Soma Pradosham, September 2, 2013

Lord Shiva is also known as Chandrasekhara, which literally refers to the 'Person who wears the moon'. In some cultures the appearance of the new crescent moon has been celebrated as a return of the moon from the dead. This celestial body is a powerful influence on the human psyche. Its influence which is always available at Arunachala is celebrated in disparate ways during Sivaratri and Poornima. It is also recognised in all Pradoshams that fall on Mondays, as did the last Pradosham (in the below photographs) which was observed on September 2, 2013.

Gods at Soma Pradosham

Soma Pradosham, September 2, 2013

As you come into Tiruvannamalai via the Chengham Road, in front of the Agni Tank, there is Rotary Club sign proclaiming this place to be Moon City. What a wonderful name for our Tiruvannamalai. 

Hinduism propounds the idea that the (nine) Navagrahas (of which Chandra is one) are 'markers of influence' -- living energies which put out waves which affect our awareness by seizing our consciousness when we come under their influence. Reports of psychics and seers agree that Grahas cause a direct energy influence upon the energy bodies and minds of all life on earth. The nine planets (Navagrahas) are transmitters of Universal, archetypal energy and the qualities of each planet helps maintain the overall balance of polarities in the solar system. 

Lord Shiva wears on his head the crescent of the fifth-day moon. Placed near his fiery third eye this shows the power of Soma, the sacrificial offering, which is the representative of Moon and signifies that Shiva possesses the power of procreation co-existent with that of destruction. Chandra has the following associations: the colour white, gender female, metal silver, gemstones; pearl and moonstone, element water, direction north-west, season Winter, body part blood, food rice, taste salt, day Monday, guna Sattwa. The sun is the indicator of the soul and the moon is the vehicle of the mind that receives the light of the soul. Even though all the Navagrahas are represented at Arunachala, the moon with its particular association with Lord Shiva (Chandrasekhara) has an extraordinary influence. 

Moonlight

In one legend, Chandra is considered the son of the ocean as he was one of the fourteen ratnas (Jewels) that emerged from the ocean during its churning and was gifted, by the Gods and Demons to Lord Shiva, who wore the crescent moon on his head. 

Chandra is a lovable God; pleasing to children as well as elders. Sages and devotees invoke the Goddess in Chandra. A benefic Moon is often found in the charts of doctors, healers or psychologists, as well as good mothers and wives. A strong Moon can give power and creates a good administrator or leader open to the needs of his people and indicates relationship, interchange, and communication. A strong Moon also shows sensitivity, receptivity, caring for others and a nurturing attitude in life. It gives emotional maturity, responsibility and the capacity to have a beneficial effect upon society. 

To read a wonderful legend explaining why the Moon's light is so soft, and cool, and beautiful even to this day go to an earlier posting “Moonlight,” at this link here. 

Meditations of the Moon 

Half of the human race lives in manifest obedience to the lunar rhythm; and there is evidence to show that the psychological and therefore the spiritual life, not only of women, but of men too, mysteriously ebbs and flows with the changes of the moon. There are unreasoned joys, inexplicable miseries, laughter and remorse without a cause. Their sudden and fantastic alternations constitute the ordinary weather of our minds. These moods, of which the more gravely numinous may be hypostasized as gods, the lighter, if we will, as hobgoblins and fairies, are the children of the blood and humours. But the blood and humours obey, among many other masters, the changing moon. Touching the soul directly through the eyes and, indirectly, along the dark channels of the blood, the moon is doubly a divinity. 

[Aldous Huxley] 

Sri Idaikadar

In my earlier posting of the 2013 Mahashivaratri Kolams inside the Arunachaleswarar Temple, one of the Kolams depicted Sri Idaikadar (Edaikadar), one of the 18 renowned Siddhas of Tamil Nadu who was considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

One of his biggest contributions is regarded as the invention of Kayakalpa (body rejuvenation) techniques. Kayakalpa is believed to purify, nurture and revitalise the constituent elements of the body, mind and psyche with a series of customized therapy sessions, herbo-mineral preparations, vital breathing practices, dietary guidelines, and daily living recommendations.

