oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidam pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
Om ! That (Brahman) is infinite, and this (universe) is infinite.
The infinite proceeds from the infinite.
(Then) taking the infinitude of the infinite (universe),
It remains as the infinite (Brahman) alone.
Om ! Peace ! Peace ! Peace !
"Rama Nama should come from the heart. In that event, Rama Nama could become an effective remedy against all ailments. A man who believes in Rama Nama would not make a fetish of the body but would regard it as a means of serving God. And for making it into a fit instrument for that purpose, Rama Nama is the sovereign means. To install Rama Nama in the heart requires infinite patience. It might even take ages. But the effort is worthwhile. Rama Nama cannot come from the heart unless one has cultivated the virtues of truth, honesty and purity within and without." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi.
Today, we are celeberating Basant Panchami . Goddess of art, wisdom and culture will be worshipped by students across West Bengal,India.
Goddess Saraswati is also worshipped in various parts of the country in multiple ways and in different times.
From schools to households, every one will be busy appeasing the Goddess of knowledge, who is considered by the Hindus as the daughter of Goddess Durga. In Maharashtra and Gujarat, Saraswati Puja starts with ‘Saraswati Avahan’ on ‘Maha Saptami’ and ends on ‘Vijayadashami‘ with ‘Saraswati Udwasan’ or ‘Visarjan’ (idol immersion). While in Eastern India, which includes West Bengal, the occasion s celebrated in the ‘Magha’ month (January–February). It coincides with ‘Vasant Panchami’ or ‘Shree Panchami’ which is the 5th day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of ‘Magha’. Following the traditions, people place books near the Goddess' statue or picture and worship Her. Book-reading is not allowed on this day. In the southern states of India, Saraswati Puja is conducted during the 'Navaratri' which literally means “Nine Nights”. But the actual celebrations continue during the 10th day, which is considered as ‘Vijaya Dashami’ or the Victorious Tenth Day. In West Bengal, Saraswati Puja holds a special place in the hearts of the young students. Boys clad in punjabi and dhoti (traditional dresses) and girls wearing yellow sarees, in most cases for the first time, make the festival all the more special. Food and special dishes are part of any Indian festival and Saraswati Puja is no exception where khichuri bhog (a preparation made out of rice) is offered to the Goddess. On this day prayer of goddess of learning Goddess Sarawati is performed. In Hinduism Saraswati (Sanskrit: सरस्वती sarasvatī) is the goddess of knowledge, music and the arts. She is the consort of Brahma.Saraswati is considered to be the "mother of the Vedas"
The name Saraswati came from "saras" (meaning "flow") and "wati" (meaning "a woman"). So, Saraswati is symbol of knowledge; its flow (or growth) is like a river and knowledge is supremely alluring, like a beautiful woman.
In East Indian states of Bihar,West Bengal,Orissa; Saraswati is considered to be a daughter of Durga along with her sister Lakshmi and her brothers Ganesha and Karthikeya. In the Rigveda, Saraswati is a river as well as its personification as a goddess. In the post-Vedic age, she began to lose her status as a river goddess and became increasingly associated with literature, arts, music, etc. In Hinduism, Saraswati represents intelligence, consciousness, cosmic knowledge, creativity, education, enlightenment, music, the arts, and power. Hindus worship her not only for "secular knowledge", but for "divine knowledge" essential to achieve moksha. In some Puranas (like Skanda Purana) she is sister of Shiva (Shivaanujaa) and in some Tantras with Ganesha.
In the Devi Mahatmya, Saraswati is in the trinity of Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati. She is depicted as eight-armed.
Saraswati Vandana Mantra is an important hindu mantra that is recited for higher knowledge and wisdom.
She, who is as fair as the Kunda flower,the moon, and a garland of Tushar flowers;
She, whose hands are adorned by the excellent veena, and whose seat is the pure white lotus;
She, who is constantly praised and glorified by Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh and other divinities;
O Mother Goddess, remove my mental inertia!
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Mandukkyopanishad offers us a most significant gift. It tells us about the Universal Soul. The Universal Soul has two aspects: vaisvanara and virat. The microcosmic aspect is called vaisvanara; the macrocosmic aspect is called virat.
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll
