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Dussehra – The tale of DASHA HARA

by with No Comment festivalsgurulife GuidanceMokshasanatan dharmashiva

Happy Dussehra
DASHA HARA is a Sanskrit word that means removal of ten bad qualities within you.

Bhagwan Ram defeats Ravan

On the auspicious occasion of Dussehra, hear the tale of DASHA HARA – the removal of ten wicked qualities that reside within us. These vices are Kama vasana (Lust), Krodha (Anger), Moha (Attachment), Lobha (Greed), Mada (Over-Pride), Matsara (Jealousy), Swartha (Selfishness), Anyaaya (Injustice), Amanavta (Cruelty), and Ahankara (Ego).

As we conclude the nine sacred nights of Navratri, we witness the triumph of good over evil in the celebration of Vijayadashami or Dussehra. It symbolizes victory (Vijaya) over these ten wicked qualities. Like the sun that rises every day, reminding us that light will always conquer darkness, let us embrace this natural order and rejoice in the triumph of good over evil.

This moment is one of jubilation, where we honor the power of good, and the world witnesses its victory over the forces of darkness. May this joyous occasion bring success to your life, and may you overcome all evils with the grace of the divine. As we celebrate this occasion, let us wish our loved ones good health, happiness, and prosperity. Let us chant the mantras of

Jai Sri Ram
Bolo Siya pati ram Chandra bhagwan ki jai

Dharm ki vijay ho 🙏🏻
Adharm ka nash ho 🥊
Praniyo mai sadbhavna ho😇
Vishwa ka Kalyan ho🕉
Bolo shankar bhagwan ki Jai ❤️
HAR HAR MAHADEV

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The Yogi and the scorpion story

by with No Comment sanatan dharmaYoga

Once upon a time there was a yogi doing his meditation near a river. Suddenly he saw that a Scorpio had fallen down in the water and was trying to come out of the water, but was unable to do so. So the yogi came forward to help him. He took a stick and tried to pull him out with the stick but he was unable to help that Scorpio.

So he finally used his hand to pull the Scorpio out of the water. He put his hand under the Scorpio to hold him on his palm but as soon as he was able to take him out, the Scorpio stung him. The yogi was feeling unbearable pain due to bite of the Scorpio, as a result of this he wasn’t able to hold the Scorpio and the Scorpio again fell down in the water.

The yogi again tried to save the Scorpio but the next time also the same thing happened. This all kept on happening again and again. A person was passing from there and after seeing all this, he finally came to yogi and asked, if the Scorpio is biting you again and again and then why are you risking your life again and again for him, just leave him.

The yogi replied that when the scorpion can not leave his basic nature of biting somebody, how can I leave my basic nature of helping everybody. If he is determined to bite, I am determined to save him. After few more attempts the yogi was able to save the Scorpios life and pull him out of the water.

Ganesh Chaturthi – Happy Bday lord Ganesha

by with No Comment festivalsganeshasanatan dharma

As today is the birthDay of bhagwan Ganesh: we must read his birth story, symbolism meaning and practice.

The birth of Ganesh
One day Goddess Parvati was at home on Mt.Kailash preparing for a bath. As she didn’t want to be disturbed, she told Nandi, her husband Shiv’s Bull, to guard the door and let no one pass. Nandi faithfully took his post, intending to carry out Parvati’s wishes. But, when Shiv came home and naturally wanted to come inside, Nandi had to let him pass, being loyal first to Shiv. Parvati was angry at this slight, but even more than this, at the fact that she had no one as loyal to Herself as Nandi was to Shiv. So, taking the turmeric paste (for bathing) from her body and breathing life into it, she created Ganesh, declaring him to be her own loyal son.

The next time Parvati wished to bathe, she posted Ganesh on guard duty at the door. In due course, Shiv came home, only to find this strange boy telling him he couldn’t enter his own house! Furious, Shiv ordered his army to destroy the boy, but they all failed! Such power did Ganesh possess, being the son of Devi Herself!

This surprised Shiv. Seeing that this was no ordinary boy, the usually peaceful Shiv decided he would have to fight him, and in his divine fury severed Ganesha’s head, killing him instantly. When Parvati learned of this, she was so enraged and insulted that she decided to destroy the entire Creation! Lord Brahma, being the Creator, naturally had his issues with this, and pleaded that she reconsider her drastic plan. She said she would, but only if two conditions were met: one, that Ganesh be brought back to life, and two, that he be forever worshipped before all the other gods.

Shiv, having cooled down by this time, and realizing his mistake, agreed to Parvati’s conditions. He sent Brahma out with orders to bring back the head of the first creature he crosses that is laying with its head facing North. Brahma soon returned with the head of a strong and powerful elephant, which Shiv placed onto Ganesh’s body. Breathing new life into him, he declared Ganesha to be his own son as well, and gave him the status of being foremost among the gods, and leader of all the ganas (classes of beings), Ganapati.

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Meaning of the story of Ganesh

At first glance, this story just seems like a nice tale that we might tell our children, or a myth without any real substance. But, it’s true mystical meaning is veiled. It is explained thus:

Parvati is a form of Devi, the Parashakti (Supreme Energy). In the human body She resides in the Muladhara chakra as the Kundalini shakti. It is said that when we purify ourselves, ridding ourselves of the impurities that bind us, then the Lord automatically comes. This is why Shiv, the Supreme Lord, came unannounced as Parvati was bathing.

Nandi, Shiv’s bull, who Parvati first sent to guard the door represents the divine temperment. Nandi is so devoted to Shiv that his every thought is directed to Him, and he is able to easily recognize the Lord when He arrives. This shows that the attitude of the spiritual aspirant is what gains access to Devi’s (the kundalini shakti’s) abode. One must first develop this attitude of the devotee before hoping to become qualified for the highest treasure of spiritual attainment, which Devi alone grants.
After Nandi permitted Shiv to enter, Parvati took the turmeric paste from Her own body, and with it created Ganesh.. Yellow is the color associated with the Muladhara chakra, where the kundalini resides, and Ganesh is the deity who guards this chakra. Devi needed to create Ganesh, who represents the earthbound awareness, as a shield to protect the divine secret from unripe minds. It is when this awareness begins to turn away from things of the world, and toward the Divine, as Nandi had, that the great secret is revealed.

Shiv is the Lord and Supreme Teacher. Ganesh here represents the ego-bound Jiva. When the Lord comes, the Jiva, surrounded as it is with the murky cloud of ego, usually doesn’t recognize Him, and maybe even ends up arguing or fighting with Him! Therefore, it is the duty of the Lord, in the form of the Guru, to cut off the head of our ego! So powerful is this ego however, that at first the Guru’s instructions may not work, as Shiv’s armies failed to subdue Ganesh. It often requires a tougher approach, but, eventually the compassionate Guru, in His wisdom finds a way.

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Devi threatened to destroy the whole Creation after learning of Ganesh’s demise. This indicates that when the ego thus dies, the liberated Jiva loses interest in its temporary physical vehicle, the body, and begins to merge into the Supreme. The physical world is here represented by Devi. This impermanent and changeable creation is a form of Devi, to which this body belongs; the unchanging Absolute is Shiv, to which belongs the Soul. When the ego dies, the external world, which depends on the ego for its existence, disappears along with it. It is said that if we want to know the secrets of this world, which is a manifestation of Devi, then we must first receive the blessings of Ganesh.

Shiv restoring life to Ganesh, and replacing his head with an elephant’s, means that before we can leave the body, the Lord first replaces our small ego with a “big”, or universal ego. This doesn’t mean that we become more egoistic. On the contrary, we no longer identify with the limited individual self, but rather with the large universal Self. In this way, our life is renewed, becoming one that can truly benefit Creation. It is however only a functional ego, like the one Krishn and Buddha kept. It is like a thin string tying the liberated Consciousness to our world, solely for our benefit.

Ganesh is given dominion over the Ganas, which is a general term denoting all classes of beings, ranging from insects, animals and humans to the subtle and celestial beings. These various beings all contribute to the government of the Creation; everything from natural forces like storms and earthquakes, to the elemental qualities like fire and water, to functioning of the body’s organs and processes. If we don’t honor the Ganas, then our every action is a form of thievery, as it is unsanctioned. Therefore, instead of propitiating each Gana in order to receive their blessings, we bow to their Lord, Sri Ganesh. By receiving His grace, we receive the grace of all. He removes any potential obstacles and enables our endeavors to succeed.

Such is the g
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sivaomyoga #sivaomschoolofyoga #bestyogaschool #sivaOm #siva #om #yoga #yogi #meditation #yogapose #yttc #yogaretreat #yogateachertraining #yogaonline #onlineyoga #yogainspiration #yoga

sivaom yoga teacher training certificate

Important things to know before selecting a yoga course

by with No Comment gurulife GuidancemantraMokshaMotivationsanatan dharmashaktishivatantraYoga

Things are the most important factors to know for anyone before taking up any yoga course…

sivaom yoga teacher training certificate

– How authentic is the teacher?

indian embassy letter of appreciation to sivaom

This can be seen by reading his/her history, asking about their family/guru lineage, the traditions they follow and then doing your own conclusive research about what’s been shared with you…

– What subject is being taught?

guru giving gyan yoga

There are various subjects which have such important relevance. So much so, that without their knowledge you can’t even be considered to be practicing yoga, but there is lack of awareness about them in the west due to the limited knowledge even today. This doesn’t let a person fully grow in yoga, as they aren’t aware of these subjects. These subjects can add depth to your existing yoga and might be very important for not just your own growth but might have a direct impact on the evolution of your students Incase you’re an existing teacher…

– Can this subject be found in the original transcriptions and scripts of yoga or is it a filtered or toned down or a deviated subject given to you? Authenticity of text is important as these are time and character tested methodology. They are accepted as universal truths because they can be applied to anyone, from any region, at any time!

