Category: Festival Messages

Sankranti 2016

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Ganesh chaturthi 2016

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Chaturthi 2013: Seek good intellect; 21 names of Ganapati

‘Vinayaka Chaturthi’ – this word fills us with joy and we forget all our sorrows. This festival is celebrated in every Indian home. Not just India, many other countries too have tradition of celebrating Ganapati festival. That is why people of all countries are excited about Ganapati festival.

Students worship Lord Ganesha, seeking His blessings for their proper education. Traders and politicians worship Lord Ganapati and seek His blessings before starting any new task.

Lord Ganesha blesses us with broadmindedness, large-heartedness and fine outlook. He enters into our hardened intellect and drives away from it sluggishness and dullness. He then blesses us with fresh energy, enthusiasm and ability. He also grants victory for the task which the devotee has set out to execute. This is why, everyone, right from children to the aged, should unfailingly worship Lord Ganesha every single day! Before beginning any new task, He is to be thought of and worshipped!

Lord Ganapati is an ardent devotee of His parents. Through His actions, He teaches that we should lovingly look after our parents, satisfy their needs, worship them and not cause them any sorrow. By worshipping His parents, He has become eligible for receiving the first worship (ādi pujya, Prathamavandya). Swamiji addresses this Lord as Prathamavandya, vakratunda in bhajans.

His curved trunk (vakratunda) preaches that recitation of ‘Omkara’ is a must. His curved trunk represents Omkāra. His huge stomach houses within it innumerable universes. Just by seeing His idol we understand He is Parabrahma.

He is the lord for this entire creation which is made up of the 5 basic elements. He is easily reachable by the devotees. He is immensely pleased with just the first worship offered to Him in the beginning of any puja/ task. He grants the ashta siddhis (8 super natural accomplishments) to those who worship him with garika (grass).

With full faith and devotion, we should pray to be blessed with a good intellect (buddhi). Why do we seek good buddhi? Only when the intellect is good, accomplishments come to us.

It is a well known fact that through good buddhi, children can inculcate good and noble traits. With this their future will be bright. Parents too will love and respect children who have good intellect because they will turn out to be future good citizens and will look after them with love during their old age. As a result, the entire family will be peaceful and joyful. The entire society will be reformed and rendered prosperous. The root to attain all this is ‘good buddhi.’ As it is Ganapati who showers good buddhi we should never forget Him. We should eternally praise him as ‘siddhidhoota, buddhinaatha, siddhinaayaka’.

He is the Lord of Mooladhara or the base chakra. Standing as the foundation for every cause and effect, He showers victory on to his devotees. Everyone should therefore worship this God today and obtain His blessings.

He is worshipped today with all different types of leaves. This is to seek the protection of nature. When the nature is at peace, it will rain abundantly. In this way all are inter-connected. Ganapati is the essence of this nature.

He should be worshipped with the recitation of the following names-

OM Gananjayāya namaha

Om Ganapataye namaha

Om Herambāya namaha

Om Dharaneedharāya namaha

Om Mahāganapataye namaha

Om Lakshapradāya namaha

Om Kshipra prasādanāya namaha

Om Amogha siddhaye namaha

Om Amitāya namaha

Om Mantrāya namaha

Om Chintāmanaye namaha

Om Nidhaye namaha

Om Sumangalāya namaha

Om Beejāya namaha

Om āshāpoorakāya namaha

Om Varadāya namaha

Om Shivāya namaha

Om Kāshyapāya namaha

Om Vandanāya nandanāya namaha

Om Vāchāsidhāya namaha

Om Dundivināyakāya namaha

Those who think of Him with these 21 names, will not be subjected to ill-repute. They will be blessed with good knowledge, reputation and wealth.

May everyone be blessed with a good buddhi with Varasiddhi Vinayaka’s grace! May every heart be filled with purity and peace! May all this chaos, lack of peace and turbulence be wiped away from this world and it be rendered peaceful!

Om shanti shanti shanti.

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Significance of Shivaratri rituals

Jāgaraṇa means to remain awake the entire night of Shivaratri while spending time in worship or other spiritual activities. Jāgarana not only mean staying awake, it also means being alert and controlling the 10 senses i.e. 5 organs of perception as well as the 5 organs of action! It means to not go into dream or deep sleep states. It symbolizes a state of being endlessly awake. Being endlessly awake always is liberation (moksha)! This is Self-knowledge (atma jnana)!

