| At 8:30 this morning Amma performed the Kalasha Sthapana
for Her newest Brahmasthanam Temple, installing the stupika
at the apex of the temple’s roof.
Gongs, bells, traditional panchavadyam drums and horns accompanied
the continuous chanting of the mantra "Om Sivasaktyaikya
Rupinyai Namah" (Salutations to the One who is the union
of Shiva and Shakti) as Amma performed the ceremony. Throngs
of devotees spilled out from the temple on all sides, palms
joined and eyes upturned. Amma frequently looked to them as
well, turning to all four sides with each piece of the stupika
held high before installing it, and also to shower flowers
and consecrated water at intervals.
The stupika consists of three brass bowls set vertically
on a central spike, each smaller than the one below it. Amma
filled each bowl with navdhanya (nine types of food grains)
before placing the next one, and atop the third and smallest
She placed a sculpted point.
Watching the proceedings, one was touched with a profound
sense of the sanctity of this morning’s ceremony. What
an infinitely rare and precious gift to witness a Divine Incarnation
consecrating a new temple. Thousands of years ago, Lord Rama
consecrated the Siva temple at Rameswaram. What was it like
to be there? It was like this.
When She was finished, the stupika shined brilliantly in
the sun, imbued with Amma’s shakti and sankalpa (divine
resolve), a sparkling gem in the sky that will shine through
the ages, pointing to Amma’s message of Unity in diversity,
of Oneness inherent in the apparent duality of the world.
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