Diwali – or deepawali – also known as the “festival of lights” is primarily known as a Hindu festival where the practice of lighting countless lamps into the night symbolizes “victory of light over darkness”… Wonderful as this characterization may be, it also erases the historical and cultural significance and normalizes it so that heads-of-state can send out banal wishes without risking being politically incorrect! It’s good to be reminded of what diwali really celebrates…
This 5 day festival that is marked 20 days after Navaratri – the 9 nights of Shakti culminating in the 10th day of victory or Vijayadasmi – is really the celebration of the return of Sri Ram, his consort, Sita, and brother Lakshman, along with Hanuman, back to Ayodhya after a period of 14 years spent in exile. When the party flew back home on the “pushpaka vimaan” – the “airplane” that belonged to Raavan’s brother, Kuber, all the city of Ayodha lit countless oil lamps to welcome their awaited king and queen back from their tribulations.
The victory celebrates not only the return of Sri Ram to his rightful throne, but inaugurates a period of great dharmic righteous living, since Sri Ram had spent 14 years battling and vanquishing asuras and demons. In particular, the most powerful of them all, the 10-headed egotistic ruler of the 3 worlds, Raavan. This victory is commemorated as dussehra – that is: “killer of the 10 heads.” With his return to Ayodhya, Sri Ram re-establishes the rule of dharma with his victory over Raavan as narrated in Valmiki’s Ramayana.
While it can be read in so many ways, the story of Sri Ram is the story of sticking to one’s dharma first and foremost. Dharma does not mean you will live in comfort and happiness following your desires. It means you will do what you know is meant for you to do as your duty – whether you like it or not! Sri Ram went into the forest, exiled, even though his coronation was meant for that exact same morning. He was stripped of his royal garb and title, and put on the hermit’s shirt and wondered in the jungles barefoot, as a mere mortal. He upheld his dharma. When we uphold our dharma, then the whole universe conspires to bring us more than what our hearts and minds can desire. Vaidya Mishra used to remind us: when you do what you know is right, you will only desire what you deserve…
After the battle between good and evil personified by Sri Ram and Ravaan, the story of the churning of the cosmic ocean of milk, the “samudra manthan” puranic story, we also become victorious, and Laxmi appears in our own lives, as well as Dhanvantari, and many other wondrous gifts as well.
This diwali, may we all aspire to find and live in accordance with our dharma – no matter how hard the path seems at first. For those of us who are at a loss and who do not know how to find their dharma: allow your dharma to find you. Be still, so you can hear. It beckons…Jai SiyaRam!
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Vaidya Mishra toured and taught incessantly for 14 years from Spring 2003 – Spring 2017, building a beautiful SVA community at large. Many of his students continue his teachings and have their own center offerings and healing modalities that incorporate SVA precepts as well. We love featuring their work and latest news. Here are some courses from the community at large.
Who It’s For:
Change-makers
Healers
Yogis
Visionaries
Empaths
Anyone wanting to learn & live ayurveda, heal their life & pass it on
Your Transformation Includes:
Learn ayurveda step-by-step
Anchor into the daily nurturing routines, foods & spices of Ayurveda & Yoga
Gain the knowledge, life-skills, & ongoing support you need to actualize your dharma
This is YOUR PROGRAM!
What’s Included:
Complete Ayurveda Health Coach training PLUS a
Complete Life-Coach Training all-in-one
Thru the lens of Ayurveda
IGNITE TRANSFORMATION FIRST FOR YOURSELF, THEN PASS IT ON!
Now is your time to receive the kind of ongoing training and support you need to take your health, life and career to that next level. It’s time to bridge the confusing gap between where you are currently and what you sense is possible for your life.
xo,
Traci
Traci is a long time student of our beloved Vaidya Mishra whose lineage knowledge she joyfully and respectfully passes on in all of the Ayurvedic Living School‘s programs & workshops. A portion of your proceeds will support Chandi Co and SVAyurveda Operations.
Join us for our Fall Online Health Series, where you will be supported throughout the Fall season with four bi-weekly, 90 minute live sessions with Cary. Each week you will learn a new aspect of how to care for yourself in the Fall, how best to approach our diet, daily self-care, exercise, gentle cleansing routines, how to tend your psychological and spiritual well-being, and how to connect to and remain in relationship to the deep Self, the Light of the Soul.
All sessions will be recorded and available in our portal for easy access if you are not able to be there for the live sessions. We start this Thursday, Sept 30th, but it’s not too late to join in! You can register here and catch up on the first session in the class portal.
After many years of practicing and studying Ayurveda and Vedic Sciences (since 1977) and spending literally thousands of hours in deep silent meditation, I want to pass on the lifelong benefits that my teachers, Vaidya Mishra and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi have given to me before it’s too late. The study and practice of Ayurveda has been like a lifelong best friend, supporting me and giving me a stable framework no matter what is happening in my environment and internal life. I feel now is a perfect time to share this ancient wisdom because there is so much uncertainty in the world these days – politically, environmentally and with worldwide pandemics. What better time to befriend and instill an ancient knowledge to prevent illness, develop an enlightened consciousness, and at the same time be able to better help our family, friends, and the community.
The curriculum that I am sharing is really the nectar and juice of everything that I have learned over the past 40 years, it’s beyond vata, pitta, and kapha - I am offering knowledge and Vedic practices that awaken the healing power of prana and cultivate the nervous system so that you will be able to realize the intelligence of your true unbounded nature and experience more peace and stability in your life even during the most chaotic and challenging times that we are currently in. Studying Ayurveda at this time in history will allow to you grab onto that which is everlasting in the midst of changing transitions we are all experiencing.
Studying Ayurveda can resonate with your being and relieve great fear and anxiety and well as deepen perception of the unity and wholeness of life. There’s an ancient verse from the Bhagavad Gita, that says; Even a little of this knowledge relieves mankind from great fear. The nine months of study of Ayurveda and Jyotish (Vedic Astrology as an extended option) will birth a greater sense of steadiness, refined awareness, and greater well-being as well as give you skills to teach and coach others. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or want to sign up call or text 847 636 2744, rose.carol.zivin@gmail.com or and check out the curriculum at https://ayurvedalearningcenter.com/curriculum-details
With love
Rose Carol, M.A., LPC
HAVE YOU SEEN
Dr Marianne Teitelbaum’s
new YOUTUBE channel
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an introduction to SV Ayurveda as taught by Vaidya RK Mishra with Dr Teitelbaum
Watch ALL of Dr Teitelbaum’s Videos on her youtube channel HERE
… upcoming courses …
EMF: What CAN we do about it?
In a world where we can no longer exist without technology, how can we maintain balance and thrive despite the known side-effects of exposure to EMF? Find out Vaidya Mishra’s SVA Teachings in this much requested course on EMF – details coming very soon….
We want to help you protect your purchase – there’s been an increase in lost/stolen packages.
To protect your shipment – in case your shipping address is not secure – we have now added the “signature delivery” option upon check-out on www.chandika.com and we highly recommend you select it to ensure your package is guaranteed to reach you after it leaves our warehouse. Kindly note we are unable to replace stolen/misplaced packages once they are confirmed delivered by the carrier of your choice.
