Draupadi's surrender to the Lord and how He saves her

When Draupadi is being disrobed by Dusshasana, she wailed that no one of her masters rose to save her, though she called upon them and reminded them of their prowess and valour. Just then, the thought of Krishna, the Saviour, flashed like lightning and filled her drooping heart with courage. 

"Oh Shyamsunder!" she cried out, "This is not an insult dealt to me. Nor is it an infamous injury dealt to the Pandavas. It is an insult, an injury, dealt on you. You are our all. We depend on you for everything. Is it then just that you should now tolerate this cruel injury being perpetrated on our honour? We have dedicated our hearts to you. Listen, I
have dedicated myself to you. Perhaps, you are not content with what we have so far offered at your feet. Let your Will prevail." Thus, she surrendered fully and unreservedly, to the Lord.

At this, the Guardian of the forlorn, the Saviour of those who surrender, the Lord, took upon Himself the burden of rescuing her from distress. He moved in silent and unseen, and blessed her, unnoticed. And wonder of wonders, the sari which the human ogres were attempting to remove in order to disgrace her was rendered endless. Everyone, including the tormentors, were stunned at the demonstration of Krishna's Grace and Draupadi's devotion. Good men and wise realised that Sathya and Dharma can never come to harm. The tears of joy that rolled from their eyes gave proof of the exaltation they experienced. The wicked Dussasana fell down, exhausted and humiliated. Draupadi did not suffer the least dishonour. All the dishonour fell to the lot of the Kauravas, and the Pandavas were unaffected.

Can God permit the just and moral Pandavas to suffer humiliation? The harm that the Kauravas planned to inflict on the Pandavas recoiled on them only. This was the direct
consequence of the Grace that Lord Krishna showered on your (Parikshit's) grandfathers and grandmother and of the devotion and faith they had reposed on Lord Krishna.

Intending to declare to the world the intense devotion of the Pandavas and its efficacy, and also to hold them up as examples for the Kali Age that was to come, the Lord contrived this thrilling drama. There is nothing more in this than that purpose of the Lord. You may be subjected to calumny, insult and dishonour; you may be plunged into poverty or pain; but the person who has surrendered to the Will of God will welcome each of these gladly and bear it with equanimity. The Lord will never give up His children.

Those devoted to God have to be patient and calm, under the most poignant provocation. The fact is, the pious and the God-fearing are those who are visited by travails and
troubles: in order to teach mankind these great truths, Krishna enacted this drama, with the Pandavas as the cast. Every incident in their lives is but a scene in His Play.

Source: Bhagawan Baba's Bhagavatha Vahini, http://sssbpt.info/vahinis/Bhagavatha/Bhagavatha19.pdf

Swami says 'I'm always watching over you'

"Your faith should give you total confidence in Me. You should have implicit confidence that I will look after you. You should have the confidence that My Grace is always with you and that I am always watching over you and protecting you. You should have the confidence that I will never let you down, that I am always beside you, comforting you and carrying you through troubles and hardships. 

Just as you lean against the wall knowing that it will not collapse, lean on Me and depend upon Me entirely. I will then look after you. If you depend upon Me with complete faith and confidence, I shall provide for your welfare and look after all your needs in this world and in the next."

An experience with a photo of Swami

Sometime last year (I don't rem'ber when), I came across an old Sanathana Sarathi magazine in which I saw a lovely picture of Bhagawan in the inside cover page. I took out the page and I stuck this picture on the front door of my cupboard. After this, I got a few more lovely pictures of Bhagawan and also stuck them. 

I used to keep wondering whether I will get a soft copy of this same photo so that I can have it on my computer as the desktop background. Somehow till date I hadn't been able to find it. 

But a few days ago, while navigating through some Sai-related web pages, I stumbled upon the very same photo. Boy! Was I pleasantly surprised! I immediately thanked Swami. The photo is given below. See how sweetly and beautifully like a child Bhagawan is smiling in this photo. I just love it! He is indeed Sai Sundara and Sundara Roopa!

Thank you Swami for this 'beautiful' experience and for showing me yet again your Omniscience!

When will the finish line come?

Swami is putting me through a lot of tests. There is no doubt about that. :)

I feel as though I am navigating through an obstacle course all the time. But somehow by His grace I have learned how to handle various trying situations. 

I really feel I am running some kinda race where the finish line is not yet in sight. Still, something tells me I'm almost there and this is the last lap or something like that. 

I wish Swami would tell me how much longer I need to wait before things start falling in place. But I have to keep the faith and hold on. And all will be well.

I read somewhere that we need to 'walk by faith and not by sight'. I will keep this in mind and hold on for now. :)

Sai inspires mesg for today

Develop faith in yourselves, so that you can stand like a rock braving the rushing waters of the flood of negation. That faith will make you overcome the changing circumstances of the outer world. 

Keep the flame of detachment (vairagya) burning with tiny sticks until it grows into a big bonfire; welcome all chances to develop discrimination (viveka). 

Take the Name of the Lord and repeat it always. Sing to the Lord with faith and enthusiasm. Let the whole environment reverberate with the devotion you put into every Name that you sing. 

The Lord's Name promotes comradeship and establishes concord; it stills all storms and grants peace. Become a blossom, exude the fragrance of seva (selfless service) and prema (love); then you will find a place in the garland that adorns the Lord.

An experience with Lord Muruga

About 10 days ago, I prayed to Lord Muruga and chanted the 'Kanda Sashti Kavasam' (a prayer in Tamil adoring Lord Muruga) in the morning. After lunch I logged onto my computer and somehow got prompted to search on Google with the keywords 'prayer', 'intuition', and 'signs'. In the course of search, I stumbled upon a site and I was simply stunned to see a picture of Lord Muruga there. In fact, it was the 'Vel' in His right hand that made me instantly recognize Him. Here is the link where I saw the picture. 

http://www.purposefairy.com/9081/what-is-the-meaning-of-prayer/

And here is the picture itself.

I felt really happy. But my happiness didn't stop there. I got another sign from Lord Muruga.

This time it was from this link

http://www.skandagurunatha.org/satsang/darshan-satguru-irukkip-piddi.asp



The author talks about some problem for her son and how Lord Muruga helped. I felt this too is a sign because the earlier picture I saw of Lord Muruga today caught my attention mainly because of His Vel. And I felt greatly encouraged on seeing the following words on this page.

"With a calm face Murugan put his right hand on his chest, materialized an object from within and planted it firmly on the ground in front of my son (i.e. in between my son and Murugan). Then Murugan said [in Tamil], "This is what you need. Not the tussels in your palm. You don't need anything else when you hold this Vel firmly." 

He further added [in Tamil],"This [Vel] will do everything. This [Vel] will take care of you. You don't need anything else."
 
 

Giving up is not the answer; nor is giving in

I believe God wants you to know...

...that giving up is not the answer. Neither is giving in.

Stand your ground.

There is a way of doing that without having to be combative.

There is a way of hanging on to your true self, and demonstrating it, without resorting to aggression.

But giving up and giving in is not the way.

Simply and quietly claiming your right to be You is the way.

You know exactly why you received this message today.

Grace does entirely away with Karma

When I read the transcript of the talk by Ms. Suma on the Radio Sai site, the following lines struck me.

"Make no mistake; Grace does entirely away with Karma. It is like a medicine which is labelled, 'good until 1968'. If used in 1973, the medicine is entirely ineffective. The body is the bottle, the karma in the body is the medicine, God puts a date on the 'medicine'; so it is not effective." - Baba 

The link for the entire article is here - http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_11/01MAY13/ms-suma-summer-course-talk.htm

God knows the best time to respond to our love

I read a beautiful story on the Radio Sai web site about hope and love.

http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_07/01DEC09/09-get_inspired2.htm

The last 2 lines really moved me, "If there is anybody who understands our Love always in the right manner, it is God. But we have to be patient, for God always chooses the best time to respond to our Love, as God is nothing but Love."

Wonderful divine encouragement yesterday

I got this message in my mail yesterday and I felt greatly encouraged on seeing it. 

I believe God wants you to know...

...that it is time to move into unchartered lands.

If you want to do something you have never done before,

you have to do something you have never done before.

If you want to go somewhere you have never gone before,

you have to go somewhere you have never gone before.

You cannot do something new by doing old things. 

If you want your life to change, you have to change your life. 

So go ahead. It's safe. And it's also...about time.

Why difficulties?

"Difficulties are created to increase the yearning 

and to sift the sincere devotee from the rest."

 

-- Bhagawan Baba

God gives time to do good things

Came across the foll. line in a discourse  by Baba today and it made me smile, because I know it is true in my case. Thank you Swami for giving me this lovely reassurance this morning!

"If you have the inclination to do good work, 

God will give you the time to do good things."

A strong mesg from God

Yesterday, I was confused about something and prayed to Swami for guidance. When I logged into my mail, I got this msg which is so strong. It reiterated the thought in my mind and I felt Swami had pointed me in the right direction.

Money is not the issue. 

Having the courage to give your highest gift is the issue.

There is no security in doing something for a living
when you are dying inside while doing it. 

That is taking care of the body 

at the expense of the soul. 

And a withering soul cannot help but produce a withering body.

So do not think you are "taking care of yourself" 

by killing your spirit to keep your body alive. 

How long will you put off what you are dying to do?

Win not an argument but someone's heart

Winning an argument is never the goal of a true spiritual master. 

Winning someone's heart is. 

The setting aside of one's integrity is not required to win someone's heart, 

but the setting aside of one's anger may be.

It is possible to make a point without making an enemy. 

It is possible to be right without being righteous. 

Debating does not have to be debasing.

If there is someone with whom you are disagreeing this day, 

would it not be wonderful of you to disagreewithout being disagreeable?

Sequel to 'Wounded lil birdie'

I was reading 'Loving God' today and found the chapter 'The Chiselled Child' quite absorbing, for Prof. Kasturi (biographer of Sathya Sai Baba) shares his experiences of being chiselled by Bhagawan Baba.

He talks about one particular period that he spent in the crucible after his return from a trip to North East India, W. Bengal, Orissa, etc. Swami gives him the cold treatment for a long time. After a long period, Swami makes him realize his mistake and why He had not spoken to him for a long time. Kasturi writes "I had been cleansed again. But, what a tunnel of travail I had to crawl through to emerge into the Light of Love!"

As I read through his narration, what hit me like a ton of bricks was this line.

After an hour of tossing, I slept until Indulal Shah shook me, saying, "Dinner! Swami is coming." I went through the ritual. Like a wounded crow, I cried plaintively. "Kaov! Kaov! Save me, Save me!"

This was like deja vu for me, because just yesterday I had written a blog post comparing myself to the wounded crow that comes to our house regularly.

When I 'stumbled upon' this line in the book today, I immediately knew that Swami was showing me His omniscience. I also felt that it is He who is donning various roles in this drama of life. He is the one experiencing the pain through me. He is the one who prompted me to write the post yesterday. He is the one who made me 'discover' the line today. What a God!

Wounded lil birdie

In our family (as is the custom in many traditional Hindu families), we have the habit of putting some food as offering for the crows once rice is cooked in the morning. A few crows do come and feed on the rice. 

There are some crows that come and caw even at other times of the day and we feed them pieces of Murukku (a South-Indian snack of savoury crunchy twists made from rice and urad dal flour). Sometime back, there came a crow whose one leg was wounded. It kept limping 'coz there was some problem with its leg. We felt sad on seeing it and started feeding it Murukku pieces. We noticed that other crows started coming too for their share. We did feed them some pieces but made sure the wounded crow did have its share too.

These crows seem to have an uncanny knack of knowing that we will feed them. So, they come and sit on the wall opposite our front door (there is not much distance between the front door and the wall that separates our compound from the neighbour's). They sometimes caw and at other times just wait patiently without cawing. When we happen to move inside our house, we suddenly notice them sitting on the wall and we immediately feed them some pieces.

The crow with a wounded leg is a regular visitor. Once, when it came, there was no Murukku in the house. I tried putting pieces of papad but it didn't touch it. I was wondering what else to feed it. It cawed in hunger. I tried putting a few pieces of puffed rice (pori), which it ate happily and then flew away. Even today, it came limping and ate a few pieces of Murukku and went away. 

As I write this, I feel very much like the wounded crow 'coz I feel so battered and bruised; I have a wound that just doesn't seem to heal. 

The only difference is that the crow keeps coming to us for food often and it does go back happy, but in my case, even when I continue to go back to Swami and keep praying and yearning for Him (for He's the only one who can heal the hurt), He is just not responding!

Only time will heal!

Fun is not defined as absence of challenges

I am very sure that Swami planned for this mesg to reach me yesterday in my mail. Such a profound mesg! Makes sense too! 

Fun is not defined as the absence of challenging circumstances, 

but as the absence of anger about them.

Of course, it is natural to become "fed up" with some

of the worst conditions of physical life. Yet the fun of

life is in embracing a perspective that allows you to

look into the face of those conditions and demonstrate

Who You Are in spite of them.

"Where is the fun in that?" you might say. The fun is in

the victory, my friend. The fun is in the victory.

You will not have to think but a second to know

exactly why you received this message today.

Medical experts can be hired but life cannot be secured on lease

"Many people spend their years piling and piling, and then, are dragged away by death, ere they could preen themselves on the size of the pile. Money can purchase drugs but mental peace and content alone can guarantee health. Medical experts can be hired but life cannot be secured on lease."

Bhagawan Baba, in a discourse on Krishna Janmaashtami, 7-9-1966

A beautiful example to drive home the lesson of equanimity

"When a well is dug, the earth that is removed from the pit forms a mound by the side. The mud in the mound is the same mud that was in the pit. Praise and calumny are like the mound and the pit, and are essentially of the same origin. Realizing this, the mind should be trained to develop equanimity in terms of man's relationship with and existence in society."

-- Bhagawan Baba (Summer Showers, 1979, pg 157)

Know where you are headed in life

Got this message y'day in my mail. Quite a thought-provoking one! And it did reiterate my thoughts too!

 

On this day of your life, Aarthi, I believe God wants you to know...

...that if a man does not know what port he is steering

for, no wind is favorable to him.

Seneca said that, and it is true. You have to know

where you are going in order to get there. This may

seem simplistic, but many people have no idea where

they are going in life--much less where they are

headed on the Journey of the Soul.

Yet these are things that have to be decided, not

discovered. Too many people are waiting to discover

what they should decide; to chance upon what they

should be choosing. Are you one of them?