Spend the first day of the year with me (day in the life)

Among all festivals associated with Lord Hanuman the Hanuman Jayanti or birth of Lord Hanuman is the most celebrated. It is often believed that tithi of Hanuman Jayanti is Ashwin Vadya Chaturshi; but some believe the same to occur on Chaitra Purnima every year.

SILENCE. A tap dripping. A bath slipping in temperature; water’s cold; colder; colder than the bathroom air, though senses do not communicate. With silence, in submerged numbness, I lay there. Breathing, yet not alive. Seeing, yet semi-blind through torrential saline. Wanting to move, but unable to. Horrible thoughts invade. Swords pierce the mind. Knowing the need to move, yet not knowing how – or why. Not having the reason. Nothing happening cognitively. Time in freewheel. Not a caring care. Beyond comprehension, the pain. No desire. All efficaciousness gone. Only the discomfort of the water’s iciness arrests the dolour. Must move! Move! I know I must move. And move I do. Out of sheer self-interest I move out of that Atlantic bath. It was the DARKEST night.

MY PARENTS’ 38th wedding anniversary was a day that something remarkable happened to me. It was December 18, 2003. I had been working from home when I decided to walk to the park and pray. I’d been separated from my then-wife for a period of 90 days. Having suffered the worst grief I could then imagine, I was finding my way back to the church; my faith had never been better, even though it was the most vulnerable time in my life.

The tools we use to perceive our universe are only able to reveal to us a mere 5% of all that “is.” This is what the physicists tell us and whether this is exactly accurate is not important – any order of magnitude, even 25% out of 100% is an extraordinary gap in our ability to know our universe. Is this indicative of our conscious awareness or the effectiveness of our current methodology of scientific study?

Folks, when you accepted Christ, it wasn’t just about the forgiveness of your sins, it was about you stepping over into a covenant relationship with Almighty God! He wants us to realize that He is out to show His ‘hesed’, His goodness, love, grace, favor, and mercy, not only to us but to all of mankind.

Usage of Yantra is common in Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. However, in Hinduism, Yantra forms an important part of puja ceremonies. If you go through the tantric scriptures of Hinduism you will see that Yantra assume an important place where it acts as the source of divine energy. These Yantra have specific geometrical shapes, symbols and Bij mantras on it. Mostly, specific metals (such as copper, bronze, Panch Dhaatu and Ashtadhatu), woods, crystals and Bhojpatras are used in two dimensional or three dimensional forms to create these yantras. The shapes, symbols and Bij mantras crafted/drawn on yantras have specific importance and meaning in tantra Shashtra. Worshipping these properly crafted Yantra per tantric scriptures helps in attracting energy of the deity that the Yantra represents.

The Hanuman Chalisa is a concise biography of Lord Hanuman, the deity highly adored among his devotees. Presented in a poetic format, Hanuman Chalisa is easy to memorize. The prayer is in form of 40 chaupais or verses which have a rhythmic effect and sound very pleasant to the listener, even while he doesn’t understand the hidden meaning and teachings!

At all places in India and across the world, Lord Hanuman is the most worshipped deity from Vedic mythology. People flock temples of Lord Bajrang Bali in particular on Saturdays, and pictures of the Bajrang Bali can be found widespread in all corners of the world.

At all places in the world we can find people who worship Lord Hanuman with utmost faith and sincerity. All across the globe there are innumerable devotees of Lord Hanuman; they worship Lord Anjaneya in various forms and ways.

Lord Maruti has been presented in the form of a monkey, I.e a human being with the face of a monkey. This symbolizes that a human being’s mind is always active, never at rest. But it is also complete devotion, surrender and an absence of ego or lower self in a human being that Lord Hanuman symbolizes.

Hanuman Chalisa is a prayer in prose form, beautified in words and expression alike. Magical it is and each of its 40 Chaupais are said to withhold hidden knowledge, recitation of this prayer builds a high moral character in an individual.

Do you get frustrated with the superficial level of communication that often prevails in society? Do you dream of experiencing deep connections with other people?