Saraswati Publications, LLC

Saraswati Publications Newsletter       (sanskritmantra.com) 

2008 Schedule
Namaste Friends,
 
     Happy (belated) Shivaratri and Spring Equinox! 
 
     Namadeva is traveling to the East Coast this week to Kripalu and NH.  While there, he will be, at long last, recording a Kirtan CD. 
 
     If you are not familiar with our Mantra Teacher Instruction program, please visit our website - link in the right colulm below.  We have an enthusiastic group of over 40 students, who are in contact with each other on a Yahoo Group.
 
Prem,
Namadeva
 
What Is A Guru?

Thomas Ashley-Farrand (Namadeva)

Part I

First, a guru is not a state of consciousness, it is a job. There are all kinds of gurus from musicians and storytellers to those who never speak a word. What they have in common is the appointed authority to do their job: helping the ego-mind-personality merge with the divinity within. The soul, self, jiva, atma - whatever you want to call it - is immortal. There was never a time it did not exist. There will never be a time it will not be. The ego-mind-personality is not immortal. It ceases to be at the time of death, while an essence of what it has learned and accumulated of spiritual value goes forward into the next life, even if that life does not take place for five hundred or a thousand years.

But the ego-mind-personality can become immortal if it so chooses. Of course, this choice involves a clear decision, commitment, discipline, and Grace. Once the decision is made, a succession of teachers begin to appear, helping, teaching and leading the aspirant. The only ongoing quality that matters is sincerity. One can make mistakes, take wrong turns, and make short-term inefficient choices, but if all are done within the framework of sincerity, the aspirant continues to get help. In the process of preparing the ego-mind-personality to merge with soul within, negative qualities are sanded away at the rate the aspirant can stand. Rescue within the bounds of karma often is afforded to struggling individuals. Eventually, one will meet a true guru.

Shake any bush, today, and out tumble gurus of all sorts. They are mostly wanna bes, think they ares, wish they weres, never will bes, and would-be spiritual leaders who have decided that this is their calling. Some of them are sincere. Some are not. A true guru is not self-appointed. They are selected and trained for the job by those who are true gurus, sadgurus and genuine celestial enlightened ones who come here from time to time. There are very few true gurus.

A genuine guru has spiritual authority. They can consciously take on the karma of anyone they meet. Although they have this ability, they use it selectively. If the taking on of karma serves the greater dharma, or spiritual advancement of the species, country or other group deemed important, the guru will take the karma of that individual. Sometimes the karma can be worked off without harming the guru and sometimes not. But the guru always knows both the reason and the outcome for taking another's karma.

March Mantra of the Month
Om Namah Shivaya
 
 Shiva Nataraj at Gayatri Temple
Om Mind
Na Earth
Ma Water
Shi Fire
Va Air
Ya Ether
 
 The ancients spoke of the five elements that construct our bodies: earth, water, fire, air and ether. To master each of these elements is to become a Siddha or Perfected Being. In the celestial realms there are also beings called Maha Siddhas, which operate at a different level
 
Later mystic sages added more Sanskrit seed sounds to increase the range and power of the mantra, as well as endowing it with protective vibrations.
 
The Shiva mantra that is taught as part of the Shiva Kavacha is: Om Shrim Klim Namah Shivaya.  Shrim: Maha Lakshmi is transcendental omnipresent conscious power, and Klim, is the sound that attracts other potencies that surround it.
 The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony Recordings
The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony
 The Ancient Power of Sanskirt Mantra and Ceremony, 2nd. Ed., is now being revised to simplify pronunciation.
 
As promised some time ago, Namadeva is recording all of the volumes to be sold in CD sets of 10 or more CDs.
 
Volumes I & II will be for sale at our online store at the end of May.  Volume III will be ready in June 2008.

The works of Thomas Ashley-Farrand (Namadeva) give unprecedented, detailed instruction in how to empower yourself using the techniques of the ancient sages and rishis.  He and Satyabhama have been given the mission by their Gurus Sadguru Sant Keshavadas and Guru Rama Mata to bring these teachings to everyone. 

To that end, he has written and recorded a number of works, and he travels to North America and the UK to teach workshops.  Bi-annually they lead a Pilgrimage Tour of India's Holy Places, visiting with the Shankaracharayas at Kanchi Math, Guru Mata at Vishwa Shanti Ashram, and doing fire ceremonies in the Himalayas, among the highlights of the trip.
 
They have founded a religious organization, Sanatana Dharma Satsang, which has opened a Gayatri Temple in Beaverton, Oregon.  Plans are in the works to found temples with residential communities in Oregon, New Mexico, and other locations. The link to it is in the right column.
 
These works are offered in a spirit of service. We sincerely hope that they will further you on your path.
 
Prem & Shanti,
Satyabhama (Margalo Ashley-Farrand)
Saraswati Publications, LLC
In This Issue
What Is A Guru?
Mantra of the Month
CDs of Ancient Power Volumes
2008 Schedule of Workshops
 We will be doing workshops in the following places in 2008:

March - Kripalu, MA, and Keene, NH

April - Kansas City, KS

May - St. Louis, MO
 
June - London, England; Atlanta, GA

July - Indralaya, Orcas Island and Seattle, WA

August - Far Horizons Camp, Sierra Mountains, CA

September - Charleston, SC, and Kripalu, MA

October - Arlington Hts, Highland Park, and Chicago, IL, and Calgary, Canada

November - Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

December - Bangalore, India

India Pilgrimage - May 2009

Please see our schedule for details and updates: 
http://sanskritmantra.com/schedule.shtml
The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony
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