Tag: india

Posted in My Divine Experiences

My first divine experience with Ma Kali(gambal)

Posted on by veeskitchen

On ‘awakening’ i was talking to a high vibration friend who was enjoying Kali Tandav. After talking to her, immediately I felt Kali vibrations even though we did not discuss anything on Kali Ma. That night my experience was intense and I was still scared of this fierce version of Amma. So I called my guru who asked me to repeat the mantra for Ma Lalitha Maha Tripura Sundari and try to go to sleep. I did it and achieved the result. I also asked Amma/cosmos to go a bit slow with me. I was still new here taking baby steps. This was in the US.

After 2 weeks I boarded flight to India. In the flight I saw my flat and someone locking the door. The identity was blurred. I saw Kali Ma slowly twirling with Her hair loose and falling way down right in my living room. This vision I had in the flight a couple of hours before landing. No face, only the blurred vision. I snapped out of the vision and opened my eyes. I noted the time.

Landed in Chennai. Went home after months. Left India last October and boarded flight to the US in january from Doha. My husband said, he was planning to go to Kaligambal temple that week and immediately I understood why I envisioned Kali in my home. She was there when I arrived. It was news to me that my hubby wanted to go to the temple. After a few days he called me to the temple but I said I was still too tired and jet lagged. So he went on his own one early morning to have darshan of Kaligambal. Before he left I closed my eyes and had vision of Ma Kali already as She is in Kaligambal temple -petite and almost like Durga-Lakshmi, not too fierce like in north. I told him, I don’t have to go to the temple as She already gave me darshan.

I also asked him what time he left for airport to pick me up the day I arrived. The door lock time coincided with my vision time in flight. It was my mother in law who had locked the door after he left to pick me up.

From the temple, my hubby came back home around 8.30 am and gave us the prasad. I closed my eyes. I had the vision of the inner sanctum door of the temple. I have been here before. Before Kali Ma appeared, an agora rupa appeared. Looked like spider man to me hahaha. Must be the gatekeepers to check me out. After that the sannidhanam was in my vision with the small doors swinging open, but Kali Ma did not appear very crystal clear. I got the idea and a faint glimpse that’s all. I was also taken around the prahara of the temple as if in pradakshina (circumambulation). I got stunned by the experience.

Shared with my guru and a few believers and high vibration friends.

After growing out of fear for Ma Kali, I started enjoying Her roop, Her darshan and Her grace. I think this is also Ma Lalitha’s prescription for me to remove the fear component the fear component from my psyche.

Ma Kali is the most misunderstood Mother Goddess as She dons a skull mala or garland of human skulls. The skulls are representative of human ego or headweight crushed and not actual human skulls. Everything in Hindu dharma has a deeper meaning. Islamists and church deliberately misinterpret the real substance about our deities. When Ma Kali arrives, She first crushes your big ego or headweight and thus removes a major obstacle in your spiritual path. She burns your excessive pride, greed, alter ego everything and grounds you thoroughly. Its a humbling experience, enjoying the bliss of Ma Kali’s energy. Ma Kali’s grace. Ma Lalitha Tripura Sundari’s divine grace, what more can I say.

Posted in My Divine Experiences

My second Ma Kali experience.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Was at my friend’s place for 3 days. On 4th june, my friends called me to Maha Prathyangira temple in Sholinganallur. As it houses Varahi, I was all the more thrilled. Never planned this temple visit. It just fell on my lap. It was clear, I got the call. Performed archana in this famous temple for both Prathyangira mata and Varahi mata. Then we went to Badra Kali’s sannidhanam. My friends and I sat in the front of the deity but at a distance, a little away from the sanctum. I recited aloud the short Durga Sapthashloki from Devi Mahatmyam. Then within my mind I chanted the Kali Gayathri 5 times and closed my eyes. My vision immediately filled with burning fire like scene and then it dissolved to a white snow like lingam small in size. Then out of nowhere emerged Kali Mata, tall and huge like some 2 storeys tall, with her tongue out. Normally, had I not been a Shakthi Upasaki or even after being one just a month or so back, I would have gotten scared. This time with Ma in pitch black and with her eyes gleaming, I had no fear in me. I know and have been told She is such a lovely energy. I lapped up Her into my system that’s all. I know I am one in a million to be shown Her divine grace like this. I thanked Her for Her benevolence because I always think I lack depth in bhakthi, i am not that devoted, and I am not the perfect upasaki or whatever. Yet She graced me with Her supreme darshan. I felt normal basking in this divine bliss – not overtly euphoric or too sentimental. It seemed so natural to me. It lasted for about a minute and I got a closeup too. I asked for Her forgiveness for the mistakes and sins I have committed knowingly and unknowingly. I asked Her to give Her blessings to one and all, not just to my family. I thanked Her again for Her divine Grace. I really didn’t even know whether I deserved it or not. Anyway She knows better and She has access to my Karmic records. I came out of the moment. I shared the experience with my friends who are very pious and who believe in me and who never doubted a word of what I told them. I am glad to have them in my life. Not a sarcastic comment or cracking jokes or poking fun.

I sent a message to my Guru. NO I HAVE NOT DONE KALI SADHANA. I am though a Shakthi Upasaki.

I shared the experience with one more high vibrational friend who also has been having divine darshans for years now. She encouraged me and asked me to enjoy the divine bliss and asked me to share the vibes/experiences with only true believers. Another friend asked me to record it to posterity. Many Upasakas coming in the future may want to know and they must have the benefit, she said. So I have decided to selectively record here some of my Divine experiences.

These experiences of mine are not faked; they are not a lie; they are not my hallucination; they are not my dreams; i am not under any medication other than regular ones for my lifestyle conditions; these are REAL ACTUAL VISIONS that I am having. I have no need to convince anyone of anything. I leave it to people to believe what they want to.

My ‘awakening’ began slowly in January itself in Doha. I realized it only as it came out fully in the open by february- march in Arizona, US. I am back in India now. The awakening has a profound effect on me that I cannot describe to anyone.

Kodi Pranaams to Ma Lalitha for choosing me in this noble mission in this janam of mine. Again I don’t even know whether I deserve this spiritual promotion. I never thought much about my bhakthi or whatever. It feels strange belonging with the cosmos. I am just taking my baby steps right now.

Closing this post with Devi Aparadha Kshamapana stotra by shri Adi Shankara – looks like he composed it just for me.

Posted in Science Engineering Technology

Quiet Achievements In Loud War Times.

Posted on by veeskitchen

India made quiet progress in these loud war times. Of course we need to take the security of our scientists and PM even seriously from now on. One major reason for India faring not so well is that, mysteriously we have our scientists dying or done in. This is the trend ever since India’s independence from the British in the year 1947. It is in spite of this sabotage that we Indians are still registering at least this much progress and development in all spheres.

India successfully achieved the fast breeder criticality for civil nuclear energy aimed at self sufficiency in clean power management. The raw material used for attaining this milestone is Thorium and India holds over 60% of world’s thorium deposits. Had our nuclear scientists not been eliminated under suspicious circumstances over years, we would have been here decades ago. One whole flight people had to die along with Homie Bhabha, father of India’s nuclear program as the plane crashed in the Alps. And you would want us to believe it was not an assassination? Ever since thousands of scientists have lost their lives working for institutes of science, atomic research and space sciences in India. This is why probably our youngsters decided that, the safest option for our engineers and medicos would be to live in the USA!

What does the fast breeder criticality milestone mean for our nation: more output from the breeder than the fuel it consumes, paving way for viable commercial production.

Another feather in the hat is the quantum leap made by India recently. Our scientists have successfully secured 1000 km quantum communication which gives the nation’s defence a definite boost with unbackable internet.

World is filled with hate and violence because of two groups of people: the Christians and Muslims. All bloodshed happening in the world today and nature getting destroyed is due to these both. It is because of dharmic faiths such as Hindu Dharma and its offshoots Buddhism that world is still a sane place to live in. Sanatana dharam (Hinduism) restores the much needed precarious balance of peace in the world. The greed of the Abrahamics is the reason for such a chaos and violence in the world in the first place.

To not be born evil is by itself a great blessing. To be not consumed by greed and hate is a blessing. To be not destroying others is the supreme blessing of all. To not grab other’s food and eat, to not grab others’ livelihood is a blessing. My Hindu nation never invaded other countries in 10000 year history. We are not the bloody offshoot of a mushroom in 300 years without ancestry or proud history than looting spree. We never ethnic cleansed or drove any species to extinction be it human or wildlife. The Hindu hands are clean; the Hindu conscience is clear. Today if we retaliate at all or fire back at our adversaries, it is because of unprovoked terror attacks on our people desecrating our territorial integrity . Extremely proud of my beloved nation Bharat/India. Its no wonder that a bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda also got inaugurated the same week in Seattle, a tribute to Hindu ideals and way of life. Om Shanti! May sanity and peace prevail in the world.

Posted in Economic

India is not new to gold/silver shopping.

Posted on by veeskitchen
Indian Households have more gold 🪙 than the combined reserves of these countries' central banks.
byu/SevexMx inGold

From Google:

The latest figures show Indian families hold approximately 27,871 tons of gold, valued at over $1.5 trillion. This estimate dramatically exceeds the World Gold Council’s July 2023 report that pegged household gold at 25,000 tons.

Let me clarify here that this does not include the temple gold of India which shall be many many times more than the domestic gold held in our families.

https://www.angelone.in/news/economy/indian-household-gold-holdings-surge-to-27871-tons-amid-global-price-rally

India’s Hidden Wealth: The Power of Gold in Indian Households

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/indias-3-8-trillion-gold-181235837.html

*************************************************

Surprised by the world headlines screeching that the whale called India swallowed 6000 tons of silver in 2025. Correction: this is annual silver consumption by India for years. In fact in 2022 or 2023, India bought a whopping 7000-8000 tons of silver. Precious metals such as gold and silver are traditionally hoarded by Indian homes along with gems such as diamonds, rubies etc. In fact during a wedding, mostly the brides get entire puja articles in silver as gift from parents. Son-in-law is gifted a silver plate with side plate. Wealthy families have their entire dinner sets in silver. We the middle class mostly limit our silver collection to mere puja articles that may include big plates and flower baskets, apart from tumblers and bowls and cute little storage dabbas for haldi, kumkum etc. Not to leave out the Diyas. We ladies just love having our silver diyas. I got one for my Diya puja here too to middle east along with a smaller one. Some friends especially those with daughters have huge impressive collections of silver. Gold and silver are the real wealth of Indian homes. Its our family custom to invest in appreciable assets be it gold or silver or real estate. India’s hoarded gold is the hugest holding of gold in the world – not only in recent times. Its been so historically.

Our temples even today have tonnes and tonnes of gold, silver and diamonds that does not come into any calculation. This is why from turks to mugals, from British to the Portuguese came to India. Jan 5 by the way was the day Somnath temple was ransacked by Mohammed of Ghazni after a record 17 time failed attempts. The final time he razed the temple, breaking the Jyothirlinga to pieces and looting the temple gold. Over 50,000 Hindus sacrificed their lives fighting to protect one of the 12 Jyothirlingas (Shiva stals) of India. Exactly today PM of India Shri Narendra Modi ji, was at Somnath, as the temple completed 1000 years since 1026 January when it was ransacked and runover completely. Even the shattered pieces of the Jyothirlinga were zealously collected by the Hindus who have tried to reconstruct it recently. The Jyothirlinga of Somnath was a hanging one suspended in air. Can you imagine a levitating huge Shiva Linga in white colour stone? That was precisely Somnath since time immemorial. This stone is NOT FROM PLANET EARTH. To us this establishes already our Lord Shiva as master of the earth. Imagine now what kind of maniacs these marauders of India were to go for Somnath and destroy not only the holy shrine but also loot the temple of the wealth passed on for centuries. That very idea of Shiva/symbol of Hindu Dharma made the turks and mugals go mad that they wanted Somnath completely destroyed. At the base of this destruction also lay the greed for India’s gold. Even today so much looted Hindu wealth in gold and in sculptures lies with United Kingdom, as the British decamped with whatever the Mugals could not lay their hands on. India’s riches invited the marauders, the most violent of them, but then after centuries, see the condition of their native nations today – from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan.

Somnath is just one Hindu temple destroyed by barbaric invaders for our golds and riches. The idea was to batter the very Hindu civilization itself and make it into dust. Well, they failed. This January 1, 2026, this is how Lord Balaji/Venkateshwara of Tirumala gave darshan to thousands of Hindu devotees: all gold and diamonds. And He is a 6 foot deity!

Only ignoramus judge India without knowing about our basics or traumatic history.

I don’t mean the paper gold or paper silver like in the west. I mean the REAL PHYSICAL GOLD, PHYSICAL SILVER THAT INDIA HOLDS. Without physical gold/silver to back up, what are these jokers hoarding in paper.

https://www.brightdigigold.com/digital-gold-blog/the-magnificent-temples-of-india

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/indias-hidden-gold-empire-38t-in-homes-plus-billions-more-in-temple-vaults

Sadly, this is what we Indians are left with AFTER THE MUGAL LOOT, TURK LOOT, ETC. After our nation was torn apart for centuries. After the British looted whatever was left including the Kohinoor diamond that principally adorned the crown of Ma Badrakali of the Warangal temple in Andhra Pradesh. And you have these jokers in Pakistan claiming ownership of Kohinoor. But note: no Hindu great grandmothers of theirs taken into mugal harems.

You are talking about the world’s one and only CONTINUOUS AND UNBROKEN CIVILIZATION OF OVER 10,000 YEARS WHICH IS HINDU DHARMIC CULTURE. Our gold,silver and diamond must neither come as surprise nor shock. This is what we are. Landing on the dark side of the moon was not by fluke. It is what we have always been. India is now merely reassembling, reconstructing. We have been through a 1000 year trauma and even today we have CANCER right within that we are fighting to get rid of.

Without a sense of history or basic relevant knowledge, how the world media is making assessment on India’s gold/silver purchases is shocking. Acquired by fair, legal means. Not stolen.

From Google:

India has also historically been the largest consumer of silver jewelry and silverware by volume. Over the past five years, analysts estimate that Indian consumers, particularly low-income individuals in rural areas, have purchased approximately 29,000 tonnes of silver jewelry and 4,000 tonnes of silver coins.

Gold, silver and even diamonds are part of Hindu culture. As simple as that. This is the mark of the real OLD RICH understood? Old rich native nation.

Posted in nature

Preserve Aravalli PM Modiji.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Not just saddened but more of shocked on hearing that Aravalli could get compromised in new India’s developmental reforms. So much so that our legal updates are to favour destruction of our precious ecology for the sake of short term benefits, that too for a handful of stinky rich Indians. I rated Arnab Goswami poorly but he finally showed us what a fine journalist he is: its not his brashness that must be the measure of his journalism. He is going against the center openly and brazenly, taking up the cause of nature – in this case Aravalli – knowing that he is taking on none other than PM Modi himself. Many of us associate journalism with sleek sophistication. Truth about journalism is this: NOT SELLING YOUR SOUL, HEAR IT? You defend TRUTH. Nothing less. Anyway now that the Supreme court has stayed the case, we have some breathing time to gather our wits wits to prepare and argue for a tougher case for our forests and mountains. This is why I cannot stand ISHA of Jaggi Vasudev; the megalith bust of Shiva permanently blocked the path of the pachyderms in the Nilgiris mountains, changing the route map of over ten thousand year elephant corridor forever. To legalize the take up of forest lands, what do you do? Invite the prime minister himself for inauguration. You expect nothing short of such a drama from someone not yet absolved in the public eye, of murdering his wife. Shiva to me is those forests made into car park for Isha and the stage for the annual KOOTHU by the old man on the Shiva Rathri. Shakthi to me resides right in the Aravalli. And in the forests taken over for Patanjali by another supposed godman of India Baba Ramdev. And they shamelessly claim you can do business and be a sanyasi in five star luxury. Well, then Ambani and Adani can’t be really blamed.

You don’t have to hoist the tricolour in the surface of the Moon and call it ‘Shivshakthi’ point, Modi ji. Shiva and Shakti are right here in India – in our forests and mountains and rivers, can’t you see it? Destroy Aravalli – whole of India will vote Rahul Gandhi for our next PM. Now you understand why we need even those like Stalin and Mamta Banerjee. Imagine this dear nation of mine going into the hands of power hungry political party dancing to the tunes of AFTER ALL BUSINESS TYCOONS. Well, this is not America Modi ji. This is India. Here MASSES WILL DICTATE TERMS NOT BUSINESS COMMUNITY. Government is for INDIAN MASSES , not for your industrialists and business class who would like to open something fancy like Vantara and invite vulgar Hollywood stars to family weddings, as you go on rampaging our beautiful rural and forested India.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/aravalli-hills-news-aravalli-hills-supreme-court-case-what-is-aravalli-hills-controversy-10095841

Already the Sardar Patel statue in Gujarat has done immense damage to the dugong population in the sea there. Don’t even dream of doing anything to Andaman Islands. Its already a seismic zone. Same goes for Himalayas. WHO ASKED FOR THE CHARDAM CORRIDOR. This is MESS – GOING AGAINST NATURE. This could make a powder of the mighty Himalayas and raise the chances of a quake in future. Do you even call this development? Denying access to millions to the great heights of Himalaya can only save the glaciers of the mountains that feed the Ganga and other perennial north Indian rivers. Affordability works as a great deterrent when it comes to cutting footfall to this ecologically fragile area. But what has the government done? Opening up the place so that it turns out to be the next Tirupathi.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/aravalli-hills-case-sc-puts-its-decision-regarding-100-metre-definition-of-ranges-in-abeyance/articleshow/126225402.cms?from=mdr

BJP IS ZERO WHEN IT COMES TO ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY PRESEVATION. They need to learn a lot. They have to do the necessary corrections on warfooting basis or otherwise pack your bags Modiji to go home on retirement. You touch India’s nature ONE SMALL SQUARE CENTIMETER – You forget your votebank.

Posted in Indian Art Culture Music

What a veritable online feast… December/Margazhi Music Festival of Chennai

Posted on by veeskitchen

As an NRI i get to watch only the online kutcheris as the Margazhi/December Music festival is in full bloom in Madras/Chennai. But whatever is available is already plateful and even this I am unable to consume wholly! Simply no time and then there is the time zone difference. Today for instance they were all the same time – Sri Rangam Venkata Nagarajan, Prince Rama Varma, Dushyanth Sridhar everyone. Stunning range to cater to all your senses, most overwhelming that we have to choose and ration time. Thanks to webcasters I am enjoying the treat from the confines of my home from OUTSIDE INDIA. I am in particular tuned in to Mudhra and Madhuradhwani and Ragamalika tv to who I want to give credit. They lend a class to our lifestyle so effortlessly! Great job! Feel refreshed totally and recharged. Soul stirring instrumental music without whose mention the post shall be incomplete. This is true of both solos/duets as well as accompaniments. My pick of the season: Amrutha Venkatesh. Soon the classical dance programs are to start – from Bharat Natyam and Kuchipudi to Kathak and Mohiniattam. Carnatic season is including healthy share of discourses (Upanyasams) this year. Of course this trend is seeing a steady rise in recent years. Love listening to newbies who all seem to be outperforming. Young talent is new blood, that longstanding cultural traditions need to be necessarily infused with year after year. Not that I am a pro in anything. Just a connoisseur of good music – music understandable to me , which is why western is ruled out for me. I enjoy anything/everything desi be it classical or folky and ofcourse filmy. You don’t need to know the a,b,cs of the classical to savour the best of it. You don’t have to be a qualified all-knowing rasika at all. Just relax and go with the flow, enjoy the sensation. That is the beauty of the Indian classical musical renditions be that vocal or instrumental. The bhakthi component is indispensable to Indian classical. As much as I love the Thyagaraja keertans, I am also at the same time partial to Muddhuswamy Dikshithar’s kirtans. Favourite composers include Papanasam Sivan (for Tamil renditions), Gopalakrishna Bharathi among others.

Soul-soothing, soul calming, soul enriching, soul awakening: this is how I describe God given gift of classical musical forms of India: Carnatic (of the south) and Hindustani (of the north). Not very familiar with Hindustani though but I have to thank RaGa sisters for introducing us audience to a slice of the spread with selective Abangs.

This is why retired life in India is BEST. Classical music, looming ancient temples that are over 1000-2000 years old spread over hundreds of acres, fresh flowers, monsoon madness, life-throbbing cities and small towns and dusty villages besides the variety of regionwise authentic matchless cuisine. No other nation on earth can come even a close second. Heat and crowd and mosquitoes are small incoveniences. You don’t burn the house to get rid of a pest. Of course, you settle for other pleasures when you don’t have to bother too much about your soul. SOUL FOOD: this you get only in India.

Jai Bharat. Hindu Dharma ki jai.

Posted in History-Culture, Indian Art Culture Music

This is why I stopped shopping at Farida Gupta

Posted on by veeskitchen

FG is my favourite brand and I have an account with her. But she got on my nerves repeatedly referring to Diwali as ‘festival season.’ I stopped shopping at her totally. I still look at hers sometimes but I know I will never again shop with her UNLESS SHE REFERS TO DIWALI AS DIWALI. And apologize for even unwittingly committing a mistake. You don’t send me season’s greetings for Diwali. You greet me PROPERLY ‘Happy Deepavali.’ You refer to sale as proper DIWALI SALE. You refer to Oct-Nov as Diwali season or (Navratri) Puja season or Dusshera season. Or simple, fold up your business, QUIT INDIA and start a boutique in downtown Dubai. GOOD RIDDANCE. We need to get rid of this kind of so-called benign tumours first. This is what shall later develop as malignant cancer. No, none of these manipulators are secular.

There are even more sinister attempts to secularize Diwali in some quarters by NON REFERRING THE FESTIVAL BY NAME AND REFERRINNG TO IT AS ” FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS’ OR EVEN ‘JASHN E RIWAZ’ . The nerve. We need to address this kind of cultural onslaught on warfooting basis.

Today in news is the London Khan trying to similarly remove Christmas from the celebrations. You tube has videos.

Now Diwali aka Deepavali is declared as an intangible world heritage by UNESCO. Its celebrated from time immemorial, from the day Ram and Sita returned to Ayodhya from Sri Lanka, literally in another plane of time. Fireworks were in full display welcoming them as Valmiki Ramayana mentions. Organic though.

https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/deepavali-02312

This move also serves to authenticate the history antecedents and cultural roots of Hindus dating back by some 10,000 years (even if we need no certificate from any authority whatsoever).

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/historic-moment-as-diwali-makes-it-to-unesco-list-deepavali-joins-yoga-durga-puja-among-intangible-cultural-heritage-full-list/articleshow/125883637.cms

DIWALI/DEEPAVALI IS PROBABLY THE WORLD’S OLDEST/MOST ANCIENT FESTIVAL THAT IS IN CONTINUUM UNTIL THIS DATE. JAI SHRIRAAM. May Ram Rajya return to India to eternity.

Posted in Books

The one and only book that matters: ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Paramahamsa Yogananda.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Its a shame although I have known for years or perhaps decades, and that too being an ardent, born and practising Hindu, I still finally got to read this lifechanging book only very recently. Reading for months now from my desktop Kindle. About to finish. Who am I to even review God’s own writing. This book is not fictional and this book is for those who are born outside the Hindu India to understand about the Hindu philosophy/Hindu Dharma. Why, even all of us Indians could make the best use of Shri Yogananda ji’s excellent autobiography – the kind of which I have not come across so far. Not that I am a voracious reader. Being part of the Hindu society makes most things familiar to me. Still the book holds my interest totally and I kind of don’t want it to end. I have been reading rather slowly for that reason. REason for my slow reading is that, if I finish a book fast i forget it in a flash whereas slow reading helps me retain the subject matter for long.

Anyway, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Nothing more to add. Except that, in this dry desert that is my second residence, I experienced a total of 6 rain draps in a span of 2 weeks. 3 rain drops during a walk before national prayers were called for rain. That when I checked with my spouse who was walking besides me was refuted by him that I began doubting myself. As if to confirm my doubts, the week after the national prayers, 3 more subtle rain drops fell on me. Both the times, as it is my practice, I was chanting the Lalitha Sahasranama in my mind. I chant Sahasranama always in my mind while I go for walks. For me, IT WAS LALITHA ANNOUNCING HERSELF TO ME. Just cool 3. No more raindrops. Nobody else felt them. Just 3 + 3 = 6 that grazed my skin so softly, so feebly ,and that too the first one caressing my crown – my scalp. The beauty of faith. I leave it anyone who reads this to believe this or not. But I don’t have to be reading Yogananda ji to believe in my Lalitha. I am enjoying Her subtle leela with me for years now. Very recently She gave me another unbeatable vibe. A stone is a stone if that is what you believe in. An idol becomes God when you believe God dwells in the stone.

Blessed to be born a Hindu, blessed to have been born in my punya bhoomi Bharat (India). My birth is probably REQUESTED. Souls ask to be born in my country. Evolving of faiths happens only with the arrival of the Avatars. Only Hindu Dharma has been NON STOP producing saints and avatars, hundreds and even thousands of them, for centuries and centuries now.

Before I close this post, I add one incident from a friend’s life story. Her name was Bindhu. She was my bosom school friend’s sister. We met almost everyday at school. We drifted apart. She moved to her native state Kerala. Worked for a central government department. Became a mother to two beautiful daughters. Just into her 40s, she was afflicted with kidney cancer. Died within 3 months. But Bindhu was a follower of Sri Sri. She had completed her entire course of Art of Living and had perfected a particular breathing (Yoga) technique. As the course progressed, she was becoming detached from everyone. The course seemed to have brought in a change with her. Before she passed away, she told her sister that she was peaceful, she did not fear death as she kept seeing her last 7 births then for sometime or ever since she was bedridden (for a week’s time). That made her accept her current role and her current body as temporary abode. Her sense of attachment at that point of time sounded shocking to her parents and family. Her sister and my best buddy until today, was stunned. I am using original names here. Once she was detected with kidney cancer at an advanced stage and was not given any hope, Bindhu went to see Sri Sri for one last time. Gurudev paused for a moment at a distance and looked away it seems. HE KNEW without being told – that’s what my friend says. And Bindhu accepted her destiny. After hearing this real life incident, I think of the mahans, India is producing even today. Sri Sri – for the first time in my life, I want to listen to his speeches and follow his Art of living. As I have already chosen a path to nurture my spiritual instincts, I am hesitating that’s all. All this I am saying, happened just 15 years back. This is the beauty of my holy Bharat.

You missed something so precious and unmissable in your life, if you don’t read this book. So, it goes without saying that there is no excuse of any Hindu skipping it or missing it. I am too late but better late than never.

At the back of my mind is always the omnipresent Lalitha. Its like I cannot shake Her out of my system. She is there behind my thoughts and actions; behind my every second. The books has widened my horizons of thoughts.

The swamijis of the last century: Shirdi Baba, Ramana Maharishi, Ramakrishna Parahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Shri Lahiri Mahasiya, Shri Yuketeshwar, Shri Yogananda Parahamsa, Shri Ananda Moi, Sri Aurobindho …. the list goes on and on and one.

Even in present times we have the Siddhas and great swamijis in our midst in India. Sai Baba of Puttabarthi is no more. His centenary anniversary was held very recently. Hindu dharma is the only faith in the world that has been producing avatar after avatar for millennia.

May Dharma prevail to eternity. Sanatana Dharma ki Jai (Hail Hindu Dharma)!

Posted in Economic

Is there oversupply of paper gold as against limited real physical gold ?

Posted on by veeskitchen

Digital gold needs no intro: it is the most happening investment in world markets today making headlines for months now. There is however reportedly, an oversupply of paper gold or digital gold in the world for a while, than actual physical gold in circulation, a point missed by most of us retail investors. Trading/holding stocks in digital gold has made this possible. Holding digital gold is also hassle-free than physical possession. It is said that the ratio of paper gold to physical existing gold in the world could be as skewed as 100:1 or even 250:1. So could this bubble burst anytime crashing the gold markets one fine day? With not enough real gold to back up the digital gold, it is possible that the world economy could be heading towards a crash so far as gold market is concerned. Probably that is why, those like Warren Buffet allegedly keep off digital gold. Digital gold could be a good short term investment than a long term plan, it is said. ETFs seem to be the most favoured platform of gold investment. Owning the physical gold is still the safest way as we know because we are in direct possession of the actual gold that can be stashed away in a vault.

What do I attribute to digital gold working? I, as an Indian housewife, am used to hoarding gold as traditional practice, and don’t fear the fall of the gold prices. But it is true that we women in India hold actual gold in our hands, how much so ever minimum could that be. For us, gold is LIQUIDITY that is matchless. Gold is economic freedom. And gold appreciates maximum, next only to real estate. All these factors make gold the most favoured investment for us ladies. If gold has to crash, then the bubble has to burst in every sector should loans be recalled at short notice, for that matter. World economy will collapse. Just recall housing loan enmasse and see what happens. Domino’s effect. Like a pack of cards, everything has to come crashing in that case. Reality is never the point in the world of economics. How do credit cards work then? Is gold the only bubble waiting to burst? Nations borrow heavily. But I do understand the need to cap the gold market at some point of time. As someone who is in the line of investment averred, gold is not a productive investment and therefore its growth is unnatural. Stocks normally boom when the productivity index improves and quarterly reports show good results. Gold however obeys no such laws. Very much akin to real estate, gold appreciates in value only because of the superficial demand its scarce availability manages to create as against its actual supply. Having said that, a humble housewife/grandma here with no compatible background to post such a comment! But I take the liberty with my half baked info/knowledge!

Can digital gold be realized into real gold? I observed this from a couple of Indian banks. First of all even the leading ones did not have the digital gold platforms that sold 24 k gold gram by gram (or ounce by ounce). ETFs/Gold funds were on offer. But there was this one bank that sold digital gold for a few months which on demand was stated to be deliverable at your doorstep. Product withdrawn from bank services with November end, no wonder! The digital gold sale by ounce did not even last a good six months! Probably the reason is that the bank feared inability to keep up with real supply on demand from customers. However, I see that digital gold sale ounce by ounce is still on offer by a few digital platforms and jewelry houses. The jewelry houses in India cleverly state that your digital gold can be acquired only as gold coins or jewelry from their premises! Well, that means, you can never encash your digital gold at these jewelry houses! In short, by investing in digital gold in these jewelry houses, you are only paying in installments/lumpsum for your future gold purchases! Govt of India and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) do not regulate these platforms trading in digital gold and therefore investment in these platforms may remain risky.

As I see, the govt of India that was issuing sovereign gold bonds for years has since withdrawn the bond issuances from last year! The big headache of paying off the maturing bonds in near future awaits the Indian govt!

Any other info I may glean, I shall update here with.

What do I think about middle class investments in digital gold. I think if you can take the risk, you can afford to invest in digital gold. It still is a great investment – long term investment in my PERSONAL opinion. Its worth the risk, provided you have other investments to bank on, in case of an unprecedented crash. So far world has not witnessed such a debacle, but let us wait and watch.

Posted in Food For Soul

What is the aura of India (read Hindus)

Posted on by veeskitchen

One evening I asked him a question. “Dick, what is your impression of India?” “Peace,” he said thoughtfully. “The racial aura is peace.”

(Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi (Complete Edition) (p. 513). Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. Kindle Edition.)

This conversation between Shri Yogananda and his American secretary Wright on their visit to India in 1935 says it all.

We need no further certification. I don’t care whether my country is poor or dirty or polluted or crowded or hot or dusty or whatever. In the man-eat-man world, Hindus come across as peaceful community (I mean the REAL peaceful!).

To have stamped your footprint in the sands of planet Earth for 10,000 years and NOT TO GO DOWN HISTORY as invaders, ethnic cleansers of natives, destroyers, land usurpers, marauders, barbarians, conversion mafia – this speaks a lot about Dharmic Hindus. I wouldn’t even say the same of Buddhists – as we have seen Myanmar/Burma and Sri Lanka.

There is in truth nothing to be proud of, to be thought of as ‘peaceful.’ Its just that your ancestors were HUMAN after all. Its okay not to be aggressive. Its okay to be complacent. Bravery and heroism lie in NOT DISTURBING OTHERS for our own personal gains. Not building a life out of others’.

Despite myself, I am proud of our forefathers who did not even bother to patent their inventions and discoveries, many of which are now touted as European. They couldn’t care less really. They lived well.

What Hindus have gone through for centuries, being hunted down, with their women taken away, with the men executed, with our temples ransacked and razed, with their wealth plundered, persecuted enmasse …. paying (Jiziya) taxes to foreign (Mugal) invaders for just being Hindus in NATIVE HINDU LAND INDIA/BHARAT, resisting conversion … its a miracle we are even here today. No violence, no bloodshed, no taking over others lands by invasions, no greed, SIMPLY NO BLOOD IN THE HINDU HANDS AND NO HEINOUS SIN IN THE HINDU CONSCIENCE. NO HINDU HOME OVER THE GRAVE OF THE VANQUISHED NATIVE/SON OF THE SOIL. Well done, dear ancestors. Such a clean world record.

Clicked this pic in my mobile from my desktop kindle. The respect and honour an enlightened Hindu commands.

This is why Paramahamsa Yogananda ji and Swami Vivekananda received red carpet welcome in the US in those days. Through out the world, our yogis are received with respect and awe. World listens to them when they speak. Presidents invite them to their official residences and governments have them address even their parliaments. This is the highest respect accorded to Hindu monks in the world stage today. And this pride belongs to all of us Hindus and our long departed ancestors who sowed the seeds for a peaceful, harmonious, humanitarian society based on values and consideration and compassion over anything. Powerful and wealthy men command fear, not necessarily respect.

Shri Yogananda Paramahamsa was preceded by Swami Vivekananda, also from Kolkata, Bengal, India in 1893 who introduced the eastern ideology to the west for the first time. Many followed him to India as his disciples and sister Nivedita from America, was notable among them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Nivedita

Such is the soft power of Hindus. Dominating the world as the real movers and shakers: medicos, engineers, scientists, yogis, teachers, nurses etc. Not as destroyers, bombers, terrorists, usurpers. World shall write our history thus: THE NATION THAT GAVE THE WORLD SHANTHI (PEACE) AND WISDOM.

So if such a peaceful nation as India wants to take on the evil demons head on, then the world must wake up to reality. The next time, the devils will at their doorstep, not India’s.