1978 - Raju Mudaliar - The Avatar's Biological Maternal Grandfather

Photo Album of Raju Mudaliar's (The Avatar's Biological Maternal Grandfather) Home and Rice Shop

1978 | Tiruvoodal street in Tiruvannamalai where The Avatar lived as a child. Glancing at this perfect photograph, The Avatar excitedly recalls, "Where I used to live... If you come out of My house, you will see this exact view!"

~1990 | Raju Mudaliar aya with his colleagues in a local summit for rice merchants, in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, South India.

Raju Mudaliar aya seen looking at the camera at a temple festival in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, South India.

1978 | The traditional doorway of Raju Mudaliar's house in Kanni Kovil street, Tiruvannamalai where The Avatar spent long hours, absorbing the lifestyle of Sanatana Hindu Dharma from His maternal grandfather (Raju Mudaliar).

1978 | In these stone containers that are found even today outside the Avatar's maternal grandfather Raju Mudaliar's house, food or water is served for the cows, dogs and horses to appease their thirst and hunger. The Avatar says, "This is the first 'rice bowl' I saw for the purpose of feeding others."

1978 | Puja room where Raju Mudaliar - The Avatar's maternal grandfather - where The Avatar witnessed him offering worship everyday with such high integrity.

The Avatar says of His grandfather, "He was the one who I saw first doing the spiritual routine. No matter when he gets home from the office at night, he will always get up before sunrise, prepare for puja and do puja for three-four hours, in a very unhurried way. Every night when he came from work, he would leave the key of his shop by the Shiva deity."

1978 | The Avatar's maternal grandfather Raju Mudaliar's personal deities - Ganesha and Shivalinga - that he worshipped everyday. They are still in the pūjā room altar in his house in Kanni Kovil street in Tiruvannamalai. The Avatar says of his grandfather, "I have never seen him miss his pūjā; cold, cough, family reasons, nothing will make him miss it. From the time I remember Me, I used to be with him for pūjā."

1978 | The working desk and chair of Raju Mudaliar, The Avatar's maternal grandfather, in his rice shop in Mandi street, Tiruvannamalai, maintained as it was when he was alive. PR & Co. was the name of the rice shop. 'PR' stood for Ponnu Swamy and Raja Mudaliar. Ponnu Swamy is the name of The Avatar's great grand father, with whom His grandfather started the rice shop. The Avatar recalls about His grandfather, "My grandfather was also a person of such charity. Every night, even if it was one o’clock, two o’clock in the night, only after signing the ledger and completing the accounts of the shop, he would go to bed."

The entry room of Raju Mudaliar's (The Avatar's maternal grandfather) grain shop on Mandi street, Tiruvannamalai. The host of framed pictures of Hindu Gods and Goddesses that he worshipped, as well as the very table and chair he used, are maintained till date as can be seen. The Avatar frequented the shop as a child, absorbing His grandfather's business integrity and acumen effortlessly. He used to also visit the shop to collect His funding coins from His grandfather, that He needed for His multifarious spiritual and religious activities!

1978 | The hall in The Avatar's maternal grandfather's (Raju Mudaliar) house on Kanni Kovil Street, Tiruvannamalai, where sādhus (wandering ascetics) were fed everyday. The Avatar says, "My mental setup of giving food to people, I got from My grandfather. He would go to the temple every day, search for sādhus near the temple, bring them home, make them sit down, recite some stotras (devotional songs) or verses from the Purāṇas - stories of Hindu Gods - like Śiva Purāṇa, offer them ārati (ceremonial waving of lamps), offer them dakṣiṇa (money), then feed them, and only after that, he would eat."

The inner room of Raju Mudaliar's (The Avatar's maternal grandfather) rice shop. It still functions on Mandi Street in Tiruvannamalai in the same location. Bags of grain can be seen in the picture.Raju Mudaliar along with his cousin brother T.S.Subburaya Chettiar (affectionately called "Express" because of his fast-paced walk), were key players in the rice market in their hay days. The shop is maintained till date the way it was when Raju Mudaliar was there. The Avatar frequented the shop as a child, absorbing His grandfather's business integrity and acumen effortlessly. He used to also visit the shop to collect His funding coins from His grandfather, that He needed for His multifarious spiritual and religious activities!

1978 | The Avatar's maternal grandfather Raju Mudaliar's book shelf in his puja (worship) room. The Avatar recalls, "I learnt the habit of reading a few pages of the sacred scriptures before falling asleep from My grandfather. He used to go to sleep at midnight, but even at that time, he would sit and chant Tirujnanasambandhar’s Thevaram before sleeping."

A small green linga which was gifted to The Avatar at a young age by His biological maternal grandfather. This linga is now safeguarded in the Sovereign Archives of the National Archives of ShriKAILASA and is still worshiped by The Avatar!

The Avatar Speaks on His Biological Maternal Grandfather, Raju Mudaliar

"I went to the temple sitting on his shoulders"

"When I was just three, My grandfather would carry Me on his shoulders to the Arunachaleshwara Temple. He would take Me around the temple and tell Me all the great epic stories - Puranas. I was fortunate enough to have such an amazing person as My grandfather. I still remember him holding Me on his shoulders. He would take Me to every pillar in the Tiruvannamalai Temple and explain the stories of the figures carved on them. Some of the great stories I heard from his own mouth are: Markandeya, the great Saint Kannappa, Naciketa and Bhakta Prahalada. I am going to honor all those stone pillars by replicating them in the Bidadi temple, with a statue of My grandfather carrying Me on his shoulder and showing all those and explaining! Thanks to the time he spent with Me, explaining all those beautiful ideals, even before I entered the human society. What an amazing preparation he did! I still remember: when I went back home, I would have to repeat the whole story to My family. That was the way I was trained as a speaker! Apart from speaking, it was also that these great ideas were getting into My system. Before the age of three I started giving satsangs (discourses)! Now I am revealing to you one of the important truths: never have I read any great Puranas! I would simply start narrating the story! Later on, when I got the chance to read the book, I would see that it is exactly right! Whether it is stories of temples or people, I would simply start telling the story. But later on, when I got the chance to read the book, when I read, it would be exactly the same, verbatim!"

"He taught consciousness, not conscience"

"I am so happy that I was born in such an atmosphere and brought up with these great ideas. At such a young age, all these great ideas and truths were put inside Me. Somehow the Eastern society, at least in the villages, not in the cities - the cities can’t be called Eastern society - in the villages, you are not given morality; you are given truths. My grandfather used to explain things to Me in detail through the stories. Whenever you are made to understand, it doesn’t remain as conscience - it becomes part of your being. But when it is given as a rule, it becomes mere conscience. Today nobody is there to talk to you; you are just given laws straightaway. Mother is busy in the office, father is busy with his job, and you are sitting here with laws, over! So naturally, you will try to break them. Somehow I was fortunate. My elders used to tell Me clear stories…what it is, what for it is done...it used to be an inspiration. Recently, we got a book that I used before My enlightenment, which was there with some of My friends. So many things I have written down in that book! When I read it, I was shocked at how many people have inspired Me; in how many ways I derived inspiration! Throughout that book, I have not written a single moral. I have written many stories, with only inspiration, never laws. If you receive techniques, it will directly lead to consciousness. If you receive only instructions, it will lead to conscience. Teachings create conscience; techniques create consciousness."

He had such faith in his own body and mind

Today, the whole world is contaminated by the idea that old age is retirement, and you destroy your body and mind with this. I tell you: My grandfather used to have such faith on his own body, mind and consciousness! In his whole life, he was hospitalized only twice. Such a hardworking man! Please understand: your body is actually a mechanism. What you cognize about your body, mind, and you is a mechanism. Whatever you cognize becomes reality. And I have seen the faith he had about himself. I am so thankful to him, because he took care that the idea of sickness never settled inside My system. By seeing him and living around him, health became My basic cognition. He was the only active earning member of the family. He had everything in his hand. But he did not own a car even till his death; such a simple personal life! And till the end, he used to say, “I will go walking and come back walking.” Till his last breath, he had everything under his control, and gracefully exited.

My mother’s side is highly cultured. My grandfather was such a spiritual man. Even on the day he died (he was in his nineties), he did his püjä, went to the hospital and died! I have never seen him miss his püjä; cold, cough, family reasons, nothing will make him miss it. He went walking to his office in the morning, and attended to his daily office routine. Till the last day, he had the bunch of keys, meaning the control over the whole organization, which he built from the beginning. He came home from office one Saturday afternoon as usual by walk, felt uneasy and rested. They had to admit him in the hospital. He passed away on Monday. So literally, till the day he died, he attended office!

When I saw My grandfather, My great-grandmother, all of them, I saw that the concept of ‘settling down’ never existed for them. It is good that I was brought up by them. Now, these modern-day IT people think, “I will work till forty and then retire. I will make money, buy a flat and a car, and settle down by forty.” It means that even while they are studying, acquiring knowledge, the goal is just to acquire some comforts and luxury and drop out! This is the kind of inspiration they have about knowledge and life. Then, their knowledge will be so heavy on them. They will only try to constantly find cunning methods of how to know less and make more money, because the purpose becomes money, wealth, luxury, comfort. The purpose of being active or having knowledge should not be just acquiring some wealth, or luxury or comforts. I am not saying don’t acquire. I am only saying that alone should not be the purpose.

My grandfather was a person of such charity. Every night, even if it was one o’clock, two o’clock in the night, only after signing the ledger and completing the accounts of the shop, he would go to bed. I learnt that habit from him. In those days, there was no computer; it was only in the notebook. And the most important thing was - he had a box. On that box, there would be a board called magamabandu. It means, he would put ten percent of his net income in that box every day, and that was kept aside for charity. So when people came asking for donations for any temple function, religious function, temple inauguration or annadän (free food distribution), based on their expense level, he would give a donation. Once, I asked him, “What is the use of giving money like this, of giving donations like this?” He said, “The result of giving donations is: more people will come to receive more donations, that’s all.” Understand: reward for wealth is more wealth; reward for love is more love; reward for work is more work; reward for charity is more charity opportunities; reward for integrity is more integrity. Cognizing the joy that integrity brings in you, the powerfulness you experience through integrity; cognizing that integrity is the ultimate, will lead to not having blind spots. In anything, whether in your relationship with your body; or your relationship with life; or your relationship with Existence; or your relationship with the ultimate Source; or your relationship with society; or your relationship with humanity and its laws, at every level, cognize integrity as your strategy - be true to the thought current you are living.

He fed the sädhus every day

My mental setup of giving food to people, I got from My grandfather. He would go to the temple every day; search for sädhus (monks) near the temple; bring them home, make them sit down and recite some stotras (devotional songs) or verses from the Puranas, like Sivapuranam; offer them arati (ceremonial waving of lamps); offer them dakshina (money), then feed them, and only after that, he would eat. He never taught Me anything, but he was such a strong influence on Me! Once, I caught a guy who had come to our house dressed as a sädhu doing something else during other times. I came home and told My grandfather that he was not a sädhu. My grandfather just said, “Don’t bother. Even for that half an hour, if he is wearing all the Shaivite symbols like kumkum(energized processed turmeric) and rudraksha (sacred beads), just give him food. At least for the sake of food, he will remember Shiva, and will be tuned to our tradition. Then slowly, he may become that way permanently!” In India, if you live like a sädhu, all the basic needs will be fulfilled. That trend should be maintained in the society. I learnt that mental setup from My grandfather. Now that I have the money, thousands of sädhus are given free food in our Ädheenams! I can say one thing for sure: in the whole world, the lifestyle of sharing food freely at no cost exists only in India. It is part of the Vedic tradition, because we are a grain-based civilization. All religious ceremonies include the sharing of prasädam (consecrated food), and sharing food is not just part of social or religious ceremonies; it is a lifestyle.

I grew up in ten houses!

In Indian villages, you don’t grow up in one house; you usually live in ten to twelve houses - the houses of relatives, neighbors, friends! For four or five days, you stay in one house, and then for four or five days, you stay in another house! Saturday and Sunday, you stay in another house. That is the way we all grew up and there will not be any particular reason for it! Just like that, I would go to My grandparents’ house, and would not come back home for even twenty days! I would just stay there, because My school and everything would be close by. And I have seen that all those houses would be always open to everyone, whether they are visitors or guests or sädhus or beggars. All the villagers who came on business to the town would straightaway walk into My grandfather’s house and have their meal and leave. And it is not as if they would inform My grandfather beforehand about their arrival. If they were coming to town, they knew that in Mudaliar’s house, food would be available. And My grandfather or grandmother would not even ask who they were or where they were coming from - nothing! There would be an area allotted specially for guests. If anybody came and sat there, the two or three ladies of the house would first serve them water and then ask, “Have you eaten (lunch or dinner or breakfast)?” And the guest would say, “No, I came here to eat only.” So they would bring a banana leaf and start serving them food. It was the regular routine. In Indian villages, this was the normal lifestyle. Only when I describe it now, it looks like a big thing. Actually, only when I started traveling outside India and saw the lifestyle in other countries, I even understood that it is such a big thing! I saw that even if it is your own son’s house, you have to make two phone calls and confirm that you are coming at such and such a time! I was really shocked. Sharing food is the most dharmic principle. Research says that the most common past-life causes for morbid obesity are: starvation in one or more past lives that leads to the constant desire to overeat, and fear or guilt from past lives of depriving others of food. Both lead to karma that lands in your system and create the effect of making you overeat. So, sharing food should be a lifestyle in our sangha (spiritual community). In all your houses, the kitchen should be open for anybody who is hungry. It should be a rule.

He lived an enlightened lifestyle so casually

I can tell you, the enlightened lifestyle is much more than enlightenment! I can tell you from My experience - whatever I started living after enlightenment, My grandfather used to live it very casually. I have seen it. Sometimes I look back and think, “God! To live this way it took enlightenment for Me, but My grandfather used to live it so casually!” His idea, his way of thinking, his way of functioning, was so casually centered on this.

I learnt chanting and reading from him I learnt this habit of reading a few pages of the sacred scriptures before falling asleep from My grandfather. He used to go to sleep at midnight, but even at that time, he would sit and chant Thirujnanasambandar's Devaram before sleeping. He couldn’t read English; he could read only Tamil books. He was not a great pundit, but he would chant the few mantras, stotras (devotional songs) and shastras (Hindu scriptures) he knew. Sometimes it would be in Sanskrit; sometimes it would be in Tamil. For half an hour or one hour he would chant and nobody else in the room could sleep! He used to sleep in the hall. And he would be sitting and chanting so beautifully, just lost in himself, reciting the verses on Mahädeva! I was very close to him. I would sleep next to him only. He was My favorite, and I used to be his pet, because I had been given his name: My pre-monastic name is his name. He had a beautiful voice. He would chant Thirujnanasambandar's Devaram and Mannickavasagar's Thiruvasagam, the sacred sentiment verses. The last few years before his passing away, he lost his eyesight. He could not read. So he trained two of his sons to read these verses out to him. One nice thing is that My uncles also learnt how to recite these verses properly for him, and every night they would sit and recite at least one hour for him. Thirujnanasambandar is one of the sixty-three nayanmars, who are the greatest devotees of Sadashiva. He contributed greatly to the volumes of poems that make up the composition - Deväram. Along with him, the saints Thiruvanavukkarasar, Manickavasagar and Sundarar contributed to the Deväram. These verses, which first reverberated in their inner space, are now recited on the lips of every Shaivite, yearning for the same deep reverence and devotion.

I picked up his lifestyle I picked up that exact lifestyle from him. I never slept without reading a spiritual scripture, till I started My public life, till I realized My Avatäric mission! After that, I was not able to read for more than one-and-a-half to two years. Then, when I started My public life, naturally when you are falling into samädhi, there is no need to read any books. After I started teaching, I started reading for the sake of teaching. But till then, I never missed reading a spiritual scripture before going to bed. When something goes inside you when you are a kid, and becomes part of your bio-memory, and muscle-memory, it becomes an experience, a cognition; you just radiate it with so much of strength and power! Just recently in the temple, a Gurukul (residential Vedic school) kid was chanting mantras for homa (fire ritual). I stopped him and said, “You are doing inauthentically. That is why you are not able to bring rain. Sit and bring yourself to completion and start chanting.” The kid realized he had some incompletions, went and completed with everyone, and came and did the homa. It started raining! Understand: It is an experience for kids! It is not just a story! It is an experience! The little bit of Tamil knowledge I have in Deväram, Tiruväcakam and all such verses, was what I learnt from My grandfather, from chanting every night. I tell you: read some sacred sentiments, like these spiritual scriptures, before going to bed. It enriches the quality of consciousness in which you sleep, in which you function, in which you act and in which you flow - in which you carry your whole day! You may think, “Oh, I know all these ideas…what is there?” No! Your brain needs to be reminded all the time, again and again and again, because forgetfulness is the basic quality of your mind. Reminding yourself again and again is the highest spiritual practice.

He put the seed of puja inside Me When I was young, I used to hear the Shiva Purana being sung on the loudspeaker every day in the temple. Growing up, it was literally the background music to My life. My life started with püjä. It is Guru püjä with which My whole life started. Actually, had I not taken up public life, I would have been a püjäri - temple priest! Not author or orator, only püjäri. I would be doing only püjä! I would have been a püjäri just sitting in some remote corner, of a Shiva temple, from morning till night, maybe just sitting and pouring water on the Çivaliìga, or chanting some shlokas or the mantras I know. That would have been My favorite time-pass or life-pass! In a way, I owe My whole mission to My grandfather! From the time I remember Me, I used to be with him for püjä. When I was just a few months old, My mother used to put Me where he does püjä. So, only hearing his morning püjä bell, I would open My eyes! Most of the days, his püjä’s naivedaym (food offering) would be milk, and it used to be the first food I would consume. I really thank him for the sincerity in püjä, which he put inside Me. Fortunately, it grew, it was nourished by My other mentors, and culminated in completion with Arunagiri Yogishwara’s blessings!

Sharings from other family members on Raju Mudaliar, The Maternal Grandfather of The Avatar

Venugopal (Venu), the second of the three maternal uncles (mother’s brothers) of Bhagavän, shares his brief observations of Him as a child, when He would come home and interact with His grandfather, Raju Mudaliar (Interviewed on 31 October 2017): My father would do all the püjäs. At that time He (Swami) would be standing and watching. Sometimes He would sing songs. He would sing Çivapuräëam. Çivapuräëam is the song that my father taught all of us. My father would wake up at five a.m. and perform the Gaëeça püjä every morning at six a.m. At that time, he would ask us to compulsorily sit, and he would teach and make us sing the Çivapuräëam. After püjä, my father would have breakfast and go to the shop. He would return only in the night. Then he would read books related to spirituality for some time before going to sleep. Swami would also come and participate in the püjäs during functions like Dépävalé, Poìgal, Saturday worship, etc. We would offer püjä to Lord Veìkaöäcalapati during the Tamil month of Purattaasi. Jnanashekaran (Jnanam), the youngest of the three maternal uncles of Bhagavän, who is only five years older to Him, recalls Him involving in the püjä of Raju Mudaliar as a child (Interviewed on 7 November 2017):

He would mingle a lot with my father. He would be familiar with all at the temple. He liked that a lot. From a young age, His entertainment was inclined only towards the temple and its activities. He would sit with my father during his püjä, learn all the songs, and help as well. After my father poured water on the deities, He would drape the cloth around them. He would help in applying sandal paste on the deities and so on.

