Ganapati.

Birth of Ganesha, Curse due to Moon, Shamantaka Jewel Vyakhanam.

Obstacles: Every human goes through this in almost every day of his life, it is inevitable to find a human without any obstacles, because the very purpose this earth was created is for the souls to come and get rid of their "Bad Karma", or to earn "Good Karma", or to prove their mantle so that they can assimilate in to the supreme soul.

The story of Ganajana, and shamantaka Jewel is told by Sutha Rishi to the King Sanaka.

There used to be a elephant, named Gajasura, to obtain lord shiva he performs a very long penance, lord shiva ( The innocent God) appears before Gajasura and asks him for his wish.

Gajasura says: Hey swami! "you should live in my belly forever".

[As Lord Shiva is know for his character for offering any thing to anyone] so Lord Shiva enters Gajasura's belly and lives there.

At that time in Kailash (Shiva abode) Lord Shiva's consort, Parvati Devi comes to know about the whole happening through her divine foresight, she runs to Lord Vishnu and wails.

"Hey Narayana!, as you rescued Lord Shiva from a demon named Bhasmasura in the past",
[Bhasmasura was a demon who wanted to rule the whole world, so he performs penance to appease Lord Shiva, and once Lord Shiva appears, he asks for a boon that if he places his hand on anyone's head, that person should burn to ashes, Lord Shiva approves it, at that moment the demon Bhasmasura tries to place his hand on Lord Shiva's head to check if it works, then Lord Narayana transforms himself into a beautiful women and kills Bhasmasura with his own hand ] Parvati Devi pleads, "please save him again from Gajasura", and she tells him the whole story.

Narayana takes Nandi (Lord Shiva's vehicle), Lord Brahma and few other Gana's (Lord Shiva's followers kind of demi gods) proceed to Gajasura's place, Lord Narayana transforms himself into a human being and takes the bull and the other gods with him as his fellow dancers, they go making some music around Gajasura's place, Gajsura gets curious and wants to take a look at the musical party and the dancing bull and he feels very happy for the bull.

Gajasura asks the human (Narayana) : "Hey human ask what ever you want".

Lord Narayana says: "Swami! this is Lord shiva's vehicle "Nandi" the bull, and it is looking for Lord Shiva, please show him his master Lord Shiva, and after that we will take leave".

Gajasura is astonished! he thinks, how do they know about Lord Shiva, and he knows for sure that there is only one way to show Lord Shiva and that is by cutting open his belly, and if he cuts his belly, he sure will die, but as he has already promised the human to ask what ever he wants, he agrees to show Lord Shiva and pleads with Lord Shiva.

Gajasura: "Hey Shiva! it is time for my death, but once you are out of my stomach I would like my head to be worshipped by the three worlds (Heaven, Earth and Hell) and you should wear my skin". [ Lord Shiva agrees, and out comes Lord Shiva after the death of Gajasura].

Lord Shiva returns home with his bull "Nandi" and Lord Narayana and Lord Brahma also return to their respective abodes. [Parvati Devi comes to know about this event and prepares herself to welcome her husband Lord Shiva in Kailash, she goes in to take bath and while taking bath she scrapes her body and with that scrape of her body she makes a small boy and gives him life force, the boy breathes life and she instructs him to guard the main door till she completes her bath.

As the boy is guarding the door, Lord Shiva appears and tries to enter his abode, the boy not knowing who Lord Shiva was, objects Lord Shiva's entry and after a little fight, Lord Shiva beheads the small boy and enters his abode, Parvati Devi welcomes him and they exchange pleasantries, and then the topic of the small boy crops up, Parvati Devi feels extremely sad for the little boy, Lord Shiva promises her that he will bring the small boy back to life, at that moment he remembers the wish he had given to the elephant Gajasura, that, his head will be worshipped in the three worlds, so he asks his followers to bring the head of the killed Gajasura and he places the head of the Gajasura-elephant and gives life force to the elephant headed boy and names him Gajanana, Gajanana makes a demon his vehicle after he is transformed into a mouse.

During that time, Lord Shiva and Parvati Devi had another child, Lord Subramanium [Army chief of GODs] , one day all the Gana's complain to Lord Shiva that their lives are full of obstacles and he needs to appoint some one as the "Ruler of obstacles", and they suggest, why not one of his son's take that responsibility, Lord shiva informs his son's about it.

Gajanana and Subramanium swami both ask Lord Shiva for that responsibility, Lord Shiva tells them, whoever takes bath in all the rivers, oceans, and all the water sources of the three worlds and returns to me first will be given the responsibility to rules the obstacles.

So Subramanium swami takes off on his vehicle the peacock, at that moment Gajanana says, "hey father!, it is not possible for me to go faster than my brother on this mouse with my huge body, so please father give a solution for this problem".

Lord shiva says: "Hey son!, anyone who chants Narayana Mantra one time, attains the status of having taken bath in three hundred water sources". promptly Gajanana settles in one place and starts chanting the Narayana Mantra continuously.

Every time Subramanium Swami arrives at a water source, he sees Gajanana already leaving that water source and this happens at almost every water source and as he returns to Kailash, he finds Gajanana seated in a fine posture, he pleads with his father.

"Hey father! My brother Gajanana is superior to me by many folds so he is the right one for the position as "Ruler of obstacles", and hence Lord Shiva awards the position of "Ruler of obstacles" to Gajanana and is he named Vighneshwara.

Every one worships Vighneshwara on the fourth day of Bhadrapada month, the day when Lord Gajanana is made the "Ruler of obstacles", so lots of sweatmeats likes, sweet rice balls, Bananas, Honey, Milk, Coconut, Wheat flour balls, etc are prepared for Gajanana as offerings.
Gajanana on that day makes a round of Earth and consumes too many such sweatmeats, his stomach breaks open due to the pressure, but he refuses to stop and he ties his stomach with a snake and continues to eat and returns to kailash to take his parents blessings.

As he bends to touch his parents feet's he falls flat on his stomach and collapses, Moon present their is not able to control himself and laughs at the plight of Gajanana, Parvati Devi also present their feels sorry for her son and curses Moon, that if anyone ever look at the moon will go through, censor, bad blames, even if he/she did not commit it, will be blamed for it.

At that moment, on the earth, the "seven sages", happen to perform a Yagya and their wives happen to circle around the fire, the fire god looking at those seven women falls in love with the seven wives of sages, this is observed by the wife of fire god and she transforms herself into the six women except "Arundati" and satisfies her husband's wish, the six sages observe this and they curse their wives for being unfaithful, like this the curse of Parvati Devi is fructified by seeing the Moon.

Lord Narayana comes to know about this event and he informs the sages about the real happening and the wives of the sages are freed from the curse which they did not deserve, at that moment the wives of the sages plead, "hey Narayana!, you came to know about us and the curse of Parvati Devi and you saved us, but what about the millions of ordinary people, so same way we should do something to save millions of humans on the earth who might be blamed for something which they did not do or deserve", so Narayana with all the sages and their wives reach kailash and request Parvati Devi to find a solution for the problem, because it is amost impossible for humans to avoid seeing moon from earth.

Parvati Devi, says, "OK!, only on that day of the year when the moon laughed at my son, if anyone takes a look at the moon will go through the censor and bad name etc". everyone conveys their thanks to Parvati Devi and return to their respective abodes, meanwhile Gajanana gets back to his normal self. Time passes by.

In Dwapar Yuga ( About 5200 years back), Lord Krishna and the Shamantaka Jewel.

One day Narada visits Lord Krishna in Dwaraka and informs him about the Moon and the related curse and tells him not to see the Moon on that day, so Lord Krishna conveys this message to all people of Dwaraka, In the evening time he walks in to the balcony with his head down, to avoid seeing moon, and he tries to drink milk from a bowl, as he drinks milk he sees the reflection of moon in the milk bowl, he exclaims! Aha! what have I done and anticipates for some bad name to follow.

After some time, A person named Satrajit, gets a jewel named "Shamantaka" from Sun god after a long penance. Satrajit visits Lord Krishna, after all the formalities, Lord Krishna questions Satrajit about the jewel and asks him to give it to him, Satrajit refuses and tells him that is is too valuable as it creates gold and returns home, his brother Prasana goes for hunting in the forest and takes the jewel with him, a lion gets attracted to the shining object and attacks Prasana and kills him and takes the jewel away, later a Bear named Jambavanta, [Jambavanta is the same bear who helped Lord Rama in Treta Yuga (About 1 million years ago) to save Sita from the demon king of Lanka "Ravana".] he is a human with bear face, he snatches the jewel from the lion and gives it to his daughter, " Jambavati" in a cave.

Meanwhile, the people of Satrajit go searching for Prasana and find him dead but the jewel, when Satrajit comes to know about it, he suspects Lord Krishna and blames lord Krishna as the thief and the murderer, Lord Krishna comes to know about it and knows that it is time for the curse to fructify, so he takes few people with him and goes to the place where Prasana lay killed, he finds the footprints of the lion next to the body of Prasana, he follows them and later he finds the lion and foot prints of bear, which take him to the cave, he goes alone inside the cave and finds Jambavati playing with the jewel, he tries to take it, but she raises an alarm, mighty bear king Jambavanta comes and fights with Lord Krishna, the fight goes on for 28 days, after 28 days the bear falls on the ground and realizes that it is none but Lord Rama in the incarnation of Lord Krishna [He remembers his request to Lord Rama, once Rama asks Jambavanta, "what do you want in exchange for your services", Jambavanta requests for a wrestling match with Rama, Lord Rama assures him that one day he will get a chance]

Jambavanta asks: "Hey lord what brought you here", Lord krishna tells him the whole story and requests him for the jewel, Jambavanta offers his daughter and the jewel, Lord Krishna comes out of the cave and returns the jewel to the Satrajit and tells him the whole story.
Satrajit feels extremely sorry for his behavior and offers his sister, Satyabhama and the jewel as a token of apology.

Lord krishna accepts Satyabhama but the jewel and returns home and all the guests who come to bless the couple plead with lord Krishna, "hey Krishna! you are a supreme soul, so you could go and find the solution for the blame and get out of it with in no time, but what about the million of humans who are ordinary souls, how can they find solution to their blames and bad names or censor etc following the seeing of the moon on the fateful day".

Lord Krishna said like this: Every year on the fourth day of bhadrapada you should worship Lord Vighneswara, and listen or narrate the story, right from the birth of Lord Gajanana till the returning of Shamantaka Jewel by me, and sprinkle " Axatas", (Colored unbroken rice) on your head, then even if you see the moon on that fateful day the curse will not fructify, and from here onwards Gajanana will not only be the ruler of obstacles but he will be the king of all Gana's and people so he will also be called as the Vighneshwara Ganadhipati .

Hearing this all the people make merry and regale with happiness and since then every year on the fourth day of Bhadrapada (around Aug-Sep) people worship Lord Vignesha as the Ruler and Remover of obstacles with faith and devotion.

This story was narrated by Sutha Rishi to the king Sanaka.

This story by Sri Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy in simple Telugu is translated in to English by me for the readers.

ॐ गँ गणपतये नमः ! 

Note: I have experimented with the Moon on this day (On purpose) sometime back and I know what happens :-), so it is a sincere request to everyone not to repeat what I have already done. 

The scientist in me could not stop himself from experimenting, now the human in me is trying to amend the past mistakes.

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, Sep 16, 2007

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महागणेशा पंचरत्न 

१०८ गणेशनामा

१००० गणेशनामा 

गणेश

गणपति 

महा गणपति 

गणेशा चतुर्थी 

गणेशा मंत्र 

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Ganesh Chaturthi

ॐ नमः शिवाय। 

SALUTATIONS to Lord Ganesha who is Brahman Himself, who is the Supreme Lord, who is the energy of Lord Shiva, who is the source of all bliss, and who is the bestower of all virtuous qualities and success in all undertakings.

Mushikavaahana modaka hastha,

Chaamara karna vilambitha sutra,

Vaamana rupa maheshwara putra,

Vighna vinaayaka paada namasthe

MEANING: "O Lord Vinayaka! the remover of all obstacles, the son of Lord Shiva, with a form which is very short, with mouse as Thy vehicle, with sweet pudding in hand, with wide ears and long hanging trunk, I prostrate at Thy lotus-like Feet!"

Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most popular of Hindu festivals. This is the birthday of Lord Ganesha. It is the day most sacred to Lord Ganesha. It falls on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (August-September). It is observed throughout India, as well as by devoted Hindus in all parts of the world.

Clay figures of the Deity are made and after being worshipped for two days, or in some cases ten days, they are thrown into water.

Lord Ganesha is the elephant-headed God. He is worshipped first in any prayers. His Names are repeated first before any auspicious work is begun, before any kind of worship is begun.
He is the Lord of power and wisdom. He is the eldest son of Lord Shiva and the elder brother of Skanda or Kartikeya. He is the energy of Lord Shiva and so He is called the son of Shankar and Umadevi. By worshipping Lord Ganesha mothers hope to earn for their sons the sterling virtues of Ganesha.

The following story is narrated about His birth and how He came to have the head of an elephant:

Once upon a time, the Goddess Gauri (consort of Lord Shiva), while bathing, created Ganesha as a pure white being out of the mud of Her Body and placed Him at the entrance of the house. She told Him not to allow anyone to enter while she went inside for a bath. Lord Shiva Himself was returning home quite thirsty and was stopped by Ganesha at the gate. Shiva became angry and cut off Ganesha's head as He thought Ganesha was an outsider.

When Gauri came to know of this she was sorely grieved. To console her grief, Shiva ordered His servants to cut off and bring to Him the head of any creature that might be sleeping with its head facing north. The servants went on their mission and found only an elephant in that position. The sacrifice was thus made and the elephant's head was brought before Shiva. The Lord then joined the elephant's head onto the body of Ganesha.

Lord Shiva made His son worthy of worship at the beginning of all undertakings, marriages, expeditions, studies, etc. He ordained that the annual worship of Ganesha should take place on the 4th day of the bright half of Bhadrapada.

Without the Grace of Sri Ganesha and His help nothing whatsoever can be achieved. No action can be undertaken without His support, Grace or blessing.

In his first lesson in the alphabet a Maharashtrian child is initiated into the Mantra of Lord Ganesha, Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah. Only then is the alphabet taught.

The following are some of the common Names of Lord Ganesha: Dhoomraketu, Sumukha, Ekadantha, Gajakarnaka, Lambodara, Vignaraja, Ganadhyaksha, Phalachandra, Gajanana, Vinayaka, Vakratunda, Siddhivinayaka, Surpakarna, Heramba, Skandapurvaja, Kapila and Vigneshwara. He is also known by many as Maha-Ganapathi.

His Mantra is Om Gung Ganapathaye Namah. Spiritual aspirants who worship Ganesha as their tutelary Deity repeat this Mantra or Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah.
The devotees of Ganesha also do Japa of the Ganesha Gayatri Mantra. This is as follows.
Tat purushaaya vidmahe Vakratundaaya dheemahi Tanno dhanti prachodayaat.
Lord Ganesha is an embodiment of wisdom and bliss. He is the Lord of Brahmacharins. He is foremost amongst the celibates.

He has as his vehicle a small mouse. He is the presiding Deity of the Muladhara Chakra, the psychic centre in the body in which the Kundalini Shakti resides.
He is the Lord who removes all obstacles on the path of the spiritual aspirant, and bestows upon him worldly as well as spiritual success. Hence He is called Vigna Vinayaka. His Bija Akshara (root syllable) is Gung, pronounced to rhyme with the English word "sung". He is the Lord of harmony and peace.

Lord Ganesha represents Om or the Pranava, which is the chief Mantra among the Hindus. Nothing can be done without uttering it. This explains the practice of invoking Ganesha before beginning any rite or undertaking any project. His two feet represent the power of knowledge and the power of action. The elephant head is significant in that it is the only figure in nature that has the form of the symbol for Om.

The significance of riding on a mouse is the complete conquest over egoism. The holding of the ankusha represents His rulership of the world. It is the emblem of divine Royalty.
Ganesha is the first God. Riding on a mouse, one of nature's smallest creatures and having the head of an elephant, the biggest of all animals, denotes that Ganesha is the creator of all creatures. Elephants are very wise animals; this indicates that Lord Ganesha is an embodiment of wisdom. It also denotes the process of evolution--the mouse gradually evolves into an elephant and finally becomes a man. This is why Ganesha has a human body, an elephant's head and a mouse as His vehicle. This is the symbolic philosophy of His form.

He is the Lord of Ganas or groups, for instance groups of elements, groups of senses, etc. He is the head of the followers of Shiva or the celestial servants of Lord Shiva.
The Vaishnavas also worship Lord Ganesha. They have given Him the name of Tumbikkai Alwar which means the divinity with the proboscis (the elephant's trunk).

Lord Ganesha's two powers are the Kundalini and the Vallabha or power of love.
He is very fond of sweet pudding or balls of rice flour with a sweet core. On one of His birthdays He was going around house to house accepting the offerings of sweet puddings. Having eaten a good number of these, He set out moving on His mouse at night. Suddenly the mouse stumbled--it had seen a snake and became frightened--with the result that Ganesha fell down. His stomach burst open and all the sweet puddings came out. But Ganesha stuffed them back into His stomach and, catching hold of the snake, tied it around His belly.

Seeing all this, the moon in the sky had a hearty laugh. This unseemly behaviour of the moon annoyed Him immensely and so he pulled out one of His tusks and hurled it against the moon, and cursed that no one should look at the moon on the Ganesh Chaturthi day. If anyone does, he will surely earn a bad name, censure or ill-repute. However, if by mistake someone does happen to look at the moon on this day, then the only way he can be freed from the curse is by repeating or listening to the story of how Lord Krishna cleared His character regarding the Syamantaka jewel. This story is quoted in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Lord Ganesha was pleased to ordain thus. Glory to Lord Ganesha! How kind and merciful He is unto His devotees!

Ganesha and His brother Lord Subramanya once had a dispute as to who was the elder of the two. The matter was referred to Lord Shiva for final decision.

Shiva decided that whoever would make a tour of the whole world and come back first to the starting point had the right to be the elder. Subramanya flew off at once on his vehicle, the peacock, to make a circuit of the world. But the wise Ganesha went, in loving worshipfulness, around His divine parents and asked for the prize of His victory.

Lord Shiva said, "Beloved and wise Ganesha! But how can I give you the prize;

you did not go around the world?"

Ganesha replied, "No, but I have gone around my parents. My parents represent the entire manifested universe!"

Thus the dispute was settled in favour of Lord Ganesha, who was thereafter acknowledged as the elder of the two brothers. Mother Parvati also gave Him a fruit as a prize for this victory.

In the Ganapathi Upanishad, Ganesha is identified with the Supreme Self. The legends that are connected with Lord Ganesha are recorded in the Ganesha Khanda of the Brahma Vivartha Purana.

On the Ganesh Chaturthi day, meditate on the stories connected with Lord Ganesha early in the morning, during the Brahmamuhurta period. Then, after taking a bath, go to the temple and do the prayers of Lord Ganesha. Offer Him some coconut and sweet pudding. Pray with faith and devotion that He may remove all the obstacles that you experience on the spiritual path. Worship Him at home, too. You can get the assistance of a pundit. Have an image of Lord Ganesha in your house. Feel His Presence in it.

Don't forget not to look at the moon on that day; remember that it behaved unbecomingly towards the Lord. This really means avoid the company of all those who have no faith in God, and who deride God, your Guru and religion, from this very day.

Take fresh spiritual resolves and pray to Lord Ganesha for inner spiritual strength to attain success in all your undertakings.

May the blessings of Sri Ganesha be upon you all! May He remove all the obstacles that stand in your spiritual path! May He bestow on you all material prosperity as well as liberation!

ॐ नमः शिवाय! 

Sianala, Montreal, Sep, 15, 2007

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महागणेशा पंचरत्न 
१०८ गणेशनामा
१००० गणेशनामा 
गणेश
गणपति 
महा गणपति 
गणेशा चतुर्थी 
गणेशा मंत्र 

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Krishna ashtami - Janmashtami

ॐ नमः शिवाय। 

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय !

Sep 3 ( 10:12 am Rohini)- Sep 4 ( 9:01 am Mrigasira) for Montreal

Sep 3 ( 11:34 am Ashtami)- Sep 4 ( 9:38 am Navami ) for Montreal

Happy Birthday Krishna-12:00 Midnight of Sep 03, 2007, Janmashtami- Sep 04, 2007, it is a two days festival.

This is the birthday of shri Krishna, the eighth Divine Incarnation. It falls on the 8th day of the dark half of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September). This is one of the greatest of all Hindu festivals. Shri Krishna was born at midnight. A twenty-four hour fast is observed on this day, which is broken at midnight.

Temples are decorated for the occasion. Kirtans are sung, bells are rung, the conch is blown, and Sanskrit hymns are recited in praise of Shri Krishna. At Mathura, the birthplace of  Shri Krishna, special spiritual gatherings are organised at this time. Pilgrims from all over India attend these festive gatherings.

Shri Krishna appeared when the moon entered the house of Vrishabha at the constellation of the star Rohini, on Wednesday, the 8th day of the second fortnight of the month of Sravana, which corresponds to the month of Bhadrapada Krishnapaksha according to the Barhaspatyamana, in the year of Visvavasu, 5,172 years ago (from 1945), which means 3227 B.C.

Study the Bhagavatam and the Pancharatras, which are equal to the Upanishads. You will know all about the glory of Shri Krishna, His Lilas and superhuman deeds. The eighth Avatara, Shri Krishna, who has become the Beloved of India and the world at large, had a threefold objective: to destroy the wicked demons, to play the leading role in the great war fought on the battlefield of Kurukshetra (where he delivered His wonderful message of the Gita) and to become the centre of a marvellous development of the Bhakti schools of India.
There is no true science except devotion to Krishna. That man is wealthy indeed who loves Radha and Krishna. There is no sorrow other than lack of devotion to Shri Krishna. He is the foremost of the emancipated who loves Shri Krishna. There is no right course, except the society of Shri Krishna's devotees. The Name, virtues and Lilas (divine pastimes) of Shri Krishna are the chief things to be remembered. The Lotus Feet of Radha and Shri Krishna are the chief objects of meditation.

Shri Krishna is the ocean of bliss. His soul-stirring Lilas, which are the wonder of wonders, are its waves. The honeyed music of His flute attracts the minds of His devotees from all three regions. His unequalled and unsurpassed wealth of beauty amazes the animate and the inanimate beings. He adorns His friends with His incomparable love.

His palms bear the signs of a lotus and discus, the right sole of His feet of a flag, lotus, thunderbolt, an iron goad, barley seed, and the Swastika. His left sole has the rainbow, triangle, water-pot, crescent, sky, fish, and a cow's footprint. His Form is composed of condensed universal consciousness and bliss. His Body pervades the entire cosmos.
Devotion is the only means of attaining Lord Krishna. Bhakti kindles love for the Lord. When love is directed towards Krishna, man is freed from the bondage of the world.

Though Shri Krishna appeared in a human body, He had a divine body not composed of the five elements. He did not take any birth here in the usual sense of the term. He did not die. He appeared and disappeared through His Yoga Maya as He has declared in the Gita. This is a secret, known only to His devotees, Yogis and sages.

His enchanting form with flute in hand is worshipped in myriads of homes in India. It is a form to which is poured out devotion and supreme love from the hearts of countless devotees not only in India but also in the West. Millions of spiritual seekers worship Him and repeat His Mantra, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

Shri Krishna was great in knowledge, great in emotion, great in action, all at once. The scriptures have not recorded any life more full, more intense, more sublime and grander than the life of Shri Krishna.

Shri Krishna has played various roles during His stay in the world. He was Arjuna's charioteer. He was an excellent statesman. He was a master musician; he gave lessons even to Narada in the art of playing the veena. The music of His flute thrilled the hearts of the Gopis and everyone else. He was a cowherd in Brindavan and Gokul. He exhibited miraculous powers even as a child. He killed many demons. He revealed His Cosmic Form to His mother, Yasoda. He performed the Rasa Lila, the secret of which can only be understood by devotees like Narada, Gauranga, Radha and the Gopis. He taught the supreme Truth of Yoga, Bhakti and Vedanta to Arjuna and Uddhava. He had mastered every one of the sixty-four fine arts. For all these reasons He is regarded as a full and complete manifestation of God.

Incarnations of God appear for special reasons under special circumstances. Whenever there is much unrighteousness, whenever confusion and disorder set in on account of unrighteousness and baffle the well-ordered progress of mankind, whenever the balance of human society is upset by selfish, ruthless and cruel beings, whenever irreligion and unrighteousness prevail, whenever the foundations of social organisations are undermined, the great Incarnation of God appears in order to re-establish righteousness and to restore peace.

An Incarnation is the descent of God for the ascent of man. A ray from the Cosmic Being in His potential state of manifestation descends on earth with mighty powers to keep up the harmony of the universe. The work done by the Incarnation of God and His teachings produce a benign influence on human beings and help them in their upward divine unfoldment and Self-realisation.

The Incarnation comes to reveal the divine nature of man and makes him rise above the petty materialistic life of passion and egoism.

The greatest manifestations are called Incarnations proper. Rishis, Munis, prophets, sons of God and messengers of God are minor manifestations.

The Incarnations usually come with their particular or favourite groups or companions. Shri Rama came with Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. 

Shri Krishna came with Balarama, Devas and Rishis. Sanaka came with Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata. Some, like Sri Shankara and Ramanuja, come as teachers and spiritual leaders. Some, like Chaitanya, are born to instill devotion in the hearts of people and turn their minds towards God. The Incarnations proper, like Krishna, come only when there is widespread catastrophe in the world.

On the holy Krishna Janmashtami, the ladies in South India decorate their houses beautifully, ready to welcome him. They prepare various sweetmeats and offer them to him. 

Butter was Shri Krishna's favourite, and this is also offered. From the doorway to the inner meditation room of the house the floor is marked with a child's footprints, using some flour mixed with water. This creates the feeling in them that the his own Feet have made the mark. They treat the day as one of very great rejoicing. 

There is recitation of the Bhagavatam, singing and praying everywhere.

The Janmashtami is celebrated at the Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, with the following programme of intense spiritual activity:

1. During the preceding eight days, Japa of ॐ नमो  भगवते वासुदेवाय।  is done intensely.
2. Those who can, will recite the Bhagavatam during this period. Others will listen to it being recited.
3. On the birthday itself everyone fasts and spends the whole day in holy communion.
4. Everyone greets others with the holy Mantra, ॐ नमो  भगवते वासुदेवाय।.
5. A grand havan is performed on that day.
6. There is continuous Satsang from 4 a.m. early in the morning till night. Yogis, Sannyasins and learned men discourse upon the glorious life and teachings of the Lord.
7. From sunset people assemble in the elaborately decorated temple and sing the Lord's Names and glories.
8. Many hymns and portions of the Bhagavatam, especially the Gopika Geetam, are recited.
9. Towards midnight, there is a grand worship of Shri Krishna. he is  bathed with milk while His Name is chanted 108 times.
10. This worship concludes with offerings of flowers, waving of lights (Arati), and reading of that portion of the Bhagavatam which deals with the birth of Shri Krishna.

This synchronises with midnight, the hour of the Lord's birth, at which time the murti of the Lord is rocked in a beautifully decorated cradle. After this item, all the assembled devotees partake of the holy prasad or sacrament, and then retire, filled with the Grace and blessings of Shri Krishna.

If you cannot read the whole of the Srimad Bhagavatam during these days, at least you should recite the following four most important verses from the book. The leading two verses and the closing verse are the prologue and the epilogue respectively:

"Hear from Me the most secret knowledge coupled with the essential experience and its component parts.

"May you realise by My Grace, the knowledge of Myself and what form, qualities and actions I am endowed with.

1. "Before creation I alone existed. There was nothing, neither existence nor non-existence. I am that which remains after dissolution.
2. "Understand that to be Maya or illusion which is devoid of any purpose, which is not to be found in the Self and which is unreal like light and darkness.
3. "As the primary elements are amalgamated, with one another and also separate from one another at the same time, so I pervade the whole universe and am also separate from it.
4. "The aspirant should, by the method of positive and negative, know that thing which exists always and everywhere.

"Experience this truth through the highest superconscious state so that you will not be disturbed even by illusory objects".

There is another beautiful verse in the Bhagavatam which you can recite daily: "In days of yore, Shri Krishna, born of Devaki, brought up in the house of Yasoda, killed the wicked Putana of illusive form and lifted the Govardhana hill, killed Kamsa and the sons of the Kuru race, and protected the sons of Kunti. Thus is recited the essence of the ancient Bhagavat Purana consisting of the nectarine stories of the deeds of Shri Krishna".

May the blessings of Shri Krishna and Sri Radha be upon you all!

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, montreal, Sep, 02, 2007

Error and Truth

IT IS ONLY   ERROR

WHICH NEEDS  THE SUPPORT

OF

GOVERNMENT

TRUTH

CAN  STAND ALONE

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

सिअनल, montreal, Sep 2007