Agnihotra - the healing fire

Hari Aum.

Recently, I was reading about the Agnihotra ritual that has now become a worldwide phenomenon. It is said that this ritual is good for the environment, harmonises the cosmic energies, nourishes and honours the devas and is a form of worship of the Supreme Being. I therefore decided to give it a try and did this ritual yesterday. It was a nice experience and I will be doing it again (possibly 1-2 times a week- can't do it daily due to other commitments, including japa, kirtan, work, family etc).

Agnihotra is an ancient ritual (a mini-homam in a sense). In the Srimad Bhagavatam, the sage Shuka describes Krishna's daily routine- how He would get up at brahma-muhurtha (before sunrise), meditate on the Gayatri mantra, and do various spiritual rituals, including the Agnihotra.

So, how does one do the agnihotra ritual?

It's actually very simple.

In a nutshell, it involves offering a pinch of rice and ghee into the sacred fire at the precise moments of sunrise and sunset along with the utterance of two easy sets of mantras.

The sunrise mantras are:

Suryaya svaha, Suryaya idam na mama. Prajapataye svaha, Prajapataye idam na mama.

The sunset mantras are:

Agnaye svaha, Agnaye idam na mama. Prajapataye svaha, Prajapataye idam na mama.

(The rice-ghee mixture is offered into the fire with one's right hand when the word 'svaha' is uttered).

Surya is the demi-god of the Sun, Agni is the demi-god of fire, and Prajapati is that creative aspect of God which generates this world. Essentially, we are honouring these three important aspects of God with this ritual.

To perform the Agnihotra, one needs the following:

1. A havan kund made of copper (I use a little palm-sized one for this mini-homam)
2. A pinch of unpolished/brown rice (unbroken grains)
3. Ghee (from cow's milk)
4. Dried cow dung cakes (as fuel for the fire)- wood is not used here (unlike in other homams) (I bought some biscuit-sized cow dung cakes from Amazon)
5. Matchbox- to light the fire
6. A plate to mix the rice and ghee
7. An accurate clock that shows the exact time to the second (I use the 'time and date' website on mobile phone- see link below)
8. The exact sunrise and sunset time  in your area based on the Vedic calculation (see link below)

This website provides a software that can be used to calculate the sunrise and sunset timing for your location based on the Vedic method. It also describes how to perform the ceremony (there are many more websites describing the method of doing the ceremony).

https://www.homatherapie.de/en/agnihotra-timings.html

The following YouTube videos nicely demonstrates how to perform this ceremony:

In Hindi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUM-vsc_B5A

In English:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRnsOD2zPO8

The 'time and date' website below can be used to see the exact time (to the second) in your local area:

https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

It was a wonderful experience yesterday evening doing the agnihotra. I sat outdoors in the garden under a sky that had turned a flaming pink-orange colour due to the setting sun. I felt connected to Nature sitting on a mat on the ground with the wide sky above amidst plants and birds. It's a different experience from doing it indoors (though this also fine as long as it does not set off the fire alarm!).

The agnihotra ash is regarded as having medicinal and healing properties. Some people make ointments out of it, some take it internally (eat it) and others use it as fertiliser for the their plants. I placed the ash from the Agnihotra in the soil of my Tulasi plants at home. I am happy to use it as fertiliser.

However, I am not comfortable with eating ash unless there is solid scientific research that firstly shows this is not harmful, and secondly shows that this is safe and beneficial. I would advise readers to use their common sense here (as my Guru Sivananda advises in all spiritual matters).

Do not eat anything unless you are absolutely sure that it is safe to eat as this could have a serious negative impact on your health. There is a lot of pseudoscience masquerading as science these days that claims to 'prove' spiritual truths. This exploits gullible people who believe everything they read and can cause serious harm. Doing a spiritual practice due to faith is one thing. Doing it because of pseudoscience is another.

One should use common sense always. Chanting of mantras is generally safe. There is increasing medical research that proves that meditation, including mantra chanting, calms the nervous system, reduces blood pressure and treats depression and anxiety (aside from the spiritual benefits). There is no clear medical evidence currently that eating agnihotra ash is safe for the body and I would strongly advise against it therefore (unless in the future, research clearly demonstrates that this is safe).

I have faith that agnihotra is good for the environment, world peace and for spiritual progress and so I do this practice. I am not sure about the 'science' that claims that the agnihotra ash is good for the body and so I do not eat the ash. It's perfectly possible that the ash is good for plants though and hence I am happy to give this to them as fertiliser.

Hope you enjoy the Agnihotra ceremony. May God and Guru bless us all.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Sabarimala- devotion versus activism

Hari Aum.

Readers in India would be aware of the current situation at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. This is not about one temple, one court ruling and one gender. This is about a larger issue. One of respect and sensitivity towards the feelings of others.

For those who are not aware (particularly those outside India), what has happened is this. The Supreme Court of India has recently passed a judgement overturning the ancient rule that women aged between 10- 50 years cannot visit the temple. You may think this is reasonable. But it is not really, as explained below.

A temple is a place of worship, like a mosque and a church. Most temples, churches and mosques are run by religious orders worldwide. Governments generally do not run these. Courts do not usually interfere in their functioning (as long as they abide by the law).

In Kerala, bizarrely, Hindu temples are controlled by the state government, which is currently a communist government that is proudly atheistic. However, churches and mosques in Kerala are not controlled by the government. Why this differential treatment towards Hindus by the Kerala government? No place of worship should be directly controlled by any government. They should be run by people of faith (who naturally should abide by the laws of the land).

Religion is a matter of belief. As long as one is not being violent or harming anyone else, one has the right to believe whatever one likes. Freedom of thought is a basic human right.

The Sabarimala temple is an ancient temple, several thousands of years old, where women aged between 10 - 50 years cannot enter. Like many temples in India, there is a legend behind the deity of the temple who is known as Ayyappa. He was born of the union of Shiva and Mohini (the avatar of Vishnu) in order to destroy an asura (demon, symbolic of negative energy). At Sabarimala, He assumes the form of a celibate, one who has no consort.

Devotees who go to the temple traditionally prepare for their visit to the deity by performing rigorous austerities. They sleep on the ground, fast, abstain from sex, alcohol, meat and all negativity for 41 days. During this period, they give up their name, their title, their status/caste etc, and adopt the name 'Swami'. They try to serve others and to see God everywhere. All men who visit the temple dress in the same simple attire, lose their identity and go to pay their respects to Ayyappa.

The temple is in a very inhospitable area surrounded by dense forests that used to be filled with wild animals such as tigers, elephants, snakes and so on. Going to the temple used to be very dangerous in the past as one had to walk for several kilometres through the dense jungles (now people take public transport and it is much easier). My mother told me of an uncle who used to go every year and return with his feet covered in blisters. I also have some cousins who frequently visit the Sabarimala shrine. I have never been there myself. I have been to other Ayyappa temples in the world where this rule does not apply but not to Sabarimala as, being in my mid-30s, I am currently in the prohibited age group.

As per the traditional custom of the temple, because the deity Ayyappa is a celibate, and His devotees who visit Him practice celibacy during their pilgrimage (most of whom are men), young women in the age group 10-50 years are not permitted to visit the temple.

There are similar temples in India where men cannot enter, e.g. the Attukal Bhagavati temple in Kerala, the Bhagati Ma temple in Tamil Nadu and the Brahma temple in Rajasthan. In these temples, only women can enter.

There are many areas in life where I feel there needs to be serious improvement for women's equality. However, the Sabarimala temple is not one of them. The Sabarimala temple's sacred traditions should not be broken in the name of feminism and women's equality. That is ignorance, not equality.

At present, various self-proclaimed activists who are neither Hindu nor believers in Ayyappa are marching to the temple to enter the shrine. They wish to proudly declare themselves to be the first woman of the prohibited age group to break the tradition of the temple and portray themselves as great feminists. Would these women like it if men start barging into the female-only temples of India? The truth is, they would not care. Because they are neither religious nor spiritual- they would not mind if all the sacred traditions in all temples were broken. They neither understand celibacy nor devotion nor any other spiritual vow. They merely wish to create a stir and demonstrate their activism.

