Day 3 Shiva puja class Q/A/feedback

[Guest guest]

Om Namah Shivaaya to you all!

 

Hope your sankalpa went well.

 

To Srini:

Thanks for sharing that story about the significance of Sravan as

it is celebrated in India. It is always inspiring to hear of how

other

sadhus express their devotion. Look forward to hearing more

tales from Bharat Mata, the place where the light of wisdom

always shines!

 

To Kumari: Thanks for sharing those words of wisdom from Sri

Ramkrishna.

 

Kumari said:

May we all attain this pure Bhakti, whole-hearted devotion and

love

for God. And...may Shiva dance in our heart..

 

A: Yes. I agree with you wholeheartedly, Kumari.

 

Your post about shiva-ham shiva-ham reminded me of the song

on page 445-448 in the Advanced Shiva puja book called

sivo-ham sivo-ham. It has a beautiful meaning and I would

highly recommend reading the English translation for anyone

who has not read it.

 

Here is one verse it goes like this: "I have no concept or idea,

the

form of the formless. I exist everywhere, in every manifestation,

within all that can be perceived. I am not united nor can I be

liberated. I am the form of the bliss of Consciousness. I am Siva,

I am Siva."

 

Nanda asked:

 

Q: Do we wave the lamp when we say "Om Agnir jyoti

jyotir agni svaha ...." or do we wave the lamp only when we say

"om

agnijyoti ravijyotish ..."

 

A: You can wave the light when you say "om agnir jyoti jyotir

agni

svaha... and keep waving until the end of the mantra..."om

agnijyoti ravijyotish..."

 

Q: Also, is there a number of times that we wave the

light/incense (3

clockwise circles or multiples of 3 ?) Thanks for your time.

 

A: There is no specific number of times to wave the light but we

always wave clockwise.

 

Q: One other question ... what is the exact significance of waving

the

lamp and incense ? Can you please share ... thank you.

 

A: On one level when we wave the light and incense we are

setting the mood for our beloved guest. On another level we are

flooding our senses with light and insense to help us go deeper

within. On a more intuitive or subtle level when we offer the light

we are offering our soul, the light of all lights which is the light

of

wisdom, it is the divine fire, it is the light of devotion, and the

highest bliss as well.

 

For the meaning of the incense on a more subtle level think

about our body which is made up of 5 elements. We have pores

that exist throughout our body. Through these pores little air

comes out. That is the offering of incense on a more subtle level.

 

Shree Maa says that when we are truly with God every moment,

when we churn and dig deep to know God these intuitive

understandings will naturally come to us.

 

So Nanda, keep churning and keep us informed when that

cream rises to the surface. Look forward to hearing what subtle

meanings come to you.

 

 

Nanda said:

 

I think the nicest part of the puja is that it sets the mood for the

day ahead . It is such a gradual introduction to going deeper

-starting with the external, focussing on doing the tasks lovingly

-offering the lights incense etc and so naturally cloistering our

senses to become one-pointed on our devotion to our Ishta .

 

A: Yes. I definitely agree with you Nanda that the puja sets the

mood for the day ahead. It is just like a ganges shower for our

soul. Because puja is like a guided meditation it guides our

awareness into one pointed attention until we become the deity

that we are worshipping. Om namah shivaaya!

 

Henny asked:

The Rudri text appears to be incorporated in a puja, and

instead of the offerings of items, the text is offered in recitation

between the two times japa. So, is it necessary to do a full

beginner's Shiva puja again after reciting the Rudri book, or

should I include offering the items from the Shiva puja book in

my Rudri recitation?

 

A: Here is one suggestion. You could recite pages 5-30 all of the

mantras in the Rudri up until chapter 1. Then do the offerings to

Shiva from the beginning shiva puja book. You will have

completed Shiva puja. These are basically the same mantras

we are going to use from the Advanced Shiva puja book as well

to enhance the beginner shiva puja.

 

When you are done with the offerings then you can begin chapter

one and recite the Rudri and perform arati at the end of the

Rudri.

 

Sounds like a good plan. Can I join you?

 

Kalachandra said:

Today I will go the Ramakrishna Temple perform the Arati to

Takhur. They don´t have annybody for this service. This is my

first

Arati in the Temple and I am very happy and anxious :

 

A: What a great blessing! I will pass the word onto to our beloved

gurus. Let us know how the arati went.

 

 

Vasantha asked:

 

Q:I have a question on the dhyanam. Can you please help me

break out this word into something easier to pronounce? This

one is quite an eyeful.

 

"aghorebhyottaghorebhyoghoragheratarebhya"

 

Q:Yes this one is quite an eyeful as Henny also had the same

question. It is more difficult to pronounce because of the sandhi

and because the names run into each other. I will check with

Swamiji and get an exact place to break the sandhi. This is how

he broke the names up by meaning:

 

aghora is free from fear

uttaraghora is he who instills the fear of evil

ghoraghera is who saves the righteous from fear

 

 

Henny asked:

Q: Regarding the light en incense of day 2:

In the beginner's puja, we start with the Sada Shiva Gayatri

only(which is very short) and then immediately offer the light. So,

when performing the beginner's puja,I say the Gayatri, and then

light the tea-lights with 'om agnir jyotir' and wave. But now with

the longer dhyanam, I wonder if I should have lit the lights before

starting reciting the gayatri and the dhyanam and then 'officially'

offer the light by waving when saying the 'light mantra's? Or do I

say the whole dhyanam with the lights not yet burning? ( I hope I

make myself

clear).

 

A: It is up to you Henny. If you want to light the light before

starting you can. Or if you you want to wait until you have finished

the dhyaanam and then light the light you can do that, too.

 

Henny observed:

Regarding the 'om agnir jyotir' mantra's: it seems to me that the

external lights we are offering also indicate our offering of 'inner

lights'

 

A: Henny your insight is beautiful and en'light'ning.

Keep on churning. All is within as the Rudri says.

 

May Shiva bless us all!