New Year Poem

Under the glorious canopy of redwood trees
The New Year peacock dances
Sun and moon rise into the blue sky
The earth grows and happinesss increases
In this New Year.

---by Khempo Yurmed Tinly Rinpoche

The Hound of Heaven

Photo by Thomas Zimmer

Poem by Francis Thompson  (1859–1907)

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
   I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
   Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
             Up vistaed hopes I sped;
             And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,
   From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
             But with unhurrying chase,
             And unperturbèd pace,
     Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
             They beat—and a Voice beat
             More instant than the Feet—
     'All things betray thee, who betrayest Me'.
I pleaded, outlaw-wise,
By many a hearted casement, curtained red,
   Trellised with intertwining charities;
(For, though I knew His love Who followed,
             Yet was I sore adread
Lest, having Him, I must have naught beside.)
But, if one little casement parted wide,
   The gust of His approach would clash it to:
   Fear wist not to evade, as Love wist to pursue.
Across the margent of the world I fled,
   And troubled the gold gateway of the stars,
   Smiting for shelter on their clanged bars;
             Fretted to dulcet jars
And silvern chatter the pale ports o' the moon.
I said to Dawn: Be sudden—to Eve: Be soon;
   With thy young skiey blossom heap me over
             From this tremendous Lover—
Float thy vague veil about me, lest He see!
   I tempted all His servitors, but to find
My own betrayal in their constancy,
In faith to Him their fickleness to me,
   Their traitorous trueness, and their loyal deceit.
To all swift things for swiftness did I sue;
   Clung to the whistling mane of every wind.
          But whether they swept, smoothly fleet,
     The long savannahs of the blue;
            Or, whether, Thunder-driven,
          They clanged his chariot 'thwart a heaven,
Plashy with flying lightnings round the spurn o' their feet:—
   Fear wist not to evade as Love wist to pursue.
             Still with unhurrying chase,
             And unperturbed pace,
      Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
             Came on the following Feet,
             And a Voice above their beat—
'Naught shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me.'
I sought no more after that which I strayed
          In face of man or maid;
But still within the little children's eyes
          Seems something, something that replies,
They at least are for me, surely for me!
I turned me to them very wistfully;
But just as their young eyes grew sudden fair
         With dawning answers there,
Their angel plucked them from me by the hair.
Come then, ye other children, Nature's—share
With me’ (said I) 'your delicate fellowship;
          Let me greet you lip to lip,
          Let me twine with you caresses,
              Wantoning
          With our Lady-Mother's vagrant tresses,
             Banqueting
          With her in her wind-walled palace,
          Underneath her azured dais,
          Quaffing, as your taintless way is,
             From a chalice
Lucent-weeping out of the dayspring.’
             So it was done:
I in their delicate fellowship was one—
Drew the bolt of Nature's secrecies.
          I knew all the swift importings
          On the wilful face of skies;
           I knew how the clouds arise
          Spumèd of the wild sea-snortings;
             All that's born or dies
          Rose and drooped with; made them shapers
Of mine own moods, or wailful divine;
          With them joyed and was bereaven.
          I was heavy with the even,
          When she lit her glimmering tapers
          Round the day's dead sanctities.
          I laughed in the morning's eyes.
I triumphed and I saddened with all weather,
          Heaven and I wept together,
And its sweet tears were salt with mortal mine:
Against the red throb of its sunset-heart
          I laid my own to beat,
          And share commingling heat;
But not by that, by that, was eased my human smart.
In vain my tears were wet on Heaven's grey cheek.
For ah! we know not what each other says,
          These things and I; in sound I speak—
Their sound is but their stir, they speak by silences.
Nature, poor stepdame, cannot slake my drouth;
          Let her, if she would owe me,
Drop yon blue bosom-veil of sky, and show me
          The breasts o’ her tenderness:
Never did any milk of hers once bless
             My thirsting mouth.
             Nigh and nigh draws the chase,
             With unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy;
             And past those noisèd Feet
             A voice comes yet more fleet—
          'Lo! naught contents thee, who content'st not Me.'
Naked I wait Thy love's uplifted stroke!
My harness piece by piece Thou has hewn from me,
             And smitten me to my knee;
          I am defenceless utterly.
          I slept, methinks, and woke,
And, slowly gazing, find me stripped in sleep.
In the rash lustihead of my young powers,
          I shook the pillaring hours
And pulled my life upon me; grimed with smears,
I stand amidst the dust o' the mounded years—
My mangled youth lies dead beneath the heap.
My days have crackled and gone up in smoke,
Have puffed and burst as sun-starts on a stream.
          Yea, faileth now even dream
The dreamer, and the lute the lutanist;
Even the linked fantasies, in whose blossomy twist
I swung the earth a trinket at my wrist,
Are yielding; cords of all too weak account
For earth with heavy griefs so overplussed.
          Ah! is Thy love indeed
A weed, albeit an amarinthine weed,
Suffering no flowers except its own to mount?
          Ah! must—
          Designer infinite!—
Ah! must Thou char the wood ere Thou canst limn with it?
My freshness spent its wavering shower i' the dust;
And now my heart is as a broken fount,
Wherein tear-drippings stagnate, spilt down ever
          From the dank thoughts that shiver
Upon the sighful branches of my mind.
          Such is; what is to be?
The pulp so bitter, how shall taste the rind?
I dimly guess what Time in mists confounds;
Yet ever and anon a trumpet sounds
From the hid battlements of Eternity;
Those shaken mists a space unsettle, then
Round the half-glimpsed turrets slowly wash again.
          But not ere him who summoneth
          I first have seen, enwound
With glooming robes purpureal, cypress-crowned;
His name I know and what his trumpet saith.
Whether man's heart or life it be which yields
          Thee harvest, must Thy harvest-fields
          Be dunged with rotten death?

             Now of that long pursuit
             Comes on at hand the bruit;
          That Voice is round me like a bursting sea:
          'And is thy earth so marred,
          Shattered in shard on shard?
          Lo, all things fly thee, for thou fliest Me!

          'Strange, piteous, futile thing!
Wherefore should any set thee love apart?
Seeing none but I makes much of naught' (He said),
'And human love needs human meriting:
          How hast thou merited—
Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot?
          Alack, thou knowest not
How little worthy of any love thou art!
Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,
          Save Me, save only Me?
All which I took from thee I did but take,
          Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.
          All which thy child's mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:
          Rise, clasp My hand, and come!'

   Halts by me that footfall:
   Is my gloom, after all,
Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?
   'Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
   I am He Whom thou seekest!
Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.'

ShrI Lakshmi Dwadashanama Stotram

trailokya pUjite devi kamale vishNuvallabhe |
yathA tvam susthirA krishNe tathA bhavamayi sthirA ||
IshvarI kamalA lakshmI achalAmUrti haripriyA |
padmA padmAlayA saMpaducchaih shrI padmadhAriNee ||
dvAdashaitAni nAmAni lakshmI sampUjyah paThet |
sthirA lakshmeerbhavettasya putradArAbhih saha ||

See also -

Ashtalakshmi in the New Year

Hanuman Mantra to Accomplish the Work

asaadhya saadhaka swaamin asaadhyam tava kim vada |
raama dhoota krupaa sindho mat kaaryam saadhaya prabho ||
Oh, emissary of Rama,
Who is the ocean of mercy,
And who does the impossible,
Is there some thing impossible for you?
So please help me to complete my duties.

