Eye opener

 THIS IS RIGHT ON THE NOSE. .......READ IT SLOWLY... I DON'T KNOW WHO WROTE IT, BUT I AM GUESSING IT WAS A SENIOR!!! ( There are quite a few people who said they wrote it. I wish I knew the real source to give credit) I FIRST STARTED READING THIS AND WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS IS VERY THOUGHT-PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK.

AND THEN IT IS WINTER You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is…my friends are retired and getting grey…they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me…but, I see the great change….Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant…but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore… it’s mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will… I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so…now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last…this I know, that when it’s over on this earth…it’s NOT over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done…things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you’re not in your winter yet…let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long!

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life…so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember…and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!

“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN!BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY!

REMEMBER:….

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

“LIVE HAPPY IN THIS YEAR AND EVERY YEAR!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO – ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

~Your kids are becoming you…….

~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

~You forget names…. But it’s OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

~You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don’t care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It’s called “pre-sleep”.

You miss the days when everything worked with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch..

~You tend to use more 4 letter words … “what?”…”when?”… “what?” . ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it’s not safe to wear it anywhere.

~You notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody whispers.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet…. 2 of which you will never wear.

~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, “OLD FRIEND!” Send this on to other “Old Friends!” and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!

It’s Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

To serve.

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INFINITE.

 Whether grain grinding or pounding

Your name, Oh Infinte, I am chanting

Your name is with me constantly
Not forgetting it even momentarily

My only perennial occupation
Is Almighty’s name recitation

My mother, father, brother, sister
You are, O Sudarshan Chakra holder

On your feet is focused my attention
So says Sant Namdeo’s handmaiden

If the Ganga flows to the ocean
and the ocean turns her away,
tell me, O Vitthal,
who would hear her complaint?

Can the river reject its fish?
Can the mother spurn her child?

Jan says,
Lord,
you must accept those
who surrender to you.      

The bird flies to the end of
the horizon
and brings food for its young.
The mother-eagle wanders in the sky
but hastens back to her young
Mother is busy with her work
and yet her mind never leaves her child.
Mother monkey jumps over a tree
with her child holding on to her stomach.
Similarly, mother Vitthal watches over Jani
over and over again.      

Jani has had enough of samsara,
but how will I repay my debt?

You leave your greatness behind you
to grind and pound with me.

O Lord you become a woman
washing me and my soiled clothes,

proudly you carry the water
and gather dung with your own two hands.

O Lord, I want
a place at your feet,
says Jani, Namdev’s dasi.      

——————————————–
“There is nothing empty of divine.”
——————————————–

[For Janabai, the divine is inseparable from other reality: Janabai become Vitthal, Vitthal becomes Janabai. Her use here of the word “Vithabai” creates a feminine form of the masculine name “Vitthal”:]

What I eat is divine
What I drink is divine
My bed is also divine
The divine is here, and it is there
There is nothing empty of divine
Jani says—Vithabai has filled
everything from the inside out.       ————————————————————–

“We the devotees are the source of your strength.”
————————————————————–

[Her relationship with Vitthal allows Janabai to scold him:]

I have no fascination for you, God!
I am not going to serve you any more!
You are not magnanimous
Why do you carry this false pride
of greatness?
What will you gain by getting angry with me?
We the devotees are the source of your strength.
You have no power of your own.
Hari, haven’t I understood your secret?      

——————————————
“By my life I will not let you go.”
——————————————    

[And to speak of imprisoning him. “Pandhari” is the city of Pandharpur; so’ham means “I am he,” total identification with Vitthal:]

I caught the thief of Pandhari
by tying a rope around his neck.

I made my heart the prison cell
and locked him up inside.

I bound him firmly with the Word,
I fettered his holy feet,

I thrashed him, whipped him
with the word so’ham
while Vitthal complained bitterly.

Sorry, O Lord,
says Jani,
by my life I will not let you go.      

————————————————————–
“Jani’s victory was proclaimed in the entire world.” 
————————————————————–

[Here the speaker-scribe is Vitthal, speaking to Jnanadeva, Namdev’s teacher; Janabai’s abhangs are worthy to be recorded by a god:]

“I wrote down Jani’s words
as she uttered them,
Jnanadeva! let it be
known to you,
this has not made me
any less divine!
The absolute truth
is the paper, and
with ink of eternity
Vitthal writes on it
Incessantly
with Jani.”

Jnanadeva smiled
at these words
and clapped.
Jani’s victory was 
proclaimed in the ENTIRE  WORLD.

JA.

 God exercises no discrimination between poor and rich and He sees no caste, creed or religion among His devotees. Transcending all barriers He will help them and shower His blessings infinitely. Janabhai, a destitute girl was worshipping Lord Panduranga every day. Her stay at the house of Namadeva — another great devotee — motivated her more towards the Lord. She prayed that He is her father, mother, friend, relative and in short everything. It is said Panduranga Himself had written the compositions of Janabhai. Her songs are very melodious, melting and full of feelings called as Janabhai Abhangam.

One day the house of Namadeva was about to fall due to heavy rain but Panduranga was holding the wall on his shoulders in the guise of an old person. When Janabhai asked why should you take such a great pain, Lord replied that when my devotees are doing immense service to me, should I not reciprocate?

She felt execrated when she was falsely fabricated for the valuables missing in the temple of Panduranga. Janabhai told that the flow of the course of the river may not be straight or clear but its water will be clean and crystal. Flowers may be tethered disorderly but will not fall short of fragrance. The appearance of a cow may be asymmetrical but its milk is pure and fine. A bow may be curved in shape but the arrow released from it is straight. I may be wrong but you and your divine names cannot be. When she was about to be executed in an impaling stake, it burnt off, changed into a garland and bedecked her, Smt. Visaka Hari said in a discourse.

nidhim

 Ashtakshara mantra, dhvaya mantra and carama sloka are all important to Sri Vaishnavas. But dhvaya has a special place, said Kazhiyur B. Devarajan, in a discourse.

Ashtakshara, also known as Thirumantra, shows us what there is. Carama sloka urges us to act according to prescribed tenets. But dhvaya is the one most suitable for anushtana and anusandhana. Thirumantra is mantra rahasya; carama sloka is vidhi rahasya and dhvaya mantra is anusandhana rahasya. In Thirumantra, the connection with Sri is not openly spoken of. But in dhvaya, it is explicit, both in the poorva bhaga and uttara bhaga. Again in the Thirumantra, the saving feet of the Lord are not clearly elaborated upon. The carama sloka too speaks of surrender to Lord Narayana, but it does not spell out the significance of His feet as our refuge. But in the dhvaya mantra, the word charanau is used, indicating that it is His feet that we should seek.

Kooratazhvan’s Varadaraja stava brings out the meaning of the dhvaya mantra. Kooratazhvan in sloka two of Varadaraja stava, uses the word “nidhim”, meaning wealth, three times. The first time he uses the word, he prefixes it with “Sri”, and says Srinidhim, showing the importance of the Lord’s Consort. Lord Narayana is Her wealth, and She in turn, is the Lord’s wealth. They are the inseparable Divine Couple. The Goddess speaks on our behalf to the Lord. She seeks His daya for us. She draws His attention to our plight. One of the names of Lord Narayana is Sriman. When we say buddhiman or balavaan, it means one who is intelligent and one who has physical strength, respectively. Likewise, when we say Sriman, it means One who has Sri with him. And who but the Lord has Sri with Him always? He is Sriman, for Sri is the permanent resident on His chest.

Often, when we are in distress, we feel completely alone and alienated in this world and assume, wrongly, that there is no one to help us. We cannot be more wrong. God, the one who is the primordial one, is always there for us. He is just one call away. One needs to look no further than Gajendra Moksham to realise that God comes rushing when his bhakta calls for help, said Dhamal Perundevi in a lecture.

In his previous janma, Gajendra was Indhradhyumna, a pious king. When Agastya visited him, Indhradhyumna was meditating on God but the sage, mistaking the same for insult, cursed him to be reborn as an elephant. In the same forest where Gajendra roamed, there resided a gandharva, cursed to be born as a crocodile in a stream. When Gajendra came to the stream, the crocodile quickly grabbed Gajendra’s legs as the only way to reverse the curse.

Reposing full faith in God, Gajendra called out, “ Adi moolame, anadha rakshaka’ (Oh primordial one, protector of the defenceless). So confident was Gajendra of response to his distress call, that he plucked a lotus, to offer it to God, who came rushing on Garuda. Such was the speed of His wish to reach Gajendra that the vahana seemed slow. Getting off from Garuda, He held him with one hand, the Chakra in another, keeping His third free to accept Gajendra’s lotus and the fourth reposing in blessing. Narayna Bhatadri says vayu vegam and mano vegam are the fastest in the world, but God’s karunya (quick response) vegam is unparalleled. He lifted Gajendra’s trunk and said, “Come with Me.” Vedantika Desika says, “Gajendra was dragged by four limbs of the crocodile, but we are dragged in eight different directions by the crocodile called human frailties, save us with Your ashtabhujam prabhatye.” By calling out to Him all the obstacles we face will fade away.

Devotees across the world put aside all other work and observe Vaikunta Ekadasi each year with reverence and fervour as it is the day Vishnu opens the heavenly portals, as it were, for mortals and even devas, said Dhamal Ramakrishnan in a discourse. What is Ekadasi? Ekam signifies one and dasam stands for the numeral ten, totalling eleven. At an equidistant 11 days from new moon day and full moon day, the eleventh day in a month is ekadasi. Every calendar year, we have between 24 and 25 ekadasis, wherein devotees try and observe the ritual of fasting. However, the ekadasi in the month of Margazhi is extremely special as it is the day the Vaikunta vaasal (gate) is thrown open, allowing devotees uninterrupted darshan of Vishnu.

According to Padma Purana, Muran, a demon, had secured invincible powers and was harassing all the saints and devas. Unable to bear his torture, they all seek Siva’s help. However, pointing out that Muran had secured immunity even from Vishnu’s weapons of conch and chakra, He advises them to seek saranagati with Vishnu and gain His help.

Ever ready to help His devotees, Vishnu engages in solo combat with Muran and due to the demon’s boons, the battle goes on for long. Vishnu decides to take a break and seeks refuge in a cave in Badrinath to rest. However, Muran follows Vishnu and when he tries to catch Him unawares, a female form springs up and vanquishes the demon. She is none other than Ekadasi. When Vishnu blesses her, she seeks a boon — whosoever observes ekadasi virat, focuses the mind on god and observes fast, should be granted mukti. Vishnu grants her request, which is why Vaikunta Ekadasi is also known as Moksha Ekadasi.

On this day, devotees should observe smaranam (give up sleep), shravanam (listen to divine discourses) and hear namasankirtan. In many households children play the game of snakes and ladders. The snake signifies ego (if one puffs up with ego, that person will fall hard), while the ladder signifies bhakti.

detachment example

 Our scriptures, our gurus and yogis advice us to lead a life of detachment. They tell us to shun ambition and embrace the selfless characteristic of charity. Such injunctions may appear to be impossible, however, our epics are replete with examples of people who show us the way forward. One such exceptional guide is Bharatha, who spurned his mother’s wresting of the kingdom of Ayodhya from Rama, said Dhamal Ramakrishnan in a discourse.

Bharatha expresses neither joy nor happiness, only deep anguish and tells his mother Kaikeyi he was ashamed to be identified as her son, since what she did was against dharmic principles. When he goes in search of Rama to refuse the kingdom, and seeks Guha’s help, the latter is initially suspicious of him. After all, who will turn down a kingdom? However, when Bharatha drops to the ground and circumambulates the ground where Rama and Sita had sat, that act allays Guha’s suspicions.

On meeting Rama, Bharatha asks to be allowed in exile with him. When coaxed by Rama, saints such as Vasishta and others to rule Ayodhya, he assumes the role of a caretaker, carries Rama’s padhuka as symbolic occupier of the throne and camps in Nandigram, not Ayodhya. Ever aware of human nature, he does not want anyone to assume he strayed from dharma and stole his brother’s crown. He also serves Rama an ultimatum that if the elder brother fails to return at the end of 14 years to Ayodhya, he will immolate himself. When the deadline nears, Rama sends Hanuman ahead to Ayodhya, wondering if Bharatha had undergone a change of heart. However, a steadfast Bharatha was on the verge of sacrificing himself. Rama blesses him, and says Bharatha is the best example of moral values.

guide

Parasara Bhatta wants to praise Goddess Mahalakshmi, but feels his skills are inadequate for the purpose. He then says perhaps on second thought he is the best person to praise Mahalakshmi, for if She were to accept his words of praise, then the whole world would become aware of Her grace. After all, it takes a lot of daya to accept the words of Bhatta, which are far from pleasing, says Parasara Bhatta. Having established that he is fit to praise Her, Bhatta wants his work to be widely accepted by learned men, said Thenthirupperai Aravindalochanan, in a discourse. But if men of consequence are to like his work, then it must be flawless. Having already admitted to his inability to express himself in the best possible words, how can he expect acceptance by scholars, if he is not in some way helped to write the work? And what better guide can he have than the Goddess Herself? So in sloka seven of his Sri Guna Ratna Kosa, Parasara Bhatta prays to the Consort of Lord Ranganatha, and asks Her to undertake the task of supplying the proper words to Bhatta!

Having sought Her help, Bhatta lists out all the qualities that he wants his work to have. The words in the work should be meaningful (vaidhagdhya). It is not enough that they have deep meanings. They must be pleasing to the ear too. The words must be such that they acquire prestige (gaurava) and acceptance by pandits. This work of Parasara Bhatta’s, because it is going to come from the Goddess Herself, will be pleasing to men of learning. The more they hear this work which has sweetness (maadhurya rasam), the more they will want to hear it. Such should be its appeal. “You Yourself, oh Lakskmi (SvayamEva Lakshmi), must complete this work (na: sookthim samagrayathu)”