Pointless Satsang

[c.smith]

All this good advice and still just being able to take darshan of the deities will sometimes have to suffice, like that isn't enough in itself. I can remember a self realized saint visiting a temple here and the satsang was supposed to be in english, only to go and find upon arrival that he was going to give his discourse in hindi. I stayed, somewhat frustrated, but decided to work through it knowing that having his darshan and feeling the vibrations of satsang would suffice. Yes, I didn't get what I had gone expecting, but still did receive a "gift", if only a shift in my mental attitude.

Most of the members at the mandir that i attend speak gujarati and/or hindi and i share your frustration. I've tried learning on my own with the limited time that i have and it's just not something that i can do on my own at this point or can commit more time to right now.

Another option not mentioned above is Chinmaya Mission. Satsangs ARE in english and i've always received a warm welcome there. The bhajans are still in hindi, but the transliterations make it easy to sing along, and the explanations of the words are included. The local Chinmaya Mission here does a fantastic job and I hope that it carries to other branches. Please check it out as an option.

All the best to you, and again know that I've shared and sometimes still share your frustrations. Hang in there because the ride is worth it.

Om Namah Sivaya!

P.S. Maa is guiding you - let her work the magic that you know she's capable of.

[Divine Kala]

Come on, Divine Kala ! Do you think learning English (through which I am interacting with you all today) was any way easier for me ?

Have patience. In one of the Satsanga, one saint said, "Have infinite patience & there will be immediate results". There will always be some people ready to help. Keep yourself open to such help offers. Start reading Hindi ... it is not as difficult as you think.

OM

You have a wonderful point, Devotee but I had to laugh when you said 'start reading Hindi'. I don't even know what the devanagari mean. The only character I can recognise is Om!

[Onkara]

... I don't even know what the devanagari mean. The only character I can recognise is Om!

namasté
I used the tables on omniglot to help me become more familiar with devanagari for Sanskrit:

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/sanskrit.htm

Or Hindi: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hindi.htm


Some books start with the romanised script then introduce the reader to devanagari, but to be honest I would give yourself a few weeks (or months) just reading and practicing writing devanagari.

Perhaps someone has found some free electronic flash cards?

[kallol]

namasté
I used the tables on omniglot to help me become more familiar with devanagari for Sanskrit:

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/sanskrit.htm

Or Hindi: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hindi.htm


Some books start with the romanised script then introduce the reader to devanagari, but to be honest I would give yourself a few weeks (or months) just reading and practicing writing devanagari.

Perhaps someone has found some free electronic flash cards?

Dear Onkara ,

You are incredible !!!

The kind of passion you have - you are destined to be great !!!

Love and best wishes

[c.smith]

Hari Om!

One site that I've used the worksheets from is www.hindigym.com Although it's geared for children, it makes it easy to learn the alphabets and numbers. The worksheets on the site are free. I ended up purchasing the workbook, but you wouldn't have to - the site would at least give you a taste for the letters and language. Free is always good.

All the best to you in your ventures.

Om Namah Sivaya!

[sunyata07]

Namaste DK,

Wonderful responses from the members here. I think learning Hindi would be a great new project for yourself - whether you learn it online, at home or if you are lucky enough, with somebody from your local temple who is willing to teach you the language (direct contact and immersion in a language is the fastest way to acquire it for yourself fluently).

If you're a lover of languages, this won't seem so daunting. If you're not, just think of all the wonderful songs to Divine Mother you'll be able to sing along to and understand! Whenever I hear a beautiful hymn on Youtube or anywhere else that has touched my heart, I make a small exercise of mine to go locate the lyrics and then try to translate each word. Yes, it can be quite time-consuming, not to mention frustrating when you come across a word that has no definitions on the online dictionaries, but I agree that it's worth it at the very end when you finally have a song with lyrics that make sense to you.

For myself, I'm probably the odd one out here when I say that I don't mind at all hearing a bhajan in a language I don't understand. I sometimes prefer it to English, strangely enough! Usually it's the melody, beat or vibrations from a song that I focus on the most. You come to realise that the sentiment conveyed rarely ever changes. For this reason, I would much prefer a satsang with a powerful collective energy that doesn't use English very much, than a satsang that is middlingly stirring and which uses English as the primary language. But like I said, that's just me.

Om namah Shivaya