New Group Photo: Galaxy M104

[Guest guest]

A beautiful and awesome photo, yes; but what has it to do with

Shakti Sadhana? The short answer is that it's easy to repeat, "Devi

is All That Is" -- but it's truly a mindblowing exercise (not to

mention a life's work) to even begin comprehending what that really

means. And you should try it. A photo like this, detailing just one

of a billion specks in the night-time sky, might get the wheels

turning, might spark your imagination.

 

When installing a deity, we are taught, the Tantrika "sits in

meditation in front of the deity, and imagines the cosmos to the

very end of all the galaxies. And then you slowly reduce the

Universe to your own galaxy; a sort of folding inward. Then the

galaxy is reduced to the solar system and thence to earth and thence

to the country and thence to the immediate environs of the place of

the temple, thence to the boundary of the temple and thence to the

sanctum sanctorum; and thence to the Kundalini in the mooladhara of

the installer. There it is visualised as a flame inside a lotus. ...

Then you reinstall the fame in the installer's heart chakra, and it

goes back to the mooladhara, and then the Universe flame is taken

out and re-expanded to the very edges of the Universe."

 

As Guruji, Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswati (ID "devipuram" in this

Group), wrote during this Navratri, 2003, "What beauty, what

perfection, what harmony, what richness! I saw her bright form, I

saw her dark form. Pastel shades, and dark hues. Infinite variety

tapestry of beauty upon beauty expressing in excellence, in

perfection. Vector graphic faces in the most beautiful colours from

every culture, every time. Perfection personified. Crystals, facets,

jewels, rainbow colors, vying with each other to come, display their

fashion, show and vanish. Fleeting instances of glory. ... What is

the way to such a blissful experience of mother? Surrender to

silence and keep aspiration alive in you. That is the way. A

constant commitment to beauty. Unletting dedication to truth and

loving all. These are some of the ways."

 

To illustrate, Guruji prepared this visualization -- you will need

to install Shockwave to see it. But I hope you will try it. And I

hope you will find it useful:

 

http://www.vi1.org/amrita/mmedia/Panchadasi.dcr

 

Aum Maatangyai Namahe

[Guest guest]

Namaskar,

 

Thank you, DB, that's amazing. As soon as I saw the new picture I

looked for a corresponding post, knowing the fascinating connection

between the vastness of the Goddess and the incredible beauty of the

forms of the universe...and visa versa.

 

In that flash presentation, which form of Devi is that? Is She

Saraswati?

 

Thank you again for bringing this marvelous view to our attention.

 

Blessings,

 

pr

 

, "Devi Bhakta"

<devi_bhakta> wrote:

> A beautiful and awesome photo, yes; but what has it to do with

> Shakti Sadhana? The short answer is that it's easy to repeat, "Devi

> is All That Is" -- but it's truly a mindblowing exercise (not to

> mention a life's work) to even begin comprehending what that really

> means. And you should try it. A photo like this, detailing just one

> of a billion specks in the night-time sky, might get the wheels

> turning, might spark your imagination.

>

> When installing a deity, we are taught, the Tantrika "sits in

> meditation in front of the deity, and imagines the cosmos to the

> very end of all the galaxies. And then you slowly reduce the

> Universe to your own galaxy; a sort of folding inward. Then the

> galaxy is reduced to the solar system and thence to earth and

thence

> to the country and thence to the immediate environs of the place of

> the temple, thence to the boundary of the temple and thence to the

> sanctum sanctorum; and thence to the Kundalini in the mooladhara of

> the installer. There it is visualised as a flame inside a

lotus. ...

> Then you reinstall the fame in the installer's heart chakra, and it

> goes back to the mooladhara, and then the Universe flame is taken

> out and re-expanded to the very edges of the Universe."

>

> As Guruji, Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswati (ID "devipuram" in this

> Group), wrote during this Navratri, 2003, "What beauty, what

> perfection, what harmony, what richness! I saw her bright form, I

> saw her dark form. Pastel shades, and dark hues. Infinite variety

> tapestry of beauty upon beauty expressing in excellence, in

> perfection. Vector graphic faces in the most beautiful colours from

> every culture, every time. Perfection personified. Crystals,

facets,

> jewels, rainbow colors, vying with each other to come, display

their

> fashion, show and vanish. Fleeting instances of glory. ... What is

> the way to such a blissful experience of mother? Surrender to

> silence and keep aspiration alive in you. That is the way. A

> constant commitment to beauty. Unletting dedication to truth and

> loving all. These are some of the ways."

>

> To illustrate, Guruji prepared this visualization -- you will need

> to install Shockwave to see it. But I hope you will try it. And I

> hope you will find it useful:

>

> http://www.vi1.org/amrita/mmedia/Panchadasi.dcr

>

> Aum Maatangyai Namahe

[Guest guest]

Namaskar Prainbow:

 

Thanks for the note. I'm glad you liked the Hubble photo; these ACS

shots that started coming in this year are really too amazing for

words -- they knock the wind out of me. Beyond their obvious beauty

and scientific interest, the images strike me as deeply spiritual. I

read all of these handwringing essays by very smart people,

ruminating on how science and religion can possibly be reconciled ...

and yet, each new scientific discovery, from the latest developments

in quantum physics to these Hubble photos, act as proof of the

ancient Tantras -- which have always said "test it for yourself"

rather than "shut up and believe."

 

*** In that flash presentation, which form of Devi is that? Is She

Saraswati? ***

 

That's Panchadasi, the "thirty-something" aspect of Lalita

Tripurasundari, who is the Mahadevi (Great Goddess) of Srividya.

Lalita Herself is said to be 16 (thus Her alternate name, Shodashi,

which is simply Sanskrit for "16"); Bala is Her child form. The

figure shown in the Flash presentation is the one installed at

Devipuram; it is meant to illustrate the prescribed meaning and

visualization that accompany the powerful Panchadasi mantra that you

hear chanted as the presentation unfolds.

 

Thanks again for your kind words. If you like the Hubble shoys be

sure to bookmark http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/ and visit

frequently. Talk about perspective.

 

Aum Maatangyai Namahe