A Letter for you!

My Dear Soul Mate,

Radhe Radhe!

It’s been a long time since we had a chat. How are you?

Are you regular with your Bhagavata parayana, nama japa, pooja, and kirtan? Are you maintaining your health to do bhakti? Don’t be careless about your health. The Lord has explained this beautifully in the eleventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam.

We have taken this body only to attain God. At the time of departure from this body, we should attain the feet of Lord Krishna in complete peace. Till then, this body has to be kept in good condition. We need to keep ourselves free from headache, knee pain, frequent fever, and other such diseases.

This body doesn’t need too much food. At the same time, unnecessary food is harmful. Healthy food is always good. The disturbances caused during meditation can be overcome with a few asanas. The evil effects produced by mantra, graha (planetary positions) and poisonous reptiles can be removed by mantra japa, fasting, and worship of the deities. But mental vasanas like lust, anger, jealousy and avarice will not go away easily. Don’t get disheartened because they haven’t gone away yet. It takes a long time to be rid of these vices.

The Lord tells Uddhava in Srimad Bhagavatam,

pAdhya mAnOpi madbhakthO vishayair ajithEndriya: |prAya: prakalpyA bhakthyA vishyair nApi bhooyathE ||

(Srimad Bhagavatam 11:14:18)

In the beginning, my devotee will struggle to control his senses. Though he is genuinely devoted, he tends to stumble, lose his balance and fall for lust, anger, gold, sin, etc. Later, he himself will regret.

However, he wouldn’t be involved in these vices like how he used to during the time he wasn’t devoted to God, and its intensity is sharply reduced.

To the extent to which he chants the name of the Lord, listens to His stories and remembers His virtues, to that extent he will be able to win over his senses. Even beyond this, he may be often troubled by a few disgusting qualities, due to the strength of the impressions from the previous births, which will shatter his poise.

To come out of these vices, he has to stay near saints who have had the darshan of the Lord and serve them. The vices would then only leave him.

It is not an easy task to cross this ocean of samsara. Do your sadhanas and be patient.

yan nAmAkrithibhir grAhyam panchavarnam apAdhitham |
vyArtthEna api arthavAdhoyam thvayam panditha mAninAm ||yOginOpakva yOgasya yunchatha kAya utthithai: |upacharkair vihanyEtha thathr Ayam vihithO vidhihil |yOgadhAranayA kAmschith upacharkAn vinirdhahEth ||kAmschin mAmAnudhyAyena nAma sankeerthanAdhibhi: |yOgEshwarAnuvrithyA vA hanyAth ashubhathAn shanaihi ||

(Srimad Bhagavatam 11:28:37-40)

I have only written the essence to you. I have written to you as I somehow felt the need to share all this with you. With who else can I share all this? The world will now call a fool, you who are always thinking about the Lord and living for His sake. But don’t worry. After death, they themselves will realize who has been a fool.

Article by Sri Yaamini Zivan 

(Ref: http://godivinity.org/a-letter-for-you/)

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Radhe Radhe

One reason why Satsang (Association with the Noble souls) is so important.

Ram Ram and Radhe Radhe

Great to be back after a brief hiatus from sharing Spiritual Articles and thoughts.
Satsang (association with holy and noble souls) or as i like to call it the association with the conscious community has many benefits.  

To understand one of the most powerful effects of such association, let us look at something really unique in relation to the Redwood trees

The sequoia redwood trees located in California, are some of the biggest trees in the world. The General Sherman is, in fact, noted as THE largest known living single stem tree on Earth! It is 275 ft tall, 25 feet in diameter, and is approximately 2,500 years old.

Something that huge must have an incredible root system that goes down deep in order to stand that tall. Not the case at all. The sequoia redwood trees have a unique root system that is a marvel, compared to their mammoth size.

Their roots are relatively shallow. There is no tap root to anchor them deep into the earth. The roots actually only go down 6-12 feet, and yet, these trees rarely fall over. They withstand strong winds, earthquakes, fires, storms, and prolonged flooding. How can something up to 500 tons, reaching over 350 feet in height, and live for many centuries remain standing with roots only going down about 10 feet?

The interesting thing about the redwood tree is that their root system is intertwined with the other redwood trees, literally holding each other up. The trees grow very close together and are dependent on each other for nutrients, as well. Only redwoods have the strength and ability to support other redwoods.

So, beneath the surface of these humongous, tall, statuesque trees are roots like a army of men who have their arms interlocked, standing and supporting each other. They are preventing the adversaries of life from knocking each other down. They are also making sure there is plenty of nutrients for growth to continue.

Unlike the redwood tree which is only in certain parts of the world, the satsang can be found any time, anywhere that one desires.

Goswami Tulasidas Ji says - SABAHI SULABH SABH DIN SAB DESA.

True Satsang is that powerful interlocking system where independent yet interdependence of like minding conscious community makes a powerful difference in the lives of the  Individuals' concerned and the community, society, nation and world overall as well.

Hence Srimad Bhagavatam Says - SANGHE SHAKTI KALU-YUGE - In this particular age of Kaliyuga (the iron age), the Real Strength is in Unity.  And this is one of the rationale behind congregational chanting of the Divine Names of the Lord in this era.  In my experience, there is nothing more powerful, nothing more healing, and uplifting then when many many individuals get together and  chant the divine names with all their heart in UNISON.  - PARAM VIJAYATE SRI KRISHNA SANKIRTANAM.  

Alas! the Glories of Satsang cannot be enumerated even by the 1000 hooded Serpent Lord Anantashesa.

Ram Ram
Deepak

Fwd: Remember the days when students were punished by having to hold on to their earlobes and to sit and stand....read on

Ram Ram

Radhe Radhe

Hare Krishna

Hope all is well....Ekadasi tomorrow.

How many of us have recollections upon seeing this image (maybe inserted)  

Remember the days the teachers used to ask the students to stand and sit many times holding on to our ears....-(if you do, then you have just accepted that we are getting on a bit age-wise  :)  )

Also - notice how in many Ganesh temples, the devotees are seen to be grabbing their ear lobes and doing crunches as it were....well read on...

In our daily rituals, a Hindu prays to Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed God by crossing their arms and holding the ear lobes between the tips of the fore and middle finger; next they bend their knees and get up–doing this three times. This prayer is called thoppu karanam in tamil. 

The karanam are the 108 key transitional movements that are used in Bharata Natyam and other classical Indian dances. Most of these 108 Karanas have a central, static pose as a base, i.e. the dancer is usually supposed to stop and maintain it for a very brief duration (0.5 sec). Typically the pose of Lord Siva with his leg raised is a popular karanam.

This ritual has been used by teachers in India to punish their students when they were acting up or refused to learn….and this was not restricted to three.

In fact it is also associated with obedience and the joke was when a husband transgressed he would do this in front of his wife asking her to count out loud. 

Now modern science has discovered what our ancients knew–that this exercise is great for memory and brain development.

Science have NOW discovered that how this simple exercise 

• Stimulates neural pathways via acupressure points in the earlobes
• Synchronises the right and left side of the brain to improve function and promote calmness
• Sharpens intelligence in seniors, juniors, mums, dads and kids
• Helps those with autism, Asperger's syndrome, learning difficulties and behavioural problems

There you go...An interesting fact.  For the youngsters who have been  wondering what is it that people are doing pulling on their earlobes in front of Ganesha, there is a reason after all.  

Thank you to my teachers in my school in Fiji who made me do this

Also - please note that it is EKADASI TOMORROW....Pooja at Shree Ram Krishna Temple from 5am to 7am.

 

"If you want peace, then do not look into anybody's faults.  Look into your own faults.  Learn to make whole world your own.  No one is a stranger; the whole world is your own."   

– Holy Mother's last message.

==============================
Till the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================

If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:
http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

Invitation to view a photo from ozgodivinity's Picasa Web Album - Anitha & Murali house Satsangh 03-08-2013

View Photo If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/APkb3ZpuHe-WJYg16quzz6IPZhVxnv3qvPg-QPnY-4o?feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

Reason for Suffering - Intensity of a prayer

Ram Ram
Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe

Hope we all had a nice weekend.

Question :Why is human life so painful? Is it because of Kali Yuga or because of our Karma?

Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji:

When a child is ill, the mother gives medicines to it. The child initially refuses to take the medicine owing to its bitterness. For a moment, the mother diverts the attention of the child through some play. Then again, the mother tries to feed the medicine. The mother will continue to do so, without giving up, until the child takes the medicine completely, wouldn’t she?

In the same way, God gives us sufferings to realize that the state that you live in is not your true state. When the sufferings become unbearable, he distracts you by giving you a sigh of relief.

However it continues to trouble you and will not leave you until you realize your true nature which is the Self.

The simplest way towards this goal is by chanting the Mahamantra.

Excerpts from a discourse by our Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji

 “Human birth is meant only for the purpose of attainment of Bhagavãn.”
Let’s say you are on a hijacked aircraft. What are your feelings then? Does anything other than your life matter to you then? Is anything - your wealth, your learning, family and friends of any help to you then? A fervent prayer is on your lips and in your heart. The intensity of your prayer is at its deepest, for, you are in the most precarious situation.
Well! Your life is similar to this. Even as we look around we find the world filled with various kinds of sorrows - diseases both physical and mental, financial problems, strained human relationships even amongst immediate family members, poverty, corruption, disloyalty, dishonesty. Countries wage war with each other. There is distrust between nations. Thus this material world is not of much worth. Anyone of the above can hit you any moment Yearn for freedom from this shackle of life just as you would yearn for safety/freedom while caught in a hijacked aircraft.

The intensity of your prayer should be that of a person on hijacked aircraft who has no other thought but the one thought of getting out of that particular situation.

============================

Sri Radha Ashtami to be celebrated at Ram Krishna Temple this Wednesday...See Flyer

TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:

http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

They Shall Bear Witness

Ram Ram
Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe

Hope all is well.  I would like to share with you a very moving incident that happened recently.  Please do read the following narration by the one who experienced this miracle.
Hope this gives us the faith and conviction in the LORD's NAME -  In Rama NAMA, and the power of prayer and the blessings of a Mahaan.  Bear in mind...This is a very very recent event.

A devotee of our Swamiji, HH Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, in Virudhunagar narrates her tryst with Mahamantra - it was a situation where anyone would lose hope. But she did not!
She held on to the Divine Name, and 'It' had to manifest its power!
An astounding , but true incident that can bring tears to one's eyes - one that goes to show the power of the Divine Name.....

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By M. Gomathy, Virudhunagar

Our family hails from Thoothukkudi. At present we live at Virudunagar. Once, the house of one of our relatives at Thoothukkudi was about to be seized by the court. My husband and I, taking pity on him, decided to help him out and gave him 10 sovereign worth of jewels and 1 ½ lacs in cash, in good faith, without any documentary evidence. The man and his sons promised to return the jewels and cash at the earliest. A friend of this family happened to be present there when we lent our jewels and cash to this family. He was the only witness to this; a few days later this man went abroad with his son.

After a time we contacted the family for the return of the jewels and cash lent to them. But they showed no sign of returning them. Our repeated efforts to get what was due to us went in vain. And, to our utter shock the head of the family to whom we had actually handed the jewels and cash died. The sons were very harsh when we approached them. They snapped, “Ask the man to whom you had lent the jewels and cash. Do you have any documentary evidence to your claim? Come to us only if you have that.”
We did not give up. Time and again we would visit them and demand what they owed us only to be thrown out with abuses. Fifteen years passed in this manner. We did not get back our jewels and cash.

One day, we learnt from a resident of Thoothukkudi that this family had decided to sell their house. We were advised to demand back what was due to us. When we contacted them, they not only denied having taken anything from us but also labeled us liars! People in the neighborhood also supported this family’s demand to show some documentary evidence to our claim. But we had none! We had been chanting the Mahamantra in the Rama Temple at Virudunagar. We also conducted regular weekly bhajans on Monday in our home. We, therefore, said to them, “We chant the Mahamantra in the Rama Temple at our place and also conduct bhajans every Monday at home. If our Rama nama bhajan is powerful, Sri Rama and Haunman themselves will turn out to be our witness.” On hearing this all the people laughed at us. They said that I had lost my sense of balance. They remarked sarcastically, “Oh, will your Rama and Hanuman take a bus or a train and come to Thoothukkudi to give evidence?” Touched to the core, I said, “They will come on my behalf. This is certain!” and I walked out.
I returned to Virudunagar.

It was the second Saturday in the Tamizh month of Purattasi. I lit a lamp in the Rama Temple and chanting Rama Nama went around the main sanctum sanctorum in circumambulation. I saw an elderly man also going around in circumambulation of the sanctum sanctorum. As I sat down, this gentleman came and sat beside me. He asked me, “Do you recognize me? Aren’t you from Thoothukkudi?”
At once I recognized him and said, “Yes, I do.”
He said, “I am Ramachandran who was your neighbour at Thoothukkudi. Are you able to recognize me?”
And, added, “I was traveling to Thoothukkudi from Chennai. By mistake I alighted here at Virudunagar.
As I walked through this way I decided to enter the Temple and have darshan of Sri Rama. And, I have met you also here!”
After a pause he asked me, “Did you get back your jewels and cash?” referring to the jewels and cash that we had lent to one of our relatives at Thoothukkudi.
I told him, “No. I have not. They are demanding documentary evidence; and I have none. They have cheated me.”
On hearing me, he gave me an envelope and asked me to read the paper it contained. To my utter amazement I found that it was a document signed by Lakshmana Pillai, the man to whom we had lent the jewels and cash. It stated that he, Lakshamana Pillai, had taken 10 sovereign gold jewels and 1 ½ lacs in cash from me; the document also stated the reason for taking the loan and contained the date of the loan taken. It further stated that in case his sons failed to return the loan taken his house should be handed over to Gomathy (and that is me)! The wonder did not stop here. The document was signed by two witnesses whose names were Ramachandra murti and Marutirajan!

I felt choked. Tears began to roll down my cheeks. The joy I experienced at that moment is inexplicable. Mr. Ramachandran (for, this is the name of the gentleman who met me at the Temple), himself took me to Thoothukkudi. Showed the documentary evidence to the family who had troubled me for so long and
got back the jewels and cash they owed me!

The power of Rama Nama has, indeed, performed a miracle. Mr. Ramachandran did not know that I lived at Virudunagar. He was not aware that the family at Thoothukkudi had refused to pay pack the loan. Why should he who was on his way to Thoothukkudi alight at Virudunagar by mistake? It certainly was not a mistake. Why should he enter the Rama Temple? It was all the work of the compassionate Sri Rama who I had called as my witness! What is more amazing is the fact that he had with him the documents needed by me!! My case is verily the proof that Rama Nama can work wonders! As a result of Rama Nama, Sri Rama and Hanuman themselves did appear as the witness for both my claims – of the jewels and amount lent and they being my witnesses! What more can be said? Hail Rama Nama! Glory unto Rama Nama! All glories unto the Lord.

Our heartfelt gratitude and namaskar to our Sadguru Sri Muralidhara Swamiji for blessing us with the rarest of gems – the Mahamantra! Our thanks and gratitude to our friend and guide
Mr. Venkateshkumar, who leads the Mahamantra chanting at Virudunagar, for leading us to our Sadguru.
============================

TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:

http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

Happy Deepavali

Ram Ram
Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe

Hope all is well.   My hearty Deepavali wishes to all friends.  Sincerely praying at the Feet of our ThakurJi and His Divine Consort - Mata Maha-Laxmi to bless us all with Bhakti and love for the Divine Couple.

Acharyas and Shastras actually say that the Compassion of Sridevi (MataLaxmi) actually by far outdoes the compassion of Thakurji Himself. 

Actually in the Transcendal Loka Sri Vaikutha, it is Sriji herself who is constantly reminding  and pestering the the LORD to bestow HIS DIVINE grace on the Jivas to bring to an end their constant struggle with Birth, Death, old age and disease.

Like a mother, our Laxmi Pirratti is constantly bothered and troubled by our plight.  Subsequently she is constantly reminding Thakurji of our hopelessness.  That is that reason she is often called Karunya-Rupaya.
It is Maha-Laxmi who is the "Source" of the compassion of our Thakurji.  The repository from which our LORD draws the compassion from is very Maha-Laxmi.

There is a very nice message given to us by Ramayana.  We will  notice that whenever and wherever the LORD is with MATA Sita, HE does not Kill Anyone. IT is only when the LORD is NOT with Kishori Mata Sita, then he kills the Asuras.
Shri Rama Killed Tadaka and Subahu before he was wedded.  He killed Khar-Dhushana when he was away from Sitaji.  He kills Ravana when Sitaji was in Ashoka Vatika.  What does this tell us?  It tells us that it is the compassion of Maha-Laxmi herself which keeps us protected from the LORD's Wrath. 

We should always pray to Mata-and Thakurji together. Never alone.  Surpankha wanted only Shri Rama. She was defaced.  Ravana only wanted Mata Sita. He lost his life.  Let us always worship the Divine Lordships together. That is the secret for Happiness.

Deepavali is also special for us because it is the appearance day of our Beloved Swamiji, H H Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, who, symbolic to Deepavali,  took Birth to light the Lamp of Wisdom in the lives of many.

On this note, lets understand the subtle difference between a GURU and a Sadguru with a small story.

Story of 3 Friends:
3 Friends who hailed from the same Village, walking – Came to this beautiful Green Open Field. Huge COMPOUND WALL. From in there came the sweetest music that they ever heard. Beautiful lights. SIGHT AND SOUND was intoxicating. 3 friend were drawn. Never seen anything like that.

1^st friend – Did not wait for a moment. He ran. Like a piece of Iron being pulled by a magnet. Climbed on the wall. He was totally intoxicated with what he saw. HUGE smile. He held his hands high up in the air and was swaying. Experiencing the greatest joy ever. As the other 2 friends were watching him, he jumped inside and was gone.

2^nd Friend. Same. He is about to Jump and before that he turns back and looks at his 3^rd friend who is standing outside, and tells him that greatest joy we have been looking for all our life is here. Don’t delay. Come and jump in

3^rd Friend. I know exactly where it is now. I am so close. But if I go up this wall and jump in this compound – who will tell my family, my friends, and all the people of the world that the greatest joy lies inside these 4 walls. This gentlemen is really compassionate by nature. He wanted the benefit of everyone. He decides that I will go and see what is there. Feel the Joy. Experience the joy and then come back out to share that joy. Having made up his mind, he goes up the wall as well. He sees, feels, experiences that greatest Bliss, the one that he has been searching for all of our life – In money, in power, in Bondage, in Fame, friends and family. That greatest joy was right there in front of him. What did he do? A compassionate person he was, he decides to go back and tell everyone about this greatest joy. I know where the joy is and I can get back anytime I want. People! You have been searching for this great joy all your life: For this happiness in the wrong places – You thought money, power, friends family, fame was going to give you that. But I have found where exactly that joy is. I am going to show you that road that will lead you there. The road that everyone of you can travel with joy, ease, comfort, confidence and reach that ultimate joy. All of you will be able to travel. I personally will travel with you. I will take you up to that compound and make sure you all enter that joy and I will be the last one to enter.

So he does that. Makes sure everyone reaches. He shows his fellow men. Shows them the route to joy.
Mahatmas or great saints may be categorised in 3 groups. They are all Mahatmas and great saints. And we all bow down before them. But there are these group of Mahatmas who strive to attain this Ultimate joy which lies in self-realisation. And when they get there, they do not turn back – they just dive into that joy and relish

The 2^nd type of Mahatma who also realises that Bhagavan, will turn back and tell us that Friends! The focus of life is here. Here is the supreme joy and we should also reach for it. He gives us that choice. You have to come and get it.

And then comes the 3^rd group of Mahatmas. The one that we are really interested in. Those Mahatmas, those great saints who are really the representatives of GOD, after having realised GOD and seeing him face to face, turn back and look at us with immense love and compassion. They decide to come down and live with us at our level and they show us the way that will take us to the ultimate truth, which is GOD-realisation, the ultimate truth, Liberation to reach the feet of GOD, which is the purpose of life. By saying showing us the way, the important thing is that they show us THAT way that which everyone of us can travel on. That sadhana which is for everyone.

If we call the first 2 Categories of Saints as GURUS, the third Category is actually the SAD-GURU. So Sadguru is that compassionate one who will show the path for all. SADGURU is the one who takes even the last one of us to that end Goal.

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Lets recollect a A Deepavali message sent by Swamiji - in 2007

The service that God entrusted upon my shoulders is to make the whole world sing the glory of His Divine Name!
 
The service that God has entrusted upon your shoulders is to lend them to me!
 
Blessings !
Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji
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TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:

http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

Bhakta Chokamela

Ram Ram
Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe

Hope all is well.   Here is a nice story of a great Bhakta named Chokhamela, who lived a few hundred years ago.   He was born a Cobbler, lived in a slump and was outcasted as an untouchable.  Read how the LORD did a marvellous and inspiring leela with him.

Bhakta Chokamela

Long ago, in the holy Kshetra of Pandarpur(in present day Maharashtra), there lived a great devotee of Lord Sri Panduranga (who was none other than Lord Sri Krishna himself) by name Chokamela. Sri Chokamela’s hailed from a slum and as was customary those days the inhabitants were not permitted to enter the temple. Though Lord Panduranga saw no difference between his devotees based on their birth, colour, race, wealth, region or religion, the selfish world did! To the Lord, the only thing that mattered was the depth of one’s devotion. 5

The friends, relatives and neighbours of Chokamela led lives without any values, orderliness or sense of direction. They ate whatever they wanted; slept whenever/wherever they wished and were addicted to all sorts of bad habits such as alcoholism. Like a beautiful lotus that blooms in a stinking marsh, Chokamela though, led the life of a pure Vaishnava. He would wake early in the morning, have a bath, wear Tulsi maala and Gopi chandan and chant the divine names of the Lord. As he was not permitted to enter the temple of Lord Sri Panduranga, he stood near the compound wall and sang the divine names joyfully.

Constantly, he advised his kith and kin to mend their ways and about how it was very easy to win the grace of God by simply chanting his Divine Names. Though they all mocked at him in the beginning, gradually his purity and goodwill won their hearts and they gave all their vices. Following his example, all of them woke up early in the morning and accompanied him to the temple where they all stood outside the compound wall chanting the lord’s glorious names. Lord Panduranga Himself relished every nama they chanted, much more than the puja offered by the priests. Like Nandanar, the great devotee of Lord Sri Shiva, Chokamela too, had transformed the entire slum. They were all a group of pure-hearted bhagavatas now.

Naturally, this was not liked by the priests of the temple. Though Chokamela and his group did not in any way interfere with the temple proceedings, the priests hurled abuses at them and told them that they had no right to worship to God. As is the nature of any Sadhu, Chokamela too, did not want to argue with the priests or fight with them. He thought if that was the way that Panduranga wanted it, he would stay at home and worship the Lord.

From that day onwards, Chokamela stopped going to the temple. He would stay at home and meditate upon the Lord. He saw all the pujas in his mind’s eye itself. The experience was blissful.

Time came when Panduranga decided to enact his divine play. One night, after the priests had completed the puja and locked the temple, Panduranga came to Chokamela’s humble abode. Chokamela’s joy knew no bounds. He cried thinking of the Lord’s compassion and totally lost himself in the happiness. The Lord told Chokamela that he would fulfill any wish of his. Chokamela immediately replied “Lord! There can be no greater thing to wish for, than your darshan. Now that you have blessed me with that, I beg of you to show me your temple. I have never been inside even once in my lifetime”

In a flash, the Lord took him inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and they talked with each other all night long. The conversation was so fascinating that time flew away and it was morning already. The priests opened the doors of the temple and were shocked to find Chokamela inside the sanctum sanctorum. They cursed him and took him to the King. “This man who hails from the slum has entered the temple. Your majesty should punish him appropriately” they said. Chokamela replied “I did not go there on my own. How could I have gone inside after the door was locked? The Lord himself took me inside”.

Nobody was willing to believe his words and they all alleged that he was a magician. The king, without proper enquiry, punished him by banishing him from Pandarpur. He ordered that Chokamela should not live inside Pandarpur and that none from the town should have any contact with him. Chokamela silently accepted this also as the will of God. He put up a hut on the opposite banks of the river Chandrabhaga and continued with his life as before. He and his wife would fast on Ekadasi day and on Dwadasi day, they had the most special visitor one can ever wish for to have a meal at their abode – the Lord himself. This became a routine affair.

