Swami Shivapadananda on ritual worship

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 389

 
 

Puja
[ritual worship] must be done with great devotion. If it is a burden, then it is a waste of time. Always do arthi
[offering, gentle waving of a lamp or lamps] and abhishekam * [see footnote].

When setting up, fill the lota [little water pot] with water, put a coin inside and a betel nut. Then on top of that put five mango leaves. Wash them daily. Replace as needed. On top of that put a small bowl with river sand and above that place an oil lamp.

Be as gentle as a dew-drop.

[To a devotee] Yes, you can realise God. Go in the corner, meditate, do japa [repetition of God's names or a mantra]. Do not talk to people, let them think you are mad, but go and meditate.

A certain person comes to test me a thousand times. He is Brahman [the undifferentiated universal consciousness] but he has taken the form of Maya [delusion/illusion], what can I do? I can only take refuge at Her [the Divine Mother's] feet, then She will change Her form [in him] again.

[To a devotee] You are only conscious of woman as wife, not as mother. You ask questions but you only quote this one and that one. All that is ego. Forget it. Go and meditate and do japa.

Before you meditate see the guru on the crown of the head. Prostrate [bow down] mentally and offer him a flower, white or red. Or before you meditate you see the guru [spiritual preceptor] walk towards you, followed by all the great Rishis [seers, sages, saints]. Each one throws a white flower on you. Feel it, feel the great purity.

When you meditate avoid a cold draught on the back.

We think we surrender to God but we do not.

The mantra itself burns out thought, like camphor burns away leaving no trace.

Footnote: An abhisheka is a religious bathing ceremony. The word abhisheka means a sprinkling. It is derived from the root sic, to wet, and with the prefix abhi, "around," abhisheka is literally, "wetting around." An abhisheka is the bathing part of a puja [ritual, physical worship ceremony] that usually is done with sacred water. In puja, a Deity is called, seated, greeted, bathed, dressed, fed and praised. The bathing of the Deity is the abhisheka part of the puja.

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