posted August 27, 2006 02:22 AM         

Could I suggest something that I have done since childhood? I would save whatever inspired me, and I would read those pages whenever my soul felt burdened and/or lonely. It always helped to make my sagging spirit soar.

Everyone believes their problems to be the worst. When everything fails most of us turn to the Divine Power. If we are sincere and persevere, we will find an answer. That answer may come through the experience of a loved one. or through the words of a certain book, which you just 'happen' to pick up. It may be through a movie or a program on television. Or it maybe an answer from within. All the above insights are forms of 'Answered Prayers.'

Once you have found a direction to solve your problem, only you can put it into action. Sometimes, after you have done your best in a certain situation, you need to do nothing else, but put your problem aside and enjoy yourself. You can also co-create your reality because you were made in God's image.

Sometimes our prayers are not 'answered' because we subconsciously do not want them to be. I know of people who, though they pray for release from their difficulties are actually addicted to the attention that they receive because of it. Or maybe the trying to solve their problem gives them a reason to 'live'.

Think about the above for a moment, or read it again before we move any further. Are you a victim of the above?

Remember that all prayers connected with material desires are limited. When one becomes obsessed with a certain desire, one becomes anxious, nervous and pained. I have read that pain is nothing but resistance to the God energy caused by fear. Anxiety and fear are an impediment in the path of fulfillment of prayer. A calm mind who, though physically shattered, continues to have a strong will is bound to receive a response from the Almighty.

An African School girl's Prayer

"O Thou Great Chief,

Light a candle in my heart,

That I may see what is therein,

And sweep the rubbish from thy dwelling place!

posted August 27, 2006 02:24 AM         

She had gone to visit some friends one evening and time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year.

She ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone.

She wasn't afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks way. As she walked along under the tall elm trees, Diane asked "God" to keep her safe from harm and danger.

When she reached the alley, which was a shortcut to her house, she decided to take it.

However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her.

She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for "God's" protection.

Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped around her, she felt as though someone was walking with her.

When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there.

Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station.

She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story.

The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him.

She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before.

When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.

The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her.

She asked if they would ask the man one question. Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her.

When the policeman asked him, he answered, "Because she wasn't alone.

She had two tall men walking on either side of her."

Moral of the story:

Don't underestimate the power of Prayer!

Gives ya goose bumps, doesn't it!

This is to all of you who mean something to me,

I pray for your happiness.

posted August 27, 2006 02:34 AM         

Do read the following story. I believe a woman told this story at one of the workshops. Seems like she had an accident, and had a near-death experience. As she hovered between life and death, she was able to hear the responses that the passengers of the cars that passed by had. Most complained about the heavy traffic. Others swore under their breath for being late. Some would have probably considered an accident on the way inauspicious.

As the cars streamed past, the woman 'saw light' coming from the top of the 5th car. The white light went towards the Heavens and then was directly directed at her. She wondered what had happened and then she heard the prayer of the perfect stranger in the 5th car. The prayer was: " I do not know who the woman is, But if my prayers can help her, please God help her". These prayers were transmitted to her, and she came back into the body as it was not her time yet. The woman had remembered the license plate number of the one who had prayed for her. When the woman recovered she came to the doorstep of the one who had prayed for her, to thank her.

No prayer goes unanswered. Every thought has energy. Think about it.

(these are all from the above listed website)

------------------
The sky was filled with a thousand stars
While the sun kissed the mountains blue
And eleven moons played across rainbows
Above me and you.

posted September 02, 2006 06:51 AM         

Thought One

In my last portion of Dal-sabzi, I had explained that 'Holi' meant 'ho liya so ho liya' which means 'allow bygones to be bygones'.

In that context, someone has said that it is reasonably easy to forgive, but it is very difficult to forget! Interestingly he speaks about 'deep wounds inflicted...'

I believe that emotional wounds like physical wounds have to be initially tended to. e.g.:- A fracture hurts miserably. One has to go to the doctor and have the physical part put into plaster. After that, there is very little one can do except allow nature to take its own course. TIME HEALS.

Similarly, after one decides to forgive. One does not forget immediately. Allow time to elapse. Do not dwell too much on all that transpired. And time will do its trick. One fine morning you will wake up realizing that you have not only forgiven but forgotten.

Remember that to forget is beneficial to you also.

Thought Two

A forwarded email message that I received has adhered to my mind.

