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

The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY

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Since the last issue...Since the last issue...Since the last issue...Since the last issue...Since the last issue...

Labour Day weekend markedthe end of summer and thebeginning of Aiya’s travelsabroad. Following a briefpersonal visit to California, Aiyaand Amma made their way toAustralia in mid-September.Upon arriving there, Aiya firstspent some time in Perth, wherehe spoke at the Murugan temple,performed a homam at the homeof Sanjay Jaganathan, and spokeat the Shiva-Vishnu temple aboutagama shastras, temple rituals,and temple construction.

The next stop was Melbourne,where Aiya spoke at the localShiva-Vishnu temple aboutshivalingams—the different typesof lingams, where they are, andthe general history of worship.Amma and Aiya then went toSydney where Aiya did twoworkshops in the localSubramanian temple. One sessionwas on general worship and theother was about Sri Chakra puja.During the trip, Aiya did a coupleof private pujas, a GayatriMahayajna followed by bhajans,and a Sri Chakra puja withabhishekam and bhajans.

Amma and Aiya returned toRochester with no time to sparebefore the Dvaja-rohanam (flag-raising) ceremony for Navarathrion Oct. 4. They spent theremaining three weeks at thetemple. Three weeks after the endof Navarathri was theculmination of the Kedaragowrivratham and the beginning ofSkanda Shasti on the Nov. 9weekend. The following weekendsaw two momentous occasions onthe same day—the wedding ofKavita and Jana on the morning ofSun. Nov. 18, and the valaikaapuceremony for Kathy and Soumitra

to mark the arrival of their babyin early 2008.

In the last three months, thetemple underwent a few physicalchanges as well. Aiya receivedtwo massive baana lingamsduring soma pradosham justbefore Navarathri, and plans areunderway to get two yonipeetams made for them. One willbe installed between the libraryand auditorium, and one will bein Kashi by the creek. Estimatesfor the construction of the newBhairava peetam under theBhairava tree, as well as the Shivashrine in Kashi have also come in.

by Abhi Somaskanda

PPPPPast Month’s Eventsast Month’s Eventsast Month’s Eventsast Month’s Eventsast Month’s Events

Ganapathi Chaturthi, Sept. 15

This year, Chaturthi wasconducted by Sri Balananda(Shankar), as Aiya was out oftown. The festivities began at 10a.m. with abhishekam andtarpanam with kush grass to theUttasava Ganapathi, seated about10 feet front of the homa kunda inthe abhishekam basin. Like everyyear, devotees also offered 1008ahuthis of modakas into the fire asthey circumambulated the yajnashala during homam.

During the festivities, theGanapathi on the way to kasireceived abhishekam andnaivedyam as well.

After the sponsored kalasamswere taken around the temple andpoured on Uttsava Ganapathi, hewas dressed and offered the finalahuthi. In the evening, Ganapathiwas decked in grand clothing andadorned with jewelry for theprocession. After all the alankaradeepams were shown, devoteescircled the temple with cries of“Arohara!” The evening concludedwith maha prasadam and a livelybhajan session.

Top: The sponsors for Chaturthi carrythe kalasam around the temple inprocession.Bottom: Uttsava Ganapathi aftertarpanam with kush grass.

The theme this year wasworship of Raja Matangi andMaha Varahi, the two devis whostand at either side of SriRajarajeswari and act as her mainattendants. Various pujas wereperformed to them and Devi eachday, with the Devi going out asDurga, Lakshmi and Saraswati onevery third night. A Chandihomam followed on the lastSaturday, followed by the water-cutting festival on Sunday andKulurthi on Monday. Read the fullNavarathri recap on page 5.

Sharada Navarathri, Oct. 11-21by Kamya Ramaswamy

DecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletterterterterterNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletterterterterter

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Kedaragowri Vratham (finalday), Nov. 9

by Kamya RamaswamyAs is the case every year, scores

of women chose to sponsor theKedaragowri vratham, whichauspiciously had its last-dayceremony on a Friday this year.Women came to the temple for the6 p.m. puja, during which thevigrahams had abhishekamperformed to them and thefestival kalasam was carriedaround the temple. At the end ofthe two-hour ceremony, ladiestied the sharadu on their wristsand received their prasadam fromthe full festival.

Please visit www.srividya.org formore festival pictures!

From top tobottom: Boxesof prasadamhanded out to28 ladies;Ardhanareeswarabeing preparedfor archana;Ardhanareeswaraadorned withjewelry,rudrakshas,and flowergarlands.

Skanda Shashti (final day),Nov. 15 by Abhi Somaskanda

After five days of Murugan’sSahasranama archana, the sixthday culminated in abhishekam,archana with lotus and rose

petals, homam, and Murugan’smarriage to Valli and Devasena.

The evening began at 6 p.m.with abhishekam, followed byMurugan’s battle with Suran, anasura. After he speared and killedSuran with his Vel, Murugan wasbathed in cold water to cool himdown. He was then adorned withfinery, waiting for his marriage to

This year’s Villaku festival wasextraordinarily auspicious. Inaddition to the festival andpournami, Friday was alsoSwami Sri Sathya Sai Baba’sbirthday.

A large hand-crafted lingam satatop the homa kunda which wascovered with a platform for thefestival. One thousand and eighttea candles adorned the lingam,and a smaller shivalingam wasplaced at the eight cardinaldirections of the homa kunda.Several taller lamps surroundedthe linga and tea candles were litalong all the window sills in theyajna shala. Inside the garbagraha, small clay deepams were

Devasena.Once the thali was tied, devotees

prepared for Murugan’s secretmarriage to Valli outside in frontof the Dvara Ganapathi. All thelights in the temple were turnedoff and Valli was quietly carriedout to wed Murugan. Devasenaultimately found them andinitially refused Murugan’ssweets to appease her, buteventually accepted.

Everyone enjoyed mahaprasadam after the final aarathi,and the evening ended withbhajans.

by Abhi SomaskandaKarthikai Villaku, Nov. 23

From top to bottom in this column:Pictures from Skanda Shashti.

To left, topandbottom:Devoteeslightinglamps andmore than1008 teacandlesforKarthikaiVilakku.

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

placed in front of all the sannidhisand along the main sanctum, infront of Devi, Maha Ganapathiand the Shivalingam. With all thetea candles and villaku’s, theyajna shala was radiant.

Because it was Swami’sbirthday, Aiya chose to weavebhajans into the puja after everytwo lines of chanting. Just as thepuja ended, an aarathi was doneto Swami’s picture inside thetemple.

Thiruvempavai, Dec. 15-24

Upcoming EventsUpcoming EventsUpcoming EventsUpcoming EventsUpcoming Events

by Kamya Ramaswamy

As usual, the daily pujas forNataraja will begin at 5 a.m. andtypically last about two hourseach day. Devotees will gather inthe temple and do onepradakshanam (circumambulation)during each stanza sung from theThirupalliyezhuchi volume anddo a pancha-upachara puja aftereach stanza. After the 20th and laststanza, Aiya will do the finalaarthi and puja will be over forthe day. Ardhra Dharshanammarks the final day of the festival,and it will commence at 4:30 a.m.and include a full abhishekam andalankaram to Nataraja andSivakami.

Dravida Vedam VI - Bhajan/CDrelease, Dec. 1

by Kamya Ramaswamy

Aiya and his crew of bhajanmasters traveled to the Sai Babatemple in Scarborough to releasethe sixth installment in theDravida Vedam CD series. The CDwas first produced duringNavarathri, where Aiyaexplained the amazing power ofsome of its songs which werecomposed by ThirujnanaSambhandar. They are all aboutthe temple at Thiruvavadhuraiand the CD is comprised of thetemple’s history and pathikam.Aiya said if a devotee even listensto these holy songs, he will receivegreat wealth from Lord Shiva.

Devi willing, the next issue ofthe Sri Chakra Magazine will beup on the temple’s website(www.srividya.org) at thebeginning of March 2008.

The March issue will mark thebeginning of springtime! The SriChakra again asks anyone withany articles or story ideas tosend them in, or talk to Abhi orKamya at the temple. Thismagazine cannot keeppublishing withoutcontributions from devotees!Articles, poems, stories, and thelike about any spiritual topic arewelcomed and will be accepted.

Please e-mail us atsri_chakra_mag@srividya.orgby February 15, with yoursubmissions. We want to hearfrom you!

The editorial will return.Meanwhile, the Sri Chakrawould like to thank thevolunteers who selflesslystepped up to make this issuewhat it is—Aiya, Kathy Allen,Gratuz Devanesan and SriShangaranarayanan.

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

In Three MonthsIn Three MonthsIn Three MonthsIn Three MonthsIn Three Months

Thai Pongal, Jan. 14by Kamya Ramaswamy

Pongal falls on a Monday, andwill see a typical simple style ofpuja performed by Aiya. It willinclude the traditional boiling overof the sakkarai pongal kalasam,which will be placed on a burnerovertop a kolam drawing in thecentral area of the temple.Everyone present will be able tooffer a handful of rice into thekalasam, in prayer to Lord Suryato bless the land with fruitfulreturns.

The night will be filled withmultiple chantings of the Rudramand copious offerings of bilvam toall the aspects of Lord Shiva in thetemple. Falling on a Wednesdayevening this year, puja that nightwill commence sometime between7 and 9 p.m. and wrap up between6 and 7 a.m. the next morning. IfRochester is not hit with too muchsnow, the two baana lingams thatare sitting near the creek at Kashimay even be installed by or beforeShivarathri.

by Kamya RamaswamyMaha Shivarathri, March 5

Kids` Matangi Homam, Dec. 30by Kamya Ramaswamy

The children of the temple areholding their annual Raja Matangihomam just before the beginningof the new year. All children areinvited to attend and sponsor thehomam, which is performed to aidthem in their education. All kidswill have a hand in itspreparations, chanting andexecution. Please call the temple toregister.

To left,clockisefrom top:Varahi andMatangiyantrasdrawn by adevotee forNavarathri;Aiya andtempledevoteestying stringaroundsilverkalasams;Dvajastambamdecoratedwithgarlandsfollowingafternoonbali.

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From October 11 tothe 22, the templewas rife withactivity as scores ofpeople poured induring the annualNavarathri festival.

As many peoplealready know, thanksto Ramesh Anna andthe Madhvanathswho wrote the mainNavarathri malar,and with the Guru’sgrace, the temple didVarahi, Matangi andShodasi upasana asthe theme forNavarathri this year.It was very intense.Aiya said this wasthe first time he hasdone any Varahiupasana in thetemple.

The first morningwe installed all the kalasams inthe yajnashala; the usualGanapathi, Bhairava, and the 10Digdevatas, plus several smallerkalasams that represented thefour Gurus, the 10 DasaMahavidyas, and various forms of

Matangi and Varahi. In totalthere were 42 kalasams in theyajnashala for the full festival andthey were all worshiped everyday.

Originally Aiya was talkingabout doing Varahi for first 3days, then Matangi, then Shodasi.But he said they would not allowfor just some devatas to beworshipped one day at theexclusion of others. So, insteadAiya invoked all of their mulamantras in the daily puja. ThenDevi selected different portionsfrom the malar for a differentfocus each day.

The first two days we did theshodasa upachara puja forMatangi and Varahi. The thirdday we did MatangiSahasranamam Homam, thefourth day was Varahi astottarahomam and the fifth day wasVarahi aavarana homam. On thesixth day we performed VarahiSahasranamam Homam, theseventh day was Matangiaavarana homam and the eighthday was Matangi astottarahomam.

The ninth day was unbelievablypowerful as an unprecedented

rrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnddddddddddoooooooooowwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnNaNaNaNaNavvvvvaraaraaraaraarathrithrithrithrithri

NaNaNaNaNavvvvvaraaraaraaraarathrithrithrithrithri

Navarathri 2007Navarathri 2007Navarathri 2007Navarathri 2007Navarathri 2007 pictur pictur pictur pictur pictures!es!es!es!es!

by Kathy Allen

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number of people received mantradiksha during the homam, withmany receiving the veryadvanced Mahashodasi mantraand Purna diksha (Mahavakyam).To add to the incrediblevibrations, Lalita SahasranamamHomam was performed withAiya and Sri Shangaranarayananat the helm and a crowd of peoplechanting the Devi’s names.

The last Saturday of the festivalwas Vijayadasami, which was areally busy day. We started withChandi Homam at 3 a.m. After itwrapped up at about 8 in themorning, volunteers and thegathering crowd had a smallbreak before the grand kalasampuja at 9 a.m. There were 27sponsors doing kalasa puja tokalasams that were speciallyordered just for Navarathri.

Around noon, the kalasamscircled the temple and Devireceived their abhishekams, plusthe Maha Kalasam (the festivalkalasam made of clay) and theMaha Varahi kalasam and RajaShyamala kalasam. This tookabout an hour, but the activitieswere still not over—somevolunteers dressed the Devi whileothers readied the huge chariotfor the second procession. Around2 p.m., Devi was mounted ontothe ratham and was pulledaround by devotees.

The “morning” activities werecompleted around 4:30 p.m. asAiya hoped, but then it was timefor the evening program. Therewas the Vidyaarambam puja forchildren starting their education,as well as the beginning ofKedaragowri vratham.

Sunday saw the water-cuttingceremony, where everyone got thechance to bathe Devi and varioustemple vigrahams outside. Thatnight, the festival bali was offeredand the Navarathri flag wentdown, with Mr. Venugopala RaoGanji and his wife Kanakeshwariamma receiving the garmentsthat were worn by thedvajastambham all throughNavarathri.

Navavarna puja was done bydifferent upasakas on each night

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of the festival. These are theupasakas who have done the SriChakra Puja each night:

Day 1: Swati (Naveen)Day 2: Mohan (Rupa)Day 3: Shankar (Gowri)Day 4: Kathy (Soumitra)Day 5: Jana (Charu)Day 6: Sundara (Ahalya)Day 7: Kanakeshwari (Venu)Day 8: Kumaran PeripanathanDay 9: Sri Shangaranarayanan

There were also differentmusical artists who performed oneach night of the festival in thebrand new auditorium hall,which sits adjacent to the templeand overlooking the hill. Someof the esteemed artists were nostrangers to the temple, such asthe carnatic singers RagavanManian and AparnaThiyagarajan, and thebharatanatayam dancer VinithaNavaratnam.

But audiences saw a brand newevent in the katha-kalakshepamon the evening of the ninth day,where Sangeetha Kalanidhi TNSheshagopalan, Mullaivasa Mouliand Thanjore Murugapoobathytold a story through song andspeech.

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NaNaNaNaNavvvvvaraaraaraaraarathrithrithrithrithriNaNaNaNaNavvvvvaraaraaraaraarathrithrithrithrithri!!!!!!!!!!

During Navarathri, the temple wasgraced with the presence of a divineguest, Sri Shangaranarayanan(Sathyanandhanathar) founder ofthe Sri Raja Matangi Sri VidhyaPeetam, Adyar, in Chennai. A Sri Vidyaupasaka for more than half a century,this humble student of Devi helpedAiya conduct the Chandi homam-Srividhya homam and Shadamnayahomam and talked to the crowd onmany occasions. Below is an editedversion of a letter he wrote to one of thetemple’s children after returning to hishome in New Jersey. In it, he expresseshis love for the temple and thehappiness he felt during Navarathri.

I am spell bound by the love

and energy poured on me and intome by every one there and mademe absolutely helpless but to cry. I do not know whether it is thelove that made me cry or theenergy that made me to give upmyself in to all your souls. I knowthat love is nothing but thetotality of the divine energy thatshould enter every one withoutcaste creed or essentials. It is opento everyone and I am looking forsome one to rob me and loot me ofall these and spread them toeveryone around.

Aiya is my greatest spiritualfriend and for him it is my duty todo my best and I had nothing tooffer to him than transmitting toevery one over there whoattended the chandi homam and

the next day’s function, the totaldivine energy from the mostsubtlest para brahmanda mandalamwhere all the gurus are unitedwith the Divine Mother forever. Itis therefore easy for everyone toclimb up the ladder through theguru and reach the state of“Being” instantaneously and“become” the energy itself androam with the gurus hand inhand in that energy forever.

There are no strict rigmaroles inapproaching the Divine whetherconventional or unconventional. Love and heart are mostimportant. There is nothing tosay that every upasaka transmitsdivine energy. Most of them arepower houses possessing thedivine for themselves andwithout “care and share.” Ultimately they are pulled downto roam as Brahma rakshasas andthe duty of those who understandthat divine is absolutely pure andcannot be polluted by anything,help them to come back as humanbeings. True Upasakas docontinuous thapas in the constantremembrance of the Guru - Master,never possess the divine forthemselves and be selfish, anddistribute the Divine energy toeveryone to merge with theDivine Mother, who is nothing butthe absolute divine without anyafflictions, grossness and the pureof the purest to enjoy the bliss. May Haranji and the lineage of

gurus help you achieve this statussoon.

I would love to have you allwith me and I am prepared tospend a whole day with you. Mywife will love to give you alldivinised food and filter coffee. My daughter and son-in-law willbe greatly honoured. Please letme know when you would visitand I shall keep myself absolutelyfree. Wherever I am in New Jerseyor in Chennai, you are welcome atany time as you are pleased. Ourmeeting, I assure you, shall bearthe gift of the Guru Mandalamand Divine Mother to be digestedand experienced for ever.

Can you pass on my heart feltthanks to Haranji and his belovedsakthi (She is full of Divine Energyand I have not seen her rest evenfor a while) and the score ofdevotees who took care of me astheir own child and gave me allthe help, guidance, support,assistance and above all thepouring into me the divine love.

Let us meet soon and in themeantime may Divine Mother andthe lineage of Gurus into whichshe has merged be with all withyou.

Regards,Yours affectionately,S.SHANGARANARAYANAN(SATHYANANDHANATHAR)

specialspecialspecialspecialspecialspecialspecialspecialspecialspecial

Shangaranarayanan, Aiya, and the temple devotees.

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The stories of the devoteesThe stories of the devoteesThe stories of the devoteesThe stories of the devoteesThe stories of the devoteesat the Sri Rajarajeswariat the Sri Rajarajeswariat the Sri Rajarajeswariat the Sri Rajarajeswariat the Sri RajarajeswariPPPPPeetam creetam creetam creetam creetam create the vereate the vereate the vereate the vereate the veryyyyyessence of the temple’s soul.essence of the temple’s soul.essence of the temple’s soul.essence of the temple’s soul.essence of the temple’s soul. Aiya has verified all these Aiya has verified all these Aiya has verified all these Aiya has verified all these Aiya has verified all thesetales for their authenticitytales for their authenticitytales for their authenticitytales for their authenticitytales for their authenticity,,,,,and he urges devotees toand he urges devotees toand he urges devotees toand he urges devotees toand he urges devotees toshare their experiences forshare their experiences forshare their experiences forshare their experiences forshare their experiences forthe benefit of futurethe benefit of futurethe benefit of futurethe benefit of futurethe benefit of futuregenerations. All identities willgenerations. All identities willgenerations. All identities willgenerations. All identities willgenerations. All identities willbe kept in the strictestbe kept in the strictestbe kept in the strictestbe kept in the strictestbe kept in the strictestconfidentiality unlessconfidentiality unlessconfidentiality unlessconfidentiality unlessconfidentiality unlessotherwise informed.otherwise informed.otherwise informed.otherwise informed.otherwise informed.

TTTTTempleempleempleempleempleTTTTTempleempleempleempleempleLorLorLorLorLoreeeeeLorLorLorLorLoreeeee

The temple was alive with many small miracles and manifestationsof the Devi during Navarathri. But it was also so full of activity that thesubtle ways She showed herself could really only be seen by a calmmind and a sensitive eye.

The eighth day of the festival was very powerful, especially duringthe Mahashodasi mula mantra homam. Aiya was sitting on the southside of the homa kundam and Sri Shangaranarayanan, who was theVIP guest this year, was sitting on the north side and offering lotuspetals dipped in honey into the fire. As the homam progressed, Aiyaspotted Akka (Sri Mathioli Saraswati Amma) sitting amid the flames,calmly accepting the honey-dipped lotus petals and eating them!

Two days later was the tenth day of the festival, which saw theNavarathri Mahakalasam being taken out and placed on a chariot tocircle the temple. As it was a large clay kalasam, Aiya, Amma and SriShangaranarayanan sat on the small chariot to hold it secure.

The procession was almost complete when the kalasam rounded theIsanya corner of the temple property outside. That’s when SriShangaranarayanan spotted a giant black bee appear out of nowhereand amid the chaos, circle Aiya, Amma, himself and the kalasam threetimes. As it perfectly went around and then subtly flew away, SriShangaranarayanan knew it was a manifestation of the Devi, whoshowed up to bestow Her blessings on the puja.

When everyone was back inside the temple, he told the crowdanother miracle that had happened while the chariot had been outside.The volunteers were trying to hoist the kalasam back inside, but forsome reason the wheels would not budge over the threshold.

Sri Shangaranarayanan then whispered to Aiya that they shouldchant the mula mantra for Asvarudha Devi, who would surelyeliminate the obstacle. They had only said the mantra twice when thewheels suddenly moved and the kalasam was able to re-enter thetemple!

Devi’s grace was apparent in these and many other ways during thefestival—it was cold and rainy for most of the 10 days, but on the dayof the water-cutting ceremony the temperature outside shot up and thesun finally came out. Also, despite the cold weather outside, it wasusually broiling inside because of the heat generated by all the intensepujas and chanting.

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It was a great occasion when amini mahayajnam was done bythe upasakas belonging to thelineage of gurus under Sri Haranjiof the Rochester temple—SriRajarajeswari Peetam—on the 8th

September 2007.The function was held at the

New Jersey residence of Devi andSuhir (disciples of Sri Haranji) andwas performed in accordancewith Sri Sathyanandhanathar’sdirections and underhis immediatepresence. It wasoriginallyplanned thatthe functionwould be doneby eightcouples, or 16people, who hadMaha Shodasiupadesham andwere competentto do theNavavarnapuja. However,only six couplesand five moreupasakas couldtake part in thisdivine merger.

The mainfeature of theMahayajnam is

when the upasakas do theaavarana puja to the lineage oftheir gurus and to the stula,sukshma and karana sareeras(physical, spiritual and causalbodies). In doing so, they wouldbe installing their own atmasakthi into the specially erectedkumbha.

The kumbha contained thewater of purity, which was

comprised of saffron, allfragrances, several sands collectedas per dictums, 51 matruka-akshara herbal powder extracts,sandalwood etc. Even though SriHaranji and his Sakthi were notphysically present due to aprevious commitment, theirspiritual presence was felt byeveryone.

The entire Navavarna puja wascompleted and thereafter the

shad-amnaya puja was done with3300 mantras, followed by LalitaSahasranamam archana andTrisadhi. Kanyaka puja andSuvasini puja were also done asper protocol.

The atma sakthi of the gurumandalam was stronglyestablished in the kumbha bydrawing the energy from the gurumandalam. Each devotee first

connected their own soul andheart to their brain (omnipotentto omniscience), which was thenconnected by lineage and order tothe soul and brain of their guru,parama guru, parameshti guru,parapara guru and finally to theanandhakya guru (the DivineMother herself). With the help ofSudha Devi the entire energy wasbrought down and installed in thekumbha teertha.

Theseactivitieswerefollowed byNavavarnapuja. Aftermantrapushpam,LalitaSahasranamamand Trisadhiparayanamwith theGanesaGraha” slokawerechanted byevery one.Chanting ofthese entitlesone toensure thatthe puja isgiven the

status of “sarve poorthikari” and“sarva siddikari” in their upasanaof Divine Mother.

Usually this type ofmahayajnam takes two to threedays to be done but in thisinstance it was cut down to just aday, curtailing the Suvasini,Kanyaka and Samiyika puja to theminimum extent possible. Thispuja also enables the devotee to

The GreaThe GreaThe GreaThe GreaThe Great Event: The new Jerseyt Event: The new Jerseyt Event: The new Jerseyt Event: The new Jerseyt Event: The new Jerseymini Mahamini Mahamini Mahamini Mahamini Mahayyyyyajnam forajnam forajnam forajnam forajnam forSri LalitSri LalitSri LalitSri LalitSri Lalita Mahaa Mahaa Mahaa Mahaa Mahatriptriptriptriptripurasundariurasundariurasundariurasundariurasundari

The GreaThe GreaThe GreaThe GreaThe Great Event: The new Jerseyt Event: The new Jerseyt Event: The new Jerseyt Event: The new Jerseyt Event: The new Jerseymini Mahamini Mahamini Mahamini Mahamini Mahayyyyyajnam forajnam forajnam forajnam forajnam forSri LalitSri LalitSri LalitSri LalitSri Lalita Mahaa Mahaa Mahaa Mahaa Mahatriptriptriptriptripurasundariurasundariurasundariurasundariurasundari

By Pujya Sri Sathyanandhanathar(Sri Shangaranarayanan)

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enjoy the bliss of tripthi orsatisfaction—the worshipped,worship and the worshipperbecoming one and united.

Another specialty of this uniquemahayajnam is that the divineenergy is transmitted and offeredto all the pitrus. These are deadpersons in the family, those killedin accidents or calamities, andbrahma-rakshasas who could notcomplete their upasana of Deviproperly so that their souls gotelevated and merged with theultimate reality.

By this act all pitru doshas andkula deva (family deity) doshas getremoved and the upasakas areblessed. Eventually, the plantsand animals around theenvironment of the yajnamreceive the blessings of the DivineEnergy for their own progress.

It is also unique that once themandala and the visesha-argyapatram for the puja areestablished, it becomes “SarvamBrahmamayam/Tejomayam/Gnanamayam” and everyoneincluding Yama entering the placebecomes a part of the DivineEnergy. Naturally, no calamitieshappen during such a puja.

After the sanka-udvasam, thesanka tirtham was sprinkled oneveryone’s face to ward off allevils. Afterwards the devatasinstalled in the kumbha wereoffered to go their original places(yathastanam).

The kumbha tirtham wasdistributed to everyone so thatthey could take it home, have ahead bath with the holy waterand also sprinkle it all over theirhomes, offices, etc. This willremove all the vaastu defects andensure that all negative forces areremoved permanently.Prosperity for everyone willensue.

Sri Sathyanandhanatharexplained the significance of eachstep of this unique maha yajnam,the importance of the guru inone’s life, how to interact withHim or Her for total integration,how to offer our atma sakthi to

the Guru and vice-versa, so thatfinally the Guru-Sishya-DivineMother (Energy) become one.

Unique as it was, the Rudraparayanam was also done toestablish the fact that Siva islatent energy and Sakthi is potentenergy.

On the next day, arthi was doneto the kumbha, and nrityam,kadyam and padyam were allsung by the devotees available.The holy water was alsodistributed to all.

All devotees have placed theirplea at the lotus feet of their guru(Sri Haranji) that such amahayajnam with all the sishyasof Aiya participating be done atthe Rochester temple for thewelfare of the society.

Loka samasta sukinobhavanthu—Sarve janaha sukinobhavanthu.

Picturesfrommahayajnamheld in theNew Jerseyhome ofDevi andSuhir

Below:Close up ofinstalledkalasamtopped witha mahameru;Right: Devidancing

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IyarpakkaiIyarpakkaiIyarpakkaiIyarpakkaiIyarpakkai

by Gratuz Devanesan

NayanarNayanarNayanarNayanarNayanardecember 2007december 2007december 2007december 2007december 2007

63636363636363636363NaNaNaNaNayyyyyanmarsanmarsanmarsanmarsanmarsNaNaNaNaNayyyyyanmarsanmarsanmarsanmarsanmars

We do not know the true nameof this saint, who once lived in thecoastal city of Kaaviri-poom-pattinam (situated where theKaveri river merges with theocean). his saint is known to theworld only as IyarpakkaiNayanar. Sekhilaar writes:

On account of the blessingOf the immeasurable contentment of

heartArising from serfdomTo the Sire who bears the Ganges on

His crownHe fulfilled through actionWhatever the devotees of holy bodiesAdorned by the sacred ashHad in their thoughts;And he cherished and served themIn the conviction that all the

blessingsGained by leading a householder’s lifeResplendently according to the

eternalAnd unchanging righteous code of

conduct(Laid down for the householder)Were the fruits of the greatnessArising from doing the biddingOf those devotees

Iyarpakai was considered aVijnanakalar. Vijnanakalars arehuman beings of the highestcaliber, who have only a taint inthe form of ahamkara (pride) left inthem that prevents them from

reaching the highest liberation. Itis Shiva, who in his compassion,seeks to wash away even thistaint—and undoubtedly, it is onlyShiva who would know how.

It is so that Shiva came,disguised as a simple Brahmana,one day to Iyarpakkai. Knowingall too well that it was inIyarpakkai’s heart to fulfill all thewishes of a Brahmana, Shivaapproached him in this disguise.Iyarpakkai thinking to himself,“Lo, my Father, my Lord’s devoteehas come,” rushed to greet theBrahman and invite him inside.After performing with heartfeltlove ‘elaborate and noteworthyformalities,’ he said:

“I presume that on account of greatThavam

Formerly performed by me,O Muni, you have graciously come

here.”

Shiva, in the form of thatBrahmana, stood now quite closeto Iyarpakkai and with anexpression of indifference to thelove that Iyarpakkai projected, hesaid:

“Having heard that, considering asquite proper

Whatever the devotees of the Lord ofmatted locks

Decked abundantly with Kondraiflowers

Set their mind on and ask for,You gladly give without any

objection,I have come here today to youSeeking one thing.If that would be agreeable to you,I may tell you that.”

Iyarpakkai, still overflowingwith love, urged the Brahmana totell him what this wish was, re-affirming that whatever waswithin his possession was theLord’s and he would give it freely.With a slight smirk on his face theBrahmana then expressed hiswish.

“Your wife, the abode of your love,Desiring her, I came here.”

Iyarpakkai’s eyes lit up in joy asit seemed he saw this not asinsult, but as an opportunity toserve the Lord.

“This is indeed a great favorDone to me by you, my Lord,For you have desired and object

It seemed Iyarpakkai’s onlyconcern was that he might nothave what the Brahmana wouldask for and that maybe he wouldbe unsuccessful in obtaining it.But, seeing how it was ‘only’ hiswife that was asked of him andknowing exactly where she was,

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he seemed relieved. Promisingwithout any further delay that hewould provide the Brahmanawith said ‘object’ he marched offinto the house. He brought thiswife out of the house and in frontof the Brahman told her,

“Today you to this man of trueThavam

I have given.”

His wife, first a little flusteredgained her composure and thensubmitting to her husband’sdesire asked only if there wasanything else he wished beforeshe departed. Together theyworshipped the feet of theBrahmana and took leave fromeach other.

The Brahmana, ready to take thewife away now said to Iyarpakkaithat he would need an escort. Therelatives of Iyarpakkai who livedon the roads would surely not leta man walk away with anotherman’s wife, and althoughIyarpakkai agreed they wouldn’tcare. The Brahmana demandedthat Iyarpakkai himself escort thetwo at least until the boundariesof the city. Iyarpakkai took hissword and shield and willinglyagreed.

Along the way a few relatives atfirst came and asked him

hesitantly as to what wastranspiring. Iyarpakkaiexplained that they were allleaving the city for a trip, andreassured them that there wasnothing to worry about.However, his relatives wereinquisitive and would not relent.Believing that something wasnot right they pushedIyarpakkai and insisted thatneither he nor his wife shouldleave. Initially it was just words,but when fists started to fly,Iyarpakkai did not hesitate topull out his sword and cut downall that tried to refuse passage.

And so he killed his ownrelatives in order to ensure thatthe servitor of lord would havehis desire fulfilled. The relativesrelented and the Brahmanaalong with Iyarpakkai and hiswife left the city.

The Brahmana said that thiswas sufficient and took leavefrom Iyarpakkai. As they walkedout of Iyarpakkai’s view, heheard his name being calledagain by this Brahmana,Iyarpakkai’s last trace ofahamkara had been cut away ashe gave away his wife andremoved himself from his ownrelatives. Thereby, he gainedmukti and lived the rest of hislife as a jivan mukta.

IyarpakkaiNayanmar

Iyarpakkai’s sacrifice is so greatindeed that Sundarar sings:

“Sevitor am I to Iyarpakkai also,Who never said, ‘I have not.’”

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world,Annamalai hasan uncannypower to drawone’s eyestoward it at alltimes.

Swamigal’sashram sitsdirectly on theroad that leadsintoThiruvannamalaifrom Bangaloreso we couldn’thelp but stopby. I could feelthe vibrations getter stronger andstronger with each step I tooktoward the adhisthanam and Icouldn’t help but burst into tearsupon seeing the simple butelegant Shivalingam sitting insidethe shrine. It was like facing theocean—I felt so humbled but solucky to have finally reached thepeetam.

We went to the Annamalaiyartemple the next day, which was,amazingly, during theThirumanjanam festival. Thiswas the nakshatram day onwhich Shiva and Parvati gotmarried. I didn’t even find thatout until exiting the temple—aswe left the shrine, the main prieststopped us, took a giant flowergarland off Arunachalam and toldmy mother to put it on me. Didthis mean I was now married toShiva? Man… who would pay forthat wedding?

As we came outside, we saw theutsa Nataraja and Sivakami beingcarried around the temple and itwas even more raucous than aRochester festival. Throw in an

elephant and about two thousandmore people and you might havean idea of what it was like. Irealized eventually during thatday that we had to do thegirivalam—the 14-kilometer trekaround the Annamalai mountain,which is the ultimate puja toShiva in Thiruvannamalai. Ididn’t want to do it at firstbecause I was worried about mymom’s arthritis, but I knew thatwe would regret it if we leftwithout at least trying.

Less than halfway through, I feltlike I was walking on nails. Itwasn’t the walking that was aproblem—it was doing it barefootthat I wasn’t used to. Seven hourslater (the whole thing should onlytake three hours, by the way) wereached the house again.

A week later, we headed off toKanchipuram, not really forresearch but to see the Big Lady.There’s always a feeling offamiliarity in Kanchi—like nomatter where you’re from, youfeel like you’ve been there before.That was exactly the feeling I got

I’ve been told it’s called “pullinga Kamya”—the act of quittingone’s job to pursue spiritualendeavours. I did it last Octoberso I could come to Navarathri andI did it again this June so I couldrun off to India for two months.Although in my defense, I wouldlike say that Devi gave me my jobback after the first time and it wasentirely Aiya’s fault the secondtime.

It was actually during lastNavarathri when, in between sipsof his tea, he said to me in amatter-of-fact sort of way, “Youknow you have to write a book,don’t you?” I almost did a spit-take. But he persisted. “You haveto write a book on your ancestorSeshadri Swamigal! Why else doyou think Devi made you studyjournalism?”

“Because I stink at math,” I said.I wasn’t kidding.

But somehow I gradually foundmyself booking flight tickets,filling out Visa applications andfinally boarding a plane back tothe old country with my mom.She was the best person to havealong because she was even moreinterested in finding out newinformation about Swamigal thanI was, and she was the perfecttranslator and traveling buddy.

We set off for Thiruvannamalaieven before the jet lag subsided.It’s where Swamigal spent the last40 years of his life, upon hearingthe word “Arunachalam” fromthe lips of his dying mother whenhe was only 19. I couldunderstand the magical pull of themountain that both he andRamana Maharshi felt—as thelargest swayambu-lingam in the

GallivGallivGallivGallivGallivantingantingantingantinganting

through the oldthrough the oldthrough the oldthrough the oldthrough the old

countrcountrcountrcountrcountryyyyy

GallivGallivGallivGallivGallivantingantingantingantinganting

through the oldthrough the oldthrough the oldthrough the oldthrough the old

countrcountrcountrcountrcountryyyyy By Kamya Ramaswamy

Annamalaiyarwestgopuram

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when walking through the upperhalls of the Varadaraja Perumaltemple. I knew that I had beenthere before in another life.

The birthplace of SeshadriSwaigal is interestingly enoughon the same street, only a five-minute walk away. It wasappropriated by the KanchiMahaperiva in the latter half ofthe 20th century when he heard itwas all but lying in shambles.Swamigal’s grandfather, who wasthe Kamakoti Shastri in the mid-1800s, was the last person in ourlineage to hold that post. Thehouse had probably been ownedby him, since girls during thattime used to give birth in theirparents’ home.

We went to Nemili the nextevening, which was the mostelectrifying experience of thisentire trip. When I calledEzhilmani mama before we left, hesounded unusually overjoyed. Itmade me wonder if I’d said thecorrect thing in Tamil…

It was a long bus ride but wearrived in the evening. The signsof Bala were everywhere—outside the house were a clusterof little girls who were wearingthe cutest little paavaadai outfitsand playing. Everyone wassinging bhajans as we entered thepeetam, and we were seated nearone of the pillars right up front.Bala’s shrine was majestic.Although it’s her temple, therewas a tiny Rajarajeshwarivighraham sitting above theinfamous Bala vighraham.

She’s best friends with her mom, too! Ithought. I took in the rest of thecascading peetam and all of asudden I felt a lump in my throat.Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry… Iwasn’t sure why I was soemotional but I was desperatelytrying to suck it back. Just then,the singing tapered off andEzhilmani mama startedspeaking.

From what I understood of hisexcellent Tamil, he told everyone

that every day a miracle happensin Nemili and the miracle thatday was that a mother anddaughter walked in at exactly 6p.m., all the way from Aiya’s

temple in Rochester! There wasmore to the speech but I couldonly listen to it from underneaththe hanky where my face wasburied. God, I sobbed for close to10 minutes but it was so freeing.As I sat through the rest of thepuja, I felt like I was home.

I felt like I was visiting theQueen when we went to seeKamakshi Devi the next day.Before we went in, we stopped offat Kamakoti Shastri’s house to seehim. Little did any of us realize atthe time that he would attainmoksha exactly one month later,on August 9th. He asked me toperform the dasamudras in hispuja room, which shocked me somuch that I totally forgot how todo them. But after I did, we weretaken straight into Kamakshi’sshrine and blessed with a 20-minute dharshanam of Devi!!That temple is one of the few

AwesomeBala!

Mulabaagal

Kamya and Shyamala in Nemili

Right top:OutsideSeshadrìSwamigal’sbirthplace inKanchi;Bottom:OutsideSeshadrìSwamigal’sashram

Giant Bangalore Shiva

InsideSeshadriSwamigal’sbirthplacein Kanchi

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places in the worldwhere I could happilyspend eternity.

It held so manyparallels to a tiny littleKamakshi temple that’stucked away in avillage about 100kilometers north ofBangalore. The town iscalled Mulabaagal and the templeis stunning. Inside the entrance sitsa snakepit housing a cobra theyworship as Lord Muruga, andsurrounding the main shrine arelife-sized, painted carvings of allthe goddesses from the 51 Shaktipeetams!

On the side of the temple was awall-sized carving of theMeenakshi kalyanam, and outsidethe temple were statues from thepuranas and the Devi Mahatmyam.We had walked in duringpoornima, right in the middle ofNavavarna puja! As the camphorarthi was offered to Kamakshi, Isaw her eyes come alive just likethe goddess in Kanchi. You couldsee all her power in those eyes.

We met up with Ramesh anna inChennai, trying to get to as manytemples as possible beforeeverything closed at noon. One ofthe places we went there was theKapaaleeswara kovil, which held alot of meaning for me because itwas the place where my great-great grandmother handed overher Sri Chakra yantra in 1941. Shewas the last upasaka in my family(up until us, of course) and we triedto find her yantra but without anyrecords, it was impossible to locate.

It was the Tamil month of Aadi,meaning we couldn’t get train orbus tickets to a lot of temple townsbecause they were packed withtravelers. I was disappointed soour relatives took us to theRajarajeshwari temple inBangalore, which turned out to beone of the best experiences I had onthis whole trip. It’s a massiveproperty complete with an ashramand a lecture hall on one side, andthe line to get in to the actualtemple winds right around thecorner.

Once we gotin, I couldn’thelp butthink it wasas thoughsomeone hadpainted acompletely different backgroundaround our Devi in Rochester.She was wearing a glowingwhite sari (my favourite colour)and she was exactly the same,but nothing else was. The wallswere adorned with murals of theDasamahavidyas and scenesfrom the Devi Mahatmyam. Thehead priest there seemed to belistening while I explained to myaunt about the Mahavidyas, andhe brought us up to the mainpeetam, which is elevated ametre above the ground. Wetalked with him about Sri Vidyaand our temple in Rochester andhe was thrilled that so manypeople were into such an ancientart so far away from India.

I couldn’t believe whathappened next—he did anarchana for us and sat us downin the centre aisle directly in linewith Devi so that we were closeenough to see her smile. He mademe sit on the Sri Chakra carvedinto the stone ground, gave us aflower from Devi’s breast, andloaded us lots of kumkumprasadam to take home with us.I practically danced out of there.

The last stop of our trip wasDevipuram. I told Guruji aheadof time that he wasn’t allowed toignore me this time—he totallygave me the cold shoulder whenI last saw him in 2003 and didn’tsay one word when I tried totalk to him. It was actuallyhilarious now that I look back on

it but I was traumatized at thetime.

We relaxed in Devipuram once Ilearned to be at one with all thecritters. I think part of receivingDevi’s grace from that place islearning to see and accept her ineverything there. Even—ugh—thelizards. The power of the Merutemple is such that it makes youwant to keep circling it andvisiting each of the Khadgamaladevis over and over again.

I was lucky enough to be able toperform the puja one morning toSahasrakshi Rajarajeshwari, andit was only then that I realizedexactly where my own guru camefrom and why he teaches us theway he does in Rochester. Guruji’smethod is to condense everythingin terms of mantras andmethodology, but Aiya expands itall. Maybe he realized at one pointthat it was just the smart thing todo, after hearing, “Butwhhhhhhhhhy, Aiya?!” for themillionth time.

We often went up to the highestpoints we could climb to becausethose were the places that werethe most serene (and often devoidof mosquitoes). The Kamakhyaand Shivaalayam temples sit amidseveral hills, all of which you cansee while standing on top of themor in the bindu of the Meru temple.After spending most of your life indensely populated areas that arefilled with concrete, it’s a surrealfeeling to be one of only a few

GurujiandAmmah

First floor of Meru temple

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people for miles and miles in themiddle of a forest.

We flew back to Canada just afew days after leaving Devipuram,lugging precious cargo. In thetemple right now sits what I referto as the Bala Mala. It’s a garlandmade of 2000 strips of colouredpaper with “Sri Bala Thunai”written on each strip. Ezhilmanimama in Nemili told me thatBalatripurasundari manifestedherself into the papers and hewanted our temple to have thatgarland. Children who come tothe temple and lightly touch itwill receive her blessings.

Happily, my research onSwamigal seemed to have reachedits climax about halfway throughthe trip, allowing me to enjoy therest of it. What a nice memory tothink about while I now workthrough hours of digital tape,fumbling my way toward writinga book. Oh yeah… the book... Iforgot about that.

If you’re interested, it’ll bereleased in early 2008 and includea full account of Swamigal’s lifeand miracles, original prayers andhymns that were written for him,as well as the inner workings oforganizations and people that usehis name today. Let’s just hope Iwin the lottery because Devi iskeeping me jobless until I finishthis thing.

KotiLingeshwaram

Sahasrakshi Rajarajeswari in Devipuram

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Sri Gurubhyo NamahSri Gurubhyo NamahSri Gurubhyo NamahSri Gurubhyo NamahSri Gurubhyo Namah