Morning Meditation & Puja
Online Daily
6:30 AM - 7:30 AM (PT)
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DEVOTIONAL PRAYERS
The puja begins and concludes the time of silent meditation. Puja means “flower offering”—it signifies the devotional opening of the heart to divine realization and the blossoming of divine qualities in us that transform our life. The puja includes offerings of flowers, food, incense, lamps, prayers and chants. The ritual actions in the puja are a form of pratyahara, the yoga practice for purifying the senses and mind. Pratyahara helps us turn attention within, facilitating the steady focus and surrendered devotion supportive of superconscious meditation.
The ancient Vedic chants and prayers, along with beautiful rituals from the Hindu tradition, honor the universal divine Reality—That which is the Source of all that is. You will see the resplendent divine image of Lord Dakshinamurti as a central focus of the puja as well as the spiritual masters of our Kriya Yoga tradition—Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sriyukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda, Roy Eugene Davis, and their successors. The murtis, or statues, of the Kriya Yoga gurus in our lineage were a gift to our Center from Roy Eugene Davis. Dakshinamurti is known as the Adi Guru—the teacher of all teachers—indicating that Ultimate Reality which is the source of all knowledge. This murti was gifted to us by Swamini Svatmavidyananda and the Arsha Vijnana Gurukulum ashram.
MEDITATION IN SILENCE
When the devotional offerings and preparation for meditation are concluded, the meditation leader guides participants into the temple of silence within. Participants enjoy an extended time in deep, silent meditation. Meditation is then concluded with an affirmation for spiritually conscious living, a prayer for the well-being of others, and the final devotional songs and offerings of the puja.
PUJA MANTRAS (click here to download PDF version)
- PRAYER FOR REALIZING TRUTH (audio link)
om asato ma sad gamaya
tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya
om, shanti, shanti, shanti
Oh Lord, lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Lead us from the darkness of ignorance to the light of Truth.
Lead us from the error of identifying
with the mortal body and mind to the
realization of our divine immortal Self.
- DAKSHINAMURTI MOOLA MANTRA (3x) (audio link)
oṃ namo bhagavate
dakṣiṇāmūrtaye
mahyaṁ śriyam medhāṁ pragyām
prayach-cha svāhā ||
Oṁ. Salutations to Bhagavān Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
Please bless us with the wealth of divine knowledge,
abundance in all of its auspicious forms,
memory of our essential nature, and wisdom,
the power of enlightened discernment.
- GURU MANTRA (audio link)
Om! Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshvarah
Guru Sakshat Param Brahma
Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha
Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha
Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha
Om Babaji Swaha!
Om Lahiri Mahasaya Swaha!
Om Sri Yukteswar Swaha!
Om Paramahansaji Swaha!
Om Roy Davis ji Swaha!
Om Sri Gurudeva Swaha!
Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
Om! Guru is the creator of all,
Guru is support and sustainer of all,
Guru is the transforming power of all,
Guru is both immanent and transcendent.
To That Supreme Reality, the remover of
Darkness and ignorance, I offer this prayer,
Bowing before the One in all.
To Mahavatar Babaji, it is offered
To Lahiri Mahasaya, it is offered
To Sri Yukteswar, it is offered
To Paramahansa Yogananda, it is offered
To all of the divine gurus and sishyas of Kriya Yoga,
it is offered.
OFFERINGS:fruit and flowers are offered by the Pujari
- GAYATRI MANTRA (3x) (audio link)
oṁ bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ
tatsaviturvareṇyaṁ
bhārgo devasya dhīmahi
dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt oṁ
We meditate on the sacred light
of the radiant source of life.
Let it inspire our thoughts and intentions.
MEDITATION: offering of vital force through pranayama
- PEACE MANTRA (audio link)
Om, Sarvesam Svastir Bhavatu
Sarvesam Shantir Bhavatu
Sarvesam Purnam Bhavatu
Sarvesam Mangalam Bhavatu
May all experience complete well-being.
May everyone know peace and contentment.
May all realize fullness.
May all experience the auspicious life.
- PRAYER FOR ALL BEINGS (audio link)
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
May all of the beings
in all the worlds be happy
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
May all beings in all worlds be happy and free.
Oh Lord, my heart, ever awake in Thee, calls to my mind in the hour before dawn:
Arise, awake, your Beloved awaits!
From the shadows of slumber,
I rise to greet Thee and begin the day.
Cleansing the body temple and sweeping clear the mind,
I focus my attention on Thine omnipresence.
Filling the lamp with the oil of my faith,
And lighting it with my highest intention
I offer its radiant flame to Thee with heartfelt devotion.
May the bell of remembrance reverberate through all the realms!
May the flowers of devotion waft their sweet fragrance everywhere!
May the fruits of these offerings benefit all beings!
Remembering my beloved Guru,
and the Guru Preceptors of Kriya Yoga,
I remain firm in my commitment to Self-realization,
resolving to meditate more deeply today than yesterday.
—Yogacharya O’Brian
