The Source of the Cosmos Sri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri Chakra

The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY

Blossom 12 Petal 4

December 2008Photo by Sairuban Senthilrajan

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ThoughtsThoughtsThoughtsThoughtsThoughtsOurOurOurOurOurOurOurOurOurOur

ThoughtsThoughtsThoughtsThoughtsThoughtsDear Devotees,

In every issue of the Sri Chakra, as well as in every temple e-mail sent out about the magazine, there isalways a statement of some sort asking for devotees to volunteer articles. Sometimes it even dares to claimthat any article on any topic even remotely related to spirituality will be accepted.

Although I sometimes include that last bit because I’m desperately looking for volunteers, a betterreason for the open call for articles is to encourage conversation and debate on issues surrounding thetemple. This is a throwback to Aiya, who, to many people, will always be the original master of rocking theboat in an attempt to get people to open their minds and question why we do the things we do.

Of course, the Devi always provides for Her children, which is why She chooses certain remarkablepeople to write for each issue—thus keeping the magazine alive and my own desperation in check. And oncein a while (as is the case with this issue), She’ll even throw in a healthy dose of contemplation.

One article this month challenges a ritualistic practice within Hinduism that is arguably as old as LordShiva himself. Although the opinions expressed in this article aren’t necessarily shared by Aiya or thetemple, it was Aiya who went out of his way to make sure this particular piece was published.

The crux of the debate highlighted by the author is whether certain practices in Hinduism (or anyreligion, really) should be adapted to fit into an ever-changing world. More specifically, the author believesthat the way milk abhishekam is done at the temple should be changed, stating that it indirectly supportsthe abuse of dairy cows and is ecologically unhealthy for today’s day and age.

There are many things that could be said about this idea. Sometimes a decision that is environmentallysound is a no-brainer because it also happens to be a smart way to go for several reasons. Take for instance afew years ago (around 2003 or so) when the temple acquired a set of steel plates in all sizes to replace theStyrofoam on which visitors were given mahaprasadam every day.

Considering that hundreds of people passed through the temple every week (especially Saturdays) andeach Styrofoam dish could only be used once, the steel plates were a smart investment for nature as well asthe temple’s budget. Ditto for the sets of steel cups and microwave-safe mugs that soon followed.

The answer isn’t quite so clear-cut for many other aspects of the temple’s daily operations. In mostcases, decisions are either made out of sheer practicality or because the Devi expressly indicates that Shewishes for something to be done a certain way. The environment typically ranks low on the list of thingsthat motivate daily decisions, especially since an entire generation of volunteers were never raised toactively think of the environment as a priority.

Today, limiting one’s carbon footprint is a high priority for many people—but is it important enough fora devotee to change his or her prayer habits? Would a Ganesha bhakta stop chanting GanapathiAtharvashirsam in the shower every day to conserve water? Would Lakshmi bhaktas avoid turning on all thelights in their house despite their tradition to dispel darkness? It all comes down to priorities and beliefs.

Aiya recognized that the milk abhishekam article would be at least a little controversial but he chose toprint it because the horrors he witnessed in his native Sri Lanka made him a staunch advocate for freespeech. Those readers who have something to say about the author’s opinions are challenged to e-mail themagazine and put their thoughts and name in writing instead of picking up the phone.

You ought to know by now that all submissions will be published.

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

The Sri Chakra staff

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NewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletterterterterterSince the last issue...

Past Events

At the end of the summer, Aiyaand Amma returned from theirstay in Vancouver, where Aiyapresided over several pujas andgave a series of talks. As soon ashe walked into the temple againon Labour Day, he performedanother wedding and preparedfor Ganapathi Chaturthi Sept. 3.

However, Aiya and Amma hadto travel again within that sameweek, all the way to Australia.There, they visited Canberra,Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.The highlight of that trip was aMahaRudra homam (11 Rudrahomams performed throughout51 homakundams) in Sydney,which drew about 1000 people.The event unfolded over oneweekend, during which 650Rudrams were chanted. At thevery end of the last Rudram, ahurricane-force storm seized themakeshift yajnashala and almostripped the roof off the tent!