Hari Hara Bheda

From the Mahabharata

yudhiShThira    uvAcha  

devadevo jagannAtha praNatArtipraNAshanaH |
shivamUrtiH prasannAtmA loke pratyakShatAM gataH  ||  43-1
kathaM shaMbhuriti khyAtaH  pUjyate vidhivaddvijaiH  |
kathaM dadAti bhaktAnAM  prasannAtmA varaM paraM  ||  43-2
tasya devasya pUjAyAH phalaM kiM kena pUjitaH  |
kaH prApnoti  shubhA.NllokAnetAnsarvAnvadasva me  ||  43-3
devavrata mahAbhAga  kR^ipA mayi tavAsti chet  |
tasmAttvAM  prArthayAmyadya pAtuM dharmAmR^itaM prabho  ||  43-4

bhIShma uvAcha

aho vakShyAmi te pArtha bhUtanAthasya vaibhavam  |
yasya shravaNamAtrNa sarvapApaiH pramuchyate  ||  43-5
AdyantashUnyo deveshaH  sR^IShTisthityantakArakaH  |
brahmA rudrastathA viShNuH  kubero devarAT prabhuH  ||  43-6
indro.agniryamadharmesho nirR^itIrvaruNaH prabhuH  |
vAyuH suryaH  sahasrAkShaH sarvesho bhUrbhuvaHsuvaH  ||  43-7
kAlarUpasya dharmasya  lokanAthasya dharmaja  |
nAhaM vakttumashakto.asmi  tattvabhAvamasheShataH  ||  43-8

yudhiShThira    uvAcha  

teShAmIshvarabhaktAnAM viShNulokaH kathaM bhavet  |
etanme saMshayaM tAta ChettumarhatyasheShataH  ||  43-9

bhIShma uvAcha  

brahmAviShNumaheshAnAM bhedaH kutrApi na prabho  |
kartAro hyadya lokAnAM  sR^iShTisthitilayeShu cha  ||  43-10
tvayA dR^iShTaH purA kR^iShNo lokanAtho jaganmayaH  |
kailAsayAtrAmakarotputrArthaM bharatarShabha  ||  43-11
tatrArAdhya chiraM kAlaM  bhUtanAthamumApatim  |
IpsitaM prAptavAnputraM  tasmAdbhedo na vidyate  ||  43-12    
shaMkaro viShNumavyaktaM chiramArAdya bhaktimAn  |
ShaNmukhaM labhate putraM devatArthamariMdamam  ||  43-13
brahmA cha janayAmAsa viShNumArAdhya bhaktitaH  |
lokAnprajApatinsarvAMstasmAdbhedo na vidyate  ||  43-14
atraivodAharantImamitihAsaM purAtanam  |
shR^iNvatAM sarvapApaghnamAyurArogyavardhanam  ||  43-15
purA kR^itayuge rAjansushAnto nAma vai dvijaH  |
shAnto jitendriyo maunI sadA dhyAnaparAyaNaH  ||  43-16
vedeShu  dharmashAstreShu vedAnteShu vichakShaNaH  |
gArhastye saphalAnkAmAnanubhUya dvijottamaH  |
mokShakAmo hi rAjendra visheSheNa shivavrataH  ||  43-17
kiShkindhAM samupAgamya brahmadattena pAlitAm  |
pampAsarovare snAnaM  kRitvA tu shivamarchanam  |
tapastaptumanA rAjaMstatrAste shaMkaraM stuvan  ||  43-18
pampAnAthaM virUpAkShaM  nIlalohitamavyayam  |
mR^ityuMjayaM kR^ittivAsaM  pinAkinamariMdamam  ||  43-19
sahasrAkShaM sadAnandaM  nIlameghanibhaM  haram  |
shUlapANiM mahAdevaM  sR^iShTisthityantakariNam  ||  43-20
dhyAyanstuvannamasyaMshcha tatrAste  brAhmaNottamaH  |
traiyaMbakaM  mahAmantraM  rudrasUkTAdibhiH shivam  ||  43-21
snApayitvA tu tam pUjya trikAlaM snAnatatparaH  |
shAkamUlaphalAhAraH shAntaH paramabudhimAn  ||  43-22
atra tiShThati rAjendra tasminnAste dvijottamaH  |
shUdro vai dharmakushalo nAmataH saMgato budhaiH  |
shivabhakto jitakrodhaH shushrUShucha  dvijanmanAm  ||  43-23
virUpAkShasya devasya vandanArtham yayau cha saH  |
sushAntasya tadaA kurva~nshushrUShAM rAjasattama  |
tatrAste sarasastIre jitAhAraH shataM samAH  ||  43-24
tasminkAle virUpAkSho  bhUtanAtho jaganmayaH |
AvirbhabhUva rAjendra tato vAchamuvAcha ha  ||
sushAnta shR^iNu madvAkyaM  tapasA toShito.asmyahaM  |
varaM varaya bhadraM te  viddhi bhUtapatiM cha mAm  ||  43-25
eatadvachastadA shrutvA brAhmaNo vismayAnvitaH  |
natvA punaH punardevamastauShijjagatAM patim  ||  43-26
namaste pArvatIkAnta namaste chandrashekhara  |
namashchaitanyarUpAya pashUnAM pataye namaH ||  43-27
vishveshvara virUpAkSha  vishvarUpasadAshiva  |
sharaNaM bhava bhUtesha karuNAkara shaMkara  ||  43-28
namo dharmAya devAya  vishvarupAya shUline  |
bhUtanAthAya dharmAtmannamaste nAgabhUShaNa  |
bhasmoddhUlitasarvA~Nga jaTAdhara sadAshiva  ||   43-29
mR^iganAbhisugandhAya mR^igacharmadharAya cha  |
kapAlamAline tubhyamakShasUtradharAya cha  |
bhUyo bhUyo namastubhyaM purAntaka jaganmaya  ||  43-30

bhIShMa uvAcha  

evaM stutaH prasannAtmA  pArvatIvallabhaH prabhuH  |
aShTamUrtidharaH shrImAndevagandharvasevitaH  ||  43-31
varaM brUhiti taM choktvA shUdraM bhaktisamanvitam  |
atiShThattasya purataH  pUrvAndreraMshumAniva  ||  43-32
vareNyaM varayAmAsa brAhmaNo lokavishrutaH |
chaturtho.api cha me shreyo dadasveti varaM tadA ||  43-33
nIlakaNThastadAkarNya  smitapUrvamabhAShata  |
shR^INu vipravarashreShTha tava dAsye tadIpsitam  |
anyajanmAni shUdrasya dAsyAmi varamuttamam  ||  43-34
evaM shivavachaH shrutvA brAhmaNo hitakR^itsatAm  |
uvAcha shaMkaraM natvA mR^idvakSharasamanvitam  ||  43-35
vishvaMbara tathaivAstu mamApi na hi taM vinA  |
kathaM yasyAmi te lokaM shushrUShushcha sakhA mama  ||  43-36
ityuktvA maunamAstAya pAdau natvA shivasya cha  |
shubhaM pa~nchAkSharam mantraM  japannAste tapovane  ||  43-37
nIlakanThaH punashchedamuvAcha tapatAM varam  |
tathAhaM tu kariShyAmi  yuvayorbrAhmaNottama  ||  43-38
shUdrasya shatrubhAvaM tvameShyasi tvanyajanmani  |
darshanAchcha vadhAchchaiva yuvayormuktirastviti  ||  43-39

brAhmaNa uvAcha  

kathaM shatrutvamApnoti shUdro me hanyajanmani |
etadbhUtesha me brUhi  mama janma cha shaMkara  ||  43-40

Ishvara uvAcha  

mata~Ngo nAma viprarShirbhavitAsi dvijottama  |
indraputro hyayaM shUdro vAlIti khyAtimeShyati  ||  43-41

brAhmaNa uvAcha  

kiM cha te bhavatA rUpamIdR^ishaM  pAvanaM param  |
brUhyetatsarvabhUtesha bhUyo bhUyo namo.astu te  ||  43-42 

shaMkara uvAcha  

rAmo dAsharathirbhUtvA jaTAvalkalavAnraNe  |
haniShyati shareNAshu vidUre dR^iShTigochare  |
ityuktvA sahasA devaH sahasA tu tirodadhe  ||  43-43
kasyachittvatha kAlasya dvijashUdrau layaM gatau  |
tatra bhogAndivisthAnvai  yathAvadanubhUya cha  |
bhuvasthalaM prapannau tau tapobalasamanvitau  ||  43-44
mata~Ngo.abhUtsushAnto.atha  sarvadharmaparo nR^ipa  |
shUdro.asau bAlitvamApanno hyasaMkhyeyabalastadA  ||  43-45
kurvatastapa atyugraM  mata~Ngasya virodhakR^it  |
kiShkindhAM samupAgamya hariNAmadhipo.abhavat  ||  43-46
tapaH kurvati dharmiShThe mata~NgamunipuMgave  |
shaMkaraH sarvabhUtAnAM tadA rAmatvamAptavAt  |
prAptavAnvanamatyugraM  piturvachanagauravAt  ||  43-47
pampAsarovaraM gatvA rAmAkhyo bhagavAnharaH  |
AdityasUnorvyAjena hatvA vAlinamagrataH  |
svapadaM dattavAnrAjandarshanAtbrAhmaNasya cha  ||  43-48
dharmashIlasushAntau cha saMprAptau cha shivAlayam  |
pUjitau bhUtapatinA hyanubhUya sukhAnbahUn  |
yayaturviShNulokaM tau koTivaMshasamanvitau  ||  43-49
tasmAchChivArchanaM nityaM  bhuvi muktiphalapradam  |
harishaMkarayorbhedaM nAsti nAsti janAdhipa  ||  43-50
ya idaM puNyamAkhyAnam nAradena prabhAShitam  |
shR^iNuyAttasya vai nAko bhedabuddhirna jAyate  ||  43-51

Eternity

He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sun rise.

---by William Blake (1757 - 1827)

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Christmas carol "O come, all ye faithful, joyfu!" sung by lovely a cappella group  "Pentatonix".

Enter the Door - 15

The Zen storie about a monk who is tired of the rigors of monastic practice and wants out of the monastery. He goes to the teacher and this dialogue ensues:

“I can’t take this anymore. I want out.”

The master said, “Okay, then leave.”

He started for the door, and the master said, “That’s not your door.”

“Oh. Sorry.” The fellow looked around and spotted another door. As he headed for it, the master said, “That’s not your door.”

“Oh!” He looked around for another door, and as he headed for that one, the master said, “That’s not your door!”

Bewildered and exasperated, the poor fellow said, “What do you mean? There’s no other door. You told me I could leave, but there’s no door I can leave by.”

“If there’s no door you can leave by,” said the master, “then sit down.”

Garuda Dandakam

shrImate nigamAnta mahAdeshikAya namaha
shrImAn venkaTanAthAryah kavitArkakesarI |
vedAntAchAryavaryo me sannidhattAm sadA hRudi ||
namah pannaga naddhAya vaikunTha vasha vartine |
shruti sindhu sudhotpAda mandarAya garutmate || 1 ||
garuDam-akhila veda nIDAdhi-rUDham dviShat-pIDan-otkanThitA-kunTha vaikunTha-pIThIkRuta
skandhamIDe svanIDAgati prIta rudrA sukIrti-stanAbhoga gADhopa-gUDha-sphurat-kanTakavrAta
vedha vyathA vepamAna dvi-jihvAdhipA-kalpa viShphAryamANa sphaTAvATikA ratna rochishChaTA rAji nIrAjitam kAnti kallolinI rAjitam || 2 ||
jaya garuDa suparNa darvIkarAhAra devAdhipAhAra hArin divoukaspati kShipta dambholi dhArA
kiNAkalpa kalpAnta vAtUla kalpodayAnalpa vIrAyitodya-cchamatkAra daityAri jaitra-dhvajAroha
nirdhArit-otkarSha sankarShaNAtman garutman marut-panchakAdhIsha satyAdi mUrte na kashchit samaste namaste punaste namaha || 3 ||
nama ida majahat-saparyAya paryAya niryAt pakShAnilA-sphAlanodvela pAthodhi vIchI chapeTAhatAgAdha
pAtAla bhAmkAra sankruddha nAgendra-pIDAsruNI bhAva bhAvasvan-nakha shreNaye chaNDa tuNDAya nRutyad-bhujanga-bhruve vajriNe damShTryA tubhyam dhyAtmavidyA vidheyA vidheyA bhavad-dAsyam-ApAdayethA dayethAshcha me || 4 ||
manuranugata pakShi vaktra sphurat-tArakas-tAvakashchitra-bhAnupriyA shekharas-trAyatAm
nastrivargApavarga prasUtih paravyoma dhAman valadveShi-darpa-jvaladvAlakhilya pratigyAvatIrNa sthirAm tattva buddhim parAm bhaktidhenum jaganmUla kande mukunde
mahAnanda-dogdhrIm dadhItA mudhAkAm-ahInAm ahInAm-ahInAntaka || 5 ||
ShaTtrim-shadgaNa charaNo nara paripATI navIna gumbhagaNaha
viShNuratha danDako ayam vighaTayatu vipakSha vAhinI vyUham
vichitra siddhidah so ayam venkaTesha vipashchitA |
garuDadhvaja toShAya gIto garuDa danDakaha || 7 ||

iti shrI garuDa daNDakah samAptaha
kavitArkikasimhAya kalyANaguNashAline |
shrImate vengkaTeshAya vedAntagurave namaha || 

See with One's Own Eyes

Just as, in the case of the sunlight, on one who has never from the day of his birth seen it, all efforts at translating it into words are quite thrown away; you cannot make the splendour of the ray shine through his ears; in like manner, to see the beauty of the true and intellectual light, each man has need of eyes of his own; and he who by a gift of Divine inspiration can see it retains his ecstasy unexpressed in the depths of his consciousness; while he who sees it not cannot be made to know even the greatness of his loss. How should he? This good escapes his perception, and it cannot be represented to him; it is unspeakable, and cannot be delineated. We have not learned the peculiar language expressive of this beauty. … What words could be invented to show the greatness of this loss to him who suffers it? Well does the great David seem to me to express the impossibility of doing this. He has been lifted by the power of the Spirit out of himself, and sees in a blessed state of ecstacy the boundless and incomprehensible Beauty; he sees it as fully as a mortal can see who has quitted his fleshly envelopments and entered, by the mere power of thought, upon the contemplation of the spiritual and intellectual world, and in his longing to speak a word worthy of the spectacle he bursts forth with that cry, which all re-echo, "Every man a liar!" I take that to mean that any man who entrusts to language the task of presenting the ineffable Light is really and truly a liar; not because of any hatred on his part of the truth, but because of the feebleness of his instrument for expressing the thing thought of.

---by Gregory of Nyssa (335 – 395), Christian saint

Heads and Ears

There is a story about Bayazid, a Sufi mystic. He was passing through a cemetery and he came upon a heap of skulls. Out of curiosity he took one skull. He had always been of the thought that all skulls are almost the same, but they were not the same. There were a few skulls whose ears were joined together; there was a passage. There were a few skulls whose ears were not joined together; there was a barrier between the two. There were a few skulls both of whose ears were joined to the heart but not joined together; there was a passage running to the heart.

He was very surprised. He prayed and asked God, “What is the matter? What are you trying to reveal to me?” And it is said that he heard a voice. God said, “There are three types of people: one, who hear through one ear; it never reaches anywhere — in fact they don’t hear, just the sound vibrates and disappears. There is another type, who hear, but only momentarily — they hear through one ear, and through the other ear it is lost into the world again. There are a few souls, of course, who hear through the ears and it reaches to the heart.”

And God said, "Bayazid, I have brought you to this heap of skulls just to help you remember it when you are talking to people. Talk only to those who take whatsoever you say to their hearts — otherwise don’t waste your energy, and don’t waste your time. Your life is precious: you have a message to deliver."

Fire Start

One must delve deep
into the Self of the Heart
and a gentle Fire start;
and know what means In and Out.
And flowing through the net of streams
beyond the false perceptions and dreams
stand firm and gaze above the nose and eyes.

Seeking the Self, Brilliant Supreme Light
I saw, o Snake, the Feet of Bliss and Might!

---by Pampattic Cittar, 

Tamil Siddha of 15th century

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

Give Me Your Offering

The Bhagavad Gita, Ch.9, 26-34

A leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even
Water, offered to me in devotion,
I will accept as the loving gift
Of a dedicated heart. Whatever you do,
Make it an offering to me –
The food you eat or worship you perform,
The help you give, even your suffering.
Thus will you be free from karma's bondage,
From the results of action, good and bad.

I am the same to all beings. My love
Is the same always. Nevertheless, those
Who meditate on me with devotion,
They dwell in me, and I shine forth in them.

Even the worst sinner becomes a saint
When he loves me with all his heart. This love
Will soon transform his personality
And fill his heart with peace profound.
O son of Kunti, this is my promise:
Those who love me, they shall never perish.
Even those who are handicapped by birth
Have reached the supreme goal in life
By taking refuge in me. How much more
The pure brahmins and royal sages who love me!
Give not your love to this transient world
Of suffering, but give all your love to me.
Give me your mind, your heart, all your worship.
Long for me always, live for me always,
And you shall be united with me.

Nothing is Over

Sunrise Avenue - "Nothing Is Over" (Feat. 21st Century Orchestra)

Don't turn away
There's still time
A tiny moment
Don't let go today
We can still shine
We are not broken
Scares to see that we are
A step a way
The one to take us
one way wrong way

Say nothing is over
Though everything's crazy
Be brave and trust me
It's not a game over
We gotta try harder
You gotta stay with me
There's nothing we can't reach
Cause nothing is over

I won't turn away
Cause I can't hide
The pain would find me
Don't send me away
I'm on your side
That's where I want to be
It seems to me that we are
Just like the rest
We could use a word of guidance
I hate to see that we are
One step away
The one to take us
One way wrong way

Say nothing is over
Though everything's crazy
Be brave and trust me
It's not a game over
We gotta try harder
You gotta stay with me
There's nothing we can't reach
Cause nothing is over

Say nothing is over
Though everything's crazy
Be brave and trust me
It's not a game over
We gotta try harder
You gotta stay with me
There's nothing we can't reach
Cause nothing is over

Nothing is over

There is a Light

There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth,
beyond all of us, beyond the heavens,
beyond the highest, the very highest heavens.
This is the light that shines in our hearts.

--- from Chandogya Upanishad

Kāmakalā Kāli Sahasranama Stotram

From Mahakala Samhita

ishvara uvaacha
tripuraghno apyado naamasahasram paThati priye |tadaagyayaapyahamapi keerttayaami dine dine ||1||
bhavatyapeedamasmattah shikshitvaa tu paThishyati |
bhavishyati cha nirNeetam chaturvargasya bhaajanam || 2 ||
mano anyato niraakrutya saavadhaanaa nishaamaya |
naamnaam kaamakalaakaalyaah sahasram muktidaayakam || 3 ||
aum asya shree kaamakalaakaalee sahasranaama stotrasya
shree tripuraghna rushih anushTup Chandah
trijaganmayaroopiNee bhagavatee
shreekaamakalaakaalee devataa
kleem beejam, sphrom shaktih
hoom keelakam, kshraum tattvam
shree kaamakalaakaalee sahasranaama stotra
paaThe jape viniyogah

