HINDU RITUALS AND ROUTINES - Part 69

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HINDU RITUALS AND ROUTINES - WHY DO WE FOLLOW THOSE? Char Dham Pilgrimage Char Dham, or Chaar Dhaams, are the sacred temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu or his incarnations (avatars). The four sacred places are Badrinath, Rameshwaram, Puri, and Dwarka. The Char Dhams are located in the North, South, East and West of India. Since the four sacred places are spread across the country, the Char Dham ‘thirthyatra’ is known as the Mahaparikrama. Adi Guru Sri Shankaracharya built four pilgrimage centres in four corners of India . Among them Puri in the east, Rameshwaram in the south, Dwarka in the west, and Badrinath in the north. Rameshwaram Rameswaram is a town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on an island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is less than 40 kilometers from the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka.

The holy island of Rameswaram is known for one of India ’s most venerated and most visited Shiva shrines, dedicated to Sri Ramanathaswamy. It is so intimately associated with the life of Sri Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana, that both Saivites and Vaishnavites consider every grain of Rameswaram’s sand very sacred. There is a traditional belief among the Hindus that a pilgrimage to Kashi will be complete only after a visit to Rameswararn, also hailed as “Benaras of the Southâ€. Pilgrims aspire for a holy dip in the sea at Dhanushkodi, revered as Sethu Theertha, where the Mahodathi (Bay of Bengal) meets Ratnakara ( Indian Ocean ). The sanctity and antiquity of Rameswaram is summed up in the old saying Aa Sethu Himachalam. The merits of Sethu Yatra are described in the Vedas and in almost all the Puranas -- Agneya, Bhagavatha, Padma, Shiva and Skanda Puranas, to mention a few. Numerous literary works in Sanskrit and Tamil from the period of Valmiki Ramayana extol the significance of Sethu Yatra. The four Saivite saints Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manickavasagar have sung in praise of Lord Rarnanathaswamy. Saint Thayumaanavar was a staunch devotee of Goddess Parvathavardhini. Rameswaram is the abode of one of the 12 Jyothirlingas of India.. It is also considered one among four most sacred pilgrim centers of India . They are Rameswaram in the South, Badrinath in the North, Puri in the East and Dwaraka in the West. Among these, Rameswaram is dedicated to Shiva, while the other three are dedicated to Vishnu. Mythology The temple of Lord Ramanathaswamy dates back to the period of Ramayana. The epic begins with the birth of the four princes in Ayodhya, but its subsequent scenes change in quick succession from the banks of the Sarayu River to this southernmost part of our land - the confluence of Mahodathi and Ratnakara. In Rameswaram, one can capture glimpses of scenes from Sundara Kaandam, the epic’s fifth canto, unfolding. Sri Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya, is an embodiment of love, virtue and Dharma. He undergoes a 14-year-long exile on the eve of his coronation to fulfill a promise of his father Dasharata. His wife Sita and his most caring brother Lakshmana accompany him to the forest. In his quest for Dharma, Rama vanquishes thousands of Rakshasas in the forests during the exile and brings peace and happiness among the Rishis and other inhabitants. The exile passes off peacefully till the abduction of Sita by Ravana, the Asura king of Lanka, at Panchavati on the banks of Godavari . Rama is grief-stricken. He along with Lakshmana wanders through the forests in search of Sita. One day they meet Sugriva, an exiled monkey king from Kishkindha, and Hanuman, his minister, who vow to help Rama trace Sita. After regaining his kingdom, Sugriva dispatches search parties in all directions. Hanuman, Angada, Nala and others travel southwards and land on the Gandhamadhana Parvatha along the south-eastern coast. This is the present Rameswaram. The famous Sundara Kaandam begins here with the unbelievable act of Hanuman taking Vishwa Roopam and leaping across the ocean from this hill to reach Lanka. After a frenzied search, Hanuman finally succeeds in locating Sita, held captive in Ravana’s Ashoka Vana. He hands over to Sita a ring from Rama as proof of his being Rama’s messenger. Assuring Sita that Rama will come soon, wage a battle against Ravana and end her agony, Hanuman takes leave of Sita after accepting with reverence her Choodamani (head ornament) as a token for Rama. Later Hanuman destroys Ashoka Vana and gets himself captured by Ravana’s son Indrajit. When Ravana orders setting fire to the tail of Hanuman, he sets the whole of Lanka ablaze with his burning

tail. Hanuman takes the air route back to Gandhamadhana Parvatha, where the search party has set up camp. They all rejoice the glad tidings. Soon they reach Kishkindha. Hanuman meets Rama and gives him the Choodamani with the news that Sita is safe. Rama is immensely pleased with Hanuman and embraces him warmly. Sugriva organizes a big retinue of monkeys and bears from all over the land to proceed on the mission to rescue Sita. Headed by Rama and Lakshmana, they traverse the eastern coast. Following tradition, Rama first invokes Lord Vinayaka (Veyil Ugandha Vinayaka) at Uppoor seeking to remove obstacles on his mission. He offers puja to Navagrahas at the present Devipattinam or Navapaashaanam by installing nine stones in the sea. He then reaches a marshy land known as Dharbaaranyam (because the place was full of dharba grass). He worships Adi Jagannatha, the presiding deity, and receives Divya astras and the Lord’s blessings for his mission. In a battle that follows, Rama, accompanied by Lakshmana and the Vanara Sena, vanquishes the ten- headed Ravana to the great relief of everyone. And, how all these happened within the time requested by Sita to rescue her is brought out beautifully by sage Valmiki in his epic. With the battle over, Rama, accompanied by Sita, Lakshmana and the army, returns to the shores of what is Rameswaram now. Here, as advised by Rishis, Rama decides to consecrate a shrine for Shiva to wash off the Brahmahatti dosha - the sin of killing Ravana, a Brahmin and great grandson of Brahma. A time for the auspicious ceremony is fixed. Rama rushes Hanuman to Mount Kailas to fetch a Linga. As the auspicious time for the installation has neared, but since Hanuman has still not reached, Sita makes a Linga out of sand and the puja is performed within the stipulated time. It is consecrated as Ramalinga. Meanwhile, Hanuman returns from Shiva’s abode with two Lingas. He is disappointed that the ceremony is already over. In anger, he tries to uproot the sand Linga with his tail, but in vain. Rama pacifies Hanuman and installs a Linga brought by

Hanuman from Kailas to the left of Ramalinga, and ordered that all pujas be first performed for this Linga, called Vishwalinga. This priority in puja is followed even today. Rama then performs abhisheka with holy water from the Ganga . He aims an arrow at a point to create a spring and takes the purifacatory bath. This is the much-revered Kodi Theertha, situated in the first corridor of the Rameswaram temple. This holy Theertha and several other sacred waters, mostly in the form of wells within the temple precincts in Rameswaram thus have a special sanctity attached to them with the touch of Rama’s holy feet. The people of Rameswaram consider it sacrilegious to plough the land or use heavy stone crushers to produce oil since Sita made Ramalinga out of earth. Puri Puri is a city in the east Indian state of Orissa. It is also known to many as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple , which was built in the late eleventh century. The word "puri" in the most ancient Sanskrit language stands for 'Town or City' but, in this case, it is derived from Jagannath Puri. Another belief is that the name Puri is derived from Purushottama one of 108 Shakti Peethas, Purushottama [citation needed]. Sri Sankaracharya, during his Yatra, preached the basics of God-worship. This was a special contribution of the Acharya to the Sanatana Vedic dharma. He said that there could be five basic forms of Brahman: Siva, Vishnu, Surya, Ganesha and Durga. One could practice to worship one of the Gods among the five as the chosen deity, according to his own tastes, Samskaras and qualifications. The other four could be worshipped as auxiliary deities. The Acharya then proceeded inside Andhra Pradesh. Having travelled through many places in Andhra, the Acharya spread the knowledge of Brahman and Self.

Then, the Acharya arrived at the holy city of Puri in Orissa. He went into the famous Jagannath temple there, only to find the altar there empty. He learnt that during oppression by Kalayavana ( who was determined to kill all Yadhavas including Krishna ), priests of the place had buried the casket containing the wooden image of Lord Jagannath on the banks of Chilka lake. During a period of Buddhist attacks that followed, it got further moved elsewhere. Later, through the support of a King, a large number of Salagrama stones were installed and on that very altar, rites of worship were instituted. The Acharya was filled with deep sorrow at the sight of the altar without the image of Jagannatha. He plunged into deep meditation on the banks of the lake. Then he told the people: "The casket containing the idols is buried on the eastern banks of the lake under the largest banyan tree. If only that spot is dug up, the casket will be recovered". The people dug up the indicated spot and, they found the casket! Everyone there celebrated. In great pomp and show, the casket was brought to Puri. On an auspicious day, amidst great joy and reverence, the image of the Lord was installed in the shrine of Jagannath. The Acharya also established a math in Puri called Gobardhan Math to propagate Vaidika Dharma. Jagannath Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath or Purushothama, the Lord of the Universe, is situated on the sea shore of the Bay of Bengal in the State of Orissa . This temple is one of the tallest monuments in the country, the height of which is about 214 feet from the ground level. It stands on an elevated platform of stone. The temple has four gates at the eastern, southern,western, and northen midpoints of the Meghanad Prachir and are called Lions gate, Horse Gate, Tiger Gate and the Elephant Gate respectively.. Lord Jagannath is worshipped in the Temple alongwith Balabhadra, Subhadra, Sudarshan, Madhaba, Sridevi and Bhudevi on a bejeweled platform.. The Deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan are made of margosa wood. Lord Balabhadra is the elder brother, Lord Jagannath is Younger brother and Devi Subhadra is yougest sister. Legend has it that Lord Jagannath was originally worshipped as Neela Madhab by a tribal chief named Viswavasu secretly in a forest. Having heard about the deity, King Indradyumna sent a Brahmin priest, Vidyapati to locate the deity. Vidyapati tried his best but could not locate the place.. However, he managed to locate Viswavasu's house and stayed there as his guest. He managed to marry Viswavasu's daughter as well. Upon repeated requests of Vidyapati, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind folded to a cave where Neela Madhab was worshipped. Vidyapati was very intelligent. He dropped mustard seeds in the ground along the way. The seeds germinated after a few days, which enabled him to find out the cave later on. Vidyapati sent word to King Indradyumna and the King proceeded immediately to that place on a pilgrimage. When the king arrived at the cave, the deity had disappeared and he was disappointed. The deity was hidden in sand. Afterwards, the king built a magnificent temple for Vishnu. During his sleep, the king had a vision of Lord Jagannath and an astral voice directed him to receive a fragrant tree on the seashore and make idols out of it. Accordingly the king got the image of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra , Subhadra and Sudarshan made out of the wood of the said tree and installed them in the temple. King Indardyumna invited Lord Brahma to consecrate the temple. Seeing the temple, Brahma was immensely pleased and asked him what boon he wanted. Indradyumna said: “ So that no one in the future will be able to claim Your temple as his own property, I desire to be without descendants. Kindly grant me this one request that I should have no childrenâ€. Dwarka is a city and a municipality located in the Jamnagar district of Gujarat state in India . Dwarka (Dvaraka in Sanskrit - used in this article when referring to the city in a historical context), also known as Dwarawati in Sanskrit literature is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country. The legendary city of Dvaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. It is believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvaraka has submerged six times and modern day Dwarka is the 7th such city to be built in the area. The temple has a five storey tower which was built by Sambha, who is the grandson of Lord Sri Krishna. The city is believed to be built by Vishwakarma, who is a celestial architect in Hinduism. The temple is made of limestone and sand. There is a flag hoisted in the temple tower five times each day, which waves in the air beautifully welcoming the pilgrims. The structure of the temple is quite complicated. There are two gateways: Swarga Dwar, where pilgrims enter, and Moksha Dwar, where pilgrims exit. From the temple one can view the Sangam (confluence) of River Gomati flowing towards the sea. In Dwaraka, there are also shrines for Vasudeva, Devaki, Balarama and Revati, Subhadra, Rukmini Devi, Jambavati Devi and Satyabhama Devi. Dwarka is sanctified as the place where Lord Vishnu slew the demon Shankhasura. The Puranas mention the 12 Jyotirlingas or columns of light representing Lord Shiva which manifested in different parts of the country. One of these is located in Dwarka and is known as the Nageshwar Mahadev. The Jagat Mandir or Nij Mandir forms the sanctum of the Dwarkadish temple and dates back to 2500 years. Jagat Mandir has its own hall of audience and a conical spire. The roof of the hall is supported by 60 columns and the main temple rises five storeys high. The spire rises to a height of 157 feet and is richly carved. One of the most popular temples in Dwarka is that of Rukmini, Krishna 's wife, considered an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the

goddess of wealth and beauty. The Sharad Peetha, one of the four Maths established by Jagatguru Shankaracharya, is also situated here. Dwarka is an important pilgrimage center. It is steeped in legends, being associated with the life of Lord Krishna. In Puranic times, present-day Dwarka was known as Kushasthali or Dwaravati and enjoyed pride of place as the most important spot on the Saurashtra coast. It is said that Lord Krishna, after slaying Kansa, left his abode at Mathura and traveled with the entire Yadava community to the coast of Saurashtra where he founded a town and named it Swarnadwarika.

Vajranabh, Lord Krishna's successor and great grandson, is believed to have built the present temple Dwarkanath , also called Trilok Sundar. Many Hindus fervently believe that the temple was erected in one night by a supernatural agency, under Vajranabh's direction. Legend has it that when dying, Lord Krishna asked his devotees to leave Swarnadwarika so that the sea could engulf it. Until this day, Lord Krishna's city lies buried under the sea. Excavations have revealed that the sea swallowed five settlements, the present-day Dwarka being the sixth in line.

The temple of Dwarkadheesh , also known as Jagat Mandir, is built on the north bank of the Gomti Creek. The temple dates back to 2,500 years. Architecturally the temple is constructed on the same plan and system as most of the Hindu sacred edifices of antiquity. Sixty columns support the roof of the audience hall of the Jagat Mandir. The main temple is five-story high with the lavishly carved conical spire rising to a height of 157 feet. There is the one-meter tall, four handed black idol of Ranchhodrai, the ruler of Dwarika. Amongst the large number of temples belonging to different periods in the history of Dwarka, the most popular with pilgrims is the temple of Rukmini , Lord Krishna's wife, who is considered an incarnation of

Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and beauty.

In addition to its temples and legends, Dwarka is also sanctified as the seat of Adi Shankaracharya, who established four seats (maths) in four different directions in the country. Research work in Sanskrit is carried on at the Shankaracharya's seat known as Sharad Peetha. To provide Shakti to the Peetham, He made the Kalikadevi as the principal Devi and Siddeshwara as the Murthi. The Peetham was called Dwaraka Kalika Peetham. Badrinath Sri Shankaracharya and his disciples arrived at Badrinath. On two sides of the region, Nara and Narayana, the two snow-covered mountain peaks, as white as foam, stood aloft in noble grandeur proclaiming the glory of that ancient past. Close by, the river Alakananda flowed in its own majestic course. Just by the side of the temple of Narayana were hot springs . Acharya and his disciples bathed in the hot springs and went to the shrine of Badrinarayana. But the four-armed idol of Badari Narayana was not to be seen in the shrine. In the place o that idol, they were worshipping a Salagrama stone.

As in another temple, here too, the image was hidden by the forefathers of the priests to save it from the bandits. But later on, in spite of intensive search, the image could not be recovered. Therefore, all along, the Lord has been worshipped in the symbol of the sacred Salagrama stone.. Hearing this, Acharya became immersed in deep thought, and remained absorbed in meditation. On returning to normal consciousness, he proceeded towards the Naradakund springs. Acharya started getting down into the waters of the spring. The under-current there would draw anyone into the deep bottom of the river. A number of people had lost their lives by getting into these springs. But Acharya came out holding in his hands, a four armed image of

Narayana. On bringing it out of the water and closely inspecting it, he felt that it did not have any distinctive features to indicate it was a divine idol. He put it back into the water and again dived into the Narayankund and again found an idol but did not find anything distinctive about it.. He dived the third time and again found an idol and just when he was about to put it back into the water a voice stopped him, which said : "I am Badrinath and have been consecrated by Brahma once before. Give this divine idol its rightful place".

The Acharya bowed before the idol, and in accordance with the prescribed modes, did the ceremonial bathing of the image, and with his own holy hands installed the Narayana idol in the shrine. Acahrya composed and recited Shat-Padi stotram here in praise of the Lord. An installation by Acharya meant the transmission of a powerful spiritual current whose efficacy would remain unimpaired for many a millennium. The Acharya entrusted the responsibility of worshipping the installed deity to a worthy group of his followers, after laying down the procedures for the worship. Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand , India . Badrinath has been mentioned as a holy place in scriptures and legends for thousands of years. According to the Srimad Bhagavatam, "There in Badrikashram the Personality of Godhead (Vishnu), in his incarnation as the sages Nara and Narayana, had been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living entities." (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.4.22) Badri refers to a berry that was said to grow abundantly in the area, and nath means "Lord of". Badri is also the Sanskrit name for the Indian Jujube tree, which has an edible berry. Some scriptural references refer to Jujube trees being abundant in Badrinath. Legend has it that the Goddess Lakshmi took the form of the berries to provide sustenance to Lord Vishnu during his long penance in the harsh Himalayan climate. In the Bhagavad Purana, Lord Krishna tells his friend and devotee, Uddhava that in future he would be available only in the holy spot of Badrikashrama (Badrinath). He gave Uddhava his sandals and told him to carry them to Badrinath and keep it there for people to worship. These are to be seen even now. The Hindu scriptures say that the life of a Hindu would be incomplete without making a visit to Badrinath. It is the supreme place of pilgrimage especially for the Vaishnavites (worshippers of Vishnu and his avataras). According to the Padma Purana, the rishis found Uttrakhand (modern Uttranchal) to be indeed a glorious temple built by Nature for the worship of the Supreme. From time immemorial the whole of India has been linked with these holy spots by a bond of consecrated faith. Badrinath has a very ancient history. It dates from the Vedic period. It is a common belief that many of the Vedic hymns and the major portions of the Upanishads were sung first in this spot known as Badarikashrama. It is a place where countless sages and seers have done penance. No other spiritual place in India is called “ashrama†- a sanctuary for spiritual seekers. The whole land between Nandaprayag and Satopant is known as the Badri Vishal Kshetra. The great sages, Nara and Narayana are said to be practicing tapasya here even to this day. The Mahabharata mentions that these sages took a human birth as Krishna and Arjuna for the benefit of mankind. The Mahabharata also mentions that Krishna visited Arjuna in

Badarikashrama and lived with him for a considerable period of time during their exile. The sage Vyasa also visited this spot. In fact the cave dedicated to him is close to the temple and this is where he is supposed to have written the Mahabharata with Ganesha as his scribe. It is in this cave that he collected the Vedas and divided them into four parts which he taught to four of his chief disciples. Many sages like Vasishta and Kanwa went there to meditate. Five out of the six schools of Indian philosophy wrote their treatises in this holy land. It is no wonder therefore that every Hindu considers a visit to Badrinath as a means of liberation from this life of transmigration. Arundati, the wife of the great sage Vasishta asked her husband to tell her of the importance of Badrinath. Vasishta said, “O Arundati! Even the greatest of all sinners becomes freed from all his bondages if he but has a glimpse of Sri Badri Narayana. But this holy glimpse is not so easy to get. Only one who has prayed to the Lord for a hundred births will have His darshan. Such a person is fit for liberation (moksha). Even one who utters the name of Lord Badri Narayana will be freed from all sins. One who bathes in the holy waters and offers food or flowers to the Lord and one who offers the akhand deep (the eternal light) is indeed most fortunate. All the gods will bow at his feet. O Arundati! Lord Badrinatha has the knowledge of all the Vedas and can bring one out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of wisdomâ€! About The Temple : Badrinath is situated at an altitude of 3500 meters amidst the snowy and magnificent valley between the two mountains called Nara and Narayana after the great sages who meditated here. The temple is situated on the right bank of the river Alakananda which later joins Mandakini and then Bagirathi at Devprayag from where it is called Ganga . The idol of the Lord here is a saligrama (type of a holy stone) seated naturally in padmasana (lotus pose).Only here the idol of Vishnu is in yogic pose. Here he sits alone in splendid isolation without his consort and is immersed in the bliss of soul. According to eminent historians, the temple had existed well before the period of the Mahabharata. With the advent of Buddhism, the territory surrounding this sacred place came under the influence of the Buddhists. The ancient temple was destroyed and the idol was thrown into Alaknanda river. It was Adi Shankaracharya, who discovered the image in the Alakananda from the pool known as Narad Kund and installed it in the Garud Gupha near the hot water spring known as Tapta Kund. It

remained here for about seven centuries. Then at the insistence of the great Vaishnava saint called Varadarajacharya, the then ruler of Garhwal made a temple at the spot where the present temple stands and had the idol installed therein. The gold canopy of the temple is supposed to have been a gift of the famous Queen, Ahalyabai of Holkar.. Narad Kund is a recess in the bed of the Alakananda River which forms a pool and is close to the Tapta Kund. It is sheltered by a projecting rock which breaks the force of the river and allows people to bathe in it. Adi Shankaracharya knew this by his great powers and retrieved the idol from this pool. He is the one who has laid down the rules by which the Lord is to be worshipped. He decreed that the Rawal or chief priest of the temple should come from the state of Kerala, far down south. He also decreed that the chief priest of the temple of Rameswaram in the south, should be from the state of Garhwal. Thus he ensured that there was a good interchange between the north and south of this holy land. This tradition is followed to

this day and the Rawal of Badrinath is always a Namboodiri Brahmin from Kerala, the land of Adi Shankara ’s birth.

dil se,

Bharath.Krishna

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