Several weeks ago I had a dream where Swami appeared relaxed and sitting on ‘a’ verandah. In this dream the location was not India, but some place that looked a bit like ancient Greece. I can remember he was speaking to people who sat on the floor around his feet. He appeared to be  laughing and talking to this small group with a sense of real joy. The next scene in the dream was of Sai being helped into a vehicle, not a car, not anything I can really name. I knew whatever the vehicle was, he was leaving. On each corner of this vehicle, there were seated four ladies dressed in ancient robes, again much like those worn in ancient Greece. The dream came as a surprise, because it has been a long time since I’ve dreamt of Sai Baba. Here, posted again, are several other dreams I’ve shared on this blog before. I have included another from A.Anandtha Vijaya

I will be visiting Bangalore and Mysore on my next visit to India, where I am hoping to spend time browsing in bookshops. I know from other visits, there’s a wealth of material available in India on dreams.  I am hoping to buy books on Buddhist and Hindu philosophy to read while travelling from place to place.

Toffee Chocolate Prasad Dream ~2009

In this dream, I was with an old friend beside the meditation tree. We were discussing how difficult it was to see swami now, having a little moan about how things had changed. Suddenly, there was swami! He took my hand and began shaking it in a ‘how-do-you-do’ fashion. He said “Oh! You’re here” – and other words I did not catch. He continued to shake my hand, then he ended with “Now, must go – ‘Chez Moi’. “  He let go of my hand and when I looked at it, it was full of melted chocolate or toffee. He had held my hand and, I suppose, had placed a toffee there which had squashed with the hand shaking. I was happy with the ‘prasad’ even though I had to peel it off my hand! I gave some to my friend and others, but told them all, I could not give it all away as my husband deserved some.

LEARN¸.•´* ♥ become aware of soul lessons*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´* ♥ LET
GO¸.•´* ♥MOVE ON¸.•´* ♥ with joy •, LOVE ♥ gratitude•

A  Dream About My Pet Cat Buster from long ago.

Swami’s love for animals is well-known. He speaks about them with real affection and tenderness. He also cares for devotees pets. I have experienced his care for animals many times. One incident of his love for animals  I remember well. I’d  like to share it.

One night many years ago, I lay awake worrying about my Siamese cat Buster, who suffered chronic tummy problems. We had two Siamese cats at the time, but Buster was often quite sick.  I was afraid of losing him.

My visit to Swami had been booked months before  and I did not want to cancel it. But I did NOT  want to leave Buster. I was afraid I might not see him again.  Exhausted, by these thoughts, I fell eventually fell asleep.

During the night I had a beautiful dream of Swami. He was sitting  on a chair in  a friend’s bhajan hall,  I was sitting toward the back. Swami beckoned to me to come forward. I moved to the front to sit beside him.  On looking down, I found to my surprise, Buster  sitting on my lap! Swami smiled and stroked him on the head and Buster, typical of Siamese cats, meowed most loudly. Then the dream faded.

Buster, with the help of a brand new diet, overcame his stomach problems. He is still with us today. Now in his fourteenth year and in sound health. Sadly, our other cat Orchid, died last year. My grief over her loss was so severe, I wrote a long letter to Swami, telling him all about her. He lovingly took the letter earlier this year.

This is a very old story. Buster died in 2002. He now comes to me through dreams from time to time….and I can still feel the love that formed a strong bond  between us during his lifetime.

LEARN¸.•´* ♥ become aware of soul lessons*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´* ♥ LET
GO¸.•´* ♥MOVE ON¸.•´* ♥ with joy •, LOVE ♥ gratitude•

Another Dream Story 

An aged man was sitting for darshan some years ago.He got up as soon as Baba came towards him and said, “Baba, my daughter-in-law is not well. She is pregnant. The doctor told her that only one of them will survive. Please, save her and the child. ” Baba said — “ Ek nahi–Do hain (not one child, two are there). Don’t worry, Baba will save all.” The man left leaving all his worries at Baba’s feet.

The very next day Baba came in a dream to both the man’s son and his daughter-in-law. He said, “Worry not. Baba has taken up your case. Your operation will be done but don’t go to any hospital.” Both the wife and the husband thanked Baba for His grace and the next day after bhajans, they placed a letter at Baba’s photograph agreeing to follow his orders.

Again, next day the “mother to be” had a dream. Baba appeared in a doctor’s coat and materialised all the surgical instruments (required for operations.) He proceeded to operate on her. In between He spoke to her: “Abhi operation karne wala Hai” — Now I will start the operation. “Abhi baccha nikalne wala Hai” — Now the child is going to be delivered and so on and so forth.

Once the operation was completed, Baba showed her both the children in the dream. He snapped his figures and said “ Delivery over. Now get up.” The woman then woke up from her dream to find two twins (looking exactly the same as those in her dream). They were by her side.

~A.Anandtha Vijaya

Very hard to imagine a soft and pretty song such as this, can be dedicated to the Goddess Durga. This song or chant is a mix of both the traditional styles of chanting and modern day music. I like it and added here for you to enjoy. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will upload one of my special pictures of Goddess Durga from an old print, bought years ago.  (The photo here is not mine. It came from the internet.)

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Here’s a short excerpt from a discourse given by Swami during 1997. Might add I will be away for two months from middle Feb. I hope you, during that time, will explore the back posts on this blog. I am sure there is something here for everyone..

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navaratri-durga-puja

Devi’ Compassion And Grace

Among the many lessons driven home to the students in Brindavan by Bhagavan Baba in His evening discourses in April, 1997, in Trayee Brindavan’, one was concerned with the need for firm determination on the part of a devotee to earn the grace of the Lord. Bhagavan related an episode from the life of Adi Shankara as a young lad.

“The great Acharya was barely four years old at the time. His father, a devout scholar, used to offer daily worship to Goddess Raajeshwari every morning. Meditating before the Goddess with closed eyes, he would offer a bowl of cow’s milk to her. When he opened his eyes after meditation, he would find that bowl was only half-full, the other half having been accepted as an offering by the Goddess. One day, he had to go to a neighbouring village for three days. He told his wife to arrange worship of the Goddess in the customary manner with the offering of milk, with the young Shankara deputizing him in the worship. In accordance with his father’s instructions, the young lad sat in front of the Goddess in the sanctum and performed the prescribed ritual. After meditation, when he opened his eyes, he was astonished to see that the bowl of milk offered to the Goddess remained full. He felt sad and cried out: ‘Divine Mother! What wrong have I done? I cannot bear this punishment. Please show your grace on me as you did for my father.’ He prayed intensely for some time with closed eyes. When he opened his eyes he saw that the bowl was now totally empty. All the milk had gone. He was in distress again and cried out: “Devi! You have consumed all the milk. Where is our share of the Prasadam? If we are denied this, what mother will say and what will others think? I will not leave this place till the bowl is refilled.’ In response to fervent prayers, the Goddess spoke: “Dear child! When the river has joined the river, how can it be redirected? Shankara said: ‘Nobody will believe me when I say that no milk was left in the bowl after my worship. They may think that I drank all of it. I cannot face them. Devi! Without your Prasad, I will not leave this place. I will lay down my life at your Feet.” Swami concluded this moving account of the episode with the following finale: “Devi Raajeshwari’s heart melted on hearing the young boy’s appeal. She took the bowl and poured her Divine breast-milk into it and gave it to the young devotee.’ The compassion of the Divine, Swami said, has no limits.” Sai Baba. SS. 6/97. p. 153

A Short Story:

Sri Ramakrishna and the Divine Mother

Shri Ramakrishna worshipped the Divine Mother in the form of Holy Mother.  Sarada Devi was the presiding Deity or Sangha-Janani of the Ramakrishna Order.  During 1901, in a mysterious way, the Divine Mother was worshipped at Belur Math with all festivity and éclat.  Swami Brahmananda saw a vision of Mother Durga coming from Dakshineswar on the Ganges.  At that very time Swamiji was also coming from Calcutta.  After reaching Belur Math, Swamiji (Swami Vivekananda) felt a deep desire to worship Mother Durga.  Holy Mother was  invited on that sacred occasion and Sankalpa of the Durga puja took place in her name.  From that time, Durga-puja is worshipped  in the Belur Math and other branch centers in the same manner.

To accept God as Mother is, according to Shri Ramakrishna, the final word in spiritual striving.  It is indeed, to some at least, the smoothest and surest way of having God-vision.  Shri Ramakrishna never condemned any form of approach to God but insisted that the one of a child to its mother was the purest, safest and best.  Let us accept any attitude towards God according to our mental predilections, and develop the helplessness, restlessness, intense longing, faith and surrendering attitude of a child for its mother’s arms.  Sincere prayer never goes in vain.  Through genuine prayer we may get spiritual illumination.

- Ramakrishna used to worship Goddess Kali so I am somewhat surprised to learn of his devotion to Goddess Durga puja also. 

The Goddess Kali, Calcutta, 19th century. watercolour on paper.

Rainbow over Puttaparthi on Gurupournima day 2011

This small largely forgotten poem, ‘Rainbows’ from Khalil Gibran, tells us about the poet’s wishes. Khalil, tells us that he would do all that he can to make his “beloved” happy. Gibran was a Lebanese American artist, poet, writer, philosopher and theologian, and one of the highly acclaimed personalities of last century. This poem depicts his desire to accompolish certain things for his  beloved. He tell us in the poem,  if he could catch a rainbow, he would dedicate it to his beloved. He wishes, above all, to share the beauty of the rainbow with his beloved. Here in this poem you can read his beautiful imagination, as he plays with the words. The poem tells of  a higher level of intimacy, between two hearts and the will to do something for his beloved. Written in  this rather romantic mode, KG deliberately reveals William Wordsworth’s style of writing.

Rainbows

If I could catch a rainbow

I would do it just for you.

And share with you its beauty

On the days you’re feeling blue.

If I could build a mountain

You could call your very own.

A place to find serenity

A place to be alone.

If I could take your troubles

I would toss them in the sea.

But all these things I’m finding

Are impossible for me,

I cannot build a mountain

Or catch a rainbow fair

But let me be…what I know best,

A friend that’s always there.

Khalil Gibran

Let’s Not Blow It- by Homer Groening (1967)

There are millions of years in the past
There are millions of years ahead of us
And here we are
Right in the middle

Then there’s space
There are miles and miles of space in all directions
And here we are
Right in the middle

This is a big deal
Being in the middle of time and space
It sort of makes your eyes water

We’d never find this moment again
In a million years
This is our world
Let’s not blow it

Within You without You
Lyrics: George Harrison, 1967 

We were talking – about the space between us all
And the people – who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth – then it’s far too late – when they pass away.

We were talking – about the love we all could share – when we find it
To try our best to hold it there – with our love
With our love – we could save the world – if they only knew.

Try to realise it’s all within yourself no-one else can make you change
And to see you’re really only very small,
And life flows on within you and without you.

We were talking – about the love that’s gone so cold and the people,
Who gain the world and lose their soul – they don’t know – they can’t see – are you one of them?
When you’ve seen beyond yourself – then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there –
And the time will come when you see we’re all one, and life flows on within you and without you.

Better

from the Dhammapada

Better than a thousand

Hollow words
Is one word that brings peace.

Better than a thousand
Hollow verses
Is one verse that brings peace.

Better than a hundred
Hollow lines
Is one line of the law, Bringing peace.

It is better to conquer yourself
Than to win a thousand battles;
Then the victory is yours.

Here is a relaxed talk with Deva and Mitten. Among the subjects touched in this video, is the one of  their faith, and how song and chants help with this. They are also  taking  questions  from their friends (THEY DO NOT HAVE  FANs) and answer them on the video (Very special.)  They do not like the word fans, and  nor do I.

This is a wonderful inspiring talk and worth  the 30 minutes. Might add, they  also speak about Brindavan, Hari Krishna Consciousness Centre  and  Arunachela, where they both visited in recent years.  Also they advise people on living in ashrams and other spiritual communities. They both lived in Osho’s ashram for many years.

click photograph to play video. Best on Apple Computers or Internet Explorer.

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A good hobby, one I thoroughly recommend to you all, is creating you tubes. It’s a good way to relax and an excellent way to enjoy photographs. This youtube is a collection of my favourite photographs taken last year. Most were taken this winter on cold, wet afternoons, when people generally do not visit the beach. The joy and freedom of being alone on the beach is so fantastical that I cannot even begin to find words for it. However, I will try.

On the Beach at Sunset:

The soft wet sand beneath my feet, the cool ocean breezes coming in from the ocean, all hold their own special song. The sound of waves dancing on the shore-line, these frothy foaming bubbles,  whipping around my feet are like a  lonely lullaby.  For a moment they are all around me, then they  slip back into the ocean again and the sound of the waves, for a moment, recedes. Then, more often than not, another even bigger wave gathers speed out at sea and rolls in, lashing the shore with such great force, I have to stand way back. Whatever the size of the wave, the ocean song is always beautiful. I hope I have caught some of the magic of the sea in this YouTube.”  Enjoy.     

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Quand on n’aime pas trop, on n’aime pas assez.

BUSSY-RABUTIN, Maximes d’Amour pour les femmes dans le Recueil de Sercy

When you don’t love too much, you don’t love enough.