Hinduism
Chariot festival of Modera Maha Vishnu temple:
Paying tribute to Maha Vishnu
Chelvatamby MANICCAVASAGAR
Modera Maha Vishnu temple
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The Annual Festival of Modera Arul Mighu Sri Poomi Neela Pathmawathy
Sri Venkateswara Maha Vishnu Temple commenced with the hoisting of the
flag recently and the chariot festival will be held on Thursday
(03.05.2012) starting at 7.30 a.m.
Sri Venkateshwara Maha Vishnu is venerated by large number of
Buddhists and Hindu devotees as the preservers of the universe. Maha
Vishnu is one of the Thiru Murthy Gods of the Hindu Pantheon.
Custodian
In Sri Lanka Maha Vishnu is specially revered as the custodian of the
nation. Vaishnavites venerate him as the supreme deity. Known in the
early vedic times as the manifestation of Solar energy, Maha Vishnu
later became a deity of major importance and along with Brahma and
Lordshiva formed the Holy "Thirumurthikal" of Hinduism. In mythology,
while Brahma performs creation, Maha Vishnu preserves the lives of all
and sundry in the universe. Maha Vishnu is the embodiment of goodness
and mercy. Besides he is a symbol of perpetual life and earns the name "Narayana",
the abode of man.
The Vishnu's consort is Maha Lakshmi. According to mythology she
arose from the milky ocean when it was churned by Devas in search of
perpetual life. She became the Divine consort of Maha Vishnu who was
masterminding the churning operation. She is personified as the
embodiment of grace and charm and is venerated as the goddess of
well-being and fortune. She is usually depicted standing or seated on a
lotus pedestal.
Further, Maha Vishnu's vehicle "Vahanum" is the mythical bird "Garuda"
and it has the face and beak of a vulture and the body of a human. It is
conceived as a very powerful and strong enough to convey Maha Vishnu in
all his journey to the cosmic world. Further, in all the Maha Vishnu's
temples the statue of Garuda occupies a prominent place facing the
deity. During the festivals the "Garuda Vahana" is frequently used to
convey the deity.
Karma Yogi
Besides, Maha Vishnu is the greatest "Karma Yogi" of all times. He
was the friend of the poor and was the embodiment of humility. There was
none to match Maha Vishnu in beauty, in wisdom and perfection.
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. As the preserver of the universe Maha Vishnu is
the object of devotion and he is considered on earth as a great hero to
save mankind and to establish Dharma or righteousness.
In Ramayana, he was born as "Rama" and in Maha Bharatha he was born
as "Lord Vishnu" and performed several miracles and helped his devotees.
He assumed several births known as incarnations or Avatars in various
forms to establish dharma when adharma prevailed in the world. Even the
Bhagavad Geetha declares as follows:-
"Whenever there is decay of righteousness and rise of adharma or
unrighteousness then I myself shall comeforth to destroy the unrighteous
to save the righteous and to re-establish dharma."
Maha Vishnu's incarnations
Maha Vishnu took ten major incarnations or Avatars. They are Matsya
Avatar or fish incarnation. Once when a great deluge destroyed the whole
world, Maha Vishnu as a fish rescued "Manu" to originate the present
human race.
His second incarnation was Kurma Avatar or the tortoise incarnation.
As a tortoise he decended to the bottom of the ocean and saved the devas
from extinction. His third incarnation was "Varaha" avatar (ie) in the
form of a "Boar" as a boar he saved the world when it was drowned in the
ocean by a demon.
His fourth Avatar was "Narasimha" incarnation. In this Maha Vishnu
incarnated himself as a "Man-Lion" to destroy the "Demon Iranian" who
was ill-treating his devotee "Prahaladan".
His fifth Avatar was "Vamana" incarnation. He incarnated himself as a
dwarf Brahmin and destroyed "Maha Bali" who created a dehumanizing and
emasculating fear into the minds of the people and devas and saved them.
His sixth Avatar was "parasurama". His seventh Avatar was "Bala Rama"
incarnations and his eight Avatar was "King Rama" to destroy the wicked
and to restore Dharma. His nineth incarnation was Lord Vishnu to save "Pancha
Pandavar" from wicked "Duryodana".
In the battle field of Kumshetra, Lord Vishnu delivered the Bhagavad
Geetha to "Arjuna". When Arjuna went to the battleground and was
reluctant to fight with his enemies who were his relatives, Lord Vishnu
delivered the Bhagavad Geeta" and encouraged and inspired "Arujuna" to
fight to establish Dharma. According to "Bhagavad Geetha" this world is
a battle ground.
There will be problems like waves in the sea. But, man should face
the problems. He should not run away from problems. That means, one
should do his duties in a spirit of detachment like water in the lotus
leaf.
Chariot, replica of the human body
Furthermore, in the tradition of the Hindu literature, the "Chariot"
is the replica of the human body. The deity on the chariot reminds us
the truth that the God is seated in the heart of each individual. This
is the symbolic meaning of the Chariot.
Undoubtedly, to a world lost in error and weighed down by forces of
darkness, ignorance and egoistic arrogance, conflicts and
contradictions, trials and tribulations, let us worship Sri Venkateswara
Maha Vishnu in Modera and utter his pure name and contemplate and
surrender ourselves at his lotus feet for the progress and success of
our lives and also for the everlasting peace, eternal prosperity, racial
harmony, happiness, unity, amity and sanity in Sri Lanka.
Colombo Tamil Sangam completes treasured seventy years
Chelvatamby MANICCAVASAGAR
President of the Colombo Tamil Sangam
Dr M Kathiragamanathan
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The Colombo Tamil Sangam which was established in 1942 for the
promotion, propagation and development of Tamil language, Tamil
literature, Hindu religion and Hindu culture by great educationists,
Tamil scholars, eminent lawyers, judges and philanthropists completed
its treasured seventy years (70) last month.
To mark this glorious occasion, the President of this Tamil Sangam Dr
K Kathirgamanathan, General Secretary Ragupathy Balasritharan and
Selladurai Thiruchelvam (Treasurer) made elaborate arrangements to
invite several Tamil scholars from India to deliver lectures and to read
research articles pertaining to Tamil language and Tamil literature.
Tamil sangams
According to great historians it is believed that there were three
Tamil sangams in India. The first sangam is said to have been comprised
of 549 poets. The second (middle) sangam was in Kavadapuram, which also
submerged and washed away by the enraged sea. It had 59 syndics and
3,700 poets. The third (last) sangam lasted 1,850 years. It consisted
449 poets. The president of this sangam was the great poet Nakkirar.
In fact, the Tamil language and literature have a long history and
they have been nourished and enriched by the literary works of great
poets like Subramania Bharathy, Avaiyar, Thiru Valluvar, Kalidasa,
Kamban and Ilango and several others. Even the great epics like Ramayana
and Maha Bharatha are of timeless and spaceless in quality. All these
great epics have absorbed India's cultural heritage, made it their own,
enriched and given a universal dimension and significance.
Entrance to Colombo Tamil Sangam |
Further, the great kings like Chola, Chera, Pandyas who ruled the
whole of South India, established Tamil sangams to spread the greatness
of Thirukkural, Ramayanam, Silappadikaram to the people to enable them
to lead a Dharmic way of life.
Even the great patriot like Swami Vivekananda and the first
Governor-General of India and author of Ramayanam and Maha Bharatham Sri
Chakkaravarthy Rajagopalachariar have spoken eloquently on the greatness
and richness of Tamil literature. The great saivite and revivalist Sri
La Sri Arumuganavalar, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Sir Ponnambalam
Arunachalam, Sir Waitilingam Duraiswamy, Hindu Board Rajaratnam and
several others sacrificed their lives for the protection and development
of Tamil language, Tamil literature and Hindu religion, Hindu culture
when Sri Lanka (Ceylon) underwent a terrible time in the early part of
18th and 19th centuries due to the western conquest multi-faceted in its
manifestations and consequences - political, economical, cultural and
religious.
Even Swami Vipulananda who was the first professor of the Annamalai
University and University of Ceylon was greatly involved in the study of
Tamil languages, literature, music and dance.
Furthermore, even great patriots like Ven Anagarika Dharmapala and
Ven Gunananda Thera and Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar defended the values
and virtues of their faith and Sinhala and Tamil languages and
literature and opened the eyes of the people to the heritage that had
been passed down to them by their forebearers.
Hindu schools
Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar achieved his objective through the
transformation of the hearts of the people by way of establishing Hindu
schools.
Blessed with a dialectical skill and a sharp logician mind, an
oratorical ebullience combined with fearless and courageous mind he was
able to accomplish and achieve his objective and build round him a
massive following who subscribed to the principles he extolled. Anyone
who came within his magic appeal imbibed his crusading spirit and was
moved by his lofty integrity and intense language and religious zeal.
Even the great poet Bharathi Dharshan once said that Tamil language
and Tamil literature are like nectar. Furthermore, poet Thiruvalluvar of
the 2nd Century AD had given the Tamil literature a lucidity, precision
and terseness and his couplets 'Thirukkural' had been described by
erudite scholars as "Apples of gold in a network of silver".
Poets like Kamban and Thiruvalluvar can never become out of date
because they spoke to us and to the whole world with the voice of
tomorrow. Furthermore, the Colombo Tamil Sangam was first called as
Thirukkural Payitchy Kalagam in 1924 and thereafter its name was altered
as Colombo Tamil Munnetra Kalagam and later it was named as Colombo
Tamil Sangam in 1942.
