Blossom 14 Petal 3 - Sri Vidya

Blossom 14 Petal 3

September 2010

The Source of the Cosmos

Sri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraThe Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY

Blossom 15 Petal 3

September 2010

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Past Events

The plethora of festivals in rapidsuccession happily weighed downthe temple and its volunteersclose to home.

Aiya almostexclusively did localtravelling in the monthof June—mostly betweenRochester and Toronto—including a workshop onLord Shiva for the firsttime in the city ofBrampton.

The immediatepreparation forkumbhabhishekamramped up about two orthree weeks before thebeginning of July, andcountless volunteers(mostly teenagers) fromthe local area andsouthern Ontario, wereresponsible for much of themanual labour in this time. Aiyawas of course supervising thesevolunteers, even conducting a

SeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptember

Guru Poornima, July 25

Just two weeks following theMaha Kumbabhishekam, devoteespulled together a joyouscelebration for Guru Poornima.Last year, Aiya decided that thefestival would not be given to aparticular group and wantedeveryone to work together. One

devotee composed 16 stanzas onthe Guru, which were split upinto a Shodasa Upachara puja. Adifferent pair of devotees offeredeach upachara as the crowd sangthe beautiful verses.

This year, Aiya pleaded witheveryone to annihilate the ego,asking us to drop the ashtapashas, and surge forward into

sadhana. He expressed his desirefor the temple to become anincreasingly spiritual place whereeveryone works as a one cohesivefamily (see part of Aiya’s speechon page 17.

The temple President, Mr.Natarajan, and Aiya boththanked all the volunteers fromthe Ati Rudram heartily for their

Chandi homam (among otherrituals) as part of the spiritualpreparation forkumbhabhishekam.

Aiya briefly left town for a fewdays between the end of AtiRudram and the beginning ofGuru Poornima, during which

clean-up from Ati Rudram wasstill going on, as it would for thefollowing months. GP on July 25saw the entire temple family come

together again, afterwhich Aiya andAmma left town foranother week aspart of their GuruPoornima gift.

In August, Aiyadid a few localgrihapraveshams,several privatehomams, and even acouple of weddingson successiveweekends at thetemple. These werescheduled aroundthe slew of smalltemple festivalswhich typically fall

in the late summer: Aadi Puram,Aadi Amavasya, andVaralakshmi Vratam.

Aiya and Amma are given aarthi upon entering the temple at GP.

222

Varalakshmi Vratam, Aug. 20

This year, devotees dressed twokalasams atop the closed homakundam with a red sari, variousjewels, and a silver Lakshmimukham, making the shape of thekalasams into that of a woman.

Garlands covered the front ofthe sari, as well as down the back

Aadi Amavasya, Aug. 9

Aadi Puram, Aug. 11

At least 30 people showed up tosponsor on this most importantday, when those who have losttheir fathers perform tarpanamfor them. Sponsors were seatedon a tarp by the “Kashi” riverwith Aiya leading the puja,complete with five smallkalasams and five pindams madeof the five ingredients that most

This festival celebrates Devi’stransition into womanhood. Forthe third year in a row, a Chandihomam was performed in themorning before the afternoon’sfestivities. Saris, bangles, andmangala dhanyams were offeredinto the fire with Chandi japamafter each chapter of the DurgaSaptasati.

Following the homam, thetemple’s own Vishnu Durga wasgiven abhishekam with milk andkusha grass by anyone whowished to bathe her. Afteralankaram, Devi received ninedifferent arathis, includingvarious sweets, short eats, andfruits.

Suba, Gratus, and Paran welcome Aiya

and Amma to the temple.

efforts and the success of theevent. After a slide show of Aiyaand Amma’s history, everyoneenjoyed maha prasadam.

accurately represent the definitiveparts of the human body. Thiswas done to invoke the spirit ofthe father by way of the pindamsand recreate the body. After themain rituals were over, sponsorsoffered the pindams either intothe river or toward the southerndirection, where Yama, the lord ofdeath, watches over.

All were seated first, then rose to give the offerings to their fathers’ spirits.

The early-morning

Chandi homam saw

13 chapters worth of

full sets of dresses for

the Devi; later on,

Vishnu Durga was

bathed and dressed.

to model a long braid withflowers. Amma sat in front ofLakshmi while suvasinis satfacing her in a circle around thehoma kundam. Each lady had apuja set and a small silverLakshmi mukham to place on alamp.

Aiya led the chanting of the SriSuktam and every lady chantedalong with him. Following thepuja, Amma distributed thecustomary yellow string to betied around every lady’s wrist.As Aiya explained, the nine knotsthat had been tied into each stringrepresents the nine chakras thatexist from the ajna chakra up tothe sahasra kamala.

Devi was

dressed as

Varalakshmi

and seated on

the

homakundam,

where Amma

did final aarthi

to her (below)

after the entire

puja was

completed.

3

4

Ati Rudram’s over... now what?!

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

Devi willing, the next issue ofthe Sri Chakra will be up on thetemple’s website at the beginningof December 2010.

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

The next deadline for articlesubmission is November 12.Please e-mail us with yourcontributions or feedback aboutthis issue [email protected] ortalk to Kamya or Abhi at thetemple.

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

In Three Months

Our deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’sOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’sOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’sOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’sOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’s

vvvvvolunteerolunteerolunteerolunteerolunteers: Aiys: Aiys: Aiys: Aiys: Aiya,a,a,a,a, K K K K Kathathathathathy Allen,y Allen,y Allen,y Allen,y Allen, V V V V Vilas Ankilas Ankilas Ankilas Ankilas Ankolekarolekarolekarolekarolekar,,,,,

Dandapani, Gratus Devanesan, Annapurna Dintakurti,Dandapani, Gratus Devanesan, Annapurna Dintakurti,Dandapani, Gratus Devanesan, Annapurna Dintakurti,Dandapani, Gratus Devanesan, Annapurna Dintakurti,Dandapani, Gratus Devanesan, Annapurna Dintakurti,

AparAparAparAparAparna Dintakurna Dintakurna Dintakurna Dintakurna Dintakurti,ti,ti,ti,ti, Apar Apar Apar Apar Aparna Haslinna Haslinna Haslinna Haslinna Haslinggggg,,,,, Sudha Priy Sudha Priy Sudha Priy Sudha Priy Sudha Priyaaaaa

KearKearKearKearKearneneneneneyyyyy,,,,, Pamela Lan Pamela Lan Pamela Lan Pamela Lan Pamela Lang and Priyg and Priyg and Priyg and Priyg and Priya Va Va Va Va Venkata.enkata.enkata.enkata.enkata.

Ganapathi Chaturthi, Sept. 11

A full Ganapathi homam will bedone on the morning of this day,using the Vancha-KalpaGanapathi mantra. In addition,everyone present includingvisitors will be given modakamsor laddus to give two by two intothe fire until all 1008 have beenoffered.

In past years, the homam hassometimes taken place outside onthe Ganapathi deck in the backfields, depending on the weather.If you visit, please also check forthe crowd out there if few peopleare in the yajnashala.

Upcoming Events Sharada Navarathri, Oct. 8-17 Kedaragowri Vratam, Nov. 5

Skanda Sashti, Nov. 6-11

Karthikai Vilakku, Nov. 20

This brahmotsavam of the templealways features a full digdevatakalasam puja on the first day,along with the welcoming of theVishnu Durga murthi from SaintCatharines.

Each subsequent day starts withgoh and digdevata pujas, and goesinto kalasa sthapanam, homam,milk abhishekam and alankaram.The Utsava Rajarajeswari Deviwill make her rounds around thetemple every third day as Durga,Lakshmi and Saraswati,respectively.

Toward the end of the festival, a4-hour long Chandi homam willsee the offering of 13 full sets ofclothing into the fire, plus theDevi’s large chariot procession thatevening.

Beginning on Vijayadasamiand lasting 21 days, this vratamis performed by ladies in thesame fashion as it wasperformed by Parvati Devi toobtain complete merger withLord Shiva.

Nightly puja will be done tothe Ardhanareeshwara murthi(who is half Shiva, half Devi), andthe last day will feature a grandpuja, plus the tying of sharaduand giving prasadam to theladies who sponsored.

As the Arunachala mountain inThiruvannamalai is lit up withdeepams each year, so too will thetemple be lit with deepams,candles, and even a homam thisevening. The one-day festivalcommemorates when Lord Shivatook the form of a massive flameto teach Brahma and Vishnu animportant lesson in the meaningof humility, honesty, ego andgrace.

The puja will begin at 7 p.m.

Lord Muruga is the star of this 6-day festival, which has devoteesperforming puja and milkabhishekam to him and his wives,Sri Devayani and Valli, eachevening. Previous years have seen

archana, homams, and the likeoffered as puja.

On the last day, we will re-enactthe slaying of the demonSurapadman, and the subsequentwedding of Muruga and Valli.

5


KumbhabhishekamKumbhabhishekamKumbhabhishekamKumbhabhishekamKumbhabhishekamPunarutharunaPunarutharunaPunarutharunaPunarutharunaPunarutharunaPunarutharunaPunarutharunaPunarutharunaPunarutharunaPunarutharuna

KumbhabhishekamKumbhabhishekamKumbhabhishekamKumbhabhishekamKumbhabhishekamby Kamya Ramaswamy

Under the guidance andwatchful eye of Sri MathioliSaraswati (or as we lovingly callher, Sri Amma), the SriRajarajeswari Peetam’s AtiRudram kumbhabhishekamwent off beautifully from July 1to July 11 in Rush, New York.

Upon entering the templegrounds, it was striking how theproperty resembled a circus, dueto the numerous and massivetents—the largest was thehomam tent, but there were alsoplaces for annadhanam, first aid,washing puja vessels, publicrelations, child care, homamsupplies, and outside sleepingquarters for male homakartasand volunteers.

All the cooking was also donein the open air by professionalchefs from India, who chantedparayanams all day as theyworked. Three meals were freelygiven each day to every soul whograced the property.

The first day began with gohand asva pujas, which were acommon morning themethroughout the festival. Aiyaperformed both these pujasoutside to live animals. The cowand calf were lent to us by a localfarmer who also supplied all themilk for Devi’s abhishekam forfree, citing that his farm hadgrown exponentially after hecame into contact with thetemple at the firstkumbhabhisekham 12 years ago!

Even better was that the cowwas fully pregnant—the perfecticing on the cake for worship at aDevi temple.

After these initial pujas eachmorning, 121 homa kartas satdown at their respective stationsat about 7:30 a.m. to begin thedaily preliminaries. This set ofparayanam began with Lalita

Sahasranamam and continuedwith Lalita Trisadhi, LaghuNyasam, Sambaparameshwarapuja to the main kalasams, andfinally one full Rudram Namakamparayanam.

Only after all that did thehomams begin, starting with theTantric Agni Mukham and leapingright into Vancha-KalpaGanapathi homam andGanapathi Atharvasirsam,followed up by Ganapathi’spurnahuti—an entire purnahutiwas offered into every singlehomakundam. The first day sawRudra Mahanyasam added to thismix, but each subsequent dayonly saw the above-mentionedpreliminaries.

The festival VIPs led thissession, with Sri Yegnaratnam ofChennai at the helm of the entireAti Rudram ceremonies. Anadept Sri Vidya upasaka forseveral decades, he is in demandall across India to perform alltypes of in-depth pujas, especiallyChandi homams and Navavaranapujas.

His son and daughter-in-law, SriRaghu and Akhila, led thechanting. More friends of thetemple (and decades-long SVupasakas) Sri Shangaranarayana,Sri Jayaraman & Vijayalakshmi,and Sri Tirthananda, were amongthe exalted group that sat in thecentre two rows of the vastyajnashala. This was at theinstruction of none other than SriAmma.

Eleven Rudra homams wereperformed each day, interspersedwith a morning break, lunch andan evening break. Thetemperature hit triple-digits (inthe mid-30s Celsius), making itunbearable in the homam tent—no doubt the heat of the Rudramswas seeping into the atmosphere.

Again, the dedicated kitchenstaff came to the rescue andannounced it would continuouslysupply watermelon and coconutwater to everyone presentthroughout each and every day.

At the end of each day, SriYegnaratnam led everyone in thefinal Rudra homam, which wasfollowed by Chamakam homam,Purusha Suktam homam and thefive Satyojatam mantras.

Each homakarta offered Rudrapurnahuti into their fires, andthen took the evening break orcleaned their puja trays at theirconvenience. They were backsoon after for the crowning jewelof each day—a full Navavaranahomam performed by SriYegnaratnam, complete withpurnahuti and sarees offered intothe main homakundam. Everyday finally wrapped up at about7:30 p.m., which is when theevening meal was served.

After the 11th day, the festivitieswere not yet over—the 1008kalasams and shankams thatlined the outer shelves of theyajnashala still had to be offeredto the Devi inside the temple.

Sri Vijayalakshmi had beentaking care of the Mother for thewhole festival by performingNavavarana puja inside threetimes daily. All visitors andtemple regulars alike were givenkalasams and shankams to carryaround the temple and offer insidethe garbha-griha. After this wascompleted on July 12th, Aiyaperformed abhishekam to eachand every homakarta thatevening with the kalasams thatsat by their homakundams.

On Tuesday the 13th, a fullBhairava madai was performed,bali was given across theproperty, and the festival finallyclosed.

6


K Ati Rudram 2010 picsu m b ha bh i s h e k a

m... see the temple’s website for many, many more!

The homakundams were assembled by hand. Aiya performed goh puja and asva puja each morning before a full crowd.

The main homakundam was the largest, while the other 120 homakundams

were about three-fourths that size. Each had its own kalasam, valampuri

shankam and clay pot.

During

morning

parayanam,

Aiya

performed

puja to the

1008

kalasams

lining the

yajnashala.

Each was

given its own

valampuri

shankam

and daily

naivedyam.

Smt. Vijayalakshmi performed hours-long

Navavarana pujas three times every day

before the Devi inside the temple.

Aiya and Amma are assisted by Sri

Yegnaratnam during the last

purnahuti after Navavarana homam.

Visitors sat in

the spectator

tent, which

was set up

with

widescreen

TVs to view

the action

inside the

homam tent.

The VIPs regaled devotees with stories and

Q&A periods during and after evening meals.Aiya sat as homakarta for the main homam

while Sri Yegnaratnam led the ceremonies.

7


The volunteers were the backbone behind the entire festival, whether they (left to right) worked as

runners at the homam tent, with the technical equipment, or watching the small children in the kids’

tent. They were true heroes during an all-day lightning storm, rolling and unrolling the plastic sides

of the yajnashala while soaked to the bone.

Clockwise from top left: Sri

Yegnaratnam, Raghu and

Akhila; Sri

Shangaranarayanan; Sri

Tirthananda and his wife; and

Sri Jayaraman and Smt.

Vijayalakshmi.

Clockwise from top left:

The kitchen staff had its

own tent adjoined to

the public

annadhanam tent;

volunteers worked for

weeks before the

function to waterproof

and weatherproof the

homam tent; visitors

could sponsor or

purchase anything all

day at the PR tent.

Everyone did full pradakshanam with all pomp

and pageantry during the final kalasa-abhisheka

to the Devi on the last day.

Aparna and Kathy make a new friend... ...and apparently, so does Aiya. ;)

8


Blessed am I to find a guru likeAiya and a mother like Amma.They are my Parameshwara-Parameshwari. Aiya is unique inevery way and I have never seensomeone so special in my life.Words are short to describe himand his essence in our lives. Tome, he is the ocean of compassionand no different from the eternalmother, our Devi.

This year, Guru Poornima was awonderful occasion whereby allof us got a chance to serve Aiyaand Amma right after AtiRudram. As the clock struck 2:30p.m., everyone hurried towardsthe entrance near the Dwara

AAAAAAAAAA

humblinghumblinghumblinghumblinghumbling

GuruGuruGuruGuruGuruGuruGuruGuruGuruGuru

PPPPPoorooroorooroornimanimanimanimanima

by Annapurna Dintakurti

humblinghumblinghumblinghumblinghumbling

Ganapathi waitinganxiously for Aiya andAmma’s arrival. It wasa lovely sight to watchladies dressed in goldenyellow saris (prasadamgiven at Ati Rudram)and men in white dhotiswith Ati Rudram anga-vastrams.

As the momentsslowly passed, Aiya andAmma’s decorated carcame into sight. I wasawed watching my

Amma beautifully decked in aturquoise colored sari. She lookedvery radiant and serenewith her appearance andposture that I simply wishedto hug her. Aiya as alwayslooked calm and composed.

After the completion ofpuja in the temple, Aiya andAmma took their seats in theyajnashala as our guru pujabegan with a melodiousbhajan. With every stanza,a couple walked by to Aiyaand Amma and offered anupacharam. At the sametime, we got a chance toperform it in our hearts

(manasa kalpayami). Lyrics weregiven to everyone.

Soon, the puja was done and Iwas anxiously waiting for myDear Aiya to speak a few wordsfor us. It felt like ages since I haveseen Aiya relaxed enough to sitand have some moments with us.When Aiya took the microphone,in a very serious note he asked allthe volunteers, homakartas,sponsors and everyone involvedin Ati Rudram to stand up.

Unaware of his intention,everyone stood up waiting forAiya to address something. Itwas a very joyful occasion as ourlong awaited Ati Rudram finallyfinished with such a grandsuccess. Aiya had workedrelentlessly for many monthswithout a proper diet and rest,making sure each and everyminute thing was done in aproper way.

As participants, we might havefocused on one arena but for Aiya,it wasn’t that simple. He had tomake sure all areas were handledcarefully in the right manner. Iremember the time he told us thatthe Devi has provided enoughhelp and resources to conduct AtiRudram successfully and thatwas not done through his efforts.

Following Aiya’s words,everyone stood up in theirrespective places. Aiya removedhis mike, came down from hischair and to our shock, bent downon the ground and did sashtanganamaskaram for all of us. Momentsfroze and it felt like the world justpaused. I felt very unfortunate to

Mickell and Pravin do deepaaradhana to

Aiya and Amma

PPPPPoorooroorooroornimanimanimanimanima

9


be right in front of Aiya with myback towards the Devi. I gaspedand immediately moved to theside, convincing myself that itwas for the Devi.

Before I could react, a heavysound towards my left caught myattention. I was dumb struck,watching a homakarta cry like ababy. True, we were all nothingbut immature infants taggingalong our mother who is noneother Aiya. I turned to face Aiyaagain but to my horror, sawAmma bend down and donamaskaram as well.

I felt a sudden surge of pain,tears, sadness and love seeingtheir humbleness. I wonderedwhat are they really made up of?They have always done so muchfor us and the temple that ourefforts seem so minuscule beforethem. They never ignored even asingle opportunity to award eachand every one of us for our part.

Aiya is my Devi and to imagineyour supreme power bend downand do namaskaram right in front

of your eyes is aheart-wrenching sight.I never evenwant to imaginesuch a thing,forget aboutwatching it. Thesmall amount ofhappiness I hadregarding myvolunteer workin Ati Rudramdisappeared. Allthat remainedwas onequestion—what

did I really do to achieve this?Aiya and Amma honored us inway that no one had any wordsleft; only drops of tears rollingdown from our eyes.

At that moment, my past justflashed in front of me. WithAiya’s arrival, my life changed forthe better. There was never amoment whereby Aiya didn’tcome to my aid when I neededhim. He never expected anythingin return. Ever since I gainedentry into this Sri Vidya templetwo years ago, Aiya was always

with me and all I had to do wastake his name. Even before theDevi, my Guru would alwayscome to my rescue. Such is thelove of Aiya.

Amma on the other hand, makesme feel like her child. She makessure I am well-fed and is alwaysconcerned about my well being.By participating in Ati Rudram, Ifelt I was benefited in a millionways by being part of such aglorious event.

For the efforts we have placed inthe Maha Yagna, I would never beable to accept that we deservesuch an honour from our Aiyaand Amma. They make sure welive a life like good beings; caringand nurturing us just like theirown children. I just want tothrow myself on their feet andthank them for even giving mesuch a blessed opportunity toparticipate in this event, whichwouldn’t have been possiblewithout them and their grace.

Aiya and Amma have bound uswith their immense amount oflove and compassion. In the end, Ifeel we are all so fortunate to havesuch affectionate parents who not

only make sure we followthe right path but at thesame time appreciate usin a billion more ways forour smallest of smallefforts.

A large platform was constructed for our gurus to

watch the whole festival.

Annapurna (center) has

been away at medical

school, so this is the first

Guru Poornima she has

been able to attend.

10


Either I have become really oldor very divine. Nothing in my lifehas given me as much happinessas just sitting and listening to myguru’s voice singing bhajanas—the devotion, the unsaid plea, themelody lulled with the innocentsweetness of unselfish love, justlove for what it is. Theunfaltering respect, the movingemotion are all reminiscent of meas part of a long-lost heritage thatis coming alive… that this soulalways knew and wanted that

connection re-established. Am Iimagining this?

The sweetest words imaginableto give shape to a form that iselastic to confine humbly theunimaginable the indefinable... tosing, sing, sing until the beat ofmy heart resonates with the beatof shiva-shiva, hara-hara. Am I athief to ride high on theseborrowed words?

It all started during one hot AtiRudram afternoon at the SriRajarajeswari Peetam inRochester. Everyone was taking abreak from the morning ritual.Kids were squirting water on eachother, visitors eating, volunteersbusying themselves with varioustasks. A group of people gatheredunder one of the tents set up nearthe main tent and musicmaterialized from nowhere. Imade my way over to join them.

by Priya Venkata

A slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekamA slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekamA slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekamA slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekamA slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekamA slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekamA slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekamA slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekamA slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekamA slice of bliss at kumbhabhishekam

A mixed crowd of devotees,homakartas and volunteers hadstarted a bhajan session. Stillcurious (I’d never actually been apart of one of these in my life!) Isat behind to soak in the scene.People were singing with theirfull hearts, so involved albeit thediscomfort of the hot afternoonsun, oblivious to the buzz of theinsects and their own thirst.

Seeing each face I wished sohard I could enjoy like they were.I sat, I sat somehow with nothing

over me. I was on theperiphery; it seemed like Iwas watching everythingfrom a comfortabledistance. After many

numbers,thesessionended.I left feeling a little lost and empty,nothing gained. I felt incomplete,thinking maybe this kind ofdevotion was not my path.

The next day I arrived at thetemple well before the appointedtime for the festivities to start.The moment I stepped into thegarbha-graha of Sri RajarajeswariPeetam, an immeasurable feelingof love and attachment overtookme as I heard Aiya’s voice singinga song in which he keepsrepeating the word lingodhbhava.

I was lost.I was immersed.I was forgotten.Only his voice and the emotion

that was reaching out from hisvoice existed.

Tears streaming down my face, Ilet it all soak in. I never wantedthe song to end. I didn’t hear aword but felt this instant need forthis song, like I’d been waitingfor the tap to be turned on. Myrational mind kept note of theword lingodhbhava, the onlyanchor for me to hold onto infinding out whether this was justmy imagination.

At the end of the day on my wayout I remembered to use myanchor. As most of the things thathappen at our temple are blissful/ecstatic experiences, my rationalmind always wants a way to re-create the magic for itself in everyarena of life.

You just wantmore and moreand more. I askedat the CD sectionand I waspromptlypresented with aCD sayingbhajans. Withoutthinking Iimmediately giveit back saying no,this is a song not abhajan!!!

Smilingly, the volunteer returnedit back to me saying this is theonly version of lingodhbhava thatAiya has sung!

Too tired to insist, I rushed backto my car and turned it on, andinstantly fell back into that worldagain where I wanted to be. Nowas I listen to bhajans sung by AiyaI am in another worldtransported from my bill paying,grocery shopping, stress-at-workmode to the simply happy mode.I have begun enjoying mostbhajans whole-heartedly and feelthey are songs sung with a heartfilled with divine grace… anotherblessing from the mother andanother way to enjoy her. Howblessed I am.

11


The Mother of all FamiliesThe Mother of all Familiesby Pamela Lang

The last issue of the Sri Chakra saw the first part of Pam’sarticle, where she described how she fell into Sri Vidya whiledoing a school project. After meeting Aiya’s daughter, Saru, inone of her college classes, Pam attended a puja at their homeand quickly felt the Devi’s pull.

I had to attend a certain amount of pujas for theassignment but how quickly that would be forgotten!I couldn’t imagine not going back after the first coupleof times. There is no way to recreate my paper now. Itwas an attempt to describe honestly (and evidentlyhilariously) what it all looked like to an outsider, and Iam not that person anymore. But it was so excitingand interesting and there was so much to learn. Soon,I was no longer taking notes for just for an assignmentbut wanting to learn for myself.

Aiya always encouraged questions—even the tenmillion dumb ones I had. We would go down to thebasement after puja and he would chat away witheveryone. Eventually, he looked at me and said, “So,what questions do you have Pam?” He had thismarvelous way of making you feel like your littleindividual journey was of special note.

Those days on Park Circle were priceless. I still thinkit must have been like being one of the twelve disciplessitting around Jesus listening to his parables. I’veoften thought about the way you know something isright. Without a doubt I knew this was it and no wayit could be otherwise—like being alive or moving yourlimbs—it just is.

Interestingly, shortly before taking this religion classI had decided to try vegetarianism for weight loss andhealth. So I was getting ready for my new life butdidn’t know it. One thing about those Friday pujas;they were four hours long on average. And very earlyon, Amma would start coming in with fantasticsmelling dishes to be offered. What an awesome wayto worship God. And what torture for my youthfulappetite! How many times I sat there looking at theDevi, and smelling the food. And as the night got later,it seemed Aiya might be finishing his last song butthen he would start another one.

Later, when I learned Aiya could hear the thoughts ofdevotees during puja I would think, “Please don’t bemad! I am here for the Devi. I’m just really hungrytoo!”

Eventually Aiya gave me a mantra. He told mewhere to focus on the body and that the best way is tochant mentally. It was a short, simple mantra but Iwas so concerned about doing it right andremembering it all. It seemed like rubbing yourtummy and patting your head in unison.

The first time I did it I had an experience. It was lateat night and I had studied a little and had some coffee.

part 2part 2part 2part 2part 2

Pam and her

son, James

Rishi, who is

battling cancer

and going

through

chemotherapy

right now. Pam

sat as one of

the 121

homakartas in

the Ati Rudram

with faith the

Devi would take

care of her baby.

Please pray for

his quick and

permanent

healing.

I sat on the floor cross-legged and very slowly andcarefully went through what he told me. Suddenly myheartbeat started accelerating more and more withoutdecelerating and I could hear it, like a movie sound effect.It was kind of alarming.

Then some colors were flashing around me—green,purple, red. Nothing remotely like this had everhappened to me before. I couldn’t wait to tell Aiya. Icalled him up right away the next day and he chuckled.That’s where the pitfalls started, I think. For the longesttime after that I kept hoping for more experiences but itdidn’t happen.

One thing I think is important to preserve from thosedays is the momentous feeling of family—that we arejoined in a sacred fellowship. It’s a wonderful thing to beaccepted, supported and understood—the way peopleare when they come here. Everyone was welcome andwas made to feel good. Anyone had a chance toparticipate in the rituals. Anyone could be part of theclub.

There are many fine memories of all the people fromthe temple who helped me to learn and showed pleasurewith my progress. I hope that those of us who camefrom that can carry it on into this “new” place with somany more people coming now. That is what you wantto feel when you go to a church or a temple, and Aiyaoften says that if you can’t do anything else, at the veryleast be kind to people and make them feel good.

I think about my son and how to show him what thisis all about. I’m glad for the chance to write about it.How else will he know what it was like to meet Aiya andlearn about these things? We live in Phoenix now andhave a small peetam in our house. If you find yourselfout this way visitors are always welcome.

Sri Gurubyo Namaha.

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“I am happy with the present”“I am happy with the future”“I appreciate the world”“I find this life and this world to be in my best interest”“I consider the experiences of this life to be in my best interest”“My forefathers (ancestors) bring happiness to my mind” or

“The experiences that have past are in my best interest”“I am safe”“I am understood”“I am fortunate”“I am wealthy”“My guru is with me”“My guru supports and loves me”“I need not fear”“I have courage”“I love the world for what I have”“And the world will love me for my love”“I have clear understanding”“I have clear expression”“I have the willpower that can produce change”“I have clarity of mind (wealth of cattle)”“Impurities in me are purged”“I am true to my own nature”“And I understand the truth about nature”“My prana is pure”“I will be free of infections/intrusions”“Nectar/Ambrosia flows through me”“I am immortal”“I love all”“I fear none”“And I will do good to the world”“I am rested”“I love this day” and “I love the days to come”

Below the surface ofChamakam

Below the surface ofChamakam

by Gratus Devanesan

When looking upon Chamakam in this light itcan be seen that Chamakam is like self therapy.Where Namakam can be considered the fire ofViraja homam, Chamakam is the cool showerthat gives us the ephemeral body of light.

We start by grounding ourselves andreminding us that we are happy. The world re-affirms whatever you affirm. So the first stepshould always be to think and be what youwant to be. So we start with the goal and say “Iam happy.” This simple impulse or thoughtawakens within us positive energies. Since themind cannot stay on the present for very longwe affirm that we are happy with the future.Daily reaffirmation of this will subtly coax ourmind to lead us on paths in which we willrealize sustainable happiness.

Next, we make peace with the world. Weaccept the world as it is and accept that wecannot change it all. We accept that the life wehave today, is one that we love. This is true asthe soul maps its own course through progress.So today we might be experiencing the might ofSaneeswara, but we should understand that it isfor the best and that this life is the best for us.We reaffirm that this life is what is desirable tous. And we reaffirm that what this life bringsus, is what is desirable to us.

We go on to say that our forefathers andrelatives give us happiness. The true andgreatest, inheritance a parent can give a child isa happy mind. All our emotional turmoil isthrough the modifications of our mind and ourkarma flows through that. Our ancestors, livingor dead, have a great capacity to upset us. Weaffirm that what they have done was for ourbenefit and we should be happy because of that.

In the June 2010 issue, Gratus wrote about how the Chamakam (the so-called second half of the Rudram) is largelymisunderstood as a plea to obtain material objects from Shiva. But, how, he asks, can this sacred text from the Vedas be allabout possessing and controlling? In this last half of Gratus’s article, he explains that the subtext of the Chamakam isn’tabout asking Shiva for worldly gifts, but instead realizing those worldly gifts are within you.

So, starting with the reinterpretation of “cha” gets us from “pleasures of this world are with me” to“pleasures of this world are me.” Interpreting further we end up at “I am happy,” or “I am happiness.”

The new translation would go something like this:

part 2part 2part 2part 2part 2

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This could also be interpreted assaying, “We like the past” as away of making peace withbygone memories and realizingthat we cannot change what haspassed and that it was all for thebest.

I feel safe, I am understood, I amfortunate and I am wealthy.Common trademarks of sadnessare fear of personal danger,disappointment through beingmisunderstood and being alone, afeeling of helplessness andmisfortune, and a sense ofpoverty that weighs us down.We negate these negativities byaffirming the positive.

And why are we safe,understood, fortunate etc.?Because our Guru is with us. Andour Guru will guide us and carryus even through the greatest ofsuffering. Therefore, we don’tneed to fear. Whatever comes wecan face it with courage. We willdo good – we will express love.And for the love we express, lovewill be expressed to us in turn.

We will have clarity ofunderstanding, and clarity ofexpression.

The lack of these two are thecause of all our problems.Somebody will say “Hi,” but wewill misread their body languageand feel insulted. Or we try toexpress our love, but instead itbecomes just expressions of fearor clinging attachment. Ourinability to understand what isaround us, our inability tounderstand that the Devi in hercompassion—which extendsmuch beyond our sense of pity—designed it this way, leads us tosadness and worries.

To not be able to express oneselfleads one to depression andloneliness. All our expressionsare attempts at and driven bylove, but too often they are short-sighted and driven by poorunderstanding.

Now we can produce change.Through clarity of expression andunderstanding we create a pausebetween action and reaction.This pause that leads to reflectionand is supported by clarity ofmind, is what burns karma. It is

the only thing that produces realchange within us. That clarity ofmind, which burns our karma, isthe greatest wealth of all. Andonly this wealth can producechange.

Starting with purity in mind, wepurify and balance our pranicenergies. A perturbed mindbreathes unevenly, while a calmmind will produce a deep andregulated breath. Deep andbalanced breathing infuses pranicenergy into your body.

This is why it is beneficial tochant the anuvakam of Chamakamin one breath. It is not a chantingcompetition where we try to

chant it really fast with our shortbreath. It is a breathing exerciseand we should aim to lengthenand deepen our breath. And thosewho chant Rudram properly willnotice that the Chamakam at theend of the Namakam is easier tochant in one breath than theChamakam at the beginning. Thisis an easy measure of the benefitsof Rudram.

Ayurveda tells us that imbalanceof the airs in our body is the causeof disease – we prevent furtherinfectious diseases by balancingour prana. We heal and overcomecurrent “wars” that our cells arefighting within us (that cause thebody temperature to rise). Itshould also be noted that aphysical infection has a mentaldimension. These lines essentiallysay that we are protected even

from the tiniest of unbalancingintrusions into our peaceful andhappy state.

A healthy body infused withprana will produce amritam.Amritam is physically asubstance that can betransformed into anything. So ifthere is an iron deficiency,amritam will take care of that; ifthere is a Vitamin D deficiencyamritam will take care of that,too. As amritam flows ourmalnourished cells are healed,hormone release is regulated andbalanced. Having healed ourmind we affirm theinterdependency of body andmind, and heal our body too.

At that state we feel immortal –as we theoretically are at thatpoint. This feeling of immortalitywill greatly reduce lingeringattachments and desires andovercome any sense of self doubt,anguish or frustration. Also, inimmortality we realize Shiva – asShiva is the only “thing” thatlasts forever. And if we lastforever, we are Shiva.

We love all and fear none (or“hurt never” – we only hurtwhat we fear). This is therealization that is required to beone with all. Having transformedourselves, we are finally qualifiedto do well for those around us.Until this happens all our helpwill be at least partially selfish,and we may not alwaysunderstand what is best for thosearound us. Like Sri Satya SaiBaba has said, “Love All, ServeAll, Help Ever, Hurt Never.”

We finish with an affirmation,that we are rejuvenated(“rested”) and that we love thepresent and look forward to thefuture.

I hope this way of thinkingabout the Chamakam leads toeven greater enthusiasm for thoseinterested in chanting theRudram. It is odd that peopleinsist that Chamakam is part ofRudram, but try to distancethemselves from it like it is adangerous disease. Chamakamand Namakam are equally great,as they are Veda, and in truth,there is no differentiation.

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Dissecting the RudramDissecting the Rudram

Sri Rudram is the Vedic chantpreferred by renunciates becauseit is the most comprehensive andauthoritative scripture affirmingthe non-dual reality of existence.While the word Rudram is oftentranslated as “tear” or “anger,”the chant itself is accepted as oneof the most healing mantras in theworld. Only a deep and reflectivestudy of the meaning of thisprayer can unlock the mystery ofthe paradox and reveal the trueomnipresence of God. Sannyasisrecite this to affirm their life-longvow of renunciation, whileTantrics recite this to merge theirconsciousness into the fabric ofcreation. In either case, once asadhaka melts into the poeticverses of Sri Rudram, it is nolonger possible to listen totraditional commentaries whichexpound the Namakam section asa chant necessary to cool theanger of God or the Chamakamsection as a chance to ask formaterial boons once God’s angeris assuaged.

Sri ChandrasekharendraSaraswati wrote a beautiful bookcalled The Vedas where he defendsthe wisdom of the revealedscripture. The Vedas are at least4,000 years old, and somedevotees have reason to believe itis much more ancient; but allagree it has no human authorship.The Sri Rudram is one of thecrown jewels of the Vedas,therefore it is important to firstestablish the eternal relevance ofthis scripture to extinguishdoubts of those who think theVedas are extraneous to modernsociety. In order to begin areflective study of Sri Rudram, it

by Aparna Hasling

This article was written as a Guru Poornima tribute to Aiya. It is an accumulation of meditations upon the Rudram inpreparation for the Ati Rudram festival held in Rochester, New York July 1 – 11, 2010. Here is the first of three installments.

is necessary to overcome the biasthat the Vedas come from aprimitive age and therefore lacksophistication or spiritual insight.

If Hindus truly believe in thecyclic process of the four yugasand recognize that humanity isnow in the Kali Yuga (the mostviolent and ignorant of all theyugas), it makes sense that theancient Vedas are a relic from amore peaceful time when thosewho were blessed with humanincarnation were filled with light.It would follow that a mindinfluenced by Kali Yuga would seecreation mirrored by rage andanger and the egoist mind of KaliYuga would assume superiorityover the primitive people whocame from a time when God wasnamed “Rudra.” In fact, the SriRudram was named toacknowledge that human anger isthe most volatile emotion whichcauses the separation betweenman and God; by understandingthis sacred prayer, the separationis cosmically healed.

The confusion about themeaning ofRudram beginswith the firstverse of thefirst anuvakamwhensalutations areoffered to“manyu.” Aswith manyVedic words,contradictorymeanings ofsingle wordsare common. Inthis case,“manyu” can

be translated as anger or rage butalso as spirit, mind, zeal, passionor even sacrifice. Unfortunately,when commentators project theirown understanding onto a sacredtext without an accurate Vedicdictionary, errors are made andthen repeatedly passed downthrough generations. And sincemany commentators begin with afundamental error that theRudram is about anger, the entiretext has been tainted anddistorted to mean that God isangry with man’s moraltransgressions. By just giving adifferent flavor to the first fewlines of the Rudram, the entireprayer is transformed and thespiritual meaning is easilyrevealed.

The commentator Vishnusuri isone of the few to break the codeand help expose the advaiticinterpretation of Sri Rudram. Bydecoding just the first few words,new insight is given. For example,he says that Rudra is the codeword for Atman, the arrow is thecode word for jivatman and the

Aparna, right, stands with Pam and Kathy in front of the huge

Isana banalingam, which sits on the hill past the Kashi creek.

See close-up photos on the next page.

part 1

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bow is the code word forpranava/Aum. Also in the firstverse, salutations are offered tothe two arms of the Lord. He saysthese arms are coded to representthe two powers of maya:concealing power and projectingpower. It is from this perspectivethat sannyasis meditate upon theSri Rudram with the goal of beingliberated from the tenaciousbonds of material illusion, maya.By using the power of mantra topenetrate the bonds of maya, theyinsert the arrow into the target sojivatman merges with Atman.

Leaping into this spiritual basinof bliss, the sadhaka is givenverse upon verse to meditateupon the Lord. The verses of thefirstanuvakamprovide ameditationto deepenone’sdevotiontowardsthe Lord.Buildingupon thisenergy, thesecondanuvakamoffers 13verses toexplainthe mysticconnectionbetweencreationand creator. Each of these versesis coded as a set of three relationalwords. Just as you would studythe SAT test and be asked tounderstand one set of relationsbased upon another, so theRudram also poetically andanalytically attempts to describethe mystical identity of God withcoded references. It would be amistake to read the names in thischapter as a sequence of namesrather than a series of groupings.

By reading the secondanuvakam as analytic prose, oneis transported to make mysticalconnections between all theverses as the meaning of eachgroup is individually cradled. Forexample, 2.1.2 tree roots, leaves, Lord

of all beings can set the tone ofunraveling by proposing a pattern ofa) object b) manifestation of objectand c) power agent connecting both.

Compare this pattern with verse2.2.3 earth, devotees and medicinal herbs.And then again with therelationship in 2.2.1 blood/sap,sustainer, Lord of trees. These relationalsets are clues to meditate upon theDivine, and no single set should beover-emphasized.

It is particularly interesting to notehow some Vedic terms havealternate and conflicting meaningssuch as blood&sap and hair&leaves; it isas if the ancient rishis related togiant trees as their non-movable kinand so used the same word, rohitaya,to describe the life giving, liquid

energy in trees andpeople. In any case, thenames of the Rudram

are not a random collection ofprimitive descriptions but rather amystic code to describe theindescribable.

Who is Rudra? What is thisCreation? The final verse of thesecond anuvakam groups the threenames describing Rudra asomnipresent force, running to protect, Lordof good people. This faith-buildingverse assures the devotee that Godwill always protect them – in thedark, amid confusion, in the vastworld, God is omnipresent,omniscient and omnipotent andthrives by protecting devotees.

The third anuvakam is probablythe most misunderstood of all sinceit is an entire chapter devoted to Godas identified as a criminal, murderer,

cheater, pathological liar, sadist,weapon holder and gypsy.Some commentators have goneto great trouble to interpret thischapter through their ownmoral lens and say that Godwill be with these evil-doersonce they have renounced theirevil ways. Other commentatorshave tried to say that thischapter is yet anotherjustification to prove that Godis angry because he can be seenin the form of a criminal.

However, please consider thatthis is the first of four chapterswhich contrasts God and maya.Most people cannot accept thateverything is God. It is commonto judge others and outercircumstances through acultural/moral lens. This lensmakes people judge between

good andevil.

Themostcommonpitfall fora devoteeis toassumethat thosewhoperformritual,charityand goodworks arefavorableand

therefore “closer” to God, whilethose who perform evil actionsand crimes are “further” fromGod. But note this chaptercomes directly after anaffirmation that says God isomnipresent.

Therefore, this is the first setof names which says, Don’t beconfused! God is everywhere.God consciousness is mysticaland mysterious and those whoseek liberation cannot separateout anything from God. See thecriminal as God and move on.Do not stop to judge.

Read the second of three parts ofthis series in the next issue of the SriChakra.

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During Guru Poornima, Aiya gave aspeech outlining his thoughts on therecent Ati Rudram kumbhabhishekam.The following is a small excerpt of someof those sentiments.

None of us are any more specialthan the other ones. Each of us isspecial; each of us has that littleBala in our hearts. So in each oneof your hearts, whatever that youhave; you had in your mind sincethe Ati Rudram began and sincethe temple began so many yearsago, you have completed that partof your sadhana.

And because we functionedthose two weeks, we were able topull it off. But it was not withoutloss. Don’t pat yourself on theback and think that you havedone an extraordinary job. Yes,overall, we have. But only if wefocus on the 10 per cent ofmistakes that we made, we aregoing to make any progress.

When I was in Chennaisometime during January, I usedto consult Sri Amma oneverything related to thisfunction. And she told me,“Whatever you are doing,visualize in your mind you areoffering it as bilvam to Swami.”Then it will succeed. If thishomam went completelysuccessfully with 121 firesburning inside a confined tent,and sometimes 300 people in thetent and volunteers walking

SomeSomeSomeSomeSomefinalfinalfinalfinalfinalthoughtsthoughtsthoughtsthoughtsthoughtson Ation Ation Ation Ation AtiRudramRudramRudramRudramRudram

by Aiya

around without a slight mishap,SHE protected it and She did it.That’s all.

I have a little story that camefrom a Tamil radio talk show inToronto. A lady called in and toldthe announcer that she and herhusband and two children cameto Ati Rudram on the last day andthey were stuck at the border thewhole day. By the time theyreached here, it was 5:30 p.m.—everything was finished. Thegentleman saw the annadhanamtent and thought to ask for a glassof water.

There was a young girl insidethe tent. She asked the manwhether he ate. He explainedtheir situation and said theydidn’t eat. She asked how many

people came, and then fiveminutes later came with fourplates of food. She said if theywanted some more, tell her—theyshould eat to their hearts’ content.The man broke down while hewas calling the show. He saidthat to him, it wasn’t a young girl,it was the Mother herselfwelcoming them to her home.

Before they got up, the girl cameback with a tray and four cups ofhot tea. The man said he hadnever tasted anything sowonderful in his life. That is whatthis temple has to be.

That’s the kind of compassionwe are looking for. If you can’tfeed someone who has stayed at

the border for many hours just tocome here, and if you think, “Oh,they should have come duringlunchtime,” you are lost. Whatuse is your sadhana? What haveyou done for this temple?

I know you may be tired. Didyou watch how some of the youngpeople worked during thefestival? Toiling behind closeddoors and not asking foranything. Once I woke up at 3a.m. because I wanted to use therestroom and thought to lookinside the homam tent. Therewere people running around inthere and cleaning, makingarrangements for the next day.Did I go after them and pat themon the back? No. I just told themto finish quickly and go to bed.

We do not want to deteriorateinto something commercial. If wecan’t feel for the people who havecome here and taken the time andeffort to welcome guests andcomfort them, it’s done. We mightas well close our doors.

The people at the homams, thepeople in the tents, the ones on thefringes, everyone did a massivejob—that is why Ati Rudramwent off without a mishap. With121 fires, what if someone’sclothes had caught fire? Not evena spark—do you think that wasdone because of us?

It was because of the Mother.She is the yajamaana svaroopini, notme.

SomeSomeSomeSomeSomefinalfinalfinalfinalfinalthoughtsthoughtsthoughtsthoughtsthoughtson Ation Ation Ation Ation AtiRudramRudramRudramRudramRudram

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The true essence ofGuru Poornima

After every Guru Poornima, Aiyaalways discusses his feelings about theevent and the state of his students’sadhana, as well as insights into theguru parampara. Here is an excerptfrom that speech.

Now this festival here, acelebration like this—in myhumble opinion, there are manypeople who have taken the time toorganize, plan, talk on the phone,on the computer, do this, do that.In my humble opinion, I think weare slowly moving away from thespiritual importance of thisfestival. You need to know whatGuru Poornima really is about.

This is all beautifullyarranged… people have taken thetime to practice, everything isnicely arranged, etc. But is thatthe real point of Guru Poornima?No. It should not descend into afestival of colour and pomp—thatis all there, but I think that thespiritual strength is slowingmoving away.

It is like you’re worshipping thetap, completely forgetting thewater that’s moving through.Before me there’s Amritanandanatha, and before him,Svaprakashananda. Before him, itwas Kalyananda Thirtha. Have

The true essence ofGuru Poornima by Aiya

you ever tried to emulateanything any one of these gurusin our parampara have done? Ihave seen these festivalsdescending into competition.Truthfully ask yourselveswhether you have served yourgurus—you will know.

What are you doing? You’reinflating your egos… pattingyourself on the back. If you havetaken the knowledge fromsomebody, the theme of thistemple is to teach it to someoneelse. And if you have taken theknowledge from somebody else,acknowledge it. Don’t pushanybody away—don’t.

Remember, when the Devicomes here, she will not dress inthe most beautiful sari andtalking sweetly to you. She willcome here as the nastiest personyou can imagine. If you give in toyour instincts, you’ve missed it.You have to think, this is whatshe’s putting you through. Forpeople who think they can controlthings to their will, think again.It’s not like this here.

For this year, I’m not going togive Guru Poornima to anyone. Ipreviously gave it to groups ofpeople, from one region of Canadaor one city in the United States.

I’m not going that route again—that’s not how we do it. Nextyear, everything will be on thespiritual side of things. Nobodycomes to Park Circle to dress meup or dress Amma up; we knowhow to wear clothes.

I am no more special than anyone of you here. In fact I should bewashing your feet because youhave done all the work and I havebeen sitting. In coming years, wewill quietly emphasize aparticular type of practice in theprevious weeks or months totrain for Guru Poornima.

I’ll tell you there have been fourinstances of the Devi coming here,standing in line like an ordinaryperson, taking a plate, eating andwashing it, and putting it on therack—and then disappearinginside. In spite of all our failings,She’s still with us. That’s hergrace, that’s why she’s calledAvyaaja karuna murthi, the one whois an ocean of compassion. That’swhat you should have in mind forGuru Poornima.

Worship is the most important.There’s no sense in spendinghundreds of dollars on all this. Sofor next year, I humbly, veryhumbly ask all of you, let’s keep itsimple. Guru Poornima shouldalways be very simple. I willorganize this next year.

(laughter)Really, I will do it. And I’m not

going to ask people who’s comingor to do whatever job. It is up toyou to look at what I want, whatthis place needs, and do it withoutbeing told. Let me see how youcome through. Then only will Iaccept you as proper Sri Vidyaupasakas. You should be able toknow what I desire. I don’t wantanything big; just to do a verysimple puja. You have to watchand see—know what I want andwhat I want to offer ourparampara.

I want to see us workingwithout friction, right from thetop to bottom. No private vocal,written or e-mail requests will betaken. You have to each feel whatyou have to do, and then do it.

Do it without showing.

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Sri Gurubhyo Namaha

Blossom 14 Petal 3 - Sri Vidya

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