STEP THIRTEEN
ISTA GENERALLY MEANS DESIRED. ISHTA-DEVATA IS THE DEITY OF THE FORM OF GOD YOU GENERALLY PRAY TO. YOUR CURRENT SADHANA MAY WELL TO BE INVOKE YOUR ISHTA OR IT MAY BE TO ATTAIN MANTRA SIDDHI OR SOME OTHER DIVINE ENTITY. FOR EXAMPLE, ON YOUR USUAL DAYS YOU MAY BE PRAYING TO KRISHNA, ETC., BUT NOW YOU ARE TRYING TO INVOKE GODDESS GAYATRI. IN THIS CASE, YOUR ISTA IS KRISHNA, WHEREAS THE DEITY OF YOUR MANTRA IS GAYATRI, BEFORE YOU CAN AWAKEN THE MANTRA OF YOUR DEITY, AN ASPIRANT IS REQUIRED TO MEDITATE ON HIS ISHTA-DEVATA AS WELL. IF, HOWEVER, THE DEITY YOU ARE TRYING TO INVOKE IS YOUR ISHTA-DEVATA, SIMPLY MEDITATE ON THE FORM OF YOUR ISHTA.
YOUR ISHTA-DEVATA COULD BE ANY GOD, GODDESS FROM ANY RELIGION FOR THAT MATTER. RELIGION IS NOT IMPORTANT IN SADHANA, FOR SADHANA IS A RELIGION IN ITS OWN RIGHT. IF YOU PRAY TO A SPECIFIC GOD, PRAY TO THAT DEITY NOW OR SIMPLY MEDITATE ON MOTHER GODDESS GAYATRI USING THE MANTRA BELOW.
OM BALAM VIDYAM TU GAYATRIM LOHITAM CHATURANAM,
RAKTAMBARADVAYOPETAMAKSHASUTRAKARAM TATHA.
KAMANDALUDHARAM DEVI HAMSVAHANASAMSTHITAM,
BRAHMANI BRAHMADAIVATYAM BRAHMALOKANIVASINIM.
MANTRENAVAHAYEDDEVIMAYANTI SURYAMANDALAT.
STEP FOURTEEN
CHANT THE MANTRA OF THE DEITY YOU VISUALIZED IN THE PRECEDING STEP. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT YOUR MAIN MANTRA. BUT, IF YOUR ISTA-DEVATA IS THE SAME AS THE DEITY OF YOUR MANTRA THEN, OF COURSE YOU'LL CHANT THE SAME MANTRA. ISHTA-MANTRA IS TO BE CHANTED 11,21,OR 31 TIMES.
STEP FIFTEEN
NOW WE PRAY TO MOTHER EARTH BY PERFORMING PRITHVI PUJA. IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE ARE SITTING ON THE EARTH. IN ALL FORMS OF CLASSICAL DANCES OF INDIA, WE OFFER RESPECTS TO EARTH BEFORE BEGINNING WITH THE MAIN PERFORMANCE. I'VE KNOW GANESH, A BHARATANATYAM DANCER, FOR NEARLY FIVE YEARS NOW AND WHEN I WATCHED HIM PERFORM FOR THE FIRST TIME, I SAW THAT BEFORE STARTING, HE OFFERED FLOWERS TO MOTHER EARTH AND SOUGHT FORGIVENESS, THAT DEAR MOTHER, I WILL BE STOMPING ON YOU AND I MIGHT BE CAUSING YOU HURT BY DOING THIS, SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME, IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SENTIMENT- EVEN DANCE BECOMES SADHANA. THIS ACT OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION BECOMES A SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY BECAUSE THE SENTIMENT BEHIND IT. I WANT TO PRAY AND EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE. RATHER THAN CHANTING, SOMEBODY MIGHT OFFER HIS WORSHIP WITH DANCE, SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT DO IT WITH PAINTING, FOR EXAMPLE.
THE USUAL WAY YOU PERFORM PRITHVI PUJA IS TO TAKE THE WATER IN A VESSEL, DIP YOUR RING FINGER IN THE WATER, AND DRAW ONE LINE ON THE GROUND IN FRONT OF YOU. YOU THEN DRAW ANOTHER LINE, THEN ANOTHER LINE TO FORM AN INWARD-POINTING TRIANGLE. THE SAME WAY, YOU TAKE WATER ONCE MORE AND PUT A DOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS TRIANGLE.
SO YOU HAVE TAKEN WATER FOUR TIMES. THAT BECOMES A SYMBOL OF DEVI, OF ADHAAR SHAKTI. ADHAAR MEANS FOUNDATION, THE FOUNDATION ENERGY. WHEN WE PLACE THE DOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIANGLE, WE CHANT THE MANTRA HRIM ADHAAR SHAKTEYA NAMAH. IT MEANS, I AM OFFERING MY OBEISANCE TO MOTHER EARTH, THE FOUNDATION ENERGY, AND I AM GOING TO START MY SADHANA.
TAKE A MOMENT TO MENTALLY EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE TO MOTHER NATURE, MOTHER EARTH, FOR BLESSING YOU WITH THE PRIVILEGE AND THAT GROUND WHERE YOU ARE ABLE TO SIT NOW AND INVOKE DIVINE ENERGIES.
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