ASHTANGA YOGA

ASHTANGA YOGA

Watch your thoughts, they become words/feelings;
Watch your words/feelings, they become attitude/actions;
Watch your attitude/actions, they become habits;
Watch your habits, they become character;
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

The key to our destiny is, therefore, to have control on our thoughts.

Yoga - the word itself is an Indian word for " Union " or 'to join together'

Yoga is a science of self & mental discipline, which affects not only the conscious self but the subconscious as well. It contributes to longevity & also leads to perennial happiness & peace.

Yoga is a system of exercises for the physical & mental wellbeing. Yoga is a posturing & breathing exercise to induce relaxation - the practice in which physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation are used to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, regulate heart rate, and maintain the purity of blood by elimination of toxins from the body. Yoga exercises have a strengthening effect on the nervous system.

It also helps to cure various illnesses like back pain, acidity, gastric pain, body pain, cervical, asthma & helps in regular bowels.

Thus, the ultimate goal of yoga is self-realization so that each individual can attain his or her complete physical, emotional, mental & spiritual potential.

Maharishi Patanjali rightly called as the "Father of Yoga" compiled and refined various aspects of Yoga systematically in his "Yoga Sutras". He advocated the eight-fold path of Yoga, popularly known as "Ashtanga Yoga" for the all-round development of the human personality.

According to Patanjali, within the human body there are channels called Nadi & centres called chakra. If these channels & centres are tapped, energy hidden in the body can be released. This energy is called kundalini.

Ashtanga Yoga – 8 Different Stages In Yoga

The eight different stages in yoga are:

1. The yama (universal moral commandments, code of conduct in society)

2. Niyama (self-purification through self-discipline)

3. Asana (postures)

4. Pranayama (breath control)

5. Pratyahara (contemplation - withdrawal of mind/sense from external objects)

6. Dharana (concentration)

7. Dhyana (meditation)

8. Samadhi (state of super consciousness)

Yama

It comprises the five ethical disciplines of self-restraint:

(a) Ahimsa: It means non-violence or not harming any body including your own self. It is about caring for the well-being of all. It should be practiced through our actions, words and thoughts. We harm ourselves when we over eat, drink excessively, over indulge in pleasures, become angry, jealous or loose our poise.

(b) Satya: It means truth – being true in all situations i.e. being truthful in thought, word and action.

(c) Brahmacharya: It means self-restraint. It is to be observed through one's thought, speech and deed.

(d) Asteya: It means non-stealing. People, who are not contented with their belongings, generally show the tendency of stealing (includes misappropriation, misuse of man and material; breach of trust and non-transparency in one's dealing).

(e) Aparigraha: It means non-hording. One should not collect things which he does not require immediately (causing shortage of things in the society). This also includes `not receiving anything from others as favours.

Niyama

There are five principles of self-discipline:
(a) Saucha: It means purity or cleanliness. Purity of body is essential for keeping fit and free of diseases. Bathing and washing purify the body externally, whereas asana, kriya and pranayama clean the body internally. More than the physical cleaning of the body, cleaning the mind of its garbage like hatred, passion, anger, greed, pride and other negative emotions is more important.
(b) Santosha: Contentment is state of mind. We must cultivate it to develop concentration. A discounted mind is always looking at what others have and is not satisfied with what he has, and therefore is never at peace.

(c) Tapas: It means austerity. It is the conscious and determined effort to burn up all negatives, which are barriers to achieve one's final goal. Using words that do not hurt others, speaking the truth and singing the glory of GOD are tapas of speech. Developing positive mental attitude to remain calm and balanced in joy and sorrow are tapas of mind. By tapas one can develop strength, courage, discipline and character.

(d) Swadhaya: It means self-study and self-introspection through regular study of divine and other character building literature. By practicing swadhaya, one reads one's own book of life. He learns that every creation is divine and there is divinity within him.

(e) Ishvara Pranidhana: It means dedication to GOD at all times. Those who have faith in GOD never despair and get frustrated even when their efforts are not successful in bringing favourable results. They trust GOD and believe that all outcome have something positive in store. Similarly, achievement of success also reiterates the faith in the goodness of the almighty instead of installing pride on oneself.

The above described ten yogic ethics or commandments guide us to bring perfection in our lives. These ethics are great virtues and we should observe them under all situations.

Controlling Emotions by Yama-Niyama

Emotions are the products of our inner selves. They are function of our heart, and not the intellect.

Mind has to be pacified or disciplined by meditative practices of yoga such as pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.

Once the mind has been pacified the heart has to be purified. Purification of heart means enlarging ones perspective - the feeling of oneness. Yama and niyama help in purifying the heart and promote positive emotions and overcome negative ones.

Let us now discuss how practicing yama-niyama help us to control some of our basic negative emotions.

Anger and Greed

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched few words on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'

The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'. The next day that man committed suicide. Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life & remember this: Things are to be used and people are to be loved.

The problem in today's world is that people are used while things are loved.

Anger is the most negative emotion that causes maximum harm to us. 36 chemicals pour into our blood when we are angry. These chemicals cause tension, hypertension, heart ailments and many other serious disorders.

Rage is the worst form of anger, which is uncontrolled and destructive. When you are angry you burn yourself as matchstick, which burns its own tip first before burning any other object.

Anger and greed have a common root. They spring from excessive attachment – moha – to the worldly things. Our lust and craving for sensual pleasure produces desire. However, fulfilling one desire creates another and the cycle of desire is created. This tendency results in greed – lobha. When the desired object is not obtained, there is frustration and anger.

Hence, the key to control these negative emotions of greed, frustration and anger is to limit our desire for worldly objects.

Yama of aparigraha (detachment); asteya (non-stealing); niyama of tapas (austerity) and santosha (contentment) are very helpful in controlling anger and greed.

Pride and Arrogance

Pride is the king of all miseries. Arrogance is pride with contempt of others. Pride springs from ego – I. Pride has two contexts: Being proud of one's country, company or society is a good thing, but the false sense of pride and arrogance in dealing with others is a big barrier to live a harmonious life.

A proud and arrogant person is often impatient and selfish due to his self-imposed sense of superiority. Intellect and ego have very intimate relationship. Highly intellectual persons are often found to be proud and arrogant.

Satya and Swadhaya help to control the ego. Satya refers to the awareness of what is right and ability to express it. Satya also means being honest with ourselves. Through the practice of satya we can increase our tolerance level by knowing and understanding our limitations, weaknesses and accept them.

Swadhaya is self-analysis – through which we can know and accept our strengths, limitations and potential. This helps us to act appropriately in any situation.

Jealousy
Jealousy is a negative trait of have-nots. It is the result of absence of something that is desired. We feel jealous of others, because they have more money, comforts, name and fame than what we have.

Jealousy comes when we start comparing ourselves with others. We feel unhappy not because we don't have something, but because others have more. Realise that luck is always kind to all. All persons do not possess identical qualities and fortune. Instead of being jealous of others, try to emulate those, whose better lot is an eyesore to you.

Jealousy produces anger and hatred. It also gives rise to inferiority complex. It may also be cause of stomach ulcer.
Santosha and swadhaya are great niyama that help us to control the negative emotion of jealousy. Try to be contended with your lot. Do not compare yourself with others. Through the regular practice of swadhaya, we should do self-introspection and analysis to know our potentials and limitations. Set realistic goals, and work hard to achieve them without envying the achievement of others.
St Francis has rightly said: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.

Hatred
Hatred or dislike is another offshoot of jealousy. One may hate a person, place, event or a thing. Love is the opposite of hatred. Accept even those you don't like, with open hear. Practice of ahimsa or non-violence to cultivate the virtue of love and get rid of hatred. Thus love embraces all creation, because we are all children of GOD.

ஸ்ரீகுமரகுருபரர்-சகலகலாவல்லி மாலை

சகலகலாவல்லி மாலை (சரசுவதி தோத்திரம்)


கட்டளைக் கலித்துறை

வெண்டா மரைக்கன்றி நின்பதந் தாங்கவென் வெள்ளையுள்ளத்
தண்டா மரைக்குத் தகாதுகொ லோசக மேழுமளித்
துண்டா னுறங்க வொழித்தான்பித் தாகவுண் டாக்கும்வண்ணம்
கண்டான் சுவைகொள் கரும்பே சகல கலாவல்லியே. 1

நாடும் பொருட்சுவை சொற்சுவை தோய்தர நாற்கவியும்
பாடும் பணியிற் பணித்தருள் வாய்பங்க யாசனத்திற்
கூடும் பசும்பொற் கொடியே கனதனக் குன்றுமைம்பாற்
காடுஞ் சுமக்குங் கரும்பே சகல கலாவல்லியே. 2

அளிக்குஞ் செழுந்தமிழ்த் தெள்ளமு தார்ந்துன் னருட்கடலிற்
குளிக்கும் படிக்கென்று கூடுங்கொ லோவுளங் கொண்டுதெள்ளித்
தெளிக்கும் பனுவற் புலவோர் கவிமழை சிந்தக்கண்டு
களிக்குங் கலாப மயிலே சகல கலாவல்லியே. 3

தூக்கும் பனுவற் துறைதோய்ந்த கல்வியுஞ் சொற்சுவைதோய்
வாக்கும் பெருகப் பணித்தருள் வாய்வட நூற்கடலும்
தேக்குஞ் செழுந்தமிழ்ச் செல்வமுந் தொண்டர்செந் நாவினின்று
காக்குங் கருணைக் கடலே சகல கலாவல்லியே. 4

பஞ்சப் பிதந்தரு செய்யபொற் பாதபங் கேருகமென்
நெஞ்சத் தடத்தல ராததென் னேநெடுந் தாட்கமலத்
தஞ்சத் துவச முயர்த்தோன்செந் நாவு மகமும்வெள்ளைக்
கஞ்சத் தவிசொத் திருந்தாய் சகல கலாவல்லியே 5

பண்ணும் பரதமுங் கல்வியுந் தீஞ்சொற் பனுவலும்யான்
எண்ணும் பொழுதெளி தெய்தநல் காயெழு தாமறையும்
விண்ணும் புவியும் புனலுங் கனலும்வெங் காலுமன்பாடி
கண்ணுங் கருத்து நிறைந்தாய் சகல கலாவல்லியே. 6

பாட்டும் பொருளும் பொருளாற் பொருந்தும் பயனுமென்பாற்
கூட்டும் படிநின் கடைக்கணல் காயுளங் கொண்டுதொண்டர்
தீட்டுங் கலைத்தமிழ்த் தீம்பா லமுதந் தெளிக்கும்வண்ணம்
காட்டும்வெள் ளோதிமப் பேடே சகல கலாவல்லியே. 7

சொல்விற் பனமு மவதான முங்கவி சொல்லவல்ல
நல்வித்தை யுந்தந் தடிமைகொள் வாய்நளி னாசனஞ்சேர்
செல்விக் கரிதென் றொருகால முஞ்சிதை யாமைநல்கும்
கல்விப் பெருஞ்செல்வப் பேறே சகல கலாவல்லியே. 8

சொற்கும் பொருட்கு முயிராமெய்ஞ் ஞானத்தின் றோற்றமென்ன
நிற்கின்ற நின்னை நினைப்பவர் யார்நிலந் தோய்புழைக்கை
நற்குஞ் சரத்தின் பிடியோ டரசன்ன நாணநடை
கற்கும் பதாம்புயத் தாயே சகல கலாவல்லியே. 9

மண்கண்ட வெண்குடைக் கீழாக மேற்பட்ட மன்னருமென்
பண்கண் டளவிற் பணியச்செய் வாய்படைப் போன்முதலாம்
விண்கண்ட தெய்வம்பல் கோடியுண்டேனும் விளம்பிலுன்போற்
கண்கண்ட தெய்வ முளதோ சகல கலாவல்லியே. 10

Scientific meaning of Gaytri Mantra

GAYATRI MANTRA
scientific meaning of Gaytri Mantra
Gayatri mantra has been bestowed the greatest importance in Vedic dharma.This mantra has also been termed as Savitri and Ved-Mata, the mother of the Vedas.

"Om-bhur bhuvah swah
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dheemahi;
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat. "

The literal meaning of the mantra: O God! You are Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Almighty. You are all Light. You are all Knowledge and Bliss. You are Destroyer of fear, You are Creator of this Universe, You are the Greatest of all. We bow and meditate upon Your light. You guide our intellect in the right direction. The mantra, however, has a great scientific importance too, which somehow got lost in the literary tradition. The modern astrophysics and astronomy tell us that our Galaxy called Milky Way or Akash-Ganga contains approximately 100,000 million of stars. Each star is like our sun having its own planet system. We know that the moon moves round the earth and the earth moves round the sun along with the moon. All planets round the sun. Each of the above bodies revolves round at its own axis as well. Our sun along with its family takes one round of the galactic center in 22.5 crore years. All galaxies including ours are moving away at a terrific velocity of 20,000 mile s per second.

And now the alternative scientific meaning of the mantra step by step:

(A) OM BHUR BHUVAH SWAH:
Bhur the earth, bhuvah the planets (solar family), swah the Galaxy. We observe that when an ordinary fan with a speed of 900 RPM (rotations Per minute) moves, it makes noise. Then, one can imagine, what great noise would be created when the galaxies move with a speed of 20,000 miles per second. This is what this portion of the mantra explains that the sound produced due to the fast-moving earth, planets and galaxies is Om. The sound was heard during meditation by Rishi Vishvamitra, who mentioned it to other colleagues. All of them, then unanimously decided to call this sound Om the name of God, because this sound is available in all the three periods of time, hence it is set (permanent). Therefore, it was the first ever revolutionary idea to identify formless God with a specific title (form) called upadhi. Until that time, everybody recognized God as formless and nobody was prepared to accept this new idea. In the Gita also, it is said, "Omiti ekaksharam brahma", meaning that the name of the Supreme is Om, which contains only one syllable (8 / 12). This sound Om heard during samadhi was called by all the seers nada-brahma a very great noise), but not a noise that is normally heard beyond a specific amplitude and limits of decibels suited to human hearing. Hence the rishis called this sound Udgith musical sound of the above, ie, heaven. They also noticed that the infinite mass of galaxies moving with a velocity of 20,000 miles / second was generating a kinetic energy = 1 / 2 MV2 and this was balancing the total energy consumption of the cosmos. Hence they named it Pranavah, which means the body (vapu) or store house of energy (prana).

B. TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM:
Tat that (God), savitur the sun (star), varenyam worthy of bowing or respect. Once the form of a person along with the name is known to us, we may locate the specific person.Hence the two titles (upadhi) provide the solid ground to identify the formless God, Vishvamitra suggested. He told us that we could know (realize) the unknowable formless God through the known factors, viz., Sound Om and light of suns (stars). A mathematician can solve an equation x2 + y2 = 4; if x = 2; then y can be known and so on. An engineer can measure the width of a river even by standing at the riverbank just by drawing a triangle. So was the scientific method suggested by Vishvamitra in the mantra in the next portion as under: -

C) BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI:
Bhargo the light, devasya of the deity, dheemahi we should meditate. The rishi instructs us to meditate upon the available form (light of suns) to discover the formless Creator (God). Also he wants us to do japa of the word Om (this is understood in the Mantra). This is how the sage wants us to proceed, but there is a great problem to realize it, as the human mind is so shaky and restless that without the grace of the Supreme (Brahma) it cannot be controlled. Hence Vishvamitra suggests the way to pray Him as under:

D) DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT:
Dhiyo (intellect), yo (who), nah (we all), prachodayat (guide to right Direction). O God! Deploy our intellect on the right path. Full scientific interpretation of the Mantra: The earth (bhur), the planets (bhuvah), and the galaxies (swah) are moving at a very great velocity, the sound produced is Om, (the name of formless God.) That God ( tat), who manifests Himself in the form of light of suns (savitur) is worthy of bowing / respect (varenyam). We all, therefore, should meditate (dheemahi) upon the light (bhargo) of that deity (devasya) and also do chanting of Om. May He (yo) guide in right direction (prachodayat) our (nah) intellect dhiyo. So we notice that the important points hinted in the mantra are:

The total kinetic energy generated by the movement of galaxies acts as an umbrella and balances the total energy consumption of the cosmos. Hence it was named as the Pranavah (body of energy). This is equal to 1 / 2 mv2 (Mass of galaxies x velocity2). 2) Realizing the great importance of the syllable OM, the other later date religions adopted this word with a slight change in accent, viz., Amen and Ameen.

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Agama  -  From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Shankara Bharadwaj Khandavalli



Agamas and Tantras are a vast collection of knowledge and form a major portion of spiritual literature and practices. Like the Veda, they have come down through Guru-Sishya parampara, in oral traditions. Agamas form the base for many of the popular as well as specialist aspects of Hinduism.



The word Agama means 'that which has come to (us)'. Tantra means 'that which protects with detail'. Sruti, the eternal word, is said to be of two forms – Nigama (Veda) and Agama. Two kinds of texts, Agama and Tantra are in general grouped under the same class of literature.



There are three main classes of Agamic/Tantric texts Vaishnava Agamas, Saiva Agamas and Sakta Tantras, though not limited to these. The Vaishnava and Saiva texts are generally called Agamas, while the word Tantra in general applies to Sakta texts. However, technically Tantra is a part of Agama and owing to the centrality of Tantra the two words are used often interchangeably.



Agamas expound a variety of subjects and could be called the guides to a huge range of Hindu practices. They contain

Manuals for worship

Methods for salvation, Yoga

Devata, Yantra

Prayogas using various mantras

Temple Building, Town planning

Iconometry

Domestic practices and civil codes

Social/Public festivals

Holy Places

Principles of Universe, Creation and Dissolution

Spiritual Philosophy

Worlds

Austerities

And many other interrelated subjects.




Aspects of Agama

Agama deals with three phenomena, Mantra Yantra and Tantra.



Mantra

Mantra is the sound-form of God-form and is often used synonymously to Devata. It is the means/basis for both Yantra and Tantra.



Yantra

Yantra is basically a contrivance, charged with the power of a mantra. It could be a geometric shape as in case of devata yantra or just any instrument as in case of an astra. It is the tool. The nature of Yantra depends on its purpose sought to be served.



Each devata is said to have a Yantra, a specific geometric shape that represents the nature of devata and a world model. For temporary purposes and worshipping, it could be drawn on clean floor with turmeric or some other powder, or for installations it could be carved on metal plates. The Yantra is worshipped and charged with corresponding mantra. It is treated like the devata, and is worshipped as the devata. The worship of yantra includes the worship of presiding Devata along with the consort, associate and subordinate Devatas and is an elaborate ritual consisting of propitiation of each of those.



Tantra

Tantra is the practitioner’s manual. It combines mantra, yogic methods and philosophy (Tatva-Mantra samanvaya). It elaborates procedures that a sadhaka should follow, at each stage of his sadhana.



Mantra, Yantra and Tantra are closely knit. Mantra is the energy. Yantras are geometric shapes that define the workings of various kinds of energies. Tantra deals with the philosophy and methods for redirecting and channelizing the energies to guide the spiritual evolution of the sadhaka.



Thus Tantra is the primary subject in Agamic literature. The word Tantra is in general used to refer to practices, and the subject dealing with those practices is called Tantra Sastra. To bring the spiritual knowledge of scriptures into the practitioner’s experience through well defined and time tested practices, is the essence of Tantra Sastra. For this reason, Tantra Sastra is variedly called Pratyaksha Sastra (the science of real experience), Sadhana Sastra (the science of spiritual practice) and Upasana Sastra. It has four parts or padas, jnana, yoga, kriya and carya.



The Four Padas

Jnana Pada

Jnana pada deals with worldview and spiritual philosophy. It explains the nature of universe, cause of phenomenal world, creation and dissolution, eternal and transient principles of nature, the nature of self, the philosophy of binding and liberation.



Yoga Pada

Yoga Pada specifies methods for getting into experience the knowledge that Jnana Pada expounds. It contains the procedures to be followed, through which the individual consciousness can be united with the eternal consciousness whose nature is infinite bliss. Yogic sadhana is of two forms, Antaranga (inner) and Bahiranga (external). Their purpose is to purify one’s mind, words and deeds. One can bring about the evolution of the entire being through these two kinds of practices, through which the divine principle that pervades existence is realized. The purpose of Tantra Sastra is not to simply realize the divine, but to make life an instrument of the divine, to make every action follow the divine will. That is affected when the individual consciousness is united in the eternal consciousness. Yoga Pada expounds the methods for achieving that, based on Yoga Sastra and the science of consciousness.



Yoga is of different kinds, Laya, Kundalini and Mantra. The primary emphasis of Tantra Sastra is Kundalini Yoga, and the secondary emphasis is on Mantra Marga that forms basis for invoking the energy required for pursuing Kundalini Yoga. Faith and Devotion give the necessary support for the practitioner, to remain perseverant in the path.



Kriya Pada

Kriya Pada deals with the religious aspect such as temple construction, domestic and temple rituals, pilgrimage. It also gives procedures for worship, ritual codes and the ingredients of worship.



Carya Pada

Carya Pada contains the austerity, code of conduct, regulations to be followed during Diksha.



Agamas are primarily used by three religions – Vaishnava, Saiva and Sakta.



Classification of Agamas

Vaishnava Agamas

The Vaishnava Agamas regard Vishnu as the supreme Godhead. They are said to have come from the mouth of Vishnu Himself. There are hundreds of Vaishnava Agamas. Boradly they could be classified as Panacratra and Vaikhanasa. Pancaratra, as the name suggests, involve a five-fold ritual schedule. There are about 200-225 Pancaratra texts. Vaikhanasa agamas are taught by Vikhana to his disciples like Marichi and Bhrigu.



A few Vaishnava Agamas: Isvara, Ahirbudhnya, Narada, Hayasirsha, Paushkara, Satvata, Jnanamrita sara.



Saiva Agamas

Saiva Agamas hold Siva as the supreme Godhead. There are 28 Saiva Agamas and they could be classified into two classes: 10 Siva bheda and 18 Rudra bheda Agamas. Further, the 28 are classified into four classes: Kapala, Kalamukha, Pasupata, Saiva. The last kind (Saiva) is further classified into two subclasses – Kasmira Saiva and Siddhanta Saiva. Kasmira Saiva is in vogue in the North and Siddhanta Saiva in South India. Each Saiva Agama has supplements/additional fragments called Upa-Agamas.



A few Saiva Agamas to mention: Kamika, Vira, Kirana, Parameswara, Swayambhuva.



Sakta Tantras

Sakta Agamas hold Sakti as the supreme Godhead. These Tantras are of two kinds, Vama and Dakshina. There are said to be 64 Sakta Agamas, but the number could be much more. Many of these are in the form of Siva-Sakti conversations.



A few Sakta Agamas to mention: Kularnava, Rudra Yamala, Brahma Yamala, Vishnu Yamala, Maha Nirvana.



Veda and Agama

Agamic literature has many parallels to the Vedic texts; however the major difference is that in the Vedic discipline the different texts are classified based on the subjects they deal with. The various subjects like grammar, etymology, meter, phonetics, poetry, analysis, astronomy-astrology, ritual codes, moral codes, social organization, and consciousness studies are organized into different texts and arranged in a hierarchy as the ancillary texts of the Vedic discipline. Agamic texts in contrast, though they deal with various disciplines of knowledge, are primarily meant to be guides for practitioners. Many of the above subjects are referred to directly and indirectly, without expounding them but taking them for granted (for example grammar and etymology, chandas, varna-ashrama dharma etc) clearly making them part of the indigenous knowledge system rather than a parallel or equivalent knowledge system.



To draw a parallel between the subjects commonly dealt in the Vedic and Agamic texts,



1.The Jnana Pada of Agamic texts can be considered equivalent to the Upanishad portion of Veda and the Vedic Darsanas. However, the summary of spiritual philosophy of Veda is seen at the end of the Veda and in the worldviews based on the Veda, which shows evolution from Karma to Jnana. In Agamic texts it is the other way, the philosophy forms the basis for practice.

2.Kriya-Carya can be considered equivalent to the Srauta-Smarta portions of Kalpa, in that they prescribe the ritual code and general codes respectively. The temple and individual worship prescribed in Agama are equivalent to Srauta and Grihya rituals respectively. The temple itself is regarded as a replica of Yaga Sala.

LORD SIVA AND HIS WORSHIP By SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

LORD SIVA AND HIS WORSHIP By SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA


One will develop love and devotion for Lord Siva if he is freed from egoism. Chariyai,

Kiriyai, Yoga and Jnana are the four Sadhanas or steps to kill egoism and attain Lord Siva.



Chariyai: The worship of the all-pervading, eternal Supreme Being through external forms, is called Chariyai. The requisite initiation for this, is Samaya Diksha. Erecting temples, cleaning them, making garlands of flowers, singing Lord’s praises, burning lamps in the temples, making flower gardens constitute Chariyai.

Tamil Lexicon: Chariyai = சரியை: (Šaiva.) First of the four-fold means of attaining salvation, which consists in worshipping God-in-form in a temple.



Kiriyai is to perform Puja, Archanas. The worship of the cosmic form of the Eternal Ruler of the universe externally and internally, is called Kiriyai. For Kiriyai and Yoga, the requisite initiation is called Visesha Diksha.

Tamil Lexicon: கிரியை:1. Act, action, deed; செய்கை. 2. (Šaiva.) Second of the four-fold means of attaining salvation, which consists in worshipping Šiva with rites and ceremonies prescribed in the Āgamas.



Yoga is restraint of the senses and contemplation on the internal light. The internal worship of Him as formless, is called Yoga. For Kiriyai and Yoga, the requisite initiation is called Visesha Diksha.

Tamil Lexicon: Yogam = யோகம் = Path of yoga which consists in the mental worship of Šiva in His subtler Form.



Jnana is to understand the true significance of Pati, Pasu, Pasa and to become one with Siva by constant meditation on Him after removing the three Malas, viz., Anava (egoism), Karma (action) and Maya (illusion). The direct realisation of Lord Siva through Jnana Guru, is called Jnana. The initiation that leads to it, is called Nirvana Diksha.

Tamil Lexicon: Jnanam = ஞானம். Path of wisdom which consists in the realization of God as transcending form.