The Source of the Cosmos Sri Chakra Sri Chakra Sri Chakra Sri Chakra Sri Chakra

The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY

Blossom 14 Petal 2June 2010

2Ati Rudram fever

JuneJuneJuneJuneJune

Since the last issue...

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Aiya and Amma did a host ofactivities over the past threemonths. There was a workshopin Philadephia on Lord Shivaworship, as well as a practicaldemonstration of the EkadasaRudra homam in Pickering,Ontario. Around that time aswell, Aiya flew to Cleveland,Ohio to do a cremation andsubsequent punyajalam (thefinal-day puja), and laterperformed the same sequence ofevents in New York.

In mid-March, the templeconducted the 2nd of twoShivarathris that fell this year,which is a very rareoccurrence. The reason for thisis that Shivarathri always fallsduring the Tamil month ofMaasi over the thithis oftriyodasi and chaturdasi,which are the 13th and 14thdays of the fortnight.

This year, as Aiya explained,the triyodasi fell in February(which is not the month of Maasi)and the chaturdasi continuedonly in the following month ofMarch. Hence, Aiya and otherpeople around the world who alsounderstand how to follow thepanchaangam calendarperformed Shivarathri twice.Interestingly, this splitting (ordoubling) of Shivarathri also

happened during the time ofKrishna and the Pandavas of theMahabharata. In that instance,Krishna also chose to perform two

Shivarathris in accordance withthe proper thithis in the propermonths.

For the first Shivarathri onFebruary 11, Aiya and the templevolunteers did an Ekadasa Rudrahomam, which wrapped uparound 5 a.m. the next morning toconform with the calendar. TheMarch 13 Shivarathri saw the

usual Ekadasa Rudra parayanamperformed throughout the night,with different volunteers sittingat all 11 Shivalingam stationsset up around the inner templeand yajnashala.

Around the same time theShivarathris were done, Aiya andAmma were invited to Forzheim,Germany, where the localdevotees have built a temple withthe same Vedic and architecturalprinciples as our temple inRochester. There, they wereperforming a 1008 shankaabhishekam. As well, a 24-hourSri Suktam homam was done,followed by abhishekam andalankaram for the Devi there.April saw Aiya stay close tohome, as he officiated over thepujas during Tamil New Years onthe 13th, and the subsequentannual Pratyangira Devi homamon the 18th. He also helpeddevotees perform the ChitraPoornima puja for their departedmothers on April 27. Aiya andAmma traveled again in mid-Maywith a trip to North Carolina tovisit the devotees there andconduct the usual round of talksand workshops. Whenever theyhad a moment at home, they werewith the local devotees preparingfor the Maha Kumbhabhishekamto take place July 1 to 14.

3Ati Rudram fever

Maha Shivarathri, March 13

Maha Shivarathri marked thesecond of the two Shivarathris inthis years calendar. This nightalso included pujas to shivalingams in eight directionsaround the homa kundam. Aiyaperformed a Rudra homam, andthen everyone joined in thecomplete Eka Dasa Rudraparayanam. This was done bychanting 11 Rudra Namakamswith each of the 11 Chamakamparagraphs placed in between.

Everyone presentcircumambulated the yajna shalaand the temple, offering bilvaleaves and rudrakshas at eachlingam. The night ended around 5a.m. and everyone partook ofmaha prasadam.

Past Events

Left: The pradosham lingamwas covered in bilva leavesRight: Devotees offered trays ofbilvam just like this all night long.

The annual Maha Pratyangirahomam was held the weekendfollowing the Tamil New Year.Devotees prepared various sweetsand short eats for PratyangiraDevi, and everyone there wasgiven a few palaharams to putinto the homam.

The sponsors offered severalbuckets of chilies into the fire asAiya led the yajnashala in thechanting of the Maha Pratyangiramantra, along with the ShooliniDurga mantra. After the homam,

Maha Pratyangira homam,April 18

bali was offered at Bhairava, andall the devotees enjoyedprasadam and the remainingbakshanam from the homam.

Chitra Poornima, April 27

Clockwise from left: Aiya pours the festivalkalasam onto the sponsors when thehomam concludes; the purnahuti is offeredinto the fire; devotees gather outside towatch how Aiya offers the final bali.

Tamil New Years, April 13

A surprising number of peopleshowed up for the Tuesdayevening festivitiesover 100people, which is much more thanthe temple gets on a typicalweeknight.

The center hall area was set upwith a full kolam, special pujatray and metal pot in whichsakkarai pongal was madethroughout the puja. Whilewaiting for the milk to boil, Aiyaread the upcoming years forecast,indicating that it would be a veryfavourable year for worldmarkets, childrens education andgeneral health among otherthings.

Everyone had a chance to offergrains and rice into the pongalpot, and everyone was later giventhat special pongal as prasadam.

Above: A longline waits to putgrains into thepongal; Right:The tray is set upwith items likegold and silverflowers, fruits,money, and evena Shivalingam.