As it only lasted 5 minutes, thecrowd knew it was a show ofLord Shiva’s blessings.

Aiya and Amma returned to theU.S. on Sept. 21, a day before thedvajarohanam for Navarathri.Eight days later, the festivalofficially commenced and wasagain graced with the presence ofSri Shangaranarayanan of theMatangi peetam in Chennai.

The morning after the last day,Aiya had to take an early morningflight out to Calgary, Canada, butwas back within a couple of days.

About two weeks later, he andthe temple’s musicians made theirway up to Toronto. The event onOct. 25 was a bhajan session and

NewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletterterterterter

a double CD release of Ganapathisongs and the Vancha KalpaGanapathi mantra.

Aiya was back in Rochestersoon after for the final puja ofKedaragowri vratham on Oct. 28,and Skanda Sashti from Oct. 29 toNov. 3.

Two days later was a veryhappy event—the valaikappuceremony for Kavitha andDhinesh, who are expecting theirfirst baby boy. Congratulationsto the new parents!

Later in November, Aiya did ahalf-day workshop inPhiladelphia on puja, Lord Shivaand Sri Vidya. He also performedseveral weddings at the templethroughout the month.

DecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecember

Ganesha Chaturthi, Sept. 3

This event is a full-day festivalthat usually takes place outside—

The end of November saw abeautiful and grand event on the27th—congratulations to Seyonand Priyanga on their weddingcelebrations!

this is to commemorate theproperty’s very first Ganapathimurthi installed where the deckstands today.

The festival began withtarpanams outside on theGanapathi deck and continuedinto a Vancha Kalpa Ganapathihomam. The homam included theoffering of 1008 modakams intothe fire and lasted well into theday. Ganesha was soaped down,bathed, and then dressed byvolunteers. After the final aarthi,all were given mahaprasadam forlunch (with a generous helping ofjackfruits).

Evening puja saw thealankaram of the Utsa Ganapathimurthi, a full puja to him by Aiya,and Ganesha’s palanquinprocession around the temple.

Utsa Ganesha on his palanquin.

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The Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam ~ 6980 East River Road ~ Rush, NY 14543 ~ Phone: (585) 533 - 1970

Every day of the Brahmotsavamfeatured a Lakshmi-Kuberahomam that was designed to prayfor the temple’s prosperity.

Each morning saw aKamadhenu and Digdevata puja,followed by a full kalasam puja,abhishekam and alankaram ofDevi. The Utsa Rajarajeshwariwent out every third day asDurga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Thirty-six kalasams sat in theyajnashala within the wooden“frame” set-up around thehomakundam. Eight representedthe Ashta-Lakshmis, 16 were thesodasa Lakshmis and 12 were thedvadasa Adityas.

Navarathri this year lasted 10days, after which came a jam-packed Vijayadasami on Oct. 9.The day started in the wee hoursof the morning with a Chandihomam, followed by a kalasasthapanam for eight sponsors.The large, clay kalasam was thentaken in procession and emptiedwith the rest onto the Devi.

Then came Devi’s chariotprocession in the afternoon, andabout an hour of archanas. Thatevening saw the first night ofKedara Gowri pujas, and a specialVidyaarambham puja for smallchildren starting their education.

Sharada Navarathri, Sept. 29-Oct. 11

Kedaragowri vratham begins onthe day when Navarathritraditionally ends—Vijayadasami.

At our temple however,Navarathri lasts a couple of dayspast Vijayadasami, which meantit overlapped a little withKedaragowri. More than 100women sponsored the vrathamthis year and went out of theirway to attend the final puja thatfell on a weeknight, Tues. Oct. 28.

