Narayana and Shiva-- one God, two forms

 Hari Aum.

I hope all readers are well and that your spiritual practice is going smoothly. With regard to my sadhana, I am glad to say that I am plodding on with the current purascharana. It is continuing at a modest seven malas of japa per day. 

I am also worshipping the Divine Mother daily-- I completed one year of Mother Lakshmi worship this month (on average, did 1 mala of Her mantra a day along with my Narayana mantra sadhana) and it has been lovely. My health and wellbeing are much better than they were this time last year and I am very grateful to Her for this. 

My plan is now to worship Mother Sarasvati for a few weeks or months by doing japa of Her mantra (again, around 1 mala a day). I feel inspired to connect with Her particularly since I have restarted my studies of music and dance in recent years. I will also recite the Saptasloki Durga more regularly (I want to keep the worship of the Mother mostly spontaneous though unlike the Narayana mantra recitation which is a daily discipline).

I want to say to anyone else contemplating the path of purascharana that it is very well worth it. I will admit that this practice is not without its challenges, but it undoubtedly brings support and encouragement from the Divine. And this support is often completely unexpected. There can also be spiritual warnings which should be heeded.

I have mentioned in previous posts that I sometimes get random dreams about the Divine (these often contain some help or guidance related to my life situation at the time; this started happening only after performing a regular mantra practice for some years). Recently, I had a completely out-of-the-blue dream of Lord Shiva. 

The past month has been very busy for various reasons including preparing for a trip to see my family in Kerala and to have a mini-pilgrimage. My evening mantra practice during this time has been less than ideal as a result-- done as a chore with not much devotion (the morning practice has been better luckily).

I feel the recent dream of Lord Shiva was a much-needed rap on my knuckles; it felt like a spiritual warning, being told off for being a bit sloppy with my practice. 

I will not go into all the details of the dream here but I will say that it was a darshan of Him in the form often depicted in pictures (matted hair, wearing tiger skin etc- this is a form that I never meditate upon nor do I even have pictures of this or contemplate Him in this way. If I worship Shiva, which is very occasional, this is always in the linga form. That made this dream seem even odder from my perspective). 

The themes of the dream were i) the value of time ii) death (this part was a bit unnerving to say the least as I seemed about to die in the dream but then quite unexpectedly did not!) and iii) the great importance of practicing the mantra of God. 

I have decided not to ignore this dream of Shiva and the message within it-- I will take it seriously (based on lessons learned from ignoring a warning from the Mother in a dream two years ago which I had dismissed as mere imagination; I have written another post on this. I ended up with a very unpleasant health issue during Navaratri that year as a result-- a slipped disc in my neck-- which by Her grace, I have now recovered from very well). 

As the New Year approaches therefore, I am pulling up my socks and re-dedicating myself to my spiritual practice. 

In the dream, when I saw Shiva, I greeted Him with 'Om Namah Shivaya' and 'Mrityunjayaya Namah' (meaning, Salutations to the One who is victorious over death, a well-known name of Lord Shiva). I was slightly on tenterhooks the morning after the dream wondering if it was a sign that my death was imminent (who knows, it might be, but I hope and pray it is not, as I feel I have much more to do here, including a lot more spiritual practice)! 

I did calm down after a while though and told myself that we all have to die one day and there is no point in being overly worried about it-- if it has to happen, it will happen, and one might as well make the best of the time one has left especially by doing spiritual practice and mantra japa in particular (my husband was not too happy with the dream though--he worships Shiva daily-- and half-jokingly, half-seriously periodically checked up on me that day to ensure that I was still alive and kicking!). The dream did have the desired effect of making me recite my mantra much more sincerely afterwards though. 

After the dream, I also wondered why I have recently been dreaming much more of Lord Shiva compared with Lord Narayana/Krishna (whom I think of much more in the waking state and actually worship every day). 

I therefore asked Krishna, 'Why don't You appear in my dreams more often? Why do I keep dreaming of Lord Shiva?" (Of course I am delighted to dream of Shiva too-- even if it was a bit scary!). This is possibly the third or fourth time I have dreamt of Shiva in recent years (and each dream seems to contain some poignant message relevant to my life).

It is true that I do not see Narayana/Krishna and Shiva as different at all. I see them as two equal forms of One God, one Supreme Being. I have great reverence for both forms whom I regard as equally sacred. 

However, many spiritual seekers have a personal favourite form of God, the ishta devata, whose darshan or vision they often long to see (in dream or the waking state or in some state of consciousness). And, I too have my ishta devata-- I chose Krishna/Narayana over twenty years ago and this has always felt comfortable, felt completely right for me. 

So it was quite puzzling to say the least to worship one form in the daytime and then dream of a different form at night. For a short while after the dream, I wondered if God Himself was advising me to worship Him as Shiva rather than Narayana/Krishna. 'Does God want me to switch ishta devatas?!', I wondered, 'Am I being asked to change paths?'.

The scandalous thought 'Should I change my mantra?' (to that of Shiva) flitted very briefly through my mind, a thought that was unthinkable in the past. The cardinal rule of yoga is that once one has chosen a mantra and been initiated into it and practiced it, come hell or highwater, one should never, ever change it. One must stick with one mantra until the end, until God is realised. 

One form of God, one mantra, one Guru-- the 'rule of the one' must be kept according to the yogis. This is essential for spiritual success and I have hitherto tried my best to keep this rule.

The thought then occurred to me that, despite all my spiritual interests, I do have a very sceptical side to my nature. Unfortunately I am not easily persuaded by 'signs' from the universe, whether in dreams or in the waking state. I often tend to doubt and dismiss these as mere imagination. The universe usually needs to give me a fairly big hint to get me to take it seriously I'm afraid (especially when it is a message that I really do not want to hear)!

Had I dreamt of Krishna or Narayana, therefore, I would immediately have told myself that this was hardly surprising as I often think of God in this form during the day; and of course, it is quite normal to dream at night about things that we see or think of in the daytime. I would have therefore have been more likely to feel that the dream was merely my imagination.

Dreaming of Shiva (especially this particular form that I have not seen in dream before) was therefore much more effective in getting me to listen, to sit up and pay attention. And I assume that is why this occurred.

So, the long and short of it, is that I am going to stick with my mantra and stick with my spiritual practice, and revive my sincerity while doing this. I respect all forms of God, and regard both Shiva and Narayana as one. I regard any dream of the Divine (regardless of the form) as a sign that my current spiritual practice is working and should be continued (not as a sign to change deities or mantras).

On that note, I would like to wish all of you a wonderful festive season/Christmas and New Year. Hope your sadhana is going well, and that God blesses all of us and the whole world with peace, joy and wisdom. As in previous years, let us keep up the daily prayers for peace in the world.

Om Namah Shivaya.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. As in previous years, the Krishna books that I have published on Amazon (in Kindle format) will be available for free download over the New Year period (from midnight PDT on Dec 30 to Jan 3 inclusive). Hope you enjoy them.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07B95YQCV/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=8d7d457a-fa06-4834-973e-c17fac521a35&store_ref=ap_rdr&ref_=ap_rdr

Clay, moulding and the potter's wheel

 Hari Aum.

I have always been interested in trying my hand at pottery. I like the look of clay and have always wondered what it would feel like to work with it to create something. For a while now, I have wanted to attend a pottery class and I finally got around to this recently.

I attended a beginners pottery workshop a few days ago which involved an introduction to the potter's wheel and also some simple hand building techniques. I discovered that I love, not only the look, but also the feel of clay-- the texture and working with it. It was fun to make some small pieces of crockery such as bowls and plates. I didn't get around to creating anything more exciting as a beginner but this felt like a good start to my pottery journey.

The potter's wheel is a particularly fascinating object in my view. Our teacher set it to spin at medium speed (it can spin slowly, quickly or something in between) as she said this would be ideal to enable us to create something (especially as beginners). Too fast and the slightest error would be quickly magnified, too slow and the clay would not respond too well to our touch. So the middle way, medium speed, was the best.

She then explained how to 'center the clay' onto the wheel, a process which looks simple until one actually tries it. Getting a lump of clay to sit perfectly in the middle of the potter's wheel is required to avoid making wobbly and lumpy creations-- if one wishes to make something smooth with proper symmetry, then centering correctly is apparently essential. There are various techniques used to center clay and we were introduced to one popular method.

