The Source of the Cosmos Sri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri Chakra

The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY

Blossom 13 Petal 3

September 2009

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Burn, Devi, burn!

Since the last issue...

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SeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptember

The period just before Junemarked the time when severaltemple devotees began a fewmajor mandala pujas inanticipation of Guru Poornima. Inaddition to upasakas signing upto do daily annadhanam for theneedy for 45 days, many also didGuru japam with a loonie or goldcoin to absorb the energy.

Every weekend in June sawKumaran Perinpanatan performRudra homams at the temple, aspart of his 45-day Rudra homamsequence. On weekdays, he did thehomams at different devotees’homes, always assisted by Malaamma and Sadgunam amma.

SeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptember

The weekend of June 14, Aiyaand Amma were in Toronto toteach a workshop on kalasa pujaand homam. On June 26, theyembarked on a trip to England,where they performed a series ofpujas and lectures, and continued

to publicize the Ati Rudramkumbhabhishakem next year.Before their return to the States onJuly 3, they stopped by Paris aswell to visit relatives and install aGanapathi statue at a privateresidence.

They were back just in time forGuru Poornima weekend, whichalso included a Pradosham pujathat Aiya performed. Theweekend involved two days ofgreat preparation and culminatedin a beautifully simple celebrationon Monday, July 6.

On July 14, the temple wasunusually packed for a Tuesdaybecause it hosted a visit from thekids of the Hindu Heritage camp.Aiya spent the day talking withthe kids and explaining differentparts of the temple.

The weekend of July 18-19required Aiya and Amma to be

present for the temple’s ownViboothi Saivite Immersion(VSI camp) meetings. Ahuge samit mix also tookplace that weekend, withabout 50 volunteersworking together toproduce the homa dravyam.

Aiya did a talk at the ICCon July 21st, afterperforming the AadiAmavasya puja for thosedevotees who wanted to

offer tarpanam for their fathers.After doing a grihapravesham(house-warming) puja later thatweek, he sat for the Aadi PuramChandi homam on July 25.

July 28th saw the second roundof Hindu Heritage camp kids visit

the temple, and the followingweekend saw VaralakshmiVratam take place, as well as thestart of the temple’s own one-week VSI camp.

After doing two Torontogrihapraveshams on Aug. 19,Aiya and Amma were back at thetemple for Aug. 23, as it was bothGanapathi Chaturthi, as well asthe greatly anticipated weddingof Suba and Gratus. Congrats tothe newlyweds!

Workshop: Kalasa Abhishekamwith Homam, June 14

This workshop took place at theSri Satya Sai school inScarborough, and was attendedby about 150 people from all overthe southern Ontario, Rochester,and Ottawa areas.

From 9:30 a.m. to about 4:30p.m., Aiya taught about the innerworkings of a kalasa puja, thematerials needed to perform one,the effects of the mantras, andhow these things relate back tothe internal body and the external

Past Events

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Guru Poornima, July 6

The Ottawa/Montreal devoteescreated some new and successfulinitiatives this Guru Poornima,including a non-perishable fooddrive, a 45-day Guru mandalapuja, and full meal drop-offs tosoup kitchens around Rochester.

Devotees worked in committeesto make sandwiches, clean theinner and outer temple areas,decorate the yajnashala, and cookmeals all weekend long.

Guru Poornima morning saw amassive Ekadasa Rudra homamheaded by KumaranPerinpanatan, and attended byabout 100 devotees, as well asAmma and Aiya.

They returned later that eveningfor the full GP puja, which sawthem do puja to their gurus andthen receive puja from about 250devotees from far and wide.Aiya’s kids’ class from Markhamalso performed a wonderful play

universe.There were also several

question-and-answer periods,during which Aiya explainedqueries according to bothscientific and spiritual principles.

One of the many banners created specifically

for the kalasam/homam workshop.

of the Vamana Avatar of LordVishnu, after which Aiya gave ashort speech and signaled all tohave dinner.

Top to

bottom: Aiya

and Amma

arrive; little

Dhanya and

Lalita offer

naivedyam;

the kids

perform a

great play,

complete

with song

and dance.

Aadi Amavasya, July 21

Several devotees, many withtheir spouses, arrived thisTuesday morning to offertarpanam to their fathers. It is thetradition to do this puja on thisday if one is unsure of the exactthithi of his/her father’s passing.

In a group, the attendeesperformed a short pindam pujafirst with Aiya’s guidance, andthen went down by the Kashiriver to offer the pindams tonature.

Aadi Puram, July 25

Since this event fell on aSaturday this year, the weeklykalasa sthapanam was partlyperformed before the grandChandi homam at 5 a.m. Afterpavadais, blouses, bracelets, saris,flowers, fruits, and mangalyamswere offered for each of 13chapters, the Chandi homamwrapped up around 8:30 a.m.

At 10 a.m., the regular Saturdaypuja began, with a special milkabhishekam added in for the VanaDurga murthi as part of AadiPuram puja. Later, several traysof snacks were offered to the Devias she sat upon her vrshabhavahanam (a silver Nandi).

The whole day’s puja lastedabout 9 hours, ending at 2 p.m.

Above: Vimalan

and Ametha

hold the last

purnahuti as

Muralee

assists Aiya

with the

vasodhara

Right: Vana

Durga receives

abhishekam

from everyone

in the

yajnashala.

Varalakshmi Vratham, July 31

The yajnashala was packedwith married women this Fridaynight, who each had the chance toperform their own vilakku puja toa small lamp.

All the ladies were seated andready at about 7 p.m., at whichtime Aiya chanted thepreliminary mantras and said afew words about the Varalakshmipuja. He gave everyone specific,step-by-step instructions on howto do the Sri Sukta sodasa-upachara puja, and those who

cont’d on next page

Right:

Kumaran

leads the

Ekadasa

Rudra

homam

while Mala

amma and

Sadgunam

amma

assist and

various

sponsors

take turns

sitting.

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Burn, Devi, burn!

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

Upcoming Events

cont’d from previous page

knew the mantras chantedalong.

At the end, the women tied thesharadu threads onto each otherswrists and collected theirprasadam bags from Aiya. Somechose to keep their puja sets topractice at home while otherssimply sponsored to do the puja,later returning their puja items. Scores of sumangalis performed the puja.

Viboothi Shaivite Immersion(camp), August 1-8

About 100 children aged 9 to 18,plus 50 counselors, admin andselected parents gathered at thetemple for this week-long event.

Like last year, the kids learnedhow to chant suktams, sing

Ganapathi Chaturthi, August 23

About 200 devotees andvolunteers showed up forChaturthi this year. It began at10 a.m. with a kalasaminstallation and tarpanam puja,which all guests were able to do.

A Ganapathi mula mantrahomam followed, with everyoneoffering a few of 1008 modagamsinto the fire and then doing milk

traditional thevarams, and dancein the bharatanatyam style. Newlessons included a class on the2010 kumbhabhishekam,environmental studies andwrapping kalasams.

The kids also had a day at a localpark, bhangra dancing, a campfireand a vegetarian barbecue.

Left:

Campers

gave Aiya

back-up

during

bhajans

Right: All

took part in

Saru acca’s

classical

dance class

Sharada Navarathri, September19-28

This festival usually runs a full11 or 12 days at theRajarajeswari Peetam, instead ofthe usual nine. It begins with theinstallation of digdevata andhomakundam kalasams in theyajnashala, and continues eachday with a full kalasa sthapana,

Mahalakshmi puja, Navarathri 2008.

homam, abhishekam andalankaram to the Devi. Every thirdday will also feature a palanquinprocession of the Devi as Durga,Lakshmi and Saraswati,respectively, and every eveningwill feature a Navaavarana (SriChakra) puja done by a differentpujari each night.

The festival will also include amassive chariot procession onVijayadasami, a grand Chandihomam, a vidya-arambham puja forchildren beginning their education,

Kedaragowri, September 28

While Navarathri is stillwrapping up, Kedaragowrivratham will begin and continuefor the upcoming 21 days. LikeVaralakshmi vratham,Kedaragowri is mostlysponsored by women who wishto pray for the well-being of theirhusbands, and marks the Devi’s

own merger with Shiva afterperforming severe penance.

Nightly pujas will take place atthe temple at 7 p.m. for the threeweeks of the vratham, and willbe focused on the deity of SriArdhanareeshwara.

On Oct. 17, a final puja willhappen with the dressing of themurthi and distribution ofprasadam to those women whosponsored.

and a kulurthi puja on the lastday.

Sponsorships are now open forfruits, flowers, Chandi homam,annadhanam, sitting for kalasapuja, or the full festival.

Top: Sponsors

and devotees

offered ahutis

into the homam

as abhishekam

went on behind

them

Bottom: Pravin

and Mangai

amma cut

loose and

dance while

Utsava

Ganapathi’s

palanquin is

set down in the

yajnashala.

abhishekam to the UtsavaGanapathi murthi and hisconsort, Siddha Lakshmi.

Longtime upasakas GratusDevanesan and Suba Jeyaratnamgot married at 4 p.m., afterwhich the palanquin utsavamfollowed in the evening.

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Burn, Devi, burn!

Devi willing, the next issue ofthe Sri Chakra will be up on thetemple’s website at the beginningof December 2009.

This magazine cannot keeppublishing withoutcontributions! Articles, poems,stories and photos about anyspiritual topic are welcomed.

The next deadline for articlesubmission is November 9.Please e-mail us with yourcontributions or feedback aboutthis issue atsri_chakra_mag@srividya.org ortalk to Kamya or Abhi at thetemple.

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

In Three Months

Our deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’s volunteers: Aiya, VilasOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’s volunteers: Aiya, VilasOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’s volunteers: Aiya, VilasOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’s volunteers: Aiya, VilasOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’s volunteers: Aiya, Vilas

AnkAnkAnkAnkAnkolekarolekarolekarolekarolekar,,,,, Gratus De Gratus De Gratus De Gratus De Gratus Devvvvvanesan,anesan,anesan,anesan,anesan, Chandani Diaz, Chandani Diaz, Chandani Diaz, Chandani Diaz, Chandani Diaz, Mik Mik Mik Mik Mike and Sudha Priye and Sudha Priye and Sudha Priye and Sudha Priye and Sudha Priya Keara Keara Keara Keara Kearneneneneneyyyyy,,,,,

GaGaGaGaGayyyyyathiri Senthilrajan,athiri Senthilrajan,athiri Senthilrajan,athiri Senthilrajan,athiri Senthilrajan, Sr Sr Sr Sr Sreekant Subramanian and Teekant Subramanian and Teekant Subramanian and Teekant Subramanian and Teekant Subramanian and Tharharharharharuman Tuman Tuman Tuman Tuman Thahahahahavvvvvakumarakumarakumarakumarakumar.....

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \

K

Update

um b

ha bh i s h ek

am

Homakundam sponsorships are 50% sold, and are estimated to be sold out by the end of

2009. They are still priced at $1000 to sit for a full day of 11 Rudra homams, but for those

who cannot sit for long periods of time, a new opportunity has been created: $251 to sit for

a single homam.

The Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam will be hosting its

Punarutharuna Kumbhabhishekam July 1-11, 2010.

A massive Ati Rudra homam will happen over 11 days, with 11

Rudra homams performed daily in each of 121 homakundams.

Kumbhabhishekam volunteers are still needed! E-mail

svtsyouth@hotmail.com or go to www.srividya.org

Skanda Sashti, October 18-23

Lord Murugan as well as hiswives Sri Devayani and Sri Valli,will move from the inner templeto the yajnashala for these sixdays. During that time, they willreceive abhishekam everyevening, as well as an elaboratepuja from all assembleddevotees.

The final day of puja willinclude the re-enactment of theSura samharam, as well as ahomam for Devayani kalyanam.All three murthis will be takenaround the temple in processionthat evening.

All who are present will beable to take part. Please phonethe temple and talk to Selvan ifyou wish to sponsor.

Just one Rudra homam is proven to permanently eliminate all planetary doshams

(i.e. Sani, Rahu, Kethu, etc.) for oneself and one’s children. For more information

and how to sponsor, please sign up at www.atirudram.com.

Karthikai Vilakku, December 1

This small festival is also one ofthe temple’s most beautiful. Thehomam and temple areas will belit up with deepams tocommemorate Lord Shiva’s formas an eternal flame on theAnnamalai mountain.

Puja will also take place atabout 7 p.m. that night, and allare welcome to attend/sponsor.

6

Burn, Devi, burn!

In the previous Sri Chakra–I was very moved to learn more about the cruelty within the dairy industry.We did more research and saw a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) film in which a cowgave birth and her baby was taken away (to make veal) and she CRIED…..she cried just as much as anyhuman mother would cry to have a baby taken away after birth. The three of us were all in tears by thetime the film stopped – she wanted her baby so badly! Because of that article and because of the research wedid afterwards….we have completely switched to soy milk. We make curries with coconut milk (watereddown greatly!!!) and soy milk.

- Chandani Diaz

Thank you, Aparna, for your article addressing the inhumane treatment of cows on conventional dairyfarms.  We have been purchasing organic milk for many years since organic farms treat cows in a morehumane manner, and also because they are not fed the waste from meat manufacturing industries.  We dobelieve our sacred Hindu rituals are very important so instead of eliminating our traditions we need tomodify them by offering just one small kalasam of organic milk on behalf of all the hundreds ofdevotees.  Organic milk and vegetables are certainly more expensive but we need to support the farmerswho are doing their best for the humane treatment of cows and helping the environment. We need to put ourmoney and effort to practice Sri Vidya in and out of the puja room, in all aspects of our lives.

- Mike and Sudha Kearney

I think it’s a given that we can’t stop doing milk abhishekam, but on the other hand, I don’t think we shouldbe indirectly supporting the abuse of cows by buying regular milk from cows on factory farms. I mean, wenever said we were going to actively support that, but that’s what we’re doing by purchasing the milk. Atthe same time, we can’t add another cost to our temple with all the expenses we already have for thekumbhabhishekam. Otherwise we’d be spending way too much money even every Saturday (by goingorganic) with all the milk we already use. Obviously we’re not doing anything too wrong because Devi stillcreates so many miracles around here.

- Sreekant Subramanian

If it was a cow that we had in our lot, I would say we can totally keep doing milk abhishekam. But sincereading Aparna acca’s article, I realized I completely agree with her—the cows here are tortured and we’restill doing abhishekam with that milk? What kind of things are we putting into the murthis when we dothat? Since reading that article, I’ve stopped doing abhishekam with milk at the temple most of the time,except during festivals... if I do it normally, it’ll only be with turmeric and water.

- Tharuman Thavakumar

Reader ResponseReader ResponseIn the December ‘08 issue of the Sri Chakra, Aparna

Hasling wrote about the atrocities committed to cows onfactory farms in North America. Consequently, the milk from those cows wouldhold negative vibrations when we use it for abhishekam in the temple. The debatecontinues—some feel the tradition should stand as long as the milk is accessible,while others are considering the alternatives.

7

Burn, Devi, burn!

Q & AiyaQ & AiyaWe all love hanging out with Aiya,

drinking tea, and sometimes getting someguidance on how to travel down our ownpaths to the Devi. Here’s an excerpt from onesession where Aiya answered devotees’questions on Lalita Sahasranamam.

Q: Aiya, must you chant VishnuSahasranamam if you chant theLalita Sahasranamam?

Aiya: There are 1000 sets ofSahasranamams that are outthere. Out of that, 100 aresupposed to be better thananything else. Out of thehundred, 10 are superior to therest. Out of the 10, three aresuperior… what are the three?Lalita Sahasranamam, VishnuSahasranamam, and ShivaSahasranamam.

Out of these three, LalitaSahasranamam is supposed to besuperior to the other two. Do youknow why? With the other two,there’s always one mantra thatkeep repeating itself, for example,“Vishnave Prabhavishnave,” inVishnu Sahasranamam and “Vonamaha, Rudraya namaha, vonamaha…” in ShivaSahasranamam. Thatshortcoming is called punarukthidosham.

In Lalita Sahasranamam, once amantra has been said, it won’trepeat itself. The punarukthi doshamis not there. Besides, who firstchanted Lalita Sahasranamam?The Vakdevatas themselves! So itis superior.

And if you chant LalitaSahasranamam you are chantingVishnu Sahasranamam—do youknow why? Yonisca Vaishnaviscarishihi… they are the same person.

Q: Some people say when youchant the Lalita Sahasranamamyou also have to chant the LalitaTrisadhi. Is that true?

Aiya: If you chant LalitaTrisadhi, you should have at leastreceived the Panchadasakshari

(Panchadasi) mantra—LalitaTrisadhi is merely an expansion ofthe Panchadasi mantra. If youdon’t have Panchadasi, you can’tchant it.

Q: What time of the day shouldI chant Lalita Sahasranamam?

Aiya: If you were a little child ofabout two years old, at what timeshould you call your mother? Doyou look at the clock and call yourmother? No, you just shout,“Ammaaa!” and She will comeflying. Don’t treat the Devi anydifferently.

Q: Can you explain about shrishtikramam and samhara kramam interms of doing the Sri Chakrapuja?

Aiya: If you want to dosamhara kramam, you go fromoutside the Sri Chakra to thecenter. If you want to do shrishti(creation), you go from the centerto the outside. Correct? OurGuruji’s parampara teachessamhara kramam to merge withthe Devi. You’re trying to

condense everything until She isall that remains.

If you want to do the creativeaspect and you want to do Balaupasana and you want to chantall the bijaaksharas in thesvadishtana chakra while you’reat it, be my guest… just don’t lookat me if you get into any trouble!

See, Amma, Bala,Mahatripurasundari, Kamakshi,Lalita, Shodasi… they’re all thesame.

Q: Or your guru?

Aiya: If you worship your guru,you’re going to see an uglycreature coming before you…namely your guru! When I firstgot the mantra from Guruji and Istarted to do the Navaavaranapuja, I’d feel like I’m seated next toa woman. When I opened myeyes, this guy is sitting there witha huge beard and mustache.

One day I said to him, “What isthis? I close my eyes and you feellike a woman to me.” And he said,“I have the exact same problemwith you!” That Guruji has aterrific sense of humour!

Aiya

relaxes

with the

remaining

crowd late

at night,

after this

year’s

Guru

Poornima

festivities

wrapped

up.

8

Burn, Devi, burn!

The Devi comes alive!The Devi comes alive!We’ve had a lot of

homams and pujas this springand summer, from the NewYear’s Pratyangira homam, tothree full days of May Festival,to the Ekadasa Rudra homamon Guru Poornima morning.And each time, the Mother andher celestial gang have showntheir presence.

In fact, this issue’s covershot was taken during theChandi homam on Aadi Purammorning, where She appearedwith sword and lion, slayingMahishasura.

These photos have notbeen altered in any way, exceptfor brightness.

