Murli Raaz (murli secrets) - Murli notes to help you prepare for the sweet versions to follow in class.

25 Jan 2012 - Sakar Murli - Yagya

Sacrificial fire.

Baba's word for this is yagya. Sanskrit word 'yagya' has a similar etymology as in English 'ignition' and latin 'ignatio' meaning fire. Traditionally the sacrificial fire is created in a special place, built with bricks, or wooden blocks, in a central open courtyard. The roots of the system is in the Vedas. It is performed and supervised by the vedic scholars and priests.

The principle of the yagya is that whatever you sacrifice in that particular fire, you will get the return of it many fold more in the future. Yagya brings fortune. People generally know and believe in this principle. Other side to it is that once the yagya has started, it should not be interrupted, lest it backfires and brings misfortune. If the yagya is to last 14 days, then it should continue for 14 days. Then it's successful. All the time priests continue chanting their vedic hymns and constant offerings in the fire take place 24 hours each day. Brahmin priests make sure that the yagya is protected. Offerings are mainly in the form of seeds, grains, butter, milk, often edible things. But one can sacrifice gold.

One with ambition would often start the yagya. It is always connected with big ambition. So a landlord might start the yagya. He has to see that there is enough provision to sacrifice in the yagya. He also has to pay for scholars and priests to come and carry it out. He starts the yagya, people can come and watch and he keeps it going for the entire duration. On the last day, he opens the fire to the public and they can then sacrifice to the yagya, if they choose. Whatever they sacrifice, they will get the return multiplied many-fold.

They might often sacrifice a handful of grain. Some might sacrifice more. The reward is not obvious at this stage. Can you sacrifice your all? How big is your heart? Some may sacrifice some gold, some may sacrifice all of their gold. So the town people take benefit of the yagya. And then they finish with a finale ritual.

Baba establishes the Yagya and is called Rudra gyan yagya. Not a physical yagya, but a yagya of knowledge. It's an invisible fire. One can sacrifice all his attachments in this invisible fire through understanding. Through knowledge you are sacrificing. Brahma Baba, Mama, take the responsibility of the yagya. They are like the landlords.

Brahma Baba sacrifices his wealth, his time, his mind, relationships, everything. I own nothing, I'm just a soul. Everything is gone in the fire...it belongs to Baba. Other Brahmins understand this and they too sacrifice numberwise.

And then the flames, Bramins are the flames and the yagya spreads worldwide. Brahmins take birth and understand knowledge. Knowledge makes it easy to sacrifice ego, attachments, vices, etc. They also get opportunity to sacrifice time, mind, wealth, talent, facilities, etc.

But then, as the last phase comes, it is made available to the town people, i.e. non Brahmins. Do you want to sacrifice anything in this? Different people sacrificie at different levels. Some are using their house, their car, body, wealth, their skills, etc. It is all used for yagya. They will get their fortune from this in the next cycle. Yagya is made for fortune. Different people, based on their level of involvement will create their great fortune.

Then we have a finale. Baba says the whole planet will be engulfed in this yagya. Yagya starts in a small way with just Brahma Baba truly understanding the secret and later Mama. From that small beginning of the yagya the flames grow until the whole world will sacrifice. Phoenix takes birth in the ashes. Golden aged world starts the era of a divinised life and world.

Whatever is each one's involvement, all get everything, many thousand-fold, in a divinised way. If they have sacrificed their wealth, they will get wealth throughout the cycle. If they sacrificed their time, their time will be auspicious. Their body, they will have a healthy body, beautiful body. Relations, family, attachments, it is all Baba's. The more one is able to do this, the more it will be divinized, the more it will be richer. This is the principle of this yagya. Once this done, the prize is golden age silver age and other prizes.

Om shanti.

24 Jan 2012 - Sakar Murli - Vanaprastha

THE FOUR PHASES IN THE LIFE OF MAN ACCORDING TO THE VEDIC TRADITION

In the murlis, we hear the expression 'retired phase'. Baba uses the word Vanaprastha phase and we will have different association with that word, if we understand the four phases in the life according to vedic traditions. These phases traditionally apply to a brahmin male.

The first phase starts at the age of 5 years and continues until the age of 24 years and is called brahmacharyashrama. It starts with a ceremonyCalled munj or a thread ceremony, with a Vedic scholar and a priest at which he makes a promise of celibacy, purity and righteousness. According to tradition, the child would live with his family until the age of 5 years and after the munj ceremony, he would accompany the guru to go to the house of the guru (Gurukul) or ashrama. He would then live with the guru acquiring knowledge of philosophy, scriptures, Vedas, practising self discipline, learning to live a life of righteousness. In some specialised traditions, he will learn politics, ethics, warfare and archery, etc.( Raj vidya = study to rule a kingdom).

The second phase starts at the age of 25 years and continues until the age of 49. This is the household life (Grihasthashrama) A special ceremony is performed to take him out of the promise of celibacy and then he enters the life of a family, earning money, owning property, performing family and social duties and duties to society. This phase does not continue indefinitely but finishes by the age of 49. It is at this age that the third phase begins which is the Vanprasthashrama.

The third stage, the Vanprastha stage, is the time of early renunciation. He gradually withdraws from the world and silently prepares for the complete renunciation of his worldly duties and attachments. His material position and duties to the family are transferred to the eldest son. He adopts a guru and when appropriate he moves to live with the guru, sometimes to the forest ( Vana means forest )since the guru will be living in an ashram in the forest. During this phase, the person prepares for his future beyond this life. The tradition, though not popular, still continues in Bharat. If one visits some places in the Himalayas or along the Ganges, one might find renunciates in their 60s or 70s, who were successful professionals, living in Mumbai during their earlier years.

The fourth phase is called Sanyasashrama … begins around the age of 75 years. By now, he has completely withdrawn from the world. He is a complete renunciate, sanyasin, dedicated to spiritual pursuits. He lives with a guru. Pursuit of wisdom, God, Tapasya becomes his life.

Whenever the word “retirement” is used in the murli, Baba uses the word Vanprast and this word has vedic associations in the culture. The word retirement may have a very different association in many present day cultures. Baba also uses the word to incorporate both the third and fourth phases. In Baba’s vision, it is time for all souls, regardless of their age, to go past the second phase of the householder and move in the direction of Vanprastha and prepare for the life beyond.

23 Jan 2012 - Sakar Murli - Kal

In this murli of 23 of January, Baba mentioned a few times the word 'kal' often translated as 'Death'. In mythology and Indian tradition, Kal is more like an Angel of death or sometimes referred to as Lord of Death. He's seen as a form of Shiva in bhakti. He is the one who takes the soul away from the body. Sometimes Baba uses the word Mahakal - Great Death - implying Mahakal brings about big destruction of the world. Seen from body conscious point of view which happens in bhakti, Kal and Mahakal are seen with fear. Seen from soul conscious point of view, Mahakal frees the souls from the iron age world and gives them liberation and liberation in life. Below are some descriptions of Kal as described in bhakti.

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Kal-Bhairava is often depicted with scowl, angry eyes and flaming hair. He is naked and wears a garland of skulls and a coiled snake about his neck. In his four hands he carries a noose, trident, drum, and skull. A black dog always accompanies Bhairava.
Some Hindu scriptures talks about different manifestations of Bhairava. Such text detail about eight manifestations, which includes Kala (black), Asitanga (with black limbs), Sanhara (destruction), Ruru (hound), Krodha (anger), Kapala (Skull), Rudra (storm) and Unmatta (raging).
Ashtami or eighth day after full moon (Krishna Paksha or waxing phase of moon) is dedicated to Bhairava and is known as Kalashtami.
The most popular Bhairava Ashtami is observed on the eighth day during the waning phase of moon in Margashirsha month (November – December) in traditional Hindi calendar. The day is also known as Kal Bhairav Jayanti.

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Some websites of interest:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonker/2384237563/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhairo