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The nation’s largest full color monthly spiritual and metaphysical magazine. Submission & Disclaimers : We accept articles, photography, and art work that is in keeping with our mission. We do not endorse any particular opinion, program, or advertisement. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material we receive. We will do our best to honor the integrity of our readership. It is merely our sincere hope that we help our readers to achieve success in their lives.

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Content.........Atherva vedic Vasthu 3Spirituality 5Achi’s Carner 9Vedic Astrology 18Lord Shiva-Shivarathri 34Sakthi and its yoga 44Sports Page 52Zodiac Sign 55Wonderful Siddhars 60

KarmaIn Hinduism, Lord Mahavishnu is an aspect of Vishnu, the Absolute which is beyond human comprehension and is beyond all attributes. In Vaishnavite theology, the term is similar to Brahman and Almighty God. It is also often used interchangeably with Vishnu to indicate reverence, as the prefix “Maha” exalts the noun to which it is attached. Mahavishnu is said to lie in the causal ocean or the Ocean of milk, in the bed of a great serpent having five heads. The five headed serpent is known as Adhiseshan and he is the bed, throne, umbrella and shoes of Lord Mahavishnu. It is a rare pose to see Lord Mahavishnu sitting in the serpent throne with his consort Mahalakshmi. In this pose Lord Mahavishnu is known as Lakshminarayana. All the natural elements like sky, fire, water, air and ether are created and also along with that are created mind, intelligence and false ego. After, this Mahavishnu enters each of the many universes so created (seeds emerging from the pores of his skin). It can be understood that Mahavishnu is the collective of all souls in all of the universes. The wonderful pose of Lakshminarayana adorns thecover page of this issue. The Lakshminarayana is the incharge of all the wealth and fortunes. By praying this wonderful pose the devotees are blessed with fortune and wealth.

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First, let me explain who Vasthu is. Vasthu Purusha is the god for construction of structures and buildings. Once upon a time, an unknown person came into existence and he obstructed the earth and the sky with his huge body. The Devatas suddenly caught the person and threw him below with his face down, and different Devatas held whichever part of the body of the person, the Devatas became presiding deities of that part of the body. The creator, Brahma, had made the person as “god of the house” - ‘Vasthu Purusha.’

There is another interesting story of Vasthu Purusha in Matsya Purana. It narrates the birth of Vasthu Purusha. In an encounter with a Rakshasa called Andhakasura, Lord Shiva became tired and exhausted, and he began to sweat profusely. A man was born out of the drops of Lord Shiva’s sweat. He looked very cruel. He was very hungry and began to make penance to appease Lord Shiva and to get a boon from him. Lord Shiva was pleased with his penance and appeared before him. The devotee prayed to Lord Shiva, “Oh Lord! Please permit me to eat away all the three worlds.” Lord Shiva granted his prayer. He got possession of all the three worlds and was about to eat the terrestrial world. The celestial beings, Brahma, Vishnu, the deities and the demons were terrified and they caught hold of the devotee and encircled him. Forty-five deities caught hold of the devotee and pressed him down. This Devotee has been in that position ever since that time. Lord Brahma blessed him and said that he would be the deity of all the plots and constructions, and offerings would be made to him. In return, Vasthu Purusha is said to be taking care of the inmates of the building. Let me narrate the Vedic verse here. “Vasthu Varcho Maha Kaayo Krishnango Rakta Lochanaha. Aisaanyaam Masthakam Dhruthwa Nanairuthyaangathamaarabheth. Aakunchitha Kavacham Vasthum Utthaanamasutraakruthim”.

The variations of the measurements of the rooms in house will result in the following problems. If the master bedroom is improper in measurements, it will create unnecessary problems between the husband and wife. Health related problems would also occur. If the children’s room varies from the measurement the education, physical and mental health of the children will be spoiled. Atharva Veda tells about many yantras for solving these kinds of problems. For example, Amruta Sanjeevini Yantra is to be worshipped for solving the health related problems. The Yantra should be fortified with certain number of “Rasaayanams”, and then only the Yantra should be worshipped. The term “rasaayanam” used in Atharva Veda is entirely different from the word’s usage in Ayurveda. In Ayurveda, the word “rasaayana” means “combination of different chemicals”.

However, in Atharva Veda it should be split as rasam+ayanam. Rasam means “juice” and ayanam means “route”. The juice of the specified mantras is to be extracted and the Yantra should be fortified. The mantras will vary according to the severity of the problem. For education, “Vidya Sanjivini” Yantra should be worshipped. Before doing alterations according to Vasthu, the consultation from a learned scholar is a must.

Now let me give some tips regarding Vasthu for the different rooms in the house.

Vasthu tips for children’s room:The apt direction for constructing children’s room is west. North or East directions can also be used for constructing kids room. Vasthu for children room suggests that a married couple should not use East direction bedroom. There is no problem if an unmarried child uses that room. Bed can be placed in the southwest corner. As a part of Vasthu guidelines for children room, it is recommended to avoid placing the mirror just on the opposite side of the bed. Do not place the furniture sticking to the wall, as it obstructs the flow of positive energy. The study desk should be placed in such a manner that the child faces eastern, northern or northeastern corner while studying. East is the most appropriate direction, as it paves way for enhanced concentration. Avoid placing the electronic gadgets like TV and Computer in the kids’ bedroom. Still if you wish to install one, then for computer, the right place is Southeast corner and for TV, Northwest corner would be fine.

Vasthu tips for bathroom:For bathroom construction, the most appropriate location lies in the eastern portion of the house. There must be a provision

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for proper lighting and cross ventilation. As a part of Vasthu remedies for bathroom, it is suggested that the geyser should be placed in the Southeast corner. Drainage system should be in the northeast direction. Therefore, it is advised that the taps and showers should be fixed on the northern side. As per Vasthu for bathroom, the door should not be in the southwest direction of the bathroom. For keeping the washing machine, the suitable directions are southeast and northwest. Bathtub can be placed on the west side.

Vasthu tips for bedroom:For ensuring peace in the house, the main bedroom should be constructed in the South direction. While sleeping, make sure that everyone sleeps with his or her head pointing towards the South corner. North direction should be completely avoided, as it acts as a source of nightmares and disturbed sleep. Avoid placing the divine idols in the bedroom. As a part of Vasthu guidelines for bedroom, if you want to have a bookshelf in your bedroom, then west or southwest corner is apt for this purpose. For constructing the master bedroom, southwest direction is just perfect. Other bedrooms can be constructed on the eastern or northern side of the master bedroom. Square and rectangle shape bedrooms are just perfect for ensuring peace and prosperity. Vasthu for dining room makes sure that the food you are eating will have positive effects on you and your family. There are plenty of things that are to be considered, while giving the right Vasthu remedies for dining room like the proper location of dining room, proper placement of dining table, position of electronic gadgets, the direction you are facing while eating food etc.

Vasthu tips for dining room: The ideal location for the construction of dining room is the West portion of the house. Construction should be done in such a manner that the dining room and kitchen both are on the same floor, lying adjacent to each other. Square or rectangle shape dining table is just perfect for the room. Dining table should not be sticking to the wall. The most suitable wall colors for the room are the shades of pink and orange. If you want to place a fridge in the dining room, then southeast direction would be just apt. If you want to make provision for the fitting of washbasin in your dining room, then the right place would be either eastern or northern corner.

Vasthu tips for drawing room:The north direction is ideal for the construction of drawing room. As per Vasthu for drawing room, it is advisable to keep square or rectangle shape furniture. Southern and western corners of the room are perfect for placing the furniture. As per the Vasthu advice for drawing rooms, there should more of open space in the northern and eastern corners. The perfect place for placing sofa lies in northwest. TV can be kept in the southeast direction and showcase cum almirah in the southwest corner. Seating arrangement for the guests should be done in such a manner that the guests face southern or western direction. Center table can be in the shape of square, rectangle or even round. Avoid placing L shape sofa in your drawing room.

Vasthu tips for kitchen:Vasthu for kitchen takes into consideration various things, which when properly placed, pave way for safety in the kitchen. Some of the essential determinants considered are proper location of the kitchen, direction and placement of doors and windows, placement of cooking gas, gas cylinder, sink, refrigerator and other electronic gadgets etc. The ideal place for the location of kitchen is the southeast corner. An alternative can be the northwest corner of the house. As per the Vasthu remedies for kitchen, certain directions, which are a total no for the construction of the kitchen, are: Northeast, mid-north, mid-west, southwest mid-south or the center. Make sure that the cooking platform does not touch eastern or northern sidewall. The best direction for cooking is facing east, as this direction is considered auspicious. No shelf should be placed above the cooking platform. Refrigerator can be placed on the northwest corner in the kitchen. While constructing the kitchen, make adequate provision for cross ventilation.

To know more and more about the Vasthu especially for the western countries, contact Swamiji Sri. Selvam Siddhar @ USA Toll Free No. 1-888-808-1418 or email to avtemple@aol.com

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In past issues I have shared many of my thoughts on spirituality. First, I humbly submit my Pranams to the Almighty and thanks to Swamiji for blessing me with the opportunity to do so. In this issue I wish to talk about the spirituality taught to King Janaka by one of the great saints, Ashtavakra.

The reason for his name is that he had eight misplacements in his physical body. Even though he had the misplacements his knowledge is great. Even though he lived and died thousands of years ago, his thoughts on humanity and spirituality are suitable even for today’s hectic world. The Ashtavakra Gita, or The Song of Ashtavakra (also known as the Ashtavakra Samhita), is an Advaita Vedanta scripture which documents a dialogue between the Perfect Master Ashtavakra and the student Janaka, the King of Mithila.

The Ashtavakra Gita comprises of a total of 20 chapters. Ashtavakra Gita presents the traditional teachings of Advaita Vedanta with a clarity and power very rarely matched. In the first

chapter, the teacher Ashtavakra imparts the highest knowledge to King Janaka. In the 2nd chapter, King Janaka asserts that he has figured it out (as to what true knowledge is). In the third chapter, Guru Ashtavakra tests if King Janaka really got this knowledge, and starts explaining in more detail the nature of this “Brahma Jnana,” or “Knowledge of Brahman.” This continues through the 6th chapter, and then Janaka speaks again in the 7th chapter. Ashtavakra further instructs Janaka in chapters 8 to11. In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Janaka speaks, giving a rare glimpse into the mind of a true seeker, who surely but steadily shows the signs of “Jeevan-Muktah,” or liberated-while-living.

The Ashtavakra Gita states that there is nothing as existence or non existence, right or wrong, or moral or immoral. In the eyes of the Ashtavakra, one’s true identity can be found by simply recognizing oneself as Pure Existence and that as individuals we are the Awareness of all things. The Ashtavakra Gita teaches that one is already free when one realizes that he or she is free.

In the first chapter the student Janaka asks only one question, and for that one question the master gives a very big answer. The question of the student Janaka is essentially, “How is knowledge to be acquired? How is liberation to be attained? And how is dispassion to be reached?” For this question the master’s long reply is as follows.

If you are seeking liberation, turn away from the objects of the senses like poison. Practice tolerance, sincerity, compassion, contentment, and truthfulness like nectar. You are neither earth, water, fire, air, nor even ether. For liberation, know yourself as consisting of consciousness, the witness of these. Only if you remain resting in consciousness, seeing yourself as distinct from the body, then even now you will become happy, peaceful, and free from bonds. You do not belong to any caste, you are not at any stage, nor are you anything that the eye can see. You are unattached and formless, the witness of everything. Only by being a witness of the world and worldly actions can one be happy.

Righteousness and unrighteousness, pleasure and pain are purely of the mind and are no concern of yours. You are neither the doer, nor the reaper of consequences, so you are always free. You are the one witness of everything, and are always totally free. The cause of your bondage is that you see the witness as something

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other than this. Since you have been bitten by the black snake of the self-opinion that “I am the doer,” drink the nectar of faith in the fact that “I am not the doer,” and be happy. Burn down the forest of ignorance with the fire of the understanding that “I am the one pure awareness,” and be happy and free from distress. That in which all this appears - imagined like the snake in a rope - that joy, supreme joy and awareness is what you are; so be happy. If one thinks of oneself as free, one is free; and if one thinks of oneself as bound, one is bound. Here this saying is true, “Thinking makes it so.” - On following the great sayings of this wonderful scholar saint Ashtavakra, our Swamiji Sri. Selvam Siddhar always says, “You will live according to your thoughts.” Your real nature is as the one perfect, free, and action-less consciousness, the all-pervading witness. You are unattached to anything, desire-less and at peace. It is from illusion that you seem to be involved in Samsara. Meditate on yourself as motionless awareness. Be free from any dualism, giving up the mistaken idea that you are just a derivative consciousness, or anything external or internal. You have long been trapped in the snare of identification with the body. Sever it with the knife of knowledge that “I am awareness,” and be happy. You are really unbound and action-less, self-illuminating and spotless already. The cause of your bondage is that you are still resorting to stilling the mind. All of this is really filled by you and strung out in you, for what you consist of is pure awareness. So, don’t be narrow-minded. Keep your mind broad and wide. You are unconditioned and changeless, formless and immovable, unfathomable awareness and imperturbable, so hold to nothing but consciousness. Recognize that the apparent is unreal, while the un-manifest is abiding. Through this initiation into truth you will escape falling into unreality again. Just as a mirror exists everywhere, both within and apart from its reflected images, so the Supreme Lord exists everywhere, within and apart from this body. Just as one and the same all-pervading space exists within

and without a jar, so the eternal, everlasting God exists in the totality of things.

This long answer given by the master teaches the highest spirituality. If everybody were to adopt this point of view there would be no ego and jealousy. The entire world would be very peaceful. After hearing the longer answer, the great student Janaka asks for a longer explanation from the great master by narrating his experience as well. This makes the second chapter of this wonderful work.

Truly I am spotless and at peace, the awareness beyond natural causality. All this time I have been afflicted by delusion. As I alone give light to this body, so I do to the world. As a result, the whole world is mine, or alternatively, nothing is. So now, abandoning the body and everything else, by some good fortune or other, my true self becomes apparent. Just as waves, foam, and bubbles are not different from water, so all this which has emanated from oneself, is no other than oneself. In the same way that cloth is found to be just thread when analyzed, so when all this is analyzed, it is found to be no other than oneself.

Just as the sugar produced from the juice of the sugarcane is permeated with the same taste, so all this, produced out of me, is completely permeated with me. From ignorance of oneself, the world appears, and by knowledge of oneself, it appears no longer. From ignorance of the rope, a snake appears; and by knowledge of it, it appears no longer. Shining is my essential nature, and I am nothing over and beyond that. When the world shines forth, it is simply me that is shining forth. All this appears in me imagined due to ignorance, just as a snake appears in the rope, the mirage of water in the sunlight, and silver in mother of pearl. All this, which has originated out of me, is resolved back into me too, like a jug back into clay, a wave into water,

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and an ornament into gold. How wonderful I am! Glory is to me, for whom there is no destruction, remaining even beyond the destruction of the world, from Brahma down to the last clump of grass. How wonderful I am! Glory is to me, solitary even though with a body, neither going nor coming anywhere, I who abide forever, filling all that is. How wonderful I am! Glory is to me! There is no one as clever as me! I who have borne all that am forever, without even touching it with my body! How wonderful I am! Glory is to me! I who possess nothing at all or alternatively possess everything that speech and mind can refer to.

Knowledge, what is to be known, and the knower, these three do not exist in reality. I am the spotless reality in which they appear because of ignorance. Truly dualism is the root of suffering. There is no other remedy for it than the realization that all this that we see is unreal, and that I am the one stainless reality, consisting of consciousness. I am pure awareness, though through ignorance I have imagined myself to have additional attributes. By continually reflecting like this, my dwelling place is in the unimagined. For me there is neither bondage nor liberation. The illusion has lost its basis and ceased. Truly all this exists in me, though ultimately it does not even exist in me. I have recognized that all this and my body is nothing, while my true self is nothing but pure consciousness, so what can the imagination work on now? The body, heaven and hell, bondage and liberation, and fear too, all these are pure imagination. What is there left to do for me whose very nature is consciousness? Truly, I do not see dualism, even in a crowd of people. What pleasure should I have when it has turned into a wilderness? I am not the body, nor is the body mine. I am not a living being. I am consciousness. It was my thirst for living and that was my bondage. Truly it is in the limitless ocean of me, that stimulated by the colorful waves of the worlds, everything suddenly arises in the wind of consciousness. It is in the limitless ocean of me that the wind of

thought subsides, and the trader-like living beings’ world bark is wrecked by lack of goods. How wonderful it is that in the limitless ocean of me the waves of living beings arise, collide, play, and disappear, according to their natures. After hearing the longer explanation of experiences by the student Janaka, the Master speaks more.

Knowing yourself as truly one and indestructible, how could a wise man possessing self-knowledge like you feel any pleasure in acquiring wealth? Truly, when one does not know oneself, takes pleasure in the objects of mistaken perception. It is just as greed arises for the mistaken silver in one who does not know mother of pearl for what it is. All this wells up like waves in the sea. Recognizing, “I am that”, why run around like someone in need? After hearing of oneself as pure consciousness and the supremely beautiful, is one to go on lusting after sordid sexual objects? When the sage has realized that he himself is in all beings, and all beings are in him, it is astonishing that the sense of individuality should be able to continue. It is astonishing that a man who has reached the supreme non-dual state and is intent on the benefits of liberation should still be subject to lust and held back by sexual activity. It is astonishing that one already very debilitated, and knowing very well that its arousal is the enemy of knowledge should still hanker after sensuality, even when approaching his last days.

It is astonishing that one who is unattached to the things of this world or the next, who discriminates between the permanent and the impermanent, and who longs for liberation, should still feel fear for liberation. Whether feted or tormented, the wise man is always aware of his supreme self-nature and is neither pleased nor disappointed. The great souled person sees even his own body in action as if it were some-one else’s, so how should he be disturbed by praise or blame? Seeing this world as pure illusion, and devoid of any interest in it, how should the strong-minded person feel fear, even at the approach of death? Who is to be compared to the great souled person whose mind is free of desire, even in disappointment, and who has found satisfaction in self-knowledge? How should a strong-minded person, who knows that what he sees is by its very nature nothing, consider one thing to be grasped and another to be rejected? For someone who has eliminated attachment, and who is free from dualism and from desire, an object of enjoyment that comes of itself is neither painful nor pleasurable. This country is great and the world is the greatest. We are all living an uncomfortable life, even though we have all the earthly comforts needed for a comfortable living. What is the reason for it? We all forget the spirituality taught by our ancestors! By adopting this spiritual life, one can have a peaceful and comfortable life. I whole heartedly thank the Almighty and Swamiji Sri. Selvam Siddhar for blessing me with the chance to share my thoughts on Spirituality. I pray that they bless me with ever more opportunities such as this. In our next issue we will continue to discuss this same subject. Om Nama Shivaya.

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Chundakkai Pachadi or Sundakkai pachadi (Turkey Berry hot and sour gravy)

IngredientsSundakkai-1 cup(tender ones)Small onion chopped-20Tomato-1Sambar powder-1 teaspoonTurmeric powder-1 teaspoonTamarind paste-1 teaspoonCooked Thoor dhal-1/4 cupTo seasonMusrad seed-1 teaspoonSmall jeera-1 teaspoonCurry leaf-littleCorriander leaves to season

ProcedureSelect tender sundakkai while cutting. Split into 4 and put into water. Mince onion and tomatoes. Cook thoor dhal one whistle less than you cook for sambar. Keep the kadai in the stove. Season the pachadi with the items given in to season in 1 table spoon of oil.Add the onion and tomatoes and saute for 3 minutes. Now add the cut sundakkai and saute in medium fire for 5 minutes.If sauted nicely,there will be no bitter taste in the curry. After sauting add the water that is there on top of the cooked dhal.(If there is not much water in your cooked dhal, add a cup of water into it, mix it lightly and take out that water.).Add turmeric powder. Half close the kadai and cook for 6 to 7 minutes in medium fire till the Sundakkai cooks soft. Now add little more dhal water and sambar powder.cook for 3 minutes. Add the salt needed and the tamarind paste now. When the curry boils add the cooked thoor dhal left and cook for 5 more minutes. You should not cook long after adding dhal as the curry will turn very thick. Garnish with coriander leaves. This gravy will be semi solid .This can be mixed with rice as well as used as a side dish for curd rice.

Chenai Kizhangu Meen Masala Varuval (Yam fish masala fry)

IngredientsYam-1/4 kg (Cut like finger chips pieces)Oil-2 table spoonsIngredients for the masalGarlic-7 to 8 podsFennel seeds-1 teaspoonPepper-1 teaspoonChili powder- 1 table spoonTurmeric powder-1 teaspoonSalt-1 table spoon

ProcedureCook the Yam pieces in a kadai for 5 to 6 minutes (till they are 3/4th cooked) Drain the water and keep it to cool. Mean time grind the ingredients given for masal in the small jar with just enough water. Marinate the yam pieces with the masal for 5 minutes. Keep the kadai in the stove and in 2 tablespoons of oil season the fry with a teaspoon of mustard seed and fennel seed and little curry leaf. Add the yam pieces and fry nicely without stirring much. Too much of stirring will make the pieces break. (Be sure that the pieces are not cooked too much in the beginning).When the pieces get roasted oil will separate Remove the pieces alone and discard the excess oil. This fry will be yummy with Rasam rice as well as curd rice.

Palakkai Pirattal (Baby Jack Fruit Masala)

IngredientsBaby jack fruitPotato-1Big onion-1Tomato-1To GrindCoconut grated-3 table spoons

Aachi’s Corner

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Red chilli-5Pottukadalai-1 table spoonCashwes-4(optional)Fennel seeds-1 teaspoonTo seasonCinamon-2 small piecesCloves-2Cardomom-2Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon

ProcedurePeel off the skin from the baby jack fruit and cut as shown. Cut the potato also in the same size. Chop the onion and tomatoes also. In a small cooker or pressure pan cook the cut jack fruit and potatoes for 1 whistle in high flame. This will get cooked fast and will get smashed if over cooked. So if you are not sure when to switch off then cook it in microwave or in a kadai in such a way that the pieces are just correctly cooked. Grind the items given in ‘To grind’ to a smooth paste.

Now keep the kadai in the stove.In two tablespoons of oil season the curry with the items given in’ To season’. Add the onions and tomatoes and sauté nicely till oil separates. Now add the grinded masal and salt needed also and sauté till it gets cooked well and oil separates in medium fire. Add ¼ cup of water to this and put the cooked baby jack fruit and potato pieces. Mix everything nicely in such a way that you don’t smash the pieces and cook in medium fire for 5 to 7 minutes till oil separates.

Muttai Kose Muttai Poriyal ( Cabbage Egg Fry )

IngredientsGrated cabbage-2 cupsMinced big onion-1Green chillies chopped-4 or (1 teaspoon of chili powder)Egg-1 or 2

ProcedureKeep the kadai in the stove. Season the fry with a teaspoon of mustard, curry leaf and broken urudh dhal. Add the minced onion and chilies and sauté for a minute. Now add the cabbage and sauté for a while. Sprinkle little water. Half close the kadai and cook in medium fire for 3 minutes. Open the lid and add the salt needed and cook till the cabbage is rightly cooked. sprinkle water in between till it gets cooked. Make sure that there is not much water content in the vegetable. Now break the egg and pour it on top the vegetable and mix well till the egg gets cooked. Chilli powder instead of green chilies will taste little different. I like that taste more. so try both ways and find out which taste you like.

Karunai Kizhangu Kuzhambu

IngredientsKarunai kizhangu-5 to 6 (pressure cook for 6 minutes)Small onion-20Garlic-20Tomato-1Sambar powder-2 teaspoonCoriander powder-2 teaspoonTamarind-little more than you use for sambar (a small gooseberry size)

For seasoningMustard seed-1 teaspoonFennel seeds-1 teaspoonCurry leaf-littleOil-2 table spoonFenugreek seed-1/2 teaspoon

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ProcedurePeel off the skin of the cooked kizhangu. Cut into small round pieces. If your kizhangu is over cooked or undercooked adjust the cooking time next time. This time if it is over cooked add the kizhangu to the gravy by the end. Cut the onion, garlic and the tomatoes too.Keep the kadai in the stove. Season the gravy with the items given in ‘for seasoning’. Add the onion, garlic and tomato pieces one by one after sauting each for some time. Soak the tamarind and the salt needed in 3 cups of water. Squeeze out the tamarind pieces and add the sambar powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder to this water. Add this water to the kadai and cook in high flame for 5 minutes. Add the kizhangu now. Reduce the flame and in slow medium fire cook for another 10 minutes. When the gravy is almost half or little less than half in quantity, switch off the stove. I usually wait for the oil to separate but for those who are new to cooking this method wont work.

Kathirikkai Masal (Brinjal Masal)

IngredientsBrinjal-1/4 kg

Onion (big)-1Garlic-10 podsTomato-1Sambar powder-1 table spoonTurmeric powder-1/2 teaspoonFresh coriander leaves-littleCurry leaf-littleSalt-to tasteOil-1 table spoon (be little liberal in using oil for this fry)

ProcedureCut the brinjals into pieces of two inches length (approximately). Mince onion, garlic and tomatoes. Keep the kadai in the stove. Season the fry with a teaspoon of mustard, fennel seed and curry leaves. Add the onion and garlic pieces first and sauté for a while. Then add the tomatoes and sauté for a minute .Now add the brinjal and sauté nicely in medium fire for 5 minutes. Now it will be half done .In this stage add the turmeric powder, sambar powder and the salt. Mix everything well. Pour half a cup of water into the kadai now so that the brinjal pieces get cooked softly. Reduce the fire, close the kadai and cook for 5 more minutes or till the water gets absorbed and oil separates .Make sure that the brinjal pieces are softly cooked and get blended with the masal else add little more water and cook for a while. Garnish with coriander leaves. Corriander leaves along with brinjal will be excellent.

(The ancient Prasnotthara malika was written by the great saint Adhi shankara. Prasnam means questions and uttharam means answers to those questions. The ancient prasnotthara malika was written in Sanskrit By Sri.Adhi shankara, with questions of his disciples and his answers. The Naveena prasnotthara malika is written in English By Swamiji Sri.Selvam Siddhar. In this, he answers the questions of his disciples/followers/sishyas)

Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar’s Satsang- Questions from his followers / Sishyas and Answers from His Holiness:-

( If you have any kinds of problems in your life, do not hesitate to call “Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar” immediately. Do not live with stress, fear and anxiety. Toll Free@ 1-888-808-1418 or email to avtemple@aol.com .)

1. Who is a Guru/ Swamiji?Who ever teaches Brahma Gyan (Knowledge to reach God - The Supreme power) is a Guru/ Swamiji or Spiritual Master. A Spiritual Guru is the external manifestation of God. He is the personification of Vedas. He is empowered by the Lord to deliver the conditional Souls. Sometimes the Lord Himself becomes the Spiritual Master like Sri.Dhakshinamoorthy, who taught every thing in silence to his disciples Sanaka, Sananta, Sanathana and Sanathkumara or like Sri.Krishna, who showed

Arjuna his original form.2. Are Guru/ Swamiji and Parmatma one? Guru/ Swamiji is the form of Parmatma.3. Do you talk with God? How can we know?

Those who have attained such a state can know. Just as I have not learnt English and so cannot understand if someone speaks in English. Similarly those who know the language of God can only understand.

4. What should be relationship between a true Guru and disciple?

That cannot be explained through language. It can be only expressed though feelings of heart.

5. Dear Mahatma, Lord Krishna says in Gita - “Everyone has to hear the fruits of his Karmas.” Can Guru save his disciple from punishment of his irreligious acts?

One cannot escape from Karma-Phal. Karma or Destiny can not be changed. That is a universal law. Nature never changes its rules. But a Brahma Gyani, Brahma Nista Guru can help his devotee, if his faith and devotion on to Guru is unshakeable. Suppose a person has to fall from the 7th floor of a building due to his previous Karmas. No one can save him from falling,

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because this is his Karma’s matured fruit. But a Mahatma, a Satguru can help the person, making him fall on some truck full of Dunlop or cart carrying cotton. The person is to fall this is his Karma’s punishment. But he will be saved from hurt or injury by any means. This is Guru’s help.

6. Dear Holiness Sri Selvam Siddhar, what is difference between Atma and Parmatma?

Atma and Parmatma are one and the same. The whole modern civilization is operating on the misunderstanding that body is the self, but this is the mentality of animals as they are not having Buddhi for self-realization.

7. Swamiji, by surrendering to Guru, what does one get?

By taking the shelter of a bonafied Spiritual Master and obeying his instructions with firm faith and devotion, one gets knowledge, detachment and ultimately Liberation (Moksha).

8. Satguruji, Our Vedanta declares, “Destiny is irrevocable and unavoidable.” Then why one should unnecessarily bother and labor hard?

It is indeed true that one would get only what is destined for him. However it behaves one to make a clear and proper distinction, between where it is appropriate to be resigned to one’s fate and where it is appropriate to exert personal effort. Securing a job is a matter of destiny, but having secured one, to sustain it with sincerity is a matter of personal efforts. To acquire or come into wealth is dictated by destiny, but how to use that wealth for a good purpose is a matter of personal choice and efforts. Whatever one is given by destiny, what one gets is his destiny; but how one uses it is his freedom of choice and efforts. This is called as Purushartha or New Karmas.

9. Swamiji, is it true that Heaven and Hell are only on this Earth?

Heaven and Hell on this earth are only

samples. As per our Holy Scriptures, there are eighteen varieties of Heavens and Hells. Among them one type of each is here on this earth. They are like samples. When a trader, like a cloth merchant, comes to you to fetch order, he only brings his samples to show you. Again a grain merchant will only show samples of grains. He does not carry his godown with him. Likewise nature has created only one sample of Heaven and Hell here on earth.

10. How do I figure out what is my life’s purpose?

Look into your life and find your aim in life. Do not make a choice on the basis of your current emotion, but on the sum total of the inclinations in your life. Arrive at a conclusion. Try to project yourself to the end of your life and in the last minute of your life, what would you like to feel about yourself? Aim all your choice and actions on that basis. If after you’ve made a thorough search you have not found the answer and feel the need for spiritual guidance, then find a guide and ask.

11. Why am I so indecisive? Why do I not have will power?

When one is indecisive or when one lacks will power, one has an emotional need which is not yet fulfilled. Examine that and discover the need which is not fulfilled and one will stop being indecisive.

12. How do I reconcile spiritual life and family/worldly life? I want to spend my time meditating and giving service. However, there are family and work demands. How do I create a balance?

Love and service begin at home. If you have not learned to serve the people in your immediate circle unselfishly, any service given outside that circle also will be polluted by the elements of ego. There is no sadhana greater than that of a householder. The art of life consists of resilience, which one has to learn to practice in family life. The family becomes your crucible and your touchstone. I always test people’s

spiritual progress by observing the state of their relationships. If their relationships have become sweeter, more unselfish, resilient, less demanding, then I conclude that one is making progress in meditation. Otherwise there is something missing both in meditation and in service.

Then there is another dimension. Common people use only a fraction of the surface of their minds for all their activities, which is like the waves in the shallows at the beach. At greater depths, the mediator discovers layers of the mind ocean which are ever in silence. One

who has learned the art of karma yoga, the practice of yoga while performing actions, remains in touch with the silent depths while still acting in the world. But this is an art that can only be learned by close association with an advanced

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teacher/Guru whose formula for life is: Eat only while you are fasting, speak only when are in silence, act only while you are still.

13. Swamiji, How does one balance common sense and faith when making a decision? In other words, when should common sense prevail and when should faith prevail?

Look within. When there is no doubt in your mind, common sense and faith has merged into one. Analyze your doubts. Or as Lord Rama said, “Doubt

your doubts” and you may arrive at faith. Actually there is no definite answer to this question. One should learn to listen to one’s inner self but first learn to distinguish between inner self and psychological conditioning.

This distinction is most important. Unfortunately, almost all students I have met call their psychological conditioning their inner self. That is not the path from conditioning to the unconditioned self. Have faith only in the unconditioned self.14. Pranams Swamiji. It is stated that we have two alive matters in our body, soul & God. So our energy, movement etc. in the body is due to power of God or independent power of soul? If it is power/energy of soul then what is the effect of God residing in our body?

God resides in our body first, His nature being omnipresent. second, if God will not reside in body then neither soul nor body will function, so, the main source to make not only human body but entire universe to function the almighty God, but, no doubt, all souls living in human body are free to do good or bad deeds at their own.

15. Revered Swamiji, Bless me and my family and help us to do the right things needed by God for us to do.

My blessings to you, dear Kid. I, first of all, appreciate your pious desire, I heartily bless you and your family for long, happy life and get success at step of life while doing pious deeds.

16. I am not well. I am unmarried and want to keep a fast for Lord Shiva on special days. Should I keep the fast or not?

I would advice you not to keep fast. You must always take care of your health. In Vedas it is said as “Sareeram Aadhyam kalu dharma saadhanam”(the physical body is the base for doing or adopting the proper dharma in the proper way).

17. Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar Ji ,I need a powerful prayer or mantra or sloka or any chant to get succeeded in my love with friend and to make my present love life to turn as a successful love marriage life.

First of all, I would like to advise you that the sign of best lover is that he would never touch the opposite sex

before marriage, if you also maintain your purity and then you marry with your lover then sure your married life would be happy. I bless you, for the same.

18. Pranam, Swamiji. We humbly request you to guide us for the below mentioned subjects.

(1) We sometimes read/hear that very young child chants Sanskrit slokas or verses/shashtras etc. by heart. It is said that due to previous births’ knowledge that child remembers that. Whether it is possible? Since it is explained by you only yogi who has realized God can know his previous births.

(2) It is stated that our present life is prarabadh based on past life’s deeds and we should discharge our duties as stated in Vedas which will destroy our sanchit karmas. So Swamiji, whether our life or age is fixed from our birth? If it was fixed on birth or before then whether by discharging moral duties as per Vedas (listening Vedas from learned acharya, doing Gayatri havan daily both times, doing ashtang yoga etc.) The age of our present life gets increased and better? Or whether after such deeds also our present life is fixed and result of such deed will be given in next life only? We request to please clear this doubt. Pranam. My blessings to you……….,

(1). No, please. It is not possible for a child to talk or recite Sanskrit slokas without learning the same from a learned acharya of Vedas in present life. First of all generally public does not know about the Vedas and therefore public is not able to decide whether the child is reciting Veda mantras or any other Sanskrit slokas. Secondly, if Veda mantras due to the pious result of the deeds of the previous life are chanted by an ordinary boy or girl who has not learnt Vedas from present alive learned acharya of Vedas then the boy/girl etc., will also experience the divine pleasure of realizing God and in the said condition/situation, the boy or girl will never chant the Veda mantras publicly. They will enjoy within themselves only.

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(2). Yes, it is true that our present life has to face the result of past lives’ deeds-good or bad in the shape of pleasure and sorrows respectively. Now, you see there are three types of karmas. In present life, we are also free to do kriyamann karmas either good or bad. So, human-life is especially meant for worshipping the God as per Vedas’ philosophy. To know and do pious deeds only by which the effect of bad deeds as well as sorrows is wiped away and a person gets long and happy life. Yes, if a devotee follows the eternal Vedas’ philosophy which emanates direct from God at the beginning of the earth then by listening Vedas from learned Acharya, doing Havan/Yajna both times, daily name jaap of God, hard practice of Ashtang Yoga philosophy which also emanates from Vedas, while discharging all his mortal duties towards family, society, nation etc., then automatically his life will become happy and long.

19. What should I do to earn money?

First of all we should know that the lord of universe is Almighty God. He is only empowered to give us assets etc. Therefore, we must first worship Him daily according to Vedas and after seeking His blessings, a person should do hard-working with full concentration. God sure will fulfill the desire.

20. I have tried hard for Army but I have not succeeded. I want to earn money. I am pursuing MBA . So, guide me what is better for me.

To listen the voice of heart which says go and join army at any cost or listen to mind which always follow the path of money. If you are desirous of service then only go to army. If you are desirous of earning money, then MBA study will be more beneficial for you.

21. Pranam Swamiji. My question is what should I take after science or commerce? What will I become in life?

My blessings to you. Although, the study is based on the interest of a student, so take that subject which is of your interest. Otherwise, you may do higher studies and can either be a lecturer or a professor or a certified public accountant.

22. Namaste Guruji Maharaj, from all of us. Guruji, The body of a normal human is cremated once the soul leaves the body, but in some literatures it is said that the body of yogi is to be buried. Why so? Please explain Guruji.

My blessings to you all, my kids. In fact, the body of yogi should also be burnt. Yajur Veda mantra 40-15 of the fifth Kanda clearly states to burn all the human-bodies.

23. Respected Swamiji, Namasthe. Thank you answering my previous two questions submitted to you. I read your questions & answers section regularly. I have three questions today.

1) According to jyothish shastra, Sun, Moon, Raaghu, Kethu are treated as planets. But in Science Sun is light & energy

provider for Planets. Moon is a satellite of earth. Raaghu/Kethu are not in Science. Should we believe jyotish shastra or science? Will Raaghu/Kethu affect our life?

2) I was told that Shani dasa runs for 19 years in a person’s life time. The person will have most difficult times during that period and Shani dev would ruin the life of the person during that period. is it true?

3) Planet Saturn and Mars are far away from Earth and they don’t have power as per scientific research. But in Vedic astrology Saturn (Shani) and Mars (Kuja/Mangal) are harmful to human beings. What is your opinion on it? Please reply. Thanking you.

My blessings to you. You are most welcome. The following are the answers for your questions.

(i) Yes, in science also there are nine planets in solar system including Raaghu and Kethu but their names are being recited in English. God has created the universe and every matter has been made for the benefit of human-beings. Naturally, all the planets are of use for all living beings. There is not even the most minute matter of the universe which is useless. So, we must believe in science which also emanates from Vedas. Raaghu and Kethu being non-alive cannot give bad effect on our lives but a person’s deeds (good or bad) affects his life accordingly.

(ii) No, please. It does not seem to be true that Shani dev runs for 19 years in a person’s life creating difficulties in his life and ruining it. You know, like earth, all planets are non-alive and can never be harmful for living beings, on their own.

(iii) I‘ve told you that every planet has been created by God for the benefit of human-beings. However, Sun gives us life and energy because without sun-rays crops can’t grow/ripen. On the other hand, several people die due to sunstroke. Reason behind that God tells all human-beings in Vedas to perform Yajna/hawan daily to get timely rains. Sama Veda states that pious smoke of hawan reaches the outer layers of atmosphere up till Sun and then the sun-rays prove beneficial to everyone and do not cause any harm.Nowadays, the problem is that people do not listen to Vedas and do not get to know about the real worship and the eternal path of the Vedas like Yajna/hawan nama jaap of God etc., which gives innumerable benefits to the living

( If you have any kinds of problems in your life, do not hesitate to call “Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar” immediately. Do not live with stress, fear, anxiety. CALL NOW in USA @ 408-829 -7780)

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During the past issues I explained a lot about Vedic Astrology. In this issue I wish to explain the nature

of the planets in different houses. In this issue, I will explain about the positions of Sun, Moon and Mercury in the twelve houses of an individual’s horoscope. These are all only hints. The strength of the planet will vary from person to person or horoscope to horoscope. The first is the planet Sun. Planet Sun is considered as the leader of all the planets. He is the king among all the planets.

First House: People with the Sun in their first house care a lot about their self image and physical appearance. They tend to be very brave, competitive and determined. This gives them very strong natural leadership qualities. They tend to have their own views very clear so it is near impossible for them to get swayed by others opinions.

Second House: The Sun within the second house orientates around energies that focus on money and wealth. Not only is wealth important to second house sun people, but also material possessions.

Third House: People with the Sun in the third house have a great compassion to learn and broaden their knowledge. They are likely to try to broaden their education for many years to adult hood or throughout their entire life. Along with study, travel is also considered important. People with the sun in their third house usually become writers or teachers. These are very optimistic people even in the hardest of times.

Fourth House: People with sun in the fourth house have a great need for domestic security. Their life is aimed mainly towards family matters and also to the home environment. These are family people who are normally very proud of whom they are, their heritage and their origins.

Fifth House: These are very creative people, generally actors, performers and writers. They choose to express themselves by creative means and want to be noticed and appreciated. These people are sometimes a bit of a show off – very self confident. They have a great passion for children. They are often very daring and adventurous and tend to take a lot of risks.

Sixth House: These are normally very determined workers but can be very demanding.

Seventh House: Their lives tend to be strongly influenced by people close to them such as business partners and family members. They are excellent at greeting and meeting new faces as they can cooperate well and know how to deal with others. This means that careers where they will have to talk to strangers such as sales and promotional jobs are well suited to them.

Eighth House: The energies here tend to be in looking after others’ possessions for them. Things such as house sitting, banking, pensions and stock marketing would be a well suited job. There could possibly also be a strong interest in philosophy, metaphysical and occult subjects.

Swmiji Sri Selvam Siddhar

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Ninth House: These people are often dreamers who try and make their life ideal rather then what is practically possible for them. This can lead to problems. There is very likely to be great interest in spiritual and religious practices; also in law and philosophy. If you are convinced that you have answers to questions that people ask and you are convinced you are right, you are likely to try everything in your power to get everyone to hear. There is a strong desire to travel to foreign countries for these people.

Tenth House: There is a need for these people to be noticed whether it is through fame and fortune, power, politics, authority or responsibility.

Eleventh House: To reach your goals will heavily rely on those around you such as friends, family and colleagues.

Twelfth house: People here will have a need for self-perfection. Yet they will normally feel somewhat estranged from others like they are an outsider even if other parts of their chart say so otherwise. They are often introverted, shy and like a peaceful life and time on their own. They shouldn’t be concerned by feelings of not belonging and failures to mix well with others. They may feel that not many life them but they have a lot of people who respect them strongly that they are not aware of. Work in the community such as in churches, hospitals, learning institutions or professions such as art, literature and psychology are well suited. These people normally have at least one major psychological, physiological or social crisis that they have to overcome in their life.

The Moon is the planet most connected to our feelings and emotions linked to other people in their lives. The way you have been brought up will mostly be reflected here and this is also where unconscious decisions are made.

First house: People with the Moon in the first house are usually hyper sensitive. Although they are very restless, easily changed and easily hurt, they are quick and easy

at making new adjustments when needed. Their feelings constantly change which means that it is hard for them to make lasting plans. They need a partner who can respect them, be loyal and cope with the frequent mood swings. They care a lot about physical appearance and appearing healthy.

Second house: People with the Moon placed in the second house get a lot of emotional security from their money and material possessions. Emotional insecurity occurs when there are problems with finances.

Third house: People with the Moon in the third house are very good at remembering things in excellent detail. They are not very well suited for repetitive or routine job as they have to keep their mind focused. They are frequently in their own world, daydreaming or living in a world of fantasy. Fourth house: They have a great love for Mother Nature and outdoors. Their life is full with strong influence from parents and domestic influences.

Fifth house: People that have the moon in the fifth house will often try to keep their children as home for as long as possible and be slow on letting them go out on their own and to become independent. These people can often find themselves becoming impulsive gamblers.

Sixth house: The Moon in the sixth house often makes people very restless in nature. They can be strongly depended upon by others. These people tend to worry a lot and are very sensitive; this means that they are easily hurt by things.

Seventh house: These people are characterized by a flexibility to fit in anywhere and possess a strong desire for social acceptance. They don’t like being alone, this may cause them to marry early; their partner is likely to be very moody and overly sensitive.Eighth house: These people feel that they have a strong sense of duty and obligation to others. They are very sensitive to social demands.

Ninth house: These people have an innovative mind and are dreamers. They hold strong beliefs. They usually have one subject that they become deeply involved with and spend a lot of time studying; they enjoy sharing knowledge on this subject to others. They are usually interested in philosophy and the search for metaphysical truths. Practical knowledge is often obtained through dreams or meditation.

Tenth house: They have a strong desire for recognition and for a good reputation. Their feelings are often dominated by a desire for achievement.

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Eleventh house: They are often very popular with a wide circle of friends, especially women. They have a very wide range on interests that sometimes they may appear to others as being superficial. Their emotional security is strongly tied to their circle of friends and relationships.

Twelfth house: Being in the twelfth house, a house of closed doors, these people often feel emotionally isolated from others. They are subject to emotional chaos and have difficulty to freely express their emotions. They are sensitive and tend to get easily hurt due to having fragile feelings. Others may view them as emotionally withdrawn or lonely.

Mercury governs the way that you communicate with those around you.

First House: The first house being the strongest of all houses means that people with mercury in the first house can easily communicate their thoughts to others and are very talkative. They can easily and quickly adapt to new situations and always seek new and useful information.

Second House: These people are full of money making ideas. They know the true value of things and are very value conscious.

Third House: People with mercury in the third house tend to be very witty and clever, especially in the use of words. They are not necessarily deep thinkers, but are very alert and adaptable. They express their ideas fluently and have a wide variety of talents.

Fourth House: These people have been brought up in a home surrounded by mental and educational activities. Their parents place an unusually high priority upon learning. These people tend to be high-strung and easily irritated and they often find it hard to relax. They usually have a home based career.

Fifth House: They usually have very clear legible writing and a very clear speaking ability and usually have some form of artistic and creative interests. They have a deep need of mental pleasure and intellectual stimulation and are likely to have very intellectual friends and partners.

Sixth House: They tend to worry if things aren’t the way they are supposed to be. When it comes to careers they are in jobs that involve work requiring specialized mental or physical skills, such as working with computers or electronic devices. They are usually perfectionists and very precise in everything that they do.

Seventh House: People with mercury in the seventh house are usually friends with clever and articulate people. They are good at expressing their thoughts and ideas in an intelligent manner.

Eighth House: They try to get to the bottom of problems and resolve issues themselves. They are interested in human behavior and usually study subjects like psychology. They also hold an interest in scientific, metaphysical and occult subjects; instead of gathering all of their knowledge though books they tend to gather information through their own intuition and experiences.

Ninth House: These people like to travel especially in foreign lands. They are interested in how other cultures live their lives. They are also interested in philosophy and like to study to the highest of their abilities.

Tenth House: People that have Mercury positioned in the tenth house are very good at communication through both speech and writing. They are well suited to political, managerial, and executive and government related jobs.

Eleventh House: These people can easily communicate and exchange their ideas with anyone. They have a good memory for things in good detail and have strong minds capable of hard work.

Twelfth House: They tend to be secretive about their thoughts and ideas. Others may think that they are shy as they tend to be quiet and hesitate to speak their ideas, especially in public settings. Sometimes they have learning difficulties such as dyslexia. They often lack confidence but hide this very well.

In the next issue we will discuss about more planets. I pray Lord Shiva and Vanadurga matha to shower their entire blessings on all of us.

Om Shanthi Om Shanthi OmShanthi

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There are many problems in getting married. Nowadays getting married in the prescribed age has become very

rare. There are a lot of reasons for this. The major problem is called as “Mars Dosha” or “Manglik”. There is nothing wrong in being a Manglik. Mangliks are normal people. Most importantly, Mangliks should realize that being a Manglik is not a matter to be afraid of; it is not the end of the world for them. Matters pertaining to the intensity of the Manglik Dosha and its cancellation play major roles and these are to be studied deeply. Atharva Veda has mentioned a lot about the Manglik Dosha and the remedies for overcoming the Manglik Dosha. One of the biggest misconceptions and fears in the Hindu society with respect to marriage is the presence of Mars Dosha or Kuja Dosha in the horoscope. Mars Dosha occurs, when Mars is placed in the ascendant, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house of the natal chart. However, the Atharva Veda includes the 2nd house also in the Mangal Dosha list. People in whose natal chart Mars is placed in the above positions are called Mangliks. Now let us see who is Mars or Mangal or Kuja.

Planet Mars in Vedic Astrology Planet Mars is considered to be a commander-in-chief among all the other planets. It symbolizes immense courage, aggression, vitality, confidence and warrior qualities. It drives the fire of independent spirit and sense of purpose among individuals. Mars is also known as Angaraka and Kuja, meaning the burning coal and the fair one respectively. He rules over the two sidereal signs of Aries and Scorpio. He is exalted in Capricorn and fallen in the sign Cancer. Mars is identified with Lord Karthikeya, the god of war. He is the son of Lord Shiva. Karthikeya was born with six heads and he killed the invincible demon Taraka, releasing the Devas from Taraka’s oppression. The above depict the valor, strength, courage and the protective quality of Mars. Thus, Mars is known as the protector of dharma and the purpose in life.

Misconceptions about Manglik DoshaNow days a lot of fake astrologers have entered in the field. They are not so well learned scholars of astrology. They have done a lot of misconceptions in all aspects of astrology. That too particularly, they have done a lot of misconceptions about mars. They have done a lot of misconceptions in married life and getting marriage. They have taken their shelter in Magal or Kuja or mars. Some of the most common misconceptions

about the planet Mars is that if a person is born on a Tuesday, then he is said to be a Manglik or Mars-dominated native. But it is not true. Another misconception is “double Manglik Dosha”, which is a term being used by many astrologers. There is no such term as “Double Manglik Dosha”, which refers to Mars being in any of the above mentioned houses and also in its own sign or in exaltation. Atharva Veda, be On the contrary, Mars in own house or exaltation will considerably reduce the ill effects of the Manglik Dosha. The most famous misconception about being a Manglik is that if he/she is married to a non-Manglik, then the spouse is bound to die. The above can be seen in a few cases, where Mars is severely afflicted; overall strength of the horoscope also

needs to be checked according to the Atharva Veda techniques.

Marriage and Manglik DoshaManglik Dosha is primarily considered at the time of marriage. Many people consider Manglik Dosha as a bad yoga and are reluctant to marry the persons, who have the Dosha, even if the Dosha is cancelled in the birth chart. The nature of the troubles in marriage absolutely depends on the nature of Mars in the natal Chart and the Navamsa Chart. Also the birth chart’s overall strength should be assessed, especially regarding aspects from any benefic planets on the 7th house and 7th lord. Another factor influencing the Manglik Dosha is the age of the person at the time of marriage. Mars is said to have a maturity age of 28. For a Manglik person, the malefic effects of Mars reduce after the age of 28.

Common effects attributed to Mars with respect to its position in the natal chart:

Mars in the first house: - quarrelsome on even minor issues; combative and dominating in relationship.

Mars in the 2nd house: - harsh speech, lack of money and understanding in the family.

Mars in the 4th house :- aggressive emotional nature, which may effect the career-front, with frequent changes in profession.

Mars in the 7th house: - a lot of energy; difference of opinion with family members, that too particularly with the spouse.

Mars in the 8th house: - early death of the mate.

Mars in the 12th house: - financial losses, many enemies and repressed anger.

All the aforesaid are only hints and basics. This will vary from person to person and horoscope to horoscope. To know more and more about individual horoscope and to solve your problems contact Dr. Commander Selvam (Swamiji Sri.Selvam Siddhar) @ USA toll free 1-888-808-1418 or 1-888-808-1428 or email to avtemple@aol.com

Problems in getting married and

salvation of the problems through the

Atharva Veda

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The human race begins only from a child or kid. The Atharva Veda tells a lot about kids or children. Swamiji Sri Siddhar has conducted many researches according to Vedic scriptures to analyze the problems in getting good kids. There are too many problems. Even though there are too many problems the problems have been clarified into two major parts. One is getting a kid and the other is bringing up the kid. The Atharva Vedic astrology deals a lot into this subject. Swamiji Sri.Selvam Siddhar has brought out all these factors to the modern world. The Atharva Veda has also classified the kids in various manners. They are sisu, balaka or balaki, tharuna/tharuni. Balaka is masculine gender and Balaki is feminine gender. Tharuna is masculine gender and Tharuni is feminine gender. The term sisu has the similar meaning of a neonatal and an infant. The sisu is up to the age of pre schooling. Balaka/balaki is up to the teen age. The teenagers are called as tharuna/tharuni. Childbirth is the process in which the baby is born. It is considered as the beginning of a person’s life, where age is defined relative to this event in most cultures. There are many problems in getting good kids. The problem starts from the parent’s fertility. The problems are to be analyzed right from the beginning. The problems begin right from the stage of fertilization. The Atharva Veda has also classified the kids in various manners. They are sisu, balaka or balaki, tharuna/tharuni. Balaka is masculine gender and Balaki is feminine gender. Tharuna is masculine gender and Tharuni is feminine gender. The term sisu has the similar meaning of a neonatal and an infant. The sisu is up to the age of pre schooling. Balaka/balaki is up to the teen age. The teenagers are called as tharuna/tharuni.

Childbirth is the process in which the baby is born. It is considered as the beginning of a person’s life, where age is defined relative to this event in most cultures. There are many problems in getting good kids. The problem starts from the parent’s fertility. The problems are to be analyzed right from the beginning. The problems begin right from the stage of fertilization. As per the Atharva Vedic scriptures the children up to the age of seven are considered as divine images and they are considered as next to God. Children from the age of seven were considered responsible for their actions. Child development refers to the biological and psychological changes that occur in human beings between birth and the end of adolescence, as the individual progresses from dependency to increasing autonomy. According to Atharva Veda and Swamiji Sri.Selvam Siddhar (Dr. Commander Selvam) these developmental changes may be strongly influenced by genetic factors and events during prenatal life, genetics and prenatal development are usually included as part of the study of child development. Developmental change may occur as a result of genetically-controlled processes known as maturation, or as a result of environmental factors and learning, but most commonly involves an interaction between the two. Above all these factors there is another invisible factor that decides the nature of a kid.

That is astrology. According to Vedic Astrology the Ascendant or lagna is the most important factor to decide the life of a common individual. There is another ascendant too. It is called as “Aadhana Lagnam”. By calculating that Aadhana lagnam one can ascertain the time of the concievement of the particular kid. Atharva Veda has put a rule to the Vedic Astrologers. It is “Learn the process of preparing the Aadhana Lagnam. Unless otherwise it is considered as the most important don’t use it”.

There are a lot of factors that decide the various aspects of a kid. The various aspects are obedience, knowledge, adherence to the elders, thirst towards education and strong physic and strong mind. The factors that decide all the things are the position of the planets in one kid’s birth chart or horoscope. By properly analyzing the position of the planets one can easily have the spiritual salvation of the problems faced by a kid. The horoscope is to be prepared according to the Atharva Veda techniques and to be read in the Atharva Veda standard. The rituals are to be performed according to the guidance of a learned Atharva Veda scholar. By doing so one kid can have a wonderful spiritual salvation for the problems. The optimal development of children is considered vital to society and so it is important to understand the social, cognitive, emotional, and educational development of children. In addition there are also some theories that seek to describe a sequence of states that comprise child development. Attachment theory, originating in the work of Atharva Veda, is a psychological, evolutionary and ethological theory that provides a descriptive and explanatory framework for understanding interpersonal relationships between human beings. Attachment theorists consider children to have a need for a secure relationship with adult caregivers, without which normal social and emotional development will not occur.

There are a lot of problems concerned with kids. It starts from getting the kids and it goes up to the marriage of the kids. Swamiji Sri.Selvam Siddhar has done a vast research of Atharva Veda and he has many wonderful spiritual ways to solve the problems. To solve your problems contact Swamiji Sri. Selvam Siddhar @ USA toll free 1-888-808-1418 or 1-888-808-1428 or email to avtemple@aol.com

Problems in getting good kids and spiritual salvation of the problems through the

Atharva Veda

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1. Kishin Manohar & Komal Manohar. Georgetown, DEJai Swamiji Maharaj. Only because of your best prayers, we got our kid now. We married 17 years back. We both are hale and healthy. But we were unable to get good kids. Only after your consultation and Thantric rituals we are blessed with a kid. Our life is dedicated to your golden feet. As it has shown me a good way, we wish to donate $501.00 to Karma every month. Once again Namaskars and Thanks Maharaj.

2. Rohini Singhadia, Ormond, FL.Swamiji, I approached you after reading your article in the magazine Karma to bring out my son from his drug addiction. You performed wonderful Thantric rituals for him. Now he is very well in all aspects of life. Thanks and Pranams Swamiji.

3. Xavier Bongibo, Crystal Bay, NVI am a Christian from Africa. I was cheated by a lot or Peers. So I developed an aversion towards the Peers or Swamijis. When I met you and told my problems to you, you just placed your right hand on me. I realized the energy with you and from that moment all the aversions went out of me. You solved all my family problems in a miraculous way. First my thanks to the magazine Karma and my salutations and thanks to you Swamiji. Please don’t forget this poor man.

4. Sudha Krishnamurthy - Danville AKI am a regular reader of Karma. After reading the magazine, I am able to understand what Astrology is and how to solve the problems. I can even challenge any Astrologers in the world. Thanks and namaskars to Swamiji Siddhar for the wonderful article “Vedic Astrology”.

5. Purushotham Agnihothri, Winslow, AZI belong to the best family of Agnihothris from India. Even though I came from a higher family, I had no faith towards God or any kind of super human powers. I was having some kind of mental stress. I came to know about you through the wonderful magazine Karma. I called you through telephone. On hearing your voice itself I had a great courage. Within a short period I am able to come out of the stress. Thank you very much Swamiji for bringing my life back. My life

is dedicated to you. Your blessing is the only reason for getting back my life.

6. Ranganatha Mahopadhyay, Dallas TXNamaste Swamiji. I am a Sanskrit Scholar and pundit. I retired from an esteemed university in India. I feel very proud of you. In this very young age you have learnt a lot of things. I pray Amba maa to bless you with a long and happy life for the benefit of the entire human race.

7. Karthik Ganesh Iyer, Garden city, IDVanakkam Swamiji. I realized you as a “Mahapurush”. When I met you to solve the problems in my life you considered me as your family member and solved the problems in a wonderful spiritual way. My humble salutations for your great knowledge and wisdom.

8. Chandra Motilal, Creedmoor, NC.Swamiji, my life has become wonderful after praying Sri Atharva Soolini. Only because of you and your magazine I understood the powers of Sri Atharva Soolini Durga. I wish to contribute a sum of $2501.00 for Sri Atharva Soolini and $1001.00 for the magazine. Please accept this donation. Namaskars Swamiji.

9. Ramarathnam Guruswamy- East Hampton, CTI have a son of seven years old. All of a sudden, he became very dull in his studies. After reading the magazine, I requested Swamiji Siddhar to solve the problems. As a Thantric Expert, he performed Thantric rituals for the betterment of my son. Now he is doing very well in his studies. Thanks and pranams to Swamiji for making my son well. Thanks for bringing out such a wonderful magazine also.

10. Balesh K Moti, Tullahoma - TNI had a kind of mental trouble. After reading the magazine Karma, I asked Swamiji for remedy. He gave me wonderful spiritual treatment by two ways. Now I am getting out of my problems slowly. Thanks and pranams to Swamiji for helping me to come out of my problems.

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11. Ramlakhan Singh Phoenix, AZSiddharji, namasthe. I got the magazine Karma form the Hindu Temple here. I am really very happy to know about you. Immediately I called you to rescue me from my sufferings. You explained me well about my horoscope and performed the rituals to clear off my sufferings. You are the one and only person to rescue people from their sufferings. I recommend all the suffering people to come to you for solving the problems. I am a practical example for your powers. Thanks and Namaskars Siddhar Swamiji.

12. An Ardent Devotee, Johnstown - PAI had many problems in my family, particularly with my in laws. I contacted His holiness Swamiji Siddhar to solve the problems. He solved all the problems through the wonderful Atharva Veda Thantric rituals. Now I have a wonderful relationship with all my in laws. Namaskars to Swamiji and his divine magazine Karma.

13. Sasi Chandrika, Imperial beach, CASwamiji I cannot forget the first day I met you in California Ashram, four years back. I came to you for having a spiritual solution of my marriage problems. You checked my horoscope and solved the problems in my marriage life. Now I am married and I am having a kid boy. I humbly request you to make the horoscope for my kid and bless all of us. Thanks and Namaskars Swamiji.

14. Baskara Kethumala, Redding, CTOm Namashivaya. I have a great pleasure in writing my opinion on the wonderful Siddhapurush. Only because of the magazine Karma, it was possible for me to contact Guru Maharaj. His wonderful blessings and rituals only made me to come out of all my troubles. Thanks a lot for Guru Maharaj and the wonderful magazine.

15. Fredric De Souza, Barbers point, HIWhen I went for shopping, I picked up the magazine Karma. I thought that it will be an ordinary magazine but after reading it completely I understood that it is a special one and not the usual magazines. From that day onwards, I became a regular reader of the magazine. Thanks a lot and pranams to Swamiji Sri Siddhar for bringing out such a wonderful magazine.

16. Rajendra Grewal, Montgomery, ALOm Namashivaya Guruji. I came to know about you and your wonderful services to the humanity through the magazine Karma. I am amazed at your knowledge. We were undergoing the worst troublesome period. Only after your consultations and rituals we are doing well now. Please shower your blessings on me and my family to have a peaceful life.

17. Krishna Chaudri, Harrington, DEI feel very proud to be in the community of Swamiji Siddhar. Even though I cannot donate a big amount of money as Swamiji, I offered 1/10th of my monthly salary to the holy and noble cause. I humbly requested Swamiji Siddhar to take money from me but he blessed me and refused to take money from me. This noble work moved my heart. I am ready to volunteer myself for the building works of the temple. Thanks to Swamiji for giving this opportunity.

18. Rama Jahan Alamosa, COPranams Siddhar Swamiji. I came to know about you through the magazine Karma. I requested you to solve the problems in my son’s education. You blessed him and performed special rituals for him. Now he is doing very well in his studies. Thanks for making my son great.

19. Walton K Richmond, Orange City, IAI am a professor. I am much interested to know and learn a lot about the religions. On going through the websites, I had a chance to read the magazine Karma. The writings of Swamiji Sri Siddhar covered me. His Vedic Astrology is the best and shows his vast knowledge in astrology and Vedas. Thanks to him. I pray the Almighty to shower his entire blessings on Swamiji Siddhar and his family for doing more and more good works like this.

20. Mita D. Sai, Smithfield, UTSwamiji, it is my great pleasure to write a small note of you and your magazine Karma. As a family we are always thankful to you for the wonderful healing we are receiving. I have enclosed a check for $251.00 as a note of thanks to the holy magazine Karma. Once again thank you for all the services given to us.

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(A small portion of discourse/ satsang held on 2010 Maha Shivaratri day)

Devotee: The scripture speaks of our dream state and our awakening state; but, at the same time, it says that everything is illusion.

Swamiji: It is not illusion. As long as you believe that it is there, you can see it. It is illusion only for the person who cannot see it, and will not see it. When you are seeing it with your eyes and you believe that it is there, then why do you call it illusion? Who told you that it is illusion?

Devotee: No one.

Swamiji; Does your feeling say that it is illusion?

Devotee: No I don’t think that it is…

Swamiji: Then what is the good of saying it is illusion? Somebody is saying something, and you are quoting it. Your heart should say that it is illusion; then, you are free from it. You will not cling to an illusion. Who clings to an illusion? It is an illusion only when you transcend it. When you are experiencing it, why do you call it an illusion? It has a relative reality. It may not be absolutely real, but it is relatively real. It has a workable

reality - a tentative reality. What binds you is your feeling that something is real. What the scripture says has no meaning; it has no relevance to you. The scripture cannot bind you, and it cannot liberate you. Your feelings will bind you and liberate you. Do you believe that the world is real? Then you are bound, even if the scripture says another thing. But if you say the world does not exist for some reason - “I have got some conviction that for some reason it does not exist” - then it cannot bind you. But your heart should be convinced that it does not exist, and you must also have a reason why it does not exist. What is the reason you say it does not exist? What are the proofs? Bring the proofs. If the proofs are there, the world will vanish. But you if have no proof to say that the world is not existing, it will be clinging. Merely saying something is not the answer. You must have an argument and a proof and a conviction in the heart that, “For these reasons I can really feel that it is not Ultimate Reality. Therefore, I cannot cling to it.” But if your heart says it is very nice, then why do you call it illusion? It is illusion to a person who is convinced that it does not exist. But if you are not convinced, then why do you call it illusion?

Swamiji: To the extent it exists, is a binding factor. You cannot be free from it. But you must find out the way. Ask any other Swamiji, “Why do you call it illusion?” You could not find a better time to ask than now? Than one minute before going? You simply throw the world out and go out from here?

Devotee: No, I asked him for examples. He said as an example the bangle and the gold - that everything is gold…

Swamiji: Are you convinced that it is gold and not the bangle? The whole world is only gold and not the bangle?

Devotee: I can understand that it is gold…

Swamiji: You understand?

Devotee: The intellect can understand that I am…

Swamiji: Why do you say it is all gold and not bangle? What is the argument behind it?

Visitor: Well, he explained to us that ‘bangle’ is a name that we give to the objects and the subject.

Swamiji: We have to deeply meditate on this great truth that all these objects of the world are only variations, formations of a single substance, and, therefore, these variations and forms and diversities are not true. Gold has never become the bangles; it is still gold only, looking a little round. Similarly, the one substance looks like the world because of the shape it has taken through space and time. You are also included in the various shapes that it has taken. Therefore, neither you exist nor the various forms exist. It is one substance that exists. You should not unnecessarily going on clinging to the form of Mr. So-and-so and the form of something else. It is like clinging to a chain and a ring or a particular ornament, forgetting that it is gold. It requires deep meditation. Whatever you see with your eyes, including your own self, actually is a form of the one Universal Substance. Therefore, when you think, actually the Universal Substance is thinking. You are not thinking; you are not doing

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anything, nor are you moving from place to place. Nothing is happening, really speaking. It is in the dream world of the Cosmic Consciousness and, therefore, it is one thought that is operating. The Universal Thought is thinking the whole cosmos - which means to say, you are not thinking. The idea that you are thinking must go away from your mind, because you are included in that universal thought; therefore, you are not thinking it. Rather, it is thinking you. Instead of you thinking it, it is thinking you - the other way round. So, all your thoughts should be melted down into one single universal thought, and you should think nothing else but that. Then you will find that what Brahmananda Swamiji said is correct. The world will vanish; it won’t be there afterwards. But, deep meditation along these lines should be carried on day and night.

