In honor of Mahashivratri

In the clouds, seems to represent the Hindu god, Hanuman, who in the Ramayana description took the form of a monkey in order to show the highest form of service.The story of Lord Hanuman was that he was Lord Shiva, a form of God, and he wanted to serve Lord Ram and illustrate service.

If you look for a face with some sense of a monkey in the bottom part of the photo, and then a large crown on the head part, you'll see the image.. Because today (or tonight, March 11, 2002) is the great Shiva night, called Mahashivratri, and celebrated all over India by all-night chants.

Some Details

In the ancient sacred text of the Ramayana, the story of Hanuman's service to Shri Ram and Sita—his wife and an aspect of the Great Mother—in the long years of struggle against Ravana, is recounted. Inside the events are illustrations of aspects of wisdom, such as humility. There are also ingenious and bold deeds. In this text, which precedes by centuries the Christian tradition, the same qualities are extolled. (Shiva, as Shri Anandi Ma reminds, was in a humble ordinary human position, a shepherd "like Moses," although also in the most amorphous, universal aspects, being the Godhead, intrinsically and inevitably formless, in human terms.)

In the contemporary focus, the East has brought to the modern scene its age-old interest in contemplation, where Knowing can come from sitting in a lotus position, and it can be—centuries later-validated in a laboratory by scientists studying particles. That is, mysticism can be. On the opposite end, in the modern West, action is extolled, and objective science is immediately moved (not primarily into consciousness and human potential) into applied sciences of technology with explanations (often counter-intuitive), which people distance themselves from in everyday life, while still being affected by daily.

Going back into the Eastern focus: Enlightenment, or "realization," is possible only from realizing the universality of life, as the individual merges into the Whole, and in the viewing of God in "each and every person." Shri Anandi Ma, heir to Dhyanyogi, points out that it is practically difficult to live with love in the center, though this is what the world needs. Yet it is "in small amounts. . . . What is the cause for that? . . . The main reason for that is that we are ignorant of what the person is in the Absolute State. Who am I really? That basic knowledge, the prime ingredient of life itself, is lacking. . . .

"All the Great Beings were able to give Their message of spirituality, of pure thought, of pure action, of pure love because of one common thing that They all achieved: They first went out and sought realization. They first attained that knowledge of Who am I? And once they attained that, They were able to give an identical message to the world. The paths may be different, but the inner teachings are not at all different. That is the basic detail that needs to be adopted.
"Once you identify yourself, once you know who you are in the Absolute State, then each and every action that you perform will be heart-dominated. . . .

"India has been a unique country in the world in [the] sense that the consciousness of the people all through the centuries has always been for the welfare of humanity. There is, in fact, nothing like Hinduism. It's called Sanatan Dharma, which is the Eternal Truth, and the basis of eternal truth is: Everyone be happy. With that concept, the Yogis have constantly been seeking how to bring this about—that everyone be Happy—and in that process, They discovered that happiness comes from knowing one's true Self. In Their search for knowledge of the Self, They discovered many, many techniques, and They found first of all that within each and every person there is a source of God's own Energy, and that is the key to spiritual growth and evolution.

"The Yogis visualized, after many, many years of deep research and meditation, that this energy is present in every person at the base of the spine, and in fact is responsible for the creation of the body itself. They visualized it in three-and-a-half coils at the base of the spine. The Sanskrit term for a coil is kundal. That's why they call it Kundalini. . . . [T]he Yogis say the three coils represent deep aspects of our life and our being, what is known as ichcha [desire], leading to kriya [action], and then the action leads to jnana [knowledge], and that is what life is all about. . . ."
After searching for ways to activate this dormant energy, there were different ways found. "Through devotion, through love of God, at some point the Kundalini is definitely activated. Through the process of knowledge [jnana], where you analyze: Who am I? And you negate" I am not this; I am not this: I am not this. And then you come to the conclusion: I am this, and that is God. That is a process by which the Kundalini also awakens. The path of yoga itself, of course, is directly connected. And hatha yoga, for example, is aimed at awakening the Kundalini. It is not just for strengthening the body. That's the first step. . . ." Other methods include deep breathing (pranayama) or extreme emotional states.

A traditional, often faster process is by transfer of energy. A "Realized Person can transmit Their energy and bring another to the same level of consciousness. The Teacher's prana [energy] has been merged with the universal prana, so through the transmission of the prana they can unite your prana with the Universe, which is that of the Creator. Then that process of spiritual growth and realization begins to unfold."

(From Shakti, Dhyanyoga Centers Newsletter, March 2002, pp. 7-9). The complete text of this essay is to be found in that publication, distributed monthly, with the contact address mvinson@erols.com.

As energy transfer, in a more casual and unconscious, often anonymous, sense, takes place all the time—that is, in influencing others through the energy of our lives, actions and thoughts—it is well worth looking back at the science of this energy system and transfer (also, the example of any life, as bringing some energy transfer)—in order to begin to move consciousness of the modern scientifically reshaped world into this world, crossing the chasm between the implicit consciousness it will bring with it and the consciousness we now have. That is, much of the complexity of the new ideas (whose technology we are now living in) is at a great distance from their applied meaning in consciousness itself, and not only in the technological achievements which have in some cases greatly improved the living standards, while waiting for some time to bring that achievement into the wisdom which their integration offers as a potential. I.e., we have such great resources waiting to be brought forth, in the harvest of the new experiences, the new understandings, which a world so radically different from even a century ago, implies, in the Knowing side of life. Who am I? is still a question that Western research has added little understanding to. The "visualization" of the answer, the seeking of it definitively, is something one must ultimately do for oneself.

So Hanuman, a representation of the Consciousness of Shiva, knew that devotion and service to Shri Ram were actions he could offer to demonstrate what that knowledge of the Self might bring. Humility and bold world service was the choice.

In describing what his Realization felt like, in Message to Disciples, Shri Dhyanyogi wrote:

"My joy and bliss were like the joy felt when a drowning man reaches the shore or when a warrior emerges victorious after a grim battle, or when a diseased person becomes healthy, or when the fruit of a life-long penance is achieved, or when a life-term prisoner is set free. My body felt light and the debility due to fasting vanished like magic. I felt very alert and energetic and there were fountains of bliss sprouting from the hair follicles of my body. The uneasiness of mind, which I had since childhood, and the search for Who am I? and the constant fear of death vanished into oblivion. Live seemed full of joy, and, realizing that I had reached my goal, I understood the importance of this life."

March 27, 2002 is the anniversary of the realization date of Shri Dhyanyogi. The full moon in March signifies the victory of Prahlad over Holika, "who was supposed to burn him while protecting herself, as part of the boon she had received. But when she intended to use it for a negative purpose, she herself was destroyed, in spite of the divine boon.
"For us this was the full moon during which our beloved Guruji [Dhyanyogi] attained realization . . . " Shri Anandi Ma, ibid, p.5).

On the Ramayana

"The Ramayana, the Rama story, teaches two lessons: the value of detachment and the need to become aware of the Divine in every being." "There is much more to Ramayana than Rama going to the forest, annihilating Ravana and ultimately being crowned as the king of Ayodhya. He incarnated in order to establish Dharma. What is Dharma? It is that which delights your heart. When man takes to unrighteous means, his conscience will not approve of his acts since every man is the embodiment of Dharma. He is born to practice Dharma." -- Sai Baba

photo from Sri Sathyasai Site

For more on Mahashrivratri, the festival to Shiva:
http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/