Leela of ਕੇਣ ਹੋਰ ਹੈ। ਹਵਾਲੇ
Chapter 3
What happens in the multiverse most often goes unnoticed by our meager human eyes. Planets collide into each other. A loophole from one dimension to the other suddenly opens. A gigantic star implodes and creates an enormous gravitational pull, sucking any matter that surrounds it into its depths. These cosmic happenings only show up on our radar as a microscopic blink - and what's more, we only come to know about them thousands, or perhaps millions, of years after they take place. It is only by chance that we even realize that somewhere, something phenomenal has actually happened. Then, just for one chilling moment, we grasp the enormity of this grand universe.
The happening of The Avatar on planet Earth is such an event - except that it is a million, trillion, times more impactful and meaningful for the universe. While a black hole emerging might be irrelevant in the grand scheme of our lives, the advent of The Avatar is directly relevant to every single form of life. Through the eleven dimensions, the Cosmos itself, the pure Consciousness, accepts a human body to interact with the most advanced form of life, and raise life itself to the next level.
Therefore, the moment of recognition of this grand event is proportionally more profound. The beings who understand the significance of The Avatar buzz with excitement. Bhudevi, Mother Earth herself, rejoices that the feet of her beloved Father, from whom she came, are gracing her surface.
All of life that understands the Happening, relishes this momentous occasion, and vibrates with the single sentiment that The Avatar Himself reverberates with upon His arrival on Planet Earth:
Celebrate!
Worship 'through' the deity
In Hinduism, we have over three crore (thirty million) deities that have a history and following of their own. On a daily basis, they are worshipped in temples all over Bharat. Every family and every community has a separate deity that has been worshipped for generations. Every concept, every theory, every energy has a deity. For example, each of the nine planets has its own presiding deity, as well as each of the constellations. Hinduism is a religion that recognizes the divinity in everything on planet Earth. Even the milestones placed on highways by the British in Bharat during the 1800s were worshipped as Shiva lingas (symbolic forms of the Hindu God, Shiva) in the rural parts of Bharat, and decorated with traditional qarments and turmeric paste!
The concept of many gods unique to the Vedic tradition stems from this view that everything in the world, including oneself, is a worthy vessel for the Divine energy. To commune directly with the energy is not easy for the average human mind, but to connect to it through a beloved form is a joy for the devotee. The thirty million deities that make up the Hindu pantheon of gods symbolize this very idea: that the Divine can be worshipped and attained through any desired form. When the Hindu worships his ishta devata – chosen deity - he is not worshipping the idol itself; rather, he is in direct communion with the Divine energy expressing through that idol - a subtle truth that many miss, and therefore condemn the worship of idols in the Vedic tradition.
Hinduism is an inclusive religion, open to all who walk in; there is no exclusivity of beliefs in Hindu philosophy. It is a journey of inclusive acceptance, not a destination of exclusive belief. There is a plethora of deities, but if we don't find one we connect with, we are welcome to create our own. Whatever we feel as God, we can build a temple for it!
Jeeva, agat, Ishvara
The concepts of jeeva, jagat and Ishvara play a role in deity worship as well. While the jeeva remains, you, 'the self', Ishvara is what you want to become - God. Jagat - the world - is how you will make what you want into reality. These concepts recognize the natural inner ambition that we feel to expand, grow and become our highest reality. When we worship Sadashiva (Lord Shiva), we accept that He is our highest reality. He is what we want to become. Since the beginning, in order to fulfill this ambition, we created temples and templebased maintain describes, to the Arunachaleshwara Temple and environment, the citizens formed sixteen communities, each community taking one responsibility through which their connection to the Divine thrived. In the same way, people gravitated toward temples all over Bharat and created a beautiful civilization that was engineered for enlightenment right from the beginning.
Deities, therefore, are integral to the Hindu lifestyle. Our enlightened Gurus and Avatars who continue to happen in Bharat energize deities through a process called prana pratishta. While priests can conduct only the 'mantra pratishta' energizing deities through the chanting of mantras (sacred verses), only enlightened beings can perform the prana pratishta, which literally means 'infusing life breath into the deity'. In the biggest temples, all over Bharat, it was always only an enlightened being who installed the energy in that temple. Temples are monuments of spiritual liberation, and among the ultimate a achievements Hindus accomplished as a result of eons of journeyinq within.
The energies of an ordinary human being get exhausted whenever they are repeatedly expressed. For example, grief or joy exhausts itself when expressed through tears; pitta (the fire element in the body) exhausts itself through anger; lust exhausts itself through the sex act; the power of speech exhausts itself in the very saliva, the moment words are uttered. All these energies of expression become exhausted as soon as one uses them.
