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Sri Gurubhyo Namah Guru Purnima Reflections By Kathy Turiyamba Dear Devotees, Since I had the great fortune to attend the Guru Purnima festivities, Tuesday July 23, 2002 I would like to share some of the stories with those of you who were unable to attend. This Guru Purnima will be remembered for so many reasons, chiefly as the day which our Parameshti Guru, Swaprakasananda, attained Mahasamadhi. It also happened to be the one-year death anniversary of our beloved Sagar bhaiya. In the morning of Guru Purnima day, at about 10am, Aiya came to St. Catherine’s to Toshima’s home to perform the one-year death anniversary for Sagar. It was during the puja that Aiya shared the news that Guru Garu had been critically ill for the past 10 days and was in a tenuous condition. Aiya had learned this the night before when he called Devipuram to wish Guruji and Guruji Amma pronams for the Guru Purnima. Dr. Sunandini informed Aiya that Guruji and Amma had just left (Tues morning India time) to go to Vizak and see Guru Garu. Ultimately this was Guruji and Amma’s last darshan of their Guru. We were all somewhat startled to hear this news from Aiya as a shock went round the room. Later we were to learn that it was just about this time during the puja that Guru Garu left the body. I believe it was around 5-6pm Tuesday evening in India time when he attained moksha. The ritual for Sagar was quite different than any other I have witnessed. For one thing, the coconut on the kalasm was put sideways. Immediately after the Ganapati Kalasa puja, Aiya removed the coconut. In addition, during the part when the puja is performed to the five balls of flour, sesame, jaggary, banana, and ghee, they were sprinkled with vibhuti which Aiya explained is only done when someone has attained moksha. Aiya also explained that the puja was being performed for Sagar’s ancestors and not for Sagar, since he had already merged with the Devi. After the puja, Aiya stayed only a brief while to chat with the devotees, and then he quickly parted to head back to Rochester. By the time I reached back to the Rush temple the devotees were in a whirl of excitement, preparing for the evening puja. For several days before the Guru Purnima day devotees had been washing all the vigrahams and dressing them in new clothes, polishing the lamps, wiping down the mandapams, etc. The temple was sparkling clean as we all know Aiya loves! Several creative touches were added to the day. Of course the mandapam itself was covered in flowers, this time a yellow background of mums and rakta and sukla flowers in the shape of the Guru padukas. Two devotees even made rakta and sukla footsteps on the driveway all the way from the start of the procession to the temple entrance. I noticed that Aiya seemed to delight in stepping on each of the white footprints with his right foot as he walked along during the procession. At the end of the procession, once Aiya and Amma reached the temple entrance, a red sari was held in front of the door, and then dramatically dropped down so that the first thing Aiya and Amma saw as they entered the temple was our golden Cow. The devotees carefully planned for all the auspicious moments so that the crowd of devotees would be lifted into a higher state of Guru bhava. Once Aiya and Amma did pradadakshinam inside the temple, they sat in front of their Gurus pictures and Guru Garu’s Dattatreya murti to perform puja to their Gurus. A few people seemed to notice slight differences in Aiya’s puja to Guru Garu, given the intensity of the occasion. After Aiya completed his puja we requested Aiya and Amma to sit on the mandapam which had been beautifully decorated for them. This was the same new mandapam which Sri Amma had inaugurated on her June 8th visit to the peetham. Aiya and Amma looked like a bridal couple, with Amma’s hair tied back with red and white flowers, and both of them wearing thick flower garlands. Aiya even joked that he thought that we had made him one year older, when the devotees requested Aiya and Amma to exchange flower garlands. Dr. Vishwanathan, or as Aiya lovingly referred to him as our local dikshitar, led off the puja with all of us chanting Sri Suktam and Purusha Suktam Shodas Upacara Puja. During the abhishekam every devotee was given the golden opportunity of washing the Gurus’ padukas. Everyone really relished their chance, and the abhishekam lasted for close to one hour as Vishuncle led the crowd in chanting suktams and Mangai Amma led the crowd in singing devotional music. During the pushpanjali we chanted Aiya’s Ashtottaram. At the end of the puja, we all sang a hymn called Mangalam which apparently Aiya had composed for Guruji on the occasion of Guru Purnima in 1988. After the ceremony Aiya gave a very intimate speech, detailing the progress of the temple from a small closet in their home in Lusaka in 1971 to today. He emphasized the sacrifices that are required when one decides to dedicate their lives to the worship of the Mother. We listened closely as he told of the sacrifices and hard work and patience that he and Amma have given during the growth of the temple to what it has become today. Far from the intimate and small community which once attended their home shrine, today the Devi is accessible to a wide range of people, regardless of creed, nationality, color, or personal background. He said on Saturday pujas you will find people coming who do not even know what the vibhuti is for, but even they too receive the blessings of the Mother. And it is this service to all people that the temple community is now able to provide through the growth of the temple, sharing the Devi equally with all who come to Her. Aiya also emphasized that the younger devotees must be given the opportunity to learn the pujas and also plan the festivals, such as Guru Purnima. In his true compassionate spirit as our selfless Guru, he highlighted his desire to pass on the vidya to the next generation and encouraged all of us to share and teach one another what we have learned and what our special skill is. He emphatically said (twice!) that every one of us belongs at the temple, and that we all should strive to humbly share the best of our ourselves, as he and Amma have done, sacrificing everything to the temple community and the running of the temple. One devotee pointed out to me later that the temple community is also the Guru, so we should strive to be harmonious and respectful with the sangha as the body of the Guru. At the end of Aiya’s speech he told the temple community how Guru Garu was in critical condition (at that time we did not realize he had already left his body) and Aiya said that he believed that Guru Garu may have picked his time to go. At that same moment when Aiya mentioned Guru Garu’s name to the crowd, the flower garland which had been strung around the large Kamakshi dropped to the floor. Afterwards, a few devotees shared their sentiments with the crowd in both English and Tamil. Mangai Amma told one story of how when she is home in Toronto she sometimes tickles her wooden Guru Padukas which Aiya has blessed. Immediately the phone will ring and Aiya will sweetly request Mangai not to tickle him. She and Sagar bhaiya both apparently love to tickle the Guru’s feet. Towards the end of the evening Aiya and Amma honored Chitra Amma who has been with them for 30 years since Lusaka. And then Aiya called Purvaja and another young 10 year old boy forward to do the pancha upachara puja for Vishuncle and Saroj Amma as Aiya led the crowd in chanting. Finally Aiya told us of a new Malar which was being released on that day in honor of our Guru lineage. The book was put together by some devotees for the occasion of Guru Purnima. It is a detailed explanation of the Chandi Path, pulling together many different sources but primarily giving original teachings from Guruji. It is a highly valuable treasure. After a “group namaskaram” to Aiya and Amma the community was lead outside where a group of devotees had prepared a feast. Everyone glowed with the light of the Gurus’ blessings under the dark sky and the full moon. Sri Gurubhyo Namah OR
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