Darshan: Visions of the Divine - Live!

So there I was online last night wondering what it was that I wanted to google - a regular occurance where I sit for a few seconds, think and just google the first thing that comes to mind only to remember when I'm not online what it was that I wanted to check in the first place!  Sometimes its just a waste of time (some would call wasting time a pet hobby of mine), sometimes something unexpected and truly fascinating brings itself to the fore.  Last night I hit the jackpot!

It started of having remembered, during the few seconds of wondering, that during the last trip to India before we went to the Golden Temple in Amritsar (Sri Harimandir Sahib), I tried researching about accommodation etc by quizzing my trusted  friend Google (and asking friendly fellow travellers - you find unfriendly ones as well but who would want to ask them?).  Although not exactly related - found on the usually neglected non-first-page search results - there was a link informing users that there is live streaming from the temple.  The link piqued my interest but due to the slow internet speed (was using a Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Stick (believe it is faster now than when I was there) - easy to get if any foreigners visiting India want to get connected with as little hassle as is possible in India (N.B: I paid for the device and the usage thereof hence this recommendation has nothing to do with any personal/financial interest in Vodafone ;) )) and focus on accommodation, I decided to make a mental note of it - I did not know about Evernote at that time.

Having relatively faster internet (reception below road level in Elf Place is a schlep.  Thank God for Cell C - refer to N.B in the paragraph above),  time and short-time memory loss, I decided to google "golden temple amritsar live streaming" and found among the search results SikhNet Radio which has several channels which you can listen to.  Enjoyed listening to some Shabads and Gurbanis.  Brought back wonderful memories of the divine atmosphere at Sri Harimandir Sahib - and yes, the langhar!

Then the thought crossed my mind how nice it would be to able to have darshan of some of the temples that we had visited in India.  Asking my friend Google again I came across a site beyond any expectations EVER - a site offering LIVE DARSHAN AT SRI KASHI VISHWANATH MANDIR!!!

Kashi Vishwanath

Situated in the holiest of holy cities Kashi (Varanasi), Kashi Vishwanath is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and the main temple in Varanasi, the oldest surviving city of the world and the cultural capital of India, the city where I was supposed to be born and the city my family and I spend most of the time when we're in India.  Darshan at the temple is an experience beyond words!  Now thanks to modern technology, we are able to experience a fraction of the vibrations which can be felt at the temple of Vishwanath (literally meaning "Lord of the Universe").

More good news from Google, live streaming of Tirupati Balaji will soon be coming soon!  If anyone has links for other sites offering live darshan, please add it to the comments section :)

हर हर महादेव !!!

The glass half full..

At a meeting recently someone mentioned the much used analogy of the glass being half full or half empty. Reflecting on the meeting, a thought crossed my mind. Is it necessary that seeing the glass as half  full is being optimistic and half empty pessimistic? Can it not be that seeing it half empty is actually the ability to see the available potential for greater fullness? Also what is the frame of reference? If the frame of reference is changed to air then the glass is full irrespective of the amount of water! Indeed the half is only in reference to the size of the glass. The same amount of water in a glass half the size is a full glass (which only has the potential to become more empty - but is that being pessimistic?!).

What do you think?

Such is His Love

God comes to us all the time.
Sometimes in the form of people we love
to teach us Love.
Sometimes as those who irritate us
to show us areas of our mind that are weak.
Whether we learn or not,
He always comes.
Such is His Love.

Yes, God does comes to us,
to give us a chance to improve,
to express the perfection within.
Whether we express it or not,
He still comes.
Such is His Love

Happy Hanuman Jayanti!

Mangal moorti Maaruti nandan,
Sakal amangal mool nikandan

After a long time there is more than one blog post in a year - thanks to Shiksha's speech!

Hanumanji has always held a special place in my heart. Whenever I found myself in a crisis situation where I could turn to no one else for support, it was easy to turn to Him. And He never failed to deliver. Why else would He be called Sankat Mochan?!

Today, for some reason or other, seems to be an extra special Hanuman Jayanti day. Maybe because it falls on a Tuesday? I can only imagine what the crowds at the Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi will be like, indeed at all temples dedicated to Hanumanji! As it is every Tuesday and Saturday the temple is packed!

I remember someone once asked my father at a Ramayan satsangh why Tuesday and Saturday are dedicated to Hanumanji. His answer, as always, was very fascinating as I had never considered the question before - if I am not mistaken neither had he! He said that Mangalvaar (Tuesday) is an auspicious day - from the word mangal which means ausipicious - whereas Shanivaar (Saturday) is usually considered an inauspicious day - hence many people worship Shani Dev on this day which is named after him. Shani Dev is very powerful and the Shani Graha when it affects someone has very dire consequences. One of the stories concerning the elephant head of Ganeshji attributes the destruction of the original head by the gaze of Shani Bhagvan. But as powerful as Shani Bhagvan is, his influence cannot affect Hanumanji. I got the following incidents from Wikipedia:

"The worship of Lord Hanuman is a panacea for the harsh effects of the 'unfavourable' presence of Lord Shani. In the Ramayana, Lord Hanuman is said to have rescued Shani from the clutches of Ravana and in gratitude, Shani promised Hanuman that anyone who prayed to Him (Hanuman), especially on Saturdays, would be rescued from the "malefic" effects of Saturn, or at the very least, the effects would be softened.

Another version of the encounter between Lord Hanuman and Shani Bhagavan is that once Shani climbed on to Hanuman's shoulder, implying that Shani's influence was beginning on Lord Hanuman. At this, Hanuman assumed a large size, and Shani was caught painfully between Hanuman's shoulders and the ceiling of the room they were in. As the pain was unbearable, Lord Shani requested Lord Hanuman to release him, promising in return, that if a person prayed to Lord Hanuman, he (Shani) would moderate or eliminate the malefic effects of his influence on that person; following this, Lord Hanuman released Shani." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shani)

Hence Hanumanji is worshipped on the most auspicious and inauspicious day of the week. On this most auspicious day of Hanuman Jayanti, may Hanumanji grant strength, knowledge and devotion to all!

Jai Bajrangbali!

Sri Rama Naumi

Yesterday was the start of Ramayan week. My wife Shiksha had to deliver a talk. She is becoming a true Ramkissoon in that she only finished preparing her speech at the last minute - albeit this was her first. Nevertheless with the grace of Sri Rama it went well. You can view the full speech here. Excuse any errors. You will find lots of unnecessary commas which she used to indicate places to pause!

Happy Hanuman Jayanti!

"Raam doot atulit bal dhamaa"

Hanumanji is the messenger of Shri Rama and the abode of immeasurable strength. Whenever a devotee of the Lord was at a crisis point, it was Hanumanji who saved them by delivering the message of Shri Rama.

What does immeasurable strength mean? That we can’t know for if we did, it is then measured, measured by our intellect! Then how do we know this for sure. That is a question of Faith. And that Faith is Hanumanji who is the personification of Faith, Dispassion (or renunciation), Discrimination, Devotion and Knowledge.

Sometimes in life we are faced with a situation which seems impossible to overcome. Sometimes we think that there is something impossible for us to do. If we think that not even God can help us, then we have measured the strength of Hanumanji and it shows that we have no idea what He is and the limitation of our Faith in Him and His presence in our lives.

Why do we have a lack of Faith? Well, we have false beliefs and notions about God, the world, the Power of the Lord and ourselves which we fiercely hold on to for many reasons. When we have knowledge of The Truth through discrimination and renounce all false beliefs, then Faith becomes natural. That thirst for the knowledge of God, wanting to be with Him, see Him, serve Him and love Him springs from devotion to Him and the faith that He exists in the first place!

There are many things which can be added. Please feel free to do so.

On this blessed day of Hanuman Jayanti, I pray that Hanumanji delivers the message of the Lord to us and that we incultate the principles that Hanumanji embodies.

Siyaavara Ramchandra ki Jai!
Pavanasuta Hanuman ki Jai!

First Sunrise 2008

I had a marvelous New Years Eve again. The Sundarkand Recital was uplifting at the least. Got back home at around 3:00-3:30 after clearing up, spent some time with the family then went to my room and contacted some of my friends. When I phoned my friend Jap at around 4:10 I was surprised that he was awake. He was waiting for the 1st sunrise of 2008 to take a picture to send as an mms. All I did was mention that I was surprised that he wasn't at the beach to take the picture when it was immediately decided to take a drive to the beach! Well, here's a couple of the pics, hope you enjoy. Please bear in mind that I am not a photographer and I was taking the pictures with my phone so the pictures don't do justice to the beauty.