Guest guest Posted March 11, 2005 Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 >> >> Maha Shivaratri 2005 >> >> I don’t know if I can explain this experience. I will try. >> >> Instead of celebrating at my home temple, the Shiva*Shakti Mandir, or >> at my Gurus' temple, the Devi Mandir, I joined a group of Ammachi >> devotees at the home temple of Surya and Prakashi. >> >> I had been fasting since the evening meal of March 7. On the 2 and >> 1/2 hour drive from my mountain home to Surya’s ocean home, I chanted >> and sang continuously. All my favorite songs to Lord Shiva. >> >> When I parked my car and opened the door, the scent of the ocean and >> the sounds of the waves breaking on the shore were very powerful. It >> felt very good to be home with Mother Ocean. >> >> Surya’s home is dedicated to the Divine Mother. There is a small >> shrine opposite the door as you enter. As you go up the stairs to >> the temple, goddesses line the wall. Even our beloved Shree Maa. >> >> The main temple has an inner sanctum that can be closed off with >> curtains. Young girls were in the inner sanctum chanting Om Namah >> Shivaya and offering flower petals on the Shiva Lingam. >> >> Devotees were arriving for the evening worship. It turned out that I >> had just missed the first abishekam. Soon Surya was chanting the 108 >> Names of Devi. After each name, the devotees chanted the mantra of >> their Guru. Om Amriteshvaryai Namah. Om we bow to Mata Amritananda >> Mayi Ma (Ammachi). >> >> The atmosphere was very intense and only got more so as the evening >> progressed. Soon the musicians and kirtan leaders started arriving >> with their instruments and their full hearted devotion. The bhav was >> incredible. So much Divine Love. >> >> Most amazing were Surya and Prakashi’s daughters. The older daughter >> named Kanyakumari Devi who was not yet 8, was accomplished and >> devoted in leading Sanskrit bhajans. The baby named Vismaya Devi, >> only 17 months old , would stand as if in a trance, listening >> intensely to the bhajans and then start to dance spontaneously. >> This was an outpouring of her soul. No dance that anyone could have >> taught her (except the Divine Mother). Maybe she is a Kumari. >> >> When it came time for the 2nd abishekam, the older daughter started >> pouring the yogurt on the top of the lingam, constantly checking with >> her father to make sure she was doing it correctly. Then Surya took >> the pot and poured it over the whole lingam. As it dripped down in >> rivulets, I was transfixed. It was as though Lord Shiva in the form >> of Lord Rudra was allowing His tears to flow down on the Lingam. I >> felt Lord Shiva’s presence so strongly. I felt His endless >> Compassion for all of us. I was crying as I chanted Om Namah >> Shivaya. >> >> At the same time I felt the presence of the Divine Mother. Lord >> Shiva and the Divine Mother were there together, blended into a >> Whole, blessing the entire Cosmos. >> >> About 10:30, I suddenly felt that I had to leave. I didn’t know why. >> >> By the time that I walked to my car, I knew why. I was beginning to >> purge. I looked for the first place with a public bathroom (a >> McDonald’s). I won’t go into details for the faint-hearted, but I >> felt that I was back in India and had just taken the darshan of a >> Great Saint or Deity. I haven’t had this experience in quite awhile. >> >> After a half-hour in the McDonald facilities, I knew that I couldn’t >> drive all the way back to my mountain home. I went to the first >> motel that I thought wouldn’t be outrageously expensive. The sign on >> the desk said that they had closed 20 minutes earlier. I took a >> chance and rang the bell. What a blessing. The manager came out and >> arranged a room for me. Not only that, he was a Hindu and was >> celebrating Shivaratri with his family. He had beautiful pictures of >> Lord Shiva and RadhaKrishna right there at the main desk. >> >> When I got to my room and was able to relax in private, I looked in >> the bedside table. There was a copy of the Bhagavad Gita (instead >> of the Gideon Society Bible). On the dining table was a >> complimentary copy of “The Higher Taste: A Guide to Gourmet >> Vegetarian Cooking and a Karma-Free Diet”. What a joy to find such a >> place when I needed it. >> >> So, Maha Shivaratri comes in many forms. Whether a solitary offering >> or a group effort. In a temple or a forest. In a car or a motel >> room. Wherever devotion is, Lord Shiva comes. >> >> My deepest gratitude to Surya, Prakashi, the children and all the >> devotees for a truly blessed Maha Shivaratri. >> >> Ardis >> Maha Shivaratri 2005 >> Attachment: (text/enriched) [not stored] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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