How do we reach this state of being eternally awake? To reach there, first of all during this present waking state, japa, pujas, homas and traditional religious practices should be conducted. It is a known fact that the activities conducted in dream state are of no use. Even good activities done in a dream are useless when we awaken.

Only those activities performed during the waking state are our real experiences. If the Self (atma) truly wants to obtain the real experience then it has to be attempted only during the waking state. That is why Shiva yogi has initiated his devotees to ‘keep awake’ tonight.

Only during awaking state, Lingodbhava (emergence of the linga) can take place. Lingodbhava means that this Atma, that is travelling again and again, becomes stable, without any movement. Such knowledge can be gained only through devotion. The star Mrigashira can be seen tonight in the sky. It signifies devotion. You should learn this devotion. This morning you can sleep if you wish. But, after remaining awake all night, do not sleep tomorrow morning. If you sleep between sunrise and sunset tomorrow, then all the spiritual or good-disciplines of today will result in a waste. The demons will steal the results of this good austerities from you. However, sick people are exempted from this rule.

-Glimpses of Bhaktimala

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Benefits of worshipping Shiva on Shivaratri

Benefits of worshipping Shiva on Shivaratri:

Even an insignificant meritorious deed performed knowingly or unknowingly for Shiva on Shivaratri rewards the person with liberation!

By chanting His names, remaining awake tonight, witnessing or personally performing abhishekam to Him all sins committed till now are forgiven. However the most important criteria is ‘faith and devotion’. Physically engaging in the good deed while mentally being absent will not bestow any benefit. Remain silent till morning. Do not engage in useless chatter. Be vigilant. If you are drowsy loudly chant ‘Om Namah shivaya’.

Offering just one sacred Bilva leaf (bael leaf) to Lord Shiva on this day bestows the person with the merit that is obtained by bathing in River Ganga for several years.

Do not fret that you could not bathe in River Ganga. Just perform Shiva abhishekam and sprinkle those drops of water on your head. Consume Shiva prasadam. That is enough.

The results of all the various meritorious deeds prescribed for all the different eons (Yugas) can be obtained just by performing Shiva worship on this auspicious day. For this reason all the Devatas including Lord Brahma and all the Maharishis extol Shivaratri as a supremely auspicious festival!

Shivaratri is the most auspicious festival which comes in the supremely auspicious month called Magha. It is said that it is extremely rare for any person to be bestowed with the chance of having the darshan of a Shiva-lingam, offering Bilva leaf to Shiva, spending the day in Guru’s vicinity or performing abhishekam to Him with even a spoonful of water on this day.

It is a sin to fall asleep on this night. Even dozing off mildly is considered sinful and it results in a lower sinful birth. The fruits of remaining awake and other meritorious deeds are washed off when the person dozes.

Fasting, remaining awake the entire night, spending time in Shiva’s presence and visiting His temple are rituals stipulated for this auspicious day. They are the steps which lead the person towards Shiva’s abode.

Fasting on this day with the mind totally fixed upon Shiva bestows the person with the merit of performing a hundred Yagnas (sacrificial rituals).

Remaining awake the entire night for Shiva bestows the person with more merit than what is acquired by spending 10 million years in penance.

Just try and remain awake this one night! The merit obtained is limitless! Despite my instructions you may doze off. I have just now imitated the actions of a person who drowsily dozes off. Even for this imitation I have acquired sin. There is no excuse. I have to pay for it. Even though I am Shiva, I have acquired sin. It is said that the results of sins and merits do not spare even the Gods. This is the inescapable law of creation. Hence remain awake under any circumstances.

Nothing in the three worlds can match the merit that is obtained by worshipping Shiva with a single Bilva (bael) leaf on this day!

Due to worship performed with absolute devotion and dedication on this day, even those sins which are beyond atonement (prāyaschitta) and which cannot be destroyed by time, get destroyed! Such is the greatness of worshipping or remembering Shiva on this day!

— Shivaratri speech Feb 2017

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