Happy Hanuman Jayanti!

Today we are celebrating Hanuman Jayanti. Here in our Center it already started at 5 pm in the morning- the actual birth time of Hanuman. There was an Abishek and we chanted the Hanuman Chalisa 9 times in different version.
Read here an excerpt from the Hanuman Jayanti 2009:

Sri Swami Vishwananda:
When Mahavishnu decided to incarnate as Rama and after that, He incarnated alone.
So all the Deities, all the Devas incarnate.
At the same time He was asking Shiva: “You are the Lord of the Universe, you are realised. You are one with God all the time, but tell me one thing: “ On whom are you meditating, like that?
You always sit in meditation, but for sure you are meditating on somebody."

Then He replied: “Yes, all my thinking and all my mind, all my concentration, my meditation is only on God Mahavishnu. So whenever I meditate it’s on Mahavishnu, that I’m meditating and my Love for Him doesn’t have any limit. So now that He is going to be incarnated on earth as Rama, I’m thinking also to be incarnated.”
So Hanuman is a manifestation of Shiva. He is a pure incarnation of Shiva actually.
He is not just part of Shiva, but a full manifestation of Shiva.
Even if Shiva has space in Shiva Loka, in His body, He is a full manifestation of Hanuman.
That’s why it’s said that if you can not pray to any Gods, pray only to Hanuman- you will have everything. And when you chant the Hanuman Chalisa, this part of the Hanuman Chalisa that says “I don’t pray to anybody, but only to you.” -„Aura Devata Chitta na dharayi ,Hanumata se yi sarva sukha karayi”.
It meas: even if you don’t pray to any Deity, but only to Hanuman, you will receive the blessing of all the Deities.


Watch here a very sweet version of the Hanuman Chalisa with English subtitles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3URCMVceSqU

Everybody can change- Happy Holi!

Sri Swami Vishwananda: When your mind is positive and you know that the Lord is seated inside and you keep calling Him, there is no chance that He will not reveal Himself inside of you. There are so many stories in which even criminals, like I have said during Shivaratri, I was telling the story of Grudaha.
How he was a big criminal but through the love, through the devotion to God Shiva he changed.
Same way- everybody can change.
But this is the connection which the Atma has with Paramatma.
And this connection is not a connection of just now.
Now we are limited to the body.
We have each one an individual body and each one of you thinks of oneself
separate.
But being the Atma- what is the Atma?
It’s part of Paramatma.
And this Atma one day, whether it's in this life or in hundred lives, it will go back to its source where it comes from.
There is no chance that it will never go back there.
But it's up to each one whether to quicken it or not.
That's the free will that God has given.

And because today we celebrate Holi- the colorfoul Hindu festival, here a nice video of Holi.
P.S: Swamiji was really throwing with colours around and found many "victims"- we all look now like chamaleon ;).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o8Cslm9uNc

What is "Holi"?

Holi (also called Holaka or Phagwa) is an annual festival celebrated on the day after the full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna (early March). It celebrates spring, commemorates various events in Hindu mythology and is time of disregarding social norms and indulging in general merrymaking.

Holi is probably the least religious of Hindu holidays. During Holi, Hindus attend a public bonfire, spray friends and family with colored powders and water, and generally go a bit wild in the streets.

Only the Love of His Devotees could calm Shiva down

On yesterday's Blog entry Sri Swami Vishwananda explained us why Lord Shiva is also called 'Neela Kantha'- the One with the blue throat. Today He is telling us more about this story...

Sri Swami Vishwananda:

On the day, when this happened [Shiva drank the poison and His throat became blue- see yeserday's blog post] of course the poison wass burning His throat so much, that the only thing that could cool Him down is … what?(Some people whispering Ganga)
Sri Swami Vishwananda: Eh?
Someone: Ganga.

Sri Swami Vishwananda: No…

Someone: Love
Sri Swami Vishwananda: The Love of His devotees, no? (Laughing) (Audience laughing)
Only that could cool Him down. (Smiling) Of course it has to be sincere also.
That’s what the devas tried.
They said “Okay we praise God. We are always close to Shiva. Now we will pour water over Him, but He didn’t calm.”
Secondly the asuras came, saying “Okay we are also always around Shiva, because around Shiva there are always the asuras, demons.
They are always around Shiva, because He is the protector of them.
He is beyond good and bad, so He sees everybody equal.
The second are the demons.
They pour water over Shiva, but even that didn’t calm Him.
So they appealed even to the Higher, which is the Trinity, which is Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma. Even when they poured water on Shiva, it didn’t really calm the burning effect, that He was having.
And finally they turned to?
To whom did they turn?
Who is left? (Some people: Humans)
Eh?

Someone: His devotees.

Someone: Parvati

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Parvati, Shakti, Uma, who is complete devotion to Shiva.
The same thing as Lakshmi is completely devoted to Vishnu.
So Parvati was the One who last poured water over Shiva, so that She calmed Him down, calmed the poison.
And today we are celebrating it.
This is one meaning of it.


A nice video of Shiva & Parvati (Ardhanishwar- half man/ half woman)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guYY7mxK69A

Why do we celebrate Shivaratri?

Maha Shivratri or Shivaratri (Night of Shiva or "Great Night of Shiva") is a festival celebrated every year on the 13th day/13th night (breaking fast/'vrata' on 14th after sunrise) in the Krishna Paksha (waning moon) of the month of Maagha(as per Shalivahana or Gujarati Vikrama) or Phalguna (as per Vikrama) in the Hindu Calendar (that is, the night before and day of the new moon). The festival is principally celebrated by offerings of Bael (Bilva) leaves to Lord Shiva, all day fasting and an all night long vigil. Per scriptural and discipleship traditions, the penances are performed in order to gain boons in the practice of Yoga and meditation, in order to reach the goal more swiftly and avoid rebirth.

After creation was complete, Parvati asked Lord Shiva which rituals pleased him the most. The Lord replied that the 13th night of the new moon, during the month of Maagha, is his most favourite day. Parvati repeated these words to her friends, from whom the word spread over all creation.

This year we celebrate Shivaratri on the 12th February in our Center.
Last year Guruji explained the meaning of this Holy festival dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is the destroyer (of ignorance etc.)
Sri Swami Vishwananda: Jai Gurudev!

Audience: Jai Gurudev!

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Firstly welcome to everybody!
As you know today I was explaining before Shivaratri, which is one of the main Hindu festival. How many of you know what is Shivaratri? (Audience laughing but keeps silent)

Sri Swami Vishwananda: (Smiling) Lift your hand. (Audience laughing)
Go on. (Audience laughing, murmuring) Eh?

Someone: Trying to transcend the mind.

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Good.
What else?

Someone: Shiva can sleep tonight.

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Eh?

Someone(repeating) Shiva can sleep tonight.

Sri Swami Vishwananda (smiling) No, actually He can’t sleep tonight. (Audience laughing)
We will keep Him awake all the time, by doing the four time Prayer. (Smiling)
Go on.

Someone: Marriage.
It is the union between Shiva and Shakti. Shiva and Parvati.

Sri Swami Vishwananda: No, actually it’s not today. It’s not on Shivaratri.
What is the Original of Shivaratri?

Someone: There are different meanings.

Sri Swami Vishwananda: There are different meanings of course. There are different stories that link to Shiva on that day.
But the most important why we celebrate Shivararti is…

Someone (whispering) surrender

Sri Swami Vishwananda: … to show the love we have for mankind.

A nice video which puts one in the right mood for Shivaratri :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T41bNjSm_4&feature=related

Swamiji's Divali Speech- Shining the Divine Light

This Year on the 17th October Sri Swami Vishwananda celebrated with His Devotees and disciples Divali, the Hindu festival of Lights.
Here is an excerpt of the first part of His speech:
Sri Swami Vishwananda:

First of all: “Happy Divali to all of you.” Before, I explained already about Divali, the festival of lights, especially about finding the inner light and how to let it shine through. Let it shine from deep within your heart to everybody. Often people say „Swamiji, we would always love to have this Divine light shining through, but it’s so difficult. Am i right? (People: Yes)

You see: If you want it to be easy, you will make everything possible to make it easy. It doesn’t matter how hard it is: You will make it. But if you make yourself weak by saying it, it’s difficult. This word, which is so easily used is a barrier and we create this barrier, we make the difference and then we say „Ups, it’s difficult.“

It’s the same: when you say something is easy, what happens inside of you? You build up this self-confidence that you put on yourself, when you generate this energy inside of you ‚Yes, i can do it’. You will receive the blessing of the Divine also.

But if you already make yourself weak, then God will say „What’s the use of me, giving this grace to that person, if he can’t handle it? He is already weak.“ It’s of no use giving the blessing or giving the grace to that person. Actually we stop the grace then. How do you think the light will shine?