Part 2: Glimpses of Avatar Leela - Autobiography of The Avatar Volume 1
It was My grandfather who taught Me the spiritual routine. He is the one solely responsible for whatever revival I am doing through deity worship today.
I had the good fortune to sit with him during his daily puja. He had a beautiful family of deities: Mahadeva, Devi, Ganesha, and two or three other deities, like a small deity of Subramanya, Surya and Nandi - the Shiva Panchaayatana (the 'five supports' or five deities worshiped as part of Shiva worship). He also had Vishnu, Ranganatha and Venkateshwara (deities from the Vaishnava tradition). Venkateshwara was also our family deity. So, all of them were there!
He would do his puja in very relaxed way, spending a lot of time, not in a hurry. He spent his time washing and cleaning the deities, clothing them, putting jewels on them, applying sandalwood paste, and offering flowers or a bael leaf, and then the naivedyam He did this elaborately, in a very relaxed way. And he would do long rituals – eleven times super-brain yoga for Ganesha and eleven times for Shiva. When he finished with each deity, I would move that deity from this side to the other for accounting purposes - signifying that he is done with that deity!
After puja, he would pick up the key, seeking the deity's permission, and then go to his shop. Every time he took major decisions, or left the house for even a small action like going to the local temple, he would take the permission of the deity first. Once he came back, he would wash his feet, except when he was coming back from the temple. He would go to the shrine again where the family deities were kept, do namaskar, respond to them, or report to them what he had done; only then he would continue with his other activities.
For around eighty-two years, not a single day he missed his morning puja. I don't know whether he had the idea of enlightenment or anything, but his sincerity - such an amazing sincerity - has gone into My head. That has gone into My system. I tell you: just this one seed back then! I remember, unless I sat with him for the morning puja, I would not feel that day is going smoothly. And if anything happened - if I lost My pencil or pen - I would think, "Oh, today I did not attend the puja!" So that was My life - and after some time, because the very inner self was enjoying it, it became such a big joy. I tell you: it is from him that I learnt the uninterrupted spiritual routine. I am so happy that he did it till the day he died.
He literally did not even cross the district border in his lifetime, except for a few pilgrimages. When he was in his late eighties, he came to Bangalore to see our ashram. He himself used to say that after Kashi and Rameshwaram, he stepped out of Tiruvannamalai only to come to Bangalore.
MY GRAND FATHER At a temple function
MY GRANDFATHER'S RICE SHOP
The Avatar remembers spending many of His most joyful childhood moments with His grandfather. From the morning puja to the time He went to bed, He would be around him. Even when His grandfather went to his shop, he would take his beloved grandson with him, where He witnessed all the negotiations that went on. His grandfather was an example of a highly integrated and ethical businessman. Finally, when they wrapped up for the day, His grandfather would take Him home, feed Him dinner and put Him to bed. In their home, they even had a beautiful routine of chanting from the scriptures before resting for the night.
With the sincerity and discipline instilled in Him by His grandfather, the little Avatar began His own daily and immensely fulfilling personal worship. From the tender age of three, He started to perform puja for every one of His deities. They each had their own abhishekam (sacred bath), their own vastram (clothes) and abharanam (jewelry). He reveals that He never once felt that the deity was just a stone!
MY GRANDFATHER'S DEITIES, The circled ones are what he gave me. The rest I collected.
My grandfather's spiritual routine became Mine
From the time I can remember, from the moment I started thinking, I have enjoyed this ritualistic worship so much. Understand: I never thought - not only logically, even unconsciously - that deities are just representations of God. I always felt that they are alive! I never ever thought that I am doing this as a technique for enlightenment, or that it is a great thing. Sadashiva saved Me! Fortunately, at that time I did not know about enlightenment! So I did not develop the logic that I am doing the rituals and puja everyday so that God will give Me enlightenment one day. That foolish nonsense was not in My head. All I knew was: here is a deity that I have to take care of. That's all. Here is God; I have to attend to Him - over!
He gifted Me deities!
These are the few deities My grandfather gifted Me:
There are two Shiva lingas - one green, another small one in metal; I think it is panchaloha (an amalgam of five metals).
The green one was gifted to Me by My grandfather.
The deity of Annapurani, he brought from Kashi. When he went on a pilgrimage to Kashi, he bought that deity and gifted it to Me.
All these deities are still with Me.
Ganesha was My first deity.
On My third birthday, My father and grandfather were both carrying Me to the temple. In villages, they will carry the kid on the shoulder or on the chest. Usually My grandfather would carry Me to the temple. On that day, because it was My birthday, My father also came along. (When I say 'grandfather', I mean My mother's father. My father's father passed away even before My father's marriage. Of course, in Bharat, you usually get kids after marriage! I wanted to clarify that it would usually be that way!)
Even though My grandfather was a very devoted person, he was a miser! He would not spend money. So, many times, when My grandfather carried Me to the temple, I would show the shops outside the temple where they sold small Ganesha deities. I would point with My hand and say, "I want Ganesha, I want Ganesha." That day, My father was also there. My father was not a great devotee, but he was a spendthrift! The moment I asked, he said, "Come on, I will buy and give you!" He would spend money left and right, and a lot of spending for pride also, just to show, "See how well I treat people!" So he bought and gave Me the Ganesha!
I started giving satsangs even before the age of three! When My grandfather took Me to the temple, I heard some preachers and priests reciting a story. I came back and repeated it verbatim! The Ganesha deity was given to Me by My father because I narrated the whole story of Shiva and Ganesha.
GANESHA – MY FIRST DEITY This is the Ganesha that ate the food I served! This Ganesha is part of my personal puja altar even today