Lakshmi sahasranama

 Hari Aum.

Om Sri Mahalakshmyai Namah.

I hope all readers are keeping well and that your sadhana is going smoothly. We are now exactly a month away from Navaratri, the nine day celebration of the glories of the Divine Mother.

I chanced to come across the Lakshmi sahasranama today, a very beautiful prayer to Mother Lakshmi and wanted to share this with you.

In Sanskrit, 'sahasra' means 'one thousand', and 'nama' means 'name'. So 'sahasranama' means 'one thousand names'. The two most well-known and popular sahasranamas are the ones dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the Divine Mother Lalita. These are recited in temples and in the homes of devotees all over the world. However, there are sahasranamas for various other deities, including Mother Lakshmi. 

Today is Friday, the day of the Goddess, and I was listening to the Mahalakshmi ashtakam (eight verses in praises of Mother Lakshmi) this evening while doing some rather dull, household chores. After listening to this and also singing along for a while, I was in the mood to continue to enjoy the experience of devotion to Mother Lakshmi.

Knowing that 'sahasranamas' tend to be on a longer side, I decided to do an online search and came up with a beautiful rendition of the Lakshmi sahasranama (please see links below). The meaning of the Sanskrit names of Lakshmi were so sweet and melodious to the ear that I felt I really had to write about it today. I was also very tempted to perform a puja while listening to the sahasranama (will keep this for another occasion soon as it is now a bit late in the day).

This prayer is described in the Skanda Purana and is said to have been recited by the sage Sanatkumara (who explained to other sages who then went on to teach this to their own disciples). 

Lakshmi sahasranama recitation: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8EGm9OwSNc

The entire prayer (in various scripts):

https://vignanam.org/samskritam/sri-lakshmi-sahasra-nama-stotram.html

Meaning of each of the one thousand names of Mother Lakshmi:

https://www.teluguone.com/devotional/amp/content/mahalakshmi-sahasranamam-%E2%80%93-1008-holy-names-of-goddess-english-script-937-27566.html

The Lakshmi sahasranama has a very sweet, benevolent, gentle energy associated with it. The Goddess is this form is essentially depicted as the nourishing and compassionate Mother of the entire universe.

The sahasranama broadly describes Her as One who:

-bestows peace, happiness, health and wealth (both material and spiritual)

-vanquishes evil (for example, She is described as Kali, Durga, Narasimhi and Varahi)

-gives wisdom (She is described as Sarasvati)

-has a beautiful form and qualities  

-is the beloved of Vishnu

-is the embodiment of mantras and worship

-can be propitiated by the recitation of mantras and performance of worship

-is the origin of all Creation

-is the Sustainer and Destroyer of all 

-deludes (as Maya) and also removes delusion (by granting Self realisation)

-is Mother Nature in all aspects (including the five 'great elements' namely, fire, water, earth, air and space)

-is the Supreme Being, the granter of all blessings

From a spiritual perspective, hearing or reciting this is said to grant divine blessings, devotion to God and spiritual liberation. 

From a material perspective, this prayer is said is to grant worldly comforts and wealth, a peaceful home and good health. 

From the perspective of Vedic astrology, this would be particularly helpful for those who have a weak Venus in their birth chart (as Lakshmi is the presiding deity for this planet) and those who are ruled by the Venusian signs (Taurus and Libra as the ascendant and/or moon sign).

I have to admit I really enjoyed listening to this sahasranama and feeling connected to Mother Lakshmi--I plan to listen to it many more times in the coming weeks and will hopefully learn to recite at least some of it (I was also surprised and pleased to see the name 'Aparna' on the list; I have always secretly wished my first name had a more direct connection with Vishnu and was glad to finally discover that this is in fact the case!).

I hope that you too enjoy listening to, reciting and contemplating upon the meaning of this beautiful meditative prayer dedicated to Mother Lakshmi.

Om Sri MahaLakshmyai Namah.

May Mother Lakshmi bless us all.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Twin soul love

 Hari Aum.

In the past few years, I have had the opportunity to speak to people on a twin soul journey and one of the topics we sometimes discuss (aside from our frustrations and grievances related to the complexities of this spiritual path!) is the way we feel about our counterparts, about the love we have for them (it is good to sometimes talk about the positive aspects of this journey along with the many challenges!). 

Today, I would like to write something about this twin soul love. This is based upon my discussions with other twin souls (mainly the female aspect) and my own experience. (A close female friend of mine from childhood days in particular, interestingly appears to be on a similar journey. We are fortunate to able to speak with each other relatively freely on this topic, and having each other's support has been an invaluable blessing.)

The love that the female twins feel for their counterparts really cannot be described. It is difficult if not impossible to write about this but nonetheless, I will try. The reason is that it is beautiful and I feel I have a duty to at least attempt to give some expression to this reality that we as a group feel. It is relatively easy to write about our grievances, complaints, frustrations and irritation at our counterparts. That part comes quite naturally on this path that is designed to be difficult!

But, underneath all the frustrations and annoyances and indeed the rejections, is a quite indescribable, irrational and unexplainable type of love. Many of us wonder as to its origin, why it exists, how it came about, and its basis. But it defies our intellects.

You see, the strange thing is, it has no reason. There is no reason for this love (it is not particularly based upon any physical, mental, social or other characteristic; it almost seems to be some sort of soul force).

It just exists. Most of us have had no previous experience of this before, and so our minds reel at the behaviour of our hearts when we first experience this. We feel alarmed at ourselves, at the depth of feeling that we are capable of. 

We never knew, we say to ourselves, that we could feel this way. (In fact, many of us berate ourselves for experiencing this as it is quite disturbing initially-- but the fact is, no matter how much we tell ourselves off for feeling this way, the love remains. This is simply a reality).

It is quite beyond the typical romantic relationship love that we and other human beings seem to experience (there can be a romantic aspect, but it is so much vaster than that). We would describe it as intense, unfathomable, overpowering, all-consuming and unconditional. 

The last word, 'unconditional' has particular significance. We realise over time (usually a long time, as this tends to be a long journey spanning many years and some say lifetimes!) that there is nothing really that diminishes this feeling-- if anything it grows as time passes. 

We wonder at it, but no matter how much we rack our brains and attempt to use this to analyse our hearts, we are unable to rationally or scientifically explain this experience. The brain returns defeated by the heart every time (this is certainly not to say that we have abandoned our intellects—far from it. It is only that the intellect recognises that there is a higher power). It is really quite extraordinary.

And then, we begin to feel that the universe is teaching us something valuable-- perhaps it is that much coveted state of unconditional love. As spiritual seekers and devotees, many of us read about this in the scriptures, we meditate upon divinities that embody this, we intellectually attempt to grasp this as a goal of spiritual life. 

But when we begin to experience even a drop of this, we are utterly stunned. What an extraordinary experience, we feel. When our higher selves tap into this type of love, our egoistic lower minds (which exist along with the higher self as with all spiritual seekers) are completely astounded.

It does not feel like something we have created ourselves in our own minds and hearts. It feels almost as though the universe is flowing through us. The love that flows within us for our counterparts makes us feel quite expansive, quite universal, quite divine, as if this love could expand and include everyone and everything in it. 

When we feel this love, we feel that we are touching the very hem of the Divine. We begin to get a glimpse of the love that the yogis and Gurus talk about-- love that loves for the sake of love, that simply has no reason, that does not diminish with time or space (these are simply words that cannot convey the full experience at all). And which does not fade but only seems to increase with time. 

Our twin soul counterpart becomes a sort of canvas as it were; a canvas in our minds and hearts, given to us by the Divine, onto which we begin to learn to paint the colours of this divine, universal love. 

We become almost like artists, learning the art of unconditional love under the tutelage of the Divine (and many of us do actually feel inspired to embrace the artistic aspect of life, be it music, dance, painting or other creative pursuits). 

This is a very challenging journey to put it mildly. But to be able to experience this sort of love feels like a privilege (though it has to be said, there are times when this love can feel much more like a curse than a blessing-- that too is a key part of the twin soul path). Nonetheless, over time, we realise that we are being taught something of serious spiritual significance by the universe-- and with this, comes a certain understanding and gratitude towards the Divine. 

Despite all the challenges of this path, over time, one begins to see that perhaps there was a purpose behind it after all. That purpose was to bring to life the unconditional love within the scriptures, that the divine embodies, that we ourselves-- that all human beings (not only twin souls)-- embody. For all of us, human beings, are of the nature of this love-- this is the view of our Gurus and scriptures. 

For many twin souls, this unconditional love emerges most powerfully when we are quiet, when we are at peace, when the work of the day has been done, perhaps when all the world is sleeping and we are awake. 

When our mind and heart space is not distracted by the worldly chatter of those around us, and our senses are not drawn outwards to perform our daily duties, when our ego minds are not active, in quiet periods when we are alone, when our higher aspect is able to express itself fully without any impediment-- this is perhaps the time when we are able feel this love most powerfully.

