My Spiritual Musings

Two decades back I picked up a quaint little book called "Spiritual Diary" from a book store. Back then we had many brick and mortar bookstores and it used to be a joy to spend hours together at book stores pouring over various book. The Spiritual Diary is a cute, little book with spiritual inspirations for each day. They were primarily drawn from teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. It just had a little saying to focus on each day. Simple and clear instructions for every day.  A few days back I found this book tucked inside my book shelve. In it I had written some prayers and incidents from circa 2001-2002. I was doing my Masters at that time adjusting to a new life in the US. I had a very demanding work-study schedule. Below I have penned a prayer of how fragile life can be around 2002 Thanksgiving. The deep realization that a simple lane change can be deadly enough to change our life forever. When I read my prayers again I was happy that the core of me has remai...

One of the major reasons why there is a lot of stress in our life is because we have a lot of difficulty  in accepting life as it is manifests to us. We want our life to be a certain way but the reality does not meet our expectations. Frustration and disappointment sets in. Accepting the reality of the present moment as it has manifested and not  as what we would like it to be is easier said than done.    Why is acceptance and surrender so important? When the reality is not to our expectations then often times we react impulsively rather than responding  appropriately  to the present moment. We have a knee jerk reaction to every unpleasant incident.   Something as simple as as reckless driver cutting across our lane triggers us.  I am guilty of the same fault. But hey life will constantly throw curve balls at us. How do we develop equanimity? Acceptance to the NOW helps us to stop reacting and respond appropriately.   ...

Pure, unconditional love is the ultimate energy. The sum toto of all Existence. It describes this "God energy" that pervades this universe. Without love and kindness everyone will wither away. When the mind is firmly established in equanimity then love, kindness and compassion flow naturally from our Being. We can harm no one and no one can harm us. Kanda Guru Kavacham beautifully describes love in the following words: படர்ந்த அன்பினை நீ பரப்பிரம்மம் என்றனையே உலகெங்கு முள்ளது ஒருபொருள் அன்பேதான் உள்ளுயிராகி இருப்பதும் அன்பென்றாய் You (Skanda) said that spreading love is Para Brahma The only thing around this world is Love. And Love is the only thing that is like a soul within us. அன்பே குமரன் அன்பே ஸ்கந்தன் அன்பே ஓமெனும் அருள்மந்திரம் என்றாய் அன்பை உளத்திலே அசையாது அமர்த்திடுமோர் Love is Kumara, Love is Skanda You told me that Love is the holy chant Om Make love a stable power in my mind. அன்பே சிவமும்; அன்பே சக்தியும் அன்பே ஹரியும்; அன்பே பிரம்மனும் அன்...

Kanda Guru Kavacham is a prayer of deep love and devotion dedicated to Lord Muruga.    It was composed by  Sri Saanthaanantha Swaamigal who is a great saint and devotee of Lord Skanda .  Sri Saanthaanantha Swaamigal established a temple called Skandasramam in Salem, India.   Lord Muruga or Lord Skanda or Karthikeya is the son of Shiva. He is a dharma guardian. When you reach out to him with a sincere heart and mind, he will reach out to you to fill you with inner wisdom, protect and guide you in the right path. He is revered not only in Hinduism but also in Mahayana Buddhism. In Mahayana Buddhism, Skanda or Weituo Boddhisattva is the dharma guardian of monasteries and religious education.  Chanting Kanda Guru Kavacham fills me with a deep peace of mind and an inexpressible happiness. It teaches me how to pray to God and see the Oneness in all creation. Who is God? Is God someone up in the heavens with a white beard, or is he just within the stone ido...

Generally, we see Nandi sitting directly opposite the main door of the temple where Shiva's idol or Shivalingam is located. He is not waiting for him to come out and say something.  He is in waiting .  Nandi is a symbolism of eternal waiting, because waiting is considered the greatest virtue in Indian culture.  One who knows how to simply sit and wait is naturally meditative.  He is not expecting anything. He will wait forever.  Nandi is Shiva’s closest accomplice because he is the essence of receptivity.     Before you go into a temple, you must have the quality of Nandi - to simply sit.  So, just by sitting here, he is telling you, “When you go in, don’t do fanciful things. Don’t ask for this or that. Just go and sit like me."  The fundamental difference between Prayer & Meditation is that - Prayer means you are trying to talk to God. Meditation means you are willing to listen to God.  You are willing to just list...

Source: Buddhism A Brief Introduction by Master Hsuan Hua To end suffering we have to find its cause. The Buddha found that the fundamental cause of suffering is ignorance. Ignorance in turn leads to the arisal of self centered desire. Ignorance and desire combine to blind us to preclude any possibility of realizing our inherent spiritual nature. Confused and dazed we "mistake fish eyes for pearls" i.e confuse the ebb and flow of things impermanent with our true self. Because of ignorance living beings create karma. The word "karma" means "activity". Karma more specifically is activities we do over and over again - activities rooted in desire and governed by the law of cause and effect. The law of cause and effect, simple stated, is that every good or bad act of body, speech and thought, generates a corresponding good or bad result. The cause necessarily brings the result, which differs only in degree and time according to circumstances. ...

One of my favorite chants is Kandha Guru Kavacham. It is dedicated to Lord Karthikeya also called Lord Muruga. Lord Karthikeya is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Paravathi. He is the brother of Lord Ganesha.  Kanda Guru Kavacham is a very long chant in Tamil dedicated to Lord Muruga. It is a prayer asking for protection and guidance from Lord Muruga. Here is the link to the English translation of the chant. http://www.skandagurunatha.org/…/sk…/skanda-guru-kavasam.pdf The root mantra in this chant is  ஓம் ஸெளம் சரவணபவ ஸ்ரீம் ஹ்ரீம் க்லீம்  க்லௌம் ஸெளம் நம "Om Soum Saravana Bhava Sreem Hreem Kleem Kloum Soum Namaha" "Om" is the pranava mantra. Saravana in reference for God. Soum, Sreem, Hreem, Kleem and Kloum are Bija mantras. Bija mantras or seed mantras are one-syllable seed sounds that activate the energy of the chakras i n order to purify and balance the mind and body. When you chant the bija mantras, you resonate with the energy of the associated chakra,...