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JKYog e-Magazine, Issue No. 62
October, 2014
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आज तो है दीपावलि गोविन्द राधे |
उर में प्रकाश करु तम को मिटा दे ||
āj to hai dīpāvali govind rādhe
ura meṅ prakāśh karu tam ko miṭā de
Jagadguru
Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says, "Today is Deepavali, illuminate your mind
with divine knowledge and disperse the darkness of knowledge."
This month 'Sumiran' is picking up Diwali as
the topic of the month. In this issue we will be presenting
Diwali special articles on 'Let us celebrate Diwali of the heart' and
'Diwali leela'. Readers will also find Q/A session with Swami
Mukundananda, Bal-Mukund Contributions, and Bhog Recipe.
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Let us celebrate Diwali of the heart
Diwali,
the popular festival of lights is here and it brings along with it great
enthusiasm and excitement to celebrate. Although traditions vary
across regions, Diwali is celebrated with the same fervour
everywhere. In North India Diwali is celebrated to mark the return
of Lord Ram and his eternal consort mother Sita to Ayodhya. Lord
Ram had returned to Ayodhya after slaying the demon called Ravan. The
inhabitants of Ayodhya were so elated to have their beloved Lord return
that they illuminated their entire kingdom with lamps. In that
tradition Diwali is celebrated even today. In South India however,
Diwali is celebrated in relation to a leela when Shri Krishna and
Satyabhama killed the demon Narkasura. Satyabhama had declared
that day to be a celebration and the beginning of a new era.
Deepawali
or Diwali literally means a "row of lights and lamps". The
lighting of lamps signifies removal of darkness. People light
lamps to dispel darkness in their homes, but Deepawali has a much deeper
significance for us. When we light lamps we dispel physical
darkness, but what about the darkness that resides in our hearts?
There is lust, greed, anger, hatred, envy, illusion residing in our
hearts; there is tremendous darkness.
There is a beautiful
allegorical story to illustrate this point. A man used to take his
evening walk by the side of a forest. One evening, he decided to walk in
the forest instead. When he had walked a couple of miles, the sun began
setting and the light started fading. He turned around to walk out of
the forest, but to his dismay he found that animals had gathered on the
other side. These ferocious animals started chasing him and to escape
from them, he ran deeper into the forest. While running, he found a
witch standing in front of him with open arms to embrace him. To escape
her, he turned direction and ran perpendicular to the animals and the
witch. By then, it had become dark. Unable to see much, he ran over a
ditch that was covered by vine hanging from a tree. He fell headlong,
but his feet became entangled in the vine. As a result, he began hanging
upside down above the ditch. After a few moments he came to his senses
and saw a snake sitting at the bottom of the ditch, waiting to bite him
if he fell down. In the meantime, two mice appeared-one white and one
black-and started nibbling at the branch from which the vine was
hanging. To confound his problems, some wasps gathered and began
stinging him on his face. In this precarious situation, it was found
that the man was smiling. Philosophers gathered to ponder how he could
smile in such a dire strait. They looked upwards and found a beehive,
from which honey was dripping onto his tongue. He was licking the honey
and thinking how pleasurable it was; he had forgotten the animals, the
witch, the snake, the mice, and the wasps.
The person in the
story may seem insane to us. However, this tale depicts the condition of
all humans under the influence of desire. The forest in which the man
was walking represents the material world in which we live, where there
is danger at every step. The animals that chased him represent diseases
that begin to appear in life, and continue harassing us until death. The
witch represented old age that is waiting to embrace us with the
passage of time. The snake at the bottom of the pit is like the
inevitable death that awaits us all. The white and black mice that were
nibbling on the branch represent day and night, which are steadily
reducing our life and bringing us closer to death. The wasps that were
stinging the face are like the innumerable desires that arise in the
mind and agitate it, causing us pain and distress. Honey represents the
sensual enjoyment we experience in the world, which clouds the
discrimination of our intellect. Hence, forgetting our precarious
position, we remain absorbed in enjoying the temporary delights of the
senses.