Lord Ardhanareeshwara wasgiven a full abhishekam andalankaram as the puja went on.At the end, there took place anelaborate gift-giving periodduring which all the ladies whosponsored were given a specialprasadam package. Alsodistributed were the sharaduthreads that hung on Ardhanarithroughout the vratham.

Kedaragowri vratham, Oct. 28

Muruga and his wivesDevayani and Valli were givenmilk abhishekam and puja oneach of the six days of thisfestival.

Skanda Sashti, Oct. 29-Nov. 3Friday Oct. 10 was the water-cutting ceremony with the majordeities being bathed outside withwater from the river. The festivalflag came down that night butKulurthi was still on the schedulefor Saturday—and it drew acrowd of hundreds of people.

Only then were all the 36kalasams poured on the Devi,before she received abhishekamwith various substances,including honey, chandanam,kum-kum and viboothi.

After another hour of archanasthat afternoon and a finalBhairava bali at both ends of theproperty, another fruitful festivalcame to a close.

Three special guests from Indiaadded great colour and insight tothe festival. The temple washonoured by the presence of SriShangaranarayanan from theMatangi peetam in Chennai, Dr.Sunandhini Lakshminath, and Dr.Shanmukhavel.

See our Navarathri photospread on pages 6 and 7!

Aiya prepares the festivalkalasam on the very first night ofKedaragowri vratham.

The last day traditionallymarks Shanmukha’s conquest ofSurapadman, as well as hiswedding to Devayani and laterValli. In the evening, the threewere carried around the templein procession, with theirpradakshanam re-enacting theirstory.

Subramaniam stood with Vallias the ladies who carriedDevayani made her turn awayfrom the newly married couple.This was to show her anger, asshe did back then when shediscovered her husband had runaway with another woman.

However, Kartikeya explainedto Devayani that she and Valliwere sisters in their previouslifetime, and that he hadpromised back then he wouldmarry them both. Devayaniforgave all and the three wereunited.

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Upcoming Events

Devi willing, the next issue ofthe Sri Chakra Magazine will be upon the temple’s website(www.srividya.org) at thebeginning of March 2009.

This magazine cannot keeppublishing without contributionsfrom devotees! Articles, poems,stories, and the like about anyspiritual topic are welcomed.

The next deadline for articlesubmission is February 6. Pleasee-mail us with your contributionsor feedback about this issue atsri_chakra_mag@srividya.org ortalk to Abhi or Kamya at thetemple. We want to hear fromyou!

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

In Three Months

A biA biA biA biA big thank-yg thank-yg thank-yg thank-yg thank-you to this issue’ou to this issue’ou to this issue’ou to this issue’ou to this issue’sssssvolunteers: Aiya, Gratusvolunteers: Aiya, Gratusvolunteers: Aiya, Gratusvolunteers: Aiya, Gratusvolunteers: Aiya, Gratus

DeDeDeDeDevvvvvanesan,anesan,anesan,anesan,anesan, Apar Apar Apar Apar Aparna Haslinna Haslinna Haslinna Haslinna Haslinggggg,,,,,and Drand Drand Drand Drand Dr. Se. Se. Se. Se. Seyyyyyon Sathiaseelan.on Sathiaseelan.on Sathiaseelan.on Sathiaseelan.on Sathiaseelan.

Falling on a Thursday night, thisshort but beautiful festival daymarks the day that Lord Shivasettled in Thiruvannamalai in theform of fire.

It is still the single biggestvisitor’s festival in Annamalai,where people do the 14-kilometregiri pradakshanam that night bythe thousands. A massive flame isalso lit atop the highest peak onthe Annamalai mountain.

At the temple, this event iscelebrated with the lighting ofhundreds of deepams and candlesthroughout the yajnashala andinner temple. As well, Aiya willperform a puja or homam to LordShiva.

The evening usually begins atabout 6 p.m. and concludesaround 9 p.m.

Karthikai Vilakku, Dec. 11

This homam continues to getgrander and grander each year,and is impeccably organized bythe temple’s youth group.

The tradition of worshippingMatangi Devi (the tantric goddessof education and learning in anyform) is now in its fourth year,and all children are invited tocome on that day and sponsor.

The children are typicallyorganized into groups, and aseach group takes its turn, everychild will get to sit around thehoma kundam and offersomething into the fire.

It takes place on a Sundaymorning, beginning at 9 a.m. andconcluding around 2 p.m.

If parents wish for to sign theirkids up for sponsorship andparticipation, please call thetemple immediately. Thepopularity of this homam growswith each year and spaces arefilling up fast!

Annual Matangi homam, Dec.28

Every morning, Aiya andwhosoever happens to be at thetemple will arise and perform thepre-dawn puja to Nataraja. The10th and last day is ArdhraDharshanam, which is when SriNataraja in Chidambaram giveshis devotees a divine glimpse ofhis radiance.

Thiruvempavai, Jan. 1-Jan. 10 Daily pujas commence at 5 a.m.and are usually finished by 7 a.m.Songs from the Thirupalliyezuchiwill be sung throughout eachpuja. The last day falls this yearon a Saturday morning, so pujawill start earlier at about 4 a.m.

Devotees will take turns bathingNataraja and Sivakami, andvolunteers will then dress thedivine couple. Please join us for atleast one morning of thisauthentically Tamil festival.

Last year, Shankaviand the sacred textswritten by the saintManikkavasagar weretaken in processionaround the temple onthe final day ofThiruvempavai.

The all-night celebrations forLord Shiva will fall on a Sundaynight this year and run intoMonday morning. PreviousShivarathris had everything fromcontinuous homams, to shankamabhishekams with 1008valampuri (right-handed)conches, to devotees offering bilvaleaves non-stop to all the Shivasannidhis in the temple.

Last year featured a first-timeoccurrence—the bathing ofGanapathi, Devi and the mainShivalingam in viboothi, beforeabhishekam was offered withhundreds of rudrakshas.

Shivarathri, Feb. 22

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Navarathri ‘08!!Navarathri ‘08!!

Clockwise from left:Homams happenedeach of the 10 days; 36kalasams sat in the“frame” around thehomakundam; Pravinwas one of many whoassisted Aiya with dailypujas; SriShangaranarayananshared his experienceswith the crowd eachday he was present.

Clockwise from right: The last night ofSri Chakra puja included a kumaripuja to all little girls; the large claykalasam was the centrepiece of theyajnashala; Aiya held aVidyaarambham ritual for all smallkids starting their schooling; thefestival featured bharatanatyamperformances, including those bySatya Stevens (in red/gold) andVinitha Navaratnam (in pink/white)

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Clockwise from left: Seated onKamadhenu, the Devi went out as Lakshmion the sixth night; fastened to a palanquin,she again went out as Saraswati on thetenth night; Vathani and Vadivel offer thefinal purnahuti and full outfit for Devi intothe Chandi homam on Vijayadasami; itlooks like Devi received it and was happyto give her dharshanam in the form offlames.

Clockwise from below: Everyone got aturn to bathe Utsa Rajarajeshwari andVishnu-Durga on water-cutting day;everyone also got a chance to pull thechariot on Vijayadasami; some skilledvolunteers carefully lifted Devi out of herride later on; Aiya took down the flagjust before the Bhairava bali on thenight before Kulurthi.

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Matangi’sMatangi’sMatangi’sMatangi’sMatangi’sgracegracegracegracegraceMatangi’sMatangi’sMatangi’sMatangi’sMatangi’sgracegracegracegracegrace

by Dr. Seyon Sathiaseelan

During one of my visits to thetemple, I heard Aiya speakingabout a great King who lived inMadurai, India centuries ago.This King was liked by everybodyin the village for his generosity,kindness and humility. Heperformed puja for Raja Matangiand it was said that Meenakshiwould appear before him andthen later return to the temple.