Devotee: Thank you, Guru Maharaj.

Other Devotee: According to the Panchadasi, avidya is the cause of aviveka. What is the difference between the two of them?

Swamiji: The unconsciousness of the existence of a Universal Reality is called avidya, and the incapacity to distinguish between the Universal Reality and the appearance of the world is aviveka. You understand me? The unconsciousness of the existence of the Universal Reality is avidya; the incapacity to distinguish between the Universal Reality and the appearance of the world is aviveka. Do you catch the point? Do you understand what I say?

Other Devotee: Is avidya connected with avarana?

Swamiji: Yes, you can say that. It is something like that.

Devotee: What is the technical difference between Ishvara and Saguna Brahman?

Swamiji: Ishvara is same as Saguna Brahman. There are three stages of the manifestation of the Supreme Absolute, Brahman: Ishvara, Hiranyagarbha and Virat. All these three stages - Ishvara, Hiranyagarbha and Virat - are also called Ishvara only, in one way. The total concept of the inclusiveness of Ishvara, Hiranyagarbha and Virat is also called Ishvara, and it is the same as Saguna Brahman. Qualified Absolute - it means Qualified Absolute.

Other Devotee: From an absolute point of view there is no creation, but from a relative point of view there is creation. Do these theories of creation describe a temporal process; or rather do they describe the logical structure of the degrees of Reality?

Swamiji: It looks like a temporal process to the human mind which thinks in terms of temporal process. Here you have your great friend Immanuel Kant coming to your aid, who said that the mind of the human being cannot think except in terms of space and time and, therefore, every event is interpreted by the human mind in terms of space and time, which means the temporal process. Though that process might not be temporal, the mind thinks it is temporal. God has not created a temporal process, because God does not exist in time. Do you understand? Therefore, you cannot say that God has created the world as a temporal process. It is not a historical movement that God has initiated. There is no history for God, because that is in time and He is above time. It is a logical process rather than a temporal historical process.

Devotee: How can you prove that perception is the movement of the mind towards the object? How do you prove this movement - that perception is the movement of the mind towards the object?

Swamiji: I gave you that little book - you never read that book - that Yoga, Meditation and Japa Sadhana book, which I give to all people. The first part of it is only that - and you have not read it. What I meant is, unless your consciousness contacts the object, it cannot become aware of the object. And if the object is different from consciousness in quality, consciousness cannot know that there is an object. Therefore, the object of consciousness cannot be totally outside consciousness. If it is not outside consciousness, it should be within consciousness and, therefore, it is a part of consciousness only. This is the answer. Do you understand the point? Otherwise, you can’t be aware that there is an object, if it is totally outside it. How will you contact the object when it is totally different? What is the link between object and consciousness? Therefore, consciousness must have an inherent, implicit presence in the object itself, which is another way of saying that the object itself is a potential consciousness - concluding thereby that the

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whole universe is consciousness. Do you catch the point? Devotee: Yes. When the scriptures say that sound is transmitted by ether and not by the air, how can we make it compatible with the normal physical theory that sound travels through the air?

Swamiji: Sound cannot travel without air. When the scriptures say that sound travels through ether, they mean it travels through air, which is in ether. That is the idea. Where air is absent, sound cannot travel. That is the point.

Devotee: About the theory of karma. I think we cannot prove that the things which happen to me in some particular moment are due only to my own previous actions, because it is possible that they are due to the other processes which are external to me.

Swamiji: What are the other processes?

Devotee: For example, weather, or somebody comes here…

Swamiji: You see, again you are bringing in weather and all that. Weather, etc., are objects of consciousness. And I told you, you cannot have any connection with objects unless your consciousness is implicit in them. So, we should not say some external causes are troubling you. There are no external causes. They are connected with your consciousness. Therefore, they seem to be troubling you. So, there is no external cause. The external cause, so called, is also implicit in your consciousness. Otherwise, you won’t be affected by that. If there is no connection at all between you and the weather, it won’t affect you at all. It has connection with you, because it is also an object, and every object is implicitly consciousness - which means to say, it is connected with your consciousness also and, therefore, there is action and reaction between subject and object. That action and reaction between subject and object is called karma. That is all. It is like the law of gravitation. The whole universe is conditioning you because of your consciousness being connected to everything in the world. Every cell of the brain of a person is connected to every atom in the cosmos; this is the modern theory of physics. Every cell in your brain is connected to every part of the cosmos. And so there is nothing with which you are not connected. Hence, you are a cosmic man basically, wrongly thinking that you are an individual person, and so this action and reaction taking place between your wrong notion of the individuality and the actual Absolute is the cause of this gravitational force, which is morally or ethically called karma. It is like the law of gravitation, which is operative between the individual and the Absolute on account of the wrong notion of the individual that it is separate from the Absolute.Karma will not act if you are identical with the Absolute. Karma acts as long as you are outside it. Do you understand? So, there is no karma for the Absolute. And you also will not have any karma, provided you are merged in the Absolute consciousness in your deep meditation. All karmas will be destroyed in one minute. But if you persist in thinking that “I am Mr. Francis and some

separate individual from the cosmos”, it will react upon you. That reaction is called karma. That is the point.

Devotee: Yes, I understand.

Swamiji: What I am telling you just now is explained in a little more detail in my book, The Philosophy of Religion, under a section called The Theory of Karma.

Devotee: I am not convinced about the proofs of the theory of rebirth

Swamiji: From where do you come - from New Jersey?

Devotee: This individual, this body of mine - what you call ‘I’.

Swamiji: Are you Dr. XXXXXXX?

Devotee: Yes. I am Dr. XXXXXXX?

Swamiji: From where have you come?

Devotee; As far as I know, there was a combination between my father and mother - some biological thing.

Swamiji: Who compiled the biological elements into the form of this human?

Dr.R: I don’t know - the biological laws.

Swamiji: Who created these laws? Why are the laws so bad that they are creating human? They could have created some angel. [laughter] Why are the laws operating so badly? You would have certainly liked to be an angel and a god man instead of a poor little suffering fellow. Why are the laws so bad? Why they are operating in that way? Tell me. Who is initiating it from behind? Without a cause, an effect cannot follow. So you could not have come unless a cause operated. Who is this cause? You cannot say laws, because who made these laws?

F…: I think that this question may be… It is not possible to ask this question…

Swamiji: I want to know who created these laws. Because you want to know the cause of a thing, we are going to probe into the cause. How did the effect follow from the cause, unless the cause has some intention behind it?

Dr R: We can speak of causality inside the world.

Swamiji: Inside the world? There is no inside the world. Again you are bringing the inside/outside business. In the world there is no inside/outside; it is a total organism. In a total organism, there is no inside/outside. The idea of inside/outside arises because you have separated yourself from the Universal. The moment you separate yourself from the

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Universal, the Universal looks like an outside. But if you are actually an organic part of the Universal, where is the question of inside/outside? It is a total action taking place - a total action. Actually, rebirth or birth, whatever you call it, is only your desire. You want to be reborn; that is all. If you don’t want to be reborn, you will not be reborn. If you say, “I don’t want to be reborn. Why should I be reborn? I have no business to be reborn. I have no desire for rebirth” - you would entertain no desire at all for anything whatsoever; then, why should you be reborn? The rebirth stops in one second. But you want to be reborn. Your consciousness concentrates itself in a particular fashion according to the laws, as you are saying, and projects itself into that location. Consciousness condensing itself, solidifying itself and becoming a form for the purpose of fulfilling the existing desires is called rebirth.

Dr.R: But I still need proof…

Swamiji: How can I prove that you have got desires? What is the proof?

Dr. R: I have desires, yes.

Swamiji: What is that proof that you have got desires? You yourself are the proof. And you have to fulfill the desire. And you cannot fulfill the desires in this birth, because they are so many in numbers.

Dr R: But then maybe I will never…

Swamiji: You will never fulfill them? You will certainly fulfill them. The law of the cosmos is such that every desire has to be fulfilled.

Dr R: But if we have faith in… or we have faith in a possibility...

Swamiji: It has nothing to do with faith. It is a scientific law. It is a scientific law of action and reaction. Even if you have no faith that if you go to the top of a tree you will fall down, you will certainly fall even if you have no faith. Why you want faith? There is no question of faith here; it is an action between you and the Universal. These problems will not arise if you don’t persist in thinking that you are an individual outside the Universal. You have created the problem unnecessarily by thinking that you are outside, and then going on arguing against the Universal.

Dr R: I think this state of consciousness of non-duality …

Swamiji: If there is not duality, where is rebirth? The question doesn’t arise.

Dr R: I think this question of rebirth is of vyavaharika…

Swamiji: It is vyavaharika only. It is perfectly right. The rebirth is vyavaharika and your existence as Mr. XXXX is also a vyavaharika existence. Absolutely, you do not exist. Absolutely, you exist as nothing. So, you have not been born. Therefore, you will need not to be reborn. This is an illusion, as this gentleman was talking about. But it is an illusion only when you identify yourself with the Absolute. Otherwise, if you are yourself convinced that you are outside it, all the laws that operate in the universe will act against you because you have contravened the law of the universal whole. That is all. It is the law of evolution. Something evolved from matter to plant, plant to animal, animal to human being. How can one thing become another thing unless the previous stage has ceased and the second stage has started? The starting of the second stage is the rebirth of the first stage. What you call evolution as the process in biological law is same as rebirth. How can the higher form come unless the lower form has gone? The lower form dies. That is, there is a mutation taking place. And the mutation of the lower transforms itself into the new form which is the higher form. That new form is what you call the rebirth. What you call rebirth is nothing but the law of evolution taking place, and evolution will not take place if your consciousness is identical with the Absolute. The whole evolution will cease in one second.

Dr.R; So then, there is some progress.

Swamiji: It is the progress of the Absolute.

Dr.R: Is there any purpose?

Swamiji: It is the cosmic purpose.

Dr.R: There will be some moment when this purpose is fulfilled.

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Swamiji: It will be fulfilled, and you will never see the universe afterwards.

Dr.R: Not the universe, maybe…

Swamiji: You will never see the universe.

Dr.R: That happens in a new life?

Swamiji: The individual will not be there at that time. Then why are you again saying individual? Again you are bringing the individual.

Devotee: During the night of Brahman, it is timeless. Therefore, it must exist in one moment, and there can be no temporal gap between one day of Brahman and the next one.

Swamiji: There is no gap.

Dr.R: There is no gap between one day and the next one?

Swamiji: Where is the gap between day and night?

Dr.R: I mean between one day and the next day.

Swamiji: Where is the gap? We are also passing through one day and the next day. Where is the gap? There is continuity. No gap.

Dr. R: Is not deep sleep a temporal state also? So there is no separation between my previous…

SWAMIJI: They are continuous. If they are separated one from the other, then you cannot know that you are one continuous person. The sleeping person, the dreaming person and the waking person are one person; and if each state is different from the other, there would be discontinuity of self-identity. Inasmuch as self-identity is maintained in all the three states, it shows that all the three states are continuous and are not cut off one from the other. Otherwise, the sleeping man would be different, the dreaming man will be another man, and the waking man a third person. It does not happen. It is one continuity.

Dr. R: The right eye is more active than the left one during the day.

SWAMIJI: That’s what they say. As they say, the right hand is more active than the left hand. This is a kind of usual traditional belief. Perhaps it has some connection with the two nadis operating, the solar and the lunar, the solar being more powerful than the lunar, and maybe the right side is influenced by the solar side, which is more powerful than the lunar side, the left one.

Dr. R: About the idea of rebirth. I will give two arguments

- not against the idea but against its importance for spiritual life. The idea of rebirth is not essential in spiritual life because there have been many saints who did not believe in it. Swamiji: Rebirth? If they don’t believe, you need not bother about it. Why are you worried about them?

Dr. R: There are saints who attained this spiritual state, who have different beliefs. So it is not essential.

Swamiji: A person who has reached the highest state will know everything that is taking place in the cosmos. And rebirth is one of the things that is taking place. Otherwise, he will not be omniscient. Omniscience includes everything, and you cannot say you don’t know something. You must know everything. Otherwise, what is omniscience?

Dr. R: I think jivanmuktas are omniscient.

Swamiji: Jivanmukta also is a very lesser condition. There is something higher than that - Cosmic-consciousness. It is Universal-consciousness, even above jivanmukta. And they must know everything - every atom - so there is nothing that they cannot understand. They should not say they don’t know something. That is not possible. They will know everything. They can count how many hairs are there on the heads of all the people in the world, such consciousness is there. They can know how many leaves are there in all the forests in the world, by direct perception.

Dr. R: If rebirth is true…

Swamiji: What is rebirth? It is a kind of transformation taking place in the cosmos. Why are you using that word ‘rebirth’? It is a transmutation taking place in everything in the cosmos. Everybody has to undergo that transmutation. And nobody could have become jivanmukta unless he has undergone this transformation. Otherwise, he would be a pig or a buffalo always. How would the buffalo become a jivanmukta without undergoing transformation? That is called rebirth, which I mentioned to you earlier. The mutation of species for the purpose of a higher state of consciousness is called rebirth. Otherwise, how would you reach God? You would be the same person forever, unless the mutation takes place. It has to take place. I bless you all for a long and happy comfortable life. To clarify your doubts on any subject matter like this, to solve all your problems in a spiritual manner as per the standards and specifications of Atharva Veda, contact me @ USA Toll free 1-888-808-1418/1-888-808-1428 or email me avtemple@aol.com

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By Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar

As the rarest of the rarest occasion, this year 2010 had two Mahashivaratris. One was on February12th and the other

was on March 13th. Some temples celebrated February 12th and some temples celebrated March 13th. But Swamiji Sri. Selvam Siddhar ordered and directed the priests to celebrate both the days. The following is the gist of the lecture delivered by Swamiji Sri. Selvam Siddhar on March 13th.

Om Namashivaya. Dear Devotees,We conceive God as glory, as creativity and as austerity. Vishnu is glory and magnificence, Brahma is creativity force, and Lord Shiva is austerity and renunciation. You might have heard it said that God is the embodiment of six attributes of which renunciation is one. You will be wondering how God can renounce things. He is not a Sannyasi. He is not an ascetic like a Vairagi or a Sadhu. What is He going to renounce? How do you conceive Lord Shiva as an austere Yogi or a renunciate? What does He renounce? The all-pervading Almighty, what has He to give or abandon? Here is the secret of what renunciation is! It is not renunciation of anything, because there is nothing outside Him; renunciation does not mean abandonment of object. If that had been the definition of renunciation, that cannot apply to God. God does not renounce or abandon any object, because all objects are a part of His Cosmic Body. Then how do you represent God as an embodiment of Vairagya (dispassion)? Bhagavan, who is endowed with ‘Bhaga’ or glories of a six fold nature, is also embodiment of Vairagya. Do you identify Him with a Sannyasi, possessing nothing? No, never. God is the possessor of all things. Then, how can you call Him a renunciate, a Sannyasi or a Vairagi? The secret behind the concept or the consciousness of Vairagya, renunciation is here, in the identification of this attribute with God. It is only when we interpret things in terms of God that things become clear. Otherwise, we get confused. We cannot know what goodness is, we cannot know what evil is, we cannot know what virtue is, unless we refer all these values of life to the concept of God in His Perfection. The only standard of reference for us in all matters of life’s values is the existence

of God. So, the concept of renunciation, which has been very much misused, also gets rectified, clarified and purified when it is understood with reference to the existence of God whose special manifestation, in this context, is known as Lord Shiva.

God does not renounce anything. Then, in that case what is renunciation in this context? It is the freedom from the consciousness of externality. This is called Vairagya. How can you abandon things? All things are there in front of you, like trees in a forest or stones in the jungle. There is nothing like abandonment of things, because they are internally related to you. Nobody can renounce anything, because everything in this world is connected to everything else. Then what is Vairagya? Vairagya is not renunciation of any object; it is impossible. Everything clings to you. But the idea that things are outside you, makes you get attached to them. This false attachment is Raga, and its absence is Vi-raga. The condition of Vi-raga is Vairagya. As God has no consciousness of externality, because everything is embodied in Him, there cannot be a greater renunciate than God. And in as much as this Consciousness of God is the highest form of Wisdom, He is the repository of Jnana.

In our religious tradition, Lord Shiva is represented as an aspect of God, the Almighty. He presents before us the ideal of supreme renunciation born of Divine Realization - not born of frustration, not born of an escapist attitude, not born of defeatism, but born of an insight into the nature of things, a clear understanding of the nature of life and the wisdom of existence in its completeness. This is the source of Vairagya, or renunciation. You do not want anything, not because you cannot get things, but because you have realized the interconnectedness of things and the unity of all purpose in consciousness. All desires get hushed, sublimated and boiled down to the divine being only when this realization comes. God does not possess things. Possession is a relationship of one thing with another thing. But, God is super-relative. That is why we call Him the Absolute. He is not relative. Anything that is related to something else comes under the category of relative. God is not related to anything else, because He is All-comprehensive. And, thus, in His all-comprehensive Absoluteness, which is height of

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wisdom conceivable, there is also the concomitant character of freedom from the consciousness of externality, and therefore, as a corollary, freedom from attachment to anything. Thus Lord Shiva is the height of austerity, Master Yogi, portrayed as seated in a lotus pose, as the king of all ascetics; not that He has the desire for self-control, but He is what self-control is itself. He does not practice self-control. Self-control itself is symbolized in the personality of Lord Shiva. Such a wondrous concept of a glorious majestic picture of the Almighty, as Lord Shiva, is before us for adoration during MahaShivaratri.

We observe fast during the day and vigil during the night. The idea is that we control the senses, which represent the outgoing tendency of our mind, symbolized in fasting, and we also control the Tamasic inert condition of sleep to which we are subject every day. When these two tendencies in us are overcome, we transcend the conscious and the unconscious levels of our personality and reach the super conscious level. While the waking condition is the conscious level, sleep is the unconscious level. Both are obstacles to God-realization. We are shifted from one condition to another. We are shunted, as it were, from waking to sleep and from sleep to waking, every day. But the super-conscious is not known to us. The symbology of fast and vigil on Shivaratri is significant of self-control; Rajas and Tamas are subdued, and God, the Satwa is glorified. The glorification of God and the control of the senses mean one and the same thing, because it is only in God-consciousness that all senses can be controlled. When you see God, the senses melt like butter melting before fire. They cannot exist any more. All the ornaments become the solid mass of gold when they are heated to the boiling point. Likewise, in the furnace of God-consciousness, the sense-energies melt into a continuum of universality.

In the famous Rudra-Adhyaya or the Satarudriya of the Yajur Veda, we have a majestic, universalized description of Lord Shiva, a chant which we are accustomed to every day in the temple. Only those who know what Sanskrit is, what the Vedas are and what worship is, can appreciate what this Satarudriya chant is. It is one of the most powerful prayers ever conceived by the human mind. It is filled with a threefold meaning. According to the Indian Hindu culture, everything is threefold - objective, subjective and universal. Everything in the world, from the smallest to the biggest, has an objective character, a subjective character and a universal character. Objectively you are something, subjectively you are another thing and universally you are a third thing. It all depends upon the point of view from which you interpret a particular thing, person or object. When you objectively interpret a thing, it looks like one thing; when you subjectively analyze it, it is another thing; and from the universal point of view, it is a third something altogether.

Likewise, this Mantra, the Satarudriya of the Yajur Veda, a hymn to Lord Shiva, has an objective meaning, a subjective meaning and a divine, supreme, supra-mental, universal meaning. Objectively, it is a prayer for the control of the forces of nature. Subjectively, it is a prayer for self-control and the rousing of the spiritual consciousness. Universally, it is a surge of the soul towards God realization. It has an Adhiyajnika, Adhibhautika, Adhidaivika and Adhyatmika meaning, as we usually put it. It

has a tremendous meaning. The Vedas, the Mantras of the Vedas, are filled with such threefold or fourfold meaning. Hence it is difficult to understand the full meaning of any Mantra of the Veda. “Ananta vai vedah”: Infinite is the meaning of the Vedas. The meaning of the Vedas is infinite. It has no end at all. It is mathematics; it is chemistry; it is physics; it is Ayurveda; it is psychology; it is metaphysics; it is philosophy; it is spirituality; it is meditation; it is love; it is ecstasy. You will find everything in every Mantra of the Veda. All depends upon how you look upon it, how you feel it. A person may be a father, a brother, a son, a friend, a husband and so on but all the while he is one and the same person. Attitudes are different on account of the various relationships. So the Rudra Adhyaya before us is a majestic prayer for world peace, international peace, subjective peace, universal peace and God-consciousness.

It is difficult to chant this Veda Mantra called the Satarudriya, because it requires training - as in music, for example. Everybody cannot sing. It requires tremendous training for years together. Likewise, the chanting of the Mantras of the Veda requires training for years together and not for a few days only. Just as one who does not know how to sing will make a jarring noise and you will like to get up and go away rather than listen to it, so also when you chant the Mantra wrongly, the gods will get up and go away. They will not bear it any more. Hence, it requires training. But once it is properly learnt, it becomes a protection for you from catastrophes of every kind - physical, psychological and what not. So, those who know may chant it, recite it and take part in the recitation of it every day in the temple, at least during the worship on MahaShivaratri.

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Those who cannot do this because it is difficult, can chant the Mantra ‘Om Namah Shivaya’, the Panchakshara Mantra of Lord Shiva with Om preceding it. It is a Kavacha, a kind of amour that you put on. This amour will protect you from danger of every kind. It will protect you and also all those whom you want to be protected. It will protect your family; it will protect your country of birth and the country where you live; it will protect the entire universe. It can cease wars and tensions of every kind, provided you offer the prayers wholeheartedly from the bottom of your heart. Collective prayer is very effective. If a hundred persons join together and pray, it will have a greater effect than one person praying. Of course, if that single person is very powerful, even one person’s prayer is all right. But where personalities have their own weaknesses and foibles, it is better that people have congregational prayer. When all the minds are put together they form a great energy. It surges forth into God.

