Thiruvannamalai Girivalam - A new Blissful experience!!

The mist covering the sacred Arunchala hills. 

Yemalingam temple

The cattles on the Girivalam path.

The road map of the Girivalam path

Nirudhi Lingam temple

Sooriya lingam temple

The sun rising above the Arunachala hills. 

Ardhaneereshwar temple in the Girivalam path

Kubera lingam temple

Nandhi mukham of Arunachala hills  

Arunachala hills seen with multiple peaks

Arunachala hills near to the temple at th ed end of Girivalam path

Lord Annamalaiyar temple,  Arunachala hills seen at the backdrop

                    Thiruvannamalai Girivalam expereince 2022

It was totally an unplanned trip to Tiruvannamalai and Girivalam ( the circumambulation) of the divine Mountain Arunachalam Hills , which is considered as the Lord Shiva Himself in the mountain form is something I have never dreamt of in the near past.

Initially we thought of going for the Girivalam in the night , as some would do. But , changed the plan to the early morning as that would be fresh and we also would get to visit the multiple temples situated in the Girivalam path. And that turned out to be a nice decision too.

We started off as early as 5 .15 am from the Hotel Himalayas , where we had stayed, after finishing our bath and the chanting of the Guru puja mantra . It was quite dark and the weather was also chill , this being the Margazhi month or Dhanur maas .We took an auto to the Lord Arunachaleshwara temple and prayed to the Lord in the entrance by lighting a camphor and started our Girivalam , which is a 14 KM stretch totally .The first temple we came across was a Ganesha temple within few steps  and then the Indira Lingam temple . We took darshan of the Lord and proceeded further. Lot of Ganesha temples both small and big were present on the way. Early morning Abishekams were being performed for Lord Ganesha idols and in some temples already abishekams were over and nicely decked up with fresh flower decorations. Visiting temples in the early mornings that too in the Margazhi month gives a special feeling of divinity within us.

Ashta lingam temples present one in each of the 8 directions viz Nort East , Nort, South west, Nothwest etc.After Indira Lingam temple , followed the Agni Lingam temple and then the Yema Lingam temple. We are supposed to take the darshan of holy Arunachala hills from each of the Lingam temple spots. In between , Lord Arumuga swamy temple also was there. From the Agni Lingam temple , we could see the divine Arunachalam Hills surrounded by mist in the peak portion. The sun had not risen that time yet. I used to listen to the Aksharamanamalai , a song written by Baghawan Ramanar on Lord Arunchaleshwara and in that song , He has sung as ," I just thought of your name , you pulled me immediately to me .. Like how an iron filling is attracted to the magnet , I got attracted to you " . Baghawan referred the Mountain itself as the Lord Arunachaleshwara. Looked like I also got pulled by the divine power to this sacred place. I have also read as, Baghawan Ramanar used to sit still for hours together gazing at the holy mountain in the state of trance. So, all these things were running in my mind, when I looked at the mountain. The same devotion started blossoming in my heart too.

By the time, we reached Yema lingam temple , we had just covered 3 kms. We also saw a big hoarding showing the road map of the Girivalam in detail  , mentioning the distance , the name of temples etc. Walking towards Niruthi Lingam temple from Yema lingam temple, the stretch was looking green with trees on either side, which is marked as Sonagiri forest in the road map. We took the darshan of the holy mountain from there . Lots of saints wearing the saffron attires and rudraksha beads, with Vibhuthi on the forehead were seen scattered all over on the way .They seemed to reside on the platform in small tents , with minimum belongings like clothings to cover, seeking alms to the pilgrims. They utter the name Om Namashivaya on receiving the alms. Few were seen with the matted hair. Few seemed odd in a different state of mind. I have read as , many sidhdhars reside in and around Arunachala hills, which made me to see them all with a different perspective. The very fact that they decided to leave everything material for the sake of Lord Shiva touched me. Some are seen reading some religious books, writing something. They were cleaning the places where they stay with broomsticks. Also got to see some 2 common men sitting in front of a saint and asking for some guidance, which he was explaining with the action, later learnt thathe is the Mouna saamiyar.

