New Year Prayer ~ Swami Chinmayananda

“Oh, Beloved Lord, with Your endless mercy and infinite patience,
You have led us through a busy year, guiding our conscience.
We got what we asked for, we have been bountifully served,
With Your love often, even more than what we, perhaps, deserved!”

“We prostrate to You gratefully acknowledging, with humble reverence,
That we couldn’t have been upright all thro’ but for Your perseverance.
Grant us our wish that we may lead a nobler, richer life this NEW YEAR,
Bending our sinews to greater undertakings in your service, sans fear!”

“Let in every act of ours, duty with beauty be sweetly mingled,
Bathe in the flood of mutual love, none for hatred be singled.
Let all our obligations be turned right into opportunities bright,
Teach us to fulfil our duties with overflowing joy and delight!”

“May we have concern for fellow beings and bow down to the needs of others,
Our hearts be attuned to respond to the silent cry of our poor brothers.
To hear the woes of the unfortunate with patience, may we tune our ears,
Give us the strength of mind, with compassion to wipe their tears!”

“Accomplishment of things great and heroic shall not be our only aim,
But to do graceful little things with love, sympathy and feelings sublime.
Let us learn to accept kindness gratefully with humility and joy.
And to heal our bleeding ulcers of misunderstanding, our time employ!”

“Let the NEW YEAR ring in peace, bring in the fragrance of goodwill,
And help us to help others so that they may their hearts’ desires fulfil.
We shall strive to keep all creatures happy in the glow of Your sunshine,
And pray for Your grace so that they feel blessed with Your splendour divine!”

“When the mind is changed, you are changed. When you change, the year becomes NEW! You don’t have to wait for the first of January. The day you change, it is the NEW YEAR for you! On this auspicious NEW YEAR DAY, I pray — MAKE EACH OF US A BETTER PERSON THIS YEAR — Jai Jai Jagadeeswara !!”

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Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram!

The Rishis who lived in Darukavana (pine forest) engaged themselves in intense tapas and yagnas continuously. Due to their meritorious activities, they became very powerful and consequently very arrogant and full of pride. They thought that they could control all the devatas because of their austerities and mantras-siddhis. When Lord Shiva heard of their attitude, he set out to destroy their pride. He disguised himself as a pious man. On the behest of Shiva, Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini and accompanied Shiva as his wife. Both of them came to Darukavana. The rishis and their wives were totally mesmerized by the beauty and charm of the divine couple and became distracted from their austerities. A little later, the rishis realized that they had been distracted from their austerities and became angry. 

The rishis started a yagna to attack and counter the couple without knowing that it was Lord Shiva and Vishnu in front of them. In the ‘yagna-fire’, they invoked a ferocious tiger and directed it towards Lord Shiva. The Lord killed the tiger and wore its skin around his waist. Next came a serpent from the sacrificial fire. Shiva seized it in his hand and wore it round his neck as an ornament. A wild elephant was invoked next, which the Lord easily killed. A demon called Apasmara (representing ignorance) was sent next. The Lord put him under his feet and rendered him immobile. Various hurdles and obstacles in the form of mantras were sent towards Lord Shiva. He converted them all into anklets and wore them round his feet. Having met all the challenges successfully, the Lord started his wonderful and most awesome cosmic dance called “Ananda Tandava” (the dance of eternal bliss). The Lord danced and Lord Vishnu watched the beautiful Tandava! The rishis were stunned at the breath-taking, beautiful Cosmic Nritya (Dance). Lord Shiva’s Tandava represents Creation, Sustenance, and Dissolution. The rishis realized their mistake and prostrated to the Lord and asked for forgiveness.

After reaching Vaikunta, Lord Vishnu who was witness to the great Shiva Tandava narrated the entire episode and described the Tandava in particular to Adi Sesha. Adi Sesha was very eager to see the unique and divine dance of the Lord. Sri Hari told him to proceed to the Thillai forest (mangrove forest), which is Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu), and perform tapas. Adi Sesha manifested as Sage Patanjali and came to the Thillai forest. He was joined by Sage Vyaghrapada. They made a Shiva-linga and invoked and worshipped Lord Shiva in it. 

Lord Shiva was pleased with their penance. It was on the auspicious day of Margazhi Purnima that the Lord performed the Tandava for them. The star on that day was Arudra Nakshatra which is associated with Lord Shiva. Chidambaram was the only place in the universe that has the strength and stability to become the divine stage for the Lord of Dance, NATARAJA, for his Cosmic Dance. Hence this auspicious day is known as ARUDRA DARSHANAM.

All the devatas, rishis, and gandharvas came to witness the dance. Celestial musicians sang. Narada played his veena and Nandi played the mridangam. The Vedas became the Lord’s anklets! The devatas and rishis who had witnessed the great performance requested the Lord to continue his Nritya for the welfare of the whole world. Lord Nataraja agreed and made Chidambaram his abode.

Chidambaram means “covered or clothed with knowledge”. The Lord is worshipped there in the form of Nataraja (with form), as crystal Linga (form-less), and as Akasha or Space-linga (invisible). Hence, this kshetra is one of the Pancha Mahabhuta Kshetras. There are five sabhas in which Lord Shiva performed five different types of Tandavas. CHIDAMBARAM is the KANAKA (Golden) Sabha where the Lord performed the ANANDA TANDAVA. The temple was designed and consecrated by Sage Patanjali himself who is the author of the ‘Yoga Sutras’. The structure of the Chidambaram temple is very unique and can be related to the entire structure of a human being. The temple is located at the centre point of the world’s magnetic equator. Lord Nataraja represents the five great Elements necessary for creation. He symbolises the Pancha Kriyas: Srishti (Creation), Sthiti (Sustenance), Samhara (Dissolution), Tirobhava (Veiling) and Anugraha (Showering of Grace). SHIVA TANDAVA represents Life and Life’s activities (micro and macro) in the entire Cosmos.

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Kashi Vishwanatha ~ Swami Chinmayananda

[Excerpts from commentary on “Soumyakashisha Stotra” by Swami Chinmayananda]

KASHI VISHWANATHA represents the Infinite Reality behind the entire universe of names and forms. Every name and form rises in Him, exists in Him and ultimately disappears into Him. The Sole Ground upon which the projected world of all minds exist and play out, famous in the Vedas as Brahman, is none other than Sri KASHI VISHWANATHA. The ever-present Self, by whose grace alone all activities of perception, feeling and thinking are made possible is KASHI VISHWANATHA. 

Devotion to KASHI VISHWANATHA is the MEANS, the way, to awake into the Supreme State of Pure Awareness; and the Viswanatha-State of Consciousness is the GOAL, the final destination.

KASHI VISHWANATHA as a “sacred symbol” is worshipped so that the wandering mind of the devotee, with the force of his devotion becomes quietened and comes to rest at the Altar of his devotion. The beloved Lord Viswanatha alone is the sole refuge. Seek the Lord and surrender totally unto Him – “O! Mind, seek the feet of Lord Mahadeva. Drink deep the honeyed sweetness of the memory of the fragrance of those lotus feet of the Lord and get intoxicated in its blissful fervour!” 

“Oh Lord! Thou art Ever-Full within and without. Thou art an ocean of kindness and mercy. Thou art the only one who can lift us up from this illusory world of names and forms. Thou art ever shining in Thy self-effulgent glory in the lotus of our heart like the ever-brilliant Sun. Only by realising Thee, as the very nature of the Supreme Self within, by transcending the body, mind and intellect, one can attain true Liberation, and remain ever in True Shanti.” 

“The final goal of all meditations, the blissful Self, is KASHI VISHWANATHA. May His auspicious form ever rise in our heart!”

Hara Hara Mahadev! Gange Hara Hara !

(Source : Sri Soumyakasheesha Stotra by Sri Swami Tapovanam. Commentary by Swami Chinmayananda.)

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Bhagavad Gita Messages-1 by Swami Chinmayananda

The act of understanding himself as different from his matter-vestures is man’s highest Art – the Art of Unveiling the Infinite through the finite. The technique of this ART is the theme of the GEETA!

BHAGAVAD GEETA is an enchanting impossibility; it is at once a SCIENCE and a PHILOSOPHY, and yet, strangely enough, it is neither a scientific philosophy nor a philosophical science. In its eighteen chapters, it explains a PHILOSOPHY-of-LIVING, and while doing so, it expounds and demonstrates the SCIENCE-of-LIVING. When a perfect combination of both SCIENCE and PHILOSOPHY is sung to the “melody of perfection” that KRISHNA was, we have this piece of work – the BHAGAVAD GEETA – an appeal both to the head and to the heart — the secret charm of the Lord’s Song that had enthralled generations, from the day of its production!

GEETA is a PIECE OF ART of strange beauty and it stands apart from everything else in a class all by itself. It is liquid poetry, expounding solid philosophy! In the fluidity of its metre, it crystallizes some of the rarest gems of moral and spiritual values. Its breezy discourses have a solid style. The fluidity of its eloquence falls like merciful rain upon every broken personality, making it whole by its magic touch. It is not a book of science, and yet, it is very scientific in its approach to the theme. It has not the airy nothingness of the familiar philosophical discourses, and yet, all philosophies seem to meet within its ample stretch. An inviting Art of Divine Beauty — every word in it is a detail, at once revealing and inspiring. The pause between the verses is not merely an inevitable blank-period of literary necessity, but something that suggests many a hidden truth!

The PHILOSOPHY of the Geeta reveals to us the glorious purpose in life, inspires and thrills the thinking aspect in man, and the VISION of the smiling Lord of Vrindavan “behind” every name and form, “beneath” every experience, “under” every situation, adds a life-giving joy and maddening ecstasy to the drunken heart of love!!

GEETA is the Lord’s own song, sung to revive His devotees! GEETA sings its song directly to us!! The GEETA serves us!

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