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> THE MEANING OF PUJA

© COPYRIGHT SHRI MATAJI NIRMALA DEVI 1980

...Now for Puja, one has to understand that without Realisation, Puja has no meaning, because you are not "Ananya", is you have to become aware of your whole.

Krishna's description of Bhakti is "Ananya". He says "I will give you Ananya Bhakti", He wants Ananya Bhakti, means when there is not the other, means when we are realised. But when it comes to giving, He says, you have to come to Me with Ananya Bhakti, means when you have become one with Me." Then you should have the devotion, not before that, before that, you are not connected."

Now Puja is a left hand side projection. Is the neutralisation of the right side, very much, specially for people who are very right handed, atmosphere which is very right handed, Puja is ideal for them. Is the Bhakti, is the Devotion that you project. Now what happens actually when you project with Puja? It has been found out, and now as I am telling you, that first you have to awaken within you the Deities that are still asleep, by worshipping Them. But as these Deities, Primordial Deities, are with Me, you warship Me, and every Deity in Me is awakened, by which your deities are awakened.

So first, your vibrations must improve, to receive. If the reception is not good, what's the use of any Puja or projection? So first of all, we sort or prepare our instrument, or prepare our projecting instrument. That preparation done by praying to different Deities, as we call that, a Kundalini Puja.

By praying to My Kundalini, you improve your reflection. Because then the vibrations from Me start flowing into yours, and they awaken it. This is the projection as far as you are concerned.

Once the instrument is alright, then you project outside. And now, how do you project? By worshipping the Goddess as the Protector of the whole universe, praising Her different attributes, even Her Face, Her Hands, everything has a meaning. Praising Her Powers. By saying that, by repeating that, you echoe in your projection Her Powers, and then your projection becomes that powerful. It's a very subtle happening that takes place. It's miraculous. These things look so simple, just like washing my Feet. Simple thing is washing my Feet. Now see these Feet, I don't know if you see, the whole universe I see there, and I really get stunned by them.

When you wash My Feet, what do you do? Actually , My Feet have been working very hard. And then, you put a little water, to soothe them, to suggest that you can feel the effort put in by these Feet... and a kind of a very sweet, melodious love flows out of these Feet then. Like today I was coming, and I suddenly saw Paul standing: "Same thing happened to me." See, what a care it is, what an understanding! Mother is coming, She should not get lost!

It's that, and this thing all started melting. Because this love who understands everything, doesn't want anything, but is only excited if there is somebody to receive the love. Then how do you say you are going to receive? By expressing these small small things. So when you soothe My Feet, wash Them, clean Them, you know what They mean: you recognise. That recognition, how are you to show? You see, these ceremonies, little ceremonies are important, because they express your recognition. It could be absolutely dull, dead and finished. And it could be absolutely living, if you know why you are doing it. Then you apply some oil and things, again soothe My Feet. Just say "Mother, You have worked very hard, Your Feet have worked very hard".

Just saying that itself, I mean makes no difference otherwise, if you say in a very rational manner, but to that Love that are these Feet, it makes a very big difference. This sweetness, the little thing a little baby just put her hand on her mother's cheek, just to express the gratitude, and the mother's heart starts jumping with love...

It is a very reciprocal behaviour, it's very subtle, and that kind of a subtle working is fixed already: it works that way only. The more you more you love from your heart, the more the joy will be there. The more you are rational and more mental, there won't be so much. It should be first of all your cleansing is important, but the projection should be towards your Mother, that is the height. Once you achieve that height, then you become all powerful, and then you can give to others. But that giving is nothing but is a very mutual and absolutely reciprocal, because the Devi knows about you, everything: if you are trying anything else, She knows and She will also tell you frankly that this should not be done, that should not be done, it should not be done, clearly, so that you do not be under any misunderstandings.

But still, to work it out, you must know it has to be reciprocal, it cannot be one-sided, it has to be both sides. Then it works out better, and a kind of a homogeneous feeling with that Love comes in, sort of a lubricant, a beautiful feeling of movement within yourself comes in.

Puja really is the triggering thing, triggers you, it triggers you into another realm, it's really miraculous. Once you have done the Puja, then you can project out, much more, in your silence only. Your silence itself becomes so powerful. Now in this special case of our Western lives, we have to establish our Innocence, very important.

It is the first thing that is attacked, Innocence is attacked by so many things. So we have to establish our Innocence. And Innocence is the most powerful thing: it doesn't see anything bad, it doesn't see...

...how people are: they don't love! So Ganesha is very important for the Western countries, very important, because that's the Essence of everything, I think, that's the most essential thing, that's why we worship Ganesha first. And Ganesha was created first of all, because He is the eldest son, He is the first son, He is the eldest brother you have, and though Kumara is treated as an elder brother always, while Ganesha calls Himself as a younger brother, but He was the first created, because He remains young always, never grows, so in a way, He is always younger to you also.

It's a very, very subtle understanding: a very young little thing is so much wiser, He is wisdom. Can you imagine a little baby is so intelligent, a little baby so wise? Much more, He is like a grown-up little baby, a very matured, wise, little baby. So by age, you are always older than Him, but by wisdom, He is the eldest.

Then like this you should understand how we evoke all the Deities within us, by doing these small things, by saying Their mantras, because now you are awakened, every word you say is awakened now, is "siddha mantra".

On this Guru Puja I'm really going to give you the way of how to do the "siddha" is the establishment of the siddha, to master to master every chakra and every Deity bestowed upon it, to master it, how to do it, I will tell you this Guru Puja no doubt, I'm going to work it out. But this Puja is to be done with full understanding, and with full recognition:

It's a great fortune. Even the Devas are jealous of you, all the rishis are jealous of you, so many are jealous of you. The greatest advantage for you, greatest fortune. Make full use of it.

And they are very simple things that can please, very simple. You know your Mother can be pleased with very very simple things. It's like that only: it's how much heart you have put into it, is the point.

I think tomorrow we should have the puja, today we have understood about it: it is more to be felt and understood and realised, than to be thought about. Because you'll go into thoughtless awareness. It is more source of triggering.

For example, I think I'll ask Harry to give the miracle we had yesterday on our way. He was loosing his way throughout, and Regis was navigating him, so we were all lost...

But then we had a miracle while coming back: there was on the M-1 a complete jam, and miles together we could see there is no movement, and suddenly, within two minutes, what happened? What I told him, and how he worked it out. It's a problem, you see, to get after everything, to do it... Now he thought that I have told that you put your attention inside. Now he has a slope in his left side, and when you do it too much inside, you go on the slope... and he understands that something's going wrong.

I never said that you get after anything. Now, "put your attention inside "means: if you get Realisation by that. If you don't get Realisation, there's something wrong somewhere. You have lost your way, that's the main point. So I told Harry that you don't put your attention inside, because you go on the slope...

Just they were there... This is what is Maya that upsets you. Project yourself outside...

There was another experience I told these people was this: that there where two journalists, one Mister Marathi and a friend who are Sahaja Yogis. And I went to the journalist's association, they had a meeting. And there is another one who told Me: "No, no Mother I have complete faith in You because there was a miracle that happened to a friend of mine Marathi who is a Sahaja Yogi".

I said :"What happened?". He said they were coming from Poona down to Bombay, and the breaks failed, and the slopes, you see, on the gaps, it moves very fast. And suddenly they saw a huge big truck coming up, with all the lights on top, and they didn't know how to control, and they were about to dash out. And just they closed their eyes and they said: "Now, Mother, save us!" And suddenly they found that the car had crossed the thing, and the thing was moving upwards, the truck was moving.

They didn't know, as if somebody had picked up that car and put it on the other side. So these miracles can work out, in case you project yourself out. But for projecting outside, first you should be cleansed inside. But for that also, all the time if your attention "where am I catching?" then you go onto rationality: "I must be catching because of this, I must be catching because of that".

I have told you hundred times not to say "WHY?". Give up this word "why?". "Why am I catching?" It will settle down. This maddening must go away! You cannot answer "why" of anything in Sahaja Yoga, can you? Why did I meet you? Why did you get Realisation? Ask hundred questions, two hundred, three hundred, five hundred, you will not have any answer.

So, give up that: it's not your rationality, it's the Grace, it's the whim of the Grace. That's working it out! What are you trying at? Just ask for the Grace. Finished. It's silent. It works out.

This is maddening! You will become mad people. This is the greatest madness that people want to know why of everything. How can you understand? You don't have that "chitti" to understand anything.

Can you explain? How can you? If you make a little ant understand human civilisation and this dirty politics you play, it may understand. But you cannot understand why of God. This is the relationship. So now, you give it up asking questions like that. It's too tremendous for this rationality. Why God is doing? How He does? What are His powers? Only thing, as scientist, you note down: "yes, it is so, yes, it is so, yes it is so". Verify it and note down. Only your awareness is changed from the scientist's, that you can see subtler working.

But why it works? That's His whim! He'll do what He likes! Who are you to question God? How can you question God? Just give up asking this question "why?" and you will feel very much better. It is god you see! He does it! This is what is faith. Not the blind, but real with understanding. I have told you this story of My grandmother many a times, as she used to tell Me about faith, and which I have repeated so many times, but again I'll repeat it today: There were three people at different places, and one man was going to see God. So they came to know about it. So one of them was in the forest, standing on his head, doing all kinds of yogas and things like that, and praying to God - must be with both hands towards Him, and soaking the feet, may be - like mad, you see, and asking: "Why don't You meet me? Why don't You meet me? I want to meet You! why don't you meet me?"

And the man who was going to see God was going through that side. He said "Now please go and ask Him why don't You come and see me, You better come and see me, Why don't You do it?" So he said "alright, I'll come". He had become thin, you see, absolutely thinned down, condition very miserable. He said "alright, I'll go and tell God about you". Go. Then he went up to God. No, no, before that. Then he met another type who was sitting on the street. And will be at the street side, and he said: "Oh! I heard you are going to meet God?" He said yes, he is going to meet God. So he said: "Then communicate one small little thing." He said:" "What?" He said that "Just tell Him I have had no food, please send me my food now, I'm hungry."

He said "What?" - "Yes, you just tell Him that much." So he went up. He saw God. So God asked: "Did you meet some people on your way?" He said "Yes, I met a horrible one who is all time saying "why not, why this, should I do it and should I not, and this and that, it's going on. So, will You go and meet him? He's asking."

He said "No, better tell him to do it little more, you see... still he has to do. He requires more effort: he won't be satisfied: Till he gives up his efforts, let him go on!" I mean he would have become mad like that. But now God says: "Alright, let him go ahead! What to do? If you tell them, they don't want to listen, so let them go ahead!"

Then he said: "Then I met another mad fellow, who was on the street, he said that: "I'm hungry, ask God to send some food foe me, please ask. - He said: "Really?" Then called His managers He says: "Please! Send his food! Have you not yet arranged his food and order? Please arrange it!"

He was quite surprised. He said: "What is this? This man is just telling "I'm hungry", and God is so much worried about this fellow and not worried about the fellow who is standing on his head and asking such a lot of questions to God!"

So God knows everything, so He told him: "Alright you are going down, you just tell them one story to both of them, and see their reaction, and then you will know. So He told him a story. "You tell them that "I went to God and saw there, God passing a camel through the eye of a needle."

He said: "Really?" He said: "Yes, you go and tell them." So he came down. This fellow was still on his head. He came back: "What did God say?" - He said you have to go on still. - Oh! Really? Well all glory to God! - He said "Yes, he said so." - He said: "Really?" Then, "Did you see something special there?" - He said: "Yes, I saw that He passed a camel through the eye of a needle!" - He said: "No, no, don't tell me stories! How can such a big camel!..How can it pass through the eye? After all it's impossible! It is impossible! This is impossible! You are just now trying to befool me. No, no, I cannot take it. I cannot take it!"

So he went to another fellow. He was nicely eating his food. He said: "Yes! I knew, you see, I just told you because you asked me if you have to tell you anything, I knew God will send my food and everything. I'm quite alright." He said: "Did you see anything wondrous there?" - He said: " I saw the wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, that God passed a camel through the eye of a needle!" - He said: "What is so miraculous? He is GOD! He's GOD ALMIGHTY! What? He can pass even universes after universes through that hole!

What is it for God? He is God Almighty don't you understand? God Almighty! Because you have met Him, you think He is nothing! Because you did it so easily, you think He is nothing! Because He behaves like you, you think He is nothing! He is GOD ALMIGHTY! So what? to Him, what is it?"

Then he realised. This is Faith. That is what is enlightened within you with Puja. Not your rationality which is brought down actually quite a lot. So with this idea, tomorrow we'll have the Puja, alright?

May God Bless You.