Swamiji's Message on the ocassion of Navarathri & Vijayadashami
Mahalaya Amavasya - October 15th
Navarathri & Vijaya Dashami: October 16th - October 24th 2012
My Divine blessings to all on the occasion of Navarathri & Vijaya Dashami.
Before the Navarathri, the fortnight of Mahalaya Paksha is the time for us to offer respect to our ancestors (Pitru Devatas). There is a great need to pay our gratitude to our parents, grandparents and others who have given us this body and are responsible for our existence, and seek their blessings. Just as we pay rent to the house owner if we live in a house, so also since we are using the body given by our parents and ancestors we have to pay rent in the form of service to them if they are living and in the form of respect if they are not alive, serving the ancestors with “shradha” is what is needed, and hence the word Shrardha. One should offer shrardha to the deceased ancestors on the specific date of the mahalaya paksha corresponding to the date of the deceased one or on the Mahalaya Amavasya day(October 15th 2012).
Before we receive the divine power during Navarathri, it is our duty to pay respect to our ancestors, so we observe the Mahalaya paksha to become competent to receive the Divine Energy.
I whole heartedly desire on this Vijaya Dashami that the entire humanity should be blessed with the two victories namely Love & peace. I convey My Blessings for your victory in all endeavors.
The victory of Divine forces over the demonic forces is what Vijaya Dashami is all about. Fighting those demonic forces which harm the society, cause turmoil in the society and cause pain to the humanity and bring peace to the society and to bring about love, kindness and compassion in the society is the aim of the Navarathri festival and Vijaya Dashami.
That Divine Mother, whom we have given a form, is in reality the Divine power, the all pervading Universal Cosmo electric power that has created the universe and sustains it, and also destroys those forces that are trying to harm this universe. This power we call Adi Parashakti is the unified power, of the power of Will (Ichha Shakti), power of knowledge (Gyana shakti) and power of Action (Kriya shakti) which transmits a part of itself in every human being and strengthens the person, especially she endows the righteous person with much strength and through that person accomplishes the task she has to accomplish.
This entire infinite Universe made up of infinite nebulas and solar systems, was at one time a single point. Due to Divine will, first the primordial sound OM emanated, and immediately came the power of Will (Lakshmi), followed by power of Knowledge (Saraswati) and immediately followed by power of Action (Parvathi) and this entire Universe came into existence. This is the real truth and even scientists accept it as the Big Bang theory and the ancient Rishies have been propounding it. If you observe the infinite universe you will be surprised. If we go up and look at the earth we live on, it will appear as a planet, and there are many such planets going around the sun, the solar system is a part of the nebula and there are many such solar systems. The whole of this universe is being governed by the Cosmo electromagnetic power, which we call Adi Parashakti out of devotion, and scientists call it the universal power. This universe is really infinite. If this infinite divine universal power has to do good through a human form, then it has to make that person powerful, and through the person sees that there is righteousness and goodness in the society. During this Navarathri, this Mother takes different forms and kills the demons Chanda and Munda and Mahishasura and we worship her as Mahishasura Mardhini.
The celebration of Navarathri is to destroy the animal instinct and demonic nature in us and awakens the Divine power that is hidden in us, and leads us from humanity to divinity, and this is the aim and goal of Shakti worship.
Though we observe Navarathri for nine days, in reality we have to worship Shakti from Padyami of Aswija Month to Poornima, for fifteen days. The divine power has sixteen kalas (Facets), so on each day we have to worship these sixteen facets and through proper worship endow ourselves with these kalas, and enlighten the divine power in us; this is the method of the Shakti worship. From Padyami to Poornima, we have to worship one kala on each day, and on the Poornima we have to worship the 16th kala, and make the 16 kalas our own. On the midnight of Poornima, we have to receive the sushmna ray, the 16th kala which comes from the moon into our body and strengthen ourselves. We have three nerve currents in the spinal cord our body, the ida, pingala and sushmanna. From the sushmana nerve, the kundalini power goes up when it is enlightened, the aim of the sushmanna nerve is to pull that sushumna ray from the mooladhara to the sahasraram in the head. The rays from the other planets are pulled into our body through the sahasraram which acts as a dish, and we transform into an embodiment of power. This is the philosophy of Shakti worship and goal of the Navarathri worship. The methods of worship may be different, forms may be different, names may be different but the aim and goal is the same, to transform us into centers of power and journey from humanity to divinity and transform ourselves into embodiments of divinity, to transform our normal body to a cosmic body, in other words transform man into God. This is the real truth.
Body is the temple, and heart is the altar of the Lord. This body is the boon bestowed on us by the Lord to put it to proper use and do something good. “Sareera madhyam, khalu dharma sadhanam”. This body is an instrument given to us by the Lord to do our duty in this world. So use the body properly. Realize the truth that this body and mind are gift of the Lord and remember the proclamation of Sanaatana Dharma namely “Deho Devalaya Prokthaha” i.e. Body is the temple of the Lord, and “jeeva bhootha sanaatana” i.e the jeeva in this body is the Lord, and put this body to proper use and march forward putting these proclamations into practice, thereby transform into embodiments of love and peace and reach a state where you move from mortality to immortality, move from darkness to light, from untruth to truth, and transform into embodiments of divine power. This is the goal of the Navarathri.
I wish that this Vijayadashami bestows peace and happiness to the whole humanity. I bless all the people to unite and work towards making the nation an ideal nation. May you be victorious.
My Divine Blessings to all on the ocassion of Navarathri and Vijaya Dashami.
Sri Sri Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee Maharaj
Mahatma Gandhi Jayanthi : October 2nd 2012
Picture taken during
Gandhi Jayanthi Celebrations at Naperville Public Library in Naperville, IL on October 2nd 2010
(Seen in the picture with Swamiji is Illinois Secretary of State Mr. Jesse White)
My Hearty divine Blessings to all on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi.
In today’s turbulent world when we don't know what will happen any instance it is only Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of Nonviolence that will bring about peace and harmony. Mahatma Gandhi was an embodiment of love and tolerance who forgave the person who killed him and always with Lord Rama’s name in his heart and mind he marched forward in his life.
There is a great need for politicians to follow Gandhiji’s principles to make this world an abode of peace. Many leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Obama, and Clinton have said that Gandhiji has been a great influence on their lives. Gandhiji believed in equality for all people and proved that a country can prosper only if the villages are developed and he worked towards this and this is what the leaders of today should think about and work towards developing the villages and bringing about equality in society.
Inspired by Gandhiji's principles today there are statues of Gandhiji even in the United States in the University of North Florida, Jacksonville. There is a life size statue of Mahatma Gandhi installed in Heritage Park in Skokie, Illinois and there are peacemaking conferences like The Gandhi-King Conference on Peacemaking which is held annually in Memphis, TN which brings together modern visionaries on nonviolence and social change with community leaders, activists, academics and organizers to train, learn, plan and organize to create a culture of liberation and justice for all as emphasised by Mahatma Gandhi.
The real tribute we can offer to ‘Mahatma Gandhi the Father of the Nation’on His Birthday is following his principles of non-violence and truth and imbibe his quality of patience and tolerance, and work unitedly to make this worlld and earth an abode of peace.
Sri Sri Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee Maharaj