Sri Raghavendra Swamigal Divya Charithram

      Hey guys.This is the Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did on April 27, 2019. In this Satsangam, she talked about Sri Raghavendra Charithram. She started off by praising Sri Raghavendra's lineage and the many miraculous incidents that occurred to them. Sri Raghavendra Swamigal's avataram took place around 500 years ago and he hails from the Dwaita tradition, established by Madhwacharya. Sri Raghavendra Swamigal was the pontiff (head of the Mutt) of the Madhwa lineage. She talked about Sri Raghavendra Swamigal's ancestors and how they served high positions in the Vijayanagara Samrajya (kindgom) and were all well educated in the Shastras and also in playing the Veena instrument. Despite all this, they still lived their lives in poverty. But, their main motives was not to live a materialistic life, but to learn and live as per the teachings of Madhwacharya. She talked about how Sri Raghavendra Swamigal was a bright student who displayed great scholarship, but still remained very humble. She also continued talking about how he was a married person and how he came under the tutelage of Sudeendra Theertha in the pursuit of knowledge. Sudeendra Theertha, the then pontiff of the Madhwa Mutt, requested Sri Raghavendra Swamigal to become a Sanyasi (a Hindu religious mendicant), by separating from his wife and kids, and also to become his successor pontiff. Although Sri Raghavendra Swamigal was initially reluctant about the decision, a divine intervention made him accept his guru's wish. As the new pontiff, Sri Raghavendra Swamigal performed several miracles and became a great Mahaan. Many people were in search of Sri Raghavendra to receive his Anugraham (blessings). My mom talked about how Sri Raghavendra Swamigal was considered as an Avataram of Prahalada and how he urged the people to develop Bhakthi (devotion) and follow all traditional rituals. I liked this topic very much because it was very inspiring to hear how Sri Raghavendra Swamigal influenced many people to continue their long lasting Bhakthi towards God and the miracles he performed to the many people who worshiped him. I also found it interesting that Sri Raghavendra Swamigal's Jeeva Samadhi is still present in Mantralayam, India and how the people who experienced the Darshan of Sri Raghavendra Swamigal got good skills in speech and writing. We should all continue to follow our tradition as it will increase our Bhakthi and oneness towards God. Here is the video below for Sri Raghavendra Swamigal Divya Charithram. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siAF8LEYkVw&t=2s

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sri Vivekananda Charithram

      Hey guys. These are the two Satsangams that my mom did on March 2, 2019 and April 13, 2019. In these two Satsangams, my mom talked about Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Charithram and Sri Vivekananda Charithram.
      On March 2, my mom talked about Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. She talked about how many people during the British Raj detested idol worship. But, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa dedicated his life to idol worshiping and has even seen God face to face. She started off with a small story which was told by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. That story itself shows how the complete surrender to God gives the Bhakthas (devotees) the strength and peace. She talked about the childhood of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and his Bhakthi Bhavam towards Goddess Kali at Dakshineshwar. Everyone of us will cry for some material wants and pray to the Lord, but on the other hand, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa cried for darshan of Kali in his teenage years. At last, he was able to get the darshan of Kali. Of the many gurus that Ramakrishna Paramahmsa had, my mom explained the significance about two of them: Bhairavi Brahmani and Thothapuri. Bhairavi Brahmani proved to the world that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was indeed an Avataram of God. Thothapuri was an Advaitic Guru of Ramakrishna Paramahmsa. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa practically proved that with the help of Bhava Bhakthi, one can get the Darshan of their Ishta Deivam (God of choice). He himself proved this by practicing Islam and getting Darshan of Allah, practicing Christianity and getting Darshan of Jesus, getting Darshan of Rama, Krishna, Devi, etc. She also talked about how Ramakrishna Paramahamsa influenced many of his disciples to perform Bhava Bhakthi when praying to the Lord in order for them to attain ecstasy. I liked this topic because it was interesting to see how Ramakrishna Paramahamsa attained ecstasy through influence of several religious traditions using the sole concept of Bhava Bhakthi. I also found it fascinating that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa viewed his own wife, Sarada Devi, as a Goddess. I loved to hear about how Ramakrishna Paramahamsa found a Guru and a disciple in everyone. He is also the main influence on Swami Vivekananda, which I'll be talking about in the next paragraph.
      On April 13, my mom talked about Sri Vivekananda. While talking about Swami Vivekananda, she talked about how Swami Vivekananda directly poured the knowledge of Vedanta to the Western World. Vedanta contains philosophical material that is beyond the understanding of Vedas. Vedanta states the different types of relationships between God and the others and it require a high level of self realization to perceive it. Swami Vivekananda spread practical Vedanta where he viewed everyone as God and the most important aspect to attain ecstasy and closeness to God is to serve to humanity. Then, she talked about Swami Vivekananda's childhood. She talked about how he had a very keen memory and was very exceptionally scholarly at a very young age. Swami Vivekananda was inquisitive on the existence of God and whether one has seen God or not. This was when Swami Vivekananda decided to meet Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. The meeting of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sri Vivekananda was very interesting. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa took Swami Vivekananda as a special disciple. Their relationship was very unique. Swami Vivekananda took the message of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa to the whole world. She then told how Swami Vivekananda spoke at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago about our religion on September 11, 1893. She then talked about how the whole world was amazed by his famous speech and how he traveled throughout the world as a monk while teaching them about interfaith awareness and the values of Hindu philosophies. I liked this topic very much because I was astonished at how Swami Vivekananda was a very bright student of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and how he was able to grasp ideas very quickly and retell it to the world. I admire how he was such a great influence with a bold character and also one of the major forces in the Hindu reform movements in the world. I appreciate his bravery to preach his teachings to the Western world and also view him as great role model because of his powerful words and his persistent heart. I also found it extremely staggering how Swami Vivekananda was begging in the streets the day before his speech and during his speech, people were showering applause and  bowed down to him as a Godly figure.
      Here are the videos below for Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Charithram and Sri Vivekananda Charithram. Enjoy!