Anandapurti

(Image from here)

Dear readers,

Sometimes we do things which are beyond logic and reasoning.

The same happened with me today.

I woke up in the morning and felt like posting an article of Maa Mahishashurmurdini, Jagat Janini Maa Durga.

This is the reason I called this posting "Anandapurti".

The picture adjacent is the Durga madala with the Durga Yantra inside it.

It is a very powerful yantra to remove obstacles and win over enemies. This yantra can be worshipped with Durga Beeja mantras during Navratris or Ashtami tithis. However, I would recommend one to do so only after consultation with an experienced astrologer.

The Durga Beeja Mantra is "AING HRING KLEENG CHAMUNDAYE VICHCHEY". This mantra can be prefixed and suffixed by AUM. Also please consult an astrologer before starting the recitation of this mantra.

However, for bhakti for Maa Durga, you need not consult an astrologer. Bhakti is beyond logic and reasoning and if done in the right spirit can be more effective than other rituals.

(Durga Image from here)

Durga saptashati (from here)

Durga Saptashati is a Mantra of 700 verses on the Mother Goddess.It forms a part of the Markandeya Purana, one of the 18 important puranas of Hinduism.
It is also known as Chandi Path, Devi Mahatmyam or just Saptashati. It is considered as a very potent mantra and its is widely read in all devi temples in India and abroad.It is in the form of a conversion between a king,a trader and a saint. This mantra is believed to have several esoteric meanings and interpretations.It is divided into 3 parts , dedicated to the Goddess - Kali,Lakshmi and Saraswati.
There are have been several saints well versed in the metaphysical interpretations of this Mantra like Sri Ramakrishna,The Paramacharyal of Kanchi, The Sringeri Acaryals,Sri Venkatesa Battar and several others.
Durga Saptashati is also translated into easy to recite Hindi verses by Dr.M.L.Sharma. Details of his book "Neeras Ki Shri Durga Upasana" can be found at http://durgasaptashati.discoveryofindia.com

Jai Maa Durga, Durgati nashini!

Regards,

Souvik

Anushthan-Guru Purnima

Dear readers,

11th. July 2006 is Guru Purnima.

Regards,

Souvik

From here.

Guru Purnima is traditionally held to be Bhagawan Vyasa's birthday. According to the Indian calendar IT falls on the 15th of the month of Ashada. Bhagawan Vyasa is called Veda Vyasa - or the Compiler of the Vedas. Bhagawan Vyasa saw that, in the coming yugas, men would be of grosser mind and would lack the ability to learn and retain all of the Vedas. So he compiled the Vedas into four parts - the Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Veda.Furthermore he wrote the Puranas so that the common people could also benefit from the knowledge of the Vedas - he conveyed the same spiritual principles through the medium of stories and parables. He is also the author of the Brahma Sutras - the quintessence of Vedanta. So it is but fitting that his birthday is celebrated as Guru Purnima. What is it that you are supposed to know on this day of Guru Purnima?You must understand that God is in you, with you, around you, above you, below you. In fact, you are God. Recognise this truth in the first instance. Do not entertain excessive desires and become beggars. Do your duty sincerely. That is the true Sadhana. When you are in office, do office work only; do not think of your family matters. Likewise, when you are at home, take care of the needs of your wife and children. Do not make your home an office. But today because of too much work in office, people take office-papers to their homes to complete their work. They are thus facing difficulties because they mix up their office work, household work, business and spiritual matters.

Right from this day, try to reduce your attachment to the world to the extent possible. Be happy and make others happy. Do not hurt anybody. Consider difficulties as passing clouds. You have developed family relationships and there are bound to be some worries. But do not be perturbed by them. When you look at the vast sky, you find many clouds. Likewise, in the sky of your heart there are clouds of attachment. They just come and go. Do not worry about them. What is the shape of worry? It is a mentally created fear. It is the result of your imagination. Every man is bound to encounter difficulties and losses. We should face them with courage. From this day of Guru Purnima, make your hearts sacred. Just as you wave away the mosquitoes that bite you, brush aside any difficulties that assail you. Do not be depressed by sorrow nor be elated by happiness. Develop equanimity and strive to attain Divinity. Today is described as Guru Purnima Day. This is not quite correct. The day got its name because of some gurus who wanted to have an occasion for receiving offerings from their disciples. The right name for this day is Vyasa Purnima.

Vyaasa was born on this full moon day. He completed the codification of the four Vedas on this day. He completed the writing of the eighteen puranas on this day. Owing to the passage of time Vyasa Purnima came to be called Guru Purnima. Serving the GuruAccording to Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6/23) :Yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau Tasyaite kathitaa hi arthaaha prakashante mahatmanaha Translation:Guru be worshipped in the same manner as the deity - God, to attain all there is to attain on the path of God-realization:

When this Self is within you where is the need to search for someone to teach you? A teacher who teaches others has had a teacher himself. The one who has no Guru above him is the true Guru. The Sanskrit stanza which hails the Guru as Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara and as Parabrahman is misinterpreted. The right approach is to consider Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara as the Guru. These three are symbolised by the three gunas: Brahma is Rajas, Vishnu is Sathva and Siva is Thamas. The whole cosmos is constituted by the three gunas. The three gunas are present in man. The trinity are present in the form of the three gunas in every human heart.