The Living Divinity: Life and Teachings of Arunachala Shiva
The Divine Manifestation Arunachala Shiva is not merely a mountain or a geographical location, but a living embodiment of Lord Shiva himself. According to ancient Hindu scriptures, Arunachala appeared as a column of fire to settle a dispute between Brahma and Vishnu, establishing itself as the axis mundi – the center of the spiritual world. […]
The Divine Mother: Life and Teachings of Toppi Amma
A Humble Beginning Toppi Amma, whose birth name was Soundaram, was born in a small village near Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. From a young age, she displayed an extraordinary connection with the divine, often falling into spontaneous states of samadhi. . The Transformation As a young woman, Soundaram underwent a profound spiritual transformation. She began to […]
Arunachala Hridaya: The Heart of Arunachala
This is an account of an affair of the Heart but not in the usual sense. My very first connection with Arunachala was when I was fifteen years of age and I borrowed a book from the library on the subject. To this day I have no idea what caused me to pick up that […]
Arunachala Grants the Bliss of Glorious Final Liberation
“In the Dravidian region of South India, there is the greatest place called Arunachala, dearest to Chandrasekara (Shiva as moon-crested). It is the abode of Shiva and yogis. Arunachala is to this world what the heart is to the whole body. It is everything for Shiva. For the benefit of the world, Shiva took the […]
Mouku Podi Swami at Arunachala
‘Hey!’ he was shouting wildly gesturing with his left arm to chase some devotees away who had gathered around him with folded hands in prayer ‘Namaskar’ position. Two of them got scared, grown men who are used to shouting and ran away. About a month ago I went to the back meditation hall at Sheshadri […]
First Impressions of South India
Arunachalam! As an American I get this curious question by Indians and sometimes also by other foreigners. ”What made you interested in India?” Well, once upon a time I came across a German Meridian Travel Magazine with a picture of the Kumbha Mela, a religious festival in North India, on the cover. There were naked […]