1. religion and spirituality
2. hinduism

ātmapūjopaniṣad!
!
||"ātmapūjopaniṣad"|!
Mantra&
1. !om#tasya#niścintanaṁ#
dhyānam!
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ritual'
Think!of!the!guest!or!
deity!whom!you!are!
inviting!on!the!altar.!
Meaning'
Being! conscious,! alert,! awareful! and! awake,! yet! in! absolute! silence! undisturbed! by! what! is!
being! projected! by! the! mind! and! intellect.! Dhyānam! is! being! in! that! silent! observatory!
platform! that! the! OM! takes! us! to! observe! the! fluctuations! and! constantly! remember! that!
truth!which!is!symbolized!by!Om,!that!remembrance!itself!is!called!dhyānam!
sarvakarmanirākaraṇam Invitation!or!
sarva!karma!nirākaraṇam!āvāhanam!is!when!there!is!no!itch!of!desires!or!any!hidden!agenda!
āvāhanam!
invocation!of!the!
as!to!why!I!am!doing!what!I!am!doing!and!you!are!uninterested!in!the!return!of!investments!
deity!on!the!altar.!
of! our! actions.! Relish! and! enjoy! every! action! dwelling! in! the! beauty! of! sacred! act! itself.!
Perform! your! activities! with! heightened! awareness! for! the! sake! of! it! and! you'll! hit! the!
equilibrium! within! because! it! takes! you! closer! to! the! purity! and! innocence! within.! It! is! not!
corrupted!with!the!intentions!or!desires.!
niścalajñānamāsanam!
Offer!a!seat!to!the!
Don’t!be!on!a!wobbly!seat!remain!niścala!(balanced).!Agitations!lead!to!a!restless!mind!and!
deity.!
thus! a! fidgety! body.! The! actual! āsanam! is! when! you! can! step! aside! from! the! happenings;!
jñānam!,!cognize!and!observe!the!processing!pass!by;!don’t!get!faltered!by!it.!niścala!jñānam!
āsanam!is!the!awareful!cognition!and!existence!in!spite!of!all!agitations.!Watch!the!mind!and!
it’s!agitations!without!getting!identified.!
That!sacred!ground!of!witnessing!and!observation!platform!is!the!true!āsanam.!
samunmanībhāvaḥ,
Wash!the!feet!of!the! To! maintain! the! mind! turned! unmanī! (inwardly)! constantly! is! the! true! flow! of! offering! in!
pādyam!
Lord!
cleansing!the!feet!of!the!divine.!As!long!as!our!mind!is!convinced!that!my!sense!of!peace!and!
fulfillment! is! out! there,! we! can’t! turn! mind! within.! That! day,! samunmanī! bhāvaḥ' pādyam! a!
seeker!is!born!and!is!a!true!day!to!celebrate,!dance!and!enjoy.!You!really!feel!unburdened!and!
realize!that!you!don’t!need!to!run!around!so!many!factors!that!you’ve!been!chasing.!!
sadāmanaskamarghyam! Water!is!offered!to!
amanskam! –! the! ability! to! have! total! accessibility! and! control! of! our! own! mind! so! that! you!
wash!face!and!hands.!! can! turn! it! on! or! off! at! will! and! get! out! of! our! mind’s! shackles.! Wash! off! the! mind’s! likes,!
dislikes,!attachments!byuthlessly!breaking!every!pattern!of!comfort!that!the!mind!can!settle!
in.! The! unconscious! unwilled! aspect! of! the! mind! seems! to! be! projecting! itself! and! you! gain!
accessibility!to!the!mind!because!you!have!broken!the!pattern.!Then!you!see!the!mind!can!be!
applied! to! anything.! Such! a! prepared! mind! is! called! arghyam,! an! offering! of! washing! the!
hands.!
Swami!Sarveshananda!Saraswati!!
Dec!126,2012!
cmdfw.org!
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ātmapūjopaniṣad!
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6. !sadādīptirācamanīyam!
7. varākṛtaprāptiḥ+snānam!
8. sarvātmakatvaṁ*
dṛśyavilayo*gandhaḥ!
9. dṛgaviśiṣṭātmānaḥ/
akṣatāḥ!
10.
cidādīptiḥ)puṣpam!
11.
sūryātmakatvaṁ,
dīpaḥ!
The!water!offered!for! The!preparation!of!the!mind!to!equip!itself!with!capacity!to!see!the!freshness,!brightness!or!
refreshing!is!called!
brilliance! of! beauty! in! every! experience! is! called! ācamanīya.! We! feel! refreshed! and!
ācamanīyam.!!
rejuvenated! when! we! are! prepared! to! know! that! experience.! The! divine! expression! has! all!
three!elements!Satya!(truth),!Shiva!(auspicious)!and!Sundar!(beauty).!Every!experience!we!go!
through! has! something! divinely! beautiful! to! offer! us! and! cater! to! our! growth.! Our! patience!
within!us!strengthens!us!for!our!next!step!even!after!when!we!go!through!a!horrible!situation!
or!horrifying!experience.!
Bathe!the!Lord!with!
Vara!=!effortless;!kruta!=!grace;!praptihi!=!experience.!
the!abhishek!
!
Experience! the! magic! of! this! beautiful! creation! 2! every! particle! around! you! is! nothing! but!
divine! grace! flowing.! Everything! is! placed! exactly! where! it! needs! to! be.! See! everything!
happening!right!at!its!pace!and!be!awed!by!the!effortless!placement!!When!you!are!in!synch,!
you! don’t! even! need! to! think,! speak! or! act.! Life! happens! through! you.! That! showering! of!
beauty!and!grace!is!the!true!abhishek.!
Clothe!the!deity!and! Accept! everyone! sarvātmakatvaṁ! by! dropping! the! barriers! dṛśyavilayo.! True! gandhaḥ!
apply!some!fragrance! (fragrance)!of!a!magnetic!personality!is!not!from!external!projections!but!when!you!connect!
with! the! core! within.! There! is! no! scheming! required! to! attract! audiences! or! environments.!
Your!mere!presence!draws!in!everybody!yet!you!remain!in!amazing!quietude!within!yourself.!
Decorate!the!deity!
akṣatāh!–!indestructible!and!unfragmented.!The!actual!blessing!for!the!seeker!is!dṛga!viśiṣṭāt!
with!make2up!and!
mānaḥ&akṣatāh.!It!is!the!ability!to!step!out!of!all!movement,!observe!and!account!for!every!
ornaments!
waking!moment!as!a!guilt2free!witness!of!every!moment.!!
Decorate!your!life!with!the!true!blessings!that!happen!when!we!are!able!to!consciously!be!in!
that!moment!and!unburden!ourselves;!it!can!happen!only!when!we!witness!our!own!life!and!
movements!without!getting!affected!by!it.!
Offer!flowers!to!the!
Life! itself! becomes! a! fragrant! offering! when! you! joyfully! offer! with! the! realization! that! you!
Lord!while!chanting!
aren’t!the!limitation!anymore.!There!is!a!certain!glow!in!the!eyes!when!one!is!not!fearful!or!
1000!or!108!names!
scared!of!losing!anything.!That!glow!is!called!cidā!dīptiḥ'puṣpam.!Such!should!be!an!offering!
glorifying!the!Lord’s!
unto!the!divine!of!fragrant!flowers.!
characteristics!
Light!the!lamp!to!
Surya! mārg! is! generally! called! the! uttara! mārg! (northern! path).! Secondly,! utt! +! tara! =! tru!
illumine!the!!
taraney!(to!move!forward!and!reach!the!Highest).!The!highest!one!can!go!is!to!reach!the!core!
decorated!deity!
within.! Uttara! is! only! way! to! reach! the! ultimate! or! Supreme.! All! other! paths! of! Karma!
Swami!Sarveshananda!Saraswati!!
Dec!126,2012!
cmdfw.org!
!
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ātmapūjopaniṣad!
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12.
paripūrṇacandrāmṛt
arasaikīkaraṇaṁ)
naivedyam!
13.
niścalatvaṁ*
pradakṣiṇam!
14.
so'haṁbhāvo*
namaskāraḥ!
15.
parameśvarastutirm
aunam!
16.
sadāsantoṣo)
visarjanam!
(actions),! Bhakti! (devotion),! Gnana! ! (knowledge)! all! three! paths! merge! in! dhyāna$
(contemplation)! alone! where! we! identify! with! the! Supreme.! sūryātmakatvaṁ, dīpaḥ! is! self2
revealing.!
Offer!food!to!the!
paripūrṇacandrā! implies! a! full! moon! during! which! the! herbal! qualities! of! certain! Ayurvedic!
Lord!
medicines! are! heightened.! The! moon’s! light! provides! the! divine! life2sustaining! medicinal!
qualities!to!herbs.!Moon!is!also!the!adhisthānā!(presiding)!deity!of!mind.!During!full!moon!we!
see! a! lot! of! hyperactivity! and! depression! sets! in! during! the! new! moon.! The! one! who! has!
transcended!the!mind!finds!the!paripūrṇa!candrā!amruta!rasa!which!is!complete!to!itself!(i.e.!
no!waxing!or!waning).!Such!a!first!hand!experience!is!the!true!naivedya,!an!offering!unto!the!
Lord.!This!rasa!is!the!amrut!(ambrosia)!the!unending!essence!that!is!the!underlying!source!of!
the!throbbing!energy!constantly!oozing!out.!Such!are!the!realized!masters!who!are!the!source!
of!bliss!and!happiness,!always!vibrant!with!energy.!!
Circumambulation!!
dakshina! indicates! South! direction! symbolizing! a! place! of! death’s! abode.! Thus! pra,dakshina!
denotes!consciously!wiping!clean!all!that!which!takes!us!to!the!limitation!of!death!and!misery.!
Anything! that! limits! us! or! takes! us! south! has! to! be! removed! by! gaining! the! niścalatvaṁ!
(unwavering).!Only!Paramatma!is!unchanging!stability!within.!The!divine!core!is!unchanging,!
and! rest! everything! is! dakshina! and! changes;! constantly! morphing! and! the! movement! in!
world!is!denoted!by!the!chala!(that!which!moves).!Only!the!divine!core!within!us,!our!Param,
atma!is!niścala.!As!long!as!you!see!movement!you!know!you!aren’t!there!yet.!!
Fold!hands!and!pray!
Putting!both!hands!together!indicates!that!I!have!brought!both!brain!hemispheres!together!
to!the!lord.!
and! I! am! completely! offering! myself! unto! you.! With! a! complete! presence! of! mind! in! that!
moment,!na!mamaha!attitude!of!salutation,!I!can’t!claim!anything!as!my!own.!Everything!is!
You!and!Yours.!With!such!an!attitude!I!prostrate!to!the!Lord!in!you!and!offer!my!namaskāraḥ!
Sit!silently!in!the!pūja! maunam!is!the!ability!to!be!absorbed!in!that!silence,!that!is!the!true!stuti.!It!is!not!just!silence!
hall.!
in!speech,!but!the!silence!that!indicates!prashānti.!
At!the!end!we!bid!
visarjana! (immersion)! of! idols! is! sadā! santoṣo' (ever! content).! Once! you! know! you! are! the!
farewell!to!that!deity,! source! of! happiness,! would! you! be! fearful,! anxious! or! miserable?! Visarjana! is! completely!
invoked!in!that!form! giving! up! the! apprehensions,! worries! and! dejections.! There! will! be! painfully! miserable!
experiences!in!our!life,!but!we!have!a!choice!to!be!miserable!and!sad.!Giving!up!the!misery!
and! sadness! and! exercising! the! choice! NOT! to! be! distressed! and! depressed! is! true!
sadāsantoṣo!visarjanam.!Remain!in!the!satisfied!content!peaceful!environment.!
!
Swami!Sarveshananda!Saraswati!!
Dec!126,2012!
cmdfw.org!
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Page!3!
ātmapūjopaniṣad!
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evaṁ%paripūrṇarājayoginaḥ%sarvātmakapūjopacāraḥ%syāt%|%!
sarvātmakatvaṁ*ātmādhāro*bhavati*|*!
sarvanirāmayaparipūrṇo'hamasmīti2!
mumukṣūṇāṁ)mokṣaikasiddhirbhavati)||!ityupaniṣat)||)!
||"iti"ātmapūjopaniṣat"samāptā||"!
Swami!Sarveshananda!Saraswati!!
Dec!126,2012!
cmdfw.org!
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Page!4!