Vedanta Sangamam

I know the title of this blog is not necessarily in the best archaic form. Well, I'm not Shakespeare. I just wanted to mean 'Only by your grace, I bow to You. the 'You' and 'Your' hear signifies the highest form- God as we all term. In a Sivapuranam verse from Thiruvasagam rendered by Manikavasagar, he says,  அவன் அருளாலே அவன் தாள் வணங்கி (avan arulaale avan thaal vanangi). Here, it can be interpreted to mean  one needs to be blessed  to pray (bow). We are all human beings and we all have the same forms in different appearance and names. How many among us are privileged enough to bow to the feet of the Almighty? Hence, I consider this a rare opportunity and blessing bestowed on selected individuals.  It is a blessing to hear to His Naama (name) and chants of the holy scripts. It is a blessing to be able to visit a temple and get Darshan. It is a blessing to sip the Theertam, (holy water). It is a blessing to be able to chant the name of God or recit

As all Beings are manifestation of God मातृ देवो भव। पितृ देवो भव। आचार्य देवो भव। अतिथि देवो भव॥ Maathru Devo Bhava Pithru Devo Bhava Aacharya Devo Bhava Athidhi Devo Bhava. Honour thy Mother as God. Honour thy Father as God. Honour thy Teacher as God. Honour thy Guest as God. Be one to whom a Mother is as God, Be one to whom a Father is as God, Be one to whom a Teacher is as God, Be one to whom a Guest is as God. These verses are from Taittiriya Upanishad [तैत्तिरीय उपनिषद्], which has been originated in the Vedic era and describe the prayers and benedictions, advice on ethics and morals, treatise on allegory and philosophical instruction etc. for the graduating students of ancient Vedic Gurukul (schools). A deeper interpretation of these verses goes to explain the Indian culture. We are taught to honor and respect our parents, educators and guests at all times under any circumstances. To respect and honor all living and non living beings is the essence of our teaching.

Often times, we come across friends or family members pondering upon or even get into discussions on why do we pray and what do you think about God. It is interesting to realize that at some point in time we all start to think and self reflect on various matters. It can be about the job we do, the family we have, or at times it is of more subtle, like God. When it comes to prayers and spiritual practices, a highly spiritual person would normally get the answer from within. When one matures into self realization, knowing thyself, you tend to appreciate the fact that the God that dwells around you, in the temple, in the various forms you worship and religious teachings you follow, actually dwells in you, within you. Hence,  ASAVADHITYO BRAHMA,  BRAHMAIHAVASMI - THIS SUN IS BRAHMAN; BRAHMAN IS THE ONLY TRUTH; I AM BRAHMAN. If I am brahman, then why do I pray to a form, in a temple, following a religious teaching, practicing some Saadhanas (spiritual practices)? Though when we st

Commonly I categorize today's Hindus in few stages. 1. Those who consider every aspect of devotion, ritual practices (Saadhana) as utter bullshit and they call all these as superstitious. They even openly and freely pass comments ignorantly with zero knowledge of the Vedas and teachings. 2. Those who don't practice any Saadhana but only seek refuge when they are in deep trouble. Sort of only remembering a doctor and getting treatment when you fall ill. 3. Those who have a strong faith but lack self confidence. They perform every aspect of Saadhanas without fail only for the sake of well being. This is similar to an insurance policy taker. Where by one perceives that only if one follows certain teachings and practice, blindly following what the Guru says, you can live happily, wealthy, your family will be safe and fine with the grace of god. They always think that HE will come to your rescue when you are in trouble if you keep doing your Saadhanas without fail. These are

Gallons of Milk Wasted? Often times we hear so called 'intellectual' people say we are wasting resources showers deities in the temple. Some even term deities as stone. They question why pour so much of milk on a stone when there are so many beggars starving outside the temple compound? I call this lack of spiritual understanding and ignorance towards the concept of Atman and lack of understanding of thyself. If a beggar is starving outside, that is purely his Karma Palan (Karmic effect). If someone decides to donate to the beggar or feed his hunger, that is the donors Karma Palan and it is the correlation of both the Atmas from past lives, etc. If someone doesn't wish to donate to the beggar, instead buy milk to shower the deity, that is also that individual's wish and his own prerogative. Who are we to decide on what one should do and should not do? Athmartham (Soulful)- Either donating to an orphanage or buying milk for Abhishegam (ceremony of showering a de