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"Chaturtham koosh'maand'aa"
Suraa-Sampoorna-Kalasham Rudhiraaplutameva- Cha,
Dadhaanaa-Hasta-Padmaabhyaam-Koosh'maandaa Shubhamastu me !
"Panchamam Skandamaateti"
Simhaasanagataa-Nityam Pdmamaashrit-Karadwayaa,
Shubhadaastu Sadaa Devee Skandamataa Yashaswinee .
"Shash'th'amam Kaatyaayaneeti Cha"
Chandra-Hasojjwalakaraa Shaardoolaravaahanaa,
Kaatyaayanee-Shubham-Dadyaa-Devee Daanava-Ghaatinee .
"Saptam Kaala Ratreeti"
Eka-veni Japaakarn'apooraa Nagnaa Kharrsthitaa,
Lamboshth'ee Karnikaakarnee Tailaabhyaakta-Shareerinee .
In Navaraatra Days, He would Chant while performing Pujaa of Devee.
On One such Navaratri, when Sharu wasnine years, He 'initiated' her into "Saraswat-Deekshaa.
By now was well-acquainted with various Sanskrit Chants, because of Father's company.
She was affectionately called 'Sharu', which was the short for 'Sharadaa', a name of Devee Saraswatee.
She had already learnt Sanskrit Vyakaranam and basics of Indian Classical Music.
She knew where 'C' (Saa) of the Octave starts. She always cherished to develop the singing skills, but father seemed to be reluctant to her this deep craving.
"Why?"
-She would often brood over it.
The reasons became clear, only when was she 16+ of Age.
One day, her father allowed her to practice the specific 'Raags' of Indian Classical Music.
Then father told to a friend of his,
I am happy that this girl of mine has successfully passed through the barrier, I was hopeful of.
He was waiting to see, how her voice turnes-out, when she crosses this specific age, when the
voice may go awry. Fortunately, It remained clear and melodious. Her voice gave her a free
access in all the three octaves.
But even then, Her father one day told her about the 'inner-music', that one needs to discover.
He taught her about the four kinds of 'Sound', one should be able to discriminate well.
He taught her about the "Vaikharee",
He taught her about the "Vaak",
He taught her about "Pashyantee", and finally about the "Paraa".
She asked him about the significance of each of them.
And he told her in short thus, :
"Vaikharee" is the sound made by animate and the in-animate objects.
"Vaak" is the one, through which one talks to one-self.
"Pashyantee" is the one, which remains attentive, and where-from "Vaak" originates.
"Paraa" is the All-encompassing Source and Ground of these three kinds of Sounds.
Telling her about the 'Shaila-Putree" and "Brahmachaarinee" forms of the "Mother-Principle",
He told her, "Staying in 'Brahman' is 'Tapas", and according to Upanish'ads, :
'Brahman Is Tapas'.
'Staying in pure sense of Being, without identifying oneself with the modes of the mind (Vritti) is 'Tapas'.
Though Formless, The 'Divine Mother-Principle (Paraa) becomes manifest, again in three
forms:
Cosmic,
Collective,
and Individual.
The Mother-Principle really never undergoes any change, but all this is Her Great Play only.
"Leelaa".
She was listening to it attentively.
In the evenings, The devotees would play "Garabaa", before an idol of Devee.
In Garabaa, only Female devotees could participate.
She too would take part enthusiastically. But it was a festival of devotion.
-Pure Devotion only.
There was no scope for vanity.
On such occassions, sometime some devotee would be 'possessed' by 'Maataa'.
Her father would worship her with due ritual performance, and there was no doubt, scepticism or fear about such incidence.
She always witnessed such an event with awe, -with admiration.
The Devee would sometimes perform some miracles, sometimes predict about the future of the
land, the people, and occassionally would suggest some remedies to ailing, worried devotees.
People talked about the veracity of theose predictions.
She was told by the father that human beings should not comment about such things. It is
beyond the capacity of "Vaikharee" and "Vaak" to understand such phenomena.
She could just wonder. She had to wait till she reaches to the "Pashyantee" level of the
Existence. And it is just as the "Grace" would have it. She would get readily convinced.
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"Mahaa-Gaureeti Chaash't'amam ... ... ..."
Shwete Vrish'e Samaaroodh'aa Shwetaambardharaa Shuchi:,
Mahaa-Gauree Shubham-Dadhaan-Mahaadeva-Pramodadaa.
This was the last stanza of the 'Chant' sung by her father. The titles cited before each of them together make-up one more shloka in themselves :
Prathamam Shaila-Putree Dwiteeyam Brahma-Chaarin'ee,
Triteeyam Chandra-Ghant'eti Chaturtham Cha Koosh'maand'aa.
Panchamam SkandaMaateti Sh'ash'th'am Kaatyaayaneeti Cha,
Saptamam Kaala-Ratreeti, Mahaa-Gaureeti Chaash't'amam.
These were the Eight 'Forms' of the One and Only One Divine Mother, which the devotees worshipped during "Nava-Durgaa"- Festivals.
She was enchanted by every form of the Mother. Occasionally, she would realize that her mind has become tranquil, calm and collected. A soothing Light would engulf her mind and body and being. She could know only after returning to her usual self, that the "Light" was the Grace of the "Divine-Mother". This repeated for years. Especially on Fridays, and Tuesdays in the evenings, but sometimes in the mornings also. This was a kind of 'normal' thing for her.
In one of the Navaratra, however she came across a new revelation. While doing the traditional 'Garabaa', she felt the same Light is approaching to her from all directions, and as the Light touched her, she found herself transfixed in It. The sense of 'personal'-being however continued at a mild level. Only the Light that descended upon her took control of all her physical actions. She could sense that she is now possessed by a Greater divine power, and she had not to have fear any more. The Power was worshipped by her father, and the devotees, in the same way, as she herself used to do, when she saw earlier such happenings with other devotees, mostly the females only.
This time, however she could remember that the "Power" had a specific ethereal form that closely resembled one of the nine forms of the mother, as described in the scripture. She never disclosed the thing to any one.
She now knew well that where-from the "Divine" Forms come and where they return.
Her father had explained it:
"Lochayati, Lochyate waa, iti Loka:"
It meant that one who 'sees' or 'seen' is "Loka" i.e. the 'soul'.
The Divine forms of the Mother are themselves their Realms, i.e. Loka.
All this is Verily the "Brahman",
-The Upanishadik Lore came to her mind.
The Life was going smoothly. After some years she was married to a Brahmin boy of her own caste, and entered the 'Grihastha-Ashrama'.
She was not very wealthy, but had servants to help her in the domestic chores. She however continued to celebrate Navaratra, to worship and feed "Kumaarees", all the same. She would be 'visited' by the Divine Mother now and then, but nothing note-worthy happened. She gave birth to a son and a daughter,and lived happily.
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The ninth form of the Mother :
"Navamam Siddhi-Daatree...."
Siddha-Gandharva-Yakshaadyai:-asurai:-amarai:-api,
Sasevyamaanaa Sadaa Bhooyaat Siddhidaa Siddhidaayinee.
These nine forms of the Divine Mother Durga were devotedly worshipped during the Navaraatra Time.
During one such Navaratra, when she was just preparing for the evening pooja, a humble villager came to have her 'Darshana'
He prostrated before her. She was sometimes greeted by the visitors in such a way.
She just raised her open right palm upon her and said :
'Tathaastu'.
She was not even asked for a boon, but as the words spontaneously escaped her lips, the villager was just wonder-struck .
Taken aback, He tried to convey his wish, when she herself remarked,:
'Don't doubt, I shall myself appear at your home as a girl-child after the next Navaratra.'
She said to him.
She was at the time at another level of 'consciousness'. She was just lost in the contemplation of
the Mother, when he had suddenly arrived there.
