request

Namaste,my request was to know about the birth of

mahalakshmi,mahasaraswati,mahagowri.their birth stars and tithis.like

mahavishnu's star they say is sravana, lord shiva is arudra,kartikeya

is krittika,lord rama is punarvasu,lord krishna is rohini, maha

ganapathi is satabhisha,like that.and also i want to know that what

ever i know is right or wrong. and secondly i also wanted to know

about navagrahas and why do they have adhidevatas and

prathyadhidevathas and why not any body else have them like indra

varuna etc.what are the gayathris of ashhatadikpalas i.e. indra,agni,

and why only for satyanarayana puja we perform panchdevata,

navagraha dikpalaka puja ,and why not in any other puja like

varalakshmi vratam.please do not laugh at my ignorance,because if

mother is "aakeeta brahma janani" then i am a keetaka in her

creation.i am slowly trying to know my mother,her love towards me and

her compassion and her beauty through your beautiful

list.thankyou,malladi

madhavi.

may i know the meaning of sarvatobhadra mandala-how is it

drawn and what are its uses and where is it used(i have searched on

the web and failed to get an answer that is why iam bothering you.)

and also about yogini mandala,navagraha mandala,kshetrapalaka

mandala.

 

sriram sir you spoke about the lengthy puja vidhi and i am

intrested in it .i want to know/learn the correct(even if it is

lengthy)poojavidhi.please will you let me know the details either of

any url of a site or the author and address of the publishing house

(in telugu or english )or if you can e-mail me the detailed

poojavidhi,i will be eternally gratefull to you. thank you

 

malladimadhavi.

 

Note : post edited by moderator

||Jai Sadguru Dutta||

 

Madhaviji,

 

Kindly refer to the following URL and have a look at the different

mandalas:

 

http://www.geocities.com/~yagya/gayatri2.htm

 

I will try to give a description of these in the next few days.

 

regards

 

, malladimadhavi <srims@e...> wrote:

> may i know the meaning of sarvatobhadra mandala-how is it

> drawn and what are its uses and where is it used(i have searched on

> the web and failed to get an answer that is why iam bothering you.)

> and also about yogini mandala,navagraha mandala,kshetrapalaka

> mandala.

>

> sriram sir you spoke about the lengthy puja vidhi and i am

> intrested in it .i want to know/learn the correct(even if it is

> lengthy)poojavidhi.please will you let me know the details either

of

> any url of a site or the author and address of the publishing house

> (in telugu or english )or if you can e-mail me the detailed

> poojavidhi,i will be eternally gratefull to you. thank you

>

> malladimadhavi.

>

> Note : post edited by moderator

|| Jai Sadguru Dutta ||

 

" Adhau brahmA harErmaDhyE anthyE dhEva sadhAshivah |

moorthi thraya swaroopAya dhatthAthrEya namOsthuthE ||"

 

Namasthe Srinivasji/madhaviji.

 

I am very happy that you could draw the sarvathobhadra mandalam. I

highly appreciate your enthusiasm and eagerness in learning the

elements of practical hinduism. Although such things are by

themselves

don't form the core of spiritual knowledge, they are part of the

evolution

process of an individual soul. As an young lad, I too used to nag my

gurus to teach me something new everyday. Many a time I had behaved

rudly with them out of frustration and openly exhibited my

discontentment. Later, I realized how silly and foolish I was. They

were

infact testing my sincerity, dedication and commitment.

 

I have seen the "shiva panchayathan" you have mentioned. It looks

like a

miniature model of a shiva temple. But going by the shasthra vAkya

and

the sampradaya given to us by the DakshniNAmnAya ShrngEri ShAradhA

peeTam, it does not form the Shiva panchayathana. It is only a

depiction

of the "shiva parivAra" - shiva's family. The same holds good for the

the

vishnu panchayathana and krShNa panchayathan you have described.

For panchayathan pujas, only symbols (formless) of the 5 facets of

the

parabrahman should be used. For example:

Shiva = bAna linga, ganapthay = shONiBhadhra stone, viShNu =

sAligrAma etc. The respective parivar deities of the 5 main deities

can

be worshipped while worshipping a main deity individually i.e., while

worshipping viShNu (rAma aspect), for example, in the Shiva

panchayathan, you can add his parivar deities viz sIthA, lakShmaNa,

Bharatha, shathrGna, hanumantha, jAmbava, viBheeshana etc; And, all

the deities should be collectively addressed as "shiva panchAyathana

dhEvathABhyO namah" (or "viShNu panchAyathana dhEvathABhyO

namah" as the case may be)- otherwise, the worshipper earns

the "dhOsha" (mistake/sin) of leaving out the names of other deities.

Hope you have also gone through my posting on "shiva panchAyathana".

I have tried to explain there why gaNapathy puja comes twice. Please

refer to the article again for details.

 

 

I had anticipated the question regarding the worship of the Sun god

first. In reality, the worshipper is required to contemplate on

the "Adhithya mandalam" first, for, the seers of the "sanAthana

Dharma"

have realized that the Adhithya mandalam is the abode of all

divinities.

As you have rightly mentioned, Sun is the sustainer of life not only

on

earth but in the whole universe (solar system). He is described as

the

the "soul of the universe":

 

"soorya AthmA jagathasThah ushascha"

 

--- "aruNa prashnah", yajurvEdha

thaitthareeya AraNyaka.

 

For the same reason, in JyOthisha shAsthra, soorya is described

as "Athma kAraka" - the deity presiding over the soul.

 

"AdithyO vA ESha Ethan-mandalam thapathi thathra - thA Rcha-

sthadrchA mandalagam RchAm sa lOkOTha ya ESha Ethasmin-

mandalEr - chir-dheepyathE thAni sAmAni sa sAmnAm lOkOTha ya ESha

Ethasmin - mandalEr- chiShi puruShasthAni yajooganShi sa yajuShA

mandalagam sa yajuShAm lOkassaiShA thraiyyeva vidyA thapathi ya

EShOntharAdhithyE hiraNmyah puruShah ||"

 

--- Adhithya mandala mantra, yajna nArAyaNa upanishad,

yajurvEdha.

 

[ The Adhithya mandala is the source of heat and light. His core (the

white shining core) is the abode of the divine Rk (RgvEdha) verses.

The

flames of this core are verily the Sama chants. The Supreme Person

(Parama PuruSha - ViShNu) within this core (orb) is to be meditated

as

the collection of Yajus. Thus He who is shining within the sun is

the "HiraNmaya Purusha" - the Golden Person ]

 

 

"AdhithyO vai thEja-OjO-balam yashah chakShuh shrOthrmAthmA manO

manyur mrthyur sathyO mithrO vAyurAkAshah prANo lOkapAlah kah-kim-

kam thath sathyamanyamamrthO jeevO vishwah kathamah swayamBhu

brahmai thadhamrtha ESha BhoothAnAmaDhipathir brahmaNah

sAyujyagam salOkathA mApnOthi ya yEm vEdhEthyupaniShath || "

 

--- Adhithya upAsana mantra, yajna nArAyaNa upanishad,

yajurvEdha.

 

[ The Sun alone is verily all these: energy, splendour, strength,

renown,

sight, hearing, body, mind, anger, Seer, the Deities, Death, Sathya,

MithrA, Wind, Ether and Breath, the Rulers of the world, PrajApathi -

the

indeterminable One, happiness, that which transcends the senses,

truth,

food, life span, liberation (mukthi), individual Soul, the Universe,

the

acme of bliss and the self-born Brahman. This Person in the Sun is

eternal. He is the Lord of all creatures. He who meditates thus upon

Him

attains union with Brahman and lives in the same region of ejoy-like-

enjoyment with these gods in their worlds. This is the secret vEdha

vidhya !!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

 

[Does anyone out there need any more "Scientific proof" or evidence

for the Supremacy of the Vedas ?. I seriously doubt that the

"scientists"

who proposed the Big-Bang theory to explain how creation took place,

borrowed the idea from our VEdhAs only.]

 

 

Further, the Vedas proclaim that this Supreme Divine power - the main

source is called as "gAyathri" or the "parabrahma vasthu", which is

nothing but the Divine Mother Goddess herself. Observe:

 

"bhAnumanDala maDhyasThA Bhairavee BhagamAlinee"

 

AND

 

"mArthAnda BhairavArADhyA manthriNeenyasTha rAjyaDhooh"

 

--- LalithA sahasranAmam.

 

[mArthAnda Bhairava = Soorya; mArthya + anda = mArthAnda --->the

origin of all mortals]

 

 

The entire Shree sooktham which starts with "hiraNya varNAm

hariNeem ..." is describing the same Parabrahma vasthu dwelling in

the

soorya mandala as the Divine Mother.

 

I want to make this clear with the help of an analogy. Suppose that

there is a 1000 watt electrical lamp glowing in full brightness. If

we look

at it, all that we see is only light and nothing else. But somehow if

we

manage to find out what is that is glowing, we will find the lamp.

Probing further, we find that it is the filament that is burning and

giving

out the brightness. At last, we realize that it is the electric power

that is

primarily responsible for all the glory of light. If we map lamp to

the

Sun, filament to His core (orb), then the electrical power is

GAyathri -

the Parabrahma vasthu.

 

 

 

This same parabrahma vasthu is also called as "nArAyaNa". Please note

that "nArAyaNa" and "hari" are different:

 

"nArAyaNI nAdha-roopa nAma roopa vivarjitha"

 

AND

 

"hari-brahmEndhra sEvithA"

 

--- LalithA sahasranAmam.

 

Hence, in the "saura panchAyathana" puja, the representation of Sun

in

the middle is addressed to as "soorya nArAyaNa". The main spirit and

essence of "sanDhyA vandhana" which is an essential duty for all

Brahmins is nothing but this " soorya nArAyaNa upAsana."

 

 

 

While some sadhaks contemplate on the Physical Sun that is visible to

the naked eye, others contemplate on the "Inner Sun" - the "Athma

jyOthi" dwelling deep inside the "hrdhayAkAsha" - the heart region:

 

"padhma kOsha pratheekAshagam hrdhayam chApyaDhOmukham"

 

AND

 

"thasya maDhyE vanhi shiKhA aNIyOrDhwA vyavasThithah"

 

--- "nArAyaNa sooktham", yajna nArAyaNa

upanishad, yajurvEdha.

 

 

Both are equally valid from the upAsana shasthra point of view. The

following Vedic mantras can be chanted while contemplating on the

Athma jyOthi in the heart-space :

 

"Ardhram jwalathi jyOthirahamasmi | jyOthir jwalathi brahmAhamasmi

|yOhamasmi brahmAhamasmi | ahamasmi brahmAhamasmi |

ahamEvAham mAm juhOmi swAhA(ha)||"

 

--- mantra 67, yajna nArAyaNa upanishad, yajurvEdha.

 

[i am that Supreme Light which shines as the substratum of the

liquid

element. I am the supreme light of Brahman which shines as the inner-

most essence of all that exists. In reality, I am the same infinite

Brahman even when I am experiencing myself as a finite self owing to

Ignorance. Now by the onset of knowledge I am really the Brahman

which is my eternal nature. Therefore I realise this identity by

making

myself, the finite self, an oblation into the fire ("juhOmi

swAha-ha") of

the infinite Brahman which I am always. May this oblation be well

made.]

 

Next, you can give the form of your "iShta dhEvatha" to the Athma

jyOthi

by chanting the respective DhyAna shlOka. For example, to invoke the

Divine Mother, take flowers in "koorma mudhra" and place the mudhra

near the heart and chant the following shlOka:

 

"mahA padhma vanAnthasthE kAraNAnandha vigrahE

sarva Bhootha hithE mAthAh EhyEhi paramEshwari

dhEvEshi Bhakthi sulaBhE parivAra samanvithE

yAvathwAm pUjayiShyAmi thAwathwAm susThirO Bhava ||"

 

 

[i invoke you, O Divine Mother ! - the one dwelling in the divine

lotus of

my heart; you who are verily the epitome of bliss and the presever of

all

living beings. O Supreme amongst the Gods - the one who gets easily

pleased with devotion, kindly arrive here along with your family and

get

well installed all along till I worship you to my heart's content !!!]

 

(Kindly forgive me for my childish style of translation)

 

Contemplating and praying thus, imagine that the divine power in you

has got trasnferred into the flowers. Offer those flowers on the

Shree

Yantra and proceed with the pooja.

 

 

To make it still more clear, the correct order of invocation and

worship

is:

 

1. contemplation of Adhithya mandalam

 

2. offering "arGhya" to Soorya nArAyaNa with the purpose of warding

off

the darkness of ignorance

 

3. meditating on the Supreme Divine Force dwelling in the Adhithya

mandalam and invoking the same

 

4. Attracting the Supreme Divine Force into the "hrdhayAkAsha" (heart-

space) to enrich the "Athma jyOthi" and brightening it. This

procedure

helps us to realize that the Sun is verily the brahma ("asAvAdhithyO

brahma" - yajurvEdha) and that we are an integral part of Him.

 

5. Meditating on the "Athma jyOthi" and giving it the form of our

"iShta

dhEvatha".

 

6. Invoking the iShta and installing it in the external medium of

worship

(ex. Shree yantram)

 

7. Offering the upacharas (normally 16 upacharas)

 

8. Installing the iShta back into the throne of heart and imagining

that

the form of the iShta is melting back into Athma jYothi.

 

It is clear that in principle, the purpose of puja is to attain

cosmic

realization and enriching the power of our spirit ("Athma").

 

Hope I have answered your queries.

 

|| gAyathreem vandhE VEdha mAtharam ||

 

 

, Srinivas <srims@e...> wrote:

> sata koti pranamams to you sriram sir. iam very happy with your

answer.

> thank you very much. i drew it on a cardboard and painted it with

coloured

> rice and framed it (sarvatobhadramandala) i hope that you will send

me its

> uses also very soon.sir i have a doubt about panchayatana puja. i

have a

> panchloha article from kasi.it is like a small fort,in the centre

there is a

> sivalinga and on the eastern side ganga ,gouri images,on northern

side

> ganesh and on southern side skanda and at the entrance on western

side there