Sri Chakra · 2021. 2. 19. · “paripurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantra”. This mantra is...
Transcript of Sri Chakra · 2021. 2. 19. · “paripurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantra”. This mantra is...
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri ChakraThe Source of the Cosmos
The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam Rush NY
NandikeshwaraMaha Shivarathri 2019
Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam bull 6980 East River Road bull Rush NY 14543 bull (585) 533 - 1970
June 2019
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg 2
IN THIS ISSUE
Temple Bulletin
Past Temple Events
Upcoming Temple Events
Steps Towards Our Granite Temple
Aiyarsquos Vision
Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos
Namavali
Gānāmrutham
In Memory of Sri Amma
Naivēdyam Nivēdayāmi
Kids Korner
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Sri Chakra June 2019
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TEMPLE BULLETIN
Connect
With
SVTS
(585) 533 - 1970
(416) 628 - 3786
wwwsrividyaorg
Sri Vidya Temple
Sri Vidya Temple
Sri Vidya Temple
TEMPLE BULLETINTEMPLE BULLETIN
Rajagopuram ProjectAs many of you know Aiya has been speaking about the need for a more permanent sacred home for Devi for a number of years Over the past 40 years the Temple has evolved into an important center for the worship of the Divine Mother Rajarajeswari attracting thousands of visitors each year from around the worldIt is now time to take the next step in fulfilling Aiyarsquos vision of constructing an Agamic temple in granite complete with a traditional Rajagopuram With the grace of the Guru lineage and the loving blessings of our Divine Mother now is the right time to actively participate and contribute to make this vision a realityThe new Temple will be larger and will be built according to the Kashyapa Shilpa Shastra By following the holy Agamas more divine energy than ever will be attracted into the Temple and the granite will hold that energy for 10000 years bringing powerful blessings to countless generations into the futureAs Maha Periyava has beautifully explained ldquoTemple Renovation Reconstruction Kumbabhishekam etc are all considered extremely noble deeds We all should do whatever we can towards these and earn Punya Karma Whatever we offer it may be a brick but as long as that brick is there in that temple we will spend that much time (thousands of years) in Kailash or Vaikunthamrdquo
To learn more please visit srividyaorgrajagopuram To contribute or set up monthly donations please visit srividyaorgdonate and select ldquoRajagopuram Building Fundrdquo from the menu If you would like to offer your time or expertise towards this noble endeavour please contact Natarajan Mama at (585) 533 - 1970
Temple LinksPrivate HomaPuja Booking
srividyaorgpuja
Rajagopuram Project (Granite
Temple)
srividyaorgrajagopuram
Email Subscriptions
srividyaorgemail
Temple Timings
srividyaorgcalendar
Event Livestream
srividyaorglive
Summer Youth Camp (VSI)
srividyaorgcamp
Online Donation
srividyaorgdonate
Learning at SVTS
srividyaorglearn
Alaya Nirmana Ganapathi PujaSri Amma had advised the Temple to organize a daily puja for Sri Maha Ganapati to take place on the location where He will be installed
in the new Granite Temple This daily puja commenced on the auspicious full moon day on May 28 and has been continuing since
The Temple Board amp Administration would like to invite all disciples to offer their love and devotion towards the Rajagopuram Project
by taking part in performing this daily Ganapati Puja All who have received mantra diksha from Aiya Guruji or Gurugaru are welcome
and encouraged to sign up to do the puja on the day(s) of their choice Please contact the Temple Administration for details
6980 East River RoadRush NY14543USA
infosrividyaorg
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Chitra PurnimaAlthough this fell on a Thursday many showed up on this auspicious Purnima day in the month of Chithra to partake in the puja which honours the soul of onersquos departed mother Each devotee offered their deceased mother pindams (small balls) made from banana white rice flour ghee jaggery and black sesame Several additional pindams are also offered to the other spirits that may not have had the ritual performed for them
Tamil New Year (Vikari)To celebrate the beginning of the lsquoVikarirsquo year which fell on a Sunday this year the temple was filled with over 200 devotees very early morning As usual to follow the customs a pot of sweet pongal was prepared and beautifully decorated with vibhuti kumkumam and mango leaves This was surrounded by many grains and mangala items such as turmeric saffron and rock candy In front of this there was a beautiful fruit and vegetable display filling up a large brass vessel and glowing lamps that were decorated with flowers and charam All who were present were given the opportunity to offer rice into the large pot while making the sweet pongal Shortly after the puja concluded everyone received prasadam from Aiya and Amma
Maha SivaratriThis auspicious night for Lord Shiva commenced with Ankuraarpanam Kalasa Sthapanam and Abhishekam in the garbha graham All 150 devotees present that night performed abhishekam to the mula murtis and bilva archana to 11 different Shivalingams throughout the night The chanting of Ekadasa Rudram commenced in the evening as soon as the festivities began which was followed by Rudra homam and Alankaram Final arathi was offered around 6 in the morning the next day and everyone present received Maha Prasadam thereafter
PAST EVENTS March 2019 to
June 2019
Apr
14
Apr
18
Mar
4
Yantra Puja WorkshopAs part of the fundraising initiatives for the Rajagopuram project the temple initiated Yantra Pujas focusing on several deities including Maha Ganapathi Ashwarooda Tiraskarini etc To educate interested devotees Aiya conducted two workshops to explain the significance and benefits of Yantra Pujas The first one occurred on April 20th at the Temple (Rush NY) and the second occurred on May 26th in Toronto ON Both workshops were well received with over 150 registrants at each location At the end of both sessions a Question amp Answer session took place where Aiya answered questions from the audience with respect to Yantra Pujas basic practices worships traditions etc
20Apr
26May
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Pratyangira HomamThe temple was filled with 300 devotees who were present to witness this powerful homam for Maha Pratyangira Devi Throughout the entire homam Aiya offered copious amounts of red chillies into the fire Several bhakshanams made by devotees and volunteers were also offered by everyone present for the homam
Apr
21
All events will occur at the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam Rush NY unless otherwise stated above
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our special thanks amp gratitude to this issuersquos volunteers
Aiya Adheesh Ankolekar Skankara Devarkonda Veena Ganeshan Mangala
Janahan Sriganesh Madhvanath Muralee Mahathevan Bharathi amp
Kumaran Perinpanathan Palaniappan Pillai Sashwathi Sriganesh Skanda
Sriganesh Temple Administration and the Thulasi Kitchen
July
01 Alankara Utsavam Sri Bhairavar Madai
16 Guru Purnima
August
03 Adi Puram
27 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - Start (Annual Summer Camp)
June
02 Ganapathi Yantra Puja
IN THREE MONTHS
Devi willing the next issue of the Sri Chakra will be up on the templersquos website at the beginning of September 2019
This magazine cannot keep publishing without contributions Articles poems stories and photos about any spiritual topic
are welcomed
The next deadline for article submission is August 1 2019 Please e-mail us with your contributions or feedback about this issue at srichakrasrividyaorg or talk to Virroshi at the temple
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
03 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - End (Annual Summer Camp)
Toronto BhajansThe annual Toronto bhajans was extremely well received by devotees As usual Aiya and the SVTS bhajans group featured Aiyarsquos unique style of singing bhajans called Mantra Bhajans This style derives its name from the way Aiya infuses mantras and shlokas in appropriate parts of the bhajan for the specific deity
May
25
28 Alankara Utsavam Sri Maha Ganapathi Utsavam
29 Alankara Utsavam Sri Raja Rajeshwari Utsavam
Chandi Homam
Chapparam
31 Adi Amavasya
30Alankara Utsavam Sri Dattatreya Utsavam
Rasi Mandala Puja
09 Varalakshmi Vratam
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Steps Towards
OurGranite Temple
01
Ala
ya N
irm
ana G
anapati P
uja
05 Phase I
02
Ideas
amp S
uggest
ions
Preliminary plans for the temple property the granite temple and Phase I of temple construction ndash a standalone Ganapati temple then be extended into the full temple ndash are now available at the temple They will be published on the temple website under the Rajagopuram Project section (here) once finalized
Phase I is expected to cost about USD 15 ndash 2M Your support in the form of pledges one time or monthly contributions is greatly appreciated
03
Desi
gn C
ontr
act
04
Sannid
hi amp
Vig
raham
Sponso
rship
s
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Sri Chakra June 2019
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Aiyarsquos Vision
Granite Temple amp rajagopuram
Q A The gazebo located on the temple property field is where the Ganapathi shrine for the new
temple is going to be located Sri-la-sri Mathioli Saraswathi who was identified in her 16th
year by no lesser personality than the 68th Acharya of the Kanchipuram Shankara Matam Sri-la-sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal as a purna avatara (incarnation) of Sri Akhilandeshwari in Jambukshwaram blessed the entire property and was the one who performed the Bhumi Puja for the existing temple Her instructions were to install a Haridra Ganapathi Ganapathi made from turmeric and get everyone who walks into the temple to perform puja for this Maha Ganapathi regardless of whether they are initiates or not She assured us that if this happens the new temple will manifest in this location very quickly