This is a sorry state of affairs where right appears wrong and wrong appears right. Let the Ayyappa temple's traditions be preserved, let the Bhagati Ma temple's traditions be preserved.

I only hope that the courts in India stop interfering in the running of temples and that communist atheistic governments stop meddling in the affairs of devotees. This sort of nonsense would not be permitted in countries outside India, such as the UK, where every church, mosque and temple runs its own affairs (while abiding by the laws of the country). You cannot force churches in the UK to ordain women as priests in the name of gender equality. The government cannot do this. It is up to the churches to decide whether or not they wish to make any changes. That is how it should be.

By all means let Hindus debate among themselves as to how, when and where equality in temples can be improved, how the practice of our religion can be improved to reflect its great values. But courts and governments have no business meddling in the affairs of our religion.

Swamiye sharanam Ayyappa. May Ayyappa bless us all with control of our senses and intelligence to distinguish right from wrong.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

How to do manasik puja

Hari Aum.

My Guru Sivananda says that one way of doing japa is to combine it with visualisation of the deity. When one visualises the deity mentally, one can either imagine a static form, or one can visualise a dynamic form e.g. doing a manasik puja.

Doing manasik puja (mental worship) along with japa is a very enjoyable experience. One feels close to the deity, one build a bond, a relationship, with the deity through mental worship. If one is doing japa mentally, then keep the focus on the japa alone- this alone is an excellent practice. If one is doing japa verbally (audibly or whisperingly), then this can be combined with mental worship in the form of manasik puja.

I do manasik puja most of the time when I do japa. I wrote a blog post on this previously after I first started doing this practice in late 2014. The exact style of puja that I do has changed compared to then but the broad principles are still the same.

I would like to explain in more detail as to how one can do manasik puja along with japa (particularly for those readers who live outside India and may be less familiar with puja).

A puja is a form of worship that involves making offerings to a form of God. The external offerings symbolise offering of one's own mind and body to God as His/Her instruments.

During puja, one treats God as one would treat a dear relative or friend who visits one's home. One offers God a seat, food, drink, music and other articles as a gesture of love and affection.

The home in manasik puja is one's body. One can choose either the point between the eyebrows (ajna chakra) or the centre of the chest (anahata chakra) to conduct the manasik puja (mental worship).

Two popular puja methods involve making 5 offerings (panchopchara) and 16 offerings (shodashopchara):

Five offerings puja includes:

1. Gandha - sandalpaste, symbolising the Earth element
2. Pushpa- flowers, symbolising the Space element
3. Dhoopa- incense, symbolising the Air element
4. Deepa - light, symbolising the Fire element
5. Naivedya- food, symbolising the Water element

The puja engages our five senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell, and involves offering these in the service of God.

A simple puja involves calling God (avahanam), giving Him a seat (asanam) and then making offerings as above.

I suggest the following simple puja that can be done with japa:

- Invoke the presence of your favourite form of God in the heart-space or centre of the eyebrows
- Offer Him/Her a beautiful seat (people often imagine a seat of gold set with precious stones)
- Give Him/Her water to drink

-Now make the five offerings:
i) Apply sandalpaste to His/Her forehead (kumkum for the Goddess)
ii) Offer flowers to Him/Her
iii) Offer incense to Him/Her (e.g. imagine a plate with an incense stick and holder)
iv) Offer a lamp to Him/Her
v) Offer food and drink to Him/Her. Popular choices of food include milk and rice, jaggery and rice (various types of 'payasam'). Avoid offering anything hot and spicy/any meat or alcohol (rajasic and tamasic foods). Stick to sattvic foods only (vegetarian foods including fruits, vegetables, lentils, rice, milk, honey, jaggery - no eggs/onion/garlic!).

At the end of the worship, the japa can continue as needed until one has finished the planned number of malas for the session. While doing the japa, continue to visualise the form of the deity (even after the manasik puja ritual is complete). Sivananda says, imagine that the deity is smiling and that all virtues are pouring from the deity into your mind. He says manasik puja is more powerful and effective than physical external puja (as the mind cannot wander away from God as much in this practice compared with external worship).

Finally, at the end of the japa, prostrate at the feet of the deity and ask Him/Her to bless one with true devotion, peace,wisdom and bliss.

When one does this practice daily, one begins to feel the presence of God within oneself and others. One who worships God in the heart, begins to feel the presence of God in the heart at all times, even when not formally worshipping. In the Gita, God says that He is present in the hearts of all beings. Manasik puja helps us to connect with Him/Her as manifest within the temple of our own bodies.

A more elaborate worship with 16 offerings can also be made. This includes things such as offering a bath, new clothes, the sacred thread and so on.

One can be creative and offer God things that are sattvic such as flower garlands, ornaments and so on.

Having explained a simple procedure for manasik puja, I would like to say something about the emotional/feelings aspect of this which is even more important that the ritual aspect described above.

One should do manasik puja with feeling, not mechanically.

In the practice of bhakti yoga, one is encouraged to develop a certain emotion or relationship with God, e.g. as a parent, a friend, a servant, a lover of God.

During the puja, one can take the opportunity to strengthen and express this relationship with God. For example, if you see God as a friend, do the puja with the love that you have for your best friend. If you see God as your master, and yourself as His servant, then do the puja with the feeling of service.

A manasik puja essentially involves spending 'quality time' with God. It is an ideal opportunity to close the eyes, turn the mind inwards and connect with that Being who is ever present within us. It is a chance to develop bhakti (devotion) and move closer to the One who is our closest relative and truest friend. It takes us closer to God-experience and attaining the spiritual purpose of life.

Just to add, always begin any form of worship, whether japa or puja, by invoking Ganesha and your Guru (or the general teaching principle of God if you do not have a specific Guru). Ganesha removes all obstacles, the Guru grants you protection. At the end of the worship, surrender the doer-ship to God, and pray for His/Her grace upon all beings (this expands the heart and purifies the mind).

Also, really take your time and enjoy visualising your deity during manasik puja (especially if you are not feeling rushed/having a busy day).

If it is Shiva, imagine His beautiful form, take a moment to let your mind's eye rest on the crescent moon in His hair, the Ganga flowing from His matted locks, the king of snakes garlanding His neck, the tiger-skin around His waist, the trident in His hand.

If it is Durga that you worship, then imagine Her beautiful form, radiant like gold, wearing a red dress, with ornaments on Her person, wearing a flower garland, holding divine weapons in Her beautiful hands. Imagine Her smiling face that destroys fear and bestows blessings upon Her devotees.

If it is Krishna that you worship, imagine His handsome form, of a divine blue colour, a crown with a peacock feather in His hair, a garland of various flowers around His neck, ornaments upon His person, wearing a yellow silken cloth, a flute tucked into the cloth around His waist (or in His hands).

Whatever form your deity has, enjoy seeing this fully in your mind.

If you see your deity smiling, winking, laughing or joking with you, enjoy the experience. Let your deity come alive within you. He/She is a dynamic living being that encompasses everything (not a static picture/photograph).

Since you are relating to God in the personal aspect, with name and form, let that name and form come alive within you. I often imagine Krishna responding as a friend would if I say something to Him. I like mentally talking to Him within me (I imagine Him in the heart space). It may be just my imagination, but so what? Thinking about God is meditation. As Krishna undoubtedly has a playful side, I imagine this playful side when I talk to Him. My Krishna winks and smiles at me when I say something I feel is funny to Him. I imagine holding His hand and walking in beautiful gardens in my mind's eye. This makes Him come alive in my mind, in my consciousness. Many times when I have spoken to Him for help, I have felt and experienced His living response. I always call to Him when I am in need of help and feel that He responds in whatever way is appropriate.

God is a living force within us. Not a picture or a photograph. The practice of manasik puja develops a loving relationship with this divine, dynamic, living force within us.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

P.S. My current method of manasik puja is as follows:

After the usual starting prayers to Ganesh, Guru and various forms of God, I begin to verbally recite the ashtakshara mantra. While listening to the sound of the mantra, I close the eyes and visualise the form of Krishna in the anahata chakra/centre of the chest/heart space. Here, I imagine Him seated on a golden throne. I then imagine offering Him milk, kheer (milk and rice), sweets, fruits and so on. Mentally I imagine a table with a golden plate in front of Him, on which there is a ghee lamp with a cotton wick and a fire burning brightly. There is also a stick of incense in the holder of the plate. (I also light a physical fire and burn incense at the altar before starting the mental puja).

On the golden plate, are Tulasi leaves and flowers and a small container with sandal paste. Sometimes I imagine offering Him a flower garland and at other times, I visualise a more elaborate puja with some of the sixteen traditional offerings such as a bath, new clothes, sacred thread and so on. But mostly I do a simple mental puja. After completing the puja (which may take about 5-10 minutes), I imagine sitting at His feet and completing the japa (which may take 30 min or so. There are variations in the puja but this is my basic format. I almost always do this mental puja or visualisation exercise when I do japa. If I am very tired, I just chant the mantra and skip the puja, or may just imagine His feet.

One can be creative with this and vary the puja based upon one's own mood, taste and temperament. Like with other forms of worship, it is good to do this practice regularly to establish a strong connection with the God within us.

Navaratri worship

Hari Aum.

There are many ways of worshipping the Divine Mother during Navaratri. I am sharing some simple ideas for this here (these are available online):

1. Chanting of mantras:

Om Shri Durgayai Namah
Om Shri Mahalakshmyai Namah
Om Shri Saraswatyai Namah

Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundayai Vicche (navarna mantra)

Durga gayatri mantra:  Om Katyayanyai vidmahe, Kanyakumaryai dhimahi, tanno Durga prachodayat

Lakshmi gayatri mantra: Om Mahadevyai cha vidmahe, Vishnupatnyai cha dhimahi, tanno Lakshmi prachodayat

Saraswati gayatri mantra: Om Vagdevyai cha vidmahe, Kamarajayai dhimahe, tanno Devi prachodayat


2. Chanting of slokas

- Saptasloki Durga (a miniature version of the Durga saptashati or Devi Mahatmyam for those who cannot chant the entire scripture in Sanskrit)- I like chanting this.

- Chanting of ashtakams (prayer with 8 slokas)- e.g. Mahalakshmi ashtakam

- 32 names of Durga

-Mahishasura mardini strothram- composed by Adi Shankaracharya (again meant to be helpful for those who cannot chant the entire Durga saptashati)

3. Chanting longer hymns and prayers:

-Lalita sahasranama (1000 names of the Divine Mother)

-Devi Mahatyam (also called Chandi path and Durga saptashati)- 700 slokas in praise of the Divine Mother's lilas and glories

Performance of ceremonial worship such as pujas and homams are also popular during navaratri.

I personally like chanting simple mantras and the Saptasloki Durga during navaratri as well as doing some kirtan in Her praise.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

The great fortune of being born in Kali Yuga

Hari Aum.

The yogis regard time as an endless cycle between four yugas each of which lasts for thousands of years. The four yugas are Satya yuga, Treta yuga, Dwapara yuga and Kali yuga. The level of spirituality in the world is believed to progressively decline from the first to the fourth yuga- it peaks at the start of Satya yuga and reaches an all-time low at the end of Kali yuga. We are supposed to have been in Kali yuga for the past 5000 years and this period is supposed to last for a few hundred thousand years more.

(Please note that the 'Kali' of 'Kali yuga' and Mother Kali are completely different. In English, they look the same, but in Sanskrit, they are written and pronounced completely differently. In Sanskrit, 'Kali yuga' is written and pronounced as 'Cully yuga'. Whereas Mother Kali's name is pronounced as 'Kaali' which rhymes with Bali, the province in Indonesia).

The ancient scripture, the Srimad Bhagavatam, describes life on Earth in Kali yuga, also known as the age of quarrels. It describes human beings as being mostly materialistic, full of worries and anxieties, running after sensual pleasures alone, and with little time or interest in acquiring spiritual wisdom and bliss. It says that this will be the age of hypocrisy where unethical people pose as spiritual leaders, and where rulers (modern day politicians) will steal money away from the people for their own benefit. The Bhagavatam seems to pretty accurately describe the goings-on on our planet today.

However, along with the description of all the misery in Kali yuga, the Bhagavatam mentions that it has one tremendously great virtue that cancels out the effect of all the negativity if one makes use of it. This virtue is so great, says the Bhagavatam, that great souls who were born in the previous spiritual ages yearn to be fortunate enough to be born in Kali yuga.

What is this great virtue of Kali yuga? Let me quote the sage Shuka who describes this to the King Parikshit in the Bhagavatam (12th section or 'skandha'):

Shuka says:

"Kaler dosha nidhe rajan, asti hyeko mahan gunah,
Kirtanadeva Krishnasya, mukta sangah param vrajet"

Meaning:

"The Kali yuga is an ocean of imperfections O King, but it certainly has one supreme virtue,
Singing the names of Krishna will grant one the supreme state/liberation"

Shuka goes on to say that "Whatever was attained by meditation in the Satya yuga, by yajna (fire sacrifice) in the Treta yuga, by ritualistic worship in the Dwapara yuga, can be attained by kirtana (singing the names of God) in Kali yuga".

In the 11th section of the Bhagavatam, the teaching of the nine great yogis (navayogis) to the noble King Nimi is given:

Here, one of the navayogis, called Karabhajana, explains how people in different yugas worship Narayana in different forms. He describes how in the first (Satya) yuga, Vishnu is worshipped in a fair white form, and is praised by people by the terms 'Ishwara', 'Paramatma', 'Hamsa', 'Yogeshwara' and so on. People would worship Him mainly through peaceful meditation in this first age.

In the second (Treta) yuga, he describes people as worshipping Narayana in a form that is red in colour and made up of the Vedas. Here, people praised Him by His names 'Vishnu', 'Yajna', 'Sarvadeva' and others and worshipped Him mainly through yajna (holy fire ritual, also called homam).

In the third (Dwapara) yuga, Karabhajana tells Nimi that that people worship Narayana in His blue-complexioned form, wearing a yellow silken cloth and jewels. Here He would be praised by people as 'Sankarshana', 'Aniruddha' and so on, and be worshipped by specific rituals.

In the fourth (current, Kali) yuga, the yogi explains that people will worship Narayana with a form that is black in colour, and that recital of His names and excellences would be the chief means of worship.

Karabhajana goes on to say that great souls regard a birth in Kali yuga as more precious than in the other three yugas. He explains that this is because simple spiritual practices in this age yield great results, and it is much easier to attain God in this age than the other three.

He states that people born in other yugas yearn to take birth in Kali yuga because more devotees of Narayana are born in this age than others. Furthermore, he says that the regions known as the 'Dravida' countries (Southern India) where the sacred rivers known as Kaveri, the west-flowing Mahanadi river (Periyar), Tamraparni, Kritamala and Payaswini (Palar) will have a particularly large number of worshippers of Narayana who, drinking the waters of these rivers, will become pure and develop true devotion to God.

We are all therefore very lucky to be born in this age of Kali yuga. God has given us a number of valuable spiritual blessings:

1. Human body (the only body capable of granting a soul liberation)
2. Strong desire for spiritual liberation (the one desire that defeats all worldly desires)
3. The care of a Guru (either God as God, or manifested as a self-realised soul)
(The above three according to Adi Shankaracharya are only acquired by the grace of God)
4. Birth in Kali yuga (the most precious yuga for sadhana and attainment of God)
5. A powerful attraction for His holy names, a strong desire for japa and kirtan (the ideal, most effective sadhana for this age according to rishis in the Puranas and recent sages such as Tulsidas, Ramakrishna and Sivananda)

What more can we ask for? Honestly, we've all been given everything we need to attain God! With all our trials and tribulations in life, we are really very blessed.

All we need to do is remember our blessings and keep up the daily sadhana. We are all bound to attain Him soon. If He will not give darshan to us who long to see Him, then who will He give darshan to? Sivananda says it is not so very difficult to get His darshan and that we must strive to attain Him in this lifetime itself.

He says: "Sankirtan Yoga is the easiest, quickest, safest, cheapest and best way for attaining God-realization in this age." (see link below for his inspiring article on sankirtan yoga)

http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/sankirtanyoga.htm

May God and Guru bless us all with sincerity in our sadhana and realisation in this very lifetime itself.

Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundayai Vicche. A very happy and spiritually-fruitful Navaratri to you.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Navaratri and climate change

Hari Aum.

Navaratri, the festival celebrating God as the Divine Mother, starts tomorrow. This is a wonderful time to worship Devi. My Guru Sivananda advises chanting the navarna mantra (Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundayai Vicche) as much as possible during this time to obtain the grace and blessings of our Universal Mother.

The headline today on Nature and climate change on the BBC news website is rather alarming to say the least:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45775309

At the rate the human species is destroying the planet, the coral reefs with be wiped out, land will go under water due to melting of polar ice-caps and unbearable and unnatural weather phenomena will increase. We have already got our share of abnormal weather with unprecedentedly hot summers, forest fires and so on. 

Why am I mentioning climate change on a website related to spiritual practice? Because Nature is a manifestation of God. Nature is an aspect of the Divine Mother, of Divine Energy. 

When we act carelessly with no regard to Nature, we are disrespecting the Divine Power that created all this. We cannot call ourselves worshippers of the Divine Mother if we act carelessly and destroy Her manifestation in Nature, if we create disharmony and discord in Her creation. No. To be able to call ourselves Her real devotees, we have a duty to start thinking and taking practical steps to do our bit to stop destroying the planet, which is Her creation.

What can we do individually to reduce our carbon footprint and to stop destroying the planet?

Lots of things. Some things can be done from today, other things will require more time to plan and implement.

Some things we can do from today:

1. Eat less or no meat- scientists all over the world say that production of meat for consumption is terrible for the environment. Cows in particular produce a lot of methane which is bad for the environment. Stop eating meat if you can, or at least reduce meat consumption if possible. You will need to ensure adequate intake of protein from vegetarian sources such as lentils, pulses, nuts etc and also include some dairy intake to avoid vitamin B12 deficiency. Eating vegetables is very good to reduce risk of cancer and other diseases according to scientists. So it is good for us and the planet to be mostly if not totally vegetarian.

2. Stop wasting electricity- switch off lights etc when not in the room, line dry clothes (instead of tumble-drying) if possible etc.

3. Walk more and drive less- good for the environment and for our health

There are many more things that can  be done- the website below gives some more examples (there are lots of other good websites with more information):

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/7-instant-ways-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint_us_59321992e4b00573ab57a383?guccounter=1

Let us make a pledge this Navaratri, in honour of the Divine Mother, that we, Her children will do everything possible to stop destroying the planet, that we will honour Her creation and treat it with the respect it deserves.

Also, we need to reduce plastic waste. There is a disgusting amount of plastic filling up the oceans and destroying the lives of creatures living there. Not to mention the landfills filling up with the stuff. We need to use reusable shopping bags, and avoid single-use plastics where possible.

For women, there are reusable menstrual pads available- these are made of some sort of highly absorbable microfibre or something. I was wary of trying these but finally bought some on Amazon (which had very good reviews from other customers) in order to reduce my plastic waste. I have to say that they work very well (absolutely no odour/leakage etc), are comfortable and can be machine-washed and come out sparkling clean. They are affordably priced and seem to be of very good quality (look like they will last any months, possibly years). I have stopped using the disposable plastic-lined sanitary pads completely since discovering these. I would encourage women spiritual seekers to explore this option (many different companies are making these) as one way to reduce plastic waste.

I have also made a promise to myself that every week or at least every month, I will try and identify one plastic item to replace with some environmentally-friendly product (e.g. replacing plastic toothbrush with toothbrush made of biodegradable material). I would encourage you to do the same. This is an important aspect of worshipping God who created Nature.

Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundayai Vicche.

Salutations and prostration again and again to the Divine Mother. May She give us the iccha shakti (will-power), jnana shakti (wisdom) and kriya shakti (power of action) to worship Her properly, including the courage to take steps to change our lifestyles to live in harmony with Her creation.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Krishna's encouragement to the householder

Hari Aum.

In the ancient scripture known as the Shrimad Bhagavatam (which describes Krishna's life), there is a section where Krishna gives His devotee, Uddava, some very important spiritual teachings. These teachings are collectively known as the 'Uddhava Gita'.

In the Uddhava Gita, Krishna discusses an enormous variety of spiritual topics in great detail including various paths to God-realisation including karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga and raja yoga.

He also discusses the duties of people in the various stages of life, including the student (brahmachari), the householder (married person), vanaprastha (retired/reclusive householder) and sannyasi (wandering ascetic).

The theme of renunciation (sannyasa) is central to all of these four stages of life. It is not only the wandering ascetic who is to practice renunciation. Non-attachment to worldly objects and renouncing the obsession with 'me' and 'mine' is necessary for anyone who wishes to attain God, whatever stage of life they may be in. This is internal sannyasa.

Internal sannyasa is an attitude of mind, where one is free of obsessive desire for pleasure, power, wealth, name and fame. It is a state where one is devoted to God. This state is the goal for the householder according to Krishna.

A very heartening message from Krishna in the Uddhava Gita is that the householder can attain God-realisation even if he/she remains a householder throughout life.

In verse 55 of the 'Varnashrama' section of the Uddhava Gita, Krishna says:

"One who is devoted to Me can continue to live in the home itself till his end, performing all the duties of the home as offerings to Me."

Krishna does not insist on external sannyasa for every single human being. However, He commands every human being to live by the principles of internal sannyasa, whatever their external life may be.

In the Bhagavad Gita, He says that renunciation of the desire for the fruit of action is real renunciation. Not renouncing action itself.

This message of Lord Krishna for householders saying that God-realisation is possible for us is wonderful and encouraging. In today's world, many people suffer from the incorrect notion that external sannyasa is the only way to God. This clearly is not the case according to Lord Krishna Himself. In fact Krishna also says in the Uddhava Gita, that one who takes external sannyasa when he/she is not suited to this life, will lose both this world as well as the next.

Living a life of balance is the key. One needs to be moderate in eating, drinking, sleeping and in everything else. This is a sattvic life. One should avoid the extremes of rajas (overactivity/overindulgence) or tamas (inertia).

One should strive to become a devotee of God. Then it does not matter whether one is living the life of a wandering devotee (sanyasi), or a devotee at home serving God in the form of the family (householder). One can choose whatever external life is suitable to one based on one's own circumstances.

Whatever external life one chooses, it should be an aid to the cultivation of devotion. One who recognises the presence of God in one's parents, spouse, children, relatives and society when dealing with them need not worry that they will bind them to the world. Because one knows that these are not one's earthy relatives and friends but rather, that they are all manifestation of God (like everything else in creation).

Seeing God in one's family and in the entire world, the householder can climb to the heights of God realisation. This has been the experience of many householder saints, including the great rishis of the Vedic times.

Those of us who are householders, let us take heart from Krishna's reassuring words in the Uddhava Gita. Let us cultivate a very high degree of internal sannyasa through japa and other forms of tapas. And thus, let us attain God-realisation (our birthright according to my Guru Sivananda) in this very lifetime.

Hari Aum Tat Sat