Mary Theotokos, Daughter of Durga

Gegrüsst seist du, Maria, voll der Gnade;
der Herr ist mit dir;
du bist gebenedeit unter den Frauen
und gebenedeit ist die Frucht deines Leibes, Jesus.

Heilige Maria Mutter Gottes,
bitte für uns Sünder,
jetzt und in der Stunde unseres Todes.
Amen.

Jivanta Vedas

The Supreme Scriptures of Jivanta include:
Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita;
I Am That; and
Natchintanai.

The Primal Scriptures of Jivanta include:
Bhagavad Gita;
Il Combattimento Spirituale;
Bodhicharyavatara; and
Discourses.

The Glorious Scriptures of Jivanta include both Jewish and Christian Shruti ("that which is heard") and Smriti ("that which is remembered"):

Yahadut Veda ("The Jewish Bible"):

Torah Samhita ("The Pentateuch"): examples include
Book I: Beresheit ("Genesis")
Book III: Vayiqra ("Leviticus")

Neviim Samhita ("The Prophets"): examples include
Book VI: Yehoshua ("Joshua")
Book VII: Shoftim ("Judges")

Ketuviim Samhita ("The Wisdom"): examples include
Book XIV: Tehillim ("Proverbs")
Book XXIV: Divrei Ha-Yamim ("Chronicles")

Yahadut Veda is composed of 24 (3 x 8) Books.

Christic Veda ("The New Testament"):

Euangelos Samhita ("The Gospels"): examples include
Book I: Maththaion ("Matthew")
Book II: Markon ("Mark")

Historia Samhita ("The Acts of the Apostles"): composed of Book V

Epistolai-Paulou Samhita ("The Pauline Letters"): examples include
Book VI: Romaious ("Romans")
Book VII: Korinthious A ("1st Corinthians")

Epistolai Samhita ("The General Letters"): examples include
Book XIX: Ebraious ("Hebrews")
Book XX: Yakobou ("James")

Apocalypsos Samhita ("The Book of Revelation"): composed of Book XXVII

Christic Veda is composed of 27 (3 x 9) Books.

Tat Hridaya

"Tat Tvam Asi: That You Art!" is one of the mahavakyas of Advaita Vedanta.

"Hridaya Tvam Asi: The Heart You Art!" means that the Heart, thus, is Tat.

From the Sri Lalita Sahasranama:

425.
तत्
Tat

She who is meant by "That," the Supreme Truth, Brahman

When knowledge of Brahman arises in the intellect, Tat (that) is the word used to signify that Brahman (See mantra 363).

Tat is a pronoun - a word which is employed to refer to something that is already indicated. All known things are included in tat because behind everything is Devii, the Supreme Consciousness.

In the naamaavali form of the Sahasranaama in which Devii is invoked name by name, this mantra becomes Om Tasmai Namah. Tasmai is the dative form of the pronoun Tat.

Tat Tvam Asi: That You Art!

In Jivanta, Tat Tvam Asi -- That Thou Art! -- refers to the Heart, to the Mother. Idam Tvam Asi -- This Thou Art! -- refers to the Beloved, the Father

Vyaghra

THE TIGER IS often venerated as the protector of the forest. Indian mythology is replete with tales where the tiger is believed to have multiple powers that range from producing rain to fighting dragons, healing the sick and banishing children’s nightmares. Followers of Islam believe that Allah has dispatched the tiger to protect his devotees and punish apostates.

Maharashtra’s Warli tribe worships the tiger God, Vaghdeva above all other gods. They consider the tiger a symbol of life and regeneration and offer a part of their harvest to it. The tiger is also regarded as the harbinger of fertility and Warli couples dress in the colours of the tiger – yellow and red shawls – when visiting the temple of Palaghata, the Goddess of Marriage. According to a tale, if the goddess were pleased she would bless the couple with a child; or else the shawls would transform into tigers and consume the pair. Warli paintings depict the tiger as a part of daily life, often walking through or sitting in a village.

The Nagas believe the tiger and man to be brothers since the mother of the first tiger and of the first man, are believed to have come out of the earth through the same exit, a pangolin’s burrow.

The Goddess Durga, worshipped since the time of the Indus valley civilisation, is shown riding a tiger. Durga is charged with destroying evil and the tiger was possibly chosen as a representation of strength and immortality.

Tiger dances, performed by young children, are an important part of the celebrations on Lord Krishna's birthday in Karnataka’s Udipi town.

In the northern regions of Bengal, both Hindus and Muslims revere the tiger. Local paintings depict a Muslim priest, prayer beads and a lathi in hand, astride a tiger and combating evil. In the Sunderbans, the Hindu Goddess Banobibi or the Muslim deity Dakshin Rai protect the people from demons, crocodiles and even tigers. So before they set foot in the park, people soothe Dakshin Rai with music or make offerings of sweets, rice and fruit to Banobibi.

Tigers are often painted as developing wings, giving princesses a ride, or becoming a white streak in the sky to protect the earth. Through the ages, tigers have been seen as life-givers, sentinels and saviours.

Lord of the Meeting Rivers

Daughter of the Mountains

The demons lead by Taraka, rose from the netherworld and drove the devas, gods, out of the heavens. The gods sought a warrior who would help them regain the celestial realm.

“Only Shiva can father such a warrior,” informed Brahma.

But Shiva, immersed in meditation, was oblivious to the problems of the gods. As he performed tapas, meditations that produce great heat and energy, his mind was filled with great knowledge and his body became resplendent with energy. But all this knowledge and energy, bottled within his being, was of not use to anyone.

The gods invoked the mother-goddess, who appeared before them as Kundalini, a coiled serpent. “I will coil myself around Shiva, wean out his knowledge and energy for the good of the world and make him father a child,” said Shakti. Shakti took birth as Parvati, daughter of the Himavan, lord of the mountains, determined to draw Shiva out of his cave and make him her consort.

Everyday Parvati would visit Shiva’s cave, sweep the floor, decorate it with flowers and offer him fruits hoping to win his love.

But Shiva never opened his eyes to look upon her charming face. Exasperated, the goddess invoked Priti and Rati, goddess of love and longing, to rouse Shiva out of his mediation.

These goddesses entered Shiva desolate cave and transformed it into a pleasure garden filled with the fragrance of flowers and the buzzing of bees.

Guided by Priti and Rati, Kama, the lord of desire, raised his sugarcane bow and shot arrows dripping with desire into the heart of Shiva.

Shiva was not amused. He opened his third eye and released the flames of fury that engulfed Kama and reduced his beautiful body to ashes.

The death of Kama alarmed the gods. “Without the lord of desire man will not embrace woman and life will cease to be.”

“I shall find another way to conquer Shiva’s heart. When Shiva becomes my consort, Kama will be reborn,” said the daughter of the mountain, Parvati.

Parvati went into the forest and performed rigorous tapas, wearing nothing to protect her tender body form the harsh weather, eating nothing, not even a leaf, earning the admiration of forest ascetics who named her Aparna.

Aparna matched Shiva in her capacity to cut herself from the world and completely master her physical needs. The power of her tapas shook Shiva out of his mediation. He stepped out of his cave and accepted Parvati as his wife.

Shiva married Parvati in the presence of the gods following the sacred rites and took her to the highest peak of the cosmos, Mount Kailasa, the pivot of the universe. As the world revolved all around them the two became one and Kama was reborn.

Parvati melted Shiva’s stern heart with her affection. Together they played dice on Mount Kailas or sported on the banks of Lake Manasarovar, discovering the joys of married life.

The goddess awakened Shiva’s concern for the world by questioning him on various issues. As he spoke, he revealed the secrets of the Tantras and the Vedas that he had gathered in eons of mediation.

Inspired by her beauty, Shiva became the fountainhead of the arts, of dance and drama. He sang and danced to the delight of the gods who were pleased to see his enchantment with the goddess.

Parvati gave Shiva’s aura to the gods. “From this will rise the warlord you seek,” said the goddess.

The gods gave Shiva’s aura to Svaha, consort of Agni, the fire god. Unable to bear the heat of the auro and the god Agni for long, Svaha gave the aura to Ganga the river goddess who cooled it in her icy waters until Shiva’s aura turned into a seed.

Aranyani, the goddess of the forest, embedded the divine seed in the fertile forest floor where it was transformed into a robust child with six heads and twelve arms.

Six forest nymphs called the Krittikas found this magnificent child in a lotus. Over come by maternal affection they began nursing him. The six headed son of Shiva, born of many mothers, came to be known as Kartikeya.

Parvati taught Kartikeya the art of war and turned him into a the celestial warlord called Skanda.

Skanda took command of the celestial armies, defeated Taraka in battle and restored the heavens to the gods.

With Parvati by his side, Shiva became a family man. But he did not abandon his ways as a hermit: he continued to meditate and immerse himself in narcotic dreams. His carefree attitude, his refusal to shoulder household responsibilities sometimes angered Parvati. But then she would come to terms with his unconventional ways and make peace. The consequent marital bliss between Shakti and Shiva ensured harmony between Matter and Spirit and brought stability and peace to the cosmos.

Parvati thus became Ambika, goddess of the household, of marriage, motherhood and family.

Karma

“If it is someone's karma to suffer, consider it your karma to help him.”
-- Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

Learning Scripture

“You should learn the scriptures up to a point, but then do tapas (austerities). Only that will bring your learning to the plane of experience, bring peace to you, and enable you to do something good for the world.”

-- Sri Mata Amritanandamayi

Happy Vesak!

Happy Vesak for you Buddhists out there. Here's a message from Shree Maa. She's not Buddhist (and the puja above isn't Buddhist, either), but you get the idea.

Too Much and Too Little

The Devi Mahatmyam, also known as The Chandi Path, communicates the destruction of the demons of the Great Ego, at the hands of Sri Durgaa, the Divine Mother. Below are the meanings of the Sanskrit names of those demons:

Madhu: Too Much
Kait.abha: Too Little
Ciks.ura: Devoid of Clear Understanding
Caamara: Fickleness
Udagra: Haughtiness

Mahaahanuh.: Great Deceiver
Asilomaa: Want of Resolution
Baas.kalo: Memories
Parivaarita: Wandering To and Fro
Bid.aala: Hypocrisy

Karaala: Disbelief
Uddhatam: Arrogance
Taamram.: Anxiety
Aandhakam: Blindness
Ugraa: Violent Temper

Joke of the Day

Q: What do you get when you cross a Baptist with a Shakta?
A: I don't know. What do you get when you cross a Baptist with a Shakta?
Q: A Bhakta!