Navratri Series: Reaching Shakti through Bhakti – Part -5 Atma Nivedanam and Pada Sevanam

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Atma Nivedanam is the ultimate form of devotion which means surrendering fully to the will of the Supreme, with no traces of ego whatsoever left in the devotee’s heart. In this stage, one completely surrenders to God and has no other motive in their mind other than serving God himself and pleasing Him. This is not easy and requires a special effort both mentally and physically.

Mahabali and Vamana in our Golu.

Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita –

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जना: पर्युपासते |

तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् || 9-22 ||

Ananyaaschinta yanto maam ye janaa paryupaasate  teshaam nityaabhiyuktaanaam yoga kshemam vahaamyaham

(Bhagavad Gita,9.22)

 “He who constantly remembers me and worships me at all times, is protected and his welfare is taken care of by Me at all times.”

– Shri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita

King MahaBali is the perfect example of Atma Nivedanam or complete self-surrender unto the lord. In Vamana avatar(The 5th avatar of Vishnu) of Lord Vishnu, King Bali welcomed the Lord disguised as a young brahmin with open arms and promised him that he would offer him whatever he desired. He offered to wash the feet of Vamana and sanctify himself by sprinkling that water on his own head. Bali’s preceptor, Shukracharya was an all-knowing counselor. Aware that Vamana was an incarnation of Vishnu, he advised Bali to go back on his offer to Vama. Bali said, “When the Supreme lord Himself has come to me asking for a gift, I am prepared to give away everything regardless of what happens to me”. Bali told Lord Vishnu: “I offer to you, Oh lord, all my wealth and possessions, as well as myself. I take refuge in you, protect me, Oh lord.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 8th canto).

This was the sense of renunciation with which Bali offered himself to Lord Vamana. Thus he attained the lord through his selfless devotion and surrender to the Supreme. The feeling of ‘oneness’ with the lord and all His divine beings is achieved only in the spirit of the final form of devotion to the Supreme–Atma nivedanam.

Pada Sevanam is the worship of the lord by concentrating upon or ‘honouring’ His feet or Paadukaa (sanctified sandals). To approach a person’s feet is a sign of humility and that is why in Indian tradition, we are taught to touch our parent’s and elder’s feet as a token of respect. The feet of the Supreme Lord are so sweet and beautiful that they are known as paada pankajam or Lotus feet as they are so soft and red like the lotus petals. Mother Lakshmi Devi is the prime example of a person attaining perfection simply by the process of pada sevanam —serving the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. Another great example of this Bhakthi is Bharatha. He is the personification of pada sevanam. For 14 years he served the paduka of Lord Rama, performing his duties leaving the results and fruits of his actions in the hands of Rama.

King Bharata ruling Ayodhya by placing Lord Rama’s paduka on the throne

Navratri Series: Reaching Shakti through Bhakti – Part 4 Smaranam, Dasyam and Sakhyam

Posted on by saigayatri28
Andal as a kid talking to her Parrot (Hand-made)

Smaranam: Constant Remembrance of God.

गेयं गीतानामसहस्रं

ध्येयं श्रीपतिरूपमजस्रम् ।श्रीपतिरूपमजस्रम्

नेयं सज्जनसङ्गे चित्तं

देयं दीनजनाय च वित्तम् ॥वित्तम् २७॥

-भज गोविन्दं by Sri Adi Shankara

Meaning – Regularly recite from the Gita, meditate on Vishnu in your heart, and chant His thousand glories. Take delight to be with the noble and the holy. Distribute your wealth in charity to the poor and the needy.

As Sri Adi Shankaracharya highlights in Bhaja Govindam, constant remembrance of God and meditating on his name and form is a very important fold of Bhakthi. Namasmarana is the easiest path to attain the Lord in Kali yuga. One can do this by remembering the beautiful form of the Lord (in whichever deity one believes in) and chanting their name. If one cannot imagine a form, then let us look all around us. We are surrounded throughout with His wonderful creations. This can be a good reminder for us to remember and thank Him for everything. Andal/ Kodai Nachiar was one such great devotee who was ever engaged in namasmarana. Andal (Tamil: ஆண்டாள்), also known as Kothai, Nachiyar, and Goda Devi, was the only female Azhwar among the twelve Hindu poet-saints of South India. She composed two poetic works in her lifetime, Thiruppavai and Nachiyar Thirumozhi. Andal was constantly engrossed in the remembrance of Lord Ranganatha.In the 5th Pasuram Andal highlights the importance of Vishnu-Smaranam. She says,

வாயினால் பாடி மனத்தினால் சிந்திக்க

போய பிழையும் புகுதருவான் நின்றனவும்

தீயினில் தூசாகும் செப்பேலோர் எம்பாவாய்

5th Pasuram – Andal

“vaayinaal paadi, manathinaal sindhithu…. by doing so, our sins get burnt like a cotton which falls in fire.

Our Golu this year, dons a cute little baby Andal, sitting on the fields thinking of Sri Ranganatha and singing his glories.

Dasyam is the next form of devotion where the devotee sees himself as not just the ‘faithful-servant’ of the Lord but also the servant of the Lord’s devotees, with no sense of inferiority. Dasyam refers to a heartfelt yearning to be of personal service to the Supreme. It is the ultimate expression of humility, yet it is bold in its aspiration. Dasya Bhakti is the means of transcending one’s ego. It helps in the spiritual evolution of a person.

Kondapalli Hanuman Carrying Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders

Lakshmana, Hanuman, Angada, etc., cultivated this Dasya-Bhava (Sense of being in constant service to the God) of Bhagavad-Bhakti. Hanuman is a towering example of Divine Seva to the Lord. He spent his whole life in serving Lord Rama. Angada did not want to leave Rama even at the latter’s request and prayed to Lord Rama that he would serve Him at all times, that he would do even the most menial of services for the sake of Lord Rama. These devotees were of an exceptional type and it is very difficult to develop such a Bhakti as was possessed by Hanuman, Lakshmana or Angada.

दासोहं कोसलेन्द्रस्य रामस्याक्लिष्टकर्मणः |

हनुमान् शत्रुसैन्यानां निहन्ता मारुतात्मजः ॥

“The son of Kausalya, Lord Sri Ramachandra, is a great warrior. I am a faithful servant of that Lord Rama”

(Valmiki Ramayana ।।5.43.9।।).

Sakhyam is the next form of devotion wherein the devotee considers himself to be the ‘friend’ or sakhaa of the Supreme. in this form of bhakti, you will share all your happiness, sorrows, and every moment of your life with God. You always feel that he is with you in every point of your life. God is one’s best friend. Sakhya bhakti can be cultivated by offering oneself earnestly to Him for His companionship. The bhakta shares his moments of joy and sorrow with Him. The devotee will develop a special and personal relationship with the Divine. Sakhya bhakti is not limited to making friends with God alone. It also includes making friends with people sharing the same temperament or with His devotees. Satsangs can be an important place to develop Sakhya bhakti with like minded people. People attending Satsang will share their experiences of God, Guru or saints which can be spiritually enriching to the bhakta. Friends in satsangs can form the basis of spiritual progress in a devotee. Sudama, Gopis of Vraja, Vibhishana, Sugriva, Arjuna and Uddhava are some of the examples of devotees who had Sakhya Bhakti with the Supreme Lord.

Kondapalli Partha and Sarathy adorning our Golu

भक्तोऽसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम् ॥ ४-३॥

“O Arjuna, you are both my friend and Bhakta.”

(Gita 4.3)

Stories about the friendship of Krishna and Arjuna abound in the Mahabharata and Bhagavatam. In our Golu display this year, we have presented the scene from Kurukshetra war, where Lord Krishna became Arjuna’s charioteer and guides him throughout the war in the path of Dharma.

NAVRATRI Series – Reaching Shakti through Bhakti Part -3 Archanam and Vandanam

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

The next two folds of devotion, go hand in hand and we present them together here. Archana– Worship of God can be done either by offering some external materials like flowers, leaves etc or with strong inner feeling. Archana consists of the physical worship of God in the form of an idol etc, and brings more joy when performed along with the offering of using the correct rituals (upacharas) as prescribed in the ancient scriptures. These rituals consist of procedures like bathing and clothing the Deity, and also offering Him scents, food etc. An essential requirement of Archana is the presence of faith (Shraddha) in the devotee. Archana includes, worshipping through means of offering physical materials like flowers, fruits, nuts, leaves and water. Offering flower petals chanting various names of God is a commonly practised form of Archana in temples and homes alike. Our Scriptures and Gurus have always emphasised that the thought and pure heart are more important than the material being offered. Sri Krishna beautifully puts forth the following verse in the Bhagavad Geetha.

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति |

तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: || Ch 9: 26||

Bhagavad Geetha

If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water, I delightfully partake of that item offered with love by My devotee in pure consciousness.

We have illustrated the glory of Archana Bhakthi through the famous “Gajendra Moksha“ story in this year’s Golu. Gajendra Moksham ‘The Liberation of Gajendra’ is a Puranic legend from the 8th Skandha of the Bhagavata Puraṇa. When Gajendra offered a Flower and prayed earnestly to save him from the clutches of a Crocodile, Lord Vishnu came down to earth to protect him. Gajendra then attained a form like that of the god (Sarupya Mukti) and went to Vaikuntha with Vishnu.

Archanam: Gajendra Moksham, Idea by Sai Gayatri

Vandanam can be described as the humble prostration to the Lord by touching the earth with the eight points of the body (Sashtanga-Namaskara), with faith and reverence, or prostration to all beings knowing them to be the forms of the One God (namaskaar). When one bows down in prostration it is said that our ego is annihilated and we are open to receive the blessings or in modern context open to listen to others with an open mind. Namaskaram , bending down and touching the feet of elders seeking their blessings is an integral part of Bharatiya Sanskruti(culture). We are constantly reminded to give up our ego and surrender ourselves to our ancestors, gurus, elders and the universe to receive their good wishes which helps us learn from their experience.In addition, to spiritual benefits, the posture of Vandanam or Namaskaram has innumerable benefits to the physical body too. Namaskaram is an integral part of Yogasana, and we all know the immense benefits it brings along.For example surya namaskar is proved to help improve the digestive health, reduce anxiety, tone muscles and aid weight loss.

PC: yogainstitute.org

An inspiring example of Vandana Bhakti is Akrura, another great personality in the Srimad Bhagavatam. The great Bhakta Akrura could not contain himself when he entered Vrindavana. He was overcome with emotion and the consequent surge of affection for Krishna resulted in overflowing eyes beginning to shed tears. Akrura jumped onto the land of Vrindavana and rolled around on the earth saying: “Oh! This is the dust touched by the feet of my beloved Lord” (Bhagavatham-10.38.26). We have an interesting example of Vandana-Bhakti illustrated in our Golu this year; one who is constantly prostrating to Sarveshwara(Siva) – Nandeeshwara. Nandi/Nandeeshwara is the divine bull, always present with Lord Siva as his constant companion. He is an exemplary example of this Bhakthi, as he is in constantly paying obeisance to Shiva and is steadfast in being so. Nandeeshwara reminds us that patience and steadfast belief is God through trials and tribulations is of prime importance.

Nandi Praying Lord Shiva. Kailayam set in our Golu

NAVRATRI Series – Reaching Shakti through Bhakti Part -2 Keerthanam

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

All through my childhood, being woken up by Suprabatham – meaning auspicious morning, rendered in the sweet nectar voice of M.S.Subbulakshmi was an everyday event. This will be followed by Bhaja Govindam. This was an everyday ritual at home. Every channel on TV and in every house, this was a ritual. The day always started with remembrance of God and singing praises of God which elevated the mood in the house amidst the rush to get ready to school or work.

“Bhagavata adi purushasya narayanasya namoccharana matrena nirdhta kalir bhavati [Kali santarana Upanishad verse 3]” translates to “Simply by chanting the transcendental names of the lord Narayana, all the sins will be cleansed in Kali-yuga.”

A Depiction of MS Amma’s kutcheri(performance) adorning our Golu.

Our Sanatana Dharma teaches us that there is Divinity in anything and everything. There is divinity in music and hence musical recitation is another fold of devotion that helps us get closer to Divinity. Reciting and rejoicing God’s names (Nama) in the form of Songs, Bhajans and Musical Hari-Kathas, are said to instill and grow the seeds of Bhakti. We have innumerable examples of Gurus, Sages saints and also common people, in the annals of Indian history who have emphasised the importance of Keerthana-Bhakthi. Meera Bai, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Tukaram, Chakku Bai are few of the innumerable examples of those who have achieved God realization through Keerthanas. Chanting God’s name brings relief to the devotee’s mind. It is said that Keerthanam is the only way to achieve salvation in this kali yuga. After all, what is more powerful than music in touching one’s soul.

One such personality whose mellifluous voice awakens the dawn every morning for millions of Hindus all over the world, M.S Subbulakshmi adorns our Golu this year as a contemporary example of Keerthana-Bhakthi. In 1998 the government of India honoured MS with the country’s highest civilian award the “Bharat Ratna” for revolutionising devotional music in India and also for earning global recognition to Indian classical music. Besides, she was also the recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award. Most of the literary masterpieces by great sages would have remained unknown to the world if they were not given that magical touch by the mellifluous golden voice of MS. In this beautiful Navaratri season let us pray for good health, peace and happiness for one and all , resonated in her voice and the words of HH Kanchi Mahaswamigal- Chandrashekarendra Saraswati.

M.S performed this at the UN and this is what Sanatana Dharma teaches. Build friendship and renounce war.

There are many other known benefits of listening to Keerthanas and music in general

  • Elevates the mood
  • Reduces stress
  • Relieves symptoms of depression
  • Helps sleep better
  • Helps reduce pain
  • and so on

श्रेयो भूयात् सकलजनानाम् !!

Let all the people, live in peace and prosperity!

NAVRATRI Series – Reaching Shakti through Bhakti Part -1 Shravanam

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

Navratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honor of Goddess Sakthi. As the name states, it is a celebration across 9 days culminating in the victory of the good over the evil. In the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, Durga puja is a grand event and something I hope I get to see in person one day. In the south, in my house in particular, it is celebrated by worshipping 3 forms of Shakti for 3 days each. Durga for courage, Lakshmi for Wealth and Saraswati for education. The tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadasami(victorious 10th day) when the 3 Goddess combine together to win over the evil of darkness. To me, it implies that you cannot win over the evils in the world by possessing just one quality, you need to have all 3 – Courage, wealth and education – to overcome your internal and external demons.

Photo by Souvik laha on Pexels.com

This Navratri, my wife and I would like to proudly present the theme of Navavidha Bhakti. The following sloka told by Bhakta Prahalada a great devotee of Lord Vishnu illustrates the 9 forms of Bhakthi.

“Shravanam Kirtanam Vishnoh Smaranam Paadasevanam

Archanam Vandanam Daasyam Sakhyam Aatmanivedanam“

Shravanam – hearing to the stories and glories of God, is one of the foremost steps in developing steadfast devotion and faith. Sanatana Dharma emphasises on the importance of Satsangam (being in company of good people), always listening to various leelas of God, in the form of Stories (kathas),Songs (Bhajans and Kirtans) and mantras. Shravana or hearing about the glories of God is highlighted in the Srimad Bhagwad. In modern times, how do we listen to God, reach out to your Gurus who will show you the right path.

Some examples of Shravana Bhakthi – Prahlad heard the glories of Lord Narayan when he was in his mother’s womb from Sage Narada and he was born with great bhakti for Lord Narayan. King Parikshit attained liberation through Shravana. Suka Maharishi spoke about the glories of the Supreme in the Naimisharanya forest amidst many great Saints and Rishis.

King Parikshit heard the supreme nectar from the mouth of Suka Maharishi and attained salvation on the seventh day and enjoyed Supreme Bliss. After all, modern science has also been emphasising on the importance of what a human hears from their very first creation in Mother’s womb and how it is affects their growth. Also, our thoughts are impacted by our language, thoughts impact our emotions and how we react at work or home. Negative thoughts sows the seed of doubts and confusion thereby causing us to react angrily while hearing positive talk lifts our mood and enables us to do better things in life.

King Pariskhit listening to Shuka Maharishi – Handmade by Sai Gayatri

For our Golu this year, we have recreated the scene of Pariskhit Maharaja listening to Srimad Bhagavatham from Shuka Maharishi as a part of our Golu ensemble this year. Let us thank all the great Rishis, Yogis, Hari-Katha exponents and Gurus, who impart Shravan Bhakti in our day to day lives.