Throughout the path we could spot the cows and the calves , the dogs . Some places we also saw monkeys and peacock. On the way ,we listened to Aksharamanamalai songs , Thevaram, thiruvasagam songs , Shiva bhajans and kept our mind engaged in the divine thoughts , our mouth uttering the divine name. The experience was different , pleasant and enjoyable too.

After visiting the Niruthi lingam temple, the sun started to shine with its full splendour. The sun was shining above the holy Hill, which I could capture in the camera too. Then came the sooriya lingam temple. Lord Ardhanareeshwara and Goddess Devi were also present.

And the divine mountain was looking different at each place , somewhere like a Nandhi called as Nandhi mukha , somewhere as twin peaks, somewhere sharp peaks, at some places spread out  broad and wide etc. This is what they would have referred as, the one truth can appear different at different angles. The Varuna lingam temple is situated at 7 kms in the Girivalam path and  Vayu lingam temple at 8 Kms.

Many other temples like Shirdi Sai Baba temples, many sidhdhar samadhis/ temples , Ramalingam adigalar swamy temple, Guru Raghavendra temple, Hanuman temple, Mariamman temple, Gayathri Devi temple are also seen. We went inside almost all the temples and took the darshan . And Kubera lingam temple is also seen with Lord Arunachalehwara  ( not the main deity ) . Literally we can feel the divinity in every inch of the Girivalam path , either the temples are present or the saints are seen. They said, in earlier days, the herbal breeze used to come from the trees in areas adjacent to the hills in the path , curing the pilgrims going on Girivalam of all the diseases. The forest fires which happened now and then have destroyed many trees it seems.

We covered about 9 kms easily without finding any difficulty in walking , after which we started to feel pain in our feet. We had worn socks , double layer as we are not supposed to wear chappals. We drank tender coconuts on the way. And in a temple, the priest gave Pongal as prashadham in our hand and compelled us to have it. Perhaps it's the divine will that we need to have it because we wanted to fast till we complete the Girivalam. After about 8 kms , resting benches under the shades were constructed to enable the devotees to sit and take rest. Also we bought some food packets like Idli/Vadai , variety rice packets and distributed to the needy , the old ladies on the way which also brought us immense gratification. We need to have lots of coins handy to donate as alms . Then and there , we tried to get the change/coins from shopkeepers , priests etc.

Enroute the Girivalam path, a small temple called as Moksha temple similar to mother’s womb was present, where one has to crawl inside the temple entrance and struggle their way to come out on the other side. We missed noticing this temple during our Girivalam , but later found while leaving Tiruvannamalai. People were standing in queue to pass through the small pathway. A person was struggling to come out. 

Kubera lingam temple to Eesanya lingam temple pathway,we really found it difficut to walk. We could not place our feet down on the ground due to the strain in our feet. Suddenly it striked me to adopt the ancient technique of uttering the Lord's name (called as Nama Japam ) aloud in various rhythms, the Om Namashivaya chants like the “Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa” chants of the Sabarimalai pilgrims. This truly helped us to forget our leg pain and it uplifted our attention / consciousness to the higher level. Because of this technique , we could complete the full divine path successfully and we reached the main Lord Arunachaleshwara and Unnamalai Ammaiyaar temple .

The temple was thronged with Melmaruvathur Adiparashakthi devotees cladded in red saris all over. Felt so blessed to take the darshan of Lord Arunchaleshwara and Unnamaliyammar Devi , Lord Subramanyaswamy ( Here is where , Lord Muruga saved and gave darshan toThiruppugazh fame Saint Arunagirinathar , when he fell down from top storey to drop his life ). There's one Paadaala Lingam temple inside the temple premises , where Baghawan Ramana Maharishi was seen to sit engrossed  in such a deep state of samadhi that even the bite of the insects, ants , rodents did not make any difference to him though his body was badly wounded and finally Seshadri swamigal came to the rescue of him ( this incident was inscribed in the wall of the temple ).

The sacred pond in Lord Arunchaleshwara temple

Lord Annamalaiyar temple, Thiruvannamalai 

It was such a gratifying feeling and a sense of fullness after completing the Girivalam of Lord Arunchala Hills .Feeling so blessed and grateful to the divine Grace. The famous Thiruvasagam written by Saint Manickavasagar says " We can get to prostrate the divine feet of Lord Shiva only because of  His shower of grace " ( avan arulaale avan thaal vanangi in tamil ). Om Namah Shivaya !! Om Namah Shivaya !!

 

Suvetha Gopal .

Cure for Corona- Spiritual way 

Tiruchendur Murugan

A couple of months back , Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar addressed a spiritual  gathering in Chennai .He insisted the people to recite the popular tamil hymn , " Skanda Sashti Kavacham ",and added  "I get a sankalpa in my mind ( meaning an intuition ) that you all should chant the popular and most favourite hymn of Tamil people  ," Skanda sashti kavacham" in the whole of Tamilnadu and create a huge wave.  Can you all form groups and  start chanting  the  Skanda Sashti Kavacham daily ? "

 Many a times the words of  an enlightened master carry some deeper insights foreseeing a major calamity and proper solution would be delivered from them well beforehand  . This piece of advice from Gurudev also seems to be a divine intervention  just before the outbreak of Covid-19 . You can listen to the clipping of Gurudev's talk  in the above video.

The Skanda Sashti Kavacham video with English subtitles is given below :

Following Gurudev's advice, His sister Bhanu Didi also had sung the hymn   "Skanda Sashti Kavacham" , in a satsang at the Art of living ashram stating the significance of the hymn and presented that in her facebook post in order to facilitate more people to chant the same .  Following the Master's instructions ,the Skandar sashti chants have been happening all over Tamilnadu  in schools, art of living centres , gatherings etc. At that time, lesser did the people know the actual reason for the sudden need to chant same in a mass scale. 

Just within a very short gap , China started witnessing the fear and the suffering due to the new Corona virus epidemic break . Soon  spreading it's poisonous tentacles far and wide throughout the world , the situation is getting worse day by day creating a panic and warlike situation .The whole world is keeping the fingers crossed on how to tackle and bring the covid-10 situation under control.

Can we not join the above dots to make a line...The divine plan  seemed to create a huge wave of positivity at one part of the world to combat for the outbreak of a major epidemic in the whole world.

Let's first  have a look at the brief introduction of the "Skanda Sashti Kavacham " and it's significance.

"Skanda Sashti Kavacham" is a Hindu devotional song composed in tamil by Bala Devaraya swamigal in 1820 on Lord Muruga ( Lord Subramanya is fondly referred as Lord Muruga in Tamilnadu and is also believed as Tamil's favourite God)  , who is the younger son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi Devi. Skanda is the other name of Lord Muruga ," Sashti" in sanskrit  refers to number 6 and "kavacham " means armour or protecting shield. The name implies chanting  this hymn  serves as the protective armour for the 6 types of sufferings of human birth viz, Physical ailments, mental ailments, devils & demons, harm by poisonous venom ous creatures , poverty, progeny related issues etc . Lord Muruga is also depicted as having six faces .

 Tiruchendur is a temple town  situated in the southern most tip of Indian peninsula . Lord Muruga is depicted as great warrior with valor and courage  , who protected the Devas from demon , Badmasura  . He carrying His sharp spear ( called as VEL in tamil) fought six days war with the demon and killed him after which the demon got liberated and stayed with the Lord as his vehicle Peacock and Cock in His flag. Even today , every year the 6 days fast is observed and celebrated as Skandar Sashti day all over Tamilnadu . Lord Muruga is also known for His beauty and youthfulness ( The purity of heart or the inner beauty of a person will be reflected  in his face says a popular tamil saying )

Bala Devarayar  was once caught under the grip of an incurable disease of his times .Losing all his hope , he went and surrendered to Lord Muruga at Tiruchendur as his last resort and wanted to breathe his last.At that time, Lord Muruga having been touched by the devotion of Devaraya , believed to have appeared before him and prompted  him to sing a hymn on Him , the singing of which Devaraya got relieved off his illness. And Lord  also added whoever sings the hymn with faith devotion and surrendering attitude  would be liberated from the illnesses / miseries in the world.

Filled with gratitude , Devaraya visited all the 6 different abodes of Lord Muruga in Tamilnadu and sang the hymn and finally presented the composition to the world as "Skanda Sashti Kavacham" .In Tamilnadu , they say wherever there's a hillock , Kumaran or Lord Muruga resides there. The ancient scriptures say the people whenever they come across any outbreak of epidemics , used to sing this hymn and had got the relief.

"Skanda Sashti Kavacham" consists of 238 lines and  has a very deep hidden meaning in it.. The hymn starts with a promise of protection from the miseries to the one who chants it . Next comes the meditative couplet which fixes the Lord in the worshiper's heart. 

The main song sings the Glory of the Lord , praising Him and invoking Him in the devotee's heart.

Followed by the lines which refers to every part of the body starting from forehead till the toes , seeking the protection of the part by calling out the distinct names suffixed by  the spear of LORD  as Veera Vel , Vetri Vel  etc. The modern science adopts the same technique of taking attention to each part of the body and curing it as a meditative curative therapy  .

The protection from various types of miseries are also specifically mentioned in the hymn.

There are also certain single letter , double & triple letter syllables in the hymn uttered repetitively like ra ra ra , la la la , ri ri ri  , du du du, dagu dagu , digu digu  etc in various rhythms to produce certain types of vibrations in the body , influencing the chanter positively , getting him rid off negative vibrations.  The modern science also agrees any illness can be attributed to the negative vibrations either in the mind or in the body and insists on the shock therapy by giving electric shocks. To add to the theory, the bells in temples are designed to cause certain positive sound effect and associated vibrations in the environment. And proper chanting of "OM " causes the invoking of positive energy . The whole idea is to activate the energy centers  from the Muladhar chakra to sahasrara chakra , base center to crown center , balancing the energies in the system.

Chanting the "Skanda Sashti Kavacham" not only causes good to the one who chants but also spreads and purifies the surrounding . History says the ancient sages and people who prayed to Lord Muruga are cured of illnesses and lived a long life. Even disastrous Sunami of recent times had not dared to touch Tiruchendur temple ,situated on the sea shore , though it devastated the other adjacent  places.You can watch the below video for the interesting story of Tiruchendur temple shared by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar :

One striking line in the hymn which is noteworthy of mentioning is , " Petravar nee Guru, poruppathu un kadan " meaning " You are the Guru who gave birth to me (he refers to the spiritual awakening ) and it's your responsibility to take charge of me and give protection ." He also mentions " Having complete faith in you , I totally surrender at your Holy feet .So, you save me " .

Some of the instructions to be followed while chanting this hymn , Baladevarayar points out...One needs to chant with purified body and mind ,fixing the mind on the Lord , with complete faith and devotion without wavering the mind , to be chanted both mornings and evenings.Then , Lord Murugan would bestow that person with His Grace , relieving him from his sufferings and pain, however severe it may be.
Also we learn from the spiritual history , many other sages have sung the praise of  Lord Muruga through their devotional hymns with unshakable faith and have records of miraculous escape from their miseries.

The ghastly corona virus outbreak which is threatening the world and spreading like  a wild fire,  claiming thousands of lives  needs to be addressed giving  topmost priority . But the struggle continues endlessly without any ray of hope to conquer it is a great matter of concern ..Need of the hour is the relief required from Corona  . All the countries caught under the grip of fear know no ways to stop the spreading and eradicate the Corona virus. Now is the time, we can use the ancient and proven technique of chanting the Skandha shashti kavasam with faith and devotion and if not possible to chant ,atleast we can sit with eyes closed after lighting an oil lamp , fixing the Lord Murugar in mind and listen to the chants for 20 mins . This not only dispels our fear and gives protection to us from Corona virus fear but also to the surrounding people and the people of the whole world.

The divine law says " You will not be given a problem , which you cannot solve or handle !! The solution or the way out of a problem is given first and then the problem follows ." The divine or nature grows the medicinal plants first and then gives the disease. Nature gives shady trees first and then the hot summer follows . It gives food in form of fruits /grains first and then follows the hunger. It's only the small intellect of the humans, which fails to see the hidden secrets . It's always better late than never. In the wake of the alarming situation of covid-19 , it is high time , we resort to recite  or chant or listen to Skanda sashti kavacham daily with faith , devotion and surrendering attitude towards Lord Muruga or Subramanya and save ourselves and  the world.
Lord Muruga would definitely bestow His blessings upon the whole of humanity and save the world !!
Om Saravana Bhava !! Om Saravana Bhava !! Om Saravana Bhava !!

What is a Bhajan or Satsang ?

For me, Bhajans ( sharing the divine)  means

1.closing the eyes

2. Get inside myself

3. Give your 100percent in singing , irrespective of the voice is pleasing to others or not. 

B'cos bhajans is not one person singing and others listening & enjoying like in a concert. It's all singing together. 

4. Synchronise with the group

5. Only the divine stays, other things vanishes or takes back seat. 

6. Either singing the bhajans would lead to a meditative state or sing the bhajans in meditative state. 

7.Once after the bhajan gets over,  could see the energy level raised up noticeably making us to feel more positive. 

8.The environment filled up with positive vibrations. 

9. Happiness can be seen all the faces of the people who participate in bhajans. 

10. Can even see the animals like dogs would come and sit nearby to feel the peace. 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar says, 

" When we talk or just sit together,  each one's mind would think differently.  Different thought waves would be there in the environment. But, when we sing with one pointed devotion,  each one's mouth would chant the same name or praises of the divine and same divine thought would only be in each mind and the same divine energy reflects in each one's consciousness."

This causes a total upliftment of energy for all .

Hence,  in kaliyuga, it is advised to sing or do spiritual practises in groups to gain the group energy. 

We also call as Satsang, sat ( truth)  -sangha( group) .

Being in the company of truth. We are in the company of the divine when we sing bhajan or share knowledge. 

Jai Gurudev 🙏😊

Animals don't like that..

This forwarded video caught my attention so much that the small girl made me to watch this video again and again.
First of all that simple and pure innocence of the small one touches the heart. Secondly,  the way she emotes on expressing the reason for not eating the chicken or mutton is so beautiful and lovely.  It comes from deep inside her. The way she enquires if Fish an animal shows the spirit of enquiry in her.

The one seed of thought instilled in her as,  " The animals have similar life like us, they have likes & dislikes too,  have feelings like us!  " had kindled her so much that she started having the deep concern for the other lives.  This particular aspect prompted me to probe deeply on her attitude and the reasons for this peculiar or unusual  behaviour of hers  .

In Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna says,  " A person just continues his next life spiritually from the point where he had exactly stopped in his previous life ! " meaning the small girl would have  been a pure vegetarian in her earlier birth and in the present birth,  she could easily catch hold on to that particular thought in her mind stored as a strong impression , once a hint was thrown on her perhaps by someone , school teacher  about the existence of life in animals.

With this strong impression in her consciousness ,  she only could act upon that and would continue to move forward caring for the other lives , considering them as precious and sacred . This can also be considered  as the prarabdha karma,  the karma which is carried forward from our past lives and makes a deep impact in our present lives .

Jai Gurudev!!

What does Lord Shiva posture indicate?

Lord Shiva in this picture is seen in a very calm and pleasing posture with eyes open.  Normally he would be seen depicted with eyes fully or partially closed in meditative posture or in Natrajar posture ( dancing). The eyes open state represents the waking state of the divine consciousness.  

A demon is seen under Lord Shiva's feet.  This symbolically represents the negativities , which are kept under the control of divine consciousness.  Lord Shiva is also the lord of all the 5 elements called as Panchaboothas. Hence, on chanting Om Nama shivaya , we can bring down the ill effects of nine planets and negative forces and negative thoughts. He is also instrumental in bringing the transformation of the mind to a positive change and hence he is also called as the Lord of destruction. At the end of life,  he brings liberation to the souls by detaching the soul from the body. 

Secondly,  the sages are seen sitting near His feet. This symbolically represents His devotees,  who always keep Lord Shiva in their heart and keep chanting His name , praising His deeds and always stay at His feet , seeking His blessings. 

Lord Shiva in this picture is also seen with scriptures inscribed palm leaves  in one of the four hands and His right hand is  in Abhaya mudra ,a  blessing posture . This means He blesses  the sages or devotees by bestowing them with knowledge and wisdom. 

In the other two hands,  one holds the dumroo,  representing the infinite nature of the world and the consciousness and the other hand is with the torch or light meaning the one who gives the direction to our lives. 

Lord Shiva also has the crescent moon in his head . Moon represents the mind. As He is in state of meditation most of the times, His mind attains an  almost a thoughtless state with very minimal thoughts to sustain  the present moment ,which is denoted by the thin crescent 🌙 on His head.  It also marks the state of one who has a say over His mind or thoughts in mind. 

Jai Gurudev !

Light the lamp !!

The other day I happened to meet Bhanu didi,  Gurudev's sister,  when she addressed the volunteers of International women's conference in the Art of living Ashram at Bangalore. 

This was the first time I met her at such a close proximity. Such a divine beauty & simplicity ..love & radiance emanating from her.  She was down to earth and was chatting with us.  She mentioned about her facebook post on the reason for lighting the oil lamps at home or during any celebrations/ puja.  

So beautifully she had put it across the various aspects involved in lighting the small oil or ghee lamps. Even she had asked us to add our own views on that too. 

To read Bhanu didi's post :

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1590192967716994&id=145013855568253&_rdr

Thinking on those lines, I started visualising my own experiences , how I feel while lighting the oil lamps. From childhood days,  having brought up in the family of Hindu tradition,  we have the habit of lighting the lamp both in the mornings & evenings in Puja room and on  every special occasions  like birthdays,  festivals, functions etc.  Also we light a lot of lamps during Karthik  Deepam festival  ,when Thiruvannamalai Deepam is on.  After the huge ghee lamp is lit up on the holy Thiruvannamalai hill, all houses will be lit with small mud lamps and placed decoratively all around the houses,  on the rangoli/ kolam pattern ,  in the front doorway, on windows,  compound  walls etc. It will be such a visual delight to watch , that too when viewed from a distance, it will be spectacular. And it brings in lots of joy & enthusiasm within us. 

Just before lighting the lamp in the Puja room,  we ensur that first our body is cleaned by the daily bath , we wear clean and neat clothes and the place is also cleaned thoroughly, no dusts visible around and the lamp is also washed well. If it's a copper or brass lamp,  then we use the tamarind pulp and the special powder to make it sparkling clean. Secondly , we also chant the known mantras ,songs , keeping our favourite God in mind , not giving any place for any negative thoughts to crop in our mind,  with complete focus on one's own self and 100 percent in the present moment 

 , we do the act of lighting the lamp with a sacred feeling. 

Once the lamp is lighted, the characteristic striking glow of fire brings in some brightness to the environment  , visibly driving away the darkness.  It symbolically signifies the removal of darkness of ignorance within our consciousness and  brings in the light of knowledge and wisdom in us.  Our consciousness gets an uplift,  no matter how low it was. 

The lamp lit with ghee or sesame oil has its own fragrance,  purifying the atmosphere.  On the  day of Ugadhi, when I had been to the powerful  Banashankari devi temple in Bangalore for attending Swami Suryapadji's  Satsang,  the strong smell of the thousands lamps lit on cut squeezed Lemons  by the devotees engulfed the whole area, spreading the positive energy. 

Sitting in front of the lighted lamp , chanting prayers and doing meditation has a definite impact on our consciousness, no doubt. 

Let the practise of lifting the oil/ghee lamps in houses continue among the present younger generations and let the knowledge & wisdom dawn upon them with all its glory!! 

Gurudev says " Light the lamp of love in the hearts of the people! And only a lit candle can light the unlit candle!!  "

Jai Gurudev !

Jai Gurudev !!

"Faith moves the Mountains " is a very popular saying . Jesus has said , " if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

Contemplating on these great words , my mind was taken on  a wide tour of numerous instances in our history. If we take the story of Hanuman in Ramayan, the great epic , it's quite amazing to hear his valour and deeds .At one particular point of time, to save Lakshman, Rama's dear brother ,  a herb called Sanjeevani was required and it were to be seen in only the Sanjeevani Hills . Then , Hanuman was asked to bring that herb by Rama  as he was supposed to be the strongest of all  .  And Hanuman  , instantaneously set out on His master's orders .He could not trace out that particular herb, so he decided to lift off the whole hill and carry it to Rama . With the weapon called as mace or Gada in his right hand, he carried the hill in his left hand and flew back to His master without any delay.The people were surprised to see the act of valour by Hanuman.Lakshman was saved , thanks to Hanuman's efforts.

"How could Hanuman do that ?" is a question to ponder . But He had done that as per the purana or history. One thing is very obvious that , it's the *Faith * factor ,which had done the magic. Hanuman is a Great devotee of Rama .

 He is believed to have opened his heart and revealed Ram and Sita , who dwell in His heart. The unshakeable Faith of Hanuman has empowered Him to move the mountain and lift it , no doubt .

Faith has indeed moved the mountain !!

 How aptly has Jesus said it !! 

 

Love & smiles...

Inner Vision - The Real Vision !!

Jai Gurudev !!

The Karnataka welfare Association for the BLIND ( KWAB)  situated in Seshadripuram, Bangalore    is an NGO depending totally upon the  DONORS  for looking after the partially to fully vision impaired children  , ages ranging from 4 years upto 18 years and above. The Asssociation has been working for teh last 3 decades and above.

About 95 kids are being taken care of by this organization including their studies , accommodation , food and other amenities . 7 College students are also included in this school.

The Secretary for this organization is Mr.Murthy , who himself is vision impaired and he manages to run the show with such a great efficacy and skill . Very admirable indeed !!

 

Manikantan exhibiting his Mimicry talent

We ( My friend Kalavathi and myself)  had the intention to conduct the Bala Chethna Shibir program from The Art of Living , which is a wonderful program developed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Guruji for the benefit of the poor kids above the age group of 8 years. The program is a beautiful module , which empowers the kids with pranayama / mediation techniques to sharpen their skills  and  improve their health along with the knowledge on the basic life skills , leading to their overall development .

The Secretary Sir and other people in their team are very co-operative and arranged the hall readily for us to conduct the program. The Day 1 session started on Oct 18, 2014 with the  kids introducing themselves by telling their names and classes they study . One boy by name Manikantan is capable of doing Mimicry and entertained the kids with his telephonic conversation mimicry, Dogs barking mimicry etc.



Kids enjoying their friend's mimcry

The children were curious in listening to us and attended the session with great interest . They also learnt the pranayam techniques with enthusiasm and participated fully in the games/story sessions etc.



Suvetha & Kalavathi conducting the Bala Chethana Shibir session

We could see that at the end of the session , all had glided into the meditative state very naturally and felt very happy for the same . They thanked Guruji for this wonderful opportunity.

We too..

The Blind school kids in Cloud Nine.

Contact Details in case you wish to help these under privileged kids :

 The Karnataka Welfare Association for the Blind ,

No. 69, 1st Main Nehru Nagar, S.C Road
Seshadripuram, Banglore
Karnatka
560020
Phone No: 080-23369703
Contact Person: Mr. S.P.Murthy - 9741122706
Bangalore
Email: kwab_ngo@rediffmail.com

Jai Gurudev !!

Maha Shivrathri - A Great experience !!

Jai Gurudev !!

This Sunday , Mar 10 being the Maha Shivrathri , the Art of Living Ashram had planned wonderful events as part of the Maha Shivrathri celebrations at Bangalore Ashram . Earlier , it used to happen at different other locations .

Hence, I had also planned to be there along with my center people and acquire the graceful moments .

Close to a Lakh people would have visited the ashram , I believe . Devotees  from 60 countries had attended the function. All people , young and old alike, youths and kids , aged , men and women alike had participated , none to leave .People from all over the world and all over the country were present at the occasion.





About 252 Gram Devathas had visited and graced the ashram  on this auspicious night. That means the village deities from 252 different villages in and around Bangalore has been invited. That was a wonderful sight watching them bring their Gods with all instrumentals and associated dance troups.

Guruji had started the Live Kriya Himself , which the people had definitely found a Great and amazing difference than the regular taped Kriya versions.

Followed by the Sudarshan Kriya was the  Rudra Puja with Shiva Chamakam  continued for about an hour , the Puja was performed by Guruji to the Shiv Linga and other priests were assisting Guruji. Vedic Chants were going on , chanted by small Veda Patashala kids and pundits .Guruji was seen with utmost devotion and 100 percent concentration towards the Puja and he went into deep meditation for about an hour afert that  , when the whole Yagna shala or the Hall was reverberating with the Shiva Bhajan songs. All the people participated , their energy level was at a very high , after the Kriya and Puja and the Gram Devathas too.

Guruji had also participated in a couple of  Bhajans, once he came out of the Meditation  and blessed the people.

That was a really a Blissful Shivrathri , which I ever had experienced in my life. A memorable one indeed !!

Love & smiles...



A Sea of Devotion !!

Jai Gurudev !!

Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar

Today ,being  a Sunday ,  a hectic day for a working woman like me , a real relaxation comes in the form of  AOL follow up class , which starts at 6 AM  and extends till 8.15 AM , which invloves Yoga , Sudarshan Kriya , meditation etc..

The AOL teacher spread the news that Guruji is in town for the Satsang at Ashram today . The mind started planning to visit the Ashram to have a glimpse of Guruji . It all started with buttering  my husband to take me there , as it takes about two hours up and  down to visit Ashram and come back.
After he agrees, then the sunday job went on with full swing without any break - special breakfast , lunch , grinding of batter , clothes washing etc...

Thought that I 'll call up few of my AOL friends , to join with us . An aunty who had wished to visit the Ashram ,  joined us and we all started by 3.00 PM , reached there by 4.45 PM, only to see the traffic jam at the entrance even before we enter the Ashram .



Amphitheatre in front of Visalakshmi Mantap
 at AOL Ashram, Bangalore.

The Satsang place , the Amphitheatre was brimming with people - ageas of all groups right from toddlers to old age people .There was not a single space vacant. The whole crowd waited for Guruji , soon he entered accepting the flower offerings from devotees .

Guruji answered the questions of people of all age groups. One school going kid stood up and asked , " Guruji..Guruji..My fried is very bossy Guruji, what should I do ? "
 Guruji smiled & answered , " Chalo ..Help that friend also to be a boss know...!!"  

One youth stood up & asked , " My horoscope and my girlfriend's horoscope do not match due to which my parents do not agree for the marriage , Guruji !! What should I do ?"

Few youths stood up and read the poem they've written for Guruji for which the crowd applauded. Today , the international bloggers conference is happening at the Ashram .

Both youths and middle aged persons put up questions to Guruji on ongoing incidents  like Delhi Rape case .. Guruji opined , " In India, we talk only about the problems . Media highlights only the problems . Solution is not discussed at all. We need to attack the root cause.  Alcohol shops need to be closed . People do not know what they do ,when they are drunk. This is the main cause !!"

Some shared their experiences of Sudarshan Kriya , which had caused medical miracles and thanked Guruji for that ,heartily . A doctor said, her husband regained his arms action after paralytic attack caused by a fatal accident.

The kids cried out loudly,  "Guruji ..Guruji " .Some were offering sweets , flowers etc..
One baseline , what I could feel was,  not only one devotee is present there , but n number of devotees !! Not leaving a single person , each and everyone was a devotee there ...perhaps the level of devotion might be in various degrees , that's it !!

A Sea of Devotion , indeed !!

Thankyou Guruji ....for making me a devotee too....!!


Love & smiles....