first attempt at Stage Photography :)
The Ganga runs through your hair like sand
The soil of this world is like sandalwood, each village a tree. Each girl is an image of a Devi while each boy is Ram.
Each body is like a sacred temple, where lions became toys (the story of the little prince who out of curiosity dared to open the jaw of a lion to count the teeth) and a cow is worshipped as a beloved mother. Here, dawn blows the conch every morning and dusk sings lullaby every evening.
Where one’s fortune is shaped through one’s actions, dedication to work is one’s sacred duty. Where the poets sing the saga of sacrifice and penance. The knowledge and wisdom of this land is like the water of Ganga - pure and perennial whose soldiers chant the holy Geeta in the battlefield. Where, in a field, Seeta was found playing under a plough. Where the goal of human life is nothing less than God-realisation.
Each body is like a sacred temple, where lions became toys (the story of the little prince who out of curiosity dared to open the jaw of a lion to count the teeth) and a cow is worshipped as a beloved mother. Here, dawn blows the conch every morning and dusk sings lullaby every evening.
Where one’s fortune is shaped through one’s actions, dedication to work is one’s sacred duty. Where the poets sing the saga of sacrifice and penance. The knowledge and wisdom of this land is like the water of Ganga - pure and perennial whose soldiers chant the holy Geeta in the battlefield. Where, in a field, Seeta was found playing under a plough. Where the goal of human life is nothing less than God-realisation.
Sadguru Sharavana Baba
second encounter with Baba. taken in Kerala :)
“A Guru is one who is suffused with wisdom. He invites respect, worship and adoration from all. He is a storehouse of positive energy like the shining sun. The acceptance of a devotee or a disciple by a Guru occurs as a result of their purity and dedication.” This means the Guru comes into our lives when the seeker’s heart has matured to receive His Grace.
All life is based on sacrifice. On closer reflection, there is no life without sacrifice. Parents sacrifice for their children, the earth for its inhabitants, the Guru for his devotees. It is therefore essential that the quality of sacrifice is consciously instilled and developed: “Develop a temperament of sacrifice. We have to dig deep to secure water from a well. Similarly, liberation is possible only through the instrument of sacrifice. Become a role model worthy of emulation through sacrifice and the performance of good deeds. Service is more effective through a mind disposed to sacrifice. We should love each person with the same intensity that we love God.” says Sharavana Baba.
Who is Sadguru Sharavana Baba?
India has been blessed with the presence of innumerable realized masters throughout her history. From time immemorial, the grace of the Supreme Being has ensured that the teachings of Sanatana Dharma contained in the Vedas and the Upanishads have not only been constantly preserved and validated, but transmitted from generation to generation in a way that is relevant and appropriate for the times we live in. This is a unique and priceless blessing that has saved India from certain ruin and destruction. The blessings of our Rishis (seers) in the form of the fruits of their penance have helped our civilization survive from ancient times.
The traditions of Sanatana Dharma in Hinduism are unanimous in their insistence of a Guru who can guide the saadhaka (seeker) in the path of self-revelation. The question is often asked: how does one identify or find such a Guru? It is said that it is the Guru who finds us, not the other way round! The intensity and earnestness of our search paves the way for the Grace of the Guru to descend upon us. Sri Shirdi Saibaba once said that devotees did not come to him of their own volition but it was he who pulled them to himself.
Sadguru Sharavana Baba has a unique and distinctive approach to spirituality that is extraordinarily appealing. If both Sri Shirdi Sai Baba and Sri Sathya Sai Baba symbolize the path of karma-yoga or selfless service and Mata Amritanandamayi bhakti-yoga or devotion, Sadguru Sharavana Baba undoubtedly represents a unique combination of jnana-yoga and karma-yoga through his insistence on performing our karmas (actions) wisely, diligently, mindfully and cheerfully. For that to happen, it is absolutely essential to receive the Grace of the Guru.
Protecting, nurturing and preserving the welfare of the human race by maintaining the balance of the five elements (earth, air, fire, water and ether) to ensure universal peace and brotherhood is indeed central to Sharavana Babaji's mission. The major instrument used by His Holiness for the accomplishment of these objectives is Vishwa Shanti Yagnas (food offerings given in sacrificial fire for world peace). The first such yagna was performed in Kozhikode in Kerala in South India on 19-20 January, 2008 while a more recent yagna was performed on 9-10 May, 2009 in Marad, again near Calicut in Kerala.
All life is based on sacrifice. On closer reflection, there is no life without sacrifice. Parents sacrifice for their children, the earth for its inhabitants, the Guru for his devotees. It is therefore essential that the quality of sacrifice is consciously instilled and developed: “Develop a temperament of sacrifice. We have to dig deep to secure water from a well. Similarly, liberation is possible only through the instrument of sacrifice. Become a role model worthy of emulation through sacrifice and the performance of good deeds. Service is more effective through a mind disposed to sacrifice. We should love each person with the same intensity that we love God.” says Sharavana Baba.
Who is Sadguru Sharavana Baba?
India has been blessed with the presence of innumerable realized masters throughout her history. From time immemorial, the grace of the Supreme Being has ensured that the teachings of Sanatana Dharma contained in the Vedas and the Upanishads have not only been constantly preserved and validated, but transmitted from generation to generation in a way that is relevant and appropriate for the times we live in. This is a unique and priceless blessing that has saved India from certain ruin and destruction. The blessings of our Rishis (seers) in the form of the fruits of their penance have helped our civilization survive from ancient times.
The traditions of Sanatana Dharma in Hinduism are unanimous in their insistence of a Guru who can guide the saadhaka (seeker) in the path of self-revelation. The question is often asked: how does one identify or find such a Guru? It is said that it is the Guru who finds us, not the other way round! The intensity and earnestness of our search paves the way for the Grace of the Guru to descend upon us. Sri Shirdi Saibaba once said that devotees did not come to him of their own volition but it was he who pulled them to himself.
Sadguru Sharavana Baba has a unique and distinctive approach to spirituality that is extraordinarily appealing. If both Sri Shirdi Sai Baba and Sri Sathya Sai Baba symbolize the path of karma-yoga or selfless service and Mata Amritanandamayi bhakti-yoga or devotion, Sadguru Sharavana Baba undoubtedly represents a unique combination of jnana-yoga and karma-yoga through his insistence on performing our karmas (actions) wisely, diligently, mindfully and cheerfully. For that to happen, it is absolutely essential to receive the Grace of the Guru.
Protecting, nurturing and preserving the welfare of the human race by maintaining the balance of the five elements (earth, air, fire, water and ether) to ensure universal peace and brotherhood is indeed central to Sharavana Babaji's mission. The major instrument used by His Holiness for the accomplishment of these objectives is Vishwa Shanti Yagnas (food offerings given in sacrificial fire for world peace). The first such yagna was performed in Kozhikode in Kerala in South India on 19-20 January, 2008 while a more recent yagna was performed on 9-10 May, 2009 in Marad, again near Calicut in Kerala.
Moon leela
"When you pray, you should enter the room as if for the last time.
When you love, you should give all that you are,
saving none for yourself.
When you desire, desire me so completely that you are totally
dependant that I come.
Every time you come to me, let part of you die in my heart.
Seek me knowing that there is no other way out.
Fall down and collapse in my presence so that I have no choice
than to pick you up and carry you.
When you prepare to join me, say good-bye to everything
you know.
Every time you approach me, be certain that you will never
leave the same.
And when we have union, hope that no part of you survives to
separate, needing to pray, love or desire again.
Have no thoughts, no trust, no vision of tomorrow,
for it does not exist.
Spread yourself out entirely in front of me,
hiding nothing from my view.
Let your heart scream of peace, singing in the silence
and I begin."
written by a friend
Christmas Tree
The peel of the orange is the outside world
The taste of its juice is the inner world
God is the fruit
Your gentle spirit teaches us
Photographs of Baba taken in London :)
December 2009
'One who is inside a cloud'
"When a man in the process of dreaming becomes conscious that he is dreaming, he is no longer identified with the phenomena; he is not affected exultantly or dolefully. God consciously dreams His cosmic play and is unaffected by it's dualities. A yogi who perceives his real self as separate from his active senses and their objects never becomes attached to anything. He is aware of the dream nature of the universe and watches it without being entangled in its complex but ephemeral nature."
-Paramahamsa Yogananda
pictures of me taken by nidhi iyer :)
"If you can’t smell the fragrance Don’t come into the garden of Love. If you’re unwilling to undress Don’t enter into the stream of Truth. Stay where you are. Don’t come our way."
The Mystic
“I was going to tell you my story
but waves of pain drowned my voice.
I tried to utter a word but my thoughts
became fragile and shattered like glass.
Even the largest ship can capsize
in the stormy sea of love,
let alone my feeble boat
which shattered to pieces leaving me nothing
but a strip of wood to hold on to.
Small and helpless,
rising to heaven
on one wave of love and falling with the next
I don't even know if I am or I am not.
When I think I am, I find myself worthless,
when I think I am not, I find my value.
Like my thoughts, I die and rise again each day
so how can I doubt the resurrection?
Tired of hunting for love in this world,
at last I surrender in the valley of love
and become free.”
- Rumi
but waves of pain drowned my voice.
I tried to utter a word but my thoughts
became fragile and shattered like glass.
Even the largest ship can capsize
in the stormy sea of love,
let alone my feeble boat
which shattered to pieces leaving me nothing
but a strip of wood to hold on to.
Small and helpless,
rising to heaven
on one wave of love and falling with the next
I don't even know if I am or I am not.
When I think I am, I find myself worthless,
when I think I am not, I find my value.
Like my thoughts, I die and rise again each day
so how can I doubt the resurrection?
Tired of hunting for love in this world,
at last I surrender in the valley of love
and become free.”
- Rumi
In death's other kingdom
"death is a salesman
he comes like an aeroplane
and i am a fisherman
so i can't do anything"
he comes like an aeroplane
and i am a fisherman
so i can't do anything"
-radiohead
Become the sky
Walk out like someone suddenly born into color
Inside this new love ...die
Quietness is the surest sign that you've died
The Age of Innocence
"The moment I say and feel
That I am an eternal beginner,
I become the possessor
Of boundless joy."
That I am an eternal beginner,
I become the possessor
Of boundless joy."
Inside everyone there is a wish
"Return to your childhood's
Forgotten dreams.
You will be able to expedite
The fulfilment of your life's realities."
Forgotten dreams.
You will be able to expedite
The fulfilment of your life's realities."
Mirror Reflection
Third Eye
see with closed eyes
Let me know
whether these eyes,
my eyes,
see the world
through your eyes,
heavens eye,
sees into mine.
I cannot see
without you
but you can see
within me.
and then your eyes will open
You take me to heaven
and I drink
from that Ocean
to my Heart's content.
These eyes
have reached
the inner sanctum
of your temple
and I see the mirror.
There is no flaw,
only my eyes.
and you will see the world through your third eye
while the other two remain open.
The Path of Inspiration
Half Human
God of Wind
Your army of monkeys follow you into the deep blue sky while you carry the mountain on your fingertips. Your opened heart sees only Ram.
And now
I chant the name of Ram while sacred wood, lotus milk and fruit are offered at the fire of your feet which are as cool as a hundred moons. I apply the ash on my forehead.
Once you came as a lover of water and I saw you crossing the ocean. Then I jumped into the ocean and became the ocean. The events of a million years passed by like a dream.
My lips are sealed by holy mysteries and my eyes are closed in visionary rapture. This is what lies in my sleep- memories of light broken into images. I show the world the recollection of this universe.
All forms of inspiration come from within.
"They descend from the heavens into his Heart, without his being able to repel them when they come or to retain them when they go."
Returning to childhood
Although
Spirituality sleeplessly needs
Enlightenment,
It does not have to shun
Child-heart-amusement
On its way to the destination.
Enlightenment,
It does not have to shun
Child-heart-amusement
On its way to the destination.
I Am Abraham
Look it's an ocean!
It is said that the gods churned the oceans with their feet in the sky and their hands in the water to have finally made this universe. Two worlds(the feminine and the masculine) merged together to form this world.
What lies in the beginning of this wonderful creation(Brahma) is love.
What lies at the end of this creation is destruction(Shiva). In between these dreams you have Vishnu. All these gods are within us. The Himalayas too!
The gods understood that man has a tendency to use his mind(ego) more than his spiritual heart. So they created temples with idols for worship. Each visual representation of god was symbolic to a certain emotion. These emotions manifest depending on the seasons.
Birth and death symbolize mans eternal quest for peace. The purpose of this cycle is to attain light. Let us not look forward to the cosmic mystery of that which cannot be seen. Instead, let us break the barrier which separates us from it.
One day we must ask and seek for ourselves :
“Who am I?”
And then the person in the mirror will tell you :
"I Am Abraham"
Unmaad!
“Come out into the universe of Light.
Everything in the universe is yours, stretch out your arms and embrace it with love.”
Yellamma
Renuka or Yellamma is worshiped as the goddess (devi) of the fallen. Yellamma is the "Mother of the Universe" or Jagadamba. Legends say that Yellamma is the incarnation of Kali, who on one hand symbolizes the death of ego, and on the other hand is the mother who is compassionate about her children.
Laying my head at the lotus feet of my guru
Philosophy is about developing a way to view the world
While
Spirituality is the sweet nectar inside the coconut
While
Religion is its outer shell.
People quarrel about the color of the shell;
Some say its brown,
others say its black
and still others
Say its white,
And kill themselves to prove a point that cannot be proven
By color;
It can only be experienced in
Faith, devotion and surrender.
Finally,
The Guru is indispensible in the spiritual journey.
The intensity of your faith
Determines the Guru you receive.
The Self Is Known To Everyone
The Self is known to everyone but not clearly.
You always exist.
The Being is the Self. 'I am' is the name of God.
Of all definitions of God none is indeed so well put as the
Biblical statement 'I AM THAT I AM' in Exodus (Chap.3).
There are other statements, such as Brahmaivaham, Aham
Brahmasmi and Soham. But none is so direct as the name
JEHOVAH=I AM.
The Absolute Being is what is- It is the Self.
It is God. Knowing the Self, God is known. In fact God is
none other than the Self.
-Ramana Maharishi
This means that The Self is not separated from our ego, from our existence. It is nothing metaphysical, that is, not accessible to our knowledge. We only have to pass over our mind projections that place it outside and distant. In short, all one has to do is to "see" beyond the ego in order to realize that he/she is just the Self, and the ego- name, age, profession, sex, and so forth-only the superficial veil.
The nature of the heart
Just as the pictures appear on the screen as long as the film throws the shadows through the lens, so the phenomenal world will continue to appear to the individual in the waking and dream states as long as there are latent mental impressions. Just as the lens magnifies the tiny specks on the film to a huge size and as a number of pictures are shown in a second, so the mind enlarges the sprout-like tendencies into treelike thoughts and shows in a second the innumerable worlds. Again, just as there is only the light of the lamp visible when there is no film, so the Self alone shines without the triple factors when the mental concepts in the form of tendencies are absent in the states of deep sleep, swoon and samadhi. Just as the lamp illuminates the lens, etc., while remaining unaffected, the Self illuminates the ego(chidabhasa), etc., while remaining unaffected.
Between the two breasts, below the chest and above the abdomen, there are six organs of different colours(these are not the same as the chakras). One of them resembling the bud of a water lily and situated two digits to the right is the Heart. It is inverted and within it is a tiny orifice which is the seat of dense darkness(ignorance) full of desires. All the psychic nerves(nadis) depend upon it. It is the abode of the vital forces, the mind and the light(of consciousness).
But, although it is described thus, the meaning of the word Heart(hridayam) is the Self(Atman). As it is denoted by the terms existence, consciousness, bliss, eternal and plenum(sat,chit,anandam,nityam,purnam) it has no differences such as exterior and interior or up and down. That tranquil state in which all thoughts come to an end is called the state of the Self. When it is realizes as it is, there is no scope for discussions about its location inside the body or outside.
I am mute
I found a star
whose light led me to an ocean
where I walked barefoot
and prayed to the skies
(Introducing the Self)
Walking Barefoot
It is an ocean of silence that I drown in on this early morning of chants, sacred fires & ash smeared across foreheads. A sea of blue faces, one like the other, and all creation talking to me at once, is rolling to and fro’ at Muruga’s station, washing away almost everything with a hiss. I am swallowed by a wave like a swimmer in the open ocean, feeling this quite dust of my inner being.
Yet, the current in this Indian Ocean has a clear direction. Slowly, drifting into shores, it is taking me into the impermanence of “I am this body”. My safe beach was pre-destined at birth. In this moment of Krishna’s dance, I am standing on an island alone. Like an anchor bound to sink under unknown shores, I am rain destined to fall back into the ocean of the Infinite.
Yet, the current in this Indian Ocean has a clear direction. Slowly, drifting into shores, it is taking me into the impermanence of “I am this body”. My safe beach was pre-destined at birth. In this moment of Krishna’s dance, I am standing on an island alone. Like an anchor bound to sink under unknown shores, I am rain destined to fall back into the ocean of the Infinite.
My Guru
"The churning of the ocean must begin"
In the final stage of love, the lover and the beloved become one. Even beyond this, there comes a state where there is no love, lover or beloved. That state is beyond expression. That is where the Master finally takes you.
Temple after temple. River after river.
My whole being is constantly in a prayerful mood these days.
No one can stop this love affair.
'Like a log under water is bound to rise
The devotee’s doubts are melting like ice
Under the rays of that sun which even shines in the night
Illuminating the heart - lighting the sky'
River Krishna
Please come to us Krishna and dance in our company!
We dance to the song of your flute.
Dancing, we sing with you!
Krishna, O Krishna
Murugan's Idli Shop
Closing the book of Hanuman Travels was difficult. But I have gone beyond memory. This new book of Murugan Travels will comprise of rather spiritual adventures across the celestial worlds of the heart. Kindly converse with me through my chamber of silence.
Om Namah Shivaya
Turning over a neem leaf
This blog, Murugan Travels, is dedicated to Lord Muruga who resides in all our hearts in the form of a hundred petal lotus.
I bow down to that voice without a body, the sky of consciousness
Haro Hara!
Dhruv
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