Cosmic Puja alter

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Here is an explanation of the Cosmic Puja alter. The altr photo is

in the photo section in this group. It can also be see at

http://www.shreemaa.org/altar.htm

 

In the upper left hand corner is the five faced Shiva, the

Consciousness of Infinite Goodness. His five faces are from left to

right:

 

 

 

 

• Sadhyo Jata, who continually gives birth to truth.

• Vama Deva, the Beloved Deity.

• Aghora, who is free from fear, is in the center.

• Tat Parusha, that Universal Consciousness.

• IIsaana, the Ruler of All.

These are the five attributes of the One Consciousness of Infinite

Goodness, Lord Shiva who presides over the transformation of all

that is.

 

 

 

Next to Shiva is Durgaa. Dorgan means confusion, and Durgaa takes

away the Durgam, the Reliever of Confusion, wife of Lord Shiva. Her

other name is Gauri, She who is Rays of Light. She rides on the

great Lion who is Dharma. She is the Energy of Continuous

Transformation. Durgaa energizes Shiva in creating change.

 

 

 

In the center is Brahma, the Creator of All. He has four faces by

which he sees in the four directions, and from which he expounds the

four Vedas. He rides on the Swan of vital breath, the "ham sah" who

makes our breath regular in the processes of Pranayam.

Beside Brahma is his wife Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge, Art,

Philosophy, and Music. She is the Creative Energy. Together they

create the perceivable universe.

 

To her right is Lord Vishnu, who is all blue, the color of the sky,

the color of infinity. Vish means the universe; Nu, to pervade:

Vishnu, He who Pervades the entire Universe; the Infinite

Consciousness which, while pervading the entire universe, is the

universe. He protects the entire universe, and is the circumstance

of all the beings of the universe.

 

 

 

Next to Vishnu is his wife Lakshmi, the Goddess of True Wealth.

Lakshya means the goal, and therefore Lakshmi is the Ultimate Goal.

Lakshya also means the definition, and therefore Lakshmi defines the

creation and all that is in it, and at the same time She energizes

it with the circumstances of each and every being.

 

Brahma and Saraswati create, Vishnu and Lakshmi are protecting the

circumstances of all beings, and Shiva and Durgaa transform all that

is, even as it is becoming.

In the second row on the left side is Mahaa Kali. Kal means

Darkness, and Kali takes away the darkness of all beings. She,

herself, is dark because She takes away the darkness to Herself. She

is dark to the outside, but within is her light. Kaal means Time,

and II means the Cause: Kali, the Cause of Time, or She Who is

Beyond Time. With the darkness of Her time, She is the night of

wisdom. She gives rest and respite to all beings. Of the nature of

Tama Guna, She is the quality of darkness, the quality of rest.

 

 

 

In the center is Mahaa Lakshmi, the Great Goddess Who Defines All.

She is the Being of this existence, Mula Prakitti, the natural state

of all existence even prior to manifestation. Of the nature of Satwa

Guna, She is Being, existence as it is, the energy of activity,

Kriya Shakti, Energy in motion, Pure Light.

 

And on the right side is Mahaa Saraswati, Raja Guna, the energy of

desire. While Mahaa Lakshmi is Being, Mahaa Saraswati is Becoming.

Mahaa Kali is the state of rest. The three gunas of nature, nature's

three qualities: light, wisdom, peace; activity, passion, motion;

desire, knowledge, becoming.

 

 

 

In the front row, from the left is Mahaa Kali with ten heads, ten

arms and ten feet. Her ten faces see in the ten directions: the

eight cardinal points of the compass, plus above and below. They

indicate the ten Mahaa Vidyaas, the ten great forms of knowledge,

personified as Goddesses: Kali, Bagala, Chinnamastaa,

Bhuvaneshwarii, Maatanginii, Shorosi, Dhumaavati, Tripurasundarii,

Taaraa, and Bhairavii.

Her ten arms perform all the karma of the universe, and indicate the

five Karmendriyas, or organs of action (upper appendages, lower

appendages, tongue, reproductive organ and anus), and the five Gyaan

Indriyas, or five organs of knowledge (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and

skin) with which all interaction with the universe takes place. Her

ten feet perform the cosmic dance of Nature, Mother Nature dancing

on the stage of Consciousness.

 

She originally manifested to take the life from two demons named Too

Much and Too Little. Mahaa Kaalii is the Goddess of the Divine

Balance, perfection in harmony, with neither Too Much nor Too Little.

In the Center, the eighteen armed form of Durgaa and Mahaa Lakshmi.

Comprised from the unity of light emitted from all the Gods, She is

Mahishashur-Mardini, the slayer of the Great Ego. In Her eighteen

hands She wields the weapons with which to combat the excesses of

Egotism. She demands surrender of the Ego, and no one is able to

resist Her. She cuts down the Generals of the immense armies of

egotistical thought: Devoid of Clear Understanding, Fickleness,

Disbelief, Arrogance, Memories, Anxiety, Blindness, Violent Temper,

Passion, The Great Deceiver, Hypocrisy, Irresistible Temptation,

Foul Mouth, Wandering to and Fro, Haughtiness, the Great

Frustration, Want of Resolution, the Great Ego and other Generals as

well, all meet their death at the hands of the Divine Mother.

 

 

To her right side sits the eight armed Mahaa Saraswati, the Slayer

of the armies of Self Conceit and Self Deprecation: Anger, Passion,

and the Seeds of Desire. With Her Divine Knowledge, even Self

Conceit and Self Deprecation meet their demise with the Divine

Goddess.

 

 

Let us meditate to surrender Too Much and Too Little, cut down Self

Conceit and Self Deprecation, even surrender the Great Ego itself to

the feet of the Divine Mother Goddess. Then we will be able to see

that all of Existence is Being, Becoming, and Rest; desire, activity

and wisdom.

All of existence, all of this transformation, is caused by the Three

Divine Couples: Brahma and Saraswati Creating, Vishnu and Lakshmi

Protecting, Shiva and Durgaa Transforming.

 

This is the Cosmic Puja...

The worship of the Energies of the Eternal Transformation of all

that is; the three qualities in Constant Motion: coming into the

Being of Existence, having a time of play in changing Circumstances,

Becoming, and Transforming again into another form. Without Too Much

or Too Little, without Self Conceit or Self Deprecation, in the

absence of the Great Ego, we can perceive without attachment the

Dance of Nature.

This is the Cosmic Puja...

The Universal Prayer for Peace for all the beings of existence. When

we perceive without attachment, we free ourselves from the bonds of

karma, we cease to give mere reaction to every stimulus, but rather,

with poise and self-control, we give a right response, a reaction

designed through wisdom to create the desired effect. In this way of

the greatest efficiency, all actions become perfect actions, and no

longer are we required to return again and again to finish our

incomplete work. This is the path of liberation. This is the purpose

of the Cosmic Puja.