Annie Besant - Social Reformer & Theosophist

It was the year 1957. I was then a pre-university student at the Madras Christian College (MCC) in Tambaram, Chennai, India. It was here in MCC that I first heard about the Theosophical Society located in Adyar, a suburb of Chennai.

Theosophy's esoteric teachings fascinated me and aroused my curiosity about spiritual matters. Soon I began to develop great respect for Madame Blavatsky, the Founder-President of the Society, and other early leaders, especially C. W. Leadbeater and Annie Besant.

Annie Besant (1847 - 1933) was no ordinary woman. She was a social reformer, free-thinker, orator, writer, and nationalist leader of exemplary courage and foresight. She joined the Theosophical Society in 1889 and served as its President for more than 25 years from 1907 until her death at the ripe old age of 86 years.

About six years ago, I began to re-read some of Besant's books, which I had bought in the sixties and seventies. One particular passage in her "Esoteric Christianity" is worth sharing with you. Talking about the nature of God, Besant says:

"He shows His splendour in the sun, His infinity in the star-flecked fields of space, His strength in mountains, His purity in snow-clad peaks and translucent air, His energy in rolling ocean billows, His beauty in tumbling mountain-torrent, in smooth clear lake, in cool, deep forest and in sunlit plain, His fearlessness in the hero, His patience in the saint, His tenderness in mother-love, His protecting care in father and in king, His wisdom in the philosopher, His knowledge in the scientist, His healing power in the physician, His justice in the judge, His wealth in the merchant, His teaching power in the priest, His industry in the artisan."

"He whispers to us in the breeze, He smiles on us in the sunshine, He chides us in disease, He stimulates us, now by success, now by failure. Everywhere and in everything He gives us glimpses of Himself to lure us on to love Him, and He hides Himself that we may learn to stand alone."

"To know Him everywhere is the true Wisdom; to love Him everywhere is the true Desire; to serve Him everywhere is the true Action. This self-revealing of God is the highest Revelation; all others are subsidiary and partial."

You can gather more information about Annie Besant and the Theosophical Society from the following websites.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Besant

www.ts-adyar.org

http://www.theosophical.ca

Peace Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

One of the best-loved prayers is the Peace Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. This prayer is more relevant today than it was eight hundred years ago when the lovable Italian monk first wrote it. In fact, this is the type of prayer we should be praying now, for there is so much hatred in the world today. We continue to injure others by our thoughts, words, and deeds, and we have forgotten how to love other fellow human beings with the kind of love that transcends all barriers.

Let us listen to St. Francis, as he prays for God's Light to remove the darkness in our hearts , and to fill our hearts instead with Hope and Joy.

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy."

"Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Francis was born into a fairly wealthy Italian family in 1181 A.D. He founded the Franciscan Order at the age of 28, and passed away on 3rd October 1226 at the age of 45. "In many ways a mystic, Francis viewed all nature as a mirror of God, calling all creatures his brothers and sisters."

In the words of Terry Matz, "Francis' brotherhood included all of God's creation. Much has been written about Francis' love of nature but his relationship was deeper than that. We call someone a lover of nature if they spend their free time in the woods or admire its beauty. But Francis really felt that nature, all God's creations, were part of his brotherhood. The sparrow was as much his brother as the pope."

To know more about St. Francis and his missionary work, please visit the websites:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Francis/default.asp

M. S. Subbulakshmi - the Melody Queen

Born on 16th September 1916 in the temple city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, M. S. Subbulakshmi (affectionately known as Kunjamma) grew up in a musical environment. Her mother was a veena player while her grandmother was a violinist. Kunjamma cut her first disc (gramophone record) when she was only ten years old. She was tutored by well-known musicians who encouraged her to hone her skills through constant practice. Soon she was recognised as a genius with a touch of magic in her voice.

Subbulakshmi was blessed with beauty and a mellifluous voice - a voice that was hauntingly melodious and divine. When her first movie, "Sevasadanam" was released in 1938, critics were quick to predict that she would soar to great heights in music and in acting as well. "Sakunthala" established her fame as a superb singer. Her crowning glory was "Meera", in which she portrayed the role of the Rajasthani princess, Meera, who pines for the love of Lord Krishna. She gave up film acting in 1946, and began to concentrate wholly on concert music.

Mahatma Gandhi was very fond of Subbulakshmi's bhajans. He was attracted by her flawless presentation and her impeccable diction. "Her voice is exceedingly sweet. She loses herself in bhajan. During prayer one must lose oneself to God. To sing a bhajan is one thing, to sing it by losing oneself to God is quite different." Soon after announcing Mahatma Gandhi's assasination in 1948, All India Radio played a recorded version of Subbulakshmi's "Hari Tum Haro Jan ki bheer" (Lord, dispel the fear in mankind). Gandhi was very fond of this song.

At the international level, she gave concerts at the Edinburgh Festival and at the United Nations, and played a large part in spreading the concept of Carnatic music among Western musicians. "If I have done something in this respect, it is entirely due to the grace of the Almighty who has chosen my humble self as a tool."

Subbulakshmi received her first award - "Isai Vaani" - in 1940 when she was 24 years old.The highest Civilian Honour of "Bharat Ratna" (Jewel of India) was conferred on her by President K.R.Narayanan in 1998. She was the first musician to be awarded this distinction. Six Indian universities, including the 150-year old Madras University, have conferred Honorary Doctorates on her.

For almost fifty years, Subbulakshmi has been a source of inspiration to me. I am deeply touched whenever I listen to her songs. My eyes become misty when I listen to "Enggum Nirainthaayeh, Enggu Marainthaayoh?", "Kaatriniley Varum Geetham" and a host of her other songs just before retiring for the night. Her voice touches my soul. I was supremely happy when I bought seven CDs of her songs in Hyderabad in September 2004.

M.S.Subbulakshmi, the Melody Queen, passed away at Saint Isabel's Hospital in Chennai on Saturday, 11th December 2004 at the ripe old age of 88 years. She was cremated at the Besant Nagar Crematorium with full state honours, including a 12-gun salute, on 12th December 2004.

Please visit the following websites for more information on M.S.S.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.S._Subbulakshmi

http://www.answers.com/topic/m-s-subbulakshmi

The Greatest Secret

"The Greatest Secret" is the title of an 88-page e-book I bought about three years ago. Darrel Daybre, the author of the book, says that, "You can have anything you want: wealth, a loving relationship, radiant health, true happiness, a life of ease, anything your heart desires, once you know The Greatest Secret."



What is this secret that Daybre talks about? The key to the Secret is: "Change your thoughts and you change your life." However, as Daybre says: "The Greatest Secret is not just knowing what the secret is, because some people are familiar with it. The Greatest Secret is in knowing how to precisely apply it in your life. You must know how to use it with 100 % accuracy."



In ten clear steps, Daybre tells us how we can achieve what we want in life. "We create everything from our thoughts, good or bad, so it is our responsibility to focus on only what we desire, and create and experience that. Period! You no longer have to suffer. to be sick, to be financially stressed, to be anything you don't want to be. Change your thoughts, and you change your life."

Daybre assures us that: "If you employ the ideas contained in this book, you will create the things you have longed for in your life just as sure as the sun comes up in the morning." I have read this book thrice, and I would like to read it as often as possible, as I find it very useful and stimulating.

For more information, or to get a copy of the book, please visit the website:
http://www.thegreatestsecret.com