You must add this to your Google Chrome Browser !

Gone are the days when a web browser used to be defined as something which renders HTML and shows you web pages. Now, its about a lot more. How much functionality it has, what innovative things you can do with it, how easy it is to use and above all how fast it is. 

The Infamous Internet Exploder ( oops.. Explorer ) held the roost for sometime that is until Firefox came to the scene and changed everything. Just we were wondering that it could not get better than Firefox, not so surprisingly Google came out with Chrome. The way Google is colonising everything web, sometimes I have a fantasy that one day we will have everything Google... Google softdrinks, Google baby food, Google buses, trains... even Google Guitars (GG).

Now talking about Chrome. It is an experience in itself. Being one of the first users of Chrome when it released in 2008, i had written THIS ARTICLE ON CHROME. Even back then on September 2008, I felt Google had made a revolutionary thing here. If you have not tried Google Chrome, PLEASE DO ! Its FREE.

The main point of writing this post is to share a few wonderful extensions to Chrome which I have come to love. Even you should try these:

1. Speed Dial. This is clearly the most impressive of the extensions. Its about two things, Quick access to your favorite websites and LOOKS LOOKS LOOKS !

Generally, in Chrome it will show a number of most visited websites. but now .....

You can permanently set your favorite websites buttons on the home page and give a classy logo as the button. The best part is you can choose how many buttons you want. You can also set a customized background image....

Look at the regular Chrome look.......

And the one after adding speed dial (BTW this is my  own homepage screenshot ! )

2. Youtube Downloader :   All of us need to download videos from Youtube sometime or the other, and I have seen people do this through so many elaborate ways. Now to end all woes, just add this extension and the download button will appear in Youtube page only, you can download flv or mp4 format.

3.  Chromed Bird :  If you are a Twitter Fan, only then use this. But if you are then its great. You can view practically everything from the add-on itself.

Let me know if you install any of these..... in the COMMENTS below : :)

          

Divine Souls I : Swami Suryapada (Chayanna)

Starting with this post is a new series of posts which will feature some of the Divine Souls which have spearheaded the Art of Living movement and have been a pillar of support to millions around the world . They have shown by example, how to live life to the fullest. Living a life of high moral and spiritual values, they have brought smiles to millions of homes, and made a difference to the society through their service. In addition to their biography I would also add a bit of my own experiences with them wherever applicable.

The choice of whom to write about first is a most difficult one, because all the names which come to my mind are  so unique and commanding in their own respect, that it becomes virtually impossible to choose. However, I have to start somewhere so I decided to write on Swami Suryapada.

The first time I went for a Satsang conducted by Swami Suryapada (belovedly also called as Chayanna), the definition of Satsang was changed in my mind. It was about two years ago in Bangalore that I went for his first Satsang, till then I had myself some experience of Singing in Satsangs. But sitting there in the hot sun at 1 pm, singing Shiva-Shiva-Hara-Hara I forgot the world and experienced so deep a peek into my own inner self that when I came out of it, I realised that the Satsang was over. Then after that I have attended numerous Satsangs conducted by him. First a brief introduction:

Swami Suryapaji (Chayanna) in one of his lively moods.

Born in Karnataka in Southern India, Swami Suryapada ji completed his Master’s Degree in Physics from the Bangalore University in India. He served at the prestigious R.V College of Engineering in Bangalore, India as Head of the Department in Physics until 1995. After taking Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as his Guru he became full time teacher with the Art of Living Foundation.
An embodiment of Knowledge and Seva, Swamiji has a very deep understanding of the Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita, Ashtavakra Gita, Patanjali Yoga Sutras and the like.
He has travelled extensively around the world, from USA to Taiwan, from New Zealand to Germany, taking the knowledge of spiritual values and sharing his expansive presence with sincere seekers. He takes the Advanced Meditation Course of the Art of Living Foundation.





Just as in the video above, He starts the Satsang with a powerful chanting which has an immediate calming effect for the mind and slowly leads the satsang to a pinnacle where even the most insensitive person will feel touched by the grace of his singing. Deep meditative experiences during his Satang is a regular phenomenon and people feel refreshed after attending his Satsangs. 


Swami Suryapada's style is most unique as he does not sing the latest bhajan in vogue, but sticks to the simple tunes based on pure Ragas which will have the most powerful affect in an individual's consiousness. He has a very deep knowledge of the effect different sounds have on the mind of the listener, basically what effect a Raga has? Ragas are a collection of notes (ascending and descending) with a particular emphasis on some . Invented by ancient rishis and improvised by thousands of prolific musicians over thousand of years, different Ragas when used effectively, colours the mind with a particular emotion from which to slip into meditaion becomes very easy, and Swamiji through the years has mastered the  Art of Satsang. 

Swami Suryapada Playing the Harmonium.

Leading through devotion.

Also commendable is his efforts to make popular the old wiritings of various Kannada saints like Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa, Basavanna etc. Bhajans like Bhagya da Lakshmi Baramma, Dasanagu Visheshanagu, Uma Katyayani Gauri etc have again started to be heard even by non Kannadigas, all credit goes to Swami Suryapadji's efforts to popularise them and also explain the meanings and expose the deep wisdom hidden in these devotional songs. In the video below he sings Dasanagu Visheshanagu.





Dasanagu Visheshanagu

The meaning of this song is very beautiful, I will try to explain with my limited understanding of Kannada..
It speaks about how the Body takes birth again and again , eighty lakh lifetimes have u spent... come and gone .... now the only way out is to become a disciple. He says "Become a disciple, a servant and then you will become SPECIAL ! "


Kannadigas who can explain in detail plz do so in the comments, I will put it up here :)


Jai Gurudev.

Different Moods of Vishalakshi Mantap.

The Vishalakshi Mantap at the Art of Living Ashram has, in the past few years attained iconic status. The photos of which has been used extensively for its great creativity and structural genius. How can a building be so big and yet so aesthetically pleasing, architechturally stable and radiate such grace unmatched by any other building in its league ?
The answer could perhaps be in an ancient secret best described in This blog.
Here are a few photos showing the different moods of the Vishalakshi!

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Ashram on a cloudless day.


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Afternoon View. Its relavively empty.

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After the Rudra Pooja. Bright sunny monday morning.




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The Angels show themselves.
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Rise of a new dawn.

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Relaxed in the evening.

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Pristine white. Washed in milk.
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Mid-day:
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A cloudy morning.


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 Time for Satsang.!

MAGIC

Disclaimer: All images are understood to be in the public domain, if otherwise, please contact me.

Reminiscing Blogging Days - The 101th post on this blog.

Yes! You read it right. This is the 101th post on this blog. It took some time for me to get here, Time which was interspersed with regular blogging days in between long periods of silence. I started this blog on August 2008, and the First Post I wrote was about my native place Sikkim. And without any prior intention, I just realised that my 100th post was also about Sikkim. It's a little spooky. But happy too.

The best part of Blogging so far was that it has been a big opportunity for me to know new people, connect with poeple whose ideas I like, make friends all over the globe and also an opportunity to give something of value to my readers. Just like my real life, I have spent most of the time in this blog writing articles about the Art of Living foundation, Yes Plus and it has been an immense pleasure to share my mind with all the Jai Gurudev-ed souls, many of whom I have deeply come to cherish.

 Two Articles in particular have been a large success with regard to this, on both of which I have spent considerable time and energy and it has been worth the work, I think.

The Art of Living Blogs post has garnered attention from sincere seekers all around the globe and a lot of AOL content on the WEB has reached to the searching souls through the links in this post.
Satsang - Art of Living Bhajans Lyrics is another post which I think has helped many people and which will continue to reach and make it easier for all Satsangis to rock to AOL Bhajans.

I thank all the people who have taken the trouble to subsribe to my blog!  The number of people subscribing here has gone up to 63 as of today which is inspite of my long absence from here. Thank you again all the subscribers.

Special thanks to all the people who take out time to leave a comment. You should know that you make my blogging time all the more sweet and worthwile .
So keep the encouragement coming and wish me luck that I may keep writing.
Jai Gurudev!

Sikkim - Some Fresh Photos.

It's been quite some time that I have written about Sikkim, my native State. Without exaggeration it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Let the pictures do the speking for themselves.

Sikkim - A mountain view from the home.

Young buddhist monks having a chat.

This tea garden is just 2 kms from my house in Sikkim... So cool heh?

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Teesta -The main river of Sikkim. Notice the small road running along it.

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The majestic mountain Kanchenjunga in the morning.



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Tsangu Lake. Half Frozen.

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Don't you wish your study place was like this..?


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The Bell.

A town in Sikkim.

So you drive well heh? Take that.

Temi Tarku - This is my village . Can u believe that.

The only tea garden in Sikkim - Temi Tarku, my home town.

Observe the Tranquility of the Water.

Sikkim - The Switzerland of the East.


So your next holiday destination - SIKKIM.

A Fresh Start to Blogging

For the past few months I was very irregular in posting to this blog. The reason (very lame) for that was I didn't have internet at home. But nonetheless I posted a few posts, released the Satsang Lyrics book  . But back with a bang, now I will be posting regularly talking my mind out about things in general and Art of Living (and all its associated paraphernalia) in particular.

By the way I got a Brand New Computer, assembled with my own hands, 4 gb RAM, 23" Monitor and the works... so making the best use of it to Blog.

The things that happened till now.... we had a series of Bhakti concerts, I travelled for a few satsangs in Bangalore, Coimbatore, Warangal etc.., I (along with 29,999 other people) had a mesmerizing Navratri celebration in the Ashram with Guruji, my pet grasshopper died....etc

Want to write about all these things and more...

And also you might have noticed that the template has changed, let me know your feedback and suggestions for improvement.