Moving Logs

Now that construction work at the Inter Faith Dialogue Center is finished, all that remains is to populate the library and prepare the kitchens. However, there are also several other matters to take care of, one of which is to transport two large logs into the scrubland at the back of the Compound to await the arrival of Ravi, master sculptor. For more information about this check out Quo Vadis Compound.

Rev. Joshua Peter and others were standing on the roof of Quo Vadis closely watching the crane operation.

The logs had only to be transported a very short distance i.e., from the adjacent Compound into the spare ground at the back of Quo Vadis, which will later be the site of accommodation for pilgrims and a meeting hall.

The two giant logs are almost identical in size and shape and will end up on either side of the gateway entrance to the Quo Vadis Compound.

Now that the heavy work is complete, the crane and its operator can rest. Although not distinct in this photograph, the sticker on the windshield of the crane, is that of various Gods of the Hindu Pantheon; just another part of life in India.

The below is the finished article of a log felled during construction of Quo Vadis Compound. Hope the new logs turn out as well.

Ravi, the Master Sculptor and some folk connected with Quo Vadis are currently trying to work out what would be the best representation for dialogue and connectiveness.

Lord Ayyappan Grove

Kovil Kaadus (temple forests) are found in every village settlement in Tamil Nadu including Tiruvannamalai District. These temple forests are regarded as the abode of the Mother Goddess and the guardian spirits of the village such as Aiyanar, Muniswarar, Karuppuswami and Veeran who are powerful and can fulfill wishes. The pictures below are of a local Lord Iyappan sacred grove. As well as being very popular throughout Tamil Nadu, Lord Iyappan’s most famous shrine is located at Sabarimala, Kerala. To find out more about the beautiful story of Lord Ayyappan go here.

The existence of sacred groves in India most likely dates back to an ancient pre-agrarian hunter-gathering era, and their presence has been documented since the early 1800s. Believing trees to be the abode of gods and ancestral spirits, many communities set aside sanctified areas of forest and established rules and customs to ensure their protection.

These rules varied from grove to grove but often prohibited the felling of trees, the collection of material from the forest floor, and the killing of animals (other than sacrificial). Presiding deities administered punishment, often death, to individuals who violated the rules, and sometimes to the entire community in the form of disease or crop failure.

Deities in Sacred Groves are can be of an extremely primitive nature and are often portrayed in the form of an anthropomorphic slap of stone, a hero stone, sati stone, a trident or even irregular lumps of stone serve as the deity in some places.

In Tiruvannamalai District there is currently listed a total area of 1847.41 hectares of land (4,565 acres) dedicated to sacred groves.

For more information on Sacred Groves at Tiruvannamalai District go here.

Hail to Thee! Part 6

Verses 1-9 inc

Verses 10-20 inc

Verses 21-31 inc

Verses 32-50 inc

Verses 51-70 inc

71. But to those enamored of complex stratagems
Let them hear and practice these eternal gems
As lived and instructed by Thee, Guru Ramana
So all may be free from the burden of their vasana

72. Sitting in any posture of personal comfort
Practice diligently with single-minded effort
Watch the tides of thy breath as they rise and fall
And soon the mind will be held in its thrall

73. And as each thought, image and sound
Rushes forth to parade around
Ask who it is that watches
And know I as the witness

74. Watching thus the witness until you're adept
Then realization dawns that this too is a concept
Verily a thief 'tis in policeman's garb
Moving in circles to outwit the mob

75. Discard even the watcher, and now remain
Silent and Still as "I", your eternal domain
Fleeting as quicksilver on a metal plate
Will the first glimpses be of this State

76. Be not seduced by visions mighty and grand
Or even hope for them as marks of your stand
Why would you limit the Self to blazes of light
When that which you seek lies beyond sight

77. No milestone exists nor compass to navigate
No yardstick of duality to fathom this state
Discard all methods of the intellect and seize thy fate
Know Being by Experience direct, as thy eternal state

78. Like wafting fragrance of the night's jasmine
Effort on this path shall permeate your being
Until meditation proceeds as the undercurrent
Of activity regardless the distracting moment

79. Be unperturbed by the passage of time
Time is memory and no concern of thine
When all creation stands on the "I" thought
Past, present and future are empty as nought

80. If any disciplinary aid should thou seek
Discard the consumption of animal meat
Food is the fuel and substance of the mind
This discipline is a useful one thou wilt find

81. The doing of kriya's and karma's thine
Chanting of mantra's and songs divine
As crutches they are to the limping lame
These acts do focus the mental frame

82. Each in its own time has its rightful place
As sequential steps in the spirit's pace
Neither greater nor lesser are they behold
Each seeker's need do they uniquely mold

83. But stay not thou in kindergarten forever
Since indeed bidden art thou to rise yonder
'Cos action's power can only yield fruits
But never the insight that severs the roots

84. And what be the fruit of action?
Except the seed of more action
Commanding the birth of future lives
Busy as bees attending their hives

85. The joy you get from all worldly actions
Arises from the Self as a blissful reaction
On subsidence of the performing entities
Letting you taste Being free of identities

86. Confuse not source of the Bliss so obtained
With all the preceding actions that reigned
As a wind-blown tree, that fell as the crow alighted
By fools believed, as by the bird's weight blighted

87. Begin not the pursuit of happiness thru' action
Like wounding oneself for the relief of a lotion
Be not a dog chewing bones, bleached in the sun
And reveling in the taste of its own bleeding gum

88. But action performed sans attachment
Has no capacity to shackle thy raiment
Indeed doership is bondage's essence
It’s absence is liberation's presence

89. Surrendering all actions to God as an offering
In one stroke wilt thou put an end to suffering
When all actions are but the Lord's domain
Thine is blessed freedom in that which remains

90. As passengers on a train are we all
With loads of karma in our carry-all
Imbeciles groan with loads on their head
As the train with loaded rider rolls ahead

91. The wise one, with luggage at his feet
And the burdened cretin, in his seat
Indeed the same destination do they reach
But their attitude decides the fate of each

Pradakshina Method

35. If a person takes even a step by way of circumambulation, the entire earth is sanctified by coming into contact with the dust of his feet.

36. With palms joined in reverence he should make obeisance in every direction. He should then meditate and eulogize. He should circumambulate slowly without his hand touching anyone else.

37. Without any agitation, without even hearing the sound of his own steps, the devotee should circumambulate in the manner a woman walks when delivery is imminent.

38. The learned devotee should put on a clean dress after bath. He should apply sacred ash over his body and adorn himself with Rudraksha beads. Remembering Siva he should take steps slowly.

39-40. He should think about the likelihood of collision with thousands of Devas, invisible Siddhas and other of gaseous forms as well as Manus who walk ahead. He must think about the consequent rush and obstruction to the path. He should be a true devotee and go ahead slowly putting down his step along the path.

41. Or the devotee should circumambulate along with other devotees chanting the names of Siva, singing excellent songs and dancing like Siva.

42. Or he should, with his mind not dwelling on anything else, listen respectfully to my greatness and circumambulate slowly feeling the thrill of the bliss.

43. He must offer different kinds of charitable gifts. He must perform meritorious deeds. He should render assistance to suppliants. He should be pious and merciful in a manner he things best. Thus he should move round.

[Chapter 9, Verses 35-43 inc. Skanda Purana]

Cane Furniture

Through the good offices of Shantimalai Trust, Arumungam, our Cane and Bamboo Furniture Master was able to set up his own furniture business at Tiruvannamalai some years back. And now many people in the Ramana Nagar area have at least one piece of cane or bamboo furniture made at his workshop.

His current workshop is located in a busy residential area popular with Westerners during the busy season. But its not just the homes of Westerners that display his furniture, as the economical and aesthetic furniture is evident in homes and stores throughout the area.

The current rented premises used to be a primary school until the school became popular and over subscribed and eventually had to move to a larger facility. Eventually this quaint little house will be torn down and a hotel or boarding house put up in its place as this area is one of the most expensive spots in Tiruvannamalai.

In the next photo some nice hanging chairs waiting to be completed. Fortunately the prices of bamboo and cane furniture remains very reasonable and a hanging chair as below, when completed and lacquered, will cost around Rs.700/- (i.e. U.S.$18)

Arumungam has a variety of books of cane and bamboo furniture from all over the world. You pick the picture, agree the price and he can make you anything you wish for and some of his work is really wonderful.

He has both men and women working at his small shop and showroom, most of whom were trained by Arumungam.

As well as furniture, baskets, bowls and bric-a-brac, all sorts of household items are available for purchase at his showroom.

Recently Arumungam started a sideline of restoring and selling antique furniture bought in villages around the Tiruvannamalai District. Its a particularly advantageous business because much of the wood used in old furniture is now protected and cannot be used any longer. I got myself a beautiful antique Burma Teak wardrobe for just Rs.6,000 a purchase I was very satisfied with. Rather like the table and chairset in the below photograph . . . I wonder?

In the last photograph is Arumungam's wife who knows absolutely nothing about furniture making and enjoys staying in their home (attached to the showroom) looking after the needs of her husband and two young daughters.

Well at least Arumungam doesn't have much in the way of competition, his is the only cane and bamboo showroom in Tiruvannamalai!

Quo Vadis Compound

Finally building work at Quo Vadis Compound is complete and now all that remains is to populate the library with books and fit out the kitchen ready for the opening of the Center's two restaurants. In the below photograph is Ole Madsen from Denmark, who has been working with Quo Vadis as representative of Dan Mission. On the right of the photograph is the co-ordinator of Quo Vadis and Lutheran pastor of this area, Rev. Joshua Peter.

To find out more about the purpose of Quo Vadis you can check at this link.

In the next photograph is Penita, the wife of Rev. Joshua Peter, and the person who will be in charge of the Center's kitchen and restaurants.

Now that the building work is complete, most have been engaged in a big clean up and also in landscaping the compound.

One of the restaurants will be on the roof of the Center and has a sublime view of Arunachala.

The original site of the Center had trees that had to be felled before construction work could be started. Wherever possible the trees were saved with the idea of later turning them into sculptures. The logs in the below photograph are soon to be turned into two matching sculptures by a local Tamil artist named Ravi who, it is hoped, will be working with apprentices from a local Catholic Center.

Another view of the two giant logs.

Once finished they will be put on either side of the gateway into the Compound and thus provide a striking and memorable entry into Quo Vadis.

The two sculptures will be completed within a month and when ready I will post photographs of them.

Arunachala Secret

The Self reveals itself in a multitude of forms in order to attract and take captive the souls of men. Some forms are made of flesh, in human likeness; others are elemental, such is the mystery of holy places, kshetras, of this Mountain Arunachala, for example . . . The secret of what passes between the human guru and his disciple is beyond anyone's grasp, even though the words they exchange may be spoken aloud and listened to. Who has ever fathomed the mystery of the Word from which Being has sprung? But still more inexplicable is the secret message which is communicated by the Mountain of stone to those who, in solitude and nakedness, meditate silently in its rocky clefts. Who will ever know the secret of the mutual communion between the mother and the child that nestles in her womb?

Many indeed in the course of centuries have found in Arunachala the place of a new birth, the gateway to a world hitherto unknown, to which suddenly, marvellously, they find that they belong!

Let him who does not venture to believe this, even so enter the cave and close the door to all comers; let him strip himself of every covering, whether of body or mind; let him keep silence and recollect himself; let his thirst be slaked with these waters, let him be scorced with this fire, then very soon he will find that he too understands the secret of Arunchala! So much the worst for him, if, as happened to Ramana Maharshi, he is never able to return to this world; for, as the Rishis of the Upanishads repeat with nostalgic insistence; "from there you can never come back, never . . . "

[Swami Abhishiktananda]

The Mountain

Tiruvannnamalai, is most of all, the mountain, a conical peak, isolated and visible from more than a radius of 20 Kms. The mountain, represented as an emblem in the shape of a triangle, appears in relief on many sculptures of the Hoysala period.


Among the lingams of the 5 elements, earth at Kanchipuram, ether at Chidambaram, wind in Kalahasti, water in Tiruvanaikovil, the lingam of fire in Tiruvannamalai is the one which has the most interesting history, a legend which has the highest resonance and consistency for the faithful.

Tiruvannamalai with its lingam of fire has a particularly evident character. The legend is a re-make of an ancient theme in the Kenopanishad in which Brahman manifests as the Supreme Divinity in front of whom Agni and Vayu are obliged to bow down. In the Puranas, instead of Brahman, Shiva in the form of a column of fire dominates over Vishnu and Brahma. Tiruvannamalai is the place of this manifestation of which the religious anchorage is, compared to the four other Pancha Bhutas, much more solid in that Siva has been identified as Agni, fire.

The mountain itself is imposing like a mythical image of the Centre which every mountain represents in Hindu thought. Arunachala is the object of circumambulation and the linga of the temple. Shiva in the form of a great spontaneous lingam (Swayambhu Linga) fixed himself there in response to the prayers of his devotees in order to perpetuate the lingam fire mountain.

Lastly, the mountain plays a great role in religious life both physically and mythically. At a height of 800 metres the mountain receives enough water to feed the reservoirs and lakes which have facilitated the setting up of little ashrams and also fill up the numerous ponds (tirthams) around the pradakshina that the pilgrims make use of.

[By Francoise L’Hernault]

Pradakshina Practice

The practice of pradakshina is very highly regarded in India. It consists of making the circuit on foot of a sacred place, a temple, a statue or of some person who is the object of reverence. The circuit is always clockwise, starting from the east towards the south, so that what is thus venerated is always on one’s right hand. In the great Temples people may perform a series of pradakshina in each of the three, five, and sometimes seven courts which surround the central sanctuary, one within the other. People sometimes take a vow to carry this out for forty-eight consecutive days, with a view to obtaining certain blessings or else in thankfulness to God for his mercies.

On great festivals the temple-murtis (images), mounted on their colossal cars, themselves make the pradakshina of their own sanctuary, accompanied by the crowd of their worshippers.

[Swami Abhishiktananda]

Inner Summons

The world has developed over the last fifty years, so that unlike ancient times many people are able to visit Tiruvannamalai from all corners of the world. We walk, take a bus or train, and cross the oceans by sea and air. Some of us may have undergone an inner experience and actively make a decision to visit blessed Arunachala, while others may not know why they decide to make the journey. I personally believe it does not matter if we think we make the choice or not, because all of us, even if we are unaware of it, have heard the 'inner summons' and have taken a step closer to Lord Arunachaleswarar Siva.

The Divine lifts up the humble soul and takes it on a spiritual journey. This soul has lived a life of service, where silent before its maker it has only asked: "What am I and what is my life, so that I may offer up my blood and ardor to Thee?"

The 'inner summons', that which draws us towards Arunachaleswarar Siva, is the magnetic movement of the Divine as He draws souls closer towards Himself. This summons is the mystic meal of the soul, the Supreme Mystery living in the breast of souls who seek after Divinity; known in their longing, slumbering in the germ of their ecstasy, and firmly linked to the rhythm of their actions. Most wonderfully, it is also the fulfillment of that longing, streaming out of the ecstasy of the soul, as does the finding of God out of the seeking after God.

This is the Supreme Path of the Gods and the Angels, and the same path that great saints have been able to tread for countless centuries. And, while there are many of us mortals living on this earth who have not yet gained our angel's wings, there is nonetheless, something most glorious within all of us, a most wonderful inner spirit of knowing, which like a bud, is waiting to flower. This is important for the soul to understand while it is wandering from place to place upon this earth, as it is the knowledge that links us to the Supreme Path of Arunachaleswarar Siva.

Every soul upon this earth has to enter this path and stand before Siva and His Shakti. The bud of all our souls has to open and flower. Everything within this mortal world lives, grows, rises, eventually to sing and praise the Lord. We are not unlike the plants in the fields, where even though there is an appearance of death in the cold season, at the approach of the sun's light they come to life again, reborn and refreshed. Like the flowers in the field we are also reborn again and again and have to open our faces to the sun and the rain and see Lord Arunachaleswarar Siva and Mother Apeethakuchambal in everything of this world.

This leads me to the words of a wise guru who once said; "That, which we see is only external, the visible, and that which is concealed from our view is the internal, and this is the root of all. Know that the Divine, is in the here and now yet only seems hidden in every secret place in the secret of secrets."

[By Iswari Kamalabaskaran]

Garuda

I received an invitation this week, to attend a July 1st, Garuda Puja and Function to be held at a nearby farm. Garuda (eagle) is revered as the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Vishnu. So wherever an eagle is spotted, devotees believe that the Lord is nearby. For the past five years a pair of eagles have claimed the palm trees and banana trees of this farm, as their own. So, this nice annual function is in fact the third year of Garuda Puja. I arrived at the farm and noticed the hive of activity going on in preparation of the 1,000 guests that were expected to participate.

Below is the young man, who is resident nearby, who so excellently co-ordinated all the arrangements of the Function. He is actually by trade an autorickshaw driver.

Next is the professional cook who was hired from a restaurant in town to come and cook the feast for us. Here he is making a potato side dish.

In the below photograph, a lady with a tremendous amount of determination is stirring up a giant pot (one of many) of rice; it looks like hard work.

Once she had finished with cooking the rice she dashed off to another spot and started preparing the vadai. Here the yellow mixture is waiting to be flattened into individual flat cakes and fried in hot oil.

Just some of the kids at the function; and there were many of them. A very nice afternoon with lots of laughter and larking around.

In the below photograph these men are cutting up banana leaves in individual plate size for our lunch; it works better than plastic and the cows just love munching on the leaves afterwards.

One of the trees which is a particular favourite of our heroes; the eagles!

Even though a thousand people are dashing around, making lots of noise and the smells of curry, vadai and rice are in the air; this little puppy is having a peaceful and deep snooze right in the middle of all the action. Absolutely an Indian dog!

Every so often one of the eagles would go for a soar around the neighbourhood, I really think he was aware that the crowds had turned out just for him. Everytime he flew around, people would look up and call, 'Hari, Hari' (Lord Vishnu).

A local village man looking very hungry and ready for what would prove to be a most delicious lunch.

A temporary Garuda altar was set up next to the tent and a local priest performed the worship.

In more of a close-up, a photograph of an eagle (Garuda) that received very special attention during the puja.

Below is one of our stars, Garuda, trying to act like he was totally unaware of the excitement he was completely responsible for.

And in the below photograph, Garuda in flight.

A nice Mum and her sweet baby, who was kind enough to stop crying for just long enough for me to take this photograph.

Waiting for lunch and below the little girl in brown in the middle of the photograph made me laugh, as she had so much attitude!

Now that the puja is over and Garuda is safely back in the trees, we can have a nice lunch of the deliciously prepared foods; and it was really yummy. In the below you can see the traditional Indian way of serving meals to large numbers of people. This is how it is done everywhere in Tamil Nadu.

So many people had turned up for the function that there had to be several sittings. I feel grateful to have been invited as it was a most special day, and even our star, the Eagle seemed to have been completely satisfied with how things went.

Wedding at Pachaiamman

Today I went to Pachaiamman Temple situated on the south east slope of Arunachala to meet with one of the Temple Trustees. I didn't realise when making the programme that the day would be a very auspicious one and that many of the Mandapams and Temples would be the venue of marriages. Here is the Raja Gopuram at the entrance of the Temple with Arunachala in the background.

Inside the Temple compound the statue of Pachaiamman (the green Goddess in the centre) sits looking out over her domain. Pachaiamman means 'Green Mother' and there are several stories connected with this Goddess which explains the history of her name. In one story, the sage Gautama Rishi in readying his Arunachala ashram to receive the Goddess, prepared a 'parnasala' (a holy seat). For this purpose durbai grass was used (a variety of pale yellow green grass used for yagnas). When the Goddess arrived and came to the 'parnasala', the durbai changed colour from the pale yellow green to an intense green. Another story of how the Goddess received the name Pachaiamman, is that during her journey from Kanchi to Arunachala, while staying at Vazhapanthal, Amman sat under a covering of lush green banana leaves; hence her name.

And in this her Arunachala domain, she sits watching over her guardian warriors. A legend of Pachaiamman (an aspect of Parvati) has it that after completing her penance at Kanchi, the Goddess started off for Arunachala. She travelled with 7 rishis and 7 virgins (Sapta Kanniyars) as part of a protective entourage. Halfway from Kanchi to Arunachala, the entourage stopped and made camp at the village Vazhapanthal. At that place the local king tried to molest the Goddess and the 7 rishis became as munishwaras (guardians) and killed the king. In the Pachaiamman Compound there are 14 statues of Pachaiamman’s warrior guardians set out in two lines, with two representations of each warrior.

When I arrived at the Temple a marriage was in progress. The ceremony was performed inside the Goddess shrine and afterwards the wedding entourage came outside into the compound to perform the rest of the wedding ritual. In the below photograph, the groom is putting on wedding 'toe rings' onto the toes of his new wife.

And here are the young couple.

The below shows the wonderfully extravagant hairdo of the bride; a lot of work went into that!

The following shows in more detail the intricacies of the bride's hairdo.

As in Western weddings, the bride and groom receive presents on the same day of the wedding ceremony. In India the favourite presents are usually to do with the kitchen. Sounds familiar!

Next the sister of the bride with whom I was having a nice chat. I had never attended a wedding at Pachaiamman Temple, and it seems a wonderful venue for such a function.

Below are the statues of Lord Munishwara's vahanas (vehicles) in the form of an elephant, a dog and five horses. I rather like the incongrous inclusion of the cotton candy seller!

Now that the function is over, time for tiffin. And snacks of sambhar rice with kurmar, bhajis and sweet kesari bath was served to all wedding guests on banana leaves in the Temple compound.

Once the wedding was over, the Compound emptied out quickly and suddenly everything was back to normal, the Hill and Pachaiamman silently watching over us all.