Blossom 16, Petal 2

The Source of the Cosmos Sri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri Chakra

The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY

Blossom 16 Petal 2June 2012

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JuneJuneJuneJuneJune

After returning from SanFranciscoin early March, Aiyanext journey outside the templepremises was for North Carolina.He went there for a couple of daysand performed private pujas onMarch 23 and 24th.

The next week on Friday March30, Aiya and Amma travelledacross the border to Toronto,where he presided over thewedding of one of his students.

Over the first week of April,Aiya went to Germany for aprivate puja. While he was there,he also performed a homam andpuja at the Forzheim temple,which is something of a satellitetemple to the RajarajeswariPeetam.

Years ago, devotees therelearned the puja methodologyfrom two of Aiya’s Canadianstudents, who went to Germanyand taught everyone what theyknew. Now, the Forzheim templeruns independently. While there,Aiya also gave two lectures, andhis stay in Europe lasted about aweek.

Aiya returned to the States acouple of days before Tamil NewYear’s in mid-April, and waspresent for that puja, as well as

JuneJuneJuneJuneJune

The annual Pratyangira homam on April 15.

the temple’s annual Pratyangirahomam.

That weekend also happened tobe an Independent LearningSessions (ILS) weekend, duringwhich devotees were in for a raretreat. One of Aiya’s seniorstudents, Mr. Sri Ganesh, and hisfamily visited from India at thattime and “Sri G,” as he’s called bythe temple family, delivered theILS class to the adult age group.

Aiya stayed local for a couple ofweeks thereafter and performed a

private wedding at the temple onApril 24. He remained travel-free

until the nextfestival ofChitraPoornima onMay 5th,which alsohappened tobe an ILSweekend.

Aiya’s nextjourney outof state wasto New Jerseyon the May26 and 27weekend,where he

went to perform the wedding ofone his students’ daughters.

The following weekend of June 2,he and Amma headed back toToronto to deliver a full-dayworkshop about the scientificmeaning of puja rituals. Theworkshop, held at the Sri SathyaSai School in Scarborough, was agreat success, and was attendedby about 300 people.

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Past Events

Tamil New Year, April 13

This Tamil New Year puja veryauspiciously fell on a Friday, andpuja was done in the eveningtime.

The puja was attended by atleast 50 people and was startedand completed within an hour,including the making of thesakkarai pongal. All auspiciousitems for the new year were laidout on the puja tray, and after theinitial puja concluded, everyonepresent got the chance to offergrains into the brass pongal pot.

All those present receivedprasadam from Aiya after pujaand partook in the prasadam ofsakkarai pongal.

Maha Pratyangira homam,April 15

As in past years, scores of peopleattended this homam, which tookplace on the Sunday morning ofthe Tamil New Year’s weekend.

Those who wished to sponsorthe homam with an offering andsigned up ahead of time spent thenight before busily cooking awayin the temple kitchen.

All these naivedyams toPratyangira Devi were latercombined and given to devoteesplate by plate as they approachedthe homakundam, to offer into thefire with their own hands.

All in all, the entire homam tookabout 3 hours to complete, withseveral kilograms of red chillipeppers being offered into theflames in the process. However,not one person felt the effect of the

chilli smoke, aseverything wasaccepted by theDevi.

After the mainhomam,Bhairava baliwas offeredoutside thetemple andeveryone wasgiven theremaining(unburned)prasadam to takehome.

Chitra Poornima, May 5

Due to beautiful weather, Aiyaconducted this puja outside by theKashi creek while regularSaturday puja went on as usualinside the temple.

Unlike previous years, thisyear’s Chitra Poornima, theannual day of offering tarpanamto the departed soul of one’smother, lasted many hours. Itbegan at about the same time asSaturday puja at 10 a.m., but onlyfinished around 12:30 p.m.

Aiya was the first to offer grains intothe sakkarai pongal, and everyoneelse present followed suit.

Several kilos of chillis were offered into the fire.

Devotees were given naivedyam to putinto the fire with their own hands, plateby plate.

Everyone performed tarpanam puja in unison.

A great number of peoplesponsored, however,and Aiya also wentthrough an extendedpuja process of offeringmilk abhishekam to theKashi shivalingam, andguiding every singlesponsor through thetarpanam process.

This ritual is to bedone if one does notknow the day that his/her mother departed,but wants to offeroblations to her spirit.

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The many forms of the Mother

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 September 2012.

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

The next deadline for articlesubmission is August 10. Pleasee-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 andOur deepest thanks andOur deepest thanks andOur deepest thanks andOur deepest thanks andgratitude to this issue’sgratitude to this issue’sgratitude to this issue’sgratitude to this issue’sgratitude to this issue’svolunteers: Aiya, Vilasvolunteers: Aiya, Vilasvolunteers: Aiya, Vilasvolunteers: Aiya, Vilasvolunteers: Aiya, Vilas

AnkAnkAnkAnkAnkolekarolekarolekarolekarolekar,,,,, V V V V VenkateshwenkateshwenkateshwenkateshwenkateshwarararararBabBabBabBabBabu,u,u,u,u, Na Na Na Na Navvvvveen Chandareen Chandareen Chandareen Chandareen Chandar,,,,,Gratus Devanesan, TheGratus Devanesan, TheGratus Devanesan, TheGratus Devanesan, TheGratus Devanesan, The

Nandalala Mission,Nandalala Mission,Nandalala Mission,Nandalala Mission,Nandalala Mission,RRRRRamesh Kamesh Kamesh Kamesh Kamesh Kutticad,utticad,utticad,utticad,utticad, Anand Anand Anand Anand Anand

PanikkarPanikkarPanikkarPanikkarPanikkar,,,,, V V V V VimalanimalanimalanimalanimalanSothinathan, andSothinathan, andSothinathan, andSothinathan, andSothinathan, and

Bhuvana Subramanian.Bhuvana Subramanian.Bhuvana Subramanian.Bhuvana Subramanian.Bhuvana Subramanian.

Upcoming Events

Guru Poornima, July 3

In a fortuitous turn of events, theannual Pratishta festival (templeanniversary) will coincide withGuru Poornima this year.

Furthermore, Guru Poornimawill be falling on the 3rd and finalday of Pratishta, which is the dayof the Guru. Lord Dattatreya isthe main deity of this day andreceives full puja, homam andchariot procession.

The first day of Pratishta iswhere Ganapathi receives thesame puja, and the second day isfor the Devi. That second daybegins with a grand Chandihomam at 5 a.m. and concludeswith the large chariot beingpulled around the temple byanyone who wants to participate.

The whole festival falls onCanada Day long weekend thisyear, so a very large crowd isexpected.

Viboothi Saivite Immersion(camp), July 28 to Aug. 4

Aadi Puram, July 22

Pratishta Festival, July 1-3, and

Varalakshmi Vratam, July 27

Aadi Amavasya, July 18

This is the sister festival of ChitraPoornima, where sponsors maycome to the temple and be guidedthrough tarpanam puja for the

souls of their departed fathers.Like Chitra Poornima, thetarpanam is offered en masse,and every person doing the pujawill perform it themselves withthe help and instructions of amain pujari. Please phone thetemple and register early.

Aadi Puram celebrates the daythe Devi becomes a woman, andthis festival gives her all thepampering that would be given toany young lady on this special day.

First, she is given milkabhishekam with kusha grass,then dressed, and finally given a

multitude of sweet and savoryeatables. After taking her on aprocession around the temple, allthose present are givenmahaprasadam.

In recent years, Aiya has alsobeen including a Chandi homamon this day, which lasts aboutfour to five hours and is done ingrand form.

Always taking place on a Fridaynight, this festival is short butjam-packed. Married women aregiven first priority as sponsors, asthe puja entails worship to SriVaralakshmi Devi, who takes theform of a deepam to giveprosperity to those who worshipher.

The ladies sit row by row in thetemple’s yajnashala and perform astep-by-step guided puja to theDevi with their own hands. Thegeneral purpose of this puja, whichis very popular in AndhraPradesh, Karnataka, and parts ofTamil Nadu, is for married ladiesto pray for the well-being andprosperity of their husbands.

Only those who register earlywill be saved a space.

Registration for this year’s campclosed on May 31, and the demandfor spots was just as great as inprevious years.

This will be the eighth year ofthe Immersion for children ages 9

to 18, and they will learn a widerange of cultural and spiritualthings, and also experience all thetypical activities of a regular kids’camp. Campers learn chantingand puja, but also play sports,have nature walks and a campout,among other things.

This year’s main saint will be SriYogaswami of Sri Lanka, and thesecondary saint will be SriRamsuratkumar of Annamalai.

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Nandana VarushamNandana VarushamEvery year during Tamil New Year’s in mid-April, Pujyasri Mathioli Saraswati (or Sri Akka, as she is lovingly called)

explains the significance of the upcoming year and its historical meanings. This is an excerpt of this year’s speech, which SriAkka gave in the Sringeri mattam of the Sri Sharadambal temple in New Delhi. The Sri Chakra thanks BhuvanaSubramanian for sending the text, and the Nandalala Mission for the original transcription.

I am happy to be here with all of you during Nandana varusham. We do not remember the number ornames of the Tamil New Year. There are 60 years in number and Nandana varusham is the 26th year. When Isay 26, it can be taken as a youthful number. It represents the youth as fearless, confident, energetic andstrong-willed.

In this Nandana varusham eye problems will be prevalent. People should take care of their eyes. Thisyear, airborne diseases and infections from pets will be rampant. Educate yourself about the diseases, beaware of their effects and protect yourself from them. We may accidentally step on lizards, chameleons andrats etc. They have some kind of effect. The only reptile we are wary of is the snake.

The very sight or movement is enough to set our BP high or bring chills down the spine. Beware ofdroppings by birds. These droppings produce heat in our skin. You should wash the place with water atonce. Do not wipe it with cloth or tissue. These are indications of the type of illness coming your way. Learnhow to control your tongue and illness. It is better to apply ointment or balm rather than swallow tablets.This year learn to manage the fear of illness and learn to heal the diseases.

To overcome this, use maasikkai. (gall-oak/majuphal/quercus infectoria). It has tremendous medicinalproperties. It can purify the air. It is available in nattu marundhu shop. Powder it and use it like you woulduse sambrani. It prevents asthma attacks. It detoxes our system too. Maasikkai prevents wheezing. Thetaste of maasikkai is like amla. Have at least one in the house. It is an antiseptic and can be compared toDettol.

You can make maasikkai into small bits. Have a piece in the mouth. The juice along with the saliva goesinside the body and clears the lungs. It clears the phlegm in the chest and protects us. It also clears thestomach. One-hundred and eight maasikkais can also be offered as a garland to Hanuman and laterdistributed to people explaining its medicinal properties.

This year, Sun worship is very important. We have the Surya Medu, Chandra Medu and Sukra Medu inour hand. That’s why we look at our hand as we wake up each morning. Our eye is the mirror throughwhich we see the world. Therefore it is imperative to worship Lord Surya. These mantras do not have anyrestrictions (aacharam) imposed. They can be chanted at dawn.

Chant either of these mantras looking at Surya after you wake up early and brush your teeth. Siddharshave worshipped Lord Surya this way. Chant these mantras 108 times silently in your mind and without

Sri Akka receives worship from Aiya and Sundhara during Navarathri 2010.

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Mahadevyaischa VidmaheSarva Paapa Samanyaischa DeemahiTanno Ganga Devi Prachodayaat

Sri Ganga Devyai NamahaSri Gurubhyo Namaha

I always wonder when Aiya gives out gems like these, how fortunate we are and also how spoiled weare. Aiya has given these rare gems that are potent, powerful and beneficial. We should learn to use themeffectively to create a positive outcome in our lives.

This Gayatri mantra was given by Ganga Devi to her son Devavrata, also known as Gangeya and later inhis life, more famously as Beeshma. She told him she would manifest immediately and any water that isused at that time is as holy as the Ganges! That is the power of this mantra.

How this great mantra came into beingShantanu, the Kuru king, was married to Ganga Devi and Devavrata (Beeshma) was their eighth son.

There is a little history of the other seven and who Devavrata actually was. You can read the whole storyby following this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhishma

Shortly after he was born, Ganga left the palace and her husband Shantanu, and took young Devavratawith her to train him in the finer arts, so he would one day be prepared to assume the throne.

Sri Ganga GayathriSri Ganga GayathriSri Ganga GayathriSri Ganga GayathriSri Ganga GayathriSri Ganga GayathriSri Ganga GayathriSri Ganga GayathriSri Ganga GayathriSri Ganga Gayathriby Naveen Chandar

moving your lips. Chanting thiswill definitely help you achieveyour requests and wishes lined upfor the day.

First Mantra: Om Lakshmikara, OmMangalakara, Om Bhuvaneshwara,Om Kathirava, Om Kotisuryaprakasha,Om Ulaga Mudalava, Om Surya namonarayana

Second mantra: Om rahum shrimhaam braganathaya adithyaya swaha.

Nandana varusham can makeyou incur you unnecessaryexpenses. On looking back, youmay feel that money has beenwasted on unwanted expenses.To curb and cap your spending, Ihave given you two special items.One is a root called Jadamaanjaland the other a seed, Idampuri. Ifyou look at the root closely, it mayhave tiny seeds and on the wholeit resembles the locks of Shiva.

The seed has lines running onthe left side and therefore calledIdampuri. By keeping these twoin your money box, it will helpcurtail the unwarrantedexpenditure. Try it and you willsee the difference.

When you hear a bell ring youknow it is time to leave for homeor school etc. But learn to hear thebell ringing inside you… it notonly means hunger pangs, itmeans your sacred space inside.Encourage the young children athome to ring the bell during pujatime.

One of the attributes ofNandana year is inadequate rainswhen needed or floods. In orderto get timely rains and to avoiddroughts and floods regularchanting of 4th verse of Thiruppavaiand 16th verse of Thiruvempavai issuggested.

JAI NANDALALA

Sri Akka seated during puja at theRajarajeswari Peetam duringNavarathri 2010.

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Devavrata was no ordinary mortal. Ganga, thefavourite of the gods, was his mother. He wastaught political science by sage Brihaspati. SageShukra, the guru of the gods and asuras, taughthim the rules of conduct. Lord Parashuramataught him archery. Brahmarishi Vasishta taughthim the Vedas and Vedangas. Sage Markandeyataught him the knowledge of renunciation.

When Devavrata completed his studies, Gangareturned him to Shantanu so that the boy wouldbe familiar with his father, palace life, and the artof ruling a kingdom.

As time goes by Shantanu fell in love with afisherwoman named Satyavati and asked herparents for her hand in marriage. Her fatherrefused, as he was afraid that none of her sonswould become king, because Devavrata was theheir.

Seeing the disappointment on his father’s faceDevavrata investigated and when he came to knowwhat had happened, he vowed that he wouldremain celibate for the rest of his life, and he wouldserve whoever ascended the Kuru throne.

That vow was so terrible or so austere that theDevas rejoiced his sacrifice and named himBeeshma—the one of the terrible oath.

In gratitude, his father gave him the IcchaaMrtyu (to be able to choose the time of his death(not to be mistaken for immortality). His motherGanga appeared before him and in admiration and love gave him this Gayatri with the boon that she will be

there whenever he chants this mantra.Beeshma was the great-great grand uncle (grandsire) of

the Kauravas and chose to die at an auspicious hour atthe end of the Mahabharata war. He asked Arjuna toshoot an arrow into the earth and Ganga flowed out ofthe earth, quenching his thirst. This Gayatri was whathe chanted to invoke his Mother Ganga.

Mother Ganga’s grace and compassion has now flowedthrough our Guru, Sri Chaitanyananda natha.

Aiya, in his infinite grace shared this rare mantra onthis day, October 7, 2011, after he used this mantra at thetemple Kasi as part of the Navaraatri celebrations. Henow regularly uses it in pujas to sanctify the pancha-patram and the kalasam.

Who gave it to Aiya? Aiya mentioned that when hewas performing a cremation/immersion on the banks ofthe river Ganges, a sannyasi came to him of his ownaccord and gave it to him, referencing the story relatedhere.

How, when, and why do we use this mantra?· While bathing, it equals Ganga snaanam (bathing

in the Ganges)· Invoke it into anything we drink· To purify puja articles· To purify our food before we consume it

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha

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Glory to the padukas of Guru guiding us in the forest of ignorance. The first of the Dasa Mahavidyas is Kali, also known as Adya, DakshinaKalika

or Vidyaragni. The third is Sundari who is also known as TripuraSundari,Shodasi, or Srividya. The seer or rishi of the former is Mahakala Bhairava andthe latter is Anandabhairava or Dakshinamoorthi. The meters of chanting areUshnik and Gayatri respectively.

The traditions declare two types of routes for the aspirant, the Kali kulam andthe Sundari kulam. The tantras declare that the primordial power when seen onthe left is Sundari and on the right is Kali—“vAme Sundari dakshiNe kalikA”.

Vama can mean left and also beauty, and creative urge. Dakshina can meanright and also skill/strength and fee (as in havana dakshina- the completion ofany ritual is after offering the fee (dakshina) the last activity of the ritual, hencesignifying an end).

Hence Sundari is attributed to the creative urge with all the essences of beauty,and Kali to the end (annihilative force) with a fierce aspect. Since matter isneither created nor destroyed it changes from one form to another, the cessationof a particular form is annihilation and the emergence of another is creation.Thus we find both have a common point to which one travels while the otheremerges from it.

This is an attempt to find the common grounds of the above deities. The form: The meditative verses of these two deities are examined.

Kali: ‘ShavArUdAm mahAbhImAm ghora damshtrAm hsaNmukhIm caturbhujAm khaDgamuNDavarAbhayakarAm shivAm muNDamAlAdharAm devIm lalajjihvAm digambarAm sadA sancintaye Kalim smashAnAlaya vasinIM’

Kali is meditating in the midst of a cemetery; having a huge naked form with a dark hue;terrific fang;, standing on a corpse; having a sword and severed head; gestures of dispellingfear and granting desires in her hands; with her face filled with laughter; wearing a garland ofsevered heads.

Sundari: ‘dhyaye kameshvarAnkasthAm kuruvindamaniprabhAm soNambarasrgalepAm sarvaNgInavibhUshitAm saundaryasevadhim seShupAshANkusojvalAm svabhAbhiraNimAdhyAbhisevyAm saravaniyAmikAm saccidAnandavapuSham sadayApANgavibhramAm sarvalokaika jananIM smerAsyAm lalitAmbikAm’ Sundari, the personification of beauty and bliss, the only mother of the three worlds, is red-

hued; clothed with red garments; decorated with golden ornaments; seated on the lap of ShivaKamesvara; holding a noose, goad, sugarcane bow and five flowery arrows; glancing withpiety and a smile on her lips on the throne surrounded by animAdi devatas

Sundari/KaliSundari/KaliSundari/KaliSundari/KaliSundari/KaliSundari/KaliSundari/KaliSundari/KaliSundari/KaliSundari/Kaliby Ramesh Kutticad

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Though the differences between the above are very prominent, there are subtle similarities.Dark hue is absence of any color. Red is at the end of the spectrum in VIBGYOR, representing the whole

visible range from Violet to Red. Ultraviolet or infra-red will appear to us as black. Thus continuance ofSundari as Kali is seen from ultraviolet to violet and Sundari to Kali is seen from red to infra-red.

Both are full of joy – “hasan mukhIm” in Kali and “smerAsyAm lalitAmbikAm” for Sundari; only theexpression is different. Kali’s laughter is like a thunder clap (attahAsam), while Sundari has an “AnandollasavilAsa hAsam” (peals of laughter filled with joy). The same thunderous laughter of Kali that annihilateseverything becomes a gentle smile with a change of form to Lalita on commencement of creation.

Both have four arms. Sundari holds the noose and goad denoting the attractive (attraction to theundivided knowledge) and repulsive (repulsion to the dual knowledge). In terms of states of mind, thesugarcane bow is the pure mind and the five flowery arrows denote the world—these are held separately,not connected, hence denoting the upasaka’s state of detachment.

Kali displays gestures of removal of fear and granting boons, referring to the removal of the notion of theother and thus bestowing bliss of an undivided state of mind. The sword denotes the scriptures, which helpin the removal of ego, and this is shown as the severed head. Thus we can conclude the noose and goad areidentical in function with the gestures of dispelling fear and granting boons. Likewise are the sugarcanebow and arrow in reference to the sword and severed head.

The Lords of Kali and Sundari are Mahakala and Shiva Kamesvara respectively. Both are in eternal unionwith their consorts. ‘MahakAla ratAture’ and ‘siva kAmesvarAngkasthA’ are the words describing thisstate. Both are identical to their consorts, are auspicious and blissful in nature.

There is another meditative verse which unifies the above:

samvartAnala kOTi nIradarucam pAshANkusumAshugAn khaDgam mundamabhamaikshvarIm varam hastAmbjujairaShtabhih kAmesAnasivOparisthitAm tryakshAm sadAvahantIm parAm srIcintAmaNibIjarAja vapuShIm dhyAye mahAshoDhasIm. The mantra:Dakshina Kali mantra has 22 syllables and Sundari is of 15 syllables. In the Sri Vidya kAdhi Panchadasi

mantra, the three ‘ka’ and two ‘ha’ letters pertain to the Shiva and the three ‘hreem’ pertain toboth Lalithamba and Kamesvara. The rest pertain to Lalithamba.

Similarly in the Dakshina Kalika mantra, the four ‘hUm’ pertain to Mahakala, four ‘hreem’ to bothMahakala and Dakshina, and rest pertain to Dakshina Kali. Thus we find the ‘hreem’ kArAs represent theShiva-Shakti union is there in both mantras.

The break-up of the mantra into vowels and consonants will result in creating 37 parts to thePanchadasi mantra, while the Dakshina Kalika mantra will result in 84 parts. These will signify the 36tattvas and the tattvaatiita parasiva in Sundari and the myriad of 84 lakh entities including the tattvaatiitaparasiva in Dakshina Kalika.

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Since Dakshina is dissolution allthe myriad entities are counted.And as Sundari is creation, thetatvas (or basic buildingblocks) are enumerated.

On seeing the voweldistribution in both mantras, it isunique to note that both mantrashave the tattvaatiita parasivaindicated by the ‘E’ kAra—yadEkAdasamAdhAram bIjam koNatrayotbhavam (the 11th vowel isthe base), which is thesubstratum of creation.

Dakshina has one ‘a’ kAraindicative of the Shiva tattva(EkaivAham—Vedas) whileSundari has 10 ‘a’ kAras, whichsignify the creation of variousentities (bahusyAm prajAyeti).

The vowel ‘A’ signifying AnandAis there in Dakshina, as shown inher meditative verse ‘hasanmukhIm,’ also she is described as‘aTTahAsAm.’ Further there isanother vowel ‘i’ signifying theichha shakti/will in dakshinadenoting that dissolution is by thedivine will.

The vowel ‘I’ as seen both inSundari and Dakshina, denotesthe ‘IKshaNa’ (the totality ofview), which is required for bothdissolution and creation. The four‘I’ kAras in Sundari will denotethe four saprsha tattvas by whichthe whole world is first felt by thecreation.

Since space is subtle the firstsolid creation which is felt is air.There are 10 ‘I’ kAras in dakshina,which shows her intent fordissolution in all directions.

The Yantra:The yantra of Sundari is the

well-known Sri Chakra. Theyantra has a bindu, trikona,astakona, two dasa kona, fourteenkona, eight and sixteen petals, anda bhupura (square with threelines). The central figureconsisting of triangles is formedby the intersection of fourupward triangles and fivedownward triangles.

Kalika has a yantra with abindu, five triangles pointing

downward, eight petals and abhupura.

On a super-imposed view theyantra of Kalika can be mappedonto a Sri Yantra. Thus Kalika isinherent in Sundari. There is apuja paddati wherein the SriYantra itself has Kalika attendantdeities mapped onto it; thus,Sundari is inherent in Kalika.

The Attending deities:The initial main worship in a

puja is to the laya anga devatas.They are a part of the centraldeity. Sundari and Kali have thelayanga devatas in the sameformat. The sadanga devatas,thithi nitya devatas and thegurumandala are there for both.The vidyavatara guru mandala ofnine gurus is there, and separatefor each Devi. Thus, the identityfound here is the format of thepuja, which have the samenotation though there are varyingdeities.

The Stotras:There are a set of 108, 1000 and

300 names – asttotara satam, asahasranamam and trisati forboth devis. There is a kavacam(armour) made of manyvariations of the mantras of thedeity in both the system ofworship, respectively calledjaganmangala kavacam andtrailokyamohana kavacam.

The ‘ka’ kAra KalikasahsranAma has six names withthe prathama kUta of Sundariaround the 520th name. Thisshows clearly that KalikA isinherent in Sundari. The LalitaSaharanamam has a name‘Kleemkari’—as the letters ‘ra’ and‘la’ are interchangeable this canalso be read as ‘krIm kAri.’

The name ‘rasgynA’ is a directreference to the “krIm’-kArA.Since this bijakshara is denoted as‘rasa’ by many Kalika tantras,Sundari’s form is therefore also inKalika.

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Q: Why is upanayanam (thesacred thread ceremony) doneonly for boys and men?

Aiya: Ha ha ha ha ha!Wonderful question—I love this!Anybody in this room show me aplace where in any of the fourVedas where it says a womancannot do puja? In the old days,before the 2nd century A.D.—believe me, I have studied this. Ifyou look at the old pictures, youwill see the ladies wearing thepoonal/yajnopavitam thread.Then, slowly the MCPs tookover—male chauvinist pigs.

And why, can you tell me whythey kept the women away fromthis? Studies have been done onthis. If a woman and a manreceive the same mantra at thesame time from the same guru, ifthey have the same power ofconcentration and sameapplication and they put in thesame time chanting the mantra,she will get mantra siddhi inthree months. He will have towait two years to get it.

Why? Because the hormonalstructure in a woman is 80%estrogen, which allows them toconcentrate much deeper than aman. A man has 80%testosterone. I say more than themen, the girls should be given theupanayanam and the Gayathrimantra. In most homes eventoday, it’s the lady who cooks andshe’s the one who feeds thechildren. If she’s doing Gayathriwhile feeding the child, that’sGayathri prasadam going into thechild.

It is wrong to think only menand boys should be given the

thread; unfortunately, that seemsto be the pattern.

Q: Swami says, “Only in thedepth of silence can you hear thevoice of God,” but you encouragepeople to chant the Vedas outloud. What is the significance ofchanting the Vedas out loud?

Aiya: Whether it is Vedas ormantras or anything else, thereare three ways of chanting.

The first way—let’s say you aremaking an investment toward theexternal universe, which is oflimitless size. If you chant “Om,”loudly and strongly, what willhappen? Every action will havean equal and opposite reaction;the universe will respond back toyou. Here, if the investment isone, the return is one.

Secondly, if you sit there andchant the Rudram, maybe movingyour lips but with noinvolvement of sound or the vocalchords, the investment is one butthe return is 10 times more. Thethird way, if you can just sit andhear the Vedas being chantedinside your mind, the investmentis one and the return is 1000.

But for you to be able to hear theVedas chanted inside, first youhave to chant it out loud for a longtime! As soon as you’re born youcan’t go run in the Olympics.

Q. Is external puja reallynecessary? Why can’t I justsurrender to God right away?

Aiya: Most people come to meand say, “I don’t want to do thispuja, Aiya… is it really necessary?I just want to do japam.” So I give

them the mantra and say okay.After five or six years they comeback and say, “Aiya, I’m notgetting anywhere… I’m trying todo meditation and nothing ishappening.” And then I say,“Okay, now you sit down andlearn how to do puja.”

Do you think the rishis wereidiots? They knew exactly whyyou have to ring the bell andshow the lamp and offernaivedyam—every one of thesense organs will gradually betaken to a point of focus. Onceyou are able to focus completely,don’t do external puja. Thenmanasika puja is enough and muchmore powerful.

Q: In temples, why don’t theNavagrahas face each other?

Aiya: Because the energies thatare supposed to emanate from theyantras beneath the Navagrahasdo not mix. So Surya is facingeast, Sukra is facing east, Budha iseither facing east or north, Guru isfacing north, Chandra is facingwest, Mangala is facing south,Sanaishwara is facing west, Rahuand Kethu are facing south. If themurthis do have yantrasunderneath them, it won’t be okayif the pujas are not being doneproperly. Only then, the energywill be there.

If there’s a conflict, what shouldyou do? If it is a squaremandalam, put a Ganapathi in allfour corners. Problem solved.That energy will not move fromthat place, and if it can’t move, itwon’t harm you.

We all love hanging out with Aiya,drinking tea, and getting some guidanceon how to travel down our own paths tothe Devi. Here’s an excerpt from aworkshop where he explained thesignificance of rituals and chanting.

Q & AiyaQ & Aiya

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The story of Sri Amritananda Saraswati

part 7part 7part 7part 7part 7

ChidagniChidagniChidagniChidagniChidagni

The biography of Sri Amritananda Saraswati—who is affectionately known asGuruji to most of Aiya’s students—was penned in Telugu by Smt. Nethi Seeta Devi.These chapters were translated into English and graciously submitted to the SriChakra by Venkateshwar Babu from Philadelphia in an ongoing series.

ChidagniChidagniChidagniChidagniChidagni

Guru DharshanamWhile these divine visions were happening to Guruji at regular intervals, he visited Visakhapatnam. On

hearing about his experiences, Guruji’s maternal aunt advised him to seek the guidance of a guru, andwarned him not to pursue the spiritual path on his own.

She had intentions of taking our Guruji to her guru. Since her guru was a staunch follower of theDakshinamoorthi tradition, Guruji was a little uncomfortable with the associated customs of this tradition.So Guruji declined the offer.

Guruji’s maternal aunt’s nephew, Sri Gunturu Subrahmanyam, who happened to visit Visakhapatnam atthat time, mentioned his spiritual master, Sri Svaprakashananda Thirtha or Guru Garu, residing atAnakapalle, and wanted Guruji to meet him. He also mentioned that this spiritual master, who was 60years old at that time, had been highly devoted to God since he was 8 years old.

Hearing this, Guruji jotted down all his unanswered questions on a piece of paper and gave it to his cousin.He said to the cousin, “Please pass these questions to your master. Upon receiving his answers, I will comewith you to meet him.”

Guruji’s questions were many:

· What is the difference between visions of imagination, and the actualdivine occurrences that happen?

· Did the divine occurrences happen as a matter of fact or was there strongreason behind it?

· Were these occurrences a way to show me the unseen divine?· Were these divine occurrences my imagination or real happenings?· What is the difference between sleep, unconsciousness and death?· How different is the experience of unconsciousness from death?

Along with this lengthy list of unanswered questions, Gurujimentioned about the scriptures he read, and the subsequent divineexperiences he encountered until then.

Guruji’s cousin approached Guru Garu and handed over thisquestionnaire from Guruji. Upon reading this Guru Garu said,“Who is he? Before I respond to these questions, I would like tomeet him in person.”

So, Guruji was left with no alternative but to meet Guru Garu atAnakapalle. Once Guruji approached Guru Garu, he said, “Do youhave answers to my questions?” Instead of responding to his

Guru Garu with his Dattatreya murthi,which now sits inside Aiya’s temple.

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questions, Guru Garu said,“Please come and meet me at 4a.m. tomorrow.”

Guruji went to meet Guru Garuat 4 a.m. the next morning.

Guru Garu cordially invitedhim, and said, “I wish to give yousome mantras. Are you willing toaccept them?”

Guruji said, “I am not here formantras. I am here for responsesto my long unanswered questions.Please give me answers to myquestions.”

Guru Garu said, “No! I will notgive answers to your questions. Iwish to give you something else.Are you willing to take?”

Guruji was in a fix. He felt thatby saying yes, it would bring anadditional responsibility to him,which he did not want. At thesame he also felt by saying no, itwould mean he lost a greatopportunity. He did not knowwhat to do.

Ultimately, Guruji gatheredcourage and asked Guru Garu,“By accepting these mantras,what will it do? Good or bad?”

Guru Garu said, “Only good!These will do you no harm!”

Guruji responded, “Whathappens in case I don’t chant thesemantras? Are there anycompulsions or restrictionsassociated with these?”

Guru Garu said, “You need notworry about the consequences. Iam giving them to you. I will bearthe consequences, if any.”

Hearing that, Guruji readilyagreed to get the diksha fromGuru Garu. Contrary to thedivine diksha Guruji received atBalaji temple, this time he wasreceiving mantra diksha from ahuman.

It was then that Guru Garu gaveGuruji nine mantras. They wereMaha Ganapathi, Subrahmanya,Chandi, Surya, Dattatreya,Prasada Panchaakshari, GuruMantram, Baala Tripurasundari,and Sowbhagya Vidya.

Guruji then asked Guru Garu,“Okay! You have given me allthese mantras and I have takenthem. Can you please tell me the

number of times I need to chanteach mantra?”

Guru Garu said, “I will notimpose any restrictions. I will notteach you any traditions. You areunique in your own way!Meditate with these mantraswhenever you want to. If youdon’t feel like doing so, pleasedon’t. You need no regulations onplace or day or time! Even if youdon’t practice that is fine withme!”

Gurujithenasked, “Incase I haveanydoubts canI write toyou? Willyou replyto me?”

GuruGaru said,“You neednot writeto me.Answersto yourquestionswill comefromwithin you! These mantras arepowerful. They will generate theresponse and clear your doubts.”

The Yoga Sakthi MissionGuruji, having been initiated by

Guru Garu, returned to Bombay

(present-day Mumbai). Oncecoming back, Guruji was fullyinvolved in his daily routine.Research work and dedicatedmeditation kept him busy.

During those days, Guruji had asmall photograph of SantoshiMaatha. Occasionally, he wouldstare at this photograph ofSantoshi Mata, particularly at thesword in her right hand. Therewere few occasions when this

sword would turn into a flowergarland.

Guruji was not the one whoprayed regularly, but was wellfamiliar with rituals. Belovedmother taught Guruji that the onewho offers the prayers and the

Sri Santoshi maa, who is widely worshipped in the Mumbai area.

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one to whom the prayers areoffered are both one. Sri SantoshiMata enlightened Guruji withSree Suktham, Purusha Suktham,Puja rituals, and many othermantras.

Yoga Sakthi Mission was aspiritual organization located inBombay. This mission functionsfrom a location on Nepean SeaRoad. During those days, thiswas the premier location inBombay for anyone to learn yoga.They also conducted spiritualretreats, Durga pujas, andmeditation classes on a regularbasis.

Sri Krishnamurthy was theindividual responsible for theastounding popularity of YogaSakthi Mission in those days.Whenever possible, he wouldinvite sadhus, spirituallyenlightened people, poet laureates,and other well-respectedindividuals to offer lectures andworkshops at this mission.

One day, Guruji along with hisfamily visited the Yoga SakthiMission. Sri Krishnamurthyintroduced himself to Guruji, andquickly developed a close bondwith him right from the firstmeeting. He encouraged Guruji tooffer lectures on a regular basis atthe mission. Guruji alsodeveloped a liking towards thisorganization, and started visiting

the Yoga SakthiMission on a regularbasis. He startedshowing keen interestin the activities goingon there.

Sri Krishnamurthywas performingDurga pujas andhomams on a veryelaborate scale inthose days.Generally they werean all-day affair.After having seen allthis, Gurujiwondered why theserituals should be an

all-day affair when people need togo to work, and when ladies toilfor hours to make necessaryarrangements. So, Guruji referredto multiple books and otherreferences to provide necessarymaterial for completing Devi pujain 90 to 120 minutes.

It was not just in Bombay, butSri Krishnamurthy wasperforming pujas and homams allover the country. Once, he wasgoing to Kollur MookambikaTemple to perform a homam andhad invited Guruji and Ammah tojoin him. As Guruji was busy in aconference he could not join SriKrishnamurthy immediately. Hewas able to be at the MookambikaTemple for purnahuthi on thefourth and final day. Upon thecompletion of purnahuthi, SriKrishnamurthy gave purnadiksha to Guruji and Ammah.

As Guruji had been given purnadiksha, Sri Krishnamurthy saidthat Guruji could initiate othersinto Sri Vidya. Sri PrahladaShastri henceforth becamepopular as SriAmritanandanatha.

Guruji went back to Anakapalleto meet his first spiritual masterGuru Garu, and conveyed to himeverything that that transpired.

Guru Garu patiently listened toGuruji, laughed and said, “Don’t

worry, I am going to performPurna Kumbabhishekham toyou!” Guru Garu then sprinkledwater on Guruji’s head.

From then on, Guruji had twogurus. Initiation by two mastersboggled Guruji’s mind. SriSvaprakashananda Thirtha (GuruGaru) was considered a siddha, ayoga purusha. ProfessorKrishnamurthy was consideredan expert and a well-versedlaureate in spiritual sciences andthe Vedas. In addition, he was atrue practitioner of Kaulachaara(the left-handed path).

Gradually, Guruji grew closer toSri Svaprakashananda Thirtha.Yet, Guruji retained his

unconditional devotion anddedication to his first spiritualmaster.

It was around this time thatGuruji was appointed asProfessor at Lusaka University inZambia. At this time, he wasunable to concentrate and manageboth work and his spiritualendeavors. Since his consciencewas also against his researchbeing used for military defense,Guruji considered this offer as ablessing in disguise andimmediately left India for Africa.

Guru Garu’s samadhi in Anakapalle.He gained moksha on GuruPoornima Day, 2003.

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During the Vibuthi Saivite Immersion(camp) of 2011, the kids andcounsellors were treated with a class byAiya’s childhood friend, Anand uncle,who was a direct student of Sri SatyaSai Baba and spent years with Him athis ashramam. Among other topics,Anand uncle answered a questionabout how one can keep unwaveringfaith despite negative externalinfluences.

Having been so close to [Baba]and having spent so much timewith him, I have seen thishappen. And it’s human natureto be critical of someone whoappears to be a spiritual person;spiritual people are especiallytargeted. It is the truth that youknow—in my mind, if you don’thave faith, you cannot progress.

For me, I just think of a questionand the answer is there; it isalmost as though he has heardme. Sometimes later on he willcome back to me and ask me if I’msatisfied with his answer. Onetime I was with Swami in hisashramam and he wanted me tomeditate all night. I was sittingthere in front and he was on hisbed, and we were eachmeditating, and it was the mostunbelievable experience.

It took two years of just sittingand letting the thoughts come inand out and trying to experiencethat stillness. Gradually, thespace between the thoughtsbecame wider and wider and thenext thing I knew [Swami] waswaking me up hours later. Hehad the power to give you anykind of experience you wanted.He said the miracles he did increating things was just to getyour attention; he was muchmore than that.

One time, we were catching atrain from Madras (Chennai) toBangalore and Swami just gaveviboothi to a regular guy on thestreet, just like that. And he saidto me, “You know, anyone can dothis. I’m just doing it to show youthat there’s something worthlistening to in all this. I draw youin with what I create and then Iteach you.”

Because that’s all he taught;connecting within yourself washis whole thing. And he usedcompassion, gratitude and love asthe easiest ways to communicatewhat he wanted you to learn.

What faith is for me is this—itminimizes the ego. And he toldme that I would go through cycleswhere I would be so ego-driven.He told me this, and it happened;it was just something I had to gothrough. But then I got educated

and came to this country andthings happened to me that mademe stop and reflect and go back.

When I first met [Swami], Ididn’t want to leave; I didn’t wantto go to school, I just wanted torenounce the world and stay withhim. And he said, “No, no, no,you have to go to school, you’regoing to become a doctor, and youwill go to the States.” It was justsomething that had to happen.

What I can tell you is, what faithhas given me absolutefearlessness. Because whateverhappens, I can accept it as whatwas supposed to be. Faith givesyou that freedom. When youwant a specific outcome and youdon’t get it, you’re miserable. Butif the outcome is not thatimportant to you as the journey,it’s a lot easier.

Finding Freedom inFinding Freedom inFinding Freedom inFinding Freedom inFinding Freedom inby Anand Panikkar

Finding Freedom inFinding Freedom inFinding Freedom inFinding Freedom inFinding Freedom in

FaithFaithFaithFaithFaithFaithFaithFaithFaithFaith

When he was still in school, the author met a young Sri Satya Sai Baba.

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TeacherThe following has been composed by an anonymous Sai Baba devotee, and has been printed and reprinted across the Internet.

Although the Sri Chakra has only published original material to date, the editor made an exception for this beautiful andenlightening piece. It perfectly illustrates the subtle but powerful impact the right guru can have on a student.

A teacher takes responsibility of your growthA Guru makes you responsible for your growth A teacher gives you things you do not have and requireA Guru takes away things you have and do not require A teacher answers your questionsA Guru questions your answers A teacher helps you get out of the mazeA Guru destroys the maze A teacher requires obedience and discipline from the pupilA Guru requires trust and humility from the pupil A teacher clothes you and prepares you for the outer journeyA Guru strips you naked and prepares you for the inner journey A teacher is a guide on the pathA Guru is a pointer to the way A teacher sends you on the road to successA Guru sends you on the road to freedom A teacher explains the world and its nature to youA Guru explains yourself and your nature to you A teacher makes you understand how to move about in the worldA Guru shows you where you stand in relation to the world A teacher gives you knowledge and boosts your egoA Guru takes away your knowledge and punctures your ego A teacher sharpens your mindA Guru opens your mind A teacher shows you the way to prosperityA Guru shows the way to serenity A teacher reaches your mindA Guru touches your soul A teacher gives you knowledgeA Guru makes you wise

vs.GuruGuruGuruGuruGuruTeacher GuruGuruGuruGuruGuru

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A teacher gives you maturityA Guru returns you to innocence A teacher instructs you on how to solve problemsA Guru shows you how to resolve issues A teacher is a systematic thinkerA Guru is a lateral thinker A teacher will punish you with a stickA Guru will punish you with compassion A teacher is to pupil what a father is to sonA Guru is to pupil what mother is to her child One can always find a teacherBut a Guru has to find and accept you A teacher leads you by the handA Guru leads you by example A teacher instructs youA Guru constructs you When the course is over you are thankful to the teacherWhen the discourse is over you are grateful to the Guru When a teacher finishes with you, you graduateWhen a Guru finishes with you, you liberate

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Sri Gurubhyo Namaha

Blossom 16, Petal 2

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Transcript of Blossom 16, Petal 2