Nov
07
2007
Pujya Swamiji’s Diwali Message
Listen to Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji give a beautiful message on the meaning of Diwali while you have His darshan....
Listen to Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji give a beautiful message on the meaning of Diwali while you have His darshan....
These days in the West all the new cars have “GPS” navigation system where the computer in the car gives directions on how to reach your destination. As you sit in the car you just enter the address of where you are going, and throughout the journey a pleasant woman’s voice guides you: “Take a left turn in 200 meters.” However, after you’ve entered the destination address, before her guided instructions begin, you must press the “Accept” button on the screen. If the button is not pushed, the guided route will not begin and you...
There is a famous story in our scriptures of Eklavya who dreamt of becoming a great archer. He went to the best and most famous Guru of archery, Dronacharya, and humbly begged Dronacharya to teach him archery. However, for various reasons, Dronacharya refused. Unfazed, resolute in his devotion, Eklavya did not despair. Rather, he went deep into the forest for his sadhana of learning to be an archer. There, he created out of clay the image of Dronacharya. Each day, he offered devout, pious prayers and love to this image of his Guru. His faith...
Ram Navami is the birthday of Bhagwan Shri Rama. On this beautiful birthday of Bhagwan Rama, let us ask ourselves the meaning of his birth. What lessons do we learn from the Ramayan, from the glorious example of Bhagwan Rama’s life? Bhagwan Rama exemplified the perfect person; he showed us how to embody the divine on Earth, how to live our lives in accordance with dharma and the divine principles. The story of the Ramayan is a classic, eternal, universal message of dharma versus adharma, of deva versus demon. Ravana was a brahmin;...
A small, impoverished boy was standing barefoot on the New York City streets, looking wistfully in the window of a shoe store. A well dressed woman, walking down the street, saw him and asked him, “My child, why are you looking so sadly in this window?” The small boy looked up at her and replied, “I am asking God to please give me a pair of shoes.” The woman took the boy’s small hand and led him into the shoe store, where she immediately asked the clerk for a bucket of warm...
Recently a man came to see me at Parmarth. He was an earnest seeker from abroad and was looking for a place to stay for several months to perform his meditation. He had a meditation technique which he said worked very well for him but he needed a place to practice it. He was from abroad and planned to stay in India for many months. I told him that he was welcome to stay here as I appreciated the earnestness of his spiritual quest. However, as I was just about...
The time of Diwali is one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year. Diwali literally means a “Row of Lights.” It is a time filled with light and love; a time when Indians all over the world rejoice. Diwali is celebrated on the thirteenth/fourteenth day in the dark half of Kartik (October – November); it is also known as Krishna Chaturdashi. It is the darkest night of the darkest period, yet it is a celebration of light! Diwali is heralded as the triumph of good over evil. The...
There was once a disciple of a Guru who went to his Guru and said, “Guruji, I want to live a spiritual life. I want to live in the service of God. I want to go beyond the binding chains of this mundane, materialistic world. But, I feel that I am not quite ready. My desires for a family, for wealth and enjoyment are still too strong. Grant me some time to fulfill these wishes and then I will come to your holy feet.” So the Guru said, “No problem, my...
Dear Divine Souls, I hope that — by God’s grace — this finds you and all your loved ones in the best of health and happiness. We are now at the divine and glorious time of celebrating Krishna Janmasthami.This is the celebration of the day that Bhagwan Krishna incarnated in human form upon the Earth. The day is celebrated by worshipping Bhagwan Krishna, fasting and chanting devotional kirtan and bhajans until past midnight. The Gita says that whenever there is darkness in the world, whenever strife and ignorance prevail, the Lord incarnates...
One of the greatest plagues of human beings is our insatiable desires. We truly never feel satisfied. We never feel that we have had “enough.” We are always looking for more and more and more. This pertains to almost every area of our lives. Obesity, diabetes and heart disease are sky-rocketing because we always want “just one more” ladoo, gulabjamun or piece of chocolate cake. Our bank accounts are getting fuller but our lives are getting emptier because we are always striving to close “just one more deal” or to...