His other contribution to Hindu practices is the current arrangement of Navagrahas (Nine Planets) in Temples. Originally, all the planets were positioned to face the Sun. However, Idaikadar saw that the original arrangement would feed the cycle of karmas of an individual. With each planet facing one another an individual would have a more difficult time breaking the grip of karmas that the planets deliver. Idaikadar used his yogic powers to ascertain a new positioning of the planets which would ensure that no two planets would face each other. In this way, a person who remedies a bad Saturn or bad Mars, would be able to deal directly with the powerful planet. It is Idaikadar who is responsible for the modern day arrangement of the Nine Planets used in all the Temples throughout India.

It is believed that Idaikadar was born sometime around the 3rd Century B.C. with a lifespan of around 600 years. The story of his attainment of yogic powers and rearrangement of the planets goes like this:

“Idaikadar lived as a humble cowherder and his daily routine was to take his cows to grassland in the morning and then in the evening bring them back to their sheds. One morning a respected Saint came to his hut and Idaikadar welcomed him. The saint observing the good hearted nature of the cowherder stayed for some days and taught him saying, 'Dear son, hearing and learning are easy. Showing one’s learning and power is commonplace in the world. You should not become as a goat in a herd. Instead live uniquely and lead the word in a proper way.'

Sri Idaikadar Kolam

As Idaikadar’s spiritual practices became more intense, his physic vision showed him an upcoming dark period of a terrible drought. After this vision and heartfelt prayers, he came up with the idea to train his cows to eat ‘Erukku’ (a milky plant common in harsh, waterless areas). He also mixed grains with wet soil and coated them on the walls of his hut.

As he predicted, a dreadful drought came exhausting all water supplies and leading to the ruination of crops. Many of the feeble and ill died, however Idaikadar’s cows grew stronger each day by heartily eating the ‘Erukku’ plant. As the plant gave the cows an uncontrollable itch, the cows scratched their bodies against the walls of Idaikadar’s hut, which were coated with the mixture of grains and soil. This made the grains fall from the hut onto the ground, whereupon Idaikadar ate them with cow’s milk as his food.

As the drought continued, most living beings were eliminated from the earth. But, Idaikadar and his cows continued to grow in strength and health. On viewing this the Nine Planets (Navagrahas) visited the cowherder to learn of his secret. He saluted the Planets, gave them mats and milk with grains. After their meal, the Planets slept and as soon as Idaikadar noticed that they were asleep, he rearranged them in an order that would be beneficial to mankind making sure that none of the Planets faced one another. Immediately the Planets were set in the right order, rain started to pour onto the land. And once again plants and life started to flourish and prosper.

On learning of his power, folk started to visit Idaikadar, praising him as if he were a God. He instructed them not to praise man but to worship God as it was only by worshipping God that one can know joy and happiness."

It is believed that Idaikadar attained his mahanirvana at Tiruvannamalai and that his samadhi is located inside the precincts of Arunachaleswarar Temple. There is confusion as to which of several places inside the compound of the Big Temple lies his Samadhi.

In a later posting I will post photographs and more information about the various sites in the Temple compound that are believed to house the samadhi of this great saint. His famous works include ‘Idaikadar Gnyana Soothram’ and ‘Idaikadar Kanida Nool’.

Navagrahas 

Maharishis gained insight into the solar system and how we as humans are influenced by each planet. They established statue representations of the planets and invoked the energy of the planet into the statue. Through praying to the statue representation of the planet a person was able to more easily establish a connection to the planetary energies and shift their own consciousness and karma. 

Position and Directions of the Navagrahas

Nowadays, in Hindu Temples, the Navagrahas (Nine Planets) are arranged in a cyclical pattern reflecting their positioning in the sky. The Sun is in the middle with other planets rotating around it as the knowledge that the world was round and the Sun was the centre of the Solar system was understood. 

Navagrahas at Arunagirinathar Temple, Ayyakulam Tank

These particular sequence of photographs depicting the Navagrahas (nine planets) is of the splendid Navagraha statues in the Arunagirinathar Temple next to the Ayyankulam Tank. This Temple is the third oldest Shiva Temple in Tiruvannamalai, and I will be uploading a full pictorial history of the Temple soon on my website Arunachala Samudra. 

Wonderfully elegant Surya in the centre

Statues with side view of Surya