happy diwali

At this time of the year people around the world are getting ready to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. One of the biggest festivals of the East, Diwali symbolizes the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.

For an oil lamp to burn, the wick has to be partially immersed in the oil. If the wick is completely drowned in oil, it cannot bring light. Life is like the wick of the lamp, you have to be in the world and yet remain untouched by it. If you are drowned in the materialism of the world, you cannot bring joy and knowledge in your life. By being in the world, yet not drowning in the worldly aspect of it, we can be the light of joy and knowledge.

Diwali is the commemoration of the light of wisdom in our lives. Lamps are lit on this day not just to decorate homes, but also to communicate this profound truth of life. Light the lamp of wisdom and love in every heart and bring a radiant smile on every face.

Diwali is also called Deepavali, which literally means rows of lights. Life has many facets and stages to it and it is important that you throw light on each of them, for life to be fully expressed. The rows of lights remind you that every aspect of life needs your attention and the light of knowledge.

Every human being has some good qualities. And every lamp that you light is symbolic of this. Some people have forbearance, some have love, strength, generosity, while others have the ability to unite people. The latent values in you are like a lamp. Don't be satisfied with lighting just one lamp; light a thousand! You need to light many lights to dispel the darkness of ignorance. By lighting the lamp of wisdom in yourself and acquiring knowledge, you awaken all facets of your being. When they are lit and awakened, it is Diwali.

Another profound symbolism is in the firecrackers that are burnt on this day. In life, you often become like a firecracker, waiting to explode with your pent-up emotions, frustration and anger. When you keep suppressing your emotions, cravings and aversions, they are bound to reach a bursting point. Bursting crackers is a psychological exercise created by the ancient people to release bottled-up emotions. When you see an explosion outside, you feel similar sensations within you as well. Along with the explosion, there is so much light. When you let go of these emotions, serenity dawns.

There is also symbolism in the exchange of gifts and the distribution of sweets during Diwali. Sweets and gift exchanges symbolize the dispelling of the bitterness of the past, and renewal of friendship for the times to come.

Any celebration is incomplete without the spirit of service. Whatever we have received from the Divine, we should share it with others because it is in giving that we receive -- that is true celebration. Happiness and wisdom have to spread and it can happen when people come together in knowledge.

Diwali means to be in the present, so drop the regrets of the past and the worries of the future and live in the moment. It is a time to forget the bickering and negativities that have happened through the year. It is a time when you throw light on the wisdom you have gained and welcome a new beginning. When true wisdom dawns, it gives rise to celebration.

Celebration is the nature of the spirit. The ancient sages brought sacredness in every celebration, so that you don't lose the focus in the hustle-bustle of the activity. Observing rituals and religious practices (called Puja) is simply showing one's gratitude to the Divine. This brings depth to the celebration. The tradition is to put all the wealth you have earned in front of you and feel the abundance. When you feel lack, the lack grows but when you put your attention on abundance, then the abundance grows. In the Arthashastra, Chanakya says, "Dharmasya Moolam Arthah," which means, "prosperity is the root of righteousness."

For the one who does not have spiritual knowledge, Diwali comes only once a year, but for the wise, Diwali is every moment and every day. Wisdom is needed everywhere. Even if one member of the family is shrouded in darkness, we cannot be happy. We need to ignite the light of wisdom in every member of your family, extend it to every member of society and every person on the planet. When true wisdom dawns, it gives rise to celebration.

The Yajurveda says, "Tanme Manaha Shivasankalpam astu" -- let noble intentions flow from this mind of ours. This Diwali, celebrate with knowledge and take an intention to serve humanity. Light the lamp of love in your heart; the lamp of abundance in your home; the lamp of compassion to serve others; the lamp of Knowledge to dispel the darkness of ignorance; and the lamp of gratitude for the abundance that the Divine has bestowed on us.

about sri sri yoga

Sri Sri Yoga is a workshop spread over 5 days.In this shivir,the wisdom and techniques of yoga are brought to u in a very pure,joyful and thorough manner.These techniques enable us to unite the body,breath and mind in awareness, bringing u back to your natural self and develop all the good qualities with which we r born with.

Body – Yoga improves flexibility,strength,posture and allignment of the body.It helps to regulate,the digestive,endocrine and circulatery systems. The internal organs are strengthened and revitalised leading to healthy and youthful body.

Mind – Yoga brings the mind to the present moment improving clarity and alertness in the mind,making it peaceful and is able to deal with the day to day stress prevalent in the society.

Spirit – Yoga develops the human values and brings fulfillment in oeur life. A sense of belongingness develops helping us to transcend the narrow divisions of caste,creed and nationality.

Loose weight,cure asthma,diabetes,heart problems and many more diseases.

HAND READING OF SRI SRI (credit to some unknown palm reader)

The hand reading of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (born 1956) doesn’t claim to be a Godman although his official website does call him "His Holiness." His claim to fame is that he is a spiritual guru. What do his hands say? Is he genuine or not? If not for hand analysis it would be a difficult question to answer in an objective manner. Well, even a cursory look at Sri Sri’s hands show him to be a thinking person and a compassionate human being. However, there are other facets to his personality.
Both his Sun and Mercury fingers reveal that that he has a talent for making money, and a desire for it as well. And even though his Mercury finger tells us that he likes to make money by using his mind, this could point to one thing – that he just a clever businessman. But it isn’t as simple as that. Each one of us has something in us that drives us, and most businessmen are driven by money or at least the power that comes with money. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar may desire money, celebrity and power, and also like to flaunt it, but the critical difference between him and a businessman is that he wants power and fame not from wealth, but from the respect and adulation that comes from intellectual achievement. This is clear from the first phalange of his Jupiter finger with its slightly conic tip. It’s certainly not as contradictory as it sounds, because people are never black and white.

Not a fraud
Take him or leave him, the truth is that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's hand does not show him to be a cheat or a fraud. He wants respect from his wisdom and understanding, his ability to think, and analyse, all which he has, shown by the Saturn finger. In fact, these signs are far stronger in his hand than the desire for money, which means that this is what matters to him above all else. The shape the Mount of Venus is an additional indication that it is for some high minded work that he wants to be known.

As Mercury and the Mount of Moon give him the ability to express himself and spread his word, it becomes easy for him to achieve his goal. It is the two square tips, his second phalanges, and the shape of the mount of Venus and Moon that tell us that he is not satisfied with just doing this. He wants something on the ground, use his talents for some practical end…in other words create infrastructure or make money.

He has a very good thumb, large and low-set, and it leaves us in no doubt of his intentions. His intensions are humanitarian. Such a thumb gives a strong sense of purpose, the ability to lead, and a thinking mind behind the leadership. It gives a man character. It gives him generosity, unselfishness and compassion as well as determination.

Flaws in the personality
But yes, this gentleman has a flaw. I am not referring to his love of making money or love of comforts, which is another thing that people may dislike. It is his too strong a will, a will and determination that can be taken too far, making him obstinate and unreasonable. He also tends to speak his mind in no uncertain terms, at times rubbing people the wrong way. However, when he is being unreasonable, the state of mind is temporary. His head line as well as well as the thumb tells us that he is not pig-headed, and logic can prevail after a while.

Another flaw in his personality is that he is not entirely open. Considering that he has other good characteristics, openness would have been a great asset. It would have made people trust him more.

Other qualities
His hand shows that he has musical talent or at least a strong appreciation of music.
He likes to go into detail, and is excellent at analytical thinking. His mind is very organized. He likes to pick things to pieces and analyse them and go deep into everything. He likes things well planned and likes to ensure that no detail is over looked.
He is particular about small things, and is sensitive.
He is quite restless and in his heart of hearts, a dreamer. Some of his ideas/schemes can be quite impractical.
Sri Sri loves to travel, loves nature and enjoys his solitude.
If one has to sum his personality, one can say that he does seem to be a “guru” if one believes in gurus, but he sure is a modern day guru.

(Photograph is from his official website)