shraddha article

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Shraddha! Shraddha!And only shraddha (faith) candescribe the flow of divine grace at the Mahakumbh

Mela, spanning the auspicious time of January to March

2013. The Mahakumbh unfolded the experience of the

Divine Feminine lila(play) amidst thirty millions souls

that traversed her riverghats(steps) on the auspicious

snana(bathing day) of February 10. A special

juxtaposition of heavenly stars brings to earth the power

and grace of the cosmic universe in the embrace of the

Devatas, or divine beings, and their celestial dance at the

most powerful and auspicious confluence of Ganga,

Yamuna and the mythological Saraswati Rivers at Prayag

(Triveni Sangam). According to ancient traditions these

holy rivers offer purity, wealth, fertility and divine grace,

washing away the misfortune of our samskaras and

karmas from many lifetimes.

Deep Faith at the Mahakumbh MelaYOGINI SHAMBHAVI

Surge of

Shraddha,

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Triveni where the three rivers meet is a place of pure

soma(elixir), where the eclectic powers of the sacred

waters cleanse and empower the soul in its humble

journey to cosmic consciousness. The sacred waters

embrace humanity as one, making no distinction of

rank, color, caste or creed. Everyone is drawn to stepdown from the pedestal ofMaya(illusion) and bow

at the lotus feet of Ma Ganga.

Ardhakumbh and Mahakumbh, the lesser and

greater Kumbh festivals, are occasions when millions

of people gather together to take a holy dip in the

sacred waters of Ma Ganga. It is believed that

bathing in the sacred rivers during Mahakumbh or

Ardhakumbh draws one out of our karmaor the

cycle of life and death and grants one moksha.

Devotees, sants(holy persons) and sadhus

(renunciates) arrive in great numbers from all over

the world to bathe in the holy waters of these sacred

rivers.

Faith Where Knowledge

Meets DevotionShraddha where jnana meets with bhakti. The surge

ofbhaktiand shraddha(devotion and faith) amidst

the millions of beautiful souls I rubbed shoulders

with on this auspicious day melted my body, mindand heart into sheer humility. Shraddha is deep faith

in the ancient wisdom of Indias sacred traditions,

where jnana(knowledge) meets with bhakti

(devotion) in the heart of every spiritual seeker.

Such faith is the trust born of intense devotion and

conviction woven through the principles of Sanatan

Dharma.

Shraddha, or deep faith and belief, is the feeling of

sensitivity, discernment, and understanding with

conviction and trust in the cosmic powers of theuniverse. Shraddha without insight and perception

lures us into the dragnets of illusion and personality

cults. Shraddha must be born out of awareness,

clarity, discrimination, maturity and responsibility.

Shraddha is the mark of bhakti that unfolds love

and compassion as an expression of gratitude,

nurturing and inspiration. Divinity must guide us

into conscious relationships, allowing all beings to

experience healing and harmony at the deepest core

on a universal level.

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Adhvara A Sacred JourneyThis Mahakumbh unfolded a sacred journey orAdhvara

towards a deep inner light.Adhvameans path and rameans

movement. It is the soul of a sadhakspranic Shaktithat

soars like the Shyenaor hawk. The Shyena masters its flight

into the cosmic heavens, perfecting all its energies while

balancing its physical body speeding through the air.

The Mahakumbh Mela is an expansion and experience of

collective consciousness, where millions of souls gather in

harmony on one auspicious day. The calm and peace one

experiences is of a deep awareness and understanding of

ones relationship with the mystic surroundings. Sanatan

Dharma is a way of life for everyone in India. There are

deep levels of love, compassion and tolerance to be learnt at

the core level of being with the generaljanata(people) of

India. There is a flow of divine grace, which gets lost in the

drama, fanfare and public histrionics of spirituality today.

One decided to be with the crowds to experience the

heartbeat of Ganga in everybhaktaor seeker, a very

deepening lesson in self-effacement and compassion for me.

At the Kumbh one watched an entire deeper dimension of

humanity walk by as sunrays filtered through hues of

saffron robes and alta(red) colored feet sounding the jingle

of theirpayals(anklets) through strains of silent prayers and

invocations to the Divine. Such devotion can only beenvisaged in the bhumi, or land of Shakti, the Mother

Goddess in India.

From dawn to dusk there was a bustle of human

connectivity, woven together with the divinity of the rivers

through prayers, propitiations, meditations, chanting and

bathing in the holy waters. Ma Ganga took care of each

gentle soul walking by her space at Triveni with shelter,

Allying its wingspan with the cosmic prana, the Shyena

returns to Mother Earth in a divinized form. The aim of

Vedic Yoga is to establish harmony and perfection,

developing the inner potential and prana energy to draw in

and hold the inherent Soma, the delight of existence.

The aim of Vedic Yoga is to

establish harmony and

perfection, developing the inner

potential and prana energy to

draw in and hold the inherentSoma, the delight of existence.

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food and divine grace. By the setting Sun, groups huddled

together around a central fire sharing their experiences over

glasses of hot chai(tea). Fires were kindled for food and

warmth.

People rested in the embrace of the good earth under the

warmth of a blanket by the sides of the dirt roads. In their

deep sleep were the whispers of eternity awaiting the dawn

of another auspicious day.

Mauna The Inner SilenceWalking with the multitude of people, crossing newly set

up manmade bridges, everyones prayer guided them to the

waters for the auspicious dip, theMauni Amavasya(NewMoon). The Mauni Amavasya is the new moon during the

Hindu month ofMaghawhen both the Sun and Moon are

located in the constellation of Capricorn.Maunirefers to

an ascetic who practices mauna(silence). Silence is not the

mere control of speech with lips sealed tight. Mauna means

analyzing, synthesizing, and internalizing with the Divine

within, hearing the inner voice above all outer sounds.

Mauna is a beautiful and important aspect oftapasor

spiritual discipline. It symbolizes a state of oneness with the

self, initiating an inner dialogue with divinity. It allows us

to control the mind and all of our sensory organs toexperience the eternal flow of soma.

Revering our own inner sacredness deepens ones awareness

of the Self, tapping the aura of divinity through observing,

healing, rejuvenating, restoring and celebrating our core

existence. Desires, wishes and expectations abound in our

everyday life enhancing our worldly attributes and

increasing our demands and expectations. The key to

physical, psychological and spiritual wellbeing rests in

modulating our outer needs to harmonize our inner needs,

and in the process harnessing the powers of the mind and

heart.

The rush of heartbeats and pounding feet of the processionofNaga Babasrendered the mauna or silence of the

Amavasya void, as a surge of prana moved through their

bodies towards the sacred waters. There was a paradigm

shift in the cosmic energies as brightly decorated chariots

passed by with spiritual leaders and heads of great monastic

lineages (Mahamandaleshwaras) sweeping up a palpable

euphoria among their devotees strewn along the path.

Flashing at times bloodshot eyes conveyed heightened levels

of energy. Yet eyes are powerful and convey the expression

of the soul stirrings, if the body, mind and soul are calm. As

I gently inquired about the purpose of the pilgrimage foreveryone at the Mahakumbh, unanimously the answer was

Ganga Mayee or Mother Ganga.

The River is a Metaphor for LifeThrough my many years of sadhana along the banks of Ma

Ganga, the river became a metaphor for life. A metaphor is

no mere word play but reflects a deeper inner reality,

symbol or allegory that is more significant than anything

we may perceive outwardly. When we relate to the element

of water, we are expressing a flow of inner truth that isaccessible for everyone. Our core feeling nature, our soul,

our inner and outer lives manifest as a flow of waters or

currents of various streams.

The Ganga River holds the intrinsic Shakti of the cosmos in

its powerful and at times gentle flow. Ganga carries with it

the healing grace of the Himalayan sanjeevaniplants or

healing herbs. She bears the clumps of Mother Earth as she

takes in the soft embankments in her journey through the

mountains and into the plains. The river filters through the

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debris of many centuries as she purifies the souls of millions

of devotees who seek the blessings in her celestial waters.

The rivers course is a meditative study of life rushing forth

from the melting waters of Mother Earths womb, cascading

the heights of waterfalls in childhood mirth, meandering

through youthful springs and autumnal changes into its

eventual resting place in the deep recesses of the great

ocean. The rivers course weathers the peace and fury of

Natures moods, muddying its pristine waters from rainy

storms, collecting the debris of its embankments. Yet in itseventuality the river mirrors the clarity and beatitude of the

oceans vastness in its sedate finality beneath the vast sky.

Meditating on the rivers flow is a natural form of sadhana

that draws one into whirlpools of heavenly waters,

maneuvering past the surface waves of lifes illusory

movements into the invisible secret currents behind them.

The hypnotic effect of Gangas mystic vapors secedes all

worldly sensory expressions luring one into a stupor of

natural serenity and stillness. Its meditative silence lures the

purity of Mother Natures nurturing calm, churning theminds chaos into realms of contemplative bliss.

Ma Ganga holds the Vajra Shaktior lightning blaze in her

cosmic waters of eternal time and infinite space, as her

rapid effulgence captures the sparkle of the diamond that

reflects the momentum of our earthlylilascripting the

wheel ofsamsara(journey). Worshipping Shakti through

surrendering to its transformational nature, we align

ourselves with the universal power of divine grace, with

blessings for all.

Sacred dharma relates to all aspects of our life through the

lila or divine play of the Goddesss energy inMaha Prakriti

(Great Nature), the five great elements of earth, fire, water,

air and ether, and the overflowing abundance of nature. We

must rediscover the universal love dwelling within our own

hearts for the whole of life. In the union of our deepest self

with the Mother Goddess, there is a divine beauty and

purity that reinforces our innate sacredness and the wonder

of all existence. May we flow as the grace and sweetness of

the rivers all-embracing Divinity.

Yogini Shambhavi is a mystic,yogini, and spiritual guide. She is one

of the most dynamic teachers of Shakta

or Goddess traditions coming out of

India today. Her ability to express the

higher truths both in written and the

spoken word is quite rare. She draws

the seeker through Shakti Sadhana and Tantra, emphasizing

the role of the Divine Feminine Power creating an inner

and outer transformation through meditation, sacred rituals,mantra japa, healing and Pratyahara. Shambhavi has written

two best selling books on the Goddess Power in India, Yogini:

Unfolding the Goddess Within (Wisdom Tree 2006) and

Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess: Lightning Dance of the

Supreme Shakti (Wisdom Tree 2007). Her books are available

in North America, Europe and South America. Shambhavi

holds sacred retreats with Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva

Shastri) in India, United States and Brazil.

www.shambhavi-yogini.com

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