July 29, Sivananda
Discourse on Sivananda Lahari
Day 2, July 29
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Ganesaya Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namaha
asato ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrityor ma amritam gamaya
Om Santissantissantihi
Please lead me from untruth to Truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. May there be peace.
Bhajan: Mammelu maa tandri gananatha
We place our trust in you O Lord Ganapati. Please protect us. Vedas praise you. Sastras lead the way to you. Puranas tell your stories. Poems and songs sing your glory. Your smile is enchanting O destroyer of sins. O lord with the twisted, long trunk, and huge ears, please take care of us. Won’t you please remove our bad qualities? Won’t you please stimulate good thoughts in us? Won’t you please inculcate the virtue of sacrifice in us? Won’t you please come reside in our hearts?
You are known through the study of Vedanta. That is the only way to know you. You are ever distanced from deceptive guises. O beautiful child-like Lord, please protect us. We trust you totally to do so. Won’t you please destroy our bonds of attachment? Won’t you please remove this darkness? Won’t you please fill us with your radiance and give us the experience of Sat Chit and Ananda?
We always invoke Lord Ganesha into a kalasha/sacred *** and commence any task with prayer. We must continue to perform good deeds while continually praying.
We spoke about the first two verses the day before yesterday. In the first verse, Kalabhyaam … the two forms of Siva appear as one, Sri Adi Sankara says. Prayers are offered to Lord Siva who is like a wave of bliss residing in the heart. This Sivananda Lahari may be chanted by anyone who has the desire, the inclination and devotion towards the Lord. Everyone has the right to sing this hymn because Siva lives in the heart of everyone, showering waves of bliss.
The manner of worship is taught. Hold on to one form, one mantra, and one deity. He is teaching us to develop focus in this way. Mother Goddess and Siva are one and the same. In one simple verse it is explained how to adore Lord Siva.
Bhajan: Siva Siva Shankara tava charanam
Your feet are my refuge O Lord Siva. You are of the form of Omkara. You preside over the primal sound OM. You are my only refuge. I surrender at your feet, O destroyer of sins. You are worshiped by Parvati, the daughter of the mountain. You reside on the peaks of Mt. Kailas. You are the beloved of Mother Goddess. O Destroyer of the god of desires, and the demolisher of the yajna of Daksha, O protector of the pure-hearted and the punisher of the wicked demons, I fall at your feet, O Lord of the most auspicious form. You give boons and the assurance of protection. You ride on Nandi, the bull. You share half your form with Mother Goddess. You are the friend of Kubera. You are praised by all the noble-hearted souls. You are the pinnacle of self-restraint and discipline. I pray at your feet, O giver of happiness. You reside in the six syllable mantra Om Namassivaya. You are the father of the six-faced Lord Subrahmanya. You are none other than Sachchidananda.
3rd verse:
Trayī vedyam hrdyam Tripura-hara mādyam trinayanam,
Jatā-bhārodhāram caladuragahāram mrigadharaṃ
Mahādevam devam mayi sadaya bhāvam paśupatim,
Chidālambam sāmbaṃ shivam ati vidambam hridi bhaje
The 3rd verse tells us how to sing the praises of Lord Siva. What are the attributes of Lord Siva?
Om Namassivaya
Trayee vedyam – Swamiji has even given this name to children: as Trayee. Trayee does not mean that there are only three Vedas and not four. Rig, Yajus, and Sama are the most important of the Vedas and are used extensively in fire rituals/yajnas. Atharva Veda is more to fulfill the worldly desires of obtaining wealth, health, profit, freedom from enemies and so on. These benefits are also important. This fourth Veda prescribes homas, vratas and procedures to satisfy our worldly needs. Only when the body is comfortable one can engage in spiritual practices. The first three have more spiritual value. Trayee means a group. It includes all four Vedas. Through Vedas we learn how to perform proper Karma. Vedanta is the Jnana way, the path of knowledge. Vedya means He can be known through this means.
By performing the proper karmas and the chanting of mantras, Lord Siva may be realized.
Hridyam – Siva gives us divine bliss. This happiness is eternal. He attracts our hearts. Either as a Siva Linga or as an image, He draws us close to Him. God is the closest to our heart. We feel like continually speaking of him, meditating upon him, and praising him with love and happiness.
Tripuraharam – It was difficult to kill the threesome demons called Tripurasura because they became very powerful with the boons that they earned – they built three impenetrable cities in the sky. They had boons that unless some impossible coincidences occurred they would not get killed. Siva finally destroyed them. Siva has destroyed the three bodies within us that keep us in bondage – the gross, subtle, and causal. He grants us the Tureeya stage of oneness with God. The story of the destruction of Tripurasura demon is described in the scriptures and in the following verses.
Aadyam – He is the very beginning. He precedes our ancestors. Trinayanam – With three eyes He presents Himself before our eyes. Our inner third eye of spiritual wisdom is opened by his grace.
Jata joota dharam – His head is covered with matted locks that resemble the Himalayas. He does not feel it as a burden. He gladly wears it. The divine Ganga descends from there.
Chaladuraga bhaagam – Vasuki, the venomous serpent is worn around His neck as an ornament. He wears the serpent to protect us from evil forces and poison.
Always seek refuge with those who are greater than you. The serpent is happy that it found refuge in Lord Siva. It had been chased away by everyone due to its venom. It hence went to Siva and wound itself around its head. It became very assured of its safety in that position. When Garuda, the eagle approached, it accosted him as if he were its cousin, when actually they are the worst enemies. The greatness of Siva is seen here. When you are in the company of the great you also become great. When you are in the company of the inferior, you also lose your status.
Mrigadhara – A deer has no rest. It constantly runs due to fear. Siva holds a deer in his hand by holding two of its legs. A deer is ever fearful and is always running just like our restless minds. Always it is in tension and danger. Siva gave it shelter. It now looks up confidently. It found rest here having obtained joy and protection from danger. Siva gives rest to our minds.
Mahadevam – Deva is one who happily enjoys in all the three worlds. He revels inside our hearts. Kailasa is in the Sahasrara. His play is Tandava dance. In the bhajan Nagabhoosha nada tosha, Swamiji has described the features and qualities of Lord Siva. As Siva dances in the pristine Kailasa, as his feet move, the planets get whirled in the cosmos. He has no stage. How to build Him a stage? We invite Him to dance inside our hearts that are wide open for His divine play. We need a God who gives us happiness. He is the Supreme Soul. We see descriptions of the three worlds. Where do they exist? Only inside our own hearts. Searching for them outside is futile. The descriptions are given only to create an idea within us.
When we return from vacation, where do all the beautiful scenes remain? Only in our memory.
Mayi sadaya .. You are an ocean of mercy.
Sahamaanaaya - Our nature is to make mistakes. It is your nature to forgive us and correct us. In the Rudram we pray to Him to set aside His anger and look upon us with compassion and forgiveness.
On Kailasa Mountain or on Meru, He resides. As Sri Swamiji, the Sadgurudeva or as Sri Sachchidanandeswara he ever protects us. Due to his compassion we are able to survive.
Nature is such that without hurting another we cannot survive. Hence, we pray for forgiveness for causing pain and harm to others.
Excessive good deeds or excessive bad deeds yield immediate results. Our ancient traditions have all the answers. We go after other recent faiths because we do not properly explore and learn the teachings of our own scriptures. In Kali Yuga both progress and decline occur rapidly.
In the past eons people lived for thousands of years. Not so now. We have to be always ready to receive the consequences of our actions.
Whether we deliberately harm other beings or not, in Nature’s design it so happens that without causing harm to others we cannot even live. Unknowingly we hurt others. Hoarding causes harm to others. Understand the wheel of Creation and act according to its rules. There is only one wheel. Ride on it with caution. It is like the Giant Wheel/Ferris Wheel in an amusement park. If you sit properly you are safe. If you try to hang upside down in it, you will suffer. Some of our devotees here have had some remarkable experiences at the Giant Wheel.
The Jains keep sweeping the pathway so that as they walk, they do not trample over creatures. It keeps the surroundings clean. Many secrets are not disclosed by the elders. They give simple rules for us to follow. Why should we be bothered with the logic and the reasoning behind those teachings? We should simply follow the rules of tradition.
