A Pilgrimage in the Month of Kartik...

On UCP readers may recall ‘my thing’ with Shiv making me a Shiv Bhakt although his cute elephantine son is really my Ishq Devata! I guess ‘the thing’ is not some love affair by the way but a relationship of serious awe and deep divine respect. As you may have read in my previous posts I consider him to be like the supreme yogi! The super one…Super Shiv!...and over a year ago I took to being his disciple using this picture of a murti of him at Rishikesh as my tutor…my guru…I studied the picture of the murti mimicking his art of meditation and although most of the time I was not able to sit in the perfect yogi position as my guru I have been in meditation of sorts in and out (in my own metaphorical or metaphysical way) of the meditation cave for over a year now. I’m sure some of the effects of those retreats would have been the energy that prompted me to do the candle4tibet thing as I saw it as gurus bowing to each other by helping out a Lama on behalf of Shiv. I'm just the doer but he is the Shiv and the Shakti...the seed and the energy! And it was the candle4tibet experience that among other things led to me create this blog and really it has been quite a journey to cover this UCP...my and your Universal Collective Prayer! :)

But really it has been such an act of joy...a bhakti yogic dance that I’ve never once thought of it as a task or an accomplishment…or even a goal set to achieve…perhaps instead like how all true students, disciples or chelas should be I was just in it for the learning and it being bhakti yoga in a way well I was just in it for the dancing! For the dance itself and the fun, love, light and joy it brings! Picture me brimming with glee! Like a big, fat Santa Claus if you’ll have it! And good ole Santa must be a big bhakti yogi himself no doubt (be)cause really just look at his glee! And I will be ‘believing in him’ soon…can’t wait to dance forth on my Advent calendar next month! With the three wise men!:)

But for now back to Shiv…it’s the Hindu month of Kartik...which brings the Hindu calendar to a close so I can go on to dance forth in the Christian one and celebrate Advent! And today, 2 Nov Hindus through out the world bring the Hindu calendar of events to a close with the celebration of Kartik Nahan…Snan…Snaan or Purnima either way an Ode to Water! I noticed over the last week or so many have been coming to UCP to check out this blog that I did last year for the same event and so I’m not going to go on much about my Ode to Water again! But for sure I have to bow to her-Ganga Mai as I’m surrounded by loads and loads of it living on an island! And today local Hindu groups are celebrating it in many a place but in particular I like this spot- The Mosquito Creek because it’s where I sometimes ‘almost see and feel’ Shiv and I pass it everyday on my way back and forth for work. Many a time I visualise Shiv at the side of the creek doing full yogi stretches pretty much like I feel he must do them on the banks of the river Ganga and on the sands of a Kerala beach! :)See if you can picture it too! :)


Kartik Jandhis, Mosquito Creek- TRINIDAD

The Water!, Mosquito Creek-TRINIDAD

Copyright- Meady's Musings Production 2009

Now many may see Kartik Nahan to be a celebration of Ganga Mata…an ode to the great Indian river worshipped as a Goddess and Mother (as it is where Hinduism originated) and then later on as a worship of all bodies of water wherever Hinduism spread like here in Trinidad. Others celebrate it as a time of praise to Lord Vishnu for incarnating as Lord Matsya- a fish type incarnation to conquer evil in one of the ages. But to me Kartik has to also be about Shiv! I mean how can you say Ganga and not say Shiv…hey didn’t he wrap her up in his hair? Didn’t he save us from her full force and so tamed her before she landed on earth? I mean he is always out there... putting himself out-drinking poison…taming raging female rivers and Goddesses. So you have to hail Shiv here too!

So today on Kartik Nahan I mark my devotion to Shiv with this personal story…I’ve been meaning to blog it…but been unsure…also if you really follow UCP you will know that I’m always at odds as if to share certain profound spiritual experiences or not…if to take that picture or not…sometimes I find it too personal at other times too cheesy…sometimes I share them sometimes I don’t…after much to and fro in my mind and without any divine revelation I’ve decided to share the story…it involves another person who feels her story should be personal in that it can be shared but not her identity so she will only be referenced here in anonymity. So here’s the katha (story)…

