Pooja is not done actually to any living beings

There was a discussion with a friend a few years ago.

He asked

Pooja can be done to which live humans? (Dampathi pooja? Swamijis? Parents? Children? Sister? Brother? Brahmins for Shraadham? )

My answer was..

Pooja is not done actually to any living beings.

In each of the cases mentioned above, some presiding deity like Lakshmi and Narayana, Uma and Maheswara, Ganapathy, Skanda, Saasta, Durga or the Pithrus in Vasu Rudra Aditya forms, the Vishve devas, Brahma, Brihaspati, Vyasa etc are invoked...

It is just like a turmeric bimbam, a granite or metal statue etc. which are used as idols..

The mediums have no significance at all...

Even living parents are not offered pooja, the only exception is when some Vedic or spiritual upadesham is to be received like in Brahmopadesham, Samavartanam etc. where the parent may be treated as the guru and respects are offered..

Even in Padapoojas of Yatis, the Aadigurus or the deities worshiped by the respective preceptors are offered pooja and not the physical persons..

Even if the idols of such gurus are to be worshiped, they are worshiped as Shankara or Narayana etc..

No human worship is ever intended in Hinduism..

If contrary happens, it is distortion.

(offering Arghyam Padyam and offering Abivaadhanam to elders are not in the category of poojas .. they are only expression of respect and gratitude in the Society..)

one of the problems faced by many Iyer families is that they have abandoned Shiva pooja

 

Panchayanthana pooja in the Smartha way which we Palakkad Iyers follow or comparable Poojas if Shrivaishnavas or Shivacharya are to be performed in a certain manner.

Normally Kalasha shankha atma peeta Poojas avahanam prana pratishta Arghyam achamanam abhishekam gandham pushpam dhoopam Deepam naivedyam neerajanam Arghyam pradakshinam Namaskarams these thing cannot be avoided.

And if Prana pratishta is done naivedyam of cooked dhanyam or rice or Payasam too is a, must.

In addition, all these have procedures and mantras.

Minimum 40 minutes if we use only purushasooktham for abhishekam.

Another 30 minutes or so more if we do rudrabhishekam with laghunyasam at least.

Then archana Stotram etc if tried would also consume a lot of time.

I do pooja daily at home

It takes minimum 90 minutes.

Nowadays one of the problems faced by many Iyer families is that they have abandoned Shiva pooja or panchayatanam and often they kept unattended, idols Moorthies saligramam lingam etc or they throw them away-Often destination unknown.

In many cases, the people would be rich learned and all and the horoscopes too would be excellent.

However, challenges occur and when queried through prashnam we see either deva kopam or pitru kopam.

Then we do many pariharams but still do not care to do the routine pitru Karyam or pooja to our swamis at home.

This is a serious issue

Many of them are offered pooja even before I was born

I have a lot of fond hopes or desires and expectations.

May be silly.

The plants around in my house like Mandarams, Chemparuthi, Thechi, should give a lot of flowers daily

There should be many Thulasi plants and they should grow well

There should be a bilvam plant

Yes then I can have many flowers to offer pooja to my Gods.

I would love to offer a lot of tasty food and fruits as naivedyam..

Is it that I want to pray and get back a lot from the gods..?

Not really.

What is there to get?

And where is the guarantee that Gods will give anything we ask for ?

Usually they do not give.

Then these tiny idols and pictures are so dear to me.

Many of them are offered pooja even before I was born..

My father and grandfather worshipped them and they loved them too

They are just a part of me

Whether I like it or not, I love them..

The matter is so simple.

Why flowers meant for reproduction are used for Pooja?

query
Why flowers meant for reproduction are used for Pooja? (archana and mala and decorating the temple or wearing in hair as a mala)? Is it correct? What is the pramanam for this? 

My Response
The very idea is that things which have reached its fulfilment in the process of evolution alone are the near perfect ones.. and only the perfect or the near-perfect are to be offered to God.. The neutral flowers serve practically no purpose.. Eunuchs are not permitted to undergo samskaras for the same reason..( Nothing personal against such class.. but just trying to expalin the mindset of our lawgivers).. Even the impurity of females during menstruation can be related to their incapacity to reproduce during that period.. The primal Gods represented Siva (in phallic form) and Shakthi ( in yoni or Vaginal form) and the capacity to reproduce was presumed as the ultimate in Divine power.. Pramanam and Prameyam as per Vedas cannot be found for this..Maybe we can search in tantric texts to find some reasoning..
But in the Hindu yogic concepts, the channelisation of flow of the vital energy or retas upwards through sushumna, instead of being applied for procreation was considered as a further step ahead in spirituality..

Yes that is what we do every morning when we do pooja to God.

Yes that is what we do every morning when we do pooja to God..

We collect flowers bathe the idols decorate them offer flowers and sandal paste and stotrams to the idols which is God, we offer food to Him we recite hymns and extracts from Vedas and puranams for His listening..

In short we give Him a Royal treatment and talk to Him in Sanskrit for sometime

A ritualistic pooja will take one hour at least.

And there is only the worshipper and the God as parties and no one to interfere.

No one will interfere if he is informed that the pooja is on.

That is a daily experience without any substitutes.

The methods the locations the language etc might vary and one religion may not agree with the methods of another religion.

But in every religion and faith there is room for a private rendezvous for the man and his maker..without any third party intrusion.

That niche is priceless

chatuH shashtypachaaraadyaa चतुःषष्टि उपचाराढ्या

Mother Lalithambika.. Rajarajeshvari.. Mahatripurasundari.. is addressed as chatuH shashtypachaaraadyaa चतुःषष्टि उपचाराढ्या the one who is worshipped by devotees with sixty four upacharas.

The Sixty four upacharas offered to her in ceremonial worship according to tantrik texts are as follows

(Some items might vary slightly from text to text.. But constructively the list would be the same.)

