AArsha Vani (Voice of Sanatana Dharma) March 2016 Volume: 2 Issue: 02 “Sarvam Sivamayam Jagat” Upcoming Pravachanams “Brahma and Vishnu worshipped Siva who manifested Himself on Maha Sivaratri day as Date: Mar 6- 12, 2016 11AM & 6:30PM ‘Maha Linga’. They propagated this through Gods and sages for the ultimate benefit of Topic: Maha Bharatha Gaadhalu - mankind. Worship of Siva on Maha Sivaratri day Bodhalu grants the merit of worshipping Siva the entire year. Venue: Jute Dharmasala, Kurukshetram Worshipping Siva in the form of ‘Paarthiva Linga’ Contact: Chandrasekhar Gupta 9246530318 (Linga made with clay) is effective. ‘Linga’ is the 9391033782 unified form of Siva and Shakti – the cylindrical Date: Mar 14-16, 2016 6:30PM sphere represents Siva and the base (Yoni) represents Topic: Hindu Dharmam-Swarupam, Shakti. Worshipping Siva at Maha Pradosham i.e. Swabhavam, Prabhavam twilight time and ‘Lingodbhava kala’ i.e. at midnight Venue: Mahati Auditorium, Tirupati on Maha Sivaratri day is auspicious and bestows Contact: C Subrahmanyam 9440352995 many favors. One should worship Nandiswara before Date: Mar 19 –23, 2016 6:30PM worshipping Siva. Observing Maha Sivaratri following all or at least one of the following Topic: Sri Kamakshi Mahima - Sri Guru Siva Dharmas grants everything here and hereafter - Parampara 1. Abhishekam – ‘Abhishekaat Atma Suddhi:’. Performing abhishekam grants internal Venue: Sri Vivekananda Samskruta purity. At mundane level, those who perform abhishekam are blessed with opulence and Patasala, Kurnool. success. Doing abhishekam with milk, curd, cow ghee, honey and sugar is in vogue in Contact: Jogayya Sarma 7382106171 many parts of Bharat. Rudram (Namakam & Chamakam) is chanted while performing VS Prasad 9440293007 abhishekam. But, Siva Puranam mentions about Siva Himself telling Amba that D.Y. Rama Murthy 9490131175 abhishekam can be performed reciting the mantra ‘Sreem Sivaya Namaha’. Applying A Srinivasa Sastry 9490131179 some ghee around Parthiva linga does not let dilution and enables sustenance during abhishekam. Reciting ‘Sri Sivaya Namastubhyam Mahadevaya te namaha’ transforms Date: Mar 28 – Apr 1, 2016 9AM & 4PM even ordinary waters into sacred Ganga waters. Topic: Siva Parvati Kalyanam – Siva 2. Archana – Worship with flowers, Bilva leaves, Vibhuti etc. is performed chanting Bhakti Vaibhavam Astotra (108) or Sahasra (1000) namas of Siva. Siva Purana mentions that at least reciting Venue: Pravachana Mandapam, Sringeri the following names of Siva mentioned below without changing the order is auspicious Contact: PV Sasi Kumar Sarma 8886371773 – ‘Sivaya namaha’, ‘Maheswaraya Namaha’, ‘’Rudraya Namaha’, ‘Vishnave Namaha’, ASV Prasad Sarma 9908233033 (For details visit http://rushipeetham.org/ Event Calendar) ‘Pitamahaya Namaha’, ‘Samsara Vaidyaya Namaha’, ‘Sarvagnyaya Namaha’, ‘Paramatmane Namaha’. These eight names are called ‘Naamaashtaka Yogam’ because Traditions-Fulfilments they connote the summum bonum of philosophy hidden behind the orchestration of this entire universe. Worship of Vishnu starting from 3. Sankirtana – Reciting mantras, Siva stotrams and doing Siva japam purifies speech. Phalguna Suddha Vidiya to Bahula Vidiya 4. Dhyanam – Meditation purifies mind. Doing Dhyana contemplating Siva’s splendid without fail grants happiness and forms such as ‘Dakshinamurti’, ‘Mrityunjaya’, ‘Nataraja’, ‘Adi Bhikshu’, ‘Ardha freedom from debts and diseases. Nariswara’, ‘Hari Haratmaka’ etc. yields immense merits. Meditation of Siva as It is immensely efficacious if one ‘Jyotirlinga’ in the center of eyebrows is auspicious. just has the ‘Darshan’ of Siva Linga that 5. Upavaasa & Jaagarana – Fasting and staying awake. Observing restrain in diet to control senses and leaving aside the sleep of Ajnana (ignorance) and remaining conscious has been propitiated according to with knowledge is true ‘Jaagarana’. scriptural injunctions. Darshan in Understanding the significance and performing worship with faith and devotion is morning eliminates all causes of sorrows important. When all our spiritual practices mature, grace of Siva dawns upon us. Till that and gives extreme happiness, in time, it is very important to continue our sadhana, visit holy places, perform daily puja, afternoon grants the merits of recite stotras, and do charity and service activities. Let us pray Siva to bless us all with performing many Yagnas, in evening peace and prosperity. – Samavedam Shanmukha Sarma. bestows liberation and at mid-night (Adapted from multiple sources) transmigrates from mundane bondages. Sadhu Vachanam – Siva purana. When Dharma is absent, the company of two persons will always result in selfishness Reciting the below sloka before and violence. When Dharma prevails, they enrich each other." travel makes the journey peaceful and — Sadguru Sri Sivananda Murty. protects from unexpected troubles. Bharateeyam ātta sajja dhanur bāṇa karaṁ vr̥ṣabha "Shiva is the Lord of all the asanas, the Lord of all mantras, the personification of Prana, vāhanaṁ | annapūrṇā samā śliṣṭhaṁ and the Supreme Lord of meditation. Through an inner consecration to Shiva, all Yoga pathi ṣaṭ rudram āśrayē ॥ practices can reach their highest efficacy.” - Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri). Spiritual Quest (Answers by Sri Samavedam Shanmukha Sarma) What is the best way to worship God? Is it Puja, Stotram or Dhyanam? “We accumulate merits or sins by doing virtue or vice respectively with three instruments (Karanas) – Manas (Mind), Vak (Speech), and Kaya (Body). Getting ready for worship by smearing sacred vibhuti or tripundram etc. and performing Abhishekam, Archana and other rituals purifies body. Reciting hymns purifies our speech. Doing Smarana and Dhyanam purifies our mind. Each one compliments the other. Hence, all the three are very essential in the worship of God.” ‘Samarasya is Sanatana – Samanvaya is Bharateeyata’ © Samavedam Shanmukha Sarma ‘PHILOSOPHY OF ASHTA MURTI’ Siva encompasses the entire cosmos in ‘Eight’ forms. Five elements (Pancha bhutas), Sun, Moon and the Self (Yajman or Kshetragnya) constitute these eight forms. In this world, everyone experiences joy or sorrow only through these eight constituents. Every individual directs his or her efforts every moment to get these eight under control internally and externally for ultimate happiness. Everyone wants cordial relationship and favorable behavior from these eight at every stage of their existence. Any slight variation in the composition of these eight constituents leads to disease internally and discomfort externally. Because everything is under His supreme control, He will subdue those occurrences that are unfavorable and promote those occurrences that are favorable to all His devotees who worship Him with faith and devotion. It is very important to comprehend that the worship is done not just to the ‘Five Elements’, ‘Sun’, ‘Moon’ or ‘Individual’, but to ‘Siva’ who is always inherently present within them. Siva innately present in Earth is ‘Prithvi Linga’, Water is ‘Jala Linga’, Fire is ‘Agni Linga’, Air is ‘Vayu Linga’ and Ether is Sri Guruvu garu about ‘Siva Padam’ ‘Akasha Linga’, Intellect is ‘Surya Linga’, Mind is ‘Chandra Linga’ and ‘Out of more than 1000 compositions, 111 Consciousness of self, present within everyone is ‘Yajamana Linga’. The very are picked and arranged according to a term ‘Linga’ connotes the same. ‘Linga’ means one that which amalgamates or theme along with commentary in this book. merges. The ‘Supreme Consciousness’ or ‘Siva’ which is unified with the entire These were composed with self-imposed universe is ‘Linga’. Hence, Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi in His work ‘Upadesa discipline to deliver one composition every Saram’ declared ‘Jagata īsadī yukta sēvanaṁ। aṣṭa mūrti bhr̥t dēva day and offer at the Lotus Feet of Siva. pūjanam॥’ i.e. prudent worship of omnipresent Siva is to worship Him in these Every word in this rendering is due to the eight forms. Great poet Kalidasa mentioned in his classic ‘Abhijnana absolute grace of Siva. Sakuntalam’ that everything experienced by our senses i.e. the above These reflect my understanding of the mentioned eight forms are the direct visible manifestations of Lord. Sage Veda philosophy of Siva that has been elaborated Vyasa proclaimed ‘Sarvam Sivamayam Jagat’ meaning this entire universe is in our Puranas and Scriptures. This is the filled with Siva. Sri Lalita Sahasranama Stotra describes Sri Lalita Devi as ‘Asta garland of flowers from the garden of Murti’. In Dakshinamurty’s hymn, Sri Adi Sankara propounded the scriptures that contain the gist. These are ‘Sagunopasana’ (worship the noumenon in the form of phenomenon) in these pregnant with my emotions & viewpoints. eight forms – These compositions are part of my spiritual bhūraṁ bhānsya nālō nilōmbara mahārnāthō himānśu: practice to take refuge in those definitive pumā nityābhāti carā carātmikamidaṁ yasyaiva mūrtyaṣṭakaṁ proclamations and surrender to Him in nānyatkin̄ca na vidyatē vimr̥śatāṁ yasmāt parasmādvibhō: ultimate silence. tasmai śrī guru mūrtayē nama idaṁ śrī dakṣināmūrtayē nama: This is a humble attempt to elucidate the “He, whose subtle and unmanifest eight-fold form causes the movable and multi-faceted philosophy of Siva. immovable universe, and by whose grace alone all these manifestations Compositions are picked and arranged disappear to reveal the supreme truth that ‘All that exists is only the Brahman’, based on the themes of – to that Dakshinamurti who is my Guru, I offer my profound salutations.” • His many forms – Everyone can do Ashtamurti