School vacations were spent with my grandfather. He would spend hours in the morning doing LINGA puja. I was fascinated by the array of stones that he did puja to. Red, blue, green, black & white were the colors, and were very smooth to touch. His afternoons were spent poring over Ramanan’s almanacs on astrology. In the evenings, he would take me for a Kathakalachemam (spiritual story telling) or to the Shiva temple.
I never saw him pray and ask for wishes to be granted. His behavior was contrary to what I had been taught at moral science classes. I asked him, why he did not to ask God to fulfill wishes like getting a crore of rupees in lottery or for everlasting health?
He said that he came to the temple for darshan.
He would point to the demon below the left foot of Shiva. ‘That is not an asura as you see it. It is your mind….you should crush it. The rattle drum that he holds is a combination of purusha-prakriti (spiritual-material). His movement indicates that life is ever changing but his balance on one leg shows that, Shiva is never changing. His blessing indicates – don’t worry about change, I am there.
Grandpa was no rustic bumpkin. He understood the Gods as signs and symbols packed into one set. (Tao of Physics, a book on Quantum Physics compares Nataraja’s dance to the particle dance of nature).
This brings us to the next question, why go to temples when God is omnipresent?
Elders called it agamashastra (science of building temples). Each idol is built to certain standards and communicates to us through mudras. Every idol also has special mantras and chants. It is an energy waiting to be transmitted which we could appropriate if we have the right orientation. The outer parikrama is circumambulated to charge our 50 trillion cells. Each of our cells has a 1.4 volts potential. Hence we are a 70 trillion volt powerhouse, working on aligning ourselves with the universe. These universal energies could then conduct themselves through us and fill the world with bounty.
As this explanation sounds like a lot of hogwash in this Newtonian world, words like – brings us from beta state (20 Hertz to 40 hz) to alpha state – are used as they appeal to the rationalists. We are told; visiting temples would reduce our hypertension and our neurotic behavior. The chiming of the bells will unite our left & right brain.
All these explanations amount to the same thing.
Swami Vivekananda, mentioned that meditating in the same room everyday would consecrate higher energies. If that be so, imagine the vortex created by these transmitting stations (temples) at the Garba Graha (sanctum sanctorum). It is this energy we seek after.
Jains have a different viewpoint. Their Thirthankaras are found having a blissful smile on their faces. The devotees desiring to attain this state, mirror their neurons. Neuro-Linguistic programming works.
Trupthi Desai, it is more complex than you think.
The Challenge of Going Barefoot:
The first time I met my Guruswamy (my mentor), he was 74. He never wears chappals.
In 2004, the journey up the chinna padai (short path) was arduous. The short, jagged rocks made the entire climb a painful experience. My guruswamy scampered past as if he were walking on a bed of roses.
“Shiva move”, he said, “I, half his age, grimaced & trudged behind.”
Google will tell you, that the benefits of walking barefoot are balance, increased immunity, good sleep & better eyesight.
My friend, Arun Bharadwaj, world long distance running champion, believes in running barefoot. There is an entire book devoted to this topic – BORN TO RUN.
Lawrence of Arabia walked barefoot over the hot desert sands.
When Moses, approached the burning bush, the fire asked him to remove his sandals. The fire when asked to tell its name said “my name is, I am” and then handed over the 10 commandments to Moses.
But, life lies in experiencing. The moment came after my practice of Vipassana. I started to walk with complete awareness. I became conscious of every inch of my foot touching the ground.
I invite you to feel it. This is called the science of earthing.
Could we join hands and make a whole new world?
Could you accept this challenge of using the boat (refer to my 4th blog: https://ssfamilyfirst.com/phus-your-mind-challenge-2-18/) to go to the other side of the river?
This is Shiv signing off from S & S Family First.
