HINDU RITUALS AND ROUTINES - Part 82

[Guest guest]

HINDU RITUALS AND ROUTINES - WHY DO WE FOLLOW THOSE? Tirupati Balaji India is famous for its culture and religion. There are many temples in this country. But in these temples, Tirupati Balaji Temple is a name not unknown to the people, not only in Chittoor district of state Andhra Pradesh but other parts of India also. Tirupati Balaji Temple forms the main part of the pilgrimage sites of the Hindus. Therefore, Tirupati Balaji Temple is the richest temple of the world. Tirumala Tirupati Temple is attributed for being the most visited temple of India and second most visited shrine in the world. Tirupati Balaji Temple dedicated to Shri Venketeshwara. Shree Venkateswara is also known as the “Lord of the Seven Hillsâ€. The term 'Venkateswara' is more popular word in southern part of India . So, the Lord is called as “Lord Balaji†too. The name Tirupati-Balaji means the “Lord of goddess Lakshmiâ€. Balaji is regarded as the form of Lord Vishnu, who is considered as the preserver of this universe. Tirupati town is situated in the Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh ( India ). It is about 67-km from Chittoor district & 152 km from Chennai City . The Tirupati Balaji Temple is located on a hill at Tirumala, a cluster of seven hills known as ‘Venkatachalam’ with a height of 853mtr above the sea level..

Story of Balaji (Srinivasa Kalyanam) Before the starting of kaliyuga, the Rishis began to perform a sacrifice (yagya) on the banks of ganga for the goodness of people in the kaliyuga. Kashyap rishi was the head of these rishis. Sage Narada and sage Bhrigu visited them at the Yagya time and sage Narada asked them to tell him that why they were performing the Yagya and who would be pleased by it. To hearing this question, all rishis were surprised and requested to Narada to give way for that. After much debate it was agreed that Sage Bhrigu undertake the difficult task of finding out that who is the most supreme of the trinity, so that he could enjoy the honor of becoming the presiding deity. rishis were agreed with sage Narada. And sage Bhirgu went to satyaloka to meet Lord Brahma. At Satyaloka, Bhrigu rishi found Brahma who was in meeting with Yamadev, Varundev, Aganidev and other god, discussing on some secret of the universe. Without notice to anybody Rishi Bhrigu entered in meeting but god Brahma not noticed to Bhirgu. At last Bhirgu concluded that Brahma was unfit for worship so he turned to Kailasha from Brahmaloka. When Bhirgu rishi went to kailasha, he found lord Shiva spending his time pleasantly with goddess Parvati and not noticing the rishi Bhrigu. Parvati drew the attention of Shiva to the presence of the sage. Lord Shiva became angry at the interruption of Bhrigu and tried to destroy him. But the Bhrigu cursed him and turned to Vaikunth. The angry rishi Bhrigu went to Vaikunthdham. In Vaikunthdham, Lord Vishnu was sleep on the bed of the Adisesha and Goddess Lakshmi was respectfully nursing his feet. When Bhrigu Rishi saw this, he became full of anger, because he thought that Lord Vishnu was not really sleeping, but only pretending to sleep just to insult him.The sage was infuriated and he kicked to lord Vishnu on his chest, the place where Mahalakshmi resides. At once the Lord Vishnu hastened to the angry Sage Bhrigu and said “My Lord, my chest is the strongest thing in the world, like a mountain, but your feet are so soft. Maybe you got hurt while kicking me. So please forgive me for that." Listening to this word of lord Vishnu, Sage Bhrigu got very calm and felt very guilty and he decided that God Vishnu was the most supreme of the trinity and told the Rishis the same. Therefore all rishis decided that Sri Vishnu was the fruit of the Yaga and sacrifice was offered to god Vishnu. At the beginning of the present Sveta Varaha Kalpa, the whole Universe was filled with water and the earth was immersed in it. Lord Vishnu took to form of a White Boar and dived into the water to lift the earth. He slew the demon Hiranyakshayap who caused obstruction to him and rescued the earth. Brahma and the other god extolled Sri Varaha at the time with the chanting of the Vedas and showered flowers on him for saving the Earth. Lord Vishnu decided to stay on Earth in the form of the White Boar for some time, to punish the wicked and protect the virtuous. This place then forward came to be known as Varaha Kshetra and Varaha Kalpa began from that time. After the departure of Mahalakshmi, Lord Vishnu left Vaikuntha and went to earth in the search of Mahalaxmi. Ultimately his quest brought him to the Seshadri hills where he stopped to rest in an anthill. Listening about the separation of Vishnu and lakshami, Brahma and Shiva got upset and decided to intervene. Thereafter Brahma and lord shiva took to form of cow and its calf and went to live at the place of a Chola king. The sun god informed to goddess lakshami about the plan of Brahma and shiva and requested her to sell the cow and calf to the king of the Chola country assuming the form of a cowherdess. The chola king bought the cow and its calf and sent them to graze in the Seshadri hills. On this hill, the cow would secretly visit the anthill where Vishnu was living without sustenance. Emptying her milk, the cow would then return to the palace. The cowherd was angry because cow never yielded any milk to him. To find out the reason behind that, he watched movement carefully and his explorations brought him to the anthill. He discovered the cow emptying her under over the ant-hill. The cowherd got wild over the conduct of the cow, and he aimed a blow with his axe on the head of the cow. But the god rose from the ant-hill to receive the blow and save the cow. When cowherd saw the lord bleed at the blow of his axe he fell down and died. After the death of the cowherd, the cow returned bellowing to the presence of the Chola king with blood stains over her body. To find out the reason of the terror of the cow the Chola king followed her to the scene of the incident. Near an ant-hill, the King found the cowherd lying dead on the ground. While he stood wondering how it had happened, the Lord rose from the ant-hill and said “you are responsible for all this so, I cursed you to become an Asure (evil sprit) from the fault of your servant.†Entreated by the Chola king who pleaded innocent, then the lord Vishnu blessed him by saying that his curse would end when he was adorned with the Kireetam presented by Akasa Raja at the time of His marriage with Sri Padmavati. After giving the blessing to Chola king, Srinivasa (lord Vishnu) decided to stay in this Varaha Kshetra. Therefore, he requested Sri Varahaswami (the third incarnation of Vishnu as boar) to grant him a site for his stay. Varahaswamy was agreed with srinivasa request but he said that he (Sriniwasa) would tell his devotees to his shrine would not be complete unless it is preceded by a bath in the Pushkarini and Darsan of Sri VarahaSwami, and that puja and Naivedyam should be offered to Sri Varaha first.After that, lord Vishnu built a hermitage and lived there waited on by a devotee. Vakuladevi also lived with Sriniwasa and looked him like a mother. In a nearby kingdom of Varaha kshetra there was a king named King Akasha Raja. He was childless from many years. So, he decided to perform a sacrifice for obtaining an offspring. One day, he had found a beautiful baby girl sleeping on a golden lotus in a golden box while ploughing the fields. The king was so happy to find a child and he carried it to his place and gave it to his Queen to tend it. The Akasha Raja had named her Padmavathi. A beautiful and accomplished girl, Padmavathy had been granted a boon in her earlier birth that she would be married to Lord Vishnu. In course of time Princess Padmavati grew up into a beautiful maiden and was attended by a host of maids. One day while she was spending her time in a garden picking flowers with her maids, Sage Narada approached her. Assuring her that he was her well-wisher, he asked her to show him her palm to read her future. He foretold that she was destined to be the spouse of Lord Vishnu himself. At this time, lord Srinivasa went for hunting chased a wild elephant in the forests surrounding the hills. By the chasing of elephant, Srinivasa was led to the garden, where princess Padmavati and her maids were picking flowers. He was stunned by her beauty and drawn to her. She too seemed to be drawn to him, but the angry attendants thinking him a mere hunter drove him away. Lord Sriniwasa met with princess Padmavati and her maids. He had explained them about his birth and parentage. And he also enquired them about their princess and her parentage and birth. When he got the information that the princess was padmavati, the foster daughter of Akasaraja, he loved her and made advance to the princess. He was repulsed with stones by the maids and he urgently returned to the hills leaving the horse, which fell on the

ground. As usual, Vakuladevi brought dinner to Srinivasa comprising various delicious dishes. But she found him lying on his bed love-sick. She asked to srinivasa the causes of his sickness. The lord srinivasa told her that unless he secured Princess Padmavati, he would not be well and also told her all story of padmavati’s previous birth and his promise to wed her. Listening to all this story, Vakuladevi thought that Srinivasa would not be happy unless he married Padmavati and she offered to go to Akasa raja and his queen with the marriage proposal. In the palace of Akashraja , the king Akasaraja and Queen Dharandevi beceme worried about the health of their daughter. They learnt about Padmavati's love for Srinivasa of Venkata Hill. Akasaraja consulted Rishi Brihaspati about the propriety of the marriage and was informed that the marriage was in the best interests. Lord srinivasa doubted about the marriage of Padmavati with him. So, he disguised himself as a soothsayer and went to the court of Akasha Raja. The soothsayer saw the palm of the Princess Padmavati and told her that the hunter she had fallen in love with was no ordinary man but the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and told her that the worries would soon be over. After the departure of the soothsayer, Vakuladevi went to the queen and informed her that she came from Srinivasa with marriage proposal. After consulting with sage Brihaspati and heard from his queen about the prediction of the soothsayer and arrival of the marriage proposal from Srinivasa, Akasaraja accepted the proposal and decided to bestow his daughter on Srinivasa and he called the palace purohits to fix a suitable date for the marriage. Akasaraja informed his relatives and ministers and other Officials of his intention. Immediately a letter was drafted for being sent to Srinivasa requesting him to come and marry the Princess. After that king Akasha Raja send patrika to Srinivasa. After receiving the Patrika, Lord Srinivasa called for a conference of the Gods to win their consent for his marriage with Princess Padmavati. For the arrangement of the marriage, Srinivasa sought a loan of one crore and 14 lakh coins of gold from Kubera and had Viswakarma, the divine architect create heavenly surroundings in the Seshadri hills. As soon as day of the wedding arrived, lord Srinivasa was bathed in holy waters in pushkarini tank and dressed in jeweled ornaments befitting a royal bride groom. Then he set off in a procession for the court of Akasha Raja. In the palace of Akasha raja, Padmavathy waited radiant in her beauty. Srinivasa was hailed with an arthi and led to the marriage hall. There the queen and King washed his feet while sage Vasishta chanted the Vedic mantras. Soon the wedding was over with all ritual and it was time for Padmavathy to take leave of her parents. After that Padmavati and Srinivasa went to venkatachala hill and live

there with happily. Rituals of Worship at Tirupati Hair offering at tirupati Tirupati Balaji Temple is almost famous for its head shaving, wealth and its laddus. Every day about 30000 devotees have offered their hair to Lord Venkateswara by thinking that their all troubles will disappear along with their hair. As per the Vaishavite tradition in tirupati, it is compulsory for the devotees to offer their hair to the lord Venkateswara which symbolizes effacing of the ego. Not only for men who partake in this ritual but also have children and women of all ages shave their head in Tirupati.The tonsuring facilities are available at tirumala hills on cost of Rs. 10/- per head. The barber places at Kalyana Katta, a massive four floor building operating round the clock, near the temple. Devotee can take bath after tonsuring at near Kalyana Katta. Bathroom facilities are also provided by the TTD trust. After taking a holy dip in the Pushkarini tank, devotee can visit the temple for Darshan. There is a very short legend about hair offering at tirupati. Story of Hair Offering at Tirumala-Tirupati After the departure of Mahalakshmi due to Bhirigu rishi, Lord Vishnu left Vaikuntha and went to earth in the search of Mahalaxmi. Ultimately his quest brought him to the Seshadri hills where he stopped to rest in an anthill. Listening about the separation of Vishnu and lakshami, Brahma and Shiva got upset and decided to intervene. Thereafter Brahma and lord shiva took to form of cow and its calf and went to live at the place of a Chola king. The sun god informed to goddess lakshami about the plan of Brahma and shiva and requested her to sell the cow and calf to the king of the Chola country assuming the form of a cowherdess. The chola king bought the cow and its calf and sent them to graze in the Seshadri hills. On this hill, the cow would secretly visit the anthill where Vishnu was living without sustenance. Emptying her milk, the cow would then return to the palace. The cowherd was angry because cow never yielded any milk to him. To find out the reason behind that, he watched movement carefully and his explorations brought him to the anthill. He discovered the cow emptying her under over the ant-hill. The cowherd got wild over the conduct of the cow, and he aimed a blow with his axe on the head of the cow. Because the cow was the actually Brahma, the Lord Vishnu rose from the ant-hill to receive a wound in the head, resulting in a loss of some hair. When all this happen, there were one witnessed of this matter, named Neeladri, She quickly rushed forward to offer her own hair to replace what the Lord had just lost. Thus was born the tradition of offering hair to Lord Balaji at Tirumala.

Brahmotsavam Festival Brahmotsavam festival is a Hindu festival which is celebrated at Tirupati, in Andhra Pradesh. It is celebrated once in a whole years. The festival continues for 9 days. Generally this festival comes in the month of October. It is believed that God Brahma, the creator of God, had started this festival. He worshipped God Balaji on the banks of the Pushkarini in Tirupati to give thanks him for the protection of mankind. So the festival name is “Brahmotsavamâ€. Brahmotsavam means Brahma’s Utsavam. Suprabhatam Every morning the Suprabhatam, Prapatti and Mangalasasanam slokas are recited, and a descendant of Tallapaka Annamacharya sings a few of Annamacharya's sankeertanas. Devotees present at the time of Suprabhatam can have the Lord's Suprabhata Darsanam, also called Viswarupa Sarvadarsanam. Kalyanotsavam Kalyanotsavam is also known as Vaivahikotsavam or Pendli Tirunal. It is conducted in the Kalyana Mandapam and its rituals are similar to those followed in Hindu marriages. The utsava murti of the Lord (Malayappaswami) is the bridegroom and the two nachchimars are the two brides. An imaginary family pedigree of the contracting parties is recited during the course of the ritual. The deities of the bridegroom and brides face each other with a screen in between. They are allowed to see each other only at the appropriate auspicious moment when the screen is removed. Marriage homams are performed. A purohit conducts the marriage and an archaka is consecrated to perform the homams and other rituals, on behalf of the bridegroom. After the marriage, valuable clothes are presented to the brides and the bridegroom and to the purohit and the archaka. Dakshina is also given to the brahmins who officiate at the function. Sweets, cake and food are offered to the deity and distributed to those who are present. In terms of rituals, Pratyeka Kalyanotsavam is the same as Kalyanotsavam. Tomala Seva Tomala Seva involves the decoration of the Lord with flowers. Tomala is the shortened form of the Tamil expression 'Toditta Malai' (adorning the deity with garlands of flowers). The flower garlands are prepared in Yamunat-turai. According to tradition, there are fixed specifications as to the kinds of flowers to be used, their source and the length of the garlands. The periya jiyar of the temple or his ekangi bring the garlands along with a lit torch in a procession, to the accompaniment of the beat of the jeghanta. The deity is then adorned with the flowers , while the mantra- pushpam is recited in the Sayana Mandapam.. The service comes to a close with the waving of the flame known as nakshatra-harati, the sprinkling of mantrodaka, waving of vinjamara, and the priest dedicating the service to the lotus feet of the Lord. During the service, the Vaikhasana priest is assisted by the ekangi. Admission for Tomala Seva is through the Vaikuntam Queue Complex. Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam is a purificatory ceremony that takes place in the sanctum. It is performed four times a year - before Ugadi, Aanivari Asthanam, the annual Brahmotsavam and Vaikuntha Ekadashi. After the first bell, the smaller deities and other articles including the aghandam deepam in the sanctum are moved to the ante chamber. the main deity of the Lord is covered with water-proof material. The sanctum is then cleansed and a ground paste of kumkum, karpooram (camphor) and chandanam (sandalwood paste) is applied to the walls, ceiling and floor. After some time, the walls are wipred clean. The water-proof covering on the deity is removed, and Laghu Thirumanjanam is given to the main deity and Bhoga Srinivasa. Food is then offered to the Lord during the second bell. Pavitrotsavam Pavitrotsavam is a purificatory ceremony, the objective of which is to expiate the mistakes and offenses arising in the daily worship of the deity. This function is elaborately performed in the month of August every year.Pushpa Yagam Pushpa Yagam is the worship of the Lord with a variety of sweets and fragrant flowers. It is conducted on sravana nakshatram day after Brahmotsavam. Archana First Archana: During the First Archana, also called the Sahasranama Archana, the Lord is worshipped by reciting the Sahasranamam (1008 names of the Lord). Admission for Archana is through the Vaikuntam Queue Complex.First Bell : This is the first Naivedyam (food offering) to the Lord for the day. Naivedyam is announced by ringing the two bells, followed by Sattumura (recitation of a few psalms of the Prabandham by the Jiyangar or his assistant and the Vaishnava Acharya purushas), and the distribution of curd-mixed food among them. Food is also offered to to Vishwaksena, Garuda and the Nityasuries. The ringing of bells and Naivedyam are popularly known as the First Bell of the temple. Second Bell and Second Archana: The Second Bell or Aparanhapuja is the second Naivedyam for the Lord. It is followed by a second Archana when the Ashthottaranama (108 names of the Lord as given in the Varaha Purana) is read. This is an ekantam (private) service, and pilgrims are not allowed to witness this ritual. Abhishekam Abhishekam to the Lord Sri Venkateswara is performed in the early hours, every Friday. Traditional natural perfumed camphor, saffron, and milk are used for giving a sacred bath to Lord Venkateswara. The namam (white religious mark on the Lord's forehead) is drawn with an intermediate thin tapering line of musk. Chanting of Vedas and prabandhams: Abhishekam is then performed for the gold image of Sri Lakshmi which hangs in a gold chain on His chest, to the chanting of Sri-Suktam. And at the end, a harati of camphor is waved. The Lord is dressed in a pitambaram along with valuable ornaments. The saffron water collected from the Lord's body is the Abhisheka Tirtham; it is considered to be holy since it has been in contact with His body. It is given in small spoonfuls to the pilgrims during the Sarvadarsanam that follows as theerthams. Abhishekam is conducted every Friday, it lasts approxiamately for one and half hours from 0400 hrs. Holders of Rs. 12,250.00, Rs. 750.00, Rs. 300.00 and Rs. 150.00 (per head) tickets are admitted. Only a limited number of tickets are issued for Abhishekam. On Friday, Tomala Seva and Archana are conducted from 0700 hrs to 0800 hrs. Unjal Seva Sri Malayappaswami (utsava murthi), Sridevi and Bhudevi are seated in an unjal in the Aina Mahal (Hall of Mirrors) and swung to the accompaniment of Vedaparayanam and Mangala Vadyam. Vasanthotsavam Vasanthotsavam is a festival of colours. It is a periodical festival celebrated in the month of vasantham. Sahasra Deepalankarana Seva This seva is performed in the Unjal Mandapam. The Mandapam glows with the lights of sahasra deepa (a thousand earthern lamps). The Lord is seated on an unjal, which is rocked gently to the accompaniment of a clarinet orchestra.Sadalimpu or Sallimpu (on Thursdays) Tiruppavada, on Thursday, the rich garments and ornaments with which Lord Venkateswara is adorned on the previous Friday are, to a large extent, removed and a bare minimum (dhoti and uttariyam) is left on His body. This process is called Sadalimpu or Sallimpu (loosening or removing). The Lord is dressed in a laced velvet gown. The kasturi (mark on the Lord's forehead) is also removed leaving only a thin mark Pulangi Seva (on Thursdays) After the evening puja and Naivedyam on Thursdays, the Lord's deity is covered with garlands of flowers extending from the crown to His feet. This decoration - exclusively with flowers - is called Pulangi Seva. This is an arjitha seva (paid seva), admission for which is given on the payment of a fee.

 

dil se,

 

Bharath.Krishna

Doha, Qatar

recommends that you upgrade to the new and safer Internet Explorer 8.