Linga Bhairavi -- Feminised Male Aspect of the Divine

Owners of a store on Car Street, Tiruvannamalai are devotees of Sadhuguru Jaggi Vasudev founder of the Isha Foundation which is a “volunteer-run, international organisation dedicated to cultivating human potential. The Foundation is a human service organisation that recognises the possibility of each person to empower another - restoring global community through inspiration and individual transformation.” 

Copy of photograph in Car Street store

I am unfamiliar with this organisation, but while at the store on Car Street noticed a startling photograph on the wall – I was to learn that it is of the Linga Bhairavi. Here at Arunachala we have our own synthesis of the male-female principle in the form of Ardhanarishvara so was interested to learn more about the Linga Bhairavi – which is a feminised version of the male aspect of the Divine. 

Linga Bhairavi Shrine at Foundation

In this respect I am posting a couple of photographs of this feminine Linga and also an extract of an (abridged) dialogue by Sadhuguru Jaggi Vasudev explaining the principles of the Linga Bhairavi:-
 

“Linga Bhairavi will be a very new form. A linga typically represents the masculine, but she is a Linga Bhairavi. Bhairavi means it is feminine. She will be of different nature. She will respond to a particular kind of appeal. If someone knows how to do the necessary appeal, she will respond to them in a big way. So you will have a kind of super technology with which you can get anything you want done - that is the whole idea of Devi worship. There is a huge culture of Devi worship here in India. But not only in India - in Arabia, Europe, and large parts of Africa, everywhere goddess worship was the most prominent thing till the monotheistic religion came up. All the crusades and inquisitions were mainly against people who were goddess worshippers. They tried to completely banish the goddess from the planet, but in India she lived and she continues to live. Everywhere else, wherever the monostheistic religions dominated, they completely erased the worship of the feminine. 

One crucial point they held against these Devi or goddess worship groups was, they said they were doing devil's work because they were doing things that other people could not grasp or understand. They could do things that others would not have means to do - that means they were into occult practices. Because they could perform occult practices, they were branded has devil worshippers and put to death, or their places of worship were burnt. Systematically, over centuries, goddess worship was completely erased. 

Here in India, it is still a very strong culture, but today, even here it has become like this that people conduct Devi worship in a clandestine way. People have become educated - anything that does not appeal to their reason, they want to destroy. Because of this, most of the Devi temples conduct the core of their worship in a very clandestine way, not known to the outside world. Not everybody, just a small group of people is involved in this, because unfortunately, society has become very male dominated . . . When I say male dominated, I do not mean man is dominating. I mean the male mind is dominating . . . .

People have still kept the feminine alive in them - there are many of them. But I think worship of the feminine being mainstream is over in the world. It will always be somewhere clandestine

 . . . So we want to create Linga Bhairavi as a space which will be open for the occult. We will open up that possibility. This may cause a certain amount of misunderstanding and disturbance in people around right now, but that does not matter. I have gotten used to living with misunderstanding, and misunderstanding will always be there. These are sciences; these are things that very few people in the world can do. So, we will establish this space when I am still around. These are things which will live for a very longtime, and these are things which people will cherish. This is not only for the occult. For people who are only seeking physical health and material wellbeing, Linga Bhairavi could be far more responsive. . . . 

So, if you want health, wellbeing, prosperity - these kinds of things are very strong in the Linga Bhairavi energy. People who imbibe it can benefit from it that way. And she has a spiritual possibility also. Especially for those who are emotionally bound, the devotee kind of people, Linga Bhairavi will become a stronger attachment . . . So Linga Bhairavi can become a powerful force. 

She will be fierce and powerful. What level of consecration to go for depends on many factors, especially the kind of support that will be there

 . . . One example that is fairly well-known is Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Ramakrishna used to call Kali and she would come. He would actually feed her and she would eat. The plate would become empty. It was the real form, because these forms were created long ago. These are not just dolls that are created for the psychological wellbeing of a person. These are energy forms, which have been created and let loose. If you know how to bring them down, you can bring them down right here, like a live thing.  

If we want to go for that level of consecration, it will involve a lot more. A new goddess will become alive. Making her alive in one form, here in the idol is one level of consecration. Making her truly alive, not in just this form, so that simply she is there, is something else. We could also establish a method that can be imparted to people, through which they can bring down that particular form into their lives. That will take a lot more. That is the kind of work I must be doing. I am in my elements only in that kind of work. We will make up our mind how exactly to create her, whether to make her mild or to make her wild. What kind of goddess do you want, mild and nice, or wild and wonderful?” 

Video of Swamis and Sadhus, Arunachala

Below is a very beautiful video created by "Om Tapas" of a number of Swamis and Sadhus at Arunachala. Its a very pleasing, meditative video.

Life of Shirdi Sai Baba

In an earlier posting Mr. K. Bharath Kumar wrote about the “Similarities between two great Mahans,” namely Sri Seshadri Swamigal (of Tiruvannamalai) and Sri Shirdi Sai Baba. 

When I first arrived at Tiruvannamalai I was very surprised that at that time there was no Temple dedicated to the great saint Shirdi Sai Baba. However several years ago, at long last, a Temple was opened which is dedicated to this great Mahan. For an earlier posting I made on my Blog Arunachala Grace with information and photographs of the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple on the Arunachala girivalam roadway, please visit this link here. 

Below I am posting a narrative recently received from Mr. K. Bharath Kumar about the life of Shirdi Sai Baba. 

Statue of Shirdi Sai Baba at his Arunachala Temple

SHRI SAI BABA OF SHIRDI ­ A GOD WHO WALKED ON THIS EARTH ­ WHO TOOK THE LEAST BUT GAVE PLENTY BACK 

Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi was a great saint of India who lived about 100 years ago in Shirdi, Maharashtra. He lived a life of utmost simplicity and preached the message of love, unity, brotherhood, and kindness towards all living creatures. 

His date of birth, place of birth, parents, original name, religion and caste ­ none of these details have been found till date. He was well respected by all religions, especially the Hindus and Muslims. He was brought up for a few years among a Muslim family given to them by his real parents and later lived all His life in an old mosque that He named as "Dwarakamayee". He worked very hard for upholding Hindu­-Muslim unity during His lifetime. 

Sai Baba spent about sixty years in His Dwarakamayee mosque in Shirdi village in a most simple manner with least material possessions during His entire lifetime. He redistributed all the wealth that devotees showered on Him back to the needy poor and deserving villagers daily by the end of the day. He started everyday as a "fakir" (sanyasi without money and other attachments) in the morning and finished the day daily in the same state ­ even though very lavish sums of money and valuable items were presented to Him from His devotees daily. 

Even His name i.e., "Sai Baba" was given to Him by Shirdi villagers ­ such was His complete disowning of titles and possessions starting from His very name. His simple assurance "Why Fear When I am Here" has been a life­saving mantra for millions of devotees all around the world. Sai expected only two qualities from His devotees "Shraddha" (Faith) and "Saburi" (Patience) and did not differentiate anybody on the basis of their religion, caste, race or any other factor and behaved the same to beggars and to princely figures. 

He was different from all other saints that India has produced in that He did not establish an Ashram or institution ­ nor did He take any disciples until the end, nor did He preach any special mantras or theories, nor did He leave any successors or heirs. He was an unique "Samarth Sadguru" who guided devotees on every aspect of their lives by first solving their urgent problems (such as money, diseases, lack of child, averting dangers, etc.) while making them interested in following a spiritual path of life finally. Rephrasing His own words, "I give them what they want so that they will like what I give them". 

He retained His simple ways of begging daily for His food till the end ­ although devotees showered Him with choice varieties of food items ­ which He usually distributed to the deserving. Even though His devotees wished Him to be a King ("Maharaja") and provided several costly royal items to Him ­ he never used them till the end, he always wore His usual simple plain robe (torn on one side), never wore slippers, always walked on foot instead of taking any vehicles, and never took anybody's service for free, despite His all­-powerful image in the village. 

He maintained an ever­burning fire altar ("Dhuni") whose ashes called "Udhi" was given free to all devotees. Many diseases were cured by applying Udhi on affected area or by intake. Like Lord Shiva of the Hindus, He showed through these ashes "Udhi" that life was short and material possessions including the human body get reduced to ashes finally. So, Sai Baba reminds us of this fact through His practice. This Dhuni has been burning steadily in Shirdi to this day for over a hundred years. 

Sai Baba has performed innumerable superhuman miracles that even modern science is yet to explain ­ such as mind­reading, foretelling the past, present and future of devotees on seeing them for the very first time, averting dangers occurring in faraway places without physically leaving Shirdi, stopping natural calamities by His voice, and curing diseases given up by doctors ­ to name a few. He performed easily difficult yogic practices such as Kanda­yoga (complete disassembly of body and reassembly). Despite His clear superhuman powers. He claimed humbly that He was just a servant of God, even at the peak of His enchanting, divine life. 

His unique specialty was that He encouraged whatever good qualities devotees had with them and encouraged traditional practices that devotees followed without stopping them or converting them to new rituals. He prescribed appropriate remedies for each devotee depending on their unique situation ­ for some He proposed solitary meditation, for others group discussions and bhajans, for others He suggested continuing worshipping their family deities' idols and so on. He encouraged festivals, rituals and practices of both Hindus and Muslims in Shirdi and these evolved into big festival events attended by lots of people from all over. 

His constant utterances "Allah Malik" (God is the sole proprietor/master), "Sabka Malik Ek" (There is a single master for all) have been unifying phrases that has created a huge following amongst diverse communities in India and abroad ­ who see in Him the very personification of their favorite Gods ­ as Lord Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Venkateswara, Datta, Maruti, Allah, Christ, Nanak to name a few. 

Even after His passing away in 1918, the world is full of increasing instances of Sai Baba's invisible presence protecting and helping devotees across the world. His eleven assurances to all, especially the assurance that He is EVER­living to help those who surrender to Him ­ has been a life­giver to innumerable many ­ including this author. This author was taken into His protection 6 years ago and Sai Baba has always answered his calls for help. 

Written referring several Sai literature sources the author has read thus far, especially "Sai Sathcharita" from Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi by Bharathkumar K., Chennai, India 

Swami Vellaiyananda--Life and Tales

The below narrative is a short biography of a Yogi, Swami Vellaiyananda who hailed and lived in Karumarapatti Village, located around 20 miles from Tiruvannamalai. The sadhana he was engaged in throughout his life was believed to have given him certain powers and siddhis. Many villagers would visit Swami regularly, such was their faith in him. Although he was little publicized, those who were meant to meet him, did; and he was visited by many both Indian and Westerners who needed his help and guidance.

Life of Swami Vellaiyananda

Of the pancha bootha sthalams, Arunachala is the foremost. It is the place where Lord Shiva appeared as a tower of fire and it gives freedom (mukti) to devotees who just think of it. 20 kilometres northeast of Tiruvannamalai and 3 kilometres from Mangalam Village, is the farming village of Karumarapatti.

It is at this village that Swami Vellaiyananda was born on August 17th, 1927 as third child of Chinna Thambi and Kulla Ammalaiyar. He was known at that time as Vellayan. Villagers were later to know him as Karumarapatti Swami and SrilaSri Vellaiyananda Swamigal.

From the age of seven he performed morning puja at the local Krishna Temple thereupon he sat facing the southwest towards Arunachala, to do his prayers and meditation. When he was young he used to play with boys of his own age. The boys recognising a force in the young boy, were attracted to Vellayan and obeyed him. Together they would perform bhajans at the Ganesha Temple in the village and their leader would tell miraculous stories about God.

He finished school at an early age and living in his village focussed on his agricultural work and performing pujas to his chosen Gods. His concentration was on devotional worship and he exhibited little interest in family activities. Vellayan was a devotee of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu and often visited Tiruvannamalai and Tirupathi. He would say that his heart was full of love for Shiva and Vishnu and that he was not interested in any other God.

In 1956 Vellayan at 30 years of age married his uncle’s daughter a 15 year old girl by the name of Amirtammal. After two years they had a son named Raghunathan.

Kuppan Gowantar who was 15 years senior to Vellayan and a devotee of Pondi Swamigal, tried several times to bring Vellayan to the ashram of Pondi Swami, but a meeting was not allowed to happen at that time. But one day when Vellayan was working in his fields, he had a vision of a man, he asked whether the person was his friend Kuppan Gowantar’s Guru, Pondi Swami. The man said yes and asked Vellayan to visit him. Without a moment’s delay, Vellayan travelled to Tiruvannamalai and performed girivalam to seek permission and blessings from Lord Annamalaiyar to allow him to visit Pondi Swami.

Thereupon he travelled to the saint’s village. Even though there was a large crowd surrounding Pondi Swami, the famed saint called the young Vellayan and his wife to him. Pondi Swamigal gave prasad to Vellayan’s wife in the form of betel leaf, fruit, coconut, flowers and jaggery. He then put vibhutti on both of them and told Vellayan that he would make great spiritual advancement.

During time of Swami's intense sadhana

As a result of the meeting with the great saint Pondi Swamigal, Vellayan’s spiritual yearning grew and with an increased interest in meditation, he chose to spend time in isolation. As his home in 1962 was only a small one room cottage he was unable to undertake meditation either at that place or at the village Temple. Thus he would travel each day 3 kilometres to nearby Mangalam Village to meditate in a spare room owned by his devotee Appu Gowndar. He would daily meditate in that room from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then afterwards return to his own village.

In 1969 a second son Dhavaraja was born to Vellayan and his wife. At that point with his spiritual thirst ever increasing, a small concrete platform was made outside his cottage to allow him to concentrate on his meditation. This programme of meditation began in 1970 and continued for 25 years. During that time he continually reduced his intake of food and water. Much of the time was spent in trance in which he spoke to siddhars. To outward appearances it appeared that Vellayan was a madman talking to the air.

Sitting on that concrete platform, where he performed meditation, he started to meet with devotees who came for his help to alleviate problems they were experiencing in their lives and to receive the Yogi’s blessings.

The Yogi’s appearance grew startling. The hair on his head and beard grew very long and was rolled up into three separate balls. Many devotees thought it a blessing to touch the rolled up balls. Visitors would bring lemons to Swami; and to some devotees the Yogi would return the fruit and instruct them to drink the juice of the lemon. To other devotees he told them to put the fruit at the front of their home in order to get rid of problems. Other devotees brought coconut, fruit, camphor, incense and flowers to Swami and he would ask the devotees to do puja to the Vel (spear) which was in front of his platform. Vellayan spoke to all devotees who came to see him and extended his grace to them.

Swamiji during his birthday function

Later Swami moved from his concrete platform into a more modern village house situated just outside the village. Many wonderful events and miracles were reported as a result of Swami’s guidance and blessings.

Birthday function of Swami

Photograph taken towards end of Swami's life

On November 5th, 2012 Swami Vellaiyananda attained samadhi.

Below are a few lines of Swamiji's biography by a devotee.

“So we come to Karumarapatti. He lives in a small house outside the village, with a large courtyard in front. In the middle is a small pedestal on which is planted a trident, symbol of Lord Shiva. In front of the wide open door is Swami, he sees us and beckons us to pick up at the shop next door, some lemons, vibhutti, a coconut, incense and bananas. We return and Swamiji indicates that we should light sticks of incense and break the coconut as an offering to Lord Shiva. After this ceremony has been performed, we enter into the small room holding the lemons, bananas and vibhutti. We sit in silence in the room where he gives his darshan. All around the walls are pictures of Swamiji.

He sits in his wooden chair with his arms on the rests. He is shirtless, skin weathered by time and he wears just a faded lungi. His face and body are coated in places with vibhutti. His eyes are deep, bright and sparkling. His beard and hair are white and fall to the ground, twisted and rolled along the ground like a snake . . . they are at least two metres long. The nails of his fingers are very long, nearly four inches at least, some broken, which pose a problem for grasping objects.

I must be dreaming, sitting here with this Yogi. It is amazing and almost unreal. A mysterious, sacred atmosphere pervades the room. I watch in silence. Then I prostrate myself at the feet of the Yogi and I remain kneeling before Him. He looks at me intently and stares into my inner being. His gaze is almost unbearable. He raises his half-closed eyes to heaven, then after what seems to be almost an eternity, he turns his gaze towards me and says with a big smile:-

"I took all your negative karma, now you no longer have any negative karma. Every day you will see me in your meditations, I'll be there."

A Miracle of Swami Vellaiyananda

Of this narrative I am about to relate I have firsthand knowledge. It is completely correct in all its essentials. This event occurred around 12 years ago and involved an ordinary village girl. The girl made a very auspicious marriage to a person of wealth, greater intelligence and higher social standing. She was the envy of her family and friends. Time passed and I hadn’t met her for a long while. When we next met I noticed how thin she had become. She acknowledged this and mentioned that although she was eating well, she was rapidly losing weight. After the passing of several more weeks I went to check on her and my concern increased at her continuing weight loss—as now she was looking dangerously thin.

I telephoned her husband (who was overseas) and suggested he bring forward his return to Tamil Nadu in order that he might take care of his wife and ensure she received the best medical care. Even though it was difficult for him to do this, something in the tone of my voice must have inspired him to take immediate action, as he quickly rearranged his schedule and was soon back in Tiruvannamalai. By the time of his return his wife looked like a walking skeleton. He took her by car to specialty hospitals in Chennai, where after a battery of tests, nothing could be found amiss. They were both filled with fear and a sense of hopelessness.

On the couples' return to Tiruvannamalai from Chennai, I met the husband and for no reason I understand (either then or now), suggested he go and meet with Swami Vellaiyananda and ask for his intercession and help. In order to save further discomfort to his wife, the husband left his wife at their home and proceeded alone to Karumarapatti Village (about 20 miles from Tiruvannamalai). Immediately upon entering Swami’s room, the Yogi looked piercingly at him and said, “your wife is almost dead. Relations jealous of her marriage which has brought wealth and good fortune have paid for a black magician to put a wasting curse on her. I shall tell you exactly what you need to do to counteract this hex and your wife will begin to put on weight from this moment on.” 

Swami Vellaiyananda gave details of what needed to be done and the husband followed his instructions exactly. From that moment his wife started to put on weight until she became plump and healthy—which she remains until this time. 

Arunachala the Greatest Monolith

Going through the archives of my Blog, Arunachala Grace, I came upon a posting made at the time of the death of Arthur C. Clarke, the eminent futurist, scientist and writer. There are a number of fascinating posts on all my Blogs: Arunachala Grace, Arunachala Birds, Arunachala Land and Arunachala Satsang which a thorough search through the archive and search function will reveal. 

Generally I avoid making personal comments on my Blogs and Website Arunachala Samudra, because the sites are intended to be about Arunachala, not about me, however in this particular posting it was impossible for me not to get personal. I started reading the stories and books of Arthur C. Clarke and other Science Fiction writers at a very young age, and look back to that time as the beginning of my interest in self exploration. 

Little did I know all those years ago that the fascination with the monolith in the remarkable '2001: A Space Odyssey’ film would resurface as an absorption with Arunachala, the greatest monolith of all. 

I reproduce the entirety of the posting as it originally appeared on my Blog Arunachala Grace in 2008. 

Dedicated to Arthur C. Clarke  

On March 19, 2008 at the age of 90 years at his home in Sri Lanka, the great Science Fiction writer, Sir Arthur C Clarke died. As a young child I read many of his books and short stories and he (and other Science Fiction writers) powerfully influenced my spiritual impetus. In this respect the transformational movie, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, a 1968 science fiction film written by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke and dealing with human evolution has been hugely influential to many in a very similar way. 

The reason why ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, is a particularly fascinating subject in relation to Arunachala, is because of the use of a ‘monolith’ as the transformative tool throughout the movie. 

The word Monolith comes from the Greek; "Mon" means 'one' and "lith" means 'stone'. It can be a large block of stone or something such as a column or monument or something suggestive of a large block of stone, as in immovability, massiveness, or uniformity. Monolith can also be a geological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock, or a single piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument. 

In the movie 2001, the stone is black, and in alchemy all things that exist come from the black stone, or the 'prima materia'. The black stone is the stone of transformation and the stone of projection. The Philosopher's Stone. This is the object that can change or transmute mankind, according to alchemical lore. It is rare and, when it makes an appearance, it transforms the seeker. 

Primates first experience of the monolith

 

The movie, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, has as its theme, man’s evolution, from ape through earthman to astral being. It starts in prehistoric times where mankind's ancestors are struck by inspiration after a silent black monolith appears in their midst. When the primitive ape-like species is presented with the monolith their curiosity and courage overcomes their fear; and when the innate characteristics of the ape interfaces with the monolithic slab, the species take a dramatic step in their advancement. 

 ***The sun and the crescent moon aligned with each other is a symbol of Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion which predates Buddhism and Christianity and is based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra). This particular alignment symbolises the eternal struggle between light and darkness.*** 

Monolith on Earth

The evolutionary theme of ‘A Space Odyssey’, from ape through Earthman to astral being, continues millions of years later, when a similar-looking monolith dug up on the moon in 2001, starts to blast a strong radio signal to Jupiter. The culmination of the evolutionary theme occurs when the lone surviving astronaut of a space mission seeking the source of the radio signal has a rendezvous with another monolith and a hallucinogenic journey to the infinite beyond. 

With his rasping, dying breath, the Earthman reaches out to the monolith, at last, with deep understanding and wisdom. The body -- container of man's spirit for millions of years, is cast aside forever. And the next evolutionary leap occurs -- the Starchild is born. 

Starchild and Earth

'The cyclical evolution from ape to man to spaceman to angel-starchild-superman is complete. Evolution has also been outwardly directed toward another level of existence - from isolated cave dwellings to the entire Earth to the Moon to the Solar System to the Universe. Humankind's unfathomed potential for the future is hopeful and optimistic. What is the next stage in man's cosmic evolution beyond this powerful, immense, immortal, space-journeying creature? "Then he (i.e. the Starchild) waited, marshalling his thoughts and brooding over his still untested powers. For though he was master of the world, he was not quite sure what to do next. But he would think of something"' 

[2001 - The Novel] 

Mirror-acle of Arunachala

Throughout the world there are representations of monoliths many of which have spiritual and transformative powers. The opinion of many is that Arunachala is the definitive, transformative monolith, but there are also other special, sacred monolithic places. For instance Uluru (previously called Ayers Rock) in Australia is a sandstone monolith; 1,143 feet high and 6 miles in circumference. 

Aerial view of Uluru

Uluru, sacred mountain in Australia

[Invocation of a Chief Uluru Aboriginal Elder] 

"This is the working of the ceremony to save the green ants, the aboriginal people and the dreamtime that holds the world together. The white people are too young to know this and too old to understand. Yet, you must listen to these words now and hear with your hearts, the singing of the mountain. The mountain sings. It sings like it has never sung before...it is singing now for you...for us...for every living creature on this beautiful Earth. The mountain sings its first and last song. The music comes from far, far away yet it is inside you...inside the mountain...inside the trees...inside the rising sun...inside the stars...inside the little pebbles in the river... inside the kangaroo...inside the green ants...inside your mother...inside your father...the song is singing by itself inside every living thing. Now, the mountain sings to keep the world alive. When you hear the song inside your hearts, sing back to the mountain. Sing back to the mountain...sing back to the mountain..." 

Goddess Mariamman and Kasi Swami, Temple Founder

This week I visited Kiran and Philippe (co-founders of Greenland Ashram set in the Arunachala countryside) which is currently under development and is expected to be completed within the next several months, see this link for a pictorial representation of the current status of their Ashram. 

While there Kasi Swami, who lives nearby, stopped at Kiran's house to give her a selection of herbs and natural remedies and advice of how to use them to help cure a skin condition she is currently suffering from. One could say that Kasi Swami is a sort of patriarch of the local village and many villagers go to him for help with illnesses, advice for protection against the "evil eye," and for remedies that can bring better fortune into their lives. In Tamil Nadu such patriarchs are still very easy to find, and are usually highly respected in their communities.

Kasi Swami

After leaving Greenland Ashram I stopped by Kasi Swami’s small Mariamman Shrine of which he is founder. Mariamman is a ancient mother goddess worshipped by Dravidians from pre-Vedic times to bring rain and prosperity. One legend about the origin of Mariamman is she was the wife of Thiruvalluvar (the famed Tamil poet) and after she caught smallpox was reduced to begging from house to house for food. For relief and to keep flies off her smallpox sores she would fan herself with leaves from the neem tree. She recovered and people worshiped her as the Goddess of smallpox. Even now in Tamil Nadu to keep smallpox, cholera and chickenpox away, neem leaves are hung above the main entry-way of homes. 

Another belief is that Parasuram’s (incarnation of Lord Vishnu) mother was Renuka Devi who came to be worshipped in the names of Mariamman, Karumariamman and Renuka Parameswari in Tamil Nadu. 

Land surrounding the small Mariamman Shrine

For a fascinating insight into the mythological theme of Mariamman, I quote the following from David Kinsley’s vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu religious tradition, in his book "Hindu Goddesses". 

“An important theme in myths concerning the origin of village Goddesses is the injustice done to women by men. Two of the best-known myths concerning the origin of the popular goddess Mariamman in South India include this motif:-

In one version a young Brahmin girl is courted by and eventually married to an untouchable who has disguised himself as a Brahmin. On discovering the trick, the woman becomes furious and kills herself. She is transformed into a Goddess and in her Divine form punishes the untouchable by burning him to ashes and otherwise humiliating or humbling him. 

Trident and lemons beloved by this aspect of the Goddess

Unusual representation of trident in stone form

Another version of Mariamman’s origin identified her with an extremely pious, pure wife who is married to a devout holy man. She is so pure that she can perform miraculous tasks such as making jars out of loose sand and boiling water simply by placing a pot of water on her head. One day, however, she sees two gandharvas making love and feels envy for them. Thereupon she loses her miraculous powers. Discovering this and suspecting sexual disloyalty, her husband commands their son to kill his mother. The son obeys his father and decapitates his mother. Eventually she is restored to life but in the process her head and body gets transposed with those of an untouchable woman. Mariamman is thus understood to have a Brahmin head and an untouchable body, which is significant in terms of her ambivalent nature and her role as a village Goddess exemplifying the social status quo in which Brahmins are the head of the social system. 

Lion, the mount of this Shakti Goddess

However, it could be said that nowadays many are unfamiliar with the various legends connected with the Goddess Mariamman thus worship Her purely as Parvathi (Goddess Shakthi - wife of Lord Shiva). 

In small village Temples (such as the one in this posting) the Goddess is usually depicted in a sitting posture and flanked by Ganesha and Subramanya on her sides. She is portrayed as a beautiful young woman with a red-hued face, wearing a red dress. Sometimes she is portrayed with many arms—representing her many powers—but in most representations she has only two or four arms. She may be represented with two demeanours—one displaying her pleasant nature, and the other her terrifying aspect, with fangs and a wild mane of hair. 

Goddess Mariamman

In Tamil Nadu such Patriarchs as Kasi Swami are still very easy to find, and are usually highly respected in their communities. Here in the Tiruvannamalai area one of the most recent and famous such Swamis was Swami Vellayanada of Karumarapatti who died several years ago after reaching a hale and hearty age. As I am personally familiar with details of a miraculous healing that Vellayananda was involved in, and as he was such a colourful figure, will make a posting about him on Arunachala Mystic very soon.

Moola Mantra

The Moola Mantra is believed to give peace and joy. It has the power to transport one’s mind to a state of love and joy. It is regarded as a great devotional act and of great benefit to the seeker of truth and enlightenment. 

The Moola Mantra is a prayer that worships the great Creator and Liberator. It is a mantra of great spiritual power. It evokes the living God and asks protection and freedom from all sorrow and suffering. 

Even without chanting this mantra, just listening to it is believed to give peace. 

Om 

Sat Chit Ananda Parabrahma 

Purushothama Paramatma 

Sri Bhagavathi Sametha 

Sri Bhagavathe Namaha 

Moola Mantra repeated on loop

Meaning of Moola Mantra 

Om—The primordial sound by which the whole Universe vibrates. This Divine sound has the power to create, sustain, and destroy; giving life and movement to all that exists. 

Sat—The all-penetrating Existence that is formless, shapeless, and omnipresent; it is the unmanifest experienced as the emptiness of the Universe. 

Chit—The infinite Pure Consciousness of the Universe 

Ananda—Bliss, love, and the true nature of the Universe 

Parabrahma—The Supreme Being in its Absolute aspect; the One who is beyond space and time. 

Purushothama—Purusha means Soul, and Uthama means the Supreme Spirit. It is the supreme energy force guiding us from the highest world. 

Paramatma—The indweller, the Antaryamin, who resides formlessly and is immanent in every creature and in all beings. 

Sri Bhagavathi—Female aspect of the Divine, which is characterised as the Supreme Intelligence in action, the Shakti Power. 

Same tha—Together within Sametha—“together" or "in communion with" 

Namaha—Salutation or prostration to the Universe 

The Power of Sound

“Sound and intelligence are synonyms. The sound frequencies or mantras have no beginning or end. They are as old as space and the Universe. Many ancient cultures discovered that the mind is made up of subtle energies, in the form of sound frequencies. Ninety percent of our mind is occupied by language-based activity. The mind has a sound pattern; the unconscious has a sound pattern. 

These sound frequencies, also known as mantras, are a part of the space energy (the others being earth, water, fire and air). When yogis talk about sounds, it is not the spoken sound they are referring to. Spoken sounds are the gross form of sounds that emerge from the unmanifest levels. The evolution of speech is as follows: first, there is a thought sound (thought also has a sound) called nada and paranada and the thought sound become speech sound.” 

Aadi Masam 2014

Aadi Masam (Aadi month) is an auspicious month for Tamilians, It is the fourth month in the Tamil calendar and filled with festivals and rituals. In 2014 Aadi Masam started on July 17th and will endon August 16th, 2014.

Aadi Masam is specially dedicated to the Goddess. During this month, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays are the most important days during which grand pujas and rituals are performed in most Tamil Nadu Shakti Temples. All Fridays of Aadi Masam, especially the first and third, are considered very auspicious. 

This Festival occurs during the month of "Aadi" the 4th month in the Tamil Calendar. "Pooram" which is the star that occurs at this time, is one of the 27 stars (nakshatras) in Indian Astrology and is termed the star of Mother Parashakti. On this day, it is said that the Sun (Surya) and Moon (Chandra), exchange their constellation. Which means the Sun occupies the Moon's house of Katakam (Cancer constellation), and the Moon occupies the Sun's house of Simham (Leo constellation). Both the Sun and Moon rejoice at this exchange of houses, which is known as Parivarthanaa Yogam. 

Aadi Masam is termed inauspicious by many as Dakshinaayana Punyakaalam (Lord Surya -- the Sun god) changes his direction from north to south at this time) starts in this month. This is also called as Uttarayanam Punya Kaalam. In the Mahabaratha (Bhishma Parva), Bhisma waited till the birth of Uttarayanam to give away his soul as he had Iccha Mruthyu which means, (i.e. the ability to decide the day and time of one’s death). 

It is at the start of the Aadi month that the sun’s heat reduces and the rains start. It is during this time that the monsoon peaks on the West Coast and the rivers of Tamil Nadu (shrunken in the summer heat) get replenished, often to near full levels. Aadi is the month for sowing, rooting, planting of seeds and vegetation since it is peak monsoon time. 

Aadi Masam is a time of fervour and observances in Goddess related Water-forces and Natural forces (where prayers and pujas are offered to propitiate the powerful goddesses and seek their protection from the inauspicious aspects that are often associated with the month). The month of Aadi is considered very auspicious to connect oneself to this Divine power. However no Functions celebrating social occasions, such as weddings or other similar functions are celebrated during Aadi as such social functions are considered inauspicious during this particular Tamil month. 

Prominent Festivals during Aadi Masam, 2014 

Aadi Pirappu - July 17th 

Aadi Krithigai, - July 21st 

Aadi Perukku - August 3rd 

Aadi Amavasai – July 26th (no moon day) 

Aadi Pooram – July 30th (new moon day) 

VaraLakshmi Puja - August 8th 

Aadi Chevvai - All Tuesdays 

Aadi Velli - All Fridays 

Aadi Pooram

Dedicated to the birth of Sri Andal (one among 12 great Alwars of Sri Vaishnavism). 

The tenth day of the Aadi month is celebrated as Aadi Pooram day when Thirukalyanam (the Divine marriage of the God and the Goddess) is conducted. Special pujas are also conducted on this day. It is believed that if unmarried girls worship Goddess Andal on the tenth day of Aadi Pooram Festival, they will soon marry. 

Legend has it that Vishnu Chitha (known as Periazhwar) was a sincere devotee of Lord Ranganatha of Srivilliputhur. He was childless for a very long time. His prayers were answered and on Aadi Pooram day, when the devotee was collecting flowers in his garden to be used for puja, he found a girl child. The child was named Kothai who grew up with devotion to Lord. 

Sri Andal

Every day, Vishnu Chitha made a garland of Thulasi leaves to offer to the deity at the Temple, which Kothai used to wear before offering to the Lord. One day, a devotee happened to see her wearing this garland and replaced it with another garland. However, the Lord refused to accept the new one and said that He would only wear the garland worn by Kothai. Vishnu Chitha realized that his daughter was a manifestation of the Goddess Mahalakshmi. Andal then came to be known as Choodi Kodutha Sudarkodi, meaning ‘garland offered after being worn’. 

In Saiva Temples (as is observed at our own Arunachaleswarar Temple) this day is celebrated as the Valaikappu Festival for the Goddess, when glass bangles are offered to the Goddess and then distributed to devotees. The wearing of these bangles are said to provide offspring and generally protect one from evils. (Valaikaappu is a Festival during which a pregnant woman wears glass bangles, the sound of which is said to protect her and the child from evil forces). 

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For the schedule of the 2014 Valaikaappu (Bangle) Festival at Arunachaleswarar Temple and the Fire Walking Ceremony in front of the Unnamalai Shrine please go to this link here. 

Similarities between two great Mahans

Received an interesting email (reproduced at the bottom of this posting) from Mr. K. Bharath Kumar pointing out the similarities between the two great Mahans, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba and Arunachala’s own Sri Seshadri Swamigal. 

I’ve also noted the likeness between these saints and often visit the back of the samadhi of Sri Seshadri to take darshan of the statues of the two Mahans sitting side-by-side. 

Two great Mahans

"Sri Seshadri Swamigal arrived at Tiruvannamalai in 1889 when he was 19 years old. He lived uninterruptedly at this place for the next forty 40 years until 1929. He lived the life of an Avadhuta, with no home or ashram, and moved from place to place within Tiruvannamalai. After he left the body, his devotees made his samadhi at a spot off the Chengam Road, which was later to incorporate also an Ashram in his name which is located next to Ramana Maharshi Ashram."

To learn more about the great Mahan Sri Seshadri Swamigal go to this link here: 

"Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi lived between 1838 and 1918 and whose real name, birthplace and date of birth are not known. An Indian spiritual guru and a fakir that transcended the barriers of religions, Sai Baba of Shirdi was regarded with great reverence by both Hindu and Muslim followers. He lived in a mosque and after death his body was cremated in a Temple. 

His philosophy ingrained 'Shraddha' meaning faith and 'Saburi' meaning compassion. According to him Shraddha and Saburi were the supreme attributes to reach the state of godliness."

To find out more about Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, go to this link here: 

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Similarities between Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi and Sri Seshadri Swamigal of Tiruvannamalai (Arunachala) 

There is a close likeness between Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi and Sri Seshadri Swamigal of Tiruvannamalai. 

1. Both lived in their chosen small towns for half a century without moving or wandering outside anywhere. 

2. They both lived moderately, placed least emphasis on external appearances, clothes, grooming, etc. 

3. Both were well versed in difficult yogic practices. 

4. Both gave away all material possessions, presents given to them - then and there - without hoarding any possessions. 

5. Both stressed on sincerity of devotion, power through prayers and right conduct to all devotees. 

6. Both were remarkable healers - even mud and sand became effective medicines when given with their blessings. 

7. Both were able to foretell the future of people and prescribed remedies for their problems. 

8. Both manifested themselves as the favorite Gods of their devotees - whatever they may be - i.e., they were personifications of many important Hindu Gods who appeared from both these saints' physical shells on many occasions based on devotees' prayers/needs. 

9. Both of them were very simple in their lifestyles taking the least from humankind and nature and have given maximum service useful for several generations. 

10. Both of them did not write a single book, nor did they give any elaborate lectures. Both conveyed through simple examples and parables - sometimes meaningful sometimes confusing to their devotees. 

11. Both did not start any ashrams, nor did they start new rituals or formal procedures, or a lineage of disciples as most modern saints/sadhus typically do. They were both interested solely for the upliftment of humankind - to move humans towards realizing their true self and God and spent their entire life in this mission. 

12. Both EVEN NOW exist in subtle spiritual form LONG after their samadhis (passing away) and devotees are being helped and guided in mysterious ways by them EVEN NOW. 

[Mr. K. Bharath Kumar]