Our teacher told us that 'the feel' of the clay was more important when trying to figure out whether or not it had been properly centered (rather than how it looked). It took some time and practice to work out what the proper 'feel' of centered clay was but we all got there in the end.

Once she centered the clay on the wheel, it was extraordinary to see that the slightest movement of her fingers produced dramatic changes in its appearance. A slight downward pressure on the spinning clay and it would rapidly transform into a flattened structure; a gentle upward movement at the edges and it would rise into a cylindrical shape. It was actually quite hypnotic to watch the wheel spinning steadily and magical to see the clay transform from one shape to another.  

It was a very good experience overall and I feel I would like to build upon my basic pottery skills by possibly joining a longer course over some weeks if time permits in the new year. 

The art of pottery seems to have a lot of parallels with spiritual life which is also an art. Not-too-fast but not-too-slow with the wheel very much applies to the speed of our spiritual practice--  to the amount of mantra japa, meditation and yogic practices that we do. The mind, like clay, responds to the slightest 'pressure' -- like clay is pliable and transforms like magic, so too does the mind. 

Sivananda says, in his writings, that we need to give permission to God to mould us (this is putting down the barriers of the ego), just as clay 'allows' us to mould it. A shapeless lump of clay may appear rather unappealing. But once moulded, by hand or on a potter's wheel, it can transform into a variety of beautiful shapes, some of which can of course be very useful (such as pots, plates and the like).

The problem, says Sivananda, is that the moulding process can sometimes be rather painful. Imagine if we were a lump of clay in the hands of a potter. We would be kneaded, pounded and beaten to have our rough edges smoothened! We would have water poured over us and have our texture altered. Then we would be rolled and pressed in various ways into a size and shape that looks pleasing to the eye and is possibly also useful!  

An instrument or two would also very likely be used to remove some unwanted extra bits of clay and to maybe decorate us. Now, in the hands of a talented and experienced potter, we would look very beautiful indeed at the end! But, the process that we would have gone through to end up there, all that pressing and kneading and cutting, would not have been very pleasant at all. 

If we cry out to the potter to stop the moulding halfway, or refuse to begin the process of being moulded at all, then we will sadly remain as mere lumps of clay-- that would be most unfortunate, as we would not be fulfilling our potential. Our potential to express the beautiful side of our nature as clay.

And this is why Sivananda tells us to avoid protesting when we embark upon our spiritual journey, when God begins to use various techniques to mould us into an image that He would like to see. Our higher mind, the spiritual side, is generally willing (and perhaps even happy) to be moulded but the lower mind most certainly is not. Our moulding in life involves being given all sorts of challenges and difficulties, things that we would not regard as pleasant at all. 

However, on the positive side, the Gurus assure us that, at any point in time, we will only be subjected by God to that amount of moulding that we can actually handle. The Divine Potter, being very skilled, always ensures that we are subjected to just the right amount of 'pressure', this is tailored to our needs. If, like clay, we respond well to this pressure, then something beautiful will happen-- we will find ourselves transforming and expressing the divine aspect of our nature.

Just like pottery though, this is an art and takes time. It is a slow and laborious process. But, it does bear fruit. So, as our Gurus advise, we need to plod on with our spiritual practices day after day, month after month, and year after year, until the spiritual goal is reached. 

And, from time to time, we also need to remind ourselves and accept that we all have feet of clay, we all have flaws of character and weaknesses within-- and that is ok, that is part of being human and precisely the reason we are on a spiritual journey (we would be expected to actively work upon these issues though and gradually improve over time). 

There really is no room for a 'holier than thou'  approach or moral policing on the spiritual path (some people on the spiritual path sadly develop this unfortunate habit which is not only unhelpful but rather harmful on this journey). (Note- this does not mean that we should accept negative/toxic behaviours from anyone in our lives; in this sort of situation, we would need to take practical action to protect ourselves).

Each one of us has a duty only to become a willing, mouldable piece of clay in the hands of the Divine. And, our Gurus advise us to achieve this goal by performing a simple, regular spiritual practice every single day (such as mantra chanting/meditation which enables us to connect with Him/Her). In addition, we need to accept the various life experiences that we are given (whether or not we particularly like them) as a form of divine moulding. Like centering the clay, this sounds easy but is of course not so simple to do. We do need to keep at it, however, just little-by-little, every single day (so that He can keep up His side of the work too!).

I will conclude by sharing a link to a beautiful song in praise of the Divine Mother that I recently discovered:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_0PVXI4RJ0 

May the Divine mould us all into that which He/She would like us to be.

Om Shri Durgayai Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Vedic astrology: benefics, malefics and overcoming karma

 Hari Aum.

It has been a while since I have written a post on Vedic astrology and I thought it would be interesting to write one on the subject of karma and the planets. This is meant to introduce some concepts of Vedic astrology to those who may be unfamiliar with them but are curious to know more.

As you may be aware, according to Vedic astrology or Jyotisha (meaning 'light of God' in Sanskrit), the placement of specific celestial bodies (there are nine of these as mentioned below) at the time of our birth shines a light upon our karma for this lifetime. 

As mentioned in my previous post, that portion of our vast accumulated karmas to be experienced during our current lifetime on Earth is known as 'prarabdha karma' and this is what the Vedic astrology chart or horoscope indicates.

There are two groups of celestial bodies or 'grahas' (loosely translated as 'planets' though not all are strictly planets)-- the benefic and the malefic. The planets which are by nature 'benefic' are Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. The planets which are by nature 'malefic' are Saturn, Mars, Sun, Rahu and Ketu (the nodes of Moon). The Moon is regarded as being benefic when waxing and malefic when waning.

There is an additional important factor to consider when considering which planets are benefic and malefic in our charts--- and that is the nature of the 'houses' that they rule. There are twelve zodiac signs in our chart and each one represents a particular 'house' or domain of life. 

Each house actually represents many domains in our lives but is mainly associated with one or two key areas of our lives, for example, the 1st house represents the body/health, the 2nd represents wealth/speech/family, the 3rd represents communication/younger siblings, the 4th house represents mother/home, 5th house represents past good karma/children/romance, 6th house represents illness/enemies/debts, 7th house represents spouse/business partners, 8th house represents longevity/death/spiritual liberation, 9th house represents Guru/father/religion/spirituality, 10th house represents career, 11th house represents gains/older siblings/friends, 12th house represents loss of self/seclusion/liberation. There are various other significations of each house but these are some of the main ones.

The zodiac sign that lies in the Eastern-most part of the sky when we are born is granted the position of our 1st house or ascendant. This is the cornerstone of the Vedic astrology chart and the most important house as it represents our very being, our material manifestation on Earth. 

The other zodiac signs are allocated house domains in the the natural sequence that they occur in when counted from the 1st house (the natural sequence of the zodiac, for those unfamiliar is: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces).

Three houses are regarded are especially 'benefic'-- namely the 1st, 5th and 9th. And three houses are regarded as being particularly 'malefic'- namely the 6th, 8th and 12th. 

We need to combine the natural quality of a planet with the natural quality of the house it rules in order to determine its overall benefic or malefic nature in the Vedic chart.

(Note- I will sometimes refer to the planets by the pronoun 'he' as is the habit in Vedic astrology, rather than 'it', as they represent deities and not merely the large spheres of matter that we see with the human eye).

Let us take an example and examine this concept of benefic and malefic planets further.

For a person with Libra ascendant, Venus is the ruler of the 1st and 8th houses, Saturn rules the 4th and 5th houses and Mercury rules the 9th and 12th houses. The 6th house is ruled by Jupiter.

Now, as Venus and Mercury are natural benefics, and also respectively rule the benefic 1st and 9th houses, they are strongly benefic planets for Libra ascendants. 

It is true that Saturn is a natural malefic, but he rules the auspicious 5th house i.e. Capricorn, for a Libra ascendant. Moreover, Saturn regards Venus and Mercury as his dear friends, and therefore is generally well-disposed towards any ascendant ruled by them. Therefore, for a Libra ascendant, Saturn becomes a 'functional benefic' due to rulership of the 5th house.

Now, let us examine the 6th, 8th and 12th houses for a Libra ascendant. Venus and Mercury respectively rule the malefic 8th and 12 houses; however, because they rule also the 1st and 9th houses, this overrides their rulership of these malefic houses and they remain overall benefic. They will give some difficult karma associated with the 8th and 12th houses but overall they are positive planets.

Jupiter is a natural benefic but rules the malefic 6th house for a Libra ascendant. He also rules the 3rd house which is neutral/not especially benefic. Therefore, he becomes a 'functional malefic' planet for a Libra ascendant.

Why does all this business of benefic and malefic planets matter at all? Why should we be concerned with them?

Well, the answer lies in dealing with the karma represented by them. Each planet is allocated a fixed portion of time during which it will give most of the karma related to the domains it represents in our charts. During the period of time ruled by a benefic planet, life will be mostly pleasant. During a period of time ruled by a malefic planet, life will be mostly difficult.

At any point in time, based on Vedic astrology, two planets out of the nine will represent the main karmas that we are going through. One planet of the two will continue to give results for a fixed number of years; this is the primary planet for that period of time. 

The secondary planet will change, typically every few years, so that we get a taste of the karmas represented by each one of the remaining eight planets (in addition to that represented by the primary planet). 

This may sound a bit complicated when one first learns about it, but it isn't really; it is actually quite straightforward once you digest the information a little.  

Furthermore, the planets are constantly on the move in the sky. Their 'transits' in the sky also play an important role in our experience of our karma.

So, in a nutshell, a good period of time in life would be one ruled by a benefic planet in our chart, and the icing on the cake would be if it is also simultaneously in a benefic place in the sky at present.

In contrast, a difficult period of time in life would be one ruled by a malefic planet in our birth chart, with the additional trouble caused by its negative, current position in the sky.

In general, the purpose of studying this subject is to learn how to maximise the benefits from our past karma and minimise the negatives. 

To maximise the benefits of past positive karmas, worship of the higher deities represented by the planets ruling our 1st, 5th and 9th houses would be very helpful. To mitigate the challenges associated with past negative karmas, worship of the deities represented by the planets ruling the 6th, 8th and 12th houses would be very useful. 

One does not need to worship multiple deities to feel the benefits of worship and it is not mandatory to follow the chart. The heart is far more important than the chart say our Gurus. One should select a deity that one feels a natural fondness or affinity towards and worship them daily for both material and spiritual benefits.

As spiritual seekers, we are often warned that periods of time ruled by the highly materialistic planet, Rahu, pose a particular challenge. The periods of time ruled by other natural malefic planets such as Saturn and Ketu can be also be very stressful but they generally support our spiritual lives (in contrast to Rahu which tends to give us karma that drags us away from spiritual life).

In a nutshell, if we want to strengthen a particular domain of our lives, the astrological advice would be to worship the deity associated with the planet ruling that house in our chart (some people worship the planets themselves which is also okay but I would personally advise worshipping the higher deity or aspect of God represented by the planet). For instance, if health poses a particular problem, then the 1st and 6th houses would need to be checked and if one of these is particularly afflicted in the chart, that is the house to be strengthened.

The higher deities associated with the malefic planets are as follows (worship of any of these forms is said to give countless material and spiritual blessings):

Saturn- Narayana, Hanuman; Rahu- Durga; Ketu- Ganesha; Sun- Shiva; Mars- Subramanya

The higher deities associated with the benefic planets are as follows:

Venus- Lakshmi;  Mercury- Vishnu/Krishna/Narayana; Jupiter- Guru, any form of God, Moon- Parvati

If nothing else, daily mantra japa of the deity that is represented by the planet ruling over the ascendant or the 9th house, will bring great blessings for both material and spiritual life.

With regard to malefic planets, I would like to write a bite more about Rahu. The planet, Rahu, is regarded as highly materialistic in nature. He can give good and bad results of past karmas. If he is well-placed in our chart, e.g. in the 6th or 11th house, he can give some positive results in terms of overcoming various challenges in life and giving material blessings. If he is ill-placed in our chart, then there may be a lot of difficulty during his periods of time.  

For spiritual seekers in particular, Rahu can pose a real challenge, a serious spiritual headache. He is the planet of material desire, for literally anything and everything that exists in the material domain. He is also associated with addictions of all kinds, with substance misuse, with excesses in life. He is also known to stir up problems and create issues in family and work relationships, along with ill-health, financial issues and all sorts of difficulties. 

Now, all this sounds a bit theoretical until one actually enters a Rahu period of time. When that occurs, depending upon the dashas/time periods and transits, things can get very challenging indeed. And any spiritual seeker will need to be very careful. 

In my case, for instance, in recent years, I went through a Rahu-Rahu period of time (where Rahu was both the primary and secondary planet), and simultaneously, Rahu entered Taurus (which is my ascendant sign). This was a very heavy dose of Rahu indeed which, I would say, led to a variety of material and spiritual challenges (some of which I have made reference to on this site). On the plus side, I comfort myself that I will never again go through a double dose of Rahu, something I am extremely grateful for.

Various astrology sites describe Rahu as perhaps the most malefic planet of them all, especially for spiritual life. There are numerous alarming descriptions about how this planet can undo much of the good that we have created in our lives. I am generally not a fan of exaggeration or sounding alarmist but I do feel duty-bound to say that, based on my experience of a significant Rahu period, this is a very dangerous planet indeed. It is no exaggeration to say that any spiritual seeker going through a Rahu period must be highly vigilant and watchful over their own mind. 

Spiritual life may be significantly challenged during this time but one absolutely must continue one's spiritual practice. The good part is that, if one continues a daily spiritual practice during the Rahu period (as I have so far managed to do by God's grace), then it gradually becomes easier. The challenges reduce and things actually become quite manageable over time.

My main advice, therefore, for anyone who has a negatively-placed Rahu in their chart, or who is going through a Rahu period of time, is to do some mantra japa of one's favourite deity every single day. If one does not have a favourite deity, then Mother Durga can be worshipped (as She easily vanquishes the negativity of Rahu).

Before I conclude, I would like to say something about the spiritual approach advised by our Gurus with regard to handling our difficult karmas in life. Aside from worship, the attitude with which we face our negative karmas is very important according to them. 

Our Gurus advise us to develop two key qualities with regard to our negative karma-- namely acceptance and indifference. What does this mean?

Well, they tell us to accept our lives, ourselves and those around us as they are (this is not a passive attitude but rather, a positive and proactive approach). Without judgement, without any negativity, they tell us to observe our own minds, to recognise that we are not our minds or thoughts, but rather that we are Atman or souls who are here on a spiritual journey. 

Secondly, when dealing with negative people, they advise us to cultivate an attitude of indifference. Now, this may not always be easy to do, but is very much the approach advised by our Gurus to protect ourselves from creating more negative karma. If we find ourselves dealing with people who are highly negative, the only option may be to walk away or create careful boundaries in our relationships with them. The last thing our Gurus advise is for us to react to their negativity with some of our own.

I would like to relate an interesting story related to the Dalai Lama in this regard. Somebody once asked the Dalai Lama about the challenging experiences that he had faced in life (as you would be aware, he and many of his people had to escape Tibet and flee to India for safety due to the terrible violence that was being perpetrated in their homeland). The Dalai Lama is supposed to have said that, at one time, he was very concerned that he was in grave danger. 

The interviewer asked if he was referring to danger with regard to losing his life while in his homeland. The Dalai Lama replied saying that it was not the danger to his life that he had been greatly concerned about, but rather, it was the danger of possibly losing the compassion and kindness that he felt towards the perpetrators of the atrocities. He was deeply concerned about the risk of negative thoughts arising in his mind as a result of all the violence that had been inflicted upon his homeland. These negative thoughts would have posed a serious problem from a spiritual perspective.

The Dalai Lama therefore presents an excellent example of the attitude that our Gurus advocate-- far from descending to the level of those who may be negative towards us, they tell us to strive to either be indifferent to them, or if possible, even express compassion and positivity instead. This is no easy task as most of us will have found, but is the ideal attitude for a spiritual seeker and we need to keep this as our goal.

