February 1, 2026

One of the seekers at a workshop asked “How do I slow my mind down from spinning?”. Vivek ji said “Our mind doesn’t interpret don’t. Whatever we tell our mind not to do it gets fixated on it which is why we have to give our mind to do. We have to give the mind a Yama so that its habit is to fixate on what is it that you would like it to fixate on. You direct the mind.”  Vivek ji will share a story related to this most of us might have heard before but how relevant is it is to the nature of the mind.

One day a grumpy, ungrateful man was walking through the desert. He was complaining about all of the things he doesn’t have, all the things that have happened to him as he was walking. In this spinning he trips on the ground. He kicks that sand area and a lamp comes out. He picks up the lamp. He thought all his problems will go away.  On the lamp is the message “If you rub this lamp genie will come out. Protocol for it is it will do whatever you tell it to do but if you don’t tell anything it will eat you.” Without reading the instruction about eating, he rubbed lamp and genie came out. Genie said “Master give me work to do.” Grumpy, ungrateful old man said “Make me new clothes” and immediately he had nice new clothes. He hasn’t eaten for so long he asked for various kinds of food. Next, he asks genie to build a big palace. He gets all this and that he asked for. At this point he doesn’t have any more work for genie. Genie says “This was the message if you don’t give me any work to do, I am going to eat you.” He didn’t know what to do so he starts to run. Running and running and this genie is floating behind this man it’s almost like Sugreeva who ran around the world. He eventually is getting tired to run.  He sees a Devi who cheerfully sitting under a tree. He falls at her feet and says “Help me.” He explained how this genie is about to eat him. That Rishika says “Tell that genie to build a pole.” Genie builds the pole. Devika says “Tell genie to go up and down this pole until you have work for this genie to do.” Genie goes up and down the pole, whenever this man has work to do genie takes care of it. This katha is about us. Genie is the mind. If mind is not engaged, mind starts to engage in over thinking, getting over whelmed, become grumpy, ungrateful. Pole in the story is Japa. The pole is feeling close to God. My default is chanting feeling these hands are given to me by Divine feeling “when I am sleeping divine is going to protect me.” When I have work to do, let to bring the mind out “Now I have to drive, now I have to clean etc.” This story can be our story through understanding. Understanding pulls clarity, clarity pulls Bhakti. We are very, very, very fortunate that in our smaller cities, circles that we have so much access to Bhaktas. If I have Bhakti towards Bhakta that relationship will bring me to Bhagavan. I will become like Bhagavan, and finally with Bhagavan. That’s we chant Tasmai Shri-Gurave Namah that I have Bhakti towards a Bhakta. That Bhakta is key for all time to be Bhakti Time.

We are learning from Rishi Prahlada how to bring Bhakti into our lives. We recently learnt about Archana, active invoking. The science behind this active invoking is to try to express my feelings in a real way to that which is unresisting. Hardest part of being in our home is the people that we are living with because we have egos and we resist each other. This is form of testing ourselves. The scriptural feeling behind this is, when we feel an icon or that Murthy is living, we start to live like that Murthy, we start to live with that Murthy. At Chinmaya Dhara all seekers have bhava that as soon as they come in, they offer Pradakshina to Bhagavan. It’s like I see everyone but it’s like I need to talk to Bhagavan first. They are trying to encourage kids to do that too.  For them Sri Krishna is living, so they have to greet Sri Krishna first, then greet others. Next is story about Ekalavya which summarizes Yadha Drishti Sada Srishti that encapsulates Yatha Drishti, Tatha Srishti whatever your vision or feeling is that becomes your reality.

In last week’s class we learnt difference between Purusha Tantra and Vastu Tantra. Vivek ji is elaborating a little. Purusha Tantra is a Bhava, that is my feeling towards an entity. It is subjective, it is personal. Vastu Tantra is not Bhava, it is Satta it is reality, truth. Through Archana, through training in Pooja there is Yoga happens between my Purusha Tantra and Vastu Tantra that are apart to become one. This is how we start to feel tuma racchaka kahu ko darana. That God is looking so looking so after me.  That’s the truth I don’t feel it right now.  Now I have to align my Purusha Tantra with my Vastu Tantra. The more you understand the mind, the more you practice Bhakti. The more you practice Bhakti the more you understand mind they are synonyms.

Reviewing Active Invoking. We try to practice Pooja/Archana/invoking which doesn’t resist us. Swami Bramhananda ji taught Vivek ji’s batch Mundaka Upanishad. His guidance for Gruha/Ashrama Pravesha was to bring your guide and baby. There is no ego in both cases which is real auspiciousness.  Baby’s ego is dormant; guide’s ego is transcended. That’s why we love to be around babies. The Scripture that supports Science is Whatever you start to feel lie you start to live for. That’s why in Sanatana Dharma icons or Murtis are so psychologically sound.

Rishi Prahlada is continuing to encourage us to be active. We may have grown up passive where someone else does it for me. Now we are training to be active only I can feel this for myself. Next practice is Vandana. Vivek ji has the connection of Vande Mataram to word Vandana.

Science: Vandana actually means active incorporating. Archana Active Invoking, Vandana is more comprehensive active incorporating. During Wake up to the Potential course Vivek ji Shared Bhaja comes from the root Bhaj and there are six expressions/degrees of Bhaj. Starting with the least to the most, deep 1) Sit 2) Sing 3) Seek 4) Support Sit and Sing we have covered that may be in active listening or active speaking. Vivek ji wants to focus on Seeking and Supporting. Seeking would be Archana. Try to remember that we are sharing the Nama of Bhagavan’s Guna when we are offering Archana. I am sharing this name but this name is the quality of the divine. One of Bhagavan Narayana’s names is Yama, one who is disciplined. We think that’s his name but really its Bhagavan’s quality. Deeper than seeking is supporting, deeper than supporting is incorporating. Deeper than the name or Guna is this Abhyasa/practice of that Guna. We are incorporating the divine’s quality into our own life, practicing this. Sit, Sing, Seek that is passive Bhakti. It is when we support and serve and surrender that is the active Bhakti. It requires giving. Science behind Vandana is active incorporating, it is practicing the quality of the divine.

Scripture: Vivek ji is referencing Isha Vasya Upanishad also known as Isha Upanishad which is very philosophical and very practical. Vivek ji is walking us through 6^th mantra. This mantra is about if you are incorporating the qualities of the divine, you are becoming like Bhagavan that is Vandana.

yastu sarvāṇi bhūtāny ātmanyevānupaśyati

sarvabhūteṣu cātmānaṃ tato na vijugupsate

Translation The one who constantly sees everywhere all beings in the self or all beings in Bhagavan and the self in all beings and forms there after feels no hatred for anything.

For the one who feels all is in Bhagavan and Bhagavan is in all then what would they hate?  What would they dislike?  What would they even prefer?  That is where the name of the divine which is quality of the divine, I start to practice that where that becomes my quality. If a random person walks into Satsang at someone’s home I wonder about their presence. If I know that if that person is a Bhakta of that Guru who is leading Satsang I change my relationship with that person. Because there is an understanding that this random person is also trying to seek like me, practicing Bhakti like me. There is a connection there. The idea is not to have negativity to another as this person an expression of divine.

Katha/Story:  Story is related to final three months of Vivek ji’s Vedanta course. They were instructed not to think about anything post the 25 months of the course until last three months of the course. In the last three months speaking, discussion, really the decision had to be made about accepting Bramhachari Diksha or not.  Bramhachari Diksha is formal path of renunciation. Final decision was with Vivek ji because of Vivek ji’s name starting with V. Vivek ji said no when Pujya Swami Tejomayananda asked about Bramhachari Diksha for the first time. Next time he asked Vivek ji about it when Vivek ji was serving food to Swami Tejomayananda ji. This time he asked why?  Vivek ji said that Vivek ji promised Vivek ji’s mother that Vivek ji would come home after the course.  Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has nodded his head.  Third time Pujya Swami Tejomayananda in his room asked Vivek ji while Swami Bhodatmananda was there. Vivek ji said about the commitments Vivek ji had.  This time Pujya Swami Tejomayananda was not happy about the situation. Why this story is related to this?  Because a guide knows us better than we know us. At that point Vivek ji was like unbaked clay. It went from one heating to another heating to the finally with last heating unbaked clay became baked.  When Vivek ji left Vedanta course Vivek ji shared “I will follow your teachings with my actions. What you have taught me is not nama, what you have taught me is Abhyasa.” Coming back to practice, Vandana is when you incorporate teachings into your personality, into your lifestyle. When one has master like Pujya Swami Tejomayananda the divine will find a way you can’t help but incorporate it. 

Vivek ji said “Soumya will train us in aligning our Purusha Tantra with Vastu Tantra so that we are Swatantra.”

Pooja Procedure: This mornings bhajan Niradhar Ko Adhar Eka Ram Nam if we felt that then pooja would be a natural expression of that Bhava that we feel but we don’t always feel it. We are intellectual, we understand Vedanta but we don’t actually feel it. To feel it, to build this relationship with Bhagavan, to connect with him; we need Pooja.  Pooja is not for Bhagavan; it is to transform the worshipper. Pooja aligns our speech, body, mind, intellect so the mind becomes available, mind becomes trained. Swami Aparjithananada shared with Soumya ji why at all we should build relationship with Bhagavan today? Because God alone is and we have misunderstood as God’s existence is my existence. He alone and I exist, what a powerful statement. Today the topic is about different types of Pooja based on Paddhati/procedure, the way is it is performed.

1. Vaidika Pooja: Only Vaidika mantras are used.  It is performed as it is described in the Vedas
2. Pouranika Pooja: As it is described in our puranas. Bhagavan Rama taught Laxmana how to perform pooja in Valmiki Ramayana.
3. Tantrika Pooja: Based on Tantra Shastra
4. Agamika Pooja: It may refer to Vaidika Pooja, Tantra Pooja or independent scriptural traditions.  Most of Poojas performed in Tamilanadu are based on Agama Shastra.
5. Vaikhanasa Pooja: This is Vaishnava tradition where Bhagavan Vishnu is worshipped in certain way. This procedure was propagated by Sri Ramanujacharya.
6. Pancharatra Pooja: Widely followed in Vishnu temples. In Tirupathi this Paddati is followed.
7. Mishra Pooja: A combination of some Vadika mantras, some Agamika steps, Tantrik mantras  

We will be learning a simple Mishra Pooja

Next type of classification is based on intent or occasion.

1. Nitya Pooja: Daily worship of Bhagavan. It is our duty to worship Bhagavant. Actual performance of this pooja is called Nitya Pooja. The Pooja we will be learning is Nitya Pooja.
2. Naimithika Pooja: When there is an occasion like Vivaha or Gruha Pravesha Pooja which is performed before moving into home.
3. Varshika Pooja: This is performed annually like Sharadeeya Navaratri Pooja, Swami Sharadananda ji performs grand Sharadeeya Navaratri Pooja. There are some Mantras, Anushanas/disciplines followed these nine days. It’s performed in an elaborated manner.
4. Prayashchitta Pooja: We pray to Bhagavan to remove obstacles that we come across. Like an Astrologer might say you are going through this tough phase because of Sani Dosha.  You have that Shraddha you perform the Pooja.
5. Kamya Pooja: Pooja performed to fulfil a desire. Raja Dasaratha performed Putra Kameshti Yagna to have Lord Rama.
6. Utsava Pooja: In our temples annually or during certain festival whole community gathers to perform this kind of Pooja.
7. Kshetra Pooja: It is done for the benefit of entire community. Like yesterday in Mumbai The Samuhika Hanuman Havana was performed.
8. Anya Pooja: Others like Pitra Pooja we worship our ancestors.
9. Swabhavika Pooja: A natural way of worship. When a seeker is so evolved every action, they perform waking up, eating, breathing everything is worship of Bhagavan.

Our goas if we perform Nitya Pooja using Misra Pooja and reach Swabhavika Pooja where mind is constantly worshipping Bhagavan, is in complete gratitude at his feet, at his command where knowledge can flow.

One more classification

1. Baahya Pooja: Outside. Perform your steps to Murthy with your body, speech and mind outside, visible.
2. Manasika Pooja: You go through the exact same steps of Pooja with your eyes closed. It’s all within, no one can see you are performing Pooja.
3. Rahasya Pooja: This Pooja is traditionally given from Guru to Shishya or father to son. It comes in the tradition. Only those people perform that Pooja
4. Atma Pooja: Where you are dwelling on the self where you worship in self, Atma Vichara. Goal perform Swabhavika Pooja to reach Atma Pooja. This external Pooja is just a stepping stone to reach the highest state by building this discipline of by doing it every day.  

For simple Pooja simple things needed are first Sadhaka/seeker who has the Shradda, has the time, has this interest that I want to connect to Bhagavan, I want to grow. When we have that, if it resonates with us, we are here, ready. Second, we need a Murthy/Vigraha, something that helps us connect to what we cannot see or experience today worshipping which can reach that object of meditation. Soumya ji has brought Saraswati Vigraha to the class. Vigraha can be a mandala in Kerala they create a Chaktra or another pattern with powder and Bhagavan is invoked with in that Mandala. A lamp or Ghata/pot is invoked in Mandala.  A picture of Bhagavan that your mind abides in, gravitates towards, that brings lots of joy and peace is a Vigraha. A Pratika/symbol like we use Padukas for Guru Paduka Pooja. A Vigraha is where mind can rest or invoke that bhava. Once we start doing this consistently this bhava is guaranteed to rises in us.  Third we need Jala Patra, something to keep water in. We have to offer water as Pooja Paddati. Soumya ji has cup and spoon to offer water. Next, we need small cup to keep Chandan/Sandalwood powder in it. Next, we need another small cup with Akshita, rice with some turmeric powder. Next, we need a plate with any flower(s), leaf/leaves. Next, we need an Agarbathi/incent stick that could be lighted. Next, a lamp with wick and oil. Lastly a plate to offer Karpura/camphor. Most importantly we need a plate/cup to offer Naivedyam dry fruits or fresh fruits or sugar or milk to offer to Bhagavan which is most important step. These are the materials we need to connect to Bhagavan which is the highest purpose for human life. Let us not be fooled that these materials will make Pooja successful. It is ultimately the seeker, the Bhava. What do these materials do?  Following a structure with these materials helps me train the mind. If we are in a stage where we can offer Patram, Pushpam, Phalam, Thoyam its great.

Our goal is to be open minded, not to get caught in the steps or ritualistic order that is being performed. Whoever has invoked Bhagavan there, let me connect. Let me flow with how the Pooja is flowing. Each of the Paddatis are very different, what is being performed is very different. Any where there is Pooja there is Sattvic environment that is being provided for us, let us utilize it.

RAW: Live Isha Vasya Upanishad sloka 6, incorporate this into your life shifting from Archana to Vandana.