February 2010
- Swamiji's tour of Calcutta & Assam
- Swamiji conveys His Divine Blessings to all on the ocassion of Maha Sivarathri
- Swamiji's message to Andhrabhoomi on completion of 50 years of the Newspaper.
Swamiji's tour of Calcutta & Assam
February 18th 2010 : Swamiji is in Guwahati, Assam and will be visiting the Kamakhya temple on the Nilacahala mountains near Guwahati. Swamiji will be returning back to Chennai on friday night via Calcutta.
February 17th 2010 : Swamiji is visiting Ganga sagar near Calcutta, here the river Ganga flows into the ocean. During the North India tour of 2008, Swamiji visited Gangothri, where river Ganga originates.
Ganga Sagara (Sagardwip)
Ganga Sagar is where the Ganges flows into the Bay of Bengal. Sagara is 105km south of Calcutta and about 64km (40 miles) south of Diamond Harbor, at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and the Ganges. At this point the Ganges is about 24km wide.
Located here is the Kapila Muni Temple, in which Kapila Muni resides with Gangamata (the goddess of the Ganges) on his right and King Sagara (the great-great-grandfather of King Bhagiratha) on his left. It is said that the great sage Kapila Muni resides here in trance for the deliverance of the conditioned souls.
Maha Sivarathri, February 12th 2010
Swamiji has conveyed His divine blessings on the ocassion of Maha Sivarathri, February 12th 2010
The significance of Maha Sivarathri is the union of Siva and Shakti(power). If Shiva is away from Shakti it is like Shavam(corpse), or body without life. Only with Shakti does Shiva exist, this is the essence of Sivarathri. The Universe is combination of Siva and Shakti(Universal power). The universe in reality is shaped like the Siva Lingam. On the midnight of Sivarathri is the time for the Lingodbhavam. The inner meaning of this is that the aim and goal of Sivarathri is to enlighten the atma in us and unite it with the Universal power and thereby attain yoga. Sivarathri should awaken humanity and divinity in man.
By nature man is divine, due to power of Maya, we forget our blissful divine nature and fail to see divinity that is present everywhere and in everyone. When Shiva is worshipped with devotion, he frees us from the clutches of maya. He grants us the divine virtues of renunciation, discrimination, dispassion to worldly attractions, devotion to the Supreme Being, compassion to all beings, fearlessness, strength to practise spiritual disciplines for the control and purification of the mind.
Every person has Shakti(power) in Him, and everyone has to become a Siva. The Universe is Siva and to understand the philosophy of Siva, one has to experience the union of Siva and Shakti and make ourselves an abode of joy. And it is my heartfelt desire that all of you should attain this state.
Siva is not separate from Vishnu or Brahma. Siva, Vishnu & Brahma are all the same. If the Universe which is embodiment of Siva is without of Shakti then it becomes lifeless. When Shakti is united with matter it is Chaitanyam, or the Life force, and to reach that state of Chaitanyam is the goal of Sivarathri. Then Shavakaram(corpse) will become Sivaakaram(Lord Siva or Body with Life).
Upavaasam and Jagaran associated with Maha Sivarathri don't merely mean fasting and staying awake without sleep all night. The true meaning of Upavaasam(Upa + Vaasam): Upa means near, Vaasam means staying, this means that we should constantly think of God and thereby live close to God and feel the presence of God. The true meaning of Jagaran is being in a state of wakefulness or a state of knowledge. The fasting associated with Sivarathri impress upon the mind of man his duty to impose ‘fast’ on his senses and vigilance on his intelligence to keep away polluting impulses and inclinations. The true meaning of Jagaran is being in a state of wakefulness or a state of knowledge. Darkness prevails at night. But during Sivarathri, the night is not dark but full of light. The light is experienced by immersing oneself in good thoughts and contemplating on the glorious form of Siva, on the Divine, reminding oneself of unity with the Divine and attaining a state of pure holiness.
Asato Maa Sad GamayaTamso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Maa Aamritam Gamaya
That is we should go from untruth to truth, darkness to light and death to immortality and that is the real meaning of Jagaran.
Divine blessings to all, Shubhamasthu, kalyanamastu. I hope that the world is an abode of peace.
With Divine blessings,
Bhagwan Sri Sri Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee Maharaj.
