Maha Shivarathri¸¸.*.✽.*.¸.*★.¸¸.* ☆The Great Night of Shiva☆ ๑۩۞۩๑இڿڰۣ-ڰۣღ๑۩۞۩๑

Lord Shivaji Neelkant Gangadhar

 

 

This Maha Shivarathri is one of the four nights of the year that holds a Secret

 Blessing for those who would keep Awake until Dawn, an all night vigil.

 The other three nights being Krsna Janamashtami; Deevali; and Holi.

 Many also keep a days fast!

The day is spent in preparation for the long night of spiritual practices, 

perhaps at the temple kirtana, haven, or puja ; at a lone venue

 in a special inspiring atmosphere for immersion in yoga; 

or at ones Inner Shrine, simply meditating at home!

Wherever  one chooses to be on this night,

all night, maybe in a remote Ancient Temple deep in the Himalayas,

or before a glowing fire in ecstasy chanting Mantras and prayers, 

concentrate on the True Friend of the Soul,

the Eternal Majesty of the Almighty Benevolent One,

The All Compassionate and Merciful Dispeller of Darkness,

The Ever Blissful Light of Light! ~

~ Lord Shiva Mahadev ~

Shivarathri comes on the 14th night of the waning moon every month.

This Maha Shivarathi comes once every year during this month. 

Ancient knowledge of the scriptures of India marks this night 

as extremely special shown by a particular alignment of the Sun, 

Moon, and the Earth causing in this most silent of nights 

a most powerful flow of subtle energy that is available to us all 

to rise our conscious level, a pure gift of Lord Shiva, if you will.

It is not just a night of waking, but of Awaking!!       

And as your practice continues through the night the mind is absorbed,

the sleepiness it once felt at it's usual time has long passed by the power

of the heart's concentration on a finer purpose, Higher Desire, a Greater Love!

The fatigue of the body gets forgotten in the pursuit of the Blessed Night of 

Grace.

And there comes a point in time, in this night, that one reaches a place so 

focused

as to go beyond the limits of the body into a spaceless place of pure 

timelessness!

Here there is no description in words for this state, it is one to be 

Experienced!

To flow deep into the Inner Revelations of your Essential Being 

and to drink the Nectarine Grace of this night is all the Compassion 

of Ras Raseshwar Shiva!

Parmeshwaraya Sada Shivaya!  Yogeshwaraya Mahadevaya!

"Om Namah Shivaya*Om Namah Shivaya*Om Namah Shivaya"

Read More

Maha Shivarathri ~ Feb.20, 2012 ๑۩۞۩๑இڿڰۣ-ڰۣღ๑۩۞۩๑

Jaya Shiva Shankara Bam Bam Hara Hara!

Om Namah Shivaya! Shivaya Namah Om!
๑۩۞۩๑இڿڰۣ-ڰۣღ๑۩۞۩๑இڿڰۣ-ڰۣღ

Read More

Sri Radha Kripa Kataksha Stavraj

                                                   Hymn in Praise of Sri Radha


                                    1.
munindra vrnda vandite tri loka shoka harini
         prasanna vaktra pankaje nikunja bhu vilasini
 vrajendra bhanu nandini vrajendra sunu sangate
         kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam  

                  
Adored by the host of sages,
      she drives away the grief
       of the three spheres!
Her face blooms like a lotus with joy
    delighting in love's games
       in secret groves.
She is the daughter of King vrishbhanu
    and lives in the heart
       of the son of the King of Vraj!
Oh! When will She shower upon me
    Her sidelong glance
        of over-flowing Grace!


                                                                          2.
                                  ashoka vrksa vallari vitana mandapa sthite
                                         pravala jvala pallava prabharunanghri komale
                                  varabhaya sphurat kare prabhuta sampadalaye
                                        kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam 

                                                                               
                                                       She rests upon a flower throne
                                                             beneath a canopy of creepers
                                                                 and boughs of Ashok trees.
                                                        The soles of Her lotus-soft feet
                                                            are lustrous-red as coral,
                                                                 fire, and new sprouted leaves;
                                                         From Her springs forth
                                                             the favour of fearlessness
                                                                 and all celestial treasure!
                                                         Oh! When will She shower upon me
                                                             Her sidelong glance
                                                                 of overflowing Grace!


                                    3.
 ananga ranga mangala prasanga bhangura bhruvam
       su vibhramam sa sambhrama drg anta bana patanaih
nirantaram vashikrta pratita nanda nandane
       kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam

 
Charming movements Her arched  eyebrows
     are the colorful stage
           of the play of love.
Her sudden glance, just as
    a shower of arrows,
        produces astonishment!
And thus perpetually holds captive
   the everlasting allegiance
        of Sri Nandanandan!
Oh! When will She shower upon me
    Her sidelong glance
        of overflowing Grace!


                                                                          4.
                                tadit suvarna champaka pradipta gaura vigrahe
                                   mukha prabha parasta koti sharadendu mandale
                                vichitra chitra sancharac chakora shava lochane
                                    kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam 

 
                                                        As lightning's radiant illumination, or gold,
                                                            or the blossoms of the Champa,
                                                                is the fairness of Her limbs.
                                                        The shining brilliance of Her face
                                                             defeats the glory
                                                                  of a million full moons of Sharad!
                                                         And eyes are restless like young Chakors,
                                                              bewildered by strange and dazzling scenes
                                                                 at each new moment! 
                                                        Oh! When will She shower upon me
                                                           Her sidelong glance
                                                                of overflowing Grace!

                                   5.
 madonmadati yauvane pramoda mana mandite
       priyanuraga ranjite kala vilasa pandite
ananya dhanya kunja raj kama keli kovide
       kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam 


In exceedingly intoxicating youth,
    Her delightful sulking mood
        is Her bejeweled adornment;
Dyed in Her Darling's dedication,
    She is fully skilled and expert
        in all arts of love making;
In sanctified groves incomparable,
    She is learned in the study
        of all love's novelties.
Oh! When will She shower upon me
     Her sidelong glance
         of overflowing Grace!


                                                                           6.
                                   ashesha hava bhava dhira hira hara bhushite
                                      prabhuta shatakumbha kumbha kumbhi kumbha sustani
                                   prashasta manda hasya churna purna saukhya sagare
                                      kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam 

 
                                                        The infinite and calm ocean of the sentiment
                                                             of loving gestures is the diamond ornament 
                                                                 She wears upon Her neck;
                                                        Her lovely breasts are golden spheres,
                                                            as the cranial globes of an elephant,
                                                                as well-formed as twin water urns;
                                                         Her slow enchanting smile
                                                            glows with a silent bliss
                                                                as an ocean full of mirth!
                                                        Oh! When will She shower upon me
                                                            Her sidelong glance
                                                                of overflowing Grace!


                                    7.
mrinala bala vallari taranga ranga dorlate
        latagra lasya lola neela lochanavalokane
lalal lulan milan manojna mugdha mohanashraye
        kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam 


Whose delicate arms, creeper-slim,
   rhythmically wave and flow
       like lotus stems;
Just as a dancing vine
    at its height, Her bluish eyes
        flash an enthralling glance;
Her alluring movements entice love meetings,
     and fascinate Mohan Himself
        to take refuge in Her charm!
Oh! When will She shower upon me
    Her sidelong glance
        of overflowing Grace!


                                                                           8.
                                 suvarna malikanchite tri rekha kambu kanthage
                                       tri sutra mangali guna tri ratna deepti didhiti
                                 sa lola neela kuntale prasuna guccha gumphite
                                       kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam
                

                                                        On Her neck, shaped lovely as a conch,
                                                              its beauty enhanced by three lines,
                                                                  she wears a golden necklace.
                                                          Three lustrous diamonds sparkle and swing
                                                               from three chords tied round Her neck
                                                                   as all fortune and auspiciousness.
                                                           Her luxuriant black tresses are artfully woven
                                                               with clusters of flowers
                                                                   flowing towards Her heels!
                                                           Oh! When will She shower upon me
                                                                Her sidelong glance
                                                                     of overflowing Grace!


                                    9.
nitamba bimba lambamana pushpa mekhala guna
         prashasta ratna kinkini kalapa madhya manjule
karindra shunda dandika varoha sobhagoruke
         kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam 


The fullness of Her swaying hips
    is circled with a wreath
        of flowers of great excellence.
Her splendid diamond girdle bright
    sings out sweet applause
        in Her fair delight!
Whose graceful soft smooth thighs
    taper as the sloping trunk
        of the king of elephants!
Oh! When will She shower upon me
    Her sidelong glance
        of overflowing Grace!


                                                                           10.
                                 aneka mantra nada manju nupuraravas khalat
                                       samaja raja hamsa vamsa nikvanati gaurave
                                 vilola hema vallari vidambi charu chankrame
                                       kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam  

                 
                                                         Her golden anklets sweetly resound
                                                             as the divine and timeless chanting
                                                                 of countless Mantras!
                                                         And in their melody is heard
                                                             all the enchantment of a flock
                                                                  of noble swans!
                                                         The elegant movement of Her limbs
                                                             is like the bewitching dance
                                                                 of golden creepers!
                                                          Oh! When will She shower upon me
                                                              Her sidelong glance
                                                                  of overflowing Grace!


                    11.
ananta koti vishnu loka namra padma jarchite
     himadri ja puloma ja virinchi ja vara prade
apara siddhi vrddhi digdha sat padanguli nakhe
     kada karishyasiha mam krpa kataksha bhajanam


At whose lotus feet the goddesses
     of endless millions of heavens of Vishnu,
        stoop to bow in all humility!
For the daughters of Himanchal, Puloma,
     and Brahma, who worship Her,
        She is the bestower of boons!
All riches, supernatural powers,
    perfection and liberation are attained
        within the light of Her baby toenail!
Oh! When will She shower upon me
    Her sidelong glance
        of overflowing Grace!


                                                                            12.
                                  makheshvari kriyeshvari svadheshvari sureshvari
                                        tri veda bharatishvari pramana shasaneshvari
                                  rameshvari ksameshvari pramoda kananeshvari
                                         vrajeshvari vrajadhipe shri radhike namo stute


                                                          Oh! Goddess Supreme!
                                                              of all sacrifice and action,
                                                                 and of the host of gods and sages!
                                                          Oh! Goddess Supreme!
                                                               of the speech of the three Vedas,
                                                                and of all law and logic!
                                                          Oh! Goddess Supreme!
                                                               of love, forgiveness and delight,
                                                                    of Rama, Kshma, and Sri Sita!
                                                          Oh! Goddess Supreme of Vraj,
                                                               and of the King of Vraj!
                                                                   Sri Radhika, I prostrate to Thee!

                                                   .(¯`••´¯)
                                                     *•.¸.•*★•.¸¸.•*`*• ☆

This wonderful and extremely cherished Stavraj in prayerful praise
to Beloved Sri Radha we translated into English with Sushri Radha Dasi
and two young Goswamis of Sri Radha Raman Lalji Mandir at Vrindavan
in the mid 1970's, by the wish of Baba Sripadji and which was printed
in a local magazine then and there.
    All is the Grace of Shrijee and Shri Hari, for their perfect joy,
and therefore also is the joy of the bhaktas !!

                                                     (¯`••´¯)
                                                      *•.¸.•*★•.¸¸.•*`*• ☆

Read More

Time with Baba Sripadji discribed by George Harrison

 

                          Beatle George Harrison's tribute to Baba Sripad Maharajji
                              From his book entitled ' Me Mine ':

"India and in particular my experiences in Brindaban (Vrindavan) inspired me to write 'It Is He'.We went to Brindaban where Krishna lived 4,000 years ago. It is one of the holiest cities in India - the whole town is Krishna conscious - everyone, everywhere was chanting 'Hare Krishna' and various permutations on that.It was my most fantastic experience; going to that place was great; Ravi Shankar had arranged somehow that we were to meet Sripad (His Holiness) Maharaj, an ascetic, who spoke some English and who was going to show us around.We arrived there as it was becoming dusk and somebody ran off to try and find him. It's all so ancient, all these little streets and old temples. A girl came back and said 'come with us' and we went down to where the river Jamuna used to flow, but now it's changed its course so it's a dry bed. It was an old Goswami (a spiritual master; one who is in full control of his mind ands senses - Swami means 'teacher' and Go means 'the mind and the senses')'s house we went to. We sat there and had tea and then left after dark.We went off with this man and I didn't know who he was, and we were walking and the more we walked, the more I thought 'God this guy is incredible', everybody was coming up to him, all the time, and touching his feet. He looked like an old beggar; real matted long hair and he wore an old sack robe and had bare feet and all these Swamis with shaved heads and saffron robes were coming and bowing to him and touching his feet.He took us round to every temple in Brindaban and he was known in all of them. I was a stiff Westerner when we started off, but there was a moment when the atmosphere of the place got to me, melting all the bullshit away. I thought about this man a great deal as it became a fantastic, blissful experience for me.Later, they gave us some rooms and we slept for just a few hours until he came and got us at 4 am to go for the morning Puja (literally means an offering. It can also mean a temple service as it does here) in the temple. We'd probably only slept for 3 hours but it was the deepest sleep I ever had in my life and all through the sleep I could hear choirs singing. I still don't know to this day - I don't think it was temples I could hear - I think it was something else - all through the sleep I was hearing huge heavenly choirs - it was a fantastic experience.The next day we went to the garden called Sevakunj famous for Krishna's 'Lila'. Lila is a pastime, a transcendental activity. (maybe you've seen the pictures of all the Gopis (cowherd girl), the girls, and there's a big ring of them and they've all got a Krishna each and are dancing in a circle) Krishna always played there; this was the place where he would hang out and dance.They close this park at sunset until sunrise and nobody's allowed in there at night. The only people who have been in during that time, it has been said, have gone mad or have been found dead. All the birds and animals leave as soon as it's sunset.Inside there is a temple with a big brass bed on the altar, and as each of the different temples depicts a different aspect of Krishna, at this one (because he's been up all night dancing with the Gopis and doesn't get up early), they don't open till about 10am for morning Puja. All the trees, which are so ancient, bow down and the branches touch the ground. Just to walk in that place is incredible.That morning when we came back from the temple at about 5am, it was still dark, and we sat in a room. Sripad started singing a Bhajan ( a devotional song) to which we all sang the answering part, repeating it over and over. I got blissed out with my eyes shut, and didn't want it to stop, even when I felt I was going to stop, we would keep it going on. In the end when it eventually stopped, the sun was so high; it must have been 9 or 10 in the morning - the time had flown by - fantastic.And so he said to me 'why don't you make that into a song? 'So what I did was take that old chant 'Jai Krishna, Jai Krishna, Krishna, Jai Krishna, Jai Sri Krishna, Jai Radhe, Jai Radhe, Radhe, Jai Radhe, Jai Sri Radhe... and then wrote the English words in between the verses.
          'It Is He' was for Sripad Maharaj, a wonderful, humble, Holy man."

Read More

Sri Radha ~ Kishangarh School

                                     The Famous 18th cent. Kishangarh Radha

 

Sri Hari with Sri Radha & the Gopis. Kishangarh school ~ exquisite !!

Read More

On the Borders of a Dreaming Wilderness

"One whom I sought I found in distant lands,
I have obeyed my heart, I have carried out thy will
On the borders of a dreaming wilderness."

                                               'Savitri'    Sri Aurobindo

    In Shimla at Erwin Lodge, Santjeo daily read out loud with me
the book Savitri by Sri Aurobindo. It was actually the only book
in English we ever read together. Magnificent! It is one of the few
great works ever written in English by a fully realised soul.
It's depth is truly astonishing particularly when read by a saint
of Santji's caliber! There were suspended moments when we
became transfixed in another consciousness so completely
as to simply forget to breathe, in a space less timelessness bliss.
It is still a masterpiece I highly recommend, that has immense,
depth and spiritual power to inspire divine Love and Light.

"Armored with love and faith and sacred joy,
A traveler to the Eternal's house
Once let unwounded pass a mortal life."

Awe! How splendidly He moves the spirit
and sends it soaring into a tranquil star filled infinity!
So I continued in lost delight...

                                    ¸. *ღ☆¸.•°*♥        
                                         

Read More

Pujya Sri Jagjivan Bapuji's One Hundreth Birthday

Bapuji's Legacy of Songs, Cures, Blessings and amazing Presence
was celebrated by devotees, sadhus, and his village of Simmer in
Saurashtra on his one hundreth birthday, November 30, 2011,
I was told by Swami Jnananandaji of this joyful event.

 Beloved Bapuji, You are a Treasure to the soul!
To have had your company, and witnessed your ways,
delightful upliftment moment to moment,
and to have the blessing of this name Radheshwari,
from your deep and peerless inspiration,
I am forever indebted beyond words.  .¸¸.•*`*•.✽

Read More