my terrace garden in the rains..joy to behold....

need of the hour

Individual transformation is world transformation.

All of us think of changing the world around us. Sri Bhagavan reminds us that change , if any, has to only occur within ourselves.

In a beautiful event at the BSE convention hall in Mumbai, yesterday, various people shared their awakening through the Oneness process.

Yes, we are on the threshold of unprecedented changes , bringing in its wake both challenges and opportunities.

Man cannot stagnate. He evolves or decays.

Our ability and capacity to cope with change would determine the journey of the next few years. The rate of change is huge.

Anchoring in centeredness is the need of the hour.

pic courtesy: mastione.com

The Golden Ball installation

Temple of Oneness

April 22, 2008 will be a much remembered date in the history of the world.The ONENESS TEMPLE , a one of a kind secular facility for all of humanity is getting consecrated in South India. About 5 million people including the likes of Anthony Robbins, Anna Hazare, Indu Jain, Rick Allen, Manisha Koirala, Priya Dutt, Mallikarjun Rao(GMR) and so many others are expecetd to particpate in the event drawing people from across religious and other denominations.

The Oneness Temple is an equipment enabling the liberation of man.It has the largest pillarless hall in Asia and one of the largest in the world which can accomodate 8000 people at a time.The temple itself can accomodate over 20,000 people at any moment.Each of the floors of the temple works on our various chakras even as we move through it and cause our healing in various forms. The temple is designed to take man into the experience of ONENESS of all that is. The visionaries behind the temple are Sri Amma Bhagavan, revered as Avatar Purushas by millions the world over.

Yet another contribution from India for the whole world....

check out http://www.onenesstemple.org/ if it whets your interest.

Abundant wishes....

Traditionally, the festival of lights, Diwali is celebrated over a period of five days. Each one of the five days has its unique connotation, ceremonies and legends associated.

What is Dhanteras? The every first day of Diwali celebrations is Dhanteras. The festival of Dhanteras is also referred to as Dhantryaodashi. Dhanteras marks the beginning of Diwali celebrations.

When is Dhanteras celebrated? Dhanteras is celebrated on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin i.e. two days before Diwali.

Why is Dhanteras celebrated? Dhanteras is celebrated to seek blessings of Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. In the amalgamation of Dhan teras 'Dhan' means wealth. People and specially the rich community celebrate Dhan teras festival widely.


How is Dhanteras celebrated?

Dhanteras is regarded as an auspicious occasion to buy some gold or silver articles. Many people shop for new utensils for their household.

Dhanteras festival is ideal time for setting up businesses, commencing new projects, housewarming, deciding wedding dates, buying cars and jewellery.

Today, exchange of Dhanteras gifts is extremely popular. Special gifts for Dhanteras flood the markets.


What is the legend behind Dhanteras?

The legend behind Dhanteras is centred on the sixteen-year-old son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was fated to breathe his last on the fourth day of his marriage owing to snakebite. On the appointed day his wife illuminated the house with numerous lamps and placed a heap of gold and silver coins and ornaments in front of their bedroom. All through the night she sang songs and told stories.

The lights of the lamps, and the dazzle of the coins and ornaments blinded the god of death, Yam devta, who had come as a serpent. He spent the entire night in the heap listening to the sweet sounding songs before leaving peacefully the next morning. Thus, the wife succeeded in saving the life of her husband. This explains, why the Dhan teras festival is also referred to as "Yamadeepdaan".

excerpted from www.diwaliutsav.com



Om Sreem Kreem Aum Kubera Lakshmi
Kamala Darinyai Dhanakarsinyai Swaha...

Om Yaksha Rajaya Vidhmahe
Alakadisaaya Dhimahe
Tanno Kubera Prachodayaat...

Om Yakshaya Kuberaya Vaishravanaaya
Dhana Dhanyathi Pathaye
Dhana Dhaanya Samruddhime
Dehi Thapaya Swahaha...

May an abundance of abundance flood your lives on the sacred occasion of Dhanteras...

learning : a repost...

recently celebrated "saraswati pooja", a lovely concept in prayer; an expression of gratitude for all the wisdom and knowledge that flows into our lives from myriad sources.mebbe one should add "blogging" to the endless list of media and sources that fulfil the dream of the rigveda; "Let noble thoughts come to us from every side".The universe, the original multi-media classroom...fascinating, awesome,inspiring, disciplining, self-regulatory and so much more...we are all learners and teachers at the same time as a certain Mr Bach had expressed...
Let this day be a dedication to the spirit of "learning"....
some learnings I have had on "learning" itself"
.never pre-judge, pre-suppose.
.be aware of the contexts and the assumptions.
.every speck in creation is a potential teacher.
.our perceptions and mental formations can inhibit genuine learning.
.learning is an attitude in humbleness.
.teachers persist in our lives until we learn what we have chosen to learn.Hence , we observe repetitive patterns recurring time and again.
.unlearning is a critical part of learning.
.the process of learning is joyful, a voyage in discovery ; not self-condemnatory or guilt-provoking.
.................and so much more.....

an icon of integrity....

bhakti rasa...

was listening to an old Jagjit favourite from cry for CRY. was privileged to be a part of the production team on behalf of CRY...the lyrics and melody seem to grow on one...

Mujhme jo bhi achha hai sab uska hai,
Mera Jitna Charcha Hai sab uska hai..

Meri aankhen unki noor se roushan hai
maine jo bhi socha hai sab uska hai..

Maine jo kuch khoya tha sab uska tha
Maine jo kuch paaya hai sab uska hai

Jitni Baar main toota hoon, woh toota tha,
idhar udhar jo bikhra hai, sab uska hai...

rivers...

Rivers have a special place in my life.They serve as a constant reminder that we never meet the same river twice.It is a dynamic in constant, perennial flow.Likewise, life, where, as Heraclitus mentioned, the only constant is change.With an underlying permanance which is our core of centredness, the canvas keeps shifting hues and shades...even when we meet or relate to people, serves us to remember that it is two dynamic entities connecting normally, unless one connects from the underlying core of oneness that binds us all...watching from that centre, our epicentre of awareness...

intelligence...

i remember a friend's father complaining that though all his 3 sons were electrical engineers, he had to depend on an electrician to rectify the tubelight setting.

Sounds familar....?

It is a common observance.

I can never cease to wonder at the natural intelligence of electricians, carpenters, cobblers,automotive mechanics and so on...They do not seem limited by acquired knowledge systems and are able to tap into seeming intuitive realms.I remember an incident in Delhi when I was presenting to some senior technology experts at the DOE.(Dept of Electronics). It was a spiritual content presentation and I was using a VCR to assist me.I myself am armed with a degree in electronics.

As is very often the case,the cassette refused to play.Many heads attempted to address the issue, but of no avail.

It was then that my driver , Jaswant walked upto me and sought my permission to tinker with it.He played around the same for a few minutes and borrowed the head-rubber band a female member of our group was wearing.He replaced the belt on the cassette drive and lo and behold, the VCR functioned.

I have had occasion to observe such innumerable instances of a free flow intelligence at work as different from an organised acquired knowledge based approach.

There is a universal intelligence at play which we see as conventionally educated folk often fail to tap.An intuitive intelligence we can tune in to...


The intelligence which guides birds and animals towards food and prey; influence the cross-country migration of birds like the Siberian cranes, year-in year-out to south india; an intelligence which makes our digestive, excretory and reproductive systems work, with apparently no effort from our sides; the intelligence which enables our growth from infancy to old age......the list goes on...

if we pause to think, we do not aid many of the most essential happenings in our lives; they happen inspite of ourselves...

a throbbing, dynamic intelligence at work, a silent dynamo....the process we call life...

Prayer to the Divine Mother..

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Mathru Rupena Samsthitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Daya Rupena Samsthitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Sakthi Rupena Samasthitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Lakshmi Rupena Samasthitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Budhi Rupena Samashtitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

WISH U ALL A HAPPY NAVARATRI.....

simplicity, the essence of beauty...

when it comes to meeting and knowing celebs, I have led a very chequered life, it would seem.Some I have grown up with, some I have seen grow and others, I have had an opportunity to closely interact.One is witness to the struggle, the frustrations and so on before success decides to bless their efforts..

Observing these parallel universes has been a learning by itself for me...

A recent addition to this list has been Vidya Balan, the talk of the town after her performances in Parineeta and LRM...have had occasion to know her literally since she was born...a simple, straight forward person, whose sense of focussedness has been a revelation..single-minded determination to reach where she is now..yet retaining her humility and down-to-earthiness..prayer has been her forte, her anchor..had a recent encounter with her just before the release of LRM when she come to pray at our community celebrations of Ganeshutsav...very humbly, she wanted all of us to pray for her impending release...that we did...

am very glad for you, vidya and rather proud at your achievements..You have a long way to go..God Bless...

first bloom...

I do not know how it feels to have a baby...but i guess this comes close...the first bloom in a pot in my terrace garden...a moment of very great joy...

Ganpati Bappa Morya...

Today is the visarjan day in Mumbai ...

estimated:

1,20,228 lac Ganesh idols;

43,000 security personnel;

50,000 volunteers...
- source: midday

and this is Mumbai's pride : Lalbaugcharaja , over 40 feet in height :



Ganpati Bappa Morya...

corporate...

have been impressed with both of Madhur Bhandarkar's offerings in last few years...first Page 3 and now
Corporate(.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVm2BZ4Hl1c)

..Bringing alive an accepted paradigm of the day, an aspect to which most of us have got immunised, is a great achievement... a reminder perhaps to harsh everyday symptoms of a de-sensitized existence manifesting in all aspects of our lives.

a lot of us may find parallel episodes we have encountered in our daily grinds...every moment is a moment of choices or a lack of them...at the end of the day we need to be integral to ourselves to stay not just alive, but to live well...

A very happy, joyous,love-filled and colourful ONAM to all of you...