Deepavali and Tarpanam

 

If there is Sradham on Deepavali day in Amavasya Thithi, Should / Can the Grihasth take Narakachaturdasi snanam?

My take on it

The acharam now seen is that the deepavali snananam etc are performed early and after giving some time the kartha and connected people take another bath empty the kitchen and observe the pitrukaryam.

See, Deepavali is just a Loukika karyam and the performance of pitru karyam takes precedence. Some shastras even would indicate that a sort of special obligation something like aashaucham but not aashaucham happens when pitrus visit and so no other observation is possible.

The process of pitru karyam starts even on the previous day of the sraddham.

Therefore, sticklers to oid methods might even avoid Deepavali celebration if Shraddham intervenes.

Shraddam is a duty.. Deepavali is only a celebration. It is not like Sandhyavandanam or aupasanam .

In our house the persons doing amavasa tarpanam if Amavasai comes on deepavali day would not do abhyanga taila snanam at all. That is observed by my grandfather my father and me too

I do not want to argue or fight with web shastrigals

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..)

challenges faced againts synthesis of various systems and practices

 

The challenges and conflicts we can encounter when we attempt for the communion of various systems of beliefs and religions are complex and manifold. The synthesis requires thorough knowledge and understanding of the divergent systems..and efficiency in conflict resolution too. The practice in each system worked on the rules and conventions that evolved through ages and also the faith that the devotees reposed on such rules. It may be far easier to device or synthesize modalities for the communionsor admixture of the systems but to build up faith in the new system is a daunting task. If one can develop both infrastructure , foster faith too and demonstrate at least a little bit that the new hybrid would work, then that synthesis would be acceptable. Even upanishadic deviations, semi sannyasic systems like Vaikhanasam , Bhakti cult, Bhagavatha cult, Agamic and Tantric cults etc., evolved and developed only in this manner as alternates to the Vedic practices.

To say there can be variants is easy but to establish convincingly the effectiveness of the variants as against traditional systems is a great challenge.

You are not under great compulsion to deal with elaboration the trodden path because all people around know about it at least a little. But if new paths are built ,their utility will have to be established at every step

Many alternate systems fail to pass the muster on this count.

we should skirt the tendency of being cynical,

The only thing which we should be avoid, IMHO, is that we should not cause harm to others, we should skirt the tendency of being cynical, and we should pray for the welfare of all.

My view in this matter does not restrict itself to Hinduism or Brahminism.

It is a matter of sincerity and devotion, and no one has the right to intervene in an exclusive relationship between a person and his God.

On the question as to whether it was right on the part of a priest to cover the upper part of his body with clothes while offering pooja, or whether abhishekam should be offered while the idol is covered with clothes and ornaments, the point for consideration is whether the priest or swami who worships and the temple are covered by any particular agama which prohibits such practice.

The rituals can vary even according to agamas and tantras followed.

There are even different views as to whether it is proper to have an open abhishekam session when the deity is the mother.

Some very punctilious sects even take the view that the abhishekam is for purification and when it is offered, no clothes, no flowers etc should be placed on the idol during the abhishekam, because that can cause impurity.

Views can vary on ornaments too.

So if someone says it is not according to his understanding or reading of the rituals, it can be taken as a valid point of view .

The tone in which the view is expressed is very important. It should not lead to a feeling that just because the ritual is different, others are inferior or less favoured by Gods.

The tone in which the view is expressed in very important.

If Kali at Kalighat or Kolkotta can be offered blood,

if Kannappan can offer meat as Naivedyam to Shiva at Kalahasthi,

if Sabari could taste the fruits offered to Rama beforehand just to ensure that they are sweet,

do the rigid rituals really matter?

you have to earn your moksham during your lifetime

 

After the study of Vedic practices, and related lore too, I tend to feel that Hinduism restricts obtaining results like Moksham through prayers for the living beings alone, that too during their span of life.

And in most cases, as a pretham, pitru or some spirit, the dead person reaches a state where he or she is a sort of deva or some such being, to whom we pray.

Even in Shraddha or aparakriya mantrams, we are usually praying to the respective spirits and the accompanying Vishvedevas and the protector of Shraddha the Vishnu.

This being the case, I doubt whether anyone can pray for the dead.