She so, couldn't remember even a single thread of the conversation between them.
She resumed her work.
Next year, along-with a fellow women devotees of her village, she went to visit some holy places.
She went to Haridwaar, Rishikesh, Vaishno-Devi, Gangotree, Yamunotree. They had planned to visit KedaarNath and Badri-Naath Dhaams.
While returning, They again took a dip in the Ganges, -precisely at Har-Kee-Paidee, when the
memory of that humble villager resurfaced before her mental eyes. She could see her time had
come . She knew well that she is going to be absorbed in the Holy Ganges.
Unhesitatingly, she stepped forward in the deep waters, and was gone !
The mighty waves took her fast in their stride. The fellow women could do nothing.
They made a frenetic search for her, but she was swept-away in the streams. Found no-where.
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'Kinee' was 'Sharu' .
When the old villager heard the news of his wife's pregnancy, he was in his late
forties. Some 18 years ago was he married and so far had been childless. When the news broke-
over in the village, every-one congratulated him and his wife.
On the auspicious day of Deepawali, his wife delivered a girl-child. Living in the village that was
near a river, he named her ''Mandaakini', and the father lovingly called her by the name 'Kinee'.
We don't know if he knew or not about the demise of 'Sharu' alias 'Sharadaa'.
He was just happy.
He lived in the hamlet near the tiny rivulet, that becomes a somewhat bigger stream and joins
another one some thirty-forty miles away from his village. The river then again meets the
mighty Yamunaa. He had twice visited the confluence, where It joines the river Yamunaa.
'kinee' perhaps never knew the meaning or the origin of her name. She just thought, her name
was an alternative to a very small piece of 'mishree', or the sugar. And perhaps she was given
this name, just as the custom . Incidentally, she had a friend, who told her it was the name of some river. She didn't know what was the truth. She, however liked her name.
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The Night was past twelve. The deep silence and the noise and sounds of the wild 'beings' permeated the jungle. It was the first night of the new moon, -'Pratipadaa'.
She was hungry and thirsty, but it did not become a distraction to her journey 'inwards'.
She was so deeply absorbed and a bit fascinated also into the re-occurrences of her past lives, that seemed to her, as if re-enacting themselves, that a question started haunting her.
'Who am I?',
-verbally it could be framed in these three words. It was a real-life identity-crisis to her. She could not see if Sharu became the girl Kinee, or the girl Kinee was Sharu in her past life! She couldn't even judge if she was Kinee's new birth, or Kinee was her past one ! Who is She? She could vividly see that she was a female tiger retiring in her isolated spot under the trees in the silent jungle, but she could now doubt this fact .She thought, may be in the waking hours she is the female tiger, yet during hours when she is fast asleep, she owns other identities. She laughed aloud . In the silent jungle, her laughter didn't cause a stir. When she could not bear, she rose-up and went to the adjacent water-hole to quench her thirst.
The dreams/other worldly experiences resumed their play.
It occurred to her that she was just a witness that gave foundation to all these three characters, namely; Sharu, Kinee and this current one, the tiger. In an instant flash, her identity was bare before herself.
Good Joke ! she uttered to herself.
Then what does it mean when she is no more?
She could now easily recall all the three births, but the current one seemed to be overpowering. The other two seemed as if were a lucid dreams only.
Then again she wondered, why she has donned the tiger-skin?
She searched more and more. She could see herself postured in 'Padmaasana', performing some 'japa' as Sharu. Then she recalled herself as Kinee, playing with a tiger and being attacked and killed by the same. Then once more, she could find herself in a tiger-body, sitting with the hind legs folded while the rear-ones stretched-out crossing each other.
And it was very comfortable for her to perceive the thing, -her true identity, which was a non-verbal entity, as her simple being, -the witness.
She immediately realized that humans could never grasp this simple truth of Life.
She was a 'vehicle' of Life, she said to herself.
Then again she saw her father's face, who had told her about this truth.
'Life', -the Mother Divine permeates and pervades the whole Existence. The Whole Existence is just an infant in Her lap. But for the humans, She owes forms, she Herself becomes 'the Existence', -the whole life.
She rides the back of a Tiger, and the bull, and the Hansa (Swan), and the Peacock, and she keeps the existence breathing, alive.
Even at the gross level, humans survive, only if the tiger survives. If tiger survives not, only the herbivores would be there on the earth. They would graze-out every bit of grass, and the land will face droughts and famines , and humans too would vanish. And if Humans vanish, Life is lost.
Then, the tiger and the other carnivores have a slow rate of population. And if they are in aplenty, humans would go for their hunt. So, this whole life is a complete and perfect cycle.
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Bodily, she was a tiger, mentally, she was an amalgam of several mental attributes, thoughts, feelings, emotions, intelligence, all mingled together in front of the back-drop of a 'sense' of 'I'/ 'me'. An intense urge to understand the significance of this 'sense' of 'I'/'me' arose in her very being, at the core, where-from this sense must have its origin.
She could recall the events of her past lives as if happening on a screen. She was the screen, She was the picture, and she was the rapidly moving pointed tip of the consciousness that gave form and colour to the picture. She was the 'time-span' in which the pictures owed their ( virtual ) existence.
The myriad pictures were formed in a bit of second, and were dissolved in the nothingness.
The identity-crisis was overcome in a fraction of the moment. But it was not a 'new' knowledge.
Time had been ever like this. It never moved. It was the film that kept moving and created a sense of the movement of pictures, and the illusion of the passage of time also.
Bodily, she would live for the rest of her stipulated life as a lady tiger. She would kill a beast twice a week. Sometimes a day, if she kills a rabbit or a deer, She would search for a male, she would give birth to cubs every third year, and after some 15 to 20 years, or before that, die.
In the following night, she resumed her journey through the proverbial 'memory-lane'.
As Sharu, she was aware about the significance of 'Praana' and 'Chakras' , of 'Kunda' 'Kundala' and 'Kundalini', Of 'Idaa', 'Pingalaa' and 'Sushumnaa'. Of the various 'Devas' that own the 'Chakras'. The various kinds of 'Praanaayams', The concentration of mind, and retaining the 'Praanas', at a specific 'Chakra' or nerve-center. She also knew how to locate the centres through the 'inner-eye', without bringing-in imagination. How to 'vitalize' them, and direct, stop or reverse the movement of 'Pranas' through various passages (Naadees). How to propitiate the specific deities that are connected to those different centres. It was really very absorbing and yielding too.
But then ?
She could see, how 'Kaaya-vyooh' creation helped exhausting the 'individual-praarabdha' and that is one cause that lead her to newer births.
The successive 'Kaayaas' and the lives, helped her, no doubt.
But then ?
-What next?
She had no answer, but a deep satisfaction, contentedness, within her .
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She could vividly 'see', her own past lives, when she was some aspirant , when she was a yogi,
tapasvee, bhakt, jnaanee, and saadhak. When she was having a male body. She had been trained
by competent spiritual masters. It was the life, when she believed in 'enlightenment', and in
'bondage', liberation, and God . Her belief was just nominal, because it was founded on ignorance
of the True nature of them. What precisely did she know? She wanted to gather 'knowledge'.
She desired to be a great scholar, Pundit, a Master of all Vedik-knowledge.
But there lied a ray of hope. The master repeatedly instructed her to practice 'chintana' of the
transient nature of the life, of the worldy pleasures and sorrows, and try to see for herself, what
lies beyond them. The master was very emphatic that any spiritual search in the quest of God,
Truth, Religion, Self, Brahma, etc. begins with understanding that if there is something, which
may be permanent ? If the search is not motivated with this understanding, it would eventually end in the pursuit of some worldy gains, and that would fail all efforts.
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