Ganesa Chathurthi message from Sadguru Swami Bodhananda ji Maharaj

Ganesa Chathurthi message from Sadguru Swami Bodhananda ji Maharaj
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The Hindus world over celebrate Vinayaka Chaturthi on the 5th of September, the fourth day of the waxing moon, in the month of Bhadrapada. The celebrations continue for ten days till the 14th day of the bright moon. Devotees make clay images of Ganesha, do prana pratishta,  and worship the Lord of Obstacles offering modakam, durva and red hibiscus flowers. On the fourteenth day the idol is immersed in nearby river, lake or ocean.

Thus what is invoked from the universal consciousness is reversed back to the same source. Replaying the cosmic cycle of creation, celebration and dissolution. All rituals are a recreation of this eternal cycle of becoming and unbecoming; birth and death, day and night. Knowing this cyclical nature of existence is freedom, going through this roller coaster ride without losing self is spirituality.

We are a unique paradox. On one side we are infinite consciousness and on the other we are tiny specks of matter floating in the vast cosmos. Consciousness riding on matter and matter floating in consciousness. The eater becoming the eaten. A snake swallowing its own tail. Ganesha creates obstacles and removes obstacles. As though it is all a play. Life is just a game of plug and play. Isn’t spirituality  being  playful?

Ganesha has big belly, big ears, flexible trunk, broken tusk, mischievous eyes and He rides on a tiny robust mouse. What do we learn by the worship of this intriguing icon? Ability to digest complex data, willingness to listen stories of others, flexibility in opinions, humility in accomplishments, child like curiosity and encompassing wisdom!  

May Lord Siddhi Vinayaka bring prosperity, peace and loving unity to humanity and bless each one of us with personal transformation.

SWAMI BODHANANDA

Shunya - Vishnu Sahasranamam

One of the “namas” in the Vishnu Sahasranamam is the name “shunyah” given to Vishnu, which appears in sloka No. 79

The Sanskrit word “shunya” means zero, nullity , cipher,  emptiness.

It would strike anyone as extremely odd that the Sahasranamam should choose to call Lord Vishnu as Zero! 

You can understand God being called eka, the One Supreme Being. The essence of all monistic theism lies in the belief that God is One.

You can understand too God being addressed as “ananthaha” the Infinite, as in the Sahasranamam stanza 70.

Since God is Immeasurable it seems plainly alright to name Him “ananthaha” the Infinite.  But how is one to explain hailing the Almighty as “shunyah” the Cipher?

There is a view that “If Infinity is immeasurable, so is Zero”. Mathematically speaking, one could define zero to be anti-infinity.  If Infinity is immeasurable plenitude, Zero  is immeasurable emptiness. 

If you were to imagine, say, an interminable series of values, from zero to infinity, floating somewhere out there in endless space, then, surely, Zero would be at one end of it while Infinity would be found at the other end, wherever, that is, the two ends may be found, if at all.  And if you reflect upon it deeply, that would make out Zero  and lnfinity  to be two sides of the same un-graspable coin.

By the same logic, you might say the Sanskrit “ananthaha” and “shunyah” might seem antonymous but in reality they mean the same thing. Hailing God Almighty as “Lord Infinity” is hence no different from hailing Him “Lord Zero”.

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