After the story was told, Ibecame fascinated with Matangi.I started listening to the LaghuShyamala mantra and there itwas described the benefits of themantra: public speaking, singing,writing, drawing, thinking inthree dimensions and many more.

Frankly, I thought all of theseattributes were things I couldhave used some work on. So Idecided to listen to the mantra for15-20 minutes a day. At thispoint, I was thirsty for the RajaMatangi mantra.

During Navarathri of 2007, thefocus of the festival was Matangiand Varahi. Ironically, I arrivedat the beginning of Saraswati’sthree-day puja, on the 7th day.That day, I was fortunate to be

given the RajaMatangi mantraby Aiya.

Later that day,I went back tothe hotel whereI was stayingand I startedchanting themantrarepeatedly.During mychanting, there were sensations ofnumbness and tingling aroundmy back and lower extremities.

A few months later, I wasstudying for my medical licensingexams. My residency trainingwas quite busy and I found itdifficult to complete all of thematerial. I was quite anxious butnevertheless I faced the exam, itwas a combination of oral andwritten sections.

To relieve my anxiety, I startedchanting the mantra in betweeneach section during the bell ringer.As I would face a station, theanswers I needed would appear inmy head regardless if I coveredthe material. Afterwards, I found

out that I received a very goodmark and passed the exam.

It was at this point I realized therichness and power of thismantra. I continued to practicethis mantra with devotion. It hashelped me a great deal in my life.

This story was written asinspiration and an example of thePower the Goddess. Faith is god!Remember, Devi is omnipresent,omniscient and omnipotent!

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by Gratuz Devanesan

Nayanmar

6363636363NaNaNaNaNayyyyyanmarsanmarsanmarsanmarsanmars

Perumizhalaikurumba

december 2008

6363636363NaNaNaNaNayyyyyanmarsanmarsanmarsanmarsanmars

The Shivajnana Bhodamprescribes in the second clause ofits 12th aphorism “Consort withthe devotees who haveapprehended Reality.” This isvery similar to what RamanaMaharishi prescribed as the singlemost important step towardsobtaining realization.

The term Perumizhalaikurumbais roughly translated as the“Great Kurumbar of Mizhalai.”Sundarar, who proclaimed hisservitorship to the servitors of thelord, sang“Servitor am I toPerumizhalarKurumbar…”.

AlthoughSundararproclaimedhimself theservitor,KurumbarconsideredSundarar a greatsoul among saintsand upon hearingthat Sundararwas about toleave his mortalself to join Shivaat Kailas,Kurumbarthought he shouldbe in Kailas tocongratulateSundarar for

having achieved such greatness.So, Kurumbar, a chieftain

always immersed in givingwealth and comforts to thedevotees of the Lord, decided thathe must sit in meditation andimmediately reach the feet ofShiva, so that when Sundararcame he could congratulate himon this outstanding achievement.He sat down with ardentconcentration, convinced thatthrough kundalini yoga he mustreach kailas this very moment.

Kurumbar at no point imaginedthat he should be in Kailas at theside of Shiva. He simply felt outof the love in his heart, thatsomeone should shower praise onSundarar after the latter hadcompleted his long and arduousjourney.

So with this selfless motive inmind, he began his meditation,and through Shiva’s grace reachedthe top of Kailas and Shiva’s feet,long before Sundarar.

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The Ashta-PaashasThe Ashta-PaashasThe Ashta-PaashasThe Ashta-PaashasThe Ashta-Paashas

First of all, you have to realize that the guru’saffection and love for you is unconditional. Havingsaid that, you also have to be prepared to receive thegrace. People always tell me, I’m talking to the Deviand She’s not talking back to me—She’s talking;you’re not listening! That’s the problem… when yourmind is always involved with other things, you’renot able to hear Her voice from inside.

One of the things you need to do is… there shouldnot be any kalmisham in you. You should not harborany of the ashta-paashas within you. What are theashta-paashas? Grna, shanka, bhaya, lajja, juhupsa,kulam, jaadi, seelam.

If you don’t have any of these things, whatnaturally happens is there will be no residualtension in any of your systems—muscular system,mental system, reproductive, endocrine system—notension. When there is no tension, the clutterupstairs in the computer room ceases. When theclutter ceases, you will hear the voice of the guru(which is the same as that of the Devi) like a cleartemple bell.

So instead of saying ‘how can I reach you,’ youshould say, ‘how should I prepare myself to reachyou?’

First thing—kalmisham. That covers a whole slew ofthings. If you roughly translate it (there’s no English

A devotee recently asked Aiya a question that is on every upasaka’s mind—How can one truly reach his or her guru, andthe Devi? Aiya, along with the input of Sri Shangaranarayana, gave a lengthy answer that described how a person needsto destroy the negative aspects of their mind and soul in order to really hear and see the Devi.

This is the first of four installments detailing Aiya’s exact words during that Q&A session, where he detailed the ashta-paashas (or eight negative character traits) that block a person from self-realization—grna, shanka, bhaya, lajja,juhupsa, kulam, jaadi, seelam.

Eight roadblocks on the path to the DeviEight roadblocks on the path to the DeviEight roadblocks on the path to the DeviEight roadblocks on the path to the DeviEight roadblocks on the path to the Devi

The Ashta-PaashasThe Ashta-PaashasThe Ashta-PaashasThe Ashta-PaashasThe Ashta-Paashas

part 1part 1part 1part 1part 1

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word for kalmisham, by theway), you can call it general ill-will towards anybody.

But here, the first one you needto deal with is grna. What is grna?Jealousy! You think this hasn’tbeen around from timeimmemorial? When Thotakajoined Shankaracharya’sashrama, the other disciples werejealous of him! They werewondering, this fellow is not evenfrom an orthodox family and hedoes not even know how to chantthe Vedas… why is it thatShankara always wants to givehim special things?

In those days the classes wouldjust be like this—the guru wouldcome and say, okay gatheraround, and everyone would sitand listen. If Thotaka expressedany opinion in class, the otherswould shoot him down.

One day, Shankaracharyanoticed what was going on, andslowly brought the topic onto aparticular subject which he knewthese guys did not know. And hesaid okay, let’s open the topic upfor discussion, and each fellowwas giving his interpretation of a

particular line. Now Thotaka,mind you, was seated by the river.At a little distance away Thotakawas busy washing clothes—theguru’s clothes. After everyone hadexhausted the topic and no onecould reach any consensus,Shankara said, let’s ask Thotakawhat he thinks about this.

In the time he called him andwhile Thotaka was walking up,the other fellows are all muttering,‘what would this fellow knowabout this… he’s a dumb idiot…’But Thotaka stands before themand gives such a lucid answer itfloors everybody. Becausealthough he had been washingclothes, his ears had been listeningto every word and he wasabsorbing every word.

Then Shankara tells the otherdisciples, first thing, you have toget rid of your jealousy. His

karmic cycle and your karmiccycle are not the same. You comefrom a totally differentbackground… if I look at you and Ilook at him, I’m able to see 10births behind. So the kind ofrefinement he has brought to thismoment… you have no idea of itbut I do. If it appears thatsometimes I am giving himsomething different it is becausehe’s at a different point in hiskarmic cycle.

So he said, first get rid of grna—that is jealousy. ‘Why him andnot me? Why can’t I do it? Whydoes Aiya always call thatperson?’ This is there. Ask yourselfthe question and you’ll get theanswer right away.

I have to say this—this back-stabbing must stop. Theback-stabbing must stop. It is notgood at any level. Why do youthink I didn’t want to go back towork in architecture? I saw thisday in and day out from topmanagement all the way down!And you can’t live with that aftersome time; it becomes impossible.You must conquer jealousy beforeit conquers you.

Watch for the second part of the ashta-paasha series in the next Sri Chakra.

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Trust and FaithTrust and FaithTrust and FaithTrust and FaithTrust and Faithin the Guruin the Guruin the Guruin the Guruin the Guru

Trust and FaithTrust and FaithTrust and FaithTrust and FaithTrust and Faithin the Guruin the Guruin the Guruin the Guruin the Guru

During Navarathri, Aiya gave his view onhow one may reach the Devi (see pages 10 and11), and then asked Sri Shangaranarayanaaiya his thoughts on the matter. Here’s aslightly edited version of what he said:

To reach the Devi, you need to haveunconditional good faith in the guru,first and foremost. What is good faith?Faith is when you go on telling the guru,‘Guruji, Guruji, Guruji, Guruji,Guruji…’ and go on pestering him forhis blessings like that. Good faith iswhen you tell him only once.

Good faith always has its base in goodtrust in the master. The divine master iscapable of doing anything he wants. Ifhe wants to build a rajagopuram in 10days, he will do it whether or not youare there to help him. So cultivating anattitude of understanding andcultivating an attitude of good faith andtrust in your guru is a basic factor foranybody to be a devotee of the Mother.

For instance, a child is born. The childdoesn’t know who is his father or whois his mother. The mother tells him, ‘so-and-so is your father and I am yourmother,’ and the child just believes herand grows. That is the type of faith youmust have in your guru—noquestioning. You have no right toquestion his background, you have no

dictated by Sri S.Shangaranarayanan,transcribed by KamyaRamaswamy

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right to question what he tells youto do.

It doesn’t mean you should behis slave; you can question himfor clarification. See, when we dothe avarana puja, the first offeringis given to the guru. So all yourbelongings of good, bad,everything is first offered to theguru. The guru takes everything…so please remember the amount ofsadhana he needs to do to removeall the unwanted things for youand still be cheerful toward all ofyou. It’s a difficult task.Fortunately or unfortunately, wecan’t understand that.

If somebody is initiated, likewhen Haranji is in a good moodand gives whomever wants itMaha Sodasakshari (it happenedlast year during Chandihomam)… you must understandthat Haranji has given this MahaSodasakshari to someone becausehe knows what Maha

Sodasakshari is, as well as thebackground of that particularperson. So you cannot questionhim and say, ‘You have givenMaha Sodasakshari to him andyou haven’t given it to me. Why?’

That’s not our place to ask that.You can also climb up the ladderwith even the smallest mantra…after all, all the mantras are madeup of the 51 Matruka aksharas, sothey are all equal.

How do you talk to the guru andthe Divine Mother? With bhaava.You must merge yourself withHer in every small act that you dofor Her. The guru is nothing morethan the physical form of theDivine Mother. She is the energyand he is the speaker. If youunderstand that point, any one ofyou can go on talking to Her dayin and day out.

I have a question now… all thesethings that are defects caused bythe law of nature—if you want to

remove them, how is it done?Suppose I have come to the guruto remove all these defects, theguru will be so nice that he willarrange to have these thingsremoved in the dream state. It isbecause the body and mind areonly relative to all these karmas.The soul has no relativity to thosethings.

So the guru, out of hiscompassion, will collect thesekarmas and have you burn themin your dreaming state. Your fatecan be changed only by the guruand not even by the DivineMother. The Divine Mother willobey the order of the guru andfollow the footsteps of the guru,and not direct him.

So one has to serve the guruhonestly, diligently, delicately andnicely in whatever mannerpossible, and only then will theybe able to speak to the DivineMother.

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Eco VidyaEco VidyaEco VidyaEco VidyaEco VidyaOne devotee’s view of how the temple’smilk abhishekams affect the environment

by Aparna Hasling

I would like to introduce Eco Vidya, the term I’ve used to identify an environmentalversion of Sri Vidya. In this modern age it is ever more important to re-examine thesource of our offerings and determine which of our ritual actions may unknowingly beharmful to the Divine Mother, our Mother Earth. It is not enough to just be vegetarian;we should also consider the effect of our purchases at the grocery store. It is time thatour temple considers using alternatives to pasteurized milk.

Milk abhishekam has been a divine act of devotion for thousands of years within theHindu tradition. Our ancient scriptures explain that milk is amritam from a divinebeing, and so it is respectful to pour it on a deity. But those words were written in anage when milk was pure and cows freely roamed green pastures and ate pesticide-freegrass.

Today, the milk we buy comes from agribusinesses, places that house thousands ofcows in confinement dairies, where stalls are sometimes welded shut, where cows arefed high-energy grains and restaurant scraps, and are injected with growth hormonesand antibiotics. Cows are not permitted their natural grass diet; they are fed only tomaximize milk production and minimize cost.

These mistreated cows are subject to frequent illnesses and infections; the milk theyproduce reflects their own health in that their milk must be sterilized before it is sold forhuman consumption. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration of the United States)demands that milk be pasteurized. This modern technique was not needed when cowswere healthy. In 1888 Louis Pasteur invented a system of heating milk in order to kill

Eco VidyaEco VidyaEco VidyaEco VidyaEco Vidya

The cow on the left lives freely in Devipuram, where it is allowed to roam around and graze. Many private, familyfarms in North America allow their cows the same natural life. But factory farms (like the one on the right) keep theiranimals in cruel conditions, where they sometimes don’t even have enough room to move their legs or sit down.

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Photos: Milk abhishekam isan integral part of pujas, andthe demand at our temple ishigh—especially duringfestivals. But the author ofthis article suggests usingturmeric water or otheralternatives, the wayShankar uncle is doing inthe bottom right photo.

bacteria—but it killed the potentially harmfulbacteria as well as the healthy bacteria needed tobolster the immune system.

This technique started as a temporary solution tothe problem of contaminated milk in overcrowdedcities without refrigeration or adequate sanitation.Raw milk was understood by all parties to bepreferred, but unfortunately the focus has neverturned back from heating diseased milk to producingand distributing healthy, raw milk.

By purchasing hundreds of gallons of pasteurizedWegmans milk, we are using our consumer dollars toempower these harmful practices. It is as if we aresaying “Yes, we want cheap milk at any cost.”Agribusiness then responds to our demands byputting more cows on smaller plots, and tormentingthem in unspeakable ways to produce more milk.

It is our responsibility to advocate for the sisters ofNandi. The milk-giving cow is the most sacredanimal in Hindu religion. She is often understood asthe symbol of sustainable life, as well as of thecosmos: her legs are compared to the four Vedas, hereyes to the sun and the moon, her horns to themountains, and her udders to the oceans. Milk fromhealthy cows is extremely nutritious for childrenand is said to delay the aging process in adults.

From milk, we make butter, ghee, and yogurt. Eventhe dung a healthy cow produces can be beneficialand contains ammonia which can eliminatepathogenic bacteria in the home. It can also beburned for cooking fuel instead of timber. The cow isa symbol of sustainable life. For millennia, the Indianculture has relied on the sacred cow, and now sheneeds our help.

Yes, milk abhishekam has been a divine act ofdevotion for thousands of years. But it is time torethink our basic ritual formulas. Please offerabhishekam with anything except milk from cowsraised on factory farms: raw milk, diluted coconutmilk, fruit juice, turmeric water, rose water or riverwater. In doing so, the temple will make a boldstatement and serve as an example for thecommunity to become advocates for our DivineMother Earth.

ADDITIONAL LINKS:Overview: http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/

advocacy/2007/06/dairy-farming/Video, Animated for kids (The Matrix II): http://

www.themeatrix2.com/Audio, NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/

story.php?storyId=91843992TIME:http://www.time.com/time/health/article/

0,8599,1598525,00.html?iid=sphere-inline-bottomWhere to buy raw milk: http://www.realmilk.com/

where4.html#ny

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Sri Gurubhyo Namaha