Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

The COVID pandemic (from Dec. 2019) very rudely interrupted my attempts to get back to divine awareness meditation from sometime in mid 2019 (Ref:  https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2019/05/hope-to-get-back-to-divine-awareness.html , 31st May 2019). Hope to restart it now. Even though the pandemic is still very much around, one has come to some terms with altered life in this pandemic.  Thought readers may be interested to note that Google Image search for the term: I am divine awareness meditation affirmation shows my pic with the affirmations (long version) from my above mentioned blog post as the first result. See below Google Image Search screenshot pic (taken around midnight of 28th/29th Sept. 2020). [To open pic in larger resolution, right-click on pic followed by open link (NOT image) in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.] I am happy about that as I share some such aspects of my spiritual journey publicly, as it perhaps may be of int...

Jahnavi Jivana - Day 2 - Radhadesh Mellows 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1VjZuSONrI , 55 mins, premiered on 30th March 2020. About the lead singer Jahnavi Harrison from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahnavi_Harrison , "Jahnavi Harrison, also known by her spiritual name, Jahnavi Jivana devi dasi,[1] is a British musician known for her mantra meditation music (kirtan). She regularly appears as a presenter on BBC Radio 4's Something Understood programme and BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought.[2]" [Wiki References above: 1. Smullen, Madhava. "Second Generation Kirtan Leaders Commit to Initiation Vows". ISKCON News. Retrieved 29 May 2020. 2. "Pause For Thought - Pause For Thought: 'Let your heart be light.' - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-28."] About Radhadesh from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_Belgium#ISKCON_in_Belgium : "ISKCON Radhadesh temple, in the Septon neighbourhood of Durbuy. This is the only...

When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer). To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers will have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link. ========================================== Overnight rains leading to Chitravathi river overflowing checkdam at Puttaparthi, across the whole checkdam. In the past few days too, we saw videos of it overflowing but it was with lesser volume and force. [Shared FB video: https://www.facebook.com/raja.chowdary.180/posts/1720362011446686 ] ----------------------- On FB post: https://www.facebook.com/adiazviana/posts/10159115331174837 , I commented: Oh Lord! My earnest prayers to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba for your and family's safety. ... I had not seen much news of these fires in past few days and so I thought that they had subsided! Very sad to know that they are stil...

Last updated on 15th Sept. 2020 Tolerance of, or even appreciation of, other religions' scripture in general, beliefs and worship practices, as demonstrated in their behaviour, IMHO, are the vital barometers to judge such tolerance of religious communities rather than nitpicking intolerant parts of their core scripture. Some comments in a recent post of mine (on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2943347345881823 ) led me to put up this post. In my considered view, if one wants to find fault in core scripture of almost any major religion (including Hinduism), in today's context it will be quite easy to do so. What matters are the belief and practices of religious groups. Now some sects (sub-groups) of a particular religion may strongly believe parts of their scripture that are intolerant of other religions. E.g. some people of a religion/sect may believe strongly that only followers of their religion/sect will be saved by God and that all people of all other...

At the outset I would like to say that I respect the Christian faith and also love and respect Lord Jesus Christ as a divine figure. I was debating whether I should put up this post or not. I mean, such topics are not pleasant topics to write about. I was trying to stifle the urge to post on it but the urge got the better of my stifling efforts. So here's the post. A few days back, I was privately forwarded a video commenting about a "Christava Brahmana Seva Samithi" event. I was wondering how genuine the video was. Some searches on youtube got me the original video of this samithi. The event seems to have happened in 2009 and so over a decade back but the event video seems to have got shared on youtube in 2017. I find it to be clear evidence of efforts made by some Tamil Christian evangelical groups to create confusion about core Hindu scripture like Vedas, Vedanta, Bhagavad Geeta etc. and paint it/interpret it in a twisted way in context of Christian tenets (belief). Th...

Last updated on 11th Sept. 2020 The 12 page pdf file link is: https://iami1.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/chandogyachapter6someshlokas.pdf . The title I have given to the document is "Chandogya Upanishad – Chapter 6 (Dialogue between Uddalaka and Svetaketu) – Some Shlokas". This link was first provided publicly, if I recall correctly, in this 8th March 2015 blog post of mine: Some Shlokas from Chandogya Upanishad VI chapter including Tat tvam asi (You are That) Mahavakya, and comments on it, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2015/03/some-shlokas-from-chandogya-upanishad.html . A small extract from above post giving the background of this 12 page pdf document: In June 2010 I had prepared a document of 12 pages on some largely abstract theology verses (shlokas) from a famous Hindu scripture, Chandogya Upanishad, VI chapter including Tat tvam asi (You are That) Mahavakya (Great Saying), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tat_Tvam_Asi , and comments on/interpretation of it by Bhagavan Sri...

Last updated on 9th Sept. 2020 Today (8th Sept. 2020) evening I noted that the Google Knowledge Panel info. associated with my name - Ravi S. Iyer - has improved by providing better info. than earlier Knowledge Panel. The Google Knowledge Panel link: https://g.co/kgs/b5nXdZ [To open pic in larger resolution, right-click on pic followed by open link (NOT image) in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.] Google Searching for Ravi S. Iyer (or ravi s iyer) leads to a results window with a message & link on right hand side of window "See results about Ravi S. Iyer Books: Indian Computer Science & Information Technology..." Clicking on the Ravi S. Iyer link on right hand side shows the knowledge panel on right hand side in a new Google search results window. I like this Google Knowledge Panel more than what it was earlier in June 2020 where the text description against my name said only Author (shown here: https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2...

When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer). To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers will have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link. ========================================== On https://www.facebook.com/shubha.kumar/posts/10163415709735538, I made the following comments: Very interesting account. Thanks for sharing. While I have some familiarity with Swami Sivananda's work (Divine Life Society), I was not aware about work of his disciple Swami Vishnudevananda. He has a wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnudevananda_Saraswati. In India at least, I think Swami Chinmayananda was the well known disciple of Swami Sivananda, who started his own ashram. Astonishing that a spirit tried to hijack Swami Vishnudevananda's ashram in Canada, and his following, claiming to be Swami Sivananda'...

When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer). To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers will have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link. ========================================== Wonderful to see this! Great service to man(kind) by young adults of Ghana Sathya Sai orgn.! Jai Sai Ram! [Post has pics. Post link: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2887457484804143 ] -------------- The basic identity of Bharat or India is that it is a land of faith in God. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan who is being treated for COVID-19 in a hospital in Mumbai (with reportedly mild symptoms), put out a post on Instagram saying that he had surrendered to God with a pic of what I think is Lord Vitthala and his consort Rakhumayi. I think this is so much in line with the spirit of Bharatiyas/Indians. The very foundation of...