My Favourite original blog

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 รข€“ 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 ]

Follow me on twitter on this journey of prayers to the lotus feet of Shirdi Sai baba

Monday, July 2, 2012

Shri Shirdi Sai Speaks-2nd July/ My second day of Kailash Parikrama

Om Sai Ram

I have received a lot of emails from devotees who are interested in going for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and they want me to share as much details as possible so that they can plan their trip accordingly..So instead of replying to each and every email, I will do it thru this mail..

Firstly, Like I wrote in my mail yesterday that no matter how much one plans or wishes to go for this yatra but ultimately, one requires God's grace and a call from Him to be at any holy place..Infact I truly believe that to take God's name too-- we need His kind blessings..
And if you ever get lucky and are able to go for this sacred yatra, there are some things that one needs to be aware of...

First, u will need a doctor's certificate stating that you are fit and healthy to travel at 20, 000 ft above sea level..
When I say 20,000 ft above sea level, it implies that the oxygen level will be about 50-60% which becomes a factor that can slow you down so people with asthama problems or heart patients are not advised to be at such high altitudes

Infact, it is not necessary that only people with health problems can show symptoms of high altitude sickness. It can happen to anyone..On this yatra itself, one of my very good friend who was only 21 yrs of age and was physically healthy and fit - fainted on the way while she was on the first day of parikrama due to lack of oxygen and then the same evening when she was chatting with all of us in the tent- she almost fainted due to lack of oxygen . Our tour guide immediately rushed with the oxygen tank and did the needful and then advised her to go back down to Darchen.And that is what she did-- She went back down and thus was not able to continue with the parikrama..
Anyways, if one is planning to go for this yatra-- then one has to go thru a package..You are not allowed to travel individually.You have to travel with the group.A lot of visas and permits are involved in this yatra ..And the Tibet government is very strict about it ..Your tour operator takes care of all the permits and visas for tibet..
The cost of the 14 day package for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra that I paid was $2100 plus the airfare from usa to kathmandu .But for a person who has an indian passport, his package cost will be abt $1800 plus the airfare.. The difference of those $300 between the indian passport holder and the foreign passport holder is due to $300 fees that is charged for the visa to tibet to a foreign passport holder..Due to some contract between the tibet government and the indian government, indian passport holders do not need to pay for the visa fees..Ofcourse, the price that I paid can differ from what you are offered by your tour operator..
And yes, when one reaches kathmandu- a foreign passport holder has to pay $25 for 15 days visa permit on arrival in kathmandu where as an indian passport holder will get the stamp for free and does not require any visa to enter kathmandu..

When one reaches kathmandu, ur tour operator will usually offer you a five star hotel -atleast thats what happened in my case.. He put us all in a five star resort and we were given a five star treatment. And this was for two days only.. The first day was basically for resting and briefing and the second day was for the tour to the pashupatinath temple, the sleeping vishnu temple etc..

While one is in kathmandu and tibet, you can not help noticing a lot of dust around you.The air is polluted to an extent where it is a must for you to wear the dust mask..If you can not find a dust mask to take along with you, be sure to take a surgical mask- the one that the doctors wear while operating someone..Take a few of them so that you can share it with others.. I know I had taken about 8 or 10 and I gave it to a few people while we were travelling and I made sure I was wearing it at all times but while on return to kathmandu after the yatra, I became a little careless and lazy and I did not put it on ... but there is a saying na" What you sow is what you reap" One person sitting next to me saw that I was'nt wearing it and he just removed a new one from his bag and gave it to me to wear..That gesture really touched my heart.. All this time thru out the journey, I was offering the mask to other people and when I needed it someone noticed and offered it to me..That small gesture will always inspire me to do good karma and remind me that whether in this life or next but someday my actions will act as a mirror of my present life..

Anyways, your actual yatra starts when you head for tibet since Mansarovar and Mt. Kailash are both in tibet..

After being in a five star hotel in Kathmandu where the bathroom itself was the size of your bedroom..--You drop down to living in a place where there are 6-8 people living in one small room.. The bathrooms were simply non existent which means that you have no choice but to go in open bathrooms.. And if there are bathrooms, they are so smelly and dirty that one can feel disgusted to even step over there..So be sure to carry a lot of wet wipes /hand sanitizing wipes/Gel..
There was one more thing that we all were advised to carry ..Besides all the regular medications for aches and pains and other stufff- we had to take a medication called diamox or accetozalomide which would help us with the altitude sickness..We needed to take atleast minimum of 10 pills with us.. And it did help with the altitude sickness but it did have a lot of side effects..One of the side effects of this medication was that one will urinate quite frequently so drinking a lot of water was a must to keep urself well hydrated.

There are a couple of other things which are a must to take while on this yatra - something made of garlic and ginger to eat.. Ginger protects you from having colds while one of the sherpas told me that they take garlic to help them with the breathing problems.. Kaafur/Camphor also helps you tremendously with the breathing problems so dont forget to take that along with you..
Proper trekking shoes which are either water resistant or water proof are a must along with the down jacket , monkey cap, gloves and other warm clothes..

This was the second day of the parikrama and this is the day that no one will ever forget in this life time.. Its a true blessing to be here walking on ice..

If u continously chant the maha mrityunjaya mantra over here-- it automatically connects you with all the positive energy .. It just seems as if all your wishes and dreams have come true and there is nothing left in the world that can give you any more happiness , peace and contentment than what you are experiencing at that particular moment..

One can hire a horse over here which will cost you abt 1500 yuans and a porter which according to me is a must will cost you about 600 yuans

Your porter can also act like your guide and to get a good porter is a blessing from above..I saw so many people fighting with their respective porters on the way but Thank God , my porter who carried my bagpack was an angel sent from above.. He guided me all the way thru out the journey. He told me where to put my step and where not to... At times when it was very very slippery , he held my hand and assured me that he will not let me fall..And above everything, he was very patient with me.. I stopped so many times.. Sometimes just after taking 5-10 steps due to shortness of breadth- I felt extremely tired but he gave me the confidence to move on..This was the time I realized that whether it is a yatra like this or the journey of your life but it is important to have a Guru - A guide- who has been there before and knows all the ups and downs. He has the knowledge to tackle a situation and can help us to reach our destination..
The highlight of the day was crossing the Dolma La pass at 5680 meters (19000 ft). 

The trek was extremely hard. 10 steps upward demanded a 2 minute rest. And, after every 10 minutes of hike, 5 minute rest was a requirement. Oxygen level was very low at this height and that made the climb daring. It made even trickier on the loose stones, boulders and the sliding gravel..

When I see these pictures right now so many memories come back to me.. One of them was where I was complaining that I feel as if my lungs were bleeding and my heart will stop beating at any second.. Technically, I know that my lungs can not bleed but the pain that I felt then was extremely hard to digest..

And in that pain when my heart was beating very fast-- something magical definetly happened.. It was like all my past regrets, pains, negative feelings -everything just washed away.. Everything made complete sense... I forgave all the people whom I have never been able to forgive for some wrong doing that they did towards me..
I have always felt the peace with in me but this was something way different..

One amazing leela happened when I was trekking somewhere at the point that u see in the above picture..

We had to trek on these stones and find our own way and while I was climbing up- at one given point- I could not figure out which way to go- there was a stone that I had to hike on and I just did not how to balance myself inorder to put my feet on that rock..And besides that I was feeling completely short of breadth and very very tired with a lot of pain all over my body. I think by this point I had trekked for abt 8 hrs or so ..I was just standing there all confused trying to figure out where to lay my feet so that I dont loose my balance.. And just then a miracle happened-- a tibetian old man put his hand on my back at my waist and pushed me upwards. I reached the top only to figure out in less than a minute that all my pain and tiredness had suddenly vanished. I looked around to find that tibetian old man to thank him but he had disappeared too..I dont know what was so magical in his touch that all my pains disappeared and I felt fresh as if I was never tired..My mind and my body was filled with this tremendous energy and freshness that I have never ever felt in my entire life..I was wearing 3 tops and 3 jackets so that man did not actually touch my skin but still his touch was magical and I have no idea where he disappeared in less than a minute..
Miracles do happen and whether it is a yatra or the journey of ur life-- God himself does come to help you when you need him the most.. Just have faith in your faith for your creator.

According to what I have learnt-- the strength is in the devotion of a devotee along with the faith to gracefully accept God's will and always remember that what happens will happen for your own good.. If something happens that we think is not in our best interest than perhaps its our karma of some past life that has made conditions difficult for us.. So leave ur ego behind and make continous efforts to improve ur karma..

Then no matter how difficult the journey is-- but if God, the allmighty is with you in ur heart --there is just no reason to fear and even if u do get stuck somewhere, - He will surely come for ur rescue..

Tarboche flagpole, is one of the most important aspect of Tibetan spirituality. On “Saga Dawa” [4th of June 2012] which is an impressive and capturing annual festival of Mt. Kailash this giant flagpole which has numerous prayer flags on it is brought down and replaced.

This annual festival or one can also mention it as a carnival attracts Tibetans from all over along with other tourists and pilgrims. This ritual is performed every year on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar, to celebrate Sakyamuni's enlightenment”. During the flagpole ceremony as the poles tip is raised and pointed east towards Gyangdrak Monastery, monks of that monastery carry out a special ritual. A cacophony of music from long trumpets, conch shells and other instruments welcomes the rising flagpole. It is like a magical event that captures one’s senses. People gathered there attach there prayer flags and help in making the pole rise again. The flagpole should be standing in a perfect upright position or it is believed that things will not be good for Tibet
Gauri Kund, a water body that is also known as the Lake of Compassion, lies on the way while going on downwards from Dolma - La (Dolma Pass). This steep descent from Dolma Pass is a wonderful lake which is at an altitude of 5608m.

As per Hindu mythology, there is a fascinating tale about Gauri Kund and has been described in legend “Shiva Purana”. The lake is also famous as “Parvati Sarovar” as this was the place where goddess Parvati had acquired her son Ganesha (Elephant headed God). Goddess Parvati had formed an image of Ganesh from the soap lather on her body and breathed life into it. She placed Ganesha at the entrance of her home as her janitor to prevent anyone from entering while she was bathing. Now Lord Shiva happened to return at this point of time and was stopped by Ganesha. Offended by this disrespectful act from Ganesha, Lord Shiva cut off the boy's head. Pravati was grief-stricken by seeing it and insisted that the boy needs to be brought back to life. Lord Shiva took the head of a wandering elephant and placed it on the body and life was restored and Parvati had her son back.
When we reached at Gauri Kund- It was all frozen so getting the water from here or going down was not an option..My humble pranams to this sacred kund and its divine history
Doing a Parikrama of the abode of Lord Shiva was a true blessing.. I had my own personal chat session going on with lord Shiva..Looking towards this sacred Mt. Kailash, I cried- I smiled, I thanked, I asked for forgiveness, I asked for help, I asked for peace, I asked for his support, I asked for his grace, I asked him questions and I got my answers......
On my way towards the end of the second day of Parikrama- Life had a whole new meaning..
 Some pilgrims that I saw on the way ,  ventured a much more demanding regimen, performing body-length prostrations over the entire length of the circumambulation: The pilgrim bends down, kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with his fingers, rises to his knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the mark made by his/her fingers before repeating the process. It requires at least four weeks of physical endurance to perform the circumambulation while following this regimen
My Heart felt Pranams to this very sacred abode of Lord Shiva- Mt. Kailash.. May Lord Shiva always be in our hearts and teach us all the meaning of  faith, love and devotion..
Sai bhakt
Deepa H

4 comments:

  1. its a wondrful blog with wonderful pictures
    i like it. thank you for post this blog.
    Visit on saishantiniketan

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much for Sharing ! ! Your post Touches my heart ! Jay Bhloenath....Jay Jay Sai Baba ! Both blesses you ! I am very happy 4 u. Looking these divine pictures I also feel like I will get blessed to visit this Mangal Dham ! Thank you ! Your pictures and Descriptions and writing all divine and felt me to take MANSAROVAR ! Thank you for sharing ! God Bless you and your family ! Om Namah Sivay !

    ReplyDelete
  3. I m really shocked after going through this and wondering how really u dare this but i agree it was only by the wish if god.it seems he was always with u there only when it was required he showed u his presence om sai ram,om namah shivay.god bless u always dear sister.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It was great to read the experience u had as i must say u really have solid guts to dare.

    ReplyDelete