The Mystery of Durga Ma & The Sacred Link Between Guru Shishya

By Manorama

When I first met Guru ji, I remember being in a daze from how amazing the teachings were that he shared. At the time, I couldn’t believe anyone had a clue the way he did. During those initial months, it was also as if he read my mind and was teaching everything that I was yearning to know for years. About a month after meeting him, the first Durga festival, called Navaratri started. Navaratri means the nine nights of the goddess.  Guru ji seemed so into the festival. He’d hold program in the temple each morning and guided us all in chanting many Sanskrit verses that were directed to the goddess and particularly to Durga. The chants sang her praises and I recall feeling both completely at home and overwhelmed at how natural it all felt so quickly. It was odd since I knew nothing of Sanskrit, less of Indian culture and certainly nothing concerning a guru. Yet I felt at home.

Each day in the temple, Guru ji shared stories about the mother goddess. One day I was with Guru ji’s longest devotee, George B. Eager to connect and learn more, I chatted with him about what I was learning and how beautiful I felt it all was. George told me that the mother goddess was precious to Guru ji. He said during one particularly difficult period in Guru ji’s life that spanned a few years, a time unimaginable to bear, Guru ji had taken refuge in the feet of the mother goddess Durga. He singularly devoted himself to her, performed puja to her and made obeisance to her, singing her praises and steadily honoring her. When that time came to resolution, George told me, that Guru ji felt Durga ma had been his refuge, his safety and that from then on he was her devotee. I later noticed Guru ji kept a small brass murti (statue) of Durga in his bedroom on his private altar. He had apparently gotten that murti during that time and each morning made some small tender offering to her magnificence. Guru ji had become her devotee and the mysterious ocean flowed between them.

Having a guru is an enigma… In its fullest sense, it is both close and at the same time should remain a deep mystery. Early on in my training, as any student would, I wanted to know more about Guru ji, more about our connection, more about our link.  As I deepened into my practice and in my relationship with him, I learned to allow the mystery to be with us and to trust in that. Maybe that’s what Guru ji did during that period when he was struggling so hard and working to evolve himself. Perhaps he learned to trust deeply in Durga ma, in the mantras and the puja, in the rituals that guided him, in his questions and the answers that rose within, but mostly in the mystery of the force that lay between them.

 * All references to Guru ji, refer to Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati in this article.

© 2013 Luminous Shabda/Sanskrit Studies, Manorama

Q&A with Manorama: Beginning Meditation

Question from Student:

I'm a beginner to meditation. I’ve been working on maintaining a daily practice. Recently I had an intense experience when sitting down to practice in which my heart started to race and I felt an intense happiness and joy. I didn't feel I was able to control this and got scared so I opened my eyes. Is this normal for beginners to meditation?

Manorama’s Answer:

When you begin a meditation practice, and even after some time within the steady practice, you may have some experiences that are overwhelming. Meditation itself will challenge your senses and your understanding of what you truly are. Meditation is a re-alignment with what you truly are. In the process, sometimes certain experiences can feel intense.  

My suggestion is to allow them to come and go and do not attach specific meaning to them. Hold to the reality that you are beyond all. Keep your attention on the point of experiencing what you are beyond name and form as your primary aim. If you feel overwhelmed stop and be with whatever is coming up for you. Then when you feel rested you can begin to practice again. You will not always feel this fear. But sometimes it will arise. It is just a developmental phase whereby in the quiet the mind grips a bit. Allow it room and don't give it major importance. 

Keep practicing... 

Warmly, 

Manorama 

Threading the Sutra

Threading the Sutra

By Manorama

***

Yoga Sutra 1:12

abhyasa-vairagyabhyam tan-nirodhah

The mind is made tranquil by practice and non-attachment

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is a mystical text that guides you from a lack of awareness about who you are, to one of profound grounding in who you are.

In sutra 1.2, Patanjali describes the definition of yoga as the

experience where thoughts subside on the field of our minds. Sutra 1.12 gives the aspirant clues

about how to experience the state beyond thoughts. It says, in order to experience quiet in the

 mind you must practice. As you practice, vairagya will naturally rise in you. 

When the mind becomes quiet your true Self is apparent.

***

Developing Practice Through Sutra Study

The Sanskrit word Abhyasa translates as both repetition and practice. In chapter one of the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali cites the notion of practice as the cornerstone of his Yoga model. According to Patanjali, practice is the antidote to man’s suffering. It is the panacea that brings healing to the misbelief that we are something that we are not, i.e., the body and mind alone.

Patanjali says, Abhyasa-Vairagyabhyam Tan Nirodhah 1.12

This sutra states that the process of misidentification with what we are not subsides through abhyasa, practice and vairagya, non-attachment. Another way to say this is: To experience what you truly are, begin to study what practice and non-attachment mean because according to Patanjali, these are the elements that lead to freedom.

If practice is the crux upon which freedom hinges, then the next question is: What is practice?