Anbazhagan (Anbu), son-in-law of the family, Bhagavän’s mother’s younger sister’s husband who took responsibility for Him many times alongside His father till He went to the polytechnic institute, also mentions the ‘grandfather relationship’. From a young age, He would have a lot of devotion to God. Whenever His grandfather, Raju Mudaliar thatha (‘grandfather’ in Tamil), went to the temple, He would go along with him.

Senthil, Bhagavän’s older brother, an eye-witnes during the days spent in Thiruvannamalai, is exhilarated to share about the times in grandfather’s house. Needless to say, Senthil’s memoirs are spread across this volume, with many instances recounted in all their delightful details! (Interviewed on 21 December 2017)

We used to hardly be in our house in Tiruvoodal street. We would be only in grandfather’s house most of the time. Our grandfather used to take Swami and me to the temple every time he went. Inside the Goddess Uëëämulai Amman shrine, he would point out the depictions of Hindu saints on the pillars and the wall paintings, and narrate their life stories to us. I recall hearing stories of Kaëëappa Näyanär and Bhakta Prahläda. I remember that one of the paintings portraying Kaëëappa Näyanär was donated to the temple by my grandfather and it would carry his name on it.

Our grandfather would come home late from the shop. He would always read books before going to sleep. We learnt everything only in our grandfather’s house, whether it was reading or chanting or singing devotional songs. The Çivapuräëa was an integral part of our life. Like how the morning prayer was to school, Çivapuräëa was to our life! Initially our grandfather sat us down and taught a few lines for us to repeat. Then, we picked up from him singing aloud during püjä, and later, we would sing and he would do püjä! We also learnt devotional songs on Lord Gaëeça like ‘Paalum theli thenum…’ and on Lord Muruga like ‘Yerumayil yeri vilayaadum…’ I recall listening to Skanda ñañöhi kavacam and Veìkaöeçvara Suprabhätam during the appropriate seasons. In the Tamil month of Margazhi, we listened to songs like Tiruppävai and Tiruvempävai.

He was so integrated to his decision to live

My grandfather was a rice merchant. Rice loads would come from the villages in bullock carts at night. Using a fire torch or lantern, they would unload the rice bags. In those days, lorries were not that popular. On many days, he would come home from his shop only at one o’clock in the night. Even then, he would wash himself, do the äcamana (ritualistic cleansing), apply vibhüti (sacred ash), perform the anuñöhäna (rituals), do the night püjä for ten or fifteen minutes, keep the shop key at the feet of Mahädeva, and only then go to sleep. No matter what time he went to bed, the next morning he would be up before sunrise; it is called brahma muhurta, the auspicious time when a Shaivite is supposed to wake up. I have never seen him missing this till the day he left the body! He would take a bath, do his anuñöhäna, come back to the deity and offer his morning worship. Even when he had to go to any program at five o’clock, he would wake up at three and finish everything before five. I have not seen him doing yoga, but I have seen him doing präëäyäma (a formal breath control practice). He would do präëäyäma and start his püjä. I learnt this from My grandfather: Decide for what you believe as pleasure, life, joy, bliss, and take continuous responsibility for it. That is what is ‘making the decision to live’! So first, you need to have a clear understanding of what you consider as life. It is not just deciding to breathe, inhale and exhale; it is what you consider as joy, the purpose of your life, inspiration for your life, excitement for your life - saying yes to that, deciding for that. Nothing is right or wrong. For instance, deciding for political power is not something wrong. Deciding for money is not something wrong. Deciding for enlightenment is not something wrong. Nothing is right or wrong. Your decision without conflict makes everything right. Your decision with conflict makes everything wrong. If you have self-doubt, self-hatred, self-denial - what I call SDHD - even if you decide for Advaita, it will be wrong! If you don’t have SDHD (Self Doubt, Self Hatred, Self Denial), even if you decide for money or political power, or any mundane or so-called ordinary thing, it will not be wrong. Finally, it boils down to the strength of your decision. One should decide to live in this world for hundreds of years, all the while doing one’s deeds dispassionately as sanctioned by the scriptures.

His püjä altar, and The Avatar's role in it

It was My grandfather who taught Me the spiritual routine. He is the one solely responsible for whatever revival I am doing through deity worship today. I had the good fortune to sit with him during his daily püjä. He had a beautiful family of deities: Mahädeva, Devé, Gaëeça, and two or three other deities, like a small deity of Subramanya, Surya and Nandi - the Çiva Païcäyatana (the ‘five supports’ or five deities worshiped as part of Çiva worship). He also had Viñëu, Raìganätha and Veìkaöeçvara (deities from the Vaiñëava tradition). Veìkaöeçvara was also our family deity. So, all of them were there! He would do his püjä in very relaxed way, spending a lot of time, not in a hurry. He spent his time washing and cleaning the deities, clothing them, putting jewels on them, applying sandalwood paste, and offering flowers or a bael leaf, and then the naivedaym. He did this elaborately, in a very relaxed way. And he would do long rituals – eleven times super-brain yoga for Gaëeça and eleven times for Çiva. When he finished with each deity, I would move that deity from this side to the other for accounting purposes - signifying that he is done with that deity!

His sincerity and integrity to püjä

After püjä, he would pick up the key, seeking the deity’s permission, and then go to his shop. Every time he took major decisions, or left the house for even a small action like going to the local temple, he would take the permission of the deity first. Once he came back, he would wash his feet, except when he was coming back from the temple. He would go to the shrine again where the family deities were kept, do namaskär, respond to them, or report to them what he had done; only then he would continue with his other activities. For around eighty-two years, not a single day he missed his morning püjä. I don’t know whether he had the idea of enlightenment or anything, but his sincerity - such an amazing sincerity - has gone into My head. That has gone into My system. I tell you: just this one seed back then! I remember, unless I sat with him for the morning püjä, I would not feel that day is going smoothly. And if anything happened - if I lost My pencil or pen - I would think, “Oh, today I did not attend the püjä!” So that was My life - and after some time, because the very inner self was enjoying it, it became such a big joy. I tell you: it is from him that I learnt the uninterrupted spiritual routine. I am so happy that he did it till the day he died. He literally did not even cross the district border in his lifetime, except for a few pilgrimages. When he was in his late eighties, he came to Bangalore to see our ashram. He himself used to say that after Kashi and Rameshwaram, he stepped out of Thiruvannamalai only to come to Bangalore.

My grandfather’s spiritual routine became The Avatar's

From the time I can remember, from the moment I started thinking, I have enjoyed this ritualistic worship so much. Understand: I never thought - not only logically, even unconsciously - that deities are just representations of God. I always felt that they are alive! I never ever thought that I am doing this as a technique for enlightenment, or that it is a great thing. Sadaçiva saved Me! Fortunately, at that time I did not know about enlightenment! So I did not develop the logic that I am doing the rituals and püjä everyday so that God will give Me enlightenment one day. That foolish nonsense was not in My head. All I knew was: here is a deity that I have to take care of. That’s all. Here is God; I have to attend to Him - over!

Videos

The Avatar Reveals Powerful Cognitions to Imbibe from His Biological Grandfather

Transcript

nithyānandeśvara sadāshiva samārambhām nithyānandeśvari adishakti madhyamām | asmat āchārya paryantām vande guru paramparām || (0:51) I welcome all the Devotees, Disciples, Samajis, Satsangis, Sri Mahants, Mahants, Sarvajnapeetha Yajamans, Thanedar, Kothari, Visitors, Viewers, sitting with us through Nithyananda TV, Facebook Live, YouTube Live, all over the world in various Ashrams, Centers, Aadheenams, Temples, having Nayana Deeksha through 2-way Video Conferencing. I welcome all of you with My love and respects. (1:39) Today, I’ll speak on one of my very favorite subject - Puja. If I just see last 39 years of My life on the planet Earth “What is the action, activity, in which, I have spent maximum time?” Not yoga, surely not talking to you guys and taking class, not doing Sangha activity, not doing meditation. At least, equivalent of the time I spent on all these activities, I spent on Puja. Sometimes 11 hours or 15 hours, at a stretch I’ll sit and do Puja. Understand. I may promote the Shaivite rituals, Agamic rituals, but I Myself was Shakta. I practiced Shakta traditions, Shakta Sampradaya means worshipping Devi. Basically, I received Bhuvaneshvari Vidya, from My Guru, Vibhudananda Puri, after I had darshan of Devi appearing and I made the deity of Devi with My own hand in a stone variety called soapstone. In Tamil they say, maukkal. It is a kind of a soft stone. I Myself made tools, with My own hands and carved. Took the help of local carving artisans, few hours their support. So, after I did this deity, My Guru was thoroughly impressed and she gave the Bhuvaneshwari Vidya and Bhuvaneshwari Puja method, the practice. (4:40) In those days there was no Google, so the local library is the Google. I’ll go and sit in the local city library, it is not….I should not say city library - a village library. There was a government library, where lot of books will be there and Ramana Ashram also use to run a library. So I used to go there and sit and download the books, download the….sorry, I used to go, sit and copy the Puja Paddhatis available in the library. You can all see the Deity I carved, after having darshan of Bhuvaneshwari, exactly as I had darshan - I carved Her and….actually My life started with Puja. It is Ganapati Puja, Ganesha Puja, with which My whole life started. If I am not doing what I am doing, I’ll be only doing Puja. I would have been a Pujari. Just sitting in some remote corner, Shiva temple, from morning till night, I may be just sitting and pouring water on the Shiva Linga, chanting some Shlokas I know or the mantras I know. That would have been My favorite time pass or life pass I should say. After I started preparing the manual, My Guru used to correct the spelling mistakes and she will give the meaning and procedure. Before every Puja, I’ll prepare elaborate manuals, to instruct Myself and study. Still fortunately, we have manuals protected by My mother. Some of the manuals I prepared for Sri Vidya and Ramakrishna Puja and other Shodashopachara Pujas, like Sadashiva’s Puja and Ganapati Puja and Durga Puja and Vishnu Puja. (7:39) Still we have some of the manuals, fortunately. Much of them are Sanskrit and Tamil mixed, means in Sanskrit script also I will write the mantra and then, Tamil script also I’ll write the mantra and write the meaning in Tamil, procedures in Tamil. We do have some manuals, with Sanskrit script. Ma can you get that - Devanagari script. Some I’ll write only in Tamil, but I’ll first prepare elaborately to educate Myself. Thanks to My grandfather, who put this seed of Puja inside Me. I have seen his sincerity. See, when the business hours increased, he will come back to home only night 1 o’clock, and after 1 o’clock he will take bath and do the night Puja. Night Puja will only be 10-15 minutes, then he will sing for some half and hour, all the Stotras, he’ll go to bed by 2 o’clock. Next, again he will be up, awake 4 o’clock, take bath and do his pranayama…. I have not seen him doing yoga, but I have seen him doing pranayama. He will do pranayama and start his Puja. He is not a great pandit, but whatever few mantras he knows and Stotras, with that he will a very….very relaxed, spending lot of time, not hurry burry - washing and cleaning those deities, clothing them and jewelling them and applying sandalwood paste and offering flowers or bay leaf and then the Naivedhyam...elaborately, a very relaxed way. At least 1 hour, he will spend. I have seen this from the time, I remember Me. From the time, I remember Me…..I use to sit with him. It’s like a…. Skandamaata age, My mother use to put Me, where he does Puja. So only hearing his morning Puja bell, I’ll open My eyes. (10:37) Most of the days his puja milk is the first prasadam, first food I’ll consume. Thanks to him for the sincerity about Puja, which he put inside Me. Fortunately, it has grown, it was nourished by My other Gurus, Mentors, ultimately culminated into a…..to a completion by Arunagiri Yogeshwara’s blessings. He Himself materialized and gave a Bhuvaneshwari Yantra and a Shiva Linga and Jnananjana box. Still I have all of them. Some of the items, I took it Him and He blessed and gave, some of the items He materialized and gave and that one activity….I should say, “Just I’ll sit and soak Myself in Bhava Samadhi.” The number of hours I spent in yoga, the number of hours I spent in talking to all of you, number of hours I spent in My public life, number of hours I spent in meditation, all put together cannot cross the number of hours I spent in Puja. Understand. I am an intelligent man, I will not waste My time. I think this statement makes...should make sense to all of you - Why Puja? ‘If an intelligent person like Swamiji who doesn’t waste time, has spent so much time on Puja, then there is something there, need to be explored!!’ Then there is something there, need to be explored. (13:08) These are the few deities, My grandfather gifted to Me. They are trying to project the pictures. I am waiting. Yes! There is.....there is two Shiva Lingas you can see, one green, another one, small metal, five….I think it’s Panchaloka. That green one was gifted to Me, by My grandfather and that small one was gifted by Arunagiri Yogeshwara Himself. He materialized and gave. The Panchaloka - Shiva Linga, was materialized by Him, which is there still with Me in the….in My puja and all the other vessels were given by My grandfather and that Annapurni - He brought from Kashi. When he went to Kashi, he brought and gifted it to Me. Thanks to the great love he planted inside Me, about….for Puja. Let me explain, some of the important things you need to know about Puja. The first truth you need to know - God exists and He accepts your love, your devotion, actions you perform as demonstration of your sacred sentiment that, “I love you. I am surrendering. I am….I recognize your existence, in my existence, whether you are happening to me in the form of joy, health, wealth, bliss, contentment, all the good things I feel as good things or some things which I’ve not yet recognize…..able to recognize as good things, you may be happening to me whatever way you want, whatever way life is happening to me, but I do recognize your existence in me, in my life, in my existence.” Sharing this truth authentically is what I call Devotion - Bhakti. (16:18) Manifesting powerful cognitions about the Universe is Bhakti and manifesting cognitions about everything that exists is Puja. Puja is the time you naturally manifest most powerful sacred cognitions about life, about Universe, about God. Especially, if you understand those mantras, the sacred sentiments, meanings behind those mantras….we will start soon classes, sessions, for everyone of us to understand the sacred sentiments. When you sit with those sacred sentiments and Bhava Samadhi, I tell you, it is literally Shaktipata with Sadāshiva Himself. It can manifest so much of powers, state of Sadāshiva, space of Sadāshiva and powers of Sadashiva. It can just do wonders I tell you. Fools are those who don’t know the taste of Shiva Puja.

It is actually, literally, missing an important component in the life. When I use the word, “Shiva Puja,” maybe you should take this as the meaning of “Ishta Devata Puja.” I don’t want to exclude the Shaktas or Vaishnavites or other deity worshippers. Because now I am practicing and promoting Shiva Puja, I am using the word ‘Shiva Puja,’ otherwise you should take it as ‘Ishta Devata Puja’, whoever is your Ishta Devata. I tell you, the Ishta Deva Puja, physically sitting and cognizing, the Archa Avatara, and collecting all the things needed to offer it to Him and offering by invoking that tremendous sacred sentiments and just getting soaked into it, it’s a methodology of creating Kailasa wherever you. You have power to manifest Kailasa, where you are and your sacred sentiments are so powerful, He has to recognize it and He is waiting to recognize it. (20:26) Sadāshiva, may not need your Puja but He is waiting to respond to your Puja. Your sentiments are different. You think, “Oh, if He is waiting for me then He needs me.” No! He doesn’t need but He responds. He is alive, very much alive, available. Puja is 100 times more than sitting in Mandala process with Me. When you sit with Me in the Puja, the Shaktipata is 100 times intense than the Mandala process, because the sacred sentiments invoked, invoked, invoked, invoked…..and just like a wave raising and settling, raising and it settles into your muscle memory. The sacred space of Puja, the sweet space of Puja…...see, it is such an intimate romance, I don’t have a words to describe it. Romance described loses its sweetness and sacredness, becomes dirty. Same way, these are such sensitive, intimate, personal feeling, most sacred sweet space with Sadāshiva, even the people who assist Me, with My own Puja cannot understand the kind of wide smile and the madness I radiate during Puja. The joy I radiate, during Puja. They only know that I am in samadhi, so I should not be disturbed, so they…...so out of politeness they arrange everything and support and….. but even there, they can’t understand, being around Me so long. They can’t understand the kind of a…..the mad joy I radiate. I tell you, Bhava Samadhi should be tasted when you are in human body. (24:00) Whoever is your Ishta Devata, that is not a issue. In Hindu tradition, all Gods represents the Purnabrahmam, the “paripurna akhandanda sachidananda chinmayananda swayam prakasha jyothiswarupa brahmam” - the Ultimate. All Gods represent Ultimate. You can choose any one from 33 crore and if you are not satisfied with any of them, you can create one. No problem. Hinduism gives you complete freedom. Samadhi means being one with the Source - Adi means source. Sam-adi means one with the Source. Bhava Samadhi means being one with the Source through this attitude. Bhava means ‘attitude, aspect.’

Krishna is one of the aspect of the Ultimate. Rama is one of the aspect of the Ultimate. Devi is one of the aspect of the Ultimate. Ganesha is one of the aspect of the Ultimate. Subramanya is one of the aspect of the Ultimate. So whatever ‘aspect’ you choose as your Ishta Devata…..it can be any God. It can be Shiva, Subramanya, Ganesha, Devi, Vishnu, Munishwara, Kalabhairava, Vīrabhadra. We have so much. And if you don’t like anyone, you want to create something new - free - go ahead. The aspect, Bhava you choose, through that Bhava, being one with the Source, Samadhi - is Bhava Samadhi. Knowing this Bhava is ‘Adi’ and being in ‘Sama’ with that is - Bhava Samadhi. Your Ishta is the representation of “akhanda sachidananda paripurna nirguna brahmam.” A person who has a pet and lived with that pet for years, only will understand his love and sentiment with the pet. Other fellows will only look at them only as dog or cat. Only a person who cherished, lived, will understand he is part of his family. Same way, only if you enjoy the Puja, you will understand it is not stone or a deity. It is God Himself. People who never had pets, can never understand the pet lovers sentiment. They will only cry foul, “Oh, they spent so much money on dog. They spent so much money on cat, rat.” Why you spent so much money on all your stupidity, who asked? You need to understand the truth. Only if you taste it, live it, enjoy it, you will get it. Only then, you will get it. Not otherwise. You need little bit of initiation and tuning, to enjoy one of the most important aspect of Cosmos. Most important Sattvik bliss. So today and tomorrow, we have Samaya Deeksha and Vishesha Deeksha for all the Sadashivatva and Nithyananda Yogam Participants. (29:30) Those sacred truths and sentiments, raising in your system and settling in your muscle memory and bio-memory, will tune you to be in Shaktipata with Sadāshiva, continuously. Puja is practiced and fulfillment of Devotion. Not just practice, I tell you, fruit of devotion is Puja - fruit of Puja is Devotion. So essence of today’s Satsang, for all the Participants - “Fruit of puja is Devotion - Fruit of devotion is Puja.” (30:35) So with this, I bless you all, let’s all radiate with Integrity, Authenticity, Responsibility, Enriching, Causing, Living Shuddhadvaita Saivam, the Eternal Bliss, Sadāshivoham, the Eternal Bliss - Nithyananda. Thank you. Be Blissful. (31:16)