How to perform sins is not even known to Sri Adi Sankara. Yet, he speaks now as if he has committed sins. He says, O Lord Siva, you are very forgiving and tolerant. That is why we are able to exist. You are very understanding and merciful. But we have to be cautious. If you keep exploring deep into these words, immeasurable treasures will reveal themselves to you. Each of these descriptions and phrases is a mine of precious gems. You should not stop at simply listening. You must ponder deeply and reap the treasures.
Pasupati - We are bound and you release us from bondage. We are tied up as if by a rope. If a cowherd finds that a cow has strayed, does he punish it? No. He lovingly brings it back. At first he may strike it to teach the animal not to do it. A cowherd loves his cattle. We are all cattle and you are our keeper. Sri Krishna has done the same thing as a cowherd. He is none other than Siva. Siva and Kesava are one and the same.
Pasu are animals and Pati is the caretaker of the animals. Animals are better than us. Each animal has a certain characteristic. But we humans possess the features of all types of animals.
Once, God was distributing the lifespan to all creatures. He granted 100 years to several of the animals such as pigs, donkeys, lions, and so on. But he gave man only 20 years to live. Man was very disappointed. He wanted a much longer life. The animals thought amongst themselves and wished that they did not live so long. They prayed to the Lord to reduce their lifespan. God asked if He may redistribute the years. They agreed. Man was sitting there ready and eager to receive the handout. God took years from each of the animals and gave them to man who prayed fervently for a long life. That is why as a human he lives only for 20 years in his long life and the rest of the life of 80 years is spent living one part as cat, one part as lion, a part as fox, donkey, crow, and so on. We have all the animal qualities in us for this reason.
Pasu and pati are important words in the Saiva philosophy. They tie a rope to the nose of a bull to control it. But Siva releases us from our bondages/nooses.
Chidaalambam -
You are the basis for all happiness. You grant Jnana, spiritual enlightenment. In the ancient times they used to place a pillar at the commencement of construction, as the foundation pillar. The construction was in wood. This pillar would never be removed. Siva is the supporting pillar for our mind and for all knowledge.
Saambam – Always you are with Mother Goddess. Siva is always with Mother. They should be worshiped together. They must never be thought of as separate. Sa + Amba. It means He is ever with Amba.
‘Ambaa’ is the call of the cow. We are the cattle. Listening to the call of the cow has great benefits.
Once, someone tried to do great harm to Chandavolu Sastry through employing black magic. He tied up a cow at his house. The spell was broken by the proximity of the cow and the sacred vibrations emanating from its call. This is a true story.
Saamba – Very special words are Uma, Soma, Gireesa, Gowreesa and other descriptive names.
The cattle’s call is ‘hambaa’ – hambharaava it is called, which is also a beejakshara. That is why their call has that sound. When praying to Lord Siva, he should always be contemplated as being united with Mother Goddess. The base of the Siva Linga is Mother Goddess. They are ever together and inseparable. Mother energizes the Lord. In Srisailam the story is explained.
There was only one phone in the office at the ashrama, several years ago. This was before the time of cell phones.
There is a cartoon that shows how people raised their arms in prayer when they saw a deity in procession before. Now with cell phones, they all raise their arms to take pictures of the deity instead.
One cow fell ill. Swamiji was returning that day from a foreign tour. Swamiji said, give me a phone connection. I need to speak with the cow. When the cow had the phone placed next to its ear at midnight, Appaji spoke to the cow over the speaker phone. I heard his words telling it to be patient until his return the following day. Swamiji returned, and went straight to the cow shelter. Happily shedding tears of joy, the cow left its body after seeing Swamiji.
Once during my Chaturmasya in Eluru, a cow was in its last stages due to great illness. Swamiji came there then. The cow listened to the Dasama/10th skanda of Bhagavata parayana done by a pundit. It was a very gentle cow. After seven days, on the eighth day it broke the gate, entered the room, dragged the Bhagavatam book outside, tore the pages, ate some of them and left its body.
A cow is very cultured. It never steps into the drinking water sources. It is not so with buffaloes. Buffaloes enjoy getting all muddy. The cow with Dattatreya is not just a cow. It is Kamadhenu – a wish-yielding deity. He is pictured as feeding grass to the cow.
Sivam – the two syllables are like our two eyes with which we view the world. Without sight we suffer a lot. They help us to open the third eyes of wisdom. Siva is of an auspicious aspect. He destroys difficulties. This name encompasses innumerable meanings.
In a treasure chest Yajurveda was placed. Within it, in another chest was kept hidden deep within it, the Rudradhyayam; inside another chest within it was kept the section Namassomayacha; within it was hidden Namassivaya; and within it was preserved the name Siva. Such is the greatness of that name. He is mangala svaroopam – He gives all good things.
Ati vidambam – No one can deceive by wearing the guise of Siva. No one can ever imitate Him. No one else can claim to be Siva or be like Siva. He is without a second. He is unique and it is impossible to copy him. Even if in play acting one imitates Siva, he will always be reduced to his own state afterwards. One has to become Rudra to be able to worship Rudra. That is why Anga nyasa and Kara nyasa are performed. We invoke the Lord into ourselves. Unless He is placed in the heart, his worship is not possible.
He transcends decoration. After abhishekam he is not even required to be wiped dry. Many times without wiping, sandal paste is applied to Him after the ritual bath. If no flowers are available, Bilva leaves may be offered. He loves the touch of water/Ganga. He purifies even what is rejected and contaminated. Bhaja means I serve Him in my heart. In Siva worship it is very special that nothing ever will contaminate Him. He removes all trash from within us. Even if worshiped with faded or impure materials, it does not affect Him.
I worship him in my heart. I praise him in song. He will then shower his grace upon me.
Siva may be followed but never mimicked. No one can replicate Siva. Unless we become like Rudra, we are unfit to offer Him worship. One must fill oneself with all the relevant seed letters. Our body must become a mobile Mt. Kailasa. We must retain that feeling during the entire worship. Sacred ash and rudraksha beads are the external accessories that are required. It is like a lawyer wearing his black coat.
One must be true to one’s nature. Never mimic others.
A crow was cawing in the tree. People chased it away. But when food is offered to the departed souls, the crow is sought after. The crow wondered why they show such disregard towards it most of the time. It felt that because it was black it was being disliked. A swan came by. Not a green parrot, but a pure white swan. The crow began a conversation with the swan. The swan was surprised. The crow said: because of my black color people hate me. I wish to also attend marriage feasts, where I am never allowed. You think it is a good idea for me to acquire your white feathers? The swan said I have problems too. What! The crow was surprised. The swan said: I am not colorful like a parrot. You have seen how colorful the parrots are in Shuka Vana. The swan advised the crow to change colors with a parrot instead of a swan. The crow approached a parrot and asked for the favor of switching colors. The parrot said: we also have problems. We envy the peacock. When it opens its feathers and dances, it is so beautiful. We are so small; the biggest amongst us is only a Macaw. So we suggest that you speak with a peacock. The crow went to a peacock in the zoo and woke up the bird at midnight. Should I do penance to become like you? It asked the peacock. The peacock said: I will tell you a secret. We have meetings and we discuss our plight. The reason we are imprisoned here is because we are beautiful. If we were like crows we would be so free and no one would ever harass us. No one is more fortunate than you. You can go anywhere and eat anything you wish, unlike us, who are at the mercy of our caretakers. The crow learned its lesson.
We gain nothing by imitating others.
Siva cannot be copied.
Bhajan: Sivam bhaje bhavam bhaje
He is the lord of everyone in all lifetimes. He is the protector. It does not mean ‘husband’ in the worldly sense. I praise Siva, the source of Creation, my protector in all my lives. He is the Supreme. He is without beginning. He is the unequalled Guru of all. He is the mind and its goal. He is praised by the Vedas and scriptures. He destroys the illusory world that we create for ourselves. He is the repository of eternal compassion. He is the manifestation of Sat Chit Ananda - pure existence, consciousness and bliss. He is our only refuge.
Keep chanting Namassivaya Namassivaya Namassivaya Namassivaya Namassivaya to be able to establish the lord in your heart.
Hridi bhaje means worship in the heart. It is difficult to do so. First externally offer praise by singing Siva’s praises. Then it is easy to worship Him in the heart.
Tomorrow we will study the 4th verse.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta