श्रीगुरु-उपासना
Veneration of Shri Guru
Audio recording by Ami Bansal
On the day I received the great honor to wave the arati tray during a satsang with Gurumayi, I also received an experience that would be everlasting. As I waved the tray, my hands and arms dissolved and melted into the tray, the flowers, the candle—and a river of pure light flowed through my entire body toward my beloved Gurumayi. My joy, contentment, and fulfillment reached perfection, and I realized there is only one Heart.
I can tune into this experience at any time by feeling that my heart is the abode of Shri Guru and that inside the heart shines love and only love. I’m forever grateful for this experience of the highest worship of Shri Guru.
Massachusetts, United States
As I contemplated the best ways in which I wish to worship my Shri Guru, through whose grace I have been transformed, I realized that my only goal should be to worship my Shri Guru.
This worship cannot be restricted to a small period of formal puja. Rather, it must become the very essence of my day-to-day life. No matter what I am doing, I can experience Shri Guru’s presence and love in everyone, in every moment. To treat each person with the same respect, kindness, and love is also a way of honoring Shri Guru.
To me, worshipping Shri Guru means offering every action, every interaction, and every feeling of love that arises in my heart to Shri Guru. It means to live each moment in remembrance of Shri Guru, to become a better human being and a sincere disciple, and to share with everyone the same love that Shri Guru so generously bestows upon me.
May I learn to see my beloved Shri Guru everywhere!
Pune, India
For me, “worship of Shri Guru” is the elixir for worldly existence. Worship of my beloved Sadguru, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, is everything to me, and immediately puts me in touch with the Self. In my understanding, “worship of Shri Guru” is worship of the Self—that which is the Truth. And worshipping Shri Gurumayi elicits so much strength, joy, and love within me!
New Jersey, United States
For me, shri guru puja began simply—by my offering flowers, performing arati, and waving incense sticks in front of my Guru’s photograph. But as I became more deeply involved in the core Siddha Yoga practices—meditation, svadhyaya, seva, and dakshina—I found that same feeling of offering Guru puja arising naturally within me through these practices as well.
Recently, something has stirred in me—a longing to offer everything I do, all of the activities of my day, to my Guru. I must admit that most of the time I simply forget. But in the moments when I remember, I have noticed something remarkable: tasks that once left me irritated or restless have started to feel light, even blissful. This shift has truly amazed me.
I pray for my Guru’s grace to help me remember, moment after moment, to offer all that I do to her with love and devotion. If I can hold on to that awareness, my whole life will become one continuous shri guru puja.
Thane, India
Being born into a Siddha Yoga family is a rare good fortune. My earliest spiritual nurture came from my childhood, absorbing the profound silence that filled our home after my grandfather’s early morning puja.
In the late 1990s, it became a custom to have the Guru’s padukas, “sandals,” in every Siddha Yoga meditation center across India. I remember Swami Sevananda traveling throughout the country to guide these centers in a worship ceremony for the padukas.
Then on June 7, 1999, with greatest good fortune, my mother received incredible prasad of Guru padukas. Watching my mother’s loving daily puja of those padukas brought back the sacred silence I remembered from my childhood.
Today, my family worships a set of small padukas in our home, daily reciting the Shiva Manasa Puja. The melody and profound meaning of this hymn remain my anchor in that eternal and unchanging silence.
Dombivli, India
“Shri guru puja” reminds me of beautiful trays adorned with various puja articles—trays that are lovingly waved before Shri Guru. It also reminds me of a simple, heart-opening morning chant and waving a single candle to start the day. And it reminds me of watering my abundantly blooming African Violet while saying Om Guru, Om Guru or of saying my nightly prayers with my hands over my heart while sending love to Shri Guru. These beautiful words remind me that my every action can be puja to Shri Guru. This treasure means that there is gold in every moment and that each moment holds the opportunity to perform “worship of Shri Guru.”
California, United States
I do “worship of Shri Guru” by meditating on Gurumayi ji. Shri guru puja is my daily practice. I love to be with the Guru inside myself. I feel a deep peace inside myself in meditation. I feel the presence of the Guru, and it’s so very powerful. I love that place inside myself.
Mumbai, India