During periods of time ruled by the malefic planets such as Rahu, Mars and the like, we may find ourselves at the receiving end of much negativity from various people. These are individuals with whom we have some negative karmic debt and we need to go through these experiences and learn from them. But we need not be afraid if we have our mantra practice.

Mantra literally means 'that which protects the mind' and our Gurus tells us that this is the most effective way of developing the right attitude required to rise above all this karma and continue steadily upon the spiritual path.

They remind us that we are all pilgrims here, and this is not our permanent abode. Instead of embroiling ourselves in various karmas involving others who may have little or no spiritual interest, the best approach would be to slowly and steadily carry on our daily spiritual practice. That is the formula that I have been following by the grace of God, and I can say that it has definitely benefited me. Whatever good in my life has undoubtedly come to me due to the grace of God as a result of daily recitation of my mantra. 

The illusions, the smoke and mirrors of Rahu continue to pursue me, but the good news is that I continue to keep my mantra and thereby, God and Guru, by my side (I am steadily continuing my sixth purascharana at the modest pace of seven malas a day and, in addition to my seated japa practice, also frequently recite the mantra during the day). And, I feel that, as long as they are with me, no Rahu or other malefic planet or any negative karma can ultimately have any victory over me. This is the experience and assurance of our Gurus and I have complete faith that their words are true.

I am also hoping to go on a pilgrimage to India in the coming weeks (I intend to visit some temples and sacred places in Kerala, some of which were favourite destinations of my ancestors). A pilgrimage is a very good way to immerse oneself in sadhana and I am hoping that this will help to recharge my spiritual batteries and keep me firmly on the spiritual path.

Once again, I would like to mention that the present lunar month of Kartika is very auspicious for taking up new mantra sadhana and other spiritual practices. I hope your sadhana is going well, and may it protect you too from any adverse planetary influences and karmas indicated in your own charts.

May God bless us all. May we successfully rise above all karmas and attain Him.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Karma, tapas and Kartika

 Hari Aum.

As spiritual seekers, we know that the law of karma forms the basis for everything in life. It is the basis of our fortunes and misfortunes, for health, wealth, family, friends, peace and joy. It forms the basis for all material happiness and success.

From a spiritual perspective, success or progress depends upon the extent to which we are able to free ourselves from the shackles of our karma. Our Gurus tell us that spiritual progress requires us to stop creating new karma (both 'good' and 'bad'). This is because, as long as we keep creating new karma, we will have to be reborn in the material realm to experience their results. Furthermore, we need to pay off the karmic debts that we have already created. 

As karma is so important in spiritual life, our Gurus tell us that it is vital for us to have a proper understanding of this subject. So, let us look at the subject in a bit more detail. 

What is the law of karma? What is its origin and why does it exist? What are the three types of karma? What do we need to do with regard to them in order to progress spiritually? I would like to delve into this a little in this post.

The law of karma states that every action produces a result. Its basis is our free will. As individual souls, we each have free will given to us by God. We each have a choice as to how we act at every moment in our lives. 

Once we act, however, the law of karma takes over. This divine law requires us to be prepared to face the consequences of our own actions-- and these may or may not turn out quite as we intended. In general, good actions produce happiness, and bad actions produce sorrow according to this law. 

What is good and what is bad? The answer lies in the yama and niyama, or yogic ethics. That which involves non-violence, truthfulness, control of the senses and worship of the Divine is good; this will bring joy both materially and spiritually. That which involves the reverse is bad; this will bring us sorrow both in material and spiritual life.

So, God gives us the freedom to weigh up our choices and act as we see fit. We can choose to adhere to dharma/righteousness or adharma/unrighteousness when we make decisions in life and act. However, He/She then gives us the just and proper results of our own actions. 

The wheel of karma may turn slowly, but it turns surely. There is no escaping this divine law. One day or another, in one lifetime or another, the results of our actions, both positive and negative, will come to us.

What is the origin of the law of karma and why does it exist? The origin of the law of karma is God. They may be various reasons for its existence but a key one is that it ensures justice within the universe, it ensures righteousness or dharma is upheld. It allows the material realm to function in accordance with the will of God. (Note: there are also names of Narayana or Vishnu in the famous prayer, the Vishnu Sahasranama, that praise Him as the Creator and upholder of the law of karma e.g. "Vidhata" and "Bhavanah". https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/vishnu/vishnu_1.html)

What is the origin of karma itself; what compels us to create karma? The yogis would say that the root cause of karma or actions that bind us to samsara (the eternal cycle of birth and death in the material world) is kama or desire. Kama includes every type of material desire that can be thought of; it is the desire for anything other than God. 

Therefore kama or desire needs to be overcome for us to be able to transcend karma. It is the intention or thought behind our actions that differentiates karmas as good or bad, and as material or spiritual. We will come back to this point again later when we discuss the technique to transcend karma, the method to avoid creating new karma.

What are the three types of karmas that are said to exist? And what must we do to transcend these in order to attain our spiritual goal which is realisation of our divine nature as one with God?

The three types of karma are:

1. Those karmas created in the past that are not to produce results in this lifetime (these are reserved for future lifetimes)-- this is known as 'sanchita karma' in Sanskrit.

The yogis tell us that we have each been born many times on Earth. This is the realm where karma is created, and the only one where it can be completely transcended to attain God. Thus, we each have vast number of past karmas, both good and bad. 

To use an example to understand the various types of karma, imagine a farmer with a large number of seeds lying hidden within the soil of his field. Some of these seeds will produce sweet fruits (these are good karmas that will give happiness) and some will produce bitter fruits (these are bad karmas that will give sorrow in the future). The seeds are in the field ready to germinate but they have not yet done so-- they are presently in a dormant state. 

This is sanchita karma. This type of karma can be prevented from fructifying through spiritual practice (we will come back to this a bit later).

2. Those karmas created in the past that are in the process of producing results in this lifetime-- this is known as 'prarabdha karma'.

Prarabdha karma is the portion of past karma that is meant to bear fruit or give results in this specific lifetime. This type of karma cannot be escaped; it must bear fruit. 

However, through spiritual practice, through the grace of God and Guru, we can acquire the mental strength to bear it with equanimity. That is the approach advised by the yogis for this type of karma.

To continue the analogy of the farmer above, imagine that a section of the seeds in his field are now germinating, growing and bearing fruit-- both sweet and bitter. He is compelled to pluck the sweet and bitter fruits from the plants and eat these (he must accept the results of his past actions). This is the unavoidable prarabdha karma of this lifetime-- the allocated portion of joy and sorrow that must be experienced as a result of our own past actions.

3. That karma that is currently being created-- this is known as 'agami karma'.

This is the karma that we have the most control over. This is the karma or actions we are creating in this lifetime-- today, now, at this very moment in our lives. These are our actions that will produce results in the future (potentially in this and other lifetimes).

To use the analogy of the farmer again, these are the new seeds that he is sowing in his field. Like the previous seeds, these too will yield a mixture of sweet and bitter fruits, and he will need to eat them in the future. 

As spiritual aspirants, our Gurus firmly tell us to stop sowing new karmas or seeds (in the field of our 'causal body' or 'karmic storehouse'). This is vitally important as spiritual liberation can only be attained when all karma has been paid off or exhausted. Along with dealing with past karma, therefore, we must stop creating new karma.

But how? How can we achieve this challenging aim of not creating new karma for ourselves in this lifetime?

The Gurus say the answer is simple. They tell us that, as long as we feel that we are the doer of our actions, as long as we perform actions with selfish intent, we will create karma and have to reap the results.

The technique to overcome karma, according to them, is therefore to:

1. Perform actions without a sense of egoistic doership, perform actions with the feeling that it is 'not I but God' who is the ultimate doer. It is He/She alone who is ultimately the true doer of all actions. 

As the yogis say, "Without the will of God, not even a leaf can move". Therefore, we need to keep reminding ourselves that it is "not I but God" who is the real doer and dedicate all actions to Him/Her as a form of worship. Then our actions become 'karma yoga' not karma, and become an important spiritual practice.

2. Perform actions without selfishness as far as possible, i.e. perform actions in accordance with dharma or yama/niyama. This includes having a healthy balance between our needs and those of others-- the guiding principle here is 'do as you would be done by'. Such actions become fit to offer as worship of God. 

