Brahma Charcha - Discourses on the Brahman
Meditations on the Spirit
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Bhagavad Gita - Odia Pala
Enjoy the Holy Bhagavad Gita presented as an Odia pala at 2013 OSA Convention, Chicago, USA.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Om Bhajan - A prayer to Brahman or God in Odia Language
This Om bhajan or prayer in Odia language was spontaneously composed by me while driving home to Michigan from Nashville, TN in 2007. It was first published in the Orissa Society of the Americas 2007 Journal and has been adapted as a regular bhajan in many spiritual gatherings and temples. I am publishing it here again for the benefit of the mankind. Please click on the following link to view the Omkar bhajan:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5Ar4lGdlxbdVTBMYThweF8yVE0/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5Ar4lGdlxbdVTBMYThweF8yVE0/view?usp=sharing
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Manas Puja - A Short and Effective Method of Internal or Mental Worship
Hindu method of worship involves both external as well as internal or mental rituals of worship for a chosen deity or Ishta devataa. A short and effective method for the internal worship is outlined here. Typically, rituals of external worship follow after the rituals of internal or mental worship. However, if you do not have time for performing external worship, you will be still greatly benefited by performing just an internal worship.
Hindus worship various aspects of Brahman or Sat-Cit-Anand or the ultimate reality. For example Hindus worship Lord Ganesh for removal of difficulties on the path of spiritual as well as worldly success, goddess Laxmi for spiritual as well as worldly prosperity, goddess Saraswati for spiritual as well as worldly knowledge, etc. A short and effective way of worship is described here for the benefit of mankind. Except for the moola mantra or root mantra, which varies from deity to deity, the fundamental method of worship remains the same for all deities. Below are the steps of worship for Divine Mother Durga which can be used for any other deity or aspect of Brahman by just changing the root mantra given in the italics font. Steps are as follows:
Hindus worship various aspects of Brahman or Sat-Cit-Anand or the ultimate reality. For example Hindus worship Lord Ganesh for removal of difficulties on the path of spiritual as well as worldly success, goddess Laxmi for spiritual as well as worldly prosperity, goddess Saraswati for spiritual as well as worldly knowledge, etc. A short and effective way of worship is described here for the benefit of mankind. Except for the moola mantra or root mantra, which varies from deity to deity, the fundamental method of worship remains the same for all deities. Below are the steps of worship for Divine Mother Durga which can be used for any other deity or aspect of Brahman by just changing the root mantra given in the italics font. Steps are as follows:
1.
Place a picture of the deity or symbol of
worship before you, in this case Mother Durga.
2.
Light a candle and burn incense.
3.
Sit in a comfortable position such as sukhaasana,
siddhaasana, or padmaasana etc., siddhaasana being the position of the
accomplished.
4.
Place the hands on your knees in chin mudra or
the attitude of consciousness. Keep the
spine straight and body relaxed.
5.
Chant Om three times. The more properly Om is chanted the more
effective it is.
6.
Chant “Om Gam Ganeshaya Namah” while contemplating
upon Lord Ganesh to remove any difficulties.
One of the major difficulties could be a restless mind, lack of
concentration, etc. While chanting
consciously think that Lord Ganesh is removing all your restlessness so that
you can fully concentrate on the puja or worship.
7.
Intently gaze at the form of the deity and think
about the profound meaning behind the symbolism. When
you know the meaning behind the symbolism, worship takes a much deeper form and is
much more effective. Now close your eyes
and try to visualize the form of the deity at your heart center as best as you
can while being aware of what the deity or the sacred symbol stands for. The heart center is located at the sternum.
8. Do a samkalpa or resolution as to what you want from the aspect of God you are worshiping. For example "Mother Durga, please remove all evil from within me", etc. While doing this samkalpa, stay intensely aware of your samkalpa.
8. Do a samkalpa or resolution as to what you want from the aspect of God you are worshiping. For example "Mother Durga, please remove all evil from within me", etc. While doing this samkalpa, stay intensely aware of your samkalpa.
9.
Now focus on the muladhara chakra or the perineum,
which is located midway between the anus and the genital for men and at the cervix for women. It is more effective if you can mentally
locate and visualize the chakra. Those
who are not familiar with the chakra system simply concentrate at the general
location as best as you can. This chakra
represents the earth element. Sandal
paste represents the earth element and the sense of touch. The root sound is Lam. Bring the tips of thumb and little finger
together. Mentally offer the earth
element in the form of sandal paste to the chosen deity seated at the heart
center by mentally chanting “Om Hreem Dum
Durgaayai (replace the root mantra in italics appropriately for deities
other than Durga)Lam Prithivyatmakam Gandham Samarpayaami” while visualizing
dissolution of the earth element into the form of the deity. The chanting within the quotation marks means
“I am offering to Thee sandal paste representing the earth element.”
10.
Move your attention to visuddhi chakra or throat
center and visualize the chakra. This
chakra represents the aakash or space element and the sense of hearing. The root sound is Ham. Bring the tips of the index finger and thumb
together. Mentally offer the space element
in the form of a flower to the deity at the heart chakra by chanting “Om Hreem
Dum Durgaayai Ham Aakaashaatmakam Puspam Samarpayaami” meaning “I am offering Thee
the flower representing the space element.”
11.
Move your attention to anaahata chakra or throat center
and visualize the chakra. This chakra represents
the vaayu or the air element and the sense of smell. The root sound is Yam. Place the tip of index finger on the thumb
nail. Mentally offer the air element in
the form of incense to the deity at the heart chakra by chanting “Om Hreem Dum
Durgayaai Yam Vayaatmakam Dhupam Samarpayaami” meaning “I am offering Thee the incense
representing the air element.”
12.
Move your attention to manipura chakra or naval center
and visualize the chakra. This chakra represents
tejas or fire element and the sense of sight.
The root sound is Ram. Bring the
tips of the middle finger and thumb together.
Mentally offer the fire element in the form of candle to the deity at
the heart chakra by chanting “Om Hreem Dum Durgaayai Ram Banhyaatmakam Deepam
Samarpayaami” meaning “I am offering Thee the candle flame representing the fire
element.”
13.
Move your attention to swaadhisthana or sex
chakra and visualize the chakra. This
chakra represents aapah or the water element and the sense of taste. The root sound is Vam (pronounced Wam). Bring the tips of the ring finger and thumb
together. Mentally offer the water element
in the form of food offering to the deity at the heart chakra by chanting “Om
Hreem Dum Durgaayai Vam Amritaatmakam Naivedyam Samarpayaami” meaning “I am
offering Thee the food offering representing the water element.”
14.
Move your attention to the visualized deity at
the heart chakra. Bring the tips of all
five fingers together. Mentally offer all
elements by chanting “Om Hreem Dum Durgayai Sam Sarvaatmakam Sarvopachaaraan
Samarpayaami” meaning “I am offering you all items representing all elements.”
15.
Chant a prayer in honor of the deity. For example for Durga you can chant “Sarva
Mangala Maangalye Sive Sarvaartha Saadhike.
Saranye Trayambake Gauri Naraayani Namostute.” Depending on your time availability you can
chant more prayers. Mentally surrender
yourself to the deity.
16.
Open your eyes and prostrate before the deity
offering your reverence to the deity.
This ends the short mental worship. The whole worship can be completed in as
little as 5 minutes or in as long as you want.
The idea of offering the elements is to negate that you are not the
physical body made of the five elements. Remember that you are truly not worshiping
anyone other than your very own Self in the form of a sacred symbol since your
mind cannot comprehend the transcendental.
Perfection in the worship described above will prepare you to do higher
saadhanaa where you will be able to offer your own mind, intellect, memory, and
ego finally realizing that your essence is none other than the Supreme Self.
Internal or mental method of Hindu worship is a very powerful method of worship when done sincerely with a samkalpa or resolution to bring about the desired result, be it spiritual or material.
Internal or mental method of Hindu worship is a very powerful method of worship when done sincerely with a samkalpa or resolution to bring about the desired result, be it spiritual or material.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Four Categories of Devotees
According to the Bhagavad Gita, there are four kinds of devotees of the Supreme: aarta (distressed), artharthi (desirous of prosperity), jijnansu (inquisitive about Self Knowledge), Jnani (one who is situated in Self-knowledge). Of these the Jnani or one who is established in Self-knowledge is the highest.
When times are good, life’s journey is smooth, there may not be enough motivation to turn to spiritual quest. But when one is distressed, one’s life is in danger, one’s survival is in question, one is feeling down, one tends to turn to God, asking for help. In good times, the prayers tend to be weak. But at the time of distress, the prayer tends to be much more intense. The all compassionate Divine residing at the heart of the devotee listens to the prayers and provides protection.
The second category of devotee is desirous of worldly prosperity. He is looking for fulfillment of worldly desires and ambitions. He wants God’s help to make his endeavors successful. The creator of the world, when sincerely prayed by a devotee, fulfills his or her worldly desires so that the devotee can make spiritual progress. Without a certain level of contentment or fulfillment, spiritual progress is not possible. No one should take up on a spiritual path because of frustration with the world but because one has developed an understanding of it. It will not take much to arrive at Tagore’s conclusion that “all the sense lamps that are lit by us shoot into worries”.
The third category of devotee is much wiser compared to the previous two. He has made many observations about life. He sees that all things are transient. He sees the dualistic nature of the world. He sees the impermanence of happiness derived from material pursuits. He has developed some level of dispassion toward the world. He has a philosophical mind. Questions such as “who am I”, “what is all this?”, “what is my purpose”, “why do I perceive myself separate from the rest”, etc. are naturally occurring to him. He wants to find out the Truth. He is engaged in scriptural reading, yoga, contemplation, meditation, etc. to develop better understanding about the reality and Truth. He is a seeker. He is in the quest. He is a practicing spiritualist.
The fourth and the highest type of devotee is the one who is situated in the Self-knowledge or the Truth. The knowledge that “I am That and all this is That and there is nothing else but That” is Self-knowledge. Here “That” refers to which cannot be described due limitations in human expressions but can be pointed to as Sat-Cit-Anand or Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. Just as after one finds out what was thought to be an apparent body of water is actually a mirage, he never falls into the delusion again that there is water. Similarly, one who is situated in the True knowledge, it is impossible for him/her to seriously engage in the world. One who is seated in such knowledge is the best of the devotees. His devotion is unbridled and unshakable. He is beyond any doubt. He is in the state of bliss. This is the only kind of devotee that knows the Truth as Truth is and is not deluded by the worldly objects. According to Lord Krishna, there is nothing holier or more sacred than the knowledge of the Truth or Self-knowledge and there is not a dearer devotee than a jnani or one who is established in Self-knowledge.
When times are good, life’s journey is smooth, there may not be enough motivation to turn to spiritual quest. But when one is distressed, one’s life is in danger, one’s survival is in question, one is feeling down, one tends to turn to God, asking for help. In good times, the prayers tend to be weak. But at the time of distress, the prayer tends to be much more intense. The all compassionate Divine residing at the heart of the devotee listens to the prayers and provides protection.
The second category of devotee is desirous of worldly prosperity. He is looking for fulfillment of worldly desires and ambitions. He wants God’s help to make his endeavors successful. The creator of the world, when sincerely prayed by a devotee, fulfills his or her worldly desires so that the devotee can make spiritual progress. Without a certain level of contentment or fulfillment, spiritual progress is not possible. No one should take up on a spiritual path because of frustration with the world but because one has developed an understanding of it. It will not take much to arrive at Tagore’s conclusion that “all the sense lamps that are lit by us shoot into worries”.
The third category of devotee is much wiser compared to the previous two. He has made many observations about life. He sees that all things are transient. He sees the dualistic nature of the world. He sees the impermanence of happiness derived from material pursuits. He has developed some level of dispassion toward the world. He has a philosophical mind. Questions such as “who am I”, “what is all this?”, “what is my purpose”, “why do I perceive myself separate from the rest”, etc. are naturally occurring to him. He wants to find out the Truth. He is engaged in scriptural reading, yoga, contemplation, meditation, etc. to develop better understanding about the reality and Truth. He is a seeker. He is in the quest. He is a practicing spiritualist.
The fourth and the highest type of devotee is the one who is situated in the Self-knowledge or the Truth. The knowledge that “I am That and all this is That and there is nothing else but That” is Self-knowledge. Here “That” refers to which cannot be described due limitations in human expressions but can be pointed to as Sat-Cit-Anand or Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. Just as after one finds out what was thought to be an apparent body of water is actually a mirage, he never falls into the delusion again that there is water. Similarly, one who is situated in the True knowledge, it is impossible for him/her to seriously engage in the world. One who is seated in such knowledge is the best of the devotees. His devotion is unbridled and unshakable. He is beyond any doubt. He is in the state of bliss. This is the only kind of devotee that knows the Truth as Truth is and is not deluded by the worldly objects. According to Lord Krishna, there is nothing holier or more sacred than the knowledge of the Truth or Self-knowledge and there is not a dearer devotee than a jnani or one who is established in Self-knowledge.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Significance of Mother Kali Worship
The word Kali comes from the word “kala” or time. She is the origin or ruler of time, therefore
her name is Kali. What is time? Time represents change. The concept of time can only exist if there
is change. When One is perceived as many
due to the spell of ignorance by MahaMaya, time is born. MahaMaya is that aspect of Brahman which is
responsible for creating the veil of ignorance or illusion. The veil of ignorance is responsible for
perception of multiplicity or the world.
If you deeply think about it, change is not possible if one is
established in Oneness or Sat-Chit-Ananda or Brahman. Conversely, it is impossible to perceive multiplicity
without the concept of change. To
perceive the change, concept of time and space is essential. The concept of time is intertwined with the
concept of space. One cannot exist
without the other. In order for an
individual consciousness to get back to one’s root or Oneness or Universal
Consciousness, one has to transcend change or the idea of space-time. It is impossible to transcend space-time without
the grace of the creator of space-time or the Supreme Mother Kali. Change or space-time brings experience of
multiplicity, the good and bad, the benevolent and malevolent, the gracefulness
and viciousness, the joy and sorrow, darkness and light, pleasure and pain,
etc. Such duality makes life
possible. Life is nothing but experience
of such duality by individual consciousness.
Such duality makes it possible to perceive rest of the creation separate
from the ego or individuality.
Thus, Kali is the creator of the world. She is the Supreme Mother. The seers realizing this have given the
formless a form for ordinary people to be able to meaningfully worship or
contemplate upon Her. She holds a
severed head, a sword, a gesture of bestowing fearlessness, and a gesture of
giving boon to Her devotee. She is
standing on a corpse depicted as Lord Siva.
She is supremely beautiful and vicious at the same time. The spiritual interpretation is that She
severs the ego or illusory perception of individuality with the sword of
knowledge to bestow the boon of fearlessness to Her devotee. Fear is only possible when there is
multiplicity. In Oneness there is no
fear as there remains nothing to be afraid of.
She is colored dark to represent Her as the creator of ignorance. She is the creative aspect of the Pure
Consciousness or Siva. The Siva aspect
of Brahman is actionless or static like a witness as represented by the
corpse. The Kali aspect is the dynamic
or creative aspect of Brahman represented by Her dancing on the corpse.
The Supreme Mother Kali is to be worshipped with all thy
heart. There is no better worship than deeply
contemplating upon the aspect as described above. That said, for the worldly minded, She is the
giver of material fulfillment so that the devotee can make spiritual progress. She is the destroyer of enemies such as kama (desire, lust being one of the
strongest desire), krodha (anger or
frustration when the desire is not fulfilled), lobha (or greed when a particular desire is fulfilled), moha (or attachment to the objects of
the world), mada (or the doership or
the perception that the ego is the doer), and matsarya (or jealousy or the craving by the ego to possess what
another individual seemingly possesses).
When these demons are completely destroyed, ego has no protector and can
be easily dissolved leading to realization of Oneness. When these demons are subdued by Her grace, even
worldly minded people can make much worldly progress. These demons are not only the stumbling
blocks for spiritual progress but also great stumbling blocks for worldly
progress. Therefore, on this Kali Puja
day the Supreme Mother Kali is to be adored by both worldly minded and
spiritually minded alike. Jai Maa Kali!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A man's needs and balance
Human needs can be broadly categorized as:
- Material needs: Basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. and nonbasic material needs such as sensual comfort, objects to please sense organs, etc. needs fall under this category.
- Emotional needs: Man has a need to feel loved. Man has needs to express its emotions such as anger, hate, joy, sorrow, dissapointment, frustration, etc. to achieve mental equilibrium which is constantly perturbed by thoughts generated by outwardly focussed mind.
- Spiritual needs: Man has an inherent need for inner peace or resting place or tranquility. Needs such as attending temples and churches, reading holy scriptures, worshipping God, singing praises of God, prayers, etc. fall under this category.
A materially minded man needs to maintain a balance to derive worldly happiness (not talking about Divine Bliss here). One who is restlessly after money or material gain may greatly gain materially and temporarily fulfill the ego, but no doubt that he will fall victim to his lack of fulfillment of emotional and spiritual needs. Lack in these areas will show up in various forms, such as irritability, weight gain or loss, poor relationships, poor health, lack of peace, etc. etc.
Material needs are grosser forms of emotional needs. Emotional needs are grosser forms of spiritual needs. One whose emotional needs are fulfilled is not as restless for fulfilling material needs but vice versa is not true. One who attains the ultimate purpose of life, one who is self realized, will never be out of balance since his/her material and emotional needs are automatically fulfilled.
- Material needs: Basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. and nonbasic material needs such as sensual comfort, objects to please sense organs, etc. needs fall under this category.
- Emotional needs: Man has a need to feel loved. Man has needs to express its emotions such as anger, hate, joy, sorrow, dissapointment, frustration, etc. to achieve mental equilibrium which is constantly perturbed by thoughts generated by outwardly focussed mind.
- Spiritual needs: Man has an inherent need for inner peace or resting place or tranquility. Needs such as attending temples and churches, reading holy scriptures, worshipping God, singing praises of God, prayers, etc. fall under this category.
A materially minded man needs to maintain a balance to derive worldly happiness (not talking about Divine Bliss here). One who is restlessly after money or material gain may greatly gain materially and temporarily fulfill the ego, but no doubt that he will fall victim to his lack of fulfillment of emotional and spiritual needs. Lack in these areas will show up in various forms, such as irritability, weight gain or loss, poor relationships, poor health, lack of peace, etc. etc.
Material needs are grosser forms of emotional needs. Emotional needs are grosser forms of spiritual needs. One whose emotional needs are fulfilled is not as restless for fulfilling material needs but vice versa is not true. One who attains the ultimate purpose of life, one who is self realized, will never be out of balance since his/her material and emotional needs are automatically fulfilled.
Does a guru need to be fully enlightened?
The question came up during my conversations with a friend. The short answer to the question is "No". It is the same as asking, does an elementary school teacher have to have a Ph.D.?
The knowers of the Truth have declared in the scriptures that the only purpose of the human birth is to know the Self or Brahman or God or in other words become self realized. They have also shown us various paths leading to the same goal. One is to choose a path according to one's tendencies or liking. A full knower of the Brahman or Self or God is one who realizes that there is nothing but Sat-Chit-Anand or the Existence-Consciousness-Bliss and always abides in that state of consciousness. Those who have fully reached the goal, they have reached the non-dual state and they have no one in that state to teach. Those who have come to get a glimpse of the non-dual state, strive to share the knowledge with others so that others may attain that state. Then there are those advanced aspirants, who have made significant spiritual advancement or progress in following a particular path and want to teach less advanced aspirants. There is nothing wrong in learning from them about the path and practice. The world is filled with such Gurus. A neophyte in the spiritual path can potentially benefit much from such Gurus and does not need to seek out a fully enlightened Himalayan Master.
The knowers of the Truth have declared in the scriptures that the only purpose of the human birth is to know the Self or Brahman or God or in other words become self realized. They have also shown us various paths leading to the same goal. One is to choose a path according to one's tendencies or liking. A full knower of the Brahman or Self or God is one who realizes that there is nothing but Sat-Chit-Anand or the Existence-Consciousness-Bliss and always abides in that state of consciousness. Those who have fully reached the goal, they have reached the non-dual state and they have no one in that state to teach. Those who have come to get a glimpse of the non-dual state, strive to share the knowledge with others so that others may attain that state. Then there are those advanced aspirants, who have made significant spiritual advancement or progress in following a particular path and want to teach less advanced aspirants. There is nothing wrong in learning from them about the path and practice. The world is filled with such Gurus. A neophyte in the spiritual path can potentially benefit much from such Gurus and does not need to seek out a fully enlightened Himalayan Master.
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