ॐ नमः शिवाय - Aum Namah Sivaaya - A Community of Sivaites and interested others

ГОА-ВАРАНАСИ:Октябрь 2008 г. Семинар Гуру Матсьендранатха.

2008-06-09T12:35:56Z

В ИНДИЮ К НАТХАМ.17-31 октября 2008 г.
10 дней в ГОА на океане: практики йоги, глубоких медитаций, пранаям с Гуру Матсьендранатхом; далее 5 дней в ВАРАНАСИ: практики хатха-йоги, крия-йоги с мастером Ракешем Пандеем.

На фото: Общение с Гуру Аведьянатхом, патриархом натхов

Цели и задачи ретрита: Практика хатха-йоги, от простого к сложному. Углубленное изучение пранаямы, мудр, бандх и систем очищения тела (шат-карма). Медитативные практики: наданусандхана, концентрация на пяти элементах, медитация на мантрах (вачака-джапа, аджапа-джапа).

Изучение фундаментальной традиционной доктрины йоги в традиции натхов, также изучение всех элементов пуджи с практикой. Обучение у традиционного Гуру интегральной системе йогической садханы. Ежедневные занятия, лекции, беседы с Гуру, ответы на вопросы. Практика хатха-йоги - два раза в день, утром и вечером. Это и многое другое будет на ретрите с Гуру Матсьендранатхом Махараджем.

Подробности на сайте Нео-йога центра

om_namah_sivaya @ 2008-06-05T14:02:00

2008-06-05T21:06:37Z

Managing Stress: Thought Attack before Heart Attack
By Swami Sukhabodhananda

One youngster comes to me very depressed and asks this question "Why is God creating so many difficulties for us? How to handle stress?" I tell this youngster to reflect on this beautiful story:

A man goes to a shop, picks up a beautiful cup and says "my god this cup is so beautiful" and suddenly the cup starts talking to the man. The cup starts saying "O man, I am beautiful right now, but what was the state of my being before the pot-maker made me a beautiful pot?

Before I was sheer mud and the pot-maker pulled me out of the mud from the mother earth and I felt why that pot-maker is so cruel, he has separated me from mother earth. I felt a tremendous pain. And the pot-maker said, "Just wait." Then he put me and churned me, when I was churned I felt so giddy, so painful, so stressful, I asked the pot-maker "Why are you so cruel?" the pot-maker said, "Just wait." Then he put me into a oven and heated me up, I felt completely burnt. There was tremendous pain and I asked the pot-maker "Why are you so cruel?" and the pot-maker said, "Just wait."

Then he poured hot paint on me and I felt the fume and the pain, I again asked the pot-maker "Why are you so cruel?" and the pot-maker said, "Just wait." Then again he put me into an oven and heated it to make me more strong, I felt life is so painful hence pleaded the pot-maker and the pot-maker said, "Just wait." And after that the pot-maker took me to the mirror and said, "Now look at yourself". And surprisingly I found myself so beautiful.

When god gives us lot of trouble, it appears god is very cruel but we need patience and we have to wait. When bad things happen to good people, they become better and not bitter.

So all difficulties are part of a cosmic design to make us really beautiful. We need patience, we need understanding, we need the commitment to go through in a very calm and wise way. So all difficulties are not to tumble us but to humble us.

With this understanding, let us not be against difficulty. Understand difficulty is a part of a purifying process. A purifying process at present which we cannot understand and hence we need faith and we need trust.

Let us understand how to handle stress with this background. You can be affected by stress from two angles. There is an internal stress and there is an external stress. Nobody can avoid stress; one has to only manage stress. Managing stress can be internal and also external.

The internal stress is; your thoughts can create stress, your values can create stress, and your beliefs can create stress, meaning thereby your stress is coming from your mind more from the outer world. Many people suffer not from heart attack - they suffer from thought-attack.

For example, when somebody says you are an idiot, we get so hurt, we get so victimised. My boss has called me an idiot and I am feeling tremendous pain. Now where does this stress come from? If my boss has called me an idiot, I have to ask myself "am I an idiot"?

If I am an idiot nothing to be upset about; and if I am not an idiot, then also nothing to be upset about! It is the perception of the boss. But why do we suffer from that stress? I suffer not because my boss has called me an idiot but because of the thought-attack.