But an Avatar's energy of expression cannot be exhausted through any of these means - or any means - because He is the inexhaustible Source of energy in human form. That is why He is the ultimate being fit to perform prana pratishta. Only a being who can function without the help of his body is capable of creating a true sanctum: one that will bless, heal and manifest miracles in exactly the way he does. Because
Avatars do not need a body to execute their work, they can continue to do the things they do, even after they leave their physical body. The sanctums and deities created and energized by them radiate inexhaustible energy, which nurtures everybody who seeks it.
Once the prana pratishta has been performed, the deity is a living, independent intelligence; not stone, five-metal, or marble. The deities are living, like human beings; only more so! Therefore, when we offer puja, abhisheka (sacred bath) or conduct the marriages of deities, we are not worshipping mere stone: We are worshipping 'through' the stone worshipping the Cosmic energy that exists beyond it. The deity is a beautiful way to connect to that energy, and create a sweet divine space inside us called bhaava samadhi. Devotion is this sweet space that is alive and develops between you and the deity.
There are thousands of miracles which show that this process is not simply a sacred sentiment; it is scientific and real. Deities are living entities who talk, eat and respond just like we do. Ganesha drinks milk in temples all over the world. Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain accepts your offering of alcohol by drinking it when you keep it near his mouth. In Udupi, Krishna turns his entire body in order to give darshan to a sincere devotee. Devi reduces her height so that she will fit through the wooden door when the priests take her out of the garba mandir (sanctum sanctorum). You can hear the anklets of Devi Meenakshi in Madurai and the anklets of Nataraja in Chidambaram!
As THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says, "Puja is the ultimate shaktipada process." Shaktipada is an energy-filled space of Oneness that you experience with the cosmos through a physical form, either with the form of your Guru or a deity. Ultimately, your prayers and worship are not a bargaining method with the Divine. Even when you pray, you need to recognize and celebrate the fact that you are divine.
We are all divine. We are all the expression of the universal energy.
Whether or not you accept Hinduism as your faith, the truth is that divinity is your true nature. We manifest our reality out of the cognitions that we have about ourselves, the world around us, and life in general. Whether you manifest a lower reality or the ultimate reality of being Sadashiva: you are the Ultimate, because it is YOU who manifest, and not because of what you manifest.
In the Agamas, as revealed by Sadashiva Himself, practice is the key. As we saw before, The Avatar compares the Veda-Agamas to an electric circuit: you cannot understand the electric circuit just by the on-off switch. It is convenient when the on-off switch is working, but what happens when it is not? You must know the entire electric circuit. In the same way, we must practice everything prescribed by Sadashiva in the Agamas, so that we can experience Oneness and shaktipada with him. Puja and worship is that entire circuit. Following yogic practices, offering puja, listening to the great truths in Hindu scriptures and living them with integrity all of these are daily disciplines that Sadashiva reveals as necessary for enlightenment. This, in essence, is why we offer deity worship.
The devotion that is a result of this, is the perfect gift from the Divine. Devotion blossoms like a flower from within, and from the flower, nectar oozes. It is sweetness multifold. By chanting the words that invoke Sadashiva and merging with the energy of Sadashiva ourselves, puja is offered to the Divine from this space of Oneness. It is the ultimate process that starts our whole day off in bliss.
The right foundation
It is with this foundation in His very blood and ancestry that THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM began His life on planet Earth. Puja, deity worship and devotion to Sadashiva were the pillars on which Bhagavan built His whole life, setting an example for the entire civilization of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM Yogis that was to come after Him.
From the time He remembers His life on the planet, Bhagavan remembers being around the temple with deities and puja.
The young Avatar went to the temple every day, riding on His grandfather's shoulders. It was here that He listened to the Hindu Puranas (Hindu narratives of actual happenings in the universe) for the first time. Raju Mudaliar would narrate stories of Prahlada, Markandeya, Nachiketa and Dhruva, child heroes from the Puranas of Hinduism.
It was with the same devotion that Raju Mudaliar performed his puja, and took the young Avatar to the temple every single day. He adored his grandson, and knew that He was no ordinary child. He did not take Him to the temple to teach Him the culture and stories from His heritage. He took Him to the temple because he knew that was where God belonged. Bhagavan remembers these trips fondly even today.
TIRUMANJANA GOPURAM
South-facing temple tower of Arunachaleshwara temple. This is the road we would take to enter the temple going from My grandfather's house
He told Me stories from the temple pillars
When I was just three, My grandfather would carry Me on his shoulders to the Arunachaleshwara Temple. He would take Me around the temple and tell Me all the great epic stories - Puranas. I was fortunate enough to have such an amazing person as My grandfather. I still remember him holding Me on his shoulders. He would take Me to every pillar in the Tiruvannamalai Temple and explain the stories of the figures carved on them. Some of the great stories I heard from his own mouth are: Markandeya, the great Saint Kannappa, Nachiketa and Bhakta Prahlada. I am going to honor all those stone pillars by replicating them in the Bidadi temple, with a statue of My grandfather carrying Me on his shoulder and showing all those and explaining! Thanks to the time he spent with Me, explaining all those beautiful ideals, even before I entered the human society. What an amazing preparation he did!
I still remember: when I went back home, I would have to repeat the whole story to My family. That was the way I was trained as a speaker! Apart from speaking, it was also that these great ideas were getting into My system. Before the age of three I started giving satsangs (discourses)! Now I am revealing to you one of the important truths: never have I read any great Puranas! I would simply start narrating the story! Later on, when I got the chance to read the book, I would see that it is exactly right! Whether it is stories of temples or people, I would simply start telling the story. But later on, when I got the chance to read the book, when I read, it would be exactly the same, verbatim!
He taught consciousness, not conscience I am so happy that I was born in such an atmosphere and brought up with these great ideas. At such a young age, all these great ideas and truths were put inside Me.
Somehow the Eastern society, at least in the villages, not in the cities - the cities can't be called Eastern society - in the villages, you are not given morality; you are given truths. My grandfather used to explain things to Me in detail through the stories. Wheneveryou are made to understand, it doesn't remain as conscience - it becomes part of your being. But when it is given as a rule, it becomes mere conscience.
Today nobody is there to talk to you; you are just given laws straightaway. Mother is busy in the office, father is busy with his job, and you are sitting here with laws, over! So, naturally, you will try to break them. Somehow, I was fortunate. My elders used to tell Me clear stories... what it is, what for it is done... it used to be an inspiration.
Recently, we got a book that I used before My enlightenment, which was there with some of My friends. So many things I have written down in that book! When I read it, I was shocked at how
Tiruvannamalai many people have inspired Me; in how many ways I derived inspiration! Throughout that book, I have not written a single moral. I have written many stories, with only inspiration, never laws. If you receive techniques, it will directly lead to consciousness. If you receive only instructions, it will lead to to conscience. Teachings create conscience; techniques create consciousness.
Today, the whole world is contaminated by the idea that old age is retirement, and you destroy your body and mind with this. I tell you: My grandfather used to have such faith on his own body, mind and consciousness! In his whole life, he was hospitalized only twice. Such a hardworking man! Please understand: your body is actually a mechanism. What you cognize about your body, mind, and you is a mechanism. Whatever you cognize becomes reality. And I have seen the faith he had about himself. I am so thankful to him, because he took care that the idea of sickness never settled inside My system. By seeing him and living around him, health became My basic cognition.
ARUNACHALESHWARA TEMPLE
He had such faith in his own body and mind
He was the only active earning member of the family. He had everything in his hand. But he did not own a car even till his death; such a simple personal life! And till the end, he used to say, "I will go walking and come back walking." Till his last breath, he had everything under his control, and gracefully exited.
I learned how not to 'settle down' in life
My mother's side is highly cultured. My grandfather was such a spiritual man. Even on the day he died (he was in his nineties), he did his puja, went to the hospital and died! I have never seen him miss his puja; cold, cough, family reasons, nothing will make him miss it. He went walking to his office in the morning, and attended to his daily office routine. Till the last day, he had the bunch of keys, meaning the control over the whole organization, which he built from the beginning. He came home from office one Saturday afternoon as usual by walk, felt uneasy and rested. They had to admit him in the hospital. He passed away on Monday. So literally, till the day he died, he attended office!
When I saw My grandfather, My greatgrandmother, all of them, I saw that the concept of 'settling down' never existed for them. It is good that I was brought up by them. Now, these modern-day IT people think, "I will work till forty and then retire. I will make money, buy a flat and a car, and settle down by forty." It means that even while they are studying, acquiring knowledge, the goal is just to acquire some comforts and luxury and drop out! This is the kind of inspiration they have about knowledge and life. Then, their knowledge will be so heavy on them. They will only try to constantly find cunning methods of how to know less and make more money, because the purpose becomes money, wealth, luxury, comfort. The purpose of being active or having knowledge should not be just acquiring some wealth, or luxury or comforts. I am not saying don't acquire. I am only saying that alone should not be the purpose.
He taught Me not just integrity, but charity too My grandfather was a person of such charity. Every night, even if it was one o'clock, two o'clock in the night, only after signing the ledger and completing the accounts of the shop, he would go to bed. I learnt that habit from him. In those days, there was no computer; it was only in the notebook. And the most important thing was - he had a box. On that box, there would be a board called magamabandu. It means, he would put ten percent of his net income in that box every day, and that was kept aside for charity. So when people came asking for donations for any temple function, religious function, temple inauguration or annadaan (free food distribution), based on their expense level, he would give a donation.
Once, I asked him, "What is the use of giving money like this, of giving donations like this?" He said, "The result of giving donations is: more people will come to receive more donations, that's all."
Understand: reward for wealth is more wealth; reward for love is more love; reward for work is more work; reward for charity is more charity opportunities; reward for integrity is more integrity. Cognizing the joy that integrity brings in you, the powerfulness you experience through integrity; cognizing that integrity is the ultimate, will lead to not having blind spots.
KANNI KOVIL STREET Now called Raja Rajan street, this is my grandfather's house street
In anything, whether in your relationship with your body; or your relationship with life; or your relationship with Existence; or your relationship with the ultimate Source; or your relationship with society; or your relationship with humanity and its laws, at every level, cognize integrity as your strategy - be true to the thought current you are living.
He fed the sadhus every day -
My mental setup of giving food to people, I ----got from My grandfather. He would go to the temple every day; search for sadhus (monks) near the temple; bring them home, make them sit down and recite some stotras (devotional songs) or verses from the Puranas, like Shiva Puranam; offer them arati (ceremonial waving of lamps); offer them dakshina (money), then feed them, and only after that, he would eat. He never taught Me anything, but he was such a strong influence on Me!
Once, I caught a guy who had come to our house dressed as a sadhu doing something else during other times. I came home and told My grandfather that he was not a sadhu. My grandfather just said, "Don't bother. Even for that half an hour, if he is wearing all the Shaivite symbols like kumkum (energized processed turmeric) and rudraksha (sacred beads), just give him food. At least for the sake of food, he will remember Shiva, and will be tuned to our tradition. Then slowly, he may become that way permanently!"
In Bharat, if you live like a sadhu, all the basic needs will be fulfilled. That trend should be maintained in the society. I learnt that mental setup from My grandfather. Now that I have the money, thousands of sadhus are given free food in our Aadheenams!
``` I can say one thing for sure: in the whole world, the lifestyle of sharing food freely at no cost exists only in Bharat. It is part of the Vedic tradition, because we are a grain-based civilization. All religious ceremonies include the sharing of prasadam (consecrated food) and sharing food is not just part of social or religious ceremonies; it is a lifestyle.
I grew up in ten houses!
In Hindu villages, you don't grow up in one house; you usually live in ten to twelve houses the houses of relatives, neighbors, friends! For four or five days, you stay in one house, and then for four or five days, you stay in another house! Saturday and Sunday, you stay in another house. That is the way we all grew up and there will not be any particular reason for it! Just like that, I would go to My grandparents' house, and would not come back home for even twenty days! I would just stay there, because My school and everything would be close by.
And I have seen that all those houses would be always open to everyone, whether they are visitors or guests or sadhus or beggars. All the villagers who came on business to the town would straightaway walk into My grandfather's house and have their meal and leave. And it is not as if they would inform My grandfather beforehand about their arrival. If they were coming to town, they knew that in Mudaliar's house, food would be available. And My grandfather or grandmother would not even ask who they were or where they were coming from - nothing! There would be an area allotted specially for guests. If anybody came and sat there, the two or three ladies of the house would first serve them water and then ask, "Have you eaten (lunch or dinner or breakfast)?" And the guest would say, "No, I came here to eat only." So they would bring a banana leaf and start serving them food. It was the regular routine.
In Hindu villages, this was the normal lifestyle. Only when I describe it now, it looks like a big thing. Actually, only when I started traveling outside Bharat and saw the lifestyle in other countries, I even understood that it is such a big thing! I saw that even if it is your own son's house, you have to make two phone calls and confirm that you are coming at such and such a time! I was really shocked.
Sharing food is the most dharmic principle. Research says that the most common past-life causes for morbid obesity are: starvation in one or more past lives that leads to the constant desire to overeat, and fear or guilt from past lives of depriving others of food. Both lead to karma that lands in your system and create the effect of making you overeat. So, sharing food should be a lifestyle in our sangha (spiritual community). In all your houses, the kitchen should be open for anybody who is hungry. It should be a rule.
He lived an enlightened lifestyle
I can tell you, the enlightened lifestyle is much more than enlightenment! I can tell you from My experience - whatever I started living after enlightenment, My grandfather used to live it very casually. I have seen it. Sometimes I look back and think, "God! To live this way it took enlightenment for Me, but My grandfather used to live it so casually!" His idea, his way of thinking, his way of functioning, was so casually centered on this.
MY GRANDFATHER Yellammal and Raju Mudaliar