Mahasivaratri

Mahasivaratri is one of the most important festivals for a Hindu. Everything done on this day has a multiplier effect.

Many are of the opinion that this auspicious day marks the birth of Lord Siva. In fact, the Supreme Reality has no start or end date. However  the Nirguna often becomes Saguna for the benefit of the world to express the Tatttva (nature). The Puranas extol that in the beginning of the Creation, Lord Siva materialised himself as a column of fire - to Brahman and Vishnu. This was in the month of Margashira (when aardra nakshatram was on the ascent). Failing to find the source/start or this manifestation, they starting praying to Lord Siva to manifest himself in the form we know now. The gods joined them in the prayers too - that day was Krishna Chaturdashi in the month of Maaga -  - Mahasivaratri!
This divine play is expressed in the famous sloka -
'Brahma Murari Surarchita Lingam'

Every month has Krishna Chaturdashi (the day before Amavaasya) - also refered to as Maasa-sivaratri. On this holy day, there are certain guidelines to follow in order to elevate your consciousness, cleanse of your sins and gain the blessings of Mahadeva.

What to do: 
1. Wake up prior to sunrise (pra-bhaat kaalam). After praying to ones IShta Daiva (chosen god), Lord Ganapati, the eight directions, Brahmna, Vishnu and Rudra
2. Take a vow to fast and spend the day and night in Jaagaran (explained below)
3. Spend the day in Homa/Japa/Tapa/Archana/Puja. Wear white for the day
4. Visit a Siva temple
5. Donate food, books or money to the needy/deserving

Upvaas: Many misunderstandings and doubts crept into the holy concept of Fasting. The word literally means 'to be near'. Food is one of the means to avoid distractions and hence the regulations around it. The objective is to withdraw the mind from distractions around food & surroundings. Fruits and milk is advised as diet. Cooked food is not banned for those who are bodily incapable of surviving only on fruits - the idea is to eat enough to sustain energy levels to focus on the Divine. There are those who do not take anything but water on this day - again subject to bodily conditions. By regulating the tongue and desire, enormous amounts of sins get washed away.

Jaagaran: This should complement Upvaas. The Gita says 'When the world sleeps, the Yogi is awake'. though this is used in the light of knowledge; it applies to the concept of staying awake at night on this auspicious occasion.Sleep is a state on not knowing your conscious self while staying awake is. With the intention of spending the night in the contemplation of the Divine, this vow should be undertaken. Jaagaran draws spiritual energy sooner than other practices. 

Pradosha (sunset time) is the best time to worship Lord Siva. At an astral level, this is the time of the day when Lord Nataraj performs the Tandav Dance. All the other gods watch in total absorption and  hence it is said that by worshipping Hara during this time, the same fruits are obtained as worshipping all the gods. In a house where Lord Siva, Narayana or Durga Devi is worshipped - Goddess Lakshmi stays for eternity.

Ratha Saptami

Surya Aradhana

Of the 6 schools of worship Sun worship is one of the most prominent and in fact found as a common link in all the other schools. The entire Vedantic philosophy / Atma Tattva can be readily explained by using Sun as the reference.

At a materialistic level, it is well known that our system of time and direction is based on the Sun. Life on the planet is possible solely due to His rays and all their concomitant powers. Light, heat, humidity, seasons, crops and in fact everything that we depend on nature comes directly from his Grace.

At a cosmic level, all the planets in the Solar System revolve and in fact evolved from him. Aditya Hrudayam attributes the Lordship of planets and stars to Surya.  This is precisely the reason for Astrology declaring Lord Surya as the Adhidevata (ruler of planets). By performing Suya Homa, Yagya, Vrata and Archana one can neutralize  any astrological anamolies.

At a spiritual level, he is the sustainer of Prana Shakti (life, consciousness). Mental, physical and spiritual health are directly linked to the worship of Bhaskara (another name for the Lord). He controls the strength of the eyes and brilliance of the intellect. Just as one harnesses the Sun’s power of heat by Solar Panels and convert it into electricity, plants absorb the light for photosynthesis, the method of harnessing the Lord’s cosmic energy for material and spiritual welfare is called – Surya aaradhana.

Ratha Saptami

The 7^th day of the first half of Maagha maasam is referred to as Ratha Saptami. A year in Hindu calendar is divided into two Ayanas – uttara-ayanam and Dakshina-ayanam – of roughly 6 months each. Each month is divided into two pakshas – sukhla paksham and krishna paksham. Just as Kaarthik Maasam is for Deepam, Vaisakha for daanam (donation), Maagha maasam is for snanam. It is advised to have a holy dip in one of this country’s sacred rivers.This holy day falls on the first saptami in suhkla paksham after Vaikuntha Ekadasi and is the most important day of the year for worshipping Lord Surya.

The Puranas revealed that on this day there is a change in Surya Ratha. The word Ratha in Sanskrit means ‘ that which travels’ – ‘Rammana Silatvaat Rathaha’. Hence, from this day onwards, there is a change in the way the Sun’s rays reach the Earth.

What to do on this day

This is the day when mankind has the best opportunity to pay respects to the sustainer of life and repository of knowledge. The Rishis revealed to mankind various ways to earn the grace of the Lord on this auspicious day.

1. Wake up during Brahma Muhurtam (it is roughly an hour prior to sunrise)

   
2. Use Arka Patra (Calotropis Procera leaves - refer to the image) for having a holy bath along with the 12 names of Surya used in the Surya Namaskara. One of the many benefits is the increase in your luster. These plants absorb the healing rays of the sun in greater measure than others and hence pass on the power to us when we use them

   
3. Wear clothes that have Red as primary color – better still to wear blood red

   
4. Those who are invested with the sacred thread need to perform the SandhyaVandan and everyone should chant Surya Stotras (preferably Aditya Hrudayam) by facing the Lord. Aditya Hrudayam should be chanted 3 times along with achamanam for best results just as Lord Sri Ram did in the Ramayana

     5. Arghyam (worship by offering water with mantras). This should be done by taking water in a copper vessel and mixing it with red sandalwood paste, leaves from Bilva tree (Aegle marmelos), red Hibiscus flowers and yellow rice grains. Facing the Lord in the morning, noon and /or evening one should chant any mantra which is instructed by ones guru. In other cases the following can mantra can be reverently chanted as suggested by Siva Maha Purana –

        Namah Sivaya Saambaya Saganaya Aadihetave
       Rudraya Vishnave Tubhyam Brahmane Surya Murthaye

     6. Abstain from honey, meat, oil and sex every Sunday and especially on this day. Quoting the Puranas – ‘Stree Madhu Mamsa Taila Ravivare Visarjayet’

     

     7. Offer rice cooked in Cow milk as prasadam for the Lord and distribute it

Surya is also called as pratyaksha Daivam (Visible god) as his presence and blessings are received by everyone all the time. This entire month is permeated with his divinity. Aditya Hrudayam states that He is ‘Sarva Devatmako Hyeshaha’ – ‘embodiment of all gods’. This is clearly seconded by the fact that Mahasivaratri for Siva, Sri Panchami for Saraswati, two Chaturthis for Ganesha and Shasthi for Subramanya fall in this month. 

Surya stands for light of wisdom, strength and righteousness. He is the destroyer of evil forces. The current state of affairs in our country require the worship of Surya for the destruction of evil and re-establishing the Sanatan Dharma undiluted by misguided zealots. 

Vedas .. an Introduction - II

The whole structure of the Veda and other sacred texts of Sanatan Dharma need elaboration.

Many people are of the wrong opinion that the basis of Hinduism is Bhagavat Gita. It is not wrong – but it is not entirely right either. Just because Christians have Bible and Jews have the Torah – the westerners assumed that Hinduism also has a book as it's basis. Since the holy Bhagavat Gita is the widely studied treatise, it has come to represent Hinduism and it’s philosophy. Few people know that it is an extract from the voluminous Mahabharata – the same treatise also gave us the powerful and holy Vishnu and Siva sahasranama stortams.

Veda (root word vid – knowledge) is one and eternal. All Vedic mantras have 3 properties – Rk, Yajus and Sama. Rk is the actual mantra itself, Sama is the diction (swaram) and Yajus is the kriya or action that follows. Hence, in many hymns (stotras and suktas), the word ‘trayee’ is used to denote the entire Vedic science. Misnomer spread when the half-knowledged translators like Max Muller misunderstood and wrongly spread the word that there are three original Vedas (Rg, Yajur and Sama) and the Atharvana Veda is an addition to it! Towards the end of Dwapara Yuga, Maharshi Veda Vyas foresaw the approach of the dark ages or Kali Yuga and decided to help humanity. With his Yogic powers he saw that in Kali Yuga, the life span, intellectual attainments, purity levels and morals at an individual and societal level will be on a decline. Hence, to suit the life spans of this Age, he divided the Veda into 4 – Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana.

Veda forms the basis of Sanatana Dharma. Taking Veda as basis and support came forth the Smriti, Sruti, Purana and Itihaasa. Together, they form the basis of Sanatna Dharma.

Sruti (literally ‘that which was heard’) was a revelation by sound. It is essentially a literature of chant and recitation. For millennia, the hymns were transmitted by the Brahmin priests and were not written down. Sruti part of the Vedas also includes Tantra and other texts.

Smriti (remember, memory) deals with those aspects of Dharma form Veda that we humans are required to put into practice in our daily lives. Since, these texts did a ‘smarana’ or ‘recounted in detail’ what was in Vedas – they came to be known as Smriti. Dharma sastras are part of Smriti.

Puranas were and are a part of the Veda. Sage Vyasa in all his kindness and concern reorganized the Puranic knowledge in the Veda into 18 Mahapuranas (a separate article in found in this blog). Later on came the Itihaasa (historical accounts) which deal with the stories of those great individuals in various timelines who adhered to Sanatana Dharma and show us the way to practically implement the lofty ideals preached by the above texts and thus weave the concept of God, Dharma and Satya into our daily thoughts and actions. Ramayana and Mahabharata explain the aspects of  Dharma that are embedded in Vedas and hence part of it. The famous Sloka goes - itihasa puranabhyam vedam samupabrmhayet (The Vedic knowledge should be expounded in the light of Itihaasas and Puranas).

All the above together comprise the core texts of Sanatana Dharma. In these are contained those truths of the cosmos that will pave way for enlightenment. The next time when one faces a question as to what forms the basis of Sanatana Dharma - let us answer confidently and with pride that we belong to the oldest and most thorough of religions. Every Hindu should know this and in ones lifetime make an endeavor to stury our sacred scriptures with an intention of executing the Dharma sutras therein! Om Namah Sivaya!

Puranas

  The Puranas existed eternally just as the Veda. Brahma Rishi Krishna Dwaipayana reorganized the entire Vedic knowledge at the behest of Sri Krishna and handed it over to the people of Kali Age endowed with short life spans and limited intellectual qualities. Thus, he came to be known as Veda Vyasa. he is one of the foremost Rishis who handed over Hinduism that survived the Dark Ages and is in it's current form. It is the duty of every Hindu to pay obeisance to him in the morning. 

  Puranas are not contradictory to Veda or Upanishads. In fact, what Veda tells in terse mantras, Puranas narrate them in greater detail. As per Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Puranas and Itihasam together are called as the Fifth Veda (Panchama Veda). The content of all the 18 Mahapuranas can be briefly explained under the following headings -

1. Sarga: the creation of the universe.
2. Pratisarga: secondary creations, mostly recreations after dissolution.
3. Vamśa: genealogy of the gods and sages.
4. Manvañtara: the creation of the human race and the first human beings. 
5. Vamśānucaritam: the histories of the patriarchs of the lunar and solar dynasties.

The noble sage composed the following mantra to remember the names of the 18 Mahapuranas. It is as follows - 

'ma' dvayam 'Bha' dvayam chaiva 'Bhra' trayam 'va' chatustayam,

'a na pa lin ga ku ska' ni Puranani pruthak pruthak

'Ma'        Matsya, Markandeya

'Bha'       Bhavishya, Bhagawata

'Bhra'      Brahma, Brahmanda, Brahmavaivarta

'Va'        Varaha, Vamana, Vishnu, Vayu

'A'          Agni

'Na'        Narada

'Pa'        Padma

'Lin'        Linga

'Ga'        Garuda

'Ku'        Kurma

'Ska'      Skanda

  The later age sages also added heavily to the compilation of Sage Veda Vyasa and enlarged the Puranas. The greater text is referred to as Mahapurana. For example: Garuda Puranam is considered to be of 19,000 Verses however the Garuda Mahapuranam is a total of 314 Kandas with major division of Aachara Kanda (243 Kaandas), Dharma Kaanda (42 Kaandas) and Brahma Kaanda (29 Kaandas). The 19,000 verses form part of the Dharma Kaanda and is considered especially auspicious when recited during the 10 day period following someones demise. 

  The Puranas are a vast treasure house of knowledge and should be studied an understood by all Hindus. Any myth stating that they shouldn't be read at all times, not be kept in house etc. are unscientific and without the approval of Dharma Sastras and hence must be cut down. These are related to knowledge and way of life in order to attain the Supreme and hence should be studied always with Shraddha (faith and obedience to Vedic dictums).

The 'Shan-mata' - '6 Systems of worship'

    Hinduism propogates the "Shan-mata" - or 6 systems of worship to reach the Divine as originally laid down in the Eternal Vedas. Veda Vyasa , in order to bring this truth and knowledge to the masses, authored the Puranas. Out of his benevolence and love for humanity, he brought forth the Puranas that contains tales of yore which have the subtle aspects as well as the gross aspects of "Shan-mata", Methods of worship and Dharma and it's elaboration among others. Sri Adi Shankharacharya - the Great Reorganizer - resetablished this grand concept and laid down rules to perpetuate them. He was instrumental in establishing the 4 Maths and entrusting them to protect the Hindu way of worship and life.

  
   The "Shan-mata" or the 6 Systems are as follows -

1. Saiva - System of worship and belief where Lord Shiva is considered the ultimate form of God
2. Vaishnava - System of worship and belief where Lord Narayana is considered the ultimate form of God
3. Sakteya - System of worship and belief where Shakti is considered the ultimate form of God
4. Ganapathya - System of worship and belief where Lord Ganesha is considered the ultimate form of God
5. Skanda - System of worship and belief where Lord Subhramanya is considered the ultimate form of God
6. Saura - System of worship and belief where Lord Surya is considered the ultimate form of God

India's Spiritual supremacy

The spiritual aura that envelopes India is not without a reason. Our grand nation had been and still is the home to moral giants. No other nation in its history ever produced sons and daughters who not only sacrificed their pleasures and life for upholding what they call Dharma. Unfortunately, Dharma has no english equivalent - since no other race could delve into the depth of human mysteries so deep as the Hindu mind.

On the world stage India occupies a high position as a teacher of science of the soul. The rishis and munis who by their utter penance and devotion attained the state of transedence realised that man in his natural course would never be able to surass the high wall of Maya and will remain forever lost in it. They understood in entirety that nature is the best teacher and when man respects nature and follows natures laws - he naturally evolves to a state of Self-realisation.

Thus came about the Dharma sastras- which lay down the codes for men to follow. Animals do not need Sastras since they can never dominate or disobey nature. Man is given "intelligence" - he can either influence the world positively or destroy it completely. To tame this intelligence and will power and to lead it in the right direction - Sastras have been given to mankind.

Realising the importance of always following Dharma and remembering the divine daily - the Rishis subtley incorporated the mysteries of the divine into activities that we daily perform. Hence, every custom that we follow has sound logic and grace of the divine messengers - Rishis !

This brings us back to the topic that no other country has been endowed with this wisdom. Hence, India is the spiritual teacher to the world. This by no means discounts other religions or practices in other countries. In a house there are many rooms, but only one puja-room. Similarly in the world house, Bharatvarsha is the Puja-room. Due to millenia of spiritual practices, this cuntry has reached such a state where spiritual practices yield results faster.  This point has been very clearly stated in our epics especially The Mahabharata - where gods composed hymns for Bharatvarsha stating that there is something special in our Land and animals.

An outsider to our nation may disagree - let him! But we as Indians should be proud of this fact. Our every activity should be aligned to Dharma.

I shall end it with a quote from Ramayana. Post Lanka war - Vibheeshana (ravana's younger brother) prays to Sri Rama that he rule the mighty kingdom. Sri Rama's reply - "Janani Janma Bhumishcha swargadapi gariyasi" = "Mother and motherland is geater than heaven" !!

May this sentiment sink into every Indian's bosom !!

Vedas .. an introduction

   The holy Vedas are of divine origin - hence referred to as 'Apourusheyam'. The attempts to date them will not succeed as they are eternal and timeless as the spirit itself. The root word is 'Vid' or knowledge. The Vedas form the essence of creation and hence Vedic knowledge is knowledge about creation, sustenance and destruction - everything we ever need. It is an misnoma to think that Vedas deal with a bunch of moral codes. Since Vedas were used in the creation - everything about the Creator and Created are dealt with in the Vedas.

   Just as there is a visible and tangible universe before us - there is also an invisible intangible universe (sabda jagat). The knowledge and truth about this formless and eternal universe of 'sound' are what are called as Vedas. There were revealed to the holy sages of Bharat in a manner called mantras. Hence, mantras are not composed or created, but realised and discovered in deep meditation. The Rishi to whom a particular mantra is attributed - is called a Drashta (literally one who saw). In deep samadhi state the Rishi withdraws his mind from his 5 senses and perceives the truth that is beyond senses - soul. All Bharatiya Vidya (Indian Sciences) were evolved from the Vedas that the Rishis brought to us through divine will. The word Rishi is explained in the Vedic dictionary (Nirukta) as 'Rushati Gacchati' - 'Traveller on the road to Truth' or ''one who experiences the truth beyond senses'.

   Brahma Rishi Veda Vyasa foresaw towards the end of the Dwapara Yuga that in the Age of Kali lesser minds will prevail - the minds less bound by parameters of Dharma, Satya, discipline, learning, lifespan etc. Hence, out of his own love and duty apart from the orders of Sri Krishna reorganized the Vedic knowledge into 4 branches - Rig, Yajus, Sama and Atharva. In the days that followed, more of this hoary knowledge and texts are lost than retained. Whatever is left of modern day Hinduism with all it's allied sciences and branches of knowledge is directly due to the work of two great re-organisors of all time - Rishi Veda Vyasa and Sri Sankhara Acharya. These are the noble souls every Hindu ought to remember the first thing in the morning.

   Thus, the Vedas form the basis of Sanatana Dharma (or what later came to be called by westerners as Hindusim). Any Holy text will and shall have its origin in the eternal Vedic truths - if not it is washed away gradually as did Jainism and Buddiam which went against basic Dharmic tenets of Yagya sanskruti and Swadharma. Taking the Vedas as their foundation the structures of Sruti, Smriti and Purana came about. Hence, the sloka says
"Sruti Smriti Puranaanam Aalayam Karunaalayam". Thus, Vedas along with Smriti (Dharma Sastras) and Puranas (18) form the basis of Hinduism. Vedic Dictums are like a king talking to his subjects - precise and terse. Hence, the Veda Vakhyas are referred to as "prabhu Sammitam". The lofty Dharmas brought propounded by the Vedas are narrated in a frinedly style by the Puranas (only the language and style of preaching changes but not the essence) and in a loving style by the Kavyas (Ramayana and Mahabharatam). The archaic sanskrit used by the Veda is so tough to understand that many have done injustice in their attempts to translate just the words and not the soul and inner message of it. In order to translate the Vedas, bringing out a wholesome and intended meaning, knowledge of the following branches is essential - 

1. Siksha

2. Vyakarana

3. Jyotisha

4. Chhandas

5. Nirukta
6. Kalpa

It is also true to say that the complete purport of the Vedic truths will enlighten us when we not only understand the language but also follow the way of life as prescribed to us.