Navaneetham VishukkaNi

\h\oXw
Navaneetham http://groups.yahoo.com/group/guruvayur Page-1

On-line magazine of the devotees of
Guruvayoorappan
Volume 1. 2006
oocoo oc- coo- -o .amc zc+-
cool -cza++- - oc+ _:o :c-
NAVANEETHAM
\h\oXw

Hmw \tam \mcmbWmb

{io Kpt`ym \ax

On t he cover page
Lord Guruvayoorappan and t he
Ten I ncarnat ions of Lord Vishnu

Mat hsya
Kurmma
Varaaha
Narasimha
Vamana
Bharggava Rama
Sri Rama
Bala Rama
Sri Krishna
Kali
\h\oXw
\h\oXw
hnjpWn

Om Namo Narayanaya. Sri GurubhyO namaH

We have great pleasure to present you with our new online magazine "Navaneetham" on
the Vishu day. "Navaneetham" means newly churned butter that Krishna is so fond of, and
He Himself pervades the whole universe as butter pervades the milk.

Navaneetham is a humble attempt by Guruvayur Devotees Forum to create a monthly
news letter for our group. Each issue shall carry devotee experiences, thought provoking
articles on the Vedas, Ithihasas, Puranas, and Darsanas and beautiful poems from our
members. We request all your blessings for this new project and encourage all of you to
write Guruvayoorappan related articles, stories, poems and other creative material for our
future editions. Please send your comments, suggestions and any materials that you wish
to publish to navaneetham@yahoogroups.com

Lay out: A. P. Sukumar, Vancouver Canada.

Navaneetham April 14, 2006. Volume.1. Issue.1
Submitted at the lotus feet of Sri Guruvayoorappan by the devotees.
Navaneetham - Vishu Edition
\h\oXw

CONTENTS
\h\oXw \dpsh 5
Vishu 6
Ganesa Stuti 7
Guruvayoorappan- Healer & Protector 8
The Best 9
l :coac -c- :+
Sri Guruvaayoorpuram 11
Sanscrit translterated script & meaning

Bhooloka VaikunTham Heaven on Earth 12
l :coa-ccicco ac-. :
Sri Rama Bhakthi 17
Avatharam 19
`KhZv KoXm kmcw 22
Why do we worship? 23
Guruvayur Festival Calendar 30
\h\oXw

\h\oXw \dpsh
F.]n kpam

shbt Dn\t
Imbmqhs\ ]pWyat

\\dpw ]meXn shbo an
IemhpsmShpw
ss]sf ta `mhneo hnizw
ImXpw Is\saw

tKm]nIm\mcnamscmaam
I ]obqjtaInbh
tKmfpaam iymafh
]mearXqnbpw [\ycmbn

thZthZmnaoizc\mw I
thZmkmckkzw `hm
\mZ\ncmabtammcamWtm
KoXmat\mlc ZpKv[ [mc

\h\oXw

{io Kphmbq Dh 2006

VI SHU

Keralit es celebrat e t heir New Year on t he first day of t he Malayalam mont h of Medam
according t o t he Kollam calendar. This usually falls on 14 April. A fest ival of gaiet y and
renewal, t his day is celebrat ed wit h great fun in Kerala.

Rit ual: The main rit ual on t his day is Vishukkani and Vishu Kaineet t am . I t is believed t hat t he
first obj ect s which one sees on t he morning of Vishu det ermine t he prosperit y experienced in
t he coming year.

As a result , people make it a point t o see all t he auspicious t hings as soon as t hey wake up.
This is called Vishukkani . A special rit ual arrangement of auspicious art icles like rice grains,
fresh linen, golden cucumber, bet el leaves, arecanut , met al mirror, yellow flowers, a holy t ext
and coins is made in a bell met al vessel called uruli . A bell met al lamp called nilavilakku is
light ed near it .

When t he day begins, people behold t his rit ualist ic arrangement . A puj a is performed and
sweet s offered t o t he gods. Older members of t he family give kaineet t am ( t oken amount of
money) t o t he youngst ers, as part of t he celebrat ions. The Kanippoo ( flower of cassia) is
considered especially auspicious for bot h t he kani and puj a on t his day.

Legend: The Kollam era is said t o have begun on t he day Parashurama, t he sixt h incarnat ion
of Vishnu, creat ed Kerala by making t he wat ers of t he Arabian Sea recede. Parashurama had
vowed t o ext erminat e t he Kshat riya cast e from t he face of t he eart h. I n keeping wit h t his
oat h, he went t o war wit h Rama, who was a Kshat riya.

During t he bat t le, he realised t hat Rama was none ot her t han t he sevent h incarnat ion of
Vishnu. He realised t hat t he purpose of his own life had come t o an end and decided t o spend
t he rest of his life in medit at ion. For t his, he want ed a place where he could medit at e in t ot al
peace. The gods grant ed him a boon according t o which, he was t o t hrow his bat t le axe int o
t he sea and land would rise along t he dist ance it covered. This is how Kerala was creat ed.
\h\oXw

VH V
dK cVL

Suklaam_baradharam vishNum SaSivar_NNam chat hur_bhuj am
prasannavadanam dhyaayEt h~ sar_vvavighnOpaSaant hayE

We medi t at e on t he al l per vadi ng Lor d Ganesha w ho i s cl ad
i n a w hi t e cl ot h, w hose compl ex i on i s l i k e t hat of moon and
has f our hands. We pr ay t o Hi m, w ho has a pl aci d
ex pr essi on t o er adi cat e al l t he obst acl es
Ganesa Stuti
\h\oXw

Mind is very rest less, forceful and
st rong, O Krishna; it is more difficult t o
cont rol t he mind t han t o cont rol t he
wind" - Arj una t o Sri Krishna.

Srimad Narayaneeyam is a devot ional
hymn consist ing of 1036 verses writ t en
in t he 16t h cent ury by a scholar-
devot ee- poet by name Melpat hur
Narayana Bhat t at iri, as an epit ome of
Srimad Bhagavat a Mahapuranam. The
immediat e need for him t o writ e t his
hymn, was his suffering from his ailment
of paralysis, for t he alleviat ion of which,
he prayed t o t he Lord of Guruvayoor. He
wrot e one hundred chapt ers at t he rat e
of one chapt er ( dasakam- - a bunch of 10
verses) per day, sit t ing in front of t he
deit y. As t he st ory goes, t he aut hor,
Melpat hur Narayana Bhat t at iri volunt arily
t ransferred ont o himself, t he ailment of
paralysis from his Guru and relat ive,
Trikandiyur Achut a Pisharot i
rit ualist ically, in order t o save him. I n
t he process, he himself became a
paralyt ic. He t hen got himself carried t o
t he shrine at Guruvayoor where he could
t ake shelt er at t he feet of Lord Krishna
and get divine int ervent ion.

As he was cont inuing t o suffer from
excruciat ing pain due t o his malady, he
sought advice from t he celebrat ed
cont emporary poet , Thunj at h
Ezhut hat chan, who suggest ed t hat
Bhat t at iri should "st art wit h t he fish".
Bhat t at iri, being quick t o underst and t he
implicat ion of t his suggest ion, viz. , t hat
he should compose a hymn in praise of
Lord Guruvayoorappan giving an account
of all His sport ive incarnat ions beginning
wit h t he incarnat ion as fish ( Mat sya-
avat ara) , he sat at t he feet of t he Lord
and composed t his great work, a
dasakam a day, wit h ardent devot ion. At
t he end of t he hundredt h day, when he

had complet ed all t he one hundred
dasakams, it is said t hat he had a
glorious vision of t he Lord and he was
complet ely cured of his ailment .
Bhat t at iri composed Narayaneeyam
when he was t went y- seven, complet ing
it on November 27, 1587.

I t is said t hat on t he hundredt h day,
when he complet ed writ ing t he hymn,
he had t he covet ed vision of t he Lord
and he also got cured of his ailment .
Devot ees believe t hat t his hymn t o Lord
Krishna, t he presiding deit y of
Guruvayoor is a panacea for all
ailment s, art hrit ic paralysis in
part icular, and chant t he hymn wit h all
earnest ness, sincerit y and devot ion.
They come all t he way t o Guruvayoor,
offer worship and get cured.

The expression " Hant ha! Bhagyam
Jananaam! comprising t he last words
of t he opening sloka of t his great work,
Srimad Narayaneeyam, has become t he
wat ch- word of Guruvayoor, because
devot ees of Guruvayoorappan believe
t hat Narayaneeyam, known as t he
" Gospel of Guruvayoor" is ident ical wit h
t he Lord. They consider t hemselves
ext remely fort unat e and blessed even
t o have been able t o have a Darsanam
of t he Lord, who is t he same as
Brahman, t he Supreme Consciousness.
One can find t he above- cit ed words
inscribed right at t he ent rance of t he
shrine.

This work, composed in praise of Lord
Krishna, and which is said t o have
received divine int ervent ion at different
st ages, is considered t o be a short and
sweet subst it ut e for Srimad Bhagavat a
Mahapuranam ( cream of all Hindu
sacred t ext s) and is recit ed by devot ees
all over t he world as a general prayer
GURUVAYOORAPPAN
THE HEALER AND PROTECTOR
\h\oXw
and also as a panacea for all ailment s
causing impairment or loss of mot or
funct ion of nerves. I nnumerable
devot ees flock t o t he Guruvayoor t emple
and offer worship t o t he Lord, recit ing
t his hymn of prayer in t he firm hope,
belief and t rust t hat t hey would be
cured of t heir ailment s.
The Best .

1. Which is t he best shast ra?
2. Which is t he best deit y?
3. Which is t he best mant ra?
4. Which is t he best dut y?

One sloka gives t he answer for all t hese quest ions.

Ek am shasht r am dev ak i put r a gi t am;
Ek o dev o dev ak i put r a ev a;
Mant r opy ek as t asy a namani y ani ,
Kar mopy ek am t asy a dev asy sev a.

The meaning is:

1. Git a sung by Sri Krishna, son of Devaki, is t he best shast ra.
2. Sri Krishna, son of Devaki, is t he best deit y.
3. Names of Sri Krishna are t he best Mant ra.
4. Service of Sri Krishna is t he best dut y.

\h\oXw

l :coac -c-
_. -|. ozac

l :coac -czc| czml-
occaooomo- l oa+|-
o-cam- +acam+az-
+|c- z+- c:-z|cc|-m-

c-mc c|oa oicoza+|-o|c_a:
c+zq| o.+ oicza|
_aol -m oa+|za|+-
o.oo+o-:lc oo|cz|+c| -m-

ooooicoacoc_- za+_a+a|
-:a+o|co- z|+|oa+za|
o| o|o| oc_- +c +acaml-
o+|c .cm:- oc|c.|caoccac-

.++ .c_|c- c-zc|z-:_-
c_olo_ -c|co|c- o-c:a-a-:-
-m|c| _|a-- |c cza-+-
+az- z+- +ooz|+o|caz-
\h\oXw
r guruvyr puramati ramaya
by: A. P. Sukumar, Canada

r guruvyr puramati ramaya
bhlokavaikuha r ka snniddhya
bhaktaparyaa nryaanma
nitya muzu gehamitatipuya

Sri guruvayoor puram is the abode of beauty that captivates hearts; it is
the VaikunTham (abode of VishNu) in this world, because, here, the
presence of Sri KrishNa is felt always by the devotees. This is the sacred
home of the Lord as it is always resonating with the chanting of the name
of Narayana who takes the devotee across the ocean of samsara.

tamburu rutiyotta svaramonniariyappo
tumpamakai cempaykku svaramyi
ekda puya snniddhyamyinnu
cempai sagta sadiruminnati puyam

One day, at the peak of his career, the great carnatic musician Chembai
Swamys voice was affected badly and he could no longer sing. It is well
known that Guruvayoorappan restored his voice by removing his
aflictions. The Ekadasi music festival-Chembai Sangeetha Ulsavam- in
Guruvayoor is celebrated by all in memory of the maestro and his
unwavering devotion to the Lord Guruvayoorappan.

advaitasrasarvva jnappnayyi
pntnabhaktiyeva muktinidnamyi
bhakti vibhakti sarvvam nara nryaya
vandita caraayugam atirucirbhalola

Poonthaanam, a great poet of Kerala wrote his devotional poems in pure
Malayalam unlike other scholars of the time who wrote poetry only in
Sanscrit. Poothaanams masterpiece Jnanappana (the wisdom song) is a
great work singing the glory of the Lord and the essence of advaitha
philosophy, understood even by uneducated people. Legend has it that
Guruvayoorappan declared I revel in Poonthaanams pure bhakthi
rather than in the vibhakthi (roughly to mean grammatical & scholarly
prowess) expressed by some of the other poets. With that level of
devotion, Poothaanam was given salavation by his Lord. Bhakthi and
vibhathi, both are very well combined in the Narayaneeyam (a great work
by Melppatthoor Narayaa Bhattathiri extolling the incarnations of the
\h\oXw
Lord, with an obvious bias towards Krishna). Great devotees have thus
given salutaions to Guruvayoorappans holy feet which are extremely
beautiful, soft and resplendant with light.

candana carccitam rpamatimagaa
tuasdaa pariveitam agopga
punciri kaiyu kaila mohana
kanma muzhagu nabhassuminnabhirma

Sree Krishnas Idol in Guruvayoor temple is at its best form when the Lord
is given a massage and covered with sandelwood paste. The priest also
decorates Him using tulasi leaves. As if contented with the treatment,
Krishna, the naughty boy who has the krishna sila (dark blue stone) as his
body- doles out a smile that would captivate anyone. The whole space
around the SriKovil (Sanctum santorum) resonates with the chants of Sri
Krishnas name, indeed, that is a great treat to a devotees heart.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
BHOOLOKA VAI KUNTAM
Heaven on Earth
GURUVAYUR SREE KRI SHNA SWAMY TEMPLE
! ! ! Om Namo Nar ay anay a! ! !

LEGEND OF GURUVAYOOR SRI KRI SHNA TEMPLE

Guruvayoor Sri Krishna Temple is t he fourt h biggest t emple in I ndia aft er Badari,
Puri and Thirupat hi in t erms of number of devot ees visit ing t he t emple per day. The
presiding deit y Guruvayoorappan is Lord Maha Vishnu wit h four arms, event hough
t he devot ees worship him as Lord Sri Krishna- t he complet e man incarnat ion of Lord
Maha Vishnu. Locat ed 29 km nort h- west of Thrissur Dist rict in Kerala, Guruvayoor
\h\oXw
is among I ndia' s most import ant pilgrimage cent res and t he place is also glorified in
divinit y wit h t he nearby Shiva Parvat hi Temple.

Guruvayoor Temple is t hought t o be more t han 5, 100 years old, having been
inst alled aft er Lord Krishna ascended t o Vaikunt ha. Legend has it t hat , at t he
beginning of t he Brahmakalpam, Mahavishnu gave Brahma an idol and t he first book
of Bhagavat ham. Brahma, lat er gave t his idol t o Praj apat hi Sut apassu and his wife
Prishni. Sut apassu and Prishni worshipped t he idol wit h such devot ion t hat
Mahavishnu Himself appeared before t hem for grant ing boon. I n t heir over
ent husiasm, since t hey asked t hrice "We need a son equivalent t o You" Lord Maha
Vishnu blessed t hem wit h He Himself being born as t heir son in t hree different
j anmas ( re- birt hs) . I n all t he t hree j anmas t hey will get t he vigraha given t o t hem by
Brahma. Prishnigarba, was born t o Sut apassu & Prishni. This couple in t heir next
birt h were known as Kashyapa and Adit i. They got possession of t his idol in t hat birt h
also, and Lord Maha Vishnu was again born as t heir child, t he Vamana. Then Lord Sri
Krishna was born t o Vasudeva- Devaki as t he incarnat ion of Lord Maha Vishnu. Lord
Sri Krishna himself was worshipping t he idol given by Brahma at a Temple in
Dwaraka. Before ascending t o Vaikunt ha, Lord Krishna ent rust ed his disciple Udhava
wit h t his idol and asked him t o meet Brihaspat hy, t he Guru of gods. Lord Sri Krishna
promised Udhava t hat a t rue devot ee can feel his presence in t he idol.

\h\oXw
The Guru along wit h his desciple
Vayudeva( god of air) , went around t he
world in search of an ideal place. During
t heir j ourney t hey were direct ed by
Parasuraman t o a sacred lot us pond
where t hey felt t he presence of Shiva &
Parvat hi. This lot us pond was
Rudrat heert ham where Lord Shiva
revealed t o Prachet has, t he Rudra
Geet ham t o worship Lord Mahavishnu
which he did for t en t housand years.
Shiva permit t ed Guru and Vayu t o inst all
t he idol t here, t o perform t he
consecrat ion rit es and blessed t hem t hat
hencefort h t his place would be known as
Guru- Vayu- oor meaning t he place of
Guru and Vayu; Lord Shiva and Parvat hi
moved t o t he opposit e bank of
Rudrat heert ham - now Mammiyoor. A
t emple was built t here by Vishwakarma
t he divine archit ect . He made t he t emple
in such a way t hat on t he day of Vishu
( Summer equinox) , t he sun himself
makes his obeisance- his first rays on
t hat day fall st raight on t he Lord' s feet .
As t he idol was once worshiped by t he
Lord Maha Vishnu himself before leaving
t o Vaikunt ha, Guruvayur is considered t o
be "Bhooloka Vaikunt a" - t he heaven on
eart h.
The present pooj a rout ines are laid down
by Sri Adi Sankaracharya. Once
Sankaracharya was on his aerial j ourney
t o Shringeri. While above Guruvayoor he
smiled at t he pompness and vividit y of
t he procession of Sreebhoot ha Bali
( feeding celest ial at t endant s) and t ried
t o pass t he t emple wit hout making any
obeisance t o t he Lord. Suddenly he
came crashing down and t he procession
st opped t here at t he nort hwest corner.
He soon recovered and saw t he Lord in
all his royalt y. Realizing t he cause of his
fall, Sankaracharya prost rat ed before
t he Lord and t ried t o win t he Lord' s
favour by chant ing 8 slokas in praise of
Govinda, known as Govinda Asht akam.
The small opening in t he roof over t he
Nort h- West court yard is in
commemorat ion of t his event .
Sankaracharya is believed t o have
inst it ut ed t he Mandala Vilakku ( light ing
of lamps for 41days) . The pooj a
rout ines laid down by Adi Sankaracharya
are lat er writ t en in t o t he
Tant rasamuchaya by Chennas
Narayanan Namboodiri ( born in 1427) .
The Chennas Namboodiris are t he
heredit ary Tant ri of Guruvayur t emple
and t he decision of t he Tant ri is t he final
word in all mat t ers concerning t he
Guruvayur t emple. Only Hindus are
allowed inside t he Temple.

The four armed idol carrying Conch
( Sankha) , Discuss ( Chakra) , Mace
( Gadha) , Lot us( Padmam) niched out of
a st one called "Pat hala Anj anam" st and
gracefully at t he Sreekovil( Sanct um
Sanct orum) as a manifest at ion of
Almight y himself ever so merciful t o
ignorant mult it udes. The Sreekovil is
designed in 2 layers wit h copper sheet
roofing plat ed wit h gold. There is a
replet ion of t radit ional mural paint ings
on all t he t hree sides, depict ing
sequences from puranic t ales and
Krishnaleela. There are 101 bells, all
made of silver and plat ed wit h gold.
Sopanam, t he st eps leading t o t he
Sreekovil, are made of st one wit h
carvings and designs of at t ract ive
craft smanship. The upa- devas( sub-
diet y) include Ganapat hi, Sast ha &
Edat harikat hu Bhagavat hi.

Vrischika( Suklapaksha) Ekadasi &
Ut savam are t he import ant fest ivals of
Guruvayoor Temple. The Ut savam last s
for t en days. Beginning on t he day of
Pushya ( t he 8t h ast erism) in t he mont h
of Kumbham ( February- March) , it ends
aft er t he Aarat t u on t he 10t h day. The
legends of Melpat hur Narayana
Bhat t at hiri( who wrot e Narayaneeyam) ,
Poont hanam( who wrot e Nj anappana) ,
Kururamma, and Villwamangalam
brought more and more devot ees t o
Guruvayoor.

\h\oXw

l :coa-ccicco ac-.
,+o-.
late o|oia~ oca_| oa_ ~ +ac.
:coac _ao| o- |oz :
.....................................................
loaocoo+. +++. cool coo|. cao - ,:.
oo|cca.coc ++++a o|_a-|. o|cio.
go|czo|c. z+|-a~ co-aoam _- cm-.
oac-cacoao. -cc: -czao~:: -c|-a-|:::.

zuca+ac. zauo. aoo c:ac -c|-ac ,..
o|uzo| c:a-| _+azcza+o oaoo|ccaca
_c|ca_|_azac- ac. coo o-acca

c-:a++ ouac. ocauaca -coc|c- ,.
z-:_zc_. +|~ -_ac|_ zz ooc-m-
_- c||- ozo|o-. czc|c-.zco|+
\h\oXw
o|+zm|. o|o c-co-. +|+_ic|c+ao ,+.
+|o|~ -ca- cozoo|oc|cc oa~ am:
-+|zc|. oa+|co|_ao. +|~ zoz+o|cczac_.

+-oza ::+cc|o z|+o .c|c+ao ,.
o|+: oc- o _c||o +|-+- o.qa~ +l
+|+oao ++ +az o- . z|_- --|am

lc ::+|~. cam|o. c|z|o --c+a: ,.
occ- za+o|oac. +|o+ zo_ co|_l--
zc|zo:c -c|-c_zc|c: oac+acx|_

zuc--ccc| co+oac-. za:c o.ac|c+a: ,:.
zuoo+. +l. occ_-. occlc|+l+_:
o|uccoco-. clc. zom o-c- o-acc_ a:

+|oc|cc-ao -c|cao|c+a- co. oa+|- zc- ,s.
zo|za:. o|cza-|+|za. +-|. co|+
-c|+|~ c|c-ocm- zaaccmc|oc_aca-

cio-oo|oio|cm-. zaz -o.cac| - ,.
o+o_a+z|+mco|m. zazzql-a~
ca-c-c|-ac luc: cm- c|c-ao-

\h\oXw
SRI RAMA BHAKTI

Sri Rama is an embodiment of Trut h,
Right eousness, Love, Compassion, a
great warrior et c. I ndiraj it h, son of
Ravana was doing great penance in a
secluded place under a t ree which has
t he pot ent ial t o prot ect him from
anybody. He was doing lot of human
sacrifice and ot her rit uals t o obt ain
powers t o kill Rama. Vibhishana knowing
t his secret t ook Rama and Lakshmana t o
t he place and t old Hanuman t o keep
I ndiraj it h away from t hat t ree while
doing his penance. At t his point
I ndiraj it h became angry and abused
Vibhishana as a t rait or who revealed t he
secret s of him and t hat of Lanka t o t he
enemy. For t his Vibhishana replied
"I ndiraj it h, you are not only ignorant but
also arrogant in using such abuses
against me. I know what is right and
what is wrong, what is t rut h and what is
unt rut h. Rama is an embodiment of
love, God in human form and he came
here t o get back Sit a and not t o t ake t he
kingdom of Lanka. He is t he person who
renounced Ayodhya and why should He
want t o t ake Lanka? I have advised your
fat her many t imes about t he course he
was embarking on and pleaded wit h him
several t imes t o ret urn Sit a. He never
heard my words and in t he process
brought t he downfall of his kingdom and
clan. I t is t he right of a person t o speak
t he t rut h and dharma and should not be
a spect at or if some damage is done t o
ot hers. That was what I did. I knew
Ravana will have t o face t he
consequences but who will hear good
words when t he mind is occupied by
pollut ion, lust and arrogance?"

Before t hat when Vibhishana met
Hanuman he pleaded when he will get
t he Mercy of Rama t he embodiment of
Divinit y as he is like a t ongue
surrounded by wicked t eet h of
\h\oXw
rakshasas. Hanuman in his wisdom
advised Vibhishana not t o worry about
himself only as t here are so many
persons facing t he same dilemma and
advised him t o cont inue t o have fait h in
Rama and never st op t hat fait h in t he
middle. The t ongue came first and t eet h
aft erwards and will fall away in course
and so t he rakshasas will be killed by Sri
Rama. For get t ing His Grace he advised
Vibhishana t o cont inue his perseverance
and it is possible he may get t he Grace
of Sri Rama or will merge in Him in due
course. For t hat it is not sufficient j ust
by ut t ering t he words of Rama
mechanically unless he inculcat es him in
his heart wit h pure devot ion.

From t he above one can underst and
bhava and devot ion in ut t ering t he name
of t he Lord is essent ial and simply
recit ing His name as a rout ine will not
lead t he sadhak anywhere. One has t o
cling t he lot us feet of t he Lord in
devot ion and t he very Nama recit al must
have t he force t o bring t ears in his/ her
eyes. Of course in t he modern higgledy-
piggledy world of confusion and
compet it ion and t he burdens one has t o
undergo much can' t be expect ed. But
spending at least some t ime in t he night
if morning hour is not possible before
going t o bed deeply immersing t he mind
t owards Godward for at least 15 minut es
even in bed complet ely concent rat ing on
Him and ment ally doing pada seva,
leaving all problems t o Him will surely
lift one t o great height s in course of t ime
and solut ions will be found for all t he
problems by His Grace even in t his age.
Only t hing required is syst emat ic
observat ion and it is a must and never
should be compromised at any cost .
During t hose 15 minut es or what ever
t ime one can spend one should
complet ely immersed in His t hought s
leaving aside all t he ot her t hings and
making t he mind pure and put t ing
Godliness in it will do wonders in t he
mat erial and spirit ual world as t he Laws
of Nat ure are such t hat t he same will
st art working somet imes even bypassing
one' s Karmic effect s There be no doubt
about t hat . Such is t he efficacy of Rama
Nama or any nama and t he devot ee will
not go disappoint ed. I t will t ake t ime but
surely t he devot ee will be vict orious in
his/ her effort as what ever be t he
problems he/ she is facing will vanish
aut omat ically by t he Grace of t he Lord
when t he devot ee once reaches cert ain
st age aft er pract ice. This is a t ime t est ed
fact or and t here need be no confusion
over t hat . When we get t ime for ever so
many t hings can' t we spend some t ime
t o t he Creat or as a mark of grat it ude
and love as He is everyt hing for anybody
and wit hout Him not hing is possible and
if one feels he has done such and such
t hing due t o his int elligence is in t he
Ut opian island as t he very int elligence is
t he one t hat is given by t he Creat or.
Remembering t his always is good for
every aspirant for only t o t hem t he
gat es of higher realms are opened and
not t o any ot her person.
\h\oXw
Av at ar am

Avat aram is t he At mashakt i ( power of t he
supreme soul) t hat has put on t he raiment
of kriya shakt i and yoga shakt i ( power of
act ion and power of Divine communion) .
Generally, Avat arana ( t he process of
incarnat ion) is described as coming down
from a higher st at us t o a lower one. An
Avat ar has four qualit ies and it is only
when you cult ivat e t hem, t hat you can
underst and Him. They are, Di vi ne Love
( prema) , Beaut y ( soundarya) ,
Sw eet ness ( madhurya) and Spl endour
( shobha) .

I t is said t hat t here are some
manifest at ions t hat are part ial and some
ot hers t hat are full, and some t hat are
t emporary and some t hat are last ing. But
all t hese are called Avat ars only by
court esy. Narada,

Sanat kumara and ot her similar sages
are also referred t o, in some t ext s as
Avat ars. As t hey do not have all t he
Divine charact erist ics, t hey are not
worshipped.

Avat arams are based on t he different
aspect s of t he Divine. The first is,
Ni t y avat ar am; t he second,
Vi seshav at ar am; t he t hird,
Av i seshavat ar am; t he fourt h,
Leel avat ar am and t he fift h,
Poor navat ar am. Leel av at ar am is
also known as Amsavat ar am.
Nit yavat ara, Viseshavat ara and
Aviseshavat ara have only five t o nine
aspect s ( kalas) of t he Lord. Only in t he
Poor navat ar a all t he sixt een aspect s
( kalas) of t he Divine are present . Only
t hat is t he full manifest at ion of God.
There are t he seven unfailing charact erist ics of Avat ars of t he Mahashakt hi,
which persist s fully when it has apparent ly modified it self wit h Mayashakt hi.
Wherever t hese seven charact erist ics are found, you can ident ify Godhead:
1. AI SVARYA: Splendour 2. KEERTHI : fame
3. JNANA: Wisdom 4. VAI RAGYA: Non- at t achment
5. SRI SHTHI : Creat ion 6. STHI THI : Preservat ion
7. LAYA: Dest ruct ion
The Lord incarnat es in count less ways. He comes as an I ncarnat ion of a Kala
( fragment ) of His, or as an Amsa ( part ) of His; He comes as an I nner I nspirer for
some Definit e Purpose; He comes t o close an epoch and inaugurat e anot her
( Yugavat ar) . The narrat ive of t hese incarnat ions is in Srimad Bhagavat ham.
The Sast ra ment ioned seven t ypes of Avat ar( s) :
1. AMSA- AVATAR
A part ial manifest at ion of an Avat ar. An Amsa- Avat ar will have mainly Tej as
( radiance) and Oj as ( brilliance) . He will show great devot ion t owards God and inspire
many ot hers t o follow him. The common people who cannot approach God will find
an Avat ar approachable and comprehensible. By imbibing, imit at ing and medit at ing
on t he qualifies of an Avat ar, one can ascend t o great spirit ual height s and even
achieve Self- realizat ion. Such Avat ars incarnat e from t ime t o t ime, not only in I ndia,
but also in all ot her count ries. aka. ARCHA- AVATAR.

\h\oXw
2. VI BHUTHI - AVATAR
An incarnat ion of t he power or ' t he Glory of God' . This glory can manifest anywhere,
creat ing awe and wonder at t he unfat homable and indescribable Avat ar.
3. MAHATMY- AVATAR

Mat sy av at ar Kur mav at ar
A sudden manifest at ion of God for a specific purpose which may come in any form
and at any place. For example:
a) Mat sy av at ar came t o save t he Vedas from Shanhasura
b) Kur mavat ar came t o support Mount Mandera.
c) Var ahavat ar came t o dest roy t he demon Hiranyaksha.
d) Nar asi mhav at ar came t o dest roy t he demon Hiranyakasipu.
e) Vamanav at ar came t o punish Bali.
4. YUGAVATAR
One who descends wit h a message for a part icular age or creat es a new age. He
appeals t o t he heart of His Devot ees. A Yugavat ar, who descends from t he bosom of
God, ent ers int o physical vest ure wit hout t he need of a womb. Such an Avat ar
select s a humble and pious couple t o achieve a Virgin Birt h.
\h\oXw

5. MAHAVATAR
One who gives a complet ely new int erpret at ion of t he script ures and whose message
is for all t imes. Mahavat ar is a great soul who manifest s an infinit e love and
compassion for mankind. He incarnat es t o t each and t o show man t he way t o at t ain
Mukt i or Nirvana. He appeals t o t he mind of devot ees.
6. LEELAVATAR
An incarnat ion of God in a supra- physical body, human in appearance, but
complet ely divine. As a Leela Avat ar is beyond t he Trigunas, He cannot be born in
t he womb of an eart h mot her. She may feel t hat she is carrying an ordinary child
when in fact she is carrying a supra- physical body. According t o t he Git a, such an
Avat ar incarnat es for t he rest orat ion of Dharma. He is unfat homable, for He knows
t he past , present and fut ure of everyone and all evolut ion.
e. g. I n t he Git a, Krishna said, ' Arj una, you and I have passed t hrough many birt hs. I
know t hem all while you do not . ' and again, ' Though unborn ( Pravesa) and immort al
and t he Lord of all beings, l manifest Myself t hrough My Own Yogamaya, keeping My
Nat ure under perfect cont rol. '
7. POORNAVATAR ak a. VI BHAVA- AVATAR
An incarnat ion, which is t he fullest manifest at ion of God. He is t he culminat ion, for
He embodies all t he divine charact erist ics of ail t he ot her t ypes of Avat ars.

\h\oXw
`KhZv KoXm kmcw

{io hmkptZhm apIpm IrjvWm
tZhIo \\m hmkptZhm
tNenemauenbn ]oen Nmn
tImep s\nbn tKm]n Nmn

sNmacbnX Int\w
Nw Iepw ajn FgpXn
D]qhn\m\taInhmgpw
F]qhns\msmcp \mknIbpw

sXmngn\p \mWtaIpw
Npns am[pcysapw hoin
Ifnep Ipe
KXefn anempw

lmcmZn B`cWtfn
amdnp tim` Ccnbmn
NntImep heXpIn
sNt ISnmWnSXp ssIn

ap sRmdnpSppw
inRvPnX\mZn \np IrjvW
tXcn hnImcanbncpp
hoc\mw Ap\t\htamXn

`{]nbm IcpWmw_pcmti
hhyam ssh`hta
bpfn Hcpn \npw
_psf Hp ImntSWw

FXp tIpS IrjvW\tm
aptmp tXcp sImp \nn
Atm `Khmt\ Fs IrjvWm
ht _psf sImphmt\m

_psf sImp cmPyamfp
sn\p kuJyanbnSmt\m
Ghw IYnp [\RvPb\pw
`hw ]IXp It\cw

`mh\mw `Khm apIp
CuhtamXn\m kmh[m\w
CmXpmIbnbtm
CmsX t]mIbnpsXmpw

tZlnp \miapmIbn
tZlw \inoSpw Fsmepw
Btcbpw Bmhp sImpIn
Bcmepw sImsSpIbn

hkv{Xw ]gbXpt]nnv
]p [cnXp t]mebt{X
Pon tZlw XyPnp tZln
Xqw [cnpp thtd tZlw

Bmhns\bn Zlnnn
Bmhenp t]mIppan
BmP\np acnpsam
Wmmhn \o IcpXpsXn

Xnw P\nh NmIpsapw
Xnw acnh PmXs\pw
\mbdnp \o ZpJnbmsX
\mbv kz[adnpsNbvI

kwibw Hn\pw shnSmtX
kwibw IqSmsX sNbvIsbmw
Iw sNbvhm\[nImcn \obmw
IêaXntemosSmm

Iên\p tlXphmtbm
Iw sNmXtbm hmWosSmm
]pWy]m]fpt]nnp
Xpey _pntbmsS hmWotSWw

]n{nbfpw IogSn
Ha\ptaIm{Kamn
IêfntamlnbmsX
I sNbvI CuizmWambv

Cs\ Hmtcmtcm XXztamXn
`wKnbn ]ms\ _p\mn
hnizmkw IqSphm tZhtZh
hnizcq]w Imn \np tXcn

Fmnepsamw Rm\msWpw
Fmw FnemsWpw IntSWw
\qen aWnIt]msemnsemw
tNen tImpXmtWmntSWw

kmm ]cam XXztahw
]m `Khm \ndnp
Gw DWtmsS `mcX Xm
Gp kz[w \SnsImm

Zptcym[\mZn i{Xpsfbpw
\ncymWw sNbvXp PbnpsImm
Hp{iaw sNbvXt\cw ssZhw
\mbn klmbnp ]q\mn

Fp tbmtKizc IrjvW\ptm
Fp [\p[c ]m\ptm
Ap hnPb{io awKf
Xpna{w {KlnpsImn

{ioi `Khms KoX thKw
teiw hnSmsX ]TnpsImhn
KoX ]Tnp honsemw
{iotZhn hp hnfn ImWpw

KoXm]mTw sNmntIp shm
t_m[apmbnSpw hrpw
khNcmNcXn\m
k{XawKfw hnSt
\h\oXw
Why do w e w or shi p?
Temple ( kshEt ram) is an image of t he human body

Tr ansl at i on of t he Ar t i cl e by Sw ami Asw at hi Ti r unaL
( Swami Aswat hy Thirunal is t he head of Ekalavya Ashram in Thiruvanant hapuram) .
Translat ion from Malayalam by Dr. A. P. Sukumar, Canada.

The word meaning of kshEt ram is body
as explained by Lord Sri Krishna in t he
Bhagavad- Git a. Our t emples are
const ruct ed based on t he st ruct ure of
our body. This met hodology in t he
const ruct ion of t emples has been
adopt ed t o emphasize and realize t he
basic profound st at ement ( mahavakya)
of Hindu philosophy Aham Brahmasmi
( I am Brahman) t hat is I and t he
Lord are one and t he same.
For a Hindu, t he concept of God is as an
omniscient presence of energy
( chait hanya) t hat is all encompassing.
That is present everywhere. I n every
life form it fills and prevails as t he
living ent it y. I n each individual who is in
t he human form, it is present as t he life
force. For each life form, t he ult imat e
goal of life is t o find it and realize t he
t rut h t hat me and God are one. When a
living ent it y realizes t his goal, t he
profound st at ement s such as
t hat hvamasi ( t hat t hou art ) ;
raamOham ( I am Rama) ; SivOham ( I
am Siva) ; Aham Brahmasmi ( I am
Brahman) et c. will also become Real.
The easiest way of realizing t his t rut h is
t o seek and find t he presence of God in
our self. For t his, a living being must
\h\oXw
medit at e and worship t he not ion of God
wit hin and t emples are schools t hat help
him in t his pursuit . That is why t emples
are const ruct ed in t he st ruct ure of a
body.

Temples are built in t he st yle of a man
lying on his back. The t emple ent rance
( gopuram) is t he feet of t he man. For
every t emple, t here will be an ent rance
door and t he shoes are t o be kept
out side t his door. When one ent ers a
t emple, it is as if he is ent ering int o his
own body. The mind t hat has been
wandering all over t he world is being
cont rolled by own will and brought
wit hin. When you get inside t he body,
t here is no need for shoes and t hat is
why in t emples we do not wear shoes.
Also, in t emples t here are rules t hat we
should not walk in pairs or groups. I f a
family of fat her, mot her and kids, once
ent ered a t emple, should walk on t heir
own, not as a group. Each one is
ent ering t he t emple wit h an aim t o find
and enliven t he godliness inside his
body. That is why we shouldnt t ake
very small children t o a t emple. They
will not be able t o behave inside t he
t emple wit h t he proper at t it ude knowing
t he philosophical concept s of t emple
st ruct ure and have darsan ( seeing t he
deit y) . Once you ent er a t emple, friends
must walk separat ely, however close
t hey are. When each one is searching
t he God wit hin, where is t he need for
relat ionship or a company? What is t he
need for chit chat ? By being alone, one
would be able t o enj oy t he t emple visit
wit hout dist ract ions and concent rat e on
godly t hought s.

When we go furt her inside t he t emple,
at t he navel area we see a st one called
nabhi. The flag post ( dwaj a) is placed
close t o t his st one. The flag post
represent s t he back bone of a human
body. The vert ical alignment of t he flag
post is merely for convenience during
daily rit uals. I n front of t he sanct um
sanct orum ( sree kovil) , we see a
podium t o do prost rat ions ( namaskara
mandapam) , t hat is in place of human
chest . Then t here are st eps t o ascend t o
t he sanct um sanct orum represent ing
neck ( gaLast han) . The priest uses
t hese st eps t o reach t he sanct orum
which is t he human head. On t he fore
head, t he deit y is inst alled at t he cent re
of t he t wo eye brows ( brhUmadhya ) .
Above and around t he deit y t here are
mirrors producing effulgent halo
represent ing t he lot us wit h t housand
pet als ( sahasrapadma ) . On eit her side
of t he sanct orum t here are fake doors
represent ing ears and above it t here is a
st eeple t ower represent ing t ied hair
( sikhi ) .

The devot ee who is st anding in front of
t he sanct um sanct orum wit h folded
hands is act ually worshipping himself.
When we fold our hands ( namast he ) ,
t he t humbs are point ed t owards our own
body and in front of sanct orum, a
devot ee closes his eyes. When t rying t o
see t he self wit hin one should close his
eyes. Ayyappa devot ees reach t he 18
st eps in front of t he Sabarimala sanct um
sanct orum aft er passing t hrough difficult
mount ainous pat hs such as karimala and
neelimala and experiencing all kinds of
discomfort s, st anding in t he queue for
hours. Once in front of t he deit y, upon
seeing t he lord t he devot ee calls out
Swamiye Saranamayyappa and folds
his hands in reverence. I mmediat ely he
ends up closing his eyes aut omat ically.
He is t rying t o see his own inner god
energy in t he form of Ayyappas image.
Even t he sages who are engaged in
severe aust erit ies sit t ing in forest caves
in t he icy Himalayan Mount ains are also
doing t he same t hing. They t ry t o realize
God t hrough int ense penance and
medit at ion wit hout any worries of
worldly responsibilit ies. But for ordinary
people wit h responsibilit ies t o look aft er
t heir families it is not pract ical t o go t o
t he caves for medit at ion. That is why
t emple visit s and idol worship have been
prescribed for t heir benefit . A house
holder st anding in front of t he deit y wit h
folded hands and closed eyes wit h a
heart filled wit h devot ion will be able t o
experience t he same spirit ual ecst asy as
\h\oXw
a sage who is involved in sever
aust erit ies in forest caves.

According t o t he science of Yoga, t here
are t hree realms of int elligence in all
living beings. He experiences t hese
realms of t he world t hrough t hree
different bodies. I n t he waking st at e, it
is by t he gross body; in t he dream st at e,
it is t hrough t he subt le body and in t he
sleep st at e, it is t hough t he causal body.
All living beings have t hree such bodies.
When we are awake, we underst and and
experience t he physical world. When we
sleep, t he physical body is asleep, but
we can see, hear and t ouch. What is t he
body t hat enables us t o do so? That is
t he subt le body. I n dream, we t ravel
t hrough t he subt le body. Deep sleep
st at e is where t he gross body and t he
subt le body are absent . When a person
is sleeping well, he experiences t hat in
t he causal body. Only when one get s rid
of all t he t hree bodies can he become
one wit h t he universal realit y. The
coconut we break in front of t he t emple
is symbolic of t hese t hree bodies. The
hard shell of t he coconut represent s
gross body, t he coconut meat represent s
subt le body and t he coconut wat er, t he
causal body. When a devot ee breaks a
coconut , he assumes t hat t he t hree
bodies are dest royed and his self
( at man ) get s absorbed in t he universal
self ( paramat hma ) .

When one dies, t he subt le body comes
out of t he physical body, i. e. , t he sat
goes out of t he body. ( All rit uals aft er
t he deat h of a person are aimed at
facilit at ing in t he j ourney of his subt le
body t o it s next world of experience
wit hout maj or difficult ies and anxiet ies. )
Just before light ing t he funeral pyre, we
break t he mud pot t o indicat e t he
j ourney t aken by t he at man aft er
breaking t he gross- subt le- causal bodies.
The clay of t he pot represent s physical
body and t he wat er inside t he pot , t he
subt le body and t he space inside t he
pot , t he causal body.
As explained earlier, a t emple is an
image of t he human body. The sculpt ure
of t he deit y inside t he sanct orum ( t he
head) represent s subt le body. The deit y
is inst alled at t he cent re of t he eye
brows ( brUmadhya) . This cent re is
considered by sages as t he cent re of
mind. The plat e t hat holds camphor
lamp represent s t he causal body which
is knowable only t hrough experience and
is beyond bot h t he waking and dream
st at es of awareness.

I n order t o underst and t he relevance
and secret of t he inst allat ion of a deit y,
one must learn about t he six t he cent re
point s known as six chakras ( shad
chakra ) . I n our subt le body, t here is a
divine nerve t hat st art s from t he bot t om
of t he spine ending at t he t op of t he
head, called sushumna ( spinal cord) . By
examining physical body, you will not
see it , as it is in t he subt le body t hat is
beyond observat ion by physical
equipment . This nerve passes t hrough
chakras. The spirit ual power of a living
being is hidden at t he bot t om of t he
spine, ( moolaadhaara ) . I t is akin t o a
she- snake lying coiled around an egg.
This power is known as kundalini and
t horough regular pract ice of yoga t his
power can be raised in st ages.
SasdhisTaanam ( genit als) ,
maNipoorakam ( navel) , anaahat ham
( heart ) , visuddhi ( t hroat ) , Aj naachakram
( forehead, in t he middle of eye brow)
are t he st ages before t he kundalini
reaches Siva, t he head, t he abode of t he
lot us wit h t housand pet als. There t he
Devi, t he embodiment of power
( kundalini sakt hi) and t he Siva become
one. There t he self realizes t he Brahman
( t rut h) . All living beings t ake life in a
physical body t o reach t his st at e of Siva-
Sakt hi unificat ion. I t is t he longing t o
t ast e t he et ernal happiness of t his
unificat ion t hat forces living beings t o
engage in sexual int ercourse. They
engage in sex t hinking t hat it is t he
epit ome of happiness. But t he happiness
t hat comes out of sex last s only a
limit ed t ime. Knowing t his fact , people
wit h discret ion abst ain from it . I t is like
some one who never get s dist ract ed by
a wat er pond when his goal is t o enj oy
\h\oXw
t he sea it self. But t he power of illusion
( maya) forces our body and mind t o run
aft er sex and ot her physical pleasures of
life. This is called vasana ( innat e
t endency) . I t is t o go beyond t his
vasana t hat a seeker is ordered t o
observe celibacy. Not because t here is
anyt hing sinful about sex. That is why in
older t emples, you will see pict ures of
explicit sexual act s. An aspirant should
go beyond t hese dist ract ions and get
inside t he t emple t o get t he happiness
et ernal t hat is real. When Siva and
Sakt hi unit es in ones self, t he yogi
experiences t he t ot al happiness known
as brahmanandam. A seeker should go
beyond t he physical urges underst at ing
t he fact t hat t he sexual pleasures will
not come close t o even one- t housands
of t his happiness t hat is et ernal and
real.

Templ e Vi si t s, a bl i nd f ol ded game ?
We should dissuade any at t empt t o
make Hinduism indulge in blind fait h

I n t he science of Yoga ( yogasast hra) ,
t he power of kunDalini ( kuNDalini
Sakt hi) has t he foremost place. The
energy t hat is lying in t he
moolaadhara must reach t he t op of
ones head t hrough regular pract ice
( sadhana) . For animals, kuNDalini power
seldom goes beyond t he navel area. So
t hey have only t wo main act ivit ies in
t heir life- eat food and procreat e by
engaging in sex. But for a human being,
t his energy will raise beyond t he navel
area. That is why man t hinks about birt h
& deat h as well as t rut h behind life.
Through t he process of evolut ion caused
by t he act ivit y of t he kuNDalini power,
t he four- legged animals developed int o
t he t wo- legged orangut ans ( man-
monkey) . When t his power rose beyond
t he navel area and st art ed spreading t he
vit al energy, orangut ans underwent
furt her changes. They developed t he
abilit y t o t hink and grow t hemselves
int ellect ually and spirit ually. I n t he
int ellect ual j ourney, he found t he t rut h
t hat is science and in t he spirit ual
j ourney he found t he t rut h t hat is god.
Those who have found t rut h in science,
we call t hem scient ist s. Those who have
found t rut h in god, we call t hem sages
or seers ( rishis) . Scient ist s find t rut h
using t elescopes and microscopes, while
sages find t he t rut h by int ense pract ice
of medit at ion and aust erit y in t heir own
self. KuNDalini power of t hose men who
are purely mat erialist ic and live based
on t he belief t hat t he essent ial meaning
of life is t o have sex and eat food will
decline progressively. This will cause
him t o be reborn as an animal or a bird.
But t hose who undert ake t he pract ice
and pat h of spirit ualit y t o realize god will
be born as sages and yogis, finally
merging wit h god. I n short , kuNDalini
power is t he basic inspiring force of
evolut ion.

The word meaning of kuNDalini is she-
snake. I t is int erest ing t o not e t hat t he
Malayalees who misunderst ood t he word
meaning became worshippers of snakes
( sarppa pooj a) . We inst all a banyan t ree
and a st at ue of a snake at a corner of
t he t emple t o represent kuNDalini
power. There is no connect ion bet ween
t his and t he snake, t he animal. Banyan
t ree represent s t he nerves of t he subt le
body. The banyan t ree has been chosen
apt ly t o represent t his as it is known t o
spread ozone t o clean t he air out side
world. KunDalini of a seeker reaches t he
t housand pet al lot us by cleansing his
nerves t hrough regular pract ice of
aust erit ies and yoga. For t he people who
follow t he pat h of knowledge ( j nana
yoga) and t hose who follow t he pat h of
devot ion ( bhakt hi yoga) ascend of
kuNDalini happens aut omat ically. For a
hat ha yogi, it is achieved t hrough
int ense pract ice of physical yogic
exercise.

Subt l e body
I f we know t his much, we should be able
t o get t he gist of idol worship. An idol
represent s t he subt le body and we
worship in front of it . The priest who
performs t he worship is only a
conduct or. The disciples are present in
front of t he sanct um t o seek god who is
\h\oXw
wit hin t hemselves. The priest is j ust a
demonst rat or who shows t he people
how t o achieve t his and t o show how t o
pract ice pat hs of spirit ualit y by
employing suit able imagery. He is not an
agent of t he god or some one who is
close t o Him or a wholesale dealer. I f
some one shows you t he map of
America in an at las, he need not have
visit ed America t o show you t he same.
Even if he has been t o America, he may
not have t he abilit y t o explain t he
experience t o you. Even if he is an
excellent narrat or, he will not be able t o
impart you t he unique experience of a
t raveler who is act ually visit ing t hat
count ry. Why t emple priest s are not
realized souls? Why are t hey not able t o
renounce t heir greed t owards money
and physical comfort s? The answer is
evident here. You cannot insist t hat all
midwives who help wit h deliveries must
have t he demonst rat ed experience of
having had a smoot h delivery in t heir
own cases.

Human body is made of five element s:
air, fire, wat er, eart h and space. The
body has been creat ed as a composit ion
of t hese element s in t heir gross and
subt le molecular component s. When one
dies, t he air leaves t he body first . Then
t he body heat ( fire) vanishes and t hen
t he wat er. When t he body is burnt in a
pyre, t he eart hly component also
disint egrat es. At last , t he space t hat
occupied t he body also will lose it s
ident it y.

I n a rit ualist ic worship ( pooj a) , mainly
five mat erials are ut ilized. Represent ing
eart h, t here is eat able ( naivEdyam or
prasadam) , air is represent ed by incense
( dhoop) , fire by lit lamp, wat er, and t he
space by flower. I f we ret urn t he five
element s t hat const it ut e our body t o t he
nat ure, we can realize our self. But by
ones deat h t his will not happen. When a
body is burnt complet ely, only gross
body get s dest royed.
This is because of t he fact t hat only t he
gross component s of t he five element s
will be lost by cremat ion. A priest who
conduct s t he rit ualist ic worship
assuming t hat t he t hree bodies ( gross,
subt le and causal bodies; subt le and
causal bodies are made up of subt le
component s of t he five element s) are
being ret urned t o t he nat ure. That is
why t he priest keeps t he five it ems in
front of t he idol. Once he submit s wat er,
fire, air and food, what is left t o be
submit t ed is only space. Submission of
space is t he done by t he worship
( archana) wit h flowers.

Devot ees who go t o t he t emple carry t he
five it ems such as incense st icks, rose
wat er, fruit s, oil and flowers wit h t he
same assumpt ion. The worship known
as sahasra archana is t o do worship by
flower t housand t imes. Obviously it is
not pract ical for all devot ees t o get
inside a sanct orum t o do worship and
t hat is why a person is employed by t he
societ y t o do it . This salaried employee
is t he priest . A spat ula t hat is fully
immersed in a sweet pudding need not
know it s t ast e. The priest need not know
all t he nuances and in- dept h meanings
behind all rit uals he conduct s. A t emple
priest is j ust a laborat ory assist ant who
is in t he lab t hat devot ees use t o
experiment in pursuing spirit ual
realizat ion. I t is t rue t hat some
laborat ory assist ant s are much bet t er
t han professors in demonst rat ing
experiment s t o t he aspirant .

Once t he flower worship, showing of
lamp, submission of wat er and food are
over, t he priest t akes t he camphor plat e
in his hand. The camphor plat e
represent s t he causal body t hat is t he
seat of innat e t endencies ( vasana) t hat
force t he gross and subt le bodies t o go
aft er worldly affairs. The plat e has t he
shape of a sage sit t ing in lot us post ure
( padmaasana) wit h t he locks of his hair
t ied around and above his head. The
lamp t hat is lit in front of t he idol
represent s t he sacred Om mant ra. I t s
base is t he navel of Lord Vishnu and t he
mid port ion is t he lot us t hat is t he abode
of Lord Brahma, and t he t op port ion is
t he phallus of Lord Siva ( Siva lingam) .
\h\oXw
Brahman is t he one t hat is t he sum t ot al
of t hese t hree boundaries. Om mant ra
( Omkara) represent s Brahman in an
audible form. The lamp is lit in front of
an idol t o represent Om t hat is, t he
essence of Brahman appears t o be split
int o t hree aspect s. I n t he lamp, t hree
wicks are lit t o represent t he consort of
Siva- Parvat hy t he goddess who
sust ains t he world by prot ect ing it ;
Brahmas consort - Saraswat hy t he
goddess of knowledge; and t he consort
of Vishnu- Lakshmidevi- t he goddess of
prosperit y. This complet es t he imagery
and if t hese gods and goddesses are
pleased wit h a devot ee, his life is
fulfilled.

The nat ur e of t he Sel f
Only when t he innat e t endencies
( vasanas) of t he causal body also get
annihilat ed, a living being would be able
t o realize it s own self. That is being
represent ed in burning camphor.
Camphor is select ed purposely for t his
because upon burning t he camphor it
does not leave any residue in t he plat e.
When t he vasanas of t he causal body -
t hat is t he abode of non apprehension of
realit y- is burnt , t he idol becomes
effulgent . This effulgence is
represent at ive of t he omniscient Self
which is and beyond t he limit at ions of
t ime. A devot ee who sees t his wit h
folded hands underst ands t hat t he final
goal of his life is t o realize his own Self.

At t he end of worshipping wit h lit
camphor, t he devot ee sees t he mult iple
reflect ions of t he flame as t he priest
raises t he camphor plat e near t he
mirrors t hat are inst alled above t he idol.
The assumpt ion is t hat t he kuNDalini
has reached t he lot us of t housand pet als
and t he unificat ion of Siva and Sakt hi
has occurred. Thus t he Self get s
absorbed and t he living ent it y get s
freedom ( nirvana) from t he birt h and
deat h cycle. These lessons make deep
impressions in t he minds of devot ees.
They come t o realize t he t rut h t hat t heir
bodies are only like clot hing and a
covering for t he et ernal Self. Aft er t he
worship, t he priest brings t he camphor
plat e t o t he midst of people. This is t o
give t he devot ee an opport unit y t o
worship t he flame and promise t hat I
t oo am an aspirant who want s t o follow
t he pat h of spirit ualit y. Most people
t ouch t he flame and put t heir hands on
t heir eyelids wit hout knowing why t hey
are doing it . I t is t he fat e of modern
Hindus t hat t hey end up t aking part in a
drama wit hout knowing t he act ual st ory.
I n fact ninet y percent of Hindu rit uals
are blindly being followed by people not
j ust in t he case of t emple worship.

Aft er t he worship one should drink t he
sacred wat er ( t heert ham) . One should
drink only a lit t le of it as it is meant as a
cleanser t o t he visuddhi chakra ( t hroat ) .
The scared wat er get s below t he vocal
chord wit h t he assumpt ion t hat all words
coming out of t he t hroat will be clean as
t he wat er cleanses t he t hroat area. Now
one should eat some food offered t o t he
lord ( prasadam) . Next in t he rit ual is t o
accept t he sandal past e, ash or saffron
given by t he priest . Sandal past e is t o
remind one t hat t here is no need t o be
proud of t he physical body t hat is going
t o be cremat ed one day in a sandal
wood pyre. Saffron powder is applied on
t he forehead in t he shape of a flame t o
remind us t he t rut h t hat one day t he
body is t o be submit t ed t o t he flame.
Finally we apply ash ( bhasmam) on our
body in t he assumpt ion t hat it is t he ash
from a funeral pyre, reminding us t hat
t he body is not hing but a handful of ash.
Sages have given t hese rit ualist ic st eps
t o inculcat e in a devot ee t he at t it ude of
humilit y and aversion t owards worldly
possessions in his individualit y.

Aft er t he worship, one should sit down
at a corner of t he t emple and medit at e
and realize t he god energy wit hin. The
worship is basically t o init iat e t his
cont emplat ion. When t he idol is
worshipped wit h lamp ( deeparadhana)
all t he five senses of t he devot ees will
be concent rat ed on t he lord. Eyes will
first concent rat e on t he idol and t hen
t he inner eyes will focus on t he form of
\h\oXw
god wit hin. The chant ing of Omkara and
t he ringing of bells will reverberat e in
t he ears. The smell of camphor and
sandal wood would occupy noses. Limbs
are folded in reverence t o t he lord. Mind
is focused in single point ed at t ent ion
t owards t he Him. Wit h t his pleasant
st at e of happiness, a house- holder
devot ee should go t o a corner of t he
t emple and chant lords name and
medit at e j ust as a sage would do. Thus
one should complet e t he process of
worship before leaving t he t emple. I t is
indeed a great loss for our cult ure when
we see t hat people spent some t ime in
front of t he t emple aft er t he worship
looking here and t here chit chat t ing
inst ead of following t he noble procedure
as t aught by sages. For t he t emple
worship t o be fruit ful, one should give
donat ion and ot her possible helps t o
deserving people before leaving t he
t emple. This is prescribed t o ensure t hat
one inculcat es t he habit of helping t he
poor and t he needy as a principle in life.
I dol worship and t emple visit s are
simple, but beaut iful rit uals prescribed
by t he sages for t he house- holders
carrying many responsibilit ies in t heir
head t o achieve t he same spirit ual
development as t hat of a monk who do
not have worldly dut ies. Those who
follow t his wit h full underst anding will
get spirit ual growt h and along wit h t hat
t hey will develop noble qualit ies such as
simplicit y in life, self confidence,
devot ion, cleanliness, diligence and
compassion. Live life well, live happily
and at t he t ime of deat h, realize t he
t rut h t hat is god and leave t he body wit h
full spirit ual energy. What more can a
religion provide it s followers? Daily visit
and t emple worship will definit ely help
one t o t ake up t his way of noble life. I t
is of great import ance t o know t he value
and meaning of all rit uals we follow. I f
we cont inue t he present way of t emple
worship wit hout knowing t he inner
meanings of t he rit uals as pract iced by
t he priest s, t emple aut horit ies and t he
poor devot ees, soon we will bring back
t he pract ice of cast e discriminat ion and
aut ocracy of priest s which were mat t ers
of shame t o Hindu cult ure in t he past .
This will lead t he younger generat ions
who are capable of assimilat ing modern
ideas, t o t reat Hindu religion as one wit h
blind beliefs and meaningless rit uals. I n
order t o get out of such a t ragedy, I ndia
will need hundreds of Swami
Vivekanandas and Sree Narayana Gurus.
\h\oXw

GURUVAYUR - FESTI VAL
CALENDAR 2006

MAHASI VARATHRI
alminhcm{Xn
26. 02. 2006
POONTHANAM DAY
]qm\ Zn\w
03. 03. 2006
VI SHU
hnjp
14. 04. 2006
KARKI TAKA VAVU
ImnI hmhv
24. 07. 2006
ASHTAMI ROHI NI
AantcmlnWn
14. 09. 2006
THI RUVONAM
XnthmWw
05. 09. 2006
POOJA VAI PPU
]qPhbvv
30. 09. 2006
MAHANAVAMI
alm\han
01. 10. 2006
VI JAYADASHAMI
hnPbZian
02. 10. 2006
DEEPAVALI
Zo]mhen
21. 10. 2006
KRI SHNAGEETHI DAY
IrjvWKoXn Zn\w
16. 11. 2006
GURUVAYUR EKADASI
Kphmbq GImZin
01. 12. 2006
NARAYANEEYAM DAY
\mcmbWob Zn\w
14. 12. 2006
KUCHELA DAY
tNe Zn\w
20. 12. 2006
KALABHATTAM
If`mw
27. 12. 2006
{io Kphmbq Dh 2006

Navaneetham VishukkaNi

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Navaneetham VishukkaNi

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

\h\oXw

Navaneetham http://groups.yahoo.com/group/guruvayur Page-1

You might also like