“For now, let us discuss just the first step—the movement from solid to liquid, meaning from shape to shapelessness, which is described as Gaṇapati in the tradition of Śrī Vidyā.

In Gaṇapati Tarpaṇās, we start by forming a pyramid from a paste of impurities that is connected to idea of “my body.” As the mantras are repeated, spoon after spoon of perfumed water is poured over the pyramidal form, a symbol of spirit encased in a body. As your actions dissolve this pyramid, you experience the ecstasy of flowing out from your body. And as this physical body dissolves, so does your individual consciousness dissolve into the collective consciousness.

Let me explain. Suppose that four of us perform this ritual together, placing four turmeric pyramids into a single large plate. Initially each pyramid (meaning each of us as individuals) contains its own awareness. But as the pyramids dissolve under the constant dripping of water, these awarenesses gradually leak out and blend together—and in the end, they all become one.

What have we achieved by doing this? Well, four separate people have become one single person. And this larger “person” contains all of our collective ideas. So now each of us knows the thoughts of the other three as if they were our own. We don’t have to tell one another what we’re thinking. That’s why the first step in Śrī Vidyā is giving the mantra of Gaṇeśa. It enlarges your ideas about who you are—so that the people you know can support your ideas, and you can support theirs.”

Source: "Gifts from the Goddess"

Mahāgaṇapati Tarpaṇa Class

Chapters:

• 0:00 Introduction
• 5:30 Mantra Initiation
• 7:05 Reason for doing tarpana
• 8:25 Caturavritti tarpanam definition
• 8:40 Start and instruction
• 12:11 Proper way to offer tarpaṇa, which fingers to use
• 13:06 Performing tarpaṇa to turmeric Ganapati and yantra
• 14:12 Positioning of the vessels and last reminders
• 14:51 Tarpana with Mahāgaṇapati mūlamantra
• 16:33 How to count by using two hands
• 17:47 Tarpaṇa with Bijaksharas
• 31:16 Tarpaṇa with Mithuna-deity names
• 42:52 Summary
• 43:15 Final mantra of benefits
• 43:57 Directions on what to do with the water and leaf
• 44:24 Japa advice
• 44:50 Closing

Awareness, consciousness, spiritual state and physical state.

[This content was transcribed from Guruji’s informal brief talk, on Jan 01, 2015, to a group of devotees the day after the Satha abhishekam celebration]

We are conscious and able to focus only those parts in us that we are aware of. What we are not aware of we cannot focus on. Generally our awareness is fragmented. Freshness comes from being aware of all parts of our body. When you have a bath or shower the freshness comes from being able to be aware of all parts your body as the water flows over the whole body. When you are fully awake you are in partial “anesthesia”. You are aware only of the “un-anesthetized” parts; your awareness or consciousness is fragmented and not unified. When you go from fragmented consciousness to unified awareness it gives one freshness. Again one could concentrate on something outside one's body and have a fragmented consciousness though you cannot be conscious of a part in your body that you are not aware of. So, there is a distinct difference between your conscious on yourself and outside of yourself. The spiritual sadhana takes you beyond your own individual consciousness to unified consciousness. This is why the Gaṇapati Tarpaṇam works best in achieving this unified consciousness. In doing Gaṇapati Tarpaṇam the Kuṇḍalinī energy moves from the Muladhara, solid state, with a defined shape to the Swadhistan, liquid state, with no defined shape. When few people are seated around and do the Gaṇapati Tarpaṇam they gradually all merge into one form as the solid-state rises to the liquid state. When doing Gaṇapati Tarpaṇam the individual state of consciousness merged into a collective state of consciousness. Typically you lose your ego, individuality and feel free and light. It is the movement from heaviness to lightness viz the application of heat to a solid makes it a liquid with no shape. The solid shape disappears and lose your identification. It is the first step of realization or becoming conscious to "I'm the universe". It is the first transition; you are getting light and free. At this stage the “partial anesthesia” is partly removed. It is still partial because you still need to evaporate the liquid form to vapor state to mix with other. Further “heating” will transform you into merging with space and then to time etc. to be in full unified consciousness.Spirits could be unified or partially unified consciousness. What governs the difference between spirit and material things is the speed of light. Any material particle cannot exceed the speed of light. Anything physical is limited by the speed of light. The particles that are travelling higher than the speed of light are imaginary particles. Particle above the speed of light cannot enter the region below speed of light and vice versa. Or can be said as the spirituality realm and physical realm. If you are at the border i.e. (just) at the speed of light you have the potential to experience either or both; you can experience the spiritual state and the physical state or become fully unified.