In honor of Makara Sankranti on Thursday, January 14, 2016, a celebration satsang with Gurumayi Chidvilasananda was held in the Universal Hall via live audio stream. The satsang was broadcast from the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple in Shree Muktananda Ashram. Swami Ishwarananda gave the following talk before the recitation of Shri Guru Gita.
Sadgurunath Maharaj ki Jay!
Namaste. Bienvenue. Yokoso.
Shubh Makara Sankranti!
Good morning, Gurumayi. Shubh Makara Sankranti!
Warm greetings to all of you—Siddha Yogis and new seekers—participating in the Universal Hall. Welcome to the Siddha Yoga Celebration Satsang in Honor of Makara Sankranti: Adoration of the Two Effulgent Suns. This satsang is a live audio stream from the Bhagavan Nityananda Temple in Shree Muktananda Ashram.
Last evening as the sun was setting, it bathed the clouds in hues of golden light. And this morning, Shree Muktananda Ashram is enrobed in a soft blanket of snow. The first full snowfall of the new year 2016. It is a gorgeous sight! The sun is visible now—a silvery gold shimmer behind the curtain of clouds.
In 1981, Gurumayi’s Guru, Baba Muktananda, dedicated this beautiful Temple in honor of his Guru, Bhagavan Nityananda. In the village of Ganeshpuri, Bhagavan Nityananda’s devotees used to called him “Baba,” a Hindi term of endearment that means “father.”
In 1956, Bhagavan Nityananda asked Swami Muktananda, one of his main disciples, who was later to become his successor, to settle nearby in the Gavdevi village. Devotees began to affectionately refer to Bhagavan Nityananda as Bade Baba, which means “Elder Baba,” and Swami Muktananda they referred to as Chhote Baba or “Younger Baba.”
Baba had this marvelous Temple in Shree Muktananda Ashram built for Bade Baba. This Temple is truly a heaven on earth, a sanctuary for all who think of Bade Baba and wish to be in his presence.
Let me describe to you, today, on Makara Sankranti, how Bade Baba’s golden murti is adorned. Bade Baba’s cape is light peach and gold and he is wearing a pale gold necklace with a crystal pendant bearing a carved face of the smiling sun. On his turban shines a brooch, also depicting the sun.
The Temple is decorated with flowers of all shades of the sky at sunrise. There are peach and orange lilies; golden to pink roses; orange and pink snapdragon; lavender larkspur; light blue delphinium; and red ginestra.
Bade Baba’s murti is surrounded by the still flame of a candle and the traditional oil lamps, called samai.
As I behold Bade Baba’s magnificent form, I am enveloped by his magnetic smile. His eyes, filled with the nectar of compassion, stream love directly into my heart.
Let’s all take this moment to offer our pranam quietly at Bade Baba’s feet and experience his darshan in our hearts.
Salutations to Bhagavan Nityananda!
My name is Swami Ishwarananda. I am a Siddha Yoga monk and meditation teacher, and I am the host for this Celebration Satsang in Honor of Makara Sankranti: Adoration of the Two Effulgent Suns.
How wonderful it is to be with you all once again, here in the Universal Hall. It seems like only yesterday that we were together for the magnificent, the glorious, and the incredibly profound A Sweet Surprise Satsang 2016.
Thank you, Gurumayi. Thank you for bestowing upon us your Message. We are still reveling in the bliss of participating in the sweetest of satsangs, with you and, we feel such an affinity with the teachings you have given us. Practicing your Message truly seems like second nature. We are already reaping the fruits of our practice. And we are committed to studying your Message throughout the entire year of 2016. Thank you Gurumayi.
Once again, a warm welcome to all of you participating in Siddha Yoga Ashrams, meditation centers, and chanting and meditation groups.
Welcome also to those participating in the live audio stream on your computers and tablets—in your homes, in your offices, in coffee shops, at parks, on the subway, in your cars, and wherever you are.
This satsang is taking place through the Siddha Yoga path website in the Universal Hall. This sacred space is beyond any one physical location and, at the same time, encompasses all locations.
Today, we celebrate Makara Sankranti, a day honoring the sun god, Surya Devata. The Sanskrit word sankranti means “passage” and it refers to the passage of the sun through the zodiac sign of Capricorn. “Makara” is the Sanskrit name for Capricorn.
Makara Sankranti is celebrated as the day when the sun begins its six-month journey in the northern direction, marking the season of increased light. This transition of the sun’s path symbolizes a new beginning.
The title of this satsang is Adoration of the Two Effulgent Suns.
I would like to invite several Siddha Yogis to read quotations from different spiritual traditions that describe these two effulgent suns.
The great Sufi saint and mystic poet from Persia, Jallaluddin Rumi, wrote:
What a day today.
There are two Suns rising!
What a day,
Not like any other day.
Look!
The Light is shining in your heart,
The wheel of life has stopped.
Oh, you who can see into your own heart,
What a day,
This is your day.
The ancient scripture from India, the Maitri Upanishad, teaches:
The Golden Being, the Self, who has become the outside sun is the same Golden Being who shines within in the form of prana shakti, the life force, in each person.
The American environmental philosopher, John Muir, said, “The sun shines not on us but in us.”
The twelfth-century Catholic mystic and visionary, Saint Hildegard von Bingen, said of the Divine:
She is so bright and glorious that you cannot look at her face or her garments for the splendor with which she shines. She is gentle with the goodness of the bright sun; she is with everyone and in everyone.
Sundardas, the poet saint of seventeenth-century India, sang:
Today, my Sadguru arrived at my home. The night of delusion and karma has ended; it is dawn now and the Sadguru has manifested as the sun.
The title of this satsang is Adoration of the Two Effulgent Suns.
As you heard, mystical traditions from different parts of the world recognize the presence of the two effulgent suns—the sun whose radiant light gives life to earth and the sun of the Self—the omnipresent light of God that exists everywhere and within us.
Within our being, through Shri Guru’s touch, a sun has risen. This effulgent sun is our own Supreme Self, which guides our every thought and action.
On the first day of the year, in A Sweet Surprise Satsang, we received from Gurumayi her Message that illumines our spiritual practices for the entire year. Gurumayi’s Message gives us a way to revitalize our sadhana. It is an opportunity for a new beginning.
Gurumayi’s Message for 2016 is
Move with steadfastness
toward becoming
anchored
in Supreme Joy
One of the practices Gurumayi teaches to become anchored in Supreme Joy, the Joy of the Self, is svadhyaya, the recitation of sacred texts.
And today, we will be engaging in this practice, through the recitation of Shri Guru Gita, the Song of Shri Guru. The mantras of this scripture teach us about the nature of the Guru, the grace-bestowing power of God.
Each syllable of this sacred text is enlivened by the grace of Shri Guru. By reciting Shri Guru Gita with devotion and focus, these mantras lead us into the blissful light of the Self.
Soon, we will begin the recitation of Shri Guru Gita.
In the text of Shri Guru Gita, the image of the sun is a metaphor to describe the spiritual illumination the Guru imparts to us. Verse 37 says:
Salutations to Shri Guru, by whose existence the world exists, who shines through the form of the sun.
If you have come prepared with an intention for the recitation of Shri Guru Gita, take a moment now to refresh it. If you have not yet formulated an intention, please take this time to do so.
As you recite Shri Guru Gita, you can hold this intention in your heart.
Take a moment to create a steady, easeful sitting posture.
Let’s recite Shri Guru Gita.
Sadgurunath Maharaj ki Jay!