Monday, October 15, 2012

Babaji's Message on Navratras


True knowledge of the Infinite and wisdom of the Absolute can only be received by the Guru, and for the disciple to get that, he must bow at the Guru’s holy feet. It is comparable with a stream of water which flows from top to bottom. Thus, only when you are ready to receive can you be given what you deserve.

It’s that time of the year again which assumes enormous and unparalleled significance in the spiritual life of a Shiv yog sadhak. It’s the period when Devi Maa's energies are at their peak. It’s Navratras. And this time the worth of the Navratras starting Tuesday, 16th October is all the more, coming as they do in the backdrop of ascension time. These 9 days can also be the most divine ever, provided one knows the real connection, since Baba ji will be at His subtlest. This time over Baba ji has distributed the vast Wisdom of Durga Saptashati or Chandi Paath as we know it. It’s time to capitalize on it. It’s time to reap rich dividends through this invaluable gyan. In the same context, the note below will put to rest all speculations and rumours about what instructions Baba ji has given for this Navratras. Gratitude to Ishan ji for relaying Baba ji's message from London. The message has a detailed lowdown on what routine is to be followed during this course.

The sacrosanct Durga saptshati is neither a ‘Puran’ nor a ‘Shastra’. It is the direct grace of goddess Bhagvati. It is the seed (base) of all Vedas. And for the Devi Upasaks, Ma has given this power and this knowledge in the form of Durga Saptshati. Since times immemorial, it has been said that this knowledge is locked (keelit gyan).  People think the power of the mantra is locked. Both the affirmations are correct in their own right but the actual truth is that in it lie, in a veil of secrecy, the secrets of Devi  and the secrets of the whole universe . And till the time someone does not meditate on Devi, these secrets remain hidden.

Having said that, the power to unlock the infinite secrets of Durga Saptshati is vested only in the divine troika of Ma Kali, Ma Saraswati and Ma Lakshmi.
The sadhak by remaining connected to the goddess and undertaking a sustained effort to follow in his Guru’s footsteps becomes eventually successful in pacifying the Shakti. And when the goddess is made happy, She showers unbridled grace on the sadhak .

The nine days of Navratras are the most crucial for a Devi sadhak.  Nine is the ultimate number after which there is “Parbrahm”.
A sincere sadhak, meditating the whole year, day in and day out is given the chance to attain this Parbrahm (final ascension) in these 9 days. These nine days of contemplation encompass the sadhna of the Nau durga (nine forms of Godess Durga).
||प्रथमम शैलपुत्री च……
……….नौमम सीधीदात्री च ||
 Prathamam Shailputri cha  
Naumam sidhi datri cha
(She who gives enlightenment)

Each of the nine days constitutes the sadhna of one goddess. As we pray, ascension occurs in ourselves.

Rational and scientific minds believe themselves to be a reservoir of knowledge. There is no lack of “knowledgeable” people in the world.  It is interesting to note however that everybody has the outer knowledge and ironically they proclaim themselves to be literates or gyani. In reality, this make belief knowledge and definition of literacy is just an illusion. The real knowledge is attained when the person surrenders to the Divine Mother. It is then only that the outer and the inner knowledge awaken.

That’s what Maharishi Sumedha explained in Durga Saptshati. The truism that the whole world is in a perpetual state of sleep and everyone is just dreaming. Everybody is under the influence of maya (play of the senses) of Bhagvati Yogmaya. The inner knowledge is missing in all. Only the outer expression, the inanimate knowledge is what everybody is having.

Saptshati narrates the tale of a king who lost his kingdom and a rich merchant who was thrown out of his house by his wife and son. They both were experiencing the peak of sorrow. This is symbolic of the fact that anybody who loses things becomes sad. The reality is that this pain and sorrow is the outcome of outer knowledge with the inner knowledge clearly missing.

But how the inner knowledge would awaken? Sumedha Maharishi said, “Anybody who surrenders to the Mother begins his/her their inner journey.”
Then he taught the duo, secrets of Durga Saptshati and as they were learning, their level of consciousness kept on growing.

The first day of Navratras is the sadhna of the Mooladhar. The presiding goddess of the day is Ma ShaIlputri. The second day ruled by Ma Brahmcharini includes the sadhna of Swaddhistan. The third day is the sadhna of Manipura. The ruling Goddess is Ma Chandraghanta. The fourth day is the sadhna of Anahta. Ma khusmanda is the presiding Goddess for the day.  The fifth day of Ma Skandmata is the sadhna of Vishudhi. The sixth day is the sadhna of ajna. Day is governed by Ma Katyani, (Ma Katyani is the form of Mahishasurmardini who has 3 forms—18 handed, 16 handed or 10 handed.  Ma Katyani is the ten handed form). Every age saw the birth of Mahishasur and it was this Shaktis which killed the demons.

The seventh day of the Navratras is the most important one too. We call it the Saptami.  Kalratri sadhna of the Sahastrasar chakra is done on this day. The eighth day is the sadhna of Maha gauri, the sadhna of Higher Consciousness merging into Absolute Shiva. Lastly, Navmi is the sadhna of the attainment of the supreme Godesss Siddhidatri .

Doing Shakti sadhna is thus the outer knowledge being replaced by the inner knowledge. And the Truth is the inner knowledge. The king had the outer knowledge of his lost kingdom, his palace and his wealth, hence he was suffering. The merchant had the outer knowledge of his family, his wealth. Even after being thrown out he was attached to the family, the illusion.

And when Sumedha Maharishi gave this wisdom of the Durga Saptshati, he taught them the sacred Shivyog Shakti sadhna and this is what unfolds when you do Shakti sadhna -- the awakened inner knowledge turns into Wisdom, the Wisdom in turn turns into God Consciousness which is the state of Aham Bramasami.

And that’s what they both understood through the grace of their Guru. The king got his kingdom back and the rich merchant attained self realization as desired by him. So what Saptshati indicates is that no matter what misery a person is in, if he moves on the path of Shiv Yog shakti sadhna, which Babaji is teaching, he/she can easily break all the karmic barriers and attain the ultimate success -- the success of God realization.

We all are very blessed that Baba ji is unfolding Durga Saptshati. In other words, it means he is unveiling the secrets of Shakti sadhna.

At the same time, Baba ji is teaching us the most sacred Beej mantras of Chandi path in which every shloka is full of Shakti and the source of all the Shakti in the shloka  is the Beej mantra .The shakti is hidden in a whopping 700 beej mantras of the complete Durga Saptashati !

The shakti sadhna has to be through initiation i.e. Guru diksha and the provision for this great deeksha our loving Guru has already created . The shaktipat is given by
1.     Touching the worthy disciple
2.      The eyes of the Guru
3.      The voice,
4.     The Sankalp Shakti

 All the sadhaks are receiving the Shaktipat of Durga Sapthshati from Baba ji through voice and sankalpa.
    
Please make use of these Navratras. Change your life and it can be vouched for that during these nine days, divine miracles are bound to happen in your life. Let the grace of Shiva and the Guru be showered in your life which will be amid should be full of pure intentions, full of pure divinity and full of the cosmic light.

Divinity loves you. The universe wants the best for you.

Hence, this Navratras every Shiv yog sadhak must
1.     Connect to the Goddess to achieve this infinite grace.
2.     Have Satvik bhojan (try to have as much raw food as possible )
3.     Practice the Saptshati taught by Baba ji in the morning and evening. This will open the gateway of great prosperity abundance and health in your life.
4.     Connect to the One who loves him the most -- his Guru by chanting the following mantra 11 times before and after the Saptashati path:
 ‘om  jum sa baba anahat chakra pallaya pallaya sa jum om’ ,
 OR
 || ऊँ जूम सः बाबा आनाहत चक्र पालय पालय सः जूम ऊँ ||

Experience the great healing and bliss that will begin to flow.
Lots of blessings from Babaji and Ma
Namah shivay
Ishan shivanand



Tuesday, October 9, 2012

PITRU - PAKSHA cont...


PITRU - PAKSHA
September 30 – October 15, 2012

Pitru Paksha is one of the Vedic traditions which is designated as an especially powerful time to honor our ancestors.

Pitru Paksh is the occasion to repay debt to our departed ancestors by satisfying their souls by performing rituals. There is a notion in the Hindu society that the dead ones would alive amongst us and to keep their souls obliged a ritual called “Shraddh” is performed. It is believed that Yamaraja, the Lord of death allows the souls to come down to the earth and receive offers from their descendants. This practice is made to the dead termed as “pitras” as per Hindu religion. Pitra Paksha is performed from the 1st day of the Ashwin month and goes up to the following New Moon (Amavasya) day. Each of these 15 days is dedicated to the Shradh of those ancestors who had met eternity on that particular day. The last day of this period, the new moon day, is considered as the most important day in the year for performing these rituals.

In Pitru Paksha, we offer our gratitude to the souls who have brought grace, wisdom, protection, and love to our lives. We can honor our ancestors by making a donation to a not-for-profit organization, and by dedicating spiritual practices on the ancestors' behalf. These practices include meditation, chanting, prayer and mantra repetition.

Science behind Shradh karma is Liberation of Ancestors and Blessings for Successors.

Human body is made up of five Koshas –
1. Annamaya Kosha (body),
2. Pranmaya kosha (heart),
3. Manomaya Kosha (Mind)
4. Gyanmaya Kosha (wisdom and knowledge),
5. Anandmaya Kosha (blessings).

These five koshas are intertwined into one another so as to help us transcend the cycle of life and death and attain liberation or merging with the Supreme.

This is the natural cycle, which indicates that a being mainly faces two types of Gatis after death. One is Liberation and second is being trapped in a continuous cycle of life and death.

Happiness and sadness both are state of mind. Both virtuous and vicious get liberation from their subtle body after bearing the fruits of their karmas (good or bad) and when their desires are gratified. It is evident that by performing Shradh karma in Shradh paksha for the peace of ancestor’s souls in this birth, deceased ancestors get liberation from their bad deeds or sins. That is the reason, those who are physically present in this world; perform shradh karma for their dead ancestors during Pitra Paksha.

In fact by doing Shradh karma the successors or children are more benefitted than the ancestors, because it is a ritual to repay debt to our deceased ancestors by gratifying their spirits and it is their religious responsibility also in order to make free their ancestors from their sins.

Here is a video on “Pitra Mukti”, in which Baba ji teaches us how we can pray for the libration of our ancestors.
 

Monday, October 1, 2012

PITRU - PAKSHA


Namah shivay the fortnight starting today i.e. the period of Shraadh is, in the Hindu tradition known to be a period of prayer for the souls of those of our ancestors gone by. For the superstitious it is also an inauspicious period when any new venture undertaken is doomed to fail. The auspiciousness or the lack of it of a particular moment is governed not by Nakshatr...a or Vaastu or a particular time period. Everything is, in fact a play of energy. Those practicing Shree Vidya everyday as taught by Baba ji are appeasing each of the 16 presiding goddesses and for them, every moment is that of glory. If your intentions are pure at all times and if your house is a repository of divine energy with a dedicated pooja room, there can be no evil forces at play. If you wish the best for all, love yourself, accept yourself and are aware of your fleeting existence on this planet and in humanly form, there is no evil that can harm you. The first concern i.e. doing for the departed can be addressed by undertaking bhandaras and mass charity drives. Pitra mukti is also brought about by sadhna in the evenings. But all this must be Nishakam with no ulterior motives or expectation of fruits attached. Follow the aforementioned and the upcoming 2 weeks will be a blessing in disguise for you.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

MOMENTS WITH BABA JI

The first video conversation with Babaji that comes From The Master... himself, where Babaji spared His precious time to answer various questions that represent the seekers on the Siddha path - the path of ShivYog.