Miscellaneous Facebook posts & comments in February 2021

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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[Telugu song] Shivaratri Song 2019 | Full Song | శివరాత్రి పాట | Mangli | Tirupathi Matla | SK.Baji | MicTv.in, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M129hwTnL-k, around 5 mins, published in March 2019 - 128 million (yes, 128 million) views.

In response to a comment, I wrote (slightly edited):

If you did not know, you may be interested to know that the lady singer is from the Banjara community and was born in Gooty, A.P. She has a wiki page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangli . I was very happy to see a Banjara community (which I think is a Scheduled Tribe community and also called Lambadi community in AP) lady sing this Shiva song so well.

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Om Namah Shivaya - Krishna Das Live! Songs With Lyrics (performed in New York City, USA in 2013), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc8X37oJBE, 15 min. 31 secs, published in Feb. 2017, 21 million views.

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[Hindi song] Anaadi Ananta || Kailash Kher || Spiritual Nirgun || Dr.M || Mahadev || Shiv || Mystical, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdkTc4G8u2E, 6 min. 32 secs, published on 15th Dec. 2020.

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[Hindi song] Mera Bhola Hai Bhandari | Hansraj Raghuwanshi | Suresh Verma | Offical Video | Paramjeet Pammi |iSur, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaJR15qWTDA, 7 min. 18 secs. [I think I had shared this in the past - last year perhaps. But it is worth sharing again as we approach Shivarathri - 11th March 2021.]

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KIRTANIYAS - Radha Ramana & Krsna Jinka Nām hai - LIVE at Bhakti Fest 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0dtrED9RY, close to 14 mins.

The lead singer (Vijay Krsna) is from the UK who studied devotional music - kirtan - in Vrindavan, India. The band - Kirtaniyas - is said to be based in California, USA.

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On FB post: https://www.facebook.com/terry.reiskennedy/posts/10226129452761624 , I wrote:

I have to say here Terry Reis Kennedy that you have been one of the most courageous persons in this matter, especially when you were based in Puttaparthi. Your courage along with the courage of a few others helped bolster my courage as we exposed (on social media) the HIJACK by Muddenahalli group of some parts of Prasanthi Nilayam ashram system and reversed it.

You could have taken the easy way out but you stood for the truth and wrote fearlessly about the truth wrt Muddenahalli group. I salute you for the courage you showed then.

Accurate records of such matters seem to be rarely maintained in spiritual movements as these are sensitive matters. Based on my rather extensive readings over the past few years on various spiritual groups, I think people in spiritual groups prefer to avoid discussing such things and focus on positive matters. Perhaps that is good for their spiritual progress.

But as somebody who was in the thick of the issues then, I know the courage you have shown, even if there may be very few in Puttaparthi now who will publicly acknowledge your courage then to stand for the truth.

But then I am sure that our beloved Bhagavan in his formless aspect knows about it and you will get your just spiritual reward for the great and courageous service you did then to expose falsehood of Muddenahalli group as they attempted to completely hijack the Sathya Sai movement, even in the face of horrific verbal attacks on you on social media and the other difficulties you faced in your life in Puttaparthi then.

Hindu scripture about Avatars is very interesting in this regard as they capture some of these sensitive aspects. Lord Rama's own father could not have his beloved son next to him as he passed away but the bird-king Jatayu who fought Ravana as he was kidnapping Sita, and got fatally wounded in the unequal battle, had Lord Rama at his side when he breathed his last, and Lord Rama also did his last rites. So the story of the Avatars teaches us that those who stood for Sathya & Dharma and fought for it when necessary (like Jatayu) are given their just rewards! Jai Sai Ram!

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To the above, Terry Reis Kennedy responded:
Thanks, Ravi S. Iyer. I am very moved by your words. And I am humbled. How fortunate I am to be a writer. Through my own life experience, I find so many courageous people. There are cowards too. Most of my spiritual practice is an attempt to do as Swami taught....to love more and more people and to love them more and more intensely.

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I Facebook-liked the above comment.

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Interesting SMS I got today!

This is in context of the book on Ramana Maharshi titled "Self Realization" authored by B.V. Narasimha Swami, https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/8188225746/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00, I had ordered.

So as per the message, (my) "Self Realization" is arriving today 😁. I am ready for it 😇.

Actually the parcel got delivered yesterday itself - I have sprayed sanitizer on it and kept it aside. Plan to open the parcel in a day or two.

[The pic attached to the post is given below: ]

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Harinam sankirtan Russia Indradyumna Swami/Харинама с ЕС Индрадьюмна Свами в Екатеринбурге 04.05.15, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhTOIZKBJJ8, 3 hrs 7 mins

Google translate informed me that Екатеринбурге is the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yekaterinburg. The wiki page informs us that the city is the 4th largest city of Russia and is situated on the border of Europe and Asia.

I was very happy to see these Russian folks singing the name of Rama & Krishna and dancing in a big city in Russia in 2015.

One of the leaders of this processions is Indradyumna Swami (a celibate monk), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indradyumna_Swami, who is an American born in California who was initiated into ISKCON by Srila Prabhupada in Dec. 1971. Indradyumna Swami speaks (preaches) (in English) around 1 hr. 30 mins into the video (translated into what I presume is Russian by a lady).

Get that right: An American (white guy incidentally) is preaching Hindu Vaishnavite ISKCON religion to Russians (mostly white if not all white, incidentally) in a major Russian city!

Who would have thought in the 1980s when Russia was part of the communist Soviet Union that in a few decades there would be so many Russians taking to a Hindu Vaishnavite path and being allowed to freely have religious processions on the streets of its major cities! I think that while I was living in or visiting Western Europe in the second half of the 1980s, I would have dismissed this as completely impossible if somebody told me that this would happen. I mean, then there was a big cold war going on between USA  & allied countries in Western Europe (NATO) and communist Soviet Union. It was a totally different environment I think, though I did not visit Soviet Union/Russia then or even later and so do not have direct experience of Soviet Union/Russia. [Update: Just saw from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_Russia that Srila  Prabhupada introduced ISKCON in Russia in 1971. However, I think ISKCON communities in Russia in the 1970s & 1980s would have been small communities as Russia was part of Soviet Union. And I doubt Soviet authorities would have allowed such large Hindu religious processions then. But then it is possible I am wrong. end-Update]

I think the ISKCON movement in Russia is a great testament to the inspirational work of Srila Prabhupada who founded ISKCON and his followers. Hats off to them for having provided this Hindu Vaishnavite way of life to so many Russians.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

Hari Bol!

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On FB post: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1180154419066196&id=100012149461697 about mindfulness techniques taught by Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh , I wrote:

Very interesting and wonderful post sister --name-snipped--! Thanks for sharing.

[I also shared the above post on my FB Timeline.]

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On a Shirdi Sai Baba related post which I shared here: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3061810734035483 , in response to a comment about whether I read Sai Satcharitra, I wrote: "I have read it a few times in the past. Have not read it recently though."

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Ramayana conveyed in an hour's Hindi song. The video part is pics of Lord Ram, Mother Sita and others and not always related to the audio part.

मंगल भवन अमंगल हारी | रामायण चौपाई | सम्पूर्ण रामायण | Ravi Raj | Ram Katha 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb8J6Ao9_B0

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Mayapur Kirtan Mela 2020 (Day 3) - H.G.Agnideva dasa ACBSP., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSatnrv1brM, 55 mins. 29 secs.

About the lead singer spiritual leader, from https://iskconleaders.com/agnidev-prabhu/ "Initiated by Srila Prabhupada and preaching and singing in US, he is renowned for his melodious Gaudiya Vaishnava kirtan, Agnidev prabhu sings traditional songs with multi-cultural accompaniment, using both Eastern and Western intruments. In addition to his soul-stirring vocals, he is a master mridanga and harmonium player."

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Interesting quote from Amma about power of earnest Bhakti vis-a-vis meditation. My humble view is that when one wants solutions for one's pressing problems, Bhakti perhaps is the easier way to get God to help one to solve the problem or alleviate it or at least give strength to bear the problem with fortitude. But if one is seeking inner peace, mastery over mind and communion with divine power, meditation may be more helpful.

[The pic in shared FB post: https://www.facebook.com/saidurgesh.sunny/posts/243519253929343 has a pic of Mata Amritanandamayi with the following text on it:

"Crying to God for five minutes is equal to one hour of meditation. If tears are not coming by themselves, try to cry by thinking, 'Why am I not able to cry?' Try to develop devotion. That is the easiest way" - Amma.

]

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Great pictorial depiction about what meditation can do

FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3056030557946834

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I should mention that I have lived in Bandra (East) during part of my school student and college student days (mid 1970s to 1980) - the same Bandra that Baba referred to ("What did you bring for me from Bandra?"), and where Mrs. Tarkhad was staying, though she probably was staying in Bandra (West) in those days of early 1900s, as Bandra (East) got developed later on.

During my years in Bombay/Mumbai (from childhood till I turned 40 in 2002), I saw that faith in Shirdi Baba in Bombay/Mumbai was ***so strong*** that I think it was just a part of the community living in the metropolis. It probably is the same now. It is just extraordinary what an influence Shirdi Sai Baba has had on Bombay and surrounding areas not only in His lifetime, but well after His (bodily) lifetime as well!

[Shared FB post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/102204853626786/permalink/733068613873737 ]

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