Wednesday, May 14, 2008

MARUTHAMALAI TEMPLE - COIMBATORE

MARUDHAJALA MOORTHI

PAMPPATTI SIDDHAR CAVE








The word "Marudhachalapathy" or "Maruthamalai Andavar" means Master of Hills, abounding in Marudha trees. The name has also a legendary origin. A Siddha, overcome by excessive thirst and tiredness, sought shelter under the shade of a Marudha tree and prayed to the mercy of the Lord Muruga for a shower of water, which sprang at once as though by a miracle from beneath the tree! As water gushed out from the roots of the marudha tree, the Siddha leaped in joy, glorifying Muruga as the Lord of "Marudha" and "Jalam" (water) with the passage of time, "Marudhajalapathi" became "Marudhachalapathy" or "Marudhachalamoorthy".

The "Pambatti Siddhar Cave" is another shrine attracting our attention. It is located on the slopes towards the South-east of the temple. It is reported that a snake charmer who became a Siddha used this cave as his abode for meditation on Lord Muruga and attained "Salvation" here. Here one can notice the image of the snake on the rock not carved but formed of its own accord.

The "Marudha Thirtam" and the"Pambatti Sunai" are springs on the hills with holy waters for ablution and a dip in them cures a number of diseases for they contain Medicinal Properties.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

SIVA PURANAM - PANNIRU THIRUMURAIGAL

LORD NATARAJA

SIVA PURANAM - PANNIRU THIRUMURAIGAL

Sung by one of the 63 Nayanmars - MANICKAVASASAGAR


"OM"
THIRUCHITRAMBALAM

" THOLLAI IRUM PIRAVI, SULUM THALI NEENGI... ALLAL ARUTHU ANANDHAM AAGIYADHE YELLAI MARUVA NERI ALLIKUM, VADHAVUR YEM KON, THIRUVASAGAM YENUM THEN"

Namashivaya valgha, nathan thaal valgha,
Imai polluthum en nenjil neegathan thaal valgha.

Kokali aanda gurumanithan thaal valgha,
agamam aagi nindra annippan thaal valgha,
yegan anegan iraivan adi valgha,
vegam keduthanda vendhan adi velgha,
pirapu arrukum pingyanthan peinkalalgal velga
puratharuku seyonthan poonkalalgal velga
karam kuvivar onguvikum seeron kalal velga

Isan addi potri, endhai addi potri.
Desan addi potri, sivan sevadi potri.
Neyethe nindra nimalan addi potri.
Mayapirapu arrukum manan addi potri.
Serrar perundurai nam devan addi potri.
Aaratha inbam arulum malai potri.

Sivan avan en sindhayul nindra athanal
Avan arulale avan thaal vanangi
Sindhai maghila, sivapuranam thannai
Mundahi vinay muludhum oya, uraipan yaan
kannudhalan than karunai, kan katta vandhe eidhi
yennudharku yetta ellilar kalal irangi
vin nirayindhu maan nirayindu, mikka vilangu oliyay!
en irandhu, ellai illadhane! nin perum seer,
Polla vinayen pugalum aaru ondru ariyen:
Pullaghi poodai, puluvagi maramagi,
paravayay pambuagi, kalai manidharai, peyay kanangalay,
vallasuragi munivarai thevaray, sella nindra i thavara sangamathul,
Ellaa pirapum pirandhu illaithen em perumane!

Meyye!un pon adigal kandu indru veedu utren:
Uyya, en ullathul, ongaramay nindra
Meyya!Vimala!Vidai paga! Vedhangal.
Ayya enna ongi allnthu agandra nuniyane.
Veyay!Thaniyay!Iyamanam vimala!
Poyay enna ellam poyagala , vanduaruli,
Meiganam aagi milirgindra mei chudare!
Eiganam illadhan inba perumane!
Anganam thani agalvikkum nal arive!
Aakam, allavu, irudi, illay,annaithu ullagam, aakuvai,
kappay, alippay, arultharuvay,pokkuvai, ennaipuguvippai
nin tholumpin. Natrathun neriyay!
Seyay!Naniyane!

Mattram manamkaliya
Nindra marayone!
Karandha paal, kannalode nei kalandhal polle, sirandu adiyar sindhanaiyul then oori nindru,
pirandha pirapu arrukum yengal peruman!
Nirangal or ayindhu udayay vinorgal yetha
marindhirundhai, emperuman vallvinayen thannai
marainthida moodiya maya irulai,
aram, pavam, ennum arum kayitral katti,
puranthol porthu, engum pulu aluku moodi,
malam sorum onbadhu vayil kudilai
malanga pulan aindhum vanjanai seyya
vilngum manathal vimala unnaku
kalanthu anbgi kasindhu
ul urugum, nalanthan illadhan siriyerku nalgi,

Nilanthan mel vantharuli nil kalalkal katti,
nayyir kidayay kidandha addiyerku,
thayichirantha thayavana thathuvane!

Mastra sodhi malarndha malrchudre!
Thesane! Thenaramuthe! Sivapurane!
Pasamam pattru arruthu parikum ariyane!
Nesa arul purindhu. Nenjil vanjam keda,
Peradhu nindra, perum karunai perare!
Ara amuthe! Alavu illa pemmane!
Orathar ullathu ollikum oliyane!
Neerai uruki, en aaruyiray nindrane!
Inbamum thunbamum illane! Ullane!
Yavvayumai, allaiyumam sodhiyane!
Thunirrule! Thondra perumayyane!

Adhiyane!andham naduvagi, allane!
Eerthu ennai, aatkonda endhai perumane!
Koortha meiganathal kondunarvartham karruthin
Nokku ariya nokke!Nunaku arriya nun unnarve!
Pokkum varavum punarvum illa punniyane!

Kakum em kavalane, kaanbariya per oliye!
Aatru inba vellame attha mikka nindra!
Thotra chudar oliyay, sollatha nun unannarvai!
Mattramam vaiyagathin vevera vandhu arivam.
Thetrane!Thetra thelive en sindhaniyul
uttrane unn aar amuthe! udayane!

Vetru vigara vidaku udampin utkidappe.
Attren 'Em ayya, arane O endrendru.
Potri pugal thirandhu, poikettu, meyyanar,
meetu ingu vandu vinay piravi sarame.

Kalla pulla kurumbai kattra allika vallane!
Nall irulil nattram payindradum nathane!
Thillayul koothane! Thenpaandi nattane!
Allalpiravi arrupane! O! - yendru, sollarku ariyaanai
sollin thiruvadikeel.. solliya pattin porun unardhu solluvar....

Selvar sivapurathin ullar sivan addi keel
pallorum ettra panindhu.

"THIRUCHITRAMBALAM"





Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Kavadi Temple...


Lord Muruga with Valli & Theivanai


Kavadi


A Congregation of more than 150 Lord Muruga devotees in Peelamedu,Coimbatore takes a padayatra from Coimbatore to Palani Hills during Panguni Uthiram every year. In their activities KAVADI is the most important. They believe kavadi as a embodiment of Lord Muruga. They are having very strong faith on kavadi.

Lord Muruga & their faith on KAVADI inspired them to built a individual temple for KAVADI. They had built that temple in Peelamedu, Coimbatore. This is a most greatful thing. The temple kumbabishekam was sucessfully done by Sivaagama Sirorathna Sri G.C.Yogesha Ganapathi Sivam. He is a embodiment of Lord Shiva's Love.

will resume.........


Thursday, June 01, 2006

Nalvar....

NALVAR

The Tamil land that was excelling in the vaidhika path and shaiva tradition in the ancient times underwent a dark period during 4, 5,6th century ACE, with the invasions from the north that put the Buddhism and more specifically Jainism on the royal throne. The art, architecture and lifestyle of the people that kept them as example of civilization diminished because of the self-punishing and colorless religions. The festivals and worship of God full of love that nourished in the minds of people became like fire covered with ash.

At this time by the Grace of God came the resurgence of the shaivism in the land of God given Tamil happened with the four pillars rising up the glorious light of shaivism. This was a golden period between 7th and 12th centuries. These four traveled through the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu kindling the spiritual confidence that the God is not a difficult one and you all can live blissfully and also get supreme liberation, sing, and hail, worship our Lord Shiva’s fame - the truth of the four holy Vedas! By their tireless effort they brought back the light in the faces of the masses. For bringing about these changes they had to undergo many fatal threats given by the emperors of the land. They were undaunted and roared, "We are slaves only for the Supreme!" The Grace of God acting as the power behind them they won and also brought to their fold the kings who tried to liquidate them. The later two saints kept up the momentum created by the initial two and made the land a real glorious place. The songs of the four guru mar are very vitalizing and nurture the minds to be a mature loveful and wise abode of the Supreme Shiva.

The influence they created through their songs stay even now after a millennium and by the Grace of God should continue to inspire the minds of the generations to come. These beacons of shaivism are the guides the shaiva world looks up to and so they are called samayak kuravargal .

The order in which these four great saints are kept is on the account of the order in which they attained the abode of Lord Shiva. It may be recalled that day of attaining the abode of Lord Shiva is considered much glorious than the day of birth, for example the gurupoojai of the various nayanmar. (5). Though sambandhar was born few decades later than appar, he attained mukthi earlier than appar in his young age. So he is first in
the order.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Perur...

Perur Temple Gopuram

Pattieswarar Pachai Nayagiamman
The Garba graha of this temple was built by Karikala Chola in the early Christian era. It is a Shiva shrine with a Swayambumoorthy. The Sthalapuranam states that when the calf of Kamadhenu was playing in the forest of arasu trees its legs got plunged into a hard object from which blood gushed out. It was then discovered that the object was nothing but a sacred Siva Lingam. Later on a temple came to built over the Moolasthanam which attracted large concourse of people throughout the land. The place became a Vaipu Sthalam in Saivalore. Since it was sung by Saint Appar and by Saint Sundarar in their Devaram.

Spare its entry tower, the bulk of the temple ishidden by the multitude of small commercialestablishments that surround its presence. The towerpainted with modern paint stands out proclaiming theexistence of the temple, the very appearance of thetower conceals the antiquity of this temple datingback to the Sangam period of Tamill history.

For its historical and religious significance, thetemple is relatively moderate in size, especially whencompared to the Saivite temples of the Chola region. The five tiered gopuram mentioned above marks the entrance to the temple. The mandapam encountered as soon as one enters the temple, bears murals representing the life of the Saivaite saints on its ceiling. The Nataraja shrine itself is a work of art. In front of the shrine is a mandapam constructed bythe royal patron Alagadri Nayakar of Madurai, withseveral pillars with life sized images depicting thevarious manifestations of Shiva. Also painted on the ceiling of this mandapam are images depicting scenesfrom Saivite mythology.
Visitors to the temple are confronted with the grandeur of the Kanakasabha hall on their right as they enter the temple. Straight ahead is the main sanctum dedicated to Patteeswarar - Shiva.The sanctum enshrines Shiva in the form of a Shivalingam. Against the rear of the wall is an imageof Kamadhenu. The image of Kamadhenu is movable, anduntil a while ago, the traditional abhshekams to theShivalingam used to be performed with the Kamadhenu positioned above the Shivalingam. Kamadhenu's presenceis in conformity with the legend that Shiva here was worshipped by Patti the daughter of the celestial cow Kamadhenu. An image of Bhoga Shakti is also enshrined in the sanctum.Surrounding the sanctum is the inner circumambulatory passage, with images of the 63 Saivite saints, SahasraLingam, Bhairavar, Surya and Chandra. The nichesaround the sanctum bear shrines to Durga, Dakshinamurthy and other parivara devatas.The outer circumambulatory path leads one to the Ambalshrine, housing an image of Maragathaambaal or Pachainayagiamman. Proceeding further around the externalcircumambulatory path, one reaches the mandapamhousing the processional deities of the Pancha murthis(Ganesha, Subramanya, Somaskanda, Parvati,Chandikeswara) and others. Proceeding further down the circumambulatory path, onereaches the Kanakasabha mandapam, housing an ornate shrine to Nataraja & Sivagami. Keeping with the legend that Shiva here was worshipped by Bhrahma and Vishnu in the forms of the sages Gomuni and Patti muni, there are two additional temples to Shiva on the banks of the temple tank. One of these temples is known as the Arasambalavaanar temple, wherelegend has it that Shiva revealed a vision of his cosmic dance to the two sages. This is also a fullfledged Saivite temple with shrines toArasambalavaanar, Ambaal and others. There are alsoshrines to Bhairavar and Nataraja.

Worship: Five worship services are carried out eachday and this temple resonates with the singing of the Tevaram hymns.

Particular significance is the Arudra Darisanam festival in the month of Maargazhi where thousands of people congregate to celebrate.
The annual festival is celebrated in the Tamil month ofPankuni.
Mondays in the tamil month of Kaartikai areconsidered special and are marked by Shankhabhishekam in the morning and by annabhishekam in the evening.
The Perur Natyanjali dance festival is celebrated inthe month of September where dance programs by leadingartistes are hosted within the precincts of thetemple.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Sri Raghavendrar...

Sri Raghavendrar

Sri Raghavendra (1595 – 1671 A.D.) has a unique place in the lineage of Masters, because He is said to be still living in his ‘samAdhi’ at Mantralayam on the banks of the Tunga-bhadra river in South India. He voluntarily entered this samAdhi in 1671 A.D. and his disciples, on his orders built the structure of the samAdhi over his seated posture from which he left the mortal frame by his own will. He has declared that he will ‘live’ in this samAdhi’ for 700 years. It was God’s Will it seems that Sanku-karNa a close attendant-devotee of Lord Brahma the Creator Himself should be born repeatedly in this earthly world and be a great spiritual leader of humanity. Mantralaya was chosen by the Master as the right spot because the great devotee Prahlada had performed several ritual sacrifices here which makes the spot very auspicious. Also it was the same spot where Lord Rama once sat down in his historic wanderings through the forest .


The celestial Sanku-karNa was first born as Prahlada (in the very first manvantara), again as VibhIshaNa (Ravana's brother) in Rama’s time and again as vyAsa-tIrtha, the spiritual leader of the madhwa school in the 15th century A.D. This leader was the twelfth Pontiff of the Dvaita mutt known by his name. His contributions to the dvaita culture and philosophy and to the growth of the dvaita mutt were many. He establsihed 732 idols of Hanuman all over India. He was the guru of the Vijayanagara kings. He wrote valuable commentaries and propagated the madhwa philosophy very successfully. He initiated the gret devotee
Purandara-dasa who was himself an Avatara of Narada the divine sage.


Then came the avatAra of Sri Raghavendra. Even as a youth Sri Raghavendra then known as Venkatanatha was not interested in worldly pursuits or a married life. The Goddess of Learning appeared before him in person and guided him to decide to throw away his worldly ties, his wife, his kith and kin, and adopt the ochre robe, which is what his own mind wanted. What followed was a long life of renunciation and dedication, ornamented by scores of miracles, several of which have been documented. He wrote more than forty works bearing on the teachings of Madhwa and the dvaita philosophy


In this avatAra Raghavendra captured the imagination of millions through his scholarship, devotion, spirituality, the divine qualities of infinite grace and compassion and his mystical powers of perception and action. It is said that his accumulated merit (= puNya) is so vast that as an enlightened soul he himself has no use for them. In his infinite compassion he lives still in his samAdhi and dispenses this vast store of puNya to those who care to visit his samAdhi or to worship Him and seek His grace. In fact this is the way he says he is helping his favourite God zri-Rama by relieving Him of His burden of removing the miseries of devotees, so that in the long run the devotees may ask from the Lord SrI Rama for the moksha that He alone can bestow. That is why He is thought of as the wish-yielding heavenly tree (= kalpa-vRkSa) or the divine Cow kAma-dhenu which both can bestow on you anything you want, just the moment it is wished. This thought is inbuilt into the following classical prayer traditionally addressed to Sri Raghavendra.


The words satya-dharma-ratAya ca are significant here. Truth (satya) and righteousness (dharma) are the two pillars on which the entire Hindu philosophy and religion stand. And of the two satya is more fundamental and is the one foundation for everything. satya has the top priority in Hindu dharma. It is independent of caste, creed, status of life, profession, tradition, lineage, race or sex. All other dharmas are dependent on satya. So the Ultimate is addressed as satya-dharma in the final prayer contained in verse 15 of ISopanishad: The face of Reality is hidden by the golden container. Reveal it, O Sun, so that I may visualise the Dharma of the Self as Truth. :


The Sun is the only physically visible representative of the Supreme Truth, Divine Light, brahman, in this earthly world - if we cannot see or visualise the whole universe as brahman itself. He is the One therefore, who illuminates us from within. Our limited consciousness has to open up to the Infinite Consciousness represented by the Sun. The allegory of the golden container in the above passage is full of meaning. The sanskrit word pAtra is derived from the definition: pIyate anena iti pAtram -- that by which we 'drink', i.e., experience. We experience the good and bad results of our past karma from this reservoir of our samskAra (store of cultural imprints in the mind) which brings forth our cycle of births and deaths.There are three seeds for this sprouting forth of our samskAras and vAsanAs. The three are: Light (cit), Existence (sat) and Love (Ananda). They respectively activate, our Intelligence from its state of ignorance and inertness, our Life (i.e., birth and death) from its state of formless subtlety and our Mind from its states of love and hate. These activations express themselves in our wish to know, our wish to live, and our wish to enjoy -- these three being in turn sustained by one's father through knowledge, one's mother through food, and one's spouse through pleasure and companionship. (For more on this go to Three fundamental urges ). This then is the whole cycle of our samsAra. The reervoir for all this is the golden container representing the reservoir of all our vAsanAs.The creator, BrahmA, through whom this blossoms in the world as Life, is called HiraNya-garbha (Golden Conception) in this charge of His. So the rays of the Sun which are golden in colour and which constitute the blinding factor for not allowing us to see the Sun, the Reality, constitute, as it were, the golden container of our vAsanAs. The only Seer is the HiraNya-garbha who sees it all through. Our individuality, our names and forms, our inner organ of mind with all its ramifications, its accessories in the form of our sense organs -- all these are created by this HiraNya-garbha, who gives the Light to all of them. He is therefore the savitA, the Sun. So we ask Him, plead with him and request him to remove the blinding rays from himself, because the seeds of our samskAras are with him, so that we can see Him as He really is. He is the One who can make us transcend our individuality and make us see the Oneness of Spirit within. This vision of the dharma of the Self as Truth is Sri Raghavendra.



Thursday, March 02, 2006

Dasaavathar of LORD VISHNU

Lord Vishnu

The preserver god of the Trinity has four hands. The first holds a conch shell (sankha) indicating spread of the divine sound "Om"; one holds a discus (chakra), a reminder of the wheel of time, and to lead a good life; one holds a lotus (Padma) which is an example of glorious existence and the fourth hands holds a mace (gada) indicating the power and the punishing capacity of the Lord if discipline in life is ignored. His vehicle is the swift-flying bird Garuda which can spread the Vedic knowledge with great courage. The dark color of the Lord represents the passive and formless ether, a great quality for a pervading god. He rests on the bed of the powerful, coiled serpent, Seshanag who represents the sleeping universe. Lord Vishnu is also known as Hari, the remover. Lord Vishnu's consort is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth .

Lord Vishnu's preserving, protecting powers have been manifested to the world in a variety of forms, called Avatars, in which one or more of his divine attributes were embodied in the shape of a human being or an animal or a human-animal combined form, possessing great and sometimes supernatural powers. All these Avatars of Vishnu appeared in the world either to correct some great evil or to effect some great good on earth. These avatars are ten in number, however, the Bhag wad Purana increases them to twenty two and adds further that are innumerable.Of the ten universally recognized avatars, nine have already manifested whereas the tenth is yet to appear. It is important to note that the all the Avatars are earthly form of Lord Vishnu , who himself is eternal, unchangeable and immutable.


Matsa Avathar

Kurma Avathar

Varaha Avathar

Narashima Avathar

Vamana Avathar

Parasurama Avathar

Rama Avathar

Balarama Avathar

Krishna Avathar

Kalki Avathar