The Way of the Swan !!

Jai Gurudev !!

THE SWAN …

The spell of the very word opens up in our mind screen , a beautiful picture of the elegant bird .... the pure white coloured creature swimming in clean waters with all its glory and splendour …

The Swan captivates our heart not only by its appearance , but also by its special characteristic , which is very unique in nature. This is well spoken of in Tamil literature and  the poems hold the swan very high in esteem .

Guess what is that characteristic feature ?

Yes, the swan is believed to separate the milk from a mixture of milk and water. If we keep the mixture of water and milk in a bowl , the swan drinks only the milk leaving aside the water in bowl.

This unique  feature of identifying and separating the goodness makes the swan a special bird.

That’s the reason , the swan has occupied an important place in the Hindu Mythology too.

The Goddess of knowledge , called Goddess Saraswati is depicted as wearing white colour saree , holding the Veena and the books  and sits on the Swan .

The white colour marks the purity , the Veena indicates the arts , the books denote the knowledge . 

And the swan  is the vehicle of the Goddess Saraswati , the reason being its unique characteristic of separating the goodness from the bad.

In short , we can say , one can master the knowledge /Arts , only  if he moves with the attitude of identifying the positivity in every aspect of life , ignoring the negative attributes and becomes pure in his thoughts and actions . Then , Saraswati is supposed to stay in his/her tongue and actions too.

The knowledge flourishes only in the midst of positivity and purity  .

Here knowledge means the true knowledge , the knowledge of the Truth or Wisdom .

The Lake Manasarovar in the Holy Himalayas or the Mount Kailash is supposed to be the abode of Swans in India .

The Swans occupy a high pedestal rather a respectable position  in the spiritual sphere.

The Swan Concept  that is identifying and sticking to the positivity of any thing has also been stressed strongly in the Holy Book of Hindus , the Baghavad Gita.

In Gita, Lord Krishna uplifts Arjuna by his enlightening  words of wisdom in the midst of the Warfield, when Arjuna was totally depressed and dejected as he has to fight against his own cousins in the war.

Krishna , at one point says that , " Arjuna , this Supreme knowledge is being taught to you because you are Anasuya now ."

Anasuya means "Devoid of Fault finding eyes " “

Indirectly Krishna says that , since Arjuna has become the one who has stopped finding faults , his mental state has become ready to receive the supreme knowledge.

Else the knowledge will go waste , if the listener doubts everything and dwells on the negativities.

There is a certain mindset that even in the best of conditions , keeps finding fault. That type of mindset cannot know the sacred knowledge.

For instance, Hanuman never saw any fault in Rama.

From a distance , even craters cannot be seen.

Even on a smooth surface, there will be holes.

If you are interested only in the holes, then you will not be able to see the magnanimity of things.

So, becoming Anasuya is one of the prime factor in the path of Truth !!

Love & smiles....

 

Satsang - The environment Uplifter !!

Jai Gurudev !!






Satsang conducted by AOL Teachers Mr.Gururaj
& Mrs.Romna Gururaj.Their son Deivik is also seen.







 




Satsang in a slum





*Satsang*  in true sense means " The Company of the Truth " or "The True Company ".


It means as....


The company which gives the  upliftment of our soul,
the company which brings eternal Joy and happiness ,
the company which makes us forget our worries and sorrows,
the company which makes us to realise our inner self,
the company which we always look forward without our knowledge,
the company which always will be with us .... the Truth !!


We prefer to be in the company of our friends and relatives , due to which we get joy , no doubt.
But we can not always guarantee that. Sometimes, the negative tendacies also do crop up , like anger , greed, lust , violence etc... And sometimes, this company will pull us down also , making us depressed or feel low in our energy level. Also, this company favours the gossips , negativity , loose talks - the talks which do not have sense at all etc...




The kids actively participating in Satsang.



In the midst of these company , we can find our inner peace, enormous Joy , uplift our energy level in the positive direction in what we call as *Satsang* or the True Company.Not only that , the satsang , which involves the full participation of the people can do wonders . It can purify the environment , uplift the energy level in the surrounding area where it is conducted.

That's the reason , the satsangs when done in the slums , in the midst of the less fortunate people/kids , we can see their face glowing . The people would have forgotten the miseries they are undergoing due to various levels of agonies , they undergo.

That's the concept of Satsang at various low energy level areas.

We can say Satsang as the Power Generator , which brings Light and Love in the lives of the most needed ones at the appropriate time.

The persons participating in Satsangs regularly cannot deny the above fact. 



People having food after satsang



Normally the regular Satsang group , with the intention that the benefit of Satsang should reach the less fortunate people dwelling in slums , orphanages ,

 Blind schools, Old age homes, Handicapped schools, they move out in groups to those areas and conduct satsangs ,

followed by Food Distribution, clothes distribution, other amenities distribution, etc 



Slum Kids relishing the delicacies served



So, one can see every face being lit up with light and Joy , both the conductors of Satsang and the people who are participating .

 

The Blind School kids being
benefitted  by the satsang.
The Satsang group is also seen around





Satsang leaves everyone with their heart full and mind free ....
No doubt !!

Love & smiles...

Why Ganesha ? Why not Allah ?

Jai Gurudev !!

“Why don’t we pray to Allah  ? “

asked a six year old lass to her papa .

“No darling , we pray to Ganesha ,

Who gives whatever we want ! “ said the loving daddy !

The girl  said in a determined tone , “ My friend says

even Allah gives whatever we want  itseems  “,

Confused father exclaimed , “Oh ! My lil’ darling !

               How can  I make you understand ?

There came in time ,Uncle Sam with a clear stand !!

Uncle Sam tackled the question of the girl with his own ,

The sharp little girl responded without any  frown !!

 

Hey  dear ! Which chocolate do you like the most ?

Lollipop is my all time  Favourite out of the whole lot !!

What about your dear friend then ?

Oh ! She likes the Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate wrapped in foil so thin !!

Can you please tell your brothers’ choice ?

“He gulps at one stretch ,numerous  Eclairs and the Nestle’ Coffee Toffees !”

Uncle Sam proclaimed

“Everyone of your choice of brand is different ,

though the chocolate is one and the same ..

Likewise , each one of us pray to different  names of God as per their taste  ,

Though the God is one and the same !!  “

Relief came to the father and the daughter ,

And then followed a spontaneous Thankful gesture  from the father to Uncle Sam later !!

Love & smiles....