The Tabla Player
Then he picked the calling card of Leela Music House, which had a picture of Shri Rama, Seeta, Laxshman, and Hanumanna, pointed at one of them and told Lalita: "This is Shri Hanumanna.”
On the eve of the Shri Adi Shakti Puja, June 20, 1998 at 7.45 p.m., Arwinder unexpectedly informed his father that he used to play the tabla for Shri Mataji.
His father, taken aback by this unprecedented announcement, reminded his son that he had to be absolutely sure, as everything he said would be recorded.
Arwinder insisted that he was sure, upon which his father fetched some paper and a pen
Arwinder: “I also play with other people, all play together to make a song.”
(He explained that there were others playing various instruments, describing the dolkhy, sitar, flute and harmonium.)
Question: "Do women also play?”
Arwinder: “Yeah.”
Question: "And where do you play?”
Arwinder: “In the temple.”
Arwinder: “Yeah.”
Question: "And how many temples are there?”
a number of years. This drum of Indian origin,
is noted for its unique tonal quality. This
quality is derived primarily from the complexity
in construction of its drumhead. The drumhead,
known as pudi, puddi or purri, is indeed so
complex that it would be safe to say that no
other drumhead on earth surpasses it in this
regard, though others may occasionally equal
it.” www.chandrakantha.com
Question: "You play in different temples?”
Arwinder: “Yeah.”
Question: "And where does Shri Mataji sit?”
Arwinder: “On a 'chair.'" (i.e. on a Throne)
Question: "You mean She sits on a chair in the temples?”
Arwinder: “Yeah.”
Question: "Are you sure She sits on a chair?”
Arwinder: “Yeah.”
Question: "And where the others like Shri Ganesha, Jesus, Krishna all sit?”
Arwinder: “They sit with us.”
Question: "Where? On the chair also?”
Arwinder: “No, on the ground.”
Question: "And how do you all play?”
Arwinder: “What? Like play what — the tabla and all that?”
Question: "Yes, how do you play?”
Arwinder: “Maybe the songs, one hour or half an hour.”
Question: "O.K. How many songs normally?”
Arwinder: “Five.”
Question: "Only five songs, or exactly five, or less, or more?”
Arwinder: “It depends how much time we have.”
Question: "Why didn't you tell me about this tabla playing before?”
Arwinder: “I forgot to say.”
Arwinder, who joined the Leela Music House for tabla lessons from Mrs. Mahajan at the end of April 1998, brought the notes given by her describing various instruments and showed them to his father.
Then he picked the calling card of Leela Music House, which had a picture of Shri Rama, Seeta, Laxshman and Hanumanna, pointed at one of them and told Lalita:
Arwinder: “This is Shri Hanumanna"
Question: "You saw Him?”
Arwinder: “Yes.”
Question: "Does Shri Hanumanna have a tail?”
Arwinder: “Yeah, He has a monkey-face.”
Question: "Did you talk to Him.”
Arwinder: “Yeah. I know what He can do. He can come small, He can come very small. Shri Hanumanna can come very small.”
Question: "How do you know this?”
Arwinder: “I was watching a Hindi movie of Shri Mataji and I saw Him come small.”
Question: "Where you saw this movie?”
Arwinder: “Here in Auntie Linda's house, our house also.”
The next morning Arwinder was again questioned about this statement. Apparently he was referring to a religious Hindi movie, basing his observation on the fact that there was a Sahaja Yogi battling with 'bad people' inside it. The Sahaja Yogi was none other than Shri Hanumanna Himself!
Question: "Did Shri Hanumanna show you that He could become big and small in the Sahasrara?”
Arwinder: “No.”
Question: "Did you see Him flying in the air?”
Arwinder: “Yeah.”
Question: "Where? In the Sahasrara or the movie?”
Arwinder: “Sahasrara.”
Question: "Does He have wings or not?”
Arwinder: “No, doesn't have wings.”
Question: "Then how can He fly?”
Arwinder: “He has powers.”
Father: "Thank you, Arwinder.”
Shri Vrddha Devi
Divine Knowledge Is Reality
Navaratri Puja, Italy — Sep. 27, 1992
Vrddha (671st): Oldest, since everything is created by Her.
Dakshinamûrti, The Silent Guru Of Gurus
(by Adi Sankara).
vishvam darpanadrushyamananagarîthulyam nijantargatam
pashyannatmani mayaya bahirivodbhootam yatha nidraya|
yah sakshat kurutê prabôdhasamayê swatmanamêvadvayam
tasmai srî gurumûrtayê nama idam srî dakshinamûrthayê ||
I offer my salutations to that beneficent Being who is incarnate as the Preceptor (Guru).
He, the Atman, appearing as the individual soul through the power of ignorance, sees (in the waking state) — as one does in sleep — the Universe,
Which in reality exists within himself, as something external, like a city seen reflected in a mirror.
But in his enlightened state he realises his own self, the one without a second.
yasyaiva sphuranam sadatmakamastakalparthakam bhasatê
sakshat tatvamasîti vêdavachasa yô bodhayatyashritan |
yat sakshat karanadbhavênna punaravrittirbhavambhônidhau
tasmai srî gurumûrtayê nama idam srî dakshinamûrtayê ||
I offer my salutations to that beneficent Being who is incarnate as the Preceptor (Guru),
The light of whose absolute existence shines forth in the world of appearance,
Who imparts to the disciple the holy teaching 'That Thou Art',
Upon realising which the soul never again returns to the ocean of birth and death.”
Swami Yatishwarananda, Universal Prayers
http://www.srividya.org/Lalita/Issue1.1/sankara.html
Ramakrishna on Guru
"Ramakrishna was one of the greatest mystics to grace the Indian subcontinent in recent times. He taught more by his life than by words. In the following passages he describes the traits of a true teacher in his characteristic and inimitable style of making analogies with everyday events.
Who is a True Teacher?
He alone is a true teacher who is illuminated by the light of true knowledge. As many people have merely heard of ice but not seen it, so many religious preachers have only read in books about the attributes of God, but not realised them for themselves. And as many others have seen ice but not tasted it, so many religious teachers have obtained only a glimpse of divine glory but have not understood its real essence. Only he who has tasted the ice can say what it is like. Similarly, he alone can describe the attributes of God, who has associated with him and his different aspects in the relationship of a servant, a friend and a lover, and has realised his oneness with him in complete absorption in him....
Conception of the Guru
Who is whose Guru (spiritual guide and teacher)? God alone is the guide and Guru of the Universe.
He who considers his Guru to be merely human, what good can he derive from his prayers and devotions? We should not consider our Guru to be a mere man. Before the disciples see the Deity, he sees the Guru in the first vision of Divine illumination. And it is the Guru who afterwards shows the Deity, being himself mysteriously transformed into the form of the Deity. Then the disciple sees the Guru and the Deity as one and the same. Whatever boon the disciple asks, the deified Guru gives him all, yea, the Guru even takes him to the highest bliss of Nirvana (the state of extinction of individuality in God). Or, the disciple may choose to remain in a dualistic state of consciousness, maintaining the relation of the worshiper and the worshipped. Whatever he asks, his Guru vouchsafes him.
The human Guru whispers the sacred formula (mantra) in the ear; the divine Guru breathes the spirit into the soul.
The Guru is a mediator. He brings man and God together, even as a match-maker brings together the lover and the beloved.
A Guru is like the mighty Ganges. Men throw all filth and refuse into the Ganges, but the holiness of the river is not diminished by thereby. So is the Guru above all petty insult and censure....
Necessity of having a Guru
What is the necessity of calling a particular man our Guru instead of calling everyone who teaches us something by that designation?
When going to a strange country, one must abide by the directions of the guide, who knows the way. Taking the advice of many would lead to utter confusion. So in trying to reach God one must implicitly follow the advice of one single Guru who knows the way to God.
At a game of chess, the on-lookers can tell what the correct move is, better than the players themselves. Men of the world think that they are very clever, but they are attached to the things of the world — money, honours, sense pleasures, etc. As they are actually engaged in the play, it is hard for them to hit upon the right move. Holy men who have given up the world are not attached to the worldly objects. They are like the on-lookers at a game of chess. They see things in their true light and can judge better than the men of the world. Hence in living the holy life, one must put faith only in the words of those who meditate upon God and who have realised Him. If you seek legal advice, will you not consult lawyers who are in the profession? Surely, you will not take the advice of a man in the street.
If you are in right earnest to learn the mysteries of God, He will send you the Sadguru, the right teacher. You need not trouble yourself about finding out a Guru. He who can himself approach God with sincerity, earnest prayer and deep longing, needs no Guru. But such deep yearning soul is very rare; hence the necessity of a Guru.”
Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras
www.srividya.org/Lalita/Issue1.1/ramakrishna.html
“The characteristics of the liberated man, the one"released while living (jivan-mukta), are stated in many texts of the Vedantic school. The represent the supreme ideal of the"divine man on earth"As envisioned in the penitential groves — an image of human majesty and serenity that has inspired India for centuries ..
One who has experienced the Universal Self (brahman) as the core and substance (atman) of his own nature would be released from the spheres of phenomenality, which are woven of ignorance and shroud the Self in layered veils, were it not that a momentum derived from past actions (both from the present and earlier lifetimes) carries him along, maintaining for a time his phenomenal appearance as a body and its"Individual.”This karmic momentum fades gradually during the course of his final years; its seed turn into fruits, becoming the experiences and happenings that affects what remains of the phenomenal individual; yet the released one's consciousness, abiding as it does in the Self, remains unconcerned. Though still associated with a body and its faculties, he is undisturbed by shadows of ignorance. He continues to move along the shape and events of time but abides forever in peace. When the moment arrives for his ultimate liberation — his supreme isolation (kaivalya), his"bodiless liberation" (videha-mukti) — and this vestigial shell of his earlier false impression of himself drops away, nothing takes place in the sphere of eternity in which he really dwells — and in which, if we but knew, we all really dwell.”
Heinrich Zimmer, Philosophies of India
603) Sri Gurumurtih
— Of the Form of Guru.
— Leads devotee to Highest state of Liberation.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
607) Sri Devesi
— Queen of Devas i.e. Divine Forces.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
615) Sri Adi-Shaktih
— Primal Power.
— The First Cause.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
616) Sri Ameya
— Immeasurable.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
618) Sri Atma
— The Ultimate Cosmic Soul.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
620) Sri Aneka-koti-brahmanda-Janani
— Mother of all Universes.
— Her mind creates Universes at Will.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
621) Sri Divya-vigraha
— Represents the Battle of the Divine Forces against Evil.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
637) Sri Visva-Garbha
— Mother of the Universe.
— Entire Universe within Her.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
642) Sri Aparicchedya
— Indivisible.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
646) Sri Satyananda-svarupini
— Of the Nature of Truth and Bliss.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
651) Sri Vijnatri
— Source of All Knowledge.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
652) Sri Vedya-Varjita
— The Knower and the Known.
— Nothing for Her to know.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
654) Sri Yogada
— One who gives Union of individual soul with Cosmic Spirit.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
654) Sri Yogada
— One who gives Union of individual soul with Cosmic Spirit.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
659) Sri Sarvadhara
— The Basis of All.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
661) Sri Sadasad-rupadharini
— The Form of Existence and Non-existence.
— The Source of Reality and Unreality.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
664) Sri Loka-yatra-vidhayini
— The One who determines the Life-Cycle of the Universe.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
665) Sri Ekakini
— Alone
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
668) Sri Dvaita-varjita
— The Ultimate Reality beyond All Duality.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
669) Sri Annada
— The Giver of Food.
— Sustains Life and Consciousness.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
671) Sri Vrddha
— The Oldest.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
673) Sri Brhati
— The Immense Truth.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
678) Sri Bhasa-rupa
— In the Form of Languages.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
681) Sri Sukharadhya
— Easily worshipped without putting body to strain.
— Internally worshipped.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
682) Sri Subhakari
— The Beneficent.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
683) Sri Sobhana-sulabha-gatih
— The Easiest Path to Self-Realization.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
684) Sri Rajarajesvari
— The Ruler of the Overlords.
— The Ruler of the Trimurtis: Sri Brahma, Visnu and Mahesvara.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
686) Sri Rajyavalabha
— The Bestower of Spiritual Dominions.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
687) Sri Rajyavalabha
— Effulgent with Kindness.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
688) Sri Raja-pitha-nivesita-nijasrita
— Her devotees placed on Thrones of Heaven and Earth.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
692) Sri Samrajya-dayini
— The Giver of Empires.
— Bestower of the Empire of Liberation.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
700) Sri Saccidananda-rupini
— The Truth, Knowledge and Bliss unconditioned by Time and Space.
— The basic components of the Ultimate.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)
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THE TABLA PLAYER
