Sri Lalita Sahasranama Maha Yajna for World Peace
Hyderabad, A.P., India
Jan 5-9, 2007
In the special homa area, nine homa kundas were constructed. Some of them were nearly twenty feet deep, in order to hold all the items offered into the fire. Dozens of people worked together harmoniously to take care of all the details.
Swamiji performs sankalpa in front of a Sri Ganesha Yantra. Through the sankalpa, all the sponsors become energetically linked to the homa or puja. The sankalpa is like a conduit through which negative karma is purified by the homa and merit and positive energy is transmitted to the sponsor.
Puja has just been performed to Sri Ganesha in the form of this beautiful yantra. The main yantra consists of the gold and red triangles and circles in the center, but some colorful decorations have been added around the yantra, like Ganesha’s crown, ears, and trunk.
In order to complete all the auspicious homas each day, dozens of priests performed different homas simultaneously. Everyone worked together in a coordinated way to ensure the successful completion of all the homas.
For each homa, a great deal of preparation is involved. Numerous small details must be taken care of in order to create the desired result. Here, a group of priests wrap threads around the kalasas in a specific pattern. Each and every detail has significance and should not be missed.
When the kalasas are prepared very carefully, the result is so beautiful. The kalasas represent the different deities being honored by the homas. The kalasa represents the body, and the water inside represents the subtle body. The coconut represents the head, and the five leaves represent the five senses and organs of actions. During the homa, the water gets completely charged with energy.
At least twenty priests participated in the Sri Ganesha Laksha Modaka Homa, so that all 100,000 offerings could be completed in a timely fashion. In order to cook 100,000 modakas, numerous people worked for days together in Amma’s Penusila Ashram. All the modakas were made just outside the Lalita Parameswari Temple and then trucked to Hyderabad for the homa. May Sri Ganesha be pleased with this wonderful homa and give his most auspicious blessings for world peace!
Numerous special yantras were created for the homas; the one shown here is for Sri Saraswati Devi. Amma has said that creating these specific designs on the ground gives immense peace to Mother Earth.
In this yantra, a beautiful cobra is shown. The snake is strongly associated with the divine kundalini sakti, the energy responsible for our spiritual growth and purification of the chakras.
In this Navagraha Yantra, the nine celestial bodies are represented, with the sun in the center. In the vedic rushis’ unique vision, peace must extend to all the planets, solar systems, and stars throughout the universe, not just our own Mother Earth.
Dozens of auspicious items have been assembled for offering into the homa fire on the final day of the programs. Each item is completely natural, a gift from Mother Nature. God has provided every useful and necessary item for our benefit, and out of gratitude, we offer the most auspicious items back to God.
Amma offers the final purnahuti into the huge homa kunda. As each auspicious item is offered and consumed by the sacred flames, its energetic essence is released into the atmosphere. This powerful energy spreads across Mother Earth, purifying the air, encouraging timely rains, and removing the pollution of our negative thoughts and actions.
In this captivating shot, flames leap up as Amma pours auspicious turmeric into the kunda, like two golden hands reaching for each other.
After the homa, it is traditional to take the water from the kalasas and sprinkle it onto the devotees. As the water has been energized with the full energy of the homa, receiving a single drop is an immense blessing. Everyone is so eager to receive this great blessing from Amma herself.
In ancient times, it was the king’s responsibility to arrange for special yajnas, to ensure the well-being of the people in his kingdom. In one tradition, the king would sit on one side of a scale, and then give away his weight in gold, silver, or other precious items. In honor of this noble tradition, the Hyderabad devotees request Amma to take a seat in a special scale.
In place of gold, golden jaggery is added to the scale, so that Amma’s weight in jaggery can be distributed to all the people.
The significance of donating one’s entire weight of some auspicious item is that one must offer one’s entire life for the noble cause of dharma. At every moment, our beloved Amma’s only wish is for universal peace and happiness. “I want to see all of my children with cheerful faces.” ~ Amma
Om shantih shantih shantihi
May all be in peace
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
May all be happy
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