January, February, March, 2003

Swami Veda Bharati

O foolish one, do not thank God for loving you: He cannot do otherwise. Thank Him for having ignited in your heart love for Him. Let it grow, from more to more, until it burns away all self, only God remains. Dada J.P. Vaswani, Hindu of the year for 2002

The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour. Japanese Proverb

We live very close together. So, our prime purpose in life is to help others. And if we can't help them, at least don't hurt them. Dalai Lama

If one wants to abide in the thought-free state, a struggle is inevitable. One must fight one's way through before regaining one's original primal state. If one succeeds in the fight and reaches the goal, the enemy, namely the thoughts, will all subside in the Self and disappear entirely. Ramana Maharshi

A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble. Their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their village, their sons were probably involved. The boys' mother heard that a pundit in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her sons. The pundit agreed, but asked to see them separately. So, the mother sent her eight-year-old first, in the morning. The pundit, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?" The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response. So the pundit repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the wide-eyed boy made no attempt to answer. The pundit raised his voice and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?" The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into a closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him hiding, he asked, "What happened?" The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing, and they think WE did it!"

Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make them all yourself.

All the wonders you seek are within yourself. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) Physician and essayist

Real charity doesn't care if it's deductible or not.

As the sun, the eye of the whole world, is not sullied by the external faults of the eyes, so the one inner soul of all things is not sullied by the sorrow in the world, being external to it. Krishna Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishads 5.11

Living your life is a task so difficult, it has never been attempted before.

Patience means self-suffering. Mahatma Gandhi

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein

A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Temper gets us into trouble; pride keeps us there.

We seem always ready to pay the price for war. Almost gladly we give our time and our treasure—our limbs and even our lives for war. But we expect to get peace for nothing. Peace Pilgrim

In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. Herodotus

Nothing has been left undone, either by man or Nature, to make India the most extraordinary country the Sun visits on his round. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked. Mark Twain

Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light. Give thanks for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. And if perchance you see no reason for giving thanks, rest assured the fault is in yourself. Chief Tecumseh, (1768-1813), one of the greatest leaders of the Shawnee American Indians

A small boy is trying very hard to pick up a heavy cabinet. His father comes into the room and asks, "Are you using all your strength?" "Yes, of course I am," responds the boy impatiently. "You are not," says the father, "You haven't asked me to help you."

The mind is like milk. If you keep the mind in the world, which is like water, then the milk and water will get mixed. That is why people keep milk in a quiet place and let it set into curd, and then churn butter from it. Then that butter can easily be kept in the water. The mind will float detached on the water of the world. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa

The Natha Sampradaya has revealed the search for the innermost divine Self, balanced by temple worship, fueled by kundalini yoga, charted by monistic theism, illumined by a potent guru-disciple system, guided by soul-stirring scriptures and awakened by sadhana and tapas. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001)

DID YOU KNOW?

Masculine and Feminine Stones

Different stones are either male or female or even neuter, according to V. Ganapati Sthapati, the chief temple architect of San Marga Iraivan Temple being constructed in Hawaii. Male stones give a bell-like sound when struck. Female stones give a softer sound. To test a stone, a 6-inch by 6-inch by 3-feet or longer stone is placed on two wooden blocks and struck. Each quarry usually contains one gender, with few exceptions. In Deity carving, Gods are made with male stones and Goddesses with female stones. In temple construction all load bearing stones, such as beams and pillars, should be male for their strength and density. Each stone is a living entity with its own sound, said Sthapati, and sound is life. When a stone is quarried using dynamite, the molecular structure is shattered, making the stone weak and destroying its life and sound.

Dread of Sinful Deeds

Tirukural 202: From evil springs forth more evil. Hence evil is to be feared even more than fire.

Tirukural 203: To commit no wrong, even against one's enemies, is said to be supreme wisdom.

Tirukural 205: Do not commit wrongful deeds, claiming to be poor. Such deeds only cause one to be poorer still.

Tirukural 207: One can escape from hate-filled enemies, but his own hateful acts will pursue and destroy him.

Tirukural 208: As a man's shadow follows his footsteps wherever he goes, even so will destruction pursue those who commit sinful deeds.