Adding to that, I would also say it’s important that whose commentary is being taught. Try to avoid as less change of wording in the manual as possible, the more hands it has passed the more away from Subject of yoga it became! All texts existed predominantly in Sanskrit, then were translated to Hindi or other local language, then to English, then to your local language and then someone added their own colour to it, in the end it ended up being just the shadow of what existed.

I would like to say the “best teacher and course” is a subjective matter and indeed in this aspect there can’t be a single best! However having said that, we are talking about yoga and when we talk of yoga guiding a person or giving guidelines to person so that they can have access to the best quality of teachings is the most fundamental aspect and we have to be responsible and truthful about!

Even though today it does act as a parameter of quality of a teaching but the past graduates testimonials also doesn’t speak much. For example if I have zero knowledge of yoga and only 1% of authentic knowledge was provided to me, I will consider that as wholesome 100% and write very nicely about the school and the teacher. This is totally misleading and I can vouch that some leading names have do not teach authentically.

Yoga Training Certificate given by the ambassador of india to greece on the Graduation Ceremony of SivaOm Students

Now the question about whether the question of if the teacher is from India, this is directly relevant to the question of which course to take, even today there are many families in India who have been following and practicing yoga for over 1000 generations and this can not be replaced even with a lifetime of studies as many things in yoga come from real life situation experience after applying the wisdom of the books applied generation after generation. However I would also say that many Indians have compromised for the sake of money, this is why it becomes important to check their guru/family lineage.

Let me at this point also talk of moral and ethical issues, as an indian you would never go for yoga alliance for the reason that no American association can verify and certify an indian cultural practice and those who’ve done the certification of the alliances are simply in it for the money, as a matter of fact there is no body which can measure if you have achieved yoga, so measuring or certifying it becomes impossible. Adding to that there is literally only one certification body in the world recognised by any government and that is authorised by the ministry of yoga in India and is not yoga alliance America or even the Indian chapter of yoga alliance…

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Sadhu – Who are they

by with No Comment sanatan dharma

Sadhu – Who are they

We all know India is the land of sadhus, or what are commonly known as sages or mendicants. In Hinduism, a sādhu (Sanskrit sādhu, “holy man”) is a religious ascetic or holy person. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa (liberation), the fourth and final aśrama (stage of life), through meditation and contemplation of Brahman. The sadhu way of life can take a variety of forms. Sadhus may live together in monasteries or isolate themselves in small huts or caves, but many wander throughout the country alone or in small groups. Sadhus, the dreadlocked holy men usually seen lurking around Hindu temples, are essentially an Indian phenomenon. However, Nepal is also one of their favourite stomping grounds. Sadhus are especially common at Pashupatinath temple which is rated as one of the subcontinent’s four most important Shaiva pilgrimage sites. During the festival of ShivaRatri, Pashupatinath hosts a full-scale sadhu convention, with the government laying on free firewood for the festival.

In India, Sadhus generally congregate on important religious occasions, such as lunar eclipses or melas (fairs), and are found in large numbers in sacred cities such as Varanasi (Benares) and Haridwar, India. Their dress and ornaments differ according to their sect but they usually wear yellow/orange robes. They allow their hair to lie matted on their shoulders, or twist it in a knot on top of their heads. Shaiva sadhus follow Shiva in one of his best-loved and most enigmatic guises: the wild, dishevelled yogi, the master of yoga, who sits motionless atop a Himalayan peak for aeons at a time and whose hair is the source of the mighty Ganga river.

Traditionally, sadhus live solitary lives. They smear themselves with ashes, symbolising Shiva’s role as the destroyer, who reduces all things to ash so that creation can begin anew. Their foreheads are usually painted and they employ scores of tikka patterns. Sadhus generally take vows of poverty and celibacy and depend on the charity of householders for their food. Sadhus usually have only the possessions they carry with them: a danda, a waterpot (kamandalu), an alms bowl, a rosary, and perhaps an extra cloth or a fire tong. However modern Sadhus often travel, mix with all kinds of people and sometimes they act like they are the king of all reality. Modern sadhu keeps handy a phone, flashlights, shoes, wallet and sometimes even a laptop or iPad…

Courtesy : ૐ The Shiva Tribe ૐ