ShODaSOpacara pUjA

[krishnarao]

From :-- SrIparasuKAnandanatha (krishnarao)

Subject :-- ShODaSOpacara pUjA

Priya mahASayAh,

In my opinion, we must have some understanding, why
we should do any upacArAs in the name of any god or deity..
Otherwise it would be meaningless and, waste of time and energy too.
Neither any deity needs any upacArA nor this drop of water
reaches that far off distance. It can’t be different from the
children`s play with his toys. Actions and speeches without any
meaning
will become some mad man`s guestures. I wish to present you the way
of my understanding while performing each of the upacAra.
I don’t say, all these are authentic and bear only this meaning.
These are some guidelines for the devotees, by which they will be
able to formulate their own interpretation.

For any god or deity, we perform sixteen types of
services (ShODaSOpacAras), viz., 1.dhyAm, 2.asanam, 3.pAdyam,
4.arGyam, 5.AcamanIyam, 6.snAnam, 7.vastram, 8.yag~nopavItam 9.gandham
10. puShpam 11.dhUpam 12.dIpam 13.naivEdyam
14.tambUlam 15.nIrajanam and 16.mantrapuShpam. The meaning, how I
interpret for myself is narrated hereunder.

1. dhyAnam and AvAhanam :-- We meditate upon the deity which in
reality has no form nor any name for it.. But we wish it should
have some form as we imagine it to be, and we also apply a name
for it also. It is a kind of monistic dualism. We know it is none
else
but our own self. But we want to see it in a form and in a name
according to our needs and fancies, while being in gr^ihastha Asramam.
You are meditating upon your own self which is glowing like a flame
of light, bring it out through your left nostril into some flower
in your hand, put it on the idol you worship every day. The idol
after acquiring your own life force (which is the most dearest for
you)
is becoming your most beloved and divine, worthy of receiving any
services from you. You are simultaneously visualizing your own
prANaSakti both in your heart region (hr~idayam) and also out side
of you. In this way you are practicing to see your own self
in whole of the universe. “antar bahisca tat sarvam vyApya
nArayaNah sthitah”

2. Asanam :-- You are collecting all your senses and blending them
into one concentration with a feeling of “aham brahmAsmi” to install
your
dearest deity in it.

3. pAdyam :-- This is to wash the dirt on the feet of the deity. The
dirt is nothing but the feeling of difference with god. If we wash
this
kind of difference, the deity and your self will become one and the
same. “dEvO BhUtwA dEvam yajEt”, You should not worship any
god without yourself becoming that god.

4. arGhyam :-- Water used for washing hands. It is washing out the
past karmas (deeds), and reaching the state of pUrNa Ananda
(absolute bliss) having no wishes or desires, desist of every
thing in mind.

5. Acamanam :-- This is an act of purification of body and soul. It is
bestowing the divine experience into your mortal soul by acquiring
the knowledge of “SivOham”. you are experiencing your own soul as
the self existent and uninterrupted illumination.

6. snAnam :-- This is to create nectarine stream from your brahma
randhra, and make it flow into all of your 72 thousand nAdis, You
should
not forget that you are meditating upon your own self which itself
is the “ananta kAla swarUpa paramAtma.

7. vastram :-- Enveloped with absolute bliss after the experience of
the flash of the cid rUpa paramAnanda Sakti.

8. yag~nOpavItam :-- Visualizing the 24 tattwas having three knots
(grandhis) within yourself. (suShumnA vikAsam)

9. Gandham :-- Perception of aroma of the “sat”. The presiding seat
of the olfactory senses is ‘buddhi’ (the intellect). By offering
this gandham (sanda paste) you are mitigating the ‘viShaya
jaData’ (obtuseness in recognizing paramAtma).

10. puSpam :-- It is just wrapping up and concealing the image of the
idol only to realize that that form is not your target of devotion.
The flower is belonging to “AkASa tattwam”, “Sabda tanmAtra
prakr^itikam”, The intellect is the presiding place for auditory
senses.
The god actually requires the flowers bloomed in the sky, not in
the plants. (try to understan it please)

11. dhUpam :-- This is used as a drying agent. We have to scorch up
the muddy moisture of our intellect, otherwise
called ‘avidya’. dhUpam is sparSa tanmAtra prakr^itikam (touch
sense), The presiding place of this also is intellect.

12. dIpam :-- “cakSuradhyAtmam draShtavyam adhiBhUtam Adityas tatrAdhi
daivatam”.
God does not need any artificial light. It is only for us to
see god who resides inside of us and not out side.
The viewer is yourself, object is god and the insight (antar
dr^iSti) is Aditya the divinity is the target.
You have to see inside of you to see god. Then only you can
become divine.

13. naivEdyam :-- There are six places in the tongue to recognize the
six kinds of tastes. All of these six tastes
take shelter in the intellect only. Our life style also is
multitudinous. But every thing of it has to be merged
only in one object. We have to submit every thing of us for the
god`s enjoyment. (ShadrasOpEtam BhOjanam).

14. tAmbUlam :-- The leaf, nut and the lime chewed together creates a
new red colour. “avasthA traya BhAva
aBhAva sAkShi caitanyam.”. Meditating upon “turIya avastha”.
That is jIvanmukta avastha.

15. NIrAjanam :-- The camphor when lit, it is consumed till the last
entirety without leaving any residue. This is
“nirbija avastha”. Within the fifteen moon phases, there is
also another phase which is concealed inside all of them.
its name is “AmA”. It doesn’t have any sequences of growth or
decay. This is the candra kala which has received
the award of honours by the lord paramEswara, by implanting it
on the top of his own head.
The luminescence of it is indescribable. We have to prostrate
and surrender before that ‘durAdharsha’.

16. mantrapuShpam :-- Your hr^idayam itself is the ‘punDarIka
puShpam”. “punDarIkam akShNOtIti puNDarIkAkShah”.
Reflect deeply on that puNDarIkAkSha with that ‘puNDarIka
puShpam’.

Then you are performing pradakShiNa namaskAram with
an intention of visualizing yourself as the consistence of
your own body as well as the whole universe of fourteen worlds as
the virAt purusha yourself.
With this exhilarating bliss of felicity you are offering the
“rAjOpacArAs” and “devOpacAras”, after submitting your
whole of praNa Sakti and saying, “I am you and you are I”
“AnandO brahma”, “aKaNDaika rasOsmyaham”

SrIparasuKAnandanAdha