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Today we had the final observances for Guru Purnima at the Aadheenam. And a “mangalam” day it was. The atmosphere filled with so much love and the joy that overflows from the satsang of devotees in confluence with the Satguru and all his monks and the devas in the inner worlds. We could feel Gurudeva’s happy smile on the inside all morning….
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Here is Bodhinatha at the end of the Guru puja….
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We started out in the morning at 7am. The time was moved up this year to allow our Tavil and Nadasvaram musicians to play at in full forte (as loud as they could). Bodhinatha is put up on the chariot, out on the San Marga path.
It is a cool morning….
Swami Bua is also given his place in the parade.
He is carried by the silpis on a small palanquin.
Parading the Satguru always gives rise to majestic thoughts, as Siva Yogaswami has said:
“By the grace of my Guru was overthrown my pride.
By the grace of my Guru, showers of grace were mine.
By the grace of my Guru, bliss infinite was mine.
By His grace myself and Guru commingled as One.”
–Natchintanai. 243
‘Detach, and in attachment, see detachment,
Espouse righteous living with awareness, my dear
Thou art myself’–Thus spoke he.
“No intrinsic evil is there,’ so said he,
‘And Truth is Absolute,’ he added my dear.
“A wholesome life bequeathed he, my dear
Fled are all the unrighteous acts, my dear.
In oneness did I see the universe in and out.
Yet I see not that which seeth so, my dear.”
–Yogaswami
“Oh mother mine, he came on earth in human form.
He whom Brahma and Vishnu fail to perceive.
He assuaged my griefs and gave me his vision.
I was an ignoramus to whom he gave eminent status, and
assured me of the innate goodness of heaven and earth.
Sivayanama was the mantra He gave me to alleviate my distress …”
–Yogaswami
Our musicians play with vigor. They also have come to love Kauai Aadheenam.
Flower petals are strewn by the ladies before the chariot….
Our monks await the arrival of the Satguru with a small fire and the chanting of Sri Rudram.
Swami Bua also joins us for the pada puja to Bodhinatha.
Bodhinatha’s seat is placed just in front of the Siva Lingam on San Marga.
“He bade me give up prejudices and predilections, and endowed me with discrimination to apprehend Truth. His great saying that we know not, became meaningful to me by his grace, when He and I in non-dual communion experienced bliss. Who knows was his oft-quoted declaration, and yet to the pious lovers, he revealed the Truth of the ultimate Reality. He and I are inseparable, though infinitely great is his transcendence…”
Yogaswami…
The natural beauty of Kauai is a wonder to behold. As many have said, Iraivan is not only a beautiful temple, but its setting of San Marga itself is a paradise on earth.
“Salutation to the Holy Feet of my SatGuru!
He enlightened me with supra-mental consciousness,
Beyond the avenues of sense experiences.
He initiated me to know my inner self.
Look inward and realise, was his benediction.
He showered greater love than that of a mother,
And I consecrated my all at his Feet.
Salutation to the beauteous Feet of Grace!”
— Yogaswami
“He was Life of my life, Essence of Self in self.
He granted me the beatitude of a goodly life.
He placed his Feet on my head and protected me.
Away with spurious doubts! Such grace was mine!
He illumined me with one word Aum.
I understood the world and myself.
He gave me the experience of Oneness.
He was all pervasive like the letter A
Salutation to the feet so fragrant.
–Yogaswami
“Thus did he save me from a life of allurements,
He who was beyond the reach of the See-ers,
He came like me in human form.
And enticed me by love supernal,
I learnt to walk with him on the right path.
Hail omniform light of Nallur that captivated me!
Salutation to the Holy Feet of my Guru!
“Shed all your supporting ties and bonds,” so saying
My benevolent Guru vouchsafed such grace.
His Blessed Feet Hail. All Hail.”
“He indeed is the wisest of the wise who made me his own–None can ever discern him. He is Honey trickling within each one of us.
His oft repeated behest was to know the Self abiding in the self, for that was the highest goal of human birth. It was the summum bonum of noble souls–(Tamil Script)
There is nothing in the world comparable to the excellence of devotion to the Guru. It enables man to follow the path of Dharma. It bestows the greatest solace to man, and points the way to make life ennobling. “Blessed are the worshipful devotees, for theirs is the refreshing Feet of the Lord.”
–Yogaswami
“The greatest benefactor to your own self is yourself: Your steadfast and single minded devotion alone can be your sure guide to know the Real Self within you. Discard all ideas of separation and distinctions and desires. Sing His name and strengthen your devotion to your Guru. That is your invincible shield”
–Yogaswami
“Bliss infinite flows from devotion to the Guru
Rejoice therein for solace true.
Climb up the path of righteousness
And utter, Oh Sankara–Siva.
Rest assured that there is no evil
And repeat that Truth is all and all.
Follow the way of divine grace,
And chant the incantation of Sivayanama.”
–Yogaswami
After the puja, everyone comes forward to prostrate …
Bodhinatha give out the sacred holy ashes — vibhuti prasadam.
Gurudeva’s picture and silver pada are present on the side….
At the feet of the Satguru are offered all the annual rededications from devotees around the world.
Each one has written out the mantra Aum Namasivaya 108 times, and checked the status of their Japa and Vasana Daha Tantra sadhanas and written a letter of dedication to Bodhinatha on the back.
We honored Swami Bua also with a shawl.
and new cotton khadi robes…
We are always blessed to have him with us….
“The ignorant think that God and Love are different.
None thinks that God and Love are the same.
When one knows that God and Love are identical,
He will repose in God as Love.”
Thus concluded the formal proceedings ….
Back at Kadavul temple it is tour day and our musicians played to a full house in the banyan mandapam…
Our silpi Chinnu has a photo with Swami Bua…
And Kumar….
Then a feast was served for lunch…something additional this year: lots of sandesh (milk sweets)
Our Kauai devotees, usually a bit isolated in the middle of the Pacific, get a chance to have satsang with people from all over the world.
Saravananathaswami who has been coordinating most of the activities along with Sadhaka Dandapani, consults with Kulapati Deva Rajan on the coming task forcers who are all going to assist with the gold leaf work. Adi Srikantha is here (in the middle) from North Dakota for today’s celebrations and to work on the gold leaf as well.
Stay tune… next phase for picture of the raising up of stones for course 27…then, course 28 and we will be ready for the Vimanam in a month or so… have a great retreat… we are off now for three days…
Aum Namasivaya!
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transcription begins
Date: June_01_2004
Title: Muruga, The God of Yoga and the Spiritual Path, Part 2
Category: God and Lords of Dharma
Duration: 10 min., 16 seconds
Date Given: May 20, 2004
Given by: Bodhinatha
In the Saivite tradition, there is a definite relationship between the worship of Lord Murugan and being successful in advanced yoga practices.
Gurudeva describes it as follows. “To obtain even the permission to perform yoga, one must have the grace of Lord Ganesha and the grace of Lord Muruga. Lord Muruga is the God of the kundalini of the advanced yogic practices. Unfoldment all happens within the kundalini and the chakras within our subtle bodies. Once a profound relationship is developed with Lord Muruga,and with the Guru’s permission and guidance, true yoga may commence. Otherwise no matter how long one sits in meditation, no matter how hard one tries, it is just sitting, it is just trying. There is no fire there, no shakti, no power, no change. It is the Gods who control the fire and at this stage help the devotee immensely, bringing him closer and closer to the Supreme God Siva. Quite often the yogi in his deep, internalize state may see a vision, the feet or form of God Siva before he begins to blend into the mind of God Siva called Satchidananda. It is God and Gods in form that help us to find the formless God.”
You can develop a close relationship with Lord Murugan in which He feels like a good friend if you take the time to get to know Him through bhakti yoga. The practice of devotional disciplines, worship, prayer, chanting and singing with the aim of awakening love in the heart and opening oneself up to the Deity’s grace. Bhakti, devotion, to Murugan can be increased or cultivated. Here are some specific suggestions.
1. Make the travel time to the temple a religious one. Don’t allow yourself to focus on problems at home or work. Put on religious music in your car audio system and listen to it, for example.
2. Bring an offering. The act of giving opens you to the blessings of the Deity. Never go to the temple without bringing an offering and giving it to the Deity.
3. Put as much time and prana into the offering as possible. Buying a garland at the store is good, but making it yourself is even better. The prana in the offering, meaning the energy coming out of your hands when you make the garland, goes into the garland and therefore when the garland is put on the Deity, it is like you are touching the Deity and creates an even greater closeness.
