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The Four Phases of the Puja : The First Phase
: The second Phase : The Third Phase : The Fourth and Last phase |
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Au long du
Gange sacré : Varanasi - Bénarès
(extrait de "gates of light" prêté par Ananda Lakshmi ) One of the ways of communion taught to us by the elders is the shodashopachaara puja, or sixteen acts of adoration. In every Hindu home and in every temple where the Divine is worshipped and supplicated through symbols and symbolic acts of worship, this system has been in vogue even to this day. Even as the Lord's theatres of activity arc three - Prithivi, Anthariksharn and Dyauh so are men's spheres of activities three - mind, speech and action ; thought, word and deed. Even as the Lord functions in bliss and harmony simultaneously in all the three theatres, so too must a man function in joyous harmony and consonance in thought, word and deed. What the mind thinks, that the tongue must utter, and that the hand must perform. Performing is symbolic act - the fulfilment of the thought. While the gross functioning is more palpable, the subtler and more sublime functions of the mind are the more powerful, more creative, more lasting in the effect following the work. More important than the physical act is the dynamic and meaningful mental thought. For in its own realm, the mind acts more tellingly, leaving a greater effect on the soul's evolution than any physical act can do. It is to strengthen the mental imagery to give life and purpose and direction to thought, that symbolic icons are used in worship ; giving the Formless a temporary form, giving the Formless, a temporary name in our space and in our time Sea water in a tea cup is not the sea, but it brings the sea nearer home to us. So too the icons used in the worship bring the Unseen Presence more forcibly within our cognition. The hymnals eh anted, and the acts of worship performed in the sixteen acts of adoration, all bind the mind to the focal point, which is the goal, and keep it from wandering from the act of rapprochement. It is true that the scripture tells us that of the One Truth, whose name is Great Glory and Supreme Bliss, there is no image. But when pure consciousness becomes feeling, and feeling enters the world of though it takes form and becomes subject to words. And words are but. symbols -perhaps even more so than physical icons. However vehemently one may deny his involvement in symbols, one's very thoughts are bound in words which are but symbols. But like all things in our life, symbolic worship soon corrupts into worship of the symbols ; pure spiritual rapport corrupts into begging for this or that boon. And appurtenances tyranically take over the very focal point of worship ; the votary cannot see the wood for the trees. In minding the details over much, the orientation of the objective is lost.
The Four Phases of the Puja The Shodashopachaara Puja may be considered in four phases. 1. COGNITION of the concept, concord and conation. Hope of attuning with the cosmic, and achieving rapport and bliss The need and desire for at-one-ment. Subjugation of individuality, devotion, dedication, dynamic and meaningful action to attune with and approach the Infinite. Eradication of all hatred and similar feelings, enthronement of love and charity and sweetness ; attainment of peace ; stilling the being in all functioning ; going into silence. For, in silence is God. This completes orientation. 2. The Second Phase consists of communing with the Cosmic in the first eight acts of the rite. Avahanam - the calling of the Divine. This is done in two stages : (a) The Cosmic Presence is called to descend into the purified consecrated
and dedicated heart of the votary. This avahanam thus performed, is also called prana prathishtha - establishing the supreme spirit in the icon as the mukhya prana - the Supreme Life. Asanam - the enthronement of the Presence. The welcome. This is really a continuation of the avahanam. Padyam - washing and anointing the feet of the Divine. The feet are the home of bliss ; the light on the path. Arghyam - The Waters of Divine Love poured into the hands of the Logos, which graciously bestows bliss and beatitude. Acahmaneeyam - This is a mystic act involving several concepts.
(b) Chandogyopanishad (5/2/7) relates how the water is sipped three times before taking food, and three times after taking food, heralding the entry of Mukhya Prana and the clothing of it. Thus we cognise and proclaim the presence of the Divine Life within. This then is the imagery of the Descent of the Logos into the microcosm -a dramatic cognition of eternal immanence The Rg Veda mantra (5/82/1) is divided into 3 stages and with each successive stage water is sipped, praying to Savitha that He may enter the microcosmic being with divine life and transform the votary into the perfection of His own image. (c) Brihad Aaranyakopanishad (6/3/6) visualises this act as the partaking of the waters by the votary, of the remnant of the holy oblations to the manifestation of God, in all the moods and modes - the ritual of the oblations being described in Brihad. Up 6/3/1-5. Brihad. Up. 6/3/6 is the culmination of the sacrifice : the most gracious , beneficent, kindly and glorious aspects of the Divine are interlaced with bliss pervading throughout the universe of creation, and now specially cognised and entering and pervading and transforming the votary into the Cosmic Being. This is the supreme and ultimate aspiration of every votary. (This act is performed in this form by guests welcomed in a home ; by the bridegroom immediately before his marriage ; by the elders and fathers who come to bless their children ; and by the sacrificer at the completion of his sacrifice.) During the daily worship and meditation the devotee performs this act, sanctifying the divine entry with the three mystic Names of Bliss-Achyutha, Anantha and Govinda. Achyutha, the imperishable eternal Lord of Time ; Anantha, the infinite eternal Lord of Space ; and Govinda, the omniscient, omnipotent knower of creation, and of the eternal life and light pervading through creation. And to this great and mysterious, magnificent Being we offer our humble adorations In image worship this act visualises the pervasion of the divine presence, of the Immanence, in the image. This also is the mystic and symbolic clothing offered to the Immanence before and after its entry, so that it may not be naked. The same idea is carried through after the offering of holy food in the rite. Snanam -the mystic bath. The encompassing of the Infinite by Waters of life, and of Bliss. It will be well to remember at this stage that the divine presence was first attracted into the person of the votary and then transferred to the image. Thus tbe consecrated personality of the votary is also now present in the image. And so in worshipping the ideal in the image, the votary is also unconsciously idealising and transforming his own being. The achamaneeyam and snanam would therefore help the devotee in visualising his own pervasion internally, and encompassment externally, by the Divine Presence ; and as the image is a symbol, so too are the waters a symbol. And as the image is a symbol of the Most High so are the waters symbolic of eternal life, supernal glory and of ultimate peace and bliss and beatitude. As achamaneeyam is the internal lustration, snanam is the external lustration and oblation. In this aspect of snanam there are some 16 or more items used, such as ghee, milk, oils, curds, cooked food, vibhuthi, kumkumam, turmeric powder and even dry grains. Sandal paste is very popular. The divine presence is supposed to enter into all the articles used, by an inverse process. That is to visualise the divine presence in all the articles in daily use. Lustrations with lighted camphor follow each such bath and a fresh-water bath follows every such bath. Vasthram - the clothing and veiling of the icon symbolises the act of limiting the infinite which is completed thus ; the encompassment of the snanam is now an accomplished act. For obviously, the clothing must be larger than the clothed. And nothing can be bigger than the Infinite. and therefore, in this act of being clothed, the Infinite has permitted Its limitation to being finite for our comprehension and apprehension. And the one Unconditioned and Invisible is become visible by becoming immanent, clothed and manifested as the many. For though God is invisible His clothing is visible. God is now manifest. Yagnopaveetham - Symbol of the Great Sacrifice. For - the sake of the creature, the Creator has limited himself in space and time, in name and form. For the sake of His creatures, the Creator has manifested even in the icon to commune with them, to bless and bestow bliss. For the sake of the devotee, the Lord has come form the great beyond of Transcendence into the Immanence of the here and now. 3. The Third Phase - adventuring into the great beyond of Transcendence. As long as we retain our name and form and our individuality, we are bound by space and time, and may not venture into the great beyond ; so long too, Transcendence transcends our reaching out by deed, word or thought. Even as the Cosmic Being sacrificed Its infinity in order to descend into the space-time çomplex, so too, the votary has to give up his individuality ; he has to sacrifice those quantums of the elements of creation which are used in his making. And so for adventuring into the great beyond of Transcendence we must let the tiny fragments of the elements of creation which we possess in our make-up merge and dissolve, back Into the macrocosmic counterparts. This process is called laya-yoga - merging back. (a) Prithivi = The expanding universe. Chandanam or sandal. paste is applied to the icon symbolising our dissolving our solid parts in the Prithivi of the macrocosm (b) Akasham = radiant space. Its Thatness is shabdam.
Its Prateekam is pushpam or flowers. Its organ of sentience is the ear. (c) Vayu = The divine courier, and carrier. Its subtle
aspect is sparsham - touch its Prateekam is dhupam, incense. We offer incense to God, in token or dissolving our vayu element. (d) Tejas = Agni, Lord of forms. His Prateekam is the lighted lamp, The organ of sentience is the eye. The icon is lustrated by, a lighted lamp. Sometimes the rite is elaborated by waving many lamps in many mystic manners before the icon. Agni is the light of the heavens, lighting and guiding our path here ; our comrade and companion. The Fire of Creation born of Truth ; manifesting between transcendence and immanence. The two-faced one who knows the here and the hereafter. The Fire of Life which causes us to mature and grow in the divine image. (e) Aapas- Waters of Life and Bliss. The subtle as pect
is taste. The tongue is the organ of sentience. Naivedyam is the report at the feet of God. And therefore the ultimate dedication of personality. In the evolution of our spiritual personality, we manifest certain aspects of a modicum, of divine immortality, This is the nectar flowing in our veins. The rasamISoma. That rasam is indeed a fragment of the Lord. For, 'RASO VAI SAH' proclaims the Thaitthireeya Upanishad (2/7) 'SA ESHA RASAANAAM RASATHAMAH' says the Chaandogyopanishad (1/1/3). In this act of reporting, the votary reviews his achievements and offers unto the Lord Most High, all that he has sublimated and transmuted until that moment. For unto God must be rendered all that is God's. The symbol of this offering is ,the milk, the soma or the annam that has been to the worship as the offertory. And these are verily of Divinity. But the offering is also received back from the Lord in a sanctified state of holiness. The Divine Presence is duly received into the food and is now a specially prized consecrated food for our increased well-being. The consuming of this consecrated food assures our continued state of grace. (f) - Thaamboolam - The summation of the elements. The symbol of Manas. The dessert after the dinner. As in the previous acts of worship, rasam/annam in the.,bhumi and shabdam in the akasha with all the concomitant variations of name and form according to the locale of its functioning and thus signified the Elements of Creation in. their severality and their individuality, here thaamboolam symbolises the manifestation and the totality of the elements of creation. And in the ultimate offering of this totality of creation comes the realisation that all this is but the Lord. (R.V. 10/90/2). (4) The Fourth and Last phase - it comprises of two dimensions : Time and Space. (a) TIME : Surya ; revealer of form ; Lord of Time. Neeraajanam : Lustration. A lustrous lighting up of the image with a burning piece of camphor ; or by a lit lamp so that the divine presence may be seen in the image, and treasured in our memory, filling our vision, and transforming our being into Its likeness. (b) SPACE : Shabdam ; Chandra ; Bliss. Mantra Pushpam is the offering of the Music of the Stars ; sounding of the Name. In this ultimate sounding of the mystic Names, the sacred sound ruling our thought, we offer a final prayer, a final bouquet of flowers, seek a final benediction. We pray for universal welfare and peace. We taste the bliss of Chandra, Lord of Light and Delight, who rules in the heavens, in the region of divine music ; shabdam. And we recreate that shabdam by proclaiming the names of the Lord. In the last two acts we achieve the ultimate cognition of the cosmic life in its entire gamut of vibration, from, visible light to audible sound ; from the seen form to the heard name. And imagination furnishes the ultraspectral to the infra-sonic gamut of cosmic manifestation. And with this clear realisation in our hearts we go to resume our lives in the world of men. And the priest adds tangible token of God's blessing to the departing votary. A portion of the offering which is received and cherished in reverence. The divine presence is established in the temple permanently. Therefore the ritual of calling down the Logos each time is not obligatory. But man wants to be sure that the Presence is still immanent and reiterates the establishment each day. In this act of orienting our individuality with submission to the Cosmic Existence, we experience bliss and well-being. In harmonising our life with the music of the Infinite, we draw sustenance and strength from cosmic life. And so we claim our heritage. In this noble aspiration and devout adoration, may Heaven's light and delight be our guide to at-one-ment.
Pranava consists of four parts : A-kaara = Rohini's son Balarama ……………... VISHVA U-kaara = Krishna's son Pradyumna ................ . THAIJASA MA-kaara Krishna's grandson Aniruddha ........... PRAJNA Ardhamaathraathmaka = Rama = Brahmaananda Vigraha In Him is all creation established. Thus say the Gopala and the Uttara Thaapini, Rama-Uttara-Taapini Upanishads. Brahma-Vidyopanishad This ardhamaathra is Parabrahma Himself. |