Milk and water abhishek of Shivling

I have always followed my heart in doing spiritual practices. As I progress in my path, I keep getting different instructions to follow. At one point in time I was instructed to do milk and water abhishek for Shivling on Mondays. So on Monday mornings, after bath, before my routine puja rituals, I do this. I was having a small silver pot to take water for the purpose. For taking milk, I bought another silver pot.

Abhishek is a means of praying to the God, of connecting and communicating with the almighty. Milk is a sign of purity. Every drop of milk poured on the Shiva Lingam cleanses us and relieves us from difficulties and sorrows. So the practice is not to clean the Ling but the person itself. It washes all the sins from oneself and purify one's life.

Once my husband talked about this practice of mine to a relative who is well versed with shastras and puranas. He told that it is a serious practice and it is important that whatever quantity of milk is used, one has to pour 21/2 times water over the Shivling. On hearing this, I checked my silver pots. 

To my astonishment and joy, I saw that the larger pot that I was using for water carried two and a half times the quantity of the smaller pot, used to take milk. Whenever I buy things, I go by my feel, and I got the guidance to buy the exact sized pot for the milk!!

Message from the crow

I have been doing the pitrupaksha rituals for a couple of years now. It is a 16–lunar day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors (Pitrs), especially through food offerings.

This year (2014) we were traveling from 8^th to 18^th of September. There was a lot of work on coming back and I was too busy doing all that. On 23^rd morning, when I did my routine crystal gazing, I saw Raven, which happens to be my power animal. Later while we were getting out of the house to go to our clinic, I was a crow sitting on the branch of a tree in front of the house and it was tilting its head and looking at me. When I moved, it turned its neck to look at me. I tried moving in different directions, and it continued to turn to look at me.

I was sure that it wanted to convey some message. I was trying to decipher what it might be. Suddenly it struck me, the pitrupaksha dates are in September. I told the crow ‘Is it regarding the pitrupaksha? I will check the date today and will perform the ritual if the dates are not yet over. Ok?’ And then, the crow flew off.

I checked the internet and found that it was the last day to perform the ritual. After coming back from the clinic I did what was needed and mentally thanked the crow for reminding me.

According to Hinduism, the souls of three preceding generations of one's ancestor reside in Pitru–loka, a realm between heaven and earth. This realm is governed by Yama, the God of death, who takes the soul of a dying man from earth to Pitru–loka. When a person of the next generation dies, the first generation shifts to heaven and unites with God, so Shraddha offerings are not given. Thus, only the three generations in Pitru–loka are given Shraddha rites, in which Yama plays a significant role.

As per the sacred Hindu epics, at the beginning of Pitru Paksha, the sun enters the zodiac sign of Libra. Coinciding with this moment, it is believed that the spirits leave Pitru–loka and reside in their descendants' homes for a month until the sun enters the next zodiac—Scorpio, and there is a full moon. Hindus are expected to propitiate the ancestors in the first half, during the dark fortnight.

When Karna, the brave warrior whose acts of giving are legendary even today, died in the epic Mahabharata war, his soul transcended to heaven, where he was offered gold and jewels as food. However, Karna needed real food to eat and asked Indra, the lord of heaven, the reason for serving gold as food. Indra told Karna that he had donated gold all his life, but had never donated food to his ancestors in Shraddha. Karna said that since he was unaware of his ancestors, he never donated anything in their memory. To make amends, Karna was permitted to return to earth for a 15–day period, so that he could perform Shraddha and donate food and water in their memory. This period is now known as Pitru Paksha.

Later when I met my daughter she told that on Septembe 23^rd when she was having lunch, a crow came and sat in the balcony and started cawing continuously, which was not a usual thing there.. She didn’t have any extra food at that time, so just broke off a piece of chapatti and offered to the crow. And the crow stopped cawing!


October 2015

We were travelling in the last half of September and the first week of October. I felt that during the pitrupaksha dates we won't be home and was not feeling so good about it. We reached back home on 8th and started our routine from October 9th. On that day when I wascollecting flowers for puja in the morning, twice two different butterflies circled me. At lunchtime while coming out of my  clinic I put my hand bag over the shoulder and from the corner of my eye I saw something moving on the bag. I felt it was a lizard and took the bag off the shoulder immediately, to see that a butterfly was sitting on it.

Suddenly it struck me that the butterflies were trying to convey some message. May be about pitrupaksha? I checked the dates and saw that October 12th was the last day of Shradh dates for 2015. I did my rituals on that day, thanking the Universe for guiding me. The Universe never lets us down. It always gives us signs, we have to be just open to pick them up!

Harnessing the Heart Brain connection to enhance relationships

I was thinking of giving a workshop for the Past Life Regression Convention 4 and I was not getting any ideas. I wanted something that was very practical and which would help both the clients and the practitioners as well. My intellectual mind kept on working, but nothing was happening.

Once my husband and I were on our way to visit Khandoba temple. It is where Lord Shiva and Parvati incarnated as human beings. During the drive, suddenly there was a menu drop down in my mind. The title was the above one, ‘Harnessing the Heart Brain connection to enhance relationships’, and the whole concept, and the procedure details was clear in the mind’s eye.

I told my husband to stop the car immediately and get me a pen and a notebook since I knew the details were too much and I may not remember later. So sweet of him, he did what I asked and I noted down everything in detail. Then I used the technique on my clients, got results, and my presentation was scheduled on 10th August 2014 as a research paper for the PLRC4 in Pune

After the presentation many participants approached me and told, ‘The concept makes sense’, ‘I felt the difference when I applied the idea’, ‘It is so practical’. I was glad that the basic idea was fulfilled. Thank you Lord Shiva and Parvati.

Divine Call

I was on a flight to Ahmedabad during April 2014 when a dignified and friendly lady occupied the seat next to me. ‘Are you from Ahmedabad?’ she asked me.

‘Oh, no. I am just visiting Visnagar for a week’, I replied.

She had very beautiful and expressive eyes, so I asked, ‘Are you a dancer?’ She told no, but she seemed amused. It turned out that she was a high official working in Gandhi Nagar. We had a friendly conversation and just while leaving the aircraft, she gave me her visiting card and told, ‘If you need any help at all, please contact me. There is an Ayyappa temple near my place.’ I thought that the temple must be adjacent to her house.

Last year May my father left his body. During the previous month I had visited him for a week and spent the time exclusively with him, chanting mantras, doing meditation etc., I was his favorite daughter and we had a great time together. After his demise I used to get messages from him. He told he will come back into my life. Then another time he told me that he will give a definite sign while entering our lives again.

Coming back to April 2014, our festival Vishu was on 15^th. It was Hanuman Jayanti also on that day. Early morning we got the news of arrival of our grand child. I wanted to visit a temple. Suddenly I remembered the offer to visit the Ayyappa temple in Gandhi Nagar. I contacted the lady and she told it was ok to visit, even though she was having a hectic schedule.

My husband and I reached her office by 6 pm after about an hour’s drive to find that she was busy in a meeting. But she had informed her assistant about our arrival and she sent us in a vehicle to the Ayyappa temple. It was about 20 minutes drive. We reached the temple and as I entered, there was a huge pillar, on which it was written, ‘In the loving memory of Gopinathan Nair’. I got goose bumps on seeing it because my father’s name was Gopinathan. Even my husband was shocked to see it. I couldn't think of a clearer sign than this!

We came back to the office, she was still busy in the meeting and we had to return without meeting her. She served a very important role in my life, even though I couldn't meet her before leaving.

Missing ear ring again

On 5^th Feb 2014, I really was busy cleaning the house. The maid had stopped coming since one month and there was painting going on. I did brooming and mopping the whole house, inside and outside, did some work in the garden too.

In the evening we were going out, and when I looked at the mirror, to my horror, I saw that part of one of the ear rings was missing! It was of ‘Sui Dhaga’ pattern and it had sentimental value as it was a recent gift. Since I was working all over the place, I had no clue where to look for the missing part. Still I made some feeble attempt, in vain.

I have helped many people in locating missing articles, and now I had a strong intuition that I will get it back. It was a test for my patience and faith. Well, I kept my cool, the faith was strong that it will come back to me. And I kept looking for it during the cleaning of the house every day.

Days went by, 6^th, 7^th , 8^th, 9^th….On 10^th morning, while I was mopping the bathroom floor, suddenly something rolled over. And lo!!! It was the missing part of my ear ring. It was so difficult to comprehend. I had used that mop every day and washed it in the wash basin. If it had fallen in the wash basin, it could have gone down the drain very easily!

This incidence again reinforced my faith that if something has to come back to you, it just has to. And I am thankful to the Universal energy for the intuitions.

Visual Proof from Ma

We were on our way to Pune - my husband and I. It was early morning, the bhajans were on and through the car’s window the rising Sun in all its glory was smiling at us. I get visions of Kalima, and instructions, and my husband is aware of this.

Suddenly he asked me, ‘Do you get visions of Kalima these days?’

I said, ‘yes.’

‘And messages too?’

‘Yes.’

I thought in my mind, ‘It would be nice if something that appeals to one of the five senses gives an indication that Ma is with me.’

After some distance a toll booth came. The money was paid and when he got back some change, my husband handed it over to me. Usually I will just put it into my hand bag. When the coin touched my hand, I felt something. Instead of sliding it into the bag, I looked at it. It was of golden color, and there was Ma sitting on the lion. I told this to my husband. He took the coin, looked at it and told in excitement, ‘It is Vaishnodevi, my God!’

Within no time of my request, Ma gave a visual proof of Her presence with us. It was a very humbling experience!

Timely message

I was in Dandeli forest with family. We checked into the guest house, had a nice lunch and took some rest. In the evening we got out to see the surroundings and what awesome scene it was! Thick jungles all around and sounds of many birds.

Unfortunately there was no mobile connection and we had to make some important calls. The care taker told that there was a tower  about fifteen minutes walk away and there we would get the connection. There was still some time for dinner and we thought of making the calls before dinner. All of us walked towards the tower. It was quite dark and we used the mobile light to see the path.

My husband switched off the mobile and said the whole road was better visible in the moon light. Suddenly some thing clicked inside me. I told ‘Let’s go back. We will take the car and go to the tower’.  First they told, ‘Its ok, let’s walk’. But the message that I got was strong and I insisted that we go back. So all of us went back to the guest house. The care taker who was at the gate told,’ Sir you should not go walking in the dark. Many wild animals come from the surrounding jungles into the road. Even black panther has been spotted recently’. We thanked our stars and the care taker for the warning. 

The power of a thread

We were with our friends when they visited a pujari. It was an auspicious day and the pujari tied sacred thread on their wrists. We got the threads tied on our wrists too. Being sensitive to the vibrations, I was not very comfortable with the thread on my wrist. At the same time I didn’t want to remove it as long as we were with the friends. When we took leave of them, I promptly removed it from my hand.

If I was my older self, I would have asked my husband also to remove the thread from his hand, but I have traveled a long way in my spiritual journey. Some things are better learned by self experience

After four months, we had to attend another puja ceremony. My husband wanted me to remove the old thread from his wrist before attending the puja and I cut it off. Next day morning, he remarked that all these days when the thread was on his hand, his sleep was disturbed. He used to get weird dreams, and used to remember them in detail. Four days later again he told me that it was good the thread was removed.

Even a thread from one person can carry vibrations that may or may not suit another person. So it is important to be careful while using another person’s things.