Shripada vichalita ksheerambu raashi

In the Telugu film Saptapadi, lyricist Veturi praises the three divine mothers, and in the song "Akhilandeshwari," while describing Lakshmi Devi, he uses the phrase:

"Shripada vichalita ksheerambu raashi" —
When the Mother’s feet touch the calm ocean of milk (Ksheera Sagara), it begins to churn and surge with waves. Such is the immense power of the Goddess.
Yet, despite possessing such supreme shakti, she dwells in her husband Sriman Narayana’s heart, humbly offering her loving service at his feet. That is why she is called “Srihari Pranayaambu Raashi” – the ocean of love for Sri Hari.

Jagajjanani: The Embodiment of Nature

The Divine Mother is none other than Nature (Prakriti) herself.
We often witness catastrophic consequences when even one of the five great elements (Pancha Mahabhutas) goes beyond its natural bounds — earthquakes, floods, solar storms, and so on. Even if Nature appears peaceful on the outside, it is constantly changing. Hence, the Goddess is also known by names like Chanchala and Chapala – the ever-moving, ever-shifting one.

But it is Sri Hari, the Lord of balance and order, who lovingly keeps the infinitely powerful Mother in control. His unconditional love keeps Prakriti from unleashing total destruction. That’s why she is described again as “Srihari Pranayaambu Raashi.”

The Daughter of the Ocean of Milk

In another dimension, Lakshmi Devi is the daughter of the ocean of milk (Ksheera Sagara Raja Tanaya). In Indian households, when a girl is born, it is said that Mahalakshmi herself has arrived.

Picture a little girl, gently walking on her father’s chest with soft baby feet — how overjoyed and overwhelmed would a father feel!
Now imagine Mahalakshmi herself becoming such a daughter, residing in her father’s house and walking gently upon his heart — would not the Ocean of Milk itself surge with bliss?

Thus, she is called “Shripada Vichalita Ksheerambu Raashi.”

The Chaos of Unbalanced Prosperity

Among humble, lower-middle-class families, siblings live together in unity and love. Their home is like a peaceful Ksheera Sagara. But the moment wealth (Siri) enters that house unexpectedly, fights begin.

What was once a shared life turns into a battle for shares.
The same people who once lovingly shared a little rice now quarrel over property. That is why prosperity without spiritual grounding is "Shripada Vichalita Ksheerambu Raashi" — the calm ocean disturbed.

In the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy, an innocent tribal community lives harmoniously, sharing food and everything they gather. One day, a glass bottle is thrown from an airplane.
They believe it to be a gift from the gods and try to use it in many ways. Soon, it becomes a source of conflict.
They realize this gift has brought chaos to their peaceful lives, and one of them sets out to return it to the gods.

Likewise, if we seek only Lakshmi’s material blessings, without filling our hearts with Sri Hari, our lives will descend into turmoil. But if we realize the Mother as the beloved of Sri Hari, our hearts become as pure as the ocean of milk, and our lives flow peacefully.

The Child’s Mind and the Great Illusion

When a child is born, his mind is like the pure ocean of milk.
He smiles constantly, content in himself. Gradually, parents and elders start giving him a name, assigning possessions: “This is yours, this is yours.”
At first, he doesn’t care — he gives away whatever he has.

But as he grows attached to these objects, the Great Illusion (Mahamaya) — the Mother herself — weaves a web of possessiveness within him.
Then come ego, attachment, desires, jealousy, and hatred, and the once-calm mind becomes a stormy sea.

This too is “Shripada Vichalita Ksheerambu Raashi.”

Yet, no matter how much the outer world tries to agitate us, if we never forget the connection we had with Sri Hari in our mother’s womb, and hold on to Him in our consciousness, then the Mother, as Srihari Pranayaambu Raashi, in her supreme devotion to her Lord, protects that mind from disturbance.

She grants the mind stability amidst spiritual and worldly waves, nurtures spiritual practice, and guides it toward the crown chakra (Sahasrara) – the Sri Peetha.

Thus, the Goddess is also “Sri Peetha Samvardhini”, the one who uplifts us to the divine seat.
And she is “Dolaasura Mardhini”, the destroyer of wavering tendencies.

The True Lakshmi: Beyond Wealth

Let us not see Jagajjanani Lakshmi merely as a bestower of wealth (Dhana Lakshmi) or boons (Varalakshmi).

She is:

• Vidya Lakshmi – giver of intelligence for spiritual practice

• Dhairya Lakshmi – giver of courage to overcome obstacles

• Veerya Lakshmi – destroyer of inner enemies

• Santana Lakshmi – giver of spiritually inclined children

• Vijaya Lakshmi – bringer of success in sadhana

• Dhanya Lakshmi – giver of food and sustenance

• Moksha Lakshmi – the one who delivers us to liberation, even while in this very world

If we meditate upon such a divine Mother with deep devotion, and constantly enshrine Lakshmi and Narayana in our hearts, then no lack will ever touch us — neither in this world nor the next.

Antarmukha Samaradhya, Bahirmukha Sudurlabha

 “Antarmukha Samaradhya, Bahirmukha Sudurlabha” — These paired names provide the answer to the question: Where should we seek the Divine Mother? How can we realize her?

To worship the Mother, we visit countless sacred places and temples, traveling far and wide. But no matter how extensively we search outside, we cannot truly attain her there. What we really need to do is seek her within ourselves. She constantly resides within us and guides us from inside.

She is the one who governs this visible body, the inner mind, the life-force (prana) that sustains them, the consciousness that directs them, and the blissful state that is our true nature. That is why she is called “Pancha Kosha Antara Sthita” – the one who dwells within the five sheaths (koshas) of the self.

If we first recognize the Chit Shakti – the conscious energy that operates within us – then we can also recognize the Mother as Jada Shakti, the inert energy, manifesting in all of external nature.

In truth, both Satya (the true, eternal Absolute) and Asatya (the transient world) are forms of that Mother. Hence she is “Sadasadrupadharini” – the bearer of both reality and illusion.

The perishable world (Kshara) and the imperishable consciousness (Akshara) are both expressions of her – “Ksharaksharatmika”.
The manifest world (that we can perceive) and the unmanifest divine energy that invisibly pervades and drives it are also both her forms – “Vyakta–Avyakta”.

Those who reflect on the true essence of this Mother and perfect their meditation and spiritual practice will come to realize her very form.

Why? Because she is “Dhyana–Dhyatri–Dhyeya–Rupa” – meaning the process of meditation (dhyana), the one who meditates (dhyatri), and the object of meditation (dhyeya) are all her own forms.

Under the Shade of the Kalpavriksha

As a child, I once read a powerful story — often attributed to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa — that quietly etched itself into my memory.

A weary wayfarer, after wandering through a forest, took rest in the shade of a large tree. Unbeknownst to him, it was the Kalpavriksha, the mythical wish-fulfilling tree. In his exhaustion, he wished for food — and immediately, a lavish meal appeared. Delighted, he devoured it and felt drowsy. Then he wished for a comfortable bed — and one appeared. Lying on it, he mused, “How wonderful it would be if my wife were here, feeding me pan.” Lo and behold, his wife appeared.

But then came a thought: "This is too strange — food, bed, wife — all here in the middle of nowhere? Could this be some evil spirit’s doing?" As soon as he doubted, the woman turned into a terrifying demon. And when he feared, “She may eat me,” she did just that.

The moral was clear: When under the Kalpavriksha, even thoughts are powerful enough to manifest reality. Not only desires, but doubts and fears too.

Years later, I realized I had wandered through the wilderness of samsara across many births and finally found shelter under my own Kalpavriksha — Sri Babuji Maharaj, our Gurudev.

The Wish and Its Detour

During the Sahasra Chandi Yagam in 2003 at our ashram, I saw American devotees who had come to serve as main karthas. Deep within, a thought arose: "Ah, if only I too could go to America and earn well, I could offer such service!"

Our minds are amusing — like the man who performs penance to meet Lord Shiva, and when Shiva appears, instead of asking for liberation, asks for hair to grow from his uncle’s ears!

That very day, I got a call from the office: "You need to travel to America immediately." I grumbled — "Why this interruption now, of all times?" — unaware that the very desire I had silently expressed was being fulfilled.

But the actual higher desire — to serve and grow spiritually — took nearly ten years to ripen.

Be Careful What You Think

In 2005, while flying on an Air India flight, another stray thought crossed my mind: "Air India is nice, but we were ruled by the British for 200 years. What would it be like to fly British Airways and have them serve us for a change?"

Within a month, I was sent to America again — this time on British Airways.

It struck me like a thunderbolt: "If even passing thoughts are manifesting this way, isn’t that dangerous? I must learn to control not just my desires, but my thoughts themselves!"

The Wake-Up Call

In September 2013, I encountered a near-death moment that deepened this insight.

I recalled seeing humorous signs in American restaurants with instructions on how to save someone if food gets stuck in the throat. I’d laughed to myself thinking, "People here are overly cautious. In our country, who dies from something like this?"

Just days later, while taking a vitamin pill before bed, it lodged in my throat. I couldn’t swallow or breathe. My vision blurred. Panic set in. I tried everything — nothing worked. “Is this how it ends?” I thought, preparing to surrender.

In that surrender, a soft inner voice said, “How can you give up so easily? Try!” Instantly, I remembered the instructions from that very signboard. With renewed clarity, I pressed my abdomen forward and forced the pill out.

It was a reminder that even thoughts of mockery or carelessness return with consequence under the Kalpavriksha.

A Realization Rooted in Grace

Sri Gurudev, like the Kalpavriksha, is always present — silently witnessing, protecting, guiding.

But like the wayfarer, if we live unaware of His presence, even blessings may turn sour. If we recognize His presence, our desires refine, our fears dissolve, and our lives align.

This is the essence of our Ashram's prayer — "Let us always want good, think good, see good." And even if we stray, our Gurudev, in infinite compassion, gently brings us back to the right path.

Criticism

 

    Among all the living beings, the gift given by God to man alone is the intellect. Only this intellect has the power to inquire into what is good and what is bad and choose the good. This inquiry is also called criticism. Shri Babuji Maharaj used to say, 'Every night, before you go to bed, review the actions and thoughts you have done that day and ask yourself, to what extent are those actions or thoughts useful for your sadhana? Which of them are degrading you?' Everyone should make it a habit to self-criticize. Such self-criticism helps us to assess whether the path we are traveling on is right or not. It gives us the opportunity to change our path and come back to the right one before traveling too far on the wrong path.

    But how many of us do self-criticism like this? Most of our lives are spent judging the good and bad of others and criticizing them. Even if our conscience points out our mistakes, we try to cover them up by telling ourselves that there is some compelling reason for doing that mistake. We also try to show the small good deeds we do in a magnifying glass so that everyone will recognize them. Our Arsha Dharma teaches that praising yourself and blaming others are both great sins.

    However, even if we change to a righteous path with the teachings of Gurudev, the world around us will not change! No matter what we do, there are always those who will try to find some flaw in it and criticize us. When we face criticism, our mind rises up like a cobra whose tail has been trampled. However, this is where we should use our wisdom and slow down a little. 'It's fine to listen to whatever anyone says. But the wise man is the one who, doesn't come to a decision on just hearing, thinks with his mind and knows the truth and falsehood in it' - says Sumathi Sataka in Telugu.

    When someone says something, one should not get angry immediately and stop for a moment and look for the truth in their words. Because no matter how experienced one is, no matter how skilled one is in the work he does, there will always be some fault somewhere. 'Sarvarambha hi doshena dhoomenagni rivavrutah' - Just as smoke surrounds fire, all the things we do are always surrounded by some fault, as the Gitacharya himself said! Therefore, we should stop for a moment and self-criticize the work we have done or our personality to see how much truth there is in the criticism of others. And if there is really a fault in us, we should try to correct it.

    'Those who point out faults in us are our helpers,' said Sri Ramadas. Because criticism is beneficial for us in both ways. If there is truth in their criticism, it helps us to know and correct our mistakes, and thereby reach a higher state. Even if there is no truth in that criticism and it is done just to hurt or humiliate us, if we accept it with a good conscience, it will free us from our bad karma to some extent. Because whenever we experience physical or mental hardship, we should remember that in this way we are reducing the burden of our bad karma. Similarly, all the pleasures we experience eat away the balance of good karma from our account.

    Criticism is very necessary for us because it does us good in both ways. That is why Jaganmata is 'Vimarsha Rupini'. Therefore, instead of seeing the critic as an individual, we should learn to accept criticism happily, thinking that Jaganmata is putting us on the right path or taking away our bad karma. To accept it in that way, we should first remember that the things we do are different from what we are. If someone criticizes our work, we will be able to work even better if we realize that it is not us, but the work that has fault and correct the flaw in that work. We should always remember why we are doing that work in the first place and understand that this criticism is a step towards that purpose. We should build stairs with the stones that are thrown at us and climb even higher.

    On the other hand, when we see others as our friends or enemies, as older or younger than us, then we will have a flaw in the way we perceive their criticism. If we ourselves feel guilty that we have done something wrong, then we will have a fixed opinion that whoever looks at us or speaks among themselves is criticizing us and talking badly about us. Therefore, if we first self-criticize, correct our faults, and learn to stop seeing the person in every criticism and see Jaganmata, then that mind will always have peace!

Happy New Year

Every year when the calendar changes, we all wish each other a Happy New Year. Let's see what these words really mean.

Happiness changes with the perspective of the Person. A baby sees a glowing fire as attractive and thinks that touching and playing with it is happiness for her. But her mother knows the real nature of the fire and the consequences of touching it and quickly pulls the baby away from the fire. The mother is now happy that the baby is safe, but the baby is unhappy that her wish was not fulfilled. But if the baby's wish was really fulfilled will she remain happy? We all know that it would have led to immense sorrow.

Just like the baby, we only see the outer attractiveness of things and long for them thinking that they make us happy. But, like the mother, God knows the true nature of the things and withholds them from being presented to us. This may make us sorry temporarily, but He knows that it is for our own safety.

On my birthday last month, on one hand I was spending my whole day receiving and replying to wishes from friends, family and colleagues and on the other hand I was running between hospital and lab to get my Covid related tests done. By the end of the day I was into isolation. Was I happy about the birthday and the wishes? Yes. Was I happy about the Covid tests being positive? In a way, yes. I was happy that I took the right decision of getting tested and isolated in the very early stage itself instead of spreading the virus to others. Our real happiness lies in accepting whatever comes our way as a present from God. 

The happiness, in the pursuit of which we spend our lives, is all temporary and relative. Only God experiences permanent happiness and He is always eager to bestow it upon us.

Coming to the word new, what we call new is always transient. On January second the year becomes old. If you wear new clothes, by the evening they become old. If you buy a new bike for, say ₹50,000, by the time it comes out of the showroom it becomes old. If you take it back saying I don't like it, they will only party you like ₹30,000 saying it is a second hand bike now. So, the newness of the worldly things just lasts for a moment. Only God is permanently new as he is changeless.

Now let's see year. What we call a year is just one day for the people living near the poles, as for them the Son rises and sets only once per our year. Similarity all the worldly concepts that we believe as ultimate truths are relative and bound by time and place. We learn that the Son rising in the East and setting in the West  is a permanent truth. But, if you go to the north pole, the Sun both rises and sets in the South only. There is no other direction than South there. If you go to the outer space, there is no concept of the four directions as we know.

Year is just a measure of time. Our Gurudev Sri Babuji Maharaj used to say, "Only the time you spend in God's service or in His thoughts or for Him is counted as permanent time. Rest all is transient and wasted."

So, a real Happy New Year is the one which we spend completely for our own spiritual advancement and in finding and following a path to reach God.

A Guru's Protection

In the summer of 2016 our family had the great opportunity of participating in the USA tour along with Sri Mathaji and several ardent devotees of Sri Babuji Maharaj. The tour started after a 3 day Satsang in St.Louis and we covered many prominent tourist places in the USA and the Bahamas. Sri Mathaji has instructed all the devotees to continuously chant the sacred name of the Gurudev starting 41 days before the tour started. Wherever we went, we were blessed with the regular darshan of the Divine Mother and have the teertham from her hands every morning.

During the 4 days of Bahamas cruise trip, we used to have the full evening prayer on the deck of the ship and many foreigners also used to accompany us. One day we were travelling by bus from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The above picture was taken just before boarding that bus. Sri Mathaji waved off to us when the bus started and we left happily. It was a long journey of 8 hours by road. As the whole tour went hectic, this was the only occasion when we got some free time and the devotees in the bus started narrating their experiences with Sri Babuji Maharaj.

Each one of us narrated his/her own experiences with Sri Gurudev, both spiritual as well as worldly. Although each one went through a different situation or had a different experience, the common theme was their closeness with Sri Gurudev as if he was their closest relative and his love belonged exclusively to them. Even though the other person was narrating his personal story, we could relate with it at a personal level. As this narration was going on, there was a sudden jerk and the bus swerved violently and went off the road. Everyone started chanting aloud the sacred name. Once the situation calmed down, the driver explained that a car suddenly came into our lane and it was a miracle that a dangerous accident was averted.

Within Minutes we got a call from Sri Mathaji inquiring about our safety. When explained about what happened, she said it was with Sri Gurudev's benevolence that we were saved. Later, a devotee who was riding in the car with Sri Mathaji narrated an interesting thing to us. As Sri Mathaji waved off to our bus in Los Angeles and as the bus moved on, she kept looking in the direction of the bus for a long time and then boarded the car. Then this devotee asked her, out of curiosity, why she was looking at the bus for a such a long time even after it left. She replied, "I felt as if Sri Babuji Maharaj has taken the bus into his hands and that was why I kept looking." That was the protection of Sri Gurudev that all of the devotees have been experienced every moment of their lives. 

Just a few days after our tour ended, a bus travelling with some Chinese tourists on the same highway met with a similar accident and burned completely killing all the passengers. We also heard news about fire accidents or evacuations in some of the airports we passed through in our tour. And in the next summer the Bahamas was devastated due to a severe hurricane. All these incidents reminded us the constant protection we were receiving from Sri Gurudev, whether we were realizing at that particular moment or not.

Collective Karma

We all believe in Karma and understand that each one of our actions has consequences either in near or distant future, and that our current happiness or suffering is a result of our past actions. This is understandable in most of the cases but sometimes we get confused when group of people meet the same fate as a bus or train accident or a natural calamity and wonder how they all performed same action in the past to beget the same result together. This cannot be explained by the individual karma. There must be a collective karma that belonged to the entire group.

If we take a classroom in a school for example, we see that individual students score marks in an exam based on the level of effort they put in and their intellectual abilities. But the class, as a whole, will also get affected by the ability of the teacher and also external factors beyond their individual control. Same way, when a country or a state goes through elections, the new government is usually formed by whoever gets a majority of votes, which could be only 30-40% of the population. But the consequences of it need to be borne by the whole country or state. Nobody can escape by saying I did not vote for this government. That is collective karma.

Moreover, not all our sufferings need to be a result of karma. This body is just a machine and routinely undergoes wear and tear. We should accept this inevitability and move on, instead of treating is as a suffering and pestering God with questions like “Why me? What have I done to beget this?”. And the interesting part is, people always ask these questions while suffering and almost never ask the same during the times of prosperity and happiness.

Once a devotee asked our Gurudev Sri Babuji Maharaj the same questions, “Most of the humans are getting vision and hearing problems, losing teeth and hair, or graying of hair etc. How is it possible that all of them did same karma in previous lives to beget these common problems?” In reply he gave an excellent explanation - “When it’s time for the school, they ring three bells with an interval of five minutes. Some students reach school even before the first bell rings. Some hurry to the school hearing the first bell, some on the second or third and some don’t even care and always go to school late and unprepared. These ailments are the bells that God rings to let you know your time is running out and you better prepare well, at least now, in order to reach Him before it’s too late. Some people realize this on the first sign and improve upon their spiritual practice to reach Him peacefully. Some realize it on the second or third sign and others don’t even realize and will be pushed to hell to suffer or to a rebirth into a species of a lower intellect where it takes much longer to realize the Self.”

While we may never know the real reasons behind our happiness or sufferings, it is prudent to forget about the past and look at what we can do to become strong enough to be unaffected by these. The solution for that is to treat both happiness and suffering as a graceful grant of God and take them with an equal mind. And also always remember that both of them are temporary and will not last long. As long as there is ignorance of the self, we tend to recognize this duality and enjoy or suffer. Once we attain the knowledge of the self, this duality goes away and only thing that remains is the ultimate bliss.

When devotees asked questions like, “If I am God, when did this ignorance start in me that I am not able to realize my true self?” and Sri Babuji used to reply with a question, “While walking on the road if you accidentally step on someone’s feces, do you just go and wash your feet? Or do you scrutinize it to find out whom did it belonged to and from what kind of food it formed?” When a devote asked this question once Sri Babuji asked, “Do you know Nuclear Physics?” and the devotee replied, “No Sir.” And Sri Babuji asked, “Since when you didn’t know it?” to which the devotee got perplexed and replied, “How can there be a starting point for not knowing? I never knew it.” Sri Babuji explained, “Same is the case with ignorance. It’s always been there and will be there as long as you don’t light the matchstick of knowledge of the self. There is no point in trying to find out the origins of ignorance and you can instead spend that effort in lighting the fire of knowledge.”