Post by Kanchi Periva on Feb 24, 2014 7:44:57 GMT 5.5
Dear Members,
Namaskaram. The Kanchi Periva Forum has grown to a large Satsang of devotees, by HIS grace.
In another couple of weeks, children in our country would be giving their boards exams in different streams. In their interest, we would like to request all members and devotees to join us in submitting our prayers to Parameshwara, our own Sri Maha Periva seeking HIS bountiful blessings and guidance for their success.
As we know, Sri Maha Periva had great love for children and strongly believed that they are the pillars of the nation. He had often said that they could achieve anything if they put their mind to it. Here is a brief extract from his upadesam to children and the youth.
“During your school days, your only duty is to study. Your entire attention should be directed to studies. Although there are several good things to be done, you should devote time to those things only after you have completed your studies. At a young age, when the mind has not become sufficiently strong, if activities other than studies are undertaken, the mind will become sick. When feelings and emotions take hold like a disease, education is a remedy for it. Education should be such that it develops not just brain power but makes persons perfect. When medicines are administered, there are always strict regulations regarding food etc. In fact, such regulations help more in the cure that the medicine itself. Humility and simplicity have been prescribed as the regulations for taking the medicine of education. Vidhya and Vinayam (Learning and humility) are like the two eyes of the youth. If we are humble now, we can rise in the status later. The example of the dust on the feet is usually given. It is under our feet as small particles. Suddenly it goes up due to wind and rises above our head. This truth must be realized by our youth who are the inheritors of our great culture and civilization”.
Sri Maha Periva also has something to say to the elders:
“The youngsters have to subject themselves to self control. How to create in them this keenness? It is the elders who have to keep telling them continuously and with love. They too should live a disciplined life. Otherwise, their advice will be of no use. Young people who have developed strong notions of generation gap will not listen. Even if they are not conscious of such gap, the modern thinkers and psychologists create this feeling in them. It appears that there is a big question mark about the elders of these days following a disciplined life themselves. What value will their words have? At least in the interest of the younger generations the elders must begin following a disciplined life. One may wonder how self control can be expected from the youth when that is not possible for the elders. I do not expect that all young people will become like that. I expect seven or eight out of a hundred to become like that. Although what I say may appear strange, it is the elders who have got used to indiscipline over a long period who cannot come out of it. The youth are not like that. Once they decide to do a thing, they have the ability to achieve it. If seven or eight percent of them do it, I think that is enough. Unlike the older people, the youth are dynamic and they will be able to influence others and draw them to their ways of discipline. That is what I believe. ”
The Joint Prayer Initiative
Many of us would have experienced the powers and benefits of Joint Prayers. The prayers help even more when it is done not for a personal cause, but done in the interest of others in the society. Periva had always good words to say about conduct of programmes like Athi Rudram, which were joint prayer initiative for common good of the society. Taking a cue from His blessings for such programs, we have now planned a simple joint prayer initiative - this would entail a hearty prayer by all our members using the mantra each of them know, at a same time slot to be adhered by everyone.
We are planning to do this for the benefit of all students who are taking their exams now. We would like to schedule this prayer on 27th February 2014 (Maha Shivaratri Day, also happens to be Guruvaram). We will do this prayer for 5 minutes at 06:00 PM IST (07:30 AM Americas - 27th February).
In case you do not know any specific mantra to chant during this time, you can chant the following mantra "Apaara Karunaa Sindhum, Gnaanadam Shaanta Roopinam, Sree Chandrasekara Gurum, Pranamaami Mudaanvaham" - you can hear/see this being sung by Udayalur Kalyanarama Bagavathar here (probably use the link to sing along as well during the prayer time):
To ensure that we have many people praying for the kids, we are creating an event for this in our Facebook account as well - those who are connected with us already can make use of the reminders, and forward the same to their friends too. Get to the event on Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/436616053138158/
Please join us in this collective prayer and also spread the word to other devotees as well.
Jaya Jaya Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara!