Sri Chakra the Source of the Cosmos
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Sri Chakra The Source of the Cosmos The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY Blossom 22 Petal 3 December 2017 Blossom 22, Petal 3 I N Temple Bulletin 3 T Past Temple Events 4 H Upcoming Temple I Events 6 S Balancing Your Life I in the Two Modes of Existence 8 S Kundalini: A S Mosaic Perspective 11 U Sahasra Chandi 13 E Kailash Yatra 17 Ganaamritam 20 Gurus, Saints & Sages 23 Naivēdyam Nivēdayāmi 26 Kids Korner! 29 2 Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam • 6980 East River Road • Rush, NY 14543 • Phone: (585) 533 - 1970 Sri Chakra ● December 2017 TEMPLETEMPLETEMPLE BULLETINBULLETINBULLETIN Rajagopuram Project As many of you know, Aiya has been speaking about the need for a more permanent sacred home for Devi for a number of years. Over the past 40 years, the Temple has evolved into an import- ant center for the worship of the Divine Mother Rajarajeswari, Temple Links attracting thousands of visitors each year from around the world. Private Homa/Puja Booking: It is now time to take the next step in fulfilling Aiya’s vision of srividya.org/puja constructing an Agamic temple in granite complete with a tradi- tional Rajagopuram. With the grace of the Guru lineage and the Rajagopuram Project (Granite loving blessings of our Divine Mother, now is the right time to Temple): actively participate and contribute to make this vision a reality. srividya.org/rajagopuram The new Temple will be larger and will be built according to Email Subscriptions: the Kashyapa Shilpa Shastra. By following the holy Agamas, srividya.org/email more divine energy than ever will be attracted into the Tem- ple, and the granite will hold that energy for 10,000 years, bring- Temple Timings: ing powerful blessings to countless generations into the future. srividya.org/calendar As Maha Periyava has beautifully explained: “Temple Renovation, Reconstruction, Kumbabhishekam, etc. are all considered ex- Event Livestream: tremely noble deeds. We all should do whatever we can towards srividya.org/live these and earn Punya Karma. Whatever we offer, it may be a brick, but as long as that brick is there in that temple, we will spend Summer Youth Camp (VSI): that much time (thousands of years) in Kailash or Vaikuntham.” srividya.org/camp To learn more, please visit srividya.org/rajagopuram. To contrib- Online Donation: ute or set up monthly donations, please visit srividya.org/donate srividya.org/donate and select “Rajagopuram Building Fund” from the menu. If you would like to offer your time or expertise towards this noble en- deavour, please contact Natarajan Mama at (585) 533 - 1970. Connect With Us (585) 533 - 1970 www.srividya.org (416) 628 - 3786 [email protected] Sri Vidya Temple Sri Vidya Temple Sri Vidya Temple 3 Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam • 6980 East River Road • Rush, NY 14543 • Phone: (585) 533 - 1970 Blossom 22, Petal 3 PAST EVENTS ... September 2017 to December 2017 Navaratri 2017 ... 4 Sri Chakra • [email protected] Sri Chakra ● December 2017 Sept Dwajarohanam 13 Dwajarohanam, the flag hoisting ceremony, fell on a wednesday this year. Around 125 people were able to attend and witness the beautiful ceremony. After the preliminary pujas, Aiya drew the flag using his unique mixture of several dravyams. The Dwajam was hoisted and the Dwaja Sthambam was decorated with the Bhairava Trishula, Rudrakshas malas, flower garlands, charams, ceiling kunjalams and flowers. Ganapathi Thalam was recited every day during Dwaja Puja until the Dwajam was brought down again. Sept Oct Sharada Navaratri 20 - 02 This year’s Sharada Navaratri was conducted on an extremely grand scale. The theme for this year’s Navaratri festival was Sahasra Chandi. A Sahasra Chandi Maha Yajnam was performed over the course of the festival, which lasted one extra day due to longer thithi timings leading up to the Dasami day. Chandi homam was performed over 100 times and Devi Mahatmyam was recited over 1000 times by approximately 90 trained ritwiks. The Utsava murthis were taken out on procession for each of the goddesses’ days; Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi, respectively. This aligned auspiciously with the main deity of this year, Chandi Devi, as the 3 presiding deities of her Navakshari mantra are Shri Mahakali, Shri Mahalakshmi and Shri Mahasaraswathi. On Friday, the 10th day of Navarathri, an auspicious Maha Navami Chandi homam was held in the morning and Vidyarambham happened in the evening. The following day, Vijayadasami, concluded the Sahasra Chandi Maha Yajnam with a final Chandi homam and Maha Purnahuti, followed by Nava Chandi Kalasodvasanam and the chariot procession. The chariot went around in procession at midday and brought a close to the day’s events. The magnificent festival came to an end with Theertham, Dwajavarohanam and Kulirthi. Sept Oct Kedara Gauri 29 - 19 The conclusion of Navarathri led to the beginning of the 21-day Kedara Gauri vratam. Kedara Gauri Puja was performed every evening of the 21-day festival to celebrate the unity of Devi and Shiva as Ardhanareeshwara. On the final day, about 150 people were present to witness Sri Ardhanareeshwara receive maha abhishekam and alankaram. 21 sumangalis received prasadam of sarees, combs, bangles, mirrors and sharadu threads to be tied around their hands as the festival came to an end. Sri Chakra • [email protected] 5 Blossom 22, Petal 3 UPCOMING EVENTS 2nd: Tiru Kartikai Vratam & Kartikai Vilakku (deepam at house) 3rd: Kanakavalli Lalita Laksha DEC Kumkumarchana 23rd: Thiruvempavai (start) 31st: Raja Matangi Homam 1st: Thiruvempavai (end - Ardra Darsanam) JAN th Oct 14 : Thai Pongal Skanda Shashti 20 - 25 FEB 13th: Maha Sivarathri The powerful 6-day festival focused on worshipping Muruga through abhishekam and sahasranama *All events will occur at the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, archana. Each of the 6 days was dedicated to NY, unless otherwise stated above. one of his faces and concluded with Sooran Por on the final day. The grand finale of the festival included Sooran Por, which is the war between IN THREE MONTHS ... Muruga and Soorapadman that represents the triumph of good over evil. Devotees reenacted Devi willing, the next issue of the the war in stages by carrying, running and Sri Chakra will be up on the temple’s dancing with Muruga and Soorapadman in website at the beginning of March 2018. the Yagna shala. Muruga’s vel was used to destroy Sooran and the banana tree which This magazine cannot keep publishing without symbolizes the victory of good over evil. After contributions! Articles, poems, stories and the conclusion of Sooran Por, abhishekam photos about any spiritual topic are welcomed. was performed to Lord Muruga to enable The next deadline for article submission is February to cooling process after the war. This was 1, 2018. Please e-mail us with your contributions followed by the weddings, thirukalyanams, of or feedback about this issue at srichakra@ Muruga to his two wives, Valli and Devasena. srividya.org or talk to Virroshi at the temple. Sri Gurubhyo Namaha! Our special thanks and gratitude to this issue’s volunteers: Sundhara & Ahalya Arasaratnam, Veena Ganeshan, Ramesh Natarajan, Kamya Ramaswamy, Gayathri Ramesh, Mayuran Surendran, Ajayan Vijayakandhan and Thulasi Kitchen. 6 Sri Chakra • [email protected] Sri Chakra ● December 2017 You can pick them The Sri Vidya up for free at the Temple Society temple or refer to 2018 pocket this handy-dandy calendar has virtual copy 2018 been released! above. Wall calendars will be released in English and Tamil closer to the new year. Sri Chakra • [email protected] 7 Blossom 22, Petal 3 Balancing Your Life in the Two Modes of Existence An explanation by Sri la Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi (Part 2) This simple guidance by Guruji hat are the steps that lead to the relaxation of the mind? I think there are basically involved on understanding and exploring Win relaxing the mind. If we eat heavily and one’s own true nature in realizing then sit down for meditation, what happens? We sleep Universal Unconditional Love was like Kumbakarna. Kumbakarna is a one who sleeps for six months continuously. If you are totally hungry, with a talk at Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, the burning sensation in the stomach, you can’t sit and Rush, NY on July 18th, 1996, along meditate. So, a slight hunger should be there, but not with other extracts from Guruji’s too much. If your mind is totally fresh, say when you have just woken up from sleep, and you want to sit for additional teachings. Thank you to meditation, the mind wants to think. It has become active Sundhara and Ahalya Arasaratnam as it has completed the sleep state. That doesn’t create the for transcribing and submitting slope that is necessary for the mind to settle down into a Sri Chakra thoughtless state. So, if you are in a fresh and active state this piece to the with of mind, it is a conducive state for meditation. illustrations to enhance his explanations. The second important step in relaxing the mind is that just as you should have a little hunger, you should Here is the second installment of a have a little tiredness as well. When the body and mind 3- part series. are tired, the mind wants to stop thinking and start 8 Sri Chakra ● December 2017 relaxing. This will set up a small slope in the mind and it starts gently rolling down. If you fill a bottle with water and add some mud in it, shake well and let it stand, it will begin to settle down. Since the mind has a natural tendency to be lethargic, it tends to a state of settling down; it has a tendency to be lazy.