Carrying 2014 Karthigai Deepam pot up Arunachala

Every year during Deepam five earthen-pot lighted lamps, representing the five elements, provide the flame for the single Bharani Deepam which fisherman carry to the top of the mountain for use as the source-light for the Krittikai Deepam. It is also they who are entrusted with carrying the Deepam Cauldron up to the top of the Hill prior to the day of Mahadeepam. 

The Deepam cauldron is hauled up the slopes of Arunachala supported by poles inserted into the cauldron’s rings. The unique privilege for taking the flame (source-light) and cauldron up the Hill and also for the actual lighting of the Deepam Flame is always given (for long as the Hill’s recorded history) to men of the fishing caste. 

The reason for the extraordinary grace shown to the fishing clan reputedly is explained by a famous legend of the time the Goddess Parvati was adopted by the king of the fishermen. A version of the story appears below. 

Becoming a Fisherman 

"Once, the Lord was explaining to the Goddess the secret import of the Vedas. However, the Goddess who was listening to the Lord, seemed to be beset with some anxiety and was otherwise engrossed. It was, therefore, apparent that She was listening in name only. The Lord noticed this and said that as She was not paying full attention to the important things discoursed by him she should be born in the fisherman’s community. The Goddess lamented this and the Lord assured Her that She would be born to the king of fishermen and that He (The Lord) would in due course come to wed her. 

Ganapathi and Subrahmanya, the sons of the Lord were greatly perturbed by this and in their frenzy, considered the books of the Vedas to be the cause of the trouble and threw the offending books into the sea. The Lord took Nandikeswara to task for having allowed Vinayaka and Subrahmanya to go to Him without knowing His convenience and cursed him to become a shark in the sea. Any curse on Ganapathi would recoil on Him (the Lord) and hence the Lord did not impose any curse on him, however, Subrahmanya was cursed to become the dumb son of a merchant. 

There was a place called Pakam on the eastern seashore of the Pandya Kingdom which was inhabited by fishermen and their king of the great fisherman clan of Paravar, was a great devotee of Lord Siva. The king had no children and one day, when he went to the sea for fishing, found a crying female child lying under a Pinnai tree (or Punnai, Calophyllam Inophyllam) on the seashore. He picked the child up with great joy and handed it to his wife saying that it was a gift of the Lord. His wife brought up the child very affectionately and adorned it with various jewels. The child grew to be a girl who constantly meditated on Lord Siva. 

As ordained by the Lord, Nandikeswara became a shark and caused havoc to the fishermen’s boats sailing in the sea. The king of the fishermen took considerable pains to catch the shark – but all was in vain. The king therefore announced that he would give his daughter in marriage to any person who would catch the shark. 

The Lord appeared in the guise of a young fisherman before the king of fishermen, who was struck with the personality and bearing of the young newcomer. To the king’s enquiry He replied that he was a fishermen and could net any big fish or shark. The king told him of the prize offered for netting the shark infesting the area. The newcomer went to the sea and in no time netted the shark. 

The king and his men were astonished at the feat. And happily gave to the newcomer his daughter in marriage and celebrated the wedding immediately. The bride and bridegroom immediately appeared as Siva and Parvati on their Vrishabha mount and the shark also appeared as Nandikeswara. 

The king of the fishermen prayed to the God extolling Him for the great kindness shown to an ordinary and illiterate man like him. The Lord told him that as he has he had been yearning to get a child for so long, he had sent Parvati as his daughter and He came himself came to wed Her. The Lord also blessed the king to have all prosperity and at the end of his life to become a denizen of Sivaloka. Then the Lord instructed Parvati about the secret import of the Vedas and She eagerly and earnestly listened to the discourse." 

Puja with Rukku for 2014 Arunachala Karthigai Mahadeepam Cauldron

Beautiful Rukku our lady Temple elephant participating in a puja blessing the Cauldron which will be thereafter carried up to the top of Arunachala in readiness for Mahadeepam on December 5, 2014 at approximately 6.00 p.m.

Rukki in puja blessing the 2014 Cauldron

Men from fishing caste are in charge of the Arunachala cauldron

Thousands of litres of ghee waiting to be carried to top of Hill

2014 Deepam Festival. Day Seven—Full Day: Maharadham

Yesterday, Tuesday December 2, 2014, was the seventh day of the 2014 Karthigai Deepam Festival and definitely one of the most popular. It was the day of the Maharadham, the massive wooden chariot that is pulled around the Mada Streets (four main perimeter streets surrounding the Arunachaleswarar Temple) by devotees. The men pull on the right side of the chariot and the women the left. 

One chariot each for the panchamoorthies

Lord Arunachaleswarar in His sanctum top of the Maharadham

Gents on right, ladies to the left pulling chariot on Thiruvoodal Street

Circumambulation of Temple by Maharadham takes around 12 hours

Devotees packed on roofs and every vantage point to take darshan

To propel Maharadham, lads jump on levers wedged under the back wheels

2014 Deepam Festival. Day Four—Night: Karpavirutcham and Kamadhenu Vahanams

Wish Fulfilling Tree and Cow

[Due to a photograph glitch, this posting on Arunachala Grace, 'Day Four—Night of the 2014 Deepam Festival', of the wish-fulfilling tree and cow is out of sequence. To be clear, however, this function did indeed occur as usual on the night of the fourth day of the Karthigai Deepam Festival]

One of the most popular of the processions during the Deepam Festival at Arunachala, is that of the Kamadhenu, the wish fulfilling cow, and the Kalpavriksha (also known as Karpavirutcham), the wish fulfilling tree. Both of which emphasis the wish fulfilling aspect of Arunachala.

Lord Karthikeya, Lord Arunachaleswarar and Goddess Saraswathi

The Kalpavriksha is a mythological divine tree said to fulfil all desires. Its mythology narrates that the wish-fulfilling tree originates from the churning of the ocean of milk afterwhich the god Indra, returned with the tree to his paradise. During the Deepam Festival on the Fourth Night Lord Arunachaleswarar is seated under the Kapavriksha Tree.

Glorious Wish Fulfilling Tree outside Temple Mandapam

The second major Radham appearing on that night is that of Kamadhenu (literally meaning; the cow; "from whom all that is desired is drawn", or “the divine cow providing for all needs”). The Kamadhenu is a divine cow-goddess described in mythology as the mother of all cows who provides the owner with whatever is desired.

Theories as to the origin of the Kamadhenu are two-fold. One scripture describes her as the daughter of the creator god Daksha, and another narrates that Kamadhenu also emerged from the churning of the cosmic ocean. Upon the divine cow during the Deepam night procession is seated the Goddess Saraswati.

Wish Fulfilling Tree vahana of Lord Arunachaleswarar

It is often the wish fulfilling aspect of Girivalam that brings many pilgrims each Poornima (Full Moon) to the Hill, whatever the difficulty or weather, to perform circumambulation. In fact many pilgrims prefer it when the conditions are extreme (cold, heavy sheeting rain, previous tapas such as fasting and mortification etc) as they believe that the greater the difficulties they overcome in performing girivalam, the greater will be the focus of their sankalpa (intention) and success of their wish.

Wish Fulfilling Tree rounding the perimeter streets of Temple

The now deceased Annamalai Swami explains the power of the Hill as thus:-

“. . . It is not an ordinary hill. It is spirituality Itself. It has a powerful, magnetic pull to the Self. Seekers who come to this place with the intention of realizing the Self will have untold benefits to do pradakshina on a full moon.

Kamadhenu -- Wish Fulfilling Cow

In the proximity of this holy hill the presence of the Self is more powerful and more self-evident than anywhere else. Indian mythology speaks of a wish-fulfilling tree. If you find this tree and tell it what you want, your wish will be granted. 

Arunachala also has this reputation. This is why so many people come here on a full moon night and walk around it. But very few people come here and ask for their complete freedom, for undisturbed peace. 

Arunachala is a light. It shines. It is the light of the Self, and the light of the Self will continue to shine on you whether you believe it or not. Arunachala is greater than all other religious places. There are other holy, powerful places in the world, but none have the power of Arunachala . . . There is a huge amount of shakti, or spiritual energy, here.”

2014 Deepam Festival. Day Six—Night: Silver Chariot

The below four photographs are of the night of the sixth day of 2014 Karthigai Deepam Celebrations here at Arunachala. In this series Lord Arunachaleswarar is being carried across Car Street to the tank on the corner of Sannidhi Street, where his Silver Chariot awaits. 

In the bottom two photographs the Lord in his Silver Chariot is going around the four Mada Streets surrounding the perimeter of Arunachaleswarar Temple. 

2014 Deepam Festival. Day Six—Morning: Elephant with 63 Nayanars

In the festivities of the morning of the sixth day, a glorious Silver Elephant, (notice the sugar cane in its mouth) leads a procession of the great Shiva devotees, the 63 Nayanars.

Glorious Silver Elephant

Lord Arunachaleswarar on the Silver Elephant

Procession starting on Car Street around the perimeter streets of Temple

On both sides of the below photograph, one can see individual palanquins of the Nayanars.

The Nayanars are remembered as a group of 63 saints (poets) of the 6th to 8th century who were devoted to Lord Shiva. It was they that influenced the Bhakti movement in Tamil Nadu. The names of the 63 saints were first compiled by Sundarar and the list was expanded by Nambiyandar Nambi during his compilation of material for the famed Tirumurai.

Message of the Nayanars

“There have been many ‘intellectuals’ even in India who have looked down upon the path of Bhakti (devotion) as something inferior to Jnana (wisdom). Their short-sightedness becomes at once apparent when we study the lives of the great Four Teachers (Appar, Sundarar, Manickavachagar and Sambandar) and realise that these great Jnanis, too, were great Bhaktas who loved to visit Temples and sing the glories of the Lord.

Love of the Lord cuts at the very root of our attachment to this world, and snaps all worldly ties, to father, mother, son, wife or relatives. As the stories of the Nayanars illustrate, the devotee is ever ready to renounce all, in favour of devotion to Lord Siva.

Let us also never forget that in the case of all the Nayanars devotion invariably meant expansion of the heart, and, therefore, service and charity. We have to take the individual tales of the Nayanars as allegories exhorting us to rout out the inner obstacles to our Sadhana.

If we approach these saints with faith and devotion in our hearts, we shall grasp the message they have for us. We shall also understand why they gave such a great place to externals like the sacred ash, Rudraksha, etc. These symbols remind one constantly of God: and, when they are said to remove our sins, they remove our sinful tendencies, too, by constantly reminding us of God, and keeping evil out of our mind.” 

[By: Venkatesananda]

* * * * * * * *

Out of these 63 Nayanars, the four Saiva Samaya Acharyas; (left to right) Tirugnansambandar, Tirunanvukkarasar (Appar), Sundarar and Manikkavasagar are remembered best of all.

The Saiva Samaya Acharyas

The principal teachings of the four Saiva Samaya Acharyas is of love and surrender to God; and of service to God and godly men. That love, devotion, and service to God is the only way one can obtain His Grace. God is One and He is Shiva. That man must get over his bonds which keep him in ignorance and obtain inseparable union with Shiva through the Lord's Grace.

Live TV coverage and online streaming video 2014 Karthigai Deepam

Tiruvannamalai Karthigai Deepam -- December 5, 2014 

Morning 4:00 am Bharani Deepam 

Afternoon - Theerthavari Brahma Theertham 

Evening 6:00 pm Karthigai Deepam at Arunachaleshwarar Temple 

Live TV Coverage 

Many TV channels will telecast Barani Deepam and Karthigai Deepam live from Tiruvannamalai on December 5, 2014; Sun News, Vijay TV, DD Podhigai, Zee Tamil, Raj TV, Sri Sankara TV, Jaya TV, and SVBC TTD TV -- from 4:00 pm onwards.

 

To watch Karthigai Deepam 2014 live on YouTube visit 'Swasthik TVCom Channel' at this link here: 

 

You can watch online streaming of Tiruvannamalai Karthigai Deepam 2014 on:

http://vasanth.tv/livetv.php 

http://www.turbotv.in/dd-podhigai-live 

http://www.dinamalar.com/thirvannamalai_live_video.asp  
http://www.turbotv.in/dd-podhigai-live 

http://www.svbcttd.com 

http://srisankaratv.com 

Karthigai Deepam online streaming video from Arunachaleswarar Temple official website at:

http://live.arunachaleswarar.org 

2014 Deepam Festival. Day Five—Night: Big Silver Rishabam

For a full pictorial representation of the below narrative please visit my website Arunachala Samudra at this link here.

Big Silver Rishba

[Narrative By Swami Abhishekananda 1970]

“The Festival begins nine or ten days before Thibam. Each evening there are solemn processions round the Temple, which are over and above the regular worship and the private offerings of puja which go on through the day.

The day comes to its climax with the procession in the evening, which lasts almost until midnight. It is led by Ganapati, the commander of the heavenly hosts (gana-pati). Next comes Karttikeyi, the lord of the Pleiades, also called Murugan or Subrahmaniyan in Tamilnadu, who like Ganapati is a murti of Shiva and also his son. Surya, the Sun, comes next, the great sign of Light. There there is Uma or Parvati, Shiva’s consort; and lastly, on his white bull, Shiva Arunachala or Annamalaiyar. According to custom they are carried on the Temple cars, whose dimensions and decoration are on the grandest scale. Every evening there are different cars, each more impressive than its predecessor. Of these the most remarkable are the huge car of carved wood, more than ten metres high, on which the statue is carried on a day during the Festival and also the silver bull on which Shiva rides on the fifth day.

