Dr. Brian Weiss – Psychiatrist, Past Life Regression Therapist, Writer And Author of Soul-Stirring, Life-Changing Books On Karma And Reincarnation

Dr. Brian Weiss – Psychiatrist, Past Life Regression Therapist – And Author of Soul-Stirring, Life-Changing Books On Karma And Reincarnation.

I have always found writers of non-Indian origin explaining Indian concepts of philosophy with amazing simplicity and lucidity.

Intricate Indian subjects like yoga, astrology & Hindu religious texts have seeped into my mind better thanks to foreign interpretations.

Dr. Brian Weiss. His explanation of karma and reincarnation is best suited for an easy common-man understanding.

At the cost of sounding judgmental, I must say that new age Gurus like Dr. Deepak Chopra tend to complicate things beyond simplicity.

Whereas the likes of Dr. Chopra tend towards monumental language & complicated philosophies reminiscent of God-gurus, Dr. Weiss simply talks to you.

What also attracts me to Dr. Brian Weiss is Lord Krishna’s Bhagvat-Gita philosophy that shines through his talks on karma & reincarnation.

Dr. Brian Weiss on Karma & Reincarnation:

Dr. Brian Weiss, a psychologist & regression therapist, dwelled deeper into existence of past lives when he accidentally regressed a patient 1000 years into another life.

Dr. Brian Weiss documented his experiments and research in karma & reincarnation, in his best-selling & life-changing books.

Dr. Brian Weiss, author of: Many Lives Many Masters, Same Soul Many Bodies, Through Time Into Healing, Only Love Is Real & his latest, Miracles Happen.

Dr. Brian Weiss on karma & reincarnation: quoted from his recent interview to Times of India & from all his books.

• Everyday miracles happen in people’s lives, which they fail to recognize.
• Our rational mind often attempts to minimize or negate mystical encounters.
• We forget the power of our own experiences; we need to embrace the reality of an event which is a miracle.
• Power of past life memories can transform people’s lives.
• Greeks and Indians have always believed in the theory of reincarnation.
• I firmly believe Karma is not punishment but an opportunity to learn our lessons.
• If lessons have not been learnt in a previous lifetime, we come back to work on them.
• Lessons will always be about Love, Compassion, Non-violence, Non-prejudice, Patience, Understanding.
• When lessons and learnings are complete, there will be no reincarnation.
• We are not born with memory of past lives because conscious negative memories will prevent us from conscious positive action.
• It becomes important to regress into past lives when our conscious mind is incapable to overcome negative blocks of sub-conscious memories.
• Even in the absence of regression therapy, there are other tools and techniques like hypnosis, dreams and meditation that can take you back into your sub-conscious past.
• Every individual soul will choose significant people to that lifetime.
• Destiny will place you in a particular circumstance, which will dictate your encounter with a particular person at appointed time & place. This will happen with every person you have chosen to bring into this lifetime.
• Destiny will arrange you to meet more frequently the people you have loved and lived with, in past lives.
• Once destiny fulfills its promised appointment, your free-will is activated. Do you stay? Do you leave? Do you love? Do you hate? Do you accept? Do you reject? Do you resolve? Do you postpone?
• Once destiny steps back, the choices are yours and that is how you learn, that is your growth.
• Everything is part of the Master Plan. We are here to learn deep lessons.
• The biggest block that stops us from living our life in the present moment is fear. We must learn to overcome fear.
• Understanding dissolves fear. We are spiritual beings in human bodies, not human beings in spiritual bodies.
• The spirit is always spiritual. The body is human.
• It is evident when miracles occur. Inevitably we always recognize them but many times we choose not to acknowledge them.
• Not acknowledging miracles is moving away from our spiritual selves. Miracles are energy that manifest at our deepest physical, emotional level.
• We can always pray and ask for divine intervention. The more we become aware of this intervention, the more evident are miracles become.
• The human body is a vessel for the soul. We each life we complete some part of the whole learning process.
• Human beings are essentially immortal. This understanding will allow you to live in present moment without regrets from past or worries of future.
• It’s important to remember and remind yourself of unfulfilled goals from past lives. This is where regression into past lives helps.
• Eventually, you must get past all past obstacles in your present life. That’s the objective.
• We are souls, not just bodies. We are constantly reuniting with our loved ones, either on the other side or back here in physical form.
• When we are not disturbed by the judgments and criticisms of others, we have reached a higher level of wisdom.
• People with problems and fears must learn meditation and practice it regularly. Insights will come to you. Persist, for this is a practice for a lifetime.

Advertisement

Krishna Rahasyam (Spiritual Secrets): Radha-Krishna, Krishna’s 16’100 Girlfriends, Krishna’s Ashtabhaaryas (8 Wives), Kundalini-Shakti (The Caduceus)

The following is a compilation of tweets from my twitter a/c @onabrokenwing. The original twees have been penned in a series of 140 characters; but here it has been edited into longer sentences to make for more comfortable reading.

The Spiritual Secret of Radha And Krishna; Krishna’s 16’100 Girlfriends; Krishna’s Ashtabhaaryas (8 wives) – Part I

In the story of Radha and Krishna lies the very secret of soul evolution – a soul rising from its base level, and upward journey towards salvation.

Hindu calendar differs from English calendar w.r.t adjustment of months. Hindu calendar is designed acc. to lunar movement. Every 2.5yrs, an extra month surfaces in Hindu calendar. It’s known as “Adhik Maasam”; it’s dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

I have delved a lot into depths of Hindu religion; but so far, never into understanding the finer nuances of Vishnu, esp. Krishna. It’s quite a coincidence that a stray line of song from a dance class, led me to dig this deep into the essence of Radha & Krishna. Coincidentally too, it happened in the current running month of “Adhik Maasam”. I’ve been into nothing but Vishnu for more than 3wks.

Right now I feel like dog gone half-mad digging for 1 bone; because wherever he’s digging, he’s finding a bone. There’s very interesting piece that I dug out; it’s related to Krishna, but is much beyond religion. I have an urge to share it.

1/Krishna had 1 consort (Radha), 8 wives (Ashta-bhaarya’s) & 16’100 girlfriends.

2/Hidden in Krishna’s: Radha, 8 wives & 16’100 girlfriends is d’ secret of Soul’s evolution towards soul-mates, soul-twin & ultimately God.

3/Hidden in Krishna’s Radha, his 8 wives & his 16’100 girlfriends; lies the secret of India’s Tantra-Yoga, Kundalini-Shakti & Moksha.

This is beyond Hinduism; beyond religion; this is Universal Truth about soul-evolution. Please stay tuned. Beyond Hinduism, beyond religion, this is the Universal Truth about soul-evolution. Please interpret information from that perspective.

1/ (Hindu God) Lord Vishnu is depicted in supine pose; on a serpent; in the vast milky ocean (Kshirsaagar/MilkyWay); that holds our universe.

2/Lord Vishnu decides to incarnate on earth; he takes the form of Lord Krishna. There begins our Kundalini Yoga.

3/Lord Vishnu divides himself into the male & female energies of Krishna & Radha respectively. Lessons will come from Krishna.

4/In deep milky-way of our subtle body (human Aura) lies a serpent (Kundalini); in coiled form; is lifeless; it has to be infused with energy.

5/Energy that will awaken serpent (Kundalini) is Love; whenever we emanate Love; serpent awakens hazily & stretches itself.

6/The stronger the love-force, the more alert our serpent (Kundalini) becomes; lack of love makes it fall asleep again.

7/When the serpent (Kundalini) is awake & alert, it wishes to make a journey through the milky-way of our Auric body.

8/Milky-way of our Auric body will have 7 center-points in ascending order, known as Chakras; milky-way is inter-twined thru these Chakras.

9/Serpent energy (Kundalini) divides into 2 at our Base Chakra (1^st & lowest); divided 2 will journey thru different halves to meet at top.

10/Krishna & Radha – 2 divided energies of serpent (Kundalini Shakti). The energy that activates this serpent is `Love’ (Krishna’s purpose).

11/Radha embodies softer, passive energies; Krishna d’ opposite; Radha journey to top is quicker; Krishna’s journey more arduous.

12/Halves of serpent energy (Kundalini), travel through 16’100 secondary channels; 8 main channels; 2 primary channels; then merge into 1.

13/ 16’100 secondary channels are easy traverse; but 8 primary channels are sticky; their aim is to hold down/block the serpent (Kundalini).

14/Each of the primary 8 channels wants to hold the serpent (Kundalini) in itself; these are places where Kundalini will get “stuck”.

It is important not to be confused by gender. Gender references are necessary to facilitate a story-format. If you are male – gender ref. stands; if you are female – change the gender of your consorts/partners accordingly. `Krishna’ is male half of your soul; `Radha’ is female half of your soul. They both exist `inside’ you. Since life-lessons will be taught by Krishna, not Radha; it is important to stay focused on the Krishna-aspect of serpentine energy.

Krishna had 16’100 girlfriends; 8 wives; and 1 twin consort. Krishna’s twin consort: Radha. Krishna’s 8-wives: Ashta-bhaarya’s. Krishna (Kundalini) dances through 16’100 girlfriends with ease; they don’t hold him back; but his 8 wives – well, that’s the story.

1/Each `wife’ depicts a specific love-energy that we can encounter in this world; often we may even be married/committed to 1 of 8.

2/Of Krishna’s 8 wives, 4 carry more importance than others, as they are stickier, trickier & more difficult to navigate.

3/Krishna & Radha will emerge as 2 twin DNA-like channels; after Krishna completes his successful journey thru 16’100 + 8 channels.

4/Halves of serpent energy Kundalini (Radha & Krishna), travel thru 16’100 secondary & 8 primary channels; 2 twin DNA-like channels; then merge into 1.

This is depicted in Gujarat’s favorite dance – Raas Leela – is Krishna’s journey. `Raas-Leela’ is a dance form, especially dedicated to Krishna. `Raas’ is `Rasa’ or essence. `Leela’ is playful/loving enactment. Radha & Krishna enact the `Raas-Leela’ for us, as a teaching. `Raas Leela’ comprises a formation of concentric circles with women in inner circle & men in outer circle, facing each other. Number of circular rings will depend on number of ppl participating in the dance; men & women move in opposite directions. With every conclusive dance beat, you change partners; so in effect, every man dances with every woman & vice-versa.

Krishna starts his dance (Raas Leela) at periphery of ring of circles; dancing skillfully, he works his way thru 16’100 Gopis (girls ) to reach the innermost circle of 8; here it becomes tricky & sticky; the girls are very watchful & don’t let him out of sight. Krishna can offend no-one; the lesson lies in Krishna’s cleverness; he has to please his inner-8, yet be alert enough to escape. Waiting in the centre is Radha; here they (Radha & Krishna) dance till dawn oblivious to all else; then suddenly they disappear. The sudden disappearance of Radha & Krishna from centre of circle is their `Union/Merger’ into ONE.

In world parlance:-

1/Kundalini Shakti (Soul Energy) is YOU yourself.

2/You (Kundalini Shakti/Soul Energy) have to successfully navigate 16’100 secondary & 8 primary channels before you reach your twin half.

3/Here, 16’100 secondary channels = 16’100 people who will make a significant difference to your life, over many lifetimes.

4/Here, 8 primary channels = 8 significantly strong love-energies that you will have to successfully navigate over lifetimes.

 5/You (Kundalini Shakti/Soul Energy) have to leave every channel `happy & satisfied’ before you can exit that channel (love-energy).

6/Number of lifetimes you take to navigate your 8 primary (depicted as sticky & tricky) channels, depends on your `awareness’.

7/Simply `being aware’ & `being able to recognize’ these 8 (esp. 4/8) means you have crashed through a huge barrier to enlightenment.

8/The real journey begins AFTER you meet your twin; many lifetimes with your twin will have to be dedicated to Earth-causes.

9/Once you have made significant difference to Mother Earth, along with your twin-soul, you can opt for MERGER.

10/Answer to recognizing & understanding your 8 primary channels – lies in understanding Lord Krishna’s 8 wives.

In world parlance:-

1/Krishna’s “Ashta-bhaaryas”, 8 wives, are many times depicted in Indian Classical dance, as “Ashta-naikas” (8 heroines) – 8 forms of love.

2/Amongst these primary 8 wives, energies of 4 are sticky & disruptive; energies of 4 are sticky but non-disruptive.

3/Disruptive energies are advised against by astrologers, as they are not conducive to the typical Indian large family set-up.

4/Disruptive energies are not very sharing; they want their Krishna all to themselves; non-disruptive energies are easier to navigate.

5/In higher stages of soul evolution, most definitely, almost all 8 energies would have come your way, and you would have picked 1.

6/Here, there’s nothing like `right choice’ or `wrong choice’. Every choice presents its challenges & takes you further in evolution.

7/It’s important to stay connected with every `energy’ that you recognize; if not as partner, then as friend, mentor, guide.

8/Sometimes, souls in higher stages of evolution may consciously shy away from a partner, if they sense their inability to navigate well.

9/But `shying away’ is not the answer, the answer lies in `going through’ with it. Sooner or later, it has to be done.

10/This explains India’s concept of `Gurus’/`Guides’. We may not have all information, but someone who has, can make our journey quicker.

11/Here again, it’s improper to advise people, who they should choose as partners; that should be free will.

12/The only advice that shld be given, is to list pros & cons of an `energy’ & allow ppl to make an informed choice. Here astrology helps.

13/Whatever choice a person makes, if they learn the `essence’ of an energy, they can navigate successfully without getting stuck.

Krishna’s twin-soul Radha is an amalgamation of the traits of all of Krishna’s 8 wives – but here, there is knowingness, understanding and awareness. Radha is not defined by the traits of 8-wives; she merely enacts them in Raas-Leela (her dance with Krishna) as a gentle reminder to mortal souls like us.

