The below is
a pictorial report of the tenth day of the recently concluded 2018 Vasantha
Utsavam Festival at Tiruvannamalai.
Day 10: Sunday 29 April, 2018
Morning: Ayyankulam Tank. Theertavari
Night: Special puja at Gopala Vinayaka Temple (near Thrishul
Hotel)
Night: Temple Manmatha firing after 11 p.m.
Chitragupta
and Arunachala Girivalam
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| Chitragupta |
Lord Chitragupta Guardian of the Akashic Records
Chitragupta is
a Hindu god assigned with the task of keeping complete records of the actions
of sentient beings on earth. Upon death, Chitragupta has the task of deciding whether
to award heaven or hell, depending on their actions while on the earth.
Lord Brahma
had many sons and daughters in various myth structures—a popular version of the
birth of Chitragupta goes like this.
It is said
that Lord Brahma gave the land of the dead over to Lord Yama. Yama would
sometimes become confused and when dead souls came to him, would occasionally
send the soul to the wrong destination. Lord Brahma commanded him to keep
better track of everyone, but Yama complained that he could not be expected to
keep track of all of the eighty-four hundred thousand different life forms on
Earth.
Lord Brahma, determined
to solve this problem, sat in meditation for many thousands of years. Finally
he opened his eyes, and a man stood before Him with a pen and paper. Chitragupta
is sometimes referred to as the first man to use letters, and is hailed that
way in the Garuda Purana.
He is known as
being meticulous, and with his pen and paper he tracks every action of every
sentient life-form, building up a record over the course of their life so that
when they die the fate of their soul can be easily determined. These perfect
and complete documents are referred to in mystical traditions as the “Akashic Records”—and
as they contain the actions of each person from birth to death, can be said to
contain every action taken in the Universe.
The first full
Moon of the Vedic New Year (Tamil month Chitra), is known as Chitra Purnima—which
is believed to be the most auspicious day for erasing old karma and to make anew. Chitra
Purnima is celebrated when the Sun is exalted in the sign Aries and the Moon is
in the bright star named Chitra in the constellation of Libra.
The Full Moon
of Chitra Purnima is the perfect day to appease Chitragupta. It is
believed that invoking Chitragupta’s blessings and feeding the poor and needy
on this day can help erase the negative karma in one’s Akashic records.
The eternal
record book of our good and bad actions called ‘Akashic Records’ are hidden karmic
seeds that compel us to be who we are. By appeasing Chitragupta on Chitra
Purnima, we can change ourselves and erase karmic mistakes we have
committed in this life and past lives.
There is a
mention about Chitra Pournami in ‘Padma Puranam’ that those who offer prayers
to Lord Chitragupta on his birthday will get the benefit of lessening the
impact of their past sins.
Chitragupta Puja
It is believed
that participating in Chitragupta homa on Chitra Purnima, the birthday of
Chitragupta, can bring the positive blessings of the Akashic record-keeper to
erase ‘bad’ karma.
This puja is
performed to Chitragupta in reverence of the four virtues he is seen to embody:
justice, peace, literacy, and knowledge. Part of the Chitragupta puja also includes
writing down how much money you make in your household, and how much you need
to make to survive in the following year, while making offerings of turmeric,
flowers, and vermilion.Items associated with Chitragupta in his puja include
the paper and pen, ink, honey, betel nut, matches, mustard, sugar, sandalwood,
and frankincense.
Chitra Pournami Arunachala Girivalam
After
Karthigai Deepam Festival, Chitra Pournami is the most heavily attended girivalam
of the year at Arunachala.
This Pournami
always coincides with the tenth day of the Vasantha Utsavam Festival and goes
on while other functions occur: at Ayyankulam Tank, Special puja at Gopala
Vinayaka Temple (near Thrishul Hotel) and the Burning of Kamadeva inside the Arunachaleswarar
Temple compound. It has been reported that 15 Lakhs devotees (1.5 million) were
involved in the various celebratory functions associated with this Festival on
the tenth and final day of Pournami.
Chitra Pournami
is dedicated to Chitragupta, the Keeper of Deeds in the house of Yama, (God of
death) and to Indra, the leader of the Devas. Lord Brahma created Chitragupta
through the Sun God and He is considered as the younger brother of Lord Yama.
Chitragupta (Chitra=picture, Gupta=hidden) represents the hidden picture of
life that is vital, yet unknown.
Chitragupta keeps a register of every
birth (good or bad) and according to ancestral belief, it is he who tallies
one’s positive karma against one’s negative karma and declares the result to
the Judge on High. It is believed to be the right time to gain blessings to
wash away sin and accrue virtue.
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| Small number of devotees performing an early girivalam |
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| As the day progresses, crowd will become bigger and bigger |
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| And by evening the town will be almost impassable (night photograph from a previous Chitrapournami) |