It stated that ‘not forgiving’ was like carrying a sack of potatoes, wherever one went. The potatoes rot and stink, but one goes on with the horrible task.

How terrible!

But we all do it!

Why?

Because one holds on to emotions of self pity and resentment.

Also one gets identified with the unhappy feelings of emotional wounds inflicted in the past. And that is not all, one keeps the process alive by compulsive thinking.

The irony is, that if one lets go of these negative feelings, one lets go of grief.

If grief leaves, a torrent of Life energy floods, and there, emotional, spiritual and physical disease cannot enter.

Easier said than done.

Arjuna told Krishna just that. That it was not easy to follow the Spiritual Truths (that Krishna taught) which lead to Enlightenment and Freedom.

Krishna answered that what is difficult, can be attained with practice and perseverance.

Sometimes one needs to forgive oneself.

Some circumstances, from the past make one feel unworthy and not deserving of forgiveness.

BREAK THAT MIND PATTERN!

I read somewhere sometime back that one needs to forgive others, oneself and Life for all that one has endured. Only then will true freedom be achieved.

‘Not forgiving’ is self inflicted suffering. How much longer does one need to bear it?

Say YES to whatever ‘IS’ now and let go of the past!

I got another email message which taught, that when someone hurts you:

“write it down in the sand, where the winds of forgiveness get in charge of erasing it away, and when something great happens, engrave it in the stone of the memory of the heart, where no wind can erase it"

If one believes people who behaved in a certain way and hurt us in the process, had a choice over their actions; also believe that one has the choice not to be unhappy over it.

If one can create ones misery, one must believe that one can also create ones joy.

OK I can hear you saying that “I can forgive, but I cannot forget.”

I believe that hurt is like a physical wound. You can medicate it, keep it clean, and covered. Nature and Time will cure it. If you scratch the wound, it will get re-infected and will take longer to heal.

http://www.dalsabzi.com/Song_of_life/forgiveness.htm

posted September 02, 2006 06:56 AM         

One takes time out to go to the doctor, the parlor, the dentist, the aerobic classes but one finds it hard to set aside a few minutes for prayer.

A prayer could be a recitation of mantras, elaborate rituals or an informal chat with the Almighty.

Whether you kneel, sit or stand is immaterial.

If you pray to God to fulfill your desires or to pardon your sins, or to express your gratitude for His innumerable gifts, it would still only entail a few minutes, snatched from your mundane activities, to be offered to the Lord.

I have heard that if you put sugar into a cup of tea in anger, hatred, and love, selfishness…the tea would still be sweetened by your effort.

Setting aside a short time to pray may derive many benefits.

It is said that God takes 10 steps towards one, who takes a step towards Him.

Turn to God like a child turns to his mother and you will feel protected.

Your peace of mind will give rise to joy as your illusion disappears and your desires diminish.

Have Faith!

Easier said than done! You will say.

I have read:

Fear knocked at the door

Faith opened it.

No one was there.

Trust that the Universe works in perfect ways to provide you with what is best for your growth. You are ok and the universe is ok

That ‘ok’ may be that it wants you to learn some lessons, hence it is making you go through a rough patch.

God wants what is best for you…eventually.

Believe that the Universe works for you, not against you.

That implies that things may not always turn out the way you would like them to.

I have read

‘…When you turn to the Spiritual Path, hostile elements resent it and try to disturb you.

See any obstacle as an examination paper, and life becomes simple.

Whatever is in front of you…face it--go into it—deal with it.

Then drop it into the lap of the Almighty…’

Life is fair. It treats everyone equally.

Do you know anyone who got what they wanted, when they wanted, whenever they wanted it?

Let your prayer be a sincere cry from the bottom of your heart.

God answers all your prayers.

His answer is sometimes ‘Yes’, sometimes ‘No’, and sometimes ‘Wait’.

Believe that you are worthy to have what you truly desire.

And then, Love yourself.

Why?

Because I have read that God loves you no matter what.

God promises that, more devoted than a mother, He will stand always by our side.

No crime however heinous can make Him desert us.

All we have to do is turn to him.

And that requires only a few minutes every day.

Is that too much to ask?

posted September 02, 2006 07:07 AM         

Everyone of us may or may not be familiar with 'Mantras'.

In the World Book Dictionary, the meaning ascribed to Mantras is: A prayer or Invocation, sometimes held to have magical power'

The repetition of Mantras or God's Name is called 'Japa'

Japa triggers a Spiritual centre in ones psyche that otherwise may be inactive.

