|
Always
have the firm faith that your Beloved Shree Krishna loves you as much as you
love Him. The sincere longing and tears of love of a devotee attracts God and
He wishes to meet that devotee. So a devotee should never feel disheartened.
***********
Never
hurt the feelings of other devotees out of pride and rudeness. Think before you
speak. Never try to find an excuse for your mistakes, and never try to blame
others for your mistakes. Admit your mistake when you are wrong.
***********
If
your mind gets attached in worldly material things or individuals in the mayic area, it will be considered as a
sin. If your attachment is in God and His related Divine subjects, then it is
considered as the highest ideal.
Time
is valuable so it should not be wasted. The past is over and the future is
uncertain. Only the present is in our hands. Use it for the attainment of Shree
Krishna's love before it is too late.
***********
The
human mind naturally leans towards more bodily comfort, laziness, gossiping,
arrogance and pride. A devotee should observe his own weaknesses of this kind
and try to overcome them.
***********
The
Guru is the giver. It is in the hands of the devotee as to how much he takes
from him. The more a devotee preserves his feelings of servitude and
humbleness, the more his love for God increases. Servitude increases devotional
love and ego decreases it. This is the secret which every devotee should affirm
in his mind.
|
Question: How does one cleanse or heal his or her soul?
Answer:
You are the soul, which is a part of God, and hence by
nature you are perpetually Divine. The
problem is that the soul is identifying with the body, mind, and intellect, and
so, when the mind feels tormented, the soul experiences the misery. For example, if someone cuts our head in our
dream, even though the dream is not a reality, we experience the misery until
we wake up. Similarly, the Divine soul
experiences the miseries of the mind in the materially conditioned state,
because it identifies with it. So, when
you say that the soul takes a beating, what you mean is that the mind takes a
beating, and the soul experiences the pain vicariously.
When
the mind is sufficiently cleansed, the soul will be able to perceive the
distinction between itself and the mind, and rise above the dualities of the
mind. Hence, to cleanse or heal the
mind is the paramount goal of a spiritual aspirant.
Many materialists too are awake to this need of purifying the mind,
since the soul naturally feels disconcerted with an impure mind, and yearns to
experience the state of
purity
that is natural to it. A plethora of
techniques and self-help books are available in the world for practising
positive thinking in its various forms and connotations. However, all these
techniques have very limited effect in purifying the mind, and the results
too are only temporary. We must remember
that the mind is made from maya, which
is God's energy, and it cannot be conquered merely by self-effort. We can permanently and totally heal the mind
only by the Grace of God.
So
the most powerful practice for cleansing the mind is to engage it in love of
God, or Bhakti. That is the verdict of all the Vedic
literature, and the essence of all religion.
Shree Krishna explains in the Bhagavad Geeta that maya has three gunas
- sattva,
rajas, and tamas. These three gunas, or modes, are also present in the mind, and hence the mind
oscillates between them. Whatever
atmosphere one gets or wherever one attaches the mind, the corresponding guna becomes dominant. However, God is beyond these there gunas.
He is Divine, and so if we attach our mind to Him, it too rises beyond
the three gunas and becomes Divine.
The
Ramayan states:
Prem bhagati jal binu Raghurai, abhi antar mal kabahuṁ na jāyi
"Until
we wash our mind in the water of love of God, its dirt will never go."
The Shreemad Bhagavatam states:
Dharmaḥ
satya dayo peto...
"We may
follow all the rules of proper conduct, we may perform severe austerities, and
we may accumulate the most esoteric
knowledge, but with devotion to God, none of these practices will be sufficient
in cleansing the mind."
So,
do try to sincerely understand and practice the various facets of the Science
of bhakti, or devotion to God, and
very soon you will experience the mind being elevated and cleansed from endless
lifetimes of impurities. If you have the
book "Prem Ras Siddhant - Philosophy of Divine Love" by Jagadguru Shree
Kripaluji Maharaj, please read the chapter on Bhaktiyog, where he has lucidly
described the science of sadhana
bhakti. Use that knowledge to attach
your mind to God, and experience the Bliss of Divine Love.
