Siva Kameswari Temple (Vedic Spiritual Center)

ABOUT SRI SIVKAMESWARI TEMPLE

Sri Sivakameswari Temple welcomes you. We are dedicated to serving the community and aid in the spiritual growth of all the devotees. Our Temple provides a unique opportunity to participate in sacred and empowering Sevas and Pujas of your iṣṭa-deva(tā) and receive Divine grace in abundance. You can always expect to be welcomed and rejuvenated through our Energy, Spirit, and Devotion-filled services. Sri SivaKameshwari Temple is available for various Vedic, Spiritual, Religious, Ritualistic Programs as well as Educational, and Outreach Programs, to enhance the feeling of Well-Being in all the individuals in the Community, Society, State, Country, and the World at large.. A community supported, volunteer driven organization and with the IRS non-profit status. granted the tax-exempt non-profit, Public Charity Status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c) (3), and the EIN or the Tax Identification Number is 83-1669026. The Temple is striving for religious and spiritual richness through Vedic Principles while recognizing and respecting other religions and belief systems in their due context. Sri Siva Kameswari Temple / Peetham, also Registered as Vedic Spiritual Center (VSC), has been a Visionary dream project of Pundit Sri Samavedula Chandra Sekhara Sarma for long time. It is taking shape now in the form of this beautiful Sacred Structure housing Lord Siva & Sri Kameswari, completely based on Vedic Principles. This Temple formation is based and inspired from the following verses from Sri Lalitha Sahastranama Stotram. – शिवकामेश्वराङकस्था शिवास्वाधीन वल्लभा II (Sanskrit) śiva-kāmeśvarāṅkasthā śivā svādhīna-vallabhā II (English) Translation: Shivakameswarangastha – She who sits on the lap of Kameswara (shiva), Stotram – Shiva – She who is the personification of Shiva, Swadheena Vallabha – She, whose husband obeys her. – स-चामर- रमा-वाणी सव्य दशिण सेशवता॥ sacāmara-ramā-vāṇī-savya-dakṣiṇa-sevitā II (English) Translation: Sachamara rama vani savya dhakshina sevitha – She who is being served by fanning by Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. Lord Siva & Parvati Devi (another form of Goddess Sri Kameswari) are Universal Parents as is well said in the melodious sloka – “Vaagardhaviva sampruktau vagartha pratipattaye Jagatah pitarau vande Parvati Parameswarau” This temple is being built on the basis of “Prakriti” (Nature, in other words Goddess Sri Raja Rajeswari /Kameswari), “Purusha” (Man, in other words Lord Siva, who is our Father) & Meru in relation to entire universe. It is a well-known fact that we all are getting our needs in the form of food, medicine, shelter and everything else from the nature always. So in order to thank Mother Nature we have come up with this wonderful idea of establishing this Siva Kameswari Temple that would be running purely based on the Vedic Principles. Sri Siva Kameswari Temple is being successfully inaugurated on the Sacred Day of Sri Ganesh Chaturthi, during the Ganesh Navarathri Period which marks the auspicious and traditional beginning of all religious festivals as per the Vydic Calendar. This is a very sacred beginning and signifies many important things associated with this Temple; first and foremost being the Blessings of the Lord for this great venture. As has been stated already, this Temple is formed and designed on the basis of the concept ‘PraKriti & Purusha’ – Nature that is symbolic of Divine mother & Man in the form of Lord Shiva represented here as Maha Shiva Lingam. This will be in the form of “Pancha – Bhootas” representing the five main Natural Elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire& Space). These form the five faces of Lord Shiva. In this Temple we have Maha Shiva Linga with five faces, each face representing one natural element. All these five natural elements together form Prakriti or Nature in completed form. These five faces of Shiva called “Sadhyojata”, “Vamadeva”, “Aghora”, “Satpurusha”, and “Eshana” form the five faces of the Maha Shivalinga in Sri Sivakameswari Temple. Prakriti in this Temple is in the form of the Supreme Divine Mother. She in the Utsava Moorthy form is called as Sri Raja Rajeswari. Moola Viraat or the Main Presiding Deity of this Temple is in the form of Sri Lalitha Maha Tripura Sundari. The reason for having Sri Lalitha Maha Tripura Sundari as the presiding Deity is because She is above all the Shaktis. According to the Sacred Text, Devi Bhagawata, Sri Lalitha Maha Tripura Sundari form resides in the Mani Dweepa. It is written in there that during the apocalypse time, when Lord Brahma, Lord Sri Maha Vishnu & Lord Shiva merge into The Divine Mother, plan for the creation of the next universe begins. So, in totality in this ‘PraKriti & Purusha’ concept, we are calling Lord Shiva along with Sri Raja Rajeswari (or Sri Lalitha Maha Tripura Sundari), as ONE “SRI SIVA KAMESWARI” as we believe She has descended here with us along with the Lord Shiva to fulfill all our desires. The very essence of creation begins with the culmination of both ‘PraKriti & Purusha’. When we pray to God in the form of ‘PraKriti & Purusha’ that is Sri Sivakameswari; when we pray to the Nature, protect the Nature, and respect Laws of Nature – Nature will protect us. Such a person is blessed by Goddess Sri Sivakameswari and he/she will then benefit immensely in all aspects of life and even beyond – that is in health, material as well as spiritual wealth, and will eventually attain ‘Moksha’ (Salvation). Simple example will illustrate this – when one protects and takes care of trees (which are also manifestation of the God), initially when they are saplings/plants; Eventually they help us all our life in many ways; they give us fresh air to breathe; fruits to eat; shade to protect us; flowers to make us happy with their sweet aroma and beautiful appearance and sweet honey; give wood for Homas & Yagyas etc. The smoke (It is not just an ordinary smoke) emerging from these Homas & Yagyas will form clouds and through rainfall are released back in to the nature the good energy that was generated through the Fire Ceremony. This is because the Smoke is generated with the help of fire wood, heat energy from the fire; certain special ingredients offered along with the pure Cow ghee in to the fire; combined with the special sound of the related Veda Mantra, produces a special energy which is absorbed by the nature leads to cloud formation. This Divine energy is released back in to the nature to benefit all in various ways.That is how the science of creating positive energy through Vedic Mantras works. That is why we have this common saying in Sanskrit “Vriksho Rakshati Rakshitaha, Dhamo Rakshati Rakshitaha” – Means if you protect trees and Dharma, they will in turn protect you. Similarly, when we make an effort and please Divine Mother Sri Sivakameswari, She will not only fulfill all our desires like “Kalpataru” (A Celestial Wish fulfilling Tree that has emerged from the churning of the Milky Ocean during ‘Amrutha Manthan’ period – It was later given under the ruler ship of Lord Indra and is residing in Heaven now). As was well said in the Sacred text of Sri Bhagawat, “Worship the Nature”: as was said by the Lord Sri Krishna who asked all the people in the Braj to worship the nature that is “Govardhan mountain”, which was a representation of the nature as it housed many trees, medicinal plants, animals, and even humans. So basically, this temple is worshipping of nature in the form of Goddess Sri Sivakameswari. Therefore, anyone who worships here, their share of gratitude offering to nature will be fulfilled and all will be blessed. As is very well said the Sacred text “Devi Bhagawatam”, Goddess Sri Sivakameswari or Siva Kama Sundari is manifesting (in this Temple) as Lord Brahma in creating, as Lord Vishnu in protection and as Lord Shiva in concluding the whole entire universe. Therefore Goddess Sri Sivakameswari acts as the Agama Trinity – all the three in one form only.

Sri Lalita acting as Trinity

Here are few slokas from Sri Lalita Sahastranama Stotra that best explain Sri Lalita Tripura Sundari’s tasks and her significance as Trimurthy form – assuming different roles as Brahma, Vishnu & Maheswara – ‘Srishti karta Brahma roopa’ – means that Sri Lalita acts as Creator in the form of Lord Brahma. Creation is started with Her permission. ‘Goptri Govinda roopini’ – means that having Sattva Guna (Sattvik nature) as Her primary nature, She is also who acts as Lord Sri Maha Vishnu in protecting. Similarly, ‘Samhaarini Rudra roopa’ – means that She acts as Lord Shiva for the destruction, means that She will be Lord Shiva for concluding the whole creation. ‘Tirodhana kari Ishwari’ – means that she is the one who can dispel anything and make them disappear. At that time, She will be acting as Ishwara (Lord Almighty). ‘Sada Shiva anugrahada’ – means one who is pure Sattvik form of Lord Shiva and with that benevolence can render a body or form that is indestructible. That means one can bestow Moksha (Salvation). ‘Pancha kritya Parayana’ – means creation, protection, destruction, disappearance and eventually Moksha that is merging with the Almighty are all five primary actions that She performs assuming different roles for each task. ‘Pancha Brahmasana sthitha’ – means that She is residing within the space as five forms of Brahma and she alone is acting as five Brahmas. Here in Sri Lalitha Sahastranama She is depicted as Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswara and Ishwara as the four supporting pillars for her throne and Lord Shiva is her seat and back rest for this throne. This is how Sri Lalita Maha Tripura Sundari, or Sivakameshwari is beautifully ornamented and praised in the description of the shlokas. This narration is very useful for one to understand Her magnanimity in all aspects of creation and destruction. All these names are all very well described in Sri Lalita Sahastranama stotram. This was given by Lord Shiva to Sage Agastya. She resides in all nature as one form known as “Shakti” (Energy). All the nature comes from Her and all again merges back in to Her at the end. With this idea as the main basis for this Temple formation, Goddess Sri Sivakameswari or Siva Kama Sundari has been made as the Main Presiding Deity of the Temple. We hope the presence of this Temple benefits the neighborhood, city, state, country and the entire world. The unique feature and specialty of this Temple comprises in having the Main Deities being placed here on the basis ‘PraKriti & Purusha’ phenomenon. This is a very unique, new concept and wonderful idea to reach God in the easiest and simplest form through nature that was prescribed by God Himself. May Lord Shiva and Sri Sivakameswari Goddess bless us all in this great endeavor and Divine Venture and may everyone’s desires be fulfilled.