Lunar Eclipse on 31st December 2009 - Perform Grahana Shanti Pooja

A partial lunar eclipse is scheduled to occur on 31st December 2009, starting at 10:45pm. The Rashis which are adversely affected by this eclipse are Mithuna (Gemini), Karkataka Rashi (Cancer), Vrischika (Scorpio) and Meena (Pisces). Natives of these Rashis are strongly advised to offer pooja at Chandra Navagraha Sthalam to overcome the ill effects of this grahanam.


Offer Pooja to Chandra at Kailasanathar Temple for $9.00 (Rs. 415/-)




The Navagrahasthalam associated with Chandra, the moon god, called Thingai in Tamil, is located in the Kailasanathar temple at Tingaloor near Thanjavur in Tamilnadu. The temple has a shrine dedicated to Chandran.

A visit to this temple is said to grant a confortable and long life. In astrology, Chandran is the planet that rules the mind. A strong and well placed moon in the horoscope gives a strong mind (Chandra Bala). When the moon is debilitated or afflicted by evil planets like Rahu, it leads to an unstable mind, sorrow, mood fluctuations etc.

Offering pooja to Chandra here is an excellent parihara for chandra dosha and can help mitigate its adverse impact.

More on Hanuman and His VIP status!

We would have seen Anjaneya in temples, decorated with Kumkum or Chendooram. (Chendooram is similar to Kumkum but it's saffron in colour instead of red. )

There is a fascinating legend behind this.

Once, Anjaneya sees Sita Devi applying Kumkum on her forehead, as is the custom among Indian ladies. He asks Her the reason for this. Sita replies, "I apply this Kumkum on my forehead so that my husband SriRam lives a long life". Hanuman thinks that if such a small amount of Kumkum can increase beloved Ram's life, then applying kumkum all over the body would make Him live for many, many years. He thus comes to the court of Ram, red in colour, with Kumkum smeared all over His body!

Seeing Him in such a funny form, the people in the court start laughing at Him. Then, SriRam asks Him for an explanation for this act. Maruti explains the reason, and Rama is speechless after seeing this innocent show of Bhakti by Hanuman. He then blesses Hanuman and proclaims that Hanuman must be worshipped with Kumkum. What a privilege-The one whom He worships instructs the world how to worship Him!

That's why you'll find Anjaneya with bright red kumkum in temples. Kumkum is also given as Prasadam in Hanuman temples.

Shown in the picture above is the Chendooram Alangaram in the Ashtamsa Varadha Anjaneyar temple, Peelamedu - Opp.Esso Bunk Coimbatore- 641 004.

Thanks to http://www.avaalankarams.blogspot.com/.

Meet the Parihara.com Team at the GFCH fair in Chennai

Dear Customers,

The Global Foundation for Civilizational Harmony (GFCH) is organising the second Hindu Spiritual Fair in Chennai from 24th - 28th Dec. Please see www.gfchindia.com for details.

We'll be participating in this fair. If you're in Chennai on any of these dates, please do visit the Fair and look for the Parihara.com stall.

We believe in building a positive, transparent, trust based relationship with all our customers and this is an opportunity for us to meet all our customers who have been a source of great support for Parihara.com

You can meet staff members of Parihara.com at the fair and chat with them. You can also get some free astro counselling at the stall! And book your poojas in person! So, don't miss this opportunity!


Looking forward to see you all in Chennai.


Team @ Parihara.com

Offering a Pooja is an act of Thanksgiving, not a bribe to God

There are critics who look down upon the custom of of making offerings at temples to God. They say it is not a good attitude to offer something to God with the hope of getting something in return, like a barter; or a bribe to escape from the effects of one's past karma.

The problem is not the act of offering a pooja to God but the cynical and negative attitude of such critics. They fail to understand the true spirit of the system of worship that our Rishis and acharyas established and passed on to us from time immemorial.

When an individual offers a pooja to the Lord, he does it in a spirit of humility. The mantras and shlokas we chant during a pooja also clearly reflect the attitude of thanksgiving - "O Lord, this universe belongs to you, there is nothing here which I can really call 'mine' ; whatever I have is a prasadam I have received due to your grace. Whatever I am offering to you now, is also yours. What is yours, I am returning to you."

This is the clearly demonstrated in the act of Tarpanam -  we take a handful of water from a river or ocean and offer it back while chanting the appropriate mantras. This attitude is called as 'Prasada Buddhi' - of accepting all that one gets in life (including the challenges & difficulties) as a prasadam from God.

Therefore, we need not feel apologetic or guilty about the act of offering a pooja to the Lord, as long we understand the true spirit of the ritual.

Let us always offer a pooja always as a  thanksgiving to God for all that he has given us and pray for his divinen grace to guide us on the path of Dharma!

Worshipping Lord Hanuman is an excellent pariharam for all problems.

Yesterday being Hanuman Jayanti, Hanuman/Rama temples would have been full of devotees.

Let's know some interesting facets of Hanuman:

He is truly a VIP deity-Devotees first pray to Him when they visit Rama temples! Hanuman, the loyal friend of Sri Rama is an Avatara of Lord Rudra-and His power to destroy enemies is well known. Not surprisingly, traditional Indian wrestlers invoke Him (Jai Bajrang Bali) before fighting!

Those who pray to Him get relief from the malefic effects of Shani (The other deity who gives us this protection is Ayyapan), and I have been to a Hanuman temple in Cochin where Poojas are done by the faithful for this. Also known as Anjaneya(the son of Anjana), He is a Chiranjeevi(immortal) and has a very special distinction among all deities-He is present in both the Maha Itihaasas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. Notice the Ratha (chariot) of Arjuna driven by Parthasarathy, you'll find the flag of Hanuman flying high, on top of the chariot.

Hanuman is found in many forms-a peaceful one with hands folded and tail resting on the ground, as the humble devotee of SriRam, a courageous one ready for battle and with the tail upright, etc.One interesting form is the PanchaMukha Anjaneya, with 5 faces, which are for Hanuman, Hayagriva, Garuda, Varaaha and Narasimha.I have seen one temple with Him in this form-this is found 2 km before Marudhamalai in Coimbatore, and is a very good spectacle.

Vaikuntha Ekadasi, Monday, 28th December 2009

Vaikuntha Ekadashi, also known as ‘Periya Ekadasi’ or ‘Mukkoti Ekadasi’ and in Kerala as ‘Swargavathil Ekadasi’ is one of the most sacred festivals of the Vaishnava tradition. In 2009, Vaikuntha Ekadasi occurs on Monday, 28th December.

Whoever offers pooja at a Vishnu temple on this auspicious day is sure to gain the grace of the Lord. Scriptures say that the doors of Vaikuntha are opened on this day and people who pass through the ‘Swarga Dwara’ or ‘Vaikuntha Dwara’ at anny Vishnu temple on this Ekadasi will attain Moksha, the highest goal of life.


Vaishnava Temple all over India conduct special poojas on Vaikuntha Ekadasi. Parihara.com brings you a golden opportunity to offer pooja at famous Vaishnava Temples in India:

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam	Sri Parthasarathi Temple, Chennai
Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple	Sri Adikesavaperumal Temple, Thiruvattar
Sri Ranganathaswami Temple, Karamadai	Lakshmi Narasimhaswami Temple, Coimbatore
Kothanda Rama Temple, Rameswaram	Ulagalanda Perumal Temple, Coimbatore

Thrisanku Swargam

I once heard my grandmother, who was in a dilemma, complaining about being in a "Thrisanku Swargam". On analysing this, I found a very interesting piece of information related to our
Itihasas and astronomy.
This is from the Valmiki Ramayana:
Once, there was a king called Thrisanku who wanted to go to Swargam (Indra's abode) in his bodily form itself, without dying. He approached Sage Vasishta who promptly refused to help him. Now, Sage Vishwamitra tested his powers by sending Thrisanku to heaven (Swargam). As Thrisanku was ascending, the Devas kept pushing him below, as a mere mortal was forbidden to enter Swarga.Enraged, Vishwamitra used his powers to create a parallel heaven, called Thrisanku Swarga where Thrisanku could live. Since this is neither here (on earth) nor there (heaven), "Thrisanku Swarga" is used as a metaphor to describe a situation where a person is finding it difficult to choose some alternative and is stuck in between.
What's amazing is that this Thrisanku Swargam refers to a constellation in the sky, commonly
known as the Crux/Southern Cross, seen from the southern hemisphere. Shaped like a cross, it
is the smallest of the 88 constellations we can see from here. What's more, "sanku" is also
an astronomical unit used by our ancestors, and thrisanku means thrice that amount-
Thrisankhu MahaYojanas is equal to 205 light years, which is the distance of this
constellation from the earth, as found out by modern astronomers!
Our forefathers were truly very intelligent!

Guru Peyarchi 2009 Palangal (Tamil)

குருபெயர்ச்சி பலன்கள்   

 15 டிசம்பர்  2009

மகர ராசியில் இருந்து குரு கும்ப ராசிக்கு பெயர்ச்சியாகிறார் .இதன் பலன்களும் , பரிஹரங்களும் கிழே கொடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது .

மேஷம் 
              கடனாக கொடுத்த பணம் திரும்பும் , வியாபாரத்தில் வளர்ச்சி ஏற்படும் , குடும்பத்தில் மகிழ்ச்சி உண்டாகும் , சம்பளம் உயரும் .

ரிஷபம் 
              வேலை இல்லாதவர்களுக்கு வேலை கிடைக்கும் , வேலை உள்ளவர்களுக்கு பதவி உயர்வு ஏற்படும் . புதிதாக முதலிடு செய்ய வாய்ப்புள்ளது , வழக்குகள் சாதகமாக அமையும் .

மிதுனம்
              குரு உங்கள் ராசிக்கு ஒன்பதாம் இடமான கும்பத்தில் அமர்கிறார். இந்த பெயர்ச்சி கடந்த காலத்தில் இருத்த கஷ்ட நிலைமை விலகி குடும்பத்தில் வளமையும் , சந்தோசமும் நிலைத்திட வழி வகுக்கும் .

கடகம் 
              குரு உங்கள் ராசிக்கு எட்டாம் இடமான கும்பத்தில் அமர்தலும் ஐந்து ,ஏழு , ஒன்பது ஆகிய பார்வைகளால் முறையே ராசிக்கு பனிரெண்டு , இரண்டு , நான்காம் இடங்களை பார்க்கிறார் . இதனால் அஷ்டமத்தில் அமர்தலும் குருவின் பார்வையால் ஓரளவு நன்மை கிடைக்கும் .

சிம்மம்
             ஏழரை சனியால் ஏற்பட்டுவரும் கெடு பலன்கள் குறைத்து ஆறுதல் தரும் .

கன்னி 
             தொழில் ஸ்தானத்தை குரு பார்ப்பதால் தொழில் இடையுறு இருக்காது .

துலாம் 
              இந்த ராசிக்கு ஐந்தாம் இடமான கும்பத்தில் அமர்கிறார் . வாழ்வில் பல முன்னேற்ற பலன்கள் அள்ளித்தரும் , வீடு , வாகனம் வளர்ச்சி மற்றம் செய்து மகிழ்வீர்கள் .

விருச்சிகம் 
              நான்காம் இடத்தில் அமர்தலும் குரு பார்வை பெறுகிற ஸ்தானங்களில் இருந்து பலன் பெறுவீர்கள் . மன திடத்தை மேற்கொண்டால் வெற்றிக் கனியை பறிக்கலாம் .

தனுஷ்
            எதிர் மறையான பலன்கள் தரும் வகையில் உள்ளது .

மகரம்
             சம்பள உயர்வு ஏற்படும் , வழக்குகள் சாதகமாக அமையும் , வெளிப்புற மரியாதையை அதிகரிக்கும் , குரு பார்வையால் கோடி நன்மை கிடைக்கும் .

கும்பம் 
            ஜென்ம ராசிக்கு வருவதால் எதிர்மறையான முடிவுகள் வரும் , அதிகமான பாதிப்புகள் ஏற்படாது .

மீனம் 
            குழந்தைகளின் படிப்பு , தொழில் , கல்யாணம் என செலவுகள் ஆகும் . ஆன்மீக காரியங்கள் மூலம் செலவுகள் உண்டாகும் .

பரிகாரங்கள் 

ஆலங்குடி தட்சினாமூர்த்தி பூஜை , குருவாயூர் கிருஷ்ணன் பூஜை , குரு கிரக தோஷ நிவாரண எந்திரம் , ஜோதிடரின் ஆலோசனை கேட்டு புஷ்பராகம் அணிதல்

Kartikai Deepam

Yesterday, I was fortunate to see the glorious Karthikai Deepam on top of the holy hill Thirupparankundram near Madurai.The Kartikai Deepam festival is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Karthigai (November-December) in Tamilnadu and Kerala, and also by people in other parts of India, who call it by various names.

On this day, towns/villages/cities are full of earthen lamps that are lit at sunset, and this is a spectacular sight. Temples, both Shaiva and Vaishnava, have the special Deepam. Some people keep doubling the number of lamps from Deepawali day, so that they have a dazzling array of lamps on this day.

Significance of the festival:
In many traditions, light signifies knowledge and purity. The Kartikai Deepam also stands for the same.There is a wonderful anecdote describing this.
Lord Shiva, the destroyer, wanted to remove arrogance from the minds of Brahma and Vishnu. He took the form of an effulgent pillar of fire that was enormous. Vishnu took the form of a boar and started digging below to see how far the pillar went downwards, while Brahma took the form of a swan and flew upwards to check the upper limit of the same. Tired and unable to find the limits of the fiery splendour, the two returned to Shiva with humility who then reminded them that arrogance is to be shunned, and attaining knowledge and realising the Brahman is possible only by surrendering one's ego.
(Note: This was not written by any Shaiva fanatic claiming Shiva to be superior to the other two, this is just one anecdote that gives us a wonderful lesson-there are stories where others teach Him lessons too!)

This is observed as the Kartikai Deepam, and the famous Arunachala temple in Thiru Annamalai in Tamilnadu is known for the huge Deepam that's lit on top of the holy hill every year, and thousands gather to have a glimpse of this divine Deepam. This day, this whole month in fact, is very sacred for Murugan devotees too-Lord Murugan was made into a single boy from the 6 babies by Parvathy on this day. Special Poojas are performed for Him.
Vishnu worshippers celebrate this festival by lighting the lamp and conducting Pujas for the lamp, as a Deepam is verily Lord Vishnu Himself.