The 64 upachArAs can be listed as follows(however differences as stated above exist)

Early Morning activities: 1. Waking the ever-awakened Amba(!) with vedic verses, praises, instrumental music.(suprabhatha seva)

2.Offering a twig for brushing the teeth. (Dantha-dhavana seva)

3. Offering mangala aratrika.(Mangala-aarathi seva)

4. Shouting jaya along with Bheri-ninaadam(herald-drums) on seeing the deity. (Jaya-dhwani seva)

5.Offering pranamas to the Lord before entering for puja(Namaskara seva)

Offering the Main Upacaras: 6.Inviting Amba (avahana seva)

7. Offering Mother a seat (asanopachara)

8. Making Her comfortable (svagatopachara).

9. Washing Her feet respectfully (padyam).

10. Offering arghyam as a sign of welcome and respect.

11. Offering water to wash the mouth (acamaniyam).

12. Offering madhuparka, then water to wash the mouth.

13. Offering Amba Padukas so that She may come to the bathing place.

14. Cleaning Divine Mother's body with a damp cloth to remove old Kumkuma,candana,nirmalya etc. (murti samskara). (This should be done in privacy efficiently and then Amba must be wrapped in a clean white cloth immediately)

15. Rubbing Mother's body, especially the head, with fragrant oils.(Sugandha-thailopachara)

16. Bathing Amba in fragrant flower water(Sugandha-pushpa neeraajanam)

17. Bathing Her in milk. (Ksheeraabhishekam)

18. Bathing Her in curds/plain yogurt(Dadhyaabhishekam)

19. Bathing Her in ghee(Ghrithaabhishekam)20. Bathing Her in honey(Madhu-snanopachara)

21. Bathing Her in sugar(Guda/Sharkara-snaanam)..here make sure that white sugar is prepared without using animal bones as is the case, else use brown sugar(unprocessed) or jaggery powder.

22. Bathing Her in water consecrated with mantras(Mantra-jala snaanam)

23. Removing oil, ghee, etc, with flour, then warm water. (Abhyangakriya)

24. Wiping Her body with a soft, dry cloth (anga vastra-soucham).

25. Dressing Her in upper and lower cloth(vastra-dhaaranam)

26.Offering gayatri thread (upavitam. Goddess Rajarajeshwari's sacred thread must be prepared beforehand to the chant of Vedic chants)

27. Offering acamana again after dressing. (Punarachamanam).

28.Arranging Her hair(Keshaalankaaram)

29.Decorating Her with bracelets, necklaces, rings etc.(Abharanaalankaaram)

30. Offering Padmaraagam(red colored ruby-like stone got in the river bed),Ambamani(a rare jewel),Vajram(diamonds),Vaidyuram(cat's eye),pravala(corals),moukthikam(pearls)kaustubha and other wonderful jewels.(Manialankarana)

31. Offering various colors of clothing, belts,Kavachas, turbans, capes etc.(Red is a must for Amba)(Vastrayugmam)

32. Offering flowers to Her saffron lotus feet. Applying fragrant unguents and henna decorations on Gandha dried paste to Hers feet with a Bel-leaf.

33. Offering incense(dhoopam)

34. Offering lamps(deepam) along with ghanta sevana(ringing of auspicious bells)...> Here there are various kinds of Deepas to be offered and this single posting would not be enough to describe it all.Ghee-lamp is a must for Srividya puja.

35. Removing inauspicious influences, the glances of evil persons by mustard seeds etc.(Drishti-nivarthy)

36. Offering naivedyam.

37. Offering spices (mukha vasana seva) for a fragrant mouth after eating.(breath freshner)

38. Offering betel (tambulam).

39. Offering a couch for Her to relax in(shayana seva)

40. Offering gandha again and decorating the Mother's body with various feminine designs using frgrant unguents (punargandha dravya seva)

41. Offering Her a crown.(Kireeta seva)

42. Offering varieties of flowers and garlands(pushpamala seva)

Darshana:

43. Offering a mirror.(Darpana seva)

44. Offering chamara and umbrella(cchhatra-chamara seva)

45. Singing(Gaana seva--Gaanapriyaa lolini remember?)

46.Playing instruments(vaadya seva---kalapriya)

47.Dancing(nritya seva)

48.Offering aratrika again.

49.Taking deity to a special mandapa. (In home, it can be done within a room to another small mandapa)

50.Bringing the deity back to Her simhaasana(throne) again.

Bhoga Offering: 51. Offering foot wash, mouth wash again.

52.Offering another meal while burning incense.

53.Offering betel, then performing aratrika.

Concluding Puja: 54.Recitation of verses (stuti) ,mantrapushpa,etc

55.Circumabulation of deity (pradaksina) and athmapradakshina

Pranamas.

56. Touching ones head at the saffron lotus feet of the deity (astanga pranama--all 8 limbs must touch ground).

57. Taking caranamrta and flower prasada on ones head.

58. Taking the food remnants of Amba as prasada.

Night service: 59. Sitting at the feet of Amba ready for service.

60. Making a nice bed for Amba, with soft cloth, flowers(especially jasmine which lulls a person to sleep) and nice scented powders.

61. Offering ones hand to Amba, and offering Her padukas, to bring Her to the bed.

62. Receiving Her at the bed with great festivity.

63. Washing Her feet, then drying them, offering gandha, flowers, betel, condensed milk, fan(chamara)

64. Having Amba lie down in the bed for Her Yoganidra and massaging Her lotus feet having the bhava of a mother in mind.

Kalasha, Shankha, Atma and PeeTa poojaas..

 

Kalasha, Shankha, Atma and PeeTa poojaas..

Kalasha Pooja

While doing pooja (worship of God) today I was just thinking over the reverential prayers we offer to the water and the even the pot of water ..

I think our people always realized the vital importance of the wholeness and unity of our India and her lifelines, the rivers..

A man in Kerala, or Tamilnadu or in the North offers prayers to all the rivers and water sources spread over the vast Indian subcontinent, and requests all those holy waters to be present in the water we use to offer pooja to the Lord..

I thought I should share the mantrams with meanings just as a reminder..
The water pot is first filled with clean water.. and if possible water consecrated with chanting of Pavamana Sooktham or Punyaahavavachanam..
The pot is decorated with Sandal paste.. Flowers or thulasi leaves are offered.
Everyone who has performed poojas or watched poojas would have already heard these mantrams..

गङ्गायै नमः यमुनायै नमः गोदावर्यै नमः सरस्वत्यै नमः नर्मदायै नमः सिन्धवे नमः कावेर्यै नमः

gaṅgāyai namaḥ yamunāyai namaḥ godāvaryai namaḥ sarasvatyai namaḥ narmadāyai namaḥ sindhave namaḥ kāveryai namaḥ

Pranams to Ganga, Pranams to Yamuna, Pranams to Godavaree, Pranams to Saraswathi, Pranams to Narmda, Pranams to Sindhu, Pranams to Kaveri

आपो वा इदग्ँ सर्वं विश्वाभूतान्यापः
प्राणा वा आपः पशवः आपः अन्नमापः।
अमृतमापः च्छन्दाग्ँस्याप ज्योतीग्ँष्याप
यजूग्ँष्याप सत्यमाप सर्वा देवता आपः॥
ॐ भूर्भुवस्सुवराप ॐ श्री केशवाय नमः

āpo vā idagm sarvaṁ viśvābhūtānyāpaḥ
prāṇā vā āpaḥ paśavaḥ āpaḥ annamāpaḥ|
amṛtamāpaḥ cchandāgmsyāpa jyotīgmṣyāpa
yajūgmṣyāpa satyamāpa sarvā devatā āpaḥ ||
om bhūrbhuvassuvarāpa om śrī keśavāya namaḥ

All that is found in this world has origin in water, whatever is manifest as universe is water, water is the life-breath in us , all living beings are manifested in water, food is emanating from water, water is ambrosia (nectar) , water forms the vedas (chandaas) , water is the energy found in light, water is the yajus, water is the truth, all gods are manifested in water--
Om, I invoke water in the three worlds bhoo, bhuva and suvaH... OM I prostrate before the God with copious hair, kesava, the Lord Krishna

कलशस्य मुखे विष्णुः कण्ठे रुद्रः समाश्रितः।
मूले तत्र स्थितो ब्रह्मा मध्ये मातृगणाः स्मृताः॥
कुक्षौ तु सागराः सर्वे सप्तद्वीपा वसुन्धरा
ऋग्वेदो अथ यजुर्वेदः सामवेदोऽप्यथर्वणः
अङ्गैश्च सहिताः सर्वे कलशाम्भुसमाश्रिताः॥
गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वती
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् सन्निधिम् कुरु।
सर्वे समुद्राः सरितः तीर्थानि च ह्रदा नदः।
आयान्तु शिवपूजर्थम् दुरितक्षयकारकाः॥

kalaśasya mukhe viṣṇuḥ kaṇṭhe rudraḥ samāśritaḥ |
mūle tatra sthito brahmā madhye mātṛgaṇāḥ smṛtāḥ ||
kukṣau tu sāgarāḥ sarve saptadvīpā vasundharā
ṛgvedo atha yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo'pyatharvaṇaḥ
aṅgaiśca sahitāḥ sarve kalaśāmbhusamāśritāḥ||
gaṅge ca yamune caiva godāvari sarasvatī
narmade sindhu kāveri jale'smin sannidhim kuru|
sarve samudrāḥ saritaḥ tīrthāni ca hradā nadaḥ|
āyāntu śivapūjartham duritakṣayakārakāḥ||

Lord Vishnu resides on the face of this water pot,
Lord Rudra is present in its neck,
Lord Brahma is present at its base
and the Divine Mothers are there in the whole body of the holy pitcher of water
.
All the oceans are present in its belly region, along with Vasundhara the Mother Earth with all Her seven continents (Islands).

In the waters contained in the Kalasha or pot, all the four Vedas Rik, Yajur, Saman and Atharva with all their ancillary parts are present.

Mothers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Sarasvati, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri, may you all be seated in your glorious presence here in this waterpot.

May all the seas, brooks, sources of holy waters, rivers flowing from east to west, and rivers flowing from west to east, who are all capable of removing all our sins and hardships,
manifest here to enable me to offer pooja to Lord Shiva ( Or Vishnu or any deity as the case may be,)

In fact, it should be a universal prayer.. we see no traces of any particular religions here..

Then we sprinkle waters from Kalasham on all pooja materials and on the idols of the Deities too.. We sprinkile ourselves too for purity,,

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Shankha Pooja..

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Worship of the Conch or Shankha as a prelude to worship of Gods..
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The pooja is done to Shankha the Conch.. which is honoured as the Panchajanya held by Lord Narayana himself, as a prelude to pooja to deities daily..This is Shankha Pooja.. After Kalasha pooja and before Atma and Peetha pooja.
------------
The pooja for Kalasham or water pot has already been discussed.
The Atma pooja and Peetha pooja too have already been discussed..
---------------------
The Conch should be washed with water from the Kalasham chanting gayatri mantram
Then it should be filled to fullness again chanting Gayatri mantram.
Then we should offer floral archana to the Conch..
Shankhaaya namaH,,शङ्खाय नमः
Chakraaya NamaH चक्राय नमः
Paanchajanyaaya NamaH.. पाञ्चजन्याय नमः.
( it is ideal to use Tulasi leaves for this pooja .. because that is dearest to lord Vishnu.)

शङ्खमूले ब्रह्मणे नमः॥
śaṅkhamūle brahmaṇe namaḥ||
Pranams to the tip of the Shankha.. where Brahmadeva is present
शङ्खमध्ये जनार्द्दनाय नमः॥
śaṅkhamadhye janārddanāya namaḥ||
Pranams to the body of the Shankha where Janardhana, the lord Narayana is present
शङ्काग्रे चन्द्रशेखराय नमः।
śaṅkāgre candraśekharāya namaḥ|
Pranams to the upper edge of the Shanka.. where Lord Shiva who has kept the moon in his matted lock, is present.
Prayer with the following mantrasa..

शङ्खं चन्द्रार्क दैवत्यं मध्ये वरुण संयुतम्।
पृष्टे प्रजापतिश्चैर्व अग्रे गङ्गा सरस्वती।
śaṅkhaṁ candrārka daivatyaṁ madhye varuṇa saṁyutam|
pṛṣṭe prajāpatiścairva agre gaṅgā sarasvatī|
Pranams to Shankha, which is the abode of all deities like Sun and Moon, in whose middle is present Varuna, in whose rear is present Prajapati, and in whose outlet edge is present rivers Ganga and Saraswathi.

त्रैलोक्ये यानि तीर्थानि वासुदेवस्य चाज्ञया।
शङ्खे तिष्ठन्ति विप्रेन्द्राः तस्मात् शङ्खं प्रपूजयेत्॥
trailokye yāni tīrthāni vāsudevasya cājñayā|
śaṅkhe tiṣṭhanti viprendrāḥ tasmāt śaṅkhaṁ prapūjayet||

Oh best among learned people, by the orders of Krishna the lord Vaasudeva, all the holy waters which flow anywhere in the three worlds are present in the Conch.. Therefore it is best for you to offer worship to Shankha.. the conch.

त्वं पुरा सागरोत्पन्नः विष्णुना विधृतः करे।
पूजितः सर्वदेवैश्च पाञ्चजन्य नमऽस्तु ते॥
tvaṁ purā sāgarotpannaḥ viṣṇunā vidhṛtaḥ kare|
pūjitaḥ sarvadevaiśca pāñcajanya namao'stu te||

Oh Panchajanya, the Shankha, you took birth in the ocean in olden days, and you are held in the hands of Lord Vishnu. You are worshipped with reverence by all gods. My pranams to you.

गर्भा देवारि नारीणाम् विशीर्यन्ते सहस्रधा।
तव नादेन पाताळे पाञ्चजन्य नमोऽस्तु ते॥
garbhā devāri nārīṇām viśīryante sahasradhā|
tava nādena pātāḻe pāñcajanya namo'stu te||

The demons present even in the wombs of the demonesses in Paataala get annihilated when your sound is heard.. Therefore my pranams to you.

पाञ्चजन्याय विद्महे पावमानाय धीमहि तन्नः शङ्खः प्रचोदयात्॥
pāñcajanyāya vidmahe pāvamānāya dhīmahi tannaḥ śaṅkhaḥ pracodayāt||
(This is also called Shankha Gayatri)
We understand you, Conch, as Panchajanya,
we contemplate on you as the greatest purifier,
and therefore may you the conch kindle our strenghts and capabilities.

Then prayer to Panchajanya as agni too.. from Krishanyajurvedam.. as given below.. .. with this mantram, we pour back some of the consecrated water from the Conch, to the Kalasham..
and then sprinkle the waters from the conch on all the pooja materials and the idols of the deities too.
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Prayer to Agni for removal of Sins...
-------------------------------------------

अग्नेर्मन्वे प्रथमस्य प्रचेतसः यं पाञ्चजन्यम् बहवस्समिन्धते।
विश्वस्यां दिवि विविशिवांसमीमहे स नो मुन्चत्वग्ंहसः॥
तैत्तिरीयप्रपाठके ॥ अपि च अथर्ववेदे
agnermanve prathamasya pracetasaḥ yaṁ pāñcajanyam bahavassamindhate|
viśvasyāṁ divi viviśivāṁsamīmahe sa no muncatvagṁhasaḥ||
taittirīyaprapāṭaka|| api ca atharvavede

Oh Agni, who is kindled to supreme vigour( by offerings of twigs and ghee etc,)
you the great one of Supreme vitality,
you, whom we praise as Paanchajanya,
Oh Agni who is spread all over this universe,
we make this prayer to you. with humble prostrations
.
May you be pleased to annihilate our sins and relieve us of all that is not good..

We see the word Panchajanya in this mantram.. and the holy Conch which we use in pooja comes to our mind.. So we chant this mantram when offering pooja to the Shankham.. relating the word Panchajanya to the Shankham.. as Lord Narayana holds in his hand a conch by name Panchajanya..

Panchajanya is the shell of a demon by that name whom Krishna defeated in the famous Santhanagopalam episode..

In Bagavat Gita first chapter we find Krishna blowing the conch Panchajanyam..
Paanchajanyam Hrisheekesho....

But the real mening of Panchajanya is Agni or the Lord of Fire.

He is called Panchajanya because he manifest in five forms.. In devayajna, pitru yajna, bhutayajna, manushyayajna and brahmayajna..
He is manifest in Panchabhoothas, Panchavarnas and so on..

This is a mantram in daily use..
Found in Krishna Yajurveda Taittireeya school.. and also in Atharvaveda in a slightly altered form..
==================

At the conclusion of the pooja, the holy waters from the conch are sprinkled on the one who performs the pooja, as also on all who are assembled for the pooja..

The prokshana or sprinkling mantram is from the famous Salagrama Stotram..

शङ्खमध्ये स्थितं तोयं भ्रामितं केशवोपरि।
अङ्गलग्नं मनुष्याणाम् ब्रह्महत्यायुधं दहेत्॥
śaṅkhamadhye sthitaṁ toyaṁ bhrāmitaṁ keśavopari|
aṅgalagnaṁ manuṣyāṇām brahmahatyāyudhaṁ dahet||

The waters which stand in the innards of the Conch, which have been partially sprinkled on the sacred person of Lord Keshava the Hari Himself, would burn off even the weapons which are stuck in the bodies of the devoties.. even if the weapons have been stuck to punishe the sin of Brahmahatya… the killing of the learned persons..

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Aatma Pooja
During formal worship of God. the Hindu way.

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Before formally offering worship the Hindu way, we offer worship to the waterpot, the conch, to the worshipper.. the atma himself, the seat of the Deity etc..

I have discussed the worship of the waterpot, the conch, and the Pita or the seat of the deity, already in different posts..

Equally important is the consecrationn and purification of the noble spirit or atma within oneself before embarking of the pooja.

This process is called Atma pooja.

Of course, we take bath, wear neat and clean clothes
and perform the nityakarmas
like Sandhyavandanam and Agnikaryam like Aupasanam.. or Agnihotram of Samdaadhaanam or any other ritual as applicable,
and seat ourself in the appropriate posture for worship..
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We ring the bell,
we invoke Lord Ganesha..
We can purify the water being used for worship and abhishekam through chanting of Pavamanasuktham, altrnately caleed Punyahavachanam.
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Then we offer pooja to the water pot Kalasha, and the conch, Shankha..
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The we do pooja to the vital spirit within us

आत्मने नमः दिव्यगन्धान् धारयामि
ātmane namaḥ divyagandhān dhārayāmi
Pranams to my own vital Spirit. I offer Sandal past to that.

We apply sandal paste on various parts of the body from forehead..
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Then we offer mantras or flower archan as below.

आत्मने नमः ātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the vital spirit in me

अन्तरात्मने नमःantarātmane namaḥ
pranams to the spirit that circulates within me and keeps me steady and thriving

योगात्मने नमः yogātmane namaḥ
pranams to the yogis spirit which balances the physical, spiritual and divine vital presence
in me

जीवात्मने नमःjīvātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the spirit inside me which sustains me in five vital forms Prana, Apana. Vyana, Udhana and Samana

परमात्मने नमः paramātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the Supreme spirit that resides me as Brahmam itself
ज्ञानात्मने नमः jñānātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the spirit that resides withing me as the sum and substance of my cognitions and knowledge

अग्निहोत्रात्मने नमः agnihotrātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the spirit that sustains me in the shape of Agnihotra.. the oblations to the fire

शुद्धात्मने नमः śuddhātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the blemishless pure spirit in me or that is me.

समस्तोपचारान् समर्पयामि
samastopacārān samarpayāmi
I offer all and complet worship with all ritual to this atma or spirit within me or the spirit that is me.

Then prayer
देहो जीवालयः प्रोक्तः जीवो देवः सनातनः
त्यजेत् अज्ञाननिर्माल्यं सोऽहं भावेन पूजयेत्
deho jīvālayaḥ proktaḥ jīvo devaḥ sanātanaḥ
tyajet ajñānanirmālyaṁ so'haṁ bhāvena pūjayet

This my body is the house of my vitality and life..
And that vitality is the eternal God Himself

May I throw away or abandon the blemishes of ajnana or ignorance, and may I worship the spirit imbibing that spirit that He is Me.. SaH Aham.. that supreme being is present in me.. we are the one.

Then we chant Pranavam and /or Hamsa Gayatri..
The number of chants can vary from 16 onwards.. the purpose is to ensure that we feel the purity and calmness making us fit for the worship of the Deity

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Peeta puja..
worship of the seat of God..

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while performing pooja or offering worship to deities in the Hindu way, we sanctify with prayer and praise every article of worship..

The pitcher in which water is carried for pooja and abhishekam, or Kalasham is offered pooja first..
This is called Kalasha Pooja
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The conch which too carries sacred water during the whole of the pooja is then worshipped.
This is called Shankha pooja
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The self or the Individual atma or the one who is dooing pooja is offered respectful worship..
This is called Atma pooja
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Then the premises where the idol is stationed, the whole earth, the pedestal, the ornamental structure, are all offered worship..
This is called Peeta Pooja..
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The mantras for Peeta pooja are given below
ॐ गुं गुरुभ्यो नमःom guṁ gurubhyo namaḥ respects to the Guru or preceptor who initiated us to the methods of this pooja ( Gum is a beeja mantra.. which is beyond the scope of an open discussion.. so also, gam, pam sam )
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गं गणपतये नमःgaṁ gaṇapataye namaḥ pranams to the lord Ganapathy.. who is the Lord of Moolaadhara... the portion which forms the foundation or seat of everything.. Ganapathi alternately is the leader of the cluster of Gods or Demi Gods
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पं परमात्मने नमः paṁ paramātmane namaḥ pranams to the Universal Soul the Supreme Lord who is present in all chethana and achethana.. movable or immovable things..
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सं सरस्वत्यै नमःsaṁ sarasvatyai namaḥ Pranams to the Devata of words and knowledge Saraswathi.. alternately the antarvahini river Saraswathi.. the mother who flows along with Ganga and Yamuna
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आधारशक्त्यै नमः मूलप्रकृत्यैः नमः ādhāraśaktyai namaḥ mūlaprakṛtyaiḥ namaḥ
Pranams to Adharasakthi and moolaprakriti ..
aadhaarashakti and moolaprakriti are yoga and Sankhya terms.. which combined together
they form the foundations or seats for everything. called . the Mooladhara ..
the Mooladhara chakra in Yoga..is placed at the bottom of spine in the human body.. and similar place of seating for the deities too.
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आदिकूर्माय नमः ādikūrmāya namaḥ pranams to the adi Koorma or primordial tortoise.. Lord Vishnu incarnated in this form and held in place the mountain Manthara which was used as the churning rod to collect Amrtuam or nectar from the Milky ocean.. The seat of every great personage is even now shaped as a tortoise.. the great Sannyasins too use Koormasanam.. So the Seat of the deities is worshipped as Koormam.
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आदिवराहाय नमः ādivarāhāya namaḥ Pranams to the primordial Boar.. We know Lord Vishnu incarnated as a Boar and retrieved the earth from the bottoms of the sea.. where the demon Hiranyaksha had hidden the earth.. and in the processed killed the demon too.. So for the protection of the piece of earth we are using for worship
we offer pranams to Varahamoorthy.
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पृथिव्यै नमः pṛthivyai namaḥ Pranams to the earth..
which holds everything includinf the idols, the temple and the worhsipper too.
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रत्नमण्डपाय नमः ratnamaṇḍapāya namaḥ
pranams to the structure or hall of the temple or place of worship bedecked in gems and precious stones
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रत्नवेदिकायै नमः ratnavedikāyai namaḥ
prannams to the Sanctum or main stage where the deitiy is placed.. which is again decorated or is made of Gems and precious materials
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. स्वर्णस्तंभाय नमः svarṇastaṁbhāya namaḥ
pranams to the gold pillar.. of the temple including the flagstaff made of gold.( of course any pillar.. or flagstaff.. we can worship)
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श्वेतच्छत्राय नमःśvetacchatrāya namaḥ
Pranams to the pure white umbrella.. the pure white umbrella is the insignia of supreme power.. such umbrellas are carried for deities, for Yatis and for Royal personages too
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कल्पकवृक्षाय नमः kalpakavṛkṣāya namaḥ
Pranams to the Kalpakavriksha.. Kalapakavriksha is the tree in the heaven which grants the wishes of all who pray to it.. It is supposed that this tree in spirit is present wherever divine presence is there.
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क्षीरसमुद्राय नमः kṣīrasamudrāya namaḥ pranams to the Milky ocean..
the milky ocean is one of the Seven great Oceans according to the Hindu Mythology.. the ocean is filled with milk and it contains all that is great and valuable.. In fact amrutham or nectar was churned out of it.. The Goddess Lakshmi, the Moon, the Divine Elephant Airavata, the Divine Horse Uchaishrava, the Goddes of intoxication Varuni, the Lord of Medicine Dhanvantari all came out it.. And Lord Vishnu is in Yoganidra floating in his bed of Adhisesha, atop this milky ocean.. We again invoke or assume the presence of this great ocean wherever divine worship s going on
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सितचामराभ्याम् नमः sitacāmarābhyām namaḥ
Pranams to the white fans made of fluffy material used for ceremonially waving on the flanks of important personages, to keep the air cool
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ॐ नमो भगवते सकलगुणशक्तियुक्ताय अनन्ताय योगपीठात्मने नमः om namo bhagavate sakalaguṇaśaktiyuktāya anantāya yogapīṭhātmane namaḥ

pranams to the resplendant and holy being that is the yogic seat where the Divine being is seated..
the seat is endowed with all great qualities and powers,
the seat is eternal and indestructible,
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In our normal poojas, the presence all the above paraphernelia is usually imaginray.. But we just meditate in mind that they are all present in reality to receive the presence of the God..

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Wearing tilak, doing deva pooja etc on Sraddham day..

 Wearing tilak, doing deva pooja etc on Sraddham day..

you asked about wearing tilak or vibhooti before tarpanam..

The rules are formed from similar situations for Sradhams.. because what you mean by Tarpanam even on amavasya or sankramanam is just a sraadham...

The rules as seen in the text SraddaKalapalatha.. quoting other sages is reproduced below.

वामहस्ते तु दर्भांश्च गृहे रङ्गवलिं यथा

ललाटे तिलकं दृष्त्वा निराशाः पितरो गताः॥

श्राद्धसङ्ग्रहे

ऊर्ध्वं पुण्ड्रं द्विजातीनामग्निहोत्रसमो विधिः।

श्राद्धकालेऽनुसंप्राप्ते कर्ता भोक्ता च तत् त्यजेत्॥

तिर्यक् पूण्ड्रम् यथा दृष्ट्वा स्कन्धे माल्यान्तथैव च

निराशाः पितरो यान्ति दृष्ट्वा च वृषलीपथिम्॥

प्राक् पिण्डदानाद्गन्धाध्यैनाऽलङ्कुर्यात्स्वविग्रहं

दानाऽध्ययनदेवार्चाजपहोमव्रतादिकान्

न कुर्याच्छ्राद्धदिवसे प्राग्विप्राणां विसर्जनात्

श्राद्धकल्पलतायाम्॥

vāmahaste tu darbhāṁśca gṛhe raṅgavaliṁ yathā

lalāṭe tilakaṁ dṛṣtvā nirāśāḥ pitaro gatāḥ||

śrāddhasaṅgrahe

ūrdhvaṁ puṇḍraṁ dvijātīnāmagnihotrasamo vidhiḥ|

śrāddhakāle'nusaṁprāpte kartā bhoktā ca tat tyajet||

tiryak pūṇḍram yathā dṛṣṭvā skandhe mālyāntathaiva ca

nirāśāḥ pitaro yānti dṛṣṭvā ca vṛṣalīpathim||

prāk piṇḍadānādgandhādhyainā'laṅkuryātsvavigrahaṁ

dānā'dhyayanadevārcājapahomavratādikān

na kuryācchrāddhadivase prāgviprāṇāṁ visarjanāt

śrāddhakalpalatāyām||

In sraddha sangraha it is said

When pitrus visit us for receiving Shraddham and find us holding darbha in the left hand, seeing rangoli in the home, finding tilakams on our forehead, return in desperation (without receiving Sraddham)

Wearing Oordvapundra for brahmins is equal to doing agnihotram.. But when the Sradham arrives the person who is doing the Sradham and the persons who partake in the ceremonial feast should give up Oordhvapundram

Seeing oordhvapundram or horizonal lines on the forehead,and seeing garlands around the neck of the one who perfoms Sradham, and finding the performer as the husband of a woman in impurity, the Pitrus return in despair.

Before pindapradhaanam on the sraddham day, the performer should not decorate himself with Sandal paste and other decorating materials

On the Sraddham day, before the Pitrus..or the brahmins on whom pitrus are invoked, are released or ceremonially sent away after meals, making gifts, learning vedas, doing pooja and archana to Devas, doing japam, homam etc are prohibited.

naivedyam... a discussion on whether God would eat what is offered to him

Krishna assured in Gita that Patram Pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyaa prayacchati taan aham bhaktyupahrutam ashnaami prayataatmana.. Even if a flower, leaf, a fruit or some water is offere to me with devotion I would accept it with a satisfied mind.. True, we can offer anything to God.. and the spice to be added is devotion. Without devotion He is under no obligation to receive anything.. because he is not in need of anything that we can supplyThe theory about Sthula, sookshma etc are just one way of thinking. Maybe it is appealing to that particular set of gurus and shishyas. If you are enlightened beyond normal methods of worship, you too may accept that argument.

However, the procedures prescribed in Yajnas and Yagas prescribe the modes of preperation and quantities to be offered .. by way of havis purodsha etc. So a practicing brahmin cannot say the material prepared for offering to God is just taken as sthoola and only sookshma part counts. If you are a brahmin and there is a function involving fire in your household, you will have to prepare and offer the prescribed quantity of naivedyam.. This applies to pitru karyams and sraddhams too.

And all the major agamas, Vaikhanasa, Pancharatra, Shiva agarma, and the text relatable to Shakti worship prescribe clearcut rules that connect the quantiy and quality of Naivedyam with the size, roopam, bhavam and Kalam of the deity consecrated and worshipped.

A yogi or yati may say God is every where and so he requires no offer from us. But a grihasta cannot masquerade himself as a sannyasi and reel out platitudes.

There is an old story about Acharya Swamikal.. adi Shankara. Once he was going aroud the streets of a city in hot sun.. Suddenly he said that he felt thirsty.. He asked the disciples to fetch some water that would quech his thirst. But no source of water was in sight. They discovred a foundary where bell metal was being melted. Shankara asked some of that molen metal to be brought and drank it and declared that his thirst was gone. If the disciples or you or I tried to do that, the consequences can be disastous.

I would mention that this post is in circulation in the web for the past so many years, and is flaunted by too many web scholars as the last word in spirituality.

I do not subscribe to that idea.

When God is consecrated in a temple, even though he is a person who is capable of pervading the universe, his presence is forcibly restricted through agamic and vedic rituals.. and when all the human organs are scripturally assigned to the idol, we have to cater to the needs of those various organs too. The God as the Universal soul will not feel hunger and thirs, but the deity consecrated and confined to the Garbhagriha has to be supplied with adequate food and comforts.

This is as plain as day.. Any vaideeka or tantrik would easily understand..

After all this is an Iyer group, and not a group of modern sannyasis or parivrajakas. So we have to go by the general rules.

If it is only for publicity, you can laud the Sookshma Sthoola theory and the mysticism involved there.

That is merely show.

Bali, Naivedyam

bali, naivedyam etc are different names for offering food items, according to the status of the deity..the main deities are offered the things in the name of naivedyam and some functional gods are offered the same in the name of bali... ...

just because one calls it bali it need not be flesh, blood etc, and in some saaktha systems flesh blood etc are offered in the name of naivedyam also.

In both Vaikhansa and Siva agama brahmotsavas, morsels of rice are offered to the eight masters of directions, (Ashtadik Palakas) indra, agni, yama nirruti, varuna vayu kubera isana as bali..

the bali is meant as food not only for the palakaas but their parshadas also.

Just like we offer havyam rice to agni, kavyam rice to pitrus... various terms are used..

it is all on account of functionality, and based on some protocol defined in the sastras or agamas.

However, the Vaama (Shaktha, Tantric ) type of worship are generally not meant for either Iyengars or Iyers.

abundance of fresh rice..the celebration of new rice..

A learned friend had tagged me to a post where he had mentioned about the celebrations of fresh harvest... Niraputhari in Kerala..I just wanted to record what I know about that here.. because a post there may not be read by anyone..

"It is called nira puthari..

നിറ പുത്തരി abundance of fresh rice..the celebration of new rice..

Usually it is done on uthradam day..

People are thankful to the Gods for their rich harvest of rice, and the ears of paddy are collected in bunches and kept before the Lord, and various deities are worshipped..

I am not going into the tantric procedure..

After the worship the katir or ear of paddy is distributed.. usually this kathir is pasted to the Utharam or upper threshold of the temple or houses and for pasting this a lump of fresh cow dung is used..

The ears of paddy to which pooja is offered is taken around ceremoniously with the refrain

ഇല്ലം നിറ വല്ലം നിറ

may the house be filled with rice, may the granary be filled with rice..

Usually, only after this ceremony is performed , newly harvested paddy is converted to rice and used.

This pooja can be conducted in every house.. But as the temple is the focal point of our social and spiritual activity, collective pooja can be done at temples and the kathirs can be taken to the individual households too

Cooked rice or Paayasam made with the newly harvested rice is offered as naivedyam to the lords on this day..

In Palakkad Agraharams, this function is observed in our temples.. We have absorbed the kerala ethos that way..

It is a harvest festival..

Pooja, Neerajanam at conclusion.

I do not know whether you have noticed it or not....after Karpoora Harati to swamy during pooja , we perform a neerajanam.. usually with water mixed with red kumkuma powder..

and chant Sarvamanagalye shive sarvaartha saadhike...

सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके etc.

. with a view that no evil eyes should trouble the Devi or Swami we are worshipping..

We chant Sarvamanagala maangalye for Ambaal..

For male Gods we chant

na tatra sooryo bhaati na chandrataarakam naivaa vidhyuto bhaanti kuto ayam agniH tameva bhaantam anubhaanti sarvam tasya bhaasaa sarvamidam vibhaati...

After naivedyam we offer the food to nirmalya devatas and other bhootas too..

This again is to ward off the evil effects of bad eyes..

In bhagavatam dashamaskandam, we can see Yasodha performing prayers in the name of Lord Narayana to ward off evil eyes that may fall on the child Krishna.. funny is it not?

But we believe that even Gods can be affected by evil eyes..

Naivedyam... can the Vedic brahmins eat the remnants ?

Some friend who had read about the post on not eating naivedyam offered to God by some pious brahmins and was seeking some clarification..

My reply is

The direction that Naivedyam should not be eaten is for the Vedic Brahmins who keep agni and perform many vedic rituals..because, in that process, they invoke God in themselves and even their eating is just like doing naivedyam to the Brahmam or Yajnapurusha..

So they can eat only pure food which is not offered to anyone else..

For Vaishnavas, it is prescribed that anything eaten should be offered to Narayana.. So they eat naivedyam alone

Brahamins like us who just lead an ordinarily pious life but could not follow the strict Vedic way and do not do agni karyams daily, need not hesitate about eating food offered already to god as naivedyam..

It is not the naivedyam that stands in the way, but the special rituals daily performed by the old elders, which we do not perform these days..

So we can do the next best, we can offer the food to God, and He blesses it and we can definitely eat it..

Pooja, Naivedyam Brief Suggestions

A respected and pious friend was discussing procedure for puja at home.

I made my suggestions on it.

Sharing for those who are interested

The procedure is nice. There is a varying perspective about archana to vishnu with Akshata. Some hold the view that akshata should not be used for vishnu archana. Of course if your ancestors practiced that then there is no problem.

If flowers are not availble manjal kumkumam can be used for ambal archana and vibhooti for shiva and subramania archana.

The shishtacharam is that tulasi should be used for naivedyam.. a leaf should be placed in every vessel containing naivedyam

But tulasi should not be used for archana of ganapthy.

In fact the rs vadhyar book is the one used by all palakkad iyers. I referred to some tamil books and even a north indian text published by geetha press.

The variations are too minor.

We can follow RS vadhyar.

Of course certain idols like lingam salagramam shankham etc have divine presence in them even without avahanam. So we have to be careful when we handle them.

Any theettu pollution or breakage can prove dangerous.

If we cannot offer cooked grain or payasam as naivedyam on a daily basis it is better not to do prana prathishta.

Avil or pori are supposed to be substitutes for rice food.

A little upastharanam with ghee is a must for all cooked naivedyams.

Fruits especially vazhappazham is good as naivedyam.

Coconut pleases ganesha

Offering tambulam to lady gods is great.

The tambulam itself is Lakshmi.

Naivedyam Sharing of what is offered to God without adding anything more.. offer made to subordinate deities etc,

The coconut offered to Ganapathy by way of smashing them in a stone in front of the temple is actually Underaka Bali.. offering to the bhoothaganas or demi god servants to Ganapathi..

So the broken pieces are not prasadams..

No one should pick them up and eat .. It is well known..

But then real life is different.

Recently when I visited the Pazhavangadi Ganapathi temple, one of my relatives offered twenty one coconuts for breaking, and the person in charge was actually returning a few pieces as prasadam..So ignorance of people has reached the worst levels.. No point in considering that issue.

The rules of pooja always insist that no further condiments or any other additions should be made to the prasadam received after naivedyam..

The rules are very clear..

But then we offer aval, pori etc as naivedyam and then add jaggery to make it eatable..

The rice offered as naivedyam in a temple is never eaten by a brahmin who is following the daily yajnas, like pitru, deva, bhoota, brahma, vaisvadeva and so on..The taking of food is itself is a yajna offered to God.. So food offered once should not be offered again

. Of course, food prepared in the same vessel kitchen and partly offered as naivedyam and remaining outside the quantity of naivedyam can be used as havis, food for brahmin etc..

But even the the Kavyam used for pithru yajna should be made separately..

The remnants of any naivedyam can be offered only to bhoothas.. and to animals of birds..

Of course food offered to Cow has to be pure.. cow is treated as a deity and not as an animal..( I would doubt whether it is permissible to offer even a plantain offered as naivedyam to god as offering to a cow.)

..

In fact I have had the occasion to translate almost the entire aahnika kandam of Smrithimukthaphalam of Vaidyanatha Deekshita.. which is the authentic text on the food habits and rules for all Hindus..

But I have my own perceptions as a social creature, which can be at great variance with what is written in Shastras..

We eat the food offered to God, Bhootams Pithrus and what not..

We would add onion and garlic, and may be non vegetarians their own additives to the food after offering to God and before us consuming..

Scriptures do not permit it.. but then it is our social practice.

For me the social habits and the commandments in scriptures are both subject matters for study, research and analysis, but I will never attempt to mix these two..

In my view it is wrong to mix religious ideas and practical social concepts as that can only lead to quarrel.

But I am clear about one thing. Food is the greatest gift to us from God.

We can say food is God itself

So we should never waste even a single speck of food.

If for some reason we cannot eat good thrn we should not prepare food at all.

And the world is not rich. There are billions across the globe who starve..And many starve to death.

So let the food go to them.

And deciding not to waste good is an indirect gift to all starving stomachs

Does God eat the Naivedyam offered

A query as to whether God eats the naivedyam offered is going round and round Many say the God takes in the sookshma part and all

My understanding on the issue

Perceptions vary on this issue.

Many agama and Tantra texts prescribe strict combinations and quantities of naivedyam according to the potency, size of the idol the nature of pratishta and so on

Even medicinal preparations are offered to the deity on various occasions to counter indigestion etc.

So according to shastras Gods actually eat the food.

The question as to whether God eats the food was actually raised to a tantri by a South Kerala ruler.

The tantri asked the king to be present at the time of naivedyam.

Huge quantities of food were arrayed before the deity.

The tantri, while doing parishechanam included the king also in the circle made by holy water which covered the deity and the naivedyam.

By the time " praanaaya swaahaa" was offered the king started feeling full inside..

And by the time "Apaanaaya swaahaa "was offered the king had reached a point of bursting with food.

The story goes on that the king apologized and was taken out of the circuit and saved

If the worship is genuine and sincere and the upasana is good enough God will eat what we offer.

Now we are powerless and so the God does not eat. That is all

In chandika homam and Ganapathy Homam there are experiences where the Divine mother and Ganapathy manifesting in fire and accepting food, flowers and clothes and ornaments offered.

musings 128

The temples in Kerala following the traditions unique to Kerala,usually do not differentiate between coconut oil and gingely oil being used for lighting deepams,,

In some temples it is the practice that the oil used in the sanctum is gingely and the chuttrambalam, chuttru vilakku, deepastambham etc (in the outer periphery of the temple )use coconut oil..

The preference in fact is not the inferiority of coconut oil in any way, but coconut oil gives a whiter flame and gets oxidized quickly in comparison to the more viscous gingely oil..

Of course, Palakkad brahmins and the temples relatable to them use gingely oil only for lighting lamps.. Coconut oil is a rarity

Kerala has more coconuts than ellu.(gingely). so that oil is more in circulation.. In Ayurveda, the role of coconut oil in making various thailams ( funny that the word thailam in sanskrit is derived from thilam or gingely) is vital..

In many acharams or rituals, the adoption is due to the availability of the resources.. No Vasishta or Yajnavalkya would have written that coconut oil should not be used

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Palmolein was not an oil in circulation in good old days. But castor oil was.. There is a definite prohibition for use of castor oil for lamps in pooja.. Maybe castor oil can be used for lighting in the house externally,, and actually it gives a brighter light than either coconut or gingely oils.. The more unsaturated organic compound an oil is, it burns more and gives more light... and the more saturated chemical oils burn with blue flame..

musings 127

Just a very funny thought..

My faith, my religion, all originated and grew under the feet of a small Pullayar (Ganaptahy)stationed just at the western end of our street..

In 1959 as a boy of six years or so, I landed up in the agraharam, and at that time my grand uncle..who was partially blind was the priest cum servant of the temple.. and the lord has for his castle a very plain temple and did have the luxurious lighting of a single oil wick lamp for a few minutes for the whole day

and some cooked rice as naivedyam once a day.. brought by the priest himself..

I would accompany the priest every day.. for two reasons..

First, out of affection for the old mama..

Second, if someone visited the temple with two plantains, the priest would have the right to keep with him one of them after offering the naivedyam , and I would get that fruit..

Devotion, bhakthi or whatever you call it was not in my mind, and I did not understand what it was..

Then in May 69 I was initiated into upanayanm, and then I started performing ritualistic poojas too for that pullayar.. especially because my uncle would often officiate as bhoktha in Shraddhams and on such days he was prohibited from entering he sanctum..

(His princely monthly salary at that time was five rupees,, and he had to provide food and oil for lamp for the temple from out of that salary)

My love affair with the Lord started in that innocent and unobtrusive fashion.. and perhaps my first offer to Him was with broomsticks when I cleaned the precincts of the temple

But whether I like it or not the affair took very deep roots..

From a useless urchin, I became a student, a graduate, a post graduate and so many things..

The assistance of Pillayar by way of eatable prasadms and His Divine grace was the mainstay in my life..

Now that Pillayar has grown in stature,

His temple looks very nice.. many devotees throng to his presence..

And He is invariably bountiful to anyone..

Yes, He is gracious even to a casual passer by who would have just stopped to pick some pieces of broken coconut pieces lying before His temple..

Often, I get angry with this glutton of a god..

If there is a frustration of any sort, the first one I would approach with bad words is this manifest God and Friend of mine who also appears as a stone..

Many times, I have promised before Him that I would not interfere in His affairs.. and He need not do that in mine too..

But either of us has not succeeded in that.

The love-hate relation is as strong now almost half a century earlier.

In fact, I rarely offer any material things to this Pullayar..

Rather I find happiness in exploiting Him by taking away eatables, like piece of coconuts, payasam etc free of cost..from His temple.

The mindset of an old priest never changes.. and pilfering from the Deity's place is the birthright of such persons..

But I am not afraid of Him..

If He wanted to punish me, He has so many more valid reasons for that..

If He loves me,He has no compelling reason for that..

I am arrogant, vain, avaricious and bad mouthed..

But I know He loves me..

It is His greatness..

My only prayer to Him..

Pullayarey. Oh my lord let us be friends as long as I live..

You are Immortal and perhaps I am immoral..