Said person of anonymity and non-fame had a dream a few weeks ago prior to Diwali I believe…in the dream she heard a voice saying to her… “If you want to see Shiv…Sada Shiv then go to El Dorado Shiv Mandir" Now person of anonymity and no real claim to fame is very close to me and I was charged with her desire to take her there! However she had to first of all be ready to go! So eventually she was and so finally we went! Off on a pilgrimage on Sat 24 Oct 2009 which, according to my research would all be within the month of Kartik as this year it is 5 Oct to 2 Nov 2009. So after some looking and getting lost then looking again then finally finding we were at the gate of the El Dorado Shiv Mandir. Now both me and person of anonymity but filled with much nagging refrain...sorry I know this is UCP...but nagging it was! No not naagin as in the snakes although I feel it is where that term came from... had to be! But nagging! Well you know how it is... picture how the three wise men behaved on their journey and remove one person and make them female and remove some wisdom and well you had us! :)

But finally we were there! Before the gates of El Dorado Shiv Mandir looking not for Spanish Gold but for Shiv no doubt! Now both of us had been to the temple before and it was person of anonymity who had the dream not I! But neither of us could recall details of the temple...just that we may have come to this temple before for a wedding or something...no doubt was why we couldnt even find it in the first place! However as we veered a bit from the temple's gate...we saw the back of a Shiv murti that seemed to be in a type of gazebo like structure annexed to the mandir itself...and we both at the same time knew...it was the Shiv that was meant to be...the one we came here to see! :) Now person of anonymity, well she has this long going thing with Shiv...beyond me! She got so excited I thought I would have to leave the lady there to stay with Shiv you see! She went quickly up to some mandir workers who seemed to be in a committee meeting and got the permission in case they would mind and had already spotted flowers even giving some to me! :) Before I could be aware I saw her up there by the murti now that was seriously a love affair beyond compare! But seriously this is no joke it was actually pretty intense...and I don't know what these numbers mean for sure again but as I looked at my blackberry considering which shot to take or not...well there it was 4:44 PM the time she met her Shiv! Some say this is when the angels are fully with us! And when I had this dream about Shiv the time well it was 3:33 AM when I awoke from the dream...so could it be? 333 when the gurus are with us and now 444 the angels were rejoicing with us? :)

Now I went before Shiv too you see...but I had not a thought in mind...it was the calmest I have ever been...thoughtless...how could I be!:) But I was...so it is only after person of anonymity explained to me...that this Shiv was an awaken Shiv or a Shiv that was awake! It was definitely a rarer Shiv to find about on the island I thought...and yes...white...only with the neck painted blue where he drank the poison and so became known as Neel Kanth or Blue Throat. So then it dawned on me...could it be?

So since then it has had me wondering especially based on how it felt...yes person of anonymity for sure had her own story here...she has long had her love affair and for sure the dream came through her for her purposes too...but was it that I had to be part of it too?...well but like in Mission Impossible though...your task Babita should you choose to accept it...because if I hadn't chosen to take her well I would also not have seen...perhaps that was the final task you see? And for instance had I not taken her she would have gone on her own or some other way but I would not have seen...But yes...I think so...as she had said he was in awaken pose...and giving his Dharshan (blessings) with his hand raised and all...these things are not seen and only felt but I think it could have been...

After more than a year of sitting at my guru's feet here:


He said to me Ayushmati Bhava (may you live long)here! Not literally but in a dream and through iconography could it be? As he showered his blessings on me! I didn't ask for anything I had no thoughts you see and perhaps is what made me a good yogini! I humbly sit at your feet Oh Great One for I know I've only just begun...but I graciously accept whatever blessings you so desire to shower on me for one needs to know how to accept as well as how to give! Especially when the blessings come from a guru such as you! May I continue to please you! :) Also I give thanks to those who maintain the beautiful Shiv Mandir which I understand is one of the oldest on the island. Check out that katha (story) here

OM NAMAH SHIVAY!

Happy Diwali 2009!- Let There Be Light!

This year at my company's Diwali celebration I was asked to give the opening prayer and then explain a bit about it in relation to our theme that was very straightly focussed on Diwali this year as it was about "The Light of True Knowledge"

At first I felt a bit daunted by it...first of all I'm a blogger but I don't like the big official speeches! And to go on and break from convention in that most people just say opening prayers at functions as formalities...they dont explain them! :) Plus as readers of this blog might know true prayer is like a dance not to be taken all serious and buttoned down for me! :) Although I can see it being serious too if you are all in Shiv like meditation but formality? It does take away from the prayers...but it was also I realised in the end like taking my Universal Collective Prayer blog on the road! :) And although I started off a bit uncomfortably especially having to brave microphone issues...I felt the dance of UCP in the end! :) So I'd like to share that joy of coming up with the prayers here with you! :)

I tend to figure things out not just say them for so...it's my nature...prakriti...so...I asked myself what is true knowledge? What is this light of true knowledge in Hinduism? I even read a few pages of encyclopedic synopsis on Hinduism in preparing for my prayer and was happy to see how diverse and large the Hindu diaspora is in following...about 300,000 in Trinidad and >1M in places like the US and South Africa. I was contemplating saying something to honour Ganesh first and then saying the universal hindu prayer on light...the Shanti mantra...Asatoma sadgamaaya...but wasn't sure exactly...but then right there at the heart of the article my initial thoughts were confirmed...even the encyclopedic synopsis felt that those verses from the Upanishad was the heart of not just Diwali but Hinduism...really those few lines does sum up the very core of Hinduism doesn't it?

Asato Ma Sat Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.


Translation:

Lead Us From the Unreal To Real,
Lead Us From Darkness To Light,
Lead Us From Death To Immortality,
Aum (the universal sound of God)
Let There Be Peace Peace Peace. - Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.

Later on I would hear that even President Obama used it in his Diwali speech!:) And all over the web I found all this talk about its use in the Matrix movies...

However in all my preparation I found this lovely little channel on Youtube to be the most helpful and lovely of them all... and I will attach from that lovely little channel- Edewcate, the three groups of prayers I recited in the end. Edewcate really is a neat little simplistic site for anyone wanting to learn about lots of stuff not just kids but people who approach things like them as Jesus said...with the heart of a child-Hey, it's really the only way to learn! :)







And then for my explanation I decided to talk about my cute little Ishq Devata- Ganesh! :) and why prayers to him always comes first to remove all obstacles..Then I explained some of the stories in Hinduism that explains why in the 2nd set of verses the prayer says "to destroy my enemy's intellect! "...citing Rawan and the emperor of Holi fame! :) And on the whole that prayer asked for the enlightened beings to come help me...so I envisioned it in that order...pray to Ganesh to remove obstacles to even ensure the rest of the prayers goes well...then...ask other enlightened beings to help me out especially when around beings of very little light and then to reflect on my own issues through meditation...reflected in those lines of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.


And tonight on the prayers I'd like to wish everyone a Happy and Holy Diwali 2009! :)

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti!

Gandhi Jayanthi 2009!

I've celebrated Gandhi Ji on UCP in the past but someone of his magnitude and depth is fitting for a visit over and over again here on the prayers. So you can refer to my past celebrations of him on the prayers here in death and here in birth.

Today on the prayers I celebrate his birthday or the anniversary of his birth date- 2nd October by marking some of his famous quotes about prayer and the Ultimate Surrender onto the Lord/Universe as we often like to explore here on the prayers.

Here they are:

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it...always".

"To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer".

"When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator".

"When restraint and courtesy are added to strength, the latter becomes irresistible".

"In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth".

So enjoy the Universal Collective Prayer! :)Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram in Hindi and English!

Happy Durga Ashtami 2009!

I am off to a Durga pooja...actual real live participation in Universal Collective Prayer today...and I have to apologise to readers for not spending enough time this Navratri in explaining in English in my dancing talk sometimes Hinglish about the female divine form in Hinduism. I really wish I had done more but I leave you with an excerpt from the Devi Gita as translated by a swami (I've just swatted it off the web no permission granted but I'm sure blessings flowing)...the English translation could do with some work and modernising...which is where I felt my work came in...the work I have abandoned...but I will come back after the pooja for more...Devi willing! :)

So I'm off for now but felt I had to mark Durga Ashtami here on the prayers especially since I've never particularly celebrated it here on the prayers thus far although have celebrated many a surrender onto the Divine Mother! :) I also leave you with some other Bhaktis or at least performers extolling her 108 names and singing her aartis! :)

Jai Mata Di! :) And I'm off! :)

Devi Gita
(Song of the Goddess)
Excerpt from the Srimad Devî Bhagavatam
Translated by Swami Vijnanananda (Hari Prasanna Chatterji)

The Devi Gita is part of the Srimad Devî Bhagavatam written by the great Veda Vyasa . It describes an incarnation of the Devi and she herself describes her nature, and how she wants to be worshipped, particularly with Yogic practices, meditation and rituals.

CHAPTER XXXI.
The Birth of Pârvatî in the House of Himâlayâs
1-2. Janamejaya said--"O Muni! You told before that "the Highest Light took Her birth on the top of the Himilayas." Now describe to me in detail about this Highest liight. What intelligent man can desist from hearing these nectar-like words about the S'akti? The danger of death may come even to the Davas that drink nectars but no such danger can possibly come to those that drink the nectar of the Devî's glorious deeds.

3-43. Vyâsa said:--"O King! You are blessed; you have attained what you are to attain in this life; you are taught by the high-souled men; you are fortunate since you are so sincerely devoted to the Devî. O King! Hear the ancient history:--Wherever the Deva of the Devas, the Mahes'vara rested while He was wandering all over the world in a distracted state, carrying the Satî's body that as burnt by fire, He spent his time there with his senses controlled, in Samâdhi, forgetting all his knowledge of Samsâra in deep meditation of the form of the Devî. At this time, the three worlds, with their objects, moving and immoving, with their oceans, mountains and islands became void of prosperity and power. The hearts of all the embodied beings became dried up, without any trace of joy; they were all burdened with anxious thoughts and remained indifferent. All were merged in the ocean of sorrows and.became diseased. Planets retrograded and the Devas had their states reversed. The Kings were attacked with a series of ills and misfortunes. Âdhibhantik and Âdhidaivik (from material causes and from divine interference). At this time a great Asura, named Târaka, became unconquerable owing to his receiving a boon from Brahmâ. Being intoxicated by his power and heroism, he conquered the three worlds and became the sovereign ruler.The Brahmâ Prajâpati, gave him boon to this effect that the legitimate son of S'iva would be able to kill him. And as at that time S'iva had no son, the great Asura, elated with joy, became infatuated and carried off all victories. All the Devas were banished from their places by his oppression; they remained always anxious owing to the want felt by them of a son of S'iva. "S'ânkara has now no wife; how can He then have a son! We are very unfortunate; how can our work be accomplished? Thus oppressed with thoughts, all the Devas went to Vaikuntha and informed the Bhâgavan Visnu of all that had happened, in privacy.

The Bhâgavan Visnu began to tell them the means, thus:--"O Devas! Why are you all so anxious when the Auspicious Goddess of the Universe, the Dweller in the Mani Dvîpa, the Yielder of all desires like a Kalpa Vriksa is always wakeful for you. It is due to your faults that She is showing Her indifference; it is meant to teach us (not for our destruction but to show Her Infinite mercy). When a mother nourishes and frightens and reprimands a son, it is not that she has became merciless; so the World Mother, the Controller of the Universe, will never be merciless to you as regards your qualifications and defects. A son commits offence at every step who can bear that in these three worlds except the mother! So soon take refuge to the Highest Mother, the Goddess of the universe, with the sincerest devotion. She will certainly take action and help your cause.

Thus ordering the Devas, Visnu with His consort Laksmî and the other Devas quickly went out to worship the Devî. Going to the Himâlayâs, they soon engaged themselves in doing the Puras'charana Karma (act of repeating the names of the Deity, attended with burnt oblations and offerings, etc.). O King! Those who were well versed with the performance of sacrifice to the Mother, began their sacrificial ceremonies and all began to hold vows, viz, Tritiyâdi Vratânî. Some were engaged in incessantly meditating on the Devî; some began to repeat Her names constantly; some began to repeat the Devî Sûkta. Thus some devoted themselves to repeating names; others to repeating mantrams. Again some wore engaged in performing severe (painful) Chândrâyana and other Vratas. Some wore doing Antarayâgas (inner sacrifices); some wore doing Prânâgnihotra Yâgas; whereas others engaged themselves in Nyâsâdi, etc. Again some began to worship the Highest S'aktî, the Goddess of the Universe, without any sleep or rest, by the seed mantra of Mâyâ. O King! Thus many years of the Devas passed away.

When the ninth Tithî came in the month of Chaitra on Friday, the Highest Light of the Supreme Force suddontly appeared in front of them. That Light was equal to Koti lightnings, of a red colour, and cool like the Koti Moons. Again the lustre was like the Koti Suns. The four Vedas personified, were chanting hymns all round Her. That mass of fire was above, below, on all sides, in the middle; nowhere it was obstructed. It had no beginning, nor end. It was of the form of a female with hands and feet and all the limbs. The appearance was not that of a male nor that of an hermophrodite. The Devas, dazzled by the brilliant lustre, first closed their eyes; but at the next moment, holding patience when they opened again their eyes, they found the Highest Light manifesting in the form of an exceedingly beautiful Divine Woman. Her youth was just blooming and Her rising breasts, plump and prominent, vying as it were, with a lotus bud, added to the beauty all around. Bracelets were on Her hands; armlets on Her four arms; necklace on Her neck; and the garland made of invaluable gems and jewels spread very bright lustre all arouud. Lovely ornaments on Her waist making tinkling sounds and beautiful anklets were on Her feet. The hairs of Her head, flowing between Her ears and cheek sparkled bright like the large black bees shining on the flower leaves of the blooning Ketakî flower. Her loins were nicely shaped and exquisitely lovely and the hairs on Her navel gave additional beauty. Her exquisitely lively lotus mouth rendered more lustrous and beautiful by the shining golden ear-ornaments, was filled with betel leaves mixed with camphor, etc.; on Her forehead there was the half crescaut moon; Her eye-brows were extended and Her eyes looked bright and beautifully splendid like the red lotus; Her nose was elevated and Her lips very sweet. Her teeth were very beautiful like the opening buds of Kunda flowers; from Her neck was suspended a necklace of pearls; on Her head was the brilliant crown decked with diamonds and jewels; on Her ears, earrings were suspended like the lines on the Moon; Her hairs were ornamented with Mallikâ and Mâlatî flowers; Her forehead was pasted with Kâsmîra Kunkuma drops; and Her three eyes gave unparallelled lustre to Her face. On Her one hand there was the noose and on Her other hand there was the goad; her two other hands made signs granting boons and dispelling fears; Her body shed lustre like the flowers of a Dârima tree. Her wearing is a red coloured cloth. All these added great beauty.

