A smile is very contagious. It make everyone feel good. There is so much to smile about. Wake up with a smile and go to bed with a smile. A smile is your bestie. Continue reading
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The Great White Owl family
We visited the Ranua Sanctuary, which is a wildlife park with arctic animals in the south of Rovaniemi, Finland. Here one can see the magnificent Snowy Owl, which has become famously known as Hedwig in Harry Potter. Continue reading
Velvet sky
Lapland has the darkest sky and at night the dark sky is covered with stars, planets and tiny stars. Looking up was like seeing a black velvet blanket studded with myriads of the brightest diamonds. There is a verse in Devimahatmyam, called Ratri Sukta (Sacred Night verse). It is from the Vedas and Goddess Night is personified as a divine presence. Continue reading
Meditation and Karma Yoga
Meditation carries a strong meaning, suggesting that daily practice makes us highly advanced beings. I am using the exact sense of the Hindi term ‘pahucha hua’—a holy man—applied to someone who performs daily sadhana with rituals that reinforce the image. As a child, I heard sannyasins described this way. I imagined they had arrived at a distant destination, since the word also implies reaching. Continue reading
Our personality—Hexaco
Since the time of Hippocrates and the ancient Greeks humans have been trying to classify personality. Today personality is described in terms of five basic traits. They are:
- openness to experience
- conscientiousness
- extraversion
- agreeableness
- neuroticism
The good news is a newer model called Hexaco has come and it incorporates honesty—humility as the sixth trait. Continue reading
The purpose of Karma Yoga
The aim of Karma Yoga is to establish a steady foundation for the mind. During meditation, attention must stay fixed on a single object; yet without mental purification, qualities of tamasa—such as laziness, self-indulgence, and self-absorption—tend to prevail. Karma Yoga is vital for spiritual growth because passions and desires guide us. Removing desires would hinder development; they should not be suppressed but either fulfilled or recognized as empty. Restricting desire limits growth. Continue reading
Enough is the practice of Karma Yoga
Enough is when we practice Karma Yoga and are content with what we have. Continue reading
The umbrella of self-love
The umbrella of love represents a new form of self-love. What meaning does the umbrella hold? God serves as the ultimate shield of protection for everyone. Protection grows from love.
What is self-love? Self-love involves valuing oneself through high regard for one’s wellbeing. Because it is not inclusive, we can explore a broader kind—an umbrella—by considering this quote from C. S. Lewis: Continue reading
Worship of the Goddess in Sharad-Navratri
In Sharad (Autumn) Navratri, Ma Durga is worshipped and the festival is devoted to the victory of the Goddess over evil (Demon Buffalo King) and therefore cleansing ourselves spiritually.
Dear ones, the Goddess Durga exists in her gross, subtle and causal forms. Our universe comprises of the five elements which are manifest in these three forms. The Goddess manifests herself in three interconnected forms: the Gross (Sthula), the Subtle (Sukshma), and the Causal (Karana). These three forms represent a spiritual ladder, guiding a practitioner from the tangible to the transcendent. Continue reading
How to connect with our spiritual self?
Our spiritual self is the core, our innermost part of our identity, which seeks meaning, purpose and a connection to something greater than the physical world.
What are the key dimensions of the spiritual self? Inner Essence, connectedness, and meaning—seeking comprise our key dimensions. Continue reading
When is enough?
According to our lifestyle, the answer is never.
Make a list.
- I want a better phone.
- I want a better laptop.
- I want a better and bigger house.
- I want another pair of shoes.
- I want a new dress.
And the list goes on. What should we do? Continue reading
082 – Discover the mind
Both Swami Sivananda and Swami Satyanananda were clear that if you want peace of mind, balance and want to follow the spiritual path, you have to tame your mind. Swamiji said that if you have a quarrel with your partner or family, you may sleep in a separate room but your mind cannot be put in another room. It will sleep with you, it will play with your thoughts, give you dreams and wake you up the next morning not rested but more upset. So how does one quieten this mind. Swamiji has laid emphasis on the mind. Swami Sivananda has emphasised on developing positive qualities of the mind and eradicating the negative and restrictive qualities of the mind. Continue reading
Loneliness
Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness. – Maya Angelou
Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and make nights smell better. – Henry Rollins
How can I resolve my aloneness?
It is ironically a very big subject and many, many ideas are suggested. How does one describe aloneness? Aloneness is an inner feeling of being all alone in the universe, and feeling empty inside. Aloneness indicates that there is a lack of love inside and this love is one’s own love that is absent. Continue reading
