Homa-Ritualistc Worship

"A Homa or Puja is a ritualistic worship of the Divine performed to keep us in harmony with cosmic forces,thereby removing and overcoming the difficulties in life and bringing spiritual upliftment..

By performing homas and pujas, thoughts and vibrations of spiritual forces are created around us. These spiritual forces work to eliminate the negative influences in our life and help surround us with powerful divine energy which can bring us peace of mind, material prosperity and enable us to more clearly touch the Divine within us"

Amma Karunamayi devi

Rameswaram Temple in South India

India is a land of the Divine as they say or so the belief goes. It is believed that in and around Thirupathi , a radius of 300km, many saints and realized souls had done penance to realize the TRUTH. It is no wonder then that many famous temples dot the length and breadth of India. In this article it is proposed to describe one such extraordinarily famous temple, THE RAMESWARAM temple. It is believed that this temple is in existence since the Thretha Yuga. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Rameswaram stands out as the outward symbol of India’s culture, religion and philosophy. The glory of Rameswaram has been sung by many Shaivaite and Vaishnavite saints like Thiruguna Sambandar, Thirunavukkarasar, Arunagirinathar and Thayumanavar.

It is situated in the Gulf of Mannar at the very tip of India Peninsula on Pamban Island. Legend has it that this is the place where Rama built the bridge Ram Setu across the sea to Lanka to rescue Sita. Both Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit Rameswaram. There is Sri Rama installed next to Sri Ramanatha Swamy and another Sannadhi Pallikonda Perumal where darshan of Maha Vishnu  in the lying posture can be had. In this Rameswaram Temple, a spiritual "Mani Darisanam" (Mani Darshan) happens early morning every day. This "Mani" is made of "spatikam"[a precious stone] and in the form of "Holy shivling". According to some accounts, this is "Mani" of "sheshnag" (Bhagwaan Vishnu's bed).

The presiding Deity of this temple is called a Linga , named Sri Ramanatha Swamy , one of the twelve Lingas. The inner sanctorum of the temple was built by Sri Lankan king Parakramabahu in 10th century.

In the beginning the Lingam installed by Sri Rama was housed in a simple thatched shed. The big structures were subsequently built by various devotees at different times. The major credit goes to the Sethupathy Rajas of Ramanathapuram who built the different parts between the 15th and 18th Centuries. Between 1897 and 1904 the family of Devakottai had constructed the east gopuram consisting of nine floors. Between 1907 and 1925 the sanctum sanctorum was renovated by them and the innermost Prakaram was rebuilt with black granite and kumbabhishekam was performed by them in 1947.

Rameswaram is one of the four DHAMS or kingdoms of God known as CHAR DHAMS. The other three are Badrinath in the North, Puri in the East and Dwaraka in the West. It is also known as the Varanasi of the South. Only Rameswaram has Paramashiva as its presiding Deity while all the other DHAMS have Vishnu as the deity. It is the eleventh Jyothilinga. According to the puranas  and on the advice of Rishis, it is believed that the Linga was formed by the hands of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita to atone for the sin of killing a Brahmin , Ravana, son of Vishrava and great grandson of Lord Brahma. Shri Rama fixed the auspicious time for the installation and sent Shri Anjneya to Mount Kailas to fetch the Lingam. As Lord Anjaneya did not return in time, Mother Sita herself made a Linga with sand. When Anjaneya returned with the Linga from Mount Kailas the rituals were already completed. In order not to disappoint Lord Anjaneya, Rama had the Lingam brought by Anjaneya (Viswa Lingam) also installed next to the Ramalinga and ordered that all rituals must first be performed for the Viswalingam.

Any pilgrimage to Varanasi or other shrines are considered incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameswaram. The architecture of this temple is a marvel and could well be considered as one of the wonders of the world. The grandest part of the temple is the 1219 metre pillared corridor consisting of 3.6m high pillars made from granite, richly carved and well proportioned and considered as one of the biggest if not the biggest temple corridor in India. The pillars are beautifully aligned with not even an inch out of alignment. The stone corridors are exceptionally beautiful surpassing anything like that in the world. The third Prakaram is indeed the cynosure of all eyes for the beautiful carvings of the pillars and paintings of the roof.

There are several Shrines (sannnadi) in the temple namely:

• Ramanathaswamy Shrine in the sanctum sanctorum which contains the Linga installed by Rama and Sita.This is the Moolastana Linga famous throughout India.
• Viswanatha Shrine is to the north of Ramanathaswamy Shrine.This is the Linga brought by Hanuman.
• Visalakshi Shrine dedicated to Sri Visalakshi Ambal, consort of Sri Viswanatha
• Parvathavarthini Shrine. This is the Shrine of Ambal, consort of Sri Ramanatha Swamy and located on the south side of Moolasthana Linga.There is also a Srichakram which represents and emanates Sakthi.
• Perumal Sannadhi : Located in the north west corner of Ambal shrine is Pallikonda Perumal, MahaVishnu gives darshan in the lying posture
• Sethu Madhava Shrine is located behind the Shrine of Sri Ramanatha swamy. It is believed that lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi had agreed to stay here to grant all boons to their devotees.
• Nataraja Shrine is at the northern corner of the outer Prakaram.There are two other Nataraja Sannadhies in the temple.
• Anjaneya Shrine is at the main entrance.
• Maha Ganapathi Shrine. Kala poojas commence from here.
• Santhana Ganapathi Shrine is in the southwest corner of Ambal Shrine.
• Subramanya Shrine. Here Lord Subramanya gives darshan to devotees with His consorts Deivayani and Valli.
• Sukravara Mandapam with eight idols representing Ashta Lakshmis- Adi Lakashmi, Santana Lakshmi, Gaja Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi, Jaya Lakshmi, Aiswarya  lakshmi and Veera Lakshmi.On the north side of the mandapam the eight pillars are carved with deities Manonmani, Mahendri Koumari, Rajeswari, Lakshmi, Kali Chamundi and Dwarapalika.On the southern side pillars are Dwarapalika, Sivadurga, Manonmani, Vageeswari, Sethupathi Kadamba Thevar, Pradhani, Bhuvaneswari and Annapoorna.
• Sayanagraha . Sri Ramanatha Swamy is taken in procession every night to Sayanagraha.The deity is placed in the oonjal (cradle/swing)by the side of Devi
• Sri Nandi Devan Mandapa is on the opposite side of Sri Ramanatha Swamy Shrine and contains a huge sculpture of Nandikeswar, the vahana of Sri Ramanatha Swamy.The Nandi is 22 feet long, 12 feet wide and 17 feet high

There are twenty two “Theerthams”. These are very famous and holy, associated with different gods and are in the form of wells. Bathing in these wells is   considered highly auspicious and holy; believed to purify and have spiritual effects. Besides the waters are supposed to have medicinal values too.Water from each well taste differently.

The Theerthams (holy water)are:

1. Mahalakshmi Theertham. Situated in the south side of Sri Hanuman Shrine Dharmarajan is believed to have earned the grace and prosperity of Mahalakshmi by taking a bath in this Theertham
2. Savithri Theertham is on the west side of Sri Hanumnan Shrine King Kasipar got rid of the effects of the curse by taking a bath here.
3. Gayathri Theertham is also at the west side of Sri Hanuman Shrine.
4. Saraswathy Theertham is near the Gayathri theertham.
5. Sethumadhava Theertham is by the side of the third corridor on the south west. Bathing in this is expected to bring in mental purification and blessings from Mahalakshmi.
6. Gandhamadhava Theertham is near the Sehumadhava Theertham. Bathing in this theertham is expected to eradicate the suffering from poverty and get rid of bad effects from Brahma Hatya Dosham.
7. Gavaksha Theertham is close to Sethu Madhava Shrine. Bathing here is supposed to help avoid the Naraka Lokam
8. Gavaya Theertham is also near Sri Sethumadhava Shrine. Bathing in this will give access to Kalpa Vriksha.
9. Nala Theertham is again near Sri Sethumadhava Shrine. Benefits are grace of the Sun, Soorya and access to Heaven.
10. Neela Theertham near Sri Sethumadhava Shrine. Benefits of Yagas and Agniyoga Status.
11. Sanku Theertham is in the inner Prakaram. Sri Valsnabha Muni got rid of his sin of infidelity.
12. Chakra Theertham is also near inner Prakaram.
13. Brahmahatta Vimochana Theertham is near the Chakra Theertham .To get rid of the dosha of Brahmattya one must have a bath in this Theertham.
14. Soorya Theertham is at inner Prakaram. Benefits are obtaining timely gains in life.
15. Chandra Theertham is also in inner Prakaram.
16. Ganga Theertham is close to Chandra Theertham.
17. Yamuna Theertham is near the Ganga Theertham.
18. Gaya Theertham is at inner Prakaram
19. Siva Theertham is near the Nandi Mandapam. Bhairavir is reported to have got relief of Brahma Hatya Dosha by taking bath in this.
20. Satyamritha Theertham is near the Sri Parvathavarthini Amman Shrine. Emperor  Purunuru got relief from Sapa Dosha.
21. Sarva Theertham is in front of Sri Ramanatha Swamy Shrine. Suthirisanar recovered from his physical disability and got his eyesight though he was blind from birth.
22. Kodi Theertham is near the first corridor, (first Prakaram). Bhagvan Sri Krishna is said to have got rid of his Dosha of killing his uncle Kamsa

Besides these Theerthams which are within the temple there are 31 Theerthams  in and around Rameswaram. Lakshmana Theertham, Rama Theertham , Sita Theertham, Jadayau Theertham  are some of them. 

Other than the Shrines and Theerthams some of the important places and temples are:

Gandhamadhana Parvatham: Sri Rama’s feet are carved on this mandapam.

Sri Kothandarama Temple: A temple has been constructed at this place where Vibhishana surrendered at the feet of Sri Rama.

Thiruppalani: It is village and is called Adi Seshu. The Vishnu temple here is one of the 108 Divyadesams. Before the building of the bridge Sri Rama lay here on a bed of Dharba grass contemplating future course of action. The God of Ocean though punished for his indifference initially, later helped building the bridge.

Devipatnam is a coastal village about 10 miles from Ramanathapuram. In the sea Sri Rama has erected nine stone pillars representing the Navagrahas. A Devi Shrine, a Vinayaka Temple and a Vishnu Temple adorn this place. Devotees go there in large numbers to have a dip in the sea and worship the Navagraha.

How to reach Rameswaram:

Rameswaram which is about 666 km from Chennai can be reached by train or road from Chennai. One could also take a flight to Madurai and then go by road which is about 169 km. Coimbatore is 376 km and Kanya Kumari is  295 km.

Hotels:

There are a number of star hotels like Hotel Queen Palace, Sunrise View, Hotel Royal Park,etc

There are also Lodges for lower prices.

Tamil Nadu Tourism Development has all the necessary information regarding the places of importance, temples, sightseeing, buses, telephones, train timings, telephone numbers, etc. The following is the link for Tamil Nadu Tourism.

In conclusion I must say that I have only briefly traced the history of this Temple and the importance of the Theerthas and the Shrines.It is recommended that one should take the help of a guide for visiting the temple and following the rituals including the bath in the 22 wells in an orderly manner and sequence. The guide costs about Rs 500 and is well worth the price. I have been fortunate to visit some of the Holy Pilgrimage centers like Badrinath, Puri, Varanasi, Rameswaram and others like Shrirdi, Thirupathi,etc. I hope to cover some of the other temples in the future issues.

This video of Rameswaram temple may be of interest to the readers. 

Sairam!

BHAKTHI

Bhakthi is love-intense love. To whom? Bhakthi is intense love to God. Why God? Why not some other creation? Because from the greatest saint to a blade of grass they are all ephemeral, they are born and bound to die as ordained by their own Karma. Therefore nothing is obtained or achieved by meditating on such creations. They come, they exist and they disappear. Otherwise one can meditate on his/her loved ones and attain Bhakthi! So after years of worship and meditation on the Lord, thus developing an intense Love for God is the way to Bhakthi leading to Moksha or salvation. Thus says Swami Vivekananda.

Bhakthi is a real genuine search for the Lord, a search beginning, constantly pursuing and ending in love.”Bhakthi” says  Naradha in his explanation of the Bhakthi  aphorisms , “is intense love to God”; When man gets it, he loves all, hates none; he becomes satisfied forever”; This love cannot be reduced to earthly benefit, because so long as worldly desires last, that kind of love does not come; Bhakthi is greater than Karma, greater than Yoga, because  these are intended for an object in view, while Bhakthi is its own fruition, its own means and its own end”

Knowledge (Jnana) and love ( Bhakthi) converge and become one. Sometimes we are deluded by the feeling that acquiring knowledge by reading and mastering some literature will lead us to Bhakthi and ultimate realization of God. By study of books and literature we may gain intellectual knowledge and develop intellectually but spiritual development does not take place. Here the introduction ( quoted below) given by the learned Shri C.Rajagopalachari to the Bhaja Govindam song melodiously rendered by the immortal Bharat Ratna Smt.M.S. Subbulakshmi which is played every morning in religious households and temples is quite clear that mere book knowledge is useless.
'Adi Shankaracharya wrote a number of Vedantic works for imparting knowledge of the Self and the Universal Spirit. ------The way of devotion, is not different from the way of knowledge or jnana. When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life and issues out in action, it becomes Bhakthi.
Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature is Bhakthi. If it does not get transformed into Bhakthi, such knowledge is useless tinsel.------”

Saint Thyagaraja’s “Sangeeta Gnanmu” (set to melodious music in raga Dhanyasi) further amplifies the limitations of mere book knowledge and how Bhakthi and Devotion are the quintessence of salvation.
“Sangeetha gnanamu Bhakthi vinaa,
San margamu  kaladhe , Oh Manasa---“
Translated into English it means
“Oh mind, the knowledge of music,
Without devotion is not the right path—“

When talking of whole hearted devotion and Bhakthi, Lord Hanuman is often cited as an example for His undivided love, devotion and attention to Lord Rama. The story goes that when Rama returned to Ayodhya, after the coronation and celebrations He was to retire to bed with His Consort Seetha. Hanuman, in His anxiety not to miss even a moment of devotion to His Lord wanted to enter the room with Rama and Seetha. When He was told not to do so He questioned how Seetha alone is allowed! He was told that She has a sindoor on Her forehead which allows Her to go in with Rama. On hearing this, Hanuman ran out and opened a shop and smearing Himself with sindoor all over His body came and stood before Rama and Seetha!

In the Srimad-Bhagavata and the Vishnu Purana it is told that the nine forms of Bhakthi are:

• Sravana (hearing of God's Lilas and stories),
• Kirtana (singing of His glories),
• Smarana (remembrance of His name and presence),
• Padasevana (service of His feet),
• Archana (worship of God),
• Vandana (prostration to Lord),
• Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant with God),
• Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava) and
• Atmanivedana (complete surrender of the self).

A devotee can practice any method of Bhakthi which suits him best. Through that he will attain Divine illumination.
These nine types of Bhakthi have also been brought out in the Satcharitra in chapter XXI. There it is said :                                                                                       
“If any of these ( nine forms ) are faithfully followed Lord Hari will be pleased and manifest Himself in the home of the devotee. All the sadanas viz., Japa, Tapa,Yoga practice, studying of the scriptures and expounding them are useless unless they are accompanied by Bhakthi,ie. Devotion. Knowledge of the Vedas or fame as a great Jnani or mere formal Bhajan are of no avail. What is wanted is full Devotion.”

While these may be the highest form of Bhakthi for spiritually advanced and evolved aspirants, for the beginners or the less advanced common mankind taking  initial steps towards spirituality, there is still hope. Many learned persons have said, for such persons hearing the Lilas of Lord Krishna, studying the sacred scriptures worshiping Him in His manifested form, reciting His name, singing His glories, attending satsanghs, service to the poor and needy, seeing God in all creations, should help.  As stated in the Bhagawad Gita offering all actions to the Lord without expecting any fruits for the actions have to be practiced.

Saints have said actions done with clean heart and sincerity kindles the feelings of Bhakthi. Other daily rituals and habits like, burning incense before the deity, lighting a lamp, applying Vibhuti on the forehead, etc. also produce a holy influence on the mind and help in concentration. They help to create the necessary Bhava or feeling to invoke the Deity that we want to worship. 

God does exist and He can be experienced. When you have complete faith in Him, you receive God's grace fully, and due to this you are liberated from Maya forever. (Vedas)
“.Worship the Lord with true devotion. Lead a life of purity, humility
and selflessness. Remember God. Take His name always. Meditate upon
Him. Know the Lord to be the one reality in the midst of unreal
things.” Swami Sivananda

Published earlier in Sai Smrithi NY

The Immortal Bharat Ratna, Late M.S. Subbulakshmi

Margazhi masam in Tamil is December, the month of music festival. During the quarter since issue of VV Sept, an important date is the 96th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna, the late M.S. Subbulakshmi

Hence this piece is about the immortal,  Bharat Ratna, the late M.S. Subbulakshmi. September 16th was the 96th birth anniversary of M.S. and  was celebrated by a few Organizations. 

She was honored as the court-singer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) has installed a bronze statue of M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Poornakumbham circle in the temple town. Considering the contribution she has made to the Tirupathi Devasthanam one would have expected that TTD (Tirumala-Thirupathi Devasthanam) would have come out with much greater enthusiasm and celebration and  in a manner befitting  her stature.

The first time I saw M.S. was in the black & white movie “Meera” when I was a student. My desire to see her and hear her  in person materialized in 1959 at Bhilai Steel Plant. I think it was the Kannada sanga which organized her live music concert. Since I was employed I could afford to buy a ticket and find a seat as close as possible to the dais. Then suddenly  the heavens opened up, started raining heavily and most people left the scene to keep themselves dry and warm. That was sheer luck for people like me who decided to stay put.M.S. Amma also decided to stay back and continue as soon as the rain stopped. Most of us could find a seat right in the front row! She regaled us for full hour and a half after that with scintillating carnatic music.

I had occasion to hear her in person yet again at Durgapur Steel Plant sometime in the sixties. The introduction by Mr.Sivaramakrishnan IAS, was an added bonus because he was well known for his oratory in English, Tamil and Bengali!.

A lot could be said of M.S. Amma but I will stop by quoting a couple of famous words. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said “who am I a mere prime minster before a queen, queen of songs?”.He had also said that hers is voice for many causes. How true! M.S. had given away almost all her earnings in charity.

Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, had asked M.S. to sing his favorite bhajan Hari Tumu Haro.When he was told that M.S. did not know the lyrics and requested Mahatmaji to have someone else to sing, Gandhiji had famously said “I would prefer to hear it spoken by Subbulakshmi than sung by others”.

"Whosoever comes under the enchantment of this singer's great gifts, will agree with me that she is not an interpreter of Meera, but Meera herself. Take her into your hearts and cherish her. You will be proud that India in this generation has produced such a supreme artist." -Poet Sarojini Naidu.

The modulating vibrations of M.S.s' vocal cord which reverberated at the United Nations won the appreciation of connoisseurs of music from all parts of the world.

“There are relatively few creative people about whom it can be said, that their achievement is likely to have a      following a hundred years from now. In India, we can say it about a major poet like Rabindranath Tagore or     Subramania Bharati, a beloved short story writer such as Premchand, a great novelist like R.K. Narayan. We can say it about artists like Ravi Varma, Amrita Sher-Gill, and M.F. Husain. We can say it about Satyajit Ray, filmmaker and polymath. We can certainly say it about India's genius of song, M.S. Subbulakshmi.”-The Hindu. 

Every conceivable recognition and honor was showered on her and the Government bestowed on her the Bharat Ratna in 1998. It was said that by this it was the award of Bharat Ratna that got embellished more than M.S. being honored.She was the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna. She is the first Indian Musician to receive the Ramon Magsasay Award. 

Any reference to M.S. will not be complete without a mention of the M.S. Blue.It was a special kind of blue and  no Indian lady’s wardrobe would be complete without an M.S. Blue sari! In that sari M.S. as in any other ward robe, with her diamond ear rings and diamond nose ring was grace, charm and dignity personified.

Every morning, in whichever part of India we are, we wake up listening to her Venkateswara Suprabhatam and Vishnu Sahasranama. Her Suprabhatam has become synonymous with India; when any film is shot abroad, and  the early morning time is to be depicted, invariably we see an Indian lady clad in sari with her wet hair tied with a towel and the Suprabhatam by M.S.  played in the background. She is IMMORTAL. 

Published in Vishrantha Vani Dec 2012