Yoga Poornima 2009

Satsang by Swami Satyananda- Last darshan

Yajna
I have to tell you all something about yajna. All of you have come from far-off countries, far-off places, and you must understand very well that you are participating in a very important event. This event is not only historical, it is not only spiritual, it is also ecological. It has many dimensions. People from the West and people from Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi or Patna must remember that they have come here to participate in a very important event called yajna, in which the spiritual powers are invited and invoked - spiritual powers which you cannot see, which you cannot touch, just as you cannot see or touch your thoughts, but you can feel them, if you are ready for it.

You have come here to be in touch with, in communication with those spiritual forces which are all around the cosmos, all around creation. Just as air is all-pervading, electromagnetic forces are all-pervading, and oxygen and nitrogen are all-pervading, similarly the spiritual powers, the spiritual forces, the divinities, the devatas, are all-pervading. They are here. They are always around you - always. They are with you in France, they are with you in Italy, they are with you in Bulgaria, they are with you in Greece, they are with you in Delhi, they are with you in Bangalore, they are with you wherever you are. But you can't feel them. Why can't you feel them? Because the necessary atmosphere in the mind and in the environment is not created.


If everybody starts shouting now, you won't be able to hear me. If everybody in this assembly starts crying and wailing, will you be able to listen to me? No. You will be able to listen to me only if everybody is quiet. In the same way, the divine powers, the spiritual powers, the devatas and the divinities can be felt only if the environment is peaceful, if everything is quiet. Quietness within, not outside. There has to be quietness, stillness, tranquillity, peace, relaxation, shanti. And in order to create such an atmosphere, the yajna will help you - it has helped you. You will be going back home with the blessings of these spiritual powers.

In the future, wherever there are yajnas, you should definitely spend some time there. And if you have any yoga program, whether in India, or in Bulgaria, China, Japan, France, South Korea or anywhere else, along with yoga there has to be a yajna program.

Yajna is the most ancient tradition of mankind. It was man who discovered fire and realized the utility of fire. Elephants did not, tigers did not, lions did not, birds did not. Only man realized the utility of fire and could make use of it. It was he who was the discoverer of fire, agni. When man realized agni, he took a very big leap in evolution. That was the beginning of a new era in man's existence. Therefore, in India the first mantra in the Rig Veda starts with: Agnimide purohitam yajnasya devam ritvijam; hotaram ratna dhatamam. The first word was agni, not Om.

After fire, the next thing that man discovered was grain. And he was so thankful, so obliged, so grateful, that he offered the first grain into the fire. This is the history of yajna as far as man is concerned. So all of you are very fortunate to be present here at this yajna. You must feel it. Every time there is a yajna you should come here. We will have it every year.

Symbology in Yajna

Satsang by Swami Satyananda

The Vedas are the original source of information about yajna. Vedic worship of fire is extremely detailed and complicated with many layers of symbol and meaning. There are many aspects to a yajna. For example, the timing is important astrologically and the geometry is very important and exacting. There are hundreds of little details in the preparations, the offerings, the decorations and the performance, as well as the proper clean-up and handling of everything involved, including the ashes. Through rituals of purification, consecration and invocation, the entire yajnashala becomes the symbolic representation of the universe. Even the pillars are worshipped as the energy that supports the universe. The demons, the negative aspects, also have a place in the divine creation, so they too are worshipped and offered food to their liking.

Various symbols and actions are used in a yajna to redirect our senses and heighten our sattwic emotions. The beginning of the ceremony is an invocation of surrender and light is offered to the divine. The lamp is waved in a series of Om patterns, balancing all aspects of nature and symbolizing the knowledge of God. A bell is rung, representing the inner sound. The water offered represents the divine nectar of immortality. The sounding of the conch is Om, the primordial sound.

Agni is invoked with the lighting of the physical fire. The wood (samidha or samit) is fed to the fire, representing qualities that are not necessary or appropriate. The fire is nourished by the ghee, which symbolizes mental clarity, abundance and spiritual wealth. The herbs offered represent the bliss released in all actions. The fire is made conscious with mantra and the offerings are made to the ishta devata in the fire. Each of the mantras chanted is a name of God. The different aspects of God are called upon with reverence and offerings are made.

At the dosing of the yajna, thanks are given for all of the many things that were sacrificed in order to make the sankalpa of the ritual. Mantras are chanted to ask forgiveness for any errors made. All are given blessings for their part in this most ancient ritual of worshipping the divine. At the end of the ceremony the light is presented to all and may be taken to fill the heart and mind. This is followed by silent prayer to guru and mother earth and the arati is joyfully sung to the lord of the universe.

Invocation mantras at a yajna are often chanted to the accompaniment of various hand gestures called mudras and nyasa. These actions have a subtle effect on the energy vibration, both internally and externally, enhancing the effect of the mantras. Mudras are performed at various stages, at the time of invocation and with specific offerings. There are different mudras relevant to each deity. Nyasa refers to the placing of the fingers and palm of the hand on various parts of the body while chanting certain mantras. The purpose is to prepare the physical body for the reception, or awakening, of the divine presence of the deity.

The act of offering is called ahuti or oblation. With each offering, the word swaha (I offer) is uttered. Swaha is also the name of the wife of Agni. To honour his wife is to honour him in the highest way. All ritual offerings into the sacred fire are offered with this mantra; swa means 'oneself' and ha means 'to offer'. The implication is the offering of oneself for the sake of others; the oblations are meant as substitutes for oneself. One is reborn through the act of sacrifice, the old being is burnt up and a new, divine being emerges, consecrated to altruism. Thus yajna is truly a transforming rite of passage ritual.

The fire represents God or truth. The sacrificial food, the samagri (mixture of seeds, plants, resins, grains, etc.) is offered into the fire. The mixture respresents our worldly samskaras such as attachment, greed, violence, etc. that bind us to our lower nature and trap us in egocentric thoughts and desires. We offer the seeds of all future actions into this fire of self-knowledge to be completely consumed. The worship of fire purifies the fire element in the body and also purifies the consciousness by amplifying the mantras. Our many senses and their objects are collectively offered in the fires of self-control (tapas) and purification. The senses are offered in the yoga of self-control, the higher meaning of yajna. The fire of yajna purifies negativity; thus ego, jealousy, hatred, vices, ignorance, superstition and other ignoble aspects of the self are offered.

Symbolically, we are offering our very lives into the fire of purification and sacrifice. While a specific number of people will actually offer the samagri, each of us can participate equally in the ritual by the degree of our sankalpa, awareness and surrender. The offerings are substances that sustain life and always the best quality available is offered. Many of the items are natural antiseptics and aromatics. As they burn, the subsequent vapours pervade the atmosphere, destroying pollutants and purifying the environment for many kilometres around. The vibrations of the mantras enhance the beneficial effect of these vapours. This ritual not only benefits the external environment, the participants of yajna also benefit as purification takes place in each individual's internal environment as the vapours and mantras permeate the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual entity. The outer form of any ritual has an inner corresponding ritual. In yajna, Agni is the divine spark within the human being, the spirit or soul. The ghee or clarified butter that is offered to Agni is symbolic of the mind. The annam, the sacrificial food, symbolizes the physical body which is the transformed state of annam. Once the divine spark of Agni is invoked, the latent energies or divine powers hidden within man awake to share the fruits of the sacrifice and assist the individual's purification, transformation and spiritual awakening.

Yajna links us with the devatas, the illumined, hidden cosmic forces. The deities are not only forces of nature, but also forces or energies that exist in the physical body and help the individual's spiritual development. Through yajna we contact the devatas within. We prepare for this worship by bathing and wearing clean clothes. The mantras induce waves of energy in the subtle body that purify the subtle elements of the body, mind and environment, thereby awakening the latent divine energies. With the help of sound, form, rhythm, gestures, flowers, light, incense and offerings, the mind is carried away from its material preoccupations toward a world of divine beauty.

According to the Rig Vedic mystics, a human being performs an action only through assistance from the devatas. The contribution of the human to each action is minimal. The great vedic rishis obtained inspiration from superior planes and their main contribution is in transcribing the revealed verses in appropriate metres or rhythms. Yajna is not a mere rule or ritual, it is any activity that recognizes the collaboration between the deva and the human. A rishi is conscious of the divine hand in the performance of all activities and conscious of the role of the devata, especially of Agni, so that they request him to perform the yajna on their behalf.

The spirit of yajna is love, sacrifice and service. Yajna is a gift from the creator and a way to honour the creator. It is a symbol of life and all the processes of life. It is a symbol of creation and a method to honour creation. It is the esoteric science of life. The true meaning, value and spirit of yajna is the unity of God and humanity. This is what our life is all about - unity with the divine.

Yajna Restores Nature

Satsang by Swami Satyananda

There is a mysterious side to man, a dimension of sound, colour, light and image that communicates with nature at all times and at all levels. If you want to be totally in tune with nature, you have to tap that dimension. Nature is not static; movement is inherent in nature. The Sanskrit word for nature is prakriti. Pra is a prefix denoting constancy or intensity and kriti means creation and movement. Through the constant movement of this great energy known as prakriti, a sort of spandan or vibration emanates which is heard as sound, seen as light and colour, and touched as form.

Nature does not merely mean the mountains and rivers, plants, birds and animals; that is its manifest form. The sun, moon, stars, planets, seasons are the manifest nature. But there is an unmanifest form of nature too, which is both macro cosmic as well as microcosmic. In its microcosmic form, the unmanifest nature is entrapped within matter, and in its macrocosmic form it is the various forms of energy abounding in the universe, whether material or non-material.

The basic principle of yajna, which can be traced back to the core of tantric and vedic philosophy, is the profound idea that man is a microcosm of the macrocosm that is the universe. Whatever formed entities are in the universe, the same are here in the human body and vice versa. As such, each and every human being is equal to the entire universe.

Both man and the universe are controlled by the sun and moon. Agni and soma tattwa sustain the universe and in the human body too they control our physiological and psychological activities through the harmonious flow of ida and pingala. So they are called Agnishomoyama, the noble concept of sustenance. The experience of energy, whether microcosmic or macrocosmic, needs to be awakened within each and every individual if we wish to rise above the gross mundane experience and enter subtler realms of that tremendous force of prakriti. Yajna aims to establish this experience. As the rites and rituals of yajna strictly adhere to the laws of nature and do not oppose them in any way, it is most effective in achieving this aim.

Yajna uses the principle of sound through the constant intonation of mantras, which creates a powerful field of energy for the descent of a magnetic force that is the deity of the mantra. Light, form and colour contribute magnificently to build the ambience for this subtle energy to manifest itself into a feast for the senses! Thus the most important part of a yajna is the mantra (sound). This more than the mechanics of the ritual is what makes the yajna efficacious. It is through the mantra that the perfected being or deity of the yajna is worshipped. It is the mantra that awakens and communicates the power of the chosen deity.

Yajna restores the balance in nature. The ingredients offered in yajna are all drawn from nature without the least trace of chemical, toxic or artificial elements. The water is brought from the purest source of all the rivers in India and the herbs and grains offered are not chosen at random, but are those specifically prescribed for that particular yajna. Today, more than ever before, restoration of the balance in nature has become absolutely essential, as nature is being stripped and shorn of its dignity by modern civilization. Today we will have to resort to the invocation of divine forces to descend and fill our hearts with peace so that agitation, disharmony and imbalance disappear and our lives may prosper.

Harmony is only possible if nature is happy. If nature is sick, ailing and disturbed by the actions that oppose and destroy its balance, it will certainly rebound onto us, and that is what we are experiencing today. The air is sick, the water is impure, the rains do not come on time, the heat is excessive, the winters are harsh and severe. Insects, flies and mosquitoes are increasing rapidly, virulent diseases are spreading without any check. In short, the harmony is disturbed.

Yajna makes nature happy, and this in turn is communicated to the environment and the people who inhabit it. Tantra describes the yajnasthanam as a place where the heart is spontaneously filled with peace and totally attuned to nature or prakriti. It is in these peaceful moments of harmony and balance that the universe and subsequently man is rejuvenated and restored. Thus yajna serves as an antidote to the effects of widespread pollution all around us, whether it is air, water, noise, light or even thought pollution that is invading us from all sides.

In the 21st century, when we are surrounded by artificial products that may serve our purpose very well, but have made us strangers to the nature which creates, nourishes and sustains us, it is this simple ceremony of yajna alone that can once again forge the link between us and Mother Nature. Yajna is an ancient practice shrouded in antiquity but as relevant to modern man as it was to the rishis and munis of the vedic era, who conceived the spirit of yajna to express their love, respect and reverence for Mother Nature.

Types of Yajna

Satsang by Swami Satyananda

Yajna means to offer and offering happens at many levels. Dravya yajna relates to the offering of physical, material objects. In anna yajna there is offering of grains and food. In daan yajna there is offering of material wealth. Tapo yajna is the sadhana you perform to transform yourself, in which you offer all your negative qualities to the fire and become pure.

Yoga too is yajna, sacrifice. The principle of yoga is to sublimate the lower activities to higher aims. The Bhagavad Gita points out that sacrifice of knowledge, jnana yajna, is the highest offering. One does not rest in knowledge; one offers the knowledge to the source of knowledge, which is why Sri Krishna says, “All action culminates in the highest knowledge.” Every output of the energy of life at every level - physical, vital, mental and spiritual - is converted into offerings to the divine. In this way, yajna takes on different forms, indicating a process by which human beings can purify themselves and also ensure purity in the environment. Through yajna one can attain purity of speech, thought and action, and the ability to understand the link that exists between an individual and nature, and between nature and the cosmos.

The seed of yajna was sown when human beings heard the divine message: “Give, offer and do not accumulate.” In the course of time, yajna became part of the tantric and vedic traditions. Yajna represents the process of producing, distributing and then assimilating. On culmination of a sadhana, yajna is performed in order to share the attainments and the spiritual and material prosperity that has been gained. Yajna offered as a duty by those who expect no reward is considered to be sattwic. Yajna offered in expectation of reward or for the sake of ego is classed as rajasic. Yajna performed without faith, in which food is not distributed, mantras are not properly chanted and gifts are not given, is considered to be tamasic.

Yajnas were also used to propitiate the natural forces and luminous beings which govern the elements, as well as the cosmic energies and celestial events and expressions in life. Through mantra and yantra, yajna awakens the power contained within the natural forces and makes them beneficent and auspicious for development and growth. Some yajnas are designed to purify the atmosphere, the air, soil and water, and recharge them with energy. Some are to influence and control the elements, to create rain in desert areas, for example, and increase productivity. Others are for the fulfilment of desires, even for the purpose of progeny.

In the different scriptures, various forms of yajna have been described which can be performed by brahmins, householders or emperors to bring peace and prosperity. Kings used to perform the Ashwamedha yajna when they wanted to declare themselves emperor, by sending out a horse followed by their army. The horse would travel freely around the world. The rulers of whichever country it was passing through had to either seize the horse and challenge the authority of the king who had sent it by starting a war, or accept the horse and become subordinate to the king.

So yajnas had many different forms and were conducted in different ways. In modern language, we can say that yajnas are a process by which the prosperity and wealth of creation is circulated, whether material or spiritual There are vedic yajnas, tantric yajnas, pauranic yajnas and even darshanic (philosophical) yajnas. During the Treta yuga, King Dasharatha conducted the Putreshti yajna, whereby Agni was invoked, and he got four sons, Rama being the eldest. Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas, and her brother Drishtadyumna were also born of yajna.

Other forms of vedic yajnas, such as Soma yajna, Jyotishtoma, Rajasooya and Vajapeya are well known. Yajnas such as Gayatri yajna, Vishnu yajna and Chandi yajna were also conducted during the Pauranic era. The Bhagavad Gita refers to darshanic yajnas, which are more philosophical in nature, where even an act of charity, austerity, japa or swadhyaya can be performed in the spirit of a yajna. In this way, the form and emphasis of yajna have differed according to the times, the aptitude of the performers and their needs. In today's situation we may even talk about a blood donation yajna, an eye camp yajna or even a refugee crisis yajna!

The yajnas conducted at Rikhia are simply for the purpose of inviting the divine and benevolent forces to the vicinity, so that they may crystallize here and shower their blessings on everyone present. In fact, the underlying factor common to all yajnas is that through this ritual the invisible forces (devatas) that are interspersed in the atmosphere consolidate and collect in the area where it is conducted. Just as the vapour in the air becomes water through a process of condensation, in the same way these divine forces that are pervading the akasha condense and crystallize at one place.

Therefore, a yajna is considered a very powerful and potent means for positively influencing the atmosphere that surrounds us. Yajna is known to ward off malefic events. The world situation being what it is today, it is indeed appropriate to conduct yajnas in these troubled times.