Those doing tarpanam for theirdeparted mothers gathered onthis day. After a brief puja, thepindams and black sesame seedsthey made to represent thephysical body were given into thewaters of Kashi, pictured above.

4Ati Rudram fever

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

Upcoming Events

Maha Kumbhabhishekam,July 1-11

The planning for this historicevent has been going on for no lessthan two years. In fact, it was atMay Festival 2008 that Aiya askedtemple regulars and visitors aliketo start learning how to chant theRudram and perform homam.

Every day will see 11 Rudrahomams performed at 121homakundams. Sponsorships arestill (scarcely) available but thosethinking about sponsoring shouldcall ahead of time as the tightplanning will make it difficult toarrange walk-in sponsorships.The same applies for volunteers,who will need to undergo someregular training before theeventit will simply be too largeand complicated for devotees tovolunteer without previouslyknowing the layout of the templeand various items.

Temple volunteers have beenworking around the clock toprepare. We implore one and all

to come to at least a fewdays of the festival, as aRudra homam on thisscale has never beenattempted beforeanywhere in the world.

Clockwise from top right:Bharhavi mixes a batch ofsamit that will be used inthe homams; lockers andother storage units are

assembled; as many as1008 kalasams must bestrung forkumbhabhishekam; theland on the templesnorth side has beenleveled and ready tobuild 121homakundams; theBhairava shrine wentfrom a simple trisulamunder a tree to a full-

fledged village-style shrine.

Guru Poornima, July 25 Aadi Amavasya, Aug. 9 Aadi Puram, Aug. 11

Last Guru Poornima, Aiyacreated a bit of a stir by notassigning any specific person orpeople to be in charge of thisyears event. He implored all thetemples visitors and family towork together to make this yearsfestivities a success.

This day is when those who havelost their fathers performtarpanam for them. However, it isonly necessary to offer tarpanamon this day if one has missed doingso on his or her fathers very ownthithi (the fortnight day of theappropriate month) or does notknow the fathers correct thithi.

The same principle is also truefor Chitra Poornima, which alsoacts as a type of default day to doones mothers tarpanam.

Please call the temple for detailsat the phone number at the bottomof this page, and reserve a spot ifyou wish to participate in thisconcise but important puja.

An early-morning Chandihomam usually marks thebeginning of this day, and isfollowed by the abhishekam ofthe Vana Durga murthi withmilk and grass.

As this day celebrates the Devifirst becoming a woman, there isalso a small procession, not tomention the offering of numeroussweets and treats.

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Devi willing, the next issue ofthe Sri Chakra will be up on thetemples website at the beginningof September 2010.

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

The next deadline for articlesubmission is August 11. Pleasee-mail us with yourcontributions or feedback aboutthis issue atsri_chakra_mag@srividya.org ortalk to Kamya or Abhi at thetemple.

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

In Three Months

Our deepest thanks and gratitude to this issuesOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issuesOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issuesOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issuesOur deepest thanks and gratitude to this issuesvvvvvolunteerolunteerolunteerolunteerolunteers: Gurs: Gurs: Gurs: Gurs: Guruji,uji,uji,uji,uji, Aiy Aiy Aiy Aiy Aiya,a,a,a,a, V V V V Vilas Ankilas Ankilas Ankilas Ankilas Ankolekarolekarolekarolekarolekar,,,,, Gratus Gratus Gratus Gratus Gratus

DeDeDeDeDevvvvvanesan,anesan,anesan,anesan,anesan, B B B B B. J. J. J. J. Jaaaaayyyyyaraman,araman,araman,araman,araman, Sudha Priy Sudha Priy Sudha Priy Sudha Priy Sudha Priya Keara Keara Keara Keara Kearneneneneneyyyyy,,,,, Pamela Pamela Pamela Pamela PamelaLanLanLanLanLang and Bharhag and Bharhag and Bharhag and Bharhag and Bharhavi Selvvi Selvvi Selvvi Selvvi Selvan.an.an.an.an.

K

Update

um b

ha bh i s h ek a

mThe Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam will be hosting its

Punarutharuna Kumbhabhishekam July 1-11, 2010.

A massive Ati Rudra homam will happen over 11 days, with 11 Rudrahomams performed daily in each of 121 homakundams.

Kumbhabhishekam sponsors are still welcome! Please go towww.srividya.org for full details.

Varalakshmi Vratam, Aug. 20

Married women gather toperform a deepam puja withtheir own hands on this day,guided with step-by-stepinstructions by Aiya.Varalakshmi puja always fallson a Friday night and the templecelebrations begin around 7 p.m.

More and more ladies have

Just one Rudra homam is proven to permanently eliminate all planetarydoshams (i.e. Sani, Rahu, Kethu, etc.) for oneself and ones children. For more

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

been taking part in this puja witheach successive year, so it is veryimportant to call the temple andbook a sponsorship early. Becauseof the space the volunteers,sponsors and puja trays will take,the temple usually caps thisfestival with about 50 to 60sponsors.

