Resurrection

The fire needs to be stoked once again. The embers need to be prodded at once again and I need to blow into the dying ashes only for you to resurface once again...Oh Agni! I had left you for the mundane world sleeping on various beds least realising that here's where I must finally lie. 

Homam

Om Sri MahaaGanapathaye Namah! Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah! Om Rishibhyo Namah!

What is Homam
Homam, also known as homa or havan or yajna (yagya) or yajana, is a fire ritual. In homam, divine presence is invoked into fire using specific procedures. Then materials are offered into fire, along with sacred chants (mantras). The offerings are supposed to reach gods. It is interesting to note that fire ritual is an ancient practice and several religions taught worshipping gods in fire.
Why Homam
Hinduism teaches that gods come into fire and receive the prayers of spiritual aspirants. As spiritually inclined people have fewer and fewer hours to spend on spiritual sadhana everyday with the progressing Kali yuga, sadhanas that work fast are more relevant. Homam works much faster than japam and other spiritual sadhanas.
Homam is a very powerful tool for spiritual progress. Chanting mantras in front of fire while offering material substances into fire has a great cleansing and calming influence on one's mind and gives great level of mental focus, peace, calmness and bliss. This practice has been extolled in many scriptures such as Yajurveda and Bhagavad Gita. Vedic seers practiced it regularly.
Why Mahaganapathi Homam
Mahaganapathi homam is apt for everyone. Ganesha sits in the mooladhara chakra. Chakras exist in the subtle body and they represent different realms in which one’s consciousness can dwell. As Ganesha controls the material realm as well as the gate to the higher spiritual realms of being, his homam is very useful to any spiritual seeker. A Mahaganapti homam performed regularly can ensure solutions to many problems of daily life as well as facilitate spiritual progress. Thus, Mahaganapthi homam is recommended to all.

Several people across the world are experiencing the benefits of homam today! The proof of the pudding is in eating it. If one performs homam regularly for a few months, one will surely see the difference in one's mental state.

The Song of a Yogini

"Passionate, with longing in mine eyes, searching wide, and seeking night and days, Lo! I beheld the truthful one, the wise Here in my own house to fill my gaze". "That was the day of my lucky star. Breathless I held my guide to be. So my lamp of knowledge blazed afar, fanned by slow breath from the throat of me. Then, my bright soul to myself revealed, winnowed I abroad my inner light, and with darkness all around me sealed Did I garner truth and held him tight".

"Think not on the things that are without, Fix upon thy inner self thy thought; So shallthou be freed from let or doubt. Precept these that my preceptor taught".
"Dance then Lalla, clothed by the air; Sing then Lalla, clad but by the sky. Air and sky; what garmant is more fair? 'Cloth', saith custom; ' doth that sanctify?'".

Let Darkness Prevail

I prided myself and called myself a “Warrior of LIGHT”…least realising how deep the Darkness was inside of me.
Without acknowledging my own reality, I went on brandishing a flaming sword and proclaiming myself a saviour to all.
Uncannily, I was scared but to look into the mirror…how ugly I looked…what abyss lurked behind my eyes and what a savage scavenger I was.
It was only last night that I saw the moon (all this while…I dreaded to look up)…there was something strange there. Suddenly I went onto my fours and from deep within there arose a blood-curdling cry……………….a moan!
For the first time, I was happy, happy to be set free. The fangs had tasted blood!

I devour bit by bit my restless soul and wait till the mocking light slowly dies in the prevailing darkness.

Kali - About herself

Hear me child, and know Me for who I am.
I have been with you since you were born, and I will stay with you until you return to Me at the final dusk.
I am the passionate and seductive lover who inspires the poet to dream.
I am the One who calls to you at the end of your journey. After the day is done, My children find their blessed rest in my embrace.

I am the womb from which all things are born.
I am the shadowy, still tomb; all things must come to Me and bare their breasts to die and be reborn to the Whole.
I am the Sorceress that will not be ruled, the Weaver of Time, the Teacher of Mysteries. I snip the threads that bring my children home to me. I slit the throats of the cruel and drink the blood of the heartless.

Swallow your fear and come to me, and you will discover true beauty, strength, and courage.
I am the fury which rips the flesh from injustice.
I am the glowing forge that transforms your inner demons into tools of power. Open yourself to my embrace and overcome.

I am the glinting sword that protects you from harm.
I am the crucible in which all the aspects of yourself merge together in a rainbow of union.
I am the velvet depths of the night sky, the swirling mists of midnight, shrouded in mystery.
I am the chrysalis in which you will face that which terrifies you and from which you will blossom forth, vibrant and renewed. Seek me at the crossroads, and you shall be transformed, for once you look upon my face, there is no return.

