Saturday, January 28, 2023

Yajna of Lord Ram in Sadhana App


I started crying uncontrollably.

As soon as I heard ‘Om Shri Ramaye Swaha’ in Om Swamiji’s magical voice while performing Elaborate Yajna (16 minutes) of Lord Ram in Sadhana App, I began to cry loudly. The tears of devotion flowed down, wetting my soft cheeks. Swami Tejomayanada said, “The world will make you cry so it is better that you cry for God.” ‘Om Shri Ramaye Namahe’ is the first mantra of Lord Ram’s hundred names. It means that I bow down to Lord Ram who is the giver of happiness.

Yajna is a ritual of self-dedication by which one can unite with the Supreme Power by cultivating cosmic love. It facilitates kindness and compassion by connecting all human beings together just like all the different colors of beads in a mala. It helps in eradicating the feeling of separateness which one experience due to false ego. According to Swami Krishnananda, “It is a sacrifice of all those factors which tend to tether the soul to the bodily tabernacle into the fire of knowledge of the Absolute.”

Thousands of yajna I have performed solely as well as with my family members. Therefore, I was quite familiar with the opening mantras of the yajna. Although, a few mantras were new to me which I was hearing for the first time, I thoroughly enjoyed offering ingredients with the Sanskrit arduous mantras. The material used to do fire offerings were ghee, firewood, havan samagri, paddy, guggal, sugar, camphor, dry fruits, cloves, rice, red sandalwood, white sandalwood, black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, fox nuts, satavari, cardamom, dry coconut and rice pudding. I was well known with all the items except satavari. I had never seen or heard about it. I asked Google Baba and I came to know that it is a deep-rooted medicinal plant grown in the Himalayas. Its roots are used in fire offerings.


While performing this yajna I became familiar with the Gayatri of Lord Ram – Om Dasarathaye Vidmahe Sitavallabhaya Dheemahi, Tanno Ramah Prachodayat. It connected me with my Lord Ram as if we are not two but one. Purnahuti was made with dry coconut which was followed by melodious Stuti ‘Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhaju Mana’ a soul uplifting bhajan written by Tulsidas.

In the book, ‘Am I a Hindu?’ Ed Viswanathan said, “Yajna is usually done for material human welfare. Of course, by performing yajnas, a devotee is indirectly brought closer to God, for he fully understands the power of God in his day-to-day affairs. Physical health, mental discipline, expansion and purification of the heart are only some of the benefits. Whatever desire a person has while doing the havan, that desire is fulfilled.” The auspicious time to do yajna of Lord Ram to fulfil one’s desire is mentioned on the right-side bar under the heading 'Auspicious Date'. 

Swami Sivananda said, “Life is a yajna, a holy sacrifice, and the world, which is the field of righteous action, is the altar at which the individual offers himself to God.”

So, make hay while the sun shines!

If you enjoyed reading this, then you may enjoy reading this, this and this.

Pic : An Elaborate Yajna of Lord Ram in Sadhana App

Friday, January 27, 2023

Do You Want to Practice Tantra?


Everything got blurred in front of my eyes!

On ‘Shravan ke somvar’ (Monday of Shravan month of lunar calendar) I was performing Rudram Abhishekam in Shiva Temple (Kailasha) in Sadhana App. The snow scattered on colossal mountains, the chilly winds stirring divine emotions, beautiful Shivlingam with a copper pot hanging with a thin wire above it, ambience inside the temple, elaborate process, pure ingredients, cleanliness, immense peace and a sense of calmness emanated eternal love. The strong winds blowing through the white mountains extracted all the old painful memories and gloomy experiences. Thus, created vacuum was refilled with divine nectar of bliss. My eyes became misty - Tears of devotion for Lord Shiva.

Earlier I was killing time. A sudden thought that today being ‘Shravan ka somvar’, I should perform abhishekam of Lord Shiva. I clicked on the abhishekam option in Lord Shiva Temple (Kailasha) in Sadhana App. First, I worshiped through Shivashtakama (4 minutes) with ingredients water, milk, yogurt, red garland, dhoop, handheld bell and handheld lamp. It was a normal process in which I just enjoyed clicking buttons like a kindergarten kid. Then I tried Vedsara Strotra (13 minutes) in which ingredients used in worship were water, Gangajal, milk, honey, yogurt, ash, fragrant water, fragrant oil, white cloth, blue garland, bilva fruit, incense, dhoop, ghee lamp, betel nuts, paan, small pot, gemstones, dry fruits, flowers, saffron, handheld bell and handheld lamp. It felt like a routine ritual without invoking any divine sentiments for the deity. Soon after I clicked on Rudram (23 minutes) in which Lord Shiva was offered ingredients like water, Gangajal, milk, honey, yogurt, sugar, ash, turmeric, fragrant water, fragrant oil, white sandalwood, red sandalwood, small pot, white cloth, white garland, sacred thread, betel nuts, paan, flowers, datura flower, saffron, bilva leaves, bilva fruit, rice pudding (kheer), sweetmeats (ladoos), cloves,  black sesame seeds, kusha grass, green grass, bananas, dry fruits, blue garland, incense, camphor, dhoop, ghee lamp, handheld bell and handheld lamp. The lengthy and elaborate process invoked feelings for the deity, and I felt a surge of divine emotions.

The best part of doing abhishekam in Sadhana App is that there is no dirt and slipperiness on the floor because of falling water drops and other liquids here and there. In a spick and span area, one can easily focus on Shivalingam and meditate. The clean and serene home environment free from the troubling noises, self-availability of time, no long-standing queues, saving of one's money and time by virtual procurement of various items. The best part is that all things are available and step by step guidance in a computerized sequence. All this makes a delightful experience. Only one need is a heart full of love for Him!

While practicing this Abhishekam, I worshipped a human being as Lord Shiva. It is a tantric practice. On becoming comfortable with this concept, I considered all human beings as divine. This is the mool mantra of all the left-handed tantric practices.

It is highly recommended for those who wish to walk the path of tantra. 13th Feb, 2023 before sunrise is the more auspicious time than ‘Shravan ke Somvar’. The fruits of the abhishekam will get tripled. It is a super auspicious time. Do not miss to do abhishekam in Sadhana App.

For Triple benefit give triple donation. ;)

You can read my experiences in worshiping in Sadhana App here, here and here.

Pic : Shivlingam in Shiva Temple (Kailasha) in Sadhana App.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Tantric Mantra of Ma Brahmacharini in Sadhana App


I sensed an acute pain in my lower abdominal muscles.

In the early hours of the second Navratra, while doing chants of Tantric Mantra of Ma Brahmacharini in NavDurga Sadhana in Sadhana App, I felt an involuntary upward movement of my lower abdominal muscles. It was not the first time I was experiencing this. In deep meditation, I had the same feelings earlier also. But this time with more frequency and repetition, holding time was long. Because of continuous contractions of muscles during the chanting, towards the end of the Sadhana my body demanded rest to ease the pain.

Who is a siddha?

The lower abdominal muscles are the most difficult to control and a yogi who has full control over those muscles is a siddha. This can be done by two ways – voluntary control by doing hatha yoga practices and involuntary control by slipping into deep meditation. For voluntary control a beginner is advised to do naukaasana (boat pose) and shirshasana (head pose). When one becomes adept in doing these asanas then exercises along with the breath control are suggested while holding the pose. On mastering these exercises, advance practices are advised. When one has full control on those muscles then one has to take a final exam in the form of Lata Sadhana or Sahjoli Mudra. Anybody who wants to know more can opt for ‘Hatha Yoga Pradipika’ or any other book on advanced yogic practices.

Those who find it difficult to do it this way, can take the other route in which one has to focus on developing divine virtues like love, kindness and compassion. The biggest obstacle in this practice is that one cannot get angry or feel jealous or have any other negative emotion. One single negative feeling and the whole sandcastle crumble down in seconds. Only patience, disciple and persistence with positive approach can reward success.

I am a simple person like all human beings with mixed emotions -positive and negative. Over the years I cultivated sentiments of goodness like truthfulness and kindness. Even after repeated failures, I keep on trying to shed my negative emotions of anger, hatred and jealousy. And with constant practice and consistency I sometimes slipped into deep meditation to experience this unique upward thrust which will one day make me a siddha. Then fragrance will be emanated not only from my body but also from my sweet words!

Curious to know more about me, you can read more about me here, here and here.

Pic : Ma Brahmacharini in Sadhana App

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Want to Be Initiated by Om Swamiji?


Want to be initiated by Om Swamiji?

If you have an intense desire to be initiated by Swamiji then I will suggest downloading Sadhana App and start chanting and praying in the Sun Temple (Amravati). Such a difficult problem has an easy-peasy solution!

A couple of months back, a young guy asked me, “I wish to be successful in materialistic as well as in the spiritual world. What should I do?” I suggested that he chant Siddha Surya Mantra in Surya Temple (Amravati) in Sadhana App. I further suggested to him to do the Sadhana of the same mantra in Sadhana App. He did as per my advice.

Two miracles happened within a week or so in his life.

One, he got the job although he was still studying. His materialistic want was achieved.

Second, he had a keen desire for Swamiji to say something about him. To which I amusingly replied He had not said anything about me till date. Even then he kept his burning desire alive. The young guy chanted the mantra and prayed fervently. And one auspicious day, the young man received a reply to his mail from Om Swamiji. His spiritual desire was fulfilled.

For all those who wish to be successful in materialistic and spiritual path, I will suggest you start chanting Siddha Surya Mantra in Sadhana App without delay. The mantra is ‘Om hreeng ashva- tejasya adhovani svahaa’ which means that ‘ashva-tejasya’ which is one of the names of Lord Sun please bless us that we never utter ‘adhovani’, hurting words to others. This prayer helps in connecting our sacred bond with the lineage and comes with the special blessings from the lineage. Moreover, anybody (initiates and non-initiates) can experience the power of this mantra.

If you are further interested, then to begin Surya Sadhana in Sadhana App the auspicious time is 20th June, 2023 after sunrise. Put your heart and soul in this Sadhana and pray to the lineage to accept you as their baby. When we do any Sadhana we experience hindrances, in this case the hindrances can be low battery of your mobile, bugs in the App, not focusing properly, not able to maintain dietary restrictions etc.; just ignore all the obstacles and keep doing the Sadhana consistently without failing for a day. You can experience the power of this mantra in your comfy home irrespective of the fact whether you have physically met Swamiji before or not. I am pretty much sure if you do this Sadhana whole heartedly then you will be initiated by Swamiji. Do this Sadhana with full faith, not only to be blessed with initiation but also with many other unimaginable miracles in your life. Do not forget to give dakshina daily or on the last day of your Sadhana as per your means in Sadhana App.

If you do not have a proper internet connectivity in your area, then do not worry you can do Surya Sadhana as mentioned here is in Kartik mas 2023 before sunrise.

I always wait for the auspicious time to begin my Sadhanas and you can read my experiences here, here and here. I am doing this sadhana consistently every year and I am initiated to fifth level by Om Swamiji you can read more about it here.

If you have any query, then please do not hesitate to write to me at CHANDRIKASHUBHAMATGMAILDOTCOM.

Monday, January 23, 2023

Guru as Sole Refuge


“Without my Guru’s wish not a single leaf can move in my life.” I told my mentor.

“How is that possible?” He asked out of curiosity.

“He connected me with the bond of mantras. The more I chanted the stronger the bond with Him. At my stage of spiritual evolution, the Guru has full control over the disciple's life irrespective of whether the disciple lives near Him or at far off place. What matters is the nearness of the heart.” I took a deep breath and continued, “He is 'The Rainmaker’ as He can create rain. He can stop the fire in the woods with His shakti. If someone is fatally ill, then He can cure that person and save him from the clutches of the Lord Yama – The God of Death. He is very powerful.”

“hmmm...”

“The relationship with the master is entirely on a different plane – spiritual plane. As I am talking to you if He wishes He can trace this conversation and can keep a track of my thoughts. Therefore, I have to think positive all the time. He is the transmitter of good ideas, commands and positive thoughts whereas I am a receiver who has to be ego-free for a good receptor by shedding all negative thoughts and emotions. Most importantly if my mind is empty it will act as a good receiver, but you know my mind is full of Tollywood and Bollywood drama. I quoted Swami Venkatesananda that the communication can take place between the two only when the disciple and the master have become like one, where they are on the same level and on the same wavelength.”

Whenever I am tense because of some business problem and unseen future troubles me, I tell myself that nothing can happen in my life without His wish. So, whatever will happen whether I like it or not it will happen with His wish only. Swami Sivananda said, “By Guru’s grace, the disciple can overcome obstacles and doubts on the path. There must be a perfect unity between the Guru and disciple and then the disciple will be immediately benefitted.”

Whether I am crying or laughing, happy or sad, successful or failed- all this happens with His Grace! Because He is my sole refuge and has full control over my life. He guides me through His strong spiritual thought-currents. Many times, I have felt that.

Now, once again when my life is falling apart, I comfort myself that it is only His wish as nothing can happen in my life without His wish. In this way if He wants me to be spiritually evolved, I must happily accept that. I have to excitedly drink whether He offered me juice of life or poison of life. Swami Satyasangananada Saraswati said, “Guru’s grace can manifest in many ways – it may be pleasant and sweet, or severe and unpleasant. Most disciples believe that when the guru speaks with kind and soft words, he is bestowing a blessing and the more pleasant and charming he is, the more grace is being bestowed. But this need not to be true. Guru’s grace can be very unpleasant at times. The guru chops, saws, and cuts the disciple’s ego with a clear vision of what he is trying to achieve and shows no mercy until he has finished the product. As the carpenter transforms the wood into an object of utility, purpose and beauty, the guru transforms the disciple into a liberated being, to be the guiding light of many.”

P.S. 1. Ma (my mother) shared this couplet with me from the book ‘भजन-सुधा’ from page no.44 from the bhajan ‘गुरू वंदना’ -

तत्त्व ज्ञान गुरु ने बतलाया, 

अंधकार सब दूर भगाया,

ह्रदय में भक्ति दीप जला कर, 

हरि दर्शन का मार्ग बतलाया।

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Navarna Mantra Sadhana in Sadhana App


“I want to abandon Navarna Mantra Sadhana in Sadhana App.”

I felt this, after doing the first day Sadhana because nyasa had too many bugs, the voice was not synchronized with the clippings moreover, one of the nyasa was missing from the verbal diction. The voice modulation was not smooth, one line was in high pitch and the next line in low pitch making it very difficult for me to concentrate on the prayers of offerings to the deity. The image of deity was too complicated, I found it hard to focus on that idol. It was not as simple as the image of Lord Ram in Ram Temple (Chitrakoot) or Lord Ganpati in Ganesha Temple (Gajkarne). I was in a dilemma to complete or not to complete this Sadhana.

Next day, I contemplated that whatever problems or difficulties might come in the path of Sadhana I must try my best to complete this Sadhana as the Sadhana of Navarna Mantra becomes very powerful when done in Navratri. To overcome the hurdles on the path of Sadhana, I decided to touch one or the other part of my body while doing nyasa. Even if it was correctly voiced, I could rarely perform it accurately as the act of placing a mantra on different parts of the body was always a complicated procedure for me. To beat the voice modulation problem, I chose to focus on the words and their meanings rather than on its pitch. Further I made up my mind to concentrate on the image of Ma Tripursundari as mentioned by Swamiji instead of that complicated black color idol with gold embellishments.

After deciding to proceed further I started the Day 2 Sadhana in Sadhana App. While chanting Navarna Mantra I realized that my left hand felt a surge of energy. It was moving. My left palm involuntarily twisted and twitched. After a couple of minutes my whole arm from fingertips to shoulder became heavy and numb. To my utmost surprise my right arm was normal, there was no extra flow of energy in it. Why this difference? I recalled that Swamiji had told many times that feminine energy lived on His left side.

Navarna Mantra Sadhana is a very powerful Sadhana in Sadhana App and it is highly recommended for those who are interested in progressing on the path of tantra. Ignore the bugs and experience the flow of feminine energy on the left side of your body with this amazing Sadhana in Om Swamiji’s dynamic voice which alone is capable of removing all flaws.

Pic : Ma Durga Temple (Kadamb Van) in Sadhana App.

Now, My Life Belongs to Others.


“Do you know what a gas chamber is?”

Before sharing the story that I heard from Sadhguru, I asked my genius brother as I only had a vague idea about it. I knew that a gas chamber could kill living beings but exactly how it worked, I was clueless.

He replied, “During the World War, the Nazis captured numerous European Jews. To kill them became a big question therefore their scientists suggested to build the gas chambers. In them, they released certain gases like carbon monoxide which resulted in mass murder of the victims of the Holocaust in that air-tight apparatus.”

Bhai is a mobile Encyclopedia!

“Only a certain number of people could be killed in a gas chamber. Every day the rulers summoned the prisoners to be gassed. On such one day, like a routine, a young prisoner was called out. This macabre ritual made him damn scared. He was horrified and terrified on seeing his death so close. One Rabbi noticed his suffering, felt the intense pain he was going through and offered him to exchange their shirts.  Rabbi soothed him and asked him to stay back. Instead of the young victim, Rabbi went into the gas chamber wearing the shirt bearing the young man's number. In a quote Swami Sivananda says that conquest of the fear of death, conquest of death, is the highest utility of all spiritual Sadhana. The one aim of all Yoga Sadhana is to meet death fearlessly and joyfully. Rabbi happily and peacefully went inside the gas chamber to save the life of the young man who was later released. Throughout his life the young man had a vivid remembrance of that generous Rabbi for liberating him from that gruesome experience and saving his life.”

These days, I feel that I am in the gas chamber. I have no desire to live for myself. With my penance I am giving away my life’s healthy years to a dying person because now, my life belongs to others. Albert Einstein said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”

Pic : Pexels