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AHYMSIN newsletter, Issue - April 2012 | ||||||||||||||
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The Birth of The Lady of Compassion at SRSGby Joanne Sullivan
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Om aiṁ strīṁ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā Om saumyā saumyatarā śheṣha - saumyebhyas tvatisundarī parāparāṇāṁ paramā tvameva parameśvarī . |
ॐ ऐं स्त्रीं तारे तुत्तारे तुरे स्वाहा॥ ॐ सौम्या सौम्यतराशेष - सौम्येभ्यस्त्वतिसुन्दरी । परापराणां परमा त्वमेव परमेश्वरी ॥ |
By combining the seed syllables, the Tara Mantra and the Saumya mantra as one unified mantra, the mantra invokes Mother Tara as the Most Compassionate (saumyā) and the Most Beautiful (sundarī ), Who is both Transcendent (parāparāṇām paramā) and Immanent as the Supreme Goddess (parameśvarī).
Click here for a YouTube video by Michelle Kinsey to some important events surrounding the consecration of the goddess, including the recitation of this mantra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_3g5irkWjU.
Joanne: Before going into the Shri Yantra (Shri Chakra) a little contextual background drawn from Swami Rama’s lectures and writings seems pertinent. Shri Yantra is often a central part of Shri Vidya meditations but Shri Yantra practices without the guidance of a master can be misleading.
According to Swami Rama, there are three schools of Tantra, the Kaula, the Mishra and the Samaya. The highest and most subtle, he says, is Samaya, which means literally “I am with you.” Only a very few masters truly know Samaya, and its initiations are rarely given today. Samaya has no external rituals and is highly systematic. The awareness of the union of Shiva and Shakti at all times is its aim and it leads to liberation, Swami Rama tells us. Many Westerners, he says, have the false impression that Tantra is mainly about sex and that one can learn Tantra from a book but neither are true. Tantra is a subtle initiatory tradition.
Before an adept imparts Shri Vidya initiation, the sadhaka must be prepared. S/he undergoes a systematic cleansing process at all levels: body, breath, mind, emotions and samskaras. The general term for this is bhutashuddhi, which can mean two things. Here it means complete purification of one’s entire being. Swami Rama tells us that in all the schools of genuine Tantra, only after this purification process are students given practices that awaken the Kundalini, the sleeping serpent power within.
Discipline, attention and smrti (mindfulness) in daily life, an integral part of sadhana, are the required preparation. The yamas and niyamas and all the rungs of yoga play a part. This process goes on breath by breath, but also for years and lifetimes. The link between guru and disciple does not end at the end of one physical lifetime, which is but a wink. Many of us who knew him have heard Swami Rama say at first meeting “I have been waiting for you.” For more on Tantra, see the Kundalini chapter in Swami Rama’s book Choosing a Path.
Bhutashuddhi can also mean purification of the five gross elements in the individual and Swami Veda has given a series of meditation practices for this.
Swami Rama’s book Wisdom of the Ancient Sages: Mundaka Upanishad, when defining Tantra explains that Kaula, Mishra, and Samaya are three successive stages; “in Kaula, external objects and tools are used for spiritual enhancement; Mishra is a school of transition wherein an aspirant tries to internalize the external means.”
Pawan: Indeed, meditation on the Shri Yantra can induce deep calm and clarity along with heightened awareness levels but only through initiatory experience by one who knows Her. The Shri Yantra is the most sacred and revered of yantras. It is a mystic geometric diagram which represents the design of the cosmic creation. It comprises nine interlocking triangles, five of them facing downwards and four of them facing upwards, making a total of 43 triangles. These triangles are encircled by two rows of lotus petals, the inner having eight petals and the outer having 16 petals. These are further enclosed within three squares. At the center of the innermost triangle is a dot which represents the bindu, the abode of Shri, the presiding deity of the Shri Yantra. Shri is also known as Lalitaa or Tripura Sundari, whose name literally means the Beauty of the Three Worlds. She manifests as the 10 Maha-vidyas or the Wisdom Goddesses. Tara is the second Wisdom Goddess, the first being Kali. Lalitaa is the third Wisdom Goddess.
The design of the Shri Yantra is primarily based on the Five Elements which form the fundamental building blocks of the manifest universe. The square represents the Earth Element. The circle represents the Wind Element. The downward triangle represents the water element. This also represents the Divine Feminine (Yoni). The upward triangle represents the Fire Element. It also represents the Divine Masculine (Lingam). The dot (bindu) represents the Space Element.
The geometry of Shri Yantra is based on complex mathematical principles. It is interesting that the arrangement of the Shri Yantra displays the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Numbers amongst other advanced equations. The base angles of the pyramids of Giza in Egypt are the same as the outer triangle of the Shri Yantra. In fact, Shri Yantra could be understood as a complex interlocking of nine pyramids. The cardinality of the Yantra holds numbers that represent not only the total number of food grains produced on earth to nourish and sustain life, but also the number of atoms that make for the creation of the entire manifest universe.
In the Agama tradition, the Shri Yantra represents goddesses, elements (tattwas), subtle elements (tanmatras) and levels of consciousness, including finally the Devi Herself, who resides at the very center of the bindu (the infinitesimally small dot at the center of the yantra).
The representative energies housed in the Shri Yantra are numerous and complex. It is impossible to explain these in a brief conversation. However, the following may just give an idea of the in-dwelling energies in the Shri Yantra.
The substratum of Shri Yantra is the eternal, pure potentiality known as Siva. The primordial impulse, Kama, creates a chain of energy events leading to the creation of the Universe. This impulse is Shakti, also known as Shri, amongst other names. The point of unified Existence of Siva and Shakti is the Bindu, the innermost central point of the Shri Yantra. From this point arise the Throb (Spanda) and the Sound (Shabda).
The three lines of the first inner triangle represents the three primordial impulses or Shakti-Vama (that which ‘vomits’ or expels forth the Universe), Jyeshtha (the First Born, the primary Creation) and Raudri (She Who absorbs or dissolves the creation unto Herself). These lines also symbolize the three gunas (the modes of being), as well the three natural forces represented by Sun, Moon and Fire.
The other triangles similarly house different energy fields who create, maintain and dissolve the Universe. The eight petals on the inner circle represent the eight forms of psychophysical forces – Speech and Expression, Apprehensions and Receptions, Locomotions, Urges of the body and Elimination, Pleasure, Rejections and Reactions, Attention and finally, Detachment and Dispassion.
Similarly, the sixteen petals on the outer circle represent Desire, Ego, Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, Smell, Mind, Fortitude, Memory, Name, Sources of phenomena, Self-hood, Immortality and the Body.
The total of 24 petals house the 24 energies that are represented by the 24 syllables of the Gayatri Maha-mantra. Hence, Swami Veda has once indicated that the Shri Yantra can also be worshipped or meditated upon through the Gayatri Maha-mantra.
Pawan: Shri Yantra made of crystal was chosen for the Devi Shrine since crystal has a high vibrational frequency and immense memory. Meditation in the presence of this Shri Yantra can help the sadhaka to boost his or her practice.
Joanne: Didn’t you find this Shri Yantra?
Pawan: Yes, it is believed that crystals have a special consciousness wherein they choose their final abode. This particular Shri Yantra had been on prominent display for sale in a shop in Rishikesh for over five years.
Joanne: So it found its way home to the Devi Shrine!
Pawan: Yes. Globally, crystals are used for healing and ushering in positive energies in human spaces. In the Himalayan Tradition, crystal Shri Yantra is installed and worshipped. Before assuming Samadhi at Kedarnath, Adi Shankaracharya manifested four crystal Shri Yantras and gave one to each of his four successors. For over 1200 years now, their worship is the personal duty and practice of the four Shankaracharyas who are the chief pontiffs of Hinduism.
The Shri Lalitaa Sahasranaama is the 1000 names of the Devi in the form of Lalitaa, the Goddess of Cosmic Play. It is a stotra, a Sanskrit poem of praise.
This Devi is associated with Shri Vidya and stands at the center of the Shri Yantra, inside the bindu. She is the One to whom the Saundarya Lahari is addressed, which Swami Rama once said was his favorite of prayers. The “Shiva Shaktya” which we chant at evening prayers is drawn from this text.
The Puranas tell us that the god of love was burned to ashes after rousing Shiva from His meditation. One of Shiva’s attendants collected the ashes which an artist used to draw the figure of a person. With one glance from Shiva, the figure leapt to life and grew up to be a powerful ashura (anti-god), causing chaos in all the worlds. Finally, at the advice of Narada, Indra performed a great sacrifice. A chakra (wheel) arose from the flames. At its center stood the form of Lalitaa Tripuri Sundhari. She is the feminine embodiment of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Below are some excerpts in English from The 1000 Names of Shri Lalitaa Devi. (Shri Lalitaa Sahasranaama: with text, transliteration and translation edited by Swami Tapasyananda, Chennai: Shri Ramakrishna Math)
Salutations to Her who by a mere glance at her consort Maheshvara [Shiva] generates Shri Ganesha…
Salutations to Her who is the original mantra…
Salutations to Her who is the most Ancient Being
Salutations to Her who is the presiding deity of all the Tantras
Salutations to Her who is the Chandikaa, the awe-inspiring one.
Salutations to Her who is the Mother of the Universe.
Salutations to Her who is the essence of all Vedas.
Salutations to Her who depends on none.
The meditation section of the book says:
“She is rosy like the dawn, has eyes wherein surge waves of compassion….”
“….seated [on] a lotus…face beaming with joy, eyes soft and elongated like lotus petals, radiating a golden hue…..[She] is the very embodiment of Shri Vidya and Tranquility.”
Normally, I would not take such words too seriously. I have to admit though that it pretty much describes Her, especially the part that says “She has eyes wherein surge waves of compassion.”
As I mentioned earlier, some people say that they feel a relationship with the Tara Devi. For some She seems to grow and change as the Akhanda japa of the 1000 names unfolds here. Most nights, Swami Veda comes up to the Devi shrine after our evening meditation with smiles and blessings to the dozen or so children and adults gathered there in anticipation of his arrival. Then he goes into the temple and sits by Her. It always seems that the two of them have a silent conversation or perhaps a union, communion of sorts. To me, he seems a little more of a child in awe before Her. He looks up at Her. She looks back, radiating love, joy and compassion. He puts a red rose in each of Her hands and on Her feet. He stretches up high to daub Her forehead. Indeed, there is something about this Ma Tara that is very much alive. The eyes in the face, hands and feet have depth, look inward in great peace and mystery. She seems to look back at you, to know you. Last night, I felt Her actually see all my sadness as if to take me up in Her arms like a mother does a child.
Today was the purna-ahuti, the final offering, of the 21-day akhanda japa. Swami Veda chanted many bijas and other mantras for a long time. One of the last prayers was:
Sarve bhavantu sukhinah…
May all be happy…
(bio) (Pawan Mishra is the founder of Shri Vidya Bhava Peetha in Noida, which was consecrated by Swami Veda in April, 2008. The shrine houses a murti of Lalitaa Tripura-Sundari along with 10 goddesses from different world traditions—Tara (Buddhist), Maya (Ancient Mayan Civilization), Yemanja (Africa and South America), Sofia (Ancient Greece), Isis (Ancient Egypt), Inana (Ancient Mesopotamia), Kwan-yin (China), Amataresu (Japan), Padmavati (Jaina Tradition) and Mother Mary (Christian Tradition). A large crystal Shri Yantra has been installed. 24-hours of nonstop chanting of the Durga Saptashati has been going on for four years. One may contact him at mishra_pawan@yahoo.com)
Choosing a Path by Sri Swami Rama. Available at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Choosing-A-Path-Swami-Rama/dp/0893890774/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334179214&sr=8-1 Or Inquire at AHYMSIN Publishers: http://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/Contact-Us/Book-and-DVD-Orders.html
Path of Fire and Light, Vol. 2, by Swami Rama. Available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Path-Fire-Light-Vol-Practical/dp/0893891126/ref=pd_sim_b_5 Or Inquire at AHYMSIN Publishers: http://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/Contact-Us/Book-and-DVD-Orders.html
Path of Fire and Light, Vol. 1, by Swami Rama. Available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Path-Fire-Light-Vol-Practices/dp/0893890979/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334972420&sr=8-1 Or Inquire at AHYMSIN Publishers: http://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/Contact-Us/Book-and-DVD-Orders.html
Path of Fire and Light, by Swami Rama is available at the online bookstore of the Meditation Center, which ships nationally and internationally. See: http://www.themeditationcenter.org/jnana/index.php?
YouTube: Swami Rama on Sri Vidya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X6l_UWJ6Kk
What is Sri Vidya? by Swami Veda at http://www.adishakti.org/pdf_files/what_is_sri_vidya_(meaus.com).pdf
What is Shri Vidya: An Elementary Introduction booklet by Swami Veda Bharati (Rishikesh: AHYMSIN Publishers, ©2011.) Inquire at AHYMSIN Publishers: http://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/Contact-Us/Book-and-DVD-Orders.html
The Divine Mother booklet by Swami Veda. Available at the online bookstore at The Meditation Society (the bookstore sells nationally and internationally); see http://www.themeditationcenter.org/jnana/index.php? Or Inquire at AHYMSIN Publishers: http://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/Contact-Us/Book-and-DVD-Orders.html
Come to Me, Come to Me by Swami Veda http://www.meaus.com/Writings_by_Swami_Veda_Bha.html
Saundarya-lahari by Swami Veda at http://www.bindu.org/index.php?/Readings-and-Essays/saundarya-lahari.html
Indian Psychology: Becoming Saumya by Swami Veda Bharati at http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/Indian_Psychology/Becoming_Saumya92005.asp
Purna-ahuti by Swami Veda at http://www.ahymsin.org/docs2/News/0110/02.html
YouTube: Swami Veda on Sexual Desire and Kundalini (8 videos) at http://www.youtube.com/user/SwamiVeda?feature=watch
Internet downloads of audio files of Shri Vidya, bhuta-shuddhi and related topics are available for purchase through Ahymsin Publishers, India. Inquire at AHYMSIN Publishers: http://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/Contact-Us/Book-and-DVD-Orders.html Recorded materials from Swami Veda can also be found at http://www.swamiveda.com/ and http://www.yogaineurope.eu/store/