Who Should I Worship?
H H Maa Purnananda
Founder Chairperson
Sree Guru Swami Chinmayananda Sewa Nidhi ®
“……Yaanti Devavrata Devaan Pitrinyaanti Pitrivrataah; Bhootaani Yaanti Bhootejyaa Yaanti Madyaajinoapi Maam.” – (Sreemad Bhagawad Geeta – 9/25)
October is the month of observing some very special and auspicious days; for some it could be a month of ‘festivities’! Yes, we have diluted the sanctity of the auspicious days by making them mere means of celebrations and festivities rather than observing them as special days for more intense worship, austerities and penance as per the ordinances of our Shaastras, the sacred Books-of-knowledge. It is high time that we get back to the systematic practises introduced in our Shaastras for our own good.
Preceded by Sree Guru Purnima, Shraavan Maas and Sree Krishna Janmaashtami, in the series of days ahead, beginning from Sree Ganesh Chaturthi going on to Sree Vishwakarma Puja, to Shraaddh, to Navraatri, to Dushehra and lastly, Deepaawali to conclude with, interspersed with a few more special days; let us get an overall view about the given series.
First of all, man needs the guidance from a Sadguru for making the best of the precious human life. So, right from the Adiguru Sadaashiv, to Maharshi Vedvyaas, Sree Adi Shankaracharya and followed by the whole Guru Parampara, up to our Param Gurudev Sree Tapovan Maharaj and beloved Gurudev Sree Swami Chinmayananda are worshiped on Sree Guru Purnima.
Soon sets a whole month for listening and reading the sacred words of Wisdom of the great Saints, Sages, Seers and Masters; the month is Shraavan Maas. Proper studies under the shelter of the Guru gives birth to Bal Gopal in the seeker’s heart and he worships Him intensely and lovingly on Janmaashtami. This Sree Gopal would thereafter chisel out the seeker’s inner equipment to be a worthy recipient of Spiritual Knowledge for higher and nobler pursuits.
The seeker is now prepared to take up the Spiritual journey. Invocation of Sree Ganesh signifies the removal of obstacles coming from external objects (Adhibhautik) and phenomenal forces (Adhidaivik) and the impediments cropping up from within, the internal temperament and moods (Aadhyaatmik), on the way to the seeker’s religious and Spiritual pursuits. Until these obstacles are removed, not much progress can be expected.
Thereafter comes the worship of Sree Vishwakarma, symbolically representing our own inner equipment – the 5 sense organs of perception, 5 sense organs of action, mind and intellect. These are the equipment and instruments that each individual owner uses to create his own world! Until these are well trained, tamed, channelized and directed, they can be of little use to the seeker’s divine pursuits.
This is followed by a reminder to the seeker during Shraaddh, that until he grows out of his egocentric identification with the falsehood that he himself had created, he will suffer repeated transmigration, intermittently resting in the ancestral plane. Paying obeisance to the ancestors is like a self-reminder! It could have been so that the seeker himself was at some point of time his ancestor and at present he is offering his prayer as his descendant! Mysterious indeed is the soul’s journey.
Soon after, begins the nine nights of Devi Worship specifically reminding the humanity that the creation is the divine expression of the Supreme. In the darkness of ignorance man perceives the world of multiplicity and misapprehends it to be real. While though being in the darkness of ignorance, if under the guidance of theGuru and the Shaastras, he tries to shed his ignorance by seeing the same world in right perspective; he then finds it be the manifest glory of the Trinity – Sree Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshwar, radiating as Mother Goddesses – Sree Mahasaraswati-Mahalakshmi-Maaheshwari. He thence finds the inner joy of being associated with the Divine in him and he dances and sings all night, rejoicing with family and friends.
The 9 days and nights of worship, austerity, purity and divinity, along with Holy chants and devotional songs, leads the seeker to worshiping Sree Ram on 10th day, to celebrate the victory of the Supreme Reality over the false notion of being a ten-headed Raavan-like egocentric individual. Dushehra is very special for those who sincerely strive hard to sublimate ego.
Then comes the final day of almost 2 months long worshipful observations as part of the ‘self-improvement and self-evolution’ program, which makes a human life worthy! Of course it is everyone’s all-time favourite, Deepaavali.
It is the return of Sree Ram along with Mother Seeta to Their Holy Kingdom Ayodhya, after fourteen long years of exile in the forests. Very significantly symbolic indeed! Each individual soul is essentially the One and only Aatmaaraam, the SupremeBeing. Even while being in the thickest forests of the worldly entanglements, if the seeker keeps his mind filled with true devotion (Mother Seeta), free from attachments and aversions (Sree Lakshman), and remains inseparably well-united with the Supreme Divinity (Sree Ram), he is sure to stand victorious and return to Ayodhya, his Real Invincible Kingdom – Brahm! It is doubtlessly a matter of great rejoicing, brilliant and blissful. Hence, on the most auspicious night of Deepaawali, the seekers would surely light-up the entire surroundings with countless lamps; and yet, the light of all the lamps put together will indeed be toomeagre and most insignificant as compared to the inexplicable, incomparable and ecstatically radiant Light of all lights; Sat-Chid-Aanand-Swaroop!
Would you still like to ‘celebrate’ the ‘festive season’? Or, would you dedicate the Holy month for your worship, penance and sacred readings, so as to enhance your Bhakti and Shraddha as told by Sree Krishna in the Shlok given in the beginning:
The worshipers of divine entities go to Devta-s in the heavenly plane - Devlok, the worshipers of ancestors go to Pitri's in the ancestral plane – Pitrilok, the worshipers of beings go to Bhoots in the world-of-beings – Bhoolok, and, the worshipers of the Supreme return to Paramaatma, the Real Self – Brahm.Indeed, Brahm alone is to be worshiped by means of every Form-Divine.
