YOGA

“Nosce te ipsum” - Know thyself

Every man has consummate genius within him July 6, 2008

When asked by Glen Clark if Walter Russell could give him the Secret of the Universe, he had this to say:

“I believe sincerely that every man has consummate genius within him” replied Russell. “Some appear to have it more than others only because they are aware of it more than others are, and the awareness or unawareness of it is what makes each one of them into masters or holds them down to mediocrity.

I believe that mediocrity is self-inflicted and genius is self-bestowed. Every successful person I ever have known, and I have known a great many, carries within him the key which unlocks that awareness and lets in the universal power that has made him into a master.”

“What is that key?” queried Glenn Clark.

“That key is desire when it is released into the great eternal Energy of the universe.”

 

Joy is my name July 5, 2008

“I have no name;
I am but two days old.”
What shall I call thee?
“I happy am,
Joy is my name.”
Sweet joy befall thee!
Pretty joy!
Sweet joy, but two days old.
Sweet Joy I call thee:
Thou dost smile,
I sing the while;
Sweet joy befall thee!

(William Blake- Infant Joy)

 

The Message is not the Cross but the Resurrection July 5, 2008

“The Message of His life is not the Cross but the Resurrection. He was resurrected. That was one of the things He did so that now you can be resurrected. Every Incarnation is something unique. But the end of it was the Resurrection. He did it because He had to die.
Otherwise how can you resurrect yourself? There are lots of things which look difficult but which are not.”

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi- December 25, 1993

“In those days of complete chaos and anarchy, He (Jesus Christ) stood up and talked about Truth and about such things like Spirit, like ascent. I mean, they were all blind people. They didn’t know what it was He was talking. And He talked about it. There’s lot of myths that exist in the Bible and one of them is that when the Resurrection Time
will come, your bodies will come out of your graves. It is not only with Christianity, but also with the Muslims and also for the Jews.
Now think of it, after so many years, what remains in the graves? Few bones and these few bones, if they come out, how can you give them Realization? Think of it. It’s a big myth. One should understand. Logically, it’s not proper. So, what is the thing?”

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi-Dec. 25, 1993

 

Kolkata filmmaker traces Christ’s ‘India trail’ July 4, 2008

“It was a great day when Christ came on this earth, and you know
about how he was specially created to come down as a human being,
to work out this salvation of the people. It is said that he came
to India in Kashmir and he met there the king, Shalivahan.”

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
Christmas Puja, Ganapatipule, India
24 December, 1995

 

Kolkata filmmaker traces Christ’s ‘India trail’

KOLKATA: Where was Jesus Christ between the age of 12 and 30 years?
He supposedly visited India during this period, according to a
theory, and a filmmaker here has tried to follow Christ’s yet
unexplored trail in his new movie.

Though the Bible does not give credence to such theories, engineer-
turned filmmaker Subhrajit Mitra’s “The Unknown Stories of the
Messiah” focuses on the unexplored life of Christ and his unaccounted
years in the Bible.

Did Christ visit India after his crucifixion? Is a tomb in the
Kashmir Valley that of Christ? These are some of the controversial
questions Mitra raises in his film.

“Christ supposedly visited India, according to an alternative
theory,” Mitra said.

“Neither the Bible nor the mainstream gospels give credence to such
theories but the scrolls found in caves near the Dead Sea or at Nag
Hammadi (in Egypt), believed to be the first drafts of the Bible,
corroborate the alternative theory about Christ,” Mitra told IANS.

“According to Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic scriptures and beliefs,
Christ visited India during the period of his missing years in the
Bible and stayed in the country for 14 years.

“His Christianity was influenced by Hinduism as we find that the New
Testament of the Bible was more akin to Hinduism than Judaism.

“In Bhavishya Maha Puran, a text dating back to the second century
AD, there are references of Christ’s interaction with King
Shalivahan, the grandson of Vikramaditya, in Kashmir.

“Scholars say it happened after Christ’s resurrection, ” said Mitra.

He also noted that there were different isolated pockets that
corroborated the “alternative theory” about Christ.

This alternative theory was strengthened after some scrolls (dating
back to between 200 BC and 100 AD) were discovered in 1947 in a group
of caves near Khirbat Qumran in Jordan at the northwestern end of the
Dead Sea.

Two years before that, in 1945, some scrolls dating back to 350 AD
were found tucked into a large jar at Nag Hammadi village in upper
Egypt.

Mitra’s film, produced by Atanu Roy of Sweet Melody, seeks to unearth
the truth through the discourses of an archaeologist (played by
Soumitra Chatterjee) and a novelist (Aparna Sen).

“We have shot in Ladakh, Kashmir, the Silk Route, Kerala, Varanasi
and Puri for the film - following the trail of Christ,” said Mitra.

“There are many documents in the vault of the Vatican and the church
doesn’t publish them because they obviously want to project Christ as
a god and not as a human.

“Assimilation of all such stories raises the question why there was
no proper research on the alternative theory about Christ,” said
Mitra.

German scholar H.J. Trebst, who has been researching on the subject
of Christ’s missing 12 years, invited scholars to a seminar at Puri
in Orissa in November 2003.

According to some scholars of the Orient and the West, Christ had
visited Puri where he had studied Veda and yoga before returning home
to preach Christianity.

Christ also studied Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent, according to
Trebst, who has done extensive research in Ladakh and Nepal to trace
the evidence of Christ’s itinerary in the subcontinent.

According to Trebst, Puri was a famous seat of learning some 2,000
years ago and history has revealed that various religious leaders
visited the city over the centuries.

There is also a belief that Christ’s tomb is in the Kashmir Valley
and foreigners, especially Israelis, visit it in large numbers. The
main attractions in the valley for Israelis are two graves - believed
by some to be those of Christ and Moses.

A section of the local population believes that Kashmiris are one of
the lost tribes of Israel. Aziz Kashmiri, author of the book “Christ
in Kashmir”, insists that Kashmiris are descendants of one of the 10
lost tribes of Israel and that Christ died during a visit to the
valley.

According to Mitra, it is time serious research begins to verify the
alternative theory about Christ and his Indian connections. About 2.3
percent of India’s population of 1.1 billion follows Christianity,
with about 60 percent of them being Catholics.

The History Channel has shown interest in his film, Mitra said.

www.newindpress. com/

 

A Native American Prayer July 4, 2008

 

Upanishads July 4, 2008

Upanishad means ‘to sit down near’ because they were explained to
the students, who sat at the feet of their teachers. In general
Upanishads proclaim salvation by knowledge and realization, rather
than by faith and works. Selfish desires are obstacles to the seekers
of Truth (the Higher- Self, also called as Brahman). A seeker of true
Divinity will attain salvation when he realizes the Truth, the all-
pervasive Brahman. The universe came into existence because of a
primeval desire of Brahman. Now it is the duty of the humans to
restore it to the state of things before creation…. Honesty is
especially extolled. He who has not denounced evil will never obtain
Brahman. The worldly perceptions of smell, taste, touch, hearing and
sight makes one separate from the True Self. When one can transcend
these perceptions there is no consciousness of anything other than
Self. This is immortality.

There are six great sayings (Mahavakyas) from the Upanishads that
give the basic insight into its philosophy. They are as follows with
a brief analysis of each:

Aham Brahmasmi
“I am Brahman”: Vedic knowledge teaches that our own “Self” is the
true Divinity. The Truth is within us, in our own heart. This states
the identity of the inner most consciousness of the individual with
the supreme Divine.
Ayam Atma Brahma
“The Self is Brahman”: This states that not only individual soul is
Divine but all beings are identified with the Absolute Truth.
Tat Tvam Asi
“That art thou”: Whatever we see or think about, we are That. We are
the ultimate Thou and I in all.
Prajnanam Brahma
” Knowledge is Brahman”: Supreme intelligence is present inherently
within us and is capable of returning us to the Divine. Our
understanding of the truth is the Truth itself.
Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma
” The whole universe is Brahman”: Not only the consciousness in you
and I but also the `principle of being’ are all Divine. The entire
universe is Divine, which includes our Self.
So `ham
“Here am I”: This identifies the Divinity in our Self in something
that happens naturally like breathing. “So” is inhalation and “Ham”
is the natural sound of exhalation.

These are the six statements of the identity of individual
consciousness with the Divine reality. They all merge into and derive
from the word “Om (Aum)” or the Divine word “I Am All”. All of these
statements point to the fact that whatever or however we worship, be
it an image, book, an idea or even a God, it is the knowledge that
the Truth is within ourselves that will ultimately lead to self-
realization. Self is the true Divinity. This is the essence of
Upanishads.”

Neria Harish Hebbar, MD
May 4, 2002

 

The Christian Goddess July 1, 2008

“Many theologians and scholars believe the Holy Spirit written as,
Pneuma in Greek every time it appears in the New Testament, is a
feminine being. Note that Pneuma is a neuter word in Greek, but in
Hebrew the word Ruah (Spirit) and in Aramaic the word Shekinah
(Presence) are feminine words and imply a feminine divine presence.
The Holy Spirit is possibly a Christian Goddess, not a mysterious
invisible member of an all-male Trinity “club.” Or more
provocatively, maybe there is a Feminine Trinity of God-the-Mother
(Sophia and Mary?), God-the-Daughter (Mary Magdalene) and Goddess-the-
Spirit-Presence (Shekinah, Ruah). The Holy Spirit appears at Yeshua’s
baptism in the form of a dove. The dove has long been a symbol of the
Goddess in the Ancient Near East, and was never used to symbolize any
male Being or God.

We must also look in the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, and
consider the Goddess Sophia. Her name means “Wisdom.” She is the
Goddess of Wisdom referred to repeatedly in scripture as the wife of
God-the-Father. See Proverbs, Song of Songs, (also called Song of
Solomon) in the Hebrew Bible, and see the Book of Sirach and the Book
of Wisdom in the Apocrypha found in the center of any Catholic Bible.

Here is an excerpt from “The Decline of the Feminine and the Cult of
Mary In Greco-Roman Christianity” , probably because of the dangers of
Gnosticism, the biblical images of God as female were soon suppressed
within the doctrine of God. God as Wisdom, Hokmah in Hebrew, or
Sophia in Greek, a feminine form, was translated by Christianity into
the Logos concept of Philo, which is masculine and was defined as the
Son of God. The Shekinah, the theology of God’s mediating presence as
female, was de-emphasized; and God’s Spirit Ruah, a feminine noun in
Hebrew, took on a neuter form when translated into Greek as Pneuma.

The Vulgate translated Ruah into Latin as masculine, Spiritus. God’s
Spirit, Ruah, which at the beginning of creation brings forth
abundant life in the waters, makes the womb of Mary fruitful. In
spite of the reality of the caring, consoling, healing aspects of
divine activity, the dominant patriarchal tradition has prevailed,
resulting in seeing the female as the passive recipient of God’s
creation; and the female is expressed in nature, church, soul, and
finally Mary as the prototype of redeemed humanity. Because God as
father has become an over literalized metaphor, the symbol of God as
mother is eclipsed. The problem lies not in the fact that male
metaphors are used for God, but that they are used exclusively and
literally. Because images of God as female have been suppressed in
official formulations and teaching, they came to be embodied in the
figure of Mary who functioned to reveal the unfailing love of God.”

The Christian Goddess
www.northernway.org/goddess. html

 

SHRI DEVI GITA June 28, 2008

SHRI DEVI GITA
by Shri Giridhar Madras

Introduction:

Devi gita constitutes the last ten chapters of the seventh Skandha
of the Devi Bhagavatam. In the puranas, one will find several gitas
and many mahatmyas. The differences are that in the mahatmya, the
glorification of the deity is by recounting the various deeds of the
God and offering praise to the divinity. A gita, on the other hand,
is a direct revelation of the truth from the disciple, which often
includes the manifestation of the cosmic form. While mahatymas
emphasize bhakti, gita stresses a balance of bhakti and jnana.

Specifically, we are interested in discussing the Devi gita. To
avoid any confusion and also be aware, there are two other devi
gitas. The first of which is found in the Kurma purana. This is a
conversation with Parvati and Himavan, introduced by Lord Vishnu as
Kurma. Goddess Parvati is praised here by 1008 names and She grants
him two cosmic visions and instructs him. The other devi gita is
found in the Mahabhagavata purana, which actually refers to the
conversation of Parvati and Himavan as Parvati Gita. The narrator of
this section of the Mahabhagavata Purana is Lord Shiva. However, by
Devi gita, we refer only to the gita found in the Devi Bhagavatam.

Setting:

The setting of the Devi gita is introduced by Janamejaya’s query
to Vyasa regarding the supreme light who became manifest on top of
the Himalaya mountain. Vyasa talks about the demon Taraka, who has
obtained a boon that he can be killed only by the son of Lord Shiva,
knowing fully well that Sati has immolated herself. Therefore, the
gods became scared and went to Himalayas and worshipped Her asking
to born and marry Lord Shiva. Shakti then appears before them and
grants them a boon that her manifestation will be born as Gauri as
the daughter of Himavan. Himalaya becomes choked with emotion when
he hears that She, whose belly contains millions of universes, is
about to become his daughter. He requests as follows, “Proclaim
to me your nature, and declare that yoga conjoined with bhakti and
that jnana in accord shruti whereby you and I become one.”

This sets the scene for Devi Gita and the teachings.

Brief summary:

In the Devi gita, following Himalayas request, the Devi proceeds to
describe her essential forms. The Devi declares that prior to
creation, She is the only existent entity, the one supreme Brahman
and is pure consciousness. Then She outlines the basic evolution of
the causal, subtle and gross bodies of the supreme Self when
enjoined with maya. The treatment here is very similar to that of
Vedantasara and Panchadasi, but in much more simpler terms than the
latter. Then She reveals Her forms (both the frightful and pleasing)
to the gods and Himalaya. Then follows a detailed summary of the
yoga, the stages of bhakti and the ways to attain Her.

Simplicity and Profoundness:

Devi gita is both simple and profound. It is different from other
gitas in the respect that statements are clear and can not be
reinterpreted according to one’s taste. For example, several
commentaries have been written on the Bhagavad Gita of Krishna,
wherein each commentator feels differently regarding bhakti and
jnana. For example, it required Madhusudana Saraswati to explain
krama mukti in clear terms (though Shankara mentions it also) of
bhakti. But Devi Gita is clear: “Even when a person performs
bhakti, knowledge need not arise. He will go to the Devi’s Island
(similar to Brahmaloka). Till the complete knowledge in the form of
my consciousness arises, there is no liberation.”

Similarly, the word of ‘coming’, ‘going’, ‘becoming’ cause confusion
since one can not become Brahman, if one is already one. The Devi
Gita provides a clear explanation that all these terms are
applicable only as long as one in maya. It is the clarity of these
terms and the simple explanation of complex vedantic and
philosophical questions that makes Devi Gita unique.

Start of chapter 33:

The Devi said: “O Giriraja ! This whole universe, moving and
unmoving is created by My maya shakti. This maya is conceived in Me.
It is not, in reality, different or separate from Me. So I am the
only Chit, Intelligence.

There is no other Intelligence other than Me. Viewed practically, it
is known variously as Maya, avidya; but viewed from the point of
Brahman, there is no such thing as Maya. Only one Brahman exists, I
am that Brahman, of the nature of Intelligence. I create this whole
world on this Unchangeable eternal Brahman and enter first as Prana
within it in the form of chidabhasa.

O Mountain ! Unless I enter as Breath, how can this birth and death
and leaving and retaking bodies after bodies be accounted for! As
one akasa is denominated variouslty as Ghatakas, patakas, so too I
appear variously by acknowledging this prana in various places due
to avidya and various antahkaranas.

As the sun rays are never defiled when they illumine various objects
on earth, so too, I am not defiled in entering thus into various
high and low antahkaranas. The ignorant people attach buddhi and
other things of activity on Me and say that the Atman is the doer.
The intelligent people do not say that. I remain as the Witness in
the hearts of all men, not as the Doer.”

