Sri Chakra Puja in Varanasi - Impressions of a devotee
Appaji totally immersed aloof like Shiva immersed in samadhi, witness to His creation and detached from His graceful actions. His black peaceful eyes and prayerful mudras speak mountains, showing us a glimpse of that level of devotion to which we should aspire and achieve.
Kashi Ati Rudra Yaga November 2019
Photo Credit: Avadhoota Dattapeetham
Ati Rudra Yaga at Kashi
Kashi that mysterious, mystical city of Lord Shiva— a city impossible to describe or capture in words. A city of seeming contradictions and chaos , embodiment of Lord Shiva Parameshwara! Outwardly dust and dirt everywhere, pollution of all kinds, noise of traffic, movement of crowds of devotees, all rushing, pushing, weaving amongst cycles, cows seated placidly at the oddest places in the road, stray dogs, beggars, old and young Sadhus in garbs of white, orange red or yellow! Bicycle rickshaws or cars add to the cacophony of loud horns, the sound of bhajans or mantras rising above all else in the near distance!
To reach certain temples is not easy. Narrow, winding, roughly cobblestoned streets teeming with people from all walks, competing for space and speed with motorcycle horns blasting sounds of different pitches, sleeping dogs unmindful of their precarious positions in the crowded lanes. Cows- brown, black, white or spotted suddenly appear at your side as though reminding that here at least they are revered even more than you. What a blessing to feed or bow to them! Miraculously, each motorcycle stops or avoids them reverently, just in time.
As you follow the crowd nearer the Vishwanath Temple, where there is the main Shiva Lingam in this Lord Shiva's favourite city, tiny shops and vendors selling bright orange marigold malas and puja items line the street. On this tiny path, the guards appear as if screening you at all corners and you are not allowed inside the temple with bags or cellphones, neither slippers as per usual.
Once inside, in the line you offer prayers mentally before having Darshan close up or before the priest takes your offering and you are given a bael leaf or Teertham, as Prasadam. Crowds of devotees especially in the month of Kartik, come just for this blissful Darshan of the supreme Lord Shiva of this Universe.
Photo Credit: Avadhoota Dattapeetham
By contrast, our SGS Ashram, small, new, beautiful, is a true haven of serenity and divine shelter! In the Ati Rudra Yagna Shala the sacred form of our Sadguru Datta Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji, Sri Swamiji/Appaji shines brighter and more serene than millions of full moons still, purest of the pure - yet the embodiment also of Sri Vishalakshi, the eternal Divine Mother, the Shakti or Energy of Lord Shiva, ever compassionate, eyes like the Ganges River of purest, streaming unconditional loving Light for all! His glowing eyes appear to mirror sometimes the bright fires of the eleven Homa kunds of this indescribable, mega Yagna. His Sankalpa to perform Yajna for world peace has attracted devotees from all across the globe. Knowing our every thought and action, our Sadguru appears vibrant, playful at times, other times seemingly unreachable, in a higher plane, like both Divine Mother and Father, and even beyond anything we can perceive or imagine, truly Supreme, like Lord Dattatreya, elusive, totally immersed in His own Divine Self, in His own Leelas, yet easy to experience at times, especially within--- simply inexplicable! Yes, this is Kashi, filled like our bodies of all kinds of sinful, negative thoughts, desires and actions, yet it hides like the hard to reach god inside the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, our true Self, pure, shining, bliss without thoughts or attributes, like the feeling when in front of Sadguru’s Sacred Padas, or finally getting the Darshan of Lord Shiva, the Bliss of no thought!
Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji's "Sri Kashi Kanda"
Some Revelations of Sadguru :
1. If the Earth is the center if the fourteen worlds, within this Earth, Kashi is the pivotal position; it is the Lord's heart!
2. The term Kashi means illumination and radiance. During the final annihilation when the entire creation gets submerged under the water, Lord Shiva holds up this land using His trident and prevents it from submerging. as He never deserts this land, it is Avimukta Kshetra.
3. Like life, you can focus in anything family, money, human relationships, politics, but we should focus on Lord Shiva here especially.
4. Kashi is our Ajna Chakra the Bindu in Sahasrara chakra and we can go in meditation anywhere we are in whichever country! Half an hour every day is enough, closing all sense organs with total concentration on “Who am I? “
5. Many meritorious Humans, Saints and Gods did penance here, or installed a Shiva Linga in Kashi. They worshiped it and offered services to Lord Shiva. Subsequently, they obtained exalted positions such as the Lords of the Planetary Constellations or became Guardian Deities of Kashi. Thus, owing to the noble deeds performed here one gets the rare fortune of obtaining immortality or even liberation if he dies in Kashi.
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