On a particular Dwadasi day, Chokamela was scolding his wife. The priests from the temple who had come to the river witnessed that scene and felt sorry for the poor woman. “ You have lost all your respect and commitment. Is this the way to serve the Lord? You have committed a great sin by spilling curd on his robe, careless woman!” Chokamela screamed.
These words of Chokamela shocked the priest. They told each other “Oh! What is he saying? He is saying that the Lord has come to take food in his place. How can that be? He is definitely mocking at us. The punishment has not taught him a lesson. He has become more arrogant! We should report him to the king again’

Saying so, they went to the temple and opened the doors. What they witnessed was the most unbelievable sight. The robes of the Lord were drenched in curd. They could not believe their own eyes. “Chokamela was right after all. Lord Panduranga had been to his place. Oh! What a blunder we have committed by insulting and ill-treating a true Mahatma. Let us all go and seek his pardon. Only then the Lord will accept us” they all said in one voice and rushed to Sri Chokamela’s hut. They all narrated the happenings and fell at Chokamela’s feet. Chokamela though, was embarrassed by this act of the priests. He said with tears in his eyes ‘Great Priests! I am just a humble servant of Panduranga. Please do not fall at my feet. I am speck of dust!”

The entire town and the king realized the greatness of Sri Chokamela and hailed his bhakti. The Lord had once again enacted a divine play to make the world understand true devotion.

============================

Born in a 'Karagraha' (prison), Sri Krishna entered the 'Garbagraha' (the sanctum) just for the sake of 'Anugraha'
(showering His grace on us). -- HH SRI MURALIDHARA SWAMIJI

TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:

http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

The Path for All

Ram Ram
Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe

Hope all is well.  

=================

Some Quotes from HH Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji -

God is for all. Each and everyone have the right to attain God. 'Bhagavan Nama kirtan' which is the easiest way of attaining that God and performance of 'Bhagavan Nama' japa is universal way; all can say Bhagavan Nama; there is no bar for this; no one can stop it; all are children of God. Therefore, under the conditions prevailing today we can attain God following this great way. Only the one who advocates this 'marga' (of 'Nama sankirtan') to us is verily the highest Guru. Only He can show God to us. He is verily the Avatara Purusha.

Who is an Avatar? It is the objective of the Avatara 'purushas' to give 'upadesa' as befitting the Yuga, time and conditions. So, people should be given 'upadesa' as befitting today's circumstances. And that is the 'upadesa' of Nama kirtan. The path ('marga') of the day is 'Nama kirtan'. It is only to speak on this 'marga' that innumerable Mahans have been coming down in this Kali Yuga.

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- When the scriptures and the sages have shown us the path of Nama kirtan as the simplest means to attain liberation in this Kali yuga, bearing in mind all our limitations, would it not amount to grave injustice if one shows a difficult path to the world?

===========
- Dhyana Yoga, Karma Yoga and Jnana - All these paths need to be taught, but only Nama Sankirtan can be propagated. That verily shows its simplicity.

============================

The greatest Maya : The greatest Maya according to me is that everyone knows in their heart of hearts that there is no other go except chanting the Mahamantra, but they are not willing to accept it and follow it openly.

============================

TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:

http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

Dharma Vyadha Story from Mahabharata

Ram Ram
Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe

Hope we had a great weekend. 

The Vyadha Gita (meaning, teachings of a butcher) is a part of the epic Mahabharata and consists of the teachings imparted by a vyadha (Butcher) to a brahmin sannyasin (monk). It occurs in the Vana Parva section of Mahabharata and is told to Yudhisthira, a Pandava by sage Markandeya.  In the story, an arrogant sannyasin is humbled by a Vyadha, and learns about dharma (righteousness). The vyadha teaches that "no duty is ugly, no duty is impure" and it is only the way in which the work is done, determines its worth. This is one of the popular narrations in the Mahabharata.

Story:
A brahmin sanyasi is meditating when a bird's droppings from the tree falls on him and he is disturbed. He looks at the bird and it falls on the ground.. dead. This adds a lot of ego and arrogance in the Sanyasi because he has realized his innate "powers". He goes to the village looking for alms and comes to a house where he asks for food. The housewife inside is tending to her sick husband and asks the Sanyasi to wait.

This angers the Sanyasi immediately and he thinks "You wretched woman, how dare you make me wait! You do not know my power yet". Suddenly the housewife calls out from inside the house: "Boy, don't be thinking too much of yourself. Here is neither crow nor crane." The Sanyasi is shocked! How did this lady know of the bird?

The lady replies that she did not practice any austerities and by doing her duty with "cheerfulness and wholeheartedness", she became illumined, so she could read his mind.

She then tells him about a dharma-vyadha (the righteous butcher) in the town of Mithila and says that this dharma-vyadha would answer all his questions on dharma.

But the Monk is shocked and thinks "Why should I go to that town and to a Vyadha?" But from what he had just seen in that lady, he gives it a try and goes to Mithila. When he reaches Mithila he found the market and there saw, at a distance, a big fat Vyadha cutting meat with big knives, talking and bargaining with different people.

This Monk now had a doubt that maybe I have come to the wrong place.  This guys is a Vile Materialist and a Butcher.  How can he be spiritual? How can he be realised?  As soon as the Monk was about to leave: Dharma Vyadha said: Wait wait wait!!!  Did that lady send you here?

THe Monk now had a great shock to his System.  He then surrendered to the Dharma Vyadha.
The Brahmin Sanyasi is then taught by the Vyadh (Butcher). His main teachings are:

• No duty is ugly, no duty is impure and it is only the way in which the work is done that determines its worth.
• All work must be done by "dedicating to God"
• By sincere and unattached performance of the alloted duty one can become illumined
• Ahimsa (non-violence) and satya (truth) are two main pillars of dharma through which the highest good of all can be achieved (mind you Vyadh is talking of "Ahimsa" - so, the dharmic Ahimsa is not the Gandhian Ahimsa!)
• A decision on what is true under difficult circumstances should be made by sticking to that course of action which leads to the highest good of beings
• Finally, Not birth but dharma and virtuous conduct makes one a Brahmin.
  