The Scriptures say that we souls are living in darkness.
If you find yourself attached to the sense objects of the world then
know it that you are in the dark. And if you find yourself
attached to your eternal divine beloved, the Supreme Lord then know it
that you are in the light. These little sensual pleasures of eating a
pizza, visiting Disney land or driving a Cadillac divert us from the
reality of our life. But the fact is that this darkness does exist. We
are all in darkness and particularly there is darkness in our mind and
heart. There is darkness of anger, greed, lust, tension, stress,
anxiety, fear, and loneliness. If we could somehow dispel this
darkness then that would be the real Deepawali of our lives.
How
does the night get dispelled? If you light up a house completely with
lamps, will the night go away? The night will still remain. Supposing it
is a cloudless night, all the stars are visible. The light of the stars
will still not be sufficient to dispel the night. Even if it's a
full moon night, the night will not disappear with the light of the
moon. But once the Sun rises, that night will disappear entirely.
Without the appearance of the Sun the night cannot go. Then what about
the night of the heart? This requires the divine Sun, I.e. God
Himself. The Supreme Lord is like the light and Maya, the material
energy is like darkness. The moment the light appears the darkness
immediately disappears. The darkness in our hearts is because we
have distanced ourselves from God. We are suffering because we
have turned our back towards God. But the solution is also very
simple. You bring God into your life and the darkness will get
dispelled. What if there is darkness in a cave since last thousand
years? You strike a match stick there and bring some light. The
darkness of a thousand years will vanish away with the light. In this
case the darkness is of the infinite lifetimes. So God says, "Never mind
you bring me to your heart. You start walking my way and
automatically this darkness of your mind will disappear."
So on
this day of Deepawali lets keep this message with us that darkness in
our hearts which has been continuing for so many lifetimes need to be
dispelled. The process of dispelling is so simple; it is available to
anyone and everyone. You simply bring God in to your heart by taking his
name, bringing his divine form to your mind, and contemplating over his
divine glories and virtues. Think God is so kind, compassionate and
generous. He is your eternal relative. You can also meditate
on his divine pastimes, divine abode and devotees. The Lord is so
merciful that He has seated Himself and invested all His powers in His
names, qualities, abodes, pastimes and His Devotees, the Saints. The
Ramayana says:
prabhu vyāpaka sarvatra samānā
Wherever you are you should feel Lord Ram's presence. Always
remain absorbed in reciting his name and singing the glories of His
qualities, pastimes and forms having full faith in them. Vedas
assure that if you do this properly and sincerely you will find all your
faults falling away and one day you will start celebrating the Diwali
of the heart. This illumination of the heart will make your life a true
success.
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On
this day of Deepawali lets keep this message with us that darkness in
our hearts which has been continuing for so many lifetimes need to be
dispelled. The process of dispelling is so simple; it is available to
anyone and everyone. You simply bring God in to your heart by taking his
name, bringing his divine form to your mind, and contemplating over his
divine glories and virtues.
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गई लखी, दीपावलि बलिहार |
जगमग-जगमग जगमगात गिरि, गोवर्धन रिझवार |
लखि जाकि बाँकी झाँकी कहँ, दउँ बैकुण्ठहुँ वार |
इत ललितादि सखिन सँग विहरत, अलबेली सरकार |
उत मधुमंगलादि सँग, क्रीड़त, नागर नंदकुमार |
निज-निज साज साजि दोउ दल चल, मानसि-गंग मझार |
इक तट नटखट दल इक तट दल, राजत भानुदुलार |
दोउ दल निज-निज कनक-दीपकन, डार्यो जल मझधार |
दोउ कर अँजुरिन जल हलकोरत, दीपन-छवि छ्विदार |
झलमलात दोउ दल दीपावालि, हिल-मिल भये इकसार |
लखि 'कृपालु' कह, पुनि-पुनि जय हो, दीपावालि श्रृंगार ||
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Oh
Sakhi! I offer myself heart and soul on the engaging sight of
Diwali celebration. Mount Goverdhana is sparkling with burning
earthern lamps. Seeing such a remarkable spectacle, I sacrifice
even the splendour of Vaikunt on it. On the one side, Kishori ji,
is sporting with Lalita and other sakhis and on the other side,
Shyamsundar is playing with Madhumangal and other friends.