Objective is to teach the world various aspects of love; the ways in which love can bloom; & (as Krishna) how do you handle it, without killing it. In Krishna’s 8-wives, this experience is more detailed & is narrated from female-perspective; what `she’ (female half) feels about love.

The 8-wives of Krishna depict the 8 forms of love that you will come across in more advances stages of your human evolution. As you edge closer to your own `Radha/Krishna’, you will become `aware’ of the `types’ of love that have crossed/crossing your path. Invariably, they will be from amongst the 8 `types’ described as Krishna’s wives. Perhaps, one of them will be your closest partner.

The quickest form of soul-evolution would be, to `recognize correctly’ all 8 forms of love that may have crossed your path. To understand & accept every `type’ of love; and take them through their ups & downs of life as: mentor, counselor, friend, philosopher, guide.

Allow them to feel your presence in their life. By doing so, you help them deal with their difficult karma. The more skillfully you `dance through this situation’ (will be explained in Kundalini Yoga); closer you will move to your `Radha/Krishna’.

The Spiritual Secret of Radha And Krishna; Krishna’s 16’100 Girlfriends; Krishna’s Ashtabhaaryas (8 wives) – Part II

Krishna’s 8 wives:- Rukmini, Satyabhaama, Jaambavati, Kaalindi, Mitravrinda, Nagnajiti, Bhadraa & Lakshanaa. What are their specific energies?

1/Rukmini: She tries to `channelize’ Krishna by being his friend, philosopher, guide & peacemaker. She is simple, pretty, modest, good listener; respects all of Krishna’s alliances, partnerships & relationships. She enjoys playing role of counselor & peace-maker; Krishna uses her to counsel & maintain peace among his other wives. She is often depicted by Krishna’s side as his talking-companion; worshipped as main-consort in south-India. She is a highly recommended energy for worldly partnerships, as she offers most support to Krishna’s causes.

Affirmation of Rukmini’s love: “Love is Peace”.

2/Satyabhaama: She tries to `channelize’ Krishna with her tantrums; if he doesn’t accede, she will leave. She is proud, arrogant, domineering, self-centered, opinionated; with her, Krishna must play a supportive role. She believes she has done Krishna a favor by offering him marriage; wants Krishna at her beck & call at all times. Her energies can be navigated by mollifying her tantrums in playfulness, yet not succumbing to them. Her energies can be navigated with flattery, as her pride succumbs easily to this.

Affirmation of Satyabhaama’s love: “Love is Me”.

3/Jaambavati: She tries to `channelize’ Krishna with her beauty; believes beauty can reign in Krishna. She is vain, desires appreciation; confident about the power of her beauty; willing to share Krishna with others. She is exquisitely beautiful, well-groomed, well-adorned at all times; believes Krishna is attracted to her for her looks. She makes special effort to showcase her beauty so she appears cut-above-others at all times. Her energies can be navigated offering her appreciation she rightfully deserves; offer her limelight along with responsibility. Her energies can be navigated by gently highlighting her inner beauty & allowing that to over-shadow her outer beauty.

Affirmation of Jaambavati’s love: “Love is Beauty”.

4/Kaalindi: She tries to `channelize’ Krishna with her games, nets, traps, lures; uses forbidden-love & guilt as weapons. She is sister of Yamuna; uses her sibling’s proximity to Krishna, to gain entry into his life; she lays the trap; yet appears the victim. The excitement of `trapping’ Krishna into being with her, is higher than excitement of being with Krishna. She enjoys competition; creates competition; enjoys winning over competition; Krishna’s desirability with other women excites her. She enjoys catching Krishna with his guard down; lures Krishna into secret confessionals; feels empowered by others’ secrets. Her energies in worldly living may mean alienation from loved ones to accommodate her; Krishna may be forced to make a `choice’. Her energies can be navigated by not empowering her negatively; by not succumbing to guilt; by `playfully’ seeing thru her game. Her energies can be navigated by gently/lovingly holding your ground; Kaalindi will always need you more than you need her.

Affirmation of Kaalindi’s love: “Love is a Contest”.

5/Mitravrinda: She tries to `channelize’ Krishna with her amiable, amicable, friendly, mischievous nature. She rarely takes offence to anything Krishna says or does; works hard to manage & harmonize Krishna’s relationships. She is Krishna’s closest confidante; her advice is usually selfless; is a perfect hostess to Krishna’s social circle. She is closest confidante to Krishna’s wives also; they find her a safe haven to share their grievances. She is companionable, conversational & mischievous; usually lightens conflict with her naughtiness. Her energies can be navigated by offering her unconditional friendship; by giving her responsibility.

Affirmation of Mitravrinda’s love: “Love is Friendship”.

6/Nagnajiti: She tries to `channelize’ Krishna with her openness, her truths; her name itself means “blatant truth”. For her, love has to be an open book; diplomacy doesn’t cut ice with her; her conflicts center around Krishna’s cleverness. For her, whatever is open is truth; whatever is hidden is false; she bares her soul & dares you to do the same. Krishna usually uses her to convey hard truths to his other wives, while he himself stays in the background. She is very blunt in her expression; in worldly sense, it can create conflicts in social & family circles. Her energies can be navigated by not killing her true spirit; by appreciating her honesty; but at same time allowing her to see that truths which hurt people cannot help them much; channelize her truths into softer/gentler expressions. Her energies can be navigated by offering her a straight-forward & honest approach to love.

Affirmation of Nagnajiti’s love: “Love is Truth”

7/Bhadraa: She tries to `channelize’ Krishna by blending into him; she is happy to be what Krishna wants her to be. She chooses not to have a defined personality; she believes individuality = division from Krishna. She is gentle, subservient, unassuming, selfless; she places herself last in priority; she believes this is love. Hers is a motherly, nurturing, nourishing, forgiving; she serves not only Krishna but all of Krishna’s relationships dutifully. In a worldly sense, it is very easy to take advantage of Bhadraa’s goodness; she’s usually the cornerstone that goes unnoticed. Her energies must be navigated with care & sensitivity; as her Krishna, it’s important to ensure she gets her due. Her energies can be navigated by encouraging her to stand-up-for-herself; by encouraging self-development thru interests & hobbies.

Affirmation of Bhadraa’s love: “Love is Submission”.

8/Lakshanaa: She tries to `channelize’ Krishna with a focused approach; with her love is like a game of Chess; move-countermove. She is focused; goal-oriented; plans & rehearses all her moves; will always have “Plan-B” in place. According to her, she has to checkmate Krishna & win her rightful crown; other wives are opposing pawns. She is characterized by a strategic, methodical mind; extremely logical; every action needs to have a purpose. In a worldly sense, Lakshanaa will be less of disruptive & more of uninteresting; her predictability overtakes her creativity. She can be an extremely efficient partner; but her compulsive behavior can kill the charm. Her energies can be navigated by giving her responsibility; by encouraging creativity & spontaneity. Her energies can be navigated by gently showing her fun side of failures, inefficiencies & mistakes; by loosening her up.