If we are seeking moksha the person after his death, dead, we could attain that moksha when the life is about to leave the human body, that too, following the theory of Karma.

We have to infer that if we do not attain emancipation by the time of death, the soul or jiva has to assume another body, wear out the Karma and once again attempt to attain moksha.

Therefore, the prayer if any for Moksha seems to be possible only before death, that too preferably by the person who is inheriting the Karma..

Of course, we comprehend Hindu ethos often in a hotchpotch manner and some swami or Periyavaal may hold a different view too.

However, this is what I could understand after all these years of study.

agamas do not permit mindless change of shape of the idol or the precincts of the house of God

Our temple traditions do not actually permit any sort of decorations or artificial or synthetic nature.

Moreover, agamas do not permit mindless change of shape of the idol or the precincts of the house of God.

The devotees and administrators can plan and execute the changes, if found necessary, only following the directions prescribed in the agamas or tantras and they have to make even these alterations can following strict through the strict procedures and guidelines under the supervision of learned Gurus and Vedic scholars. The process should start with seeking the permission of the deity through

Deva prashnam, followed by pariharams and prasyaschittams that such prashnam reveals and prescribes.

Even decorations with natural materials like flower or leaves or twigs should remain without change only for just a day at the most.

Even the most precious thing placed with the deity becomes obsolete within hours, and we should not reuse the same item for decoration or pooja. There are some exceptions like Tulasi and

Rudraksham, which we can use repeatedly.

Of course we do so many things opposed to agamas and rules..

We decorate the idol with external fittings that changes the appearance, sex, gender, and the bhava of the pratishta. In addition, we even advertise about it, publish snaps about the metamorphosed shape of the God...

Where is the permission for all this?

When we are talking about traditions we have to think of all such aspects..

Next question is about continuing namasankeerthanam without sandyavandanam, using non-agamic, non-Vedic non-tantric means and hymns for worship of traditionally consecrated Moorthies and vigrahas. Are these practices right?

Using garlands of lemon, Vada, Vettrila etc for decorating the Moorthies either Utsavam or Moolam--.which Veda or Agama or Karika has permitted us to do all these ?

The Gurukkal, Shivacharya, Azhvar, Bhattacharya, or Archaga Swami may permit it because he has no choice but to agree with the motley crowd. Alternately because he is ignorant.

𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐣𝐚 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨 entities 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝

 

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 --𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐚𝐦 ( 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐬 (𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬) 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞-𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚-𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐫𝐢𝐭.

𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐕𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬 -𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐝-- 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧.

𝐒𝐨, 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 are 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚 lot of 𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢le 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧..

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞,𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐲..

𝐎𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲.

𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐈 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐯𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐒𝐨 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥..𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬..

𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐫, 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫.

𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 could be 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐲, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞..

𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐣𝐚( 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧) , 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐝.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐣𝐚 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨 entities 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝.

𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞.

each person could reach out to the supreme divinity through the path he would prefer.

 

One of my enlightened friends messaged me two videos where some so called rationalist speakers were pouring vitriol over Hindu faith and rituals.

Of course, I feel I am mature enough and such speeches will not enrage me, and I would not turn violent listening to such tongue-lashes.

Still I would like to express my reaction on the issue.

"I have heard and read about such vitriolic outbursts against brahmanyam and Hindu faith too many times.

So watching these two videos has not affected me much.

Regarding some of the interpretations of some mantrams, I can say that the speakers have taken extra pains to ascribe meanings that were not there nor did anyone ever intend to ascribe.

That is up to them.

Actually, the basis of our faith in God actually does not depend on chanting certain mantrams.

Our ancestors have designed the mantrams just as a sort of auto suggestive reinforcements.

The human mind is very sensitive and susceptible to negative vibes and desperation. In this connection words of reassurance just boosts up the spirits that are on the decline. They are similar to medicines and not staple food

In addition, those who created or discovered the mantrams and procedures for worship contained in Karika, Brahmanams etc., knew the language and the meaning of the incantations very well.

They were not under any illusion or influence of any voodoo practitioners.

Moreover, the Brahmin priests never conducted any rituals in any houses if such practices were not good enough or established enough to perform in their own household, be it the houses of their own people or be it the houses of non-Brahmins.