In 1942, Mudaliyar Ponnambalam was elected as president of this
sangam. In (1943-1946) Sabaratnam and thereafter K Arunanthy, V A
Kandiah, K Mathiyaparanam, Dr K P Ratnam, K Alvappillai, M
Vairavappillai, Dr H W Thambiah (QC), Dr K S Nadarajah, P Sangarappillai,
J Dharmarajah, Manicca Idaikadar, V M Thiagarajah, C Gunaratnam, R
Sivagurunathan, Professors Sandrasekaram, Dr Suntheralingam, Professor
Saba Jeyarajah, Kandiah Neelakandan and several others.
In fact, late Tamilaverl K E K Kandasamy who was the General
Secretary of this Tamil Sangam for a long time was responsible for
giving a global dimension to this Sangam. Indeed, it was Kandasamy who
brought fame and name to the Colombo Tamil Sangam.
The present General Secretary of this Sangam Ragupathy Balasritharan
is rendering yeoman service and his services have been immensely
recognized and appreciated by the people of all communities. Further,
the Treasurer of this Sangam Sellathurai Thiruchelvam should be highly
commended for the tremendous effort he takes for the development of this
Sangam. He fantastically and fabulously spent money for the several
constructions of the Sangam's buildings and to beautify the Sangam's
entrance and all other halls. Indeed, he has done several improvements
to the Sangam which are greatly appreciated and recognized by the
President of this Sangam Dr K Kathiragamanathan and other members of the
Sangam.
The present President of the Colombo Tamil Sangam Dr K
Kathiragamanathan takes pragmatic and practical approach for the
development of this Sangam in several ways. His vision, foresight,
dedication, devotion, commitment for the betterment of this Sangam
should be highly commended. Verily, no field of human endeavour was left
untouched by his imagination, encompassing sweep of his thought and
felicity of words and actions.
Ever since, he was elected as President of this Sangam (2010-2012) he
had undertaken several construction works. Before he was elected as
President, he functioned as Vice-President for nearly seven years. He
was responsible for the construction of a five roomed hostel, he has
given a facelift to the Sangam, 57th Lane was renamed Colombo Tamil
Sangam Lane, Sangata Tamil journal (quarterly) is being produced and
edited by him, library has been computerized, new flag for the Sangam
has been introduced, held poet Thiruvalluvar conference for three days,
held Sri La Sri Arumga Navalar's conference, donated funds for the poor
children in Vanni.
As such, may the Almighty bless the president and members of this
Colombo Tamil Sangam abundantly to make this cultural organization to
grow majestically and prosper and rise even more in dynamism in the
coming years.
Lord Shiva: The powerful god
Shiva is 'shakti' or power, Shiva is the destroyer, the most powerful
god of the Hindu pantheon and one of the godheads in the Hindu Trinity.
Known by many names - Mahadeva, Mahayogi, Pashupati, Nataraja, Bhairava,
Vishwanath, Bhava, Bhole Nath - Lord Shiva is perhaps the most complex
of Hindu deities. Hindus recognize this by putting his shrine in the
temple separate from those of other deities.
Shiva, in temples is usually found as a phallic symbol of the 'linga',
which represents the energies necessary for life on both the microcosmic
and the macrocosmic levels, that is, the world in which we live and the
world which constitutes the whole of the universe. In a Shaivite temple,
the 'linga' is placed in the center underneath the spire, where it
symbolizes the naval of the earth.
The actual image of Shiva is also distinct from other deities: his
hair piled high on the top of his head, with a crescent tucked into it
and the river Ganges tumbling from his hairs. Around his neck is a
coiled serpent representing Kundalini or the spiritual energy within
life.
He holds a trident in his left hand in which is bound the 'damroo'
(small leather drum). He sits on a tiger skin and on his right is a
water pot.
He wears the 'Rudraksha' beads and his whole body is smeared with
ash.
Shiva is believed to be at the core of the centrifugal force of the
universe, because of his responsibility for death and destruction.
Unlike the godhead Brahma, the Creator, or Vishnu, the Preserver,
Shiva is the dissolving force in life. But Shiva dissolves in order to
create, since death is the medium for rebirth into a new life. So the
opposites of life and death and creation and destruction both reside in
his character.
He is also often portrayed as the supreme ascetic with a passive and
composed disposition. Sometimes he is depicted riding a bull called
Nandi decked in garlands. Although a very complicated deity, Shiva is
one of the most fascinating of Hindu gods. Since Shiva is regarded as a
mighty destructive power, to numb his negative potentials he is fed with
opium and is also termed as 'Bhole Shankar', one who is oblivious of the
world.
Therefore, on Maha Shivratri, the night of Shiva worship, devotees,
especially the menfolk, prepare an intoxicating drink called 'Thandai'
(made from cannabis, almonds, and milk) sing songs in praise of the Lord
and dance to the rhythm of the drums.
-http://hinduism.about.com |