Thus the Devas saw before them the Mother Goddess, the Incarnate of unpretended mercy, with a face ready to offer Her Grace, the Mother of the Whole Universe, the Enchantreas of all, sweet-smiling, saluted by all the Devas, yielding all desires, and wearing a dress, indicative of all lovely feelings. The Devas bowed at once they saw Her; but they could not speak with their voice as it was choked with tears. Then holding their patience, with much difficulty, they began to praise and chant hymns to the World Mother with their eyes filled with tears of love and devotion and with their heads bent low.

44-54. The Devas said:--We bow down to Thee, the Devî and the Maha Devî, always obeisance to Thee! Thqu art the Prakriti, and the Auspicious One; we always salute to Thee. O Mother! Thou art of a fiery colour (residing as a Red Flame in the heart of a Yogî) and burning with Asceticism and Wisdom (shedding lustre all around). Thou art specially shining everywhere as the Pure Chaitanya; worshipped by the Devas and all the Jîvas) for the rewards of their actions; We take refuge to Thee, the Durgâ, the Devî, we bow down to Thee, that can well make others cross the ocoan of Samsâra; so that Thou helpest us in crossing this terrible ocean of world. Mother! The Devas have created the words (i.e., the words conveying ideas are uttered by the five Vâyus, Prâna, etc., which are called the Devas) which are of the nature of Vis'varûpu, pervading everywhere, like the Kâma Dhenu (the Heavenly Cow yielding all desires, riches, honor, food, etc.,) and by which the brutes (the gods) become egotistical, O Mother! Thou art that language to us; so Thou fulfillest our desires when we praise and eba at hymns to Thee. O Devî! Thou art the Night of Destruction at the end of the world; Thou art worshipped by Brahmâ; Thou art the Laksmi, the S'akti of Visnu; Thou art the Mother of Skanda the S'aktî of S'iva; Thou art the S'aktî Sarasvatî of Brahmâ. Thou art Aditi,the Mother of the gods and Thou art Satî, the daughter of Daksa. Thus Thou art purifying the worlds in various forms and giving peace to all. We bow down to Thee. We know Thee to be the great Mahâ Laksmî; wa meditate on Thee as of the nature of all the S'aktis as Bhaghavatî. O Mother! Illumine us so that we can meditate and know Thee. O Devî! Obeisance to Thee, the Virât! Obeisance to Thee, the Sûtrâtmâ, the Hiranyagarbha; obeisance to Thee, the transformed into sixteen Vikritis (or transformations). Obeisance to Thee, of the natara of Brahma. We bow down with great devotion to Thee, the Goddess of the Universe, the Creatrix of Mâyic Avidyâ (the Nescience) under whose influence this world is mistaken as the rope as a garland is mistaken for a rope and again that mistake is corrected by whose Vidyâ.

We bow down to Thee who art indicated by both the letters Tat and Tvam in the sentence Tat Tvamasi (Thou art That), Tat indicating the Chit (Intelligence) of the nature of oneness and Tvam indicating the nature of Akhanda Brahma (beyond the Annamaya, Prânamaya, Manomaya, Vijnânamaya and the Ânandamaya--the five Kos'as, the Witness of the three states of wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep states) and indicating Thee. O Mother! Thou art of the nature of Pranava Om; Thou art Hrîm; Thou art of the nature of various Mantras and Thou art merciful; we bow down again and again to Thy lotus Feet. When the Devas thus praised the Devî, the In-dweller of the Mani Dvîpa, the Bhagavatî spoke to them in a sweet cuckoo voice.

55. O Devas! What for have you come here? What do you want? I am always the Tree, yielding all desires to my Bhaktas; and I am ready to grant boons to them.

56-57. You are my devotees; why do you care, when I am on your side? I will rescue you from the ocean of troubles, O Devas! Know this as My true resolve. O King! Hearing these words of deep love, the Devas became very glad and gave out all their causes of troubles.

Eid Mubarak 2009!

Here on the prayers I had contemplated getting a guest blogger from the Islamic faith to come on and post here about their views and experiences for today's post. However in further meditation I figured it best I do the post...since as I've been thinking on the prayers...this is my journey...my song...so it is really how me being Hindu-centric in my religious views looks at all the other religions and faiths and beliefs around me. However as I always say in me trying to do this it is just a learning for me and if along the way I offend anyone's beliefs etc....it really was not my intent...my intent being to explore this thing I call Universal Collective Prayer...and my definition of it for me is to start from the Hindu-centric view I grew up with and expand from there...and I can do no better than that...however although my Intent is not to offend or hurt anyone I will obviously not agree with all the views I encounter on my journey...my Intent being to explore and take what I like...discard what I don't...perhaps at the end of the journey I would have created my own personal religion in the form of my Universal Collective Prayer...no followers necessary as really it is all about your own journey...your own prayer...

Having said that remember my desire to keep the prayers....collective...so on the other foot...everyone is welcome to come dance with me in Universal Collective Prayer! :) And really from what I've been seeing on the prayers so far...if your Intent really is to explore and learn and not judge but then dance in Universal Collective Prayer...you tend to get a lot of willing dancers wherever your feet may thred! :)

On my personal dance over the last month I've encountered many engaging in the Islamic fast that happens in the month of Ramadan...not eating while still sitting with me to have lunch...engaging in work while not eating or drinking even water for a 12 hour period...while some took official vacation from work to fully retreat at the mosque in meditation and what I as a Hindu would call 'Seva-service to mankind' as they stayed in the mosque and prepared the meals for those fasting to collectively share in at the end of each day.

I like that in this religious practice you are spending time each day 'detaching' from the material in a sense and then at the end of the day collectively gathering to rest and reflect further with all those who did the same...really Universal Collective Prayer at its best!:)

And after this lovely month there is a grand celebration on today called Eid-Ul-Fitr...the Festival of Breaking the Fast! When the whole thing ends, and the day starts by greeting and meeting friends and celebrating the achievement of successfully completing a month of fasting...prayer and reflection...and not just including friends but reaching out to mankind as large (seva again) by giving charity to ones who have less material possessions (although I take it after the month of Ramadan one might realise just how little the material plane tallies up compared to the spiritual one).

So Universal Collective Prayer wishes Islamic people universe over...Eid Mubarak 2009! And for those who engage in Universal Collective Prayer...like I know there are some Hindus who fasted to share the experience...and many who go to the mosques on the day of Eid although they are not Muslim...to all of you Universal Collective Prayer says job well done!



As a note in Universal Collective Prayer: we have just left the time in Hinduism when the ancestors are honoured and remembered and now in the time of surrendering to the Divine Mother again! I've posted on these events on the prayers in the past and so did not feel the need to repeat similar comments again however I will be delving more into honouring the Divine in the feminine form in days to come as it is Navratri time again in Hinduism!

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi 2009-Discovering the Global Ganesh!

Photo copyright of Meady's Musings Production

As you know I'm taking the prayers in a different direction from now on...with no necessary intent to cover all the religious festivals on especially if I covered them in the past...

But as you might recall here good all Ganapati is officially my Ishq Devata and so as the Hindu community globally celebrates the climax of Ganesh Chaturthi this weekend with a bang or should I say a splash I figure hey...you know....

Plus somehow I'm feeling nostalgic this evening on the prayers...looking back at the year gone by...I've played a lot with Ganesh on this blog for sure...Apart from just celebrating his official festival I shared his aarti my fav one and my fav version of it here. And so this evening I'll share it again...cause...it's my favourite! :)





But as I sing my fav aarti in nostalgia I also forge ahead...my sister in UCP, Adriana likes Ganesh too as you can see he featured strongly in her design of the newly launched logo...and I just have to have to share my newest find with everyone here on the prayers! :)

It's a celebration of Ganesh Globally! :)

Just check out this website and play,dance, enjoy! :) And if you can support his lovely project! :) Go on...Discover Ganesh Globally! :) The lady behind it seems to be touched with a bit of UCP for sure! :)

She is an artist- Shana Dressler and here is her official statement on the site-Discovering Ganesh:
Artist's Statement

"Imagine a community so poor its inhabitants live in tents fashioned out of tarps attached to public buildings and city walls. Yet as you walk through you see the residents have somehow scraped together enough money to commission a beautiful, eight-foot sculpture of their beloved elephant-headed god, Ganesh. This phenomenon struck me powerfully when I traveled to India to experience the Ganesh Festival and discovered the nation’s unrelenting love of the Hindu god known as the Remover of Obstacles. For the next four years, I dedicated each September to capturing the essence of this amazing event.

In Discovering Ganesh my aim is to create a museum exhibit that brings photography, video shorts, soundscapes, and artifacts together to communicate what was one of the most palpable experiences of spirituality I have ever felt; the 10-day celebration in India known as the Ganesh Chaturthi. For this festival devotees purchase hand-sculpted representations of Ganesh (some of them over 30 feet tall), and make daily offerings and prayers to Lord Ganesh. At the largest celebration in Mumbai, the festival culminates in an incredible, citywide procession in which tens of thousands of people parade their Ganesh idols around town and ultimately submerge them into the sea to ensure that Ganesh will return the next year.

The exhibit is designed to reflect the 360 degree experience of being in India during the celebration. During the Ganesh Chaturthi, communities and businesses set up mandips, shrine-like public installations, where visitors can see Ganesh often against a colorful background with other Hindu deities, living saints and historical figures. Sometimes these displays include elaborate mechanical shows, or light and audio shows, where at the end of a parable Ganesh emerges from a red curtain as the hero. Individual families also create shrines to Ganesh for display in their homes. I was often invited into people’s homes, offered India tea, or chai, which was followed by, “Where are you from? What is your name? Come see Lord Ganesh.” I have been to many other religious festivals around world, and I have never felt this sense of openness anywhere else.

I was also struck by the simultaneous seriousness and playfulness with which devotees depicted Ganesh. Some of the most poignant tableaux included a scene with Ganesh and scenes illustrating acts of terrorism including September 11th, as well as Ganesh carried on the shoulders of King Kong, a Ganesh statue made of Astroturf, and even a scene with Harry Potter on his magical broom. In the Judeo-Christian tradition representations of God follow certain rules of propriety. You'd never see Jesus on the shoulders of Godzilla or dressed in glittery pants. It was totally refreshing to see so many creative expressions of divinity. At the public level of the festival, there was no sense of wrongdoing or sacrilegious behavior just because you used a material as mundane as spices, dried fruit, or peacock feathers.

My exhibit is conceived to be a kind of guided mandip. A variety of media are used to engage viewers, but with a lot of context to help American viewers understand this kaleidoscope of stimuli. And the show is not just for those interested in Hinduism or even any form of spirituality. Regardless of religious or cultural background, universal questions will present themselves: “What obstacles would you like removed from your life? What would your life look like if you removed all of the everyday obstacles related to money, relationships, career, and health? What would it be like if everyone in your community was connected to something beyond the material world that gave deep meaning and purpose to their lives?” The exhibit simultaneously explores the significance of Ganesh and his place in the Hindu pantheon of deities, while encouraging viewers to ponder these questions whether through a cultural, religious, or personal lens.

My first year in India challenged many of my own preconceptions. When I referred to the Ganesh idols as “sculptures,” worshippers continually corrected me, “That is not a sculpture; that IS Lord Ganesh!” until I started to understand that incredible look of devotion and tenderness I was seeing. I wouldn’t describe it as awe. It’s a kind of deep, deep love. As soon as I realized that the devotees believed they were looking at God, I changed my photographic approach. I told myself, ‘Let me just try photographing this festival from their perspective. How can I get across the feeling of the divine in a photograph?’ Not wanting to rely on digital enhancement, I chose the depth and warmth of traditional film. In order to evoke this otherworldly, spiritually charged space I used slower shutter speeds—giving a sense of motion—indicating engagement between the spiritual and human worlds. Thematically, I sought out pictures where people were relating to the idol as divine.

My experiences in India working on this project have had a profound effect on my life. I see how important community is; how one can do something much greater in a group of likeminded people with a common goal than as an individual. Many people in India live a life of squalor by American standards, but in many of the poor communities that I saw, people are not in despair and isolated. They are not broken the way I’ve seen people in America’s inner cities who fall victim to drug addiction and violence. Whenever I hear people talking about poverty in India, I can’t help but think that psychologically and emotionally Indians are not the ones who are impoverished. They have a connection to the Divine that helps them to make sense of their suffering and to move beyond it so that they see meaning in their lives.

As a culture I think we obsess about what we think are our deficiencies and shortcomings. When I worked at top global advertising firms in my twenties, I saw many of the strategies employed in the most successful advertising and marketing campaigns. The largest profits were being made in the “fix-it” industries – fashion, weight loss, relationships, get rich quick gimmicks, etc. These strategies spoke to the customer's deepest suffering and insecurities and promised a quick remedy.

But truer remedies may appear if we simply ask ourselves “What do I feel called to do? What new life would reveal itself to me if I could see through the perceived mess called my life? – if I could remove all of the obstacles in my way?” I hope this project not only instructs participants about India’s religious and cultural contributions – using Ganesh as the entry point – but also engages them in planting seeds of an interior inquiry. I believe that would be the real discovery in “Discovering Ganesh.”"

Dhyana (Gyan) Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga?

The other night as I asked you all if you had just >40 mins to spare you could sit and listen to the Supreme One lecture...I decided to myself...it wasn't the first time I heard/read the talk...and by the way I went on to the next episode and listened to the whole chat...I've conveniently attached the Youtube vid here for you again of the 2nd part of the chat...



So yep...made me wonder about something I've been wondering about since my early teens...dhyana (gyan) yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga? Which one...which one is the right way...is it that one way is right for you at one point in time...then another one at another time...or is it depending on your nature (prakriti) one way is best for you as oppose to another...or is it the age we in that matters...you know like how the Hare Krishnas and they say it's Kal Yug (the dark age) now and so Bhakti (love)yoga is the only way...? Plus my understanding is that Jesus's way was Bhakti Yoga mostly no? As for sure was Rumi's...

Well dunno...dunno...and sometimes when you hear the Supreme One teasing on you wonder if he is saying at one point in time all are the best like when he talks about each he does have a good way of making you believe that particular one is THE BEST you know! :) But then that is his prakriti (nature)! :)

I in my lesser prakriti still don't know... is why I've been saying this is my journey...this is my song...so I just keep trying to figure it out all the way long...

I think up to now on the prayers I've been singing and dancing in Bhakti Yoga...the path of love...love of God...love of Universe...love of mankind, animals and nature...so like the Hare Krishnas and Rumi of Sufi fame...I've been a Bhakti Yogi or well for gender correctness Yogini or like the Hare Krishnas like to say I would have been practicing perhaps Bhaktivedanta...

But what of these other paths...Dhyana Yoga or Gyan Yoga...the path of Knowledge...or Karma Yoga...the path of Action...it sounds like when I was hearing the Supreme One...well you can't have proper Karma Yoga without Dhyana Yoga cause you have to practice right action...the Supreme One in his talks saying we have to carry out action...but the best action is well...right action is better than bad action but the best action of all is when it becomes non-action...where we just do it for the sake of doing it...not caring about the outcome...so then it's like non-action...guess the equivalent of the New Age ...Going with the Flow theory...or like Deepak Uncle likes to talk about in his Least Effort theories?

But how do you know what it is your duty is? Like how do we know I mean Arjun knew cause the supreme one was telling him and according to the culture of the time and place in which the talk was being given well Arjun was a warrior so his duty was to fight according to the Vedic civilization's laws of war etc. back then...

So I guess for modern man or woman...in our case we need to find our right calling then go into it and practice it cause we must not caring what happens as a result of it...just do it cause we have to...I guess would be our Karma Yoga?

But for sure for us to find that thing we must do our duty we would need to utilize Dhayana Yoga and/or Bhakti Yoga to find it no? And if while doing this thing we must...we fall in love and dance in Universal Collective Prayer that should be cool too right...to practice Bhakti Yoga in combo with Karma Yoga? Hey why not?

So to me thus far I figure that's what the Supreme One is saying...all the Yogas combined is really the coolest if you can wing it! :)

Of course in Universal Collective Prayer anything can happen I mean...maybe while we are looking for our path...through Dhyana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga...the Supreme One will appear or communicate to us like he did with Moses and say...This is your path! :) Go forth now young man or not so young woman! :) Do it I say! :)

Anyway again this is just my thoughts...my journey...my song...I'm not trying to offend or corrupt any religion here nor to create my own...I'm just trying to learn from all...

Also I would love to hear other people's thoughts on their journeys, their songs...so if you want to share them here please do comment on my blog posts...or if you want to guest blog again...drop me a line at this email:
admin @ meadysmusings.com

Hey Come Join Me in Universal Collective Prayer! :)