aum tatsat |
aum kleem kaamakalaakaalee kaalaraatrih kapaalinee |
kaatyaayinee cha kalyaaNee kaalaakaaraa karaalinee || 4 ||
ugramoortih mahaabheemaa ghoraraavaa bhayankaraa |
bhootidaa bhayahantree cha bhavabandhavimochinee || 5 ||
bhavyaa bhavaanee bhogaaDhyaa bhujangapatibhooshaNaa |
mahaamaayaa jagaddhaatree paavanee parameshvaree || 6 ||
yogamaataa yogagamyaa yoginee yogipoojitaa |
gouree durgaa kaalikaa cha mahaakalpaantanarttakee || 7 ||
avyayaa jagadaadishcha vidhaatree kaalamardinee |
nityaa vareNyaa vimalaa devaaraadhyaa amitaprabhaa || 8 ||
bhaaruNDaa koTaree shuddhaa chanchalaa chaaruhaasinee |
agraahyaa ateendriyaa agotraa charccharordhvashiroruhaa ||
kaamukee kamaneeyaa cha shreekaNThamahishee shivaa |
manoharaa maananeeyaa matidaa maNibhooshaNaa || 10 ||
shmashaananilayaa roudraa muktakeshi aTTahaasinee |
chaamuNDaa chaNDikaa chaNDee chaarvangee charitojjvalaa ||
ghoraananaa dhoomrashikhaa kampanaa kampitaananaa |
vepamaanatanuhbheedaa nirbhayaa baahushaalinee | 12 ||
ulmukaakshee sarppakarNee vishokaa girinandinee |
jyotsnaamukhee haasyaparaa lingaa lingadharee satee || 13 ||
avikaaraa mahaachitraa chandravaktraa manojavaa |
adarshanaa paapaharaa shyaamalaa muNDamekhalaa || 14 ||
muNDaavatamsinee neelaa prapannaanandadaayinee |
laghustanee lambakuchaa ghoornamaanaa haraanganaa || 15 ||
vishvaavaasaa shaantikaree deerghakeshi arikhaNDinee |
ruchiraa sundaree kamraa madonamattaa madotkaTaa || 16 ||
ayomukhee vahnimukhee krodhanaa abhayadeshvaree |
kuDambikaa saahasinee khangakee raktalehinee || 17 ||
vidaariNee paanarataa rudraaNee muNDamaalinee |
anaadinidhanaa devee durnireekshyaa digambaraa || 18 ||
vidyujjihvaa mahaadamshTraa vajrateekshNaa mahaasvanaa |
udayaarka samaanaakshee vindhyashaila samaakrutih || 19 ||
neelotpala dalashyaamaa naagendraashTakabhooshitaa |
agnijvaalakrutaavaasaa phetkaariNyahikuNDalaa || 20 ||
paapaghnee paalinee padmaa puNyaa puNyapradaa paraa |
kalpaantaambhodanirghoshaa sahasraarka samaprabhaa || 21 ||
sahasrapretaraaTkrodhaa sahasreshaparaakramaa |
sahasradhanadaishvaryaa sahasraamdhrikaraambikaa || 22 ||
sahasrakaaladushprekshyaa sahasrendriyasanchayaa |
sahasrabhoomisadanaa sahasraakaashavigrahaa || 23 ||
sahasrachandrapratibhaa sahasragrahachaariNee |
sahasrarudratejaskaa sahasrabrahmasrushTikrut || 24 ||
sahasavaayuvegaa cha sahasraphaNakuNDalaa |
sahasrayantramathinee sahasrodadhisusthiraa || 25 ||
sahasrabuddhakaruNaa mahaabhaagaa tapasvinee |
trailokyamohinee sarvabhootadevavashankaree || 26 ||
susnigdhahrudayaa ghaNTaakarNaa cha vyomachaariNee |
shankhinee chitriNeeshaanee kaalasankarshiNee jayaa || 27 ||
aparaajitaa cha vijayaa kamalaa kamalaapradaa |
janayitree jagadyonirheturoopaa chidaatmikaa || 28 ||
aprameyaa duraadharshaa dhyeyaa svacChandachaariNee |
shaatodaree shaambhavinee poojyaa maanonnataa amalaa ||
omkaararoopiNee taamraa baalaarjasamataarakaa |
chalajjihvaa cha bheemaakshee mahaabhairavanaadinee ||
saattvikee raajasee chaiva taamasee ghargharaa achalaa |
maaheshvaree tathaa braahmee kaumaaree maanineeshvaraa ||
souparNee vaayavee chaindree saavitree nairUtee kalaa |
varuNee shivadootee cha souree saumyaa prabhaavatee || 32 ||
vaaraahee naarasimhee cha vaishNavee lalitaa svaraa |
maitryaaryyamNee cha poushNee cha tvaashTree vaasavyumaaratih || 33 ||
raakshasee paavanee roudree daasree rodasyudumbaree |
subhagaa durbhagaa deenaa chanchureekaa yashasvinee || 34 ||
mahaanandaa bhagaanandaa picChilaa bhagamaalinee |
aruNaa revatee raktaa shakunee shyenatuNDikaa || 35 ||
surabhee nandinee bhadraa balaa chaatibalaamaalaa |
uloopee lambikaa kheTaa lelihaanaantramaalinee || 36 ||
vainaayikee cha vetaalee trijaTaa bhrukuTee satee |
kumaaree yuvatee prouDhaa vidagdhaa ghasmaraa tathaa ||
jaratee rochanaa bheemaa dolamaalaa pichiNDilaa |
alambaakshee kumbhakarNee kaalakarNee mahaasuree || 38 ||
ghaNTaaravaatha gokarNee kaakajanghaa cha mooshikaa |
mahaahanurmahaagreevaa lohitaa lohitaashanee || 39 ||
keertih sarasvatee lakshmeeh shraddhaa buddhih
kriyaa sthitih |
chetanaa vishNumaayaa cha guNaateetaa niranjanaa || 40 ||
nidraa tandraa smitaa Chaayaa jrumbhaa kshudashanaayitaa |
trushNaa kshudhaa pipaasaa cha laalasaa kshaantireva cha ||
vidyaa pragyaa smrutih kaantiricChaa medhaa prabhaa chitih |
dharitree dharaNee dhanyaa dhoraNee dharmasantatih || 42 ||
haalaapriyaa haararatirhaariNee hariNekshaNaa |
chaNDayogeshvaree siddhikaraalee pariDaamaree || 43 ||
jagadaanyaa janaanandaa nityaanandamayee sthiraa |
hiraNyagarbhaa kuNDalinee gyaanam dhairyam cha khecharee ||
nagaatmajaa naagahaaraa jaTaabhaaraa pratarddinee |
khaDginee shoolinee chakravartee baaNavatee kshitih || 45 ||
ghruNidhartree naalikaa cha kartree matyakshamaalinee |
paashinee pashurhastaa cha naagahastaa dhanurdharaa || 46 ||
mahaamudgarahastaa cha shivaapotadharaapi cha |
naarakharppariNee lambatkachamuNDapradhaariNee || 47 ||
padmaavatyannapoorNaa cha mahaalakshmeeh sarasvatee |
durgaa ca vijayaa ghoraa tathaa mahishamarddinee || 48 ||
dhanalakshmee alakshmeeshcha ashvaarooDhaa jayabhairavee |
shoolinee raajamaatangee raajaraajeshvaree tathaa || 49 ||
tripuTocChishTa chaaNDaalee aghoraa tvaritaapi cha |
raajyalakshmeeh jayamahaachaNDayogeshvaree tathaa || 50 ||
guhyaa mahaabhairavee cha vishvalakshmeeh arundhatee |
yantrapramathinee chaNDayogeshvaryapyalambushaa || 51 ||
kiraatee mahaachaNDabhairavee kalpavallaree |
trailokyavijayaa sampatpradaa manthaanabhairavee || 52 ||
mahaamantreshvaree vajraprastaariNyangacharpaTaa |
jayalakshmeeshchaNDaroopaa jaleshvaree kaamadaayinee ||
svarNakooTeshvaree ruNDaa marmmaree buddhivarddhinee |
vaarttaalee chaNDavaarttaalee jayavaarttaalikaa tathaa || 54 ||
ugrachaNDaa shmashaanograa chaNDaa vai rudrachaNDikaa |
atichaNDaa chaNDavatee prachaNDaa chaNDanaayikaa || 55 ||
chaitanyabhairavee krushNaa maNDalee tumbureshvaree |
vaagvaadinee muNDamadhumatyanarghyaa pishaachinee ||
manjeeraa rohiNee kulyaa tungaa poorNeshvaree varaa |
vishaalaa raktachaamuNDaa aghoraa chaNDavaaruNee || 57 ||
dhanadaa tripuraa vaageeshvaree cha jayamangalaa |
daigambaree kubjikaa cha kuDukkaa kaalabhairavee || 58 ||
kukkuTee sankaTaa veeraa karppaTaa bhramaraambikaa |
mahaarNaveshvaree bhogavatee lankeshvaree tathaa || 59 ||
pulindee shabaree mlecChee pingalaa shabareshvaree |
mohinee siddhilakshmeeshcha baalaa tripurasundaree || 60 ||
ugrataaraa chaikajaTaa mahaaneelasarasvatee |
trikaNTakee Chinnamastaa mahishaghnee jayaavahaa || 61 ||
harisiddhaanangamaalaa phetkaaree lavaNeshvaree |
chaNDeshvaree naakulee cha hayagreeveshvaree tathaa || 62 ||
kaalindee vajravaaraahee mahaaneelapataakikaa |
hamseshvaree mokshalakshmeeh bhootinee jaataretasaa ||
shaatakarNaa mahaaneelaa vaamaa guhyeshvaree bhramih |
ekaanamshaa abhayaa taarkshee baabhravee
Daamaree tathaa || 64 ||
korangee charcchikaa vinaa samshikaa brahmavaadinee |
trikaalavedinee neelalohitaa raktadantikaa || 65 ||
kshemankaree vishvaroopaa kaamaakhyaa kulakuTTanee |
kaamaankushaa veshinee cha maayooree cha kuleshvaree ||
ibhaakshee ghoNakee shaarngee bheemaa devee varapradaa |
dhoomaavatee mahaamaaree mangalaa haaTakeshvaree || 67 ||
kiraatee shaktisouparNee baandhavee chaNDakhecharee |
nistandraa bhavabhootishcha jvaalaaghaNTaagnimarddinee ||
surangaa kaulinee ramyaa naTee naaraayaNee dhrutih |
anantaa punjikaa jihmaa dharmaadharmapravarttikaa || 69 ||
vandinee vandaneeyaa cha velaa ahaskariNee sudhaa |
araNee maadhavee gotraa pataakaa vaanmayee shrutih || 70 ||
gooDhaa trigooDhaa vispashTaa mrugaankaa cha nirindriyaa |
menaanandakaree bodhree trinetraa vedavaahanaa || 71 ||
kalasvanaa taariNee cha satyaasatyapriyaa ajaDaa |
ekavaktraa mahaavaktraa bahuvaktraa ghanaananaa || 72 ||
indiraa kaashyapee jyotsnaa shavaarooDhaa tanoodaree |
mahaashankhadharaa naagopaveetinyakshataashayaa || 73 ||
nirindhanaa dharaadhaaraa vyaadhighnee kalpakaariNee |
vishveshvaree vishvadhaatree vishveshee vishvavanditaa ||
vishvaa vishvaatmikaa vishvavyaapikaa vishvataariNee |
vishvasamhaariNee vishvahastaa vishvopakaarikaa || 75 ||
vishvamaataa vishvagataa vishvaateetaa virodhitaa |
trailokyatraaNakartree cha kooTaakaaraa kaTankaTaa || 76 ||
kshamodaree cha kshetragyaa kshayaheenaa ksharavarjitaa |
kshapaa kshobhakaree kshemyaa akshobhyaa
kshemadughaa kshiyaa || 77 ||
sukhadaa sumukhee saumyaa svangaa suraparaa sudheeh |
sarvaantaryaaminee sarvaa sarvaaraadhyaa samaahitaa || 78 ||
tapinee taapinee teevraa tapaneeyaa tu naabhigaa |
haimee haimavatee ruddhirvruddhih gyaanapradaa naraa ||
mahaajaTaa mahaapaadaa mahaahastaa mahaahanuh |
mahaabalaa mahaaroshaa mahaadhairyaa mahaaghruNaa || 80 ||
mahaakshamaa puNyapaapadhvajinee ghurghuraaravaa |
Daakinee shaakinee ramyaa shaktih shaktisvaroopiNee || 81 ||
tamisraa gandharaa shaantaa daantaa kshaantaa jitendriyaa |
mahodayaa gyaanineecChaa viraagaa sukhitaakrutih || 82 ||
vaasanaa vaasanaaheenaa nivruttirnivruttih krutih |
achalaa heturunmuktaa jayinee samsmrutih chyutaa || 83 ||
kapardinee mukuTinee mattaa prakrutiroorjitaa |
sadasatsaakshiNee spheetaa muditaa karuNaamayee || 84 ||
poorvottaraa pashchimaa cha dakshiNaa vidigudgataa |
aatmaaraamaa shivaaraamaa ramaNee shankarapriyaa || 85 ||
vareNyaa varadaa veNee stambhinyaakarshiNee tathaa |
ucchaaTanee maaraNee cha dveshiNee vashinee mahee || 86 ||
bhramaNee bhaaratee bhaamaa vishokaa shokahaariNee |
sineevaalee kuhoo raakaanumatih padmineetihrut || 87 ||
saavitree vedajananee gaayatryaahutisaadhikaa |
chaNDaahaasaa taruNee bhoorbhuvahsvahkalevaraa || 88 ||
atanuratanupraaNadaatree maatangagaaminee |
nigamaabdhimaNih pruthvee janmamrutyujaroushadhee ||
prataariNee kalaalaapaa vedyaa cChedyaa vasundharaa |
aprakshuNNaa avaasitaa kaamadhenurvaanChitadaayinee ||
soudaaminee meghamaalaa sharvaree sarvagocharaa |
DamarurDamarukaa cha nihsvaraa parinaadinee || 91 ||
aahataatmaa hataa chaapi naadaateetaa bileshayaa |
paraa aparaa cha pashyantee madhyamaa vaikharee tathaa ||
prathamaa cha jaghanyaa cha madhyasthaantavikaasinee |
prushThasthaa cha purahsthaa cha
paarshvasthordhvatalasthitaa || 93 ||
nedishThaa cha davishThaa cha bahishThaa cha guhaashayaa |
apraapyaa brumhitaa poorNaa puNyairvedyaa hyanaamayaa ||
sudarshanaa cha trishikhaa bruhatee santatirvibhaa |
phetkaariNee deerghasrukaa bhaavanaa bhavavallabhaa || 95 ||
bhaageerathee jaahnavee cha kaaveree yamunaahvayaa |
shipraa godaavaree vellaa vipaashaa narmadaa dhunee || 96 ||
tretaa svaahaa saamidhenee sruksruvaa cha dhruvaavasuh |
garvitaa maaninee menaa nanditaa nandanandinee || 97 ||
naaraayaNee naarakaghnee ruchiraa raNashaalinee |
aadhaaraNaadhaaratamaa dharmaadhvanyaa dhanapradaa ||
abhigyaa paNDitaa mookaa baalishaa vaagvaadinee |
brahmavallee muktivallee siddhivallee vipahnavee || 99 ||
aahlaadinee jitaamitraa saakshiNee punaraakrutih |
kirmmaree sarvatobhadraa svarvedee muktipaddhatih || 100 ||
sushamaa chandrikaa vanyaa kaumudee kumudaakaraa |
trisandhyaamnaayasetushcha charcchaa
arChaapaarinaishThikee || 101 ||
kalaa kaashThaa tithistaaraa sankraantih vishuvattathaa |
manjunaadaa mahaavalgu bhagnabhereesvanaa araTaa || 102 ||
chintaa suptih sushuptishcha tureeyaa tattvadhaaraNaa |
mrutyunjayaa mrutyuharee mrutyumrutyuvidhaayinee || 103 ||
hamsee paramahamsee cha bindunaadaantavaasinee |
vaihaayasee traidashee cha bhaimee vaasaatanee tathaa ||
deekshaa shikshaa anooDhaa cha kankaalee taijasee tathaa |
suree daityaa daanavee cha naree naathaa sureetvaree || 105 ||
maadhvaa svanaa svaraa rekhaa nishkalaa nirmamaa mrutih |
mahatee vipulaa svalpaa krooraa krooraashayaapi cha || 106 ||
unmaathinee dhrutimatee vaamanee kalpachaariNee |
vaaDavee vaDavaashvoDhaa kolaa pitruvanaalayaa || 107 ||
prasaariNee vishaaraa cha darpitaa darpaNapriyaa |
uttaanaadhomukhee suptaa vanchanyaakunchanee truTih ||
kraadinee yaatanaadaatree durgaa durgatinaashinee |
dharaadharasutaa dheeraa dharaadharakrutaalayaa || 109 ||
sucharitree tathaatree cha pootanaa pretamaalinee |
rambhorvashee menakaa cha kalihrutkaalakrutkashaa || 110 ||
hareeshTadevee herambamaataa haryaakshavaahanaa |
shikhaNDinee koNDapinee vetuNDee mantramayyapi || 111 ||
vajreshvaree lohadaNDaa durvigyeyaa duraasadaa |
jaalinee jaalapaa yaajyaa bhaginee bhagavatyapi || 112 ||
bhoujangee turvaraa babhru mahaneeyaa cha maanavee |
shreematee shreekaree gaarddhree sadaanandaa
gaNeshvaree || 113 ||
asandigdhaa shaashvataa cha siddhaa siddheshvareeDitaa |
jyeshThaa shreshThaa varishThaa cha koushaambee bhaktavatsalaa || 114 ||
indraneelanibhaa netree naayikaa cha trilochanaa |
vaarhaspatyaa bhaargavee chaa aatreyaangirasee tathaa ||
dhuryaadhihartree dhaaritree vikaTaa janmamochinee |
aapaduttaariNee druptaa pramitaa mitivarjitaa || 116 ||
chitrarekhaa chidaakaaraa chanchalaakshee chalatpradaa |
valaahakee pingasaTaa moolabhootaa vanecharee || 117 ||
khagee karandhamaa dhmaakshee samhitaa kerareendhanaa |
apunarbhavinee vaantariNee cha yamaganjinee || 118 ||
varNaateetaa shramaateetaa mruDaanee mruDavalabhaa |
dayaakaree damaparaa dambhaheenaadrutipriyaa || 119 ||
nirvaaNadaa cha nirbandhaa bhaavaabhaavavidhaayinee |
naihshreyasee nirvikalpaa nirbeejaa sarvabeejikaa || 120 ||
anaadyantaa bhedaheenaa bandhonmoolinyabaadhitaa |
niraabhaasaa manogamyaa saayujyaamrutadaayinee || 121 ||

|| iti mahaakaala samhitaayaam kaamakalaakaalee sahasranaama stotram sampoorNam || 

How Enjoy the World

You never enjoy the world aright, till the Sea itself floweth in your veins, till you are clothed with the heavens, and crowned with the stars: and perceive yourself to be the sole heir of the whole world, and more than so, because men are in it who are every one sole heirs as well as you. Till you can sing and rejoice and delight in God, as misers do in gold, and Kings in sceptres, you never enjoy the world.

Till your spirit filleth the whole world, and the stars are your jewels; till you are as familiar with the ways of God in all Ages as with your walk and table: till you are intimately acquainted with that shady nothing out of which the world was made: till you love men so as to desire their happiness, with a thirst equal to the zeal of your own: till you delight in God for being good to all: 
you never enjoy the world.

---by Thomas Traherne (1636-1674),
from "Centuries Of Meditations".

Khamsa

Composer and performer  - Dhafer Youssef 
Poem - Khamsa "the Khamriyyat of Abu Nuwas" (Abū Nuwās al-Ḥasan ibn Hānī al-Ḥakamī)

Bhairava's Kapala

Kapala in Bhairava's hand is a powerful recognizable symbol frightening the modern man who understands it as terrible.
And in general, this is true with a particular point of view. Bhairava embodies the dreadful nature of Shiva, par excellence; his name is enough to testify this. Born out of his destructive anger, he is the personification of the exterminating function of Rudra in the Trimurti. About ambiguity of Bhairava's figure I wrote a little here or there, but this is never enough.  Rudra's manifestation in Bhairava form became central to the shaiva traditions related to the kApAlika branch of the old pAshupata form of the shaiva-shAsana known for understanding and accepting this symbol literally. Nevertheless, the skull as such powerful symbol for anyone, has a lot of other hidden meanings (it is the set of meanings, not one).

A Kapala ( "skull" in Sanskrit) is a cup made from a human skull used as a ritual implement (a bowl) in both Hindu Tantra and Buddhist Vajrayana.

Maharakta Ganapati

Apropos, the skull it is one of the principal practice supports of the Vajrayana yogin. Many of the deities of Vajrayana, including Mahasiddhas, Dakinis and Dharmapalas are depicted carrying a Kapala, usually in their left hand.

Vajrayogini

The buddhist skull cup Thod-pa is used in tantric ritual practices to represent the transformation of delusion into perfect wisdom. The skull also symbolises Great Bliss and is a potent symbol of impermanence.
Many ancient cultures retain special attitude to this symbol and primary, it carries the human mortality idea but in an important memento mori reminder. Because in the face of death that man's self-aware is born.
This is a very common symbol in Christianity for to pondering the earthly reality of our mortality and the eternal truth of the spiritual life. It was not unheard-of for medieval religious to keep a human skull about to aid them in their meditations.
 For the medieval alchemist, the skull symbolized purification from the false identity or poisoning ego that fights desperately for its survival but must be devoured in the flames of higher consciousness. Or for the ancient Celts, it was the seat of the soul. This theme is persistent throughout Celtic spiritual life and the symbol of the severed head may be regarded as the most typical and universal of their religious attitudes.
It can be continued but the quick-list of kapala symbolism include: Time and Time's overcoming, Temporary and Eternal, Power, Divinity, Gateway, Creation, Initiation, Concentration and so on. All these symbols, or supports, or tantric rituals can serve as tantric meditations to achieve a transcendental state of thought. Exactly, this is their direct appointment. The unfathomable figure of Bhairava holds all these meanings so far as we can understand it. But it brings us closer to an understanding of not only of impermanence, but also of spiritual awakening, the death of the false self, the Great Death. It means that one sees into one's own Nature, into the One that is neither born nor destroyed. When it brings all back to One. When the amR^ita-sravaNa nectar starts flowing from within the skull.

Om Bhairavaya Namah

Shiva Gangadhara Arati

om jaya gangaadhara hara shiva jaya girijaadheesha |

shiva jaya girijaadheesha |

tvam maam paalaya nityam, tvam maam paalaya nityam

krupayaa jagadeesha, 

om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 1 ||

kailaase girishikhare kalpadruma vipine,

shiva kalpadruma vipine |

gunjati madhukarapunje |

kunjavane gahane,

om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 2 ||

kokila koojati khelati hamsaavali lalitaa,

shiva hamsaavali lalitaa |

rachayati kalaakalaapam

nrutyati mudasahitaa,

om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 3 ||

tasmillalita sudeshe shaalaa maNirachitaa,

shiva shaalaa maNirachitaa |

tanmadhye haranikaTe

gouree mudasahitaa, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 4 ||

kreeDaam rachayati bhooshaam ranjita nijameesham, 

shiva ranjita nijameesham |

brahmaadika sura sevita

praNamati te sheersham, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 5 ||

vibudha vadhoor bahu nrutyati hrudaye mudasahitaa, 

shiva hrudaye mudasahitaa |

kinnara gaanam kurute

sapta svara sahitaa, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 6 ||

dhinakata thai thai dhinakata mrudanga vaadayate, 

shiva mrudanga vaadayate |

kvaNa kvaNa lalitaa veNuhu

madhuram naadayate, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 7 ||

ruNa ruNa charaNe rachayati noopuram ujjvalitam, 

shiva noopuram ujjvalitam |

chakraavarte bhramayati

kurute taam dhika taam, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 8 ||

taam taam lupa chupa taalam naadayate, shiva taalam naadayate |

angushTa angulin aadam

laasyakataam kurute, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 9 ||

karpoora dyuti gouram panchaanana sahitam, 

shiva panchaanana sahitam |

trinayana shashidhara moulim

vishadhara kanTha yutaM, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 10 ||

sundara jaTaa kalaapam paavakayuta bhaalam, 

shiva paavakayuta bhaalam |

Damaru trishoola pinaakam

karadhruta nrukapaalam, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 11 ||

shankha ninaadam krutvaa jhallari naadayate, 

shiva jhallari naadayate |

neeraajayate brahmaa

vedaruchaam paThate, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 12 ||

iti mrudu charaNa sarojam hrutakamale dhrutvaa, 

shiva hrutkamale dhrutvaa |

avalokayati mahesham, shivalokayati suresham |

eesham abhinatvaa, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 13 ||

runDai rachayati maalaam pannagam upaveetam, 

shiva pannagam upaveetam |

vaama vibhaage girijaa, vaama vibhaage gauree |

roopam atilalitam, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 14 ||

sundara sakala shareere kruta bhasma aabharaNam,

shiva kruta bhasma aabharaNam |

iti vrushabha dhvaja roopam, hara shiva shankara roopam |

taapa traya haraNam, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 15 ||

dhyaanam aaratee samaye hrudaye iti krutvaa, 

shiva hrudaye iti krutvaa |

raamam trijaTaa naatham |

eesham abhinatvaa, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 16 ||

sangeetam evam pratidina paThanam yah kurute, 

shiva paThanam yah kurute |

shiva saayujyam gacChati, hara saayujyam gacChati |

bhaktyaa yah shruNute, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 17 ||

om jaya gangaadhara hara shiva jaya girijaadheesha, 

shiva jaya goureenaatha |

tvam maam paalaya nityam, tvam maam paalaya shambho |

krupayaa jagadeesha, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 17 ||

My Heart's in the Highlands

"My Heart's in the Highlands" is a 1789 song and poem by Robert Burns arranged by Estonian composer  Arvo Pärt.

Happy Diwali to You

All darkness is far away 

As light is on its way

Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali!

Love

Art Thou Mother or Father?

Art thou Mother or Father to me, my Mother ?

I have searched the Vedas and the Vedanta, the
Tantras and the Mantras, yet nowhere have I found thy fulness.

As Rama thou dost take the bow, as Syama the
flute : as Shyama the black, thou dost seize the sword.

Some offer at thy feet the tulasi , some the atasi ,
some come with handfuls of hibiscus, some bring the
leaves of bel.

O Mother, Mother of the Universe, art thou male or
female ? Who can say ? Who knows thy form ?

In whatever form men think of thee, in that form
do thou, Universal One, appear to them.

Nilakantha’s mind ever thinks of thee as chief
amongst the deities .
Mother, if thou wouldst be Mother indeed, then why at my Mother’s feet should
my Father lie prostrate ?

---by Nilakantha Mukhopadhyaya (1841– 1912)

Kālī Sisters

The Divine Mother, the essense of all gods and all begins, Mahashakti, is the creator, preserver and destroyer of our nama-rupa world. When there were neither the creation, nor the sun, the moon, the planets, and the earth, when the darkness was enveloped in darkness, then the Mother, the Formless One, Maha Kālī, the Great Power, is one with the Maha Kala, the Absolute. Divine game of "separation" has led to that the Absolute Zero re-united with the One and becomes the dynamic Ten whose forms vary according to the different proportions of the three gunas. Now She expresses their divine union transcendentally as well as phenomenally through three aspects of iccha (will), jnana (knowledge) and kriya (action). So, we have a huge variety of her forms, and the long list of her names reflects their endless movement flowing into each other. For example, the Mahavidyas, is a wonderful enigmatic group of contrasting deities that clearly indicates their special meaning and hidden symbolic content, not only as elements and principles in nature but Ten Great or Transcendent Wisdoms. 

Their qualities, formed by tattvas, are really endless combinations. We can choose at any time the most general definition: Kālī is Time overcoming; Bhuvaneshwari is Space; the piercing word is Tara; the flaming word is Bhairavi; and expressed word is Matangi, Chinnamasta combines light and sound in her thunderclap; Bhagalmukhi stuns and stifles the flow free flow of things; the luminous desire is Sundari; and the delightful beauty is Kamala. Experiencing the all-pervasive essence of Kali in these Goddesses one by one, She is there in one of Her energetic forms. Of course, there is no separation and these Kālī sisters are just a glimpse of her raging glow in the minds because Her true nature is beyond mind and matter.

She is a source of light,
She removes darkness, and leads
Away from the blinding darkness ( Astasähasrikä Prajñäpäramitä) 

Yes, some early Buddhists identified Kalika with their Prajnaparamita, the Perfection of Wisdom, conceived of as a multi-armed goddess/female wisdom energy. Caused by a pollution of ignorance.They viewed Her as the saviouress Tara, the Compassionate One. As the dark four-armed Ugra Tara, with the dark blue Dhyani-Buddha Aksobhya on her crown, she became the Wrathful Saviouress, externally fierce to ward-off enemies and unbelievers, but internally compassionate, the Embodiment of Compassion.

She is all-pervading, leaving, and in her Kālī aspect, no measure for Time. She is always one but appears in differents forms in differents times. All races and cultures are like these multiple severed heads of her garland.

Aztec Divine Mother Coatlicue who gave birth to the moon and the stars, is represented with a severed head replaced by two snake heads, wearing a necklace of severed hands and human hearts with a skull pendant, and a dress of entwined snakes. She as well as Kālī  represents the embodiment of the cosmic-dynamic power which bestows life and death in the struggle of opposites.
Rhea, the Aegean Universal Mother or Great Goddess, was the mother of the gods, and goddess of female fertility, motherhood, and generation. As the wife of Kronos (Time), She represented the eternal flow of time and generations.

Cailleach, an old Celtic name for the Great Goddess in her Destroyer aspect. Like Kālī, She was a black Mother who founded many races of people and created the world, building mountain ranges of stones that dropped from her apron. Scotland name came from Scotia, the same goddess, known to Romans as a "dark Aphrodite". Ireland and Scotland are covered with natural shrines associated with the Cailleach. Scots call her the Old Wife of Thunder.

…Her face was blue-black of the lustre of coal

And her bone-tufted tooth was like red rust.

In her head was one pool-like eye,

Swifter than a star in a winter sky. (MacKenzie, ScFL2)

Incidentally, the state California  of North America was named  by Spanish explorers after the mythical Black Queen Califia.
Nowadays, the Black Goddess worshipped by the gypsies was named Sara-Kali, Queen Kali, the Black Mother.

The Black Goddess was even carried into Christianity as a mother figure, and one can find all over the world images of black Madonnas (details here ). These examples are multiple but it is not necessarily to look similar names or similar external forms. Because whatever is their names or their diversity, all represent the nature of one and the same reality. In her benign or terrific aspect, Mother's essence is the all-pervasive in all her prismatic forms. She is Maya, she is Mahashakti - at once both the unknowable Divine Essence, and every veil that simultaneously hides and reveals this Essence, with absolutely no distinction between them. To the degree that we try to hold on to our life in the face of Kālī, she takes that life. To the degree that we let go of our life in the face of Kālī, She is that life.

Jai Ma Kali!

Yama Deepam Mantra

Shri dipadevatabyo namah | vilepanarthe candanam samarpayami |

Shri dipadevatabyo namah | pushpam samarpayami |

Shri dipadevatabyo namah | haridram samarpayami |

Shri dipadevatabyo namah | ku~gkumam samarpayami |

Yamo nihantaa pitru-dharmarajo

Vaivasvato danda-dharashch kaalah |

Bhutaadhipo Dattakrutaanusaari

Krutaant etad-dashabhirja-panti ||

There are ten Names of Yamadeva – Yama, Nihanta, Pita, Dharmaraja, Vaivasvata, that is, son of Sun, Dandadhar, Kala, Bhutadhip, that is, the master of living beings, Dattakrutanusari, that is, One who has been assigned the task of abducting death and Krutanta.

Mrityuna Pashadandabhyam Kalena Shyamaya Saha।

Trayodashyam Dipadanat Suryajah Priyatam Mama॥

Let this ‘Deep-daan’ made on the day of Trayodashi help in Yama-Deva, who carries ‘Paash and Danda’; who is the protector of Time; the Son of Surya (Sun); along with Shyamla Devi bestow His grace on me.

anena dipadanena sri yamah priyatam |

OM YAMAAYA NAMAHA

Why Close Your Eyes?

O wavering mind,
awaken your upward-flowing awareness.
Become the sublime warrior Goddess Kali,
who moves with graceful power
     through the vast landscape of the body.

Her divine form, like a black storm cloud
     illumined by the sun,
she stands unveiled,
her long hair falling free like monsoon rain.
Be lost in awe of her, O mind,
for you will never comprehend her.

She dwells as the primal lotus of conscious energy
     and also as the thousand-petal blossom,
complete enlightenment.
She is none other than primordial bliss,
this great swan ever swimming
     through the lotus jungle of the subtle body.

Gaze intently into the blazing heart of joy
     and you will perceive my blissful Mother,
matrix of all phenomena.
The vision of Kali
     kindles the fire of unitive wisdom,
burning down conventional barriers,
pervading minds and worlds with light,
revealing her exalted beauty
     as universal flower garden
and universal cremation ground,
where lovers merge with Mother Reality,
experiencing the single taste of nonduality.

This ardent poet of the Goddess cries:
"Every lover longs only
     to gaze upon the unique Beloved.
Why close your eyes?
Why disappear into formless trance?"

---by Ramprasad (Ramprasad Sen)

Miserere

Biblical Psalm 51 traditionally referred to as the Miserere, its Latin beginning : Have mercy on me, O God.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

The modern version of the Psalm, written by Italian singer Zucchero Fornaciari and performed by Pavarotti, Bocelli and Zucchero in 2002.

Devi Navaratnamalika Stotram

The Devi Navaratnamalika stotram (the garland with nine gems), composed by Sri Adi Sankaracharya.

hAra-nUpura-kirITa-kunDala vibhUshitAvayavashobhinIm
kAraNeshavara-maulikoTi parikalpyamAna padapIThikAm |
kAlakAla-phaNipAsha bANa-dhanurankushAm-aruNamekhalAm
phAlabhUtilakalochanAm manasi bhAvayAmi paradevatAm ||
gandhasAra ghanasAra chAru navanAgavallirasavAsinIm
sAndhyarAga madhurAdharAbharaNa sundarAnana shuchismitAm
mandharAyata vilochanAmamalabAla chandrakrutashekharIm
indirAramaNasodarIm manasi bhAvayAmi paradevatAm || 2 ||
smerachArumukhamanDalAm vimalaganDa-lambimaNimanDalAm
hAradAma-parishobhamAna kuchabhAra bhIrutanumadhyamAm |
vIragarvaharanUpurAm vividhakAraNeshavarapIThikAm
mAravairisahachAriNIm manasi bhAvayAmi paradevatAm || 3 ||
bhUribhAradharakuNDalIndra maNibaddhabhUvalaya pIThikAm
vArirAshi maNimekhalAvalaya vahnimanDalasharIriNIm |
vArisAravahakuNDalAm gaganashekharIm cha paramAtmikAm
chAruchandraravilochanAm manasi bhAvayAmi paradevatAm ||
kuNDala trividhakoNamanDala vihArashaDdalasamullasat
puNDarIkamukhabhedinIm cha prachaNDabhAnubhAsa-samujjvalAm |
manDalendu parivAhitAmruta-tarangiNImaruNa-rUpiNIm
manDalAntamaNidIpikAm manasi bhAvayAmi paradevatAm ||
vAraNAnana mayUravAhamukha dAhavAraNa payodharAm
chAraNAdi surasundarI chikura shekarIkruta padAmbujAm |
kAraNAdhipati panchaka prakrutikAraNa prathamamAtrukAm
vAraNAntamukhapAraNAm manasi bhAvayAmi paradevatAm ||
padmakAnti padapANipallava payodharAnana saroruhAm
padmarAga maNimekhalA valayanIvishobhita nitambinIm |
padmasambhava sadAshivAntamaya pancharatna padapIThikAm
padminImpraNavarUpiNIm manasi bhAvayAmi paradevatAm ||
Agama praNavapIThikAmamalavarNa mangalasharIriNIm
AgamAvayava-shobhinImakhilaveda-sArakruta shekharIm |
mUlamantra mukhamanDalAm muditanAdabindu navayauvanAm
mAtrukAm tripurasundarIm manasi bhAvayAmi paradevatAm ||
kAlikA timira-kuntalAnta ghanabhrunga mangalavirAjinIm
chUlikA shikharamAlikA valayamallikA surabhisaurabhAm |
vAlikA madhuragaNDamanDala manoharAnana saroruhAm
kAlikAmakhilanAyikAm manasi bhAvayAmi paradevatAm || 9 ||

phalastutih
nityameva niyamena jalpatAm bhukti-mukti-phaladAmabhIshTadAm shankareNa rachitAm sadA japennAmaratna navaratna mAlikAm
|| iti shrImat paramahamsa parivajrakAchAryasya shrI govindabhagavat pUjyapAda shishyasya
shrImat shankarabhagavatah krutou navaratnamAlikA sampUrNam ||

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