Miscellaneous Facebook posts & comments in August 2020

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.

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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's spirit!

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In response to a comment on that post ( https://www.facebook.com/shubha.kumar/posts/10163415709735538?comment_id=10163420302240538 ), I wrote:

The first time I saw the list of people claiming to be Jesus on wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_claimed_to_be_Jesus, I was absolutely stunned. This was after I came to know of Muddenahalli group claiming to have Swami spirit.

Now I am wiser and realize that these things typically happen when a great master gives up his body. The ensuing leadership and power vacuum attracts all kinds of weird spirits and forces. This leadership and power vacuum also makes quite a few power-monger type of devotees who earlier were restrained simply by fear of what the master would do to them if they got into power-mongering in a big way, suddenly let their imagination go wild, as now that fear is gone.

Oh how many weird things people said and did in the vital period of around a year after Swami Mahasamadhi (April 2011), ***in the NAME of Swami***! I had the misfortune to witness that in quite a few people who had behaved with quite some restraint before Mahasamadhi.

A great learning for me from that experience is that human minds are strange things which can behave in very unusual ways in unusual situations! Power without accountability which is typically the norm in spiritual movements, can be a terrible thing for people who have a tendency to abuse and dominate weaker people. Such people get trapped into a spiritual megalomania kind of thing, and yes-men around them, many of whom stand to gain materially by promoting these leader(s), reinforce the leader's belief that he/she is specially endowed and chosen by God or by their late spiritual master to be the new spiritual leader of the flock.

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PM Narendra Modi attends Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya | Ram Temple [In Hindi], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDMdfP1SO7o, around 3 hrs 30 mins, streamed live by Doordarshan Live on 5th Aug. 2020

At around 59 mins into video, PM Modi enters Hanumangarhi to worship Lord Hanuman before proceeding to Ramjanmabhoomi.

The bhoomi pujan (foundation laying/worship) function of Ram Mandir (temple) in Ayodhya follows. The priests for the function are said to be from Kashi (Varanasi) and Ayodhya itself. PM Modi's entry into the Ram Janmabhoomi temple having Lord Ram's idol (Ram Lalla) is around 1 hr. 10 mins.

PM Modi does shashtang namaskar of Ram Lalla.

Around 1 hr. 21 mins, PM Modi enters the area of the Bhoomi Pujan. The puja gets over around 2 hr. 5 mins.

It is followed by speeches of few people including PM Modi.

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Good to see this social distancing darshan in Kadiri Lakshminarasimham temple. Kadiri is in Andhra Pradesh and quite near to Puttaparthi.

[Telugu] ఖాద్రీశుడికి శ్రావణమాస పూజలు | Kadiri Temple, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7PPJntDE-Y, 1 min. 10 secs, published on 8th Aug. 2020 by RTV News.

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Wonderful to see this visit of New Zealand PM to Hindu temple in Auckland, NZ

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visits Radha Krishna Hindu Temple in Auckland, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yDWBUohQIU, 2 min. 53 secs, published on 7th Aug. 2020.

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A British correspondent suggested that I read a book titled "The Ending of Time" - thirteen dialogues by J. Krishnamurti and David Bohm. I found some youtube videos on it and also on some other topics. I saw this video over the past couple of days or so (in parts). JK gets into the bigger stuff (achieving fundamental/deep security etc.) towards the end.

The conversations are in 1982 and so we see a young Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Sheldrake, who now seems to be quite a noted figure in parapsychology.

 J. Krishnamurti - Ojai 1982 - Discussion with Scientists 1 - Roots of psychological disorder, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoMS5b2MLRc, around an hour, published by 

J. Krishnamurti - Official Channel.

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Great to see this post from U.S. Embassy, India! [On Janmashami, FB post: https://www.facebook.com/India.usembassy/posts/3436628836453121 with pic. Text is: "श्रीकृष्ण जन्माष्टमी की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। #Janmashtami wishes from all of us at the U.S. Embassy New Delhi."]

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The fundamental strength of Bharat is that we are a land of seekers – seekers of truth and liberation. This spiritual thread is what keeps us together as a Nation. #SadhguruQuotes #IndependenceDay

https://twitter.com/SadhguruJV/status/1294465082181791745

Ravi: Interesting view!

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Wonderful 2012 article with 2013 update including video link, where a lady devotee has beautifully narrated her precious moments with Bhagavan.

[Shared FB post: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=337015999721251&set=a.226289887460530 ]

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Purple flowers amid lush greenery in fields/area behind Swami parents' samadhi (maintained by SSSCT, I believe).

I needed a screensaver for my Samsung mobile as I did not want to have the automatic pics Samsung chooses from its gallery. This happened as part of a mobile software update that I recently did. Some of these pics from Samsung are super but some are film star pics which was not something that I wanted to see when unlocking (to be more precise, starting the unlock process on) the mobile phone.

So I clicked this pic a few minutes ago from my flat sit-out/balcony and made it my lock screen.

Thought some others may like to see the nature pic and so am sharing it here.

