who is a valentine

in the ancient society, in the ancient times, they never said, ‘This is Father’s Day, this is Mother’s Day.’ They never dedicated one day in a year to fathers and mothers, but they said, ‘everyday dedicate some time to your father and mother’. And so, as soon as you wake up in the morning, the first thing you have do is to give a few minutes in the first hour as father’s minutes and mother’s minutes. 
Then make the nature your valentine. Consider the sun in the morning as your valentine. And in the evening, when the sun sets, it is so romantic that when you look at the whole creation, the whole nature, you feel the Divinity is your valentine. So, there is a ‘valentine’ hour or minute in every day. 
So, in every home children should think, ‘This is my time with the parents.’ It could be half an hour or a few minutes. Children should start spending half an hour or one hour with the parents everyday in the morning or evening. At least if one meal everyone shares together, then you would have successfully celebrated your Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. 
Similarly, when you wake up and see the whole creation is my valentine, the country is my valentine, Divinity is my valentine, knowledge is my valentine, then Valentine’s Day never ends for you. All 365 days is Valentine’s Day. That is how I feel – everyday is Valentine’s Day. 
Of course in the Ashram everyday is Valentine’s Day, and for a devotee it is so obvious. This is just an excuse when you say, ‘Today is a Valentine’s Day’, but if anyone looks at your faces, they will know that you are in a perpetual valentine minute. There is so much love oozing out of everyone’s faces, everyone’s behavior. Looking at your nature people will say, ‘Oh, maybe you are celebrating Valentine’s Day today!’ Yes?! So, the poor persons celebrate festivals only once a year, because he can afford only that, but the rich ones celebrate everyday and every minute. And you are all so rich. Rich with the spiritual knowledge and rich with this beautiful wisdom. 
I am saying ‘Beautiful wisdom’ but usually, wisdom is considered to be very tough, very difficult and very hard to achieve and beauty is something rare. But I would say, it is beautiful wisdom; wisdom for the head and beauty for your heart.

Guru Punch!---22nd Feb

If you have a relationship with the Divine, you have a relationship with everyone. Then the question of establishing or breaking a relationship with anyone does not arise. In leaving one feels as though some comfort is being lost, and in staying, the pain gets too intense and it is hard to stay on. So it is better to secure a relationship with the One ~ Sri Sri

Patanjali Yoga Sutras - Knowledge Sheet 7

Are you looking for proof? Debating within yourself? Are you hanging on to 'wrong knowledge' of how things are? You do not know how things are because the world is fluid. There is nothing solid here. Nobody is solid. Nobody’s mind is solid. No thoughts are solid. The whole world is fluid.

Anything can change any time, in any way. The whole world is filled with all sorts of possibilities. But your mind tries to fix everything — thought, people, ideas and places — into definite items or quantities. This is how it is. Your mind has set ideas of yourself, using proof, wrong knowledge or vikalpa, fantasies or fears or dwelling in the past. The four modulations of the mind plus sleep, that is another modulation.

Abhyasavairagyabhyam tannirodhaha

They can be restrained by practice or dispassion.
- Patanjali Yoga Sutra #12

How do you get over that? One can overpower this vrutti (modulation) through abhyasa (practice) and vairagya(detachment or self-centeredness).

Tatra sthithou yatnobhyasaha

Practise is that effort made to steadily be there in the seer.
- Patanjali Yoga Sutra #13

That which you do to be there is called abhyasa or practice. Abiding in the seer is abhyasa, that which you do to be right here, this moment is abhyasa. A little effort is needed to relieve you from the five modulations and just be here, now, now, now, now, now. Bringing the mind to the present and not dwelling on the past memories. That effort is called abhyasa. 

You can do the following practise. Close your eyes. You are not going to dwell on any logic now. That means you are free from pramana. You are not interested in proof from anything. You just observe it. You relax. You are not interested in any wrong knowledge or right knowledge, whatever

Often when the mind has wrong knowledge, it thinks it has the right knowledge. Retrieving the mind from knowing also (from knowledge). You are not anxious to see, smell, touch, feel, understand anything... let things be the way they are. Who cares? Right or wrong, no judgement. That means that you are freeing yourself from viparyayaya and vikalpa.
If the mind is on some imagination, fantasy, just knowing that it is imagination, fantasy is enough and it fades away. Just like when you know that you are dreaming, the dream vanishes. Then free yourself from sleep and relieve yourself from all the experiences of the past. Pleasant and unpleasant experiences are gone. The moment is free, fresh and full. Being here this moment totally is abhyasa.
The mind might try to go to the past, to smruti, or may try to go off to sleep and it can try to bring some logic and justification or some knowledge or some fantasies. Just knowing that again it is getting into the five vruttis, without aversion or craving, come back to the center, to the seer. This is abhyasa.

MYSTERY

One who is not amazed by the magnificence of this Creation, his eyes are not yet opened. Once your eyes are open, they close and this is called meditation. (Laughter)

Tell me, what in this Creation is not a mystery?

Birth is a mystery; death is a mystery.

If both birth and death are mysterious, then life is certainly is a greater mystery. Isn't it?

Being completely immersed in the mystery of Life and this Creation is Samadhi.

Your knowing or believing doesn't really matter to what Is.

This Creation is an unfathomable secret, and its mysteries only deepen.

Getting steeped in mystery is Devotion.

The "Scene" is a mystery; the "Seer" is a mystery.

Deepening the mystery of Creation is science. Deepening the mystery of the Self is spirituality.

They are the two sides of the same coin.

If neither Science nor Spirituality can create wonder and devotion in you, then you are in deep slumber.

Knowledge Tidbits:

When a materialistic person tells you a secret, it will only create doubts and spread malaise.

When a wise or spiritual person tells you a secret, it will uplift your consciousness and spread benevolence.

Bagvatgeeta verse3

Chapter 1 -- Verse 3

Verse: pasyaitam pandu-putranam
acarya mahatim camum
vyudham drupada-putrena
tava sisyena dhimata

Translation: O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pandu, so expertly arranged by your intelligent disciple the son of Drupada.

shivratri by SRI SRI

Shivaratri is taking refuge in Shiva. And Shiva is peace, infinity,
beauty and the non-dual one. You take refuge in Shiva for your true
nature is Shiva as he is the meditative aspect of the entire Universe.

Albert Einstein proved that energy can neither be created nor destroyed;
it can only be changed from one form to another. That energy, which
changes from one form to another, is called Shiva.

Shiva is that blissful and innocent consciousness which exists in every
atom of the universe and also in us. Celebrating the Shiva tattva in
oneself is called Shivaratri. 'Ratri' means night, the time for rest and
comfort. When all activities stop and everything becomes quiet and
peaceful, the body goes to sleep. Shivaratri is a rest not only for the
body, but also for the mind, intellect and ego.

Paradoxically, 'Shiva Tattva' also means to be awakened. Shiva-ratri is
thus an occasion to awaken from all sorts of slumber. It is not a night
to be slept through but one to remain awake in. It signifies being aware
of everything you have and being grateful for it. Be grateful for the
happiness which has led to growth and also for sadness which gives depth
to life. This is the right way of observing Shivaratri.

The meaning of Kailasa, the abode of Shiva, is celebration. Whether in
sanyasa or samsara, you cannot escape Shiva for wherever there is
celebration there is Shiva. Feeling his presence all the time is the
essence of Shivaratri. That is the real sanyasa. No worship is complete
without offering something to the deity. Shiva is very simple; he is
innocent, hence he is called Bholanath. One just needs to offer
bel-patra to him. There's a deep message here. Bel-patra offerings
signify the surrender of all three aspects of one's nature - tamas,
rajas and sattva. You have to surrender the positives and negatives of
your life to Shiva and become carefree.

The greatest offering is yourself. To do so is the key to happiness in
life. After all, why do you get sad? It is mainly because you are not
able to achieve something in life. At such times you should surrender
everything to the all-knowing God. The greatest power is in surrender to
the Divine. It is like a drop owning the ocean. If a drop remains
separate, it will perish. But when it becomes the ocean, it is eternal.

Shivam, Shantam, Advaitam: Shiva means your very Self, your innermost
core, the purest Self. Shanta is quiet, peaceful, very innocent. Advaita
is non-dual, where there is only One. So, Shiva means good and
benevolent and Ratri means that which gives rest, which takes you into
its lap and gives comfort. Shivaratri is a rest which is so deep that
the mind rests with the Divine.

Any meditation we do on this day has a manifold effect, for this is the
day when spirit touches the earth. If you meditate on Shivaratri then
the power of meditation is 100 times more. So, that which is always,
nitya and which is, shashwat, that is Shiva Tattva.

It's said beautifully in the shloka: "Namamishamishaan nirvana rupam,
vibhumvyapakam brahma vedaswaroopam."

Shivaratri is the transcendental, divine peace which brings solace to
all layers of existence. Resting in Shiva Tattva is called Shivaratri.
There are certain days and time frames in a year that enhance one's
mental and spiritual faculties. In such times whatever one wishes,
materialises. Shivaratri is one such precious day

knowledge as a burden

Knowledge is a burden if it robs you of innocence.
Knowledge is a burden if it is not integrated into life.
Knowledge is a burden if it doesn't bring joy.
Knowledge is a burden if it gives you an idea that you are wise.
Knowledge is a burden if it doesn't set you free.
Knowledge is a burden if it makes you feel you are special.