I am the fire that kisses the shackles away. I am the cauldron in which all opposites grow to know each other in Truth. I am the web which connects all things.
I am the Healer of all wounds, the Warrior who rights all wrongs in their Time.
I make the weak strong. I make the arrogant humble. I raise up the oppressed and empower the disenfranchised. I am Justice tempered with Mercy.

Most importantly, child, I am you. I am part of you, and I am within you. Seek me within and without, and you will be strong. Know me. Venture into the dark so that you may awaken to Balance, Illumination, and Wholeness. Take my Love with you everywhere and find the Power within to be who you wish.

Aghor Sadan

Amidst the din of the extremely busy streets of Benares, my eyes traveled from atop the “cycle rickshaw” in which I was sitting with a friend, towards this magnificent gate that sent a chill down my spine. On both sides of the gate stood grinning at me a set of three human skulls sitting one atop the other. I squeezed my friend’s arm and pointed silently out to him that which we were planning to visit and that which we had heard myriad stories about and that which was “should be avoided” as per mom and others who were original residents of this city and have now migrated to Mumbai. There was a familiar twinkle in his eyes…which meant that he was ready for the adventure. I smiled back at him – SO WAS I!
We decided that next day should be the fateful evening. With heart thumping against my rib-cage, I and my friend disembarked from the cycle rickshaw (the cheapest and the popular mode of transport in the holy city) in front of the gate. There was a chill in the evening air and I dismissed that to be the December chill. A place to remove the shoes guarded by this very simple looking man (what was I expecting?) beckoned us to do the needful. A non-descript flower stall stood stoically almost rebelliously against the backdrop of the myriad and competitive flower markets next to the more important places of worship (which are too many in Benares). “Err…what are we to worship inside?” I asked my friend. He gestured to keep my mouth shut and follow what an old couple was doing. They too bought some flowers and very demurely walked towards the gate. Beautiful strings of “bhajan” was emanating from within the walls of the “Keenaram Ashram”…something which would seem out of place about a structure that had been so embroiled in myths and controversies (after all this was a place of the “aghorees” and do “aghorees” listen to “bhajans”?)
Within the precincts of the “house of aghorees” we walked through a beautiful garden (the lilting musical bhajan still following us all the time). Strewn around the some what serpentine walk were boards written in simple hindi and English. These were aphorisms of Aghora wisdom. We stopped to read a few. They were nothing deeply occult (yes…we were expecting that!!)…nor rebellious. These were simple thoughts…deep in philosophy…uplifting human values. Thoughts that do not disturb you…but calm you…full of warmth. We strode around wanting to know what more was in store for us that was silently breaking all our myths.
A silent quadrangle greeted us. Spick and span with some very few people circumambulating the place. A signboard advised us to keep calm for this was the place of meditation and internalization. We were already feeling calm within and did not feel like talking (was this the effect of the place?). In a slightly elevated sheltered place was the shrine. An huge life sized idol of “Bhagwan Ram”, the erstwhile head of the ashram graced the middle. In front of the statue were his “padukas” (slippers) where we offered the flowers like the old couple before us did. The entire atmosphere was silent and full of grace and our heads bent automatically in silent surrender and a prayer emanated from our hearts. A non-descript man sat by the side in simple garbs (we were expecting jatas and fiery eyes) of a shawl and civilian clothes…clean shaved! But when his hands went up to proffer us the simple “Prasad” of ashes from an “akhanda dhuni” we did not miss the “veer kangan” that he was wearing – he was an “aghoree”. The man was quite and just nodded at times to familiar faces…not talking much…not talking at all.
After taking the “prasada” from the “aghoree” (we were sure that he was one) we went across to the “akhanda dhuni”. Some two three people were sitting across the caged pyre. A signboard had advised us a little earlier not to offer anything to the fire. It was a fire that was lit four centuries ago from the fire of a funeral pyre of “harishchandra ghat” (one of the two most famous “smashanas” of Benares) and has been protected and nurtured since then. For four centuries the fire still burns a silent testimony to remain alive for centuries to come. After a small prayer we strayed across to explore the surroundings. To the south of the quadrangle on a slightly elevated platform rested 11 “shivalingas” in the form of an interesting pattern…later on we found out that it was the “yantra” (mystical symbolical representation) of the Devi Hinglaj (a shakti peetha in Balochistan, Pakistan). Folklore says that the great Aghori Keenaram brought the devi from now Pakistan and established “her” within the Ashram premises. Next to “her” lies the mortal remains of the 16th century aghoree and the founder of the “aghorashram” and the 11 “Shivalingas” are actually the 11 “samadhis” of the eleven erstwhile heads of the organization. All around the remains are established the four faces of Shiva, indicating the “abheda” (non discrimination). Over and above these lies the fifth “face of Shiva” in the form of a lingam symbolizing the fusion of “Shiva and Shakti”…the face of aghora. A scriptural reference can be found out that the four Vedas are abrogated to the 4 faces of Shiva and the fifth face is the face of “aghora”. A “peepul” tree stood peacefully by the side and underneath it stood the great face of that which lurks behind our masks…the great SKULL. We learnt later that the skull represents the cosmos and called the “brahmanda khappar”. The bare row of teeth and the dark orbs actually encompasses what goes on in our mind. Could it be the “brahmanda khappar” is actually the entire creation encapsulated? And it is actually what must be going on in God’s mind?? I had no clue how to get that answer. But the dimming evening lights brought a soothing calm…no clashing thoughts…no chasing dreams…no discrimination…almost like the state of “aghor”

Tools for God Conciousness: Mantra

Mantra is a Sanskrit word derived from two roots: “Manasa” or mind and “Tarana” or “to save”.
So Mantra is something which saves, which uplifts the mind. It is said that within the four Yugas, Gayatri mantra sadhana predominates in Satya Yuga but by the time our age of Kali has dawned other mantras take hold of people’s consciousness.
Indian history is replete with various beings who used mantras for the good of the general population. Foremost among these, I suppose would be the avatar of Shri Rama who was taught the two mantras of Bala and Ati Bala by the Rishi Viswamitra. These are said to have enabled Rama to vanquish the 14,000 Rakshasas of Bhayanak Van in just over an hour.

Digressing a little, it is important to spell out that who we are today is based on what we identify with. So if I identify with the body or the mind then I am a finite person limited by my own finite identification.
So what is needed is a tool which chips away at this finite identification and helps us become ever more infinite in our awareness and capabilities.
Mantra is one such tool.

But, what does a mantra actually do and how can it be made to give results?
Any mantra contains a string of syllables, which are set to a meter. The mantra must be chanted in a certain set way to get its results. Mantras and their sound conceal an image of the deity which they represent. When chanted, they produce a specific form of the deity of that mantra, so a Rama mantra will produce a specific image of Rama, within the consciousness of that person. But initially, this image will form only for the duration of time that the person repeats the mantra.

Later on as the mantra becomes more potent within our consciousness in terms of its ability to produce an actual form of the deity, this image remains with us for longer and longer.
This leads us to the point that the deity actually becomes present with that particular sadhaka. This may sound somewhat fantastic, but Ramakrishna Paramhansa, it is said could see the divine Mother Kali whenever he wanted and eventually his identification with his body had so been destroyed that some believed that only God was present there, his ability to go into superconscious states was legendary. The same is also said of Swami Vivekananda, only the deity as one may surmise was Shiva.
Achieving God consciousness with a mantra is not easy, but neither is it so super difficult that you do not try it at all.

So how do we go about using this tool? Mantra sadhana is ideally done in private, where the practitioner feels safe, in a clean and dry place after the sadhaka has taken a bath and emptied his bowels and bladder. No food should be eaten at least two hours before the practise is undertaken. The body must remain as still as possible. If you are trying to achieve some particular goal, then don’t tell anybody of your sadhana.
The deity you will want to worship will be one you have worshipped in many previous lifetimes. Don’t be attracted by claims of a particular mantra’s superiority, such as the Gayatri, most Vedic mantras require specific intonation at specific syllables which may be impossible for you to master correctly. A Vedic mantra incorrectly recited is unlikely to give you any result.
Mantras can be repeated in three major ways, the most common with your oral speech or Vaikhari, this may destroy Tamas in the practitioner, but still relies on oral speech and if your Sanskrit is not good then there is a danger that you may not get any result from it. Furthermore it suffers from the problem that you are unlikely to remain still as the mantra is being recited.
Then comes the method called “Upamsu” or that using your lips but producing no sound.
Finally the method which I favour , or Manasika and that is recitation of the mantra in the mind. This method is best for achieving concentration, mental peace and it should eventually lead to the start of cutting away of the identification of the practitioner with the self, identification with the deity eventually follows.

Counting of mantra numbers may be useful in the beginning for the first few years and can be done on a rosary of 108 beads, I favour the beads of a small 5 mukhi rudraksha, alternatively Tulasi beads, Putrajiva or Lotus beads may be used as well.

Later on as mantra recitation becomes a daily practise, the need for a mala or rosary diminishes quite significantly. Eventually the identification of the self with the body may so diminish that the practitioner may enter a state of divine bliss in which one may forget to chant the mantra itself, so overpowering is the silence of divine bliss.

Some people argue that mantras can only be received from a Guru much, literally the mouth of a Guru; and since a genuine Guru is very difficult to find nowadays, best not to follow any sadhana. Yet others say that the constraints of mantra repetition given in ancient sastras are too difficult to maintain, the age we live in being so fickle and fast.

To all those doubters and nay sayers I simply point out that the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Take up a simple mantra, as simple as a naam mantra, and persist with it for a few months doing a set number of repititions and see the difference it produces within your being.

-------------------------------------Courtesy Manish Pandit