On the auspicious occasion of Shivratri, with Guruji’s blessings, few sadhakas from Sadhana Sangama, Delhi visited the Tapo Bhoomi of Baba, Tarkeshwar. Swami Rama in his famous book “Living with Himalayan Masters” describes Tarkeshwar as follows:
"I know many calm and quiet places in the lap of the Himalayas where one can live and meditate without being disturbed. Whenever I get tired I think of recharging myself by going to the Himalayas for a short period. One of my favorite places for such a retreat is in the district of Garhwal, twelve miles north of Landsdowne, where at the height of 6,500 feet there is a small Shiva temple surrounded by thick fir trees.”
The Sadhakas were warmly welcomed by Mr.
Tittu Bhai, Manager of the Ashram near the Temple in Tarakeshwar. The
temple & the residential place were neatly arranged for the
Shivratri Occasion. At 6500 feet, it’s quite a task arranging all the
basic amenities for any visitor. However Tittu Bhai, who was long
associated with Swami Hariharananda (fondly called as ‘Laughing Swami’)
meticulously took care of all that is required for a comfortable stay.
We
reached at around 5:00 in the evening on Saturday, 9th March, 2013. The
weather was cold with chilly winds greeting us. Initially it was a
welcome relief for us from the heat of Delhi but later on we had to take
protection from the cold. After tea and a small break, we joined the
other devotees (around 100 people were there staying at the Ashram for
Shivratri) in the evening Aarti at 7 pm. We came back from the temple
around 8.30 pm, had our dinner and retired for the day.
View of Tarkeshwar Temple from our room
Are they meditating?!
Kund (bathing tank) near Tarkeshwar Temple
Sunday, 10th March was Shivratri day and we had already decided to spend
the night in the temple. We were blessed to meet Shri Venkateshwaran,
direct disciple of Swami Rama from Kerala and also relatives of Baba, Mr. J.P. Dabral, along with
his niece and Mama ji, who were from Delhi. They were camping there for Shivratri and during the day we
exchanged our experiences with each other. We had lunch
and rested for a while and around 4.30 pm we started trekking to Sidh
Baba’s place (As refered in "Living with Himalayan Master", Siddh Baba saved Swami Rama's life when he fell down from the Hills in Tarakeshwar) led by Mr. Dabral & his Mama ji. We reached Sidh Baba’s
place and meditated for a while in group and sang some Bhajans and Mr.
Dabral shot a few photos of our group at that place. We returned in the
evening to the room, freshened up and attended the evening’s Aarti.
Siddh Baba's place
Shivratri decoration at Tarkeshwar Temple
Trees surrounding Tarkeshwar Temple
After
dinner, around 10.15 pm we left to the temple for meditation. We
started our Sadhana with the sankalpa that we are here on behalf of all
those sadhakas who could not make it on this day to Tarakeshwar and
dedicated our trip to them. We chanted Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra, played
Maha Rudram and Chamakam, listened to the Meaning of this Mantra from
our Guruji’s audio recording, chanted other bheejakshara mantras given
by Guruji, and 108 Gayathri mantras on various deities including Shiva,
Durga, Hanuman, Lakshmi, Subramanya, Ganapathi, Suryadev. We finished
our japa and meditation and left the temple around 5 am in the morning
and slept away the entire morning (woke up at 10.55 am).
Beautiful view of Tarkeshvar Temple entrance
Mother Nature
The entire day on Monday, 11th March was spent in a relaxed way so as to
prepare for that night’s Sadhana. Towards evening there were mixed
feelings amongst us as to whether we can sit through the night
consecutively for the second day as well. At last, a consensus was
arrived at that we will leave it to Tarakeshwar Mahadev and resolved to
sit through the night.
At around 11 pm we entered the temple and
sat for meditation listening to our Guruji’s audio recording of Guided
Meditation on Lord Mrityunjaya. All of us could feel the presence of the
energy of Himalayan Masters and we were all sucked in by that energy.
None of us felt like opening our eyes and our posture was stabilized in
stillness without effort on our part. Around 1 pm, we came out of
meditation and started doing the Abhisheka for Tarakeshwar Mahadev. It
went on till 3.30 am. Mahadev was glowing in the light of the oil lamps
and we offered prasada that we prepared (upma and rava kesari). Again we
sat to chant some Gayathri Mantras and we concluded chanting at 4.55 AM.
and we did the Aarti at 5:00 in the morning (Tuesday, 12th March).
All of us in the group felt a unique thing that is, we distinctly heard OM nadha (sound of "OM") gradually merging with the silence. This happened repeatedly after completion of each Gayatri Mantra.
Tarakeshwar Mahadev
Tarakeshwar Mahadev
Tarakeshwar Mahadev & Subramanya
Tarakeshwar Mahadev at the time of Aarti
We
moved out of the temple around 6.15 am after winding up and cleaning the
temple to the room. Surprisingly none of us felt any tiredness or had
sleepy feeling. All of us were fresh, had breakfast and left
Tarakeshwar for Delhi around 11 am and reached Delhi by 7:00 in the
evening.
Dawn in Tarkeshwar
Mystique Beauty
Shri Venkateshwaran, direct disciple of Swami Rama
Mamaji (Swami Rama's relative)
J.P. Dabral Ji (Swami Rama's relative)
We learnt that Pradosha (9th March), Shivratri (10th March) and Ammavasya (11th March) followed successively and to spent the three nights at such a powerful place is a blessing. We are fortunate to share the blessings with all of you.
Friends, the reason of sharing this trip report is not merely to list down our experience over there, but rather to emphasize the presence of Grace completely for all the Sadhakas & able aspirants. It is the GRACE that WORKS. It is our duty to continue our Sadhana and do selfless service with love if that Grace has to work through us. Therefore, Together let us work for invoking that GRACE. Swami Rama describes in his book "Sadhana: The Essence of Spiritual Life",
"He (the guru) wants nothing, for what He is doing is His duty, the purpose of his life. If He guides you, He is not obliging you, He is doing his work. He cannot live without doing doing His duty. Genuine Gurus cannot live without selflessness, for selfless love, is the very basis of their enlightenment. They radiate life and light from the unknown corners of the world. The world does not know them, and they do not want recognition".
With the blessings of the Guru Parampara, let us try and maintain a balance between the internal and external worlds and let's not get caught by the rigidity of the external observances, which are actually non essentials.
Shivaratri is a night of auspiciousness where the entire cosmos
reverberates with Bliss and Harmony. Shiva means Bliss, Harmony and Auspicious.
On Shivaratri if one meditates he experiences a great Harmony in himself, a
Blissful communion with the divinity within; an expansive connectivity with the
entire cosmos. Of course, the entire activity of the Cosmos is nothing but the
cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. On Shivaratri day, through meditation, if you tune
your life rhythm with the cosmic rhythm of Lord Shiva’s dance – Ananda
Thandava, if one integrates completely with that eternal symphony, then the
internal purification sets in; the negative, poisonous vibrations of misery,
agony, ill-health will melt away and the waves of Bliss blessed with harmony
will enrich the life to lead a vibrant, happy, harmonious living.
Lord Shiva
Practice:
1. Assume a comfortable posture. Keep the body still till
the end of the practice. Relax the body completely.
2. Focus on Sushumna for 3 minutes.
3. Come to Guru Chakra. Feel the presence of Bhole Baba
(Swami Rama). Meditate there with the special mantra (minimum 1 mala – 108
times)
“OM HREEM GURUDEVAAYA NAMAHA”
Seek the blessings of Bhole Baba.
4. Come to Ajna Chakra. Feel the presence of Lord Shiva in
the form of Jet Black Shivalinga surrounded by Blue Light indicating Health, Harmony and Bliss.
5. Meditating on the Shivalinga in Ajna chakra, chant 9
times Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra.
Om Thrembhakam Yajaamahey Sugandhim Pushti
Vardhanam
Oorvaa ruka miva bandhanaan
Mrityoar Muksheeya Maa Amrutaath
Mrityunjaya Mantra
6. Staying in Ajna Chakra, focusing on Jet Black Shivalinga chant
(10 malas must)
“OM HREEM NAMAH
SHIVAAYA”
7. Staying in Ajna chakra as above, chant again 9
Mrityunjaya Maha Mantra.
(This is called Sampooti-Karana – energizing the mantra with a
package of Mrityunjaya Maha Mantra).
8.
After completing 10 malas of the above mantra, come out of meditation by chanting
the prayer –
OM SARVE BHAVANTHU SUKHINAHA
SARVE SANTHU NIRAAMAYAAHA
SARVE BHADRAANI PASHYANTHU
MAA KASHCHIT DUKHA BHAAG BHAVETH
LOKAA SAMASTHAA SUKHINO BHAVANTHU
LOKAA SAMASTHAA SUKHINO BHAVANTHU
SAMASTHA SAN MANGALAANI BHAVANTHU
OM TAT SAT
*****
A
model line diagram is provided to understand the chakras
Note:
1. Practice after taking the bath.
2. Best time to practice is 12.00 midnight to 04.00 in the early
morning. This timing is only for the Shivaratri day. For regular anushtana of
this on other days, it can be done in day time also. Not necessarily during
midnight.
3. If you can’t do during the above timing, please do it in the night
at a time convenient to you.
Pranams to the Divinity within. There are two mantras that are very important & powerful since the time of Veda. The first one is Gayatri Maha Mantra and the second one is Mrityunjaya Maha mantra. In our humble effort to revisit our Guruji’s DVD programs, we earlier shared about Gayatri Maha Mantra DVD program. Now let’s dwell upon Guruji’s DVD Program on Overcoming Fear through Mrityunjaya Maha Mantra.
How the Mantra works ?
How the Mantra works
This is a single DVD program starting aptly with a title “How the Mantra works”?
Guruji states, Mrityunjaya Mantra generally deals with insecurities of life which is working as Mrityu, i.e. the death in all of us. The fear is working as a death in all of us. So this mantra helps us to come out of insecurity and fear. When one becomes fearless and one experiences a very secured space well within in his own personality, then that person is always a very happy, victorious & a successful human being. Here success doesn’t mean one's professional targets or financial income. The real success in life is the joy, the fearlessness, and the freedom within. If one is cribbed by fear, insecurity, then the very same fear & insecurity becomes death and they snatch their life while being alive.
Real success in life is freedom within
Guruji then goes on to explain what death here really means. He states that it has two meanings. One is taking away the life which we generally identify as Death of a human being and another one is while you are alive, the factors that are making you to die every minute. If there is fear inside, then that person die every minute. So death is happening continuously in all of us because there is fear. And this fear makes us nervous and also leads us to laziness, carelessness and we become sluggish, we become lazy, we don’t attend to things etc..
Mrityunjaya means victory over death
There is no point in fearing for the actual death as whether one may want it or not, like it or not, it is an inevitable phenomenon of nature. But this mantra deals with the fear, the laziness the inefficiency, the carelessness and the whole host of negative things that are killing the human fabric systematically. We have to attend to this death and we have to establish victory over this death. That’s why this mantra is called Mrityunjaya Maha Mantra. Mrityunjaya means victory over death.
Why we need a Mantra?
Guruji enacting moulding the mind
After this introduction about the Mrityunjaya Maha Mantra, Guruji goes on to explain the very basic question of, What Mantra is, Why we need a Mantra and How a Mantra benefits an aspirant? Guruji states, “That which is going to protect you from all kind of negative influences from outside and also from inside, is a Mantra”. He then goes on to explain significantly how important it is to first understand our Mind inorder to get the real benefit from any Mantra. Guruji then compares Mind as Clay and beautifully explains how this can be molded so that the real powerful potential energy of a Mind can be unleashed.
Excerpt from this DVD here:
In this section, Guruji also goes on to explain, “Why so many thoughts keep troubling us when we sit for meditation and why it is difficult to sit quietly during Meditation?”. The problem with mind is, it’s a restless energy field. Many aspirants in the beginning are not able to sit even one minute for Meditation. There is so much resistance & disturbance within which results in Chaos in the mind. In that chaotic mind, how can one introduce this mantra?
Installing & Instilling the Mantra within
Guruji here gives importance to the Mantra benefits and how one should perform a Mantra Meditation inorder to get its real benefits. Guruji states, that a Mantra needs to be both installed & instilled in the Mind. Any aspirant can easily find the answer on How to make a Mantra installed & instilled on our Mind by following simple techniques that are explained by our Gurudev in this section. Gurudev also warns from impatience of able aspirants who practice a Mantra for some time and drop it thinking it is not yielding any benefits.
Meaning of Mrityunjaya Mantra
We then come on to a very important section of this DVD, i.e. Meaning of Mrityunjaya Mantra.
Guruji, in this section explains the various structures within this Mrityunjaya Mantra and what each syllable in the Mantra means. This is a very important section because When one aspirant chants a mantra, he/she should know the meaning and the feeling with which that Mantra needs to be chanted. Generating the feeling helps in generating the energy which when gets strengthened in the mind, results in the mantra japa being very smooth.
Guruji explaining meaning of Mrityunjaya Mantra
Guruji in motherly mood
Its a real treat to hear & watch how our Guruji decodes each syllable to make us understand the significance of this great Maha Mantra. Any attempt of this untrained Mind to try to capture it in words here would do no justice, please hear it from the Master directly
Preparation for Meditation
While we sit for Meditation, Every moment in the body is nothing but the restless energy that is working in the mind. Only when the mind becomes calm, the movement of the body would become minimum. Guruji states that the Body movement is nothing but our mental agitation. Posture of our body indicate/ reflect our state of your mind. If we have to experience a mantra within, we have to prepare our body, Prana (breath) & mind.
Guruji explaining systematically the preparation for Meditation
Successful foundation helps in significant results during Mantra meditation. Guruji in this session systematically takes us to the preparation for Mrityunjaya Mantra Meditation. He gives importance on the posture, flow of breath & how to calm the Mind. These preludes if done systematically & correctly opens the doorway for the Mantra energy to start releasing its true form.
Mrityunjaya Mantra Meditation
This is the final session of this DVD, where Guruji takes us through guided Mrityunjaya Mantra Meditation. This session is highly handy for aspirants at the start for Mantra Japa & practice Meditation through the guided mesmerizing voice of our Guruji.
Open the doorway for the Mantra energy to work
Out Guruji states that there are Two fear that are creating problem in us. One is fear of losing, and another fear of not getting what we desire. These two are death. Find out from this DVD Who is creating this fear and how to overcome from the fear within.
Before concluding, let us dwell upon what Swami Rama says about the Fear Factor. Below is a small extract from one of his book:
Fear is removed and life is enjoyed only when there is a purpose in life. Fears, if not examined, will develop strong roots, though they are often rootless. Fear invites danger. When fear becomes an obsession, all spiritual potentials become dormant. Fears are never examined—that is why they are able to control human life.
Fear has two faces: I might lose what I have, and I might not gain what I want. These two thoughts should not be entertained, and cannot be when you remember your mantra or the presence of the Lord within.
Fearlessness is very important. One should constantly remain in spiritual delight, so that no fear is entertained. Fearlessness comes from knowing that God is with us, and that we are with God.
Mrityunjaya Mantra deals with the fear in all the aspects of life. It is
this fear, which makes us die every moment. Fear ultimately culminates
in the death. As Guruji Pattabhiram says, understanding this mantra
makes us overcome fear in every field and takes us beyond the bondages
of the body. Let us offer humble salutations (Pranams) to Lord Mrityunjaya & May Mahadev, Lord of lords, Lord of victory, Lord of death bless us in our Sadhana.
May lord Mrityunjaya bless all of us in our Sadhana
For list of DVD's titles that are available, please click here. If you are interested to get this DVD, please contact +91-9312796128 / 9868112750 or write to basantpnd4@gmail.com.
Thank you all for reading. Happy Shivratri & let us meet again in another series, till then “Let’s hear Guruji”…
Year after year, Chembur is fortunate to be graced by Guruji Shri Pattabhiram's lively discourses each of immense relevance to our daily lives, enriching and uplifting.
This year's programme held from 28th January 2013 to 02 Feb 2013 was on the most powerful Gayatri Mantra,the highest form of meditation known in the Vedas .
The programmed was preceded by Soulful Bhajans by Chembur Mahlia Mandal. Lighting the lamp by Guru Ji, and sadhaks on stage heralded the inauguration. The Chief Guest Mr. K.Ventatraman, a learned, eminent and yet unassuming personality then addressed the gathering. Mr. O.P. Khunger gave a good overview of Guruji’s illustrious background, his spiritual awakening, his mission and of Sadhana Sangama Trust, the trust founded by Guruji , its objectives and social activities.
Guruji during his daily talks on Gayatri Maha Mantra, enthralled the audience with his thorough rendering of the subject in his typical lucid and captivating manner.
He beautifully dealt with all aspects : What is a mantra, the types of mantras, the sage Vishwa Mitra to whom Gayatri mantra got revealed in his deepest meditation on divine, the detailed significance and power of Gayatari Mantra , the seed syllable OM, word by word meaning and explanation of the Gayatri mantra, its importance in our modern daily living, the feeling with which the mantra needs to be recited for maximum benefit, the best time for its chanting etc. .
Vande Guru Paramparam
Aspirants who have come for the Guruji's Session
Aspirants who have come for the Guruji's Session
Guruji explaining Gayatri Mantra Meaning
Lovingly and with missionary zeal, Guruji held the daily practice sessions, teaching the correct posture, how to have inner purification including at material, emotional and spiritual planes, awareness of breath as it travels simulating our various energy centers with mental connection with divinity -- all these being preparatory exercises. As he said, mantra is an inner journey. The purpose of life is to lift our consciousness and merge it with supreme reality. In Gayatri mantra, we meditate on and connect with the eternal, who is the store-house of all energy, illuminating the entire cosmos and who by its very nature is Sat-Chit- Anand. This mantra is a prayer to the Lord to bless us and awaken not only our individual intelligence but also that of all our fellow beings. Thus the mantra connects us with entire universe and expands our horizon to cosmic level -- from “I to We” Daily during the sessions, the sacred chants reverberated in the air as all present had lofty experience of reciting the mantra with Guruji.
Daily for half an hour, before the lectures, Mahila Mandal used to present melodious music and bhajans to the delight of the audience.
On the last day, there was special session during which Guruji did his best to answer whatever questions were asked and remove doubts not only regarding the mantra and its practice but also on other topics of general spiritual nature.
Guruji interacting with the aspirants
Guruji accepting pranams from Sadhaka's
The lectures were well attended. Every body who came would long cherish the experience and get greatly benefitted, but for this regular practice of the Gayatri Mantra, is essential.
In his efforts to impart maximum possible spiritual knowledge, Guruji also conducted morning discourses on the famous Upadesa Sara, of Bhagwan Ramana Maharishi in which apart from explaining the essence of text, there was a close interaction between Guruji and earnest sadhaks.
- Report by Mr. Niranjan Hemmady and Mr. O.P.Khunger (SST Mumbai Chapter)
