For the Love of Krishna

When I glanced at you I could see the whole universe through your eyes. In that instant I knew everything.The length and heaviness of time, the universe all compact and present at once.The history of what was and the future of what is, were all there together with you. Spread out before me was the cosmos painted like a golden cloth. And embroidered upon it were bright stars that shone and whorled out to space. The constellations and the galaxies were painted like huge murals that hung in the air. Your shy countenance and grace came to me through the darkness of the night. The dark formless transformed into beautiful divinity. My heart will soar in revelry calling out you name, then all my cares will blow away. Oh sweet lord my heart is full of wonder and praise for you. You have set my soul free and unbound my trapped mind, revealing the truth within and the bright stars beyond the heavens. Beyond time and infinity.

Hari Hari Hari.

Janma Ashtami- Lord Krishna's Birthday August 14th

The significance of Lord Krishna's birth is to rid the world of evil.In Shri Krishna's chart some years have an extra month as the lunar months are shorter than the solar months and therefore an extra month is added to bring them in sync. The reason for Lord Vishnu's eighth incarnation as Lord Krishna
King Kansa of Mathura was a very cruel tyrant whose tyranny sparLord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu was born in Mathura (Uttar Pradesh near Delhi) on the Ashtami tithi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Sravana to Raja Vasudeva and Devi Devaki in a prison and was raised by Devi Yashoda and Raja Nanda. rt and therefore for the celebration of his birth, the Sun should be in Leo and Moon in Rohini. This year, the Sun will be still in Cancer as this year there is a Adhika Masa or extra month and the festivals are falling earlier to accommodate this extra month.ed no one, even the sages had to bear the brunt of his cruelty. Finally the Gods couldn't tolerate his atrocities against their devotees, so in a dream Kansa was told that his evil reign would be brought to an end by his sister Devaki's eighth child who would kill him. Kansa's solution to this message from the gods was to imprison his sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva.
Devaki bore six sons, each of whom were promptly killed by Kansa. At the sixth pregnancy the child was secretly given to his second wife. Kansa was enraged to find that Devaki was no longer pregnant when he went to collect the child and kill it. (This child was Krishna 's elder brother Balarama avatar of Sesha Naga). On the night the birth of the seventh child Devi Of Maya (illusion) was born and upon being killed took her true form and told Kansa that nothing would stop the eighth avatar from being born and ultimately killing him (this child is later worshipped as Subhadhra who is worshipped at Jagannatha Puri with her brothers Balarama and Krishna.). On the night the eighth child was born, the prison guards fell into a deep slumber and the doors were magically unlocked. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Vasudeva slipped out of the prison and whisked away the Vishnu avatar to the safety a neighbouring kingdom Gokul which was ruled by King Nanda across the Yamuna river the waters parted making a channel for Vasudeva to pass. At Gokul, under king Nanda's protection, Krishna got the loving affection of Nanda's Queen Yashoda whom Krishna looked upon as a mother. Days passed with fun and frolic where the baby Krishna grew up. But one day rumours reached Kansa that Devaki's son had somehow escaped his clutches and was living in Gokul.

The Demoness Putana

To kill Lord Krishna, Kansa engaged a demoness named Putana who had been a his nanny. After specially treating the demoness Putana so that her nipples were poisoned Kansa disguised her as a nymph and sent her to Gokul to try to breast-feed Lord Krishna and kill him. But the avatar of Vishnu, Lord Krishna even as child saw through the rouse and instead poisoned her by biting her nipple the demoness fainted and died as soon Krishna 's lips touched her breast. Kansa's plot to eliminate Krishna was foiled. But as a result of sucking the poisoned milk, Krishna 's originally fair skin colour turned dark.

Kalia Mardan and the Lifting of Mt. Govardhan

Krishna continued to grow at Gokul. He acquired notoriety as a pilferer of milk and butter, but had endeared himself to the people of Gokul by his playfulness.

Among other things, he is said to have done at Gokul, include his lifting Mount Govardhan to save the people of Gokul from a storm and his taming of Kalia, a giant snake that lived in the Yamuna river which terrorised the people of Gokul. While still in his teens, Krishna came to Mathura where King Kansa had organised a wrestling tournament, Krishna participated in it and after defeating all contestants, he challenged Kansa to a wrestling bout. The evil Kansa's time for death had arrived, Krishna defeated him and killed him. The people of Mathura were relieved. Another major event in Krishna 's later life was that he functioned as an adviser to the Pandavas and during the Mahabharata war between the Pandavas and Kauravas he was a Arjuna's (one of the five Pandava brothers) charioteer.

Celebration of Janma Ashtami

Lord Krishna was born at the midnight , hence the celebrations also start in the midnight . The tale of Lord Krishna's birth is recited and the idol of Krishna as a child is worshiped. The following day is celebrated as "Dahikala" (A dish made of yoghurt). As Lord Krishna was fond of stealing butter from clay pots strung high in his childhood, a clay pot full of yoghurt is hung at a sufficient height and the young boys form a human pyramid to reach the clay pot and try to break it to the chorus of "Govinda Govinda".

Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the eighth tithi of the Krishna paksha (waning moon) during the month of Shravana in the nakshatra of Rohini. The Hindu calendar is lunar and the tithi and might join together for only a few hours. When this happens Krishna ashtami is sometimes celebrated on successive days depending on their local or family traditions. The fast for Krishna Ashtami begins on the saptami tithi (seventh day of waning moon), followed by a night of singing to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna at midnight. At midnight, the idol of baby Lord Krishna is bathed, placed in a cradle and worshipped with people (usually women) taking turns in rocking the cradle. The festival is celebrated with great joy by everyone and delicasies made with butter, milk and yogurt which were some of Lord Krishna's favourite foods .In Mumbai and Pune Janma Ashtami is popularly known as Dahi Handi and is celebrated with enormous enthusiasm, with various Handis (clay pots) suspended high above the ground containing prizes in almost every nook and corner of the city, and groups of young men make tree like formations to try to break them to the collect prizes.

The Yoga of Dejection by Dr Satya Narayana Dasa

Arjuna’s Dejection We all have suffered from temporary phases of dejection at some point in our lives. Dejection overwhelms us when the unexpected transpires over the expected, when the bad overcomes the good, and when the evil visits us instead of the righteous. Being human, it is very normal for us to have expectations from people and things around us. Expectation amounts to longing, yearning, desire, craving, or lust. Likewise, failure to attain the expected begets dejection, sadness, sorrow, morosity, gloom, and depression.The ancient Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita are potent forces of knowledge and philosophy that can guide us in wiping out the root cause of dejection in order to live a happy, sanctimonious and noble life.Bhagavad Gita, arguably the most concise and systematic book of religion, ethics, philosophy and metaphysics ever written, delves deeply into the vexing intricacies of sorrow and grief. In itself it is but a single part of the Mahabharata, an astonishing tapestry of ancient Vedic history and philosophy told through the lives of several generations of the great Kuru Dynasty. Let me offer you a few drops from the huge ocean of knowledge that is Bhagavad Gita before we move on to discuss the Yoga of Dejection element ingrained in it. Bhagavad Gita is a discourse between Shri Krishna and his warrior disciple Arjuna, shortly before Arjuna takes part in the great war of Mahabharata on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Because the Gita was not written as an independent book, the characters, settings and circumstances mentioned in it are similar to the preceding episodes of the Mahabharata. The first chapter of Bhagavad Gita is called the “Yoga of Dejection”. It depicts a picture of the blind King Dhritarashtra sitting on his throne and enquiring about the latest happenings at the battleground of Kurukshetra from his charioteer Sanjaya, who has the ability to see distant objects through his divine eyes. Seated inside the palace, the King comes to know that the battle is about to begin. Warriors from both sides stand facing each other. The Kauravas are led by King Dhritarashtra’s eldest son, Duryodhana and the Pandavas are led by the eldest son of Pandava, Yudhishthira. Pandava’s other son, Arjuna, the greatest archer, too is poised to take the challenge and stands on his chariot driven by Lord Krishna.Arjuna sees all his kinsmen—sons, brothers-in-law, cousins, teachers (Bhishma, Dronacharya and others)—standing arrayed in battle and says to Lord Krishna, “My limbs fail and my mouth is parched, my body quivers and my hairs stand on end; the Gandiva (his bow) too slips from my hand. I do not wish to kill them even for the sake of the kingship of the three worlds. It is a great sin to kill my teachers and relatives. If I kill them, I shall be called the slayer of the family and will go to hell”. Arjuna is overwhelmed with grief and dejection. He throws away his bow and arrows and sinks down on the seat of his chariot. He shares his predicament with Lord Krishna. The rest of Bhagavad Gita is an elucidation of Krishna’s response to Arjuna’s despondency. This is the backdrop on the basis of which we shall try to find an answer to our own dejection. The Yoga and the Cause of Despondency There are several reasons for calling Arjuna’s despondency yoga in the first chapter of Bhagavad Gita, which is appropriately entitled Visada Yoga, or the ‘Yoga of Dejection’. Krishna says that four types of people surrender to him: the distressed, those who desire wealth, the inquisitive, and those who know the Absolute Truth. Of the four types of pious people who approach the Lord, the largest group belongs to the category of the distressed. So, in this sense, the distress which serves to bring one closer to the Lord is also considered yoga. Here, Arjuna symbolises the distressed and the desperate man. The word yoga is defined as, ‘a means’. Arjuna’s despair acted as a means that led him to the ultimate solution of the problems of his life and, therefore, it is rightly termed as ‘yoga’. Yoga also means ‘union with the Supreme Soul’. Because he approached Krishna when he was in despair, Arjuna received the Lord’s mercy and attained union with him. This is in contrast with lesser persons taking to drugs or other diversions when overpowered by dejection. They only become weaker, more delusional and degraded, and in this way, waste away their life. According to Bhagavad Gita, the cure for the debilitating plague of dejection, which is a mental affliction, lies in the ability to free oneself from material attachments by adopting the spiritual path. In the Gita, Krishna acts like a psychiatrist and guides Arjuna towards a resolution to his dilemma by teaching him how to detach himself from maya (bodily love and affection). Those who take to the spiritual path alone can expect to live a life without fear from dejection. They, however, face many trials and afflictions as they attempt to detach themselves from material life. If one remains within the grip of material attachment, one cannot function on the spiritual path. One falters like Arjuna  as he began to shiver at the thought of losing everything material, and his mind became confused and conflicted. He wanted peace but needed to fight and shed blood to attain it. He got torn between these two affinities, and the attachments that he held so dear presented obstacles to his progress. The same is the case with King Dhritarashtra, whose attachment for his sons had blinded him from seeing their mistakes and their ineligibility to ascend the throne. Overcoming Duality Bodily attachment always results in duality. Whenever there is love based on physicality there must be hatred, because liking automatically implies dislike for anything that is in discord with the object of love. Therefore, in the material world, love also implies hatred, and attachment indicates repulsion, as these two are always found together. For this reason, Krishna advised Arjuna to abandon material attachment. Although Arjuna argued that it was not proper for him to fight his elders, he was not actually worried about killing Bhisma or Dronacharya. Arjuna’s real problem was that he was faced with the prospect of killing his attachments. Even Arjuna took a long time to understand this point. For a while, Arjuna did not understand as to why Krishna insisted on fighting for his rights. It may appear that Arjuna was a non-violent man and that Krishna was trying to incite him to inflict violence upon his teachers. This, however, is a superficial understanding held by those who are also bound by their Material attachments. Arjuna’s material attachment was the real cause of his dejection, and one who has such attachments can not be non-violent. He will be violent towards only those who come in the way of his attachments. Therefore, non-violence in a materially-attached person will always lead to self-motivated violence somewhere in the future. That is why Lord Krishna rejected Arjuna’s seeming non-violence. Without understanding this fact, Arjuna’s arguments appear quite sensible, and Lord Krishna’s reply seems irrelevant. The same duality can be seen in the case of King Dhritarashtra as well. He was obsessed with the word, mamaka (“mine”), that signified his mentality. He had divided his sons and the Pandavas into two opposing groups although they all belonged to one family and grew up together. Because of strong attachment to his sons, he referred to his sons as “mine”. Therefore, the attitude of “mine and yours”, or “friends and enemies”, creates hatred and envy which, in turn, gives rise to duality. Overcoming attachment In order to remove the material attachment that impedes the living being’s spiritual understanding, Bhagavad Gita says that matter and spirit are different. From the very beginning, Krishna told Arjuna that he was not the body, but Arjuna failed to see the relevance of that knowledge to his predicament. He thought, “Why is Krishna stressing that I am not this body? I am pointing out the impropriety of killing my kinsmen, and he responds by saying, “The soul never dies…?” Arjuna did not understand the connection between his question and Krishna’s response. Therefore, Krishna had to speak on a level that Arjuna could grasp. Only after the fifty-third verse of the second chapter, did Arjuna realise, what Krishna was actually saying. So Dhritarashtra and Arjuna were blinded by the same condition—material attachment. In our spiritual life too, we are confined by the same infirmity and we have to give it up, otherwise we will not make progress. The basic principle that must be followed in one’s pursuit of happiness is that spirit is beyond the body, and the spirit is what we really are, regardless of whether one follows bhakti marga, jnana marga or yoga marga. People coveting and endeavouring for peace and happiness, but attempting to grasp them materially are merely chasing a mirage, which recedes ever further as we strive to approach them. Therefore, bhakti or devotion is the surest and easiest process by which one may realise the Supreme Soul and escape the vitiating cycle of dejection. This can be followed by anyone who understands that self is distinct from the body and reposes faith in the Almighty to attain lasting peace and happiness Dr Satya Narayana Dasa is the founder and cultural director of "The Jiva Institute" in Vrindavan India. Click here to get onto the Jiva web-page then culture and articles to find out more about his work.

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"Cosmic law functions from a level between the absolute and relative planes of life. It harmonises the unmanifested eternal Being and the manifested field of diverse relative existence. It is the power of cosmic law which maintains eternal Being in the absolute state and at the same time maintains the ever-changing phenomenal creation in relative states of life. The unity of life in absolute Being and the diversity of multiple creation are both maintained in their proper spheres. This is the mysterious and all-powerful nature of cosmic law which has its eternal status on the plane of Being."
- Maharishi, Science of Being and Art of Living, 1963.

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Ida, Pingala, Sushumna and the Shat-Chakras By Swami Sivananda

Ida and Pingala

There are the two nerve-currents one on either side of the spinal column. The left one is called Ida and the right is known as Pingala. These are Nadis. Tentatively, some take these as the right and the left sympathetic cords, but they are subtle tubes that carry Prana. The Moon moves in the Ida and the Sun in the Pingala. Ida is cooling. Pingala is heating. Ida flows through the left nostril and the Pingala through the right nostril. The breath flows through the right nostril for one hour and then through the left nostril for one hour. Man is busily engaged in worldly activities, when the breath flows through Ida and Pingala. When Sushumna operates, he becomes dead to the world, and enters into Samadhi. A Yogi tries his level best to make the Prana run in the Sushumna Nadi, which is known as the central Brahman Nadi also. On the left of Sushumna is situated Ida and on the right is Pingala. The moon is of the nature of Tamas and the sun is that of the Rajas. The poison share is of the sun and the nectar is of the moon. Ida and Pingala indicate time. Sushumna is the consumer of time.

Sushumna

Sushumna is the most important of all the Nadis. It is the sustainer of the universe and the path of the universe and the path of salvation. Situated at the back of the anus, it is attached to the spinal column and extends to the Brahmarandhra of the head and is invisible and subtle. The real work of a Yogi begins when Sushumna begins to function. Sushumna runs along the centre of the spinal cord or spinal column. Above the genital organs and below the navel is the Kanda, of the shape of a bird’s egg. There arise from it all the Nadis 72,000 in number. Of these, seventy-two are common and generally known. Of those the chief ones are ten and they carry the Pranas. Ida, Pingala, Sushumna, Gandhari, Hastijihva, Pusa, Yusasvini, Alambusa, Kuhuh and Sankhini are said to be the ten important Nadis. The Yogis should have a knowledge of the Nadis and the Chakras. Ida, Pingala and Sushumna are said to carry Prana and have Moon, Sun and Agni as their Devatas. When Prana moves in Sushumna, sit for meditation. You will have deep Dhyana. If the coiled-up energy, Kundalini, passes up along the Sushumna Nadi and is taken up from Chakra to Chakra the Yogi gets different sorts of experiences, powers and Ananda.

Kundalini

Kundalini is the serpent power or sleeping Sakti, that has 3 1/2 coils with face downwards, in the Muladhara Chakra, at the base of the spine. No Samadhi is possible without its being awakened. The practice of Kumbhaka in Pranayama produces heat and thereby Kundalini is awakened and passes upwards along the Sushumna Nadi. The Yogic practitioner experiences various visions. Then the Kundalini passes along the Six Chakras and eventually gets united with Lord Siva, seated on the Sahasrara or thousand-petalled lotus, at the crown of the head. Nirvikalpa Samadhi ensues now and the Yogi gets liberation and all the divine Aishvaryas. One should practise control of breath with concentration of mind. The awakened Kundalini that is taken up to Manipura Chakra may drop down again to Muladhara. It has to be raised again with effort. One should become perfectly desireless and should be full of Vairagya before he attempts to awaken Kundalini. Kundalini is like a thread and is resplendent. When it is awakened it hisses like a serpent beaten with a stick and enters the hole of Sushumna. When it travels from Chakra to Chakra, layer after layer of the mind becomes open and the Yogi acquires various Siddhis (psychic powers). Shat-Chakras

Chakras are centres of spiritual energy. They are located in the astral body, but they have corresponding centres in the physical body also. They can hardly be seen by the naked eyes. Only a clairvoyant can see with his astral eyes. Tentatively they correspond to certain plexuses in the physical body. There are six important Chakras. They are: Muladhara (containing 4 petals) at the anus; Svadhishthana (6 petals) at the genital organ; Manipura (10 petals) at navel; Anahata (12 petals) at the heart; Visudha (16 petals) at the throat and Ajna (2 petals) at the space between the two eyebrows. The seventh Chakra is known as Sahasrara, which contains a thousand petals. It is located at the top of the head. Sacral plexus tentatively corresponds to Muladhara Chakra; Prostatic plexus to Svadhishthana, Solar plexus to Manipura, Cardiac plexus to Anahata Chakra, Laryngal plexus to Visuddha Chakra and Cavernous plexus to Ajna Chakra. Kundalini and Muladhara Chakra

Nadis

Nadis are astral tubes made up of astral matter that carry Pranic currents. They can be seen by the astral eyes only. They are not the nerves. They are 72,000 in number. Ida, Pingala and Sushumna are the important ones. Sushumna is the most important of all.

Purification of Nadis

Pranayama is said to be the union of Prana and Apana. It is of three kinds—expiration, inspiration and retention. They are associated with the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet for the right performance of Pranayama. Pranava (OM) only is said to be Pranayama. Sitting in Padmasana (Lotus-posture) the person should meditate that there is, at the tip of his nose, Devi Gayatri, a girl of red complexion, surrounded by numberless rays of the image of the moon and mounted on Hamsa (Swan) having a mace in her hand. She is the visible symbol of the letter A. The letter U has as its visible symbol Savitri, a young lady of white colour having a disc in her hand, riding on an eagle (Garuda). The letter M has as its visible symbol Sarasvati, an aged woman of black colour, riding on a bull, having a trident in her hand. He should meditate that the single letter, the supreme light—the Pranava OM is the origin or source of these letters—A, U and M. Drawing up the air through Ida (left nostril) for the space of 16 Matras, he should meditate on the letter A during that time, retaining the inspired air for the space of 64 Matras he should meditate on the letter U during that time; he should then exhale the inspired air for the space of 32 Matras, meditating on the letter M during that time. He should practise thus in the above order again and again.

Having become firm in the posture and having preserved perfect self-control, the Yogi should, in order to clear away the impurities of the Sushumna, sit in Padmasana, and having inhaled the air through the left nostril, should retain it as long as he can and should exhale through the right. Then drawing it again through the right and having retained it, he should exhale it through the left, in the order, that he should draw it through the same nostril, by which he exhaled it before and had retained it. To those who practise it according to these rules, through the right and left nostrils, the Nadis become purified within three months. He should practise cessation of breath at sunrise, at midday, at sunset and at mid-night, slowly, 80 times a day, for 4 weeks. In the early stage, perspiration is produced; in the middle stage the tremor of the body; and in the last stage, levitation in the air. These results ensue out of the repression of the breath, while sitting in the Padma posture. When perspiration arises with effort, one should rub his body well. By this, the body becomes firm and light. In the early course of practice, food with milk and ghee is excellent. One, sticking to this rule, becomes firm in his practice and gets no Taapa (burning sensation) in the body. As lions, elephants and tigers are gradually tamed, so also the breath, when rigidly managed, comes under control.

By the practice of Pranayama, the purification of the Nadis, the brightening of the gastric fire, hearing distinctly of spiritual sounds and good health result. When the nervous centres have become purified through the regular practice of Pranayama, the air easily forces its way up through the mouth of the Sushumna, which is in the middle. By the contraction of the muscles of the neck and by the contraction of the one below, viz., Apana, the Prana goes into the Sushumna, which is in the middle, from the west Nadi. Sushumna Nadi is between Ida and Pingala. The Prana which alternates ordinarily between Ida and Pingala, is restrained by long Kumbhaka; then along with the soul, its attendant, it will enter the Sushumna, the central Nadi, at one of three places where it yields space for entrance through such restraint of breath, and in the navel, by the Sarasvati Nadi, on the west. After such entry it is that the Yogi becomes dead to the world, being in that state called Samadhi. Drawing up the Apana and forcing down the Prana from the throat, the Yogi free from old age, becomes a youth of sixteen. Through the practice of Pranayama chronic diseases, that defy Allopathic, Homeopathic, Ayurvedic and Unani doctors will be rooted out.

When the Nadis have become purified, certain external signs appear on the body of the Yogi. They are lightness of the body, brilliancy in complexion, increase of the gastric fire, leanness of the body, and along with these, the absence of restlessness in the body. They are all signs of purification.

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