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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 Blossom 14 Petal 1 Blossom 14 Petal 1 Blossom 14 Petal 1 Blossom 14 Petal 1 Blossom 14 Petal 1 February 2010 February 2010 February 2010 February 2010 February 2010

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The Source of the CosmosSri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri ChakraSri Chakra

The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY

Blossom 14 Petal 1Blossom 14 Petal 1Blossom 14 Petal 1Blossom 14 Petal 1Blossom 14 Petal 1February 2010February 2010February 2010February 2010February 2010

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

Since the last issue...The temple sailed through the

heaviest festival season with ease.October through December sawNavaratri, Kedara GowriVratham, Skanda Shasti, andKarthikai Villakku all flowtogether in typical temple fashion.This year marked theintroduction of the silver Rishabavahanam for Devi’s chariot duringNavaratri.

Though Aiya opted to keepcelebrations to a minimum giventhe situation in Sri Lanka,devotees still poured in toparticipate.

At the end of November, Aiyatraveled to Toronto to release theMantra 15 CD. Fittingly, this CDwas dedicated to MahaPrathyangira, the consort ofSarabeshwara and also the mainfocus of this year’s Navaratricelebrations.

December saw Aiya conduct aworkshop in California, and headto India halfway throughThiruvemapavai to attend theAparanji Mahotsavam of SriMathioli Saraswati (Akka),commemorating her 70thbirthday. The event was heldfrom December 30th - January 1and included Maha Mrthyunjayahomams, an abhishekam of gold,silver, diamonds, and pearls to SriAkka, and also CD and bookreleases.

Guruji traveled to Chennaiduring Aiya’s visit and severaldevotees had a chance to hang outwith both Gurus!

Once back from India, Aiyaheaded to Philadelphia to conducta workshop.

Sharada Navarathri Sept. 19-30

Sarabeswara pictures adornedthe makeshift yajna shala, alongwith his maha mantra. Each dayAiya performed Sarabeswarahomam, including MahaPrathyangira, Sulini Durga, andSudharshana mantras. Thishomam was peformed to clearany negativities and ensure thatnext year’s Kumbabhishekamruns as smoothly as possible!

In all four corners of the yajnashala, an elaborate kalasam wasinstalled with each deity’smantras. Surrounding thesekalasams were 36 other kalasamsconsisting of the different aspectsof these deities, and four peoplepeformed puja to these kalasamsdaily. As usual, Aiya sat with themain kalasam, and each day’ssponsors flanked the fourentrances.

On Vijayadasami, the mainkalasam was lifted onto a smallchariot. With both Aiya andAmma in tow, devotees pushedand pulled the chariot around thetemple and the large kalasam wasfinally poured on Devi. In theevening Vidya arambam wasperformed, and then KedaraGowri Vratham commenced.

The next few days saw Thirtam,Dvaja avarohanam, and thefestival concluded with Kulirthi.

JanuJanuJanuJanuJanuarararararyyyyyJanuJanuJanuJanuJanuarararararyyyyyNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletterterterterterNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletNewsletterterterterter

Aiya andGuruji atRamki’splace inChennai.

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

Navarathri 2009!Navarathri 2009!Navarathri 2009!Navarathri 2009!Navarathri 2009!Navarathri 2009!Navarathri 2009!Navarathri 2009!Navarathri 2009!Navarathri 2009!

KULIRTHI PICS!KULIRTHI PICS!KULIRTHI PICS!KULIRTHI PICS!KULIRTHI PICS!KULIRTHI PICS!KULIRTHI PICS!KULIRTHI PICS!KULIRTHI PICS!KULIRTHI PICS!

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

Past Events Karthikai Vilakku, Dec. 11

Top and right:Newly installedconcretemandapamsinstalled atoutside Bhairavaand the Kasilingam

Kedara Gowri Vratham, Nov. 17

As in past years, Kedara GowriVratham was one of the mostcolorful festivals at the temple.The puja is done toArdhanareeswara, beginning onViyajadasami and ending 21 dayslater on amavasya. This pujasignifies Devi’s mergence withShiva once again after she partedfrom the Ardhanareeswara formafter a spat with Lord Shiva.

The desired devotee engages inpuja for 21 days reciting theKedara Gowri puja and keepingjapam vigilant. Each day, onemore coconut, fruit, jaggery, betalleaf, and other items are to beoffered such that on the 21st day,there are 21 of each item in frontof the deity.

This year’s puja saw thesponsor and devotees performabhishekam to Ardhanareeswaraand then a bilva archanacommenced after grandalankaram.

The evening ended with severalwomen receiving saris andprasadam.

Skanda Shasti, Nov. 18-Nov.23

Every year, Skanda Shastiincorporates 1000 names for eachof the six faces of Subramanya.The celebration continued in thisfashion this year, and every daythe sponsor along with five otherdevotees performed puja to eachof the faces.

The final day saw Subramanyadefeat Suran in war, and thenmarry Deviyana. Murugan is saidto also have a secret matrimonyto Valli, a village girl. Thismarriage is also enacted as herstatue was brought out indarkness in the yajna shala andthe mangalyam is tied.

Once Deviyana was appeasedafter finding out about herhusband’s other marriage, thethree were placed on the “oonjal”(swing) and the finalsahasranama was performed.

Falling on a Tuesday night thisyear, this short but beautifulfestival day marks the day thatLord Shiva settled inThiruvannamalai in the form offire.

At the temple, this event wasdone by lighting hundreds ofdeepams and candles throughoutthe yajnashala and inner temple,as well as a puja to Lord Shiva.

The silver Rishabam was placedon a platform on top of the homakundam. Seated on theRishabam’s back was the spatikalingam that Sri Satya Sai Babarecently sent to the temple asprasadam when he heard aboutthe Ati Rudram forKumbabhishekam. The lingamand Rishabam were surroundedby hundreds of clay lamps andlingams in all eight directions. Thesponsors performed puja to alleight lingams as Aiya chanted.

This year’s festival included aspecial event as stapathi’s fromIndia put the final touches onmandapams for the outsideBhairava and the Kasi lingam.

Above: Ardhanareeswarareceiving abhishekamand adorned withgarlands afterwards.Below: Trays ofprasadam given to ladiesafter the puja.

Right: Thespatikalingam SriSathya SaiBaba sentsits atop thenew silverRishabavahanamduringKarthikaiVillakku

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

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

This perfectly organized homamis run entirely by the temple’syouth, comprised of kids 21 yearsof age or younger. Several otherchildren sponsored and offeredahutis into the homam with theRaja Shyamala mantra as theirparents watched from behind abarrier.

The youth group did everythingfrom decorating the yajnashala, toreadying the purnahutis, todressing the Devi and everymurthi inside the temple.

This is the fourth year for thishomam at the temple, which isdone to pray to Matangi Devi forall success in education, the artsand any type of intellectualendeavour.

After the homam, all thedevotees enjoyed mahaprasadam.

Kids’ Matangi homam, Dec. 28M

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Aiya, Balananda (Shankar), andanyone present performed the 5a.m. pujas to Lord Nataraja. Thisyear’s festival saw Aiya leave forIndia to attend Sri MathioliSaraswati’s (Akka) 70th Aparanjibirthday celebration. Aiya’srecorded voice sang holy verses ofThirupalliyezuchi and Thiruvempavaifor the final days. The 10th andlast day of Ardhra Dharshanamgave all devotees the chance toperform milk abhishekam to theLord and Devi Sivakami.

That morning, the divine couplewas royally bathed in viboothi,bilva leaves, honey, turmeric, andkumkuma, which everyone waslater given to take home asprasadam.

Volunteers dressed the murthisand the festival also saw anelaborate bilva archana. LittleAdish held the texts penned bythe Nayanar saintManickavasagar as devoteespulled his mini-chariot aroundthe temple in procession.

