Insightful Yajna on Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra by Swami Swaroopananda

HOUSTON: The uplifting vibrations of the Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra and its inspiring significance filled the Chinmaya Smriti hall, spread into the Saraswati Nilayam, and permeated the premises of Chinmaya Prabha. From August 19th to 23rd, when Swami Swaroopanandaji, the global head of Chinmaya Mission, elaborated on the potent Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra, the audience gathered in large numbers and listened in devoted attention. The powerful mantra has always been chanted as a fervent prayer to protect those in ill-health and distress. However, when Swami
Swaroopanandaji delved into the import of each word of that mantra, he brought to everyone’s understanding its different expanded dimensions.

Beginning with how the Maha Mrtyunjaya mantra was revealed to the renowned sage Vasista, Swamiji highlighted that the mantra’s vibrations shield anyone who chants it properly with deep reverence. Explaining that fear of death is really the fear of change, impermanence, suffering, and limitedness, Swami Swaroopanandaji encouraged all to turn the fear of change into motivation for reaching higher toward true immortal happiness.

The audience was deeply inspired to contemplate on the compassionate, corrective, and omniscient three-eyed Lord Siva as Swami Swaroopanandaji unveiled the multiple symbolisms embedded in the single word “Tryambakam.” A mere glimpse into the potential of that word could lead seekers to an appreciation of how worship of Bhagavan can purify through loving surrender and grateful sharing.

The five evenings of the yajna were a time of unbroken bliss as Swamiji focused on each word of the Maha mantra and amplified its meaning. When he spoke about the divine fragrance of Bhagavan Siva and His immense power to nourish the secular and spiritual within us, the audience could recognize that every word of the Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra was indeed a concentrated invocation.

To muse over effortless liberation through the Mantra’s exquisite simile of how a ripe cucumber is released from a dried stalk was one of the subtlest takeaways of this jnana yajna. The audience felt moved as Swamiji described how the great goal of Liberation is evident in Nature; when we forget to let go, we put ourselves in the choking grip of attachment and death. Truly, we need the benevolent Grace of the divine Gardener to free us from our entangled, diseased state of life and raise us to immortality.

Alongside his thought-provoking yajna, the global head of Chinmaya Mission also captured the hearts of the Balavihar children when he spent the Sunday morning of August 20th delighting them with an enchanting story of Hanumanji and lovingly encouraging them to think and grow.

It was a yajna to remember as Swami Swaroopanandaji made the large audience chant and meditate on the many blessings of the Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra that uplift us beyond worldly anguish. Every evening, the young and the old came eager to absorb the hope, potential, and victory inherent in the liberating Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra. Every evening, as the devotees offered prayers to Mrtyunjaya Siva inside Saumyakasi Sivalaya, His indescribable Grace was invoked to empower the jnana yajna.

For information about Chinmaya Mission Houston & Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya visit www.chinmayahouston.org, www.saumyakasi.org or call temple 281-568-1690 or Jay Deshmukh 832-541-0059 or Bharati Sutaria 281-933-0233