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Dearr Sadhak, Dea Sadh ak, From time and time beyond we have heard stories from our Shastras that whenever evil triumphed, some great men surrendered and prayed vigorously to God, and then God came and peace prevailed. It is unfortunate that mankind is suffering what it is but, we must understand that at the time of this holocast the Shiv Yogis are bestowed with greater responsibility to create more happiness and peace. As the evil forces are working hard to establish their kingdom, we, the good must also find ways to establish peace. Peace cannot be found with violence. Remember the saying "Want a mango? Sow a mango." But how can we do that ? How can we attain peace by not submitting to the raw emotions of our minds? My dear seekers, the answer lies all around you. Confused? Look out of the window at that tree. Evil is the fruit, it is what the tree produces. That is why it is senseless to go beserk trying to catch, destroy and throw the fruit away. No matter what, the next season will bring more ripe ri pe and fresh fruit. You You have to cut the roots to destroy dest roy the tree. In psychology there is a Maslov Need Heirarchy in which it is said only when a person is not satisfied he will look for ways to subdue his hunger. People do evil when they are deprived. So if we, the seekers, start s tart to love and care for the fellow fel low man who needs it, he will never walk the dark road. It is our duty to destroy the tree and save man. Start caring for and loving and nurturing society, to make sure that everyone remains happy and once again we live in the peaceful kingdom of heaven!
Bless You!
Om Namah Shivay! strength
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D ear R eade aderr s... You must be wondering why we are so quiet in renewing our popular magazine “Inner Strength”, inaugurated by our Revered Babaji quite some time back. Actually quite a few enthusiasts have been enquiring , as they have been missing their regular dose of spiritual benefit. The fact is that the whirl-wind pace of Babaji's programmes have left no breathing time to the staff to attend to subsidiary projects. When we present the newsletter to you stating how much water has flown under the bridge, you will be surprised and happy to learn about the tremendous coverage in the growth of spirituality and spiritual undertakings as a result of Babaji's single-handed efforts, with ofcourse , Guru Ma running a shoulder-toshoulder race in support of Him. In factual terms, our gains have been stupendous and breath-taking. Now we will only be recapitulating and digesting what has been served for our benefit on a silver plate. Let us all join together and participate in the feast. Benefits to sadhaks have been tremendous-as is being acknowledged through the medium of television, etc. But there is always scope for enthusiasts to participate and pitch in with any help or support that encourages or invigorates those who are already dedicating their time and energy to promote such projects of universal benefit. We shall be very happy to receive any communication from you , giving suggestions as part of the Inner Strength community .Babaji's all-protecting hand of magnanimity and grace is felt by all of us at all this. Now it is time for His children to share the responsibility to everybody's mutual benefit. With a prayer on our lips and hearts full of gratitude for Lord Shiva's blessings, we embark on this venture of floating Inner Strength once again. Om Namah Shivay!
– She heii l a K apur
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unconditional love to yourself and those you had forgiven. Believe me this was tough! One managed to instill the Ideology of forgiveness over a period of time, with Babaji’s repeated reminders about how harmful it is to carry grudges against others. But to cultivate the feeling of love for one you have been hurt or harmed by was almost impossible! However, Babaji’s sincere effort to get across to us about the importance of this practice paid-off and we managed to brace ourselves to begin this stupendous job! We must learn from Nature, to give unconditionally. unconditionally. The Sun shines equally on all beings – rich or poor, old or young, happy or sad, big or small, beautiful or ugly. ugly. The rain showers its blessing uniformly for everyone, the wind blows everywhere without any inhibitions. Trees stand in the harsh sun providing shade to
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
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ach one of us is an ocean of love, as Babaji reminded us by lovingly singing “Tu pyaar ka saagar hai, teri ik boond ke pyaase hum…” We are love itself, so how can we be wanting for love? But as is the case with most of us, we feel unwanted, unloved, shunned and neglected by others, especially by our loved ones. To make things simpler Babaji asked us “Have you ever heard the water in the ocean or river complain that it’s thirsty? That would be sheer madness!” In the same way, how can we – the oceans of love- say that nobody loves us? We have to begin with loving ourselves, because if you don’t love yourself, you cannot love anyone else. In the world you see a reflection of yourself, if you are unable to accept yourself as you are – you will find fault in everything you see around you. To To begin the process of self-acceptance, Babaji made us do the forgiveness meditation, in which the first person we had to forgive was ourself! Then we went on to forgive all the people who we thought had wronged or harmed us through the journey of life. The next step was to send
anyone who needs it. Then why is man – the epitome of God’s creation –so self-centered and grabbing? Why is it that each action is planned and calculated? Returns and reciprocation are expected for every deed. We care for our family and we expect care, love and respect from them. If by any chance they do not react as per our expectations, we demand love and respect, which we never get and thus end up miserable. We pay our servants and extract the most possible out of them. The Moment we are asked to do a deed of charity we want our names inscribed somewhere as acknowledgement. Why? It’s now time for reflection. Where is the mistake being committed? There is obviously a mistake because otherwise the net result would be happiness and not misery. This conditional behavior is in fact the root cause for our miseries. We are all a ll looking to others for love and care, never within our own selves. When our expectations are not met we feel unhappy and unloved. We have to wake up to the fact that we are a part of “Param Atmaan”-the infinite. We are oceans of love – strength
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immeasurable, boundaryless, and vast. Reflecting again on natural phenomenon, Babaji says “The Sun does not know what darkness is because it has never seen darkness. The moment the Sun appears, darkness disappears. So in the same manner, we are love and wherever we go we should be able to spread love and warmth. In fact this should happen automatically. automatically. You are light, you are ar e divine, be yourself.” We must realize the fact that all the people who are there in our lives are not there just by chance. They are there because we owe them something, may be from a pastlife. We have all heard at sometime or the other that we are here to clear our debts and only when that is done can we move on and progress in our journey towards the infinite. But how will we clear these debts? In India we try to do this by doing charity, charity, distributing food and clothes and in lots of other ways. While performing these so-called acts a cts of charity, what is our attitude? Are we loving and kind to those whom we are giving? Are we just mechanically distributing? Or sometimes we even exert authority while doing a good deed. What then was this? Egoboosting or a public performance? Each action, each karma should be gentle, loving and aiming at soothing a hurt, bringing a smile onto the other’s face. What we do not realize is that the people whom we owe the most to are the ones nearest to us – our family. family. Our family members are the people we take for granted, thinking that we are always doing things for them. Stop and thinkwhat is your attitude when you do d o something for them? Let us analyze our behavior. A father earns a living and provides for the family. family. But with what feeling? Is it a feeling of joy, joy, love and happiness? Or is it a feeling of being burdened with responsibility? We must understand that we are only mediums and the provider is only one. The Almighty is the Giver,
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the Creator, the Protector. He is giving, we have the good fortune of becoming a part of the chain. We must do our duties with pleasure, plea sure, with a smile and with love. Just with this change in attitude we can turn our whole lives around. It is defi-nitely worth a try. try. Most importa-ntly, importa-ntly, what do we owe everyone? Money? Jewels? Property? No, because these are only earthly possessions and we cannot carry any of these when we leave our bodies and exit this plane. So these do not hold any importance ultimately. There is only one thing and only one thing that everyone wants and that each one of us is capable of giving abundantly. abundantly. And that one thing is Unconditional Love. Think back, as a little child what made you happiest? A warm hug, a smile, some loving words. When you grew into a teen-ager, it was love and understanding that you needed. When you get married, it is love, acceptance and understanding that you look for from your spouse and inlaws. As you grow older, you look for love and respect from your children. When you do not get love and respect at the various stages of life, you harbor emotions of being wronged, neglected and end up being miserable. The thought that we can give unconditionally never strikes us! This is the key to real happiness. Gradually unconditional love began to flow. flow. It was like the thawing of a glacier, first a few drops, then a trickle turning into a stream and gradually a river! Quite an achievement! But the credit goes completely to His Holiness Avdhoot Baba Shivananda who led us through this uphill expedition! Keeping a watchful eye on each one of us, never resting , walking on, encouraging us to continue, assuring us of the amazing outcome – which we have witnessed in our lives continuously since- Babaji tirelessly took us to the culmination of this beautiful fiveday retreat.
–Karunanjali Singh
hanting, the holy name is the last scavenger for all sin and impurity infesting the human form. It reaches each pore, each cell of the body fabric and cleanses it. It is the angelic hand that soothes when it takes you in its embrace – its holy aura. You You are lost to yourself, your lower-self- the debacle of all that is unholy and unsavory, out to shatter your peace of mind which actually is your birth-right. So, back in Mother Nature’s lap, you revert to a child’s glee and comfort. Such is the
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procedure, conspicuous by its absence, here was a sudden outburst – as forceful as the lightening in the skies and as peaceful as could be culled out from the innermost depth of an ocean oce an . At the same time it was effective enough to penetrate any heart, however pained or stressed it may be!! There is a secret behind Babaji’s chanting. He sings from the core of His heart and not for anybody else but for the Almighty Himself. It is actually a state of deep meditation and as sadhaks chant along, Babaji transfers to them the divine shakti which He has received as a result of all His sadhna and austerities practiced for many lifetimes. He virtually. implants it on his devotees with sheer love called “Shaktipath” as a gift! Once this “imported seed” has been inoculated into our blood-stream, the ‘strain’ or species of our being undergoes a transformation. You You no longer remain your old self. It is the base of a “Kaya Kalp”- a renewed and over-hauled, reformed you! You trigger off to a new journey, after the Uturn has been taken –not by you! Don’t be mistaken. It is bt The Gracious One, who doles out benedictions, without a return or recompense for the same. We can only sit in silent admiration and pray to be deserving enough for these divine benefits Once the seed is sown, it is for us to nurture it like caring gardeners –practice watering it regularly, weeding out any unnecessary intruders of alien origin and replenish it with all the energy in us. way out yet but sure to appear in proper time. Time, devotion and practice make one perfect. Sieving, thrashing, winnowing are all in the process towards success. Our free flow of thoughts is an area to be watchful about. Let the Sunshine of Divinity never wane in the path of enlightenment.
CHANTING benediction of a chant from a Holy Being, a divine soul, an ascended master such as our unassuming and simple Guru, Avadhoot Baba Shivananda. He leads us straight to the gateway of heaven – to heavenly bliss whilst still on this materialistic plane called the Earth. One of my first impacts with Babaji consisted of a splurge of sound. Did it spring from the depth of an ocean of silence or thunder, splitting the skies with high velocity movement? This took place after watching Mother Nature shall help us grow, grow, purifying our throat charka and activating it fully for the voice to flow out full-throated. We need not keep an eye on the harvest or the end result, which may be Him as a quiet saint in red attire, squatting in peaceful existence – eyes closed – before a smoldering fire, indicating the remnants of a Hawan- like dedication to the higher powers that be. A thunder out of the blue! It held all the force of flood-waters, after the flood-gates of a canal are opened and there is a sudden gush of Sounded Glory!! I have heard versatile singers, ventilating their successes through hourlong practices. With all that routine
N ot e : : V Various c hantings ava available ilable in His Holiness Avdhood Baba Shivanand's Shivanand's voi ce.
–Sheila Kapur strength
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Experience the spell of Captivating Bhajans and Chants We invite you to join us on this journey that can transform your life Cosmic Chanting of Mahamrityu Ma hamrityu njaya : The biggest healing source is located inside you. Mahamrityunjaya Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is the key to the vast reservoir of healing powers within your body. Discover the amazing curative potential of this awesome healing Mantra.
Tandav : Your communion with Lord Shiva through his favourite medium of Tandav. Invoke the amazing powers of Shiva's Tandav through this medium and destroy the negativity around you
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Bhaj Govindam S
ri Adi Shankaracharya needs no introduction. He wrote a number of Vedantic works. He revived and propogated the philosophy of Advaitism, which at that time was over shadowed by ritualism. Inspite of experiencing the ultimate unity with the Supreme Self, he also wrote many songs saturated and overflowing with Bhakti. The well known “ Bhaj Govindam” is the Crest jewel amongst these. In this melodious song, the essence of Vedanta is packed, as if, in the attire of Devotion, thus propounding the oneness of Gyan and Bhakti. Putting his world-conquering Gyan aside, in the very first shloka, the Jagadguru calls himself 'a foolish one' - a being of "mean intellect"!! The absolute authority in the highest Gyan is thereby giving us a proof that without Bhakti, all Gyan is fu"izk.k -lifeless, and can bear no fruit. When Gyan reaches maturity, it flows as Bhakti. Trying to interpret Sri Shankara is like showing a candle to the Sun!! How can an insignificant mortal being like me even dare to attempt that? this is merely a humble effort to translate the wisdom of this Great Master in a language that we can understand today and imbibe its spirit and benefit from the eternal truths propounded there in. We will start presenting this divine melody of Sri Adi Shankra in serial form, from this issue of the Inner Strength.
Hkt x ksf o UnaH naHkkt x ksf o Una] x ksf o Un aHkt e w< +e r sA l Ei zkI r s l f Uu f g r s d ky s] u gh ghaau gh ghaaj { kfr MqÑ ¥ d j . ksA Bereft of true intellect, oh foolish mind! for you dear one! here is a piece of advice! Sing and Chant the name of Govinda, Imbibe in yourself the spirit of Govinda. Let Him the focus of all your senses be, for He is the True Master of these. When the curtain of this life draws to a close, and confronted are you with 'kala' the death, No bookish knowledge or that of any grammar will be of any help to you. Single-pointed devotion at His feet, for salvation, is your only key, The Boat that will carry you across the mighty tides of this Bhavsagar, Bhavsa gar, The vicious cycles of death and birth is the melody of the name of Govinda. So sing His Glory oh foolish mind!
— V is ishhnu Priy Priya a strength
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First Divine Satsang based on
Shiv Mahapuran
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his June we had the priviledge of going on a pilgrimage and at the same time being a part of the Divine Satsang and Dhyan at the holy, historical Somnathji in Gujrat. Located right on the sea shore, the magnificient temple presents an awesome sight. One can just sit there for hours experiencing the tranquility. It is absolutely mesmerizing and no words can describe the peace one feels there. What really enriched this pilgrimage was the presence and guidance of His Holiness Avadhoot Baba Shivananda with us. The Divine Satsang based on the Shiv Mahapuran commenced here at the first Jyotirlinga. It is said that 'Chandrama' the Moon God prayed to Lord Shiva here and sought His blessings to escape the curse of Raja Daksh which had condemned him to leprosy. Chanting the Mahamrityunjai mantra at the holy feet of Avadhoot Baba Shivananda everyday in the Satsanga was an empowering experience
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and one felt immediately a deep connection to the shakti of the Jyotirlinga and the spirit of Somnathji. Om Trayambakam Yajamahe Sungandhim Pushti Vardhanam Urvaruk Mivbandhanaat Mrityurmokshi Maamrataat. Babaji narrated and explained to us parts of the first 'prasanga' of Shiv Mahapuran. He said that He intends to cover one prasanga at each of the twelve Jyotirlingas going forward. The soul-stirring , melodious chanting sessions uplifted and healed the bodies, minds and souls of everyone present. One experienced total connectivity to the Divine during the sankirtan. Babaji connects one directly to the source giving Himself no importance at all. He makes us realize that we are all a part of the divinity and helps us experience the presence of the Supreme Being.
Event Diary APRIL Siddha Dhyan & Healing - Level-I Princess Academy, Palace Grounds, Bellary Road, Bangalore 1st to 3rd, 08:00 am to 06:00 pm
Siddha Dhyan & Healing - Level-II Princess Academy, Palace Grounds, Bellary Road, Bangalore 4th to 6th, 08:00 am to 06:00 pm
Shamb hvi Dhyan & Healing Princess Academy, Palace Grounds, Bellary Road, Bangalore 7th to 9th, 08:00 am to 06:00 pm
Shr ee Vid Vid ya Princess Academy, Palace Grounds, Bellary Road, Bangalore 10th to 12th, 08:00 am to 06:00 pm
JUNE Div in e Satsang Satsang & Mass Heali Heali ng Mauritius 19, 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm
Shiv Yog f or Stu dent s Mauritius 19, 09:30 am to 12:30 pm
Siddha Dhyan & Healing - Level-I Mauritius 20 to 22, 09:00 am to 06:00 pm
Siddha Dhyan & Healing - Level-II Mauritius 24 to 25, 09:00 am to 06:00 pm
Shamb havi Dh yan & Healin Healin g Mauritius 26 to 28, 09:00 am to 06:00 pm strength
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Picture Gallery
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he true Guru is the one who shows the t he right path to his followers, the one who drives away sorrow. The one who eliminates the darkness in your life and fills it with the light of wisdom. The Guru leads you to enlightenment and shows the path to self-realisation, for f or which you have taken birth. This is his first and last aim and one who does this is the real rea l Guru. In this discourse, if you be with the Guru, then your whole life is going to change. Your way of living life will be so transformed that you won't be able to recognize yourself. You will understand and acquire what you are searching for since long. You will be in bliss. This bliss can be experienced only by your soul – the Atman – but your ego is a barrier. The Guru will break this barrier to make you realise this. There is a song “Duniya banaanewaale kaaheko duniya banaayee” (O Creator, why have you made this world?). Here in this universe someone is crying, someone is laughing, someone is a king and someone a pauper. Some throw away excess food and someone feeds himself with wasted food. Who is responsible for this? The Creator of the Universe? This is to be realized. One man is happy in a situation. Whereas another man is unhappy in the same situation. For example in a family of five people, four are loving and one person is quarrelsome. He keeps fighting with others, why so? The circumstrances are the same for everybody in the family. fam ily. Sometimes two people from similar backgrounds go out to work and one is very successful whereas the other does not get results even if he works very hard. Someone is not physically fit inspite of being operated upon six times. Someone is wealthy having all the possible luxuries, but he has a single mentally retarded child. One person is not happy ha ppy with all his luxuries while the other is very happy with minimal belongings. Why is this? this ? Why do I have scarcity in my life or why am I happy? This is what I am going to reveal to you. Everyone experiences incidents according to
their 'sanchit karmas'. If I am happy, I feel the whole world is happy. If I am in the wrong, then t hen I feel that everybody in the world is wrong . Why so?? Your past sanskaras make you think and experience such things. You You have created the present with your karmas and are now experiencing it and at the same time creating your future. Our Shastras say no one can stop the events in your life, on the other hand it is also said that you are the creator of your own destiny. Both statements are in contrast to each other, but you will understand soon. Many times you say that you knew everything in advance but did not utter a word. That too you will understand understa nd as we go on. You You have to endure endur e your destiny, you cannot change it. This is a journey in which you cannot retrace your steps. There is nothing that you can change or re-arrange in your past. So you have to let go of it. If you drag the past (which is dead) into your present, it will only spread the unpleasant odour of decay in your life. The present present is the truth truth and remember your future will take birth from it.
–Avdhoot Baba Shivanand Ji
Complete discourse available in His Holiness Avadhoott Ba Avadhoo Baba ba Shi Shivana vanand nd Ji ' s Voi Voice ce
AVDHOOT BABA SHIVANAND JI
...to be continued... strength
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