On a practical level, for most of us, it takes time (a great deal of time, may be a lifetime or more) to really learn the art of 'karma yoga'. It takes much time and a truly heroic effort to overcome the lower mind and develop the art of performing actions as a form of worship of God. 

And we may fail many a time. But that is ok, say our Gurus. 'Failures are the stepping stones to success' says Swami Sivananda encouragingly. We need not despair, therefore, we just need to keep at it, keep trying day after day after day.

Let us come back again briefly to 'sanchita karma', the giant storehouse of our past karmas of innumerable lifetimes. The yogis tell us we need to destroy these karmas to prevent having to take birth over and over again to experience the results associated with them.

How shall we destroy our vast storehouse of good and bad past karmas, our sanchita karma? The answer is spiritual practice-- known as sadhana, or tapas in Sanskrit.

The word 'taapa' in Sanskrit means 'pain' (mental or physical)-- this forms the basis of the word 'tapas'. The word 'tapa' in Sanskrit means to be 'heated' or to burn. It is no coincidence that the root of the verb meaning to perform spiritual practice or austerities involves an element of burning and pain.

Fire is said to be a great purifier in the yogic tradition. The yogis say we need to burn away all internal impurities in the fire of tapas in order to attain realisation of our true divine nature. "No pain, no gain" they say when it comes to spiritual life. 

Tapas therefore includes the active performance of spiritual activities, including mantra japa, homam, puja, selfless service of other living beings and so on and so forth. It includes the development of devotion. 

And a very important aspect of tapas, which the mind generally does not like at all, is the development of an element of tolerance towards pain (especially that is given unasked for, maybe even apparently undeservingly) by life. 

This pain may be mental or physical or both; it may include trouble from within and without. The three sources of pain according to the yogis are ourselves (our own mind and body), other living beings (people, animals, birds, insects etc) and the forces of nature (floods/famines/fires/earthquakes etc).

Developing a serene tolerance towards pain takes time, and certainly does not mean foolishly and deliberately inflicting pain upon ourselves (and most certainly not upon others; being sadistic/masochistic in any form is against yogic ethics and only creates more bad karma which significantly hinders our spiritual progress). What it does mean, according to our Gurus, is being as gracious and accepting as we can be when things do not go the way we want in life. 

It involves a gradual development of a serene acceptance of life as it is, in all aspects, both spiritual and material. It involves a firm conviction that whatever happens is for the highest good as ordained by God because of the understanding that "Not even a leaf moves without the will of God".

This attitude of tapas comes to us gradually by the grace of God as we continue with various spiritual practices. Again it can take years or a lifetime or more to fully develop this quality and we just need to patiently keep at it. Mantra japa is a particularly helpful technique in developing this attitude according to Sivananda and other Gurus.

The Gurus tell us "You came alone, and you will go alone". "Only your sadhana and karmas will follow you". "Therefore do sadhana and perform good deeds" they say, "Only then can you expect any happiness". The mind may not like this very much as it requires effort, herculean effort in fact, to go against the lower self. But this is the price we must be willing to pay if we wish to progress spiritually. 

And the good news is that our Gurus and yogis are with us every step of the way, their blessings are always with us as we trudge along the arduous spiritual path.

This why the yogis sing the song "Jis haal mein, jis desh mein, jis vesh mein raho, Radha-Raman, Radha-Raman, Radha-Raman kaho" -- which essentially means, whatever condition or situation you find yourself in, repeat the name of God and thus obtain His blessings.

On that note, we are currently in another very auspicious month from a spiritual perspective-- this is the lunar month known as 'Kartika'. This month, the eighth of the Vedic lunar calendar, is regarded as being sacred to Narayana and contains a number of important spiritual festivals including Diwali and Govardhan puja. The full moon day of this month, known as 'Kartika purnima', is especially significant as a day for spiritual practice.

Please see below for a link explaining these in a bit more detail and with the relevant dates: 

https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/festivals-kartik.html

This month is a very good time to renew spiritual vows and commitments, take up new spiritual practices and worship God and Guru. It is a particularly auspicious time to worship the Krishna avatara of Narayana, to remember His Lilas and perform mantra japa, pujas and homams to Him.

In other words, it is a time that is most conducive to the overcoming of past karmas, both good and bad, and to perform tapas to obtain the blessings of God and Guru.

As this month is dedicated to the worship of Lord Krishna in particular, I will conclude this post with the very popular devotional prayer addressed to Him known as the "Madhura-ashtakam" or "song of sweetness" ('madhura' means 'sweet' in Sanskrit). 

This consists of eight slokas ('ashtakam') and was composed by the famous saint, Sri Vallabha acharya, who lived in India in the fifteenth century. He was a great devotee of Lord Krishna and composed many beautiful hymns and prayers in His praise-- this goes as follows:

Madhurashtakam: the song of sweetness in praise of Sri Krishna

(This has many references to Lord Krishna's childhood Lilas as a cowherd boy in Vrindavana)

1.

Adharam madhuram, vadanam madhuram,    (Sweet are His lips and sweet is His face,)

Nayanam madhuram, hasitam madhuram,       (Sweet are His eyes and sweet is His laugh)

Hridayam madhuram, gamanam madhuram,   (Sweet is His heart and sweet is His walk)

Madhur-adhipater-akhilam madhuram.           (The Lord of sweetness is perfectly sweet)

2.

Vachanam madhuram, charitam madhuram,     (Sweet are His words and sweet is His nature)

Vasanam madhuram, valitam madhuram,         (Sweet are His clothes and sweet is His stance)

Chalitam madhuram, bhramitam madhuram,    (Sweet is His walk, and sweet is His wandering)

Madhur-adhipater-akhilam madhuram.            (The Lord of sweetness is perfectly sweet)

3. 

Venur madhuro, renur madhurah,                 (Sweet is His flute and sweet is the dust of His feet)

Panir madhurah, padau madhurau,                 (Sweet are His hands and sweet are His feet)

Nrityam madhuram, sakhyam madhuram,    (Sweet is His dance and sweet is His friendship)

Madhur-adhipater-akhilam madhuram.            (The Lord of sweetness is perfectly sweet)

4. 

Gitam madhuram, pitam madhuram,             (Sweet is His singing and sweet is His drinking)

Bhuktam madhuram, suptam madhuram,      (Sweet is His eating and sweet is His sleeping)

Rupam madhuram, tilakam madhuram,    (Sweet is His form, and sweet is His forehead-mark)

Madhur-adhipater-akhilam madhuram.         (The Lord of sweetness is perfectly sweet)

5. 

Karanam madhuram, taranam madhuram,       (Sweet are His deeds and sweet is His sport)

Haranam madhuram, ramanam madhuram,     (Sweet is His taking and sweet is His love)

Vamitam madhuram, shamitam mahuram,       (Sweet is His sickness and sweet is His healing)

Madhur-adhipater-akhilam madhuram.            (The Lord of sweetness is perfectly sweet)

6. 

Gunja madhura, mala madhura,                   (Sweet are His flowers and sweet is His garland)

Yamuna madhura, vichi madhura,               (Sweet is the river Yamuna and sweet are Her waves)

Salilam madhuram, kamalam madhuram,   (Sweet are Her waters and sweet is the lotus)

Madhur-adhipater-akhilam madhuram.       (The Lord of sweetness is perfectly sweet)

7. 

Gopi madhura, Lila madhura,            (Sweet are the cowherd girls and sweet is the Divine play)

Yuktam madhuram, muktam madhuram,  (Sweet is the union and sweet is the Liberation)

Drishtam madhuram, shishtam madhuram, (Sweet is His gaze and sweet is His conduct)

Madhur-adhipater-akhilam madhuram        (The Lord of sweetness is perfectly sweet)

8. 

Gopa madhura, gavo madhura,         (Sweet are the cowherd boys and sweet are the cows)

Yashtir madhura, srishtir madhura,   (Sweet is His staff and sweet is His Creation)

Dalitam madhuram, phalitam madhuram, (Sweet is His destruction and sweet is His grace)

Madhur-adhipater-akhilam madhuram      (The Lord of sweetness is perfectly sweet)

(Note- the same Sanskrit word can sometimes have more than one meaning and the context needs to be considered to select the correct one. I have provided the translation above based on my best understanding and use of my Sanskrit English dictionary. You may find subtly different translations of the above slokas elsewhere).

This is a lovely rendition of this prayer by a well-known singer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Whl6Q0hY-A

I wish all of you a very happy and spiritually successful month of Kartika.

Om Shri Krishnaya Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Diwali greetings

 Hari Aum.

This is just a short post to wish everyone a peaceful and spiritually fulfilling Diwali (or Deepavali as it is traditionally known in Sanskrit).

As most of us would be aware, this festival marks the victory of good over evil, of spiritual forces over materialistic tendencies, of our divine nature over our lower nature. 

It marks one further milestone upon our spiritual journey-- the completion of yet another year of sadhana or spiritual practice (in many parts of India, Deepavali is regarded as the beginning of the New Year). It is a time when we can look back and assess our progress and challenges in the past year and prepare for another year of spiritual practice and commitment.

The legend behind Diwali is that it is the day when Sri Rama and Mother Sita returned home to Their kingdom known as Ayodhya after the defeat of the demon known as Ravana. It is also a day associated with the manifestation of Mother Lakshmi from the divine ocean of milk, and the day that Lord Krishna is said to have defeated the demon, Narakasura.

It is a day when we decorate our homes, get together with those who are closest to us, and invite Lakshmi and Narayana into our homes. We invoke Their presence in our hearts and worship Them on this sacred day. 

In the midst of all the sweets, gifts and celebrations, let us remember that the ultimate gift is devotion to Them, and the ability to live at all times in accordance with Their will. May They bless us with this most valuable of gifts on this auspicious occasion.

Let us also pray at this time that Lakshmi and Narayana may bless this entire world with peace and light. May They alleviate the suffering on this planet and grant us all wisdom, peace and bliss.

Om Sri Sita-Ramabhyam Namah.

Om Sri Radha-Krishnabhyam Namah.

Om Sri Uma-Maheshvarabhyam Namah.

Om Sri Lakshmi-Narayanabhyam Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. I would like to thank all readers who have sent me messages and requests for Vedic astrology readings. I am making my way through your requests and will get back to you soon, hopefully in the next week or two (apologies for the delay replying-- it has been an intense few weeks with illness in the family and other events. Things are fortunately a bit calmer now so I hope to reply to you soon).

P.P.S. I would like to add that I feel that the traditional way of celebrating Deepavali by lighting lamps is much more spiritual than setting off fireworks. The latter is well-known to be polluting, frightening to birds and animals, and a source of serious injuries to people particularly children. 

The lighting of lamps is therefore a much more beautiful way to celebrate this occasion in my view and I would encourage readers to consider this option (and minimise the use of fireworks).

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Sage Kapila's teachings: Part 2

 Hari Aum.

Let us continue to study the teachings of Sage Kapila. In my previous post on this topic, we discussed how Sage Kapila explained the meaning of true devotion-- the state of constant remembrance of God.

Having spoken about the value of the practice of bhakti yoga, the path of devotion, he now teaches his mother about the the manifestation of God as the cosmos, as everything that we see, hear, touch, smell and taste. This is known as the 'Virat Purusha' or Cosmic Being. 

And each one of us, of course, is a part of Him/Her. Like small sparks within a blazing fire, we too, are small divine sparks present within the blazing divine fire that is God. We are made up of divine essence, we are part of the cosmic body of God-- so says Sage Kapila, and this is a view shared by all God-realised Gurus.

Kapila introduces this section of His teaching as 'jnana' or wisdom related to God/the Supreme. 

He first explains that the Supreme Being is the basis of material creation and that He transcends this. He then goes on to explain the nature of the material creation in detail.

Kapila discusses the following (I am providing a succinct summary here as many of these topics have been covered in detail in previous posts related to the Gita and Upanishads):

-the three gunas of creation (namely, sattva, rajas and tamas) form the basis for material nature

-there are five great 'elements' or aspects of nature which are earth, water, air, fire and ether/space. There are deities or demi-gods who are associated with each of these five elements. Their role is to ensure that these elements in nature operate in accordance with the will of the Supreme Being or God.

-the five elements correspond to the five senses within the human being, namely smell, taste, sight, touch and sound. The demi-gods who preside over the five great elements also preside over the corresponding sense organ within the human being. 

For example, the demi-god, Varuna, is said to preside over the element of water (which includes all fluids and liquids in the universe) and the corresponding sense of taste (and thus, the tongue).

-the successive manifestation of the ego, intellect and mind

-the presence of the demi-gods within the Supreme Being (e.g. Surya, the sun-god is present within the eyes of the Supreme Being)

-Sage Kapila's final conclusion in this section is that the student aspiring to realise God should recognise His presence within one's own body (as the origin of the body, mind, intellect and ego) and meditate upon this. This combination of bhakti/devotion and jnana/wisdom is the key spiritual practice that leads to the realisation of God.

He emphasises the need to overcome the lower self or ego through the practice of yogis ethics (yamas and niyamas), the development of indifference or detachment towards worldly attainments (vairagya) and the cultivation of devotion.

Having outlined the principles of bhakti and jnana, in the next section Sage Kapila describes the technique to be used to contemplate and meditate upon God. I will discuss this soon in another post.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Fell deeds and their consequences: A Puranic view

 Hari Aum.

A very happy Navaratri to all readers. We are currently on the second day of this nine day, or rather nine night ('nava' means 'nine' and 'ratri' means 'night' in Sanskrit) spiritual festival dedicated to the Divine Mother.

The first three days of this auspicious spiritual festival are traditionally dedicated to Mother Durga, the Goddess who destroys evil. The next three are dedicated to Mother Lakshmi, the giver of all that is auspicious, and the final three days are dedicated to Mother Sarasvati, the giver of wisdom. The final tenth day, Vijaya Dashami, is a celebration of the victory of the divine over the undivine, of good over evil.

We are presently on day two of this festival so today is a day dedicated to Mother Durga. In the present state of the world, I was reflecting that it would be nice if Mother Durga could take an avatar to sort things out. 

These days one cannot read the news without coming across endless articles with a 'trigger warning'--something along the lines of "viewers may find this distressing" (these then go on to describe some appalling acts of violence and cruelty). These articles sadly describe the lowest of the low conduct that humanity is capable of (just when one thinks it cannot get any worse, a new low appears). I am of course talking about the recent events that led to the present war in the Middle East.

And, at times like this, when one is confronted with the awful reality that there are people who walk this Earth in human form, but who possess hearts and minds that can only be described as devilish or demonic in nature (they are clearly far from human within), one inevitably finds oneself yearning for an avatar of God. 

"If only You would come now" one cannot help but feel. "There is so much misery here, if not now, then when?" one wonders. "How much worse do things do things need to get before You will take the trouble to manifest" is the natural thought that occurs. 

Traditionally an avatar of God appears when things are very, very bad on Earth. Impossibly, unimaginably bad, in fact. 

Narayana/Krishna declares in the Gita:

"Paritranaya sadhunam, vinashaya cha dushkritam, dharma samsthapa-natharya, sambhavami yuge yuge"

Meaning:

"For the protection of the good, and the destruction of evil, to establish dharma/righteousness, I manifest in age after age".

When Krishna's avatar was due, the Puranas declare that He arrived sooner than expected when an evil ruler called Kamsa began to murder newborn babies in great numbers. Similarly, the Narasimha avatar appeared to protect a child, Prahlada, who was being tormented by his clan. The Rama avatar manifested to defeat Ravana, a demonic being given to pride and lust (he was fond of abducting women from various realms and molesting them/subjecting them to all sorts of torment and cruelty).  

While all killing and cruelty is unjust and unrighteous/adharmic, there is something especially vile, wicked and diabolical about deliberately singling out and targeting/torturing the most weak and vulnerable in society-- babies, children, women, the elderly and the sick. And our Puranas seems to share this view-- as we see with Krishna and Narasimha, even an avatar of God hastens His arrival upon Earth when such groups are targeted.

There is supposed to be a major avatar of Vishnu in every 'yuga' (a very, very long period of time, ranging from hundreds of thousands of years to several million depending upon the yuga). We are supposed to be around five thousand years into the present 'age of quarrels' or Iron Age ('Kali yuga'-- not the same as Mother Kali; pronounced and written differently in Sanskrit). 

This is supposed to have started after the departure of the Krishna avatar some time after the Mahabharata war. There are meant to be many more hundreds of thousands of years remaining of this yuga and it is only at the very end of this period that the next avatar of Narayana known as the 'Kalki avatar' is due. 

But what shall we do in the meantime? Pray, chant and hope for the best, that is all we can do. And maybe, that is enough, that is all that is expected from us.

However, as we watch and hear the news of the fell, evil deeds that occur upon our Earth, we may sometimes reflect upon what our scriptures, our Puranas, say about the karmic consequences of such actions. These are good examples of what to never do, and the scriptures provide some solace with regard to divine justice in the absence of an obvious avatar of God at present.

Most yogis and Gurus do not like to emphasise the subject of sin and punishment very much. They like to be positive and encouraging towards us, their students. They tell us to avoid sin as far as possible to avoid the inevitable suffering that will follow in accordance with the law of karma.

However, while the intellect understands this well, the lower mind in each of us has its own ideas and strength. The majority of us, including spiritual seekers, are not paragons of virtue at all. 

The only change that comes about in us when we become seekers is that we now desire to transform and overcome this lower self and embrace our Higher divine nature. We shrink away from the lower nature and are drawn to the Higher. However, on this spiritual journey, there is many a fall, many a setback, and much overcoming of obstacles and perseverance.

The Christian tradition talks of the 'seven deadly sins', namely pride, anger, lust, jealousy, greed, laziness and gluttony.  The yogis would agree with these-- the yogic equivalent is very similar, namely, the 'shad ripus' or 'six enemies', namely lust, anger, greed, jealousy, pride and delusion.

A sincere effort in overcoming these inner flaws is adequate say the yogis in enabling us to obtain the forgiveness and grace of God. Some form of spiritual practice, some wish and effort to improve, some form of inner struggle to not just give in to these vices that repeatedly attack us from within is a good start say our Gurus. They encouragingly assure us that this will lead to the grace of God, and over time (may be a long time but that is ok), we will triumph in the end. Our divine nature will eventually be victorious.

But what of those who walk the Earth reveling in these vices, these seven deadly sins or the shad ripus? What of those who seem to get away with their crimes and escape human courts of justice? Will there be any divine justice?

Well, like other religious texts, our Puranas declare that there certainly will be divine justice. They state that the suffering that we cause others, must come back to us so that we learn not to repeat this again-- the purpose of this is for the education and evolution of the soul (not merely for crude vengeance or punishment simply for the sake of it), to learn to express our true divine nature. 

Hence, while our kindly, compassionate Gurus do not like to over-emphasise the subject of divine punishment for sins in their teachings, they are very clear that such punishment undoubtedly exists. It is not fiction. 

For those who are foolish enough, daft enough, to commit sin after sin on Earth, they tell us in no uncertain terms, very bluntly in fact, that the consequences will be very unpleasant indeed. These consequences are described in detail in our Puranas.

The Puranas describe various 'hell realms' (seven to be precise) which are are places of temporary suffering. 'Temporary' may be a short or long time; it all depends upon the amount of evil actions performed. In these hell realms, the soul has an opportunity to expiate its sins and learn lessons. 

After the negative karma has been paid off, the soul is permitted to be reborn on Earth and to have a fresh start (hell is not a permanent state according to the yogic scriptures, just as the heaven of the demi-gods is not). The soul is again free to commit good or evil deeds and reap their consequences, or alternatively, seek spiritual liberation, the state beyond the duality of this material universe (this endless cycle of samsara).

In his book, 'What becomes of the soul after death?', Sivananda describes in detail the Puranic view of the afterlife. Each soul's deeds, both good and bad, are said to be thoroughly examined by a team of higher divine beings who work for God (this is Yama, the demi-god of death, and his attendants, including the famous Chitragupta, who notes down all our deeds). 

After a detailed assessment of our conduct on Earth (including our thoughts, words and deeds), we are then given the just and fair consequences of our own actions, both good and bad. Once we have experienced these, we are again reborn on Earth and experience a portion of our past karma while creating new karma (unless we become spiritual seekers who wish to transcend karma and attain liberation).

The details of these hells are quite grisly (not for the faint-hearted) and are not too dissimilar from those described in other religions and spiritual traditions. I do not therefore want to go into too much detail here, but equally, I do feel it is useful to have a broad awareness of what our scriptures say about this topic so I will provide a short summary.

In essence, the purpose of the hell realms is to provide suffering. And, as we know, suffering involves some form of mental and physical pain. The themes of the various hell realms in the Puranas, therefore, are things that inflict pain upon the soul, or rather its 'astral body' (which survives death). Experiences that are unpleasant are given (such as excessive heat, cold, experiencing hunger and thirst, being attacked by other beings and so on and so forth. In one particular hell, it is said that the souls of the creatures we eat on Earth, eat our bodies to return the favour-- not at all pleasant, but from a certain perspective, one may see it as somewhat only fair!).

So, as we read the news, and discover the grisly deeds performed by people who may never face any consequences upon Earth, who commit terrible crimes against humanity in the name of God, we may reflect that sad indeed is their fate. Very tragic was the fate of those they harmed, but more terrible still will be their fate in the future. For, one day or another, divine justice will prevail, and they will face the unfortunate results of their actions. 

One can only hope and pray for the sanity of all beings in the current world situation. One hopes this war does not escalate further and lead to more suffering. And, ultimately we must remind ourselves that, no matter what dreadful things happen here, God is available to each one of us, He/She is ready and willing to help us.

So, on that hopeful note, let us praise the Divine Mother who grants justice, let us remember Mother Durga and repeat Her holy names and mantras during this auspicious Navaratri period.

Om Shri Durgayai Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat. 

Homa: the sacred fire ritual

 Hari Aum.

As yogis, most of us will be familiar with the role of fire in worship. Many of us light a lamp at the altar when we sit to meditate. We also light lamps during arati and puja ceremonies. During festivals such as Deepavali, we light multiple lamps as we celebrate the victory of good over evil.

The light of the lamp signifies many things in worship--- it represents God who is the Supreme Light, it represents auspiciousness, goodness and prosperity. It represents all that is good, both spiritually and materially.

Fire is one of the five 'great elements' that constitute the material universe according to the yogic scriptures. The deity who rules over this element is known by many names, particularly as 'Agni'. He is also known as 'pavaka', the one who purifies. Many metals are purified or refined by melting them over fire. In common language, we talk about 'trial by fire' meaning an extremely challenging situation that seriously tests our capacities (In Sanskrit, this is known as 'agni pariksha' or 'fire test'). 

Fire in the material world can be external or internal according to the yogis. The external fire is the one that is visible to our eyes. The internal fire is energy, a force-- invisible but still powerful. One example would be the 'jathar-agni' or 'fire of digestion'. The divine energy known as Kundalini is also a type of sacred fire that resides within us. 

Fire, thus, is a key part of our nature. We cannot live without fire, both internal and external. It is no surprise, therefore, that fire plays a key role in the rituals of worship of many of the religions of the world.

In the world of yoga or the Vedic tradition, there is a special type of worship using fire. This ritual is popularly known as 'homa' (some say 'homam') or 'havana' in Sanskrit ('Havana' is a another word for Agni, the demi-god of fire).

According to our Gurus, in ancient times, this ritual used to be a key aspect of daily worship in households. It was performed by both men and women. Over the centuries, this ritual became largely restricted to temples, and was performed mainly by priests (who, for social rather than spiritual reasons, were mostly men). The training required to perform elaborate homas was given only to a select group of people and was not available to all.

Times have changed (fortunately) and knowledge of the method of performance of this ritual is increasingly available to all regardless of gender, background, culture or anything else. Some homas are simple and can be performed relatively easily. Some are more complex and elaborate, and training would be required to perform them correctly (if one has not had the training, as with any other field, it would be wise to consult someone who is more experienced such as a priest).

The principle of a homa is this: 

-God is invoked in the fire using mantras

-Offerings are made into the fire with the utterance of mantras. These offering are usually 'ghee' or clarified butter, and other plant-based materials such as raw rice, milk, sesame seeds, herbs and so on. 

These are regarded as 'sattvic' or energetically 'clean' substances (usually mild and sweet in flavour). Other materials are generally avoided. (In particular, hot, pungent substances such as onion, garlic, chillies, meat, alcohol, stale foods etc are generally never used in sattvic forms of worship). The type of offering may vary slightly depending upon the deity being worshipped (but ghee is almost universally used).

-Agni, the deity of fire, is here seen as the messenger or 'portal' between our human world and that of the demi-gods or the Supreme Being. When we make offerings into the fire after invoking God in it, it is said that he 'transports' the subtle essence of these to the Supreme. And in return, we are able to receive blessings, both spiritual and material (depending upon what we are praying for).

-The utterance of mantras while making offering into a fire is said to significantly magnify the effects of those mantras (some say it is a tenfold increase but one may not be able to put a precise number upon this). 

A homa will usually involve reciting one or more mantras a certain number of times (often multiples of the sacred number 108) while making offerings (of ghee, rice etc) into the sacred fire with each recitation.

-The word 'Svaha' is crucial to the performance of a homa. This word is said to represent the wife of the deity 'Agni'. It is uttered at the end of every mantra recitation during a homam and is said to 'open the doorway' of the sacred fire. Therefore, it is regarded as important to time the release of the offering from the homa ladle or spoon into the fire with the exact utterance of the word 'Svaha'.

For example, if one wanted to offer worship to Shiva via the performance of a homam, one would invoke His presence in the sacred fire, and then make offerings into the fire while reciting one of His mantras with 'Svaha' at the end, e.g. Om Namah Shivaya, Svaha.

-The smoke generated by the performance of a homa is regarded as being energetically (and some say, even physically) cleansing or purifying. It is said to create a positive atmosphere in the surroundings and a feeling of general wellbeing in the performers of the homa and others who may also be present. It is said to provide divine protection and create a strong sense of inner connectedness with the Divine if performed correctly with faith and devotional feeling.

Needless to say, therefore, a homa or havana is a valuable addition to a mantra japa practice. It enhances, magnifies and builds upon a mantra japa practice (hence it is also a part of the purascharana practice).

As I mentioned earlier, simple homas can be performed by anyone who is willing to study the subject just a little. There are Gurus and other excellent teachers online who have kindly provided 'do it yourself' manuals to conduct a simple homa.

One example, whom I have mentioned previously on this website, is Shri Narasimha Rao. He has done an excellent job of making the homa ceremony easy to understand and perform even by those with no previous experience. 

I have used his homa manuals to perform homas occasionally for Narayana, Shiva and the Divine Mother. I have always felt a great sense of joy, peace and contentment afterwards and felt that the atmosphere was somehow cleansed. 

Please see link below for his website with a lengthy list of wonderful manuals for various forms of the Divine: https://www.vedicastrologer.org/homa/download.htm. I have mostly been using his 'simplest' manuals in recent years due to the lack of time in performing the more lengthy ones and even these have been a wonderful experience.

I would like to say a little more on the subject of simple homas. Life, as we all know, can be very busy. And the idea of performing even the simplest homa of the type mentioned above can take around an hour or more from scratch (getting together all the materials, doing the homa and tidying up afterwards). For many of us with work and home-related commitments, along with our mantra japa sadhana, this may be tricky to do regularly. However, with regard to spiritual sadhana, it is regarded as far more effective to do a simple form of worship regularly rather than an elaborate one very rarely.

Therefore, I would like to mention another even easier sort of 'homa' that I discovered some time ago. This is known as a 'deepa homa' or 'lamp homa'.

In essence, the deepa homa involves lighting a lamp (an ordinary lamp like the one we would have on our altars) and then making offerings of little drops of ghee into this. This is relatively easy to perform as it requires minimal materials and preparation and can be done even weekly if not more often (the duration of time required for this may be as little as 10-15 minutes to longer if one wishes).

You must ensure that you take all precautions for fire safety while performing this form of worship (make sure your surroundings are safe and appropriate; also ensure that children do not have access to the fire). If you have a fire alarm at home, and wish to perform a regular homa, you will either need to do this in the garden (when not too rainy/windy) or if doing it indoors, figure out how to manage your fire alarm. This will not be an issue with a deepa homa generally as there is virtually no smoke produced.

Based upon what I have read and understood regarding this subject, the procedure for a deepa homam is broadly as follows:

1. Light a lamp (with ghee ideally) and a cotton wick (it is possible to buy ghee from grocery stores in most countries; alternatively, one can make it at home by gently heating unsalted butter; there are websites that explain how to do this; fresh ghee is lovely, both for homas and to eat!).

2. Obtain a bowl with some melted ghee in it and a spoon to make the offerings

3. Sit down next to the lamp and offer some simple initial prayers. This is in order to mentally prepare for the ceremony, to connect with the Divine within yourself and within the fire, and invoke the blessings and protection of God. 

For example, spend a minute or two invoking/reciting the mantras of Ganesha, your Guru (if you have one, otherwise simply say 'Om Shri Gurave Namah to invoke the Universal Guru/God) and your favourite deities.

4. Start the ceremony: 

Invoke the form of God whom you wish to worship in the sacred fire of the lamp. Ask Him/Her to be present in full manifestation and accept the offerings that you are going to make. State the purpose for your conducting this worship (i.e. the spiritual or material goal).

5. Perform the ceremony: 

Recite the mantra you have selected and utter 'Svaha' at the end. As you say, 'Svaha', offer a drop of ghee from the spoon into the fire of the lamp (be careful not to accidentally extinguish the flame when offering the ghee as the fire here is a small one; this is not usually an issue in a regular homa where the fire is much bigger).  

These drops of ghee will be consumed by the fire gradually over time. Let the fire extinguish itself after consuming the ghee (this usually occurs within a few hours; do not artificially put out the fire). 

You can also recite slokas (such as the Saptasloki Durga) or a set of mantras (such as the 108 names of Vishnu, Kali etc) and make offerings while adding 'Svaha' in the same way as with a mantra.

5. Complete the ceremony:

Once the ceremony is completed, offer gratitude to God for being present and for His/Her blessings and help in performing it. Make an apology for any accidental mistakes or lapses in concentration/devotion, and surrender the doership of the ritual to God. 

Here is a useful website of the Guru, Anandi ma, with a video by her disciple demonstrating the performance of the lamp/deepa homa: https://dyc.org/simple-ghee-lamp-fire-ceremony/

With Navaratri coming up next week, I have taken up the chanting of some mantras of the Divine Mother, particularly the Navarna mantra which my Guru advises should be chanted during this time. 

I have also performed the above deepa homa a couple of times in recent days with mantras for Narayana, Durga and Kali (including the 108 mantras for Kali https://www.drikpanchang.com/deities-namavali/goddesses/parvati/mahavidya/kali/108-kali-names.html). The purpose of this has been to pray for protection of innocent people (especially children) on both sides of the current unfortunate war in the Middle East. I plan to continue this worship and prayers in the coming days and weeks, particularly during Navaratri and the upcoming eclipses.

In times of distress and suffering, it is the Divine Mother and Narayana who are associated with taking avatars and actively intervening to protect the good, destroy evil and grant protection and peace. 

I very much hope and pray for Their divine intervention in this extremely sad situation. I pray that They may protect both the people of Israel and Palestine, especially those who are young and vulnerable. I also pray that They may do whatever They feel is right to resolve this situation and bring lasting peace to this region. 

May They give strength, courage and protection where They feel this is needed; may Divine justice be done in full; may Divine will be done. 

Please do also consider doing some mantra japa and homa for peace in this region.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Om Shri MahaKalikayai Namah.

Om Shri Durgayai Namah.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. Kali kavacha (the shield of Mother Kali):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TURckgElHg&list=RDLDsNoU4pbzY&index=2

I recently discovered this very beautiful prayer for protection addressed to Mother Kali. Like other 'kavacha' prayers of various forms of God, this is not merely a prayer but rather, is said to be a 'shield' of mantras ('kavacha' means 'shield' in Sanskrit). One who recites or hears this prayer receives Her protection. 

I have been listening to this quite a bit in recent days as a form of prayer for the people caught up in the war in the Middle East. May the Mother's protecting hand shield the children on both sides of the war especially, may Her will be done. 

Hari Aum Tat Sat.