Bhagavan's hold....His Grace holds

Just as the prey which has fallen into the jaws of a tiger has no escape, so those who have come within the ambit of the Guru’s gracious look will be saved by the Guru and will not get lost; yet, each one should by his own effort pursue the path shown by God or Guru and gain release.

- Bhagavan

Just two days ago.

A young man, a Software Engineer, walked in. To consult for his proposed property purchase and tax compliance procedure.

He just sat in the chair turned right to look at the two Mahans' big pictures on the wall to the left of my work table.

 In complete awe and trying to relax - his first visit to our office -, he referred to my quoting one stanza of Bhagavan's Akshara Manamalai each day in my whatsapp status screen.

He went on. Once he had been to Bhagavan's Asram.  Eversince, he has been feeling the experience of Bhagavan lingering.

My mind went back to the very first day to Tiruvannamalai and Bhagavan's Asram in early 90s during our bank audit tour.  Entering the Matru Bhuteshwar Shrine, Shrine in dedication to Bhagavan's Mother Alagamma, just after Bhagavan's bust size idol on the right of the Mantap, on the outer wall was lengthy cloth banner carrying the message of Bhagavan's first experience, experiment of death.  My reading in English till then was very scarce, I can say hardly anything.  Fully awestruck in that divine vibe, I stood calmly and read every single word right from first word till the end, though the message was completely beyond my grasp and English scaring, especially words like rigor mortis.

Somehow it struck me that I must come here as often as is possible. More visits, fresh dimensions. Completely in Bhagavan's tight grip. More reading about Bhagavan, more listening about Bhagavan.

No surprise. Those who read Akshara Manamalai come, share their similar experiences. And those who got the vibe ask me about how to go to the Asram.

He remains Magnetic.

Ohm! Namo Bhagavate Ramanaya.

Sages' Food

Maha Swami's Food

அனைவரும் அறிந்ததே. பொரி தான் மஹானின் உணவு. அதுவும் சிறிய அளவே. அதற்கும் ஒரு சவால் ஒரு முறை நிகழ்ந்தது. ஆந்திராவில் ஒரு சிவாலயத்தில் மஹான் தரிசனம் நிறைவு செய்து வெளியில் வந்த பொழுது அவர்கள் வைத்திருந்த பொரி மூட்டையைக் காணவில்லை. Maha Swami didn't get perturbed. Fortunately, one sishya accompanying Maha Swami on pilgrimage had in his bag பொரி bundles sufficient for next three days. As day 4 was fast approaching, the sishya felt deep pain as how would they get pori for the next day. Just then, entered a devotee, appeared before Maha Swami for darsn and he offered a big bundle of pori to Maha Swami.

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi 's kitchen 

Those days bhakthas thronged Bhagavan's Asram. Some stayed in the Asram itself. Food was cooked in the kitchen and offered to all who came to have darsn of Bhagavan. One night the rice stock in Asram was almost nil. Worried cook told about this to Bhagavan. Bhagavan didn't get perturbed. Just then a bullock cart entered the Asram. A rich farmer and devotee of Bhagavan brought in bags and bags of rice.

Miracles happen in divine presence.

The force, மஹா சக்தி operates.

The 'how' will remain.

What we can do is, just partake a tiny of மஹா prasad.

Maha Swami on Diwali

Maha Swami on Diwali 

The True Message of Deepavali

- HH Jagadguru Pujya Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Mahaswamiji

Deepavali and Naraka-Chaturdasi are one and the same. This is celebrated as a national festival throughout India, but in different ways in different parts of the country. In North India, it is considered a day of lights and the houses are colourfully illumined on the occasion. In the South, however, people take an oil bath before dawn and put on new clothes. It brings happiness and joy to people who undergo sufferings in their daily lives. In the early hours of the dawn of the day preceding the new moon day, i.e. Chaturdasi, when the sun is in the Tula Rasi (Libra) of Zodiac, water anywhere in the world is Ganga and oil becomes saturated with the auspicious presence of Sri Mahalakshmi. Everyone from the simplest gypsy to the proudest magnate, from the innocent child to the serene saint should take a bath with oil and water and be happy, illuminating every nook and corner with strings of light, literally deepa-aavali (rows of lights). This is the boon prayed for by a mother when her son, who was a real naraka, to the world at large, was being killed by Sri Krishna. 

"Let the happiness of every creature in the world be the compensation for the grief caused to me by the death of my son", was the prayer of that bereaved mother. Deepavali outweighs every festival because of its having emanated from two hearts in which happiness of the world at large outweighed the lightest pitch of personal calamity. Nothing can be nobler than this last wish of the dying demon, and more so, the prayer of a bereaved mother.

Source: kamakoti.org

Saraswati Devi in a cave

If we all think just only Ayodhya was under siege, we are all mistaken. 

Maha Periyavar refers to an incident in Madhya Pradesh. The place is Dhar city. It was ruled by King Bhoja, nearly about thousand years ago. He was great supporter of Indian Arts, literature, poetry, Sanskrit, architecture etc. People came to learn that a few people saw some Sanskrit letters inside a cave there in a Mosque. Only after independence, the Epigraphical department could manage to obtain permission from the custodians and see inside the cave. There was a chakra inscripted within which lot of slokas in Sanskrit was written. 

The same was Saraswathy Devi Temple during King Bhoja's era. Maha Periyava says it was proof that those days Kings preserved and worshipped Sastras, Vedas. 

Saraswathi Namastubhyam sarva devi namo namaha

shaantarupe shashidhare sarvayoge namo namaha

सरस्वति (Sarasvatii) - Devi Saraswati

नमस्तुभ्यं (Namastubhyam) - Salutations to You

सर्वदेवि (Sarva-Devi) - All Goddesses

नमो (Namo) - Salutations

नमः (Namah) - Salutations

शान्तरूपे (Shaanta-Ruupe) - Who has a Tranquil Form

शशिधरे (Shashi-Dhare) - Who Wears the Moon

सर्वयोगे (Sarva-Yoge) - Who is the Embodiment of All Yogas

नमो (Namo) - Salutations

नमः (Namah) - Salutations

Meaning:

6.1: Salutations to Devi Saraswati, Who is the Embodiment of All Goddesses; Salutations, Salutations to Her.

6.2: Who has a Tranquil Form, Who Wears the Moon and Who is the Embodiment of All Yogas; Salutations, Salutations to Her.

RAM NAM

"When a child, my nurse taught me to repeat Ramanama whenever I felt afraid or miserable, and it has been second nature with me with growing knowledge and advancing years. I may even say that the Word is in my heart, if not actually on my lips, all the twenty-four hours. It has been by saviour ...."

- Mahatma 

Naga Swami on Ram Nama....vol 4, தெய்வத்தின் குரல்:

ராம ஸ்மரணம் மாத்திரம் ஒருவனுக்கு ஸதாவும் இருந்து விட்டால் அவனுக்கு இந்த பாபமயமான, துக்கமயமான பூலோகமே பரமபதமாகத் தானிருக்கும் என்று ரூபித்துக் காட்டக்கூடிய யோக்யதை இவர்களுக்கு இருந்தது. ஆகையால், ‘இந்த உண்மையை உலகத்துக்குக் காட்டுவதற்காக இவர்கள் இங்கேயே சிரஞ்ஜீவியாக இருந்து கொண்டிருக்கட்டும்’ என்று நினைத்தார். அதனால் அவர்களை பூலோகத்திலேயே இருக்கும்படியாக ஆக்ஞாபித்து விட்டுப் போய்விட்டார்.

Who was it that left them to live eternally?

Ans: Lord Ram

Whom He left to live eternally?

Ans: The Ever powerful Lord Hanuman.

All those who chant Ram Nam are blessed Souls.

Gone Machine

This may have become museum piece.

But if your fingers effortlessly do a நர்த்தன் in your modern key board, we owe a lot to our training in these years ago - lower, higher grades.

My memory goes back.When a bunch of cousins, we approached the Master at Lakshmi Institute, behind age old Lakshmi Theatre at Devakottai. The Master said, "sorry, all slots are full. I can't help."One ingenious cousin, not a one to give up easily shot back, "Is your 4 a.m slot also full?".

Master stared and hesitantly said, " we open by 6 am only."My go-getter cousin said, "Master you give the key, we will practice from 4.30 to 5.30 or six and we will leave after 6 am slot students walk in."

Master handed over one key out of his two sets.

For about two months we practice till our college opened after summer vacation".The adjoining one is 100 years old Narayana Vilas restaurant. There too, after type practice, in the restaurant too we were the first to walk in and enjoy the steamy ghee Pongal sprinkled with roasted cashews. Can Pongal go alone? Yeah, it went with its accomplice, the piping hot methu vada. 

The days we can't go back but live in happy memory only.

Miracles.....How?

We don't know.

God keeps sprinkling surprises here and there quite often.

It was a busy working Saturday.

A cousin walked in casually, for it was his holiday.

 In the midst of chat, he narrated two of his close experiences.

The first,

His cousin's friend has a house in Kodaikanal. That friend's mother is a devotee of Bhagavan Sai Baba of Puttabarti. Swamiji used to Visit His Asram in Kodai. The friend is a jolly good fellow. In his house, his mother had decorated their hall with a big picture of Baba. Whenever his mother was away from hilly town, he gathers his local friends and is used to have a drink session. Every time he picks up a glass, he extends the same towards Baba's portrait and says, "cheers".

One weekend the mother dropped in. She took him to have darsn of Baba at Kodai Asram. It's a practice in Baba's Asram. Before Bhagavan arrives in the hall to give darsn, the male devotees are seated on one side and the women on the other side. Our friend was in the front row. When Bhagavan enters the hall, He walks slowly and collects from a few the prayer chits, says a few words to devotees randomly. Bhagavan suddenly stood before our friend and said loudly, "cheers". The friend was stunned.

That very day, the friend gave up drinking once and for all.

The story 2.

Another common senior cousin took this cousin suddenly on one day to Kanchi Math. The senior is very pious person.The senior's forefathers had done திருப்பணி in a very famous temple near Kumbakonam. When the cousins arrived in the Math, there was heavy crowd. They were wondering would they be able to have darsn of Maha Swami that day. They made up their mind to return and come back some other day. Suddenly an attender to Maha Swami came out of the Math and said to the cousins, "Maha Swami instructed me to take you inside."

எல்லாம் அவன் செயல்.