Sri Chakra

The Source of the Cosmos

The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY

Blossom 21 Petal 1
March 2016
 Bloom and grow

March
Newsletter
Sri Amma participated in the
Since the last Trip 7 - Samayapuram temple Yatra from Jan. 6-9; her
issue... Mariamman, Thirupainjeeli Sivan
temple, Uttamar kovil
birthday function was on the 10th.
After all these events concluded,
Aiya travelled around Chennai
On Dec. 25th Aiya went to and came back from India on Feb.
Aiya was present at the temple a function run by Sri Amma’s 10th.
for Karthikai Deepam festival at (Pujyashri Mathioli Saraswathy) He was in Rochester for the
the end of November 2015. Nandalala Mission in Chennai. rest of the month, simply being
At the beginning of December On the 26th, he went to present at the temple ahead of
Aiya went to North Carolina for Devipuram for the wedding of Mahashivarathri on March 7-8.
the weekend of Nov. 29-30, and Guruji’s granddaughter, which In mid-February, Aiya
then flew to California for an happened on the 30th.
event on the weekend of Dec. 6-7. Aiya commissioned a chariot
In mid-December Aiya left
for India ahead of the temple’s
annual Yatra. There were only
about 20 people participating in
the Yatra this year, which made
the group much more mobile.
They were able to embark on
several trips and visit several
holy kshetrams:

Trip 1 - Sri Manikka Vinayagar,

Uchi Pillayar, Thayumanavar,
Jaya Veera Anjaneyar,
Naganathar Swamy

Trip 2 - Viralimalai Sri Murugan

Trip 3 - Thirunedungalanathar,
Appakudathan temple koviladi, announced that there would be an
Anbil Sundararajar additional three members
The neem wood chariot presented by Aiya added to the temple Board
Trip 4 - Perumal Malai, to Devipuram from the six who were
Thiruvellarai, Boominathan named this time last year.
Temple The Board members are:
fashioned out of neem wood for - Ambalavanar Somaskanda
Trip 5 - Siruvachur Madura Devipuram, which was delivered - Anupama Ashwin
Kali, Tirupattur Brahma templ, at that same time. After the - Kandiah Pathmanathan
Tirupattur Siva/Kasi Viswanathar wedding in Devipuram, he went - Karuppiah Natarajan
back to Chennai on Dec. 31st. - Roopa Hathwar
Trip 6 - Madura Kali Thottiyam, Jan. 1st was Sri Amma’s New - Sankara Devarakonda
Maragathaleshwaraswami, Year message (see page 8) in - Savitri Venkatesh
Gunaseelam Prasanna Chennai and Aiya was present. - Sriganesh Madhvanath
Venkatachala - Vimalan Sothinathan

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 Bloom and grow

Past Events
All event
articles
by Kamya
Ramaswamy
Thiruvempavai & Ardhra Darshanam, Dec. 16-25

This festival is traditionally

celebrated before daybreak each day
for 10 days during Margazhi maasam.
The final day, Ardhra Darshanam,
celebrates Lord Nataraja and his con-
sort, Sri Shivakami, of the holy town of
Chidambaram.
At the temple, about 50 volun-
teers and devotees were present at the
beginning of the Ardhra Darshanam
celebrations at 4 a.m., but that num-
ber gradually grew. Everyone had a
chance to participate in the worship,
with Shankar aiya leading the puja and
Mangai amma leading the singing of
the Thirupalliyezhuchi verses.
After the initial puja, abhishek-
am and later alankaram took place in
the yajnashala. Finally, all those assem- Purvaja as Shivakami and Anitha as Lord Nataraja, perform-
bled were treated to a traditional dance ing their own special puja to the holy couple
performance.

Raja Mathangi homam, Dec. 27

About 75-100 kids and teenag-
ers participated in the annual homam
run by kids, for kids. It took place
as usual on the last Sunday morning
of the calendar year, and was run by
Shankar aiya and a team of experi-
enced volunteers who, at one time,
were avid participants in the homam
themselves.
From assembling their own
purnahutis to putting offerings into
the fire with their own hands, the
kids ran the show. The event took
a good three hours to complete and
was followed by a complete bali puja
(including pumpkin smashing) at the
Bhairava tree.
Afterwards, everyone was
Several edible items went into recreating Matangi Devi sitting
given mahaprasadam in the form of a
in the center of her yantra. sumptuous lunch.

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 Thai Pongal, Jan. 15

This traditional Tamil festival cel-

ebrates the beginning of the Sun’s journey
northward, as well as the ensuing harvest
season.
As it fell on a Friday this year and
many temple regulars were still in India
on the Yatra, Shankar aiya took the reins in
performing the short but sweet puja.
All those present were given the
chance to add grains to the pongal patram
with their own hands, and everyone was
given sakkarai pongal (sweet jaggery rice)
prasadam upon conclusion of the puja.

The earth’s riches were on display to symbolize the wealth of the

harvest

                   
Upcoming Events
Event Date/time Location
Maha Shivarathri March 7-8 Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, indoors
Tamil New Year April 13 Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, yajnashala
Maha Pratyangira homam April 24 Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, yajnashala
Chitra Purnima (mother’s tarpanam) April 21 Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, indoors

In Three Months
Our special thanks and gratitude
to this issue’s volunteers: Aiya,
Devi willing, the next issue of the Sri Chakra will Kathy Allen, Vilas Ankolekar,
be up on the temple’s website at the beginning of
June 2016. Sundhara and Ahalya Arasaratnam,
This magazine cannot keep publishing without Aparna Hasling, U. Madhvanath,
contributions! Articles, poems, stories and photos The Nandalala Mission, Bhuvana
about any spiritual topic are welcomed.
The next deadline for article submission is May Subramanian, and Vimalan
9, 2016. Please e-mail us with your contributions Sothinathan.
or feedback about this issue at sri_chakra_mag@
srividya.org or talk to Kamya or Abhi at the
temple.
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

The Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam ~ 6980 East River Road ~ Rush, NY 14543 ~ Phone: (585) 533 - 1970
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Sri Vidya Temple Society Publications from 1995 to 2014
Below is the itemized list of almost all of the temple’s publications, including
Navarathri malars, puja manuals, and special editions. Thanks to Mr. U.
Madhvanath for submitting this comprehensive list. Please contact the temple’s
bookstore if you wish to acquire any of these items.

Year Title / Author

1995 Sri Chakra 19th Navarathri Malar

(i) Narayana Sukta Vidhana Lakshmi Narayana Puja
(ii) Sri Sukta Vidhana Devi (Suvasini) Puja
(iii) Khadgamala stotra (Tamil, Sanskrit, English) - Spiral bound A4 pp 36

Sri Vidya Sri Chakra Puja Vidhi: (Tamil) 20th Navarathri Malar
Chaitanyananda - Hardbound Crown Size pp 627 + viii

1996 Sri Chakra 21st Navarathri Malar

(i) Sri Nagara Vimarshana
(ii) Sri Lalita stava ratnam (Tamil, Sanskrit, English) - Spiral bound A4 pp 139

Sri Vidya Sri Chakra Puja Vidhi (English)

Chaitanyananda - Hardbound Crown Size pp 649 + xii

1997 Sri Chakra 22nd Navarathri Malar

Tithi Nitya Puja (Nityakala
devi) (English)
Anandanandanatha (A Srinivasa
Sharma) - Spiral bound A4 pp
97 + ix & 19 Pictures

1998 Sri Chakra 23rd Navarathri Malar

Rush Temple Nitya Utsava
(Daily Pujas) to all deities
(Tamil, English, Sanskrit) -
Spiral bound A4 pp 44

Sri Lalita Yoga Vaibhavam (Tamil)

Smt Lakshmi Halasyam - Paperback
Crown Size pp 286 + xvii

Nadopasanaiyil Sri Vidya (Tamil)

Sri Kollegal R Subramanyam Paper
back A4 pp 120 + x

1999 Sri Chakra 24th Navarathri Malar

Tithi Nitya Puja Vidhanam
(Tamil)
Anandanandanatha (A Srinivasa
Sharma) Paperback A4 pp 98
+ ix (Printed by Giri Trading
in 2000)

Tenalai (Soundarayalahariyin Lavanya

Cintanai)
Smt Lakshmi Halasyam - Paperback Crown Size pp 219 + xx 5
 Bloom and grow

2000 Sri Chakra 25th Navarathri Malar

Sri Pratyangira Puja Vidhanam
(Tamil)
Anandanandanatha (A Srinivasa
Sharma) Paperback A4 pp
102 + vi & 4 Pictures

2001 Sri Chakra 26th Navarathri Malar

(i) Sri Dattatreya Puja
Vidhanam
(ii) Shadanvaya Shambhavi
Puja (Tamil)
Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh) - Spi
ral bound A4 pp 90 + iii

2002 Sri Chakra 27th Navarathri Malar

Sri Pratyangira Puja Vidhanam
(English)
Anandanandanatha (A Srinivasa
Sharma) Paperback A4 pp
106 + vii & 3 Pictures

2003 Sri Vidya Sri Chakra Puja Vidhi

(Sanskrit) 28th Navarathri
Malar
Chaitanyananda - Hardbound Crown
Size pp 639 + xxii

2004 Sri Vidya Sri Chakra Puja Vidhi

(Telugu) 29th Navarathri Malar
Chaitanyananda - Hardbound Crown Size pp 627 + vi

2005 Nivasatu Hrdi Bala (Tamil) 30th Navarathri Malar

Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh) - Paperback Crown Size pp 174 + xii

2006 Nivasatu Hrdi Bala (English) 31st Navarathri Malar

Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh) - Paperback Crown Size pp 162 + xi

Muruganadiyargalin Varalaru (Tamil) V.C. Sasivalli. 1/8 Demi size. pp 267 + xiii

2007 Villum Ambum – Sri Shyamala Sri Varahi Puja Vidhanam (Tamil) 32nd Navarathri Malar
Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh) - Paperback A4 pp 165 + x

2008 Sri Kamakshi (Tamil) 33rd Navarathri Malar

Chaitanyananda - Paper back Crown size pp 127 + vi

Sri Pratyangira Puja Vidhanam (English)

Anandanandanatha (A Srinivasa Sharma)
Paperback A4 pp 106 + vii & 3 Pictures- Marketed by Giri Trading

2009 Sri Sharabha Saluva Kalpam (Tamil, Sanskrit) 34th Navarathri Malar
S Sangaranarayanan - Paperback A4 pp 167 + vii

Sri Vidya Sri Chakra Puja Vidhi: (English) - 2nd Print

Chaitanyananda - Hardbound Crown Size pp 653 + xxii

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 Bloom and grow

2010 Punaruddharuna Kumbhabhishekam (English - Tamil/Telugu)

Alankara utsava release - Paperback A4 pp 333 + xxx

Sri Chakra 35th Navarathri Malar

Sri Shulini Durga Parameshvari Puja Paddhati (Tamil)
Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh) - Spiral bound A4 pp 42 + 43

Sri Vidya Sri Chakra Puja Vidhi: (Tamil) - 3rd Edition

Chaitanyananda - Hardbound Crown Size pp 852 + xxiii & 32 Colour Pictures

2011 Sri Vidya Sagaram (Tamil) 36th Navarathri Malar

Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh) - Paperback A4 pp 159 + ix

Enlightenment (English) - Translation of Tamil book - ‘Veliccham’

Pujyashri Mathioli Saraswathy Paperback 1/8” - demi size pp128 + viii

2012 Sri Vidya Sagaram -2 Chaturayatana Puja (Tamil) 37th Navarathri Malar
Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh) - Paperback A4 pp 327 + ix

2013 Sri Chakra 38th Navarathri Malar

Sri Vidya Sagaram (English)
Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh) - Paperback A4 pp 327 + ix

Sri Vidya Sri Chakra Puja Vidhi: (English) - 2nd Edition

Chaitanyananda - Hardbound
Crown Size pp 831 +
xxxii & 32 Colour
Pictures

2014 Sri Vidya Sagaram - 2

Chaturayatana Puja
(English)
Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh)
- Paper back A4 pp
341 + ix

Sri Subrahmanya Puja

Vidhanam (Tamil)
39th Navarathri
Malar
Atmanandanatha (K Ramesh)
- Paper back A4 pp
254 + x

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 Bloom and grow

Sri Akka’s New Year Satsang

For instance, it may get delayed or But make sure that it is maintained
On January 1, 2016, Pu- it may happen earlier than what we properly and remains green.
jyashri Mathioli Saras- had planned.
wathy (also lovingly We will have many small We tend to ignore these
known as Sri Amma desires, many of which may not simple home remedies that have
or Sri Akka), gave her [come into fruition]. Having such been a part of our traditional knowl-
new year’s speech at the desires is not wrong, but we need to edge. It is only when we fall ill that
make sure it doesn’t turn into greed we remember that we should have
Kanthimathi Kalyana (peraasai). taken these preventive remedies.
Mandapam in Chen- This year people [may] be Avoid fixing nails to walls
nai, India. The Nanda- prone to breathing problems, ear this year. This is to avoid diseases
lala Mission later put aches, eye problems and condi- and illness (vyaadi). The more nails
together some major tions relating to the ear, throat and we fix, the more illness we are
points from Her speech, breathing. Some simple measures likely to have.
which was originally to prevent these issues may include: Parents are eager to know
about their children’s studies this
given in Tamil. Below • The regular practice of pra- year. For vidyashakti, gnanashakthi
is an edited version of naayamam to help in avoid breath- and memory power, the following
that copy. Thanks to ing problems are the ideal days to start studies and
the Nandalala Mission • Sundakkai (either fresh learning (padippikku ugandathu):
for their transliteration or dried), Kandankaththiri and • Wednesdays
into English, and Bhu- Thoodhuvalai. All
vana Subramanian and these three may be
consumed, either as
Kathy Allen for pass- part of food or as a
ing it along to the Sri powder, to help pre-
Chakra. vent health problems
• Growing a
Thulasi plant, as both
[The number] 2016 adds a thulasi maadam and
up to the number 9, which is the in pots, helps purify
aadhikkam (influence) of Sevvai the air and will give
(Mars), and the color Red is special the benefits of doing
this year. We will hear news of girl pranaayamam. These
children being born, and also the pots may be placed
news of inter-caste marriages [will] inside the house in
be common. the following four
This year, people will locations: southwest,
feel more paraparappu (tension northeast, at the
and stress). This is because of centre of the western
the greater influence of the Moon portion and at the
(Chandran). Our minds [may] be centre of the southern
wavering and things may not work portion. Keeping th-
out according to our plans. This ulasi plants in any of
does not mean that things won’t the above mentioned
happen. Rather, it may not happen directions is as good
the way we would have planned it. as doing a homam.

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 Bloom and grow

temple. We may then offer this

to the Hundi when we get the
opportunity to visit this temple.
[Please] share the mes-
sage of the New Year Satsang
to friends and family. Hearing
them say that they benefitted
from [this] message will make
you happier.
Though there may be
problems like of the ear, eye
etc. this year, you will set them
right. With determination and
complete faith in God, try to
overcome impediments and
successfully complete all your
work this year. Blessings are
always there with [you]. All
will have blessings for a happy,
healthy and prosperous New
Year.
Jai Nandalala!
• days with the star Hastam used for charity purposes.
or Punarvasu (Punarpoosam) Surakudukkai is kept by
• Navami thithi siddha purushas, who generally
drink water from it and keep coins
Even elders, if they want to in it. This is a reason why they
learn something, can start on any of don’t have an attachment and desire
these days for successful comple- for money.
tion. While all temples may
Keeping a picture or an idol be visited this year, one temple is
of a seahorse will assist in higher special. Near Mayiladuthurai, there
education and will definitely help is a place called Natham which has
one to go and study abroad. It is a temple for Tripurasundari sametha
also good to keep it in libraries, sta- Thiru Menishwarar. This is on
tionery shops and photocopy shops. the Thirunandriyur-Vydheeswaran
[The] chanting of Abhirami Kovil Road. There is a Nandha-
Andhaadhi, Hayagriva shlokas, vanam in the temple, which houses
Adithya Hridayam, Dakshinamoor- a special tree called the Raamad-
thy shlokas and Saraswathy Saka- hari. Just as the bilvam is special
lakalavalli Maalai are good this for Lord Shiva, this Raamadhari
year. is special for Lord Rama (Mahav-
To reduce the burden of ishnu).
debt and property mortgage, you We must plan our visit to
may keep surakudukkai (a hollow, the temple and collect authentic
wood pot, as seen in some musical information so that we are able to
instruments) in the house and put visit the nandhavanam and have
coins in it. Keep coins inside it and darshan of the Raamadhari tree. In
place it in any place in your house. case we find it difficult to visit the
You will definitely come out of temple now, we may pray and keep
mortgage/loan issues. Periodically, a one rupee coin in our puja area.
these coins may be taken out and This is equivalent to visiting the

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 Bloom and grow

Q & Aiya
We all love hanging out with Aiya, drinking tea, and sometimes getting
some guidance on how to travel down our own paths to the Devi. Here, he
addresses questions that were asked to him at a workshop abroad.

Q: Should we have the shruti box Learn the Thirumurais and The- ing. It’s not about which hand you
on when we are chanting every day varams. Imagine if I served lunch use; it’s the attitude with which you
at home? for you and you saw there were five offer the flowers.
curries and you took just one and
Aiya: I have a weakness, Amma—I then wanted to go back for more, Q: Why are our rituals so long? It
like the sound. When you play the how would you feel if I yanked the demotivates the youngsters. How
tambura shruti, you can keep hear- plate away then and said that was do we motivate them to do more?
ing, “Om, om, om” and you cannot enough?
hear any outside sounds that would If you sing just the first Aiya: Let me tell you something.
verse of Manthira Maavadu Even if you are a seasoned pro at
Niru, for example, you meditation and you sit down early
have sung just one-tenth of in the morning without any distur-
it. If you’re going to do it bances to meditate, it will still take
in Tamil and do it properly, your body at least 25 to 30 minutes
you have to sing the whole to physically settle down. And
padikam. And you can’t do only after that will your mind settle
a rush job—you sing it ex- down.
actly according to the meter You think it can happen in
and thaalam. And then you 5 minutes? No way. When there’s
can do pujas in Tamil. chanting going on and it’s 1000
names long, what should you be fo-
Q: Why do you use your cusing on? Only the sound. Noth-
left hand to offer flowers ing else.
and do puja? The rituals are long, and
that’s the nature of it. Just because
Aiya: My friend, I’m a the youngsters don’t have the pa-
natural left-hander. If I use tience in a world where everything
otherwise come in and disturb you. my right hand, the flowers will land is instant, it doesn’t mean the prac-
For me, that works. on your head and not Ganapathi’s. tices should change. Maybe they
When the shruti is on in our Let me ask you this—why has the should learn the rituals to develop
temple, it’s played over the public left side of the body suddenly be- that patience.
address system. Even if someone is come untouchable? When I was small and my
in the temple and has nothing to do If you think of Shiva as Ar- mother took me to the temple, she
with the puja going on, it will still dhanareeshwara, the entire left side would tell me I had to sit in one
calm their nerves. If I were you, I of his body is the Devi. Who’s to place until we left—if she saw me
would keep it on while chanting. say she’s not pleased when I do puja running around, I would pay for it
using my left hand as the dominant when we got home. That’s not how
Q: Can the pujas be done in Tamil? hand? it is now. Children run wild in the
If so, how? One thing we all have to temple and the parents do nothing.
get over is the conventions which The only way to motivate
Aiya: Yes, it can be done in Tamil. we have been conditioned into hold- the children is for the parents to

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 Bloom and grow

become involved in it first. You chopping a cake. example.

must show them by example. I see Whose culture is this? Is this why we left home? I
especially with Sri Lankan Jaffna The shastras tell you that on your left Sri Lanka almost 45 years ago
Tamils that when they come into birthday, you have to light a lamp and I haven’t forgotten what was
our temple, they only want to have and you have to give. Not blow out given to me. We absorb all the rot-
archana done. And they have no the candles and think three weeks ten things from the western culture;
idea why they want it! ahead, “What will my uncles give why haven’t we absorbed the good
In our temple, no ritual is me? What will my cousins give things?
done without explanation, and a me?” Do you ever thank God
typical archana will take about 30 Don’t think the children or the Devi for the meal that is in
minutes whether I’m doing it or won’t follow your example. In front of you, or do you walk into
whether any other volunteer is doing Canada, I taught regular classes the kitchen, ask what’s cooking,
it. And you can see after about 10 of about 60 children who couldn’t and then smell it instead of doing
minutes, the fellows in the back are cross the border to come to the naivedyam?
getting restless and they just leave. temple. And they talked to me very The best motivation for the
So when the older folks freely. youngsters is seeing their parents do
don’t have the patience, how do you One time, a child told me what they are asking the kids to do.
expect the kids growing up in this she went to her cousin’s birthday Shortening the pujas won’t do it.
communication age to do it? and they had fun, and lots of food,
When we move to the West, and soft drinks, and that “the big
what do we practice? For every people had their own soda in the
occasion there’s a party—birthday back.” You think the kids don’t
party, anniversary party, graduation know you’re drinking? After the
party… and whether they know the age of 10 or 12, they come to think
words or not, they’re singing and it’s normal and they’ll follow your

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 Bloom and grow

Golden Clips from Guruji

An explanation by Sri la Sri Amritanandanatha Saraswati

It was after the memorable Satha Abhishekam inauguration for Guruji at the end of December
2014 when many disciples would sit in the front patio at Guruji’s ashram and ask him questions. He
answered them all very lovingly, catering to everyone’s questions without discrimination, and respond-
ing to every question with simple answers. He embroidered each answer to address the true meanings
and guide the audience to understand the existence of the divine as an ocean of awareness.
This content was transcribed from one of Guruji’s informal talks, on Jan 01, 2015, to a group
of devotees after the Satha Abhishekam celebration Thanks to Sundhara and Ahalya Arasaratnam for
transcribing and submitting this piece to the Sri Chakra.

Awareness, consciousness, spiritual

state and physical state
We are conscious and able to focus are not aware of. So there is a distinct difference
only those parts within us that we are aware of. between your conscious on yourself and outside of
What we are not aware of we cannot focus on. yourself.
Generally our awareness is fragmented. Fresh- The spiritual sadhana takes you beyond
ness comes from being aware of all parts of our your own individual consciousness to unified con-
body. sciousness. This is why the Ganapathi Tarpanam
When you have a bath or shower the works best in achieving this unified consciousness.
freshness comes from being able to be aware of In doing Ganapathi Tarpanam the Kundalini energy
all parts your body as the water flows over the moves from the Muladhara, solid state, with a de-
whole body. When you are fully awake you are fined shape to the Swadhistana, liquid state, with no
in partial “anesthesia”. You are aware only of the defined shape. When few people are seated and do
“un-anesthetized” parts; your
awareness or consciousness is
fragmented and not unified.
When you go from
fragmented consciousness to
unified awareness it gives one
freshness. Again, one could
concentrate on something
outside one’s body and have
a fragmented consciousness
though you cannot be conscious
of a part in your body that you

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 Bloom and grow

the Ganapathi Tarpanam together, light. Anything physical is limited

they gradually all merge into one by the speed of light. The particles
form as the solid state rises to the that are travelling higher than the
liquid state. speed of light are imaginary par-
When doing Ganapathi ticles. A particle above the speed of
Tarpanam the individual state of light cannot enter the region below
consciousness merges into a collec- the speed of light and vice versa.
tive state of consciousness. Typi- The same can be said of
cally you lose your ego, individual- the spiritual realm and physical
ity and feel free and light. It is the realm. If you are at the border i.e.
movement from heaviness to light- (just) at the speed of light you have
ness viz the application of heat to a the potential to experience either
solid that makes it a liquid with no or both; you can experience the
shape. The solid shape disappears spiritual state and the physical state
and loses its identification. It is the or become fully unified.
first step of realization or becoming
conscious to “I’m the universe”.
It is the first transition;
you are getting light and free. At
this stage the “partial anesthesia”
is partly removed. It is still partial
because you still need to evaporate
the liquid form to vapour state to
mix with other. Further “heating”
will transform you into merging
with space and then to time etc. to
be in fully unified consciousness.
Spirits could be unified
or partially unified conscious-
ness. What governs the difference
between spirit and material things
is the speed of light. Any material
particle cannot exceed the speed of

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 Bloom and grow

Mother Nature’s
Cosmic Web
by Aparna Hasling

underground battles and trail guide to Aiya. It was the

determine the level of culmination of an intense sadhana,
nutrients available to and I hoped it would evolve into an
plant roots. Among actual environmental center link-
the most sacred are the ing spirituality and science ecol-
mycorrhizal fungi, a ogy. Unfortunately, comments from
cooperative network devotees were discouraging and I
of organisms which feared some would unknowingly
carpet forest floors. desecrate land. I had to explain to
The temple woods visitors that every turn of the trail
and wetlands, a place was designed to bring attention to
Amma, Tharuman, and Natarajan uncle I call Shakambhari’s a particular tree, or divert attention
approaching the Vanadevata Trail Sanctuary, has nur- away from a sensitive habitat. I felt
tured my unique spiri- protective of the land and prayed
Blazing the Vanadevata tual perspective. After that others would respect the trail as
Trail at the Sri Vidya Temple con- Aiya announced that Devi would sacred ground, rather than an oppor-
tinues to teach me lessons about show me tunity to
nature, society and existence. I have Herself in further
learned to see traits of individual the trees, subjugate
plants akin to human beings and in 2005 nature or
ecosystems as complex spiritual I began construct
communities. The spiritual experi- explor- accord-
ence we call LIFE is a dance of ing this ing to
Shiva/Shakti (akin to flora/fauna) uncharted their
reciprocally influenced by the subtle land. desires.
energies of stored samskaras (akin Alone and Yet my
to soil), and it continuously repeats oblivious attention
in infinite variations throughout the to my own shifted
cycles of time. vulnerabil- when I
As maya refracts infinite ity, I walked through thicket, marsh, saw a more immediate threat on the
consciousness, individuals are and meadow without map, compass horizon.
blinded to most of the electromag- or GPS. Getting lost was part of In early spring and late fall
netic spectrum and ignorant of the the experience, as I slowly awak- the honeysuckle bush dominates
microcosmic ecosystem beneath ened to the consciousness of nature. the understory. Before I understood
their feet. Yet embracing the power For me, it was a place to worship the plant was invasive, I admired its
of anima-siddha, it is possible to without murthis and heal without capacity to defy winter by leafing
hold a single teaspoon of healthy words. A mystical link developed out early and holding leaves through
soil and commune with half a billion such that when I lay on the ground, late fall. Yet just as wealth is no
tiny life forms. Soil is a dynamic I could feel Devi’s embrace. And as longer beautiful upon learning about
community of microorganisms with I learned to make friends with the a corrupt source of funds, so does
diverse populations of predators and trees, my devotion to guru magni- honeysuckle monopolize the soil’s
prey. They have complex survival fied. and sun’s energy, offering nothing
strategies, and winners of these In 2014, I offered the trail in return to local insects or wild-

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 Bloom and grow

invertebrate fauna. Land

managers respond by cag-
ing/protecting young trees.
Yet their bias toward
particular plants continues
to disrupt nature’s web;
even though poison ivy is
a native species relished
by deer, it is routinely re-
moved from public lands.
For millions of years the
animal kingdom (Shakti)
lived in harmony with the
plant kingdom (Shiva).
life. Caterpillars cannot munch the leaves, birds cannot Each was part of a chain,
eat the caterpillars and foxes cannot eat the birds. This and the bounty of food was enough for all. Now, just as
plant should be given a different name because the only our spiritual culture is being depleted by worldly influ-
things it attracts are ticks and mosquitos. ences, the environment is also experiencing collapse. The
For years I knew that the temple land suffered reciprocal influence between plants, animal and soil is no
from invasive plant species: buckthorn, honeysuckle, longer sustainable and the intricate food-chains are broken.
garlic mustard (and many more). At first, the wild Modern society disavowed the sacred circle by converting
grape vines seemed most destructive, since I could see forests into farmland, fertilizing soil with toxic chemi-
them use trees as giant trellises and eventually kill our cals, hunting animals to extinction, and cultivating exotic
trees by blocking light from above. Then I learned that tastes. Attempting to become civilized, the human race has
invasive buckthorn trees lead their attack underground become an invasive species, destroying without cause and
by emitting a toxic compound called emodin through its amassing resources without providing for the community.
roots, overpowering adjacent root structures. In partner- Chaos is expected in Kali Yuga, yet some devo-
ship, garlic mustard groundcover emits a phytotoxin, tees are compelled (by duty, remembrance or compassion)
thus killing the sacred mychorrhizal fungi. My studies to strive for an ancient balance. The Vedas deify Mother
were overwhelming as I learned that buckthorn also Earth, and therefore service to Her is divine seva. For me,
interferes in the embryonic development of frogs and the work of land restoration is equal to the task of re-iden-
garlic mustard also suppresses butterflies eggs. tifying the tiny self with infinite consciousness. Removing
The overall impact of these non-native plants invasive plants, I imagine my own negative tendencies.
have cascading effects on the biodiversity of nature’s Chipping the dead plants to bits, I invoke Kali’s energy of
web, yet only those devoted to Mother Nature conceive transformation. And nurturing new native plants to thrive,
the consequences. I awaken my consciousness to God. While the manual
The spread of invasive species kicks nature’s labor is intense, it is a contemplative path and slowly the
balance off kilter; it causes some creatures to perish echo of Shiva’s drumbeat calls me home.
which stimulates others to overpopulate. For example, Sri Gurubhyo Namah!
the extermination of wolves led to a 10-fold prolifera-
tion in white-tail deer. Simultaneously, human popula-
tions increased, shrink-
ing forest habitat. As
a result, deer have
become a destructive
force in the forest; they
overgraze native plants
and allow unsavory
invasive plants to
spread further. Today,
deer are blamed for
the disappearance of
regenerating trees as
well as vertebrate and

15
 Bloom and grow

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha

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