Last Updated on August 12, 2024 by
Swamiji, you say please forgive ‘ksamasya’ at the end of every puja. From whom are you asking for forgiveness and for what reason? 🙏🏼🌺
We are asking God to forgive us for ending the worship. We recite the mantra with the mudra, picking up the flower from the yantra and putting it back to our hearts, and then we say “Please forgive me because this session of worship has concluded.”
The very act of seeking forgiveness is the first step towards atonement, which actually means “At One Ment”. We have concluded this time of union in meditation. Now we return to our karma, seeking union through actions. As we begin seeking forgiveness, looking deeply into the effects of our actions on others, we cultivate a sense of compassion for all. Kindness, patience, understanding: we begin to look at an old world through a new criteria, new insights as to how we behave in accordance with our goal.
In Sanatana Dharma the final liberation is called moksha, and to achieve that, the soul must be made spotless. Until every last root of personal desire is not pulled and burned from the field of an individual’s heart, the fruit of karma continues to bind us to the cycles of cause and effect.
Our goal is to do as much good as we can, helping others because it’s our chance to show God the sincerity of our love. If we cannot do, we can pray, it honestly works to change our character. If we cannot do either, we can start by refraining from harmful thoughts, words, and deeds.
Forgiveness will happen, and then we will find new reasons to ask for forgiveness, and before we know it, the best version of ourselves will be on display. We make friends with our own selves, proud to have become the person we have become.
What do the Mudras and Mantras mean?
Mudras are a physical representation, intentionally made by the fingers, to communicate and reinforce the philosophical principle recited in the mantras. Iconic gestures represent the philosophical meanings of which we are speaking.
Mantras are an audible expression of an attitude towards God. The meaning comes from the Sanskrit: Man Trayate, that which takes away the mind. They have many layers of meaning and application, but all lead the mind to an intuitive understanding of a spiritual truth.
- Related Post:- https://shreemaa.org/steps-realization/