Affirmation of Lakshanaa’s love: “Love is a Goal”.

9/Krishna’s Radha: Radha is an amalgamation/a merger of all 8 wives. From that confluence, from that merger, emerges her own unique affirmation of love. In Radha, Krishna can navigate all 8 forms of love with ease & expertise; he knows every high, low, bend, curve, fall & illusion.

Affirmation of Radha’s love: “Love is Krishna”.

The Spiritual Secret of Radha And Krishna; Krishna’s 16’100 Girlfriends; Krishna’s Ashtabhaaryas (8 wives) – Part III – Interpretation of Kundalini Shakti

1/Go to Google Images. Search for “Caduceus” (inter-twined snakes on a sword); this is the symbolic image of Krishna and Radha.

2/In the image you will see 2 serpents (Krishna-Radha), stretching themselves in DNA spiral, rising from bottom to top. These are the Ida-Pingala channels of Kundalini Shakti.

3/Go to Google Images again. Search for “Caduceus Kundalini Awakening”. Now study the “Chakras” of Auric-body super-imposed on Caduceus (inter-twined snakes on a sword).

4/When Kundalini-Shakti splits into 2, both halves have to traverse thru 7 Chakras, while simultaneously navigating 16’108 channels.

6/Krishna-Radha will meet, after long wayward journeys, just before Crown-Chakra; then they drop down in unification back into Base-Chakra.

7/The `drop’ from `pre-Crown-Chakra’ to `Base-Chakra’, happens via the `Sword’ that is pierced thru centre-points of all 7 Chakras.

8/Sword = Sushumna-channel. When energies enter the Sushumna-channel, its cleansing process begins. Progressive Cleansing = Progressive Enlightenment.

9/From the Base Chakra, they rise again in unification (in a DNA spiral), moving slowly upwards. This journey is a representation of “twin-souls-together-journeys” on Earth.

10/Till the Sushumna-channel is totally cleansed & totally enlightened, Ida and Pingala will continue their “rise & drop”.

11/It is during these numerous journeys, that Ida and Pingala will make a significant difference and contribution to the Mother Earth.

12/At some point, they will finally make it to the Crown-Chakra. The time frame is free-will, but whenever they do = Moksh. Oneness with God.

13/That is the story of every soul & every soul-half. This is why Sages/Rishis/Gurus frown upon self-awakening of Kundalini-Shakti.

14/This journey can be done totally inwards (yogic/transcendental meditation) or by simply living in the world, in awareness.

15/Either way, guidance becomes important. God forbid, should energy get stuck in a channel, it can stay there for a really long time.

In world parlance:-

1/Remember you’ll be moving from love-energies in reverse order, as in, channels 8 through 1.

2/Amongst lower 4 channels, Mitravrinda (channel 5) is toughest to navigate. Channels 8,7,6 are relatively easier to navigate.

3/Mitravrinda is so amiable, so companionable, so pleasant, so fits into your social setup; that you won’t wish to leave her.

4/Chances are you will choose to navigate Mitravrinda’s channel over & over again; she has that effect.

5/When you do choose to move beyond Mitravrinda, you’ll enter lowest of upper channels – Kaalindi (channel 4).

6/Amongst upper 4 channels, Kaalindi (channel 4) is toughest to navigate. Channels 3,2,1 are relatively easier.

7/Kaalindi holds you back with her traps; you may find yourself navigating her channel several times over, out of guilt or fear.

8/It’s not easy to leave Kaalindi; she has her own charm; sometimes staying put in her channel makes worldly life lot easier.

9/When you do choose to move beyond Kaalindi (channel 4), you’ll find Jaambavati, Satyabhaama, Rukmini (3,2,1) will be fairly easy to navigate.

10/Once you reach Rukmini, and she emerges as your main consort/partner, you know you’ve reached a comfort zone in evolution.

11/In higher stages of soul evolution, energies 5,6,7,8 may come back as your siblings, friends, loved ones.

12/Energies you have navigated well in past lives will return back to you in purest platonic love.

13/It explains why Indian gurus/astrologers frown on disruptive love-energies / love-partnerships, that disturb existing family relationships.

14/Blocking an already well-navigated channel (eg. family / parents / siblings) will mean coming back in another lifetime and  making another herculean effort to re-navigate it.

15/Journey becomes faster under expert guidance, or if you’re lucky to identify your Radha/Krishna; then purpose becomes evident.

16/Twin souls may not identify each other at same time; the wiser soul with longer, harder Earth journey will realize it first.

17/The 2^nd soul will realize automatically at appropriate time. Patience, faith and perseverance is the key to soul evolution.

That’s it. I’m done with this volcanic eruption of information that I analyzed & interpreted with a compulsive obsession. I’ve spent every waking moment this month (Adhik maasam 2012), on Krishna & more Krishna. Let’s hope He recognizes my patience, efforts, diligence.

Amen.

Secret Of Pandharpur, Panduranga Vitthala And His Consort Rukmini

The Secret Of Pandharpur, Krishna Panduranga Vitthala And His Consort Rukmini

Panduranga Vitthala. Deity at Maharashtra’s spiritual capital Pandharpur. Panduranga (white hued); Vitthala (standing on a brick).

Lord Krishna visits an ardent devotee in Pandharpur in physical form; devotee is pre-occupied with serving his sick parents.

Lord Krishna walks in thru doorway & stands behind devotee, who senses a visitor but doesn’t want to turn attention away from parents.

Devotee pushes a brick behind him & orders visitor to sit on it; in Indian custom, guests are not allowed to sit on bare floor.

Krishna hops onto brick & stands on it to keep devotee’s word, while indulgently looking over devotee’s shoulder with a smile on his lips.

That’s the deity at Pandharpur. Lord Krishna as Vitthala, standing on a brick, hands on hips, with a smile on his lips.

But why & how did he get the name Panduranga/white-hued? (Because Krishna is dark complexioned).

Tenali Rama was an Andhra poet, known for his wit, humor & poesy; he was one of the 9 `gems’ in kingdom of Krishnadevaraaya.

Krishnadevaraaya consolidated the Vijayanagaram empire that spanned across modern day Andhra & Karnataka.

Krishnadevaraaya was a devotee of Lord Krishna & greatly promulgated Vaishnavism in south-India.

King Krishnadevaraaya requested Tenali Rama to come up with a unique ode to Lord Krishna, in his own unique witty way.

Tenali Rama’s Panduranga-Mahatyam is one of is his most celebrated works; originally in Telugu & translated into many languages.

In Panduranga-Mahatyam & many other works dedicated to Lord Krishna, we find references to how the Lord got this name `white-hued’.

Panduranga is revered on Shukla-paksha (bright half) Ekadashi (11^th day of lunar cycle) & Vitthala on Krishna-paksha (dark half) Ekadashi.

