Stories behind the Songs on the CD "A Heart In Harmony"

GANAPATI OM JAYA

Ganapati means “Lord of the Ganas” (Ruler of the Goblins) and is another name of the elephant-headed god, Ganesh. Ganesh is called upon to help us overcome obstacles of all kinds and to achieve our goals successfully.

The reason why we call upon this energy in the form of Ganesh, is that he represents the force that can maintain control of the parts of our subconscious mind which comes forth with the negative commentary which often distracts us and side-tracks us from maintaining focus on our goal.

Chanting or singing “Ganapati Om Jaya” strengthens that faculty we have to hold at bay our own internal negative thoughts and emotions.

OM NAMO NARAYANA

Narayana is a name of Vishnu, the aspect of divine energy which is the male form of Preservation. He is the consort of the goddess Laksmi, who is associated with abundance. I asked for guidance and direction in creating a simple melody to this foundational chant that people could easily join in with, to evoke the energy of the wonderful feeling of being provided for, and being connected to the paternal loving energy of God as The Father. That is a way of experiencing in our world the energy of Vishnu in action.

OM SHRI MATRE NAMAHA

This mantra calls upon the Divine Mother and is the opening mantra in the 1000 names of the form of the Goddess called Lalita, who is known as Tripura Sundari and Sodashi.

This particular recording is made to assist in healing the heart. The sound “Hrrrreeeeeem” is included and is a very important sound for contributing to the energetic health of the heart center.

I had a lovely experience with Lalita appearing to me. She was a beautiful young bouyant teenage girl who had wisdom as well as beauty. She was full of laughter and joy. Rays of radiant light streamed from her body. One of her names is, “She Who Plays.”

The ability to be joyful is a great indicator of how quickly you can “heal.”

This track came to have a very personal meaning for me, as the day I was going to record a second vocal track for it, my sister called to tell me that my mother, who’d been in the hospital recovering from surgery with a broken hip, had something more serious going on and her time might be extremely short. I had the choice of getting in the car immediately to make the hour and a half drive to the hospital, or of recording the track first as a prayer to the Divine Mother on my own mother’s behalf and for my sister, to help ease the pain of the situation. Knowing the power of prayer, I sat down and sang the mantra “Om Shri Matre Namaha” and the bija mantra “Hrrrreeeem” calling out to the Divine Mother to bring us closer into her heart and make us aware of Her proximity within us. My mother lived for almost a week longer, she died in peace, on her mother's birthday.

OM NAMA SHIVAYA

Shiva is the form of god who is the Great Yogi. He presides over the transformation of energy, so that he is sometimes said to be the Great Destroyer, in comparison to Vishnu, who is the Great Preserver, and Brahma, who is the Great Creator. Shiva is the consort of the goddess in her forms of Parvati, Gauri, Uma and Kali. The term Shiva/Shakti describes the balance of our male and female energies, with the male side as holding stillness and the female side (shakti) providing movement. The energy of this mantra takes you deep inside and builds up your ability to sit in stillness while experiencing and allowing your vital energy to expand and accelerate.

 

LAKSHMI STUTI
also called the 
MAHA LAKSHMI ASHTAKAM

The Lakshmi Stuti is chanted by many people every day as a tool to bring forth in their lives whatever type of wealth they desire. The wealthy people I enjoy spending time with are the ones who are rich in their ability to connect with divine energy.

When I sing this mantra, I let myself soar into a place where the golden light associated the goddess Lakshmi bathes my consciousness, bringing comfort to my heart and peace to my mind.

1) Namasthethu Mahaamaye Shripeede Surapujithe !
Shangachakra gadha hasthe Mahalakshmi Namosthu the !!

2) Namasthe Garudaa rude kolaasara bhayankari !
Sarva paapa hare devi Mahalakshmi Namosthu the !!

3) Sarvajne Sarvavarade Sarvadhustha Bhayankari !
Sarvadhukka hare devi Mahalakshmi Namosthu the !!

4) Siddhi Buddhi Pradha devi Bhukthi Mukthi pradaayini !
Mantramoorthe Sadha devi Mahalakshmi Namosthu the !!

5) Aadhyantharahithe Devi Aadhyashakthi Maheshwari !
Yogaje yogasampoothe varalakshmi Namosthu the !!

6) Sthula saokshma Mahaaroudre Mahashakti Mahodare !
Mahaapaapahare devi Mahalakshmi Namosthu the !!

7) Padmaasanasthithe Devi Parabrahmaswarupini !
Parameswari Jaganmaatha Mahalakshmi Namosthu the !!

8) Swethaambaradhare Devi Nanaalankaarabhooshithe !
Jagasthathe Jaganmaatha Mahalakshmi Namosthu the !!

9) Mahalakshmiashtakam sthothram yah patethe Bhaktimaannarah !
Sarvasiddhi Mavaapnothi Raajyam Praapnothi Sarvadha !!

  

  

NARAYANI STUTI

...is one of the four hymns in the great transformational tool called “The Devi Mahatmyam” or Glory to the Great Goddess.  It is also called “The Durga Sapatsloki” and “The Chandi.”

Some years ago, when I’d had a very challenging week working with many people who were going through a struggle with HIV, AIDS and cancer, I decided that I would go to the movies on a Saturday and just surrender to the cinema experience, to give my self a rest. I went to an art movie theater in Hollywood which plays five movies at a time, so I would be sure to find one that I liked. However, I’d given a ride to a friend whose car had broken down, which made me so late that there were no more movies until midnight!

So frustrating! Stamping my feet, I turned around and faced The Virgin Megastore, which for those of you who don’t know, is actually a music store. I decided that I would wander aimlessly around for several hours as a substitute for going unconscious at the movies. But the minute I walked in the door, an invisible force pushed me to the back of the store, towards a CD bin, my hand seemed to spring out on its own and selected a CD. I could barely make out the title, “ONE TRACK HEART” by Krishna Das, as I was being propelled up to the checkout counter, and was internally told to listen to it immediately.

I had to drive to my office as that’s where my CD player was. After almost an hour drive, at the last place I wanted to be on this Saturday night with a rare opportunity to relax, I put it on. The first song sounded really good, but then, just as the second song, “Devi Puja” was starting, I was told to learn the song and sing it every day.

I took the CD liner notes which had the lyrics in transliterated Sanskrit to Kinko’s and blew them up big enough to read. Then, every morning, first thing, I would sing along with Krishna Das until I knew the song well enough to sing on my own.

About seven years later, when I was now internally urged to play the harmonium and sing, but no one would show me how, and I started to “get” melodies and chants given to me internally. I couldn’t really listen to a song and play it on my harmonium, with the one exception of the Narayani Stuti. It seemed right to keep the melody that Krishna Das had written, so I asked him if I could put in on this CD. He graciously gave me permission.
  

THE DEVI MAHATMYAM EXPERIENCE

 

On April 30, 2004, my neighbor and I went to the public library. She had asked to come along to get a monolog for an audition. I knew a great one for her, from a one act play called The Autograph Hound.

When we walked in the front door of the library, she looked around and said, “Where is the card catalog?” I pointed to the computer and said, “They keep it inside there now.” She made a very sad and frightened face, but I told her, “Don’t worry, come and sit next to me and I’ll look it up for you.”

We sat down at the computer and I typed in THE AUTOGRAPH HOUND, selected “title” from the menu, and then pressed the return key. What came back was THE DEVI MAHATMYAM, then underneath those words were what I assumed was The Devi Mahatmyam translated into many languages, as I could see that there were Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters, being familiar with them, as I am a doctor of Chinese medicine. Also, I could see that it was listed in the Romance languages too; French, Spanish and Italian, as I am familiar with “the” as an article in those languages.

I said aloud, “The Devi Mahatmyam!” My neigbor said, “You know what that is, don’t you?” Being my neighbor, she has had some experience with my out-of-the-ordinary life events. “Yes,” I said, “That is the most ancient sacred text to the Goddess, from India.” “It means, “Glory to the Great Goddess.”

“Oh.” She said. “I’m your witness.”

Then, I tried once again to get The Autograph Hound through the card catalog, and once again, I got back, “The Devi Mahatmyam” with its title translated into many other languages. This happened four times until I gave up.

Several months later, realizing that I had been thinking that the library actually had a copy of The Devi Mahatmyam, I purposely searched for it in the catalog, only to discover that they didn’t have a single copy! I even looked for it under its other titles; The Durga Saptasati and The Chandi.

For English readers, the version I like the best is CHANDI PATH: She Who Tears Thought Apart, Also Known As The Durga Saptasati: The Seven Hundred Verses in Praise of She Who Removes All Difficulties and The Devi Mahatmyam: The Glory of the Great Goddess by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

For a more information about the Devi Mahatmyam, refer to The Esoteric Significance of the Devi Mahatmyam by Sri Swami Krishnananda.

 

 

SHAKAMBARI DEVI

HIMALAYAN HERITAGE NEWSLETTER July/August 2006 Issue No.8 Shakambari Devi – She Who Nourishes by Lily Diamond You may know Ma as Kali, Tara, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Lalita… but do you know the Mother as Ma Shakambari? Amarananda Bhairavan translated her name for me as, “She-Who-Is-Clothed-In-Leaves-And-Twigs.” Swami Veda Bharati in his essay, “Shakambari Devi: The Bearer of the Greens,” suggests that this goddess become the symbol for international ecology. The epic poem, THE DEVI MAHATMYAM, (Glory to the Goddess), otherwise known as The Chandi and as The Durga Saptashati, is chanted during the fire ceremony conducted at the end of “Durga Puja,” or “Navaratri,” the annual ritual celebration of the Divine Mother. In the sacred text, Durga prophesies that when the earth has been dry for a hundred years, the wise ones who continuously meditate upon her will cause her to be born in a superhuman fashion and she will bring forth from her body; fruits, flowers, vegetables and herbs to take away our hunger and thirst and our fear of death. She calls herself, Shakambari. The Devi Mahatmyam is well-known as powerful tool for personal transformation and is intended through its esoteric meanings and its sonic vibrations to alleviate suffering and restore balance during times of natural disaster, war, famine and disease. Many saints and sages make a practice of chanting it daily. Storing wisdom-energy in rituals, objects and locations is a significant aspect of all the spiritual traditions of medicine and healing I have studied. These containers create portals for transmission of the energy and the practice of chanting from The Chandi is a perfect example of this phenomenon. Discovering Shakambari has been part of a mystical journey for me, connecting with the eternal power of the Divine Mother as She carries out Her mission of bringing enlightenment and restoring balance to the earth. The Studio City Public Library was the setting for one of Mother’s messages to me several years ago. Helping a computer-illiterate neighbor, aptly named Faith, I performed a title search for the play, The Autograph Hound, on the L.A. County’s library catalog and the words, “THE DEVI MAHATMYAM” unexpectedly appeared on the computer screen. This title consistently reappeared after attempting several times to search for the completely unrelated document, and a later check proved that there is no copy of The Devi Mahatmyam in the system’s catalog. The first day I recited, The Chandi, another synchronicity occurred. In Chapter Eleven, I recognized the words I’d sung every morning for seven years which I’d been divinely guided to do in another extraordinary experience. The words came to me originally from Krishna Das’ recording, “Devi Puja,” the hymn sung in praise of Ma by the Gods, known as The Narayani Stuti, which precedes the appearance of Shakambari. Her story immediately kindled a spark in my heart, and I vowed to write a musical composition. In preparation for receiving a melody to fit the meter of the verses, I made a pilgrimage to Ojai on the day of Autumn Equinox. I sat in the dry riverbed with a friend, playing the harmonium and chanting. When I sang out, “Shakambari, Shakambari… Shak-amba-ri!” a red-tailed hawk flew straight at us, a foot off the ground, made a sharp, low turn to avoid colliding with our bodies, then perched in the nearest tree until the song came to an end. Once the song “Shakambari Devi” was recorded, Ramamurthy Prabhakaran found it while surfing the internet. Ramamurthy of Chennai, India, is a man so profoundly touched by the hand of the Goddess, he started a temple, Shakambari Purim. We have developed a friendship and one day the stories of our encounters with Shakambari will be told. In the meanwhile, here in the West, through chanting in kirtan we summon her, “She Who Nourishes… Hey Ma! Shakambari Ma! Hey Ma Durga, Jaya Devi Ma!” Lily Diamond leads kirtans and workshops throughout the Southern California area. Her concert at Jyoti Mandir in March, 2006 was surcharged with the energy of the Divine Mother. More information about Lily, her activities and her beautiful CD, A Heart in Harmony, may be found at her website: www.lilydiamond.com. “ And whosoever with a concentrated mind shall pray to Me constantly with these hymns, I shall without a doubt put an end to their every trouble.” -Devi Mahatmyam, Chapter 12, verse 1-2
FURTHER ENCOUNTERS WITH SHAKAMBARI (Shakambari Devi Part II - from Himalyan Heritage Newsletter) In 2004, Ramamurthy Prabhakaran wrote to me requesting a copy of my song, Shakambari Devi. He told me this wonderful story of how he came to be surfing the internet looking for information about Shakambari. Here is an excerpt from his email: "Let me narrate you the incident that let Maa Shakambari spring herself into my life. Until that time, not only me, in fact several generations of my ancestors had no idea that Shakambari was for real and temples for her did exist. We had no idea about her at all but for her name. I have had many such experiences and the one below was my first! As a school teacher, we used to take our students on tour to different places, in southern India. In the year 1999, almost a year after my father’s demise, the students of class XI were to be taken to Mysore. It was supposed be my Head of Dept., Computer Science, who must have accompanied them, but was unable to do so due to the illness suffered by his mother. I was deputed in his place. We reached Mysore (three other teachers and myself along with around 65 students) on 24-9-1999 and we were going to a temple, built around 1652. We boarded a bus at 4.00 pm, and I was seated right behind the driver, looking at the road ahead of us. I developed a severe headache and giddiness and yet was not suffering from it. I had my eyes closed, and I could see a clear picture of a very old temple, in its grandeur, and a 4 foot tall idol of a goddess standing, holding maize, harvested rice, fruits, etc. in her hands. This image I could see, upon opening my eyes, in front of the windshield, as the bus was plying. (Photo Somnathpur Temple built 1652)     Upon reaching the spot, it was the very temple that I saw while in the bus, and there she was…standing…as I had seen her…with her hands full of harvest, fruits, vegetables, etc. That was the first encounter I had with Maa Shakambari, without actually realizing anything about her or her identity. It was my guru, who later told me that it was SHAKAMBARI, and I have been destined by her to build a temple for her. I am into the process since then, and I hope that I will succeed with her blessings."     Singing to Shakambari at the Ojai Foundation on December 30, 2004 I decided that I wanted to record the kirtan version of Shakambari live for Ramamurthy, and the opportunity arose on December 31st, 2004, at the Ojai Foundation, a retreat center where the residents live hand-in-hand with nature. The tabla player, Leonice Shinneman, and I arrived and found ourselves ourselves being guided in the dark along forest paths, with our instruments in wooden carts, as if we were on a trek. Rain came powering down on the yurt as I introduced her to the group and translated the meaning of the Sanskrit. We sang through the sonic shower and recorded Shakambari’s call-and-response bhajan for Ramamurthy, with a special touch --- in the middle of the song, my Durga alarm clock went off, playing the traditional arthi “Om jaya jagadishare…”! Later, I carefully packaged up the CDs, one with the live recording of Shakambari, and a copy of "A Heart In Harmony," for Ramamurthy and shipped them off. He contacted me by email several times, wanting to make sure that the CDs would arrive on time for the annual celebration. It was a great pleasure to read the email he wrote after the CDs were delivered.   “I received your CDs today, 17 January, 2005 – right on the first day of Shakambari Navarathri, at around 2.20 p.m. I was at school and my mother rang me up informing me of the arrival of your CDs. Once home, I played both of your CDs in front of MAA SHAKAMBARI! You would be surprised to know that the pendant that hung on her chest began to sway mildly as your song on Shakambari started playing. It was if she was dancing to the song. Thank you for the CDs. The songs were very vibrant, and invoked immense mental pleasure and peace.” Shakambari Devi of Shakambaripurim Chennai, India Shakambari Devi is presently installed at Shakambaripurim, the home of the Prabhakaran family. Plans have been made for her temple, a trust is in process. Donations for purchase of land and building of the temple may be sent to: Ramamurthy Prabhakaran, Shakambari Purim, OLD NO.8, NEW NO.6, THIRUVALLUVAR STREET, BHARATHI NAGAR, SELAIYUR, CHENNAI TAMILNADU 600073, INDIA. M.A.H.A., Mother's Ancient Harmonic Arts, offers Shakambari gatherings dedicated to restoring balance and harmony on earth. Lily Diamond shares her connection with Shakambari through storytelling, mantra, song and ceremony. M.A.H.A. is the Western messenger for Shakambaripurim. Contact Lily at lily@lilydiamond.com or 888 515-4511. Jyoti Mandir publishes the HIMALAYAN HERITAGE NEWLETTER six times a year. Subtitled, “For lovers of Sanatana Dharma, the Eternal Religion, kept for all the world by the Himalayan sages and great masters of India,” the Newsletter features six pages dedicated to stories about the spiritual culture of India and her saints. Pages 7 & 8 offer a calendar of “ongoing events” and “special events” of interest to our local satsang in the general vicinity of Encinitas. Subscription rates are $20 per year or $3.50 for a single issue. Mail to: Himalayan Heritage, 200 Coneflower St., Encinitas, CA 92024.     Shakambari of Shakambari Purim in Chennai, India January 14, 2006   Jai Ma Shakambari Devyai Namaha!