The evolution of man to his original state of Divinity is a gradual development over a period of time. The process starts when we have association of like-minded devoted people. With satsang, we develop taste for nama smaran, bhajans and japa. Being with devotees who are sincere is a great boon. We learn to let go the vices of anger, jealousy, lust, greed, attachment and need for power and control. We develop qualities of selfless love, compassion and peace. We give up what takes us away from the path of God and develop those qualities which help us to be in the presence of God within us. When we develop ourselves this way, we become steady in meditation and are constantly absorbed in the Lord. We develop a taste for the sweetness of the name and form of the Lord and are constantly absorbed in Him. This helps us to do manas puja which is superior to physical puja as it requires going within and worshiping the Lord in the way we want to shower our love and devotion on Him.
There is a wonderful story of a great devotee of Lord Shiva called Pusalar who practised manas puja. He was well trained in Vedas and Agamas. In the village where Pusalar lived, there was no Shiva Temple. He had a burning desire to construct a temple for his Lord. Though he had great desire to build a temple, he had no material resources and wealth to support it. He had in-depth knowledge of temple construction according to the Agama Vidhi. He thought over for long and found a way to fulfill his deep desire.
Pusalar decided to build a magnificent temple for Lord Shiva in his mind. From that day onward, he started building the temple. Even though he built it in his mind, he went through every step of construction the way he would have done if it was actually built. He planned every single detail like amount of material needed, labor, design and carefully executed the plan. Finally the temple was constructed. It took Pusalar the same number of years it would be needed for the actual construction of the temple. Pusalar fixed an auspicious time and date for Kumbabhishekam or the opening of the temple when the Lord is invited to be present and sanctify the deity and temple.
At the same time that Pusalar was constructing the temple for Lord Shiva, the Pallava King was also constructing a grand temple for Lord Shiva and fixed the same date and time as Pusalar for the main ceremony of sanctifying the temple. Lord Shiva who is present everywhere and in the hearts of all, wanted to show the King, the greatness of his poor devotee. He appeared in the dream of the King and commanded him to change the date. Lord Shiva said that He was going to enter the magnificent temple built by Pusalar on the same date and time as fixed by the King and would not be available for the King.
Next day, the astonished Pallava King and his ministers went out in search of the town indicated by Lord Shiva. They could not find the temple. They made enquiries and no one had heard or it or seen it. Finally they managed to locate the home of Pusalar. The King informed Pusalar about the dream and his conversation with Lord Shiva. Pusalar was stunned and overcome with emotion at the Grace and Love showered on him by his Lord. Finally wiping his tears of love and joy, he narrated to the King the details of the temple built by him in his mind. The detailed work and attention to every aspect of temple construction stunned the King and his ministers. They knew that the temple built by Pusalar was grander than the temple built by the King. All were overjoyed by the Leela or Divine Play enacted by Lord Shiva. The King paid his respects to Pusalar and returned back to his capital. He performed the kumbabhishekam of the temple as scheduled in all pomp and grandeur. Six times pooja was performed at the temple to the Lord as per the rules of scriptures.
The path of Kundalini Maha Yoga teaches Manas Puja. We worship the Guru or the Light or the Self within us. By being regular in our SitaRam mantra japa, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru, we become steady and absorbed in our meditation. We are able to tap the bliss of the Divinity within us and be One with it.
