Tag: Devotional

SUNDAY SURPRISE (76)

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SHRI SAI BABA OF SHIRDI.

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Good morning friends,

Last Sunday, I shared some of my experiences of miracles by two of the most revered saints in India, Shri Mahaperiyava and Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. This Sunday, I wish to talk about this great Saint and a Sadguru ( the greatest teacher) who was kindness personified and an ocean of mercy.

According to Wikipedia, His year of birth is 1838 AD ( approximately) whereas there are speculations concerning who His parents were.

He was allegedly born to a boatman named  Ganga Bhavadia and his wife Devagiriamma in  the Maharashtrian village of Pathri. 

Another story is that Sai Baba was born in Tamil Nadu. This version claims that Abdul Sattar was his  father and Vaishnavdevi was his mother. This is one of the specialities of great saints. Their entry into this world is mysterious. Moreover, they are also aware of the time to shed their mortal bodies.

Sai Baba appeared as a 16-year-old boy who performed severe penance under the shade of the sacred Neem tree (scientific name: Azadirachta indica). People were curious to know more about him because he was so handsome and looked divine. According to Sai Satcharitra ( a book describing the life and miracles of Shri Sai), God Khandoba possessed the body of a devotee gathered around the boy, asked some people to dig at a particular spot. When this was done, they were surprised to find four earthern lamps burning inside the pit. How could it be possible? The people came to know that this place was dedicated to Sai Baba (the boy)’s Guru who had practiced meditation. Along with Sai Baba, people also started worshipping This Sacred Neem, around which they built Baba’s Gurusthan.

Sai Amrithadhara

Gurusthan under the sacred Neem.

It’s believed that the leaves of this tree are sweet rather than bitter.

Shri Sai Baba returned to Shirdi with thr marriage party led by Chand Patil, a well to do Muslim from Ahmednagar. He was given a warm welcome by Bhagat Mhalsapati, a priest at the Khandoba Temple, who addressed Him as, ” Ya, Sai! ” ( Welcome, Sai!) . This is how He got the name ” Sai Baba.” He began living in a deserted Masjid which He called Dwarkamai . This is where He used to help His devotees by curing them of all their ailments, offer His Kind words of Mercy that could change His Devotees’ fortune for a better and a prosperous life.

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Advisor

Dwarkamai ( Trip Advisor)

Dwarkamai ( Sai Baba’s Holy mosque that was and is open to the people of all the communities, especially Hindus. He regarded Dwarkamai as a Hindu Masjad and would address it with respect as Dwarkamai. Mai means mother) .

Shri Sai Baba, just like Mahaperiyava, never discriminated between His Followers. His Darbar ( Courtyard) is open to all.

Here, I would like to share an experience of my maternal aunt. She used to find it difficult to open her eyes for at least half to one hour every day after waking up. She used Cellophane tape to stick to her eyelids to keep her eyes open. She went to Shirdi with my grandparents and my maternal uncle. The moment she stepped inside Dwarkamai, She saw Sai Baba in His spiritual form. He smiled at her and beckoning her to follow him. He laughed and played with her. Of course, she experienced this because she was in the state of Trance. Actually, she fell unconscious. My family was worried. But she quickly regained consciousness and What a miracle! Her eye problem was completely cured. Till now, it has never recurred.

A similar miracle happened with my mom as well. As soon as she stepped inside Dwarkamai, she fell unconscious. The biggest miracle was she completely got rid of her Hypertension problem. The doctors were astonished to find a High BP patient getting completely cured. Such is the Grace of All Pervading Baba, whom I consider the reincarnation of God.

Well, be prepared for more goosebumps, as I will continue to discuss Shirdi Sai Baba’s greatness and His Temple Precincts.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

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SUNDAY SURPRISE 74

Posted on by aparna12

MIRACLES OF SAI BABA AND MAHAPERIYAVA (THe GREAT ELDER)

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His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal, better known as Kanchi Paramacharya ( The Head Guru) or Mahaperiyava ( The Great Elder) was, is, and would always be one of the greatest spiritual teachers and most revered saints of India. ‘I have already dedicated a post to Him which you can check out at :

HIS HOLINESS JAGADGURU SRI SRI SRI CHANDRASHEKHARENDRA SARASWATI SWAMIGAL

He is an ocean of Mercy and has graced many devotees with experiences that can’t be described in words. ‘I also would love to invite my readers to share their experiences here.

When I got married in 2008 into a traditional Orthodox Tamil Brahmin family, little did I know that I would be subjected to humiliation and mental torture. A couple of months later, ‘I saw Mahaperiyava in my dream. He said, ” Worship Tulsi ( a holy medicinal plant) and circumambulate around it. Everything will be alright.” We planted Tulsi (Holy Basil) as He suggested, but it didn’t survive after being uprooted several times by a huge rat. Inspite of this, my life did take upward turn, my suicide attempt thwarted, and ‘I was able to tolerate my mental agony. He helped me by blessing me with Inner Strength to endure the ugliest phase of my married life.

When I saw Him in my dreams, the second time, He smiled at me and placed His boon conferring Hands on my head. My blogs and writing career took off to a great start. ‘I found solace in writing and made so many wonderful friends through blogging at WordPress.

I saw Him recently in my dreams recently and had goosebumps when ‘I experienced a light emanating from his photo and settling within me. My faith and devotion in Him has increased manifold. If you truly believe Him, He will never forsake you. The most important thing to note about Mahaperiyava and Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi are they are not bound to any religion. Their Kindness and Grace is available to all the people belonging to various religions, castes, sub castes, gender, and so on, provided you are lucky enough to earn Their Grace. ‘I am fortunate enough to have Two Sadgurus who are the Two sides of the same coin, called God.

Bhakti Photos

Now ‘I would like to share the miracles of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. ‘I will present a separate article on Him next Sunday.

Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi is considered to be a reincarnation of Lord Dattatreya ( Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma in one body). Before attaining His Mahasamadhi ( the act of consciously shedding their physical body which can be done only by the Saints and Spiritual Teachers), He said that He would continue to look after the welfare of His devotees. Believe it or not. But He has been true to His words and performed many miracles. My mom and ‘I are witness to His Kindness and Mercy.

I was doing a freelance writing project for an individual and somehow managed to complete it on time, despite his frequent objections and my repeated editing to suit his needs. A month had passed but I didn’t receive the payment for my effort. I had a dream in which I saw myself crying before the portrait of Shri Sai and a postman coming to me with a money order of thousand bucks. The very same day, ‘I received Rs. 1200/- ( 200 extra). And it was Thursday ( a very special day, dedicated to Shri Sai).

Similarly, ‘I won the second prize at the 52 week writing challenge by Storymirror.com and received the prize money of 20,000 ₹ on Thursday.

But His Greatest miracle was saving my Mom’s life and granting me, my most prized treasure, Mom. My mom was battling for her life when the Covid-19 was at its peak and most of the hospitals were fully occupied. Her health condition was deteriorating. We almost lost all hopes. ‘I cried and prayed to Shri Sai Baba to give me my mom and nothing else. And then, a miracle happened. My husband contacted a friend who was working for Billroth Hospitals and mom was successfully admitted to the hospital, where she made a great recovery. And……. She got admitted to the hospital on a Thursday. Shri Sai Baba, like Mahaperiyava, is an ocean of Mercy. If you pray earnestly, He answers your prayers.

There are many such miracles which I would share in my upcoming blogs.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

A PRAYER TO LORD KRISHNA

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A POEM BY ME

Photo by Bhawani Shankar kumawat on Pexels.com
O Krishna! 
The  Protector of the Universe! 
I seek refuge in Thy Feet. 
Protect Your children, all of us. 
Help us slay our inner demons. 
You slayed Kansa and freed Mathura from his tyranny. 
Blessed are the people of Gokul and Vrindavan to have laughed and played with You. 
My eyes are longing to see Your smiling Face. 
The Lotus-shaped eyes of yours sparkle with mischief and love. 
I offer my humble prayers to You on Your special day. 
Welcome to my modest abode as my adorable Little Krishna! 
Do accept my sweets and savories of Love and Devotion. 
As I see Radha and Krishna in little girls and boys. 
I wish I could listen to the melody of Your Flute. 
And watch You dancing and playing with Gopikas. 
My Mischievous Krishna, I have specially set aside Curd and Butter for You. 
O Krishna! 
Our Savior and the Greatest Teacher. 
Teach us to be humble in our approach. 
Teach us to love and respect all creatures. 
Teach us to put out the flame of hatred. 
And teach us to be devoted to Your Holy Feet. 
You were so generous with Sudama 
And immortalized Friendship. 
You helped Draupadi to protect her honor, 
Setting an example for a perfect brother. 
You led Pandavas to Victory in their war against Adharma ( Unrighteousness). 
Though a King, You became a Charioteer to Arjun, displaying Your humbleness. 
You gave Bhagavad Gita and taught us the perfect way to live. 
Do accept this tribute from a mere mortal like me. 
Who is seeking Your Grace and Mercy. 


Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SPECIAL WORSHIP To GODDESS ELlAIAMMAN ( THE GODDESS WHO GUARDS OUR LOCALITY).

Posted on by aparna12

TEMPLE FESTIVAL

Good evening friends,

I wish to share some beautiful pictures of bursting of firecrackers in the honor of Goddess Shakti. It’s a three-day festival during which people worship the Goddess by offering milk, walk on burning embers of wood, pierce their tongues and bodies with a tiny spear called Vel, the weapon of Lord Murugan, Her Son and the Commander in Chief of the Hindu Gods.

Since I was out for most of the day, I was unable to capture the photos of the main events. So, for your reference, as I sought them out from various websites.

Pinterest
Alamy.

This is called carrying of Kavadi of tiny spears to appease Lord Murugan.

Twitter

This is called Thimidi Or firewalking ritual to please Goddess Shakti.

Ellaiamman temple near my home.
A view from my terrace.

The rest of the clicks are from my phone camera at my terrace.

I hope you liked it.

Good night and sweet dreams.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SUNDAY SURPRISE (28)

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KUMBHABHISHEKAM : THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE DIVINE SHRI ELLAIMMAN TEMPLE AT KORATTUR, CHENNAI, INDIA

Good morning friends,

Today I would like to talk to you about a grand temple ceremony that I was lucky to witness from the comfort of my house at Ellaimman Nagar, Korattur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India. This ceremony is called Kumbhabhishekam. Let me show you the temple dedicated to Goddess Ellaimman ( A form of Maa Durga who protects our local area) just opposite my house.

Shri Ellaimman Temple

What is Kumbhabhishekam?

Kumbhabhishekam, otherwise called Samprokshanam is a Hindu custom that is usually carried out to homogenize, synergize and join the spiritualist powers of the God. It is important for the sanctification of Hindu temples. Kumbha implies the Head and means the Shikhara or Crown of the Temple (as in Gopuram) and the abhisekam or prokshanam is done by sprinkling the holy water carried in small pots over the Gopuram ( top of the temple). Kumbhabhishekam is done once in twelve years to rejuvenate the powers of the presiding deity.

Harivara.com

This is how Kumbhabhishekam is done. I was unable to click the original picture of the holy temple because of overcrowding. The image above illustrates the actual procedure of the Temple Sanctification.

The Celebration.

Our temple dedicated to Goddess Ellaimman, a guardian of our area ( Ellai means the border of an area), has been recently renovated with fresh paint, and installation of new shrines to various Gods.The Kumbhabhishekam took place on 10.6.2022, but the festivities started on 9.6.2022 itself. The function went off very well for two days. The ceremony began with Ganapati Homam, a fire altar ceremony, dedicated to Lord Ganesha, The Elephant-headed Hindu God, who’s not only the remover of Obstacles but also is considered Very Auspicious. Offering our first prayers to Him before starting any venture ensures the success of our Undertaking and without any obstacles in the path of our progress. It was followed by Navagraha Homam, a sacred ceremony performed to appease the nine deities representing the nine planets. This was followed by worshipping the cow and a special worship to Goddess Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Annadana or food distribution took place on a grand scale and anybody, rich or poor, could partake the Mahaprasad, ( The food first offered to Goddess Ellaimman).

NamasteGod.com

I again apologize for not clicking the original picture on account of two reasons, one due to the heavy rush and secondly, most of the temples do not allow taking the photos for security reasons.

The second day saw the continuity of Ganpati Homam and chanting of vedic hymns to appease various deities followed by Purnahuti Or the conclusion of the rituals and the actual abhishekam ( sprinkling the sacred water over the temple Gopuram) concluded peacefully. Gopuram is the top of the temple. It was followed by the grand scale Food distribution ( Annadana) and in the evening, we had a musical concert of devotional songs sung by the legendary devotional carnatic singer, Veeramani Dasan. The ceremony concluded with a temple procession of the idol of The Goddess decked in flowers and ornaments in a chariot with the priests accepting the offerings of the devotees, get it sanctified at the feet of the Goddess and giving back the consecrated offering ( usually consists of a couple of betel leaves, two bananas, betelnuts, coconut, and flowers with a burning camphor, the sacred ash called Vibhuti and the Vermillion powder called Kumkum).

Alamy.com.

This is an example of the temple procession carried out on a chariot.

I have clicked some pictures at night ( 10.6.2022) .

Shri Ellaimman Temple after the ceremony.

Can you believe that it’s an artificial elephant? Usually, we find real elephants in many temples of Tamil Nadu. We give money to the Mahout, the elephant’s caretaker and the elephant places it’s trunk on our head to bless us. We consider the elephant to represent Lord Ganesha.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SUNDAY SURPRISE (10)

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HAPPY RAMNAVAMI

Good morning friends,

Happy Ramnavami to all. This very special day is dedicated to the celebration of the birth anniversary of Lord Shri Ram, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who appeared in several forms on the earth to slay demons and save the world from the clutches of the evil. Lord Vishnu reincarnated ten times on the earth called Dashavatara. Lord Rama was one of his avatars.

Bhakti photos. com

Lord Rama was the eldest of the four sons born to King Dashrath of Ayodhya. King Dashrath had three queens, Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra but was heirless for quite some time. Guru Vashishtha advised him to perform a ritual (yagya) ( offering to God of Fire). The God, pleased with his devotion, came up with a cup of porridge and asked him to distribute it amongst his queens. Kaushalya and Kaikeyi had their share and fed a portion each to Sumitra because of which she was blessed with twins, Laxman and Shatrughan. Rama was born to Kaushalya while Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharat.

The four princes grew up together. They all loved and adored each other. They went to Guru Vashishtha for their education. They became well versed in the subjects like archery, religious scriptures and administration of the kingdom.

King Dashrath and his queens were delighted to find their sons returning home after completing their education. Guru Vishwamitra asked for Rama and Laxman to accompany him towards the ashram of the sages who were performing sacrificial rituals and guard them against the demons who disrupted their rituals. Ram killed Subahu and sent away Mareech, this freeing the ashram from the demons. Vishwamitra, Rama, and Laxman went to Mithila. There was a contest for seeking the hand of the Princess of Mithila, Sita, in marriage. There were many kings and princess taking part in the contest. They had to lift and string the bow gifted by Lord Shiva. Most of them failed until Lord Rama broke the bow and married Devi Sita. Her sisters, Urmila, Mandavi, and Shrutkirti got married to Laxman, Bharat, and Shatrughan.

It was time for King Dashrath to step down as the King of Ayodhya and hand over the reins to his eldest son, which was the usual norms.

Kaikeyi adored Rama and was very happy to know that Dashrath was planning to hand over the throne of Ayodhya to Him. Unfortunately, she had an evil maid with a hump on her back, called Manthara who poisoned Kaikeyi’s ears against Rama. Kaikeyi’s love for Rama quickly got replaced with her hatred. Manthara reminded her of seeking the two boons offered to her by King Dashrath when she saved from being killed by demons.

Kaikeyi revealed her true colors to Dashrath by asking for fourteen years’ exile for Rama and the Kingdom of Ayodhya to Bharat. Dashrath was furious but helpless. He felt heart broken. Lord Rama asked His father the reason for his sadness and when Dashrath told Him about Kaikeyi’s cruel demand, He willingly went to the forest With Sita and Laxman. Dashrath died shortly.

During their exile, a demoness Shurpanakha, the sister of King Ravan of Lanka, happened to see Rama and fell in love with Him. She asked him to marry her but He refused saying that he had taken a vow to remain faithful to His wife only. Shurpanakha saw Sita and she was stunned by her beauty. The demoness approached Laxman but he too rejected her.

She tried to attack Sita but Laxman cut off her nose. She went crying to Ravan to seek revenge by kidnapping Sita. Ravan sent his demon, Mareech, to disguise him as a golden deer to lure away Rama. Sita saw the deer and asked Rama to get it for her. He went away leaving behind Laxman to guard her. Rama aimed his arrow at Mareech and the demon was killed but cried out for help in Rama’s voice. Sita forced Laxman to help his brother. He drew a circle around the hut and forbid her from stepping out of the circle.

Sometimes later, Ravan disguised as a mendicant seeking alms forced her to step out and carried her away in his air-chariot. Rama and Laxman were shocked to find Sita missing. She had dropped her ornaments on the way to let them know where she went. They saw a dying vulture called Jatayu who informed them that Ravan had abducted her and taken her to Lanka. They went through the dense forests and reached Kishkindha where they met Hanuman , The Monkey God and an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. He took them to King Sugriv. They ( Rama and Laxman) offered their help to win back Sugriv’s lost kingdom from his evil brother, Bali, in exchange for his services in finding the location of Sita and rescuing her from Ravan. Rama killed Bali. Hanuman flew to Lanka and saw Sitadevi brooding under a tree.

He gave her Lord Rama’s ring to prove that he was a trusted confidante of Lord Rama. Sita was pleased with him and gave her hair ornament called Chudamani to confirm that He ( Hanuman) had indeed met Her. Hanuman was captured by the demon army and Ravan wanted to kill Him but his wise brother Vibhishan advised him against it. Ravan ordered to set his tail on fire. Hanuman burned Lanka before returning to His Lord and giving Him the good news about meeting Sita.

Sugriv and his army with the help of Hanuman built a bridge across the sea and crossed Lanka. They had a fierce battle and Ravan’s brother Vibhishan, joined Rama’s army and planning their strategy to defeat Ravan.

Meanwhile, Ravan’s son Indrajeet hurt Laxman. Laxman could only be revived with the help of Sanjeevani, a herb growing in Dronagiri mountain. Hanuman went on to fetch Sanjeevani but carried the entire mountain on his way back. Laxman got a new lease of life as the herbal doctor Sushen administered the drug. Laxman killed Indrajeet while Rama slayed Kumbhkarn, Ravan’s brother. The battle continued for ten days. Vibhishan advised Rama to aim his arrow at Ravan’s navel to dislodge the pot of elixir that he had hidden and hit him. Finally, Lord Rama emerged victorious after killing Ravan and rescued Devi Sita from Lanka. He crowned Vibhishan as the new King of Lanka before returning home to Ayodhya and became the King.

Jai Shri Rama!

I have summarized the story above. Here’s the animated version.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

HIS HOLINESS JAGADGURU SRI SRI SRI CHANDRASHEKHARENDRA SARASWATI SWAMIGAL

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SRI MAHAPERIYAVA ARADHANA SPECIAL.

Courtesy : Pinterest
Courtesy : Wikipedia.

His Holiness, Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal is one of the greatest seers, a respected saint and a spiritual teacher of India. He is also known as Sri Maha Periyava ( The great elder) of Kancheepuram, a district in Tamil Nadu, famous for its Silk Sarees and temples. He is also acknowledged as a great Sadguru ( The greatest teacher) and revered by all.

About Mahaperiyava:

Courtesy : Wikipedia

He was the 68th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.

He was born on 20 May 1894 at Kalavai, Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu. He was named Swaminathan Sharma at birth. His parents were Subrahmanya Sastri, a teacher and Mahalakshmi ( both Kannada speaking Brahmins). He was the second son of his parents.

His upanayanam, a sacred thread ceremony of Hindu Brahmins was performed in Tindivanam, 1905. After the 66th Jagadguru, Chandrashekharendra Saraswati VI attained Siddhi at Kalavai, His Maternal Cousin ascended the Peetham as 67th Acharya. Swaminathan replaced 67th Acharya in the year 1907 with the Sanyasa Name, Shri. Chandrashekharendra Saraswati. He got well trained in Vedas, Puranas, various religious scriptures. He was a Perfect Celibate and a great incarnation of Lord Shiva, who blessed his devotees and looked after their welfare. He would guide those who sought refuge in His Holy Feet with words of Wisdom and Kindness. He travelled all over India for creating awareness of Hindu religion.
He attained Mahasamadhi on 8 January 1994 at the age of 100.

My Experiences

Just like Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi, His Divine Grace helped people to get respite from their troubles, physical, mental as financial. Great saints like Him are always Immortal.

My brother was in search of a job after completing his graduation. My great aunt had asked him to draw a portrait of Shri Mahaperiyava. He obliged her and completed the portrait by His Grace. He got a job within a couple of days after finishing the portrait.

I was going through a low phase in my life. I was desperate and desolate. But He appeared in my dream with a smile on His Face and raised his hands to bless me. He said, ” You will have a good life ahead.” Believe it or not, but the moment He said these words, my life took a favorable upturn. There was no looking back.

Today is His 28th Aradhana Day( dedicated to his Mahasamadhi as Per Tamil Hindu Calendar). He respected all religions and was well versed in all the religious scriptures, because of which He is respected by people of all religious communities.

I would like to share the experiences of other disciples ( devotees) in my upcoming blogs.

Mahaperiyava Sharanam.

Jaya Jaya Shankara! Hara Hara Shankara!