RRDS

Life offers a multiplicity of infinite possibilities for all who seek the experience of bliss, joy, comfort, laughter, love, caring and affection.

 

Despite the elements that create the boundaries of religion, caste, creed, race or colour, the underlying premise in the goal of all people is to transcend those limitations and exist in a field of pure potentiality. In essence, the language of this field consists of a universal understanding that we are inter-related, interconnected and at the most exalted levels, we are inter-woven with the same thread of basic needs, values and morals. One of the most fascinating aspects of our lives that offer the gems of attention, affection and appreciation is the spirit of friendship.

 

Friendship can be defined as the experience of spirit, soul, heart, wholeness, kindness and devotion exchanged in a relationship. It can be looked at as the foundation of growth, expansion, stability, security and renewal. Friendship establishes a sense of relatedness, the notion that we belong to each other as we peel the layers of the soul to unfold the phenomenon of pure love, pure joy and pure bliss. In a relational state, friends can identify with each other on the issues of shared experiences, which include suffering and success, pain and prosperity, profit and loss and frustration and fulfillment.

 

In celebrating life’s friendship, there are a few components that we should pay attention to in order for us to truly understand the inherent meaning of the word. One of the secrets in establishing a friendship is to just simply offer yourself as a friend. This kind of gesture evokes a very powerful response from the person of your intended friendship. Simply being a friend means to give yourself to someone with whom you feel a sense of connection. In this establishment, being there for someone or giving of yourself is an unconditional process that allows no personal agenda. As soon as this journey begins, the fuel for a comforting travel is open communication. This means a state of good listening where there are no stipulations or rigid rules that create limitation. Open communication also means expressing yourself freely with the knowledge that there is a high level of trust between the speaker and the listener. In fact, trust is the software that governs a good friendship.

 

In the Eastern Vedic tradition, there is a belief that every episode in life is meaningful and every relationship is a soul contract that captures the essence of the Gods, Sometimes we encounter a trace of toxicity in our friendships. The feelings of stagnation, coagulation and fixation can come about when there is an absence of freedom and a presence of the ego. The secret in overcoming such problems exists in another lesson we learn from the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the art of surrender. To surrender the ego is to realise that we are neither above nor beneath anyone but in essence, we are on the path together with a compatible destiny. In this journey, the ultimate goal is to allow the Gods and Goddesses in embryo to manifest in the way we communicate, trust love, care, share and revere each other,

 

A great Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, once wrote in his famous work Gitanjali, “the universe operates through the dynamic exchange of love”. This statement underlines another incredible facet of friendship, the law of giving and receiving. To nurture any relationship, these two things are critical. Giving and receiving can be considered a medium in which the appreciation for each other manifests itself, In addition to giving material gifts, which are certainly important, the gifts of prayer, attention and affection are truly priceless. In our relationships, we should make a commitment to practice the gifts of compliment, appreciation and acknowledgment on a daily basis. This kind of ritual will sustain, enhance and develop the balance, harmony and equilibrium of friendship.

 

Mistakes, misunderstandings and misdemeanors can disrupt the harmonious flow of energy. This can be resolved by the practice of analysis and apology. Just by simply saying ‘I’m sorry’ can transform frustration to fulfillment and also enhance the level of cognizance in a relationship. Ultimately, the mantra for a good friendship is to never complicate simplicity but rather, replicate felicity. As we celebrate the millennium and Divali, a time of self-renewal, giving, prayer, prosperity and commitment, let us live the true meaning of fr.endship with each other. An Indian guru and master, Satya Sai Baba, in his message on friendship outlines the password, formula and theory for the art of living with a simple statement: “Be Simple. Be a Sample and Set a Good Example”’

 

Pundit Newal Neil Prashad

 

Om Namah Shivaya. Hinduism is based on the monotheist principle of a unitary, universal God. However, in the Lord’s almighty grace, He takes an infinite number of forms and is called by many names, each signifying the context of His divine Being.

 

Lord Dattatreya is referred to as the Hindu Trinity, representing the combined form of Lord Brahma (the Creator), Lord Vishnu (the Sustainer) and Lord Shiva (the Reabsorber). Lord Datta’s kathas are found in the Holy Ramayana, in Sri Datta Dhyaana Maalikaa, Datta Purana and Avadhuta Gita, to name a few texts. Lord Datta is the Primordial Spiritual Teacher of the universe, the Jagadguru, who caused the Guru principle to manifest in this world. The present incarnation of Lord Datta is Sir Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji, founder and Spiritual Leader of the Datta Yoga Centre, with headquarters at Mysore, India.

 

Lord Shiva is known as the Universal Guru. Among the many manifestations of God, Lord Shiva is easily pleased and grants boons very quickly. Thus, He is called “Bhola Shankar” (easily-pleased Shankar). The Sri Guru Gita from the Skanda Purana is a divine revelation of the nature of Guru as revealed by Lord Shiva to His consort, Parvati. Sri Gurushiva eva sali means that Guru is none other than Shiva. The reading or recitation of the Guru Gita as expounded by Sri Swamiji provides immense benefits to the practicant. In the end we realize that Guru is none but Brahman Himself, Lord Dattatreya, who operates through all Gurus at all times.

 

Devotees of Lord Shiva offer prayers daily, as well as on special occasions such as Shiva Ratri. The Lord is invoked by many names: Oh Shiva! You are Shankar who blesses me with benevolent boons. You are Shambhu, who creates everything auspicious. You are Hara who removes all my sins’.

 

In India, there are twelve natural Linga of Lord Shiva, referred to as Dvadasa Jyotirlinga. These symbolize the spiritual brilliance of Lord Shiva. The predominant features of the Supreme Soul are Sat-Chit-Ananda, which is Truth- Knowledge-Bliss.

 

The 12 Jyotirlingas and their locations are as follows:

 

1. Somanatha — Saurastra (Gujarat State)

2. Mallikarjuna — Srisailam (Karnul District, Andhra Pradesh)

3. Mahakala — Ujjayini (Madhya Pradesh)

4. Amareswara — Omkara (Madhya Pradesh)

5. Vaidyanatha — Prajvala (Assam)

6. Bhimashankara — Dakini (Maharastra)

7. Ramesa — Ramanathapuram (Tamil Nadu)

8. Nagesa — Darukavana (Gujarat)

9. Visvesha — Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)

10. Tryambaka — Nasik (Maharastra)

11. Kedarnath — Himalayas (Uttarancal)

12. Ghrsnesa — Shivalaya

Sri Swamiji says whoever remembers the 12 Jyotirlingas in the morning and evening daily will be relieved of the sins of his or her past seven births.

 

The Shiva Lingam is bathed with various substances during Abhishekam. “We perform abhishekam to You with milk and our minds become as pure as the white milk. By offering curds (dahee) we are blessed with the fruit of perfect knowledge. With ghee we are gifted with the brilliance of spirituality within. We perform abhishekam with honey by which sweet, selfless abiding love spreads through the entire universe. When offering coconut water we are blessed with the essence of divine knowledge; with sugar, our internal harshness and cruelty are completely removed. When we use the sacred waters of the Holy Ganges, all our impurities of the physical, intellectual and psychological aspects

are washed off. By bathing You with scents and perfumes, the bad effects of our evil deeds of past and present births are removed”.

 

“Whatever is offered in abhishekam, it is not significant unless the flow of our feelings is concentrated in Your Divinity”.

 

Spiritual practices are of several types, but can only be deemed purposeful if the practicant feels the proximate presence inwardly of his spiritual master or chosen deity (Isht Devta). Thus, if one wants to uphold righteousness and Improve one’s own forbearance, one must worship Lord Shiva for the total sublimation of one’s personality in the path to perfection.

 

With each step taken by a devotee, the Guru will take far more steps to guide his course. It is a journey where you begin to unlearn all that you have learned, you begin to lose rather than gain, you begin to give rather than take, you begin to accept rather than react and you begin to ‘be’ rather than become. Enlightenment comes from assiduous attention (shraddha), selfless devotion (bhakti) and your own spiritual experience (anubhava). For a true seeker, selfless love to humanity, firm faith in God and deep devotion to the Lord are highly essential.

 

One cannot understand the true nature of the divinity of the Supreme Lord through intelligence or scholarship. It is through love and love alone that one succeeds in the realisation of divinity in the true sense. Love means attraction and attachment which bring two souls together. However, when an individual soul becomes attracted to the Supreme Soul, this creates the highest expression of love. This love, unlike earthly love, is pure and unselfish. This is what is called bhakti or devotion. Bhakti is constant remembrance of the Lord with intense love.

 

God is seated in the innermost recesses of our hearts in the form of consciousness. Human birth is the highest birth. Human beings alone can think of God and realize Him. Mans life is a journey towards this end. May we realize Sat-Chit-Ananda through the Divine Grace of the Lord this Divali.

 

Jaya Guru Datta.

 

Based on the teachings of Sadguru Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji.

Complied by Antony Rajendra Ramnarine.

The philosophy of Shri Rama which is a stream of sacred sweetness, has been by millions of men, women and children for many centuries, the perennial source of sola during sorrow, vitality when flood by vacillation, illumination while confounded, inspiration in moments of dejection and guidance while caught in quandaries. It is an intensely human drama, where God impersonates as man and gathers around him on a vast world stage, the perfect and imperfect, the human and the sub-human, the beast and the demon, to confer on us, by precept and example, the boon of supreme wisdom. It is the philosophy that plays its tender fingers on the heart strings of man, evoking limped responses of pity, exulation, adoration, ecstacy and surrender.

 

No other story in human history has such profound impact on the mind of man as Shri Rama. It transcends the milestones of history and the boundaries of geography. It has shaped and sublimated the habits and attitudes of generations. The philosophy of Shri Rama has become a curative corpuscle in the blood stream of the whole of mankind. Through legends and lullabies, myths and tales, dance and drama, through sculpture, music and painting, through ritual, poetry and symbol, Shri Rama has become the life-breath, and Bliss, the Treasure House of countless seekers. Shri Rama is the crowing feature of the Ramayan, Dharma is the soul of life, and life bereft of Dharma is not worth its name. Shri Rama, the incarnation of Mahavishnu represents in himself the ideal son, emblem of divinity on earth. He is the Atma Rama.

 

Life is not as some people would hold, a mere derelirium of spirit, a disease and an error, but an opportunity presented for the moulding and training of the Self for Eternity. To live in the immediate present, with the strength of the past and a vision of the future, basing one’s action on the ancient system of the fulfillment of duty, with the transforming touch of the glorious ideal of self-realization, towards which all beings are consciously or unconsciously moving is the burden of the immortal song of Ramayan. Ramayan pays due respect to the physical, the vital, the mental, and the moral and spiritual values of life and teaches a gospel of integration of these in the divine harmony of the supreme being. In the history of the nations of the world, there has been no sovereign, so noble, majestic, kind and illustrious like Shri Rama. So Ramayan in fact alone entitles Shri Raina to the unstinted allegiance and gratitude of everyone.

 

The life of Shri Rama teaches us holy obedience, stainless purity, matchless simplicity and self-sacrifice which stand before us all to emulate. Shri Rama exemplified family life to the world. As the head of the Government of Ayodhya, he made everyone prosperous and happy and established what is called Rama Raja. The Government of Shri Rama was based on truth, justice, equanimity, forbearance contentment, faith and self-control.

 

Let us reflect on the legacy which Shri Rama created, let His great and divine ideals of love, devotion, tolerance and humility inspire us to work towards harmony, international understanding and World Peace.

 

May the blessings of Lord Rama be with all. Om Tat Sat.

Pt. Dave Rampersad (Marriage Officer)

President/Spiritual Leader of the Upper Mc Bean Hindu Temple