Swamiji
answers selected questions related to Yog, Spirituality and Philosophy every
month on our e-Magazine.
|
Ambit Energy supports JKY
Ambit Energy contributes up to $15 per customer per month. Save
on your energy bill and help support JKYog.
Earn free energy month after month. Available in TX, IL & NY.
|
|
Upcoming Events
 Swamiji's Orissa Tour
Nov 22nd - Dec 6th
Bhavanipatna
Dec 10th - Dec 24th
Brahmapur
Dec 27th - Dec 30th
Rairangpur
|
Current News
Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat
School Kit Distribution
On
21st October, Shree Maharajji distributed school kits and bags to
students of Kripalu Mahila Vidyalaya, a school and college for women,
run by the trust. This is located 6 kms away from Mangarh in
Kunda Harnamganj.
Blood Donation Camp
On
19th October, a blood donation camp was organized at Mangarh hospital
by JKP. Around 500 devotees donated their blood at the charitable
hospital, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalay.
Doctor's Day Celebration
Jagadguru
Kripalu Chikitsalay the charitable hospital here at Mangarh celebrated
its 7th anniversary on 5th November. It was Doctor's Day also. On
this occasion there was aarti of Yugal Sarkar in Maharajji's courtyard
and cake cutting ceremony. Thereafter Maharajji distributed gifts to
the hospital staff.
Brahm Bhoj
A grand Brahm Bhoj was organised in Mangarh on 29th October. A huge crowd from neighbouring areas gathered for the bhoj.
New Dining Hall Inauguration
The
new Dining Hall which was under construction in Mangarh was inaugurated
on 31st October by Shree Maharajji. Devotees gathered in huge numbers
to witness the occasion. The Dining hall is partially open for public
use and the final stage is being completed.
Jagadguru Kripalu Yog
Swamiji
successfully completed his first lecture series of the Orissa tour. It
was held in UGAB School Ground in Cuttack, Orissa.
On the last
day of the program (November 1st) there was a parikrama where hundreds
of people participated in the procession covering the whole city for
over 2 hours. Joyous kirtans and bhajans filled the streets of Cuttack
and the general public was happy to join in and sing along.
'Kartik
Poornima' is a major festival for the people of Orissa. It was
celebrated on 2nd November in the Cuttack Ashram. A huge crowd of
devotees assembled there. And there as a typical thunka puri feast of Radha Krishna prasadam for everyone.
Swamiji
is having a yet another highly successful fifteen-day series in
Sambalpur city of Orissa, with over 4000 people attending the lecture
everyday. The program will be completed on the 19th of November after
which Swamiji will proceed to Bhawanipatna, Orissa.
Swamiji delivered a scintillating lecture on the topic of "Spiritual art of good health through yoga, mind management and devotion" in S.C.B. Medical college, Cuttack on 20th October.
Swamiji
conducted a short tour of different centers in Orissa, covering
Athagarh and Dhenkanal, meeting the devotees who have waited a long
time for their revered Swamiji.
Swamiji
spent one day full of fun and frolic with devotees and had a spiritual
picnic in Sambalpur on 15th November. Devotees were treated to joyous
kirtans and exclusive time with Swamiji.
Swamiji delivered a captivating
speech at Mahanadi
Coalfields Limited
in Sambalpur, Orissa on 16th November. The topic
was 'Spirituality and Management'. Many eminent experts, and
dignitaries came together to hear Swamiji's divine speech about employing the
techniques of Spirituality in Management.
|
Trivia Time
The
word swastika is derived from Sanskrit svastika
(in Devanagari, स्वस्तिक), meaning any
lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark
made on persons and things to denote good luck. It is composed of su - meaning "good, well" and asti
- a verbal abstract to the root as "to be" or "to exist"; svasti
thus means "well-being". The suffix - ka forms a diminutive, and svastika might thus be
translated literally as "little thing associated with well-being". It
is also the symbol of good luck and auspiciousness.
The swastika symbol is one of the oldest symbols on the Earth and can be found
in all religions and traditions, on all continents!
The
swastika symbol has appeared on artifacts dating back to the Persians, Hittites,
Celts and Greeks with the earliest archaeological record of the symbol dating
back to Neolithic artefacts from 5,000 BC. The symbol has been discovered on
pottery unearthed in Sintashta, Russia as well as on Indus Valley Seals found at
Iothal and Harrappa, India and has also been found on
designs drawn by the Scythians and Sarmatians.
Unfortunately, Hitler copied it from the Hindu
culture, and flipped it around, making it the symbol of the Nazis during the second
IInd
world war. Thus, in the minds of some,
it became associated with violence and facism.
However, the swastika has been a symbol of peace for millions of Hindus,
Buddhists and other faiths since it is their symbol of eternity
|
Stay Connected
Check out the latest lectures, yoga and meditation videos, bhajans, subtle body
relaxation and much more on our YouTube channel!
|
The Editor
Jagadguru Kripalu Yog
XVII/3305, 1st Floor,
Ranjit Nagar,
Near PUSA,
New Delhi - 110008
India
PO Box 4003
Santa Clara, CA 95056
USA
| |
|
Welcome to the
Jagadguru Kripalu Yog
e-Magazine |
|
One of the most important requirements for spiritual progress is single minded devotion to God, i.e. Ananyata. 'Ananya' means 'no other', exclusive, or undivided devotion.
'Ananya Prem' means to love just one - God and nobody else. We have learnt earlier that there are three eternal truths: God, Soul and Maya
(an eternal, cosmic and lifeless power of God). If a soul does not love
God, then which 'other' entity does he love? It has to be people or
objects under the influence of maya,
since there is no fourth entity or realm for the soul to love. Souls
who have not attained God as well as all other inanimate (material)
objects are classified as mayic.
If an individual's mind is attached to anyone or anything other than God, then he will not be called as an 'Ananya' follower. Loving God alone is what ananyata means.
Consider the honest and truthful Harishchandra. He never lied
throughout his life. Hence, he was honored with the name, 'Satya'
Harishchandra. If he had lied just once, then his honesty could be
questioned. In the same way, even if we have 0.1% attachment (of the
mind) for any person or material object, our devotion to God will not
be exclusive or single minded.
This popular and simple shlok from the Puranas say:
tvameva mātā cha pitā tvameva,
tvameva bañdhuśhcha sakhā tvameva tvameva vidyā draviṇam tvameva,
tvameva sarvam mam deva deva
This shlok reminds us to use the word 'only'.
That means "You (God) are my real mother. You are my real father." The
one who gave birth to me is not my real mother. She is the mother of
this material body. You are a soul and your real mother, father
everything is God, i.e. all your relationships are with God alone. The
soul is spiritual by nature and its subject of interest is God, who is
Divine. If anything other than the Divine enters the mind, it becomes
an obstacle in reaching the state of 'exclusivity'.
ek bharoso ek bal, ek ās viśhvās
bhrātā bhartā cha bañdhuśhcha pitā cha me rāghavaḥ
more sabaī ek tum svāmī, dīnbandhu ur antaryāmī
Lakshman said "O Ram! You are my father, You are my mother, You are my brother, You are my everything.
The rest (Lord Dashratha), are not mine. Those relations are material
and confined to this material body." This is such a strong statement
that Lakshman said to Shree Ram who was an embodiment and
personification of dignity and respect. Devotion and respect to mother,
father and elders were his principle ideals. But Lakshman said, "I am
not ready to accept this principle and my ideal is only one, Shree Ram.
My material father and mother are growing old and will soon die. They
are not my eternal parents. The soul is related only to God. You are my shelter and You are my everything, hence I shall come with you." Shree Krishna says in the Gita:
māmev ye prapadyante māyāmetām taranti te
"The one who comes under my shelter alone and surrenders completely to me, I will free him from the clutches of Maya. If you do not apply the word only, then I am not responsible." 'Ananya' implies that the mind should be exclusively attached to God and nowhere else. 'Else' refers to the realm of Maya. Maya has three modes - sattva gun (mode of goodness), rajo gun (mode of passion) and tamo gun (mode of ignorance). A person of sattva gun is considered to be a good person. A person of rajo gun is considered to be a normal person and the one with tamogun is considered to be a bad person.
A
person who drinks or is a thief or has a devious mind and eats meat is
considered a sinner. Your mind should not be attached to such a person
since he is tamsik. Let us say that a person's father is tamasik by nature, yet he loves him. The son will attain a tamsik
destiny after his death, as a result of the love for his father. This
is the law of karma. Similarly, if one attaches the mind to a rajo gun mother, then one will attain rajo gun after death. If one is attached to a sattva guni person, then one will attain heaven which is again transitory. All these three modes come under the category of Maya.
The
nature and intensity of attachment does not matter. It could be love
for parents, love for your spouse or a child. It could even be love for
friends or an inanimate object. After death, we will attain the object
or the person we are attached to, along with its nature (gun).
If
we attach our mind in celestial gods then we will not attain the
supreme God. Yet, this is what we all do in today's world. Some
people worship God, but in addition, they also worship celestial gods
or worldly beings, and therefore never attain supreme God, Shree
Krishna.
In the beginning, we mentioned that material objects and souls who have not attained God are classified as mayic. Now we have learnt that the realm of Maya includes material objects, souls (not God-realized) and celestial abodes, including heaven.
We
have only one mind and that should be focused on the Divine, and
subjects related to the Divine only. There should be no place for
anything or anyone else related to the mayic modes of sattva, rajas, or tamas.
If we detach ourselves from all of these three, then our devotion will
be exclusive and will be considered as 'single minded devotion' or 'Ananya'.
Our
heart is the temple of God and only He must reside in it. Observe the
temples in every city. We place God's idol in the centre and that place
is revered as highly sacred. The priest ensures that the surroundings
are very clean and tidy. Compare that to the temple in our hearts. We
want God to reside along with dirty mayic personalities.
God says "Who is this?" We reply, "This is my father, mother and son"
God says, "No. If you want them, then I will not come inside. I will
stay in your heart only if you keep mayic things away."
The reason why we have not attained God till now is that we have not tried to practice 'ananya bhakti'. We keep telling God that He is also
ours, whereas he expects exclusive devotion. We shed tears for God and
Guru, but we also shed tears while bidding goodbye to the newly wed
daughter at home. We shed tears when our children die. This proves that
we are attached to and love people other than God.
This material world is made of Maya
and this body is also material. This material world is made to sustain
our material body. For the eternal soul, devotion to God and Guru is
essential. Eyes have vision and ears are made for listening. If we
attempt to hear with our eyes, it is foolish and an impossible task.
Similarly, happiness of the soul is not in this material world which is
a source of darkness, whereas God is the source of light. Darkness and
light cannot co-exist.
We
are attached to this world because we have forgotten our real identity.
We are eternal souls and souls are servants of God. Just like a machine
in a car's engine. If a single wire is not in its place or the battery
fails, the car stops working. Similarly, if our mind gets attached to
this material world even for a second then we will not achieve our
goal.
Let
us use another example. Our mind is like a dirty cloth that has
accumulated filth since innumerable lifetimes. Our aim is to wash it
and make it completely dirt free. If we wash it with fresh, dirt free
water, it will become clean. But, if we wash it with dirty water,
the cloth will become dirtier. What do we mean by 'clean' or 'dirty'
water? All mayic
objects are considered dirty in the Divine realm. Only elements related
to God are considered clean. Primarily, God and Guru are the purest and
Divine personalities.
Hence, God asks us to be 'Ananya'. To love God and God alone is what 'Ananya' means. |
Continuing from the last month...
These are the next lines of "Sadhana Karu Pyare" series.
brahma māyā jīv kā karu, jñān guru soṁ pyāre
sevya soṁ sambañdh apano, jān guru soṁ pyāre
hari meṁ guru meṁ bhed jani, lavaleśh mānahu pyāre
In this verse, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj reveals that from the Guru, we must learn about our relationship with God.
God
is our eternal relative, even though we may not be able to see Him at
present. There is an interesting event that took place in the state of
Kerala during the rise of Marxism and Communism. Many people spoke
against God, and atheism was quite a common practice. A communist
leader was speaking to an audience of a few hundred listeners. He said
"There is no entity called God. It is just superstition and blind
faith. If there is any God, I challenge Him to prove His existence.
Here I am, denying His existence. Let Him appear with a flash of
thunder and lightning and kill me. If He does not appear, then it
proves that there is no entity called God." He waited for two minutes
and nothing happened. He proclaimed, "If there is a God, He is a
coward. He did not accept my challenge and did not attack me. Or,
if He is not a coward, then there is no God at all."
One
person stood up from the crowd and said "God is your father. In this
material world, if you ask someone to prove his identity as a father by
killing his son, you will not find anyone willing to do such an act.
Why should a father kill his son just to prove his identity?
In the same way, God is all merciful and all graceful. He is our
eternal Father and Mother. He does not need to go around killing people
to prove His own identity."
Our
relationship with God is eternal. We do not have this kind of
everlasting and endless relationship in this material world. Our
material father, mother and son will die one day. They are not our real
father, mother or relatives. Our true relationship is only with God.
Why is that? This word sambandh, or relation, is made from the Sanskrit root bandh, with the prefix sam, and the suffix un.
It means eternal and complete bond. Do you have such a bond
with your father? No, he passed away twenty five years ago.
And recently my mother also passed away. One of my daughters has
also died. That means they were not your sambandhis. That is why all the scriptures strongly state:
vedaiśhcha sarvairamevavedyo
vedāñtakṛit vedavidevidevachāham
Shree
Krishna says "Arjun! What do you have to understand from all the Vedas
and Vedic scriptures? Only this much that your relationship is only
with Me, and you must love Me exclusively." Lord Brahma says:
bhagavān brahma kārtsnyen triranvīkṣhya manīśhayā tadadhyavatsatkuṭastho ratirātman yato bhavet
He
says, "I have churned the Vedas and the other scriptures three times
and have come to the conclusion that they declare only one thing - Your
eternal relationship is with Shree Krishna alone, and you have to love
Him." Shree Maharajji says that God keeps on watching us and eagerly
waits in anticipation, "When will this soul come to me and love me? I
shall liberate him from all bondages that very instant, and bestow upon
him the nectar of Divine love." Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said:
tomār aham yadi kahe ek bār
Dear Soul! Just say it once with all your heart, "O Shree Krishna! Only you are mine." Not, "You are also mine and this material world is also mine." Do not divide your affection between your material father at home and your eternal father, God.
We
could ask God, "You are never seen, and my father at home loves me
dearly." God says, "Accept that you are mine." We can question again,
"On what basis should we accept this statement?" God says, "Accept it
on the basis of knowledge. Understand fully and decide firmly that you
are not this material body but the eternal soul. You will then
realize that the soul's eternal relationship is only with God."
You
will attain this knowledge of your relationship with God from the Guru.
Understand this from the Guru in various ways, so that you become
convinced. Then on the basis of this knowledge, you must repeated
contemplate about your relationship with God. How and what are
you to contemplate? This will be explained in the subsequent
lines of 'Sadhana Karu Pyare' series.
Kripaluji
Maharaj explains in the last line on the Guru within this bhajan:
"There is no difference between God and Guru." He has repeated
this in other bhajans as well:
mere guruvar mere giridhar pyāre
dou ekahiṁ ho na sapanehuṁ nyāre
Not
even in your dreams should you think that God and Guru are different.
Why? Because God is not in front of us and we have not seen Him. But,
our Guru is in front of us and we can see him. Now, if we look on our
Guru as a normal human being, we will conclude that he is in the same
category as we are.
Our
flawed thinking will naturally comment, "He sits, stands, talks and
eats just like us. How can he be different from us? We commit mistakes
and so the Guru might also commit mistakes. Then why should we
obey him? Hence, we will not follow our Guru's instructions." This kind
of thinking is harmful for our spiritual growth and could even lead to
our spiritual downfall.
There
is an amazing example from Lord Buddha's time. Gautam Buddha had a
cousin named Anand. He spent 40 years in the company of Lord Buddha.
When it was time for the Buddha to leave his material form, Anand said
"I have got so much association with you, yet I have not progressed
spiritually. In comparison, your other disciples have made great
strides." Gautam Buddha replied "Anand! This is your mistake. You erred
when you came to me the first time, many years ago. Anand asked him
"What was my mistake?"
The Buddha then reminded Anand of their dialogue forty years ago.
Anand:
I am not your disciple yet but I shall be one tomorrow. I am now
speaking as your elder cousin brother and I have a few conditions.
First, I shall make you my Guru, but if whenever I invite any person to
meet you, you should not avoid him under any pretext.
The Buddha smiled: "Yes, agreed".
Anand: Second, you must take me with you everywhere you go. You should not depute me on work that requires staying away from you.
The Buddha: Yes, you shall be with me at all times.
Anand: Lastly, you must answer every question of mine and should not deny me an answer on any pretext.
The Buddha: I am ready to grant all that you wish.
Gautam
Buddha recalled this dialogue that took place 40 years ago. The Buddha
said, "Anand, you did not develop the feeling of Divinity towards your
Guru inside your heart and mind. You treated me like your younger
brother and did not look upon your Guru as God. Hence, you did not
receive any spiritual benefit."
How do we develop a
feeling of 'Godliness' towards our Guru? We must always
feel and think of our Guru as God Himself. gururbrahmā gururvishṇu gururdevo maheśhvaraḥ
gurursākṣhāt parabrahm tasmai śhrī gurave namaḥ
"The Guru is Lord
Brahma (The God of Creation). The Guru is Lord Vishnu (The God of
Sustenance). The Guru is Lord Shiva (The God of Destruction). My
salutation to such a Guru, who is the Supreme God"
The
key aspect is to think that God and Guru are one. God is present
amongst us in the form of our Guru and Graces us with His presence
amongst us as our Guru. If we continuously remind ourselves of this
fact, it will slowly give rise to feelings of 'Godliness' towards our
Guru and help us surrender our mind and intellect to him.
What
is the difficulty in considering our Guru as God? We Indians are born
with innate devotion in our hearts. In certain faiths, it is believed
that God watches us from seventh heaven. Look at us Indians. We
perceive Divine presence in every animate and inanimate object. Our
culture tells us:
atithi devo bhavaḥ, matṛi devo bhavaḥ, pitṛi devo bhavaḥ
We
consider our guests as God, our mother as God, our father as God. We
are able to think of a rock as God and we begin to worship it! We even
worship a tree as though it were God Himself. If we are able to accept
inanimate objects as God, what is the problem in accepting our Guru as
God?
So,
Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says, "Do not think of God and Guru
as two separate entities. They are one and the same. There is no
difference between them." |
JKYOG
introduces a new collaborative forum for children, called Bal-Mukund.
Its focus is to shape young minds with Vedic wisdom and develop
holistic leaders of the future. This section of the e-Magazine is
dedicated to the children and supports the vision of 'Bal-Mukund'
Bal-Mukund
announces 'Chhote Philosopher' contest for children living in the USA.
The purpose of this contest is to promote a sound understanding of our
Vedic culture so that children will be able to apply teachings from the
Vedas, Gita and Upanishads in their day-to-day life. Click here for details.
Bal-Mukund Showcase
Bal-Mukund welcomes all contributions of
creative works from children in different areas including poerty, moral
stories, art work, etc. Their work may be show cased on the JKYog website.
Submission Guidelines.
This month's contribution:
Prepared & illustrated by
Esha Harish (Age 9)
Once
upon a time, a beautiful parrot made her nest at the top of a tall tree
in a forest. She laid two eggs in the nest, and in the course of time,
two beautiful little chicks hatched from the eggs. They looked very
similar, and the parrot was very proud of them. She tended to them
carefully with much love and care, and they grew well.
One
day, when she had gone out in search of food, the chirping of the two
chicks attracted the attention of a hunter. He immediately climbed up
to the nest and seized both the chicks. As he was shoving them into a
gunny bag, one of them wriggled free from his hand and managed to fly
away. The hunter took the other chick home, and decided to raise him.
A
hermit soon found the chick that had gotten away. He was so charmed by
the little bird's beauty that he carried him away to his ashram. "I
will look after you" he told the bird kindly.
Time
went by. Both the little chicks grew into full grown birds, but one
lived with the hunter, and the other lived in the home of the pious
hermit.
One
day, when the king was riding through the forest he came across the
hunter's dwelling. "I wonder who lives here?" he murmured.
The
hunter's parrot was sitting in his cage outside the house, and as he
saw the king approach, he began to screech loudly. "There's a man
approaching our house, "he called out. "Master, quickly get your bow
and arrow, so that you can kill him!"
The king was shocked when he heard the parrot's words. "What a nasty bird this is." he thought.
He
turned his horse and rode away without looking back. After he had
ridden for a while, he came across a hermitage, and decided to stop for
a drink of water.
As
he approached, he noticed that there was a parrot in a cage, and it was
the spitting image of the one that he had seen earlier. 'Oh no,'
thought the king wearily, 'not another rude squawking parrot.'
But
to the king's surprise, as he neared the hermitage, the parrot in the
cage began to whistle and sing. "Holy Hermit," she called out in a
sweet, melodious voice, "some guests are at our door! Come out to
welcome them in."
The
king was astonished that a parrot that looked identical to the one ha
had seen earlier could be so different in nature. He went near the
parrot's cage curiously and said, "Dear bird, I am so glad to meet such
a friendly and courteous bird. Do you know, I just saw a parrot who
resembled you, but he was mean and nasty!" "Was he living with a hunter?" asked the parrot softly."Why yes, he was," replied the king in astonishment.
The
parrot began to weep quietly. "He was my beloved brother, and we once
shared the same nest. But one day, when our mother went out leaving us
alone, a hunter seized us from our nest. I managed to escape but the
hunter took my brother home. The kind hermit who lives here found me
later, and he has given me a good and loving home. The company that he
has been in has shaped my brother's nature. His master is a mean man,
who is always looking to kill, whereas my master thinks good thoughts,
and prays and sings throughout the day. Being in the right company
makes a great difference sir!"
Moral of the Story: Our
character is shaped according to our social environment. We must be
careful of our association and friends. The parrots had no choice but
we kids have a choice and we can make the right decision as to whom we
want to spend time with. One should always be in good company and avoid bad company.
JUMBLED WORDS
Do you know that there are 108 names of Shree Krishna with different meanings? Well, in the puzzle below are 5 names of Lord Shree Krishna, hidden horizontally and vertically. Find them!
Clue to the names
- One who plays with the cowherds and the Gopas.
- One who pleases the cows, the land and nature.
- One who plays the flute.
- One who has long, black matted locks.
- Dark-complexioned Lord.
|
Yog
Asans are specially designed sets of exercises, involving the controlled
expansion and contraction, twisting and turning, bending and straightening of
the various limbs of the body. They are practiced with the aim of activating,
balancing, healing, and maintaining the various parts of the body - the joints,
organs, ligaments, muscles, etc. Yog Asans increase the flexibility of the
joints and the muscles. This flexibility is the sign of life, while the
reverse, stiffness, is the sign of moving towards death. By the practice of Yog
Asans, the digestive system within the body, the respiratory system, the
circulatory system, the endocrine system, all become healthy and energized.
Place and clothes suitable for Yog Asans
It is best to practice
Yog Asans in the open air, where there is sufficient supply of oxygen. If you do them at home, keep your windows and
doors open. However, be careful to
protect your body from the cold. While performing Yog
Asans, wear loose clothing that enable free movement. For men, Kurta-Pyjama, Track Suit, or loose Trouser-Shirt/T-Shirt is
suitable. For women, Salwar-Kameez or Track Suits are suitable. It is
advisable to take off your watch and any tight fitting ornaments while
performing Yog Asans.
Lay a blanket, carpet, or
'Yoga mat' on the floor, and then perform Yog Asans. This will prevent any kind
of harm to the body, due to the floor.
Standing Asans
Tadasan
Method
Stand in an upright position. Spread your
legs and maintain a distance of about 6 inches between them at the feet. Lift
your hands above your head and interlock the fingers, palms facing the sky.
Exhale before getting into the next position (Shyam). Close your eyes or fix
them on a dot in front of you. Inhale deeply (Radhey), stretch your hands
upward, expand your chest, and stretch your legs. Try to stand on your toes
while stretching your whole body. Remain in this position for five seconds and
slowly come down. Repeat 5 times.
Benefits
It stretches and
loosens the spine, which helps clear up the congestion of the spinal nerves. It
develops physical and mental balance. The stretching of intestine and digestive
systems makes them healthier.
| |
|
|
|