I may say the boss has called me an idiot; therefore I am suffering? It is true that the words are unpleasant. But what hurts is the interpretation of the unpleasant word. The thought in me interprets. That is pain and therefore it becomes pain. Much of our stress is our mind interpreting it as pain. So we suffer from thought-attack more than heart attack.

САНСКРИТ И МАНТРОЛОГИЯ

2008-06-03T16:36:08Z

С 5 июня начинаются занятия с нуля для новой группы в йога-центре САТНАМ на Покровке, 6.
Занятия по вечерам после 20.00 ч. (продолжительность 2 часа с кратким перерывом на чаепитие). Ведущий - опытный преподаватель, обучавшийся в Индии.

Можно приходить сразу на занятие, можно предварительно позвонить :
+7(495) 623-06-50 Администратор Надежда

Краткое описание программы курса:

КУРС «САНСКРИТ И ВВЕДЕНИЕ В МАНТРОЛОГИЮ»

Курс рассчитан как на приступающих к изучению санскрита с нуля, так и на ранее изучавших этот язык. Методика преподавания сочетает традиционный индийский способ изучения санскрита с современными научными. В качестве учебных пособий наряду с учебниками и словарями активно используются оригинальные санскритские тексты и звукозаписи.

В программе:

- знакомство с санскритом как сакральным языком индийских систем философии и йоги («взгляд на санскрит глазами индийцев»)
- изучение санскрита «с нуля» (алфавит, навыки чтения, постановка произношения)
- изучение грамматики и овладение навыками перевода с санскрита на русский и с русского на санскрит (основной упор – на возможность читать и переводить традиционные тексты йоги и др. литературу)
- элементарный разговорный санскрит
- освоение традиционной манеры рецитации мантр и др. санскритских текстов
- мантрология, использование мантр и «работы со звуком» в практиках йоги и медитации

svAgatam! - Добро пожаловать!

MAHAMRITYUNJAYA MANTRA

2008-05-22T21:27:38Z

It is important to understand the meaning of the words as this makes the repetition meaningful and brings forth the results.

OM is not spelt out in the Rig-Veda, but has to be added to the beginning of all Mantras as given in an earlier Mantra of the Rig-Veda addressed to Ganapati.

TRYAMBAKKAM refers to the Three eyes of Lord Shiva. 'Trya' means 'Three' and Ambakam' means eyes. These three eyes or sources of enlightenment are the Trimurti or three primary deities, namely Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and the three 'AMBA' (also meaning Mother or Shakti' are Saraswati, Lakshmi and Gouri. Thus in this word, we are referring to God as Omniscient (Brahma), Omnipresent (Vishnu) and Omnipotent (Shiva). This is the wisdom of Brihaspati and is referred to as Sri Duttatreya having three heads of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

YAJAMAHE: means, "We sing Thy praise".

SUGANDHIM: refers to His fragrance (of knowledge, presence and strength i.e. three aspects) as being the best and always spreading around. Fragrance refers to the joy that we get on knowing, seeing or feeling His virtuous deeds.

PUSTIVARDHANAM: Pooshan refers to Him as the sustainer of this world and in this manner, He is the Father (Pater) of all. Pooshan is also the inner impeller of all knowledge and is thus Savitur or the Sun and also symbolises Brahma the Omniscient Creator. In this manner He is also the Father (Genitor) of all.

URVAAROKAMEVA: 'URVA' means "VISHAL" or big and powerful . 'AAROOKAM' means 'Disease'. Thus URVAROOKA means deadly and overpowering diseases. The diseases are also of three kinds caused by the influence (in the negative) of the three Guna's and are ignorance (Avidya etc),falsehood (Asat etc as even though Vishnu is everywhere, we fail to perceive Him and are guided by our sight and other senses) and weaknesses (Shadripu etc. a constraint of this physical body and Shiva is all powerful).

BANDANAAM: means bound down. Thus read with URVAROOKAMEVA, it means 'I am bound down by deadly and overpowering diseases'.

MRITYORMOOKSHEYA: means to deliver us from death (both premature deaths in this Physical world and from the never-ending cycle of deaths due to re-birth) for the sake of Mokshya (Nirvana or final emancipation from re-birth).

