जगत् यज्ञेन तृप्यतु - May the universe be pleased with the Prayers!
Śri Gurubhyó Namaha! Śri Mátre Namaha!
Namaskarams
As we look back, our hearts overflow with gratitude. 2024 started off with extensive preparations for the Ati Rudram to be held in Vārāṇasi end of March 2024. The blessings of Kāsi Viswanāthā and the Guru maṇḍala, the shraddhā of all participating Vedic Pundits, the collective effort and the dedication of our dear disciples around the globe made the Ati Rudra Mahā Yajnā, performed on the banks of the Ganges in the holy city of Vārāṇasi, an event to behold for ever. Pictures of this divine event can be found here.
In a way, Lakșa Chaṇdi Mahā Yajnā that concluded on January 1st, 2023 in Chennai provided a feeding ground for us and the volunteers, to plan and conduct such events in large scale while faithfully conforming to all the Vedic guidelines.
Gurunāthās from our Ashram have travelled all the way from South India to Vārāṇasi to do their sādhanā and attain Siddhi. We believe they still live there in the Avyakta rūpa - in their Sūkshma or subtle form. Ati Rudram in Vārāṇasi is a way of offering our learning to their Holy feet.
Initially we were a bit concerned about arranging and transporting all the required items from South India to Vārāṇasi and transforming an open ground at the banks of the Ganges to Yajnasālā. But the grace of Kāsi Viswanāthā and the Guru maṇḍala guided us all through the event.
From logistics to registration, food to network to live coverage to daily events to taking care of Vedic Pandits who came from all over India, as our guests, it is the years of Tapas by our Gurus in our Guru maṇḍala that made this event even possible. We are very fortunate to be reaping the fruits of their labor.
As many of you may know. Śrī Cakra ārādhanā to the deity
MahāTripuraSundarī is a sātvic method of worship, comprising three modes or divisions:
The first is bahir -yāga or bāhya pūjā (external worship), where devotees worship Devī either in a female human form or as a yantrã.
The second is japā, the chanting of mantras audible only to the person reciting them.
The third mode is antar-yāga or internal worship, where the sādhakā or practitioner meditates upon the divine for extended periods without being distracted by external thoughts or disturbances.
The detailed method of internal worship is elaborated in the Vedic text Bhāvanopaniṣad. Our Kula-Guru, Śrī Bhāskararāya Makhīn, has provided a comprehensive instructional guide to this internal worship, known as the Bhāvanopaniṣad Prayoga Vidhi or Mahāyāga-Kramaḥ. The Mahāyāga-Kramaḥ has the vaiśiṣtyam (special distinction) of combining all the modalities of Śrī Cakra ārādhanā: bãhya-puja, nyāsa, japā and antar-yāga along with bhāvanā (mindful contemplation); and delivering the benefits thereof. In this text, the entire Sri Chakra Puja is intricately mapped onto the human body.
Our Guru, Śrī Śrī Vimarśānandanāthendra Saraswatī Swāmigaḷ, devoted the last 15 years of his physical presence to the Bhāvanopaniṣad Prayoga Vidhi. He considered it the simplest and most effective method to gain the divine grace of the Guru maṇḍala and MahāTripuraSundarī.
In June 2024, with the blessings of our Guru Maṇḍala and Śrī Sītārāmānjaneyā, we performed the first ever Śrī Vidyā Seminary retreat along with Yajnās, propitiating the deities of Śrīmad Rāmāyaṇa at Mount Madonna center at the Sankat Mochan Hanumān temple in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains. The weekend went by with engaging and immersive days of Sri Bhaskararaya’s commentary on the Bhāvanopaniṣad and the Mahāyāga-Kramaḥ!
Subsequently, we conducted a similar retreat in Virginia for disciples in the East Coast in August 2024.
May Devi bless us with many more such immersive events.
With thousands of students learning the Devi Māhātmyam during the Covid lockdown, hundreds of the Aśram disciples stepped up enthusiastically to mentor these eager students. Through these classes, we were able to reach dedicated students who learnt this scripture in a very short period of time and contributed towards Devi Māhātmyam Pārāyańams for the Lakșa Chaṇdi Mahā Yajnā.
It was overwhelming to see many around the world approaching us with earnest and persistent requests to start the next set of classes of Devi Māhātmyam after the culmination of Laksha Chaṇdi Mahā Yajnā, and this resulted in us starting the next series of Devi Māhātmyam classes in August 2024 but, this time with a twist!
We felt while learning the Devi Māhātmyam, understanding the meaning of the verses will help students internalize the Māhātmyam so that their chanting gets easier and effective. So in this series of lessons, we decided to review the word by word meanings of the verses and also understand the commentaries by scholars like Nāgoji Bhattā and Śrī Bhāskararāya Makhīn.
As always, our volunteers took on this challenge of assigning 1000 + students who registered, with a mentor as well as volunteering themselves as mentors. The classes have been held in various places across India and USA and in a way travels along with us! Our heartfelt gratitude to our disciples who have been hosting these sessions in their houses in all the different cities in Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, New Jersey, Orlando and the San Francisco Bay Area. They have given perfect opportunities for new students to meet us in person as well. So far we have covered nine chapters and we are on our way to finish this in the next couple of months. Classes are available on our YouTube channel here. It is so heartwarming to see the efforts the mentors put in, making sure that their assigned students get the best support in learning.
With the divine blessings of our Guru Maṇdala, we celebrated the Arādhanā Mahótsavā of our beloved Guru Śri Śri Vimarśānanda Nāthendra Saraswati Mahāswāmigal followed by Sri Sāradā Navaratri Mahótsavām in October 2024 at the Holy Adhiśtānam of our Sri Guru in Chennai in the divine presence of Sri Mahā Shódaśi.
On the auspicious occasion of Vijaya Daśami, we chanted the Nātha Navaratnamālikā composed by Sri Mahesà nātha, explaining the ati rahasya swarūpā of Sri Guru in the form of nine gems in the necklace adorned by Devi.
With the blessings and grace of Śri Guru, we look forward to studying and disseminating this treasure in the New Year.
We are also happy to share that our Aśram disciples and devotees from Toronto, Canada, lead and performed the Chaṇdi Homam at Adi Parāśakti Temple in Scarborough during Sāradā Navaratri.
It gives immense happiness to us that our Aśram curriculum texts are being regularly followed as a nitya anuśtana by our devoted disciples. We are ever grateful to our Guru Maṇdala for having preserved the ancient knowledge and for passing it on with great compassion.
We sincerely pray Devi’s blessings be with all of you, who have been with us at every single step in all of the Aśram tasks. Each one of you takes each of these as your own, which makes all the big tasks even possible. May Sāmba Parameśwara’s blessings be with you and your families.
Our volunteers are diligently working on making the Śiva Pújā Book in different languages published during the Ati Rudram event in Vārāṇasi as well as the illustrated translation of Bhāvanopaniṣad Prayoga Vidhi in English with Śrī Bhāskararāya’s commentary on the Bhāvanopaniṣad, available for everyone to use. Stay tuned for more details.
As we welcome 2025, we are happy to announce that, with the benign blessings of Śri Chaṇdikā Mahālakśmi and Sāmba Parameśwara, BPA devotees of New Jersey, USA are planning to perform Sahaśra Chaṇdi Mahā Yajnā along with Triśati Suvāsini Pūjā and Mahārudra Homam from July 29 through August 3, 2025 for the welfare and prosperity of everyone.
Following this, Sahaśra Chaṇdi Mahā Yajnā and Mahārudra Homam will be performed from August 27 to September 1, 2025 in Toronto, Canada as well.
Stay tuned for further details of these two events and registration forms for logging Pārāyanams.
We warmly welcome all devotees to attend these two events and receive the blessings of Śri Sāmba Parameśwara and Śri Chaṇdikā Mahālakśmi. Please save the dates! It is a great opportunity for all students of Devi Māhātmyam and Śri Rudram to participate as ritwiks.
As the New Year 2025 dawns, let us bow in gratitude to Devi, the Divine Mother, who nurtures and protects all Her creation. May Her grace illuminate our path, bringing wisdom, strength and boundless blessings to our lives. May Devi’s divine energy remove all obstacles, fill our hearts with joy and guide us towards fulfilling our highest purpose. May the vibrant power of mantras protect and help us dissolve negative thoughts and cultivate positive energy in and around us.
Let us welcome the New Year with devotion and a renewed commitment to walk the path of love and dharma.
Let us all prove to be worthy soldiers in Devi’s army!
सर्वे जना: सुखिनो भवन्तु।