In sutra 1.14 Patanjali answers this question when he states:

Sa Tu Dirgha-Kala-Nairantarya-Satkarasevito-Drdha-Bhumih 1.14

The sutra says, practice becomes firmly established over a long period of time, when without interruption, with constant effort, dedicated focus, and great love, one fixes one’s mind on the higher Self.

In sutra 1.14, Patanjali describes the full nature of a mature yogic mind. He defines practice as evolving naturally over a long time without any rush. By indicating that, time must thread through the teachings. He is saying that you must take your understanding of yoga with you into each new life experience you have, and that each time you return to formal teachings bring all of your life experiences to those teachings as well.  When you do this, you gain great insights and a wider yogic perspective.

Patanjali also describes the nature of both the practice and the practitioner, providing the student with a guide. As the student follows this map, the floor emerges underneath. When this happens, even though you move through your body and mind, you do not feel bound by the body and mind alone, and you experience freedom within.

***

Luminous Shabda Sutra Practice:

• Each day for a month write sutras 1.12 & 1.14
• Then each week select a new word or idea from the list below to focus on.
• At the end of the week, write down your insights.

Sutra 1.12

Practice & Non-Attachment.

Sutra 1.14

What builds a firm ground?:

steadiness,

a long time,

not rushed,

continuous,

uninterrupted.

Qualities needed by the student:

constant effort,

dedication,

great love,

ability to fix one’s mind on the higher Self.  

Copyright 2013 Luminous Shabda/Sanskrit Studies, Manorama

Drenched in Devi

Drenched in Devi

By Manorama 

Narayani Namo’Stu Te

With my head resting at your feet Ma,

I offer you, my sincerest love and respect.

Saturated in the lap of the mother. Held close to her bosom, her heartbeat, your heartbeat, syncing together… into the veil you pursue and find the blessed rhythm. Lift your courage and glimpse the lost art of yielding, of receptivity, of deep listening awakening to its time, through you, in you. The time of the mother is here.

The Mother:

Listen in silence to the cave of your heart, you’ll hear the sweet jingle of feminine ankle bells that conjure images of swaying feminine form with curving lines.  Enter her abode, it’s nature in all of her glory.  Here you will find you have entered the sacred hall of the mother goddess.

When called, through chant, that goddess enters the temple.  She comes for adoration, for recognition, for receiving the offering.  The mother will tell you that this recognition we extend, is not for her, and she is right. Through it we receive the blessing, the force of protection of glorious union with pure energy that resides within us all.

Origins of Manifestation:

The devi was realized as light that sparked, cracked and sprang forth from the wish of each god.  Through their sacred wish, she rose and lit the sky manifesting for us, in us, through us.  Through lore we learn that the gods unified their light together in one form, and that became known as the devi.  She is the collection of luminous rays manifested from each god. Brahma, Visnu, Shiva and the other gods wanted to appease their suffering devotees of demons so they brought their light together for supreme protection. The gods gave some light from their form, light of their thigh, light of their eyes, light of their arms, light of their weapons, light of their knowledge, light of their feet and the great goddess manifested as the collection of the gods’ brilliance. The gods’ sent her forth to resolve ignorance in us, and so that we could once again feel oneness.

Root of Devi:

In Sanskrit, the root Div means to shine, or light. Devi derives from this root and symbolizes compassion, protection, yielding, gentleness, fierce slayer.  As form, she is woman.  As embodiment, she is all emotion, raw, and receptive, messy, fierce, protectress, curving, weaver of the maya and all that is measurable. To move about with ease in this world, we must make offerings to her.

Growing up:

Growing up with Guru ji, I was ever immersed in teachings surrounding the cosmic mother. Was it tantric? Not so much. It was more that Guru ji was a devotee of Durga Ma and wanted to share his discoveries.  The story goes that during some very difficult time in his life, he turned to Durga Ma for mercy and support and through his singular puja and respect, she granted him blessings and helped him through that turbulent time. Since then he was deeply devoted to her.  In Guru ji’s private apartment rests a small altar that invokes the mother goddess.  She is surrounded by rock formations of power along with the vibration of endless sacred chants which were invoked just for her.

Who is the Devi:

She is Durga, Sharada, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kali, Parvati, Lalita, Ambika, She is Vidya, Bhavani, Nirmala, Dark and misty like the moon she is Gauri, White creativity, knowledge itself, she is Saraswati. 

As alignment and beauty she is Shri, Lakshmi. As protectress and loving mother whose battle cry is the sweet breath and rhythm of mantra she is Durga. Wild, she rides with skulls clanking as a necklace around her neck and hands spread out swords at the ready, she is Kali. Pure without any lack of clarity, she is Nirmala. As knowledge of all, she is Vidya.  As Parvati, she reflects devotion and singular focus to her lord. Compassionate Lalita granting soothing glances to all who are lucky enough to come under her vision. As the mother of the world and consort to Bhava, she is Bhavani. Becoming embodied in the world as Sita.

She is the determiner of the great Lila, the play of the entire universe that all must pass through. The winding ganga river that nourishes civilization is her gift to the world. She is kundalini rising in us reaching its union within. She is you. She reflects the purpose of your life, embodied. She is the bridge between the manifest and unmanifest. She is the tenderest part of your being.

