THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Materialism vs Spirituality : Are they really at odds with one another ??

2014-11-02T04:16:00.000-08:00

Just a thought..... When man becomes material first and then acquires spirituality then normal life comes to an end, but, when the reverse happens, in that he becomes spiritual first, and then enters the material plane of existence he is able to live life to the fullest and wins effortlessly at this game of life as he knows the logic behind the game Lord Krishna and the Royal Sage Janaka were indeed examples for this ...

Sarvam Shivamayam

2014-01-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

This succinct aphorism enshrines in it a truth too overwhelming and yet obviously simple. All around us we are able to see the statement in action and we bear testimony to its veracity day in and day out. The world around us with its amazing and mind boggling array of spectacular lifeforms ebbing with energy and the flabbergasting universe with its luminous stellar residents continues to affirm this fundamental truth of life. The Vedas, the upanishads, the puranas and all other holy granthas strive to highlight this eternal truth to people shrouded by the darkness of ignorance and deluded by the iron clad grip of Maya.The 'Prasthana Traya' or spiritual trinity which form the cornerstone of Hindu religion and philosophy make an effort to enable its readers and genuine knowledge seekers to understand and comprehend this truth and thereby become empowered.

This simple yet puissant truth has profound implications on our thought process and our view of life. The realisation of this truth is the culmination of many eons of relentless quests and restless journeys targeted towards unearthing the truth, the substratum of the entire Universe made up of name,form and action. To understand that the supreme being is the source of everything and in short can be defined as that from which we emerge, that by which we are sustained and that towards which we all proceed in the end is the underlying motif of these scriptures. Like many fundamentally powerful statements, as the popular expression goes, 'merely enunciating it will not bring it into force', for it is a truth to be experienced and a never ending delight to be revelled in.

The ethereal spiritual grantha known as 'Tripura Rahasya' puts this in perspective for its readers. The plethora of diverse objects both living and non living that we are able to behold around us is nothing but an image in the consciousness of the divine. The fleeting transitory images beheld on the lustrous surface of a mirror are akin to the things found in this universe. It is not the image that is permanent but the reflecting surface that is ever-existent. With the human intellect being obfuscated by fabricated and unreal material constructs, the bright effulgence of the divine consciousness inhering within all of us in the form of prakasha cannot be discerned. So the simple solution to this problem would be to stop focussing on the fleeting images and start directing our attention to the surface on which they are seen. By mitigating the monstrous thought waves that have engulfed the human mind blinding its vision one can behold the startling and dazzling brilliance of the atman that shines forth within every one of us. By removing the unending superimpositions of various fictitious psychological constructs such as the notion of 'my body', 'my mind' , 'my relatives' and so on one will truly become empowered to see the supreme divinity in all beings great and small and the looming threat of material tensions will fade away to testify their evanescent nature.

But is this as simple a task as it may sound?What are the different ways of doing it? What is the difference between people who are constantly engaged in their karma and people who renounce earthly activities and retire to quieter places to reflect on the self? Are moksha and karma mutually exclusive? What are the ways of attaining the elusive goal of moksha, the ultimate emancipation, freedom from the ceaseless and vicious cycle of birth and death?

Let us embark on a journey together to explore the tenets of Vedanta and understand the true meaning of these timeless aphorisms that serve as the beacon light of hope in these troubled times. Let us combat the hedonistic forces that plague this earth and surmount materialism and transcend the rudimentary. With the grace of that three eyed and all knowing being Maha Shambhunatha, the lord of the Universe, I hope that this journey would help us unravel several mysteries of life and finally savour the boundless grace and infinite compassion of Parameshwara.

सर्वं खलु इदं एवाहं , नान्यदस्ति सनातनं ॥

Chronicles of Sri Durga continued..

2013-02-11T07:04:00.001-08:00

Within a short span of time Mahishasura managed to bring the whole world under his control. All living beings were made subservient to his authority. He began to receive a lion's share of the oblations from Yagyas performed by the Brahmins. He appointed Chiksura as his Commander-in-Chief. Tamra was appointed to be in charge of the Royal Treasury. Mahishasura was also supported by a host of other daityas. He sent a message through his emissary bidding Indra to bow down to his supremacy or face him in combat. Indra was infuriated by his conceit and sent the messenger back with a harsh reply. Hearing Indra's reply, Mahishasura was enraged. Bellowing with fury he decided to launch an all out attack on the Heavens. In the heavens, Indra called an assembly and discussed the issue at hand with Surya, Agni, Yama, Kubera, Varuna and other Devas. They came to a consensus that a spy had to be sent to ascertain the strength of the enemy by infiltrating the opponent's ranks. A spy was thus appointed to do the job and upon his return the Devas were able to estimate the military might of their adversary. Indra then sought the private audience of the Deva Guru, Brihaspati. When he sought his counsel, Brihaspati offered him advice pregnant with wisdom and reason. He instructed Indra about the supremacy of Daiva(fate). He reminded him that even the trinity are subjected to the vicissitudes to Fate. He however guided him that though one must always keep this thought in mind, it only befits the wise to perform their duty to the best of their capability, regardless of the outcome. Brihaspati then chanted mantras to enhance the chances of victory for the Devas. Indra however was quite rattled by Brihaspati's words and decided to solicit Brahma's advice on the matter. Indra was then assured of the Trinity's support in the war. Submerged by the bedlam of cymbals, drums, war cries and trumpets the two armies confronted each other. Rudra riding his bull, Vishnu seated on Garuda, Brahma on his swan, Indra on Airvata, Yama on his Buffalo along with Kubera, Varuna, Surya Agni and the others seated on their respective vahanas confronted the terrible Mahishasura who was accompanied by a host of other powerful demons like Tamra, Chiksura, Asiloma, Vidala and so on. The sky was obfuscated by the shower of weapons like Khadgas, Shoolas, Swords, Arrows, Parighas and so on.

The mighty Chiksura, filled with demonic rage launched a deadly assault on Indra. Indra cut off all his arrows and severely wounded Chiksura by his Ardhachandra arrow. The powerful Vidala then launched an all out attack on Indra. Indra cut of all of his opponent's arrows with arrows charged with serpentine energy and then struck his elephant with his mace. As his elephant fled in terror, Vidala came back on his chariot. Indra was then assailed by Vidala's deadly volley of weapons. With his chariot being driven by Jayanta, Vasava then fiercely attacked the asura. Finally five well aimed arrows of Jayanta knocked the demon into unconsciousness. The loud acclamations of victory on the Deva's side kindled the demon Mahisha's wrath. He ordered Tamra to attack. He faced Yama with his staff and Varuna carrying his noose. Yama struck Tamra violently with his staff. Despite the strong blow, Tamra stood firm and shot an array of deadly arrows at the Deva Sena. The devas too showered arrows at him in retaliation. Heavily wounded by the encounter Tamra too was defeated. The irate Mahisha charged at the Deva Sena with his mace hurtling violently through the air. Indra then met him in combat and incinerated his weapon using his thuderbolt(Vajra Ayudha).

Mahishasura, the master of Wizardry, conjured up an illusion known as Samvari Maya. In an instant thousands of Mahishasuras appeared. This act of the asura was received differently by different people. The Munis were amazed at his prowess and capability. The Devas were rooted in fear. The supreme Lord of the Universe Mahashambhu, the all knowing and all powerful one, however was pleased by Mahsishasura's mettle. Vishnu destroyed the illusion with his Sudarshana Chakra. As the Trinity appeared on the battle field, Ugrâsya, Ugravîrya, Asilomâ, Trinetra, Vâskala, Andhaka and other warriors came up to fight.
The demon Andhaka ran upto Maha Vishnu and shot five deadly arrows at the Preserver of the Universe. Vishnu then cut off these arrows and a violent conflict ensued between the two of them causing horripilation to the onlookers. They attacked each other with various weapons and arrows, swords, discus, Musala, clubs, S’akti, and Paras'u.Thus severe fights ensued between Vâskala and Indra,Mahisa and Rudra, Trinetra and Yama, Mahâ Hanu and Kuvera, Asilomâ and Varuna.
Andhaka then injured Garuda by striking him with his weapon. After a fierce duel Maha Vishnu then struck Andhaka with the Kaumodaki Gadha and made the demon unconcious. Seeing Andhaka defeated, Mahisha bellowed with rage and appeared before Vishnu. Vishnu then made a thundering sound with his Panchajanya that instilled fear in the hearts of the asuras. At the end of a fierce confrontation with Mahisha, the asura hurled his Parigha at Vishnu and injured him. Thereupon Mahisha was engaged in battle by Rudra who pierced the demon with his sharp trident. At this, the fiend struck Rudra back with enormous force. Keshava then rejoined the battle. The buffalo like Mahisha cast mountains at Maheswara and Mahavishnu. Finally Maha Vishnu struck the demon with his Sudarshana Chakra that rendered Mahisha temporarily unconscious.

The demon then abandoned his buffalo form and assumed the form of a lion. He then charged at Garuda and scratched him and Vishnu with his sharp claws. Then assuming the form of the buffalo he struck Vishnu violently with his two horns. Garuda then carried the heavily injured Vishnu to Vaikuntha. Seeing Vishnu leave and realizing that nothing could be accomplished by prolonging the battle Rudra and Brahma too left for their respective abodes. The devas however stood their ground. Surya, Yama, Kubera, Varuna, Indra and Agni, all fought with the Asuras to the best of their abilities. Mahishasura however was crushing their army with utmost ease. Trampling many Devas to death, piercing some other with his razor sharp horns and lashing at others violently with his tail, the violent beast in the midst of the dead bodies and macabre resembled Death itself. Accepting defeat the Devas fled the scene leaving behind Ucchaisravas, Airavata and Surya's divine cow.
Having emerged victorious, the Danavas proceeded to the heavens and Mahisha captured the coveted throne of Devendra. With the Devas banished from the heavens and the Trinity defeated it seemed that the side of Good had lost the battle. The grotesque head of the Mephistopheles was glaring down upon the three realms with everything held tightly in its firm and deadly grasp. In this hour of despondency when Darkness had triumphed and anarchy had taken the reigns, the world sank into oblivion. But all was not over yet....

इत्थं यदा यदा बाधा दानवोत्था भविष्यति ॥५४॥

तदा तदाऽवतीर्याहं करिष्याम्यरिसंक्षयम् ॥ॐ॥५५॥

( Whenever malevolence takes shape in the form of a fiend/demon and ravages people's happiness then I shall appear on the scene to relieve the innocent of their suffering by vanquishing these nefarious foes)

Devi Bhagavata Purana: The divine narrative of Goddess Durga

2013-02-10T02:55:00.004-08:00

In the days of yore there lived a demon king by the name of Danu. He had two sons, Rambha and Kharambha. They were blessed with all forms of happiness and prosperity. The lack of progeny was , however, a source of worry for them. In order to beget a child both Rambha and Kharambha engaged themselves in severe penance. Rambha meditated on Agni, under a peepul tree haunted by Yakshinis. Kharambha on the other hand got himself submerged under water and practiced severe austerities.

On observing Rambha engaged in the worship of the Pancha-Agnis, Indra, the lord of the Devas, was troubled. He assumed the form of a crocodile and devoured Kharambha, who was then engaged in severe penance. Grief-stricken by his brother's death at the hands of Devendra, Rambha decided to end his own life. At this juncture Agni appeared before him and offered to grant him any boon he desired. Filled with a burning desire for retribution, Rambha asked for a boon to beget a son who was endowed with extraordinary might. He also wished for the downfall of the Devas at the hands of his powerful son. Agni bestowed the boon upon him that he would beget such a prodigious issue who would rule the three realms. Rambha came in contact with a she-buffalo with whom he chose to cohabit. The impregnated buffalo was taken to asura loka by Rambha, in order to safeguard his child. As fate would have it, a male buffalo was deeply enamored by this she-buffalo and pursued her whereupon he engaged in a deadly combat with Rambha which ultimately resulted in Rambha's demise. Terrified, the she-buffalo sought refuge under the Yakshas who guarded the peepul tree under which Rambha practiced his austerities. Taking pity on her pathetic condition, the Yakshas decided to protect her and then killed the male buffalo. When they were about to cremate Rambha, the she-buffalo too decided to immolate herself in the same funeral-pyre. Before anyone could stop her from doing so she jumped into the fire. At that moment, Mahisa emerged from her womb and out of the love for his son, Rambha too emerged out of the flames as the terrible Raktabija. With blood-shot eyes, consumed by the fire of revenge and hatred, Raktabija and his son Mahishasura stood in front of the raging flames that consumed Rambha and his wife's body waiting eagerly to exact their revenge on the Devas. This marked the beginning of a great showdown between the two eternally antagonistic forces of good and evil that constantly strive to emerge victorious against the other. As these events, that formed the threshold of a great battle, were taking shape, the Devas elsewhere, were making merry, not knowing the nefarious force that was about to take them by storm!

जयन्ती मङ्गला काली भद्रकाली कपालिनी ।
दुर्गा शिवा क्षमा धात्री स्वाहा स्वधा नमोऽस्तु ते ॥२॥

Tripura Rahasya

2013-01-31T09:37:00.001-08:00

The ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu are well known. Amongst them Lord Parasurama was known for his fractiousness. His father, Jamadagni, was a great hermit who had acquired lot of merit on account of his severe austerities. His mother, Renuka Devi, was considered to be an incarnation of the supreme goddess herself. Parasurama was always at loggerheads with the Kshatriyaas. One day when Parasurama was not present, the Kshatriyaas ravaged his hermitage and murdered his father. Burning in the crucible of his ire, he took an oath to eliminate each and every one of their kind on earth including the incipient children. Upon his father's demise his mother wanted to immolate herself in the same pyre. Carrying his dead father on one shoulder and his mother on the other Parasurama was walking through the woods. It was then that he met the avadhuta (naked saints) named Dattatreya, the illustrious and erudite son of Anasuya, also known to be the incarnation of Maha Vishnu himself. After paying his respects to Renuka Devi, Dattatreya was asked by her to guide Parasurama along the path to liberation. Later the irate Parasurama upon hearing about the exploits of the divine incarnate Lord Rama, decided to confront and challenge him to a duel. However this encounter humbled Parasurama, who lost almost all of his yogic powers on this occasion. On his way back, Parasurama met the great avadutha Samvarta, Brihaspati's brother. The palpable aura and peace that Samvarta exuded intrigued Parasurama. This sparked in him a yearning to explore the ethereal realm.

He took refuge under Dattatreya and sought spiritual guidance from his preceptor. From this point onwards continues one of the greatest works on advaita philosophy, in the form of several anecdotes narrated by Dattatreya to his pupil. These accounts are filled with divine nectar and are capable of conferring moksha on all those who contemplate upon its true meaning and import. This work entitled Tripura Rahasya is a guide to facilitate the understanding of the self and enables the truth seekers to cast away the sheath of nescience and materialism.

It transforms every instant of our life into a sublime experience turning the fuming volcanic crater of sorrow and misery into a cool caldera of supreme bliss.

Om Nama Shivaya!

Shakambari Devi: Killing of Durgama

2011-08-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

In the olden times there lived an asura called Durgama(son of Ruru). In order to defeat the devas he hatched an evil plan. He realized that the oblations of ghee given to Agni(fire) during a sacrifice along with the chanting of Vedic mantras energized the devas. He therefore came to the conclusion that in the absence of the Vedas the devas would no longer be continually energized and therefore would gradually grow weak with time . He performed severe austerities in order to please the creator Lord Brahma. Pleased with his sincerity and devotion Brahma deva offered to grant him a boon. The asura then asked for the boon that all the Vedas should come into his possession and the boon was granted by Brahma.

Soon the Brahmins forgot all the Vedas and as foreseen by Durgama all the devas lost their powers and their divine lustre. Durgama then took over the heavens and drove out the celestials. It also stopped raining on earth as the homams which were responsible for ensuring regular rainfall were not being performed any longer. Chaos and anarchy reigned the earth as famines and droughts disrupted all forms of life. With drudgery and despondency reaching new heights with every passing day the sages, burdened by oppression, fear and suffering, took shelter in the caves of mount Sumeru. With no other recourse left the sages began to pray to the Highest Devi, the primal force(Adya Shakthi), the one who eternally remains in the company of the most powerful and supreme deity Maha Shambhunatha.

Upon hearing the desperate cries of her children, the divine mother, who responds at once to the call of her devotees, filled with compassion, gave the sages her darshan. She had a blue body with about hundred eyes all over her body(Satakshi). She had four hands. One of them was holding arrows while the other was holding a bow. The other hand was holding a lotus while in another one she was holding a lot of juicy fruits and vegetables(Shakambari). She distributed these fruits and vegetables to everyone and appeased their hunger. Then for nine consecutive days she cried ,with an endless stream of tears flowing down from all the hundred eyes over her body thereby replenishing all the dried up sources of water with the indispensable elixir of life. Thus all the lands became green again ,throbbing with life.

Upon hearing about the appearance of the Devi, the asura Durgama intending to launch an all out assault brought out his entire army of 1000 akshouhinis and marched ahead to meet the devi in combat, with a huge uproar. The Devas ,the Brahmins and the Devi confronted the asura army. The sky was covered with a flurry of arrows which seemed to cast a shadow on the sun. The devi then cast a protective circle around the devas and the Brahmins and stood outside the circle. Multiple forms then emerged from the devi. In an instant the battle field was filled with numerous devis:Kali,Tara,Dhumavati,Bagalamukhi,Chinnamasta,Bhairavi,Matangi,Kamala,Bhuvaneshwari,Tripura Sundari,Tujala Devi,Mohini,Kamakshi,Jambhini,Guhya Kalis and many others.

Among these sakthis the first ten are prominently known as the Dasa Mahavidyas. With these innumerable number of devis combating the rakshasa army, they were soon obliterated. Then the devi faced the most powerful of them all, Durgama. In order to restore the state of order and peace back to the earth, the Devi unleashed a fatal array of arrows, charged with her divine energy, upon Durgama and thus put an end to the imbalance created by this fiend.

As the devi had killed Durgama she acquired the name Durga. All the devas including the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra, began to sing glorious hymns praising the Supreme Shakthi. The devi thus restored peace to the three realms and returned the Vedas to the Brahmins reminding them to always remember her, sing her praises and read her glorious deeds.

Reading about the glorious deeds of the Divine Mother gives the reader the benefit of performing several hundred Ashvamedha Yagyas. The one who reads this story or narrates it will be blessed with all kinds of prosperity and happiness in his life. Also the one who remembers and chants the names Satakshi and Durga will be able to unveil the Maya around him ,realize the ultimate truth and will attain Moksha .

Prior to narrating the story of Sri Satakshi Devi Vyasa(the narrator) makes a specific mention of its ethereal and consecrating nature. This story is to be told only to those who are genuinely interested in knowing about the lilas of the Primeval Shakthi. Those who immerse themselves in the consecrating waters of this episode contained in the Puranic lore are indubitably the chosen ones.

In Devi Mahatmyam it is mentioned that these forms of the Devi viz. Shakambari and Satakshi are rare and therefore a secret fit to be disclosed only to a select few.

Salutations to the Divine Mother who has used my humble self as a tool to relay this great and holy episode, filled with divine nectar, to everyone using this platform.

THIRUVADHIGAI VEERATTANAM: A PLACE OF CURE FOR GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASES

2011-05-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

MAHA SHAMBHUNATHAR

Previously we had spoken about the story behind Lalithasahasranama in which we saw the destruction of Bhandasura by the devi herself. The evil rakshasa called Mahishasura existed before Bhandasura who was also slain by the devi who took the form of Durga. There is a subtle difference between these two samharas. While Mahishasura symbolised raw evil Bhandasura symbolised a more metamorphosed form of evil. Bhandasura represented the evil that had evolved from its nascent callowness to its matured and more subtle form, masquerading under the name of ego. This additional characteristic of evil made it formidable and demanded of the devi a more powerful form. It is this anava or the I factor which we must try to conquer in order to realise the Paramatman. It is one among the triple impurities present in humans that we must get rid of inorder to transcend to higher planes of spirituality.

Thiruvadhigai Veerattanam is situated on the banks of the river Kedilam,23 km from Vizhupuram in a place called Panruti. The main deity of the temple is Lord Shiva known as Veeratteshwarar. He is a svyambhu lingam (natural formation) with 16 faces(konams).The presiding female deity is goddess Tripurasundari also known as Periyanaayaki.The sthala vriksha of this temple is the Konrai tree. There are separate shrines for Vinayaka,Tripurantakar,Bhairavar,Murugan,Dakshinamurthy,Tirunavukkarasar and Tilakavathi Ammayaar.

Legend has it that it was at this very place where Lord Shiva destroyed the three floating cities, an incident popularly known as the Tripura Samharam.Eons ago,there lived an asura named Tarakasura who had three sons Vidhyunmaali,Taarakkaksha and Kamalaaksha. By virtue of their rigorous penance they obtained a boon from Brahma the creator that they could not be conquered by anyone save somebody who could destroy their three impregnable fortresses of copper,silver and gold simultaneously. Though they were very peaceful by nature yet Indra was jealous of their prosperity and somehow wanted to destroy them. By propagating vicious lies of a new dharma which ruled out the existence of hell and heaven ,Indra tricked the Asuras into revealing their truly hideous nature and thus they created a state of anarchy in all the three worlds as they lost their fear of sanction and ceased to perform their regular worship of the Shiva Linga and the Saaligrama. There upon the devas approached Lord Shiva and sought refuge under him. The gods then embarked on a quest to vanquish the three sons of Tarakasura. Lord Shiva rode a chariot in which Brahma was the charioteer and the four vedas the steeds. The sun and moon were its wheels. Finally Lord Shiva created a bow from the Meru mountain with Vasuki as the bow string. Lord Vishnu became his arrow and Agni became the arrow's blazing tip. Finally in order to restore order and peace to the three worlds Lord Shiva destroyed all the three fortresses simultaneously by releasing the arrow which reduced the three cities to ashes instantaneously.Another account tells us that Lord Shiva destroyed the three fortresses by his smile thus incinerating the three asuras who are in reality symbolic of the triple impurities in human beings:ego,karma and maya. Only when we destroy these three malas/impurities i.e. Anava Mala,Karma Mala and Maya Mala in us we can become recipients of Lord Shiva's divine grace and compassion. Needless to say Thiruvadhigai Veerattanam is the best place for us to go when we want to cleanse our soul and rid it of these imperfections.It is only at this very sacred spot the Lord himself mitigates these maladies that corrupt the human soul.
The temple is built like a ratha(chariot). This is to symbolize the chariot which Lord Shiva used for Tripura Samhara.

The temple has been visited by Thirugnana Sambandhar Thirunavukkarasar and Sundarar. Appar( better known as Tirunavukkarasar) was born in a Saivite family. He lost his parents when he was young and his only living relative was his sister Thilakavati Ammaiyar whose only aim was to take care of her brother. Thilagavathi Ammaiyar was a staunch saivite while Appar turned to Jainism much to her discontent. Once Appar suffered from a severe stomach ache and the Jain monks were not able to cure him. No amount of mantras seemed to have any effect on him. Appar was taken to his sister in Thiruvadigai

and he begged her to cure him. Thilagavathi

Ammaiyar took her brother to the temple.

Taking some holy ash, she rubbed it on his

stomach and asked him to ingest some. He found

immediate relief and he sang his first padigam in

the Verattaneshwarar temple and Lord

Shiva,pleased with his singing ,conferred upon

him the title 'Navukku Arasar'(the king of the

tongue) in recognition of his literary and

linguistic prowess.

This temple is therefore said to be the sole

recourse for people suffering from

gastrointestinal ailments, ulcers, and jaundice.

Even today when people with such ailments sing

the song 'Kutraiyina Varu..' with devotion in

their hearts Lord Shiva immediately comes to

their rescue. By the therapeutic gaze of the Lord

these ailments are obliterated .

Oh Maha Shambhu we seek your divine feet.

May the aura of your infinite wisdom and your

boundless grace engulf all of your creations

conferring upon them prosperity and happiness.

http://www.saivam.org.uk/siddhandha/docs/THI

RUMURAI/thiru04_1.pdf

(verses 1-10)

THE STORY BEHIND LALITHASAHASRANAMA :THE FINAL PART

2011-01-20T07:42:00.000-08:00

DEVI LALITHA TRIPURASUNDARI

Goddess Parashakthi then appeared before them holding a book in one hand and a rosary of beads in the other. Her face was cool and radiant like the moon.When Maha Shambhunathar was beseech ed by relentless requests from the Gods ,he told them the way to appease Devi Parashakthi. He told the celestial beings that the Maha Yaga had to be performed and that he himself would conduct the Yagya for the sake of restoring a state of order and peace in the Universe. Saying thus he asked the celestial beings to return to devaloka and assured them that the present state of anomie was just a temporary one ,thus assuaging their fears. Lord Shambhunatha then entered the Universe in the form of the seven layered Vayu. One of the seven cosmic oceans that had dried up was used as the altar and after Vayu blew away the remaining water in it ,Chidagni was used to kindle the sacrificial flame.And thus the great Yagya was conducted with the six great comic oceans being offered as six drops of ghee into the altar. The two pralaya meghas(clouds) were used ,as spoons,to give the aahuti(offering). The creations/shrishtis were classified into five types and all of these five types of creations were offered to the great sacrificial fire as sacrificial animals.The stars festooned the corners of the altar in place of flowers which are normally used for such decorative purposes in Yagyas. Finally Lord Shambhunatha asked all the gods to jump into the sacrificial fire.

ASHWARUDHA DEVI

SAMPATKARI DEVI

After a moments hesitation, all the gods, including the trinity and their spouses, jumped into the fire.Then out of the fire emerged the Devi in the form of Lalitha Tripurasundari seated on a golden plate. She was in the form of a sixteen year old girl and the age sixteen has been chosen deliberately as the Devi is an amalgamation of the powers of the 16 nithya devis. The goddess was seated on a chariot called Chakra Raja Ratha. She was armed with multiple weapons. She then created a form of a Parabrahman from within herself called Kameshwara and married him. Then step by step she created Brahma and Lakshmi from her left eye,Vishnu and Parvathi from her right eye and Shiva-Saraswathi from her third eye. Lakshmi,Saraswathi and Parvathi represent the Saatvik,Raajasik and Taamasik aspects of the Super Goddess’s power.She then started the process of creation all over again as the sanctity of her creations had been desecrated by Bhandasura’s evil. One by one, she created the Vedas,the Sun,the Moon,fire,darkness,the nine planets,the penal code,poetries,plays,shastras,mountains and so on and so forth.She then created Bala Devi from her heart,Goddess Matangi from her intellect and Goddess Varahi from her ego.She also created goddess Ashwarudha from her pasam and Devi Sampatkari from her ankusha. Later on she created the Goddess Nakuleshwari (Vaageshwari)from her cheeks and Goddess Gayatri from her Kundalini Shakthi.

GODDESS VARAHI

MANTRINI DEVI

She made Mantrini Devi(Matangi) her prime minister and gave her a ring. With Ashwarooda Devi riding Aparijit(a horse) , Sampatkari Devi seated on Ranakolahalam(an elephant),Goddess Varahi riding her chariot Kirichakra and Mantrini Devi riding her chariot Geyachakra, Goddess Lalithaparameshwari marched to battle with her innumerable number of Yoginis. Then from the bird in Mantrini Devi’s hand appeared Dhanurveda who gave her a quiver called akshaya(unlimited).The deafening stentorian of Lalitha Devi made the evil forces tremble with fear. Her clarion call was in fact ringing a death knell to the asura clan.When the news of Lalitha Devi’s march to battle reached the capital of Bhandasura’s Kingdom(Shunyaka) Vishanga and Vishukra were contriving about a nefarious plot to surreptitiously assess the strength of the Devi’s Army. However the conceited Bhandasura dismissed their well founded fears as meaningless and silly. Meanwhile he instructed Kutilaksha to lead the forces and asked his priests to perform abhichara homa(black magic). With Kutilaksha appointing Durmada to lead the army and he ,riding a camel ,was engaged in a fierce duel with Sampatkari Devi who finally killed him.

THE SIXTEEN NITHYADEVIS

Later Ashwarudha Devi faced a deadly onslaught from his enraged elder brother Kurunda.Finally she delivered a fatal blow with her spear. Later they unleashed the lethal serpent army upon the Devi Sena and at that moment Goddess Nakuleshwari appeared riding an eagle and subdued the serpent arsenal by creating a vast army of mongooses which gobbled up the new born serpents.She killed the Nagarakshasas by unleashing the deadly Garudastram.Then the devis were faced by a new kind of predicament. Rakshasas born to Kikasa had the ability to blind their opponents in battle by virtue of a boon that they had received from the Sun god that he would reside in their eyes.In the face of this adversity Varahi’s attendant Tiraskarini Devi riding her aeroplane Tamoliptam blinded these asuras by deploying her Andhanastram.Then Bhandasura’s brother Vishanga with his predilection for vulpine thoughts decided to attack the Devi Sena from the rear. And simultaneously Kutilaksha attacked them at the front. Even though the Devis were taken aback by this stealthy attack they immediately recovered from the shock and began to attack the armies fiercely. By the light provided by Jvalamalini and Vahnivasini the Nithya devis were able to discern the asuras hiding in the dark and thus exterminated them.The devi was extremely pleased by their pugilistic skills and their pageantry. Jvalamalini then made a wall of fire around the Devi to protect her. The next day Bhandasura in desperation sent his 30 sons to battle all of who were killed by Bala Devi. Ambal however was very disturbed by their sly warfare. Vishukra then planted Vighna yantras at strategic positions in the fire wall and as a result of the inebriating influence of his dark magic there was a sporadic outbreak of callousness,apathy and laxity among the devi’s attendants. Finally devi summoned her son Ganesha who destroyed these yantras and thus broke the influence of the evil imprecation. Later the asuras tried to create a feeling of intense thirst among the devi sena and to counter this cunning technique Varahi Devi summoned Mayasamudra who relieved the Devi Sena of their thirst by showering liquor rains. Finally Vishanga was killed by Varahi with her pestle and Vishukra was killed by Mantrini Devi.

BALA DEVI

At last Bhandasura faced Devi Lalitha Tripurasundari herself in combat. He then invoked the pent up dark energy inside him and from him emerged all the asuras like Hiranyakashipu,Hiranyaksha,Raavana,Kumbhakarna etc. The Ten incarnations of Vishnu then came out of the Devi’s fingernails to kill these rakshasas. Then sensing the swirling vortex of negative energy inside him she finally unleashed the Pasupatastra which annihilated both Bhandasura and his capital Shunyaka. Though she obliterated the asura yet Mahishasura and Bhandasura are merely representatives of our ego and our evil qualities. They are the figures of evil created by the coalescence of the dark energy inside us all.

Thus even today the battle continues as the divine forces of the Devi fight against the malevolence that stains our minds and our hearts. As her children we must ensure our divine mother’s victory by fostering the sublime essence of divinity in our hearts and jettison away our garrison of bad thoughts thereby making it a suitable place where the Almighty can reside. Those who have immersed their heart and soul in the consecrating waters of our divine mother’s history will be rid of all the sins that they might have committed in the past and will be recipients of our divine mother’s boundless grace and compassion.

THE STORY BEHIND LALITHASAHASRANAMA

2011-01-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

The asuras reduced their body size to an atomic level.Like air-borne viruses they entered the bodies of all the gods and goddesses and drained their body fluids.

All the heavenly beings began to loose their luster and also their ability to procreate. These air-borne rakshasas in minuscule form also began to affect other life forms in a similar way.

All the gods,even the trinity and their spouses, were not spared of this agony. Finally all of them decided to take refuge under Vishnu. When they approached him they found that he and Lakshmi too were afflicted by the foul play of Bhandasura. When Lord Vishnu was asked about how Bhandasura could be stopped he revealed the existence of a supreme being called Maha Shambhu who was all knowing and all powerful. He told them that Maha Shambhu and his spouse Parashakthi were the only two beings in the entire universe who were not affected by Bhandasura's noxious influence. Maha Shambhu otherwise known as Adi Shiva was the highest among the highest. He was the embodiment of supreme consciousness. The immaculate sheen of his purity , his unparalleled intellect and his unfathomable power engulfed all his creations from the tiniest of microorganisms to the largest of living beings and bathed them in the divine light of his wisdom. Being present along with his consort Parashakthi in every atom he is a witness to all our deeds.Destiny ,that controls even the life of Gods,bows its head down in submission in front of this Lord of the Universe.Lord Vishnu concluded that Maha Shambhunathar alone could provide a panacea to this predicament. Saying thus Vishnu along with all the other gods traveled to the edge of the universe to meet Lord Shambhunatha.

Having reached the place the gods along with their vast arsenal made an effort in making a small hole through the wall so that they could enter Shambhunathar's fortress. After trying for almost a year they finally manged to gain entry into the fortress. Upon entering they prayed to Maha Shambhunathar to appear in front of them. Lord Maha Shambhunatha then gave them his darshan. His form resembled that of Lord Shiva i.e. he too had three eyes, a kapala (skull) in one hand and a shoola in the other. Upon seeing the gods he smiled and told them that though he used to be in the form of Chidaksha yet he appeared before them in a different form so as to appease the basal intellects of all those who needed a form for the perception of anyone/anything. Looking at the woebegone countenances of the gods he told them that they all had to learn an important lesson from the incident. It was that no one should ever interfere with the course of destiny lest their actions may trigger the chain reaction setting in motion a chain of events that would have horrendous manifestations just like the birth of Bhandasura in their case. He further elaborated that Lord Shiva had tampered with the very fabric of fate when he burnt Manmadhan to ashes. It was destined that Manmadhan would cast his arrow of lust at Shiva and that as a result of it Lord Muruga would be born to Lord Shiva and Devi Parvathi who would slay Tarakasura in order to restore peace.

He explained to the Gods that pralaya or the deluge was of three kinds

1.Kaama Pralaya

2.Aavantara Pralaya

3.Maha Pralaya

He explained to them that Lord Vishnu would save them from Aavantara Pralaya. He also told them that the present problem came under Kaama Pralaya and that Devi Parashakthi alone could save them in such a situation.

The Story Behind Lalithasahasranama

2011-01-16T06:41:00.000-08:00

LORD MAHA SHAMBHUNATHAR

In an age when there was a constant power struggle between the devas and asuras ,there lived an asura of the name Tarakasura.By virtue of his penance he obtained a boon from the creator,Brahma himself, that he could only be killed by a son born to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. Having obtained this boon he began to harass the devas. The troubled devas decided to take matters into their own hands and appointed the God of Love Manmadhan to the task of disturbing Lord Shiva from his tapas by arousing amorous feelings in him towards his consort Parvathi so that the prophecy may come true and that they may beget a son who would slay Tarakasura. Despite the dire warnings issued by his wife, Rathi, Manmadhan proceeded to the spot where Shiva was meditating and aimed his arrow of lust at the Lord.

Sensing Manmadhan's presence and enraged by the blasphemous outrage that he had perpetrated Lord Shiva reduced him to ashes. Meanwhile one of Lord Shiva's ganas of the name Chitrakarman modeled a human form of Manmadhan's ashes and brought it to the Lord. The moment Lord Shiva set his eyes upon it, it sprang to life and upon the advice given by Chitrakarman he recited Rudram with great devotion in order to please Lord Shiva. . Indeed the ways of fate are mysterious and inconceivable.

Immensely pleased by his devotion Lord Shiva appeared before him and granted him two boons. The first one being that he would rule the earth for over 60,000 years and the second that at any instance of combat he would acquire half of his opponent's power .On witnessing the Lord conferring these boons upon him Brahma screamed Bhand meaning shame in Sanskrit. Thus he acquired the name Bhandasura.

From the ashes of Manmadhan came Bhandasura's 2 brothers Vishukra and Vishanga along with thousands of other demons. Having established his kingdom at Shunyaka he decided to torment the gods.

To be continued...

THE VISIT TO THIRUAVADUTHURAI

2010-12-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

Thirumandiram written by Tirumular is my favorite work. The book is most certainly one of the magnum opus of Ram Krishna Matam and is a treasure trove of priceless spiritual information. Upon being exposed to this timeless work it is not any surprise that I developed a burning desire to visit Thiruavaduthurai ,the place where the great sage Thirumular composed this ethereal work.

The legend says that the sage in his previous life was the great Sundarar himself. When Sundarar was traveling in the form of an anu(atom) in the air he witnessed a very poignant scene. A cowherd had died and his body was surrounded by a herd of cows lamenting over their master's death. Moved by this sight the sage Sundarar practiced the technique of transmigration and thus his soul entered the body of the cowherd Moolan. The Almighty's ways are indeed inconceivable and mysterious. Who but him the lord of the serpents would have known that this act of transmigration orchestrated by him would result in the composition of one of the greatest works of Saiva Siddhanta ever!

The process of finding the exact location of the temple was a herculean task indeed. Battling against the scorching heat of the April sun, finally ,by the grace of the lord ,we reached the temple.As the temples usually open only at 4:00 pm we had to wait an hour or so. Outside the temple there were a lot of small statues of various gods and goddesses such as Varahi, Maheshwari, Brahmi, Koumari ,Bhairava etc. Then after waiting for sometime finally the temple pujari arrived and opened the temple doors.The Nandi of the temple is huge.Though the temple is said to be under the control of the Aadheenam it is in a very pitiable condition.Sadly, apathy and neglect seem to desecrate the holiness of the place. The shiva linga in this temple is a svayambhu lingam and he is called Gomukthishwarar. This is because the goddess ,who had taken the form of a cow, worshiped lord shiva and finally the lord appeared before her and she ,shedding her cow form, attained her original divine form.

The name of the goddess of this temple is Oppillaamulaiammai. Besides lord shiva and goddess parvathi there is also a shrine dedicated to the saint Thirumular who composed Thirumandiram

in this very temple.

Tirugnanasambandar, Appar and Sundarar have sung devaram here. Arunagirinathar has sung a thiruppugazh here.

There is reference to this temple in Thiruvasakam,Thirumandiram,Periya Puranam and Thiruvisaipa.

To fulfill ones desires:

"Marayavan Oru Maanivandadaya....."

Sundarar Devaram

To live in prosperity:

"Idarinum thalarinum...."

Thirugnanasambandhar

Let us pray to Gomuktheeshwarar and Oppillaamulaiammai for their blessings.

NAMA SHIVAYA

SHIVAYA NAMAHA

2010-12-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

Lord Shiva, the Supreme Being, the embodiment of tranquility , resplendent with the aura of pure intellect, is my favorite deity. Being a recipient of his infinite love and grace I feel that every individual should be a receptacle of his boundless compassion and grace.

The world is plagued by suffering and in these dark times none but the divine feet of the lord could save us from the myriad of problems that surround us. In this site I will be posting information on the different temples that I have visited , their significance and the thirumurai padalgal (songs on lord Shiva) sung in these temples. For every predicament there is a specific thirumurai padal ,which when sung with devotion ,can relieve us of that problem.

I pray to lord Shiva to help me use this site as a platform to form a fraternity of Shiva devotees. As Manikkavasagar says ,“Avan arulale avan thaal vanangi”, let him confer upon us his timeless grace to enable us to attain his feet.