Gravity Of Love by Enigma from their album The Screen Behind the Mirror.  I love Engima’s music — it blends easy listening, sexual rhythms, Gregorian chants, lounge remixes, Vedic chants, and electronic / dance beats.  The lyrics are a combination of English and French, with the occasional Latin thrown in, as in this song (it includes the fantastic O Fortuna, part of Carmina Burana).  Enigma is not a band but a music project created by Michael Cretu, and the music pretty much covers all bases: it’s upbeat, it’s mellow, it’s moving, it’s calming, and it’s incredibly sexy.  Depending on your mood, there’s probably an Enigma song to cover it.  Gravity of Love is one of my particular favorites, because it combines several of the elements — it has a very sensual rhythm alternated with an energetic beat, plus the powerful Latin chant.  Lots of fun to dance to, getting the sensual and darker, more dramatic movements involved.

[latin]
O fortuna, velut luna.
O fortuna, velut luna.

Turn around and smell what you don't see,
close your eyes, it's so clear.
Here's a mirror, behind there is a screen,
on both ways you can get in.
Don't think twice before you listen to your heart,
follow the trace for a new start.

What you mean and everything you feel,
is just a question of the deal.

In the eye of storm you'll see a lonely dove!
The experience of survival is the key,
to the gravity of love.

[latin]
O fortuna, velut luna.

The path of excess leads to the tower of wisdom...
The path of excess leads to the tower of wisdom...

Try to think about it,
that's the chance to live your life and discover,
what it is, what's the gravity of love.

[latin]
O fortuna, velut luna.

Look around just people, can you hear their voice?
Find the one who'll guide you,
to the limits of your choice.

But if you're in the eye of storm,
just think of the lonely dove,
the experience of survival is the key,
to the gravity of love.

[latin]
O fortuna, velut luna.

http://morbilive.com/morbi-haritage.html

Tourist Attraction in Morbi City :
Hanging Bridge of Morbi is very famous tourist place. Palace of former Morbi King, Mani Mandir and Victoria Garden opposite to Mani Mandir are good place to visit.

The Nehru Gate is made out of stone using elements of Rajput architecture with central clock tower, while another one uses elements of western architecture and is capped by a three-storyed cast iron frame structure with a dome. Darbargadh, on the bank of Machchu River is now heritage hotel. Lakhdhirji Engineering College is housed in Nazarbag Palace. Famous Ajanta Quartz and Samay Quartz, world’s largest clock manufacturer is located on Morbi Road.

In the surrounding of city there are plenty places for outing. Nani Vavdi is big and educated village in the Morbi taluka.the village had grown up more than 100000 trees last three years. Famous Place, Ishvariya Mandir, Hanuman Temple near, OM Mandap Service. Other well known cities like Dhrangadhra (royal palaces) 75km, Wadhvan (Royal Palace, bazaar, step wells) 107 km, Halvad (Ek-dandia Mahal-Zalawzad Darshan, wooden palace, Cenotaphs)48 km, Wankaner (Royal Palaces, step wells) 29 km, Maliya (Royal Palace) 32 km, Rajkot (princely architecture, Watson Museum, Rajkumar College, Rajkot, Ramkrishna Mission, Kaba Gandhi no Delo) 67 km far from the city.

Yesterday was a wonderful day (30/11/2009) as the the Sanpada , New Mumbai Gayatri Consciousness Center was launched publicly with Vedic Hymns for peace and happiness to all humanity. Sacred Sandalwood fragrance and vegetarian food for all guests made the atmosphere purer.

In the middle of it , we had our meeting ( first Image ) for discussing the planning for the 23rd january event for Youth Group.

The land acquired with have a huge hall , gardens , basement and living facilities and again in the spirit of humanity , will serve all people iirespective of caste , religion or color.

Jupiter the giant ruler of Sagittarius

This year the heavy burden of change in earth’s systems, world governments and weather patterns is sometimes laid at Scorpio’s door. But a much greater force was at work: Saturn, the great planet of sidereal change, slowly and inexorably moved out of the communicative and meticulously-ordered earth-sign of Virgo, where he has ruled, written in stone, made careful lists and acted in a predictable manner for the last three years. On October 29th 2009, he entered Libra, the zodiac sign of partnerships, cooperative ventures, balance and – above all – change.

Changes at the end of the year are expected as we in the Northern hemisphere descend into winter; but Saturn’s influence is huge. Just as the moon affects earth’s ocean tides, the ringed giant’s great orb reaches from its distant position in the sixth solar orbit to touch and move this little world of ours in the third planetary belt round the sun.

At the beginning of November this huge astrological catalyst of change had already joined forces with the sun in Scorpio and world mayhem, freak weather systems, and cultural upheaval were apparent: floods, tsunamis and out-of-season storms added to wars and conflict, famine and a breakdown in communications in both Old and New worlds. We are only now recovering from the effects of drought and starvation in some African regions and deluge and homeless scenarios in the North.

Saturn the planet of change and upheaval

It is a surprise and relief when, following the double Scorpionic portion dished out to us in mid-November by the New Moon, that Saturn’s new position in Libra should be accentuated by the sun’s transition on November 22nd into jovial Sagittarius. This zodiac sign is ruled by abundant Jupiter. It allows us a respite, a time to remember our place on the planet, our blessings, our way forward. But it, too, heralds change.

Sagittarius is a fire sign, sent to melt the icy waters Scorpio dragged in with its lethal tail. The archer, sunny of disposition and sending arrows presaging abundant flow to come, allows the glow of Thanksgiving and a glimpse towards the festivities of midwinter, but he reminds us that more work is round the corner as we are moving into a New Age. It helps to know, however that his ruler, Jupiter presently stands with Neptune, the planet of change and the spiritual, the mystical and unknown in forward-looking Aquarius; so our path, while difficult, is overseen by angels.

A trusted astrologer friend says:
“November 22-30: This is a highly creative time. Pay attention and focus on the little signs. Push the boundaries of what you perceive possible. Stretch your imagination. Resist the temptations of the status quo. Ask the right questions, ‘why not’ and ‘what if’. Be brave.

“Mostly just be in your own spirit, take time to meditate, try to remember that the Universe is ordering things in right timing; that in moving from a place of trusting, your own ability and power to create will open up. Spend time with others you like to be around and keep cutting clutter and non-essentials from your life.”

As the month draws to a close, we are being challenged to seek even greater clarity and depth of meaning in life, in our relationships, in our day-to-day interaction with others, work colleagues, family and strangers alike, so that we start to evolve in spiritual understanding of our place on this special planet Earth.

And at month-end, as we move into December, Mercury aspects challenge us to release stress and restore clarity of thinking. Mercury the messenger and communicator-par-excellence may get us through the hard part.

December begins with a powerful double-whammy: a Full Moon in Gemini on December 1st coincides with giant Uranus’ turning direct.

Changes and new directions are on the cards – in spades.

But we have help. Angels and giants are around to help us through.

This is an occasional astrological blog posting, as we move through the year. I am aware that many are familiar with the Western zodiac and its implications. However I hope to encourage a friend who understands the ramifications of the Vedic astrological system of the Indian sub-continent to join me in the next blog post. It is a fascinating system, with many parallels with Western and even Chinese texts. I think it will be something to look forward to.

On this proverbial day of rest, I thought you might enjoy listening to the chanting we do daily in Richard Freeman’s teacher training. It’s about half an hour long, so maybe just have it playing in the background while you do the dishes or make breakfast or something. Or chant along!

The first chant is the invocation that is said at the beginning of an Ashtanga practice (it’s from Shankaracharya’s Yoga Taravali, and basically Pattabhi Jois just chose it because he liked it). It’s not Vedic. The second one is the invocation for the Katha Upanishad. Then there are a few other Vedic chants, as well as a couple non-Vedic chants from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

My favourite line (based solely on how it sounds) is in the third chant: “sham-na indro bree-has-pah-tee-hee.” Groovy, baby.

**NB!!! You have to fast-forward to about 1min40 before it starts (I don’t have any audio-editing software on this computer). And if you don’t feel like listening to the whole thing, that’s cool – but fast-forward to about 1 minute before the end, as it gets funny.

Deva and Miten’s music is an expression of spiritual devotion, through song and chant. http://www.devapremalmiten.com

Moola Mantra

Om
Sat Chit Ananda Parabrahma
Purushothama Paramatma
Sri Bhagavathi Sametha
Sri Bhagavathe Namaha

This mantra evokes the living God, asking protection and freedom from all sorrow and suffering. It is a prayer that adores the great creator and liberator, who out of love and compassion manifests, to protect us, in an earthly form. This Moolamantra has given great peace and joy to people all over the world, who have chanted, or even listened to it. It has the power to transport ones mind to the state of causeless love and limitless joy. The calmness that the mantra can give is to be experienced, not spoken about. Dear reader, here is the key with which any door to spiritual treasure could be opened. A tool which can be used to achieve all desires. A medicine which cures all ills. The nectar that can set man free! All auspiciousness and serenity is yours simply by chanting or listening to this magnificent Moolamantra.

Whenever you chant the Moolamantra even without knowing the meaning of it, that itself carries power. But when you know the meaning and chant with that feeling in your heart then the energy would flow million times more powerful. Therefore it is essential to know the meaning of the Mantra when you use it.

The Mantra is like calling a name. Just like when you call a person he comes and makes you feel his presence, the same manner when you chant this mantra, the supreme energy manifests everywhere around you. As the Universe is Omnipresent, the supreme energy can manifest anywhere and any time. It is also very important to know that the invocation with all humility, respect and with great necessity.

Namaste Sai Baba – happy birthday.

for more details on the Moola Mantra please visit the website:

http://www.omoneness.com/moolamantra.html

Reference : Gods, Sages and Kings. Vedic  Secrets of an Ancient Civilization by David Frawley

For use with our future discussions on this subject, I am jotting down a few points from this reference.

1. Today we hear of the dawning of the “Age of Aquarius”. The point of the vernal equinox – the position of the Sun among the stars on the first day of spring – is approaching the sign of Aquarius (Kumbha).
2. This phenomenon is caused by a backward tilting of the earth on its axis, the precession, which changes atthe rate of about 50″ per year and competes the whole cycle of the zodiac in about 25,800 years.
3. The astronomy of India has always been sidereal, based on stellar positions, unlike the west which employed a “Tropical”  zodiac based on seasonal points.
4. Most Indian astronomers place the vernal equinox around 23 degrees from 0 degrees Aries, as of 1950. ie 7 degrees of Piesces.
5. While the greek Hipparchus calculated the rate of precession as 36″ per year, the Surya Siddhanta calculated the rate at 54″ which is much closer to the modern measurement of 50.3″ per year.
6. Precessional changes are the hallmark of Indian Astronomy.
7. A sidereal day is 4 minutes shorter than a regular day and therefore there are 366 sidereal days in a normal year. Thus the precession is built into the Indian calendar.
8. Any culture employing the sidereal zodiac will find the position of the equinoxes moving back a week or so every 500 years or about 7 degrees in the zodiac.
9. Today, Hindus celebrate the Sun entering the sign of Capricorn around Jan 14th as this is the observable sidereal position, and western tropical calendars use Dec 21st as the date of the western solstice.
10. Hindu Sidereal calculations are more complicated than tropical ones. Indian astronomy is a very specialised system that requires precise astronomical observations and shows an ongoing knowledge of the exact placement of the planets and equinoxes relative to the fixed stars. many Vedic rituals are described relative to sidereal calendars.
11. About every 1000 years, the equinox is moved back another nakshatram (lunar constellation).
12. The nakshatram after which each month (masa) is named, mark the beginning of their respective signs.
13. The Hindu months were devised according to a correspondence between nakshatras and the zodiac, revealing a knowledge of both systems.
14. In Ancient Indian Texts, the nakshatras are listed in the order of their sequence starting with the constellation that marks the spring (vernal) equinox. Medieval lists begin their listing of the nakshatras with Ashwini. Ancinet lists started with Krittija, showing the equinox at the beginning of taurus.
15. Whenever the equinox retreated back to a previous sign and therfore a previous month, a major calendar reform was initiated. (We can find various texts and tables in use even today).
16. Eras when the equinox came to an initial point of one of the 12 signs were more prominently marked in Vedic texts than the intermediary points.
17. For the purpose of Vedic Yajnas, the year began with the winter solstice when the sun was “renewed”.
18. The first month of the year therefore becomes, the one named after the nakshatram that marks the full moon on the winter solstice day.
19. Vedic literature tells us some of the months named by these lunar constellations (nakshatrams) and the days within them in which the solstices occured, affording us additional means of calculating these eras.

Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula

For sourced material, all rights vest with the source.

Since my last post I have gone through a dis-contentment with Buddhism and most other philosophies for this matter. A focus on loss of ego and compassion is a good thing but only to a point in my mind. I believe you need an ego and compassion that is in balance. If you have no ego at all you can’t function in this world. You’d have no power no ambition no strength. I also don’t believe all live is suffering. Yes there is suffering and there is pleasure and joy and pain and everything else that makes this a human experience. Right now I am not in pain and not suffering. I am also not willing to give up all my desires and wants. I do lie to come to a point of not being attached to them though.

It’s more about the flow of life and living in this flow without resistance or attachment to certain outcomes. Like a child lives precariously in the world… but with the balance of intellect, experience and choice. Further the obvious omission of sexuality from most religions is something I don’t understand. It is part of being human and in my mind a spirituality should embrace sexuality not telling you it’s best to restrain from it. I don’t want a new believe system that is limiting but enabling, freeing!

This is drawing me to the Vedic and Tantric believe systems. Hinduism.. I like the idea of a spirituality that is looking for the divine in ourselves and in everyday life. Where it’s about the flow of life and being a part of it not trying to separate yourself from it.

I am going to Nepal and Tibet for 6 weeks over Christmas and January. Partly work as my outsourcing company is there that I am starting a new venture with next year. It’s interesting how I got involved with this co from a country that is so spiritual and that I may end up visiting frequently. I can’t help but thing that an alignment is happening here… for the first time in a long time I am excited about something.. I see a possibility of a new phase in life that doesn’t feel stagnant, bored and full of alcohol and sorrow.

Some criminals who disguise themself as Guru & gods to chelas are frauds. Because there is no law to prevent frauds in the name of religion these criminals have become mafias. Our intent is to put truth in public & let public bust these fraud men.

Join us to send Tweet at https://twitter.com/gurucultbusters

or on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000310304194

This is a reply to a comment from kalki das on the Narayana Maharaja’s Guru Tattva post.

kalki das wrote:

ye me bhakta-janah partha
na me bhaktas ca te janah
mad-bhaktanam ca ye bhaktas
te me bhakta-tama matah

“[Lord Krishna told Arjuna:] Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My servant are factually My devotees.”

I got owned with this… Krishna should I run to a vaishnava sect an become the servant of the servant of the servant of your so called servant? (leader, spiritual master obviously)

First off that translation is a bit off. It doesn’t mention “servant.” Prabhupada probably changed it to make it seem that being devoted to him was real bhakti. It says:

“Those who are devoted to me aren’t my devotees, those who are devoted to my devotees are really my devotees.”

It’s a paradoxical statement. If the real bhaktas are devoted to his devotees and not to Krishna, how can you be devoted to his devotee since anyone devoted to Krishna is not a devotee? So it’s not meant to be taken literally since it makes no sense if we do so. While it’s trying to get across the importance of being devoted to Krishna’s devotee, at the same time it’s paradoxical in order to make the point that it isn’t meant literally. Why?

Exploiter gurus use that sloka to try to get people to believe that God will reward you if you worship and serve them, and that you cannot advance and will offend Krishna if you don’t. There are a bunch of similar slokas to that one that exploiter gurus like to regularly use to get the conception across that serving them is all-important.

We need to understand why that is taught, or, have blind faith that by worshiping and serving devotees or gurus, that Krishna will magically elevate you to a higher level of consciousness and make you dear to him — and that if you don’t — then Krishna will not be pleased with you and you won’t be able to spiritually advance.

So, first thing we should wonder when hearing teachings like that is — why? Why do we find sastra saying in various places that Krishna is more pleased by you worshiping or being devoted to his devotee than devotion to himself? The answer is commonly misunderstood because exploiters misuse those teachings in trying to get people to be devoted to them. They remove the context of those teachings and thereby change their purpose in hopes of gaining your worship and service directed towards them.

What is the Vedic system supposed to be all about? It’s meant to bring you to the perfectional stage of existence. It’s meant to liberate you from samsara and give you entrance into the realm of ananda or joy. What is that joyful reality? We are taught that the ultimate destination for the soul is to awaken to our inherent relationship with God — and then to engage in lila or play with God. The ultimate goal is rasa, to experience the enjoyment of an intimate relationship with God.

How does a person attain that apotheosis? Most importantly one is advised to hear, or learn, from authoritative sources the knowledge on self-realization presented in sastra. It is through spiritual knowledge that avidya, spiritual ignorance, is cleared up. Until modern times the knowledge on God-realization found in sastra was for most people only accessible through an oral tradition. Books were rare, and people who could read sanskrit proficiently were rare. Brahmins were trained in studying sanskrit, learning rituals, yoga and memorizing sastra. Because of that they were considered to be the most important people, they were the priests and gurus of Vedic society.

In order for them to do their job they needed to spend their time in pursuit of learning sastra, teaching and priestcraft. They were supposed to be supported by everyone else because their job required total dedication to their craft. If they were bona fide brahmins they didn’t have time to do anything else. How were they to make a living if they had to spend their time and energy engrossed in brahminical duties? They weren’t supposed to charge money or work for anyone, that was believed to potentially lead to the degradation of the brahmin class. If they charged money for their services or worked for people, they could become dependent on and then used by those who pay them for unscrupulous purposes. Therefore, because they were the most exalted and important members of society, brahmins were supposed to remain independent, free from obligation to anyone, free from potentially being used by others for exploitation.

How did they survive? Why would anyone want to be a brahmin if they couldn’t make a living?

Vedic society was based upon a spiritual presumption that our lives here on Earth are for a singular purpose — to become free from samsara and attain moksha. Therefore the teachers on how to attain that purpose were taught in sastra as being the most important people in society. That is why worship and service to sadhus was stressed in sastra. In order to inspire you to do your duty in order that brahmins could remain stable as a class, there are instructions in sastra giving you incentive to do that. According to sastra it was the dharma of everyone else in society to serve the brahmins. Even today the remnants of Vedic society still exist in India and in Buddhist societies. They still have to one degree or another the tradition of it being an obligation for everyone to give charity to sadhus or monks.

In order to make everyone take seriously the importance of supporting the brahmins, you can find many places in sastra where it is said or implied that it is more important to serve or worship brahmins or gurus than to serve God, that worshiping or serving sadhus gives good karma, gives spiritual advancement, etc. Service or worship of God for an average person is an abstract concept. How can you know if your worship or service towards God is anything substantial or concrete? Therefore the Vedic system stressed service to the sadhus as the most practical service to God. It was the dharma of everyone within the Vedic social paradigm to serve the sadhus. Serving them was more important than serving God. God doesn’t need your service, brahmins or sadhus do. And everyone else needed them.

We shouldn’t misunderstand or underestimate the importance of the social context of that ideology and teaching found in sastra. Brahmins or sadhus were given supreme importance because they were the keepers of the Vedic ritualistic religion and philosophy. It wasn’t like today where all Vedic knowledge is easily and widely available for most people without dependence on an oral tradition kept by a special class of highly learned and trained holy men. We are no longer dependent on people to teach us the sastra because we can read it ourselves.

Exploiters will not admit that simple fact. In fact they always go in the opposite direction, giving more importance to service and worship of sadhus then sastra does. It’s always about their desire to gain your devotion for them. If they were truly bona fide sadhus, worthy of being seen as enlightened seers of the truth, they would know that service towards them isn’t some magical panacea which will increase the power or effectiveness of bhakti-yoga. They should see that the importance of serving and worshiping sadhus that is spoken of in sastra, was relevant in an age where society was dependent on them as keepers of sacred knowledge. They should see that today’s world has made what was once a relevant important teaching, obsolete.

Still, many or most bhaktas have been so thoroughly psychologically manipulated that they fear what I am saying will be some great offense to God if they believe it. That is the result of the exploitative manipulation they have gone through and abide in. The exploiters use fear, fear of offending God, as a means towards their ends. Most bhaktas don’t see that their theological justification or motivation for their attitudes and beliefs towards gurus — are largely fear based. The successful exploiters are quite adept at using flowery language and promises of bliss to hide their motivation for taking the role as your guru/savior. They overtly try to project a vision of their motivation as being all about selflessness, pureheartedness and compassion — while making sure you subtly or even not so subtly get the message ingrained in your psyche that doubting them, or lacking a worshipful service attitude towards them, will greatly offend God and cause you to suffer, possibly or probably in hellish conditions for many lifetimes.

This is only my first article on the issue of marriage. As I started putting my thoughts together I realized I have so many that I ‘d have to do a series of articles rather than one. I don’t know when I’ll do the next ones, but at least this is a start. Before I go on, I’d like to post some other articles that have made me think:

1) AnjuGandhi, 2) Chrysalis, and 3) The Marriage-Go-Round

I don’t really care about a marriage legally or spiritually. I mean, I wish to find a partner in life, but there’s nothing specifically about the wedding/social declaration that entices me. Furthermore, I realize I’m basking in the glory of heterosexist privilege, while many people don’t have the right yet to the economic and communal benefits of marriage that straight people take for granted. I hope to mitigate that by supporting gay marriage, or really any kind of marriage.

Going back to why I bother with marriage when I don’t care for it individually – I have a big fat South Asian family that is my social support. It’s not worth it to alienate them with a radical move they won’t even care for. Perhaps it’s more “radical” to create a different kind of marriage for myself, one that challenges harmful traditions and presents a happy alternative.

One day while lamenting about the patriarchy-drenched Bengali Hindu weddings and whether I’d be a hypocrite for taking part in it, my good friend told me the solution was Arya Samaj wedding. Apparently these weddings are spiritual, egalitarian and simple. When I googled Arya Samaj weddings though, I read otherwise. The Kanyadaan ritual, the one I most object to, is an important part of not only Arya Samaj weddings, but Vedic weddings in general. Was Hinduism at its very core is so sexist??? So much for all those times that Hinduism defenders told me sexism was in the “culture” not the “religion.” I used to think naively that the Vedas were above the nasty patriarchy of its times.

Next, I googled whether Hindu weddings could take place without Kanyadaan. Only one relevant post came up, and it was Anju’s. She, like me, exclaimed how unjust it was to donate your daughters as if they’re property. One blogger, Chrysalis, disagreed, and you can read her post on the link above. Basically, Chrysalis believes that “donation” is the wrong word for Kanyadaan, though she doesn’t provide an alternative. To her, Kanyadaan is not about inequality but valuing the woman even more than a man. Such a “gift” to a family is therefore spiritually magnanimous, not sexist. She seems to say women have an intrinsic ability to form communities, and she herself “took pity” upon her husband who wasn’t good with PR, and decided to move to his family to help him out. When someone pointed out that it’s different for women who are worse at PR than their husband, Chrysalis suggested reversing the roles to ghar jamai. Well, that sounds reasonable enough to me. In extended families, one spouse has to move in with another and if both have the equal opportunity to choose, that’s great! I disagree though that women are better equipped to do it than men. That’s simply a cultural construction, and we need to make both men and women good at community building rather than shoving the responsibility down women’s throats.

What I don’t get then, is why isn’t Putradaan a part of Vedic weddings? It seems like even when taking a ghar jamai the bride is still donated to the groom first. It’s this ritual that I have a big problem with. Whether Hindu weddings are equal or not is irrelevant for now; I’m annoyed at the pervasiveness of daughter donation, especially as women are becoming more and more independent. I don’t agree with Chrysalis that “donation” is the wrong word for Kanyadaan. Daan is donation, or giving.  You could give money, land, food, animals, services, and women. When women are put in the same category as the others, but men aren’t, what else does it imply but that women are property, not human beings? Valuable property, perhaps, since women bear children and raise them, but property nonetheless. And if indeed Kanyadaan is about joining of families, rather than property donation, why does the woman have to take her husband’s family titles? Shouldn’t there be creation of a new joint family title?Donating daughters is supposed to be good karma for her parents. Why do the groom’s parents not get the same opportunity? And if as Chrysalis implies, women are inherently valuable, are we saying that men are not valuable???? Boy, some men are going to be offended!

This raising of women on a pedestal is just as sexist as treating women like sub-humans. Both of these ideas don’t recognize women as being HUMAN. I think this dichotomy is the basis of many mistreatment of women. We are told that we are Goddesses, intrinsically valuable or something, and therefore expected to live as Goddesses. When we inevitably fail to live as Goddesses, because we’re fully human, not less, not more, we’re treated as disposable property. If any woman feels empowered by having these beliefs, and uses such re-interpretations of Kanyadaan to promote women’s rights, more power to her. But for me, this ritual signifies something totally different, on top of the fact that I don’t see a spiritual necessity for it. I don’t think this was a ritual God created. I think this was a ritual men made, based on their views of women’s worth, not women’s own views. They were kind enough to emphasize equality and understanding between families, but it’s a man-made, patriarchal tradition nonetheless.

Kanyadaan as it is traditionally practiced, is a part of the Hindu patriarchal culture that denies women the right to inherit property. It entrusts a woman’s care on her husband, rather than herself. Maybe this system was still egalitarian in Satya Yuga, but that day is long gone, and it was a mythical utopia to begin with. We aren’t perfect. As many women know very well, no matter how noble and beautiful Kanyadaan seems, we simply can’t blindly trust a man to make us his equal partner in Dharma, Karma, Artha, and we simply can’t live up to this compassionate Godliness ourselves. Both men and women need practical recourse in marriage. In Hindu societies, Kanyadaan has led people to think that it’s not worth investing in daughters, as they’ll leave the family anyways. And who can blame them? As long as we don’t change this system of giving away daughters to a man’s family, parents won’t invest in their daughters. Some people may say that things equal out when parents give away their daughter and bring home a bride for their son. But what about parents without sons? They have no choice but to live alone? Most importantly, why can’t we think of a system beyond gender roles? Gender roles will inevitably lead to one gender’s inequality, and we have to think of a freer system that accepts each person’s uniqueness.

So what have I decided about my wedding rituals? Weddings are nothing more than a social affair, and if my family wants to fulfill their elaborate social roles in a Bengali wedding, that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with most of the rituals, though I’m sure more would come up when I learn the significance of each. But, NO KANYADAAN. I’m a fully capable woman who takes care of herself. My parents don’t need to entrust me to another man, and frankly, no parent owns their kids. No person owns another. I just don’t believe in Kanyadaan, sindoor wearing, or shakha pala wearing all the time. I might wear it on a day when I feel like it, but other than that these things have no spiritual significance for me, so I shouldn’t be required to do them. I think it’s completely possible and realistic to have a spiritual wedding where the bride and groom give themselves to each other and their families, if spirituality is important to them, that is.

Coming up soon, a rant about sexist Hindu men!

I’ve discovered that its very difficult to convince

yourself you’re in one place when really

you’re in another. As certainly set are all hours of light,

And certainly set are all hours of night.

.

Certainly set is oneself, forever sailing

Flying imaginative cosmonaut in the

just plain everything and everlasting circuit.

Certainly set is an everlasting self, a part of all that is.

.

Ancient and continuous brilliance of a billion Buddhas,

Shining, and glowing with peace, peace,

Peace, and the ring singing of glorious Creation,

To fill all of the grace of the fruit of that Upward Freedom and Truth!

.

The Kingdom of Heaven Great Bounty of Eternally Merciful and One God,

All things in every each of everywhere collectively co-existing a cohabitation of infinity.

What a marvelous thing it is, we are,

And that Truth, but life!

Inside of the void is a billion eternities,

A thousand million trillion bowls of incredible diversity,

Brilliant beings of eternal brightness beginning

A hundred million trillion years of good works.

.

That heaven making marble genius of

The Great Eternal Expanse

Minds the more, is wider

A large whole-spun garment of beauty gracious and law.

.

And night what a great flock of birds?

Suddenly cast wonderfully

And flapping, joyous to be free.

And the day the trumpet that slowly breaks great silence!

.

Yes! Cry the birds of fall

Our morning! Yes it is our morning!

And the singing does go on,

Even amidst the silent cement.

I don’t think I can call the pizza-man,

What do you think?

The dog said nothing,

And stared expectantly.

.

I took her for a walk,

She sniffed with hesitation around every corner.

I agreed with her out loud,

Yeah, this place gave me that not-good feeling in my knees.

.

Police car came around.

He slowed down as he passed me.

Looked at my torso scared

Walking sidewalk with puzzling eyes.

.

That great eternal ever-after after

Big fire-truck and the sudden warbling horn

After solemn sirens that winded directionless dimensions of streets,

Was like a cup of water meeting fresh lips.

“no matter what, keep going,

soon your victory showing”

“nothing is too hard to do

just step by step follow through”

“dreams expect

you’ll take the next step”

“begin early morn,

sound the winner’s horn”

“never quit

until you accomplish it”

“to happily navigate

begin early not late”

Click on < and > above to see more categories.

Please visit again as hundreds more sayings will be added to this and other categoies.

(c) 2009   Unknown Heartist

Unknownheartist@gmail.com

I saw one article about, Indian Heritage…”Hidden Horizons: Unearthing 10,000 Years of Indian Culture, Preface ” written by David Frawley and N.S. Rajaram.

The concept actaully grown from the discussion of BAPS swaminarayan saints with the authors about rich and oldest culture of India. But the fact also mentioned that  the Indian culture,though, older than the Egyptian,greek and Maya culture, the “west” had done a lot damage to the world by ignoring it………….

Now look at some details by the book……

David Frawley
NS Rajaram
Sept. 2005+

Summary of Main Points Emphasized in the Book

1) India had the largest and most continuous of all the civilizations of the ancient world starting by at least 3000 BCE, with a much more extensive urban civilization than Egypt or Sumeria of the same time periods. Yet its role as a source of civilization has largely been ignored by the historical biases of the West.

2) The Vedic Literature is the ancient world’s largest, with its many thousands of pages dwarfing what little the rest of the world has been able to preserve. This literature reflects profound spiritual concepts, skill in mathematics, astronomy and medicine, special knowledge of language and grammar and other hallmarks of a great civilization. It cannot be attributed to nomads and barbarians or to the short space of a few centuries.

3) The ancient Indian literature, the world’s largest, and ancient Indian archaeology, also the ancient world’s largest, must be connected. We can no longer accept the idea of Ancient India without a literature and Vedic literature reflecting no real culture or civilization. Vedic literature and its symbolism is clearly reflected in Harappan archaeology and its artifacts.

4) Southeast Asia, which included South India, was the home of most human populations, which migrated after the end of the Ice Age, when the water released by melting glaciers, flooded the region around ten thousand years ago. Southeast Asia, not the Middle East, is the likely cradle not only of populations, but culture and agriculture as well.

5) The Sarasvati River, the dominant river in India in the post-Ice Age era, after 8000 BCE, and the main site of urban ruins in ancient India, is well described in Vedic texts. It ceased to flow around 1900 BCE, making the Vedic culture older than this date. All stages of the development and drying up of the Sarasvati can be found in Vedic texts down to the Mahabharata, showing that the Vedic people were along the river at all phases.

6) There is no scientific or archaeological basis for any Aryan or Dravidian race, which are now discredited concepts. No Aryan skeletal remains have ever been found in India apart from the existing populations in the country going back to prehistoric times. There is no archaeological evidence of any Aryan invasion or migration into India but only the continuity of the same populations in the region and their cultural changes. This requires that we give up these old ideas and look at the data afresh apart from them.

7) Connections between Indian languages and those of Europe and Central Asia, which can be found relative to both Sanskritic and Dravidian languages, are more likely traceable to a northwest movement out of India after the end of the Ice Age. The late ancient Aryan and Dravidian migrations, postulated to have taken place c. 1500 BCE into India from Central Asia of western linguistic theories occur too late, after populations and cultures were already formed, to result in the great changes attributed to them. Besides no records of such proposed migrations/invasions have yet to be found. Archaeology, literature and science, including genetics, all contradict it.

Vedic spirituality of ritual, mantra, yoga and meditation, based on an understanding of the dharmic nature of all life, created the foundation for the great spiritual traditions of India emphasizing individual experience of the Divine and spiritual practice over outer dogmas and beliefs. Such a spiritual ethos is the fruit of a great and mature ancient civilization.

9) The Hindu view of time, as through the Hindu Yuga theory, that connects human history with natural history of tens of thousands of years marked by periodic cataclysms makes sense relative to new scientific discoveries relative to natural history through genetics and climate changes.

10) This ancient, eternal Vedic culture is still relevant to the world today and lives on in the great ashrams, temples and spiritual practices of India. Reclaiming this ancient spiritual heritage of India and spreading it throughout the world is one of the greatest needs of the coming planetary age, in which we must go beyond the boundaries of creedal boundaries and materialistic values.

abstract:

Modern western examination of the Vedas, and through the Vedas the ancient history of India, has been colored by the search for an original European identity, the so-called Aryans. This has led to Indian history and tradition being subordinated to a proposed Indo-European people and culture placed in Europe or nearby Central Asia. The result of this view is a need to place the Vedic culture of India outside of India and to interpret Vedic texts apart from the Indic tradition as an almost as an article of faith. Even though existing archaeological and genetic evidence is contrary to any Aryan invasion/migration into India, there is a great reluctance to give up this theory, not because of what is found relative to ancient India but to maintain some original Aryan identity in proximity to Europe.

so, I have tried to put the details from American Institute of Vedic studies. You can furthur move to this book by folowing address…..

Author’s Preface for Hidden Horizons: Unearthing 10,000 Years of Indian Culture
Published by the Swaminarayan order (http://www.swaminarayan.org/) for Delhi temple historical display (www.akshardham.com/whattosee/boatride/index.htm). For book (www.swaminarayan.org/publications/books/hiddenhorizons.htm).
UK ordering for book http://www.goldentours.co.uk/hidden_horizons/

so love to all…

Raj

Пообщался сегодня наконец с ведическим астрологом – учеником знаменитого Рами Блекта. Времени много рассказывать сейчас нет – поздно уже. Поэтому скажу тезисно. Ведическая астрология – это вообще антоним астрологии в её западном понимании, это четкая наука, основанная на древних ведических трактатах. И она действительно может многое: сидишь и офигиваешь, как человек “тебя читает”, видя тебя при этом первый раз. И никакой мистики. Много о себе услышал знакомого. Кое-в-чем наконец утвердился, а кое-что заставило задуматься… Особенных “шоковых” новостей не было. Кстати, не с проста меня вдруг заинтересовал г-н Лавров (советую посетить замечательный блог drugoi.livejournal.com – там есть свежие фото с Лавровым и не только со встречи президентов РФ и Индии).

Что ж, не всё так уныло. Просто надо работать над собой. Развиваться физически и духовно. И соблюдать режим дня…

おやすみなさい！

In the Valmiki Ramayanam, we find many references to Nakshatras. The adhipatyam of the nakshatras is ascribed to Vedic deities.

• Raja Janaka said that the second of the two days of  PoorvaPhalguni and Uttara Phalguni where the Bhaga (deity) was Prajapathi, was recommended by the wise for marriage. (See : Sita Devi सीता देवी)
• ब्रह्मन्  O brahmin! फल्गुनीभ्याम् उत्तरे दिवसे on the latter day of the two Phalgunis,  यत्र in which day, प्रजापति: Prajapati, भग: Bhaga, वैवाहिकम् to perform marriage, मनीषिण: wise people, प्रशंसन्ति are praising.
• Similarly Raja Dasaratha selected the Pushya Nakshatram of Chaitra Masam for Rama’s coronation. (See : Arrangements were made for Sri Rama’s coronation as a crown prince and Dasaratha sent for Rama to tell him about his coronation.)
• There are references to rasis  in the balakanda : तत: then, यज्ञे when sacrifice, समाप्ते was completed, ऋतूनाम् of seasons, षट् six, समत्ययु: were spent, तत: then, द्वादशे मासे in twelfth month, चैत्रे in Chaitra month, नावमिके तिथौ on the nineth day of the rising Moon, अदितिदैवत्ये presided by Aditi as devata, नक्षत्रे when the star (Punarvasu) , पञ्चसु ग्रहेषु and the five grahas, स्वोच्चसंस्थेषु in their own exalted places (houses), कर्कटे लग्ने in Karkata Lagna, वाक्पतौ when Brihaspati, इन्दुना सह along with Moon, प्रोद्यमाने was rising, कौसल्या Kausalya, जगन्नाथम् lord of the entire universe, सर्वलोकनमस्कृतम् bowed to by all the worlds, सर्वलक्षणसंयुतम् adorned with all the characteristics, विष्णो: Vishnu’s, अर्धम् facet, महाभागम् highly fortunate, ऐक्ष्वाकुवर्धनम् perpetuating the Ikshvaku race, रामम् Rama, पुत्रम् as his son, अजनयत् gave birth . ” Source
• Note that there is a mention of grahas (पञ्चसु ग्रहेषु) and of rasis (कर्कटे लग्ने) but the naksharadhipati was Aditi : “अदितिदैवत्ये  नक्षत्रे when the nakshatra presided by Aditi as devata”
• Dasaratha, Kausalya and their sons were always compared to Vedic Deities such as Indra, Aditi, Yama, Varuna etc.

Contemporary Hindu Astrology : This ascribes the adhipatyam (lordship) of the Nakshatras to Grahas. The vimsottari dasa calculations are based on this. This probably happened when the brihat parasara hora sastra became popular. This sastra was taught by Veda Vyasa’s father, Parasara to Maitreya. By Valmiki’s time, it may have been just beginning to gain acceptance. Valmiki and Vyasa were contemporaries, with Valmiki somewhat older to Vyasa. See (Generations between Rama and Krishna.)

Note: The muhurta selection, in the Ramayana was done by the kings themselves and not their priests and the muhurtam was sun-rise in both cases. Nowadays, the muhurta is selected any time of the day or night. It may also be noted that then a muhurta was a time unit of 48 min duration, but many modern Hindu weddings have to be performed at an exact instant, which is labelled the muhurtam.

Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula

The 12th of the month of Elul,

Tonight, after warily gazing upward and sign-searching while I was waiting, I began walking with a musician friend down my street. We were talking about what we had been talking about earlier that day, in the coffee shop during the morn and then later on into the afternoon-time over lunch.

The two of us, for the sake of being able to remedy a description and method, were immersed in the dialectic of how best to associate with rhythm, and just how best to slip in between words and pumps of the arms or light taps of the fingers.

We were speaking about speaking, about the spirit of innovation and invention in the constant common-doings of a day, and how each and every thing happening is musical and worth having a mind to notate. It was during this that I was telling him that its just that notation and attention to the ebb and flow of doing even anything which was important to develop the faculties to apprehend. Without it, without the attention to interval and expectation, without the attention to Mind the Constant Measurer of this space compared to that space, this length of time against that length of time, the phenomena of music could never be fully understood.

He was convinced he was born somehow without this ability, and yet there he was to rhapsodize about how little he had gotten.

Sometime during the afternoon I had stopped him in walking, and drew his attention to the pace of the words traveling on as I was speaking. I would pause with a strangeness, and wait for the awkward space that becomes of the places rhythmically where words should be, and then draw attention to just that mark.

That was the instrument of our minds, wondering whereto that awesome ocean of action and reaction had gone. And those were the cues mentally to pay attention to if he wanted to study rhythm, and know how to build it.

It has to come from inside, but, exiting through the latch on the window, and then over onto the garters of the fire-escape, you’re able to appreciate the domicile you were already abiding in naturally. And thus, knowing what it is, and how to hear it, all you have to do is be it.

And that isn’t very difficult at all.