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Saraswati Publications Newsletter    

August 2013

Satyabhama-2010 India
Satyabhama


Dear Friends,

 

I am writing to you from  Albuquerque, where the high temperatures have been 80-90 but no humidity, except during a rain shower, in the past few days. As you can see the climate here is cooler in the summer than many places.  I am very much looking forward to the annual gathering here for the Summer Program this week.  I hope you will put it on your calendar for August 5-10, 2014.  

    

Invitation to join the Mantra Teacher Community:  Lately, there have been more people joining the Teacher of Mantra program, which is a self-study course.  It includes membership in a closed Yahoo Group, which is a lively discussion board between students and Certified Mantra Instructors, Pujaris and Priests.  When certified after passing the exam, the Mantra Instructor is ordained in Sanatana Dharma Satsang, a nonprofit religious corporation, and has all the legal protections of any ordained minister.  Testing is being done by me and Certified Mantra Instructors.  We will do testing in other countries via Skype or other services.    

 

Over the years, the Certified Priests, Mantra Teachers, Pujaris, and students have developed a supportive community that will grow and thrive.   I hope you will want to join with us.    

 

Please check out the program via the link in the column to the right.

 

The Mantra Teacher manual is currently being translated into Spanish.  It will be ready later this year. 

 

Many thanks to all of you from whom I receive so much support during the workshops and from your prayers and chanting, especially for my Leo birthday last month.

 

Prem & Blessings,

Satyabhama

 

Krishna, the 8th Avatar
Krishna
Krishna

Krishna  was born about 7,000 years ago in the Dvarpara Yuga as the "dark one."  Lord Krishna is the embodiment of love and divine joy, that destroys all pain and karma. He is the protector of sacred utterances and cows (Lakshmi.) Krishna is an instigator of all forms of knowledge and born to establish the religion of love.

 

 

 

Little Krishna

Krishna was born as the 8th child of Devaki, sister of the cruel demon king Kamsa. Sage Narada had predicted that Kamsa would be killed by his nephew, so the king killed Devaki�s first six children. The 7th, Balarama, escaped and the 8th, Krishna, was secretly exchanged for a cowherd's daughter, who was really Durga. When Kamsa tried to kill her, she revealed her true form and told him he would be killed before long by Krishna.

 

Krishna was brought up in a cowherder family and loved to play the flute to entertain the other cowherders (gopas,) the milkmaids (gopis,) and the cows. As a child, Krishna had great love for his foster-mother Yashoda, and their relationship stands as a great example for the love between a mother and her child.  

 

Krishna and Bhakti in the Mahabharata

After Krishna killed Kamsa, he became king. He married Rukmini, who became his first queen.  He had 6 other wives, and after Rukmini died, he married Satyabhama.  

 

In the great Mahabharata epic, Krishna spoke memorable words on the essence of Bhakti Yoga or the yoga of pure spiritual devotion. During the battle of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna revealed to Arjuna the essence of Bhakti Yoga, of love for God. This revelation is found in the great Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. 

 

Krishna is usually described as the most complete of the ten Avatars of Vishnu. This means that this entity carried more of the energy of Vishnu than any of the other very powerful beings which were also Avatars of Vishnu. 

When Krishna was an adult and took up his spiritual work full time, he admonished all: "Do not try to copy me. Do not try to imitate me." He all but told everyone that he was not human in the sense that they were. 

Krishna demonstrated an overpowering attraction of women. It is reported that 16,108 women fell in love with him. Some mystical teachers maintain that the love was not physical but that the libido was transformed into Divine Love. Others maintain that the love was physical, with the same end result: Divine Love. 

The roots of his involvement with so many women lie in the incarnation of Rama. When that Avatar was in the forest for 14 years, he came across many saints and sages who had taken refuge there from the forces of the demonic Ravana and Kumbarnaka.  When they encountered Rama, they were astounded to observe that their love for him included a physical attraction.  Rama, observing this, stated that in this incarnation he was the faithful husband and could not fulfill their desires.  However in his next incarnation, they could all enjoy a physical embrace with him.  Thus this story, which supports the act of physical love by Krishna, postulates that the sages were reborn as women who came to enjoy their final physical desire before experiencing true Divine Love, which would lead them unerringly to final liberation.  

 

Those who deny this interpretation maintain that Krishna was capable of imparting bliss far superior to physical love and therefore merely took the women directly to the realm of Divine Love.  

Krishna's consort is Lakshmi, in the form of his first Queen, Rukmini, who is his power.  However, another portion of her shakti is Radha, the shakti of bliss, called Hladini Shakti.  While stories are told about relationship with his married neighbor, Radha, when he was a child, her name does not even appear in the Mahabharata.  

  

Krishna exacts a promise from Uddhava.

Uddhava was Krishna's cousin-brother, that is they were cousins, and Krishna was raised by Uddhava's mother, Yashoda.  Towards the end of his life, he told Uddhava and others that he had to leave the body, because the energy of the coming Kulli Yuga* was too dense for him to be able to maintain a body.  Uddhava and others were astonished and cried out, "Adharma will predominate during Kulli Yuga.  That is the time we will need you the most."  Krishna asked the group, "Since I cannot manifest a body, who will come for me to bless the people."  Uddhava volunteered to incarnate as an amsha avatar (partial avatar,) which he does regularly, so he is always here to uphold the dharma.

  

Krishna's Janmasthami (birthday) is celebrated annually in July-August.  This year it will be August 28, 29th in the US.  Statues of Krishna are placed in wooden chariots and paraded around each temple.  There are pujas and other ceremonies all over India and wherever Krishna is worshipped.  

 

*Kali is time, the Goddess Kali is the ruler of time (as is Shiva as Kala.) Kulli is dark, so the Dark Age is Kulli Yuga.  The confusion is in transliterating  two different pronunciations in the same Roman letters. 

 

Mantras of the month:
For order and proper rhythm to all of life's activities by the grace of Sri Krishna:
 
Krishna Krishna Maha Yogin
Bhakta Nama Bhayam'kara
Govinda Param'ananda
Sarva Mae Vasha'mana'ya


Salutations to Krishna, King of the Yogis!  I am your devotee.  Make me fearless and let those things that concern me come under my control.

Om Radha Krish'naya Namaha
Since Radha is Hladini Shakti, this mantra opens and empowers a channel for the shakti to enter the Hrit Padma, activating that bliss, achieving which, one wants nothing else.
 
Mantras for Healing the Earth

Om Vighna Nasha'naya Namaha
To relieve energy blockages especially for the Devas that work with the energies of the various species: wind, water, plant, bird, mammal, fish and human.

Om U'cchista Gana'patayae Namaha
To destroy negativity 

Om Vakra'tundaya Hum
To correct something that is not working properly.

Om Dhumra Kaetuvae Namaha
To bring difficult circumstances under an umbrella of peace.

Om Gana Dhyak'shaya Namaha
To bring healing to a group. In this case, the people harmed by the earthquakes and tsunami. 

Om Kshipra Prasada'ya Namaha
 For immediate assistance.



We offer a number of pujas and fire ceremonies which may be done on your behalf for various purposes.  You will find a list of them here:

If you wish to have a puja performed for you, purchase it online, and one of the priests will contact you to make arrangements with you as to which puja or fire ceremony/yajna you want and when.

Certified Priests and Pujaris:

 
Sri Savitri Devi and Maheshwara,
Sanatana Dharma Satsang Certified Priests, are available for pujas and fire ceremonies in absentia.  Please click here for further details:  Pujas in absentia

Bharata/Bill Barry, a Certified Priest who lives in Massachusetts, is available for pujas and yajnas in his area. Please contact him at [email protected] 

 

Rajeshwari/Gretchen Carmel is a Certified Priest, living in Keene, NH.  She is available for pujas and yajnas in her area.  Please contact her at [email protected]

Shivani/Silvia Sune has been certified by Sanatana Dharma Satsang as a Priest  She is available for pujas and yajnas in the Miami /Hollywood, FL area.  Please contact her at [email protected]

 

Mahavir has been certified by Sanatana Dharma Satsang as a Pujari for 10+ years.  He is available to do pujas or yajnas in Brooklyn or at your location in the New York City area on a donation basis.  He can be reached at [email protected] 


Parvati/Pat Murphy J has been certified by Sanatana Dharma Satsang as a Pujari.  She is available for pujas and yajnas in Los Angeles area.  Please contact her at [email protected]

 

Lalita/Deanne Lozano has been certified by Sanatana Dharma Satsang as a Pujari.  She is available for pujas and yajnas in Chicago.  Please contact her at [email protected]  

 

 
Namadeva2009
Guru Namadeva Acharya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

To that end, he wrote and recorded a number of works.  He also traveled to North America and the UK to teach workshops, which Satyabhama is now continuing. 

In May 2013, Satyabhama will  lead a Pilgrimage Tour of India's Holy Places, visiting with the Shankaracharayas at Kanchi Math, Vishwa Shanti Ashram (our gurus' ashram), and doing fire ceremonies in the Himalayas, among the highlights of the trip.  This trip will focus on Goddess Temples.

 

We 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
Krishna
Mantras of the Month
Mantras for Healing the Earth
Certified Priests & Pujaris
Gayatri Temple
Video Quick Links
Visit with SatGuru Mata at Vishwa Shanti Ashram and Pujas
India Video
India Video HD


The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony
Visit Sanskritmantra.com 

Mantra Teacher cover

Teacher of Mantra Program 

(click above for more information)

is the equivalent of a college level course in mantra. This course has two objectives: (1) A comprehensive course for those interested in the subject, and, (2) A course that would prepare one to become a teacher of mantra, teaching methods for solving problems that we encounter in life. The Teacher of Mantra Program is designed to meet both of those objectives.

  

NEW ITEM:
Mantra Therapy for Traumatic Injury-PTSD
 Mantra Therapy for Traumatic Injury, PTSD

 

TO ORDER ALL ITEMS, GO TO WWW.SANSKRITMANTRA.COM 

    

All CDs and workshops are available for download, except the Ancient Power CD sets.
 

Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony, Volumes I, II & III books & CD-sets, available separately or bundled with or without the books. 

    
True Stories of Spiritual Power
on Amazon Kindle book to download to Kindle Reader, iPod, iPhone, iPad, or any computer.

Dr. Wright's Clean Out Technique -

guided pranayama for healing and releasing negativity 


Piercing the Knots-Granthis CD - A Mantra & Visualization Meditation to gently release the Kundalini from its home at the base chakra, through the knots and to the crown chakra, then back again.
 
Ganesha's Abode of Bliss - Guided Meditation (CD)   

Gayatri Mantra Meditation -2CDs with the long and short versions of the mantra, an intensive Gayatri Discipline and 1000 Names & Powers of Gayatri on Disk 2.   

  

Mantra Therapy for Prosperity CD

- Help with karmic blocks to prosperity and mantras to bring it in.

  

Other Mantra Therapy CDs in the series: 

Healing Intensives 1,2;

Mantra Therapy for Deeply Imbedded Habits, Addictions (Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking) 2-CD set

Mantra Therapy for Undereating, Anorexia, Bulimia

Mantra Therapy for Overeating  

Restoration of Dharma & Peace

  

Mantra, Path to Spiritual and Material Attainment - a 15-hour workshop on 14 CDs.  This is a comprehensive overview of Eastern and esoteric cosmology and spirituality with mantra intensive practice.     

  

Rama & Sita Workshop, Co-Starring Hanuman - The Ramayana, amusingly taught by Namadeva Acharya, with many esoteric mantras.  16 CDs    

 

Vital Yoga, A Sourcebook for Students & Teachers, by Meta Chaya Herschl - This is a full-color yoga book like no other on the market. Meta Hirschl opens the door to the full vision of yoga with graphics, photographs, and personal stories.  Only 1 left. 
Quick Links Online Store 

Preview of Ganesha Puja from DVD
Join Our Mailing List 
2011Chicago, IL Schedule of Workshops

Satyabhama will be teaching Namadeva Acharya's workshops in the following places: 

September - Canada:  Niagara Falls, ON

October -  Chicago, IL, Miami, FL

2012 information:  http://sanskritmantra.com/schedule.shtml

May 2014 India Pilgrimage - emphasis on Goddess temples
Gayatri Murthi
Gayatri Murthi
Click here for
Events at the Gayatri Temple

    

Aug. 31 - (Sat) 2 pm 

Sudarshana Chakra Yajna

 

Oct. 1 - Namadeva Acharya's Third Mahasamadhi Celebration - Guru Puja     

 

Dec. 21 - 7 pm 

Winter Solstice Planetary Puja     

 

Dec. 31 - 7:30 pm 

New Year's Eve Gayatri Celebration














Gayatri
 
CHANTING GROUPS

Portland, OR
Gayatri Temple Meetup
 
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Contact Helen Mikuska at [email protected] 

 

Cochrane, Alberta, Canada 
Contact [email protected]  

Los Angeles, CA
Atma Jyoti Chanting Group, Contact Jagadamba,  Certified Mantra Instructor: [email protected]  
 
Contact Maheshwara, Certified Priest:   [email protected] 

 

Kilauea, HI

Contact Anandra George, Certified Mantra Instructor:
info@truefreedomcoachingcom

Chicago, IL - 
Contact Lalitha/Deanne Lozano, Certified Pujari, at [email protected]

St. Louis, MO
Contact Nita Turnage, Certified Mantra Instructor, at 
[email protected] 

Boston, MA
Contact Jill Jardine, Certified Mantra Instructor at [email protected]

Western  MA 
Contact Rev. Bharata/Bill Barry, Certified Priest, at [email protected]
New Hampshire 

Keene:  Contact Rajeshwari, Certified Priest at
 
Moultonborough:  Contact Don Campbell and Chris Walsh, Certified Mantra Instructors: [email protected]

New York-Upstate

Contact Saraswati/Mary-Ann Muth, [email protected] 

 
Austin, TX
Contact Sara Minnis: [email protected] 
 
New Braunfels, TX
Contact Roger Hays at  
Sherman, TX
Listed at Dr. Jennifer Laing's website: