Jai Sita Ram!

[aneil]

Jai Sita Ram, Sai Ram, Hari Om, Radhe Radhe and Namaste to all.

I most humbly wish to introduce myself, I am Aneil from the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. I am overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge, wisdom and love shared via these forums.

I'm 27yrs old and i felt blessed to receive a spiritual awakening about 4 years ago, which launched a keen interest for the great knowledge and wisdom to be gained in our rich Hindu culture and the various schools of thought associated.

Hinduism is still very strong in our country and the dedication and shraddha(faith) exhibited by young devotees can surely inspire anyone. I myself am not the most religious of persons, however i would like to consider myself a spiritual seeker and aspirant trying to strike a balance between the material and emotional trappings of the world and the ocean of bliss and peace that radiates at the base of our being.

I have been inspired by the teachings of many great saints and gurus of the world. Like Sri Dattatreya, I believe that there are lessons to be learnt from anywhere at any given point in time by merely observing.

Hinduism answers the questions we don't quite know how to ask, and I hope to learn as well as share whatever little knowledge I'm blessed with to these forums. Thank You.

[Ashvati]

Welcome to the forums, and may any other questions you're not sure how to ask come to you and be answered here

[kallol]

Welcome to our midst.

Can you share the experience of spiritual awakening ?

It gives you a head start in this life.

Love and best wishes

[aneil]

Well the details of it are kinda personal. What I can share is that I was going through a period deep disappointment, depression and helplessness. Somehow, something within me dragged me to attend a satsangh at one of my relatives house. I hadn't been to satsangh for the greater part of my life and wasn't expecting anything to happen to me given my state of mind.

However I was blown away by the atmosphere created at the satsangh, the Guru that lead the devotion made subtle statements that would totally change the way I saw religion, spirituality and the Divine. The first quote that struck me he explained as "pain, unhappiness nor sin never reaches those from whose lips the name of Shiva comes!". No matter how difficult our lives may seem, as long as we can identify with the unchanging source of happiness and peace, then what is there really to fear?

He also made one of the most simple yet profound sentiments I had ever heard:
"God does not want perfection, He only wants affection!"

I felt so inspired after that evening that I spent many nights afterward reading and learning about the various deities of the Hindu tradition. I found myself learning mantras, chalisas and the significance of the rites and rituals associated with our way of life. I even began humming along to bhajans resonating within my mind an heart. Over the years I became fascinated with the path of knowledge and acquired many lectures and books from various organizations such as the Chinmaya Mission and the Divine Life Society.

I've never looked back since, despite the many challenges I faced, the one constant reality of God has never left me to face them alone.

[Shanti]

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you for sharing your personal experience, God is amazing and the simplest of things can be profoundly life changing indeed.