So, during this holy day of aha Shivaratri, prayer is to be offered to Lord Shiva as the Master of Yogis, as the incarnation of all virtues and powers, as a facet of the Almighty Lord. The glory of Lord Shiva is sung in the Shiva Purana, in the Yajur Veda Rudra Adhyaya, as I mentioned, and in the Mahabharata. You will be wonderstruck at the force with which Vyasa and other sages sing the glories of God - of Vishnu, of Narayana, of Lord Shiva, of Devi in the various Puranas and epics - because these masterpieces have been written by those who had the vision of God. Only one who has the vision of God can express with a soulful force. Otherwise, it will be an empty sound without much significance and thought. So, chant the Mantra ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ as many times as possible every day, mentally or even verbally as is convenient, with self control - which means to say, without any thought of sense-object. If you chant the Mantra together with the thought of sense-objects, then there is divided devotion. It is like dividing the course of a river in two different directions so that the force of the water gets lessened. Suppose you have five sense-objects, and towards all of them your senses are running, and you are thinking of God also at the same time - then energy is divided, concentration

becomes weak and meditation is not successful. No meditation will become successful if the senses are active, because the senses oppose the effort at meditation. While meditation is the collective force of the mind concentrating itself on God-consciousness, the senses, when they are active, do the opposite of meditation and you become a tremendous extrovert. You are connected to the objects of sense rather than the universal concept which is God. God is unity, whereas sense objects are multiplicity. They are the opposite of what you are aiming at in your spiritual life.

With moderate behavior in every manner in your spiritual life, you will attain success. As the Bhagavad-Gita beautifully puts it, “Moderate in your eating, moderate in your activity, moderate in your speech, moderate in your sleep” - form the golden mean, the via-media, the golden path. God is the harmony of all powers in the universe. Harmony means the middle course - neither this extreme nor that extreme. You cannot say whether it is or it is not. We do not know what it is. As Buddha said, “’Nothing is’, is one extreme; ‘everything is’, is another extreme. God is in the middle. Truth is in the middle.” So, the middle path is the best path, which is the path of austerity with understanding. This is the characteristic of the middle path. When there is understanding without austerity, it is useless. When there is austerity without understanding that is also useless. There must be austerity with understanding and understanding with austerity, knowledge with self-control and self-control with knowledge; that is wisdom. Knowledge with self-control is called wisdom, whereas knowledge without self-control is mere dry intellectuality. That is of no use. And austerity without understanding is a kind of foolishness. It will have no proper result.

Lord Shiva is not merely an austere Being but also a repository of Knowledge. All worshippers of knowledge also worship Lord Shiva, as He is the God of all students, scholars and seekers of wisdom and knowledge. Thus, MahaShivaratri day is a very blessed divine opportunity for us. So on this day, pray to Lord Shiva with all your heart, with all your

soul, fully trusting on the might of God, wanting nothing from the objects of sense, and delighted within that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. God is bound to come. The powers of the cosmos are everywhere and they can be invoked at any time by us, provided we are strong enough in our will and in the method of invocation. We are blessed because we live in the Kingdom of God. We are blessed because we are seekers of Truth. We are blessed because we are disciples of a great Master. We are blessed, for multiple times because we are seeking God who also seeks everything in this creation. God seeks the world and the

world seeks God. This is the mystery of creation, the subtlety of the spiritual path and the glory of the meditative life. Jnana and Vairagya combined is Lord Shiva, who is worshipped on MahaShivaratri day.

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Lord Shiva is easily pleased. He is called Asu Santhoshi. Asu Santhoshi means ‘easily pleased’. He is not a difficult Person. You can quickly please Lord Shiva. If you call Him, He will come. Sometimes He is also called ‘Bhole Baba’ - a very simple, not complicated Person. He comes to help you, even unasked. He helped the Pandavas. The Pandava brothers were in war with the Kauravas in the Mahabharata battle, and Lord Shiva helped them without their knowing that the help was being offered. Lord Shiva helped the Pandavas invisibly and why would He not help us? He helps all those

who tread the righteous path. So let us tread the path of righteousness and be recipients of Divine Grace.

We may look at the whole thing from another angle of vision. The Sanskrit word “Shivaratri” means “the night of Lord Shiva”. On this holy day we have to fast

during the day and keep vigil during the night. You may be wondering why Lord Shiva is connected with the night and not with the day - otherwise we could observe vigil during daytime and fast during the night. Instead of that, why has the whole thing been put topsy-turvy? Shiva being connected with night has a highly spiritual and mystical connotation. It is not that divinity as manifest in the form of Lord Shiva has any special connection with the period we call night. If you study deeply the Upanishads and such mystical texts of high spiritual significance, you will realize that the Supreme Being, the Absolute, is designated in its primordial condition as a Supreme Darkness due to excess of light. This adjective or qualification “due to excess of light” must be added. It is darkness because of the excess of light. When you look at the sun directly for a few minutes and then look elsewhere, you will see only darkness. The sun has dazzled you to such an extent that all else appears as darkness. It is said in the Mahabharata that when Lord Sri Krishna showed the Cosmic Form in the court of the Kauravas, everything was dark, as it were. The intensity of the light was such that it looked like darkness to the eyes of man. In one of the famous creation-hymns of the Rig-Veda we have a similar reference made to the original condition of creation. There is the hymn of the Veda called the Nasadiya Sukta, wherein it is said, “Tama asit tamasa gudhamagre”: Darkness there was; at first concealed in darkness. According to us, light is perception of objects, and therefore non-perception of objects is regarded by us as night, because knowledge or consciousness unrelated to the perceptual process is unknown to the human mind.

Generally, to know is to know an object; and if it is not to know an object, it is not to know anything at all. For example, take the state of deep sleep. Why do we fall asleep? Do you know the reason? What is the cause for our going to sleep every night? Where is the necessity? The necessity is psychological and, to some extent, highly metaphysical. The senses cannot always continue perceiving objects, because perception is a fatiguing process. The whole body, the whole nervous system, the entire psychological apparatus becomes active in the process

of the perception of objects. Without our knowing what is happening, the senses get tired. They cannot go on contemplating things all twenty-four hours of the day. Why should they not be contemplating objects of sense throughout the day, all twenty-four hours of the day? The reason is that perception is an unnatural process from the point of view of consciousness as such. Perception of an object is the alienation of an aspect of our personality through the avenue of a particular sense in respect of its object. All this is difficult for many to grasp. This is a highly psychological secret. Consciousness is indivisible. This is a simple fact. Many of you would have heard about it. Consciousness is undivided; it is incapable of division into parts. So it cannot be cut into two sections - subject and object. On the basis of this fact there cannot be a division between the seer and the seen in the process of perception. To make this clear, let us see what happens in dream.

In dream we see objects like mountains, rivers, persons, etc. But they are not there. Things which are not there become visible in dream. Now, did the mountain you saw in dream exist? It did not. But did you see it? Yes, you saw it. How did you see, when it was not there? Is it possible to see a non-existent object? How can non-existent things be seen? It is contradictory statement to say that non-existent things can be seen. What do you see when things are not there? You will be wonderstruck! What happens in dream is that there is an alienation of the mind into the objects of perception; and the mind itself becomes the mountain there. There is tension created due to the separation of a part of the mind into the object and a part of it existing as the perceiving subject. That is why we are restless in dream. We cannot be happy. It is neither waking nor it is sleep. It is very difficult to be happy in this condition because a tense situation of consciousness is created. What happened in dream, the same happens to us in the waking condition also. Just as the mind in dream divided itself into two sections - the perceiving subject and the object that was seen - in the waking state also, it divides itself into the subject and object. It is like a divided personality. It is as if your own personality has been cut into two halves,

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of which one half is the ‘seer’ and the other half is the ‘seen’. It is as if one part of your personality gazes at another part of your own personality. You are looking at your own self as if you are a different person. You are objectifying yourself; you alienate yourself. What can be more false and undesirable than this situation? It is a mental sickness.

Now you are able to understand this situation in dream on account of the comparison that you make between waking and dream. When you wake up, you do not see the dreamt objects, and then you begin to analyze the condition in which you were when you were dreaming. You say when you are awake, that you are in a world of reality, whereas in dream you were in a world of unreality. How do you know that the world of dream was a world of unreality? It is merely because you compare it with the waking condition which you consider as real. How do you know that the world of waking is real? You cannot say anything about this, because there is nothing with which you can compare it, as you did in the case of the dream. If you can know another standard of reference, higher than the waking condition, you would have been able to make a judgment of it - whether the waking condition is real or unreal, good or bad and so on. When you are dreaming, you do not know that the objects are unreal. You consider them as real and you take it for granted. The comparison between the dream and the waking world is responsible for our

judgment of the unreality of the dream world. But with what will you compare the waking world? There is at present nothing to compare it with, and therefore you are in a condition which is self-sufficient, self-complacent and incapable of rectification.

When you feel that you are perfectly right, nobody can teach you. Nobody can set you right, because you think that you are right. The question of teaching arises only when you feel that you are ignorant and you need teaching. The waking world is only an indication as to what could be happening or what is perhaps happening. You cannot know what is happening actually, unless you transcend this condition, which you have not done yet. But, by the conclusion that you can draw from an analysis of the dream condition, you can conclude to some extent that in the waking state also you are in a fool’s paradise. What is the guarantee that you will not wake up again from this waking world, into something else? Just as in dream you did not know that you were dreaming, in this waking also you do not know that you are in a state similar to dream. You think that this world in waking is a hard fact and a solid reality, just as you believed the world of dream also to be real. To the senses an absence of perception is equal to darkness - the darkness that we experience in deep sleep.

Let us come back to the subject of Shivaratri, the night of Lord Shiva. When you perceive an object, you call it

waking. When you do not perceive it, it is darkness. Now in the waking condition - the so-called waking world - you see present before you a world of objects, as you are intelligent. In dream also there is a sort of intelligence. But in deep sleep there is no intelligence. What happens? The senses and the intellect withdraw themselves into their source. There is no perceptional activity, and so the absence of perception is equated to the presence of darkness. The cosmic ancient condition of the creative will of God, before creation - a state appearing like darkness, or night - is what we call the condition of Shiva. It is very important to remember that the state of Lord Shiva is the primordial condition of the creative will of God, where there is no externality of perception, there being nothing outside God; and so, for us, it is like darkness or night. It is Lord Shiva’s night - Shivaratri. For Him it is not night. It is all light. Lord Shiva is not sitting in darkness. The Creative Will of God is Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence - all combined. Sometimes we designate this condition as Isvara.

The Supreme Absolute, which is indeterminable, when it is associated with the Creative Will with a tendency to create the Cosmos, is Isvara in Vedantic parlance and Lord Shiva in Puranic terminology. This is the very precise condition described in the Nasadiya Sukta of the Veda as Tamas or darkness. This is, to repeat again, darkness due to the excess of the Light of the divine Absolute. If you look at God, what will you see? You will see nothing. The eyes cannot see Him because He is such dazzling light. When the frequency of light gets intensified to a very high level, light will not be seen by the eyes. When the frequency is lowered and comes down to the level of the structure of the retina of the eye, only then you can see light. There are various kinds of lights, various intensities or frequencies, and the higher frequencies are incapable of cognizance by the senses on account of their structural deformity. So if you see God, you will see nothing.

As a matter of fact, we are seeing God even now. But we are not able to recognize Him. The world that we see before us is God Himself. There is no such thing as the world. The world does not exist. It is

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only a name that we have given to the Supreme Being. Who asked you to call it a world? Why do you give such a name? You yourself have given it a name and say, “Oh, this is the world!” You can call it by another name. You are free to give any name to it. Really there is no such thing as a world. It does not exist. The world is only a name that you give to a distortion created in the perception of your consciousness due to its isolation into the subject and the object.

To come back to the analogy of dream again, the mountain that you saw in dream was not a mountain; it was only consciousness. There was no mountain. But it looked like a hard something in front of you, against which you could hit your dream head. You see buildings in dream. It was consciousness that projected itself into the hard substance of bricks and buildings, mountains and rivers, persons and animals, etc., in dream. The world of dream does not exist. You know it very well, and yet it appears. What is it that appears? The consciousness itself projects itself outwardly; in space and time created by itself, and then you call it a world. Likewise, in the waking state also the Cosmic Consciousness has projected itself into this world. The world is Cosmic Consciousness. The Supreme Divinity Himself is revealed here in the form of this world. As the dream world is nothing but consciousness, the waking world also is nothing but consciousness, God. This is the essence of the whole matter. So you are seeing God. I am right in saying that. What you see in front of you is God only. It is not a building. There is no such thing as a building. But you call it a building due to an error of perception, due to ignorance and due to not being able to analyze the situation in which you are involved. We are caught up in a mess, in a paradox, in confusion; and the confusion has entered us, entered into the bones, as it were, into the very fiber of our being and made us the fools that we are today. It is to awaken ourselves from this ignorance and to come to a state of that supreme blessedness of the recognition of God in this very world, that we practice Sadhana. The highest of Sadhanas is meditation on God.

On Maha Shivaratri, therefore, you are supposed to contemplate God as the creator of the world, as the Supreme Being unknown to the Creative Will, in that primordial condition of non-objectivity which is the darkness of Lord Shiva. In the Bhagavad-Gita there is a similar verse which has some sort of a resemblance to this situation. That, which is night to the ignorant, is day to the wise; and that which is day to the wise, is night to the ignorant. The ignorant feel the world as daylight and a brightly illumined objective something; and that does not exist for a wise person. The wise see God in all His effulgence; and that does not exist for the ignorant. While the wise see God, the ignorant do not see Him; and while the ignorant see the world, the wise do not see it. That is the meaning of this verse in the second chapter of the Gita. When we see sunlight, the owl does not see it. That is the difference. The owl cannot see the sun, but we can. So, we are owls, because we do not see the self-effulgent sun - the Pure Consciousness. And he who sees this sun - the Pure Consciousness, God - is the sage, the illumined adept in Yoga.MahaShivaratri is a blessed occasion for all to practice self-restraint, self-control, contemplation, Svadhyaya, Japa and

meditation, as much as possible within our capacity. We have the whole of the night at our disposal. We can do Japa or we can do the chanting of the Mantra, “Om Namah Shivaya”. We can also meditate. It is a period of Sadhana. Functions like MahaShivaratri, R a m a n a v a m i , J a n m a s h t a m i , Navaratri and many like these are not functions in the sense of festoons a n d celebrations for the s a t i s f a c t i o n of the human mind and soul. They are functions of the Spirit; they are celebrations of the Spirit. In as much as we are unable to think of God throughout the day, for all the 365 days of the year, such occasions is created so that at least periodically we may recall to our memory our original destiny, our Divine Abode. The glory of God is displayed before us in the form of these spiritual occasions. Let us chant “Om Namashivaya” and get the complete blessings of Lord Shiva for a comfortable life.

Om Nama Shivaya!! Om Nama Shivaya!! Om Nama Shivaya!!

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by Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar(Swamiji’s speech on March 2010 in one of the Satsang/ Discourse)I take it that this is a spiritual group. Am I right? It is a spiritual group. Am I right or not? Here is the essential point. Nowadays, anything and everything goes by the name of spirituality, but it is a great secret, which always escapes the notice of even a careful attentive mind.

When you go anywhere, you carry your belongings, your luggage, and your property for the itinerary. These are the visible accompaniments of your travel, but there are certain things which follow you wherever you go, and they follow without you knowing that you are being pursued by them. These things which invariably are associated with you, day in and day out, right from your birth till the end of life, are those things about which you know nothing, and which you never think in your mind at any time. What are these?

When you move, you carry with you all those things which are vitally connected with you. That which does anything, or moves from place to place, is the person that moves. Now, the person is not the physical body that moves. Your mental structure is what you really are. You carry memories, for instance. Memories are not characteristics of the body. You have loves and hatreds, fears and anxieties, expectations, and many other characteristics which go with you wherever you go. You cannot throw your sorrow somewhere into the jungle, and then go on a travel. The sorrow will pursue you, and your joys also will come with you.There is what is known as environment, very much emphasised these days by environmentalists. You carry with you, wherever you go, the environment in which you are placed. Like a shirt that you put on, the environment always comes with you, and you must know what that environment is.

As an individual, as a person that you are, you are a conglomeration of feelings, determinations, and decisions. Every person is a psychological entity. Sometimes we look like psychophysical individuals, inasmuch as the body cannot totally be dissociated from the operations of the mind. But, truly speaking, our fortune is not in the conditions of the body; it is in the conditions of our mind.

You not only belong to your own self, but you belong to a large area of human society. It is not possible for any individual to totally dissociate oneself from social associations or social conditions. You know very well how much dependent anyone is on the structure of human society. No individual is complete by one’s own self. There are things which you can give to others, which others lack and do not have; but there are things which you would like to take from others, which you lack but others have.

Farmers produce wheat, rice, and sugarcane, and shopkeepers

move the commodity from place to place for distributing it in the proper manner. Some produce things; some consume things. There is a mutual agreement and understanding between the process of production and consumption, which is one of the characteristics of human society. You cannot yourself till the land, grow harvest, and carry wheat bags with you; and your own self must cook and eat. You require associations from outside.Not only that, apart from these visible characteristics of social relation, there are unavoidable relations which we maintain; namely, we feel within ourselves that we cannot exist unless we belong to society. We form, generally, small societies for the sake of our security, like family. Family is also a society. It may be of two or three persons. The cooperative coming together of these three or four persons called the family gives security to this group. The family is secure. A single person, totally independent, sitting in the wilderness, cannot feel that one is secure, because the winds of society will blow over the head in any manner.

But even a family cannot be secure unless it has the sanction of protection from a wider atmosphere, which is a larger society. You may call it the nation, or the country. The whole country and the national law protects you, takes care of you. The family cannot be secure if the nation is in danger. Even a nation is not fully secure if the international setup is not well balanced. Nowadays, the world situation affects even little families. The whole world has become one family now, so social associations extend up to the farthest corner of the earth, though we do not think deeply along these lines. None of us feels the necessity to think that we are existing here comfortably because of stable international relations. Theoretically, we may accept this fact, but we do not think that it is essential for us to go on worrying about this. How is it that we take this for granted? A tumult in international relations, which may be of great consequence, will affect every individual in the whole world, and how it will affect us is up to anyone to think for oneself.

The whole world is with you, and you carry it with you wherever you go. Wherever you go, you are in human society. Wherever you go, you are conditioned by these unavoidable associations with the external setup of social relation, even up to the limit of the United Nations. You have a vital connection with the United Nations. You may say, “What connection have I got? I am a simple individual sitting here. Let them do what they like.” No, it is not like that. “Let them do what they like” is not correct, because if they do anything which is untoward, this may affect the whole ground of the earth, and as a wise person, you know what it is all about.

This is to say, you carry social relations wherever you go, up to the farthest limit of possibility, and you cannot ignore your obligation to society, inasmuch as the society is also giving you a helping hand in seeing to it that you are safe. Society supplies what your needs are. It gives security in the form of a government, and it produces commodities which you require. The foodstuffs, the

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clothing, and other facilities that you need come from sources which are outside the physical periphery of your personality.

You are a world individual in one sense. You are not a citizen of one place; you are a citizen of the whole world, if you think over this matter carefully. You belong to the whole world, and the world, in its gesture of goodwill and cooperation, has embraced you and taken you into its bosom. If that had not been the case, you would not have been here breathing the fresh air comfortably. You would be disturbed every moment about what is going to happen outside. You feel that everything is all right; nothing will happen, because of the stability of human society throughout the world. These associations which are inscrutable in their nature and not visible to the physical eye, always escaping the notice of even the greatest power of introspection, do exist.

So, the first thing to remember is that you are a social unit, apart from being a citizen of a particular country. Your belonging to the worldwide organisation of society is a more consequential relation than your belonging to a single country which gives you a passport or a visa. Human society is larger than a country and a particular nation, and that is with you wherever you go.

But, does anybody think like this? “I am a carefree individual. What does it matter? I go wherever I like.” You cannot go like that. You cannot go wherever you like. You can go only on the surface of the earth, in the midst of society. This is possible only if the air that is outside, the atmosphere external to you, is cooperative and friendly. You cannot even walk on the road unless the atmosphere of the road is cooperative. Suppose there is fear on the road; then, you cannot walk on the road. But you know that everything is all right. You can walk from here to Delhi without any kind of anxiety because society is so well knit together in a cooperative gesture of indivisibility. You are safe. Socially, you are safe because of the mutual cooperation.

So, in this context you will realise that selfishness is rooted out completely. No person can be selfish. “I mind my business, you mind your business.” This kind of thing will not work in this world. You have no business of your own, even as nobody else has a business of his or her own. It is a total business of a world family, to which we belong.

This is to tell you one aspect of that which you carry with you wherever you go. This is also a commodity that you carry - your social relations. But there is another thing which is deeper than this - namely, you carry your relationship with the whole of nature. Nature includes anything and everything that this physical world is. This very earth supports you. I mentioned society supports you. Now I am telling you the earth is supporting you. There are five constitutive elements in physical nature - earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Ether or space gives us accommodation. What we call accommodation is nothing but availability of space, and that space is everywhere. You do not like a narrow, congested little area of space for you to exist; you would like to have a wide area.

The physical body cannot continue to live unless it is fed with the elements produced by the earth which you call diet - food, for instance. The food that is necessary to maintain this body comes from the production of essences of the earth itself. The

physical body is made up of earth principle, so it requires to be plastered every day by that which comes from the earth. The earth is supporting itself. The body is a part of the physical earth, and it cannot continue independently without a relationship with the vast earth.

We require water to drink. Suppose there is no water; what will happen? We do not manufacture water. Even food we cannot manufacture, as we think it is. The earth has to permit the growth of foodstuff. It simply can withdraw its essences and there can be drought and dryness everywhere. The sun can heat up the whole earth, and there would be no food to eat, and no water to drink. The elements are our friends.

We said human beings are our friends; all right, agreed. Now we come to another thing: the elements are our friends. The earth can shake, simply; but it does not shake. Why should it not? It can simply blow up the ground if it wants, and what happens at that time? We call it an earthquake. We are sure that the earth, the dear mother of ours, on whose bosom we are sitting and walking, will not do such a thing. We have a faith that the earth underground will not break today. This is a faith, without any reason behind it. Faith has no reason. Why should such a faith be there, that the earth will not break? But we have faith: “No, no. It will not take place. The sun will rise every day.” Why should the sun rise every day? Have we any control over that phenomenon? Let the sun not rise for a day and see what happens. All life will perish with cold.

You do not have to manufacture fresh air. Are you paying tax for the air that you get from outside? It is a gesture of God. Let there be no air. Can you manufacture air by any amount of money that you have? The earth gives you free food. Water is given to you freely; air is given you freely. Sunlight is free. What a wonder! All essentials are coming to you freely. What is man-made has to be purchased by a recompense of payment, but what God has made comes to you totally free. Suppose you have to pay a tax for the air that you breathe, or sunlight. What will happen? This is the bounty of nature.

In the same way as we have to be perpetually aligned to the requirement of the international social setup, we have also to be perpetually in harmony with natural conditions. We cannot violate the laws of nature. You must know, as educated persons, what the laws of nature are. You cannot insult nature in any way. You cannot spit at the sun and condemn air, or criticise water, or hate fire. No, you should not say like that. They are divinities. God operates not only in the form of an indivisible social setup for the sustenance of our life; He also operates as nature. Philosophers tell us that the world is the body of God. When God created the world, He did not create human beings first. He created the elements only. Read the bible, the Upanishads, or the Gita. Whatever you read, you will find that man and woman were not created first; they are latecomers. These latecomers are now becoming so proud that they think they are the masters of the whole creation. This is a very great tragedy.

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Visitor: What is Shakti? How does it work?

Swamiji: What is Shakti? Which Shakti? First of all you tell me what you mean by Shakti?

Visitor: Well, Shakti like creature power; Shakti like the Divine Mother.

Swamiji: It works everywhere and in everything, and everything is its manifestation. It is cosmic energy. And everything is constituted of that. Do you know what the latest modern scientific discoveries say? They say that every material object - looking apparently material - is nothing but a formation of cosmic energy. Everything including, your own body, is made up of that one energy, Shakti - which means energy, power, force, etc. It is the stuff of everything, right from earth to heaven. There is nothing else except that. And the more you are able to participate in its working, the more strength you derive. Shakti is not merely physical; it is also psychological, and even spiritual. But you must know how to participate in its working. That means you have to transcend your ego and also, to some extent, your personality and your individuality. Because the cosmic substance is all-pervading, it is not affiliated to some particular individual. So to participate in the universal substance

means to get over the limitations of personality - that is, to transcend it. What else do you want to know? What is your question?

Visitor: Is the Shakti connected with the feminine quality?

Swamiji: No, no! It is not connected with any quality, because it has no such distinction as masculine or feminine. It is a universal, impersonal force. It may split itself into various shapes, into not only into feminine and masculine but also into matter - the animate and the inanimate, etc. This is an issue of animate and inanimate. Even that is the creation of the ways of human perception. It has no such distinctions in itself , but it looks as if there is distinction when you look at it from your point of view. It is not male or female; it is impersonal. It is androgynous. Do you know what androgynous means?

Visitor: Yes!

Swamiji: It is that.

Visitor: It works also in the individuality.

Swamiji: It works also in the individuality; it works everywhere. In every atom of the world, it is working. It alone exists through all that appears as substances. But it looks to your empirical perception

as if it is divided, whereas it is cosmically integrated.

Visitor: There are such things as positive and negative forces. Can the male and female be regarded as such?

Swamiji: This would be a very gross and crude form of expressing the two forces, positive and negative. These two forces of electricity, for instance, are not called feminine and masculine. That is a very peculiar human way of looking at things. They are two electric couplings - neutral forces. One becomes complete by combination with the other. They appear to be different on account of the manifestation of the space-time causal relationship. There are further distinctions, such as male-female, positive-negative, etc. But in what people nowadays call the fourth dimension, there is no such distinction of positivity and negativity. The split of positive and negative, male and female, arises after space and time have been divided. So what you say in this context is correct. But everything is contained in the fourth dimension, and the uniformity of the continuum in its essentiality has no division within itself. There’s a difference between the head and the legs, for instance. You have a head and you have legs. Though you can’t say either that one is the same as the other, you don’t feel the difference. You feel it is one whole, one living mass or personality extending from head to foot. You don’t see the distinction from one part to another part of the body. Likewise, the energy does not see the difference that the mind sees. It is one mass, in which everything is comprehended: Pure Awareness.

Visitor: Then why are we not aware of this?

Swamiji: We are not aware of this because we are cut off from the source. This is what is called the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.

Visitor: What is the meaning of yoga, please?

SHAKTI AND ITS YOGA

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Swamiji: The meaning is the realization of the mistaken notion of the isolation of the individual from the cosmic, your feeling that you are cut off from the world. You feel that you are outside things, isn’t it? There are so many things like the sun, the moon, the stars, etc., and you feel they aren’t connected with you. But it is not true; you are connected with them. The solar rays and the cosmic rays constitute the substance of your body itself. But you feel that you aren’t connected. This is your mistake. Your mind is not so made as to appreciate the connection of your existence with other things. This is the inability of the mind to think correctly. That is your problem. And the practice of yoga is nothing but a gradual process of self-identification with the different levels of reality, until gradually you identify yourself with that to which you originally belonged. It is a great art, a tremendous, life-long process - life-long, not a question of a few days and months. And you exist only for this purpose, and have no other duty in life. Every other duty is only for this purpose. What can you do in this world is a step in the achievement of this purpose.

Visitor: So yoga is connecting the individual reality with the Cosmic Reality?

Swamiji: Yes, yes; right, right!

Visitor: Have you to use the mind too . . . . Swamiji: In the beginning, you’ve to use nothing else; you have no other faculty. In the beginning, the only faculty you have is the mind and the intellect. But later on, there is no need for you to use the mind and intellect; the soul itself will act. Your soul is your total personality. It is not working always. Generally only a partial part of your total personality works.

Visitor: It is the individuality that works.

Swamiji: Yes. Personality is the outward expression of your individuality. Your individuality is superior. The feeling that you exist as a person or individuality does not work for all times. Either the intellect works, or the emotions work, etc., but the soul does not work. The whole intellect works, the emotions work, the will works, but the soul very rarely acts. Visitor: Is it because the intellect and the mind are very much conditioned?

Swamiji: They are very much conditioned, and they are not going to be of help at all times. But when you have nothing else, you have naturally to take their help for the time being. When you have no apparatus to rely upon, you have only the mind and the intellect, you have to take their help.

Visitor: What about feeling? Is it conditionless?

Swamiji: It is equally conditioned, as much as the intellect and the mind. It is no less conditioned. Your whole vision of things is conditioned in a particular manner by space and time. As I mentioned to you, you cannot get over this conditioning. But the intellect will help you finally in knowing its own limitations. That is, when you know your own limitations, you have

automatically outgrown your limitations. When you know, you can go up higher and further to this level, and you have to some extent known what is above you. When you know the limit of a thing, you also have an idea of what is outside that limit. So when your intellect has reached its farther limits of logic and understanding, you would get a flash from the higher level. And then the soul acts and the intellect stops.

Visitor: What happens to your own personality afterwards?

Swamiji: It all just goes afterwards. It will not exist then. You will become something different. You will become a larger personality and not an individual personality. You become inclusive of all other factors in you. That is what is called a superman. You must have heard of superbeings. A superman is nothing but a higher being in whose personality the existence of the other personality is subsumed. He is a larger individuality with greater dimensions, tending towards a still higher realisation, stage by stage.

Visitor: What is the difference between Jnana Shakti and Kundalini Shakti?

Swamiji: Kundalini Shakti is everything. Jnana Shakti is knowledge. Jnana is a Sanskrit word; the power of knowledge is Jnana Shakti. Kundalini Shakti includes the power of understanding, of feeling, the power of action. It is every kind of Shakti, action, volition, feeling- all these are comprehended within it.

Visitor: Is it included in the practice of yoga? Can we use this term?

Swamiji: Yes ! Kundalini Shakti is included in yoga. All types of energy are included therein, and it is inclusive of everything.

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(Devayani was the beautiful daughter of Shukracahrya, preceptor to the Asuras, the demons. Shukracharya knew the secret of Mritasanjivani that brings back to life the Asuras, killed in the war with the gods, the devas. The devas also wanted to know the secret of Mritasanjibani. So they sent Kacha, the handsome son of Brihaspati, preceptor to the Devas, to fall in love with Devayani. This is the story of Kacha and Devayani and how the devas learnt the secret of Mritasanjivani.).

Long ago, the Devas and the Asuras fought all the time for the lordship of the three worlds. The Asuras were care free and happy as long as Shukracharya, their preceptor, was with them. The valiant Devas, tired of the unequal struggle, went to Kach, the handsome son of Brihaspati, preceptor of the Devas and asked him to go to Shukracharya and learn the secret of Mritasanjivani. The obedient and dutiful Kacha immediately set out to meet Shukracharya. He humbly presented himself before the great wise man, introduced himself as the son of Brihaspati, and asked to become his disciple.

Shukracharya was a true teacher. He immediately recognized Kacha’s brilliance as a student. Shukracharya did not differentiate between his students. He gave Kacha a warm welcome and accepted him as his pupil.

Shukracharya had a daugher, Devayani, whom he loved dearly. He introduced Kacha to his daughter saying, “Kacha has vowed to be my pupil till the period of his studies is over.” All learning in those days was handed down by word of mouth. The pupil lived with his guru’s family as one of the household. In return for his education, the pupil served his guru with love and devotion. However, Shukracharya was very busy either at court or he was deep in meditation. So Kacha helped Devayani with her daily chores and watched after her.

Within a few days of his arrival, Kacha found himself spending all his leisure hours in the company of the lively Devayani. Devayani was slowly drawn towards Kacha and they fell in love. Shukracharya liked Kacha because he was an attentive disciple. As the years passed, the Asuras became suspicious of Kacha. They wanted to get rid of him. One day as Kacha was attending Shukracharya’s cattle, the Asuras fell upon him and slew him. Then they cut him into pieces and fed his flesh to their dogs. When Kacha did not come home at the normal hour, Devayani became alarmed. When the cattle came back without Kacha she ran in a panic to her father and told him that Kacha was missing. Shukracharya closed his eyes and to the great relief of Devayani, Kacha came back to life and appeared before her. When Devayani inquired about his disappearance, Kacha tried to explain in a puzzled voice, “I was killed by the Asuras but I do not know how I came back to life?” Shukracharya just smiled.

The love between Kacha and Devayani grew day by day. The Asuras were worried. They guessed right, Kacha was there to learn the secret of Mritasanjivani. One day Devayani asked Kacha to get her a particular flower that only grows in the deep forest. Kacha went for it. The Asuras followed him and once again killed him. But this time they carried his body to a secluded spot, grounded up into a paste, and dissolved it in the water of the ocean. Devayani waited and waited. When Kacha did not return she went again to her father. Shukracharya meditated and once again used the secret knowledge to revive Kacha. Devayani was overjoyed. The Asuras were now at their wits end. “How can we kill Kacha? Every time we kill him, his guru brings him to life!”

They went to one of the senior Asuras and asked him how to destroy Kacha for good. The senior Asura gave them an idea. The next day, when Kacha went out with the cattle, they again slew him. This time then burnt him in the jungle. Then they took

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the ashes home and mixed it in a wine which Shukracharya was very fond of. They took the drink to Shukracharya for a taste. Shukracharya loved it. He immediately drank it and blessed the Asuras. When the cattle once again returned home without Kacha Devajani knew what had happened. “Will Kacha ever be mine?” she asked herself “The Asuras will never leave him alone!” She went to Shukracharya and wept. “Father, without Kacha I am as good as dead, please bring him back to life.”

Shukracharya waited for a while thinking. “It is no good to bring Kacha to life. The Asuras will only kill him again.” He tried to console his daughter, “It is futile Devajani to bring Kacha to life. The Asuras are determined to get rid of him. A wise soul, like you, should not grieve at a loved one’s death. You are young and beautiful and you have your own life to live.” But Devayani was adamant. So strong was her love for Kacha.

“ Father” she said, “Kacha was your best student. I am in love with him. I can not live without him.” Devayani stopped eating. Shukracharya could no longer bear to see his daughter in such agony. Again Shukracharya used his secret knowledge and called upon Kacha to come back to the world of the living. Kacha came back to life and spoke from inside the stomach of Shukracharya. “The Asuras killed me but I do not know how I happen to be inside your stomach?” echoed Kach.

Shukracharya cursed himself for drinking the wine given by the Asuras. “Henceforth, wine shall be forbidden for those engaged in the pursuit of wisdom,” declared Shukracharya in great frustration. Now Shukracharya had a real dilemma of his own. He could ask Kacha to come out but that would mean his own death. When he told Devayani of his dilemma she was again adamant, “Father, I can not live if either of you dies.”

After long deliberation Shukracharya thought of a way out. He knew now the real purpose of Kacha’s visit. He addressed Kacha, “I now see why you came and truly you have succeeded. There is only one way by which both of us can ensure Devayani’s happiness. I will have to teach you the craft of Mritasanjivani. With his new knowledge Kacha emerged from Shukracharya’s dying body and then immediately brought his guru back to life.

Shukracharya could not have been happier with his pupil’s progress.

When the Asuras came to offer him wine, Shukracharya shouted, “You fools! Kacha now knows my secret. You helped him learn by your foolish deeds. But rest assured Kacha will continue to live with me because of his love for Devayani. But Shukracharya was wrong. Kacha too faced the troubling dilemma. Waiting for the period of his studies to come to an end, Kacha kept silent. While his love for Devayani was deep, his sense of duty towards the devas was no less strong. On the last the day of his studies, Kacha went to Shukracharya for his blessing. As a wise man and a dedicated teacher, Shukracharya concealed his grudge against Kacha but he was wondering how Kacha was going to bid farewell to Devayani.

Devayani waited for Kacha to propose marriage. But when Kacha broke the heart-breaking news that he was going to fulfill his obligations to his own people, her joy turned to tears. Devayani pleaded with Kacha to take her as his wife. But Kacha replied, “Peerless one! I was reborn in your father’s stomach. I am therefore your brother. I can’t marry you. I must return to heaven.” The broken-hearted Devayani cried out in her grief. She accused Kacha of using her to attain his goal. Distort she cursed Kacha, “You will never be able to use the craft of Mritasanjivani.” Kacha quietly listened and then spoke, “Devayani, it is wrong to curse me. I could have walked away without reviving your father. There is no doubt that my love was sincere and truthful. But, I also have a duty to perform towards my own people. Because of your unfairness to me, I am cursing you. No Rishi’s son will ever marry you. I may still teach the craft of Mritasanjivani to others, even though I may not be able to use it myself.” Saying this Kacha departed for the abode of Indra, king of the Devas. Shukhacharya gently led Devayani away.

With the passage of time, Devayani completely forgot about Kacha. She once again became playful and lived happily with her father and her playmates in the city of Vrishaparva, king of the Asuras. Of her playmates, the most important was princess Sharmistha, the daughter of king Vrishaparva. Even though Kach and Devyani were not married, the purity of love between them is worshipped till today.

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What is a big ant???

A Giant

Computer ErrorA man’s computer won’t turn on so he calls a computer maintenance man to come over and try to fix the problem. After looking around the maintenance man says, “I have figured out the problem.” as he plugged the computer plug in to the wall. “There has been an I.D.10-T error.” “I.D.10-T?” said the confused man. “Don’t you know what that means?” asked the maintenance man and after a moment of hesitation he continued, “Write it down on a paper and you might understand.” He tipped his hat and was on his way. Meanwhile the man was retrieving a pen and a paper. The man wrote the letters and numbers and took a look....... The paper said ID10T

Where do cool mice live?In mouse pads.

Where do computers go to dance? The disk-o

Black CatThere was a man driving along a long road. He was in the only car around for miles. Suddenly a black cat jumped out in front of him! There was no moonlight, his headlights were off and there were no street lights.How did the driver see the Black Cat in time?Because it was daytime!!

What do you call a dog with no legs?It doesn’t matter because he will not come anyways!

Why did the child eat his homework?Because it was a piece of cake

Did you hear the one about the girl and the boy who kissed on the fog??They mist

What’s the best way to see a flying saucer?Trip a waiter (but watch out).

Why did the crab get arrested?Because he was always pinching things

David BeckhamDavid Beckham went to the hairdressers to get his hair cut into a new style. He went in, took off his jacket and sat down. The hairdresser came over to start on his new cut. But he couldn’t do it as David had his headphones on.

He said: “David, you’ll need to take your headphones off so I can cut your hair.” And David Beckham said: “But I can’t take them off- if I do I will die” “Nonsense” said the hairdresser and forced them off his head.

Within seconds, David slumped down his chair, dead. The hairdresser bent down and listened in the headphones. Playing was the same two phrases over and over again.............. “Breathe in.........Breathe out..........Breathe in..........Breathe out”

jokes corner

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There are number of Indian women who have surmounted their difficulties and problems. Government of India and other organizations have installed awards in recognition of such women who are known as Women Achievers of India. I am sharing with you their life sketches here which should inspire and motivate young I-Lites who are in despair with problems. Government of India, at the instance of Shrimati Sumitra Mahajan, Minister of State of Women and Child Development, has decided to recognize and honor the services of such women who have made outstanding contributions in the life of the nation. This will encourage them further to carry on their work, and to motivate and inspire hundreds of such voluntary women workers throughout the country. Five National Awards, to be known as Stree Shakti Puraskars, were instituted in 1999, in the name of five illustrious daughters of India - Kannagi, Mata Jijabai, Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi and Rani Gaindiliu. Each award shall be presented annually and shall carry a cash prize of rupees one lakh and a citation in scroll. The awards shall be given every year for outstanding contributions made by five women. In this issue we will see about some of the women celebrities, who are considered as the top most of the Indian women.

1. Mrs. Chinnapillai

It is matter of great pride for all Maduraiites and Tamils when the then Prime Minister of India Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he visited Madurai paid his compliments to Mrs. Chinnapillai. Mrs. Chinnapillai was born in Pullisery village, Madurai District. She has been deeply involved in organizing and working with co-agricultural laborers for undertaking various agricultural operations on a collective basis to maximize the benefits.

She was the founder of a number of Kalanjiams (savings and credit groups) of poor women and was instrumental in forming Vaigai Vattara Kalanjiam, Appantirupathy, which is the First Federation of Rural Women Savings and Credit Group in India. This has a membership of over 40,000 women. The linkages that she has established between the Kalanjiams and the banks and other financial institutions like NABARD, HUDCO etc. has resulted in promotion of income generation for hundreds of poor women to get them rid of the clutches of hard money-lenders. She led many struggles to establish the rights and entitlements of poor women against landlords, moneylenders, politicians and officials. The most notable was the right for fishing over the village tank, which was controlled by the landlords. Her selfless and untiring service for the poor

women in the South has earned her Mata Jijabai Stree Shakti Puraskar for the year 1999.

2. Air Commodore Padmavati Bandopadhyaya,

After 32 years in the Indian Air Force, is at 55, the first woman Air Commodore in the Indian Air Force. This is just one of the firsts in a long string of achievements to her credit.

Commissioned into the Air Force in 1968, Bandopadhyaya was the only woman in her batch of officers. Graduating in 1967, she was the first woman to enter the field of aviation medicine. She was the first woman officer to have successfully completed the course offered by the Defense Services Staff College at Wellington. She and her husband, Wing Commander S.N. Bandopadhyaya, were the first husband and wife team to be awarded the Vishist Seva Medal for their work during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. She is the first Indian woman officer to have conducted research in the Arctic region. She is the first woman to be made a fellow of the Aerospace Medical Society of India.

Coming from a conservative Tamilian family, educated in Tamil, when she joined the AFMC, Bandopadhyaya thought she had been Para dropped into a whole new world.

Suddenly she was with people who ate with forks and knives spoke in English and sang English songs. She could only eat using her fingers, spoke little Hindi or English, and knew no English songs. Today, Bandopadhyaya prattles in Bengali as well - a language she picked up after marrying a Bengali Air Force officer. Trained in Carnatic classical vocal music (“like all south Indian children”, she insists), Bandopadhyaya is fond of listening to music and likes mythology as well. These days, her work as Commandant - entailing a whole gamut of administrative work - takes up most of her time. She does her yoga everyday and cooks elaborate meals - fish fries for the non-vegetarians and sambar for her vegetarian self - on weekends.

3. Neerja Bhanot,

The brave 23-year-old air hostess who, risking her own life, saved the lives of passengers in a hijacked PAN AM flight in September, 1986. She was seriously injured by the hijackers’ bullets while shielding three children. Neerja was awarded the Ashok Chakra posthumously. An award has been named after her called the Neeraja Banot Award and it is given to women who have shown exemplary courage in their personal lives.

4. Alice Garg

One of the Neerja Bhanot award winners for the year 2000, Alice Garg from Jaipur has been engaged in a constant battle against injustice. The life of Alice not only inspires but also underlines the significance of service and sacrifice, the two qualities which describe this woman best. Starting

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from scratch, Alice has been braving one odd after another to get justice for exploited women. She has courted fear with a vengeance and has gone ahead to accomplish her chosen missions. She knows courage is resistance to fear, not absence of it. Today, she has many reasons to justify her existence, and each reason is more powerful than the other.

Watching Alice Garg talk is like watching a dormant volcano swell up with lava. She seems to hide a tempest behind her calm exterior. One cannot but help wonder how the frail 61-year-old woman could have waged a war against well-connected criminals. Alice is credited with exposing many infamous cases of sexual exploitation against women in Rajasthan, including the Bhanwari Devi gang rape case which hit the headlines a few years ago and the J.C. Bose case, which sends shivers down the spine. Alice has also helped in the rehabilitation of more than 4,000 migrant laborers, who now dwell in the Jawahar Nagar Katchi Basti in Jaipur. Alice says: “In 1975, the government demolished the slums, thus uprooting thousands of people. We, at Balrashmi, commiserated with them. The government was not prepared for their rehabilitation. So every time the government demolished the slums, they came up again. I helped those people to secure water and electricity connections. That was the first time I invited the government’s wrath.”

5. AshammaThe story of Ashamma from Andhra Pradesh, another Neeraja Banot winner, a socially-marginalized woman who has been fighting for her rightful place in society, too follows along the same line.At 35 years of age, Ashamma has nothing to share with the world except tears. She comes from Karni village in Mehbubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh, where women belonging to the lower caste are considered objects of entertainment. Ashamma was made to undergo the jogini ritual when she was seven years old. As per this custom, she was married off to the village deity. Recalls Ashamma, “Since the day of the initiation, I have not lived with dignity. I became available for all the men who inhabited Karni. They would ask me for sexual favors and I, as a jogini, was expected to please them. My trauma began even when I had not attained puberty.” At 11, Ashamma attained puberty. As soon as the news spread, men hounded her all the more. She was forced to sleep with countless people, some of whom were much older than her. Still in her teens, Ashamma delivered a girl child. “I bore the child from the man I loved, but he did not marry me. Later, I escaped from the village,” she says. But all the time she was reminded that she was a jogini and should not act like a pativrata.

During those days the Andhra Pradesh Mahila Samatha Society was running sanghams in villages. These forums voiced the concerns of sexually exploited women. When Ashamma

heard the views of its leaders, she was impressed. She swore to fight against the baseless custom of jogini. In 1997, Ashamma became the head of the sangham which operated in Karni. As the leader of the forum, she discouraged the practice of jogini. Her mission revolved around thwarting the attempts of villagers to initiate young girls into this evil practice. She still remembers how hard she had to fight in order to save a nine-year-old girl in her village from becoming a jogini. The police had refused to help her and no one in the village was prepared to cooperate with her. But Ashamma sat in protest until she succeeded in preventing the initiation ceremony.

The two courageous women -Alice Garg from Jaipur and Ashamma from Andhra Pradesh were awarded for their services to society in Chandigarh on April 28. The award money comprised Rs. 1.5 lakh each. The commitment of these women to their respective cause was evident from the fact that both of them donated a part of the huge sum to their respective societies. Ashamma kept Rs 50,000 for her child and donated the rest to her sangham. Alice donated the money to Rustamji Trust which is dedicated to the amelioration of the plight of the poor.

In the next issue we will see about some more women achievers of India.

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In this issue we will discuss about an interesting game. It is Badminton. This is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents’ half of the court. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the ground, and the shuttlecock may only be struck once by each side before it passes over the net.

The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently from the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is stubbornly affected by wind, competitive badminton is always played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.

Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic sport with five events: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair is a man and a woman. At high levels of play, the sport demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, strength, speed, and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racquet movements.

History and development

Badminton was known in very ancient times; an early form of the sport was played in ancient Greece. In Japan, the game was played in a different name as early as the 16th century. In the west, badminton came from a game called battledore and shuttlecock, in which two or more players keep a feathered shuttlecock in the air with small racquets. The game was called “Poona” in India during the 18th century, and British Army officers stationed there took a competitive Indian version back to England in the 1860s, where it was played at country houses as an upper class amusement.

The new sport was definitively launched in 1873 at the Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort. During that time, the game was referred to as “The Game of Badminton,” and the game’s official name became Badminton. Until 1887 the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English

ideas. The basic regulations were drawn up in 1887. In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today’s rules, and officially launched badminton in a house on September 13 of that year. They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899.

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as Badminton World Federation) was established in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, The Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally.

While originated in England, international badminton has traditionally been dominated by Denmark from Europe. Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia are among the nations that have consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades and dominated competitions on the international level, with China being the most dominant in recent years.

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The basics

Each game is played with 21 points, with players scoring a point whenever they win a rally (this differs from the old system, where players could only win a point on their serve). A match is the best of three games. At the start of the rally, the server and receiver stand in diagonally opposite service courts. The server hits the shuttlecock so that it would land in the receiver’s service court. This is similar to tennis, except that a badminton serve must be hit from below the waist in underhand form (upwards), the shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce, and in tennis the players stand outside their service courts. When the serving side loses a rally, the serve passes to their opponent(s) (unlike the old system, there is no “second serve”).In singles, the server stands in his right service court when his score is even, and in his left service court when his score is odd.In doubles, if the serving side wins a rally, the same player continues to serve, but he changes service courts so that he serves to each opponent in turn. If the opponents win the rally and their new score is even, the player in the right service court serves; if odd, the player in the left service court serves. The players’ service courts are determined by their positions at the start of the previous rally, not by where they were standing at the end of the rally. A consequence of this system is that, each time a side regains the service, the server will be the player who did not serve last time.

Details

When the server serves, the shuttlecock must pass over the short service line on the opponents’ court or it will count as a fault. If the score reaches 20-all, then the game continues until one side

gains a two point lead (such as 24-22), up to a maximum of 30 points (30-29 is a winning score).

At the start of a match a coin is tossed. The winners of the coin toss may choose whether to serve or receive first, or they may choose which end of the court they wish to occupy. Their opponents make the remaining choice. In less formal settings, the coin toss is often replaced by hitting a shuttlecock into the air: whichever side the corked end points will be the side that serves first.

In subsequent games, the winners of the previous game serve first. This can also be called rubbers. If one team wins a game they play once more and if they win again they win that match but if they lose they play one more match to find the winning team. For the first rally of any doubles game, the serving pair may decide who serves and the receiving pair may decide who receives. The players change ends at the start of the second game; if the match reaches a third game, they change ends both at the start of the game and when the leading pair’s score reaches 11 points. The server and receiver must remain within their service courts, without touching the boundary lines, until the server strikes the shuttlecock. The other two players may stand wherever they wish, so long as they do not see the opposing server or receiver.

Faults while playing the game.

Players win a rally by striking the shuttlecock over the net and onto the floor within the boundaries of their opponents’ court. Players also win a rally if their opponents commit a fault. The most common fault in badminton is when the players fail to return the shuttlecock so that it passes over the net and lands inside their opponents’ court, but there are also other ways that players may be faulted. The following information lists some of the more common faults.

Several faults pertain specifically to service. A serving player shall be faulted if the shuttlecock is above his waist (defined as his lowest rib) at point of contact, or if his racket’s head is not pointing downwards at the moment of impact. This particular law was modified in 2006: previously, the server’s racket had to be pointing downwards to the extent that the racket head was below the hand holding the racket; and now, any angle below the horizontal is acceptable.

Neither the server nor the receiver may lift a foot until the shuttlecock has been struck by the server. The server must also initially hit the base (cork) of the shuttlecock, although he may afterwards also hit the feathers as part of the same stroke. This law was introduced to ban an extremely effective service style known as the S-serve or Sidek serve, which allowed the server to make the shuttlecock spin chaotically in flight.

Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes back over the net; but during a single stroke movement, a player may contact a shuttlecock twice (this happens in some sliced shots). A player may not, however, hit the shuttlecock once and

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then hit it with a new movement, nor may he carry and sling the shuttlecock on his racket. It is a fault if the shuttlecock hits the ceiling.

Lets

If a let is called, the rally is stopped and replayed with no change to the score. Lets may occur due to some unexpected disturbance such as a shuttlecock landing on court (having been hit there by players on an adjacent court) or in small halls the shuttle may touch an overhead rail which can be classed as a let. If the receiver is not ready when the service is delivered, a let shall be called; yet if the receiver makes any attempt to return the shuttlecock, he shall be judged to have been ready. There is no let if the shuttlecock hits the tape even on service. We shall see about the racquets, strings, grips of the racquets, the shuttlecocks and shoes used for playing the game.

Racquets

Badminton racquets are light, with top quality racquets weighing between 79 and 91 grams including the strings. They are composed of many different materials ranging from carbon fiber composite (graphite reinforced plastic) to solid steel, which may be augmented by a variety of materials. Carbon fiber has an excellent strength to weight ratio, is stiff, and gives excellent kinetic energy transfer. Before the adoption of carbon fiber composite, racquets were made of light metals such as aluminium. Earlier still, racquets were made of wood. Cheap racquets are still often made of metal, but wooden racquets are no longer manufactured for the ordinary market, due to their excessive mass and cost.

There is a wide variety of racquet designs, although the racquet size and shape are limited by the Laws. Different racquets have playing characteristics that appeal to different players. The traditional oval head shape is still available, but an isometric head shape is increasingly common in new racquets.

Strings

Badminton strings are thin, high performing strings in the range of about 0.65 to 0.73 millimeters thickness. Thicker strings are more durable, but many players prefer the feel of thinner strings. String tension is normally in the range of 80 to 130 newtons (18 to 36 lbf). Recreational players generally string at lower tensions than professionals, typically between 18 and 25 lbf (110 N). Professionals string between about 25 and 36 lbf (160 N).The most effective way for a player to find a good string tension is to experiment.

Grip

The choice of grip allows a player to increase the thickness of his racquet handle and choose a comfortable surface to hold. A player may build up the handle with one or several grips before applying the final layer.

Players may choose between varieties of grip materials. The most common choices are PU synthetic grips or toweling grips. Grip choice is a matter of personal preference. Players often find that sweat becomes a problem; in this case, a drying agent may be applied to the grip or hands, or sweatbands may be used, or the player may choose another grip material or change his grip more frequently.

There are two main types of grip: replacement grips and over grips. Replacement grips are thicker, and are often used to increase the size of the handle. Over grips are thinner (less than 1 mm), and are often used as the final layer. Many players, however, prefer to use replacement grips as the final layer. Toweling grips are always replacement grips. Replacement grips have an adhesive backing, whereas over grips have only a small patch of adhesive at the start of the tape and must be applied under tension; over grips are more convenient for players who change grips frequently, because they may be removed more rapidly without damaging the underlying material.

Shoes

Badminton shoes are lightweight with soles of rubber or similar high-grip, non-marking materials. Compared to running shoes, badminton shoes have little lateral support. High levels of lateral support are useful for activities where lateral motion is undesirable and unexpected. Badminton, however, requires powerful lateral movements. A highly built-up lateral support will not be able to protect the foot in badminton; instead, it will encourage catastrophic collapse at the point where the shoe’s support fails, and the player’s ankles are not ready for the sudden loading, which can cause sprains. For this reason, players should choose badminton shoes rather than general trainers or running shoes, because proper badminton shoes will have a very thin sole, lower a person’s centre of gravity, and therefore result in fewer injuries. Players should also ensure that they learn safe and proper footwork, with the knee and foot in alignment on all lunges. This is not only a safety concern, as

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proper footwork is critical in order to effectively move around the court. Now we will see the most famous playing methods of the game. They are Singles, Doubles and Mixed doubles.

Doubles

Both pairs will try to gain and maintain the attack, smashing downwards when possible. Whenever possible, a pair will adopt an ideal attacking formation with one player hitting down from the rearcourt, and his partner in the midcourt intercepting all smash returns except the lift. If the rearcourt attacker plays a dropshot, his partner will move into the forecourt to threaten the net reply. If a pair cannot hit downwards, they will use flat strokes in an attempt to gain the attack. If a pair is forced to lift or clear the shuttlecock, then they must defend: they will adopt a side-by-side position in the rear midcourt, to cover the full width of their court against the opponents’ smashes. In doubles, players generally smash to the middle ground between two players in order to take advantage of confusion and clashes.At high levels of play, the backhand serve has become popular to the extent that forehand serves almost never appear in professional games. The straight low serve is used most frequently, in an attempt to prevent the opponents gaining the attack immediately. Flick serves are used to prevent the opponent from anticipating the low serve and attacking it decisively.At high levels of play, doubles rallies are extremely fast. Men’s doubles is the most aggressive form of badminton, with a high proportion of powerful jump smashes.

Singles

The singles court is narrower than the doubles court, but the same length, with the exception that a serve in the single can reach the end of the court while a serve in the doubles could not. Since one person needs to cover the entire court, singles tactics are based on forcing the opponent to move as much as possible; this means that singles strokes are normally directed to the corners of the court. Players exploit the length of the court by combining lifts and clears with dropshots and netshots. Smashing is less prominent in singles than in doubles because players are rarely in the ideal position to execute a smash, and smashing often leaves the smasher vulnerable if the smash is returned.

In singles, players will often start the rally with a forehand high serve. Low serves are also used frequently, either forehand or backhand. Flick serves are less common, and drive serves are rare.At high levels of play, singles demands extraordinary fitness. Singles is a game of patient positional maneuvering, unlike the all-out aggression of doubles.

Mixed doubles

In mixed doubles, both pairs try to maintain an attacking formation with the woman at the front and the man at the back. This is because the male players are substantially stronger, and can therefore produce more powerful smashes. As a result, mixed doubles requires greater tactical awareness and subtler

positional play. Clever opponents will try to reverse the ideal position, by forcing the woman towards the back or the man towards the front. In order to protect against this danger, mixed players must be careful and systematic in their shot selection. At high levels of play, the formations will generally be more flexible: the top women players are capable of playing powerfully from the rearcourt, and will happily do so if required. When the opportunity arises, however, the pair will switch back to the standard mixed attacking position, with the woman in front.

The strategy of the games.

To win in badminton, players need to employ a wide variety of strokes in the right situations. These range from powerful jumping smashes to delicate tumbling net returns. Often rallies finish with a smash, but setting up the smash requires subtler strokes. For example, a netshot can force the opponent to lift the shuttlecock, which gives an opportunity to smash. If the netshot is tight and tumbling, then the opponent’s lift will not reach the back of the court, which makes the subsequent smash much harder to return.Deception is also important. Expert players make the preparation for many different strokes look identical, and use slicing to deceive their opponents about the speed or direction of the stroke. If an opponent tries to anticipate the stroke, he may move in the wrong direction and may be unable to change his body momentum in time to reach the shuttlecock. In the next issue,we will see about a differentgame.

Zodiac Connection

BySri Selvam “Siddhar”

Kind Attention: Zodiac Connection is based upon Moon signs and not upon Sun signs

Rasi Reding,

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Aries Taurus

Mesham: Lords Venus and Mercury will be ruling your sign. This will create a fluctuation and when you proceed any affair with speed, un

wanted interference will block the affairs usual trend in your engagements and profession will fetch you the needy income for a good maintenance.

Women and children at home:Will be suffering with set backs which will not be favorable to get their aims fulfilled. Even the health will not be good. They have to show much care to maintain the health. Present time is not with full hopes. But in later stage they will achieve all.

Students:Critical situation is prevailing and the preparations are not so suitable to face the exams. Any how the luck will prevail to get through.

Business people, professionals and employees:They will be busy and doing extraordinary skills. They can score a good benefits later on. It is not easy to manage the rising problems. There will be doubts and even disputes. They have to be very careful in all their deals.

Lovers:The combination of Lord Venus and Mercury will start creating arguments to find solution in their proposals. Some times the misunderstandings will continue. They have to very vigilant even to a word.

Married persons and spouses:Their situation will be little complicated this month. They have to be with soft corner with their spouse. Even the health will not permit them to be happy. They have lot of burdens for clearance. Have more skillful ways to dispurse. The 2nd and 3rd of April are unfavorable Days.

Rishabam: Too much of proposals and mounted problems will keep you restless. Even in job and profession the confusion will rise and

your plan will have disturbance. Take leasurely times and find the problems and clear them with your capacity.

Women and children at home:They have to do hard work and their ability is checked. It is too hard to find good solutions. The women will be affected financially. For all such matters they have show only the bearing nature. Lord Jupiter will give them clearance.

Students:Their education is getting effected by their unwanted friends. They have to be very careful otherwise the rank in class will go down. Yet the grace of Lord Jupiter will help them in time.

Business people, professionals and employees:The tenth house Lord is not powerful to keep them at this juncture. There will be a setback. They have to show their cleverness to manage the situation. The trend is not towards profits. Better do their jobs with more options so as to secure victory.

Lovers:The matters in love lead with long way of pending. The defenite and positive actions are delayed abnormally. Lord Venus is to be worshipped on Fridays. Lord Saturn sends his power to create a blockage. Have good ideas to be on the safer side to manage every thing. Married persons and spouses:This month, it seems still worst. Their proposals are getting delayed further. The health and good mood of spouse will have an irritation. Family affairs will also be with heavy burdens. Health is the most important. They should eat fruits and green vegetables. They should go to Navagraha Temple and Goddess Parvathi Temple and pray for grace. The matters will be subsided properly.

On 5th and 6th attend the matters with all possible care.

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Cancer

Leo

Mithunam: Lords Sun, Venus and Mercury will have their accomodation in Mesham on 15th April. You will be observing certain influence. A release, a promotion in your job or a modification, like that the

things are going to happen. Since the 10th house will be governed directly by Lord Saturn, you can fetch a development shortly.

Women and children at home:Lord Mars occupies the state of debilitation in the second house. The managing of problems and arranging the needed finances will be with little difficulties. Since the grace of Lord Jupiter is good and extending supports, they will be able to face the problems properly.

Students:Lord Moon will be having links with Lord Raaghu in the first week of this month; what the preparation they have done will find no use to cover the questions. They have to work hard and keep in memory the entire subject once again.

Business people, professionals and employees:The first two weeks will not be favorable. They will be in struggle to decide their actual program. The time will turn good by the end of this month. The usual trade will be beneficial.

Lovers:With all their attempts, the good and favourable reaction is far away. Many Questions and confusions will form a cloudy atmosphere this month Lord Venus is combined with Lord Mercury to dictate a hard time for them.

Married persons and spouses:Lord Sun will combine with Lord Venus. The summer trend and the claimatic change will raise the inconvenience in all the way. The good mood and peaceful atmosphere will also to be rare. They have to eat more fruits and green vegetables. Both of the couples have to worship Navagraha Lords on Fridays. The comfort and happiness will reach shortly.

Unfavorable days are 7th, 8th and 9th.

Kadakam: You will be in a position to look some changes in the casual matters and business. So far, your mind is covered with a kind of depression. Such atmosphere will have a gradual change for betterment. In

your routine of business, you will be active.

Women and children at home:Grace of Lord Jupiter to the 2nd house is giving strength to their domestic finance and educational affairs. They will be busy and

their needs are going to be covered step by step. Children at home will have their usual ways with fun and play.

Students:The student category will enjoy the good informations relating to their studies. Their ambition will be on the way to progress. Lord Jupiter will govern their efforts for an active path.

Business people, professionals and employees:The expansion of their present career and introduction of new plans, are likely to give them good hopes. By the middle of this month the affairs are likely to show the improvements. This month is a notable one.

Lovers:The proposal plans are not yet coming to a shape. Unnecessary delays will follow. They have to be with patience for another 3 weeks. Lord Venus is combining with Lords Mercury and Sun. This is also increasing their suspicions more.

Married persons and spouses:The maintenance and usual affairs in family will be good. But the privacy with spouse and fun times are rare. Even if opportunity comes some how or other it will be postponed. The travels or tours will be useful to have peace.

The days 10th, 11th and 12th will cause disappointment.

Simmam: After 15th of April you will be involved in an important job. It will be giving one way benefit and in other way

will face an opposition. You have to handle it with intelligence otherwise a scene of Loss may arise. All that shows only a development which will be in clear sight by next month.

Women and children at home:Lords Saturn and Sun stand in opposition and make a scene of tough time passing. Many matters are there for settlement but all are in the stage of pending. Children will also feel uneasy and have to be treated in a soft manner.

Students:Very dull trend and a confused stage of understanding in lessons will prevail to reach a successful route and they will find a difficulty in finding a good route. More time to read and the essential exercises will also give them a relief.

Business people, professionals and employees:Suspense and a trend of unevenness they are going to face. But it is new experience only the next month, a result could be obtained. Progress and new annexure will happen to develope their way of trade and profession.

Gemini

Libra

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Lovers:Their expectations and plans may have objections. Nothing is clear to make a further program. In such a way, present time is held up. Lord Venus is in the house of Lord Mars. Complication and confusion will be there. Move the matters with intelligence.

Married persons and spouses:In life of couple, this is a time of arguments to find a clearence in the usual life. Some times, there will be hurdles in solving the problems. Lord Venus will come out from “Mesham” only at the end of April and the expected plans will settle with their objective term.

13th and 14th of this month will be disappointing dates.

KANYA You are crucial in making a decision. Lords Saturn, Raaghu, Sun and Kethu occupy the squares and testing your ability .You have to control your temper. You have

to think very deeply in conclusion of problems. Totally this month prevails with challenges.

Women and children at home:It is just similar to walk on fire. So much burdens demand immediate clearance of executions .The mounting response will dictate for positive interference .In this circumstance they have to act clearly and manage the problems.

Students:Since the Lords Jupiter, Venus and Mercury energyse their house of education and the only Lord Mars disturbs half heartedly. They will be busy and exploiting their duties. With few mistakes they can gain 70% benefits.

Business people, professionals and employees:Jobs, professions, trades and all acting in a positive way .The support from Lord Jupiter is extended properly .Their efforts will have a good result. The planning and formations will be with little bit slow trend; but the outcome will be in a encouraging way. Lovers:The hot Sun sits at the 7th house and the combination of Lord Venus and Mercury in the 8th house, will be creating inconvenience in their efforts. Some times the own confidence will disappoint them.

Married persons and spouses:Comparatively, the better time and good occasions are ahead. The disturbance caused by Lord Mars is unavoidable and they are facing some hurdles and coming out with 70% success. They can program for travel and tour and enjoy the times, their spouse will have good mood and the health will also become suitable shortly.

The dates 15th and 16th are to be dealt carefully.

Thulam Lord of your sign supports you for all your undertaking. Even the Lord Jupiter helps you to give confidence in

your attempts. The finance and family affairs are brought to the control of Lord Saturn, who moves very slowly and makes a delay and that the progress is reaching in a late hour.

Women and children at home:All the domestic matters and the arranged jobs are ahead for fulfillment. You are given a privilege boost. Lord Jupiter helps to a good extent and permits the grants as they desire. Children will be with good mood and happiness.

Students:The category of education is on good scope. The development is awaited in all corners. The House of education is looked by Lord Saturn, which will create fear. In the last week of this month they can access their strength.

Business people, professionals and employees:Occupation of Lord Mars at ‘Cancer’ (Kadagam) will be proving to be good. As far as their job and trades are concerned, they will be active to find some new methods. The finance matters will be with little hurdle, which is essential to have good plans of progress.

Lovers:New commitments and their previous plans will mix together and create confusion in decision making. Lord Venus is not comfortable at Mesham and they will find setbacks upon that reason. By the 3rd week of this month they can feel better.

Married persons and spouses:This month, they will feel very tired. Lord Mars is in debilitation and on that ground the free atmosphere is not available. When they make some plans with the spouse that also will drag and give them delay. By 3rd week of this month, the time will change for better ways.

Dates 15th and 16th will disappoint them.

Virgo

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Viruchigam: Some kind of wants and expectation of support from outside will prevail in your way. A fear and doubt will continue. This situation will be ahead for first 3 weeks. Gradually it will reduce

and better times will enter. But nothing to worry. The trade and profession will be helpful. You can manage the situations.

Women and children at home:Their service to every person of their family is really good. They have such burdens to manage. Yet some times they forget for a moment. That causes agony and pain in their heart. The financial needs are also little short. Some how, they are managing.

Students:Lord Raaghu in the second house will not be permitting to score good marks. They have to work hard and keep their position well. Some how or other, their target will be reached.

Business people, professionals and employees:The routine of work will be with ease. The desired result will be there. The traders can score more profits. The professions are better to get benefit and fame. Lord Jupiter guides them in a proper way.

Lovers:Still it is suspense. Open talk and formalities are still hidden. They have to be firm and bold in their stand. Time is favourable by the 3rd and 4th weeks of this month.

Married persons and spouses:Married persons are having more responsibilities and the duties are mounting up. The privacy and good times at home are not happening as they desire. They have to wait for two weeks more in the same manner which they are influencing now. Lord Raaghu keeps a curtain and postpones the matters. When Lord Venus reaches “Rishabam” after 3 weeks, his grace will fall on them. Till that time the patience is needed.

The dates 16th, 17th and 18th are not favorable.

Dhanus: A tough time is to be passed for further 2 weeks. You will be finding oppositions and challenges in your active and brisk attempts. The profession and job will be carried out properly. You will feel

tired and restless.

Women and children at home:Their home affairs and execution of work will be facing setback. This will be up to 15th of April. Then the time will change for betterment. Children will be half heartedly smiling. They have to

be cared by parents by sanctioning their demands.

Students:For the past 4 weeks, the time spent for studies were on disturbance. Still Lord Mars commits the same until 15th April. Show good attention and read to the best of level.

Business people, professionals and employees:No doubt that Lord Saturn fetches progressive methods to deal. The fiery Sun spoils the game. Yet the attempt of Lord Saturn will give them good fruits after 15th April. The professionals will be exhibiting their skill in a superb way. Their hard work will get reward.

Lovers:At present, Lord Mercury is with Lord Venus and proves the situation to be in a negative path. They have to be very calm and pass another 3 weeks.

Married persons and spouses:The sharp look of Lord Mars falls on the second house. They have to be very careful in all actions. Some times heated exchange of words will interfere and the pain will not be permitting them with peace. The mood and health will also react in the heart of spouse. They have to manage for further 3 weeks. Then the Lord Mars will depart for Simmam.

The dates 19th and 20th are not in supporting way.

Magaram: This month is likely to create a fortune. Some long pending matter can surprise you to get a clearance in that affair. New ventures will also have a start. The routine of your job will be increased

and a scene of success and progress is seen.

Women and children at home:As far as their physique is concerned, the weakness and tired observation will rule. Lord Jupiter is accommodating the second house. Their arrangements and settings will be facing delays. Children should be very careful in running here and there, while playing. Some small injuries may happen.

Students:Their education, even though they are having confidence, there is lot of disturbance. They must take special care for further studies. Their planning should be in order. Nothing is simple. Hard work only gives good result.

Business people, professionals and employees:There will be elaborate schemes which will have their personal views. Some of them will prove good and at the same time some mistakes will also occur. Show much attention to avoid mistakes.

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Scorpio

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Lovers:Lord Mars in 7th house will give a hault in their progress. They will find confusion and disappointment at times. Another two weeks should pass to come out of the cloudy scene.

Married persons and spouses:The occupation of Lord Mars at Cancer should be cleared. Till then the real happiness and exchanging of affection will be passing half heartedly. The time set for good is only the 4th week of this month. The family affairs and promises on finance will be moving at a very slow trend. The health question will also show anxiousness. The body pain and weakness will prevail. Eat more vegetables. Take more fruits. They have to reduce the cooked food during this month.

The dates 25th, 26th and 27th are to be dealt with carefulness.

Kumbam: You are influencing a weak trend of atmosphere in your profession. New suggestions and plans are there with you when they are going to come true? In this manner your scopes are mounting in your

brain. Improvements are likely to commence during the last week of this month.

Women and children at home:Knowingly or unknowingly, the things are moving with unsteadiness. They are actually puzzled to look to the circumstances. There could have been some difference of opinion causing disputes. All these things are happening because of Lords Sun and Saturn keeping their position in 180°. Just another 2 weeks to pass and the circumstances will turn favorable.

Students:Most of the time is spent on suspicions and self arguments. This is nothing but confusion to keep their position suitable to the purpose. They are actually taming it. Of course, the result will be on the better side during the 3rd, 4th weeks. For safer side, prepare the important portions of the syllabus well.

Business people, professionals and employees:A present formation in their engagement is getting a strong position. They can have a progress very shortly. Lord Saturn keeps his continued support in their ventures. Bright times are ahead.

Lovers:This forecast will be with little disappointing way. The present trend seems to be unfavorable. It is better to be silent for 3 weeks. If they happen to give pressure, immediately the scene will turn erratically. They have to worship Navagraha Lords to settle the problems in an amicable way.

Married persons and spouses:In common, the month April is not suitable for them. Unwanted talks and unarranged sequences will create misunderstanding

with spouse. Passing this month with silence will give them good results. The circumstances will voluntarily compel to involve in arguments. The health and mood will also prove to be unsuitable. In this critical scene they have to worship the gods and Navagraha to get peaceful atmosphere.

Dates 21st and 22nd will be trouble some.

Meenam: It is a testing time of your ability. The trend is much challenging. Whatever the ways you lead, the result is likely to be on contrary way. Specifically the past14

days were with bigger force. The trend will continue for two more weeks. And then the change for better settlement will reach.

Women and children at home:It seems to be a unadrustable month to them. So much of matters, they take initiative steps for conclusion. But the result ends with partial benefit. First 2 weeks of this month will be like this. Then the good change will give happiness. Children will be at their own program and play well.

Students:They are receiving so much of informations. Some of them are very encouraging. They can engage in the profitable one. Totally the trend is very normal. For their further studies some decisions will settle in the mind by 3rd week of this month.

Business people, professionals and employees:The business and the profession will be very slow in progress. The financial positions will also be decreasing considerably. The usual income will be there and the new expectation will face a delayed period.

Lovers:From the side of their counterpart, the opinions are very slowly passed. This kind of slow trend will give them invitation. After 16th April, the time is changing for better trend.

Married persons and spouses:The opposition between Lord Sun and Lord Saturn will keep them in a position of challenge. Generally the month April will not be good for Meenam. They have to be very polite and calm. If any word with force comes, some unwanted disputes will rise. The peaceful atmosphere will come during the 3rd and 4th week. By that time Lord Sun will be reaching Mesham.

The dates 25th, 26th and 27th will not be favourable.

Aquarius

Pisces

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In the past issues we discussed some ideas on Siddhars. In this issue we will discuss more about Siddhars. Siddhars and this intense path of light is the mystical end of Hinduism. This is a journey beyond enlightenment when beliefs are abandoned and instead, experience and teachings and the sacred grace of the ancient lineage of Gurus serve to guide the Siddhar adept.

Much less is known of the yogic traditions of South India as it was guarded in secrecy and taught in the traditional manner of Guru to the spiritually mature disciple. In most cases the enlightened beings went on to evolve into the final objective of yoga and that was to merge into God in the physical form itself. These sages were called Siddhars. Many of these Siddhars maintained spiritual diaries and writings in the form of poetry from the time they actualized into discovering the divine with deeper meaning and the beginning of their journey into yoga while attaining enlightenment, and to the final state of transforming into light, merging with the Supreme.

There are different Siddhar schools with some believing in 18 masters. According to the Siddhar teachings, these masters constantly take birth again and again with their disciples in different divine incarnations in different times and different places around the world constantly to keep up with the changing humanity needs

and effecting change. Swami Vivekananda was said to have been one of the reincarnations of Siddhar Thirumulanathar. Lao Tzu was claimed by Siddhar Bhogar to have been one of his incarnations. They were the greatest scholars of languages, medicine, Vedas and astrology.

Siddhars were evolved spiritual beings who went beyond enlightenment to accomplish the final yoga of attaining the ultimate perfection as becoming one with God. Yoga of Siddha tradition in South India meant the accomplishment of merging the body into the supreme light of the absolute as attainments of eight different dimensions of perfection. Each dimension of perfection is called a siddhi and siddhi is the miraculous powers that were acquired while practicing this path of yoga. Although spiritual traditions of Hinduism throughout India shun acquiring siddhis due to the belief that acquiring siddhis would grow ego and therefore would withhold the spiritual progress of the yogi. Siddhars consider attainment of various siddhis as grace which naturally flows into them through their yogic practices and it was held sacred as the mark of the divine presence within them.

The realm of Siddhars is mystical, most times unbelievable and has remained unchanged over thousands of years. To envision this world, it is comparable to the life present in the extreme depth of the ocean existing under intense high pressure and total darkness, hardly ever disturbed by external forces. This would be an example to illustrate the world of the Siddhars beneath the known in Southern India which still vibrant and alive and yet far away from the rest of human civilization. These ancient spiritual places in South India, hidden from the rest of the world resonate with the presence of the Siddhars even today.

Siddhar Agasthiyar.Sri Agasthiyar Siddhar is considered as the “Father of Siddhar Tradition. He was very short in height but his knowledge and wisdom were very great. He has written a lot of religious, spiritual and astrology books. He established the Ashram called Sri.Agasthiyar Siddhar Peetam in Soth India. Sri. Agasthiyar Siddhar’s works to the development of the language Tamil and Atharva Vedic Astrology are the most commendable.

Siddhar Patanjali: Siddhar Patanjali, the author of Yoga Sutra, who was one of the disciples of Siddhar Bhogar, mentions of the this higher yoga which requires the effort of the spiritual aspirant to understand the deep insightfulness of this Siddha path through practice and patience for the true teachings beneath the simplicity of his writings to reveal.

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Siddhar Bhoganathar: Siddhar Bhogar’s extensive writings in Tamil cover Ayurveda (traditional indigenous medical technique followed in India) and yogic practices of Siddhars. Siddhar Bhogar had in his spiritual diary made many claims with some that defy our logic and are astounding to the point of dismissing it offhand due to its implication in the modern day. Siddhar Bhogar did teach the Siddhar practice wherein one form of siddhi was the ability to leave the body and appear as light behind another person’s intellect to guide or enter in as life into another body.

Siddhar Thirumulanathar, Guru to Siddhar Bhoganathar: Siddhar Thirumulanathar, Siddhar Bhogar’s Guru, writes in his divine poetry that he meditated in his body to attain light for a thousand years and then wrote a stanza of divine poetry each year of higher thantra, the yoga of light. He wrote 3047 stanzas! Siddhar Thirumulanathar’s writings, known as ‘Thirumandiram’ has many meanings. Thirumandiram means sacred magic, divine words, sacred mantras and /or sacred siddhi. Thirumandiram teaches the science of attainment of light body, going beyond realization into realms of the Siddha philosophy. All eight forms of siddhi are explained and their ways of attainments are taught too to enable the metamorphosis into the ‘perfect state’ as the basic objective of yoga.

The root of thantra This higher yogic path was called in ancient Tamil, ‘Thantiram’, the root to thantraic wisdom that is described as thantra. This divine thantra as revealed by the Siddhars meant breaking through ego arising though duality that separates us from the divine, by worshipping the three dimensional context in every thought arising as seeds of knowing from the mind. There are so many forms of seed thoughts such as - as perceiver, perceived and as perception; space, matter, energy; past, present and future; creation, preservation and destruction; and so on. Once the three dimensions of thought is understood and held sacred with the unity behind duality achieved, the mind would break into becoming single pointed. It would be natural for Oneness to emerge as Source with the Self illumined in knowing ‘All Is’ as “I am That’ and ‘I am’. Merging into the Source was then the only grand reality as the destination of this yogic journey towards Light.

With the soul recognized in its pure form as the ‘Holy Ghost’ and a divine teacher as Guru to guide knowing All as the Absolute nameless Father, the higher thantra manifests the primal urge for the divine union in the ‘trinity of knowing’. Applying this wisdom as yogic techniques within a spiritual environment to the single pointed mind and conditioned body, true yoga of the Siddhars taught that the eternal is attained with the wisdom of the mind along with intellect absorbed in divine grace, powerful enough to manifest its Light body!

Within the context of Hindu myth the name Siddhar originally denoted one of the eighteen categories of celestial beings. These beings of semi-divine status were said to be of great purity and their dwelling was thought to be in the sky between the earth and the Sun. Later they became associated with a class of more adept human being, often an accomplished yogi. The term had been derived from the Sanskrit root “sidh” meaning “fulfillment” or “achievement,” so the noun came to refer to one who had attained perfection. Because the Tamil language lacks the aspirated

consonants of Sanskrit the word has been written and pronounced by the Tamils as chittar. This has lead the Tamils to associate the word more with the Sanskrit term chit, meaning “consciousness.”

All of the writings of the Tamil Siddhars, whether defining philosophical viewpoints, yogic practices, or presenting alchemical recipes for herbal tinctures and base metal amalgams were presented in poetic form, often employing the more difficult meters that harkened back to the ancient Tamil Sangam Age. These works are also riddled with thantric imagery, references to Kundalini, and clues to control the dangerous feminine power through breathing practices or the recitation of the Goddess’s secret names.

Because of the enigmatic nature of the Siddha imagery, and their philosophy structured in direct defiance of human logic, few scholars have ventured to address the Tamil Siddhars and then often only as mere curiosities. One of the most basic characteristics of Tamil composition, and one that is particularly relevant to Siddha poetry, is the tendency to layer the work so that each word or image builds upon the last. Because each component image is presented so as to be viewed autonomously and in relationship both sequentially and to the totality of the verse, the images of the poem may seem slightly disjointed and contradictory. Though this may at first seem to undermine the aesthetic quality and over-complicate the simple act of enjoying poetry, the Tamil Siddha compositions pattern the imagery to expound the subtle complexity of their philosophical concepts or to map out the terrain of the inner landscape which is dominated by the dormant serpent energy.

The following are the 19 Famous Siddhars. Except Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar, no one is alive now 1. Shri Agasthiyar siddhar2. Shri Pathanjali siddhar3. Shri Kamalamuni siddhar4. Shri Thirumoolar siddhar5. Shri Kuthambai siddhar6. Shri Korakkar siddhar7. Shri Thanvantari siddhar8. Shri Sundaranandar siddhar9. Shri Konganar siddhar10. Shri Sattamuni siddhar11. Shri Vanmeegar siddhar12. Shri Ramadevar siddhar13. Shri Nandeeswarar siddhar14. Shri Edaikkadar siddhar15. Shri Machamuni siddhar16. Shri Karuvoorar siddhar17. Shri Bogar siddhar18. Shri Pambaati siddhar19. Shri Selvam Siddhar

According to the Vedic Scriptures, the Darshan of a Siddhar is equal to the darshan of Lord Shiva. By having the Darshan, getting the blessings of Siddhar will pave the ways for the spiritual salvations of the problems faced by the human beings. To get the Darshan of Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar, call USA Toll Free@ 1-888-808-1418 or email to avtemple@aol.com immediately to schedule an appointment.

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The most important question in astrology is predicting the timing of an event or events. Astrologers have been

doing researches on this aspect of astrology more than any other aspect. Why is a person born rich and remains rich throughout his life? Why is a person born rich but looses money and riches at some particular time of his life and leads the life of a poor from then onwards? Why is a person born poor and remains so for the rest of his life? Why is a person born poor but becomes rich at some particular time in his life? Why does a person become Prime Minister or President at a younger age while some other person becomes Prime Minister or President at an older age? Why is it that a person’s married life is disturbed right from the start while some other person enjoys it for 10-15 years and then suddenly it falls apart? Why do diseases appear at different times in different people’s lives? And there are many such questions. The answer to all these question lies behind the curtain of Sleeping Yogas and Waking Yogas. Before we go further let me explain the simple meaning of the term Yoga in the context of Astrology for the

convenience of readers.

Yoga in its literal sense would mean Addition. Adding something to something is called Yoga in simple context. But in Astrology and certain other fields it simply means combination. So for astrological context, Yoga can be understood as a combination. But a combination of what. Well, it is a combination of two or more planets by means of their placements or Aspects. The aspect of one or more planets on a particular house can also be considered as Yoga. When all the planets involved in Yoga are good for a particular native, the Yoga is said to be a good Yoga. In the same way when the planets involved in a Yoga are both good and bad, then it is called a bad Yoga of lesser intensity which would generally mean that the significances of the good planets or houses will suffer from the bad effects of the bad planets involved. If all the planets involved in a Yoga are bad for a particular native, the Yoga is said to be very bad as in this case the significances of all the planets and houses involved in the formation of the Yoga would suffer a great deal. As the number of planets involved in a Yoga increase in a horoscope, it becomes more and more of challenge to predict all the effects of that Yoga, especially if the planets involved are a mixture of good

and bad. There are also some Yogas in which there are no mutual aspects and only one of the planets is aspecting the other. This is called a partial Yoga and in this case the good or bad effects of the Yoga would be felt only on the significances of the planet being aspected and not the planet aspecting.

Now that we know what are good and bad Yogas, can we predict their results to the native. Well if you do this, you would find that in many cases the effects of the Yogas formed are not showing properly or not showing at all. This is simply because of the fact that presence of a Yoga is one concept in astrology, but the activation of that Yoga is another very important aspect without which no significant predictions can be made. There are usually at least a couple of good or bad Yogas in a horoscope though some horoscopes witness more than 5 Yogas also. But the most important thing to remember is that there is a time assigned to every Yoga and only at that time the Yoga would Wake up and start giving its good or bad results

significantly to the native, and before that time it would be just lying in the horoscope giving almost no effect or nominal effects. So till the time a Yoga wakes up and starts giving its results to the native, it is called a Sleeping Yoga for that particular native. And once it wakes up and starts giving results, it is called a Waking Yoga.

Let’s now try to understand this concept with the help of some simplified examples and case studies. The first case is the case of a male born in 1967 in India (complete details are not being mentioned to respect the privacy of the client). This person has a bad Yoga formed by bad aspects of Jupiter in his horoscope. As a result of this Yoga his marriage should be delayed and disturbed. There should be problems with his income issues and some more bad effects are indicated. But this person married at an early age and is having two children. His married life was normal and his business was gaining strength year by year. He even purchased his own house from his income and was having a good bank balance as well. From the beginning of the year 2004, the problems started surfacing him. He started having major disputes with his wife and his business started to go down. His family life and business started showing the results which were predicted

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at his birth by some astrologers, only the timing was wrong. Many of the astrologers he consulted told him that his marriage would be delayed and he would face income related issues right from the start of his carrier. But those things did not happen at all till the rise of year 2004 and then suddenly all of those things started happening. What is the mystery then, why were the results of this bad Yoga delayed for this person. The answer to this question is that the above mentioned Yoga in this person’s horoscope was a Sleeping Yoga till the end of year 2003 and as the year 2004 started, the Yoga woke up and all the predictions started becoming true. Second case is the case of a Male born in India in 1962 who is witnessing some very good and some very bad Yogas in his horoscope. But the first Yoga we’ll discuss is the bad Yoga formed by Raaghu and Kethu, which is supposed to give disastrous results regarding his married life and partners. In this case the Yoga is waking right from the birth and as a result, this Male presently at the age of 47 has already lost 4 wives, two to death and two to divorces. Regarding some of the other Yogas present in his horoscope, a couple of good Yogas made by Sun, Mercury and Mars were present and awake from the birth which as a result blessed him with very good business and he has obtained many valuable properties at different stages of his life. There is another Yoga formed by Saturn present in his horoscope which is supposed to give him legal troubles regarding his properties. But this Yoga was sleeping till the mid of Year 2000 and as a result he was only gathering properties and nothing was bothering him in this regard. But as the Yoga Woke up in 2000, he suddenly witnessed litigations on a couple of his properties and from that time onwards he has gained some new properties due to the effect of the good Yoga, and at the same time, more than half of his properties are facing legal disputes and the

matters are pending in different courts. He is planning to marry for the fifth time in the coming future.

The next one is the case of this female born in 1978 in India who has a bad Yoga formed by Raaghu and Kethu in her horoscope which is mainly supposed to delay or disturb her married life. As this Yoga is activated right from her birth, this female has not yet been married in spite of at least 25 marriage proposals being discussed and failed for her. Quoting one more case of a Male who was born in 1968 in India in a middle class family and kept on living a middle class life till the year 1995 and then suddenly he managed to go to Germany and started getting rich. He is very well established now. But due to presence of an active Manglik Dosh (a defect formed by Mars) and some bad effects of Saturn, this male is still officially unmarried.

The essence of the above discussion is that timing is a very important aspect of astrology and it is deeply affected and dependent on the activation of the Yogas present in a horoscope. You’ll be surprised to know that many astrologers are actually able to tell good or bad things that may happen to you. But as they are not able to calculate the Wake up time of a Yoga so the timings get wrong and the whole thing does not make any sense any more. But many of the good things or bad things told to you by an astrologer may come true in the later parts of your lives as they are able to read the effects correctly and it is only the timing that is missing. For more help with any of your problems call His Holiness Swamiji Sri Selvam “Siddhar” immediately in the Toll Free number @ 1-888-808-1418 or e mail to avtemple@aol.com. DO NOT SIT AND WORRY ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS. Take your phone, call and get the guidance from Swamiji who has helped countless people to come out of the problems which are faced by you now!!

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