Temples, Mantras and Yantras

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

The original Hindu tradition in the ancient times when Rishis (Sages) existed was the most precious diamond in the world. There is no trace of doubt in this statement. But today the tradition has become the charcoal. Perhaps many of you do not know that diamond and charcoal are only the two forms of same element, carbon. When the carbon atoms are in crystalline state it is diamond. The same carbon atoms in amorphous state is charcoal. The substance is same but the arrangement of atoms differs. Therefore, the same tradition was re-arranged and was twisted. The tradition lost its shining of diamond and has achieved the black color. The diamond is very strong and cannot be cut. But the charcoal is easily broken. Thus, the strength of the ancient tradition is completely lost.

In the ancient days, sages meditated upon the objects present in the nature keeping them as representative models of the Lord. In those days the Lord did not come in Human form. The sages were fully equipped with right knowledge. If there was a doubt they used to go straight into the upper world and clarify from the Lord directly. There was no necessity of propagation of divine knowledge on the earth. The knowledge is Sattvam (good) quality. It creates shining as said in Gita (Prakāśa upajāyate). Therefore, the Sun and the fire were treated as models of the Lord. The light in Sun and fire was treated as the divine knowledge of the Lord. As the light throws away the darkness, the divine knowledge of the Lord throws away the ignorance. The meaning of model is that we can know the real concept with the help of that model. You are showing a flower with your indicating finger. When you see the flower, you will not see the finger any more. Similarly, when the concept is understood the model is left. But the model is preserved for the sake of other ignorant people. When you see the flower, the finger is not destroyed. For you there is no need of the finger any more. So, when the divine knowledge of the Lord is understood there is no need of Sun and Fire. Meditation means deep thinking and analysis. This means knowing the concept completely.

Meditation is the property of intelligence and knowledge is the essence of intelligence. Therefore, to know the knowledge completely without any doubt is the process of intelligence. The knowledge in the doubting state is the property of the mind. The Veda said that one should meditate upon the Sun treating the Sun as the Lord (Ādityaṃ Brahmeti). This means you must see the Sun and understand that the real form of the Lord is the divine knowledge. The Sun is a condensed light. Similarly, the Lord is a condensed knowledge as said in the Veda (Prajñānaghanaḥ).

The Sun is a simile or a model for the concept (Pratiika). But ignorant people started meditating upon the circle of the Sun. Some more mad people started worshipping the Sun by offering water. The Veda clearly stated that the Sun is not the Lord (Nedaṃ tat, Neti neti). The Veda said very clearly that the Lord will not enter any inert object (Na tasya pratimā). The Sun is an inert object, which is under the control of the Lord as said in the Veda (Bhīṣo'deti sūryaḥ). Bhagavadgita condemned seriously the worship of such inert objects which are only the models standing for the concepts. The Gita stated so in a very pungent way that one who worships an inert object will be born as an inert object in the next birth (Bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni). A Samnyasi who is the highest realized soul (Jnani) never offers water to the Sun. The praise of the model is always the praise of the Lord due to the similarity. Through the praise of the Sun the Lord is praised. When you praise stating that the light of the Sun is very bright it means that the knowledge of the Lord is very bright.

Slowly the time of sages was gone. In the place of the sages Scholars came. These scholars know everything. They used to practice the spiritual knowledge to their level best. But in some places, they failed to practice. They should have accepted their failure with all frankness. But due to their scholastic ability they misinterpreted the scriptures and covered their inability so that they convinced the public that they are following fully the scriptures. The Lord came down in Human form and started condemning such misinterpretations and preached the right knowledge. Such Human incarnations, were represented by the statues. Thus, a statue of Rama gives the concept of Human incarnation. A statue is never a man in general in any temple. That indicates that the Lord is coming in Human form and such a man is only the Lord. This means that every man is not the Lord. Only a particular Human being like Rama is only the Lord. Thus, the statue gives the concept of the Human incarnation which comes in every generation. The God is not partial to any particular human generation. The statue in the temple was always associated with initiation of life (Praana Pratishthaa) whenever the temple was built. The initiation of life in the inert statue indicates that you should catch the living Human incarnation present in your present generation. You should not mistake that the life has entered the statue. If so, why the statue does not move or talk? If the life initiation has that much capacity, why don’t you use the same to make a dead body alive? Therefore, the real concept indicated by the life initiation is gone. A misinterpretation entered.

It is said that the body of the Human incarnation is the real temple and the soul in the body is the Lord. In ordinary human beings the soul lives in the body. In Human incarnation, the Lord lives in the body. Bhagavadgita clearly said that the Lord comes only in Human form (Mānuṣīṃ tanumāśritam). Gita did not mention that the Lord comes in any other form. Gita also said that the Lord comes in Human form in every generation (Sambhavāmi yuge yuge). The word Yuga means a human generation. Otherwise, if the Lord comes only in a particular human generation, He becomes partial.

The outer wall of the temple indicates the gross body (Sthuula Shariira). The temple indicates the minute body (Sukshma Shariira). The inner temple indicates the cause-body (Karana Shariira). The statue inside the inner temple indicates the Lord with His Maya. You can never cross the Maya and see the inner most absolute Brahman. Gita says that no one can cross the Maya (Mama māyā duratyayā). Let us take the temple of Rama. Rama means He who enjoys. The outer gross body is the son of Dasaratha, made of five elements, enjoying in this world. The temple, which is the minute body is Lord Vishnu, made of light enjoying the quality of Sattvam. The inner temple, which is the cause-body is Lord Datta made of Light enjoying the three qualities (Sattvam, Rajas and Tamas). The statue inside the inner temple is Brahman enjoying the Maya. We can go up to this, which is called Saguna Brahman. We cannot cross the Maya and touch the Nirguna Brahman which is without Maya. This is the concept given by a temple. When this concept is realized in a temple, then the temple becomes the temple of knowledge (Jñāna Mandiram). The Brahman is the true infinite knowledge as said in the Veda (Satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ Brahma). The Veda also says that the divine knowledge of Brahman is highly special and no human being can give it (Prajñānaṃ Brahma). The statue indicates that you should catch the Human incarnation in your generation by the sign of the divine knowledge.

Yantraas are metallic sheets containing certain special designs, which are preserved because the palm leaves are perishable. These designs also contain some letters standing for certain items, which are called ‘Biija Aksharas’. It is a circuit diagram indicating a very powerful concept of knowledge explained by sages. They were preserved in the temple under the statue to preach that concept. For example, let us take a very important Yantram called “Shri Chakram”. It is a model indicating the bond with money. It gives the formation of the bond by the ‘Srushti chakram’ (creation) as denoted by ‘Samaya’ sub-sect. Another way of this Shri Chakram is ‘Samhara Chakram’ (destruction of the bond) as given by ‘Kaula’ sub-sect. These two chakras give the formation and destruction of the bond with money. The word ‘Shri’ means money. The word Chakram means a whirl pool which stands for the bond. In the first type of Shri Chakram (formation of money bond) the five triangles of ‘Shakti’ have their bases towards the upper direction. The four triangles of Shiva have their base downwards. This means that Shiva is based on Shakti. The five triangles represent the five elements of the creation (Maya). The four triangles represent the four ‘Antahkaranaas’ (mind, intelligence, egoism and memory power) which represent the knowledge.

It is said that Shiva gives Knowledge (Jñānaṃ Maheśvarāt icchet). The five elements represent the money. This means that the knowledge is based on the money. The central point is now Shakti or Maya and this represents the ignorant Jiiva who is under the control of money or creation. In the second type of Shri Chakram the above two sets of triangles are just reversed. The money is based on the knowledge. The Maya is controlled by the knowledge and this is the state of the Lord who is fully realized called Sarvajna. Thus, the Shri Chakram indicates the two types of souls: 1) Controlled by Maya and the other Controlling the Maya. If one is controlled by this whirlpool of money, he is the ignorant soul. If one controls the whirlpool of money, he is the realized soul and is treated as equal to the Lord almost. The first cycle is the ordinary Pitruyaanam or Dakshinaayanam. The second cycle is Devayaanam or Uttaraayanam. This is said in Gita.

Money is the root of the world as said by Vashishtha (Dhana mūlamidaṃ jagat). Shri Chakram is also considered to be the root of the world and is most important. This money is the fruit of the work called Karma Phalam as said in Gita. The realized soul can sacrifice this fruit of work for the sake of the Lord and as a servant of the Lord he becomes almost equal to the Lord. He enters the divine cycle of the births along with the Lord. There is eight-petal lotus flower which indicate the eight superpowers. There is another sixteen-petal lotus flower, which indicates the sixteen divine qualities of the Lord. Such a realized soul gets all the eight superpowers from the Lord and all the sixteen divine qualities from the Lord. In the case of ignorant soul, the first lotus flower indicates the eight forms of wealth (Ashtha Aishwaryas). The second lotus flower indicates the sixteen radiations (Kalas) of the moon representing the mind. This means that all his mind is on the wealth only. In both the Chakras there are three cycles. The inner most cycle is Kaarana Shariira, the next is Suukshma Shariira and the outermost is Sthuula Shariira (Cause-body, Minute body and Gross body). The outermost circle is split into three closed circles. This represents that in the gross body the three qualities are separately expressed through different actions. This is common in both the Chakras. There are four gates in both the Chakras and the gate forming line consists of three lines which represents the three qualities. In the case of ignorant soul, the four gates represent the four categories called (Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha). In the case of realized soul the four gates represent the four Vedas. The Gita says that even the four Vedas are made of three qualities (Traiguṇya viṣayā vedāḥ).

Like this the temples, statues and yantraas are the models teaching the important concepts of divine knowledge which are constructed and preserved like a planetarium. Unless you see the temple of knowledge in every temple, there is no use of going to the temples.

The concepts and the divine knowledge are completely lost today. The reason for this is in the place of scholars today priests are standing. They only recite the Vedas like tape recorders and do not know the meaning of the Vedas. The word Veda itself means knowledge. They have connected these models to misinterpret and the traditional knowledge is completely twisted. These priests connected these models to cancel the results of sins and to get the results of good deeds, which are not done. They have unnecessarily introduced wastage of money like purchasing flowers, coconuts, lighting the lamps, burning the fume sticks and burning the camphor. All these are not at all present in the Veda which are unnecessarily created. The priests earn some petty money by such foolish acts, which are not even mentioned in the Vedas. The Veda criticizes a light before the Lord says that even Sun cannot shine before the Lord and how the fire of a light can shines? (Kuto'yam agniḥ). Burning the fume sticks and burning the camphor is leading to environmental pollution (Green house effect) which stops the rains.

Oil and ghee are food items and the Veda says that the food should not be destroyed by burning (Annaṃ na paricakṣīta). In the nights the electric form of the bulb is present and there is no need of the oil lamp. In the olden days there was no electric bulb and only oil lamp was lit. The Veda says that electricity (Vaidyutaagni) is better than oil lamp (Loukikaagni).

Shirdi Sai Baba maintained the fire in the old Masjid because it was almost in a forest like atmosphere. To avoid the entry of serpents, scorpions etc., the fire was lit by Him. Without understanding this people are burning so much of wood in the temples of Saibaba (Dhuni). All this wood can be donated to the poor deserving devotees for cooking purpose. Sai Baba will be very much pleased. They even burn the coconuts in the fire. All this leads to air pollution.

Gita says that if the knowledge fire is lit all the ignorant actions will be burnt (Jñānāgniḥ sarvakarmāṇi). Gita also states that the sacrifice of knowledge is the best and the sacrifice by materials is worst (Śreyān Dravyamayāt). Lord Krishna stopped the sacrifice of sages by eating the food that was prepared to be burnt in the fire stating that He was hungry. This indicates that feeding a deserving hungry guest is the real sacrifice. The hunger in the stomach of the guest is the divine fire (Vaiśvānara agniḥ). The Veda says that this divine fire is the highest form which should be worshipped. The guest is called the divine fire by the Veda (Vaiśvānaraḥ brāhmaṇaḥ praviśati atithiḥ). The word Agni comes from the word Agri which means that guest should be fed first. Kapila the Human incarnation of Lord Vishnu condemned the burning of food in the sacrifice as a foolish act (See the Bhagavatam). Thus, the sacrifice is misinterpreted and lost its real meaning.

All these traditions must be revitalized to get the original true sense. No one can escape the enjoyment of the results of the deeds done by him. The following Sanskrit verse with its meaning should be kept on a banner on the face of every temple.

Avaśya manubhokthavyaṃ, kṛtaṃ karma śubhā śubham ।
Nā'bhuktaṃ kṣīyate karma, kalpa koṭi śatairapi ।।

Meaning:- Every one should enjoy the results of his or her good and bad deeds. Even after millions and millions of years without enjoying the fruit no force can destroy the sinful or good deed.

If you put this verse on the face of the temple all the unnecessary rush to the temples gets reduced. Only the real devotees will enter. But slowly the realization will extend. For the sake of initial attraction, what is the use of telling lies? Let the devotee put one step in the right path than hundred steps in the false path. What is the use of this petty money earned by the priests? Most of the money of the devotees goes to the merchants who are doing business by selling the unnecessary materials. The temples must become spiritual centers of giving divine knowledge and develop the devotion in the visitors.

