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Divya Jyothi Mar 2015
Sharing the enlightened wisdom
Divya Jyothi
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Prabhuji Speaks
Upavasa and Jagaran – Fasting and Awake We observe Upavasa and Jagaran on some festivals and some auspicious days. Upavasa is translated into fasting in Kannada, it is not so. Upavasa means, vasa – to be near, Upa – in higher plane. Upavasa literally means to be in elevat‐ ed state of consciousness. Literally it has nothing to do with fasting. It is consequence of your state of consciousness. You might have observed, when you are engrossed in interesting activity, you will forget hunger. This is same. If you are engrossed in deep meditation, you will drop hunger. Jagarana means to be aware/awake. People in literal sense take it to be awake throughout the night. This actually comes from Bhagavadgita ‐ ya nisha sarva bhutanam. We need to be aware in waking condition. We are dreaming in waking condition. We need to come to self‐awareness in waking condition.
Women’s day message ‘Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata, yatraitaastu na pujyante sarvaastatrafalaah kriyaah’ Where ever woman is respected God is pleased. Where woman is not respected all endeav‐ ours become futile. Only in Hinduism Goddess is worshipped. In no other religion there is place for worship of feminine. Happy Woman's Day! Peace and Love ~ Prabhuji
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Panchadasi - Tattva Viveka 32 Upadesa mava pyaivam achar‐ yat tattva darsinah Pancha kosha vivekena iabhante nir vrtim param ||32|| Similarly, the Jivas (finding themselves in the whirlpool of samsara), receive the appropri‐ ate initiation from a teacher who himself has realised Brah‐ man, and differentiating the Self from its five sheaths attain the supreme bliss of release. (32) There are many Gurus in our life. Mother is first Guru, Father is second Guru, our teachers, friends etc all are Gurus. They are all Siksha Gurus ‐ Gurus from whom we learn. In the context of spirituality, Siksha guru is one who teaches spirituality like Vedan‐ ta, Upanishads etc. Sometimes the Siksha Guru may be well versed in scriptures but may not be a realized soul. In this situation, he can show the path but may not be able to help in final realization. Such a Guru is called Siksha Guru. Many people learn a lot from Siksha Guru but seek a Deeksha Guru ‐ a realized soul for reaching the libera‐ tion. In some situations Siksha guru and Deeksha Guru may be same also. To summarize, Siksha Guru is one who can show the path and Deeksha Guru is one who can show the destination ‐ Mukthi. Spirituality is a two way relationship between the Mas‐ ter and disciple. Disciple seeking Truth, realization gets attracted to a specific Sadguru ‐ Realized master and approaches for guidance. Master tests the commit‐ ment of disciple and accepts him/her as disciple. The mind of the disciple may not be purified. Hence the master gives Seva or service activities for the disciple and helps disciple to work on himself/herself till a stage is reached when the disciple is ready for accept‐ ing Deeksha from the Master. In a sense Deeksha is a commitment taken by the Master for helping and guiding disciple through the process of spiritual jour‐ ney. Typically depending on the maturity of student and ability of Master, a student may get a glimpse of Truth
and realization at the time of Deeksha itself. Deeksha is a sacred process. Mother Sharada Devi was very selective in giving Deeksha. When someone asked about it, She said, it is a great commitment on her part. Once Deeksha is giv‐ en, She takes a commitment to guide the disciple for Mukti and may have to take many births Herself if the disciple is not committed to ensure that disciple is up‐ lifted. In a sense Deeksha is a very sacred relationship be‐ tween the Master and disciple in a very formal way. Deeksha is called initiation. Initiation into the deeper spiritual Truths by the Master. Without Deeksha, a spiritual aspirant may never get to the crux of spiritu‐ ality, spiritual Truths. Reading tones of books spiritual books, visiting holy places ‐ none of these can still open up the spiritual Truths by a Realized Master as Deeksha. As Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to say: Who says is what matters. For example if someone com‐ plains about Road conditions, no action may be taken by the administration but one word from a person in Authority may swing the whole government machin‐ ery into action. The power behind the words matter. In spirituality the evolved consciousness of the Master makes all the difference. Tat twam Asi ‐That thou art may be learnt from several books. But when the Mas‐ ter utters these words, the disciple immediately realiz‐ es the essential meaning and gets a glimpse of realiza‐ tion. This is the power of Deeksha ‐ Initiation. There are several ways of giving Deeksha ‐ Shakti pat ‐ trans‐ fer of energy from the Master to awaken the Kundalini energy can happen through the sight, touch, words or sankalpa of Master. Narendra (Vivekananda) had a glimpse of the Truth when Shri Ramakrishna Parama‐ hasa touched his chest. There can be Mantra Deeksha or atma bodha ‐ tatwamasi upadesham.
Divya Jyothi
Sanatana Dharma
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Soundarya Lahari
Shiva – The Pure Awareness The word san‐ atana meaning immemorial as well as eternal emphasized the unbroken continuity of the Hindu tra‐ dition. San‐ atana Dharma declares that something cannot come out of nothing and, therefore, the universe itself is the manifestation of the Divine being – Shiva. Shiva is auspiciousness. Shiva is bliss. Shiva is the consciousness. More importantly, Shiva is the Self of one and all. It is said that God sleeps in rocks, dreams in plants, wakes up in animals and becomes aware of Himself in human beings. Human being is the vehicle for Universal consciousness to the Glory of the Self as the creation. Lord Shiva is giving a call for all of us to wake up from the dream of limited concept of self, based on body‐mind ‐intellect complex to experience nature of Him in the core of our being. To experience Lord Shiva as our inner Self and as the Self of the whole creation is to the find deeper meaning in life, which frees us from the conflicts imposed by the perceived dualities of creation. Pure awareness is the Self of one and all. Pure awareness is Lord Shiva whose nature are existence, consciousness and bliss. Everything and everyone is Lord Shiva. There is nothing other than Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is the inner reality of mind and body and outer reality of cosmos. Blissful nature of Lord Shiva is the sum and substance of the Universe.
Verse 19 Mukham bindun kruthva kucha yuga mada sthasya thadha dho Harardha dhyayedhyo haramamahishi the manmatha‐ kalam Sa sadhya samkshebham nayathi vanitha inyathiladhu Thrilokimapyasu bramayathi ravindu sthana yugam. Hey, Mother who is Goddess of all universe, He who meditates on you , As the crescent of love of our lord great,, On the dot of the holy wheel, Your two busts just below, And you as the half of Shiva our lord, Not only Creates waves of emotion in ladies, But charms the world, which has moon and sun as busts. Victory in love Bindusthana is the Sanskrit term for "locus" in the first line of this verse. Meditation requires a point of locus (bindu) where all dimensions converge and also emerge, to be thought of both as the source and the point of re‐absorption of all manifestations. The face is the index of one's beauty, and Shiva is re‐ ferred to as looking at the reflection of his own face in a mirror and identifying it as the face of his wife, the Goddess. Thus the bindusthana is both subjective and
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objective in the revised version of meditation presented here.
