Keep Going

Recently I received a mail which made me think a lot!  It spoke of growing roots and keep going and never to quit! It reflected the insight which our puranas and ithihasas hint at and it was quite fascinating.

A common word often repeated of late is Depression! The present day life style leads to a lot of stress and strain resulting in depression.  I wonder were there not strains and stresses in the earlier age? To all our elders or people who lived in the earlier centuries?  Or the earlier yugas? If so how did they combat depression?

We have come far away and the times have changed, life style has changed, thinking has changed, technology has changed. But the feelings still remain the same.  When you find something good it gives you happiness. When you encounter harsh treatment it leads to sorrow.The truth is that everyone wants to be happy!

When we read our puranas and ithihasas, don't we find the characters going through worse turmoils than we do?  Were they not going through tough times? But what we also see is that they emerged tougher! It is said that Tough Times do not last but Tough People Do!  Whether it is a western author or whether it is our ancient rishis the fact of the above saying remains the same!

What is the purpose of life? Its meaning, its essence, its significance? Where do we search? How do we find out? Delve deep into one's own heart. Deeper and deeper.  Focus.  The answer always comes from within. Not from outside!  That inner force shows you. Let it guide you. The deeper you delve the taller you grow. That is what struck me when I read about "growing roots".  As it says, Good days give you happiness and bad days give you experience. Both are essential to life. I will later relate an instance from our great epic  Ramayana.  Now I would like to share with you the quotable quote which I   have enjoyed.

                             Happiness keeps you going,   Trials keep you strong.

                             Sorrows keep you Human, Failures keep you Humble,
                          
                             Success keeps  you glowing - But only
                         
                             God keeps you going!




          

                             

Prayer is answered!

Prayer is a very common word and used by most of us. Whenever we pray it goes without saying that it is with an expectation to be fulfilled!  Unfortunately it is also true that most of us feel that all our prayers are not answered!  If we  truly analyse and introspect we will find that because of our certain expectations we feel disappointed with the results and refuse to accept what is given to us.

I want such and such a thing, only in the way I want. Otherwise, it is not accepted! We have this tendency and hence refuse to look at the generosity with which we have been showered by God. Recently I read a few lines somewhere which answered this beautifully, which I would like to share .

                                              A Thoughtful Prayer.

               We asked for Strength and God gave us Difficulties to make us strong.
               We asked for Wisdom and God gave us Problems to solve.
               We asked for Courage and God gave us Dangers to overcome.
               We asked for Love and God gave us  troubled people to help.
               We asked for Favours and God gave us Opportunities.

               We Received Nothing we wanted But Everything we needed!

               Our Prayer has been answered!

             
Don't you think so too?!  God never gives up on you! So how can we give up hope?
    

Vijayadasami

The tenth day of navarathri ends with Vijaya Dasami.  Vijaya means victory.  It represents the victory of good over evil and the normal belief is that anything started on a vijayadasami day will prosper and progress well and generally be successful.  Actually on introspection we have to annihilate all the evil qualities in us and bring out the best qualities and carry on in life. All the evil forces normally align together and the Supreme power manifests  in the form  of energy or Shakti which we call Devi and destroys the asura shakti and restores the balance in nature. This is symbolically contained in the puranas in the form of allegory.  After worshipping Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi for 9 days on the 10th day Devi assumes the form of Mahishasuramardini, and ends the evil of Mahishasura, and saves the good force called Devas.

Interestingly  Mahisha was an asura who had all the obstinate qualities and revelled in torturing others for his pleasure.  Mahisha means buffallo, and many a times   it becomes very difficult to make the animal obey!

In India, all the days so many Devi stotras are chanted and one among them is Mahishasuramardini stotram. According to Devi Mahatmyham,  all the other forms of devis join together to kill the assistants of Mahishasura. Durga devi assumed another form of kali and killed  two assistants of mahisha called chanda and munda  and hence the title of Chamundi is given to this particular form. In Bengal Durga puja is celebrated on a grand scale. In Mysore, Chamundeswari is worshipped gloriously by the ruling dynasty and also by all the people.  We have even a hill called Chamundi Hills where devi was supposed to have killed Mahishasura.  Devi Chamundi called Chamundeswari is worshipped in the beautiful temple atop the Hills.

There is a place in the central Himalayas called Kali math, where another chief of Mahishasura called Raktha Bhija was supposed to have been killed and hence the name of Kali math for that place.  These asuras were very powerful  and  very fast and travelling from place to place should not have been a problem for them! Apart from historical and puranical evidences, there are also geographical evidences and these are beautifully connected by the day-to-day stotras we are chanting which we never realise!

Once when we were travelling through these madhya himalayas, a sadhu residing there near varanavath which has been there from Mahabharath times and where the lac house was situated and burnt,  explained one of the slokas which bore proof of this history.  When analysed there was a beautiful coincidence which I would like to share with you all.

Ayi Jagadamba madamba kadamba vana priya vasini rasa rathe
Shikhari shiromani thunga himalaya shringa nijayalaya madhya gate
Madhu madhure madhu kaitabha bhanjini kaitabha gaanjini hasa rate
Jaya jaya Hey Mahishasura mardii ramyakapardini shaila sute.

The second line explains that in the Central Himalayas, where the highest peak which is called Thunga is situated, there, very near that place Devi's temple is situated.

Most of us know about Kedarnath which is one of the siva temples situated in the himalayas and it is about ten to eleven thousand ft. high.  But there are five kedars one of which is called Tunganath which is the highest among the pancha kedars about 12,500 ft. high situated in the central himalayas. This is corroborated by the sloka! Below that the place called Kalimut is also there within close quarters.  Various sthala puranas quote the same stories but in different forms and many of our geographical names also coincide with the itihasa and purana names reinstating our belief in history and also the faith in the puranas!   Is it not interesting?

Ashtalakshmi

Today being Durgashtami, let me share a few thoughts about Ashta Lakshmi.

Ashta in Sanskrit means eight.  Lakshmi represents wealth/prosperity. Ashtalakshmi represents eight forms of wealth.

Adi Lakshmi is the first form of emergence of prosperity. Adi is the beginning.  When we pray or dwell on her concentratedly and continuously, the Goddess manifests first in the form of Adi Lakshmi. 

Then we need wealth, which She gives taking the form of Dhana Lakshmi. Dhana means wealth.  Mere wealth is not enough. One needs food to eat! Even if you have money, if the foodgrains are not available, one cannot eat! Food is required by all the species. So the third form of Lakshmi is called Dhanyalakshmi.  Dhana and dhanya always go together. We call it dhana dhanya Sampath.

When these basic needs are fulfilled, one wants to venture out and explore the outside world. For this, he needs to be brave, courageous.  This is granted by Veera Lakshmi.  To face the outside world and to be brave in all the endeavors blessing of Veeralakshmi is required.

Next comes Vijayalakshmi. Vijaya means victory. In all the endeavors, we want to be successful. This success is granted by Vijayalakshmi.

A successful person who has all his basic needs fulfilled and is progressing in life wants to further explore learning and knowledge, which is supplied by Vidya Lakshmi.  Vidya is Knowledge.  The absence of knowledge leads to ignorance.  Knowledge is pursued, and one's intellectual needs are fulfilled.

Next comes Santhana Lakshmi.  Santhana means progeny.  Whatever assets one has acquired has to be passed on to the next generation for their benefit.  Children make one's life fulfilled.  Santhanalakshmi is worshipped for this purpose. 

Lastly, when you have children, you want them to be happy and prosperous, healthy and knowledgeable, and respected in the society in which one lives. All these qualities are represented by one word in Sanskrit, which is called Sowbhagya! So the eight forms of Lakshmi are called Sowbhagya Lakshmi.

So during navarathri all these ashstalakshmis are worshipped for the individual prosperity and also for the prosperity of the entire humanity. Not only for humanity but for the prosperity of all the living beings.

So let me pray " Sarve janaha sukhino bhavantu," which means let everyone be happy!

Hello everybody! I have just created a blog! Wait for more from me!