There are less than 7 weeks until Maha Kumbabhishekam and preparations are wellunderway. All kalasams have been washed and strung, more than 7,000 prasadam packages

have been packed, all puja trays have been counted and separated, and several barrels ofhomam samagri have been mixed.

But there is still much work to do! Many projects still need to be completed in the nextmonth. Volunteers poured in during the training weekends and learned how to set up puja

and homam, as well as where all items in the temple are located.

There is still time to get involved. Please go to the website and fill out the volunteer form!While formal training has concluded, temple volunteers are always willing to share theirknowledge. If you have any questions regarding volunteering or sponsoring the homam,

please contact the temple.

6Ati Rudram fever

Q & AiyaQ & Aiya We all love hanging out withAiya, drinking tea, and sometimesgetting some guidance on how totravel down our own paths to theDevi. After a Rudra Homamworkshop conducted at the temple,Aiya implored those who attendedwhether old or new studentstoclear their doubts about the ritual.

Q: Can we do Ekadasa Rudrahomam at home?

Aiya: You can if you want to,but itll burn you out.

Q: If we do it at home, shouldwe do one stanza of theChamakam for each Namakamthat is chanted?

Aiya: This is the stanza weusually dothe 3rd anuvakam fromthe Chamakam that goes, Sanchame, mayascha me priyancha me,nukaamascha me kaamaschame But thats only when werechanting Rudram once, likeduring Saturday puja. DuringEkadasa Rudram, each fullNamakam will be chanted withan anuvakam of the Chamaka,going from the first to theeleventh. Every day ofkumbhabhishekam, thats whatwell do.

Q: You say that we should dosancha me mayascha me for theone Namakam that we chant, butwhy is it that we chant thatanuvakam at the beginning andend of the Namakam duringSaturday puja? Does it throw offthe balance when you chant ittwice like that?

Aiya: We do it twice like thatbecause that anuvakam is alsocalled the Rudra Shanti. Alsowhen youre doing the EkadasaRudra homam, itll come twiceonce between the 3rd and 4thRudram, and then again duringthe vasodhara (the stream of gheegoing into the fire during the finaloffering). For vasodhara you haveto chant the entire Chamakam inone shot.

Q: Will bad things happen ifyou make a mistake whilechanting or doing puja?

Aiya: Only if youre afraid thatsomething bad is going to happen,then youre inviting it. If you say,Amma, Im your child, I dontknow anything but I want to dothis. If I make a mistake, pleaseforgive me. But that doesntmean you can be careless duringpuja. Thats why I said toKumaran when he was doingthe homam for 45 days alone inhis home, there was no one elsethere sometimes. He had to makesure everything was in reach andnot break the continuity of theritual.

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Q: What if you cant be in the same place everyday to do puja?

Aiya: Wherever you are, if you concentrate onyour ajna chakra while youre doing any japamor puja, you are in the exact same place everyday.

Q: The homakundam in the Stroudsberg, PAtemple has a triangle on top of a square is thatokay?

Aiya: They can have any type of homakundamthey want. If they want to do it that way, letthem. But Amma, its not enough to have a yoni-shaped homakundam for a Sri Vidya upasaka. Ifyoure going to have that, it has to be a properTantrik homakundam, and the most experiencedpeople must be performing the homam. Thistype of thing is like a Formula-1 racecar whatuse is giving it to someone whos just learninghow to drive?

Q: What restrictions are therewhen you take Sri Vidya diksha(initiation with a mantra under aguru)?

Aiya: Theres only one majorrestriction under our parampara,and thats to never cut sugarcanebecause thats one of the four thingsDevi is holding in her hands.

Q: But for eating, what should weavoid? Meat? Eggs?

Aiya: Oh, there we pretty muchavoid everything! Definitely nomeat, but eating eggs for us is likeeating the whole chicken. Its stillanimal proteinafter all, what elseis an egg but an unfertilized babychick? Do you know how it worksfor all of us here? If we go inside astore and pick up a box of cookies,the first thing well do is look at thelist of ingredients. If it has eggs orany other animal-based product (i.e.lard, egg protein, gluten, etc.) wellput it back. But you know, its veryeasy I have survived 38 years sinceI left my home country, and I havealways been a vegetarian. Noproblem.

8Ati Rudram fever

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

In the last two issuesof the Sri Chakra, SudhaPriya Kearney wrote ofher divine experiences inthe time leading upto herintroduction to Aiya andthe temple. It started withher initiation into theKriya meditation ofParamahamsaYogananda, and later ledto receiving mantradiksha from Aiya afterShivarathri 1993.However, she didnt yetfeel like he was her guru.But she must havechanged her mind sinceshe has been with thetemple for over 15 years.This is the 3rd and last partof her story.

TempleTempleLoreLore

by Sudha Priya Kearney Part 3Part 3Part 3Part 3Part 3

At home I told my mother I gotmantras from Aiya and that hehad invited me to attend afunction at the temple in May. Mymother was so very happy for me.She said I had found my livingguru. I told her I did not considerAiya my guru and he himself hadsaid I did not have to think of himas my guru, but my motherinsisted he was my guru. I askedher what about Yogananda?

My mother reminded me that Ihad not received the Kriya

meditation techniques directlyfrom Yogananda since he had lefthis body before I was born. Shesaid I was very blessed andfortunate to have met my livingguru and to have personallyreceived mantra diksha from him.I asked her what about all the talkabout having only one guru? Mymother responded with a storyabout Dattatreya Bhagwan whohad some 21 or so gurus.

She said one can learn from a lotof people and many of them couldbe considered gurus but in thisinstance since Aiya had given memantra diksha without my askingfor it he was now my guru. Rightaway my mother decided bothmy sisters along with theirchildren would go with us toAiyajis temple in May. (Gujaratisand most North Indians add a jito a persons name as a form ofrespect)

My parents guru was arenunciate who did not talk to orgo near women, so my motherhad always just seen her gurufrom a distance. At theSwaminarayan temple weattended in India the womengenerally had to stay back whilethe priest performed the puja andcould barely see the rituals from adistance. So when we went toAiyas temple in May and wewere allowed to personally go upto the murthis, do abhishekam,and actually touch the deities, mymother was so very happy. Thiswas such a rare opportunity andsuch a great privilege.

As part of the consecrationceremony for the Pramana Meruwe stayed up all night takingturns to hold strings that wereconnected to the Meru andchanted our personal mantras.

Aiya performed a long andelaborate puja. The chanting wasso very complicated that it wasall just a blur to me. At somepoint the Lalita Sahasranamamwas chanted and that toosounded awesome but was alsovery new to me that I couldbarely follow along.

The one word out of thethousand that I could actuallypronounce was Yogananda (in mymind that was so cool at the timethat my Self RealizationFellowship gurus name wasincluded!). After the puja wewere all allowed to put somekumkum on the Meru and donamaskaram to Devi.

My mother was so happy to beable to touch the Meru and be ableto talk to Aiya. I remember Aiyahad sung bhajans that night andwe were so touched that alongwith a lot of bhajans in Tamil heincluded one in Sanskrit forNarayana. We worshipped allthe Hindu deities but Narayanawas the main deity in our hometemple and I personally hadalways been very fond of Krishna.

After the puja we all didnamaskaram to Aiya and Ammaand then had dinner, and alongwith the other disciples sat andlistened to Aiya. A lot of the talkwas in Tamil but every so oftenAiya would speak in English orspecifically translate some of theconversation for us. I dontremember any specifics but I doremember feeling very happy andfelt so very much at home at thistemple.

Later, Aiya called me and gaveme the book that was publishedspecially for this Murthi PramanaMahameru Prathishta occasion. Itwas the English version of the Sri

9Ati Rudram fever

Chakra Pujavidhanam book thatearlier was onlyavailable in Tamil.

As we weretaking his leaveAiya suddenlysaid he wouldcome to our houseto do a puja. Wewere very happybut also veryconcerned that wedid not do anyfancy pujas likehim so we did nothave any of theitems at home. Hesaid not to worryhe would bring allthe things heneeded for Puja with him alongwith a few of his disciples. Hegave us a date sometime insummer and there was a burst ofquestions in Tamil that soundedlike protests from some of hisdisciples to whom he replied inTamil.

Looking at the confusion on myface, one young man informed mein English that all the questionswere about why is Aiya planningto do a puja in my house when afew of them had been asking Aiyato come to their house for quitesome time and he had not beenable to do so because of his busyschedule. We then realized howtruly blessed we were that Aiyajiwould be coming to our house toperform a puja.

On a warm weekend in June orJuly of 1993 Aiya came to mysisters house where I wasstaying and did a puja. A lot ofhis disciples from Buffalo andBoston attended the puja alongwith a lot of our friends inConnecticut. I had met Mike (myfuture husband) at an SRF retreatand had mentioned to him aboutAiya.

Mike had immediately decidedhe too wanted to meet Aiya so Iinvited him to attend the puja.Mike had also come to help us theday before with the dinnerpreparations for about 70 guests.After the puja Mike asked Aiya

for a mantra, and since Aiya wasgoing to spend the night at ourhome he asked Mike to come thenext morning.

Later, Mike told me that it was atest for him. He had planned toattend a bike race the day of thepuja, and he had to make a choice.He chose to come see Aiya andreceived mantra diksha. Mike hadno second thoughts aboutaccepting Aiya as his guru eventhough he too was studying theSRF lessons and practicing themeditation techniques. I was stillthinking of Aiya as a good friendand father figure but not as myguru.

I had seen Aiya on threeoccasions and soon it was time toattend the Guru Poornima festivalat the temple. My mother haddecided to accompany me to thetemple again since she knew I wasstill not sure he was my guru.When I said I dont know what Ineed to do for Guru Poornima shesaid just follow along and doexactly what she does at thetemple, and I agreed.

When we arrived at Aiyas housethe shrine had been set up for pujaand two regal seats were set upfor Aiya and Amma. The pujawas done to Aiya and Amma andwe were all asked to form a line soeach person could personallywash their feet and donamaskaram to them.

I got behind mymother andwatched verycarefully whatshe did. She tooksome water andsprinkled it onAiyas feet andoffered herpranaams andthen to myamazement shetook a little waterfrom the tray thathis feet were inand reverentlydrank the water.Next was my turnso I did the same.Since there were alot of people in

line behind us we left the shrineroom and I reflected on the partwhere I had washed Aiyas feetand drank the water.

Years ago on another occasionmy father had brought homewater after washing their Gurusfeet and mother had accepted itwith such reverence and delight,but I had refused it and said itwas yucky and did not take it. Itwas interesting to me that I didnot feel it yucky to drink thewater after washing Aiyas feet.But anyway I still did notconsider him my guru. But Ithought for a priest he was reallyquite a regular guy and kind ofcool too! Both Aiya and mymother were extremely patientwith me.

Since I was not sure aboutaccepting Aiya as my guru I poseda test for him one day in mynaivety. I asked Aiya to tell mewhom I had met in Sri Nagar in1984 and immediately Aiya said Ihad met Babaji. I was amazedthat he would know this! I hadnever mentioned to Aiya oranyone at the temple about Babajigiving me a lotus garland in SriNagar and Aiya just like that toldme I had met Babaji and addedthat the same Babaji is in his SriVidya lineage. (hes known asKatambari Baba, as described in theMarch 2009 Sri Chakra ed)

Sudha and her husband, Mike, are both long-time SV upasakas.

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Ati Rudram fever

The Mother of all FamiliesThe Mother of all Families

Whenever I have been asked about how I came to be Hindu, I always say how it was just meant to be. I tryto explain to people the mysterious and wonderful chain of events that led me to the temple. Looking back, itwas clearly Divine handiwork.

An astounding number of years ago I began to feel an urge to be closer to God. I was raised Catholic so Itried to start reading the Bible and attend Mass againsomething I had not done in a long time. I rememberstaring at a picture of Jesus in my parents house and hoping I would get a clue of what it was all about. Butnothing happened with all of this and I still felt like I had not found what I was searching for. I didnt knowwhat it was but I knew I did not have it.

That was the first thing. Well, really the second thing because from my earliest memories I was alwaysfascinated with Eastern cultures and loved Indian food. I used to daydream about archeology as a kid. Thesetendencies were totally alien to my all-American and very Western family.

At that time I was in my early twenties. Can you believe it? I hadlived all that time not knowing the Mother at all. Aiya often spokeof how long he had to wait to be able to learn this so I guess I waslucky it only took that long. Of course as it turns out, it is still takinga long time but that is a story for another day. But the paper... theinfamous college paper. That little gem was a source of amusementat Park Circle for years and also my ticket into Sri Vidya.

I was attending Monroe Community College at the very same timeSaru (Aiyas daughter) and Lily were, though I didnt know themthen. There was this very popular professor of anthropology and hetaught a world religion class that was always booked solid. When Ilearned of it I had to get in. I just felt a strong need to take that class.

The details are fuzzy now but someone must have backed out atthe last minute because I got a spot, and midway through the termone of our assignments was to select a non-Western religion to writeabout. Naturally, I wanted to learn about Hinduism but I hadabsolutely no idea where to look. All I knew of India was the RajMahal restaurant on Monroe Ave.

I got the idea to ask my philosophy professor if he could point mein the right direction, because those guys are always very helpful,and he mentioned there was a student he could put me in touchwith whose father had a temple in his garage. They conducted fireceremonies there. Now when I heard that, I tried to picture what atemple in a garage with fire pits could possibly look like. I wasntsure it sounded totally legitimate but it definitely was interesting.

No one was home when I called so I left a message about who Iwas and whether I could come and observe? I think Aiya called me back later that night. I remember sittingat the kitchen table talking to him for the first time. The exact conversation is lost to me now but I do knowthat he was so warm and accommodating I really wanted to meet him.

Saru prepped me a little before I went, and mentioned that they sit on the floor. She told me there was aThursday night abhishekam and a Friday night puja and I should come to both because they were different.She mentioned something about what to wear, skirt or pants but something comfortable because wed besitting for so long.

I cant believe it now, but I showed up in an ankle-length black leather skirt and didnt realize until I gotthere that that wouldnt work. Saru very kindly let me borrow something of hers for the night to substitute.

Catch the second half of Pams story in the next issue of the Sri Chakra.

by Pamela Lang

Despite living in Arizona, Pams love for thetemple pulled her back to Rochester, whereshe and her husband, Steve, were married byAiya in 2005.

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Ati Rudram fever

I often hear and read thatChamakam is the selfish act ofasking Lord Shiva for personalboons. We may be selfish, but toimagine that the Vedas allowroom for selfishness, and to thinkthat prayers are revealed to greatrishis for the sake of selfishness, isin my opinion, short sighted.

In my experience andunderstanding, the Vedas give noroom, nor significance, to selfishdesires and wants. If theChamakam were an expression ofwants then it would read usnot me it would say give usthis, not give me, give me, giveme, etc.

It is therefore my interest toexplore Chamakam from adifferent point of view.

Lets look at a simple translationof the 3rd anuvakam ofChamakam:

Pleasures of this world are with me,Pleasures of other world are with me,Liking is with me,The desire due to that is with me,The result of the desire is with me,Relatives sweet to the mind are with

me,Security is with me,Great fame is with me,Good habitats are with me,All good luck is with me,All wealth is with me,Teacher showing the way is with me,One who carries me like father is with

me,Protection of assets is with me,Courage is with me,

by Gratus DevanesanBelow thesurface ofChamakam

Below thesurface ofChamakam

Good to all are with me,Reward is with me,Knowledge of Vedas and science is

with me,Capacity to teach is with me,Capacity to order is with me,Capacity to get work done is with me,Wealth of cattle is with me,Destruction of blocks in my path are

with me,Fire sacrifices and other good deeds are

with me,The good result of such action is with

me,Freedom from tuberculosis is with me,Freedom from small fevers are with me,The medicine for life without sickness

is with me,Long life is with me,The state of all people being my

friends is with me,Absence of fear is with me,Good conduct is with me,Good sleep is with me,Good mornings are with me,Good days are with me,And all these are with me

The translator in this case choseto say are with me. If you lookat the word cha, much like theLatin que, it reflects closeassociation. So a {something} camecould poetically be translated as{something} should be granted to me, orlike in the above translation{something} is with me.

Both are flawed in my opinion,because they start from a point ofview of physical proximity andobjectification.

Cha simply implies closeness like the relationship betweendarkness and black. It is we thatassume there is a physical object,an object separate from us, thatmust be brought close to us sothat we may possess it. The ideathat A is separate from B isnatural in us, but the idea that allis one, is natural in the Vedas. TheVedas and the Tantras, as far as Iunderstand, are not aboutattachment, possessiveness orcontrol. So how can the crownjewel of the Vedas be all aboutpossessing and controlling?

We should stop looking at thingsfrom our limited point of viewand accept the Vedas as a force forgood. We should take some thingsapriori when interpreting theVedas. The Vedas do not talkabout our mundane lives. Howsmall and silly is it to believe thatthe Vedas talk about success inbusiness? Would a timeless truthrevealed to rishis, talk aboutbusiness success? Yes, knowledgefrom the Vedas can be applied tomanagement and economics butto imagine that the Vedasthemselves talk about ourmundane day to day affairs is togive way too great significance toourselves.

Second, the Vedas are timelesstruths so we should look attimeless concepts wheninterpreting them. The Tantrasoften speak of sex. Why? Becausethat is the only process that iscompletely universal. It is thebasis of life and continuation andit is the timeless origin of all life.Similarly, we need to look beyondand look at timeless conceptswhen trying to understand Vedictexts.

Watch for the 2nd part of this article inthe September issue of the Sri Chakra.

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Sri Matha, the first nama of SriLalita Sahasranamam isinterpreted as shruthi matha orveda matha as one of its manymeanings. Even before the originof space and time, i.e. before theorigin of origin itself, a spandha inuniversal consciousness (NirgunaBrahman) caused anoutburst of sound. As perour shastras, sabdaprapancham manifesteditself into arthaprapancham. In thisarticle we will not go intodetails of prapanchasrishti.

By the unbounded graceof Sri Matha Lalita, theprimordial divine sabdammanifested itself intomatrukasharam, whichis the Mother of alphabets;and as vedamatha, which refers topadams and riks(mantras). Sages who satin deep meditation inunison with nirgunabrahman discovered thepowerful riks/mantras. SriRudram is a prayer to LordShiva containing 164 riksin 27 stanzas (during homathe 164 riks are expandedinto 169 riks). The sage whodiscovered these riks is agorarishi. Now let us look into whatmakes this Rudram as a powerfulprayer and what it will do to allof us who chant, as well to all ofmankind.

All our actions or inactions thatbenefit others are called dharmicactions and we get punya as aresult. Similarly, all actions/

inactions that harm others areadharmic and we get paapamas a result. Paapam and punyaare cumulative. Vedas are thecommands of Lord Shiva andbased on vedic dictum, shastrasdetermine what is dharmic andwhat is adharmic. Naturally, we

get rewarded with materialisticpleasures for punya and punishedwith pain and suffering forpaapam by Lord Shiva. This isthe supreme natural law ofprakruthi, or niyathi of nature.

According to the Vedas, LordShiva with His benevolent power(anugraha shakti) creates thedevatas (Shiva ganas) for joy,success, shraddha, medha and so

on. Lord Shiva with Hiscontrolling power creates Shivaganas called Rudras for pain,suffering, loss, anger etc.

The Vedas themselves have aform and affection of the universalMother. Hence, out of apaarakaruna (unbounded compassion)

the Vedas teach us prayersfor all types of Shiva ganas.

In fact, the Vedas adoptthe same tactful techniquewhich our own motheradopts. When the fathergets angry with his childfor the harm he caused toother children andpunishes him for thewrong he did, what doesthe mother do? Shetactfully advises the childto ask for pardon and begthe mercy of his father andassures him that he willnot repeat this wrong inthe future. The motherdoes not take either theside of father or child andremains neutral, but out ofmotherly affection advisesthe child so that his painand sufferings are reducedor eliminated.

That is what is exactlywhat the Vedas do in the

11 chapters of Rudram mantras.The riks make us to donamaskarams again and again.We bow to everything of Rudradevatawe bow to his dhanus, tothe arrows, to his hands that holdthe bow, etc. Will the father go onpunishing the child once it knowsits mistake and asks for mercy?

That is what exactly happenswith the chanting of Rudram.

RudramRudramRudramRudramRudramRudramThe most beneficial prayer in the VedasThe most beneficial prayer in the VedasThe most beneficial prayer in the VedasThe most beneficial prayer in the VedasThe most beneficial prayer in the Vedas

by Sri B. Jayaraman

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Not only do our sufferings andpain stop, our punishment is alsolessened. Just as the father whowas angry while punishing thechild, suddenly becomes happyand gives gifts once the child asksfor pardon, similarly RudraGanas who were angry suddenlyturn graceful and grant youwhatever boons you ask for. Rudra ganas like Lord ShivaHimself are aasu thoshi. Wecan easily get rid of their angerand please them with justchanting Rudram and offeringnamaskarams.

With vathsalyam and out ofabundant compassion the Vedashave specified everything you areable to ask from Rudra ganasonce they are pleased with yourchanting of Namaka mantras.These items are calledchamakams. They specify allyour wants for day-to-day life.The idea is that you will not haveto do anything adharmic for yourbasic wants of life. That is whyrishis have intelligently specifiedthe riks of the Chamakam to bechanted immediately afterchanting the Namakam.

Thus, chanting of Rudram riksis the easiest way suggested byVeda Matha to get rid of ourpaapas and the effects of papas,namely pain and suffering. Thetechnique of getting rid ofaccumulated sins is calledprayaschittha. During thecourse of life we commit sinsboth inevitably andinadvertently. Ergo, the shastrasspecify dailyprayaschittha, annualprayaschittha, specialprayaschittham on attaining theage of 60 years, and so on. In allthese prayaschittha prayogaschanting, abhishekam andhomams with Rudra mantras areinvariably specified.

Thus, having understood thegreatness and importance of SriRudram for individuals, let uslook into the appropriateness ofSri Rudra Homa during greatceremonies likeKumbhabhishekam etc.

Human beingshave welldeveloped sixsenses and also afaculty of mindand intellect,which can becultivated andexpanded tovery greatheights. Withsuch extendedcapabilities ofmind andintellect,humans ruleover the animalkingdom andextract benefitsfrom nature farin excess of theirrequirements.They forcefullycreate animbalance innature byextracting muchmore than whatnature canregenerate byitself. Althoughnature is very patient, once the limitis exceeded, Rudra ganas violentlyreact through nature with calamitieslike earthquakes, wild fires, climatechange, etc. The vedas describe theanger of the Rudras as such:

Ugra cha Bheema cha, Ushna cha,Cheetha cha, Ethe agnischa Goraaha

In such calamities, unfortunatelyand inevitably some good peoplealso suffer. Sri Rudra mantrascontain lot of powerful prarthanamantras with namaskarams. Themantras seek the blessings of theRudras for the benefit of all ofmankind. Upasakas can pray for thebenefit of mankind as such, so thatthe anger of the Rudras are pacified.With the blessings ofShiva, adharmic acts in society willget reduced and the earth willbecome a better place to live in.

The purpose of any temple is toprovide an opportunity for thegeneral public to visit, pray andattain peace and prosperity. Hence

in such Kumbhabhishekaceremonies we assemble inlarge numbers and performRudra japa and homa in suchlarge ahutis (the number ofofferings into the fire), so thatthe anger of the Rudras withmankind is pacified.

Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam hasorganized such a large scaleAti Rudram with attention toevery minute detail. When alarge number of devoteesassemble with sincere bhakti,sincerity of purpose (shraddha),faith, belief and enthusiasm forRudra homam, it is onlynatural that Sri Shiva andRajarajeswari Devi with allother devatas will be invoked ina blissful and graceful manner.

Let us participate in the homa,with vishwaprem in fulfillment ofour responsibility towards oursociety, and let us receive theblessings for our ownprosperity and universalwelfare and peace.

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Sahasra Chandi YSahasra Chandi YSahasra Chandi YSahasra Chandi YSahasra Chandi YajnaajnaajnaajnaajnaSahasra Chandi YSahasra Chandi YSahasra Chandi YSahasra Chandi YSahasra Chandi Yajnaajnaajnaajnaajnaat Devipuramat Devipuramat Devipuramat Devipuramat Devipuram

Devis blessings to all of you!Our purpose is to manifest a

better life for you and othersaround you by shifting your focusto a concern for others. Spiritualevolution starts happening then.It makes your environmentsupport you. Your life becomesthat much easier, healthier andbetter.

Our goal is to give you a betterlife and to make you a teacher tohelp others. We connect you tothe Power which unfolds yournew life. Live wisely with ethicalvalues. Rid of your stresses, youwill enjoy an improved quality oflife.

In your own body, billions ofcells work seamlessly to open up ahigher level of consciousness. Theindividual cells surrender parts ofthemselves to create you, a betterlife-form than themselves.

We should do something aboutpromoting the best of homas andhonouring the Goddess. Besides,Hindu dharma was founded onhomas even when there were notemples, no priests. Good karmameans homa, a sacrifice of a partof your self-ego. It serves allwithout expecting any return.Empowerment takes placethrough the navel chakra of fire.Havan is the means.

In the Bhagavad Gita, it is said:You have only the right to do anaction. It may or may notproduce results. If it does, welland good; if not, your payoff is

already there because you enjoyed doing what you wanted todo.

We just give, because we love them. The necessary andsufficient condition for motivation to continue in spite ofrepeated failures is that we do our actions without expectingany results. Also, it does not lead to frustration either. Workbecomes a labour of love. We dont just do business with ourfamily members.

In line with this thinking, our focus shifts to YOU on GuruPoornima 2010, when the disciples become Gurus. It is myfond hope that 1000 of you learn to be teachers of Chandi Path.It is my fond hope that you become Devipuram, each one ofyou, where Devi lives in your life to heal this ailing world.

GURU POURNAMI 2010: YOU WILL DO SAHASRA CHANDI

YAJNA AT DAKSHAVATI IN DEVIPURAM WHEN GURU PAYSHIS RESPECTS TO YOU, HUGS EACH OF YOU WITHAFFECTION AND A DEEP LOVE.

Let us all join in this 1000 masters program! You will perform a Sahasra Chandi on Guru Pournami at

Devipuram at Dakshavati. Each of you will bring 1 kilogram of

Guruji and Ammah sipping tea underthe tin roof in Devipuram.

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ghee in packets, and a packet ofhavan powder for the yajna. Wewill supply 250 havan kundas,and wood fuel.

We would prefer if you learnChandi, and then participate inthe yajna. Our intent is to train1000 of you to learn and reciteChandi Saptashati before theevent. On Guru Pournami, 1000people will recite Chandi path inthe morning together. In theevening, they will all do Chandihavan in 250 homa kundas with 4persons per homa kunda. Everyone will offer ghee andhoma podi.

Each person will pay Rs. 1000(approximately $25 USD) forparticipating in the SahasraChandi Yajna, just to cover thecosts of organising and food. Ifyou cant participate physically,you may like to sponsor the event.

If you commit to learn Chandibefore Guru Pournami, we willgive away a learning CD free. Weare prepared to give 1000 suchCDs. You can make copies andgive free copies to your friends.The CDs will help you learn torecite Chandi in one month, if youcommit two hours per day. Thelearning takes place in thefollowing steps:

Step 1. Open the folder LrnChandi1. Each half of a sloka isrecited twice. First, listencarefully to the slow Gurujisvoice, spelling out each word.When it is repeated, say it aloud.Like that, do all the 13 chapters.

Step 2. Open Lrn Chandi2. Eachhalf of a sloka is recited twicemusically. First, listen carefully tothe voice, rendering each line with

Vedic intonation. When it isrepeated, say it aloud,synchronise your voice, and reciteit exactly the same way as you arehearing it.

Step 3. Do steps one and 2repeatedly 3 or 4 times.

Step 4. Open Lrn Chandi3.Entire Chandi path is recited non-stop. Sing along with the voice.Do this 3 or 4 times. You areready to do the yajna!

Within one month, you will beable to recite all 13 chapters ofChandi. When the Chandi isplayed on the public addresssystem, you will easily follow it inyour voice and offer the ghee andhavan powder with the svahas.

All these learning modules aregoing to be made available ondevipuram.com for freedownload. If you can learnChandi, you can surely learnSahasranamam, Trishati,Ashtottaram, Soundarya Lahari,and the Pancha suktams. If youcan learn, you can teach too. Youwill become teachers. We canorganize events like thateverywhere in the world by you!

We will all join in this 1000masters program to make theSahasra Chandi by 1000 people inone day a thumping success!Later on, we may start dreamingabout 100,000 Chandis in one dayin a stadium.

Guruji, Devipuram, Shivaratri 2010

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Sri Gurubhyo Namaha