All posts by jcisnowjs

Blogger, Freelancer, Manager, Software Engineer, Beginner in Crocheting, Struggling Cook, Photography addict, Passionate for long drives n soulful music, Movie buff, Interested in politics, a loving wife and a Mom of three, but still a girl from heart :-)

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Story of Kavita – Enslaved in The Name of God, Helped by Mortals

Image February 5, 2014 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

Kavita seems to be an ordinary looking middle aged woman working her way out to earn a living, but look deep inside her eyes and you will see the pain and humiliation that she has gone through. To make the matter worse, what happened to her was done all in the name of God. How can any God be so merciless to deny a girl the right to study, right to stay with her family, right to have a family of her own, right to have a decent relationship in her life, right to marry a man, right to dream, right to be her.

Kavita was a Devdaasi, translated it means Slave of God. In actuality it means more than just a slave, it means married to the God for her entire life, but serve all the Men.

Devdaasi was a very old system practiced in India. Some say that it is still active in some of the rural villages of India. In this system, girls of 5 and 6 years of ages, were given to the temples, where they were married to the God in big ceremonies. The girl thus married to the God, can not marry anyone else, and served all her life in the temple as a slave. But, this was not all. Girls who were married to God, had no free will and thus mostly she was forced into prostitution. Only god knows how many girls have faced this humiliation of serving these devilish desires of men. Irony being a prostitute has a right to say no, but being slaves a Devdaasi didn’t even had that right. They were just reduced to being a Temple Prostitute.

Now that this practice is almost in extinction phase but still the ones like Kavita, who have come out of the system are working hard to make their ends meet. Being a single mother of two teen age children in a small village of Karnataka, India, she finds it hard to even manage the school fees of her kids. To top it all, as the stigma of Devdaasi is attached to her now for permanently, she and the likes of her do not find any job opportunity. Only thing that is left for them to live a dignified life is to start their own small business.

How can you Help Kavita?

Kavita has started a small business of selling textiles. But she needs more support to scale up her business. Her friends Kasthuri and Mallava also have the same stories. They are in buffalo and goat rearing business. What all of them need is some support from all of us so that they can scale up their business, and help their families to build a better future. These 3 women seek a loan of Rs.45,000, repayable over 18 months, to expand their small scale businesses. To help them and learn more about the cause, please visit Milaap’s site here.

Milaap and Mass are NGO, working with ASSET India Foundation for the empowerment of these women. These organizations are helping these women to come out of the Devdaasi system by providing them small support to start their own business and be financially independent. They are also helping their kids against human trafficking and giving them opportunity to study.

You can help Kavita and her group by lending her a helping hand in scaling up her business by lending a loan. In case you can not lend a loan, then do spread the word so that others who can, come to know of her plight and help her.

Please visit the Milaap’s site here to help Kavita. Because slavery to Man or to God, slavery is still slavery and there is nothing more valuable than Freedom.

Help her.

Life, Spiritual

Why We Pray to Shiva Linga?

Image February 3, 2014 jcisnowjs 6 Comments

Disclaimer: This article is based on my understanding made through reading various religious and spiritual books. Being a science student I have always looked for reasons behind everything, even when I know that some things can not be explained. Still, I have tried. Fool me. In no way my intentions are to hurt feelings or beliefs of anyone. In fact I am not strong enough to hurt your beliefs. So, try to read the below article with an open mind, otherwise you always have the choice of not reading it.

Why We Pray to Shiva Linga — Shiva Linga

Every time we bring Lord Shiva to our thoughts, there are generally two images that come to our mind. One that has form of a male human God wearing animal skin, having a drum (dumroo) in the hand, Ganga flowing throw hairs and snakes curled around the blue colored neck. Another image is that of a Shiva Linga, to be precise, denoting male phallus and female sexual organ (yoni) at the base.

But, why these two representation of Lord Shiva?

First lets discuss that why we are praying to what looks like the sexual organs of male and female body. So, while I was reading about the Kundalini, the Seven Chakras, and spiritual course of universe coming into existence from a single energy source. It struck me that what I have read in various religious books like Vedas, Shuk-Sagar and Shiv Puraan about Devas location and their role in universe creation, is actually so much related to our body, the Chakras inside and the sleeping Kundalini residing in the body.

Kundalini which dwells in the base of our spine in the Muladhaar Chakra, sleeps there in the coiled form. It rests in coiled form and thus sometimes expressed as a serpent, also named Bhujungi. This Kundalini when awakened is The Shakti, the ultimate energy form in its full power. Shakti which as per Indian Vedas and Puraans is the AadiShakti and companion of AadiShiva. Shiva who is static, used his Shakti the kinetic energy, to create the universe and everything in the universe. It is The Shakti, who has created everything as per the intention of Shiva, and she is thus the Mother of all. Sometimes also, referred as Mother Nature (Prakriti), and Maya the illusion.

Shakti and Shiva both complement and complete each other. Without his Shakti, Shiva is nothing, and without Shiva, Shakti is of no use. This can be stated in simple terms as, if Shakti is power, than Shiva is the Power Holder. If the power holder is not able enough or deserving to hold the power, then the power can not be put into any use. Same way, if a deserving power holder do not have enough power in his hands, he can not do anything useful. Thus, a union of Shiva and Shakti can be the only one powerful enough to create and hold everything in the union as one. That’s why when Shiva created this universe (Srishti), with the help of his Shakti, he took the form of Ardhnarishvar, God represented as half male and half female form.

Coming to how Kundalini is related to the universe creation and Shiva Shakti. Not going into much details here, (maybe in some another post), When Shakti was creating the Universe, one form that she took was, of Prakrti. As Prakrti she evolves Mind (Sixth Chakra), senses and matter of five forms namely Ether (fifth Chakra), Air (Fourth), Fire (Third), Water (Second), and Earth (last Muladhaar Chakra). When Shakti entered the last Chakra, her last creation of universe, she then went to rest there in her coiled sleeping form. This sleeping coiled Shakti is termed as Kundalini. This coiled Shakti, in her lowest form is represented as a serpent (Shakti) clinging to Linga (Shiva),or a yoni (Shakti) making a base for Linga (Shiva). Thus, when we are praying to a Shiva Linga we are also praying for the awakening of the Shiva’s Shakti.

In her true or active form, this Shakti travels through all the six Chakras upwards and move to the seventh Chakra, Shashrara lotus Chakra or Crown Chakra, the Chakra of Shiva. Shiva is said to reside in the Crown Chakra, the highest point. Shakti or Kundalini when awakened to her highest state moves to the Crown Chakra to unite with her Shiva. Here, with the union of Shiva and her Shakti, Moksha is achieved, as this is the stage of God. Here, Shiva and Shakti in union are represented as a point (Bindu), which is in reality the point of creation and also destruction of universe.

Now, to mention why Shiva is represented as two forms, one as Shiva Linga and other as a God in human form. My rendition is that, Shiva when represented as Shiva Linga is shown in his true formless nature, the Aadideva Shiva, in union with his Shakti. But, Shiva when represented as human god, is Mahadev (not Aadideva), along with Parvati by his side (but, not in union). This is the place which Mahadev or Rudra has taken along with other MahaDevs like, Vishnu and Brahma to take care of the Srashti (Universe), created by the Aadidevas Shiva-Shakti.

Hope my interpretation is helpful in explaining what can not be explained.

Let Shakti be with you and you be the Shiva.

Kids and Me

Cutest Bye Bye

Image January 31, 2014 jcisnowjs 6 Comments

Do you say Bye when you leave for the market or gym?

You may or may not be doing it everyday and to everyone. But, I am sure of one thing you would not be doing. Saying bye to your home.

My kids, do that. So, whenever they leave their home they say bye bye to everyone and everything that is left behind, like our home. And this they do every time, even when they are going away just for few minutes. Sweet right?

Yesterday, while going to gym I heard the cutest bye bye from them.

When we were leaving I heard Tisha saying – “Bye bye Home. No crying, okay. I will come. I love you. Okay. Bye. I will come soon.”

Lucky Home 🙂

Then Otu also joined her and they both sing bye bye to everything, yes everything.

“Bye bye car (to the other parked cars), bye bye tree, bye bye dogie (dog), bye chair, bye bye ball…..”.

Guess, my home is blessed with kids having Love for everyone and everything. 🙂

Books, Spiritual

Meditation For The Love Of It : Book Review

Image January 29, 2014 jcisnowjs 3 Comments

Meditation For The Love Of It

(Book Review)

When you are interested in knowing something, you will find so many ways to achieve it. That is what happening with me. Since I have started doing Chakra Meditation, I am picking books, articles and every possible opportunity which is increasing my thirst more and more on learning about it. This book “Meditation for the Love of it” by “Sally Kempton” has also enhances my learning experience.

Coming to the review of book, this book is very good for the ones who wants to start their Meditative journey. Author has provided a detailed description of her experience in meditation and her Kundalini awakening episodes. Sally Kempton has spent her 40 years of life in immersing herself in meditation. She has learned the meditation techniques by her Indian spiritual Guru. Their teachings and guidelines are also mentioned in the book in very descriptive format.

If we talk of what does not clicked with me while reading this book, then there is only one point which makes it somewhat less interesting. The point being, it is less of self help book and more of Sally’s meditation journey. It’s actually good for those who are not sure if Meditation is meant for them, and they should proceed with it in their regular life or not. It could be a good inspiration to start Meditation. For those who are just looking for more techniques and exercises for meditation, this book has the information scattered around in a vague way. So you have to kinda dig in to all the Sally’s experiences to find out real stuff.

To mention an example, Chakras are mentioned in the book but nearly in the end, that too very vaguely. Another book is mentioned there for reading about Chakras which should be actually the base of Meditation, in case you want to awaken your Kundalini.

Kundalini is also mentioned at the end and not much has been given about it. I was expecting more. Kind of disappointing to me, but no sad face. Whatever you read and learn, is never sufficient. I need more and thus I have ordered some more books. So, just keep watching this space till I get my hold on those books.

Live and Learn. 🙂

Food, Kids and Me, Photographs

Experimental Cookies

Image January 21, 2014 jcisnowjs 5 Comments

One Cookie….. Two Cookies…. Three Cookies

That’s how Otu (My 2 yr Old son) was counting cookies by watching a “counting for kids video” running on TV. Suddenly, I started hearing “Cookies, Cookies…. Mamma….I want cookies”.

First it was just Otu, and within seconds two more monsters Tisha and Renne joined him. Ratio of Power just got shifted to 3:1, in fact 3:0, because, I don’t have any say, when all three kids unite against me 😛

Only reasonable thing to do next was to convince them that they will shortly receive some cookies. On that note, I was wondering why do kids always want that particular food item, which just got out of stock. :O

So, I went ahead and made some plain chocolate chip cookies. But, nothing is plain when it comes to cooking. Problem being, I try something new every time I make something. So what new now? Well, you have to read more to know that.

Here is the simplest Recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients –

2 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour

1 tbsp Baking Soda

1 tbsp Salt

1 Cup Butter

¾ Cup Sugar

¾ Cup Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

2 Large Eggs

2 Cup Chocolate Morsels (was out of them, so used butterscotch morsels)

1 Cup chopped Nuts

Method –

Preheat the Oven to 375 degree F.

Mix Flour, Baking Soda and salt.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in another bowl. Add eggs to it, one at a time, mixing thoroughly.

Mix the flour mixture with egg mixture.

Add morsels and nuts, stir well.

Now make small rolls and place them in baking sheet.

Oven time.

Bake for 9 to 11 Minutes.

Let them rest for 2 minutes, and Ready to go.

But, what was new that I talked about? Well, it got more to do with presentation.

So, instead of chocolate, I used butterscotch morsels, for the one thing.

Next to do was use shredded coconut. For this, roll your small cookie dough into shredded coconut, and then bake.

Third, I used my pineapple jam, as filling. Just placed a half spoon of it in the middle. Baked and done.

Fourth, I used chocolate syrup to do some fancy work on some of the plain cookies.

Fifth, did some mix n match.

After 10 minutes, Otu and Tisha were jumping and clapping seeing their cookies in different flavors. Renne as usual has by now forgotten about the cookies, and was busy destroying one of my book. Next mission, save the Books.

P.S. half of the cookies were finished in an hour 🙂