Just like any other professionals, they too received the wages or compensations, and this activity of receiving wages, which no one can term as sin.

The vilification comes from others and causes hurt, mainly because the so-called practicing Brahmins and Hindus of the present do not really know, and do not care to know the meaning, purport and spirit of the rituals. However, many of them act with some sort of enthusiasm to defend, but making futile attempt to defend without proper equipment.

Many of them are like students trying to write Doctoral thesis when they have not passed even the kindergarten stage.

True, the religion of Vedas did not portray deities as perfect. Moreover, based on the belief and experience of the people of the time when the rituals started, they sought to influence the deities through praise, offerings, and so on.

However, they were realistic under the conditions prevailing then.

They did not propagate anything about which they could not convince themselves first hand.

Later on the same religion developed ideas like advaitam, and some votaries portrayed faith in a different plane.

Ultimately, the religion is so catholic that it veered around to the idea that each person could reach out to the supreme divinity through the path he would prefer.

Even Gita sounds like that.

After all, we see such varying levels of practices in any religion, which is in practiced among human beings.

And in public meetings or private gathering, people worship, praise, flatter and even offer bribes too to the men in power, the men who can be of use, are praised, flatter in so many ways. That is because of the human nature- the base contents of the human nature.

It is definitely not the fault of the religion or faith.

Sorry I had to respond against the vilification.

I am a genuine believer. However, I keep my views on religion to myself, as an intensely private person. Religions gives me an article of faith and definitely, it is not a means of propaganda as far as I am concerned.

But it is painful that some people use that faith as a material for propaganda and character assassination against the believers and hurt the sensibilities of those who have such faith.

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧..

𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐧.. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞..

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨.. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞..

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫..

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬..𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞...

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐚𝐬𝐢..

One can never answer fully what is the significance of chanting divine names..

We chant the divine name and make nyasa before starting a japa or prayoga.. There is a great and elaborate procedure before performing SriRudra japam.. or abhishekam.. here we praise the deity and sub-deities and invoke their protection of every limb in our body.. This is called mahanyasam. 

One can never answer fully what is the significance of chanting divine names.. ultimately, all human action should boil down to that.. Sravanam, Keerthanam VishnoH smaranam, paadasevanam, archanam vandanam daasyam sakhyam aatmanivedanam.. hearing the praise of the god, praising Him with words, meditating upon him, serving his lotus feet, offering him flowers and other dravyas, prostrating before him, being his unconditional servant, and finally offering oneself Vishnu the Krishna is the quintessence of our relationship with HIM. Nothing is lost by not chanting the divine names during achamanam.. In fact there are occasions prescribed where the achamanm is thuushneem or in silence.. It is said Achyutaandada Govinda Namochchaarana bheshajaad nashyanti sakalaa rogaaH, satyam satya vadaamyaham.. By chanting the names of achyutha anantha and govinda, which is a medicinal spell, all our diseases vanish, it is truth, it is truth.. When the water is taken chanting the achyuta ananda govinda,, the water gets medicinal vallues..we can believe it.

gothra rules, pitu karyams

 

Our gothra rules are essentially patrilineal.. And our conduct is governed by sutras.. Sroutha, Dharma, Grihya and Sulabha of various sages. For example the four sutras prescribed for the Yajurveda smarthas who form the majority of Palakkad and Tamil Iyers, are those of Apastamabha.. Another sootram very near to Apastamabha is Bodhayana.. Which also relates to Yajurveda.

In general there are two types of relatives in patrilineal order.. The father, grandfather, the great grandfather and their horizontal male siblings in general would constitute Sapindas.. And at some stage these people will be sharing pindams. This relationship is very close. Then comes the samaanodhakas or dayadhis.. ( considered in a loose way) who can extend up to seven generation.. [And even more generations according to some sages Manu says Sapindas is seven generations up and down, and samanodhaka is when, even belonging to the same gothram, the generation gap is so huge that the name of the common ancestor is not known.. ( here the common ancestor is not the pravaram)]

The sapindas, and if possible the samanodhakas too form a joint family, and when some death occurs, they are all expected to be in grief and they are supposed to gather together under one roof and kitchen nearest to where the Paashanam ( the stone) invoking the dead persons preta is invoked.. The family is supposed to observe ten days pula or theettu, and on the tenth day, in addition to the sons of the deceased, all the relatives upto seven generation are expected to offer water drenched in clothe and thilam at the pit where the pashanam is placed.. The people of lesser age than the deceased should have vapanam or haircut too.

So the rules for the paternal relatives are very clear-cut;

For relatives from the maternal side, no tarpanam is done. No vapanam.. and the maximum days of aashoucham is three days.. The period may be less for cousins.. These are also prescribed in shastras..

Most of the rules are prescribed by shastras, but many such rules have been relaxed by great souls like Vaidyanatha Deekshita.

Now we may not be able to reach scholars who have mastered the sootras of Apastamaba etc.. But we regulate our conduct according to the practices established by traditions and this may vary from family to family .. But the basic rules are the same.

the attasradham or aabdeekam is considered equivalent to sapindeekarana sradham.. and it is a part and parcel of the Shodasha Sraadhams..

That way it has to be performed by the eldest.. who did the sapindeekaranam..

But now the attasradham is only conducted as a parvana sradham.. So the argument that brothers living taking food in different kitchens should do sradhams separately is also valid.

But the reasonable conclusion appears to be that the attasradham has to be conducted by the eldest..

As a social rule the partition of properties among brothers is done on the Shubhasweekaram day after the atta shraddham..

So the siblings are supposed to meet together for the maasika, etc sixteen sraddhams and the sodhakakumbham ceremony preceding them and perform together..

there are provisions in Shastras to give proper respect to relatives on the mother"s side

In a stiffly Patrilineal setup ( male succession oriented) of Hindu practices, it is heartening to see that there are provisions in Shastras to give proper respect to relatives on the mother"s side..

Apart from the pitru karyams like tharpanam to be done for maternal grandparents, dharmasastras also provide for aassauchams or theettu for siblings of mother, their spouses, and cousins.. even when they are from different gothrams..

In fact shastras say that maternal uncles and paternal aunts and maternal aunts and their spouse all should be given great respect only next only to father and mother..

And it is specially provided that even if those persons are not showing any cordiality, or even if they are indifferent to our welfare, still utmost respect should be shown to them and their families, and no disrespectful or disparaging remarks should ever be made against them ..

Even in the matter of prohibition of partaking in food in other houses on certain days and occasions, the houses of Athai , Chithi, periyammai, and Mama( siblings of parents) and first cousins, are exempted..

There is no bar in taking food from their houses at any time, as if it were our own house and hearth.

Of course father's brother , own brother paternal cousins etc are of the same family and such a situation will not arise because there is no difference between theirs and our own

This exemptions is allowed for father in laws house too..

We can even partake pithrusesham (the food left after offering in respectful memory of departed soul) of own sister and her sons, athai (fathers sister), athaan( athiais son) , mama( maternal uncle), mami, mamas son, chithi or periyammai( mothers sisters), their sons etc. and the parents in law too...

So blood relations actually assume a lot of importance.. Sometimes, sadly we maintain enmity with uncles aunts, and their children.. and it is not proper at all..

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..

Kanyakaa Dhaanam

Kanyakaa Dhaanam

We do not gift away our daughters simply like that. No father or brother takes leave of or sends away his daughter or sister with happiness. The Pathos of the Fourth Act of Shakuntalam where Sage Kanva sheds tears of blood while sending Shakuntala to her husband’s place. You have to read it only with a feel that you have your heart turned with a wrench... The Laja Homam just after the marriage where the brides brother fills her hands with puffed paddy to be offered to Agni.. As a prayer of longevity for the bridegroom... I shall try to reproduce the mantras below... It tells a ll.

Laja Homa

After the Kanya-dan, the young bride may feel that both she and her brothers have been born in the same house and both have equal rights for affection and affluence but she is going to another family. To reassure her that she need not feel such separation the brothers give to their sister the Laja (parched rice) for offering in the fire. The idea symbolically is that just as we transplants paddy plants from their original germinating ground to another field to facilitate proper growth and yield of crop, the girls have to be married off to another family just to ensure widespread growth. It is clear from this that the girls cannot remain in their father’s house forever.

By filling the stretched palms of their sister to the full, with Lajas the brothers assure her that whenever she will go from her father’s house to her husband’s house, the brothers will be always there to provide her with whatever she wants. It is the practice in affectionate families that whenever a sister visits she will never go empty handed to her own house. In addition, we can witness this this implied gesture even if the brother is ninety years old and the sister is eighty.

It is with such reassured and happy mind that the bride offers three oblations of the Lajas-parched rice in the fire through her husband and recites the following three

mantras ; —

अर्यम्णं देवं कन्या अग्नियक्षत सनो देवः प्रेतो मुञ्चतु मा पतेः॥

ॐ इयं नार्युपब्रूते लाजानवपन्तिका आयुष्मानस्तु मे पतिरेधन्ता ज्ञातयो मम।

ॐ इमान् लाजानावपाम्यग्नौ अमृद्धिकरणम् तव मम तुभ्यं च संवननं तदग्निरनुमन्यतामियत्।

aryamṇaṁ devaṁ kanyā agniyakṣata sano devaḥ preto muñcatu mā pateeḥ||

om iyaṁ nāryupabrūte lājānavapantikā āyuṣmānastu me patiredhantā jñātayo mama|

om imān lājānāvapāmyagnau amṛddhikaraṇam tava mama tubhyaṁ ca saṁvananaṁ tadagniranumanyatāmiyat|

The first mantra signifies that she is propitiating god Aryma and is bidding adieus to her parents and brothers and with mixed feeling going away from her father’s house to her husband’s house, God Aryma may not ever separate her from her husband

A very lofty idea is enshrined in this mantra-the bride never would entertain even in the remotest corner of her mind the idea of separation from her husband. That is why in Hindu marriage even the idea of divorce is entirely missing. In the second mantra, she seeks the benedictions of her brothers and relatives for the long life of her husband and in turn wishes them all-round prosperity.

In the third mantra addressing her husband she says, “My Lord and husband, by offering the oblations of Lajas in the fire I pray to God that our mutual love should always remain strong and firm There is. a deep significance in the act of the bride in not offering the Lajas herself to the Agni, even though given by her brothers, but she hands it over to the husband to offer the same to the fire. If the wife forms the kernel of the rice, the husband is the outer protective shell, which also carries in its tip the cells for germination, and the kernel separated from the shell cannot grow further, the wife without the presence of the husband has no significance. The vice versa is equally important. Shiva and Shakti cannot remain without the presence of one another. The bride in good faith is requesting the Gods with offer of the puffed rice that her life with her husband should ever be without separation.

In our society, just because the girl goes to the husband’s house she does not lose her hold in the life and love of her parents, brothers and sisters.. No Shubhakaryam or even negative occurrences can and will happen in the household of a brother without the presence of the sister and vice versa. Nothing ever goes on without the presence of Athai and Mama. The son born of the daughter has to pay oblations to the pitrus of three generation of maternal grandparents... on every Amavasya. And in life, can the affection be any less when a ninety year old brother and his eighty eight year sister meet.. Even at that age the brother will be afraid of the sister.

In Kerala apart from Palakkad Iyers who simply follow the Smartha rites of Tamil Iyers, the Nambuthiris, who are the nearest to Indigenous Brahmins of Kerala ( though the traditions is that Parasurama brought them from Andhra) and Pottis, Imbradiris, Bhats, etc who have become a part of Kerala but who have come from Karnataka, all have this Kanyakaadaanam.. Even the Nairs, Thiyyas or Ezhuvas, who form the majority Hindu sections in Kerala, have a ritual where the father of the Bride, holds the hand of the girl and leads her to the spot of marriage(dais) and hands over that hand to the bridegroom and the parents and the sisters of the groom also form part of the ceremony.. And this Kanyakadhanam is not restricted to Tamil Brahmin culture.. The famous statement of Janaka “ Iyam seetha mama suthaa sahadharmacharee thave, prateecha chainaam bhadram te paanim grihneeshwa paaninaa.....” the father giving the hand of the daughter to the bridegroom is an iconic act, of National Import..

Socially, the father handing over the hand of the daughter to the groom is a firm declaration on the fidelity and sacredness of the relations between the father and the mother of the bride first. And vindication of the institution of marriage as such.. Most of the human beings take pride in the identification of the paternal pedigree. As one cans easily identify the mother... and since there were no DNA tests in those days, this ritual was a moment of bliss for the father and the mother of the daughter and the boy. In addition, in Vedic marriages, the presiding preceptors would announce the names of even twenty-one generations of the fathers of the boy and girl at least three times. Nowadays they announce only the names of father, paternal grandfather and the paternal great-grandfather of the groom and the bride.

the rituals can be postponed minimally in life threatening situation

A query was made as to whether we could have some relaxations in pitru karyams consequent to the impact of Kovid 19.

Yes, the rituals can be postponed minimally because it is a life threatening situation

However this cannot be taken as a licence to skip the rituals totally. We have to resume things at the earlist

My take on the issue

These are aapad dharmas.

It is not that we should not do the sraddham in time.

It is only that the karma should not be given up just because the date was over and that it should be done later

There are many prayaschitthams like fasting on the defaulted day and chanting thousands if gayatri.. which are all beyond our capacity.

The exceptions are only when the karma is impossible.

It cannot be taken as excuse for not doing the Karma in time for flimsy reasons quoting the exceptions.

Brahmins have no choice to select the easy way out.

Shastras say brahmana's body is not for enjoyment

ब्राह्मणस्य तु देहोऽयं नोपभोगाय कल्पते।

इहक्ळेशाय महते प्रेत्यानन्त सुखाय च॥

brāhmaṇasya tu deho'yaṁ nopabhogāya kalpate|

ihakḻeśāya mahate pretyānanta sukhāya ca||

In his worldly life the body of a brahmin ( and a learned man) is only for toiling, observing all the rituals, studies, learning and teaching.. It is toil in this world to gain great virtue which are sure to take them to eternal bliss in their life in heaven..

So when brahmins are told to lead very strict and disciplined life, they should never complain.. This is their duty for the benefit of the whole universe and that alone can lead them to eternal bliss ever after..

If Brahmin is not able to practice what is expected of him, he does not deserve to be addressed by that name..

AGAMAS

AGAMAS

Agamas are essentially treatises that prescribe and describe in detail too, the worship of the DivinitY in many specific and definable forms. The Agamas concerning Shiva come under the category of Shivagama, that of Vishnu as Vaishnavagama, concerning Shakthi the Divine mother were termed Shaakta agama, and those relatable ot Ganapathy, Subrahmanya and Surya were grouped as Ganapatya, Kaumra and Saura Agamas. All the six types of temples and worship were existing in India until a few centuries ago. However as time passed, the Ganaptya, Kaumara and Saura strains dwindled in the number of followers and even the worship of those deities merged with the methodology followed by Shiva,Vaishnava or Shatas agamas. Moreover even though Shaktha agama is being practice in some far corners of the country either as Vaamaachaa and/or Dakshnaachaara, at present the predominennt metnodology is to follow either Vaikhansa or Pancharatra in Vishnu-related worsip and four types..Shaiva, Paashupata, Soma and Laakula Agamic methodology relating to Shiva are in vogue currently in Shiv-related worship. If you consider the temple architecture or process of worship and ritual in the current day India, the practice of either Shivagamas in Sahivite shrines and Vishnava Agamas in Vaishnavite shrines would be ubiquitous

if there is no conflictiong words in the mantram that might carry wrong sense, there is no great mistake in chanting that on a different occasion.

The sankalpam ( the formal declaration in ornate Sanskrit about what we plan to do as a religious ritual) and the vedic riks (mantras or quotes) we chant are just like fillers of time while performing the ritual with something divine.. a vedic mantra.. or a few nice words in Sanskrit..

We have to take care not to chant mantrams without understanding what we do because we are likely to deliver the wrong meaning and sense..

And that can make us look like fools before any knowledgeable audience..

Here thereis hardly any such problem,, because no one knows what he is doing.. ..

The mantras from Vedas, and the ritualistic slokas have been quoted and transposed by various people to various other rituals and for various purposes too.

And the original context of the mantras and chants either doing tarpanam to pitrus or doing harati to god has very little in common..

So, if there is no conflictiong words in the mantram that might carry wrong sense, there is no great mistake in chanting that on a different occasion.. and in the way one has known and learnt

The old teachers made a fuss about verbatim reproduction only because they had a chance to control the people in general with threats if there is even minor variation..

This tendency is manifest not only which practicing rituals in Hinduism, but that sort of rigidity is there in every religion..

The general rule is that we should worship god with heart and mind pure, body pure.. and the worship should be a matter between the devotee and the deity..

Often we tend to make fuss about minor procedural matters..

That is not necessary.

In fact, I posted a few vedic mantras only because I had posted them in manuscript earlier and many were not able to discern my bad handwriting..

So I processed the material in legible words in the word processor..

That is all.. There could be even unexpected spelling errors..

I am not an authority on anything.. I am nowhere near perfection.

I am just a wayfarer, a traveller..

I just share a little from what I read and experience from my journey of curiosity. and in my own way.. and my presentation is limited to what I know, what I understood, and such knowledge is faulty, incomplete..

I never ask anyone to follow anything..

And if and when I do a pooja( formal prayer and worship session) , it is just a private matter between me and my God..

And in a pooja only two need bother..

The worshipper and the worshipped.

Others have little role.

It is the aachaaram for a particular region if such traditions are in use for many generations..

यस्मिन् देशे य आचारः पारंपर्यक्रमागतः। श्रुतिस्मृत्यविरोधेन सदाचार स उच्यते॥संस्कारमञ्जर्याम्॥

yasmin deśe ya ācāraḥ pāraṁparyakramāgataḥ| śrutismṛtyavirodhena sadācāra sa ucyate||

saṁskāramañjaryām||

The normal good traditions to be followed in social and spiritual matters may be broadly called AAchaaram or more clearly Sadaachaaram.

AAcharam has two elements.. local precedents and traditins.. and sanction by shrutis and smritis..

In the text Samskaaramanjari as quoted by Deekshita in smritimukthalam it is said/

"It is the aachaaram for a particular region if such traditions are in use for many generations.. and such traditions should not be in oppositions to Shruti and Smriti ( Shruti.. means Veda and allied texts..Smriti.. means the treatises given by great rishis in furtherance and as aids to implementations of the dictates of Vedas..) .."

The traditions of a place which are followed for generations which are not in contradiction with Shrutis and Smrits are the good Acharams or Sadaacharams for that area.

Our sages have always given leeway for changed circumstances as per variations in living condition.. but the fundamental rules are immutable..

How many days will it constitute a Mandalam

How many days will it constitute a Mandalam

My understanding is

Mandalam is just one ninth of an year.

That will come to 40 days and 11 hours and a few minutes if 365 days are reckoned for a year.

But in Indian calculations the days in a year (considering Saura, Chadra masams etc ) can vary from 360 to almost 370.

So the mandalam can vary astronomically ( and therefore in astrology too) between 40 and 41 days... the period taken by the Sun to cover three Naksharams..roughly period covered by three njattuvelas.

In astrology and vedic jyothisham an additional star Abhijit between Thiruvathira and Punartham is introduced to cover this small variation in time

But if we take 44 days or 48 days as Mandalam as suggested by some people that might be as per local acharam but not astronomically or astrologically defined. Of course new generations gurus make their own rules..

The mandalam which we celebrate in Vrischikam Dhanu .. starts when sun enters Vrischikam constellation at present and ends after it covers 40 days and about 12 hours.

That is all

Of course the variation between relative positioning of stars and rasis occurs as time progresses.. but the variations would be palpable only after a span of more than at lease five thousand years..

So the calculations usually followed in our lifetimes and that of a few generations earlier or later would not be affected by such long time variations

In Kerala there are many Kavus.. or semi jungle abodes for the Divine mothers and demi gods

In Kerala there are many Kavus.. or semi jungle abodes for the Divine mothers and demi gods.. and deities like Ayyappan, and the snake..nagadevata.. In Tamilnadu, and even in our place Palakkad where a lot of Tamil cuture is followed, there are many Ganesh Idols and Nagaraj idols, stationed under peepul trees.. And some deities like brahma rakshas are consecrated only under amla trees.. they have no temples as such..

The neem tree is a celebrated abode for Mariamman, a Goddess who is in charge of epidemics.