4. During the puja keep focused on the Murthi and the priests chant. Pay attention. Don’t let the mind wander. When singing bhajans, keep focused on the meaning of the words.
5. And last, the blessings, the shakti of the Deity is stronger on some days than others. So attending the temple on the strong days is helpful to attuning oneself to the shakti. For example, there is a stronger shakti on yearly festivals, such as Skanda Shasti for Lord Murugan.
One of the disciplines that Gurudeva gave to his monastics many years ago was to learn to do the traditional temple puja, Parartha puja for Ganesha, Murugan and Siva. Therefore, all the monastics have had the opportunity to do regular pujas in our temple. Speaking from experience we can all say that performing daily puja is definitely an effective way to deepen your personal relationship with Lord Murugan. Pujas can also be done in the home, the Atmartha puja and again provide an effective way to become closer to the Deity.
Lord Murugan is traditionally worshipped to invoke the forces of divinity, to overcome the forces of darkness.
This is an important theme, so I repeat that sentence. Lord Murugan is traditionally worshipped to invoke the forces of divinity to overcome the forces of darkness.
This process takes place both in the world and in the individual. It takes place through the power of His Vel which represents wisdom, jnana shakti. Gurudeva often stressed that the world changes because the individuals in it change. In other words, the world becomes a more divine, peaceful place as more individuals find divinity and peace within themselves. Certainly the worship of Lord Murugan and His Shaktivel, His Vel of wisdom is a potent force in moving the world in this direction.
Man’s nature can be described as threefold – superconscious or spiritual, intellectual or mental, and instinctive or physical/emotional.
It is the instinctive nature, the animal-like nature, which contains the tendencies to become angry and harm others. The goal is to learn to control these animal instincts, as well as, the ramifications of the intellect and the pride of the ego and manifest one’s spiritual nature. This is the inner process within the individual, of divinity overcoming darkness and the regular worship of Lord Murugan helps us to become a wiser person, better to make these inner changes and therefore make tangible progress on the spiritual path.
Hindu icons in our temples all have mystical symbolism. A common symbolism is to depict the God as male and the God’s energy or shakti as His spouse. This is because in these temples, they have Murugan with two consorts. So, I have to explain two concepts.
God is everywhere seen as the beloved divine couple. Philosophically however, the caution is always made that God and God’s energy are one. That the metaphor of the inseparable divine couple serves only to illustrate this oneness. In the case of Lord Murugan, His consorts are Valli and Devayani.
Additionally we have the Vel as an important symbol. These three represent three distinct energies, powers or shaktis. Valli represents the iccha shakti, the power of desire. Devayani represents kriya shakti, the power of action. The Vel represents jnana shakti, the power of wisdom.
Important insights into the soul maturing process can be gained by looking at the three shaktis of Lord Murugan. The power of desire, the power of action and the power of wisdom, which are also the three powers of the soul.
We first have a desire. When the desire becomes strong enough, we act. In young souls, the action may be ill-conceived and adharmic. For example, we want a computer, so we simply steal one. Money is needed, so we rob a bank. The soul is repeating a cycle of similar experiences, moving back and forth from desire to action, desire to action. In the case of the adharmic action of stealing, eventually the soul will learn the lesson that this is not the best course of action to take, to acquire possessions.
This learning is the jnana shakti. Wisdom coming in and causing one’s behavior to improve. This process works for dharmic actions as well. We are helping out as a volunteer at the temple and teaching children’s classes once a month. We like the feeling it gives us of helping others in a meaningful way and decide to help out every week instead, and even participate in the meetings to plan out the classes. We are doing a selfless action and the reaction it has on us is to feel more inner joy. Therefore, the jnana is to decide how to do even more of it and thus feel more joyful. We have again improved our behavior.
We can see in both of these examples how it is that the soul undergoes experiences in the world with desire leading to action, desire leading to action and eventually leading to wisdom and the improving of our behavior. This is the divine pattern through which our soul matures over many lifetimes, moving ever closer to God.
Whether an action we have committed is dharmic or adharmic, the worship of Lord Murugan and the power of His Vel, jnana shakti, can help us understand the wisdom or lack of wisdom of our actions more quickly. In fact, in some Murugan temples, the importance of the Vel is stressed by the fact that the only Murthi in the main sanctum is the Vel.
transcription ends
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