Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all celebrating across the world.
I come from Mumbai. It was Bal Gangadhar Tilak who started this festival with a primary objective of uniting people for freedom struggle. As he hailed from Maharashtra, people from Maharashtra celebrated this festival with maximum fervor but today its not just a pan India festival but global one. Growing up this is one festival everyone looked forward to celebrating. Food, Festivities, Laughter, Togetherness, Colors, Arts and so much more was there to look forward to. Just going out to see Deities and see work of different artists in different pandals are cherished memories. Every year there is similar excitement to do the same. But as I age, as my grey hairs increase, festival is more about going inside than looking for stuff outside. My interest and love for Pujas, Rituals has increased because I have been meditating for sometime now. More importantly I am excited about meditations after chanting, Pujas and Rituals. You go deep within yourself and celebration acquires new meaning and new dimension.
As the economy grows, people are becoming richer there is a tendency to celebrate with bigger Idols, bigger pandals, fancier decoration, Louder and louder music and so much more. I am not necessarily against the spending more. It should be the time which should be utilized more to meditate and resolve to making finer and subtler aspects of life, a part of lifestyle. There is no richness greater than deep meditative state of minds. Everything can be achieved gracefully with those higher states. Ganpati is know as lord of Muladhar chakra. When your Muladhar chakra is active then there is Enthusiasm and Dynamism in life else there is Inertia. When there is Inertia, forget about spiritual pursuits, even worldly pursuits and duties becoming stressful and difficult. One of the best ways to activate Muladhar chakra is having Exercise, Yoga and Meditation part of life.
Few tips you can use during these festivities to make your celebration deeper and richer.
1. Take time for meditation.
2. After sacred rituals and Pujas, dont just sit up and start talking and get into chores. Instead sit there for 10-15 mins to soak in the energy and meditate deeper. You will see slipping in meditation is pretty easy after that.
3. Don't use phone too much. Instead spend time talking to family and friends and connect deeper with them.
4. Meditate on sacred chants of Ganesh Strotam, beautiful chants given by Adi Shanakar. Link is here. These are beautiful chants which highlight deeper and finer aspects of lord Ganesha. In these chants Adi Shankara describes Ganesha not as elephant headed god but one without form, without any gunas but present in each atom of creation.
Make sure this festival is not just an external celebration but something that reignites and rekindle your connect to your inner core which is source of eternal celebration.
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi. Celebrate Festival. Celebrate Life.
For Free Meditation and to know more about Art of living Programs contact me on +91 8104971780 (whatsapp number is same).
No comments:
Post a Comment