* All references to Guru ji, refer to Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati in this article.

** Devi means Mother, Goddess, Light.

*** Murti means form, statue.

**** Maya: illusion, manifestation, enchantment, force of love.

© Luminous Shabda/Sanskrit Studies, Manorama 2012/2013

Minimize Stress and Maximize Relief this Holiday Season...

Interview with Manorama

by Lisa Dawn Angerame,

For Yoga City NYC, November 2012

Manorama D’Alvia met her guru at a young age and spent many years learning from and serving Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. She shares the fruits of that experience with her students through the sounds of the Sanskrit language and the exploration of a variety of sacred texts, including the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads.   

A scholar herself and a graduate of Columbia University, Manorama explores the Sanskrit language as a tool to help students find a connection to the truth. She is the go-to Sanskrit teacher for yogis all over the world but especially here in New York City.  

Since the holidays are quickly coming upon us, I thought I would ask Manorama for advice as to how to make it to the 2013 calmly and in one piece...

Lisa Dawn Angerame: During the holiday season, people tend to lose their focus. Besides asana, how can yoga help?

Manorama:  We have different channels for the teachings of yoga. The practices of meditation and mantra are useful during the holiday season to help heal our minds and keep our emotions in check.

When under pressure, it is helpful to minimize stress and maximize relief. So often during the holiday season, we gather with friends and loved ones and remember things from the past. We don’t realize that as much as we have grown, the people in our lives also have grown too. They may long to be seen in this new manner. When we meditate regularly, we gain access to self-healing and to seeing ourselves and others with greater kindness.  

The more we meditate, the more we come in contact with pure energy which is always present now. Being in the present consistently, each day, gives us relief from pressures and provides an expansive feeling in the heart. Through meditation we experience the Self beyond the movement of the mind and therefore beyond anxieties, thoughts, projections, future, or past imaginings.  This helps us see the same in our family.

Regular meditation helps us stay connected with our center through all of our experiences, which is positive and has a balancing effect on our whole life and we are not thrown off kilter during the holidays.

LDA: You suggested mantra. Can you elaborate?

Manorama: Before we have the experience of what we call interconnectedness, we need to learn how to unify our energy.  One channel we can use to come into contact with our energy in a conscious way, and then ultimately learn to unify it, is the practice of mantra. 

When we chant a mantra, we direct our attention to sounds at different locations in the mouth. These points of articulation follow a clear pathway and create clarity in our thoughts.

I think of mantras as mini gurus, like tiny gurus, that guide us. The more we hang out with them, spend time with them, the more we come to understand the subtlety of their meaning. 

Furthermore, these mantras are not saying, “lets go to the grocery store!” They are saying essential truths like, “I am Shiva” which simply means, “I am the light of consciousness and I align with that highest kindness and clarity that is possible for me at this moment.”

LDA: Can you describe the origin of mantra?

Manorama: Mantras are said to have been realized by rishis, beings of perfected consciousness. Through their inner perfection, mantras emanated.

The creation of mantras is similar to mathematics. No one created math. Different scholars of math worked with numbers and discovered answers to proofs that were already in existence. In the same way, rishis, through the power of their experience, gained access to sound in its subtlest form and mantras were revealed to them. 

LDA: What happens when mantra is chanted over and over?

Manorama: Sanskrit sounds possess a high degree of vibration or echo. Imagine when you’ve been some place where there is an echo, like a canyon, and you say to a friend, “hello.”  You hear it echo, “hello, hello, hello.”  Then your friend teases you saying, “hello, hello, hello.” Sanskrit sounds are similar to the sounds we say in a canyon. They echo due to their vibrational nature. The echo is symbolic of something continuous and eternal. Therefore, saying mantras gives us a taste of the eternal through sound. 

And, mantras quiet the mind.  All of us have busy days with things occupying our focus. When we withdraw energy from thoughts and anxieties and direct that energy towards chanting mantras, it becomes a kind of psychological sublimation. It re-focuses our energy and clicks us back into a pathway with the eternal.

LDA: Can you suggest a mantra for the holiday season?

Manorama: From now through January 2^nd, I suggest students go into what I call Holiday Practice mode, a way of moving through the stress of the holiday season with ease. 

Daily Luminous Shabda Mantra & Meditation Practice

15 min practice

Each morning

Sit on your cushion or chair.

Perceive your physical surroundings.

Connect with your breathing.

Watch your inhale and exhale.

Maintain focus on your breath.

Notice how your breath is like a subtle thread that connects you with all things.

After a couple of settling moments, pause and begin reciting the mantra below:

OM Namo Devyai

Reverence to the luminous force of light

Say this mantra 9 x’s

After chanting this mantra remain still and watch your thoughts.

Notice how the sacred sounds steady your breathing.

Watch how steady breathing calms the mind.

Remain still for 5 mins Open your eyes and bow your head towards that healing light that always supports you.

Begin your day with the ease and confidence that comes from being linked with your core.