The Art of Shiva Manasa Puja
Lost in his world of devotion to the Lord, the divine verses fell out of the great Shankaracharya 's mind:Aaradhayami mani sannibham athma lingamMaayapuri hrudaya pankaja sannivishtamSradha nadhi vimala chitha jalabishegaiNithyam samadhi kusmaira punarbhavaiI worship the Linga which is a part of my soul, which resides as an illusory lotus within my heart. I worship the Linga which is bathed by the clear waters of my devotion which flows like a river through me. I worship this Linga with a lotus everyday, so that I am not born again in another birth. Rathnai Kalpitham asanam, Himajalai snanam cha divyambaramNaana rathna vibhooshitham mruga madha modhanvitham ChandanamJathi champaka bilwa pathra rachitham, pushpam cha deepam ThadaDeepam deva dayanithe pasupathe, hrud kalpyatham gruhyathamI offer you an imaginary throne made of precious stones, I offer you a bath in the melted waters of the Himalayan snow. I drape you in sacred silks and adorn you with precious jewels. I offer you sandal and musk and make offerings of vivla and champaka flowers to you. I offer you this holy lamp and all these offerings i make in the portal of my mind. Please O merciful Lord, bless me with your grace.
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These words of love that the Shankara sang in praise of the Lord bring a sense of overwhelming peace in lesser mortals like me. To believe in Lord Shiva is one thing, to worship regularly is another but to feel the presence of Lord Shiva deep within the emotions rooted in the hrudaya kamalam is something else. To recite songs to the Lord is one thing, to understand the meaning is another but to realize the beauty of his presence within the self is a completely overwhelming experience. Hrudaya kamalam, is the blooming lotus in the heart chakra and the presence of the Lord is felt when these divine verses stop time, stop activity, trivialize worry, discard greed and vanquish destructive thought. That is when the Bhakta knows that the Lord has descended into his being and he then proclaims himself as the Athma Linga.I feel blessed to have been granted the sensibility to worship the Lord, I feel blessed to have been given the consciousness to realize his presence. I feel blessed to be able to offer vilva leaves and lotus to the Lord during worship. I feel blessed that my mind dwells deep into Lord Shiva and with every passing breath, with every passing thought I feel him, his reality, his presence. My heart is his throne, My mind is his homeThe lotus of my heart is his bedMy thoughts are music to him My breath is the beat in his stepsMy body is his fortressMy speech is a song to himMy actions are his willMy eyes are an offering of the three leafed vilvaMy self is his beautyMy life is his pranaMy soul is but a part of himI am but HeAs I offer these sacred leaves and as I place my mind on his thoughts, I realize there is no great happiness in this world. Events come and go, people come and go, feelings come and go but all that is there to stay is my mind, my thoughts and the Lord who resides deep within the lotus of my heart. Aathma thwam Girija Mathi sahacharaa prana sarreram gruhamPooja theey vishayopa bhoga rachana nidhra samadhi sthithiSanchara padayo pradakshina vidhi sthothrani sarva giraaYadyath karma karomi thathad akhilam shambho thavaradhanamMy soul is your temple O Lord, my activities are your attendants. My body is your home and my acts to please my senses are but in worship of you. My act of sleep is but in deep meditation on you, and my walks are all in circumambulation of you. All my actions are but in your worship and all that falls out of my mind are sacred verses in praise of you.When the mind rests on the Lord, and all actions are but attributes of his presence, how then does it matter who or what I am?
Lost in his world of devotion to the Lord, the divine verses fell out of the great Shankaracharya 's mind:Aaradhayami mani sannibham athma lingamMaayapuri hrudaya pankaja sannivishtamSradha nadhi vimala chitha jalabishegaiNithyam samadhi kusmaira punarbhavaiI worship the Linga which is a part of my soul, which resides as an illusory lotus within my heart. I worship the Linga which is bathed by the clear waters of my devotion which flows like a river through me. I worship this Linga with a lotus everyday, so that I am not born again in another birth. Rathnai Kalpitham asanam, Himajalai snanam cha divyambaramNaana rathna vibhooshitham mruga madha modhanvitham ChandanamJathi champaka bilwa pathra rachitham, pushpam cha deepam ThadaDeepam deva dayanithe pasupathe, hrud kalpyatham gruhyathamI offer you an imaginary throne made of precious stones, I offer you a bath in the melted waters of the Himalayan snow. I drape you in sacred silks and adorn you with precious jewels. I offer you sandal and musk and make offerings of vivla and champaka flowers to you. I offer you this holy lamp and all these offerings i make in the portal of my mind. Please O merciful Lord, bless me with your grace.
- * - * -
These words of love that the Shankara sang in praise of the Lord bring a sense of overwhelming peace in lesser mortals like me. To believe in Lord Shiva is one thing, to worship regularly is another but to feel the presence of Lord Shiva deep within the emotions rooted in the hrudaya kamalam is something else. To recite songs to the Lord is one thing, to understand the meaning is another but to realize the beauty of his presence within the self is a completely overwhelming experience. Hrudaya kamalam, is the blooming lotus in the heart chakra and the presence of the Lord is felt when these divine verses stop time, stop activity, trivialize worry, discard greed and vanquish destructive thought. That is when the Bhakta knows that the Lord has descended into his being and he then proclaims himself as the Athma Linga.I feel blessed to have been granted the sensibility to worship the Lord, I feel blessed to have been given the consciousness to realize his presence. I feel blessed to be able to offer vilva leaves and lotus to the Lord during worship. I feel blessed that my mind dwells deep into Lord Shiva and with every passing breath, with every passing thought I feel him, his reality, his presence. My heart is his throne, My mind is his homeThe lotus of my heart is his bedMy thoughts are music to him My breath is the beat in his stepsMy body is his fortressMy speech is a song to himMy actions are his willMy eyes are an offering of the three leafed vilvaMy self is his beautyMy life is his pranaMy soul is but a part of himI am but HeAs I offer these sacred leaves and as I place my mind on his thoughts, I realize there is no great happiness in this world. Events come and go, people come and go, feelings come and go but all that is there to stay is my mind, my thoughts and the Lord who resides deep within the lotus of my heart. Aathma thwam Girija Mathi sahacharaa prana sarreram gruhamPooja theey vishayopa bhoga rachana nidhra samadhi sthithiSanchara padayo pradakshina vidhi sthothrani sarva giraaYadyath karma karomi thathad akhilam shambho thavaradhanamMy soul is your temple O Lord, my activities are your attendants. My body is your home and my acts to please my senses are but in worship of you. My act of sleep is but in deep meditation on you, and my walks are all in circumambulation of you. All my actions are but in your worship and all that falls out of my mind are sacred verses in praise of you.When the mind rests on the Lord, and all actions are but attributes of his presence, how then does it matter who or what I am?
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