Thank you very much, respected web admin. You always have such apt quotations at hand. I shared your input with others here. Today received the following in my mailbox which I thought would be nice to share with you all.
Regards,
Ankur

Love Triumphs

Padmapadacharya is one of the excellent disciples of Shri AdiSankaracharya. One day Padmapada decided to do penance for the darshan of Lord Nrisimha. He went to forest for doing the tapas. In the forest he met a kirataka (hunter) and he revered padmapada as his master. Every day he used to come and greet his master with sincere love and affection. Gradually, the life of the hunter became a total surrender to the feet of the master. In his mind Guru and God became one and the same.

One day he noticed that the master is doing tapas. He enquired the master and came to know that the master is doing tapas for the lion faced God (lord Nrisimha). So, he decided to fetch that God for his master. He did not understand how difficult it is to see the God. All he knows is by having the darshan of God his Guru's desire will be fulfilled. So, with all sincerity he began his search. As the time progresses, searching for the God became the only purpose of his life. He relentlessly and tirelessly continued his search. The flame of divine love completely cleaned him of all the impurities.

At last, Lord Narayana showed his grace on him and appeared as Lion faced God. He immediately took him to Padmapada. Padmapada with uncontrollable joy fell on the feet of Lord Nrisimha. Lord Nrisimha explained to Padmapada that the innocent, pure, unselfish and single minded devotional love of the hunter without a trace of ego won him over. As mentioned in Sai Satcharita,"Once you surrender at Guru's feet with single minded devotion, not only the Guru, but God himself will be moved. Such is the marvel of Guru worship, which the guru- devotees should experience themselves."

The main purpose of worship of God is to enable everyone to feel the joy and bliss of divine love and to become one in that love. As this goal appears too steep for many in the world, lot of steps have been prescribed to reach the Goal. Sri Sai advised Sraddha and Saburi as the fundamental keys to open the treasure chest of divine love or knowledge. Sraddha gives the self-confidence and Saburi allows staying at peace with day-to-day events. Some times during the times of crisis in life it becomes very difficult to hold on to these two keys. (Sraddha & Saburi). At those times, it is always good for us to remember the assurance of Sri Sai."The Sky is overcast. But, it is sure going to rain and bring forth the harvest."

Location: Shillong, Meghalaya, India

Ankur ji,

We are indeed fortunate to have such seekers after Truth, as your good self, sharing in the gentle sunlight and tranquil atmosphere of Holy Mother's Courtyard. Don't forget also to visit the Nahabat for daily readings too!

Before Swamiji's auspicious introduction to the Master, he had formerly great objections, as most of us have, to accept another man as Guru or spiritual guide.

This is because we think that the person whom we accept as Guru might turn out to be an ordinary man full of inherent weakness of lust and gold. But on coming in the company of Sri Ramakrishna, Narendra understood that such great souls with complete renunciation, selflessness, and compassion, though rare, actually are born in the world - souls with extraordinary purity, love, and penance - that shake the limited conception about God and God-Man existing in the little mind and intellect of we ordinary people.

Therefore, if they are accepted as Gurus, ordinary men will be benefited, and not harmed. Consequently Narendra was ready to accept the Master as his Guru, but still he could not go so far as to accept indiscriminately whatever Sri Ramakrishna said! As Swami Saradananda writes, "A powerful mind feels strong resistance from within when, at the time of accepting new truth, it has to change its former convictions.

Excerpted from the late Dr. C. S. Shah's SWAMI VIVKENANDA - THE UNIVERSAL MAN

Respected web admin,
first of all please accept my apologies for the late reply. I am at present in Guwahati and shall be returning to Shillong tomorrow. Actually, I was composing a piece on Lord Shiva by Sister Nivedita. Thought I would post that in reply to your kind post. However, our home PC has some problem with microsoft word and I was unable to do as I planned. Anyway, thank you for the kind words and the valuable excerpt. Today Sri Fhanindra called me. Recitation from the Bhagavad purana in his house. THe reciter was a good man with a beautiful voice. Really, hearing to the glory of the Lord can help cleanse one. The bhagavad he was reading from was by Sri Sri Sankardeva in Assamese. He narrated the story of the events leading to Sri Krishna's lifting the Govardhan mountain with the little finger of his left hand and humbling Indra, and also the story of Krishna's birth. At my asking, he told the story of Gajendra moksha in brief. I love that story. How Indradumnya, the king who built the now famous Jagannath temple, was cursed by Rishi Agastya to become an elephant and how in that animal incarnation, he was redeemed by Lord Vishnu. He also said that the Lord as Vishnu gives everything to his dear devotees, his rupa or form, his mace, discus, lotus and conch, and his powers. But He does not give anyone two things, viz. the kaustubha and srivatsa. Kaustubha was the gem obtained during the churning of the ocean by the gods and demons and has the brilliance of the sun, and srivatsa is where he has preserved on his chest the dust of the feet of hsi great devotee, the rishi Brighu, obtained when that sage kiched Him there. I have read in the Bhagavad Gita that the seven sages, the saptarshi, one among whom incarnated on Earth as Swami Vivekananda according to Sri Ramakrishna, are equal in power with the Lord except that they cannot create.

Regards and thanks,

Ankur

Location: Shillong, Meghalaya, India

'dust of the feet of hsi great devotee, the rishi Brighu, obtained when that sage kiched Him there' should be read as 'dust of the feet of his great devotee, the rishi Brighu, obtained when that sage kicked Him there.'

Apologies,

Ankur

Location: Shillong, Meghalaya, India