Significance of Margazhi Masam

From Today the holy month of Margazhi. Shaivites sing Thiruvempavai written by Saint Manicka Vasagar in the temple town of Thiruvannamalai.

The ancient Tamil Nadu saw two important Bhakthi movements , which most probably preceded the philosophical movements of
Adi Sankara and Saint Ramanuja.

The sentinels Bhakthi movement worshipping Lord Shiva were called Nayanmars and those worshipping Lord Vishnu were called Azhwars.

History records the story of 63 Nayanmars and their story is chronicled in a book called “Periya puranam” written by Chekizhar who was an eminent poet of those times.

Among those 63 sages , four Natyanmars were the most important and they were Appar, Thirugnana Sambandar, Thirunavukkarsar and Manika Vasagar.

All of them were great poets and traveled through out Tamil Nadu visiting the shiva temples and composing poems on the deities in each Temple.

The work of Manika Vasagar who was a Kshatriya by caste is called as Thiru vasagam (Holy script).”Thiru Vasagathukku urugar Evvasagathukkum Urugar” meaning,” those who do not melt for Thiruvasagam will never melt for any other book”, is a famous Tamil Saying of those times.

Thiruvempavai is a part of Thiruvasagam and was composed in the temple town of Thiruvannamalai during the month of Margazhi(December-january) when the temple town was celebrating the Pavai Nolumbu.

This is a penance observed by unmarried girls of those times to get good husbands. The maids all wake up early , wake each other up and with song and dance go to the ponds and streams for bathing and then worship Pavai (woman goddess) and request her to bless them with suitable husbands.

Thiru Gnanasambhandar

Swami Sharanam Team.... Today is the avathara dhinam of Thiru Gnanasambhandar, the youngest of shaivaite saints....He is one of the most prominent of the sixty-three Nayanars. He was born at Sirkazhi. When Sambandar was three years old his parents took him to the Shiva temple where Shiva and Parvati appeared before the child. His father saw drops of milk on the child's mouth and asked who had fed him, whereupon the boy pointed to the sky and responded with the song, the first verse of the Tevaram. At the age of 16, he is said to have attained salvation along with his bride during the marriage ceremony... Let his Nyanam also flow to us on this auspicious day. Ellam Shiva Mayam. 🙏

Nirjala Ekadasi

Swami Sharanam Team, Today is fasting for Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi.

One who reads or hears the narration of the boundless glories of NIRJALA Ekadasi with devotion goes back to the spiritual abode.

SIGNIFICANCE OF NIRJALA EKADASI :

Bhima says to Sri Vyasa Muni, my elder brother Yudhisthira, mother Kunti devi, brothers Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, and 

Draupadi fast completely on the Ekadasi day. 

I have tried but unable to fast. My hunger is too great too bear fasting on every Ekadasi. 

I can give in charity, I can worship Lord Kesava but I cannot fast. Please instruct me how I can obtain the mercy....

"On hearing Bhima's pathetic entreaty, Sri Vyasa Muni said, 

"O Bhima, if you want to go to the heavenly planets, avoiding the hellish condition, then you must refrain from eating on both Ekadasi days each month.

"Bhima interjected: 'O Vyasa Muni! It is impossible for me to fast on 24 Ekadasi's per year. 

Bhima says with great endeavour I may be able to fast one day a year…

"Sri Vyasa Muni said: 'Therefore I will tell of a sublime method by which all your desires will be fulfilled. This method is the concentrated essence of all the Puranas. Anybody who observes Ekadasi of the waning and waxing Moons by fasting never goes to hell."

"Sri Vyasa Muni replied: During the waxing Moon in the month of Jyestha during the suns presence in either Taurus or Gemini Rasi, there is an Ekadasi known as Nirjala Ekadasi. 

On this greatest of days, one should observe total fasting without even water to drink. One should observe acamana by drinking an amount of water equal to a single mustard seed.

"One must not eat anything at all on this Ekadasi, otherwise the vow is broken and the results lost. One should abstain from eating and drinking from Sunrise on the day of Ekadasi until Sunrise on the day of Dvadasi. In this way, if one successfully completes fasting on this day, he receives the results of having observed all the Ekadasi's of the year.

Eating is actually prohibited on all the Ekadasi's, and even drinking water is prohibited on Nirjala Ekadasi. By observing this Ekadasi one receives the benefit of bathing in all the holy rivers, and visiting all the holy places of pilgrimage. If one follows this Ekadasi vrata he need not fear being approached by the Yamadutas at the time of death, rather he will be greeted by the Vishnudutas and transferred to the abode of Vishnu. If on the day of Dvadasi following Nirjala Ekadasi one gives water in charity to others, all his sinful activities will come to an end!

"When Bhima told the other Pandavas what he had heard about this Nirjaala Ekadasi, they all decided to observe it's magnificence accordingly. From that day onward Bhima began observing this Nirjala vrata, once a year. Thereafter this Ekadasi is famously known as Pandava Nirjala, or Bhimaseni Ekadasi.

Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa......

Chitra Pournami Day - Lord Chitra Guptan

Significance of Chitra Pournami Day.

Chitra Pournami refers to the full moon that falls on the auspicious first month of the Tamil calendar known as Chitirai.

Goddess Parvathi drew a picture on this day and Lord Shiva gave Life to this picture.

This Picture became a person Chitra Guptan. 

He is the keeper of deeds and the official bookkeeper of Yaman, the god of death.

It is believed that Chitra Guptan keeps track and records the good and bad deeds of all walks of life. 

When a person dies, his soul first goes to Lord Yaman. 

Chitra Guptan tallies the deeds and reports it to Lord Yaman for the final judgement which will decide the fate of the individual.

Meanwhile, Chitra Pournami is also the time where your sins can be cleansed via expiation and genuine prayers. 

These shall relieve people of their sins and reduce the impact of their bad deeds.

Hayagreeva Jayanti on Avani Avittam Day

Hayagreeva  Jayanti is the birth anniversary of Lord Hayagreeva who is considered the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as per Brahmanda Puranam, Devi Puranam and Garuda Puranam. 

Hayagreeva is a unique incarnation of Lord Vishnu with the head of a horse and the body of a human being. HE has the head of a horse or a Haya. 

Hence, he is known as Hayagreeva. The purpose of this Avatar was to retrieve the stolen Vedas from the demons Madhu and Kaitabha and restored all Vedas to Brahma. 

Lord Hayagreeva is considered as Epitome of Intelligence. HE is the Guru of Goddess Saraswathy Goddess of Wisdom 

Lord Hayagreeva is considered to be the God of knowledge and wisdom.

In several regions, Lord Hayagreeva is the guardian deity who is standing guard to ward off evil. The Avani Avittam is celebrated on the day of the Hayagreeva  Jayanti, 

this day is observed as Upakarma day by Brahmin community. Hayagreeva  Jayanti falls on the Purnima of the Shravan month, generally comes in the month of August.

 

Lord Hayagreeva is also amongst the deities present at the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. Hayagreeva in Srirangam is very famous for children's education. 

Significance of Margazhi Masam

From Today the holy month of Margazhi. Shaivites sing Thiruvempavai written by Saint Manicka Vasagar in the temple town of Thiruvannamalai.

The ancient Tamil Nadu saw two important Bhakti movements, which most probably preceded the philosophical movements of
Adi Sankara and Saint Ramanuja.

The sentinels Bhakti movement worshipping Lord Shiva were called Nayanmars and those worshipping Lord Vishnu were called Azhwars.

History records the story of 63 Nayanmars and their story is chronicled in a book called “Periya puranam” written by Chekizhar who was an eminent poet of those times.

Among those 63 sages, four Natyanmars were the most important and they were Appar, Thirugnana Sambandar, Thirunavukkarsar and Manika Vasagar.

All of them were great poets and travelled through out Tamil Nadu visiting the shiva temples and composing poems on the deities in each Temple.

The work of Manika Vasagar who was a Kshatriya by caste is called as Thiru vasagam (Holy script).”Thiru Vasagathukku urugar Evvasagathukkum Urugar” meaning,” those who do not melt for Thiruvasagam will never melt for any other book”, is a famous Tamil Saying of those times.

Thiruvempavai is a part of Thiruvasagam and was composed in the temple town of Thiruvannamalai during the month of Margazhi(December-January) when the temple town was celebrating the Pavai Nolumbu.

This is a penance observed by unmarried girls of those times to get good husbands. The maids all wake up early, wake each other up and with song and dance go to the ponds and streams for bathing and then worship Pavai (woman goddess) and request her to bless them with suitable husbands.

Courtesy: PR Ramachander Mama

Kanchipuram Athi Varadhar

Kanchipuram Athi Varadhar 

1st July 2019 to 17th August 2019 Athi Hill in Kanchipuram. 
Awakening and rising every forty years from the depths of ‘Ananthasaras,’ the temple tank. 

Athivaradhar emerges to remain with his devotees for 48 days.
The last time he came out was on July 2, 1979, and earlier on July 12, 1939. 
When he emerges, he brings with him strength and prosperity, which dispels darkness. 

Athivaradhar is actually a seven and a half feet long idol, made out of the divine fig tree. 

According to legend, Brahma created the moorthi of Athi Varadhar.  
Brahma was performing a yagnam in the Athi forest (Fig forest) now Kanchipuram.
Forgot to invite his wife Goddess Saraswati and concluded the yagnam with Gayathri & Savithri devi 
Angry Saraswati came in form on a raising river to destroy the Yagam at the same time Perumal lied down on the Anathasheyam to stop the river flow, seeing Perumal in this position Devi Saraswathi changed her direction. And Brahma completed the Yagam successfully and after Brahma and other 
gods paid respects to Perumal and asked him Varam which Perumal happily granted. So he was called as Varadar.

This moorthi was the main deity (Moola Moorthi) in the Grabhagraha until early 16th century. 
Due to fear of Muslim invasions and to preserve the valuable moorthi, Athi Varadar was immersed inside 
the Pushkaranai (Anatha Saravora) inside the temple premises secretively, such that only one family knew the exact place.

For nearly 40 long years the temple had no moorthy in the grabhagraha and no pooja was being performed in the temple. 
The two brothers in Dhatacharya lineage, who were the Dharamakartha of the temple at that time and under whose 
supervision of this Moorthy was hidden, passed away.
Unable to find the Athi Varadhar, the authorities decided to place a vigraham made of stone from the near by place called PazayaSeevaram. 

Around the year 1709  due to some reasons (which is unknown till the date), the Pushkarani was emptied and the Athi Varadar was seen lying inside.
 Then Authorities decided that this moorthi has to be taken out every 40 years for pooja for 48 days and again to be immersed in the kalyani for another 40 years and so on. This decision was based on the fact that, Kaliyuga pooja for Varadhar is done by Sesha devuru and Anatha sarovara has sesha devaru sannidhana , it was gods WILL that HE immersed himself inside the Kalyani because of this very reason.