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THE MOTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE QUARTER

Questions by readers- Answers by The Mother! These answers are in no way definitive; nor do they make any claims to authenticity. These are supposed to answer the seeking. The insights contained in these answers issue from patrons of The Mother, among who are saints, holy men, scholars and advanced seekers. To submit a question, send email to editor.themother@gmail.com. Do not feel disappointed if The Mother does not publish the answer to your questions. The Editorial Board will choose questions to be published in The Mother depending upon its significance and service to the spiritual seekers at large. However, we will strive to answer most queries and personally communicate the answers to those who put forth genuine queries. Editor.

Q.

Holy men keep saying it’s necessary to have detachment? Can’t we enjoy life and still focus on God and with practice attain liberation?

Answer.

No, that is not possible. Practice and detachment are both necessary. God has said in the Gita, ‘it can be accomplished by practice and detachment.’ Again, it is said in Samkhya School of philosophy, ‘from practice and detachment.’ Without detachment none can maintain practice, and sadhana cannot be permanent.

Q.

After My Ishta is Krishna, how can I practice surrender to my dearest Flute-holder in day-to-day life?

Answer.

Become aware of your actions, important and unimportant, at least twenty five times a day and at the completion of each action or through its commencement utter krishnArpanamastu. The saying of this cannot be mental, it has to be said aloud or whispered, closing your eyes for a second as you say it and feeling that you have surrendered/ offered the action to your favourite Krishna.
You can’t finish off 25 actions/ offerings in the first hour of the day and be done with it. It has to go on from morning to night. Use whatever devise you like to count. This will inculcate sense of surrender. You will feel the strains of grace flowing from the Flute.

Q.

I have had a terrible set of events in my life and all of that keeps coming back to me and I am depressed, I feel no motivation. What should I do?

Answer.

Actually, no matter what’s happening and what melancholic melody our heart plays to us, we have to make an effort and switch to a happy note.
We have to switch note….
We cannot wait for joy and bliss and happiness to happen to us, we have to be happy by an act of will. And then we attract everything that makes us more happy.
The ultimate truth (Brahma) is Asti-Bhaati-Priyam. Existence-Illumination-Pleasurableness. The third thing, the Priya component is a must. We have to love life. No matter what, we got to love life, love ourselves. Priyam- It’s always there, but we are not inclined and don’t have the right attitude.
Take a bliss jump! Trust in God and put the painful things behind.
Keep chanting the Mahamantra. All the energy of God will reach out to you if you become cheerful. Someone who is not cheerful can never attract the energies of God.

Q.

Someone asked me to read Yoga Vasishtha, so I got a copy from the net. Later I bought a copy of Yoga Vasishtha from Gita Press, but I can see the size is small. Could it be an abridged version? Are there versions of Yoga Vasistha?

Answer.

The Brihat (the great) Yoga Vasishta or Yoga Vasishta Maha Ramayana as it is also called, is a work of about 32,000 Sanskrit couplets, traditionally attributed to Valmiki, the author of Srimad Ramayana. It is a dialogue between Sage Vasishta and Sri Rama, during which Advaita (the doctrine of non-duality) in its pure form of ajatavada (theory of nonorigination) is expounded, with illustrative stories in between.
This vast work was abridged some centuries ago by Abhinanda Pandita, a Kashmiri scholar, into 6,000 couplets, which go by the name of Laghu Yoga Vasishta. This is a masterpiece in itself, like the original Brihat.
A further condensation of this work was made long ago, by an unknown author, into about 230 couplets, divided into ten chapters, as Yoga Vasishta Sara (Essence of Yoga Vasishta)

Q.

What are the 16 upachars in Shodash Upachar Puja?

Answer.

According to Raghunandana, the sixteen parts of worship are

  • Asana – Offering a seat. This is called as Aasana Samarpana.
  • Swagata (Aavaahana): It means 'to invite or invoke'. When we want an important person to visit our house, we extend a formal and respectful welcome. This is 'Avaahana'.
  • Paadya: It is a tradition in India to offer water to wash the feet when a guest visits a house. (According to Yoga Shastra, the Nadis (nerves) terminate in the hands and the feet. It is therefore important to keep the hands and feet clean. Therefore, offering water to wash the feet and hands has been included in Pooja)
  • Arghya: It is usually water offering, but often comprises mixed with water, Chandan (gandha), Pushpa, Akhsata (Ataapa) rice, Yaba, Kushagra, Tila, Sarisha and Durba and these are offered on a Sankha (Conch). Texts use the term arghya-pādya-upasparśana—water for washing the hands, feet and mouth.
  • Aachamaneeya: Taking water. This is an important practice among those who follow ancient tradition of Rishis. By drinking water, the throat and other parts pertaining to speech faculty become smooth and the speech becomes soft.
  • Madhuparka: We then offer to the guest something to drink. Madhuparka means a mixture of these five items - dadhi, ghrita, water, madhu and sharkara in a sacred pot (ghat).
  • Punarachamaneeya: water again as in achamana as above.
  • Snaana: We request the guest to bathe. In the case of an idol, we bathe it with different articles like milk, curd, ghee etc. We can also bathe the idol with plain water.
  • Vasana/ Vastra: Clothes or garment to wear after bath
  • Abharana or Bhushana – ornaments offered after Vastra
  • Sugandha: It is an ancient tradition to apply sandal paste (gandha) on the forehead.
  • Sumanah (Pushpa): Offering of fragrant flowers. Symbolically, flower signifies our heart.
  • Dhoopa: Dhoopa means fragrant smoke. According to Ayurveda, inhaling of smoke by burning certain herbs is considered to be good for health.
  • Deepa: Deepa means light. To acknowledge the fact that the Almighty is of the form of light, this particular aspect has been included in Pooja.
  • Naivedya: Naivedya means offering different kinds of dishes. The practice of offering something to eat is prevalent everywhere. (Paaneya and Tambula are also offered. These are herbal beverage and betel leaves)
  • Vandana (Aarati): We are nearing the end of Pooja. Aarati consists of showing a big flame of camphor light to the deity. This is to remind the person that the Almighty is of the form of light. In Sanskrit, the word 'arti' – transcribed as 'aarati' – is composed of the prefix 'aa', meaning complete, and 'rati', meaning love.

The above with minor variations (some also include Dhyana, Vastra, Upaveeta, Mantrapushpa and Pradakshina) are followed in shodoshopachara worships except the Tantric Worships. Worships of Tantric deities like Kali, Tara, Jagaddhatri, Annapurna follow Tantrasaara's injunctions where the sixteen items of shodashaupochara worship are Aasana, Swagata, Padya, Arghya, Aachamaneeya, Madhuparka, Snaneeya, Vasana, Abharana, Gandha & Pushpa, Dhoopa, Deepa, Naivedya and Aachamaneeya and Tambula, Archanastotra ie. Vandana, Tarpana, Namaskara ie. Pranaama.
Some include Mantrapushpa and Pradakshina in the upachars; Mantrapushpa is a hymn from Yajurveda, Taittiriya Aranyakam, which is recited at the conclusion of all major pujas and rituals. Pradakshina in Sanskrit means circumambulation, or walking around in a 'circle' as a form of worship in Hindu ceremonies. It symbolises that God stands at the centre of our world and He is present in all directions. Upaveet is scared thread. Dhyana is contemplation of the deity with words that eulogise the attributes which are characteristic of the form of the deity being worshipped.