"THE HOLY Gita Jayanti, or the birthday of the Bhagavad Gita, is celebrated throughout India by all the admirers and lovers of this most sacred scripture on the eleventh day (Ekadashi) of the bright half of the month of Margaseersha (December-January), according to the Hindu almanac. It was on this day that Sanjaya narrated to King Dhritarashtra the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, and thus made the glorious teachings of the Lord available to us, and to people of the world, for all time."

- Sri Swami Sivananda

"The teachings of the Gita are broad, universal and sublime. Its teachings do not belong to any cult, sect, creed, particular age, place or country. They are meant for the people of the whole world at large. The teachings are based on the Upanishads, the ancient wisdom of the seers (Rishis) and sages. It teaches a method which is within the reach of all. It has a message for the solace, peace, freedom, salvation and perfection of all human beings."

Om - I bow down to Her who is unattainable through imagination or thought

- Lalita Sahasranama verse 113

"Before creation existed there was Cosmic Consciousness: Spirit or God, the Absolute, ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new Bliss beyond form and manifestation. When creation came into being, Cosmic Consciousness "descended" into the physical universe where it manifests as Christ Consciousness:⁺ the omnipresent pure reflection of God's intelligence and consciousness inherent and hidden within all creation. When the Christ Consciousness descends into the physical body of man it becomes soul, or superconsciousness: the ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss of God individualized by encasement in the body. When the soul becomes identified with the body, it manifests as ego, mortal consciousness. Yoga teaches that the soul must climb back up the ladder of consciousness to Spirit.⁺⁺

+ The Hindu scriptures refer to Christ Consciousness as Kutastha Chaitanya, universal consciousness or omnipresent intelligence.

++ Yoga teaches that the abode of the soul -- of man's life and divine consciousness -- is in the subtle spiritual centers in the brain: Sahasrara, the thousand-petaled lotus at the top of the cerebrum, seat of cosmic consciousness; Kutastha, at the point between the eyebrows, seat of Christ consciousness; and the medullary center (connected by polarity to the Kutastha), seat of superconsciousness. Descending into the body (and body-consciousness) from these centers of highest spiritual perception, life and consciousness flow down the spine, passing through five astral spinal centers (see chakras in glossary) and branching outward into physical organs of life, sensory perception, and action.

To regain the blissful realization of its oneness with God, the soul of man must retrace its downward course, ascending by the sacred spinal route to its home in the higher cerebral centers of divine awareness. This is accomplished by the practice of guru-given scientific techniques of yogic meditation, such as may be learned from the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons. (See glossary)"

Paramahansa Yogananda. Man's Eternal Quest: Collected Talks and Essays On Realizing God In Daily Life, Volume I. Second ed. Page 17.

"Children, Mother knows that it is difficult for you who live in the midst of material pleasures and with family ties, to remember God constantly. But when you become aware that you are not remembering Him, immediately repent, 'O Lord, I have forgotten you for this much time. I have forgotten to chant your name for this length of time. O Lord, please forgive me. Please bestow upon me the mental strength to cherish Your form within and Your name on my lips constantly and incessantly. O Lord, please do not let me waste time like this. Let the desire to behold Thy form burn within me.' Having repented and prayed thus, immediately start repeating the mantra. Again you might forget it. Don't worry, go on applying the same technique of repentance and prayer whenever you realise that you have not been chanting the mantra for a long time. Slowly in due course, you will develop the power to remember Him incessantly."

-Amma

It is only through understanding spiritual principles and performing spiritual practices that we will gain the right understanding and the right mental attitude in order to persevere in performing good actions no matter what kind of response we get in return.

Once Saint Eknath saw a scorpion floundering in a pool of water. He decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. Eknath briefly withdrew his hand, wincing in pain. After a few moments Eknath again tried to rescue the scorpion from the water, but the scorpion stung him again. This went on for some time.

Finally an onlooker asked Eknath, "Why do you keep trying to rescue a scorpion knowing it will only sting you in return?"

Eknath explained, "It is the nature of the scorpion to sting; it is my nature to love. Why should I give up my nature to love just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting?" Finally the scorpion, held in thrall by the power of Eknath's compassion, refrained from stinging him anymore, and Eknath happily retrieved the scorpion and placed it safely on the ground.

Only spirituality can give us the strength to go on loving and serving others, even when they only sting us in return. As the Buddha said, "Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by love -- this is the eternal law."

from The Blessed Life, by Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri

"We see in the world that which we project. If we look with eyes of hatred and vengence, the world will appear exactly that way to us. But if we look with eyes of love and compassion, we will see nothing but God's beauty everywhere.

~ Amma

"You must be very correct, very punctual, very regular. You should discipline yourself rigidly. Otherwise, you cannot attain the highest, the Realisation. It is not an easy task. Happy-go-lucky type easy temperament is no good in spiritual pursuits. Have you noticed how correct, how strict, how disciplined are the soldiers in the army? They have to stand in the parade according to the unit or battalion they belong to. They have to be absolutely spick and span. They do polishing of the shoes and brass by themselves. Even if a single button is dull, the inspecting officer spots the soldier and puts him into quarter-guard, and he will have to do fettling duty. They are always fighting fit, trim and clean, neat and tidy, because they have been drilled into this sort of correctness, precision and training. When an ordinary soldier is required to be so disciplined, so correct, so punctual, so regular, then what to say about you, O aspirant! A spiritual aspirant has to be even ten times more strict, regular, punctual, correct, well-disciplined. A soldier fights to win a battle, whereas an aspirant has to win the kingdom of heaven, win Kaivalya Moksha. Therefore, never give leniency to your mind." ~Sivananda

from "Practised Before Preaching", a chapter of Sri Swami Chidananda's book Swami Sivananda: Saint, Sage and Godman

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namaha!

Om Gung Ganapathaye Namah!

Today is the festival celebration of the birthday of Lord Ganesha.

He is the Lord of power and wisdom.