Equipped with their respective paraphernalia, both the groups take off
for Manasi Ganga. Kishori ji beautifies one bank of the river with
her group and Shyamsundar, the other with his. Both the groups
light their golden lamps and set them afloat in the river. Then
they begin to toss the water to speed up the movement of the
lamps. Such a scene is truly worth seeing! The burning lamps
set afloat from both sides are joining in the middle of the Manasi
Ganga. Looking at this lovely scene, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji
Maharaj acclaims, "Hail to this bewitching sight and hail to the
splendour of Diwali." |
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News & Updates
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Jagadguruttam Jayanti and Sadhana Shibir at Bhakti Dham Mangarh
Jagadguruttam Jayanti,
the auspicious day of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj's descend on
earth, was celebrated at Bhakti Dham, Mangarh October 7, 2014. The annual sadhana shibir is has also begun and is running in Mangarh. See Pic
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Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj's Varshiki and other programs will be held in Mangarh, Vrindavan & Barsana.
Swamiji will be reaching Mangarh on October 28th. He will participate
in all programs till Nov 16th. For details, please write to secretary@jkyog.org
Click Here for full program schedule
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by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj
People
living in the world can be divided into two groups. These two groups
are very much alike in one way, and yet in another way, they are very
different from one another. How are they alike, and how are they
different?
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People
living in the world can be divided into two groups. These two groups
are very much alike in one way, and yet in another way, they are very
different from one another. How are they alike, and how are they
different? They are alike in a way that both are looking for the same
thing in life-happiness. They are different in a way that one group is
looking for happiness in creation, and the other is looking for it in
the Creator. One group follows the materialistic philosophy, and the
other, Spiritual philosophy. Material philosophy says that we are the
body, and we need things of the world to satisfy us.
So,
a materialist is constantly busy, looking for happiness in things the
world has to offer. He thinks that everybody wants happiness and by the
fulfillment of every material desire, one can be happy. He believes that
we are not eternal souls, but mortal bodies, and by the fulfillment of
the material senses one can be happy. The senses of sight, sound, smell,
touch, taste are five senses of our body. With the help of these
senses, we make use of this world. According
to the materialists, the means of happiness in this material world is
this corporeal body. He is of the opinion that happiness can be
attained by living in a big house filled with precious objects, driving
the fanciest car, wearing designer clothing and the latest fashions,
investing profitably and accumulating more and more wealth. He is always
busy, because there is always something he does not have, and he works
anxiously to get it. Day and night, such an individual works for
the sake of the body and one day he breathes his last breath after
leading a meaningless life. On
the other hand, a spiritualist thinks that we are eternal souls and not
this physical body. This body is destroyable and is made up of
five structural elements (water, air, fire, ether and earth) whereas,
the soul ('I') is spiritual, and is an eternal part of God. Bliss
is another name for God, and being a part of him, we naturally desire
bliss. Unlike the materialist, the spiritualist realizes that there is a
vast difference between the mortal body and the immortal soul.
The body takes birth one day, and is therefore, subject to
destruction. The soul, on the other hand is immortal.
Jesus
Christ said, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." The more wealth
one possesses, the further he goes away from God, and true happiness.
It would be fine if his wealth would make him a happy man. But, this
does not happen. It cannot happen. Material wealth and objects are
for the body, but what about the soul? How can we satisfy the
soul? The soul's nourishment is devotion to God, the true wealth. It
is worth noting that even the topmost materialist has not found
happiness in the material world. The truth is that wealth can purchase
temporary joys, but not everlasting happiness. Money can buy medicine,
but not health. It can purchase security in the form of an alarm system
and guard dogs, but not fearlessness. While
the topmost materialist is still trying to catch the elusive butterfly
called happiness, even the beginner on the spiritual path starts seeing
wonderful changes within. He feels a sense of peace and
contentment, and the more involved he gets with practicing a spiritual
discipline, the more joyful and radiant he becomes. His happiness
is a result of his newly found treasures: faith in God, love for God,
knowledge of God and shelter of a Guru. |
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Bhakti Shatak
Explained by Swami Mukundananda
Bhakti Śhatak
is one of Shree Kripaluji Maharaj's principle writings, with
hundred golden couplets of inspiring quotes, advice, and
guidance for sincere devotees seeking to firmly establish
themselves on the path of bhakti.
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Continuing with the explanation of the verse:
saba sādhan sampanna kahań, poochhata saba saṅsār
sādhanahīna prapanna kahań, poochhata nandakumār
You will receive God's grace when you perceive yourself to be sadhan heen. Sadhan heen
means to feel from within your heart, "I have no support other than
your grace." It is not an external state; otherwise we can say
that a poor man is sadhan heen because the poor do not have
material benefits like others. He may be poor, but he may still
take the support of his own personal things. When we talk about
taking support, it is the internal support. Somebody may be very
poor and yet think, "The 500 dollars I have is my protection for my old
age. Somebody may be a millionaire and thinks, "My faith is in
none of these. My faith is in the grace of God." So the
millionaire is in the state of sadhan heen. Internally,
where is your faith? What do you think is your protection in this
world with danger at every step?
Let us look at an example
from the Mahabharat. Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas was being
insulted openly in court by being stripped of her clothes by
Duhshasan. Initially, Draupadi had faith that her mighty husbands
would save her. When they did not respond to her entreaties, she
turned to the elders in the assembly Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Vidur,
Bheeshma, etc., who were authorities on religious principles. When
she saw no help coming from them either, she tried to protect herself
and clenched her sari between her teeth. Shree Krishna still did
not come to her help. When Duhshyasan pulled her sari with a jerk,
she lost hold of it, and was totally helpless. Now, she
surrendered herself completely to Shree Krishna She realized my ashray
is God only. In other words, she came to a state of doing
nothing. It was only when she ceased to expect protection from
other sources, that she was protected by God.
The day we become sadhan heen
like Draupadi, that kind of surrender and the complete faith in the
grace of God, that very day, divine grace will intervene. How will
we attain God? By his grace. Our assets are to be used to
attract his grace. But our efforts are never sufficient to
purchase his grace, "I have done this much of sadhana, O God! Bestow your grace upon me."
Understand
this with an example: As long as a bird has a piece of food in
its beak, it is noisily pursued by other birds and does not get a
moment's peace. The moment the bird lets go off the piece of food,
it attains peace immediately because the other birds now leave it
alone. However, even if one lets go of everything and surrenders
to God, it cannot be the price for his grace. This is because what
God gives is divine, unlimited and perfect. What we let go off is
material, limited and defective. Besides, of what use are material
things to God?
So our faith should be in God's grace and thus
Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says in this verse, "The world runs
after those who possess the support of material opulence. However,
Shree Krishna loves those who have no other support and are completely
surrendered to him."
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Question and Answer with Swamiji
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Old habits are affecting my service to God. How do I change them?
Breaking away from habits are like moving against the force of
gravity. It is difficult but with bit of force we can overcome it. Watch full video
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We have earned well, children are also settled. What next?
Once you are retired, your worldly duties are over and your body is
still intact. Now you utilize your time and years for only one activity
- God-realization Watch full video
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How do we serve God?
Seva are of
various kinds. Highest of all the seva is the one done for the pleasure
of God. But, how do we know what will please God? The best way is to
serve God through Guru.
Watch full video
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JKYog Presents
Bal-Mukund
Personality Development Classes for Children
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Highlights:
· Character Building Values
· Yoga & Meditations
· Bhajans, Shlokas & Prayers
· Inspiring Stories
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Showcase:
Bal-Mukund
welcomes all contributions of creative works from
children in different areas including poetry, moral
stories, art work, etc.
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Bal-Mukund Classes in Full Swing!
Bal-Mukund
classes are in full swing at our various centers! As the leaves change
color and Fall sets in, the enrolled children's enthusiasm and curiosity
builds! With October being a festive month, all centers are focusing on
introducing Diwali and its grandeur to the children. They are seeping
themselves in learning about the Ramayana, and the significance of the
Festival of Lights! To keep them informed and entertained, information
and facts about Diwali are supplemented with the Ramayana movie, crafts
and presentations! The CO Bal-Mukund center will be staging Ramayana as
part of the Pookar fundraiser. It will be an amazing experience for all
those in attendance, as well as the the actors and their families! What a
wonderful way to re-enforce facts and ensure they leave an indelible
mark on their minds! The children are like sponges so ready to absorb
all the information that is sent their way, and at Bal-Mukund, the
volunteers ensure they are given the highest and most pristine knowledge
in a fun filled environment, to soak in.
The Chhote Philosopher Contest (CPC) is
keeping our 8+ Bal-Mukunds busy. They have chosen their topic and are
now working on writing their thoughts in preparation of submitting their
CPC entires. It'll be exciting to see how they consolidate and pen
their thoughts. We wait eagerly to applaud our participants and winners!
As Winter sets in, all our
Bal-Mukunds will have well adjusted to their Saturday and Sunday morning
regimens! New friendships will have formed and old friendships will
have strengthened! New Bal-Mukund parents will have discovered the joys
of volunteering and full time Bal-Mukund volunteers, saturated in the
bliss that comes with selfless service! The 2014-2015 session year will
usher in many joys for all involved and we look forward to it being a
fulfilling year!
Bal-Mukund Center Activities
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Govardhan Puja
Bal-Mukund (Ahmedabad)
celebrated Govardhan Pooja! An interesting pastime of Bal Krishna,
Lifting Govardhan Mountain on his little finger was narrated and
discussed. Children discussed their favorite Krishna leela and the
reasons for the liking that in their own words. Mini Annakoot was also
offered to Govardhan and Govardhan-dhari by children. See pic
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Jagadguruttam Jayanti Bal-Mukund
(Ahmadabad) celebrated our Beloved Maharajji's Birthday with great
enthusiasm and bhakti! Keeping his teachings in mind and to enhance the
knowledge of children, a quiz was organized. Group discussions
also were organized on various topics like,"How and when God entered
your life?", "Favorite pastime of Bal-Krishna","My experiences of
Maharajji." See pic
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Ramayana & B'day celebration
On
Saturday, October 11th our Bal-Mukunds at North Carolina center
enjoyed watching an animated version of the Ramayana and celebrating
Tanisha's 7th birthday! See pic
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Tissue flowers Kids from Connecticut center made flowers from tissue paper to offer Goddess Durga.
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CHIA SEED PUDDING
Chia seeds are nutritional powerhouses with high protein content, Omega-3's and unique thickening powers.
Ingredients 1 tbsp chia seeds 1 cup milk (if vegan, use almond milk) 1 tsp agave nectar or honey 2 drops of vanilla extract
Method Stir
all ingredients together, cover and place in the refrigerator for 6
hours or overnight. Stir and garnish with berries.
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Contact us
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The Editor JKYog: XVII/3305, 1st Floor, Ranjit Nagar (Near PUSA), New Delhi - 110008, India
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7405 Stoney Point Dr, Plano, TX 75025, USA
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