Divya Jyothi Mar 2015
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Transcript of 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
P a g e 3 D i v y a J y o t h i
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
P a g e 4 D i v y a J y o t h i
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
P a g e 5 D i v y a J y o t h i
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
P a g e 6 D i v y a J y o t h i
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.
P a g e 7 D i v y a J y o t h i
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
P a g e 8 D i v y a J y o t h i
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
P a g e 9 D i v y a J y o t h i
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