SHRI DEVI GITA
Shri Giridhar Madras

1) Sri Mata
— Sacred Mother (feminine); the Seer, the Seen and the Seeing.
— The Knower; the Measurer (masculine)
— “For Whom all creatures are born.” Taittiriya Upanishad 3. 2

Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy,
Ass. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.

“The Saktas worship the Universal Energy as Mother; it is the
sweetest name they know. The mother is the highest ideal of
womanhood in India. [...]

Mother is the first manifestation of power and is considered a
higher idea than father. The name of mother brings the idea of
Shakti, Divine energy and omnipotence. The baby believes its mother
to be all-powerful, able to do anything. The Divine Mother is the
Kundalini sleeping in us; without worshipping Her, we can never know
ourselves. All merciful, all-powerful, omnipresent - these are
attributes of the Divine Mother. She is the sum total of the energy
in the Universe.

Every manifestation of power in the universe is Mother. She is Life,
She is Intelligence, She is Love. She is in the universe, yet
separate from it. She is a person, and can be seen and known - as
Sri Ramakrishna saw and knew Her. Established in the idea of Mother,
we can do anything. She quickly answers prayers.

She can show Herself to us in any form at any moment. The Divine
Mother can have form (rupa) and name (nama), or name without form;
and as we worship Her in these various aspects, we can rise to Pure
Being, having neither form nor name.

The sum-total of all the cells in an organism is one person. Each
soul is like one cell, and the sum of them is God. And beyond that
is the Absolute. The sea calm is the Absolute; the same sea in waves
is the Divine Mother. She is time, space and causation. Mother is
the same as Brahman and has two natures; the conditioned and the
unconditioned. As the former, She is God, nature and soul. As the
latter, she is unknown and unknowable. Out of the Unconditioned came
the trinity, God, nature and soul - the triangle of existence.

A bit of Mother, a drop, was Krishna; another was Buddha. The
worship of even one spark of Mother in our earthly mother leads to
greatness. Worship Her if you want love and wisdom.”

Swami Vivekananda, “Inspired Talks, My Master and Other Writings”,
Wed. July 2,1895, Ramakrishna- Vivekananda Center, NY, pp. 48-49.

“The Goddess is the great Sakti. She is Maya, for of her the maya
which produces the samsara is. As Lord of Maya she is Mahamaya.
Devi is avidya because she binds, and vidya because she liberates
and destroys the samsara. She is praktri and as existing before
creation is the Adya Sakti. Devi is the Vacaka Sakti, the
manifestation of Cit in Praktri, and the Vicya Sakti or Cit
itself. The Atma should be contemplated as Devi. Sakti or Devi is
thus the Brahman revealed in the mother aspect (Srimata) as creatrix
and nourisher of the worlds. Kali say of herself in Yogini
Tantra: “I am the bodily form of Saccidananda and I am the brahman
that has emanated from brahman.”

K. K. Klostermaier, Hinduism: A Short History,
Oneworld Pub., 2000, p. 211.

THE PRIMEVAL ENERGY

One of the unique features of Hinduism is the fact that it conceives
Divinity also as Mother Goddess. When Divinity has no name or form –
which is the most important declaration of the Upanishads, the next
logical step is to recognize that the Supreme has no specifity in
terms of gender. The Upanishads transcend the gender-specific
connotation and invent the unique Sanskrit word tat, meaning ‘that’
for that Supreme Reality. And therefore they argue, whatever reason
or rhyme we have in referring to God by a masculine pronoun, the
same right there is for us to call God by a feminine pronoun. The
energy of every Cosmic Divinity is taken to be feminine and thus
arises the interesting concept of primordial power or the
[[Parâshakti] ], which means ‘Power Supreme’.

BRAHMAN TO BE KNOWN, SHAKTI TO BE WORSHIPPED

The primordial Parâshakti is therefore the ultimate dynamic energy
of the transcendental Brahman, than which there is no other
existence. In fact it is technically wrong to say that She
(Parâshakti) is the Energy of Brahman, because the nature of
Brahman does not allow any attributes or predicates.The moment we
attribute anything to Brahman we have already delimited and
circumscribed it. When we talk of the Energy of the Ultimate Reality
we have already descended one step from the supreme pedestal of the
Unmanifested Attributeless Ultimate.

But the beauty of the concept of Parâshakti is that She is
transcendent beyond anything that is finite and immanent in
everything there is. So while we predicate it and relate it to other
things, it is still the Ultimate Supreme that can be talked about.
While Brahman has only to be cognized, Parâshakti can be
worshipped with a name and form. She is the Divine Will personified.
She is the Conscious Power beyond everything. She is the Presence,
invisible and constant, that sustains the world, linking form and
name, holding them in interdependence. There is nothing impossible
for Her. She is the Universal Goddess. She is all knowledge, all
strength, all triumph and all victory. She is the Goddess Supreme
(Maheshvari) who brings to us the total state of illumination.

Devi Mahatmyam

 

 

 

The Holy Spirit in the Bible is regarded as: June 25, 2008

According to various Jewish/Christians scholars the Holy Spirit in
the Bible is regarded as:

1. Some mysterious, creative power of God, possessing and inspiring
humans;

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwelleth in you.
1 Corinthians 3:16

Now the Lord is that Spirit: And where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty.
2 Corinthians 3:17

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God
Rom. 8: 14

Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: For we know not what
we should pray for as we ought:
But the Spirit itself makes intercession for us, with groanings
which cannot be uttered.
And he that searches the heart know, what is the mind of the Spirit,
Because She makes intercessions for the saints, according to the
will of God.
Rom. 8: 26-27

2. The Spirit of God;

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the
face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:2

Then said Mary unto the angel, how shall this be, seeing I know not
a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost will come
unto thee:
Therefore also that holy thing that shall be born of thee, shall be
called the Son of God.”
Luke 1:34-35

For what man knows the things of man, save the spirit of man which
is in him?
Even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit
which is of God;
That we may know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom
teaches,
But which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual.
1 Corinthians 2: 13

3. The inner principal in the `new life’ in Christ;

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because She hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor;
She hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to
the captives,
And recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that
are bruised
Luke 4:18

4. A quasi-physical force in the form of wind;

But knowest not whence it comes and where it goes; thus is every one
that is born of the Spirit.
John 3:8

5. The personal activity of God Himself;

Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit
from me.
Psalms 51:11

6. A supreme Spirit in prophecy;

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Peter 1:21

7. The Spirit which baptizes;

For John truly baptized with water;
But ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.
Acts 1: 5

8. The mode of God’s activity in history;

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father,
Even the Spirit of Truth, which proceeds from the Father, She shall
testify of Me.
John 15:26

“We might go so far, as to consider the Holy Spirit, God’s feminine
presence in the world. The primary attribute of the feminine
principle is receptivity. Therefore, the Holy Spirit demonstrates
itself through it receptivity to others. I have mentioned before,
the Kabbalist look upon Shekinah, a Hebrew term which means God’s
presence, as the feminine expression of the Divine. Likewise, in the
Genesis story, the Spirit of God is said to be “hovering” over the
void and formless world just before creation. In college, my Old
Testament Professor remarked, “It’s the idea of a hen hovering over
her egg, waiting for it to hatch.” In this sense, the Holy Spirit,
is mother God, who loves and shelters all her children without
condition. “
www.cliftonunitaria n.com/

9. The living energy of a personal God;

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of
God is come unto you.
Mat. 12:28

10. The breath of the Almighty;

By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of
them by the breath of his mouth.
Psalms 33: 6

The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty has
given me life.
Job 33: 4

Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created: and Thou renewest
the face of the earth.
Psalms 104: 30

The grass withers, the flowers fade: Because the Spirit of the Lord
blows upon it.
Isaiah 40:7

The other word used most often of the Holy Spirit is the Greek word
pneuma. It is translated as “breath” or “spirit” and means breath,
breeze, wind or spirit.”
www.ucgstp.org/

“The term “Spirit” translates the Hebrew word ruah, which, in its
primary sense, means breath, air, wind. Jesus indeed uses the
sensory image of the wind to suggest to Nicodemus the transcendent
newness of him who is personally God’s breath, the divine Spirit.”
J. Cardinal Ratzinger, Catechism of the Catholic Church
(J.C.R., Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994, p. 182.)

