Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Qld Inc The meaning of "Om"
The pronunciation of the word "OM" is supposed to symbolize the totality Jitendra Deo of all sounds as it President includes all other sounds that humans can utter. “OM” Name is the religious This idea of totality also symbol of the Hindus. But it is omnipresent exists in the English word "Omnipresent" in almost all the major cultures of our that includes OM as its prefix. We also have world. Another way of saying Om is Aum. Aum is words like Omnipotent and Omniscient, all the sound of the infinite. Aum is said to be of which have the concept of totality in the essence of all mantras and Vedas, the their meanings. The ancient Greek alphabet had Omega as highest of all mantras or divine word. By its last letter. Omega written in the lower sound and form, AUM symbolizes the inficase of the Greek alphabet, if turned to its nite Brahman and the entire universe. side, looks quite similar to the Sanskrit way A stands for Creation. of writing Om. It is from the Greek alphaU stands for Preservation. And finally M stands for Destruction or bet "Omega" that we have the English phrase "the alpha and Omega", which dissolution. The three portions of AUM relate to the means, "to include everything". It is said states of waking, dream and deep sleep and that the word Om has been used to make the three guans (rajas, satva, tamas). The other words. Om is a well-known symbol to three letters also indicate three planes of Indians all over the world. Almost every existence, heaven, earth and the nether- Indian household owns some sort of Om world. AUM can represent all the words symbol. The way I was taught Om is a symproduced by the human vocal organ. A is bol of God. produced by the throat, U & M by the lips. Please contact Jitendra Deo 3263 1914 or In the Vedas, AUM is the sound of the Sun, the sound of Light. It is the sound of assent. Hari Chand 3345 4716 for information on activities of Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of It has an upward movement and uplifts the Queensland or visit: soul, as the sound of the divine eagle or falwww.aryasamajqueensland.com con.
The message of Christmas… DEAR reader, as we look forward to this Christmas, let us once again focus our attention towards the real message of Christmas. God had a Pastor Joseph message that He wanted to communicate to us. Christmas is all about the message from God and the coming of our Saviour. After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the angel said to the frightened shepherds "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." This was God's message of deliverance, God's plan to act and save mankind through Jesus, who is the way, the truth and life. They were to name the baby Jesus, which means God saves or God is our saviour. This was God's plan to save mankind from disaster or death (eternal separation from God). That is God has met at our level of faith, our level of understanding about God, our level of knowledge about God. God is bringing His presence into the world in a whole new way. That the God of the Universe would experience human life as a human being. Jesus saw things through human eyes, He heard things through
Gita Jayanti 2012 Submitted by Sundar Gopal Das SRI Gita Jayanti falls on December 24th. On this day, about 5100 years ago, Sri Krishna spoke Srimad Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna in the battlefield of Kuruksetra. The Gita is the essence of Vedic knowledge and forms the foundation for the other scriptures such as Srimad Bhagavatam and Ramayana. Srimad Bhagavad Gita consists of 18 chapters; chapters 25 to 42 of the Bhisma parva of the great epic Sri Mahabharata. In the Gita, Sri Krishna clears Arjuna’s many doubts. These doubts are in fact universal and using Arjuna as a medium, Sri Krishna is actually clearing many of our doubts. The purpose of the Gita is to deliver mankind from repeated cycle of birth and death. It speaks about the nature of the soul, the material nature, and the Supreme Lord. The Gita teaches how one can attain the supreme abode and the Supreme Lord and attain eternal peace and happiness. Whilst we can achieve some peace and happiness in this world, it is not eternal or lasting. The spiritual world, Sri Krishna explains “that abode is eternal, is transcendental and never annihilated. That place from which, having attained it, one never returns to this material world.” That eternal abode has been
human ears. Jesus felt the pain, sorrow and struggle as a human being and experienced temptation as a human Dass being. He even tasted food with a human mouth. This may seem rather insignificant, but this was God's way of experiencing life on our level. God knows when we hurt, and are in pain. He understands when we lose a loved one, when we are let down or betrayed. Jesus knows what it is like to go through physical pain. Emmanuel means we have a God who understands us because He has gone through the realities of life. The message of Christmas is Jesus coming down to our level and to lead us back into a right relationship with God .Jesus forgave us all our wrongdoing (sin) which only God can do and now is always with us the Greatest GIFT to all of mankind, that we can receive Him with all joy and gladness by making Jesus our Lord and our Saviour, the true message of Christmas. A very happy and blessed Christmas & New year to all. Blessings Ps Joseph described as a place of eternal bliss where one is always engaging in a loving relationship with the Lord. Sri Krishna explains how one can attain that abode “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, he will attain that.” So we can reach the spiritual world or the kingdom of God if we can remember the Lord at the time of death. However we can only do this by remembering the Lord throughout our life. While many methods have been explained in the Gita, Sri Krishna explains that devotional service, bhakti yoga, is the easiest, direct and most practical way of remembering him “One can understand the Lord only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” The nature of pure devotional service is that it does not have any other desires except to bring happiness to the Lord, it is causeless and uninterrupted. Sri Krishna explains the process of becoming free from the reactions of karma “One who performs his duties without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action. You should always think of the Lord, and at the same time carry out your prescribed duties. In this way you will be freed from bondage to work and its auspicious and inauspicious results. With your activities dedicated to the Lord and
30 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, December, 2012
Chanting and Meditation – the Difference
NOWADAYS meditation is widely advised as a practice that helps quieten the mind, relieve it from stress, achieve higher levels of concentration or relaxation, etc. In this article we will see the differences between meditation and chanting, why meditation is difficult to achieve in today’s times and why chanting is of greater value to those seeking spiritual growth. In this article we use the term ‘meditation’ to refer to the thoughtless state. This state is experienced after intense practice. Chanting is the repetition of God’s Name. Comparison of meditation and chanting The table above shows why in the current era chanting is more beneficial than meditation. Practical benefits of chanting compared to meditation Following are some of the practical benefits of chanting compared to meditation. Uninterrupted spiritual practice: In meditation we need to sit in a specific posture. Consequently, if we suffer from backache sitting in that position can become difficult. Chanting is not bound by these restrictions. In addition, the time required to go into a meditative state when practicing meditation is not required in chanting. Continuity of spiritual practice: Meditation cannot be done continuously for the entire day, but chanting can occur continuously. Reduction in likes and dislikes: We can chant while eating. When our mind gets absorbed in chanting, we tend to forget what we are eating and this helps us in reducing our likes and dislikes. If we keep chanting while doing every activity, then all impressions are gradually reduced. This does not occur when we practice meditation. The ego is stronger and harder to over-
come through meditation for several reasons: * It is not easy to achieve communion with the God principle during meditation, as the idea and experience that one is in fact separate from God remains strong. The feeling that “I am separate from God” is ego. * It is easy to have thoughts such as “I am meditating”, “I am going into meditation” which not only increase the awareness of oneself, mind and body, but also can lead to thoughts of being special and unique, thus increasing ego. * While chanting, one is significantly more aware of God. The awareness that we are chanting only due to God's grace is also experienced. As a result, the ego of doing spiritual practice does not develop and in fact undergoes dissolution. Completeness in spiritual practice: Chanting can be done during any and every activity, which means other aspects of spiritual practice can occur simultaneously. For example, one can make efforts to develop spiritual emotion, study our personality defects and ego and make efforts to reduce them, and so on. This is important because by and large we need to undertake spiritual practice while fulfilling responsibilities such as looking after our homes, children, profession, etc. Conclusion – meditation and chanting Nowadays many people practice meditation as a psychological self-improvement technique rather than a tool for spiritual growth. Due to this, the benefits derived from such meditation are also at a psychological level. Based on the above comparison, for spiritual growth in today’s era chanting is of greater value. If you are already practising meditation with the intention of achieving spiritual growth, we recommend you complement it with the spiritual practice of chanting. You can read more about this article on http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/ chanting-meditation You can e-mail us your comments and queries at shobhana.shet@ spiritualresearchfoundation.org
your mind and intelligence fixed on Lord, you will attain the Lord without doubt.” Sri Krishna promises “Those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have. I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him. Though engaged in all kinds of activities, they are under My protection and reach the eternal and imperishable abode by My grace.” In the end Sri Krishna declares “In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me. If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me.
I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. You will attain transcendental peace and you will come to Me without fail.” The Bhagavad Gita can be read at any time and under any condition. Even reading a verse or a part of a verse daily gives great benefit. Mahatma Gandhi has said “When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.” From the Brisbane Bhakti Yoga Centre, we wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas and may the new year bring happiness and joy to all.
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Any comments or questions, please contact us at bhaktibrisbane2010@gmail.com. Call Trudi on 07 3356 0102