[Commentary by His Grace Shri Ramuji : So lets not divide our life into materialism (karmi) and spirituality (dharmi).  Already we have conflicts within. Lets not divide our mind into “Let me break into a spiritual mode now..or a materialistic mode now.  Every moment if we are leading our life with a right attitude …  And what is a right attitude?  The first three shlokas of the Bhagavat  helps us understand that.  If we lead our life with that whatever we do is spiritual.  If we don’t do that, whatever we do will become very materialistic even if we are sitting in a puja room or temple.  Lets understand that. ]

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Question: Will Nama Kirtan help us fight the malefic effects of planets in our Graha (horoscope)? But is it good to depend on astrology to take decisions in life?

Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji:

Yes. Certainly. One who performs Nama Kirtan depends only on the grace of Krishna. And for the sake of such a devotee, Krishna plays football with all the Grahas (planets).

TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:

http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

Gita Jayanti and Vaikuntha Ekadasi

Ram Ram
Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe

Hope all is well.   Tomorrow is a  very special day.  It is Sri Gita Jayanthi - The day Geetacharya - Bhagavan Shri Krishna - sang/spoke the Holy Gita to Arjuna.  It is also Vaikuntha Ekadasi. 
Immensely special Ekadasi Day…  This Ekadasi, many bhaktas make it a point to do Jaagaran - All-night-vigil singing the glories of the LORD.  Lets observe this day to the best of our Abilities, - Singing Ramayana or Gita or Bhagavatam or Simply do Kirtanas for LORD HARI.

Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the immortal message emanated from the lotus lips of Lord Himself. For centuries Gita has been held in reverence by saints and scholars all over the world. The eternal teachings of Gita are universal and for the welfare of all embracing humanity. Gita stands as a beacon light for the salvation of mankind. Spiritual awareness and awakening as imparted in the Gita, elevates man's perception, who then sees the existence as one whole,  breaking the barriers of cast, creed and color. An embodied soul who lives the Divine teachings of Gita, attains liberation.

Lord Himself declared the Gita Mahatmaya in the 18th chapter of Gita - "He, who with supreme adoration to Me shall teach this Supreme Secret to My devotees, he shall attain Me, of this there is no doubt". (18-68) "Among men, there is none who does Me a dearer service than he, nor shall any one in this world be deareer to Me than he." (18-69)

Spiritual knowledge is the only thing that can destroy man's miseries forever, so helping man spiritually is the highest form of help. God too is most pleased with those who disseminate spiritual knowledge.

====================

Some Brief words From Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji….

Karma, Yoga or Gyana marga take many births to attain Bhagavan. But, through Bhakti marga one can attain Bhagavan very easily. What is the 'pramana' (evidence) for this? None less than Bhagavan. Bhagavan Himself says so.

In the Gita, Bhagavan tells Arjuna who desires to become a Yogi, 'aneka janma samsiddhih!' Through the practice of Yoga you can attain to Me but only after many births.

Bhagavan then goes on to speak of Gyana marga and explains to Arjuna, 'Bahoonam janmanam ante' only after many births can you attain to Me in this path.

But, while speaking on Bhakti marga, Bhagavãn tells Arjuna, 'na chirat' - it will not take long. You can attain to Me now, in this very janma.

-------------------------

You cannot correct the world. Each one has his own vasana; hence, will act only as per his vasana. You cannot correct others. You should correct only yourself. Of what use is it in advising others to correct themselves without correcting ourselves? Your expectation of this one or that one to behave in a particular way as you deem fit is a grave mistake. Let everyone be as he/she is. Why should they change? Let us transform ourselves.

HH Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji

-------------------------

TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:

http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

A Happy New Year Friends

Ram Ram Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe

Wishing everyone a very prosperous New Year.  May we get more and more service to Bhagavan and Guru in the coming year.

To start off this year, I would like to share the New Years Message from our beloved Guru Maharaj - HH Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji.

===============

Dear all,
Good morning to all of u and have a divine blessed New Year 2011 …..
If we take a look at the world around us, we have a million reasons to be proud about, as the amazing human race. After all, have we not landed on the Moon? Have we not sent Pathfinder to Mars? Gene-mapping and cloning have become a reality. Hats off to the exponential progress made in the realm of science!
Nevertheless, if we contemplate for a moment on the question, "Have all these advancements made life happier and more peaceful than before?", what rejoinder do we get? A quick, unambiguous "NO!" If we were to assume that intellectual, cultural and scientific backwardness was the reason behind the tribal, cavemen and other men of the past fighting with each other, how do we explain the situation prevailing today?
In the age when we claim to be at the peak of intellectual and cultural refinement, the incidence of violence and war is on the rise, globally. We expect all these developments to nullify differences, break all walls, wipe out boundaries and take us to universal brotherhood. On the contrary, what is happening is an increase in the number of countries! – more and more boundaries are being demarcated. Countries are breaking down from more countries. Instead of integration into one powerful, peaceful society, there is only disintegration all the time, in the name of race, religion and language.
How can we achieve that integration? Down the ages, there have been numerous thinkers, revolutionaries, leaders and organizations who have worked towards that goal and yet their efforts have not produced sustained results because they have all tried to bring about unity through changes in the external world and society. Any external transformation is never long-lasting.
So, Universal brotherhood and peace can never be brought about by power, force or scientific advancement.
The only solution is inner transformation – a change in the tendency of every single person and the only way to achieve it is through spirituality. To achieve this, we need not change our lifestyle; we need not go to another place; we need not renounce anything; there is no dress code or any such formality; we can go to work; go to school and live as usual and yet bring about 'UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD'. How is that possible?
Indian culture is one of the most ancient cultures of the world and it is globally acknowledged that our Scriptures and the great Rishis have accurately predicted the course of the world and future. Thousands of years ago, foreseeing the troubled times ahead, they have shown the remedy which is the Maha Mantra found in the Kali Santarana Upanishad –
"Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare |
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare ||"
Not only do we believe in the Scriptures and the great Rishis, but it has been found that all have experienced the inner transformation, bliss and joy even while chanting this Maha Mantra. Having tasted the divine nectar called 'Hare Rama…', we wish to share the joy with one and all, through Nama - 'Nama Dwaar'.
On this New Year's Day, we all pledge solemnly to work towards Universal peace through the Maha Mantra.
"Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare |
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare ||"

===========================

Often the thought comes to our mind: How do we know if we are really progressing in Spirituality?

Guru Maharaj says:
'Above all, true sign of spiritual flowering is ever expanding fragrance of compassion to one and all'

===========================

TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:
http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

Rama Nama

Ram Ram Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe

Hope all is well.  Its that time of the year - Some call it Makar Sankranti or Uttarayana. 

For Lovers of Bhagavata - they relate Uttarayana to the day Shri Bhishma Pitamaha left this world - with LORD Krishna standing verily in front of him.
It was just before Shri Bhishma Pitamaha departed that he spoke the Vishnu Sahasra Nama (1000 Names of Vishnu) to Dharma-Raja Yuddhishthara.  And what more - The Lord himself was audience to this.

Many Mahatmas have opined that Shri Vishnu Sahasra Nama is more revered then Shri Bhagavat Gita itself.

Vedas are the Supreme-Most.  Mahabharata being the essence of all the scriptures is known as the fifth Veda. It embeds in itself both the Karma Kanda and Jnana Kanda. That being the case, Sri Vishnu Sahasranama is very sacred as it is considered to be the essence of Mahabharata itself! Yudhishtira, a mumukShu, had a doubt – ko dharmaH sarva dharmANAM bhavataH paramo mataH – what is the best path? Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, Sharanagati ??– and in the answer to this Shri Bhishma said – Sri Vishnu Sahasranama, the Samanvaya of all of the above is the best way to liberation. shAstreShu bhArataM sAraM tatra nAma sahasrakam.
And Guess what - It is said that… sri rAma rAma rAmeti rame rAme manorame
sahasra nAma tat tulyam rAma nAma varAnane
(As stated by Lord Siva to PArvati - if you just chant the name "RAma", it is equivalent to chanting the 1000 names of Sri MahA Vishnu").
So it is said that concluded that -  the Holiest of all Names "RAMA" is the essence of all Shastras"  - Lord Shiva is SHAKSHI (Proof) of this Himself.

So as the Master would say - let RAMA NAMA forever be an ornament on our lips.  Let us chant RAMA NAMA lovingly. 

Divine poet, composser and singer Tyagaraja, who recited Rama Nama, 960 million times and had His darshan, has said:
"The life letter of the five letter word 'Nama Sivaya' is 'MA'. Similarly the life letter (Jeevaksharam) of the eight letter word 'Narayanaya' is "RA". It is the combination of these two aksharas (letters) that produced the nama 'RAMA'. "

These two letters called life giving letters, the soul of these two powerful Mantras are put together to form the taraka Mantra Rama. Without these two letters, these manthras become ineffective. Any one chanting this taraka manthra is equivalent to worshipping both Lord Sri Maha Vishnu and Lord Shiva.

What more can be said: It is said that Rama Nama is mightier than Rama himself.

============================

When Guru's grace descends upon one, he will see God. Chanting Name of God continuously will invoke the grace of Guru.@ Maharanyam -  Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji

============================

TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:
http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

The Simplest way

Ram Ram Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe
Hope all is well.   Continuing from the "Magic Spell" lecture given by HH Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji on New Years day 2010.  It was so powerful that it is still being televised on Indian TV.
=============================
Mahamantra is the telephone number to reach God. That is his mobile phone number. It is very close to his heart. Whenever we chant it, he will hear it. He will listen to us. He will bless us.
Let us say we are faced with a problem. Whenever you are in trouble, don't look for another person to help you out. All you have to do is focus the mind and start chanting the mahamantra. Wherever you are, whatever the situation is, whenever you need help, chant the mahamantra. The more and more you chant, God will come to your rescue. You will be saved from that situation in a miraculous manner. The place, the situation does notmatter. Whenever you are in trouble or your family member is in trouble, don't think if you can visit this temple or that temple or visit an astrologer or what gem should you wear or if a name change is required as per numerology searching for a remedy, Why don't you do a prayer? Why do you depend on remedies? You know very well that god is full of mercy and compassion. He is ready to bless you. Call bhagavaan from wherever you are. Why don't you think of that first? Cry out his name aloud. Chant the mahamantra. God will definitely bless you. It will definitely happen. When you are in need, chant the naama. Chant the mahamantra. The mahamantra is the magic spell. The world will not understand it. But you will. You will understand how God rescued us from the troubled situation. Don't lose faith. We carry out our tasks everyday building dreams for the future with the faith that we will live tomorrow. There is no life without faith. So with faith, chant naama. We are blessed with a tongue. So chant naama. Do not fear.
Bhagavaan says in the gita that out of the 84,00,000 living things, it is only human beings who are blessed with the power of speech. No other living thing can talk. Why are you blessed with  the power of speech? God wants to listen to his glory through your mouth. He wants to help you. So he has granted you the power of speech. We use our mouth to talk endlessly about worldly things and eat all kinds of stuff.  Bhagavatam says that in front of a wedding hall there is a dumpster where they dump dirty plates, leftover food, sweets and beverages. Will that dumpster ever chant bhagavaan naama. Similarily, we use our mouth to talk worldly things, eat all sorts of things . If we forget to chant naama, chant mahamantra, then there is no difference between your mouth and the dumpster. We keep eating all the time. There was a bhakta called Nandanar. When people approached him and said,"Nanda, if you just chant naama, is it going to feed us?" Nandan replied, "Even a dog eats, will it chant naama" Thre is not an easier path than naama sankirtan.You can give excuses if you do not wish to do it. If asked to do dhyana, meditation, you feel that it is too hard. But when asked to chant naama you tell that it is very easy. On the whole, you do not want to do it. So you give excuses. There cannot be a simplest path than this. Doctors sometimes give up on certain patients and tell that it upto God to save them. Similarly, one who does not chant the naama is the most unfortunate one who has been givenup by god himself. No one can save such a soul.
If you want to meditate, you need a place. You need to be seated there for at least 10 minutes. To chant naama, you do not need a place or time. You can chant while walking. You can chant the naama while cooking or travelling. The mouth can keep chanting while the hand carries out its duties. If you do pranayanam or yoga without the help of a guru, it may yield unfavorable results. Will something like that ever happen while chanting naama. Never. There is no way you can make a mistake chanting naama. I am not saying this. All mahans have shown this path. Thyagarajar, Purandaradasar, Meera bai, Naamadev, Tukkaram, Jnaneshwar, Chaitanya, Ramakrishnar, Vivekananda have shown this path. How could Vivekananda achieve so much in his short life span? He came to Ramakrishna very late.He had completed his college education. Today there are innumerable swamijis who travel abroad to spread our sanatana dharma. The pioneer in that effort is Swami Vivekananda. How was he able to achieve it? Rmakrishna gave him the upadesa of Rama naama. Now you understand the power of rama naama. Why did Ramakrishna give upadesa of Rama naama? He knew what was required to go to a foreign land to do pracharam. Is Swami Vivekananda the first one to go to a foreign country? No. It was Hanuman. How did Hanuman go? He said, Jai Sri Ram and jumped. He landed in Lanka. Look at the plight of Rama. He built a bridge with stones to go to Lanka. Rama needed a bridge to cross the ocean while all hanuman needed was the rama naama . Bhagavaan naama is more potent than bhagavaan himself. To tell you the truth, even god does not know the strength of his naama. Even Rama or Krishna did not know the power of their naama. Naama will change your lives. Your end might come anywhere, in your house, while travelling , in an ambulance , etc. At that point, even if your near and dear relatives are not with you, Krishna will be standing by your side since you chanted the his naama. He will take care of you. He will hold your hand and lead you.
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Just a reminder that Bhagavatam Classes for this Month is on again at:
4-6 pm on Sunday 11th April,
@ Ram Krishna temple
24/7 Lyn Parade Prestons
TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
=================
If you have any questions or doubts concerning Spirituality, Mental peace or problems in life or about dharma, please write to us by clicking here:
http://www.namadwaar.org/answers/askquestion.php
His Holiness Sri Sri Swamiji personally answers these questions for you and suggests prayers.

