VOL VIII 4

JANUARY 2013

VYAKTI VIKAS KENDRA INFORMATION CENTRE COIMBATORE.

Dear Readers, Jaigurudev, WEBSITE

www.artoflivingcbe.blogspot. com

FEEDBACK aolcbe@gmail.com SEVA TEAM Mani Gopalakrishnan Durgaprasad Thilagarajan Suryanarayanan.K Send you E-mail to aolcbe@gmail.com

Fortunate that I could have a few glimpses of Poojya Gurudev's Kerala Tour from 7th to 10th January. The Webcast was excellent the media coverage was tremendous. The volunteers, Teachers and the Organisers have all done wonderful arrangements. Huge crowds almost all the very important personalities of Kerala including the Chief Minister joined the Mahasatsangs. The media covered the events very well and shared the bountiful Knowledge through Newspapers and Television. Besides, Facebook and blogs shared a lot of information. On our part we have shared a very small part through this e-magazine. Coincidently Guruji's words have inspired us. "The purpose of a match stick is to light the lamps. You know, you strike the match stick and it burns and it lights several candles. Like that so many match sticks in a box can light so many lives. So think you are a super-sized match box. You are here to bring light, wisdom and happiness into the lives of people. - Sri Sri." With Pranaams to the lotus feet of Poojya Gurudev Seva Team Coimbatore. M.Gopalakrishnan, Durga Prasad Dash, Thilagarajan & Suryanarayanan Krishnamoorthy. .

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KNOWLEDGE FROM POOJYA GURUDEV

Intention, Attention, Manifestation Talk by Gurudev - Aug 24th 2007, Bangalore Ashram Our life runs through intention. Everything we do has either a desire or intention or unconscious habit attached to it. Whether you want to drink a glass of water, take a walk or sit and watch TV, first an intention arises in the mind. If you want to call it desire, as a desire arises in the mind, I have no objection. But there is a difference between intention and desire. People dont understand this. Even if you say I dont want any desire, it is a desire. I want to be enlightened is a desire. Better job, more wealth, live happily die peacefully is also a desire! Why some people desire gets fulfilled, others dont? This is a question in many people. How many of you have this problem?. It is very few in Art Of Living!! Somehow by hook or crook, or fluke, you got the skill to attend to your desire. Desire is a feverishness attached to a wish or a thought. The feverishness kills. If you have noticed people who are getting all this Emmy awards, Filmfare awards prestigious awards in the world, they cant contain their happiness. They get sick. They get panic attacks!! Desire when fulfilled still leaves you empty. If not fulfilled, they make you miserable. This whole hippy movement happened because all desires were getting fulfilled. It all seemed futile, nothing to hold on to. Because, desires does not seem to be bringing fulfillment. Unfulfilled desire gives a void. Fulfilled desire gives a greater void. It creates such feverishness; you cant have a good nights sleep. If desire is the mother of sorrow, then shouldnt we desire? I am saying I dont want any desire. If that is also a desire, what to do?!! Here comes the knowledge, the secret knowledge of desire and intention. For example, you want to go to Mysore a 3 hour journey. You sit in a car, drive, on the way stop, drink tea, coffee, whatever, and you reach in 3 hours. This is an intention. An intention is a thought that arises in you, remains with you and translates into an action whether today, tomorrow, next year. And desire is sitting in the car and being feverish, repeating I want to go to Mysore, I want to go to Mysore. You will not go to Mysore, you will go to mental hospital. Most of the people in the world do not know the difference between intention and desire. Ancient people knew the secret. They called it sankalpa. Take an intention and leave it to the universe. Today if you go to temples, even in the west, or where there is a fountain, they say make a wish and drop it drop the coin. An intention has to be dropped. Have an intention, have an attention and consciously drop it. It will start manifesting. If you hold on to the intention, intention becomes desire and desire causes heartache. See your life in the bigger context. With intention in your hand, what do you do? See how many billion years have passed, how vast this universe is. With this vastness, the mind expands. This is what is sankalpa so many billion years have passed, among all the billions of stars, among all the milky ways, in this small planet, in this small country, state, I take this intention; and drop it!! When you do this, a phenomenon is happening within you. Mind, consciousness expands and this expanded consciousness recognizes what you need to be happy. Attention on the magnanimity of the creation did He mean magnitude here? and intending what you want to manifest is an art in itself. Instead, what we do? We put our attention on what we dont have!! My grandmother would say Chocolates are full. I have to go to chocolate shop!. She will never say it is empty. She would say chocolate is full. Even in language, she wouldnt use the negative word dont have. She would say angels are floating around and all they say is let it be. You say I dont have money, they say let it be!! It was like that for her, you know always smiling, cheerful, positive state of mind. Intention, , attention and manifestation. They are linked. The go together. But if our attention is always about something negative Your attention goes to fights, to problem. If someone is doing good work, your attention doesnt go there. Create a scandal and see your interest! Unless you know all about that, you dont feel comfortable. If your mind is clinging on to negative, thats what is going to grow. If you tell your child, you are stupid, he will remain stupid. Because your attention is on foolish, stupid.

