Reflections and Memories – Staying True to Our Dharma

Happy New Year my dear os.me community !

I would love to know how you celebrated the new year!  Let me share my story. I was in Bangalore at my mother’s bed side. She had got both her eyes operated for cataract and I was taking care of her.  On new year’s eve, there was a big celebration in the society where my brother stays . Stalls were erected serving delicious fare – from gajar ka halwa ( Bangalore isn’t that cold and hence it wasn’t as delicious as it would have tasted in the north) , Gulabjamun, momos , twisted potatoes …well you get the idea . And the culmination of all was a DJ Dance Party . A stage was set up and speakers , woofers and sub woofers placed strategically to let all residents feel the spirit of the new year ( willingly or unwillingly !) psychedelic lights surrounded the stage. The party started in the right earnest at 8 pm . I asked my brother to join the festivities with his family while I took care of my mother. The music turned to cacophony for my mother as she couldn’t sleep. As she had her surgery the very same day she became nausesous and nervous. She kept on telling me – when ISCKON and Art of Living or on Gurupurab the RWA itself  had organized a couple of events – even though the noise wasn’t half as much – the residents had protested and the organizers had to lower the volume. She asked me to check -if there were complaints on the society group. There were none !

 I tried distracting her – reminiscing new year celebration from the past when we were young. The special program on Doordarshan was the only option available as entertainment . Then she started talking about the new year we had spent at Sri Ramana Ashram in Tiruvannamalai , Tamil Nadu.  This was a memory more than 32 years old!

After years of spiritual search and going to umpteen spiritual masters , my father found his peace in the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharishi. With great enthusiasm he took the rest of the family members too to the Ashram starting with his niece and then my mother and us. The 45+ hour journey from Delhi to Chennai in the train was memorable . My father kept teaching my cousin who was doing BA (Hons) Mathematics and we kept making fun –“ Didi , parabola kya bola ?” ( what did the parabola say)

But once we reached the Ramanashram – it was so peaceful and serene that a stillness descended even on us naughty kids. We stayed in a cottage aptly named Love,Peace and Happiness. As we did the girivalam or the pradakshina around the Arunachalam mountain- we could not help but feel the silent divine energy of the mountain.  The divine aura in the shrine was unmissable even for us- noisy and totally uninterested 8-10 year olds – least interested in following instructions or keeping quiet .Meal times meant doing Narayan Seva or feeding the poor in the ashram . That was our introduction to spirituality . 3 years later my father passed away but my mother continues to do Narayan Seva on his birthday – which falls in December.

My attention then went back to what my mother was saying- “why is it that people  and in particular the younger generation only have an objection to ceremonies related to dharma ?”  “Why indeed?”  I asked myself. I have nothing against partying or celebration but was just left wondering if we give equal importance to our own culture , spiritual heritage and dharma ?  What do you think ?Can we just cite individual preference and forget about it or should we think a little more deeply and be a little more true to our own dharma?

Here are some of the insightful articles I wanted to share with you on the theme

Tiruvannamalai – Prahalad Rajkumar talks about his favorite city of Tiruvannamalai where the Ramana Ashram is located. He summarizes the life of the spiritual icon and the aura of the city . it will definitely inspire you to visit the place.

Scriptures -myth or reality -Dr  JayshreeOm reacounts her journey with scriptures and analyses their current relevance. She even lists down the great texts and their translations for easy reference to give a gentle nudge to enhance our knowledge by reading any of our interest. And what resonated deeply with me was the sentence – ‘if our roots are strong – nobody can uproot us’

Contentment – Sadhvi Vrinda’s beautiful poem takes you into the lap of the divine mother. Read it and feel the peace and joy within.

Jagannath temple – This innocent and beautiful post from the young  Satyam Iyer describing the Jagannath temple in Hyderabad shares his first impressions from this temple journey .I hope we can hear more from Gen Next on this forum.

Surprise!– Read to find out keeps our beloved  Swami ji awake at night and his clarion call to protect Sanatana Dharma .For further reflections do read the following posts from Ravi Om Trivedi and Mohit Om on what we can do –Musings on the wake up call for Sanatana Dharma and ideas to promote Sanatana Dharma 

Finally, lets welcome the new year with The New Year Prayer a very creative rendition of a beautiful hymn from The Mother – created by Dr Suhas and Dr Beloo Mehra  From Matriwords- an Aurobindo Ashram publication.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jviTJxkUo0E)

Would love to hear your thoughts and reflections my dear family . Should you wish to  to receive all future round ups and wisdom  on Sanatana Dharma -please follow me as an author . Jai Sri Hari!