Temple of Divine Mother
(Sanskrit: राम, rāma)
Rāma is the manifestation of perfection in the subtle body of Consciousness. Rāma shows us what it means to live a Divine life – to perform all actions with grace, truth, and gentility without selfishness for the benefit of all creation. The life of Rama depicts the perfect role-models for every relationship.
(Sanskrit: सरस्वती, sarasvatī)
Mother Saraswati is the Goddess of wisdom, art, philosophy, and music. She is the source of strength for students, and for anyone seeking knowledge. Her blessings grant the attainment of the Highest Wisdom.
(Sanskrit: शिव, śiva)
The letter “śa” is the illumination of Peace, the syllable “i” is the Causal Body, “va” means union with the Infinite, and the definition of “Śiva” is the welfare of all objects of perception. Lord Śiva is the eternal Consciousness of Infinite Goodness, beyond the apparent transformations of perception.
At Devi Mandir, our primary form of worship is to the Divine Mother, but ultimately, we worship all of creation. Everyday we perform the Cosmic Puja which includes the worship of all the Gods and Goddesses. Swami Satyananda has written numerous books that span the worship of every major deity of Sanatan Dharma.
(Sanskrit: विष्णु, viṣṇu)
Viṣ means the universe and ṇu means who pervades or embodies. Viṣṇu is He who pervades the universe, everywhere and in everything. By performing Viṣṇu’s pūjā and by remembering God in all of creation, we reach towards perfection; towards becoming a being of illumination, inspiring divinity wherever we go.
Sânscrito: अन्नपूर्णा, annapūrṇā A humanidade busca nutrição – quer seja na forma de objetos materiais, como comida ou dinheiro, ou na forma de alimento espiritual, como cultivar uma relação com o Divino. É a Divina Mãe Annapurna que garante esta nutricão. Anna significa “comida e grãos.” Purna significa “pleno, completo e perfeito.” Portanto Annapurna é […]
The Chandi Path is the allegorical story of Surath and Samadhi – the former is a king, the latter a businessman. They both go through the angst of living – note this was not any different hundreds of thousands of years ago than it is now. They both find themselves grieving over things they are attached to, a way of life they were used to, which is no longer available to them – i.e. life’s various changes. They happen to have the good fortune of meeting with Medhas Rishi and seek his guidance. He narrates the Chandi to them, the summary is this – “Chant the Chandi – that is all there is for one to do, when you are ready, when the Divine Mother is ready, she will give you what you need and what you deserve. There is no need for angst, depression, anger, stress, tension, nerves and what have you.”
I feel I was not any different than Surath and Samadhi, neither is anyone else. My prayers brought me to Shree Maa and Swamiji and what they said in essence is exactly what Medhas Rishi said to Surath and Samadhi. “Chant the Chandi, it is a privilege, what more could one ask for”. Swamiji also taught the proper way to chant the Chandi per his lineage in Siddhasana with Pranayam.
I have now been chanting the Chandi since 2007. Initially it took me a week to chant the Chandi, over a matter of several months to a year and half, this improved gradually to where I was able to chant it in a matter of an hour and fifteen minutes. The Asana was very hard and painful, this too improved with time to where I could chant in one Asana and finish the Seedha Path.
Over the last 2 years I have been chanting the Chandi with Samputs. I was drawn to the Chandi Samput book that Swamiji has written and asked him about it, he encouraged me to chant it with the samput.
I have not resolved all my problems, have not answered the meaning of life and continue to float in the river of life. Chanting the Chandi has made me handle what life throws my way in a more mature, able, calm fashion. I have noticed the very same demons rise and fall in my being that is described in the various chapters of the Chandi and patiently wait for the fruition of the penance that is described in Chapter 13.
Raghu
On Purnima, or Full Moon day, we perform the Satyanarayan Puja and recite the Satyanarayan Katha, which is a story about the importance of living and acting in truth. The Satyanarayan Katha is told by Lord Vishnu to Narad Muni and recounted by Suta to the other munis of the ashram. We also make the […]
The last travelogue on Gangotri, which included over 70 pictures, sparked several questions in my mind about the sadhu way of life in India. I found myself wanting to learn more and more. Through the days, my thoughts were constantly migrating back to questions on Gangotri – trying to gain a better perspective and appreciation […]
~~OM~~ On our way to Dharamshala, we passed through the Kangra Valley, and read the Chandi Path at Chintapurni Mandir, The Mother who Fulfills All Desires. We also visited Bagala Mukhi, and tomorrow we will sing the Chandi in the Chamunda Mandir. This morning we are on our way to McCleod Ganj to visit the […]
Over the years we have visited many pilgrimage places around the world. Most of these yatras were for the purpose of conducting special vows of worship, pujas, homas, recitation of scriptures, and feeding people. Enclosed are descriptions of some of the places we have visited, along with what we did while we were there, and […]
The language of the Gods! This is a growing collection of Sanskrit terms, vocabulary and grammar. [post-list category=sanskrit numberposts=-1 orderby=”title” order=”asc”]
~~OM~~ The Worship of Lord Shiva Early in the morning of Shivaratri, we saw our beloved Swamiji sitting in asan by the sacred fire and chanting many, many scriptures – the Chandi, Rudri, Shiva Sahasranama. For 24 hours, the fire was blazing with the offering of various mantras, especially “Om Namah Shivaya.” The temple was […]
~~OM~~ Pictures of Swami Satyananda Saraswati’s Tirth Yatra in Rishikesh and Delhi.
