Tag: spirituality

Posted in My Divine Experiences

Next step in my spiritual journey.

Posted on by veeskitchen

A few days back, hit a new milestone. Now sometimes whoever I am conversing with, I can see their Antar Atma or the Shukshma Atma (soul) in my visions (when I close my eyes for a second) (this is no imagination or dream or hallucination; its like a superimposed vision). Not always. Suppose I see their soul once, it does not mean I have to spot it everytime I see them. And I don’t keep seeing everyone’s soul. Just a selected few. First I was confused. Thank god, I am in touch with someone who is ‘awakened’ and who is a follower of Ramana Maharishi. He crossed these spiritual milestones months back. Looks like my own spiritual growth is modeled on his way of evolvement. I got a few tips on how to remember and identify whose soul is which one!

Besides messages and visions from deities, I view the soul thing as a milestone in my spiritual journey. All these things I never bargained for. I am ritualistic but am very sincere in my pujas. Just a housewife/mother/grandma here. Nothing extraordinary. Something changed in last couple of years when I started losing interest in everything. I am playing along my role in family life/material world that’s all. I still browse online for shopping for saris; i still want to go on tours; i still want to enjoy life; but the earlier crushing interest in things is gone. Now its more like an attempt to stay normal and regular like others around me.

I am omitting my deity darshans from the post. You take one step forward, Divine Mother takes two steps towards you. That’s what I can say.

Guru’s advice: MOVE ON MOVE, DON’T EVEN PAUSE HERE OR TAKE A LOOK!

Posted in Environment

Himalayan Tragedy.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Literally. Nepal tragedy is heartwrenching. But when I see that those returning from Kailash Yatra have perished in bunches, I wonder if they were taken into His bosom by Lord Shiva. Nowadays that’s how my mind works. Normally I don’t like Isha/Jaggi Vasudev. But I am surprised he does not seem to share my view, given the Yogi he is. But then you can’t speak the heart’s truth when you hold responsibility in your hands. He who talks so much about death and afterlife seems to be shedding some tears. The end may have been brutal – but imagine not returning from Mount Kailash. (Already spotted a podcast in you tube where a psyche was talking about a portal opening in Gyriong port in Tibet-Nepal border; she attributes even aircrash sites etc., to portals). What more can a Hindu hope for. Of course hundreds or perhaps thousands of other civilians from all walks of life have lost their lives. Nobody has exact statistics. I don’t mean to sound insensitive. I can understand how the bereaving families must feel right now. The pilgrims stood no chance. Probably they were at Tibet-Nepal border immigration checking back into Nepal after their Kailash Manasarovar yatra/Kailash Parikrama.. Most Indian tourists have perished while on pilgrimage to Nepal. Now Jaggi Vasudev must know what it is to go against nature in a massive way. Why should a glacier suddenly collapse. How much tourist traffic the Himalayan kingdom is handling. There are mountaineers heading to scale world’s highest peaks such as the Everest, the Anna Purna etc. Then there are millions of tourists from India on pilgrimage to Nepal. A good percentage of Indian pilgrims also head to Mount Kailash via Tibet border. In fact even from Tamil Nadu, hundreds have gone missing on their return journey from Kailash, the toughest trek on earth. But personally I think that’s a poetic way to go. Imagine having a darshan of the Kailash and then not returning home. Jaggi must know.

At the same time I saw this another spiritual group headed by Desa Mangairkarasi, a prodigy of late Shri Kripa Nanda Variar, escaping the tragedy but stuck in the Kailash parikrama in Tibet/Nepal border. May the pilgrims from Tamil Nadu/India return safe.

Isha group seems to have perished totally. No news about them. Of these almost 100% the pilgrims are foreigners from the US and Australia and UK and dozen other countries who were on Kailash Yatra. Obviously they must be Isha followers and Shiva bhakths.

There is so much of unwanted activities going on in the Himalayan ranges. Himalayas may be the tallest mountain range in the world but they are the youngest geologically speaking. The Himalayas that were undersea mountain ranges, erupted out of a natural catastrophe like when two tectonic plates collided. Interestingly I have heard a Hindu philosopher speak of how there is no mention of Himalayas in the most ancient Hindu texts or puranas that must have been passed on from another plane of time, by whatsoever means. So you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand how seismically sensitive this zone must be. Already Nepal has seen devastating earthquakes. More vehicular traffic and pollution and construction activities and roads and footfalls mean, Himalayan glaciers melting real superfast in this global warming age. We have seen monsoon floods wrecking havoc in Kedarnath in India on the Himalayas exactly for the same reasons. This is why I am AGAINST THE CHAR DHAM PROJECT in India drilling the Himalayas. I don’t need to worship Shiva by drilling a hole into His Himalayan abode. Already millions are going on pilgrimage to Kedarnath, Amarnath, Gangotri, Gomukh etc., every year. The helicopter services have made every Hindu aspire to go to the Himalayas. The Char dham is now in every HIndu’s bucket list. But can you imagine what a damage millions of footfalls, helicopter services, construction activities etc., can do to the Himalayan glaciers. Even Ganga runs the risk of running dry at this rate. Now Jaggi Vasudev, can you understand why I hate you for taking over the Elephant territory at the foot of the Velaingiri Hills in Tamil Nadu for your Ashram. The Shiva I know or the Shiva I can comprehend may want the elephants roaming there not your mega Shiv Ratri hungamas. I can never understand this kind of piety sorry. I can never understand how you can save Hindu Dharma hurting environment and damaging nature. Those like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, Ramana Maharishi, Paramahamsa Yogananda etc., etc.. did quiet but effective service to Hindu Dharma WITHOUT DAMAGING ANYTHING/ANYONE. Their yeomen service to Dharma stands out recognized even today and they have millions of followers around the world without having to seek attention. When I saw acres cleared for parking space etc., in Isha near Coimbatore, I thought about the loss of green cover. You cannot plant Teak trees everywhere and call it ‘Kaveri calling.’ That is damage control. Why do we have sthala vrkshas in our temples. Every Hindu temple in India has a Stala Vrksha – it means it houses a native tree (vrksha) right from THAT exact geographic spot. GEOTAG by ancient Hindus practised for thousands of years right in our places of worship – our temples. For example, in Kapaleeshwara temple in Mylapore, it is Punnai maram (laughing tree) that is the sthala vrksha. This sthala vrksha temple culture even sheds a glimpse into our native history. Once upon a time, Mylapore was a garden or forest of laughing trees (punnai maram). That is how our Hindu ancestors saved and preserved each and every single native fauna of ours. Today in India we are ecologically rich and diverse even after such a huge environmental degradation, because of our Hindu ancestors who thought of every little thing including digging up a tank in front of every single temple they constructed. These water tanks are the lungs of our villages and towns and cities, after centuries and centuries and also ground water charging points on monsoons. You cannot substitute the Stala vrksha native trees with Teak trees everywhere Jaggi especially in fertile river banks. Did you ever think of where the elephants will go once they get down from the Velliangiri hills. You have taken over their corridor so they must be rerouting their millennia old traditional survival and habitational routes. Shiva is first that elephant. Shiva is first that forest cover. Shiva is first that Velaingiri mountain itself. Shiva is the very ground where your visitors park their cars. Well, that is my understanding of Shiva.

Once upon a time I used to like Isha. Now I think its vulgar.

This is why I decided not to go on Char dham yatra ever. I can worship Shiva from right where I am. If I cannot see Him in my heart first, how can I hope to see Him in Mount Kailash.

When Raja Raja Chola built the Brahadeshwara temple over 1000 years back in Thanjavur (Tanjore) Kaveri delta, we Indians could still afford the deforestation. Acres of forested lands were cleared by our kings to build the most ancient 2000 year plus old Hindu temples that still proudly stand today in south India. (In north of course they were razed by the islamic invaders). But all that was eons back. Indian population remained optimal in those times. Monsoons were bountiful. Nature was respected and nurtured. There was no environmental degradation to alarming degrees obviously. When did we begin to celebrate Diwali. Fireworks were part of celebrations when Ram returned to Ayodhya with Seetha from when we started celebrating Diwali. So was dynamite/gunpowder used in fireworks through centuries in India? Never. Something organic was being used in the manufacture of our fire crackers which had no hazardous chemical content in them. Modern man has given every ritual a horrible twist and made it worst and regrettable. Joyous spirited festivals have been reduced to crass commercial gala events.

Nepal is bracing for more landslides and floodings in near future. For the locals this must be nightmare. For foreigners trapped in the landlocked nation, it can be traumatic. Not to mention the state of mind of their loved ones back home worrying about their safety – if at all they have survived.

We used to think about Nepal pilgrimage often. But my civil engineer husband would say, Nepal was poor when it came to safety standards. It would be a blessing to die there in a flash – and that is what I think about the Isha pilgrims who perished wholly on their return from Kailash darshan. But if you are wounded and stuck in Nepal hospital, that can be real horrendous situation. It is because of his practical reasoning that many times we dropped our plans to pack our bags to Kathmandu. Pashupathi Nath temple is in my bucket list. In fact we never anticipated the Gulf war that saw us retire from Doha. Otherwise in June/July we were thinking of Nepal. But my husband refused to allow me to book in advance. Nepal and Sri Lanka – he is not confident about. India is quick on reflex even if we are a third world nation. Our communication network and rescue ops etc., can bring quick relief even is disaster strikes (god forbid). In general we remain in preparedness most of the times for any eventually. We are shockproof in India. This is the advantage of belonging with a strong big nation. We have to act on warfooting basis during crises like the Nepal floods and we have to have access to resources, rescue op personnel, medical teams, food catering etc., with everything going on at the same time. We personally evaluate all these things and always rate India as a safe country that way. We don’t feel that way about most countries we have toured. In case of any emergency, things can freeze in most countries with inaction/inadequacy in many departments. Nepal sadly we rate as one such a vulnerable nation. But it is their destiny, understandable, being a landlocked Himalayan nation, at the mercy of the icy glaciers and prone to earthquakes caused by tectonic shifts. Most Nepalese factor in these life risks – as I understood from knowing them from our 20 year residence in Qatar where they constitute semi skilled workforce. Good workers. In fact every year I used to receive prasad from Pashupathi Nath mandir in Nepal. This year someone got us even a Rudhraksh mala from Nepal.

Dear Tourists/Hindu pilgrims: STICK TO BEATEN TRACKS. Don’t open new avenues. Kailash is best left free. So must be Amarnath. Kedarnath and Badrinath must be accessible by minimum land transport and mostly by foot- and not by helicopter or char dham tunnel presently under construction. Even this tunnel caved in, ending in tragedy remember. Don’t disturb nature – and if you do, be prepared to pay a heavy price. Don’t regularize Kailash yatra, Amarnath yatra, Vaishnodevi Yatra. All these must be reserved for the really motivated and physically dexterous. Rest of us have to satisfy ourselves with Kashi, Hardwar, Hrishikesh, what to do.

YOU SAVE HIMALAYAS/KAILASH/KEDARNATH/AMARNATH/VAISHNO DEVI/GOMUKH/GANGOTRI ETC., ETC., BY NOT GOING THERE, GOT IT?

Finally Shiva gave His piece of mind to Jaggi Vasudev. But what a brutal lesson was that.

Meanwhile Arnab:

(I decided to add the Arnab video in the last minute because interestingly there is quite some China traffic to my blog! Really surprised.So decided to entertain my chinese readers.)

Posted in My Divine Experiences

When Ma Kali enters your body for a min…

Posted on by veeskitchen

Confused and dazed since crossing over to the 4th dimension in last 3 months; having my reality changed overnight; imagine Divine Mother to who nothing matters other than showing me all the time She is there for me…

Divine Grace chooses you, not the other way. I have not even done Kali sadhana. I have done two posts on how Ma Kali has made an appearance in my life. Last night was as usual. Woke up midnight to use the washroom. REturning back to bed, was surprised to note that I had been chanting Kali Gayatri unconsciously. I don’t know for how many minutes or how long I did that.I picked those two verses from You tube honestly more than a couple of years back. Those 2 lines stuck to my mind.

I recalled the last time I chanted Kali Gayatri in front of Badra Kali, in the Prathyangira temple at Sholinganallur (OMR-ECR connecting road), Chennai. And Ma Kali ended up giving me Vishwaroopa darshan in my vision. So now I made a silent plea to Her to stall (yes) as it was midnight, just in case She wanted to come to me. Sleeping is difficult for me these days as the moment I close my eyes, I am flooded with visions. I have to tire myself out and my eyes have to shut in sleep on their own. This is how I am going to sleep in last 3 months. Awakening is a painful experience. Its not at all cakewalk. I tried the same trick of trying to tire myself out to go back to sleep. Just that moment I knew that Divine Ma Kali entered my body perhaps for a minute or so. I have earlier heard of Ma Varahi entering a friend’s friend’s body in similar fashion – in daytime, in a temple. I just knew Ma was within me. It was like I had sleep paralysis. Suddenly I could not move a muscle. The sensation that coursed through my body I cannot put to words. But it was a good, indescribable sensation. Energy flow. Like a current is passing through your entire body or some sweet warmth is spreading head to foot. At that moment only a few words came to my mind; MA PARDON ME OF ALL MY SINS; BLESS EVERYONE. I had only that much time – very brief time in fact that lasted under 1 minute. In moments Ma Kali left me as quietly as She came. I felt normal then but thinking of Her grace, I feel like crying now. What did I do to deserve Her grace. I was not even Her devotee.

Not only Ma Kali, in the last 2 weeks since I got into this emotional turmoil, Ma Lalitha too showed me Her presence within me but I don’t want to share that experience here. It is like, Divine Mother in whateve way wants to show me that SHE HAS NOT ABANDONED ME even if the world may seem to have. I have nothing more to lose, nothing more to fear.

I don’t care about the obstacles i face in my spiritual path.. I am willing to wait how many janams it may take me to reach the lotus feet of My Divine Mother. She has seen me up until this. She will see me through I know now and I don’t have to think twice on that. I am human after all and I may continue to accumulate some karma good and bad, knowingly and unknowingly. Its all part and parcel of the game called Maya. But I am learning every single day.

Ma Kali is protecting me and stays very close to me ALL THE TIME. I have no words to describe how grateful I feel and how blessed I feel for Her presence in my life. Its a GIFT. No wonder She cut some cords to eliminate negativity from my life – and for Her it doesn’t matter which/what position they occupy in my life before She severs the cord; disrespect/betrayal on anyone’s part when it comes to me can result in Her cutting the cord neat and clean. I understand now wholly what transpired in last two weeks. Its HER handiwork no doubt!

I didn’t remove some posts from my blog because I didn’t want to HIDE OR ESCAPE THE MEMORY OF ANYTHING. Its also a mirror to my face to show how much I have changed with time. Humans judge you looking at your superficial body and lifestyle and YOUR PAST. YOUR PAST IS OVER. YOUR PAST IS NOT YOUR PRESENT OR FUTURE. AMMA NEVER MAKES THAT MISTAKE OF MISJUDGING YOU. MA LALITHA KNOWS ME FROM MY PREVIOUS BIRTHS AND SHE KNOWS MY HEART IN THIS PRESENT BIRTH. That’s what finally matters. Soul honesty is very important to me and apparently Amma likes that in me. To be able to live with your past and have no shame about it is itself a virtue. Not that I have done anything condemnable. I learnt about Srividya Upasana ONLY by 2020. Before that I have enjoyed life with my girlfriends and have downed even a glass of wine or vodka on rarest occasions. Unabashedly material girl. Why hide it. What matters is how you live your life once you take up Upasana. I took mine only 4 years back. After that I am living a celibate life and I am a vegetarian anyway from birth. I gave up cakes and croissants that I thought were few luxuries that life offered me. Honestly after awakening I realize, all that doesn’t matter at all. I may not be a pro, but I think you can breach that line to 4th dimension by crossing some mental barriers such as caste, community, language, religion etc., and by reckoning that your atma has no memory, no mind, no sex, nothing. Shedding your prejudices is a crucial step forward. You have to leave negativity such as jealousy and hatred behind. For me, its been a learning experience for years now. I benefited from numerous online gurus who shaped and chiseled my mind day by day.

To what lengths my Lalitha and my Ma Kali have gone in last 2 weeks to show me that divine grace is with me… I lost my biological mother early in life. Now I have Divine Mother showing me every step, every minute that She is with me.

Life has never been fair to me. That’s all right. In this janam it is my curse to be misunderstood. I accept wholly my karma and I forgive those who erred me and prefer to forget and move on. I don’t stagnate. There is no place for negativity in my mind. As Gandhi said, I shall not allow my mind to become dustbin to store hatred and negativity. I WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO WALK OVER MY MIND WITH THEIR DIRTY FEET. I CHOOSE POSITIVITY; I CHOOSE OPEN MINDEDNESS; I CHOOSE SOUL HONESTY; I CHOOSE MY MA LALITHA/KALI/MOOKAMBIKA. Period. It is my heart and soul that got me even to this threshold. I will not back down now.

Jai Ma Kali! Jai Ma Lalitha! Om Shri Matre Namaha!

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 Food For Soul, Welcome to my blog!

When universe responds to you in the same frequency.

Posted on by veeskitchen

FROM THE THIRD TO THE FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH & MORE DIMENSIONS AHOYYYY!

This post was penned in Arizona, US on 20th evening. I didn’t realize that it was already 21st april in India, the day of Adi Shankara Jayanthi. Adi Shankara, the first and foremost of the Shankaracharyas who established the Hindu maths across India is believed to have lived in the 8th century CE. Its the date put in by the British historians. However our ancestors believe he lived well before the birth of Christ by citing how river Poorna on banks of which he lived, shifted course with time. In those early centuries, Shankara even established a mutt in Sri Nagar that stands until today. He spread the Advaitha philosophy – the oneness we all seek already expounded by our holy scriptures such as the Vedas and Upanishads. Its no coincidence that on his jayanthi or birth anniversary as per Hindu calender that I wrote this piece. This is also his work as everyday I invoke him in my prayers/salutations to the lineage of gurus/guru parampara of India, the established scholarly tree of Dharmic Hindu philosophy.

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DEITIES/IDOLS ARE NOTHING BUT ENERGY MANIFESTATIONS.

ENERGIES ARE REAL, WHICHEVER FORM. CALL THEM KRISHNA, SHIVA, SHAKTHI, GANESHA, SKANDA OR HANUMAN WHATEVER YOU FANCY.

DON’T JUDGE OTHERS CALLING THEM PAGANS. THEY ARE THAT NOT WITHOUT A PURPOSE – BE IT THE EGYPTIANS OR GREEKS OR HINDUS. OUR HINDU ANCESTORS WISELY HID THE PORTALS TO COSMOS IN OUR DEITIES/IDOLS, (SANSKRIT) MANTRAS, RITUALS, SCRIPTURE, PILGRIMAGE PLACES INCLUDING SHRINES & RIVERS & MOUNTAINS, OUR TEMPLES ETC., THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE ONLY TO SELECT FEW. THIS IS TO DENY ACCESS TO THOSE WITH MAL INTENTIONS. YOU THINK WE ARE FOOLS TO WORSHIP TREES AND RIVERS AND MOUNTAINS AND STONE IDOLS FOR 10,000 YEARS. ITS YOUR LOSS IF YOUR FAITH IS BASED ON DENIAL. UNLESS THE MIND IS STILL/QUIET, YOU CANNOT FIND THE KEY TO THE COSMOS. MEDITATION, THE DISCIPLINE OF YOGA, BREATHING TECHNIQUES LIKE PRANAYAMA, KRIYA YOGA, VIPASANA MEDITATION ETC., ARE JUST A FEW WAYS TO QUICKEN YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY. BUT BEFORE YOU EMBARK ON THIS LONG LONEL;Y ROAD, ENSURE YOU HAVE A SUPER STRONG AND BOLD AND BRAVE MIND RID OF ALL FEARS. TRUST IN THE ONE BRAHMAM(N).

So believe me, nothing is a waste: not the Shiva smiling down upon you from the calendar on the wall. Not the Krishna idol or the Ganesha you picked from tuck shop for decorative purposes. Everything is an energy field. Only, you can detect the energy when your frequency one day corresponds with theirs. They are all there believe me. India is a blessed nation. Bharata is country of Gods and Goddesses. God bless the world and entire humanity and all living beings flora or fauna or the lesser lives.

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Most of us don’t believe this is possible, until it happens to us. But everything we do, what we even think, talk, do – all these get recorded somewhere in the cosmos. We call it the Akashic records in sanskrit (all you have to do is Google; now the Akashic have become You tube popular) – a karmic provisional record of all our previous births up until today. I have done many posts on spirituality in the past but I am no more the same person who did them all. Some shift happened in feb/march that I cannot talk about. The process started some two years back when one day I found my spine heating up on meditation to an unbelievable level. The heat spread to my neck and ears. But even before I started on meditation (mantra japa), I have had some coincidences that seemed miraculous. My intuition too proved right in more than one occasion. I dismissed everything trying to explain stuff with logical reasoning as we all do.

Now however the old me is gone. In her place is this new one who is seeing things normally invisible; not in the surface of earth but in the mind, as if I am a third person watching a show that is on; IN SHORT I AM HAVING VISIONS THE MOMENT I CLOSE MY EYES that are normally invisible to naked eye. No x ray machine or metal detector or whatever can even detect an iota of what the awakened people can see. Welcome to the world of REALITY from the make-believe MAYA/ILLUSION that is the material world. If you realize this in your own physical body in your life time, count it as gift.

Why was I even chosen? Here is my take. I am on my regular health pills to keep me alive and on supplements; nothing new or strange; nothing happened all these years; i am not on any stimulant/drug otherwise; i am not dreaming or hallucinating; i am not being hypnotized or mesmerized. I am not lying or exaggerating; I am perfectly sane and healthy and in all my senses. Yet I crossed a mind barrier very recently; i broke through the first glass ceiling that I never believed would be possible for me in my life time; i am by no way Paramahamsa Yogananda or Swami Vivekananda or Ramana Maharishi or even Sri sri Ravishankar ji of present times; I am no Baba or Yogi or even someone following the ‘aachaarams’ and ‘anushtaanams.’ I am a regular housewife, living a loukik life steeped in familial background and responsibilities that come with my position; i am materialistic; i have been ambitious in the physical world wanting this and desiring that; I am someone who has shaken my leg in a couple of girls’ wine parties; i am addicted to shopping; i have been mean and i have hurt people; i have my share of flaws and i am by no means perfect; but I have been an ardent Shakthi devotee for decades now; I was born into/grew up in an overtly pious family; I am obsessed with my pujas; only in America i am missing them for some reasons; here I therefore double my japa (meditation) time. To be fair to myself, i only hurt someone back when i am provoked; people who betrayed trust or sold their soul have had it from me when our paths crossed; otherwise i am a decent soul hahaha; i try to help people and i generally mean well. So I never anticipated this spiritual promotion when I am still in flesh and blood and while still my heart is beating; i have always rated myself as mediocre in every single facet of my life; passable; nothing outstanding or distinguishing; But it looks like the cosmos doesn’t feel the same about me; Obviously i have arrived at the threshold of something deeper and THE ONLY REALITY OF THE WORLD; i know we are all consumed by Maya (the illusion) and we believe in what our 5 senses can experience: seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing and touching. But beyond the senses that are visible and accessible lies the inaccessible, to access which you have to break one by one the bunch of glass ceilings of your own mind space, to finally emerge in the cosmos; to realize what it is to belong with the universal consciousness; i am not saying i am there yet, but i will be working my way through; the tools that have helped me reach this far have been: MY RELENTLESS FAITH IN MY DEITY, MY TOTAL SURRENDER TO MY DIVINE MOTHER and in general in the entire pantheon of Hindu gods, the Sanatana Dharma (Hindu faith), our scriptures, our mantras/tantras, our holy shrines/ancient temples, and in our yogis, rishis, sadhus, GURUS and others, my pujas, my mantra japa (meditation with mantras) and my limited yoga/exercises. I BELIEVE AND I NEVER HAD AN IOTA OF DOUBT WHATSOEVER.

See how many times I am mentioning still I, ME, MINE. I have still not learnt my lessons. However I am a fledgling soul yet and i can make mistakes, can’t I?!

I am penning this post only for the sake of awareness. Be good: think good, talk good and do good. Don’t hurt a soul. No negative energy please. Double your puja efforts, pilgrimages to powerful shrines etc., but more than double your focused meditation. Guided meditation is available online.

Those who don’t have a Guru can just focus on simple meditation techniques like the following.

  • Take deep breath and chant Om in quiet meditative mind for 1 hour repeatedly
  • Chant quietly Om Namashivaya for 1 hour in mind in meditation
  • Chant Ram Ram in meditation
  • Chant Hare Krishna in meditation
  • Om Shakthi Paraa Shakthi in meditative mode

Do this for 1 hour everyday for 3 to 5 years and see the results. Taking a guru for guidance is wisest and advisable. Combining meditation with practice of yoga can yield greater benefits.

I recently read about intelligence in social media. Its stated that its METACOGNITION – in this case, the awareness of the metaphysical that is the supreme intelligence. YOu don’t have to get into a satellite and land in the moon or the Mars. Simply astro travel with your mind! Who says India is poor or illiterate. Do these guys who are our critiques even know what we they are talking about. If Divine Mother bestows the gift of supreme knowledge or conscience of the cosmos upon us, if we are gifted enough for our Kundalini to rise gradually in tandem with our physical/mental strengths, if we are blessed enough for our third eye to open when we are still in this physical body, if its possible for us to see what is NOT evident to our physical naked eye – then it means we have the grace of the universal mother, our Divine Mother; that is what is REAL WEALTH, REAL INTELLIGENCE, REAL PURPOSE OF LIFE. I am repeating here what most Gurus aver: where Quantum physics may end, ADVAITA VEDANTA begins.

I realize how lonely you become at mind level once you reach a certain milestone in your spiritual path. You can barely share things with people because they are not tuned into your frequency. Your own family cannot see or feel what you can sense. People think you may be needing therapy – that is the incredulity that you can’t believe in!

Often our spiritual seniors ask us not to share our experiences, but I also have some evolved & high vibrational souls in my best friends’ circle who share their divine stories with others so that humanity can benefit. I have achieved nothing yet I know, however here I am wanting to encourage every single being I come across TO THINK GOOD, SPEAK GOOD, ACT GOOD AND HAVE THE BEST OF INTENTIONS, ALL THE TIME SPIRITUALLY ROOTED.

I once again recommend a reading of the book ‘The autobiography of a Yogi’ by Shri Paramahamsa Yogananda.

Posted in Pictures Desi

Review: Yathra Time (You Tube channel)

Posted on by veeskitchen

Found this on You tube. The hosts are ex comedy actors Kovai Sarala and Lalitha Kumari. Never paid them much attention before this vlog. Surprise content. I may not have been their fan, yet I have noted that even in their comic scenes they displayed kind of character-artiste side of theirs. Lalitha looks so young and refreshing, natural and without glamour. Her sense of dressing is understated elegance. She plays low key, sidestepping to allow her older friend to take the lead most of the times, and refers to Sarala as ‘akka’ – which shows one, the kind of bonding they must be sharing. Girlfriends always relate to each other from heart. These two seem to relax in each other’s company. The comfort factor is evident. There is this hidden side to many of us that not everyone may be aware of. The duo’s spiritual aspirations seem sky high literally! They are climbing peak after Himalayan peak! They pursue their goals with such a passion, as it was with their acting skills. As I grow older I can understand why probably they hit it off together. I am kind of able to gel with only spiritually motivated people nowadays and seem to be losing interest in those who are overtly materialistic. The age difference between these two even explained to me why I am getting along better with spiritually motivated girls who are in early 40s nowadays whereas I find the banal my-age-girls at times boring and uninspiring. Bhog, Yog both are important. With age, the bhog has to grow less and yog has to grow more. I am sick of small talk these days and selfish hypocrites, and want to gyrate away from their world. I am learning to keep my patience and keep my irritation to myself! Quite a tall order!

Anyway I recommend this series. The ladies seem to cover all vital information about the shrines they are visiting. Right now I am tuned in to their Himalaya Shiva Sthalls. Their Nepal travel story has kindled interest in me to follow on their footsteps whenever time and health may permit.

Sometimes who you think are sidekicks could be the real life heroines as Sarala and Lalitha reveal. Their devotion and zeal seem to be inspiring. Their bhakthi and energy levels are motivating. I wish these two ladies long, healthy and happy life and the joy of eternal friendship. Never so far wanted to meet any star in my life but if I get a chance to chat up these ladies, I would want to listen to their spiritual experiences. I bet they feel stronger spiritual vibes and are elevated souls already.

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

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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 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)!