I was strongly recommended not to miss the night of the silver bull, and had accordingly arrived in very good time. I passed the time in the shrine of Sundareshwar, which was under the supervision of my friend Arunachala Aiyar, Ramana’s old companion in the Virupaksha cave. Saminathan was also there that evening. The mandapam was crowded with people who like us were waiting to see the procession. They plied me with endless questions, which I answered as well as I could. Saminathan, not knowing Tamil, remained silent, his eyes half shut, lost in his prayer. I have to admit that my questioners were much more impressed by Saminathan and his silence than by the answer that they sought to extract from me; but they paid even less attention to the disquisitions which which one or other of the company sought remorselessly to improve the occasion. They clearly told me so . . .

During this time, in the Kalyana Mandapam, ‘the portico of weddings,’ the priests were busy decorating the murtis, using silk and gold brocade, flowers and valuable jewels. Meanwhile the cars were standing outside the Temple, and on them also ornaments were being loaded. All this seemed to go on interminably; but at last there was a sudden blare of trumpets form the inner courtyard, their sound re-echoing loudly from the high enclosure walls. Accompanying the trumpets was the low drone of the tamburas, while the silvery melody of flutes pierced though the noise of the crowd. 

Now the file of murtis with their attendants emerged from their shrines, and when they passed under porticos or gopurams the echo from the low vaults become deafening. Soon they came to the Vallalla Gopuram where were were standing. In front were the torch-bearers, next the musicians, and last the palanquins, carried on the bare shoulders of the priest. On either side was the tightly-packed crowd with outstretched arms, giving cries of fervent devotion. Somewhere breaking coconuts on the ground, while others held out at arm’s length gilded trays of burning camphor. The enthusiasm spread, swelled, multiplied itself irresistibly. Light, heat, scents, sounds, bodies and souls too, all were weeded together into a single vast and vibrant outpouring of love in honour of the Lord of Arunachala. 

We followed behind the procession, crossed the outermost courtyard, passed under the huge gopuram, passed under the huge gopuram over the East Gate and reached the long colonnade which adjoins it on the east, where the cars were waiting. The murtis were installed on the cars; and once again the work of decoration was resumed with renewed zeal; flowers, jewels, lights in even greater quantity. The crowd was now more tightly packed than ever. The friend who was guiding me managed to open a path for me immediately in front of the chief car, where the palanquin of Shiva Annamalaiyar was mounted on the silver bull. 

Over him was held a huge ceremonial umbrella which touched the roof overhead. Behind the car was a trailer with a dynamo, and thousands of electric bulbs sparkled all over the palanquin, the platform, the decorations, among the jewels, silks and flowers which adorned the statue. Appusastri, who was standing near, was so moved that he cried out: “How can one doubt any longer that it is the Lord himself upon his car, who presents himself for our adoration!” Yet this Appusastri was an old disciple of Ramana and Ganapati Muni, who more than anyone had lectured me about advaita, proclaiming that whatever appears is maya, that there is no distinction at the heart of Being, and that it is vanity to worship God as an “Other” . . . !

2014 Deepam Festival. Day Five—Day: Chandrasekhara in Rishabam

2014 Karthigai Deepam Festival -- Cultural Programmes

Throughout this long Deepam Festival, cultural programmes of traditional dance and music are held both in the auditorium inside the Arunachaleswarar Temple and also on floats moving around the town's Mada Streets (Temple perimeter streets). As well as cultural programmes, there are also street musicians and musicians attached to processions and festivities. 

Crowd Scenes 2014 Karthigai Deepam, Arunachala

Below are a sequence of crowd shots taken during the early days of the 2014 Karthigai Deepam Festival. 

The first photograph is of the much loved Rukku, the Temple Elephant, who is very much part of many of the celebrations and processions connected with this Festival. 

Rukku on Procession Detail

Ladies carrying Child around the 3rd Prakaram Shrines

The above photograph is of 'karampu thuthi' in which ladies and family members in answer to a vow, carry a child in a holder made of sugar canes and saris, either around the inside or outside perimeter of Arunachaleswarar Temple. This is often the consequence of a would-be parent praying to God for the boon of a child and their pledge to the Divine that they will offer the child (when born) to God and perform Temple circumambulation. 

Sometimes if the family lives a long distance from Arunachala, it might a few years before the vow is honoured and they are able to return to complete their Temple circumambulation. Problem is the longer you wait the bigger and heavier the child becomes! 

Devotees visit Kalyana Mandapam to take darshan of the Gods

Temple compound busy with  pujas, processions and cultural programmes

The next three photographs are of musicians connected with processions and programmes during the 2014 Karthigai Deepam Festival. 

Sadhus and Swamis an essential part of all Festivals at Arunachala

Young Lad offers his own aarti to the Gods