Issue 11

Ratha Sapthami - Reining in the Mind - Feb/12/2ØØØ [The hidden meaning behind Ratha Sapthami - that of reining in the mind - is one of the thousands of original revelations of the Arunachala Siddha, Sathguru Venkataraman of the Agasthiar Siddha Lineage. There is a lot more to Ratha Sapthami than what we have written here. That detailed information on Rata Saptami is in one of our publications from the mid 1980s in the Tamil language.] Ratha = chariot. Sapthami = the seventh thithi. Ratha Sapthami is the seventh thithi after the Amavasya (new moon) thithi in the month of the Thai (mid January - mid February). In the current Pramaadhi year, Ratha Sapthami falls on Feb/12/2ØØØ. Please refer to the Agasthiar Spiritual Calendar for the exact timings of this thithi in your timezone. But there are deeper interpretations of what Ratha Sapthami stands for. Saptha means seven. It's indicative of the saptha swaras that underlie all of music. In other words, it's indicative of sound in general. We also know that Sabda means sound too. Thus there's a correlation between sound and Ratha Sapthami. What's this correlation? We give form to our thoughts through sound. The nature of sound is to travel from its place of origin. It does not need a ratha or any other vehicle to travel. Thus the correlation between ratha and sapthami is not obvious. When something is not obvious, we seek the insight of the Siddhas so that we can learn the hidden meaning and use it for our upliftment. The Siddhas say the word ratha is symbolic of the mind. The mind is the chariot. Many are the thoughts that arise in the human mind. These thoughts are like many different horses which pull the mind in many different directions. But for the mind to make systematic progress towards the Divine, the right set of horses should pull it in the right direction. This, indeed, is the Siddha insight on the deeper meaning of Ratha Sapthami. Reining in the mind and putting it on the path to God is the philosophy behind Ratha Sapthami. The Siddhas defer to their great master Sri Agasthiar on the exact practice of Ratha Sapthami worship. Sri Agasthiar has given us a simple worship procedure that we should practice on the Ratha Sapthami day. Each of the elements of this procedure are symbolic of the ascent of the human mind towards God. We'll describe this symbolism in the near future in a series of articles in AUMzine. But before we learn this symbolism, we must first practice the worship procedure on Ratha Sapthami day. This is the prerequisite for learning the Siddha symbolism of this simple but important worship procedure. Sri Agasthiar's Ratha Sapthami Worship Procedure The Ratha Sapthami worship procedure is designed to imbue us with gnaana (knowledge of the Divine) and launch us towards the Divine. Sri Agasthiar informs us that the practice of wearing one's hair in the sikha form is very conducive to the blossoming of gnaana. When sunlight falls on that head where the hair is tied in the sikha knot, it sets spiritual wheels in motion that start the process of gnaana acquisition. But since this practice is not followed in modern times, there needs to be another technique by which humans can gain the same spiritual effect. This technique is the one revealed to us by Sri Agasthiar. The centerpiece of this worship procedure is the Ratha Sapthami ritual bath. The leaves of the erukku shrub (Calotropis gigantea) shrub form an important part of the Ratha Sapthami ritual bath. Sri Agasthiar says that these leaves have an innate spiritual force that's similar to the one derived from the sihka knot and thus they can be used to achieve spiritual effects similar to those gotten from the sikha. The erukku leaves have to be arranged one on top of the other in seven layers as shown in the adjoining figure. One erukku leaf with its tip pointing north. On this leaf, place three rice whole akshadairice grains, i.e., rice grains colored with turmeric. As a general rule, these rice grains should be blemishless and they should be selected and mixed by couples who are 60 or older. On top of the above, place another erukku leaf with its tip pointing north. On this leaf, place four akshadai rice grains. On top of the above, place another erukku leaf with its tip pointing north. On this leaf, one's mother should place two akshadai rice grains after Gomatha (cow) worship. She should circumambulate Gomatha, feed her and then only is she ready for placing these two akshadai rice grains. If one's mother has passed on, one's wife or father or daughter in law can do the needful for this step of the procedure. On top of the above, place three erukku leaves with their tips pointing east. On top of these, place another erukku leaf with its tip pointing west. On this leaf, place one parboiled rice grain, one white rice grain and one kaar rice grain (a rice variety that's reddish in color). On top of the above, place another erukku leaf with its tip pointing north. On this leaf, place three rice grains; each of these three should only be three quarters of a whole grain. These should be selected after due meditation on Lord Sri Trivikrama Vishnu (see picture below). On top of the above, place another erukku leaf with its tip pointing south. On this leaf, place three rice grains that you have dehusked. In other words, these should not be processed by machine. On top of the above, place another erukku leaf with its tip pointing in that direction where North and Northeast meet. On this leaf, place a fragrant flower, place a piece of banana, mango or jack fruit and either thulasi or vilvam leaves or both. On Ratha Sapthami day, wake up before sunrise, place a block of wood in the bathroom and seat yourself facing east. Place the seven layer erukku leaf arrangement on your head and have your ritual bath with your mind fixed on God. Concentrate on Sri Agasthiar and the Siddhas and think about the possible symbolism behind this unique worship procedure. (The Siddhas will reveal the symbolism soon.) After the ritual bath, wear dry clothing and perform Soorya Namaskar and recite Sri Agasthiar's Aditya Hrudayam hymn. If you do not know this, just say "Om Salutations to Sri Soorya" 108 or 1008 times. At sunrise, offer neivedyam to Sri Soorya. Make sure that the food you offer is not too hot; it should be at a temperature that's fit for consumption. Make sure you feed the poor on this important day. This is the ancient Siddha worship procedure for Ratha Sapthami. Practice this and launch yourselves towards the Divine. Visit this page again and learn the symbolism behind this worship procedure. Om Salutations to Arunachala Om Salutations to Sri Soorya Om Salutations to Maha Guru Sri Agasthiar Om Salutations to the Agasthiar Lineage Om Salutations to the Siddhas