Origin of Yajna

Satsang by Swami Satyananda

Throughout time, fire has been venerated as a symbol of spirit. The first mantra in the oldest written text of the ancient vedic civilization, the Rig Veda, is to Agni, fire:

Agnimide purohitam yajnasya devam ritvijam; hotharam ratna dhatamam -
I offer my humble prayer to Agni, who is the Absolute Divine, the awakener of the inner energy and the giver of prosperity.

In the ancient vedic scriptures, Agni is the messenger between the people and God. Agni is equally the fire of the sun, of lightning and of the flame that humanity lights for purposes of worship. As the divine personification of the fire of sacrifice, Agni is the mouth of the gods, the carrier of the oblation and the messenger between the human and the divine. Sacred fire acts as a link between man's consciousness and the cosmic consciousness. Sacred fire has the ability to convert the material offerings into psychic components, as offerings to the devatas, or illumined beings, presiding over the yajna.

Yajna invokes and propitiates various devatas or divine energies using fire, the symbol of Agni, as the medium for the attainment of various boons and general well-being. The sun (Surya) was the great luminary in the sky, who gave light and warmth to the world and was the source of life on earth and its sustenance (Pushan). So people began to offer prayers to Surya in the morning and evening. At night they had to depend on fire (Agni) for heat and light. Gradually, the link between Surya, the friend of all beings in the sky, and Agni, who lives among men on earth, was established. It was conceived as different aspects of the one supreme self-luminous deity who also resides in all beings as the warmth of life and assimilates all food offerings poured into the jatharagni (fire in the stomach), which digests all food.

It was observed that the sun drew up the waters with its heat and the vapours rose to the sky to form clouds, returning as rain, and the earth produced vegetation - a circulation between the sky and the earth. It was also observed that when fire burned, the smoke rose to the sky, leaving only ashes, and water heated in vessels also rose to the sky as vapour. So the idea arose that material offerings to the devatas in the sky could be made through fire. Fire also had its devata in Agni, and all the devatas were interconnected. If offerings are made to Agni, he would carry it to Surya and other deities in the sky.

The initial yajna was that of the divine being sacrificing himself to become the universe. The ancient vedic hymn Purusha Sukta tells of the transformation of the eternal, infinite being into the finite cognizable material world, initiating the eternal cycle of creation. So the spirit of sacrifice came to be recognized as the source of creation, the heart of all creative forces. This yajna was called sarvahut, the offering of all. The Purusha was the object of worship. Brahma, the creative aspect of the Purusha, performed it. The priests were the devas, the Purusha's senses. Brahma was the beast of the sacrifice. The altar was all of nature. The fire was the Purusha's heart.

The Purusha sacrificed himself to bring forth all of creation. This is a message of love, that the Purusha would consume himself in the fire of sacrifice, to create all the worlds. From his mind emerged the moon, the sun from his eyes, Indra and Agni from his mouth, and the cosmic breath, Vayu, emerged from his breath (prana). Atmosphere emerged from his navel, the sphere of light (divya loka) from his head, the earth from his feet, the directions from his ears. The devas created all the spheres or lokas from his cosmic body. Thus the gods worshipped the god of gods through sacrifice. The original sacrifice, the original yajna, became the law of life.


The world is God's offering to all beings; it is his self-sacrifice to us. Therefore, our duty is to reciprocate by offering sacrifice to him in thanksgiving. The essential dynamic of the universe is that of a perpetual ritual of sacrifice. Every living entity is compelled to devour other forms of life in order to survive. The devoured is the sacrificial victim and the devourer is the sacrificer. This transformation of life into life is the very nature of existence. All of creation's beings perform yajna: the sun, moon and stars, the animals, fish, insects and birds, the trees, grasses and flowers, are all in a continual process of service and sacrifice.

All existence can be reduced to a dichotomy of two factors: food (annam) and the eater (annada). Every being is the eater of another and in turn becomes the food for some other being. This symbiotic relationship is particularly apparent in the fire, which grows immediately when fed with fuel and dies as soon as the fuel is consumed. All aspects of combustion or digestion are subtle forms of fire (vaishvanara agni). We make our offerings to the fire-pit in our bellies; these offerings are transformed into the nutrients that fuel the organs, enabling them to serve the body so that it may carry on with the activities of life and honour the soul within. So life is a process of yajna - service and sacrifice, to achieve the ultimate yoga - union with the supreme consciousness.

What is the meaning of Sita Kalyanam?

Satsang by Swami Satyananda

Last year we called it Rama Vivaha. Vivaha means to carry. The connotation is that you carry a girl to your own home by marriage. But this year I have named it Kalyanam because a man does good to a woman by marrying her. Sita Kalyanam means 'welfare, well-being'. Through marriage two types of well-being are attained, social as well as spiritual. In our age-old idiom, marriage is called kalyanam. Mangalam, kalyanam, vivaha and parinasa are all synonyms.

The purpose of organizing this grand wedding ceremony is significant and meaningful. In this region a girl child in the family is considered to be a matter of anxiety and worry. For the poor parents, daughters are a burden because it is beyond their means to get them married. The rich do not have this problem, but marriage is an extremely costly affair for the poor and needy. Therefore, I decided to ease their burden by organizing Sita's wedding, thereby doing good to the young brides of these families. Through this wedding celebration I ensure the welfare of many young girls whom I have accepted as my own daughters.

As sannyasins we cannot take part in the wedding celebration, but we can certainly help the parents by arranging the dowry. This is another purpose behind calling the celebration Sita Kalyanam. Last year when we called it Rama Vivaha we were given nothing except chocolates, sweets and blankets. These are not dowry items. For a dowry, gold, silver, pearls, diamonds, gems, saris, ornaments, watches and such fineries are given, as are cycles, motorbikes, television sets and other such articles.

This year I asked the mukhia, the chief of the village, to provide a list of all the newly married girls who are on their way to their husbands' homes. He gave me the names of two hundred and fifty such brides. I told him to spread the news that all these brides would be gifted with good luck kits on the 4th of December, the occasion of Sita Kalyanam. At that time I had nothing to offer them. My coffers were empty, yet I went ahead and extended the invitation to all the young girls in the vicinity.

When I first thought of Sita Kalyanam, nobody understood the purpose behind it, but once we announced it as the occasion of Sita Vivaha, we were flooded with dowry items. Bundles and bundles of gifts started pouring in. In fact, we had no place to store them. Four centres fulfilled the target and sent one hundred and eight good luck kits each. My point is that whatever work you undertake must have a good intention, a purpose of doing good to others. I have been harping on this single point.


Debt to mother
Now the thought comes, what is the philosophy behind such celebrations? Philosophy of action is never abstract; it has a basis in fact. As a sannyasin and as a man I am indebted to my mother. When I talk like this I represent all men. We are all indebted to our mothers. I am indebted to my mother who gave me the secrets of success in life, who guided me and put me on the right path, from whom I imbibed all the good samskaras that percolate through the pores of my body and the whole of my being, and who also let me go and leave home in search of God. You may write off any other debt in this world except the debt to your mother. Even God, Lord Rama, had to discharge the debt towards his mother when he incarnated as a human being. Mother is the life giver, the jnana giver, the samskara giver. She shapes the destiny of her child.

Just as the future of a tree is embedded in the seed, the destiny of a child is imprinted in the womb of the mother. If the woman goes astray, the man too goes astray. Whenever a child errs, it is neither the fault of the son, the daughter or society. The blame lies entirely with the mother. You may like it or dislike it, that is up to you to decide, but I must tell you the truth. If the seed is faulty, the tree cannot be strong. You may make liberal use of pesticides and fertilizers, but it will prove futile. It is essential that the mother, the nourisher and procreator, is beautiful. It matters little whether she is an ordinary woman or an extraordinary woman.

Today, at the age of seventy-five, I hold my mother exclusively responsible for everything I have achieved and lost in my life so far, for everything that I have thought and done. Therefore, my first priority is to repay my mother. Now what can be done to clear this debt? In India, the majority of women are exploited and downtrodden. Maybe only point nought one percent of women are the exception. An ordinary woman has no means of education, advancement or legal protection, and it is we who have deprived her of all these things. Therefore, I proclaim it as the duty of each and every sannyasin to help and support these women.

I am not a great man. I am a small man living in a small place, so I decided to begin in a small way. Even if I can bring about the upliftment of a limited number of girls, my life will have become worthwhile and I will be satisfied. I don't think I am responsible for all the women of India or Asia. After all, a Muslim can venture only up to the mosque. Therefore, I decided to undertake Sita Kalyanam within the confines of my neighbourhood.

I try to help the girls of this region through education. Sita Kalyanam is also organized for this purpose. I have observed that girls have a special fondness for certain things in life. First and foremost, the girl who wants to survive and make headway needs stability and security. This is a female's inborn nature. I want to help these women who want to preserve their femininity instead of imitating the rough and tough ways of the male. Wherever she goes, I want her to be the ruler and the queen. Thirdly, women are fond of jewellery and ornaments to beautify themselves with. When you present a sari, a diamond ring or even just a small ornament to a girl or a woman, she is always very pleased. This is her characteristic feature. Therefore, I will give her all the three things here and receive the cooperation of all and sundry.

Divine Grace

Satsang by Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Sat Chandi Mahayajna is a most sacred tantric yajna performed to invoke the blessings
and auspiciousness of the Mother, Devi Chanda. We worship Devi in the Sat Chandi Mahayajna to bring prosperity, peace and happiness into people's lives. Devi Shakti is the answer to all mankind's difficulties, poverty and sickness. Worship of the Divine Mother is a most powerful and effective way to obtain divine grace. A wish made at a yajna receives divine attention and fulfilment.

A yajna must have a purpose. A sankalpa which defines the aim of the yajna is taken by the host of the yajna. Our sankalpa is for the peace, prosperity and spiritual upliftment of the entire world. This universal sankalpa guides the performance of the Yajna and your participation in it. We invoke Devi's blessings to protect us from natural calamities, to spread her benign arms to avert impending misfortune. When we feel helpless, we surrender to the Divine Mother. In this earthly life there is sorrow and poverty, disease and fear of death, or death. This distress can be remedied by divine grace. Divine grace is the purpose of this yajna.

Our sankalpa mantra is the prayer to the Cosmic Mother. When invoked, she manifests not as a physical body, but in the form of a body created through the power of the mantras. That divine power manifests in the heart of all those who have fixed their mind on it. When we invoke that cosmic force, feel within you, around you, above you and below you, the presence of this cosmic shakti.

Through this sankalpa we try to connect with inner faith. When your mind is full of faith and when this flows towards God and is reflected in your day-to-day actions, your life is filled with peace and happiness. It does not remain confined to your personal life, but permeates the whole family. The total environment is surcharged. Physical and mental diseases disappear.

All seekers and devotees who have worshipped the Cosmic Mother have had the experience that she is the reliever of all suffering, real or imaginary, psychological or social. She is the bestower of physical and mental health, social and personal prosperity,
individual and global peace, and a guide to those who walk the spiritual path. The mere act of participating in such a yajna bestows peace, virtue and merit.

Depending on our frequency of mind, yajna has the power to accomplish our desires, whether it be artha, material fulfilment, kama, emotional fulfilment, dharma, virtue, or moksha, liberation. The highly specialized ritual of yajna is able to touch all dimensions of our life because the power invoked is a divine deity who can grant all our desires, from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Yajna fulfils not only our spiritual desires but also our material desires. Material gain and the welfare of your family are also God's blessing. Yajna is not a ceremony for amusement or a simple experience. Our yajnas are conducted to appeal to Devi to grant us wealth, long life, success, good health and smooth sailing in these disturbed oceans of life. Yajna is the cure, the balm, for our problems because it is a divine force.

People go to a yajna with desires for children, for money, for solutions to all kinds of troubles. In yajna they search for solutions and they get solutions because the awareness is heightened. During the yajna you have to make an important sankalpa for your life, "God, reveal yourself to me in any form you like." That's all, and it will happen.

The success of a yajna is not measured by the expenditure incurred or by the number of people who participate, but on the faith and bhakti generated by the participants. By tuning into the divine vibrations present in the environment, the benefit of yajna is experienced. See the divinity inherent in everyone and everything around you. We need to feel oneness with other beings, with their suffering as well as their happiness.

When you leave the yajna, go with one idea in mind: "I have nothing to be afraid of. Devi will take care of all my difficulties, physical, mental and spiritual." We may be rich, educated, famous sportspersons or people of personal excellence, but we have our own human frailties. Put everything before the Divine Mother during the yajna.

"God, give me enough so that I can give to others" - this should be our prayer. I always pray in the sankalpa for the wealth, long life, success and prosperity of everyone. May everyone be happy, may everyone be healthy and may no one feel pain or sorrow. May everyone receive God's grace. Sorrow, disaster, poverty, disease and fear of death can all be remedied by divine grace. That is the purpose of yajna.