2020 Adi Pooram Flag Hoisting: Arunachaleswarar Temple

Today’s Flag Hoisting ceremony at Arunachaleswarar Temple marked the beginning of the Adi Pooram Festival. Because of the ongoing health crisis, the Adi Pooram ceremonies this year are not open to devotees. However the Temple through their official You Tube Channel have posted a very nice video of today, July 24, 2020, the first day of Adi Pooram 2020.

Adi Pooram Brahmotsavam is celebrated in all Hindu temples in Southern India in the month of Adi, which corresponds to the English months of July-August, when the asterism Pooram (Delta Leonis) is in the ascendancy. It is observed to propitiate the Sakti Goddess who is said to have come into the world on this occasion to bless all. She is thus worshipped in order that one may secure happiness for oneself and for loved ones. 

Aadi Pooram is also dedicated to the birth of Goddess Andal, who is believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. Pooram or Puram is one among the 27 Nakshatras in Hindu Astrology.

Lord Ganesha

Parashakti Amman

3rd Prakaram, Siva Sannidhi

Flag Hoisting, 2020 Adi Pooram

2020 Adi Pooram Festival commences

Pradosham July 18, 2020 Arunachaleswarar Temple

The above video is of Pradosham at the Big Temple on July 18, 2020. Usually pradosham is heavily attended at the Temple, so seeing the area around Periyar Nandi so deserted, does seem rather strange. This video was live streamed, and the Temple is putting on some very special programs at this time. So suggest you subscribe to their channel and get very nice darshan.

Periyar Nandi, 5th Prakaram

Kodi Kampathu Nandi, 3rd Prakaram

In Memory of V. Sundaram Ramana

V. Sundaram Ramana

V. Sundaram Ramanan, the president of Sri Ramanasramam in Tiruvannamalai, passed away on Tuesday, July 21. He was 86 years old.

Mr. Ramanan, who took over the president’s post in 1994, was one of the longest serving presidents of Sri Ramanasramam. He held the postion for nearly 26 years until he handed over management of the Ashram to his son Venkat Ramanan on June 17 of this year.

Dr. Venkat Ramanan was a medical practitioner in the U.S. before he returned to Tiruvannamalai to take over as president of the Ashram. He was the grand nephew of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi and spent years of his childhood with his siblings, at the feet of Sri Ramana Maharshi. He brought out the book titled Who Am I, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi, 1879-1950, in March 2020, which provides unique glimpses into life with Sri Ramana Maharshi.

V. Sundaram Ramanan passed away due to age-related conditions and his last rites were performed in the asramam in Tiruvannamalai with devotees reciting Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s Aksharamanamalai.

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba and Sri B.V. Narasimha Swami

A couple of days ago I started rereading the book “Self Realisation—The Life and Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi” by B.V. Narasimha Swami. This is a wonderful book, which is highly recommended. Please do read.

Anyhow, today Guru Poornima is an excellent example of the Divine synchronicity of Saints and Masters. This book on Ramana Maharshi is written by a devotee who dedicated his life to Sri Sai Baba; who is my own Sadguru.

Sri B.V. Narasimha Swami came to Ramana Maharshi around 1929 and during his stay was inspired to write the biography of Bhagavan upon which all later biographies are solidly founded on. In addition while at Tiruvannamalai, B.V. Narasimha Swami was also instrumental in collecting much information on Sri Seshadri Swami which he handed over to Sri Kuzhumani Narayana Sastri, who used it as the basis of a biography on that great saint.

Although endowed with a incisive mind (Ramana Maharshi said Narasimha Swami was a “person of sharpened intellect”) he was drawn to the path of devotion. He travelled north and settled at Shirdi and in later years when he returned to the South visited Sri Bhagavan before going on to live at Madras.

At Madras, B.V. Narasimha Swami worshipped a picture of Sai Baba under a tamarind tree on the street where the Sai Baba Temple is now located. Later, he moved the picture to a small house in Nanjunda Rao Colony in Mylapore and constructed the present temple with help from a Chettiar merchant. The Temple was completed and consecrated in 1952 with its main object being the propagation of the life and teachings of Sri Sai Baba.

This is the only Temple where devotees are allowed to touch, garland and photograph the divine idol, which in this case is a marble representation of Sai Baba. In actual fact it is the picture of Sai Baba (worshipped for many years by B.V. Narasimha Swami) that is considered the moolasthana. B.V. Narasimha Swami is entombed in Samadhi at the Sai Baba Temple, Mylapore.

This Temple at Mylapore, Chennai is a wonderful, sacred space. If you are visiting or staying in Chennai, please spend time there.

Blessings of Light to all readers and friends of Arunachala Grace.

Outside Shirdi Sai Temple, Mylapore, Chennai

 

Marble statue of Shirdi Sai, devotees allowed to touch

Picture of Shirdi Sai Baba regarded as Moolasthana

Paintings around the inside of Temple. The Master loved dogs!

Puja conducted on the marble idol of Shirdi Sai Baba

Aarti after a special function at Temple

2020 Guru Poornima

Blessings of Light and Grace on this Holy Day of Guru Poornima 

Efficacy of Self Enquiry

Recently uploaded new material on the Arunachala Samudra website. So please check out these new postings. 

In particular you might enjoy looking through the section on Self Enquiry, at this link here. 

The section which is Ramana Maharshi-centric is filled with His advice and suggestions regarding Self Enquiry and how to perform it. This is invaluable information in these trying times. 

As to the efficacy of Self Enquiry, Sri Sathya Sai Baba said: 

"All agitations will cease the moment one enters, "Who Am I?". This was the sadhana that Ramana Maharshi achieved and taught to his disciples. This is also the easiest of all disciplines." 

[Sri Sathya Sai Baba] 

Just a little Self Enquiry helps still the mind. 

In this regard there is an interesting quote by Frank H. Humphreys, an Englishman who came to India in 1911 to serve as assistant superintendent of police in Madras. He was the first Western devotee of Ramana Maharshi. 

Later in his life, he turned away from worldly things, entered a monastery and became a monk. 

“The phenomena we see are curious and surprising—but the most marvellous thing of all we do not realize, and that is that one and only one illimitable force that is responsible for all the phenomena we see and the act of seeing them. Do not fix your attention on all these changing things of life, death and phenomena. Do not think of even the actual act of seeing them or perceiving them, but only of that which sees all these things, that which is responsible for it all. This will seem nearly impossible at first, but by degrees the result will be felt. It takes years of study and daily practice, but that is how a master is made. 

Give yourself a quarter of an hour a day. Try to keep the mind unshakably fixed on that which sees. It is inside you. Do not expect to find that ‘That’ is something definite on which the mind can be fixed easily—it will not be so. Though it takes years to find that ‘That’, the results of this concentration will soon show themselves in four or five months time—in all sorts of unconscious clairvoyance, in peace of mind, in the power to deal with troubles, in the power all around, always unconscious power. 

I have given you these teachings in the same words that the master gives to his intimate disciples. From now on, let your whole thought in meditation be not on the act of seeing, nor on what you see, but immovably on that which sees.” 

Video of Sri Ramana Maharshi Life Story

The above is a very nice video biography of Bhagavan made in 1980. 

The video starts from his childhood through his time at Arunachala and to his Nirvikalpa Samadhi on April 14, 1950. 

Many shots in the video are from the 1940s and show Arunachala, Arunachaleswarar Temple (Big Temple) and Tiruvannamalai in older, emptier, more peaceful times. 

Mysterious Column of Light

On the evening of June 26, 2020, two young men on their two wheeler riding towards Arunachala took this video on their mobile phone. 

You can hear them in the background talking about the mysterious column of light travelling upwards from Arunachala. 

An extraordinary phenomenon!!!

Below is a translation of the conversation of the two lads: 

"Drive straight, I am taking video coverage of the light image on my mobile." 

"Yes. I am trying to drive straight, but vehicles are coming towards me from the opposite direction. I am trying to drive straight." 

"Make the coverage for about one minute." 

"Can you clearly see the image?" 

"Yes, I can. But sometimes your head is blocking me trying to make this video." 

Arunachaleswarar Temple You Tube Videos

To those who want to keep in touch with the Big Temple at Tiruvannamalai (Arunachalewarar Temple), there is now an official You Tube Channel with current videos of various functions at the Temple. Yesterday there was a long live streaming video of Vasantha Urchavam.

The below short video is of aarti on the 8th Day of Vasantha Urchavam.

Duncan Greenless' Meetings with Sri Ramana Maharshi

Below is a beautiful narrative by Duncan Greenless (one of the earlier pilgrims from the West) setting out his meetings and experiences with Sri Ramana Maharshi.

For those who wish to read more about meetings of pilgrims with Sri Ramana Maharshi, there is an excellent free ebook brought out by the Aham Organisation entitled Ramana Periya Puranam. The book has been written by V. Ganesan and contains the stories of 75 direct devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi.

To download the free ebook in PDF format, click this link:

Duncan Greenlees

Duncan Greenlees, M.A. (Oxon.), a scholar and a Theosophist, visited India on a teaching assignment in the 1930s. The writer who first felt repelled after reading about the greatness of Sri Ramana in A Search in Secret India by British journalist Brunton says:

"The book struck me somehow as a piece of journalism of the lower kind. For a few days it almost dissuaded me from going to Tiruvannamalai. Had the Maharshi stooped to allow this kind of vulgar advertisement for himself, almost like a quack doctor seeking testimonials? Of course, I soon threw this foolishness off my mind, and went to see for myself.

I saw the Maharshi. It did not take long for me to be sure that I was in front of one who had, in that very body, solved life’s problem for himself. The radiant peace around him proved it beyond all cavil. The calm, like that of the midnight sky, was something too real to question for a moment. The part of my search thus was over, even at the first glimpse. In a flash I had seen a ‘Master’. I knew he was what the books call a jivanmukta. Please don’t ask me how I knew for I cannot answer that. It was just as one knows that water is wet and the sky is blue. It could not be denied – self-evident is the word.

I had brought the usual list of questions to be asked. Shyness kept me silent while sitting in the Hall during those first days. And before I broke that silence, the unspoken questions had solved themselves in their own irrelevance. It was a common experience; I only add my own testimony to that of many others. Before I left that hallowed spot, I did put questions to the Maharshi, which were answered in a wonderful way that was new to me. I was wholly satisfied and filled with joy.

The four days I had planned were soon over. But I could not tear myself away before the last date of the vacation [note: from the educational institution where he was teaching] so stayed on, delighted, enthralled and pacified. That stillness of eternal depths had somehow seeped itself into my heart. I had met a Master who could quell the waves with a silent word, ‘Peace, be still!’ I knew myself to be absolutely one with that incarnate Peace on the sofa, and therefore to be one equally with the Unmanifest in whose stillness he was so obviously poised.

God’s grace is such that He gives at His will what He likes to give to any soul. We cannot earn His grace, even by crores of years of effort. One can never be worthy of His blessings, but receives it purely out of His mercy. His darshan can never be the fruit of sakama tapasya, whatever certain books may say. It is only the overflowing love of the Lord that brings Him to us.

The peace that Bhagavan had put upon me remained in my heart, like a shining cloud of transparency through which all things passed dreamlike for about three weeks. The mind was caught and held in that peace in a blissfulness it had never known before. It is a pity I cannot bring about this mood at my own will: it can come only from the touch of the real Teacher of souls, as I have found.

One day in the Hall I was browsing a notebook of extracts on yoga. Bhagavan hardly ever spoke to me first (indeed there was very little actual talking between us during the years; it did not seem necessary, somehow), but that day he spoke to me in English: “What is that book?” I answered him. He said quietly, “Read Milarepa”. I read the book; it thrilled and stirred deep places in my heart. Somehow, I feel Bhagavan had seen that it would be so and therefore gave me the only order of the sort he had ever given me.

I have taken all the descriptions of the jivanmukta I could find in any scripture – Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Christian, Muslim, Jain etc. I have watched Bhagavan under all kinds of circumstances, and checked up what I have seen with those descriptions. I have not the smallest doubt that he alone, of the men I have seen, dwells always in sahaja samadhi. Of course, I am not qualified to judge, for none but the saint can know the saint. I have seen him in a humorous mood. I have seen him play the host with delicate grace that seemed almost awkward at times. I have seen him quickly, motionlessly, challenging and defeating injustice or unkindness.