The Devi appeared at the purnahuti of the

Pratyangira homam, smiling, holding a

machete (like Kali) and slightly bent over.

Above left: the Devi’s arms, torso, hips and pavadai can be seen

rising after a bucket of red chilies were offered into the homam.

Right: Garuda always makes an appearance at the Pratyangira

homam, but usually in the sky over the back fields. This time, his

head, beak and wings can clearly be seen in the flames.

PavadaiMachete

Smiling

face,

looking

downward

Bare chest

His wide

left ear

Distinctive

elephantine eye

Head and

trunk

Taken after the Vancha-Kalpa Ganapathi homam on one of

the May Festival days, the elephant god’s head can be seen

as devotees began chanting Ganapathi Atharvasirsham.

9

Burn, Devi, burn!

Above: He’s facing the other way in our fire, but Maha Pratyangira’s consort, Lord

Sarabeshwara, appeared after the last purnahuti on one of the May Festival days. His

animal legs, stubby tail, and lion head remain intact, complete with hollow black eyes.

The photo on the left was

taken a few seconds after

the final naivedyam was

offered to Devi on the

Friday of May Festival (the

silver vessel can be seen

in front of her). Judging by

her mysteriously puffed

cheeks, it looks like she

liked the food!

The photo on the right was

taken just minutes earlier

as the last shanka-

abhishekams were

wrapping up. This is how

the Devi usually looks.

As everyone stood for

the vasodhara of the

Ekadasa Rudra homam

on Guru Poornima

morning, the Devi’s body

and arms can be seen

rising out of the fire.

It was confirmed that

Nandi was the one who

accepted the Rudra

homam’s purnahuti—

this photo of a kneeling

bull was taken at the

same time.

Tail HumpHead, with nose

pointed up

10

Burn, Devi, burn!

How I Met My GuruHow I Met My GuruHow I Met My GuruHow I Met My GuruHow I Met My Guru

The stories of the devotees at the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam create the veryessence of the temple’s soul.

Aiya has verified all these tales for their authenticity, and he urges devotees toshare their experiences for the benefit of future generations. All identities will bekept in the strictest confidentiality unless otherwise requested.

This is the first of three parts of Sudha’s long and winding road to Aiya. ;)

TempleTempleLoreLore

by Sudha Priya Kearney

In 1988 my older sister wasvisiting me in Boston since wehad planned to attend a bonsaiclass at a nursery in the area. Ihad just purchased Autobiographyof a Yogi at the time so I mentionedto my sister that I will pass it onto her after I finish reading it. Shehad looked at the photo of theauthor on the cover and waslooking forward to reading it too.

On our drive to the Bonsai classmy sister suddenly pointed to awindow in a book store and saidto pull into that parking lot. Shehad noticed a poster of theswami’s photo that looked like thephoto on the book I was reading.At the store we found the posterwas an advertisement for alecture by a couple of monks fromthe Self Realization Fellowship(SRF) started by ParamahamsaYogananda, the author ofAutobiography of a Yogi. Weattended the lecture the next day,and were so impressed with itthat we both decided to sign upfor the mail-order meditationlessons.

Certainly someone had guidedus or else how could a trip to a

bonsai class have led us to attendthe lecture. I could not wait toread more of the book I had justpurchased. When I got to thechapter about Maha AvatarBabaji who was Yogananda’sparameshti guru I realized he wasthe same boat man who hadblessed me with his dharshan andgift of the lotus garland in SriNagar a few years ago. (read thisstory in the March 2009 issue of theSri Chakra –ed.)

Eagerly I awaited my lessons(mailed bi-weekly) and dutifullypracticed the techniques andaccepted Yogananda as my Guru.I was looking forward to the daywhen I would be ready forinitiation into Kriya yoga astaught by Babaji to the SRFlineage.

I regularly attended the weeklymeditation and bhajans at theSRF center in Newton, MA.When I went to Connecticut to seemy family, my mother and oldersister would accompany me to theSunday service held in thebasement of an SRF member’shouse in Wolcott, CT. Afterattending a meditation one

weekend I purchased an audiocassette that had Yogananda’svoice taped during a satsangalong with some bhajans. I waslooking forward to hearing myguru’s voice, but as soon as Iheard Yogananda’s voice I thoughtthis does not sound like my guru’svoice. How strange, I thought tomyself—how should my guru’svoice sound?

As I listened to his voice thefeeling persisted that this can notbe my guru’s voice. I was verydisappointed but could not sharemy doubts with anyone becauseall the SRF members I had metused to listen to Yogananda’stapes with such reverence andwere so very devoted to him andreferred to him as Gurudeva. Ibrushed aside my doubts andcontinued with the lessons since Iwas having a lot of spiritualexperiences while practicing themeditation techniques.

In about a couple of years I wasapproved for the Kriya initiationalong with my older sister whoalso had been studying thelessons. We went for theinitiation ceremony at the SRF

11

Burn, Devi, burn!

The author, Sudha Priya, at the temple’s

Shivarathri festival earlier this year. She

and her husband, Michael, have been

Aiya’s students for about 16 years now.

center in Los Angeles, CA. Aspart of the Kriya initiation weofficially accepted Yogananda asour guru and promised to followhis teachings. We were cautionedthat we could miss attaining selfrealization for three lifetimes ifwe left the path.

I returned to Boston and thevery next morning with greatanticipation started my firstpractice of Kriya at home. Almostimmediately I saw this mostintricate and beautiful geometricdesign in my forehead. The colorsof the design were vibrant, themost beautiful blue and brilliantyellow. It had triangles, andcircles, and thereafter every time Isat down to do Kriya I saw it.

I continued going to the Newtoncenter for weekly groupmeditation and kirtan once amonth. After kirtan one day Iwas introduced to someone whohad grown up in Bombay as Ihad. He occasionally attendedthe monthly kirtans and eachtime he saw me he would tell methat he had an audiocassette thathe thought I would enjoy. Hewould tell me he would bring itfor me next month but eachmonth he would forget.

Three years later in early 1993while I was living in Connecticutwith my older sister Usha, wemet this person again at an SRFretreat. On the last day of theretreat, he was finally able to giveme the cassette. On our wayhome I put it in the car’s cassetteplayer. There was anintroduction by some lady aboutthe benefits of mantra and thenthe enchanting music of the droneand I heard a man’s voice startwith “Om Sri GurubhyoNamaha.”

I cannot express in words thefeelings this voice evoked in me. Ihad this overwhelming andurgent desire to meet this person.

For the hour and half drive homeas we were driving and listeningto the Om Namah Shivaya tape Istarted to imagine he was a wiseold man with ash on his foreheadwearing a traditional dhoti (loincloth) living in a remote village inSouth India. And God, I thought itwas going to be so difficult totravel to a hot, dusty village inSouth India to meet him. But I feltlike I just had to meet him!

When we reached our house Icalled the man who had given usthe tape and was so relieved tofind out that this person,Chaitanyananda, lived inRochester, NY. He was known asAiya and he had a temple in hisgarage. I was invited along withmy sister to attend an all-nightMaha Shivarathri puja the verynext month.

So on a cold, snowy evening onMaha Shivarathri in February1993 we arrived in Rochesteraround 7:30 p.m. sometime beforethe puja started. I entered thetemple, which was filled with a lotof people, and found a spot tostand in the corner close to theGanesha murthi in the shrineroom. I saw this South Indianpriest in the center dressed up invery traditional attire, and Irecognized his voice from Om

Namaha Shivaya tape. He waslooking at the stone image ofGanesha and doing puja to him.

I looked over at the Ganeshamurty and all of a sudden as thepriest was pouring water withthis little silver spoon I saw thisbaby elephant laughing andsplashing water as a little babydoes when his mother is bathinghim. I looked at the priest and atthe Ganesha and again I see thishappy baby elephant gurglinghappily and splashing water ashe was being bathed. I wasastonished at this vision. Thenthe priest offered some incense,flowers and food and continuedwith the chanting and ritualsalong with some loud music.

I looked around the room andnoticed the ladies were dressed inbeautiful silk sarees like they weregoing to a wedding and most ofthem were chanting along withthe priest. I was very surprised tosee a young American womandressed up in an elaborate silksaree wearing a nose ornamentwith a big red bindi on herforehead chanting in Sanskritalong with the priest!

Look for Part 2 of “How I met myGuru” in the December 2009 issue ofthe Sri Chakra.

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by Gratus Devanesan

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NaNaNaNaNayyyyyanmarsanmarsanmarsanmarsanmars

Somasi-mara Nayanmarjune june june june june 20092009200920092009

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NaNaNaNaNayyyyyanmarsanmarsanmarsanmarsanmars

Somasi-mara Nayanmarreached the lotus feet of LordShiva by a means more familiar tothose of us that frequent the SriRajarajeswari Peetam. Hebelieved in constant andunfaltering devotion to LordShiva like all other Nayanmars,however, Somasi chose to pursuethat devotion by performinghoma. He would ritualistically,and without fail, offer oblations tothe fire as prescribed by thescriptures.

Moreover he would do mantrajapam daily, with the Shivapanchakshara—Namah Shivaya.

He was born into the traditionof chanting the Vedas, to aBrahmin family that resided inthe town of Ambar. However, hedid abandon all sense of caste andclass. Although he performedyajnas with accuracy and purity,he never thought of himselfhighly. Instead, he saw all of theLord’s devotees as superior to himand considered them his rulers.So he would be ever pleased bythe presence and accompanimentof anyone who was Shiva’sdevotee.

With that devotion andconcentration he went toThiruvarur, and performed ayajna there—pouring ghee intothe fire with his usual devotion,concentration and love. There, hereached out and touched the feetof Vanthondan and reached theabode of Shiva.

Sekkhizhar adds that thechanting of the Namah Shivayamantra has brought many adevotee to Shiva.

However, he warns that it isonly effective in bringing about asense of peace and bliss if it ischanted with a universal feelingof love.

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

part 4part 4part 4part 4part 4

Eight roadblocksEight roadblocksEight roadblocksEight roadblocksEight roadblockson the pathon the pathon the pathon the pathon the path

to the Devito the Devito the Devito the Devito the Devi

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

A devotee recently asked Aiya aquestion that is on every upasaka’smind—How can one truly reach his orher guru, and the Devi? Aiya, alongwith the input of SriShangaranarayana, gave a lengthyanswer that described how a personneeds to destroy the negative aspects oftheir mind and soul in order to reallyhear and see the Devi.

This is the fourth of four installmentsdetailing Aiya’s exact words duringthat Q&A session, where he detailedthe ashta-paashas (or eight negativecharacter traits) that block a personfrom self-realization—grna, shanka,bhaya, lajja, juhupsa, kulam,jaadi, seelam.

In the beginning, I’ll tell you,this is the way I developed. WhenGuruji taught me, he told me,‘Listen to your inner voice.”

In the beginning, you cannotdistinguish between your mindsaying something and your innervoice saying something. But ifyou persist over a period of time,you will know the separation asclearly as day and night. Thatinner voice is the Mother, talkingto you from inside and telling youwhat you should do. And if youpay heed to Her and keep at it,then She will begin to showHerself to you, in many ways…not just in visions. That is justone of the aspects.

See, if one person is talking toanother about something and Iam just sitting there, oneparticular phrase that is said willcatch [in your mind]. It willsuddenly hit home because I have

been thinking about this problem.Something he said will go deepinside and if I think about it, I willknow She has spoken through him.

These words, Sahasraakshasaharapaad, these are not emptywords, they are the truth. You knowwhat it means? The being that looksthrough countless eyes; the beingthat walks through countless feet. Itmeans that She is in everyone! Sowhy should you not think that She istalking to you? If you are alert, youwill get it.

You could buy me three Mercedes-Benz cars and I might be happy for alittle while but then I’ll start cursingyou, ‘Why did this guy buy thisthing when he knows that servicecosts are so high?’ That example willtell you, what appears to be veryvaluable in the eyes of the world andin the eyes of everybody else… onceyou start keeping it, you will findthat it has become a whiteelephant—a burden.

And all the things that come to youare not all that they are cracked upto be. They will come today, theywill go tomorrow. The only thingthat will come to you and will staypermanently is friendship—provided you cultivate thatfriendship properly.

If I think, ‘Oh, this guy is driving aLexus… that means he must beloaded a little bit,’ and so every timeanother guy comes to the temple Ithink, ‘He just drives an old beat-upCorolla,’ and so I keep on only doingthings for the first person. Tell meyou haven’t noticed it in othertemples. If a jewelry shop ownercomes in, the priest will say, ‘Oh,come, come!’ and chant his name in

an archana whether he askedfor it or not. Meanwhile there’sone fellow standing there witha ticket for 10 minutes and hehasn’t even looked at him.That’s wrong.

That is why Guruji verywisely told me to not enclosethe sanctum. He said not to putone door where only one personcan come in and go out. He saidopen it and leave it open.

There is one thing he told methat I will never forget—he said,‘Who is She to you? She is yourmother. Do you see a stonestatue? No, you see your mom.Who is She to the person who iswalking in through the door?She is the mother for thatperson too. If you have the rightto touch your mother, who areyou to say don’t touch her tosomeone else?’

You can’t do that. And in histemple it’s the same thing.Anyone can walk into thesanctum—of course you have tobe clean—you can touch herand you can do puja.

So, the things to be aware ofand get rid of in yourself aregrna, shanka, bhaya, lajja,juhupsa, kulam, jaadi andseelam. Then of course there arethe normal things, the ari-shad-varga, kama (lust), krodha(anger), moha (greed,selfishness), lobha (stinginess),mada (pride), maatsaryam(jealousy)—those things arealso there in the background.But the first eight things youmust eliminate because they arethe eight forms of the ego.

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Nyasam

Asya sri yajna phala stotramala maha mantrasyaChaitanya amrta rshaye namaha sirasiThat’s what She gave. There are always two meanings: This stotram is a mala mantram. It has flown out of

the consciousness of Chaitanyam—of pure consciousness—and it has been bathed in nectar. The secondmeaning is, it has flown from the pure consciousness of Chaitanyananda and Amritananda.

avyakta Gayatri chandase namaha mukha vrtteSri Lalita Maha Tripurasundari devataya namaha hrdayeThe Gayathri this is pointing to is not clear, or avyaktam. And the deity for this stotram is Lalita herself.

Aim bijam—the seed here is Saraswati herselfkleem saktih—the power for this comes from the bijaakshara kleem, representing Lakshmisauh keelakam—it is secured and anchored on keelakamSri Lalita Maha Tripurasundari prasada siddhyarthe jape viniyogaha—to get the grace of Sri Lalita, this stotram is

being done.

I won’t go into the angan-nyasam and karun-nyasam, because it is the sadanga-nyasam that we should allbe familiar with by now.

Dhyanam

Pratidine trikale trikona sikhara nilayeEveryday, three times a day—after the last triangle, what is there? The bindu. She’s indicating what is

above the last triangle on top of the mountain (the Meru) without saying it outright.

Yajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramSecrets of theSecrets of theSecrets of theSecrets of theSecrets of the

Yajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala Stotram

part 2

by Aiya

Secrets of theSecrets of theSecrets of theSecrets of theSecrets of the

The June 2009 issue ofthe Sri Chakra saw Aiyaexplaining how the Devidictated the Yajna PhalaStotram to him severalyears ago. This stotramcan be found right afterthe Khadgamala in the SriChakra Puja Vidhih book,and will give those who

are committed tochanting it all the benefitsthat it describes. Aiyarecently agreed to revealits full meaning andallowed it to be publishedin the Sri Chakramagazine. This is the 2ndinstallment in a three-partseries.

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Svaprakasa vimarsa nirmala akase |Here, there’s a double meaning: She’s talking about something self-effulgent in Svaprakasa, but it is also the

name of my parama guru. She’s saying this stotram is coming from Svaprakasa’s effulgence. His express,unblemished words are coming from his internal space.

Amrta mangalya jiva mantra abharaneThis refers to how the mangalyam in the old days did not hang like a chain, but was worn tight around the

neck like a choker. Jiva is life, and the life-force is present like the mangalyam at the throat. But what is Shereally telling you? Concentrate at the visuddhi chakra in your throat during this dhyanam.

Manibhuta sura siddha avahana muhurte ||Mani is a gemstone and bhuta refers to the elements—but what She is indicating here is the manipura

chakra at the diaphragm. And what is the element there? Fire! As you’re chanting this, do the homams there,at your manipura. You are installing the suras and siddhas (the devas and holy men), but what time do youdo this? At usha-kaalam, which is dawn! That is the ideal time of day to chant this.

Jñanajya ananda dravya vairagya haviragneYour realization (jnana) is the ghee you are doing this homam with, the bliss you feel (ananda) is your

homa-dravyam, and your detachment (vairagya) should be the havis (cooked offerings).

Patiradi sapta graham subha nitya yajñe |The pati is Brihaspati—She’s telling you to begin this on his day, Thursday. For the remaining seven days,

do this homam, which is auspicious. That’s just a way to tell you to chant it daily.

Mahesardha jyoti pranava vamanga bijeWhat is ardha? Half! And who is the one who occupies half of Mahesha? The Devi! She is the effulgent

(jyoti) and she’s on the left side of the essence of the pranavam, which is Parameshwara.

Mantra japa homa yajña sri prasada hetu ||You can do this as a mantra japam, or a homam (for you), or a yajnam (for the whole world). If you do this,

it becomes the cause (hetu) for Sri Prasadam—you will get Devi’s blessings if you do this!

Stotram

1. Suddhikaram param jñanam sarvopa-drava nivaranam |Sarvavyadhi prasamanam sarvabhishta pradayakam |Chaturkona madhyastam vahnideva mavahanam ||

For purification (suddhikaram), internal realization, to ward off all difficulties, to cure all diseases, and tofulfill all desires, install Agni deva in the middle of a square, or homakundam.

2. Prthvi loka trikundam tamra mañcha vilepanamTriguna pitha arohanam vayukona samsthitam. ||

She’s talking about using a metal homakundam that comes from the earth. Then She says what the metalshould be—tamra is copper, and mancha is a bed. The homakundam is Agni’s bed. The specification is thatyou should sit in the northwest and do the homam.

3. Tantra marga purushottamam dharmini sahita yajamanam |Japa dhyana_aradhanam nitya yajana madhikaram. ||

Now she’s talking about who’s qualified to do the homam—a purushan who’s following the path of tantrashould do the homam in the company of his wife (dharmini). Not only that—he should be doing japam,dhyanam and puja every day. But what is nitya yajana? Nitya refers to the Nitya kala devis in the SriChakra, and to do yajana to the Sri Chakra, a person must at least have the Pancha-dasakshari mantra. Seethe depth? With just word She has told you what you need.

Look for the 3rd and final part of this series in the December 2009 Sri Chakra, where Aiya will describe the meanings andefficacy of the remaining stanzas of the Yajna Phala Stotram.

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Burn, Devi, burn!

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha