Two Golden Classics - Teesri Kasam and Mare Gaye Gulfam

Have you ever heard a story or watched any movie in which the name of the hero and heroine are the same? Recently on Audible, I heard the story 'Mare Gaye Gulfam' by Phanishwarnath Renu. He was one of the most influential writers of modern Hindi literature. The Bollywood movie 'Teesri Kasam' was based on this love story. 

In this story, both the central characters are namesakes. 'Hira' is the name, 'Hiraman' for the male protagonist and 'Hira Bai' for the female protagonist. In the movie, the role of Hiraman was played by Raj Kapoor, the biggest showman of the period whereas the dancer Hira Bai's role was played by Waheeda Rehman, a Bharatnatyam dancer. This story is set in post-Independent India. Hiraman took two vows after he faced difficult situations in life that he would never carry black marketeer or bamboo in his bullock cart. Soon after his marriage, his wife died and after that he was a single man. One day, he got the chance to carry Hira Bai as a passenger in his bullock cart. He took care of her and sang songs to pass the journey time. He fell in love with her while travelling. Later, he met her and tried to convince her to leave her profession and to live with him. She refused. His heart was broken and he took his third vow that he would never carry any female dancer in his cart.

It is a musical movie. The evergreen songs of the movie are 'Chalat Musafir', 'Duniya Bananewale', 'Maare Gaye Gulfaam', 'Paan Khaaye Saiyaan Hamaaro', 'Sajanwa Bairi Ho Gaye Hamaar' and 'Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo'.

So, what would you like to do - listen or read the story by author Phanishwarnath Renu or watch the movie produced by lyricist Shaliendra?

Recitation of Hanuman Chalisa in Sadhana App

Today it was different!. It was Hanuman Jayanti. It was His birthday! :) I wished to worship Him in a unique way. I logged in to the Sadhana App, clicked the option of Kishkindha Temple. I entered the magnificent temple of Lord Hanuman, the mystical and ancient architect mesmerized me. The screen displayed various options like yagna, abhishekam, nitya pooja, japa and sadhana. I tapped on nitya pooja and then clicked on Hanuman Chalisa (10 min). I daily chant Hanuman Chalisa in just 2 minutes like a machine. I was excited to learn to do nitya pooja of my favorite deity Lord Hanuman in 27 steps. The Hanuman Chalisa was sung in a melodious voice, soothing to ears which enhanced devotion. I started mentally offering the following ingredients like ghee lamp, incense, water, milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, sugar, panchamrit, perfume oil, cloth, sacred thread, jewellery, honey pot, fragrant oil, rice, flowers, dhoop, handheld lamp, naivedyam, paan, fruits, coconut, aarti lamp, pradakshina lamp and garland to Lord Hanuman while murmuring the chant. 

I very lovingly offered each of the sacred ingredients, each has its own significance and importance in the ritual - water and milk symbolize purity and cleansing, yogurt and honey offer sweetness and nourishment, the panchamrit - a blend of milk, yogurt, honey, sugar, and tulsi leaf - represents the five elements is a divine elixir for the gods. I lit the incense and dhoop, their fragrant smoke filled the temple with a heavenly aroma. The luminosity of the handheld lamp removed the clouds of ignorance from my mind as I recited the Hanuman Chalisa, feeling the presence of the divine Hanuman in every verse. I offered naivedyam - a traditional offering of delicacies, fruits, coconut, and paan - to the deity, a gesture of gratitude for the blessings received. The lamp's flame glimmered in my hands, casting flickering shadows on the temple walls as I performed the aarti, absorbing the sacred energy in this divine moment. Finally, I completed the ritual with a pradakshina - a circumambulation of the altar. And adorned Lord Hanuman with a red garland with a feeling of peace and fulfillment in my heart. As I left the temple, I carried with me the divine blessings and energy of Lord Hanuman. Now, I was connected with Him in a more profound way.

The experience was so special that I decided to do Hanuman Chalisa daily in Sadhana App instead of robotic recitation.

My Spiritual Experience of Watching Live Telecast of Sri Hari Bhagwan's Birthday Celebrations from Sri Badrika Ashram

Tears welled up in my eyes as I mentally visualized my Guru - Om Swamiji and touched His Lotus Feet. I practice it every time as soon as He finishes the discourse without missing a single time. But today was a different experience. As I touched His Feet in my imagination, I also thanked Him for explaining astral travel in simple words. My emotions stirred up as He had blessed me with astral body experience on Aug, 21 which resulted in the emotional flow of salty water from my eyes. I experienced this on 04.04.23 while watching the live telecast of Sri Hari's Birthday Celebration from Sri Badrika Ashram.

Before Aarti was started my eyes were already overflowing with tears, wetting my not so chubby cheeks. As I looked towards Sri Hari Bhagwan, I felt that not only me but He was also crying and His chubby cheeks were wet with tears. 

"Oh my Bhagwan, Please do not cry." In my mind, I was repeatedly saying while trying to wipe the non-stop flow of tears from His Large Lotus Petal Eyes. I forgot to dry my face with a handkerchief. I was now focusing on His tears, wiping them as gently as possible with my soft hands. I felt immense pain in seeing His Face moistened with tears. And I cried more. 

I was crying, He was crying, we both were crying because we were not two but only One!   

My Spiritual Crying While Watching Live Telecast of Sri Hari's Aarti from Sri Badrika Ashram on 03.04.23

As soon as Om Swamiji blew the conch, I started sobbing gently. While He was singing the Aarti of Sri Hari Bhagwan in Sri Badrika Ashram and I was watching the live telecast in my home on 3 April, 23, my sobs turned into crying. During the whole period of singing glories of Lord Sri Hari, I was shedding tears along with loud sobs. The ever benevolent Ma Lakshmi is Mother Nature. Today, instead of scarlet red She was dressed in sea green. Like Nature, She nurtures all beings like a mother taking care of babies. She represents trees, plants, creepers, shrubs, herbs, pastures and all greenery in nature. She also appears as the sun, clouds, moon, river, lake, mountains and soothing breeze. She blesses everyone with wealth, prosperity, name and fame, good fortune, power, health, beauty and fertility. 

I was absorbed in the ever benevolent form of Ma Lakshmi, crying for Her motherly affection. As nature blesses us with uncountable things, I was asking Her to shower Her love in numerous ways on me. I was crying hard like an infant whose mother had not attended her for a long time. I was yearning for Her presence, Her love, Her affection, Her compassion, Her tenderness. All of a sudden, I felt a gentle touch on my head. Did She appear to bless me? 

My continuous loud cries aroused my mother in the adjacent room who was reading a book about Jim Corbette's adventures. She came to my room and gently put her right hand on my head, trying to soothe me, making me comfortable, convincing me that she would always be with me in my cries as well as my laughs.

I had always worshipped her as Ma Lakshmi! :)

My Spiritual Experience of Watching Live Telecast of Sri Hari Aarti from Sri Badrika Ashram on 02.04.23

As soon as I heard the first word of Sri Hari Aarti then I began to sob loudly. It is the energy of Aarti words or Swamiji's powerful intones, I did not know! I felt as if there was deep darkness engulfing the whole world and Ma Kalratri appeared dressed in black on Her vehicle - donkey to remove blackness, ignorance, gloominess, dullness, delusion and negative energies from the society and to bless Her devotees with fearlessness and auspiciousness. She was holding weapons like an iron club with piercing ends and a curved sword in Her arms to destroy all those who had evil thoughts in the battlefield of life and with Her two hands She is blessing Her worshippers with courageousness and felicitousness. 

The darkness imbalance has crippled the mankind. This difference in the society is because of the rich and the poor, educated and uneducated, feeble and strong as well as kind and the brute. I experienced that Mother Kalratri appeared from the dark clouds like a thunderbolt to eradicate this inequality from society and to create an environment of love and harmony.  

My Spiritual Crying While Performing Live NavDurga Yagna Day 9 - 31 March 23 in Sadhana App

While meditating on the tantric eulogy of Mother Divine I started sobbing. My eyes welled up with tears. They started flowing down, wetting my soft cheeks. I was performing live NavDurga Yagna Day 9 - 31 March 23 in Sadhana App. As usual I had already cried a lot while doing yagna on Navaran Mantra and Tantric Mantra of that day.

While meditating on Mother Divine, my mind became silent, the unresolved emotions of my subconsciousness came up on the surface, triggering a very strong emotional urge to cry and to vent out all those suppressed emotions. The negative emotions that flowed out in the form of tears from my eyes helped me in feeling light and free.

It is all Mother Divine's Blessings! :)

Devotional Tears in My Eyes While Performing Live NavDurga Yagna Day 8 - 30 March 23 in Sadhana App

Were the tears coming from lacrimal meat side of eye? It is the area where the small pink globular nodule at the inner corner of eye is present. 

I raised my hand and gently touched my right eye to check. No, they were not flowing from that part of the eye. I was experiencing spiritual crying while performing a live NavDurga Yagna Day 8 - 30 March 23 in Sadhana App. As usual tears started flowing from my eyes while pouring hawan samagri in holy fire while chanting navarna mantra. 

An incidence flashed in my mind! When I once told Neelam Om that I was experiencing spiritual crying too frequently. She shared with me that Om Swamiji told in one of His discourses that the tears of devotion if flowed from the eye corner opposite to nose are of the best and the tears flowing from the eye corner close to the nose are of inferior type and the tears flowing from the middle part of eye are of ok type. After observing myself for sometime I briefed her that most of the time the tears flowed from the middle part of my eyes and many a times from the eye corners that are away from the nose or the eye corners that are close to the ears. But they very rarely came out from the corner of eye close to the nose. 

Almost daily tears are there while performing live yagna on navarna mantra and tantric mantra. No tears while doing yagna on any other mantra nor while watching the recording of the same event.

Next time, whenever you shed tears, tears have a lot to say about your spiritual growth. :)