That evening was alsopoornima, said to be a speical fullmoon because it was the secondone in December.

Thiruvempavai, Dec 22 - Dec. 31

Top ,below, and left: Matangi homampictures.

Right: Thirvempavai pictures

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

Upcoming Events

Maha Shivarathri, Feb 11 &March 13

Aiya has decided to hold MahaShivarathri on two separatenights this year because of adifference in calendars this year.The night s will be filled withmultiple chantings of the Rudramand copious offerings of bilvam toall the aspects of Lord Shiva in thetemple. Falling on a Thursday andFriday evening respectively thisyear, puja will commencesometime between 7 and 9 p.m.and wrap up between 6 and 7a.m. the following morning.

This tradition of celebrating thenew year with a Pratyangirahomam for devotees began aboutfour years ago. It typically takesplace on the Sunday closest to thenew year’s day and features theoffering of several kilograms ofred chillies in all shapes and sizes.

Tamil New Year/Pratyangirahomam, April 18

Devi willing, the next issue ofthe Sri Chakra Magazine will be upon the temple’s website(www.srividya.org) at thebeginning of May 2010.

This magazine cannot keeppublishing without contributionsfrom devotees! Articles, poems,stories, and the like about anyspiritual topic are welcomed.

The next deadline for articlesubmission is April 9. Please e-mail us with your contributionsor feedback about this issue [email protected] ortalk to Kamya or Abhi at thetemple. We want to hear fromyou!

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

A biA biA biA biA big thank-yg thank-yg thank-yg thank-yg thank-you toou toou toou toou tothis issue’sthis issue’sthis issue’sthis issue’sthis issue’s

volunteers: Aiya andvolunteers: Aiya andvolunteers: Aiya andvolunteers: Aiya andvolunteers: Aiya andSudha PriySudha PriySudha PriySudha PriySudha Priya Keara Keara Keara Keara Kearneneneneneyyyyy.....

In Three Months

During the past month, two of the temple’s dearest devotees passed on from this planeand into the Devi’s abode. The two pictures on the left are of Smt. Chitra Makenthiran, afull blown Sri Vidya upasaki of more than 30 years. Initiated by Guruji in the 1970’s,Chitra Auntie met Aiya in Zambia, then settled in Mississauga, Ontario, about 3 hoursfrom the temple. She served as a mother to many, and her smile was infectious.

Smt. Shyamala Ramaswamy occupies the two pictures on the right. She met Aiya morethan 10 years ago at Park Circle, and also left this plane as a suvasini. A descendent ofSeshadri Swamigal, Shyamala Auntie always shared her knowledge and devotion toKamakshi with temple devotees, as well as her love for her temple children.

Aiya performed both funerals, but honored their lives by conducting a Sri Chakra puja.The typical Shiva puja did not apply because they left their bodies as sumangalis, andboth had received purna diksha. Their divine presences will be sorely missed but willforever remain in the hearts of those who loved them.

In the week leading up to thehomam, devotees may sign up toprepare a bakshanam (a cookedsnack) to be offered into the fire.

All palaharams must be made atthe temple and devotees mustsign up for a cooking slot wellahead of time. Please call thetemple and let Selvan or Aiyaknow what you wish to prepare.

Devotees whose mothers havepassed on gather at the temple onthis day to offer tarpanam to theone who gave them life. Tarpanamis typically not done on poornima(full moon) but on amavasya (thenew moon). At a temple thatfollows the Sri Vidya tradition,however, mothers hold an exaltedposition as the very embodimentsof the Devi.

Those who wish to participatemust call the temple to register.

Chitra Poornima, April 27

SRI MATRE NAMAHA

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

LESS THAN 150 DALESS THAN 150 DALESS THAN 150 DALESS THAN 150 DALESS THAN 150 DAYS LEFT!YS LEFT!YS LEFT!YS LEFT!YS LEFT!

****SPECIAL NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO ANNUALPRATHISTA FESTIVAL IN MAY THIS YEAR BECAUSEOF THE PUNARUDDHARANA KUMBHABHISHEKAMIN JULY.****

hb i s

Over 11 days, 11 Rudra homams will be performed daily in each of 121 homakundams.More than 2 million ahutis will offered by the event’s end.

First preference for yajamanis and yajamanas goes to those who have received mantradiksha within Aiya’s lineage, and can correctly chant the Rudram.

K

Update

um b

ah h ek a

mThe Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam will be hosting its

Punaruddharana Kumbhabhishekam July 1-11, 2010.

The chosen event has only been attempted on this scale oncebefore, and only then by the devatas: Athi Rudra homam.

Volunteers are always welcome! Youth are being trained for various duties. Ifinterested, contact the temple at [email protected] right away.Several sponsorship opportunities are also available: sitting for homam,

required puja items, annadhanam, flowers, etc. Call 585-533-1970.

Visit thetemple’s website atwww.srividya.orgfor details. If youwish to be avolunteer, be sureto download andfill out the sign upform ASAP! Thereare...

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

Q & AiyaQ & AiyaWe all love hanging out with Aiya,drinking tea, and sometimes gettingsome guidance on how to travel downour own paths to the Devi. After a RudraHomam workshop conducted at thetemple, Aiya implored those whoattended - whether old or new students -to clear their doubts about the ritual

Q: Can abhishekam and havanboth be done on the same day?

Aiya: You mean one after theother? Of course! For us, thepramaanam—the rules that governour sampradayam—is that we haveto do Sri Chakra puja. When wedo this puja, tarpanam is done,and after that homam is done.And during the chatu-shashti-upachara puja (giving Devi 64offerings), panchaamrutam andsuddha abhishekams are done tothe Meru. After you have givenbali, you’re supposed to do SriChakra homam. So the shortanswer is yes.

Q: Is Laghu Nyasam going to bedone [with the Rudra homamduring kumbhabhishekam]?

Aiya: Actually, if you’re going todo Ati Rudra homam, you’re

supposed to do Maha Nyasamshould be done. Maha Nyasamitself is going to take one-and-a-half hours, and very few peopleknow it. I will ask on the first dayfor someone to chant the MahaNyasam. But on a daily basis,Laghu Nyasam will be done tocover those doing the homam. (Itcan be found on page 38 of Aiya’s SriChakra Puja Vidhih English book—ed.)

Q: Is there any particular timeyou should do Rudram?

Aiya: In particular sampradayams,they will tell you, “you have to doit in the morning; you have to doit in the evening.” Our guruparampara explicitly tells us—anytime, any place. If you’re doingTripurasundari upasana, most ofthe time the upasana should bedone after sunset. But if you want

to do Rudra homam in the earlymorning, be my guest.

Q: Can you do Devi puja even atmidnight?

Aiya: You can. But you have tochange the mantra fromTripurasundari to Kali. Aftermidnight, she’s Kali and you haveto be careful with that because ofthe prana-pratishta (invocation)mantras. Even with Kamakshi,without your knowledge she hasgot two more hands behind herback—in one hand she has akapaalam; in the other hand shehas a sword. If you get too closeshe will catch you and cut yourhead off. What does that mean?That she’s violent? No, it meansshe will take you away from bodyconsciousness. From 12 a.m. to 4a.m., she’s Kali.

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

Q: Rudram generates heat, so ifa lady is doing Rudra homam andbefore 27 days of her body’s cycleare completed, she cannot go intothe temple, what should she do?Should she leave the nakshatra-mandala incomplete? (This refers toundertaking a type of worship from astar date of one month to the same datethe following month—ed.)

Aiya: I gave you the answerearlier while we were talking—Isaid there are three Agnis—kaamagni, jataragni and jnanagni.During those days, sit down anddo it in your mind. You don’thave to chant Rudram externallyfor it to have the same effect.

Q: What would you put as theahuti (offering) if you’re doingRudra homam mentally?

Aiya: Read the Yajna PhalaStotram! It explains in there howto do any homam mentally orphysically. Jñânâjya ânanda dravyavairâgya haviragnç—this says jnanais your ajyam and anandam is yourhavir (cooked offering). So youoffer your realization as the ghee,and the bliss you get fromchanting the Rudram as the havis.

Q: How long is a mandalam?

Aiya: It depends on whatsampradayam you subscribe to.The Kerala sampradayam says 48days equals one mandalam. If yougo up to Thirunelveli in TamilNadu, they will say a mandalamis 41 days. If you go to Sri Lanka,in Yazhpaanam they will say it is45 days. Which is correct? All ofthe above. When we did theMaha Meru pratishtapanam forthe first time, I did pujas for 90days. Every day, 10 people wouldeach come to do 108 Maha Shodasijapam and go. It was veryintense.

Q: What is the purpose ofhomam?

Aiya: How does the Yajna PhalaStotram begin?

Œuddhikaram param jñânamsarvôpa-drava nivâranam |

Sarvavyâdhi praúamanamsarvâbhîshta pradâyakam |

It means, for purification(suddhikaram), internalrealization, to ward off alldifficulties, to cure all diseases,and to fulfill all desires. I didn’twrite this—it’s the Devi’s ownwords. This is why we dohomam.

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

by Sudha Priya Kearney

In the September issue, Sudha PriyaIn the September issue, Sudha PriyaIn the September issue, Sudha PriyaIn the September issue, Sudha PriyaIn the September issue, Sudha PriyaKearKearKearKearKearney wrote of her divine eney wrote of her divine eney wrote of her divine eney wrote of her divine eney wrote of her divine experiencesxperiencesxperiencesxperiencesxperiencesin the time leading upto her introductionin the time leading upto her introductionin the time leading upto her introductionin the time leading upto her introductionin the time leading upto her introductionto Aiya and the temple. Pto Aiya and the temple. Pto Aiya and the temple. Pto Aiya and the temple. Pto Aiya and the temple. Pararararart 1 of thist 1 of thist 1 of thist 1 of thist 1 of thisseries started with her initiation into theseries started with her initiation into theseries started with her initiation into theseries started with her initiation into theseries started with her initiation into theKriya meditation of PKriya meditation of PKriya meditation of PKriya meditation of PKriya meditation of ParamahamsaaramahamsaaramahamsaaramahamsaaramahamsaYYYYYogananda, and uneogananda, and uneogananda, and uneogananda, and uneogananda, and unexpectedly led to herxpectedly led to herxpectedly led to herxpectedly led to herxpectedly led to herspending Shivarathri 1993 at Aiya andspending Shivarathri 1993 at Aiya andspending Shivarathri 1993 at Aiya andspending Shivarathri 1993 at Aiya andspending Shivarathri 1993 at Aiya andAmma’s home, where the temple used toAmma’s home, where the temple used toAmma’s home, where the temple used toAmma’s home, where the temple used toAmma’s home, where the temple used tobe.be.be.be.be.

Since I had just driven six hoursfrom Connecticut I was dressed injeans and a t-shirt, which mademe feel a little uncomfortable—Ithought I should have at leastworn a bindi on my foreheadsince I was in the temple. As soonas I had this thought, a lady whowas sitting beside the priestturned around and handed me alittle silver bowl filled with redkumkum powder.

I applied the kumkum on myforehead and looked at the priestagain. He was now waving alamp and looking at the largeblack granite murthi of the Devi in

the center. I looked at the murthiand saw her eyes follow themovement of the lamp that thepriest was waving in front of her.I looked again and wow! Thegranite murthi’s eyes werefollowing the lamp in the priest’shand. He started to sprinkle somewater on the fruits and some foodon the side, and again the murthi’seyes followed his every gesture. Istarted to feel dizzy.

I thought the drone of the shrutiand the smell of the incense alongwith this priest’s chanting wasmaking me hallucinate. I hadrecently seen the movie Indiana

Jones and the Temple of Doom, inwhich they showed this priestbelonging to some cult doing someevil rituals and I was starting tofreak out in my mind. I wanted toget out of the temple and get somefresh air.

I looked at the door with theintention of leaving the shrineroom, but it was packed. Therewas no way I could leave withoutdisturbing all the folks sitting onthe floor—especially since morepeople were trying to squeeze intothe temple!

Suddenly, an elderly man whowas sitting in front of me got up

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

TempleTempleLoreLore

Part 2Part 2Part 2Part 2Part 2

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

and said, “You have beenstanding for a while and must betired. Why don’t you sit for awhile in my spot?” Wow! Ithought these folks must be mindreaders. That aunty gave mebindi as soon as I thought Ishould be wearing one, and thisuncle has given me his spot whenI was thinking of leaving.

Now I was very close to wherethe priest was performing therituals. As I watched the graniteDevi I saw her eyes werefollowing his every move and Iwas still freaked out. I lookedaround and I happened to notice amala made of cotton andkumkum around the Shivalingam and immediately I wastransported in time. Iremembered my aunt (mymother’s cousin) used to make acotton ball and kumkum garlandand place it around the Shivalingam and chant some prayersand do all sorts of gestures likethis priest.

Remembering my auntperforming puja brought a senseof familiarity to the rituals. Ifigured there was nothing to beafraid of here and started to relaxand enjoyed the puja for the restof the night. At dawn the pujaended, and then a lot of folks wentover to touch the priest’s feet. Hequickly blessed a few of them andsuggested we all go to thebasement for prasadambreakfast.

In the basement, everyone wassitting as close to the priest aspossible. Since this was my firstvisit I shyly stood back. One ofthe ammas handed me a plate offood and since I did not knowanyone I sat by myself near theentrance to the basement. Fromwhere I was sitting I could not seethe priest but I could hear him. Alot of the conversation was inTamil which I did notunderstand.

Then suddenly the priest spokein English—he said, “Ganeshawas splashing water like a babyas I bathed him during the puja,”and I thought, “Oh my God, thisguy saw what I saw in the

temple!” I was puzzled and tryingto figure how the priest saw thesame thing as I had, when I heardmy name. My friend was tellingthe priest that I did SelfRealization Fellowship (SRF)meditation and had come to thetemple for the first time. Then Iwas asked to come closer so Icould be introduced to him—Aiya.

Aiya asked me to tell him what Iexperienced in meditation so I toldhim that every time I sat down todo Kriya meditation I saw thismost beautiful geometric design inmy forehead as clear as if I waswatching it on a TV screen. Aiyaasked me to describe the colors,and I told him the design withtriangles and a circle that wasfilled with the most vibrant blueand yellow.

I told him I heard this sound thatwas so loud in my ears that surelypeople sitting next to me wouldhear it too but no one heard it.Aiya told me the design I saw inmeditation was what he worshipsin this temple—it is the Sri Yantraand the colors I see are the colorsof his path. Aiya then asked me tostay there another night, eventhough I had not planned onstaying over. He suggested I getsome rest and said he will give mea mantra the next morning.

I was surprised at this andthought I already have a guru so Ican’t take a mantra from him, but Ifigured I would tell him in themorning since there were so manypeople around. Soon a lot ofpeople did namaskaram to himand started to take his leave, andAmma (Aiya’s wife) suggested Ifind a spot to sleep somewhere inthe living room upstairs alongwith a few other ladies so I wentto get some rest.

The next morning Amma gaveme some breakfast and told me togo to the basement since Aiya waswaiting for me. I went downstairsand greeted Aiya, and he patted acushion beside him and asked meto sit. After seeing all his disciplesfalling at his feet the previousnight I was too awed to sit besidehim on the cushion so I sat downon the floor at his feet.

Right away told him with alldue respect since I already had aGuru I could not take a mantrafrom him. He smiled and replied,“Amma I have to give you themantra.” He said the DivineMother had asked him to do soduring the Maha Shivarathripuja. Aiya said he did not decidewho gets mantra initiation; theDevi tells him. I said, “Thank you,but really I cannot take a mantrafrom you because I already have aguru—ParamahamsaYogananda.”

A few weeks ago I when I hadfirst heard Aiya’s voice I waswilling to go to India to find him,and there I was sitting at his feetrefusing mantra initiation fromhim!

Aiya, being extremelycompassionate, asked me again toaccept the mantra. When Ihesitated he suggested I did nothave to consider him my guru toaccept the mantra initiation. Heasked me if I sang movie songs inthe shower—I laughed andreplied yes—so he said I could dothe mantras he gave me in theshower and that way it wouldnot interfere with my SRF routine.I had no choice but to agree andaccepted the mantra initiation.

Aiya wrote the mantras I was tochant in English along withinstructions on the number ofrepetitions, and he even practicedthe mantras with me a few timesto make sure I pronounced themcorrectly. He then surprised mewith an invitation to come againin a couple of months for theanniversary of the temple and toparticipate in the consecrationceremony for the new Pramanameru. He said from now hewanted me to come to the templeevery year to attend four veryimportant festivals: theanniversary in May, GuruPoornima in July, Navarathri inOctober, and Shivarathri inFebruary. I said I would try andcome back in May and took hisleave.

Watch for the third and finalpart of Sudha Priya’s account ofher first encounters with Aiya inthe May 2010 issue of the SriChakra.

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

.

The September 2009 issueof the Sri Chakra sawAiya explain how the Devidictated the Yajna PhalaStotram to him severalyears ago. This stotramcan be found right afterthe Khadgamala in the SriChakra Puja Vidhih book,and will give those who

are committed tochanting it all the benefitsthat it describes. Aiyarecently agreed to revealits full meaning andallowed it to be publishedin the Sri Chakramagazine. This is the 3rdand final installment in athree-part series.

4. Guruvâra jñâna sâdhanam sômavâra gana vasîkaram |Ahankâra úamana angârakam sarva úatru vinâúanam. ||

Now She’s telling you what the homams are about—if you do this homam on guruvara, or Thursday,you’ll get realization. If you do it on Monday, all the ganas will be attracted to you. If you want to neutralizeyour ego, do it on a Tuesday. It will also destroy your enemies, both internal and external.

5. Râtri muhûrtâ râdhanam úukravâra paramuttamam |Sarvâbhîshta vara pradam sakala lôka kalyânam |Úrî shodasâkshara siddhitam bhukti mukti pradâyakam. ||

If you do the homam at night on a Friday, at least for one muhurtham (about 1.5 hours), it is best. All yourdesires will be fulfilled, and all of creation will be taken care of if you do puja in your house on a Fridaynight! If you don’t have Shodasi mantra, she will come to you. Liberation and all the auspicious things willcome to you.

6. Bhânu putra mçvalam lavanga pîta samarpanam |Nârî narâ karshanam bhava bandha vimôchanam |Madhu lavanga sâmantam râjayôga varapradam. ||

Who is Bhanu’s putra? Saneeshwara! And lavanga? Through mis-usage, it has come to be known as cloves,but it is really cinnamon. She specifically told me she means cinnamon, no matter what is written in theSanskrit dictionaries. Pîta is referring to yellow silk. So if you offer yellow silk into the fire with a cinnamonstick and ghee, what will you get? Both men and women will be attracted to you but you will still bedetached. Next, She says to dip the cinnamon in honey and also offer chrysanthemums. If you put these threein the fire, you’ll get the boon of Raja yoga.

7. Dçva kinnara vaúamanam úaúiputrâ dina pûjanam |Kali kalmasha nâúanam haridrânna panchâksharam ||

The devas and divine musicians will be attracted to you when you do the homam on the day of Sasi’sputra—Budhan, which is a Wednesday. Haridra refers to yellow rice. If you offer that into the fire with OmNamah Shivaya mantra, all the sins and shortcomings due to the spirit of kali in this yuga will be destroyed.

part 3

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Yajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala StotramYajna Phala Stotram

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

8. Sarva mrtyu nivâranam úarkarâditya tarpanam |Sapta jihvâti pûritam madhuvâjya laghu shôdaúam ||

If you offer pure sugar into the fire on Aditya’s day (Sunday) and then do tarpanam with it after thehomam, untimely death will be avoided. Saptajihva (or Agni) will be pleased if you mix honey and gheetogether and offer that into the fire with the Laghu Shodasi mantra.

9. Sundarî bîjâksharam trijanmârna vinâúanam |Madhuvâjya samakaram kaivalya môksha siddhitam. ||

Very interesting—why does he say Sundari’s bija in the singular? It refers to the bijakshara for all of SriVidya, which is Hreem. If you do the homam with just that, whatever debts you have incurred over the lastthree lifetimes will be destroyed. Next, if you mix havan samagri (samakaram) with honey and ghee, andoffer that into the fire, you’ll get kaivalya moksha.

10. Sarva pâpa samhâram rg vçdâjya jîrakam |Trikâla karma nivâranam chaturâjya madhu sangamam. ||

All your sins will be destroyed if you offer jeera with lines from the Rg Vedam. If you don’t know muchfrom the Rg Vedam, what can you use? Sri Suktam! That’s where it’s from. Next, all the karmas from yourpast, present and future (trikala) will be destroyed if you use the four oils along with honey. What are theseoils? Almond oil, sandalwood oil, ghee and sesame oil?

11. Astrâ hari samarpanam samasta vighna nivâranam |Dakshinâmûrthi darúanam suvarna ramâ_âlinganam. ||

What is the weapon Hari (Vishnu) has in his hand? The Sudarshana chakra. If you offer homam ahutiswith the Sudarshana mantra in the form of a weapon, all obstacles will be removed. Not only that, Shiva inthe form of the guru will appear to you—Dakshinamurthi will give you his darshanam. This is if youhaven’t found your guru yet. And after that? A golden Lakshmi will appear for you, making you rich.

12. Indra râjya darúanam apsarâsura siddhitam |Nava dhânyanna viniyôgam navagrahârchita œataphalam. ||

You will have a vision of Indra’s kingdom of heaven and gain control over all the devas and apsaras(celestial dancers). I actually tried this and saw Urvashi amma—her beauty is enough to make you go madso you have to be able to handle this. So to get this siddhi, you must cook the nine pulses with rice and doannadhanam. Why must you feed people like this? To do a homam in the stomach of each person you feed!And you must also do 100 archanas to the Navagrahas.

13. Navamâjya úukla sangamam gandhadravya vilçpanam |Payâsânnâ samarpakam ardhanârî navârnavam. ||

With the nine types of oils for the Navagrahas, plus elaku, offer them all in a payasam into the homam. Ifyou do this with the right mantra, you will get the effect of doing a Navavarana puja!

14. Rakta pîtâ yajñamam chakra-râjya samyuktam |Mahâvâkya pûrnâhutam unmattânanda sâyujyam. ||

Yellow and red pieces of cloth must be taken for the yajnam. Chakra-raja is the Sri Chakra. So you mustoffer ahutis with the Mahavakyam mantra—She’s indirectly saying you must have full purna diksha to dothis homam because you will get the blessings of Dattatreya (Unmatta).

15. Yajñaphala midam stôtram chaturdaúam çkakâlam |Yah pathçth amrta chaitanya lôka mavâpnuyath.||

Now comes the phala sruti. This stotram has 14 stanzas. If you chant them once a day, you will attainpure consciousness and you will be in bliss in Samadhi.

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Sarabeswaraya Namaha

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha