Upanayanam

Upanayanam

Recently someone in the family wanted to know what is the purpose of Upanayanam. So I thought I will blog an elementary sketch of the Facts on Upanayanam.

Upanayana  is one of the traditional saṃskāras (rites of passage) that marked the acceptance of a student by a guru (teacher) and an individual's entrance to a school in Hinduism. The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Sanskrit texts of India and varies regionally

Every male child born in certain Hindu communities has to go through the Upanayana ritual. Upanayana is also known as Munji, Brahmopadesham (supreme teaching), and Sacred thread ceremony. The Yagnopavitha / Janivara / Sacred thread / Janoi is worn as a symbol of having gone through this ceremony.

Yagnopavitham. : a cotton thread with which a Hindu youth of the three twice-born castes and some Sudras is invested at the ceremony of initiation (as at the age of from eight to twelve) and which is worn constantly thereafter from the left shoulder across the body to the right. So unlike what the current Dravidian moment is Broadcasting wearing a sacred Thread or Poonul is not the sole Right of Brahmins. It is the right of every Hindu.

In some Hindu families the Sacred Thread ceremony is performed when a boy is growing up. He is given three strands of the sacred thread which represent three promises (vows) he makes: to respect the knowledge, the parents and the society.

A girdle made of Munja Grass ( Bengal Cane) is tied around the boy's girdle. It is rough and is supposed to irritate the Boy whenever he wants to lie down to sleep. Thus Sleep or Tamas the first hindrance to Knowledge is Countered.

A Deer skin is also normally tied to the Sacred Thread, Deer Skin is called Krishnajinam and is taken from the skin of a Deer after its natural death. It represents the qualities of a Sadhu animal and since Brahmachari should live a very disciplined life, his mind must be tuned accordingly. It shows the ideal asana for Sadhus and is known to resist the approach of snakes, etc.

Brahmopadesam or the Supreme Initiation as it is called initiates the Boy to the Chanting of the Gayathri Manthra which is is acclaimed as the essence of the three Vedas Rig, Yajur and Sama. Thus the Upanayanam ceremony gives the right of passage to a Hindu Boy to learn the Vedas and by chanting the Gayathri Manthra he invokes the Divine Goddess's Grace to illuminate his Intellect for higher learning.

The Upanayanam Ceremony bestows the right and obligation on the Hindu Boy to do an obligatory worship three times a day namely ,Sandhyavandanam . It  literally means "salutation to Sandhya". Sandhya, in turn, has traditionally been interpreted either as "the transition moments of the day" (namely the two twilight dawn and dusk), or as "the solar noon". Thus, Sandhyavandanam may be defined as the ritual "salutation to twilight or the solar noon". This performing of Sandhya rights alone gives the Right to an Hindu to perform other vedic rituals.


The Importance and Meaning of Gayathri Manthra, may be in another Blog?



See you till then!





Krishnamachari Santhanam

The Divine Dance

Chidambaram- Ponnambalam - The Temple with the Golden Vimana

Natarajar Temple at Chidambaram is living testimony of ancient “Advanced astrological and geological knowledge” of Hindus surpassing to anything contemporary. STUNNING FEATURES OF ARCHITECTURAL EXCELLENCY:

The place where temple located is the center point of world’s magnetic equator.... Three of the five Panchaboothasthala temples, those at Kalahasti, Kanchipuram and Chidambaram all stand on a straight line exactly at 79 degree 41 minutes East longitude -truly an engineering, astrological and geographical wonder.

 Of the other two temples, Tiruvanaikkaval is located at around 3 degrees to the south and exactly 1 degree to the west of the northern tip of this divine axis, while Tiruvannamalai is around midway (1.5 degree to the south and 0.5 degree to the west).

The 9 gateways signify the 9 orifices in the human body. The Chitsabai or Ponnambalam, the sanctum sanctorum represents the heart which is reached by a flight of 5 stairs called the Panchaatchara padi – pancha meaning 5, achhara – indestructible syllables – “SI VA YA NA MA”, from a raised anterior dias – the Kanakasabai. The access to the Sabhai is through the sides of the stage (and not from the front as in most temples). The Chit sabha roof is supported by four pillars symbolic of the four Vedas . The Ponnambalam or the Sanctum sanctorum is held by 28 pillars – representing the 28 agama s or set methodologies for the worship of Shiva. The roof is held by a set of 64 beams representing the 64 forms of art and is held by several cross-beams representing the innumerable blood vessels. The roof has been laid by 21,600 golden tiles with the word SIVAYANAMA inscribed on them representing 21600 breaths. The golden tiles are fixed using 72,000 golden nails which represents the no. of nadis exists in human body. The roof is topped by a set of 9 sacred pots or kalasas, representing the 9 forms of energy. The arthamandapa (sanctum) has six pillars denoting the six shastras (holy texts). The hall next to the artha mantapa has eighteen pillars symbolizing the eighteen Puranas

The Demon you find under Nataraja's dancing feet is Apasmara , another story deeply linked to the esoteric knowledge of Arya vartha and closely knitted with the medical knowledge available as of date. May be in another Blogpost?

See you till then!

Krishnamachari Santhanam

OM

Chandogya Upanishad - First Kanda

1. LET a man meditate on the syllable  Om, called the udgîtha; for the udgîtha (a portion of the Sâma-veda) is sung, beginning with Om.

The full account, however, of Om is this:--

2. The essence  of all beings is the earth, the essence of the earth is water, the essence of water

 the plants, the essence of plants man, the essence of man speech, the essence of speech the Rig-veda, the essence of the Rig-veda the Sâma-veda , the essence of the Sâma-veda the udgîtha (which is Om).

3. That udgîtha (Om) is the best of all essences, the highest, deserving the highest place, the eighth.

4. What then is the Rik? What is the Sâman? What is the udgîtha? 'This is the question.

5. The Rik  indeed is speech, Sâman is breath, the udgîtha is the syllable Om. Now speech and breath, or Rik and Sâman, form one couple.

6. And that couple is joined together in the syllable Om. When two people come together, they fulfil each other's desire.

7. Thus he who knowing this, meditates on the syllable (Om), the udgîtha, becomes indeed a fulfiller of desires.

8. That syllable is a syllable of permission, for whenever we permit anything, we say Om, yes. Now permission is gratification. He who knowing this meditates on the syllable (Om), the udgîtha, becomes indeed a gratifier of desires.

9. By that syllable does the threefold knowledge (the sacrifice, more particularly the Soma-sacrifice, as founded on the three Vedas) proceed. When the Adhvaryu priest gives an order, he says Om. When the Hotri priest recites, he says Om. When the Udgâtri priest sings, he says Om. --all for the glory of that syllable. The threefold knowledge (the sacrifice) proceeds by the greatness of that syllable (the vital breaths), and by its essence (the oblations) .

10. Now therefore it would seem to follow, that both he who knows this (the true meaning of the syllable Om), and he who does not, perform the same sacrifice. But this is not so, for knowledge and ignorance are different. The sacrifice which a man performs with knowledge, faith, and the Upanishad  is more powerful. This is the full account of the syllable Om.

Arjuna Vishada Yoga (2)

Bagvath Gita Vahini- Arjuna Vishada Yoga

The wise do not grieve either for the living or the dead. Shall I tell you why? Well, you are feeling grief over the body, which alone decays on death. Did you grieve when the body underwent many changes hitherto? The child disappeared in the boy, the boy disappeared in the youth, the youth became lost in the middle-aged man, the middle-aged man was lost in the aged old man and the old man is lost in death. You never wept for the changes that affect the body so long; why then weep for this one change of death? Have you, today, the body you had when you were young? So why grieve over death?



#Arjunavishadayoga #srikrishna #saibagwathgithavahini

Impostors

Paundraka Vasudev!

There had always been impostors! Even during dwapara Yuga! So why lament about False godmen and their tall claims to being God almighty!

This chapter relates how Lord Krsna went to Kasi (present-day Benares) and killed Paundraka and Kasiraja, and how the Lord's Sudarsana disc defeated a demon, incinerated the city of Kasi and killed Sudaksina.

While Lord Baladeva was visiting Vraja, King Paundraka of Karusa, encouraged by fools, announced that he was the real Vasudeva. Thus he challenged Lord Krsna with the following message: "Since I alone am the true Personality of Godhead, You should give up Your false claim to this position, as well as my divine symbols, and take shelter of me. If You do not, then prepare for battle."

When Ugrasena and the members of his royal assembly heard Paundraka's foolish boast, they all laughed heartily. Sri Krsna then told Paundraka's messenger to convey a message to his master: "O fool, I will force you to give up the so-called Sudarsana disc and the other divine symbols of Mine you have dared to assume. And when you lie down on the battlefield, you will become the shelter of dogs."

Lord Krsna then went to Kasi. Paundraka, seeing the Lord preparing for battle, quickly came out of the city to confront Him with his army. His friend Kasiraja followed him, leading the rear guard. Just as the fire of universal devastation destroys every living being in all directions, so Lord Krsna annihilated the armies of Paundraka and Kasiraja. Then, after chastising Paundraka, the Lord beheaded both him and Kasiraja with His Sudarsana disc. Thereafter, He returned to Dvaraka. Because Paundraka had constantly meditated on the Supreme Lord, even dressing like Him, he gained liberation.

When Krsna beheaded Kasiraja, the King's head flew into his city, and when his queens, sons and other relatives saw it, they all began to lament. At that time a son of Kasiraja's named Sudaksina, wanting to avenge his father' s death, began worshiping Lord Siva with the intention of destroying his father's killer. Gratified by Sudaksina's worship, Lord Siva offered him a choice of benedictions, and Sudaksina asked for a means to kill the one who had slain his father. Lord Siva advised him to worship the Daksinagni fire with black magic rituals. This Sudaksina did, with the result that a fearsome demon with a body of flames appeared from the pit of the sacrificial fire. The demon rose up carrying a fiery trident and at once set off for Dvaraka.

The residents of Lord Krsna's capital became terrified as the demon approached the city, but Lord Krsna assured them of protection and dispatched His Sudarsana cakra to oppose the magic creation of Lord Siva. The Sudarsana overpowered the demon, who then returned to Varanasi and burned Sudaksina to ashes, together with his priests. The Sudarsana disc, following the demon, entered Varanasi and burned the entire city to the ground. Then the Lord's disc returned to His side in Dvaraka

Now as Asthikas what we need to be careful about is, Paundraka by his constant remembrance of the Lord though in a devious way attained Moksha. But his followers are doomed to oblivion as their full focus is on an impostor. So think a hundred times before chosing your faith.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Arjuna Vishada Yoga

"Fix thy thought on Me; be devoted to Me; worship Me; do homage to Me; thou shalt reach Me. The Truth do I declare to thee; for thou art dear to Me. This is my teaching, My grace." "This is the path to come to Me. Give up all Dharmas; surrender to Me; do not grieve; I shall liberate you from the consequences of all your acts."
Ah! Note the meaning and significance of these two stanzas. Is not this act of surrender enough to save you and to liberate you from the round of coming to - staying in - and leaving from this world?
#Arjunavishadayoga #srikrishna #saibagwathgithavahini

Makar Sankranthi

Sankranti is celebrated since last 6000 years, as archeological findings in Latin America prove that the Mayans celabrated something similar to Sankranthi with Pongal, Pala kayalu, as some kind of spring festival.

Sankranti is the Sanskrit word, which refers to the transmigration of the Sun from one Rāshi(zodiac in Indian astrology) to the other. Hence there are 12 such sankrantis in all. However, the Sankranti festival usually refers to Makara Sankaranti, or the transition of the Sun from Dhanu rashi (Sagittarius) to Makara rashi (Capricorn).

For this purpose, the Zodiac signs are considered sidereally, and not tropically, as in western astrology, thus not accounting for the Earth's precession. The festival therefore takes place around 21 days after the tropical winter solstice (between December 20 and 23rd) that marks the starting of Uttarayana, which means northward journey of Sun.

Considering the Winter Solstice marks the beginning of the gradual increase of the duration of the day. Scientifically, the shortest day of the year is around December 21–22 after which the days begin to get longer, hence actual Winter Solstice begins on December 21 or December 22 when the tropical sun enters Makara rashi. Hence actual Uttarayana is December 21. This was the actual date of Makar Sakranti too. But because of the Earth's tilt of 23.45 degrees and sliding of Equinoxes, Ayanamasha occurs. This has caused Makara Sankranti to slide further over the ages. A thousand years ago, Makar Sankranti was on December 31 and is now on January 14. Five thousand years later, it shall be by the end of February, while in 9000 years it shall come in June.(Wikipedia)

While the traditional Indian Calendar is based on lunar positions, Sankranti is a solar event. So while dates of all Hindu festivals keep changing as per the Gregorian calendar, the date of Makar Sankranti remains constant over a long term, 14 January. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the Hindu Calendar month of Magha.

Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India. According to the lunar calendar, when the sun moves from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn or from Dakshinayana to Uttarayana, in the month of Poush in mid-January, it commemorates the beginning of the harvest season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India. The movement of the earth from one zodiac sign into another is called Sankranti and as the Sun moves into the Capricorn zodiac known as Makar in Hindi, this occasion is named as Makar Sankranti in the Indian context. It is one of the few Hindu Indian festivals which are celebrated on a fixed date i.e. 14th January every year.

Makar Sankranti, apart from a harvest festival is also regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Indian culture. It is said as the 'holy phase of transition'. It marks the end of an inauspicious phase which according to the Hindu calendar begins around mid-December. It is believed that any auspicious and sacred ritual can be sanctified in any Hindu family, this day onwards. Scientifically, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights. In other words, Sankranti marks the termination of winter season and beginning of a new harvest or spring season.

All over the country, Makar Sankranti is observed with great fanfare. However, it is celebrated with distinct names and rituals in different parts of the country. In the states of northern and western India, the festival is celebrated as the Sankranti day with special zeal and fervor. The importance of this day has been signified in the ancient epics like Mahabharata also. So, apart from socio-geographical importance, this day also holds a historical and religious significance. As, it is the festival of Sun God and he is regarded as the symbol divinity and wisdom, the festival also holds an eternal meaning to it.