I am very happy to welcome you all here for the twelfth and final year of the sacred Rajasooya Yajna at Rikhiapeeth for which we kanyas and batuks, the children of Rikhia Panchayat, are the hosts.
Yajna is a celebration of the awakening of man’s consciousness and I am thankful to Swami Satyananda for dedicating this Rajasooya Yajna to the most important person in our lives, the Mother. This yajna is being conducted to invoke the blessings and auspiciousness of Devi, the Cosmic Mother, and to ask her to nurture and protect us.
The Divine Mother is the creator of the cosmos and is present in all forms of visible and invisible creation. Her power exists within each and every one of us. Those who worship the cosmic Goddess will experience that she relieves all suffering. She is the bestower of health and prosperity who guides us all. She epitomizes beauty, strength, compassion and grace. A mere glance from her can make the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear and the dumb speak.
Worship of the Universal Mother leads to the attainment of self-knowledge. Approach her with an open heart, love, devotion and humility. Chant her mantras, sing her praise and repeat her name so that her love and grace may enter your life. The Mother will look after all your difficulties, physical, mental and spiritual.
When you are at a yajna of this magnitude, you are very close to God. Develop unshakeable faith in the Divine Mother and her grace will shower upon you.
The grace of the Divine Mother showers on all who tread this spiritual path with sincerity and approach her with the innocence of children. She does not belong to any country, religion, caste, creed or gender. She is the mother of us all.
The Divine Mother has the power to bless everyone. She has infinite tolerance and is never cruel. She is the giver and nourisher of life, both physical and spiritual. Devi loves and cares for each and every one of us. She also looks after the growth of the trees and plants as well as everything else in creation.
Devi is the creator, the preserver, as well as the destroyer. She is the creator as well as creation, and as the Chief Guest of this sacred yajna, she is presiding over this grand event and we, the kanyas, are her medium.
Through us you can make direct contact with Devi. We are the Devi Kanyas of this yajna and are pure, simple and innocent. As hosts of this event the kanyas are the conductors of all the rituals and proceedings. We represent that pure soul that exists within everyone. Remember that we are not Devi, but we are her medium and through us you will receive her grace and blessings.
To reconnect with the Divine Mother you too must once again become innocent and pure just as you were as a child, when you played in your mother’s lap.
We kanyas and batuks express our love for Devi Ma by singing and dancing to the many kirtans that we have learnt. We can sing for hours and not get tired because we get so much energy when we sing for Devi Ma.
Sri Swamiji has said that in the Kali Yuga singing the name is the quickest way to realize. Whenever your have the opportunity, join us to sing kirtans with open hearts.
Make the most of this rare and precious opportunity. Do not waste a single moment. Remain immersed in the presence of Devi Ma, no matter what you are doing. When you eat, sleep and are seated here, think of her and chant her name. Remember the Mother always with love and devotion. Then she will surely come to your side and be with you.
In the Treta Yuga Sri Rama performed the Rajasooya Yajna at Ayodhya on the banks of the Sarayu. In Dwapara Yuga the Pandavas held the Rajasooya Yajna in the presence of Lord Krishna at Indraprastha, which is now modern day Delhi. In Kali Yuga Swami Satyananda is performing the Rajasooya Yajna at Rikhiapeeth to adore and worship the Cosmic Mother.
The Rajasooya Yajna is performed only by kings and emperors. You must understand that a king is not only a person who conquers land. A person who conquers the world with an idea can also be called a king. A person who has conquered many hearts can be called ‘The King of Hearts’.
Our beloved Swami Satyananda has spread the teachings of yoga from ‘shore to shore and door to door’. He has presented yoga to the world in a most useful and beneficial way for society and mankind. The seed of yoga planted by Swami Satyananda has today blossomed throughout the world in millions of homes and hearts. The light of jnana has been kindled in many lives throughout the world without any distinction of race, religion, country, class or gender. This yajna is a tribute to that.
You will experience the benefits of this yajna by generating the feelings of shraddha, faith, and bhakti, devotion, and by tuning into the divine vibrations which pervade the environment.
So when you enter here, forget all your daily worries and surrender your heart and mind to her, and allow the grace of Devi Ma to pervade your lives. She will remove your sorrow and give you health, wealth and happiness.
This Sat Chandi Mahayajna is a sacred and divine opportunity to receive the grace and blessings of Devi. May the Divine Mother bless us all.
Tomorrow is the final day of the Sat Chandi Mahayajna, which will culminate in worship of the kanyas. During the Kanya Pooja, the eligible kanyas are worshipped as the true representatives of the Divine Mother. They will be adorned in beautiful garments, decorated with nice ornaments, served a splendid meal and presented with Devi prasad. You will witness the grandeur and glory of the Cosmic Mother in the kanyas.
By feeding and clothing kanyas, the Divine Mother is fed. By adorning kanyas with ornaments, Devi herself is adorned. This is the way to attain peace, plenty and prosperity.
Tomorrow, on the fifth and last day of the Rajasooya Yajna, we will also commemorate Sita Kalyanam. This very special day is called Vivah Panchami. It was on this day, at the end of Treta Yuga, in the month of Marga Sheersha, almost two million years ago, that the divine union of the Cosmic Mother with the Cosmic Father, Sita and Rama, took place. This sacred marriage represents the union of the individual soul with the Supreme Being. It is the celebration of the union of Shakti, cosmic energy, with Shiva, cosmic consciousness, which created all the worlds.
During the past days, Devi has been invoked and worshipped by the chanting of powerful mantas. A charged energy field has been created in which it is possible to catch a glimpse of the divine power. She comes in many forms and can be visible only to those who are mindful and alert. The mantras you have been chanting tune your mind, feelings and emotions to capture the essence of the cosmic energy that has been invoked.
The Cosmic Mother is here, above you, below you, around you and within you. Expand the antenna of your mind, open your heart and feel her presence.