II Vastraasane daridraym, paashaane roga sambhavaha I
I Medinyaam dukhamaapnoti kaashte bhavati nishphalam II
Lord Shiva reveals the malefic effects of ignorantly choosing the wrong asana -- the seat for meditation. He says, Sitting on a seat of cloth leads one to misfortune, sitting on stone floor or on a rock brings diseases; do not sit on the ground directly as it brings sorrow and a seat made of wood is ineffective, says Lord Shiva. All these seats are grounding energies, whereas a proper seat is one that generates energy for tapas (penance for liberation). With grounding energies, your tapo shakti (the power of meditation) will be drained away into earth. Whereas a proper asana, like a Woolen shawl or a mat of Kusa (the sharp, tall grass growing on a river bank) or Darbha grass generates energy, protects and retains the Guru shakti (the soul power) in you.
Thus when you sit for meditation (dhyana) with the right resolution (sankalp), seated on the right asana, your seat becomes a Shakti peeta (Power Pedestal) - as the shakti - Kundalini (the Serpent Power in your spine) will start rising within you, and you the meditator yourself will become Sadashiva!
Start consecrating Shiva-Shakti from today, by starting the meditation (dhyana) and chanting the mantra of “Om Jai Gurudeva”, so that by the auspicious day of Guru Poornima, the power will start flowing from within you. This day is earmarked in the entire year for worship of the Guru, and this month of Monsoon (Ashaada) - is dedicated to Guru worship and nothing else. It is a time to stop propitiating different forms of divinity to fulfill your selfish desires — as you may have been doing throughout the year and start seeking the Self through the Guru.
Use this wonderful opportunity to start your spiritual journey under the guidance and presence of your Guru from this day.
Realise — You are the Chaitanya In the ‘Guru Parampara tradition’ which is also the Upanishadic tradition, we realize the ‘Self’ through the ‘Guru Principle’. From the past many days we have come to know that God exists in each and every one of us as our soul and Brahman, God and Guru are all our Soul only.
Most of you were or still are worshipping one or many forms of God. You may worship Lord Shiva, Devi Maa, Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Ganesh ji or any other form of Divinity. Also, most of you have a limited understanding of the existence of God, and thus are worshipping Him only in temples and in the altar of the pooja room in your house. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. But, most important, you also have to be aware of the presence of God within you as the ‘Chaitanya’ or ‘Consciousness’ as ‘Soul’ in you.