Shirdi Sai Baba Arunachala Connection

 

"There will never be any dearth or scarcity, regarding food and clothes, in any devotees' homes. It is my special characteristic that I always look to, and provide, for the welfare of those devotees who worship Me whole-heartedly with their minds ever fixed on Me. Lord Krishna has also said the same in the Gita. Therefore, strive not much for food and clothes. If you want anything; beg of the Lord, leave worldly honours, try to get Lord's grace and blessings and be honoured in His Court. Do not be deluded by worldly honour. The form of the Deity should be firmly fixed in the mind. Let the senses and mind be ever devoted to the worship of the Lord, let there be no attraction for any other thing: fix the mind in remembering Me always, so that it will not wander elsewhere; towards body, wealth and home. Then it will be calm, peaceful and care-free. This is the sign of the mind being well engaged in good company".

[Words of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba in Shri Sai Satcharitra]

 

There is a connection with Arunachala of the famed Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple at Mylapore, Chennai whose founder Sri B.V. Narasimha Swami resided at Tiruvannamalai and was a devotee of Arunachala and Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. In furthering the connection with Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, there are currently 3 Temples at Tiruvannamalai dedicated to the great Saint.

Two are on the Girivalam road; one near the Hanuman Temple on Girivalam Roadway, another known as "Akshaya Sri Sai" (i.e. the ever-full vessel of Grace and Auspiciousness) is located at Adi Annamalai. The third Shirdi Sai Temple, under the aegis of the Sri Arunaibaba Vazhipattu Sthalam Trust, is located in town at the feet of Pavala Kundru Temple and next to the Durgai Amman Temple.

The objectives of the Sri Arunaibaba Vazhipattu Sthalam Trust are:

1.  To perform Baba aarti and distribute annadanam (food prasad) on all Thursdays. To perform yaga puja and distribute annadanam on all no moon days, important festival days and full moondays. To perform puja and distribute annadanam on Ramanavami, Gurupournami, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Samadhi and on important Festival days.

2. To encourage devotees and visitors to the Temple into charitable pursuits and the path of non-violence.

3. To plan and undertake renovation and improvement works to the Temple

4. To exhibit civic responsibility by maintaining the cleanliness of the area around the Temple grounds

5. To provide funds for developing education for poor and handicapped children.

6. To facilitate camps for blood donation, free eye and medical tests for the poor.

Now that life is returning to normal after the year long pandemic, this Shirdi Sai Baba temple is eager to again concentrate on the aims of their Trust. In this regard, yesterday Sunday March 21, 2021 the Temple held a Sri Lakshmi Kubera Homam dedicated to the improvement and development of their Mandapam.

If you would like either to support this organisation in their fund raising endeavours  or if you would like to arrange a homam to be performed at their Mandapam please get in touch with Arunachala Grace on the contact facility at the left side of this Blog, and we will forward all correspondence direct to their Trust.

Below is a pictorial gallery of the Homam performed yesterday at the Shirdi Sai Mandapam.

Special Puja, Arunachaleswarar Temple December 14, 2013

In the previous posting entitled: December 14, Arunachaleswarar Temple Pradosham, I posted photographs of Sani Maha Pradosham. Sani Pradosham, the Pradosham which falls on a Saturday, corresponds to the planet Saturn and to read an earlier posting giving information about its significance and relating the Legend of Sani Pradosham, go to this link here. 

In connection with this special day, in the early morning an elaborate puja; Kalasa Abhishekam, Gaja Puja and Maha Rudra Pua with Siva Achariyas chanting the Rudra Mantra was performed at Arunachaleswarar Temple. 

Young Siva Achariyas chanting the Sri Siva Rudra

Priests carrying the Kalasas (pots of sanctified water)

Ghee being poured on the Homam

Worshipping our lovely Rukku

Agnihotra Yagam – Arunachaleswarar Temple

Every year at Arunachaleswarar Temple during a specified twenty days from morning to evening between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. inside the Siva Sannidhi a suspended dripping Dharapatra (brass pot) is kept over the Lingam, from which water drops onto the Lingam, drop by drop. These twenty days correspond to when the sun is very hot and occurs over the last ten days of the month of Chiththirai and the first ten days of the month of Vaikasi. 

Homam Preparation

On the last three days of this twenty days observance, an Agnihotram is conducted at both the shrine of Annamalaiyar and Unnamulai. This year the three day Homam took place on May 25th, 26th and 27th. The Homam, which included 1008 Kalasas (water pots) ended at 10 a.m. on May 27th thereupon the Shiva Sannidhi Lingam was bathed with the sacred water of the pots. 

Flowered Vimana Procession Through Town

Coincidentally this year 2013, the Festival of the great saint Thirujnana Sambandar occurred on May 27th and in the evening of that day, darshan of Chandrasekara and Unnamulai Amman, on their flowered Vimana (chariot) observed the end of the Agni Hotram and in tandem celebrated the festival of Saiva Acharya Thirujnana Sambandar. 

Chandrasekarar and Unnamulai Amman

Even more coincidentally almost immediately after completion of the twenty day observance and Homam, Tiruvannamalai experienced abundant rain (which still continues), the first precipitation in well over two months. 

Rajarajeshwari Temple Homam

I previously mentioned the very nice hill round girivalam performed by bullock cart last Tuesday, February 10th by a group from France. This same group of 18 members escorted by Dominique Vincent and his companion Rahina, also sponsored a very beautiful Sri Chakra Homam at the Rajarajeshwari Temple on the evening before their departure. The Group is currently at Varanasi on the second stage of their Indian visit.


Even though the Group was not able to remain for the actual Homam at the Temple, they were able to participate in the Sankalpam and view the elaborate and beautiful preparations that had been made for this powerful Homam.

Below is the Temple's exquisite Sri Meru Chakra upon which abishekam will be performed after the Homam.

Some fresh, young sugar cane arrives for the Goddess.

And so it starts.