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Lalitha Sahasranama
Moon and the Sun are Ida and Pingala (the left and right passages or nadis of the spinal column in Yoga terminology.) the yogi goes through the middle without going to one side or the other. Shiva is referred to as looking at the reflection of his own face in a mirror and identifying it as the face of his wife, the Goddess means Shiva and Shakti are one and are not different from each other. Shakti is the energy of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva and Shak‐ ti are one. Shiva is Shakti and Shakti is Shiva. They are inseparable like heat in fire or fragrance in flower. She is the Self‐awareness of Shiva and also the power of consciousness by which everything else is revealed. She expresses in the form of infinite Will, Wisdom and Ac‐ tion of Lord Shiva. As Universal Mother, she creates, sustains and destroys the whole Universe. Shakti – the energy, in the form of subtlest vibration is the heartbeat of Parama Shiva. Because of pulsation of Spanda Shakti, whole of the Universe is created sus‐ tained and dissolved. She is also called Para Shakti in this form. Shakti, the Universal Mother is the power of conscious‐ ness in the form of Will, Wisdom and Action. Lord Shi‐ va as householder creates the Universe with his Shakti. Shiva and Shakti are not different from each other. Ardhanareeshwara half male, half female form of Shiva and Shakti represents this Truth. This representation is akin to the yin and yang, masculine and feminine repre‐ sentation in eastern cultures.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama – 13 to 20 13. Kankangadha Keyura Kamaniya Bujanvidha ‐ She who wears golden Armlets Rathna graiveya chinthaka lola muktha phalanvitha ‐ She who wears necklace with moving pearls and dollar inlaid with gems to 20. Sinchana mani manjira manditha sri pamambuja ‐ She who has feet wearing musical anklets filled with gem stones. Marali Mandha Gamana ‐ She who has the slow gait like the swan Maha Lavanya Sewadhi ‐ She who has the store house of supreme beauty From 13th sloka to 20th sloka is about the Universal Mother in different ornaments. This is to say that the Universal Mother is Aparanji Gold described in differ‐ ent forms of ornaments but the source of all the orna‐ ments is Gold. Sarvagya ‐ means knower of everything. All gold orna‐ ments are made up of gold. Everything in the universe is manifestation of consciousness alone. If you know
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gold, you know all ornaments ‐ this is the meaning of sarvgya. This is the meaning of the Universal Mothers’s differents types of ornaments. The moment you are es‐ tablished in pure consciousness ‐ you will experience deep bliss and supreme contentment ‐ liberation and enlightenment. For such a person, all happenings of human and divine mind are transparent. It does not mean that a sarvagya will be able to fly an aircraft/do surgery, do miracles etc. He/she has simple intuitive understanding of basic operative principles of universe and he is free from illusion of the maya ‐ appearance. What is that by knowing which everything is known? Shaunaka Rishi asked a strange question – what is that by knowing which everything is known. Why should we be bothered about knowing everything? What is the importance of learning a subject by knowing which you know everything? If you look at our lives, we have a de‐ sire for knowledge. Even an illiterate person has a desire for knowledge. Every human being has a desire for hap‐ piness, desire for avoiding suffering, and desire to get knowledge, understanding. Deep inside us there is a feeling that knowledge is power and that there is a defi‐ ciency of knowledge in us. All of us are trying to gain power in some way or the other so that we are happy and our weaknesses are reduced. This need not be just subject knowledge; it can be any knowledge, what is happening in the city, what is happening in politics, etc. Once Bharadwaj Rishi meditated on Brahma and when Brahma appeared, he requested for 100 years of life. So Brahmaji said, 'Ok'. Then as the 90th year approached, again Bharadwaj Rishi prayed to Brahma and asked for 100 more years'. Brahmaji asks, ‘Why? Bharadwaj Rishi says, ‘I have learnt Vedas and so many subjects, but what I have to learn is lot more, so I want some more life’. Brahmaji laughs. He shows a Himala‐ yan mountain and he takes one fistful of sand and he says ‘what you know today is only this much and what is to be known is that much. Any number of lives given will not be sufficient. But there is one subject by know‐ ing which you know all this, why don’t you learn that?’ That subject is known as Atmajnana – Srividya the aus‐ picious knowledge, the Knowledge of Self and that is called Brahmajnana, because that is the Knowledge of Universe, by knowing which you know all subjects in the Universe.
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Does it mean that a person, who gets Brahmajnana, gets to know all languages; can do surgery, and can fly an aircraft? No, but by knowing which you get a deep satisfaction of knowing all subjects is what is meant. E.g. a gold ring, necklace and earrings are all made of Gold. They are different forms. There is only one ob‐ ject, one subject which is gold. So everything else is various forms of that gold! Similarly, knowing about Consciousness ‐ the Universal Mother is like knowing about every other subject in the universe because Con‐ sciousness the Universal Mother is the real substra‐ tum. Just as all types of ornaments are made of gold and learning about gold will give you the knowledge of the essence of all the ornaments. In the similar way when we learn Brahmajnana – Srividya, when we learn about Consciousness the Universal Mother we will know essence of every object or subject in the Uni‐ verse. What happens when you know ‘THAT’? The desire for Knowledge drops, because you have under‐ stood the cause of all causes, which is Brahman or Consciousness or the Universal Mother.
Divya Jyothi
Shivaratri Night of Awakening from Dream of Maya
Shivaratri is a call for awakening from the dream of Ma‐ ya. Shiva is auspiciousness. When the mind becomes silent and merges with the Self it is called Shivaratri. Shiva means ‐ that which is not. Emptiness is the womb of creation. God is both with form and formless. This is beautifully depicted by Shivalinga. Linga stands for indicator ‐ sym‐ bol. Shiva linga symbolizes formlessand form aspect of divinity. Form comes from the nature ‐ prakriti. This is the peetham of Shivalinga. Formless aspect is shown by the elliptical structure of Shivalinga. Shivaratri Celebration dedicated to Lord Shiva is cele‐ brated on the moonless night of the month of Phalguna, which is the fourteenth day in the krishnapaksha or dark half. Owing to a special planetary conjunction, spiritual practices done on this day are considered to be especially auspicious and beneficial. There is a reference to this in one of the Puranas, where Shiva himself tells Parvati Devi, the Divine Mother that this day is particu‐ larly dear to him, and that those who perform the pre‐ scribed austerities on this day will be freed from all sins. One popular story from the Puranas goes like this: There was once a poor hunter from Varanasi. His name was Suswara. He lived with his wife and child in a small hut. Theirs was a hand‐to‐mouth existence. Suswara
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would go to the forest and hunt whatever game came his way, and thus feed his family. One particular day he caught many small animals and birds, which he put into a sack. Encouraged by the catch, he wandered deeper into the forest in search of more game. Soon darkness set in and he turned to go home. He was a little worried as the forest was infested with dangerous animals. He did not like the idea of spending the night there. Soon it became very dark, unable to find his way back, Suswara climbed a tree to be safe from the wild animals. Attracted by his scent, animals came lurking under the tree. Hoping to scare them away Suswara plucked some twigs from the tree and threw them at the ani‐ mals but to no avail. Throughout the night the animals kept prowling beneath the tree. Suswara was unable to get even a wink of sleep and he kept vigil throughout the night. He plucked leaves from the tree, which hap‐ pened to be a bilva tree, and dropped them on the ground. Unknown to Suswara, there was a Shivalinga at the foot of the tree; and so, although he was una‐ ware of it, by dropping the sacred bilva leaves, Suswara was making a sacred offering to the Shivalinga. That night happened to be Shivaratri. So the hunter had unknowingly kept a nightlong vigil and worshipped Shiva. According to the Shiva Purana the Mahashivaratri worship should incorporate six items: offering bilva leaves to the deity after giving it a ceremonial bath, which represents purification of the soul; applying ver‐ milion paste on the linga after bathing it, which repre‐ sents virtue; offering food, which is conducive to lon‐ gevity and the gratification of desires; lighting incense, which yields wealth; lighting an oil lamp, which signi‐ fies the attainment of knowledge; and offering betel leaves, which marks satisfaction with worldly pleas‐ ures. These six items form an indispensable part of the Ma‐ hashivaratri worship, be it a simple ceremony at home or grand temple worship. Significance of the Rituals. The story above is an alle‐ gory. Just as the hunter sought to kill wild animals, the spiritual seeker tries to overcome lust, anger, greed, infatuation, jealousy and hatred. The jungle is the
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mind where all these negativities roam about. A spiritu‐ al aspirant must kill these ‘animals’ to be free. The name of the hunter was Suswara, which means ‘one of melodious voice’. This indicates the purity of intent and speech, which, in turn, imply a level of mental purity. The hunter was born in Varanasi. Vara refers to the forehead while nasi is the nose. The point where both meet is Varanasi, in other words, the point midway be‐ tween the eyebrows. This point is also called the ajna chakra and is regarded as a nexus of the three nadis: ida, pingala and sushumna. A spiritual aspirant who concentrates his\her mind on this point, gains concen‐ tration and gradual control over his senses. The killing of the animals thus indicates control over
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Spiritual significance of Holi
Coming after Shivaratri Festival, Holi brings the mes‐ sage of life. Shivaratri stands for waking up from the dream. Waking up to the reality. Holi shows the way. Holi is celebrated with splashing of colours and burn‐ ing of Kama. Symbolizing the Upanishadic (Ishavasya), Tena Tyaktena Bhunjitaha – Enjoy with renunciation. 'Tena Tyaktena Bhunjitaha' Isha Vasya upanishat says 'Enjoy with renunciation'. How can someone enjoywith renunciation? Everything in the Universe belongs to the Lord – Ishvara. There is nothing which belongs to anybody. If we look at our body, mind, intellect com‐ plex, space, water, fire, earth everything is Prakriti‐ Na‐ ture. Nature belongs to Ishvara. We have been given this body, this mind, intellect to experience the Pra‐ kriti. In forgetfulness, we start assuming ownership. We say, 'My body, mind and intellect' and gradually, we start experiencing ‘I am the body’. There is no such thing. Everything belongs to Ishvara. We are given the right to use body for a limited duration. The moment we start claiming ownership, we are in trouble. In uni‐ versal terms, the trouble is called karma. Suffering starts. We have to renounce ownerhsip and live in joy, celebration with all that is given to us. This is the spirit of Holi. Spirit of Holi involves celebration of life – splashing of colours. Burning of Kama, symbolizing renunciation of what is not ours and in the process ex‐ periencing the bliss of life, joy of life. ~ Prabhuji
Divya Jyothi
Kamadahana
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Narasimha
Burning the Ignorance
Jnanagni Dagda Karmani – Bhagavadgita There is another legend that is also attributed to the origin of Holi. This story is about Kamadeva, the God of love. Kamadeva's body was destroyed when he shot his weapon at Shiva in order to disrupt his meditation and help Parvati to marry Shiva. In anger for disrupting his meditation, Shiva opened his third eye, the gaze of which was so powerful that Ka‐ madeva’s body was reduced to ashes. For the sake of Kamadeva's wife Rati (passion), Shiva restored Ka‐ madeva only as a mental image, representing the true emotional and spiritual state of love rather than physical lust. It is also believed that the Holi bonfire is lit in commemoration of this event. Spiritual Meaning of Burning Of Kamadeva Shiva is Adi Guru. Destroyer of Ignorance. Opening of third eye represents‐wisdom. Wisdom gained through Shastra (Scriptures), Sadguru (EnlightenedMaster) and Atmaguru (The Inner Self). ~ Prabhuji
Narasimha ‐ Fourth State of Consciousness Turiya According to Narad Purana, Holi is celebrated in the memory of Prahlad’svictory and the defeat of his aunt ’Holika’. The legend says that there once existed a mighty demon king by the name of Hiran‐ yakashyap who wished that everybody in his king‐ dom should worship him. However, his son, Prah‐ lad became a worshipper of Lord Vishnu. He tried every way to stop Prahlad from worshipping Vishnu but could not succeed. Out of frustration and an‐ ger, the demon king then decided to kill his son. Despite all his efforts, Prahlad remained safe by the blessings of Lord Vishnu. Finally, Hiranyakashyap instructed his sister, Holika to sit in the burning fire with Prahlad on lap. She was blessed with a boon as a result of which no fire could burn her. But the opposite happened, Prahlad survived and Holika was charred to death. SThis incident thus re ‐established the faith of people in the ultimate di‐ vine power and is thus celebrated as the day of eter‐ nal love, devotion, blessings and the victory of Good over evil. It is because of this event, Holika (a bonfire) is burnt every year on Holi. The burning of the effigy of Holika is called Holika Dahan. Spiritual Meaning of the Story of Buring of Holika. – Mandukya Upanishad Hiranya kashyap – stands for desire ridden individ‐ uals – Hiranya means gold. Kashyapu – means pil‐ low. Somebody whose sleep is disturbed by desire for possessions and wealth. He becomes Asura – demonic. Disturbing the society and himself. Prah‐ lad is child – a opening in the heart for the Lord – Supreme Bliss (Pra‐Ahlada). The desire ridden ego
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suppresses the child. Even tries to kill through holika (the anger). But lord protects the child and shows himself in the form of Narasimha. Narasimha – Neither man, nor animal, neither inside nor outside, neither darkness, nor light (Na antha prajnaha, Na bhahir prajanaha) – Turiya state of conciousness. Practice of Turiya, – Samad‐ hi – 4th state of consciousness ‐ kills the ego – Hiranyakashyap and Holika. Burning of Holika is symbolic of Tapasya – Spiritu‐ al practices. Tapasya means heat – Heat of spiritu‐ al practices of – Kaya, vacha, manasa tapasya burns Holika – Anger – sister of ego. ~ Prabhuji
Guruji’s Grace Dear Atmajyothis, Recently Guruji visited an Atmajyothi's place in Australia and stayed there for a couple of dayz to spend time with some AJs in that city. Would like to share her feelings with you all. Hari Om AJ: Happiness is my nature...Guruji is my tutor....no thought of future...today seems brighter Everything given on platter.....surrounded with divine laughter...blessings that matter.....life turned sweeter [3/12, 19:13] Student: Ashes he smears...most beautiful He ap‐ pears....take away all sorts of fears....comes and wipe my tears [3/12, 19:13] Student: Negative words and thoughts he destroy....every moment with him bring immense joy....nothing has the power to annoy......in his abode I dance and enjoy [3/12, 19:14] Student: Why am playing with words I do not know....overwhelming love brings the flow....again and
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again to you I bow.....you show the path and I follow [3/12, 19:14] Student: Saw Him hug a heart‐broken woman with com‐ passion..privileged glimpse of Shiva in action....ego is the only possession...surrendered with submission. [3/12, 19:14] Student: Every thing is transient... Yearning of soul per‐ manent....my Master so radiant....am your loving child innocent [3/12, 19:14] Student: Still and silent...thoughts absent....your grace apparent...O my Shiva..benevolent [3/12, 19:15] Student: Struggled to express inner craving with words.....your grace helped me to drop all the emotions afterwards..merging with deepest love brought happiness as reward...expressing in a flow is on its own accord. [3/12, 19:15] Student: Thought am lonely till I met you......in your pres‐ ence felt you are always with me for sure...meeting you was only to make me realize......that you and I are one and that is true. [3/12, 19:18] Student: Honestly the infinite compassion in his eyes were worth watching. That is Shiva...no one can be that ocean of karuna / daya. Absolute unconditional love... [3/12, 19:21] Student: It made such a powerful impact just looking at his karunya....only Shiva no one else can be like this [3/12, 19:22] Student: I mean Shiva by definition [3/13, 08:53] Student: Feel the love and compassion in the airevery‐ thing seems right and fairoh Shiva Guru my dearevery word uttered turning in prayer [3/13, 08:56] Student: First thing in the morning....Shiva said get go‐ ing......carry on work smiling...that is exactly what am doing..... [3/13, 15:18] Student: Walking home from bus stop buying groceries from a shop working eight hours on desktop feel my mas‐ ter's presence non stop
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tat tvam asi