Friday, January 31, 2014

Gajananam Bhutaganadi Sevitam

Gajanana bhutgandhi sevitatam,
Kapitatha jambuphala charu bhakshanam
Umasutam shoka vinashakarakam
Namami viganeshvar padamapankajam
Vakartunda mahakaya surya koti samprabha
Nivigana kurumedeva sarva kareshu sarvada
Raksha raksha ganadhaksha, raksha trilokya rakshak
Bhakthanamabhayam kartha tratha bhav bhavaranvatah
Davimatur krupasindhe shanmaturagraja prabhu
Vardasatavam varandehi vanchitam vaanichatatard
Vigneshvaraya vardhaye surpriyas
Lambudhraya sakalya jagat tritraya
Naganayan shruti yagan vibhuvitaya
Goruisutaye gannath namu namaste
Lambudara namastubham satam modak priye
Nivigam krume deva, sarva kareshu sarvada
Bhagata trinashana paraaya ganeshvaraya
Sarveshraya shubdaya sureshvarya
Vidyadharaya vikataya cha vamnaye
Bhakat prasanna vardaya namu namaste
Namaste bhramarupye vishnurupye te namah
Namaste rudra rupaye kati rupaye te namah
Namaste bhramarupye vishnurupye te namah
Namaste rudra rupaye kati rupaye te namah
Vishava rupaye svarupaye namaste bhramacharine
Bhakta priye devay namastubam vinaka
Ta vigan shatru darnethi cha sundareti
Bhakata priyeti sukhadeti phalapradeti
Vidya pradyatharati cha ye stuvanti
Tebhu ganesh vardho bhav nityameva
Ganesh poojane karma yanunamadikam krutam
Tene savarna sarvatama prasanostu sadamama
Anaya poojaye sidhi budhi sahito maha ganapathi pritamam
Namaha

OM GANESHAYA NAMAHA

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

My Beloved One Gleams

Work by Ala Ebtekar
By Kabir

The light of the sun, the moon, and the stars shines bright:
The melody of love swells forth, and the rhythm of love's detachment beats the time.
Day and night, the chorus of music fills the heavens; 
and Kabir says
"My Beloved One gleams like the lightning flash in the sky."
Do you know how the moments perform their adoration?
Waving its row of lamps, 
the universe sings in worship day and night,
There are the hidden banner and the secret canopy:
There the sound of the unseen bells is heard.
Kabir says: "There adoration never ceases; 
there the Lord of the Universe sits on His throne."
The whole world does its works and commits its errors:
 but few are the lovers who know the Beloved.
The devout seeker is he who mingles in his heart 
the double currents of love and detachment,
 like the mingling of the streams of Ganges and Jumna;
In his heart the sacred water flows day and night;
 and thus the round of births and deaths is brought to an end.
Behold what wonderful rest is in the Supreme Spirit!
 and he enjoys it, who makes himself meet for it.
Held by the cords of love, 
the swing of the Ocean of Joy sways to and fro; 
and a mighty sound breaks forth in song.
See what a lotus blooms there without water! and Kabir says
"My heart's bee drinks its nectar."
What a wonderful lotus it is, 
that blooms at the heart of the spinning wheel of the universe! 
Only a few pure souls know of its true delight.
Music is all around it, and there the heart partakes 
of the joy of the Infinite Sea.
Kabir says: "Dive thou into that Ocean of sweetness: 
thus let all errors of life and of death flee away."
Behold how the thirst of the five senses is quenched there!
 and the three forms of misery are no more!
Kabir says: "It is the sport of the Unattainable One: 
look within, and behold how the moon-beams of that Hidden One shine in you."
There falls the rhythmic beat of life and death:
Rapture wells forth, and all space is radiant with light.
There the Unstruck Music is sounded; 
it is the music of the love of the three worlds.
There millions of lamps of sun and of moon are burning;
There the drum beats, and the lover swings in play.
There love-songs resound, and light rains in showers; 
and the worshipper is entranced 
in the taste of the heavenly nectar.
Look upon life and death; there is no separation between them,
The right hand and the left hand are one and the same.
Kabir says: "There the wise man is speechless;
 for this truth may never be found in Vedas or in books."
I have had my Seat on the Self-poised One,
I have drunk of the Cup of the Ineffable,
I have found the Key of the Mystery,
I have reached the Root of Union.
Travelling by no track, I have come to the Sorrowless Land: 
very easily has the mercy of the great Lord come upon me.
They have sung of Him as infinite and unattainable: 
but I in my meditations have seen Him without sight.
That is indeed the sorrowless land, 
and none know the path that leads there:
Only he who is on that path has surely transcended all sorrow.
Wonderful is that land of rest, to which no merit can win;
It is the wise who has seen it, it is the wise who has sung of it.
This is the Ultimate Word: 
but can any express its marvelous savour?
He who has savoured it once, he knows what joy it can give.
Kabir says: "Knowing it, the ignorant man becomes wise,
 and the wise man becomes speechless and silent,
The worshipper is utterly inebriated,
His wisdom and his detachment are made perfect;
He drinks from the cup of the inbreathings and the outbreathings of love."
There the whole sky is filled with sound, 
and there that music is made
 without fingers and without strings;
There the game of pleasure and pain does not cease.
Kabir says: "If you merge your life in the Ocean of Life, 
you will find your life in the Supreme Land of Bliss."
What a frenzy of ecstasy there is in every hour! 
and the worshipper is pressing out and
 drinking the essence of the hours:
 he lives in the life of Brahma.
I speak truth, for I have accepted truth in life;
 I am now attached to truth, I have swept all tinsel away.
Kabir says: "Thus is the worshipper set free from fear; 
thus have all errors of life and of death left him."
There the sky is filled with music:
There it rains nectar:
There the harp-strings jingle, and there the drums beat.
What a secret splendour is there, in the mansion of the sky!
There no mention is made of the rising
 and the setting of the sun;
In the ocean of manifestation, which is the light of love,
 day and night are felt to be one.
Joy for ever, no sorrow,- no struggle!
There have I seen joy filled to the brim, perfection of joy;
No place for error is there.
Kabir says: "There have I witnessed the sport of One Bliss!"
I have known in my body the sport of the universe:
 I have escaped from the error of this world.
The inward and the outward are become as one sky, 
the Infinite and the finite are united:
 I am drunken with the sight of this All!
This Light of Thine fulfills the universe: 
the lamp of love that burns on the salver of knowledge.
Kabir says: "There error cannot enter,
 and the conflict of life and death is felt no more."
English version by Rabindranath Tagore

Monday, January 27, 2014

St Symeon and Light

Symeon the New Theologian is recognized as the first Byzantine mystic to freely share his own mystical experiences. Somewhere around age 20, he was overcome by an ecstatic state in which, as with many other mystics, he experienced God as a living presence of radiant divine Light. That direct personal experience was to become one of Symeon's central teachings.

"Suddenly He came and united Himself to me in a manner quite ineffable; He entered into every part of my being, as fire penetrates iron, or light streams through glass."
"I rejoice in His love, and in His beauty, and I feel myself overwhelmed with divine happiness and sweetness. I am filled with light and glory; my face shines like that of my Beloved and all my members glow with heavenly light. Then I am lovelier than the loveliest, richer than the richest, stronger than the strongest, greater than the rulers of the world, more honourable than anything visible, and not only more honourable than the earth and all that is in it, but also than heaven itself and everything it holds." 
"It shines on us without evening, without change, without alteration, without form. It speaks, works, lives, gives life, and changes into light those whom it illuminates." 
"I thank thee, O God, that Thou, Who reign over all, art now in very truth and unchangeably one spirit with me".

Only towards Me

dekhaiM manushyajAt sakala - heM svabhAvata bhajana SIL
jAhaleM ase kevaL - mAzici ThAyIM

I see that all of humankind has by nature a worshiping quality
This happens only towards me.


These lines are from Dnyaneshwari, written by the Marathi saint and poet Dnyaneshwar (Jñānadeva) during the 13th century at age 16(!). In the above lines, the saint is relaying to us the words of the Divine. 
What is actually conveyed here is the fundamental truth that human beings are by nature drawn for the transcendental. It is not which religion that matters, but this universal longing for Highest beyond is what constitutes the religious spirit. As creatures bound by history, tradition, and parochial affiliations we may consider one religion to be truer or better than another. But at the higher level, all these are different manifestations of that same inner urge. The search for the Divine is imprinted in the human spirit. That appeals to us from within us. And This is One.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

I Live in This World

It's a philosophical Buddhist prayer-reflection about our world and our place in it.

I live in this world
of joy, and sorrow
of comfort and ease,
and of struggle, and pain
of friendship, and community
and of loneliness and isolation
I live in this world of riches and poverty
of abundance and of hunger
I live in this world where there is health
and there is illness
Where some people can only try to care for themselves,
while others are at the point where, more and more, they have thinking about
and caring for others as the aim and activities of their life
Bless them all
Bless them all
O, Bless them all
There are people serving others in this world -
there are people taking joy in that
and again and again I celebrate all those good actions
May they blessed

I live in this world
where many are in need of a protector,
where many are in need of an advocate
I live in this world
where many people do not have even a basic education…
Today, in this world, there are many who are kept back from doing good
things because of some illness of body or mind
Today there are many who are broken-hearted
Today there are many who have been hurt in relationships
May there be an abundance of heart medicine,
an abundance of earth and sky medicine today
for all of those who need it
as much as is ever necessary
Today, there are many who have had their families broken
Today, there are many who are grieving
Today there are many who have experienced an unexpected death
in the family
May they all be comforted
Every day in this world
there are people who are facing illness, and who are experiencing pain:
children, teenagers, adults, the middle-aged, the elderly;
those who are alone, and those with problems of the mind

I live in this world where there are people who are disturbed to some extent,
or who suffer from depression
This is the truth
I live in this world where some people don't love themselves,
they don't cherish their lives,
where people even hate themselves,
and where they despair,
even to the point of wanting to take their own lives…
I live in this world where there are so many people who are in need
of some form of human contact,
I live in this world where there are so many people who are experiencing
the absence of love
and we can do something truly beautiful, truly substantial,
truly meaningful for each other,
every single one of us
May it be this way for me now –
may I offer something truly meaningful 

I live in this world where many sensitive people are overwhelmed
and use drugs, or drink, or food, or sex, to self-medicate, to escape
leading to even more dullness and obscuration,
and to more, and even worse problems
May they all be completely healed
I live in this world where many are without peace,
without control, without any freedom of mind
The root of all these sufferings, we should all know,
is the untrained mind,
self-grasping ignorance

I live in this world
and the afflictive emotions
And what we all need to experience
is the fruit of a practice that leads to the disbanding of stress
and to genuine happiness,
and enlightenment as to our own true nature
the single liberating essence of Great Compassion
Ah…
Right now, there are people being trapped by their addictions,
overwhelmed by their delusions, lost 

I live in this world where some people are in danger of falling,
where some are in danger of slipping - and the result can be severe for them…
There are many people right now
who are in need of forgiveness, absolution,
inclusion,
their being welcomed back into the community;
who are in need of purification,
who are in need of the nectar of ethics in their lives,
the medicine of ethics,
the food of ethics,
their vows restored,
the attainment of coolness,
strength, self control
light, and peace,

I live in this world
wisdom, purity,
transformation, and release
I live in this world where we have all done wrong,
some worse than others
Some are in prisons of their own making,
Some have done terrible things

out of ignorance, affliction,
or fear, desperation, despair;
out of weakness and limitation -
not seeing any other way
not being able to reach any other way
I live in this world where some people suffer because of
their own past actions, and regret, and shame
They identify with their delusions and wrong actions,
and believe themselves to be wrong, lacking, innately sinful,
when nothing could be further from the truth –
They are all innately whole, perfect, and pure
I live in this world where many people feel unworthy of love
I live in this world where there are many people who are obscured,
lonely,
or numb,
self-absorbed,
superficial,
greedy,
distracted,
afraid, or sad,
where there are those who are feeling ugly,

I live in this world
or feeling hopeless
or who are caught in self-pity
They are all capable of awakening to perfection, but they don't yet know it
I live in this world where selves arise again and again that feel fragmented,
and isolated – even though this is not true, not even for a moment
I live in this world where many people are experiencing stress
and need comfort, love, light,
and the peaceful joy that is nourishing
May people receive such peace
everywhere it is needed
East, West, North, South,
May it be so
and may I be the cause of that
This is the truth
and it's better that I realize it -
I live in this world where most people
are without any sense at all of the sacred dimension in life
I live in this world where the deluded the band together
and increase ignorance and suffering
I live in this world where, even though there are those with the motivation to
learn many people are misled by false teachers,
themselves ignorant
In these times, especially, it seems,
wrong views are supported, in hundreds of ways,
and wisdom is not;
greed is encouraged, and non-attachment and generosity is not;
aggression is supported, and peace,
sanity, respect, kindness, and being helpful
is not supported nearly enough
I live in this world where there are many people's
experience is only that of a lower-realm being-
(the realm of hell beings, the realm of hungry ghosts, and the realm of animals)
I live in this world where there are people
who don't experience even a moment of peace;
where there are those who feel they don't have any space, light
or joy in their lives at all,
tormented, they feel they don't have any happiness, not even a little bit
For as long as this is true
I say, for as long as this is true
may I respond to it
in a way that eases their sufferings
and may they all have every happiness
may they have every happiness
oceans of happiness
skies of happiness
Every day in this world there are people with no perspective on their life,
coarse, dissatisfied, lacking in gratitude, indulgent
I live in this world where people don't think about death
or haven't integrated that truth, of impermanence
Every day, all around, there are people wasting precious time,
not seeing what they have,
not taking advantage
of the great opportunities they have
for all of our sake
while they still can
I live in this world where the vast majority of people are completely without
any Dharma
the experience of freedom,
light, and wisdom –
that can alleviate and can bring about
the complete cessation of suffering
true medicine for the ills of the world
East, West, North and South,
in the ten directions,
May people receive the Dharma,
And, without grasping or clinging to anything at all,
may I be the cause of that

I live in this world
I live in this world where few people have received instructions in
meditation, and, of these few, most are still unclear about the essential points
that:
whatever meditation we do
we should aim our minds
in the direction of clarity
and the calm continuity of mindfulness,
and continually generate positive energies
I live in this world, where, though we may do some good,
though we may improve our lives,
those who have listened to essential teachings, and understood,
many times don't practice
and, of those who do practice, often they are not able
to overcome the obstacles to meditation,
and practice in a way that they progress…
I live in this world where even those people who have received, and
practiced, and accomplished a great deal of Dharma still suffer
they still fall into experiences that are like the lower realms
and I live in this world where some of the people who have become stable in
realization don't share the Dharma as much as they could
I live in this world where though we can help ourselves and others
much too often we don't
where though can remove our own and others suffering,
to some extent at least
and produce happiness, to some extent at least
far too often we don't
I live in this world
where people don't live in the present
Where people don't know their own worth, or the worth of others,
where people don't know their own potential…


Ten Virgins and their Lamps

Painting by William Blake
Biblical story of ten virgins is one of the most strange and enigmatic parables. 
"Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, "Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!" Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." But the wise answered, saying, "What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves." While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." But he answered, "Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you." Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." (Matthew 25:1-13)
We see, this problem with oil happened to all ten of the virgins, including the five wise. All of the virgins were in the same predicament. As the midnight hour approached they had all come to a moment of crisis. Burnout happens to all of us from time to time as we come to low points and times of crisis in our lives. There is nothing wrong with this at all. It is a common human experience. In our times both the wise and the foolish were running low on oil. But our response to the high calling in God amid the challenges of life is what seems to be the issue. Do we seek His face when our world enters into a crisis? Can we keep the higher fire inside in our dark passages through life? 
The foolish are going their own way no matter what. Only the wise stop to listen. Those who were wise had looked around them and seen that the darkness was coming. They were ready for the great drama that would unfold at the midnight hour. When the hour of burnout came they were not left destitute in the darkness. They were prepared to recharge their lamps with a fresh supply of oil. The wise virgins were ready to go out. And the lamp, or candle, is the spirit of man. 
"The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, 
Searching all the inner depths of his heart". (Proverbs, 20:27)

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Mahavidyas and Bhairavas

Each of Mahavidyas, except Dhumavati, who is a widow, has her own form of consort, Bhairava.

mahākālī-kālabhairavaḥ
śṛṇu cārvaṅgi subhage kālikāyāśca bhairavam |
mahākālaṃ dakṣiṇāyā dakṣabhāge prapūjayet |
mahākālena vai sārdhaṃ dakṣiṇā ramate sadā ||

tārā-akṣobhyabhairavaḥ
tārāyā dakṣiṇe bhāge akṣobhyaṃ paripūjayet |
samudramathane devi kālakūṭaṃ samutthitam ||
sarve devāḥ sadārāśca mahākṣobhamavāpnuyuḥ |
kṣobhādirahitaṃ yasmātpītaṃ hālāhalaṃ viṣam ||
ata eva maheśāni akṣobhyaḥ parikīrtitaḥ |
tena sārdhaṃ mahāmāyā tāriṇī ramate sadā ||

mahātripurasundarī-pañcavaktrabhairavaḥ
mahātripurasundaryā dakṣiṇe pūjayecchivam |
pañcavaktraṃ trinetraṃ ca prativaktre sureśvari ||
tena sārdhaṃ mahādevī sadā kāmakutūhalā |
ata eva maheśānī pañcamīti prakīrtitā ||

bhuvaneśvarī-tryambakabhairavaḥ
śrīmad bhuvanasundaryā dakṣiṇe tryambakaṃ yajet |
svarge martye ca pātāle yā cādyā bhuvaneśvarī ||
etāstu ramate yena tryambakastena kathyate |
saśaktiśca samākhyātaḥ sarvatantraprapūjitaḥ ||

tripurabhairavī-dakṣiṇāmūrtibhairavaḥ
bhairavyā dakṣiṇe bhāge dakṣiṇāmūrtisaṃjñakam |
pūjayet parayatnena pañcavaktraṃ tameva hi ||

chinnamastā-kabandhabhairavaḥ
chinnamastā dakṣiṇāṃśe kabandhaṃ pūjayecchivam |
kabandhapūjanāddevi sarvasiddhīśvaro bhavet ||

bagalāmukhī-ekavaktrabhairavaḥ
bagalāyā dakṣabhāge ekavaktraṃ prapūjayet |
mahārudreti vikhyātaṃ jagatsaṃhārakārakam ||

mātaṅgī-mataṅgabhairavaḥ
mātaṅgī dakṣiṇāṃśe ca mataṅgaṃ pūjayecchivam |
tameva dakṣiṇāmūrtiṃ jagadānandarūpakam ||

kamalātmikā-sadāśivabhairavaḥ
kamalāyā dakṣiṇāṃśe viṣṇurūpaṃ sadāśivam |
pūjayet parameśāni sa siddho nātra saṃśayaḥ ||


Matrikas and Ganesha

The Matrika goddesses, Brahmi, Vaishnavi, Maheshwari, Kaumari, Varahi, Indrani and Chamunda is narrated in Devi Mahatmya, and also found in ancient Puranas, such as Varaha Purana, Matsya Purana, Markandeya Purana etc. The Gandhara period (1st century B.C. to 5th century A.D.) was the period when one could find sculptures of mother goddesses exhibit aesthetic maturity and divine charm. A sculpture of this period is found to represent Matrikas with Ganesha.
Often the Saptamatrika panel begins with Ganesha, and it is explained, is prompted by the faith that Ganapati would remove obstacles; help the devotee in his pursuit; and guide him along his endeavor. According to a 11th century text, the Ishana-Shiva-gurudeva-paddhati, Ganesh invoked as Vinayaka is able to removes all the obstacles which could prevent the cult rendered to the Mothers. Because of that, the god is viewed as patron of the Matrika. Accordingly, Ganesh is often represented whis them in the Shiva temples. In the Vamanapurana, Shiva, after the Ganesh birth, requests the Matrika and the awfull dead spirits to serve the son of Parvati at all times. The Suprabhedagama explains that Ganesh must be standing up when he escorts the Saptamatrika. However, most often, we find him seated and even dancing. He is generally nearby to Chamunda. This arrangement is also found in my loved Ellora, in the caves № 14, 16, 21 et 22.
Whatever there were reasons of that iconographic representation, the connection between Shakti and Ganesha is obvious and indissoluble.
OM GANESHAYA NAMAHA 
OM DEVIYAI NAMAHA

Navagraha Strotam

Navagraha Stuti
Aum Brahmaa Muraari Streepuraantakaari,
Bhaanuh Shashi Bhoomisutau Buddhashca,
Gurooshca Shukrah Shani Rahu Ketavah
Sarve Graha Shaantikara Bhavantu.

Navagraha Dhyanam
Nama Suryaya Somaya Mangalaya Budhaya Cha,
Guru Shukra Sanibhyascha, Rahava Kethave Namaha
Navagraha Prarthana
Surya (Aditya or Sun)
Japaa Kusumasankasham Kasyapeyam Maha Dhyuthim
Thamorim Sarvapaapghnam Pranatosmi Divakaram

Chandra (Moon)
Dadhi Shankha tushaa-raabham Khseero Darnava Sambhavam
Namaami Shashinam Somam Shambhor Mukuta Bhooshanam

Kuja (Mangal or Mars)
Dharanee garbha sambhootam, Vidyut Kaanti Sama-prabham
Kumaram Shakti Hastam cha, Tham Mangalaam Pranamamyamaham

Budha (Mercury)
Priyangukalika Shyaamam, RoopenaaPratimam Budham
Soumyam Soumya Guno Petham Tam Budham Pranamamyamham

Guru (Brihaspati or Jupiter)
Deva-naam cha Rishi Naam cha Gurum kaanchana sannibham,
Buddhi Bhootam Trilokesham Tam Namaami Brihaspatim

Shukra (Venus)
HimaKundha Mrina-laabham Daitya-naam Paramam Gurum
Sarva Shastra Pravaktaaram Bhargavam Pranamaamyamham

Shani (Saturn)
Neelanjanasamaabhasam Ravi Putram Yamaagrajam
Chaaya Marthanda Sambhootam Tam Namaami Shanaiswaram

Rahu
Ardha Kaayam Mahaa Veeryam Chandra-Aditya Vimardanam
Simhika Garbha Sambhootam Tam Rahum Pranamaamyaham

Ketu
Palaasha Pushpa Sankaasham Tarakaa Graha Mastakam
Roudram Roudraa-tmakam Ghoram Tam Ketum Pranamaamyaham

Phala Sruthi
Ithi Vyasa Mukhod Geetham Ya Padeth Susamihitha,
Dhiva Vaa, Yadhi Vaa Rathrou Vigna Santhir Bhavishyathi
Nara Naari Nrupaanam cha Bhaved, Duswapna naasanam,
Iswaryamathulam Teshama arogyam Pushti Vardhanam.
Graha Nakshatraja Peeda, taskaragni Samudbhava,
Thaa Sarvaa prasamam Yanthi Vyaso Bruthe Na Samsaya.

Monday, January 20, 2014

What a Wonderful World


Song written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1967.

I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
They're really saying......i love you.
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
They'll learn much more.....than I'll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
They're really saying... I ....love....you.
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow (you know their gonna learn a whole lot more than I'll never know)
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself .......what a wonderful world.

Diversity in Unity

   We are such different but this difference is in unity. It is not the general humanitarian reasoning, or an art figure of speech, but it is the fact. Any diversity presupposes the polarity between subject and object. It is a duality but thanks to it, the myriad of modes and manifestations can be perceived.  In our innumerable multiplicity, we can and must take each other as objects of knowledge. This makes up a world in which an infinite number of mirrors reflect each other, while reflecting the Divine Face. Sufis have meditated upon this fact as a reflection of the limitlessness of God's Essence in the and through Divine Self-disclosures, as "Hidden Treasure" want to be known through the manifestation of his infinity in diversity, which is like the reverse side of His Unity.  
Thus, accepting the world and human beings in their difference from self, we recognise the Divine transcendence in them. We recognize in the other the face of God and at the same time what we are themselves, albeit in a different mode.
After all,  "For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He has given you. So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ." (Qur'ān, 5:48)

Monday, January 6, 2014

How Do I Worship That?

This poem is ascribed to Adi Shankara

Akhande sachidanande nirvikalpaika roopini,
Sthithe adwitheeya bhave asmin kadham pooja vidheeyathe 1

How do I worship that entity,
Which is limitless and without borders,
Which is full of perennial bliss,
Which has a form that is beyond imagination,
And which stands alone without a second.
Poornasya vahanam kuthra sarva dharasya chasanam,
Swachasya padyamarkhyacha sudhasyachachamanm kutha. 2

How can I place him at a place,
When he is spread everywhere,
How can I offer him a seat,
When he carries the entire universe,
How can I clean his feet and hands,
When he is the purest of the pure,
How can I offer him a sip of water,
When he himself is the nectar?
Nirmalasya kutha snanam, vasthram viswodharasya cha,
Agothraya thwavarnasya kuthasthasyopaveethakam. 3

How can I offer him a bath,
When he is the cleanest of the clean,
How can I offer him a dress,
When he has the universe in his belly.
How can I offer him sacred thread,
When he is without colour , creed and caste?
Nirlepasya kutho gandha, pushpam nirvasanasya cha,
Nirviseshasya kaa bhoosha, ko alankaro nirakruthe. 4

How can I offer sandal paste,
To the one who is beyond application,
How I can I offer fragrant flowers,
When he is beyond smell and scent,
How can I offer him ornaments,
When he is already beyond adjectives,
How can I offer him decoration,
When he does not have any form?
Niranchanasya kim dhoopair deepair va sarva sakshina,
Nijanandaika truptasya naivedhyam kim bhavediha. 5

How can I offer him a lighted lamp,
When he is the all seeing witness,
How can I offer him the scented smoke,
When he is mixture of all qualities,
How can I offer him sacred offering to eat,
When he is satisfied with eating of nectar?
Viswananda pithusthasya kim thamboolam prakalpyathe,
Swayam prakasa chid roopo yo asavarkadhi bhasaka. 6

How can I offer him betel leaf and nut,
When he is the one who makes the world happy,
And when he makes the sun and moon shine.,
With his own lustrous self.
Pradakshina hyananthasya hyadwayasya kutho nathi,
Veda vakhyair vedhyasya kutha sthothram vidheeyathe. 7

How can I offer him circumambulation,
When he is all pervasive and without end,
How can I praise with words of Vedas,
When he himself are the words of the Vedas?
Swayam prakasa manasya kutho neerajanam vibho,
Aanthabarhischa poornasya kadamudwasanam bhaveth. 8

How can I show the light of Camphor to Him,
When he , himself is self illuminating ,
How can I offer him a farewell,
When he is spread inside and outside of everywhere?

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA