What is affirmation?
If we carefully notice in our everyday lives, we will know how much of negative sentences and words we use, thereby creating negativity around us. I can’t, I don’t, I cannot, no, never, nothing and plenty more, these are a part of our normal conversation. If we try to consciously change this to positive we can see changes in not only how we speak but also in how we think. We can try from today, perhaps from now. For example, we can say, “Please close the door slowly”, rather than saying, “don’t bang the door”. “Don’t waste water”, can be told as ,
“Make the best use of water”. You can list out sentences that you use in your daily conversation and try to make these little changes and see the impact yourself.
Affirmation is just a technique that can change the way we think. It is a technique where we avoid the usage of any negative word or sentences. Rather than thinking or saying something opposite we think and say positively.
The contentment in our lives does not come with how much we have achieved, it comes with the way we behave while we are achieving what we achieved. Today even though our standard of living has improved so much, even though we have achieved so much in terms of technological advancements, comfort, luxury etc but yet there is a suffering all over. in fact earlier people were more content and happier as compared to what we are today. They did not spend much time on creating waste and non sensical thoughts and thereby making their lives miserable. There was so much to do in their lives that they didn’t have time to think so much. But today, with so much comforts, luxury, easy accessibility to anything and everything we wish for, we have not only become dependent but have also started misusing the resources to much of our disadvantage rather. Actually life doesn’t create thoughts, thoughts create life.
Change is the only constant. Our lifestyle keep changing, everyday is not the same. But what changes happen in life is in our control to a very large extent. External situations may or may not be predictable but internal situations can be easily controlled if we have control on our thoughts. Thoughts are that powerful.
It depends on the person what kind of change he wants in his life. If he wants a positive change his thoughts will reflect the same. Even negative thoughts will reflect the quality of his life. All of us strive to make our future better than our present. But sometimes things just don’t work in our favour. Sometimes there’s no progress. And sometimes rather than progress, there’s a downfall. Why?? As it is said earlier, life doesn’t create thoughts, thoughts create life. Sometimes even though we wish for something good to happen but rather than focusing on that thing to happen in reality, we doubt whether it will happen or not, we think just because it didn’t happen for someone else so it may not happen to us. We create so many negative thoughts about it, all our energies put together to make something happen just nullifies by the negative thoughts that we created for that particular wish to happen. This is why it doesn’t work out. Faith work for simple people. If we create too many impediments and complications in our lives, we will remain where we are.
How does affirmation work?
Now see, affirmation is a process, so it takes time to show its impacts. The change doesn’t show overnight it does take time. Now that we know what is in affirmation, let us try to make this process work for ourselves in a positive way to create our lives a good one and our world a better place to live. For this, we need to make a small effort. We need to make a list of all things that we wish to happen in our lives and write it down on a paper in present tense. For example if we wish for a big house we need to write I live in a big house, I have a big car etc. Likewise you can make a list of everything that you want or wish to have in your life. Make sure to use only positive sentences and positive words. Try to write all these wishes in a white blank paper in blue ink. Now make it a practice that every day when you get a from your bed early in the morning. Take this piece of paper where all your dreams and wishes are listed out read at once close your eyes take a deep breath try to imagine everything in present tense for example if you want a big car you have to imagine that you are riding or sitting in that big car right now if you want promotion you have to create a thought that you are already promoted, likewise you have to to visualise all the wish and the dream that you have listed out to be happening in the present. You may take your own sweet time be it 5 minutes or 10 minutes, but ensure that you do this everyday. Make this a habit to do early in the morning just as you wake up, the first thing in the morning and the last thing before you go to the bed. You need to sleep with this thought and wake up with this thought and also keep reminding yourself as many as times you want throughout the day. Also ensure that you remind yourself of these wishes and dreams before you drink water and before you eat your food or meals without fail. Water and food has the capacity to absorb the vibrations so the more you think and visualise all these things before you intake your food and water the more dominant the thought becomes. The food which makes our body and the water which is 70% of our body content absorbs the maximum vibrations. What we think and what we see while we are eating or drinking becomes our dominant thought. This is the reason why we are supposed to eat silently and not watch anything while eating. Also we should drink water with utmost gratitude and devotion.
Few steps taken to create conscious positive thoughts can bring tremendous amount of changes in our lives. Having said much about creating positive thought it is equally important to act on these thoughts too. Simply thinking will not make things work out for us. Affirmation is a way to enhance mental and emotional health and to achieve our wishes consciously.
What is Manifestation?
Manifestation in simple words means making something, that which we believe, happen in reality, through a combined effort of our thoughts, actions and emotions. Manifestation is not a new word or a new thing. With social media being so much advanced now, it’s just that the word Manifestation got so much popularity.
We have been manifesting our dreams and beliefs ever since. Most of us do it without any sort of awareness or unknowingly. What do we believe? We believe something that we have seen. Seeing is Believing. We see a plane and we believe that it does exist. We want to either sit in the plane, fly it, make it and do everything that our imagination makes us do. We see a tree, we eat the fruit from that tree, so we believe it is possible to produce fruits if we plant a tree. Now how this belief manifests is the question. We have seen the tree, we have touched it, eaten the fruits from it, and now want to grow one more with fruits on it. Will that happen overnight? Will it happen only if we keep sitting and thinking? No. Now, how does the belief that we can produce fruits from another tree can be manifested? The thought or the idea is already taken birth in the mind. It’s time for the action. Now we would try to sow the seeds or plant the tree. We will take care of the plants, we will water the plant, the sun will do its work, air will give the necessary ingredients. Our thought of : being able to produce fruits from other plants is now projected towards one direction along with the necessary action and emotions. Finally, the tree will grow. After the seasons have gone by and when the tree is ready to bear the fruits, it will produce fruits. Hence we were able to manifest what we believed with necessary action and emotions put together in one direction. This is how it works.
Why manifestations don’t work?
We saw how manifestation works like a process. There is also a reason as to why it doesn’t work. Anything that exists around us was once thought about. Someone would have imagined it. But unless he had worked upon it or made someone work on his imagination, what he has created in his mind would not have existed in reality. So it is important to act upon what we want to create. Any creation requires energy to be directed in one direction for it to manifest itself. If the energies are diverted or misdirected, then it cannot come to reality. If we want to eat food, just by imagining food we cannot eat it. Either we need to cook, get it cooked or get it ordered and delivered to eat.
There are several small and big things that we manifest in our lives and only those becomes a reality, upon which we work. Whatever we have created in our lives was first created in our minds. We wanted big house, we had dreamt of it. We wanted a big car, we had dreamt of it. Worked day and night to gather such luxury. Everything that we build for ourselves first found expressions in our minds.
Now we need to understand that there are different kinds of thoughts we keep imposing on our minds. So, it is very much a truth that our world is a manifestation of wonderful as well as horrible things. What we think, believe, we become. So it is important to create the right kind of thoughts in our minds.
Human mind is like a monkey. We think random things and most of us are not in control of our own minds. We are slaves of our minds. When we aren’t sure of what we want, if there is no clarity and focus, we will lose the control , we will create some random, accidental life. For example: With standard of living improving we are digging our own graves in every possible way. Home cooked food is slowly going to be a rare case phenomenon. Let say some food delivery service is offering huge discounts on account of festivals, it is very easy for a person whose pocket is full of money to succumb to such alluring offers. So one day he orders something, another day another offer, third day something. This person is doing what his mind says like a slave. Despite knowing the fact that daily consumption of outside food is not good for health, this person is unable to tell his mind to stop ordering the food. He has lost control in a way. The discounts and the mouth watering images of the dishes compels him to order food. Where does that lead to? A bad health isn’t it? But if he would have done it for a day or two out of choice, he was still having an upper hand than his mind. Anything that we do under compulsion leads to destruction.
An unestablished mind has unnecessary movement of thoughts. It goes thinking about everything and anything without any purpose. It keeps repeating and imitating the things it has seen, heard or felt. There is absolutely no focus.
How to keep control of our minds?
When we organise our minds to a certain level of organisation, in turn it organises our entire system. A well established mind is a well organised mind. When the mind is organised , our physical body, energy systems, thought process and emotions are also organised. This is the best way to be and lead one’s life. This is referred to as Samyukti, an established state of mind. When a person is in such an organised state of mind, whatever he or she wishes for, happens effortlessly even with little or no effort.
So we need to be clear on our minds as to what we want. Once that is decided we should commit ourselves to creating it. For a committed man there is no such thing as failure.
Hinduism is not a religion, it is a way of life. In Hindu culture everything that we do is scientific. There is a reason behind everything that is done in a certain way. Over a period of time many of these rituals have been passed on to the next generation wrapped in some fancy explanation. As the tradition goes down from one generation to the other it suffers deterioration in its authenticity. Hence we refer to various Puranas to understand the significance of each ritual.
Ganga out of all the holy rivers, Vedas out of all the Shastras, Satya Yuga out of all the yugas and Kartik Masam out of all twelve months holds immense importance and significance in Hindu culture. If stories and legends have to be believed, each of them holds true as to why Karthik Masam is so important. Various communities have their own legends and their own explanations as to why Kartik Purnima is to be revered so much. Hence, saying that any particular story is the only reason behind Kartik month to be so auspicious would not be fair.
In most of the Hindu families there used to be a common practice of keeping a fast at least a day in a week to offer gratitude to the respective deity that particular day. However, with slow evaporation of our traditional values we can hardly notice people keeping fast these days. However it is believed that anyone who follows the rules of Urja-vrat and devotes himself to the selfless service of Lord Krishna for the entire month of Karthika receives the divine blessings of the lord in abundance, the effects of which never fades.
Diwali, Dhanteras, Karthigai Deepam/Karthik Purnima, chhath, govardhan puja, bhai duj and many more festivals fall in karthik masam. These festivals increase the importance of this month all the more. It is believed that one should accept the least and offer the most during. According to our Puranas, during the month of Karthik our Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva exist together. Both devotees of Lord shiva and Vishnu worship their deities with great reverence and offer prayer and offerings selflessly. One who does not perform any ritual in this holy month is regarded as a fool. So anyone and everyone should willfully partake in the rituals of Karthika month according to his or her capacity. As per our holy Puranas one must wake up in the Brahma muhurtham and take shower with cold water daily. During this month one must chant the names of the god and offer them lighted lamps in the evening. One must follow brahmacharya during this month which includes eating only Satvik food and avoiding intimacy with partners. One must observe fasting and offer food and and clothes and other needful things to poor people according to their capacity. This is the month of harvest. We can harvest the fruits of our sadhana effortlessly during karthika masam. One should not waste even a moment of this divine month and try to make the most out of it. One should devote himself/ herself to the selfless service of the lords. If one is able to make lord happy with their service, lord not only blesses the devotee but also his ancestors bear the fruits of his devotion.
According to the Padma Purana anyone and everyone should keep fast and do charity according to one’s financial capacity in the name of selfless service to the lord during this month. Karthik month is dearest to Lord Shri Krishna. Bathing in holy rivers, offering clothes, food and needful to the needy, Deepdaan and keeping urja-vrat or karthik vrat holds utmost significance during the month of Karthika. One can get the maximum blessing of Lord hari in kartik month. Even a little devotion can fetch utter blessings of the lord in karthika masam. By adhering to the rules and rituals of karthik vrat, one also brings peace and comfort to the souls of their ancestors. They say that if one observes karthik vrat, the doors of heaven opens up for their ancestors. The fruits of the blessing received upon following karthik vrat with utmost devotion alone is above all the sacrifices, pilgrimage, offerings or good deeds done over the ages. The blessings received in kartik month never fades.
Karthik month is the month of festivals. Diwali, dhanteras, govardhan, chhath puja and so many festivals occur during this month. Shrimati Radha Rani is the presiding deity of the kartik month. One should try to make small and big sacrifices like waking up early, sleeping on the floor than on the bed, lighting deepam, offering food, chanting mantras and japas and more. Listening to the story and shlokas from Shrimad Bhagavat Geeta has immense significance. Taking part in hari chanting and singing or playing hari bhajans also makes the lord very happy. One who reads Shrimad Bhagavat Geeta during kartik months gets the benefit of donating 100 cows. Every moment of karthika masam is very important which one should never let go waste. This is the month of devotion , sacrifice and selfless love towards God.
Padma Purana mentions the surprising significance of lighting the lamp during kartik month. One who offers deepam to Lord hari, gets freed from all his sins. Even if the sins of a person are as big as mount Sumeru, deep daan during karthik month can nullify all his sins. If one offers deep mala in temples during karthik month, upon death, Vishnudoots themselves come to escort the person. In fact, relighting the lamps which someone else has lighted and got turned off, can impress the lord.
According to Skanda purana, Lord Brahma tells Narad Maharishi one should follow Karthik vrat and listen to the narrations of Lord Sri Hari. By offering a ghee lamp to Lord Sri Krishna and Shri Radha rani in the month of Kartik will be freed from all kinds of sins and the person will go to the Abode of Lord Hari. One should daily light a lamp to Tulasi Devi and pray for eternal residence in Vrindavan and eternal service of the Lotus feet of Radha and Krishna. One must follow brahmacharya. If somebody performs even a little worship of Lord Sri Hari in this month gets the maximum benefit. One should do cows seva. One should sleep less and never do any kind of anger ego or eat anything non vegetarian or alcohol.
What is the point of lighting a lamp this month? it is not just about lighting a lamp, it is the beginning of what we refer to as the kaivalya padha. Karthika masam is significant because now it is moving into what is called kaivalya padha that means this was all the time of ploughing and cultivating, now its the time for harvest. In this month the lighting of lamps is the indicator of enlightenment awareness consciousness and ultimate liberation. This is symbolised by the lamps that we light. In Karthika masam they say that we must double the lamp that we light because one thing is that the day has become shorter, the other thing is that we are multiplying the light in our life.
Karthik purnima is celebrated on the full moon day of the Shukla paksha of Karthika month. It is also known as Tripuri Purnima. It is believed that Lord Vishnu incarnated in the form of Matsya (Fish) on the day of Karthik Purnima. Another legend tells that Lord Shiva defeated a demon called Tripurasura on Karthika Pournami, hence the name Tripuri Purnima. It is also known as deva deepawali as all the Devatas celebrate this day in heaven by lightning several deepams. In South India this festival is celebrated as Karthigai Deepam. Across India there is an immense significance of taking bath in holy rivers and lighting lamps on karthigai deepam or Karthik Purnima.
Karthigai deepam or karthik purnima is the day when every family, however rich or poor, lights a lamp in front of their houses to participate in the celebration of such divinity. Let’s take a vow to light a lamp for ourselves, for the ones we love and for the ones we don’t love.
