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from Gerard Menzel
Sumie Japanese brush painting,
Aikido and Tai Chi,
Tabla; Indian percussion tuition and Yoga workshops email; gmenzel...hotmail.com.
I was in St Petersburg in late 2016 when walking along a canal towards the local tourist market and my friend and I stumbled upon a satsang in the snow.
Yes it was quite unexpected, some Hari Krishna devotees in a bliss filled chant dancing and singing outside a big hall.
Sometimes the most unexpected events stumble across you when your on the road. As you can see in the video these devotees were in ecstatic joy.
This was the true spirit of satsang. To achieve such joy of spirit one must let go of the ego and embrace the feelings of joy that flow within as the chant envelopes your consciousness.
We in the west are sometimes not ready due to self consciousness to do this.
Sunday 2 Febuary the Fryerstown community had a spiritual music acapella meet under an oak tree by the dam. Kavisha Mazzella, Nick Lyon and I played to the sounds of the bush in the background.
Sometimes little events just seem like well, this is heaven, here and now. Thanks to Kavisha P Mazella and Nicholas Lyon.
The local Fryerstown community were enthusiastic singers, some very new to this style but one would never have known by their passion. The energy was satvic in flavour, that is full of love and devotion.
( (in Sankhya and Vedantic philosophy) one of the three qualities of prakriti, or nature, which are
passion (rajas) , dullnessor inertia (tamas) , and goodness or purity (sattva) .1
Sri Krishna Govinda Hari Murari
Hai Natanarayana
Vasudeva
This mantra directs us to Krishna the incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Krishna speaks and teaches us of love.
Narayan is also the diety Vishnu. Vishnu is the preserver of life.
Narayan is also associated with water. He is, "the one who rests on water."
This is one version of the many on creation;
According to one of many versions of the story of the origin of the universe, in the beginning the god Narayana (identified with Vishnu) floated on the snake Ananta (“Endless”) on the primeval waters. From Narayana’s navel grew a lotus, in which the god Brahma was born reciting the four Vedas with his four mouths and creating the “Egg of Brahma,” which contains all the worlds.
If you sit in a quiet space and quietly recite this mantra the sounds or shruti will evoke bij (seeds) .of your spiritual self. The self that is indefinable and mirrors love.
The heart of Yoga
Devotional Bhakti yoga is the path of love and compassion.
The practice of Bhakti yoga is reflected by the direct opening of the heart in devotional practices as ;
Darshan prostration and prayer in front of a deity, in this case Krishna
The singing of bajaan songs in devotion to the deity.
Dancing in joyous ecstasy to the deity.
To practice bhakti yoga find a quiet place and chant the mantra / bajaan or join with some other people and sing together.
If you have an image of the Deity that image is imagined as the real God or Godess and you open your heart to the loving energy of the deity. The aim is for that deity and you to become one as a flow of love flows from the manifestation of the centre of that isht or image. This sparks off the loving devotion of the devotee's heartfelt feelings. Thus the circle of love is completed.
The final stage of this devotion is Samadhi enlightenment as the deity and the bhakta become one.
This style of yoga bypasses the mind and powerfully ignites the heart chakra.
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If you learnt something and wish to give something please feel free to make a contribution and show your thanks. Just hit the A contribution tag on the right.
Some years ago I lived in India in Dharamsala before it became a great tourist centre 1982 around and I was studying tabla with guruji Dhasbandu Sharma and taking lectures at the Tibetan library and trying to learn Tibetan language.
It was a great time in my life and many things happened.
I had a little routine going, Tai Chi practice in the Himalayan foothills, Tabla lesson Tibetan Buddhist lecture then Lunch in the Dharamsala upside streets ( usually parathas like an indian style pizza or a veg pancake fritter)
On the off days I would go for a walk in the hills above the tree line almost where I could see Triund mountain, the highest place around. The beautiful mountain pines like old sages talking to me along the rocky tracks. Often I would drop into an old Tibetan womans shack where she sold sly Tibetan jung or barley beer. Whooo!!!!! that stuff packed a punch and was like jet fuel for the walk.
Later in 2006 after working in Saudi Arabia I took some time to visit Darjeeling again 30 years after I had been there before and I managed to stay at the YHA on the hill for some of the time just like my first visit. I met the manager who was still the same guy and the place was still as sparse and hadn't had a coat of paint since I was there in '82.
In Sikkim I went to Gangtok and then east and north to the Chinese border for a day then went inland to a few monasteries in particular Pemayangste. Some of the tantric tanka paintings were breathtakingly beautiful.
You have to walk up the mountain to get to Pemayangste but its etheric when you arrive. There is a special feeling in the air there that only walkers and dharma bums experience.
The Meaning Of Guru Padmasambhava Mantra
Om is the seed syllable of the crown chakra.
Ah is the seed syllable of the vishuddha (throat) chakra.
Hum is the seed syllable of the heart center.
Benza means diamond-tine awareness.
Guru means spiritual teacher.
Padme means lotus.
Siddhi means extraordinary power.
Hum means the primordial luminosity of all things.
Contributions to the making of the video appreciated.
Or Click the Contributions tag for Paypal and Credit card on the right side
Kali Durga Namo Namah Kali is the female side of shiva or incarnation. She destroys and rebuilds so is life and death. She carries many skulls and weapons to destroy the evil in the self and universe. She is worshiped by the Tantric Aghori's (see http://www.drsvoboda.com/about/books/... in Calcutta where her Ghat on the Ganges is. The city is named after her. Kalikat or (grounds of Kali) and was set up and land bought by the British East India Co. for trading. In the tradition of yoga some yogis say they can be infused with here spirit and become Kali. The "Ma" Amrita anandamay Ma is one of them. http://www.amritapuri.org/ She sings and has special puja where she becomes Kali as it were so her followers believe. Further study
Krishna is one of the most popular dieties in India. It is the focus of devotional Yoga followers. In 2006 I was fortunate to be able to play tabla in the Muscat Krishna temple with Kanhaialal the resident singer, daily. Bajaan devotional music is one of the most profound ways to open up your heart to the universe. The breath opens and the vibration of the voice with the power of the seed syllable of the mantra work to free your consciousness in a master,y way.
Here is a link to Jagjit Singh singing Jai Radha Mahadeva, one of my favourite bajaans.
Jai gopi jan wallabh / Jai gopi jan
wallabh Jai gopi jan wallabh / Jai gopi jan wallabh
Jai gopi jan wallabh / Jai gopi jan wallabh Jai gopi jan wallabh / Jai gopi jan
wallabh
Jai gopi jan wallabh jai giridhar hari
Jai radha madhav jai kunj bihari / Jai radha madhav jai kunj bihari / Jai radha
madhav jai kunj bihari / Jai radha madhav jai kunj bihari
Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan /
Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda
nandan braj jan ranjan
Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda
nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan
Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan /
Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda
nandan braj jan ranjan
Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda
nandan braj jan ranjan / Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan
Yashoda nandan braj jan ranjan / Jamuna
teer ban chari
Jai radha madhav jai kunj bihari
Jai radha madhav jai kunj bihari
Jai radha madhav jai kunj bihari / Jai
radha madhav jai kunj bihari /Jai radha madhav jai kunj bihari / Jai radha
madhav jai kunj bihari
Jai radha madhav jai kunj bihari / Jai
radha madhav jai kunj bihari /Jai radha madhav jai kunj bihari / Jai radha
madhav jai kunj bihari
Hare krishna hare Krishna Krishna
krishna hare hare Hare krishna hare Krishna
Krishna krishna hare hare
Hare krishna hare krishna Krishna krishna hare hare Hare
krishna hare Krishna Krishna krishna hare hare
Hare krishna hare Krishna Krishna
krishna hare hare Hare krishna hare Krishna
Krishna krishna hare hare
Hare rama hare rama Rama rama hare hare Hare rama hare rama Rama rama
hare hare
Hare krishna hare Krishna Krishna krishna hare hare Hare krishna hare Krishna Krishna krishna
hare hare
Hare rama hare rama Rama
rama hare hare Hare
rama hare rama Rama rama hare hare
Bajaans are devotional songs dedicated usually to a deity in Hinduism. They are based on the belief that sounds and words have the ability to transform energy. Bajaans are sung usually in a group setting or satsang.
Here is a link to one bajaan by Krishna Das a devotee of Neem Kiroli Baba a famous Hanuman guru with a wonderful reputation in India made famous in the west by Ram Das another devotee. His book, Miracle of Love is a must read.
Bhakti is love and bajaan is the vehicle for bhakti.
This bajaan is on Durgha Ma an incarnation of the Mother Goddess who protects all. She rides a tiger and embodies the protective mother quality. Go here for more;
http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God1.html
Satsang (A simple definition of satsang is devotional speech and chanting programs for the upliftment of the divine love consciousness of a devotee.)see http://www.barsanadham.org/satsang-what_is_satsang.html