Sant Tukaram & Sant Namdev, of Maharashtra, have immortalized Panduranga & Vitthala in their odes, chants & devotion. (Sant=Saint).

Hari Om Vitthala: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaeKVG_SuvI

Padma-Purana & Skanda-Purana briefly, &  Panduranga-Mahatyam in detail, describe why Lord Krishna journeyed to Pandharpur.

Rukmini implores Krishna to invite Radha home; her request is fueled by her own curiosity & those of other wives.

Few days later; Rukmini reminds; Krishna indicates he has conveyed her invite; more silence; Rukmini egged by wives provokes Krishna.

Rukmini speaks of Radha’s disrespect to Krishna; Krishna shrugs it off; Rukmini persists.

Do you really want to meet Radha or is it just curiosity? asks Krishna; because if it is curiosity, it is disrespectful to her.

Rukmini is hurt. She decides to spy on Krishna. Late 1 night, Krishna sets off towards Vrindavan. Rukmini follows.

Rukmini reaches Vrindavan & spots Krishna from a distance; he appears fair-skinned & there is a glow around him.

Krishna? Pandurang? (Krishna? Fair complexioned?) utters Rukmini in surprise.Krishna turns around. Rukmini spots Radha in his embrace.

Krishna in his embrace with Radha, has momentarily taken on her color & complexion. The glow is from their togetherness.

Rukmini is shocked, furious, seething. She storms off in opposite direction. Krishna follows Rukmini.

Trying to get as far away as she can from Krishna, Rukmini reaches Pandharpur; Krishna catches up with her; Rukmini turns her face away.

Krsna: The secret of Radha lies in the form I’ve taken today; you’ve christened me Pandurang; if you look at me, I’ll enlighten you.

Krsna: You wished to meet Radha; I’m standing here in her form; if you look at me now, you’ll understand everything about Radha.

Rkmni: My Lord, please leave before I say or do something that I will deeply regret; I do not wish to look at you; this is not my Krishna.

Krsna: Very well then; there’s a devotee of mine in Pandharpur; I shall go & see him instead. (Krishna leaves).

After a while Rukmini turns around; disappointed to see Krishna has really left; she’s afraid to lose him; she searches for him.

Rukmini reaches devotee Pundalik’s house; spots Krishna from far; Krishna senses Rukmini; but she has missed her moment of enlightenment.

Krishna has frozen into the form of Vitthal, (black stone, standing on a brick, hands on hips, smile on lips). Rukmini dare not face him.

Standing many paces behind him, she wills herself to turn into stone as well. Pandharpur. Vitthoba & Rukhmai Devi.

Science Of Fasting

5/30/2012 4:46:39 PM

The Science of Fasting

 I have always had a fascination for fasting. Fasting has different connotations for different people. For me, I like the way it breaks the monotony of daily routine; my vote goes for anything that breaks a routine. I like the way fasting takes our mind away from the most compulsory and cumbersome daily routine – food, & leaves it empty to think about other things.

 Sometimes, food can embroil us in its complexity. Most households in India build a lifetime of routine around food and kitchen. Mine becomes one such household when elders are with me. It becomes the centre-point of existence; not so much in terms of variety or gourmet cooking but more in terms of role-play.

 Those are the moments I wonder – that if intelligent minds can divert themselves into thinking about things other than food – then perhaps such intelligent minds can come up path breaking ideas, views and thoughts that can prove more useful to humanity.

 Those are the moments when I appreciate the concept of fasting even more. Break the monotony. Stop thinking about the obvious. Drive the mind to think about other things.

 Is it possible to fast scientifically?

Yes, I think there is a scientific way to fast. But before that, my usual deviation…

For many long years I have observed my ma-in-law fast religiously every Tuesday and Saturday. Her fast would last from morning to evening; evenings, she would break her fast with prasadam (a simple meal). Ma-in-law’s Tuesday/Saturday fasts would drain the energy out of the whole house. Every hour would be spent enquiring about her well-being – is she ok, is she tired, is she giddy etc. and by evening, there would be rush to help her break her fast because by then she would be writhing with nausea & migrane; then it would be a quick pooja, followed by a quick intake of prasadam, the ritual of popping of 2 aspirin tabs & off to sleep in a darkened room. It was also understood that Tuesdays & Saturdays had be home bound and devoid of any outside social/personal activity.

For me, fasting is a silent inner ritual. Do it because it makes you happy. Do it for an inner connect. Do it to discipline your mind and body.  And never fast in anger.  For ma-in-law (as I saw it from my limited perspective) fasting was a way to vent her pent-up anger, and that did her more harm than good.

In my teens, owing to the culture in Gujarat, I would fast every Monday. This again would be a sunrise to sunset fast where I would break my fast in the evening with a simple meal. But back then, I would find it arduous, tedious and somewhat of an achievement to have lasted till evening; pretty much the same way I have observed my mother-in-law over the years.

But in 2011 when I decided upon an ambitious 9 day fast, I approached it scientifically – and I sailed through. I replicated it for another 9 days in March 2012 and same results. So I’m guessing I did something right.

Is  there a scientific way to fast? – What happens to the body during a fast?

I think so, yes. The question that interested me was: what exactly happens to the human body during a fast, and how do those physiological changes affect your mood and behavior? This is what I found:-

1. The composure of the body is maintained by electrolytes. When electrolytes are in correct proportion, then body is in comfort & so is the mind.
2. Electrolytes are a combination of vital body salts i.e. sugar, sodium, potassium.
3. Any variation or disturbance (rise or drop) in the ideal proportion sugar, sodium and potassium will result in uneasiness of body and irritation of mind.
4. Fasting disrupts the ratio of electrolytes in the body; also the required % of electrolytes (minerals) drops drastically during a fast; and especially through a sustained fast over many days.
5. So simply put, during any fast, the ideal body ratio of sugar, sodium and potassium is disturbed; as also a drastic drop in the levels of sugar, sodium and potassium in the body.
6. Low sugar is known as Hypoglycemia. When blood glucose levels in body drop below normal, the body experiences trembling, cold sweat, numbness, nausea, headaches, tingling of nerves, food craving, giddiness, fatigue and lack of concentration.
7. Low sodium is known as Hyponatremia. When essential sodium salts in body drop, body experiences headaches, confusion, seizures, weakness and irritability. Also, body in defense mechanism produces an excess of anti-diuretic hormones leading water retention in a bid to conserve body’s sodium levels.
8. Low potassium is known as Hypokalemia. When potassium salts in the body drop, it disrupts cellular processes, causes bodily weakness because muscles need potassium to contract; heart muscle becomes temporarily sluggish, heart beat gets disturbed leading to palpitations & variations in blood pressure can occur causing uneasiness. Excess potassium is flushed out by kidneys through urine; so when potassium levels drop, urine outflow is impaired leading to further body uneasiness.

 My scientific approach to fasting:-

1. I avoid too much plain water intake. It is a mistake to presume that plain water will nullify stomach acids. On the contrary, on a/c of disrupted electrolytes, the water is retained in body & stomach leading to a feeling a bloating, followed by nausea and vomiting to evict the excess fluid. Plain water by itself is no good.
2. I avoid too many juices, in fact not more than few sips; juices have a high natural brix-acidity ratio which can lead to either excess glucose levels or excess acidity levels in body, depending on the fruit.
3. I avoid sweets, as also glucose drinks; sweets & glucose drinks shoot up the sugar levels in body disproportionately to other electrolytes which is not advisable for longer fasts; the butter component in sweets creates excess thirst and craving for more sweets; and when sugar in glucose drinks is used up, sugar levels will drop as rapidly as they rose leading to total disruption in body functions.
4. I avoid snacks cooked in oil. There are many snacks that are allowed during a fast but these are made either in oil or clarified butter. Oil/butter promotes acidity, builds thirst and leads to a further craving to eat.
5. I choose fruits carefully; I avoid fruits that are high in acidity ratio eg. apples, oranges etc. my favorite is banana as it is designed to offer most benefit during a fast. Bananas are high in potassium and can quickly replace lost potassium salts bringing the body back in balance. Bananas also have the ideal sugar levels needed by the body in a single consumption.
6. I avoid all vegetables except potatoes & sweet potatoes. Here again, sweet potatoes score over normal potatoes because like bananas they have the ideal sugar-potassium ratio needed by the body in a single consumption; the starch component gives the required energy boost. Plain potato by itself falls short in sugar levels.
7. My fasting diet comprises a medium bowl of boiled diced sweet potato + diced banana, sprinkled with salt & black pepper to give me my ideal shot of energy + sugar + sodium + potassium in a single serving. Black pepper neutralizes stomach acids thus keeping acidity at bay for a longer time. I have this power-bowl 2 times a day & it always more than suffices my nutrition for an entire day. In fact as the days progress, I have this just once a day in the evening.
8. Keeping in mind my sensitive stomach issues, I keep the all-time Gujarati fasting favorite “farali chivda” handy at all times. Farali chivda is quite scientific. It is a mix of potato, salt, sugar, curry leaves and dry fruits – an ideal mixture to give the body what it needs during a fast. A couple of teaspoons with every tea always seem to suffice my requirements. Farali chivda has a knack of killing hunger instantly, something that I have not experienced with any other fasting snack.
9. That pretty much sums it up.
10. Coming to water intake – like I said, I avoid plain water. I stock up on sachets of “Electral” powder (which is the medically approved combination of sugar, sodium and potassium also known as ORS or oral rehydrating salts). 1 sachet mixed with 1 litre of chilled water is my substitute for plain water throughout the duration of my fast. I drink as much as I feel the need to; sometimes just in sips, sometimes half a bottle at one go; I let my body decide on the intake. I keep water temperature on the cooler side because the body is prone to heat during a fast, so cold water keeps body temperature under control. About 3 sachets of Electral has been my average consumption; that translates into about 3 litres of water in a day.
11. Last but not the least – I periodically chew on ayurvedic ant-acidity tablets to prevent the onset of acidity. My favorite remains Alarsin pharma’s Sooktyn tabs. Sometimes I substitute it with Alarsin’s Bangshil tabs because these also regulate urine flow. As with all ayurvedic formulations in tablet form, sucking on a tab gives better/faster results than swallowing.
12. So far, my fasting experience of 9 days twice over, has been completely devoid of any body symptoms usually associated with a fast. That gives me the confidence to stretch my horizons to 30 days coming Shravan. Let’s see. So far, it’s just a thought & an ambitious one at that.

For The Love Of It

6/1/2012 1:15:54 PM

For the Love of It

It may sound clichéd, but God is Love. In the truest sense. The nameless, formless energy of God or God-force is Love. Love for the sake of love, not love because it is a means to an end.

 Every moment of God `connect’ happens in a moment of `love’. Test it for yourself. Anything that you may have asked `God’ out of a feeling of `love’ gets answered almost instantaneously – be it well-being of children, well-being of parents, a prayer for someone, a dance move, a music note, a touching write-up, anything. Everything else takes a bit of time. Even there, if the motive for asking something seemingly superficial lies in your need to provide something good to others – it gets answered quicker.

 In a moment of anxiety tinged with genuine `love’ for something or someone, `God’ answers our prayers. Truth is, through love, we are able to plug ourselves into the infinite God-energy which is also the energy of love, and once we are plugged in, everything seems possible, attainable.

 I have a family of squirrels that visit my balcony every day. They have a small area laid out for them – some water, a couple of small plates with food, snacks etc. The thing is, they bring me great joy and I’m indebted to them for it. Watching them brings me peace and de-stresses me. I love their innocence and I will them to come every day. I never try to tame them or assert my presence in anyway. They are creatures of the wild and I’m ok with that. But every day they come and go, I feel that I have to pay them back in some lifetime for the joy they bring with them.

 In contrast is a senior of my house who believes that it is earning me good karma; karmic brownie points so to say; to perhaps put some points into her own kitty, she competes to fill their plates – that is fair enough, to each his own; but what hurts me is when she insists on piling leftover crumbs into their plates. That for me is an insult. I just wish she would learn to appreciate doing something for the `love’ of it and not because it is going to `earn’ us something. Then maybe she would find the God `connect’ she searches for every day.

 Coming back to love – in my spiritual quest of God, God-force, God-connect etc. I have always seen that any practice or ritual, be it a mantra or a chant or a prayer or an act – when I attempt it for the love of it, it brings me instant results, except that I would not have been doing it for the result. When I use the word `result’ I’m referring to an `enlightenment’, an` empowerment’, or perhaps a `special power’ that others may have been working towards since a long time.

 I have always connected to God in a moment of love and not need; I have prayed to God across cultures and across religions, and I have had myriad experiences, all humbling and noteworthy.

 I have had numerous extra-sensory experiences – clairvoyance (seeing ghosts & entities beyond the vision of normal eye); clairaudience (hearing noises & voices beyond the range of normal ear); out-of-body experiences (both types – where the consciousness is with the soul that exits the body for a short duration & where the consciousness is with the body without the soul; the latter is scary, more like a completely paralysed experience); telepathy with my mom & earlier with few friends who swore by a telepathic connect – and perhaps so many other happenings where signs & symbols from the Universe arrive at a precise moment, as if the Universe is talking to you. The last was so common that I stopped making notes after a while.

Each time, an experience happened, I would probably have been in a spiritual quest for the love of it or consciously willed something for myself for the love of it. My connect with the Universe never happened when love was not the motive. The most beautiful line from Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist – when you truly desire something from inside, the Universe conspires to give it to you.

 We can `truly desire something from inside’ only when we desire something for the `love’ of it and not for any other reason. And then, there is no stopping the Universe.

 My personal symbolism for the squirrels in my home:-

 The first squirrel who strayed into my 7^th floor balcony by mistake was a boisterous young boy. He arrived during the pooja time of my last Ganesh Chaturthi and so I called him Ganpat to give him a local flavor.

 Ganpat was fascinated by the jute foot-mat in my balcony and perhaps wanted it as a furnishing for his own home. He would diligently make a visit every day, undo the warp & weft with extreme skill, bite of strands of jute, roll them into a ball and run of with it. For the small fellow, it was tiring work and he would stop every 15 minutes for a breather. Even so, he would only be able to knock off small parts every day. That was when I started serving him muesli and oats; to boost his energy levels. It worked, his speed doubled and his breaks became more infrequent. The bugger knocked of my jute mat in 4 days flat.

 My boy then started straying into my balcony to look for food in his little plate. Then I experimented with various kinds of food – and he liked them all but he had a special taste for plain rice and idli. Ganpat is a messy eater; he demarcates his territory by leaving bits of food in different places. My boy then had visitors – small squirrel girls who would chase him around the balcony and try to share his plate of food. Ganpat was vicious and unwelcoming at first; but Cupid struck and he paired off with a young girl (a very neat and meticulous eater). Then followed weeks of wooing and happy amicable living; then there was a lull in the visits; something like just once every alternate day; then arrives Ganpat & family with 2 small baby squirrels. My grandsons – 2 small boy squirrels who turned out to be as boisterous as their dad, 2 little bullies; I christened them Angad & Bhim. After the initial parenting, Ganpat began to resent his offspring; after few fights, food timings became clearly demarcated. Every squirrel found its own time and space to come, eat, rest. Today, there is a much larger family that comes in at different times; I think he has further expanded his brood; this time it looks like a round of baby girls. I have now figured out that boys have broader faces & shorter broader tails; girls have longer faces & longer thinner tails. It has been an amazing insight into wildlife.

 But coming back to my symbolism:-

 Astrologers and men of God (many of whom my parents visited during a certain phase) always predicted a healthy lineage of sons and grandsons for me. This has nothing to do with a personal gender preference but more to do with specific predictions of specific people. Personally, boy or girl, I would have loved to have had a kid with attitude. Attitude marks an independent personality, and such kids will pave their own way in life.

 So, astrologers and spiritualists made predictions of sons & grandsons; predictions which matched my own knowledge of astrology; predictions which matched the self-analysis of my own chart; predictions which were supported by my better-half’s horoscope. So what wrong? Maybe I do know what went wrong, but that is not what I set out to write here.

 This is about symbolism. Events that are meant to happen, that are destined to happen – will happen. If you are vigilant and in sync with the Universe, then you can make them happen in the best possible manner; in the manner that was designed to be most happy and most easy for you. But for some reason, if you fail to see the signs, then you miss the bus; when you miss the bus that you are destined to board, then a lot of Universal activity gets thrown out of gear; because you missing the bus will have a chain effect on a series of events, and a series of lives – and this causes great disruption in the Universal plan…

 …For eg. when you miss your appointed bus, then you will have to board one of the next buses that arrive in order to move way forward in life. This bus will have people and opportunities that were not designed in tune with your karma; yet you board the bus; then you will be forced to realign your karma to match the opportunities and people on the bus. This results in the disruption of your karmic blueprint. Events destined to happen may not happen; events not destined for you may get edited into your blueprint. The destiny of your life gets edited; the destinies of other lives get edited; souls who are waiting to take birth have to reschedule their visits; life events have to be edited…

 … And all this happens with just 1 person missing an appointed bus for an appointed event. What would you say if I told you that according to spiritual statistics – most of us apparently miss most of our scheduled buses for most of our important events? Can you now imagine why the Universe is in such a perennial state of chaos, confusion, pandemonium and anger? Because none of us are in sync with the Universe; none of us are sticking to our original blueprint of this life’s birth; none of us are `reading the signs’ of the Universe.

 So, many times the Universe targets evolved soul, and attempts to correct their disturbed blueprint by `symbolically’ enacting for them an event that they missed. The `bus’ appears once again, not `really’ but `symbolically’ and this time when we recognize the signs and board the bus, the Universe `readjusts’ a huge volume of disruption and this leads to waves of peace & harmony in your personal blueprint and the Universe at large. It is like `every thing should go where it is meant to be’ and when that happens – the Universe heaves a sigh of relief. For every sigh of relief, peace & harmony is generated. It is very scientific. Any student of physics can tell you about energy waves, light waves, sound waves etc. Yes, it is science.

 So if astrologers predicted sons & grandsons for me; something which didn’t happen in `real’ life because somewhere I may have missed the bus; but it did happen `symbolically’ when this squirrel, `my little boy’ grew up and formed his own naughty little lineage. It’s all in the heart; if you connect, then you just connect; whether human or animal we are all soul fragments of God’s master soul. We are all connected at some level.

 Coming back to the Universe for a moment – the Universe experiences healing 2 times:- 1/when we are able to read the signs and board the bus designed for us; and 2/when soul unions happen – when souls from a cluster of souls (soul-mates) recognize others from their own group; and when 2 halves (twin-souls) find and recognize each other. Each time this happens, the Universe moves 1 step higher in vibrations and that generates energies of healing and love. So can we even imagine how happy the Universe would be if each of us yearned to find our missing half (yearning is the first step to finding); and if each of looked around to see if we can spot a soul-fellow from our original group?

 We just need to be in sync with the Universe. We have to learn to understand the sign-language of the Universe the way we understand small kids who can’t speak, dumb animals or silent nature. We have to teach our children to read the signs so they don’t miss any bus when it arrives.

 Listening to the Universe and talking back to it is the least we can do. Don’t do it for a reason. Just do it for the love of it.

Universal Pitru-Paksh Mantras & Rituals That Can Be Chanted/Performed By Anybody/Everybody – Part I & II

GIST OF SAGE AGASTYA’S TREATISE ON PITRU-PAKSH RITUALS (MAHALAAYA SHRAADH) – Part I

10/5/2012 2:41:55 PM

Sage Agastya’s Treatise on rituals during 15 days of Pitru-Paksh (Mahaalaya Shraadh):-

Contrary to popular belief, Sage Agastya opined that salutations to ancestors during Pitru-Paksh is not the sole prerogative of sons.

Agastya’s Treatise is endorsed by all Buddhist texts esp. Lotus Sutra, which opines that everyone must pay respects to ancestors.

In Hindusim it is said, 15 days in a year, our ancestors visit us every day from sunrise to sunset in hope of receiving offerings from us.

Offerings of water & black sesame seeds, quenches their hunger & thirst; in return for this, they shower multitude blessings on us.

Also, doors of Vishnu-Lok remain open for all Pitrus (dead souls) for 15 days in a year during Pitru-Paksh, BUT there is a catch.

The catch is – Pitrus (dead souls) can enter Vishnu-Lok either based on their individual good karma or from a request by descendants.

When descendants send a request to Ethers to allow their ancestors to enter Vishnu-Lok, the fee for same is deducted from our karma.

It is as if we are paying for our ancestors’ ticket into Vishnu-Lok, from our own karmic brownie points. That’s the understanding.

This ticket to Vishnu-Lok is valid for a year until next Pitru-Paksh, when we have to renew same for our ancestors; hence its importance.

Those of our ancestors who have already attained Vishu-Lok owing to their own good karma; our ticket will take them to higher heavens.

It is precisely for this ticket that our ancestors line up in hope & expectation during the 15 day phase of Pitru-Paksh.

So if you deem ancestors to be unimportant & go about your daily jobs unconcerned, they leave in disappointment & dejection.

This dejection & disappointment of ancestors translates into “curses” which are nothing but material obstacles & hurdles in daily life.

But if you choose to welcome them, honor them & bid them farewell with offerings; then it translates into “blessings”.

“Ancestors’ blessings” are nothing but help & luck that you receive in material life in a tangible, material way.

Here again – `free will’ plays its own role. Ancestors do not/cannot accept offerings that forced or half-hearted.

So whatever comes `from heart’ is accepted by ancestors, rest stands rejected; so it is important to honor ancestors from both love & duty.

Sage Agastya’s basic rule1: Every living descendant, related by blood or bond, must honor every dead ancestor.

Sage Agastya’s basic rule2: If you are entitled to receive, you are entitled to give. If there are no barriers as who can receive…

… name, fame, wealth & blessings from ancestors, then there can be no barriers as to who can/should perform Pitru-Paksh offerings.

Restrictions entered into Hindusim regarding Pitru-Paksh rituals because men believed, they had ownership over wives’ & daughters’ karma.

Elaborate rituals apart, following 3 simple mantras from Agastya’s treatise will suffice for anyone (men, women, children, related, unrelated)…

…desirous of parting with a bit of their good karma so they can buy a ticket for their ancestors into Vishnu-Lok.

Continued…

GIST OF SAGE AGASTYA’S TREATISE ON PITRU-PAKSH RITUALS (MAHAALAYA SHRAADH) – Part II

10/5/2012 5:24:58 PM

You will need to make the following simple preparations. Find a quiet corner of a room or balcony where you can sit down facing East.

You will need: 1 mat to sit on; 1 glass of water, a small bowl of BLACK sesame seeds (til); a plate into which you can release water & your list of mantras from Agastya’s Treatise.

Mantras required: Pitru-Gayatri ; Avaahanam Mantra; Pitru-Mantra; Gayatri-Mantra to close the show.

PITRU-GAYATRI MANTRA is chanted 11 times to activate all your Pitrus from Ethers above, so that their attention turns towards you.

You may not know who your Pitrus (ancestors) are; but when you begin to chant Pitru-Gayatri, you will start radiating unique vibrations.

These vibrations will be unique to you, and will resonate through Ethers via your body, your mind, your sound & your intentions.

Vibration emitted by you will be like no one else; so Pitrus whom you are intentionally reaching out to, will immediately turn their attention to you.

Either in the balconey of your house, or in a quiet corner of any room, sit down facing East on a mat.

Place b

Before you begin Pitru-Gayatri, it’s important to put forward the following intention (mentally & in your own thoughts & words) towards Ethers:-

“All ancestors from my father’s side; all ancestors from my mother’s side; all ancestors from my better-half’s side…

…all ancestors known to me; all ancestors unknown to me; all Pitrus in Ethers who may have no descendants…;

…all Pitrus in Ethers whose descendants may have forgotten them; all friends who have passed into Ethers…;

…and souls of all animals who dies feeding me & my family, directly or indirectly. Please turn your attention towards me:-

Now chant the PITRU-GAYATRI MANTRA (11 times in succession):-

PITRU-GAYATRI:- “OM PITRU GANAAYA VIDMAHE… JAGAT DHAARINEY DHEEMAHI… TANNO PITRO PRACHODAYAAT”

If you’re good at visualization, you will see your Pitrus few feet above you, surrounding you in a semi-circle, facing you.

You have now caught your Pitrus’ attention; next step is to invite them to accept your meager offering of black sesame seeds & water.

Invitation is extended by chanting the AVAAHANAM-MANTRA (3 times in succession):-

AVAAHANAM-MANTRA:- “OM AAGACHH-ANNTU ME PITRU EMAM GRIHANTI JALAANJALIM”

I invite you into my home to accept my offering of sesame seeds & water to quench your hunger & thirst.

Then you chant the PITRU-MANTRA (3 times in succession):-

1. Take black sesame seeds in right hand.
2. While chanting PITRU-MANTRA, pour water over sesame seeds into plate.
3. Water has to flow from between thumb & index finger AND NOT from front of palms flowing over fingers, as we normally do.
4. The water that will flow between thumb & index finger will automatically flow towards South direction as you are facing East.
5. The direction of Pitrus is South.

PITRU-MANTRA:- “OM SARVA PITRU DEVAAYA NAMAHA… TRIPTAYAAMIDAM TILODAHAM –VA – JALAANJALIM… TASMAI SWADHAA NAMAHA… TASMAI SWADHAA NAMAHA… TASMAI SWADHAA NAMAHA…” 

Now request them to proceed to Vishnu-Lok, the gates of which you have desired open, by parting with a bit of your good karma.

As a closure & thank-you, chant the GAYATRI-MANTRA (11 times in succession), during which time your Pitrus will depart.

GAYATRI-MANTRA:- “OM BHUR BHUVAHA SWAAHAA TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI DHEEYO YONAHA PRACHODAYAAT”

If you’re someone like me who enjoys having a verbal dialogue with those gathered; then do so before you chant the GAYATRI-MANTRA.

Personally, I have experienced an amazing peace over last 5 days. In fact, my dialogue sessions are incredibly soothing.

Pitru-dialogues are something I’ve wanting to have for a long time now; but strangely this mention of “departed souls” & “Pitrus” is unnerving for a common man.

But thanks to our family Pandit who dropped in at an opportune time (bang on early morning of 1^st day of Shraadh)…

…thanks to Agastya’s Treatise; and thanks to all Buddhist texts, esp. Lotus Sutra which support this Treatise, albeit in different words & with different mantras…

…thanks to all of these, and esp. to all Pitrus above who desired to connect with me; this year I managed to honor my ancestors on their sp. days.

What I find amazingly coincidental is that BHARANI SHRAADH, which falls roughly on 4^th/5^th day of Pitru-Paksh has special significance.

Coincidental because, my monthly dates arrived day after Bharani Shraadh, at which time I had not even read the importance of Bharani Shraadh.

Call it a series of coincidences, or call it a series of pre-destined events that just kept falling into place; call it what you will, but this year has been different.

This year, more than ever, I have felt that God does connect with you in tangible ways; God does steer your wagon – if you will him to.

I’m still waiting to understand my Krishna-connection; a chord that connected, roughly from the month of Adik-maasam this year.

I’m in no hurry. It’ll come to me in its own time. Like everything else. But for now, IMPORTANCE OF BHARANI-SHRAADH. Next.

Continued…