The priest should raise to the level of a Sadguru. The present priest is reading some hymns and verses which are not understood by the devotees. All the attention of the devotee is only due to the ambition to fulfil the desires. The ambition of human beings, which is a natural instinct is kindled and is exploited. By such rituals the bad is not destroyed and the good is not coming. The cycle is giving the results as it rotates according to the time. Therefore, every devotee who performs these rituals is not benefited. When somebody is benefited it is only due to the routine cycle of the Karma. The priest attributes this routine benefit to the rituals. If it is true why not everyone who performs the rituals is not benefited? Therefore, let this fraud ignorance and cheating be stopped. Let the true knowledge come which preaches that the Lord should be worshipped without aspiring anything in return. When the devotee enters such true path, the Lord comes in the Human form and really suffers for the sins of His devotee without the knowledge of the devotee because the devotee will never accept the Lord to suffer. Let such divine path be created in the temples.

The present priest is like an unqualified doctor taking ten rupees fees and prescribing medicines for hundred rupees. The medical shop is benefited but the patient is not cured and the illness is further increased. This medical shop is the troop of the merchants who are doing business in the temple. Let the priest become a qualified doctor who takes hundred rupees as fees and prescribes a medicine for two rupees. By spending rupees one hundred and two the illness is cured. Let the priest become a Sadguru and take any amount of Guru Dakshina provided he leads the visitors into the right path which alone can get the grace of God on him as well as on the visitors. When the priest is incapable of doing his duty to be the mediator between the God and the devotee, the perfume stick comes and says “I am the mediator between the God and the devotee”! When the dog is not doing its duty by barking, the donkey roars!

Let the priest not worry for the number of visitors and for the Guru Dakshina offered by the visitors. If the priest is in true path the Lord will take care of the priest. Even if the visitors do not give, the Lord will give million times more than the Guru Dakshina given by the visitors. The Lord has infinite treasure and if He is pleased there will be no end to His donation. Let the priest become the old sage by exposing the true knowledge to the public in temples and also in performing the rituals. Let him explain the meaning of all the Vedic Hymns to the public to make them as the real devotees of the Lord. Let him avoid the unnecessary wastage of materials. Let him preach the devotion towards the Lord without aspiring anything in return as emphasized by Gita (Nishkaama Karma Yoga). Otherwise, the public has lost time and money in this world unnecessarily. The priest will enter the everlasting fire along with his followers as said in the Veda (Andhenaiva nīyamānā yathā'ndhāḥ).

The unimaginable God called as Allah and Jehova and the Human incarnations of the Lord called as Mohammed and Jesus were sufficient for the Muslims and Christians to follow the sacrifice of work and sacrifice of fruit of work. Therefore, there was no second human incarnation. In India the unimaginable God, Parabrahman exists but several Human incarnations came. Indians never understood the sacrifice of work and sacrifice of fruit of work which are practical. The Lord is coming several times and this shows the inability of Indians to change. A teacher goes to the section of dull students again and again to revise the lesson. It is not a matter of pride. Indians never recognized the Human incarnation whenever the Lord comes to preach. When the Human incarnation leaves the body, Indians worship the Human incarnations through statues and photos. This is due to the inability of Indians to conquer the jealousy and egoism.

Shirdi Sai Baba wrote in milk and on banana fruits in the presence of all devotees in the house of a devotee (Pasumarti Sarada) at Hyderabad and the message is “I asked you to meditate upon the statues because it is difficult to meditate upon the formless God. But even though the Lord came in Human form you are not recognizing Me in this Human body and still worship the statues. Therefore, let Me die and become a statue for the sake of your worship”. It is said “When the elephant comes you say that it is not an elephant. When it goes away you doubt whether it was an elephant. Then you see its foot prints and decide that it was an elephant” (Yathā gajo neti – Kalidasa). This is the state of Indians.

Interview And Journey

Two people are going to attend an interview in Guntur from Vijayawada. The first person asked about the details about the train, purchased ticket, enquired about the platform and entered the compartment. He searched for the seat and since the seat was not available, he traveled in standing position. The total time he spent for this one-hour journey was about ten minutes. Though he was not comfortable in standing, he spent all the fifty minutes in thinking about the subject of the interview. He never associated with the co-passengers because he has to leave the co-passengers in the Guntur station. He spent some money already in Vijayawada by selecting a teacher who can teach the subject of the interview. He served that teacher and the teacher was very much pleased and gave the details of the subject in depth. He spent a little on his personal livelihood.

The second fellow spent all the time in enquiring about the details of this one-hour journey and was always worried about the comforts during this one-hour journey. He also paid a little money to the teacher who knows the subject and requested him to go to the railway station and get a comfortable seat in the train for him. He spent more money on his personal enjoyment. Even during the journey, he was thinking about the comfort of the seat only. He was waiting constantly for the upper berth and enquiring the person of that berth about the station in which he will get down, so that he can occupy that seat. Even though he is reaching Guntur by ten minutes he was not thinking about the interview. He was talking with his co-passengers and was developing friendship with them as if he is going to stay with them permanently. Both the people got down in the same Guntur railway station. Both attended the same interview in Guntur. The first person was selected and spent all his life with full happiness. The second person was not selected and spent all his rest of life with full misery.

Similarly, one person thinks very little about these materialistic aspects of the life and also talks very very little. He spends least time in discussing these things in a very brief manner. He spends most of his time about the Lord who is going to enquire him after death in the Pretaloka for ten days. He always thinks about the punishments in the hell and his future life cycles. He approaches a competent preacher who is none-else than the Lord Himself who came to this earth in Human form. He catches the Sadguru and receives the divine knowledge from Him. He becomes His servant by doing Karma Phala Tyaaga (sacrifice of fruit of the work i.e., money) and Karma Samnyaasa (sacrifice of work). In such service he did not attend much to himself and his family. Due to that he lost all the personal comforts and also lost the comforts of the family. He knows that these family bonds are only temporary which are like the association with co-passengers within one-hour journey.

As every passenger gets down when the destiny is reached and separate from each other, one has to leave all these family members forever and will not even remember them in the future births. Such a person completed this temporary human life cycle. He was very healthy and was blessed with good longevity by the Lord. He was poor and did not eat much and many items. Therefore, no disease attacked him and so he was healthy. Due to his service to the Lord, he was blessed with a long life which is meant for the service of the Lord. After death he went straightly to Brahma Loka without any enquiry. He was always associated with the Lord here as well as there and was filled with bliss always. This person represents the people of our ancient generations.

The second person represents the people of modern generations. He is always worried about this present life which is just one-hour journey. He always discusses with people about the comforts of this present life. He associates himself with the bonds of the family so deeply as if the bonds are permanent. He does not know that after death nobody even recognizes none. He spends all the time only for the comforts of himself and for the comforts of his family. Even if he reaches the Sadguru he will do a little Karma Phala Tyaaga and Karma Samnyasa praying Him to give more and more comforts in this human life. He is not at all interested about his fate after the death. He never thinks about the enquiry, the hell and his future life cycles. Even though he has reached the old age and is going to die shortly, he never thinks about the upper world and about his future fate. He is always worried about the life here only. He spends lot of time in discussing all the minute details of even a negligible point pertaining to this materialistic life. He does not spend even one minute for the burning problem to be faced after his death. He is enquired in the Pretaloka for ten days after death, he is punished in the hell and goes to the life cycles of beasts and worms etc., which is ever-lasting fire of hell.

I find several people who are always doing continuous conversations about very minute and negligible matters of the material life. They discuss about the purchase of the teacup or a spoon for hours together. They do not spend even one minute about the most serious matter, which is the scene after this life. This continuous thinking and continuous conversations and continuous association with the family members make him forget about the most important matter. The ignorance enters him and one becomes an embodiment of ignorance. The mango piece in the pickle-jar is fully pervaded by the salt, the oil and the chilly powder because it is constantly in association with these items in the jar.

Therefore, Oh! Human beings! Awake from this sleep of ignorance. Think about your future fate after death. Think about the permanent settlement with bliss in the future, recognize the Human form of the Lord in your generation. Approach the Lord and receive the divine knowledge from Him. Spend very little time and little energy for the matters of this life. Realize that your life is only an hour journey. Note that all the comforts of this life are only in one-hour journey. Even if you have reached the interview board by travelling in first class compartment, that has nothing to do with your selection in the interview. You may not be selected even if you have traveled in the first class. A person who traveled in a third-class compartment with less comforts may be selected in the interview. The selection in the interview is going to give you the permanent comfort. Therefore, approach the Sadguru to study the subject well for the interview. Don’t ask the Sadguru to help you in getting more comforts during the one-hour journey. Always ask Him to preach you so that you can be selected in the interview. Only one will be selected out of several candidates who attend the interview. Therefore, do not follow the majority. Gita says that only one in crores is blessed by the Lord (Manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu).

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