MAAMRITAAT means 'please give me some Amritam (life rejuvenating nectar). Read with the previous word, it means that we are praying for some 'Amrit' to get out of the death inflicting diseases as well as the cycle of re-birth.

om_namah_sivaya @ 2008-05-13T13:36:00

2008-05-13T20:39:24Z

Shiva Manasa Pooja

Aaradhayami mani sannibham athma lingam,
Maayapuri hrudaya pankaja sannivishtam,
Sradha nadhi vimala chitha jalabishegai,
Nithyam samadhi kusmaira punarbhavai.

Rathnai Kalpitham asanam, Himajalai snanam cha divyambaram,
Naana rathna vibhooshitham mruga madha modhanvitham Chandanam,
Jathi champaka bilwa pathra rachitham, pushpam cha deepam Thada,
Deepam deva dayanithe pasupathe, hrud kalpyatham gruhyatham.

Souvarne nava rathna Ganda Rachithe, pathre Grutham Payasam,
Bakshyam pancha vidam Payo dadhiyutham, rambha phalam panakam,
Saaka namayutham jalam ruchikaram, karpoora gandojwalam,
Thamboolam manasa maya virachitham Bhakthyo prabho sweekuru

Chathram Chamarayoryugam vyajanagam, chaa darshakam nirmalam,
Veena bheri mrudanga kahala kala geetha nruthyam thada,
Sasthangam pranthi sthuthir bahu vidha, hyethat samastham maya,
Sankalpena samapitham thava vibho , poojam gruhana prabho.

Aathma thwam Girija Mathi sahacharaa, prana sarreram gruham,
Pooja theey vishayopa bhoga rachana, nidhra samadhi sthithi,
Sanchara padayo pradakshina vidhi, , sthothrani sarva giraa,
Yadyath karma karomi thathad akhilam, shambho thavaradhanam.

Kara charana krutham vaak kayajam karmajam vaa,
Sravana nayanajam vaa maanasam vaa aparadham,
Vihithamavihitham vaa sarva methath Kshamaswa,
Jaya Jaya katunabdhe sri Mahadeva Shambho.

Matha cha Parvathy Devi,
Pitha devo Maheswara,
Bandhava Shiva Bakthamscha,
Swadeso Bhuvana thray.

Imee Ooi - Green Tara Mantra

2008-05-09T22:33:56Z

Expelled.

2008-04-19T06:05:39Z

This blog is about the movie Expelled, a Pro-Intelligent Design movie that is due out shortly. It is not about Hinduism, or Shiva, but I am posting a link here in the spirit of the creationist theory and Hinduism to glean your opinion on the subject.. I am not a religious person.. religion serves to divide man... however I am very much into integral spirituality particulary I study and believe in shiavism, in addition to buddhist and gnostic concepts...

This post has a lot to do with religion, politics, and science. It is not "hindu" as to say it is about hinduism .. however I believe this subject is a subject that concerns most religions out there... so Instead of posting it here... I will instead post a link to it so you may go to my journal and read it for yourself... and if you so chose .. get involved in the conversation. I am definitely interested to hear what some of you have to say about this subject.

Feel free to check it out. Its a long post... but worth the read.

http://screamingshiva.livejournal.com/74440.html

om_namah_sivaya @ 2008-04-13T10:39:00

2008-04-13T17:41:25Z

Hindu convert a spiritual teacher at temple in Omaha
Mar 29, 2008
By BOB REEVES

OMAHA — When Frank Morales was only 10 years old, growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., he developed a strong interest in spirituality.

“I started reading the various scriptures of the world,” he said. He read the Bible, the Quran, ancient Buddhist texts. Finally, he read the Bhagavad Gita, a short book that is one of the most revered of Hindu scriptures.
“I felt I’d found what I was looking for,” he said.

The Gita tells the story of Arjuna, a warrior in India, who is caught up in a battle between members of his own family. In a crisis of conscience, he turns to Krishna, an incarnation of God, for advice. Krishna gives Arjuna instruction and answers his questions, providing a clear and logical explanation of the three paths of yoga, or union with God.

The three paths — karma yoga (action), gyana-yoga (knowledge) and bhakti-yoga (devotion) — form the basis for the practice of Hinduism. As a young boy discovering them for the first time, Morales felt that they gave the most understandable explanation of the human situation and human beings’ relationship with God.

“I was searching for a truth that was universal, not just sectarian,” he said. “I wasn’t looking for faith; I was looking for philosophy. It had to be universally applicable.”

He went on to study more Hindu scriptures and soon discovered that there are so many Hindu texts that probably no one person has read them all.

“They were written over many hundreds of years. They’re older than the Bible. They’re considered the oldest collection of writings known to humanity.”

At age 14, he made his first visit to a Hindu temple — in Queens, N.Y. The temple was filled with beautiful artwork and statues representing many Hindu deities, each of whom is considered a different expression of God.

“It was absolutely stunning; I was overwhelmed,” Morales said. “I felt I was leaving the world behind, entering a spiritual world. I finally sat down in front of a statue of Krishna, and in my own mind I said, ‘I’m home. This will be my religion for the rest of my life.’”

Morales went on to study philosophy and theology, eventually receiving a doctoral degree with an emphasis on Hinduism and Asian culture from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He made several trips to India, and in 1986, after living as a celibate monk for six years, he was initiated as a Hindu priest.

Back in the United States, he became an acharya, or teacher of Hinduism, and adopted the Sanskrit name Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya. The word “dharma” means natural law; his name literally means “one who sets the dharma in motion.”

Morales has become a widely recognized Hindu teacher, especially through his Web site, www.dharmacentral.com. He is president of the International Sanatana Dharma Society.

Last fall, he became the resident acharya (spiritual teacher) at the Hindu Temple of Nebraska in Omaha. He teaches several different classes, including introduction to Hinduism, a study of the Bhagavad Gita and a youth class. He gives a spiritual talk prior to Sunday worship at the temple and also leads satsang (meditation and religious discourse) sessions weekly in Omaha, and once each month in Lincoln.

Most of his students are people of Indian background who want to learn more about their religion. But a growing number are people who come from other religious traditions who want to learn about Hinduism. A few of those have decided, like Morales did, to become Hindus themselves.

“Hinduism does not look for converts,” Morales said. “But we do like to teach. Anyone is welcome to come and learn.”

Heather Mortensen is one of his students who considers herself a convert to Hinduism. She grew up in an evangelical Christian family, but said she had many doubts about the God of the Bible, who often is depicted as angry and judgmental. She went to www.beliefnet.com to learn about other religions. “I was super impressed with the Hindu quotes,” she said.

That led her to read the Bhagavad Gita and felt it answered her questions about God and human destiny. “I was in bliss the entire day while I was reading it.”

Mortensen said she found the Hindu concept of reincarnation most appealing, because it gives people a chance to keep striving, through successive lives, to learn and grow closer to God.

She began studying with Morales in Wisconsin, and when he came to Nebraska last fall, she moved to Omaha to continue taking classes from him. Mortensen goes to the Hindu Temple regularly to meditate and participates in Sunday services there with the Hindu community.

The temple serves about 1,000 families — predominantly immigrants from India and their children — but there are a few converts, like Mortensen, who regularly attend services.

“I’m getting to know them (the Indians),” she said. “They’re usually surprised at first — but I remind them I’m Hindu by telling them my Hindu name.” Mortensen took the Sanskrit name Tulasi in a ritual in which she vowed to follow Hindu teachings and practices.

On May 29, Morales will lead a ritual in Council Bluffs for 20 or more people who are becoming Hindus. He estimates that about 1.5 million Americans nationwide have converted to Hinduism.

Stephanie Guilfoyle, another of Morales’ students who lives in Omaha, was raised Lutheran and converted to Catholicism when she got married, but about 10 years ago began studying different forms of Buddhism. That eventually led her to Hinduism, since the Buddha was himself a practicing Hindu.

“I was searching for the truth — I was searching for the root of all the traditions I had studied,” she said. “When I read the Bhagavad Gita, I felt, ‘This is what all the other religions are saying, but it’s in the purest form, the most undiluted.’”

In the Gita, Krishna teaches Arjuna about the nature of the soul and about the difference between eternal reality and the changing world of sensory experience. The ultimate destiny of all people, Krishna says, is union with God.

