Vedanta - Discussion Forum I (introductory))

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Got it via email from my Guru I have posted in the other thread. Some of the philosphy is relevant here too. Hence cross posted it.

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ESSENCE OF DOING PADAPUJA


"Rama! Krishna!! Hari!!!"


"So have you contemplated on Padapuja? What is it that you have understood?"


'It is a symbol of our complete surrender to our Guru.'

"So what will you get by doing it?"

Our ego will be destroyed and we can get Gnana.

"Good! Why do you worship the feet? Why not eyes, nose or any other part of the body? Even the mind or heart?"

'We cannot see a Gnani eye to eye. We worship the feet since they help us in reaching our destination whenever we want to go anywhere. It helps us in meeting our goals of life.'

"Yes, the feet are used as tool to reach the destination. Here it represents for reaching the Ultimate destination, meeting the Ultimate purpose of life. How do you do Pada puja?"

'We carry a lamp in procession and then see the Guru Padukas with the help of the light of the lamp as a symbol of removing our agnana, the darkness.'

"Yes. Guru helps us to remove our agnana and shows us the right path and the light to reach our true destination. 'Gu' stands for showing Light. 'Ru' stands for removing darkness. He makes you to bring Light in form of your attention from outside to inside. So that's what you do. You go in a procession with a light to all other places, but finally come back near the padukas. In Samsar also you touch the feet of your elders to show your respect to them since they train you, coach you and guide you. They show you the steps. Then what do you do?"

'We perform abhisheka to the padukas. First ahbisheka is performed to padukas using milk followed by curd, panchamritam, fruit juice, sandal paste, vibhuthi etc., then the padukas are decorated with Sandal Paste, kumkum and Garlands of flowers. Then archana with 108 names of Guru is done. Then we offer Dhoopa, Deepa, Naivedyam, Karpoor (Camphor) Arathi and Pushpanjali.'

"Good! Why do we use milk first? Do you know? Milk is the essence even though it has water as substrate. By offering milk, we acknowledge this fact that milk is separate from water. It is a symbolic act representing use of Vivek, one's ability to discern and discriminate the real from unreal, truth from illusion. Next what? "

Next curd is used.'

What is curd?"


'Curd is milk in coagulated form. By churning it one can obtain butter.'


"Yes. Curd is a different appearance of milk. Milk becomes curd, butter and ghee. Similarly water becomes ice and steam. Water also appears as wave and foam. So these appearances keep on changing. One need to investigate what is the common denominator amidst the manifold appearances? By offering curd, we are reminded of That Unchanging amidst changes. That is PARAM, the TRUTH. What is next?"

'Panchamrita is used next.'

"Yes. Amrita is used for what?"

'Amrita is used for attaining Immortality.'

"Immortality of what?"

'It is for the sustenance of life in the physical body.'

"Yes you are right. It represents sustenance of functioning of five sense organs - indriyas. By doing Panchamrita Abhisheka one is reminded that the experiences felt by these five indriyas are not true but they are illusory and unreal. Whatever you see through your inner eyes as vision they are also not true. Next what?"

'We offer fruit or lemon juice, cocoanut water.'

"Yes. Honey also is used. Basically honey is juice of various flowers. The way lemon juice is juice of lemon, fruit juice is juice of respective fruit, and coconut water is juice of coconut. Similarly mind is the primary sense and is juice of the other five senses. One has to understand from this that even the experiences of mind are admixture of sensory experiences obtained in the past, at present or that anticipated in the future. So these experiences are equally illusory and hence unreal. Next what?"

'Sandal Paste.'

"What does it indicate?"

'Fragrance.'

"Along with fragrance there is a golden hue. Is it not?"

'Yes.'

"But this golden hue represents reflected light, reflected through Chitta. When the light is reflected through the chitta which is not pure, then the reflected light is also contaminated and not pure light. So that colored hue after reflection is not real. It is like an image reflected in a mirror which is not real but just an image. Similarly the fragrance that you experience through your nose is also reflected one and is not real. In the higher stage of silence, one experiences Divine visions and Divine fragrances. These too are noble imprints of past life reflecting from the inner layers of Chitta, once the gross impure layers of Chitta get purified. But these Siddhis are also equally unreal and need to be discarded. Next what?"

'We use Vibhuti next.'

"Yes. Vibhuti is white. When there is no taint of any color, you get white radiation. White represents pure sattva devoid of Rajas and Tamas. Then True Light is reflected as it is with no distortion. The white color is due to the reflector. This reflector also has to be ultimately dropped off. In final act of abhisheka, we wash out the bibhuti also. Is not it? Then what is left out is the padukas as they ARE without any taint or impurity. They are left in pure and pristine state, with a hue of COLORLESS COLOR."

"Then you offer dhupa, deepa, and karpur. It represents evolving stages of a devotee. First he is in a gross state like an incense stick. Even being lit by Guru (match stick), the flame shuts off immediately due to grossness. But it keeps on burning and in the process converts itself into ashes and fragrance. This is the stage of discernment, discriminating real from unreal."

"Burnt by the fire of discrimination, the devotee transforms himself into a wick in the lamp. His stock of contemplative devotion is like oil. Now when Guru lights the lamp, it keeps on burning as long as oil is there. The wick is more subtle than oil but it needs continuous pouring of oil in form of devotion."


"Then in the third stage, the devotee transforms himself into a piece of camphor. Now when Guru lights him, it catches fire immediately and after offering light vanishes along with the fire. This is the stage when there is no trace of grossness (EGO) in the devotee. It transforms itself into a potential spark of a match stick. Now it has merged into the status of the Guru and can light other incense sticks, wicks, and camphor slabs."


"Now I will tell you deeper meaning behind padukas. Have you ever traveled in a train?"

'Yes.'


"What do you see outside through the window while traveling?"

'We see that the external objects are moving and we are static in one place, even though we are moving and the external objects are stationary.'

"Good! Similarly you feel that the ground is static and you are moving from one place to another place due to the effects of Maya. Have you ever thought that it is the earth which is moving at great speed and not you?"


'No.'


"You are There where you are. Understanding this is Jivan Mukti."


"Whenever you want to go to any place, either you walk or go by train/bus/ air-plane. You make all sorts of effort and use all sorts of vehicles to reach the destination. You are restless till you reach your desired destination."


"But once you reach your home, the tension melts away and you are so relaxed. You do not take any psychological burden and effort whether you sit or walk or do anything when you are inside your home. Is it not? Though you are doing something or other, still you do not feel the burden of any effort. Because you feel that you have reached home and you are in a safe and secured state. Others who are watching you may feel that still you are active and taking great effort in carrying out various domestic chores. But you don't feel so. You get a feel of 'inaction in action', without undue psychological burden.

This psychological detachment is True Sannyasa, not the outward show. Pada puja done with true understanding and bhava leads to True Sannyasa and ultimately to Jivan Mukti."

"It is like a bud blossoming into a fragrant flower. Is there any effort or any struggle on the part of the bud for this blossoming? No, is not it? Because it knows that the tree with which it is connected is supporting it with life force. It just surrenders to the tree and lives a spontaneous life of no expectation. A bud never aspires to be the most beautiful or most fragrant flower. It does not aspire that the most handsome butterfly comes in its life. Under the care of the tree, it is not bothered and so it is not affected by storm or heat of the Sun or rain. But others think that it takes lot of efforts on the part of the bud to burst into a flower."


"So also while doing Pada Puja externally using various items, you have to think internally the symbolic meaning behind each step and thus by going deep and deep inside, you can establish the connection with the Life Force of TRUTH and that is Jeevan Mukti."


"Jeevan Muktas do everything spontaneously without taking any effort. Once you attain this state, then you can do everything effortlessly. They have reached their Home. It does not matter for them either to do or not do. They transcend both action and inaction. Here the Padukas represent the Absolute. You are in your Real Home and so no struggle or striving is required to go anywhere. Feet remain static and that is why feet are worshipped in Pada Puja. You have surrendered and your padukas are entrenched in the TRUTH. You need to understand this. It is the essence behind doing Pada Puja. So you need to do Pada Puja with proper understanding, instead of doing it as a mechanical ritual. Then only it will help you for your spiritual progress and evolution."

"Om Namo Narayanaya!"

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