How important is it to Observe Auspicious Days & Perform Daily Worship?

By H H Maa Purnananda

“Manmanaa Bhav Madbhaktah Madyaaji Maam Namaskuru; Maamevaishyasi Yuktvaivam Aatmaanam Matparaayanah.” – (Sreemad Bhagawad Geeta – 9/34)

Brahman, Parabrahm, Parameshwar, Paramaatman, Anant, Aseem, Ajan, Apoorv, Nirgun, Satchidaanandswaroop, Adviteeya, Agochar, Trigunaateet, Kalateet, Avasthaatrayaateet, Nireeha, Nirvishesh, Akhand, Nishkal, Keval, Akriya, Nishkriya, Mayateet, Nirvikalp, Nirakar, Purna, Ekam, Anirvachaneeya, Anirdeshya, Achintya, Chidaanand, Sarvvyaapak, Sarvagnya, Sarvshaktimaan, Satswaroop, Chidswaroop, Aanandswaroop.

Can there be any name given to the Formless Self? Not really!!!

Sree Krishna, Parabrahm, Parameshwar, Paramaatman, Sree Bhagwaan, Jagadguru, Kaanha, Kanhaiya, Bansidhar, Giridhar, Govind, Gopal, Devkinandan, Vasudevsutam, Nandnandan, Yashodaanandan, Shyam, Venugopal, Keshinisudan, Madhusudan, Keshav, Maadhav, Yadunandan, Natwar, Naagar, Maakhanchor, Navneetchoram, Kaaliyamardan, Hari, Murari, Vaasudev, Yaadav, Murlimanohar, Meghshyam, Parthsarthi, Hrishikesh.

Can there be an end to the names of any of the Incarnations of the Lord? Not really!!!!

Why? Because, The Reality is Endless, Formless and is Itself all the forms!!! It is within as well as without!!! When It is within, it is Aatman and when without, It is Paramaatman. Remember, both as Aatman and as Paramaatman, It is unperceivable. Param Pujya Gurudev says – “The Aatman, being the subtlest of the subtle, is not available for the gross instruments of observation, feeling or comprehension; but is available only for an intuitive understanding.” Therefore, it is required to integrate the total personality and transform it to tune it up with the subtlest aspect our existence, the Divine core of our existence, the Aatman Itself.

In the given Shlok, Sree Bhagwaan guides Arjun for the same when He says – “Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice unto Me, bow down to Me; having thus united your whole self with Me, taking Me as the Supreme Self, you shall verily proceed towards Me.”

Here, when Sree Krishna is taken as the Incarnation of the Lord, then worshiping Him the way He guides Arjun and doing Sadhna accordingly, it would help the seeker to get integrated, transformed, and prepared for tuning up with the subtle aspect of our existence. Subsequently, the seeker would gradually be able to transcend the limitations of his gross instruments of observation, feeling and comprehension. Thus prepared, while in the higher flights of his meditation beyond these limitations, the flow of intuitive understanding begins to reflect within; wherein the Lord with Form disappears in the brilliance of the formless Aatman.

Vedant provides such scriptures that facilitate the Saadhna of both Sagun Brahm as well as Nirgun Brahm. Hence, while performing daily worship and while observing such auspicious days as Sree Krishna Janmaashtami, Navraatri, Shivratri and so on, the seeker needs to keep in mind the purpose of the worship of relevant Deities with Their forms and attributes; along with proper focus on the practice of self-transformation. Through passage of time, ultimately, proper observance of such auspicious days in this way, would surely help the seeker to meditate upon the attributes of the same Deities as the attribute-less and formless Aatman.

Aatman or Brahman being the same Self, the attributes of both, the One with form and the One without any form, are also not explained as different in the Sacred Texts of Vedant. Is it only to facilitate the Sadhna of the seeker that the attributes are imposed upon the formless Aatman.

Therefore, fixing the mind upon Him helps the seeker to stop the mind from wondering in the objective world. Being devoted to Him helps the seeker to transform his mind-intellect equipment and prepare it for meditation. Practice of sacrifice unto Him helps the seeker to take higher flights in meditation. And, bowing down to Him helps the seeker to surrender the “I-ness” so as to henceforth let the intuitive understanding flow incessantly within his Antahkaran. Having thus united the whole self with Him, taking Him as the Supreme Self, the seeker would gradually proceed towards Him, the Self-same Aatman.