Miracles of Bhagavan Nama

Ram Ram Hare Krishna
Radhe Radhe
Hope all is well.   Would like to share some recent testimonials (just last week) given by everyday people on Mahamantra and the grace of Mahatmas, in this case our beloved Swamiji HH Sri Sri Muralidhar Swamiji.
Please spare a few minutes of time to read when permits.  :)
================ Ambur is a beautiful town on the Chennai-Bangalore highway. This town occupies a special place in our Sri Swamiji's heart because numerous residents of this town are in love with the Mahamantra, and have a special regard and love for our Guru Maharaj.

Recently, there was a plan to organize a prayer session in this town. Unlike a mass prayer event, a one-on-one prayer event was organized here, on the 28th of March this year.
As a part of the prayer session, many devotees came forward to share their experiences of how the divine grace and power of the Mahamantra have played unbelievable miracles in their lives.
Each and every experience that was narrated came right from the hearts of the devotees and in turn touched the hearts of all the devotees present.

Here are a few of them....

A lady who spoke had her son living abroad. He had gone abroad for his job more than 12 years ago, leaving behind his mother in this town. During the first few months of his travel, he regularly spoke to his mother over phone and wrote letters to her. After a year or two, that stopped. There was absolutely no communication from her son. Being a mother, she could not remain peaceful without knowing about the well-being of her son. But, unfortunately she knew neither the phone number nor the address of her son. So for her there was simply no means of reaching out to him. When our Sri Swamiji visited Ambur, she cried out to Him stating her helpless condition. Pregnant with the love and compassion of a million mothers, which is indeed the nature of Guru Maharaj, He patiently listened to her and said, 'Don't worry. He will call you.' In a very few days, the lady got a call from her long lost son and now the mother and son are regularly in touch. The lady's face reflected the unbounded happiness that divine grace has ushered into her life as she narrated the touching incident.

Our Sri Swamiji says that the greatest roadblock in our endeavours is lack of faith. It is this lack of faith that blocks divine grace from descending on an individual. Indeed, faith in the words of a Guru can do wonders. A gentleman narrated his experience that substantiated this. Having been married for about twelve years, this couple did not have progeny. They had resorted to all possible medical treatments but with little success. When once, Sri Swamiji came to Ambur, they poured out their heart to Sri Swamiji. Sri Swamiji asked them to offer a 'thulabharam' (offering of fruits, ghee etc. equivalent to one's own weight) to Lord Sri Guruvayurappan. With faith, the couple carried out the 'Thulabharam' as per Sri Swamiji's bidding and very soon, the lady conceived their child. It was an emotional moment, as the proud father showed the little one - the fruit of their faith and divine grace, whom they have named Janani, to the entire audience - a standing example of how divine grace can make the impossible possible.
We say, 'Nama Sankirtan can bring in inner transformation'. Is it just a façade? Or is it really true? The answer is right here...
Nama Sankirtan satsangs are regularly held in this town and people from all age groups - infants to seniors - attend it. There was a school-going young boy who attended the satsangs regularly and truly fallen in love with the Mahamantra. As he chanted the Mahamantra, he started feeling that he should not take non-vegetarian food any more. Everyone in his family was non-vegetarian, and as is the case in every other non-vegetarian household, it was a practice for them to cook meat on Sundays. This young Bhagavata would refuse to take meat. This would often bring in an argument at the lunch table in his family, as his mother would force him to take it. One such Sunday, when the boy strongly refused, the argument between the mother and son heated up and eventually the latter declared, 'If Mahamantra were true, it will, one day, make you a vegetarian too!'

In a few days, this young lad who went to school did not return. His parents frantically searched for him. They did not leave any stone unturned to find the boy, but in vain. The mother now started attending the Nama Sankirtan satsangs regularly. The very Mahamantra that she chanted in the satsang increased her faith and conviction in Nama. During one such satsang, she prayed, in her heart of hearts, sincerely to the Almighty for her son's return. After having established this beautiful relationship with the Lord through the medium of prayers, she had a strange feeling in her heart - something told her that if she stopped taking non-vegetarian food, her son would return. As this thought came to her quite often, she undertook a promise - that she would abstain from taking non-vegetarian diet once and for all, if she got back her lost son.

'The very next day was the most unforgettable day in my life' - the mother said as she was narrating the story to the assembled devotees, with drops of tears rolling out of her eyes... 'My son got back home, all by himself and he was standing at the doorstep smiling at me.'
Listening to and reading these wonderful experiences, it is only gratitude to the Sadguru and the Almighty that wells up in our heart -- for having given us this rarest of the rare gem - the Mahamantra. All we can do is strengthen our prayers for giving us more and more taste in this nectarine Mahamantra and chant it more and more.... Is it not?
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TIll the next time we meet in the name of LORD!
ys Deepak
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
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