A significant manifestation of Lord Gaṇeśa happened during my stay in Puṭṭaparti in 2019.
Lord Gaṇeśa is somehow the mascot for Puṭṭaparti. He is ubiquitous there !
Image : Lord Gaṇeśa in Sai Gokulam. Cowboy here.
I was doing my observership under the cardiology and plastic surgery departments for a month - working hours ranged 7am - 5pm daily for 6 days per week. So, most of my time was actually spent within the hospital itself.
My night routine ( post-hospital hours & post dinner in Praśānti Nilayam ) before retiring involved a typical walk around the āśrama, with stops at several Gaṇeśa shrines within the āśrama.
These night walks paved a very personal moment with the deity especially with the minimal crowd, contrary to the heavy traffic of devotees during daytime. Hence, I would choose to spend some time to recite some portions from the Vedas - particularly the Gaṇapati Upaniṣat of Atharva Veda.
This was a time when I had not commenced whatsapp teaching and I had a lot of identity with the mind. We shall look at what that means..
Everytime I recited, my mind would start its inner chatter in terms of the technicalities of the recitation - which I am very particular about ( the pronunciations and intonations ).
My mental monologue(s):
''Hey, the previous verse you just did, did you give enough force to the recitation.. was the svaram at this particular akṣara correct.... ''
'' Hey, don't you think the verse at the start is supposed to have a high pitch instead of a middle one at this place.. ?? ''
In short, I was not involved in the recitation. My monkey mind led the recitation due to nothing else but EGO - The feeling that I am the body and mind which is reciting the Vedas ! The sense of the body as the doer was a grave mistake I was doing.
The mental burden worsened when my mind travelled to Malaysia to the kids I was teaching. This was when I was teaching to a group of children in a temple weekly.
Intensified monologue:
'' Do you think the kids are reciting this particular verse properly ? Recall their recitations... don't you think they brought this particular akṣara in a high pitch instead of a low one ''
The conflict created was so intense that it would put me in a low mood and guilt. The guilt of a possibility of not being able to correct them ( no communication through whatsapp back then.. plus, I was away from Malaysia for a month)
Here, again - the EGO. The feeling that 'I', as a body and mind is imparting the knowledge.
There was a lot of braining in regard to the technicalities - which is the soul of the Vedas as I perceived, in parallel to the instructions set in Taittirīya Upaniṣat.
śīkśāṃ vyākhyāsyāmaḥ
varṇas-svaraḥ
mātrā balam
sāma santānaḥ
Meaning: We shall explain the principles of correct way to learn the Vedas. It deals with pronunciation, intonation ( svaraH - sound or note) , duration and emphasis laid on syllables, linking of the varying intonations and continuity of recitation. Thus, these set guide for one to learn the Vedas.
The Initiation
So this happened one day after my usual routine. I had recited in front of the majestic vigraha at entrance of of Kulwant Hall.
I remember that the mental conflict was so huge during this particular recitation.
Anyways, I retired to sleep after this. My room was situated in North 1 block, near the temple of Gāyatri Devi
I always slept atop a mattress on the floor. I woke up the next morning to the echoes of a clear, high pitched Veda recitation in my room, not too far away for me.
I opened my eyes, half-asleep to see a physically present Lord Gaṇeśa sitting a few feets away tfrom me. He was in padmāsana, in a yogic posture with eyes closed whilst reciting śrī rudram ( it was the 10th anuvāka ). His recitation was very high pitched and had a 'piercing' effect. You could feel every syllable needling into your being.
He gave a very important lesson through His gesture here which I grasped telepathically.
(1) Recitation is to be made with body in a yogic posture - Erect spine with padmāsana.
(2) Strictly NO movement. Not even hand gestures to indicate svarā .Strictly no swaying of head. Still like a rock.
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| My room |
He gave a very important lesson through His gesture here which I grasped telepathically.
(1) Recitation is to be made with body in a yogic posture - Erect spine with padmāsana.
(2) Strictly NO movement. Not even hand gestures to indicate svarā .Strictly no swaying of head. Still like a rock.
(3) Spine erect with eyes closed, and have yourself fully absorbed in the Vedas
(4) Recite with a very high pitch, loud and sharp voice.
The way He portrayed the guidelines for Veda recitation is exactly as how the Sai youths recite Vedas in Puṭṭaparti !
The moment I saw Him, He stopped His recitation. It is like He 'realised' I woke up ( finally ! ). He opened His eyes and stood up. He was barely a few feets tall. Like a toddler, He made leaps towards me. He literally made few tiny jumps with his tiny feet towards me. He came beside me and hit my head with His tiny trunk !
It actually hurt and importantly - made it clear that this was reality and not a vision or dream.
With the hit and contact, He transmitted His initiation in a flash. I went beyond time and space. In a state of beyond body and mind, my inner being simply 'realised' all that He had to 'tell'.
The entire communication happened in the 4th dimension of vaak ( paraa ) which is wordless communication. It is the speech of absolute silence - through initiation. Interestingly, the 4 dimensions of vaak is actually described in the Gaṇapati Upaniṣat I recite.
His Initiation :
He told me not to recite from the mind. The technicalities are indeed important, but do not let them lead the chant. You lead from your being. Recite from the heart with a stressless flow.
He told me not to recite from the mind. The technicalities are indeed important, but do not let them lead the chant. You lead from your being. Recite from the heart with a stressless flow.
His initiation was a life changing one for me. I realised that ego must be pulverised in regards to Veda learning. Your body is only an instrument through which the eternal Vedas express as vāk.
I returned to the physical dimension and the mild pain on my head was still present almost throughout the day !
My night routine continued and I just surrendered any issues of technicality that ran in my mind to Him and I started a somehow burden-less recitation.
The initiation He showed changed my attitude in learning and teaching Vedas.The moment I dropped the burden of my mind and surrendered, the Vedas just effortlessly reached those who were learning from me.
Soon, I met the kitchen team of Western Canteen - Dr Akshay from Mumbai, Shveta from Ukraine and Chef Edo from Indonesia. I followed them for night walks and we disturbed the Gaṇeśa -s as a group instead. My personal time with him lessened and we would just do a short Gaṇanāṃ tvā..
Image : Lord Gaṇeśa at the canteen of Super Speciality Hospital. Would see Him daily during breakfast and lunch
Very interesting,instructive and illuminating ! I have followed some your recordings already.Here in chennai I am guiding amny in veda chanting.
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