INNER VOICE.

                                                               FEEL GOD IN SILENCE

A little fish swam up to his mother and asked:" Mommy, what 's this ocean I hear so much about?"
She replied, "You silly, it's all around you and in you.  Swim up onto the beach, lie there and you'll find out."

Similarly, a kitten asked his mother,"Mommy, what's this air I hear so much about?"
She replied, "You silly, it's all around you and in you. Stick your head in the lake and you'll find out."

Finally, there was a beginner on the spiritual journey who went to a  spiritual director and said: What's this God I hear so much about?" Reply: He is all around you and in you."

A prayer of silence or being quiet is the way to discover and experience this reality, whom we call God. A person in absolute silence forgets himself or herself, and he or she just desires God's presence - His love, His touch, His words, His embrace and above all, union with Him.

Contemplation, although the highest form of prayer, is not an elite, lofty endeavour for special 'holy' people. It is for ordinary, happy, uncomplicated people who enjoy being with God. It is a long, loving, listening, joyful look at the real god, at our real self , at real people and at the real world.

The act of contemplation is very simple, subtle,supernatural, loving, pure, divine, and deep.  It is as a ray of darkness that gives light.

SWAMI SHARNAM AYYAPPA - 2011

Like every year, this year also Shiva and myself  were very excited for our Ayyappa Puja and bhajan, which was on 20th Feb.2011.  The preparation started from 15th onwards like cleaning house, making checklist for the things required, booking the florist and so on.

On 20th our day started at 3.30am. This time we kept Ganapati Homum and rudrabhishaik,Ayyappa Puja, Pushpa vrishti and bhajan and we are very grateful to Guru Swami and OM Amma for their kind blessings and guidance because of which everything went very smoothly.

This year also period of forty one days passed very fast because of mesmerising bhajans which we all used to attend on every Sat. and Sunday and the day came for which all the Ayyappa devotees were looking forward i.e the day of MALA DHARANAM.

On 5th March the day started with Ganapati Homum at Vedant Community Hall and then all the devotees who were going to Shabrimalai, wore the Tulsi Mala. On 6th March morning 8.30 they all started their journey after taking blessings from their elders and Lord Ayyapa.

Today they all are on their way to take divya darshan of Swami Ayyappa.  I wish and Pray to Swami that may all the devotees have a good journey and a hearfilling darshan of Swami.

SWAMI SHARNAM...

TO BE CONTD...

Geeta Shiva..

INNER VOICE : NATURALLY YOURS.(Hindustantimes.com)

                                        
                                                         NATURALLY YOURS


 We have gone out of sync with nature. That us why we are suffering and so many catastrophes takes place every year.


Nature's angry mood is a reflection of the nature of men - always greedy and exploitative.


As Havelock Ellis wrote long ago, the sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago had they been within the reach of predatory human beings.


We have forgotten ourselves - our own good nature-and our animalistic instincts have had the better of us.  We exploit nature and are blind that  mother earth is weeping.  Can we ever be happy if our "mother" is crying? Can we ever be at peace so long as our mother earth is in pain inflicted by our wanton acts of destruction?


Mother earth is always in a giving mood so long as we keep it alive.  Isn't it our duty to change our mind-sets and become conservators of nature?


It is in our own interest to realise that we be the trustees of nature's beauty abd wonders.


We have to rethink over the very concepts  of development we have been following.  Development has to have a human fac ; and for that spirituality alone can be the driving force.


We need to keep in mind that anything we do by way of development must enrich the environment.


If we were to go about the business f preserving nature seriously, then we need to re-establish the divine link between human nature and environmental nature.  Nature is divine, so is the  inner-self.  As someone said, till now man has been against nature; from now on let him be against his own nature.




HTMETRO@HINDUSTANTIMES.COM.

SWAMI SHARNAM AYYAPPA - 2011

Like every year  My husband Mr. Sivasubramanian( Shiva) and my 8 years old son Mst. Pranav started their vratam on 22nd Jan. 2011.  During this period the atmosphere at home is so religious and pure that throughout the day I can hear Swami 's Sharnaghosham  "SWAMIYE SHARNAM AYYAPPA"

Alongwith my husband there are 80 people( including children) who follow their Guru Swami Mr. Ramesh Chalam during this period.  Every saturday and sunday there are bhajans conducted by Mr.N.R Ranganathan               ( Babu  Mama) and his group in the houses of all the pilgrims or in the Samaj.

The first Bhajan was organised by OM AMMA and devotees on 23rd Jan. at NKT HALL, Thane. The day started with Ganapati Homam, Laksha archanai by men and children ,Pushpavristi to Lord Ayyappa by Om Amma and Guru Swami followed by mesmerizing Bhajan by Babu Mama and group. Everything went very smoothely followed by delicious food.  The most satisfactory event was when OM AMMA herself  fed the children of  orphanage (AASRA) and gave the gifts to them.

Second Bhajan was on 29th Jan. in the morning  at Mr. Manikam's house at Thane(w) and in the evening at Mrs.Radha Mani's house at Brindavan Society, Thane.

On 26th Jan., 20 people( alongwith my son Pranav and Vaidehi's daughter Akshata and four ladies) walked from Brindavan, Thane to MINI SHABRIMALA at Kanjurmarg,( appr.15 Km.). They started their trek at 5.15am and reached the temple around 8am. Ofcourse it was a good experience for them.

I  and other pilgrims family members too enjoy attending the bhajans and admiring the decoration done differently by everybody.

To Be Continued.....

Geeta Shiva.

SHREE LAXMI NARAYAN PRAYER HALL(BRINDAVAN SOCIETY-THANE(WEST) - MAHARASHTRA.

I am associated with Shri Lakshmi Narayan Prayer Hall and OM AMMA for the last  6 years and today I would like to share my experiences.

I was introduced to this temple by one of my friend who told me about Guru Mata Brahamanandmayi who can see and communicate with the Deity of this temple. Initially I did not take her seriously but when she showed me different pictures of  Shree Lakshmi Narayan I was surprised to see  different  expressions in all the pictures of Goddess Lakshmi and God Narayan.  One day , in the year 2004, I decided to visit this temple and today I thank GOD for the opportunity I got to experience many miracles myself , my family and friends.

The Soul of this temple is Mata Brahmanandmayi ( Mrs.Padma Ganapati  ) who is chosen  by GOD for the unique service of mankind.  She looks after her home, children like all of us, very good Carnatic singer but the extra ordinary aspect of Her personality is that  Goddess and God of this temple uses Amma for giving bleesings to all the  devotees, for giving solutions to their problems.

The main attraction of this Prayer Hall is the way Devi and Bhagvan gets THEMSELVES decorated  by Amma.  The beauty of the Alankar is just heavenly.  Some time I feel two eyes are just not enough to see the Beauty of Goddess Lakshmi. Amma comes in trance and do the Alankar of the Deities.( for which we devotees go to temple early morning at 6am.)

The temple is run by OM AMMA CHARITABLE TRUST.  The trust is supporting an Orphanage for children( "AASHRAA),  by donating books, clothes etc., and by doing ANNADANAM every month. Apart from celebrating all  festivals, every year on 1st Jan. we  devotees celebrate Shree Lakshmi Narayan 's Kalyana Utsavam in a very grand way. More than 700  people attend this function.  This year the function has been recorded by SHANKARA Channel and are telecasting it on 29.01.2011 (10.30 am onwards) and on 5th Jan "11 (at 7pm).  I request all readers to see the programme  and comment.



I wish more and more people get the opportunity to be blessed by OM AMMA.


GEETA S. MANIAN.