Life is an "Offering".....Let us Not Forget!

12 Feb 2010
Friends,
Tuesday,10 Feb,was an Ekaadashi-day, my health-fast-day...
I went to Mulund to complete some sundry-works...
In d morning my cook, who is basically a Thane-girl, got married n became Goregaon-girl!
When she came to know that
my work is at Mulund-Thane...
she suggested me to visit a very old Shiva-temple of Thane...
It is called "Kopineshwar-Temple",
A beautiful, peaceful n very clean place
with hundreds of devotees doing their bits for d 'deity'..
Though d temple is in a, very-crowded-market-place,
Inside, there is only sound of
soothing-sound-bells n chants...
Soul-ful singng of d artiste who was performing 'Kirtan'
which is literally One-man's-act-n-play!
When i went inside d temple of Shiva-Pindi,
d first thing i could see was,
a person,very-fair-like-a-foreigner,
sitting on d ground at Right-hand-corner of d temple....
He was d picture of 'Teijas' or 'Illumination'....
Before leaving d temple i offered him 'Prasad'
n asked if he is one who takes care
of d 'Deity'
to this he surprised me by answering in pure Hindi!
That means he was not a foreigner....
After 'darshan' i was kind-of-tempted
to buy veggies n fruits which were quite cheap at Thane....
Car was parked far-away from d market,
so i had to walk towards it....
that time, while walking, n chanting one Shiva-Stuti-Mantra,
"Karpur-Gauram, Karunaavataram..."
n suddenly that so-called-foreigner's face /image
appeared in front of my eyes.....
i was amazed at d 'resemblance'
of d description of d deity to that 'real-image'!
n Till this very moment am not sure ....
am going to visit that temple again
for d confirmation of some of my thoughts...

May be am imagining things.....
may be i was lucky to see....
may be this is an excuse to go there again...

While entering d temple i came across
an-old-lady, who blessed me first
n then said everybody is in a hurry to enter d temple,
but nobody is interesting in giving....
i asked d lady "wot would she prefer
money or eatables/ Prasad?
she answered "anything will do ..."
so just to test-her, i gave her 2 pieces of 'Kaju-katli' n left  ...
but before turning my back,i could see her giving both d pieces to her husband who was sitting away from her....
i was slightly overwhelmed to see d GR8 feeling of sacrifice....
D lady must be hungry....she looked like one,
in spite of that hunger, her behavior was so touching....
while most of d times V behave so selfishly....
Though V don't know d 'real-pinch-of-hunger'...
V don't know how to sleep with half-filled stomach
day-in n day-out...
V don't know d feeling of 'shelter-less',
home-less people...

V brag about our so-called-love or devotion
or sacrifice...
In reality they R, just words for us!
V really do Not know d exact meaning of those 'expressions'!

At d end,while leaving d temple
could not resist, asking that lady...
to which she showed surprise n asked wot about that?
it's nothing....
I silently saluted her n
gave her kaju-katli along with some money...
Generally as a rule, i Never pay money!
Instead i prefer to buy d required material...
like eatables, medicines,clothes....
For kids, i prefer to buy foods,books, toys, blankets....

But she was an exception....
Bcoz she was Not demanding any money
n i had nothing to offer her other than money n
kaju-katli.....
As expected She was quite neutral to everything...
but blessed all d same!

If V keep our eyes n heart,'open'...
there is 'another world', out there!!

Today let us find more info about our basic-Gods,
Brahma, Vishnu n Mahesh....
There R 3 distinct n totally different characters..
Brahma is d 'Creator'.....A serious, intelligent
n responsible one...
Vishnu is very handsome, naughty, brainy,
n 'Management-Guru' kind-of-material!
While Mahesh is Shiva, a cool, kind, n meditative,
if provoked, instantly converts himself into a
'Destroyer' by opening his "third-Eye" to
burn everything to ashes!

All three work smoothly to run
d various activities of d Universe!

V all have these 3-so-called-Gods WITHIN us,
in d form of our Actions!
V have in-born-creativity of different kinds....
V have organizational-skills...
N V also have nasty destructible traits....

Only thing V need to know is d skill of keeping or
striking a "Balance"...
It is a truelly-skilled-job like a tight-rope-walk!
Once One gets d 'Inner Instructions' on how to...
Everything becomes soo Easy!

So friends, let us know our inner strength....
Let us meditate on all-three-traits...
Let us imbibe-creativity,
act-innovatively,
destroy-d-ego-ruthlessly

N Strike the Balance,

On d occasion of d day of 'Maha-Shiv-Ratra'...

If V can do 'Abhishek' with
jal-water,
Payas-milk
Madha-honey
Sharkara-Suger
Dahi-curd
N perform Puja with 'Bilva-patra', flowers,
'Dhoop-Deep-Naivedya'....

It is Good for us...

But if for some reason V can Not do d Abhishek of any-kind...

It is perfectly All-right!

as far as V know n perform d "Maanas-puja-Abhishek"
from Bottom-Of-Our-Hearts....
Simply meaning V "offer" our ego,
false-pride, bad-deeds,Narrow-minded-ness,
selfish-ness,jealosy,Blood-thirsty-ness,
greed for power, Greed of any n every thing
under d Sun,
discriminating-nature, any kind of extremism,
n all things of sick-mentality....

Throw all this...
N 'Replace' with Happiness-for-all-beings....
Sharing good-things,
caring for entire Nature,
including human-beings,
animal-kingdom n Plants'-world....
Be kind to everybody...Pray for welfare of
Every thing n Everybody..
Let us Not forget that d
"World-Happens" Bcoz of US
&
D "World-Ends" Bcoz of US ONLY!

Behave only in a manner, in which
V 'wish' everybody should,
to make US HAPPY!

N then chant," Shivoaham,Shivoaham,Shivoaham,
Shivoaham,Shivoaham,Shivoaham,Shivoaham......

Always remember that,

Life is an 'OFFERING'.....

Let us "Offer" it for others n Experience d Difference!


Shlok of d day-
      OM Tat-Purushaay Vidmahe Mahadevaay Dheemahi|
      Tanno Rudra Prachodayaat||

Shlok about "Bilva-Patra' or "Bel-Leaves",
             that R Shiva's favourites

       Tridalam Trigunaakaaram Trinetram Trayaayudham|
       Trijanma Paap-Samharam Bilvaika-Patram Samarpanam||

Tip of d day- for better Digestion of food, Drink luke-warm water through out d day.
While observing 'Fast', it is Important keep d body well "hydrated"

This is Tima wishing all, Happy-SHIV-RATRI-Meditation....