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Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, Gadhada,
Bezoek aan de Shree Swami Narayan Mandir Temple
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Gadhada is a Hindu temple in Gadhada. This temple was built by Swaminarayan himself.
The land for constructing this temple in Gadhada, was donated by the court of Dada Khachar in Gadhada. Dada Khachar and his family were devotees of Swaminarayan. The temple was made in the courtyard of his own residence. The temple work was planned and executed directly under the consultation and guidance of Swaminarayan. Swaminarayan supervised the construction and also helped with the manual service in the construction of the temple, by lifting stones and mortar. This shrine has two stories and three domes. It is adorned with carvings. The temple is placed on a high plinth is a spacious square and has an assembly hall with large dharamshalas and kitchens for ascetics and pilgrims.
Swaminarayan had installed the idols in this temple on 9 October 1828. Gopinath and Harikrishna in the middle shrine, Dharma and Bhakti and Vasudeva on the western shrine and Revti-Baldevji, Shri Krishna and Suryanarayan in the eastern shrine.
In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or practitioner of yoga (yogi) who has achieved the first three Hindu goals of life: kama (enjoyment), artha (practical objectives), and even dharma (duty). The sadhu is solely dedicated to achieving the fourth and final Hindu goal of life, moksha (liberation), through meditation and contemplation of Brahman. Sadhus often wear ochre-colored clothing, symbolizing renunciation.There are two primary sectarian divisions within the sadhu community: Shaiva sadhus, ascetics devoted to the god Shiva, and Vaishnava sadhus, renouncers devoted to the god Vishnu and/or his incarnations, which include Rama and Krishna. Less numerous are Shakta sadhus, who are devoted to the Goddess — or Shakti, the divine energy — in one form or another.This sadhu in the above picture he comes under Less numerous one Shakta sadhus, devoted to the Goddess.We can identify them using the marking on their forehead.I was trying to find a spiritual connection with other religions and with surprise my focus turns to Rastafari movement .For many sadhus, the consumption of hashish or other forms of cannabis is accorded a religious significance. The same Similar spiritual life style we can found in Ethiopia,in Rastafari or simply Rasta. Rastafari are monotheists,worshiping one God whom they call Jah.The emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie-I is considered by Rastas to be the incarnation of Jesus Christ.They do believe in holy trinity.But they say that Jesus was black, and that white society (or Babylon) has commonly depicted him as white for centuries in order to suppress the truth and gain dominion over all peoples. Now what is common between both Sadhus and rasta are the dreadlocks,consumption of hashish or cannabis is accorded a religious significance & and the concept of Immortality.
Swami Speaks About Divine Music
"What is the essence of Sankeerthana? Its essential purpose is to earn the love of God. Combining one's voice, tune, feeling and rhythm to the appropriate beat of the song, the devotee should immerse himself in the singing. Harmonizing the feeling with devotion and Love, the sacred words of the song should be an outpouring of love towards God. That alone is devotional singing."
"When the song is rendered without understanding the meaning of the words and without any inner feeling or genuine love for God, it is a mechanical performance. Bhaava (feeling), Raaga (melody) and Thaala (rhythm) are the essentials for proper singing."
"Even the name Bhaarath signifies the combination of these three elements. (Bha-Ra-Tha). In every action in daily life, the combination of these three elements should be observed. This rule can be applied even to one's studies. Bhaava, in relation to study of a subject, means understanding the subject thoroughly. Raaga implies cultivating a love for the subject and Thaala means expressing one's knowledge coherently and clearly."
“The wealth derived from singing God’s name, and meditation, is the influence of the higher energies in nature on one’s life. These not only cleanse the external body but also purify the inner tendencies .”
“Bhajan is one of the processes by which you can train the mind to expand into eternal values. Teach the mind to revel in the glory and majesty of God; wean it away from petty horizons of pleasure. Bhajan induces in you a desire for experiencing the Truth, to glimpse the Beauty that is God, to taste the Bliss that is the Self. It encourages man to dive into himself and be genuinely his Real Self. Once that search is desired, the path is easy. One has only to be reminded that he is divine. The malady is: it is being thrust out of recognition. Man has come for a great destiny, on a sacred mission, endowed with special skills and tendencies to help him on; but, he fritters these precious gifts and crawls on earth from birth to death, worse than any animal. Exercises like Bhajan elevate the mind and exhort the individual to seek and find the source of eternal joy that lies within him.”
“People may say that when you go to Sai Baba, there is nothing but bhajan. Realize that there is nothing “Your heart grows when you are hearing bhajans with a full mind. On the other hand, if you do not sing melodiously, then you will not be getting joy. Community singing must be developed if you want to give to all people the thrill and joy of singing of prayers.”
“Bhajans should be sung with complete obliviousness of the body. Devotional fervour is more important than musical skill. The ladies who took part in the bhajans in the morning sang the bhajans whole-heartedly. Their hearts were full of sweetness. Hence sweet music flowed from their hearts.”
"The word of a song can be expressed in prosaic manner which has no appeal to the listener. But when they are sung melodiously as in the song: "Raama! Nannu Kaapaadu"--"Raama! save me," they tug at the heart-strings. (Svaami sang the song to demonstrate its appeal). Such sweetness is contained in the song when it is rendered melodiously."
"Everyone, whether he is well versed in music or not, should listen attentively to the singer and try to repeat the words of the song with feeling."
"Some persons attending bhajans do not move their lips at all. They may say that they are singing the songs mentally within themselves. This is not proper. If you have devotional feeling, it should be expressed by the tongue joining in the bhajan. Only then it can be called Sankeerthana--singing in unison with others. You must sing the names aloud, full-throated, as far as the voice can reach. Only then the Divine will respond in full measure and shower His grace. No one will go to the rescue of a drowning man if his cries are feeble. Only when he cries aloud at the top of his voice will the cries be heard and people will rush to save him. Sankeerthana means singing with abandon and fervor."
"Everyone should realize that every limb and organ in the body has been given to man to be used for a sacred purpose: The tongue to utter the Lord's name, the hands to offer worship, the feet to go the temple and so on. These organs should not be used for frivolous and unholy purposes. Sanctifying everyone of the sense organs, man should purify the mind and contemplate on God."
(Article Source- Internet) Image Courtesy : musicasprayer Website
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj's visit to 12th Annual Sri Jagannatha Ratha-yatra.
Coimbatore, India
© JPS ARCHIVES
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj's visit to 12th Annual Sri Jagannatha Ratha-yatra.
Coimbatore, India
© JPS ARCHIVES
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj's visit to 12th Annual Sri Jagannatha Ratha-yatra.
Coimbatore, India
© JPS ARCHIVES
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj's visit to 12th Annual Sri Jagannatha Ratha-yatra.
Coimbatore, India
© JPS ARCHIVES
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj's visit to 12th Annual Sri Jagannatha Ratha-yatra.
Coimbatore, India
© JPS ARCHIVES
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj's visit to 12th Annual Sri Jagannatha Ratha-yatra.
Coimbatore, India
© JPS ARCHIVES
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj's visit to 12th Annual Sri Jagannatha Ratha-yatra.
Coimbatore, India
© JPS ARCHIVES
Calendar of the Year - Famous Quote by Swami Vivekananda Ji
wiki source
Swami Vivekananda (Bengali: স্বামী িবেবকানন্দ, Shami Bibekānondo) (January 12, 1863–July 4, 1902), born Narendranath Dutta[1] was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and the founder of Ramakrishna Mission.