Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – After Pushparchana/flower worship – October 24, 2015 – Mysore
Sri Bala Swamiji said:
Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namaha.
This is the annual tradition of this devotee family in Mysuru to offer this Pushparchana to Swamiji on the Ekadasi day after Vijaya Dasami. This is their 33rd year without a break. We are fortunate to witness this special event. When Swamiji performed the Navaratri Pujas in Vijayawada and Hyderabad, the family went to those places and offered their worship. This devotee rendered the Rajeswari Stotram that was sung by Sri Swamiji in 1969. We know only Roga/disease, not Raga/melody. It is Swamiji who makes us sing tunefully. The Dola or lullaby that was sung has a very nice meaning, praying to Mother Goddess who got tired receiving all our prayers and demands over the past nine days of worship to come and take some rest.
Jaya Guru Datta
(After the very mellow and peaceful Pushparchana/flower worship was concluded with Sri Swamiji seated on the beautifully decorated floral swing on the stage in the Nada Mantapa, a startlingly abrupt and loud voice shouted a series of ear-piercing Jaikarams/victory slogans)
In Kailasa, Siva and Parvati were doing penance. Countless members of their entourage known as Ganas surrounded them, including Nandi, Bhringi, and others. Everyone waited eagerly and expectantly for Lord Siva to open his eyes. Some gods who were arrogant also came there with the intention of striking fear in the heart of Siva. They boasted that they feared no one. The proud gods who came to cause trouble, lacked focus. As they waited for Siva to open His eyes, they were not in tune with the others.
The Siva Ganas by themselves are frightening in their appearance, and the sounds they make. There were crores of Bhuta Ganas also present there. They are always there with Siva. They have no birth or death, no hunger or thirst. They merely serve Lord Siva. They precisely follow all his movements. If Siva opens His eyes, they open their eyes. If Siva closes His eyes, they do the same. Whatever Siva does, ditto, they all do the same. If Siva sits, they sit. If Siva stands, they stand. Ditto. Some are far away from Siva because there are so many millions of them.
All flowers strung in one thread make just one garland. No matter how many hundreds of flowers are gathered together and how many countless varieties of flowers may be present, it is just one garland.
You say you ate a meal. You don’t list all the menu items, like, I ate rice, I ate curry, I ate chutney, and so on. You say you drank water. That is all. You don’t specify whether it was well water or tap water. By telepathy, or wireless communication, all the Ganas who belong to the one garland called Siva, all think and act alike. Their principle is the Siva principle. Same as Rama and Hanuman, who always thought and acted along the same lines, accepting one another totally.
Finally Siva opened His eyes. Instantaneously all the Ganas also opened their eyes and make a huge tumultuous sound which reverberated in the heavens.
The gods who had planned to cause fright to others, jumped with dread and ran helter skelter at the sudden blaring of instruments, and the sudden piercing shouts by the Siva Ganas and the Bhuta Ganas. This man Chandramohan’s jaikara is like that. Everyone was in a meditative mood. His startling and abrupt shouts woke everyone up. It reminded me of the occurrence at Mount Kailasa.
What is Pushparchana? Why is worship offered with flowers? Why were flowers created? What is the relationship between God and flowers? When did this type of worship begin?
The sense organs represent flowers. They are of different colors. And there are different mixed shades of color and different fragrances also.
Sri H V Prasad said:
Long ago at the old Datta temple, during a vibhuti decoration, Swamiji mentioned the eight types of flowers:
ahimsA prathamam pushpam
pushpam indriya-nigraha:
sarva-bhUta-dayA pushpam
kshamA pushpam viSeshata: |
jnAnam pushpam tapa: pushpam
dhyAnam pushpam tathaiva cha
satyam ashtavidham pushpam
vishno: prItikaram bhavet
Non-violence, restraint of sense organs, compassion towards all beings, forgiveness, meditation, Jnana, penance, and truth , which are the eight flowers that please Lord Vishnu when offered with devotion. Bhakti Mala published an article about these eight flowers. This was also sculpted on a Dhwaja Stambha/Flag pole at a temple in Ailuru.
Sri Swamiji:
Our good behavior in eight different ways is like these eight flowers. Each of the eight flowers has a specific nature.
Vishnu and Siva worshiped each other with great devotion. Vishnu offered his own eye while worshiping Siva when one flower was less to complete the Puja with 108 flowers. The flower had to be like an eye in shape. The two gods would test each other. Same thing happened to Siva once. He fell short by one flower when he was worshiping Vishnu. He offered his Atma Pushpa.
We destroy our bad qualities. We offer only our virtues to God. They are represented by the flowers which we offer to God. There are sub-flowers with some other different qualities. The sub-flowers are the different types of virtuous qualities in us. Pushpa Yajna also it is called. In Tirupati they do this type of Pushpa Archana or worship.
We must think, only what is good in me I should offer to God.
333 crore flower species exist on earth, each representing each of the 333 crore gods in heaven. How to search for them all? In a forest of each country there are so many flower varieties, also near oceans, rivers, and mountains. All these flowers are gods. Many are seasonal. Not all are perennial. Some bloom in spring. Some bloom at other times during the year.
All gods came to the earth to serve when Lord Venkateswara descended to the earth. Also they came to serve Mother Goddess in the eighteen Sakti Peethams and to serve Siva at the special shrines. They all came as flowers to be offered during worship.
To our chosen deity we offer flowers. We please those gods when we offer them as material of worship to God. In the end, we take again a few flowers as Prasadam. The same deities, pleased that we have offered them to God in our worship, bless us also when we receive and place the flowers on our head as Prasadam.
So much of serious meaning is there in using flowers in worship.
Here only a few kinds of flowers are there, may be a dozen varieties.
Himalayas have a valley of flowers. It has countless varieties of flowers. In South Africa, and in France, they have many types of flowers. Many types of flowers are not accessible. Some bloom only at night and in the thick jungles. Some bloom only at dawn, for example, the Brahma Kamala. It fades by the time the sun rises. The day of 24 hours is divided into eight sections. There are flowers which bloom at the different parts of the day. It is very difficult to gather and offer to God or to Mother Goddess, all the different types of flowers.
We offer the 333 crore Devatas/deities in worship to Lord Krishna, Siva, or to Mother Goddess.
This is the significance of Pushparchana.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Compiled by Smt Hira Duvvuri