Wow! Rudra Pujas are happening all over Maharashtra this Shravan Month..Check out!

Guruji performing Rudra Puja

Shravan Mass Rudra Puja Mumbai 2010

Shraavan Rudra Pooja

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|| OM NAMO BHAGAVATE RUDRAAYAH ||

Lord Shiva is considered to be the lord of meditation and penance, and therefore the lord of awakening

The Shri Rudram is a Hindu stotra dedicated to Rudra, an epithet of Lord Shiva

Through the chanting of Sri Rudram, Lord Siva's various attributes and aspects are invoked and worshipped

Chanting the Rudram is considered to be of great benefit

• This mellifluous prayer to Rudra has two parts-the Namakam - verses ending with Nama and the Chamakam - verses ending with Cha Mae
• Namakam is a prayer to Rudra to forget about his avenging fierce, fearful and horrendous form and turn himself into a peaceful form and do good to us
• Chamakam lists out the blessings to be got from a prayer to Rudra and prays to Him to regulate and bless our life for a moment forgetting his anger

The Rudra Pooja is hailed by all Vedic scriptures as one of the greatest poojas to remove all evils, to attain all desires and for all round prosperity and peace

It is said that Lord Shiva, after Bhasmasura was killed with the help of Lord Maha Vishnu, performed the Tandava dance and then performed the "Rudra Yagna" for the Betterment of Humanity

• The formal worship consists of bathing the Lord. Lord Shiva is considered to be the Form of Light, which the Shiva Lingam represents. He is burning with the fire of austerity and is therefore best propitiated with cool bathing. While bathing the Lingam the devotee prays:

o “O Lord! I will bathe Thee with water, milk, curd, butter and honey. Do Thou kindly bathe me with the milk of wisdom. Do Thou kindly wash me of all my sins, so that the fire of worldliness which is scorching me may be put out once for all, so that I may be one with Thee – the One alone without a second.”

• Bilva leaf [Bel-patra] offerings signify the surrender of all three aspects of one’s nature – Tamas, Rajas and Sattva

Shraavan month is one of the holiest of Hindu months and the Rudra Pooja performed in this holy month is said to give manifold benefits

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It is customary for you to take a Sankalpa – an intention to bear a fruitful/desired result in your endeavour – during any Pooja and to facilitate this, during this Rudra Pooja you are offered slots of Rs. 11,000/-, Rs. 5000/- or Rs. 1100/- [Sankalpa form attached]

We hereby urge you to please be present in person for the Rudra Pooja and soak in the meditative hymns and chants rich and deep in our vedic tradition

Jai Guru Dev

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2010 Shravan Mass Rudra Puja in Mumbai

Pooja means, Poo means fullness, Ja means born out of fullness. That which comes out of fullness is called Pooja, that means when you feel so full, grateful, consciousness is full, heart is full, everything is full.

Fortunate are those who are able to soak themselves in Rudra Puja during the auspicious month of Shravan.To maximise the blessings, it is just perfect to do the Rudra Puja in the month of Shravan. The Rudra Puja will be conducted by Swamiji from Ashram and 3 veda boys.

Guruji is just too kind to make all this available at such convenience for all of us...take the Sankalpa without any delay or a second thought.

Following are the dates and venue for the Samuh Rudra Pujas happening near your area in Mumbai.

DATE -------- TIME -----------AREA ------------- MOBILE--------------ADDRESS-------------------

11th Aug----Evening------South Mumbai -----9223404992

14th Aug----Morning--------Andheri ----------9324545623

----------------Evening ---------Sion ------------9821210708---------Bhandara Bhavan, Opp Honda Show room Near Shivashristi Soc., Chunabhatti (e)

15th Aug-----Morning------- Dharavi-----------9833391819

16th Aug-----Morning ------Ulhasnagar-------9850130101

----------------Evening------Bhayander (W)-----9833276469

17th Aug-----Morning------Goregaon-----------9869001050

18th Aug-----Evening--------Kanjurmarg (W)-----9324437611----------------R. K. Hall, Hanuman Silk Mills Compund, LBS Marg, Kanjumarg (W).

19th Aug-----Morning----------Bhandup----------9987503979 / 9987884116

---------------Evening----------Mulund East--------9820733771

21st Aug-----Morning----------Dombivali----------9833485206------------Mauli Hall,Above Heritage Hall,Near Pendarkar College,MIDC,Dombivali-E

--------------Evening-------Anushakti Nagar------- 9167006336---------Anushakti Nagar, Old Community Center, Chembur

22nd Aug-----Morning----------Chembur------------9324526259

----------------Evening----------- Boriwali------------9320025441--------Saheli international school, Opp MHB Garden, Borivali West

23rd Aug-----Morning----------Thane West----------9322590081

----------------Evening-----------Vikhroli --------------9769135314

Why Go To The Temple ?

A 'devotee' goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and
complained that it made no sense to go to the Temple .
'I've gone for 30 years now, he wrote, and in that time I have heard
something like 3,000 mantras.
But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I
think I'm wasting my time and the Gurus are wasting theirs by giving
services at all.
This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor' column,
much to the delight of the editor.. It went on for weeks until someone
wrote this clincher: I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my
wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot
recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know
this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my
work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically
dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to the Temple for nourishment, I
would be spiritually dead today!
When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the
invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!
Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!
All right, now that you're done reading, send it on!!! I think everyone
should read this!! 'When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say,
'God , could you get that for me?!!'

We are connected not only through face book and internet but also through our neurons

Guruji On Importance of Sankalpa:

We are connected not only through face book and internet but also through our neurons.

Guruji gave a wonderful introduction of how sankalpa works, latest research shows that in our brains there are some neurons which are connected to everyone and some neurons which create a barrier of ego. One of the leading neuroscientists, V S Ramachandran says “We are connected not only through face book and internet but also through our neurons”.

For example if I pick up a glass of ragi ( A health Drink) and you watch me doing that action in both our brains neurons get activated. But some other neurons tell the brain whether I am doing that action or not. Thus even if I do some action it can affect the people whom I am connected this is the basis of how sankalpa works. When I take a sankalpa on someones behalf because our neurons are connected that effect of the sankalpa can reach out and create a positive vibrations. For eg, recently when a person was hospitalised, we performed a puja for him in the ashram , and miraculously the person’s health improved. This is a very common occurrence we have experienced and hence in the puja it is not necessary to be present physically present during the sankalpas.

For pujas in Mumbai we will arrange to send the prasadam to you at your door step.

The other aspect is being present for the puja. When we do it alone it is puja and when we do it together it becomes Yagna. According to the shastras, yagna gives hundred fold result.

For eg. When we keep money in the safe in the house it just stays there, but when we keep in the bank it gives interest.

Vaidic Dharma Sansthan

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA is also called Panch-Akhshara mantra (meaning 5 syllabled Mantra):

na-mah shi-va-ya each syllable symbolises the 5 elements of nature that we are made of - water,earth, fire , air and ether respectively.

(water is blood, earth is flesh,air is the wat we breath, fire is the heat - energy realeased by break down of food, ether is a space above the air where it is said that heavenly bodies stay) - it is the mind.
so te repitition of the mantra cleanses our body. all the five elements are cleansed by this mantra.

If we go by the literal emaning of the mantra it means "I bow to you lord Shiva" or "I surrender to you Lord Shiva".

Now as we know that we have three lords - brahma the creator, vishnu the preserver and shiva the destroyer. Shiva is the 'Self'. like when everything is destroted .... only shiva remains. Similiraly when we leave this physical form .... only the Self remains.

so surrendering ourselves to the self means we are knowing more of our 'SELF'

the good thing about this mantra is that you do not have to have a certain place and a certain time to chant this mantra. this mantra can be chanted anywhere, anytime ...in the train,bus .while travelling,working etc..etc..

once we start chanting the mantra regularly....it integrates in our system....it kind of dissolves in us... them even without knowing we would be chanting this mantra.... but that obviously takes time and regular repitetion.

Prayer

When you achieve something you are very happy, very proud about it. There is nothing to be proud of in your achievement. If you have achieved something by your effort, which means it is some thing which is within your capacity to do. All that you gain by your own effort is not worth gaining because you already have it. That something which is greater than you cannot be achieved by your effort. So your achievement really means nothing.

All that is worth having in life comes out of prayer. And prayer can happen only when you know that something is beyond your capacity, something that you cannot achieve. All that descends on you by grace is what is worth having.

Who can pray? Only those who feel helpless can pray. When you become aware of your inability, the futility of your efforts, when you become aware of your insignificance in the world, you can pray over thousands of years, many people have come and gone without leaving a trace. In the thousands and thousands of galaxies among millions and millions of stars, you are nothing, not even a particle. How can one be blind as not to see such a reality?

Every helpless moment is a golden opportunity to pray. A wise and intelligent man makes use of those moments to pray because those moments take you deep down into your heart. You can sink deep into your consciousness, your existence. If you are intelligent enough to recognize your insignificance, every moment will be a prayerful moment. God dawns in your life. It’s very simple.

The first and foremost qualification for prayer is to feel your insignificance. All the events fell into place and made you whatever you are. There must be a limit to ego. You even go to the extent to do things to satisfy Gods or Goddesses. That is making them a football of your praise and displeasure. By doing all superficial actions, you think you are pleasing God. That is not prayer.

Prayer is not demanding from God. It is nothing great to be an atheist. A very stupid person can become an atheist. It does not take much time to disapprove God. But to prove the existence of supreme intelligence you need intelligence. Only an intelligent man can have faith in God – not just believing but having faith is a happening, an event a stage of maturity of your knowledge. When knowledge matures it becomes faith.

Prayer is gratefulness. Prayer is being in totality, being aware of the love that God is pouring on you every moment, the huge waves of love that eternity blows on you. You are in deep slumber now, but in this tidal wave, this storm of love, you cannot sleep if you are intelligent. God loves you dearly. Prayer is recognition of the ocean of love that existence has for you. Prayer is experiencing the presence of God.

Does God come first or prayer? The whole mathematics here is different. Prayer comes first. Prayer is being grateful for all that has been bestowed on you. Feel grateful for all that you have now. You and you alone. Prayerfulness is a very intimate feeling. It is very personal.

You cannot imitate or duplicate prayer. Your prayer is your flowering. No other bud can bloom from you. Any other blossom that blooms; blooms for itself. Being thankful and grateful is prayer. Prayer cannot be practiced; it just happens when life matures.

Your life is like a burning candle; you are burning every minute, every second. And if you are aware of the burning of your life, that becomes prayer.

Who is Shiva?

The image of Lord Shiva has over the centuries been romanticized by historians and devotees alike. A body smeared with ash, a tiger skin encircling his loins, a crescent moon adorning his forehead, matted hair piled high on his head from whence flows the celestial river Ganga, one hand bearing a trident, another set in a classical mudra, sometimes playing the dumroo as he is consumed in the cosmic dance, the third eye between the brows accentuating his bold handsomeness, snakes encircling his azure neck. The imagery in its evocativeness has never failed to attract and arouse the curiosity within.

As much as there has been metaphors to describe the visual appearance of Shiva, there have been many more names to describe the attributes that he has been known to embody. The 1008 names of Shiva only serve to portray his infinite and versatile nature, his unknowable mysteries, a being devoid of polarities, composite and synthesized. Yet, he is beyond description or definition. He can only be experienced and lived through.