Always say I have no fear

Thaipusam which falls in the month of Thai (January - February) is celebrated with intense devotion by a very large section of the people throughout Malaysia. It is celebrated on the full moon when the constellation Pusam is on the ascend. Lord Skanda is the spiritual son of Lord Siva. On this day the Lance (vel) was given to him by His mother. The origin of Lord Skanda, the purpose of His avatara and its significance are of much importance to all seekers after Truth. During the battle between the Asuras and the Devas, the latter were defeated several times by the former. The Devas were unable to resist the onslaught of the Asuric forces. In despair, they approached Lord Siva and entreated to give them an able leader under whose heroic leadership they might obtain victory over the Asuras. They surrendered themselves completely and prayed to Lord Siva sincerely. The gracious Lord granted their request by creating mighty divine warrior, Lord Skanda, out of his own power or Achin...

Lets all remember a great soul on this  day! "Like the gentle dew that falls unheard & unseen and yet brings into blossom the fairest of roses should be the contribution of yourself to the thought of the world.Silent, unperceived but omnipotent in it’s effect. It should revolutionize the thought of the world yet nobody should know when it did so. " I am the thread that runs through all these pearls, " and each pearl is a religion or even a sect thereof. Such are the different pearls, and God is the thread that runs through all of them; most people, however, are entirely unconscious of it. I do not want to get material life, do not want the sense-life, but something higher." That is renunciation. Then, by the power of meditation, undo the mischief that has been done. " Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and everything shall be added unto you ." This is the one great duty, this is renunciation. Live for an ideal, and leave no place in th...

My fear of death was some six weeks before I left Madurai for good. That was only on one day and for a short time. At the time there was a flash of excitement; it may roughly be described as ‘heat’, but it was not clear that there was a higher temperature in the body, nor was there perspiration. It appeared to be like some avesam or some spirit possessing me. That changed my mental attitude and habits. I had formerly [had] a preference for some foods and an aversion to others. This tendency dropped off and all foods were swallowed with equal indifference, good or rotten, tasty or tasteless. Studies and duties became matters of utter indifference to me, and I went through my studies turning over pages mechanically just to make others who were looking on think that I was reading. In fact, my attention was never directed towards the books, and consequently I never understood their contents. Similarly, I went through other social duties, possessed all the time by this ave...

Q: How is the mind to be eliminated or relative consciousness transcended? Ramana Maharishi: The mind is by nature restless. Begin liberating it from its restlessness; give it peace; make it free from distractions; train it to look inward; make this a habit. This is done by ignoring the external world and removing the obstacles to peace of mind. D.: How is restlessness removed from the mind? Ramana Maharishi:  External contacts - contacts with objects other than itself - make the mind restless. Loss of interest in non-Self, (vairagya) is the first step. Then the habits of introspection and concentration follow. They are characterised by control of external senses, internal faculties, etc. (sama, dama, etc.) ending in samadhi (undistracted mind). D.: How are they practised? Ramana Maharishi:  An examination of the ephemeral nature of external phenomena leads to vairagya. Hence enquiry (vichara) is the first and foremost step to be taken. When vic...