Sai Picture gallery: Shri Shirdi Sai Speaks-3rd May/Shiv Puran

My Favourite Thoughts and Inspirations.Read them ,May b u will find the answer to ur problem

Very fortunate is the one who has learned to admire, but not to envy................ Pin all your hopes in god, and then you will not be pinned down by man................. The wealth of a rich man can be stolen or burnt, but the happiness & wisdom of the wise remain................ Life may be struggling, but is very good............ When in doubt, just take a positive step......... Life is too short, but we all have to go long way....... Your work would not take care of your health, but your Prayer to Baba,who is your father, mother & friend, will answer it............ Never be anxious to win every argument. Listen to others also................. Smiling is more healing than crying alone. Never get angry, Baba knows, when & how to take care of you............... Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque. Make peace with your past & don't screw up the present. Never compare your life with others to make yourself miserable............... Never make any relationship a secret............... Everything can change in the blink of an eye. Have Shraddha & Saburi inBaba.............. Take a deep breath to calm the mind........... Be resourceful to acquire what you love in life....... Burn the candles to enlighten others. Don't save it for a specialoccasion. Today is special............ No one is in charge of your happiness but you. Be selective & choosey.............. Forgive & Forget to make others happy. Time heals all the wounds. Have patience. Good or bad is never permanent, welcome a change. God loves you because you are one of His creations. Come out & adopt positive attitude to witness miraculous ways of Baba........... Envy is a waste of time............ The best in you is knocking your door. Look in to feel His presence........... Never get into any arguments; feel fresh, get up, dress up & show upwith a smile................... Life isn't tied with a bow, but still is a gift showered by GodAlmighty................... If I keep the weaknesses of others in my mind, they soon become a part of me................... The ego is the poison of the soul...drink in the bliss and spit out the poison............... To be free from negative thoughts is to be free from punishment.................. In the long run the most difficult thing is to search for an easy way out............... If I enjoy praise, it means I can be easily hurt by defamation.................. Try to conquer greed now because “while man becomes old, his greed becomes youthful........... The end of birth is death. The end of death is birth........ The stronger your attachment the greater the power of the Maya (the illusion : Her creation) over you..... "I put firm faith in the words of my Guru, considering them more valuable than all the shastras put together." ........... Don't poison your soul, mind, heart and body with negativity....bathe in Divine positive love............ Your Soul is always trying to be heard above the noise of your mind, when you quiet your mind your Soul takes command!.................... Pin all your hopes in god, then you will not be pinned down by man................. Remember that you are very special. NO ONE can play your role better than you.................. If someone defames you or insults you, shower him with flowers, smiles and good wishes............ When you get angry, you lose more than your temper When all your attachments are with the one God, then your achievements are many............... When people cannot stand you because they do not understand you, God will stand by you........... To give happiness to others is a great act of charity. A slip of the foot we many recover, but a slip of the tongue leaves a deep imprint............ Life is like a drama. If I understand the plot, there is great happiness........... To smile in the face of disaster is the result of a stable mind............ If God answers ur prayer,He is increasing ur faith. If He delays,He is increasing ur patience. If he doesn’t answer,He knows u can handle........... You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree............... Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present............... Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about............ If a relationship has to be a secret,you shouldn't be in it........... However good or bad a situation is, it will change Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."......... How many times should I forgive, I am tired of forgiving? – Forgive as many times as you would wish God to forgive you!................ Never do anything which you would not wish to do during the last hour of your life.............. Ego-based desire is the root cause of all suffering......... Contentment is the destroyer of all three - desires, anger and greed......... Knowledge leads to freedom, but pride of knowledge leads one to hell.......... A single act of selflessness can turn hell into heaven. The habit of giving rather than asking is the tool for an enduring relationship........... Silence is the best language.......... Only the joy that comes from right conduct is true happiness- Other pleasures are really sources of pain and causes of shame.......... A god-fearing person can never be religious, because if you fear God you cannot love him............. The most beautiful thing is to see a person's simling face.And even more beautiful is, knowing that u r the reason behind it..................................................................................With lots of good wishes and regards to all from Deepa H and family [ debu7366@yahoo.com ] ...............May Sai always give us peace of mind and May he always make us feel His presence where ever we go.... Saibhakt, Deepa H [You can always contact me at debu7366@yahoo.com ]......................................

One step closer to Brahma Gyaan

One step closer to Brahma gyan:::: 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! ------------------------------ So easy to beat yourself up over mistakes you've made. So many amongst us live in the past rather than loving the present and building a brilliant future. Some people stay stuck for years over something they did or a failure they've experienced. Sad. A life is a terrible thing to waste. But let me ask you a question: "is there really such a thing as a mistake?" First of all, no one tries to fail or mess things up. Every one of us wakes up in the morning, walks out into the world and does the best we can do based on what we know and the skills we have. But even more importantly, every so-called "mistake' is actually a rich source of learning. An opportunity to build more awareness and understanding and gain precious experience. Experience that will help us do, feel and be even better. So, just maybe, there are no mistakes. Just maybe what we could call failures are actually growth lessons in wolf's clothing. And just maybe the person who experiences the most wins. ---------------------- A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to Leave the examination room and said, 'Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.' Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know.' 'You don't know? You, a Christian man, Do not know what is on the other side?' The doctor was holding the handle of the door; On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, 'Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, But I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough.' ------------------------------- A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed. The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised. That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble. Moral of the story: If you don't give your hundred percent in a relationship, you'll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, employer-employee relationship, friendship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully ---------------------- The tragedy of life is not death,but what we let die inside us while we live.When u were born,the world rejoiced while u cried,-live ur life in such a way that when you die,-the world cries while u rejoice.. -------------------------------- Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny â€“ shaping who you are becoming and what your life will stand for. There's no such thing as an unimportant day. Each of us is called to greatness. Each of us has an exquisite power within us. But for this power to grow, we need to use it. The more you exercise it each day, the stronger it gets. The more this power gets tapped, the more confident you grow. The best among us are not more gifted than the rest. They just take small steps each day as they march towards their biggest life. And the days slip into weeks, the weeks into months and before they know it, they arrive at a place called Extraordinary. ----------------------------- If you can not respect , love , care about ,stand by or be honest with your own parents ,-who gave birth to you and were the very first people who fell in love with you -- then whether you accept this or not but you do not love anyone else in this world either with all your heart and soul ....and time will show that none of your children will stand by you either- when you will need them the most.. ----------------------------------- If you sit with a person who is smoking, even without ur knowledge- You will end up inhaling second hand smoke.In the same way, if you be in the company of saints who constantly preach about the importance of doing good karma-, automatically even without ur knowledge- u will end up doing a lot of positive and humble deeds. If you be in the company of a person who keeps saying bad words and abusing others then then obviously whether u like it or not -- u will end up being the same kind of person sooner or later. And if u constantly listen to Gods name, his praises, his bhajans-even without you being aware of it - the words that will come out of your mouth will be nothing but the nectar of love and bliss. So be in the company of God and even without your knowledge-You will find him seated in your heart - talking to you and finding solutions to ur problems and worries.You just need to take one step towards Him and He will take 100 steps towards you.. By Deepa H inspired by Sai -------------------------------------------- Always tell someone that you love them because you never know what day Will be their last, or your own. Always seek to resolve your problems or disagreements with loved ones Because if either of you should pass on before, the one who is left alive will have the rest of their life to ponder those unresolved feelings but will never find closure. And closure usually brings Peace... ......................................................................................With lots of good wishes and regards to all from Deepa H and family [ debu7366@yahoo.com ] ...............May Sai always give us peace of mind and May he always make us feel His presence where ever we go.... Saibhakt, Deepa H [You can always contact me at debu7366@yahoo.com ]

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Shri Shirdi Sai Speaks-3rd May/Shiv Puran

Om Sai Ram ! Om Namaha Shivaya!

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Since about more than a month we all have been graced with the blissful darshan of the sacred shivlings around the world. But all this seems a little incomplete to me without the knowledge of the holy Shiv Puran. So how about we all start reading this sacred book together..And hopefully before I head to Kailash- we all will be blessed with the wonderful stories which are related to our creator. However, " The Shiva Purana has twenty-four thousand shlokas which are divided into six samhitas or sections." But I will not be posting any of the shlokas in these mails. I will be posting the most simplest version of the Shiv Puran with the blissful pictures of various temples as we go along- , so that it is easily understood by all of us and can also be shared with our children and grandchildren.May Lord Shiva bless us all in this journey of going one step closer to His Lotus feet . And last but not the least, My Humble Pranams to this Holy book along with all the Gods and Godesses ..

I have a kind request to all of you who read these mails that if you ever get lucky and are able to visit any of the sacred temples in reality- Plz do offer my Humble Pranams at these temples and thank the lord on my behalf for making us all feel his presence and His leelas around us..

Sai bhakt,

Deepa H

Now, Lets start reading this very sacred Shiv Puran by Saying

Om Shree Ganeshaya Namaha

Incase You have missed the previous mail /chapter of Shiv Puran - Here is the link

http://debu7370.blogspot.com/search/label/Shiv%20Puran

Incase you have missed the previous mails of our sacred journey of paying respects to the shivlings around the world go to...
http://debu7370.blogspot.com/search/label/Shivlings%20around%20the%20world

In the last mail...

Shiva Reveals his True Identity

Parvati continuing with her statements said that Shiva was the most capable deity in all the three world. "There is no sin greater than condemning Shiva." Said Parvati. As Shiva, who was in the guise of Brahmin was about to say something Parvati said to one of her companion- "This condemner should be killed, if this is not possible then we must leave this place at once." As she was about to leave that place, lord Shiva revealed his true identity and by holding her hand said- "You have been my wife since time immemorial where are you going?" Parvati became very pleased and her heart was filled up with extreme joy. She requested him to take to her father regarding their marriage. Lord Shiva agreed. He went back to Kailash mountain and narrated the whole story to his Ganas - Nandi, Bhairav etc. Everyone became very happy and awaited eagerly for the day Shiva would marry Parvati.

Shiv Puran
Shiva Demands Parvati as his Consort

Parvati, after successfully accomplishing her penance came back to her home. Everybody was happy at her arrival. After sometime Himalaya went out to take his bath in the river Ganges. Meanwhile lord Shiva arrived in his appearance of Nataraj and started dancing in front of Parvati's mother - Maina. She was so pleased by his dance that she wanted to present jewels to him in appreciation, but Shiva refused to take them. He expressed his desire to marry Parvati, which made Maina furious. In the meantime, Himalaya arrived and she informed him what Shiva had said. He became angry too and ordered his attendants to drive away Nataraj (Shiva) from that place. Shiva then showed his divine appearance due to which Himalaya had the vision of Lord Vishnu and Parvati sitting by the side of lord Shiva in him. Himalaya was very surprised. Lord Shiva again demanded Parvati to be made as his consort, but Himalaya in his ignorance again refused it. Nataraj then returned back to his abode. After Shiva went back, Himalaya had a feeling that perhaps it was lord Shiva himself, who had arrived in the appearance of Nararaj. He realized what a grave blunder had been committed. Because of their guilt consciousness, both Maina and Himalaya felt the germination of devotion in their heart.

Shiva’s Delusionary Power

Indra and the other deities became afraid when they saw both Himalaya and Maina having deep devotion towards lord Shiva. They apprehended that if Himalaya happily agrees to marry Parvati with Shiva, then he would no longer live on the earth- He would attain salvation. His departure would make the earth devoid of jewels and other kinds of wealth. To prevent this from happening, they went to Vrihaspati and requested him to influence Himalayas mind by condemning Shiva. But Vrihaspati refused to comply. The deities then went to lord Brahma and made the same request. Brahma refused to meet their demand. Now the deities went to lord Shiva and requested him not to marry Parvati as it would make the earth devoid of all kinds of wealth. Lord Shiva feeling pity agreed to help them. Lord Shiva went to Himalaya in the guise of a hermit and started cursing himself (Shiva). Maina was deeply influenced by the hermits word and decided not to marry Parvati with Shiva. She also threatened to give up her life along with Parvati. If Parvati was married with Shiva against her wish.

Shiva Instructs Sapta-Rishis to Convince Maina and Himalya

Lord Shiva summoned the Saptarishis and instructed them to convince Maina and Himalaya to marry Parvati with him, so that Tarakasur could be killed. He feared that his actions would have created many misconceptions in their minds. The Saptarishis went to Himalaya and tried to make him, so that Tarakasur could be killed. He feared that his actions would have created many misconceptions in their minds. The Saptarishis went to Himalaya and tried to make him understand that there was not any other way out than marrying Parvati with Shiva. They also warned both Himalaya and Maina if they did not give their conscent to marry Parvati with Shiva, then she would be forcibly abducted by him (Shiva), causing death and destruction to their whole clan. The Saptarishis then narrated the following story-

Anaranya, The King

There was a king named Anaranya, who belonged to the lineage of fourteenth Manu-Indrasavarni. He was a great devotee of lord Shiva. He had five queens from whom one hundred sons and a very beautiful daughter named Padma were born. When Padma grew up, the king started looking for a suitable match. One day while Padma was taking her bath in the Bhadra river, sage Pippalada arrived there. He became enchanted by Padma's beauty. After gathering informations about her from the people, he went to king Anaranya and expressed his wish to marry Padma. He threatened him of dire consequences if she was not married to her. Anaranya became frightened and gave his daughter to him. Sage pippalada happily went away accompanied by Padma. But both the king and the queen went to the forest because of the sorrow of giving their young daughter to an old sage. The queen died because of her grief. The king, because of his deep devotion towards Shiva attained to the abode of Shiva.

Padma and Pippalad

On the request of Himalayas, Sage Vashishth who was one of the Saptarishis narrated the story of Padma the princess and sage Pippalad- "At the time of his marriage sage Pippalad was old and weak, but still Padma devotely performed the duties of a faithful wife. To test her faithfulness towards her husband, Dharmaraj arrived at the bank of that river where Padma was taking her bath. He was in the guise of a young and handsome prince. He coaxed Padma to leave behind her 'old husband' and come along with him. Padma became furious and cursed him. Dharmaraj became very pleased and revealed his true identity. He also asked as to how the effects of her curse could be nullified. Padma told her that his sins would result in having four legs during the era of Satya, but they reduced to three during the era of treta, which would again reduced to two legs during the era of Dwapar and ultimately he would have only one leg during the era of Kali. Padma also told her that even his single leg would disappear during the ending phase of Kali. "This would apropriately act as an atonement for your sins." - said Padma. Dharmaraj blessed her by saying that she would have ten sons and also that her husband would possess youth and long life for eternity. After listening to this story. Himalaya agreed to marry Parvati with Shiva. The Saptarishis then went back to lord Shiva and gave the good news to him.

Himalya Sends Lagna-Patrika

Himalaya then requested sage Garga to prepare a beautiful Lagna-Patrikas which were then sent to his near and dear ones. He then requested Vishwakarma to construct a beautiful 'mandap' for the marriage, which was constructed by him in a very short time.

Lord Shiva Invites the Deities

Lord Shiva invited all of his Ganas to the marriage ceremony. He also instructed sage Narada to intimate all the deities, sages and the celestial entities. After getting the invitation from Shiva everybody started making preparations to be a part of Shiva's marriage-procession. The seven mothers- Brahmi, Maheshwari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Aindri and Chamunda dressed him up beautifully Shiva then performed all the necessary Karmas to pacify the planet. At last this wonderful marriage-procession of Shiva proceeded towards the in-laws house.

Lord Shiva’s Marriage Procession

Shiva proceeded with his marriage procession which considered of crores of his 'Ganas' and deities like Vishnu who were boarded on their vehicles. Even Narad and Lord Brahma were present in his (Shiva's) marriage procession. First of all, Shiva sent Narada to Himalaya's house to inform him about their (marriage procession) arrival. Himalaya sent his son-Mainak to receive them.

Shiva Divine Plays

When Maina saw that the marriage procession was coming she curiously told Narad about her desire to see her son in law. Shiva understood the arrongance which her desire contained. He wanted to teach her a lesson. He sent all the deities one by one. Maina mistook each one of them to be Shiva, but was later informed by Narada that in fact they were not Shiva but the attendants of Shiva. Maina was very delighted and wondered how handsome the master (Shiva) must be, if the attendants were so handsome. Right then Shiva arrived with his Ganas - His body coated with ashes on it. His Ganas too were looking ferocious. Maina could not bear this horrible sight and lost her consciousness.

Maina’s Wail

The maid servants arrived instantaneously and helped Maina to regain her consciousness. She started crying and cursing everybody. She thought was responsible for her daughter's marriage with Shiva. Nobody was spared- Narad, the Saptarishis and even her own sons. She even admonished Parvati by saying. "Did you do severe penance to get such a horrible husband like this (Shiva)?" Lord Brahma and Narad tried to console and convince her, but it was of no avail. When Himalaya tried to intervene, he was soundly rebuked. Maina threatened him that if this marriage took place then it would be the last day of her life. At last lord Vishnu arrived and tried to pacify her anger by saying that her anger was baseless as she had not seen the real appearance of Shiva, which bestows benediction. Lord Vishnu and Narad then eulogised Shiva who on being pleased showed his most enchanting beauty. Maina now became fully satisfied. Himalaya too felt proud of her daughter's good fortune. At last Shiva entered the Mandap (canopy) where marriage ceremony was going to be organised. He saw Parvati sitting there. Both of them were very delighted to see each other.

Himalya Bestows Parvati to Shiva

After the marriage ceremony was over, Sage Garg helped Himalaya in performing the rite of Kanyadan, amidst the chantings of vedic mantras. The women's were singing auspicious songs. Himalaya presented large quantities of dowry to Shiva. Parvati's companions were engaged with Shiva in jocular and humorous conversation.

Shiva Brings Back Kamadeva Alive

Rati- the wife of Kamadeva, seeing the moment opportune, arrived and requested Shiva to bring back her dead husband back to life. Her wailings made the other goddesses very sympathetic towards her. They too requested Shiva to make her dead husband back to life. Feeling pity on her condition. Shiva brought back Kamadeva back to life from the ashes which Rati had given to him. On seeing her husband alive, Rati's heart was filled up with extreme joy. Both of them eulogised lord Shiva and expressed their gratitude. After the marriage ceremony was over the marriage-processionist sought the permission of Himalaya to make a move, but he requested them to remain there for some more days.

Shiva’s Departure

Shiva remained at his in-laws house for many days. One day he sought the permission of Himalaya to go back. Everybody became sad at the prospect of Shiva's departure. Especially Maina who was very saddened by this news. At last it was time for Shiva to depart for Kailash, accompanied by Parvati.

Quote of BABA:

If formless meditation is difficult, then think of my form just as you see it here. With such meditation, the difference between subject and object is lost and the mind dissolves in unity.