Returning
from a visit to New Zealand, someone commented that it was veritably a land
where milk and honey flows in abundance. Reverence to Mother Nature, the flora
and fauna is evident in such countries. With amazing stretches of forest wealth
and grazing lands made available for the cattle population, the milk yields are
plentiful and water resources abound. Our own sub continent was once upon a
time so blessed. What went wrong? If we introspect a little, our reverence to
Mother Nature with her five elements, perhaps, has been on a steady decline.
Let’s make a
small beginning, if not already in the direction and help recovery of such
natural wealth. Let us focus on this one idea, one goal, defined in an
undertaking of a “sankalpa” with the dawn of a New Year.
Reverence to the Prithvi tatwa:
As we wake
up from bed, let’s start our day with an expression of reverence to Mother
Earth: “As I take my first step on you today, bless me to live on your surface
another day filled with peace, contentment and joy”
Reverence to Vayu and Akaash tatwa:
Let’s recharge
the dwelling place with fresh prana and natural light. This makes practical
sense as the carbon dioxide that we breathe out during our sleeping hours in
bed rooms, have to be flushed out of the house quickly. Oxygen rich air that is
available till about seven in the morning is relatively charged with good prana
and after which, especially in urban areas, it gets polluted.
Reverence to Jal tatwa:
On first
contact with water in the morning, let’s take a little water and sprinkle it
over our head saying – “This is the water of the holy river Ganga.” Such
heartfelt reverence to Jal tatwa should continue whenever we use water
remembering how vital and precious it is, in our lives.
Reverence to Agni tatwa:
Of all the species in creation, it is the human
who has the ability to light a fire and keep it under control. In days gone by, all the cooking was done
using firewood. The custom then used to be to worship the wood stove using
sacred turmeric and vermillion powder before fire is lit on. Painted prayer in
the form of a rangoli would be drawn on the space in front of the stove to
invoke divine vibrations and create a satvic ambience in which food is cooked.
Reverence to
five elements in small ways combined with other regular sadhanas help us to
tune our rhythm well and help us to lead a happy and stress free life. Simple ways in which we express greater understanding
of Mother Nature while walking the paths of Jnana, Bhakti and Karma. Simple
ways to help resonate in harmony with the vital elements, balancing them within
ourselves as well as in the environment.
Happy New
Year!
Dr.Arun
Madhavan,
Author,
‘Sampradaya – A Tribute to Tradition’
It was during the annual State level amc , Sri Sri expressed a wish that it is opportune time for our youth to kindle the spirit of nationhood, Bhakti and unity with inspirational compositions of Thiruvalluvar and Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi. We were fortunate to meet up and discuss the project with Bharathiyar's grand son Sri.Rajkumar Bharathi, a musical scholar and singer himself. As a step forward, we got the CD album ready on 11th Dec 2013 being Bharatiyar's birthday. Sri Sri did the honours of releasing the album couple of days later amidst his tour of the State.
Our youth choir drawn from across the State have performed together with blissful rendition of all Nine gems of the album titled "Endrum Bharathi." A sampler from the album " Bharatha Desamendru" is given in the below link kindly click the same to listen. More details on the CD can be obtained from tnapex@vvki.net
BHARATHA_DESAMENDRU-mp3
We were overwhelmed by the presence of some fifty of them on the eastern flank and a like number on the western flank giving a curious looks and a welcome of sorts as we moved into the retreat to commence program in Anglesea. Kangaroo,the unofficial symbol of Australia is important to both their culture and and national image. Joining these marsupials, there were these adorable Cockatoos. Australians use the name Cockatoo in their slang humorously. Mother nature has been kind with gentle weather and the enthusiasm of participants and volunteers just amazing.
Though the amc special commenced few days after Diwali, yet the curtain raiser- evening saw the venue, the SunCity Community Centre, wearing a festive look, colorfully illuminated with occasional burst of crackers as well. Capacity-full gatherings turned up each evening to soak into the precious wisdom of Yoga Vasistha. Gratifying to learn that there were many takeaways for everyone.
12th November 2013
The gathering at the Prashanti Dham in Dwarkha - Delhi rejoicing at a curtain raiser evening before the retreat commencing the next day.
13th November 2013
Warm welcome from the teachers of Delhi- NCR region during the amc currently on in Gurgaon.
4th October 2013
Delivering the key note address on MTC Global Meet on: 'Envisioning Management Practices in the future'.
The venue was the Aravali Gurukul Educational campus of over 80 acres which not long ago was an extremely high salinity wasteland of Jodhpur District. It has since been painstakingly transformed by the Founder into a green campus.
3rd October 2013
The majestic amphi theater of Vidhyashram International, Jodhpur was the venue for celebrating Sacred Sumeru moments and ushering in the spirit of Navaratri.
The evening was graced by Maharaja Gaj Singh of Marwar and his wife Hemalata Rajye. Gaj Singh was a former member of Indian parliament and a High Commissioner of India.
General public, families of Defence forces, professionals and business heads turned up in large numbers to join the aol family, teachers and the youth. The auditorium was soaked in a comprehensive feel of Sumeru Sandhya moments.
Special Part 2 Advanced Meditation Course
AOL Gurgaon, NCR New Delhi, will host a special Part 2 amc with Dr.Arun Madhavan between 14-17th November, 2013.
Legend has it that Gurgaon village, located in the heart of Gurgaon city, was the ancestral village of Guru Dronacharya, the teacher of archery and martial arts to the Pandava and Kaurava princes. Guru the "teacher", in this case refers to Dronacharya and both gram/ gaon mean "village". As the King of Hastinapur gifted the village to Dronacharya, it came to be known as Guru-gram, colloquially hailed as Gurgaon. The 'Dronacharya Well' still exists within Gurgaon city.Situated at the northern edge of Aravali mountain range, Gurgaon is the second largest city in the State of Haryana, 30 km south of national capital New Delhi.
An unique post- Diwali treat of "Silence" enriched by Gyan, Gaan and Dhyan! Seats limited. Register thru info@artoflivinggurgaon.org
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