We all have heard of the power that 'Om' is supposed to bestow. It is considered the most powerful Mantra.

It is believed that the vibrating sound of the "Om' encompasses the Universe. Sages claim that if one chants it continuously with a certain technique then one can be put in tune with the Cosmos. Almost all other Sanskrit Mantras start with the word "Om'. It is almost like the word 'Om' makes the prayer come alive.

The equivalent of 'Om' in English is I Am' "I AM" is the shortest and the most powerful sentence in the English language. Since there is magic in the vibrational content of the word 'Om' and/or 'I Am' One must not to use any negative word after it For e.g.: One must not say I am sick, poor, lonely, afraid, etc. If one must, use the suffix "I feel..."

In the 'Magic of Mantras' I shall be introducing you to Sanskrit Mantras which may be used for different wants reasons and situations. I believe that they work even if one does not understand the meaning. However understanding them, and/or chanting them correctly makes them more effective as one is then able to infuse more feeling into it. So let us enter together into the Magic World of Mantras.

Mantras may be recited as often as one feels intuitively drawn to recite it. As a matter of fact there is a saying by Kabeer which states:

'Kabeer man nirmal bhayo jaise Ganga neer
Peechhey peechhey Hari phirey kahat Kabeer Kabeer'

Which means that My mind has become as pure as the waters of the Ganga, hence now the Lord follows me chanting my name!

The above is not an egoistic statement. It is believed that after one has chanted the Mantras a certain number of times, Ones heart becomes so purified that the Lord starts to chant ones name!

Meerabai sang: 'Payoji maine Ram Ratan dhan paayo, kharch na khotey, chor na lootey, din din hot savaayo''

Which means: By chanting the Lord's name I have come upon riches that I cannot spend (fritter) away, no one can rob, it increases everyday...

Just try and remember to complete your mantras with:

Om Shanti Shanti Shantih

Mantras for difficult times

Let me share a mantra with you that claims that the Lord's Grace can make the cripple climb mountains and the mute eloquent. With this mantra, you are asking for the Lord's grace to ease you out of difficult situations.

Mookam karoti vaachaalam
Pangum langhayatey girim
Yatkripaa tamaham vandey
Paramaananda Maadhavam

Which means:

I salute that Madhava,
the source of Supreme Bliss,
whose Grace makes the dumb man eloquent
and the cripple cross mountains

There are times in life where the more one tries to remedy a situation with someone, the worse it becomes. When you encounter a situation where even communication fails, then recite the following Mantra. It is the 15th verse of the 15th chapter of the Bhagvad Geeta. Lord Krishna states:

Sarvasya chaaham hridi sannivishto
Mattas smritir jnaanama pohanamcha
Vedaishcha sarvaair ahameva vedyo
Vedaanta krid veda videva chaaham

Which means:

I am seated in the hearts of all.
Knowledge and memory stem from Me,
as well as their absence.
I Am verily that which has to be known by all the Vedas.
I Am the author of the Vedanta,
and the Knower of the Veda I AM.

The key sentence here is that Krishna claims that He is seated in the hearts of all. As you recite this Mantra, know that the other person is aware of whatever you truly are experiencing vis-à-vis them, and/or the situation.

GLOSSARY (Pronunciation)

A Like in ‘but’

Aa Like in ‘Far’

Ai Like in 'hair’

Ey Like in Whey

I Like in ‘Pin’

Oo Like in ‘Shoot’

Oon ‘n’ has got a nasal sound.

U Like in ‘Put’

SANSKRIT

Sanskrit believes that the sound of the word never gets ruined and that it has an everlasting value.

Words in Sanskrit open out from their seed (beej) form.

A root is always a single syllable that contains one of the basic sounds a, I, u, ri

The root or seed may create a word, yet the word will vibrate to its best, and gives it tremendous power.

The Vedic or the Sanskrit view gives more importance to the special sound it should produce, than to the meaning of the spoken word.

posted September 04, 2006 02:54 PM         

Lord, make me an istrument of your Peace
where there is hatred, let me show love
where there is injury, let me give pardon
where there is doubt, let me have faith...
where there is darkness, let me spread Light
where there is sadness, help me find Joy!

Grant that I may not so much seek...to be understood
as to understand
to be loved...as to love

posted December 23, 2006 06:53 AM         

Peace and Love to all this holiday season