divya jyothi mar 2015

i Divya Jyothi Mar 2015

Sharing the enlightened wisdom

Upavasa and Jagaran – Fasting and Awake

We observe Upavasa and Jagaran on some festivals and some auspicious days. Upavasa is translated into fasting in

Kannada, it is not so. Upavasa means, vasa – to be near, Upa – in higher plane. Upavasa literally means to be in elevat‐

ed state of consciousness. Literally it has nothing to do with fasting. It is consequence of your state of consciousness.

You might have observed, when you are engrossed in interesting activity, you will forget hunger. This is same. If you

are engrossed in deep meditation, you will drop hunger.

Jagarana means to be aware/awake. People in literal sense take it to be awake throughout the night. This actually

comes from Bhagavadgita ‐ ya nisha sarva bhutanam. We need to be aware in waking condition. We are dreaming in

waking condition. We need to come to self‐awareness in waking condition.

Prabhuji Speaks

P a g e 2 D i v y a J y o t h i

‘Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata, yatraitaastu na pujyante sarvaastatrafalaah

kriyaah’

Where ever woman is respected God is pleased. Where woman is not respected all endeav‐

ours become futile. Only in Hinduism Goddess is worshipped. In no other religion there is

place for worship of feminine. Happy Woman's Day!

Peace and Love

~ Prabhuji

Women’s day message


Upadesa mava pyaivam achar‐

yat tattva darsinah

Pancha kosha vivekena

iabhante nir vrtim param ||32||

Similarly, the Jivas (finding

themselves in the whirlpool of

samsara), receive the appropri‐

ate initiation from a teacher

who himself has realised Brah‐

man, and differentiating the Self from its five sheaths

attain the supreme bliss of release. (32)

There are many Gurus in our life. Mother is first Guru,

Father is second Guru, our teachers, friends etc all are

Gurus. They are all Siksha Gurus ‐ Gurus from whom

we learn. In the context of spirituality, Siksha guru is

one who teaches spirituality like Vedan‐

ta, Upanishads etc. Sometimes the Siksha Guru may be

well versed in scriptures but may not be a realized

soul. In this situation, he can show the path but may

not be able to help in final realization. Such a Guru is

called Siksha Guru.

Many people learn a lot from Siksha Guru but seek a

Deeksha Guru ‐ a realized soul for reaching the libera‐

tion. In some situations Siksha guru and Deeksha Guru

may be same also. To summarize, Siksha Guru is one

who can show the path and Deeksha Guru is one who

can show the destination ‐ Mukthi.

Spirituality is a two way relationship between the Mas‐

ter and disciple. Disciple seeking Truth, realization

gets attracted to a specific Sadguru ‐ Realized master

and approaches for guidance. Master tests the commit‐

ment of disciple and accepts him/her as disciple. The

mind of the disciple may not be purified. Hence the

master gives Seva or service activities for the disciple

and helps disciple to work on himself/herself till a

stage is reached when the disciple is ready for accept‐

ing Deeksha from the Master. In a sense Deeksha is a

commitment taken by the Master for helping and

guiding disciple through the process of spiritual jour‐

ney.

Typically depending on the maturity of student and

ability of Master, a student may get a glimpse of Truth

and realization at the time of Deeksha itself. Deeksha

is a sacred process.

Mother Sharada Devi was very selective in giving

Deeksha. When someone asked about it, She said, it is

a great commitment on her part. Once Deeksha is giv‐

en, She takes a commitment to guide the disciple for

Mukti and may have to take many births Herself if the

disciple is not committed to ensure that disciple is up‐

lifted.

In a sense Deeksha is a very sacred relationship be‐

tween the Master and disciple in a very formal way.

Deeksha is called initiation. Initiation into the deeper

spiritual Truths by the Master. Without Deeksha, a

spiritual aspirant may never get to the crux of spiritu‐

ality, spiritual Truths. Reading tones of books spiritual

books, visiting holy places ‐ none of these can still

open up the spiritual Truths by a Realized Master as

Deeksha.

As Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to say: Who

says is what matters. For example if someone com‐

plains about Road conditions, no action may be taken

by the administration but one word from a person in

Authority may swing the whole government machin‐

ery into action. The power behind the words matter. In

spirituality the evolved consciousness of the Master

makes all the difference. Tat twam Asi ‐That thou art

may be learnt from several books. But when the Mas‐

ter utters these words, the disciple immediately realiz‐

es the essential meaning and gets a glimpse of realiza‐

tion. This is the power of Deeksha ‐ Initiation. There

are several ways of giving Deeksha ‐ Shakti pat ‐ trans‐

fer of energy from the Master to awaken the Kundalini

energy can happen through the sight, touch, words or

sankalpa of Master. Narendra (Vivekananda) had a

glimpse of the Truth when Shri Ramakrishna Parama‐

hasa touched his chest. There can be Mantra Deeksha

or atma bodha ‐ tatwamasi upadesham.

Panchadasi - Tattva Viveka 32


Verse 19

Mukham bindun kruthva kucha yuga mada sthasya

thadha dho

Harardha dhyayedhyo haramamahishi the manmatha‐

kalam

Sa sadhya samkshebham nayathi vanitha inyathiladhu

Thrilokimapyasu bramayathi ravindu sthana yugam.

Hey, Mother who is Goddess of all universe,

He who meditates on you ,

As the crescent of love of our lord great,,

On the dot of the holy wheel,

Your two busts just below,

And you as the half of Shiva our lord,

Not only Creates waves of emotion in ladies,

But charms the world,

which has moon and sun as busts.

Victory in love

Bindusthana is the Sanskrit term for "locus" in the first

line of this verse. Meditation requires a point of locus

(bindu) where all dimensions converge and also

emerge, to be thought of both as the source and the

point of re‐absorption of all manifestations.

The face is the index of one's beauty, and Shiva is re‐

ferred to as looking at the reflection of his own face in

a mirror and identifying it as the face of his wife, the

Goddess. Thus the bindusthana is both subjective and

Shiva – The Pure Awareness

The word san‐

atana meaning

immemorial as

well as eternal

emphasized

the unbroken

continuity of

the Hindu tra‐

dition. San‐

atana Dharma

declares that something cannot come out of nothing and,

therefore, the universe itself is the manifestation of the

Divine being – Shiva. Shiva is auspiciousness. Shiva is

bliss. Shiva is the consciousness. More importantly, Shiva

is the Self of one and all.

It is said that God sleeps in rocks, dreams in plants,

wakes up in animals and becomes aware of Himself in

human beings. Human being is the vehicle for Universal

consciousness to the Glory of the Self as the creation.

Lord Shiva is giving a call for all of us to wake up from

the dream of limited concept of self, based on body‐mind

‐intellect complex to experience nature of Him in the

core of our being. To experience Lord Shiva as our inner

Self and as the Self of the whole creation is to the find

deeper meaning in life, which frees us from the conflicts

imposed by the perceived dualities of creation.

Pure awareness is the Self of one and all. Pure awareness

is Lord Shiva whose nature are existence, consciousness

and bliss. Everything and everyone is Lord Shiva. There is

nothing other than Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is the inner

reality of mind and body and outer reality of cosmos.

Blissful nature of Lord Shiva is the sum and substance of

the Universe.

Sanatana Dharma Soundarya Lahari


objective in the revised version of meditation presented

here.

Moon and the Sun are Ida and Pingala (the left and

right passages or nadis of the spinal column in Yoga

terminology.) the yogi goes through the middle without

going to one side or the other.

Shiva is referred to as looking at the reflection of his

own face in a mirror and identifying it as the face of his

wife, the Goddess means Shiva and Shakti are one and

are not different from each other.

Shakti is the energy of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva and Shak‐

ti are one. Shiva is Shakti and Shakti is Shiva. They are

inseparable like heat in fire or fragrance in flower. She

is the Self‐awareness of Shiva and also the power of

consciousness by which everything else is revealed. She

expresses in the form of infinite Will, Wisdom and Ac‐

tion of Lord Shiva. As Universal Mother, she creates,

sustains and destroys the whole Universe.

Shakti – the energy, in the form of subtlest vibration is

the heartbeat of Parama Shiva. Because of pulsation of

Spanda Shakti, whole of the Universe is created sus‐

tained and dissolved. She is also called Para Shakti in

this form.

Shakti, the Universal Mother is the power of conscious‐

ness in the form of Will, Wisdom and Action. Lord Shi‐

va as householder creates the Universe with his Shakti.

Shiva and Shakti are not different from each other.

Ardhanareeshwara half male, half female form of Shiva

and Shakti represents this Truth. This representation is

akin to the yin and yang, masculine and feminine repre‐

sentation in eastern cultures.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama – 13 to 20

13. Kankangadha Keyura Kamaniya Bujanvidha ‐ She

who wears golden Armlets

Rathna graiveya chinthaka lola muktha phalanvitha ‐

She who wears necklace with moving pearls and dollar

inlaid with gems

to

20. Sinchana mani manjira manditha sri pamambuja ‐

She who has feet wearing musical anklets filled with

gem stones.

Marali Mandha Gamana ‐ She who has the slow gait

like the swan

Maha Lavanya Sewadhi ‐ She who has the store house

of supreme beauty

From 13th sloka to 20th sloka is about the Universal

Mother in different ornaments. This is to say that the

Universal Mother is Aparanji Gold described in differ‐

ent forms of ornaments but the source of all the orna‐

ments is Gold.

Sarvagya ‐ means knower of everything. All gold orna‐

ments are made up of gold. Everything in the universe

is manifestation of consciousness alone. If you know

Lalitha Sahasranama


gold, you know all ornaments ‐ this is the meaning of

sarvgya. This is the meaning of the Universal Mothers’s

differents types of ornaments. The moment you are es‐

tablished in pure consciousness ‐ you will experience

deep bliss and supreme contentment ‐ liberation and

enlightenment. For such a person, all happenings of

human and divine mind are transparent. It does not

mean that a sarvagya will be able to fly an aircraft/do

surgery, do miracles etc. He/she has simple intuitive

understanding of basic operative principles of universe

and he is free from illusion of the maya ‐ appearance.

What is that by knowing which everything is known?

Shaunaka Rishi asked a strange question – what is that

by knowing which everything is known. Why should we

be bothered about knowing everything? What is the

importance of learning a subject by knowing which you

know everything? If you look at our lives, we have a de‐

sire for knowledge. Even an illiterate person has a desire

for knowledge. Every human being has a desire for hap‐

piness, desire for avoiding suffering, and desire to get

knowledge, understanding. Deep inside us there is a

feeling that knowledge is power and that there is a defi‐

ciency of knowledge in us. All of us are trying to gain

power in some way or the other so that we are happy

and our weaknesses are reduced. This need not be just

subject knowledge; it can be any knowledge, what is

happening in the city, what is happening in politics, etc.

Once Bharadwaj Rishi meditated on Brahma and when

Brahma appeared, he requested for 100 years of life. So

Brahmaji said, 'Ok'. Then as the 90th year approached,

again Bharadwaj Rishi prayed to Brahma and asked for

100 more years'.

Brahmaji asks, ‘Why?

Bharadwaj Rishi says, ‘I have learnt Vedas and so many

subjects, but what I have to learn is lot more, so I want

some more life’. Brahmaji laughs. He shows a Himala‐

yan mountain and he takes one fistful of sand and he

says ‘what you know today is only this much and what is

to be known is that much. Any number of lives given

will not be sufficient. But there is one subject by know‐

ing which you know all this, why don’t you learn that?’

That subject is known as Atmajnana – Srividya the aus‐

picious knowledge, the Knowledge of Self and that is

called Brahmajnana, because that is the Knowledge of

Universe, by knowing which you know all subjects in

the Universe.

Does it mean that a person, who gets Brahmajnana,

gets to know all languages; can do surgery, and can fly

an aircraft? No, but by knowing which you get a deep

satisfaction of knowing all subjects is what is meant.

E.g. a gold ring, necklace and earrings are all made of

Gold. They are different forms. There is only one ob‐

ject, one subject which is gold. So everything else is

various forms of that gold! Similarly, knowing about

Consciousness ‐ the Universal Mother is like knowing

about every other subject in the universe because Con‐

sciousness the Universal Mother is the real substra‐

tum. Just as all types of ornaments are made of gold

and learning about gold will give you the knowledge of

the essence of all the ornaments. In the similar way

when we learn Brahmajnana – Srividya, when we learn

about Consciousness the Universal Mother we will

know essence of every object or subject in the Uni‐

verse. What happens when you know ‘THAT’? The

desire for Knowledge drops, because you have under‐

stood the cause of all causes, which is Brahman or

Consciousness or the Universal Mother.


Night of Awakening from Dream of Maya

Shivaratri is a call for awakening from the dream of Ma‐

ya. Shiva is auspiciousness. When the mind becomes

silent and merges with the Self it is called Shivaratri.

Shiva means ‐ that which is not. Emptiness is the womb

of creation.

God is both with form and formless. This is beautifully

depicted by Shivalinga. Linga stands for indicator ‐ sym‐

bol. Shiva linga symbolizes formlessand form aspect of

divinity. Form comes from the nature ‐ prakriti. This is

the peetham of Shivalinga. Formless aspect is shown by

the elliptical structure of Shivalinga.

Shivaratri Celebration dedicated to Lord Shiva is cele‐

brated on the moonless night of the month of Phalguna,

which is the fourteenth day in the krishnapaksha or

dark half. Owing to a special planetary conjunction,

spiritual practices done on this day are considered to be

especially auspicious and beneficial. There is a reference

to this in one of the Puranas, where Shiva himself tells

Parvati Devi, the Divine Mother that this day is particu‐

larly dear to him, and that those who perform the pre‐

scribed austerities on this day will be freed from all sins.

One popular story from the Puranas goes like this:

There was once a poor hunter from Varanasi. His name

was Suswara. He lived with his wife and child in a small

hut. Theirs was a hand‐to‐mouth existence. Suswara

would go to the forest and hunt whatever game came

his way, and thus feed his family.

One particular day he caught many small animals and

birds, which he put into a sack. Encouraged by the

catch, he wandered deeper into the forest in search of

more game. Soon darkness set in and he turned to go

home. He was a little worried as the forest was infested

with dangerous animals. He did not like the idea of

spending the night there. Soon it became very dark,

unable to find his way back, Suswara climbed a tree to

be safe from the wild animals.

Attracted by his scent, animals came lurking under the

tree. Hoping to scare them away Suswara plucked

some twigs from the tree and threw them at the ani‐

mals but to no avail. Throughout the night the animals

kept prowling beneath the tree. Suswara was unable to

get even a wink of sleep and he kept vigil throughout

the night. He plucked leaves from the tree, which hap‐

pened to be a bilva tree, and dropped them on the

ground. Unknown to Suswara, there was a Shivalinga

at the foot of the tree; and so, although he was una‐

ware of it, by dropping the sacred bilva leaves, Suswara

was making a sacred offering to the Shivalinga. That

night happened to be Shivaratri. So the hunter had

unknowingly kept a nightlong vigil and worshipped

Shiva.

According to the Shiva Purana the Mahashivaratri

worship should incorporate six items: offering bilva

leaves to the deity after giving it a ceremonial bath,

which represents purification of the soul; applying ver‐

milion paste on the linga after bathing it, which repre‐

sents virtue; offering food, which is conducive to lon‐

gevity and the gratification of desires; lighting incense,

which yields wealth; lighting an oil lamp, which signi‐

fies the attainment of knowledge; and offering betel

leaves, which marks satisfaction with worldly pleas‐

ures.

These six items form an indispensable part of the Ma‐

hashivaratri worship, be it a simple ceremony at home

or grand temple worship.

Significance of the Rituals. The story above is an alle‐

gory. Just as the hunter sought to kill wild animals, the

spiritual seeker tries to overcome lust, anger, greed,

infatuation, jealousy and hatred. The jungle is the

Shivaratri


mind where all these negativities roam about. A spiritu‐

al aspirant must kill these ‘animals’ to be free. The

name of the hunter was Suswara, which means ‘one of

melodious voice’. This indicates the purity of intent and

speech, which, in turn, imply a level of mental purity.

The hunter was born in Varanasi. Vara refers to the

forehead while nasi is the nose. The point where both

meet is Varanasi, in other words, the point midway be‐

tween the eyebrows. This point is also called the ajna

chakra and is regarded as a nexus of the three nadis:

ida, pingala and sushumna. A spiritual aspirant who

concentrates his\her mind on this point, gains concen‐

tration and gradual control over his senses.

The killing of the animals thus indicates control over

Coming after Shivaratri Festival, Holi brings the mes‐

sage of life. Shivaratri stands for waking up from the

dream. Waking up to the reality. Holi shows the way.

Holi is celebrated with splashing of colours and burn‐

ing of Kama. Symbolizing the Upanishadic (Ishavasya),

Tena Tyaktena Bhunjitaha – Enjoy with renunciation.

'Tena Tyaktena Bhunjitaha' Isha Vasya upanishat says

'Enjoy with renunciation'. How can someone enjoywith

renunciation? Everything in the Universe belongs to

the Lord – Ishvara. There is nothing which belongs to

anybody. If we look at our body, mind, intellect com‐

plex, space, water, fire, earth everything is Prakriti‐ Na‐

ture. Nature belongs to Ishvara. We have been given

this body, this mind, intellect to experience the Pra‐

kriti. In forgetfulness, we start assuming ownership. We

say, 'My body, mind and intellect' and gradually, we

start experiencing ‘I am the body’. There is no such

thing. Everything belongs to Ishvara. We are given the

right to use body for a limited duration. The moment

we start claiming ownership, we are in trouble. In uni‐

versal terms, the trouble is called karma. Suffering

starts. We have to renounce ownerhsip and live in joy,

celebration with all that is given to us. This is the spirit

of Holi. Spirit of Holi involves celebration of life –

splashing of colours. Burning of Kama, symbolizing

renunciation of what is not ours and in the process ex‐

periencing the bliss of life, joy of life.

~ Prabhuji

Spiritual significance of Holi


Burning the Ignorance

Jnanagni Dagda Karmani – Bhagavadgita

There is another legend that is also attributed to the

origin of Holi. This story is about Kamadeva, the

God of love. Kamadeva's body was destroyed when

he shot his weapon at Shiva in order to disrupt his

meditation and help Parvati to marry Shiva. In anger

for disrupting his meditation, Shiva opened his third

eye, the gaze of which was so powerful that Ka‐

madeva’s body was reduced to ashes. For the sake of

Kamadeva's wife Rati (passion), Shiva restored Ka‐

madeva only as a mental image, representing the

true emotional and spiritual state of love rather than

physical lust. It is also believed that the Holi bonfire

is lit in commemoration of this event.

Spiritual Meaning of Burning Of Kamadeva

Shiva is Adi Guru. Destroyer of Ignorance. Opening

of third eye represents‐wisdom. Wisdom gained

through Shastra (Scriptures), Sadguru

(EnlightenedMaster) and Atmaguru (The Inner

Self).

~ Prabhuji

Kamadahana

Narasimha ‐ Fourth State of Consciousness Turiya

According to Narad Purana, Holi is celebrated in

the memory of Prahlad’svictory and the defeat of

his aunt ’Holika’. The legend says that there once

existed a mighty demon king by the name of Hiran‐

yakashyap who wished that everybody in his king‐

dom should worship him. However, his son, Prah‐

lad became a worshipper of Lord Vishnu. He tried

every way to stop Prahlad from worshipping Vishnu

but could not succeed. Out of frustration and an‐

ger, the demon king then decided to kill his son.

Despite all his efforts, Prahlad remained safe by the

blessings of Lord Vishnu. Finally, Hiranyakashyap

instructed his sister, Holika to sit in the burning

fire with Prahlad on lap. She was blessed with a

boon as a result of which no fire could burn her.

But the opposite happened, Prahlad survived and

Holika was charred to death. SThis incident thus re

‐established the faith of people in the ultimate di‐

vine power and is thus celebrated as the day of eter‐

nal love, devotion, blessings and the victory of

Good over evil. It is because of this event, Holika (a

bonfire) is burnt every year on Holi. The burning of

the effigy of Holika is called Holika Dahan.

Spiritual Meaning of the Story of Buring of

Holika. – Mandukya Upanishad

Hiranya kashyap – stands for desire ridden individ‐

uals – Hiranya means gold. Kashyapu – means pil‐

low. Somebody whose sleep is disturbed by desire

for possessions and wealth. He becomes Asura –

demonic. Disturbing the society and himself. Prah‐

lad is child – a opening in the heart for the Lord –

Supreme Bliss (Pra‐Ahlada). The desire ridden ego

Narasimha

P a g e 1 0 D i v y a J y o t h i

suppresses the child. Even tries to kill through

holika (the anger). But lord protects the child and

shows himself in the form of Narasimha.

Narasimha – Neither man, nor animal, neither

inside nor outside, neither darkness, nor light (Na

antha prajnaha, Na bhahir prajanaha) – Turiya

state of conciousness. Practice of Turiya, – Samad‐

hi – 4th state of consciousness ‐ kills the ego –

Hiranyakashyap and Holika.

Burning of Holika is symbolic of Tapasya – Spiritu‐

al practices. Tapasya means heat – Heat of spiritu‐

al practices of – Kaya, vacha, manasa tapasya

burns Holika – Anger – sister of ego.

~ Prabhuji

again to you I bow.....you show the path and I follow

[3/12, 19:14]

Student: Saw Him hug a heart‐broken woman with com‐

passion..privileged glimpse of Shiva in action....ego is the

only possession...surrendered with submission. [3/12,

19:14]

Student: Every thing is transient... Yearning of soul per‐

manent....my Master so radiant....am your loving child

innocent [3/12, 19:14]

Student: Still and silent...thoughts absent....your grace

apparent...O my Shiva..benevolent [3/12, 19:15]

Student: Struggled to express inner craving with

words.....your grace helped me to drop all the emotions

afterwards..merging with deepest love brought happiness

as reward...expressing in a flow is on its own accord. [3/12,

19:15]

Student: Thought am lonely till I met you......in your pres‐

ence felt you are always with me for sure...meeting you

was only to make me realize......that you and I are one

and that is true. [3/12, 19:18]

Student: Honestly the infinite compassion in his eyes

were worth watching. That is Shiva...no one can be that

ocean of karuna / daya. Absolute unconditional love...

[3/12, 19:21]

Student: It made such a powerful impact just looking at

his karunya....only Shiva no one else can be like this [3/12,

19:22]

Student: I mean Shiva by definition

[3/13, 08:53]

Student: Feel the love and compassion in the airevery‐

thing seems right and fairoh Shiva Guru my dearevery

word uttered turning in prayer [3/13, 08:56]

Student: First thing in the morning....Shiva said get go‐

ing......carry on work smiling...that is exactly what am

doing..... [3/13, 15:18]

Student: Walking home from bus stop buying groceries

from a shop working eight hours on desktop feel my mas‐

ter's presence non stop

Dear Atmajyothis, Recently Guruji visited an Atmajyothi's

place in Australia and stayed there for a couple of dayz to

spend time with some AJs in that city. Would like to

share her feelings with you all.

Hari Om

AJ: Happiness is my nature...Guruji is my tutor....no

thought of future...today seems brighter Everything given

on platter.....surrounded with divine laughter...blessings

that matter.....life turned sweeter [3/12, 19:13]

Student: Ashes he smears...most beautiful He ap‐

pears....take away all sorts of fears....comes and wipe my

tears [3/12, 19:13]

Student: Negative words and thoughts he destroy....every

moment with him bring immense joy....nothing has the

power to annoy......in his abode I dance and enjoy [3/12,

19:14]

Student: Why am playing with words I do not

know....overwhelming love brings the flow....again and

Guruji’s Grace

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tat tvam asi

divya jyothi mar 2015

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