11. The Spirit in supernatural endowments of ethical and spiritual
understanding;

I have heard of thee that the Spirit of the Gods is in thee,
And the Light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in
thee.
Daniel 51:14

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of Wisdom
and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of Knowledge and of the
fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11: 2

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man, to profit
withal.
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; To another the
word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
To another faith by the same Spirit; To another the gifts of healing
by the same Spirit;
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; To another
discerning of spirits;
To another diverse kinds of tongues; To another the interpretation
of tongues;
But all these worketh that one and selfsame Spirit.
1. Corinthians 11: 7-11

12. The Spirit of wisdom and judgment;

But there is a Spirit in man: And the inspiration of Almighty gives
them understanding.
Great men are not always wise: Neither do the aged understand
judgement
Job 32:8-9

Turn you at My reproof: Behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you,
I will make known My Words unto you.
Proverbs 1:23

13. The mode of human communion with God;

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit
upon all flesh;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall
dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions, and also upon the servants and
upon the handmaidens,
In those days will I pour out My Spirit.
Joel 2:28-29

14. The mode of transmitting God’s revelation to humans;

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed
me,
To peach good tidings unto the meek; He has sent me to bind up the
broken-hearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison
to them that are bound.
Isaiah 61:1

15. The Spirit which liberates;

Now the Lord if that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty.
2 Corinthians 3:17

16. The Spirit which brings renewal;

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
His mercy He saved us,
By the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Titus 3: 5

17. The Spirit which brings hope;

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts,
By the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.
Rom. 5:5

Now may the God of hope fill you with all the joy,
And peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, by the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

18. The Spirit which comforts;

I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter,
That may abide with you forever.
John 14: 16

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father,
Even the Spirit of Truth which preceedeth from the Father, She shall
testify of me.
And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from
the beginning.
John 15: 26-27

 

Creation and Destruction June 14, 2008

“That Highest Maha S’akti is transcendent of all the Gunas; but you and I are with Gunas. Know me as the S’akti, all of Sattva Guna who is widely known as Maha Laksmi. After this the Prajapati Brahma, full of Rajo Gunas, the creator of all the Lokas, will come into existence from your navel lotus and will create the three worlds. Then he will perform severe tapasya and acquire the excellent power to create, and will create the three worlds by his Rajo Guna. That highly intelligent Prajapati will create first, the five Maha bhutas (great elements), all endowed with Gunas and then create mind with sensory organs and the presiding deities of the senses, and thus with all the ingredients, fit for creation, will create all the worlds.

Therefore He is denominated by all as the Creator of Brahmanda. O highly fortunate one! You will be the Preserver of this Universe. When the Prajapati Brahma will be angry at the beginning of the creation on his four mind-born sons, Rudra Deva will appear.He will appear then from the centre of his eye brows. On being born this Rudra Deva will practise very severe tapasya and will get the Samhara S’akti, who is all of Tamo Guna and at the end of the Kalpa will destroy all this universe of five elements.” - Chapter XVI, Devi Bhagavatam

“But in no way Mother’s love is going to allow you to destroy your Guru Principle.  As I told you that the Guru Principle is a very sensitive thing and is destroyed if you yourself do not try to maintain it.

First of all the destruction starts from the very source of our being.  I mean to say that our being is created by five elements, and the five elements have a capacity all the time to get destroyed.

Any one of these elements, if they are not looked after, gets destroyed.  That is the built in capacity of the elements or of the matter as you can say.

So to maintain them is important.

So people have an idea that once you become a Guru you need not maintain anything, it is maintained by itself.  It is not.

Agreed that the Spirit definitely enhances the beauty and health of this element, but at the human level there is always a greater force trying to destroy it.

So till we have completely become the Spirit there is a chance of this destruction working it out.” – Shri Mataji