Adi Sankara at age 3 and 4

Young Sankaran

A brahmin by name Sivaguru with his wife Aryambigai was living in Kaladi.   They were not having children and   both were praying Lord Siva for begetting a child.   As was the practice and belief of those days, they went to Trichur and prayed in the Vadakkunathar temple for one Mandalam.     After some days of prayers in the mandalam, while sleeping, Lord Siva appeared in the dream of Sivaguru.    The lord said "He would grant the wish of the couple".   But asked "Do you require 100 children with long life but unintelligent or a child with short life with abundant knowledge that would be appreciated by everyone?"   Sivaguru  could not reply immediately and also he woke up from the dream.     He was wondering about the Lord appearing in his dream and woke up his wife and told her.   Aryambigai said The Lord knew everything and whatever the Lord decided would be accepted. 

  Once when the god himself has decided to give, who can stop?   He appeared again in the dream of Sivaguru and said that he was pleased and he himself would be born as a child to Sivaguru with a short life but the entire world would appreciate and wonder by his activities.   As he woke in the morning, he told his wife about the dream an the couple were very happy to know that the Lord himself would be born to them as a child and also because of the Lord's showering his blessings on them, as per their prayers.    The couple still continued their mandala prayers (prarthanai) and completed it and returned back to Kaladi.    After a few months, Aryambigai conceived and later a child with all the beauty that could be described, was born.   The couple only knew that the lord himself has born as a child to them and named the child as "Sankaran".   

Sivaguru, an ardent Siva bhaktha, used to pray the Lord daily and the food would be served only then for all. Sankaran also would sit with his father in the pooja room during these prayers.    Once when Sankaran was only 3 years old, Sivaguru went to another place but could not return in time for the pooja.   Sankara was hungry and as without the pooja, food cannot be taken, he thought why he should not perform the pooja on that day.     He went inside the pooja room and offered fruits and milk and did the pooja as used to be done by his father.   He then sat on Dhyana and a wonder happened at that time.   A light appeared from the Siva linga and took the shape of Umadevi and she saw vessel with the milk and child Sankaran also came out of the Dhyana at that time.  The vessel got emptied as Umadevi saw that and Sankaran seeing the vessel without the milk was upset.     It was true that the milk disappeared but Umadevi had filled up Gnana in the vessel and she fed the child with Gnana and Umadevi disappeared.    On drinking the milk of Gnana, Sankaran started exhibiting his Gnana and singing in Sanskrit at the tender age of 3.     The parents were very happy to learn from Sankaran about the incident of feeding of the Gnana by Umadevi.   They were  astonished by the knowledge he had possessed but were worried that it was  only for a short period but they would never reveal about the short life of sankaran to him.     

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The astrologers had told Sivaguru would meet his end when his child would be four years old.  That was, what happened.        At that time, Sankaran did not set fire to the body of his father, but put a piece of Dharbai on the funeral pyre by which there was fire with a fragrance.    Then Sankaran had his early education in Gurukula when he was five.    At the age of seven he composed Kanagadhara Stotram.    

KANAGADHARA STOTRAM

Kanagadhara Stotram

This stotram was one of the early age works of Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada.    What prompted Adi Sankara to sing in praise of Goddess Lakshmi?       Sankara as was the practice of Brahmacharis begged for alms as a young boy.  When he did that in the house of Ayasida Dikshitar with the normal request of "bhagavati bhikshantegi", only Dikshitar's wife was in the house.   Dikshitar had gone out to beg for alms himself.  The Dikshitar was so poor, there was nothing in the house to offer as Bikhsa to Sankara.    After all her search, she was so sad that she felt what was to be offered when there was nothing in the house.  Then she realised, that she had kept two gooseberries (Nellikkai or Amla) for her and her husband and keeping one for her husband, offered the other one to Sankara, pleading to him, to take the same, as there was no other thing to offer.   Realising the poverty of the house, Sankara in compassion, decided to bestow his all and sang there itself, on Goddess Lakshmi.   That was Kanagadhara stotram.  As he sang the stotram, Goddess Lakshmi appeared before him, asked what he wanted  from her.  He told the poverty of Dikshitar's house had to change for the better.  The Goddess told the lady did not do charities in her previous life and deserved no mercy.    Sankara while agreeing with the Goddess said that in the present life, though there was nothing in the house, the lady had given whatever she had, and that too with all the reverence requesting him to take it.   Hence she deserved the help to which Goddess Lakshmi said it would be done.   Immediately it was raining of gold gooseberries in Dikshitar's house.   The lady of the house, wondered what had happened and stood in reverance.   

   

The Kanagadhara stotram was sung in Sanskrit.   Kanaga meaning gold and dhara is rain.

MAHASHIVARATRI 2012

Maha Sivarathri 2012

This year's Maha Sivarathri falls on 20th February 2012, the day before the Amavasya.    The four Jamams of that night will comprise the rathri for observation of the Vratha to be awake and pray Lord Siva.     It is considered very appropriate to do Abhisekams to Lingam in house with milk, curd, butter and honey in that order for the four Jamams.     Apart from being awake on that night, performing abhishekams, Prayers by singing hymns of Siva and with Mantras Shiva Panchakshari - Om Namachivaya, Siva Shakthi   Panchakshari - Om Hrim Namachivaya and Mruthunjaya Mantra are considered the best way to get the blessings of Lord Siva.      Mruthunjaya Mantra:
Om trayambakama Yajamahe
Suganthim Pushtivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanat
Mrutyor Mukshiya Mamrutat


The Shiva Gayatri Mantra, and Astothram and Sahasranamam are also mantras chanted during the Vratha.    The Gayathri Mantra is given below:
Om tatpurushaya Vidhmahe
Mahadevaya Vidmahi
Tanno Rudra Prachodayat

 


Fasting from the evening till the next morning is observed normally on this day.   The legend has it that on this day, when offered prayers unintentionally to Lord Siva fetches the blessings of Shiva as he gets pleased on the prayers offered on this day.   Thus the story of King Chitrbanu is narrated in connection with this.   King Chitrabanu of Ikshvahu Dynasty ruled Jambudweepa was observing fast on a Siva rathri day when Sage Ashtavakra came to meet the king.    The sage asked the King on the purpose of the fast.   The king said he had the gift of knowing about his previous birth and that he was a hunter born in Varanasi with the name Suswara, in the previous birth.  While hunting in the forest one day, it was late for him to return home and hence took shelter in a tree.   He climbed the tree with the deer he had killed.   The tree was a Bael  (Vilvam) and even as he was sitting on the tree, he felt sorry for his wife and children who were awaiting for the food.   As he was overcoming with the emotions, he was also plucking the vilva leaves and dropping them to pass the night.  In the morning, he went with the deer and sold it and bought food for his family.   When he was about to break his fast, a stranger came asked for food and he first offered food for the stranger and then took food.    At the time of death, two messengers of Lord Shiva appeared and took his soul to the abode of Lord Shiva and he learnt from them that the prayers offered unconciously on the day when he was in the forest was the reason for this.    A shiva linga was beneath the Bael tree and as he shed tears thinking the family, this fell on the siva linga and washed it.    The Bilva leaves he plucked and dropped fell on the linga thus Vilva leaves had been offered as prayers that night.    He had also been not taking any food sitting over the tree and thus observed a fast on that night.   Thus he had worshipped Lord Shiva that night unconsciously that had merited him to be taken to the abode of Lord Shiva.    Thus the hunter Suswa had enjoyed bliss for long ages to be reborn as Chitrabanu.  Thus narrated Chitrabanu to Sage Ashtavakra.   Bhisma, while resting on the bed of arrows and discoursing on Dharma referred to this stroy.
Vilvastogam:

Vallalar's Tamil song:   Mandiram Avadhu Neeru:



மந்திரம் ஆவது நீறு; வானவர் மேலது நீறு;
சுந்தரம் ஆவது நீறு; துதிக்கப் படுவது நீறு;
தந்திரம் ஆவது நீறு; சமயத்தில் உள்ளது நீறு;
செந்துவர் வாய் உமை பங்கன், திரு ஆலவாயான் திருநீறே.

வேதத்தில் உள்ளது நீறு; வெந்துயர் தீர்ப்பது நீறு;
போதம் தருவது நீறு; புன்மை தவிர்ப்பது நீறு;
ஓதத் தகுவது நீறு; உண்மையில் உள்ளது நீறு;
சீதப் புனல் வயல் சூழ்ந்த திரு ஆலவாயான் திருநீறே.

Ratha Sapthami 2012

Ratha Sapthami 2012

This years Ratha Sapthami falls on 30th January 2012.      The sapthami during waxing phase of moon, Sukhla Paksha in the month of Magara is the day celebrated as Ratha Sabthami.   According to Hindu belief, Sun God rides a chariot with seven horses and a single wheel.  The Pooja for him on this day is carried out especiallly in Maharastra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu.    In orissa, the day is observed as Maha Sapthami.   Though the celebration varies from region to region, a kolam of surya is made generally at all places.    It is said that the earth's inclination is the highest towards the Sun on the Ratha Sapthami day.  The temperature in South India increases steadily from here and heralds spring and the new years of Ugadi and Tamil New year.     In Tamilnadu, the practice is to take bath with Erukku (Arka patra) leaves.  The sloga told at this bathing time is:


“Saptha Saptha Maha Saptha, Saptha Dweepa Vasundara, Sapth Arka Parna Madaya, Sapthamyam Snana Machareth”. 

Thiruvallarai Pundarikasha Perumal temple

Thiruvallarai is famous because of the beautiful temple of Pundarikasha Perumal.      The temple is at a good distance of a kilometre from the bus stand in the main road, that is connecting Mannachanallur and Thuraiyur.        Town buses with no.27B, from Trichy chathiram bus stand go to this temple itself.       Frequencies may force people to take up long distance buses and some of these operators do not take in passengers going to Thiruvallarai.      Vellarai means white stone and the temple is atop of a very small hillock and the colour of the hill is white.  Hence the place is called Vellarai.     This can also be reached from Thirupangneeli side.   The picture below shows the road leading to the temple and temple's dilapidated Gopuram.

   

Thiruvallarai is approximately 27 kms from Tiruchy and can be reached via Mannachanallur.    This temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams and supposed to be 4 yugas old.     Once Markandeya Rishi was in Penance at this place when Maharaja Sibi Chakravarty came with his warriors and put up tents and stayed here.   Once a white boar (Swetha Varaham) crossed and the raja chased it and it entered into a hole.      When the Raja told this to Markandeya Rishi, he asked the Raja to perform Milk Abhisekha to the hole.   While performing the Milk abisheka to the hole, Lord Vishnu appeared from the hole.   Markendeya Maharishi asked the Raja to bring in 3700 Vaishnavites from the north and build a temple here.   Raja Sibi Chakravarty followed what Markendeya Rishi said.    But as he was building the temple, one of the vaishnavites among 3700 died, and Vishnu himself came as a vaishnavite and asked the worrying Raja to count him, to have the desired number.   A closer look of the dilapidated entry Gopuram is in the following photo.

Efforts are on to renovate the temple and attend to it, by the devotees.     The Moolavar of this sthalam is Pundarikashan and Thayar is Shenbagavalli.      Urchava thayar is known as Pankajavalli.      The lord have prathyaksha darisanam to Garudan, Brahma, Sivan, Markandeya Maharishi and Sibi Chakravarty.      The temple has the Sudhai images on the wall of Pundarikashan, Sridevi, Bhooma Devi, Surya, Chandra and Adiseshan.  There are sannidhis for Krishnan and Anjaneya also.     The Lord is in Nindra kolam here.     There are 2 entries of Uttarayana and Dakshinayana vasals to the sanctorium.    The temple has 7 theerthams.

ANBIL SATHYAVAGEESWARAR TEMPLE

Anbil Sathyavageeswarar temple or Brahmapureeswarar temple is an ancient Siva temple and a padal petra sthalam.   This can be reached from Tiruchy via Lalgudi.   Though there is a lot of interesting things to be seen in the temple, practically  no devotees were seen at the time I had darshan, a Wednesday at around 04.30 PM.   The temple is situated in Kezha Anbil. and between the perumal and mariamman temples of anbil.     The temple has a majestic 5 tiered entrance gopuram.

On entering the main entrance, before entering to the temple proper, there is the entrance with the Sudhai of Siva and Parvathi seated on the bull, Nandhi.  

The Siva here is a Swayambumurthy and worshipped by Brahma once and hence The Lord is known as  Brahmapureeswarar.      Vagheesamuni worshipped here and hecnce the lord came to be known as Sathyavageeswarar.      Ambal is known as Sowntharanayaki.     Besides there are sannadhis for Bikshadanar, Kasi Viswanathar, Visalakshi, Subramanyar with Valli and Devayanai, Sapthakanniars and Bhairavar.     The Vinayagar here is lending his ears to the hymns being sung by Gnanasambandar and is known as Sevisaitha Vinanyakar.  
Apart from this aspect, the Navaghraha of this temple is Special as Surya Bhagawan is facing west and all the other grahas look to Surya Bhagawan and hence the grahas are not as per the order normally you will see in other temples.      Besides on the entrance wall shown above, by the side of it, there are Chola time inscriptions.

The thevarams sung by Thirugnanasambandar and Thirunavukkuarasar are on the wall of the temple with an inset of a granite stone.

There are 2 outer prakarams for the temple.   The temple's Gurukkal on the day was Sri Muthu and was very coperative though I went earleir than the opening time of the temple.

ANBIL VADIVAZHAGIYA PERUMAL

On 18th January 2012, after having darshan at Koviladi Appakudathan temple, I proceeded to Anbil.   As wanted to go by a bus, I took the bus to Poondi from Koviladi and getting down at the Entrance arch of Poondi Matha Church.    From there, buses from Thirukkattupalli to Lalgudi can be taken to reach Anbil, because of the new bridge over Kollidam between Poondi and Sengariyur.(See Anbil visits posting for photograph of the bridge).     A town bus from thirukkattupalli to lalgui arrived and I reached Anbil at 12.55 PM just in time for the darshan.    The temple was open upto 01.20 PM to enable a few people who had come at that time.   The photo of the temple was taken from the bus stand which was very nearby.

    The temple is in  around an acre of land, and the sanctum is facing east and  with one prakaram.
The entrance gopuram is 3 tiered.      The sundararaja perumal is in kidantha kolam facing east and thayar is Soundaranayaki.    The pictures of Urchavars are shown above.   This is one of the 108 divya desams and Thirumazhisai Alwar in a pasuram refers about 7 reclining vishnu's at Thirukudanthai, Thiruvegkaa, Thiruvallur, Thiruvarangam, Thiruppernagar(Koviladi), Anbil and Thirupparkadal.      For  panchranga keshtras (see posting on Koviladi and Indaloor also).  Legend has it that Brahma and Valmiki worshipped Vishnu here.     Also Mandooka Muni during an underwater penance failed to notice the presence of Sage Durvasa who cursed Mandooka Muni to take the form of a toad and he got cleared of the curse by workshipping the Lord here and the pushkarani is known as Mandooka purshkarani.      
From Lalgudi side, the temple is only 8 kms but the road has been damaged because of the frequency of lorry traffic taking sand from kollidam between Ariyur and Anbil.