October 2008

Sri Lakshmi Ganapati Temple , San Jose , CA

Embodiments of Love,

We have celebrated Navarathri and we are now celebrating Vijayadashami all over the world. We should ponder over the meaning and special significance of celebrating Navarathri. During this Navarathri what are we doing, what are we gaining and aspiring for what are we worshipping that mother is what we should understand.

  15 days before beginning of Navarathri until Mahalaya Amavasya is known as Mahalaya Paksha. During the Mahalaya paksha we are remembering, serving and praying gratitude to our parents and ancestors who have given birth to us and sharing their blood and flesh with us and are the very reason for our existence on this earth, and we are seeking their blessings. If the souls of our ancestors are not satisfied and are not at peace then we don’t have the right to receive the universal power during the Navarathri. The idea behind Navarathri is to receive the universal power and thereby become powerful physically and mentally. The whole universe is also the source of power. Not only that even the very creation of the universe is due to the divine will of that universal power. The universe has been created only due to the divine will of that Mother. That power is pervading through each and every atom and is sustaining the universe and is source of strength for each and every individual. That power is the life force of the solar system, in the form of solar energy. Sage Viswamitra has given us the wondrous and divine Gayatri Mantra so that we can receive that solar energy and become powerful.

More important than this message today is the Ayudha pooja that was performed today where arrows were sent in all eleven directions, the Kanya pooja and Aparajita Devi pooja.  The discourse is only to make you aware of the importance of all that we have done today.

Embodiments of Love,

In reality the power of God is endowed with 16 facets (rays) or kalas, which means a divine splendor and brilliance, that splendor is actually “Sri”. The facet of the universal power, which is basis of the universe, is the “Sri Kala”. Worshipping the universal power and receiving the “Sri Kala” is the aim of pooja done during Navarathri. The word “Stri” has come from the word “Sri” so the “Stri” is the one who has the “Sri kala”. In reality the divine power in women is 6 ½ times more in women than in men! So beware you men. The 16 kalas coming from the sun (surya) are being relayed to us by the moon. The moon is the Lord of the mind and the sun is lord of the intellect. The moon is getting these rays from the sun and relaying it to us. So after satisfying the forefathers in Aswija masa(month) until Poornima, for the whole 15 days until midnight of Poornima celebrations take place in Viswamandiram, Guntur. On the Poornima day, in a very grand fashion all women who come to Viswamandiram are presented with clothes, bangles etc and it feels as if the Mother Goddess is dancing. On each day of Navarathri, on facet (kala) is worshipped. Girls aged 1yr, 2yrs, up to 16 years who are unmarried and considered pure and divine are worshipped as the 16 kalas and we try to see the divinity in everyone and everything. At the midnight of Poornima the sushmnna ray is transmitted from the moon, this is the 16th kala. We try to have a connection of the Sushmanna ray with the Sushmnna ray in our body thereby enlightening the Sri kala in us. We are not actually worshipping the idol but instead we are worshipping the 16 rays by invoking them. The idol is only for our concentration. The real power is under the idol in the yantra, which is in the form of magnetic wave, transmitting rays that touch the hearts and minds of those who come there and give them peace of mind. All these temples, which are doing this, are magnetic fields of that divine cosmic energy and not just places where people sit. These temples are power centers.  

Embodiments of Love,

Whenever any question of spirituality comes everything is a question and a doubt. But if we get a satellite dish installed and we are told to turn the dish in a different direction to get different channels do we question that? We just turn it the we are told to. These yantras are much more powerful than those dishes as they are relaying rays from all the different planets to us. Just as turning the dish one way or other enables us to receive signals though we don’t understand it, it is a science. So is the power of these yantras, it is spiritual science. If we believe and follow the rules of spiritual science we will benefit, else we will not.

Just now we have worshipped Aparajitha Devi who sees to it that no harm befalls us. This Aparajitha Devi gives us the strength to get success in any work we undertakes. We have invoked and worshipped Aparajitha Devi to give us success in making this world an abode of peace without any hatred or ill feelings of jealousy between the different countries. We have worshipped the Mother asking her to make the world peaceful.

  The significance of Ayudha Pooja sending of arrows in all the directions is that they are arrows of divine love and peace sent out to destroy the evil forces. Before sending these arrows we have first prayed to the Astha Digpalakas(guards in all directions) and conveyed to them that the arrows are not aimed at them but at the forces that are causing unrest in the world.

One very important thing I want to tell you. This physical body so far has never been away from Viswamandiram, Guntur during the divine Navarathri celebrations. Just for one day before Durgasthami, I go to Tirumala and pray to Lord of Tirumala and seek his divine blessings. This time because of a divine will and bound by a divine command the festival of Navarathri has been celebrated in America , here in this temple. It was divine will that arrows of love and peace have been sent in all directions from here. This is a divine will to protect this country. Only if America , which is the head of the world, is protected will India , which is the Heart, will be safe and the whole world will be safe.

Embodiments of Love,

Shakti has to be worshipped, without Shakti even worshipping God is of no use. That is why for our satisfaction we have associated Shakti as wives to all the Gods. In reality, Gods need no wife. It is only human being who needs a wife. In reality the Shakti or power of God, we are calling as the wife of the God for us to visualize. There is nothing wrong with that. Lord Ganapati there, we see him as having two wives, namely Siddhi and Buddhi. This means when we worship Lord Ganesh the intellect (Buddhi) gets enlightened and we get success (siddhi). So Ganapati is the great Shakti that bestows intellect and removes all obstacles.

  Embodiments of Love,

So is the case with every other God form. Without Goddess Lakshmi no one would want to worship Lord Vishnu. If we say that only Lord Vishnu will come and not Goddess Lakshmi then no one would worship Lord Vishnu.  Even Adi shankaracharya who preached Advaita and said “Aham Brahmasmi” when he questioned the importance of Shakti became weak physically. Then he began to think as to why and what was happening to him. At that time Mother Goddess appeared before him and said that his condition was the result of not wanting her and not worshipping her. Then he realized his mistake and his devotion to Mother Goddess he expressed in the form of Soundarya Lahiri, telling us the importance of Shakti and her worship. Sankara who said that it is very important to worship Mother Goddess, whether you believe and preach Dvaita, Advaita or Visistha Advaita or anything else is worthy of our respect and we should offer salutations to his Divine feet.

  Worship of Shakti is very important. Let us put aside spirituality for the time being. Even physically if we don’t have Shkati we will fall down. If you increase the size of the body you don’t get Shakti you only gain weight. Even though you may be thin, if you have the determination and mental strength to understand and succeed in anything, that strength which you get by worship is divine Shakti. So even in this world to succeed you need Shakti. That Shakti is not anywhere else. It is inside us. It is in the sookshma roopam, in form of a seed. Sadhana or practice is for enlightening that Shakti. All the poojas and rituals are not for pleasing the Gods but for strengthening ourselves. When we join the medical college and gain knowledge for five years from professors, books etc. we enlighten our minds and become doctors who practice medical sciences. So are all these poojas and worships. Sometimes we may not be able to do all these ourselves. We can take the help of someone who is knowledgeable and also benefit from it. Some one asked me, “Swami, I do not know Sanskrit or mantras or how to do any poojas! Will I not get any benefits? I asked him, “Do you know plumbing or carpentry or painting or flooring or electrical work?” He said that he did not know any of these works. Then I asked him how he performed the Griha pravesham of the new house that he built recently. He actually got the work done by people who knew those particular jobs and got the house built. His parents did even the job of supervising the construction. All he did was land in Hyderabad , go to Jubilee hills, entered his house and performed Satyanarayana vratam. So is the case with any of the mantras. If you have connection with a sadguru you can achieve anything and you can benefit by using the services of people like the priests.

Suppose a boy has appendicitis. We take him to the doctor and get him operated. We don’t say that we have to perform the operation ourselves. Se we can benefit by using the knowledge of some one else by using their services. So is the case in spirituality also, we can use the services of priests or sadgurus and get the benefit deposited in our bank account.

Embodiments of Love,

I will tell you one more thing and conclude. All of you may get a doubt that these priests perform all poojas and homams, they tell our gothram and name, they do the pooja and in the end give us prasadam. Will we really get the benefit? Even educated and knowledgeable people get this doubt and wonder if this procedure has been laid down just for performance of pooja and if it does really benefit us. I will give an example. Srinivas rao has an account in Bank One. One morning I went to Bank One with a suitcase. The manager is known to me, so on seeing me the reason for being in the bank. I tell him that Srinivasa Rao has an account in the bank and that I have come to deposit 100 million in his account, and that was waiting for Srinivas Rao to come. The manager told me that Srinivas Rao was not needed there for the money to be deposited, He offered me a cool drink, snatched the suitcase from my hand and called the bank officials and asked them to deposit the money in Srinivas Rao’a account. Then he gave me a small receipt and asked me to leave. I came out of the bank and I meet the pries Ganapathy Sastry and the other priests here. I asked them the reason for coming to the bank. They said, “Swamiji, we need 10,000 dollars urgently.” Then they said, “Swamiji if you could arrange for the money, we will return it back tomorrow.” I told them, “Nothing to worry, I just deposited 100 million dollars, so I will get you the money. Lets go in.” When I went in again, the manager asked me if I had got any more money to deposit. I told him that I had come to take some money and not for depositing. I asked the manager to give them 10,000 dollars from the 100 million I had just deposited, and that they would return it the next day. The manager just waved his hand. I wondered if he was going to create 10,000 dollars! Then he said, “Swami, you neither have the right to ask for that money and I do not have the right to give you that money.” This is the reality. According to banking rules once money is deposited in Srinivas Rao’s name, until he authorizes it no one can take the money.

Embodiments of Love,

This is reality! And equally real and true is the fact that if the priests perform pooja in your name, the benefit is actually deposited in your account in the universal bank. Just the priests may get some dakshina for performing the pooja

Embodiments of Love,

We have many doubts. What is needed is not doubts but faith and trust. Not just faith and trust, our Sanaathana dharma is not based on faith and trust, but it is based on experience. Experience it and Enjoy it is what Sanaathana dharma propounds. It does not ask you to just believe the rules. “Question, Question, realize, experience and have happiness and bliss” is the basis of Sanaathana dharma.

We should worship such Shakti and transmit that Shakti into us and become strengthened and let the Icha, Gyana and Kriya Shakti flow in us. The Icha Shakti – that gives us the power to accomplish what ever we think of is in the heart. Gyana Shakti is in the brain. Kriya Shakti is in the spine. If the three mothers dance in the three places the combined power of the three mothers is the Universal Mother, the Divine Rajarajeswari or Aparajitha Devi. It is this Mother we are worshipping on this auspicious and divine day. With all my heart I wish that Mother shower her grace on all, that every one lives in peace and harmony thereby making the world an abode of peace. India and America should not face any danger and people in all the countries should have love and affection for each other, and work together with cooperation and make this world an abode of peace. This is what I wish for with all my heart.

My divine blessings to all.

Durgati  Naashini Durga Maata
Durjana Naashini Durga Maata
Shoka  Vinaashini Durga Maata
Roga Vinashini Durga Maata
Shanti Pradiyini Durga Maata
Ananda pradayini Durga Maata
Shakti Pradayini Durga Maata
Mukti pradayini Durga Maata
Durga Maata (3)

  Durgati Naashini, Durjana Naashini, Shanti Pradiyini, shakti pradayini. Most importantly the Mother who enlightens the self in us transforming us into the state of “Swa Ananda Truptaya” the state of eternal joy, may such a mothers grace be on you all.

  I conclude this discourse with heart felt prayer to the Mother that you and your families always be happy and be more and more prosperous. May your homes be an abode of peace. May the world be an abode of peace.

  Divine blessings to all.