three questions, some answers to think on

[Guest guest]

Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha!

Sri Saraswatyai Namaha!

Sri Padavallabha Narasimha Saraswathi,

Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha!

During Sri Swamiji's visit to Baton Rouge, he has asked the audience three very

simple - yet not so simple - questions.  These are provided here for your

further contemplation. 

1. What is the meaning of “Jai Guru Datta!�

Jesus says " Father! If it be possible that this cup/chalice of suffering which

thou hast given me to drink may pass from my hands, then let it be, but not that

My will be done, but that Thy will be done. So that Glory be given unto Thy

Name. "

In this, we understand that when we fully surrender our ego, so that not My

will, but Thy will becomes our nature (one that surrenders, and doesn’t ask

for anything, and remains contented with His wish, His will…), then we are

true disciples. Often times however, most of us, do the exact opposite. Is that

true devotion?

So, by saying " Jai Guru Datta " - we are saying " May Swamiji / Guru Datta's Will

be Done. " " May Swamiji Win. "

Swamiji has often said " eee sari kooda meere gellicharu " (this time too, you got

your way), " ...kaani, okka roju, naenu gellusthaanu... " (but, one day, I shall

win)... and when that day comes, we will have reaped the true fruit of the words

Jai Guru Datta - " Sri Swamiji, may you ultimately win me over; may you be

victorious in the battle for my stubborn mind, full of faults, negative

tendencies, and bad habits " ... May the Guru (remover of darkness) shed light on

my intellect, such that I am uninfluenced by the three gunas - May Sri Guru

Datta win the kurukshetra war, which rages on within me, that I (who like

Arjuna) will ultimately, surrender to thee (who art like Krishna) so that you

may guide my chariot and direct me in the way that you see fit, that I may come

out victorious in this battle.

Do you know what “Appaji†means?  “Appa†is the tamil word for

“Fatherâ€.  “ji†is a suffix that indicates respect.  Jai Guru Datta:

Father! (Appaji) Not My Will, but Thy Will.

 

2. What is Teertham? What is its significance?

Swamiji performs Sri Chakra puja for your sake. Sri Chakra puja is like a

science. It is the means by which Swamiji guides, directs and focuses the

universal energies in the form of a seed (bija shakthi) into the theertham

water, and then distributes it as prasadam. The Sri Chakra plate itself contains

many special components - a Sri Chakra Meru (multi-faceted triangular pyramidal

shape typically crystalline or made of special metals), several types of

gemstones representing various energies, and the shiny utensils and silverware

that we are able to see from the audience level.  These components act on the

theertham water to energize it with the universal energies, which are guided,

moulded, and shaped, by the Will and Intention of Sri Swamiji as He does puja.

If you notice very carefully, Sri Swamiji looks out into the audience at

individuals when he is doing the puja. His glance constantly shifts from one

person to the next, in very brief spastic eye movements. Why does he do this?

Does he have a nervous tick? Is he just shy to look at you? No. These micro

glances are what he has often referred to as " drishti paatha " (transferrence of

energy by a mere look). It is in that micro second that he has not only analyzed

your entire problem/situation, but he has dispersed the appropriate energies to

you directly.  It only takes a single glance, if that. For different contexts

and different people, different methods are required - transference by sight is

but one method - while Swamiji uses the one that is appropriate for a specific

instance, specific context, etc. as He sees appropriate.  People mistakenly

assume that he has not spent time with them - he needs no more than a micro

second to do what he needs to

do.

The purpose of a puja is multi-fold.  It is a tangible means of connecting and

communicating with spirit – the actions are based on various mudras and

expressions which comprise a universal language that is understood by

sages/rishis (seers) in deep contemplation (dhyana).  Puja is the language of

the Atma, the silent language of mouna.  Though remaining inwardly undisturbed,

tranquil, in full stillness, outwardly, Sri Swamiji performs the Sri Chakra

pujas using various instruments and items.  There is a point in the puja where

Sri Swamiji will show certain silver objects to the Sri Chakra as an offering,

in the following order: Umbrella, Staff/Danda/Flag, Shakthi Vel, Mirror, and

finally a fan made of some type of fine human/animal hair material.  Each of

these objects has a common place meaning: all of these items are used commonly

as a means of receiving, propitiating, serving the Guru – we use them when we

welcome Swamiji into the room, for

instance.  They also have a deep inner significance and symbology.  The

language of the soul is a language of symbols – no words are necessary – the

symbols activate certain specific psychological memories that in turn create

impressions within us.  This is the language of mouna – or heart-to-heart

communication.  When you see someone laugh, your mind immediately knows their

inward state, in less than the time it would take you to read a paragraph that

describes ‘happiness’.  Furthermore, the language is complete or

‘purnam’.  It is by this means that consciousness is awakened, activated,

and manipulated – like a computer.  It reacts to symbols and expressions,

thus, the need for adopting symbols, mudras, and various postures (as in hatha

yoga).  In the puja, Sri Swamiji represents the Jiva, Sri Chakra represents the

Atma, and the act of puja represents the communication and interaction between

these two.  The law of

spirituality (karma theory) is that whatever you give, so shall you receive;

whatever you sow, so shall you reap, and so on.  Applied in the context of

puja, you are offering various symbolic items to the Sri Chakra that represents

your highest Self.  The umbrella represents protection from the influence of

the three gunas, external/internal disturbances due to the interactions of the

sense and their objects (touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing, and mind), and

ultimately, it represents the offering of shelter.  By offering the umbrella we

are giving shelter to the symbolic representations of our Soul, and thus, the

Soul in turn responds by giving us an amplified version of the same, into our

own lives.  We have already said that the umbrella represents protection of

some kind, so what about the other objects?  The flag/staff/danda represents

dharma, and the vow to follow its codes of conduct for the betterment of

society.  The Shakthi Vel

represents energies, we surrender our energies to the higher Self, and the

higher Self in-turn provides us with the needed universal energies to carry-out

our own tasks.  It converts our negative energies into positive energies, and

actualizes us to act on the positive energies.  The Mirror represents the Jnana

Chakshush (inner eye of wisdom, or third-eye of Shiva, also known as the

introspective mind, the sixth sense organ). By turning our mind in on itself, we

open our minds for the unfoldment of Jnanam – the process of turning the mind

inward on itself to observe itself (dharana, dhyana) leads to one-pointed

concentration on the inner Self (yoga).  By offering the mirror, we are asking

for Jnanam, indirectly.   By showing the Sri Chakra the mirror, we are asking

for the inward facing sight – the inward “drishtiâ€.

This body is also like a meru.  The spinal column capped by the brain is a

physiological version of Sri Chakra.  The water that Swamiji is pouring across

the Sri Chakra plate represents the cerebro-spinal fluid.  Our bodies are 90%

water.  The energies absorbed by the theertham from the universal energies

being concentrated in the apex of the Sri Chakra meru are transferred to the

sacred water infused with various herbs (30+, I don’t recall the exact count,

…yes, I’ve been slacking), and these in turn are absorbed by our bodies, our

tissues, …our cells.  The energies carry with them certain instructions that

re-vitalize the proper functioning of our physical and mental bodies, our

chakras, and the various other layers of our being.  You do not know the

immense benefit and merit and spiritual progress you are gaining as a result of

simply being in Sri Swamiji’s presence, let alone in witnessing Him, as

Ganapati Himself, doing the highest

and holiest of pujas – the Sri Chakra puja.

3. Why do we burn Camphor as the final offering?

There are many, many reasons for each action in Puja, as explained in the

previous question.  Camphor physically is a wonderful substance that when

burned charges the atmosphere with various trace compounds that act as natural

insect repellants.  From a spiritual point of view, the Camphor represents our

karma (sanchita, agami, prarabhda) which we are offering to God to be burned

away, so that the light may be revealed.  It is only when the karma is burnt

that the light is revealed.  Furthermore, it is the light, that burns our karma

– indirectly showing that it is Jnanam alone, that ultimately leads to

liberation.  The action of lighting the camphor as part of the puja, is the

karma yoga; the action of meditating and focusing our awareness on the light, is

the process of bhakthi yoga (when the mind is stilled in one-pointed adoration

or dhyana on the object of contemplation, this is true bhakthi … like the flow

of oil in a thin continuous

stream into a lamp, for instance); the action of surrender and allowing the

light of true knowledge to burn the camphor into nothingness, is the basis for

Jnana yoga.  The light of true knowledge is said to burn all actions to ashes

(see Bhagavad Gita: “Yathir Dhamsi Samir-Doghnihi Bhasmasat Kuruterjuna,

Jnanagni Sarva Karmani …Bhasmasat Kurute Thathaâ€).  The camphor light being

offered to God, represents our soul’s plea for that knowledge which

emancipates by burning away our karma, and leading us to the highest state

(turiya – beyond the waking, dreaming, deep sleep … it pervades these three

states, and yet is beyond them as well, remaining untouched by the three).  We

can also view the burning camphor in that sense: the camphor block represents

the grossest or densest state of waking reality, the scent released by the

camphor represents the dream reality (vaporous, less physical, but the same

‘substances’ are still present), the

remnants once the camphor is burnt represents the third state of deep sleep in

which there is no awareness of a physical body (camphor) but in which there is a

latent vasana (evidence that the camphor once existed, which in turn brings back

memories of a camphor block), and as we witness the camphor burning, we are

given a clue as to the nature of That which is beyond the three states – what

is it that witnesses the burning of the camphor? Who is witnessing the

burning?  That “Who†is ever situated in the turiya state and is indicated

by the various mahavakyas (Tat Tvam Asi, Aham Brahmasmi, Prajnanam Brahma, etc.)

and the combination of the camphor-burning, and the witness to its burning, is

represented by the fourth state (turiya) which existed prior to the camphor, as

it burned, and well after it was consumed.

 

These answers are but partial answers – if you want to know the full answers

(purna tattva) then you must go inwards and listen to Sri Swamiji’s voice in

the silence of your being.  It is said that the Guru-Disciple relationship is a

secret (Rahasya).  Why is this so?  Not because its something that you

shouldn't talk about - but because it is something that you can find no words to

convey its fullness (purnam).  How can you tell a blind man, what the color

blue looks like?  Simply experience and be happy.  It is through

heart-to-heart silent communication that Sri Swamiji, as Guru Dakshinamurti,

gives us complete answers, complete with the experience of Sat-Chit-Anandam. 

Any answers we give in words are always partial and incomplete.  A picture is

worth a thousand words – but an inner experience is worth an uncountable

number of pictures.  As Sri Swamiji says, " Knowledge is like an Ocean " -

experiencing the waves and the fresh air is

much better/easier than trying to swallow the ocean in one gulp (or many many

gulps for that matter).

 

Aum Purnamadaha! Purnamidham! Purnaat Purna Mudachyathe ...Purnasya

Purnamaadhaya ...Purnamevaat Vasishyathe!

That is Whole. This is Whole. When That Whole is Taken from This Whole. The

Whole Remains as Whole.

I end this with Swamiji's statement this morning:  " Statements are quite easy. 

Practice is hard. " ;-)  May we all be better practitioners.

Jai Guru Datta!

 

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Gurorangripadme ManaScenna Lagnam tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim!?