Atma Svarupa Mahadeva

Swami Paramarthananda lectures  Shivaratri is considered to be a very auspicious day. The word “Shiva” itself means the auspicious one. Therefore Shivaratri means “night of auspiciousness” during which we worship Shiva. HE is the embodiment of auspiciousness, who is the embodiment of Mangalam, and who is the embodiment of Ananda. By worshipping Shiva today we can attain all the purusharthas – artha, kama, dharma and moksha. And on this day Shiva puja is done in the form of rudra abhisekham. Sri Rudram is supposed to be a very sacred mantra occurring in the Vedas. Sri Rudram is the glorification of Lord Shiva who is none other than Rudra, which means one who removes all sorrows or pains from one’s mind. “Ruth” means “dukham” and “dra” means “remover”. So the very meaning of Rudram is ‘remover of sorrow” and so we chant Rudram and do abhisekham today. The glory of Rudram is mentioned in Kaivalya Upanishad: a person becomes free from pappas and sins he has committed. Rudram no...

The Vaisnava tradition is primarily a tradition of  bhakti , or devotion to God. Nārada defines  bhakti  as being of the nature of intense love for God:  Sā tvasmin parama premarūpā . The sage Śāndilya defines it as supreme attachment to God:  sā parānuraktir-īśvare .  Two types of bhakti have been described by the teachers of bhakti:  vaidhī  and  rāgānugā .  Vaidhī bhakti  involves  worship  and other rituals as instructed by the scriptures, whereas in  rāgānugā bhakti , intense love for God is fundamental, and rituals and  worship  become secondary.  The  Vaikhānasa Āgama  deals primarily with  vaidhī bhakti , while Pāñcarātra Āgama teaches both  vaidhī  and  rāgānugā bhakti . Vaikhānasa Āgama The Vaikhānasa school of Vaisnavism claims its origin from the sage Vikhanas or  Brahma , the Creator himself. The Vaikhānasas are primarily a community of...

Osho quotes People ordinarily think that forgiveness is for those who are WORTHY of it, who deserve it. But if somebody deserves, is worthy of forgiveness, it is not much of a forgiveness. You are not doing anything on your part; he deserves it. You are not really being love and compassion. Your forgiveness will be authentic only when even those who don’t deserve it receive it. In fact I would like to make the statement that the man who is unworthy deserves more than the man who is worthy. The man who does not deserve, deserves more, because he is so poor; don’t be hard upon him. Life has been hard upon him. He has gone astray; he has suffered because of his wrong doings. Now don’t you be hard on him. He needs more love than those who are deserving; he needs more forgiveness than those who are worthy. This should be the only approach of a religious heart. The question is not whether anybody is worthy or not. The question is whether YOU have the consciousness, the abundance of ...

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. Sadhguru looks at the methods of preparing vibhuti, how it should be used and where it must be applied on the body. Sadhguru: There are many aspects to the usage of vibhuti or sacred ash. First of all, it is a great medium to transfer or transmit energy, and it has an ability to help direct and control the energy body. Apart from that, there is a symbolic significance to applying it on the body. It is a constant reminder of the mortal nature of life – it is like you are always wearing mortality on your body. Normally, yogis use the ash that they pick up from the cremation grounds as vibhuti. If this ash cannot be used, the next alternative is to use cow dung. There are other substances used but the basic material, the body of it, is cow dung. If even this ash cannot be used, the next alternative is to make it of rice husk. This is indicative that the body is not the core substance, it is just the husk. Why do we use sacred ash? Un...

By Swami Vibhooti Saraswati Bhasma or vibhooti is the sacred ash from the dhuni or fire of a yogi or avadhoota, or from the sacrificial fire or yajna, where special wood, ghee, herbs, grains and other auspicious and purifying items are offered in worship along with mantras. It is believed that bhasma destroys sins (paap), and that it links us with the divine. It is called ‘bhasma’ because it has the power to consume all evils. Any matter, broken up through the process of fire is reduced to its ‘bhasmic’ form, which is infinitely more refined and pure than the original matter, devoid as it is of all impurities niranjan. The grossness of matter obscures the subtle essence inherent within it, just as wood hides fire and milk conceals butter and cheese, but when it is burnt (or churned in the case of milk) only the pure essence remains. Similarly, the great heat of tapasya an...

JAPAM Japa, is the constant repetition of a sacred word, syllable, name, phrase, prayer, or mantra to bring the mind into a state of heightened concentration, stability, and devotion. It is a popular, ancient practice which is mentioned in several Hindu scriptures as the best sacrifice, and which is believed to be purifying and transformative. The repetition of God’s name is a common practice among many religions. Japam is considered a shortened and heightened form of personal prayer or sacrifice. Words have the power to change your thinking and state of mind. They can distract your mind from problems and worries and offer you a temporary relief from stress and anxiety. If you constantly remember or repeat a word or a phrase, it can greatly influence your thinking and change your behavior and attitude. Modern psychology recognizes the importance of positive affirmations. Japa is an ancient practice, which is based upon a similar principle. Both acknowledge the import...