Hinduism

Point Pedro Vallipura Alvar Vishnu Temple

Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar

The annual festival of the ancient and historical Vallipura Alvar Vishnu temple at Point Pedro will commence with the hoisting of the flag on September 18, (Friday) and will conclude with the water-cutting ceremonies on 27th at the sea and 28th in the Sacred Tank (Kerni) which is in proximity of the temple.

There is another historical temple dedicated to Lord Krishna situated at Dondra which is revered by the Buddhists.

According to historians 3,000 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Sri Krishna took a Divine Birth in the Indian city of Madurai. The scriptures call him 'Purna Avatara', that is the full manifestation of God. Lord Krishna was a teacher and lover of mankind. He is most accessible to the pure-hearted who have cultivated true love for him.

Further, Sri Krishna is the greatest 'Karma Yogi' of all times. He was the friend of the poor whom he protected from the oppressors. He was the embodiment of humility. His immortal teachings and 'Karma Yoga', 'Bhakthi' and 'Gnana' have no parallel in the religious literature.

The Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Purana and the Mahabharatha proclaim that there was none to match Sri Krishna in beauty, in wisdom and perfection. His enchanting form with flute in one hand is worshipped by millions in India and Sri Lanka.

Sri Krishna was the towering genius of his age. He embodied in himself all the great qualities of the head, heart and hand. Every word of his teachings and every act of his life was full of substance and meaning. In the Mahabharatha battle he was a charioteer to Ar Juna and when Ar Juna saw his relations, and cousins 'Duryadanas' in the battle ground he was reluctant to fight.

At that time, Lord Krishna got rid of his doubts and taught him the immortal teachings of 'Bhagavad Geetha' and enlightened him.

Further, Lord Krishna was considered to be the preserver of the universe. He descended to earth as a great to save mankind and establish Dharma. For this purpose he took ten Avataras (incarnations). His first incarnation was in the form of 'Gold Fish' (Machcha Avataram), the second was as a 'Tortoise' (Kurma), third as a 'Wild Boar' (Varaha), fourth in the form of a human body and Lion's head (Narasimha), fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu was 'Vamano' short statured man, in the sixth incarnation he was born as 'Parasurama' and in the seventh incarnation he was born as 'Rama' his eighth incarnation was 'Krishna' to destroy the wicked demons and took a leading part in the great battle of Krushetra where he delivered his wonderful message of the 'Bhagavad Geetha'. Finally Lord Vishnu took the form of 'Kalki Avatara' to establish Righteousness (Dharma) when there is decline in spirituality and morality. During the chariot festival the statue of Lord Vishnu is decorated and illuminated and taken along the streets in a chariot followed by Poojas and Bhajans. The chariot carved out of pure silver and laden with gold deities studded with diamonds, rubies, amethyst etc, and move slowly from the temple will symbolise peace, communal harmony and prosperity.

The chariot symbolises human body and the statue of Lord Vishnu is the soul. In front of the chariot are the wooden horses depicted as galloping and the reins attached to their mouths are held in the hands of the image of Lord Vishnu.

These horses represent human passion and the reins symbolise the necessity of guiding these passions. The journey of the chariot through the streets symbolises the progress of life. This shows that throughout his life a man must control himself and guide his passions.

These passions are the motive powers, the driving force of life, but unguided will wreck a man's life. This is the symbolic meaning of the Chariot festival.

Shaivaism in Hinduism - part ii

Continued from Sept 04

S. Sivapadasunderam

When, therefore, we wear Thiru-Neeru, we wear Shiva Shakti, the Love of God. Our forehead an other parts of the body on which we wear Thiru-Neeru become the sacred abode of Shiva Shakti. When we wear it we generally repeat the great mantram "Shiva, Shiva". This mantram is the invocation for the presence of Shiva Shakti in the Thiru-Neeru, a presence such as that of ghee in curd. We wear it on the forehead, which is the seat of thoughts, and on the chest which is the seat of feelings. If worn in the right spirit, Thiru-Neeru induces right thoughts and right feelings.

Four dogmas

The orthodox method of wearing Sacred Ashes endows it with the presence of Shiva Shakti and practically identifies it with the Shakti. This method consists of four processed:

(1) The eleven great mantrams are infused into it by repeating them over it so that the Shiva Shakti present in the mantrams may be specially present in the Sacred Ashes.

(2) Consecrated water is poured on it with the utterance of a mantram and is mixed with the utterance of another mantram.

(3) It is worn on the crown of the head, on the forehead, on the chest, on the naval and on several other parts of the body with the mantrams in which Shiva Shakti is present respectively as the giver of Divine Bliss (Shivanandam, of the suppression of Malam, of rest after the chain of births, of protection and of creation).

(4) The remaining Sacred Ashes is mixed with additional water and the five great mantrams are impressed on it; it is then sprinkled on the head. In this method, the Sacred Shakti, Ichcha Shakti and Gnana Shakti. These Shaktis are form of Parashakti (Kalagnirudra Upanishad 7-9).

If, therefore, we wear Sacred Ashes in the right way and in the right spirit our actions (Kriya), desires (ichcha), and understanding (gnana) get sublimated; no wrong desires or thoughts can arise in us. The consciousness of the presence of Parashakti in us gives room only for noble and holy thoughts. We feel that our Mother Umadevi, is present in us. If circumstances should conspire to lead us to a wrong deed, this thought of the presence of the Shiva shakti in us can effectively thwart this attempt and make us their master instead of being mastered by them. We tell ourselves, "How can we who are the sacred abodes of Shiva Shakti condescend to entertain the thought of doing a wrong and foolish deed? This deed can gain for us some worldly end but we will not ignore Shiva Shakti to achieve this ignoble end."

Divine presence in Sacred Ashes is still more pronounced when it has been used to bathe a Shiva Lingam or some other sacred image. This is also true of Sacred Ashes offered by saintly persons. The Sacred Ashes given by Tilakavatiyar to Appar kindled his passionate love for Shiva, which had been lying dormant in him. There was a time when the temple priest was saintly and worshippers longed to get Sacred Ashes from him.

Devotion

Everyone of our Saints has sung praises of Thiru-Neeru and have also exhorted us to wear it with devotion. Manickvachakar says, "if desirous of wearing Thiru-neeru, wear it in abundance..." This abundance is a sign of our real love for Parashakti. If it is worn niggardly, it shows half-heartedness, absence of due regard and ignorance of its being the abode of Parashakti. Umapatishivam regards as unholy persons those whose hearts are dead to Sacred Ashes and to the Shivalayam. Manickavachakar says in another ace that though he does not dread things ordinarily dreaded such as poisonous snakes and sharp arrows, he does dread the sight of those Shaivites who do not wear Sacred Ashes.

Veneration

Sacred Ashes should be available everywhere in the Shaiva-world. It is obtained from burnt dung of the cow, an animal held in veneration by us. All places inhabited by Shaivites have cows. Besides, fortunately or unfortunately, it is sold everywhere.

Worship

The core of worship is the thought of God which undoubtedly, is the sweetest of all thoughts says Apparswamikal "O men, please come; just a word. If I give you a fruit, will you be able to eat it? That Pure Thing, that Lord who wins all souls to His Feet, is a fruit very sweet, indeed to those free from faults," To enjoy fully the thought of God, we must be free from faults.

As we have faults, we cannot have that infinite bliss enjoyed by saintly souls. But we can get at least limited joy if we turn our thoughts to God and worship Him. The joy, though limited, is superior in quality to all other joys and is the highest within our reach.

First step

Umapatishivam says, "In sublimity, in the difficulty of comprehension and of access and in endless love, He has no equal." Let us try to understand the four points. The stars in the sky are numberless. Of these stars, our Sun is the smallest. Still, it is 1,300,000 times bigger than our earth, such a vast universe is nothing before Him. Moreover, the inanimate, non-intelligent universe is nothing before us, souls.

The bringing to my consciousness these great truths is my first step in worship. Seeing that I am infinitely superior to the universe itself I cannot set any value on the things of this world.

Since a thing of this world is a peck in this world which again in a speck in the universe, such things of this world as friendship and enmity, wealth and want, relationship, attractions and repulsions, adorations and abuses are if no consequence to me.

They cannot captivate my mind, still less take possession of me. I am free from thoughts of them. My thought is only on God and on Him infinite Love. I contemplate and sing songs in praise of Him. There are numerous songs Tamil, which only praise Him and His Love.

Endless end

The second step in worship is the consciousness of infinite greatness of God and of my nothingness before him. regard Him as the sun, I become a glow worm. Being nothing before Him, I cannot think of anything pertaining to myself can think only of Him. I think of his endless love, the love. The performs the Five Great Acts for the liberation souls and for the granting of endless bliss to them. I sing praise of Him.

I offer Him flowers to the accompaniment of sacred mantrams. I lead a virtuous life. The best songs for praising God are these of our four great Saints, of Pattinathar and of Thayumanavar.

Worships thus consists of five steps or elements. The first of these is the freedom from feelings towards thing of this world; the second is spiritual contemplation; the third is adoration; the fourth is the offering of mantric flowers and the fifth is the purification of the mind leading to a virtuous life.

Ignored

This form of worship which both the world and the self are ignored is adopted in the worship of Paramashivam.

In the worship of Parashakti, we contemplate not only God but ourselves also.

It is Parashakti, which unites us with God. We cannot therefore think of Her without introducing ourselves. Parashakti is His Love and the thought of love must include two things. It is therefore essential that in this worship we give a place to ourselves too. This place cannot get beyond the thought of our being the loved ones of hers. She is the giver of endless bliss which is of greater value to us than the mother's milk is to the child. She is, at present, our refuge. She is with us and joins with God.

Truth and liberation

In the third form of worship, even the universe cannot be ignored. In this, we contemplate the Adishakti which frees us from the rest of the universe viz. Anava Karma and Maya. Anava has blinded us, does not allow us to see the truth and has practically taken possession of us. It is Adishakti which is trying to give us sight, to show us the truth and liberate us from Anava. As Shivagnanabodham and Siddhiar will put it, the soul is in the hands of savages and believes itself to be a savage.

God in His endless Mercy tells the soul that it is His child and takes it away from them. These three forms of worship find expression in the songs of our Saints.

The worshipper thus realises that God has endless Love for him and respond to that Love by himself loving him. That love begets love is a matter of everyday experience. God's love for me induces love for Him. One requisite love is acting as agreeably as possible to the lover. As a result my love I obey His law as revealed in the Agama.

Just as worldly affairs a thing that I like most comes to my mind at times, the thought of God comes to me even when I am busy otherwise.

Grading

We also see that the laws He made are for our own benefit, however unpleasant they may sometime appear to be.

Thus is obeying Him, our love for Him Manifests itself and world for our everlasting welfare. To be continued

Sri Krishna Jayanthi - Birth of Lord Krishna

Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar

The Sri Krishna Jayanthi which falls on September 11, 2009 will be celebrated by Hindus all over the world as a religious festival. The word Jayanthi is linked with the Birth Date of Lord Krishna. Jayanthi is a term for the constellation of stars that took place during the appearance of Lord Krishna in this world.

Sri Krishna was born in a prison cell in the city of Mathura, on the banks of the river Yamuna, approximately 3000 year before the birth of Jesus Christ. It was predicted that his birth would spell the death of his wicked uncle Kamsa. This prompted the crued Kamsa to put in prison his sister Devaki and her husband Vasu Deva and ordered that each child of theirs should be put to death as soon as it is born.

But, inscrutable are the ways of providence and the eighth child was born to the accompaniment of thunder and lighting and this was Krishna a blue baby boy like a lotus flowers with a beautiful smile on his tiny lips. Seeing this extraordinary baby, the parents bowed down in a reverential attitude.

A voice was heard directing Vasu Deva to take the child to Gokulam and entrust him to Yasodha and bring back her baby girl to Mathura.

All the prison doors opened and the river parted for Vasudeva to take the child to Gokulam and bring back the baby girl to Mathura.

Krishna is the eighth of the ten incarnations of Maha Vishnu and he slew Kamsa and wiped out all the other wicked demons. Krishna was a formidable warrior, an unsurpassed statesman, the greatest philosopher and world teacher.

As Arjuna's charioteer, he decided the fate of the great battle of Kurushetra. On the battlefield the armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas stood face to face, poised to destroy each other.

Seeing on the opposite said his cousins, uncles, grandfathers, teachers and several close relatives and friends, Arjuna finds himself unable to fight and puts his weapons down.

Declaring Himself the Teacher of Universe (Jagaduru), Krishna reveals to Arjuna the most profound knowledge and expounds the importance of duty above everything else. This is how He happened to deliver the eternal message of the Bhagavad Gita.

Indeed the Bhagavad Gita which forms part of Mahabharatha is the most popular religious poem of Sanskrit literature.

It is said to be the most beautiful, perhaps the only true philosophical song and is the most influential work in Indian thought.

In the battle of Kurukshetra, Arjuna typifies the struggling individual who feels the burden and mystery of the world. The despondency of Arjuna is not the passing mood or a disappointed man, exciting the sense of unreality of things.

According to the late President of India Dr. S. Radhakrihnan as the theism of the Bhagavad Gita: "The mood of despair in which Arjuna is found is what the mystics call as the dark night of the soul, an essential step in the upward path.

"The life of the soul is symbolised by the battlefield or Kurukshetra and the Kauravas are the enemies who impede the progress of the soul. Arjuna attempts to recapture the kingdom of man by resisting the temptations and controlling the passions. Indeed the path of progress is through suffering and self-abnegation.

Undoubtedly, the Bhagavad Gita delivered by Lord Krishna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra is quite consistent with the mood and requirements of modern world.

Krishna Jayanthi is a religious festival which is observed in all Vishnu Temples and Cultural Centres in an elaborate manner accompanied with Bhajans, poojas and Abhishekams.

The worship of Muruka or Skanda -part ii

Continued from Sept 04

In an Upanishad of about the ninth century B.C. he is described as giving spiritual instruction to the Rishi Narada and is identified with the great sage Sanatkumara. The image of the God Skanda appears in the coin of King Huvishka, who in the beginning of the second century of the Christian era ruled over an empire extending from the Central Himalayas and the river Jamna to Bactria and the river Oxus. In the third century, the great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa wrote his classic poem on the God's birth (Kumara Sambhava, "Birth of Kumara"). In the Meghaduta (Cloud-Messenger) of the same poet, the hero, an exile from home, in sending a message to his sorrowing wife, bids the cloud halt at the God's shrine on Mount-Devagiri (near Ujjain).

"There change they form showery roses shed
Bathed in the dews of heaven on Skanda's head,
Son of the crescent's God, whom holy ire
Called from the flame of all-devouring fire,
To snatch the lord of Svarga from despair
And timely save the trembling hosts of air."

In an interesting Sanskrit drama of the first century (attributed to King Shudraka and known as the Mirchchakattika, "The Little Clay Cart", in which the scene is laid in Ujjain) the God is invoked by a Brahmin burglar as the patron of his tribe, for he is the God of war and they are soldiers of fortune waging war against society by operations akin to mining and sapping in war. At the present day, in Bengal, he is worshipped one day in the year during the Durga puja festival, and especially by those desiring offspring.

Honour and dignity

But wherever Tamil influence prevails, he is held in preeminent honour and dignity. The Tamils regard him as the guardian of their race, langauge and literature and are bound to him by special ties. He is reputed to have arrived in Lanka (Ceylon) in a remote age when it was a vast continent, the Lemuria, perhaps, of the zoologists, stretching from Madagascar to near Australia, and was ruled by a Titan, the terror of the celestials. In answer to their prayers, the God was incarnated as the son of the Supreme God Mahadeva or Siva. He led their hosts to Lanka and destroyed the Titan after mighty battles, his lance seeking the foe out in his hiding in the ocean. The Titan was then granted forgiveness for his sins and was changed into a cock and a peacock, the former becoming the God's banner and the latter his charger. These events, with their moral significance of the expiation of sin, are yearly celebrated by festivals and fasts in Tamil lands in the month of Aippasi (October-November) ending on the 6th day of the waxing moon (Skandha Shashthi). On such occasions, the Tamil Kandapuranam is read and expounded with solemnity, also at times in private houses, such reading being deemed efficacious, apart from spiritual benefits, in warding off or alleviating disease and danger and bringing good fortune.

Wisdom

The lance, the instrument of chastisement and salvation, is understood to typify his energy of wisdom and is often the only symbol by which he is worshipped in the Temples. In others, he is represented with six faces, or aspects of his activities, and riding a peacock with his consorts, Teyvayanai and Valli who are regarded as his energies of action and desire respectively.

The former was daughter of Indra, King of the celestial, and Valli was a Vedda princess whom, according to Ceylon tradition, he wooed and won at Kataragama. She shares in the workshop of millions from Cashmir and Nepal to Dondra Head, and the priests (kapuralas) or Kataragama proudly claim kinship with her. He deigned, according to theologians, to set the world a pattern of married life, for the due discharge of its duties leads to God no less surely than a life of renunciation.

Goddess Uma

Some of the stories of his birth and childhood seem to have travelled far west and left traces in the religion and literature of ancient Greece. He is said to have issued from the frontal eye of Siva as six sparks of fire. They were received by Agni, God of fire, and cast into the Ganges from which they passed into the Himalayan lake Saravana and there were transformed into six babes.

These were suckled by the six nymphs of the constellation Pleiades and became one on being fondly clasped by the Goddess Uma. He has many names: the Tamil Pingala Nigantu gives 37. To be continued

Source: Studies and Translations - Philosophical and Religious.