True Yoga
June 20, 2007
“When he knows with his mind the joy supreme
beyond the reach of the senses,
then, perceiving, he stands still, adhering
firmly to Reality.
Having laid hold on Reality he avers it
a matchless prize.
Established therein, he is unmoved even by
the direct sorrow.
Let that be known as true yoga.”
-Krishna to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6
Ganga Puja
June 19, 2007
“Your hills, O Earth, your snow clad mountain peaks,
your forests, may they show us kindliness!
Brown, black, red, multifareous in hue
and solid is htis vast Earth, guarded by Indra.
Invincible, unconquered, and unharmed,
I have on her, established my abode.
…may this great Earth assure us of life and breath,
permitting us to come to ripe old age.”
-Atharva Veda
Shiva temple
June 18, 2007
This is a small 500+ year old Shiva temple near Varanasi where a lot of our mrytunjaya and Shiva yagyas are performed. This is the peepul tree which is revered in the Vedic and Buddhist traditions.
It was under a tree like this that the Buddha attained enlightenment and the Sri Maha Bodhi is found in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka and said to be a sapling from the original Bodhi tree under which the historical Buddha became enlightened. It was planted in 288 BC, and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date!
Serving the elderly
June 17, 2007
One need not serve the sanyasis to gain the merit of the anadanam yagya. We also serve food on the ghats in Varanasi . And it usually includes the elderly who may have come to Varanasi to support a relative in their final days.
“When you send rain upon the earth,
then the creatures breathe and live.
When there is food to their heart’s content,
they dwell in happiness.”
-Prashna Upanishad
Sanyasis
June 16, 2007
Periodically we perform a yagya called anadanam which honors Parvati in her form as Anapurni, the goddess of food. The vedas sing the glories of food in many many verses, so this yagya, as simple as it may seem is really quite profound. Thanks to our pundits in Varanasi they organized this feeding of some of the local sanyasin.
“Those who share your sweetness with others are truly your friends. Those who keep your fine taste to themselves are stiff necked wretches!”
–Rig Veda
Swasti!
June 15, 2007
Swastik is normally believed to be an amalgam of the words Su and Asati. Su means ‘good’ and Asati meant ‘to exist’. So in the rules of Sanskrit grammar, the words Su and Asati become Swasti. Thus, the literal meaning of the term Swastika would be ‘let good-prevail’. Swastik is the sign of lord Ganesha and it is believed where there is the Ganesha symbol, nothing bad can happen.
The Ganges in Rome!
June 14, 2007
From the Wikipedia entry for the Ganges:
In Rome’s Piazza Navona, there is a famous sculpture Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers), a marvelous sculptural and architectural creation by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, set up in 1651. It symbolises four of the world’s great rivers (the Ganges, the Nile, the Danube, and the Rio de la Plata), representing the four continents known at the time. The picture above shows River Ganges as visualised by Bernini.
Navagraha
June 13, 2007
In the Vedic tradition, the 9 planets are the delivery method for our karmas. So, it follows that in order to alleviate our bad karmas we can perform various forms of yagya to them.
Above is the usual yantra for the Navagraha constructed of various grains. East is at the top, and so in the center is the Sun; a red circle. The nuts that are placed on each square are betel nut…a traditional offering.
To the left of the sun is Jupiter, and to the right is Mars. In the row closest to the bottom of the photo are Saturn (center), Ketu (left) and Rahu (right).
The top row has Venus in the center, flanked by Mercury on the left and the Moon on the right.
Universality
June 12, 2007
From the Bhagavad Gita:
“Even those who are devotees of other Gods,
if they worship with faith,
are sacrificing to me alone,
though not adhering to the rule.
…
Whoever offers to me with devotion
and purity of heart
leaf, flower, fruit, or water - that offering of love
I accept with joy.”
The power of Agni
June 11, 2007
“With you fires, O Agni, you make strong
our sacrifice and prayer.
Inspire us, O God, to share
and grant us wealth to give.”
-Atharva Veda