I have seen him cutting vegetables for the Ashramites long before the dawn. I have seen again and again how he solved the doubts, the agonies, the loss of faith of people of many types – often with a word, often with his healing silence and a soft distance in his unmoving gaze. I have looked at his perfect handwriting in many scripts, all a model of beauty and care. I have heard him correcting the singers of hymns in his own glory, with an absolute impersonality that was obvious.

I have watched his reactions to the noisy devotee, the lazy worker, the mischievous monkey, the crazed adorer, the over-bold flatterer, the one who would exploit his name. I have seen how totally impervious he was to all considerations of power, place, prestige, and how his grace shined equally on prince and peasant. Then, can I doubt that here indeed we have, if not God Himself – for He is omnipresent – at least Greatness incarnate, the majesty of the ancient hills blending with the sweetness of the evening star?

Sit before him, as we used to sit those summer evenings, and we knew that we were not that foolish excited little person sitting there, but the eternal Self out of whom this world has spun its cobweb yarn of forms.

I know no other man whose mere presence has thus enabled me to make the personality drop down in the abyss of nothingness, where it belongs. I have found no other human being who so emanates his grace that it can catch away the ordinary man from his stillness and plunge him deep in the ecstasy of timeless omnipresent being.

His grace, which of course is the grace of God whose representative and messenger he is, has been enough to give brief glimpses even to me of that infinity, wherein he always seemed to live.

He will brush away all this nonsense of my talk with a wave of hand and a smile, while saying as he once did, “It is the same in this and in another place. That bliss you feel is in the Self, and you superimpose  it upon the place or environment in which you are bodily set.” But, Bhagavan, we say what we like about you and the blessings we have received from you; we shall not let you interrupt our foolish words. It is our chance to publicly proclaim our debt to the silent Teacher of Tiruvannamalai.

Those who are in the Ashram are very gentle, considerate and kindly. The generous services were given by a friend who used to translate for me the Tamil answers to my English questions and got translations approved by Bhagavan himself before giving them to me. Even the human hospitality of Bhagavan himself, though sometimes a little embarrassing to my innate shyness perhaps, was always a delightful thing.

His very presence among us is a benediction. His attaining a clear and unflickering vision of the Self has raised the whole world a little nearer to the Truth. His words have been an unfathomed ocean of comfort and inspiration to thousands. His silent peacefulness has revealed the Eternal in human form, as mountains, seas and skies above can usually reveal It."

The following was written after the Maharshi’s mahanirvana:

"Can we say he is dead? Bhagavan dead? The word could have no meaning. How can he who lives in the entire universe ever taste of death? “You think I am going away? But where am I to go? I shall remain here with you.” That was his promise while he was preparing us for separation. And those of us who lived in Tiruvannamalai hold firmly to the faith, which we feel confirmed by continual experience, that he has kept that promise and is still to be contacted here in the Ashram as of old.

Like Surdas darkening the physical sight so that he might see clearly the light within, he has dimmed our outer sight so that the inner vision might be filled with his eternal light. He has veiled the outer form we loved so well, that its beauty might no longer draw our gaze away from the everlasting presence enthroned in our inmost Heart. His Light shines, with the everlasting clarity of God’s own Light."

Krishna Das' Om Namah Shivaya Bhajan

With wishes of joy this Tamil New Year Day, am posting below a beautiful heart-warming bhajan, Om Namah Shivaya. 

State Birds of India: Tamil Nadu Emerald Dove

Arindam Aditya has created a beautiful poster of the State Birds of India. I have posted a sample above. 

If you want the high resolution version, good enough to print out a very large wall poster, please get in touch with him direct at his email address: 
tamal12aug@gmail.com 
and he will send you a higher resolution version of the above. He asks no payment other than a commitment to plant 10 sapling trees in your area. 

The high resolution version is 15,240 pixels x 11,175 and can be printed to a 30 inch width x 22 inch height format and look very nice in the home, school or organisation. 

The State Bird of Tamil Nadu is the Emerald Dove. To watch a video of this beautiful bird and to read a narrative and description of the bird, visit my Blog Arunachala Birds at this link here.

Emerald Dove: State Bird of Tamil Nadu

Have a Blessed Mahashivaratri

2020 Mahashivaratri Legends and Significance

Each month there is day known as Sivaratri and once a year there is Mahashivaratri (maha=great) -- the Great Festival of Shiva. The dates of these occasions correspond to certain phases of the new moon when it is believed that the mind (which is adversely affected by the power of the moon) is less susceptible to low, animalistic forces and thus more tractable to the power of meditation and prayer.

It is for this reason that Mahashivaratri is believed to be the one 24-hour period in the year which is of the greatest benefit. It has been stated in the scriptures that if a man fasts, stays awake and meditates for the whole of Mahashivaratri, it will give him his best chance to achieve mastery of the mind and attain liberation.

Mahashivaratri always falls on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Phalguna (February-March), and is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. (Mahashivaratri in 2020 falls on Friday, February 21st). On this day devotees sing Shiva bhajans, recite verses from scriptures, offer prayers in the morning and evening, and some observe fasting throughout the day. People visit Shiva Temples and in the case of Arunachala, premier Shiva site of South India, circumambulation of Arunachala Hill is observed by many.

The name Shiva signifies a quality that means 'Auspicious' or 'The Auspicious One'. To a few, Shiva is Paramatman, Brahman, the Absolute, but many more prefer to see Shiva as a personal God given to compassion for his worshippers, and the dispenser of both spiritual and material blessings. Related to the Absolute concept is Shiva as Yoganath, the Lord of Yoga, wherein he becomes teacher, path and goal. As such he is the Adi Guru or Highest Guru of sannyasins who have renounced the world to attain the Absolute.

One of the early traditions, is Shiva in the form of Dakshinamurti; the South-Facing Guru. In this form, seated on a low platform, with one leg hanging down in front, he communicated the Sanatana Dharma or Eternal Wisdom to the four Kumaras who appeared early in creation. The Guru spoke no words but taught them by the transmission of mind-to-mind, and its purpose was to show that man can realise the Absolute when the human mind is in complete equipoise with the Cosmic Mind.


 

Dakshinamurti

 

While almost all other festivals are celebrated during the day, Mahashivaratri is celebrated at night: and night stands for all that is evil; ignorance, darkness, sin, violence, treachery, falsehood, and misfortune. Mythology says that Shiva appeared to save the world from Tamoguna (darkness and ignorance).

There are a number of legends connected with the origin of Shivaratri. One such legend is that Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati were married on this day.


 

Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati Marriage

Our own Arunachala legend, proclaims it to be the day Lord Shiva appeared as a luminous Jyotilingam before Brahma and Vishnu.


 

Lingodbhavamurti (Ellora)

On Mahashivaratri, Lord Shiva is Lingodbhavamurti, the pillar of fire that spans all, with no beginning and no end. The devout believe that they are on their way to oneness with Shiva, that they will join with the Supreme after hours of darkness spent in fasting and prayer. The worship of Lingodbhavamurti is with the leaves of the bilva, gathered from quince trees. The lingam is showered, unceasingly, with basketfuls of these, and other flowers, (just as the hunter in the below legend once did).

And it is believed that on the day of Mahashivaratri, all twelve Jyotirlingams of India manifested.

 

12 Jyotilingams

 

Shiva Purana legend about the Hunter and the Lingam:-

“In ancient times, a Bheel (forest inhabitant) named Gurudruha trudged through a forest to hunt deer. At night, without having sighted a single animal, he climbed a Bilva (Aegle marmelos) tree on the banks of a lake. Later at night, a doe arrived to drink water. Gurudruha aimed his bow and arrow at her. While aiming, he unknowingly dropped some Bilva leaves and his drinking water below on a Shivalingam that happened to be under the tree. The deer then requested him to allow her to entrust her fawns to her husband, after which she would return. After much haggling he agreed.

While awaiting her return, he stayed awake by aimlessly plucking leaves and dropping them below. Again they fell on the Shivalingam. Thus he unknowingly performed its puja (worship) while remaining awake all night. Finally the doe returned with her family, She informed him that along with her, he'd have to kill her family too. As he aimed, some more leaves fluttered down on the Shivalingam.

The collective punya (spiritual merit) accrued from the puja performed unknowingly, eradicated all his sins. This purified his heart. Repenting his flawed life of sin, he set the deer free. As he sat repenting, Lord Shiva manifested in front of him and granted him a boon, "You shall be born in a town known as Shrungver, as a man named Gruha. Lord Vishnu will grace your home as Lord Rama and redeem you." (This event is described in the Ramayana.) Shiva also blessed the deer, which attained a better destiny.”

Another legend of Mahashivaratri traces the origin of this festival to the churning of the Ocean of Milk by devas (gods) and asuras (demons). It is said that when both gods and demons were churning the Ocean of Milk to obtain amrita (water of immortal life), they came across many unusual substances, including the deadly poison Kalakuta. As soon as they touched the poison, it exploded into poisonous fumes that threatened to envelope the entire Universe with darkness.


 

Churning the Ocean

When the destruction of the Universe seemed inevitable, the gods ran for assistance from Brahma and Vishnu, but neither was able to help. At last they ran to Lord Shiva, who raised his trident and condensed the fumes. In order to save the creation, Shiva swallowed the poison without spilling a single drop. The poison left a dark blue mark on Shiva's throat. The gods praised and worshipped Shiva for saving the Universe.

 
 

Lord Shiva drinking the poison

 

The Ocean of Milk represents the ideal world that is full of peace and happiness for all human beings. Churning the Ocean of Milk signifies the human activity in the world. The amrita symbolizes happiness and the poison represents human greed and selfishness. Shiva symbolizes the atman (self), and worship of Shiva denotes meditation and contemplation by an individual on his or her own self.

Thus the only way to achieve peace and happiness is by worshipping Shiva at night, that is, by meditating on one's own self during the night when the individual is free from the distractions of the physical world. When the individual attains self-knowledge, he or she can live in the world without being affected by anger, greed, and selfishness, the three enemies of one's soul. Mahashivaratri symbolizes the worship of the atman within.

At Suruttapalli (located in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh), there is a unique Temple. It is at this place that Lord Shiva is depicted drinking the poison (karma) of the world with Goddess Parvati holding his head in her lap so that the poison does not spill back out into the world. It is thought that by going there and in particular by performing puja there, that bad effects of karma may be averted. 

Lord at Surattapalli

Because at Suruttapalli Lord Dakshinamurti (Jupiter) can be found in the rare form in which his Shakti is present, it is believed that this symbolises that the Goddess is present to take hold of the pain and suffering of devotees and expiate their bad karma.

On the night of Mahashivaratri one can devote oneself to the chanting of the Vedic Rudram, or the five-syllable mantra of Shiva - Om Namah Shivaya - and on meditating on Him, thereby remembering one's ultimate goal, which is God Realization, the purpose of human birth. By ascending to the top of Arunachala within oneself, and trying to experience the presence of the God Shiva within as one's very own self, and simultaneously as the Universal Self permeating the entire universe, one draws close to Lord Shiva on this night.

On this day it is easy to please Lord Shiva by fasting and prayer. The main prayer is usually conducted during the night. Every three hours the devotee worships Lord Shiva in the form of a Shiva Lingam and bathing the Lingam with milk, ghee, honey, curd, rose water, etc. Lord Shiva is also greatly pleased by the offering of Bilva leaves. This worship is replicated in the worship at the Arunachaleswarar Temple which will take place tonight:

 

Invitation and Schedule

1st Kala Puja Night (21st February) 7.30 p.m.

2nd Kala Puja Night (21st February) 11.30 p.m.

3rd Kala Puja Morning (22nd February) 02.30 a.m.

4th Kala Puja Morning (22nd February) 04.30 a.m.

Midnight 21st-22nd February Special Pooja and Alankaram to Sri Lingodbhava Moorthi. 

All Are Invited

To find out more about the signifiance of Mahashivaratri and learn how it is celebrated elsewhere in India, go to this link here.