PROSPERITY...!

 On the auspicious occasion of Laxmipoojan, let us try and learn about Laxmi and why and how to worship the GODESS OF PROSPERITY...!

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity (both material and spiritual), light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Also called Mahalakshmi, she is said to bring good luck, and is believed to protect her devotees from all kinds of misery and money-related sorrows. Lakshmi in Sanskrit is derived from its elemental form lakS, meaning "to perceive or observe". This is synonymous with lakṣya, meaning "aim" or "objective". The Hindu sacred texts, the Vedas call Mahalakshmi as Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi which means she is the one who has the object and aim of uplifting mankind.

In Hinduism, Devas (gods) and asuras (demons) were both mortal at one time. Amrit, the divine nectar that would grant immortality, could be obtained only by churning the Kshirsagar (Ocean of Milk). The devas and asuras both sought immortality and decided to churn the Kshirsagar. With the devas on one side and the asuras on the other, the samudra-manthan commenced. Vishnu incarnated as Kurma, the tortoise, on whom was placed a mountain as a churning pole; Vasuki, the great venom-spewing serpent, was wrapped around it and used to churn the ocean. A host of divine celestial objects came up during the churning. Among these, was the goddess Lakshmi, the daughter of the king of the milky ocean. The last to come up was the amrit. With this, the avatar of Kurma, the tortoise, ended. Vishnu then took up the form of a beautiful maiden to distract the asuras and gave immortality to the devas.

Mahalakshmi has always existed. Her appearance from samudra manthan is her main manifestation only. Mahalakshmi was also born to the great sage Bhrigu, and she is therefore also called Bhargavi. Mahalakshmi is also the sister of the great guru Sukracharya as well as the great planet Chandra. Each time Vishnu descends on earth as an avatar, He is accompanied by an avatar of Lakshmi. The moon (chandra) also appeared from the ocean during the churning, making it her brother. Alakshmi, the goddess of misfortune, is Lakshmi's elder sister.

Lakshmi has many names. She is known to be very closely associated with the lotus, and her many epithets are connected to the flower, such as:

Prakruti - Mahalakshmi is the very personification of nature, the centre of all, the manifested and the unmanifested.

Vikruti - Mahalakshmi is the multi-faceted Nature, who assumes many forms, known by numerous names, yet is attributeless.

Vidya - Mahalakshmi is the very personification of Wisdom.

Padma: lotus dweller

Mahalakshmi is also known to preside over 16 forms of worldly wealth excluding Ashta siddhis, gnana and imparting gnana. They are as follows: (1) Fame; (2) Knowledge; (3) Courage and Strength; (4) Victory; (5) Good Children; (6) Valor; (7) Gold, Gems and Other Valuables; (8) Grains in abundance; (9) Happiness; (10) Bliss; (11) Intelligence; (12) Beauty; (13) Higher Aim, High Thinking and Higher Meditation; (14) Morality and Ethics; (15) Good Health; (16) Long Life.

Ashta Lakshmi

आदि लक्ष्मी Ādi Lakṣmī The First manifestation of Lakshmi

धान्य लक्ष्मी Dhānya Lakṣmī Granary wealth

धैर्य लक्ष्मी Dhairya Lakṣmī Wealth of courage

गज लक्ष्मी Gaja Lakṣmī Elephants, symbols of wealth

सन्तान लक्ष्मी Santāna Lakṣmī Wealth of continuity, progeny

विजय लक्ष्मी Vijaya Lakṣmī Wealth of victory

विद्या लक्ष्मी Vidyā Lakṣmī Wealth of knowledge and education

धन लक्ष्मी Dhana Lakṣmī Monetary wealth
 

 
So now, as we are a little more aware about Laxmi and HER incarnations, let us get into the worship wholeheartedly...!
 
Stay tuned and seek overall P-R-O-S-P-E-R-I-T-Y...!

Diwali...!?!

 

For some 10 to 12 years now, whenever Diwali is around, my mind gets preoccupied with thoughts that may sound weird and may be baffling to some but I can’t help but think of those…! With all my childhood memories of Diwali that includes new clothes, creative lanterns, decorative rangoli, roaming around to feel the celebration fervor in the air, meeting and greeting of friends, relatives and all the near-and-dear-ones without prejudice and total Diwali budget of 500 Rupees for the family of 5… I stand almost startled with nostalgia on the verge of Diwali these days…! Some might find the reason of this in AGING and others might settle for their all-time favorite analysis of my-self as WHIMSICAL. But that is not the point…

A well-to-do gentleman was washing his car in his front yard when he saw a man sitting on the bench across the road who seemed to be hungry, sick and penniless. After quite an analysis of the situation the gentleman decided to offer some help to the man on the bench to show his generosity and feeling a little good about himself. The moment the gentleman asked the drifter ‘Do you need any help…?’ three magical words from the believed beggar came…

Don’t We All…!?!

That’s the point… Don’t we all need to think about, hmmm… everything…!?! Like –

Why do we study for results and not the joy of learning and bliss of enrichment anymore…?

Why have we become so aware of our rights and ignorant of our responsibilities…?

Why do we need a house that is twice as big for even our distant family put altogether…?

Why have we become sensitive of our material prosperity and indifferent of spiritual poverty…?

Why do we feel need to buy another car before the warranty period of first one is not over yet…?

Why it is only the time with family when we take them to doctor or some obligatory formal function…?

Why do we still think our children as our long-term investment plans and treat them like Debentures…?

Why do we need old-age-homes as many as picnic spots around and even populated exactly like those...?

Why do we watch the so-called entertainment that we do and what do we inherit from it… I, Me and Myself…?!?

Why do we need portability for everything from mobiles to relationships when we know that nothing is permanent…?

Why do we need to pay thousands to learn something that could have been learnt with open mind and awaken senses…?

Why we have six lane and eight lane broad expressways and a mind that is too narrow to accommodate a fourth person…?

Why do we select the program to attend by skimming the audience and not quality of the program or pleasure we may get…?

Why do we spend most of the time with them for whom we are just an option and keep those alone and waiting for whom we are the world…?

Why do we offer a tip of 100 bucks to the waiter at restaurant but hesitate to take out a 10 rupee note instead of coin for a needy and helpless beggar…?

Why do we keep on doing things that are not gratifying and work with people that we don’t like and keep ourselves busy depriving of quality times to earn the money that is never enough to pay for the things that we don’t need as we don’t have neither the time nor the energy to enjoy them…?

And finally, Why don’t we feel the same joy that we used to get in 500 bucks upon spending say 50,000 nowadays…? I am not talking about inflation here, mind you…!

The list could be unending but I have to stop somewhere. What I intended with this was there could not be more apt occasion than the Festival of Lights for this enlightenment and I wish on this auspicious occasion we, at least start thinking about those questions and practice to take away everywhere my two favriote questions for at least the rest of the life starting from today…

‘Is it worth it…?’ and ‘At the cost of what…?’

Wishing you all a very Enlightening Diwali and Enriching New Year…!

Stay tuned and BE A-W-A-R-E…!

WHY...!?!

It’s not about me, it’s not about you. It’s about the place we stay in, the society we live in, the systems we have!!

I often wonder… when a mosquito bites us why do we think of a repellent, a mosquito-coil or racket instead of questioning the municipality...?

Why should we pay a toll tax on every single black, nice looking road? Why a basic road is not our right...?

Why do we buy an inverter or dream of a generator? Why don’t we get power flowing in our wires...?

Why do we call the private schools 'Public Schools'... when schools run by the government should be called public schools...!

Why- the cricketer who sold the ethics of game sits in parliaments or come as experts on channels...?

Why someone known for beating his wife and had charges of holding drugs is a celebrity to judge dance shows and all of us watch and clap too...?

Why is it that the so called high profile tainted journalists still run public shows and we all watch it...?

Why don’t I know the fine on jumping red light or for not wearing a helmet but am very well aware of power of 100 rupees, the cost of duty of most of the traffic guys across the country...?

Why is a girl raped in a roaming car in the capital of the country almost every month and all that the government says is that girls should be careful...?

Why does the trial and judgment of social activists just takes a few weeks but Raja, Raju, Reddy roams around...?

Why even after killing hundreds of people on road the blue line buses remained on roads? Do you know any city apart from the capital of your country where the city buses crushed people on a daily basis...?

Why didn’t we come on the roads when someone made elephants of stones for thousands of crores rupees in U.P. where people still dig pits to sleep or die of hunger...?

Why a tainted, corrupt minister is called to IIM and Academy for IAS and applauded – unstopped on his desi style...?

Its so easy to call someone corrupt but have you ever thought; 

The act of bribe starts by giving not by taking… 

It starts from me not from him or her… 

so why don’t I look at myself first ?

I strongly believe that the Logic is always for NOT doing something… 

Doing does not need logic, doers don’t believe in logic...!

Just a couple of years back some people came and played with us, killed our pride and people. We were angry… some people thought that the attack in Mumbai was on rich people and therefore something would change…

Nothing happened… we all go to Gateway of India on every anniversary in November, burn some wax, sing some songs and come back. Nothing changes- the government is back, Z security is back and people are back at the Gateway of India…

It’s time to Come Out, Stand up, Move, ACT… Do something… Sitting in drawing rooms or discussing over a mug of beer will not solve anything…!

Please remember this country does not need thinkers any more, enough of them…What we need is action…!

Stay tuned and stay A-C-T-I-V-E...!

You Can Do It...!

You Can Do It

You aren't the first to fall.

Everyone, no matter how successful,

suffers pain, loss,

and disappointment.

And no road to a dream is

smooth or paved in gold.

But some qualities separate

the winners from the losers:

The winners may not be smarter

or more talented,

but they have faith that

great things are ahead.

They stay calm when the

tempest beats at their shore

They know that storms never last long,

and they don't let their dreams dissolve

beneath a bit of rain.

Don't give up!

You can do it!