The Pursuit of Bliss

Hindus observe sacred occasions by festive observances. All festivals in Hinduism are predominantly spiritual in character and significance. Many festivals are seasonal. Some celebrate harvest and descension of God. Some are dedicated to important events in Hindu Ithihasa Purana (Historical Facts). Every festival is a unique opportunity for everyone to remember the Divine glories of our beloved Lord and their leelas (Divine past times). As Hindu’s we are graced with multiple festival dates to remember Him and to celebrate their Divine glories.   The following major festivals are celebrated in all the ashrams of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj. 1 st January, 2014 – Bakthi Diwas / New Year Celebration 14 th January 2014 - Makar Sankranti / Jagadguru Divas Makar Sankranti signifies the beginning of the harvest season. It’s celebrated not only all over India but other South East Asian Countries as well. Jagadguru Divas commemorates Jagadguru Shri Kripalu ...

Christmas and New Year is literally around the corner, for me it’s always been a day for celebration. It’s not only a day when I think that Christ was born but also a day where I celebrate the love of my life Radha Krishna together under the Kalpavriksha tree. When I was much younger Swamini Sushree Gopeshwari Devi will come to Malaysia (during the mid 80's to late 80's) after the annual Sadhana program had finished in India. At times she would stay with us till the New Year with 12 hours of Hari Nam Sankirtan and to conduct satsang. During that period we would celebrate Christmas and New Year in unique fashion. A day before the 24th of December we would go out to the small forest and look for a Pine tree and we made sure it was at least 5 feet tall in minimum height. It was an arduous task getting the tree chopping it down and putting it into the back of the car with its fern like twigs jutting out of the car window we would drive through town bringing it back home. T...

(Synopsis of a lecture given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj in Shyama Shyam Dham, Bhubhaneshwar, India. This lecture was given 2 or 3 years ago, but the topic is as relevant now as it was then.) Today is the last day of this year. Tomorrow, the world will joyfully celebrate the new year. But this is wrong. Because this is actually not a joyful situation. Rather it is an occasion for remorse. Imagine you saved 100,000 rupees. If you spent 50,000 of this, you don’t celebrate. Instead you think, “Oh, now only 50,000 are left!” Eventually only 2,000 are left. Now only 1,000 are left. Similarly, this human body was given to us by God to attain our ultimate aim. How much closer have we come to that aim? How much devotion or upasana did we do? Upasana (devotion) means to go ‘pas‘, close. The meaning of upasana is to go close to God. How much closer to God have we gone? For example, someone is feeling cold. Before him there is fire. The closer he goes to the fire, the more his feeling of...