A Chosen Journey

jackshappyplace:

Ganesh by *SARYTH

When I was younger, one of the first Devis I learned about was Mother Lakshmi or Lakshmi Mata. Every evening when it was time to light the deya at home, my Mum would kneel with me to light the deya and then make me recite the mantra after her and like any other child, I did it with my eyes furiously closed and my hands tightly clasped together, not really knowing what I was saying, but innocently having full confidence that I was indeed praying.

Oftentimes, this beautiful Devi is most popular around Divali time; the significance being Her representation of Light and the conquering of that Light over darkness. But the reality is, She is a part of our everyday life. In the form of that Light, Lakshmi Mata surrounds us and ensures that we are never lost in the darkness that abounds in this human life. She illuminates our minds and hearts and helps us to realize what it is we really and truly need to be Who we truly need to be.

And in terms of wealth, this Divine Devi represents not only physical wealth, but the wealth of love and happiness that is accessible to us all. This beautiful Devi ensures that whatever we have to receive in this world, we do so with Lights.

Her blessings are all around, we only need to look and we’ll see them :)

Om Siddhi Buddhi Prade Devi
Bhukti Mukti Pradaayini
Mantra Moortay Sadha Devi
Maha Lakshmi Namostute

O Mother, giver of spiritual control and divine
Wisdom by your grace we have righteous, earthly enjoyment and liberation after death.
Your eternal form is manifest in all mantras.
O Maha Lakshmi, I bow to thee. I worship thee

Om Shanti.

(Source: emballz)

aumnipresence:

God is in you  
God is in every word of yours,  
Every deed and thought.  
Speak, do and think as befits Him.

-Sai Baba

(Source: thehindublog, via kalikarma)

aumnipresence:

Without the name of the beloved, none may hope to cross the sea of samsara (worldly existence). The Lord’s name is the lasting medicine against any kind of ailment. You cannot be overtaken by sorrows, sins, troubles, sicknesses if you take refuge in the Lord’s name. Repetition of the Lord’s name dispels all fears and evil thoughts. He who repeats the name of the Lord has all his desires fulfilled. So sing the holy name. If you are attached to the Lord you will be released from all attachments which bind you and pull you down. This constant repetition gives infinite strength. 

(Source: thehindublog)

daydreams-of-a-matriarchist:

It is said that upon initially encountering the goddess Durga, Mahishasura underestimated her, thinking: “How can a mere woman kill me, Mahishasur—the man who has defeated the trinity of gods?”. However, Durga roared with laughter, which caused an earthquake which made Mahishasur aware of her powers.

And the terrible Mahishasura rampaged against her, changing forms many times. First he was a buffalo demon, and she defeated him with her sword. Then he changed forms and became an elephant that tied up the goddess’s lion and began to pull it towards him. The goddess cut off his trunk with her sword. The demon Mahishasur continued his terrorizing, taking the form of a lion, and then the form of a human man, but both of them were gracefully slain by Durga.

Then Mahishasur began attacking once more, starting to take the form of a buffalo again. The patient goddess became very angry, and proclaimed to Mahishasur in a colorful tone—”Roar with delight while you still can, O illiterate demon, because when I will kill you, the gods themselves will roar with delight”.When Mahishasur had half emerged into his buffalo form, he was paralyzed by the extreme light emitting from the goddess’s body. The goddess then resounded with laughter before cutting Mahishasur’s head down with her sword.

Thus Durga slew Mahishasur, thus is the power of the fierce compassion of Durga. Hence, Mata Durga is also known as Mahishasurmardhini—the slayer of Mahishasur. According to one legend, the goddess Durga created an army to fight against the forces of the demon-king Mahishasur, who was terrorizing Heaven and Earth. After ten days of fighting, Durga and her army defeated Mahishasur and killed him.

(via zhenotdel-deactivated20121112)

(via currycub-deactivated20130131)

(via currycub-deactivated20130131)

(Source: republicj, via currycub-deactivated20130131)

In Sanskrit, Te means they. The literal meaning of NAMASTE hence is “Not me, they”. The word they refers to all the Gods. NAMASTE is hence a philosophical statement affirming that the doer of everything is not me but the Gods.

RAM-RAM or JAI SHRI KRISHNA or HARE KRISHNA or JAI SHRI RAM or JAI SIYA RAM are some of the common greetings in Hindus. All of them have name of a deity and either proclaim the victory of the said deity or declare the said deity to be GOD.

Sikhs say SAT SHRI AKAL, which means that Truth is the God and is timeless. Sikhs also say WAHE GURUJI KA KHALSA, WAHE GURUJI KI FATEH. This is a declaration that the ultimate victory will be of the Guru and his followers.

Muslims say KHUDA HAFIZ, which means Khuda is the Protector.

While wishing you NAMASKAR, Samarth Bharat proclaims a complete absence of arrogance. We accept that we are virtually nobodies while the Cosmos is the Ultimate Being. We see ourself in mathematical terms as “Limit tending to Zero” while the Cosmos is all pervading and is infinite. We see ourself as a part of this Infinite. The reality is this infinity and role of each one of us is only a small beep on this time-space continuum.

(Source: thehindublog, via kalikarma)

Last night was the first  night of Nau Ratri puja at our Mandir and it was just so beautiful. We came home afterward and we couldn’t even sleep properly because we were just so happy. We couldn’t stop smiling.

Thank you Maa for the opportunity to know You.
Thank you Maa for the opportunity to kneel before You.
Thank you Maa for the opportunity to serve You.

Looking forward to tonight with so much gusto!

Happy Nau Ratri Brothers and Sisters :)

Om Shanti.