[FB post with pic: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2923691907847367 ]

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Given below are some comments of mine on above post:

Yes. I am told that there is some other history too related to a very dedicated servitor of Bhagavan - Radhakrishna.

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Felt it appropriate to add here that over the past close to 15 years that I have been living in this flat, I have seen that the main work of tending to plants and trees, and to the soil, in these fields are done by what seem to be local workers (paid staff, I guess) with periodic stints from Seva Dal (free service, I presume). Regarding tending to the soil, I have seen that usually Seva Dal groups who would surely be administered by some regular paid staff, completely clean the field (uprooting small plants & crops), and then plant new seeds in the soil.

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My Samsung M21 phone with the screensaver - I took the pic with my old phone - low-cost LYF from Jio. The white text on screen and the notification icons (pic has a file upload notification) are a little hard to read/see due to background pic colours. But once one knows where to look, one can spot the notifications. The M21 phone is encased in a Spigen cover and so the edges of the phone one sees are the Spigen cover edges. [Comment has pic: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2925454447671113&set=p.2925454447671113&type=3 ]

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Screenshot taken of the screen saver (lock screen) on Samsung M21 phone. [Comment has pic: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2925459314337293&set=p.2925459314337293&type=3 ]

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The great Lata Mangeshkar singing Ganapati arati (in Marathi). I have heard this arati, sung by devotees, as well as audio recorded versions like this Lata Mangeshkar recorded version, countless times in my Mumbai and Dombivli life. Ganapati festival in Mumbai and Dombivli, which I think would be similar in most parts, if not all, of Maharashtra means you will hear this arati, no matter where you are 🙂.

So this arati is just a part of my life, even though I moved out of Maharashtra in end 2002. Great to hear, yet one more time, Lata singing it in this video. The audio of this Lata arati rendition would be played loudly from loudspeakers in many places during Ganapati festival. Perhaps it is the same today.

I don't recall seeing this video earlier and so it was great to see the devotion of Lata Mangeshkar as she conducted the arati.

Ganpati Aarti - Sukhkarta Dukhharta - Lata Mangeshkar - Devotional Songs - Marathi Songs, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0W8Wh-8UCg, 3 min. 49 secs., published in  2013, over 25 million views.

Holy and happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all!

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‘Scapegoat’: Court’s biting remarks on FIRs against Tablighi Jamaat members ; The HC also held that foreigners having valid visa to enter India cannot be prevented from visiting masjids, if they go there to observe religious practices or to offer only namaz.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/covid-19-bombay-hc-strikes-down-cases-against-28-foreign-tablighi-members/story-Ux4qS1ouqyGS7JZNjOjqiJ.html, 22nd Aug. 2020

Ravi: My view is that any foreign Muslim visiting India must be accorded respect and rights to practise his Muslim (sect's) religion as long as that practice does not violate any laws of India, and does not involve spread of hatred towards other peaceful religious groups/sects in India.

Hindus, Muslims, Christians and others in India, whether Indian citizens or foreigners, should fight together against this invisible-to-naked-eye novel coronavirus enemy, and defeat it. May God give us all the strength and courage to fight and win this battle.

Ishwar Maalik! Allah Maalik! Yesu Maalik! Sabka Maalik Ek!

[Ishwar is the Lord! Allah is the Lord! Yesu (Jesus) is the Lord! The Lord of all is one!]

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I saw this BBC 2019 video today. Even if the video is a year old it is utterly fascinating to see native Ghanaian Africans (blacks - I use the term without any pejorative intent - I am brown (skinned) and am OK if people say I am brown) celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with such devotional fervour. May God continue to shower His Grace on African Hindus.

As a Sathya Sai devotee (with more than my fair share of human flaws), I was very happy to see what seems to be a pic of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba along with other well known Hindu spiritual masters, put up in a worship centre that was filmed as part of this video. It is at around 54 seconds into the video. I took a screenshot of it and will share it as a comment on this post (I don't see an option to share it on this post itself).

[FB post with shared video post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2925610054322219 ]

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My comments on above FB post:

Sathya Sai pic along with other well known Hindu spiritual masters in worship centre filmed in this BBC News video. [Comment pic link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2925610790988812&set=p.2925610790988812&type=3 ]

In response to a comment "even a Sai sister was there during making of the film", I wrote (slightly edited): "Wonderful to know that! --Name-snipped--"

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Wonderful to see Salman Khan, his mother (step-mother I think, to be more precise) Helen (I have seen more of Helen in movies than Salman Khan as I am from an oldie generation), and others do Ganesh arati.

Mumbai has a lot of good attitude in the context of respect for all faiths. Note that Shirdi is quite close to Mumbai and Shirdi Sai Baba who would say Sabka Maalik Ek (God of all faiths is one) and Allah Maalik (Allah is the Lord/Master) has a massive following in Mumbai. In my Mumbai days, it was difficult to spend a regular day going to work and back, without seeing a pic of Shirdi Sai Baba somewhere (in the train or in the auto or somebody wearing something with Baba's pic or crossing a Shirdi Sai Baba temple).

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEM-XDMh--H/?utm_source=ig_embed

The Instagram video is 1 min. 13 secs long.

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