us with complete peace and repose. When we engage ourselves in spiritual sadhana or satsang during these periods, we feel very deeply nurtured and nourished. In the morning we can do Veda chanting, meditation etc. In the evening, even if we are outside the house engaged in some work, we should go to the nearest temple and sit there quietly for 15 - 30 minutes absorbing the serene vibrations. Then we can continue with our work. All this helps us to tune in to the Divinity in us. So, we get down from the seat of our ego and establish ourselves on the Shakti Peetha of our Soul. This gives us complete peace of mind. Then, our food is digested easily, we feel enthusiastic and energetic and we sleep very well. More than all this, we get karyasiddhi and all our tasks get done easily and effortlessly. All this is based on the spiritual science of vibrations. The routine in Ashrams is woven around this. That is why they are always charged with vibrations. When we go there, all the shrama or fatigue generated by our efforts throughout the day simply drops away and we feel recharged with energy and bliss. That is why it is called 'Ashram' or 'place of effortless ease'. This is the sixth truth.
7. If we are in satsang, the energy of our soul is activated and we get prompts from within to use our intellect in the right way. Otherwise we don't know how to use our mind and intellect correctly. That is why we spend most of our time talking about worldly matters, troubles and problems. When we don't centre ourselves in the 'place of effortless ease' within us, disease claims us. The Latin word 'dis-ease' means 'mind not at ease'. We do not enjoy a feeling of inner peace and ease because we are constantly using the mind. We think too much. In fact many of us are compulsive worriers. When we come under the divine protection of the Guru, this tendency drops away. However, there are still some people who come to the Guru and say - " Earlier my mind used to be full of thoughts jostling each other. Now I hardly get any thoughts. I'm really worried about it." What can you say to that? There are all kinds of people in the world!
8. Today Devi is telling us how to listen - "Follow these five steps whenever you see, read or listen to anything."
   STEP 1 : The first step is Filtration. When we are listening to somebody talking, watching TV or getting information in any other way, we should understand and analyse it before we allow it to take root in our minds. For example, if somebody says - "You are a very nice person" or "You are wonderful," we must ask ourselves why they are saying this. We should take a moment to think - "Have I helped him at any time? Is my association beneficial to him in any way?" We may remember several incidents to support this. After this we can allow that statement to enter our minds, but we must not take it egoistically. Likewise, if somebody says - "You are so high and mighty. I have never seen such a great snob as you," we should not react impulsively. We should first analyse that statement in our minds - "Have I done anything to offend him? Have I knowingly or unknowingly hurt him in any way?" If we remember an instance where we have done something that annoyed him, we should immediately apologise. If we can't think of any reason for his statement, we should apologise anyway by saying - "I'm sorry. I must have hurt you in some way though I don't know how. Whatever I did, it was not intentional. Please forgive me." This is very essential. Otherwise, that relationship will enter a love-hate mode. Then we will unnecessarily occupy that person's mental space and he will occupy ours.
   So, we must be very careful when we allocate mental space to any information. We should never allow anything to occupy space in our minds without filtering it first with our faculty of discrimination. Just as we filter tea to remove tea leaves and coffee to remove cream, we must filter all inputs to screen out unnecessary or harmful information. Till we have done this, we should not react to the information and we should not accept or assimilate it. If we look at enlightened beings, they listen to everything we have to say first and then respond appropriately to it. Once we cultivate this awareness, we will automatically filter all information even if it comes to us at very high speed.
   STEP 2 : The second step is Segregation. Once you filter the information and decide to let it in, we must segregate it immediately into three categories (i) Divine information pertaining to God or Adidaivika (ii) Spiritual information pertaining to our soul or Adhyatmika (iii) Transactional information pertaining to the outside world or Adibhoutika.
   We are responsible and answerable in all these three spheres. So, this mental segregation should happen instantaneously, in nano seconds. For example, if somebody tells us that a temple is beautiful and we should visit it, it is Adidaivika. If they ask us to attend a satsang, it is Adhyatmika. If they talk about a movie, hotel or shopping, it is Adibhoutika. If we do not segregate information in this way it is like storing salt in the sugar container or chillies in the mustard container. All our priorities in life get mixed up and our time gets frittered away in frivolous pursuits instead of being focussed on the key issues. We get pulled away from our soul. Then Devi says - "You will lose your peace, contentment and prosperity in life." If somebody is talking ill about another person on the phone, we should immediately say - "Sorry, I'm not interested," and cut the call. We must filter, segregate and reject. We should never listen to such garbage. Nowadays, we don't have much time to interact directly with people. So, such information comes to us more through TV or over the phone. We must give up gossip of all kinds and engage ourselves only in God-sip. Let us chant the divine name of Devi or write namasmarana [the holy name]. If we allow our mind to dwell on negative things it is like performing the abhisheka of Lord Vishnu, who is the embodiment of our soul, with dirty, stinking water. We should never pollute our Swadishthana Chakra. If we do, we are disarming and disabling Vishnu who is enthroned there with Devi Rakini.
   Seggregation of information enhances our serenity, contentment and inner power. Today, when we get our priorities wrong and make decisions which backfire, we feel mentally defeated. We feel drained of mental strength and will power. Why? We have not learnt to filter and segregate. If we do, the Vishnu Shakti and Devi Shakti in us will never get depleted. Problems and troubles will never attack us.
   STEP 3 : The third step is Rejection or Assimilation. After filtering and segregating information, we filter it once more before deciding to assimilate it. We should ask ourselves - "Is this information useful to me in any way? Is it going to lead to my transformation?" If the answer is 'No', we should reject it outright saying - "No. I don't want this. I don't need this." Then, it will not enter our innermost core. Why is Devi going into such subtleties tonight? If we see or hear something bad, it gets engraved on our minds and continues to bother us and shatter our peace for a long time. For instance, if we see an accident on the road, we should pray for the victims and let it go. Just say - "If this occupies a permanent space in my mind, it will disturb me for days. I will not allow it to penetrate my inner core." The minute we make such a resolve or Sankalpa, even if that information has gone in, it will be ejected immediately without getting assimilated.
   STEP 4 : Don't allow demons or asuras into your mind. If we find ourselves getting irritated or annoyed with somebody, it means that we have allowed their words to get into our inner most core without filtering or segregating them. If we do this, that information becomes an asura or demon in the mind, shattering our mental peace. It bombards us with doubts and suspicions. It triggers negative emotions like anger, comparison, jealousy, competition, greed, lust and lack of trust and confidence. So, if we find ourselves reacting negatively to anybody, it means that their offensive words have already turned into demons in us. So, we should immediately think - "I should not send this inside," and chant 'Om Vam'. At once, Lord Vishnu in our Swadishthana Chakra hits this demon on the head and kills it. At once we feel calm and composed. If we do not invoke Lord Vishnu to slay these demons in this way, we will be destabilised. Words can destabilise our mind in nano seconds. That is the secret. We not only survive on our soul energy, we also survive by the mind. Our mind rules and controls the state of our existence. If the mind is intensely unhappy, we feel that we don't even want to live anymore. That is why Devi tells us again and again - "What you hear directly affects your mind. Be very careful."
   Those who remain calm even when others insult or scold them are called 'Sadhus'. So, when we come to spirituality, we should all become sadhus. This is what the culture of Sanathana Dharma teaches us - "No matter what anybody says to you, just pray 'May this person be happy'." When our elders heard bad news or provoking words, they would immediately nullify their negative vibrations by saying 'Shiva, Shiva', or 'Hara, Hara'. By filtering, segregating and rejecting, we should make our minds stable, able and capable. We should never allow ourselves to be shaken by situations and circumstances. It saps our stability, will power and resolution.
   STEP 5 : Avoid Mediation. Don't get entangled in the fights of others. When people come to you with their differences, do not take sides or try to mediate unless it concerns you directly. Fights between siblings, spouses, relatives and friends are usually temporary in nature. Allow them to sort it out themselves. If we try to mediate, finally they unite together and lay all the blame on us. So, when we see two people or groups fighting with each other, we should pray for both of them. If they approach us directly, we should not try to judge or gauge anybody. We should simply say - "My Guru has taught me to pray for everybody. So, I will pray for you." Devi says - "Don't mediate. Meditate."
   Now let us make a resolution or sankalpa - "I will not listen to unwanted information. I will not pollute my mind. I will not interfere with others. I will not lose my stability." Let us chant 'Om' for sometime.
9. Now that we have understood how to filter, segregate and reject information that is not necessary, let us go on to see what the Divine Mother has to say. She says - "When you follow these five steps implicitly, you have an armour around you. However, you never know what you will hear during the next moment. How can you predict what someone is going to say? So, to avoid hearing bad things, cultivate a new habit. Listen to My holy name. Chant My holy name whenever you can. Everyday as you walk, drive, sit or stand - keep your mind focussed on Me by chanting it. Instead of allowing your mind to think useless, unnecessary and disturbing thoughts, engage it in chanting My name whenever it is free. Since you are troubled again and again by emotions which disrupt your inner peace and joy, invoke Me to destroy your sorrow or dukkha." Dukkha is not only intense grief. All the states of mind which are not conducive to inner peace, contentment and happiness come under 'dukkha'. This is the ninth truth.
10. So, Mother is giving us the mantra 'Om Dukkha Vinashinyei Namaha' which is one of Her names in the Nimishamba Ashtotra [108 names]. This means - "O Mother, who are the destroyer all my sorrow, I bow down to you." Even all the Sages and Seers bow down to Mother because She is the destroyer of all trials, tribulations, troubles, problems and sorrows in life. So, today all of us should chant this for at least 30 minutes. Then, Mother will come and remove our sorrow. When all the impurities that are creating havoc in our minds are removed, the first state we experience is purity. From purity come peace, contentment and hope. From hope, come confidence, calmness and security. This is the tenth truth.
11. What is the use of experiencing dukkha when we have Lord Vishnu Himself seated inside us, waiting to give us the bliss of the soul? This is like having a huge nugget of gold in our hands and going around saying - "I'm so poor. I'm so poor." Lord Vishnu, in the form of Srinivasa or Balaji, is the Adhipati or the one in charge of Shravana, the art of listening. That is why His birth star is also called 'Shravana'. This is the eleventh truth.
12. Yesterday we learnt how the demon Mahishasura, who is the embodiment of our ego is vanquished. However, he also has many assistants. One of them is Raktabijasura. When a drop of blood from Raktabijasura falls on the ground, it produces another Raktabijasura. This symbolically represents how one desire breeds another. For instance, if we satisfy our desire to buy a refirigerator, we also need a voltage stabiliser and a stand for it. We have to buy containers to put in the fridge. We need to stock it with groceries. We have to pay for its power consumption. We have to keep it clean and take care of its technical maintenance. So, no desire ever comes alone. It brings a horde of related desires with it. So, one desire leads to another and another.... This is the twelfth truth.
13. If we observe ourselves carefully, we will see that whatever we hear breeds desire. If we hear about something good, we get a desire - "I also want to experience it or I also want to acquire it." If we hear something bad, we get a desire - "I never want to go through something like that or I hope I never experience that." Devi says - "Desire is the root cause of sorrow." So, when we chant - 'Om Dukkha Vinashinyei Namaha' today, Devi will also give us the discrimination to weed out our desires. She will teach us how to differentiate between need and greed. This is the thirteenth truth.
14. During the second three days of Navaratri, Mother manifests as Mahalakshmi - the embodiment of peace, contentment, tolerance, patience and harmony. She is not just the Goddess of outer wealth and prosperity. In fact, there is no greater wealth in life than peace and contentment. So, let us all chant Her mantra tonight and whenever we can till tomorrow evening. The divine Mother will come and destroy all our sorrow with Her trident.

May all of you enjoy the state of bliss or paramananda through the Grace of the Divine Mother. May all beings be happy.

Jai Matha. Om Tat Sat.

Click Here to view the photos of the event

Navaratri - Day 3

Gist of Pujya Guruji's Discourse on 10th October 2010

Yesterday the Divine Mother revealed a great secret to all of us. We learnt that She has enthroned Herself in our Swadishthana Chakra, which is behind our navel, as Goddess Rakini. Click here to read the previous discourse of Pujya Guruji. She has also brought Lord Vishnu with His conch, wheel and mace to correct our excesses. She showed us how our excessive use of our senses was cutting off our receptivity to Her presence within us and gave us a priceless weapon to exit this loop. When we chant 'Om Vam' which is the bija mantra or seed syllable of the Swadishthana Chakra, Devi will ask Lord Vishnu to release His Sudarshana Chakra to remove the wrong emotion triggered in our minds by our senses. He will reorient us towards our soul instantaneously. By using this weapon yesterday with great awareness, we have made ourselves eligible to be present here to receive the truths that Mother will impart to us today:

1. Mother points out that relationships play a key role in our lives. We have so many relationships in life - with our parents, children, spouse, friends, neighbours, colleagues, boss, employees etc. However, there is one relationship which is most important and this is our relationship with 'Sat' or Truth. When we don't associate ourselves with 'Sat' in the Kali Yuga, every relationship in our life becomes a sinking ship. When we attend satsangs and immerse ourselves in 'Sat' or the truth of our soul, we are not bothered by problems any more. That does not mean that we do not have problems. In the Kali Yuga, there is nobody without problems. If you think that Swamis and Gurus do not have problems, you are wrong. However, when we soak ourselves in the nectar of truth, we no longer see problems as problems. They seem as minute as mustard seeds to us. So, our mind says - "Don't worry about this. It is too trivial to bother about." The energy of 'Sat' or Truth always envelopes us and focuses our attention on our soul.
   When we are in spirituality, we get knowledge. Not just the knowledge of how to tackle a problem, but of how to overtake it. So, we calmly walk past it and continue on our way. Let us take a small example. When we sweep our house, we get dust, hair, paper etc. We don't sort all this out. We just throw it into a dustbin. So also, spirituality is a very good dustbin for all our problems. It protects us so that the pinpricks of life don't bother us. This is the first truth.
2. Today, Devi says - "My child, as you walk on the path, if you allow it, all kinds of dirt will stick to you. Due to your ignorance, basically two kinds of dirt predominate in your life - your own karma and your ego." There is no dirt as terrible as the ego. Today, if we think that we are suffering badly due to our karma, compared to that, the dirt generated by our ego is at least four times worse. This is the second truth.
3. Two days ago, we saw how all the grace we gather is used to erase our karma. If we think of God for even one minute, that much of our karma is removed from us. Since we still have plenty of karma left, we are not experiencing the full impact of Grace in our lives. However, the fact that all of you are here to participate in a satsang is itself because of Grace. This is not the fruit of your good karma. It is Devi's ever compassionate Grace. Since the component of Grace is greater than the component of karma in your lives, you are attending a satsang. In the Kali Yuga, it is relatively easy to perform charitable acts, but much more difficult to obtain the great blessing of attending a satang. There is a place earmarked in heaven for all those who immerse themselves in satsang. All this should not be taken egoistically. Devi is telling us this to show us the priceless value of a satsang. Devi says - "All the places where satsangs are held become My divine domain and I envelope them with the protective armour of My Grace." This is the third truth.
4. The Divine Mother says - "Remove both kinds of dirt in yourself by assimilating all the truths that I am imparting to you and using them for your transformation." Just as we use oil to lubricate a tight nut and bolt joint before unscrewing it, we should use the lubricant called 'Sat' or Truth to remove the dirt of our karma and ego. This is the fourth truth.
5. Yesterday we learnt that Goddess Rakini and Lord Vishnu are enthroned in our Swadishthana Chakra or energy vortice behind the navel. We have been chanting the seed syllable 'Om Vam' to invoke Lord Vishnu and make Him release His Sudarshana Chakra whenever negativity is triggered in our minds by our senses. Lord Vishnu also has a conch with Him. Why is a conch so sacred and what is its significance in our lives?
   The Divine Mother says - "On festivals, auspicious occasions as well as every morning and evening you must blow the conch at home." Why should we blow a conch? All our karma is present in the energy field around us at home as dense residue, vibrations and subtle matter. The karma that we have already experienced is consolidated as dense residue. To understand this better, we can compare it to the residue of wax left over after a candle burns out. Our Prarabdha Karma or the karma that we have to experience in our present lifetime exists as spandana or vibrations. Our Agami Karma or karma that is in store for us in our future lifetimes is present in sukshma rupa or subtle form. All this dirt in our energy field is shattered and thrown out when we blow the conch. It cleanses the atmosphere of our energy field and purifies it. 'Om Vam' is an armour that prevents the generation of fresh karma by keeping our mind focussed on our divine core through the elimination of negative thoughts and feelings. The blowing of the conch blows away the karma that we have already generated till now. So, both work complementarily with each other. That is why all of us should blow a conch in our houses at least once a fortnight. Even if it makes a small noise when we blow it, it is enough. Regardless of gender, anybody at home can blow the conch.
6. How should we keep the conch at home? When we finish blowing the conch, we should make sure that it always contains a little water when we put it away. Otherwise the etheric space or element of Akasha in the conch will also absorb the impurities of our karmic field and become impure. Then it is no longer effective. The space in the conch is the subtle component of Lord Vishnu - it is pulsating with vibrations of peace and tranquillity. That is why the blow of a conch is as powerful as a missile which can travel halfway round the world. This is the reason we blow the conch and ring the bell in temples. It purifies the whole region, town and country. This is our spiritual tradition. If we don't follow our tradition, our mind starts playing tricks on us and bombards us with doubts and suspicions. So Devi says - "Don't just think about all these truths. Meditate deeply upon them." They are so crucial and important in our lives.
7. The tradition of Sanatana Dharma is the tree of divine protection. Just as a banyan tree gives us dappled shade with exactly the right proportion of sunlight and coolness, so also our traditions have interwoven the science of vibrations to create a very pleasant environment for us. Tradition is a net of prosperity, peace and happiness and most importantly it is a secure armour of protection around us. Nobody has explained this to us scientifically before. That is why we have ignored it. Tradition is extremely necessary. It sets right all the vibrations in our house and makes them Godly. The more we try to retain something Godly, the more we will be able to contain something Godly and maintain something Godly. Since we are not retaining, containing or maintaining it, our karma is detaining us. It is anchoring us to negativity and preventing us from becoming Godly. When we do not follow tradition, we have no kavacha or armour to protect us. This is the seventh truth.
8. Blowing the conch mends all the holes in our protective net. It keeps out people with evil intentions and insulates us from all the negative and bad things of life. Earlier we learnt that Stability + Will Power = Resolution. A blow of the conch drives away our lack of stability and brings out our will power. This is the eighth truth.
9. Today, the Divine Mother wants us to focus on shravana or the important role that the faculty of listening plays in our lives. If we take just six months of our life at any point and analyse it, we will clearly understand what we have based our life on and how much we have understood it. What we hear decides the quality of our lives. If we have listened to bad things most of the time, we feel our life is bad. If we have heard good things most of the time, we feel that our life is very good. If what we have listened to has made only doubts arise in our minds, there is no doubt that we have understood doubt! When we listen only to divine things, our life becomes divine. So, what we hear is what we understand, and what we have understood is what our life is. That is why our elders coined the saying - "See good, hear good and speak good". If we do this, our life also becomes good. This is the ninth truth.
10. When we are watching a controversial talk show on TV, if we turn the volume to zero, our mind immediately becomes peaceful because we don't hear the negative statements being made there. If we watch a horror movie with the TV on mute, we don't find it scary at all. What we hear regulates the state of our mind. That is why Shakespeare said - "Sound maketh a man and sound breaketh a man." Sound has the power to make you or break you. In houses where the conch is blown, bad news is not heard. The whole neighbourhood benefits from the blowing of the conch in our house. Even if bad news comes, it is very, very rare. Most of us say - "In this Kali Yuga, we see and hear only bad things." This will never happen if we blow the conch at home regularly. This is the tenth truth.
11. Whenever we listen to bad things and allow them to perturb, anger, agitate or worry us, we are shaking God's seat within us by not having enough trust in our heart and soul. We have programmed our minds to have trust only in physical things. Why are we shaken so easily? This happens because we have no experience of Divinity. So, we have no trust or faith. How can God give us His Grace when we are shaking from top to bottom constantly? That is why the Divine Mother says - "Always be aware of what you are listening to. Don't listen to things which will shake your mind. If you do, don't believe in them. Otherwise it will completely destabilise you. Today your mind, your life and your whole world is shaking because you constantly doubt yourself. So, your personality, character and will power are constantly bombarded. If you listen to the right things all the time, your will power becomes so strong that even the Gods can't shake you." This is the eleventh truth.
12. From tonight the slaying of the buffalo headed demon Mahishasura, who is the embodiment of our ego begins. His will power is extremely strong - stronger that that of the Gods. That is why even Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara could not slay him. Devi had to vanquish him Herself. So, our Will Power is like a knife - it can be used either benevolently or malevolently. We can use it to help or harm ourselves and others. So, we should never use our will power egoistically to nurture the negativity in ourselves. Shravana plays a key role in how we use our will power. Let us close our eyes and make a sankalpa or resolution - "I will not shake my Atma Peetha or the seat of my soul. I will not listen to bad things. I will not allow doubts and suspicions to creep into my mind and shake my peace, stability and prosperity."
13. When we become aware of what to listen to and what to screen out, the seed syllable 'Om Vam' begins to resonate on its own from our Swadishthana Chakra. Just as we can hear our own heart beat through a stethoscope, we hear 'Om Vam' vibrating within us. Till now this has not been activated because of all the bad things we have heard and paid attention to. The more we fill ourselves with unwanted information which makes doubt, confusion and conflict prevail in us, the more bad decisions we take in life. Today, when we make the decision not to listen to bad things anymore, Lord Vishnu blows His conch from within. Then not only are our karma and ego removed, our doubts and confusion are also driven away. Then there is no more conflict or confusion, only divine fusion.
14. Now that we have made our resolution to listen only to good things, Goddess Rakini in our Swadishthana Chakra will begin to prod our ego with Her trident or trishula. The three prongs of Her trident symbolise devotedness, humility and humbleness [naya, vinaya and namrata]. She will make us give up our arrogance by inculcating these three qualities into our thoughts, speech and action.
15. Devi is moulding our personality in the spheres of our mind, intellect and Shakti. When we listen only to good things as Devi wants, then our personality which is now riding on our ego will seat itself on the soul instead. This is what is described in the Devi Mahatmyam as the slaying of the ego. When we listen to satsangs with bhajans, automatically our ego based personality is transformed into a principle based personality. It gets established in the Shakti or power of our soul. It changes into a divine based personality. Devi Herself has only these three qualities - devotedness, humility and humbleness or naya, vinaya and namrata. Since She is totally devoid of ego and the very embodiment of humility, She is able to tolerate all our nonsense. Otherwise She would have become utterly disgusted with us and driven us away. When we are filled with humility, Devi Herself comes to us.
16. Devi is revealing another secret to us today. She says - "My child, today you are seated on your ego. That is why you are shaking. When you listen to satsangs with bhajans, you are sitting on your Shakti peetha instead. In fact, you are sitting on your Shakti." So, when we give up all our nonsense and become established in our own divine energy, nobody can shake us. Not even the Gods. This is the great secret. Even when it is time for us to leave our body, God asks us - "Are you ready to leave now? If so, I will send Yama, the God of death to do your bidding. Otherwise let your Shakti grow as long as you wish."
17. Our heart is the abode of God, but our Swadishthana Chakra is our own abode, our Shakti Peetha. Assuming that our ego will dissolve through the assimilation and implementation of Her divine information, the Divine mother has sent Goddess Rakini and Lord Vishnu to serve us. That is why He is using His Sudarshana Chakra and conch to purify us. Again we should not take this in an egoistic sense. This information should propel us more swiftly towards transformation.

We lose most of our energy because we listen to unwanted things in life. We don't know what is necessary and what is unnecessary. From today this is going to change because we have realised that along with what we listen to, the impact it has on our lives is important. If we ignore this important truth, we will continue to live and grow older physically, but the world will not be benefitted by our existence.

May the Grace of the Divine Mother transform all of you from egoistic personalities to divine personalities from this very day. May all beings be happy.

Jai Matha. Om Tat Sat.

Navaratri - Day 2

Gist of Pujya Guruji’s Discourse on 9th October, 2010

Today is the second night of Navaratri. With the Grace of the Divine Mother, yesterday we learnt seven great truths that form the very base of our day to day lives. Devi gave us the knowledge that all of us are ignorant because we are never our true selves. Our qualities change with every circumstance since we lack mental stability and will power. So, though we rarely get what we expect in life, we should stop blaming ourselves or others and accept everything as the Will of the Divine Mother. We should be aware that everything always happens for the best and offer our past, present and future at Her Lotus Feet with total surrender. When we did this yesterday, we prayed to Mother to grant us the divine boons of stability and will power and guide us on our journey from ignorance to knowledge. We recognized the fact that our life has always been full of miracles through Her Grace and when we are constantly aware of the energy of our soul, our own body becomes Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu.

During these nine nights of Navaratri, Devi is guiding us on a pilgrimage to our innermost core. Offering our humble and reverent salutations to Her, let us see what nuggets of wisdom the Divine Mother is going to give us today :

1. Devi says - "Remember wherever the glories of God are eulogized, the beauty of God is discoursed upon and the power of God is described, two things automatically come out - information and transformation. If you take the wisdom given here as information, it is good. But, if you go one step further and use it for your own transformation, it becomes a most enlightening experience for you." This is the first truth that She is revealing to us today. We should always keep this in mind during Navaratri and use every bit of wisdom that Mother gives us for our complete transformation.
2. As all of us are now aware, everything comes from the Lotus Feet of Devi and ultimately dissolves back into Her. That is why She says - "My child, I am the creator of the whole cosmos. Since I created you, My own nature is also your true nature. You have all the divine characteristics that I have." This is the second wonderful truth.
3. Though the Divine Mother created the whole Cosmos and Her Divine Energy or Chaitanya is pulsating in every atom, it is very difficult to cognise Her. All of us have emerged from the wombs of our mothers. However, the irony is that we have never ever seen the womb which was our origin. So also, though Devi Adiparashakti created Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara and empowered them to carry on the functions of creation, sustenance and dissolution, they had not seen Her divine form till the Treta Yuga [1.75 million years ago] when Lord Vishnu manifested as Lord Rama on earth. Though Devi is all pervasive, She is also most elusive. This is the third truth.
4. The truth is always eternal and immortal. It has no beginning or end. Those who are always talking about truth and who are the very embodiment of truth are called Gurus. They always follow the truth and never stray from it for an instant. That is why they are remembered forever. So, whenever we remember, think, talk, share, spread and follow the truth given to us by the Gurus and Sages, we too become immortal. Our body drops away, but people will continue to talk about our soul for centuries to come. All our future generations will remember us with reverence for the legacy of truth that we established. This is the fourth truth Mother is revealing to us today.
5. When we become perfect channels to spread His truth, God's Grace flows to us in all its abundance. Just as all rivers flow only from the west to the east, and finally merge into the sea, when we become the torch bearers of truth, grace flows to us from God, confluences in us and completely solidifies, becoming nectar. The Grace of God is uni-directional. It only flows from Him to us and never in the reverse direction. This is the fifth truth.
6. Just as a rossagulla or sweet becomes sweeter and sweeter as it soaks in sugar syrup, so also, as we talk about God, our soul soaks more and more in the nectar of His Grace. The Grace that flows to us is directly proportionate to how much and how long we think and talk about Him. Every moment that we think, feel, breathe and talk about God, we get His Grace. As it flows to us and collects in us, our heart blossoms into a thousand petalled lotus emitting its fragrance far and wide. This is the sixth truth.
7. Now comes the million dollar question. We have been worshipping God, praying to Him, participating in satsangs and going on pilgrimages for so long - then why have we not experienced all this? We may sometimes think - "I have gone to Tirupati, Tiruvannamalai and other pilgrimage centres innumerable times, without any apparent benefit, but my friend went only once and his whole life is transformed. Why is nothing working for me?" The answer to this question is simple - all the mountainous karma that we have generated in our past lives is being erased by this Grace. Every micro mili-litre of nectar called God's Grace is being used for this. We can understand this through a small example. When we buy a new vehicle, we are very particular about getting it serviced every 3000, 5000 or 10,000 kms. We only look at the mileage in the speedometer of the car, but do we ever calculate the amount of petrol or fuel that the car has consumed to cover that distance? No. In the same way, we have never calculated how much Grace has been consumed till now to wipe out our karma. We don't know how to do this. A constant displacement is taking place inside us. If we hold a bottle of ink below a tap or faucet, as the clear water runs into the bottle, it displaces the ink. Slowly as more and more of the ink is displaced, the bottle contains only clear, pure water. So also, when all our karma has been removed by Grace, we will overflow with nectar. This is the seventh truth.
8. When we are full of the nectar of knowledge, we don't see, hear, touch or feel God - we are seated right next to God. This is enlightenment. Once we are with God, there is nothing to say, nothing to converse, nothing to pray, nothing to give and nothing to take, because there is no separation between us. This is the eighth truth.
9. Whenever a truth is revealed to us, we feel extremely inspired. When the truth is revealed, we get hope. We feel that good things are in store for us. This is the power and beauty of truth. The Sages say - "Those who live a life that is always associated with the truth that reveals the origin of the soul will constantly be filled with confidence and hope. They will be brimming with vitality." In this modern world, since most of us do not make time to associate with a satsang or congregation to discuss truth, hope is draining away from us year by year. We are losing faith in ourselves and feel that our future is bleak. We lack stability and will power. When we are stable we become able and capable. Then all our tasks are accomplished effortlessly. Stability + Will Power = Resolution. So, all our resolutions materialize and all our visions are actualized. That is why we should say - "I resolve today with my resolution power, by becoming stable and using my will power, to achieve whatever I want in my life." Our power of resolution should be razor sharp. Otherwise we cannot progress either materialistically or spiritually in life. This is the ninth truth revealed by Mother.
10. We have lost our divine essence today because we have become too dependent on our senses. Instead of divine sense, we have only nonsense. By indulging in nonsense, we are becoming a nuisance to others. We have become like sugarcane devoid of juice and sweetness because we lack Sanlkalpa Shakti or the power of resolution. So, let us pray to the Divine Mother today - "O Mother, bless me to transform myself from nonsense to the essence of life itself. Remove all my vices and fill me with your nectar. Sarvamamgala Mangalye, Shive Sarvartha Sadhike, Sharanye Tryambake Devi, Narayani Namostute."
11. The Devi Stuti says - 'Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu, Vishnu Mayeti Shabdita, Namstasyei, Namastasyei, Namastasyei, Namo Namaha.' 'O Mother, to You who are vibrant in all beings and the Mother of Lord Vishnu Himself, I offer my salutations again and again'. The Divine Mother who is the Creator of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, is present in us as the Chaitanya or Energy of Lord Vishnu, the embodiment of our soul. Devi's Chaitanya or energy, Devi's divine rupa or form, and Devi's guna or characteristics are all concealed within us. She has not only filled us with Her effulgence, She has consecrated Herself in us as the energy of our soul. The Devi Stuti goes on to extol Her as - 'Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu, Chetanetyabhidhiyate, Namstasyei, Namastasyei, Namastasyei, Namo Namaha.' 'O Mother, to You are present as Consciousness in all beings, and who empower us to pass on this energy and nectar of the soul to others, I offer my salutations again and again'.. It is because of this empowerment that Grace constantly flows to us from the Guru, who gives us His Chaitanya. All of us also have this same power dormant in us. So, we are not ordinary human beings. We are extraordinary. We are not just powerful, we are powerhouses of infinite energy. That is why Mother says - "O man, you are Vaikuntha - the abode of miracles. Being ignorant of this, you expect to see, and desire to see others perform miracles for you. You don't realise that you can perform miracles for the whole world." When we activate this dormant power by implementing the truths that we are receiving from the Divine Mother, many souls will automatically gravitate towards us seeking this nectar from us. When we scatter grains sugar, we don't have to advertise in the newspapers to call the ants. They flock to the sugar in hordes on their own. This is the eleventh truth.
12. Since we have forgotten this treasure trove of nectar that Mother has given us and have completely neglected it, we are all limping in life instead of spreading our wings and soaring in the sky of bliss. Rather than looking inwards, we look at the outer world and play blame games. We go around telling others - "My whole life/ day/ career/ happiness/ peace is spoilt because of you." Blame makes us lame. Instead, if we only turned to Mother every moment and said - "Mother everything is happening because of You, You and You alone," we would all have been enlightened by now. This is the twelfth truth.
13. Now the Divine Mother is revealing Her closely guarded secret to us. She says - "My child, where are you searching for Me? I am inside your very own being. I abide in your Swadishthana Chakra or the energy vortice behind your navel. This chakra is the place specially reserved for you. So, I have enthroned Myself in your abode as Goddess Rakini. I have not come here alone. I have also brought Lord Vishnu with His conch, wheel and mace. Why have I brought Him here armed with all His weapons? He has come to annihilate the five excesses that are disconnecting you from Me." This is the thirteenth truth.
14. What are the five excesses that are preventing us from experiencing Mother's presence within us? They are - (i) Rupa or form (ii) Sparsha or touch (iii) Rasa or taste (iv) Gandha or smell (v) Shravana or listening
    As human beings we are all attracted to these five things. We are caught in the sensual form, the compulsion to touch, the attraction or repulsion of smell, the cravings and temptations of taste and the mesmerising power of sound. This is the fourteenth truth.
15. The Divine Mother says - "Have caution when you exercise these five sensory modes of perception. Remember that as a human being you are driven by your emotions. So, it is not only what you see, touch, smell, hear and taste that is important - it is how you do it and what emotions it triggers in you." In short, how you perceive with your senses is what you get, because this decides the fruits of your karma." This is the fifteenth truth.
16. So, the Divine Mother tells us that we must change our perspective in life. We must make it more noble and dharmic. We must stop looking at things with the feelings of attraction - "I must have this at any cost.' She says - "When you are disgusted with yourself by your selfish thinking, feeling, craving or behaviour, chant this most powerful seed syllable that I am giving you now. This is the seed syllable or bija mantra of your Swadishthana Chakra. Whenever you chant it, I will ask Lord Vishnu to let go of His Sudarshana Chakra [the chakra that focuses our gaze on our own divine core]. This will cut that excess instantaneously and refocus your gaze on your soul." This bija mantra that Mother has given us is "Om Vam". Whenever we are pulled into undesirable thoughts, attitudes, feelings, desires, cravings, temptations, doubts, suspicion, conflict, lack of faith and confidence - we should immediately chant this aloud. At once our bhavana or feeling will be transformed. This is the sixteenth truth.
17. We are all emotional beings. When we emote according to dharma, we promote ourselves to Divinity. If we stray out of the framework of dharma, and emote basally and selfishly, then we demote ourselves to karma. So, Devi asks us to exercise our senses with great awareness because the emotions that are triggered every moment by our senses can either shackle us to karma or anchor us to Divinity. This is the seventeenth truth.
18. The Divine Mother cautions us about the way we view Sages, Seers, Enlightened Masters and especially our own Guru - "Don't look at your Guru through the framework of your limited logic. The Guru is Divine. He is one with the One; the source of everything. You can never measure, judge, gauge or understand Him using your human yardstick. If you find yourself trying to do this and if doubts, suspicions, negative thoughts or feelings about your Guru creep into your mind, immediately dispel them by chanting 'Om Vam'." Before going into the Sanidhya or divine presence of an Enlightened Being, we should chant this powerful seed syllable several times to change our human outlook and establish ourselves in a divine perspective This is the eighteenth truth.
19. When a desire enters our minds, if we chant 'Om Vam' we immediately realise whether we really need that object or not and whether it is beneficial or detrimental to our well being and the wellbeing of others. So, the perspective from which we view that object changes, our attitude towards it changes and the emotion it triggers in us changes as discrimination dawns in us. This is the nineteenth truth.
20. Our sense of touch is very powerful. That is why we are all compulsive 'touchers'. If we see a sign that says 'Wet Paint', we touch it to see whether this is true! If a board in the Museum says 'Please do not touch', we are never satisfied till we have touched it anyway! But the spiritual tradition of Sanatana Dharma says - "Give respect. Show reverence. Limit your sense of touch to the minimum." That is why, when we greet each other, we do not shake hands in our culture. We fold our hands with great reverence and say 'Namaste' which means 'I bow down to the Divine in you.' So, we should be very careful what we touch and how we touch it. Constant awareness is the twentieth truth.
21. Everything begins with a smell and taste. Our cravings are triggered and our repulsions are activated by what we smell. When we smell the delightful aroma of our favourite snack or food, though we have resolved to give it up forever, we immediately visualise it and taste in our minds. So, though we are aware that it is physically or spiritually detrimental to us, we are strongly tempted to eat it again. Smell is very subtle, but it exercises a very strong influence over us. That is why Devi says - "When such temptations and cravings grip you, chant 'Om Vam' and release yourself from their grip at once." This is the twenty first truth.
22. Our tongue not only tastes, it also talks. How effectively and courteously are we expressing ourselves and communicating with others everyday? It is not only what we say that is important, it is how we say it. It is not only what we ask that is important, it is how we ask. Are we humble? Are we caring? Are we sensitive to the needs and receptivity of others? Are we clear, concise communicators? This is what the Divine Mother is asking all of us to be aware about. Before communicating anything important, if we loudly chant 'Om Vam' once, we will talk only what is necessary and no irrelevant, damaging or harmful words will emerge from our mouth. We must all remember that once a word is released from our tongue, it can never be withdrawn. The words we utter can make or break our relationships. They can enhance or tarnish our image. They can take us either to success and failure in life. This is the twenty second truth.

So, today the Divine Mother has given a most powerful weapon into our hands in the form of the seed syllable 'Om Vam'. She has empowered us to transform ourselves and constantly tune in to Her divine presence within us. Let us begin using this weapon immediately to change ourselves. This will make us eligible to hear the truths that Mother will be giving us tomorrow.

May all of you overcome your excesses, and gain complete control over your senses and mind through your sadhana and the Grace of the Divine Mother. May the Blessings of the Divine Mother remove the poison of your karma and fill your lives with the nectar of Grace. May you become founts of Her divine nectar and wisdom. May all beings be happy.

Jai Matha. Om Tat Sat.

May all of you attain the light of Self knowledge and become enlightened. May all beings be happy.

Navaratri - Day 1

Gist of Pujya Guruji's Discourse on 8th October, 2010

Today we have all gathered here with great joy to adore the Divine Mother during these nine auspicious nights of Navaratri. Yesterday was the dark night of the new moon and today the waxing cycle begins, as the nights get progressively brighter and Navaratri culminates in victory over our vices on Vijayadashami. Like the darkness of the night is transformed by the radiance of the moon, so also a special element should enter our lives every year. This special element is knowledge. Just as our age increases year by year, our knowledge or Jnana should also increase. Knowledge should begin to bloom in us from Navaratri and culminate in total transformation on Vaikuntha Ekadashi, three to four months from now. These nine nights are set aside by Devi for the rejuvenation of our heart and spiritual knowledge. For this to happen, all of us should participate in Navaratri with the feeling - "Something new should come into me today." It is to empower us with knowledge and guide us on the spiritual path that our Sages began the spiritual tradition of the Guru Parampara or the lineage of the Gurus.

If we look at our lives today, all of us are suffering from ignorance or ajnana. If we think we know something, we actually know nothing in life. In fact, in most ways, animals are much better than us. They don't change their qualities for any reason. A lion does not try to act like a mouse and a rabbit does no try to behave like an elephant. A lion remains a lion and a rabbit remains a rabbit. However, we are not like that. We keep changing every second. Some times we have noble and divine qualities, sometimes we have ordinary human qualities and at other times we even descend to the level of base, animalistic tendencies. Since our qualities and characteristics are always changing, we are never what we are supposed to be. It is easy to understand an animal because it is predictable, but it is impossible for us to understand ourselves because we are so ignorant about our own nature. We don't know who we are and we don't know how to accept circumstances and receive them in a divine way or how to interact with people. We don't know how to be our true selves in different places, with different people and different situations. We behave differently with our family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and strangers. We keep modifying our behaviour based on our experience. What do the Vedas, Shastras and Sages say about this? They say - "The very fact that you have to think, act and express yourself in different ways with different people, in different situations is itself ignorance. You must behave in the same way all the time. You must always remain your true self without changing with the circumstances in your life. You must be just yourself - ever true to your Self."

When the Sages were asked how this could be done, they explained - "How does God appear to everybody? He was the same when your forefathers worshipped Him centuries ago, He is the same now and He will remain the same centuries from now. That is how you should be." The scientists may refute this statement by saying - "Since the deity of God that you worship is made of stone, it will naturally remain the same. How do you expect Him to change physically?" Yes, just as God appears hard and unchangeable outside because the deity is made of stone, the stability of our heart and mind should be fixed and firm. Since we are not like this, this is ignorance. The knowledge that we are ignorant is the wonderful nugget of wisdom that Devi is giving all of us today. Do we need any knowledge greater than this? We have brought our ignorance with us from our past lives. We experienced it then and we are still experiencing it now.

How and why did we first begin to experience ajnana or ignorance? This was the question asked by all the venerable Sages who had gathered in the subtle realm of Naimisha Aranya in Badarikashrama [now known as Badarinath] in the Himalayas. In response, Sage Suta Romaharshana, also known as Suta Muni began to narrate this episode that took place in Vaikuntha, the abode of Mahavishnu long ago - "Once as Lord Vishnu was reclining in Yoganidra [Meditative Trance] on the coils of the seven hooded serpent Adishesha, in the middle of the Kshirasagara or ocean of milk, two pieces of wax fell from His ear into the milky ocean. The Chetana or vibrant energy of the Kshirasagara vivified this inanimate wax. This can be compared to the process of sepsis and inflammation setting in when we have a wound on the body. It can also be likened to the way too many good things in life get converted to arrogance in us. If we are immature, too much success in life leads to the accumulation of unwanted dirt called ahankara or ego. In the same way, these pieces of wax began to bloat up with arrogance and became asuras or demons called Madhu and Kaitabha. Seeing Lord Vishnu reclining on Adishesha, they asked - "Who are you?" [From here began the ignorant custom of asking 'Who are you?' instead of probing into 'Who am I?'!!!]

Since Lord Vishnu was in Yoganidra, they received no response. However, Lord Brahma who was seated on the thousand petalled lotus that emerged from the navel of Lord Vishnu was alarmed at the menacing appearance of these huge demons. So, He prayed to His Creator and invoked that Energy. Devi Adiparashakti, comprising of Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswathi appeared before Him as scintillating radiance and asked what He wanted. Lord Brahma said - “These two evil forces are bothering Me. Please wake Lord Vishnu so that He can vanquish them." Devi removed the element of inertia from Lord Vishnu and He emerged from His Yoganidra. Devi gave Him a prompt through Lord Brahma - "These are evil doers. Vanquish them." So, Lord Vishnu battled with them for 1000 earthly years [1000 days according to the timescale of Devaloka where each terrestrial year is equal to one day.]. This shows us that those who obtain the Grace and blessings of God and then become asuras or demons are very powerful and difficult to vanquish. There are many examples of such demons in our scriptures like Bhasmasura, Hiranyakashyapu and so on. After Lord Vishnu vanquished Madhu and Kaitabha, He was very tired. So, as He stood leaning against His bow, He slipped into a deep sleep.

Let us now move back a little in time. Much before the demons Madhu and Kaitabha were born from Lord Vishnu's ear wax, He was once seated in Vaikuntha with His consorts Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Bhudevi. He saw a glimpse of His own future where He was being beheaded. Accepting this as a part of Devi's Leela or sport, He smiled to Himself. At this moment, Goddess Lakshmi turned to look at him with a loving smile and She saw Her Lord smiling cynically and making a disparaging noise as if to say - "So what?" Thinking that He was sarcastically mocking Her love, Goddess Lakshmi cursed Vishnu saying - "May you lose your head for derisively scorning my love in this way." What Lakshmi meant was that Vishnu's ego should be destroyed. However, when a God or Goddess curses, this curse gets implemented at all levels - physical, mental and spiritual. Not in the least worried about this, Lord Vishnu continued to smile as He said - "May it be so."

Now let us come back to Lord Vishnu who was leaning against His bow [called Saringa] and sleeping in exhaustion after slaying Madhu and Kaitabha. Remembering how these demons were born the last time Lord Vishnu slept, Lord Brahma was panic stricken to see Him falling asleep again. However, He did not dare to incur a sin by waking Lord Vishnu. So, He called all the Gods and asked them what could be done to awaken Him. The Gods said - "How can we take the responsibility of waking our Lord? Lord Brahma, You are the one with four heads. So, you think of an idea and tell us what should be done."

After all the Gods had so vehemently declared that they did not want to play an active role in waking Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma also decided to pass on the responsibility to somebody else. [This is where our tendency to pass the buck began!!!]

So, thinking that if the support of the bow could be removed, Lord Vishnu would automatically wake up, Lord Brahma summoned the termites. He said - "If you devour the bowstring of Lord Vishnu's bow, I will give you the boon of eating the leftovers of the oblations that are offered during every homa or fire ritual after the Gods have partaken of them." The termites readily agreed and began to devour the bow. As they nibbled at it, the bowstring snapped and the backlash was so forceful that it beheaded Lord Vishnu. His head flew across the Kshirasagara or milky ocean and fell in an unknown realm. Let us pause for a moment at this phase of the story to learn two important truths:

1. Even the Gods did not know what to do to awaken Lord Vishnu. So, the first truth is that all of us are ajnanis or ignorant.
2. Lord Brahma expected that the termites would devour the bow and wake Lord Vishnu, but His plan misfired completely. So, the second truth is that we rarely get what we expect in life. Most of the time our expectations do not materialise.
   To continue with the story, when Lord Vishnu's head flew off, all the Gods were devastated. They put their heads into their hands and said - "Hey Brahma, We thought you had more knowledge than us because you have four heads. However, it appears that we were wrong. Now, don't use your head. Use your heart and tell us what to do to rectify this situation." [The Gods actually use their heads very little and as they are actually based on their heart or Chaitanya. With us, human beings, it is quite the reverse.] However, neither Lord Brahma nor any of the Gods could think of anything to remedy this ghastly situation because as soon as Lord Vishnu was beheaded, the whole cosmos was depleted of Chaitanya or Energy because He was the Sustainer of the Universe. So, they were all enveloped in ajnana or ignorance. This was the beginning of our own ajnana or ignorance.
   Looking at all the disheartened faces around Him, finally Lord Shiva, the dissolver of negativity said - "Brahma, the last time you were in a fix, you invoked our Creator. Why don't you pray to that divine radiance once more and ask for guidance?" So, Lord Brahma invoked Devi Adiparashakti who manifested and began to laugh so loudly that all the seven worlds began to shake. Why? She was actually using Her breath which makes the sound of 'Hoom. Hoom, Hoom," to cleanse the seven worlds of negative vibrations. It also rejuvenated the Chaitanya or energy in the Universe which had come down to zero. So, there was no inspiration, activation or motivation. If we can imagine the world without any air in the atmosphere, we can approximately understand how all the beings in the seven worlds felt without Chaitanya or Energy. When Devi's laughter revitalised the Cosmos, the demoralised Gods were rejuvenated.
   Devi Adiparashakti said - "None of you are to blame. Everything that has happened is My Leela or divine sport." Hearing this, all the Gods are absolutely astounded. From that day till today, whenever we hear something very unexpected, whether the news is good or bad, our whole thinking process comes to a standstill and we call it a state of shock! We think we are so different from the Gods. However, if Gods are harassed by demons, we are also attacked by demons in human form outside and demonic thoughts and feelings inside. Whatever the Gods have experienced or are experiencing, we also experience a part of it. That is why we say history repeats itself. Now Devi continues - "All of you have been blaming Lord Brahma. I assure you it is not his fault. All this is happening only because it is My Will."
3. This is the third truth: Everything happens because it is God's Will that it should be so. Nothing is actually caused by us, our circumstances or the people around us. We are all puppets in the hands of the Master Puppeteer called God. We sometimes think - "I did nothing to harm anybody. Why is this happening to me?" It is just God's Will. So, we should never fill our minds with bitterness, resentment or guilt by indulging in blame games, blaming circumstances, other people or ourselves for anything that has happened or is happening to us. We must constantly be true to our principles, but must never attribute the results of our actions to ourselves or others. We should be aware that the Will of the Divine Mother is always Supreme.
4. The fourth truth is that surrender is the doorway to knowledge. So, whatever we are doing now, whatever has happened to us in the past, and whatever we want in the future - we should not keep this in our minds - we should simply unburden ourselves by offering it all at the Lotus Feet of the Divine Mother. Mother says - "My child, nobody is responsible for anything that happens in your life. Don't blame your parents, spouse, children, colleagues, neighbours or strangers. It is all My Will. So, free yourself of all these burdens by simply offering everything at My Feet and even your most complex problems will be resolved effortlessly through My Grace."
5. The fifth truth is that everything always happens for the best. No matter how bad things may seem to us, it is all happening for our own good. Since we are not yet able to see the full picture because of our ignorance, we sometimes feel that our life is going from bad to worse. If our lives hit a bad patch, we should constantly remember that the Divine Mother's Will is ever benevolent. She will never permit anything that is not in out best interests to happen to us.
   Having restored the Chaitanya of the Gods, Devi said - "Lord Vishnu was beheaded because of Goddess Lakshmi's curse. That again was not Her fault. It was My Leela. Why did I give Her that prompt? Once, when a demon called Hayagreeva gratified Lord Vishnu with His penance, He told the demon that he could ask Him for a boon. Hayagreeva first asked for the boon of immortality. When Lord Vishnu refused, He said - "I must die in Your hands alone, but You cannot come in Your present divine form to kill me. You must have a horse's head like mine and Your name should also be Hayagreeva." Lord Vishnu granted this boon. Now this demon's torture has become unbearable to the beings in all the worlds. So, the time has come for his end. Bring a horse's head and ask Vishwakarma, the celestial architect to attach it to Lord Vishnu's body. With this new form Lord Vishnu will also be called Hayagreeva. Thus all the conditions of the boon will be satisfied. Then Lord Vishnu will successfully slay the demon and liberate all the beings from his clutches." Lord Brahma followed Devi's instructions and the demon Hayagreeva was successfully vanquished according to Devi's Divine Will. [Whenever the Energy and Form change, Gods come to earth as avatars or the embodiment of divinity in human form.] Thus when Lord Brahma and the other Gods accepted Devi's Will as Supreme and laid the whole crisis at Her Lotus Feet in surrender, She resolved it instantly. When the demon Hayagreeva was slain, they understood that everything had happened for their own good because Devi's Leela is always benevolent.
   Mother is telling us this story today because this is the day that Lord Vishnu's head was re-established [Padya of Ashweeja Shukla Paksha]. That is why we became aware of the ignorance that Lord Brahma wrote on our foreheads today. Through the Compassionate Grace of the Divine Mother, the time has come for the head of ajnana or ignorance to be banished forever from our lives and for the head of jnana or knowledge to be permanently re-established. This is the most auspicious beginning of our precious lives. We think that what we possess is precious. However, The Divine Mother says - "My child, never rate yourself by your possessions. It is you who are precious and auspicious and knowledge is your most priceless possession." Today our story begins afresh as we move from ignorance to knowledge. Knowledge gives us true power. Even if we have wealth, it soon dwindles if we do not have the knowledge to make it multiply. We need knowledge to understand our own lives. Otherwise, when we look back, we forget most of the good, joyful times we have enjoyed and remember only the rough patches. Knowledge is a component that we need in every department of life. Just as the dark night of the new moon or Mahalaya Amasya was left behind yesterday, today the darkness of our ajnana will recede forever.
6. The seventh truth is that from today, our life is Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu. What is Vaikuntha? It is a place of divine miracles. Our body is a place of miracles - look at how it grows and changes. Isn't that a miracle? Look at how our mind is transformed by the knowledge gained through our experiences. Isn't that a wonderful miracle? Yes. Our lives are full of miracles, but we did not have the wisdom to recognise this till now. Since we were not stable, we were not able or capable of doing this. Now we are at the point where miracles are happening constantly. Merely materialising objects is not a miracle. A change in our pattern of thinking is a miracle. A change in the way we feel is a miracle. A change in the way we respond and correspond with people is a miracle. These are the transformative miracles that we must all recognise and strive to achieve. That is why the Divine Mother says - "When you realise that your inner Chaitanya or your own soul is Divinity, your body becomes a shrine. Then you need not go to a temple to see God. Your own life becomes Vaikuntha." This is the greatest knowledge that Devi is giving us today.
   So, let us drop our diffidence and self-doubt by empowering ourselves with these nuggets of knowledge that the Divine Mother has given us. On this first day of Navaratri, the Divine Mother is ready to grant two boons to all of us - the boons of stability and will power.
   So, the seventh truth is that stability and will power are indispensable on the path to knowledge. On this inward journey from ignorance to knowledge, we need the inner stability and stamina of a horse. A horse can trot, canter and gallop for very long distances without feeling tired. Today all of us need this kind of horsepower. Mental stability and will power will give us the ability to think positively all the time. They give us the steadfastness to remain our true Selves with any body in any situation. So, let us all close our eyes and pray to Her - "Mother, let my stability and will power be rock hard like Your outer form and let my heart be as soft and all encompassing as Your Chaitanya or ever pulsating energy. Please hold my hand and guide me on the path to Knowledge. Banish my darkness and lead me to light."

May all of you attain the light of Self knowledge and become enlightened. May all beings be happy.

Jai Matha. Om Tat Sat.