Loving Ganesha: Chapter 3 (Section 2) - Ganesha's Five Powers--Shri Ganeshasya Panchashatayah

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Namaste all,

 

Here is the second section of chapter three of Loving Ganesha, found at

http://www.himalayanacademy.com/books/lg/lg_ch-03.html

 

Om Shanti,

 

Neil

 

The Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Shaktis

You may be wondering what lies beyond these first five vibratory rates. Three

more shaktis are yet to be unfolded, which we shall do here but briefly.

The sixth shakti, entrusted to Lord Murugan, is that of raja yoga, the awakening

of the kundalini, which should never be attempted until the first five vibratory

rates of the Lord have been maintained and are a natural part of one's life. The

sixth shakti is only felt in yogic meditation, when the crown of the head

becomes the temple -- the high-pitched "eee" tone ringing within it like a

temple bell, and the kundalini awakened, the camphor light aglow. The yogi thus

locked in his own yoke finds himself seated on the fifth shakti, supported by

the lotus petals of the other four. In his state of yoga, he then merges into

jnana; and answers to his deepest philosophical questions come crystal clear as

the seventh shakti penetrates the akashic ether of his mind.

The seventh shakti is the great ray of the giving forth of spiritual teachings

from the brink of the Absolute, at which point Lord Siva and His son Lord

Murugan merge. This great shakti is held by the rishis and the saints of our

religion. Lord Murugan Himself is the preceptor of all of our religion. The

seventh and eighth shaktis are the Siva-Shakti, the great dance of creation,

the eighth being that outpouring power

felt when mind collects itself when it comes out of the Self, the Absolute, and

then forms into manifest knowledge: the seventh shakti.

We shall not concern ourselves now with the sixth, seventh or eighth shaktis,

for we are to meditate on and bring through the rays of the first five shaktis

through the worship of Lord Ganesha. These five shaktis form the basis for all

of the religions in the world, though usually not in their entirety. What we

call Ganesha worship today is actually the age-old religious pattern performed

through eons of time and is found in some form in each of the eleven religions

of the world and in the multitudes of faiths. The height of religious

experience in many religions is to uphold these five shaktis for society to

survive and flourish. And this is basically the extent of most of the world's

religions; for once religion is secured in one's life, raja yoga -- finding the

temple within, going into that temple, merging within the sanctum sanctorum with

the Supreme Lord Himself, the father of the great God Ganesha -- is the next and

most natural unfoldment.

The Hindu who takes such steps into the realms of Lord Murugan, God of all yoga,

son of Siva, can rely upon the firm foundation of the first five shaktis, which

are maintained within him through his personal association with Lord Ganesha.

Thus, if he falters in his practice of yoga, he does not fall into an abyss.

One who does not have the five shaktis firmly established in life should not

perform the more rigorous yogas, lest he awaken and invoke the asuric,

antagonistic forces of the lower worlds which have the power to counteract and

nullify all of one's previous positive efforts.

Sealing off the Lower Realms

The higher one climbs toward the summit of Truth, the deeper the abyss that lies

below, should he stumble and fall from the path. What happens when seekers on

the path lapse and detour into lower worlds of contemptuous behavior toward

themselves as well as others? Low self-esteem, loneliness, fear, unfounded

guilt and remorse all are symptoms of the abyss of consciousness so feared by

devas and humans alike, and described in scripture and protected against by

spiritual preceptors. It is plain to see that the doors of the chakras below

the muladhara must be firmly closed, sealed off, before serious yoga practice

is sought for or performed.

The Five-Fold Abyss

What is the abyss? It is the way of adharma and the fate of those who neglect

religious practices or fall from any vows they may have taken along the way.

There are five abysses, and they are the exact opposites in vibration to the

first five shaktis so carefully guarded by Lord Ganesha.

THE FIRST ABYSS

The first abyss is inharmonious conditions within the home, fighting and

squabbling among those who are near and dear to each other. This makes strong

samskaras, or scars, in the subconscious mind and begins to create a

subconscious that opposes any kind of furtherance of religious life. The first,

therefore, is the deepest abyss and the most difficult to rise out of.

THE SECOND ABYSS

The second abyss is inharmonious conditions and misunderstandings -- allowed to

exist without apology, recompense or forgiveness -- between acquaintances,

friends and relatives not living in the immediate home. It is easier to scale

the walls of this abyss; it takes a little humility to do so, some

understanding and kindness. Lord Ganesha is expert in retrieving souls who

invoke His guidance, for He is a Mahadeva who could well be called the master

of the conscious and subconscious states of mind. Therefore, Hindus go to Him

in all worldly matters. This asuric force, propelled by entities of the lower

astral, is one which stimulates deteriorating gossip about family and social

relationships outside the home. It could cause a wife to speak ill of her

husband to a neighbor. It would provoke the spreading of lies about an

individual to ostracize him or her from the community or social set.

THE THIRD ABYSS

The third abyss is that of worry and trouble. The courts of law handle this one,

the collection agencies -- and displeased customers. Lack of courtesy in

business affairs, the borrowing and the lending of money all together throw

their power into making a luscious, comfortable, luxurious abyss of

inharmonious conditions within the business world. This asuric force stimulates

dishonest business dealings, taking advantage of goodwill and trust an

establishment has extended. Not honoring commitments when expected is the

devilish force that antagonizes. This force also separates people through

misunderstanding, causing them to dislike one another. Many people live in this

abyss throughout their entire life. It is a welcoming capacious pit that the

gravity of desire constantly leads one into. There are many asuric people

within it to torture as they entertain. However, an escape is available even

from this abyss through the careful handling of one's business affairs and

consistent religious practice, seeking the help of Lord Ganesha all the way.

Within each of these first three pits are asuric people on the lower astral

plane who aid in distressing the dreams at night; and the vibration within

these three abysses is terrible.

THE FOURTH ABYSS

The fourth abyss is a most treacherous one; and even though some may have

avoided falling in the first three, they may still find themselves in this one,

turning their back on culture, scholarship, serious literature and philosophy,

despising, music, art, drama and the dance, ridiculing religious people and

their practices, content with the libertine, dull, drab life of material

things. Sloth and conceit are found here, along with the smug attitudes of

those that have the first three shaktis well under control. Here their

intellect is God to them; here money is God to them. The reliance on intellect

and wealth within this abyss makes it difficult to perceive that someone is

there. But being graced with an educated intellect and/or wealth, and perhaps a

shallow religious nature, void of deep, heartfelt understanding, the lack of

creativity, refined sensibilities and love of God is the key to knowing that,

indeed, the fourth abyss lays claim to the soul. This abyss of worldliness

could well become the constant fulfillment of desires, one after another, only

for the sake of desires and their fulfillment.

This asuric force and its representatives on the inner and outer planes,

spiritual anacharists and, worse, mercenary terrorists with no desire for a

better society, bring the breakdown of religiousness, art, culture and the

heritage of the past. In the inner worlds these are well-trained entities,

intelligent beings skilled in the black arts, conspiring with human

counterparts on the physical plane to bring down the nature of humanity to a

base level. They have dedicated themselves to destruction for destruction's

sake. If you enter into this abyss and the others, you come under their control

and become their pupils. This power breeds promiscuity between the sexes and

drains the life of man, bringing him firmly into his animal nature, resulting

in loss of conscience. When he loses conscience, he no longer suffers remorse

or repents for his misdeeds; and hence an asuric culture is born for the many

who participate in it. Ancestry is forgotten and the ways of the past are put

down, as no one has time to cultivate the refinement and the arts of yesterday,

bringing them into today to preserve them for tomorrow.

THE FIFTH ABYSS

The fifth abyss is the dismal condition one experiences when devoid of the

childlike spontaneity of spiritual giving, worship and religous service. When

this abyss grips and shrouds the soul, it disables him from spontaneous

participation in all kinds of religious festivals and events as the

opportunities present themselves around the years. The negative vibration felt

by the person who feels nothing when he goes to the temple, sees the Deity as a

piece of stone or metal, who observes and faults those around him, is as

powerful a feeling as that felt by the devotee standing next to him who is

moved to tears because of his love of God -- this is the mystery of the fifth

shakti and its corresponding enshrouding abyss.

Consciously Tuning into the Five Shaktis

To bring religion into one's life requires the worship of Lord Ganesha and the

daily tuning into these five great shaktis. This worship brings harmony to our

home, to our relatives and friends and to business associates. It brings

culture, creativity and religion into our life. All this is crowned by such a

heartfelt love of God that we can then give forth. We are allowed to perform

charities and, in overflowing abundance, prepare the religious edifices for the

next generation. This is what our daily pujas and meditation, our pilgrimages

and other religious practices serve to manifest in our lives.

The Five Shaktis of Lord GaneshaA Reverent Doxology by a Saiva Acharya

Loving Ganesha! Dear to Siva's men,Within whose form the world of form

resides,Who earned the mango by a ponderous kenAnd made the moon to wax and

wane in tides.

Aum Ganesha! Loved by saints and sages,Whose skillful arms five potent shaktis

wieldTo guide men now as in forgotten ages --The seeker's shield, the farmer's

fertile field.

Aum! Ganesha's first shakti is home life,Protection, harmony, fertility

--Respect becomes the man, as love the wife,Obedience their cherished

offspring's glee.

Aum! Ganesha's second shakti's -- family --By blood, by marriage and

proximity.Word and thought controlled, like minds agree,While faithful friends

preserve community.

Aum! Ganesha's third shakti's the market,Where commerce earns the earth

stability,Where forthright, selfless merchants, free from debt,Conceive,

produce, exchange prosperity.

Aum! Ganesha's fourth shakti brings culture --Refined expression, graceful

artistryIn music, dance, in poetry and sculptureOr common conduct performed

consciously.

Aum! Ganesha's fifth shakti is dharma Fair merit found in virtue's charity

--Where love of God does conquer ancient karma And Siva's slaves earn grace's

rarity.

Jaya Ganesha! Come, our hearts protectFrom discord in the home, from strife with

friend,From business misfortune, from art's neglect,From soul's dark night --

these griefs asuric end.

 

 

 

Loving Ganesha by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

 

Web sites: http://www.hindu.org/ & http://www.himalayanacademy.com/

email: contact (AT) hindu (DOT) org

Himalayan Academy Kauai's Hindu Monastery107 Kaholalele RoadKapaa, HI 96746-9304

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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