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People dont understand this. They sit and visualize I am becoming rich, rich! Instead of attention, intention they turn the intention into a feverish desire and become depressed. In positive thinking, you suppress, suppress and somewhere it all becomes negative. This is a skill. You know, there is a certain group that tells people to wake up in the morning and sit and tell I love myself, I love myself, I love myself. And they get sick!! See, you know you are in Bangalore. You dont have to repeat you are in Bangalore. You keep affirming, you keep saying I am strong, somewhere you think you are weak, so you have to keep affirming. Intention is not fighting with a stream of thought that is coming in the mind. Intention is beyond fleeting positive and negative thoughts. In your mind, you get so many thoughts, but not everything translates into action. Why? Only those thoughts that translates into intention becomes action. Let us see the distinction between desire and intention. Intention has a purpose Desire has feverishness. Intention has a goal. Desires goals are really not good because desire is always linked to happiness and no event or object can bring you to the happiness you really want. If your attention is all the time on the negative, switch it to positive. Just being aware of it, it already switches. Then give the time for it to manifest. Some of you have this habit. Saying Always. I always have pain. That is what is going to happen. In Bible also there is a saying, Those who have more shall be given to them, those who do not have what they have will also be taken away. The feeling of abundance, feeling you have abundance and abundance will g row. You put your attention on lack and lack will grow. A gentleman got 1 million dollar in a lottery. He became so sad. Previous day, he had seen a house that cost 1.2 million! Just 0,2 million and I would have got my house!. Even though he won a lotte ry, he became depressed. Desire is never with what we have here and now. It always gallops leaves your legs tired and hands empty. And meditation is the skill in which you learn how to drop the intention and relax, let go! You know there is a saying ask, and it shall be given. We never even attended to it. Your attention is not there. You never put your intention on it and you say it didnt manifest. Many people who say I am poor do not put their intention and attention on it. Its not enough to say I want money. You have to be specific who do you want to be wealthy? In the temples, they say this child born on this day, this grand child born on that day after or before meditation, you put your intention. I want this much money, this to happen, this to be solved and drop it. Many times you do not really enjoy what you wanted. Kids, it happens. They want something, get it and they dont want it! Clarity comes only through depth of meditation and meditation cannot happen when mind is feverish with desire. Bringing desire to intention, putting attention and allowing time to manifest is a really intelligent way to deal with desire. When you are sick, you put an attention on it I am sick, I am sick I am not saying, you put an affirmation I am healthy, I am healthy. In Bali, Indonesia, they greet Swasthirasthu. Swa means self. Swasthi means established in the self. Swasthirasthu means may you be established in the self. Swaastha means not just physical health. Physical, mental and spiritual health is swaasthya. In India, nobody greets that way. But in Bali, they greet that way. Om swasthirasthu of course in festivals, pundits chant that. But others dont understand!! Question: If you drop an intention, how can it convert into action? Sri Sri : Just like you want to go to Delhi, and drop it, it automatically converts into an action. If you hold on to it, what will happen to you? Intention should go with a feeling. It is not reading, Oh, what is the intention I should have today?. Intention is a need that comes within you. There is a deep yearning for it. Then it becomes an intention. Like someone wants a car or transportation, they really need a car, then you just put an intention, sankalpa I really need this.

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One is fantasy it is not a real need, your heart, your soul is not longing for it. Like someone else has a car, I also want a car. Someone has a bigger house. I also want. This is not a need. It is not going to happen. If you say I am so tired of moving houses, and more people are coming and I need a bigger hall, then it is an intention. And then you add the clause Anything better than this is ok. This or anything better than this, I can accept. But if you have not kept your commitment, you are not sincere, you are cheating, nature will know that. It will also cheat you! Nature will also not give you the power to manifest what you intend!

In Yoga Sutras, Patanjali says there are five yamas one has follow before asana. Ahimsa Non-violence. What do you get by being non-violent? In your presence, everyone else will lose their violence. One who is established in non-violence, in their presence others will also lose violent tendencies within. One of our teachers in Botswana, a young woman she was kidnapped by 5-6 gunmen. How many of you know this? You should hear from her own words. They took her in the car. She was laughing and she said If you do any harm to me, your family will not be happy!. She said, see, I have a Guru!. They said , what is a guru and then she gave them an intro talk!! She spoke to them half an hour and they left her. They they gave her the passport back. You listen to her own story. It is very funny! And the terrorist said sorry to her! They tried to push her, she said Its paining, dont do that. They said Oh sorry madam!. We dont know the power of yoga, meditation. How 6 terrorists in Botswana, it has never happened in history, they have left just like that and given the passport back! Another teacher from India, went to Moscow. Four men came and started speaking in Hindi and then told him You have five hours. Let's go have some tea. He went with them innocently and they took him and locked him. He broke the door. They have guns and this gentleman without any weapons could face and get away from them, unhurt! They also gave him money to get to the airport! Couple of other stories are there, in Calcutta, they kidnapped and brought him back. If you have the conviction, if you are established in non-violence, in your presence, surroundings, violence drops. Violence turns into non-violence. This I have seen again and again. Why should you follow truth? Because that will fructify your actions. That much enough for today. What Makes Art Of Living So Attractive? Guruji Tells Us All About It 1. Where do we draw the line between spirituality and religion? Religion based politics is taking India down by the day. What do you see as the solution? Politicians are desperate today. They could never separate politics from religion or caste. Secularism has just been a myth, whichever the party, whatever the ideology the parties may claim, they definitely resort to religion or caste based politics. There is so much hypocrisy, it is causing disillusionment. The youth of today do not subscribe to these divisive politics. They should rise above caste, creed and religion and actively participate in politics. In fact it is the good people who shy away from politics, leaving it in the hands of few families. This should reverse. 2. How do you define Art of Living? What is the main focus of the exercise? The young generation is rarely seen inclined towards spirituality and yet the Art of Living foundation boasts of tremendous youth participation. What in your opinion sets it apart? Art of living is learning about oneself- to live a life free from stress. It is about making life a celebration. The goal of Art of Living is to see a violence free society, healthy body, stress free mind, inhibition free intellect- to develop a creative and caring personality. Through its various programs, it has brought the much-needed transformation in the lives of youth. Todays youth are much more intelligent, they are not pre-judiced. They know what is good for them and they are not afraid to work towards it. Art of Living has assimilated the best of the ancient and modern, the east and west and thus it appeals to the youth.

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3. The most common problem in youth today is that of depression and suicides resulting from the same. What is important to understand here which might prove to be an all-encompassing solution? In general, what would be your greatest words of wisdom for the young generation? When the Prana, or the Energy Level stoops down, that is when the thought of suicide arises. When the energy level is high no one even remotely thinks of suicide. Unfortunately, this Science of the Mind is not known to people, and hence so many cases of suicide. We have hundreds and thousands of cases who have come out of such tendencies after undergoing our programs. 4. How are a persons mind, body and soul connected? What are some of the guidelines to be followed in order to live a long, healthy and happy life? Exactly the same way the nose is connected with your face and your eyes.

JANUARY 2013

5. What is real happiness? If it is just a state of mind then how do we disconnect it with physical and worldly pleasures like success and attainment of goals? I have put all the tips one needs to know about the 7 layers of existence. Body, Breath, Mind, Memory, Intellect, Ego and self all covered in the Art Of Living Yes Plus Course. It is just a twelve hour program where you learn about various techniques which can keep you fit, mentally sane, intellectually sharp and emotionally balanced. 6. What is eternal bliss? Is achieving a state of eternal bliss possible at a young age? How is it manifested in daily life? Eternal Bliss is a state of total contentment, dynamism and love, all in one. To have it, the first step is to broaden ones vision; the next step is to have a solid personality the rest happens naturally. This is something which every creature is craving for, but looking in the wrong places. Attaining which, there is total serenity, contentment and bliss. Yes, of course, this is possible to achieve in any age! Interview Courtesy http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2012/12/what-makes-art-of-living-so-attractive-sri-sriravi-shankar-tells-us-all-about-it/#4csPlE3ZicbpG4IG.99 Q: Guruji what is Yogakshema? Sri Sri: Yog means to get. And kshema means to preserve what you got. Kshema means to save. We say, He had a yog to get fame. That is not enough. You need to get the Kshema to save it, to keep it up. That is Kshema. Do you see what I am saying? For example you have the yog toget a house, to buy a car. When you got it, to keep it up is your Kshema. To save or to maintain well what you have got by Yog is Kshema. Krishna says, The one who is always thinking about me, I'll take care of both his yog, and kshema. He says, The one who has nothing but me in their mind are sure to have both the Yog and Kshema from me. Such a man whose focus is only on me and me alone, I take care. But one who is neither here nor there; who does little bit of spiritual shopping here and there, Krishna says then you take care of yourself! Q: Guruji, what is Karmakand? Sri Sri: You know recently in Madras they found out that in a Ganesh temple, where they were chanting and burning the karpura, a lot of positive were formed. With the vibrations of the chanting and the flame of the Karpura, all the positive ions were around. Around the Mangala aarti. Another experiment made somewhere with two bottles of water, to one the scientist said all good things, Oh! You are so good, you are so beautiful, I like you sooo much! While to the other, the scientist said, you are hopeless, I'll harm you etc. And later it was seen, it was found that the crystal formation in the water to which sweet words were spoken are so beautiful, while the crystal formation in the water to which harsh words were spoken were so ugly, distorted! It is so distinctively different. That's why you know mantras are chanted to the water and sprinkled on people. So that good vibrations go in it. They invoke the satvik Shakti and then sprinkle them on everybody. The water gets charged up and positivity comes in you.

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Art of Living News from around the World.

7 Ways to Achieve Inner Peace and Prosperity in the New Year Each new year, people wish each other happiness, prosperity and peace, but only a few seem to know how to be peaceful -- like only a few know how to make money. Here are some steps that might help one to find the most needed inner peace. 1. Take Time for Yourself Often, we become so engrossed in our day-to-day activities, we simply end up gathering more and more information, and do not take time out to think and reflect. Then we feel dull and tired.A few quiet moments everyday are the source of creativity. Silence heals and rejuvenates and gives you depth and stability. Sometime during the day, sit for a few minutes; get into the cave of your heart, eyes closed, and keep the world away. Taking some time for yourself improves the quality of your life. Click the link to read more http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/innerpeace_b_2399040.html

Gujarat Technological University (GTU) to confer Honorary Doctorate on Guruji. AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has decided to confer honorary doctorate degrees on Sunita Williams, A M Naik and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar during its convocation scheduled to be held on January 19. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will be awarded for his contribution to the society as a spiritual thinker and social worker. While Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Naik would be coming to the convocation as chief guest and keynote speaker, the presence of Williams is yet to be confirmed. Click the link to read http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-06/ahmedabad/36173594_1_gujarattechnological-university-honorary-doctorate-degrees-sunita-williams
Anandolsavam 2013 at the Aluva Manappuram on07.01.2013. Guruji urged the people to stand up against corruption.The major cause of corruption is the loss of a general sense of belonging, he said. Anandolsavam witnessed a huge gathering of people from all walks of life across the state. Guruji arrived at the venue Chendamangalam Unnikrishna Marar and his troupe. HE asked his devotees to take pledge for protecting women and environment and act against social evils like suicide. God is not in heavens, but in nature, and we must love and protect it, HE said. Guruji expressed concern over the increasing habit of alcohol consumption among the people of Kerala, and called for a drug-free society. Alcoholism is the main culprit behind most of the problems in the world, he said. He added that knowledge was the key to sustaining life on Earth, and all must take initiatives to spread the light of knowledge. On the occasion, Chendamangalam Unnikrishna Marar was honoured by Guruji. The event, which was aired in 46 countries across the globe, was attended by Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan of the Marthoma Church.

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Keep Holy places waste free The spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living (AoL), Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said that a good section of the pilgrims who go to Sabarimala leave behind a good amount of garbage there. People must be made aware of the need to keep the holy places garbage-free in order to maintain their sanctity, he said.

He was delivering the keynote address at a seminar on Media and value perspectives in ecotourism spectrum organised jointly by the Kollam Press Club and the Kerala chapter of the AoL here on Wednesday. Click the link to read more http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/ravi-shankar-keep-holy-placeswastefree/article4293128.ece Dont blame youth: Ravi Shankar It is no use holding the younger generation guilty for the erosion in social values, said Art of Living (AOL) movement founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Give them an opportunity to learn and understand the lessons of social values and spirituality, then things will be different, said the spiritual leader, at the Convergence, an interactive session with scientists organised by the Swadeshi Science Movement at Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in the city on Thursday. I hold politicians responsible to a large extent for the corruption and crime that has over taken the society, he said, as a reason for the current situation of the country. http://www.thehindu.com/todayspaper/tp-national/tp-kerala/dont-blame-youth-ravishankar/article4297404.ece Foolish to say that women should be home-bound: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Thiruvananthapuram: Rubbishing the view that if women remained home-bound much of the violence against them could be avoided, Art of Loving (AOL) guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Thursday said in a civil society women enjoyed all rights that men are entitled to. "It is so foolish to say women should remain at home. I don't agree with this theory. Women have the freedom to go anywhere of their choice any time," he said. Reacting to queries on row sparked by some spiritualists by making statements on these lines in the wake of the Delhi gang rape incident, he said he also did not subscribe to the view that compared to cities villages were safer for women in India. Click the link to read more http://ibnlive.in.com/news/foolish-to-say-that-women-should-be-homebound-sri-sri-ravi-shankar/3150213.html

See the simplicity as good as power of divinity without an EGO Guruji with Swamy Prakasanandaji!! Of Sivagiri Mutt. Kerala Chief Minister Mr. Oommen Chandy with Guruji at Thiruvananthapuram Mahasatsang.

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Guruji visits Malayala Manorama Spiritual leader and founder of Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar visited Malayala Manorama on Tuesday. In a world of compartmentalized humanity, Guruji spoke about the importance of media in keeping the society intact. Interacting with all who gathered in the premises of Manorama here, Guruji praised the leadership and readership of the Manorama newspaper among the Malayalees. Media should live up to the expectation of the people. Guru and journalist are doing similar job, he said.

In the context of a stressful working atmosphere faced by journalists everywhere, he stressed the importance of keeping the mind relaxed. When you relax, the mind gets energized, he told the journalists. Click the link to read more http://english.manoramaonline.com/cgibin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/contentView.do?contentId=13188496&tabId=1&programId=11565535

Balance-heart-and-mind

In a home, do you know who the real leader is? Is the father the leader of the house, or the baby? You will be surprised to know that it is the baby that leads the house. It is around the baby that the entire family circles, isn't that so?! That is why, I consider myself as a baby; as a child. A Balance of the Heart and the Mind A real leader needs to have these two qualities, one of the head and the other of the heart - Sensibility and Sensitivity. Often what we see, people who are very sensible, are not sensitive, because they are so focused on reason; on being sensible and logical. And then there are those who are very sensitive that at the drop of a hat, tears come into their eyes, but they are not sensible enough. Neither of these two can become a good leader, because you need to have a balance of both Sensibility and Sensitivity; heart and mind, because we are all made up of these two very important aspects of our life. Intellect has its unique place, and so do our emotions. Click the link to read more. http://www.artofliving.org/balance-heart-and-mind
A TUNE OF HARMONY There has been a huge uproar about the speech by Akbaruddin Owaisi. The hatred-filled content by itself is shocking enough but what is alarming is the applause that he got from his audience. This shows the danger of isolation of a community in our ever-expanding society. These misinformed and misguided mindsets are there because they remain in their own community. When they live in isolation, they promote only one mindset and there is no open mindedness. They may not have friends from other communities or participate in other festivals. Such thoughts that have been expressed by Owaisi are poisonous to the idea of India even in a drawing room, let alone a public platform.

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PAGE 9 Science and Spirituality THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Art of Living Foundation founder Sri Sri Ravishankar on Thursday blamed vested interests for the conflict between India and Pakistan.

JANUARY 2013

"It's operated by vested interests, corrupt politicians and arms dealers through nexus with mafia who wish to continue such conflicts between two nations". In an interactive session with scientists organized by the Swadeshi Science Movement on convergence between Science and Spirituality at Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) here, Sri Sri Ravishankar said, "I hold the politicians responsible for the state of affairs in the country, be it the increasing corruption in society, grave crimes and erosion of values in society. People with integrity suffer while the aggressive are taking the lead. Yet, do not lose hope, things will definitely improve". Click the link to read more http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-11/thiruvananthapuram/36279218_1_srisri-ravishankar-science-and-spirituality-madhavan-nair Guruji's visit to Kerala - Sometimes a picture can speak a thousand words.

"In the boat of life if it does not have an oar it just goes away with the wind. Our life is like a boat without an oar. Oar is sadhana. When sadhana is there in life all the sadness, worries just go away" - Guruji at Kollam Satsang.

Kombu is a C-shaped wind instrument more or like the trumpet. It is one of the main musical instrument in the Panchavadhyam. 500 Kombu pattu artists Welcomed Poojya Gurudev at Kollam Satsang.

Guruji on the Banks of River Periyar- Aadi Shankara had spent his childhood on the banks of this river

Guruji at the SSRVM Lighting the lamp with Commander Sureshji and Smt. Sureshji.

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Suntrack with Dr. Arun Madhavanji - Sampradaya

Thiruvadirai Kali
In the midst of the Kumbakonam Navagraha Advanced Meditation Course, someone reminded us about 28th December 2012 being the day of Aarudra. Aarudra denotes a red flame. Lord Shiva is also hailed as Semporjyoti the Golden Red Flame. It is in this form of light that the Divine performs His function of five activities viz. Creation, Protection, Destruction, Embodiment and Release. Nataraja is the manifestation of Lord Shiva as Light. On this auspicious day, devotees celebrate his ecstatic cosmic dance. Our minds instantly got ignited with the thought of Thiruvadirai Kali, a delicious sweet dish associated with the festival day. Much to our delight, one of the devotee volunteers brought across the dish offering accompanied by the Ezhu Kari Kootu, also known as Thalagam. Story of how this custom originated: Puranas contain an interesting tale of an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva called Sendanar. A man of poor means, he eked out his living as a wood cutter. He would never miss out on his daily pujas to the Lord, always respectful to the devotees and felt it an honor to feed them first, before he and his wife took their daily meal. Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram desired that Sendanars ardent devotion should be made known t o the community. The day before the Arudra , the temple town witnessed heavy and incessant downpour which made it impossible for Sendanar to step out of his home for procuring wood from the forest . He was in a state of despair as sale of wood was critical and the only means to support the family kitchen. He and his wife were deeply concerned as to how they would cope if devotees of the Lord show up. Lo, it was right then they heard someone at the door chanting Shambho Mahadev! The couple cheerfully received the mendicant with reverence and got him seated in the house. They were alive to the fact that the kitchen had gone dry on provisions. It was then Sendanars wife collected a little rice flour, got it blended with the syrup of jaggery and served the dish. The mendicant guest ate it with relish, blessed the couple and left. The following morning the couple visited the shrine to have a darshan of Lord Natarja. When the door of the sanctum was opened, the priests were amazed to see pieces of kali scattered in front of the Lord. Sendanar recognized the kali and apprised them of the episode of serving kali to a Shiva devotee previous day. It did not take long for the community to recognize the leela of Lord Nataraja. It has since become a tradition to prepare kali to please Lord Nataraja on the Star day of Thiruvadirai (Arudra Darsanam) in the most auspicious Dhanur month of Indian calendar. It has been declared that those who observe austerities and partake this divine prasad, escape the clutches of hell. The recipe: Raw Rice - 1 Cup, Moong Dhal - 1/4 Cup, Powdered Jaggery - 1.5 Cups, Salt - 1/2 tsp, Cardamom - 3 pods, Broken Cashewnuts - 1 tbs , Raisin - 1 tbs, Grated Coconut - 1/2 Cup Water - 6 Cups, Ghee - 2 tbs Wash raw rice and dry roast in medium flame till it turns brown. Cool and then powder to a coarse consistency. Dry roast the Moong dhal till it turns golden brown. Add 1 cup of water and cook till the dhal is soft. Take powdered jiggery,3 cups of water with crushed cardamom pods. Heat till the jaggery completely dissolves. Strain to remove the impurities. Add jaggery syrup and remaining water to cooked dhal. Allow contents to boil well. Add the powdered rice slowly while stirring continuously; ensure all along that no lumps get formed. Once cooked, add ghee, roasted nuts and raisins and finally the grated coconut. Mix everything together. Tastes delicious when served warm.

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The aura of Kumbh at Kumbakonam Participants at The Art of Silence course held in Kumbakonam experienced the aura of Kumbh in their deep silence. The visits to the Navagriha sthals with descriptive coverages were invigorating and served to deepen their roots and broaden their horizons. The host team did a spectacular job in ensuring that everyone felt at home with care and hospitality. One of the participants from a leading IT firm wrote an interesting critique which is reproduced below: "Who is this Arunji everyone keeps talking about? I was inquisitive. I met him for the first time during his birthday bash in ashram a couple of years ago. I crashed the party so that I could see Guruji. But, at the corner of the eye, I was wonder why is this fella getting so much attention from Guruji. His music was playing in the background, like the ones mom used to play on the cassette in the early mornings during my childhood. Not my type, I said to myself. But again and again, people kept telling me about him; i kept ignoring. And opportunity knocked when I got to know about the Kumbakonam course in Dec. I badly needed time out from work. Apparently, it wasnt just AMC, but AMC with Arunji plus Navagraha tour. I was skeptical, because I hated to go to temples, I never believed in idol worship. But I did enroll. The day arrived, I entered T.S Mahal the location was just adjacent to a large paddy field. I have never seen a field up-close. Ah, thats something to cheer about. Then, Arunji entered while people sang Vazhiya Vazhiya song. I was like, OK, this mans got style (including his dress code) but not my type I reminded myself again. He started with course points. At this point of time, I already had couple of Advance courses, so I had expectations. I was watching closely what he was up to next. Then he opened up a PPT, my first impression "he is not a tech-savvy" was trashed. Good start. Then he went on to talk about a lot of course points plus his own variations of it with humor and stories along with 'Life, a movie' (Yoga Vashishta),in which he mentioned something about opening a lot of windows (laptop). I could relate to his example. I will never forget this in my life. I had a huge yearning to learn more about death and dispassion, just as I sat, he was explaining about lotus (dispassion/detachment) and Yoga Vashishta (death and movie). It was time for temple visits, I wished so much there would be just 1 navagraha temple to visit, sadly there were 9, 5 were to be covered on a single day! I was like are you insane!? I wouldnt go t o 5 temples even if you were to trade you i-pad for it. But I did go and it was because of Arunji. Before we left for the temples, he started explaining science behind it (I am not going to say what it is, sit in his course J to know about it). That was the moment I started to fall for him. Somehow, he knew I needed to know why, or I was taking his course because he knew why. Either way, I felt really grateful. People kept talking about his satsang. I was waiting for him to open his musical notes to our ears and to my happy feet. He did, I didnt fall in love instantly. But then he started explaining the songs. It was like expressing ones feeling/thought in ancient language (Sanskrit or Tamil). Made sense, by then I was in that feeling level. Thanks to a butt load of meditation sessions, temple visits and silence. Then he talked about thought, words and action. How thoughts transform in to happenings. We are alone responsible for what

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is happening to us nobody else period. The conscious/unconscious thoughts, we attract the events in our lives. Ok, so I did experiment in the course. Yeah, he was right - another huge dive into his magnetic field. I was hooked. Gratefulness - a word I often come by, but I never felt it so deep. Temples that we went to he explained how we take things for free and how much little importance we give to the things that is bestowed to us. There was a magical course, that most of it was feeling level than logical and yet there was logical reasoning behind it.The story of challenges in our lives are to make us strong was a big take a way for me. Looking back at my past, he was right. Absolutely right. Well, it was not the AMC I had in mind, not even close it, but it gave me a purpose, reassured something really deep. I have so much to look forward to in life now! Thanks Arunji! Aparna. (For more feedback on the event visit http://aolcbe.blogspot.in/2013/01/27th-dec-2012-participants-atart-of.html) An unforgettable Nectarine event

25th December 2012: Kadtal is located close to the International airport in Hyderabad. This year it became home for global meditators. Close to 95,000 gathered from across the world, beyond barriers of religion and race, to listen to eminent artistes. The Celestial Nectar team was invited to perform before them. These pictures have captured the mood of this gathering. They wouldn't let Arunji leave the stage until they extracted a bonus of his popular bhajan numbers. Non-residential Art of Silence Program with Dr.Arun Madhavanji is scheduled at Chaitanya Bharti, Maitri Layout, Hope Farm, Whitefield Bangalore- 560066. 14th - 17th Feb 2013. Email <deepika.aol@gmail.com>, Phones: 9980197073 and 9900147759. ############################################################### Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam A six-member team of the Art of Living Foundation from Russia, Poland, and the U.S., visited Coimbatore and rural areas of the State to spread awareness about Indian heritage and yoga. The team of, Andrew from the U.S., Martin, Nero and Pawar from Poland, and Alexander and Maxim from Russia spent two weeks travelling through the villages of Tamil Nadu and promoted yoga and breathing techniques. They conducted Guru Pujas, Satsangs and blessed thousands of people. Here they are enjoying the New Year Satsang at Palladam, Coimbatore on 31st December, 2012.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRE TTC @ TIRUNELVELI ON FEB 9,10 & FEB 16, 17 Venue : Buddha Hall, Tirunelveli Junction. Eligibility:One Year in AOL + Part 2 Last date: Jan 31 contact your Teachers for details. Art of Living hosts its 1st International Bloggers Conference Bangalore: It was a Bloggers day out at the Art of Living International Centre in Bangalore when youth delegates and enthusiastic bloggers came together to deliberate on the power of Social Media for Social Good. Organized and hosted by The Art of living, the 1st International Bloggers conference titled, Make a Global Connection- Just Connect saw participation by 837 bloggers and over 1000 connections from over 10 countries on you tube. Congratulations to Sri. Suresh Nellakai for being honoured by Poojya Gurudev for creating the Longest Standing Blog: ensures.wordpress.com Spiritual leader, Humanitarian and Founder, Art of Living Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also launched his blog (www.srisrispeaks.org) at the conference. Addressing the youth delegates, he said, We are in a new era where we dont depend on a group of people, journalists or newspapers. Click the link to read http://zeenews.india.com/news/karnataka/art-of-living-hosts-its-1st-international-bloggersconference_822229.html Corporate Culture and Spirituality Art of Living and the Federation of the Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry are hosting the Corporate Culture and Spirituality (CCS) Conference this year. The Conference will take place at the Art of Living International Centre at Bangalore from 8-9 February 2013. This will be the 10th edition of the CCS Conference series by the Art of Living, and marks a return to India as a venue following the earlier editions that were held in Singapore and the European Parliament in Brussels. Some of the speakers and panelists that have confirmed their participation include His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Founder - Art of Living), K.V. Kamath (Chairman - ICICI Bank Ltd., Non-Executive Chairman Infosys Ltd.), Kumarmangalam Birla (Chairman - Aditya Birla Group), G.M. Rao (Chairman - GMR Group), Kishore Biyani (Chairman - Future Group) and Venugopal Dhoot (Chairman - Videocon), Kalpan Morparia (Chairperson - JP Morgan). For further details please contact 9840025751 or 9841078084, and email nurnikrish@hotmail.com or krishnaaolc@gmail.com Sri Sri in Kerala 2013 - Watch 'Nere Chove' - Interview with Sri Sri in Manorama News TV Link available on our FaceBook Page : http://www.facebook.com/jeevanakala