Begin This Ugadi With A Great Blessing - By Sri Preethaji

Namaste

Our universe is cyclical. It contracts and expands endlessly. 

Our bodies go through cyclical breaths, and cyclical metabolic functions as a part of our evolutionary process. 

Our minds go through cycles of thoughts, emotions and actions. 

And our consciousness also goes through cycles of ignorance, purification, awakening and new beginnings.  

Ancient Indians called these new beginnings as yugaadi or Ugadi or gudi padwa. Ugadhi is celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar of Chaitra masa, which is the 13th of April this year.

 Ugadi is the day you create your new inner universe. You create it with a sacred sankalpa to flow gracefully and gratefully through every season of the year, be it the spring, spring of abundance or the summer of hardships or the rainfall of relief, with the fullest knowing that life will indeed go through many of these cycles and nothing lasts for ever, neither is good time permanent nor is the bad time permanent. 

Winning and losing, progress and passivity, strength and weakness all will move in cycles. 

When you are spiritually awakened, you celebrate the wholeness of life without denying anything. You become a "Sthitaprajna" who is unperturbed in triumphs, defeats, attachments, fears, or frustrations. You live in a beautiful inner state. In this state, the bitter, the sweet, the sour, the spice, the bland and the astringent, all tastes of life are experienced. That is why in the south of India, you eat ugadhi pacchadi or what we call bevu-bella, a reminder of all the tastes of life. 

 Avrtano Nivrutatma Samvrutah Sampramardanah

Ahah Samvartako Vahnir Anilo Dharani-Dharah

 This shloka reminds that if ever you are stuck in one unpleasant taste of life, do not fear. 

The divine is the power behind all that is cyclical, the divine is also the power that liberates you from any bondage. And your divine can free you from the jaws of any misery. 

May this Ugadi be a new beginning of great abundance in the external world and sthitha pragnatva in the inner world. 

Remember to do this sankalpa on the morning of Ugadi. It will bring great auspiciousness into your life. 

- Sit in your Pooja room or a quiet corner. 

- Light a lamp 

- Breathe consciously into your heart.

- Feel the divine, who dwells as the Antaryamin in your heart.

- Assume the sankalpa mudra now. 

- Place your right palm over your left palm and then on your right thigh.

- You may now listen to the powerful, divine Ekam mantra and chant along with it. The mantra is Hamsa Soham Ekam. This mantra connects you to the power of your antaryaamin and draws great blessings. 

- Now see the year in front of you. And feel the divine blessing you with abundance of joy, love, wealth and health. 

- You may also see yourself being a sthitha prajna and a dheera. 

- Thank the divine for the blessings you have received. 

- Thank the divine for this new beginning. 

Whenever you are ready you may open your eyes. 

You may take the Ugadi sankalpa either from your home or you may join us “live” at Ekam on the morning of ugadhi for taking Ugadi sankalpa at 6:00am on the 13th of April. 

Ekam is built as a surya yantra mandala and is immensely powerful during the 4 cardinal times of sunrise, sunset, midday and mid night. 

This ugadhi it will be a suryodaya sankalpa. 

Namaste