Speaking of unconditional love, we have just celebrated the birthday of Lord Krishna, who is the embodiment of this divine quality, One who is both lovable and infuriating in equal measure (oddly, many twin souls would describe their counterparts in similar terms!). 

I dedicate this post to Him as He is the origin of love in all human beings. I hope all readers have had a beautiful day celebrating this auspicious occasion. May Lord Krishna bless us all with unconditional love and may He continue to teach us more about the mysteries of this extraordinary experience.

Om Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. As with many other things of the world of the spirit, I have gradually realised that this experience is truly best expressed in silence in the material realm (and kept well away from the gross physical realm of body and speech, which in any case, cannot do it any real justice). 

This is likely one of the key reasons why many twin souls naturally maintain silence with their counterparts and I would entirely agree that this is a wise choice. 

I have realised that this love, which has a subtle, divine and ethereal nature, can and should only be fully expressed before the One who created it in the first place, namely the Divine, as S/He alone can truly understand and appreciate it. This expression then becomes a golden key to enter the realm of the Divine, thus enabling this love to fulfil its purpose.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Satyam eva jayate

 Hari Aum.

‘Satyam eva jayate’, meaning ‘Truth alone triumphs’ is a famous Sanskrit saying from the Mundaka Upanishad. This means that in all aspects of life, truth ultimately wins over falsehood. This saying is the heart and soul of both spiritual and material life.

God Himself/Herself is the embodiment of Truth, and S/He always protects those who embrace the truth in their lives. Those who turn away from truth, turn away from God.

Without truth, there can be no peace, no love and no happiness. There can be no divinity. And without divine grace, there can ultimately be no success in life.

The truth needs to be acknowledged no matter how challenging it may be. It takes courage to speak the truth, and to live by the truth. This is a form of worship of God in the form of Truth.

This is a worship to be performed by all spiritual seekers. We will all be tested by the Divine in one way or another. We will be placed in situations and circumstances where our ability to adhere to the truth will be examined and very thoroughly at that.

Lying may be easy, and we may justify it by giving ourselves and others various reasons and excuses. But it is never justifiable to lie as a general rule. 

It is especially unacceptable to lie in spiritual life. We need to be able to admit our faults frankly to ourselves, to others where appropriate, to our Guru and to God. This is needed for spiritual progress.

And, on the twin soul path, it is completely unacceptable to lie perpetually about not feeling the connection when one clearly does. It may be uncomfortable but one has a duty to acknowledge the truth. 

On that note, I would like to say the following to my twin soul. I feel you felt and still feel the connection (if you are on this blog, you clearly do). But you have not had the courage to admit it—in the past or the present. You are not doing yourself or me any favours by this (no matter what you tell yourself).

Why not embrace this truth, which is a form of God (like any other truth), and see where S/He guides us? Since S/He has created this connection, why not let Him/Her decide where it should lead? Why do you want to control everything? Why don’t we do our part, namely speak our truth, and let the Divine guide us? 

Twin souls will remain miserable as long as they are apart. They are meant to reunite in some form and experience peace and happiness. 

All twin souls feel this connection every moment of our lives—we cannot help it, we cannot change this. Why not then accept it and see where the Divine takes us?

So to my twin, I will say that I feel this connection constantly since late 2020 (when some sort of significant twin soul activation is said to have occurred). Your behaviour suggests that you too have felt it. Why do you not then acknowledge it? 

Please find it in yourself to tell me the truth. If you have ever had any concern for me as you claim, then speak the truth. Why are you here on this blog if you do not feel a connection? I am glad you are here (if you really are). But I am fed up of this nonsense that you don’t feel a connection. It is both insulting to my intelligence and deeply hurtful. There is no justification for this at all.

And to any other twin souls who have stumbled upon this post, please find the courage to express your reality. God helps those who live by the truth. This is a divine connection, the reality of this should be acknowledged.

Om Satyaya Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya 

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Reflections on male twin souls

 Hari Aum.

On this spiritual journey, female twin souls find themselves asking a number of questions about their so-called counterparts and about their own apparent connection with them. 

Some of these questions that we ask ourselves and each other about the male twins include:

- First and foremost, do they feel a connection with us at all? If yes, why do they not tell us? If they do not, then are we crazy to feel a connection with them? But then, the majority of us are perfectly sane women in all other aspects of our lives (as sane as anyone else on this planet anyway!)- why then are we unable to cure ourselves of this connection?

-Even when the male twins hint they feel a connection (in their own indirect ways), why do they never seem to take steps to communicate this clearly and directly? 

Almost every twin soul, male and female, is in a karmic relationship with someone else-- this cannot be a permanent excuse to avoid being honest with one's twin about a connection that one feels day-in-day-out. That is simply nonsense. 

(One need not share every detail of this bond with one's karmic partner though-- here, some discretion is generally advised. Karmic connections may or may not continue irrespective of the twin soul bond. Whatever occurs with them, is the will of God. Generally twin souls do not interfere with each other's karmic connections)

-How do the male twins view this connection? Do they talk or communicate with other twin souls to gain support (as we female twins often do)? How do they handle this connection? What is their method? It is not easy to live with it so we naturally wonder!

-Do the male twins have a spiritual life? Are they ever going to tell us about it as we seem to share a spiritual bond? 

-Do they blame/resent/hate us for this bond? It is not our fault that this was created by the universe. Are they going to punish us by being silent and uncommunicative until we or they leave this planet?

-Do the male twins value truth, living a life that at least acknowledges their own truth? Truth is God, and as the Sanskrit saying goes, 'Satyam eva jayate', i.e. Truth alone triumphs. One cannot deny the truth forever and expect to succeed in any aspect of life, whether material or spiritual. Truth is the very foundation of life. 

In general, most female twins cannot understand their male counterparts. And the male twins probably cannot understand us either. And that is a pity, because this is bond is a constant experience. It feels like we have no choice but to learn to understand each other—this would be the only sensible way forward.

And, on that note, all of the questions that I have mentioned above apply to my own twin. If you are here, then let me say that you are a complete mystery to me. A total stranger. I feel I know you but at the same time, I do not know you at all (on the material plane anyway). And it seems that I never will-- as you do not want to communicate very much at all. Or acknowledge anything. You seem to prefer to live your own life entirely on the material level. I just cannot understand this. How can you live like this?!

Is it not possible for you to find a way of integrating this connection into your material life? As I am trying to do. 

Is it not reasonable to try and work out what the universe expects from us in creating this bond? Do you not wish to even discuss it? Are you afraid of something? And if yes, what is it? We cannot blame each other for anything that we have been through on this journey-- most twin souls go through the same.

I just cannot understand you at all! I really hope and pray you find it in yourself to acknowledge this connection (in words/ in person) if you feel it. By the way, I would be willing to reach out to you again (if you ever want to talk, that is!). 

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. What is the meaning of your social media presence? It feels like we are online at similar times. Does this mean you do or do not wish take the communication further? This is a very difficult spiritual journey, I must say!

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Janmashtami and Krishna lila

 Hari Aum.

Aum Sri Krishnaya Namah.

The annual celebration of the birthday of Lord Krishna (known as ‘Janmashtami’) is coming up in a week. As this auspicious day approaches, I was reflecting a little on my relationship with Him as a devotee.

Since the age of sixteen, I have been fascinated by Krishna, interested in hearing stories of Him, reciting His names and in reading, writing and singing about Him. Like many devotees, I aspired to be like a gopi, a parabhakta (one who has acquired true devotion). He has granted me many experiences over the years of my life, both 'good' and 'bad', both mundane and spiritual. 

In the past couple of years, I have to admit that I have become increasingly irked by Him (for a whole range of different reasons!). It got to the point recently, where I told Narayana that I would not like to worship this particular avatar of His ("Can’t stand His 'player' mentality", I said to Narayana! "I am not worshipping Him any longer, I much prefer Your more sedate avatars such as Vamana, Hamsa, Kapila and so on!").

And so, as I was packing for a trip to India around three weeks ago, I told the little statue of Krishna on my altar that I would not be taking Him with me (I usually always take Him along when going on any holiday). "You're not coming this time." I said firmly, "I will take only a picture of Vishnu, not You as You have been very troublesome of late. You may remain here!". 

On the day that my family and I were to travel to Kerala, we arrived at the airport well on time. I was in charge of the travel documents for everyone (as I have a not-very-popular reputation in the family for being very particular about making sure that nothing is forgotten when travelling—I admit I have been known over the years for ticking family members off for forgetting important things and am therefore viewed by them with some wariness! On this occasion, the tables were turned!). 

At the baggage drop-off counter, I produced the necessary documents as requested but then realised that my lifelong visa card for India (known as the 'OCI') was missing. (I had everyone else's visas as I had been very careful to pack these but had somehow managed to forget my own!). 

This had never happened to me before and I was completely aghast as there was now a very real risk that I would not be able to make the flight! I apologised profusely to the lady at the desk who was sympathetic. However, she said I would need to have the visa card to be able to travel and asked if there was any way that I would be able to return home to get it.

I said that I could certainly try and she said I needed to be back at the airport in just over an hour (which would be ninety minutes before the flight took off; the journey home with minimal traffic was around half an hour so this was cutting it fine). If I was much later than this, it would likely not be possible to travel.

I then rushed off to a taxi stand outside the airport and informed a driver that I needed to urgently return home to get a travel document and be back at the airport within an hour. He was very helpful and comforting, saying "Don't worry madam, I see this all the time!". "We will do our best!" he declared, as we set off. 

On the motorway home, I noted a large build-up of traffic on the opposite side (this did not bode well for returning on time). We made it home in around half an hour and I rushed to the room where the document was and found it. 

As I was about to leave, I noticed the mini-statue of Krishna sitting on my altar and felt that He had a slightly satisfied air about Him. (“Well, you’re back soon!”, He seemed to say).

I had a strong feeling that I had been summoned back home to take Him along with me! I therefore speedily wrapped Him up in a silken cloth and, placing Him into my handbag, said "Alright, You can come along! I’ll make sure I take You with me on holidays in future".

Dashing back to the taxi, we set off again on the stressful journey back to the airport. The driver said he might need to a take a different, longer route back (due to the traffic on the motorway) which would likely have meant I would reach too late. 

However, by the grace of God, the traffic cleared (I was feverishly checking Google maps on my phone regarding the traffic and updating the driver— he was very patient and a true godsend) and we travelled by the shortest route and got back in around half an hour.

I told Krishna on the way, "Now that You made me return for You, You had better make sure I get on the flight!" and fervently repeated His mantras (quietly!) throughout the journey. I feel He helped me get back on time— the taxi fare turned out to be 108 in the local currency which is a sacred number in the Vedic tradition— this made me feel even more strongly that the entire episode was a typical troublesome Krishna lila!

Upon arrival at the airport, I thanked the driver and hastened to the baggage counter and everything went smoothly from there onwards (some of the staff looked rather surprised when I apologised for being late, even claiming that there was plenty of time—but that was not the message that I had been given previously!). My family politely refrained from commenting on my forgetful nature on this occasion after I apologised profusely to them for the drama!

I had a lovely time in Kerala in the past fortnight visiting family as well as our temples of Kali and Vishnu. As it rained quite intensely on some days (being the end of the monsoon season), going out of the home then was tricky (it was relatively cool and pleasant though due to the rain). 

As temple visiting was limited this time due to the weather, I suggested inviting a priest to our home to conduct a homam and puja (to Ganesha, Durga and Vishnu) and my family gladly agreed. It was a beautiful experience.

(Priests in Kerala generally have an excellent mastery of Sanskrit and their pronunciation of the mantras is usually impeccable. This is not always the case in all parts of India as the local language spoken can influence the pronunciation of Sanskrit). 

There were no further untoward incidents during the trip by the grace of Krishna. Overall, it was a very enjoyable visit and there was an uneventful return home a couple of days ago. 

My Krishna statue continues to have a slightly smug look about Him. I am not pleased but unfortunately there is not much that I can do! One has to be careful when dealing with someone like Him, that is all I can say.

I would like to write a post about the Vamana avatar soon as ‘Onam’ (the biggest festival day in Kerala) celebrating His Lila approaches (it occurs on August 26th this year based on the Vedic lunar calendar). It is a very interesting story and the message is most relevant to life on our planet today.

Om Namo Narayanaya 

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. The Krishna books that I have written will be available for free download as usual on Janmashtami and around this period, i.e. from Aug 15-17 inclusive. 

(August 12th update: I am experiencing some technical issues with the Amazon Kindle site. As a result, the website is only permitting me to make three titles out of the four in the Krishna series (namely, 'Balakrishna', 'Dwarakanatha' and 'Janardana') available for free download this month around Janmashtami. The free download option for the fourth title 'Yogeshvara' has currently been withdrawn from the website (never happened before, I will need to look into this if it persists)-- my sincere apologies. I will try and sort this out and separately offer this for free download at a later time if possible.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Vishnupriya-Devi/author/B07B95YQCV?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Hari Aum Tat Sat.