Salutations to Sri Ramana Maharshi

For Worship and Devotion…For Experience and Merger…

Among the different schools of thought contained within Hinduism, there are said to be 330,000,000 deities or Gods, each representing different aspects or principles of God (Ishwara), while simultaneously representing God himself. Various forms of God known as murtis are used for worship and devotion among the different sects, and each sect has its chosen murtis for that purpose.

Among the various schools of thought, some may view God as monotheistic, the singular, supreme source of all manifestation. Others may view God as polytheistic, multiple Gods containing a multiplicity of forces. Still others may view God as both monotheistic and polytheistic, believing that God is singular but manifests in a multiplicity of ways. Any of these approaches could apply, whether one is a dualist or a nondualist. An example of the belief of both monotheism and polytheism would be to view Lord Shiva as the singular, Supreme God depicted in numerous Gods or deities, such as Daksinamurti, Nataraja, Ardhanarisvara, or others, and, then, contained within each of these Gods, a multiplicity of aspects or principles of God, each aspect or principle being of the nature of God.

In Hinduism, any or all of these views may be embraced by the devotee, once again displaying the immensity of the woven tapestry of Hinduism as an ever-expanding sphere of experience of God within the infinite Consciousness, which is Brahman.

In Advaita Vedanta, the use of murtis would be polymorphic symbolism of God that is transcendent of both unity and duality, one and many. In ultimate truth, the devotee, the devotion, and that to which one is devoted are all only God, and God alone exists formlessly. 

 

Sri Ramana has blessed the SAT Temple in countless ways…

One such blessing is the procurement of four Siva Murtis and one stone lingam from India…

Siva Murtis in the SAT Temple satsang hall.

  Stone lingam on the shrine room altar.

 

Infinite Sivalingam

Higher than the highest,

Deeper than the deepest,

Immovable, eternal,

The infinite Siva.

Adamantine solidity,

Fiery luminosity,

Monolithic Reality,

The infinite Siva.

Space of Consciousness,

Mountain of Silence,

Temple of Being,

The infinite Siva.

Within which is all,

Beyond which is none,

Immeasurable Bliss,

The infinite Siva.

Illimitable One,

Ineffable Truth,

Existence-Grace,

The infinite Siva.

om namah Sivaya.

 

 

  Dakshinamurti in the SAT Temple satsang hall.

Dakshinamurti
Catushtaya-Darshanam
(The Fourfold Revelation ((Vision)) of Dakshinamurti)

1
The southward-facing form of the competent Formless,
Able form of the truthful Formless,
Honest form of the adroit Formless,
Skillful form of the intelligent Formless, is.

The silent speech of the eloquent Silence,
Self-realization of the Self that is realized,
Eternal revelation of the eternally revealed,
Brahman’s Knowledge of Brahman, is.

Silent Being, undivided, unchanging,
Unborn, imperishable, motionless, eternal,
Forever unconceived and ever unspoken,
Reality, infinite, solely as it exists, is.

Transcendent Knowledge, known by itself,
Undivided Knowledge of the Undivided,
Differenceless Knowledge of the Undifferentiated,
Indefinable Consciousness, self-luminous, is.

Immortal Bliss of the Svarupa Innate,
Uncaused happiness of the one Self,
The perfect fullness of the Bliss of Siva,
Ineffable Bliss imperturbable, is.

The True is, and the Self-existent shines forth;
Knowledge is, and Realization shines forth;
The Infinite is, and endlessly shines forth;
Grace upon Grace, and the murti appears…….(continues) in Advaita Devatam

Nataraja during the recent Arudra Darshanam celebration at the SAT temple in December 2010.

Tamal recitation of the Song of Ribhu is done by Ganesh and Sangeeta in front of Nataraja after each Sunday satsang, while those attending quietly read along the English version of this scripture.

 

 

Nataraja Darshanam

Om namah Sivaya.

In the infinite sphere
Of Your universal manifestation,
Composed of the fire
Of Your infinite Consciousness,
You dance in Bliss
While remaining motionless,
Stillness of the Unborn,
Dance of the Infinite.

Your locks fly in
Complete abandonment
Of all differentiation, 
In the universal wind,
That rises and vanishes,
Extending through time,
Filling all space,
From You never apart.

Emanation of Light,
From and into Yourself,
Eternal Light real,
Shines for Itself.
Dancing as fire,
Reposing as space,
Where sun, moon, and stars,
Shine, yet shine not.

In the space-like Void,
Perfect Fullness of Being,
Lies the potential of form,
Smiling head of Shakti,  
From whose mouth flows
The Ganga of Grace
In ever-flowing Bliss,
Supported by You.

The severed Brahma-skull,
Creation’s very source,
Of ephemeral illusion,
Annihilation complete,
All this is not,
Yet not separate from That,
No creation realized,
Laughing and free.

With the moon of the mind’s
Reflected luminosity,
And the passing of time
In the Eternal,
As ornaments
All this is carried by You,
The mind-free and timeless,
The Absolute One……

(continues) in Advaita Devatam

 

Lingodbhava in the SAT Temple satsang hall.

Lingodbhava Darshanam

1.    Being, Being
    Being existing,
    Existing as Being,
    Just Being alone.

2.    Siva, Siva,
    Infinite Being,
    Endless Light of Siva,
    Being Absolute.

3.    Light of Siva,
    Truth’s eternal Light,
    The Light of Consciousness,
    Immortal Light true.

4.    Self-effulgent
    Reality’s Light,
    The only Existence,
    The Self-Supreme.

5.    Filling all space,
    And filling all time,
    The formless Existence,
    Siva alone is.

6.    Signless You are,
    Alingam are You,
    Yet, as proof of Yourself,
    A lingam are You.

7.    Siva, the Truth,
    Invariable,
    Is the proof of itself,
    Known as just Being.
8.    Origin, birth,
    Springing from, growing,
    Becoming visible,
    “Udbhava’s” meaning……

(continues) in Advaita Devatam

 

Ardhanarisvara in the SAT Temple satsang hall.

Ardhanarisvara Darshanam

You and “I,”
Who is to see whom?
Who is the seer, and who is the seen?
With nothing apart, You alone are.

Displayed as one body,
With mind undivided,
Siva and Sakti,
Realized as one Self.

No separate identities,
Only One is;
Neither one nor another,
The Real alone is.

Siva-Being, That alone is,
Sakti-Consciousness, That alone shines;
Their perfect Union is Bliss supreme;
Thus Sat-Chit-Ananda, the one Absolute.

Siva, impersonal, forever unmanifested;
Sakti, the universe, all ever experienced;
Perfect their Union revealing to all
That all is That, and That alone is.

In Siva is Sakti,
Dissolved and merged,
Union of identity,
In infinite Truth.

As mind is to Consciousness,
She is to Him,
And its nature is known,
When it remains as just That…….

(continues) in Advaita Devatam

 

The above excerpts are taken from Advaita Devatam, God of Nonduality, published by SAT in 2009. The poetry is written by Nome and is rich in nondual interpretation regarding the abundant spiritual symbolism for each Murti. This book may be procured on the SAT website at: <satramana.org>

 

 

The following images are taken from “Atmotsava” (Ramana Nama Sankirtanam). This event is held each Wednesday night at the SAT Temple and is filled with meditation, the reading of scripture by Nome, learning new kirtans, singing already learned kirtans, laughter, fun, and prasadam at the end. During the event waving of camphor is offered to each Murti while reciting verses from Advaita Devatam.

 

 

 

 

 

Verse From Sri Rudram

May this salutation be to you, Bhagavan, the Lord of the universe, to the great God, to the three-eyed One, to the Destroyer of the three cities, to the Death (the Time) of the triple fires, to Rudra whose fire destroys the world at the end of time, to the One with a blue throat, to the Conqueror of death, to the Lord of all, to Siva who is ever (to the ever-auspicious One), to the glorious Great God. Salutation!

 

From Nirguna Manasa Puja, Verse 24

The camphor light offering to the Self, here, is one’s own Knowledge of Brahman-hood that, like the dazzling sun, destroys the darkness of ignorance.

 

 

From Mundaka Upanishad 2:2:10, Katha Upanishad 2:2:15, Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:14

Not there the sun shines, not the moon [and] the stars,

Not these flashes of lightning shine; whence (why, from what cause) is this fire?

That alone shines; accordingly all shines.

Of the light of That, all this shines brightly.

 

From Brahma-jnanavali-mala, Verse 21

The Light within, the Light without,

The Light turned inward, higher than the highest,

The Light of the Light, the self-luminous Light,

The Light of the Self, Siva am I.

 

 

Ardhanarisvara Stotram

(The Half-Woman

Lord Hymn of Praise) Verse 7

To Her whose dance of her body (dance of love) with the raising of her face is the creation of the expansion of the universe (manifestation),

To Him whose dance is the complete removal of everything put together,

To Her, the Mother of the universe, to Him, the one Father of the universe,

Salutation to Siva and salutation to Siva.

 

The flame is then offered to all those attending.

 

Sweet Ramana in the beginning, middle, and end.

 

 

 

 

The year was 2006 when SAT was blessed with two new Murtis…Dakshinamurti and Lingodbhava. These Murtis were created especially for the SAT Temple. Sangeeta Raman and her family in India were instrumental is seeing to the proper creation and shipping to America of these two Murtis.

Prior to that in 1994, SAT was blessed with Nataraja, which was procured during SAT’s pilgrimage to Arunachala followed by a stone lingam in 1996, which was ordered to be made during the 1994 pilgrimage and finally arrived in 1996.

Then, in 2005 during SAT’s pilgrimage to India we were again blessed by obtaining Ardhanariswara.

 

The following images are that of two Murtis, Dakshinamurti and Lingodbhava, and their arrival out of the heavens, literally, at the SAT Temple….

After traveling half way around the world the murti’s arrive in crates on the truck. The Lingodbhava weighing 800+ lbs and Dakshinamurti weighing even more require a crane. Here the crane is being situated in our good neighbor’s parking lot located behind and above the temple.

 

Preparations are being made inside the temple and the carpet is covered with blankets while Nataraja and Ardhanareswara look on.

The crew removes the crates from the truck.

 

The first crate is attached to the crane. This crate is holding the base for Lingodbhava.

The crate is lifted into the air.

 

 

 

The crate is flying over the temple and being lowered onto the Satsang hall deck.

The next crate containing Lingodbhava is stapped to the crane.

 

Lift off for Lingodbhava.

Lingodbhava crate being gently lowered onto the deck.

 

Meanwhile, Dakshinamurti is being prepared for lift off.

 

Below, Dakshinamurti is flying over the temple and delivered to the deck.

 

 

Ah! Safe landing!

Inside the temple the Lingodbhava crate is being opened

Lingodbhava revealed inside the crate.

First, Lingodbhava is carefully wrapped in blankets and placed on a dolly.

The base for Lingodbhava is already in place ready to receive Lingodbhava.

 

Lingodbhava is being dollied on wooden planks across the Satsang hall.

Pallets are stacked in front of the Lingodbhava base while Ardhanareswara looks on.

   Planks are set in order to ascend the first step.

Whoa! First step accomplished!

Now, how do we get Lingodbhava onto the pallets that are stacked in front of the base?

More pallets and a ramp are needed.

Lingodbhava is lifted onto next step and then onto the ramp.

 

 

Lingodbhava is carefully “scooted” onto the base.

Lingodbhava in place on the base.

The pallets are removed for Lingodbhava.

 

Daksinamurti is waiting to enter.

 

Daksinamurti attempting to come through the door. Oh, oh, the crate does not fit.

We must remove the door……

…and remove Daksinamurti from the crate before coming through the door.

Daksinamurti silently witnessing.

Time to remove the illusory covering.

 

Hmm, how to move the unmoving?

 

Maybe a pole?

Maybe slide Him with steel rods?

 

Inch by inch up the ramp.

Daksinamurti is in place….let’s remove the plastic and the ramps.

 

 

We are so blessed! Thank you Sadguru Ramana!

<satramana.org>