National Integration-The traditional Hindu view

Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saraswati
Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jalesmin sannidhim kuru

“In this water, I invoke the sacred waters of the Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri.”
The Kanchi Paramachaarya brings out the strong message that the concept of “national integration” is nothing new to us Indians, and that we have been aware of this for centuries.
The above Shloka is chanted by the devout while having a bath anywhere. By chanting the names of important rivers in the subcontinent during one’s bath, one is reminded of the length and breadth of this great Desam, contrary to the popular notion that “India” as a nation is just a British creation.
To quote another example, Hindus perform rituals for their departed family members in places like Gaya (Bihar), Kaasi (Uttar Pradesh), Rameswaram, etc. This way, people from the North visit the South, and vice versa. This is indeed spectacular, as it is very difficult to see such a commonality of rituals over such a vast spread of geography!
In Madurai, I often see a lot of devotees who come all the way from the north, to see Meenakshi Sundareswarar, and also Ramanaatha Swamy in Rameswaram, 3 hours from here. :-)

Lord Dattaatreya

Dattaatreya is a deity revered as the combination of the forces of creation, sustenance and destruction. He is the one who was "gifted" to sage "Atri" and His wife Anasuya, hence the name Datta Aatreya.He is the author of the wonderful book on Advaita, Tripura Rahasya. In this book, He imparts Advaita lessons to His disciple ParasuRaama.

His depiction is very interesting: Dattaatreya is shown with three heads, symbolizing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. With Him is the bovine divinity-the Kaamadhenu, and four dogs, representing the four Vedas.

He has 24 Gurus, like fire, water, wind, earth, etc.-pretty unusual considering the fact that even the great Avatars like Rama and Krishna had well accomplished scholars (Vasishta and Sandipani respectively) as their Gurus.
This actually exemplifies the Rig Vedic message "Aa No Bhadrah Kratavo Yanthu Vishvataha-Let noble thoughts come to us from every side". This English translation is in fact the motto of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, the pioneering educational institution founded by the visionary Kulapati K. M. Munshi.

Goddess Meenakshi and Her parrot

Those who have visited the temple in Madurai would have seen Meenakshi with a parrot in Her right hand. A visit to the Andaal temple in Srivilliputhur made me realize that Andaal, the lady Alwar (One among the 12 Tamil Vaishnava saints) also has the same in Her right hand!
So, what does the parrot signify?

The parrot is pure love personified. It is the love Meenakshi shows to Her beloved Sundareswarar. In the case of Andaal, She sends Suka Rishi in the form of a parrot as the messenger of Her love for Lord Vishnu. The parrot is Kaamadeva’s Vaahana (vehicle).

Near the Meenakshi Amman Sannidhi, there is a hall called the Kilikkoodu Mandapam (Parrot cage), where until recently, there were a lot of parrots raised by the temple authorities, which used to chant the holy name of the Goddess!
This may remind one of the village in modern day Bihar, Mithila, the birthplace of Sita, where even parrots spoke in Sanskrit.:)
Offer Ashotra Archana to Meenakshi Amman at the famous Madurai MeenakshiAmman Temple

Thai Poosam

Thai Poosam is celebrated on the Pournami day of the Tamil month of "Thai", falling on the Poosam Nakshatra. The Poosam (Pushya) star is very auspicious for the inner growth of an individual.
Thai Poosam is the day Taarakaasura, the demon who troubled a lot of people, was destroyed by Lord Murugan. For the difficult task of annihilating the ferocious demon, Murugan was given 12 weapons! 11 of these were given by His father Shiva, and one was given by His mother Paarvathi. The one given by the mother is the "Vel" (spear).

Significance of the Vel:
Murugan is known as Velaayudha or Dhandapaani, the one with the "Vel/Dhanda" weapon in His hand. There is probably no depiction of Him without this powerful symbol. The Vel is the supreme wisdom that destroys negative tendencies and helps the devotee in ascension to higher
stages of spiritual growth, ultimately liberating the soul from rebirth. In Tamilnadu, you will find that many Hindus who don't have enough space on their vehicles for a full picture of Murugan, have just the Vel alone. It is interesting to note that the famous cave temple in Batu, Malaysia was built by a Tamil businessman who was inspired by the "Vel" like shape of the entrance of the cave!

Thai Poosam is celebrated in all Murugan temples, and very specially in Pazhani. Devotees go to Pazhani on a Paadayaatra (Journey by foot) and pray to Lord Subrahmanya along with offerings (Kaavadi) which they carry on their shoulders. The Kaavadi symbolises submitting one's deeds to the Lord as an offering.That is, Murugan helps us to free ourselves from the bondage of Karma.
So, let's visit a Murugan temple on Thai Poosam day (tomorrow) and get infinite blessings from the Lord Subrahmanya (Meaning: The one who has realised the Brahman).

Haro Hara! Haro Hara! Haro Hara!

Vibhuti-Sacred ash

Vibhuti is the sacred ash that many Hindus wear on their
forehead, head and chest.This is made in a Homam, where
special items like dried cowdung cakes, Samit twigs, ghee, etc
are offered to the fire with Vedic chants. The ash got after the
Homam is the sacred Vibhuti or Bhasmam. It is given as Prasadam
in Shaiva temples-Shiva means pure, and it is the purity of the mind
that is represented by the Vibhuti.

Devotees wear the Bhasma as "Tripundra" -3 lines of Vibhuti.

Significance:
Vibhuti, meaning "glory" is the ash that remains after
the offerings to the Vedic Yagna disappear. This reminds us of the
ultimate truth that one day, we will leave our mortal coils, our
possessions and desires, and only the Atma, the divine consciousness
is indestructable. By burning our desires, we attain supreme glory.
Bhasmam is an acronym made of 2 words-'Bhartsana', meaning
annihilation and 'Smaranam' meaning remembrance.
Thus, keeping in mind that we will be gone one day, we must
contribute for the well being of the world, without the "I"
feeling-for we'll be here only for some time, but the deeds we do
will be recorded in history.

Scientific Benefits:
Made of chemical compounds that are antimicrobial, the Vibhuti
can also be applied for certain skin problems-I have successfully
used this more than once, when certain plants/insects have given
me itching. It is hydrophilic and strongly absorbs moisture, thus
preventing colds and headaches. Also, in villages, when someone
gets drowned in a river/pond, people from surrounding houses
bring all the Vibhuti that they have and pour it on the rescued person.
The Vibhuti absorbs the water from even inside the body
and the person is saved.

Thus, the Vibhuti is not just a symbol to show off that you are a Hindu,
but has profound meaning contained in it.

Om Namah Shivaya!