A Guru Gayatri Sadhana for the Eclipse — What a Householder Without a Guru May Do From Amavasya to Guru Purnima

The speaker says the sadhana he is presenting is for this Grahan kaal, and that the time is very important. The solar eclipse on 21 June carries a Chudamani yog after 840 years, and any sadhana done in that time will give that much strength to one's sadhana. Mahatmas, saints and learned people, he says, hold that the time which gives crores of times more fruit is the grahan kaal. And within that, if a solar eclipse falls on a Sunday, it gives akshay fruit, endlessly multiplied fruit. That is why he is placing this sadhana before everyone. He adds that this whole time is the guru paksha, and the grahan kaal together with the Navratri is a very, very special time. Nothing can be more special than this, he says: a full Navratri is falling between two eclipses. It is a very good time for sadhana, for Tapo-bala and for energy. He asks that this time be put to good use, and that one begin one's sadhana in it.

The speaker says this sadhana is especially for those who have no Guru and wish to come onto the sadhana path; and also for ordinary people who wish to do sadhana for the protection of their home and family and of themselves. For them this sadhana is meant. If a guru is not being obtained, or no guru to one's liking is being found, there is no need to wander, he says. Until a guru is obtained, do this sadhana; for that time, awaken these mantras. Gurus, he says, are not obtained so easily. It is the PrarabdhaThe portion of destiny already set in motion by past actions — spiritual practice and good deeds can lessen its severity, but not eliminate it. of some of our karmas that a guru is not being obtained. When that prarabdha is cut, Punya increases, strength comes into the JivatmaThe individual embodied soul currently animating a physical body — distinct from the formless, genderless Atman it ultimately is., the energy of tapas grows and punya accumulates, then a guru will certainly be obtained. So this sadhana, done in this time, he says, will certainly increase one's tapas, one's Tapo-bala.

Asked what is needed for this sadhana, the speaker says: bring any one kind of Mala out of three or four kinds. Either RudrakshaA sacred seed strung into rosaries and worn during shiva worship., or black Hakik, or yellow hakik, or SphatikA crystal rosary, chosen over Rudraksha when a practitioner's Venus is favorably placed and outside the 6th, 8th, or 12th houses.. Any one of these four. The choice follows whom one accepts as guru. If Bhagwan Shiva is to be accepted as guru, bring a rudraksha mala; a black hakik mala may also be brought for Shiva. If the sadhana is to be done accepting Ma Jagadamba"Mother of the World" — an epithet of the Devi. as guru, bring a sphatik mala. If accepting Bhagwan Narayan, bring a yellow hakik mala. Bring any one mala, and before the Grahan kaal, on some special auspicious day, have it pran-pratishthit. He says he will soon give in a separate video a small, simple, sattvik Prana Pratishtha vidhi, so that it can be done in the least time and by the easiest method. Just this one mala is needed, he says, and it is the most important thing, because this is the mala one is to wear. How to wear it, by what vidhi, and how far it is to be energised before wearing, is what the rest of the sadhana explains.

The speaker recalls the verse he opened with, which everyone knows: "Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu Gurur Devo Maheshwarah, Gurur sakshat Parabrahma, tasmai Shri Gurave namah". That is, the Guru is Brahma, the guru is Vishnu, the guru is Shiva himself, and the Parabrahma is the guru in person. In the same way, he says, those who have no guru should understand this: Brahma ji is the guru, Vishnu ji is the guru, Bhagwan Shiva is the guru, Ma Jagadamba"Mother of the World" — an epithet of the Devi. is the guru, that Parabrahma Bhagavati is the guru. So one may accept them as guru. Our worthiness, he says, has nothing to do with them; before them no person can become worthy. When their kripa-drishti is there, their wish, their blessing and kripa, and the strength of our Punya, only then will they give us, in their own form, some direct, physical guru of the material world. So for now, accepting them as guru, one can do these sadhanas, one's sattvik sadhanas, for one's home and family.

The speaker says the Guru Gayatri mantra is the best for those who have no Guru; and for those who have a guru it is the best as well. But those who have a guru have already received a guru mantra, so they should do Japa of that guru mantra alone. They should take a vidhan from their own guru for this Grahan kaal, because for those who hold a guru mantra too, this eclipse time is very important. If there is no time to do any other sadhana, or no wish, or if for any reason or circumstance they are not able to, then at the very least they should jap their guru mantra.

The sadhana kaal on 21 June, the speaker says, begins at 10:15 in the morning. Be seated by at least 10:10, and one should continue sitting on one asana until at least 2:45 in the afternoon. If a person is not able to, cannot sit that long, there is no problem, he says. A new sadhak, or one without the practice of sitting, is not expected to give their life for it, sitting on and on because they sat down. One may leave the asana comfortably. But at least try this: if seated at 10:15, try to sit continuously for two hours, until 12:15, so that the sparsh kaal of the Grahan and its madhya kaal are reached. In the madhya kaal the eclipse becomes full; try to cross the time of the full eclipse, sitting at least until 12:15. Even if one sits and does this much, he says, a great deal of one's work will be accomplished.

The second thing, the speaker says, is to keep GangajalWater from the Ganges, used to purify and re-consecrate ritual items exposed to impurity. in a bowl with rose water mixed into it, and a lota of water with an achamani. The asana cloth is yellow or white; a Kusha Asana is also possible. Women sadhikas, if they wish, may wear a yellow saree; a red saree may also be worn; colourful clothes of one's own choice, but not black. Because this guru sadhana is sattvik and for householder people, black cloth is not to be used at all; dark cloth is not to be used. Try for yellow or red; pink too may be used. One sits on the asana facing east.

If there is much wish, and to give the sadhana strength, the speaker says, light a lamp, either of ghee or of TilSesame, black til in particular, central to pitr karma and to many ahutis. oil. And how is a lamp lit? A DeepakThe lamp lit for worship, of ghee or oil according to the vidhi.'s mouth, he says, is always towards the east; so it is placed facing east and lit. And the thread put in it will be two threads. Whether one puts KalavaThe red-and-yellow sacred thread (also called moli) tied at the wrist or used to twist lamp wicks; sold in strands that are wound to a counted number., raw thread kalava, or cotton, the cotton is mixed with kalava and put in. A single thread is never burned, a single wick is never lit; two wicks are lit. So twist the two wicks together and light it comfortably, so that it can burn for three hours, through the whole Grahan kaal. Just light it, he says, and sit down.

Whatever vidhi-vidhan one knows, AchamanaThe ritual sipping of water for self-purification before worship, one of the opening Shatkarma/Pavitrikaran rites., purifying the bhumi and so on, if one knows that vidhi, fine, the speaker says; if not, then remember Bhagwan and do the Japa of the Guru Gayatri. He is describing a completely easy vidhi, he says, so that nothing is difficult and no doubt is in the mind; he is trying to keep it as easy as can be. The Mala is already pran-pratishthit. One simply takes that mala and begins the japa, at the time he has given. After the japa is complete, the mala is placed in the water, in which there should be only GangajalWater from the Ganges, used to purify and re-consecrate ritual items exposed to impurity.: the brass bowl with rose water mixed in, and only Gangajal in it, no other water mixed. The mala is placed in it after completing the japa, and the japa is mentally offered up.

Keep in mind, the speaker says, that in this eclipse there is Sutak six hours before and sutak six hours after. So on that day there is no need to do puja-path and such, that is, dhoop, deep, batti in the puja room; it is not to be done that day. On that day, keep the whole shutter of the puja room closed. In the Grahan kaal the pujan and bhog of the devatas are not done; only japa is done. At the most, outside the puja room, dhoop is not lit; only a lamp may be lit. So only this is done that day. And the bowl is afterwards placed in the puja room.

One more thing, the speaker says: a kaner root. Whether yellow kaner or white kaner, the root of either of these two, bring it on a Thursday. Although it is properly brought in Pushya Nakshatra, he says, even if Pushya nakshatra is not available, bring it and keep it. Place this root in the bowl in which the water is kept, and keep it there through the whole Grahan kaal.

Then, from the next day, Navratri begins, the speaker says. After doing the puja-path one has to do, if one can do one Mala of Japa of this mantra, then one mala; if one can do ten malas, then ten. But every day it must be kept the same. If today one does five malas, then tomorrow too it will be five malas. On the third day of Navratri too it will be five, and until the morning of Dashami one keeps japping the very same five malas. Doing five malas, one continues in this way until Dashami; and after each japa the mala is put back into the bowl.

After the first charan ends with the Dashami havan, the speaker says, the next charan is this: the mala is still not to be used. After doing japa it is placed again in the same way, in the same water, back in the GangajalWater from the Ganges, used to purify and re-consecrate ritual items exposed to impurity. bowl. From the day after Dashami, again one Mala of japa, or five malas, whatever one was doing; now it is one's own wish. If from the day after Dashami one wishes to do only one mala, then only one mala is japped. This goes on until the Purnima on which Guru Poornima falls, the Ashadh Purnima falling on 5 July; until that day one does it. That day too is a Sunday. On that day the sadhana becomes complete. It is a full two-week sadhana, he says, a complete one-paksha sadhana: from Amavasya to Poornima, from darkness to light.

When the japa is completed on Dashami, the speaker says, on that day do one round of Ahuti, do a Havan. The havan is done only and only with ghee, mango wood, and cakes of cow dung. Nothing else is to be used in it. There should be only ghee, and it should be pure desi ghee. Give 108 ahutis; that is plenty. After giving that much, do the Purnahuti. Here, he says, the sadhana is complete: the first charan.

When the sadhana is completed on that day, Guru Poornima, the speaker says, one does guru pujan of whoever one has accepted in the form of guru. Keep cloth for them; give a bhog of sweets and so on. Then, after doing the pujan, touch the things meant for dan and set them apart: whatever Annadaan one wishes to do, whatever dan one wishes to give, keep it aside with some DakshinaThe offering made to a guru or officiant that completes a rite; a ritual is held incomplete without it.. Keep it aside to give something to the yachaks who come asking. After that, wear this Mala around the neck, taking it as the blessing of the guru, as the guru's protection, as the nimitt for that.

Once the Mala has been worn, the speaker says, there is no separate niyam with it. There is no requirement that one must take it off, or when to keep it; wear it always. There is no problem, and no doubt of any kind should be kept in the mind. Yes, if it is a RudrakshaA sacred seed strung into rosaries and worn during shiva worship. mala, then at the time of shauch and the like it should indeed be taken off. When going for shauch, take it off; after bathing, do pujan again and put it on. There is no problem in that. Wherever one goes and comes, wear it always, he says; there is no trouble in this.

From the next day after that, when Shravan (Savan) is beginning, the speaker says, it is one's own wish: if one likes, keep doing one Mala of japa of it every single day, and keep it worn around the neck. This, he says, will be the first charan of the sadhana. Whoever does it, then in whatever other sadhana they have to do afterwards, there should not be much trouble or difficulty; they should be guided rightly; the sadhana they wish to do should be completed; and from this they will get help and strength in it. Along with that, their Punya and their Tapo-bala will increase, so that in this material world they may obtain a direct guru before them. So do this sadhana, he says.

If for oneself no one has ever done anything to this day, the speaker says, if until today we have done no sadhana at all, then even so, at the very least, this Guru Gayatri should certainly be used once in one's life. Sadhana is always begun from the Guru. The guru is SumeruThe head bead of a mala, never crossed during japa — the count turns back at it instead., the guru is the mountain; all sadhanas should be started from the guru alone. After the sadhana of this mantra, he says, he will go on to teach many more sadhanas that one can do comfortably staying at home, and get rid of some of one's problems. We are all, he adds, only instruments of Bhagavati's wish, and holding to these things we prepare for the time to come.