16 upacAras

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From :-- SrIparasuKAnandanAtha

 

 

date :-- October 17, 2006

 

 

Subject :-- ShODaSOpacara pUjA

 

 

Priya mahASayAh,

 

In my opinion, we must have some understanding, why we should do any

upacArAs in the name of any god or deity.Otherwise it would be

meaningless and, waste of time and energy too. Neither any deity needs

any upacArA nor this drop of water reaches that far off distance. It

can`t be different from the children`s play with his toys. Actions and

speeches without any meaning will become some mad man`s guestures. I

wish to present you the way of my understanding while performing each

of the upacAra.

 

I don’t say, all these are authentic and bear only this meaning. These

are some guidelines for the devotees, by which they will be able to

formulate their own interpretation.

 

For any god or deity, we perform sixteen types of services

(ShODaSOpacAras), viz., 1.dhyAm, 2.asanam, 3.pAdyam,4.arGyam,

5.AcamanIyam, 6.snAnam, 7.vastram, 8.yag~nopavItam 9.gandham 10.

puShpam 11.dhUpam 12.dIpam 13.naivEdyam 14.tambUlam 15.nIrajanam and

16.mantrapuShpam.

 

The meaning, how I interpret for myself is narrated hereunder.

 

 

1. dhyAnam and AvAhanam :-- We meditate upon the deity which in

reality has no form nor any name for it.. But we wish it should have

some form as we imagine it to be, and we also apply a name for it

also. It is a kind of monistic dualism. We know it is none else but

our own self. But we want to see it in a form and in a name according

to our needs and fancies, while being in gr^ihastha Asramam.

 

You are meditating upon your own self which is glowing like a flame of

light, bring it out through your left nostril into some flower in your

hand, put it on the idol you worship every day. The idol after

acquiring your own life force (which is the most dearest for you) is

becoming your most beloved and divine, worthy of receiving any

services from you. You are simultaneously visualizing your own

prANaSakti both in your heart region (hr~idayam) and also out side of

you. In this way you are practicing to see your own self in whole of

the universe. “antar bahisca tat sarvam vyApya nArayaNah sthitah”

 

2. Asanam :-- You are collecting all your senses and blending them

into one concentration with a feeling of “aham brahmAsmi” to install

your dearest deity in it.

 

3. pAdyam :-- This is to wash the dirt on the feet of the deity. The

dirt is nothing but the feeling of difference with god. If we wash

this kind of difference, the deity and your self will become one and

the same. “dEvO BhUtwA dEvam yajEt”, You should not worship any god

without yourself becoming that god.

 

4. arGhyam :-- Water used for washing hands. It is washing out the

past karmas (deeds), and reaching the state of pUrNa Ananda (absolute

bliss) having no wishes or desires, desist of every thing in mind.

 

5. Acamanam :-- This is an act of purification of body and soul. It is

bestowing the divine experience into your mortal soul by acquiring the

knowledge of “SivOham”. you are experiencing your own soul as the self

existent and uninterrupted illumination.

 

6. snAnam :-- This is to create nectarine stream from your brahma

randhra, and make it flow into all of your 72 thousand nAdis, You

should not forget that you are meditating upon your own self which

itself is the “ananta kAla swarUpa paramAtma.

 

7. vastram :-- Enveloped with absolute bliss after the experience of

the flash of the cid rUpa paramAnanda Sakti.

 

8. yag~nOpavItam :-- Visualizing the 24 tattwas having three knots

(grandhis) within yourself. (suShumnA vikAsam)

 

9. Gandham :-- Perception of aroma of the “sat”. The presiding seat of

the olfactory senses is ‘buddhi’ (the intellect). By offering this

gandham (sanda paste) you are mitigating the ‘viShaya jaData’

(obtuseness in recognizing paramAtma).

 

10. puSpam :-- It is just wrapping up and concealing the image of the

idol only to realize that that form is not your target of devotion.

The flower is belonging to “AkASa tattwam”, “Sabda tanmAtra

prakr^itikam”, The intellect is the presiding place for auditory

senses. The god actually requires the flowers bloomed in the sky, not

in the plants. (try to understand it please)

 

11. dhUpam :-- This is used as a drying agent. We have to scorch up

the muddy moisture of our intellect, otherwise called ‘avidya’. dhUpam

is sparSa tanmAtra prakr^itikam (touch sense), The presiding place of

this also is intellect.

 

12. dIpam :-- “cakSuradhyAtmam draShtavyam adhiBhUtam Adityas tatrAdhi

daivatam”. God does not need any artificial light. It is only for us

to see god who resides inside of us and not out side. The viewer is

yourself, object is god and the insight (antar dr^iSti) is Aditya the

divinity is the target. You have to see inside of you to see god. Then

only you can become divine.

 

13. naivEdyam :-- There are six places in the tongue to recognize the

six kinds of tastes. All of these six tastes take shelter in the

intellect only. Our life style also is multitudinous. But every thing

of it has to be merged only in one object. We have to submit every

thing of us for the god`s enjoyment. (ShadrasOpEtam BhOjanam).

 

14. tAmbUlam :-- The leaf, nut and the lime chewed together creates a

new red colour. “avasthA traya BhAva aBhAva sAkShi caitanyam.”.

Meditating upon “turIya avastha”. That is jIvanmukta avastha.

 

15. NIrAjanam :-- The camphor when lit, it is consumed till the last

entirety without leaving any residue. This is “nirbija avastha”.

Within the fifteen moon phases, there is also another phase which is

concealed inside all of them. its name is “AmA”. It doesn’t have any

sequences of growth or decay. This is the candra kala which has

received the award of honours by the lord paramEswara, by implanting

it on the top of his own head. The luminescence of it is

indescribable. We have to prostrate and surrender before that

‘durAdharsha’.

 

16. mantrapuShpam :-- Your hr^idayam itself is the ‘punDarIka

puShpam”. “punDarIkam akShNOtIti puNDarIkAkShah”. Reflect deeply on

that puNDarIkAkSha with that ‘puNDarIka puShpam’. Then you are

performing pradakShiNa namaskAram with an intention of visualizing

yourself as the consistence of your own body as well as the whole

universe of fourteen worlds as the virAt purusha yourself. With this

exhilarating bliss of felicity you are offering the “rAjOpacArAs” and

“devOpacAras”, after submitting your whole of praNa Sakti and saying,

“I am you and you are I” “AnandO brahma”, “aKaNDaika rasOsmyaham”

 

SrIparasuKAnandanAdha