August 9, 2006
Viya Varusham
Greeshma Rithu
Aadi Maasam 24-th day
Wednesday
Buddhi Prakasa Pournami Wednesday
Om. On this Wednesday, Pournami lasts until 4:25 p.m. While Pournami worship in the cool rays of the full moon last night gave us
Chandra Prakasa shakti and blessed us with a clear, serene, kind mind, today's worship of Ganesh, Hayagriva and Saraswati will give
us Buddhi Prakasa shakti and sharpen our intellect and mental powers.
Those who are not able to perform Arunachala Girivalam on Pournami full moon night can do
girivalam of other sacred hills mentioned elsewhere in this website. They can also offer worship in Chandra shakti temples where Sri Chandra Mouliswara, Sri Chandrasekhara, Somnath and Someswara
have manifested Themselves (Musiri, Manamadurai, Pazhaiyarai, Thiruvakkarai).
Those beset with daily problems in their families and with money and debt problems should worship Chandra Mouliswara, Chandrasekhara, Somnath,
Someswara in Chandra Shakti temples on Mondays and on Pournami days. This will rejuvenate and strengthen their troubled minds. They should
also make it a point to get darshan of the third phase of the moon (moondram pirai darshan).
Why do we face problems in our lives? It is because of our bad karma, the result of the bad actions that we have committed.
Being guilty of these bad actions, one has to face these problems. Wanting these problems to just go away is wishful thinking.
The Siddhas tell us that remedial measures have a chance of working
only when we mentally take responsibility for our bad actions and become ready to accept the problems precipitated by our own bad karma.
This spiritual maturity is an important stepping stone in spiritual life.
"We are good people. We have never done any wrong." Most of us say this all the time!
Even if this were true, one should willingly accept problems as the result of the bad karma of past lives and perform
all the poojas that can mitigate the bad karma.
This mature outlook and sincere performance of karma reducing poojas can win us that divine grace
that can reduce the effects of the bad karma.
It should be kept in mind that Pournami worship lasts throughout the entire period of the Pournami thithi, that is even during daytime.
Light jyoti lamps at the start of the Pournami thithi and make sure they are lit throughout. You can arrange mirrors on the sides of the
lamps and behind them to multiply the number of jyoti flames that you can see.
Lord Chandra is known as Oushada Murthi, the Lord of herbs and medicinal plants.
It is under the cool rays of Chandra that these plants attain their medicinal efficacy.
Just like there are wealth attracting herbs (dhanakarshana moolika), there are intellect developing herbs (vidyakarshana moolika).
Sri Vidyaranya Maharishi prayed to Mother Sakambari and was blessed with these herbs that can give us vidya shakti and buddhi prakasa.
On Buddhashtami days, during Budha horai times on Wednesdays and on those days when Pournami falls on a Wednesday (like today), these
vidyakarshana herbs get activated by Chandra's rays. On Pournami Wednesdays, Sri Vidyaranya Maharishi infuses the spiritual potency of
these herbs in several vidya shakti sacred theertha ponds and in those places where the unseen Saraswathi river is in sangamam with other
seen rivers (at Prayag, Anbil, Bhavani, etc.).
As we mentioned a few days ago, the unseen Saraswathi is symbolic of true spiritual knowledge which is internal, not external.
Just like the unseen Saraswathi, one can't see the crown of one's head either. The Siddhas tell us that there is a sookshma (subtle) vidya
theertham in this head that we can't see with our own eyes. It is in this theertham that our brain waves manifest themselves.
This sookshma theertham gets energized on Buddhastami and on Pournami Wednesdays. So such sacred days are ideal for sharpening our intellect
and enlarging our knowledge base. On these days, take a ritual sacred bath in Saraswathi theertham and in those places where there is an
unseen Saraswathi sangamam. Mix some of this holy Saraswathi water while cooking food for distribution and offer it to the poor and hungry.
This will help those who feel inferior because they think their educational qualifications are not good enough.
Today is also a good day for prayer for those who feel that they are not paid what they are worth.
On this Pournami Wednesday, we hope you will follow the advice of the Siddhas given above to get vidya shakti blessings. Om.