She described Morales as a gifted teacher who helped the meaning of the text come alive.

John Granger, who grew up in a Catholic family and attended a Jesuit high school, became an agnostic at age 17 and didn’t become a believer again until he discovered Hinduism at age 44.

“Hinduism seems to fit my spiritual path, but it was a path I was on anyway,” he said.

Granger enjoys the richness of the Hindu tradition, which is reflected in the many different deities represented in the Omaha temple. The temple has 12 separate sanctums, or altars, each with one or more statues representing different incarnations of God. People from various parts of India have certain deities that they honor, so Hindus of all backgrounds feel comfortable in the Omaha temple.

Ram Bishu, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineering professor and chairman of the temple’s religious committee, said the temple was created primarily as a center of worship and teaching for people from India who live in Nebraska and Iowa. But, he added, “We’re totally comfortable” with people of other religious backgrounds visiting or participating in prayers and rituals.

“Hinduism is not a proselytizing religion,” he said. “We have no formal way of converting someone to Hinduism. It’s a very individualistic religion; you can be an atheist or agnostic and still be a Hindu.”

Bishu noted that many Americans practice yoga as an exercise technique, or a way of calming their mind, but most are not aware of the spiritual side of yoga as taught at the temple. Some people may go to the temple because they’re studying yoga and want to learn more about its origins and deeper meaning, he said.

Many church groups visit the temple seeking to learn about Hinduism and promote inter-religious understanding.

“Hinduism is a religion of tolerance,” Morales said. His goal as a teacher, he said, is not to preach but to explain the religion and offer “a supportive environment” for individual spiritual growth.

Shaivite Masons? A little off topic..

2008-04-02T22:46:28Z

I was wondering if anyone on this community might have ever be a Mason.. or part of OTO. (a non masonic esoteric group based on Thelema)...

Do you feel like Masonry ... or the OTO is "translatable" as a Hindu. Does either organization go against anything we already believe or does it compliment it. Also what were your reasons for joining Masonry... or OTO.

I am currently considering joining one of these groups but have not decided if I which group I would be better suited for

Masons? OTO? ... or ... None of the Above.

what are your opinions?

Shiva Shiva Shiva

2008-04-02T20:51:33Z

The Gundecha Brothers, live at the 2003 Tokyo Summer Festival. Dhrupad, raga Adana, Sooltal.

om_namah_sivaya @ 2008-04-01T20:07:00

2008-04-02T03:09:27Z

Two-headed baby hailed as divine
April 1, 2008

SAINI, India, April 1 (UPI) -- An Indian baby with four eyes and two faces is being hailed as a reincarnation of the Indian God Ganesh, locals say.

ABC News reported Tuesday that hundreds of people have gone to the village of Saini to touch the girl's feet, dance at her bedside and offer the family money, believing she might be a reincarnation of the Hindu God who is half person and half elephant.

"People from corner to corner from all India and all abroad come here to take the knowledge about this child," said Harsharan Singh, the village math teacher. "It's a gift of God and some people say she is like a goddess. They call the baby a face of a goddess."

Medical experts in the United States who have performed surgeries on children with similar conditions say it's difficult to know the baby's prognosis without brain scans.

"A brain MRI would be illuminating to say the least. Without it we only can presume about what could be possible or what her quality of life would be with or without reconstructive surgery," said Jorge Lazareff, director of pediatric neurosurgery at UCLA Hospital in Los Angeles.

OT : In Honor of The Fallen

2008-03-19T19:55:37Z

Today marks the 5th year of the war in Iraq. And our Death toll rises to 4000.

In honor of this I am offering my song "We the People!" for free download on my myspace music profile located at http://www.myspace.com/screamingshivamusic

Please tell your friends about this song, and if you believe in what it has to say, place it on your myspace page as your profile song in protest of the war. Repost this information in your Journal, and get the song out there. Today there will be protests across the nation. This is my way of showing that I stand with everyone in the 5 years too many protests going on tonight.

Lets get the word out today that 4000 dead American soldiers, uncountable injuries, civilian deaths, and 5 years in an unjustified war is 5 years too many!

Sage Michaels
http://www.myspace.com/screamingshivamusic

om_namah_sivaya @ 2008-03-07T00:23:00

2008-03-07T07:34:49Z

Happy Maha Shivratri!

Om Namah Shivaya!

Shivji Ki Jai!

I've been in temple all night since sundown in phoenix. Its been an intense night so far... Fasting, Singing, Bathing the Shivaling. Chanting.

I find it rather auspicious that I started a 108 day rudraksha japa meditation puja on the night of the eclipse, and right before Shivratri, (which I was not aware of its approach)

God is always Speaking... even when we are fast asleep.. you only have to keep your heart open to what the universe has to say. Eventually You hear it loud and clear.

God is in everything, everyone, everywhere, every moment. Formless Form. Truely we are all blessed. Even the most downtrodden are holy.

Blessings to you all. Om Namah Shivaya!

Mahasivaratri!

2008-03-05T20:49:30Z

Mahasivaratri is March 5 or March 6, 2008 - Happy Mahasivaratri everyone!

'Arise, awake!’ is Shivaratri’s message.
By Sri Sri Ravishankar

Shivaratri is the day of Lord Shiva. Shiva is the lord of meditation and therefore the lord of awakening. Shiva Tatva means to be awakened. Shivaratri is thus an occasion to awaken one’s self from all sorts of slumber.

The night of the rebel God Shivaratri is not a night to be slept over. One should try and be up through the night. It signifies being aware of everything you have and being grateful about it. Be grateful for the happiness which leads to growth, and also for sadness which gives a depth to life. This is the right way of observing Shivaratri.

For the pious, the following method of Shiva worship is advisable – sit down in lotus posture, do some Pranayam to stabilize your breath, then indulge in Dhyana, followed by chanting of “Om Namah Shivay”. It is the greatest mantra and the devout should drown himself in its Kirtan.

Shivaratri worship leads to fulfillment of a devotee’s wishes. There are certain days and time frames in a year that enhance one’s mental and spiritual faculties. In such times, whatever one wishes, materializes. Shivaratri is one such day. All this is very scientific.

Going to temples on this day is OK but you should remember that Shiva is everywhere. The meaning of Kailasa is celebration. So where there is happiness and celebration, Shiva is present. Whether in Sanyasa or Sansara, you can’t escape Shiva. Feeling his presence all the time is the essence of Shivaratri. That is the real Sanyasa.

No worship is complete without offering something to the deity. Shiva is a very simple lord, he is innocent – bholanath. One just needs to offer bel-patra to him. But in this simplicity is a deep message. Bel-patra offerings signify the surrender of all three aspects of one’s nature – Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. You have to surrender the positives and negatives of your life to Shiva and become carefree! The greatest offering is your self.

To offer one’s self is the key to happiness in life. Afterall, why do you get sad? It is mainly because you are not able to achieve something in life. At such times you should surrender everything to the all knowing God. The greatest power is in surrender to the divine. It’s like a drop owning the ocean. If a drop remains separate, it will perish. But when it becomes the ocean, it is eternal!

SHIV WORSHIP
Mahashivratri

Shankara Bhajan

2008-02-26T23:17:40Z

Ten minutes of Vedic chanting about Shiva

2008-02-26T22:57:43Z

Мысли вслух

2007-11-15T23:55:05Z

Мысли материальны, друзья мои..........
Вот так..
Убеждаюсь сам уже не в первый раз...........
Не вспомню, по поводу чего, но, ёмоё - меньше недели назад обсуждал с коллегой какой-то случай именно на эту тему..
Теперь.. В общем, в одном из предыдущих постов для всеобщего обозрения открыл свой свеженький стих........... Посвытил его своей коллеге - уж очень, всё же, она мне, НРА..
Так вот, случилось, в общем, ей приболеть..
Я, как опвтно практикующий йог начал, соответственно, делать практики сильные, по посылу энергии, там, и, в частности, её обменом.........
И что Вы думаете - в офисе, на другой работе, сидела за мной во время семинара какая-то не очень лицеприятная особа Жпола.. Как я её не пытался отсиморонить - нифига..((((((((
В общем, пипка в том, что кашляля она там сзади всю дорогу.
Я обычно к таким провокациям на своё здоровье отношусь достаточно спокойно.. Но тут. Стал буквально отключаться.. Может, сказалась усталость за ночную смену (работаю на радио звукорежиссёром)..
А может..
В общем вот........
Так о главном: прихожу я, в общем, сегодня на работу, ОНА - здорова-здоровёхонька, ну, по крайней мере, ЕЙ стало намного легче..
Ая вот, сижу, и глаза мои слезятся, башку, кости ломит - ну, в общем, все симптомы налицо.......
Быть может, судя по признакам,ОНА и есть "ТА_САМАЯ" половина?.)))))))))))))))))))))

Happy Deepavali!

2007-11-09T01:46:45Z

HAPPY DEEPAVALI EVERYONE!

Amhit Shavkur & Priya - Om

2007-10-01T21:50:26Z

Happy Birthday Sri Ganapati!

2007-09-15T04:56:21Z

This year, the first day of Ganesh Chaturhi falls on the 15th of Sept. And as such, I want to do a Ganesha post like I did for Shiva on Shivaratri on my personal journal. I'm pretty sleep deprived and groggy, but I'm going to give it a go! I wish I could do him more justice, but I'm just very out of it. I've included a good number of informative links to fill in what I may have missed.

Ganesh is the most popular of Hindu deities, the remover of obstacles, lord of intellect, language, and the arts, the elephant headed god of beginnings. Everything in Hinduism is a wealth of symbolism and metaphor in layers upon layers, and Sri Yashvasin is no exception. Here is a VERY simplified symbol map of Ganesha.. And actually a number of these can be debated, as there's a lot more to it then listed here. For example his mouse/rat vehicle is often viewed not simply as Desire, but also to symbolize the ability of the intellect to exist in even the most secret of places within.

Ganesha is invoked before any important undertaking, his energy is a powerful reminder to be patient, thoughtful, and positive in our new endeavor. To go into it for the right reasons and without the burdens of the past/ego holding us back. Be it a lifestyle change, a perspective change, a new house, a child's first day of school, any endeavor that really means something to those involved is the domain of Lord Ganesh. Good spirits, good luck, following our hearts and our dreams whatever they may be - the part of us that pursues this in the most positive way is the part of us that is Ganesha. Calmly, rationally, moving forward but not taking ourselves too seriously and enjoying the journey as much as we will one day enjoy the goal.

His unique appearance also makes him a popular deity amongst those of us who are - in our own ways- strange and unusual. He is definitely an odd one, but greatly loved and respected. There's great beauty in his elephant face and round full belly. The Ganesha in us knows that we are beautiful and should embrace our uniqueness. It's what makes us our own functioning part of the body of the universe. There's a loving playfulness there, like a child who doesn't know or care that they don't fit in with the accepted norm yet. Maybe that's why my favorite images of Lord Ganesh are of him as an adorable child or infant. The embodiment of innocent sincerity (even though I know that children don't tend to be all that sincere really, I worked in a daycare for a while and oh how they lie! ;) But metaphorically it still works. )

Something many people in the west don't realize is that the Swastika is originally a symbol of Ganesh and continues to be a positive and auspicious symbol of universal cycle of creation and energy orientation on the earth. It's long been a powerful symbol of good and beauty before the Nazis came along and turned it into an ugly symbol of hate. There's a number of movements currently to take back the 6,000 year old Swastika and educate people to it's true and original meaning. Check out Ganesha the Car for more info on this.

Sri Ganesh is included on our altar seated on the laps of his parents, Lord Shiva and Sri Parvati, at the very center. We plan to get an additional Ganesha murthi, this one made of Labradorite.

Vakratunda Mahaakaaya Suryakotee Sama Prabha
Nirvighnam kuru mey Deva
Sarva kaaryeshu Sarvadaa

O Lord Ganesha of Large body, curved trunk, with the brilliance of a million suns, please make all my work free of obstacles, always.

X-posted to om_namah_sivaya & glbt_hindus

Linga Worship

2007-08-25T05:29:00Z

Hello all! I am rather new at this and am in need of guidance. I have been looking for instructions on Shiva ling worship and puja. All the methods I have found vary greatly and they all contain a large amount of ingredients I do not own nor can I afford to procure. I know that Siva really only cares about my sincerity, but nevertheless...

Could someone please help me with this?