Dear Divine Souls, Holi is one of the most festive, joyous holidays of the Hindu year. It is celebrated primarily in the North of India and falls on the full moon day of Phalguna (February – March). The festival is marked by great revelry during which everyone paints each other with brightly colored powders. Song, dance and bright red, green, yellow and pink powder are the hallmarks of the occasion. The meanings of Holi are numerous. For some, it is the festival of Springtime, the heralding of warm weather and bidding farewell...
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 at this holy and sacred time of Maha Shivratri. There are many important messages and meanings to take into our hearts and our lives on this divine occasion. Here are just a few: Shiva as Divine Destroyer: In the trinity of the divine manifestation – Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva) – Lord Shiva is the one who destroys or dissolves that which is old and impure, in...
Let Us Resolve to Be Agents of Change to Create a Clean and Green World for All Dear Divine Souls, At this beautiful time of New Year, as we say goodbye to 2016 and usher in 2017, let us pledge to give birth to a New Dream and inspire us to Be Green in every moment and in every minute of our lives. This past year, it seems that each day when we see the news, it has been filled with the tragedy of violence, terrorism, polluted air and water, desiccated waterways, and...
May this New Year Be Clean, Green & Serene Dear Divine Souls, I hope that — by God’s divine grace — this finds you all in the best of health and happiness at this sacred and auspicious time of Diwali, the Festival of Light. Diwali is a holiday of joy; it is the time when we gather with loved ones, celebrating our family, our friends and the prosperity that the light of God has bestowed upon us. And yet, this precious time of Diwali offers us so much more than the lamps, parties...
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 at this holy time of Janmasthami. Krishna Janmasthami is the celebration of the day that Bhagwan Krishna incarnated in human form upon the Earth. It is celebrated at midnight on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada (August-September). The day is celebrated by worshipping Bhagwan Krishna, fasting and chanting devotional kirtan and bhajans until past midnight. The Bhagavad Gita says that whenever there...
Krishna Janmasthami is the celebration of the day that Bhagwan Krishna incarnated in human form upon the Earth. It is celebrated at midnight on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada (August-September). Today as people all over the world renact and celebrate his birth, let us also take this time to reflect and introspect upon how Lord Krishna can incarnate in our own lives. Let us reflect on how His divine light, His divine message and His divine grace can continue to shine, on and...
Dear Divine Souls, Today is the sacred and beautiful day of Holi, a day celebrated across India with great joy, gaiety and festivity. There are many meanings and much significance attached to this day. For some, it is the festival of Springtime, the heralding of warm weather and bidding farewell to the winter. It is also seen as a festival of love, the return of fertility. The Puranas describe Holi as a celebration of virtue over vice. It is a time when we rejoice in the victory of pure, divine Prahlaad...
It is that sacred time of Diwali, the Festival of Light! On this day as we light beautiful lamps in our homes, we must not only marvel at the glory and splendor, but we must also take the significance of the light into our lives. We must warmly welcome the Divine into our hearts and into our lives, as the people of Ayodhya welcomed back Bhagawan Rama The Divine Light Within As we light the oil lamps in our homes and temples we must also remember to kindle the lamp within. Within...
Pujya Swamiji and Sadhvi Bhagawatiji gave a special satsang during the auspicious occasion of Navratri at the Bharatiya Temple of NWI in Merriville, Indiana (near Chicago). Pujya Swamiji shared so beautifully, "Celebrating Light is Celebrating Life. He shared the mantra of 'Asatoma, Sadgamaya...