Vaikaasi Visaakam

The Pournami day of the Tamil month Vaikasi (May-June) coming under the Visaakam star is called Vaikaasi Visaakam.What's special about this day?

It's the day Lord Subrahmanya, or Murugan as He's called by the Tamils, incarnated.The story of His birth from the fiery third eye of Lord Shiva is well known.

This 10 day festival involves the worship of the Lord with prayers and pilgrimages to temples, especially the 6 divine abodes-"ArupadaiVeedu" in Tamil. On Vaikaasi Visaakam day, Valli Kalyaanam, the celestial wedding of Murugan to Valli, takes place with fanfare.

During this festive season, devotees satisy the common man's thirst by erecting stalls providing buttermilk, as this is a very hot period of the year. Charitable activities are undertaken, as helping others is a good way to elavate oneself spiritually by cleansing the mind. Sundal (Cooked
pulses) and SakkaraiPongal (sweet cooked rice) are offered as Neividyam and distributed among the people.

This is Lord Murugan from the Thirupparankundram temple, on the horse, coming to grace devotees at the workplace of the writer. Sorry, Lord Murugan who's seated on the horse is not visible properly in this poor cell phone camera photo. :)

This festival is also very special to the Vaishnavas.To the south of Madurai, is a place called Aazhvaar Thirunagari near Thirunelveli. This is the birthplace of one of the most important
Vaishnava saints, Nammaazhvar, and Vaikaasi Visaakam is His birthday. This is also celebrated as a 10 day festival, and the Garuda Sevai on the fifth day, in which the Lord MahaVishnu comes on His divine vehicle Garuda, is a spectacle indeed.

Swami Chinmayananda on the Mahabhaarata

In simple words, the Mahabhaarata was a fight between good and evil, namely the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The Pandavas were only five in number while the Kauravas were a hundred men. What does this signify?

It means that in our daily life, we face problems, too many of them, and our life itself is a Kurukshetra. In this, the good forces are few and the bad ones dominate. What an apt analogy!
But, the confused, despondent Arjuna is awakened by the Saarathy, and the Pandavas go on to rout the Kauravas. That is, shedding one’s ignorance and strengthening the resolve to defend Dharma are the only things that are needed to defeat even a seemingly monstrous opposition.

Everyone must have seen the beautiful picture of Arjuna in the chariot driven by Krishna, with the flag of Hanuman, in the Kurukshetra battlefield. Here, the horses pulling the chariot represent the sense organs. Each of our sense organs may attract us to different pleasures in life, but without control of our senses, we will reach nowhere. This control is symbolized by the reins held by the PaarthaSaarathy, which coordinate the movement of the horses. This is the real meaning of self control. Abstinence does not mean running away to the Himalayas when you’re tired with the problems of life. Instead, it means shaping your thoughts appropriately and channeling your energies in search of the purpose of life. That’s why the Geeta itself was not preached in a serene environment in the mountains. The choice of the grueling battle scene to give such a glorious lesson itself says that the message of the Geeta is not just for retired old men and women who have nothing else to do, but one that needs to be understood and practiced during one’s productive lifetime. Postponing the study of scriptures for old age is like thinking of reading a washing machine manual after it has become old, rusted and spoilt!
Om Namo Bhagavate Vaasudevaaya!

Source: Geeta Lectures given by Swamini Vimalananda and Swami Tejomayananda of the Chinmaya Mission, which the writer was fortunate to attend.

Chithirai Thiruvizha of Madurai

This is THE festival of Madurai that attracts huge crowds every year.Chithirai is the first month of the Tamil solar year (April-May) and Thiruvizha in Tamil means festival.What takes place in this 10 day festival is indeed a spectacular exhibition of religious fervour.

The celebrations begin with the ceremonial hoisting of the flag (Kodi Yetram). Most festivals atleast in Tamilnadu and Kerala have this as the beginning.This is followed by the Pattaabhisekam, or the coronation of Mother Meenakshi as the queen of Madurai.Then, She starts on Her DigVijayam, or conquest of the world.After this happpens the much awaited celestial wedding of the divine couple-Meenakshi and Sundareswarar.Following the wedding is the Ther Thiruvizha where the devout take the richly adorned chariots in procession through the city of Madurai.

With all the spotlight on the divine couple, here comes another VIP to the scene-Azhagar. Lord Vishnu, who is present as Azhagar in the Azhagarmalai hills, some 30 km from the city starts His journey to Madurai, for attending His sister Meenakshi's wedding. He is carried by devotees on a golden horse, and this welcoming is called EdhirSevai.
Finally, as He tries to cross the Vaigai river en route to the city, He gets to know that His sister's wedding is already over. Furious that He is not able to attend the wedding, He gets into the river, and then proceeds back home. This event, called "Azhagar Aatril Eranguthal", is the climax of the festival, and brings the city to a standstill, as Bhaktaas pour in to see this event. In fact, people gather near the place the previous night itself, in the thousands!

This ends the Chithirai festival, on Chithira Pournami day, whcih is very auspicious. One may also get the Darshan of Azhagar the next day, in Vandiyur, a place on the way to Azhagarmalai.
The true festive spirit of such an event cannot be described by words, one must take part in this to actually realize the excitement coupled with devotion. Also, this is a unique festival that's special for Shaivas as well as Vaishnavas!

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 Vaidyanatha, the doctor!

There is a famous temple near my native place dedicated to the Mrutyunjaya, Lord Shiva who relieves the faithful of diseases. Vaitheeswaran Kovil, situated about 15 km from Mayilaaduthurai in Tamilnadu, is a temple where the presiding deity is Vaitheeswaran, meaning the “Lord of medicine”. One of the Navagraha temples situated in this region of Tamilnadu (Mars, Angaaraka is worshipped here), this is the Kshetram where Angaaraka was cured of leprosy. Also, there is a pond here, called jataayu kundam, where Jataayu, the vulture was cremated by SriRaama after the former was killed by Raavana.
Relief from diseases:
Thiruchandu Urundai, or balls made of ash from the Homam, are provided here. These, when taken along with the sacred mud from near the neem tree in the temple, and some water from the Siddha Amrita Teertham, can cure diseases. The devout also donate salt, pepper and silver images of body parts to get relief from ailments. The Prasaadam given here is sandalwood powder mixed with Kumkumam, after Abhishekam to Lord Subrahmanya who is present here as Muthukumaaraswaamy.
Reciting the Vaidyanatha Ashtakam, an octet describing the glory of the Lord, thrice a day, is helpful in maintaining good health, and this is mentioned in the last Shloka in the Ashtakam itself:
Sri Baalaambikesa Vaidyesa Bhava Roga Haredisa
Japen Naama Thrayam Nityam Maha Roga Nivaaranam.

Interestingly, there is a majestic, but curiously not-so-well-known temple very near to the famous Andaal temple in Srivillipputhur near Madurai, dedicated to the same Vaidyanaatha Swaamy. I visited this Vaidyanaatha temple recently, when I went to Srivilliputhur, and found that this temple also has a place from where devotees take sacred mud!

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!

Pradosham and its significance

Significance of the Pradosham
Everyday, twilight time (approx 5-6 PM) is known as the Dina (daily) Pradosha Kaalam, and the Pradosham on the 13th lunar day (Shukla/Krishna Paksha Trayodashi) is very special for the worship of Lord Shiva. Even more special is a Pradosham on a saturday, called Shani Pradosham. "Dosham" is the effect of a sin, and PraDosham means relief from this. That is, the devout who worship Lord Shiva during this time are liberated from Karmic effects, and this finally leads to Moksham, the ultimate liberation.

What has Shiva got to do with Pradosham?
The Guru Charitra, the book on Lord Dattatreya, explains this.
During the Samudra Manthanam, the churning of the sea in search of Amritham, the ambrosia of immortality, pleasant things happened, like the emergence of Lakshmi, Kamadhenu, etc. However, along with these came the dreaded Halahala poison, which frightened away the Devas and Asuras. To save the universe from the devastating poison, everyone approached Lord Shiva for help. Since He was in meditation, they didn't disturb Him, and instead fasted on that day (Ekadashi) and finished the fast on the next day (Dwadashi), after which the Lord emerged from meditation, pleased by the prayers. Shiva then Himself took all the venom to save the world, however Parvathi stopped the venom in His throat itself, thus saving the Lord. After this is over, on Trayodashi day, all the Devas worship Him in gratitude. So, Shiva is in a very happy state and it is very beneficial for us to worship Him at this Pradosham time. Also, worshipping Him during Pradosham is very special as all the Devas are also there, worshipping Him at the same time!

Pradosha Vratham:
On Trayodashi day, it is very auspicious to fast from dawn to dusk, that is until the Pradosha Pooja is done. Sage Shandilya has also brought out the significance of the Vrata by prescribing this to a young prince, who then follows it and goes on to destroy his enemies.
Thus, going to a temple and worshipping the Lord with a Vilva mala (garland of leaves from the Wood apple tree) during Pradosham bestows abundant blessings to the devotees.

I was fortunate to have visited the famous two-millennia old Shiva temple in Perur, Coimbatore during Pradosham last week :-)

The Tolerant Religion

I am obviously referring to the Hindu religion.
However, it's not the tolerance that politicians call secularism, that is referred to here.
Here we will see why different and even contrasting ways of worship are accepted in
Hinduism, and why there is no Visa issued to hell if you dont't follow a particular form of worship!

People have different behaviours, and vastly varying thought processes. In such a situation, enforcing one way of worship on a person is bound to create frustration. So, we have 3 versions of worship-Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.

Consider the following (highly simplistic) concept of God:
1. Performing actions (rituals,etc) that will help everyone is good.
2. Knowledge is good. By gaining knowledge, mankind benefits.
3. God is good and will protect us.
Belief in the above 3 are the Karma, Jnana and Bhakti Yogas respectively.

If "Bhakti" is considered as surrender to God, rather than just a way of worship, then all the above 3 are just different paths to achieve this.
This is why the first 6 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita describe the Karma Yoga, the next 6 describe the Jnana Yoga, and the final 6, the Bhakti Yoga.
Since there is goodness(or Godness) associated with all the 3 paths mentioned, all of them are accepted.
All 3 Yogas have given us Mahaans:
-Hanuman can be called a KarmaYogi who selflessly served Rama.
-Ramana Maharshi, the Jnana Yogi enlightened millions with His knowledge.
-Mirabai, whose life inspires many a Bhakta, showed the glory of Bhakti Yoga.

Here is an interesting example that will aptly describe worship in our culture.
Swami Vivekananda had been influenced by the Brahmo Samaj in his childhood, and was more interested in the higher philosophical aspects of life than the "blind" Bhakti that people showed to a Vigraha in a temple.But whom did he find as His Guru? A man who knew only unflinching devotion to Goddess Kali, and not Vedanta-Ramakrishna Paramahamsa!