Keep an eye out for the next issue
of the Sri Chakra for more responses
from Aiya about the New Temple amp
Rajagopuram project
(Part 4)
Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati affectionately known as Aiya answered a few questions asked by temple devotees on the significances of our current temple and the
future Granite Temple and Rajagopuram Project We thank Aiya for sharing this with the Sri Chakra Here is the fourth portion of the Q amp Aiya
Aiya can you please tell us about the gazebo that is located on the temple
property field
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Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos Namavali
In Blossom 10 Petal 3 of the Sri Chakra (2006) a devotee from the Devipuram temple
wrote an article titled ldquoThe Everyday Sage of Devipuramrdquo In this article specifically on page 20 this devotee talks about Guruji Sri Amritananda Natha Swaraswathirsquos Namavali that was revealed to
Haran Aiya by the Devi
Dhyana shlokam from this Namavali is
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm |
sarva janasammohinīṁ sakala vidyālaṁkāriṇīm sahajānaṁda śāṁbhavīṁ śaṁkara guru mūrtinīm ||
ekāgra cidvilāsinīṁ dakṣiṇāmūrti rūpiṇīmsarva sammohana sukha vāk pradāyinīm |
bhagavatīṁ avyāja karuṇākaṭākṣīmpūrṇabīja rūpa ṣoḍaśanivāsinīṁ annapūrṇamṛteśvarīm ||
Here are the meanings in my perspective of the lines in this shlokam
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ She pervades in all the syllables in the moola mantra
caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm This carries two meanings 1 She is the personification of the compassionate quality of Kanchi Paramacharya 2 She is also the personification of the compassion of Chandrasekhara (Siva)
bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa refers to ldquoparipurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantrardquo This mantra is adorned
by a triplet of the syllable ldquoSrimrdquo which represents Mahalakshmi
Mahakali and Maha Sarasvathi This mantra also refers to the top
most triangle of Sri chakra around which the shodasha bija roopa
nitya devatas pervade This triangle is mapped to the sixteen syllables
of laghushodashi the first fifteen forming the periphery of the triangle while the last Srim bījam resides at the center of the triangle Thus the meaning of the entire name ldquobījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīmrdquo means that Mother will be dancing in the elixir that exudes from the
vibrations of the syllables in the Shodashi mantra that pervade in
and around the top most triangle of the Sri Chakram Also She is the
essence of the abode of the three primordial manifestation of divinity
in feminine form Maha Lakshmi Maha Kali and Maha Sarasvathi
Watch for the next Sri Chakra for the meaning of the rest of the Dhyana Shlokam
by Shankara Devarkonda aiya
(Part 1)
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Sri Chakra June 2019
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Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
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Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
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In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
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and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
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Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
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Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Sri Chakra June 2019
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Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
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20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
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Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
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ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg 2
IN THIS ISSUE
Temple Bulletin
Past Temple Events
Upcoming Temple Events
Steps Towards Our Granite Temple
Aiyarsquos Vision
Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos
Namavali
Gānāmrutham
In Memory of Sri Amma
Naivēdyam Nivēdayāmi
Kids Korner
|
|
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3
4
5
6
7
8
9
12
16
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg 3
TEMPLE BULLETIN
Connect
With
SVTS
(585) 533 - 1970
(416) 628 - 3786
wwwsrividyaorg
Sri Vidya Temple
Sri Vidya Temple
Sri Vidya Temple
TEMPLE BULLETINTEMPLE BULLETIN
Rajagopuram ProjectAs many of you know Aiya has been speaking about the need for a more permanent sacred home for Devi for a number of years Over the past 40 years the Temple has evolved into an important center for the worship of the Divine Mother Rajarajeswari attracting thousands of visitors each year from around the worldIt is now time to take the next step in fulfilling Aiyarsquos vision of constructing an Agamic temple in granite complete with a traditional Rajagopuram With the grace of the Guru lineage and the loving blessings of our Divine Mother now is the right time to actively participate and contribute to make this vision a realityThe new Temple will be larger and will be built according to the Kashyapa Shilpa Shastra By following the holy Agamas more divine energy than ever will be attracted into the Temple and the granite will hold that energy for 10000 years bringing powerful blessings to countless generations into the futureAs Maha Periyava has beautifully explained ldquoTemple Renovation Reconstruction Kumbabhishekam etc are all considered extremely noble deeds We all should do whatever we can towards these and earn Punya Karma Whatever we offer it may be a brick but as long as that brick is there in that temple we will spend that much time (thousands of years) in Kailash or Vaikunthamrdquo
To learn more please visit srividyaorgrajagopuram To contribute or set up monthly donations please visit srividyaorgdonate and select ldquoRajagopuram Building Fundrdquo from the menu If you would like to offer your time or expertise towards this noble endeavour please contact Natarajan Mama at (585) 533 - 1970
Temple LinksPrivate HomaPuja Booking
srividyaorgpuja
Rajagopuram Project (Granite
Temple)
srividyaorgrajagopuram
Email Subscriptions
srividyaorgemail
Temple Timings
srividyaorgcalendar
Event Livestream
srividyaorglive
Summer Youth Camp (VSI)
srividyaorgcamp
Online Donation
srividyaorgdonate
Learning at SVTS
srividyaorglearn
Alaya Nirmana Ganapathi PujaSri Amma had advised the Temple to organize a daily puja for Sri Maha Ganapati to take place on the location where He will be installed
in the new Granite Temple This daily puja commenced on the auspicious full moon day on May 28 and has been continuing since
The Temple Board amp Administration would like to invite all disciples to offer their love and devotion towards the Rajagopuram Project
by taking part in performing this daily Ganapati Puja All who have received mantra diksha from Aiya Guruji or Gurugaru are welcome
and encouraged to sign up to do the puja on the day(s) of their choice Please contact the Temple Administration for details
6980 East River RoadRush NY14543USA
infosrividyaorg
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Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Chitra PurnimaAlthough this fell on a Thursday many showed up on this auspicious Purnima day in the month of Chithra to partake in the puja which honours the soul of onersquos departed mother Each devotee offered their deceased mother pindams (small balls) made from banana white rice flour ghee jaggery and black sesame Several additional pindams are also offered to the other spirits that may not have had the ritual performed for them
Tamil New Year (Vikari)To celebrate the beginning of the lsquoVikarirsquo year which fell on a Sunday this year the temple was filled with over 200 devotees very early morning As usual to follow the customs a pot of sweet pongal was prepared and beautifully decorated with vibhuti kumkumam and mango leaves This was surrounded by many grains and mangala items such as turmeric saffron and rock candy In front of this there was a beautiful fruit and vegetable display filling up a large brass vessel and glowing lamps that were decorated with flowers and charam All who were present were given the opportunity to offer rice into the large pot while making the sweet pongal Shortly after the puja concluded everyone received prasadam from Aiya and Amma
Maha SivaratriThis auspicious night for Lord Shiva commenced with Ankuraarpanam Kalasa Sthapanam and Abhishekam in the garbha graham All 150 devotees present that night performed abhishekam to the mula murtis and bilva archana to 11 different Shivalingams throughout the night The chanting of Ekadasa Rudram commenced in the evening as soon as the festivities began which was followed by Rudra homam and Alankaram Final arathi was offered around 6 in the morning the next day and everyone present received Maha Prasadam thereafter
PAST EVENTS March 2019 to
June 2019
Apr
14
Apr
18
Mar
4
Yantra Puja WorkshopAs part of the fundraising initiatives for the Rajagopuram project the temple initiated Yantra Pujas focusing on several deities including Maha Ganapathi Ashwarooda Tiraskarini etc To educate interested devotees Aiya conducted two workshops to explain the significance and benefits of Yantra Pujas The first one occurred on April 20th at the Temple (Rush NY) and the second occurred on May 26th in Toronto ON Both workshops were well received with over 150 registrants at each location At the end of both sessions a Question amp Answer session took place where Aiya answered questions from the audience with respect to Yantra Pujas basic practices worships traditions etc
20Apr
26May
5
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Pratyangira HomamThe temple was filled with 300 devotees who were present to witness this powerful homam for Maha Pratyangira Devi Throughout the entire homam Aiya offered copious amounts of red chillies into the fire Several bhakshanams made by devotees and volunteers were also offered by everyone present for the homam
Apr
21
All events will occur at the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam Rush NY unless otherwise stated above
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our special thanks amp gratitude to this issuersquos volunteers
Aiya Adheesh Ankolekar Skankara Devarkonda Veena Ganeshan Mangala
Janahan Sriganesh Madhvanath Muralee Mahathevan Bharathi amp
Kumaran Perinpanathan Palaniappan Pillai Sashwathi Sriganesh Skanda
Sriganesh Temple Administration and the Thulasi Kitchen
July
01 Alankara Utsavam Sri Bhairavar Madai
16 Guru Purnima
August
03 Adi Puram
27 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - Start (Annual Summer Camp)
June
02 Ganapathi Yantra Puja
IN THREE MONTHS
Devi willing the next issue of the Sri Chakra will be up on the templersquos website at the beginning of September 2019
This magazine cannot keep publishing without contributions Articles poems stories and photos about any spiritual topic
are welcomed
The next deadline for article submission is August 1 2019 Please e-mail us with your contributions or feedback about this issue at srichakrasrividyaorg or talk to Virroshi at the temple
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
03 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - End (Annual Summer Camp)
Toronto BhajansThe annual Toronto bhajans was extremely well received by devotees As usual Aiya and the SVTS bhajans group featured Aiyarsquos unique style of singing bhajans called Mantra Bhajans This style derives its name from the way Aiya infuses mantras and shlokas in appropriate parts of the bhajan for the specific deity
May
25
28 Alankara Utsavam Sri Maha Ganapathi Utsavam
29 Alankara Utsavam Sri Raja Rajeshwari Utsavam
Chandi Homam
Chapparam
31 Adi Amavasya
30Alankara Utsavam Sri Dattatreya Utsavam
Rasi Mandala Puja
09 Varalakshmi Vratam
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Steps Towards
OurGranite Temple
01
Ala
ya N
irm
ana G
anapati P
uja
05 Phase I
02
Ideas
amp S
uggest
ions
Preliminary plans for the temple property the granite temple and Phase I of temple construction ndash a standalone Ganapati temple then be extended into the full temple ndash are now available at the temple They will be published on the temple website under the Rajagopuram Project section (here) once finalized
Phase I is expected to cost about USD 15 ndash 2M Your support in the form of pledges one time or monthly contributions is greatly appreciated
03
Desi
gn C
ontr
act
04
Sannid
hi amp
Vig
raham
Sponso
rship
s
7
Sri Chakra June 2019
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Aiyarsquos Vision
Granite Temple amp rajagopuram
Q A The gazebo located on the temple property field is where the Ganapathi shrine for the new
temple is going to be located Sri-la-sri Mathioli Saraswathi who was identified in her 16th
year by no lesser personality than the 68th Acharya of the Kanchipuram Shankara Matam Sri-la-sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal as a purna avatara (incarnation) of Sri Akhilandeshwari in Jambukshwaram blessed the entire property and was the one who performed the Bhumi Puja for the existing temple Her instructions were to install a Haridra Ganapathi Ganapathi made from turmeric and get everyone who walks into the temple to perform puja for this Maha Ganapathi regardless of whether they are initiates or not She assured us that if this happens the new temple will manifest in this location very quickly
Keep an eye out for the next issue
of the Sri Chakra for more responses
from Aiya about the New Temple amp
Rajagopuram project
(Part 4)
Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati affectionately known as Aiya answered a few questions asked by temple devotees on the significances of our current temple and the
future Granite Temple and Rajagopuram Project We thank Aiya for sharing this with the Sri Chakra Here is the fourth portion of the Q amp Aiya
Aiya can you please tell us about the gazebo that is located on the temple
property field
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Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos Namavali
In Blossom 10 Petal 3 of the Sri Chakra (2006) a devotee from the Devipuram temple
wrote an article titled ldquoThe Everyday Sage of Devipuramrdquo In this article specifically on page 20 this devotee talks about Guruji Sri Amritananda Natha Swaraswathirsquos Namavali that was revealed to
Haran Aiya by the Devi
Dhyana shlokam from this Namavali is
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm |
sarva janasammohinīṁ sakala vidyālaṁkāriṇīm sahajānaṁda śāṁbhavīṁ śaṁkara guru mūrtinīm ||
ekāgra cidvilāsinīṁ dakṣiṇāmūrti rūpiṇīmsarva sammohana sukha vāk pradāyinīm |
bhagavatīṁ avyāja karuṇākaṭākṣīmpūrṇabīja rūpa ṣoḍaśanivāsinīṁ annapūrṇamṛteśvarīm ||
Here are the meanings in my perspective of the lines in this shlokam
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ She pervades in all the syllables in the moola mantra
caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm This carries two meanings 1 She is the personification of the compassionate quality of Kanchi Paramacharya 2 She is also the personification of the compassion of Chandrasekhara (Siva)
bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa refers to ldquoparipurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantrardquo This mantra is adorned
by a triplet of the syllable ldquoSrimrdquo which represents Mahalakshmi
Mahakali and Maha Sarasvathi This mantra also refers to the top
most triangle of Sri chakra around which the shodasha bija roopa
nitya devatas pervade This triangle is mapped to the sixteen syllables
of laghushodashi the first fifteen forming the periphery of the triangle while the last Srim bījam resides at the center of the triangle Thus the meaning of the entire name ldquobījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīmrdquo means that Mother will be dancing in the elixir that exudes from the
vibrations of the syllables in the Shodashi mantra that pervade in
and around the top most triangle of the Sri Chakram Also She is the
essence of the abode of the three primordial manifestation of divinity
in feminine form Maha Lakshmi Maha Kali and Maha Sarasvathi
Watch for the next Sri Chakra for the meaning of the rest of the Dhyana Shlokam
by Shankara Devarkonda aiya
(Part 1)
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Sri Chakra June 2019
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10
Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
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Sri Chakra June 2019
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Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
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Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
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20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
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Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
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ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
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Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg 3
TEMPLE BULLETIN
Connect
With
SVTS
(585) 533 - 1970
(416) 628 - 3786
wwwsrividyaorg
Sri Vidya Temple
Sri Vidya Temple
Sri Vidya Temple
TEMPLE BULLETINTEMPLE BULLETIN
Rajagopuram ProjectAs many of you know Aiya has been speaking about the need for a more permanent sacred home for Devi for a number of years Over the past 40 years the Temple has evolved into an important center for the worship of the Divine Mother Rajarajeswari attracting thousands of visitors each year from around the worldIt is now time to take the next step in fulfilling Aiyarsquos vision of constructing an Agamic temple in granite complete with a traditional Rajagopuram With the grace of the Guru lineage and the loving blessings of our Divine Mother now is the right time to actively participate and contribute to make this vision a realityThe new Temple will be larger and will be built according to the Kashyapa Shilpa Shastra By following the holy Agamas more divine energy than ever will be attracted into the Temple and the granite will hold that energy for 10000 years bringing powerful blessings to countless generations into the futureAs Maha Periyava has beautifully explained ldquoTemple Renovation Reconstruction Kumbabhishekam etc are all considered extremely noble deeds We all should do whatever we can towards these and earn Punya Karma Whatever we offer it may be a brick but as long as that brick is there in that temple we will spend that much time (thousands of years) in Kailash or Vaikunthamrdquo
To learn more please visit srividyaorgrajagopuram To contribute or set up monthly donations please visit srividyaorgdonate and select ldquoRajagopuram Building Fundrdquo from the menu If you would like to offer your time or expertise towards this noble endeavour please contact Natarajan Mama at (585) 533 - 1970
Temple LinksPrivate HomaPuja Booking
srividyaorgpuja
Rajagopuram Project (Granite
Temple)
srividyaorgrajagopuram
Email Subscriptions
srividyaorgemail
Temple Timings
srividyaorgcalendar
Event Livestream
srividyaorglive
Summer Youth Camp (VSI)
srividyaorgcamp
Online Donation
srividyaorgdonate
Learning at SVTS
srividyaorglearn
Alaya Nirmana Ganapathi PujaSri Amma had advised the Temple to organize a daily puja for Sri Maha Ganapati to take place on the location where He will be installed
in the new Granite Temple This daily puja commenced on the auspicious full moon day on May 28 and has been continuing since
The Temple Board amp Administration would like to invite all disciples to offer their love and devotion towards the Rajagopuram Project
by taking part in performing this daily Ganapati Puja All who have received mantra diksha from Aiya Guruji or Gurugaru are welcome
and encouraged to sign up to do the puja on the day(s) of their choice Please contact the Temple Administration for details
6980 East River RoadRush NY14543USA
infosrividyaorg
4
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Chitra PurnimaAlthough this fell on a Thursday many showed up on this auspicious Purnima day in the month of Chithra to partake in the puja which honours the soul of onersquos departed mother Each devotee offered their deceased mother pindams (small balls) made from banana white rice flour ghee jaggery and black sesame Several additional pindams are also offered to the other spirits that may not have had the ritual performed for them
Tamil New Year (Vikari)To celebrate the beginning of the lsquoVikarirsquo year which fell on a Sunday this year the temple was filled with over 200 devotees very early morning As usual to follow the customs a pot of sweet pongal was prepared and beautifully decorated with vibhuti kumkumam and mango leaves This was surrounded by many grains and mangala items such as turmeric saffron and rock candy In front of this there was a beautiful fruit and vegetable display filling up a large brass vessel and glowing lamps that were decorated with flowers and charam All who were present were given the opportunity to offer rice into the large pot while making the sweet pongal Shortly after the puja concluded everyone received prasadam from Aiya and Amma
Maha SivaratriThis auspicious night for Lord Shiva commenced with Ankuraarpanam Kalasa Sthapanam and Abhishekam in the garbha graham All 150 devotees present that night performed abhishekam to the mula murtis and bilva archana to 11 different Shivalingams throughout the night The chanting of Ekadasa Rudram commenced in the evening as soon as the festivities began which was followed by Rudra homam and Alankaram Final arathi was offered around 6 in the morning the next day and everyone present received Maha Prasadam thereafter
PAST EVENTS March 2019 to
June 2019
Apr
14
Apr
18
Mar
4
Yantra Puja WorkshopAs part of the fundraising initiatives for the Rajagopuram project the temple initiated Yantra Pujas focusing on several deities including Maha Ganapathi Ashwarooda Tiraskarini etc To educate interested devotees Aiya conducted two workshops to explain the significance and benefits of Yantra Pujas The first one occurred on April 20th at the Temple (Rush NY) and the second occurred on May 26th in Toronto ON Both workshops were well received with over 150 registrants at each location At the end of both sessions a Question amp Answer session took place where Aiya answered questions from the audience with respect to Yantra Pujas basic practices worships traditions etc
20Apr
26May
5
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Pratyangira HomamThe temple was filled with 300 devotees who were present to witness this powerful homam for Maha Pratyangira Devi Throughout the entire homam Aiya offered copious amounts of red chillies into the fire Several bhakshanams made by devotees and volunteers were also offered by everyone present for the homam
Apr
21
All events will occur at the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam Rush NY unless otherwise stated above
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our special thanks amp gratitude to this issuersquos volunteers
Aiya Adheesh Ankolekar Skankara Devarkonda Veena Ganeshan Mangala
Janahan Sriganesh Madhvanath Muralee Mahathevan Bharathi amp
Kumaran Perinpanathan Palaniappan Pillai Sashwathi Sriganesh Skanda
Sriganesh Temple Administration and the Thulasi Kitchen
July
01 Alankara Utsavam Sri Bhairavar Madai
16 Guru Purnima
August
03 Adi Puram
27 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - Start (Annual Summer Camp)
June
02 Ganapathi Yantra Puja
IN THREE MONTHS
Devi willing the next issue of the Sri Chakra will be up on the templersquos website at the beginning of September 2019
This magazine cannot keep publishing without contributions Articles poems stories and photos about any spiritual topic
are welcomed
The next deadline for article submission is August 1 2019 Please e-mail us with your contributions or feedback about this issue at srichakrasrividyaorg or talk to Virroshi at the temple
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
03 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - End (Annual Summer Camp)
Toronto BhajansThe annual Toronto bhajans was extremely well received by devotees As usual Aiya and the SVTS bhajans group featured Aiyarsquos unique style of singing bhajans called Mantra Bhajans This style derives its name from the way Aiya infuses mantras and shlokas in appropriate parts of the bhajan for the specific deity
May
25
28 Alankara Utsavam Sri Maha Ganapathi Utsavam
29 Alankara Utsavam Sri Raja Rajeshwari Utsavam
Chandi Homam
Chapparam
31 Adi Amavasya
30Alankara Utsavam Sri Dattatreya Utsavam
Rasi Mandala Puja
09 Varalakshmi Vratam
6
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Steps Towards
OurGranite Temple
01
Ala
ya N
irm
ana G
anapati P
uja
05 Phase I
02
Ideas
amp S
uggest
ions
Preliminary plans for the temple property the granite temple and Phase I of temple construction ndash a standalone Ganapati temple then be extended into the full temple ndash are now available at the temple They will be published on the temple website under the Rajagopuram Project section (here) once finalized
Phase I is expected to cost about USD 15 ndash 2M Your support in the form of pledges one time or monthly contributions is greatly appreciated
03
Desi
gn C
ontr
act
04
Sannid
hi amp
Vig
raham
Sponso
rship
s
7
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Aiyarsquos Vision
Granite Temple amp rajagopuram
Q A The gazebo located on the temple property field is where the Ganapathi shrine for the new
temple is going to be located Sri-la-sri Mathioli Saraswathi who was identified in her 16th
year by no lesser personality than the 68th Acharya of the Kanchipuram Shankara Matam Sri-la-sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal as a purna avatara (incarnation) of Sri Akhilandeshwari in Jambukshwaram blessed the entire property and was the one who performed the Bhumi Puja for the existing temple Her instructions were to install a Haridra Ganapathi Ganapathi made from turmeric and get everyone who walks into the temple to perform puja for this Maha Ganapathi regardless of whether they are initiates or not She assured us that if this happens the new temple will manifest in this location very quickly
Keep an eye out for the next issue
of the Sri Chakra for more responses
from Aiya about the New Temple amp
Rajagopuram project
(Part 4)
Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati affectionately known as Aiya answered a few questions asked by temple devotees on the significances of our current temple and the
future Granite Temple and Rajagopuram Project We thank Aiya for sharing this with the Sri Chakra Here is the fourth portion of the Q amp Aiya
Aiya can you please tell us about the gazebo that is located on the temple
property field
8
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos Namavali
In Blossom 10 Petal 3 of the Sri Chakra (2006) a devotee from the Devipuram temple
wrote an article titled ldquoThe Everyday Sage of Devipuramrdquo In this article specifically on page 20 this devotee talks about Guruji Sri Amritananda Natha Swaraswathirsquos Namavali that was revealed to
Haran Aiya by the Devi
Dhyana shlokam from this Namavali is
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm |
sarva janasammohinīṁ sakala vidyālaṁkāriṇīm sahajānaṁda śāṁbhavīṁ śaṁkara guru mūrtinīm ||
ekāgra cidvilāsinīṁ dakṣiṇāmūrti rūpiṇīmsarva sammohana sukha vāk pradāyinīm |
bhagavatīṁ avyāja karuṇākaṭākṣīmpūrṇabīja rūpa ṣoḍaśanivāsinīṁ annapūrṇamṛteśvarīm ||
Here are the meanings in my perspective of the lines in this shlokam
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ She pervades in all the syllables in the moola mantra
caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm This carries two meanings 1 She is the personification of the compassionate quality of Kanchi Paramacharya 2 She is also the personification of the compassion of Chandrasekhara (Siva)
bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa refers to ldquoparipurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantrardquo This mantra is adorned
by a triplet of the syllable ldquoSrimrdquo which represents Mahalakshmi
Mahakali and Maha Sarasvathi This mantra also refers to the top
most triangle of Sri chakra around which the shodasha bija roopa
nitya devatas pervade This triangle is mapped to the sixteen syllables
of laghushodashi the first fifteen forming the periphery of the triangle while the last Srim bījam resides at the center of the triangle Thus the meaning of the entire name ldquobījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīmrdquo means that Mother will be dancing in the elixir that exudes from the
vibrations of the syllables in the Shodashi mantra that pervade in
and around the top most triangle of the Sri Chakram Also She is the
essence of the abode of the three primordial manifestation of divinity
in feminine form Maha Lakshmi Maha Kali and Maha Sarasvathi
Watch for the next Sri Chakra for the meaning of the rest of the Dhyana Shlokam
by Shankara Devarkonda aiya
(Part 1)
9
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
10
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
11
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
4
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Chitra PurnimaAlthough this fell on a Thursday many showed up on this auspicious Purnima day in the month of Chithra to partake in the puja which honours the soul of onersquos departed mother Each devotee offered their deceased mother pindams (small balls) made from banana white rice flour ghee jaggery and black sesame Several additional pindams are also offered to the other spirits that may not have had the ritual performed for them
Tamil New Year (Vikari)To celebrate the beginning of the lsquoVikarirsquo year which fell on a Sunday this year the temple was filled with over 200 devotees very early morning As usual to follow the customs a pot of sweet pongal was prepared and beautifully decorated with vibhuti kumkumam and mango leaves This was surrounded by many grains and mangala items such as turmeric saffron and rock candy In front of this there was a beautiful fruit and vegetable display filling up a large brass vessel and glowing lamps that were decorated with flowers and charam All who were present were given the opportunity to offer rice into the large pot while making the sweet pongal Shortly after the puja concluded everyone received prasadam from Aiya and Amma
Maha SivaratriThis auspicious night for Lord Shiva commenced with Ankuraarpanam Kalasa Sthapanam and Abhishekam in the garbha graham All 150 devotees present that night performed abhishekam to the mula murtis and bilva archana to 11 different Shivalingams throughout the night The chanting of Ekadasa Rudram commenced in the evening as soon as the festivities began which was followed by Rudra homam and Alankaram Final arathi was offered around 6 in the morning the next day and everyone present received Maha Prasadam thereafter
PAST EVENTS March 2019 to
June 2019
Apr
14
Apr
18
Mar
4
Yantra Puja WorkshopAs part of the fundraising initiatives for the Rajagopuram project the temple initiated Yantra Pujas focusing on several deities including Maha Ganapathi Ashwarooda Tiraskarini etc To educate interested devotees Aiya conducted two workshops to explain the significance and benefits of Yantra Pujas The first one occurred on April 20th at the Temple (Rush NY) and the second occurred on May 26th in Toronto ON Both workshops were well received with over 150 registrants at each location At the end of both sessions a Question amp Answer session took place where Aiya answered questions from the audience with respect to Yantra Pujas basic practices worships traditions etc
20Apr
26May
5
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Pratyangira HomamThe temple was filled with 300 devotees who were present to witness this powerful homam for Maha Pratyangira Devi Throughout the entire homam Aiya offered copious amounts of red chillies into the fire Several bhakshanams made by devotees and volunteers were also offered by everyone present for the homam
Apr
21
All events will occur at the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam Rush NY unless otherwise stated above
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our special thanks amp gratitude to this issuersquos volunteers
Aiya Adheesh Ankolekar Skankara Devarkonda Veena Ganeshan Mangala
Janahan Sriganesh Madhvanath Muralee Mahathevan Bharathi amp
Kumaran Perinpanathan Palaniappan Pillai Sashwathi Sriganesh Skanda
Sriganesh Temple Administration and the Thulasi Kitchen
July
01 Alankara Utsavam Sri Bhairavar Madai
16 Guru Purnima
August
03 Adi Puram
27 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - Start (Annual Summer Camp)
June
02 Ganapathi Yantra Puja
IN THREE MONTHS
Devi willing the next issue of the Sri Chakra will be up on the templersquos website at the beginning of September 2019
This magazine cannot keep publishing without contributions Articles poems stories and photos about any spiritual topic
are welcomed
The next deadline for article submission is August 1 2019 Please e-mail us with your contributions or feedback about this issue at srichakrasrividyaorg or talk to Virroshi at the temple
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
03 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - End (Annual Summer Camp)
Toronto BhajansThe annual Toronto bhajans was extremely well received by devotees As usual Aiya and the SVTS bhajans group featured Aiyarsquos unique style of singing bhajans called Mantra Bhajans This style derives its name from the way Aiya infuses mantras and shlokas in appropriate parts of the bhajan for the specific deity
May
25
28 Alankara Utsavam Sri Maha Ganapathi Utsavam
29 Alankara Utsavam Sri Raja Rajeshwari Utsavam
Chandi Homam
Chapparam
31 Adi Amavasya
30Alankara Utsavam Sri Dattatreya Utsavam
Rasi Mandala Puja
09 Varalakshmi Vratam
6
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Steps Towards
OurGranite Temple
01
Ala
ya N
irm
ana G
anapati P
uja
05 Phase I
02
Ideas
amp S
uggest
ions
Preliminary plans for the temple property the granite temple and Phase I of temple construction ndash a standalone Ganapati temple then be extended into the full temple ndash are now available at the temple They will be published on the temple website under the Rajagopuram Project section (here) once finalized
Phase I is expected to cost about USD 15 ndash 2M Your support in the form of pledges one time or monthly contributions is greatly appreciated
03
Desi
gn C
ontr
act
04
Sannid
hi amp
Vig
raham
Sponso
rship
s
7
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Aiyarsquos Vision
Granite Temple amp rajagopuram
Q A The gazebo located on the temple property field is where the Ganapathi shrine for the new
temple is going to be located Sri-la-sri Mathioli Saraswathi who was identified in her 16th
year by no lesser personality than the 68th Acharya of the Kanchipuram Shankara Matam Sri-la-sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal as a purna avatara (incarnation) of Sri Akhilandeshwari in Jambukshwaram blessed the entire property and was the one who performed the Bhumi Puja for the existing temple Her instructions were to install a Haridra Ganapathi Ganapathi made from turmeric and get everyone who walks into the temple to perform puja for this Maha Ganapathi regardless of whether they are initiates or not She assured us that if this happens the new temple will manifest in this location very quickly
Keep an eye out for the next issue
of the Sri Chakra for more responses
from Aiya about the New Temple amp
Rajagopuram project
(Part 4)
Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati affectionately known as Aiya answered a few questions asked by temple devotees on the significances of our current temple and the
future Granite Temple and Rajagopuram Project We thank Aiya for sharing this with the Sri Chakra Here is the fourth portion of the Q amp Aiya
Aiya can you please tell us about the gazebo that is located on the temple
property field
8
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos Namavali
In Blossom 10 Petal 3 of the Sri Chakra (2006) a devotee from the Devipuram temple
wrote an article titled ldquoThe Everyday Sage of Devipuramrdquo In this article specifically on page 20 this devotee talks about Guruji Sri Amritananda Natha Swaraswathirsquos Namavali that was revealed to
Haran Aiya by the Devi
Dhyana shlokam from this Namavali is
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm |
sarva janasammohinīṁ sakala vidyālaṁkāriṇīm sahajānaṁda śāṁbhavīṁ śaṁkara guru mūrtinīm ||
ekāgra cidvilāsinīṁ dakṣiṇāmūrti rūpiṇīmsarva sammohana sukha vāk pradāyinīm |
bhagavatīṁ avyāja karuṇākaṭākṣīmpūrṇabīja rūpa ṣoḍaśanivāsinīṁ annapūrṇamṛteśvarīm ||
Here are the meanings in my perspective of the lines in this shlokam
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ She pervades in all the syllables in the moola mantra
caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm This carries two meanings 1 She is the personification of the compassionate quality of Kanchi Paramacharya 2 She is also the personification of the compassion of Chandrasekhara (Siva)
bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa refers to ldquoparipurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantrardquo This mantra is adorned
by a triplet of the syllable ldquoSrimrdquo which represents Mahalakshmi
Mahakali and Maha Sarasvathi This mantra also refers to the top
most triangle of Sri chakra around which the shodasha bija roopa
nitya devatas pervade This triangle is mapped to the sixteen syllables
of laghushodashi the first fifteen forming the periphery of the triangle while the last Srim bījam resides at the center of the triangle Thus the meaning of the entire name ldquobījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīmrdquo means that Mother will be dancing in the elixir that exudes from the
vibrations of the syllables in the Shodashi mantra that pervade in
and around the top most triangle of the Sri Chakram Also She is the
essence of the abode of the three primordial manifestation of divinity
in feminine form Maha Lakshmi Maha Kali and Maha Sarasvathi
Watch for the next Sri Chakra for the meaning of the rest of the Dhyana Shlokam
by Shankara Devarkonda aiya
(Part 1)
9
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
10
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
11
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
5
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Pratyangira HomamThe temple was filled with 300 devotees who were present to witness this powerful homam for Maha Pratyangira Devi Throughout the entire homam Aiya offered copious amounts of red chillies into the fire Several bhakshanams made by devotees and volunteers were also offered by everyone present for the homam
Apr
21
All events will occur at the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam Rush NY unless otherwise stated above
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our special thanks amp gratitude to this issuersquos volunteers
Aiya Adheesh Ankolekar Skankara Devarkonda Veena Ganeshan Mangala
Janahan Sriganesh Madhvanath Muralee Mahathevan Bharathi amp
Kumaran Perinpanathan Palaniappan Pillai Sashwathi Sriganesh Skanda
Sriganesh Temple Administration and the Thulasi Kitchen
July
01 Alankara Utsavam Sri Bhairavar Madai
16 Guru Purnima
August
03 Adi Puram
27 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - Start (Annual Summer Camp)
June
02 Ganapathi Yantra Puja
IN THREE MONTHS
Devi willing the next issue of the Sri Chakra will be up on the templersquos website at the beginning of September 2019
This magazine cannot keep publishing without contributions Articles poems stories and photos about any spiritual topic
are welcomed
The next deadline for article submission is August 1 2019 Please e-mail us with your contributions or feedback about this issue at srichakrasrividyaorg or talk to Virroshi at the temple
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
03 Vibhuti Saivaite
Immersion - End (Annual Summer Camp)
Toronto BhajansThe annual Toronto bhajans was extremely well received by devotees As usual Aiya and the SVTS bhajans group featured Aiyarsquos unique style of singing bhajans called Mantra Bhajans This style derives its name from the way Aiya infuses mantras and shlokas in appropriate parts of the bhajan for the specific deity
May
25
28 Alankara Utsavam Sri Maha Ganapathi Utsavam
29 Alankara Utsavam Sri Raja Rajeshwari Utsavam
Chandi Homam
Chapparam
31 Adi Amavasya
30Alankara Utsavam Sri Dattatreya Utsavam
Rasi Mandala Puja
09 Varalakshmi Vratam
6
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Steps Towards
OurGranite Temple
01
Ala
ya N
irm
ana G
anapati P
uja
05 Phase I
02
Ideas
amp S
uggest
ions
Preliminary plans for the temple property the granite temple and Phase I of temple construction ndash a standalone Ganapati temple then be extended into the full temple ndash are now available at the temple They will be published on the temple website under the Rajagopuram Project section (here) once finalized
Phase I is expected to cost about USD 15 ndash 2M Your support in the form of pledges one time or monthly contributions is greatly appreciated
03
Desi
gn C
ontr
act
04
Sannid
hi amp
Vig
raham
Sponso
rship
s
7
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Aiyarsquos Vision
Granite Temple amp rajagopuram
Q A The gazebo located on the temple property field is where the Ganapathi shrine for the new
temple is going to be located Sri-la-sri Mathioli Saraswathi who was identified in her 16th
year by no lesser personality than the 68th Acharya of the Kanchipuram Shankara Matam Sri-la-sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal as a purna avatara (incarnation) of Sri Akhilandeshwari in Jambukshwaram blessed the entire property and was the one who performed the Bhumi Puja for the existing temple Her instructions were to install a Haridra Ganapathi Ganapathi made from turmeric and get everyone who walks into the temple to perform puja for this Maha Ganapathi regardless of whether they are initiates or not She assured us that if this happens the new temple will manifest in this location very quickly
Keep an eye out for the next issue
of the Sri Chakra for more responses
from Aiya about the New Temple amp
Rajagopuram project
(Part 4)
Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati affectionately known as Aiya answered a few questions asked by temple devotees on the significances of our current temple and the
future Granite Temple and Rajagopuram Project We thank Aiya for sharing this with the Sri Chakra Here is the fourth portion of the Q amp Aiya
Aiya can you please tell us about the gazebo that is located on the temple
property field
8
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos Namavali
In Blossom 10 Petal 3 of the Sri Chakra (2006) a devotee from the Devipuram temple
wrote an article titled ldquoThe Everyday Sage of Devipuramrdquo In this article specifically on page 20 this devotee talks about Guruji Sri Amritananda Natha Swaraswathirsquos Namavali that was revealed to
Haran Aiya by the Devi
Dhyana shlokam from this Namavali is
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm |
sarva janasammohinīṁ sakala vidyālaṁkāriṇīm sahajānaṁda śāṁbhavīṁ śaṁkara guru mūrtinīm ||
ekāgra cidvilāsinīṁ dakṣiṇāmūrti rūpiṇīmsarva sammohana sukha vāk pradāyinīm |
bhagavatīṁ avyāja karuṇākaṭākṣīmpūrṇabīja rūpa ṣoḍaśanivāsinīṁ annapūrṇamṛteśvarīm ||
Here are the meanings in my perspective of the lines in this shlokam
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ She pervades in all the syllables in the moola mantra
caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm This carries two meanings 1 She is the personification of the compassionate quality of Kanchi Paramacharya 2 She is also the personification of the compassion of Chandrasekhara (Siva)
bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa refers to ldquoparipurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantrardquo This mantra is adorned
by a triplet of the syllable ldquoSrimrdquo which represents Mahalakshmi
Mahakali and Maha Sarasvathi This mantra also refers to the top
most triangle of Sri chakra around which the shodasha bija roopa
nitya devatas pervade This triangle is mapped to the sixteen syllables
of laghushodashi the first fifteen forming the periphery of the triangle while the last Srim bījam resides at the center of the triangle Thus the meaning of the entire name ldquobījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīmrdquo means that Mother will be dancing in the elixir that exudes from the
vibrations of the syllables in the Shodashi mantra that pervade in
and around the top most triangle of the Sri Chakram Also She is the
essence of the abode of the three primordial manifestation of divinity
in feminine form Maha Lakshmi Maha Kali and Maha Sarasvathi
Watch for the next Sri Chakra for the meaning of the rest of the Dhyana Shlokam
by Shankara Devarkonda aiya
(Part 1)
9
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
10
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
11
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
6
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Steps Towards
OurGranite Temple
01
Ala
ya N
irm
ana G
anapati P
uja
05 Phase I
02
Ideas
amp S
uggest
ions
Preliminary plans for the temple property the granite temple and Phase I of temple construction ndash a standalone Ganapati temple then be extended into the full temple ndash are now available at the temple They will be published on the temple website under the Rajagopuram Project section (here) once finalized
Phase I is expected to cost about USD 15 ndash 2M Your support in the form of pledges one time or monthly contributions is greatly appreciated
03
Desi
gn C
ontr
act
04
Sannid
hi amp
Vig
raham
Sponso
rship
s
7
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Aiyarsquos Vision
Granite Temple amp rajagopuram
Q A The gazebo located on the temple property field is where the Ganapathi shrine for the new
temple is going to be located Sri-la-sri Mathioli Saraswathi who was identified in her 16th
year by no lesser personality than the 68th Acharya of the Kanchipuram Shankara Matam Sri-la-sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal as a purna avatara (incarnation) of Sri Akhilandeshwari in Jambukshwaram blessed the entire property and was the one who performed the Bhumi Puja for the existing temple Her instructions were to install a Haridra Ganapathi Ganapathi made from turmeric and get everyone who walks into the temple to perform puja for this Maha Ganapathi regardless of whether they are initiates or not She assured us that if this happens the new temple will manifest in this location very quickly
Keep an eye out for the next issue
of the Sri Chakra for more responses
from Aiya about the New Temple amp
Rajagopuram project
(Part 4)
Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati affectionately known as Aiya answered a few questions asked by temple devotees on the significances of our current temple and the
future Granite Temple and Rajagopuram Project We thank Aiya for sharing this with the Sri Chakra Here is the fourth portion of the Q amp Aiya
Aiya can you please tell us about the gazebo that is located on the temple
property field
8
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos Namavali
In Blossom 10 Petal 3 of the Sri Chakra (2006) a devotee from the Devipuram temple
wrote an article titled ldquoThe Everyday Sage of Devipuramrdquo In this article specifically on page 20 this devotee talks about Guruji Sri Amritananda Natha Swaraswathirsquos Namavali that was revealed to
Haran Aiya by the Devi
Dhyana shlokam from this Namavali is
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm |
sarva janasammohinīṁ sakala vidyālaṁkāriṇīm sahajānaṁda śāṁbhavīṁ śaṁkara guru mūrtinīm ||
ekāgra cidvilāsinīṁ dakṣiṇāmūrti rūpiṇīmsarva sammohana sukha vāk pradāyinīm |
bhagavatīṁ avyāja karuṇākaṭākṣīmpūrṇabīja rūpa ṣoḍaśanivāsinīṁ annapūrṇamṛteśvarīm ||
Here are the meanings in my perspective of the lines in this shlokam
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ She pervades in all the syllables in the moola mantra
caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm This carries two meanings 1 She is the personification of the compassionate quality of Kanchi Paramacharya 2 She is also the personification of the compassion of Chandrasekhara (Siva)
bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa refers to ldquoparipurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantrardquo This mantra is adorned
by a triplet of the syllable ldquoSrimrdquo which represents Mahalakshmi
Mahakali and Maha Sarasvathi This mantra also refers to the top
most triangle of Sri chakra around which the shodasha bija roopa
nitya devatas pervade This triangle is mapped to the sixteen syllables
of laghushodashi the first fifteen forming the periphery of the triangle while the last Srim bījam resides at the center of the triangle Thus the meaning of the entire name ldquobījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīmrdquo means that Mother will be dancing in the elixir that exudes from the
vibrations of the syllables in the Shodashi mantra that pervade in
and around the top most triangle of the Sri Chakram Also She is the
essence of the abode of the three primordial manifestation of divinity
in feminine form Maha Lakshmi Maha Kali and Maha Sarasvathi
Watch for the next Sri Chakra for the meaning of the rest of the Dhyana Shlokam
by Shankara Devarkonda aiya
(Part 1)
9
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
10
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
11
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
7
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Aiyarsquos Vision
Granite Temple amp rajagopuram
Q A The gazebo located on the temple property field is where the Ganapathi shrine for the new
temple is going to be located Sri-la-sri Mathioli Saraswathi who was identified in her 16th
year by no lesser personality than the 68th Acharya of the Kanchipuram Shankara Matam Sri-la-sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal as a purna avatara (incarnation) of Sri Akhilandeshwari in Jambukshwaram blessed the entire property and was the one who performed the Bhumi Puja for the existing temple Her instructions were to install a Haridra Ganapathi Ganapathi made from turmeric and get everyone who walks into the temple to perform puja for this Maha Ganapathi regardless of whether they are initiates or not She assured us that if this happens the new temple will manifest in this location very quickly
Keep an eye out for the next issue
of the Sri Chakra for more responses
from Aiya about the New Temple amp
Rajagopuram project
(Part 4)
Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati affectionately known as Aiya answered a few questions asked by temple devotees on the significances of our current temple and the
future Granite Temple and Rajagopuram Project We thank Aiya for sharing this with the Sri Chakra Here is the fourth portion of the Q amp Aiya
Aiya can you please tell us about the gazebo that is located on the temple
property field
8
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos Namavali
In Blossom 10 Petal 3 of the Sri Chakra (2006) a devotee from the Devipuram temple
wrote an article titled ldquoThe Everyday Sage of Devipuramrdquo In this article specifically on page 20 this devotee talks about Guruji Sri Amritananda Natha Swaraswathirsquos Namavali that was revealed to
Haran Aiya by the Devi
Dhyana shlokam from this Namavali is
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm |
sarva janasammohinīṁ sakala vidyālaṁkāriṇīm sahajānaṁda śāṁbhavīṁ śaṁkara guru mūrtinīm ||
ekāgra cidvilāsinīṁ dakṣiṇāmūrti rūpiṇīmsarva sammohana sukha vāk pradāyinīm |
bhagavatīṁ avyāja karuṇākaṭākṣīmpūrṇabīja rūpa ṣoḍaśanivāsinīṁ annapūrṇamṛteśvarīm ||
Here are the meanings in my perspective of the lines in this shlokam
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ She pervades in all the syllables in the moola mantra
caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm This carries two meanings 1 She is the personification of the compassionate quality of Kanchi Paramacharya 2 She is also the personification of the compassion of Chandrasekhara (Siva)
bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa refers to ldquoparipurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantrardquo This mantra is adorned
by a triplet of the syllable ldquoSrimrdquo which represents Mahalakshmi
Mahakali and Maha Sarasvathi This mantra also refers to the top
most triangle of Sri chakra around which the shodasha bija roopa
nitya devatas pervade This triangle is mapped to the sixteen syllables
of laghushodashi the first fifteen forming the periphery of the triangle while the last Srim bījam resides at the center of the triangle Thus the meaning of the entire name ldquobījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīmrdquo means that Mother will be dancing in the elixir that exudes from the
vibrations of the syllables in the Shodashi mantra that pervade in
and around the top most triangle of the Sri Chakram Also She is the
essence of the abode of the three primordial manifestation of divinity
in feminine form Maha Lakshmi Maha Kali and Maha Sarasvathi
Watch for the next Sri Chakra for the meaning of the rest of the Dhyana Shlokam
by Shankara Devarkonda aiya
(Part 1)
9
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
10
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
11
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
8
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Dhyana Shlokam from Gurujirsquos Namavali
In Blossom 10 Petal 3 of the Sri Chakra (2006) a devotee from the Devipuram temple
wrote an article titled ldquoThe Everyday Sage of Devipuramrdquo In this article specifically on page 20 this devotee talks about Guruji Sri Amritananda Natha Swaraswathirsquos Namavali that was revealed to
Haran Aiya by the Devi
Dhyana shlokam from this Namavali is
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm |
sarva janasammohinīṁ sakala vidyālaṁkāriṇīm sahajānaṁda śāṁbhavīṁ śaṁkara guru mūrtinīm ||
ekāgra cidvilāsinīṁ dakṣiṇāmūrti rūpiṇīmsarva sammohana sukha vāk pradāyinīm |
bhagavatīṁ avyāja karuṇākaṭākṣīmpūrṇabīja rūpa ṣoḍaśanivāsinīṁ annapūrṇamṛteśvarīm ||
Here are the meanings in my perspective of the lines in this shlokam
maṁtrākṣaramayīṁ She pervades in all the syllables in the moola mantra
caṁdraśekhara dayāḻa guṇasvarūpiṇīm This carries two meanings 1 She is the personification of the compassionate quality of Kanchi Paramacharya 2 She is also the personification of the compassion of Chandrasekhara (Siva)
bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīm bījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa refers to ldquoparipurna bija roopa mahashodashi mantrardquo This mantra is adorned
by a triplet of the syllable ldquoSrimrdquo which represents Mahalakshmi
Mahakali and Maha Sarasvathi This mantra also refers to the top
most triangle of Sri chakra around which the shodasha bija roopa
nitya devatas pervade This triangle is mapped to the sixteen syllables
of laghushodashi the first fifteen forming the periphery of the triangle while the last Srim bījam resides at the center of the triangle Thus the meaning of the entire name ldquobījapūrṇa ṣoḍaśa nityāmṛta nartinīmrdquo means that Mother will be dancing in the elixir that exudes from the
vibrations of the syllables in the Shodashi mantra that pervade in
and around the top most triangle of the Sri Chakram Also She is the
essence of the abode of the three primordial manifestation of divinity
in feminine form Maha Lakshmi Maha Kali and Maha Sarasvathi
Watch for the next Sri Chakra for the meaning of the rest of the Dhyana Shlokam
by Shankara Devarkonda aiya
(Part 1)
9
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
10
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
11
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
9
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
10
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
11
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
10
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Thēvāram by Virroshi Sriganesh
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru
Thirucchittrambalam
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu NeeruSatthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazhvadhu Neeru
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu NeeruSiddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Thirucchittrambalam
Background Story During the time there was a rise in the spread of Jainism within the Pāndya dynasty King Pāndiyan of Madurai began to embrace Jainism as well His wife Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār who were strong Shaivites were not pleased with his behaviour As Thiru Gnāna Sambanthar was near Madurai Queen Mangayarkarasiyār and minister Kulachiraiyār requested Gnāna Sambanthar to visit Madurai Gnāna Sambanthar accepted the request and came to Madurai
Having already heard about the greatness of Gnāna Sambanthar the Jains feared that the king would go back to embracing Shaivism If that happened they feared that they would lose the power and status they had gained recently When they came to know that Gnāna Sambanthar was staying in a nearby Mutt the Jain priests decided to set the Mutt and the surrounding areas on fire The fire was put out but the incident made Gnāna Sambanthar very upset As a consequence King Pāndiyan started suffering from a very high fever-like disease He started hunching his back and was not able to stand up straight again The Jains tried to cure kingrsquos fever using herbs manthras etc but they did not succeed No one was able to cure him or relieve him of his pain The Queen requested Gnāna
Sambanthar to visit as she knew that he was the only one who would be able to treat the King Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā in the Thiru Ālavāi temple (in Madurai) and sang the Thiruneetru Padhigam requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his sufferings and applied the sacred ash Vibhūti on him Everyone was able to see the King gradually improving getting better and eventually cured King Pāndiyan was eventually able to stand up straight again with the grace and blessings he received from Lord Shivā through Gnāna Sambanthar
Pann Gandhāra PanchamamRāgā Kēdāra GowlaThālā RūpakamComposer Thiru Gnāna Sambantha Mūrti Nāyanār
|| 3 ||
Thirumurai 2nd
Padhigam Thiruneetru Padhigam Sthalam Thiru Ālavāi
11
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
11
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Letrsquos take a look at the meaning to see how Gnāna Sambanthar prayed to Lord Shivā requesting him to relieve King Pāndiyan of his pain and sufferings
Meaning (word for word and verses)
Mutthi Salvation
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Munivar Saints and Sages
Anivadhu Is worn
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Mutthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Munivar Anivadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives salvation Vibhūti is worn by saints and sages
Satthiyam Truth
Āvadhu It is
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Thakkōr Wise people
Pugazhvadhu Praise
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Satthiyam Āvadhu Neeru Thakkotilder Pugazh-vadhu Neeru
Vibhūti is the truth Vibhūti is sweet to praise
Patthi Devotion
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhuti (holy ash)
Parava To Spread
Iniyadhu sweet
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Patthi Tharuvadhu Neeru Parava Iniyadhu Neeru
Vibhūti gives devotion Vibhūti is sweet to spread
Siddhi Spiritual powers
Tharuvadhu Gives
Neeru Vibhūti (holy ash)
Thiru Ālavāyān The auspicious One who resides in Ālavāi
Thiruneerē It is Vibhūti indeed
Siddhi Tharuvadhu Neeru Thiru Ālavāyān Thiruneerē
Vibhūti gives spiritual powers It is indeed the Vibhūti of Lord Shivā ndash the One who resides in the Ālavāi temple
Benefits This padhigam set of 10 songs describes the glory of the holy ash Vibhūti It is also known to cure heat related diseases
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
12
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
13
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory a few of the Sri Chakra community members have
shared their personal experiences with Sri Amma We sincerely thank all the contributors for sharing
their special memories with the Sri Chakra
Sri Ammarsquos Paadamsby Akhilandeshwari Peetam Bharathi amp Kumaran Perinpanathan
On our way to New Jersey we stopped in Rochester to tell Aiya what had happened We showed Him the Paadams and received His blessings When we reached New Jersey my father told Sri Amma how he made a second pair of Her Paadams without asking for Her permission He explained to Her that our Peetam was the Akhilandeshwari Peetam and showed the back of our Sri Chakra where Aiya had written lsquoAkhilandeshwarirsquo on it After showing them to Sri Amma he nervously asked Her for permission to have the Paadams in our Peetam To all of our surprise Sri Amma simply smiled and revealed that both Paadams were made only because She wanted them to be made She also said She was pleased Her Paadams were accompanied by the Kasi Lingam
Raju uncle and the other disciples had already made the necessary preparations to conduct the puja for the Paadams However after seeing the Paadams Sri Amma announced that She will decide who will conduct the Puja and what kind of Puja was to be performed While this was happening I was standing at the back of the room holding on to my letter and watching Sri Amma She had spotted me and told one of Her disciples ldquothere is a boy at the back of the room
bring him to merdquo When I stood in front of Sri Amma She asked me in Tamil ldquoAiya has taught
you how to do puja right Will you perform it todayrdquo I was overwhelmed and said lsquoyesrsquo very enthusiastically She announced to the disciples that on this day (June 14 2003) ldquoI have chosen
this boy (Kumaran) to conduct the puja to My Paadamsrdquo
I was initially terrified as I was in a room surrounded by both Sri Ammarsquos and Aiyarsquos senior disciples who knew much more about performing puja than I did At that time I only knew whatever little I practiced from what Aiya and my mother had taught me I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru
Part 2
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
14
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
and The Guru Lineage and began the puja The rest of the puja just happened through Their grace
After the completion of the puja Sri Amma sat us down and instructed us about how the Paadams should be worshipped She gave details on what pujas to perform when the Paadams should be worshiped and what protocols to follow She also explained the
significance of the Paadams She mentioned that the Paadams were not just a representation of Her but it was actually Her Due to this reason She said that the Paadams should only be handled by the people of the Peetam or The Guru
After the puja my mother and I got the opportunity to speak to Sri Amma alone My mother who was suffering from early Alzheimerrsquos had only one thing on her mind the well-being of my sister and I She only asked Sri Amma one thing ldquoPlease take care of my childrenrdquo Sri Amma assured my mother that She will take care of my sister and I as the same way my mother would have taken care of us
When I spoke to Sri Amma I felt hesitant to hand Her my letter because in my letter I specifically asked Sri Amma ldquoMore than anything I just want to always be able to worship the Devirsquos feetrdquo
Sri Amma had already answered my letter before even reading it Not only did I have Devirsquos Paadams now with me I also received Divine assurance from Akhilandeshwari Herself that whenever I performed puja to her Paadams it meant I performed puja to Her directly This is how She revealed to me that She was none other than Devi that my mother and my Guru had taught me to worship From that day onwards I began to experience Sri Amma as my own Mother and She slowly started guiding me from within
Over the years Sri Amma taught me many lessons through stories conversations and actions that impacted my sadhana and how I perceive events in my day-to-day life There were many times when She was very strict as to what I needed to do and what not to do She took so much interest in helping me understand what to focus on and how to conduct my life She taught me and continues to teach me how to silently navigate my life through various perspectives and experiences She was so compassionate that She allowed me to intimately experience Devirsquos divinity within such close proximity For this and so much more I am forever grateful to Aiya Guruji my family and Sri Amma
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
15
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Amma In Loving Memoryby Sriganesh Madhvanath aiya
Later that same year Sri Amma was visiting New Jersey and a group of about 20 devotees from the temple decided to attend a homam at the Bridgewater temple that Sri Amma was supposed to attend As we all sat watching the homam for some inexplicable reason I had this random thought
- that if I could somehow collect my ego and all of shortcomings and negativities into a coconut I would offer it to Sri Amma and be rid of them all It was just a fleeting thought that only lasted a few seconds However in that moment I was truly sincere and the sense of surrender was strong An hour passed and Sri Amma came to the function and was delighted to see us all After the homam she announced that all ladies dressed in green should go and collect prasadam from her As it happened (or perhaps it was her divine design) Radhika was dressed in green as were a couple of others from the temple Afterwards the group from the
temple did a group namaskaram to her One of the devotees from the group had just presented her with a tray of fruits and other offerings on behalf of the temple Sri Amma picked out a coconut from the tray and gave it to one of her aides and pointed in the general direction of our group As the aide came up to us coconut in hand Sri Amma continued to direct her until she reached a specific individual standing near the back of the group - as it turned out it was me
As the aide handed me the coconut I was speechless Sri Amma just looked at me and smiled
Part 2
In Memory of Sri Amma
Sri Amma will forever be in our hearts She has touched us all in so many ways In Her memory we are compiling a special section in our upcoming issues of the Sri Chakra
If you would like to share your experiences with the Sri
Chakra community we request you to send us a short article describing your special memories
Deadline April 15 2019Length ~ 100 - 500 words (about 1 pargraph to 1 page)
To Submit e-mail your contributions to srichakrasrividyaorg
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
16
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
17
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Curry Leaf SaadamAlways remember not to smell or taste food when it is being made as Naivedyam In addition
always think pure thoughts and make the Naivedyam whole-heartedly A good way to do this is to chant manthras or slokas that you may know or the nama of your ishta devata
We thank Muralee Mahathevan and the Thulasi Kitchen Coordinators for providing this recipe to the Sri Chakra
What is Curry Leaf Saadam
Rice made with curry leaves and spices
For which deities is Curry Leaf Saadam
usually offered to
Maha Lakshmi
Prep Time Cook Time Serves5 minutes 30 minutes 5 people
Ingredientsfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
Pinch of hing (asafetida)3 tbsp curry leaves minced
frac12 tsp fine minced ginger1 green chili
frac12 tsp cumin seed
frac12 tsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp of gheepinch of turmericfrac12 cup Basmati Rice (When making for offering ndash use Ponni Raw Rice)Salt as needed
InstructionsPreparation1 Wash and rinse Basmati rice2 Add 1 cup of water to the rinsed rice to cook it
3 Once cooked let it cool down
by Muralee Mahathevan
When can you offer Curry Leaf Saadam
Puja
What are some festivals you can offer Curry
Leaf Saadam for
Navaratri Varalakshmi Vratam
Adi Puram
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
18
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Amrta Mahā Naivēdyam
Nivēdayāmi
Getting the seasoning ready1 Heat a pan with ghee2 Add black mustard seeds and wait until it starts crackling
3 Add cumin seeds
4 Add minced ginger and green chili and wait for about a minute5 Add curry leaves sauteacute and wait for about a minute to let the flavours sink in6 Add turmeric and mix well7 Cover and cook for about 1 minute Remember to stir occasionally
Making the Curry Leaf Saadam1 Add the seasoning to the cooked rice and
stir well2 Add a few drops of ghee and offer it to the Devi
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
19
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
20
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Templersquos
If you havenrsquot followed us yet you might want to do so soon Yoursquore missing out on
beautiful pictures of the Devi from festivals infographics on festivals and spiritual content and many more Start following us
Here is some information about the templersquos Youth Learning Session (YLS) Program for youth between the ages of 13 and 26 Continue reading to find out more about YLS
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
21
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
22
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Maze CrazeCan you find your way through this crazy maze
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
23
Sri Chakra June 2019
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
ANSWERSMar2019
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha
24
Blossom 24 Petal 2
Sri Chakra bull srichakrasrividyaorg
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha